“All right, now what?”

“What do you mean? Everything is going according to plan.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Why not? The boy?”

“Yes, ‘the boy’! I still don’t trust him. What if he decides to play?”

“How? He doesn’t have the necessary experience, and he certainly doesn’t have the money. Or are you thinking about an alliance of some sort?”

“It’s possible. He’s innocuous enough to go unnoticed, and he could certainly be used rather easily.”

“I don’t think there’s any cause to worry. He won’t make any moves without coming to see me first, if only for advice.”

“I’m still not convinced. What if he finds out? What then?”

“He won’t! And if he does . . . well, he is expendable.”