Chapter 34: A Tense Negotiation
Kain Amos sat stiffly across the sleek mahogany table from Tammy Gund. The room was dimly lit and uncomfortably quiet, the only sound coming from the occasional clink of Tammy’s glass as she absent-mindedly swirled her drink, her gaze focused on Kain.
Kain cleared his throat, breaking the silence.
“Tammy, I need information on the notable figures and powers in Dalton, as well as any vulnerabilities in their security measures and procedures,” he requested, his voice steady despite the tension in the room. “I also need a list of wealthy art enthusiasts and artifact collectors, anyone who has a collection worth more than 100 million.”
Tammy raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on her lips as she set her glass down.
“That’s a tall order, Kain, but is that all?”
Her tone was casual, but her eyes sharp.
“I seem to recall that the last time we did business, you complained about not having enough information,” she said slyly.
Kain gritted his teeth, a flash of irritation crossing his face.
“Last time, you only gave me a fraction of what you had,” he retorted. “I lost ten of my best men in that heist. If you had told me about the safety measures in the stairwell, we could have all made it out alive.”
His face darkened.
“I paid you a hefty sum for the museum security schematics. I expected to receive the most up-to-date specifications,” he said with a grim and threatening tone.
“I gave you the most up-to-date schematics at the time,” Tammy replied flippantly. “I gave you information of fair and equal value to what you paid. It’s not my fault the museum updated their security measures in the time it took you to prepare for your heist.”
Kain slammed his hand on the table, standing abruptly. Tammy’s guards immediately tensed up, their hands instinctively moving to the weapons at their sides.
Tammy continued without a flinch, giving Kain a cold stare.
“You stood to make hundreds of millions of dollars from that heist. If you want information, you need to pay what it’s worth. And if you want to keep information about your operations from getting into the wrong hands, I’d advise you to pay for that as well.”
Kain clenched his fist and slowly sat back down. He despised this woman, but he needed what she had: information.
“If I pay you double last time’s amount, will you give me everything you know?”
Tammy looked surprised. She leaned back in her chair, studying Kain coyly for a moment. She then broke into a wide grin, her amusement evident.
“Double, you say? I must admit, that’s a tempting offer,” she mused, tapping her fingers against the table.
Kain nodded.
“Yes, if you give me everything. And the information better be complete this time, Tammy.”
Tammy gave Kain a sly look before extending her hand across the table.
“Double the last payment, and you’ll have everything. No details spared,” she promised, her gaze steady. “Send over the full payment, and the information will be delivered to you shortly.”
Kain took out his phone and quickly sent a message to his brother, Dent, instructing him to send the money. He then extended his hand to return Tammy’s handshake, his grip firm and his voice a menacing growl.
“I better not regret this,” he warned.
Tammy gave Kain a taunting grin.
“Learn from this, Kain. If you pay the right amount for what you want, you never will.”
Copyright © 2024 by A. J. Knight
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