Another busy day, another busy night. It was a damn hard life, but the moments like this made it all worth it. Weeks of struggling to stay awake through interminable meetings, faking smiles at cameras as the press asked the same questions over and over again, playing the endless balancing acts so everyone would do their jobs without the crazies complaining too much, people didn’t understand what that kind of stress did to a man. But then you got days like today when everything fell into place. That was how life worked. 80 percent of the time you spent on anything was wasted, but the other 20 percent? That was what changed the world.
He smiled as he leaned back into the soft, yielding cushions of his favourite couch, glass of wine that had come from a fancy-looking bottle in one hand, and switched the TV on. He wasn’t actually watching, but he liked to have something on the screen and a little background noise, the volume low enough that he could just barely hear it. It made the house feel less empty.
That was one of the things that frustrated him most about people. They saw he had a nice house - two storeys, yes, tasteful modern architecture, a well maintained garden out front, in a good postcode - and thought that meant his life was perfect, like he wasn’t allowed to want anything else just because he’d made something of himself. It may have looked impressive from the outside, but after a few years living here, he’d come to realise it was just a house, no different from the tiny one he’d grown up in. Except that one had been full of life and people. You could always hear someone doing something, even if it was just snoring. His father had snored loud enough to shake the walls. But here, every footstep he took echoed throughout the whole damn building, especially at times like this when the old ball and chain wasn’t home.
At least it meant there was nobody to nag him about drinking a little. Everybody fussed so much about everything these days. Hell, one of his daughters had even started calling herself a vegan. Not the first phase she’d been through, but it had to be the most ridiculous. Someone ought to force-feed that girl a steak sometime to remind her what actual food tasted like.
He was just starting to doze off when he heard a creak from upstairs, waking him back up with an unpleasant lurch.
“Janet? Is that you?”
No, it couldn’t be, could it? She said she would be gone until Wednesday, didn’t she? Or maybe that was last time. He didn’t pay much attention these days, she was always off spending too much of his money on drinks with the girls, or spa vacations, or whatever it was she did.
He sat back down a minute later. It was this damn house, it gave him the creeps. So many empty rooms he didn’t even know what to do with. Maybe he should have let Mindy keep it after all.
“Robert White, in the flesh! It’s such an honour.”
He felt a buzz of pride at how measured his reaction was. A lesser man might have jumped or panicked at a sudden intrusion into his home, but he stayed perfectly composed as he slowly turned to face what turned out to be a young man with dishevelled hair, cheap clothes and a shit-eating grin. Exactly the kind of delinquent you’d expect to see spending his life breaking into other peoples’ homes.
“And who the hell are you?”, Robert asked, keeping his voice totally level. It was a sign of strength that had served him well throughout his career. Getting emotional showed weakness. In nature, no alpha wolf would ever show fear, or it would lose its position - and rightly so.
“Name’s Callum.” The youth extended a hand, which Robert considered suspiciously for a time before shaking. There was no harm in it, and if nothing else it would buy some time to play along. His security system would have alerted the police by now - or it bloody well better have, he’d paid enough for it - so the longer he kept the kid talking, the better. Couldn’t be too hard, he could tell from a single look that the little shit was in love with the sound of his own voice.
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“And what are you doing here, ‘Callum’?” It was a suspiciously normal name, probably fake.
“You probably won’t believe this, but I was just taking a stroll through the neighbourhood when I noticed your window was open. Decided to come in and see who lived here so’s I could let them know. I had no idea I’d end up face to face with someone as important as you, Mr White!”
"Well then, it sounds like you’re a very conscientious young lad. Now how about you head on home and I won’t have to call the cops?”
“Oh, okay. Sorry!”
The kid turned and headed in the direction of the front door, and for a second Robert thought he might somehow have misread the situation. Then he stopped just before getting out of Robert’s sight, and doubled back.
“Actually, while I’ve got you, one quick question, off the record: do you cackle villainously while you’re giving your friends billion-dollar government contracts, or is it more of a of a ‘high fives and kegstands’ kind of vibe? If I were you I’d grow a moustache so I could twirl it, just a thought.”
“How dare you. You think you can come into my house and disrespect me like this?” Robert advanced on the boy. He might not have been quite as young as he once was, but he was still larger, and no doubt stronger. The kid was built like a rake.
“Whoa whoa whoa, I’m just tryna have a conversion here!”
“Do you think I’m an idiot?”
“Well, yeah, but that’s besides the point.”
Robert had had enough. He knew he was being deliberately provoked, but that was all the more reason why he needed to teach the kid a lesson. And if the cops asked why he had some bruises when they showed up, he’d tell them it was self defence.
The boy raised one hand and caught the punch like it was nothing.
“See, this kind of thing is why I think you’re an idiot. You’ve got enough book smarts to get a law degree, for whatever that’s worth, but you’re just plain dumb. Corrupt politician is the easiest job in the world, and you still managed to get caught.”
The kid’s grip was freakishly strong. Try as he might, Robert couldn’t twist his way out of it. And the moment he started trying, the kid tightened it even more, enough that thought he could feel his bones slowly giving way.
“Whoa there, princess! I decide when this interview is over, not you. Though if I’m being honest, there’s only one question left that matters: right or left wrist?”
He reached into a pocket with his free hand and pulled out a knife. Small, cheap, but sharp. Icy fear climbed up through Robert’s throat, but he pushed it back down and fought with everything he had left. He was like a rabid animal, grasping and clawing with his free hand, kicking, biting, but none of it even fazed the boy. He kept babbling on even while Robert attacked him.
“No manners at all. You know, I had this speech prepared before I came here? Only I didn’t write it down, I figured I’d remember it all, but I don’t. It’s a shame, it was really good, lots of inspiring bits and metaphors. I even figured out a really good quote to use, from a movie. Did you ever see Legends: United We Fall? Probably not your genre, right?”
“Fucker. You piece of shit. You think this is a joke? You want to kill me because of some made-up bullshit, then be a man and just do it already.”
The boy’s eyes went wide, his jaw dropped. “Hang on, hold the phone. Did you think I was going to kill you over some teeny little scandal? Oh my god. Total miscommunication, this is so embarrassing. Me and my big stupid mouth, this kind of thing happens all the time, you have no idea.” He broke into laughter, and it took some time before he’d recovered enough to speak again.
“No, you being all corrupt and stuff? That’s honestly just a bonus.”
He thrust the knife.