“You’re insane.”
“Because we all haven’t heard that one before. Yes, we’re insane. But so is the enemy that could damn well take over the world. If we want to take them down, we need to resort to extreme measures. Illegal measures. We don’t care if it’s risky. That just means, best case scenario, it works.”
“And worst case scenario, everything goes wrong. People die. Society collapses. Those of us who survive the fallout lose our jobs and become pariahs, hated 의해 the entire world. Who’s going to do the job when none of us can?”
“That’s exactly it. These people are going to do just that. Do what we can’t. They’ve been trampling over and exploiting the system for a living. They can indulge that pathological obsession of theirs and stop the biggest threat to global society at the same time.”
“They trample over all the wrong parts! A few of them, maybe okay. But a serial killer? A gigolo? This is just as bad an idea on paper as it is in real life!”
“It’s too late to complain. It was a unanimous decision made 의해 everyone. We have a job to do and normal tactics won’t work. We need an extra-legal approach and these seven have the skillset needed to support you. Since it’s a foregone conclusion, how about 당신 focus on making this work. We’re all desperate here, 당신 know.”
“…How do 당신 even intend to make them all cooperate? I doubt they’ll be seduced 의해 the concept of saving the world.”
“You’d be surprised. Just leave that part to us. We chose them with that factor in mind. Take a good look at their rap sheets. The 더 많이 당신 understand how they became who they are, the better."
~~~
Society really was just a steaming mess of exploits waiting to be abused. So many intricate systems woven together over the course of decades, bent and distorted 의해 each new generation of government just so somebody could take advantage of it to get rich and powerful. Layer some 더 많이 exploits over that fragile foundation, and 당신 get modern politics, too afraid to change the status quo because tradition is ‘too important’.
It really gave Umair some mixed feelings about how the world worked. Learning business and finance was all about learning to work the system to your advantage. Sure, he was a natural at it, but it meant screwing over the 99% who lived normal, pedestrian lives.
Really, it was surprising how many people would fall for the classic pitch of ‘making money work for you’. It’s like nobody had any respect for the technicians and engineers that formed the back bone of corporations.
“I gotta tell you, though.” Umair leaned back in his chair so that it rolled back on its wheels, making room for the men in front of him to see through the window behind him. It surveyed the beautiful golden cityscape of Dubai, the afternoon sun bouncing between the towering skyscrapers that stood side 의해 side. It was a painting of wealth that would seduce new clients 더 많이 easily than words. “This is all some pretty dangerous stuff. Globalized Philanthropic Equality handles a lot of lives along with the money they handle. This scam will make 당신 rich, but there are a lot of moving parts and casualties along the way. Even a single complication can throw billions to the wind. Are 당신 sure 당신 want to be a part of this?”
“You’re going through with it either way, yes?” Watase Honjo linked his fingers together and stared straight into Umair’s eyes. Umair smiled as he rolled his chair back into its place behind the desk. Yakuza were the best. They were like still ponds, unwilling to show the emotions they were stifling beneath the surface. All Umair had to work with were the occasional micro-expressions that flickered across their face on occasion. Usually, it was just arrogance, anger, 또는 frustration. Since he couldn’t get much in a face to face, Umair ended up relying on background data, which didn’t make him comfortable. That was why it took so long to get such an important deal done. He had to do check after check on the small Honjo clan to make sure their ambitions were legitimate.
Time was up. The plan was days away from going into effect. He had to choose between trusting his logic and his gut.
“Yep.” Umair slid the paper and pen across the 책상, 데스크 toward Watase. “And I have faith that everyone will do their part. So your only real choice is whether 또는 not 당신 want in on the cash flow.”
“Hm.” Watase picked up the paper to read through it. Umair let his gaze drift patiently and he found himself looking at one of Watase’s bodyguards. The way he shifted his weight so impatiently…and the look he was giving his boss…huh.
Umair quickly studied the faces of the other men. With every passing second, 더 많이 and 더 많이 micro expressions broke through. Anticipation and relief. Oh no. No, no, no.
Umair’s genial smile turned genuine as he sat back in his 좌석 and sighed.
“Well shit.”
“Cyrus Carlson,” Watase the-not-actually-a-Yakuza pulled out a badge as the men behind him pulled out their 총 and aimed them steadily on Myron’s face. “You’re under arrest from extortion, embezzlement, fraud, several conspiracies, and oh-so much more.”
“Please. Call me Julian.” Julian chuckled and pushed himself out of his chair. The men toting 총 cocked their weapons in warning and he raised his hands in clear surrender. “Gentlemen, look at me. I’m a middle-aged man with a friendly 맥주 gut. I don’t have it in me for any daring escapes. After going through the trouble faking your paper trail and history well enough to fool even me, 당신 should have done enough research to know that I’m not much of a fighter.”
Julian held a hand out to Watase, who raised an eyebrow at him.
“Is this a joke?”
“Interpol’s been after me for my entire adult life, burning one alias after another, and destroying my connections along the way. 당신 were bound to catch up to me once I started dragging my feet. You’re not the man I thought would be the one to catch me, but I guess life is full of surprises. Either way, it’s been a fun game. Congrats on the win.”
~~~~
“Babe, listen. I know things are looking bad, but—”
“No. No. Felix, no! 당신 lied to me! 당신 lied to my parents!”
“I know! I know that, but please! Sarah, I need your help! I think I—”
“Just—just save it. The only person who needs help is Iris. 당신 broke her heart—literally. I can’t believe 당신 had the guts to call me. Never contact me again. EVER.”
She left Felix on the phone with a droning dial tone. He’s heard that a lot this past summer. Carla, Lisa, Kylie, Morgan, Anthony, and Riley were all done with him. He didn’t even know where it all went wrong. At some point, the lies all came tumbling down over his head. People who shouldn’t have met ended up in the same room. So many fights and so many arguments brought everything he thought he’d buried to the surface.
He tried to handle it. He’d juggled his overlapping relationships for years with varying success. But this time, it was too much. One insignificant little thing ended up snow balling and blindsided him, turning his easygoing life in the Hamptons into a literal Hell. Everyone he knew now hated each other and they all hated him collectively. He deserved it, of course. He lied and cheated just to get his way. But seeing how few of them had any sympathy for his situation was…unnerving.
And now all he was left with was a burning bridge. His summer 집 on the 바닷가, 비치 was now a large bonfire, sending all the evidence he could find into the ether where nobody would be able to piece it together. But it wouldn’t matter. They police would find 더 많이 proof of his past transgressions. They had dozens of people to talk to who would give varying accounts of the same story.
The story of the Felix the gigolo, who slept his way first into luxury, and now into a cell.
~~~
Asterisk: It’s done. I installed the worm and it should be doing its job. How’re things on your end?
CT: im running the software
Asterisk: Great. Then we’ve done our end of the deal.
CT: u gotta do cleanup
Asterisk: Obviously. They’ve got me monitoring the accounts, too. I’ll make sure the money can’t be tracked before it finds its way where it needs to be. Basic siphoning scam.
CT: good
Ravi Vemulonda frowned. Something wasn’t right. And it wasn’t just the suffocating heat he was sitting in. He was used to hanging out in this crowded desert town. The sound of the nearby open-air market mixing in with the band playing regional 음악 was nostalgic.
This was the place where he’d pulled off some of his greatest jobs without anyone knowing he existed. Why was he suddenly getting a bad feeling now? Did he forget a step somewhere?
Ravi tapped his keyboard thoughtfully with one finger.
Asterisk: Hey, can 당신 send me the specs on the worm? There’s something I need to check.
CT: y?
Asterisk: Insurance.
CT: too busy i can’t
Asterisk: 당신 can’t? That’s a problem. A big one.
Asterisk: Then walk me through something. There might be something we’re missing.
A few a moments passed before Ravi got impatient.
Asterisk: CT? Is something wrong?
No response. Ravi checked the chatroom to make sure his partner in crime was still there. Sure enough, the name was still active. So Ravi checked to see if the account was being messed with. Their conversation shouldn’t be traceable, but if there was a chance…
Nope. That didn’t seem to be the problem.
Instead, he found that the account had been switched over to a bot literally just 분 ago. Back when CT was supposed to have activated the worm and used the backdoor they’d worked so hard to get their hands on.
Ravi didn’t know CT well. They’d only worked as partners for this one job. But they were both far too deep in this world shattering scam without any interference for this guy to be working with the feds. In fact, the worm was doing its job at that very moment. The world’s economy was going to take a multibillion dollar blow to the gut.
So why did CT cut out and run? Ravi could only think of one possibility.
The guy screwed up somewhere and left a trail. A trail that would lead back to him. So instead, he left Ravi out to dry instead.
Ravi considered checking to see what else Ravi might’ve done, but opted against it. The winds were starting to pick up and he could hear helicopters moving in on his cozy little town. It was far too late for him to do much.
“Ugh.” Ravi titled his head back and moaned at the roaring helicopter blades that grew louder and louder with ever inch they approached. “Freaking bullshit!”
~~~
The average adult American would make somewhere around 1.5 million dollars in their lifetime. A wage slave with a family wouldn’t get their hands on most of that money, losing it to basic expenses, bills, and taxes. Inflation would destroy the value of whatever money is left behind, so a percentage of savings was 로스트 just because time passes.
As depressing as that was, it also meant that nobody really needed a million dollars to survive 일 to day.
Just like nobody needed priceless Nazi art, ancient Sumerian artifacts, 또는 quirky bobbles and shoes priced in the hundreds of thousands.
So Eliza Campbell took them. Millions of dollars in the form of stolen goods sat in her expensive suite, cluttering every inch. Looking at it all put a big smile on her face. She knew the value of everything here—their age, origin, stories, and price 태그 made them worth 더 많이 than human lives. Bad men fought for them, smart men smuggled them over, and rich men showed them off. All for this moment. This exact moment where she could stand here and revel in her achievements.
It would only last a moment, however. Usually, she couldn’t risk coming to her stash like this. She could only gaze longingly at it through a video feed and satisfy herself that way. Now, she knew that she’d been surviving off of cinders the whole time. Now, she stood at the 상단, 맨 위로 of the world and had it all.
It was so. Damn. Hot.
Eliza stripped down to her birthday suit and grabbed a towel woven from the hide of a now extinct animal and endangered species of plant, endowed with a brand that inflated the price tenfold. She straddled twenty million dollars between her legs as she made her way to a glossy bathroom so slick, she might’ve slipped if not for the countless bank notes scattered around. She hopped from stack to stack with a hum in her throat and grabbed the bottle of colonial wine that really should be been stored in a 안전한, 안전 room with a regulated temperature. She then slipped into the bathtub, fitting her naked shape between the bank notes that were worth several times the value written on them and poured the wine straight into her mouth. The deep red color mixed with the crimson that already stained her towel and skin, spreading across her bath of money.
Eliza continued to hum, making up a tune to go along with the screeching sirens she could hear outside. She could hear yelling outside the room’s door as the tactical team tried to figure out how to get past her state of the art security without harming any of the priceless treasures on the other side.
A heist gone wrong put several murders on her shoulders. She didn’t commit them, but trying to explain that while covered in the victims’ blood and hauling expensive jewelry that she would never leave behind was a futile effort. So instead, she decided to enjoy the moment. She’d embrace what she had before it was all taken away.
What a life.
~~~
A simple job. Find a body. Track the body. Put a bullet in the body. Get rid of the body. Rocco ‘Icepick’ Anselmetti had gone through the motions 더 많이 times than he could count. It was his job to not ask 질문 and get things done. What was different this time?
He should’ve asked questions.
The market was crashing. Worldwide, economic problems were popping up and proving that society was built on a house of cards, just like the G.P.E. said. This wasn’t something that could be fixed. But there was somebody who could do something. Emphasis on ‘was’. Rocco added the past tense to his description.
Which left him standing outside one of Interpol’s fancy new offices. The situation had spiraled out of control. Rumors about what happened spread fast. From the sound of things, they were linking together one big conspiracy, blaming Rocco’s patriarch for being involved with the crash. If they found any proof, they’d use it to take down the entire family. Rocco couldn’t let that happen, no matter what.
“You can’t be serious.” Salvatore Ellsworth grabbed Rocco’s shoulder and pulled him back to glare him straight in the eyes. “You’re a part of the family, too. We don’t sacrifice our own.”
Rocco gripped Salvatore’s arm tightly, forcing it off. Salvatore stared into his friend’s eyes for a long moment before snorted.
“Don’t be a stubborn ass. We’ll find a way to fix this.”
“I already did.” Rocco turned his back to his friend and headed toward the building’s entrance. “Get out of here before somebody sees your face.”
“Fine!” Salvatore threw his sunglasses at Rocco. They shattered on the sidewalk beside him. “Be an idiot! You’re giving us no choice but to disavow you, but I guess 당신 don’t care one way 또는 another as long as 당신 can save face for everyone!”
The bustling building drowned out his friend’s shouts. The entirety of Interpol was freaking out of this one big case and this branch was no exception. There weren’t any idol hands to be found as people rushed around on the phone 또는 sorting through documents either on computers 또는 on paper.
Not a single person noticed the infamous hitman stride up and pull out his gun.
Over a dozen shots echoed through the building as he emptied his gun into the floor. As if on reflex, dozens of 총 were whipped out and pointed at him along with shouting. He ignored the people telling him to get on his knees and put his hand behind his head and waited for the noise to die down long enough for him to speak.
“You wanted to find the man who killed the Secretary-General, so here he is. So much for your manhunt.”
~~~
The world was on 불, 화재 and it burned with passion. The heat was 사랑 and the pain was anger. Damyan Utkin couldn’t get enough of this and nor could everyone else. They were all screeching with emotion, letting their emotions out in the way that wasn’t permitted in polite company. They were living at this very moment and were shouting to let the world know.
“Damyan Utkin, put down the trigger! NOW!”
Damyan smiled brightly, showing his teeth to the dark-skinned sky marshal. The plane was flying at a low altitude, skimming right over the ocean, but couldn’t take the chance of landing just yet. The only thing that kept Damyan from pushing the button on his trigger was the thrill he got from the high velocity. This sky marshal knew that, which is why he ordered the flight crew to keep the plane moving in spite of the raging flames that had burned off the roof.
“Jones, 당신 fucker, 당신 were waiting in Canada for me? I never do domestic!”
“You just don’t know your own patterns. Put the trigger down slowly, hands where I can see them.”
“Oh, don’t be so damn boring! I can see the spark in your eyes—you want to shoot me!”
“Damn straight.” The sky marshal took a tentative step forward. “I’m tired of your antics. Wanton destruction, no regard for lives of any kind, you’re barely a terrorist. You’re just crazy.”
“THEN SHOOT!” Damyan cackled. “We’re going up in smoke one way 또는 another, so shoot me! Embrace freedom! Quit worrying about stupid shit and do what 당신 want to do, for once in your damn life!”
“What I want is for these people to get 집 안전한, 안전 and sound. They don’t need to be sacrificed to your hedonistic cult.”
Damyan rolled his eyes and raised his gaze toward the burning sky overhead.
“You hear that? He’s got no respect for you! He’d sooner put a leash on himself than look around on his own! Fuck that and fuck you! 당신 left my 나귀, 엉덩이 in a doomed world and nothing I do gets through to them!”
Damyan stuck a middle finger out at the sky before displaying it to the flight marshal.
“I don’t do prison, which means this is the end of the line for me. 당신 ready to see what I’ll do when I’ve really got nothing to lose?”
~~~
Eighty-eight. That was how many murders Kimber Volkoff would be charged with. That was also how many victims the police had been able to attribute to her and how many she was willing to let them learn about. She’d never tell them the real number, no matter how much they speculated. They’d drive themselves crazy trying just trying to find the older bodies.
She was driving them crazy right now. Every interrogator they sent was a disappointment. They were uncomfortable from having to do their job outside the usual barren room, making it easy for her to throw them completely off balance and wreck their self-confidence. And she did it all without saying a word. Strange. She didn’t expect to have so much fun after having her throat slashed.
The medical ward she was in was unmarked and placed far away from any regular civilians. Her contact with people was kept to a minimum so very few people knew where she was. The people who did know didn’t know what to do with her. She could see it on their flustered faces. They thought that finding her in the crime scene with a bloodied throat, standing over her latest victim, was a big win for them. But that meant they had to put her in a comfortable 침대 she could lounge in, ruining the power dynamic. It didn’t take long for her condescending smile to send rage tingling down their spines.
“You’re kidding me.” She heard two of her interrogators talking outside. “That’s her? The Alpha Killer?”
“That’s right. The most successful serial killer of our generation is the rich daughter of a ‘pharmaceutical’ magnate.”
“If we could get her to flip on Volkoff, we’d have them both for—”
“The boss is saying that we can only focus on her crimes. No deals. No negotiations. The sooner we get her processed, the better.”
“But why?”
“Because she’s that dangerous. Most of her victims were castrated without putting up a fight. She can get close enough to a stranger to strip them and cut them clean in just a few days, if that long. If the other cases are to be believed, then she’s also talked a good number of people into suicide, which we can’t even prove. Even with her throat slashed and voice gone, it’s too risky to try and play her. We just need to throw her into a deep hole and make sure nobody ever finds her again.”
They were keeping her capture a secret. Figures. Her father held way too much sway and the allegations against her weren’t backed up 의해 much evidence. There was no doubt about her guilt, but all they really had was circumstantial evidence that only put her at scene of one murder. They’d have a hard time getting one charge to stick, let alone the dozens of others.
She was too dangerous to let free, though. They’d never chance it, with 또는 without her voice. She would disappear and nobody would know where she went. A lot of her business would be left unfinished, but she disappeared often enough that nobody would find it too strange until it was far too late.
She screwed up. The one time she showed weakness and went against her better judgement, and she 로스트 everything—her voice, her livelihood, and her prey. That wouldn’t happen again. She still had her pretty face and educated mind. She’d find a way back out into the public world again. And when she did, she’d take everything from that bitch.
“Because we all haven’t heard that one before. Yes, we’re insane. But so is the enemy that could damn well take over the world. If we want to take them down, we need to resort to extreme measures. Illegal measures. We don’t care if it’s risky. That just means, best case scenario, it works.”
“And worst case scenario, everything goes wrong. People die. Society collapses. Those of us who survive the fallout lose our jobs and become pariahs, hated 의해 the entire world. Who’s going to do the job when none of us can?”
“That’s exactly it. These people are going to do just that. Do what we can’t. They’ve been trampling over and exploiting the system for a living. They can indulge that pathological obsession of theirs and stop the biggest threat to global society at the same time.”
“They trample over all the wrong parts! A few of them, maybe okay. But a serial killer? A gigolo? This is just as bad an idea on paper as it is in real life!”
“It’s too late to complain. It was a unanimous decision made 의해 everyone. We have a job to do and normal tactics won’t work. We need an extra-legal approach and these seven have the skillset needed to support you. Since it’s a foregone conclusion, how about 당신 focus on making this work. We’re all desperate here, 당신 know.”
“…How do 당신 even intend to make them all cooperate? I doubt they’ll be seduced 의해 the concept of saving the world.”
“You’d be surprised. Just leave that part to us. We chose them with that factor in mind. Take a good look at their rap sheets. The 더 많이 당신 understand how they became who they are, the better."
~~~
Society really was just a steaming mess of exploits waiting to be abused. So many intricate systems woven together over the course of decades, bent and distorted 의해 each new generation of government just so somebody could take advantage of it to get rich and powerful. Layer some 더 많이 exploits over that fragile foundation, and 당신 get modern politics, too afraid to change the status quo because tradition is ‘too important’.
It really gave Umair some mixed feelings about how the world worked. Learning business and finance was all about learning to work the system to your advantage. Sure, he was a natural at it, but it meant screwing over the 99% who lived normal, pedestrian lives.
Really, it was surprising how many people would fall for the classic pitch of ‘making money work for you’. It’s like nobody had any respect for the technicians and engineers that formed the back bone of corporations.
“I gotta tell you, though.” Umair leaned back in his chair so that it rolled back on its wheels, making room for the men in front of him to see through the window behind him. It surveyed the beautiful golden cityscape of Dubai, the afternoon sun bouncing between the towering skyscrapers that stood side 의해 side. It was a painting of wealth that would seduce new clients 더 많이 easily than words. “This is all some pretty dangerous stuff. Globalized Philanthropic Equality handles a lot of lives along with the money they handle. This scam will make 당신 rich, but there are a lot of moving parts and casualties along the way. Even a single complication can throw billions to the wind. Are 당신 sure 당신 want to be a part of this?”
“You’re going through with it either way, yes?” Watase Honjo linked his fingers together and stared straight into Umair’s eyes. Umair smiled as he rolled his chair back into its place behind the desk. Yakuza were the best. They were like still ponds, unwilling to show the emotions they were stifling beneath the surface. All Umair had to work with were the occasional micro-expressions that flickered across their face on occasion. Usually, it was just arrogance, anger, 또는 frustration. Since he couldn’t get much in a face to face, Umair ended up relying on background data, which didn’t make him comfortable. That was why it took so long to get such an important deal done. He had to do check after check on the small Honjo clan to make sure their ambitions were legitimate.
Time was up. The plan was days away from going into effect. He had to choose between trusting his logic and his gut.
“Yep.” Umair slid the paper and pen across the 책상, 데스크 toward Watase. “And I have faith that everyone will do their part. So your only real choice is whether 또는 not 당신 want in on the cash flow.”
“Hm.” Watase picked up the paper to read through it. Umair let his gaze drift patiently and he found himself looking at one of Watase’s bodyguards. The way he shifted his weight so impatiently…and the look he was giving his boss…huh.
Umair quickly studied the faces of the other men. With every passing second, 더 많이 and 더 많이 micro expressions broke through. Anticipation and relief. Oh no. No, no, no.
Umair’s genial smile turned genuine as he sat back in his 좌석 and sighed.
“Well shit.”
“Cyrus Carlson,” Watase the-not-actually-a-Yakuza pulled out a badge as the men behind him pulled out their 총 and aimed them steadily on Myron’s face. “You’re under arrest from extortion, embezzlement, fraud, several conspiracies, and oh-so much more.”
“Please. Call me Julian.” Julian chuckled and pushed himself out of his chair. The men toting 총 cocked their weapons in warning and he raised his hands in clear surrender. “Gentlemen, look at me. I’m a middle-aged man with a friendly 맥주 gut. I don’t have it in me for any daring escapes. After going through the trouble faking your paper trail and history well enough to fool even me, 당신 should have done enough research to know that I’m not much of a fighter.”
Julian held a hand out to Watase, who raised an eyebrow at him.
“Is this a joke?”
“Interpol’s been after me for my entire adult life, burning one alias after another, and destroying my connections along the way. 당신 were bound to catch up to me once I started dragging my feet. You’re not the man I thought would be the one to catch me, but I guess life is full of surprises. Either way, it’s been a fun game. Congrats on the win.”
~~~~
“Babe, listen. I know things are looking bad, but—”
“No. No. Felix, no! 당신 lied to me! 당신 lied to my parents!”
“I know! I know that, but please! Sarah, I need your help! I think I—”
“Just—just save it. The only person who needs help is Iris. 당신 broke her heart—literally. I can’t believe 당신 had the guts to call me. Never contact me again. EVER.”
She left Felix on the phone with a droning dial tone. He’s heard that a lot this past summer. Carla, Lisa, Kylie, Morgan, Anthony, and Riley were all done with him. He didn’t even know where it all went wrong. At some point, the lies all came tumbling down over his head. People who shouldn’t have met ended up in the same room. So many fights and so many arguments brought everything he thought he’d buried to the surface.
He tried to handle it. He’d juggled his overlapping relationships for years with varying success. But this time, it was too much. One insignificant little thing ended up snow balling and blindsided him, turning his easygoing life in the Hamptons into a literal Hell. Everyone he knew now hated each other and they all hated him collectively. He deserved it, of course. He lied and cheated just to get his way. But seeing how few of them had any sympathy for his situation was…unnerving.
And now all he was left with was a burning bridge. His summer 집 on the 바닷가, 비치 was now a large bonfire, sending all the evidence he could find into the ether where nobody would be able to piece it together. But it wouldn’t matter. They police would find 더 많이 proof of his past transgressions. They had dozens of people to talk to who would give varying accounts of the same story.
The story of the Felix the gigolo, who slept his way first into luxury, and now into a cell.
~~~
Asterisk: It’s done. I installed the worm and it should be doing its job. How’re things on your end?
CT: im running the software
Asterisk: Great. Then we’ve done our end of the deal.
CT: u gotta do cleanup
Asterisk: Obviously. They’ve got me monitoring the accounts, too. I’ll make sure the money can’t be tracked before it finds its way where it needs to be. Basic siphoning scam.
CT: good
Ravi Vemulonda frowned. Something wasn’t right. And it wasn’t just the suffocating heat he was sitting in. He was used to hanging out in this crowded desert town. The sound of the nearby open-air market mixing in with the band playing regional 음악 was nostalgic.
This was the place where he’d pulled off some of his greatest jobs without anyone knowing he existed. Why was he suddenly getting a bad feeling now? Did he forget a step somewhere?
Ravi tapped his keyboard thoughtfully with one finger.
Asterisk: Hey, can 당신 send me the specs on the worm? There’s something I need to check.
CT: y?
Asterisk: Insurance.
CT: too busy i can’t
Asterisk: 당신 can’t? That’s a problem. A big one.
Asterisk: Then walk me through something. There might be something we’re missing.
A few a moments passed before Ravi got impatient.
Asterisk: CT? Is something wrong?
No response. Ravi checked the chatroom to make sure his partner in crime was still there. Sure enough, the name was still active. So Ravi checked to see if the account was being messed with. Their conversation shouldn’t be traceable, but if there was a chance…
Nope. That didn’t seem to be the problem.
Instead, he found that the account had been switched over to a bot literally just 분 ago. Back when CT was supposed to have activated the worm and used the backdoor they’d worked so hard to get their hands on.
Ravi didn’t know CT well. They’d only worked as partners for this one job. But they were both far too deep in this world shattering scam without any interference for this guy to be working with the feds. In fact, the worm was doing its job at that very moment. The world’s economy was going to take a multibillion dollar blow to the gut.
So why did CT cut out and run? Ravi could only think of one possibility.
The guy screwed up somewhere and left a trail. A trail that would lead back to him. So instead, he left Ravi out to dry instead.
Ravi considered checking to see what else Ravi might’ve done, but opted against it. The winds were starting to pick up and he could hear helicopters moving in on his cozy little town. It was far too late for him to do much.
“Ugh.” Ravi titled his head back and moaned at the roaring helicopter blades that grew louder and louder with ever inch they approached. “Freaking bullshit!”
~~~
The average adult American would make somewhere around 1.5 million dollars in their lifetime. A wage slave with a family wouldn’t get their hands on most of that money, losing it to basic expenses, bills, and taxes. Inflation would destroy the value of whatever money is left behind, so a percentage of savings was 로스트 just because time passes.
As depressing as that was, it also meant that nobody really needed a million dollars to survive 일 to day.
Just like nobody needed priceless Nazi art, ancient Sumerian artifacts, 또는 quirky bobbles and shoes priced in the hundreds of thousands.
So Eliza Campbell took them. Millions of dollars in the form of stolen goods sat in her expensive suite, cluttering every inch. Looking at it all put a big smile on her face. She knew the value of everything here—their age, origin, stories, and price 태그 made them worth 더 많이 than human lives. Bad men fought for them, smart men smuggled them over, and rich men showed them off. All for this moment. This exact moment where she could stand here and revel in her achievements.
It would only last a moment, however. Usually, she couldn’t risk coming to her stash like this. She could only gaze longingly at it through a video feed and satisfy herself that way. Now, she knew that she’d been surviving off of cinders the whole time. Now, she stood at the 상단, 맨 위로 of the world and had it all.
It was so. Damn. Hot.
Eliza stripped down to her birthday suit and grabbed a towel woven from the hide of a now extinct animal and endangered species of plant, endowed with a brand that inflated the price tenfold. She straddled twenty million dollars between her legs as she made her way to a glossy bathroom so slick, she might’ve slipped if not for the countless bank notes scattered around. She hopped from stack to stack with a hum in her throat and grabbed the bottle of colonial wine that really should be been stored in a 안전한, 안전 room with a regulated temperature. She then slipped into the bathtub, fitting her naked shape between the bank notes that were worth several times the value written on them and poured the wine straight into her mouth. The deep red color mixed with the crimson that already stained her towel and skin, spreading across her bath of money.
Eliza continued to hum, making up a tune to go along with the screeching sirens she could hear outside. She could hear yelling outside the room’s door as the tactical team tried to figure out how to get past her state of the art security without harming any of the priceless treasures on the other side.
A heist gone wrong put several murders on her shoulders. She didn’t commit them, but trying to explain that while covered in the victims’ blood and hauling expensive jewelry that she would never leave behind was a futile effort. So instead, she decided to enjoy the moment. She’d embrace what she had before it was all taken away.
What a life.
~~~
A simple job. Find a body. Track the body. Put a bullet in the body. Get rid of the body. Rocco ‘Icepick’ Anselmetti had gone through the motions 더 많이 times than he could count. It was his job to not ask 질문 and get things done. What was different this time?
He should’ve asked questions.
The market was crashing. Worldwide, economic problems were popping up and proving that society was built on a house of cards, just like the G.P.E. said. This wasn’t something that could be fixed. But there was somebody who could do something. Emphasis on ‘was’. Rocco added the past tense to his description.
Which left him standing outside one of Interpol’s fancy new offices. The situation had spiraled out of control. Rumors about what happened spread fast. From the sound of things, they were linking together one big conspiracy, blaming Rocco’s patriarch for being involved with the crash. If they found any proof, they’d use it to take down the entire family. Rocco couldn’t let that happen, no matter what.
“You can’t be serious.” Salvatore Ellsworth grabbed Rocco’s shoulder and pulled him back to glare him straight in the eyes. “You’re a part of the family, too. We don’t sacrifice our own.”
Rocco gripped Salvatore’s arm tightly, forcing it off. Salvatore stared into his friend’s eyes for a long moment before snorted.
“Don’t be a stubborn ass. We’ll find a way to fix this.”
“I already did.” Rocco turned his back to his friend and headed toward the building’s entrance. “Get out of here before somebody sees your face.”
“Fine!” Salvatore threw his sunglasses at Rocco. They shattered on the sidewalk beside him. “Be an idiot! You’re giving us no choice but to disavow you, but I guess 당신 don’t care one way 또는 another as long as 당신 can save face for everyone!”
The bustling building drowned out his friend’s shouts. The entirety of Interpol was freaking out of this one big case and this branch was no exception. There weren’t any idol hands to be found as people rushed around on the phone 또는 sorting through documents either on computers 또는 on paper.
Not a single person noticed the infamous hitman stride up and pull out his gun.
Over a dozen shots echoed through the building as he emptied his gun into the floor. As if on reflex, dozens of 총 were whipped out and pointed at him along with shouting. He ignored the people telling him to get on his knees and put his hand behind his head and waited for the noise to die down long enough for him to speak.
“You wanted to find the man who killed the Secretary-General, so here he is. So much for your manhunt.”
~~~
The world was on 불, 화재 and it burned with passion. The heat was 사랑 and the pain was anger. Damyan Utkin couldn’t get enough of this and nor could everyone else. They were all screeching with emotion, letting their emotions out in the way that wasn’t permitted in polite company. They were living at this very moment and were shouting to let the world know.
“Damyan Utkin, put down the trigger! NOW!”
Damyan smiled brightly, showing his teeth to the dark-skinned sky marshal. The plane was flying at a low altitude, skimming right over the ocean, but couldn’t take the chance of landing just yet. The only thing that kept Damyan from pushing the button on his trigger was the thrill he got from the high velocity. This sky marshal knew that, which is why he ordered the flight crew to keep the plane moving in spite of the raging flames that had burned off the roof.
“Jones, 당신 fucker, 당신 were waiting in Canada for me? I never do domestic!”
“You just don’t know your own patterns. Put the trigger down slowly, hands where I can see them.”
“Oh, don’t be so damn boring! I can see the spark in your eyes—you want to shoot me!”
“Damn straight.” The sky marshal took a tentative step forward. “I’m tired of your antics. Wanton destruction, no regard for lives of any kind, you’re barely a terrorist. You’re just crazy.”
“THEN SHOOT!” Damyan cackled. “We’re going up in smoke one way 또는 another, so shoot me! Embrace freedom! Quit worrying about stupid shit and do what 당신 want to do, for once in your damn life!”
“What I want is for these people to get 집 안전한, 안전 and sound. They don’t need to be sacrificed to your hedonistic cult.”
Damyan rolled his eyes and raised his gaze toward the burning sky overhead.
“You hear that? He’s got no respect for you! He’d sooner put a leash on himself than look around on his own! Fuck that and fuck you! 당신 left my 나귀, 엉덩이 in a doomed world and nothing I do gets through to them!”
Damyan stuck a middle finger out at the sky before displaying it to the flight marshal.
“I don’t do prison, which means this is the end of the line for me. 당신 ready to see what I’ll do when I’ve really got nothing to lose?”
~~~
Eighty-eight. That was how many murders Kimber Volkoff would be charged with. That was also how many victims the police had been able to attribute to her and how many she was willing to let them learn about. She’d never tell them the real number, no matter how much they speculated. They’d drive themselves crazy trying just trying to find the older bodies.
She was driving them crazy right now. Every interrogator they sent was a disappointment. They were uncomfortable from having to do their job outside the usual barren room, making it easy for her to throw them completely off balance and wreck their self-confidence. And she did it all without saying a word. Strange. She didn’t expect to have so much fun after having her throat slashed.
The medical ward she was in was unmarked and placed far away from any regular civilians. Her contact with people was kept to a minimum so very few people knew where she was. The people who did know didn’t know what to do with her. She could see it on their flustered faces. They thought that finding her in the crime scene with a bloodied throat, standing over her latest victim, was a big win for them. But that meant they had to put her in a comfortable 침대 she could lounge in, ruining the power dynamic. It didn’t take long for her condescending smile to send rage tingling down their spines.
“You’re kidding me.” She heard two of her interrogators talking outside. “That’s her? The Alpha Killer?”
“That’s right. The most successful serial killer of our generation is the rich daughter of a ‘pharmaceutical’ magnate.”
“If we could get her to flip on Volkoff, we’d have them both for—”
“The boss is saying that we can only focus on her crimes. No deals. No negotiations. The sooner we get her processed, the better.”
“But why?”
“Because she’s that dangerous. Most of her victims were castrated without putting up a fight. She can get close enough to a stranger to strip them and cut them clean in just a few days, if that long. If the other cases are to be believed, then she’s also talked a good number of people into suicide, which we can’t even prove. Even with her throat slashed and voice gone, it’s too risky to try and play her. We just need to throw her into a deep hole and make sure nobody ever finds her again.”
They were keeping her capture a secret. Figures. Her father held way too much sway and the allegations against her weren’t backed up 의해 much evidence. There was no doubt about her guilt, but all they really had was circumstantial evidence that only put her at scene of one murder. They’d have a hard time getting one charge to stick, let alone the dozens of others.
She was too dangerous to let free, though. They’d never chance it, with 또는 without her voice. She would disappear and nobody would know where she went. A lot of her business would be left unfinished, but she disappeared often enough that nobody would find it too strange until it was far too late.
She screwed up. The one time she showed weakness and went against her better judgement, and she 로스트 everything—her voice, her livelihood, and her prey. That wouldn’t happen again. She still had her pretty face and educated mind. She’d find a way back out into the public world again. And when she did, she’d take everything from that bitch.
