Larry had been standing in the dark for at least 15 minutes, waiting patiently outside the Velvet Rope bar. He'd only been there once, about a year ago when his brother introduced him to Eddie. He flicked his lighter twice before the sound of the door opening snatched his attention. He pressed himself further into the shadows, trying to blend in with the darkness to conceal his presence.
Richard Bologna walked out, the cold wind blowing his hair out of his face. His eyes swept over his surroundings in a quick glance then he pocketed his hands and walked away.
Larry's body relaxed once Richard was out of sight, but the door opened again and this time the guy he'd been waiting for walked out. Larry's eyes narrowed as Eddie casually lit a cigarette, an attempt to hide his nervousness.
Larry didn't move. He waited until Eddie spotted him and the guy froze. His eyes widened for a second, then he turned on his heel and started running.
Larry was caught off guard but he bolted after Eddie. Being tall and obviously long-legged perhaps gave in an advantage and he caught up in no time. He grabbed Eddie's coat and pulled him back forcefully. By the time Eddie could get over the abrupt pain of hitting the floor, Larry had his gun out and pressed under Eddie's jaw.
"You thought I wouldn't find you, you piece of shit," he growled, pressing the gun harder on Eddie.
Eddie felt the cold metal against his skin and swallowed hard, but even Larry could tell that he wasn't scared. But why? Why wasn't he afraid that he'd been found out?
In a millisecond, Eddie punched Larry in the face and heard a crack. Larry groaned and eased off him, giving him the chance to push him aside and run again.
He cursed as he wiped the blood from his nose, but he was soon running after Eddie again. He heard his phone ring while he was at it, but he could care less about whoever was calling. He needed to find out why Eddie was meeting with the Bolognas.
Eddie turned a corner into an alley but unfortunately ran into a very fierce doberman.
"Shit!"
He turned around, only to collide with Larry. Larry punched him hard on the face and managed to pin him to the wall behind him. He head-butted him and Eddie cried out in pain. Having successfully broke his nose, Larry smirked and pressed the gun to Eddie's forehead.
"I'll blow your fucking brains out, Eddie," he warned, and this time Eddie didn't try anything stupid.
Under a streetlight, Larry was able to see the fading bruises on Eddie's face.
"Been fighting again?"
Instead of answering, Eddie just gave him a mean glare. "What do you want, Larry?"
"What have you been up to with the Bolognas? You're not trying to double deal, are you?"
Eddie wasn't scared. Even if the Bolognas or the Duponts knew what he was really up to, he didn't have much to loose. The worst that could happen to him was torture and a painful death. But what was that compared to his miserable life?
"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, a hint of a smile playing on his lips.
Larry's dark eyes narrowed before he used the butt of the gun on Eddie's head.
"Ow!"
"Stop pushing me! Why the fuck are you meeting with the Bolognas?" This time he nearly screamed at Eddie's face, his anger nearly reaching it's climax. He'd had such a long day and wasn't going to take bullsh*t from this lowlife. The doberman was still barking fiercely and he tried to block out the sound.
Eddie just stared at him with bored eyes, seemingly unbothered by Larry's threats.
Larry's nose flared and he head-butted Eddie again. He continuously rained punches on his face until Eddie could no longer stand on his feet and he had to hold him up by the lapels.
By the time he realized that Eddie was unconscious, his knuckles were all red and bruised and his breathing ragged. Eddie's face looked horrible and one couldn't tell exactly which part of his face the blood was coming from.
Just then, the sharp sound of a lighter flipping close cut through the night and Larry's head snapped to his left.
"Goddammit!" he cursed, rubbing his forehead.
A woman stood in the middle of the alley, having witnessed everything that just happened. In the dark, Larry could only make out her slender form and her long hair that was blowing onto her face. He could see the lighter on her right hand and a lit cigarette held between her lips.
Larry heaved a sigh before calmly walking towards her. Standing at six foot two, he easily towered over her. He stood an inch away from her, where he was able to take a good look at her face. She had long, wavy brown hair, a pair of hazel brown eyes that calmly stared up at him. Calm, that was good. If she'd been there the entire time and was still calm then it was good for him.
The woman's pale face had turned pink from the cold, and her pink lips trembled slightly around the lit cigarette. Larry took the cigarette ad stomped it under his feet. His phone rung for the umpteenth time and he grudgingly picked it up.
"What?" He barked into the phone and felt the woman flinch.
"Where are you?" The person on the other end asked and Larry sighed.
"I'm busy," he said and ended the call. He turned to the dog that was still barking at him and shot right beside its ear, the sound terrifying and defeaning. The dog whined and quieted down.
When he turned around, the woman had her shoulders hunched up. Larry pressed the gun beneath her chin, forcing her head to tilt backwards. She closed her eyes tightly as the cold barrel bit into her skin.
Larry leaned closer to her face until she could feel his breath. "I won't kill you since you just happened to be in the wrong place at the right time, but this never happened and you were never here. Understood?"
The woman nodded stiffly, the gun pressed under her chin making it difficult.
"Good."
The woman opened her eyes and Larry was satisfied with what he saw. She wasn't scared shitless like he would expect from most women, but she was shook. That was enough.
He held her gaze while he tucked the gun away and used a handkerchief to wipe the blood on his nose. The woman didn't move an inch and satisfied with the reaction, Larry finally walked away.
"Fuck!" He cursed as soon as he turned the corner. Things weren't supposed to go that way.