Big Mama asked me: "Are you gonna have a problem with killing a friend of yours?" "Depends on which friend."nn"A Yakuza gang member on the management fast track." nn"It's not a woman, is it? I've got enough contracts out on me without the government getting in on the act." The Government of Greater Good frowns on killing females, but men are fair game. nn"C'mon, Aaron, you know the only place the Yakuza has in its ranks for a woman is as a bed warmer."nnI smiled, "They're not as liberal as the Organizatsiya." Quite the contrary, the Russian mafia employs women the way the KBG used to carry a large roster of femme fatales.nnBig Mama twisted the cap off a new bottle of Dasani water. Her pronounced neck muscles worked when she tipped it back. She set it down on her desk half empty. I swallowed dryly.nn"Aren't you going to offer a guest any of that?" nnI drink all the chemical beer I want, but these days you drink all the fresh water you can scrounge. nnShe snatched up the bottle before I could reach for it. "You're not a guest, you're an employee," she reminded me.nn"Part time at best," I sighed. "Which one of my friends needs to be rendered null and void?"nn"It's not a woman.