“Not a lot of money to get your ass kicked,” I mutter.
“It’s not,” Dennis agrees. “Sure, some of the top-billed fighters can earn hundreds of thousands for a match, but those are probably only the top one percent.”
“Where does VanZant fall?” Beck asks.
Dennis smiles, because Beck has caught on. “He’s undefeated, so he commands a bit more, but he’s only getting a hundred thousand for the fight, with a fifty-thousand bonus for the win.”
“So he can be bought?” I ask with skepticism.
“Maybe,” Dennis says as he pins me with a direct stare. “He’d have to weigh the risk. He could lose to Mariota, who is also undefeated and the reigning champion of his weight class. That would probably cause his earning potential to be crippled. The other risk is of serious injury. Fighters don’t last long in this sport, as the risk of debilitating injury is high.”
“What are the pros?”
“If he wins, he’s looking at potential lucrative endorsements. A higher salary for his next fights, probably with a cut of pay-per-view earnings. A win against Mariota could potentially send him up the ladder with the big boys who can earn half a million to a million on a fight.”
“So we have to make an offer to him that can’t be refused,” Beck says thoughtfully.
“Five hundred thousand,” Dennis says matter-of-factly. “Maybe less, but if you want a done deal and you want him to fall believably, I think that’s the amount that would do the trick.”
“And what?” I say, still unsure about how Dennis could even accomplish something like this. “You’re just going to approach him with an offer?”
“Not me,” Dennis says vaguely. “But I have a contact who will for a small middleman fee.”
“And just how much then would you be filling in that blank check Beck gave you?” I ask.
“For my investigation into JT and his accomplices, the middleman fee to float the offer to VanZant, and VanZant’s bribe . . . with Beck’s permission I’ll fill it in for $675,000. I dispense all the money so the only paper trail is of you paying an investigative service. We can say it’s a multiyear retainer for me to contract privately for The Sugar Bowl to vet the Sugar Daddies and Babies.”
“No,” I say, turning to face Beck on the couch. His head swivels to look at me with raised eyebrows. “It’s just too much money. Too much risk.”
“Sela,” Beck says soothingly as he turns all the way to me and puts one hand on my knee. “Unlike JT, I have not squandered my money and I have plenty of it. That’s nothing in the grand scheme of things.”
“It’s too risky,” I maintain, suddenly not feeling good about this. “I mean, even if VanZant loses, you’re still banking on JT coming to you for the money. And if you’re lucky enough to have him do that, I’m not about to have you hand over four million to satisfy his debt. I can’t stomach the thought of you giving JT that type of money.”
“It’s the only way to get him out of The Sugar Bowl,” Beck says softly. “It would be a nominal amount to get sole ownership of The Sugar Bowl, which will earn millions and millions over my lifetime. It’s nothing more than a buyout, which is what I’d have to do if he willingly sold to me, and if he willingly sold to me, he’d demand much more than four million dollars. Trust me on that.”
I open my mouth to argue, but Dennis cuts me off. “You could come out cheaper.”
Both our heads turn his way.
“How’s that?” Beck asks.
“Buy his current debt from the bookie,” Dennis says simply.
“That wouldn’t work,” Beck says adamantly. “I’d have no leverage to make him pay. I’m assuming, at the least, his bookie has an enforcer that would impress upon JT the importance of satisfying the debt.”
“I’m not finished,” Dennis says with a calculated smirk. “Normally you’d buy the debt at a reduced price, which is attractive to the lender because it’s guaranteed. But instead, offer to buy it at full price and have the bookie still run a sham double-or-nothing bet. VanZant takes the fall, and the bookie is owed a sham four million. You wouldn’t have to pay a damn penny more to him on JT’s behalf when he comes asking for the money, but JT doesn’t need to know that. You’d essentially be buying the enforcement.”
“That’s too complicated,” I say, nibbling on a fingernail in worry.