"I~~ do," he affirmed, grabbing the money from Doug's hand and shoving it into his pocket. "I'm training him up to tear people's throats out." He grinned at Doug, taking the pager. "I think that's a useful skill for an animal to have, don't you? Now then," he went on, holding the pager up. "You don't need this any more because you are, in fact, even more useless here than you were back at the hospital -- can you believe that? -- bu~~~t mostly I'm holding it as a ransom."

He stepped back and started tossing it back and forth from hand to hand, like a juggler with one ball. "If you behave in a fashion that I deem both competent and masculine, you will get it back to do..." he shrugged and waved a hand, almost -- but not quite -- missing his next catch, "whatever you want with it."