A few men drank together in the comfort of a private room inside a luxurious nightclub. A middle-aged man with a beer belly held a Russian girl with one arm and a bottle of beer in the other. He pointed the tip of the bottle at Nico Cole and said, “Don’t forget – we rely on you to make us rich.”

A bald man nodded in agreement. “Since you’re on vacation,” he said, “we haven’t pushed the matter, but we have had our eyes on you.”

Nico looked the two men over. Nico was in his ...