Robbie simply smirked at the man, lifting his hand up to briefly rub at his chin, shaking his head as he did so. “I doubt it is, but the fact remains, Mr Nottingham, that you tried to cross me. I, with the kindness in my heart, gave you opportunity to purchase a very valuable property from myself, and you try to play a game with me to lower the asking price? No, no. I don’t like games, but when I do play them, I don’t lose.” A sardonic smile, sharp at the edges and he was dropping his hand down as he gestured to the shipping container behind Keith, clearly moving things along in that particular physical direction.
“You cost me money. So you are going to go in to that container with this little laptop, already loaded and ready for you to put in your financial details, to send me as compensation. The money you were going to pay for the property, you’ll also send. But the property remains mine,” he was going to make him pay for the time and effort that had been wasted, the fact he had to shut down his business after drugs were planted there in an effort to lower the price and align it with a reputation.
It was the Rabbit Hole which Robbie owned the building to and made a very large amount on through rent. Keith had wanted to buy the building itself and take over the lease, to expand the bar in to a place for local bands to also perform and likely to use as a front for illicit dealings of his own. Robbie was willing to sell, simply because then he’d have the money (not that he needed it) and would be able to keep tabs then on Keith. To ruin him when he inevitably slipped up with whatever he was trying to use it as a front for. Robbie didn’t just dislike Keith Nottingham, he hated him, and it was all part of a long game for him. He’d take his money, let it sit on the pile he already had, but he would also play the long and drawn out game that gave him the most satisfactory of endings.
But Keith had tried to plant drugs in there, to make it look like it had always been used to sell it. Mercifully he was useless at trying to set something up and the young man he’d had trying to help him - some fool by the name of Hansel - had slipped up. Namely when he’d tried to hustle his own way in to a more powerful position, and had dared to try to kidnap Belle to try to force Robbie’s hand against Keith. If Robbie had fallen for it, killed Keith, then Hansel would have swept in and made the deal himself at the lower price, thusly making quite the deal.
Robbie had put a bullet in his head as he’d grabbed on to Belle and it had meant that Robbie had decided to alter his plans for Keith. Whether he knew what Hansel was intending with Belle or not didn’t matter; she had the bruise on her arm as proof of it all, and Robbie was very protective of her.
The container was a shipping one for Jefferson’s restaurant and so kitted out for freezing various fish. Perfect for this little moment with Keith. “It’s rather cold in there. In fact, so cold that you’ll freeze to death in an hour. Or lose limbs first to frostbite, neither of which I’m sure you’d like to endure. I’ll let you go under two conditions; that you perform the transaction within that time and also, one other little thing.” Now his smile became darker, the gun he held in his other hand remaining trained on a shaking Keith as he tilted his head briefly towards the man watching them. Dove, who was wrapped up nicely and warm, ready for any cold weather and able to survive it for much longer than a man in a t-shirt and jeans like Keith was could do.
“My dear Belle was hurt by your associate. The one I have you on film talking to yet you continue to deny involvement with. I understand, it’s ah, it’s difficult to admit our faults and yours was interacting with a man even lower than yourself. Difficult, I know. But you see, I don’t care about the money, that’s just a point of principal and how I have to do business. I have to make sure you know that messing with me is a very expensive affair. I can take my compensation for the deeds done against me financially. It’s fine. But her? Now that’s where it gets emotional,” his tone dropped then and he approached Keith, lip curling with a silent snarl. Hurting Belle was an unforgivable crime. Whether he knew or not, did the deed or ordered it or not, it didn’t matter. His actions had led to those, and she had been harmed as a result. It all had to lead back to him, he had to take responsibility and he had to be the one to pay the price for it.
Quite a price it would be indeed.
“This fine gentlemen will be joining you in the container. When you’ve made the financial transaction, you will turn your attentions to the large scales in there and you will provide me with payment for the harm she endured. I want a pound of your flesh. Literally. I don’t care where you take it from, but I do care that it is precisely a pound. Anything less, and you die. Dn’t worry though if you can’t do it yourself; he’s very adept with a knife, and more than willing to help.” He drawled, his smile going wider all the while. He was going to make Keith pay and he would make sure it would be a life long reminder to never cross him.
That was if he didn’t shoot him anyway when he came out of there, or let him bleed to death. Dove would happily let him die, the man also protective of Belle. She was the one person who would off limits in this world, and the one person that Robbie would take such extreme measures for.
“In you pop. We’ll see just how smart you choose to be about this.”
