Simple Handshake
1283 Words
When Tania was wheeled into the room, Theo balled up his fists so tight the white of his knuckles was showing. Tania’s eyes were squeezed shut and her breathing shuddered. Slouched in her wheelchair, she leaned to one side; her head seemed as if it was glued to the metal frame for support. Every time the wheelchair jostled, she groaned weakly, and her already pale face seemed to go another shade lighter.
Theo took a shaky breath and growled, “What happened?”
Dorian sighed. “One of my men got rowdy with her when she resisted.”
“Hand him over.”
Dorian smirked. Look at this motherfucker… and he said he didn’t care for her.
“I would hand him over but the man is probably already in a ditch somewhere. If you really want him, you can ask your men to dig him back up.”
Theo tore his gaze off Tania with great difficulty and turned to face Dorian. Leaning in, his voice softened, “I suppose you bringing her here means you are handing her over before negotiations?”
Dorian raised and dropped his thick eyebrows and smiled. “She served her purpose in bringing you here. Have your men take her back. She’s caused enough trouble here as it stands. I’ll be sending you a bill for all the cleaning.”
Theo got up and walked over to Tania’s wheelchair, kneeling, he looked into her haggard face and squeezed her hand gently. “Don’t worry, I’m going to take you home.”
He walked to the door and instructed his men to take Tania to the hospital for a full checkup before returning to his seat in front of Dorian.
“So what do you need me for?”
Dorian smiled and placed his empty cup down on the table. “Who is the head of Venom?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
“Who is Ace?”
“Also cannot tell you that.”
Dorian’s smile hardened and he blinked his beautiful eyes slowly. “It’s not a secret that I am moving to take over the underworld empire here in the West and if need be, move across continents.”
Theo frowned slightly at the choice of words but remained silent, allowing Dorian to finish his thought.
“Whether you tell me today or not won’t hinder me in any way but this is your only chance to side with me. When I take over Venom, you will be in my good graces and will not be harmed.”
Theo picked up the whiskey and poured himself a little more. Taking his time to savor another mouthful before he answered, “I still cannot tell you but it sounds like you have something you are looking for. Maybe I can help with that.”
Dorian paused, seeming to judge Theo’s capabilities at a glance. “No one can help me. If I couldn’t do it, you, a rich civilian playboy, definitely cannot.”
Theo leaned back into his seat and resumed a comfortable position. “Then let me lay it to you frankly: the way I see it, you’re building an empire on sand. All the mafia families you have taken out hate your guts. You can’t possibly rule over them for long and you know this. Let’s say you take out Venom and make it yours, you’ve just expanded your territory but you do not have the means to oversee the group. How do you plan on branching overseas when your hounds are snapping at your heels?”
Dorian’s eyes flashed dangerously. “So what do you suggest?”
“Stop your takeover. Venom won’t instigate a fight if you don’t. If you are looking for something or someone, negotiate with Venom and we will help you.”
Dorian smirked. “You sound like you have some level of authority within Venom. How do I know Venom will help me?”
“You have my word as a Farley.”
“Your family name means s**t here. Give me something more concrete.”
“I swear by all that I hold dear.”
Dorian smiled menacingly and leaned forward. “Then remember this, if you do not uphold the end of your bargain, I will go after all your loved ones first before I rip you apart.”
He extended a hand and Theo leaned forward to take it. A simple handshake that decided the fate of the underworld.
***
When Tania woke up again, she was greeted by the soft beeping of a device and the smell of disinfectant and coffee. She wrinkled her nose at the combination and shifted her sore body. Immediately her head started pounding and she laid still, waiting for the dizzying waves to subside.
“You’re awake.”
Tania, already wiser from her previous actions, opened her mouth slowly without moving her head; she couldn’t see anyway, so turning wouldn’t do anything but exacerbate her headache. “Who are you? Where am I? Where is…” She broke into a coughing fit.
As she coughed, she heard the ear-bleeding screech of a chair scraping against the floor and the clicking sounds of leather soles. She frowned when she couldn’t hear anything but then relaxed when she heard the sound of liquid being poured into a cup, the muffled thud of an object being placed down, and then the methodical clicking of footsteps back towards her. Strangely, she was not afraid of a stranger next to her, more so, she was terrified of being left alone. Robbed of her sight and unable to move, she felt as if she was trapped in a dark cage at the bottom of a rocking boat.
“Here, drink.”
The sound of whirring and she felt the bed move as her upper body was slowly propped up.
She flinched slightly when a cold cup grazed her lips.
“Hold still or you’ll get wet.”
Obediently, she drank the water slowly. Whoever it was, he was patient as he held the cup letting her sip slowly until she had her fill.
“Thank you,” Tania murmured, “how is… where is Theo?”
“Hm?” the male asked gently.
“The actor, Theo Jones. He was with me earlier. Is he safe? Where is he?”
“Oh, him… he’s fine. He sent you to this hospital. You’ve had a nasty concussion and will be bedridden for two weeks. The doctors are aware of your vision impairment and are not sure whether it is due to a small blood clot in your brain but for now we have to wait until the swelling goes down to determine if surgery is needed.”
“Oh… that’s good… that’s good.” Tania sighed softly and visibly relaxed.
“What’s good about that?” the man asked.
“I mean, it’s good that Theo is fine.” Tania offered a soft smile, “Thank you for taking care of me.”
He replied with a soft hum and lowered her bed again.
“A nurse will be on call 24-7. She can help you use the restroom or bathe.”
Tania turned slowly to the voice, afraid to be left alone she entreated softly, “Will you come back to see me?”
There was a long pause.
“I’ll be right here.”
Tania smiled again. “What do I call you?”
“Call me… Chris.”
Tania mumbled, “Chris. What a nice name. I’m Tania. Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you too. Sleep now.”
Tania closed her eyes and fell asleep quickly.
- Writer
