"Where is Drake?" Segal asked after slamming out of his office.
"I don't know, sir." said his receptionist on his floor.
"Get on that fucking intercom and call him."
She picked up the phone quickly.
Ever since Rocky, Segal became on edge when one of his men didn't come in to work. And Drake was his second in command. Nothing could happen to Drake. And if anything did, he knew who to blame.
The receptionist called for Drake but even so, Segal took out his phone and began to dial.
It rang.
And rang.
And rang.
Until he hung up.
"SON OF A BITCH!" he shouted and threw the device.
He had a second in his pocket that he grabbed for and began to dial. This phone was the personal one while the previous was a spare.
"Yes, sir?" Malcolm answered.
"I want you to go to Drake's house and see if-..."
The elevator opened and Segal looked.
Drake walked out. "You called for me?"
Segal chuckled and hung up the phone.
He walked to Drake and passive aggressively slapped his cheek twice. "Where have you been?"
"I arrived late. Traffic."
"I called you."
"Phone died. I forgot to put it on the charger last night."
"Mm." Segal put his hand down. "What happened to your face?"
"I have some information you might want to know." Drake stated. "Cermak sent his goons to try and kill me."
Segal was intrigued.
The two began to walk to his office.
~•~
"Personal question. If you were to get arrested..." Tati began.
Killian looked at her while he drove, wondering where this was headed.
"How many accounts could you be tried for?" she wondered.
Killian faced the road and thought about it.
Tati looked at him.
Seconds passed and she realized he was taking a while. Longer than he should.
"Sixteen." he answered truthfully.
Her eyes widened. She didn't guess that much.
"None of them dealing with children or rape." he added.
"Wha-..."
She didn't know what to say.
Then again she knew she couldn't be surprised.
"Do you just keep note of every crime you've ever committed? I didn't expect you to be so exact." she stated.
"I have every crime in general memorized. Since I was fourteen. All you did was ask me to count."
"You just know every possible crime?"
"I could pass the bar exam if I felt like taking it." he responded.
"Are you a mafia genius?"
He chuckled. "Cute. My uncle is just very thorough. I need to know how to get away with things which means I need to know what's the slightest thing I can do to make something illegal...legal. Or how to get away with doing something illegal because the bit that I did that was illegal is so miniscule that it would take a genius...such as myself...to notice."
Tati was awestruck.
"Most of that deals with the legal part of the business. When I deal with people I don't try to hide it."
"You're a very interesting person."
"Thank you."
He rolled down his window to enter his pin to the gate.
Tati watched the black iron unfold like usual and gift her with the view of his house. Killian drove forward.
"The sun is still so bright even though it's almost 6pm." she said after seeing the time on his dashboard.
"It's August."
"Yea, but-..."
Her eyebrows furrowed.
"It's August?" she questioned as he parked.
"Yes."
"That was fast..."
"Was it?"
"Yes."
They both got out of the car.
Tati realized something.
"Wait August what?" she wondered.
"Second."
"Your birthday is almost here!"
"Yes, it is." He opened the trunk.
"Oh my god! What're you gonna do?"
"About what?"
"Your birthday!"
"Nothing." He started grabbing the bags.
"Nooo...you have to do something." she said and grabbed the rest.
They both headed to the front door.
"I never do anything. It's another day."
"I think you should do something." she insisted.
They walked inside and set the grocery bags on the counter.
"You don't seem like a party person. You should go out for dinner. Like a five star restaurant. Maybe bring the guys."
He looked at her like she was crazy.
"Come on! Celebrate!"
"You want a bunch of men to go eat at a restaurant like we're on a date?" he questioned.
Tati rolled her eyes. "Invite whoever you want. Just do something."
He stared at her while she began to put the groceries away.
"Would you go?" he asked.
She looked at him. "To..."
"Whatever it is."
She snickered. "You're starting to forget our roles. I kind of have to go wherever you take me. It's up to you if I go or not."
He realized she was right. Then wondered if he was losing his touch.
But her fight for freedom was done so there was no need for him to keep up the harsh warden act. Of course he forgot. Day by day, she acts less like a kidnapped victim and more like...
"What're you making tonight?" he wondered.
~•~
Drake left the office building and checked his phone.
He swiped through the outdated device and saw a bank notification. A wire transfer of a large sum of money. But it was only half of what they owed.
He took a deep breath only to go into the next one and take out his true phone.
He began to dial then held the device to his ear while it rang.
He started his walk to his car.
"Hello?" she answered.
"Have you finished packing?" he asked her and unlocked his vehicle.
"Yes. Are you sure this is just a vacation? It's really sudden."
"I bought the tickets weeks ago. It was just meant to be a surprise. It's a vacation, I promise."
"And it has nothing to do with those men that were in our kitchen last night?"
"Nothing. Sheer coincidence. They got what they needed. They won't bother us again. If anything, after that, I think this is the best time for you to use a vacation."
"Yea..." she sighed.
"I'll be home soon. We'll leave in a few hours."
"Okay. I love you."
"I love you."
They hung up.
He shoved his personal phone into his pocket and got into the car.
He began to type on the older phone.
"I did it." he sent.
"And?"
"What idiotic group pays someone to snitch?" Drake texted.
"Watch your mouth, we have a relationship with your pilot."
Drake sighed. "What will you do now that you know he knows who Killian is and what he's done to his men? He's a target now and Segal lacks fear. I suggest you keep a bodyguard on your boss." He put the phone in his glove compartment then started the car to leave.
Silas read over the message.
"Asshole couldn't kill Killian if he stripped his heart from his chest." he thought aloud. "None of you know that maniac."