Michael

Keith stirred awake as the car came to a halt, he hadn't been out for long, only passing out for the short car ride to Michael's house…

"You sure?" the car door opened as Michael pulled him up to bringing him inside

"I wouldn't have brought you if I wasn't sure, now.." They passed the front door, heading through a small hallway..

Blood slowly dripped on the floor, leaving a trail heading to the kitchen, where Keith was placed on a chair, as Michael got a first aid kid from nearby…

"Got any more wounds than just the big one.."

"Mostly scratches, maybe a small concussion.." Keith suspected that he would maybe be out for a little while, needing a day or two to get back on his feet, maybe a week for all his wounds to heal…

"The fuck happened anyway?"

"Was heading back home when I noticed some lost members trailing behind me, before a cop car joined them…" Keith hissed as some clear alcohol was poured over his wound.

"And?" Michael wiped away the remaining alcohol as he started on treating the wound..

"Decided to head to the city, maybe lose them… but the cops decided that I shouldn't be allowed to leave, starting the chase.." Keith saw Michael slowly get some remaining glass pieces out of his leg..

"Didn't see any cops with you when you got here." He wiped away some blood as he continued to remove the pieces of glass..

"Right… I think they stopped when the others started shootings, or they got left behind with traffic…" Michael finished up, getting a bandage around the wound to stop any excess blood loss..

"You might still have some pieces of glass inside, but you will be fine… the wound wasn't to deep, so you will walk fine on your own."

"That's good to hear.." their conversation fell quiet, with neither of them having much to talk about.

Michael began to clean up, getting the blood off of the ground before it could leave any permanent stains…

"So… have you thought about what you are going to do with your new found fortune?" Keith wanted to fill the emptiness, starting up a conversation as Michael finished up..

"You know that… its what I was aiming for after all.." Michael poured two glasses with some whisky, before setting it down in front of Keith.

"But I mean the goals you are still dreaming off." Keith accepted the glass, tacking a sip of it…

"In my age there is nothing much to dream about.." Michael began to takes sips as well.

"..But if I had to mention something than it would be becoming a full time producer.."

"Right.. you made a movie.." Keith remembered hearing some things about it, but hadn't paid much attention…

"Made is a big word.. I helped, got to work beside the Solomon Richards even got my name in the credits." Michael acted as if he could see it right before him, his name alongside the other producers..

"Ever going to create your own."

"I think I will be playing a bigger roll in the future… put all that time watching movies to use, but creating my own, I think I will leave that for the professionals…"

"Perhaps you're right."

"So. what about you?" Keith paused to think… he always thought of expanding, but he didn't know if it was for him..

"Honestly.. I don't know… I ain't retiring that for sure, but…" he liked to go out there, be on the field, right in the middle of things, but he couldn't do that forever, he was already reaching thirty, plus the injuries kept piling up..

"There more to life than just robbing people.." Keith smiled at the words Michael said, advise he guessed he never used on himself..

"I know.." Normal life just seemed foreign to Keith…

"But are you putting that knowledge to use?" Keith thought about it… just living off of his income, shutting down the criminal side and pursuing a normal life… while in the back of his mind he knew he couldn't, not with the current situation at least.

"Ever since I moved here I have been slowly trying to do things differently.." Focusing on other matters, Keith continued.

"Like what?"

"More management… trusting others, building on others.." Michael looked full of questions, but held them in, waiting for Keith to continue.

"I.. used to build on myself, I still do.. as in some way you are always let down when relying on others." He could not always go in alone, but he needed to accept that he couldn't do anything, accept that he had limits..

"Depends.."

"Its what I grew up with.." In his early years he was alone, in the mob he was a piece.. a pawn… when he got out he treated others the same… cogs in a machine that he operated… leading to them falling short when they were on their own.

"..But ever since I moved here, I begun to realise that I can't always stand alone... and you know… I think that you, Trevor, Franklin and even Lester are some of the most loyal people out there.."

"Are you sure Trevor falls into that category?" Michael seemed to doubt if Keith was still sober, looking for any signs of him being drunk..

"Trevor.. man Trevor is a lot of things… but I am sure that loyal is one of them.."

"You don't know him as long as I do.." Michael shook his head..

"What do you think he will spend his millions on?" Keith thought that they better move back to the conversation about the money they would receive, maybe get some help on where to spend it on himself..

"Drugs… probably lose them all before getting to use any of it though.."

"Yeah… sounds like something like that would happened.." With the situation Trevor sometimes found himself in, Keith was surprised that he wasn't dead, or imprisoned up until now.

"It's a wonder that he hasn't been killed.." Michael shared his sentiment, not believing that such a crazed lunatic could be alright on his own for such a long time.

"It's a wonder that we all haven't been killed.." they both emptied their glasses, refilling them as they remembered all the times they could have died..

"Your right… but back to you… what are you going to do with your millions?"

"Probably spend it all on drugs.." Michael laughed with Keith soon following…

"No.. but serious?"

"Invest… expand my criminal enterprise." Keith raised his glass dramatically, as if going for a toast

"But why? Don't you have enough already?" shaking his head Keith explained.

"It's not the money that I am after.. it's the life that I can't seem to leave.."

"Why can't you?"

"Honey, we are home." Their conversation was interrupted by someone entering through the front door..

"Ill go upstairs, I am exhausted.." a younger voice followed.

"I think I should head home." Keith got up, wobbling a little mostly from his injury.

"Got someone there with you Michael?"

"Yes… you sure?" Before he could answer, a mature woman with short medium brown hair turned the corner, wearing some casual clothes..

"Oh hi.. I am Amanda." She held out her hand.

"Keith.." Shaking it, Keith smiled awkwardly..

"He was just leaving.." Michael got up from the chair, placing the glasses and bottle away.

"Yes.. perhaps next time we can talk more, but I still have to get home.."

"Oh well alright.. till next time then."

"Ill be right back.." Michael guided Keith to the door…

Getting outside, Keith slowly walked towards the gate as he grabbed his phone..

"Stay alive alright?"

"Ill try…" Keith nodded, deciding to get a cab to bring him home..

"hey Michael… thanks for helping." Michael halted before going back inside.

"Don't worry about it.." Keith nodded, slowly making his way out of the gate, there waiting for the cab to arrive..

-

Arriving to the arcadius building Keith noticed some rubble from the helicopters they had taken down, with it causing traffic to slow down immensely… 

He could still enter normally, but some of the surroundings were still barred off, with police still hoping to find some clues even long after they had escaped… 

Once inside Keith looked over the city, reminiscing about everything that had happened in the last weeks…

At how far he had already grown, but at the same time how much higher he could still reach… 

His cut from the job would be close to thirty million, not to mention him still having the opportunity to adjust the markets with another couple of incidents…

The deaths of the first assassinations were suspicious, but nothing concrete was there to connect them, with the heat going into other directions Keith was sure that he could make some more opportunities to increase his wealth…

For now he needed to lie low… deciding to take it easy for the coming days…

-

Keith called molly, but didn't connect, leaving behind a text for her to read on her own time…

In the early morning he received his response, a call from her…

["Good morning Keith.."] Keith had awoken only moments prior, still not fully awake as he yawned before responding..

"When did you become a morning person?" It was around six in the morning, a time where molly would still be fast asleep when he was there..

["Always was… just didn't have a reason to for a while.."]

"So what makes today special?"

["I am working again."] Keith whistled, he thought that it would take a little longer, but was happy to hear it..

"Back at your old position?"

["Something like that…"] He noticed her not seeming as happy with the situation as he suspected she would..

"Something wrong?"

["No… but what about you.. you don't contact me that often?"] Nodding along Keith explained..

"Need to rest.. and I thought that you would make excellent company to just watch some shows.."

["Thought you were the active one out of the two of us?"] her voice carried suggestive undertones, once that he liked, but once he thought best to avoid for a bit..

"Not for the moment, I am not."

["What happened?"] She sounded concerned..

"Got injured nothing to severe, luckily I got some help otherwise I might not be talking.." he didn't want to make a big deal out of it..

It wasn't after all, he had survived through worse, plus he would be back in top shape before long..

["You serious… god, what happened?"] Keith wasn't going to explain how the lost wanted him dead..

"I just got unlucky, but Michael was there to back me up.." he was simply going to reassure her, before planning on how to get back at them..

["Michael?"] her words were a bit cold, unemotional…

"Listen… I know that you don't like him…" Keith retaught his words, regretting even mentioning Michael in the first place..

["Don't like him?"] Only to reassure himself that she needed to face her fears, hopefully at a pace she could manage..

"Its just that he is my friend, I know he wont.."

["I.. I think I have to go… we will talk again later.."] she hung up the phone… leaving Keith to doubt his decisions even more..

"Wait.. shit.." Texting her back, Keith received no response, causing him to doubt if he had brought it up to early..

Getting up, Keith sat behind his desk doing what would only amount to insignificant progress.. he had been a planner, but never much of a manager… now delegating his tasks to those below him as he just managed them.

For now, he would recover, make plans, but most importantly get revenge on the lost… it wasn't a simple fight between the leadership, now it was a war with him and his operations… something which would expand to greater heights with the pay out of the big one…

But would that be enough to contest with the lost…