monsters | riverdale

Requiem For A Welterweight

✿

"This week's payment," Mickey hands Gladys an envelope full of cash. "So, here's the deal. My Dad suspects that you and FP are behind his recent troubles, that you came back to Riverdale to steal his drug trade."

Gladys checks to make sure all of her money is in the envelope before looking back at Mickey with a lack of concern. "Why is that my problem?"

"Because he's fired up about rebuilding his empire, and you don't want to get in his way."

"Also, maybe you don't want him to find out that Mommy tried to sell his business out from under him, am I right?"

"No comment."

Gladys laughs. "Clue me in on your Dad's moves and that debt you owe me, I might ease it slightly."

"You want me to spy on my father? For you?" Mickey shakes her head and laughs like it's the craziest idea she's ever heard. "That's not gonna happen."

"I don't want to cause any drama here. I just want to get what's owed to me, plus a little bit more. And now it looks as though I'm in a race with your Dad to rebuild the candy trade. Who do you want to be in charge, me or him?"

Mickey admits, "You. I want my family out of drugs."

"So, we both want the same thing," Gladys pats Mickey's shoulder with a grin. "What's the problem? Either you get Hiram out of my way, or sniff out what he's doing. Let me know, so I can stay ahead of him."

✿

Hiram holds two glasses in front of Veronica and Mickey, and the smell of liquor hits Mickey's nose. She sighs deeply because of his recklessness.

He apologizes, "I forgot."

Veronica places a hand on her sister's knee as a way to tell her not to react to him. Then she looks at him and says, "I'm worried about you, Daddy."

"About our family," Mickey clarifies. "We know you were dealing drugs. But the drugs and the equipment you used to manufacture them, it's all gone. You have an opportunity to go clean, to build a new empire."

Hiram shakes his head, "No." Then he decides to consider it, "What kind of opportunity were you thinking?"

"Refocus on your prison," Veronica suggests. "Get it back on track. You can fill the cells with criminals and make more money imprisoning drug dealers than supplying them. And it's legal."

He smiles, "That's good, but you're thinking too small. Here's what I'm thinking instead. Penny Peabody used the Ghoulies to manufacture, distribute, and sell candy. Now that she's MIA, her gang is leaderless, up for grabs. If I gain control of the Ghoulies, I regain control of the trade."

After a few more minutes of their father divulging his plans, Veronica and Mickey escape. When they're safely out of hearing range from him, Mickey turns to Veronica. "What were we thinking? We've played this game before. Trying to turn Daddy clean is impossible. He is a dirty man, Veronica. We have to play it his way. I guess we're gonna be Gladys' little spies."

✿

"Hey," Mickey tugs on Toni's arm just before she walks into Pop's. "I thought you said the Serpents were like your family?"

Mickey's been waiting outside of Pop's for her, knowing she'd show up eventually tonight. The longer she waited, the more Mickey's blood boiled about the call she got about Sweet Pea and Fangs being attacked by Cheryl and Toni's gang of traitors.

"How can you turn on us like that?!" Mickey shouts at her.

"The Serpents aren't my family anymore." Toni snatches away from her. "Us?" she scoffs. "You've been apart of them for, like, two minutes, Mickey! I was meant to be one from the day I was born! It's my legacy!"