Gagnon. One glance at the man and Ethan knew he was the smuggler Camille had told them about. He was burly and rough—the kind of man who would take orders, do his job, and not ask questions. Gagnon looked from Ethan to Alex and back again.
Ethan was suddenly as sober as if he’d been hit by a blast from the storm outside. This was the chance he’d been waiting for. He could finish this mission once and for all and make his way home to Francesca. Standing before him was a man who knew the identity of the leader of one of the most successful arms smuggling operations to France—a man purported to be a British citizen and an aristocrat with ties to Parliament, a traitor Ethan would give his right arm to see drawn and quartered as traitors deserved. In a matter of moments, he could know the traitor’s identity—if he played his cards right.
Ethan glanced at Alex. His brother looked ready to deal.
“Sit down, citizen,” Ethan said, resuming his own seat. “We were beginning to think you weren’t coming.”
Gagnon looked over the tavern warily before he sat.
“Drink?” Alex indicated the bottle on the table.
“Don’t mind if I do, citizens.”
Ethan flicked a finger for another glass. The tavern owner brought it and, while Alex poured Gagnon a dose of brandy, Ethan made a point of settling their bill. He made certain Gagnon saw the amount of gold he carried, jangling the coins for emphasis.
When the tavern owner walked away, Ethan’s gaze met Gagnon’s. From the greedy look on the Frenchman’s face, Ethan knew the flash of coin had not gone unnoticed.
The first card was on the table. Alex would play the next.
“I understand we have a mutual friend, Citizen Gagnon,” Alex said. Ethan could see his brother mentally shuffling the deck. “She told us you might have some information about a shared enemy.”
Gagnon sipped his drink. “Perhaps.” He glanced at Ethan. “For the right price.”
“You can expect to be amply compensated,” Alex told him. “Ifthe information is good.”
Card two on the table.
Gagnon frowned as though he’d just noticed one of his aces was only a ten of spades. “What do you mean,ifthe information is good? The information is good!”
“We’ll need to verify that, of course,” Ethan said coolly. “We’ll pay you half now and the rest when your story has been verified.”
Card three on the table.
“Now wait just a minute.” Gagnon’s fist hit the table and the glasses clattered. “I was told you were willing to pay for information.”
“You can’t possibly expect us to pay the full amount without verifying all the facts, citizen,” Ethan said. “How will we know if you’re telling the truth?”
“How long will it take? And how do I know you’ll pay up?”
“You seem rather eager for the money, citizen.” Alex gave Gagnon a look of mock concern. “Can it be that you have just remembered all that money you owe—the rent, the new shoes for your son, the bill to the baker?”
Gagnon’s eyes widened.
Alex shook his head sadly. “So many debts. Too bad you didn’t get paid for the job you did.”
Card four on the table and one away from a five-card trick.
“How do you—” Gagnon’s face flushed crimson. “I should have gotten paid. I did my share, but when that crazy bastard started talking about hurting that girl, I wanted out. I don’t go in for that sort of thing.”
Ethan and Alex exchanged a look. The game was taking an unfamiliar turn. They kept their expressions neutral. Gagnon needn’t know they weren’t aware of the reason he’d broken with the other smugglers.
“So you backed out,” Ethan said.
“He was a crazy bastard. You should have seen his face after he killed that farmer—not that the man didn’t deserve it.”
“Farmer?” Alex asked casually.
“Mean, skinny little man. He was hiding the arms until we could get them out of the country. Guess he outlived his usefulness.”
