The Blind Falcon

Chapter II: I did it my way

"Just sign the fucking dotted line, you delusional old man! I really don't have time for this shit", Arthur snapped at the gray-haired man in front of him as he placed his palm on the contract and slipped it in front of him. The expression on the man's face betrayed embarrassment and fright. There were people sitting at round small coffee tables next to them, looking at the show, but Arthur couldn't be less bothered, he just wanted the job done. 

"I..I...I can't, Mr. Holmes. I've worked my entire life for this. I promised my daughter that the bar will be hers when she turns 21... I.. I can't just sign it over to you. Please, be reasonable", the man stuttered, looking over at Holmes with begging eyes. Too bad Arthur was a master in the art of intimidation and a man who never takes 'no' as an answer. 

"Look, Mr. Ellis", he took a deep breath, trying to calm down in order to have a civil conversation. "It's a fair price. It's almost double than all your earning in the last 5 years. As you will see, I can be rather convincing. I tried being nice, but if nice doesn't work for you, I've got other ways around. See, hmm. Just think about that beautiful blue-eyed goddess of yours that's waiting home for you."  Arthur leaned over the table and looked the man dead in the eyes as he whispered, waiting for the reaction. "I bet right now she's sinking her silky olive skin in a bubble bath, rubbing her perky ..."

 "Stop it right there you fucking freak! Leave my wife out of it! Have you no shame?", the man interrupted, slamming his fist against the table in a fit of rage.

 "I was actually talking about your daughter, what is she? 20? And your wife what? 25? They look like sisters to me, I couldn't tell them apart, my bad.", Arthur taunted. "Now, sign the papers, we don't want to make a scene, do we?"

Ellis sighed as he buried his chin in his chest as a sign of defeat, sketched his signature in disgust and soundly threw the pen on the table as he rose from his seat and headed towards the exit of the pub, visualizing the whole scene as a walk of shame. On the other side of the table, Arthur was silently celebrating his victory. He couldn't stop a large smirk from forming towards the corners of his crooked lips. Once again, he was unstoppable. But yet again, there was one more victory for him on the table today.

Arthur grabbed his pack of cigarettes from the front pocket and stuck one between his puckered lips, making his way outside, when he saw her. He saw Katherine with her head stuck in her laptop, focused on writing, at the table by the window. He hasn't seen her in more than a week and to be honest, he never thought he'd see her again. 

"Ms. Ward? Katherine Ward? Is that you? Sorry to bother you, but can I have an autograph?", the man laughed as he touched her shoulder in order to gain her attention. "Mr. Holmes, I didn't take you for a groupie! You were totally fangirling over me!", she couldn't control herself but giggle loudly as her face lit up once she saw him. "Here, take a seat, be my muse", she rose her eyebrows.

The man noticed that she had addressed him by his last name, even though he's only introduced himself by "Arthur", which was extremely suspicious. Not as suspicious as the fact that there was absolutely no information available to dig up about Katherine Ward, even if he's had his best man research the lovely stranger.  All she's said about being a writer and coming to London to work on a new book, everything was nothing but lies. She knew very well who he was and that bothered Arthur more than he let her see. Even though she most probably had a hidden agenda, he couldn't help himself but poke the bear. If she was indeed trouble, she had no idea how much more trouble he was.

"Actually I was heading for a cigarette, do you mind accompanying a humble peasant like me?"

"Why not. So tell me, Arthur, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be at your bar, taking care of your sick brother?", she added as she closed her laptop and headed outside.

"Well, actually I had a meeting with a supplier aaaand, I'm celebrating."

"Oh, you're celebrating? What are you celebrating?"

"Running into you, asking you out for dinner, you saying 'yes', me picking you up tonight at I don't know, let's say eight?'

"Is that so?", she chuckled "What if I say 'no'?"

"You won't say 'no'. I see in your eyes definitely no intention of saying 'no'. You want to go out with me. I could help you with your book, you know, making it more authentic. It could be a book about an American girl moving to London and meeting the most intelligent, funny, good-looking man in the world. And then they fall in love, and well, the rest is just porn I guess.", he laughed, shrugging his shoulders.

"What if I told you that I don't believe in love?"

"What makes you believe that I do?"