31_days | [August 28th] [The Wild Wild West] Versus Diamond Dave Desmond

Title: Versus Diamond Dave Desmond
Day/Theme: August 28th - "I just miss you, in a quite simple, desperate, human way."
Series: The Wild Wild West (specifically, The Poisonous Posey episode)
Character/Pairing: Snakes Tolliver/Chita McCarthy (she's an OC; he's in my icon)
Rating: K+/PG

Continued from prior pieces.

By Lucky_Ladybug

I try not to get myself completely drunk too often. Even halfway sloshed makes me do really stupid things, like proposing to a girl I'd known for twelve hours. But every now and then, I end up doing it to myself again.

Of course, one of those times was when I was trying to decide what to do about secretly arranging to get Chita a job. But before that, the night it was over and she left was another of those times.

I don't know how long I was sitting in that bar, getting drunk out of my mind, but it sure wasn't helping me forget. If anything, it seemed to make me think about it all the more. All the other thoughts in my head got drowned out and pushed back, and all I could think about over and over was finding Chita and Jeremy the past night and how that had led to the end.

I didn't want to go home that night. I didn't want to be in that big house without Chita's bubbly nature and her off-the-wall comments and complaints and her occasional shows of affection. Even though I really knew I'd done the only thing I could feel good about, I still missed her. I wanted the last 24 hours to just be a horrible nightmare that hadn't really happened. No, I wanted everything since Chita had admitted she was a gold-digger to be a nightmare. I wanted the Chita I thought I'd known to be the real Chita and that other Chita to be some kind of an imposter or demon or something.

I wanted my wife.

"So you're Snakes Tolliver. I wouldn't have believed it if the bartender hadn't pointed you out. I always planned on meeting you someday, but I didn't know it would be under these circumstances."

I blinked over at the deep-voiced guy who'd slid in next to me. "Who're you?"

"Diamond Dave Desmond," was the smooth reply. He lit a cigar.

"Oh. Good to meet you." I reached to shake his hand. I definitely knew about Diamond Dave Desmond. He was pretty much a mob boss, although he hid it behind a bunch of legitimate fronts. He mostly operated out West, but he was from back East. New York, in fact. . . .

He grasped my hand. "You're building a nice little empire for yourself in these parts."

"Thanks. I'm going to own everything up and down the river eventually."

"Well, that's fine. You just up and do that. But . . ." His grip suddenly tightened and I grimaced. "As one businessman to another, I hope you don't have any thoughts of expanding your empire beyond the river and the plains."

"No," I gasped.

"Good." He let go. "Then we understand each other. I'll leave the river alone. The plains too, maybe. That's your domain. Out West is mine."

"And you're welcome to it, Pal," I retorted, pulling my hand back. "It's too dry for me."

He started to laugh. "It's only dry if you don't know where to look. I can tell we're going to get along just fine."

I wasn't as sure. Guys that come up out of nowhere and practically break my hand are not among my favorite people. "So is that all you wanted to talk about?" I said coolly. "Making sure I'm not encroaching on your territory?"

"No." Suddenly he was all business again. "Every now and then I need things that ship on your river. I'm wondering if we can work out a long-standing deal where I can always get those things from you at an expedited rate and speed."

Now I lit a cigar. "Anybody can get stuff from me that way," I answered, still pretty frosty. "You just have to pay more up front."

"Of course," he said. "That's only fair. And no one ever accused Diamond Dave Desmond of not being fair."

Gee, I wonder why, I thought to myself. Aloud I said, "Hey, maybe out West you're pretty big, but here in the swamplands, you're not. I've heard of you, but I don't know you, and I don't know if you're fair or not. And you've caught me on a really bad day. Don't think I'm a pushover just because you could probably take me in a fight."

"I never underestimate the competition." He was serious again. "We got off on the wrong foot. How about we start over?"

"Look. You'll get your shipping deal. That's business. But you did undermine me and I don't have to drink with you, especially not in my town."

Instead of getting mad or leaving, he just kept sitting there. "You're right, I was. And I'm sorry. I just wanted to see how tough you are and if you're worth the reputation you've been getting," he said.

I wasn't impressed. "And are you satisfied?"

"I think so. You've really been conquering this city." He paused. "But just a word of advice: don't wait for your woman to leave you. See that you leave her first. And if she's done anything against you, don't let her off scot-free for it."

Now I gave him a completely withering look. "What makes you think I need advice like that?"

"Oh, word gets around fast. Especially about a woman like Chita McCarthy."

I slammed my glass down on the bar. "What do you know about Chita?" I would have been mad enough in my right mind. Half-drunk, I was about ready to explode. What was running through my mind then was, Did Chita go after him too?!

He seemed to know it too. "Relax," he barked. "I haven't seen her since she left New York."

"You knew her in New York?!" I screamed. Everybody up and down the street turned out to look.

He sneered at me. "I was a member of the church her aunt went to. Her aunt actually thought I was an upright citizen. Of course, most people do, but it's ironic, isn't it?"

I just gave him a smoldering look. "And what did Chita think?"

"She wasn't interested in any church-going people. She figured they were all bores. Too bad she didn't fall in with me and not you, isn't it? I wouldn't have let her get away with the kind of stuff she did to you."

I had the horrible sinking feeling that I knew what Dave probably did to somebody who betrayed him, woman or not. Suddenly I just wanted to get away. "Then I'm glad she didn't fall in with you," I shot back, "because even she wouldn't have deserved that." I threw a coin down on the bar to pay for my drinks and turned to go.

"With that attitude, you're too soft, Mr. Tolliver," Dave called after me. "You'll never make it in the big time for long. Someone tougher than you will take your empire away."

I proved him wrong. And I have to admit, when Posey started cracking down on anybody who wouldn't join her empire and Dave wouldn't, it felt good to start putting some of his businesses out of business.