way around.”
“How’s that again?”
“It’s easier to understand if you think of it as a franchise system. The Mob gives you permission or license to operate, and you give them a share of your profits. You have to give a percentage, say half, to the guy over you, who in turn has to split with the guy over him, and so on right up to the top. Of course, the guys at the top pull down a bundle, since there’s a whole pyramid under them feeding ‘em percentages.”
“Wait a minute!” Spyder frowns. “The last time I heard something like this, they were trying to get me to sell cosmetics... or was it cleaning products?”
“There are similarities,” Nunzio agrees.
“But there are some major differences, too.”
“Like what?”
“Like the cosmetic pyramids don’t break your face or your legs if you try to operate independently, I sez.”
“What I was going to say,” Nunzio sez, glarin’ at me, “was that the cosmetic chains don’t supply you with lawyers, much less alibis, if the authorities take offense at your activities... or your tax reports.”
“Oh yeah?” I bristles, gettin’ a little fed up with Nunzio’s know-it-all attitude. “Well the soapsy folks don’t whack you if they think you’re shortin’ them on their take, either!”
“Well what do you expect ‘em to do?” he snaps right back at me. “Have ‘em arrested?”
“What’s with you, Swatter?” Spyder sez, cockin’ her head at me.
“You sound like you’re really down on the Mob.”
“He’s just a little edgy,” Nunzio puts in quick before I can answer myself. “We were having a bit of an argument when you joined us.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she blinks, poppin’ to her feet. “I didn’t know I was interrupting anything. I can catch you guys later. Just think about what I was asking, okay?”
We watch her walk away, which is a real treat, as feminine company has been notably lackin’ since we started our trainin’. Then Nunzio turns to me.
“Okay. What’s eating you?”
“The same thing that’s been eatin’ me since the Boss sent us on this assignment,” I sez. “Talkin’ about the Mob makes it harder than usual to ignore. Know what I mean?”
“We wasn’t assigned, we volunteered.”
“We was asked to volunteer by the Boss, which for us is the same as bein’ ordered.”
Nunzio heaves one of his big sighs and droops a little. “I guess we might as well have this out right now,” he grimaces. “You’re talking about us being here in Possiltum right?”
“I’m talkin’ about us declarin’ war on the Mob,” I correct. “Seein’ as how we’re currently holdin’ the bag at ground zero, this is of some concern to me. Sorry, but I tend to get a bit nervous about overwhelmin’-type firepower when it is apt to be directed at me... especially when all we’ve got is government issue crossbows... and leather skirts for armor!”
IF, PERHAPS, THIS concern of mine has taken youse by surprise, allow me to enlighten youse, startin’ with a brief history lesson. For those of youse already aware of the danger cousin Nunzio and I are in, however, feel free to skip to the next asterisk-type punctuation mark.
Nunzio and me first met the Boss about five books back [ Hit or Myth (Myth Adventures #4)] when we was assigned to tag along with one of the Mob’s mouthpieces whilst he was looking for the same Big Julie we was conversin’ with in the first chapter. To be more precise, he was lookin’ for the army which Big Julie was supposed to have been leadin’ in a little fundraisin’ venture for our organization, and which, accordin’ to reports, had disappeared into thin air after encounterin’ a bit of resistance led by the Boss. Of course, in those days we didn’t call him the Boss as we weren’t workin’ for him at the time. All we knew was that there was some bad news-type sorcerer named Skeeve the Great givin’ the Mob grief and we was supposed to keep him off Shyster’s back
“How’s that again?”
“It’s easier to understand if you think of it as a franchise system. The Mob gives you permission or license to operate, and you give them a share of your profits. You have to give a percentage, say half, to the guy over you, who in turn has to split with the guy over him, and so on right up to the top. Of course, the guys at the top pull down a bundle, since there’s a whole pyramid under them feeding ‘em percentages.”
“Wait a minute!” Spyder frowns. “The last time I heard something like this, they were trying to get me to sell cosmetics... or was it cleaning products?”
“There are similarities,” Nunzio agrees.
“But there are some major differences, too.”
“Like what?”
“Like the cosmetic pyramids don’t break your face or your legs if you try to operate independently, I sez.”
“What I was going to say,” Nunzio sez, glarin’ at me, “was that the cosmetic chains don’t supply you with lawyers, much less alibis, if the authorities take offense at your activities... or your tax reports.”
“Oh yeah?” I bristles, gettin’ a little fed up with Nunzio’s know-it-all attitude. “Well the soapsy folks don’t whack you if they think you’re shortin’ them on their take, either!”
“Well what do you expect ‘em to do?” he snaps right back at me. “Have ‘em arrested?”
“What’s with you, Swatter?” Spyder sez, cockin’ her head at me.
“You sound like you’re really down on the Mob.”
“He’s just a little edgy,” Nunzio puts in quick before I can answer myself. “We were having a bit of an argument when you joined us.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she blinks, poppin’ to her feet. “I didn’t know I was interrupting anything. I can catch you guys later. Just think about what I was asking, okay?”
We watch her walk away, which is a real treat, as feminine company has been notably lackin’ since we started our trainin’. Then Nunzio turns to me.
“Okay. What’s eating you?”
“The same thing that’s been eatin’ me since the Boss sent us on this assignment,” I sez. “Talkin’ about the Mob makes it harder than usual to ignore. Know what I mean?”
“We wasn’t assigned, we volunteered.”
“We was asked to volunteer by the Boss, which for us is the same as bein’ ordered.”
Nunzio heaves one of his big sighs and droops a little. “I guess we might as well have this out right now,” he grimaces. “You’re talking about us being here in Possiltum right?”
“I’m talkin’ about us declarin’ war on the Mob,” I correct. “Seein’ as how we’re currently holdin’ the bag at ground zero, this is of some concern to me. Sorry, but I tend to get a bit nervous about overwhelmin’-type firepower when it is apt to be directed at me... especially when all we’ve got is government issue crossbows... and leather skirts for armor!”
IF, PERHAPS, THIS concern of mine has taken youse by surprise, allow me to enlighten youse, startin’ with a brief history lesson. For those of youse already aware of the danger cousin Nunzio and I are in, however, feel free to skip to the next asterisk-type punctuation mark.
Nunzio and me first met the Boss about five books back [ Hit or Myth (Myth Adventures #4)] when we was assigned to tag along with one of the Mob’s mouthpieces whilst he was looking for the same Big Julie we was conversin’ with in the first chapter. To be more precise, he was lookin’ for the army which Big Julie was supposed to have been leadin’ in a little fundraisin’ venture for our organization, and which, accordin’ to reports, had disappeared into thin air after encounterin’ a bit of resistance led by the Boss. Of course, in those days we didn’t call him the Boss as we weren’t workin’ for him at the time. All we knew was that there was some bad news-type sorcerer named Skeeve the Great givin’ the Mob grief and we was supposed to keep him off Shyster’s back
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