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| A slice of life | Started by: Edgler_Cobb on Sep 29, '18 16:21 |
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Edgler was torn from a pleasant but unmemorable dream by the shill ringing of his bedside telephone. He grabbed the phone and mumbled a greeting. He knew who it was before he answered. There was only one person who knew this number. Besides, he knew what it was about. He’d been waiting for this call for days. “I’m all over it,” he mumbled into the phone, before returning the receiver to the cradle. His head was already beginning to pound from the night before as he threw on a suit and grabbed the black doctor’s bag beside his door. Edgler Cobb wasn’t a doctor, but it was time to make a house call. By the time Edgler’s taxi had taken him to the large deli that was his destination, he’d already managed to drain half his hip flask. The mixture of vodka, minty mouthwash,and peppermint schnapps not only gave him a nice buzz but made his breath minty fresh. It was early, but Edgler needed the drink. Besides, Cobb had been drinking heavily, and indeed constantly, since he was twelve. At this point, he was genuinely afraid that, if he stopped, the cumulative hangover would kill him. Cobb paid the cabbie, tipping outrageously, and disembarked across the street from the deli. Two large Italian men in trench coats and hats were waiting for him. Edgler had worked with both men before. He knew they had strong stomachs and tight lips, necessary traits in this line of work. “Let’s go,” he told them, nodding toward the deli. The three men crossed the street in unison, the two men falling in behind Edgler, flanking him on either side. The door was locked, but Edgler had a key. Ignoring the Closed sign, he proceeded inside. One of the men took position outside the door. He’d make sure they didn’t get visitors. Edgler and the remaining man walked into the dining area. Inside, a slight man with thinning hair was sweeping up. “Hey! How’d you…” the man started before recognizing the two figures. “Hey. Uhhh… Edgler, right?” the man stammered, “What’s up? It’s… early, but I guess I can get you something. Is… uh… Is there something wrong?” “You ever been to the Middle East, Niko?” Edgler asked, placing his black bag unto on on the tables. “The Middle East? Like Arabia?” Niko laughed nervously, “Nah. You?” “No. I’m not a fan of deserts. It’s the sand. I hate sand. It’s coarse and rough and it get everywhere….” “Okay…” Niko responded, confusion overcoming fear. “Still, they’ve got the right idea about some things. Like how they deal with thieves…” Edgler yawned and extracted a blow torch from the bag. He lit it and placed it on the table. “Are you right handed or left?” “Right. What the hell’s going on, guys? You may not know this, but me and your boss, we’ve got business. Real lucrative business and…” Edgler nodded to the burly Italian and he grabbed Niko’s left arm and pinned it to the table. Then, he extracted a heavily constructed machete from his bag. “Where’s the fuckin’ money, Niko?” Edgler asked quietly, just above a whisper. “I know you stole from the boss. I know you weren’t stupid enough to put it in the bank. You don’t have a safety deposit box and it’s not in your house. That means it’s here,” For the last several months, Niko had been doing business with Adonis. Niko ran a few stills and used the books for the deli to wash money from the boss. He made a nice bit of cash for what was minimal work. Then, he got greedy. It didn’t take long for the boss to figure things out and, when Niko ignore gentle prodding, Edgler got the call. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, fellas! I swear!” Edgler began to heat the blade of the machete in the flame of the blow torch. It began Nito glow a sick orange color and the room began to reek of hot metal. “What the fuck are you doing?!” the old man screamed. “I’m heating the blade. You should be grateful. It means the wound will be cauterized and you won’t bleed to death. It’s better than a rat like you deserves. If it makes you feel any better, this was the boss’s idea. I wanted to cut your balls off,” “You’re a sick fucker, Cobb! Jesus Christ! I didn’t believe the rumors about you, but damn if they ain’t true!” Edgler laughed in genuine amusement. “Last chance, Niko. Where’s the money?” “I don’t know. I swear to God, the fuckin’ Holy Virgin. I don’t go no money!” Edgler held the glowing hot blade inches in front of Niko’s face. “You better be sure…” he taunted. When the old man didn’t reply, Edgler shrugged and hefted the blade in a two handed grip. “Grab him higher on the arm. You don’t want this to touch you. Just get ready he’s going to really start thrashing when this blade bites into him,” The thug nodded silently and changed his grip. Edgler held the glowing blade to Niko’s wrist, ostensibly to line up the cut, but also to let the old man feel the heat of the metal. He whimpered and tried to pull his arm away, but it was in vain. “Say good night, lefty,” Edgler said as he pulled the blade back, drawing a chuckle from the thug. “WAIT!!” Niko screamed, his voice almost unrecognizable, “It’s in the safe! Behind the counter! The combination… 10-03-79,” Edgler gestured to the thug who went behind the counter and opened the safe. Niko fell to the floor. A dark stain ran down the front of his pants and the pungent smell told Edgler there was another stain in back. “Jesus H!” the man exclaimed, “Look at all this cash. Ha! No wonder the boss was pissed,” “Bag it up and let’s get gone,” Edgler said before turning his attention back to Niko. Edgler grabbed the smaller man and slammed his face into the table. Then, he embedded the still glowing machete into the table, inches from his face. “Very few people get second chances in this life, Niko,” Edgler whispered, “Don’t waste it,” The thug passed Edgler the cloth sack full of money as they exited the building. Once outside, he passed both thugs their cut and the three dispersed. From the heft of the sack, Edgler knew his fee would be considerable. Cobb whistled as he walked to the corner to hail a cab that would take him to headquarters. All in all, today was shaping up to be a fine day. |
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