St. Patrick's Day [Friday night - part 1 of 2]
Friday nights were always the busiest nights for Jack and his crew. People always wanted to get wasted, wanted just a little bit of release after a week full of work and stress, and Jack was the main go-to guy for a lot of people. The best customers got the best drugs, but they were also the ones who ended up with the biggest debts. There was always the recycling of business, when the previous good ones fall out of Jack’s good side, and new clientele arrive. It was simple, and it was business. This Friday, it was bound to be busier being St. Patrick ’s Day, and that was exactly what Michael and the rest of his own team were hoping for.
On Fridays Jack would plan out the weekend, so his main spot would be the almost empty warehouse that served as their headquarters. It was there where Michael would go in, and Stephen would take care of Shane on another end of the city. It was rushed, and perhaps not the best of plans, but it was the best and only one they had. There was back-up waiting outside as Michael, Eddie, Kyle and Evan made their way into the warehouse through an old entrance that had been sealed off, and they were wearing more wires than what they felt comfortable wearing, but it didn’t matter. Just one more thing to withstand until everything was over.
Except, somewhere along the way things had gone wrong. The entrance had been blocked; not with the obstacles they had predicted of wood, chains and locks, but with people. Jack’s bodyguards, who seemed to be waiting for them, and following right behind them was none other than Jack, who wore a pleased smile.
“You really didn’t know what you signed up for, did you, Mr. Beck?”
Despite the bodyguards aiming at them, neither Kyle or Michael would put their guns down how they had been ordered to do; something that only appeared to amuse Jack even more. “You thought you could just waltz in here and, what, stop me? Michael, let me get something perfectly straight: there have been people - most of them older and better at this - that have tried. All of them have failed, if you couldn’t tell.”
“What’s your point?” Michael wanted to shoot the damn bastard already, but with six people aiming at them, and perhaps even more aiming at them through other parts of the warehouse, he knew he’d be dead before Jack would hit the ground. “To be honest, I don’t give a shit. I don’t care what the fuck you do, what they do to you... I just want this to be over with.”
Jack chuckled. “Don’t you remember? The type of lawyers I have on my side? The ones who got you out of jail a few times without a single record of it being left behind…?” His smirk turned into a scowl in a matter of seconds. “You should be thanking me, instead.”
Eddie laughed bravely. “You’re crazy if you expect him, or any of us, to ever say that to you.”
“Oh?” Jack, now glaring, walked closer to them. “You think you’d be here if it wasn’t for me? You think any of you would have been alive if it wasn’t for me?” He shook his head. “You may have worked with my brother for a few years, but I was here first; I created all this. I made you who you are. I trained you when you were too fucking naïve to know a shit about all this. It’s a shame, that you’re throwing it all away.”
Even if Michael wasn’t sure if Jack’s actual reasons to run his mouth how he was doing was to push him and get him in a bad mood, but whatever it was it was starting to work. That composure he had been able to have was starting to diminish. “So you think I oughta thank you?” He chuckled wryly. “I’m buried so deep in ‘all this,’ we all are, that this is the only way to get out. So...you want a thank you? That’s going to be a damn cold day in hell when that happens.”
They all stayed silent, glaring at each other as Michael’s grip on the gun only became tighter despite his attempts at keeping himself from pulling the trigger. Jack motioned to his bodyguards to lower their weapons, and then smirked over at Michael. “You want to shoot me?”
Now it was Kyle who answered, “You’ve got no idea.”
Jack shrugged. “Go for it. According to what your plans are, I’m going to jail, aren’t I? So shoot me, just finish it. Let’s find out how quickly you can get away with it.” But none of them pulled the trigger. It was dangerous, and it’d be a stupid move - they all knew that, as tempting as the offer to shoot Jack was. “What are you waiting for?” Jack asked, moving closer to the barrel of the gun Michael was holding. “You’re waiting for your buddies to come help you?” He let out a fake, disappointed laugh. “Boys, boys... They’re not going to come. The ones you think are waiting outside, probably calling in more cops down here, are gone. And you think anyone at that damn station cares about any of you? If you do then you’re bigger fools than what I gave you credit for. This was a suicide mission, so you might as well try to shoot me and let my men end it for all of you.”
Michael’s mind was racing a mile a minute. Even if deep down he knew he was right, that Jack was telling the truth, he wouldn’t allow himself to believe it. They were losing. Jack was winning. Suddenly, a thought rushed in and made Michael turn back to look at Jack. “Where is he?”
“Who?”
“Stephen.” Eddie made a sound of protest behind him, but Michael kept talking, a bitter taste suddenly settling in his mouth as he continued, “He’s here. He’s on your side, he just...tricked us.”
“We always manage to have people in the inside,” Jack responded simply, “surely you haven’t forg-”
But before Jack could finish talking, and before Michael realized what was going on, a shot rang out and a blow to the back of the head knocked Michael out.
On Fridays Jack would plan out the weekend, so his main spot would be the almost empty warehouse that served as their headquarters. It was there where Michael would go in, and Stephen would take care of Shane on another end of the city. It was rushed, and perhaps not the best of plans, but it was the best and only one they had. There was back-up waiting outside as Michael, Eddie, Kyle and Evan made their way into the warehouse through an old entrance that had been sealed off, and they were wearing more wires than what they felt comfortable wearing, but it didn’t matter. Just one more thing to withstand until everything was over.
Except, somewhere along the way things had gone wrong. The entrance had been blocked; not with the obstacles they had predicted of wood, chains and locks, but with people. Jack’s bodyguards, who seemed to be waiting for them, and following right behind them was none other than Jack, who wore a pleased smile.
“You really didn’t know what you signed up for, did you, Mr. Beck?”
Despite the bodyguards aiming at them, neither Kyle or Michael would put their guns down how they had been ordered to do; something that only appeared to amuse Jack even more. “You thought you could just waltz in here and, what, stop me? Michael, let me get something perfectly straight: there have been people - most of them older and better at this - that have tried. All of them have failed, if you couldn’t tell.”
“What’s your point?” Michael wanted to shoot the damn bastard already, but with six people aiming at them, and perhaps even more aiming at them through other parts of the warehouse, he knew he’d be dead before Jack would hit the ground. “To be honest, I don’t give a shit. I don’t care what the fuck you do, what they do to you... I just want this to be over with.”
Jack chuckled. “Don’t you remember? The type of lawyers I have on my side? The ones who got you out of jail a few times without a single record of it being left behind…?” His smirk turned into a scowl in a matter of seconds. “You should be thanking me, instead.”
Eddie laughed bravely. “You’re crazy if you expect him, or any of us, to ever say that to you.”
“Oh?” Jack, now glaring, walked closer to them. “You think you’d be here if it wasn’t for me? You think any of you would have been alive if it wasn’t for me?” He shook his head. “You may have worked with my brother for a few years, but I was here first; I created all this. I made you who you are. I trained you when you were too fucking naïve to know a shit about all this. It’s a shame, that you’re throwing it all away.”
Even if Michael wasn’t sure if Jack’s actual reasons to run his mouth how he was doing was to push him and get him in a bad mood, but whatever it was it was starting to work. That composure he had been able to have was starting to diminish. “So you think I oughta thank you?” He chuckled wryly. “I’m buried so deep in ‘all this,’ we all are, that this is the only way to get out. So...you want a thank you? That’s going to be a damn cold day in hell when that happens.”
They all stayed silent, glaring at each other as Michael’s grip on the gun only became tighter despite his attempts at keeping himself from pulling the trigger. Jack motioned to his bodyguards to lower their weapons, and then smirked over at Michael. “You want to shoot me?”
Now it was Kyle who answered, “You’ve got no idea.”
Jack shrugged. “Go for it. According to what your plans are, I’m going to jail, aren’t I? So shoot me, just finish it. Let’s find out how quickly you can get away with it.” But none of them pulled the trigger. It was dangerous, and it’d be a stupid move - they all knew that, as tempting as the offer to shoot Jack was. “What are you waiting for?” Jack asked, moving closer to the barrel of the gun Michael was holding. “You’re waiting for your buddies to come help you?” He let out a fake, disappointed laugh. “Boys, boys... They’re not going to come. The ones you think are waiting outside, probably calling in more cops down here, are gone. And you think anyone at that damn station cares about any of you? If you do then you’re bigger fools than what I gave you credit for. This was a suicide mission, so you might as well try to shoot me and let my men end it for all of you.”
Michael’s mind was racing a mile a minute. Even if deep down he knew he was right, that Jack was telling the truth, he wouldn’t allow himself to believe it. They were losing. Jack was winning. Suddenly, a thought rushed in and made Michael turn back to look at Jack. “Where is he?”
“Who?”
“Stephen.” Eddie made a sound of protest behind him, but Michael kept talking, a bitter taste suddenly settling in his mouth as he continued, “He’s here. He’s on your side, he just...tricked us.”
“We always manage to have people in the inside,” Jack responded simply, “surely you haven’t forg-”
But before Jack could finish talking, and before Michael realized what was going on, a shot rang out and a blow to the back of the head knocked Michael out.