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Colton, who’d been eyeing the toys scattered about the room with an expression bordering on distaste, suddenly looked up at him. “What do you mean, the Fargos were involved?”
“My men planted themselves in the mechanic’s house with his mother. Leverage.”
“Are you insane?”
“It worked.”
“How? You still don’t have the car. You’re lucky the police weren’t called.” Colton reached out, kicking one of the blocks at his feet. The red plastic square rattled across the floor, landing in front of Oren’s chair. “Another fool move like that, your kid’ll be visiting you in prison. Assuming your ex lets him near you.”
“Are you threatening me?”
“Far from it. Since you’re the one paying my salary, it’s in my best interest to make sure you stay out of jail.”
“My men were acting on credible evidence that the mechanic had the car.”
“Credible? Who was your source?”
“Allegra.”
Colton’s brows went up slightly. “Oliver’s sister? Interesting. By any chance did she volunteer this information out of the blue?”
“Of course not. I called her and asked. Clearly she was wrong. But her guess seemed logical at the time. After all, this Chad fellow was the man who helped Albert and Oliver ready the car for the London show.”
Colton absently reached for his cigarette pack, suddenly remembered, lowered his hand. “Did it ever occur to you that she was being a little too helpful?”
“I asked her who she thought was good for it.”
“What about that ex of hers?”
“If not for him, we wouldn’t have had the Ghost at all. Besides, he’s nothing but a petty crook. I doubt he has the means to pull off such a thing.”
“You’re sure?”
At the moment, Oren wasn’t sure of anything except the nagging thought that Colton had all the advantages in this venture. Despite Bruno’s suggestion otherwise, it occurred to Oren that there was really no one he could trust but himself. “For one, Allegra doesn’t drive. Two, unless she’s suddenly flush with cash, she’d never be able to have the funds to hire someone to steal the Ghost. Three, do you really think she could somehow have gotten past your security? Strike that last question. Apparently, someone did.”
“There was nothing wrong with my security.”
“Except for that one glaring flaw. The Ghost was in your warehouse and it’s now missing.”
“We’ll find whoever was behind the theft. That you can count on. In fact, I have a very good lead in Italy.”
“What lead?”
“A Silver Ghost that suddenly just came on the market. An auction for very select clientele.”
“You think it might be the Gray Ghost?”
“We can’t be sure. But the timing is highly suspect. If there’s any possibility that it is the Ghost, you’ll need to get on it before Oliver or the Fargos hear about it. The last thing you want is to cross swords with them.”
On this, they agreed. That Oliver had taken up with the Fargos to help save his uncle’s home was beyond infuriating. For someone who’d never shown any interest in getting married and producing an heir, the man was a sentimental fool, protecting his uncle’s estate even though he had no one to pass it on to except Allegra’s son. “I wish we could put an end to his relationship with the Fargos. Their interference is costing me time and money.”
“Do you think they know why you’re after the Ghost?”
“Does it matter?”
“It might. Maybe if we found the Ghost and it was returned to Payton, they’d back off.”
“Quite right,” Oren said. “Let’s give a car worth millions upon millions to the very man I’ve spent the last year trying to financially ruin. Brilliant idea. Do you have any more scintillating plans you haven’t revealed?”