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“What’s that?” Xavier asks.
My smile is devious. “Gambling.”
“A casino.” Alex’s eyes light up.
“Yes. I already have the designs for one to be built.”
“You have the capital for that?” Xavier asks.
I nod.
“How?”
My smile widens even more. “I have my ways of getting my fingers on coin.”
“Skimming off the top?” Jesse assumes.
“Possibly.”
Alex looks from Jesse to me. “You stole from the Shadow Syndicate? You took that risk?”
“If you must know, I stole from the Midnight Eclipse,” I say. “Their bar was elegant and served a high-class clientele beyond just the Shadow Syndicate, but the money that can be made from a casino? I intend to capitalize on the allure of gambling by operating underground casinos and betting rings. The gameswill be rigged to ensure profitability while providing a covert space for high-stakes dealings and clandestine meetings.”
“I approve wholeheartedly,” Xavier says, rubbing his hands.
“Some people will have to win every now and again,” Jesse says. “Otherwise, if the house always wins…”
“I realize that, but it will be controlled,” I say smoothly.
“Money laundering,” Alex mentions.
I nod to him. “Of course. In addition to the underground casinos, we’ll have one for the general public that will be run completely legally. We’ll try to attract the same high-class clientele that frequented the Midnight Eclipse but also have an area that’ll bring in the middle class.”
“Why?” Xavier asks.
“Why not? Greenbacks are greenbacks, and the better my legal entity does, all the better for me all the way around.” I nod to Alex. “Of course money laundering will be important to cloak the origins of your wealth and integrate seamlessly into the legitimate economy.”
“How did you steal from the Midnight Eclipse?” Alex asks.
“I cooked the digital books,” I explain.
Cybercrime was one aspect that I undertook for the Shadow Syndicate, which is one of the reasons why I could remain hidden from the view of most involved.
“Speaking of cybercrime,” I say slowly, “I would mind if we embraced the digital age. Engaging in hacking is one avenue to explore. Digital extortion to exploit vulnerabilities… It’s another way to amass wealth and influence.”
“Human trafficking is off the table,” Jesse says.
“Naturally. Contraband smuggling, though, might be something I would consider. Arms trafficking, not so much, but we can look into exploiting the demand for illicit goods. Counterfeit goods to rare artifacts… There’s an entire globalblack market we can navigate to secure valuable contraband and maximize profits.”
“What about racketeering and extortion?” Jesse suggests.
I shake my head. I don’t care for the idea of controlling and exploiting businesses. We don’t have the size or the bodies to handle protecting the businesses that we would’ve had to be paid for said protection.
“Not at first, of course,” Jesse adds.
“For now, I want to continue to operate in the shadows,” I say. “Other players are going to emerge and try to take on more than they can chew, and the government will look to squash them.”
“Like whack-a-mole,” Alex says.
