As the door closed abruptly behind Eli, Jimmy’s false cheer faded.
Leaning forward, he opened the first drawer on his right. Inside, half a dozen burner phones lay in neat disarray. He picked up a black BlackBerry, thumbed it open, and scrolled to a contact: Gateman003.
"Mule on the way. Confirm on arrival."
A moment later, he switched the phone off.
He lingered for a beat, lost in thought, before putting it back and reaching for his Galaxy Ultra. The screen lit up, and a familiar green owl hooted at him. Thirty-day streak.
Jimmy grimaced but tapped the app anyway. Might as well keep up appearances.
If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
"Konnichiwa, wa-ta-shi wa…"
Koh-knee-chi—
Meanwhile…
Eli rushed downstairs, taking two steps at a time. As he passed, he snatched a sandwich straight from the hands of a brown-skinned man who had barely opened his mouth.
“Thanks, Rav,” Eli whispered—utterly unapologetic—before darting toward the door.
“What—?! Really?!”
It was Ravi, the same guy who had called him that morning. Without hesitation, he flipped Eli off, shaking his head in exasperation.
“M*derchod, you owe me!” he yelled after him, his voice thick with irritation.
Eli was already out the door, past the blue-uniformed guard in his stiff, official-looking cap. The man shot him an annoyed look, but Eli ignored it, letting out a good-natured chuckle as he took a huge, triumphant bite of his stolen breakfast.
It was heavenly.
“Well, duty calls first,” he muttered to himself.
He wedged the remaining half of the sandwich between his teeth and crossed the narrow street, leaving behind the unremarkable hotel with its flickering neon sign declaring it “Open for Business.”
The neighborhood was neither poor nor rich—the kind of middle-class limbo where no one stood out and no one was remembered. Life continued under the radar, business as usual.
Well, except for the occasional snooping by law enforcement. Mostly in plainclothes, rarely in uniform.
Eli, as always, blended in like a black crow among swans.
Then, spotting his Tata Nano, reality hit him.
Shit.
It was already half-past nine. Peak traffic was about to kick in.
He needed to hurry.
