Middle Management (Book two of the Yaatra Hombre series)

Squabble (6)

Maresca looked over the remaining board members. She noticed Oni and Modi are on the verge of panicking, while everyone else was steeling themselves ready for whatever she was about to tell them. "His partner has our faces with proof that could land us in jail eventually." She told them grimly.

Modi started panicking now. "This is not good, not good, will someone wake up our chairwoman."

"She is not going to wake up."

"Of course, she is." Modi tried to reason.

"She's dead, isn't she?" Oni asked nervously stating the obvious.

"I'm afraid so." Maria confirmed.

Cho pulls out a knife approaching Shinji ready to stab him only to be intercepted by one of Maria's me. "Let me go, this gui sunzi needs to die for what he has done."

"No if any harm comes to him then his conspirators will expose all of us." Wang said standing slow before coughing. "Sorry the coughing fits started."

"Are you alright?" Milligan asked concerned for his coworker.

Wang sighed looking down and started tearing up. "Last week I went to the doctor's where I would be diagnosed with lung cancer."

Selvagem gave the crime boss a sympathetic look. "When do you start treatment?" She asked him.

"I am forgoing treatment and living out whatever life I have left in my home." He said with a slight smile on his face. "I am also announcing my retirement form the board and relinquishing control of my operation."

"I'm sorry for what you are going through." Shinji said sincerely.

Shinji then felt himself being lifted into the air before being slammed onto the table. "Only speak when spoken to cadela." Selvagem ordered.

"Ow."

Modi decided to chime in. "I am hoping for the best for you wang, but aside from mr. Suzuki being unharmed were there any other demands?"

"10 million in clean credit cards." Maresca answered bluntly.

Cho became even more enraged at that. "Refuse it, if we give into those demands, if word gets out that we were played by two bounty hunters then we will lose the respect of the syndicates around the systems."

"Well, what are you supposed to do?" Oni asked. "They have our faces."

"We are fucked regardless, so let's kill him to send a message." Cho yelled.

"We need information, we don't even know who was on the other end or if anyone else is working with them." Milligan pointed out agitated with his coworkers.

"Then we get more information from the vulture." She said pointing at Shinji.

"You guys are not dead so how am I the vulture?" Shinji asked bemused.

Selvagem lifted him up then slammed him down on the table again. "Ow."

"Then keep quit!" She ordered.

Milligan slowly walked over to Shinji. "I would like for his to go easier if you could just tell us who you are working with?"

"Sorry, I was told to keep quit." Shinji said smartly.

Selvagem just slammed him down on the table again. "Answer the question cadela."

"Why should I?" Shinji asked. "How does that help me? You're just going to back stab me."

Milligan sighed before rubbing the bridge of his nose in frustration. Maresca intervened, "It doesn't matter, my security team is looking into any known associate and family we will figure it out."

"We will need to stall the person on the other end." Modi said.

"Thank you for volunteering." Maresca said tossing the phone to him.

"Why me?"

"Because you're the lawyer." Cho stated irritably.

Modi sighed before calling the last unknown number. "Hello."

"Yes hello, are you by chance the associate of mr. Suzuke?" He asked.

"Yes I am."

"May I have a name sir?"

"Carlos."

"Full name."

"We will stick with Carlos for now, I don't wan't you knowing my name for obvious reasons."

"Fair enough."

"I take it you are calling because you have agreed to my demands?"

"Yes and no." Modi began the negotiations. "We agreed that your associate will be retuned to you relatively unharmed, but we are having issues with the 10 million credits."

"Are you wishing to negotiate mr..."

Modi and yes I wish to negotiate for the amount of credits given to you in exchange for you to not turn us into the United Solar Systems."

"I may be interested."

"How would you be interested in 2 million credits instead."

"Really, you funnel hundred of billions of credits and I asked for 10 million credits."

"Fine 4 million credits."

"Now we are getting somewhere, 8 million credits."

"6 million."

"7 million."

"Deal, how do we move forward from here?"

"You can't be serious!" Cho shouted angerly. "We can't just give them even a credit because we get blackmailed by some parasitic bounty hunters."

"The message will be sent." Maresca told Cho sternly. "My company will find out who he is, and he will suffer."

"Still don't like it."

"You don't have to like it, we just have to bide our time and find them." Milligan explained. "Whatever we pay will be a temporary loss."

"I still don't like this, there is no guarantee that our roles in our little empire will be exposed by those bounty hunters and may not see my family again."

"And that's where your computer skills come into play." Milligan explained. "Once the bounty hunters are all properly identified hack them however you please."

Cho smiled a little at this. "Oh, good some fun."

The three were interrupted by a cough from Modi. "I have made a deal with the bounty hunter on the other end, wo called himself Carlos, and I lowered it down to 7 million credits."

Unbeknonst to everyone in the room, the cellphone was also recording device that allowed Angel to listen in to their conversations. Angel wasin a storage room on the cruise ship that they were using. He put a finger o his ear. "Alright moving on to plan B, phase 2." Angel said.

Thank you for reading, leave a comment and a like please.