This is sloppy of me, and I’m never this sloppy, despite Mr. Smith’s feelings about my last performance. But if he could see me right now, I wouldn’t blame him if he questioned my ability to successfully complete this job.
The sound of paper shuffling is the only thing that lets me know he’s still at that desk, since I’ve lost the visual.
A few minutes later, I hear the door open again, and two different sets of boots shuffle across the concrete floor.
“Hey, man, what are you doing here today?” a man’s voice says. The inflection is high, like he’s surprised, but there’s a nervous quiver to it that gives him away. He’s scared.
There is no answer, so the man keeps talking as if his words are less dangerous than the silence filling the room. “I know I’m only supposed to work on Thursdays, but I needed a few extra hours this week. My ex is on my ass about money again. Wants to send the kids to some damnsummer camp up in Arkansas. I’m like shit, they don’t have to go all the way to the damn Ozark Mountains to play tag and whatever other bullshit they do up there.”
Silence.
“I’m sorry, Ryan. I know I’m not supposed to be here today.” His voice breaks when he says Ryan’s name, and this has me more curious than anything else. Ryan has yet to say a word, and this man is terrified. All I’ve ever seen is sweet Ryan. Romantic Ryan. Fun Ryan.
Scary Ryan is intriguing.
“Come on, Freddie. Did you really think it was possible to make a side deal and have my trucks come through when I’m not here?”
His voice is now a bit deeper.
“No. It was dumb. Stupid. Really fucking stupid,” Freddie answers. The third person in the room hasn’t spoken yet.
There’s a squeaking sound as if maybe Ryan is leaning back in his chair and the springs need to be oiled. I can almost picture him. He’d have his hands laced behind his head. Maybe his feet are propped up on the desk. He would look calm, almost casual, but the voice lets you know he’s anything but.
“Seth, grab those wire cutters off Benny’s desk,” Ryan says in a deceptively calm voice.
There’s a rustling sound and then Seth says, “Got ’em.”
And then there’s an edge to Ryan’s voice that I’ve never heard before. “You’re going to tell me who else is involved or Seth is going to enjoy using those wire cutters on your fingers.” The chair squeaks again and Ryan adds, “What do you think, Seth, one finger for every minute we have to wait?”
“Sounds about right to me, Boss. These are pretty dull, though, so it may take me more than a minute to get one off.”
Seth barely finishes before Freddie is talking. He’s throwing around names and plans and dates at such a rapid rate that I hope Seth has forgotten about the wire cutters and picked up a pen and paper instead.
“You’re not telling me everything,” Ryan says. “You and those other idiots are too stupid to pull this off on your own. Tell me who else is involved.”
The guy’s voice cracks when he says, “That’s it, I swear!”
I hear the chair roll briefly, and now I’m imagining him leaning forward, his elbows on the desk and his hands clasped together in front of him. I hear what sounds like a stack of papers hit the floor. “You think I don’t know when someone has gone through my shit!”
Oh, hell. This poor guy may take the fall for something I’ve done.
“Seth, take his phone, then get him nice and comfortable in the warehouse. Get the other guys up here. I’ll let Robert know they’re ready for him.”
“Wait! Wait! There’s no reason to call Robert!” the guy shouts. He sounds even more terrified.
From the information I found, the “Robert” he is referring to is probably Robert Davidson, one of his biggest customers. And from my research, Freddie and his cohorts should be terrified he’s getting involved.
Ryan waits an uncomfortably long time before he finally answers. “You think the load you were trying to lift today was going to just appear out of thin air? You think Robert wouldn’t find out his goods never made it to their destination?” His voice grows louder with each sentence, the edge sharpening on every word. “You and those fucking idiot friends of yours jeopardized my entire operation for a few grand. You didn’t even know the value of the merchandise in the truck. You think you’re so smart to line up a buyer in advance, but you’re so fucking stupid because youmade a deal with one of my own guys. I knew what you were trying to do thirty fucking seconds after you made contact with him.”
“Shit, Ryan, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to do it. The other guys talked me into it.”
“Stop talking before you really piss me off.” Ryan’s voice is loud enough that I flinch. “You’re not my problem anymore. You picked the wrong truck, my friend. Robert wants a few words with you and your buddies. Seth, get him the fuck out of my office.”
The silence is almost jarring after the last several minutes. I’ve never heard Ryan talk to anyone so brutally before. It’s hard to reconcile the man I’ve come to know with the man in the next room.
He works at the desk awhile longer while I hunker down in the stall. Seth is back before long, and it sounds like he settles into one of the other chairs. I hear bits and pieces of their conversation, but it’s just normal chitchat between two guys who have known each other a long time. They talk about the Texas Rangers’ chances of making the playoffs, and Ryan ribs him about some girl Seth has been hooking up with. There’s a long discussion about craft beer that has me wanting to beat my head against the wall if I could do it without giving away my hiding spot.
While I wait for the opportunity to make my getaway, this new Ryan takes shape in my mind. You have to be ruthless in business, even more so when you’re working on the wrong side of the law. I knew Ryan couldn’t have achieved such success without getting his hands a little dirty. But if I hadn’t heard it with my own ears, I would never have believed he was capable of threatening to have someone’s fingers cut off one by one. His methods may be a bit barbaric, but they also seemed to be effective, since Freddie gave his buddies up within seconds. I’m glad to have seen this side of him. I need to know what I’m dealing with when it comes to Ryan.
