Page 48 of Saved By the Pitcher

“That’s not why…” Vicksburg started. He took a large inhale of breath, then composed himself. “You should leave now.”

“But you haven’t heard my proposal yet,” Mike pressed. “As my new business partner, you should hear my thoughts.”

Vicksburg grimaced. “You won’t be my partner. I’ll stop this deal.”

“Hmm, I’m not sure how,” Mike mused. “Stan sure seems concerned about his reputation and his freedom. I don’t think you throwing cash his way is going to change his mind about selling to me. Whatever money you could give him won’t make watching the baseball games on his cellmate’s lap better, especially if he’s worrying about getting shanked at every turn.”

“Careful, Cooper,” Vicksburg warned. “You may be the one who gets shanked before you can sign the papers. Not that I would have anything to do with it, of course.”

Mike grinned. “Of course not. After all, you can’t know what your crazy connections might do, right? And you are very well connected, according to James. Organized crime, the police, fellow politicians… But here’s the thing, Charles. Can I call you Charles?” He didn’t wait for assent. “Stan already communicated to his business associates and his family of his intent to sell to me. His lawyer is putting together the paperwork. I’ve informed my agent, my publicist, my business manager and my family. So, if something untoward were to happen to me between now and the signing, it would raise a lot of questions in those peoples’ minds, wouldn’t it? You should know that I have someone ready to go straight to the New York District Attorney with a statement that I feared for my safety once you were informed of the purchase.”

“What do you want?” the senator repeated.

“Like I said, I have a business proposition. I’m ready to sell you ten percent of my shares. We’d be fifty-fifty.”

Vicksburg sat quiet for a few moments, and Mike supposed the man was attempting to discover the angle Mike was playing. “Go on.”

“To make things more enticing for you, I’ll sign over twenty-percent ownership of my restaurant in mid-town, as well as twenty-percent ownership of the one I want to build next to the ballfield in Cherry Hill,” Mike continued.

“How generous,” Vicksburg quipped. “You keep telling me what you’ll do for me. So, what are you getting in return?”

“Your muscle and your connections,” Mike answered. “I want my restaurant competition bruised or eliminated. Right now, the Castalini family provides my mid-town location protection. Of course, I don’t have to tell you that’s their way of forcing me to pay a monthly invoice to prevent harm befalling my restaurant.”

Vicksburg shrugged. “I might have heard about their tactics.”

“I want protection from your team, free of charge, and I want them to lean in much harder on the restaurants around me,” Mike elaborated. “Could you make that happen?”

The senator didn’t respond.

“And when I’m building the new restaurant in Cherry Hill, I don’t want to pay the usual exorbitant contractor fees to get it done. You and I both know that a third of the costs go to mob associates. I want that fee eliminated. I want the same free protection you’ll give me for the mid-town establishment, as well as the same squeeze applied to area competition.” Mike was seeing no push-back, so he plowed on. “I want inspectors to look the other way at code violations, and I want special attention from the cops to keep the riff-raff away from my places of business.”

“You want a lot,” Vicksburg mocked.

“Maybe,” Mike acknowledged. “But since you’d own twenty percent, you’d have an ongoing incentive to make it happen.” He paused for effect. “You can make it happen, can’t you, Charles?”

After a long silence, Vicksburg nodded. “I can, but I’m not putting that in writing.”

“Of course not. It would implicate me as well. Anyway, I don’t need it in writing to know you’d follow through.” Mike smiled. “Like I said, it’s in your best interest to do what’s needed when you have twenty-percent ownership in the businesses.”

“Twenty-five percent,” Vicksburg pushed.

Mike snickered. “Don’t be greedy. This is a generous offer where you give very little to gain a lot. On the record, you’ll pay me for the extra ten-percent ownership of the team, and the twenty percent on the restaurants. We wouldn’t want anything to appear suspicious to the IRS or the Department of Justice. I’ll repay you off the books. I’m guessing you have some offshore bank accounts you use to hide money and evade taxes?” When the senator didn’t respond, Mike understood that to be acknowledgment. “From there, any ongoing expenses related to the business dealings we discussed are on you. Do we have a deal?”

The senator made a steeple with his hands in front of his face, pondering. “Get the paperwork together. I want to sign the same day you get Lyons’ shares.”

Mike rose from the chair and reached over to shake his new partner’s hands. “Charles, you may be the second Vicksburg man to give me an orgasm.”

“Jesus,” Vicksburg spewed, pulling his hand from Mike. “If we’re going to be partners, no more talk about my son or the revolting things you’ve done with him. And don’t go anywhere near him again.”

“No problem,” Mike assured him. “Been there. Done that.” He winked lasciviously. “New territory to explore and plow.”

“I suggest you leave,” Vicksburg warned. “It will do you well to be a silent partner.”

Mike chuckled and walked toward the door before turning back to the senator. “You know, once James finds out that you and I are in business together, he’ll be upset. Do you think he’ll cause a problem?”

Vicksburg smirked. “He might for a second. He’s like a cub. Sometimes, he tries to assert himself and take a swipe at me. Then he remembers how the hierarchy works when he gets swatted back harder. He won’t be an issue. I’ll make sure of it.”

Mike nodded. “Gentle swat this time, okay? I may have started the relationship to gather intelligence, but I did grow rather fond of him. If we’re in business together, I need to know you won’t hurt him.”