Chapter 26

• John knew for certain that the return of Jack would bring nothing but trouble. The villa and the entire town had experienced relative peace during Jack's absence. He had been sent by Nico to Mexico on business. Something to do with drug supply, John imagined. Jack had been gone for so long that John had almost no remembrance of his existence, but one evening while he was making his way to the central parlour to answer a summons from Nico, he saw the crazy but loyal lieutenant swaggering his way into the parlour, briefcase in hand. Their eyes met and Jack threw him a snicker, leaving John in no doubt that the bad blood between them was far from over. Not that he minded anyway. He hated everything about the man and it would take more than a lot to convince him otherwise.
• As John stepped into the parlour, he met the last part of what seemed to be an affectionate welcome of Jack by Nico, the closest he'd ever seen to Nico being happy. He wondered if Jack would be a successful contender for Nico's trust which had been his sole reserve during the lieutenant's absence.
• "Here you are, Mr. Baldwin," Nico nodded to him with the trace of a smile. "Come in. As you can see, our man is back."