Chapter 65: Preparations for Battle

The next day we planned to do the tourist thing; Jenny asked Mr. Trotsky what the most interesting parts would be to visit. Perhaps take a tour? He was horrified.

“Miss Parker, you are in a foreign country that has internal problems; by now, people know that you are here, that you are rich and, therefore, a tempting target for all kinds of skullduggery.”

Where did he get this word from? He was more interesting at every encounter!

“I’ll get you a car and will personally lead you through Warsaw.”

When we finished breakfast, we saw him coming to our table.

“Miss Parker, Count, if you’re ready, I’m waiting for you outside. Look for a grey Mercedes.”

It was an interesting tour and Mr. Trotsky was an excellent guide. We saw the old town market square, the Royal Castle, the gruesome memorial to the Ghetto and its heroes, imposing mansions on the Royal Route (it was new to me that Chopin’s heart was embalmed in the Holy Cross Church), had lunch in a little traditional restaurant (duck, of course), and then went back to the hotel.

We had a cup of bad coffee in the lobby, and I told him that the following morning I had set up a meeting with Kroll, an international investigative services company. We had used them twice before in Australia and in India, and they were superbly competent and discreet. He would wait for us at ten o’clock to take us there.

Jenny suggested a little nap to relax. “James, just hold me. I want to rest. No fooling around!”

However, it was strange that she wanted to nap in a very sexy minuscule baby doll, that showed off all her beautiful assets. I remembered her wish and just held her in my arms; to my surprise, she wriggled around, placed my hand on her breast, wriggled more looking for George, and finally exploded.

“James, do something!”

I wondered what I was supposed to do; it was her expressed wish just to be held with no fooling around! I would never understand women - I was told to do one thing; still, she expected me to do something entirely different! Well, since her unstated intention coincided with my open one, we finally agreed that she wanted to be held after making love. Which is what we did, and she rewarded me with a wonderful session of gentle lovemaking. We actually even napped a bit!

Jenny wanted something light for supper, and room service provided fruits, yogurt, and some dried fruits. We slept well (no fooling around) and when I woke up, Jenny was watching me.

“Darling, we have to focus these days on our job. I know that I’m the CEO, but promise me that you stay beside me all the time - I’m good at business, but you are better at handling threats. We want to keep our company with a minimum of disruption, but are you ready to go all the way if things go bad?”

I regarded her for a long time. “Don’t underestimate your competence, my love. You can be very decisive also! But to answer your question - if they use political arguments to steal our company, we’ll go after them using the courts, either here or in Brussels. If they threaten us but offer a way out of paying them off, I’ll go after them personally. I’ve never offered a bribe to anyone, and I’ll not start here. It’s not just a business investment that we would write off; this would be personal. So yes, I’ll go all the way!”

She nodded. “And I, my love, will be beside you also all the way!”

We sealed the agreement with a kiss and became serious. We didn’t forget her wifely duties, however!

Mr. Trotsky was waiting for us in his little Mercedes. He turned to us. “Miss Parker, from now on, I’ll deal with the Count since we will talk about security now.”

Jenny nodded, agreeing that the main responsibility had passed to me.

“Count, we’ll use this car during the following days. It appears small and insignificant, but it has a five-liter engine and is armored. People will watch you, and whatever they’ll plan, they’ll include this car. On Wednesday, I have another car, also armored. They’ll have to change plans if they intend to do anything, and they might be confused. I have your jet waiting for you at the airport if we have to run. The only thing I need is that you advise me all the time what you intend to do. I’m flexible, but I need to stay in the loop, and you’ll have to include me in your moves, and not two hours later. I’m not your business consultant, but responsible for your security. Remember this, Count!”

I should definitively hire this guy!

We were rapidly shown into the Kroll representative’s office - it helped to have lots of money. I told Mr. Trotsky to accompany us; he hesitated, but I reminded him about his words to be involved in our moves. The office was austerely decorated in a kind of Scandinavian décor, low, elegant, and impressive.

He introduced himself. “Miss Parker, Count de Winter, I’m Hans Wittel, the local representative. What can we do for you?”

I presented Mr. Trotsky. “Mr. Wittel, this is Pavel Trotsky, the head of security for the Warmia Regional Governor, Mr. Smirsky. He has graciously lent Mr. Trotsky for our stay in Warsaw, and he has our complete trust.”

Both Jenny and he looked at me, one trusting, the other surprised, but that was the way I wanted to play it.

“Mr. Wittel, you have heard about the plans of the federal government to take over certain foreign-controlled companies.”

He nodded, waiting for further information.

“Our company is included in that list. Have you heard about our investments in Elk? They are substantial and have the full support of the regional and municipal authorities; they are also supported by Berlin and Brussels.”

He nodded again.

“We all know what you have done in that area, Count de Winter. It’s impressive, and you’re probably too successful for some old-fashioned Polish patriots. A German Count proves what can be done if business knowledge and money are applied aggressively. You’re very popular there, but here they want you out. So, what do you want us to do?”

Now the real discussion started.

“Mr. Wittel, I assume that all the information I’ll give you is confidential and will not be used without our expressive authorization?”

He agreed, and Jenny started to tell our story. The original investment, the rapid expansion, and our success in Elk. Now someone was trying to take it away from us. She looked at me, and I took over.

“Mr. Wittel, there are two possible options. One - Law and Justice passes a new law expropriating our company. We’ll fight that in court. Two - They’ll pass the law but offer us an exemption if we pay for that privilege. We’ve heard from several sources that this has happened already. We’ll need your services to find out where the money goes and who the final beneficiary is if this happens. We’ll take it from there.”

One could see in his eyes that he was running several scenarios through his head. All of them were dangerous! On the other hand, he would ask for a lot of money and would have our goodwill - something not to throw away.

He looked at Mr. Trotsky, but I told him that he was part of us and to be trusted.

“Count de Winter, this is a rather delicate question. We have successfully conducted international assets searches, even in unfriendly jurisdictions. You seem to ask us that by giving us information on potential illegal payments, we should identify the recipient and provide documental proof of acceptance of such illegal payment. Is that it?”

I agreed. “Mr. Wittel, at this moment, we discuss a hypothetical request. I’m asking if Kroll would accept such a request if the hypothesis turns into reality? Remember that we have worked with Kroll before, and I suggest that you contact your headquarter to confirm our reputation.”

He agreed in principle to discuss this internally and would come back the following day. I knew they would do it - they would hesitate and then demand a gigantic fee. He asked us to come back, and we left.

Mr. Trotsky waited until we were back in the car and then asked. “Count, why was I in that meeting? That was very much above my pay grade!”

Jenny regarded him for a moment. “Mr. Trotsky, we are not the only ones who have earned a good reputation. You come highly recommended, and from what I’ve seen up to now, you deserve that reputation. Let me offer you a way out - if you decide that you don’t want to work for us, tell us now; there will be no hard feelings, and you will handle only security. If you go on, whatever happens, you’ll be protected.”

He looked first at her, then at me, and then back at her. He closed his eyes for a moment, nodded to himself, and then committed himself.

“Miss Parker, Count de Winter, I’m in, all the way.”

We had lunch together, and he told us some stories about his past. Military service, special ops, retirement, and the offer from Mr. Smirsky to work as his head of security. He was single, had no firm girlfriend at this moment, and wanted to see the world one day. I saw the same thought in Jenny’s eyes - we would offer him a job whatever happened.

We went back to the hotel and spent our time talking to Maureen, looking at emails, and going for the nth time through our arguments. It was tiring, and there was nothing we could do at this moment, so we went to see Catarina, asking what was happening in Warsaw’s concert halls this night. She came up to show us the few options - the ballet Firebird by Stravinsky (but she said that the local ballet corps was not very good), and a semi-final round of the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition at the National Philharmonic Hall. She recommended going there as she had been to one of the previous rounds and I hears the smile in her voice.

“Miss Parker, you would see a young Spanish guy who plays wonderfully and, on top of this, is absolutely beautiful! Tall, slender, black hair to his shoulders, sentimental eyes, and when his fingers dance on the keys ... Miss Parker, I fell in love!”

Jenny laughed. “This is tempting! Could you get tickets?”

Catarina picked up her phone, dialed, and spoke rapidly to someone about getting two tickets. She didn’t know that we spoke Polish and listened to her comments about who we were, why it was important for her job to get those tickets, and how wonderful the Count was! Polite, handsome, elegant, her dream come true...

She hung up and was proud - she had the tickets! Jenny thanked her and, grinning at me, asked whether she wanted to accompany us? Catarina blushed all over and almost said yes, but she remembered that she had to work at night at the last moment. She sighed and left reluctantly, and I turned to Jenny.

“What was this about? You’re playing a dangerous game, Miss Parker!”

She laughed. “I knew that she had to work at night, so it was just a little game.”

I was disappointed. “Jenny, you don’t play with the emotions of a person. You don’t dangle an invitation in front of her, and then you take it away. Jenny, I’m disappointed with you!”

Her laughter died. “You are right, my love. I was wrong to play with her emotions.”

I let it go but was a bit saddened. I knew that Maureen was the playful woman, but Jenny had always been the serious one (except when we were on our own, when she would compete with Maureen on any subject, silly or not). She came into my arms.

“James, please forgive me. It will not happen again, and I’ll make it up to her!”

We finished our work, and Jenny decided to go down to the lobby; she thought she had seen a shop with traditional Polish dresses. A kiss, an invitation to accompany her, but which I declined, and she vanished. It took her longer to return than I had thought, but she was smiling happily.

“James darling, we’ll have company tonight. I spoke to the Manager and asked her if she would let Catarina take the night off and accompany us; she agreed, and I told Catarina to get two more tickets.”