Chapter 10. Settling In

It was already 10:00 p.m. when Carlos finished his lesson. The man, Stones, who he had thought was a bodyguard, was apparently not one. He was a “brother.” That was what those closer to the Man in Black, who handled the less-than-legal businesses, were called. The man was terrifying. He spoke in as few words as possible, and Carlos was still not used to his deep voice by the end of the lesson.

Stones and Dahlia—who was also called a “brother” and not a “sister”—had rolled in a whiteboard where they projected the things they taught him.

There was a list of businesses under the Man in Black and a list of people who ran them, except no real names were on the list. Every person listed there was under a pseudonym. There was also a flowchart that showed the order of power and position in the consortium, who answered to whom, and who handled what.

Carlos tried, he really did; he paid as much attention as he could, but when it was all over, he was glad they didn’t ask him