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| The Man |
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| The Repercussions |
Jason's heart was racing as he answered the mobile.
"Cavanagh speaking."
"Mr Cavanagh. I expect you have had time to consider our deal with your business partner?"
Lee's voice was even and calculating, as he now referred to the selling of half a million BHP shares as "our deal." In fact both men knew that it truly was a "deal" they were entering into, but each was playing for widely differing stakes.
Lee was in it for the money ...
"Yes Mr Lee. We are in agreement, but ..."
"Good. I am not wasting my time. There is nothing to stand in the way of proceeding as we discussed initially. It is time for us to meet."
"Yes Mr Lee. Where would you like to meet?"
"I will decide the time and the place. Of course I can depend on your utmost discretion in this matter?"
"Of course. Mr Lee. Your privacy is assured as it is with all clients."
A hundred questions came flooding into Cavanagh's mind, but this was not the time to be mincing matters with one such as Lee.
"Any questions Mr Cavanagh?"
"No. No, of course not. Just a straight forward transaction. Nothing to go wrong. Nothing to hinder the deal."
"Good. Good, Mr Cavanagh. I like the way you think. Nothing to go wrong, and nothing will go wrong. Do we understand this?"
"Yes, yes. Of course. We will follow your exact instructions."
"Oh. Mr Cavanagh, just so we do have a clear understanding, let me show you something. Do you have the Sydney Morning Herald with you? Look on page three."
"One moment Mr Lee."
"Gary - hand me the paper ... page three!"
Jason's words were urgent, and Foley almost threw the paper into his hands. He turned to page three and scanned down. Near the bottom of the page was a photo of a burning building, and two gunmen.
The caption read: "Dying man's mobile pic identifies Thugs"
The hair on Cavanagh's neck bristled with the sheer realisation of what he had become involved in. This was heavy stuff.
He swallowed hard.
"Yes Mr Lee," he croaked out, " I understand well."
"Good. I will arrange for us to meet. Goodbye for now Mr Cavanagh."
Lee clicked off the line, and Cavanagh's face drained.
"This is really deep shit, Gary. We are right in it now. Take a look."
Foley shook visibly as the realisation of just how ruthless Lee could be dawned on him. There was no mistaking the photo, nor the intent of Lee's hidden threat.
This deal would go ahead.
It would be clean.
It would be on Lee's terms.
Failure would result in "repercussions."
That was clear. And it was clear they had become inadvertently involved with a "partner" who had not the slightest respect for them, their business, or the law. Lee was using them, and there was no way out. It had been that way since the first phone call, but neither had known Jimmy Lee's true methods of transacting "business."
" 'Struth Jason. What are we involved with here? This bastard doesn't muck around. Bloody hell, how do we deal with this?"
Jason Cavanagh was composing himself, and was beginning to think clearly again. He was a product of the Western Suburbs and could handle himself. Even when out of his depth he always managed to come up with a way around a problem.
"We don't do anything until we know exactly what Lee is up to. He'll contact us soon enough, and then we'll find out his weakness. They all have one, and Lee is no different. One thing we don't do is let him think we are frightened of him. Lee is a pack animal. He is dealing with an unknown quantity in us, despite his assumption that we can be scared off. Let's be patient."
"What's the plan Jason. We have to have one."
"No rush. I'm coming up with something, but whichever way the deal goes, we will come out of this quite well. You can count on it."
Foley had always depended on his mate to get his back - at school, in the streets of Cabramatta, or on the trains - always dependable. Now he was trusting him with his life. With no answers of his own, Gary Foley needed Jason as never before.
"All this for the sale of a few shares. Shit man - is this what it's come to?"
Jason was far more composed now.
He was no longer looking like the respectable Castlereagh Streek stock-broker. His face had assumed - indeed reverted to - the look of the tough street-kid he had been fifteen years ago.
"Oh yeah. It is." He had the hint of a smile on the corner of his thin mouth. "And believe me, by the time the deal is finalised, you'll have no worries with Mr Lee. Count on that!"
The mood was catching, if for no other reason than Cavanagh had an ability to regroup and attack in even the worst situations. And this was one hell of a situation. Foley could see that Cavanagh was about to come up with the plan of his life.
He hoped!
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To be continued
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; "The Man")
; "The Repercussions")
