“I’m all about helping wipe scum from the earth, but these men are my men and well, how should I word it as to not offend you and your scum.” He leans forward, placing his cup on the floor in front of his feet cracking out his knuckles. My finger twitches on the trigger.
“Scum? But you’re here seeking fuck knows what, and call us scum,” I say to him as I lean forward blowing smoke in his direction.
“I said I didn’t mean to offend, but we all know it’s a fact,” he smirks out.
“No offence taken, Boss man. Right, Micha?” Ian raises his eyebrow at me, his eyes narrowing in warning. “Get fucked, cunt,” I mouth to him.
“Yes, well it seems that Micha here can’t handle the truth and the truth hurts.”
Is he for real?
“You know what I know, Damon? The only scum I see here is you.” I point my finger at him.
“And you,” I say, pointing my finger at his two monkeys before turning on my cousin and his goons.
“And you,” I seethe. I’m past reason now as my leg begins to shake in annoyance.
“This here, this scum that you’re pointing to is my family,” the venom in his voice is toxic. He thinks that the truth hurts me, well I just hit a nerve - the soulless prick actually feels. He’s scared, he’s panicking, and I have him just where I need him, living with fear that the Riddler is bringing the sandman.
Death is coming.
“Family! You wouldn’t even understand what the fucking word means and here you are calling us scum. Inside our club. In our part of town, on our streets.
You’re a boss of Gallo, yet you seek out a Ragen for help.” My tone is starting to ice over, this conversation starting to wear thin on my patience. I got called away from actually watching a beautiful creature move around in a world that’s too sick for such stellar perfection.
“You and your family are nothing but scum, coming here, taking over like you did,” he spits out, my statement hitting his nerves again. He’s beginning to sweat. Ian thought that I would roll over on family to help this fucking piece of shit! Not likely.
His statement though is somewhat true. They were here first. Our family migrated back in the early fifties but muscle and more money buy power. So, our business was the source for everyone, especially those that had been dealing with the Gallo family. We made better business deals, carried out our affairs more ruthlessly, but also with love, respect and agreement. Plain and simple. Our money wasn’t clean; it never has been. Our money was made from drugs, hits, underground fighting and guns. Fuck, before my grandfather took over there was even a bit of trafficking and black-market shit going on. A lot of our power was thanks to Rosie and Rene Ragen.
“It’s like you think you’re speaking to someone who’s not in power here, Damon. It’s like you think you’re the only boss here. You should really pull back because I don’t take to name-calling and threats lightly.” I take another cigarette from my packet, roll my brother’s zippo over my knee and watch as Damon’s eyes move to the movement. They follow the lighter as I bring it up to light the tip of my cigarette.
“Threats, Micha? I haven’t threatened you yet,” he says winking at me before placing his fingers into his glass on the floor, flicking a piece of ice into his mouth and biting down.
Standing up from my chair, my footsteps move closer. His eyes go to my feet. I pause, and he shuts his mouth.
“You’re not talking to some bum boy for the Mafia, some punk who will bow down to you or your men. No, Damon, you’re talking to Micha fucking Ragen and you don’t get to speak to me like that.” His eyes move from my feet to my eyes, his mouth opens, and he tisks me.
“Don’t you fucking push too hard, Boss man,” I hear Ian say behind me.
“He will kill you in the heat of the moment, his temper is not something I can control. Fuck he can’t even control it.” Ian walks around the side of me stopping next to me.
“I told you not to piss him off because it will make it harder to get him to work for you.” My head snaps to Ian as my hand fly’s out for Damon’s throat.
“I didn’t come here to fight or make more enemies. I wanted to seek out information and form an alliance against a war that’s already brewing,” Damon tries to push out through my vice grip on his throat. I could crush his oesophagus right here, right now and put an end to all this bullshit.
“If it comes to a war, I won’t lose, you know this. And as to not making enemies, I think you forget we already are,” I say squeezing tighter as his men’s gun’s train on me. They step in that little bit closer and Damon’s hands go up stopping them.
“This is why I need you and your men,” he coughs out trying to get air into his lungs moving his head back and forward. “You’re not my only enemies it seems. I have made one with the notorious Riddler.” He tries hard to get out through the pressure. As his face is going red, I let the pressure off slightly.
“You forgot to think. We are at war with you, you scum bag piece of shit,” I seethe into his face pulling him in closer. He didn’t care when he slit my father’s throat and now that I am this close to him, to the one man that fucking destroyed my life, I am allowing my emotions to get the better of me. The sobs from my mother and the gurgling sounds of my father play inside my mind.
“Just because you have no morals, and the fucking scum bag name of Ragen, does not mean you will win,” one of his dick bag men say to me. My eyes snap to his, and he steps back slightly under the weight of my stare as my Ruger moves to his face.
“Wanna look like him?” I question him.
“If you do, keep fucking talking out of place. Little wannabe gangsters like you know shit,” I bite out.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Ian says pulling on my arm.
