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“I will get your money,” pleaded the little, fat man, squirming in a futile effort to protect his vulnerable mid-section. With his arms pinned behind him, the best he could manage was to raise his knees a few inches. “Please don’t hurt me.”
“Hurt you, Georgi?” replied Boyan Dragomirov. “Why would I do that? If I hurt you, you wouldn’t be able to pay me what you owe. And you are going to pay, aren’t you Georgi?”
“Yes. Yes. I will have it for you next week.”
“Next week?” Boyan frowned, then pistoned his right fist into Georgi’s exposed belly. The fat man’s breath blew out in a whoosh, his mouth working like a beached fish. “I don’t want the money next week, Georgi. I want it today. And right now, what I want is for you to tell me how...”
The buzz of his phone vibrating in his pocket distracted him in mid-threat. He took it out and glanced at the name and number indicated on the screen. He raised his eyes to the man holding Georgi immobile. “Nikolay. I think Georgi needs something to help him remember to pay his debts. Take care of it.”
As a grinning Nikolay went to work, Dragomirov returned his attention to the still buzzing phone, thumbing the button to take the call. “Krasimir. What do you want? I’m busy right now.”
“This is not Krasimir.”
Dragomirov felt a tingle of apprehension. There was something strange about the voice—he couldn’t tell if it was a man or woman speaking, and the cadence was unusual—but it was the mere fact that someone who was not his younger brother speaking from his brother’s phone that made him uneasy. There might have been a perfectly good explanation for it, but his thoughts immediately went to the worst ones.
Had one of his rivals kidnapped Krasimir? Or worse, killed him?
“Who is this?” he said, cautiously.
“I am called Atanas.”
The name rang a faint bell, but did not provide anything remotely resembling an answer. “Where is Krasimir? Let me talk to him.”
“Your brother is not here.”
The tingle was fast becoming an itch. “How did you get my brother’s phone?” He said, grinding the question between his teeth.
“I do not have your brother’s phone. I spoofed his number. Do you know what this word means?”
“Atanas,” Dragomirov breathed into the phone. Now he recalled where he had heard the name. “You are the hacker.”
He chose the word deliberately, knowing that someone with Atanas’ reputation would find it offensive. The man—if it was a man—was one of a new breed of criminals who use technology the way Dragomirov and his associates used guns and cudgels. They stole money and information, even manipulated international markets, sabotaged computer systems and held them for ransom.
Atanas did not respond to the jab. “I would like to discuss a business proposition.”
“Proposition? If you are trying to extort money from me—"
“If I wanted your money, I would simply take it. I can do that, you know. This is an opportunity for you.”
Dragomirov tapped his fingers on the tabletop, struggling to switch mental gears. He was used to people approaching him with schemes to make money, and sometimes he listened, but cyber-crime was something he did not understand. He made it a point never to get involved with things he didn’t understand. “I think you have the wrong man.”
“You trade in unregulated antiquities, do you not?”
Dragomirov frowned. The black-market antiquities trade was his second most lucrative enterprise, after gambling. “Are you buying or selling?”
There was a long silence, as if Atanas was trying to decide how to answer the question. “This is a matter of acquisition.”
“Ah, so you want something that is not for sale. You want it stolen. Go on. I’m listening.”
“A very special artifact has been discovered. It is being taken to the National Museum for authentication.”
“What is this special artifact?”
“The cup of Khan Krum.”
Dragomirov sucked in a breath. “Truly? It has been found. Where?”
“That is not important. What is important is that you act quickly.”
“The museum is like a fortress. Even I wouldn’t try to steal from it.”
“You misunderstand,” Atanas said. “I do not want you to steal it. Here’s what you must do.”