Chapter 46

"Mr Pablo, I have given you a couple of day's grace since you returned my shipment to reconsider our partnership. The years of business we have had has been profitable for both parties and I hope we can continue" Saim requests politely

"Yes we could do but I will need to renegotiate our terms. You are now too expensive and our profit margins have drifted too far apart. To reaffirm our business I will have to insist on a twenty-five percent reduction in cost"

"Twenty-five you must be mad. I would be running at a loss and go out of business quicker than the time it takes a pro to drop her knickers" Saim spits

"Well then, there is nothing more to discuss. Goodbye"

Saim, erupting with rage, slams the receiver down onto the base. Before removing his hand, it rings again. With the phone still in his hand, he lifts it towards his ear. Holding it away from his head, to save his eardrums, the irate voice of the woman, on the other end, is clearly audible as though she were in the room with him. Listening for a gap within her rant, he jumps at the chance to speak.

"I understand what you're saying madam and I assure you I will find out exactly what has happened, and make sure it doesn't happen again"

"That is not good enough, your incompetence has cost me thousands and I cannot take another chance"

"As a good will gesture for you loyalty madam I will knock five percent off the next shipment"

"You have been a loyal business partner to me Saim and that is the only reason I am saying this. You will get me my delivery, with fifteen percent off, by the end of the week. If not then we are through"

As the line goes dead Saim, now hyperventilating like a heavy breathing caller, grabs hold of the line, rips it from the socket and throws the phone against the wall. On hearing the phone explode into minute pieces, his guards, standing outside the door, rush in.

With a head full of sweat, eyes bulging and mouth drooling Saim screams at the men

"What the fuck is going on. Within three days we have lost two of our biggest buyers and have had two shipments hit on the way to their destination. How come not one of you useless pieces of shit has any idea of why?"

The four guards, now trembling in front of their Boss, had no answers but were inclined to speak. The main guard, stepping forward on eggshells, speaks but can offer no explanation.

"I don't know what to say Boss. The two buyers that have changed have had no dealing with us and the two hits on our vans are a mystery. The drivers both said the same. That the van was driving fine one minute then all four tires were flat the next. Before they knew what was happening the windows smashed, something sprayed in the cab and it was lights out. It happened on a back road out of sight and when they came around the merchandise had gone."

"That's not fucking good enough. I pay you lot to assure things like this are avoided. Someone is obviously shouting his or her mouth off about delivery dates and times. I am being squeezed out of the market and that's not on. I have a good idea who is doing the hits but I need some trace of evidence. Do your job and go and find out everything you can or I will get some others to do it."

"Will do Boss"

"Also put the girls on double shifts, all of them, and up the price lists. I need to make up at least some of the money we are losing"

"Boss the girls are knackered as it is. They are already taking six or seven punters a day each."

"I don't give a shit, get them to finish off the punters quicker, put them in the shower and get them back in the beds doing what they are paid to do."

Saim couldn't understand the reasoning of it all. If it was Stratford Pat doing this, as he suspected, then why was he hitting the vans instead of the men. He certainly didn't need the merchandise. If it were revenge for the lab fire, then torching one of his labs would put him out of the drug business quicker than losing a couple of van loads. Either way, whatever was going on, he needed it to finish before he lost too much to recover.