Tom doesn't stop Grantaire if he moves for the knife, but he has no intent of letting him get away, and so he pursues, throwing an elbow down onto Grantaire's lower back and then kicking for his legs.

Tom's face glints with a grin that can only be sadistic, hungry for combat and for victory, for the rush of power that comes with bringing another to his knees. That Grantaire is easy prey hardly dampens the thrill at all.

"Come on, now. I took you for a nihilist, not a coward."