The door to the room opened, and three men entered it. One of the men couldn’t be older than 25, had a shaved head and was looking around the room in amazement, contrasting his other two companions, who walked like they’d seen this place previous times: the burliest man stayed by the door while the other two walked on. The wall opposite to them was a huge window, showing the shades and dots of light of the other buildings and the neon signs of insistent publicity. In front of the window was a desk with chairs in front and behind it. And the man sitting behind the desk was Thaddeus Mansson. In all his gray eyed, cold glory. The man with red hair was the first to talk.
“Mister Mansson, this is Jireo, like you asked. And there’s a meeting with Ortis, he’ll be here in an hour. Dante also said he’d do a jump here soon.”
“Thank you, Biels.” Jireo never expected Thaddeus’s voice to be this raspy. Biels gave a nod and walked to the side, Jireo barely hearing the door open and close, too busy with the gray eyes looking at him, unblinking.
“Mister Mansson, an honor.” Jireo tried, taking some steps to the desk and stretching a hand, hoping the smile he gave didn’t reveal his nervousness. Thaddeus actually stood up and shook it, his eyes still on Jireo’s, and returning the smile, “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“It’s too late to ask if it’s only good things you’ve heard. Please sit down.” Thaddeus said. Jireo gave a nod and did so, discreetly wiping the sweat of his palms on his pants. “How long have you been working for me?”
“Five years, sir. Started in The Hannelies as a messenger and lookout, then went to distribution with Foy.”
“Foy?” Thaddeus asked, interested, “Yeah, Foy is-Foy was one of my most loyal employees, may he rest in peace.” Jireo nodded.
“Foy,” Thaddeus continued, still not sitting back down, but rather resting his hip to the desk, “was with me, working for me, for some…” he narrowed his eyes, finally steering his sight from the younger man and to the ceiling as he remembered, “ten, fifteen years? Something like that. Yes. Fifteen years by my side. I managed a lot thanks to him. So, messenger, then distribution. You look young, how old were you when you began?”
“Eighteen.” Thaddeus cleared his throat, his eyes back on Jireo, “How old are you now?”
“Five years. You’ve been working with me for five years.” Thaddeus grabbed the chair Jireo was sitting in and turned it to face him abruptly, making Jireo grasp the arms tightly. Still holding on the chair, Thaddeus pulled it to himself and leaned closer, making the younger man try to lean away as much as he could.
“Five years, and now you decide to betray me?” Thaddeus asked quietly
“S-sir?” Jireo asked, “I-I would never betray you!”
“Two of my men saw you enter the police headquarters in Kiryo, you didn’t get out for three hours. That’s an awful lot of time for someone that would never betray me. What did you tell them?”
“N-nothing sir, I don’t know what y-” Thaddeus interrupted by pulling out a gun and pressing it on Jireo’s throat, making his adam’s apple bob repeatedly.
“What did you tell them?” he asked again
“No-nothing!” Thaddeus moved the gun to Jireo’s right hip and shot. Jireo screamed and tried to get up, but Thaddeus shoved him back to sit down and pressed the gun again at his throat.
“You told them something, Jireo, who works in distribution. They knew of the incoming from Douwich, they knew exactly which boat and which cars and I lost 56 thousand pounds to the pigs. I lost men, I lost product, I lost money, and you’re going to sit there like some whimpering little bitch and tell me, lie to me, to my face, saying you didn’t tell them shit?”
The pain on Jireo’s hip felt hot and sharp, with blood oozing and dampening his pants and shirt. It transformed into an achy pain, somewhat both amplified and numbened by the adrenaline. Jireo tried to swallow his own saliva, his face flushed cold, and shook his head.
“No? No what?” Thaddeus asked, arching his eyebrows.
“You-you-you didn’t? You-you didn’t what?” Thaddeus mocked with a hissing voice, pressing his gun to the man’s throat, making the adam’s apple bob again more energically, “You didn’t snitch, you didn’t stay silent, you didn’t sing, what didn’t you do, Jireo?”
Jireo opened his mouth, no sound came out. It was evident he tried to get some out, but his eyes started to water. Thaddeus slowly separated the gun from Jireo’s throat…and put it inside his mouth, making the younger man wince.
“What did you tell them, Jireo?” Jireo’s respiration increased, “I need to know. And I have plenty of ways to make you sing.” He removed the gun from Jireo’s mouth, “Either you tell me, or Kemmy can.” Jireo’s eyes widened, “She lives with you, she’s been with you for some years, I know she knows something.”
“Sh-she doesn’t know anything.” Jireo rushed, “Please-please, she doesn’t know anything.”
“’m sorry!” Jireo felt the hot tears fall, “I told them, I’m sorry, I let them know of the cargo from Douwich and the next one from Withampcote, just that! I didn’t tell them where you are or-or where to find you! I just-I just told them of those two! I swear, I swear! Please, please don’t-please leave Kemmy out of this!”
Thaddeus exhaled, letting his head hang for a second, then shaking his head before lifting it back up to look at the snitch.
“Jireo, Jireo, Jireo. Formerly employed by Foy. You know how he lasted this long?” Jireo’s eyes watered, either from sharp pain from the gunshot or panic at what was next, “Loyalty.”
Thaddeus lifted the gun to Jireo’s forehead and shot. The body relaxed, the eyes got lost. Thaddeus grabbed the arm of the corpse, and with a CLACK! disappeared into thin air. Biels, who had been looking at everything from the side, opened a side door and snuck in, returning a minute later with bleach, rubber gloves, a rag and a mop. He put on the gloves and started to clean the chair with the rag and bleach when another CLACK! sounded from behind him.
“Sweet, when I come he’s not here. Perpetually chasing the bastard down.” A slurry voice with a distinctive accent came to Biel’s ears. Without looking up, he replied, “Mister Mansson had to take care of something, he’ll be here shortly.”
“And he put you to clean it?”
“I chose to clean it.” he finished cleaning the blood, then poured some bleach on the mop and started with the blood on the ground, “Today’s schedule is tight and I want everything meticulous.”
“Biels, this is why he loves you.” Only then did Biels look up to the newcomer: a short man with 5 o’clock shadow and his medium long, wavy brown hair tied to show the undershave.
“I just do my job.” Biels replied, not revealing the secret feeling of pride he felt. Just as he finished cleaning the floor did a CLACK! announce Thaddeus’s return, who put his gun away the second he noticed Dante.
“Huh, you’re here early.”
“I’m here at the time I have to be. Who did you disappear now?” Dante asked
“Some snitch. Speaking of, Biels.” Biels collected the supplies and awaited, listening to Thaddeus, “Call Alabras, tell her the shipment from Withampcote got compromised and to find another way to ship them here. Mules, airways, ship them late or tonight, I don’t care but I want all the product here. Tell her I’ll keep in contact.”
“Yes sir.” Biels walked out through the side door with the rest of the equipment while the rest of the conversation between Dante and Thaddeus carried in a strange language. By the time he was back in the room, Dante made a jump that instantly made him disappear, while Thaddeus headed out the door with the bodyguard. Biels followed him.