"Kali," he said gruffly his eyes flickering to the woman in the crowd of saviors trying to get out of the door as fast as possible.
Negan was still sitting at his end of the table with his feet now propped up on the table. Lucille resting just in front of him.
Kali stepped away from the line and waited for everyone else to leave. Some gave her a few looks of concern, but most did not even look her way. She waited until the line left the room before she closed the door and turned back to Negan.
"Negan," she said just as short as he did.
A sly smile graced his face. "Why don't ya take a seat right here," he said gesturing to the chair just to his left.
Kali did what he wanted. She walked across the room and sat in the chair beside him. "What do you want," she asked him already annoyed with his antics. She has seen him do this probably hundreds of time to try to frighten people just for the fun of it.
Negan ignored her question instead asking one of his own. "Why do we have rules, Kali?"
Kali rolled her eyes and pushed away from the table. "I don't have time for this today," she said standing from her chair and walking to the door.
"You have time for whatever I say you have time for and today you damn sure have time to relearn why we have rules," he seethed.
"I am not doing this today," she said pulling the door open.
The sound of Lucille slamming against the table stopped her in her tracks. "Close the damn door," he demanded.
Kali slammed the door shut before turning around to face him. "What the hell is your problem," she yelled walking across the room back towards Negan.
His feet were no longer propped up on the table. He leaned against his arms with Lucille now resting beside him on the table. She could see the anger in his face. "I know what you did," he said calmly enough to send a cold spell down her back.
Her anger evaporated as she walked back to the table with him. "What are you talking about," Kali asked putting her hands on the back of the chair she was sitting in just moments ago.
Kali had never seen him look at her with such anger. It made her think about everything she'd done in the last week that would make him this angry, but she could not think of anything. Unless he somehow found out about the thing, she did a couple of weeks ago, but there was no way. She covered her tracks.
"How could you be so fucking stupid?"
"Excuse me," she asked baffled.
Negan pushed his chair away from the table. His left hand coming down to rest on Lucille's handle. "Someone came to me a couple of days ago and told me a little something about you. At first, I didn't want to believe them because you're my right-hand woman. Then we did a little inventory of the medicine in Carson's office and sure enough, it was short. Now you wanna tell me about that or do I need to tell you what I know?"
"I don't see what the problem is. As a savior, I get what I want. Since I helped you find this place and get it running then I get special privileges. That's what you said anyways. Correct me if I'm wrong. What I do with my points is not a matter of your concern."
"People that don't work for their points should not get to reap the benefits of people that do. You know better than that," he scolded her like a father would scold a child.
Kali rolled her eyes. "What did you want me to do? Huh? Let someone suffer because they can't afford a box of medicine? If they can't work, they can't earn points. They fall behind and can never get caught up. So yes, I helped out someone that needed it."
Negan stood from his chair. He moved closer to her and his tall form towered over her. "What do you think that lets everyone down there think? They can't afford medicine, so they'll rely on you to get it for them. Before long no one is working, everyone just wants everything handed to them. It doesn't work like that."
"God forbid people know that there is still compassion and people that care for them in this world. Fuck this," she said pushing him in the chest. She tried to turn away from him, but Negan was quick and grabbed her arm before she could.
"Do you know what happens to people that steal from me," he asked her quietly still holding her arm in his grip as she tried to pull away from him.
"How can anyone still from you, if we are all Negan?"
"After today, you won't want to be Negan anymore," he seethed leaning in close to her.
Before she could process what he said, her first was flying towards him. Negan was quicker than her though like he could read her mind. He caught her fist just before it reached its destination. He had her arm twisted around her back before she could blink. "Uh uh," he whispered in her ear before starting to push her towards the door.
Kali let him push her where he wanted to go. They made it out the door and started down the hall. Kali struggled against his grip, but Negan held her tight probably leaving her bruises on her arms. He pushed her towards the common area. They walked out on the catwalk and looked down at the workers and saviors of the community. Nearly everyone has gathered around in a circle around a chair towards the back of the room close to the furnace.
Negan walked her down the stairs the bottom floor and the people parted the seas letting the two of them through. Kali caught sight of the woman that she had given the medicine standing on the other side of the circle. Her eyes were afraid, and a guilty look was on her face.
Negan moved her over to the chair and pushed her down in the chair. Simon, Negan's other right hand, moved behind her quickly and bound her hands to the arms of the chair.
Negan walked away from her twirling Lucille in his hand. "Ladies and Gentlemen, why do we have rules," he asked partially doing his signature lean.
"Rules keep us alive," the crowd around that was gathered around her answered like mindless robots replying to their master.
"Exactly," Negan sang turning back towards her. "Now what happens when someone breaks the rules?"
The crowd gathered around her muttered to themselves. No one wanting to answer the man wielding the lethal baseball bat as a weapon.
"You wouldn't," she seethed, glaring at the man in front of her.
The smile that already painted Negan's face spread wider at her claim. The fire behind him was already popping in the furnace. "Everyone here remembers what happened when Dwighty boy decided to run off with my smokin' hot future wife and a whole fucking lot insulin. We do not take lightly to people that steal from us."
"I didn't steal from you," Kali protested struggling against her bonds. "I paid for what I got."
"What would Roy and Karla say in this situation? What would mommy and daddy say? Can't forget about the baby brother, right? How do you think Jason would react?"
"Don't talk about them," Kali growled. Negan knew that better than try to talk about her family to entice a reaction from her. It took for a couple of years to tell him about her family. He was the only person that left that she could trust.
