Page 74 of The Art of Dying

“There’s no good news, Tiger. It gets a lot worse. Buckle up.”

“Jesus Christ,” he said, rubbing his face again.

“Ukeru’s business in Sudan had something to do with mining, gold, smuggling, mine collapses, and a massive coverup. We’re talking blackmail, bribing politicians, falsifying documents signed by compromised officials, and that’s just what I could pick up from the meetings. But the gold, that’s why they’re in bed with these Russian assholes Mason is mixed up with. Gold has become a priority for Russia… who fucking knows why. Above my pay grade.”

“Fortifying currency, and China’s going to be right behind them.”

“I don’t fucking care, Tiger,” I said, exasperated. “Ukeru needed people on board who knew about bribery and blackmail and the disappearing of problematic players. Enter Yuri and Mason, and a fifth man, Yutaka Genji.”

“Who the fuck is that?”

“He was the brother-in-law for Yoshio Tarou.”

“Yoshio Tarou, as in the second in command of the Japanese cabal Goto-gumi.”

“Correct.”

“He was killed on your watch, Kitsch.”

“I killed him.”

Tiger’s mouth was hanging open. He wasn’t rattled easily. We both knew from that piece of information on, I was fucked.

I continued, “I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been intentionally taking jobs with NEMESIS clients who regularly did business with Russian criminals, hoping to get a lead on Mason. In addition to tracking Mason, I’ve spent a lot of time following up with my African contacts. My team spends a lot of time over there, defending villages and Sudanese government officials, racking up a lot of favors from the Sahel to the northern edge of the Congo River Basin. It wasn’t difficult to find someone who’d lost a loved one during the ongoing rebellion I knew Mason’s boss had partially funded. I was looking for someone who possessed equal parts vengeance and limitless cash flow—or at least enough to entice you—and harboring enough hatred to allow me to do real damage to our mutual enemies. It seemed impossible at first, but I found all of that and more in Mr. Gai.”

“Mr. Gai,” Tiger repeated. “CEO of Sahel Investment Company. The young widower who speaks so quietly you can barely hear him.”

“He’s quiet, but he’s sharp. He was a major player in helping the Sudanese government fight the rebellion because he inherited the land leased by the mining company Matsuda wants control of. Our Mr. Gai has a net worth of approximately three-point-three billion.”

“So, Mr. Gai is a loyalist. I thought he was just paid up for the security he needed for that global initiative thing he was attending in the spring.” He thought for a moment. “Aw, shit. Don’t say it. Don’t fucking say it.”

“I don’t have to tell you that Mr. Gai is well-known and respected in South Sudan, and the news of Mrs. Gai’s brutal death spread fast. She was found strung up by what seemed like a small group of rebels, but it was clearly done by someone more… professional than just an untrained unit recruited from a nearby village.”

“No…”

“The intel Mr. Gai’s head of security gathered led him to Tarou.”

“God dammit, Kitsch. Please tell me you’re not saying what I think you’re saying.”

“We had a common enemy. He couldn’t throw money at NEMESIS fast enough.”

He pushed up from his desk, his veins popping in his neck again. “Ourclient was the fucking target? This won’t only destroy NEMESIS, it’s going to be the end of you! And Tarou won’t just take you out, it’ll be your whole fucking family, Kitsch! You can’t be this stupid!”

I got more comfortable against the velvet upholstery. The bottle Candace brought felt cold against my lips as I chugged half of it in just a few swigs. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand and sighed. “Mr. Gai pays better than Matsuda. But you’re going to want to hear what’s next.”

Tiger returned to his seat, but pressed his fingers together and held his hands over his mouth, shaking his head.

“I found myself sitting at a table with the man I want dead, sitting next to the people my client wants dead. And I… I made a choice.”

“And now you have a target on your back.”

I shook my head once. “It’s not what you think. It’s much worse.”

Tiger’s eyebrows pulled in.

“You had to know,” I said. “You had to know the second you signed up with those fucks the risk outweighed the money.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” he growled.

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