“That’s it? No chocolate? No flowers?”
The first guard gave him a look like he wanted to plant a fist in his throat. Thane just winked.
They led him down the corridor, footsteps echoing off cold concrete, the air thick with industrial dust and cigarette smoke. The warehouse office was tucked near the back, the desk piled high with paperwork and a laptop, with Malcolm perched behind it like a toad in an expensive suit. He had been talking to for the dirt he dealt.
Trish was already there.
She leaned against the wall, arms crossed, inscrutable as ever. Her eyes flicked up the moment he entered, but her expression did not change.
Thane could not help the flicker of interest. Her body was all clean lines and muscle, a good rack under a tight black T-shirt, dark cargo trousers slung low on lean hips. He could see the curve of her biceps and the pale scar running down her forearm. Her brown hair was cropped short, buzzed down to the scalp along both sides, longer on top and swept back in a way that made her sharp features even more dangerous. Her brown eyes were flat and reflected her disinterest. She looked like someone whose anger had slowly calcified into contempt.
She didn’t speak or move, just stared at him like he was something she’d scraped off her boot. If looks could kill, Thane would’ve hit the floor.
He gave her a slow, deliberately insolent once-over. “Morning, darling. You’re glowing. Someone get you flowers after a fuck?”
Malcolm laughed, but Trish looked like she was watching grass grow.
“Didn’t know you swung both ways,” the guard behind him muttered.
Thane glanced back with a grin. “Oh, love, I am not picky. Try to keep up.”
The first guard shifted on his feet. “You done?”
“Not even close,” Thane said. “But let’s start with the boring bits. You gonna show me where the toilets are, or do I just piss in the corner?”
If possible, that only made Trish look more pissed off.
Meanwhile, Malcolm seemed pensive before he gave a satisfied chuckle and nodded at the guards by the door. “Out.”
The two muscle-heads exited without a word. The temperature in the room dropped the moment the door clicked shut behind them.
Just the three of them now.
Malcolm stepped around the desk, fingers steepled over his belly, posture relaxed but eyes sharp. “Look, I know what your lot are after. The Horsemen…you guys look legit on the outside but I have some contacts. You don’t get your hands dirty unless it’s worth your time.”
Thane said nothing for a few tense seconds. Then, as if he had lost a staring match with Malcolm, he said, “We’ve got high-end clients who expect us to be discreet. But they want guarantees. Young merchandise, yes, but they’ll want to sample before they sign on. You understand?”
Malcolm gave a slow nod.
Thane continued, “We’ll observe first. No commitment until I’ve seen the product and the handling. We won’t pay for damaged goods.”
That earned him a slow grin from Malcolm, white-toothed and gleaming.
“Fair enough. Playing it cautious,aye? It would be the smart thing to do.”
Thane unslung the backpack from his shoulder and set it down on the desk with a softthud. He unzipped it, revealing bundles of cash, neat and banded, stacked in tight rows.
“Advance,” he said coolly. “Twenty-five percent as a gesture of goodwill. We’ll talk long-term after the first delivery. If you deliver what you say you can…well, we’ll see.”
Malcolm’s hands hovered, then dipped into the bag, pulling out one bundle, then another. His fingers trembled slightly as he counted, the crisp notes flicking under his thumb.
Greed crept into his eyes like cancer, slow at first, then overtaking everything. The smugness melted and what remained was something ugly and hungry.
He licked his lips. “Right. Right. Good faith. Yeah, I like this.”
Thane tilted his head, watching him with faint amusement. “We’re picky. The merchandise has to be fresh, untouched and undamaged. If I get even a whiff of bait-and-switch, then this deal is dead. And you must know our rep by now.”
Malcolm nodded too quickly. “Understood. We’re professionals, yeah? We will do the proper vetting. Hey, Trish?” He turned to Trish. “She’ll handle the details. Trish, you and our new friend need to work together. Make it smooth. None of your usual attitude, you hear? We want this to grow, yeah? Let’s not cock it up with ego.”
