Jaws of Death

Chapter 15

Alexander Toomes stood in front of the mirror, trimming his beard with an electric razor. He took great care in making sure his jawline looked taut and perfect. His contacts made his eyes look fiery and attractive at the same time. He had done a good job with the trimming, he thought as he admired himself. Alex put the razor down and washed his face. He adorned a blazer and walked straight to his room in Toomes Corporation Headquarters.

There, on the chair, lay the old woman. She was unconscious. He hadn't needed a chloroform. Just a calculated blow to the back of her head had done the trick. And beside her, on the coffee table, lay the letter.

He had been going about business as usual when he had received the letter this morning. It was written to him by The Kingpin himself. Reading the letter had changed everything for him. Toomes Corporation, earlier run by Alex's father Adrian Toomes, fell into Alex's hands several months ago. Since then, the corporation had been a good ally for The Kingpin until the letter arrived, because it took their relationship to a whole new level.

The letter was still open, as if inviting him to read it again.

Picking up the coffee that his Butler handed to him (without thanking him), Alex walked right upto the letter and reread the contents again, to relish at the thought.

Mr. Alex Toomes,

I regret that I couldn't be in person to meet a person of your stature on this great occasion, due to my untimely arrest. It is thanks to your indirect help that my men managed to successfully falsify evidence and frame Peter Parker. His aunt is still alive, but she would be of great use to us if you could oblige and bring her to join the women at The Docks. Even at her age, you would be surprised at the number of men who want her. Apparently, men prefer lust in all ages, shapes and sizes.

I ask this assistance of you, especially, for you would want revenge at the boy who helped put your father in prison and tarnish the Toomes legacy. If you could provide us the old woman, I'd be very grateful.

But that isn't the main purpose of this letter. I write to you because I'm supremely delighted to invite you to a grand party organised at The Docks at midnight, denoting an official partnership between Toomes Corporation and Fisk Industries. In spite of my absence, my close associates Billy Russo and Marcus Lyman would be there to welcome the man who is going to launch Toomes Corporation to greater heights.

With sincere friendship,

Wilson Fisk!

Alex re-read it again. Of course, he was willing to bring the old woman. It was Peter Parker who had managed to get his hands on enough photographical evidence to convict his father. He had tried to tarnish the Toomes legacy, yes. And like his father once said: Nobody gets the upper hand on us! Not now! Not ever!

Alex's eyes were drawn to certain words...A person of your stature...the man who's going to launch Toomes Corporation to great heights. It felt good to be addressed that way. Alex smiled as he read the end. Billy Russo and Marcus Lyman. They were some of the biggest names in the New York Underworld.

Billy Russo was a ruthless crime lord who had committed all sorts of crime imaginable in the city. Hailing from a military background, word has it that he turned his closest friend in and shot down his entire family before his eyes. Anyone who lodged a case against Russo or his men ended up dead within a day or two. Most of all, the scariest thing about Russo was that he wore a mask. A mask with staggering lines that resembled a jigsaw puzzle, earning him the nickname "The Jigsaw". If the man was feared before, wearing the mask had a graver effect. He was revered by the people of the underworld.

Marcus Lyman was just as capable and feared as Russo. From what Alex had heard, an accident that had killed his wife, had left a shrapnel piercing his brain. The doctors had managed to remove it and save him, but it came with a terrible cost. The shrapnel had caused him permanent brain damage, rendering him incapable of feeling emotions. Marcus Lyman had sixty seven murders to his name, hence earning the moniker "The Massacre".

If The Kingpin was calling him to stand as an equal with these Underworld Kings, then that was an invitation Alex wasn't going to ignore. He strode straight to the underground and pressed a few buttons on the elevator. With a massive buzzing sound, the doors opened, revealing the 'family heirloom'. It had belonged to his father but had landed in his hands after the former's arrest. He had worn it earlier today when he had gone to kidnap the old woman and it felt good, flying in the air, above every pathetic human being in New York City.

The talons shined elegantly, inviting him to wear them. Now, if he was going to a party with impactful men, he'd have to dress up for the occasion, won't he?