No Love Lost (Rumbelle AU)

Chapter 38

"Good morning Mr. Gold!" Thomas greets, cheerfully strained. His nervously forced smile wanes when he sees Robert's unhappy grimace. He knew he was in for a lot of shit this morning.

"Thomas. What the hell?!" Robert growled as he marched up to the counter.

Thomas backed away. "No no ok I'm sorry! I'm really really sorry--"

"He was here wasn't he?"

"I...but--well..."

"I specifically told you to NOT allow him back inside that day. Did I not say that? Or was it just too complicated for you to understand me?"

"N-No! Not at all sir!"

"Then why...WHY did you--" Robert rubbed his temple. "I mean, what could POSSIBLY have led you into disobeying such a simple task?"

Thomas looked like he would cry, which only annoyed Robert more so. "I didn't know how to get him out," the young man whimpered.

Robert stared at him in bewilderment. "What?"

"I...he came in and he was so nice and I didn't know how to tell him to leave."

Robert leaned his face closer, his expression darkening by the second. "He walks in. You see him. You tell him to fuck off. That's that."

"But he--"

"And then call ME if he gave you any trouble."

Thomas huffed. "All he wanted was some jewelry for his fiancee. I didn't think there would be any harm in that!"

Robert paused, glaring at Thomas dead in the eye until the younger man was uncomfortable.

"Do you," he snarled, "realize what your actions have DONE!?" He slammed the glass counter so hard, Thomas thought that it might be capable of shattering upon impact. He leaped back, frightened.

"Ahh! No no I don't, please stop yelling!" Thomas actually began to cry, much to Robert's shock. "I'm so sorry at whatever might have happened but please don't hurt me. I don't wanna be fired I need this job it's the only thing I'm good at! Please Mr. Gold, just tell me what happened and maybe I-I can fix it!"

Robert took a deep breath and cooled his rage, feeling a bit sorry for his outburst towards his employee. "You can't," he mumbled quietly. "The damage is...beyond done."

He slumped over, resting his elbows on the counter, and held his fingers through his hair, leaving his face partially uncovered.

Thomas let out a shaky breath, almost sounding like a sob. "I...I don't know what else to say. Is it that bad? What happened?"

Robert glanced at him through one eye. Then he straightened himself and slowly walked over to one of the counters on the right side of the room. It was the one that held some of the cheaper jewelry. Next to that counter was a display that had some decorative pieces that Robert liked having around. Of course, the dagger was missing, since it was now in one of the evidence rooms of the police station as a murder weapon. Robert shuddered.

"Jewelry was it?" he stated, pointing down at the counter. "From here."

Thomas nodded. "Y-Yeah."

Robert sighed, looking at the spot of the missing dagger. He lingered over to it and pointed at the empty space. "Did you pay attention to what was here Thomas?"

Thomas shook his head quickly, making him look like a child with little understanding.

Robert continued, "This was where I had kept one of my ornamental knives. A dagger, wrapped in a fancy-type cloth put on display. It's gone now. Stolen."