Viktor folds his hands, his blue eyes sharp and calculating. “I am very anxious to hear more. So tell me, what do you have for me today?”
My chest tightens, the weight of my family’s livelihood suffocating me. I have one chance to make this happen, but focusing on the cash isn’t going to seal this deal. Viktor doesn’t need money. He’s got demons to crush. He wants to expand his reach, to steamroll the competition, to decimate his enemies.
Our goals are very similar.
Seize the power, and money will follow. If you get too greedy up front, you lose your credibility, and people will find another leader.
“First, I’m going to waive the street tax for you, Viktor. This proposal is about a long-term partnership between our families. You supply the drugs, we’ll handle the distribution. We have associates as far south as Miami and as far west as California. Your product will be everywhere across the country, and you won’t be charged a cent for operating in any of these areas.”
Viktor exchanges a look with Katarina who suddenly seems more interested in the conversation than what’s on her phone. I’ve seen Viktor in action during this type of meeting, and I know this is the point where he’d shut it down if he didn’t like the offer. But he’s silent, so I keep talking.
“Nobody else is going to cut a deal like this for you. They’ll let you bring in your drugs, but they’ll charge you out the ass to get them on their soil. And distribution will be a bitch because you’ll get charged double for that. No other organizations can offer you what I’m offering. Nobody has the network we do. When our associates need to move money, they invest in our real estate properties and we move it for them for a fee. We have plenty of contractors, banks, appraisal agencies, and trucking, and management companies that work with us. When that money comes out the other side, it’s so clean, it fucking sparkles.”
“You mentioned horses during our last meeting. Is that part of this proposal?”
I nod. “There is a quarter horse farm in Saddle River, New Jersey. It’s just been purchased by a shell company we recently formed.”
Viktor nods. “I’m listening.”
“Quarter horse racing is a big money maker, but there are a lot of requirements for running a farm. Financial requirements."
“But why horses?” Katarina speaks up. “If the real estate business is so profitable, why risk the operation with a new type of business?”
I sit back in my chair. “Because when you get too comfortable in one area, you miss out on new opportunities. You think you have the system beat, but then you forget that you need to keep coming up with the next big thing to keep the authorities off your scent. You constantly have to innovate to stay ahead and maintain your power and control. The quarter horse farm is far off the radar. Money comes in through horse sales. Money goes out to private insurers who offer coverage on the horses and the property, trainers, food companies, farmers, horse doctors…unaffiliated with the farm, but all shell companies that will be used to funnel money. What I’m proposing are ways we can shelter your money at no cost to you, in exchange for your loyalty and backing. We both have a lot of enemies, Viktor. Aligning our business interests will strengthen both of our families and fatten our bank accounts.”
Viktor taps his fingers together and stares at me for a minute. “I like these ideas. Forming an alliance is smart business, but I want my people on the inside too. It will be a joint effort, Nico.” His lips curl upward. “You understand.”
“Yes.” Can’t trust anyone a hundred percent in our business. I understand that all too well.
“And who will run the horse farm on your side?”
“I’ve thought a lot about that, and I have a few people in mind. It’s not a one-person show, though. There’s a lot of management that will go into this type of business. I’m sure you’ll pick the right people on your side to balance things out.”
Viktor plays with the scruff on his chin. “It is a risky proposition, this horse business.”
“Yes, which is why we will start small. We’ll keep a close eye on the money movement, making sure we don’t move too much, too quickly. We’ll arrange for the horses to be listed under alias buyer names and race them to make the farm look legitimate. This opens up tremendous opportunities for both of our organizations, Viktor.” I stop speaking because I need to let this offer sink in for a second.
So does Viktor. He slides the other three shot glasses in front of us and we clink once again before downing the clear liquid. It’s not enough, though. Viktor decided he needs another for good measure and gets up to grab the bottle and pours us all another shot.
Shit, I’ll do this all day if I have to. But at the end, once I drag my ass out of here, I need to know that Viktor is on board. It’s more than just being an investor in the horse farm. It’s about being an investor in the Salesi family. And from where I sit, it’s the key investment in our future.
Viktor turns toward Katarina. “?????? ???.”
She nods and pushes her chair away from the table. Without another word, she walks through the red door and back into the bar, leaving us alone, per his request.
“Nico, I know what you need from me. I know why you are really here, and it’s not about horses or street taxes.”
I clench and unclench my fists under the table but keep my gaze focused and unwavering. I’ve worked too hard to uncover his demons. Even with all of his money and power, he couldn’t snuff them himself. But it’s just the leverage I need to tip the scales in my favor. I open my mouth, moving in for the kill.
“Viktor, you’ve proven to me that you have the strength to function on your own under the radar. You have a solid crew and a great operation. But let’s face it, you have no distribution channels. That’s why my grandfather connected with you years ago. But a lot of things have changed since then, for both of our families. We can help each other, Viktor, because we each have something to offer.”
“Money?” Viktor snorts. “I don’t give a shit about the money.”
“I know you don’t.” I lean forward. “But that’s not why you’re here right now. There’s something else you want, something you need my help to get.”
His blue eyes narrow. “And what makes you think you can find it?”
I smile. This is the part I’ve been waiting for…the big pitch. Fuck the horse farm. That’s just a dangling carrot. Something to sweeten the deal. But I have something even better. Something he hasn’t been able to get on his own. Revenge. “It’s like I said, Viktor. We each have something to offer. From here on out, we’re partners. You give me your loyalty, and we’ll punish the motherfuckers who took everything from you.”
“So you know where they are, yes?”
“Yes. It took some time to find them, but they’re in California.”
Viktor lights a skinny black cigarette and inhales deeply, his blue eyes half-closed. He’s drifted far away from me and this conversation, most likely plotting the brutal deaths of those bastards who killed his wife and other daughter. It’s something we can make a reality after all of this time. I wait, allowing him the time he needs to consider my offer because I need to know he’s got my back. My family’s future depends on it. He finally blinks, focusing on me, his eyes now watery. It could be from the smoke, but I suspect it’s much more than that. “I’ve been searching for a long time. Too long and with no results.” He sits up straight, narrowing his eyes at me. “You have much to lose if you don’t deliver on this. I give you my protection and my loyalty, Nico, as long as you give me something real. I want to make them suffer for every second that I have mourned over the past fifteen years. For every second my wife and daughter did before they died.”
I swallow hard, leaning forward. I know exactly what’s at stake, and he’s right. I’m fucked if I don’t deliver. “We will get them and make them pay for what they did to your family. You have my word, Viktor.”