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“Oh, hey Boss,” the Italian said, all the anger gone from his voice as he dropped his hands. “Welcome home.”
“Bat, Tiger,” Felinus said casually. “I’m glad you are enjoying my TV but I hope that is all that was.”
“What- of course, of course,” the Italian said immediately, smiling too wide. “We wouldn’t dream of-”
“It was fifty on a three-point win,” the dark-skinned German said, his eyes moving from Felinus to Issac and back again.
“Traditore,” the Italian muttered.
“Zeno, I’m not above dragging you back to the meetings,” Felinus said, an edge to his voice.
“Don’t you first name me, Felinus,” Zeno said, pointing at him. “It was one bet with the kid. I’m fine.”
“Then you won’t care that you aren’t going to collect or lose on it and won’t look up the final score, either of you,” Felinus said. “Snake will check that for me.”
Zeno sighed heavily. “Fine, fine,” he said, waving both hands. “I won’t look it up. No more bets.” He glanced at Issac and smiled before looking back at Felinus as the grin grew. “Do we get introductions still or are we getting sent to the time-out corner?”
“Pushing it, Bat,” Felinus growled then sighed when the man just smiled wider. “Everyone, this is Issac. Issac, that is Bat but Zeno when he’s in trouble, and Tiger, who never gets in trouble unless Bat is in trouble.”
They both waved, Tiger’s expression still a mask that Issac couldn’t quite read as he nodded back to them.
Felinus steered him to the other half of the room and the Asian man had taken his headphones off. “That is Snake,” he said, pointing at the Asian. “He’ll also go by Seong as it’s his actual name, but only when we aren’t working. He’s making sure your tech is secure and ready for you to use.”
“Eyo,” Snake said, smiling as he turned a bit more to face them. “I have to give you props on the low profile. Haven’t seen many people who manage to stay that low-key these days.”
“Thanks,” Issac said slowly.
Snake looked like one of the Korean pop stars Dimitri insisted on showing him a few years back. Even sitting down it was clear he was tall, with a lean frame and a smile that would drive most people crazy. He was wearing a cut-up t-shirt with a band logo Issac didn’t recognize and looked like he streamed video games for a living instead of working for the Italian Mafia.
“And that,” Felinus said as the fourth man leaned against the breakfast bar of the kitchen, “is Dog or Brutus. He’ll respond to anything if you try hard enough.”
“Bite me, Felinus,” Brutus said, mildly before looking down at Issac. “Brutus is fine unless I’m working.”
Issac looked at Brutus, then at Felinus. The two were nearly identical in their features and height. The only difference was in the body build: Brutus had the shoulders and arms of a boxer or strongman, while Felinus maintained the lean frame of a runner. “Nice to meet you,” he said, looking back at the men in turn to take them in again. Bat, Tiger, and Brutus were all armed with guns on their hip and ankle. Tiger had another in the small of his back and what appeared to be a long knife along his calf. Snake had no weapons as far as Issac could tell, adding to his misplacement among the others. Maybe the guy just didn’t go out where he needed to be armed. Felinus said he handled the computers.
“I looked up the traffic for getting from here to the college,” Snake said, turning back to the computers and typing on the one that wasn’t Issac’s. “It takes twenty minutes to get there usually with the slowest time being forty minutes, so as long as you leave by seven-twenty you’ll get there before his first class.”
“Seven,” Issac said firmly. “My first professor will lock you out if you aren’t in the room five minutes before eight.”
Snake spun around to frown at Issac. “But your schedule says it starts at eight?”
“I’m aware,” Issac said.
“How the fuck does he get away with that,” Brutus asked raising an eyebrow.
He shrugged. “Tenure.”
“Well, that’s a dick move,” Brutus said, tilting his head. “Makes me glad I never had to go past community college.”
“Makes me glad all my degrees are honorary,” Snake said.
“What is a degree,” Tiger rumbled and Issac twitched at his voice as Bat laughed loudly.
“Bat, Tiger, and I all live a floor below,” Brutus told Issac, pushing off the counter and walking over to the elevator as Felinus moved Issac out of the way. “If my brother gets on your nerves, call me. I’ll be on speed dial.”
“That is our queue too,” Bat sighed and Issac glanced back to see him and Tiger stepping into the elevator.
“Tiger, do not let him check the scores,” Felinus said, getting a lazy salute from the large man as the doors closed. He glanced at Snake.
