hardlydead | (( them gods gonna hurt you son; when you play with a loaded gun ))

[ later on evan might - might - appreciate that it wasn't him who went through dust, plaster, and glass to stop him. he won't mention it, but it does leave him in a slightly better state, more ready to deliver the coming beatdown.

he doesn't expect david to intervene. he expects him to join in, eventually. provided evan gives him an opening. ]

The fronts. I want names.

[ there's arguments, despite the pain. that there are no new names. that evan already knows. but all it takes is one more kick to the busted knee, breaking it further, to get a few more names. a few more places to look into. even something that's not in process yet, just planning. and that's something. it's enough that evan doesn't grind his heel into that knee, making sure it falls apart even more.

instead, he pulls him up off the ground by the collar of his shirt. one-handed. he needs the other hand, after all. ]

That's a start. [ he is, in that moment, every inch his father's son - and he looks it. if anyone ever told him, he'd probably kill them on the spot. ] Now let's hear about the guns.

[ david is completely unfazed by the violence. he, himself likes to take a more psychological approach sometimes, because sometimes the fear of pain is muuch more powerful than the pain itself, but it's evan's show. david just takes the opportunity once the guy's been lifted off the ground to come over and pat him down and fish a phone out of his pocket. ]

Don't mind me. Just wanna borrow-- [ he grabs their hand to use their thumb to unlock it. ] This. Cheers.

[ there's some confused whimpering on that dude's part, but david ignores it, trusting that evan will get him focused again quickly enough. ]

[ david takes the opportunity to scroll through this guy's messages, socials, etc. looking for anyone they might've colluded with. or anyone they might not wanna see get hurt. after some more useless, borderline weepy babbling, david helpfully pipes up. ]

Maybe we should give Desirée a call, yeah? Ask her to come down? [ he definitely looks a bit panicked at that. ] Seems like she might know a little something.

[ judging by their messages, they seem close. if pain doesn't motivate this dude enough, david's willing to bet the fear of his friend/girlfriend/whatever getting hurt will give a little impetus. ]

[ evan glances at david, annoyed, when he pulls out the phone and gets into it, but even he knows the value of a psychological angle. it's just that outside of a few particular circumstances, he's not very good at it. they have other people to do that ... and in this case, david, apparently.

it flies in the face of his belief that david's a fucking idiot, because genuine idiots can't do this kind of thing at all. but that's something to argue with himself about later. ]

You don't have much to stand on now. Where's everyone hiding out?

[ the focus only lasts a few more long, incoherent seconds before evan starts to see red - and david gets a name that draws panic. evan stays focused on the mark but he's ready to smack that phone out of david's hand if he needs to. they only want one person getting involved here. if it's just a threat, then - fine.

besides, they could use that phone. ]

You want me to tie you up while we get her down here? Show her what it means to get involved with a dumbass like you?

[ there's chairs somewhere, and he might tie him up anyway. but the threat needs an edge. and evan's reputation probably precedes him: he's never had a problem hitting women. ]

[ david, on the other hand, doesn't like hitting women — in a fight it's one thing, but situations like this? it makes him feel too much like his father — but that doesn't mean he won't. he'll beat the shit out of anyone if that's what he has to do to get things done. ]

[ so david fully expects the knowledge he's trapped here with two people who wouldn't hesitate to brutalise his little friend to get an answer out of him. he'd rather not actually call her down here, that adds a lot of potential complications he doesn't want to deal with, and would probably push evan over the edge on keeping his shit together, but this idiot doesn't need to know that. ]

[ --and he doesn't, by the sound of it. by the way david can see fresh panic bloom in his expression when david gets his own phone out to, presumably, copy her number. ]

Let me give her a call, yeah? See if she's busy. I'm sure she'll come in a real hurry when she hears this--

[ david kicks the back of their shattered knee. the scream is short, almost surprise as it is pure agony, but judging by the way the guy sobs afterward and what david thinks sounds like a weak "okay, okay", that sounds like he's hit breaking point to david. ]

[ he smiles at evan, pats him on the arm like one might a friend as he passes by to find a chair and drag it over. ]

And you thought he'd be uncooperative.

[ evan watches david grimly, but the look he gives the hand on his arm for the brief moment it's there is pure poison.

which doesn't go missed by their target, although evan doesn't realize that just yet. no, he's too busy watching david go to find a chair, and then focusing back on the desperate man in his grip, whose hope of escaping in one piece is probably dwindling rapidly. he shouldn't be surprised. if it was his own boss here, it'd be so much worse. people hate traitors.

evan says nothing until the chair is on hand. then he drops their target into it, although he doesn't have any rope, so it'll just have to be a place to sit for now. better than having to carry him on that fucked up knee he's got now. ]

Hope King's got it right, for your sake.

[ and he does, at least in part. evan gets information. not names, but places, and plans, and a few things set for the future that make him raise his eyebrows. when there's a hesitation or a stutter, he belts him with the back of a fist. ]

What else?

[ david is doing his best to be helpful here. trying not to step on evan's toes, making sure not to get in his way. these days he's used to having a lot of independence, to being one of the ones giving orders, so it's like a persistent itch under his skin to have to defer to someone else like this. a constant irritant that he can't just ignore. ]

[ but he does it, and for the sake of presenting a unified front to this shit with the information, david pretends it doesn't even bother him. so it's a good thing he doesn't see the look evan gives him in response to the pat on the arm, that would really annoy him right now. ]

Honestly I dunno why you're botherin' to hold things back still.

[ lighthearted as he comes around the back of the chair and plants his hands on this guy's shoulders. almost a mockery of a friendly gesture for the way his grip is tight enough to bruise, pushes down on them to hold him in place. ]

You really think anything they might do to you is worse than what we can, here and now?

[ evan looms as he watches david try to be convincing in a friendly way, although nobody's buying the friendliness. he's the good cop here, essentially. evan won't do anything but attack and demand; david's avoiding the attacks even while he makes the same demands. he's the nice guy here. the one that isn't evan.

the one who'll cave his skull in evan fucks up, and take all the credit. they both know everything after all.

so he watches the target, eyes dark, waiting for answers. holding off on the pain for now, but the blood on his knuckles and the look on his face promise a hell of a lot more.

and they get more information. it's not good information. it's not what he wanted. but evan also knows this guy isn't that high up in the ranks, or else he wouldn't be so quick to try and turn on them. he has to accept that at some point, the information's going to run out. ]

Not enough.

[ he glances up at david, willing to give him the opportunity to lay down some fury on this asshole. if he doesn't take it, then, well. he's not going to complain about having to do it himself. ]

[ david wouldn't class himself as good cop really. more... affable, handsome cop? that sounds about right. especially not when he leans forward over the guy and grabs one of his wrists, pulls it up with a pathetic little pained whine from him ]

There's what, two hundred bones in a body? Somethin' like that?

[ he wrenches his thumb back suddenly, hard enough to break it. keeps his grip tight around that wrist so that no matter how much he tries to struggle, tries to pull free, david doesn't let up even a little. ]

Dunno if I've got the patience to go through 'em one by one, but we could find out together, eh? One broken bone for every time your info in't worth shit.

[ a more philisophocal person might muse on the strength of the human survival instinct here. no way is this guy getting out of here alive, he must know that by now, but he keeps on stringing this out. piecemeal bits of information to keep living that little bit longer, maybe he thinks someone will save him if this takes long enough. ]

[ evan watches david work. flashy and showy, as he expected. but he has to begrudgingly admit, it's not ineffective. the thumb's broken quickly and painfully and elicits a noise he's used to. and david doesn't lose his grip, either, despite the flailing and thrashing.

so he doesn't make a comment, or even change his expression, even if the urge to look disdainfully at what david's doing is stronger than it probably should be. he just watches their soon-to-be-corpse-problem with a flat, unimpressed look. listens to the babbled information that has some worth but not very much.

there's not much more to get, but he doesn't have enough for his own liking. that's irritating him. so's dealing with david. so's waiting for this to be done. so's the whole fucking world. ]

Five more. None of that was new.

[ the look he gets is violent and terrified. evan only raises an eyebrow. ]

[ five more, huh. david purses his lips in a light shrug and gets straight to it, no messing around. the four fingers on that hand go, each with a weak sobbing cry of pain and protest. it's nothing compared to the way he howls when david takes his arm and hand firmly in each hand and snaps his wrist. ]

[ he seems relatively unbothered by the reaction, it's nothing new for him. david just keeps that tight grip on his arm and looks over at evan, waiting for the noise to fade before he speaks. at this point it just seems like drawing this out for no good reason, neither of them are enjoying this. and if this guy's holding on to any information that's worth beating out of him, david would be impressed. ]

You think he's got anything left?

[ he has to have something. he has to make this fucking excursion with david king worthwhile. sure, what he has will help a hell of a lot, but it doesn't feel like enough. maybe it's just because david's here. under other circumstances, evan would have considered it enough a while ago.

but the rage is still seething. he fights with himself over wanting this to keep going, to get those last dregs out even though all he can hear being mumbled over and over is i don't know i don't know, or to just end it.

he should probably keep going. his father would. ]

Doubt it.

[ evan sneers at the bloody wreck in the chair in front of him. even if he walks away now, he's got nowhere to go. he could lie to his bosses about how he got in that condition, but they'd find out, and he'd be dead. evan and david won't take him in. and there's no way out of this shit, once you're in it. he can't just go to the hospital. ]

Get the card out of his phone.

[ evan's not exactly technologically advanced, which is one of the macmillan family's weak points, or at least the weak point of father and son. he knows that the kings probably won't share all the information they can find on it, but that's a risk he has to take. ]

[ that hits david with a combination of deep anger at evan for just issuing orders at him like that, and confusion at the actual order itself. does evan think everything's still stored on sim cards? they're about the same age, aren't they? how does he think this shit works? ]

[ david genuinely doesn't know how to respond for a moment, but like always the anger wins out. david might be playing nice, letting evan take the lead, that doesn't mean he gets to talk to him like he's a subordinate. giving orders like it's all him? fuck off. learn to show a little appreciation, how about that? ]

[ he tilts his head, eyebrows raised when he looks at evan. angry, challenging. ]

You wanna run that one by me again?

[ david's reaction catches evan off-guard. partly because he doesn't understand why he wasn't understood, and partly because david's been accommodating enough so far that he assumed he'd just do whatever he was told until this was over.

but this is over now, isn't it? the look he david is annoyed, just as angry as the one being given to him, and just a little surprised. ]

You don't want what's on it, then I'll take it. Figured you wanted something else out of this.

[ evan can feel the tension between them again. the same way he always does when they meet, when the world lines up to one perfect moment of them beating the shit out of each other. and maybe that's what would happen if the contact didn't see this as his own perfect moment to try and escape, by slipping off the chair and limping godawfully toward the door. he makes it about a foot before he collapses thanks to the damage to his knee.

evan snaps, just enough. and he has a target to take that rage out on that's slightly more acceptable than david right now.

he starts beating the fallen man, delivers a punch to the back of his head that hurts to give as much as it does to take, and then just doesn't stop. there's no screaming this time, partly because evan goes after his skull first, and partly because there's hardly any strength left to scream with. he doesn't stop when the bastard stops moving, either, or at least not until the blood starts seeping across the floor. ]

[ the pathetic little attempt at escape catches david's attention, enough so that he doesn't immediately fire back at evan, the lip curling sneer replaced by something almost amused by the display. he moves to drag the guy up off the floor, but evan's on him first. fucking furious too, by the looks of him. ]

[ david stands aside, simply stands and watches while evan beats the last bit of life out of that guy. and then doesn't stop. he doesn't think he's ever lost it on someone that badly — if he has, he doesn't remember — which makes it oddly fascinating to watch. seeing what that total loss of self-control looks like, just for a few minutes.
]

[ years ago, when there was still the last vestiges of a decent person clinging to him, david would've felt bad about this whole thing. would've thought on how the sorry bastard didn't deserve all this. now though, david's main concern is taking a step back to avoid getting blood on his shoes while he waits for evan to come down from his rage. ]

I'll keep it, ta. [ "get the card out", giving it to evan would be a fucking waste. ] Let you know if I find anything useful.

[ evan loses his temper every day - usually not this badly, but this level of violence isn't uncommon for him. it's why his own people give him a wide berth. why they avoid making comments while he's anywhere near earshot, when otherwise they might try to make sure he overhears.

but with everything he has to deal with right now, beating someone to death is the only way he can feel even a little bit better, and he wasn't going to let this one get away anyway.

when he draws back, blood on his hands and jacket and face, david makes his idle little comment, and evan gives him another poisonous look, but it drops quickly enough. the anger's already bleeding out, just like the bastard on the floor. ]

Good.

[ he shakes himself to get rid of the last vestiges of uncontrollable rage before picking up the corpse and hauling it over his shoulder. he doesn't ask david to handle this. he was expecting to it himself, mostly on the grounds that he knows what he's doing, he knows where to go, and that he doesn't think david's ever disposed of a body before. it doesn't seem like something he'd sink to. ]

Cleaners are comin' in to fix this up in an hour. Less. Don't leave anything you don't have to.

[ but he wouldn't trust them with the body. evan gives david another long look, not exactly hateful but frustrated. ]

Let me know what you find.

[ in all the years he's been aware of evan, david's known his reputation — moreso than his father's, even — for brutality. for a rage that even his own bloodlust can't satisfy. david's heard stories, seen photos, but he's never been face-to-face with that particular beast. ]

[ evan hauls the body over his shoulder, and there covered in its blood, he looks every inch the monster people make him sound like. he can see why people are so scared of the guy. ]

[ david, for his part, just watches. notes the way evan seems... calmer now, even if it's not necessarily a surprise. part of him envies it
wishes he could give in to the rage like that, wishes he could just let it take over and guide his hand, but david's spent too long learning to control himself for that. it'd just ruin his reputation now. ]

Yeah-- I'll be in touch.
[ and he will be! or rather a day or two on he'll have a message sent over. names, things in the works, stuff like that. it's not everything, and he doubts that's a surpre, they'd do the same tight shit time. ]

Edited (what) 2024-06-23 15:42 (UTC)

[ evan watches david leave, and only then does he leave himself, heading for one of the back ways out so he can get rid of the body properly. he's still angry, and since he can't quite figure out what's causing it, he just assumes it's david's fault. easy enough to do.

when the information comes he passes it on dutifully. the whole event, having gone mostly under the radar, gets him a reminder that this is his job, now, so get used to it. which is less than the usual yelling-at he'd get, so he considers it a win.

but that's not all there is to the job, and he knows it. he also knows david didn't give him all the information. or at least he's guessing. but there's not much he can do about it, not without proof.

for a while, there's not much. their teams - both of their families, begrudgingly working together - are forming a plan, putting an assault together. once they have it ready, that'll be the distraction part. and that irritates him.

it's why, despite everything in him, he texts david at about 10 at night a week later asking if he wants a drink at a bar outside their territories. ]

[ the text confuses him, he would've assumed it would be radio silence from evan until they were ready to move things along. it also annoys him a lot because he was out somewhere, but he can't think of a reason why evan would contact him that isn't work, so he regretfully apologises to the people he's with (and sets up a hefty tab for them) before he leaves to go meet evan. ]

[ sometime later david shows up, looking more like the guy evan knows and hates. flashy clothes; shirt halfway buttoned up, expensive jeans, just enough jewellery to show off without looking like he's actually trying. there's smudges of lipstick and foundation on the collar and shoulder of his shirt and the general alcohol, cologne, and sweat smell of a club is still lingering on him a little. ]

[ it's been a long week, david feels like he's entitled to a night to cut loose. unfortunately, here he is instead. ]

[ he doesn't see evan when he gets there, so he occupies himself getting a drink. leans against the bar and chats up the bartender a bit while he looks around to try and catch a glimpse of the big bastard. ]

[ evan sees him come in, hidden in a spot not quite in a corner, and grimaces.

the thing is, he doesn't have a particularly good reason to drag him out here. and the obvious fact that he dragged him away from a night out - clothes rumpled, shirt slightly open, makeup smeared in particular places giving that away dead on - make his palms itch. no decorum. no shame. nothing but money and broadcasting that money. it was why david showing up looking like a normal person the last time actually surprised him.

maybe he should just not find him. maybe he should just leave, and text him later, saying something came up, go back to whatever debauchery he was enjoying. but the idea makes him feel like a coward, so he gets up and heads to the bar, slapping down a bill as he gets there. ]

Surprised you managed to pull yourself away from the fun.

[ he sneers as he says it. the bartender, who knows him at least well enough to know what he drinks, pulls one without a word to him. it's why he doesn't pick up his change when it comes shortly afterward. ]

Wasn't easy.

[ david shifts a little on the spot to accommodate evan next to him at the bar, watches the way the bartended pours one for him and notes that even though this is neutral territory, evan's a known element here. well enough to have a regular drink at least. ]

Had an absolute stunner throwin' herself at me and I'm here instead, so I hope it's worth it.

[ the kind of woman he'd boast about to his friends, post photos with on his socials, but probably not the "pre-emptively failed attempt at a relationship" type. not that it matters now, he only mentions her to evan to make the point that he would much rather be there than here. ]

[ but he's here now, and they both have drinks, so he gestures for evan to lead the way, assuming he has somewhere to sit already. part of him wants to harp on about how this better be worth his time, but that seems stupid. and like it might start a fight right out the gate, which is also ridiculous. ]

[ anyway-- ]

[ evan's look of disdain at that comment is clear, and one he doesn't hide. it's not that evan doesn't get women; he's not jealous. he just don't show it off. or let it happen in public, at least in the same way david does.

he leads david away once he's got his drink. back to their table, because nobody took it, though that's more luck than his reputation. this isn't his territory. it's not even david's. that has its advantages and disadvantages, but right now, it's david getting the strange looks (and some admiring ones, too) rather than him. he won't be remembered. ]

Is it ever going to be worth if I'm here?

[ that's half a joke. he takes a long sip of the beer, trying to determine if he should be doing this or not. ]

[ despite his ire toward evan, that gets a breath of a laugh out of david as he follows toward evan's table. either unaware or unbothered by the looks he's getting, he's used to it anyway. ]

[ he sits down at the table, curious about why evan called him out here, but he assumes it's going to annoy him whatever it is. ]

Depends on what you wanted to see me for.

[ evan gives his drink a considering look, as if he's agreeing with david there - that it really does depend on why he just dragged david out somewhere neither one of them is really recognized.

it does, actually. but. ]

Don't have a set timeline for our next move, but wanted to try and hash something out so we don't fuck it up day of.

[ their 'distraction', or whatever it's going to be. he's gotten pieces of information about what it might entail, and when, and where, but nothing solid. or at least nothing he's been willing to ask about outright. ]

[ the fact that it is work... doesn't exactly mollify david, but does make him ease up a bit, less immediately ready to fight. he takes a drink, nodding. that's not a stupid idea, he'll grant that. ]

You got somethin' in mind?

[ he assumes evan wouldn't call him out here with no ideas, he's too proud to risk looking foolish that way. david would probably be the same in his position, but that's neither here nor there. ]

[ evan's slow to drink, but he does actually do so this time. this is work, but not - exactly work. preparation. he doesn't feel like he needs to be the professional one, here, in a place where neither of them is strictly recognized. it's not letting down his guard - couldn't be - but it is ... lightening up, just a little.

he's not sure why. he doesn't really think about it that far. ]

Everyone expects us to fight.

[ and that always gets attention. from everybody, even the uninvolved bystanders. ]

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"they'd do the same tight shit time"??????

long days long typos

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