leveraged_buyout: (Default)
Damien Moreau ([personal profile] leveraged_buyout) wrote2017-01-21 03:01 am

First Sight

Lucien Moreau wasn't in town often, and that was the way Damien liked it. The less he saw the man who sired him the better, and even when the household was full of his spies who undoubtedly reported every little detail back to the old geezer, at least Damien didn't have to see him.

But if old Moreau arrived back on an early flight and summoned for his presence, as much as Damien didn't want to, he obeyed those summons. It didn't matter that he was still abed when the butler delivered them 15 minutes ago, his father demanded to see him and Damien obeyed.

It was only down the hall and into Moreau senior's private studies, but it still felt like it was going into another world. Damien's loafers clicked loudly on the tiles as he walked down the long hall of the west wing, the original section of the mansion that he normally avoided altogether. This was the old man's wing, a part of the ancient mansion that was inherited down generations, unlike the newer east and south wings which were added only shortly before Damien was born.

Dressed up presentably in a three piece suit, hair quickly slicked back to battle the his bedhead, Damien knocked on the large study doors and waited to be admitted. He covered his yawn with a fist as he waited, mind still blanked by the early morning to ponder the reason for the meeting.
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-10 08:25 am (UTC)(link)
The first four go down remarkably easily, given how heavily armed and, theoretically, well-prepared their assault was. But Eliot's fucked up their play-book with his attack, and right now he's not concerned with taking prisoners and getting information--there are clearly plenty of other options for that still running around the place--just making sure these fuckers don't get anywhere near Damien. So every last one of them hits the floor with a bullet through his head or his heart, and Eliot's already giving orders for redeployment and back-up as he gets back to his feet.

He can hear more booted feet on the polished floor, and since he knows exactly where his--surviving--guys are that means these aren't his. Not the ones close enough to hear, anyway. He takes a gun off one of the bodies, rather than drawing one of his own, and jogs past the bodies, careful not to step in the spreading pools of blood. He doesn't want to leave footprints as he slips into another small sitting room, muting his walkie-talkie and leaving the door slightly ajar so he can keep an eye on the hall as he waits.

It doesn't take long, and as he watches another group of heavily armed intruders emerge from the direction of the kitchens he realizes that his own men aren't likely to be here in time to do more than mop up the damn mess. He doesn't have time for more than a brief flash of frustration at that, though. This group's more cautious, they can see the bodies already in the hall and they're talking too quietly for him to hear, though he can see the hand signs they're using, which is enough to let him know when they're all in view, no one still waiting in reserve around the corner. That's his cue, and he takes careful aim through the crack in the door--and jesus, you'd think the fuckers would be paying more attention--and takes out not the leader, but the last man in the line. He doesn't want anyone slipping away.

He manages to put a bullet through two more thick skulls before return fire forces him back from the door with a curse and a sharp flash of pain as a bullet rips through his biceps. He doesn't bother running, and he definitely doesn't bother waiting, the second the gunfire stops he's through the door, crouched low as he runs and barrels straight into the guy unlucky enough to be in the lead. The knife he's let drop from its forearm sheath into his left hand finds its target unerringly, despite the blood running down his arm and already dripping off his fingers, and he's already moving for the next man before the first body hits the floor.

From there it's just a matter of keeping one body between himself and his soon to be next target, and by the time his own men come barreling in from two directions there are four more bodies leaking assorted fluids onto the expensive floor and Eliot's holding the fourth with a shattered arm pulled up tight behind his back and his broken nose pressed into the wall.

He doesn't tell anyone where Moreau Junior is, and makes a point of walking past the room he's barricaded himself into, issuing orders loudly about clearing the house room by room, checking the perimeter and the security tapes, before he'll tell anyone where the boss is. Hopefully the kid's smart enough and not too damn spoiled to take the hint and stay out of sight until Eliot's made absolutely sure no one else is going to crawl out of the woodwork and try to put a bullet in his head.
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-10 10:32 am (UTC)(link)
It takes nearly an hour before he's satisfied that the house is, in fact, secure. An hour of clearing it room by room then walking the perimeter, checking the security tapes to identify the intruders point of entry (by identifying which cameras had been run on a loop) and their inside man (who joins the attackers in lockdown, all waiting for Eliot's personal attention later). By the time Eliot finally makes his way back towards Damien's hiding place a cleanup crew has arrived and the bodies, at least, are gone from the hallway, though the blood isn't yet.

"Damien!" He stands to the side and raps sharply on the door, just in case Damien's jumpy enough to put a bullet through it on reflex. "All's clear, got the place buttoned up tight again."
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-10 11:48 am (UTC)(link)
"In the flesh, man." Yeah, sue him, he's being uncharacteristically (so far) informal, but he's tired, pissed, and suffering not inconsiderable blood loss, and he'd really just like to get this all wrapped the hell up. He also does realize Damien's probably spent at least part of the last hour scared shitless and a lot of the rest of it confused, frustrated, angry and worried. Bored doesn't occur to him. "Sorry it took so long t'get back to you, I had to be sure the place was secure first."
a_very_distinctive: (Default)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-11 03:29 am (UTC)(link)
Eliot sighs and leans against the wall next to the door. There's no one here to see it and he can wipe the security tapes himself later, he doesn't have to pretend that he's not fucking exhausted for at least a little while. "You want me t'pick the lock an' do some shoving from this side?" he asks, none of the weariness coming through in his voice. The other alternative is getting someone in to cut through the dam thing, which would take a good bit of time: he chose this room because it has no other exits, no windows (a rarity in the sprawling estate), and the door's solid oak, the hinges inside the room so it can't even be easily removed. He'll make his report after he hears the answer one way or the other.
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-11 07:11 am (UTC)(link)
"Okay, fair enough," he concedes, even if he'd really rather not be doing this braced against a wall in the hallway. He gives himself a moment to marshal his thoughts past the throbbing pain in his arm and the general exhaustion of this whole damn day. "They had an inside man in security," he bites out, bitter and angry still at the betrayal, at having somehow missed it. "Abrams, been here about eight months. He put the cameras at the service entrance on a loop and opened the damn door so they could get their men in."

Christ, he wants to sit down, but he settles for stripping off his suit jacket and dropping it to the floor so he can adjust the towel he has wrapped around his biceps to control the bleeding. "There were a dozen of the fuckers, the shots we were was one of the housekeeping staff startling their rear guard and getting shot. She'll live, doesn't seem like any of 'em were very good shots."

He pauses for a moment, ordering his thoughts as he retraces the intruders' route through the house. "They knew the patrol patterns, so they could avoid our men." Because Abrams told them, of course, and he's gonna take it out of the bastard's hide when he gets a chance at him. "Knew where you were likely to be." Which is how they'd gotten to him so fast. "We've got nine bodies, got a clean-up crew disposing of them, and three in custody for questioning plus the fucker who let 'em in. I'll get to them once things are settled.

"But everyone left is at least trustworthy enough they helped take the bastards down, and we've done a room by room sweep t'make sure we got them all." By we he means he, because he doesn't honestly trust men he didn't hire himself enough for that right now. "I've reviewed the security tapes, walked the perimeter, and made sure the entire system's booted back up and operating."
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-11 07:44 am (UTC)(link)
"Found restraints on a couple'a the bodies, and they had a windowless van set up for transport. So we're pretty sure they were lookin' t'kidnap you, not kill you." His drawl has gotten more pronounced even in the time they've been speaking. "I'll find out more for sure when I get a chance t'have a chat with them." And the inflection he gives that one word, chat, is heavy and dark. It's not going to be a pleasant conversation, clearly.

He listens to the sound of Damien moving around inside the room, the scrape of the couch across the floor, and makes himself bend to retrieve his damn jacket. At least the fabric's dark enough the blood doesn't show too vividly against it, unlike the thoroughly drenched sleeve of his dress shirt, though when he shrugs it laboriously back on the fabric bunches tight around the towel still wrapped over his biceps, and the hole where the bullet entered shows damp red fabric.

"Just me, bossman," he answers, and straightens himself up. Not to rigid attention, but to what can pass for a casual slouch, at least.
a_very_distinctive: (Default)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-11 08:26 am (UTC)(link)
"Yessir." The order to kill them doesn't bother him at all, they knew the risk they were taking when they took the job, and they'd been willing to kill him and anyone else who got in their way if they'd been able to.

He waits patiently, if a little restlessly, for Damien's appearance, and steps just clear of the door when it finally swings open. He's not expecting the contact, not expecting anything from Damien other than more disdain, honestly, and so he's not quite braced for the searing pain as Damien slaps his hand directly over where the bullet had torn a deep furrow through skin and muscle. He manages not to jerk away, but he stiffens and sucks a sharp breath in through his teeth before taking a step back. He nods in acknowledgment of the praise, though.

"I'll have housekeeping come through and tidy this room up once the clean-up crew's done with the bodies and the blood," he offers, though his voice is a little tighter with the spike of pain. His only concession to the situation, though, is to reach into his coat pocket and pull out the small handtowel he has in reserve for when the current one bleeds through too badly and offer it to Damien for his hand.
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-11 08:56 am (UTC)(link)
"It's fine 'til I've got everything here wrapped up," he answers mildly. "But I will as soon as that's done." So long as getting it looked at means him giving it a good once over in the bathroom mirror, dousing it in antiseptic, then sewing it shut himself, anyway.

"An' yessir, I'll have someone on it first thing tomorrow morning." He doesn't even sound smug about it, and certainly doesn't add an 'I told you so'. He'd just as soon not have had this kind of immediate and object proof of the need for heightened security, honestly. "Are you gonna wanna sit in on the interrogations, or would you rather get back to your day?" he asks, tucking the soiled towel back into his jacket pocket and turning towards the main part of the house as he starts to walk.
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-12 07:05 am (UTC)(link)
Eliot makes note of his distaste at the idea of being present and files it away. It's something he thinks the kid probably needs to get over if he's going to actually stick it out in daddy's world, but right now it's not his problem, and not something he cares enough to try and deal with.

"No, they're not goin' anywhere, but they might be just a hair more talkative if I show up lookin' like this." Still bloody, clearly indifferent to it, and with an obvious ax to grind. "An' I've had a helluva lot worse, this is nothin'."
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-12 07:46 am (UTC)(link)
"That I will," he agrees in a rough growl. He's no kind of happy about this shit show, and he's going to take a perverse sort of pleasure in extracting the information he needs from his prisoners. "You'll hear as soon as there's anything to tell," he promises, and heads down the hall in the opposite direction. Towards the improvised holding cells that hadn't really required that much improvisation, in this virtual fortress of a house.

It's not more than a couple hours later that Damien's personal cell rings, Eliot's number flashing on the display.
a_very_distinctive: (baby in a suit)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-12 08:09 am (UTC)(link)
Eliot's not happy, and it's clear in his voice when he answers. "You called it, boss. Your old man sent them to collect you." And hadn't cared how many bodies they might leave in their wake, including his own recently hired chief of security. Eliot's not any kind of impressed at being set up like that by his own damn employer.

"They've all been taken care of, you want any souvenirs t'pass along?" It's up to him if he wants his father to know he's been found out, after all, even if Eliot would just as soon pay Moreau Senior a little visit of his own, to let him know just how unimpressed he is with his employment policies.
a_very_distinctive: (Default)

[personal profile] a_very_distinctive 2017-02-12 09:12 am (UTC)(link)
Eliot considers arguing, that at least he should let his father know he's on to him... but maybe he plans to do it in his own, more civilized way. Or has other reasons he doesn't know, not having a lifetime of experience with the backstabbing old bastard. So he takes the response in silence.

"'S'what I'm paid for, boss." By the man who tried to, what? Take advantage of his perceived inexperience? He's not sure what to make of it, honestly, and not sure if he should actually stay on in the position, no matter how lucrative and prestigious it is... given the moss just arguably tried to kill him, even if he would have just been acceptable collateral damage in some kind of feud with his kid. "Gonna have some more hard work comin' up, though," he adds after a moment, not even really thinking it through. "I wanna can an' replace every damn member of staff your father had a hand in hiring, unless you've got reason t'absolutely believe they're personally loyal t'you."

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