Worth a shot.
He texted Zane. No one on his crew was quite as intuitive as Zane. If Mitch wasn’t on board, Zane would know it.
Five minutes passed before Mitch appeared in the doorway, Zane right behind him.
Tio gestured to the chair opposite his desk and waited for Mitch to take a seat.
“You want in?” Challenge laced his words.
Mitch’s responding nod was immediate and decisive. “Yes.”
“You’re going to have to… redefine… your standards.”
“If the money’s as good as you claim, I’ll buy new standards.”
Mitch seemed sure.
He didn’t sense disapproval from Zane either.
“Jason Boggess is dead.”
Mitch blinked, but didn’t look horrified. “Did someone pay you to kill him?”
“In a manner of speaking.” Tio laced his fingers behind his neck and leaned back, his gaze never leaving Mitch’s face. “I got five hundred thousand for his kidneys. Two-hundred and fifty thousand each. His liver netted another hundred and seventy-five thousand. His heart? Going into a recipient tonight. I’ll get over three thousand for his blood alone.”
Mitch’s lips parted and his eyes widened slightly. Silence descended for a moment before Mitch cleared his throat. “That’s… that’s almost eight hundred thousand.”
“Most aren’t quite that lucrative, but he had a rare blood type. People on the recipient list are willing to pay a lot for a chance to live longer and the rarer the blood type, the lower their chances of getting an organ through more… traditional channels.”
Spin it. Mitch was motivated by money, but also had a weird set of shifting ethics.
But those ethics did shift, with the right reasoning. “Each donor saves at least four other lives.”
“And makes you a whole bunch of money.” The words, spoken dispassionately, didn’t reveal much of what Mitch was thinking.
“I’m not running a charity.” Tio gestured around them. “All this costs money. The medical supplies and doctor… those aren’t cheap. But yeah. I think we retain more than fifty percent in profit.”
Which was why he needed Mitch. He wasn’t sure how they were coming out on each transaction. They were making a profit, sure, but could they be making more?
“Four lives for each donor?” Mitch’s expression altered. No longer hard, there was a gleam in his eye.
He smelled the money.
“Oh, yeah. Sometimes more.” Assuming they were able to use all the body parts, which often wasn’t the case. Mitch didn’t need to know that.
“And it’d be our standard agreement? Fifty-fifty split on the profits?”
Right. Mitch thought he could waltz in here and suck up half the profits? He hadn’t built this enterprise. “Not so fast. I’m the one who built this. You’ll get twenty percent. Just like the good doc.”
Mitch’s lips curled in a scowl. “You’ve gotta be kidding. You expect me to take on that kind of risk for a measly twenty percent?”
“Measly?” Tio arched an eyebrow. “That’s at least forty grand per kidney. That’s more than fair, given that all you’ll have to do is keep the books.”
If Mitch thought that glare would make him squirm, they didn’t know each other nearly as well as he’d thought.
He held Mitch’s glare until the older man blinked. “Make it twenty-five and let me get back to my life, and you’ve got a deal.”
Twenty-five, huh? And to think he’d been prepared to go to thirty. “Deal.”
Now to tighten the screws.
Mitch was already pushing himself up from his seat. “If you can have Zane run me home, I’ll get a good night’s sleep in my own bed and be back first thing tomorrow to get those books in order.”
“Hold up a sec.”
Mitch’s lips curled in a small frown, but he settled back in his chair.
“Know one thing. If you cross me in any way, if you even think about it, that pretty little daughter of yours? She’s gonna pay.” Tio pushed himself to his feet, planted his hands on his desk, and leaned forward. “I will take her and harvest everything I can out of her. Heck, her eggs alone could be worth a good fifty thousand. I could keep her here for months. Years. Continually harvesting bone marrow, blood. Then, when I’ve broken her very will to live, I will take the rest of her organs. Are we clear?”
Mitch shot up from his chair. “Don’t you dare threaten me!”
He sensed Zane tensing. Always ready to intervene.
In this instance, he didn’t need the help.
He held his ground. Mitch didn’t scare him. Not in the least. “You know me, Mitch. I don’t make empty threats. You wanted in, you’re in. But it comes with a cost.”
The sudden silence was broken only by the faint whistling of air whooshing out of Mitch’s flared nostrils. A few long seconds passed before Mitch gave a single nod. “If the money’s as good as you say, I’ve got no reason to cross you.”
“Make sure it stays that way.” Tio shifted his attention to Zane. “Take Mitch home. Tomorrow’s going to be a big day.”
₪ ₪ ₪
Kevyn stepped out of her car. The heels were already hurting her feet and her skirt was a few inches shorter than she’d like, but she had to look the part.
It’d taken her almost an hour to get ready. Between curling her hair, applying a pound of makeup, and putting on this ridiculous outfit, she was already wishing the night was over.
But she still had a good hour’s work ahead of her.
A low whistle came from her left.
She turned to find Sid approaching, hands in the pockets of his skinny jeans. A snug leather jacket hugged his trim frame and he’d managed to straighten and spike his red curls.
“Well, you look ready for a night of clubbing.”
She wasn’t sure if that was a compliment. “So do you. Let’s hope our intel’s right
