ManBeast - Book 1: A Kingdom of Predators

Chapter 25

CHAPTER 25

"So, Mr. Thames, while we most certainly appreciate the invite to the event tonight, and this match certainly did not disappoint, my money is still at the forefront of my mind, mon ami. That shipment of Feral captured by the feds has to be paid for; it's not cheap to run a cartel, you know. I'm aware those dead illegal Beast-Men were under your employ for some reason; you and yours have some sort of scheme going I believe, and it put my product in the cross-hairs of the police," the colossal Beast-Man spoke slowly.

Louis Thames, who had watched the match with him in a private VIP suite, did his best to remain even-keeled; "Black Paw" was the most dangerous person he had encountered in years. Still, there were pieces in play and he had not loss all leverage just yet, even if he did know something about his involvement in it all: "I'm ecstatic that you and yours enjoyed yourself, Mr. Paw. The Pride Land guards were in a tizzy when you first showed up, but I called them off to allow you some peace of mind while under our care. That must count for something?" Louis inquired coolly.

The Beast-Man gave a wheezy laugh, sipping from his cocktail after taking a hit from his hand-rolled joint; "No. It does not. I want my money, Louis," he answered slowly. Louis gulped audibly; "Mr. Paw, with all due respect, what makes you believe I would be the person to see about the Feral shipment? We pay the police to stay away from us up here, so we would not want that kind of attention when it comes to a drug operation. Plus, Brotherhood bylaws forbid the use of performance enhancing substances, so it does nothing for us to be involved," Louis responded.

A cloud of smoke lifted from the Beast-Man's face, allowing a moment of awkward silence and contemplation for all parties present. Behind Louis and the Beast-Man, the troupe that accompanied the colossus were sneering and snickering, anticipating that their fearsome capo would murder Louis himself. "What...what if I made you a deal, Mr. Paw?" The Beast-Man turned in his seat towards Louis: "Oh? I'm listening."

Louis cleared his throat and walked in front of the Beast-Man; "The shipment is indeed lost, according to our sources, and for the record, he had nothing to do with that, but I can make you even more money in the long run through the Brotherhood, help you launder it, and even get you a seat on the Committee. You used to be a Brother in this division, if I'm not mistaken...?" Louis asked.

The Beast-Man laughed again, and motioned for his woman to come forward; "Mon cheri, Mr. Thames has done his homework, no?" She giggled and took a hit of his joint as she sat in his enormous lap. "Hmm. I'm intrigued, Louis...but for now, table it. I want to enjoy my time back up in the city," he wheezed deeply. Louis bit his lip, determined to shoe-horn one last bit of information: "Of course, Mr. Paw, there's just one thing you should know though: Stephan Jones' son is a Brother here now, too."

The Beast-Man stopped smoking immediately and motioned for the woman to get off of his lap. He stroked his bushy face, showing an old full-length crossed scar running down the side of his face: "Now that IS interesting...alright, Ça c'est bo: let's talk, Louis. I think I know what you're going to propose. And please, call me Gus; all of my friends do. Say...is Doug Reed still around? I've missed him."

The referee ran over to the edge of the platform, looking to see if there was any sign of Manny still clinging on. It was to no avail; Manny had disappeared into the darkness down below, and not a sign of life could be seen from the platform above. Quickly running over to Frankie, who was still bleeding and struggling to stand upright, the referee raised Frankie's uninjured arm in triumph, pointing to the newly crowned Fang. Camera crewmen who were on scene scuttled up to Frankie, panning around him for the best streaming footage. Frankie let out a roar of victory that rivaled the rolls and claps of thunder in the sky, a signal to all that he now stood at the pinnacle of the Brotherhood. As the referee lowered Frankie's arm, he collapsed to his knees, exhausted and spent from his contest.