Vagabonding.1 [COMPLETE]

26. Let's Make An Unfair Trade

"I've got a split," I said as I placed the playing cards down on the wooden floor.

"Unfair!" Ghoti replied heatedly as he threw his cards in the air, "A split? That is unheard of! I demand a refund!"

"You're the one who made the rules!" I asked as I tossed down the rest of my cards on the floor. "And you've got to stop tossing your cards when you don't win; don't be such a sore loser!"

The card game that was presented by Ghoti had gotten both our blood boiling, especially as we moved on to round twenty-seven. The classical jazz playing through the radio kept our heads cool enough to not snap under pressure, but the boredom of staying underground was making it harder to stay put.

Long after his bottle of whiskey wore thin, Rotem had just finished his last cigarette when we heard the front door trying to open. I went to stand up but Rotem turned around and signaled for me to stay on the ground where I was. He went to the door and pressed his ear against it when the doorknob rattled again before grasping on to the handle tightly.

After a few seconds more of attempting to open the door, the person on the other side pounded at the door.

"Rotem? We need to talk," the man on the other side said quickly, "I know you're in there... Open up, it's freezing out here!"

Rotem looked over to Ghoti and me before whispering below the tune of the music, "Go to the office in the back; don't come out until I call for you two."

Ghoti and I went towards the back office and enclosed ourselves in the room. Inside this small office was nothing interesting to the eye so instead, I pressed my ear closely to the door as Ghoti sat down on the only chair the office had, his knees brought to his chest as his claw-like hands rested loosely on the chair's armrest.

Outside, I could hear the door unlocking and opening, followed by a ruffle of feet scratching at the ground along with the sound of louder heated steps.

"What do you want from me now?" Rotem asked in a bitter tone, as if it was an all too familiar conversation being revisited endlessly with the same results where no one wins. "Do you want more money? Is that it?"

"Is that what you really think of me?" I could hear it was instantly Dio from the many times I have bumped into him, his words carrying a mock-hurt tune, "Glad to see your true colors. We were a family, Rotem, not enemies. I'm not always asking for favors. If anything, I did way more for you than you could possible offer back to me."

"Oh, of course not, I never do anything beneficial! You wouldn't even be standing in your position if it wasn't for me in the first place... I'm a terrible sibling, huh?" Rotem scoffed before falling silent. Rotem himself impatiently interrupted the pause, "Well? Go on! The quicker you ask, the quicker I'll get out of your hair."

"Today is a day where I need to know..." Dio paused. "Why?"

Rotem paused partially before speaking up, "Why what?"

"Don't act stupid, you know that you wanted to play 'superhero' and save the day," Dio replied briskly, his speech became tightened and strained in an effort to keep his voice from rising, "That woman is anything but innocent and you know it."

"I'm not trying to be a hero," Rotem said after rushed sighed, "There wasn't even supposed to be a hanging for her today in the first place, I was told it was a last minute plan. I figured, why not pay a farewell for my dear friend?"

"The nerve you have," Dio spat out, "I helped you. I stood by your side all of our lives and you ended up treating me like this?" I heard a slam followed by an eerie silent moment before Dio continued, "The demonic child, where are you keeping him?"