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Laris. This was taken as a sign of weakness. Eventually, someone either inside or outside of Tagichatn's organization would make use of this. I don't know what would have happened if he hadn't decided to commit suicide--by stabbing himself in the left eye.
    He died late one night. That same night I made contact with Kragar, who'd worked with me for Nielar, and off and on for Welok. Recently, Kragar had been working as a bouncer in a tavern on Pier Street. I said, "I just inherited a piece of property. How would you like to help me hold it?"
    He said, "Is it dangerous?"
    I said, "Damn right it's dangerous."
    He said, "No thanks, Vlad."
    I said, "You start at fifty gold a week. If we're still around after two weeks, you get seventy-five plus ten percent of what I make."
    He said, "One hundred after two weeks, plus fifteen percent of the gross."
    "Seventy-five. Fifteen percent of the net."
    "Ninety. Fifteen percent of the net before you split with upstairs."
    "Seventy-five. Ten percent before I split."
    "Done."
    The next morning Tagichatn's secretary came in and found Kragar and me set up in the offices. I said, "You can work for me if you want. Say yes, and you get a ten percent raise. Say no, and you walk out of here alive. Say yes and try to cross me, and I'll feed you to the orcas."
    He said no. I said, "See you."
    Then I went to an enforcer named Melestav who also hated our ex-boss and who I'd worked with a couple of times. I'd heard he did "work," and I knew he was careful. I said, "The boss wants you to be his personal secretary and bodyguard."
    "The boss is nuts."
    "I'm the boss."
    "I'm in."
    I got a map of the city and drew a box around where the dead man's territory had been. Then I drew another box inside the first one. For some reason, in this area of Ad-rilankha bosses tended to mark the areas by half-streets. That is, instead of saying,
    "I have Dayland and you have Nebbit," they'd say, "I have up to the west side of Dayland, you have from the east side of Dayland." So the box I drew went from halfway down Pier Street, where Laris's territory ended, to Dayland, Dayland to Glendon, Glendon to Undauntra; Undauntra to Solom; Solom to Lower Kieron Road; and Lower Kieron Road to Pier Street.
    I had Melestav get in touch with the other lieutenant and the two button-men who'd worked directly for Tagichatn, and had them meet me a block from Toronnan's offices. When they did, I told them to follow me. I didn't explain anything, I just took them to the office. When we got there, I had them wait just outside and I asked to see the boss. They let me in while the others waited outside. Toronnan had light hair, cut short and neat. He wore doublet and hose, which isn't usual for a working Jhereg, and every stitch of his gray-and-black outfit was in perfect condition. Also, he was short for a Dragaeran, maybe 6'9", and of a small build. All in all, he looked like a Lyorn recordsmith. He'd made his reputation with a battle-axe."
    I said, "My lord, I am Vladimir Taltos." I took out the map and pointed to the first box.
    "With your permission, I am now in charge of this area." I pointed to the smaller box within it. "I think I can handle this much. There are gentlemen waiting outside who, I'm sure, would be happy to divide up the rest any way you see fit. I haven't discussed the matter with them." I bowed.
    He looked at me, looked at the map, looked at Loiosh (who had been sitting on my shoulder the entire time), and said, "If you can do it, Whiskers, it's yours." I thanked him and got out, leaving him to explain matters to the rest of them. I went back to the office, looked over the books, and discovered that we were almost broke. I had about five hundred personally, which can keep a family eating and living comfortably for maybe a year. What I now controlled were four brothels; two gambling halls; two moneylending operations; and one cleaner, or fence, or dealer-in-stolen-merchandise. There were no button-men. (A funny term, that: