Page 297 of Allegiance

This had to look as authentic as possible. That meant making sure that the hooker they were buying, who they knew was going to betray them, believed it all.

That meant Jagger was up to bat.

Their teams were divided up with two of them ready to blow buildings when they got the word, and Remington ready to tag some vehicles as he played hide-and-seek from a rooftop. Not to mention that Maura and the Snakes were on standby.

As Jagger, Zayn, Dakota, and Boone walked into The Underground, they were escorted into a back room. In it, Merla was waiting with Calyx.

“Mr. O’Banion, can I offer you a drink?” Calyx asked.

He shook his head.

“I’ll pass, but thank you. What I really want is confirmation that you’ve met the challenge I’ve asked of you,” he said, standing there in his mob man finery.

She got it.

He was protecting her by making this chilly.

“I have. May I introduce you to Merla? She’s going to help you out,” she said. “She’s going to go into the agencies, and see if she can find who you are looking for,” Calyx offered.

Jagger sat, and the three men flanked him in their security gear.

The whole time, Merla was watching him.

“I appreciate your help,” he said. “You’ll be rewarded for that.”

“I could use the money, Mr. O’Banion, so thank you for the work.”

He nodded.

Calyx let them handle it. She was just the negotiator, after all.

“Then, do the job, and you’ll get paid. We will leave the money with Calyx, and when you complete it, you can come back here and pick it up.”

That seemed to work for her.

“Okay. What do you want?” she asked.

“I need you to walk into the modeling agencies, one at a time, and see if Cruz is there, or if you can find a man named Chevy. Unfortunately, we don’t know what he looks like.”

She was honest.

“I’ve never met him, but I know that Cruz is always there. Those are his businesses.”

He was well aware.

So far, so good.

“Then, this should be an easy million for you.”

She smiled.

Yes, yes, it would be.

In his ear, he could hear his wife and the Snakes talking about their position.

“J, we have confirmation that three men entered the agency closest to you. She may have called him after Calyx talked to her. Security is tight. Hit that location first to get spotted.”

He couldn’t reply.