"Yes. Very good."
Bruno almost nodded again out of reflex, but Adam had already pulled the bag closer.
He did not open it there.
He did not need to.
The bundles were arranged too neatly, and the weight in Bruno's arm when he had set it down had already told Adam enough.
Something was missing.
'So you really couldn't resist.' Adam thought.
For one brief moment, he considered teaching Bruno a harsher lesson right there in the cafe. A broken finger. A knife pressed under the table. One clean warning that would stay in the body longer than words ever could.
Then he let the idea go.
Not because Bruno did not deserve it.
Because the time was wrong.
'Not now. I don't have the room to push too hard yet.' Adam thought.
If he cornered Bruno too much, the man might do something stupid. Panic. Beg his boss for protection. Try to drag others in. Right now Adam still needed distance, uncertainty, and fear more than open blood.
So he fixed Bruno's face in his memory instead.
'Your time will come. I'll wait for it.' Adam thought.
That promise settled quietly inside him.
Then Adam smiled.
It was not a warm smile. It was the kind that made Bruno's throat tighten further.
Adam looked down at the bag once more. By then he was completely certain. Money had been taken out before the handoff.
He still did not open the bag.
There was no need to argue over numbers in public.
There was no value in exposing too much.
And Bruno was exactly the sort of man who would steal once, deny twice, and kneel on the third turn.
Adam closed the bag, rose from his seat, and picked it up with one hand.
As he turned to leave, he spoke without looking back.
"For today's little trick, I want to give you a gift later."
Bruno froze.
Adam kept walking.
"Since you took money out," he said in the same calm tone, "I want you to remember what happens when you try to be clever with us."
That was all.
He left the cafe before Bruno could answer.
Behind him, Bruno's face had already gone white.
He could not tell what the old man meant.
Did he know about the missing cash?
Did he know Bruno had sent a few people around the area to check when the old man arrived and where he went afterward?
Or was he talking about something else entirely?
Bruno had no idea, and that uncertainty was worse than a direct accusation.
By the time Adam stepped outside, he could already imagine the thoughts tearing through Bruno's head.
'Good. Stay confused.' Adam thought.
Inside the cafe, Bruno remained in his chair for several long seconds before finally breathing again.
His heart hammered hard enough to make his hands shake.
In the end, only one thought stayed behind after the fear cleared the rest away.
His greed was going to get him killed one day.
He cursed himself under his breath.
After today, he swore, he would never cut money out of this old man's deals again.
Adam, meanwhile, did not head straight home.
He boarded a bus first, then got off three stops later.
From there he took another in the opposite direction, sat near the rear exit, watched reflections in the windows, and memorized anyone who seemed too interested.
No one stayed with him long.
Still, he kept moving.
He changed lines again, crossed through a market, paused near a newspaper stand, then used a final late bus to circle deeper into the city before doubling back.
He did that until evening.
Not because it was efficient.
Because caution had kept him alive long enough to reach this second chance.
By the time he returned to his rented place, the sky had already darkened.
He locked the door, checked the windows, and stayed still for a full minute after stepping inside.
Only when the silence felt complete did he put the bag on the table.
Then he removed the old-man pieces one by one.
His own face returned in fragments, younger than the mind behind it.
Adam washed off the last of the makeup, came back, and sat down under the weak room light.
Only then did he open the bag.
He counted slowly.
Not because he needed the number.
Because he wanted to confirm the shape of Bruno's greed.
Bundle after bundle passed through his hands.
At the end, Adam leaned back and let out a long breath.
The expected amount had been close to one million dollars.
The missing amount was close to ten thousand.
Adam stared at the cash spread in front of him.
In another life, even this reduced total would have looked impossible.
In this life, it only clarified a limit.
'I thought I could use Bruno for a long time.' Adam thought.
He sat there a little longer, eyes unmoving.
'Looks like that won't happen.' Adam thought.
He had tried to build something useful out of the man. Tried to keep him in play, at least for a while. But the feeling settling in Adam's chest was simple now.
Bruno did not want that path.
He wanted easy cuts, small betrayals, quick benefits, and the illusion that he was smarter than the hand feeding him.
That type never stopped at once.
That type only waited for bigger chances.
Adam exhaled again and gathered the bundles into order.
He was not surprised.
Only confirmed.
If Bruno became useful again, Adam would use him.
If not, he would discard him the moment a better option appeared.
That was all.
For now, that was enough.
Adam did not care much.