“Why don’t I just go to the source and start getting all the money for myself?” I didn’t know why I was pushing so hard. I didn’t want him to rethink his offer.
“Because I’d kill you if you tried.” His face was suddenly hard.
Hot oil seemed to bubble in my gut.
His index finger shot out, and it bobbed in front of me. “I brought you in and trained you. You are mine. Double cross me, and you won’t like the consequences.”
I scooted away from him, but he slid next to me, quick as a flash. “I’m a nice guy, Eva. I’m nice as long as you do what you’re told. I have big plans for you, and they make both of us rich, very rich.”
I nodded, furrowing my brow. I needed to reel him in, let him think I was ready to accept his offer. But he started talking again.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s not like I like this job. I hate doing what I’m doing, but it’s a means to an end. It will get you what you want—and fast. Just like it has for me. And if all you want is a caregiver for your parents, you could get that in a month or two and as you get faster, you’ll have extra, all for you. Save that up and when you have enough to get out, all you have to do is secretly train your successor and then disappear. You will have to disappear, but you could go back to Portugal. Your parents wouldn’t even have to work.” He was really selling me now.
“So, you’re going to train me to be you, then?” It was time to put the squeeze on him.
“Yes.” He nodded vigorously.
I’d get the information we needed without having to follow the drives to their destination. “So, when we give you what we pick, you take it to your boss and he pays you?”
He nodded. “I take it to the sorter and they pay me, then I pay you guys your cut.”
“So if I get a bunch of drives, I could get the money even faster?”
“If they have good stuff on them, yes.”
“And do you turn them in everyday?”
“Normally, yes, but like I told you my guy has been out of town. He gets back tomorrow, though. I think I’ve saved up about fifteen drives over the past two weeks that he’s been gone. I should get a good amount of cash.”
Dread pulsed through me. “Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow.”
This was terrible news. My three days had just become only a night and part of a day. It had turned out to be a very good thing that I’d met up with him tonight. “Can I come when you deliver them?
“No. It’s too early to involve you in that.”
“Well, where do you keep them until you turn them in? Your apartment?”
“No way. They go to a safety deposit box at the bank. You can’t keep stuff like that lying around. You’re likely to get caught or robbed if you do. You’ll have to get an account for stuff like that.”
The key he’d retrieved from the kitchen drawer the other day. It must be his key to a safety deposit box. “Does it cost money?” I needed him to tell me which bank he used.
“No. I mean, the account doesn’t. I pay a little each month for the box.”
“And you’ll show me how?”
“Of course. It’s not difficult. You’ll see.” Sparkle returned to his eyes.
“Is there one bank that is best to use?” We could raid the bank tonight, and it would all be over.
“I don’t think so. You’ll just have to pick one.”
I couldn’t detect any hint of him trying to keep information about his bank from me—he really didn’t think it was important. “I think I’ll use yours. Which one do you use?”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’ll teach you everything you need to know. We have time. Just relax.”
Ugh! This was not going to be easy after all. “It’s not one of my strong points,” I sighed. I had to get it out of him. “What would it hurt for us to go set up my account in the morning?”
He shook his head. “You really don’t need it yet.”
I wanted to drop kick him and force him to tell me right there and then, but there were too many people around. “So, you meet the guy in the morning?”
“Yes, and he’s pretty high-strung. Don’t ever miss a meet with him or try to suggest he change something he does. He will cut you off.”
I nodded. “Got it. Don’t piss off the drive buyer.” After a short time I said, “I wish I’d gotten some clean drives today.”
“I got four drives today. Only two were clean.”
Great. Now I wondered if the drives I’d given to the pickpockets were the clean ones. “Huh. Is that usually how it goes? Fifty-fifty?”
“There is no usual in this business. In any case, the bank was closed by the time I had the chance to take them. I’ll keep those with me. There’s no sense in taking them in only to turn right back around and get them.”
I nodded. “Makes sense.” I chafed inside. That meant that even if Kamal had the tracked drives in his possession, they wouldn’t lead us to Dufor’s drive. The news just kept getting worse. The only way to salvage this mission was to tail Kamal tomorrow and follow him to his bank and then relieve him of the drives before he was able to hand them off to the buyer. It would have to work.
“You promise you’ll give me an advance, and that I’ll earn a ton of money?” I twisted one corner of my mouth up.
He nodded. “Yes. I’ll get you an advance. Let me know what you need. But you’re gonna have to toughen up. There are people who’ll want to steal your success. You can’t trust anyone. You know, I followed you for a whole day, trying to find out everything
