"Best, Mark - Ceiling" - читать интересную книгу автора (Best Mark)

inside. It wasn’t more than five minutes before Konstantine Borzov,
accompanied by his bodyguard, stepped out of a new Mercedes. The bodyguard
stepped to the door of Radovic’s and unlocked it. He took a quick look inside
and held the door open for his boss. After Borzov entered, the bodyguard
closed the door, and looked around furtively as he walked away.
As soon as the large Russian was gone, I climbed out of the back of the van
and walked over to Radovic’s. I entered quietly and tiptoed towards the back
room, reaching the door just in time to hear Borzov say; “You are crazy. Why
would I summon you? You asked me to come here.”
“Actually,” I said, entering the room, “I called this meeting.”
All three men turned towards me. Borzov looked towards the door expectantly.
“I wouldn’t expect any help. Your large friend received a call. He knows. I’m
afraid you are all alone.”
“Knows what?” Radovic piped in.
“Leo, how much do you pay Konstantine in protection money each week?” I
answered his question with one of my own.
Radovic looked at Borzov but didn’t speak. I turned to the hockey player. “How
many games have you thrown for him, Ivan?”
Lermatov’s face turned crimson. “Never! I play only to win.”
“Maybe not yet. So far, I’m sure you’ve just paid him off, or helped him with
stories like the one about me.” He didn’t say anything. “I’ll take your
silence for a confirmation. But how long will that be enough? You’re the
leading scorer in the NHL. Someone with ceiling on you could make a fortune
betting against the Pens. Well, boys, good news. The ceiling is about to fall
in.”
“You see, fellas, Borzov is a phony. He’s been playing you guys for suckers.”
“You better shut up, Mr. Masterson,” Borzov screamed. “You are in enough
trouble.”
“Actually, Konstantine, you are the one who is in trouble. I should have
caught on when you approached me to talk about my protection story. I already
figured you to be part of the scam, but when you called, I figured maybe it
was bigger. I assumed you had an axe to grind with whoever was masterminding
everything, and by letting me break the story you could get rid of the people
above you and take over. But it wasn’t bigger, it was smaller.”
I addressed Leo. “Who is it? A daughter? A son? Maybe an old girlfriend? And
you,” I said to Lermatov. “Who do you have back in Mother Russia that Borzov
threatened to kill? Parents? Grandparents?
“The truth is, they are safe. Konstantine tried this trick once before. In
Chicago.” At the mention of Chicago, Borzov went pale. “You shouldn’t have
told me over and over again that The Searchers is your favorite John Wayne
movie. That little trick about shooting a dead man in the eyes was what tipped
me off. It’s how I found out about Chicago. There are some old friends of
yours who were very helpful in sharing information with me. I reciprocated.
That’s who called your men and suggested they leave. By now, they are probably
at your home, and your office, looking for you. They might even be outside
right now.”
Things never work as well in real life as they do in the movies. After that
line, I was hoping the door would open and scare the devil out of Borzov. It
didn’t. But Lermatov did. He threw his 200 plus pounds at Konstantine and
delivered a half dozen blows to him before I was able to pull the hockey