Private Victory
"Hi there. Mr. Trapp?"
"Uh." Anthaniel stared at them dully, arms crossed neatly, still donning a new suit used for an earlier meeting and a pair of sunglasses, even at night. "Yes? That would be me."
The two strangers at the doorway grinned, and the one with messy black hair reached out for a handshake. Coincidentally he was also the one with overlapping teeth on the bottom. "Very nice to be meeting you, sir."
Anthaniel wrinkled his nose at the sight and kept his arms folded. "I'm sure. So are you going to tell me who you are or am I going to have to take a stab at it?" He cocked his head to the side and studied the two men again. They were both probably a few inches taller than he was. Somehow it was annoying.
"I'm Nelson Ellis," the man with crooked teeth kept his arm extended. "And my partner here is Dean Ivery."
Anthaniel still didn't take his hand. He looked over at the blond man instead, who wore glasses and had a slightly vacuous look about him. "Don't talk much, Dean?"
"You two have no business to talk with each other," Nelson cut in quickly, still grinning and arm still up. "You know who Larry Johnson is?"
"He's an athlete."
"Know what he's said?"
"Will I care to?"
"A quiet, honest guy. That's who I am. I don't even like to talk much. I prefer not to talk. But if something's wrong, if something's in my heart to say, I've got to say it." Nelson paused. "That's Dean. He'll talk when he needs to. Pretty much, when he does talk, you should be aware as to what's conspiring."
"For..what.. ?" Anthaniel furrowed his brows and put his hand over his face, confused. "I don't know either of you and I should be warned about something?"
"You received a phone call, didn't you, sir?"
"Yes. I get a lot of those." Anthaniel paused. "You know, because I'm a busy man, because I work, because I have a job. Do you have one of those, Nel? Dean?"
"As a matter of fact, we do!" Nelson barked out some laughter and grabbed Anthaniel's hand away from his face to shake it enthusiastically, making him jump. "We're freelancers! We work for David Logan--"
Anthaniel's attention jolted, his mind translating the fake name to the real one: Yousei Haotomi. He jerked his hand away quickly, almost mystified. "You know David?"
"Yep-a-roo. We go way back, well not really, just a few years back. He did me some favors, I had to do him some."
"Slow down, slow down. What the fuck are you talking about? What's David having you do?"
Nelson laughed, and shook Dean until he laughed too. "He told me to tell you that he's been tapped into your phone for some time. I don't know how, so don't ask me. But anyway, he heard this talk between you and some Hungarian guy. Heard you had to take some people with you for the trip."
"So he sent you two with me?" Anthaniel paused. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no. I don't even know who you two are and besides, I've already got two people who've agreed to accompany me--"
"Yeah, yeah, look, you know Dave well enough to know that I'd be fuckin' dead if I went back and told him it was a no go. Spare my life and Dean's life, please?"
"I--what the fuck!" Anthaniel turned around and began to pace for a moment, then stopped abruptly. "How are you two even in contact with him? This makes no goddamn sense to me, I hope you realize that."
"Yeah, just now. Don't get all huffy at us though!" Nelson put his hands up to defend himself. "Remember what I said about returning favors? I'm in contact with him because I provided a place for him and that catatonic whatever-guy to stay."
Anthaniel paused to look at Nelson over his shades. "..You're fucking kidding me."
Nelson shrugged apologetically and Dean made a helpless face. "I'm not, you wild buck," Nelson sputtered sarcastically. "Dave told me to make sure not to tell you where but, if you look at my license plate, then..."
"I won't look if he really doesn't want me knowing." Pause. "Was there anyone following you?"
"Oh, yeah, the license plate is fake and from another state anyway." Nelson shrugged and laughed when Dean punched his arm. "But, like, still!"
Anthaniel gave him a hard stare. "..Oh my god. And I have to take you with me when I leave on Friday?"
"So that means you'll do it?"
Anthaniel vaguely wondered if Marty and Gunter were already asleep. "Maybe. You're not bullshitting me about David, are you?"
"He sent us with a DVD for you to check out. We don't know what's on it since we're not supposed to, but the date's recent. He made us drive here the day after he heard the phone talk you had, so pretty much, the recording is between those two events."
"You've got it with you?"
Dean nodded and flipped open his messenger bag, reaching in to flash a CD case.
Anthaniel was quiet for a while, and then he held his hand out for a handshake.
"come on inside."
"Uh." Anthaniel stared at them dully, arms crossed neatly, still donning a new suit used for an earlier meeting and a pair of sunglasses, even at night. "Yes? That would be me."
The two strangers at the doorway grinned, and the one with messy black hair reached out for a handshake. Coincidentally he was also the one with overlapping teeth on the bottom. "Very nice to be meeting you, sir."
Anthaniel wrinkled his nose at the sight and kept his arms folded. "I'm sure. So are you going to tell me who you are or am I going to have to take a stab at it?" He cocked his head to the side and studied the two men again. They were both probably a few inches taller than he was. Somehow it was annoying.
"I'm Nelson Ellis," the man with crooked teeth kept his arm extended. "And my partner here is Dean Ivery."
Anthaniel still didn't take his hand. He looked over at the blond man instead, who wore glasses and had a slightly vacuous look about him. "Don't talk much, Dean?"
"You two have no business to talk with each other," Nelson cut in quickly, still grinning and arm still up. "You know who Larry Johnson is?"
"He's an athlete."
"Know what he's said?"
"Will I care to?"
"A quiet, honest guy. That's who I am. I don't even like to talk much. I prefer not to talk. But if something's wrong, if something's in my heart to say, I've got to say it." Nelson paused. "That's Dean. He'll talk when he needs to. Pretty much, when he does talk, you should be aware as to what's conspiring."
"For..what.. ?" Anthaniel furrowed his brows and put his hand over his face, confused. "I don't know either of you and I should be warned about something?"
"You received a phone call, didn't you, sir?"
"Yes. I get a lot of those." Anthaniel paused. "You know, because I'm a busy man, because I work, because I have a job. Do you have one of those, Nel? Dean?"
"As a matter of fact, we do!" Nelson barked out some laughter and grabbed Anthaniel's hand away from his face to shake it enthusiastically, making him jump. "We're freelancers! We work for David Logan--"
Anthaniel's attention jolted, his mind translating the fake name to the real one: Yousei Haotomi. He jerked his hand away quickly, almost mystified. "You know David?"
"Yep-a-roo. We go way back, well not really, just a few years back. He did me some favors, I had to do him some."
"Slow down, slow down. What the fuck are you talking about? What's David having you do?"
Nelson laughed, and shook Dean until he laughed too. "He told me to tell you that he's been tapped into your phone for some time. I don't know how, so don't ask me. But anyway, he heard this talk between you and some Hungarian guy. Heard you had to take some people with you for the trip."
"So he sent you two with me?" Anthaniel paused. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no. I don't even know who you two are and besides, I've already got two people who've agreed to accompany me--"
"Yeah, yeah, look, you know Dave well enough to know that I'd be fuckin' dead if I went back and told him it was a no go. Spare my life and Dean's life, please?"
"I--what the fuck!" Anthaniel turned around and began to pace for a moment, then stopped abruptly. "How are you two even in contact with him? This makes no goddamn sense to me, I hope you realize that."
"Yeah, just now. Don't get all huffy at us though!" Nelson put his hands up to defend himself. "Remember what I said about returning favors? I'm in contact with him because I provided a place for him and that catatonic whatever-guy to stay."
Anthaniel paused to look at Nelson over his shades. "..You're fucking kidding me."
Nelson shrugged apologetically and Dean made a helpless face. "I'm not, you wild buck," Nelson sputtered sarcastically. "Dave told me to make sure not to tell you where but, if you look at my license plate, then..."
"I won't look if he really doesn't want me knowing." Pause. "Was there anyone following you?"
"Oh, yeah, the license plate is fake and from another state anyway." Nelson shrugged and laughed when Dean punched his arm. "But, like, still!"
Anthaniel gave him a hard stare. "..Oh my god. And I have to take you with me when I leave on Friday?"
"So that means you'll do it?"
Anthaniel vaguely wondered if Marty and Gunter were already asleep. "Maybe. You're not bullshitting me about David, are you?"
"He sent us with a DVD for you to check out. We don't know what's on it since we're not supposed to, but the date's recent. He made us drive here the day after he heard the phone talk you had, so pretty much, the recording is between those two events."
"You've got it with you?"
Dean nodded and flipped open his messenger bag, reaching in to flash a CD case.
Anthaniel was quiet for a while, and then he held his hand out for a handshake.
"come on inside."