Maxwell was waiting in the waiting room when they led the man in.
He was draped in cockiness that belied his arrogant nature.
Dressed in crazy jeans and a t-shirt that had dried-up spots of God-knows-what on it, he gave Maxwell an assessing look as he entered.
He was a bit taller than Thomas and bulkier like one who liked to play around with weights too, but when he removed his cap, Maxwell's eyes furrowed a bit.
The hair colour was not the same, but one could see it.
The slight resemblance he had to Thomas.
"What is going on here?" Maxwell wondered as he remembered Reyona's comment about why the kids looked like Thomas.
This man had even the shade of blue eye colour she had called the Lanoth's eyes.
"I wasn't expecting a hospital to be our meeting place," Maze said as he got to Maxwell. He put his baseball cap back on and sat on the couch in front of Maxwell without waiting for an invitation. He looked up at Maxwell and said "Now it makes sense. I think I sold myself short when I asked for twenty. I know you. You are a big shot, blud."
Maxwell sat as he said "Then, there is no need for an introduction, then. Let's get down to business."
"In a hospital?" Maze asked with a chuckle, then he cleared his throat when he saw Maxwell's look. "Alright, blud. What do you want?"
"Two things. I have a doctor standing by to test your blood. Then I need information about Susan"
"Ol' up, ol' up. You want my blood, then you want information about that bitch? Where is the business we spoke about?"
"That is the business."
He gave Maxwell a weird look. "My blood?"
"And some information. Are you up for it or not?" Maxwell asked urgently when his eyes went to the clock above Maze's head.
"Why my blood though?" Maze wanted to know.
"It could be a match, it could be as useless as possible, and I would just have wasted my time. Before you ask me why I thought your blood would match, let's just say I have my ways. Now will you take the offer or not? I have others to get to. If you take it, of course, then I don't need to offer it to anyone else."
Maze's eyes shone in the calculations as he asked "What are you offering for it?"
"What do you want for it?" Maxwell asked.
"Hundred for the test. Then another twenty for the info on the bitch. If there is any info that could affect me, I am out."
"A hundred if the test proves you are a match, and you offer the necessary pint of blood that the doctor needs. Ten for the information. Plus the ten you were supposed to get after coming here, of course. You know it is a good deal", Maxwell said.
"I am a business person and I know when to give. So, yeah, I will take it." Maze said as nonchalantly as he could when Maxwell could see the excited glint in his eyes.
The man might as well be licking his lips and rubbing his hands together in excitement.
Of course, Maxwell had no issues with giving him as much as possible, but he knew if he had only given in without so much as a semblance of negotiation, Maze might have dragged his feet further.
"Good, you will go with the doctor, and he will get what he needs for the test. Then, you and I will have a little chat about that info before we know if you are a match or not."
"Okay", Maze said as he stood up. He turned his cap around again and said "You can see how cooperative I am, right? Don't try to change our agreement after the deed is done. Big shot"
He said before he followed the man that Maxwell gestured at.
Maxwell only allowed his anxiety to show after they had left.
He looked at his phone to see if the picture he had discreetly taken while talking to Maze was well taken too.
It was clear enough for viewing.
Maxwell had a feeling he couldn't shake.
What's up with the resemblance? He wondered.
For now, he simply sat as patiently as he could when he wanted to stand up and pace.
When he wanted to rush after them to the lab to check what the result was already, he simply checked his phone to see if any of the announcements had yielded any results.
Nothing yet.
What if Maze's blood was not a match?
Or what if he had some contagious disease in his blood that could make his blood useless for transfusion into the innocent girl's body?
Then they would be back to square one again.
Maxwell hoped upon hope that the blood would match.
When he heard approaching footsteps, he looked up immediately but curbed his expectant look when he saw that it was Maze and the man he went with.
"Done?" He asked the man and the latter nodded.
"Yes, sir."
"And now we wait," Maxwell said to Maze.
Maze grimaced in a familiar way before saying "I hate hospitals."
"Now the information."
"About the bitch?"
"I am sure I made myself clear", Maxwell answered in a curt tone.
Maze cleared his throat and leaned forward, "Okay, hit me."
Maxwell asked him the most burning question he had on his mind.
"Do you know Thomas Lanoth?"
"Never heard of him," Maze answered without hesitation.
It was either he was telling the truth or he was a skilled liar.
Maxwell found himself thinking it was the first.
"Do you have a twin?"
Maze gave him a look as he said. "None of this sounds like questions about that bitch, but okay. I do not. The only son in a family with so many extended ones that you can find us all the way to Arkansas."
"You better be sure that I will find out if you give me any bullshit," Maxwell said impatiently.
"I don't doubt it, blud. It's your money. It's not my problem if you want to use it to learn about my family tree."
Maxwell gave him a chilling look that shut up his low chuckle. "Sorry"
"She mentioned that you helped her with things. I want to know what they are. Every single one of them."
Maze was immediately on guard as he said "Are you with the cops?"
"Did you do something that made you have issues with the cops?" Maxwell asked in the same tone.
"No, you know what, blud? I don't want any trouble. I no longer have anything to do with that bitch. I have nothing to say."
"And if I add another twenty to your money?"
It took him less than a minute to think about it before he said "You will keep my name out of anything. This remains between us because if anyone asks, I will deny it with everything."
Maxwell nodded even as he pressed the record button on his phone. "Okay, so what are the things you did for her?"