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“More like dangerous,” I reply, taking a sip of my whiskey.
“Who could be more dangerous than you and me?” he asks, straightening up in his chair as though I’ve offended him.
“I’m not questioning your capabilities, Bobby. I’m just warning you that it wouldn’t just be the police who are curious as to why James died, and while the authorities might give up quickly when they rule it an accident, there are people who won’t believe it. Not just conspiracy theorists with too much time on their hands and not enough brain cells to get a job. I’m talking about international terrorists.”
He jumps up in his seat, fully engaged now. “Terrorists? Jesus, who is this guy?”
“James has more money than common sense. He’s selling uranium to a relatively new group in Eastern Europe called The Red Council, and another in South America that’s probably not big enough or close enough to be of concern. He doesn’t seem to discriminate either. He’s just giving away that shit like shots at a party. I was certain the American government would shut him down before I could acquire his supplies, but they’re either too corrupt to do anything, or too stupid to realize what’s happening,” I explain.
“I’m putting my neck on the line if it’s that serious,” Bobby says, his expression growing somber.
I take a sip of my whiskey. “That’s why I’m paying triple your asking price. I’m coming clean with you here. No secrets.”
“I know, and that’s why I like working with you. But… terrorists. Jesus, I’m going to have to make sure there isn’t a single record of me even being in the United States. Not a picture, not a flight record… nothing. Terrorists are nuts. Like, not FBI nuts. Like, really nuts. They’ll track someone down and bomb their house even if it takes twenty years.”
I chuckle. “Yeah, I know, which is why we’re making this look like an accident.”
“But they’ll know it wasn’t.”
I sigh. “Listen, this is going to fall on me, not you. Taylor is going to inherit everything her father has, and because we’re married, I’m going to have access to it. They’ll trace the transfer to me within days, and once they have, I’ll become their target.”
“Unless you just, like, let them have some.”
“Uranium?”
“Sure.”
I shake my head. “I have my own plans for it. I’m not sharing, especially not with some anti-government psychos. That would put an even bigger target on my back.”
Bobby looks doubtful, but he knows I’m not going to let anything happen to him. As long as he is careful, nobody will ever trace this back to him. I’m the mastermind, and I accept the consequences for pissing off a bunch of loonies with more guns than common sense.
He leans forward, tapping his ash into the tray on my table. He takes a deep breath. “Okay, but give me some extra time for this one.”
“How much?”
“Two months, maybe three,” he replies.
“Months?!”
“Could be weeks. I don’t have the money for that, though…”
I groan. “Come on, I’m giving you triple what I normally give you. It’s not going to take you three months to drown a guy in his pool.”
“Money tends to speed things up,” he replies.
I point at his cigar. “That’s a thousand rubles. Maybe you should be paying me.”
He gives me a look that says he’s not in the mood for jokes anymore. He’s usually the cheerful one, so he must really be spooked by the mention of terrorists.
“I’ll add an extra zero to the end if you get it done this week,” I say. “You’re a creative guy. I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”
He tilts his head down and looks at me in utter shock.
“I’m not messing around. Just get it done and report back to me when it’s finished. All I ask of you is to make sure nobody knows it’s a hit. That would spoil everything I’ve worked for,” I say.
He nods. “Yeah, alright. If you want it done fast, you’ll get I done fast. I never slip. Just know that the money really helps. I can get some superb equipment for that price, not to mention disguises and covert transportation.”
“Then we’re done here,” I say, rising from my seat.
