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That meant something in my book.

“I will not lie to you, Warden, there might be blood, but none of it will be on your hands. I have no interest in adding to my body count. Bodies are noise, and noise brings men in suits, and men in suits shut wings and move prisoners.” I let him have that. “And I have no intention of going anywhere. That being said, if blood is spilled then you can guarantee it will be earned by the one bleeding.”

“And if I say no?” he made himself say, and I almost respected him for it.

“I would prefer not to issue threats, but I will say this… better the devil you know when he lives in your house.”

He nodded slowly, and something in his shoulders let go.

“All right.”

And there it was. The whole prison, in five days, with very little effort.

My father would have taken a month and enjoyed it far less.

I let him have the silence for a moment, and then I moved on, because a man who has just surrendered will give you a great deal more in the first few minutes afterward than he ever will again.

“Now,” I said. “I believe you have something for me.”

He went very still.

“I do?”

“Don’t play coy with me now, you’re too smart for that, Warden. A file was delivered here for me and given to you by hand.” I watched him.

“I would like it now.” This was not a request and he knew it.

His hand went to the drawer on his left, and stopped, and then went the rest of the way as though it had been decided for him. He drew it out and set it on the desk, and his fingers stayed on it a moment too long before he pushed it across.

A plain brown envelope. Unmarked, thick, with a seal along the flap.

“It came Thursday,” he said. “No courier, nothing logged. It was on this desk when I came in.”

“And the instructions.”

“That it was for you.” His throat worked. “And that it was not to be opened.”

“And?”

“I didn’t open it, if that’s what you’re asking.”

I picked it up and turned it over. I ran my thumb along the flap and looked at the seal. A small mark was set into the wax that only three men alive would recognize, one that, luckily for the warden, was unbroken and clean.

“No,” I agreed. “You didn’t.”

I tucked the envelope inside my jumpsuit and stood, and the chair scraped, making him flinch at the sound of it.

“There will be a list,” I told him. “A short one. Names of men who work in this building. You don’t need to know what it’s for, and you will never be asked to do anything about any of them. But when one of those names comes across your desk, you will find you have no opinion at all on their actions.”

“How many of my men?” I grinned at his question before informing him,

“Fewer than you fear. More than you would like.”

He put a hand over his face for a moment before scrubbing it down as a heavy sigh escaped him.

“Is that everything?”

“For today.” I went to the door, put my hand on it, and then turned back, because there was one thing more and it was the only part of that meeting I actually cared about.