ya see—” Bobby starts up his wails again but Tony cuts in.
“Shut da fuck up! This asshole don’t care what you’ve got to say.”
“That’s true,” I nod at Tony. “I don’t give a shit what you have to say. Either of you. I misspoke earlier. I don’t think you were cheating. I know you were. I’ve had my eye on you for some time. I invited you to that poker game tonight for a reason.”
“So this was a feckin’ setup, huh? You must think you’re pretty damn smart.” Tony sneers the words at me and then spits, landing a giant wad of saliva directly on my black leather shoe.
“Hey!” Ben, unprompted, steps forward and punches Tony square across the face, hard enough that the chair he’s sitting in almost tips over. “Nobody disrespects Mr. Milner like that.” He hauls his big fist back to strike again but I raise a hand to stop him.
“That’ll do, Ben. Thank you.”
With a nod to me and a glare at Tony, Ben steps back. Ignoring the spot on my shoe, I square off opposite the two cheating thugs.
“As you can see, I have very loyal employees,” I tell Tony. He rolls his eyes ever so slightly but he looks less confident than he did a second ago. “If I told Ben and Mike here to rip you to shreds with their bare hands, they wouldn’t hesitate.”
“That’s right, boss,” Mike murmurs.
“No sweat,” Ben adds.
“And as you can see, these guys have the means and strength to do just that, if they so desire,” I nod at the two.
“Naw, you wouldn’t do that?” Bobby looks fearfully from Ben, to Mike, and then to me. “It was just a lousy card game!” His voice quivers and he swallows hard, trying to contain himself.
“To you, maybe. But the thing is, cheating at cards is, in my book, the same as stealing.” I walk over to the steel chest to one side of the giant room and punch in a combination to unlock it. The heavy lid creaks on its hinges as I heave it open. “Don't suppose either of you boys are big on the Bible, huh?” I rummage around in the steel chest as I talk.
“Whatchya got there, Mr. Milner?” Bobby asks nervously.
“What I’ve got is a question waiting to be answered.” I turn on the duo sharply. “So again—Are either of you buffoons familiar with the bible?”
“No,” Tony mutters sullenly.
“Been awhile since Sunday school,” Bobby shrugs.
“Well, maybe you’ll remember this verse from your school days.” I grab a pair of brass knuckles out of the chest and slip them into my pocket while I’m talking. And then I grab a meat cleaver. “Matthew 18:8.”
I stand up and walk slowly towards the two men, holding the meat cleaver behind me. “You remember that one, Bobby?”
Bobby’s eyes have widened with fear and I’m realizing that he very well does remember the verse. Perfect.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Well, recite it for us.”
Bobby licks his lips and speaks hoarsely, “And if your hand or foot causes you to sin…” He pauses.
“Yes?” I slowly bring the meat cleaver forward, holding it in front of me.
“Jesus H. Christ,” Tony hisses in rage when he spies the heavy blade. Finally, he loses his cool. “Help!” He starts shouting, aiming his voice at the steel door. His screams reverberate through the enormous room. “For fuck’s sake, help! This asshole’s gonna fuckin’ kill us!”
I just stare at him, waiting for him to quit. He keeps screaming “HELP!” Meanwhile, Bobby’s eyes are spilling over with tears.
When Tony stops for a moment to catch his breath, I finally speak up. “I should let you boys know this room is soundproof. I’d hate to have any of my valuable guests bothered. Now, where were we? Oh yes. Bobby.”
“Yes sir.” Bobby’s head is down and tears are falling freely from his face.
“The rest of the verse. Now.”
“Cut it off and throw it away.” He whispers the words and they’re barely audible above Tony’s heavy, raspy breathing.
“Speak up, Bobby. Ben and Mike didn’t hear you. Again. The full line.” I raise my voice. Although I haven’t touched a bible in decades, I was raised in the church. I have to admit, I’m surprised that Bobby got it right.
“If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away.” Bobby blubbers out the words, now practically sobbing in front of me.
“Fucking hell.” Tony exhales and looks nervously from me to Ben to Mike.