“Wake up,” I shake Gabe. “It’s time to go.”

“Shit,” he blinks his eyes open and shoots up in his bed. “Already? I just got to sleep.”

“Bullshit. I just got to sleep,” I laugh. “Seriously, get ready. We’re meeting with the guy in twenty minutes.”

“Twenty,” he sighs. “Jesus. Alright. Give me a second.”

He’s already sleeping in his clothes, so it doesn’t take much. As for me? I have to admit, I took a shower, combed my hair, sprayed on some cologne, and tried to look good. If I’m going to come back to Emma, I want to try and look my best for her, every single day. This trip is going to take a lot out of me, but it’s going to anger her. That much, I know. I need to smooth out some of that roughness before I get back.

“Let’s head out,” he sighs.

We walk down a few blocks and catch the bus. It rolls in near the tracks, near where my shop used to be. It’s going to be weird seeing that place again. Scratch that. I don’t want to see that place again. It holds too much negative weight.

The bus comes to a screeching, grinding halt. We jump off onto the cracked sidewalk. “I’d feel more comfortable if I had a weapon,” he says to me.

“I thought your fists were a weapon,” I say, keeping my eyes out for the Lucky Lucy Bar. It shouldn’t be more than a few blocks from the stop.

“They are, but they don’t stop bullets, do they?” he fires back.

“You’ll just have to think outside of the box,” I say. “Anyway, we’ve come to the conclusion that this guy is safe, right?”

“Right,” he mutters. “But you never do know, do you?”

“I guess not,” I mutter. Frankly, I don’t even want to think about it. If things go wrong, there’s no way out of it. You only dodge bullets one time in your life, if you’re lucky. I did it one time. The next time, I won’t be so lucky. I’ll be draining out in Gabe’s arms.

“There it is,” he points. I look up and it’s the Lucky Lucy Bar, complete with a neon sign pointing inside. “Topless bar?” he asks.

“Dammit. Did this old man bring us to a titty bar?” I ask him.

“I sure did!” a voice says behind us. I turn around and there’s the old man I’ve been speaking to, in the flesh.

“I ain’t going in there,” I tell him.

“It’s safe,” he says. “They don’t come in here because it’s owned by the Lucids, another group from the other side. You think I come here for the women?”

“I don’t know what you do, old man, but I’m in love with a woman back home. I’m not going to step foot in this place. Come on, Gabe. Let’s go,” I turn to Gabe who doesn’t have any morals left in his body. He doesn’t move.

“I’ve got a table in the back VIP room. No women in there. Don’t be such a prude,” he says. “You want to know where The Good Boys are, right?”

“Yeah,” I sigh. “I need to know. I want out of this. For good.”

“Stick with me,” he says, opening the door. The loud music bumps through the single sheet covering the second entrance to the bar room. “You can’t go wrong.” He walks inside

“Fuck,” I sigh, pushing through to catch up with him.

I walk into a club full of naked women, dancing on poles. “Avert your eyes, brother,” Gabe says. “I’ll do all the looking for you.” I groan angrily and follow the old man as he makes his way into the back. Maybe it sounds stupid or childish, but I actually do avert my eyes. I don’t need to be in here now that I’ve found Emma. Every guy I see in my peripheral looks sad and alone. Even if they’re married, they’re still alone. They don’t have what we have. They would never take a bullet for the ones they claim to love. They don’t bear that kind of action.

But I do. I’d do anything for Emma. Anything.

“Sit down,” the man says, as we get inside a room that’s lit up red. He shuts the door behind him and locks it. “Alright, we’re safe now. No need to worry.”

“I’m not worryin’,” I reply.

“Good,” he says. “I’ve got some bad news for you, guys. I didn’t want to come here empty-handed, but things have taken a slight turn for the worse.”

“What do you mean a turn for the worse? What the fuck happened?” I ask him, getting tense.

“Calm down. I’m an old man, as you’ve been saying, and I don’t do too well with men flexing their fists at me,” he says. “Now, do you want to listen or not?”

“We’re listening,” Gabe says, yanking on my shirt. I grumble and look at the floor. “Go on.”

“I’ve been staked out on 10^th street for over two weeks now and I’ve finally found where they operate. It’s a whole apartment building, so it’s not all over and done with,” he says. “But there are some definite heads out there looking for you. They want you out of the picture.”

“They’ll never find us,” Gabe says. “We’re all the way out in Colorado. Peaceful Colorado. They would never guess it in a million years.”

“Unless Mr. Grumble over here left some documents, or photos, or anything that implies a living space down there. They’re perceptive, guys. And, look, I’m no idiot either. It’s obvious who I’m dealing with,” he says.

“What the hell are you talking about?” I ask him.

“Gabe Payne, right? The MMA fighter? You think people in these parts don’t watch you? Their whole lives are based around fighting,” he says.

“Shit,” I sigh, clenching my fists.

“If they knew your full name, guy, one Google search would turn up your brother. You live close to each other?” he asks me.

I nod. “Yeah. Close enough,” I say.

“There you go,” he says. “And the top guys haven’t been seen in a about three days. They don’t normally disappear like this. I usually see them out and about. At the deli, at the car wash, at any of their various businesses…”

“At my auto shop,” I mutter.

“Yeah. I’ve seen ‘em there too,” he says. “And that’s what I’m trying to spit out, okay? There was one night a few nights ago. I saw them pulling out a large van. I managed to tail them for a while, but I quickly realize it was a long trip, headed west. Now, maybe they were going to Chicago. Or maybe they were just making a trip down to California. You never know where business will take you. But these guys don’t leave the area. My guess is they’re trying to find you.”

“I witnessed the death of my friend and business partner,” I tell him.

“Not a good position to be in,” he says.

“This is bullshit,” Gabe stands up. “Pure, utter bullshit. You gave us nothing! We came out all this way for nothing!” he screams.

“We should go,” I mutter. I’m so angry I could punch this brick wall. I might kill this old man if he says one more wrong thing.

“I’m sorry for the dead end, guys. I really am. But I’m just an old man who lost his wife. I wanted to help, but I guess I came up with nothing valuable,” he says.

I jerk up and grab his collar. I force him against the wall. “Why didn’t you just tell me this on the phone, dammit!” I scream.

“They’ve got my home phone tapped,” he says, completely freaked out. “These guys are organized. They aren’t some small street gang. They run most of the blocks down here now. It’s only a matter of time before they take over the city.”

“It’s only a matter of time before I smash your face in,” I grind my teeth. He closes his eyes in fear. I drop him and turn away.

“You’re lying to us,” Gabe says. He turns to me and says, “Tie him up. He’s coming with us.”

Tie him up? Does he think I have rope on me? I grab him and hold his wrists together. I take out a handkerchief from my pocket and tie it around him. It’s pitiful.

“No!” he screams. “You can’t do this. It’s not my fault.”

“Keep talking, old man,” I mutter.

“They made me do it!” he screams. “They made me, okay? They said if I didn’t bring you here, they’d kill me, and the rest of my family. What was I supposed to do?”

“It’s a fucking trap,” I say, searching the room. “They’ll be here any minute.”

I look in the old man’s hands and he’s got his phone out. I take it from him and smash it into pieces. “We need to go,” Gabe says. “Now.”

“Just tell me one truth,” I say to the old man. “Before I kill you.”

“Please,” he says. I didn’t mean to hurt anyone.”

“Are they coming for me in Colorado?” I ask him. “Tell me that much. You owe it to me, dammit!”

“Yes,” he sighs, starting to cry. “That part is true. But others are coming here. Right now. Run for your lives, dammit!”

I look at him in the eyes. I could kill him if I wanted to, but he looks too fucking pitiful right now, crying like that. He’s just like me in some ways. He’s lost his whole world. Only, he’s old and on the last leg of his life. Why wouldn’t he do what they told him to? Anyone would.

“I’m letting you live,” I tell him. “Come on, Gabe. Let’s get the hell out of here.”

“Be careful,” the old man says. I flip him off and kick open the door.

“There’s a back exit,” Gabe says, pointing. “There!”

“Hey!” I hear a voice yell.

“Come on!” I scream. I expect to hear gunshots, but there’s nothing. The only sound I can hear is the thumping of the bass, and some footsteps.

I force open the back exit and we climb out to an empty back parking lot. Gabe pulls me off to the side and says, “Hide, dammit.”

“I ain’t hiding,” I reply.

We both stand next to the door, waiting for it to open. When it does, Gabe instantly throws a jab, and I take a swing myself. The man who was following us falls to the floor. We drag his body off to the side and grab his wallet. No one else comes outside.

“Here,” Gabe says, clutching at a card. “This is probably where they’re situated.”

“The apartment building.” I whisper.

“Yeah. It’s in the general area the old man said it would be in. We have to try, right?” he asks me.

“What about Emma?” I ask. The man on the ground starts to move, so I kick him in the jaw. He stops moving, once again.

“It’ll be an extra two hours, tops,” he says. “Shorter than that if we’re quick.”

“What’s the plan?” I wonder.

“Let’s go old school with this one,” he smiles. “Let’s burn the place to the fucking ground.”

Michael. This is your revenge. This is for you, buddy.

“Okay.” I smile back. “I’m in. Let’s do it.”