Seize it (mob Tom x reader)

Chapter 6: remember who your talking to

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"Paddy needs experience before initiation," Tom said.

"Spying on the girl you like isn't experience , Tom, and you know that," Harrison said. "You're sending him off to do that because you didn't want me or Harry or Sam to know that you care about her."

"That's enough!" Tom shouted, standing up from the chair. Harrison did the same. "You end it with her, now ."

"I can do whatever I fucking want," Harrison said.

"You'd do good to remember who you're speaking to right now," Tom said, his eyes narrowing and his voice lowering.

"You don't scare me, Tom," Harrison said.

"By keeping her around, you're putting everyone in danger!" Tom said. "Not just her, you know that right? If Mackie knows about them, or if you ever put your guard down because of her, you risk everyone's life. I won't put up with you being selfish because you think you love her."

"If you think Mackie knows, then why did you send Paddy to see them?"

"I'm not discussing this any further."

"If you think Mackie's got people on her, then you knowingly put him in danger," he said. "Talk about signing a death certificate. And for your own family too. I thought family meant more to you than-"

Tom cut Harrison off by pushing him against the wall and delivering a punch to his jaw. He groaned, and Tom took his shock as an opportunity to hit him in the gut. Harrison retaliated soon enough and hit Tom across the cheek. They were only fighting for a few minutes before Harry and Sam came in and pulled them apart. "What the fuck is going on?" Sam asked, holding Harrison back.

"Tom's an asshole, that's what's going on!" Harrison shouted.

"Harrison's forgetting that I'm the one in charge!" Tom shouted back. "I should kill you for laying hands on me!"

"You laid hands first!" Harrison spat.

"Commandment number four!" Harry shouted, getting a better grip on my shirt. "Number four!"

Holland Family Commandment number four: no fighting among members.

"I'm the fucking boss around here!" Tom said. "I can break whatever goddamn commandment I want!"

"That's not how we do things here, and you know that," Harry said. The four of them were quiet, only their heavy breathing filling the room. "Whatever the fuck just happened here, you two need to sort it out," he said. "I'm not mopping either of your blood off the floor." Harry and Sam let go of Tom and Harrison and left them alone again. Tom clenched his jaw and ran his hands through his hair.

"We're cutting them both off," he said. "You break up with her, now."

Harrison sighed. "At least give me time. I can't spring it on her like that." Tom pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Two weeks," he compromised. "Two weeks, and you end it."

"Fine," Harrison agreed. "But if I find out you've been protecting (Y/N) and leaving April to fend for herself, I'll-"

"You'll what, Harrison?" Tom asked. "You'll what?"

Harrison left the room in silence.

Tom knew he needed to blow off some steam, so he went back to his room, changed into some gym clothes, and headed to their gym in the basement. He wrapped his fists and headed over to the punching bags. Even though most of his business was done with his hand on a gun, it was nice to have good hand-to-hand combat skills as well. He had yet to really need to use them, but he was always glad he had them under his belt. Besides, boxing was a nice way to get out his anger out when he didn't want to actually hurt someone else.

Most of the time, Tom didn't want to hurt other people. Hell, most of the time he didn't want the job . When a job like that is handed to you, though, you can't exactly turn it away. Tom just tried to make it his own and work with his set of morals. That isn't to say that his morals hadn't changed since getting the job. He was much more fond of the whole "an eye for an eye" than he was before. Still, that wasn't to say that he enjoyed it. He just was much more passionate about what it meant. You mess with his people, he messes with yours. It seemed only fair, and in his business, fair is the name of the game. It may not seem that way, but it is. Tom didn't like to do anything to someone that they didn't have coming.

Tom started rhythmically punching the bag in front of him, grunting each time his fist hit the fabric. He wasn't picturing anything in particular, but his mind was wandering to his conversation with Harrison. He didn't have feelings for (Y/N). Feelings made you weak, and you couldn't be weak with his job. Plus, the more people you care about, the more people the enemy can hurt. The last thing he wanted was to drag anyone into this business who didn't belong or didn't want it. That's all he was doing by telling Harrison to leave April. He knew what it was like to get thrust into this life, and he didn't want that for anyone else. Not if he could help it.

Paddy was different. Did Tom want that life for him? No. Was it part of his destiny? He supposes so. It ran in their family's blood. Plus, it seemed like it was what he wanted. While Paddy and Tom were similar in a lot of ways, they were complete opposites in the way they handled the business. Not yet in it, Paddy looked at it all with wide eyes and an eager mind. Tom looked at it through the lenses of reality and experience. When he was Paddy's age, he looked at it with fear. It wasn't what he wanted, but it was what he was destined to have. At least Paddy was looking forward to it. Tom did wish that he could keep Paddy away from it. Save at least one Holland from a likely untimely demise.

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