Chapter 13 #2
I was worried about her, and if she’d be able to get her head in the game for tonight, but apparently, my worries were pointless. She has the look of pure determination on her face, and she has nothing but total confidence in her ability to do this with me.
“It is,” I hum, glancing back at the small establishment in front of us. “It’s not theirs, though. They scared off the original owners, and just started using it as their little gathering place.”
“What a bunch of assholes,” she snorts. “What happened to the owner? Did they kill him?”
“No, I found him, he’s safe and sound. These little pests have been growing their little criminal empire, and although they’re not cold blooded killers, I’ve heard stories about them.”
“Not pleasant ones, I’m assuming.” she asks.
“No, unfortunately not.”
Cove parks his own car behind mine, exiting with purposeful strides. Keith is right there with him, both of them having just a regular mask on. It hides their faces enough, but it’s not like it matters. The place has no cameras, anyway.
“How do we go about this?” Keith asks. “Do we just enter and start shooting, or do we give them a chance at redemption?”
“There’s no redemption, not from me, at least. The moment they dared to try and steal from me, they signed their death certificates. There’s no going back, and no amount of pleading is going to prevent the massacre that’s about to happen.”
“Yikes,” Aria grumbles. “Ruthless, are we?”
“Perhaps. But that’s just how I do things. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, Aria.”
“It’s not,” she shrugs. “I’m just… happy you’re somewhat back to your old self.”
“Let’s go in.”
Keith and Cove are right behind Aria and me. Our footsteps are silent, and chills run down my body. The excitement of tonight’s play time is slowly starting to sink in, the adrenaline rushing through my veins.
Oh, how I’ve longed for a game like this.
“So, how do we do this, then?”
“There’s a man in there, who I want to speak to before we kill them all,” I explain.
“Who is it?” Cove piques in from behind.
“The boss.”
“Do you have his name?” Keith asks, his voice getting closer as he moves quicker.
I hum. “Blake Williams. Trust me, you’ll know who he is the moment you spot him. He has that arrogance around him, it’s impossible to miss.”
“Alright,” Aria cracks her knuckles, then straightens her posture. Her hand rests on her pocket, right where the small gun is hidden. “Let’s get this over with, I want to return to the hospital.”
“Be safe, and don’t die. If you die, I’ll seriously kill you.”
Aria laughs.
It’s the first time I’ve heard her laugh in weeks.
It’s a genuine kind of laugh, that merely slipped her lips before she even realized it.
Something in my chest warms at the sight, her eyes twinkling underneath the moonlight.
This is when I realize that no matter what happens to Mom, the two of us will be okay.
We have to be.
The establishment in front of us is an old bar.
From the research I’ve done, it was built back in the 1920s, and it’s been passed down to a singular family — the very same Blake has managed to scare off.
I push the door open, taking a step inside.
Immediately, I’m hit with the smell of cigarettes, and whiskey.
The lights are dimmed, and I can barely see people from the massive cloud of smoke that fills the interior of the bar.
It’s not massive, but it’s definitely not small, either.
There are at least ten tables, with a spot reserved for dancing.
The bar is to my right, and immediately, a frown etches on my face.
The girl working behind the bar is wearing barely anything, a shirt that doesn’t cover her properly, and a pair of shorts that could easily be mistaken for underwear.
The biggest issue is that she definitely doesn’t look old enough to be working here.
In fact, she barely looks over fifteen, if that.
“Aria,” I mutter, and her attention snaps to me. “Figure out how old that girl is. If she’s underage, get her the hell out of here before we start this.”
Aria nods. “Got it.”
Immediately, she strides toward the bar, taking a seat on the high stool.
If my little sister is good at anything, it’s befriending people.
She throws on a wide smile, and there’s an instant spark between her and the bartender.
She’s keeping her engaged in the conversation, and that’s the perfect start.
My eyes move from Aria, glancing around.
There’s one table at the far end of the bar, in the corner.
There are a couple of girls there, all giggling and laughing, with one, buff man sitting in the middle of them all.
Blake.
He’s in his late thirties, and although the bastard isn’t terrible to look at, the way he’s glancing at those girls makes my stomach churn in disgust. He definitely deserves whatever happens to him tonight.
“You two go scout everything out. The moment Aria takes the girl out, we make our move.”
Cove and Keith nod, and that’s the last time I glance at them.
I make my way through the bar, approaching the booth where Blake is with measured, careful steps.
As I suspected, there are no cameras inside, meaning, I have no reason to hide.
He’ll be one of the rare people who will see the Ghost’s face before he dies.
How fantastic.
“Blake Williams,” I greet, keeping my voice loud enough so he can hear me over the music.
His eyes drift from the girl on his arm to me, his brow raising. He takes a big drag of the cigarette between his fingers, blowing it out, before putting the cigarette in the ashtray. His gaze is scrutinizing, he tries to assert dominance with his gaze, too bad it doesn’t work on me.
“And who might you be?”
“Haven’t you heard?” I chuckle, then slowly take the hood off. “I’m the nightmare that’s been terrorizing New York.”
“You’re the Ghost.”
“And I’m about to haunt you.”
He chuckles, but there’s no humor in the sound.
His eyes are filled with unease, and it’s not quite fear.
However, the unease is enough for him to focus entirely on me.
With a flick of his wrist, he dismisses all the girls around him, and in a blink of an eye, we’re left all alone, and his eyes don’t leave mine.
“I don’t think I’ve done anything to warrant a visit from you, have I?”
I chuckle. “You know that you sent your men to my part of the city?? You know what makes matters even worse? Those drugs you had them try to steal aren’t mine. They’re Tsar’s.”
His face pales at the mention of the Russian mobster, because if anyone is truly terrorizing this city, it’s Aleksei Kalashnikov. It’s always been Aleksei. The man is a beast, and it’s no wonder Blake fears him. I’d fear him too if I’d tried stealing from him.
“I-I d-didn’t—”he stutters nervously.
“You didn’t, what?” I interrupt. “You didn’t think I’d come for you personally? You didn’t think your little morons would get caught?”
“I just—”
“And now, you’re going to have to pay the price for your own stupidity.
” For a moment, I want to laugh. I anticipated he might draw a weapon on me, I didn’t however, anticipate he’d have his people inside ready for something like this.
In an instant, I have at least twelve guns aimed at me, and a growing smirk on Blake’s face.
“That’s very brave of you,” I say with practiced calm.
“Not even you are immune to bullets, Ghost.”
“But don’t you know? Ghosts can’t be killed by a bullet.”
Before Blake can even fathom a response, the games begin.
It’s Keith who starts shooting first, taking down a couple of his men.
That’s when their attention shifts to him, and I spring to action.
With my gun in my hand, Blake’s brains are spilled on the glass behind him.
I hit him right between the eyes, the close range shot causing the blood to splatter across my face and clothes. Fuck, what an exciting feeling.
The night has just begun.