The Almighty Tom Sullivan

Chapter 004

A hooting sound echoed from the rear loud enough to be audible. "She must be nuts. Messing with Bigsharks? Death wish if there ever was one."

Still, another murmured in dismay, shaking his head: "Only an idiot would tackle them. Setting herself up to fail."

Lisa's mother stood forward, marked with anxious lines and resentment.

"Lisa, this is insane!" she admonished. "You think you can just walk in and ask those people for money? You're going to get yourself killed. And you're listening to him"-she sent Tom a withering look-"your poor, clueless husband, egging you into this mess."

Lisa felt doubt clawing at her as she suddenly wondered what she was really doing. They were right-it was insane.

Her mother rolled her eyes. "I regret ever giving birth to you, Lisa," she spat, cold. Then she turned sharply on her heel, storming out of the room.

Delilah watched, trying and failing to conceal a smirk. Delilah's luck simply could not get any better than this. Their grandfather had just served victory to her on a platter of silver. Lisa would never recover from the blow: she was doomed, and Delilah would be there waiting to take her place.

But then her grandfather's voice sliced through her musing. "It applies to you too, Delilah," he said coolly; his eyes fell on her. "You want the position? You'll be collecting the loan from Bigsharks too."

Delilah's face faltered. "What?" she got out without breaking down.

Her grandfather didn't bat an eyelash. "You heard me. Whoever collects the loan first will have the right to compete for the position of CEO." He stopped, a slight challenge in his eyes. "If you'd rather not, you're welcome to back out."

Delilah forced a smile. "Of course, Grandfather. I wouldn't dream of backing down," she replied through her teeth.

Lisa turned to Tom, whispering. "Tom… are we doing the right thing?

Tom's eyes locked with hers. "Believe me, Lisa," he whispered. "I won't bring you here if I thought it's futile. We're in this together."

She took a deep breath.

After some time, they stood under the night sky facing a large two-storey building, its neon sign formed like a shark's jaw. This was headquarters of the Bigsharks.

Lisa stepped forward, her hand hesitating a second before it came into contact with the cold steel door. The door creaked open, revealing a sumo-sized man who eyed them over, unimpressed.

"What do you want?" he grunted out in an unfriendly tone.

Lisa squared her shoulders. "We are here to see your boss."

He raised an eyebrow to regard them both suspiciously before giving a gruff nod. "Follow me."

They went down a thin hall. At the far end of the hall, they turned into a large room—and froze in mid-stride.

There sat Delilah, casually seated on the lap of a burly man with a gruesome scarred face, cool as a cucumber.

He looked up at them, his eyebrows furrowed. "Who's these?" he growled.

He impatiently raised the gun before Lisa could utter a word. "I said, who are you?" he barked, his impatience growing, pointing the gun directly at them now.

Lisa swallowed hard as her hands clenched tightly, fighting to keep her voice steady. "We're here to collect the money you owe on behalf of Winchester Co.," she said, feeling the pound of her heart.

The boss's eyes flicked to Lisa, sharp and assessing. He seemed to catch the flash of fear in her eyes, but when he turned to Tom, he saw something entirely different-confidence, without a shade of fear.

"He with you?" he asked, nodding toward Tom.

Lisa jerked a nod, her throat tight. "Yes, he's with me."

Delilah slipped off the boss's lap, an amused smile on her lips. "What about my money?" she asked, all sugary.

The boss smirked, looking so pleased with her. "Of course, baby," he said, snapping his fingers at one of his guards. "Go get the money."

The guard left them in the room.

Lisa and Tom hadn’t expected Delilah to be here already. She must’ve taken a faster route, arriving before they even got close.

Delilah took a step toward Lisa, her smirk widening as she whispered, “Looks like I’ll be winning this after all. Better luck next time… if there’s a next time for you.”

Moments later, the guard returned, holding a metal briefcase. He handed it to the boss, who opened it just enough to flash the stacks of cash inside. Delilah’s eyes gleamed, her hand reaching out as if she’d already won.

But before she could take it, the boss held up a hand. “Hold on,” he said, looking back at Lisa and Tom. “You’re with them right, right?”

Delilah rolled her eyes, then stuttered, "No… I'm not with them." Her voice was anything but convincing. In one second, the boss's gaze turned sharp; he wasn't swallowing a word.

"You think I am stupid?" he sneered, cold. "You are not here to do 'shopping.' You want the money I owe them.".

The boss raised his gun and, with the muzzle traveling slowly, threatened each of the three in turn. "This is the end of the line," he snarled, his finger overriding the trigger.

Without another word, Tom stepped forward, placing himself in front of Lisa.

Delilah's bravado vanished, and she took a step back, hands up. "I'm not part of this," she stammered. "I don't have a dog in this fight. Take the money." She reached for the briefcase and held it out to Lisa, her eyes pleading.

"Don't anyone move," the boss commanded, his gun swinging around to point at the briefcase. "Nobody goes anywhere with my money unless I say so."

Tom's eyes were unyielding. "We're not dropping the money.

The boss took another step closer, the gun directed at Tom's chest. "I'd like to see you act tough after I've put a bullet in you," he sneered.

But then his phone rang. He peered at the screen and showed deference by pausing. He turned partially, with the gun still in his hand. "Hello Don?" he answered gruffly.

A voice at the other end said something that made his face freeze; then he looked fearful. "Wait, who?" he muttered in a scared voice.

"The Emperor," whispered this voice from the other end with a nearly inaudible but quivering breath.

The boss’s hand shook slightly. Everyone in his line of work had heard the rumors—the Emperor was a being no one crossed and lived. People claimed that those who saw him didn’t live long enough to share what they’d seen.

The boss swallowed, his gut cracking just a bit. “I’ve got someone here with Winchester’s people,” he replied, voice tight. “Some poor looking bastard.”

There was a pause on the other end, and the voice returned, sharper and anxious. "Let him go. Now. Apologize and make sure no one gets hurt. If you touch him, I make sure I hang your loveless body in my abattoir for my hyenas to feed on ".

He nodded briskly, then into the phone, "Understood." A glance around the room caused him to realize he still held the gun and cautiously lower it.

The boss now turned his back, lowering his voice and continuing on the phone.

Meanwhile, Delilah's face went pale, and she started to tremble. “We’re dead… we’re so dead. Even the Don knows you,” she whimpered, glancing nervously at Tom. “All because of you!”

“Stay calm,” Tom said quietly.

Delilah’s eyes flashed with anger. “Don’t tell me to stay calm!” She raised her hand and slapped him, twice.

Her face showing frustration and fear.

"Hey!" he yelled suddenly, his gun snapping back up to aim at Delilah. His gaze was ice. "You have any idea who you just slapped?" he asked furiously. "How dare you!"

Delilah looked between the boss and Tom, confusion flashing upon her face. She seemed to shrink back, her anger dripping away as she realized the gravity of her action.

Tom raised a hand, calm. "It's fine.

The boss lowered his gun, though his face was still deeply furrowed in a frown. "Fine," he said again, nodding tightly, as if he had just received some cue from Tom. "Very well."

In another moment, the boss nodded at one of the guards, who hastened to fetch two more suitcases, placing them beside the briefcase full of cash.

"Here," said the boss, in a nearly shaking tone of voice. "I tripled the amount…to atone for the late date of my debt. I. I am very much regretful that it did not appear sooner." The respect was very noticeable; his hands slightly even trembled as he beckoned towards the cases.

Lisa and Delilah exchanged a swift glance; the two were fully surprised. This fearsome man just met, now seemed rather humbled in Tom's presence.

Lisa couldn't even process it, as her mind felt abuzz.

What is going on? Why is this man so fearful of Tom? It just wasn't making sense.