A Transaction II

Trails of hot white smoke came from the metal pipes lined across the walls of the dim room as I followed behind the man. It was probably a broiler room given the heat and the vacant space.

This meant I was either in a laundry mat or at a fast food joint. Places, perfect enough to act as a front for shady business...

He paused as we reached a thick black door, with no handle, at the end of the room. Halting a few feet behind him, I watched as he knocked on the door softly in a peculiar and rhythmic manner, suggesting a coded message.

In seconds, a few clicks sounded from behind the door and it opened slightly, making the light shine on our faces as a brightly lit room was displayed.

Without looking at me, he sauntered into the room casually and I followed. My body and nerves on edge, anticipating trouble.

I found myself in a spacious medium-sized room or let's say an office with white tiled flooring, a high ceiling, cream-painted walls, and open glass windows spread along the top of the north wall that faced me.

There were short rows of cubicles, like the ones you'd see in a cafe or office building, arranged along the length of the eastern and western walls with men and women in professional clothing seated behind computers, with headsets on, furiously typing away or examining the stock market.

Click and clacks echoed all over as they typed, filling the room with a certain kind of buzz.

At the end of the room, in front of the north wall, a rich brown ornate wooden desk was situated with a similar cushioned wooden chair standing behind it.

And seated on that chair, was a short handsome Hispanic man with a buzz cut who had a friendly but cunning smile on his thin lips as his small brown eyes fell on me.

He was dressed in a black suit, trousers, and shoes, with a diamond-encrusted watch around his right wrist.

Behind him, were two tall and muscular clean-shaven men in black suits with black shades covering their eyes, their hands behind their backs and their shoulders squared.

I could feel their threatening gazes on me, warning me not to conduct any funny business.

And judging by the bumps on one side of their waists, they were fully strapped, and not with pistols...

"Welcome to our humble establishment my friend," The short man said friendly, his voice a little accented, with his elbows propped against the surface of the table. "Please take a seat." His eyes shifted to the chair in front of the desk.

The door behind me closed with a click and glancing bending me, I saw the driver shift his body to stand in front of the door, his face impassive.

My eyes narrowed at this but I shifted my attention back to the man in front and noticed that none of the workers deigned to look at me, I gripped my bag hard, stepped to the wooden chair, and sat down.

My nerves were still tense with my body ready for action as I placed the bag on my lap. The man's smile cunning smile broadened.

"So Mr....."

"No Mr. Just call me X," I said casually, my voice a little strained, my eyes fixed on the man and his stoic bodyguards.

"...Right. Okay, X, I'd like to get to know you better but sadly time is money so let's get to business, shall we?" He said with smiling eyes.

I nodded and he looked down to take a piece of paper from one of the piles systematically arrayed on the desk.

"First things first, to my knowledge, you didn't indicate the number of funds you need washing," He read the paper for a few seconds and then looked up at me. "Kindly state the exact amount."

"Two million dollars in cash," I revealed, patting the bag, and the man nodded seriously, his smile widening a little as he glanced at it.

"Excellent. Are you familiar with our 'taxes'?"

"No."

"It's fifty percent." He stated casually with a simple tone and I immediately became speechless.

Fifty percent? One million dollars? Oh hell no...

"Bullshit." I mouthed, my eyebrows furrowed.

"Excuse me?" The man lifted an eyebrow, his smile gradually receding as his gaze narrowed.

"You heard me. This is bullshit. No one charges at this rate. Please be serious." I said, meeting his gaze confidently, a little annoyance leaking into my voice.

"I assure you I'm very serious. This is our usual rate and our clients are more than happy to pay due to the quality of our services."

"Lies, no sucker would ever pay for this. This is just robbery wrapped around in a package," I retorted coldly. "Now please be serious otherwise I'll take my business elsewhere."

I calmly got up from my seat, my eyes laser-focused on the dealer and his guards, the bag clutched firmly in my left hand.

At my words and action, his smile disappeared as a small frown settled on his middle-aged face.

Staring at me, he slowly leaned back into his chair and crossed a leg against the other, his eyes serious.

"Leave? Who said you can leave? No no no, until business is done, no one is leaving this room. Sorry, but it's company policy."

The moment he said this, the muscles of his two guards tensed dangerously, their posture shifting as their hands moved to the poorly concealed bumps on their waists.

Frowning at this sight, I glanced behind me to see the driver standing in front of the door, clutching a black Glock in his left hand, his cold eyes fixed on me like a hawk.

I was trapped. Any sketchy move I make against the dealer would get me blasted nine ways to Sunday, that is, if the guy behind didn't headshot me first.

Hmm, this was a smart move on their part. Any other person would gladly make the deal and leave with half of their money or they'd be killed with none the wiser, allowing them to get the money in full.

It was a win-win situation for them. And it probably worked a hundred percent of the time. But sadly for them, I wasn't like most people...

"I'm not sure adhering to your 'company policy' is the right thing to do in this scenario," I advised, my voice echoing every ounce of confidence I had, as I positioned my body sideways, giving me a clear view of my left and right sides.

"Oh? And why is that?" The man asked coldly, his eyes looking at me with intrigue.

"...Let's just say I'm not like most people," I stated, as my heart began to race, "I can promise you that before any of your men try to do anything, and I mean anything, I'll be the only person to walk out that door when this is all over."

My gaze fell on him.

The man's frown deepened at the sound of my words, his eyes narrowing till they squinted at me, and the room instantly drowned in silence as even the click-clacks of the keyboard stopped.

"...Is that a threat Mr. X?" He questioned slowly, his voice as cold as ice as he met my gaze with his.

And immediately, the men by his sides drew out their guns, silver Uzis, and cocked them at the same time. Their boy language practically begged me to try something.

Just like the driver, the muzzles of their guns were facing downward but judging by tensed arms, it wouldn't take more than a second for them to level it and shower me.

"Nah, it's a promise. And believe me when I say, I keep my promises." I remarked, as if speaking factually, holding my gaze, and his eyebrows narrowed dangerously at me.

Silence reigned once again in the room, my attention was on both sides of the room as my palms got sweaty with tension but no matter what I was feeling, I had to stand my ground.

All this could be an intimidation tactic or it could similarly be the real deal. I couldn't take any chances and I certainly wasn't backing down without a fight.

Worst case scenario, I take my money and leave...

One way or the other, I was leaving here with my money...

The man was dutifully examining me, his eyes all over my covered face, as the tension gradually deepened, the workers quietly facing their computers while the trigger fingers of the armed men in the room twitched in anticipation.

His mouth parted, and just as I was about to transition, thinking he was about to give the command to shoot, he said something that shook me.

"...You're one of them eh? Tch, Just my luck." He clicked his teeth in annoyance and sighed, looking up at me, his gaze no longer cold but flashing with understanding.

One of them?

He relaxed in his seat and shook his head slightly and then he waved his hands dismissively, not taking his eyes off me.

"Stand down amigos."

The men by his sides instantly resumed their original postures, tucking their submachine guns back into their trousers.

I didn't even need to glance to check on the driver since I heard him leaving the room with the door clicking behind him.

The workers, as if released from a spell, immediately started doing what I came to meet them doing, filling the room with the sounds of fingers meeting keys.

"Now then, my friend let's wrap up this deal."

As I observed the almost instantaneous changes that took place in the room with surprise, the man said casually, staring at me with that cunning smile of his, acting as if nothing happened in the last ten minutes.

What the hell just happened?

•••

I'm back guys! Did you miss me? Of course you did, who wouldn't? Anyways, I'm done with the semester so I'm back into business, expect more goodies. Hopefully, I've not lost my touch.

As always, I'll be counting on your support and feedback. So stick around and let's make this story great again.

Thank you and peace out.