I was still in a sort of a trance as we got into the car. Nothing really made sense anymore. That's to say, I hadn't been expecting what had just happened.
Andrei pat my shoulder and sighed. "Okay, I guess not everybody is too fond of me. But, let me show you another example, okay?"
He drove to a nearby bank office and gently led me to the director's office. A well-dressed woman, around her late thirties, welcomed us warmly. "Hello, boss. I wasn't expecting you, is there any problem with--"
Andrei cut her off. "No, we're not here about business. My friend would like to have a conversation with you." For once, he ignored the fact that she'd called him boss, which was quite... surprising.
Okay, she was something else. A couple details threw her facade away, but overall, she was putting up quite a good act. She got up and offered me her hand. "Welcome, my friend. I'll gladly answer any question you may have."
I shook it firmly, in a friendly gesture, and then we both sat. She looked at me in a way that only someone used to deal formally with clients all day can. It was all a mask, but I have to admit, it transmitted some sort of confidence, of trust.
"So..." I started. "I'm curious. What brought you here? What's your story?"
She put on a polite smile, but behind that, I could see a lightbulb turning on over her head, finally understanding what this was about. "Oh, that. Well... I'm... guessing you know about the bridge?"
"Yeah, I know a lot of things."
Andrei interrupted us. "You can talk freely. He's a good friend of mine, no need to walk over thin ice around him."
She smiled again, slightly more relaxed. "Okay. So, life circumstances, I ended up in there. With a kid, and nothing else. And then one day he offered me a position in here, and I saw the opportunity and jumped in."
"What's the job about, if you don't mind me asking?"
"At this point, I don't mind you asking anything, my friend. I'm the office director. In that regard, I do exactly the same as any other office director. It's mostly an admin job, but I also deal with clients -- him being one of them."
I looked at Andrei. "How on earth did you manage to give her such a position?"
He smiled too. "I have my contacts. And she's a very competent woman who started as a secretary and has since got a handful of promotions." I had the feeling that he had had more to do with those promotions than he was letting on.
I looked back at her. "And that's it? I mean, we all know..."
Her eyes glanced at the door to check it was closed and then at Andrei, who nodded subtly. She focused back on me. "Well, the unofficial job is to keep an eye on the bulky accounts. There's usually not much to report, but... sometimes you see a substantial transference, and that's the sort of thing you make a call for."
I nodded, waiting for more. I knew Andrei well -- that couldn't be everything.
She looked at him again for his approval.
"My dear, he knows everything."
"Well... he's one of our best clients, and another part of my job is as his investor. Including the 'no questions asked' part." That made more sense.
"Okay. So... if you had the choice, would you leave?"
She smiled warmly. "I do have the choice. But, well, I'll be honest, I get a small commission from the investor business, so I won't find a better job anywhere else. And as for the 'risk' involved, well, you know who he is, he's guaranteed me legal protection in case something were to... see the light."
"So, what do you think of him."
She almost burst into laughter. "Oh, well, it's not a secret that he can be a handful. But, I don't have many horror stories, so I can't really complain."
Meaning, she knew well when to bite her tongue and accept her fate instead of getting all cocky. Well, I guess she was quite right.
I sighed. "Okay, so, one last question. It's nothing really personal, just a standard screening question -- one I happen to find it really interesting."
"Ask away."
"Say, you get into a safe room, to find Andrei strapped to a chair. He can't really do anything. Nobody knows any of you are there. What do you do."
Her smile vanished for a second before she forced it to be there again. "Look, I'll be honest. Nobody I know, nobody who knows him, will give you a positive answer to that. Is that a good enough answer for you?"
I smiled. "Well, I would."
"Then you're completely nuts." She managed to keep the smile.
Andrei stepped in again. "I'd like to hear a real answer."
She sighed, her confidence mask broken, leaving only resignation behind. "I... have never really thought about that kind of question. I'm not sure what I'd do. Probably run away, as far as fast as I could."
Andrei's eyes were beaming again. "I had hoped something else, my dear."
She closed hers, trying in vain to hide from the Void. "I know well lying isn't an option."
He drew out his revolver, spun the cylinder carelessly, and left it on the desk, launching it towards her. "Take it."
She sighed before taking it. She was trying hard to keep her head on her shoulders, but it wasn't exactly easy. What had she seen? Only they two knew.
And Andrei wasn't helping. "Look at me." He waited for her eyes to meet his. "What are you willing to do."
"What... what do you want."
"I want to know I can trust you. I want to see you're willing to do whatever I ask. Point it at your head and pull the trigger."
She closed her eyes again, in complete silence, her hand slightly shaky as it rose to her temple.
Click.
She was lowering the gun when Andrei stopped her. "Again."
"Oh, god..."
"Or you know what happens."
She took a deep breath, again in silence, this time a tear betraying her emotions, her hand now visibly shaking while going up, a long pause before finally pulling the trigger.
Click.
Andrei grinned. "Okay, that's enough."
She was still shaking when she left the gun on the desk.
Andrei took it and put it back into his inner pocket. "Open your eyes." He waited for her. "Good job. See you around." He turned towards me. "Let's go, Sandy."
