Chapter 1: Meeting the boss

In Stan's POV

Mondays, I fucking hate Mondays, maybe because it was the most common day for a suicide. Or just because "Loving You" was on TV again, I liked that show, but the new season is full of shit, sorry, but it is. I crushed that question out of my head as I closed the door of my slightly battered Cadillac behind me. Straightening my collar, and spitting on the floor, I walked briskly towards the corner shop of 21st Street South Park, my own little 'kennel' they called it jokingly. I inserted my key into the lock and tried to turn it, but noticing it was already unlocked "Eric's here already?" I blurted out, turning the handle and feeling the warmth from inside. Either that fat guy was, or he left the fire on and went home forgetting to lock the place up last night again. I walked in and as expected, Eric was there looking as large as ever, wood fire blazing, illuminating the back of his slightly greasy, brown hair. He turned around and smiled weakly. I knew instantly he hadn't slept good, if not at all. I loved this guy (But not in a homo way, I despise that shit) and loved how he was a complete idiot, kind of like 'the bumbling henchman' that accompanied the smart boss. Except I was no boss, of course.

"You got here early" I said, pulling a chair out and pushing it straight back in after it fell forwards. Fucking Token, he could at least give me some wedge to get this shit hole up and running.

"'Sup? You hear too?" He said, unsurprised. He must have been expecting me.

"Yeah, who hasn't?"

"Shame..." He mumbled, dropping a couple notches of volume.

"What?"

"It's a fucking shame Stanley" He said, taking his blazer off. He pulled out a different chair and sat down at it, taking out a bag of coke.

"Eric, when the fuck are you gonna stop sniffing that fucking death ash" I shouted. Why would anyone snort that? It fucks a person up, badly. I remember Jimbo 'The nose'. They called him that because the little bit of cartilage or whatever it is had rotted away due to coke abuse. if you snort that, you deserve everything that happens to you in my humble fucking opinion.

"What's the problem?" He said cutting a small amount into a line.

"What's the problem? I'll tell you it in one word! JIMBO!"

"Fuck Jimbo" He said, sharply breathing it in. he threw his head back and rubbed the freshly abused nostril. Fuck Jimbo? This time in 35 years some fat idiot with too much money will say the same thing, except replacing 'Jimbo' with 'Eric'. I told him this, but he just laughed that fucked up laugh, as if he had a clothes peg clamped onto his nose.

"I need it Stanley, now..." He pulled out a small black bag from behind the chair I had recently thought about sitting on, and throwing it on the table in front of him. "...Maybe we could get down to business?" I laughed. I knew all he was interested in was money and coke, nothing else.

Maybe we should have left early, Eric wanted to. But I wanted to make sure that we had the right amount of money for each important political figure which had my little city in their grip. Maybe it was fate, or destiny or whatever it's called in these times, but a call from a long time friend turned my day upside down.

"I'll answer it then" Eric said. He stood up and lifted the receiver to his ear.

"Talk" He said, I'd love for that to be the boss. Eric was way too cocky for what he did, bribing people wasn't exactly the hardest thing to do for a foot soldier, but the way he walked and talked, he thought he was the shit. "Oh right," He turned, grinning. "I'll give him it now... Stan, you've got the call here" He pointed the receiver at me, and widened that grin of his.

"I'm coming Eric," I said, standing up. Why the hell would he be happy about a call? "Hello?" I expected one of the don's dumb lieutenants to give another order, but grinned myself at who was on the other end.

"Stan, the boss wants to see you, you know where the Speak-easy is don't you?"

"Yeah Ken," I said. Kenny was a lifelong friend, and gotten me this far in the fam. Maybe he had persuaded the don to give me a new boss, or maybe I'm getting promoted. I grinned at this, and also, I noted Kenny's delight as he talked.

"Remember the password... 'Santigo'"

"Yeah ok, Santigo, got it," I said, putting the receiver down. "Come on Eric, we've got a date with the don" I said picking up my coat and the 3 envelopes containing bribes for half the mayor's office.

We pulled up to the "Nommel Lounge" at around 11, parking outside. I recognised Kenny's car instantly, a silver Aston Martin DB6. Don Nommel had given it to him as a 'present' last year. We jumped out of the Cadillac and walked around the back, "Nommel Lounge" was a front for the biggest Speak-easy in Colorado, and was owned by my boss Token, the biggest asshole I've ever met in my life, and boy oh boy liked to fucking show it. He was known as the Don's 'right hand man' and was fiercely loyal to him. I usually avoided this place, but I was walking right into the V.I.P part, reserved for Lieutenant's and above. Well, unless the Don invited you here personally.

"Pass... p... password?" Asked the doorman, he was leaning on the wall next to him, using a crutch to keep himself stable. It was Jimmy. Respected highly in the family by everyone, he had served under the previous Don. I couldn't remember his name, but that wasn't important right now.

"Santigo" I said quietly, looking at him. His eyes lit up as he swung the door open.

"W... w... we... welcome... wel... welcome to Nom- Nomm..." I walked past him. I didn't want to spend 15 minutes being welcomed to a club by a retard, he wasn't an idiot, there have been loads of smart retards... like Steven Hawking or Albert Einstein.

"You're letting him in but not me?" I heard behind me. I spun around and realised Jimmy had blocked the doorway with one of his crutches, barring Eric from coming in.

"Stan... Stan is the one D... Don Nom... Nomm... Don Nommel wants to see..."

"I don't care, can't I wait in the normal lounge?"

"Sure..." Jimmy said. He pointed over Eric's shoulder "B... but the lou... the lou... lounge is back tha... that way".

Whatever Eric mumbled, it offended Jimmy. Who whacked Eric hard on the back of his head with the crutch, which had previously been holding Eric back. "Don't... don't you s... don't you say shit like t... like that in front of... of me fat boy" He turned around, and I quickly turned myself and began walking down the corridor. I didn't like how intimidating Jimmy could be when he was angry.

"What! Maybe we should just blow his fucking brains out then!" Erupted from behind an oak door. I was dying to know what was going on behind it. everyone knew what went on here behind locked doors, but no one had seen it. Maybe that was a good thing.

"Gah! Who the fuck are you?" I spun around. There was someone emerging from another room cradling a stack of paper in his arms, his blonde spiky hair shaking slightly. "Oh... you're Stan aren't you? Follow me to the boss" He then twitched, heavily, and his paperwork cascaded all over the marble floor. "Oh shit! Gah! Don Nommel's gonna kill me!" As he went to pick up what he had dropped, a loud gunshot was heard in the previous room, the one the voice had came from. It made the blonde haired spaz jump about 5 foot in the air, straight into the door facing. "Oh Jesus! This place is fucked up... I can't work here anymore, this is WAY TOO MUCH PRESSURE!"

I grabbed his shoulders and shook him slightly. "Whoa kid! Calm down, what's up with you?" He didn't respond... I wanted to hurry up and meet Don Nommel, so I bent over and began picking up the paper he had dropped. "Come on, I'll help you"

"Gah! Thanks!" He said, bending over to pick up the rest of what I now recognised as bank statements and tax audits.

"What the fuck's this?" We both turned, and noticed that someone was sticking their head out of the room we both heard the gunshot from. His red hair was shoulder length, and he had a few blood splatters on his left cheek. "Tweek... could you kindly be a fucking spaz somewhere else? I'm doing something!"

"Sure dude! Gah!" He pulled his head back into the room, and slammed the door shut. Who the hell was that? And what an asshole! It didn't seem to be Tweek's fault he was this nervous. I picked up the last of the paper and gave it to him.

"You wanna go see the boss now!" He seemed to shout questions at me instead of asking, but I didn't feel like telling him this. Any more criticism and he might spill his work all over the floor again.

"Yeah… sure" I said. He turned and bounced down the corridor. "That's a great name that kid... 'Tweek'" He laughed. A nervous laugh, but it made me feel slightly less nervous myself that he actually had a sense of humour.

"Yeah, Don Nommel gave me it, oh, my name's Danny by the way, yours!"

"What?"

"Yours! What's your name!"

"Oh" I tried to stop myself from laughing. I bit my lip and waited until I knew I wouldn't "... Stanley"

We walked into a dimly lit room. On my right was a bar, and behind it was a face I recognised. Kenny's sandy blonde hair was a mess and his clothes seemed slightly worn out But his bright blue eyes and 'Colgate grin' of his drawn my attention away from how bad he was taking care of himself. "Kenny... how's life treating you man?" I said, walking behind the bar and putting one arm around him and kissing his cheek. He turned and kissed me back and put back a recently cleaned glass under the bar.

"It's all good Stan, the Don wants to see you though..." He said still flashing that grin. He nodded over towards the opposite end of the room. "Good luck Stan," he added as I made my way towards Don Nommel. Maybe by the end of the day I'd be calling him boss, instead of that idiot Token. Just as I started making my way towards the Don, a girl with jet black hair intercepted me and pushed a tray under my nose.

"Care for a drink?" Were the words that flowed out of her plump, lipstick layered lips. She was fucking stunning... I reached for a shot of whiskey and drank it instantly. She smiled, flashing a grin which was identical to Kenny's, except that her lips were a darker red. I almost drowned in her hazel eyes. They were so big and.… cute? Nah, I don't do cute. But they were what romance stories would call 'Puppy dog eyes' She pecked me lightly on my right cheek, then walked back towards the bar.

"Stanley! Come here my boy!" Don Nommel was nothing like what most Don's was stereotyped as. He was a really positive character and was actually only about 5 years older than me, although he had shot up the Mafia syndicate even faster than Kenny. He was quite muscular and was never seen without his navy blue bowl hat resting on top of his dark-raven hair, which always used to curl down in a fringe, stopping just above his eyebrows. His eyes were the most intimidating things I had seen in my life. Vivid blue and piercing. "You need a drink? Wendy!" He shouted towards the bar. The girl who I had received a drink off began making her way towards us, with a bottle of whiskey and a few glasses. "Have a drink Stan, we got the best alcohol stored in the basement, if you feel like anything then just ask".

He opened the bottle and poured out 3 shots. We both reached for one, and I wondered who the 3rd one was for, but nearly shit myself when a hand came out of the shadows and picked it up. Token's face then emerged from the darkness next to the Don, his mouth had curled into a wry smile, and his mahogany skin looked extremely well looked after.

"What's up with you?" He said, knocking back the whiskey and slamming it on the table. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Loosen up Stan-"

"Token, you could at least let me know you're there, it's pitch black where you are" I said, receiving a second shot off Don Nommel, which I didn't drink straight away. I didn't feel like drinking now.

I realised that was the wrong thing to say. Both Token and Don Nommel stared at me, but I was transfixed by Token. His dark hazel green eyes locked onto mine with a furious stare. He didn't think I was being racist did he? "You should eat some fucking carrots then Stan, shouldn't you?" He snapped. Token Williams, what an asshole...

"Stan you might wanna know why you're here, you know that you've been working under Token for nearly 4 years, doing some great things for us, it's you who kept Clyde out of jail, and you keep the boys in blue off our back," I moved in closer to him, as he had lowered his voice slightly. "And now, I feel you need to experience something new, that's why I'm switching you from Token's team, to Kenny's"

Yes... Just what I wanted! I didn't show my excitement though, as Token would probably blast a hole in something if I grinned in his ugly face. Possibly me. "Kenny would like to probably see you, he's just finishing at the bar" The Don said. He sat back in his chair and gave me a "goodbye" look while pulled out a cigarette himself, which Token lit for him. I quickly stood up and made my way towards Kenny as Don Nommel's voice boomed from behind me. "Tweek! Take over the bar for a few hours!" I tried not to laugh again as Tweek jumped from his chair instantly. He rushed over towards the bar and picked up an apron. I sat at the bar, and coughed so Kenny noticed my presence. He was untying his own apron which had 'Kiss the chef' imprinted onto it.

"So how did it go Stan?" He said, resting on the bar. He handed me a freezing cold glass of beer and pushed the peanut bowl towards me.

"Come on Ken, you know what it is" I said, taking a sip of 'Carlsberg' I liked this, and it was probably the only reason I ever came here. I still didn't feel thirsty though, so pushed it away after another three or four sips. Yawning, I took a couple nuts from the little silver bowl that Kenny had just handed me and tried to eat them. Fuck I was tired, you know the feeling you get after you watch a long movie in a cinema? And then you get up straight afterwards? Well, it was kinda like that. I stood up and rubbed my eyes. I just wanted to know what Kenny wanted to tell me.

In Craig's POV

"Tweek! Take over the bar for a few hours!" I shouted over Stanley's shoulder, taking my seat again. I poured out 2 shots of Bourbon and handed one to Token who looked at it a few seconds before drinking it.

"He is a fucking idiot boss, and you know it..."

I sighed, fearing Token was right. Stan had a great history in his seven to eight years under me though. 4 years as a small time foot soldier under me when I was just a lieutenant. But once I was chosen as Don Cutswald's successor (After he disappeared) I moved him under Token. And sorting out the bribes, extortions and other money related things. But he was bored of that. He looked like the perfect replacement for Kenny, the best bank robber our family's seen in years. But now instead of Ken robbing them, he plots them. But after one of his soldiers (Jason) was killed in a robbery last week, he now needs a new partner for 'The Bull' to work with. With Stan the best possible choice. "Give him a break Token, his task for tomorrow will show whether he's capable of doing what is needed"

"Look at him over there, acting as if he was actually loyal to our family" Token said, I stared at him, not realising what he meant at first, until realising he didn't mean Stan. He meant Kenny.

"When the fuck can I kill that no good fucking asshole?" He whispered, I looked over at the opposite side of the room, Kenny and Stanley were still chatting at the bar.

"Soon, we can't kill Kenny yet, we need someone to take his place first"

"And you want Stan to do it?" He said quietly. I noticed his voice was full of anger.

"Yes, of course, he's smart"

"Smart my ass, why don't you just ask 'The Bull'? He's been doing it for nearly 3 years. He has experience, and he's smart too..."

"I've already asked him. He said he'll kill Kenny, but he won't take over his position. He's too addicted to robbing and killing-"

"Well he is a Jew isn't he?" Token said, laughing. I laughed with him and watched Stanley & Kenny walk out of the door to Kenny's office.

In Stan's POV

Kenny led me out of the bar, I looked over and noticed that both Don Nommel & Token were looking at me. I didn't feel good now. Maybe it was the fact that Token had a look of pure evil on his face, or the laugher that erupted from their table as Kenny held the door open for me. This was supposed to be a good day for me. No more Token, working under one of my best friends and doing something which involved actual action. I had gotten bored of spending nearly ten hours a day just counting the money that had been earned the day earlier from 'The Bull' and whatever accomplice he had working with him this week. This week it would be me... Shit, why the hell did my stomach just turn?

"Here Stan," he said pushing a door open. We walked inside and I realised that this was a really well decorated room, with a huge oak desk one corner. There were 2 people already sitting at a couch in the furthest corner, smoking and drinking.

"Boys, can me and Stan get some privacy please?"

"Sure Kenny" one of them said. They both stood up and began walking towards the door. They looked identical, in matching black suits and black bowl hats. They closed the door behind them and Kenny pulled out a chair, inviting me to sit in it.

"Ok Stan, welcome to the team," He laughed, then looked out of the window. "This is your big break man, I bet you've been waiting for this"

"Ever since you started doing this shit yeah," I said, straightening my collar again. I looked over at a painting on the wall. It was of Kenny and a girl, and they were both grinning widely. "Shit man, can I go to the bathroom?" I said, shit my face was burning up quite quickly. Fucking shit flu. I had caught it off my sister, who had it quite bad herself.

"Sure Stan, bathroom's right there," He nodded towards a door which I never actually made out at first, as it was made out of the same wood the wall was. I stood up way too quickly. The room span slightly and I felt stabbing pains in my eyes. That always seemed to happen whenever I stood up too quickly, and I was getting extremely pissed off over it. "Whoa... Stan, you okay?"

"Yeah, just that I caught the flu off Shelly and it's at it's worst right now"

"Oh... okay then, I thought you was gonna faint then though, you look like shit Stan," He said. He had crossed the room, and was now looking at me as if I was dying on him. "Swill your face, it'll cool you down" I felt kind of angry that Kenny had said I looked like shit. I prided myself on how I looked, although I hadn't shaved in a week. I walked into the brightly lit bathroom. It was identical to the ones you have in small hotels, just square with a small cubicle shower in one corner, a clean porcelain toilet in another and a chrome sink in the last free corner. I pulled my scarf and coat off and began running the cold tap. The bathroom was windowless, the only light coming from the long light which flickered every few seconds above me.

I realised why Kenny had said I looked like shit. I did. My face was quite pale, as if I had never seen the sun before, or I was wearing gothic make up. And I realised how badly I needed a shave. Fucking facial hair, grew like an inch a week. I splashed some water over my face then ran my fingers through my hair. Dripping cold water all over the back of my shirt, which made me jump. Shit everything seemed to be cold now. So I pulled my coat back on, drying my face with one of the sleeves, and grabbed my scarf.

In Eric's POV

Damn Stan, making me wait in this fucking lounge. I wanted to leave, but as he was driving, I had no choice but to wait. The lounge was empty, except of course for the bartender, who had spiky blonde hair. What the hell's up with this guy? Every time someone made a noise, he'd begin twitching like a fucking spaz. He kept on going through the door behind the bar into what seemed a different lounge. I could hear pool being played, and laughter. If Stan was potting balls (heh, potting balls, I gotta remember that) then I'd seriously kick him square in the nuts.

"Come on Eric, we're going now" It was Stan, who was looking like, excuse the French, utter shit...

"Hey Eric!" Came a voice from the doorway Stan had just came from, it was Kenny.

"Shit Kenny! Look at you!" I said, I was kinda surprised at how Kenny looked, I hadn't seen him properly for like 3 years. Although he looked slightly different, I recognised that smile anywhere.

"How have you been big guy?" He came over and kissed me on the cheek, I returned it, although I didn't like the smell of whatever cologne he was wearing. He then tried to wrap his arm around me, but he could barely touch my shoulder. "Fuck, we haven't spoke for months, we gotta have a drink soon, catch up for old time sake"

"Sure Kenny, yeah, you just phone our office or something" I felt Stan grip my arm tightly.

"Come on Eric, I gotta tell you what I'm doing now" He said. He sounded quite serious, so I agreed, and we both left "Lounge Nommel" and jumped into Stan's Cadillac.