Devil's Keep Read Online Free PDF Page B

for the developers’ plans. Favor had declined their offer to buy the land at what would have been a quadruple profit. Now they were back with an offer of an equity position, part ownership. It would be a windfall for Favor.
    One of the developers, a man named Terry, was pitching the proposal, ticking off details as he paged through a PowerPoint deck on a wall-mounted LCD.
    He stopped halfway through one of the screens.
    He said: “Mr. Favor? Sir?”
    Arielle looked at Favor and saw that he was leaning back in the chair, fingers laced behind his head.
    His eyes were closed.
    “Mr. Favor? Should I repeat that last part? I’ll be glad to go back a couple of screens,” Terry said. He sounded slightly peevish.
    Favor didn’t respond right away—at least, not so that anyone else would notice. But Arielle caught the slight rumpling of his mouth and the tightening at the corners of his eyes. He was back in focus now. And he wouldn’t like that tone.
    Favor had an intimidating presence. It was in his growl of a voice, in the intensity of his stare. He usually tried to mute the intimidation. Most times he was exceedingly polite, almost courtly. But he could also use the effect to his advantage. Some women—many women—swooned for that air of menace. And it gave him an edge in business negotiation.
    Arielle knew that he was about to turn it on.
    He opened his eyes. His expression was blank ashe unlaced his fingers and slowly brought his hands down to the armrests of the chair. He began to lean forward, gradually bringing his gaze down until he was eye to eye with Terry.
    Favor squared his shoulders. The impatience drained out of Terry’s face as Favor fixed him with an unblinking look.
    Terry blinked and nervously licked his lips.
    That’ll cost you,
Arielle thought.
    “This is all in the proposal, right?” Favor said. “Anything here that’s not in the package?”
    “No,” Terry said. “This is just a more visual presentation.”
    “I don’t care about visuals,” Favor said.
    “I’m sorry,” Terry said.
    “I read the proposal. I liked it.”
    “That’s great,” Terry said.
    “You did your homework. You have a good idea; I think it’ll fly.”
    “We have a deal?” Terry said.
    “I want three and a half points at the front end,” Favor said. “Then we have a deal.”
    “That’s a lot, three and a half points.”
    “I don’t need an answer right away. You take a little time, talk it over. Give me your answer by six o’clock.”
    “Three and a half points seems excessive,” Terry said. “Can we meet somewhere in the middle?”
    “Three and a half points, nonnegotiable. I know that sounds tough, but I think you’ll see there’s enough left to still make it worth doing.” Favor stood.“Or not. I really don’t give a shit.”
    The three developers were staring at him. Arielle was staring at him.
    “Excuse me?” Terry said.
    “Do it, don’t do it, it’s really all the same to me.” He looked at Arielle. “I’ll be out the rest of the day.” To the developers he said, “You guys have a good one.”
    He turned and walked out of the room.
    The developers left grumbling, but less than an hour later they called back to accept the deal. Arielle took the message and phoned Favor with the news.
    “You now have three partners in Tulsa,” she said.
    “I figured.”
    “That was quite a move. ‘I really don’t give a shit’—that’s playing some hardball.”
    “It wasn’t a play,” Favor said. “I mean it. I really don’t care if we do it or not.”
    “Ray, this is a nice deal. Could be extremely nice.”
    “Uh-huh. How nice, you think?”
    “You’re asking me?” she said. “I think in a year you make back what you already have in the land. After that, you have a nice, steady revenue stream. I’d say six hundred K per annum as a floor, maybe a million a year in a good year, with no obligation for you except to cash the checks. Not bad for some raggedy-ass trash land that you