Beauty And Her Beast

15 - Sammy Vino and Charlie Brown's Heart.

"Watch yourself Joy," he whispered, tucking a runaway strand of golden hair back into place, "don't get your lover boy in trouble." With a soft smile that promised consequences, he kissed her gently on her sweet lips and stepped away as one of the standing guards cleared their throats.

"He's here, sir."

"He knows his way around, tell him to meet me in the south wing."

With a nod from the guard, the room was silent again as Joy tried to compose herself and Sammy took his time dressing in a clean three piece suit. When he looked like a proper crime boss, he held out an arm and Joy was quick to latch onto him like the loyal whore she was trained to be. The couple walked out and into the elevator of the penthouse Sammy lived in and road it down in silence to the bottom floor. The doors were opened and two more guards stepped up to flank the three already surrounding them. They walked through the lobby and the public restaurant Sammy owned on the bottom floor. There they cut through the kitchen and down a long workers hall. After an elevator ride and a few more sets of stairs, yet another set of guards opened up the doors to the south wings of the building. 

They didn't have to go far before the screams of the unfortunate were resonating off the steels walls. The guards faces were stoic, Sammy's was casual, and Joy's was forced. She didn't have enough fingers to count the amount of times she'd been down these halls with this man but even still, the chills that decorated her arms in small bumps were impossible to get rid of. 

At the end of the hall they entered a room designed much like an office and sitting in front of the large modern desk was none other than Charlie Brown. He wore jeans and his leather jacket and to the looking eye and he looked like your average college kid. No one would guess that he was usually the one behind the screams they were hearing now.

"Charlie!" Sammy grinned, "so glad you could join us!"

Ray didn't stand in respect like most were accustomed to, just nodded in greeting. His eyes found Joy's briefly and she was quick to look away. If he cared, he would have been concerned by her out of character shyness but, Ray wasn't one to be concerned for the well being of others. 

"Rowan told me you wanted to meet."

"Yes, yes, I did." Sammy shuffled behind the desk across from Ray and sat down, grinning like a happy businessman. He shuffled through a few papers before finding what he was looking for and placing it down in front of Ray.

"Fredderico Ines. Why is he still alive?"

If anyone else were being questioned by Sammy they would have been fidgeting and sweating out of their seat as they tried to give excuse after excuse. Ray simply starred at the picture before answering calmly, "I haven't caught him yet."

"Right. And thats because of-" Sammy fooled around with some more papers before dropping yet another in front of Ray, "-this girl, correct?"

The picture was of a cute brunette sitting at a table across from her best friend. She had a smile on her face and was completely oblivious to the camera watching her. Sammy dropped another picture down and in this was the same brunette only now she was walking down the street with her phone to her ear and smiling yet again. The third picture was of the brunette in class. The fourth of her waiting for the train. The fifth of her in her home.

That one caused a reaction from Ray. It was hardly there and you wouldn't have noticed it if you didn't know to watch his eyes, but they blue turned to a deep green before it seemed to darken even more. Joy clenched her jaw and swallowed, the atmosphere so thick now she could barely breathe without trembling.

"Take the men you have on her off."

Sammy grinned, as if Ray didn't just make a command.

"You still haven't answered my question Charlie Brown. Is this girl the reason my man isn't dead yet?"

"Take the men you have on her of-"

"You seem to have forgotten who's in charge here Ray."

"And you seem to have forgotten who needs who." With a clenched jaw and cold eyes Ray leaned forward in his seat and pushed all the pictures Sammy had sat in front of him back in his direction. "Fredderico Ines is not dead yet because you let him escape. He's leaving the south side, running towards the east where your friend has provided him shelter. He's threatening to sell your secrets and the men trying to kill you now are your enemies. Fredderico Ines is not dead yet because the opportunity has not presented itself. But when it does, you are going to need me."

"Are you threatening me Charlie Brown?" Sammy asked, the smile on his lips faltering for the first time during this meeting. Now it was Ray's turn to smile. 

"I'm not stupid enough to threaten you Sammy, I know my place. I know who's the boss in this."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Stopping you before you make a mistake and turn a friend into an enemy. I'm on your side Sammy. You want me to kill, I kill for you. You want me to hunt, I hunt for you. Don't question my skills. And most of all, don't force my hand. I work for you willingly, you don't own me."

Ray latched his dark eyes onto Sammy's the Joy could feel the heat drop. Here sat the two most ruthless men in all of Chicago and for the first time in a long time, they were at each other's throats. To anyone with a brain, that should terrify them.

Ray stood up and Sammy didn't say anything to stop the boy from leaving. The guards watched and the bewildered look on their faces weren't hard to understand. No one, absolutely no one, spoke to Sammy like Ray just had. No one made their own rules in a meeting with him and no one just walked out before the were excused. In Chicago Sammy Vino was law and Ray had just broken at least twelve.

Yet all Sammy did was smile. 

"Boss..." one of the guards spoke, his hand already on his gun and waiting for the order, "should we go after him?"

Sammy waved his hand dismissively and leaned back in his seat. "He'd kill you before you got within ten feet of him. No, james, don't kill him. Matter fact, do what he said. Take the men off the girl, leave her alone. Ray's gonna do his job."

"How are you so sure?"

"The same way he's sure that if he doesn't, I'll slit the girls throat. Contrary to popular belief, it seems like the infamous Charlie Brown has a heart after all."

Sammy leaned back in his seat with a satisfied grin on his face and with a chuckle, he turned and faced Joy. Not because he cared and wanted her to be on the same page as him. Not because he considered her a friend. Not even because she was pretty and it was easier to look at her and smile than a bunch of male guards.

No, he looked at Joy because he knew she knew he was right.

They'd just seen it for themselves that Charlie Brown had a heart, and it didn't beat for her. 

"He was wrong in disrespecting me so bluntly though. The poor boy will have to be punished once he's done with this job. Joy, you have any suggestions sweetheart?"

With a steady jaw and a breaking heart, Joy stepped up smoothly to take her place at her man's side, facing the guards as she looked upon them with eyes of a woman scorned. She knew what she wanted done, and Sammy knew it too.

"This will be Charlie Brown's final job. When he's killed Fredderico Ines, kill him. Him and the girl."