Page 11 of Savage Redemption

“Not a fucking chance. I work for myself.”

“No, you don’t. You never did. It was always for the Domingos. It was their pockets you lined.”

“My family. My heritage.”

I get to my feet. “We’re getting nowhere. If your heritage is so important, we’ll leave you to contemplate it.” I turn to Baz. “Nice try, but we’re done here.”

“Boss, we could?—”

I shake my head. I’m already rapping on the door to be let out. “I said, we’re done.”

Back out in the dark, dank corridor, I meet Baz’s gaze. “How long are we giving him?”

“Twenty-four hours?”

“Fine. But if he doesn’t go for it, you’ll need to?—”

I’m interrupted by loud banging on the door of the cell we just left. We both halt.

“Sounds like he’s made his decision,” Baz says.

We return to the cell door, and I instruct the guard on duty to open it again. We step inside as San Antonio limps back to his bunk. He regards us stonily.

“Forty percent,” he spits.

“Seventy-five,” is my response.

“Forty-five.”

“Seventy.”

“Fifty. That’s the death.”

“Quite literally,” I observe. “Sixty-five.”

He hesitates, then, “Sixty,” and holds out his hand.

I look to Baz, then back to San Antonio. “Sixty.”

We shake on the deal.

I take my seat again. “There are conditions.”

“You don’t say…”

“Monthly reports, and payment on the dot.”

He inclines his head. “That all?”

“No. I want you off my island. You will never set foot on Tenerife again, or anywhere in the Canaries. Or any other Spanish territory. Decide where you want to set up and inform Baz. If he approves…”

“Understood. How long will this… arrangement last for?”

“Indefinitely. The ransom I set was five million euros, we’ll start with that, then renegotiate.”

“Once the ransom is paid, your percentage drops by half, then by ten percent a year, annually after that.”

Ah, he’s still in a mood to bargain. “As I said, we’ll renegotiate. And San Antonio, Iwillhave eyes on you. Any attempt to double-cross me, or to break the terms of our contract, and I will not be merciful a second time.”

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