Page 52 of Possession

Another veiled threat.

Jack takes a moment to think carefully about a number. I’m sure he’s weighing what he can afford to part with versus giving Fabre a number that doesn’t disrespect his power. I’d normally step up and negotiate the price in such instances, but I decide to fall back on this one.

If everything I’m thinking falls into place. This negotiation won’t mean shit anyway because Fabre won’t be around to collect.

“Then what about twenty percent?” Jack asks.

“What do you think, Gabriel? Cali will be your division to run one day. Are you fine with that arrangement?”

“In my family, we don’t settle for anything less than thirty percent,” he answers.

“We’re your family now,” Fabre responds, and it’s obvious that Gabriel hates every part of that statement.

“Thirty percent, or we walk,” Gabriel cooly tells Jack.

Fabre crosses his fat legs and settles his arms on his stomach. He’s pleased with Gabriel’s negotiation strategy and, I suppose, with himself as well.

“Then I guess we have a deal,” Jack agrees reluctantly. “Thirty percent.”

“Do you both enter this agreement of your own free will and, on your honor, will adhere to the terms?” I ask them both,knowing full well that someone like Fabre has no fucking honor, but it’s what I have to say. It’s why I’m here.

“We do.”

I stand up behind the desk, denoting the end of the meeting.

“I’m glad we were able to reach an agreement,” I say to the room. “Now, if you excuse me, Jack, I’d like to speak to Mr. Fabre alone for a moment.

Jack shakes my hand, then Fabre’s, and Lars shows him out of the suite.

“Alone,” I say to Fabre.

“Oh, you want my security to leave?” Fabre grins.

“What I have to say is just between the two of us. You won’t need security.”

“And what about your man?” he asks, referring to Lars, who I can already tell isn’t happy about this request.

“He’ll stand outside in the hallway as well.”

“Boss,” Lars warns.

“Outside,” I say in a deeper voice, the one he knows means I don’t want to hear shit he has to say.

Fabre stands once the room empties.

“Okay, Middleton, we’re alone. What do you have to say that’s so important you needed to clear the room?”

I choose my words carefully.

“My fiance will never admit this out loud because she knows how I feel about the situation, but she wants to know how Naomi is faring.”

“Does she?”

“Yes.”

“She didn’t seem too fond of myJosephinewhen she was traveling with us.” He stresses the pronunciation of Naomi’s legal first name–Josephine as if I need reminding.

“That’s because she was tricked and lied to by your daughter for a long time. She was understandably angry. Deceit must come easy to the Fabre’s.”

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