timing particularly appropriate. “Are you sure your contact at the morgue is going to be ready?”
Sasha snarled something in Russian. Jacob gave the man a pass on the bad attitude. All things considered, Sasha was entitled to be a little tense. In the back of the van, Igor and Vasily were in much the same condition. Jacob seemed to be the only one in good spirits.
They turned into the darkened bay behind the morgue. Jacob moved to get out of the van. Sasha grabbed his arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I need to make sure the likeness is good, don’t you think?”
“The records are falsified in the system. It doesn’t matter!” Sasha griped.
Jacob yanked his arm away and jumped out of the van. “Unless the corpse is a five foot tall, five hundred pound Italian.”
Sasha was still cursing in Russian when Jacob opened the back doors of their van. A man pushing a gurney appeared at the morgue exit. Sasha’s contact rolled the corpse they’d acquired down to the bottom of the bay. The man’s hand was hanging out from beneath the sheet, dangling lifelessly as the body trolled along. Jacob had seen his fair share of corpses. This one was a little different.
“I got your body,” the man said in a heavy New Yorker accent. “You got my dough?”
Jacob didn’t speak, tossing an envelope at the man’s chest in response. The guy snatched it up and fingered the cash before heaving the body unceremoniously into the back of the van.
“We’re good.” The guy turned on his heel and shoved the gurney back toward the morgue.
Sasha managed to wait until Jacob had buckled his seatbelt. “I’m going to give you one more chance to stop this madness,” Sasha said quietly.
“A few weeks ago you thought this was the best route to take. I know you did.” Jacob faced the man who had been friend and comrade since they were adolescents in the tenements of Moscow. “You have envied me my position for nearly as long as I have held it. Why the change of heart?”
Sasha put the van in gear and started the short trek to the wharf. “I will miss you.”
“And I’ll miss you.” Jacob put a hand on Sasha’s shoulder. “But this is what I want.”
“Have you explained the entire plan to Maggie?”
This was the rub in Jacob’s scheme to gain his freedom. “No. I couldn’t risk it. She needs to believe I’m dead in order to convince the FBI. If they believe she’s hiding something, Taggart will never leave her alone.”
Sasha shook his head. “You realize the risk you are taking?”
“Yes.”
“Then who am I to stand in your way?” Sasha said quietly.
***
Jacob pulled his car up in front of the warehouse and put it in park. He exited the vehicle and paused, turning several times to ensure anyone watching the building would be absolutely certain it was him.
Finally he yawned and made his way into the warehouse. He gazed around with a new sense of something approaching nostalgia. This was going to be his last time seeing his office and these familiar surroundings. Was he truly ready to give up his position as head of the Dolohov syndicate?
“About time you showed up,” Sasha said from the top of the metal staircase leading to Jacob’s office. “I was wondering if you’d left your balls back at the penthouse with your mistress.”
“At some point you’re going to have to address your jealousy, Sasha,” Jacob said with a sneer. “It’s really becoming an occupational hazard.”
Sasha opened the door, purposefully carrying their argument inside. “And what would I be jealous of?” Sasha let the door slam closed behind them. “The way you cannot seem to see that this woman is screwing you over?”
“What?”
“She’s working for the FBI!” Sasha shouted. “Can you not see this? We’ve told you again and again that Maggie is working for the enemy, but you will not listen.”
Jacob shook his head and spoke in Russian. “Draw not your bow before your arrow is fixed, my
Sasha snarled something in Russian. Jacob gave the man a pass on the bad attitude. All things considered, Sasha was entitled to be a little tense. In the back of the van, Igor and Vasily were in much the same condition. Jacob seemed to be the only one in good spirits.
They turned into the darkened bay behind the morgue. Jacob moved to get out of the van. Sasha grabbed his arm. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“I need to make sure the likeness is good, don’t you think?”
“The records are falsified in the system. It doesn’t matter!” Sasha griped.
Jacob yanked his arm away and jumped out of the van. “Unless the corpse is a five foot tall, five hundred pound Italian.”
Sasha was still cursing in Russian when Jacob opened the back doors of their van. A man pushing a gurney appeared at the morgue exit. Sasha’s contact rolled the corpse they’d acquired down to the bottom of the bay. The man’s hand was hanging out from beneath the sheet, dangling lifelessly as the body trolled along. Jacob had seen his fair share of corpses. This one was a little different.
“I got your body,” the man said in a heavy New Yorker accent. “You got my dough?”
Jacob didn’t speak, tossing an envelope at the man’s chest in response. The guy snatched it up and fingered the cash before heaving the body unceremoniously into the back of the van.
“We’re good.” The guy turned on his heel and shoved the gurney back toward the morgue.
Sasha managed to wait until Jacob had buckled his seatbelt. “I’m going to give you one more chance to stop this madness,” Sasha said quietly.
“A few weeks ago you thought this was the best route to take. I know you did.” Jacob faced the man who had been friend and comrade since they were adolescents in the tenements of Moscow. “You have envied me my position for nearly as long as I have held it. Why the change of heart?”
Sasha put the van in gear and started the short trek to the wharf. “I will miss you.”
“And I’ll miss you.” Jacob put a hand on Sasha’s shoulder. “But this is what I want.”
“Have you explained the entire plan to Maggie?”
This was the rub in Jacob’s scheme to gain his freedom. “No. I couldn’t risk it. She needs to believe I’m dead in order to convince the FBI. If they believe she’s hiding something, Taggart will never leave her alone.”
Sasha shook his head. “You realize the risk you are taking?”
“Yes.”
“Then who am I to stand in your way?” Sasha said quietly.
***
Jacob pulled his car up in front of the warehouse and put it in park. He exited the vehicle and paused, turning several times to ensure anyone watching the building would be absolutely certain it was him.
Finally he yawned and made his way into the warehouse. He gazed around with a new sense of something approaching nostalgia. This was going to be his last time seeing his office and these familiar surroundings. Was he truly ready to give up his position as head of the Dolohov syndicate?
“About time you showed up,” Sasha said from the top of the metal staircase leading to Jacob’s office. “I was wondering if you’d left your balls back at the penthouse with your mistress.”
“At some point you’re going to have to address your jealousy, Sasha,” Jacob said with a sneer. “It’s really becoming an occupational hazard.”
Sasha opened the door, purposefully carrying their argument inside. “And what would I be jealous of?” Sasha let the door slam closed behind them. “The way you cannot seem to see that this woman is screwing you over?”
“What?”
“She’s working for the FBI!” Sasha shouted. “Can you not see this? We’ve told you again and again that Maggie is working for the enemy, but you will not listen.”
Jacob shook his head and spoke in Russian. “Draw not your bow before your arrow is fixed, my
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