Prologue
"There must be some other way. This is insane."
"That ain't how it works here, Tom. We got strict rules; and we don't take kindly to being played."
"We're not trying to play you. Honest to God. We're not a pair of idiots."
"Prove it, then. Do what we say and we won't got any more problems."
"You don't seem to understand, I just can't do this sort of thing."
The man beside the him, who's been eerily silent this entire time, picking Tom apart piece by piece with his stare, calmly hands him a tire iron.
His fingers grasp it emphatically. "Then I guess we'll just hafta bust your kneecaps open instead."
He takes a step toward Tom who responded by taking a step back, his hands raised level with his ribs. "Woah, hey, that's not necessary guys, come on. Can't we be civil?"
"Ain't no room for civility in this business; only order an' respect."
"You've got our respect!"
"And payment," the other man says, breaking his silence.
"You'll get your payment, you will. We just need more time. Things haven't gone as we expected..."
His black eyes level with Tom's, he dropped the end of the tire iron into his other palm with a heavy smack. "Who's it gonna be, now? You; or him?"
Hands trembling, sweat trickling down the back of his neck, eyes anchored on the metal threat only a few feet away from him; he could already feel the bones in his knees shattering from its immanent attack.
But he had the option of avoiding that. He could choose that other option. He wasn't the one who'd wanted to get involved in the first place; so why should he have to pay?
He could save himself.
The man acknowledged the seeds of defeat sprouting in his eyes and lowered the weapon to a benign position beside his thigh.
"Don't take it personally, Tom. It's just business."
"Don't take it personally, Eric," he said, his voice dry and rough as he held in his tears. "It's just…business."
He brought the tire iron down onto his business partner's knee. A hideous crunch followed by an ear ripping scream. He squeezed his eyes shut and forced its decent again.
Again.
Again.
Again…
A/N: I absolutely love these two and felt the abrupt need to write a short scene between them. I have some pretty serious stuff planned for this one; so if you're uncomfortable with some pretty weighty themes, it's probably in your best interest to not progress on. Otherwise, I hope you enjoy my take on these two and their complicated history!