Free Falling

Negative Negotiating

Jamien was sure he hadn't been asleep for more than an hour when he realized that someone was tapping him, insistently. After a minute or so, he thought it was Denitra begging to be thrown out, because her scent, hair spray and baby lotion, was strong. "Go away."

"I hate to interrupt your little cuddle session, Boss, but you have a phone call from the Mayor of Stilwater. He'd like to speak with you, and it sounds pretty fucking urgent."

The sound of Shaundi's irritated voice was like coffee. "Who?"

"The Mayor of Stilwater."

Jamien opened his eyes reluctantly and was greeted by Denitra's black hair, inches from his nose. He looked down and realized that she was under his arm, holding onto it. Wait, what? He sat up on his other arm to get a better look. Yes, she was under the covers, under his arm, holding onto it. He was on top of the covers, near the edge of the bed. When the fuck did that happen?

"Yeah, uh, sure." He ran a hand down his face. "Gimme a minute, and I'll be downstairs."

"Sure thing, Boss." Shaundi turned and walked away.

Jamien took his time extracting himself from Denitra, mindful of what she was like fully rested and had no desire to know what cranky Denitra was like. He'd had enough of bitchy attitudes and still had to deal with the one downstairs. He ran a hand through his hair in an attempt to get rid of any bed head he had then shuffled to the bathroom. Once he was presentable enough, he made his way downstairs to find Shaundi at the kitchen island, a small glass in one hand and a bottle of tequila in the other.

Her phone sat on the cold marble counter. Jamien didn't say a word to Shaundi as he picked up the phone. "Who is this?"

"Mayor of Stilwater, Wesley Fuller. Am I speaking to the Leader of the Saints?"

"The one and only. So, Mr. Stilwater, what can I do for you?"

"For starters, you could release my daughter."

'Holy shit...' "What?"

"You've kidnapped my daughter. Let her go."

"How do you know I have her?"

"Traffic cameras. Store cameras. Eye witness accounts."

"Well, since you believe I kidnapped her, let's do a little exchanging."

"You won't get a damned thing from me."

"Not from you specifically, but something yes."

"What makes you think I won't have the police storm the building and just take her?"

"What makes you think that by the time you got to her, she'd still be alive?"

A long, tense silence followed before Mayor Fuller spoke. "There wouldn't be a place you could hide your sorry ass."

"You honestly think, after all I've done, that I'd run? Your threats are empty. You want her alive? She's alive, for now. Keep fucking with me, and she won't be for much longer. You can cooperate, or get the fuck off the phone."

"What do you want?" The Mayor whispered, defeated.

"I heard that something called the Syndicate, a super gang, is branching out in Stilwater. They've bought property there. As mayor, you should be able to look at property sales, major ones, and find a trend. I need a list of those properties."

"To do what with?"

"Don't worry about it. The Syndicate is being taken care of here in Steelport, and I plan to get rid of what's left of them in Stilwater. To start, I'll need that list."

Mayor Fuller hesitated. "And once you have the list?"

"I'll let Denitra go free. She should be in school on Monday, if you work fast enough."

"It will take time to get that list without drawing attention."

"As long as the Syndicate gangs that are there in Stilwater don't catch on to what you're doing. I'm sure they'll be watching you."

"What if I can't get the list before next Monday before Denitra needs to go to school?"

"Hey, me and Denitra have all the time in the world. Take as much as you need." He hung up the phone and placed it on the counter next to Shaundi.

"I'm glad to see you care about something other than ass and pissing me off. I've been so busy thinking about the Syndicate here in Steelport that I didn't think of those who've made it to Stilwater." Shaundi sipped on her drink.

"That's why I'm the Boss." Jamien smiled. Shaundi turned away.

"So now you have the perfect excuse to keep her around, for extortion."

Jamien nodded as he turned towards the stairs, realizing that it was only seven in the morning. "I'm going back to bed."

"Oh, yeah. I'm so sorry your cuddle time was interrupted."

Jamien didn't stop. "Shaundi, jealousy doesn't suit you."

"I'm not jealous, you jackass."

"I know. But you are a bitch. I miss your old attitude. Just a little though."