Switchblade

Chapter 27: Meeting

Tati was sitting on the floor and eating breakfast when Killian tried unlocking the door. Only to find out...it was already unlocked. He slammed into it and saw Tati sitting on the floor.

"What?" she asked and ate a bite of her waffles.
"Nothin'. Had to make sure you were up."
"Okay, I am. So get out."
"You're mad this early in the morning?" he asked even though he knew it was 12 in the afternoon.
She ignored him.
He just watched her eat and pay him no mind.

He didn't know what to say next so he walked out of the room and locked the door behind himself.
Tati looked at the closed door. Surprised he didn't stay to bother her longer.

Killian took out his phone and dialed as he walked towards the elevator.

"Yes, sir."
"Get in contact with one of the servers from club 2. Tell her to be here later tonight." Killian commanded.
"Yes, sir. What time?"
"Just tell her to skip work and come here."
"Is there a specific waitress you want?"
He thought about it. "The one with the curly hair."
"Yes, sir. On it."
Killian hung up and got into the elevator.

Tati sat there with her meal finished and realized how bored she was. There was nothing to do but stare at the wall. How did they expect her to live like this for six months without losing her mind? No tv, no phone, not even a book, no paper and pen, no game controller, no board game, no cards, not even a marker.
She could just sit there.
She wished she'd explored before she ate. At least that would've been something entertaining but then she realized she probably wouldn't have gotten far since all of the doors require key cards or PIN numbers to open them.
"This is bullshit..." she sighed.

~•~

Segal waited in the third floor lobby of the building he was supposed to meet his rival. He had a plan in mind.

He brought Drake with him, his second in command who had originally been watching over a warehouse two cities away.

"Mr. Stone is ready to see you now." said the secretary with a smile.
Segal and Drake both stood and buttoned their suit jackets. They were led in the proper direction.

"Are you certain he'll agree to this? Stone already has a lot going for him and I don't think he takes pride in jeopardizing those options." Drake stated.
"If he doesn't...we'll be fine. He's the third out of the three of us, I don't lose anything if he doesn't agree. Only he does."

The secretary opened the office doors and the two stepped inside.

There they saw Stone sitting on his office couch and his assistant Lyle in a love seat. On the table sat liquors for the men to sip on as they spoke.

"Lee Segal. It's good to see you. Sit." Stone said and gestured at the other couch.
Both men sat down.
"How have you been?"
Lyle took the drinks and began to pour.

Segal leaned back and propped his arm onto the back of the couch.
"I'm sure you're aware of the investigation." he began.
"Jumping right into work, are you?" Stone chuckled. "Relax. Have a drink. Do you ever sit and just talk or are you one of those 'the work never stops' kind of fellas?" He pushed Segal's drink closer to him before taking his own.
Lyle poured one for Drake as well and then his own.
Segal stared at Stone.
Stone just smiled with a swift lift of his brows before downing his drink.
Segal took his as well and tossed it all back.

"You've been in this business for what? Fifteen years?" Stone asked. He gestured for Lyle to pour him another drink and Lyle did it.
"Give or take." Segal replied. He watched Lyle refill his glass as well.
"And you climbed to the top notoriously fast." Stone sipped his second drink. "But that happens when you're not afraid to crack a few eggs, doesn't it?" He finished the rest of it with a sigh through gritted teeth at the strength of the liquor.
Segal's jaw clenched but he took his second glass and downed the alcohol.

"So what's this about the investigation?" Stone asked as Lyle poured more drinks.
"You and I both know who's currently at the top of the food chain."
"Remind me." said Stone.
Segal sighed and looked at the fabric of his pants. He tried his hardest to not grow infuriated with the man he was trying to collaborate with. "Cermak."
"Ah." Stone picked up his third glass.
"The fbi is looking into him as the culprit for Johnson's assassination. Apparently the two had a deal together. Maybe Johnson broke it."
"So what do you want from me?" he asked and sipped his drink.
"You to side with me in getting Cermak terminated. He goes down, his employees are out of work, could get them to potentially come to us. Once that's done we continue going on our merry way."
Stone nodded as he understood.
"All you need to do is gather whatever information you have on Cermak and have it passed to the Bureau. And I know you have plenty of it. Your family is known for being in government positions." Segal smiled. "Everything is in the palm of your hand."

"You want me to betray one of the top corporations in this country to help you rise to the top and I'd still be in second place?"
"The place you land in is completely up to you."
"Mm." Stone finished his drink. "Lee Segal..." he hummed. "You are a business owner and a top mob man. I never pegged you for someone so stupid."
Segal's smile faded angrily.
"I want you to leave my office and act like you were never here. And if those detectives put me in cuffs because you ran me under the bus...I'll kill you."
Segal smirked as he stared at the glass full of liquor on the table. He chuckled slyly.
As his last act, he respectfully finished the drink Lyle had poured him before he and Drake stood up to leave the room.
"Thank you for having me." Segal smiled.
Stone didn't look at him nor respond. The idea of warring against Cermak had left him frozen in his seat. He was angry that Segal could even offer up such an idea.

Segal and Drake walked off to leave the modern office.

Stone sat back in his seat.
"The nerve of that motherfucker. He's trying to get me killed." he sighed.
"Sir, Segal is a rather powerful man as well. Are you sure this isn't something you want to do? What if he takes your rejection as a battle cry?"
"He's not crazy enough to do anything to me, I have family that could strip his business from under him if he tried. I'm untouchable to most."
Deep down Lyle was worried that might not be true.

As Segal and Drake walked down the hall of the building towards the elevator, Segal gave his next instructions.
"Tag him."
"Sir?"
"Tag. Him."
Drake took out his phone.
The elevator opened and the two of them stepped inside.
"When you find him, and you put him somewhere private, I want him to wish he was dead." he stated as the doors closed.
"Yes, sir."

Drake put his phone up to his ear.

"I want seven of you ready by tonight. 10:30." he said into the mic.
"Yes, sir."
"Bring a weapon of choice. No guns, too loud."
"Yes, sir."
Drake hung up and the elevator reached the lobby floor. The two of them stepped out, with Segal leading the way.

"You'll call me when he's in tears." he instructed.