Page 28 of Delusional

He slowly stroked Fido’s neck and back. He had to admit the soft fur felt good under his palm. Until Fido turned his head and hissed like he was about to bite him.

Rob jumped back and said, “Somehow I don’t find him as calming as you do.”

His brother was laughing too hard to say anything in return.

Rob went back to his seat behind the desk.

Once Gary recovered his wits, he asked, “Why did you think it was a good idea to have the meeting with Marks here at my office?”

“We wanted to talk to this guy on our turf, not someplace he chose,” Rob said. Gary seemed to accept his brother’s strategy.

Within a few minutes, a tricked-out black Humvee rumbled into the lot and parked right in front of the office. Rob was about to get his first look at the mysterious Arnold Marks.

CHAPTER 32

ROB WATCHED THE driver of the Humvee slip out of the vehicle and stop to fluff his hair in the side mirror, then check his teeth, like he was going on a date and didn’t want to have spinach wedged in his canines.

The man didn’t even knock when he got to the office. He simply stepped inside, looking around like he expected someone to greet him.

“Another exciting day in greater Palm Island,” Arnold Marks said. Then he noticed Rob. “Who are you?”

Gary was quick to say, “This is my brother, Rob.”

“Does he have a financial interest in the car lot?”

Before Gary could answer, Rob said, “I’m afraid that’s none of your business, Mr. Marks.”

The tall, lean man held up his hands and said, “I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just curious.” He took his right hand and ran it through his short sandy hair again, making sure to flip it to the right.

Rob noted Marks’s expensive Arc’teryx all-weather jacket and custom-made boots. He also noticed the bulge on the right hip under the jacket. A pistol? The thought made Rob lean forward slightly and place his right hand closer to the drawer where he had stored the revolver.

Aside from his wardrobe—which would’ve cost a large part of Rob’s monthly salary—he noticed that Marks seemed to have a slight accent. Though knowing the man lived in Los Angeles, Rob realized it could be an affectation. The other thing he noticed was the man’s unnaturally white teeth. They looked like they would glow at night. It was mesmerizing.

Arnold Marks casually took a seat in the chair that had been placed between the office’s two desks. Gary then sat down on the vinyl couch like it was some sort of game of musical chairs. He was trying hard to hide his nerves, but they were so obvious it made Rob anxious as well.

Marks seemed to be waiting for Gary to say something. Finally, he said, “Well, what do you think of my offer for the property?”

Gary said, “It’s a lot of money.”

“So we have a deal?”

Gary hesitated and then looked over at his brother for support.

Rob said, “Mr. Marks…”

“Call me Arnold.”

“Mr. Marks, we talked this over with our grandfather and decided the car lot is not for sale.”

“Who am I dealing with? I thought you owned this place,” Marks said to Gary, ignoring Rob. “I don’t understand. I’m offering you twice what this property is worth. I’ve seen that you have limited business. You sell a couple of cars to guys on the local military bases and that’s about it.”

Gary said, “This is our slow time. It picks up a lot in the summer. When you can actually drive on the road and there’s twice as many people here.”

“It’s a good offer. I’d take this kind of money for a car lot in Los Angeles. And God knows this place isn’t Los Angeles.”

From the back room Rob could hear Lillian mumble, “Thank God for that.”

Arnold only slowed down for a moment. Then he looked directly at Gary and said, “What if I threw in an additional 10 percent and covered all closing costs?”