Free To The Lions - 02 by Chuck Driskell Page B

He eyed Gage.   “I want you to give it one month, and then make
your decision about staying further.   I
want you to protect my son, Mister Harris, and create an overall assessment as
to what it will take to keep him alive and well for the balance of the twenty
additional months he will remain there.   Or, if he cannot be protected for that amount of time, I need to know
exactly, from a tactician’s eye, what it would take to free him.”
    “Señor
Navarro—”
    “Everything
has already been arranged.   We have
layers of redundancy from the government, in the justice department and
elsewhere.   Your insertion will be highly
controlled and safeguarded.”
    “But,
Señor Navarro—”
    “And
I will compensate you with one hundred thousand dollars, cash, for your initial
thirty days.”
    Gage
Hartline fell silent.
    “I’ve
looked into your affairs.”   Navarro’s expression
was mildly apologetic.   “You have few
assets and you report no income.   My
sources tell me that a man like you would do well to earn a hundred thousand
dollars in a good year—two-fifty a year if you were willing to live in a
hot-spot like Afghanistan or Syria.   They
also tell me you’re the type of man who lives simply, within your means.”  
    Navarro
inclined his head, as if he admired Gage for this.   “But knowing something about your past
troubles, and speaking with you on a personal level, I get the feeling that you
would not mind finding your ultimate peace somewhere, be it on a farm, on the
side of a mountain, or in a seaside hut.   Perhaps you would like to move here to Catalonia and own a small villa
in the hills.”   Navarro’s expression
hardened, a distinguished salesman nearing the end of his pitch.   “My money, Mister Harris, will go a long way
to helping you accomplish that and, if you choose to stay on in the prison, I
can guarantee you that you will never have to work another day in your life…unless
you choose to.”
    Gage
cleared his throat.   “Just so I might
know what you’re referring to, what is the ultimate reward?”
    “Fifty
thousand dollars, U.S., for every additional month you stay.   And when my son exits the prison alive and in
good enough condition to resume a normal life—I say that so there’s no
confusion—I will pay you a cash bonus of three million dollars, Mister Harris.   That’s more than four million dollars for not
even two years of your life.   It won’t be
pleasant,” he snorted, “not by a long shot, hence the significant reward.”
    Gage
had to remind himself to breathe.   “Please
go on,” he managed to say.
    “An
associate of mine has the remainder of the details.   Those are, as you say, the broad
strokes.”   Navarro flattened his palms,
his eyes alight.   “Your thoughts?”
    “May
we meet again tomorrow?” Gage asked.
    “You
would like to sleep on this proposal?” Navarro asked with a hopefully cocked
eyebrow.
    “I’d
be foolish not to,” Gage said, the very words surprising himself.
    “Which
means you’re considering it.”
    Gage
finished his water.   “I don’t want to
give you that impression.”
    “If
you weren’t, you would tell me no right now.”   When Gage produced his money, Navarro motioned it away.   “Please, Mister Harris, the food was my
pleasure.”
    “I
will call you tomorrow, señor.”
    “I’d
prefer we schedule a meeting now.   Do you
feel comfortable enough to visit my casita without disarming my men on your way
in?” Navarro asked, smiling as he finished his query.
    Gage
nodded.   “Yes, sir.”
    “Valentin
will give you a new number and pick you up after you call.”   Navarro snapped his fingers and Valentin
appeared.
    After
Gage had the information and bade farewell to Navarro, Gage stepped to the
mouth of the alley with Valentin, addressing him and Ocho.   “I apologize to you both if I caused you any
problems with Señor Navarro.”   Gage
extended his right hand.   “No