Name: Suresh Lal
Age / D.O.B.: 39 / October 3rd, 1985
Gender, Pronouns & Sexuality: Cismale. He/Him. Demisexual / Homoromantic
Hometown: Born: Puducherry, India. Grew up: Newcastle on Tyne, England and Marseille, France. Now: Lower East Side, Manhattan, NY
Affiliation: Syndicate
Job position: Captain / Owner of Shady Plots Funeral Home and Crematorium
Education: Most of medical school
Relationship status: Single, involved with @bloodybusiness (not common knowledge)
Children: none
Positive traits: Pragmatic, Calculated, Practical, Fastidious, Persuasive
Negative traits: Cold, Morbid, Controlled, Selfish, Resentful
â BIOGRAPHY
tw: body horror, organ harvesting
Born in Puducherry, India. Parents relocated to England when Suresh was 5. His mother was French his Father was Indian. So Suresh has British, French and Indian passports. Left England at 15 to live with his Mother's family in Marseille.
Suresh was fascinated by forensic pathology and consumed large amounts of information on it growing up.
Went into medical school in France at 18. He was considered slightly off-putting with his clinically cold demeanor but showed great aptitude for trauma surgery.
When Suresh was approached by a few criminally minded individuals looking for help with a business idea he agreed not because he needed the money, and not for some type of sadistic need, but for the sheer personal challenge it offered to hone his surgical skills.
But it came crashing down three years later and Suresh was jailed at 27 after it was found that Suresh had helped a "friend" to remove and sell their kidney to pay of illegal gambling debts. Only one of the many surgeries they had performed over that three year term selling body parts and making a tidy profit. He was not allowed to complete his specialization as a surgeon and was stripped of his medical license.
In prison Suresh worked as an ad-hoc medic inside. His release was secured after only a year in prison, paid for by the business partners that he hadn't flipped on and that hadn't gotten caught.
After his release ten years ago he relocated to New York with a carefully cleaned background and first worked as a medic and cleaner for the Syndicate. Opening a Funeral home, he showed natural business acumen specializing in black-market sales.
Suresh became a Captain for the Syndicate five years ago. A feat on it's own considering his younger age.
Suresh is clean, efficient and professional. And is uninterested in letting personal feelings affect the Syndicate negatively.
He hasn't spoken to his family since his arrest in France.
Has a soft spot for horror films good and bad no matter how D list they are.
â WANTED CONNECTIONS / PLOTS
Employees of Shady Plots - Syndicate affiliated is a must for any illegal work
Close friends - Suresh is hard to get to know but there are a few that have made it past the surgical steel wrapped around his heart. (most likely Syndicate or Syndicate adjacent)
Professional acquaintances - (medical backgrounds, mortuary backgrounds, utilized the Funeral Home for legitimate business)
Resurrection men- (people that supply bodies or buy the bodies)
Romantic connections - Did you flirt at a horror convention? Did you hit on Suresh at your Great-Aunts funeral? Are you one of the few people that actually got a date? Or one of the even more rare people that actually got to go home with Suresh?
A sip is given up on, as Suresh offers his perspective. No, he isn't wrong â and she is glad to accept his theory as the ultimate truth â though there are many nuances to be considered still. "The smaller the amount, the deadlier the poison."
"AnaĂŻs Murad. And I have never been too much of a lecture girl." Even back in Harvard. "I always thought lived experience could teach better." Beat. "Are you a psychiatrists enthusiast too, Mr Lal?"
Suresh nodded in agreement of the clarification on his rather broad thesis. "Absolutely. So let us enjoy the poisons we can live with, in the right amounts."
He turned to get a better view of her face. Not that he expected to see many truths revealed in an unguarded expression. But still. "I know who you are. I'm sure I don't have to explain how. But I will if you'd like." He shook his head, "No. I tend to feel rather out of place at these events, Psychiatry was never my forte. But if they remember to invite someone like me I might as well use the opportunity to network." He took a sip of the wine, "I would agree that lived experience is a better but far less forgiving teacher. I've found practical applications are more useful than a world of theory."
That is a very deep and complicated question for a yes or no game. Since this is supposed to be a yes or no answer only."No." Because humans are too selfish.
An eyebrow raised, Dimitri's attention moved to the restaurant. His head tipped to the side, looking it over. Unassuming, boring, he had never really considered eating there and Italian wasn't something he necessarily enjoyed. "There's a small restaurant that is open if you need a place to eat. Called Stolovaya. Fantastic stroganoff." It wasn't exactly Italian, but pasta and all that, what did it matter? "Even better for you: it's neutral territory. You have less chance of your meal being...disturbed or anything. Just peace and quiet, what any of us want." And hopefully a clear sign that it may be best to just keep walking.
Dimitri turned back to him. blue eyes looking him up and down, clearly sizing the other up. Just in case. Finally, he withdrew a hand from his pocket. Empty, outstretched. "Dimitri. I'm pretty sure I've seen you around before in not so great company."
Good. Suresh would have rather not ended up with a regular influx of Brotherhood members. And the lack of response made him feel like this was not exactly a major spot. "Stolovaya. Doesn't sound very Italian. I prefer Brick Lane in the East Village anyway." His eyes shifted over the man that he recognized from Halloween as the other mentioned neutral territory. "When I have my meals I do prefer them to be peaceful and quiet. Better for digestion."
Suresh wasn't a bruiser by any means. He avoided fights. Since the only way he won fights was to make sure the other person couldn't get back up. He looked at the hand for a long moment, confused about the extension of it. Suresh removed his hands from his pockets and pressed his palms together with a slight bow of his head in a greeting. Showing that his hands were empty but not willing to close the distance. "Suresh. And I can't speak for the company you've seen me in. But I've seen you too." He straightened up and let his hands stay out of his pockets, "I'm not here to cause any trouble."
It wasn't a place he'd normally pay attention to. In fact, he often just walked right past it. But something about the person just outside had caused a double take. Dimitri paused, eyebrows furrowing, keeping his hands in his pockets. Generally speaking, he kept away from the Syndicate. They weren't, his target, weren't part of his assignment. One little run-in with one of their members, but he had simply been collateral damage. Enemy of my enemy, though he by no means liked the idea of their little organization. Just more criminals, all of them ruining the lives of the common people.
"I don't think it's open yet if you're hoping to eat here." He had turned around, now approaching the other man. "Though, I'm sure there are plenty of other Italian places to eat." Play the part, simply act as though he was ensuring the territory lines were clean.
Going into Brotherhood territory was not something Suresh felt like announcing. So he'd dressed down to blend in a little bit better. Not that he was trying to hide just not cause a stir. A simple recon. Put eyes on the building and the surrounding area. Something Nick had said would be expected. But he wasn't dropping his guard. Last thing he needed was a knife in the fucking back. Which had put him in front of La Vita Vino.
The voice drew his attention. A careful blank expression like he wasn't expecting the man to be talking to him. He eyed the guy up as he turned and came back towards Suresh. He put his hands in his pockets but opened his coat as he shrugged, see? No trouble meant, "I gathered that from the closed sign." Turning his attention a little more towards the other, "Kind of looks like a place that unironically serves mozzarella sticks and has those wine jugs with the red drippy candles on each table. You ever eaten here?"
selim's stomach turns sour at his words. for as many nights as he had mulled over the case-file knowing that they were now looking for remains rather than her, the reality that she would've looked different upon her arrival to any funeral home still shocks him. while not new to death or images of it, the image that it conjures in his mind mixes sickly with the truth that his husband had been the one to do it. a single breath re-focuses him.
to many, the subdued, monotonous yet concerned, curious nature of the man's expressions would've seemed normal for someone who dealt with death on a daily basis. for a criminal profiler, who hadn't been previously introduced to the funeral director outside of work, it might've looked like a calculative response to his higher knowledge of the crime that he was presenting to him. the agent nods. "that would be great, in fact, i can give you the exact date to make it easier for you."
he pulls the ledger from the folder, splaying it across his lap. "you're right about the disregard for the living and the dead. however, you're wrong about who's apology the family requires - if your funeral home was used unknowingly, then not only do i owe the family an apology for not catching him quicker but also you, for what comes next..." because if she had been brought here and discarded of, suresh's business would turn into a crime scene.
finally, he catches the page. "january 9th, 2019 - a week or two of files after that would suffice. i have doubts that my h- the suspect would've waited much longer to dispose of the body. the state of the body would've drawn attention at that point."
It was a delicate balance, helpful but not eager. The right responses without trying to be perfect. But there was nothing to find in this office. And there was no warrant, just a request. Though, bringing the medical examiner made this a little more serious than a simple follow up on a piece of information. Suresh knew that there would be no evidence of her body here. Not after three years. And not in the files behind him. Her name would appear nowhere. Disappearing bodies was one of his specialities. But this was not about outsmarting someone. That was an ego trap. It was about making sure there was always doubt in any possible negative thoughts. To make the innocence feel just as plausible. To make the right mistakes. The ones people that had nothing to hide make around law enforcement.
Suresh checked his watch as the muted sounds of organ music began to play outside of the office. The wake had started right on time. He let the moment distract him. Being drawn into his regular day for a brief second. His attention drawn back to Selim at the offer of an exact date. Nodding, "If you have a date. That would make it much quicker." Suresh listened and pursed his lips as if what Selim said only just crossed his mind now. All the fallout that could come from a scandal like that. "I hope that I and my employees wouldn't fall for something like what you are suggesting. The possible press from something like that-- It wouldn't be just professionally embarrassing it could be devastating. Morticians and Funeral Home Directors are a small professional circle. We talk. Families want to know that their loved ones remains are going to be treated well on the last part of their journey."
Eyes drifted down to the ledger as the Agent said the date. Flicking up curiously at the smallest of stumbles. He wondered what Selim and Fatih's life had been like. What domestic bliss had been theirs before it fell apart? "There is a long chain of paperwork and permissions tracking a deceased person once they have been declared dead. We wouldn't have picked up or accepted remains without those." Suresh stood up and walked over to his paper file cabinets and found 2019 and then January. He flipped through them slowly, looking at each name. "Death comes with a lot more paperwork than most people realize. It would be a herculean effort to forge all of that." But not impossible. Easier to just have an in with the mortician.
The medical examiner's phone went off, Suresh offered her the office next door to take her call privately. The music was low but clear as the door opened and closed. The hushed sounds of mourners drifting in for a moment. The door closed and the sounds disappeared again, leaving Suresh and Selim alone in the quiet office together. He turned his head back down to the files, "This isn't quite how I imagined us meeting again." Moving through the files he pulled out two that were at least close to the woman's picture and asked, "How long have you been with the FBI?" He looked up at Selim as he picked up the two files he'd pulled and stood, "Or is that inappropriate to ask?"
Suresh was a man very hard to read at times, and Luke thought he might think he was teasing or joking with him but in reality, he wasn't. The ratio of silence and his sphinx expression was only increasing the anxiety in him, so he took another sip from his drink. â It's not like I got over a crush or anything, I just learned how to live with it. â As sad as it may seem, Luke learned how to live with unrequited love, for lack of better words to that. Rationally, he knew he stood no chance for Suresh, seeing he is one 'his boss', and two his reputation, and it is not for everyone wanting to deal with somebody who is a public figure and he understood that. â How are you going to spend your holidays? Any family gathering? â
Suresh let a small understanding smile touch his lips as Luke mentioned just learning to live with unrequited feelings. He tilted his head and asked with genuine curiosity, "Then why did you tell me now?" He did wonder because when it had been his turn up until it had becomes a possibility he'd never imagined saying anything. "Please, don't take it too hard. I won't tell anyone." Well, he might tell one person if it ever became necessary. But that wasn't important right now. "I haven't spoken to my family in over a decade. So no. No family gatherings. I'll be working."
When Nick had probably relied on Suresh most was at that hospital. A cool chill to contrast his volatile rage. It wasn't until months later that the Underboss had even thought about how the other must have mourned in his own time. But it had been that constant, that rock, that had steadied him in the end. He had appreciated it though it had gone unspoken. Now, however, that foil was grating on his nerves. The lack of expression, how subdued he made himself in the moment. His jaw clenching, Nick's attention turned to Suresh. One hand leaned on the countertop, hazel eyes honed in on the other. "Es-tu? En colĂšre?" he asked though he didn't expect much of a response. "Because from where I'm standing, you look like you don't give a shit at all. What if a new boss thinks your funeral home isn't needed, huh? Would your status being threatened get even a swear out of you?"
It wasn't fair and Nick knew that, turning it on Suresh. If the other hadn't given a shit, he would have let Nick have his celebration and saved it for another night. Instead, he had given him the truth. That didn't make seeing the blank face any easier to look at. As quick as Suresh was to fall in line as his right hand, that wasn't all that Suresh was. Maybe he expected too much too soon, wanting to see those expressions once more. Not just as the Captain but also as his...whatever the fuck they were at this point. "I'm not in the fucking hospital anymore, I don't need the kid gloves or 'handling' or whatever bullshit you want to call it. This, this I can handle. This isn't my worst and be glad you haven't seen that." Of course, he wasn't aware that Suresh knew that happened between him and Lee in the aftermath but he wasn't looking for just his Captain. It wasn't the cold, methodical Suresh that had drawn him in to begin with.
But king of ashes certainly wasn't where he wanted to stand in the aftermath. The restaurant was meant to be a place to undermine the Brotherhood. Use it as a way to get close to the civilians...then let gossip take care of the rest while he got to smile right to their leader's face. Now he had to switch tactics. Stay on good terms with the Brotherhood, like a snake biding its time. Coiled up, something waiting in the shadows. For now, it could be used for him and Suresh or any of these other trusted few to meet in private, somewhere that didn't invade into his own home. He hated when plans went awry though he could often still push it in his favour. But two battles was simply too much for one man.
The Brotherhood would wait.
Taking the glass from Suresh, Nick didn't throw it. Instead, he slammed it back onto the counter, just enough to send a crack into one of its glass walls. "I don't just confide in you because you're my right hand. I do it for my significant others. Now, you want to shut the robot ice-man shit off?"
Suresh ran cold. Freeze everyone and everything out. A survival mechanism from before prison. Something he'd developed in his childhood at home. Especially around his father. It was what also had made him a great trauma surgeon. Calm and collected in the middle of a crisis. And then a very good Captain. A way to compartmentalize the brutality that was often necessary. But he had shaped his issues with emotions into a professional strength. Even in the funeral home it was a strength. To stand in the middle of other's grief and pain and remain calm and professionally accessible. When it came to relationships it had always been a handicap. He could be passionate when he was happy but his anger showed up quiet. Glacial drift, ice smashing everything flat. Maintaining a safe emotional distance. His dark eyes met Nick's as the other man turned on him. "Oui." His lips tightened into a thin line. As Nick threw words at him. But he kept his eyes carefully blank. His body was telling him to walk away. To leave. To just end whatever this attack was. Because Nick wouldn't chase. Suresh could stop this. His voice was quiet as he said, "You should know me better than that. I give a shit." Just a quiet statement. "It would get more than a swear out of me--"
When Nick mentioned the hospital Suresh frowned. Not understanding. Was that what Nick thought he was doing? Handling him? He'd been Nick's right hand for over five years now. It was second nature. The newer pieces those weren't ingrained. They weren't trustworthy yet. There was no name, no parameters, just each other. He hadn't pushed for any solidification on what it was. He had been enjoying the change but he didn't feel like it entitled him to anything. Protecting himself and content to go at Nick's pace. "I'm not handling you. I'm listening to what you need me to do tomorrow and the days after. Because there will be a lot to do." His hands were now at his sides, compulsively rubbing his fingers against his thumbs, making loose fists. "It's what I'm good at." Be useful. That was hammered into him.
Suresh almost flinched when Nick took the glass, but stayed still. He told himself he wasn't going to look at it until he heard the crack and he had to look down. Just to make sure Nick's hand was okay, worry flicking across his face. But his eyes shot back up in surprise as Nick put a name to whatever this thing was. "Oh--" Not the most amazing statement to ever leave Suresh's mouth. But Suresh looked down at the floor, a thousand yard stare as he tried to fit that into whatever it was that Nick wanted. He looked up, "I don't know how to just turn it all off." His eyes drifted over Nick's face as he tried to do whatever it was that Nick was asking him to do. He shrugged, hands still in loose fists at his sides as he fidgeted with agitation, "I don't have enough information to be as angry as I might be later. I am deeply worried about what could happen in a stupid auction. But I have no intention of letting anyone take everything I have built from me ever again. I am not going to yell or cry or whatever. I am going to find out how to make this -if it's true- work for us. I believe in you and will back you. Not just because I'm your Captain-- Mais parce que je suis Ă toi. De toutes les maniĂšres dont une personne peut l'ĂȘtre." He reached his hand out to touch Nick and stopped himself, folding his arms back across his body, hands cupping his elbows. "But I have more experience being just your Captain. So forgive me if I don't act like I'm your significant other. I didn't realize that's what I was. Like right now I want to touch you but I didn't know if it would be welcomed or helpful so I just don't. It's not from a lack of want. Or a lack of feeling."
âââa nod indicated he understood what Suresh was asking; this was going to be more of an intimidation job rather than the usual service he offered. not that he minded, it meant itâd actually require less time than an assassination usually took; not a lot of planning, studying patterns, and figuring out a routine. and, for all accounts, Alexander was a natural at intimidating people; his very presence exuded an aura of fuck around and found out, a dangerous vibe. ânobody will know I was even there,â tone cold, no trace of empathy; he was creative when it came to that âhe needed to leave no marks, shed no blood to make the other tremble in the mere idea of crossing the Syndicate again. âgive me what we have on him,â and of course, that also meant both what they could hold against him ( or make him aware if he needed to find this one out ) and what business they conducted with him; any details he could use to get the desired result.
âI know we are a littleâŠshort staffed nowâŠâ for lack of better words; despite his close connection to Mathias, when it most mattered he had been busy with personal matters and hence had fallen completely out of the loop of what was really going on.
Perhaps sending Alex to merely intimidate someone was a little overkill but Suresh wanted to be crystal clear about what the consequences would be depending on the targets choices. And Suresh was not in the mood to play games. There were too many important things happening that he needed to keep track of. Suresh nodded as Alexander responded, knowing that they would get the results they needed. Turning his head he picked up a file and handed it to Alex. "Everything you'll need." Probably a bit more than he'd actually need but Suresh was very thorough. He wasn't a fan of question marks.
The Captain's gaze shifted back to Alex at the short staffed comment. Placing a hand on his desk he sighed, "An unfortunate turn of events with long lasting effects." He paused, "It seems insulting to you to tell you to be careful. But with the current uneasiness it bears saying."
Mind racing, sifting through every plan he had had and discarding the useless while filing away those that could still be valuable. Every contact, every possession, every piece he could pull from. Setting the empty glass down, his jaw clenched with every attempt to bite back that anger. Years poured into the job and for what? A fucking auction, like the business and its people were nothing more than property. "There's a storage unit, filled with some personal belongings of mine. It's all property to be sold off in case I became desperate, in case I couldn't rely on what I had and Adelaide's money." He'd make sure the address got to Suresh. Preferably a note that could be burned to avoid anyone else finding it. "It's under Richard Thiebaux." Or, quite literally, 'rich thief'.
Stay focused, he just had to stay focused. The night was meant to celebrate a victory, not spiral into immediate plans. He had everything laid out, a way to potentially draw power from the Brotherhood and, in turn, bolster himself to a new ranking given time. And then someone had to go and fuck it all up. As much respect as he might give their current leader, that was all quickly washed away and the man had become nothing more than another rich man that was an obstacle to Nick. The very thing he had made his living off of.
The words of Suresh vaguely registered in his mind. Anais, right. "You'll do better than that. You'll try and get an invitation if it's true." Nick didn't exactly hide his wealth and who better than to bring in if money was involved? It could be just that simple...or he had other means.
And in the back of his mind, words he had heard just that night rang loud and clear. He bit down on the inside of his cheek. Nick found the glass again, hand grasping it tightly...only to fling it over the bar and on the far side of the living area. Completely away from Suresh, the only clear thought he could have in the moment. Deep breath, in and out. Nick's hand raised, pushing strands of hair from his face. "Oui. C'est tout ce que j'ai," he replied back in a trembling voice as he restrained himself as much as possible in the moment. "....Tristan told me tonight that if I ever got bored, I could burn this thing down from the inside." And in that moment, it was a very tempting thought. But not something he would drag Suresh in.
He hadn't seen Nick like this in a long while. And he frowned. Of course he understood the reason for this level of anger. He'd been the one that had started this spiral. But it would've been worse if he'd kept it to himself past tonight. His own thoughts had mirrored Nick's, though he was unaware of it. The idea of his business and everything he'd worked so hard for being auctioned off along with himself. Building a name, and a new life that no one could take from him again. Suresh would not allow anyone to make him feel powerless ever again. But the blood in his veins was ice cold. But he kept his feelings to himself. Silent and still standing next to Nick as the other nearly vibrated with the effort to contain his anger. He nodded again as Nick spoke of a storage unit. He couldn't help the ghost of a smirk at the name and a soft snort. "Tout ce dont tu as besoin."
At the order Suresh looked at Nick and nodded. "Oui bien sûr. " He'd do everything he could to find a way to make it happen. His arms were still folded loosely over his chest, his watchful eyes travelling over Nick, watching his jaw clench. The tone of the evening had shifted dramatically but it had been inevitable. He'd standing next to Nick, seeing the movement of the older man's arm before he chucked the glass Suresh shifted half a back a step but made no other moveor sound. Just watching the tumbler soar and glitter in the air before landing with a brutal crash that filled the room for a moment.
He looked back up at Nick as he spoke in French and Suresh nodded. Because it was a sentiment the other understood. The Syndicate was what they had. He didn't dare touch Nick, he had never looked for physical comfort when angry. So Suresh didn't actively offer it. He just existed in the same space with his new list of things he would need to make sure happened to make Nick's life a little easier. A soft breath of humorless laughter as Nick shared the advice of the Brotherhood's boss. "Of course a twenty something anarchist would suggest burning it all down." He shrugged, "Tu ne t'ennuies pas. Tu es en colĂšre. Je suis en colĂšre aussi. Mais tu ne veux pas ĂȘtre le roi des cendres."
Looking back down at his own still mostly full glass sitting lonely on the counter with the bottle he brought it up and tilting his head back downed it, though he did not enjoy doing that, and offered the empty glass to Nick, "Do you want to throw this one too?"
"I told him the truth and let him draw his own conclusions." He said he wanted to retire as Underboss, that he had no desire to die due to Syndicate affairs. Both were true but not necessarily correlated. He was the king of half-truths, how he often slid by in life and got just what he wanted. He had originally told Adelaide he was simply a 'self-made' man. He hadn't told her just how he had made himself until deep into their relationship. Quite possibly the one that knew the most actual truth was the one before him. "I can't be blamed if he assumed that me saying I wanted to no longer be an Underboss made him believe I was planning on leaving entirely." But that sparkle in his eye said otherwise.
Nick had only just taken his own drink and was about to blow off any rumours when the words hit him like a ton of bricks. Put up the Syndicate for sale. To the highest bidder. The way his eyes darted from the liquid in his glass to Suresh with a wide-eyes stared. "...What?" Years of hard work, years spent pouring himself into the job, and the past couple of years, it had been his everything. And now, here he stood, hearing news that it potentially was for nothing. Rather than acknowledge those that had given their all for the organization, it might just be left up in the air for a bag of fucking money.
There was a reason Nick hated the rich. Money, that was all they gave a fuck about. That and status. How quick they would turn a blind eye to others for the sake of themselves. His hand clenched around the glass, knuckles turning white witht he force. It was a pure miracle that it didn't shatter in his hand. His plan was slowly going up in smoke or at least the timeline accelerated at a rapid pace. While Nick's eyes were on Suresh, he may as well have been staring through him, silent. Going over every detail, every piece in play, Marking up every item and where each bit of his money was tied up.
Down went the rest of the liquor. Whether it was that or the shock, the shakes were slowly starting to let up. Nick pursed his lips into a thin line before speaking, "I need a fence in the next forty-eight hours." Plan first, the anger could come later. He could still feel it in his chest, rearing its head like a vile demon. "The way I got out of paying most people back was tying up my finances so I could liquidate it when needed. I have properties back home that'll free up a good chunk. A fence will be able to get the money back I keep in possessions. And the restaurant stays off the books." It was his one bargaining chip that could prove to most useful. If it was out of play for the Syndicate, it meant a perfect place to plan.
No one in their group would know what was happening if they couldn't step inside the Brotherhood territory and didn't know they even could.
Suresh nodded. He was used to hearing Nick shape facts into shapes that best fit the picture he was creating. It would have been troubling if he hadn't. Especially when talking to the Leader of the Brotherhood. There was a small self-satisfied piece in Suresh's soul that believed that he knew Nick better than anyone alive. And part of knowing him was understanding that the truth was a very malleable thing. To himself Suresh also knew that everyone had lies they would willingly eat. Even Suresh. He looked down at the glass of liquor he was holding, smiling as Nick talked about people not being able to blame him for assuming things. People would blame whoever they wanted. It was Suresh's job to make sure that no matter where the blame fell (if it fell) the Underbosses were insulated from it.
The rumor was a bombshell and he had tried to find a more delicate way to break it. But it was too important to be ignored or dismissed. Even if he watched that joy that Nick had in his eye a moment ago vanish. His eyes meeting Nick's stare. "Just what I said. A rumor I am sure I was not supposed to hear at all." He watched Nick's face and body language. Suresh wasn't afraid that Nick would take it out on him. But he was concerned how he might respond.
When Suresh had heard the rumor it had concerned him. Changes in leadership where often problems and could explode into violence very quickly. Suresh also disliked the idea of an unknown taking over. They'd gotten lucky enough with Murad and his more hands off approach back in 2022 but there was no way to know what might happen if something like an auction went through. Who might take the helm and who might want to make changes to the current structure. Suresh had climbed too far to let anyone oust him now.
Suresh folded his arms over each other delicately across his chest, holding the almost forgotten, mostly full glass in his fingertips as he watched Nick down his. His face was passive as he listened and nodded, "I can find one. Outside of normal channels." Suresh said the last part because there was no reason to tell Nick where his loyalties lay, Nick knew or he wouldn't have told him to keep the restaurant a secret. He nodded, "I'll make sure of it." Because that's what he did. "I'll also start making short lists of members that can be counted on by us if needed."
"I can find a way to be in the same place as Petros' daughter. He values her opinion in business. I'll see what I can do about confirming the rumor. And who might get invitations to an auction like that." Moving back to the table he set the mostly full glass back down next to the bottle. "Veux-tu vraiment ĂȘtre le patron?"
Oh, he was sure that Suresh would have loved to have been a fly on that wall but the benefit of no one knowing had played in his favour. A way to show that he was working alone rather than for the Syndicate. Which was true to a point. He always had his own game to play and it didn't always align with their organization. "The rich man loves to hear about how rich the other man is. The poor man loves to hear about the struggles. I only told Tristan the truth. I came from nothing and hate the rich fucks just as much as he does. That I gave time and still give time for the community I was raised in." Bending the truth was his specialty but he also knew when to use the truth to his advantage.
Of course there was a price to pay. Pouring a glass for Suresh as well, Nick gave a shrug. "I give him five thousand of my own money and they get four percent of our weekly intake from the restaurant. I told him I was setting myself up for retirement from being an Underboss. When that happens, the profits cease to go to the Brotherhood." That was where the partial truths came into play, where he twisted words for his benefit. "I told him within five years, I no longer want to be the Underboss."
Nick set the bottle down as a sly grin crept across his face. He did his best to keep the shakes down as he lifted the glass, tensing his muscles to hold back the spasms. "Within five years, I don't want to be Underboss. I've got my sights set even higher." There was still a ladder to climb and the restaurant was just the start of those moves. "First we drink. Then we talk plans."
The Syndicate was a nest of vipers. And while there was some ostensible idea of, honour among thieves, that only went so far. Mutual benefit among the previously incarcerated was more correct. But so long as everyone kept making money no one looked too hard at the movements in the shadows. He shook his head as Nick explained what he'd said. He chuckled and shook his head, "So you charmed him in a private room with booze and stories of your hard knock life. And left me to keep everyone else in line? I'm positively jealous." The last words were said with a teasing smile. Dark eyes drifted over Nick's face, down his body and back up. "But really, you just told the truth? At least all the truth that mattered in the moment..." Silver tongued and disarmingly authentic. Suresh admired Nick's ability to fit in with just about anyone he wanted to. He could be charming, sometimes, but not like that.
The comment about higher sights made Suresh smile. There it was. He took a sip and said, "Before we plan I have to tell you what I heard. Since that might cause some changes in your five year plan, mon rĂȘleur. If it proves to be true."
"What I heard is that Petros is looking to put up the Syndicate for sale, and give it to the highest bidder."
Why wouldn't she downplay herself? In the end, that is what her mindset is, to play into it, she has her colleagues to thank or that. With the subject of downplaying herself, she doesn't hold any genuine grief over it. She knew exactly what she was doing.
"You're too kind," she comments with a display of a bashful smile.
"But don't you think how we were just talking about how the over the tops have their place? This is just my place and I'm fitting just right in, if you know what I mean."
Of course Isadora knew her strength and would love nothing but to showcase that-- she was, but not in a way that would be obvious, she'd just label it as her working-- but it was much deeper than that for her, obviously.
She was curious though, was Suresh genuinely curious why she was downplaying her work, or was he trying to get her to purposely expose her cards.
Downplaying was a strategy in the US. Coming from very non-American roots Suresh had noticed it right away, that lack of expected self-effacement as he'd tried to settle into his life in New York. So when it was encountered he wondered what it's purpose was. Like with Isadora. Pretty, talented, shrewd... it didn't square with modesty. But she made it look real. Bashful smile and all. Suresh smiled and shook his head when she said he was too kind, "Rarely."
As she explained he nodded his head, taking a drink. "I do." He paused, "But you don't strike me as the type to enjoy staying -in your place- as you put it." He gave a small shrug, "Am I wrong?"
