Nikolai glanced over to Angelo to find him watching the scene calmly, it might as well be a show for all it was worth. He clenched his jaw and looked away, grimacing when he realized he had bitten through his cigar again.
Nikolai had never cared for anyone’s opinion so why was he self-conscious about what Angelo would think about the way he carried out retribution? It didn’t help that the assassin had been unfazed, not a single trace of wariness in those pale green eyes.
A patron rose to his feet, his movements were measured and deliberate, two others rose as well. Nikolai lifted a brow at this display, curiously watching. They didn’t approach and they didn’t pull out weapons, instead, they walked across the club to the door that led to the back rooms.
He wasn’t worried that they would try to make an escape, the club was surrounded. So it meant that they were taking things into their own hands and bringing Bean out to him. His attention drifted to Angelo once more, a thoughtful look on his face.
More people rose to their feet and slipped past the doors to the restricted space behind the main club, none of the workers made a move to stop them, knowing that only death awaited them if they did.
In a short time, he could hear the sounds of a scuffle, the group that had left were dragging out a struggling man, his pink suit jacket was barely hanging on to his mousy frame.
Behind them was a taller man who was very calm despite the noisy struggle happening in front of him.
Nikolai watched expectantly as the club owner was dragged over and thrown at his feet. The Beta cowered on his knees, unable to lift his head up. For someone who was brave enough to ignore his summons, he was the epitome of a coward.
"Business must be booming," He said with a smile that didn’t touch his eyes, "Even after I took the trouble to pay you a visit, you left me waiting. You must be really busy..."
Bean shivered harder, he had a lot of things to say but they were stuck in his throat. From where he knelt, he could see the hem of the robes of the death reaper, he wasn’t getting out of this alive.
"...so I won’t take much of your time," Nikolai went on, speaking in that pleasant way that was completely fake.
"Boss, please hear me out!" Bean’s vocal chords finally started working, "I admit I was in the wrong, I’ll pay back all of the profit made off selling, I’ll double it even."
Nikolai went quiet long enough to make the mousy club owner start hyperventilating. "Look up." He ordered, eyes hard. "Do I look like I’m in need of money?"
Bean’s eyes bulged out of his head as he forced himself to hold the gaze of the dangerous Mafia King in front of him, he shook his head hard enough to rattle his brain. "Not at all, boss."
"I heard you were cutting the drugs you sold," Nikolai flipped the gun in his hand, his carriage laid back. The men that had brought Bean over had quickly scrambled back to put enough space between themselves and the Beta at death row.
"Do you want to know what I do to people who do that?" He asked patiently.
Bean shook his head once more like a child’s rattle, the inevitability of his death making his legs go weak, if he weren’t already on the ground, he would have crumbled.
"Angelo," Nikolai called without looking in his direction.
Angelo had been content to sit back and watch, he hadn’t been expecting to get involved. Mafia King Nikolai didn’t often call him by his name, it was strange to hear him say it.
He rose from the bar stool he had specifically chosen so he wouldn’t get blood on himself and walked over. He was freeloading off Nikolai after all, he had to listen to him.
"Hand out," Nikolai said when he walked up to the Mafia King.
Angelo did as he was told, internally wondering where all of this was leading to. A gun was placed in his opened palm, the cold metal burned his skin.
"Shoot his leg," Nikolai calmly ordered.
Angelo frowned, he had no qualms about killing people, that had been his job since he was a teenager, he just didn’t use guns often.
Nikolai watched every minute change of Angelo’s expression with a manic focus, he was acting unlike himself but he needed to see even a trace of fear in Angelo or it felt like the cracks in his world would keep growing until it completely crumbled.
Bean stared at Mafia King Nikolai’s strange companion, the tall man with long hair that smelled like an Omega. He put his last effort into pleading with his eyes, maybe he could get him to intercede on his behalf.
"Get up." Nikolai tossed to the cowering club owner on the ground. "It’s either your leg or your head."
Even though Bean was terrified, he shot to his feet fast enough to make his head spin, the sweat dripping down his face made it look like he had been crying.
Angelo held up the gun and aimed, a slight frown still on his face. He aimed for the club owner’s knee out of habit, if you were going to shoot someone in the leg, it was best to make sure they wouldn’t be able to use it again.
The recoil from the gun was more than he had been expecting, Nikolai had held it so steady with a single hand but even with both hands on the gun, the kickback was enough to sting.
He turned to Nikolai while Bean wailed right next to him, the Beta clutching his shattered knee. "Can I get a knife? Guns are too hard to use."
Nikolai was dumbfounded, he had been studying Angelo’s frown, certain that he wasn’t pleased with being asked to kill... right, he was an assassin, of course.
He caught the assassin’s wrist, took the heavy hand gun out of his hold and then studied his palm. "You’re going to get dirty blood on you."