CRYPTO: Infidelity (Book 1)

CHAPTER 59: RANKINGS

I sat down. "What is this place?" I kept my voice down since everyone else was being quiet as if we were in a library.

Rockie sat across from me. "It's just a place for us to talk business. So let's get to it then. Did you hear anything about Hal?"

I wasn't sure if this was a trap or not. Maybe Rockie already knew but he wanted to see if I'd lie or not.

"I heard he said he wouldn't talk without a lawyer," I said.

"Good. So did you get a chance to give him the drink?"

"Yes, but you said it would take a few days to do its job, correct?"

"Yeah."

"So he could still talk sometime between now and then."

"Right, but I doubt he will if he hasn't already."

"But he might..."

"Well, there's nothing we can do about that unless you have a way to make him disappear sooner," he said.

"I don't. I already did my job," I said

"I'll let Diesel know you did, and once Hal is confirmed dead, we'll see if we can get you a rank in the Family. I think you're worthy of an eight, but it's not totally up to me."

"How do the rankings work anyway?" I asked.

"It works just like playing cards. One is the lowest, and king is the highest. Anyone without a ranking is either an ace or a joker."

"How do you tell the difference between ace and joker?"

"A joker is someone to be extra cautious around. They're usually the ones who would potentially be very dangerous if they weren't really on our side. It takes longer for them to get a rank."

"That's why I'm a joker? I'm seen as a threat?"

"A potential threat, yes."

"Why?"

"Isn't it obvious?"

I shrugged.

He looked at the guys at the table and then he leaned toward me and whispered. "You're a cop."

"So if I get a ranking, I'll no longer be seen as a potential threat?"

"Everyone is a potential threat, but you'll have more trust. A ranking shows how much you've done for the Family."

"I see. So do you get any special privileges if you are a jack or queen? Is there a queen?"

"Yes. There's one queen and one king, which is the Boss."

"Is the queen-"

"A girl? No," he said. "I know it's weird but we wanted to stick with the playing cards theme."

"Why is there only one queen?"

"Because the Boss doesn't trust anyone else to be that close to him."

"What about jacks? What do they do?"

"Jacks, like Diesel, are in charge of tens like me who have their own gang of nines and eights."

"How many jacks are there?"

"In Las Vegas, we have five."

"Who's in charge of the rest of the members: the ones through sevens?"

"They typically work under the eights and nines. They, along with the aces, are the guys who make us the money from drugs and the like. If you're eight and above, you keep everyone in check and make sure everything runs smoothly."

"What was Hal?"

"He was just a three. He's easy to replace. Do you have any more questions? I gotta get home. Birdie is probably waiting for me."

"I think that's it for now," I said.

"Let's get going then."

We got up and headed for the door.

"Hey!" the guy who had been standing called to us. "Who's the kid?"

I turned around and stood up straight. "Are you talking about me?"

He looked around. "I don't see any other kids around here."

"I'm not a kid," I told him. "And my name's Crypto. What's yours?"

"That's none of your **** business," he said.

"That's Nitro," Rockie told me.

My eyebrows shot up. I recognized that name. It was the name Hal told me about.

"Hey, aren't you that cop?" a different guy at the same table asked me.

My stomach dropped.

"You said your name was Crypto? I heard about you," he said. "Diesel told me you work for us as a cop. That's ******* cool, bro!"

"Um, yeah," I said. "Thanks."

Nitro's eyes narrowed. "I hate cops. You can't trust them."

"He's not a real cop," Rockie told him. "He's on our side."

"What's your rank, kid?" Nitro asked.

"Call me kid one more time," I dared him.

"Or else what? I don't see a gun."

"I don't need one."

"Bring it on, kid. You don't scare me one bit."

"Let's not-" Rockie said.

I blew up the chair in front of Nitro and he jumped back. I smirked.

"We should go now," Rockie said, pushing me out the door.