Page 14 of Emerald Vices

“Has he paid you?”

Her eyes widen nervously. “No.”

I pluck out a couple of hundreds from my wallet and hand them over. “A little friendly advice: always take payment up front. Now, go.”

She stares at me incredulously for only a second. Then she grabs the money I’m offering, pulls on her clothes at the speed of light, and gets the hell out of this godforsaken shithole.

Part of me wishes I could do the same.

“We’re off to an exciting start,” Cevdet chuckles, taking one of the two patchwork chairs beside the bed with a relieved groan.

Vargas looks past Bujar and the gun he has pointed at his head to meet my eyes. “You’re him, aren’t you?”

He’s trying to sound confident and nonchalant, but I don’t buy his bluster for a fucking second. The man is unarmed and unclothed, surrounded by enemies, and sporting a shriveled pair of blue balls.

It’s not exactly his lucky night.

“My reputation precedes me.”

He glowers. “Your reputation has been exaggerated. What’s the matter, Kuznetsov? Too weak to kill me on your own?”

Cevdet scoffs. “We’re all here to protect our own investments, not because Andrey needs our help. ”

Vargas looks from me to each one of my allies. He’s a fool for not doing his homework prior to kicking this hornet’s nest. It’s about to cost him his life.

“You didn’t think I was expanding on my own, did you?” I ask as I saunter closer. “Unlike my father, I learned to play well with others. This way, we all get what we want. And right now, you and your little gang are threatening that.”

“You don’t know what you’re up against,” he snarls.

I pull out my gun and wave it carelessly in the air. “Then, tell me. I’m dying to know.”

His eyes track my gun. “You don’t want to kill me. My cousin is a lieutenant… He’s high up in the Halcones. Killing me will only piss him off.”

“You assume I care whether I piss him off or not.”

Vargas’s hands are shaking now. He balls them into fists, but he can’t hide his fear.

“You’re also assuming that you’re important to your cousin,” I continue. “But let’s face it, Vargas: he sent you on a suicide mission when he aimed you at one of my clubs. You’re not nearly as important as you think you are.”

Cevdet giggles under his breath, but I keep my face still and grim.

“You’re gonna kill a defenseless, unarmed man?” he asks.

“What makes you think I’m going to kill you at all, Vargas? Maybe I just want to have a little chat.”

“You won’t get anything out of me, so you might as well just get it over with and fucking kill me! I won’t talk.”

“Then you’ll die,” Cevdet interjects cheerfully.

I give Cevdet a warning look. I need answers before this mudak realizes he’ll be far worse off if I let him go back to his masters than if I execute him myself.

“You don’t really want me to kill you, do you, Vargas? It’ll be much easier if you do what I ask and agree to take back a little message from me.”

Sensing an opportunity, Vargas’s eyes go wide. “A message?”

“To your bosses.”

He pales. “W-what’s the message?”

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