As the sun crept through the semi-opened curtains of Johnny's french doors in his bedroom Johnny opens his eyes. He sits up stretching then grabs a cigarette from the half crumbled pack laying on his nightstand. As he strikes a match lighting the cigarette he realises he has alot on his plate today. As he smokes the cigarette he goes over his schedule in his head. He finishes the cigarette and gets up getting dressed. He goes to the closet pulling his shoulder holster down from the shelf and puts it on.

He walks out of his penthouse and downstairs to his office to get the numbers for his various businesses. When he reaches his desk he sees a note. It doesnt have a name or letterhead just a simple time and address.

Johnny slipped the letter in his inner jacket pocket and walked out checking his pocket watch. It was 8:32am and his appointment according to the letter was 4:15pm in Chicago. Johnny walks out onto the busy street and hails a cab. "To the airport sir" he motions for the driver. 

A few hours later Johnny is standing in the Chicago airport by the phone bank waiting on whoever was his contact. He lights a cigarette and notices a man exiting the airport nervously.

Johnny slowly follows the man out of the airport onto the street. The man zig zags from street to street before turning down an alleyway. Johnny stops at the corner a bit curious why the man was being so on edge. As Johnny started slowly down the alley he reached the dumpster which the man went behind but as he turned to see the man had disappeared. "Hey!" a voice said from behind and before Johnny could turn BAM! and everything went black.

Sometime later Johnnys eye creeps open, his head killing him. He shook his head and realized he was tied to a chair in a dark damp room. He looked around trying to get a grasp of where he was and how he got there. After a moment he heard voices and the door swung open with a loud screech.

Johnny's head jerks up to see who came in. It was a young lady petite and well dressed. With her were two bigger burly men obviously the muscle. The lady examines Johnny running her fingers over his shoulders as she circles him. "So your the man Chicóne sent hmm" she says as she gets back to standing in front of Johnny. Johnny looks her up and down before trying to reply. "Listen I.." one of the men cuts him off with a right hook before he can finish. Johnny's head whips to the side as blood comes out of his mouth. "shut up you son of a bitch" one of the men says as Johnny tries to shake off the punch. The woman looks on before speaking again. "You were supposed to kill me no?" She giggles lightly. "You are the infamous Johnny...Johnny Ray correct?" she asks as she opens a gold plated cugarette holder and places a cigarette between her red lips and lights it. Johnny watches before attempting to speak. "Who...are" the other man gives Johnny a stuff left to his cheek. Johnnys head whips to the side again. The woman looks on with what can only be described as enjoyment as she smokes the cigarette. Johnny shakes his head again blood now coming from his mouth and a small cut under his right eye. The woman puts out her cigarette and nods to the men before she exits the room.

After about 15 minutes of the men beating on Johnny the door opens and the woman comes back in she removes a dagger from her clutch stabbing one of the men in the neck. The other man turns and she quickly stabs him in the eye. The man screams as Johnny shutters back shocked by the scene. The woman twists the dagger and pulls it out and he falls back into the wall. Johnny struggles to keep his consciousness watching her. 

"Stay with me...you alive Johnny" the woman asks slightly shaking Johnny's shoulder. "Yea...I'm...I'm alive" he says struggling to get his bearings. The woman cuts Johnny free from the restraints before rummaging the pockets of the two men. Johnny stahhers out of the chair grabbing a gun from the dead guys waist. "Who...are you....and WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" he screams as he lays on his back pointing the gun at the woman. "I am Josephine I am the daughter of the man who hired you" she says as she backs up to the door. Johnny keeps the gun trained on her not missing a step. "So why would you cut free the man who's here to kill you?" he asks. Josephine opens the door slowly "come on...we should go."Johnny takes a moment to try and process whats going on before getting up but not lowering the weapon. He slowly walks towards the door following Josephine.

The two make their way upstairs to the main level of a house that had to be a mansion just due to the massive size of the kitchen which the stairwell lead up and into. Johnny not wanting to be too careful keeps the gun trained around as they weave through the living room den and finally to the back door. "Johnny do you have a place...here...in Chicago?" she asks opening the back door. Johnny nods yes. "Okay you need to go I cannot let my father find you here he will assume you failed and will put a contract on you...meet me at La Rouge tonight...730" she says before swifting him out the door.

Johnny quickly exits the back gate and hastly walks towards somewhere that he can recognize before he's spotted by anyone.

At 7:28pm Johnny opens the front door to La Rouge, a nightclub downtown. Johnny see's Josephine in a corner booth and quickly walks over sitting across from her nervously watching the room. Josephine smiles as he sits "ok...I'm here what the hell is going on" he whispers. Josephine offers a cigarette to Johnny then explains. "Pablo Chicóne is my father and he contracted you to kill me" she continues "I have ran his money and drug operation for the last 10 years and I recently found out that he had someone very well known killed...and he thinks as long as Im alive he has to worry." She takes a drink of her scotch and then a long drag of her cigarette. "So I kill you and daddys little secret doesn't get out?" he questions lighting the cigarette. Josephine nods as Johnny begins to understand the scenario he's fell into. "So whats your plan? Why trust me?" he asks. "I have money...alot of it i can pay you off all i ask..is you let me hire you" she says exhaling smoke. Johnny raises an eyebrow curiously. "Hire me? For what?" he asks. "Kill...my father" she says looking across into Johnnys eyes. Johnny exhales smoke and takes a quick drink. "Kill your father? Are you out of your fucking mind?" he whispers leaning forward. "Nevermind the fact that I'm not a guy who turns a contract around on an employer but we're talking about Mr Kingpin Pablo fucking Chicóne here" he says trying not to get too loud.

As Johnny and Josephine are debating back and forth suddenly her eyes reveal a horrified look as she looks at the door. Johnny looks back to see five men walk in and draw guns. Johnny and Josephine duck out of the booth and Johnny draws his gun. Shots ring out between Johnny and the men. All that can be heard is gunshots and people screaming. Johnny fires hitting one of the men. Johnny and Josephine ducked through the door leading to the kitchen as Johnny fires once more hitting another man. The two exit the back door into the alleyway. The remaining men follow and the shootout spills into the alleyway. Josephine and Johnny take cover behind a dumpster. Johnny fires off 2 more shots hitting another of the men. By this time sirens fill the air and the remaining two guys evade. Johnny and Josephine take off in the opposite direction.

A few hours later Johnny and Josephine are sitting in the living room of Johnnys penthouse on 59th. The fire is stoked and Johnny is lighting a cigarette. "This is dangerous...your father is a very powerful man" Johnny says exhaling smoke. Josephine looks over into his eyes "I dont blame you you know...for not wanting the troubles" she says with a small sigh. "But I need a skilled person your my only hope my father will keep sending men until one succeeds." She turns to the fire and pauses lost in thought. Johnny pours them both another glass of scotch as he tries to go over the events in his head. 

Johnny downs the glass watching the fire. Josephine crosses her legs taking a small drink. "Im taking you to the train station in the morning" he says "Theres a place out west you can lay low till things cool off" he finishes. She nods and smiles lightly trying to distinguish his politeness and his general care about her. Johnny gets up and grabs spare blankets from the hall closet. "My room is through there make yourself at home darlin" he says pointing the way to the bedroom before making a pallet on the couch. 

Johnny lays sleeping on the couch still dressed with his gun in his hand on his chest and Josephine lays tossing and turning in his bed. Rain pours down outside and the sound of thunder crackling and lightning flashes routinely fill the apartment. Suddenly thunder booms and Josephine jerks awake with a loud scream. Johnny jumps up and rushes to the bedroom "you ok?" he asks glancing around the room. Josephine sits up in a cold sweat and shakes her head clearly terrified. Johnny sits next to her on the edge of the bed. "Its ok darlin Im right here" he says as she leans in holding him close. "I...I had a dream it was so real...like it was really happening" she says. He brushes her hair behind her ears and tries to comfort her. He lays her back down and pulls the covers back up as her eyes meet his and she urges him to stay with her. He lays down with her on his arm making her feel protected.

The next morning Johnny and Josephine arrive at the train station. The smoke and exhaust fill the platform as Josephine stands facing Johnny. "When you get out west go where i told you and you'll be fine. Once everything dies down I can get out to get you settled" he says lighting a cigarette. She smiles a small smile "Thank you Johnny I truly appreciate all of this." The two embrace before she looks into his eyes. He bites his lower lip holding back as she pauses to see if he will or not. He leans in as the train whistle sounds "All Abooooard" the man screams from the train. "You'd better get going darlin...I'll be out in a few days watch yourself" he says "I've got a friend of mine to go along...protection...his name is Bobby he'll keep an eye out for you." She smiles and nods one last time before he helps her up the steps to the train car. He backs up a few feet as she sits in the seat and waves slightly and the train takes off down the track.

The next Johnny is startled awake by a banging on his door. He yawns and gets out of bed grabbing a silk blue robe and putting it on as he walks through the penthouse hotel room to the door. He opens the door to a man dressed in a suit and tie. "Johnny...I'm Detective Hanson...I was instructed to give you this" he says as he hands an envelope to Johnny then turns and leaves. Johnny looks on confused as he watches then shuts the door. Johnny walks to the kitchen bar laying the envelope on the counter grabbing his half crumpled pack of smokes. He pulls one out and strikes a match lighting it before opening the letter. 

Your Contract Just Expired

 

 

Signed,

Your Former Employer

Johnny crumbles the letter and pulls out two pictures. One picture shows Bobby dead, he was cut up as if he had been a message. The second picture showed Josephine tied up in a chair in a dark room with tape over her mouth. Johnny drops the pictures and rushes to the bedroom to get dressed.

20 minutes later Johnny is standing at the corner about a block from Pablo's estate. He creeps through the side gate along the side of the house. As he's snaking along the house he sees a guard on post outside the side kitchen door. Just as he is about to make his move he's suddenly knocked unconscious from behind.

Johnny's eyes creep open as he turns his head trying to gain his composure. He sees he's in a dark damp room tied to a chair and knows Pablo had him. He had a splitting headache and is grasping at how he can get out of this situation. Moments later two men enter the room through the loud screeching metal door. Johnny watches as the men begin laying items on the table: a saw, a knife, a scalpel, a gun and even a pair of cutting shears. After a moment a third man enters and Johnny sees its none other than Pablo Chicóne himself. "Ahh...the infamous...notorious...Johnny....Ray" he says with a grin and malicious laughter. "One job...Mr Johnny...one...very...important...job" he continues as he pulls a cigar from his jacket pocket lighting it. "Oh I almost forgot...Jarrett bring in the gift for our friend here" he motions as he exhales smoke. The man brings in Josephine still tied to a chair exactly how Johnny is. As soon as Johnny sees her he struggles trying to get out. "Ahh ahh ah ahhhh no moving Johnny or I shall have to kill you ahead of schedule" Pablo says. "Kill her slowly...make him watch then shoot him in the head...he suffers more by watching" he says before grinning evily then leaving. The man laughs sadistically as he mulls over his options of weapons. Johnny slides his foot back slightly feeling his knife strrapped to his ankle. As the man grabs the scalpel and turns Johnny flips the knife going to work on cutting the heavily tied rop holding his hands behind the chair back. The man lightly runs the point of the scalpel over Josephine's cheek as Johnny finishes the last cut and rips free. He lunges up and jabs the knife into the side of the mans neck spraying blood. The man doesnt even get a sound out before falling to the floor. 

Josephine opens her eyes to realize Johnny had saved her from the mans plans to torture her and sighs of relief. Johnny smiles slightly and starts cutting the ropes. "I guess we're even now darlin" he says setting her hands free. Josephine jumps up hugging him tightly. "Oh my God I knew you'd come for me" she says not letting him go. He caresses her cheek slightly "well lets just say I'm doing my job." He smirks jokingly before letting her go. "We have to get you out of here" he says grabbing the gun from the table and a gun from the dead bodyguard. "From my count there's about" he says but is cutoff. "Eighteen...eighteen men" she says. Johnny pulls her aside behind him before opening the door and immediately stabbing the man standing guard in the neck killing him almost instantly. 

Johnny and Josephine make their way up the stairway to the kitchen just as they did before. Suddenly bullets start flying as Pablo's men open fire from the dinning room into the kitchen. Johnny pulls Josephine behind the counter in the middle of the kitchen. Johnny and the men exchange gun fire as Johnny kills the men one by one. As the last man in shot Johnny and Josephine stand up and look around at the destroyed kitchen and dinning room. Johnny checks his guns and each gun has one bullet left each. "Shit..." He says knowing Pablo is still near. 

Johnny creeps through to the entrance corridor to the stairs leading to the second story of the estate. Josephine follows behind as Johnnys head is on a swivel watching for Chicóne. As Johnny reaches the bottom step Pablo steps up to the railing of the upstairs walk way. Josephine looks up and screams "JOHNNY!" Johnny turns pulling the trigger on both guns as he falls backwards to the steps. Pablo pulls his trigger with a bang. One bullet hits Johnny in the shoulder as he falls but both of Johnnys bullets hit Pablo: one in the head and the other in his cheek. Pablo's head jerks back then forward sending him falling over the railing and down to the floor. Josephine rushes to Johnny to make sure he's ok. "Oh my God are you ok? Your shot" she says putting pressure on his shoulder. "I'm...I'm ok I'll be fine" he says as she pulls out a cigarette with her free hand placing it in his mouth and lighting it. Johnny inhales deeply. "We got to get out of here" he says struggling to get up. She pulls him up wrapping his arm over her shoulder to help him walk. As they reach the door she stops looking back at her father  the dead Pablo Chicóne one last time. "Cash or check?" Johnny watches her before turning her head to face him. He kisses her passionately. "This ones...on me" he says smiling into her lips. "I think i can deal with that hehe come on lets get you home" she says as the two exit the estate.

THE END