Pudd forever - Feeling much better now, just had a migraine that day! Though I'm pretty sure I'm coming down with something now - not fun!


49 Dougie's POV

I smiled to myself as I texted Harry, knowing it was annoying him in the airport and on his drive. It was always entertaining to put him off while he was working. Obviously not when he was about to do some shooting, but on his drives and downtime, it was fun to annoy him. Also, I always got the last laugh. Harry wasn't going to kiss me and leave; I was winning this war, not him!

As soon as he told me to shut up, I knew I'd won, that and I wasn't going to get another reply from him, and he probably didn't have his phone on anymore. If he did, he was going to ignore it, Harry did not like losing.

I smiled to myself and straightened my tie, pocketing the phone before heading down to the car. I was on my way to my meeting with Smith over the paintings. And while it was usually an alright meeting to have, today was going to be very mundane without Harry there. Smith was already quite scared of me, but Harry terrified him, all he had to do was uncross his arms and look slightly annoyed to send the man into pathetic stammering. I could do the same thing with just a change to my tone of voice, but somehow it felt better with Harry there doing half the intimidating.

Instead, I was dealing with an old guard, just in case. I wasn't expecting anything going wrong, but I never went anywhere without a guard, just in case. But this one was, in short, an idiot. He could pre-empt people's anger and their attacks, but he really did not understand business or anything like that. He was boring, oh so very boring. Silent and observing. Deadly, but silent and boring. I almost felt like groaning in annoyance at him. I could almost literally hear him thinking his boring mundane thoughts. It was infuriating. Ordinary people thought of the most boring thoughts. 'Oh did I leave the oven on? What should I get my wife/husband/sibling/snot nosed brat for their birthday? What's for dinner tonight' BORING.

If people actually used their brains for important things, well... I'd be out of a job. But life would be less frustrating when talking to people. Even sitting in silence with them would be easier, it could be fun trying to guess what the others were thinking.

The car eventually drove up to Smith's studio, where he was waiting outside for our arrival.

"Welcome Sir, I-I'm glad to have you back! No usual bodyguard today, such a shame!" Smith tripped over himself, obviously trying to please me with niceties.

"He had other pressing matters to contend with. So what have you got for me today?" I stepped inside the studio, feeling the goon following along behind alongside the artist.

"I have found a few exceptional pieces for you to take a look at! Come and see, they've just come into this country, fresh on the market!" Smith boasted, showing me to his latest stock of paintings.

And my, there were a fair few new pieces around of varying sizes and subjects. Some lost paintings that hadn't been recovered in years, some new pieces that hadn't been seen before. All priceless. All mine for the taking, if I wanted them.

But, before I even got the chance to look over anything, my phone rang. Smith gave me an incredibly weird look for the Bee Gee's playing as I fished it out of my pocket.

"What, got a problem with my ring tone?" I raised an eyebrow.

"No! No, just... didn't expect it... You er, don't seem..." He stuttered, his shakes getting worse.

"You may want to stop talking Smith, you're on thin ice." I warned as I answered the phone, "Finished the job already? You work fast." I answered Harry's call.

"Not yet Boss, just wanted to let you know I've gotten here and I've checked out the place. I have a plan set up, should be an easy knock down, two bullets at most." Harry told me, the sounds of the city behind him.

"Good, so why aren't you shooting yet?" I asked, if he had a plan, why was he wasting time phoning me when he could be shooting? Smith gulped loudly at the mention of a shooting, I smirked.

"Cause you like keeping up to date with what I'm doing, plus the guy has just shot up again so won't stop moving. He's being a pain of a shot; I'm going to wait for him to come down a bit so when I take his legs out so there isn't a chance of him getting all steroid strength on me and getting back up again despite the leg hole." Harry explained... Fair enough.

"Okay, now get on with it Tiger, I want you home by tomorrow. I'm surrounded by idiots and it's so tedious." I rolled my eyes, Smith paled.

"Will do Boss, I'll be home for tea tomorrow." Harry promised.

"Good, and bring dinner with you when you get back." There was no way I was cooking for him when he got in.

"Don't I always?" Harry sounded like he was smiling.

"You do, that's why I trust you. Now get rid of our problem will you?" I ended the phone call, pocketing the phone again.

"All of these are boring, sell them to other people. Next time bring me something interesting, like a painting of a murder or something. Continue to disappoint me and I'll paint something in your blood." I warned, turning and leaving again.

Today was so boring.

My day was ridiculously boring, sorting out other people's crimes, keeping the business ticking over. It was all just so mundane without Harry there to entertain me. Not even Tom was being of any fun, he was currently torturing his guitar in frustration of getting nowhere with his investigations into our murders. Danny was apparently at his job so he wasn't any fun either.

There wasn't even anything I could watch Harry on either. I was literally without challenge/entertainment, something I hadn't been in so long. What the hell was I going to do until Harry got home? Why didn't I kidnap someone to torture before Harry left? Suddenly I felt like an idiot, for the first time in my life.

Until the phone rang.

"What now Harry? Is it done?" I asked after seeing it was him.

"No! You pr*ck, you sent someone to kill me!" Simpson shouted down the phone. What the hell had Harry gotten himself into now?!