Work Text:
Before the man could start the car, Joe got into the other front seat, where he pressed a gun into the man's ribs.
"Play nicely," Joe whispered. "And you might walk out of here with no extra holes in your body."
A noise coming from the backseat made Joe turn around, and he greeted the child with a smile while he at the same time turned the gun so the child wouldn't see it.
"I am Joe," Joe said. "An old friend of your father, right, Mickey?"
Joe pressed the gun harder against Mickey's ribs.
"Yes," Mickey replied. "We went to school together."
Anton smiled before he took one of his toy cars.
"Someone told me it is your birthday today, Anton," Joe said. "Or did Santa Claus tell me a lie?"
"No, he didn't," Anton replied eagerly. "You know Santa Claus?"
"Yes, I do," Joe replied. "And Santa Claus asked me to ask you what you wish for your birthday, so what should I tell him?"
Anton looked nervously at his father. Joe knew why it was the case.
"Mickey?" Joe asked. "Don't you think Anton should tell me his biggest birthday wish this year?"
Joe once again pressed the gun into Mickey's ribs to get a response from him.
"Yes, I do," Mickey replied. "Answer his question."
Anton fiddled with the toy car in his hands.
"I miss Mommy, and I want a hug from her," Anton said. "Do you think Santa Claus can fulfil my birthday wish? I know it is June."
"Santa Claus works all year long," Joe replied. "Now, I want you to close your eyes and count down from ten. Can you do that?"
Anton closed his eyes, and after two tries, he finally counted down from ten. What Anton hadn't seen while he counted down was that Nicky had moved closer to the car.
"You did that better than I could do," Joe said. It made Anton smile. "Now, when we step out of the car, your father is going to give you a goodbye hug."
"Why?" Anton asked. "Where is he going?"
"With me for a while because of work. I will look after him," Joe replied. "After the hug, I want you to look to your right. Is this right?"
Joe held up his left arm. It made Anton giggle.
"No," Anton replied. "That is your left."
"Are you sure?" Joe asked while looking at his left hand. Anton nodded. "I trust you on that. Remember, after the hug from your father, look to your right, and you will see your mother ready to give you the biggest birthday hug ever."
Anton looked at Joe in disbelief.
"I don't believe you," Anton said. "Daddy said Mommy couldn't be here for my birthday."
"He got it wrong," Joe replied. "I promise you this: Santa Claus heard your birthday wish, so wanna see if it is true?"
Anton nodded.
"Good," Joe said. "Your father will get out of the car first to check if it is safe for you to step out on the road."
Joe pressed the gun into Mickey's ribs again to get him going. When Mickey stepped out of the car, Nicky pressed his gun into Mickey's ribs.
"My friend inside the car is the nice one of us, so if you decide to run away the moment I remove the gun, you will find pieces of your body all over the city," Nicky warned. "Do you understand?"
Mickey nodded.
"Glad we agreed," Nicky said. "Say goodbye to your son and make him believe everything is okay. Let his last memory of you for a long while be a happy one."
Nicky placed his gun behind his back out of Anton's eyesight just as Mickey opened the door. Joe stayed in the car and moved over to the driver's side while Nicky made sure Mickey didn't do anything stupid.
"Listen, Anton..." Mickey said. It made Nicky look at Mickey. "Happy birthday, son. This is your birthday gift from me. Hope you will like it."
Mickey handed Anton a toy car.
"I love it, Daddy," Anton said before hugging Mickey. "I always wanted a red one."
"I know," Mickey replied. "Let me get your backpack before we look for Mommy."
Mickey opened the door to the backseat and gathered Anton's stuff into the backpack. After helping Anton with getting the backpack on, they looked to Anton's right, where he saw his mother waiting with Andy and Booker.
"Go, Anton," Mickey said. "She is waiting for you."
Anton hugged his father before running over to his mother, who welcomed him with open arms. Seconds later, Andy and Booker got them into another car.
"Get into the backseat," Nicky said. "We have a long flight ahead of us."
Mickey nodded and did as he was told to do, and Nicky sat down beside him with the gun pointing at his ribs. Then, Joe drove away towards the airport.
"Thanks for not letting my son see your weapons," Mickey said. "Not everyone would have done that."
Joe and Nicky exchanged a look between them in the rear-view window. It had always been one of their rules that, if possible, they would keep weapons away from children.
"Do you think..." Mickey asked. "Anton will ever forgive me for what I have done?"
"That is up to him to decide when he learns that you sold weapons to the mafia and kidnapped him from his mother," Nicky replied. "But you should know that you will never find them again. We will make damn sure of that."
By the tone in Nicky's voice told Mickey that Nicky meant it. Mickey also knew that if he tried to find his ex-wife and son or sell any more weapons, he would not walk away alive because men like Joe and Nicky only showed kindness once.