Progress.
“Which one?”
He choked.
“Bro… ther… hood.”
Atlas’s expression darkened.
That confirmed something we had both suspected.
I leaned closer.
“You see,” I said softly, “this could have been a very simple conversation.”
The man whimpered.I was sure he had now lost sight in one eye.
Blood dripped steadily onto the table.
Atlas looked bored again.
I placed the fork back beside my plate.
“Next time,” I added gently, “lead with the interesting stuff.”
The man nodded frantically.
Across from me, Atlas studied my face.
“You’re taking this remarkably well,” he said.
“The bounty?”
“Yes.”
I reached for my wine again.
The restaurant slowly began pretending nothing had happened.Europe is wonderful that way.
“Well,” I said calmly, “if someone wants me dead badly enough to spend two million euros…”
Atlas waited.
“…then I suppose I should start preparing.”
Atlas’s eyes sharpened slightly.
“Preparing how?”
I smiled faintly.Many times, I’d been told that I had a smile that makes reasonable men reconsider their life choices.
“My own funeral.”
Because someone had just placed a very expensive target on my head.And if there was one thing I had learned in life—it was that survival always favored the man who was prepared.
2
Flashback - Archie
