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“That may be true, but word on the street is there’s another player in town. James Salvatore is climbing those polls as well. The election is still a couple of months away—aren’t you worried the tides might change?”
My lips tug up when Daniel’s smile fades. That’s right, motherfucker.
“James Salvatore might mean well with his talk about focusing on the people and their needs. Free healthcare and education are dear to the people’s hearts and mine as well. But we need to focus on eradicating the crime first. What good is free education when our students can end up in the crosshairs of these criminal shootouts and lose their lives?”
I turn off the interview, having seen enough.
It’s good to see James is starting to give Daniel a run for his money. Yeah, people might want to get rid of what they perceive as threats—us—but humans are selfish as fuck. They’ll always choose their own interests first. James will win. Not because he has my brothers and me behind him, but because his manifesto actually speaks to the good people of New York. And Daniel will have me to reckon with.
I dial Noah. “Anything new from the car audio?”
“Several recordings, but nothing important. Mostly mundane conversations.”
“Janice? Any progress?”
“Still two weeks until the next delivery. Pavel’s ready. So is Janice. It’s only a matter of time now.”
Two weeks. Do I want to wait that long? Can I wait that long? Daniel said the problem of me sniffing around his business would be resolved this week. Could Grace really have been what he meant? Did he try to use her to take me out? Or am I getting it all wrong? Do I have another enemy I’m not considering because I’m too fixated on him?
Whatever the truth is, I’m not waiting two damn weeks. I know the way into Daniel’s house. Ghostbridge. And it’s time I got my hands on it.
I end the call and dial Kyle. He doesn’t work for me exactly. He’s a broker who deals in getting banned software and applications off the dark web for clients who can afford them. Most people don’t even know Ghostbridge exists. It was shut down almost as soon as it was created, the government quick to flag it as too dangerous for public use. If anybody can get it for me, it’s Kyle.
“Dimitri Petrov.” He sounds about as pleased as I expected. Probably still pissed about the software patent I stole right from underneath his nose a couple of months ago.
“Hello, friend.”
“What the hell do you want?” he snaps, the word “friend” clearly not landing well.
“Wrong question. You should be asking what I have to offer you, Kyle.” I dangle the bait, but he doesn’t bite, so I continue. “What would a million dollars do for you? Think about it.”
“What do you want?” His question is softer this time. He knows if I name a price, I’ll pay it.
“Ghostbridge.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Are you insane? Asking for that over the phone?”
“You know my lines are secure. Now, are you going to get it for me, or do I take my business elsewhere?”
He grunts. “It’s going to cost more than that. You know Ghostbridge is practically a myth at this point. Finding a working version won’t be easy.”
“How much?”
“Three point five.”
I almost laugh, though I’m nowhere close to amused. Kyle’s greed is at least consistent. “Two. And don’t even try to haggle. I’m ending the call if you do. We both know two is more than generous.”
He huffs like a man being robbed in slow motion. “Give me two weeks.”
“If I had two weeks, I wouldn’t be fucking calling you. You have four days.”
“Four—” He cuts himself off with a curse. “You’re killing me, Dimitri. You can’t seriously expect me to pull that off in four days. Seven. That’s the absolute floor.”
“Seven days. And not a day later,” I warn him.
A pause. Then, “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
24
