Free Deadly Diamonds by John Dobbyn

walked to within five feet and leaned down to check it out.
    â€œGet in, Mr. Devlin.”
    â€œLike hell. Where’s Salviti?”
    â€œHe’s waiting. I’ll take you to him.”
    â€œThat wasn’t the deal.”
    The driver held his coat open to show that there was no hardwarehidden. “I’m just the driver. Mr. Salviti said you wanted someplace private so’s you could talk freely. C’mon. We’re holdin’ up traffic.”
    The horns of the Boston drivers behind the Lincoln were in fact getting into the conversation. Lex knew that Salviti had put the decision squarely on his back under pressure. The odds that a decision to get into the car would insure that he’d seen his last Boston sunset were overwhelming. On the other hand, a decision to walk away might quench the last spark of hope for Matt’s redemption. Without weighing the matter too rationally, he went against the odds and slipped into the backseat.
    The Lincoln jumped into the flow of traffic on Beacon Street toward the Berkeley Street entrance to Storrow Drive. With one hand on the wheel, the driver reached an open hand toward the backseat.
    â€œI’ll take your cell phone, Mr. Devlin. Just a precaution.”
    â€œAgainst what?”
    â€œLike I said. Mr. Salviti wants to keep this little meeting private.”
    â€œI don’t have a cell phone.”
    The driver gave that a few seconds’ thought. “Just so you know. I’ll be watching you. I got my orders. Mr. Salviti was very particular. If I see you doin’ anything funny, do I need to spell it out?”
    There was no need to answer.
    The man at the wheel had the Boston driver’s knack of cutting across lanes and slipping into openings barely a foot or two larger than the Lincoln. Their speed was well above that of the flow of traffic as they passed Mass. General Hospital and made the circular lane changes that put them in the fast lane heading north on Route 1.
    They were over the Danvers line when the driver used an exit to make a U-turn. He went a mile before making a second U-turn back onto Route 1 north. This time he cut a sharp right-hand turn into the darkness that covered a strip of parking spaces in front of a set of wooden cabins that made up the Seaborn Motel. The “No Vacancy” sign was dimly lit, but there was only one car parked on the strip in front of the cabins. The driver of the Lincoln pulled in beside it.
    â€œLet’s go, Mr. Devlin.”
    There was no point in conversation. Lex knew from the moment he shut the door of the Lincoln on Charles Street that he was completely in the hands of the devil. Whatever bargaining power he thought he had vanished with the locking click of the car door.
    Lex forced his mind to squelch nerves that approached the panic level with the constant reminder that he was Matt’s last frail chance. He followed the driver to the door of the cabin. The driver gave three knocks, then two. The door was opened by a trim man in a dark suit with the eyes of a barracuda.
    The barracuda made a two-handed motion that said lift your arms. Lex did. The thorough body search revealed that he was unarmed and telling the truth about the cell phone. The next gesture was more a command than an invitation to enter the room.
    A short, dark-skinned, balding man in a gray suit that made him look like an overstuffed sausage sat in an upholstered chair across the room. A straight-back chair was set in front of him.
    â€œNow, Mr. Smart-ass Lawyer, suppose you sit, and we have this conversation you wanted.”
    A jab in the back set Lex in motion toward the chair. He sat down in silence.
    â€œYou go first, lawyer. What’s this thing you want to talk about?”
    â€œI think you know. I assume you’re Salviti.”
    Lex felt the point of something sharp at the base of his skull.
    â€œThat’s ‘Mr. Salviti’ to you.”
    â€œEasy, Tony. Mr. Devlin’s