A Negotiation With A Predator
741 Words
Chapter Four
The warehouse on 4th had been abandoned for years.
Kendrick knew that. He’d driven past it a hundred times on his way to the office. Broken windows. Rusted doors. The kind of place where deals went down when you didn’t want cameras watching.
He pulled up at 8:47 PM.
Three minutes early. He didn’t want to look desperate. He didn’t want to look scared.
Both were lies.
The engine idled. The street was empty. No cars. No people. Just the hum of a streetlight that flickered every few seconds like it was dying.
His phone buzzed in the cup holder.
Clara: “Please come home. We can fix this.”
He didn’t answer.
Fix this. Like it was a leaky faucet.
He killed the engine and got out. The air smelled like oil and damp concrete. His footsteps echoed too loud against the metal door.
“Rig?” His voice came out rougher than he meant.
A shadow moved inside.
The door creaked open, and Rig stepped out like he’d been waiting all night. Same expensive suit. Same calm smile that made Kendrick’s skin crawl.
“You came alone,” Rig said. It wasn’t a question.
Kendrick didn’t answer.
Rig nodded, satisfied. “Good. Means you’re serious.”
He stepped aside. “Come in. We talk. Then we decide what happens to your son.”
Kendrick’s chest tightened.
“Your son. Not our son. Not Daniel”
He followed. Inside, the warehouse smelled worse. Mold, dust, and something metallic he didn’t want to name. A single bulb hung from the ceiling, swinging slightly. The concrete floor was stained dark in places.
Rig leaned against a crate like this was a business meeting. “You’re a smart man, Kendrick. You wouldn’t be here if you weren’t.”
He pulled out his phone, tapped the screen, and turned it around.
It was a photo.
Daniel at the park. Last Saturday. Laughing on the swings.
Kendrick’s jaw locked. “How”
“I watch,” Rig said simply. “I always watch. You think I’d get involved with a married woman and not cover my bases?”
Kendrick’s hands clenched into fists. “You touch him, I swear”
Rig held up a hand. “Relax. I don’t hurt kids. But I do protect my interests.”
He lowered the phone. “The test comes back negative, you’ll try to take him. File for full custody. Drag Clara through court. Make a mess.”
He paused. “I don’t like messes.”
Kendrick’s throat was dry. “So what? You want money? I can get you money.”
Rig smiled. That made it worse.
“I want you to walk away. Sign over your rights.
Let Clara and I raise him. Quietly. No scenes. No police. No custody battle.”
He tilted his head. “Or I send those photos to your lawyer. The ones of you in the hospital, clutching that envelope. The ones of you looking like a man who’s about to lose everything.”
He shrugged. “People get suspicious when a father looks that desperate.”
Kendrick stared at him.
This wasn’t about Clara. It wasn’t about the affair.
This was about control.
“And if I say no?” Kendrick asked quietly.
Rig’s smile faded.
“Then Clara tells the court you’ve been unstable. Threatening. That you broke into her phone. That you left Daniel alone while you chased ghosts.”
He stepped closer. “You think a judge will believe you over her? Over me?”
The bulb above swung again. The shadow it cast over Rig’s face made him look inhuman.
Kendrick thought of Daniel’s grin. The missing tooth. The way he said “Dad” when he was scared.
He thought of eight years of bedtime stories, of scraped knees, of “I love you, Dad” whispered at 2 a.m.
He thought of losing all of it because of a lie.
“No,” Kendrick said.
Rig blinked. “Excuse me?”
“I said no.” Kendrick’s voice was steady now.
The shaking in his hands was gone. “You can send whatever you want. You can try to take him. But I’m not walking away.”
For the first time, Rig looked annoyed.
“That’s unfortunate,” he said.
He glanced toward the back of the warehouse.
“Marcus.”
Footsteps. Heavy. Fast.
Kendrick turned
The door behind him slammed shut.
- Writer
