New Man - John Abruzzi x OC

Chapter 2

"I need you to hire me. At PI."

Abruzzi paused, disbelieving one could be so outright with him, then threw the card down.

"Beat it." He muttered.

"Maybe you ought to hear what I've got to say."

He made eye contact with his men, who instantly understood, then glanced at the platform about thirty feet below.

"Fellas. If he's still standing here in ten seconds, launch him."

They stood, separating him from Fish. Abruzzi was sure that would do the trick.

"I've got a hypothetical for you, John." The newbie continued, much to his disbelief and amusement. "What if I actually had something you needed?"

"You got nothing I need." He said. Beat it, kid.

"I wouldn't be too sure of that."

Abruzzi would have turned around, when something landed in front of him, upon his deck of cards. It was a paper bird, folded up, origami style. He smirked.

"Oh. My mistake. Just what I need." He turned the paper bird around in his fingers. "A duck."

His men guffawed, and closed in on the newbie.

"It's a swan, John." Fish said simply.

Abruzzi turned around, losing his temper.

"I got a hypothetical for you." He said softly. "Do you think if my boys launch you over the edge, you'll bounce or you'll break when you hit the floor down there?"

Fish didn't look stupid, and proved it. He raised his hands in defence and retreated peacefully, breaking eye contact only when he turned around.

Gus Fiorello came back and sat down with the rest of his men, shaking his head.

"They just don't know when to put a sock in it, do they?"

John grunted, twisting the paper bird around in his fingers, thinking. After a minute, he shrugged, and crumpled it in his hand, throwing it over the railing with a chuckle.

*

The night passed as usual. Later on in the day, Fiorello got his attention.

"Did you hear?" He said, taking a shovel from him.

"Bout what."

"That new nurse. Apparently, she looks just like an angel. Or a devil, depends on how you look at her."

John Abruzzi threw a glance at Gus.

"She won't last very long."

Gus snorted, nodding.

"You've seen her?"

"Yeah. Her first encounter with a dirty criminal." He chuckled. "I'll have a before and after without a camera."

"Takes one visit. She'll leave as soon as they leave her in one room with Teddy."

The image made Abruzzi's temper flare, long after they returned to their cells. He leaned against the wall, stuffed his hands in his pockets, flexing them, and surveyed the rest of his inmates in their cells. Being part of the Chicago Mafia, these were not the type of men he was used to. They were either a lot like himself, in leather jackets once business was done, smoking cigarettes and afraid of their wives or like Philly, in black, handsome suits, smoking Cuban cigars and enough lovers for every day of the month. They weren't like these brutes, yawping and hollering in their cells. They were all bad men, Abruzzi had come to live with that, but they were civilised, back home.