“I’ll give you 5,000 dollars if you serve me in russian,” laughed the mafia boss at the waitress…

taking his hand in a gesture that acknowledged their complicated journey. The money was never what changed my life, she replied softly. It was discovering that people are rarely what they first appear to be.

Outside the restaurant, media vans assembled alongside tactical units, with cameras ready to capture the fall of a notorious criminal figure. continue reading …