My job is to help the boss when he’s making someone talk. Or giving someone what they got coming to them. I mean, those are the main times my skill set is needed, though I guess I’ve worked for some guys who just like punching people. In my industry, violence and intimidation are pretty dependable management tools, and the bosses I’ve worked for have all been pretty hands on. And I’m lucky they have been, else I probably wouldn’t be near at good at my job as I am.
What exactly do I do? I make sure the snitch, or the guy skimming too much from the take, or the PI we’ve caught snooping around—I make sure he’s always in the best, most punchable position. For the feistier ones, that might mean an armlock while they get softened up. For guys who have already had the starch taken out of them, it could mean just holding them upright, or picking them up and putting them back in a chair.
It looks easy, but it’s not. There’s a hundred little things you have to keep track of. Is the guy tied up or is it all free range? Is he sitting or standing? If he’s sitting, what’s the chair like? Is it well-made or, like, rickety and shit? Believe me, it matters.
Then there’s the boss. Man, that’s a whole thing in itself. The most important thing, really. Every boss has his own style, his own pace. Some like to start slow and build up. Some prefer a real good burst of mayhem to get the victim out of his comfort zone. Some prefer their violence all psychological and shit. I learned early on—you have to really be on your game with those. Boss whispers something in their ear and bam, that guy who was sobbing and half-conscious just moments before is lashing out. Heaven help you they land a punch.
The point is, everyone has a rhythm they like to get into when they’re working someone over, and my job is to make sure nothing disrupts that rhythm. I guess in that way I’m like a conductor, maybe? Or a conductor’s assistant—is that a job? Because anything can do it … Case in point: Some bosses love getting their hands dirty, but if one drop of blood hits their designer shoes or fancy pants, they go apeshit.
What I’m saying, I guess, is every boss is different, and you don’t last as long as I have in this gig without being a quick read. Hell, that’s how I got started in all this. I was just that guy who sits at a table in the club or wherever—the one who looks at you real threatening-like when you walk by. The boss I had at the time, he was one of those violence for violence’s sake type people. And he went through a lot of setup guys. He had a rep for being impossible, but it wasn’t that—he just had a weird rhythm the other guys couldn’t seem to pick up on. It never failed—he’d be questioning some loser over a lost stash or whatnot, and the setup guy would just blow it. Not have the guy back on his feet when the boss turned for a sucker punch, or be standing there holding the guy all ready when the boss, he was going to talk for a bit. More often than not, the boss would end up working over his own guy as much as the original sucker. That stopped when I took over—I’ve always been good at paying attention like that.
As far as advice for anyone thinking about entering the field … Hm, I guess I got three things:
One, it ain’t for the squeamish. If you get bothered by bloody faces, broken bones or some sap begging you to go easy because “I’ve got a wife and kids!” then you should look elsewhere.
Two, you have to be okay with being nameless. Faceless. Me, I don’t mind being in the background. I like it, really. It means I’m doing my job right.
Three, and this is the most important thing. Seriously … you listen to anything, you listen to this: Always leave the room with the boss. Those guys who stay behind to clean up after the boss is done? You would not believe the mortality rate.