Page 32 of The Allure of Ruins

“That’s because Gen was paid well to look like the guy in charge of the Kulich crime family in Los Angeles.”

“But you’re saying Gen wasn’t in charge?”

“No. He worked for Csokas, who in turn worked for Nickolai Rokov back in St. Petersburg—in Russia. Rokov has since moved to Miami, and he heads the syndicate.”

“Go on.”

“What the fuck, man,” Gabe roared from the passenger seat. “Where the fuck are you—Veda, I have no idea where this madman is taking us!”

I looked out the front window, as there were no others to check. “Oh, this is Wacker Drive. We’re fine.”

“The fuck are you talking about?” he yelled at me. “I don’t see this anywhere on—what the fuck?”

I turned back to Walker. “So the diamonds Erast thought were in the safe when I opened it belonged to Csokas.”

“Correct. After Lattimer reviewed the drive you gave him, he was able to pick up Antonov and everyone who worked for him. Antonov then made a deal with us and went into protective custody and eventually WITSEC, and Csokas went to jail. He couldn’t roll on Rokov—he was still in Russia at the time, and the CIA can’t pick up Russian citizens, no matter what the movies tell you.”

“You could have kidnapped him, though.”

“Yes, but once Csokas was arrested, Rokov cut ties with him.”

I nodded. “What does any of this have to do with me?”

“Where the fuck are we?” Gabe ranted at Colton.

“Lower Wacker Drive,” I told him.

He twisted around in his seat so he could see me. “The fuck are you talking about?”

“There are three levels of Wacker,” I began enlightening the agents. “The one we’re on now, if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re gonna end up on Lower Lower Wacker, and basically, God help you then.”

“I don’t—my GPS can’t even get a location under all this fuckin’ concrete!”

We came to a sudden jolting stop.

“The fuck are you doing?” Gabe shrieked at Colton.

“Do you see anyone?”

He was quiet for a moment, checking the side mirror, and then after another moment, got out of the van and checked around before getting back in.

“What the hell, man?”

Colton shrugged. “One wrong anything, and like Pax said, you’re way down there on Lower Lower Wacker. Even people who’ve lived here all their lives can get mixed up now and then. If you’re from out of town, you’re fucked. It’ll take ’em a minute, or several, to get outta there, but we need to be gone when they do.”

“Oh, thank God,” Gabe said with a heavy sigh.

“Where are we going?” Colton asked.

“The FBI office on Roosevelt Road, please.”

Colton glanced at me over his shoulder. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine,” I assured him.

“Come up here and tell me. I can’t see you from here.”

Gabe was more than willing to trade places with me.