The Wolf of Los Angeles

[Chapter 13: High-Stakes Business Warfare]

Under the dim streetlights, Hawke and Brandt pedaled their bicycles swiftly toward the hotel.

On the roadside, Katherine stood in front of a BMW, waving them over, "Get in!"

Brandt, who knew the doorman, exchanged a few words before tossing the bikes aside and following Hawke into the car.

Katherine hurriedly said, "He didn't find that guy at the hotel, so he went to Crystal Cinema."

The BMW had barely driven five minutes before it stopped again at the roadside.

Katherine pointed at a theater entrance, "There!"

Hawke was the first to hop out and dashed toward Crystal Cinema.

The financier hadn't settled the bill; nothing could go wrong!

Eric blocked the cinema's entrance, yelling, "George Hansen, get out here! You backstabbing jerk, come face me now!"

A few people emerged from the cinema, led by George, who was wearing gold-rimmed glasses.

He stood on the steps, looking down with a friendly expression, "Look who it is, our future big-time director."

Hawke arrived just in time.

George turned to him and added, "And his brainless little sidekick."

"The folks from Castle Rock Entertainment suddenly changed their schedule, didn't you have a hand in that?" Eric demanded loudly. "You're despicable, shameless..."

George appeared slightly shaken but found his courage quickly, retorting, "I'm just a small player; how could I influence Castle Rock? Don't push it; you don't get to bully me!"

Eric moved to charge up the cinema's steps.

Hawke grabbed him, whispering, "This won't solve anything."

Eric struggled, still wanting to rush ahead.

Katherine and Brandt hurried to restrain him.

Suddenly, there was a loud bang as the cinema door was kicked open from the inside. A middle-aged man wearing a cowboy hat stormed out, holding a stun stick.

Sparks flew from the weapon as he pointed it at Eric and the others, barking, "You outsiders, don't cause trouble in my cinema! Get lost now! Not leaving? I'll smash your heads in!"

Weapons were great at calming tempers, so Eric didn't protest further.

Hawke backed him away, saying to the cinema owner, "Chill, we're leaving."

As the four of them retreated to the car, the middle-aged man put away his stun stick and yelled, "Don't let me see you losers again!"

George smiled at the owner, "Thanks."

"I have to protect my private clients," said the owner, walking back. "Get your setup ready; make sure it's done before eleven."

George entered the cinema.

In the ticket lobby, a balding man sat drinking alone.

George pulled out a chair and sat down, unease evident in his voice, "Are you sure they don't have a chance?"

The balding man stroked his beard and chuckled, "Bruce Richmond is only around for a day; even if they wanted to change the screening time, there's no way to coordinate that. Park City has nearly twenty theaters, all booked solid, and other crews are hosting their buyers and screening teams too."

He poured George a drink, "Sure, they could rent an outdoor tent to screen, but that would just insult Bruce Richmond and Castle Rock..."

George lifted his glass, "Here's to our success."

...

At the hotel, in the suite's living room, Eric hung his head, frustrated. Katherine quickly explained the current situation.

Over half an hour ago, she had received a call from Bruce Richmond's assistant; Bruce Richmond had changed his film festival itinerary abruptly and was set to watch another film tomorrow morning, which pushed D.C. Heights to the afternoon.

But the Great Salt Lake Cinema was fully booked, and the other crews wouldn't agree to any adjustments. Katherine reached out to other theaters, but it was the same story.

The distribution company held the keys in the film industry; small crews rarely managed to get their hands on a distributor to screen their films, and no one dared to flake out.

Katherine contacted someone from Bruce Richmond's team to gather more information and discovered Bruce Richmond was set to watch George Hansen's Lemon Street tomorrow morning.

The reasoning was straightforward; the assistant had shown Bruce Richmond the promotional stills for D.C. Heights and Lemon Street, with the former's Latino angle looking unfavorable, while the latter was seen as a more white-centric film.

Although Katherine's father had an old relationship with Bruce Richmond, he had passed away years ago; that connection wouldn't hold much weight against commercial interests.

Brandt scratched his head, feeling that making a quick buck was much harder than expected. There were just too many messy issues.

Eric stated in a daze, "We're doomed."

"You just gonna throw in the towel?" Katherine had just been threatened by a stun stick; she couldn't swallow that. "Bow down to some sleazy jerk?"

Hawke stayed silent; he wasn't the one anxious right then.

Seeing Hawke calm, Katherine asked, "Does your team have any ideas?"

Hawke shrugged, "That's outside my scope."

Katherine understood, sneering as she pulled out her checkbook, quickly writing something before handing it over. "This is an extra incentive."

Hawke glanced down at the $5,000 on the check but didn't take it immediately. "What do you want?"

Katherine wrapped her arms around Eric, "Find a way to get things back on track and make George Hansen's life miserable. The worse, the better!"

"I've always wanted to branch into new business; it's time," Hawke had principles. He thought it over carefully before taking the check. "But I need to confirm one thing. If Lemon Street can't screen normally, can you bring Bruce Richmond back?"

Katherine replied, "Bruce Richmond values efficiency; he's only in Park City for a day, so he can't spare two hours."

Hawke pondered for a moment. "Tomorrow morning, you'll pick him up from the airport and stick close to him. Wait for my call."

"Just like that?" Katherine asked.

Hawke extended his hand, "Let me borrow your BMW." Once she handed over the keys, he asked Brandt, "What time do theaters usually close?"

Brandt answered, "They definitely close by 11:30."

Hawke checked his watch, "Let's go for a spin."

He approached Eric, giving his shoulder a firm pat. "Buddy, lift your spirits! At this rate, the film's toast."

Eric heard those words earlier and asked, "Is there still hope?"

Hawke replied, "Yeah."

Eric tried to rally himself. "What do you need me to do?"

Hawke instructed, "Ensure the prints and screenings go off without a hitch. Remember, keep your eyes on those prints at all times!"

Eric confirmed, "I'll bring two people to help guard it."

...

Hawke and Brandt left for downstairs, grabbing a late-night snack before jumping into the BMW. They checked for recording devices and then made their way to Crystal Cinema.

"What's our game plan?" Brandt never stopped talking. "This is tough; you can reach out to Bruce Richmond, but what if he changes his mind..."

Hawke cut in, "Look for where there are cameras along the roadside."

"Park City public surveillance is negligible, and there's almost no private cameras; we aren't fond of invading people's privacy," Brandt replied. But he still observed seriously; he knew Park City far too well. When the BMW turned into a back alley, he said, "No cameras; I can confirm that."

Hawke pointed to a low wall in the darkness, "That's the wall of the Crystal Cinema's backyard."

Brandt nodded, "Right."

Hawke didn't slow down, asking, "Do you want me to stop so you can check the cinema's cable lines?"

Brandt retorted, "No need; Park City winters are cold; all the cables run underground, and the cinema's power distribution box is in a dedicated room."

Hawke continued driving and eventually asked, "Hey buddy, I remember you studied electrical engineering?"

Brandt, still unaware of the looming issue, proudly replied, "So, I have the Park City cable layout in my head."

Hawke thought then about how smart it was to grab Brandt for this task; he was like a cheat code.

As they returned to the main street, Brandt caught sight of the neon sign for Crystal Cinema, confidence fading, and his hands and feet started to feel cold. He asked, "Hawke, what exactly do you plan to do?"

Hawke replied slowly, "We're facing an incredibly severe situation. If this escalates, we won't only miss out on future payments; we'll have to return everything we've gotten. All our plans and business would go down the drain."

Brandt rarely fell silent.

Hawke softly stated, "Like it or not, a business war, a high-stakes battle in the film industry, has already begun."

"But... but..." Brandt didn't know how to articulate his thoughts, "How can a business war operate like this?"

Hawke parked the car, waiting for Brandt to calm down before continuing, "The higher the stakes, the more straightforward the process."

Once money was in hand, they had to give back; Brandt felt uncomfortable all over, which reminded him of the girl he was interested in, so he finally nodded, "I'm in!"

Hawke didn't waste words, asking, "Got any black clothing to cover your face, sturdy rope, or something similar at home?"

"Yeah," Brandt replied, "My parents worked at a ski resort; we have plenty of that stuff."

Hawke continued, "With your knowledge, can we make the power distribution box or other equipment look like it's broken naturally, and not like someone sabotaged it? And it can't be fixed in a short time?"

"Not hard," Brandt paused, then added, "Given Park City's work efficiency, if the power distribution box fails, it could take two to three days to fix. Even if the cinema hurried, the earliest it could be ready is a day."

Hawke remarked, "I remember you mentioned that Park City has local regulations against commercial cables being overhead."

Brandt automatically chimed in, "We can have people watch. If Crystal Cinema dares to tap power from the neighbors, we report them."

It had to be said, following Hawke around these past few days, Brandt had learned a lot.

Hawke nodded slightly, "You said I didn't use your friends Lewis and Damian? You could hire them."

He contemplated, "Let's wait until early morning to make our move. We can't give them reaction time, and we need to check if they have backup generators..."

This high-stakes business warfare had Hawke unleashing one of his trump cards: tripping power, stealing, and controlling access.

*****

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