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didn’t scare the shit out of me, Eckhart thought. What I wouldn’t give to be dealing with the regular old mafia. These creepy fucking cyber geeks have no moral code at all. Jesus. Dante Vlada? Even his goddamn name sounds like a monster. And the “Enforcer” back there, Hans? I’ve heard too many stories about that sick bastard.
    “I expect you to think like an FBI agent, Mr. Eckhart, but we are never careless,” Dante Vlada said.
    “We are at this moment not only quite invisible to any form of electronic surveillance; we are in the company of a high level FBI official. Do you suggest that we should be fearful for our lives at the moment, Russell?”
     
    “I guess not,” Eckhart said.
    “What do you want?”
    “Nothing has yet been required of you, Mr. Eckhart,” Vlada said. “We have taken the necessary time for you to become established in Boston; however, this phase has come to an end. You will be given detailed instruction in the coming weeks.
    “It is time for you to play the role that we have positioned you for.”
     
    “Like I’ve told you before,” Eckhart said. “The money is great, but whatever you’re wanting from me would be much easier if I was in the SAC post. You have to know that having that Boy Scout in the top spot is not helping either of us. You want more from me and I want more from you. What isn’t fair about that?”
    “Russell, Russell, Russell,” Vlada tutted. “The real power is far better wielded away from the spotlight of the top position. We have no interest in your politics—the press conferences, the makeup artists, the posturing for the cameras, and the ass-kissing. The number two position is where the real power has resided for years , Russell. Do you not watch the CNN? Do you not pay attention to your own politicians?”
    This brought chuckles from Vlada’s men.
    Vlada’s voice turned serious.
     
    “Pay careful attention to me, Mr. Eckhart, for I do not make a habit of justifying my decisions. The Special Agent in Charge, Mr. Englemann, is eligible to retire handsomely and will soon face mandatory retirement. He has lost his wife and is on the verge of losing his young daughter. Agent Englemann will, in all likelihood, cling to his position at the Bureau because it is his identity and his remaining source of stability. This is what would be expected of a good cowboy. It is what John Wayne would do, no?”
    More chuckles from Vlada’s men.
    “Jack Englemann’s good reputation with the Bureau and the collective sympathies for his losses will cause the FBI to grant a considerable level of tolerance toward the Boston office as its sad leader serves out the remainder of his career. I expect little scrutiny in this city until the day that Agent Englemann’s badge is pried from his trembling fist.”
    Eckhart was angry.
     
    “Is that what you’re thinking? Like I told you—”
    Hans reached forward and slapped Eckhart across the back of the head. Eckhart was silent.
    Dante Vlada leaned forward and spoke quietly into Eckhart’s ear.
    “We have been quite patient with you, Mr. Eckhart. When your step-father brought you to us we took you in, as a favor. We brought it to his attention that your ‘appetites’ had become a concern for us, and our options were few. You are not only compensated, but your ‘socially unacceptable behaviors’ are taken care of. You are in Boston because that is where we need you to be. If you still think you are in a position to ‘bargain’ with us,” Vlada’s gloved hand shot around Eckhart’s neck, giving Eckhart a brief indication of the strength of his grip.
    ”I may just let Hans have you to play with.”
     
    Vlada removed his hand.
    “No. No. Forget it,” Eckhart croaked, rubbing first his throat and then his jaw. The tweak in his jaw was his remembrance of the time he bad-mouthed these men in front of his step-father. Graham Stemple’s backhand had knocked him unconscious for an hour.
    Vlada settled back into the