across the bed at him. “You know how I feel about being told to relax.”
He starts to laugh but a knock breaks through our conversation. And since Cole and I were the only ones talking, we shut it down because the three strong raps on wood did not come from our door.
I look at Cole and he loses his cocky and demented sense of humor.
The crystal and ice we’ve been listening to for far too long hits a hard surface right before the latch to his condo turns.
“You’re late.” Not the friendliest of greetings. I assume it’s not a lover he’s intending to woo.
“Ah, Chuck. We’ve got time.” Hmm. A man. An American he could have met in the States?
The door slams. “I’m busy and don’t have time to wait around on you.”
“You’re in paradise. You can’t be busy.”
It doesn’t take much for Randolph’s fire to burn as hot as the tropical sun. “I have no desire to be near you—this is the only safe place we can meet to discuss business. And we have a lot to discuss.”
More ice cubes and glass clinking followed by a dramatic sigh. “Go on then, Chuckie. Get to it.”
A pause settles over the wires before Randolph spills. “I’m raising my rate. From now on, if you want your contracts, I need twenty-five percent.”
If I were a jumpy person, I might jerk out of my skin. But instead, I look at Cole and cock a brow when the gent howls with laughter at Randolph’s pathetic excuse at negotiations. Once he finally gets control of his hilarity, I can barely make out his next words. “You made me leave the country, change planes three times so I wouldn’t be followed, and fucking sweat my ass off to ask me that? I told you how I feel about the fucking heat.”
“I’m not asking,” Randolph bites. “This is non-negotiable. My prices are going up. It’s called inflation. It’s the American way.”
“Bribery.” His associate drawls. He might as well be speaking to a small child, and not one as bright as Abbott. “Bri-ber-y tends to raise prices more than inflation. So many people want a cut, don’t they?”
“Prices have spiked,” Randolph bites. “I can’t help what’s going on with the Euro. Manufacturing costs have increased, so have other services.”
Glass hits glass angrier this time—followed by an even louder bang, and now I’m worried for his decanter. “I’m in the business, Randolph. I know what military-grade weapons cost. You shouldn’t’ve brought me here to feed me shit about an industry I know inside and out. You get fifteen percent to make sure we get awarded the contracts. It won’t change. I won’t allow it. Whatever extra expenses you have are on you and you alone.”
“Dammit, Ambrose. Listen to reason. We need each other for this cycle to keep going.”
Ambrose. My eyes shift to Cole but his are on a laptop he’s tapping away on.
“Wrong. I don’t need you. Without you, I’ll have to make my bids competitive. You seem to forget, your kickback is what we’re gouging from the government. I’m not making any extra, just a guaranteed contract.”
“Raise your bids.” Randolph’s desperation leaks through the wires. I might not be in the same room but his anxiety is easy to feel in his tone. “No one will take a hit—not you and not me. You know my take is small. I might get fifteen percent, but I send most of it to Europe to keep this shit moving. We need to make sure the defense committee continues to buy at the rate they do.”
The man lowers his voice, yet it eerily becomes louder as he’s gotten closer to the bug. “You might’ve started this cyclone, Randolph, but do not fucking tell me how to run my business. You gave me an opportunity years ago, I took it. What you do with the government’s money I feed you under the table is on you. You’re the one who turns your kickbacks into fucking blood money—not me. I keep my employees in jobs, make sure they have health insurance, and offer them a safe place to make a competitive wage. You create havoc on the other side of the world so our military stays engaged. You’ll take that to the grave—not me.”
I sit up straight and ignore the stabbing pain in my abs. When I twist to look at Cole, his expression mirrors my surprise.
Randolph keeps arguing his point. “You’re in as deep as me. The cost is low but