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That didn’t sound good to Andrei. Having worked at the height of the Russian state doing controlled penetrations of ostensibly secure government systems, he knew there was a fragile line between ransomware attacks by criminal gangs and state-sanctioned penetrations that could be traced. Most of the ransomware attacks against corporations could be denied by Russia, but if they hit the wrong system, it was a very fine line. In no way did he want the U.S. government to start investigating. Especially with what he had planned.

He said, “Did any of those systems turn out to be government? Did you infect a United States government system?”

“No. They were all private.” He chuckled and said, “And they have about two more days to pay up. We’ll get a good payday for this test.”

“Can any of this be tracked back to Russia? To me?”

“Nope. We’re working out of Croatia. They don’t really like Serbs there, but it’s better than working out of Belgrade. The U.S. has already started shutting those farms down through sanctions and arrests. It’s why we chose Croatia, because of the scrutiny. We have a little cell set up. It doesn’t take much.”

“Where in Croatia?”

“Actually, we bounce around. We’re like a group of gypsies. All we need is an internet trunk.”

“And you can penetrate the final target?”

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure we can after this test. But I need the gateway. And the date. When do I get that?”

“When I get it. Just be ready. It won’t be like the test. It’ll have to be precise, on a certain date at a certain hour. Understand?”

Andrei didn’t tell him he already had the gateway. All he was waiting on was the timing, and he was afraid that Branko would attempt penetration early, which would invite compromise. His target took cybersecurity very seriously, and while the zero click would solve the problem of penetration, remaining in the system for days before initiation was inviting discovery.

“Yes, that won’t be a problem if I get the gateway. But...”

Branko rubbed his hands on his jeans and Andrei said, “What?”

“Well, we aren’t making any money with our usual ransomware attacks because you told us to quit that. So we did. And we haven’t gotten any ransom yet from this test. And we’re running out of money. Croatia isn’t cheap.”

“I don’t really care about your woes. The contract was payment after resolution. Go pick some pockets and live in a hostel until I call.”

Branko took a breath, then pressed ahead. “That’s not fair. We’ve done the test. That should get us some payment. Right?”

“You’ll get the payment in two days from the ransomware attack.”

“Maybe, but maybe not. If they refuse to pay and just take the punishment, we get nothing, and in any case, we need to eat today. Not in two days. We’ve worked hard for you on this.”

Andrei sat and stared at him, thinking. He finally said, “You said you had assets all over the country, correct?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say ‘assets,’ but we’ve been up and down the coast.”

“Can you hide something there? Put something in a secure location until I ask for it?”

“Like what? A computer? Or jewelry?”

“It’s nothing like that. It’s a trunk full of printed information that I need protected. Kept well away from any prying eyes. Something from my past that will protect my future. It’s worth nothing except to me. Can you do that?”

Branko thought for a moment, then nodded his head, saying, “Yes. If you give me the cash I need, I can find a place. It won’t be a vault or anything like that. More like an apartment in a small town, or a cave in the countryside, but it’ll be safe. Will that work?”

Andrei said, “That will work, as long as you tell me where you left it, down to the inch of latitude and longitude. You do that, and I’ll keep funding your gypsy lifestyle.”

Branko smiled and said, “I can do that easy. Just show me the trunk and give me a ride back.”

Andrei said, “So we understand each other, I’m putting this case in your care. If it goes missing, so do you. It’s locked, of course. If you try to penetrate that lock, I will know.”

Nikita came into view from his left, towering over the chair, the punishment implicit.

Andrei said, “Stand by for the gateway information and final timeline. Nikita will arrange transportation for you and the case. He’ll also be the one who finds you if you fail me.”

Branko nodded slowly, wondering if the deal he’d made was worth it.