The man blinked several times in surprise. He obviously recognized the name. “Please come in, sir. I’ll tell him you’re here.”
Lucian didn’t move. “I would not want to disturb him if he has settled in for the evening. After all, it is quite late. I will wait out here.”
“Mr. Barnes wouldn’t like that, sir,” the man insisted. “I’ve heard him speak of you often. Please come in.”
“You are certain you have the authority to invite me into his home?” Lucian’s voice was soft, his accent very much in evidence.
The man nodded. “Yes, sir. Please come in. Mr. Barnes would have my job if I kept you waiting on the doorstep.”
Lucian graciously allowed the man to talk him into entering the foyer. He stood quietly while the man hurried off to get Samuel Barnes. He could clearly hear the whisper of conversation in the room above him.
“Are you certain it’s Lucian Daratrazanoff? My God, where’s my jacket? Quick, Bruce, mix a couple of drinks, and bring them into the library. No, wait. Escort Daratrazanoff into the main sitting room. I’ll make the drinks myself.”
Lucian remained quite still, waiting while Bruce hurried back to him. “Mr. Barnes said to bring you right up,” he announced, indicating the staircase.
Lucian moved up the stairs without hesitation. He had not used his voice to persuade or enthrall. He had not needed to do so. His name, that of the elusive foreign billionaire, was enough. To a man like Barnes, he would have celebrity status. He moved silently, remaining aware of the location of all those in the house. There were four men, including Barnes. Bruce was right behind him, and two others were playing pool in a recreation room on the first floor toward the back of the house.
Samuel Barnes met him halfway across the room, his right hand outstretched. He was a slim man with a quick, practiced smile and thinning hair. “Lucian Daratrazanoff, this is quite a surprise. What can I do for you?”
Lucian’s black eyes were hard and uncompromising. “I believe we have some private business to discuss.”
Barnes indicated the door with a nod to Bruce. The man immediately went out, closing the heavy oak door behind him. Barnes crossed to his leather bar. “What can I get for you?” He poured himself a scotch and water.
“Nothing for me, thank you,” Lucian replied softly. He waited until Barnes was seated comfortably across from him before leaning toward the man and fixing his black eyes on the other man’s gaze. “We have a small problem, Mr. Barnes,” Lucian said very gently. “I know you will be more than pleased to help me with it.”
“Of course, Mr. Daratrazanoff. Anything at all.”
“I would like you to tell me quite frankly why it is you wish Miss Jaxon Montgomery and her partner, Barry Radcliff, dead.” Lucian’s voice had dropped an octave, so that the tone wrapped around the other man, every bit as mesmerizing as those empty black eyes.
“My partners and I have made several attempts to pay off her or some of those in her unit, but they’re all very loyal to her. She seems to know where every shipment is before it even arrives. She’s putting a stranglehold on our cash flow. I told my partners that we couldn’t hit a couple of cops, but they said we had to or they would find a more agreeable partner. I had no choice.”
Lucian nodded seriously, as if they were simply discussing the weather. “And who are these people who are insisting upon her death? Because, you know, you do not really want such a thing.”
“Dennis Putnam and Roger Altman. They have big connections in Colombia and Mexico.”
“And where would I find these two men?”
“It’s hard to get to them. Bodyguards surround them all the time. I think they’ve got one of their men planted here, but I can’t figure out who it is. They always know what I’m doing. They have a base of operation in Miami.”
“Write down the address for me.”
Barnes complied immediately. Lucian rose with his casual, fluid grace. “The men in this house—how many of them are aware of the fact that your partners want Miss Montgomery dead?”