Page 59 of Obsession of the Egoist
“Can’t Rudolph handle it?” Annoyed, Yugo fumbled over his torn shirt, seeking a cigarette pack, but found nothing. He snapped his fingers a few times, looking around. Greg opened the glove box and, pulling out a new pack, offered it to Yugo.
“He asked for you. It has something to do with the Al-Amin and the United Nations.”
“Schedule him for tomorrow. Book a conference room in the Royal Hotel, but don’t give him the address until tomorrow morning. Tell Tobias to tag along.”
“Right, Tobias… He called as well.”
“Can’t they fucking solve their problems?” Yugo unwrapped the pack and, fetching one smoke, he squeezed it between his lips. Lithe fingers stroked the lighter, and blue-gray smoke streamed up from the tip of the cigarette.
“He can. He said something about ‘breaking the little shit’s arms’ if you don’t hurry.”
“Damn…” Throwing a glance up at the hospital windows, he said, “Hurry up and drive. He better be home.”
“OH-HO-HO…” TOBIAS’ FACE STRETCHEDwith a mix of amusement and excitement.
“Lend me your bathroom,” Yugo grounded out, stepping out of the private elevator of the Myhive Twin Towers. The spacious anteroom of Tobias’ private floor greeted him with a faint smell of sandalwood and a merciless cold light. Passing the security guards and a gray secretary desk, Yugo pushed Tobias away with his shoulder and entered his private quarters. Throwing the garment bag on the low leather couch, he looked around. The change in the atmosphere was dramatic. The light and fluffy carpeted floor and the heavy ebony wood of the ceiling and walls were divided by wide wall screens that monitored the foyer and the outside perimeter of the building.
“You’re missing buttons. You know, it’s hard to say if you spent a very wild night or got knocked out cold on the floor,” Tobias said, drawing Yugo’s attention to his half-naked body and bare feet. Wearing only sweatpants, Tobias ran his hand over his naked belly toward his neck, before he scratched the back of his head; his hair was a morning mess. “That makes me wonder…”
“Leave it,” Yugo said.
“You know I can’t do that. Seeing you in this state is priceless. Seriously, I can’t miss the opportunity.” He hummed, closing the door behind Greg’s back. “So I take it the reunion with your puppy went well. There is still passion.”
“I said, leave it,” Yugo repeated, adding a fair amount of warning to his tone. “I don’t have time for this, so get to the point.”
“Fine!” Throwing his palms in the air, Tobias granted him with a wide, crooked smile.
“Where’s Mio?”
“I wish I knew.”
“What does that mean?” Yugo scowled.
“The little shit broke into my computer, hacked my crypto wallet, then disappeared.”
“Really?” Yugo’s lips stretched in a smile. “Attaboy!”
“Aren’t you a little too happy about it?” Tobias scowled, folding his arms over his toned chest.
“Why wouldn’t I be? He hacked your Fort Knox when you were sooo proud of it. He isn’t all that useless after all.” Yugo couldn’t control his pride and granted Greg a blinding smile.
“Well, now you owe me twenty thousand Bitcoin. The little shit hacked into one of my accounts and transferred everything to one I can’t access. He already sold a quarter. I tried to track the money, but he transferred it into Monero, which is untraceable.”
“Did you hear?” Laughing, Yugo turned to Greg. “Mio fucked Tobias. Who could imagine?”
Greg snorted and turned around. It took him a moment to glue a mask of dispassion on his face, but the corners of his lips kept twitching.
“Fuck you both,” Tobias said. “Is this why you forced him onto me?”
“Partly. Don’t worry, you will get your money back,” Yugo said, as the last spasms of laughter left his body.
“Oh, I’m not worried,” Tobias promised, eyes cold, passionless. “But you should be because I will skin him alive as soon as I get my hands on him.”
“No, you won’t,” Yugo said, peering into the ever-tiny pupils.
“I so will.”
“No,” Yugo affirmed, keeping his voice calm. “You will do nothing. You pretend you know nothing. I’ll make sure Mio credits you back with interests when it’s all over. Think of it as an investment. Shouldn’t you be proud of your protégé?”
