The boy’s struggles stopped as if a switch had turned off. Diogo saw something that gave him a bad feeling in the pit of his belly. A tiny smile touched the corners of Valak’s mouth. He looked from that hint of a smile on his friend’s face to Haken, who stood with his mouth hanging open like a door that’s come unhinged. Oh Gods, I don’t need this, Diogo thought.

Beads of sweat stood out on Haken’s oily forehead. His hair was scattered helter skelter from sleep, like grass grown wild. He brushed at it, as if neatness counted.

“If you got a stash Haken, now’s the time to dig it out of whatever filthy hole you got it in,” Diogo said. “Down your pants, up your ass, I don’t care. Get my fucking tokens. Now.”

“I got half,” Haken said, inching around Valak and the boy. “Half Diogo. I’ll give you the rest come Good Day. Someone owes me.” Haken’s voice was desperate and somehow whiny at the same time.
“Nobody owes you nothing, you stinking drunk. You owe half the town and you’re in hock to the other half.”

“I swear. This sailor, he’ll be back in town come Good Day. He owes me.”

Diogo let the chair slam to the ground and dropped his feet to the floor. The sound was loud in the silence. The only other sound was the slaveboy’s sniveling whimpers.

“I don’t want half you lying shit sack. You got ‘til Good Day to get me all of it. Any later and I take it out of his ass,” Diogo said, pointing to Haken’s slaveboy. “Bring the bitch, Valak.”

“Hey, wait,” Haken said. “My bitch’s worth five - no - ten times what I owe you.” He started to go after the men and his boy.

Valak put the boy down and shoved him toward Diogo. He headed for Haken and both men met in the middle of the darkly shadowed room.

“No!” Diogo cried out. “Valak, back off him.”

But it was as if Diogo had said nothing. Valak grabbed Haken’s shoulders and jammed his right knee viciously into the other man’s crotch. Haken doubled over, screaming. Valak grabbed his hair and whispered into his ear, “Don’t pay shit sack. I’ll enjoy coming for you.” He let him go and stood back as Haken crumpled to the floor, holding his balls and gasping for breath.

Valak turned to the boy and grabbed his skinny arm. He bent so he was eye to eye with him. “You going to fuck with me?”