Free Boosted (In The Fast Lane) by Arya Cole

him by the arm and
started to drag him over.
    Brody took his arm away. “Who’s the target?”
    Sergei balked. Brody had his attention now. “We do not need
to talk about this right now, not tonight.”
    “Yes we do.”
    “Come here.” Sergei led him to a more isolated part of the
bar. “This question. It’s not as important as you think.”
    “I need to know,” Brody said.
    Sergei shook his head. “I do not see why you need to know.”
    “I’ve been tailing him.”
    “You do not need to do that. This is why I gave you his
address.”
    “I can’t get the car from his place. Too much security. He’s
got cameras and people all over the place, not to mention the fence. I’ve gotta
find another opening.”
    “And I am confident that you will,” Sergei said, as he went
to move back to his group.
    Brody stopped him with one more appeal. “Look, I need to
know what kind of stuff this guy’s into. I’ve got a bad feeling. Yesterday he
drove off into the desert. He would have made me if I’d followed him.”
    “Maybe he likes the desert.”
    “I’m just saying that if I’m going to do this, I need to
know what kind of consequences there are going to be on the back end.”
    Sergei’s demeanor changed now. “Sit down.”
    Brody followed his lead and sat on one of the bar stools.
    Sergei called the bartender over and ordered two vodkas. “A
drink will help,” he explained to Brody. Once they had gulped down the vodka
Sergei went forward.
    “I do not know much about this man. Only what they told me.
But you’re right to think that he’s dangerous. He is. Very much so, from what I
understand. In Iran he was a military officer. I don’t think a general. A
colonel perhaps. I’m not sure. The story, it’s a little hazy. No one wants to
talk about it.”
    “Just tell me what you know.”
    Sergei looked like he could use another drink but pushed on
anyway. “This man fought in the war against Iraq in the 80’s. He was young then
but very skilled. He rose through the ranks quickly. He became noted for his
cruelty in battle and the intense loyalty he fostered in his men. He accrued
tremendous personal wealth by staging unsanctioned raids on Saddam’s gold
stores, by robbing civilians, and by running the black market that grew larger
in the midst of the war.
    After the war ended he and some of his men, fearing that
they would be exposed as war criminals, hopped the border. They acquired new
identities and spread through the world. The colonel, again I am only assuming
he is a colonel, came here.”
    “So this is a revenge thing?”
    “Of sorts, yes.”
    “I don’t get it. Why don’t they just send someone to kill
the guy?”
    “He is still a war hero. And he still has friends at home.
Think of it more like a game. The car was the first possession he bought when
he came here. He had the etching done to ensure that all who entered it could
read about his exploits in the war.”
    “Quite the ego on this guy.”
    Sergei laughed. “This is true. But I assure you that it is
quite justified.”
    “So the car is his most prized possession. And the people
back home want it.”
    “They want him to know that he has not truly escaped from
their influence. A simple reminder. Call it a simple act of humbling. But all
in fun.”
    “So they want me to steal this car as part of some fucking
joke?”
    “I will remind you that they are paying quite handsomely for
this joke. And besides, who cares about their motive? Isn’t it actually better
than some businessman who wants a fancy car just so he can show off for whores?”
    “Materialism’s not going to get me killed though.”
    “It’s going to be fine. I have faith that you will come through.
At the end of this you will be happy and healthy. And rich!”
    Brody still wasn’t sold. “What do you think he was doing in
the desert?”
    “That is none of my concern. And none of yours.”
    Sergei then left him to rejoin his friends. Brody didn’t
feel any