Building a Criminal Empire

by Logan Jacobs

  “We have that?” Dar blinked his already widened eyes.

  “It will empty us,”I admitted, “but we will after we get Hebal’s payment.”

  “Alright,” Cimarra said after thinking the numbers through in her mind. “Get the coin from me before you leave.”

  “Sounds good,” I answered.

  “But I would like if Dar and Selius stay back if I need help here,” Cimarra said as she looked over at the halflings. “Skam will be here as well for security, but the more hands we have, the better.”

  “Got it,” Dar said with a nod. “Whatever you need.”

  “More grunt work?” Selius groaned.

  “Suck it up, kid,” Dar tussled Selius’ hair.

  “Fine, fine,” Selius agreed. “Even though I’d rather have a cheesy bagel from the bakery.”

  “We’ll bring you back one,” I chuckled. “Me and Penny will try to be back before the show begins, too.”

  “That would be great,” Cimarra added. “Like I said, the more hands we have, the better, for at least the first few shows.”

  “I agree,” I said. “Now …”

  “Back to Hebal?” Penny asked.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Let’s take a vote t--”

  “Well done, ladies!” The count’s voice interrupted me. “Get some rest and see you bright and early for show prep!”

  “My oh my,” Dar breathed as the dancers walked past us and toweled off.

  “They live here?” Selius asked as his eyes grew bigger.

  We were about to decide the fate of one of our biggest enemies, but a few girls walk by with their asses out, and everything had to stop. I guess I understood it, I was the only one getting laid, and I would have drooled over the women a few months ago.

  “Focus,” I commanded.

  “Okay, okay, where’re Rindell’s ladies at tonight?” Dar turned to Cimarra.

  “Working,” Cimarra said with a slight shrug. “Whatever that means.”

  “As long as they aren’t on this property, the can-do whatever work they want,” I added. “Now, ta--”

  “What did you all think?” the count’s voice bellowed from behind me. “The performance is coming along, isn’t it?”

  “It is,” Cimarra answered as she glanced at me. “The girls look prepared.”

  “Good, good,” the count’s shadow wobbled over in the dim light and stood in the aisle near us. “I think we are nearly ready for a show every night.”

  “That’s good news,” I said.

  “We’ll probably still keep it every other day for the next month, but keep up the good work Kierian,” Cimarra said with a smile.

  “I’ll try,” the count said as he wiped his forehead with a handkerchief. “I’ve seen you’ve gotten rid of Rindell’s filth?”

  “Ehh,” I sighed. “Not yet.”

  “We need them still,” Cimarra added.

  “We need them like we need another plague,” the count huffed. “Will I at least see you both for our meeting in the morning?”

  “You’ll see Cimarra,” I replied. “I have some things to take care of.”

  “Very well,” the count adjusted his suit and faced the direction of the lobby. “It’s time for me to turn in for the night, don’t forget to--”

  “I’ll lock everything up,” Cimarra cut the entertainer off.

  “Good.” The count bowed his head and walked up the center aisle. “Busy day tomorrow, Cimarra, I hope you’re not too distracted!”

  “Sleep tight, Kierian!” Cimarra shouted over her shoulder. “Ass.”

  As much as I disliked the count, he was doing an excellent job at running the show, but his attitude was a growing concern that would need to be addressed again. Maybe I needed to break another one of his ribs for him to shut up.

  “Sorry, Wade,” Cimarra added.

  “You have nothing to apologize about,” I answered. “Don’t be afraid to push him back, he doesn’t own you anymore. And if he gives you shit tomorrow, just let me know.”

  “I will.” Cimarra smiled.

  “Now,” I chuckled. “Let’s take this fucking vote already.”

  “Is this what we're gonna do from now on?” Dar asked. “To decide bigger issues?”

  “I think we should be united with deciding to end another’s life, that is, if we're not in the middle of a brawl or something like that,” I said as I faced Dar. “Wouldn’t you agree?”

  “I’m with ya,” Dar replied. “Although this should be a landslide.”

  “Let’s hope so.” I grinned. “Now, all in favor of killing Hebal and restarting our distribution in the dwarf district, raise your hand.”

  Everyone raised their hands.

  “Very well,” I said with a nod. “We have decided that Hebal is a dead dwarf walking.”

  “Do ya want to discuss the plan in more detail?” Selius asked, with his hand still raised.

  “You can lower your hand, kid.” I gestured toward Selius and then looked over the crew. “Let’s reconnect on that tomorrow after the show, okay?”

  “Got it,” Dar said as he stood up from his seat. “I can’t wait to see what that necklace of his does.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves,” I added. “We gotta kill him first.”

  “And stay alive,” Penny commented.

  “We’ll stay alive,” I replied. “Nothing has stopped us yet.”

  “Do we have anything else to discuss?” Dar asked as he rubbed his hands together. “Or else we can play another hand of Halfling Four Card Draw.”

  “Ehh,” Penny frowned. “Anything but that.”

  “Don--”

  “We actually do,” Cimarra cut off the red-faced halfling.

  “We do?” Dar asked as he glared at Penny and then sat back down.

  “We received this today from the Empire.” Cimarra revealed a folded envelope for me to see. “And this might alter our plans just a bit.”

  “I already know what that is,” I said. “The twins got one, too.”

  “Ah shit,” Dar said as he recognized it too.

  “What is it?” Penny questioned. “Anything from the Empire can’t be a good thing.”

  “Have you read it?” I asked the dancer.

  “I have.” Cimarra nodded. “But I think we need to decide what to do together.”

  “Alright,” I replied. “Let’s hear it then.”

  “So,” Cimarra sighed as she slid the letter out of the envelope. “These are the theatre’s instructions for the upcoming ‘Eclipse Festival.’”

  “Fuck, I forgot about that.” Penny pretended to gag herself.

  “I wish we could just forget about it,” I said as I thought of the four bodies hanging on the gallows. “What does the great and mighty empire request of our theatre?”

  “We can’t panic, okay?” Cimarra said.

  As soon as Cimarra said that, I knew what the elven assholes wanted.

  “They want to use our stage, don’t they?” I guessed. If they used Sully’s little stage in his hall, then they’d definitely want to use our impressive set up for their propaganda.

  “They do,” Cimarra answered with a grimace. “But the walkthrough they want to do might be the bigger cause for concern.”

  “Walkthrough?” I questioned.

  “They want to make sure our stage is up to their glorious standard,” Cimarra said with a shrug. “So, obviously, we’ll need to hide the whiskey or anything else that can get us in trouble.”

  “Do you think they’d search the entire property?” Dar asked. “If so, where do we hide our shit then? I mean, we’ve got all the barrels, some yeast, gr--”

  “We don’t have much yeast or grain to worry about,” Penny interrupted.

  “Okay, but still,” Dar sniffed. “We have the chests and painting to worry about too. You know, the painting that inspired the elves to even throw this fucking party?”

  “We can move that easily,” I replied.

  “To where?” Dar questioned
.

  “The bakery?” I suggested. “Once we buy it, we can move everything over there for the time being. Plus, there is an apartment on the second floor, so we can keep our valuables up there.”

  “You never mentioned that before,” Dar said as he perked his head up.

  “What?” I asked. “The apartment?”

  “You mean, the new bachelor paradise?” Dar bobbed his eyebrows up and down.

  “Gross,” Penny sneered as she looked at Dar.

  “Have you seen the apartment yet?” Dar asked.

  “No,” I responded. “But I will see tomorrow when Penny and I go.”

  “Damn,” Dar sighed. “I want to go see it now, too.”

  “Why?” Penny retorted. “To fantasize about your sexcapades that won’t be happening?”

  “Fuck off, pixie,” Dar grunted.

  “Anyway,” I changed the subject back to what mattered. “I think we can easily move everything we need over to the bakery once we purchase it.”

  “What if we can’t buy Eloy’s?” Selius chimed.

  “That’s not an option anymore, kid.” I pursed my lips. “It’s the perfect place for us.”

  “Hopefully, he hasn’t sold it, though,” Selius said.

  “Again,” I breathed. “Whoever has that bakery whether it be Eloy or some poor bastard he just sold it to, that bakery is ours.”

  “Alright, Wade,” Selius said with a nod.

  “Now,” I said as I leaned toward Cimarra. “When are the pointy ears wanting to do the walkthrough?”

  “Two days from now,” Cimarra replied.

  “Okay,” I grunted. “The day before I meet with Hebal.”

  “And the day before the festival,” Cimarra added.

  “Alright,” I said as I tapped at my chin and thought of what we needed to do. “We’ll plan on moving into the bakery tomorrow night.”

  “What about the show?” Penny asked.

  “We’ll go after the show and transfer everything through the cover of night,” I said. “You and I will complete the bakery deal, then try to make it back to the theatre before the show ends, pack up everything we need, load it all in Skam’s wagon, bring it back to the bakery, unload it, and call it a night.”

  “A long fuckin’ night,” Selius added.

  “But a needed one if we want to live,” I said. “Does that work?”

  “Should we just wait for you and Penny to come back then?” Dar asked. “Or should we load everything up after the show and just assume you’re not coming if you’re not back before the show ends?”

  “If Penny and I don’t make it back before the show ends, then yeah, just assume we are still at the bakery, and then head over with the supplies so we can unload it all together,” I answered. “Sound good?”

  “I think that’ll work,” Cimarra agreed. “The only issue is transporting all of those very illegal goods at night.”

  “There could be an elven guard on the road, and we all know they like to check wagons for shits and giggles,” Dar added.

  “Exactly.” Cimarra nodded.

  “And you’re sure they’d search the entire property?” Dar asked again.

  “I just don’t want to take the chance and be unprepared,” Cimarra responded.

  “She’s right,” I agreed. “I’d rather be safe than sorry with a bunch of pointy eared fuckers walking around.”

  “Have you told the count?” Penny asked. “He might have a mental breakdown.”

  “I’ll tell him as soon as we move the whiskey so he won’t have an excuse to freak out,” Cimarra said with a smirk.

  “And are you sure it’s safer to bring the stuff on the road than just hide it in the stables?” Dar asked.

  “I think it is,” I replied. “We will have the catering wagon, so it’s just like what we did coming back from the Capital late at night. If an elf stops us, then we are just coming back from a gig with all of our supplies in the back.”

  “Got it.” Dar nodded. “I think it’ll work.”

  “Alright,” Penny said as she locked eyes with me. “I think so, too.”

  “I agree,” Cimarra said as she nudged Selius next to her. “What about you?”

  “Me?” Selius widened his eyes.

  “You’re one of us, so what do you think?” I asked.

  “I think it sounds good if you think it’s good, Wade.” Selius gestured toward me.

  “I know it’s good,” I answered. “Is that everything we needed to talk about?”

  “I think so,” Cimarra replied.

  “Then let’s reconnect in the morning,” I said as I stood to my feet. “I’ll meet you and Penny in your room, okay?”

  “That works,” Cimarra replied as she sidestepped passed Selius and Dar. “We’ll be up early, so try to come through before I have to meet with the count.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” I nodded.

  “Until then,” Cimarra blew me a kiss and then waved to the others. “See you all tomorrow.”

  “Try to get some sleep,” Penny said as she sidestepped past the halflings, squeezed my hand as she passed me, and then followed Cimarra toward the lobby.

  Once the girls left, I turned to face the two big-eyed halflings staring up at me.

  “Well, let’s head back to the stables,” I said.

  “I’m not tired yet,” Selius sighed as he looked at me.

  “You don’t have to sleep, yet.” I smirked. “But we aren’t going out anywhere else, not with the assassin’s looking for us.”

  “Damn,” Selius grunted.

  “We can always play Halfling Four Card Draw,” Dar bobbed his eyebrows up and down as if he were selling me one of those bogus elixirs.

  “Of course,” I said. “How could I forget about that?”

  So, the three of us went back to the stables and played a few rounds of Dar’s favorite game. But I made them both go to sleep shortly after.

  I knew if we could get even a few hours of rest, then we needed to do just that.

  Especially because these next few days were going be fucking busy.

  Chapter 15

  The next morning felt like it arrived as soon as I placed my head on my pillow of hay. I wasn’t sure if that was because the day elves won the debate earlier than usual, or if I just slept that hard.

  Both could be true these days.

  So, I glanced over to my right and saw both the halflings still fast asleep and snoring.

  Lucky fuckers.

  As for me, I needed to meet with Cimarra before she had her pre-show meeting with the count. Then, Penny and I were off to purchase the bakery and officially mark our expansion into another district.

  Maybe it was because I had a million other things to think about, but I felt like I should’ve been more excited than I actually was. Our goal has always been to sell as much whiskey as we could to as many people, and we were doing it, but I couldn’t help but sense every time we took a step forward, there was someone or something waiting to push us back.

  In this case, we had Hebal, the assassins, and the elves ready to resist our next move.

  So, I hoped the bakery would allow us some much-needed breathing room. The owner, Eloy, seemed ready to sell to save his imprisoned son, but I never knew what to expect when doing business in this realm.

  Hebal and I’s relationship was proof of that.

  Once my anxious thoughts for the day quieted, I started to get up from my bed, but my limbs felt like massive boulders. So, I stretched out, groaned, and forced myself to sit up.

  Azure grumbled with my sudden movement and readjusted his position as I stood to my feet. Then I shuffled across the dirt floor, squinted through the dim light, and washed my face near the water kegs.

  There might not be a better feeling than splashing cold water on my face after a good sleep.

  Dar would probably scoff at that thought.

  Making coin and fucking pussy were his two favorite feelings, and I’m not saying I’m not a fan of those myself, but
I doubted my halfling friend thought of anything else.

  After I washed up for the day, I opened up the stable door to the fresh new light of the day. The sky was red and pink and looked as if it were blushing down at me.

  I breathed in the fresh air and headed toward the back entrance of the theatre. As I walked, I could hear the faint murmur of the streets waking up, the horses neighing in the distance, and the gentle breeze blowing through the overgrown brush.

  What a life I had found myself in these days. As dangerous and insane as it seemed, I knew it was a life that I was meant to live.

  Speaking of dangerous, before I walked into the theatre, I stopped and looked around the surrounding rooftops. Maybe I was paranoid, but I just wanted to keep my eyes peeled for any evidence that the assassins knew where we were.

  So far, so good.

  Then I walked inside the theatre, and for once, it was still quiet. No barking count, or whining Rindell.

  I was thankful for Cimarra just for the patience and strength she showed in dealing with both of them. Without Cimarra’s help, I would surely be a lost man.

  I continued to the staircase, walked up to the second floor, and then stepped toward Cimarra’s room. Once I was near the door, I knocked and waited for either her or Penny to let me in.

  My heart began to beat quicker, the longer I waited.

  I couldn’t wait to see both of the girls. But before they opened the door, a voice I didn’t want to hear greeted me.

  “Early riser, darlin’?” Rindell asked from behind me. “Or are you one of those kinds of guys that like to have some mornin’ fun?”

  “Good morning, Madame,” I said as I turned to face her in the doorway of her room. “What can I do for you?”

  She was wearing an extravagant blue nightgown that had a silk cape attached to the back.

  “What can you do for me?” Rindell smirked. “Nothing at all, dear. I’m just a light sleeper, so when I heard your footsteps, I thought it was one of my girls coming to get me, that’s all.”

  “Alright, we--”

  “Oh.” Penny opened the bedroom door. “Hey, Madame.”

  Penny was a sight for sore eyes.

  “Hey, there good lookin’,” Rindell narrowed her eyes at Penny. “Even this early in the morning, you’re looking like the sun itself, burning as bright as day.”