Erik had dropped the subject after Christine had broken down that evening. He hadn't brought it up since either.
The fact that she had begged him not to hurt her was something that stuck in his mind. It lingered and he couldn't purge the memory as much as he hated it.
Would she ever warm up to him fully? He wasn't sure. But he did know that it seemed to have undone what little progress they had made with each other.
The distraction wasn't something that had interrupted his work all that much these last few weeks. It couldn't. It was mostly paperwork. If he fucked up on that, he could easily fix it.
But today was not a day to be so distracted. He was doing actual work for once. While he could rely on Nadir to help him - the man wasn't fit to do all the work.
They didn't respect him as they respected him. Not just for obvious reasons but for reasons that even he found inexcusable. Nadir being foreign didn't make him any less capable. But of course society wasn't fully ready for such a realization.
The drive was silent as Erik had briefed him before they'd left. Once they'd arrived, three pairs of eyes turned towards them.
They stared uncertainly at him and he maintained eye contact, pacing in front of them with a cigarette between his lips.
Nadir stood a few feet away, his gaze focused entirely on the two extra men.
"Why, Florian, I'm disappointed in you. Not only have you failed to repay your debt for the third time but my men have caught you trying to weasel out of it. I thought you had more respect for me. I guess not." Erik drawled almost boredly, breaking the tense silence.
He inhaled and blew out the smoke a few moments later, never breaking eye contact. Florian shifted awkwardly and averted his gaze first.
"You must understand, Erik. I've not got the money and you are a tad bit unreasonable old friend." Florian nearly rambled.
Erik scoffed, rolling his eyes. Of course he was unreasonable from his point of view. The old man was just getting more decrepit as time passed. He'd like to get the money from the man before he died.
Not only that but if old Florian truly didn't have the money- his precious bodyguards wouldn't be present. They had to be getting paid somehow. Because they too should know better than standing against him.
"Then why are your bitches still here in that case? Even a dog will turn on you if you don't take care of it." Erik argued, advancing on the old man.
Perhaps that wasn't entirely true- but there was some truth to that nonetheless. The old man seemed to be panicking now but that didn't stop him. If he let him off scot free again, people would begin to lose respect for him and he couldn't have that.
"Erik, please. My wife is sick. I won't be able to afford her medication if you make me pay you." Florian argued, holding his hands up as if to ward him off.
Erik had grabbed his collar but these words caused him to stop short. He had to wonder if Florian actually had a wife. If he did, was she anything like Christine? Beautiful but painfully skittish? What would become of her if he did away with the annoyance?
Unfortunately, the split second that he'd let his guard down was enough for the other two to act. He should've realized that the man was trying to manipulate him.
Florian had used the oldest trick in the book and he'd fallen for it like a complete dumbass. All because Christine was doing something to him and he wasn't sure he liked it.
Erik didn't have long to dwell on that line of thought because the one that Nadir hadn't engaged crashed into him. He let the stockier man knock him to the floor.
He gave as good as he got, if not better.
The man seemed to realize that he wasn't as in control as he hoped to be, because he'd pulled out a blade.
Before Erik could fully react, it was driven directly into his stomach. He let out a gutteral yell, hands immediately going around the man's neck.
His only rational thought was that he was going to take the bastard out with him if it came down to that. But before he could ensure that this was the case, the other man's weight was lifted off of him.
"Goddamn it, Erik. Let's get back to Meg and Christine so we can take care of that." Nadir grumbled, helping him up and leading him out.
Erik leaned heavily against him. He could only hope that the women were out when they got there.
Christine was relieved that the subject was never revisited. Though she wouldn't deny that she was disappointed that she never got a proper apology. She never bothered to ask for one though. She didn't want to risk it, given how distant and tense Erik had seemed lately.
But she was thrilled that Meg was able to come over today. Both because she missed her and it was a nice distraction from everything.
The blonde had asked if she wanted to go out, but she'd shot the idea down. She didn't think that was a very good idea. Especially since it would be without warning. She doubted Erik would be pleased with her absence being a surprise to him.
Leaving a note probably wouldn't lessen his reaction either. He seemed to have quite the temper, from what little he had displayed.
The door slamming open made both of them jump and she rushed over to see what or who it was. She could only hope it was Nadir and Erik. She could hear Meg behind her and it gave her some confidence just in case it wasn't.
When the sight before her reached her eyes, she almost wished that it wasn't them. Nadir seemed to be supporting Erik's weight and Erik had his hand pressed against his stomach. His hand and shirt were both stained and sticky with blood.
Christine fought down the urge to faint despite how terrifying it was. Now wasn't the time to give into her queasiness. Not when her husband was so terribly injured. She opened her mouth and closed it a couple times, unable to find her voice.
"What happened?" Meg questioned shrilly, rushing forward to help her husband support Erik's weight.
They moved him further inside, eventually sitting him at the kitchen table. Christine followed after them, feeling so terribly useless.
"He nearly gutted himself at work." Nadir answered dryly. That answer didn't soothe her nerves in the slightest.
Christine wasn't entirely sure she believed him, either. It seemed like some kind of lie or cover up.
Yet again, it was entirely possible that Nadir was being honest with her. It wasn't like they'd ever really discussed what Erik did for work.
"We need to get him to a hospital!" She exclaimed, rushing to his side.
Christine cupped his cheeks as she looked into his eyes. He seemed alert enough but this was serious.
Erik slowly reached up and grasped her wrist weakly, using his free hand. She jumped slightly but calmed herself moments later.
"No...no hospital. Too many questions." Erik argued weakly.
That didn't strike her as all that strange. He was a rather private man about most things.
Nadir laid a first aid kit on the table and she glanced at it. It was clear that they both expected her to be able to patch him up. Christine could most definitely try.
"Alright..no hospitals." Christine relented, taking a steadying breath.
She dragged another chair over and prepared to get to work. This couldn't be too hard. As long as Nadir was just exaggerating. Which she hoped was the case.
Nadir grabbed Meg's hand and dragged her towards the front door. She seemed reluctant to go but she didn't fight him.
"I'll see you later, Chrissy." Meg called over her shoulder.
It seemed that she would be mostly on her own with this.