Several weeks ago Theo Pryce stopped by the East Coast Headquarters of Pryce Industries, located in a beautiful skyscraper at the corner of 15th and Chestnut in Manhattan. The purpose of his visit was two-fold, kill some time before heading to Madison Square Garden for an XWF event as well as set the wheels in motion so that his #2, Erica and her team could begin their work to uncover who was stealing from his company. One would think that a company like Pryce Industries would make embezzlement impossible but one thing Theo has learned through the years is that no matter how advanced their software is, there is always, always someone one step ahead. And that is why fail safes exist; to catch these would be career criminals before a couple thousand dollars turns into a couple million dollars. While it took a little longer than Theo would have liked, for a matter as serious as this, he would prefer the job be done discretely and correctly rather than rushed. And so here we are, back at Pryce Industries East Coast HQ in a locked security room in the sub basement, Theo Pryce, Erica Rayner, Kevin Jones the building’s head of security and an empty chair.


“So where the fuck is this guy?” a clearly perturbed Theo Pryce yells out to no one in particular.


Kevin Jones speaks into the walkie talkie attached to his right shoulder, and listens to the response before replying to Theo. “Apparently he was off site buying coffee, he just reentered the premises and security is about to confront him.”

“Confront him? I don’t want them to confront him. I want them to bring that lying, stealing cock sucking mother fucker down here so I can end him.”

“Theo, we talked about this. That is not how we are going to handle things tonight.”

“We’ll see.”

“No Theo, we won’t. I swear to God, if you pull that shit tonight I am done. I’m not fucking around. I won’t have some dead guy on my conscious.”

“Are you kidding me? Need I remind you who are dating and what his agenda is? No, I don’t think I do. So do me a favor, either go sit in the corner and keep your mouth shut, or stand there and keep your mouth shut, either way, shut the fuck up.”

“Sir I am being told that the suspect has been confronted and is being escorted down here. He should arrive momentarily.”

“Wonderful. So tell me Kevin, how long have you been with the company?”

“8 years sir.”

“And how long in your current role?”

“Less than 2 sir.”

“You like it?”

“Love it sir.”


Theo looks at Kevin, then at his sister, a shit eating grin comes across his face. “Good. We should all love what we do, shouldn’t we Erica?”


Erica gives Theo her customary “go fuck yourself” nod and smile and just as she does the door to the room opens up and in walks a middle aged white male. Black hair, black horned rim glasses and a typical white shirt, black tie get up with an ID badge affixed to his right breast pocket, the name on his badge reads Jeremy Stevens. The man stops dead in his tracks when he sees the three people now standing before him. There is an awkward silence that seemingly lasts for an eternity but in reality took maybe 3 seconds before it’s broken by the sharp words of Theo Pryce.


“Take a seat.”



The gentlemen, clearly a few seconds away from unloading his bowels in his pants does as he is told and takes a seat in the only empty chair in the room, coffee still in hand. Theo notices the blatant disrespect and before saying another word walks over and slaps the coffee out of the man’s hand, spilling it all across the white and black tile floor.


“Jeremy, you know who I am. I obviously know who you are. I’m not going to bother wasting your and my time by asking if you know why you are here, we all know why you are here so please, do yourself a favor and think very carefully about what you say to me now. It very well might be the difference between you walking out of here alive or not at all. Understood?”


The man shakes his head in the affirmative but says nothing.



“Have you ever seen the movie Casino?”


The man shakes his head no and again says nothing.


“No? Casino? Robert De Niro? Sharon Stone? Really? Well, there is a scene in that movie where a guy accused of stealing from the Casino is taken to a room in the back and tortured by having his head put into a vice grip and then his head is squeezed until one of his eyes literally pops out of its socket. If you don’t start talking to me I am going to do the same thing to you. Got it?


The man takes a deep breath, before looking down at the ground leaving Theo to wonder what is going on in the man’s head at the moment. Instead of waiting to find out Theo back hands man in the face, sending his glasses flying through the air several feet, only coming to a stop when they hit the wall. The man’s lip, now busted open begins dripping blood on his white shirt.


“Look at me Jeremy. I don’t want to know what you did, I know that. I also know how you did it. What I want to know is why? Were you not compensated enough? Did you hate your bosses? Are you a communist? Tell me. I want to know. I want to know why a guy who graduated near the top of his class at a prestigious Ivy League school, a guy who could get a job just about anywhere, doing just about anything would come and find themselves stealing from me. Did I do something to you? Did I fuck your mother or your sister or your wife? Or all three? There has to be a reason. No one just wakes up one day and thinks to themselves “how am I going to fuck up a good thing and start stealing money from my employer, even if he is a billionaire and probably won’t miss it.” And while you are right, I won’t miss it, but I will notice it’s absence. So go ahead Jeremy, do the first sensible thing you’ve done in months, tell me why you did it and maybe, just maybe I won’t ignore my sister’s wishes and put a bullet in your brain.”


The man looks up at Theo, what once was a small red spot on his shirt has now turned into a pool the size of a hockey puck courtesy of Theo’s right hand. Theo continues staring the man down waiting for a response, assuming that the man’s lack or words is either due to one of three things, arrogance, fear, or shock. Theo is hoping it’s the first, Erica, the second or third.


“Go ahead Jeremy. We are waiting. Why did you steal from me? And why did you think you would get away with it?”

“I…I…I did it because I have a sick mother, and…and my salary was not enough to cover the medical expenses. I am an only child and my father, he split when I was 7.”

“You have to be fucking kidding me? A sick mother? Of all the chicken shit stories that you could have used, you went with the most obvious in the book. Unfucking believable.”

“Theo…”

“Let me tell you something you little mother fucker…”

“Theo…”

“What Erica? Can’t you see I am in the middle of a conversation here with our Mr. Belt?”

“Yes I can but I really think you need to hear this. Before things go any further, you need to hear there.”


Theo takes another glance at Jeremy before turning his attention towards Erica, he gets to within a few inches of her and leans his head down so his sister can speak into his ear in a decibel level low enough that Jeremy cannot hear their conversation.


“He’s telling the truth.”

“What?”

“The story about his sick mother, it’s all true. She has prostate cancer. When we determined he was our guy we researched his life, turned it completely upside down and found out that his mother is currently in the early stages of prostate cancer. Prognosis isn’t great. The money will help ease the pain and suffering but I doubt it will be enough to get rid of the cancer.”

“So this prick is stealing from me and it won’t even matter?”

“It’s his mother Theo.”

“It’s my money Erica.”


Theo turns his attention back to Jeremy, still bleeding from his lip and now tears streaming down his face.


“So Jeremy, Erica here tells me that you are in fact telling me the truth. Your mother is sick, prostate Cancer, very serious as I understand it. Prognosis is not very good. Is that accurate?”

“Yes sir.”

“No need to be so formal Jeremy, you stole thousands of dollars from me, you clearly don’t respect me enough to not do it, so don’t pretend like you respect me enough to call me sir.”

“Yes sir…yes, Mr. Pryce.”

“Not really any better but a step in the right direction. So here’s the deal Jeremy. I don’t take kindly to people stealing from me. In fact, I was asked to help out with a job recently where the culprits were stealing from their very own family. Let’s just say, it didn’t end very well for them. As in, they aren’t breathing any longer. And just recently, some people tried to steal my company from me. While they were fortunate enough to walk out of that encounter alive they will feel the lasting effects of their betrayal for years to come. So we have two rather similar circumstances, two very different fates. And now that brings us to the here and now. Which fate do you think you deserve?”

“I would like to live sir.”

“There we go with that Sir nonsense again. And no one asked you what you would like. I asked you what you deserve. But since you are incapable of making a decision I will do it for you.”


Theo reaches to the small of his back and pulls out a silver Walther PPK and takes aim at Jeremy.


“Goodbye Jeremy.”

“Theo don’t.”


Hesitation begins to seep in and with it, doubt. Theo has become accustomed to doing what he wants, morality be damned but this time, something, and not just his sister’s pleas but something is stopping him from pulling the trigger and extracting his brand of revenge.


“God fucking damn it. Kevin I want you to get your people to go upto Jeremy’s work space and clear out his shit. Then bring it down here and you will escort Jeremy out of here.”

“Understood sir.”

“Consider yourself lucky Jeremy that it’s the Holiday Season and I’m in a giving mood. I am giving you the rest of your life back. Killing you would be the easy way out, it would also be the merciful thing to do. Instead, you get to live and watch as your mother withers away and dies from cancer. Please tell her hello for me.”


Theo motions to Erica and the two leave the room and walk down the hallway and towards the elevator which is already waiting to take them up to the ground floor.


“Thank you.”

“I didn’t do it for you. I meant what I said in there. Him having to watch his mother die will be worse than anything I could have done to him in that room. The look on his face when that reality set in was worth every single penny he stole.”

“You are a heartless bastard.”

“Probably true. Tell you what, I am going to stop at the coffee shop across the street, you want anything?”

“No thank you. I’ve lost my appetite.”

“So dramatic. I’ll meet you at the car.”


Theo and Erica momentarily go their separate ways as they exit the building. Erica to the black SUV parked in front of the building, Theo across the street to Dingledines Café. After a few moments inside the store Theo exits a coffee in one hand and a small brown bag in the either. Before making it to the end of the sidewalk a rather large man of Italian descent steps in front of Theo, blocking his path.

“Can I fucking help you?”


“Not anymore.”


Before another word is said another man of Italian decent, this time standing behind Theo pulls out something from his pocket and with one motion cracks Theo across the back of the skull sending him into the waiting arms of the man in front of him. A black Cadillac pulls up in front of them and the large man throws Theo in the back seat of the car and then gets into the passenger side of the car while the smaller man, the one that struck Theo gets in the back of the car next to an unconscious Theo Pryce.


Sometime later that day…


The stench of stale water and gasoline permeate the air as Theo begins to come out of his unconscious state. His eyes slowly begin fluttering open and closed, when they finally open for a sustained period he sees the same large Italian man standing off to the left with another man, also of Italian descent standing in front of him. Theo looks down and sees that his shoes have been removed and his hands and feet are both bound to a white metal chair. His waist also restrained to the chair with a metal chain. Theo takes a second to let the irony of his current situation sink in before looking up again at the people in front of him.


“I hope my associates didn’t treat you poorly. Allow me to introduce myself my name is Tony Stecchino.”


To be continued.





OOC: For those of you that have never seen Casino, or have, and enjoy the movie as much as I do, enjoy the scene I described earlier.