2019-09-05 - A New Gig
Felix has a new job for Joey. He just has to take care of his predecessor first.
IC Date: 2019-09-05
OOC Date: 2019-06-19
Location: Maple/Firefly Club - Back Room
Related Scenes: None
Plot: None
Scene Number: 1466
Joey knows this drill: Felix wants to see him. So he'll be expected to show up to the club, where Andre is waiting in the back-room to give him the pat-down and lead him up the stairs where the man is waiting behind his desk, the lights of the club flashing through the smoky, one-way glass of the window behind him. Instead of working on his computer, he's just finishing up a phone call. "We'll talk later," and hangs up without waiting to hear the response on the other line.
He lifts a hand, beckoning Joey into the office and to the chair across from him. Leaving Andre on the door, as is the custom. "Do you know Lukas Collins?" Mid-level guy in Felix's employment. Runs gambling on bare-knuckle boxing. (See where this is going?)
Joey shows up on fucking time, and dressed for the club putting on a shirt with a damn collar on it instead of looking like he's walking around his gym. ewer questions overall not that GHPD doesn't know what they can't prove. Again, he left his piece in his saddlebags locked, he gets the pat down and slides his wallet back in his pocket. and greets the doorman. "Sup man." The eyebrow goes up and withthe side nod to go in he enters and hangs tight while the Man finishes his phone call.
Entering he comes in and sits down getting comfortable but not too comfortable. His head nods, "Course I know em. He pays me out. Very damn familiar." Because throwing his ass out with the gloves off there is one of those golden egg opportunities Felix gave him to still make his mortgage. "What's goin on with Collins?"
"Good." That Joey knows the man in question. That saves Felix the trouble of having to introduce the two of them. Especially since, "He's in the basement right now. I need you to put a bullet in him and take over his book." It's not exactly casual, the way Felix speaks, but it's also not... let's just say that he's not going to agonize over this. He just looks calmly across the desk at Joey while he leans back in his chair, fingers laced loosely across his middle.
<FS3> Joey rolls Composure: Good Success (8 8 7 6 5 2 1 1)
Joey has no illusions about the world they live in. Is what Felix is asking him some sort of test? Well what isn't a test? Every moment growing up has been some test trying to break him. Is this the shit that Joey takes lightly? No, the man isn't a psychopath, but if you get this far into something you do so with your eyes open. You make choices and those choices have consequences. So when he says, "It hurts me Lukas has made the mistake of disappointing you and making you do this." He means it.
Joey Kelley doesn't think himself important in the grand scheme of things, but he does regard Felix as he does his own family and is loyal without questioning him. He asks casually, disappointed in Collins. Gregarious doesn't mean not-sloppy and personality only buys you so much time when you fuck up this bad. He asks curiously, "Everything I need downstairs?" Meaning Need I go get my own piece and take care of this? Eyebrow arches "After we can talk about what you need to happen and what's apparently outstanding to follow up on."
Collins you dumb fuck. Working for Felix is an easy sweet gig. Why people gotta fuck with a system? He dunno. He's also not being asked to ruminate over it. He stands waiting the answer before going and taking care of what he's been tasked to do.
There is only a nod for what hurts Joey, and even that is only a minute gesture, no more than Felix acknowledging that he heard Joey. His take on the fact that it hurts Joey is unreadable in that exchange. "Andre has a piece if you need one," with a nod to the big guy, who smiles - happy to be helpful, probably not entirely aware of what the conversation means. There's another nod for the conversation that's going to take place afterward, since that's a conversation that Felix will actually care about!
"Here, you can have this," says Andre, handing over what we can all assume is some kind of appropriate and untraceable gun. "It's a good one. Small, though." In his hand. Should be good for Joey (who is normal human-sized).
Joey dips his head in a nod with some efficiency and takes the piece from him murmuring objectively, "Yeah, well it doesn't have to fight a war, it just has to work." It gets tucked comfortably in the back of his pants. with the safety on and he head out. He heads out and into the back hall for the basement. He can stand and bullshit with Andre another night. Idly he wonders if this had anything to do with an armed Russian in the club that got diffused the other night but doesn't ask. Shit to do right now.
Following along, Andre makes some idle chit-chat down the stairs, something about a game he played with ping pong balls and goldfish bowls, but he didn't win a goldfish, which bums him out, because he was hoping he would get one that matched Hannah's. That would've been great for him. Alas! He unlocks the basement door for Joey and opens it, staying at the top of the narrow staircase that leads down into the half-lit space.
The basement is tiled with a concrete floor and almost empty. A single overhead fluorescent is on, brightening the dim interior. Light shines down on Lukas Collins (late-20s, not a bad looking guy, but he has "douche" written all over him), who is presently zip-tied to a folding chair in the middle of the room. He looks like his face has made the acquaintance of a few fists, bruised and swollen. His head lifts when the door opens, and he makes eye-contact with Joey. He bursts out in a laugh, and the smile shows he's missing a couple teeth now.
Joey murmurs something suggesting put something in a box with a bunch of fucking ping pong balls to invite Hannah to do something and tell her it's a much better prize. Arriving at the basement stairs he looks to Andre and just says, "Ya might wanna hang out here for a minute." Which is neither insistent or dodging, but one of those fair warnings to let the guy choose as he may. He has no illusions that Andre is some wilting flower. He wouldn't be on the damn door if he was. On the other hand knowing too much is also not always healthy, but that's Andre's call to make. He's got a job to sort out.
"Goddamn, Lukas you look like I was here already." Are they friends? no. Has he gotten Joey in some pretty good fights for cash? Yes that and a hospital stay a couple times. All in all there's no bad blood, and yet here they are. Shaking his head the lean boxer asks, "What were you thinking, man?"
Andre knows this drill. He stays outside because that's his job, shutting the door and guarding it from the outside. Joey can knock to get out when he's done.
"Eat a dick." Lukas isn't the kind of guy most people make friends with, but he's usually at least superficially tolerable. After all, part of his business is maintaining relationships. He blows bloody spit onto the floor, then stretches that gap-toothed smile up at Joey once more. "You'll find out what I was thinking, kid. A couple years from now, you'll be sitting right here, with some little asshole that hasn't figured it out yet. Hasn't figured out that he does all the work, but somebody else is the one making all the money. You'll get there, give it a few years."
Joey reaches up pushing his fingers through his hair and takes a deep breath. His jaw tightens and he listens. A slow nod follows really mulling that over and his eyes squint, "Yeah? Probably right. Except the thing you missed." Joey's not a fan of these days, but they happen. Today apparently. He states not with any particular zeal at all, but entirely matter-of-fact, "The money is secondary for me." He pauses reaching behind him, "I guess if you understood why we wouldn't be here right now so... know this ain't personal."
Joey pulls the pistol out of the back of his belt flicking the safety off with his thumb, and walks a few feet away looking him in the eye, though that's really up to Lukas. It's a bit old fashioned by he was also raised a Kelly and tend to be a bit crime Old Testament, but offers him, "Your family won't be hurt." Is there more swearing or dissent to be given from Mr. Collins?
Well, the world may never know. The pistol is raised and rather unceremoniously shoots him twice in the center of the chest. Why not the head? That shit is hard to clean the fuck up. Really it's a courtesy to the guy that has to clean this up, which means less evidence on prem faster making Felix a much happier man. he takes a bar towel stashed on the shelf, wiped the pistol and puts it back in his belt, safety on. He doesn't leave before he checks a pulse. That done, with the same expression he has when he has to go back to his car for a second time, thumps his hand on the door so Andre will open it. He says, "Alright." NOW...to head back upstairs to talk shop.
It'd be awesome for Collins to say he spent his last moments stoically staring down the barrel of that gun, but that's not what happens. He knows it's his end, and he blubbers with the pleases and the "come on, man, don't do this" right up till the first bullet punches into his chest. His body jerks, then again when the second bullet its, and he makes a pained face and a strangled sound. It's a Hollywood-death, at least, quickly ended when his head sags forward till his chin rests against his chest.
Thus endeth Lukas Collins.
"All good down here?" asks Andre from the top of the stairs. He peeks his head in, glances a look across the slumped form of Collins, and nods. "Nap time," he deduces, not unhappily, then opens the door for Joey. "Nice and quick. You going back up the stairs, then?" That big mitt of his opens to accept the gun back from Joey, and his smile is completely out-of-sync with what just happened in that basement.
Joey Lee can say it sucks, but they all knew what they were walking into. There's no exceptions. Not for himself, or Felix's own blood, or even fuckwits that think they're above the system because they have an opinion. That said? It ain't person. This is just business.
Sucks.
He really brought it on himself.
"Yeah, we're wrapped, man." He looks back over his shoulder at the man become inert object in the chair and then nods to Andre, "Why drag shit out?" He ain't a sadist. He takes the gun and wipes the prints on it in the cloth and then hands it, wrapped, to Andre. Best to keep things off of it. He's watched movies.
Not delaying he walks back upstairs, because no one walks armed near Monaghan. He knocks and announces "It's done." And with that, business and live go on as Joey tilts his head awaiting the directive and talk improving financial gain for everyone.
Here's Andre's moment of self-awareness to answer the question of dragging shit out: he looks at what used to be Lukas Collins and shares, "Some people have beef." Then he shrugs his big shoulders and does whatever he does to stash that gun, following Joey up the stairs a few seconds later.
Inside the office, all is right with the world. Felix is still working. The clublights are still bouncing around on the windows. He still looks up when Joey reenters, lowering his forehead to the empty seat once again. "Good. Sit. Have a drink." Andre will pour it for them. "You ever run a book before?"
"Some do." Maybe it's telling or maybe Joey just didn't have beef with the guy. Hell it's a golden fucking opportunity that might even merit a thank you card for being such a monumental fuckup. Without further incident or much thought on the matter he hustles his ass up and sits when the man tells him to sit.
There's a nod. You're welcome It's curt and brief and with as little ceremony as taking a seat and dropping his ass back into it. Andre gets a "Thanks." as the glass is handed to him. Hand steady his mind processes that around giving Felix the short answer on his new promotion, "Been in em but I haven't specifically run one myself. I got the jist of it. What 's outstanding, what do I need to know." And unspoken is What great fucking mess did Collins leave me to fix for you? Sometimes a cog is just a cog and sometimes a soldier is called on to step up to be something else and honestly Joey was pretty hungry for it; that the hard won approval that came in the form of more responsibility. And god knows the food taste better the higher up in the food chain one gets.
Thank you Lukas Collins for throwing that away. Asshole.
"Take these with you. They should answer for you." Felix shifts to reach into a desk drawer, pulling out a set of six composition books, placing them on the middle of the desk and then finger-sliding them across toward Joey. The contents, when he has a chance to look, are actually well-kept records of gambling history. "And this." Where 'this' is a Manila envelope with a decidedly cash-sized bulge to it, also placed on the table and passed across to Joey.
"Run it out of the Gym. Collins had the operation split up in too many places." Which probably helped him hide his cash-flow, but Felix doesn't specifically share that aspect. "I'll cover you for security and keep paying the cops. You repay me for that plus two-percent." He goes on to share the amount of money that Collins was bringing in for him - and it's not a small number - just to impress upon Joey how much volume he expects from this gig.
Yeah. Sure. No fucking pressure.
He doesn't have to open the envelope to count it to know that's a hefty sum. Financial bonus? Fuck yes! and also with the added pressure of if this doesn't fucking produce it's his fucking head. Right. At least Felix is fucking honest about it unlike corporate America. There's that. He takes the books and thumbs through teh first one to see where the expectations are. Shit. Well, it's all basic right? (4k +8K = Boss better fucking get paid base +2%/# of bullets he doesn't want to eat for breakfast.; carry the 1) Cool. Easy math.
His eyes quint in that way where he's starting to find things for places and solutions to a couple of outstanding issues. In the end he nods, "We got some new blood itching for a piece of pie. I'll make it happen." Thumb itches stubble as he finishes the glans through hammering out a couple of small details, and verifying the complete contact list of talent available and what-have-you.
In the end it's sealed with one word, "Understood."
"You can have Cristobal and Andre when you need them." Assuming Felix doesn't need them more. Presumably, those two can speak for their own schedules enough to answer Joey's need when they're available. "And Elise Kruger," Joey'd know her, if nothing else from high school, "will patch up your guys. Let her know to be on stand-by."
His nod is satisfied about the new blood, but - being realistic - Felix probably knows very little about the actual fighters. Just how much money is riding on each of them. "It's a big ask," he says finally, sitting back in his chair and taking his drink. "When you need help, say so." Not if. So at least the man realizes there may be the occasional stumble along the way?
There's going to be problems. Felix isn't in the habit of making bad investments, so the collector nods, not taking this lightly but realizing he's got a lot of fucking math to get real good at in short order. The good news is there are assets. His eyebrow lifts at the last name, "Elise huh?" Nodding slowly he lets the roster add up.
"Well first step is making sure people are on board." When he needs help which is going to be interesting. There's a dip of a nod and he murmurs, "The too stupid and too proud don't last too long." His tongue traces his lower lip and has the fucking honestly not to brush that off and bullshit saying That's not a problem. There's just a second nod and he tells the boss, "I'll call before shit gets fucked." He's run the gym on his own for the last four years, and it's at least familiar territory. Fantasy football and horses? This ain't that bad. That's a whole other racket. This? This is in his wheelhouse.
There are probably fiddly details that they need to discuss, but that's boring conversation. Felix just makes sure he's not ending Joey off half-cocked. At the end of this meeting, there will be a handshake, and Felix concluding, "Thank you." Which is high praise in Felix-speak.
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