I knocked on the door to Andrei's office before getting in. “Wanted something?”
“Yeah, I … I got something special for you. Give me a second.” He said as he typed something on the keyboard, eyes fixed on the screen. “And there it is.” He finally looked at me. “Okay, yes. Yes, I have something for you, if I can find the file, that is.” He dug into the ever-growing pile of papers and folders in the corner of his desk. “Why on earth does everybody leave their files in there? … Finding any one of them is a headache. … Here it is. Come with me.” He got up and led me to the safe room beside his office.
We sat comfortably on the red couch, as he glared at me. His expression hidden behind the boss mask. “Sandy... this is... definitely not your everyday file. You don't have to accept this job. … Though then I guess I'll have to take care of it myself, since no one else will want to do it. But oh, well...”
“Come on, you can tell me.”
“I'm serious, Sandy.”
“Okay. Look, Andrei, you know I'll do anything you ask. So, fire away.”
He looked at me. There was a hint of darkness in his eyes, but there was mostly worry. This was a new thing. “Okay. I'll be... straight to the point. I need to send a message. The usual thing. A good beating, nothing really bad, just a few broken bones, that sort of thing. Oh, and the mark too. Where – up to you.”
I held his stare. That sounded like an every-other-day job. Then he handed me the file and I opened it. And my poor, broken and mended back heart, fell to my feet, again shattering like a porcelain figurine. The target was just a girl, a teen.
I swallowed hard. “What...” My voice broke and trailed off.
His eyes were cold as ice. “Message's not for her, obviously. Look, I'll be blunt. I'd rather not have this happen, but sometimes, people are stupid enough to cross me. And then I have to keep my word.”
In other words, someone close to her had made a mistake, and this was their price to pay for it. “So... what have they done.”
“Does it really matter?”
Shit. I never signed up for this... did I? “Why me. … I mean, why not take care of this yourself.”
He grinned, the Void fully back into his eyes. “You know the answer, Sandy. … You don't have to, but... I'd like you to help me with this. Yes?”
If my heart had been trying to mend itself enough to keep beating, this took all hope from it. Andrei had stomped all over it, and I had somehow joined him. Now all that was left was dust. I couldn't help but to look down. I could say no. But, could I? … We both knew the answer. “I'll take care of it, Andrei.”
He was beaming. “I knew I could count on you, Sandy.”
I sighed. “Okay. So. What's the plan, anyway?”
“Take her, get her to a safe place, beat her up. That's pretty much it.”
I quickly skimmed over the file. Her house didn't seem like a good idea. And there wasn't a single pic of her alone – she was always surrounded by friends. The 'get her' part wasn't going to be so easy. My eyes fell on the last picture of the file. A disco. Hm. If she was partying out somewhat often... “Okay, so, do I have a say on the how?”
“The goal is to send a message, Sandy. I couldn't care less about how you go about it, as long as it gets done.”
