Warning! The following may contain bad spelling, grammar, punctuation, cardboard characters, cheesy plots, offensive NSFW material, and / or puns. Reader discretion is advised.
Vinnie laughed. “Twenty grand! That’s not even ten percent. I wouldn’t take a piss for twenty grand.”
“Admittedly it is not the full amount but it seems to me that your best option of getting your money is to take the twenty grand, and let Mister Foster pay off the rest.” Tom remained cool.
“I told you, that’s not happening. Look, you, Mister Negotiator, I’m getting real tired of you coming in here and trying to get this weasel out of paying me my money. Now you either get me my cash, all of it, or I drag that pretty young girlfriend of his out here and have my guys start carving her up.”
“NO!” Alan struggled wildly against Freddie. “If you touch her I’ll kill you, you bastard. I’ll kill you.” He twisted and turned, trying to get free from Freddie’s grip, which remained solid.
The goon produced a gun seemingly from empty space and leveled it at the pair. Vinnie stepped back. “Keep that loser under control or he won’t live long enough to be able to pay me.”
Tom threw a look at Freddie that said something needed to be done, and now, before the situation spiraled any further out of control.
Freddie shifted his weight and adjusted his grip on Alan, bringing him into a headlock. Freddie applied pressure on the neck for a few moments until Alan went limp. Freddie lowered the body to the floor. “That should be better.”
Tom turned back to Vinnie. “This is clearly not going well. I understand your position, and we have already agreed that Mister Foster owes you the money. Perhaps what we need is a different strategy.”
“The only strategy I’m interested in is getting that little piece of shit to give me my money.”
“You’re a betting man, aren’t you? Your entire business is built around gambling, correct?”
“Yeah, and the odds are always in my favor. I’m a simple guy. I like it when things go smooth. Betting is simple. You make the bet. You win, I pay you. I win, you pay me.”
“Then let me propose this. You take the twenty grand from Mister Foster. That leaves him with two hundred and thirty thousand in debt. Then you and I will make a bet for that amount, double or nothing. I win, the remainder of Mister Foster’s debt to you is canceled. You win, and you get four hundred and sixty thousand dollars.”
“What do you say?”