You won’t even see the face of your true killer, Brownstone.
8
Tyler smiled as he gestured broadly at the empty dining room space. “What do you think? We’d have to do some renovation, knock out some walls, but it’s workable. They even have a bar already. We can keep the kitchen so we can sell more hot foods. Wings; that kind of thing.”
Maria crossed her arms and sighed. “Why are you asking me?”
“You’re smart, and you’re my girlfriend.” Tyler shrugged. “To share something important? I don’t know.”
“Look, that’s sweet and all, but I know how to do police work and kick ass. I don’t know crap about business.” Maria uncrossed her arms and walked over to a wall. She pointed to a large hole in the baseboard. “I do know that’s not good. No one wants a bar filled with rats.” She frowned. “Well, maybe Willen do, but most don’t.”
Tyler chuckled and shrugged. “They are easy enough to take care of.” He walked over and knelt by the opening. “That is a big hole. I can’t believe they are asking so much for a place that might have an infestation.”
Maria surveyed the room, a pensive expression on her face. “Like I was saying, I’m not a businesswoman, and I’m not trying to be a bitch, but are you sure this is a good idea?”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” He leaned over and shined a light from his phone into the hole. “Oh, I get it. Don’t worry, I’m not stuck on this place. This might not be the best place, but I’ve got plenty of others to check out. I’m sure I’ll find somewhere that works perfectly.”
“You don’t understand.” Maria sighed. “It’s not about the location.”
Tyler stood and put his phone away. “What, then?”
Maria furrowed her brow. “Let me ask you this: why are you trying to open a second location?”
“I told you already—because I’ve maxed out the potential of the Black Sun. I need a second location to make more money.”
She nodded. “Not going to question the profit motive. I get it; that’s your thing. Not going to bust your balls over that, but that leads me on to my next question: do you think opening a second location is the best way to earn more money?”
Tyler shrugged. “I don’t run a factory, Maria. I can’t just pump out more units. I run a customer-centric business. Starting a second location is one of the best ways to make more money in that kind of business. I’ve thought about getting into the artifact trade, but that means I’d have to deal with more freaks like the Eyes. Even I have my limits.”
Maria ran her finger along the wall and picked up some dust. She rubbed it between her fingers. “Who are your customers?”
“People who like to drink.”
She laughed. “Come on, seriously?”
“I run a bar.” Tyler shrugged.
Maria leaned forward to whisper, “The bar’s a cover for your real business. You’re not a bartender, Tyler. You’re an information broker, right? You’ve told me tons of times you make way more money these days from that than by selling drinks.” She pointed toward the kitchen. “More than you’ll make from selling shitty wings.”
“My wings wouldn’t be shitty,” Tyler grumped. “I’ve got a good sauce recipe, or fuck, I’m sure Brownstone could give me a recipe or two. The guy might be mostly good for kicking ass, but he does know his way around meat.”
Maria sighed and shook her head. “You’re missing my point. I’m kind of surprised because this is about money, and I figured the last thing I’d need to do is spell out shit about money to you.” She waved a hand in front of his face. “Your real customers are people who need information about the underworld, not guys who want Brownstone-sauced wings.” She tilted her head. “Okay, sure there will be some overlap, but we’re talking about your primary customers.”
“So what? How does that change anything?” Tyler frowned.
“The point is, you’ve already got access to the high and low underworld at the Black Sun.” Maria shrugged. “It’s not like there’s some piece of shit who would have paid you for information but decided you were too far away, so he might as well go to his local mom and pop information broker.” She gestured around the empty dining room. “Adding a second location will get you some additional money, sure, but probably only on the wings and beer side. You need to think more about how you can expand your information broker career.”
Tyler nodded. “I see what you’re saying.”
Maria barked out a laugh. “I can’t believe I’m trying to advise my boyfriend on how to better reach his tentacles into the underworld.”
He snorted. “You know you love the danger.”
She rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say.”
Tyler grinned. “Brownstone-sauced wings. That’s it.”
“Huh?” Maria blinked. “You really think wings are going to help?”
He shook his head. “It’s not the wings that are important. It’s him—Brownstone. Everything changed with him. I went from being small-time to big-time because of him. He’s my good luck charm even if he pisses me off, and when I bet on him, I make money.”
“Uh, I still don’t think wings are going to be that much of a help. You’d be competing against a lot of places.”
Tyler chuckled. “No, no. Fuck the wings. What I’m getting at is I need to stop thinking so much about my own business model and start thinking about how I can invest more in Brownstone or take advantage of his business model somehow.” He rubbed his chin. “The only question is how?”
Maria sighed. “I’m not following all this, and I joined his agency because I didn’t have what it takes to run my own business, but if you want to take advantage of Brownstone and his business, you should match his expansion.”
“Match his expansion?”
She nodded. “Adding another place in LA doesn’t make much sense. You’ve already got the information scene covered here, but what about Las Vegas? He almost always has people there now. Hell, I did a rotation a few weeks back myself.”
Tyler’s eyes widened. “Shit, of course.” He chuckled. “I couldn’t be there all the time, but I already have someone in mind who would be perfect. It makes much more sense than to expand in LA.” He rushed over and threw his arms around Maria, then pulled her in and gave her a deep kiss.
Her eyes widened, and she relaxed into the kiss.
He pulled away, smiling.
Maria blinked a few times. “Didn’t realize good business suggestions turned you on so much.”
James frowned as he looked at his phone.
Shay stood in front of a rack filled with automatic rifles, scratching her cheek. They’d gone to Warehouse Three to gather gear, but she’d been indecisive. He’d learned never to rush a woman trying to pick out her implements of death.
He looked up from his phone. “Already in the 20s where we’re going. Lots of snow on the ground.”
She pulled down a Steyr and examined it. “I’ve done jobs in Antarctica, remember? A little snow doesn’t bother me. It’s not like you’ve never done a cold-weather job.”
James grunted. “Not trying to say we shouldn’t go. Just makes me think about the new parka I just bought.”
“So you’re bitching about it being cold, but you were already prepared?” Shay rolled her eyes.
“Makes life simpler when you’re ready.” He shrugged, and a grin crept over his face. “I bought it from the same company that makes my gray coats.”
Shay groaned. “Of course you’d have an ugly parka. You know, it’s totally possible to be practical and fashionable at the same time. I looked good even when I was in Antarctica.” She snorted. “What’s next? You gonna go fight bounties in plaid?”
“Maybe. Don’t really give a shit about how things look, just want to make sure I have enough pockets for ammo and equipment.”
She set the Steyr back on the rack and pulled down an AK. “This I’m feeling.” She turned it over with a smile. “Nothing like a nice, solid, reliable AK. You want to pick out a rifle
while we’re here, or are we going to swing by Camp Brownstone?”
James shook his head. “Nah. Gonna stick with my .45 and Whispy Doom. I think that’ll be enough for this Canadian shit.” He frowned. “That reminds me.”
“What?”
He held up his phone. “Didn’t tell anyone I’d be taking off.” He dialed Trey.
Shay nodded and went back to examining her guns.
“Yo, what’s up, big man?” Trey answered.
“Canada,” James rumbled.
“Yeah, it was still north of us last time I checked.” Trey laughed. “What, you punch some fucker through a wall because he was saying it’s south?”
James grunted. “No, I’m going to Canada on a job. A level five.”
“Oh. You need backup?”
James glanced at his girlfriend. “No. From the sound of it, Shay will be enough.”
“Mr. and Mrs. Brownstone kicking ass in the Frozen North.” Trey laughed. “Yeah, that works. I’d watch that movie.”
James blinked at the phone, warmth spreading through his body. The phrase “Mr. and Mrs. Brownstone” appealed to him far more than he’d expected.
No. I have to consider Shay’s future too, not just what I want.
“It should be a couple-day thing,” James explained. “We know exactly where they are, and it’s a dead-or-alive, so I’m thinking we’ll focus on the dead part.” He grunted. “If they surrender, we’ll probably have to wait for the Canadian government. That’ll add a day.”
“Better bring a space heater,” Trey joked. “It’s damned cold up there. Colder than a witch’s tit.”
“Well, you are the resident agency expert on witch tits,” James replied.
Trey burst out laughing. “Damn, big man! I didn’t see that coming. Fuck. I should have known after you won that Bard of Filth shit. You’ve been waiting to ninja-stab my ass with a burn.”
James smiled.
Shay pulled down an RPG from another rack. “Is this too much? Hmm. Maybe.”
Trey’s laughter died. “Nah, it ain’t the Bard of Filth. When I first met you, the only time you said shit was when you were about to beat some motherfucker down, but I’ve noticed you’ve been cracking more jokes. I think it’s the influence of the big woman on you.”
“Big woman? You mean Shay?”
Her head jerked his way, and she narrowed her eyes. “Big woman?”
James shrugged. “Look, Trey, I would never call her that where she can hear you if you value your balls.”
Trey snort-laughed. “You’re right. Sorry. You enjoy Canada. I’m gonna keep my ass here in Las Vegas where it ain’t freezing and eat me some more Jessie Rae’s. You’re not gonna get any barbeque because all the meat up there is frozen solid. You’ll have to survive off those fries they put gravy on.”
“Poutine,” James explained.
“Damn. Canada really is a foreign country.”
9
Tyler smiled as he shifted in his chair behind his office desk. He hadn’t been this excited about an idea since the pay-per-view with Brownstone. A few snags aside, that’d been an excellent example of his business acumen.
I don’t care what Maria and Shay said. Brownstone won, and we made money. What’s life without a little risk? Nothing more satisfying than making money in a way that doesn’t involve me getting punched and kicked, though.
He chuckled. Those bastards hadn’t gotten their asses handed to them by Maria.
That’s what you get, assholes.
A light knock came from the door.
“Come in,” Tyler called.
The door opened and Kathy stepped inside, a quizzical look on her face. She looked back and forth as if she expected the Eyes to pop out of a corner.
“You wanted to see me?” she asked. “At least that’s what your text said, but I can’t figure out why you couldn’t come out and talk to me.” She shrugged.
“This is a private conversation, and it requires a certain atmosphere that we can’t achieve in the crowded bar.” Tyler nodded to the chair in front of his desk. “So sit. We’ve got a lot to chat about, you and me.”
Kathy eyed her boss for a moment before sitting in the chair. She crossed her legs and rested her hands in her lap. “Don’t say anything that’ll make me think less of you. I might snark a lot, but you have given me reasons to respect you lately. So, with that in mind, what’s all this about?”
“Respect? Oh, you’ll love this. Money.” Tyler smiled. “More specifically, how we can both go about making more of it. Isn’t making money what it always comes down to?”
“For you, anyway.” Kathy shrugged. “But you still have a few strands of a conscience left, so you won’t do something totally over the line, which is probably why you landed a cop girlfriend.” She frowned. “Ex-cop girlfriend. Whatever.”
Tyler shook a finger at Kathy. “That’s the thing. That ex-cop girlfriend has more business skill than I thought. Because of her idea, I’m going to make a lot of money, but this is where you come in. There’s only so much money I can make without a little assistance from you, and a good businessman utilizes all his human resources.”
“A good necromancer does too.” Kathy snickered. “Why do I have a feeling I should run screaming down the streets to get away from you? Maybe I should go ask the Eyes for more help? Maybe he’d look at me with less hungry eyes.”
“Very funny.” Tyler leaned forward. “It’s not a big deal, and you should be flattered. First, let me explain. I was out scouting locations for a possible Black Sun expansion with Maria.”
Kathy nodded. “I’m sure she loved that.”
“Yeah, she liked it about as much as you’d expect, but the point is, she gave me a great idea when we were checking places out. Something I hadn’t thought of before.” Tyler pointed at Kathy. “But I need you for this idea to work.”
“Me?” She frowned. “What about me?”
“I’m not going to open a Black Sun expansion in Los Angeles. My business model is info-broker-centric, and there’s not as much to be gained by adding another Black Sun here. That’s what Maria helped me understand. I’d been thinking I could scale up the business just by opening another place, but that doesn’t really work because of what I do.”
Kathy frowned. “Then what else are you planning to do? And you still haven’t answered how this involves me. If it involves me going back and talking with the Eyes anytime soon, screw that. I need a little bit more time before I have to deal with that…thing again.” She shuddered.
“Nah, we can leave that freak in his little soul opium den for a while.” Tyler waved a hand dismissively. “No, I’m not opening a new place in LA, because I plan to open a new place somewhere else. Specifically, Vegas.”
“Vegas?” Kathy furrowed her brow and looked down. “Why Vegas? Oh, the Brownstone Agency.” She looked up. “Is that why? You following your good luck charm to a new city?”
Tyler nodded. “No, I’m following a business opportunity to a new city. The smart play is to go where Brownstone’s influence is, and I’m entering a business environment where there’s also a certain amount of predictability. Brownstone and his people are going to be in places where there’s crime, which means there’s a niche for me—or at least my business—to fill.” He shrugged. “I offer a product that can be useful for everyone, and they offer me money. Win-win.”
Kathy crossed her arms. “The Black Sun also has the protection of the police and is neutral ground, which is one of the reasons it’s become so successful. Even without Maria, the LAPD and AET are still upholding that neutrality. Why would Vegas cops care about your new place? They don’t know you, and I doubt they’ll commit to protecting a place even if you get Maria to call them up and ask them.”
“They probably won’t.” Tyler shrugged. “And I wouldn’t ask Maria to do that.”
“If it’s not neutral ground, it won’t be as popular. It’ll hurt you from a business perspective.”
“I agree,” Ty
ler replied. “But when you can’t depend on the government, you depend on private services. That’s the American way.”
Kathy shook her head. “Having security isn’t good enough. People need to fear the group enforcing the neutrality. Random hired thugs aren’t going to have the power of the police behind them.”
Tyler nodded. “Exactly, which is why I’m going to get the Brownstone Agency folks to agree to enforce the neutrality of the new place.”
“Are you serious?” Kathy laughed. “Why would he? Just because he’s done some business deals with you doesn’t mean he’s going to agree to something like that.”
Tyler shrugged. “Don’t worry, I’ll figure out something. Free drinks for his guys, free info when they’re in town, that kind of shit. Business is ultimately about negotiation. You have to make something worth someone else’s while, and I’ll make it worth his while. You know how it goes with Brownstone. His name is enough anymore to get people to back down, and anyone he targets goes down, so anyone who has a beef with him won’t last long enough to threaten me or my place.”
Kathy sighed. “Okay, let’s assume you convince Brownstone and his people to protect your neutrality. Where do I fit in?”
Tyler smiled. “Isn’t it obvious? I need someone to run the place. I can’t drive back and forth every day between Vegas and LA. I’ve got a lot of ties to Los Angeles, but we both know that you don’t. You’ve proven you’re not just a pretty face, and I think you’d be a good choice to lead an expansion in Las Vegas. You’d manage the bar and the info business, and I would front the cost of the place and some other things. You’re out from underneath my shadow, so you can build up your own influence, but I still profit and don’t even have to do that much. Again, win-win.”
Kathy stared at him for a moment before frowning and nodding. “I got a decent chunk of change from Brownstone for helping him with He Who Hunts, you know. What’s to stop me from moving to Las Vegas and opening up my own place and getting rid of the middleman here? If it’s such a good idea, why shouldn’t I steal it?”
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