Separation pt 1

[Crash Rodriguez]

September 24th, 2021

"Look I don't give two shits about your friend's going away party. You were scheduled to work tomorrow so your ass will be here cutting the dead pigs."

Lou takes his gaze off of the rotund man in front of him, feeling as though he's laid out the bottom line. The man leans over the desk, his massive hands cause the top of the desk to bend inwards. Louis Pohl gulps, as the man's breath wafts into his nose.

"I told you I'm not gonna be here tomorrow."

"Well then don't show up after that then Leonard."

The man's face scrunches up before he leaves the office slamming the door behind him. Lou startles for a second before shaking his head and picking up the phone. It rings a few times before the familiar voice of Crash Rodriguez answers.

"What Lou? I'm busy."

"Leonard quit."

"Leonard?"

"The big sonuvabitch. You know, looks like he's all bulk, no brain."

"You mean Fat Lenny?"

"Is that what you guys call him? Know what doesn't matter. Kid, there's real money in this slaughterhouse. Barbecue is huge here in Kansas City! It's insane the amount of turn around I got going on he-"

"Why did he quit?"

Lou takes a second before remembering he called about the aforementioned Fat Lenny and not about the booming business.

"Wanted the day off tomorrow. Told him no, what business allows last minute leaves? So I told him if he don't show up at the shop tomorrow not to come back at all."

The line sits silent, as a pool of worry fills the former attorney's stomach. Just as Lou is prepared to break the silence, his client's voice beats him to it.

"I'd be more worried of him showing up wherever you're staying. Guy's kind of crazy."

The worry that sat in the pit of his stomach has now taken over his face. He begins to stutter trying to get more information, after all maybe it was a joke, but before he can get a question out Crash speaks again.

"Look Lou, I'm busy. Handle it."

With that the connection ends and Lou is left sitting nervously in the office.

Elsewhere

A private jet lands in the small town of Crown Point, Indiana. Fron the doorqat Crash makes his way down the stairs. As his feet hit the pavement a familiar voice makes its way into the Crooked Man's ears. He grins as he sees his old friend Darin Zion.

“Long time no see, buddy. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen you! Glad you could make it up here.”

"It's really good to see you. How's your head?”

Darin Zion’s right hand moves slowly up to his right cheek where a visible scar is seen. It’s from a recent match in his home promotion. In a rare occurrence, Zion is at a loss for words. His eyes shift away from Crash as he responds.

“Long story! I don’t want to talk about it…”

In a rare instance, the Crooked Man seems rather sympathetic. A look of quiet worry washes from his face, replaced with a grin as he pats Darin on the back.

"That's fine by me. We hardly get time together like this anymore. So it should be enjoyable, right?"

Darin nods at Crash before wrapping his arm around his friend’s shoulder. Both men proceed to Zion’s personal Lamborghini to head out towards a new compound Zion’s working on. The Crooked Man’s face looks more hell bent and determined than Zion’s ever seen. Zion asks his question in a direct manner.

“What brings you out to Crown Point, buddy?”

"I want to prove what I've known since I came stateside. That I'm a top shelf product, and to do that I need refinement."

Crash looks down towards the ground, despising himself for admitting he's not at his best. He fills with humiliation for a split second before a look of determination replaces it.

"And who better to help that process besides you?"

"What about that lawyer you've got running around with you. Lou, right?"

"The man's not a fighter. He talks. Sure he'll fight before he flights, but he's not the training type."

Darin thinks quietly to himself as he nods along to his friend's words. He starts up the ignition as the two hit the road.

Later that night

Lou sits at the foot of the bed. His feet barely shuffle the floor as he finishes the last puff of his cigarette before putting it out in the glass ashtray on the table. Lou looks around the room, feeling guilty. He decided to stay at Crash's childhood home, in his dead mother's bedroom. Better than dealing with that mongoloid, he thinks to himself. After all, Crash would understand, right?

Lou's head hits the pillow as he pulls the blanket over himself while turning off the lamp.

Knock knock knock

Lou raises his head alert.

"What the hell?"

Lou groggily wipes his eyes of sand, as he looks at his watch. The knocking thumps out again, as Lou's brain begins to wonder who could possibly be knocking at Crash's door. As he starts to head down the stairs he stops mid-step.

"Fuck… Fat Lenny. How does he even know I'm here?"

Lou's paranoia fills him with dread as he tries to think of a solution. He could hide, but for how long before Lenny finds him? He thinks about just standing his ground, yet his mine wanders back to the desk bending beneath the man's hands. He decides his best option is to run, and run as fast as he can. He takes off around the corner pf the stairs, darting towards the back door. As the screen door swings shut behind him, he sees the shed and takes off towards it. Maybe something in there can help him if he's caught. A weapon always equals the odds. He steps inside, looking around the damp and dark room, his eye catches the workbench with the toolbox on top. He opens it up and digs through only to find the contents lacking any tools, instead finding papers, photographs and a bible. Lou curses beneath his breath before facing the door, waiting, hoping the danger will pass.

"This is fucking insane"

Lou rummages through his pajama pockets, only to be left devastated as he realizes his phone is still in the house. He lets out a hushed sigh, before being alerted by loud, heavy footsteps outside the shed. The former attorney holds his breath, hoping the tower of a man will eventually get bored and leave. The footsteps grow closer and closer as Lou's heart beats faster and faster, almost as if it's trying to climb out of his chest. Lou clenches his chest, hoping to calm himself. He listens intently, trying to make out where the footsteps are, but he's only met by silence. Lou notices a crack in the door, as he moves towards it to peek through the door is kicked open, throwing Lou backwards onto the floor as he stares at an angry Fat Lenny. Terrified, Lou scans his immediate surroundings in search of a new escape plan. As the massive man starts to step towards Lou, the attorney notices the gap between his legs, enough room for him to slide away and run to safety. Lou prepares himself, but is caught off by Lenny grabbing his collar. Desperation fills Lou's eyes, this can't be the end. They still have a championship to win. A roster to dominate. Out of pure instinct, the smaller man reaches above him, grabbing the toolbox and slamming it on the back of Fat Lenny's head. The monster stands stunned for a short period, as Lou starts to hammer away at the beast with the toolbox, using all of his might to try and incapacitate his attacker.

"Let me go, you big sweaty fuck. You lost your job on your own merit."

As the words leave Lou's mouth, the former butcher grabs Lou and tosses him against the wall, where he collapses to the ground.

Crown Point, Indiana

The Crooked Man sits outside the compound, as he puffs on a cigarette. Crash looks down at his phone, pleasantly surprised at the lack of calls or even texts from Lou. He was all but certain that his representative would've kept bothering him the entire duration of his trip. He tucks his phone into his pocket, as he pulls another drag from the cigarette. He looks over towards Zion, pulling his keys from his pockets and opening the entrance. A look of interests hits his face, before being replaced with one of worry. He almost forgot about the Fat Lenny and Lou incident back in Kansas City. Darin gestures for Crash to follow him inside. Crash holds up a finger, asking for a quick minute before they head in. Crash pulls his phone from his pocket and scrolls to Lou's contact. He hits the call button and listens as the rings turn into Lou's answering machine.

"You've reached the phone of Louis Pohl, representative of The Crooked Man, Crash Rodriguez. I'm not available at the moment so leave a message after the be-"

Crash hangs up the phone, as Zion looks at him, waiting patiently.

"What's up?"

"Lou didn't answer."

"Everything alright?"

Crash takes a second to think. It is late, perhaps the man is simply asleep. Besides if something was wrong, he surely would've heard from his representation by now. Crash shakes his head as he strides over to Zion.

"Everything's fine. He's probably asleep for once."

Crash smiles as he and Darin step through the front door.