Page 24 of So Smitten

“Are you a drug runner?” Michael pressed.

He grinned, “So it is about the drugs.”

“No, it isn’t,” Faith said. “Personally, I don’t care if you’re running drugs. That’s not what I’m here for. I’m here for the two people who were shocked to death in the past week.”

He chuckled. “A nice piece of artistry, that. A shock collar? That’s just beautiful.”

Faith leaned forward. “I get that you have to pretend to be arrogant and unmoved by our threats, but I think it will serve you better to just answer our questions without acting like an idiot. Shall we try that?”

"I don't know what to tell you," Iliev replied. "It wasn't me. It wasn't anyone I knew, either by sight or by name. Honestly, I wish it was. That's a beautiful way to send a message. Whoever did it just earned a lot of street credit.”

“You haven’t heard anything about it?” Michael asked. “Anyone enjoy a sudden spike in ‘street credit’?”

Iliev chuckled. “Not that I know of. If you were asking my opinion, I would say it’s someone within the Syndicate. You are aware that Harris was a man of some stature within the Syndicate, aren’t you?”

“We know he ran the street crew here,” Faith said.

“Not just the street crew,” Iliev replied. “The clubs, the hookers and the dog fights too.”

Faith’s ears perked up. “Dogfights?”

“Oh yes. You haven’t heard about the dogfights? That was Harris’s big moneymaker. Well, the girls were his big moneymaker. They always are. The one thing that poor people want—any people really—more than drugs is sex. You control sex, you control a territory. That’s why the Syndicate is so powerful in Atlanta. You earn a lot of highly placed friends if you can provide willing girls. If you know what I mean.”

Faith knew what he meant, but she wasn’t here to bust a prostitution ring either. “Tell me about the dogfights.”

“I can’t. I wasn’t allowed anywhere near them. Only Harris’s crew could be involved with dogs, just like only Harris’s crew could be involved with girls. My… associates… preferred that I keep the peace with Harris. They were very clear that there was to be no retaliation for the altercation where Harris killed one of our own. From what I understand, they accepted a seven-figure settlement from the Syndicate and left it at that.”

Faith and Michael glanced at each other. This was becoming more complicated than they had expected. “What about Mariano?” Michael asked. “What did he have to do with the dogs?”

“No clue. I know he was involved, but how? I couldn’t guess.”

Faith could. She had an idea now why Farmer’s fence was cut open and his dog sedated.

But why would a dog fighting ring want an old, sweet Cocker Spaniel? Macy was about as far from a fighting dog as Faith was from a sumo wrestler. Unless people just liked watching big dogs eat small dogs. She wouldn’t put that past them.

“What else can you tell us about the Syndicate?” Faith asked. “Who’s in charge now that Harris is out?”

Iliev chuckled. “Agents, I know I look like an attractive and capable leader, but the truth is, I’m fairly low on the ladder. If anyone I know has the information you seek, they haven’t told me, and they won’t. I get orders, and I follow them. I do a very good job of following them, and I do a very good job of not being nosy. That’s why I’m still alive.”

“Who could we talk to who might know the answers?” Faith asked.

Iliev met her eyes. “Not answering questions like that is another reason I’m still alive.”

Faith sighed and said, “All right, Mr. Iliev. We’re going to hold you until we decide if we’re pressing charges for the assault on our persons.”

Iliev chuckled and rolled his eyes. “Of course you are.”

“Count yourself lucky it isn’t worse than that,” Faith said. “Yet.”

As they left the room, Iliev called after them. “Good luck on your collar, agents.” He laughed at his on joke, and Faith was relieved when the door closed and blocked the sound of his voice.

***

“You lied to us, Keenan,” Faith said.

“I told you!” he replied, his face slick with the sweat of desperation. “I didn’t lie to you. I don’t know anything!”

Faith leaned over the table and stared hard at him. Michael showed the same stony glare, and Keenan paled a shade. His eyes shifted to the left, telling Faith that she was right to suspect him of lying. "All right, Keenan," she said, "Here's what's going to happen. We're going to take you to the precinct, where you'll be charged with obstruction of justice."

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