Lucas drove back to his flat to meet with Jack. With Nyssa temporarily being held at Thames House, he could focus completely on their side operation, getting Zach to reveal where the money was hidden.
Jack entered Lucas' flat grumbling about dressing in a suit. He was never the office type and preferred combat duty over a desk job for a reason. Lucas smiled to himself as he left Jack in the living room to fetch his jacket. Nyssa’s friends were beginning to grow on him.
Working on this job with Nyssa gave Lucas the chance to observe how Nyssa and her team operated. It was like a play with each member having a part that they played. They knew exactly what they were doing, and they trusted each other to watch their backs.
While Lucas was retrieving his jacket from his bedroom, Jack asked about Nyssa. He knew that despite Nyssa’s habit of constantly getting into trouble, she would come out unscathed in the end. But, that did not stop his inner anxiety he always felt for his best friend.
“Your boss isn’t too brassed off, is he? Nyssa can be a bit…well, you know.” He smiled.
Lucas understood all too well about Nyssa’s personality. He had never met anyone more stubborn. How did the CIA ever allow her to run her operations this way? If he did not know any better, he would have guessed that she angered enough superiors who forced her into early retirement.
“She may have tried what little patience Harry has, but she's fine. She will be a guest at Thames House for the remainder of the afternoon. That will give us time to finish this job.”
“Tried his patience…..” Jack smiled again. “Not bloody likely, mate. That’s a nice way of saying that it took all his strength and will to keep from killing her.”
“I've never met a woman who refuses to follow orders and puts herself in harm’s way for an operation. It can’t always be about trust.” Lucas sounded more like he was asking a question than making a statement.
“When I was in the army and working operations with her, she was always looking after the team. When we lost some good people on compromised jobs, she took their deaths to heart. She cares more about the innocent people of this world than you know. It wasn't just a job to her.”
Lucas took a moment to reflect on what Jack told him. He could see that in Nyssa. When they were talking with Danny's mother Karen, Lucas could see the compassion that Nyssa had for this woman's problem. The more he learned about Nyssa’s character, the more it helped him understand her.
Jack’s complaints about his tie being too tight brought Lucas back to the present, and the two men set off to meet Zach at the club. It was mid-afternoon when Lucas pulled up to the club in the Aston Martin. He parked in front of the building and was greeted by Zach personally. As true to his character, Lucas started for the door leaving Jack to follow behind.
Once the three men entered the club, Lucas quickly had a look around. The place was very different from the last time he was there. The club had not yet opened for the evening, so the room was practically vacant. The main dance hall was much larger than perceived when crowded with people. It was still dark with the blue and gold lighting which made it difficult to see.
Instead of escorting the two men into the back room, Zach directed Lucas and Jack toward one of the tables in the dance hall near the bar. He already had a champagne bottle and glasses sitting at the table.
“Zach, this is my pain in the ass lawyer who handles all my finances, Mr. Thomas Brady,” said Lucas as he motioned to Jack behind him.
Jack smiled and extended his hand to Zach who greeted Jack with a grand smile of his own. Jack could tell that the club manager was very eager to close the deal and get his hands on the money.
“I see you have the champagne ready to go,” said Lucas in his New York accent. He gestured at the bottle and glasses on the table.
“No harm in being prepared,” said Zach.
“Then I will leave you two to discuss the details of the deal while I serve myself something a little stronger than champagne. A nice straight vodka will do just fine.”
Lucas slapped Zach on the back and walked over to the back of the bar. He picked up a bottle and began reading the label while Jack moved closer to Zach. Jack leaned toward the club manager to prevent Lucas from overhearing their conversation.
“Mr. Pollard, I don’t know how familiar you are with Mr. McCormick’s reputation. David McCormick can be a rather difficult person. Do you understand who you are getting into financial bed with, sir?” Jack stated with a very prestigious London accent.
“I understand, and I am willing to take the risk,” said Zach.
“Well, sir, don’t say that I did not warn you.” Jack stepped back, and the two men took their seats at the table facing each other.
“Now, as I explained to Mr. McCormick, we are offering an opportunity to invest into a groundbreaking business. All he will need to do is to supply the startup capital of £200,000,” said Zach.
“That sounds possible. What are you funding in this venture?”
“Well, not cash at the moment, but I have expertise and knowledge in the business and management skills.”
“Oh, I see,” Jack said as he sighed and dropped his eyes to the table. He seemed quite unconvinced.
“I don’t share in the same profit percentage as Mr. McCormick,” Zach said trying to salvage the deal. “By investing into the entertainment club in Havana from the beginning….”
“Wait….. Did you say Havana?” asked Jack.
“Of course.”
Jack immediately grabbed his briefcase from the floor and stood from the table. Zach watched with both surprise and horror as Jack walked past him toward the door. Jack stopped and turned before leaving.
“I am afraid I cannot in good conscience sign for any kind of business venture in Cuba. Good day, gentlemen.” Jack turned again and left the club.
Lucas watched as Jack walked away and turned his gaze toward Zach who rushed to the bar, unhappy with the way the deal went.
“I don’t believe we have a deal,” Zach said to Lucas.
Lucas became angry and threw the half-empty glass he held at a stack of bottles behind him.
“Son of a bitch,” he said before turning back to Zach. “Let me talk to him. I'll convince him even if I have to drag his ass back in here to sign off on it. I'll be in touch.”
Lucas stomped passed Zach and left the club. When he stepped outside, he saw Jack standing next to the car waiting for Lucas to come out.
“Brady,” shouted Lucas from the doorway. “You and I are going to have a little talk.”
Lucas rushed toward Jack with a murderous look in his eye. Jack help up his hand to try and calm his partner.
“Mr. McCormick, I cannot discuss this at the moment. Let’s go back to the office. You know your father would not approve of such a risky venture.”
“Oh, we’ll discuss it. Get in the car, NOW.”
Lucas walked around to the driver’s side of the car while Jack opened the passenger side and climbed in. The Aston Martin sped out into the street leaving tire burns in the asphalt in front of the club.
When Lucas was out of sight of Zach and the club, he dropped the speed and relaxed a little more in the seat. Jack loosened his tie and smiled. So far, the plan was still on track.
They did not expect Zach to show them the money right away, but they could see that he was desperate to close the scam. Jack and Lucas worked the a good cop-bad cop scenario very well. Their plan was for Jack to say no while Lucas was adamant about saying yes. The only way for Jack to agree and release the money, Lucas would have to get Zach to provide the matching funds.
The problem was that it all depended on Zach and his greed. If it meant that to close the deal, he would need to produce actual cash to prove how far he was willing to play this, he would do it. It would take a little time, and Lucas and Jack hoped that they had enough time to spare.
Jack dropped Lucas off at his flat to change back into his normal clothes. While he was there, he received a text message from Nyssa asking him to come to her place. There was a problem with Zach and the job.
Lucas arrived at the flat and noticed the surveillance van parked across the street. He smiled to himself as he ignored it and continued toward the stairs. He assumed that Harry was true to his word and resumed surveillance on Nyssa like he said.
He reached the door and opened it. As he entered the apartment, he saw that Jack and Danny were also there. Jack was seated in a chair facing the group with a beer in his hand. He had changed out of his suit as quickly as he could and into his very casual attire.
Nyssa gave Lucas a slight grin as he closed the door and walked toward the group. Danny, of course, looked like he wanted to crawl out of his skin.
“How did it go this afternoon?” she asked Lucas as he came closer to her.
“Zach may need more convincing. He was still adamant about not investing actual cash into this deal,” said Lucas.
“Well, you may have done better than you thought, but his partners are the ones that will be the problem. After I came back from my afternoon appointment, I listened to the bug in the office,” said Nyssa emphasizing ‘afternoon appointment' which was caught by everyone in the room except Danny.
“I recorded a little conversation he had with his partners. It seems that they were there listening to your little meeting from their office.” Nyssa pushed play on the digital recorder she wired to Jack's phone.
"...I only need the money for one day. This bloke is hooked. Don't you understand?" demanded Zach.
"...That's not how we do it. Get the wanker to the house, and we'll finish it. Otherwise, cut him loose," said one of his partners.
Nyssa stopped the recorder and turned back to the other men. This piece of news felt like a set back after all the work they did getting this far. Danny began to get fearful that they would not be able to recover the money.
“It sounds like Zach's partners have veto power,” said Nyssa.
“This is a nightmare. Mikhailov wants his money in 24 hours. How are we going to get it?” said Danny nearly hysterical.
“Danny, calm down. None of us expected them to show the money at first. They are very careful con artists. They just need a little more convincing,” said Jack.
“Zach is the weak link. He is more than ready to deal. We can turn him. We just need to convince him that David McCormick may have some powerful partners of his own,” said Lucas.
The rest of them looked at him in confusion until Lucas explained to them his plan on how to scare Zach into giving them the cash. It was a good plan, but it would require time to set up and a matching £200,000. Since Lucas knew that Harry would never sanction giving them that much cash for an operation like this, Nyssa said that she knew someone who could help with that.
Nyssa could not help but be impressed by Lucas' enthusiasm in this job. She would probably describe him as having too much fun and wondered if she may have created a monster. The thought made her smile.
“But, Mikhailov wants the money tomorrow,” said Danny, again.
Nyssa had already pulled out her mobile and began dialing a number. Since her last encounter with Mikhailov, Nyssa managed to find a contact number in case she needed it.
“Danny, try not to worry. I'll see if I can buy us some more time,” she said to the group.
"Mikhailov," said the raspy voice on the other line.
“I just wanted to update you on our progress. We're getting you your money. We just need 48 hours,” said Nyssa.
"That can be arranged; however, there is someone with me that does not share my patience. Tell Danny that his mother is very anxious and wants to go home."
Nyssa smiled at the group, turned her back and took a few steps away from them so Danny could not hear the rest. Lucas and Jack were curious at her behavior while Danny remained unaware of the situation.
“Listen to me very carefully,” said Nyssa in a whispered tone. “If you touch that woman in any way, I will come down on you so fast you won’t know what happened until it’s over. You think you're so tough? I also have lots of friends and resources. You don’t want to do this.”
"Give me my money, and we never have to find out."
The call went dead.