A Silent Reckoning: Sinner's Empire by Nikita Slater (ereader iphone .txt) 📗

Warmth sparked in his chest releasing some of the tightness that had developed over the past year. He’d missed his men… his friends.

He was tough; tougher than most. He’d had to be to become one of the fiercest enforcers in Czechia. In prison, Jozef had trusted his men to work for him on the outside while he worked from the inside. He hadn’t missed them while he’d been incarcerated but seeing them now made him realize how lonely he’d been. Though his life was one of silence, violence and isolation from society, he’d been surrounded by these four men for the past several years.

His secondary team said their hello’s but didn’t touch Jozef. They didn’t know him as well as the others and respected his reputation too much to pretend they were on familiar terms with the boss. Several new hires shuffled in and sat, eyeing the man they now worked for with curiosity.

The tech team and building security arrived last.

Jozef stood at the head of the room, arms crossed, surveying his men as they talked. There was a serious atmosphere for their first meeting. He didn’t blame them. They hadn’t seen him in a year, and while they’d been working for him remotely, they were still on shifting ground when it came to leadership. They’d become used to taking their orders from Havel while Jozef was in prison, but that would have to change.

Havel took his place next to Jozef and raised an eyebrow. Jozef nodded and Havel called the meeting to order. The men who were used to working closely with Jozef looked at his hands, the rest looked at his face. Jozef didn’t bother attempting to get their attention. They would learn. Havel would have insisted the new hires learn sign language.

Welcome to our new headquarters. If you’re in this room, then you have been invited to become part of either my team, our tech crew or club security.

He looked around at the faces, noting the unfamiliar ones. The men who were new were hired by Havel to fill out the B team and building security. Some of Jozef’s men had opted to stay with the Kobas, seeing their well-established organization as the more secure option over Jozef’s newer organization.

Many of Jozef’s team had moved into the newly renovated apartments above the club. He’d also bought a separate building several blocks away, outfitting it with living spaces and armaments, so not everyone was in the same place at the same time if they were attacked.

You are among the best in technology, weaponry, bounty-hunting and mercenary work. If you’re in this room then you are elite. You work hard, you follow orders, and you reap the benefits.

The men banged their fists on the table, shouting their enthusiasm. The loudest voices belonged to Jozef’s men. It was obvious they were happy to have him back. They knew the score. The machine couldn’t work without its main cog, the heart. They needed Jozef, and he needed them.

Havel called the meeting to order. "Let's get started. Jozef doesn’t know half of you so we’ll start with introductions. I want each man to give his name, position and specialty."

As the men went around the room introducing themselves, it became clear to Jozef that Havel really had hired the best of the best, scouring the world over for his new hires. Jozef was impressed with the caliber of men Havel brought to his table. He’d even heard of a few of them, having worked the same regions while completing contracts for the Koba organization.

Once the introductions were finished, Jozef jumped right into their next job. Havel turned on a wall screen at the head of the room. Both men stepped to the side as all eyes focused on the screen.

Jozef tapped the map displayed, pointing at the capitol of Somalia. Mogadishu. One of the men whistled under his breath. It was one of the more dangerous areas in the world to work in.

This will be ground zero for our next job. He used the trackpad on the laptop to enhance the map until it was focused on Mogadishu. A city of 2.5 million people, most living below the poverty line. We have contacts in the area who will shelter us.

He tapped a section of the city known as the red zone, an area that was so dangerous even the police wouldn’t go in. He used the clicker to bring up another image. A large man appeared on the screen. Though his face was neutral, the man had an air of such deadly fierceness that he would rival Jozef’s team.

“Sharif Muhammed Radik.” The room fell silent as Havel spoke the name of a man everyone had heard of.

Radik was one of the fiercest mercenaries to come out of the Central African Republic, or CAR. He’d retired at an early age, an extremely wealthy man. He’d disappeared from the underworld scene, but rumour had it he resurfaced sporadically to target his enemies before they got to him. While active, he’d been known for his bloody disregard for human life and his ability to move freely through the most dangerous regions on the planet, particularly if those regions were on the continent of Africa.

“What does he want with us?” Halil asked with a frown. “He’s more than capable of doing his own jobs, right? Or am I getting the wrong Radik? Didn’t this guy level an entire village to get at his target?”

We don’t question the jobs, Jozef signed. Our client has been vetted by our tech team, and they have confirmed the job is legitimate. He’s willing to pay a substantial fee for the delivery of a package.

Halil shook his head. “Hell of a first job to get back in the saddle, boss.”

Jozef narrowed his eyes. You wish to leave the team?

Halil laughed, the sound boisterous. “Bring it on, Boss. Just wanted to establish that this is the guy who eats babies for breakfast.”

Jozef smiled grimly, but it was Havel