Page 349 of Edge of Eternity (The Century 3)

"No need for that," said Nik, but he stepped into the hall and shut the door behind him.

"Piss off," said Dimka. "Go now, before you get into any more trouble." He managed to sound more confident than he felt.

Nik glared at him with hot hatred in his eyes. "You've made your point," he said. "You're not afraid of me. You're powerful enough to turn my life to shit. I should be scared of you. All right, I get it. I'm scared."

He did not sound it.

Dimka said: "What have you come here for?"

"I don't give a toss for the bitch. I only married her to please my mother, who's dead now. But a man's pride is hurt when another man pokes his fire. You know what I mean."

"Get to the point."

"My business is ruined. No one in the army will speak to me, let alone sell me TV sets. Men who have built four-bedroom dachas from the money I've made for them now walk past me in the street without speaking--those who aren't in jail."

"You shouldn't have threatened my son."

"I know it now. I thought my wife was opening her legs for some little apparatchik. I didn't know he was a fucking warlord. I underestimated you."

"So bugger off home and lick your wounds."

"I have to make a living."

"Try working."

"No jokes, please. I've found another source of Western TV sets--nothing to do with the army."

"Why should I care?"

"I can rebuild the business you destroyed."

"So what?"

"Can I come in and sit down?"

"Don't be so fucking stupid."

Rage flared again in Nik's eyes, and Dimka feared he had gone too far, but the flame died down, and Nik said meekly: "Okay, here's the deal. I'll give you ten percent of the profits."

"You want me to go into business with you? In a criminal enterprise? You must be mad."

"All right, twenty percent. And you don't have to do anything except leave me alone."

"I don't want your money, you fool. This is the Soviet Union. You can't just buy anything you want, like in America. My connections are worth far more than you could ever pay me."

"There must be something you want."

Until this moment Dimka had been arguing with Nik just to keep him off balance, but now he saw an opportunity. "Oh, yes," he said. "There is something I want."

"Name it."

"Divorce your wife."

"What?"

"I want you to get a divorce."

"Divorce Natalya?"

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