Chapter 4 - The Bargain
1411 Words
Garrett Millbrooks, Tov Tech CEO, Cassius Millbrook’s Father
A chill snaked through his body, making all the hair on his arms stand as he twirled his head trying to decipher where he was. His breath came out in small puffs of clouds before dissipating into the darkness. As he looked around the room, his breathing quickened as well as the puffs of clouds. He felt the coldness in his cheeks like tiny icicles puncturing the skin. In a panic, he tried to pull his arms forward but they were quickly restrained by the cuffs, pinching his wrists. He pushed back on the metal chair, making it ring against the floor. Desperately, he tried to recollect how he ended up there, but his memories felt slow and jumbled.
The door opened, then closed. A dark figure opened the door. He tried to move again. A cold laugh sounded at his desperate attempt.
His heart pounded faster, and his muscles tensed. He felt the adrenaline pump as he strained against the cuffs.
The door opened and closed again. The man looked around desperately trying to make out anything in the darkness. How many men? But the darkness protected them.
The coldness began to burn his lungs. Each breath became shallower while aching his throat, and making his mind murky. He heard footsteps rustling around and backs scraping against the walls.
“Who's there?”
Silence ensued. He looked around blindly as he felt bodies warm the air around him.
The door opened, then closed.
A clink, then a buzzing sound before a single bright light popped on. The man blinked several times, then squinted as he was able to distinguish the silhouets of several men.
“Garrett Millbrooks. What are you doing cuffing him? He is our guest.”
Garrett tried to look past the light to the low voice on the other side. They freed him and he quickly rubbed his wrists.
“Where is my son?!”
A newspaper was thrown onto the metal table before him. Straining against the cuffs, Garrett Millbrooks leaned forward to read the headline. Dever Spillance, Murdured.
He leaned back already knowing who did it, DN.9.
The voice spoke again, “You are in a vulnerable state, my friend. Your protector is no longer alive, and these are dangerous times.”
Garrett’s heartbeat intensified. He looked around in fear, now being able to make out more of the room. Four men dressed in black stared down at him. The fifth man was still standing behind the light, making it difficult to distinguish him.
“I want my son. Where is he?”
“We can give you protection for you and your son, but at a cost. Thirty percent of your business.”
He reeled back in surprise. “That’s outrageous!”
The man snapped his fingers and the thug to his left stepped out of the room. Moments later, he walked in with Garrett's personal driver. The slender man had his hands tied behind his back and a gag around his mouth. Garrett now remembered what happened. They knocked him out after showing up at a bridge after getting told his son had been kidn*pped.
“Your driver, Mr. Millbrooks.”
The voice snapped his fingers again, and the man took out his gun, pointing it to the head of the driver.
Garrett leaned forward in his chair.
“No, please. No.”
“Thirty percent.”
“Where is my son?!”
His options reeled in his mind. What could he do?
The voice clicked his tongue. “I am not a patient man.”
He was becoming desperate. “Where is my son!” It was not no longer becoming a question.
The Crimson Spider boss snapped and the mobster holding Garrett's driver threw his elbow down hard onto the driver's shoulder. A loud pop and c***k sounded as the driver shouted out a muffled scream. His shoulder was awkward and out of place. Garrett sucked in a breath.
“My son.”
“Your son is alive and fine.”
Silence followed. He held his breath, then an idea struck him.
“I have a business proposition for you?”
More silence. Garrett gulped. He knew he was bargaining with the Devil. But this was his chance. He could save everything. Garrett was backed into a corner. Which of the two evils did he side with? He knew it had to be with the Crimson Spider, because if the deal went through, he would have a chip in the game, and one that he could influence.
Garrett pushed forward, “Rumors are that you have a daughter and we have a problem. We don’t trust each other. But there is something we do trust, our children.”
Still, the boss said nothing.
“I will give you a lower percentage of our profits and give you Tov Tech stock if we join houses.”
He paused, trying to gauge the reaction based upon the shadows in the room.
“We can’t cheat on one another if we both have blood in the game. Our children’s marriage will be our pact, unbreakable. You give me protection, and this is a business deal not if we work together, not fear one another. No looking over our shoulders and no being suspicious. Money can’t be trusted, but we both have children under our influence. Let me ask you, who remains in control in a deal like this?”
Garrett held his breath. This had to work. If he didn’t do this, the mafia would always be asking for more and more while their company lived in fear. The Crimson Spider would hold their leash. But adding a middleman who could balance the power of two powerful families was the solution. He was sure of it. And he was sure his son would see it that way. He hated he was taking his son’s future away, but if he didn’t, he knew people would die, so the Crimson Spider could control the power and fear. If they combine families, there would be no room for power or fear because they would have invested their children in this deal.
The Crimson Spider spoke, “You have a deal. My daughter is marrying your son. We take twenty percent of profits as well as stock.”
“Twenty percent is outrageous, even two percent would make you rich.”
“Fifteen.”
“Five.”
“Twelve.”
“Seven.”
“Mr. Millbrooks, do you want your driver dead by the end of this conversation?”
He glanced at the driver with tears and fear gushing down his face.
“Ten percent.”
“I agree.”
Garrett breathed out slowly.
“Bring in his son.”
They threw the driver to the ground and took in his son, blindfolded. Blood trickled from the cut at the corner of his left eye, and his cheek was already swollen and bruised.
“Bring in Nikita.”
The door closed.
Garrett said, “Cassius! Are you okay?”
“Dad?” He turned his head.
“I’m here, son.”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I didn’t do the whole come peacefully thing.” He smirked which eased Garrett’s nerves.
“Well, let's practice that now. What you are going to hear, we will discuss later. You are going to have to trust me.”
The boss left. After a long moment of everyone standing in silence, another man walked in and flipped on the flight. It took everyone a moment of quick blinking to adjust to the onslaught of light.
The young man looked to be two or three years older than his eldest adopted son. His brown hair pulled back with his brown eyes slightly slanted and thin lips. A hard knock and the man opened the door. A young woman walked in, was tall with brown hair reaching a quarter of the way down and her back slightly curled. She looked fit and annoyed. She wore blue pajamas and a white t-shirt from the local university mascot.
“Millbrooks, I’ll be speaking for the boss and in future interactions you will be talking to me. My name is Orsino. Garrett Millbrooks, meet my little sister, Nikita Gallacini…”
Cassius turned his head. “Nikita?”
“Nikita, let me officially introduce you to Cassius Millbrooks, your fiancé.”
Both Cassius and Nikita Gallacini yelled, “What?”
- Writer
