At the top

They sat in the restaurant, eyeing each other warily. There was no one in the place except for them, Boss Hand's personal bodyguards, always dressed in the same black suits, and the staff. The waitresses were prostitutes released from a downtown brothel for that evening.

Summit meetings were rare and always tense. Kosa even broke a sweat, and he had never been seen in such a state. Always composed, he usually picked at his fingernails with his craft tool during tense moments.

A total of eight men sat at three interconnected tables. Seven of them were responsible for seven artificially divided sections of the city. Kosa, for example, was responsible for the outskirts of the city by the railway line. He ran two brothels and three drug dealers. He was ruthless and found it difficult to subordinate himself to anyone. Strongly built, with a dull face, he usually remained silent, and when asked a question, he answered in short sentences. However, he brought in quite a good income, and no strangers ever caused any significant trouble in his territory.

To Kosa's left sat Lala. He earned his nickname for his penchant for having sex with his prostitutes. Lala dressed like an American pimp, which made everyone laugh. He wore a shiny brown suit with fur on the collar and bright yellow suit trousers. However, he was Boss Hand's most trusted man; he had been in the business the longest—apart from the boss—and there were many unflattering stories about him. One of them, the most frequently told, was that most of the boss's men once rebelled during a top-level meeting. They shot the security guards and tied Hand to a chair. They wanted to kill him, but Lala—a tall, thin, neatly dressed middle-aged man—pulled a hidden blade from his cane and sneaked up behind the traitors. They gathered over the Boss and laughed in his face. The guy in charge of the center then spat in Hand's face and told him he was now the boss. Lala then decapitated most of the heads with a single swing. Apparently, the blade hidden in the staff was forged by a Japanese master craftsman who crafted samurai swords. Regardless, after Lala's precise cut, two traitors remained. One insignificant piece of trash, who, according to the story, ruled the area now belonging to Mały, and the guy who ruled the center. The former didn't have to wait long; his head joined the others with the next swing. Lala used the other side of the blade on the center guy to stun him and untied Hand. The boss took care of the job himself. On Hand's desk, a jar of formaldehyde still sits, with some indistinct object floating in it. It's said to be the traitor's testicles and scrotum.

Lala had ruled the city center ever since, and that's why he sat to the right of Boss Hand. The boss himself was a fat, bald man who barely fit in his chair. He wore an expensive, tailored suit. On his right hand, he wore a huge signet ring with the two letters "SR" inscribed in it. To Kosa's right sat Mały, the youngest of the rulers. He was only twenty-four years old, not particularly distinguished, but he had once saved the life of the Boss's daughter, which is why the Boss appointed him to the position of ruler. Mały ruled the smallest and least profitable part of the city, a mere slum. Opposite Boss Hand sat the Romanian. A dark-skinned man, his face scarred by countless scars. He managed the section near the city center known as the Hole. He was the only one besides Lala who owned an illegal casino in his section. To the boss's left sat Bioły, the boss's son, who managed the section by the airport. Next to Bioły, Fart rocked on a chair. Fart took as many bullets as any of them had ever fired. And he survived. The last of the rulers was Satan. A ruthless man who killed anyone who got in his way. His favorite pastime was inventing ever more elaborate ways of killing. Each of them pretended to be relaxed, but each was nervous. Besides them, at a smaller table at the back of the room sat the newbies – candidates for the ruling positions. There were three of them, which almost certainly meant that three of the old ones would have to resign today. It was never pleasant.

"Hello everyone. You know very well that these meetings are not called for fun. Many of you have something on your conscience, and many of you are nervous about it," Hand said. "I intend to do some cleaning up in our family business today. I gathered you here because you are responsible for my kingdom. I chose you because I believed I could trust you. I trusted a few of you implicitly, and I still trust even fewer today. For the body to function properly, all its organs must be healthy. You are those organs." A murmur of understanding ran through the Hall. Everyone nodded and whispered in agreement. "Today I want to heal a few organs and perform a few essential surgeries to keep the body functioning. Now, a few words to the New Ones. It may be that none of you will take a position today. It may be that from now on, some of you, or all three of you, will rule. In any case, you are to listen and remember what's happening here. One day you will rule. Then I want you to remember meetings like this."

Kosa took out his knife and began picking at his fingernails, sweating constantly. The little one looked around the Hall; for him, this was his first summit meeting, aside from the one where he replaced another ruler.

"I'll start from the end. Romanian. You've been ruling your part for four years. You're my friend."

"I'm trying, Boss. You know I'd never cheat on you," the Romanian said, visibly pleased with himself.

"That's what I thought until now. But lately, your neighborhood has been generating little revenue. I thought, 'Is a Romanian lying to me? He would never do that.

' "Fewer and fewer people are buying drugs from me. Most of them get their stuff from out of town. I'll go there next week and shake them up," the Romanian said nervously.

"I know. I sent a spy to you, you haven't betrayed my trust. Do something about it, or you'll be giving me your share as compensation."

"Okay, boss. Next week, there won't be a problem." The Romanian turned red, and a few drops of water trickled down his forehead.

"Go ahead. Satan, I have no complaints about you. You're loyal and prosperous. Just watch out for your whores. I heard a few of them are walking around with bruises. I don't care if it's your work or the clients'. I don't want to hear any more about it." A few chuckles could be heard in the room.

"You have to respect women, Satan, take a cue from me," said Lala.

"To get some kind of scab?" Satan retorted. Lala stood up, glaring at Satan. He stood up too, but Hand grabbed Lala's elbow, pulling him down, and motioned for Satan to calm down.

"Okay, boss, it'll be done, the girls will be fine," said Satan with a goofy smile on his face. Hand turned his gaze to the next family member.

"Kid, despite your poor performance, you're doing well. Your income has almost reached Kosa's. You have a lot to learn, though. It's not always worth giving second chances. I think you'll understand today. You know what I'm talking about?

" "Yes, boss. About that trash Woman. I'll destroy him, I'll get to it right after we meet." I wanted to give him a chance; he could have kept his head down. Because he has a wife and two children, Boss, but a sheep doesn't understand how you talk to him once.

"I trust you'd take care of this, but I don't think you'll get the chance." Little Man wanted to say something that would save him from a miserable fate, but Hand silenced him with a significant gesture. Everyone nervously watched from Boss Hand to Little Man. They waited to see what would happen.

"Luck. From now on, luck has deserted you." Hand Man pulled out his hand, which had been hidden under the table, and aimed the gun at Little Man. He fired before he realized what he was doing. His face turned into a bloody mess, with a gaping hole where his nose had been. Through the hole, a section of the bloody wall could be seen. "Luck decided to pay half of his income into his pension instead of settling accounts with me. As you can see, he made a mistake, because there will be no pension. Little Man, please take his place."

Little Man, visibly relieved, stood up and moved to the other side of the table. As he passed the boss, he knelt down and kissed the signet ring on his hand.

"I haven't forgotten what you did for Nadia. I also know you love her more than life itself. She has feelings for you too. If you don't disappoint me, I'll consent to your marriage. Bary!" Hand shouted. One of the newcomers stood up at a table in the back. He was a portly man, about six feet tall, and dressed in a shriveled brown jacket. "You'll take Little One's place. Your first task is to take care of Babski. Your second, buy yourself some decent clothes.

" "Yes, Boss Handy," Handy said, and moved his massive bulk to the empty seat. Everyone began applauding, a traditional gesture when welcoming a new ruler.

Meanwhile, Little One had pushed Fart's corpse off the chair, wiped the seat, and sat down. Handy continued.

"Kosa. You know. We talked yesterday." Kosa merely nodded and continued cleaning his fingernails. Despite everything, sweat continued to trickle down his face.

"Son." I have a surprise for you today. I'm proud of you. You're a good leader. You're nowhere near Lala yet, but you've been working much less hours. You're capable of taking care of the district. It's commendable that none of your men have gone to jail since you took over the area. For now, however, you must leave us; I don't want you to hear certain words. I'll call you when your time comes." As he spoke, Hand placed his left hand on White's shoulder. Clearly displeased, White said,

"But, Father. Everything that concerns business concerns me as well. Let me stay.

" "What's about to happen isn't business. Lala, please tell him that not everything that happens here needs to be seen." Lala made a sweeping gesture with his hand, indicating he was about to say something simple, yet important.

"That's true, young boss. If you could stay, I'm sure Hand would let you. Please leave. Being the boss's right-hand man, I've learned to obey orders." Lala said this in his smooth, almost feminine voice. Bary, unaware of his stupidity, snorted with laughter. Lala pulled a blade from his cane and branded his cheek. A thin line of blood trickled down it and ran into the collar of his jacket. Bary clutched his face but said nothing more. The center commander sheathed the blade and looked at the boss's son.

"Okay, I'm leaving," said Bioly and rose from the table. He walked across the room and out the door.

"Lala. You've been my right-hand man for many years. You've helped me in many situations, and I suppose I can trust you like a brother?"

"Of course, Hand." Lala said this in his most serious voice.

"Everything's fine with your business. You're the most profitable. I'm pleased with you.

" "Thank you, boss. I'm trying.

" "I heard you're not fucking your whores anymore." Lala looked at the boss in surprise. He didn't know what the point of this was. After a moment of confusion, he said:

"Habits change, boss." Lala scanned the room, searching for the stupid smiles he could wipe off his face.

"I also heard you found yourself a woman, is that true?" Hand now placed his right hand on Lala's shoulder.

"Boss..." Lala began, and Hand nodded towards Kosa.

"Why the fuck did it have to be my wife!?" Hand screamed. Kosa grabbed Lala by the hair and slit his throat in one smooth movement. Blood sprayed Hand's boss's face. Lala slumped back in his chair, his head lolling back. Hand licked his lips, and Kosa cleaned the knife with a tissue lying on the table.

"Your balls will rest in my office," Hand muttered. "Next to the ones who made you my right hand. Call my son; from now on, he'll rule the center."