Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 81162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 81162 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 406(@200wpm)___ 325(@250wpm)___ 271(@300wpm)
Richard held his composure well, but it was obvious he was unnerved by the threat.
Maddox turned to me. “Would you like to do the honors?”
No, I wasn’t going to chop off this guy’s head. “I have a different approach.”
Maddox made an elaborate bow. “The floor is yours.”
I moved closer to Richard and spoke to him as a comrade. “What Maddox said was right. The people are more hopeless than they were before, which means they’re willing to pay top dollar to forget their troubles. You could charge even more money for this product, and while there’s more risk, there’s also more reward. You could make double or triple what you made in the past. This is a perfect business opportunity for all three of us.”
Richard considered what was said as he stood in silence. His arms crossed over his chest, and he glanced at Maddox. “Alright. I’ll have to use more money to pay off the officials in the army.”
“That’s fine.” The best way to encourage a man’s ambition was through riches. “We’ll transport the batch to the border for you. You’re on your own from there. But we expect a drop at the usual time. Fail to deliver, and we’ll drop our own airstrike.”
Richard nodded in agreement before he looked at Maddox one last time. Then he turned around and walked away, heading back to his car and driving off with his men.
Maddox and I were left alone in the brightness of the streetlight. I had accomplished what we wanted through negotiation and a sprinkle of threat. It was an easy approach, whereas Maddox went from zero to sixty in a millisecond. It wasn’t always clear if he was an evil mastermind or he was an unpredictable emotional train wreck.
Maddox continued to hold the blade like it was his favorite toy. “So, you’re good cop. I’m bad cop.”
“No. There are just more effective techniques than torture. The only thing stronger than fear is ambition.”
He placed the tip of the blade on the concrete and rested both of his hands on the handle. “That’s why we make such a good team. We get shit done. If your way doesn’t work, then mine will.” He stared down the long road into the night, an awed gaze in his eyes. “Look at everything we’ve done in just a few months. Imagine everything else we’ll do in the years to come.”
Years? Fuck me.
“I’ll arrange for the transport of the product. If he doesn’t make good on his word, it’ll be your job to take care of it. I know you can do the dirty work. You’ve done it before.”
Who could talk about the death of their brother so casually?
“So, how are things with the missus?”
I turned to him as I felt the blood boil in my veins. My wife left me two months ago. She left behind her name and her ring. I was just as devastated now as I had been then. Nausea constantly gripped my body, and I’d never felt so weak in my life. But I let her go because I had to. “You know she left me.” I’d stopped wearing my ring because it was too painful, but I never took off the watch she gave me.
“Oh yeah, that’s right.” He snapped his fingers like he’d just realized it. “I think you’re better off. She wasn’t that great of a lay.”
The cityscape in front of me suddenly had a red tint. I had a gun in my pocket, but that wasn’t how I wanted to kill him. I wanted to take that blade and saw at his neck until his head came loose. My hands tightened into fists, and my rage could barely be contained. I suspected he was testing me, wondering if I’d snap under the pressure. The only reason I didn’t lunge at him was because of the consequences.
The consequences Sofia and Andrew would have to suffer.
Maddox continued to watch me, clearly amused by the battle raging behind my eyes. Then a gentle smile came through like he was remembering an old joke someone once told him. “We should cut Damien loose. He’s dead weight.”
The sudden change in subject was jarring. Damien and I had our differences, but he definitely wasn’t dead weight. When he wasn’t fucking everything up, he was doing all the work. He was smart, reliable, and hardworking. “He’s a vital part of this business.”
“Three is a crowd. You and I are the vital parts of this business now.”
Damien wouldn’t blame me if he got pushed out, but I didn’t want to be the only one stuck with Maddox. Even if we weren’t friends anymore, Damien was still an ally against this psychopath. “He knows the ropes. He’s integral to our success.”
Maddox smiled slightly. “Loyalty.” That was all he said.
I assumed the matter was settled.