Chapter 89: If At First You Don't Succeed
Barney waited a moment before asking, "So, boss, do we have any more jobs lined up?"
"Jobs?" William found the question strange. These guys had to have earned a lot of money over the past three months. After William shorted the stock market, he had increased the Expendables' retainer at the end of March.
Because William had been holed up in the Swiss National Bank building, he worried that those looking to harm him, unable to find an opportunity, would turn to kidnapping his mother, Lina, to threaten him.
He had deliberately sent a large shipment of weapons, ammunition, and equipment to Barney's team, and their retainer was increased to $3 million per month. On top of that, there were bonuses for handling emergencies. As long as they solved the problem, he'd add more money. By now, each team member had received over $1.5 million in dividends, and that was for a job that hadn't required them to risk their lives.
William asked, puzzled, "Barney, are you in some kind of trouble? Do you need money?"
Barney hesitated for a long time before finally saying, "Boss, I want to buy a bigger house. You have no idea, raising a daughter is really expensive. I finally understand what people mean when they say they'd do anything to provide for their daughter."
William was speechless. "Ha, that's the reason?"
Christmas, who was in the car with Barney, chimed in wryly, "Boss, you don't know this guy. Any money he earns, he spends on his daughter—the best of everything. A prestigious school, a private car service, a personal acting coach... even her ice cream costs forty dollars a cone. God, seeing him go through this makes me never want to have kids."
Since William wasn't a father, he couldn't offer any advice on the matter. He thought for a moment and realized that things had been quiet recently. With the threat of General Jeterfrobi still looming, however, it was only a matter of time before someone came looking for trouble.
"Barney, you and the team should head back to the States and get some rest. I'll call you when I have a new mission."
After hanging up, he thought about the ever-present threat of General Jeterfrobi. Since he had the money now, he might as well hire someone to solve that problem. He picked up his phone and called a contact in the mercenary network, a former teammate who now coordinated missions.
Once the call connected, he said, "Hello, this is William Devin Hill. Do you know of a General Jeterfrobi in Albania?"
"Hello, Mr. Devin Hill. I know Jeterfrobi. In fact, there aren't many in the mercenary world who don't know him these days. Albania has become a free-for-all recently. He's recruiting anyone with a pulse; as long as you're willing to fight for him, you're in. A lot of mercs are heading to Albania to make a living."
"Even better that you know him. I have a job for you. A $5 million commission to cause some trouble for General Jeterfrobi. Take out his men, put some bullets in his officers, and send them to see God. Just make sure it can't be traced back to me; too many people know about our connection."
"One moment." The sound of a keyboard clicking came through the phone, followed by Toro's distinct, low voice. "Hey, boss. No problem. I know plenty of good men for the job. We don't need to go through official channels; we can operate discreetly. But for $5 million, I can't guarantee we'll send General Jeterfrobi to see God. Sending some of his officers, though, that's doable."
"If you don't succeed the first time, try a second, then a third. If $5 million isn't enough, add another $5 million. If you can't get to him directly, then wear down his troops first. Don't worry about the cost. He has billions stashed in Switzerland; a $10 million loss won't even make him blink."
"In that case, consider it done, boss. Wait for my good news."
"Good. Bye." William hung up, thought for a moment, then picked up the phone again to call Sir Garris Mallori, Chairman of the National Security Council.
"Hey, Garris. I heard you're looking to cause some trouble for General Jeterfrobi of Albania. I was just about to greet him myself. Want me to handle it for you?" William said into the phone.
"No, I can handle it myself. You don't need to worry about it, William. And speaking of which, if you're back in England, aren't you supposed to report to London about the Montenegro situation? You have no idea what a mess this has created!" Garris complained.
"Ha, come on, Garris, you must know the entire story by now. What's the point of a formal report? It's a waste of time. Why do you always find fault? I had to make an example of those guys," William said fiercely.
"You idiot, England is not Montenegro with its population of only 600,000. Don't mess around; things haven't reached that point. Even as powerful as you are, you can't take on a company of special forces in a siege," Garris warned sternly.
"Garris, I'd also like to live a quiet life, but when people come after me, I'm not just going to stand there and take it. If I don't strike back hard, everyone will think they can take a piece of me. What I did in Montenegro was a warning to certain people: don't mess with me. Don't think the Devin Hill family is just a piece of meat to be carved up, just because the Earl is on his deathbed. If you want to bite a chunk out of us, you better be prepared to have your throat ripped out." It seemed some people still hadn't gotten the message. The Devonshire family was not the pushover it once was.
"God, why are you so aggressive these days? Fine. Just stay in Oxford for a while. A lot of people at the Treasury in London are furious about those $10 million in bearer bonds you took from Montenegro. Mrs. M is holding them now, and those people are looking for any excuse to cause you trouble. Don't give them one. Be careful of them playing dirty, William. Don't give them any leverage. You know our current situation, and the Earl's health is already very poor. People are already maneuvering over the title. Stay out of it, and I can help block some of the heat for you," Garris said, getting to the point.
William wondered if he had let things go to his head. After making so much money, had his mentality changed? He was acting recklessly, thinking that with money and superpowers he could ignore the government. What could they do to him, really? But he couldn't just go around destroying the existing order.
"Alright. As long as no one is actively trying to kill me, I'll keep a low profile. I'll just be a simple farmer in Oxford, maybe look for some treasure on the side. Garris, if you have time, come visit me. I'll take you hunting," William said.
"OK, hunting sounds interesting. And William, you should cultivate some noble hobbies. Don't let people think you're just some country bumpkin at first glance," Garris teased.
"Screw you, Garris. I don't care what they think," William retorted, his expression darkening. "Don't think I don't know. Even if I inherit the earldom, those people will still look down on me as an upstart. That's for the best. I don't want to deal with them anyway."
"Well, how you live is your own business. Some of our peers are behaving disgracefully. I can't be bothered with them right now. Let them make trouble. They're just waiting for the people on Downing Street to catch them slipping up so they can be ground into the dust," Garris said with annoyance.
Hearing Garris's frustration made William's mood suddenly improve. Perhaps his happiness was truly built on the pain of others.
William chuckled. "Let's ignore them. It's not like I can't inherit the title if things go badly. I don't care that much about a nominal position. I've already bought out the other family members' shares of the estate anyway. As for the land, it was once valued at £12 million. Now it's worth £8 million, if that. If they want to take it, they can try."
"Hey, William, this is no laughing matter," Garris said, his tone turning serious. "Do you really think nobody knows what you've been doing in Switzerland?"
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