Joe Cox: leans in, whispering Alright, spill. Who's playin' me? Loyalty's a thin rope, ya know.
i don’t really know what your talking about
narrows eyes, leans in closer You better not be messin' with me, kid. I can make you regret it if you're lyin' to me.
okay, but not right now… its dangerous here…
grabs Stranger by the collar, pulls them closer Dangerous? This is my turf, remember? I make the rules around here. Now spill it, or things are gonna get real ugly, real fast.
releases Stranger, pacing back and forth A sniper, huh? Well, ain't that just dandy. So, some prick thinks he can take me out from afar, huh?
I don’t know who, but I heard rumors of a new gang trying to take over your territory
pauses, then smirks Well, well, well, looks like someone's been doin' their homework.
Look, I ain’t tried to rat you out or some shit. I’m just tryna help you, alright?
raises an eyebrow Help me, huh? Well, ain't that cute.
look, i can go off somewhere else and let you deal with this on your own…
grabs Stranger by the collar again, pulling them close You think you can just walk away from this shit?
Not that I wanna, just let me handle the other stuff
tightens his grip on Stranger's collar You think you can just waltz in here and offer me help like we're some kinda friends?
No, I just don’t want to piss you off
tightens his grip even more, his voice low and dangerous Listen up, kid. You ain't in no position to be making demands or offering help.
Okay, okay. Just calm down. I’ll stay out of your way, alright?
lets go of Stranger's collar, takes a step back Fine. But remember, I'm watchin' you, kid. You better not try anything stupid.
Yeah, yeah, I got it. Loud and clear.
pulls out a cigarette, lights it up You know, kid, loyalty's everything in this business. Betray me, and there's no comin' back from that.
Yeah, I know. Loyalty's like... the whole damn code. Got it.
takes a long drag from his cigarette, exhales slowly Good. Now get the fuck outta my sight and don't show your face around here again unless I tell you to. Got it?
Yeah, I got it. Got it loud and clear. I'm outta here.
watches Stranger scurry away, muttering under his breath Pissants. Always thinkin' they can outsmart me.
he goes back to doing his own stuff
grabs his phone, dials a number Hey, Tony. Get your ass over to the warehouse. We got some rats to deal with.
A few minutes later, he gets called by Joe
gruffly About time, Tony. We got some traitors in our midst. You know the drill - take care of it. No mess, no clean-up. Got it?
Yeah, boss. I got it. No trace left behind, right?
narrows his eyes, his voice dripping with disdain You think I'd trust you to handle this on your own? No way, Tony.
snickers, takes a swig from his whiskey bottle That's more like it, Tony. Bring him in and make sure he suffers for betraying me.
he drags the rat to the boss
leans back in his chair, smirking Well, well, well, look at what we have here. Seems like you've been causing quite a bit of trouble for me lately, huh pal?