Bill could feel his whole body shake as the huge man picked him up off the floor and shake him.Bill was not a small man, but Tiny picked him up and manhandled him like he was a rag doll.

Tiny continued to bounce Bill around for about a minute, then threw him, face down, on the bed, slapping him several times on the shoulder and back of the head.

Bill looked up once, toward Fred and was sure that he saw him looking at Tiny and shaking his head, but Tiny's huge hand pushed his head into the bedspread and held him there for several seconds.

Then three more slaps on the shoulder, before he picked him up again, bounced him around a little more and dropped him back on the floor.

Bill let out a long fart, as he got back to his feet.

"Sorry."

"That really stinks," Tiny protested, holding his nose.

"Well I guess you shouldn't have worked me over so hard."

Bill looked at the Boss, who had his kerchief over his nose.

"Well?"

"What do you mean, well?"

The Boss coughed slightly, waving the kerchief in front of his face.

"I am the one that says well, not you."

Finally, he fixed his tie, put the kerchief back and stared at me.

"Well? You ready to pay now?"

"And if I don't pay?"

"Then itsssssss the fisssssssssessssss for you," Snake replied, hissing on all the 's'es.

He stood up.

"Want that i sssssssshould rough him up a little too, Bossssssssssssss."

The Boss put his hand up dramatically against Snake's chest.

"No. The last man you roughed up didn't make it. We need him to be able to get the money."

"So just exactly how am I supposed to get the money?

Its not like I have a million dollars just laying around."

"You got a safe at your place?" the Boss asked.

"Nope."

"Is there a bank in town?" the Boss asked.

"Nope."

"Is there a bank nearby that you can get the money?" the Boss asked.

"Nope."

"He could e-transfer the money," Fred suggested.

Bill glared at him.

"Whose side are you on?"

"I just don't want to see my favourite nephew hurt. These guys mean business."

Bill stared at Fred's face.

"What's wrong?"

Bill grunted.

"I don't see no marks on your face from where Tiny hit you."

Fred thought for a moment and quickly put his hand back to his face.

"That is Tiny's trademark. He never leaves a mark."

The Boss grabbed Bill's arm.

"Yea. Like Freddy said. You can e-transfer the money."

"I'm not set up to do e-transfer," Bill informed them.

"My lawyer looks after all that."

The Boss shook him again.

"Again with the fucking shaking," Bill cracked.

"You trying to make me fart again?"

"No Boss," Tiny protested.

"Don't make him fart again."

"Okay," the Boss yelled, again adjusting his tie.

"So where is this lawyer? Where can we find him?"

"She," Bill emphasized, is probably at home, enjoying a scotch.

"Then phone her."

Bill shrugged.

"I don't have my cellphone."

The Boss pulled a red cellphone from his pants pocket.

"You can use mine."

Bill shook his head.

"I don't know her cell number."

"Isn't Matty your lawyer?" Fred asked.

Bill turned.

"Again, Fred, whose fucking side are you on?"

He started moaning again, holding his jaw.

"I don't want to see you suffer like I am suffering."

"Where does this lawyer live?" the Boss demanded.

"I don't know."

"You don't know where your lawyer lives?"

"Do you know where yours lives?" Bill asked the Boss.

"Now that I think of it ...."

He shook Bill again.

"Stop changing the subject.

You think we are fooling around here?"

"I don't think your fools at all."

"Good," the Boss snapped.

Bill rolled his eyes.

"Isn't Matty your lawyer?" Fred asked.

"And doesn't she live with you?"

Bill looked at Tiny.

"Will you go and rough him up again?"

Tiny looked at the Boss.

"Should I Boss? Should I rough Freddy up a bit?"

"Did I tell you too?"

Tiny shook his head.

"No, Boss."

"Then no."

The Boss turned his attention back to Bill.

"So is what Freddy says is true?"

Bill nodded.

"Yea. Matty is my lawyer and she does live with me."

The Boss smiled.

"Then we go see this Matty."

Bill shook my head.

"She is probably asleep."

"Then we will wake her," The Boss barked.

"Best we not do that. She can be a little cantankerous when she first wakes up. You know the way women can be sometimes?"

"I don't care about that," the Boss snarled.

Bill shook his head and snickered.

"Of course not. You don't have to live with her. I do.

And I don't need her pissed at me."

The Boss reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small pistol. He thrust it into Bill's side.

"I don't think you are taking this very serious."

He pointed the gun at Fred.

"Maybe if I pop your uncle, you might take it just a little more serious."

"I might."

Freddy jumped to his feet.

"Bill? No.

This man is a killer. He has killed people dead before."

"You best listen to him," the Boss snapped.

"Or I will plug him."

"Bill, don't let him plug me.

He's plugged people before."

Bill looked at the Boss.

"Actually you would be doing me a favour if you plugged him."

"I will you know."

Bill nodded.

"I believe you, Boss. But you see. Freddy there means nothing to me. He threw me out in the streets when I was just sixteen years old. And that was after my mother and father died in a tragic skiing accident."

The Boss turned to Fred.

"You threw him out in the streets?"

"Well, it wasn't exactly like that."

"Yes it was," Bill protested.

"He made me sleep in a garage, with no heat, for a year and then when I turned sixteen, his wife molested me and he threw me out of the garage."

"You said he was a rotten man who cut you out of his life," the Boss reminded Fred.

The look on Fred's face was priceless.

"What does any of that have to do with anything? Ah ..."

Fred screamed a little.

"Bill, you got to save me."

Fred stared at the Boss wide eyed.

"He ... is ... going to ... plug ... me. Remember?"

"Oh yea," the Boss nodded.

He turned to Bill.

"Last chance. The money or I plug him."

"What about I pay you a million dollars to plug him?"

"That would work," Tiny smirked.

He lifted his hand and shot his pistol twice.

Fred stared in disbelief for a couple seconds, then dramatically grabbed his stomach and fell back on the bed, spinning as he did, so he was face down on the bed.

One last long exaggerated breath and he went silent.

The Boss pushed the pistol back in my side.

"See. See what Tiny did?"

Bill nodded.

"I see that. So does Tiny get all the money?"

The Boss shook Bill again.

"You want to be next?"

Bill thought for a few seconds.

"No. Not really."

"Good. Now the money."

Bill nodded, looking over at Fred.

"I guess you got me. I guess there is nothing left for me to do but to pay you the 250 thousand dollars."

I was sure I heard a moan from Fred.

"Its one million dollars," the Boss reminded Bill.

"One million."

He turned Bill toward the door.

"Now lets all walk to your place."

"Its a long walk," Bill told him.

"No its not," Tiny spoke up.

"I saw you come here. You live across the road in that lighthouse."

Bill slumped forward.

"You got me. Okay. I give up."

"Good," the Boss smiled.

"Tiny open the door."

Tiny stepped forward and pulled open the door.

The Boss walked behind Bill, the pistol in his back. 

"One false move and you'll get the same as your uncle."

"I won't false move," Bill promised him, fighting back the laughter.

The Boss pushed Bill through the open door.  Tiny and Snake followed them outside.

"Now move," the Boss ordered, pushing the pistol in Bill's back.

"I don't think so," came a woman's voice.