Struggle: Grip of steel - стр. 16

I wondered if Cobra also left his guards at the entrance, also surrendered his weapons, also waited at the door until called? I guess not. That times were a little different back then. Times when one could get a good place in this arrangement, and Raven would have gotten it, if he hadn't been so arrogant and conceited about his position, treating the Mountain as a temporary and not viable entity.... And that's the price he has to pay for it now....

Finally, he was called inside. He thought that now his assistant would be ordered to stay where he was, but no, he was allowed to enter as well.

Inside stood several men on different sides of the table, another on each side of the front door. Several of them had one arm behind their backs, no doubt holding weapons in a concealed hand. Standing closest to the prefect was a much younger man in camouflage, not black like the rest of them, but a man in a camouflage uniform. Apparently the second face of this autonomy, Tikhomirov. Stamina and cunning, exactly as he was described by informants. Hora himself sat at the table with a very stern expression on his face, which was especially colored by a large poster behind him with a huge fang and two picks crossed under it – the symbol of the Donetsk- Makeyevka Autonomy.

– You can sit in the chair opposite," said the one to the right of the door.

The chair directly across from the prefect's desk looked in some ways like an interrogation room, albeit without the bias. But apparently it was not expected to be otherwise. The man in charge of the whole thing was clearly not going to demonstrate that he was anyone's equal. The chiwi commander sat down in a chair.

– You've kept me waiting, Prefect," Raven began, and then, realizing that it wasn't a good start, continued. – I hope this isn't a sign that you've got a grudge against us for something?

– You've been waiting, Mr. Raven. – The Mountain answered without even blinking, not angrily or menacingly, but like the devil himself, explaining the gist of things to the man who had sold his soul to him. – Because that was my order. No one else's. And you've already realized that nothing is done here without my consent. You wanted to talk to me in person. And now you have that opportunity. I keep my word.

Raven fidgeted in his seat for a moment, then said:

– I'd like to be very frank with you. So I'll ask you right off the bat. Do you consider us friends?

– You cover our position on the surface. We are extracting raw materials for the Empire. At this point, who we think you are and vice versa is irrelevant. Or do you have a different opinion?