Magus was wearing dark sunglasses that were designed to distort his vision. He found that it made it a whole lot easier to deal with an attractive woman. He asked, "Do you have a passport?"
"Of course, I have spent every season on the French Riviera since I was four," Daphne said. She batted her eyelashes at him and thrust her chest forward.
"Do you like to travel to exotic locations?" Magus asked. He licked his lips.
"I've been all over the world. Last year, I went to Hong Kong, Paris, London, Tokyo, Sidney, Bangkok, and Rio."
"Great. I've been looking for an adventurous woman just like you for years," Magus said in his most charming voice. He ignored Claudia's laughter from the reception area.
"I can't tell you how pleased I am to hear that," Daphne said. She turned a little to show off her breasts a little better. "I've been looking for a brilliant interesting man like you for years."
"I've got the trip of a lifetime planned. I think you will love going on it with me," Magus said.
"Tell me more," Daphne said. She leaned forward a little to show her interest.
Magus said, "I've been planning this trip for years. I started planning it when I first heard of a rare albino tree slug that is only found deep in the heart of the Amazon Jungle. I want to get a specimen for my slug collection before they become extinct."
"Amazon Jungle?"
"Yes."
"Slugs?"
"It is an amazing species. There is a species of amphibians, the spotted feathered hairless salamander, which lives exclusively on a diet of albino tree slugs. When the slugs die off so will the salamander," Magus said. Claudia's laughter increased in volume.
"That sounds ... so interesting," Daphne said. She turned to look at the door wondering why the receptionist was laughing so loud.
"Make sure that you schedule enough time for the trip. I figure it will take two or three years to find a specimen. They are very rare," Magus said.
"You are talking about spending two or three years in the Amazon Jungle?" Daphne asked. She was starting to get the idea that she wasn't quite so interested in the trip that Magus planned.
"Yes," Magus said.
"Are there any hotels there?"
"No. We'll be sleeping in hammocks with tarps over our head to keep the rain off of us. We'll be wading through swamps and wrestling snakes. It will be the adventure of a lifetime," Magus said excitedly.
"I'll have to see if I can get away for that long," Daphne said with a frown.
Magus said, "You might want to gain a little weight in case we have to go a week or so eating only bugs. You need the energy reserves while tramping around in the jungle."
Daphne stood up and said, "I forgot that I had another appointment."
Magus rose from his chair and said, "Okay. Will I hear from you again?"
"We'll see," Daphne said. She fled from the office like her hair was on fire.
Still laughing, Claudia came over to the door while Magus was returning to his seat and said, "That was an incredible performance worthy of an Oscar. I'm impressed."
"Every problem has a solution. In some cases it is just a matter of knowing what people want or, in this case, what they don't want," Magus said with a chuckle. He removed his dark glasses and asked, "Any more appointments?"
"Just one," Claudia said.
"Not another woman chasing me, I hope," Magus said in disgust.
"This is a man," Claudia said. "His name is Vincent Sapros."
"Sapros?" Magus asked sitting up straight.
"Yes," Claudia answered. "He made the appointment while you were talking with Melanie. He was very insistent that he get an appointment today. He'll be here at five o'clock."
"I've got some work to do," Magus said in a commanding tone of voice. The top of his desk was already moving. "Call Titus, Igor, and Poindexter and tell them to get their asses in here right now."
"Yes, sir," Claudia said. She had never heard him speak so forcefully.
Vincent Sapros strutted into the office and looked around to see if he had an audience. He grinned upon spotting the very lovely Claudia. He walked over to her and leaned across the desk. In a smooth voice, he said, "Hey Babe."
"What can I do for you?" Claudia asked. She did her best to look absolutely professional and to not show her irritation at how he addressed her.
"I've got an appointment with Magus," Vincent said.
"Are you Vincent Sapros?" Claudia asked.
"Yes, I am. I'm sure that you'll want to remember the name, Babe."
Ignoring the comment, Claudia said, "Magus suggested that you might want to cancel your appointment with him."
"That's not going to happen," Vincent said. His opinion of Magus went down a notch thinking that he left a woman out here to do his talking for him.
Claudia said, "Magus was pretty insistent that you cancel your appointment."
"Where is he?" Vincent asked.
"In there," Claudia answered pointing towards the door to Magus' office.
Giving her a confident wink, Vincent said, "I'll be back out here for you after I've dealt with Magus."
Claudia said, "Rots of ruck."
When Vincent reached the threshold of the door, Magus said, "Vincent Sapros. I'd think twice before entering this office if I were you."
Vincent strolled into the office and took a seat at the chair in front of the desk. He laughed while looking at Magus and then said, "Tough talk for a jelly roll."
"So be it," Magus said resigned to see this meeting through to its conclusion. "Before you tell me your problem, we must take care of your payment for my services."
"I'm not here for your services. You see, I don't have a problem; you do," Vincent said. It was hard to believe that the pudgy man at the desk wasn't terrified.
"No. You are the one who has a very serious problem," Magus said.
"What problem do I have?" Vincent asked. He rolled his eyes thinking it was about time to go into full intimidation mode.
"Me," Magus said with a smile.
"You're crazy. I'm here because we want to buy into your business," Vincent said.
Magus said, "Do you want to know something interesting?"
"Sure."
"As soon as I learned that you had made an appointment to see me, I knew that you were going to come here and say that," Magus said. "I guess now you'll tell me the deal."
"Here's the deal. You'll sell us half of your business for... ," Vincent waved a hand around absently and then said, " ... a thousand dollars."
"No. You will pay me a hundred thousand dollars for a solution to your business problem," Magus said.
"You can't stop this deal," Vincent said. He leaned forward in a threatening manner.
Magus leaned back in his chair. In a very matter of fact voice, he said, "I can and I will."
"How? Do you think you can call the cops and they'll protect you? We own the cops," Vincent said. He couldn't believe the attitude this man had.
Magus shook his head in sorrow and said, "I thought about going to your opposition. I thought about it and dismissed the idea almost immediately. I decided to go to your competition."
"What?!"
Magus said, "There are eight large crime organizations in this town of which you belong to one of them. I contacted two of your competitors."
"No," Vincent said shaking his head as if he couldn't believe it.
"Aleksei! Chen!"
A tall man entered the room from the door behind Magus' desk. With a strong Russian accent, he said, "Magus."
"You can't do this," Vincent shouted.
A small Asian man entered the room from the reception area. With a very pronounced Chinese accent, he said, "Magus."
Vincent shouted, "You don't know what you've done."
Magus handed Aleksei an envelope and held out one for Chen. He said, "Gentlemen, in your envelope you will find the addresses of all of the businesses operated by the Sapros organization that are adjacent to your current territories. Your share basically comprises one seventh of the current Sapros enterprises. That includes massage parlors, bordellos, gambling dens, drug houses, and other sundry businesses of a criminal or illicit nature. You will also find the names and addresses of one seventh of the Sapros family members and their 'employees.' I'm sure you can find a use for that information."
"You're dead," Vincent said pointing a finger at Magus. He would kill him on the spot except for the fact that he was pretty sure that Chen or Aleksei would take him out before he had a chance to shoot Magus. He regretted leaving his man outside in the lobby of the building.
"This is worth a lot of money," Chen said taking the envelope from Magus.
"It comes with one small price although I would call it a small favor," Magus said with a smile.
"What price is that?" Chen asked.
"I never want to see any of you ever again. I never get threatened by one of you again. You keep each other out of my way and keep me healthy," Magus said.
Believing that he knew the answer, Aleksei asked, "What's to keep us from buying into your business?"
"All of the other crime organizations in the city," Magus answered. "You don't think those are the only envelopes that I have, do you?"
"I get the picture," Aleksei said.
Chen said, "A wise man deals from a position of strength. It matters not if the strength is his or another's; just that it can be used when needed."
"That's true," Magus said.
Aleskei said, "We'll agree to your condition."
"We shall honor your price," Chen said.
Smiling, Magus said, "Go forth and have fun. Expand thy territories with my blessings. Mr. Sapros and I have a little more business to discuss."
Chen gave a half bow and said, "Magus."
"Magus," Aleksei said giving a short salute before following Chen out of the room.
Vincent was about to go for his gun when he noticed a bright red dot on his crotch. He looked up and noticed Igor standing at the door behind Magus' desk. The pistol in Igor's hand was the source of the red dot. His concerns increased when the dot traveled up to the center of his chest and stayed there without wavering. He muttered, "Shit."
"You will tell your boss that if he hassles me again, that envelopes will be delivered to the other five crime organizations and the Sapros family will cease to exist," Magus said. His voice was as cold as ice.
"I'll tell him. I have no idea how he'll react," Vincent said.
"I'm sure that you'll recommend that he react in a civilized fashion," Magus said.
"Don't blame me if he doesn't," Vincent said.
Magus looked at Vincent for a moment. He said, "I don't know if you are aware of the fact that your house and businesses border China town."
"I'm aware of that," Vincent said feeling sick to his stomach. "I'm sure that my name and address are in the envelope that you gave Chen."
Magus said, "It sounds to me like you have a problem that is different than the one that you came here with."
"You think?" Vincent asked sarcastically. He wasn't about to beg for help, but he was close to panicking. "My entire family is going to die."
"Before we talk about the solution to your personal problem, we must take care of the matter of payment," Magus said.
Incredulous, Vincent asked, "You're going to solve my problem? How much are you going to charge me?"
"Ten dollars and a favor," Magus answered.
"You're kidding me?"
"No. Give me ten dollars and I'll solve your problem," Magus said.
Vincent reached into his pocket and pulled out a roll of bills. He pulled off a ten and tossed it on the desk. He said, "Here's your ten dollars."
Magus slid an envelope across the desk and said, "Inside this envelope are airline tickets for every member of your immediate family. You can get your wife and kids out of the country. I suggest that you go home, pack up the family, and drop them off at the airport with all of the cash you can get your hands on. It may be the only way you can save them."
Vincent stared numbly at the envelope. Realizing that Magus was correct, he picked up the envelope and said, "Thanks. What's the favor?"
"Have your kids swear to leave me and mine alone. Make it a matter of family honor," Magus said.
"Okay. You got it," Vincent said.
Magus said, "Now get out of here."
Phil followed Vincent out the door. He locked the door behind the man and returned to Magus. He said, "I bet he is sorry he didn't pay for your solution to his initial problem."
"You are probably right," Magus said with a sigh.
"I did like the look on his face when you mentioned bringing in the competition."
"It never occurred to him that I would do that," Magus said.
Phil shook his head and said, "You'd think they would learn after what happened in New York and Chicago."
"They never do. They always forget the power of information and what can happen when information lands in the right hands to use it," Magus said.
"It is an easy lesson to forget," Phil said.
"I guess we'll be seeing the FBI soon. Things like this tend to rile them up. It is kind of like kicking over an ant hill," Magus said.
"You know that Matt Sanders hates you because of things like this," Phil said.
"I've heard rumors to that effect," Magus said. "Of course, every time I do something like this he gets promoted."
"We better get home before the ants get busy. I've secured the house," Phil answered.
Magus said, "I guess Claudia will be a house guest for a few days."
"At least until the dust settles," Phil said.
"How about the company house? Is it secure?" Magus asked.
"I've got people on it. Stephen, Jake, Tom, and Cathy will be covered," Phil answered.
"Good," Magus said. He tidied up his desk and asked, "What do you feel about a little discussion tonight about the Thirty Years War?"
"Nice," Phil said.
"I printed out copies of the Treaty of Westphalia and the Treaty of Osnabruck. I've also got a couple of maps from the time period," Magus said.
"Are the treaties in their original languages?"
"English translations, I'm afraid," Magus said.
Phil said, "It sounds like a most relaxing evening."
"Not again," Claudia whimpered. Since getting engaged to Phil she had the unenviable luck to sit in on a couple of their evenings discussing historical events. She was going to be faced with an entire evening listing to minutia about a war she had never heard of before. She said, "I know, how about we talk about fashion?"
"We can cover the fashion of the time and the impact on negotiations," Magus said.
"What was the impact of fashion?" Claudia asked.
"There wasn't any," Magus answered.
"Oh," Claudia said.
Magus said, "I've got a bottle of twenty year old port to help set the mood for the discussion."