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“Put your other fucking hand on the table, Arty!” I threaten.
“Okay, Okay! I’ll set up meeting, but it could cause problems. I’m just letting you know, Boss.”
“Just do it, Arty.”
“Da, Boss.”
I take the plastic garbage bags out of the shopping bag. I used to use heavy-duty garbage bags like these to collect the music money, but the reusable bag is better for the environment. I’ll take my agreed-upon cut and bring the rest to the Boss in the morning.
***
“Is Ivan in back?” I ask one of the very pretty, new dancers walking along the bar at Club Inequity. It’s 11:00 am, no customers are here yet, and she’s completely naked.
“Yes, sir. He just got here a few minutes ago,” she says.
“Thank you. And put something on until people get here. Get some money from them, then start taking it off a little at a time,” I say, thinking about how she should already know how to nickel and dime horny guys out of all the cash in their wallets.
“Yes, sir. That’s what Ivan told me. I’m going to my car to get my bag now,” she giggles. I look over my shoulder, not to check her out, but to watch her walk outside while she’s totally naked. I shake my head and continue passed the bar to the back room.
“Yosef! Come sit,” Ivan says as soon as I walk into the meeting room. His seconds-in-command are standing at his sides while he’s sitting at a table.
“Hello, Boss. Hello, Alec. Mikhail,” I say to Ivan and his two most trusted men. Both of them have made it clear that they don’t want the Boss spot and would be content to stay in their current positions until any transition is made. Then they both plan to retire and move back to Russia.
“Yosef. There are a few things I need to discuss with you. But first, anything you wish to tell me? Start with minor business, please, then move on to our new associates,” Ivan says as I take a seat.
“Yes, sir. Minor business. I have a new yacht waiting for me that the Southside gang juiced off of some sailboat race or something while on one of their motorcycle runs. As for our new associates, the meeting at Siren Studio went well. I will confess I wasn’t at a hundred percent with all the distractions around. We do have an interest in all their future deals now, though,” I explain.
“Yosef, it’s not like you to be distracted by a pretty girl, and I’m not talking about the exhibitionist dancer girl outside. I bet you told her to get dressed just like I did,” Ivan says, surprising me. I know he means Mari Yumiko. I start to wonder if Katana told him about my fascination with the singer. Then I realize—
“The camera feed. Sonomi’s people aren’t the only ones with access,” I express my thought out loud.
“Good man!” Ivan says with a grin. “No one can hear what we are saying back here. The room has been scanned for listening devices by the latest detectors. I want to tell you a few things now, Yosef. But first, I need to know if you think you are ready to take over for me?”
“Boss, I will take over if that’s what you want. But there is still time yet. I will wait for what I hope is a very long-time, sir,” I say sincerely.
“I appreciate that, Yosef, but I am ready to step down sooner than when my ailments force me to. I’m not going to let some podrazhatel, like Artyom, try to take over what we’ve built here. And no more ‘boss’ or ‘sir.’ You will call me Ivan,” he says, using the Russian word for wannabe to describe Artyom. The last part is an order rather than a request.
“Alright, Ivan,” I comply.
“Good. Now I’m going to let you in on a secret,” Ivan looks up at Alec and Mikhail. “We were in government intelligence, in KGB together. Things changed over there in Mother Russia. So, we came here and took out the deranged psychos running the Bratva at the time. Then we took it over.”
The way the orders are distributed makes a lot of sense now. I look up at the two men whose ranking in the Bratva is ironically known as theTwo-Spies. I nod.
“You tell no one, not even people you care about. Which brings me to my next point,” Ivan continues.
“The singer?” I ask.
“Yes, her. The one you pay to play with too. You need to be careful about relationships. Learn from my mistakes, Yosef. Having a family, or anyone close to you, can be a liability in more ways than one in this position,” he says with a sigh, lowering his head in an unusual manner for him.
“I understand, Ivan,” I say.
“Alright,” Ivan straightens up, “I’m sure you have business to attend to.”
“Yes, sir. I mean Ivan.
5
MARIKA
