“HEY, CHOBAVICH! YOU GOT A VISITOR!”

“Me? I do? Who is it?”

“THE FUCK DO I CARE? SAYS HE KNOWS YOUR SISTER!”

“Shit…”

…

…

…

“You Mack?”

“Who wants to know?”

“Malcolm Chobavich?”

“People don’t call me that.”

“But it’s your name.”

“What’s in a name?”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. What do you want? What’s this I hear ‘bout you knowing my sister?”

“Oh, that? No, no. I more know of Mia than having had the pleasure of actually meeting her.”

“That a fact?”

“It is. Are you aware of her arrangement?”

“I should say so, since I was the one who arranged it.”

“Just wanted to make sure you understood that.”

“Understood what?”

“That you were, in fact, the one who told us to acquire your sister to fulfill your debt.”

“That’s what I just… wait, ‘us’? Y-you with the Crew?”

“Mister Chobavich, I am The Crew. You may call me ‘Papa Raven.’”

“That’s funny.”

“Why?”

“Last guy I talked to with the Crew called himself T-Built. Seemed like a funny guy. How’s he doing?”

“Dead.”

“Oh.”

“Yes. And your sister was not without a certain degree of involvement in that matter.”

“Mia? You’re telling me Mia was somehow involved in some guy’s death?”

“That is what I just said, yes.”

“You sure we’re talking about the same—”

“Mister Chobavich, I’d like to hurry this along. This place depresses me and I’d really rather not be here any longer.”

“Uh, yeah. That’s sort of the fucking point, Papa.”

“Witty.”

“Glad you approve.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh…”

“The fact of the matter, Mack, is that your sister has run off from her duties. She was made aware of the circumstances surrounding her arrangements, and she—”

“WHOA! HEY! What? She knew that I’m the one that sold her to T-Built?”

“No, Mack, we were certain that she would refuse to work if she was made aware of that. She was only made aware that her working for us was for your benefit; to keep you from harm.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good, I guess.”

“It was. Yes.”

“So what happened?”

“A rival gang took her.”

“A rival…? What the fuck? How many you fuckers out there?”

“Just the two. Mia went willingly, saw fit to convince another of our ‘workers’ to go along, as well. And then she blew up a building with T-Built inside.”

“Sounds like you guys lost control of the situation big time.”

“That’s certainly one way to put it. Another way to put it would be that the one thing keeping you alive is no longer an asset.”

“What do you…? Oh! Whoa! No, wait! Hold on! There’s got to be some other way! Something that we can work out!”

“Why on earth do you think I’d be here with you right now if I wasn’t hoping to do just that, Mister Chobavich?”

“So… you ain’t here to off me?”

“You think I’d go through all the trouble of coming here if I simply wanted you dead?”

“I… uh, can’t say. Not like I know you too good, you know?”

“You’ll have plenty of time to get to know me, Mack.”

“That a fact?”

“It is.”

“So what do you want?”

“Doesn’t it seem obvious? We want your sister back. We want the man that took her dead. And we want the other gang out of the picture.”

“Not sure I can do all of that, but I guess it wouldn’t be too tough to find Mia. If she was willing to hit the street to pay my debt then I imagine she’d at least still be willing to answer a phone call from me, right?”

“Our thoughts exactly, Mister Chobavich. Our thoughts exactly.”