[UNKNOWN]: The American Chapter 50, a short-hand missile tail by Matthew C. McLean, the trouble with idiots part 5.
[SPEAKER_00]: I left Lanzo at his uncle's scooter shop, but I didn't go inside.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wasn't sure how his uncle would feel about me and the trouble I kept bringing to his shop.
[SPEAKER_00]: And I didn't want to deal with that iron grip of his.
[SPEAKER_00]: Also, I was pretty sure he'd be on his way to passing out by now.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was still early in the evenings, so I took a tram and to old town.
[SPEAKER_00]: And it's plastic hull, there was a certain comfort in the conditioned air, the quiet chatter of the increasing tourist crowd, and the locals who mostly stared at their phones.
[SPEAKER_00]: In that calm pool of mediocrity, I decided the next logical step would be to update Satchray.
[SPEAKER_00]: This early in the evening, the glass domes and doors of the casino were lit only by the marquee.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wasn't technically wearing my uniform, but the white shirt and black jeans I had on were close enough that I decided to use the employee entrance.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sure enough, no one stopped me in the staff.
[SPEAKER_00]: I encountered didn't think anything was out of the ordinary.
[SPEAKER_00]: I saw a theme vault who was quick enough to see something wasn't quite right, but he just smiled as still broken smile and we passed each other with a friendly bungeur.
[SPEAKER_00]: I headed towards the security station, skipped the check-in.
[SPEAKER_00]: The third shift change wouldn't happen for a bit so the rooms were quiet.
[SPEAKER_00]: with none of the usual shuffling casino employees getting ready.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the dark of the back room, my found Jasper at his bank of security monitors with two other professional observers.
[SPEAKER_00]: I tapped each of the others on the shoulder with a hand holding the pack of marmbals, two sticks pulled out as an offering.
[SPEAKER_00]: Both of them, competent, middle-aged men who weren't looking to change jobs anytime soon.
[SPEAKER_00]: stared longingly at the cigarettes with only doubt restraining them.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jasper came up from the electric haze and the monitors to see me standing there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Then reassured his co-workers and quiet friends that he could handle things for a few moments.
[SPEAKER_00]: When neither man budged Jasper said something quicker and raised a decibel enough that I could catch Governor Nui, the two men fidgeted in their seats for a moment,
[SPEAKER_00]: I offered Jasper a smoke which he waved away.
[SPEAKER_00]: Having used a little weasel as a go-between was almost enough to make me wish I had skimped on my own operational security, but I wasn't even willing to carry the mobile midnight given me so Jasper was still my best choice for reaching Sontre.
[SPEAKER_00]: I put the cigarettes away, leaning forward to stare at the monitors, and the glow of the screens I hovered my bulk over Jasper, like some kind of alien craft floating in mid-Atlas sphere.
[SPEAKER_00]: It allowed me to be heard, as I said quietly, I need to get a message to soundtrack.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jasper stared up at me, his feature is rigid, concealing his discomfort at our proximity with disdain.
[SPEAKER_00]: grateful that he was allowing us to skip any preamble.
[SPEAKER_00]: I decided to play nice.
[SPEAKER_00]: Please tell him, I stopped, suddenly remembering that I wasn't entirely certain that Jasper was only working for Sodre.
[SPEAKER_00]: Midnick had hinted that he had more than one person in the casino on his payroll.
[SPEAKER_00]: Checking my internal machinery,
[SPEAKER_00]: I realized I only cared enough to barely avail what I had to say.
[SPEAKER_00]: Tell him, I repeated, that me and the idiots are moving forward with the plan.
[SPEAKER_00]: I let my eyes wander over the screens for a few moments, then added, we'll need us help after we've secured the package.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even in the light of the monitors, Jasper's face brightened at this bit of spycraft dropped into his lap.
[SPEAKER_00]: That lasted just long enough for me to break away from the monitors.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jasper's face returned to its usual resting scorn, clearly unhappy at delivering such a short and cryptic message.
[SPEAKER_00]: I we let him know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said thanks and stood, bending the light of the screens around me as I did.
[SPEAKER_00]: Jasper waited until I moved to leave before he said.
[SPEAKER_00]: the Russians have been searching for you.
[SPEAKER_00]: That got my attention.
[SPEAKER_00]: Now I'm wanting to give him any satisfaction.
[SPEAKER_00]: I slowly rotated my battleship bulk back to him.
[SPEAKER_00]: As if I didn't understand, I said, what's that?
[SPEAKER_00]: Jasper was practically leering, but didn't waste time trying to lure the knowledge over me.
[SPEAKER_00]: He pointed towards one of the monitors, crisp and clear, and its high definition.
[SPEAKER_00]: The live image was crowded with people, either moving or standing at one of the gambling tables.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't have noticed anything out of the ordinary if I weren't for Jasper's incisive eye.
[SPEAKER_00]: In the background, near one of the Consenus marble columns, was a man who stood up from the formal wear of the high end gamblers and the gokkings of the spectators watching them.
[SPEAKER_00]: The black of his now familiar foe uniform, black jacket and pants, short cropped hair, made it in his scapable that he was one of the Russians.
[SPEAKER_00]: The modern rendered his stint enough picture that I thought I could even spot a telltale tattoo.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whoever he was, he was either very lucky.
[SPEAKER_00]: or smart enough to realize that every inch of the casino was covered by cameras and he had picked the spot that made him the least conspicuous.
[SPEAKER_00]: I squinted my eyes trying to determine if I recognized him from the back room party at midnight, but couldn't in any decisive way.
[SPEAKER_00]: Trying my luck I asked Jasper.
[SPEAKER_00]: How do you know he's Russian?
[SPEAKER_00]: Jasper only chuckled and I had to admit to myself though.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, the little wiser wasn't stupid.
[SPEAKER_00]: I conceded the point and tried another question.
[SPEAKER_00]: How do you know he's looking for me?
[SPEAKER_00]: Jasper's lear only deepened.
[SPEAKER_00]: He appeared a short time after you stopped coming into his work.
[SPEAKER_00]: He has been searching for something.
[SPEAKER_00]: He continues to search.
[SPEAKER_00]: You are not here.
[SPEAKER_00]: That took me a moment to puzzle out, but I had to credit his logic.
[SPEAKER_00]: Weasel are not, Jasper was smarter than I gave him credit.
[SPEAKER_00]: He had inferred a correct conclusion by the absence of something rather than evidence of it.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was a trick I could never quite manage.
[SPEAKER_00]: None of this information thrilled me though.
[SPEAKER_00]: Remember I had given Jasper the Mobile's number.
[SPEAKER_00]: I channeled some of my sudden worry into disapproval.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why didn't you call me?
[SPEAKER_00]: Whether it was a small act of rebellion or just insolence, Jasper smirked me in my question.
[SPEAKER_00]: I should go even if nothing more than his strange man who does not gamble.
[SPEAKER_00]: I conceded yet another point to Jasper making him grin all the more.
[SPEAKER_00]: As much to distance myself from that as anything else I straightened up but couldn't help it adding.
[SPEAKER_00]: Nice work.
[SPEAKER_00]: The banishment of his usual disdain was as close to happiness as I had ever seen from Jasper, who took the compliment and swiveled on his chair back to the bank of screens.
[SPEAKER_00]: Whatever pleasure approval brought him, it didn't stop him from trying to gather as much information as he could.
[SPEAKER_00]: What will you do now?
[SPEAKER_00]: I cocked my head at the monitor and gave that some thought.
[SPEAKER_00]: When nothing better arrived, I said, I guess I'll go say hello.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not entirely certain what that meant, I spent another moment continuing to scare in the monitors.
[SPEAKER_00]: Floating over the blackjack tables, I spotted another familiar, unhappy face and something like a plan began to form.
[SPEAKER_00]: The employee inches us onto the casino floor or tucked out of the way so the patrons don't have to see the help and turn exit the stage.
[SPEAKER_00]: I doubt most of them could find one if their lives is dependent on it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I picked one that let out into a section other than Blackjack, instead cruising by the Russian as I made my way there.
[SPEAKER_00]: He did not disappoint.
[SPEAKER_00]: I picked him up in my wake, slowly prowling behind me, his stubble skull poking out from the crowd like a dorsal fin.
[SPEAKER_00]: Gaspard was lording over the Blackjack table, his pit boss of his tiny domain.
[SPEAKER_00]: He saw me coming, a flash of recognition preceding him tapping a subordinate on the shoulder and whispering to her.
[SPEAKER_00]: Finished with whatever warning he passed on, he faced me, planting his feet on the floor like he didn't expect me to stop, and it was his duty to keep me from crashing into the lucrative card games.
[SPEAKER_00]: I doubt even noticed the actual danger of the Russian behind me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I gave him plenty of time to do it though, swinging by a few games, pretending to check out the action.
[SPEAKER_00]: When I stopped in front of Gaspar, his features descended from his receding hairline and downward vis, and if I hadn't known any better, I would have thought I was late for work.
[SPEAKER_00]: Despite his obvious disapproval, we exchanged Bunger.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't see any point in wasting time.
[SPEAKER_00]: I won't be showing up for shifts for a while.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't think he deserved any further explanation, but I added.
[SPEAKER_00]: I've been given some additional duties to tend to.
[SPEAKER_00]: By management.
[SPEAKER_00]: Gasperts' expression was only emphasized by his putting his hands behind his back and raising his height briefly up on his toes.
[SPEAKER_00]: We didn't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I watched him bob up and down, then added.
[SPEAKER_00]: Well, let's go to our on the same page.
[SPEAKER_00]: Not certain why, I didn't give him the usual French goodbye, but said, I'll say around, and then move past him.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't head out of the employee engines as I usually would, but made for the front, heading towards the same steps such a drone mid-Akdown.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was a soft spring shower blowing in from the sea, so I sheltered under the glowing marquee, watching the first few luxury cars pull out to let their VIPs in.
[SPEAKER_00]: I pretended to consider handling a cab, giving the Russian time to catch up, then shrugged, opened the umbrella, and headed down the promenade.
[SPEAKER_00]: I followed the same stretch of walkway next to the thoroughfare that Atwell had driven up on me with a BX at the first night at Met Lanzo.
[SPEAKER_00]: I fantasized about that happening now, implying next to me honking at me from across the bullards, and me feeding him to the Russian.
[SPEAKER_00]: Even as the sporadic vehicle noise would provide the Russian,
[SPEAKER_00]: With some kind of cover he wanted to approach me, I continued to head east, unwilling to take him in the direction of Sofia of the Tenement.
[SPEAKER_00]: This early in the evening there was enough pedestrian traffic on the Promenade's footpath that he wouldn't be able to try anything, but the increasing rain was driving people indoors, giving me a limited time before he might be afforded an opportunity for action.
[SPEAKER_00]: I made it a few blocks before I spotted one of the few brutalist structures in Old Town.
[SPEAKER_00]: Standing as tall as the most resplendent of the city's noble palaces, its bare concrete walls were covered in art banners and officially sanctioned graffiti.
[SPEAKER_00]: anything to hide the fact that a parking garage had been built in the heart of the district.
[SPEAKER_00]: After all, not all the gamblers who came down here were wealth-y enough to be chauffered at the gate, or live close enough just to saunter in, but they still had money to lose.
[SPEAKER_00]: The anciences of the garage, or any number of open metal doors that I had never seen closed, through them was the structure cement belly ribbed with arches between pillars that kept one level from crushing the next under the combined weight of automobile's and concrete.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was well lit, but I knew there weren't any security cameras.
[SPEAKER_00]: After all, the plebes didn't have a nice enough car as to worry about.
[SPEAKER_00]: I knew there was usually an intended ner2 on the first level, so I scanned for them while shaking off my umbrella and coat.
[SPEAKER_00]: When I didn't see anyone, I moved further inside.
[SPEAKER_00]: When I heard footsteps behind me, I headed up some nearby stairs.
[SPEAKER_00]: I made enough noise that Army intelligence could have followed me.
[SPEAKER_00]: The pillars provided some constant spots of darkness, deep pools of shadow that stood out starkly in the harsh halogen lights.
[SPEAKER_00]: On the second level, I hid in one of those, picking one that was close to the stairs I'd come up and waited.
[SPEAKER_00]: When the Russian made his appearance, I decided he was smarter than he was lucky.
[SPEAKER_00]: He moved onto the floor, the parking garage, with a caution that said he suspected something wasn't right.
[SPEAKER_00]: He must have wanted to find me pretty bad though because he came anyway, poking his head through the door, scanning from side to side, then moving out into the open space.
[SPEAKER_00]: It put me close enough to get my first good look at him.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was younger than Mikhail with sharp, slavic features that were unmistakably Russian.
[SPEAKER_00]: From the side, I thought for a moment he was wearing gloves, but then realized his hands were covered in intricate tattoos.
[SPEAKER_00]: Some so close they blended, swirling together, cryptic meanings that were lost on me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I knew enough of that prison though to recognize jailhouse tattoos, and that this meant he was initiated, a made man of some outfit, and probably one tough bastard.
[SPEAKER_00]: After how much trouble McCail had given me, I wasn't going to give this guy a chance.
[SPEAKER_00]: There was no subtle way to do it, so I decided to be fast.
[SPEAKER_00]: I walked up behind him and said, nice gloves.
[SPEAKER_00]: Before he faced me, I clocked him on the back of the legs with the umbrella and sent him down to his knees.
[SPEAKER_00]: That put him in a good position to crack him on the head and drop him all the way to the floor.
[SPEAKER_00]: After the beating on the seaside cliff, it was hard to stop there.
[SPEAKER_00]: With my feet already beginning as well, I took a deep breath and counted to four.
[SPEAKER_00]: Finished, I rolled him over.
[SPEAKER_00]: He groaned, telling me I hadn't overdone it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I grabbed him by the ankles and pulled him into the shadow between cars.
[SPEAKER_00]: A quick search of his pockets came up with very little, a Greek passport, a roll of euros, and a pocket knife.
[SPEAKER_00]: The knife was a savage little throat slither, but not long enough to be illegal.
[SPEAKER_00]: I slumped him on the ground between a pujo and an alt and slapped his face, my knees bracing against his shoulders.
[SPEAKER_00]: Between the facial impacts and the difficulty, my weight must have given him breathing.
[SPEAKER_00]: He slowly blinked his eyes up and with me holding the umbrella across his throat.
[SPEAKER_00]: not surprisingly buckled like an angry younger brother pinned by bullying sibling.
[SPEAKER_00]: He was quick and strong enough that I thought I might lose control.
[SPEAKER_00]: I ground my weight against his shoulders, a short involuntary cry of pain came out of him and gave weight a cussing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I tried to keep my voice calm as I leaned on him, stop it, or I'll have to break something.
[SPEAKER_00]: His stream of curses trickled off as his eyes focused on me, anger rising again as they did.
[SPEAKER_00]: He made a sound as mouth too died to spit and followed it with more cursing.
[SPEAKER_00]: I let him get it out until I asked as if I didn't know.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why are you following me?
[SPEAKER_00]: He spit out more curses which I answered with a quick jab to the nose, not strong enough to concuss him but enough to bounce his head off the floor and shut him up.
[SPEAKER_00]: Why are you following me?
[SPEAKER_00]: We both work for Midnick.
[SPEAKER_00]: He tried to spit again this time getting a little blood which only obeyed gravity to land on his own face.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do not work for Midnick.
[SPEAKER_00]: I remember that Midnick had come into the country using a Greek passport so he took a guess.
[SPEAKER_00]: He got you your passport.
[SPEAKER_00]: You're staying at his house.
[SPEAKER_00]: I do not work for Midnick was the simple defiant reply.
[SPEAKER_00]: I couldn't hazard a guess as to how many times this guy had been interrogated, so I changed tact, then who do you work for?
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't speak Russian, but I'm fairly certain that what came out of his mouth at something I'd do with my mother and her relations with Barnyard animals.
[SPEAKER_00]: That was just a guess though, so I shifted my weight to put a swelling foot onto a few of his fingers.
[SPEAKER_00]: He gave out a loud enough cry that I jammed as a lot of euros into his mouth.
[SPEAKER_00]: When his breathing had returned to pained gas by took the water out, he only glared at me to say, I worked for him to kill.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was more threat than confession.
[SPEAKER_00]: Despite everything that implied, I tried to appear it confused.
[SPEAKER_00]: McCail works for Mittenick.
[SPEAKER_00]: Gloves through his head back and laughed.
[SPEAKER_00]: It wasn't a real laugh.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was a weapon of brain sound intended to mock.
[SPEAKER_00]: Despite that I knew I was being taunted.
[SPEAKER_00]: It was effective enough that I thought about beating him into the ground right there.
[SPEAKER_00]: Instead, I asked, then who does McCail work for?
[SPEAKER_00]: Again, more Russian, but I'm pretty sure it was the equivalent of go fuck yourself.
[SPEAKER_00]: I leaned my entire weight into him the steel core shaft of the umbrella pushing into his windpipe.
[SPEAKER_00]: Listen, pal, I don't want to do this.
[SPEAKER_00]: Mikhail did me a favor.
[SPEAKER_00]: That second part was sort of true.
[SPEAKER_00]: In pain, starved of oxygen, I could still see angry defiance in the Russian as he spit out and you killed him for it.
[SPEAKER_00]: I, I hesitated, feeling my kills last gasping breath leave him as I tighten the hose around his neck.
[SPEAKER_00]: My knee is grinding into the cement floor of the station.
[SPEAKER_00]: I found all of that made it very difficult to lie, so I conceded.
[SPEAKER_00]: I may have gotten him killed.
[SPEAKER_00]: He spat out something in Russian, and my frequent encounters with the Tony was using told me it was some very bullshit.
[SPEAKER_00]: When I let him go on, he continued, he left with you, the man who kept asking about Sergei, and never came back.
[SPEAKER_00]: Sergei?
[SPEAKER_00]: Sergei Molotov?
[SPEAKER_00]: I asked trying my best to fame confusion.
[SPEAKER_00]: What does he got to do with this?
[SPEAKER_00]: After a moment I took the lampshade off my emotions and let the light bulb will go off in my head to light up my face.
[SPEAKER_00]: Did McCail kill Sergei?
[SPEAKER_00]: Sullen silence told me everything I needed to know.
[SPEAKER_00]: I said, huh, as if this were new information,
[SPEAKER_00]: Look, pal.
[SPEAKER_00]: I barely knew Sergey.
[SPEAKER_00]: I wouldn't kill anyone for him.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was just looking for him because I thought he might be at the party, and I didn't know anybody else.
[SPEAKER_00]: The hard sheen of anger and defiance that armored his eyes cracked for a moment and I saw a sliver of doubt.
[SPEAKER_00]: I moved to pride open with.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't know who told you what, but McCail helped me out.
[SPEAKER_00]: Hell, when Sandra's boy showed up, he may have saved my life.
[SPEAKER_00]: That lie came out with a surprising ease, so I doubled down on it.
[SPEAKER_00]: But I don't know where he is, which was at the time technically true.
[SPEAKER_00]: I had no idea where the police had taken him.
[SPEAKER_00]: You were the last to see him.
[SPEAKER_00]: I doubt that.
[SPEAKER_00]: When things went sideways, we had to fight our way out.
[SPEAKER_00]: He went one way, I went the other.
[SPEAKER_00]: I repeated the same story I told Metnik.
[SPEAKER_00]: Echoing what I was afraid, Metnik had been going to say gloves replied, I do not believe you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I don't care, another surprisingly easy lie.
[SPEAKER_00]: I dug the umbrella steel into a stroke, but stopped following me.
[SPEAKER_00]: I got up off him and gave him a short, sharp kick to make sure he couldn't get up quickly if he decided to try.
[SPEAKER_00]: I straighten myself taking a moment to flip through his passport.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'm going to keep this, uh, pewter.
[SPEAKER_00]: I read his name off the ID.
[SPEAKER_00]: I didn't have any expertise on forgery, but the document appeared legit.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's your real name, isn't it?
[SPEAKER_00]: He held his nose to try to stop the bleeding and didn't answer.
[SPEAKER_00]: Yeah.
[SPEAKER_00]: That's what I thought.
[SPEAKER_00]: I slipped the passport into my pocket.
[SPEAKER_00]: I'll be admit next again at some point or another.
[SPEAKER_00]: If I don't see you between now and then, I'll give this back to you.
[SPEAKER_00]: I walked away leaving him between the cars.
[SPEAKER_00]: I was into the stairwell headed down before I heard him begin cursing again.