Page 50 of Stolen Empire
I lean against the desk, arms crossed.
"Do you know who the Radich family is?"
She shakes her head, and I realize I have my work cut out for me.
Knowing about organized crime and being well acquainted with a single organization’s methods are two different things.
"They're our rivals. Enforcers, smugglers, extortionists. They operate out of the suburbs and have been expanding into Moscow for the past five years. My family tolerates them because open war is expensive, but tolerance doesn’t mean trust."
I pause, watching her face.
She's listening, but her attention is divided.
I need her focused.
"Nine months ago, I was told to expect retaliation. I killed one of their men years ago, and his brother hasn't forgotten. Since then, they've been tracking me. Watching my routines. Waiting for the right moment to strike."
Her eyes narrow.
"And you want me to get close to them."
"Yes."
I push off the desk, pacing to the window.
"But you can't approach them directly. They'd see through that immediately. You need a reason to drift. A reason they'll believe."
"What reason?"
"You're my runner now. You carry messages, deliver payments, sit in on meetings when I need an extra set of eyes. But you’re also mouthy. Undisciplined. You have a habit of placing bets you cannot afford to lose, and you're not afraid to talk back when you think no one important is listening."
She blinks.
"You want me to act stupid."
The expression she gives me is insulting.
She feels like my job for her is demeaning.
"I want you to act believable."
I turn back to face her.
"The Radich’s won’t trust someone who's too polished, too careful. They want people who are desperate and reckless. People they can exploit."
She leans back in the chair, arms crossed now.
"And what happens when they try to exploit me?"
"You let them. To a point."
I move closer, standing over her.
"You feed them small pieces of information—deliveries that don’t matter, meetings that've already happened, names of people who no longer work here. Enough to make them think you’re useful. Enough to make them want more."
"And then I'm free…?"
She's twitchy today.
