A Silent Reckoning: Sinner's Empire Nikita Slater (smart books to read .txt) 📖

the look of horror on his face. He was uncomfortable with her use of the word ‘love’, but she didn’t know how else to describe it.

He cleared his throat, then shrugged. “I’ll do my best to give you the answers you’re looking for, but the medical profession is a far cry from organized crime.”

She looked at him curiously. “See, that’s the first thing I want to ask. You guys refer to what you do as ‘mafia’ and ‘organized crime’. Doesn’t it bother you to know that you’re doing something illegal? I would think you guys would try to legitimize it by calling yourselves an organization, or a business.”

Again, he shrugged, but he settled back into the chair, his arms draped over the sides. “Some organizations might, but the Koba clan has always been honest about what they do and why. Of course, they legitimize certain aspects of the business, so they and their clients are separated from anything illegal, particularly when there’s a politician involved.”

“Like the guy who followed us the other day,” Shaun murmured. “He works for the Prime Minister’s office, doesn’t he?”

“How do you know that?” Karl asked sharply.

She smiled. “The guys look at me like I’m some kind of fixture. They’re not careful about what they say around me. They were impressed with how Jozef handled the issue and talked to each other about it.”

Karl looked alarmed. “Did they discuss the details in front of you?”

She shook her head. “No.”

“I’m sorry you had to hear about that. It’s not meant for your ears. I’ll have Jozef talk to them.”

She looked at him curiously. “But Jozef is involved with the Prime Minister?”

Karl looked down at his lap as if debating how much he should tell her, then seemed to come to some kind of conclusion. He leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. “Look, I’ll tell you what I think you need to know, but no more than that. It’ll help you stay protected if you know who to trust and who to stay away from.”

“Thank you,” she murmured, not wanting to push her luck by demanding everything and potentially losing her only source of information.

“The Prime Minister pulled some strings to get Jozef out of prison.”

Shaun nodded her understanding. She’d figured someone high up must’ve done something, because Jozef had been looking at life in prison. Getting out in one year would’ve been impossible without some kind of pardon.

Karl continued. “The PM wants Jozef to do some work for him, but Jozef has refused. As far as Jozef is concerned, the favour was done for Krystoff, who talked to the PM on Jozef’s behalf. I think the PM agreed to the pardon because he thought he would have Jozef and his team at his disposal, but Jozef has split from the Koba organization. Krystoff no longer has the resources the PM needs and wants, which leaves both men in a bad position.”

“Why doesn’t Jozef want to take jobs from the PM?” Shaun asked.

“Two reasons,” Karl replied. “First, the money won’t be good enough. Though he’s a wealthy man, the PM can’t offer Jozef the money he receives from his other wealthier clients. The second reason is that Jozef doesn’t accept IOU’s. He would’ve rather bided his time in prison than be beholden to anyone for getting him released. Jozef is also very choosy about the jobs he and his team take and IOU’s mess with his code. He wants complete control over all jobs.”

“So why did Krystoff accept an IOU in order to secure Jozef’s release if he knew Jozef wouldn’t accept it?” Shaun asked, a picture of the past year beginning to form. “Why didn’t he leave Jozef to figure it out? I assume he would’ve eventually gotten himself out.”

Shaun was getting to know her fiancé well enough that she could say with confidence Jozef wouldn’t have spent his life in prison.

Karl’s eyes twinkled. “Yes, he was working on a plan. He was systematically taking out the top Vory on the inside, and some on the outside, taking their business and their assets. He would’ve eventually been able to buy his way out of prison or pull some strings without giving up an IOU.”

“Vory?” she asked.

“Head of the crime families,” he explained. “They mostly reside in Russia, but there are some scattered across the Baltics. The term has changed over the years. It translates literally to ‘thief in law’ or a thief who is the law, a legitimized criminal. The thieves in law organized themselves within the Siberian prison system creating a system of underworld laws. They were not allowed to conduct legitimate business, nor could they work inside the prison. If they accepted work, then they would be labelled traitors by their followers. Most Vor didn’t have families as they refused to put women and children at risk. Nowadays, the term has loosened to include men who climb the ranks of organized crime outside of prison. The Vor will also raise families now, as there are unspoken rules surrounding non-involvement of families.”

She nodded her understanding. Had she not spent the last year in a trauma filled haze, she likely would’ve been researching all this. It hadn’t occurred to her until now. As soon as she was finished with Karl, she would go online and dig up as much as she could to aid in her knowledge. The prospect of a project excited her, even if it was researching the mafia.

“Is Krystoff Koba a Vory?” she asked curiously.

Karl nodded. “As is Jozef. He took the top spot for himself while in prison, using the old methods to achieve his new status. Jozef has always been a bit of a purist.”

Shaun swallowed a giggle when she realized Karl was serious. It was difficult to reconcile the term ‘purist’ with a criminal. Although Jozef certainly seemed to have a code of honour he followed.

“Nowadays, the title of Vor is often passed on through family lines. The son of a Vor will likely become a Vor himself.”

“Like royalty.”

“Exactly,” Karl