Even in two thousand and twenty, society perpetuates the myth that you can tell how honest an individual is from their handshake. The honest handshake of an honest man, a handshake that shows integrity, that this person can be trusted and you can take them at their word. And it’s all nonsense! If anything, it serves as an indictment that as a society, our trust metric hasn’t moved on from a time when we required a gesture to prove me weren’t carrying edged weaponry. You don’t need to arrive at a meeting and prove via touching hands with another party that you have arrived unarmed in order to conduct business, not outside of the world of Martin Scorsese movies at any rate, and besides, people don’t feel the need to arm themselves with a sword anymore anyway. They arm themselves with an attorney instead! And guess what they all possess? Firm, honest, trustworthy handshakes that show their integrity! If that isn’t proof that the notion is outdated, what will? So when David Helms shook the hand of Lyndon Allen following their meeting to discuss the sale of the former LA Fitness building in Downtown Los Angeles, he left that trailer in Long Beach without any illusions that it was all done and dusted.
Yes, the two men had made what would once have been called a gentleman’s agreement, but what did that guarantee? Nothing. In fact, that handshake was proof that nothing was done until the ink was drying on a writ of sale, wasn’t it? Until that meeting, Allen had an agreement with a local auction house to sell the building through their catalogue, and with one conversation, David had convinced him to pull the building from the auction and sell to him privately instead, which was proof enough that Allen was willing to go back on his word should the opportunity to make a little more money present itself to him. And David had tried not to be pessimistic about it, it wasn’t as if he was expecting things to go south just as quickly as they had come good during that meeting… but he would be a fool to not at least prepare himself for all eventualities, and that meant being ready for Allen to pull out of the deal because a better offer had come in or even come back to him looking for more money in the deal because he knew how much David wanted to buy the building. So to say David was pleasantly surprised when his friend, and more importantly his attorney, Heath Mitchell contacted him around a week after their meeting to tell him that not only was everything arranged, agreed on and put into writing, but that Allen had already signed the contract in the presence of his own representation at Heath’s office, would be something of an understatement.
In fact, it was a huge understatement. A monumental one, even. David was over the moon with the news, and in his excitement at being able to finally move forward with his plans, he had insisted on driving right to Heath’s office himself to complete the deal by signing the contract too, so that the paperwork could be filed before the weekend and he could take possession of the keys and start drawing up plans and making arrangements. Of course, there would need to be more discussions with Lyndon Allen in the coming days, he knew that; David had agreed that any work that needed doing would be done by Allen’s company, a little sweetener that helped convince him to pull the building from the auction in the first place, but David had been perfectly fine with that. The important part was now done. With one signature, he had sold his old assets back in June, and now, in August, a second signature signalled the beginning of something new. A new start and an exciting adventure for him and those close to him!
It wouldn’t be easy, he knew that. Even when he got his hands on the keys and had made sure that Heath made arrangements to cover the costs that had occurred when Allen took the building from the auction as he had agreed to during their meeting, David knew that the hard work was still to come… building a client base wasn’t going to be easy, even if he was David Helms and he had just become the SCW World Heavyweight Champion.
AnteUp had been a tough grind in its early days, and while they never struggled to pay their bills, the school had been open for almost a year before it began turning any real profit for him or Tommy to see. And even when that was the case, more often than not the profit was pumped back into the business anyway, ensuring that they were always ready with the best equipment or that they could offer the best experience possible. AnteUp had never been born out of a desire to make money, that wasn’t their style. They didn’t want to lose money, that should be taken as a given in any business… but over the course of their careers, both David and Tommy had made more than enough to be comfortable for the rest of their lives and they hadn’t started AnteUp to add to the money they already had, but because of their love for the business and a desire to ensure that the future of it was secure for years to come. They wanted to train the next generation of stars that would go on to headline shows across the globe, they wanted to create legends and icons, to help people achieve their dreams and chase their goals. And it worked. AnteUp had been a success, but it had never been easy. And neither would this new adventure. In fact, it would probably be much harder because this time he would be doing the majority of the work, instead of splitting everything down the middle like he had with Tommy at AnteUp, at least while they got things up and running anyway. The biggest saving grace is that while he was going to be the only man with his name on the paperwork this time, he did have people behind him when it was time for them to step in to help. Regan was with him every step of the way, even if she had way less free time than he did, and that was huge in itself because her support gave him the motivation he needed to do this in the first place. And she wasn’t the only person who had his back, because he also had those who had left AnteUp the minute he sold his half of the company. Matty Stone and Brittany Lohan had handed their notice in with immediate effect when they found out that David no longer owned the place, as had Connor Green after David had assured him that anyone who quit in order to follow him to Living Dangerously would continue to be paid by him personally while the building was undergoing it’s transformation.
“It needs a bit of tidying up here and there,” Matty Stone muttered as he stepped through the door with David, a few days after the paperwork was cleared and the keys were handed over. This was the Bostonion’s first time walking into the former fitness center since David had first scouted the place out and while he was trying not to make it too obvious, David had been watching him closely from the second his foot crossed the threshold from the street outside. It was baking hot inside, the air conditioning system wasn’t running and it was almost uncomfortably stifling inside, but as Matty would be picking up his duties as head trainer as soon as the place was open it was important that he knew what he was getting himself into, and it hadn’t really taken any convincing on David’s part anyway. Matty was excited to see the place, because he knew how important this was to David, and that made it important to him too. Their friendship spanned more than twenty years, and there was a reason it had lasted as long as it had, even if there was a period where the two had drifted apart in the middle. “In fact, it needs a fair bit of work if we’re being honest Brah, but… I can see the potential,” he added, turning to face Dave for the first time since they’d entered. “It’s got the bare bones for something special, I can see why you wanted the place so badly.”
“It doesn’t exactly look like much at the minute, I admit that…” David conceded, grinning. “But give it a few weeks and some hard work and it’ll hopefully blow people away when it’s finished…”
“Brah, if people only took everything on face value, I’d never have been laid in my life, come on!” Stone said, grinning as Dave chuckled. “Nah, I can see it Dave. I mean, it’s going to need work, no doubt about that… but so did the place in Santa Barbara before you and To-before you guys bought the place and turned it into AnteUp,” he continued, hesitating as he went to say Tommy’s name, but David simply rolled his eyes.
“You can say his name bro,” David informed his oldest friend, shaking his head as he chuckled. “I’m not Harry Potter, alright? We don’t need no You Know Who’s or He Who Must Not Be Named’s, alright?”
“The fuck are you talking about, dude?” Matty asked, looking puzzled and David could only laugh to himself at how blissfully unaware Matty could be at times as he turned to walk further into the building. Wondering what he was missing, Matty followed after him and they passed through what was once the entrance and reception area, through a set of glass doors, broken glass from one of the panes that had been smashing crackling under their feet as they stepped into the main room of the gym. “Alright, so this is where the ring’s go, right?” Matty said, getting a good look at things properly now they weren’t behind the dirty glass windows that served as walls from the reception. “Should take what, two full sized and maybe another two smaller?” he guesstimated as he tried to do some quick ‘math’ based on eyeing up the size of the room. “Or maybe one big and several small, depending on how you lay it all out…”
“I’m thinking one twenty footer, an eighteen and a couple fourteen’s,” David explained, as he stood side by side with stone to gesture vaguely to the middle of the room. “I want one right in the middle, as a centrepiece; the twenty by twenty right slap bing in the middle of the floor with a couple rows of seats along three sides in a U shape facing towards the front of the room,” he explained, gesturing away from himself then across and finally back to himself, hoping it was enough of an explanation. “Then the eighteen over in that far corner, where it’s the solid brick wall on two sides. Just mats around the outside of that one, a single row around each side. And then the smaller indy sized fourteen footers spaced here and here,” he said, gesturing in turn to the space nearest their left first then over the far side of the room on the right.
“And some groundwork areas to fill up the space, I assume?” Stone asked, nodding at David’s explanation as he followed along without the need of further explanation. “Hey you know what you could do, brah? If you changed the seating so that the U is facing away from the windows behind us, you could have a small ‘stage’ area on that back wall and a small ramp. Give the students a chance to get used to ‘walking down’ to the ring, practice their entrances and work on their shtick. That’d be the wicked pissah!” the Bostonian suggested and David pointed a finger at him.
“That’s a fucking good idea bro!” he told his friend, suddenly nodding his head as he started to picture it. “Nothing crazy, because the higher it is, the more space it’s gonna have to take up and the longer the ramp needs to be, but maybe two foot high at the stage so it still feels like a proper ramp as you walk down!” he added, as he worked through the idea in his head. “And yeah, groundwork areas scattered around, like you said. Padded mats here and there. I was thinking about one of those foam pits with the foam blocks for practicing dives, but there’s actually another room that we can use for that, I think it used to be a dance studio or something, because it’s solid wood floors and mirrored walls…”
“You should definitely keep the mirrored wall, we’re bound to end up with a Dillinger or two when things are up and running,” Matty suggested with a laugh as David smirked, thinking about one of the former AnteUp students. “Though hopefully they’re just narcissists, not psycho’s with it like J-Dilly ended up being…”
“Yeah well, the business has always had it’s fair share of those, bro…” David said as he nodded his head across the room. “Come on, lemme show you the pool… it’s the main reason I bought this joint in the first place!” he added, to explain why he was already walking across the room towards a set of doors.
“I know from seeing the outside that it has an upstairs,” Matty said as he fell in line with David. “I assume that there’s space up there for the weight rooms and fitness machines and stuff?”
“Yeah, and the offices too,” David said as they continued across the dirty floor and headed for a door that stood ajar. “The upstairs is split up a little more than down here, I think they ran their fitness classes upstairs when this place was still operating… spin class, that kind of stuff… there’s a handful of fairly big rooms that we can either knock some through or keep as they are for different uses…”
“I mean, without looking this is just spitballing, but depending on what else you’re thinking, I’d say maybe knock through to have one big room for the weights and one big room for cardio?” Matty suggested as they reached the door that they were heading towards and David had to shoulder it open because of debris partially blocking the door. “Oh shit!” Stone added as they walked through the doorway into the pool area and Stone came up short as he saw just why David was so excited about buying the place. “Damn brah, I wasn’t expecting this!”
The Bostonian was clearly shocked to see just how big the pool was. “Yeah, I wasn’t exactly expecting to find this when I read the description either,” Dave admitted as he stepped over some rubble to walk to the edge of the empty pool. He was thankful that it had been drained, because he sure as hell didn’t want to have to deal with stagnant water along with everything else, but the emptiness only served to make it more impressive, because it emphasized just how damn big the thing was. “But it’s perfect, huh? I think it was Jordan I told, when I was looking into buying this thing… I want this to be so much more than a dojo, dude. I want to run it as a fitness center too, open it up to membership and let people come work out here, swim here, maybe even put in a sauna off the dressing rooms! If I’m building a new empire from the ground up, I may as well start big, right?!”
And all Matty could do, as he joined Dave at the edge of the pool, was nod. He stood there silent for several seconds before he finally found his voice again, and turned to look at Dave. “You’re not expecting me to run all this, right?!” he asked, and David fought to keep a straight face as he shook his head. “Oh thank fuck for that! Because I know I kind of did that with AnteUp at times, but this is gonna be way too big for me, I can see that already!”
“Don’t worry bro, I’m not expecting you to go above and beyond this time around,” David reassured him, patting his friend on the shoulder as he chuckled to himself. “Nah, I’ll hire a proper manager to run the place and that way you can just concentrate on the actual training when I’m not around. I was thinking about offering Britt a promotion, so the two of you were both head trainers… you think she’d take it?”
“Don’t see why not brah,” Matty said with a shrug as they turned away from the pool and went to head back into the main room. “I mean, it's bound to come with a pay rise and who doesn’t love more money? Plus she pretty much does a lot of what I do anyway, apart from the paperwork side that I helped out with, but if you’re getting a manager in to run the place, that’ll more than likely be on them anyway, going forward…” he reasoned as they stepped back into the big hall and took more of the detail in. “Assume changing rooms there and there,” he said, pointing at two sets of doors, a few feet either side of the door they’d just walked back through.
David nodded his head. “Yeah, men’s and women’s,” he said, pointing them out in order before pointing off to a set of doors on another wall. “And that leads to the elevator and the stairwell for access to the upstairs and there’s a door out into the alley out back too.”
“Mind if I take a look around?” Matty asked, looking where Dave was pointing and Dave just shrugged.
“Go for it,” he said as he pulled out his cell. “You’ll see which rooms are which, up there anyway, I imagine. Make sure you keep an eye out for the dance studio, it’s right above the pool… I’m gonna give Britt a call while you’re looking around…”
“No worries Brah, say hi from me huh?” he said, a look on his face that David read all sorts of stuff into that Matty wasn’t saying out loud.
“Maybe I should let you call her about it,” David said, leaving his meaning implied, and Stone clearly picked up on what he was getting out loud and clear.
He shook his head. “Nah man, I think that ship sailed. Doesn’t mean I can’t let you say hello for me though, does it?”
He winked at Dave before turning to head for the door which led to the upstairs access and Dave could only chuckle; he wasn’t about to start dishing out advice to his forty-plus year old friend if he didn’t want to hear it and his reaction made that one abundantly clear, but that wasn’t going to stop him laughing at him for it either as he pulled out his vape and took a hit on it. He didn’t dial Britt right away, instead taking everything around him in for the first time since the deal had been agreed. The last time he stood in that building, it was all just dreams and ideas… but now, with the keys in his pocket instead of the pocket of an employee from an auction house, it was becoming a reality. Yes, there was lots to do. Yes, he still had to start speaking to architects and he had to go over plans with Lyndon Allen to discuss the work that needed doing… but it was real now. It was all within his grasp now that he actually owned a building and could go about transforming it into his vision! And he hadn’t truly taken the opportunity to appreciate that until now. He made his way over to a bench that had been left during the cleanout from when it was still a fitness centre, and took a seat, just taking the room around him in as he thought about how it would look when it was finished; he could see the banners up on the walls, the rings assembled and in use, people training hard, working at their dreams because he had realised his own.
If that wasn’t motivation to make this a success he didn’t know what would be, but he was hungry, ready to throw himself into this as he had been to throw himself back into wrestling again when he and Lucas first made the decision to come out of retirement. And with how he had been feeling despite all the bullshit over the past few months… there wasn’t anything that could stop him from doing it, from making this a success. David found as he got older that it didn’t seem to mind what roadblocks came up or what snag’s he hit along the way, the more determined it made him. The last few weeks were proof of that, weren’t they? He found himself in a shitty situation with Tommy, so he severed ties with him and sold his shares in AnteUp and various other assets they owned. He had won Taking Hold of the Flame, won the world title at Rise To Greatness, and only a week and change ago, had convinced the former owner of the building he now sat in to sell to him instead of putting the place up for auction! He was at a point in life now where he chose to get proactive and solve problems instead of letting them get him down… and oh, how he wished he could have taught his younger self all of this, he’d have had far less trouble over the years, that was for fucking sure.
“Ah, finally… the elusive David Helms, we meet at last,” a strange voice said from the other side of the room, dragging David out of his little daydream and back to reality. It wasn’t strange in the sense that it was odd, but in that he didn’t recognise it and yet they seemed like they were expecting to speak to him if the sound of their voice was anything to go by. He turned to look towards the glass doors that led in from the reception to see not one man, but two. And they couldn’t have been more contrasting if they had tried, despite the fact that both dressed in a similar fashion; the man that had clearly been the one to address him was stick thin, average height and had a head of floppy brown hair that completed the package which ensured nobody would confuse him the guy who still loomed by the door. “I’ve been trying to track you down since Friday, and let me tell you I am not used to people being this difficult to contact when I make it known that I require an audience with them. Normally doors open, champagne falls from the heavens and velvet robes part if you know what I mean,” he added with a grin that revealed the whitest teeth David had ever seen as the guy held out a hand for a handshake.
“Sorry dude, do I know you?” David asked, jumping off the bench to take the man’s hand anyway, despite his apparent confusion at the sudden interruption by a complete stranger and their
As he took his hand back, the stranger theatrically pretended to slap himself in the forehead. “Stupid of me, of course,” he said, giving an irritable little shake of his head and a much bigger sigh. “Again, I’m not necessarily used to this sort of thing; in the circles I’m part of, it’s more or less taken as a given that people will know who I am so I’m not used to having to announce myself… but alas, this doesn’t appear to be the case here, does it? Nathan Eacott, Mr. Helms, and that man in the doorway is my associate, Thaddeus. As I say, I have been trying to contact you for a few days now, but no bother, here we are at last, huh?”
David wondered if he was supposed to know the name or who the hell this guy was as he slid his phone back into the pocket of his jeans and went back to sitting on the bench. “Well, I don’t know who you’ve been in touch with man, but I can tell you that I haven’t had anybody tell me that you’ve been trying to contact me,” Dave replied, taking a drag on his vape before blowing the vapour into the air above them so that he didn’t leave them talking in billowing cloud.
“I have left several messages now Mr. Helms, for a gym in Santa Barbara I believe?” the stringbean said, as he slipped his hands into the pockets of his suit pants and stood there smiling still, which unnerved David considerable. There was something about the smile, it made David think of a shark, smiling at it’s next meal or something along those lines. It wasn’t a friendly smile, it looked predatory. It was unnerving.
David laughed. “Hate to break it to you man, but I don’t have anything to do with that place anymore, so you’ve been wasting your time calling or leaving messages there...” he replied, as the big hulking gorilla started to slowly make his way over to them now, coming to a stop just behind Eacott, leering over his shoulder at David.
And the smile disappeared briefly, replaced with one of the most cartoon-like frowns that David had ever seen outside of the shows his son Jay liked to watch. “Now isn’t that just irritating, Thaddeus?” he said, turning to look at the man he had described as his associate and the gorilla gave a single nod.
“Yes, Mr. Eacott. Very irritating,” the big guy agreed, his expression not changing an iota and his voice fairly uninterested too. It was clear he wasn’t there to be a thinker, or do anything other than loom if David was any judge. The only question in David’s mind was whether this guy was there to be intimidating, or whether this Eacott character was simply so important that he needed someone with him at all times to ensure nothing happened to him. And David wasn’t sure which way this was going to swing.
“No matter though, I managed to track you down eventually, didn’t I?” Eacott went on, the same predatory smile reappearing on his face that had sat there only seconds earlier, and the longer this conversation went on, the more weirded out David got by it.
“I’m not being funny Mr. Eacott, but--” David started.
“Please, call me Nathan,” the newcomer said, cutting David off mid-sentence and only serving to annoy him further by doing so.
But he chose not to show it, or tried not to anyway. By the way the gorilla shifted position behind the man that was clearly his employer, David wondered if he hadn’t hidden it as well as he hoped. “Okay… well, I’m not being funny Nathan, but what is it you actually want? You’ve told me your name, you’ve told me you’ve been trying to track me down since Friday and you managed to find me here of all places, when I’ve only had the keys for around twenty four hours… so excuse me if I offend you with this, but I’m not exactly over the moon that someone had walked right on in here knowing more about me than I know about them, you know?”
The smile disappeared from Eacott’s face again as he pursed his lips and nodded as if he understood what David was saying perfectly well. “I can only apologise for that David,” he said, and that in itself was annoying too, because David may have been granted permission to use this guys first name, but they weren’t friends and he wasn’t sure he wanted them to be either, so he didn’t really appreciate the first name basis that this man already assumed they were on. “As I said, if my messages had been passed on despite you no longer having any association with the location in Santa Barbara, I’m sure this would be far less out of the blue for you and our meeting would no doubt be far less confrontational, which I can assure you was never my intent.”
Despite the fact that this guy was technically saying the right things, David couldn’t help but feel uneasy about the way he was coming across while saying them. And the overbearing gorilla leering over Eacott’s shoulder didn’t help matters either. “Yeah well,” he started to explain, trying to keep things civil despite his unease. “Me and the guy who’s been left running it aren’t exactly on speaking terms right now, and the people who worked there who would be likely to let me know followed me when I left…” he said, feeling a little guilty for making that claim. In truth, that wasn’t necessarily the case, but it also depended on what number the guy was calling. If it was the main desk, then sure, he would expect it to be passed on, but if it was the direct connection to the office… yeah, there was more chance of Giovanni Aries giving Mr. D a big sloppy kiss than Tommy ever passing that message on these days. “But that’s by the by, dude… why have you been trying to get hold of me?”
David wanted to get to the point, given his level of discomfort with the situation, and if he could get this over with quickly, he hoped the guy would leave. He didn’t have any clue what this Eacott guy and his muscle wanted, but whatever it was he was sure he wasn’t interested and the sooner they were gone the better. “Well, it’s fitting that I find you here of all places David,” Eacott said as he took a seat on the bench next to him. “Because it seems that you managed to get one over on me with the purchase of this place…” he added, letting his words hang in the air over them for a minute, still smiling that same raptorial smile that gave Dave that same apprehensive feeling. “Let me explain… you see David, as I said, a great many people in my circles already know the name Nathan Eacott, but as we do not run in the same circles, I can understand and even forgive your blissful ignorance. I am a businessman David, who deals primarily in commercial property and redevelopment. I have had my eye on this building for a while, ever since the fitness center closed in fact, but unfortunately Allen Construction Company pipped me to it when it was first available and I had to accept that I missed out… but then would you believe it, circumstances changed and Lyndon Allen unfortunately had to put it back on the market and I saw a second chance to finally make a deal. I was eagerly awaiting that auction David, ready to strike while the iron was hot as the saying goes,” he explained and the big gorilla cracked their knuckles just as Eacott spoke about striking while the iron was hot, which didn’t make the conversation any more uncomfortable at all!
“Okay, I’m following so far,” David said, just to try and move things along. “But that doesn’t explain why you’re here now… the sale has already gone through, Allen sold to me.”
“Yes, he did didn’t he?” Eacott said, grinning again. David was sick of that grin and he wanted to get out of there as quickly as possible. “And I wish I knew how you did it David, because I can’t help feeling like I’ve been gazumped for a second time now, which you can probably guess, leaves me severely disappointed…”
“Mr. Eacott isn’t used to disappointment,” the gorilla grunted, the same slow monotonous voice he’d spoken with earlier and David wondered if he actually had ape dna in him, more than the normal person. “It displeases him.”
“I’m sure it does,” David acknowledged. “Unfortunately, it’s a part of life,” he added, turning his attention back to Eacott. “I’m sorry you were interested in the place and lost out for a second time bro, but Allen signed off on the contract and I own it now. And I have big plans for this place, I’m excited about getting started as soon as possible with them… so if that’s all, I’ll--”
“Yes, I’m sure you do David,” Eacott said, cutting David off and making no effort to move whatsoever. “I had plans for it myself, as you can no doubt guess. In fact, I believe Mr. Allen’s plan was rather similar to my own, redevelopment into condominiums that would then sell for a large profit given the location and proximity to many desirable locations closeby. Unfortunately, you stand in the way of that now David, which is why I came here,” he added, and while his voice was perfectly pleasant and friendly, there was something sinister about his words regardless, and he was starting to wish that Matty would make a reappearance to at least even things out a little, but he wasn’t going to let them see how nervy this was making him feel now. He wouldn’t give them the satisfaction. “I’m here to make you an offer, David. One that I believe you will be rather happy with.”
“Is it an offer I can’t refuse?” Dave asked sarcastically, slipping up in the moment, before having to try and cover for his fuck up.
“It could be,” Thaddeus the ape said, curling his lip at one corner, before Eacott turned to look at him and while David couldn’t see the expression on the smaller man’s face, the crooked smirk disappeared from the gorilla’s features before Eacott had even looked away again.
“Amusing, David…” Eacott said with a little chuckle that was about as warm as a throwing knife. “But alas, you are free to refuse or accept as you see fit… but I believe that we may be able to do business together if you just take a look at what I’m offering,” he added as he slid a hand into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and for a fleeting second, images of him pulling out a gun or a blade or some sort of weapon flittered through David’s mind before he came to his senses and when the hand came back out, David was happy to see that it was merely a piece of paper he was holding.
“What’s this?” David asked as Eacott gestured for him to take it.
David did, but chose not to look at it. “My offer,” the skinny man said, offering no other explanation and David shrugged before unfolding the paper. What he saw was nothing more than a number with a dollar sign in front of it. And it took a moment for his eyes to adjust and allow him to take in the amount of numbers, but it was a generous number and a small yet not insignificant amount more than what he had just paid to acquire the building they were now discussing. “As I said, I believe you will be rather happy with the offer, yes?”
David folded the paper and held it back for Eacott to take. The slim figure watched him carefully for several seconds before he finally took the paper back. “If you’re trying to buy the place from me then thanks for the offer Mr. Eacott, but it’s not for sale,” David told him flatly, going back to formal names now. He wasn’t about to let this guy come in there and intimidate him into selling what he had only just bought for himself! “And while I appreciate the effort you have gone to, I’m afraid it’s been a wasted journey… but I won’t keep you longer than I already have, because it’s a shame to waste even more of your time on something that isn’t going anywhere, so if you’ll excuse me,” he said, starting to get to his feet. He went to walk away, he intended to walk away, but before he could go more than a couple of steps, Eacott was on his feet too and had him by the elbow to stop him from leaving, and while it wasn’t exactly a nasty grip or violent jerk to turn him back around, David couldn’t help spinning under the force of it so that they were facing one another again.
“Now now David, let’s be sensible here,” Eacott said, still smiling as he maintained his grip on David’s elbow. “We both know that my offer is considerably higher than what you paid for this place, which will come right out of my profit margin once I redevelop this building and sell the condominiums we turn it into, so I feel I’m being more than fair with you right now,” he pointed out, looking David right in the eye and as he did, David could see the facade starting to crack ever so slightly.
“And as I told you dude, I’m not interested,” David replied sternly, trying to gently shake Eacott’s grip off his arm without turning things hostile, but it didn’t budge. He was small and wiry, but his grip was like steel on his elbow and he wasn’t going to have much choice but to make it more forceful if he didn’t let go soon.
“David, please, be sensible about this,” Eacott implored of him. “This is good business for both of us, and I would hate for our relationship to sour needlessly, wouldn’t you?” he asked, a veiled threat if David had ever heard one, a suspicion only compounded by the words that he chose to follow it up with. “You know David, it was such a shame when the Allen Construction Company lost those two contracts that would have given him guarantees required for the redevelopment of this wonderful building… it was most unfortunate timing when you think about it…”
David’s body stiffened at the way Eacott was heavily insinuating now that he was something to do with that whole issue and his knuckles clenched which the gorilla noticed as he stepped forward onto the balls of his feet in preparation for what may come next. “Are you threatening me, Eacott?” David asked, doing his level best to keep his voice neutral and remain calm as he asked.
Eacott merely laughing, continuing to smile and only serving to anger David more. “David, I’m a businessman, not a thug,” he replied, shaking his head and waggling a finger with his free hand as if to scold David for being so silly. “No, I am not threatening you, I’m simply saying that it was unfortunate that Mr. Allen’s company ran into issues and it would be a shame if the same were to happen to you… business can be tricky, I’m sure you’re aware of that. And between the two of us, this place almost appears to be cursed, doesn’t it?”
David’s nostrils flared as he fought to keep his cool but it was no good, and while he should have simply yanked his arm free of the man’s grip, he went one step further by shoving Eacott hard with both hands to ensure he stepped away from him as he did free himself… and with movement far quicker than a man of his size had any right to make, Thaddeus made up the ground between them in two big steps and with a hand around David’s 1t, marched him backwards to slam him against the wall. “THAT WASN’T NICE,” the muscle bellowed, spittle hitting David in the face from no more than two inches away, as the gorilla damn near lifted David from the floor by his throat. “WE CAME HERE TO BE NICE. MR. EACOTT MADE A GENEROUS OFFER. AND YOU DISRESPECT HIM LIKE THAT?!” he demanded, as David struggled to break the grip of a man that must have stood at a good six foot six and have around a hundred pounds on him.
“Yes, that was rather rude, wasn’t it Thaddeus?” Eacott asked as he came up beside them, still smiling as he straightened the lapels of his jacket. “Come David, was there any call for that? I don’t believe there was,” the smaller man said, as if he was disappointed in David’s behaviour, that he was out of line for reacting such a way during a civil conversation.
“Tell him… to get… off of me…” David wheezed as the gorilla maintained a clamplike grip around his throat, the heels of his sneakers lifted from the ground as he tried to get purchase on the floor with tips of his feet.
“I am sorry David, Thaddeus is extremely difficult to talk to when he gets worked up like this,” the businessman said, shaking his head sorrowfully. “He has a habit of getting extremely defensive over me when he feels my wellbeing is threatened, I’m sure he doesn’t mean anything by it,” Eacott went on, his words completely belying the situation that was unfolding before him, so much so that it would have almost been funny if David wasn’t genuinely concerned for his own life. “But let’s consider who it is that’s truly to blame for this situation shall we David? After all, we came here with the best of intentions, to make a business proposal and it’s you that is being rude and very unobliging… after all, it’s not as if I came in and immediately starting making threats to ensure that whatever you were planning for this building failed miserably was it? And believe me David,” he said, the smile not just fading but shriveling almost, like a twisted transformation, a mask slipping as it morphed into a snarl so ugly that David wondered how this man had even managed a smile. “If I wanted to make your life hell or ensure you lose everything David, you had better believe that such a thing would be more than within my means, just as I did with that fool Allen, or the company that he thought he had a contract with. It was a shame that they went bust, but that’s the nature of business, isn’t it?”
Dozens of different responses ran through David’s head as he stood there held against the wall, but he couldn’t mutter any of them, because he could feel himself rapidly falling into unconsciousness; the grip that Thaddeus had around his throat was so tight, he was virtually lifted from his feet and he was starting to lose the feeling in his fingers. He felt the sensation of pain in his throat, but from outside almost, as if he was being told about the pain but not actually experiencing it himself… and even that was becoming less and less impactful, less meaningful, the sensation slowly slipping as he himself slipped from consciousness…
And then he was on the floor, on hands and knees, gasping for air as he clutched at his throat, oxygen flooding back into his lungs, stinging like ice and burning like fire all at once and David was barely able to comprehend what was going on around him. He saw a blur, heard the smack of something hitting something else but he couldn’t say what any of it meant. He was just aware of commotion for several seconds as the stars in his eyes began to slowly fizzle out and fade… and it was only as they disappeared that he realised what the sounds were, what the heavy thud was. Matty Stone had appeared from upstairs, and had seen what was going on and had acted according, evident hitting Thaddeus at a run and drilled him in the side of the head with a punch that must have hit like John Henry’s hammer. The Bostonian may not have the same bulk behind him, the same muscle mass, Matty Stone was by no means a small man and was much bigger than David, much more of an even match for the gorilla that had been attempted to choke the life out of David only a second or two earlier. “TRY THAT WITH ME YOU UGLY BASTARD!” Stone roarer as he did his best to defend David, rearing back to punch Thaddeus a second time, but the bigger man used his legs to push Stone away, but Eacott was already speaking to the muscular knuckle-dragging thug, and his words were having a clear effect on him as he almost seemed to shrink upon hearing them, a spring unwinding and losing it’s momentum in the time it took for Eacott to say whatever he had quietly said to him.
“Matty…” David rasped, his voice horse from the chokehold that had nearly rendered him unconscious as he tried to stop his friend from jumping back in on the attack again. He was keen to avoid things turning into an even bigger mess than they already had. “Matty, leave it…”
“This motherfucking was trying to kill you!” Matty argued, glaring at David before he went against his instincts and stepped instead towards David to help him up instead of going after the meathead. “What the hell is going on, dude?!”
“I wouldn’t class restraint as attempted murder, Matty was it?” Eacott asked, already on the charm offensive once again, his crazy smile back in place, the mask back on. “My associate here was merely defending me after David was a little too physical following an offer I extended to him. Please don’t assume this is more than a mere misunderstanding…”
“A misunderstanding?!” Stone said, incredulous. “That big ugly bastard had him in a chokehold that Darth Vader would be impressed by, and you’re trying to paint it as a fucking mistake?!”
“Please, Matty, is there any need for insults and foul language?” Eacott asked, placing a hand on the shoulder of the gorilla who was sat up and about to lurch forward before the smaller man put a stop to it under the lightest of touches. “My associate acted rashly perhaps, but it was with good intention, and I’m sure we will all be laughing about this tomorrow.”
“Get… out…” David managed to grunt, slowly getting his breath back as he knelt on the floor, partially supporting his own weight and partially supported by Matty who was helping keep him up if for no reason but to stop himself from going after the gorilla again. “NOW!” he bellowed, to make sure Eacott and his thug understood this wasn’t up for discussion and was definitely an instruction.
“Very well, very well,” Eacott said, holding his hands up to show the message was received and understood. “We’re done here, evidently… but please David, think very carefully about what we discussed, I implore you to do so. I think we can reach an amicable outcome for all parties if you truly think about what I said today…” he added, and Matty may not have picked up on it, but David know for a fact that while he sounded like he was simply making a request, Eacott’s words heald a far more sinister meaning to them. It wasn’t a request for David to consider his offer, it wasn’t pleading for a resolution, it was a thinly veiled threat that was dressed up all pretty, reading to act like a whore from the mouth of this despicable bastard!
“You heard the man!” Matty replied, his anger bubbling up again before David grabbed a fist-ful of his shirt to ensure he didn’t do anything either of them would regret.
Thaddeus was staring daggers at both of them as he slowly got to his feet, buoyed by the instructions of Eacott and the pair cut a wide berth as they went to step past David and Matty on the floor, it was only once they’d reached the door to the reception area that Eacott turned back to look over at David, the sinister smile back on his face again, his teeth gleaming in the light that came in from outside. “We’ll speak again very soon David… I’m sorry it had to come to this,” he apologised, sounding so sincere that even David was almost convinced by it, or would have been if he hadn’t heard everything else that had come from the skinny man’s mouth before Matty arrived to save the day. Helms glared back at him, refusing to say a single word to him in return, and Eacott bowed himself out, leaving Thaddeus to look David right in the eye as he swung the door open as forcefully as he could, a second pain shattering into thousands of glittering shards on the ground which was already covered in the remnants of the first broken pain and with his final act of petulance, he was gone, visible only through the large glass windows as he joined his employer so they could make their exit.
The pair watched them leave before David finally sagged back and leant against the wall, taking deep breaths as he tried his best to restore his breathing to normal. Matty watched for several seconds after Eacott and his pet orangutan had disappeared from sight, wanting to be sure they were actually gone before he finally turned back to David, his face suddenly showing signs of worry instead of anger. “Brah, what the fuck was that?!” he asked, as deeply confused as he was concerned for his friends wellbeing. “I leave you alone for two minutes and you’re already getting into another fight! Seriously though, who the fuck were those asshole, and what the hell did I walk back down here into?!”
David sat staring at the wall opposite for several seconds before swallowing heavily, his throat still sore from the grip that Thaddeus had on him and he winced as he swallowed, but did his best to speak. “A dissatisfied auction goer,” Helms said, his voice strained and raspy, hopefully nothing more than a short term effect of the chokehold that would soon wear off, but his throat hurt like hell and he needed a drink. “I’m not entirely sure, but I think he may be a little upset,” he added before being overtaken by a coughing fit that left Matty slapping him hard on the back in a fruitless attempt to help.
“If that’s what people get like after failing with a bid at auction, I’m glad I don’t even use eBay,” Stone said, his eyes flickering back to the windows and the main entrance beyond for a second to make sure they weren’t coming back. The coughing fit subsided eventually and Matty helped David to his feet and the pair didn’t linger there any longer than it took for David to lock up so they could leave; he was happy to explain to Matty, but he didn’t want to do so while lingering there in the building, at least not for the time being anyway. The day had rapidly gotten away from David, what had started with such promise and with such excitement had quickly turned to crap around him and as he sat in the bar a few minutes later, sinking a beer in order to try and help his throat, he struggled to process his way through everything Eacott had said to him as he told the story to Matty. And the Bostonian wasn’t any better off either as he tried to understand the explanation that came from David, though explanation wasn’t really that fitting, as it was more a recounting with little understanding. The only thing that was evident to both of them was that Nathan Eacott had definitely made threats to David in their exchange with one another, and that was before the physical attack from his goon Thaddeus. And while David wanted to assume that it was nothing but bravado and bluster, the fact that Eacott seemed so clued up on why Allen’s construction company was in such sudden need to sell the former fitness center after losing out on a couple of huge deals and if he was telling the truth then what exactly could he do to mess with David too?! And that was a scary thought… because it showed that it didn’t matter how much effort someone put into things, if there was someone else that wanted to stop you from succeeding then it was possible that you were doomed from the start. He needed to look into this guy, because he had to know more about Nathan Eacott to know exactly who he had just made an enemy of. But he believed that he had a pretty good idea already, that this guy was not going to turn out to be a man that made vague threats and never followed through with them. There was something about the way that this guy made David feel, how unnerved he made him, that just told him that this was actually going to be a problem. His resolve was about to be tested if David was any judge of character… and all he could do was sit around and wait for the other shoe to fall and see just how far this man was prepared to go. Hopefully it wasn’t so far that David would come to regret his decisions...
