Dick found his attention being pulled away from the task at hand after leaving Las Vegas. The job itself went extremely smoothly but that wasn’t where his mind was at the moment. It was still back at the diner with Alana and her red dress. She had been an exceptional partner and while he was never fully comfortable working with anyone else, she had been different, she made it easy. Truth be told, it was nice knowing that someone had his back.

Unfortunately, he had to push that to the background, at least for the time being. Time was a bit of a luxury that he didn’t have right now, so he had to skip the train and take a plane instead, something that he was growing a little better at but still not fully there. Before boarding he pulled the black notebook out of the back pocket of his jeans once more, checking the next name on his list, Daniel Vera.

Mr. Vera fit the mold the same as the others did but in a different way. He had a rather large heroin operation that he was running out of the Pacific Northwest. Normally that wouldn’t have landed him in the notebook but Daniel put his profits above everything else, cutting his drugs any which way he could to maximize profits. His first batch would always be of the highest quality but as soon as he had his hooks in his customers, he would begin mixing in almost anything that he could. There was a swath of over doses that could be directly contributed to him and his operation and they were beginning to spread across the country. 

Dick fought the nerves off a bit as he found his window seat. Normally he would have already been half in the bag by now but he was trying to do things a different way this time around. Dick couldn’t help it but he dug his fingers tightly into the arm rest as the plane bumped along the runway before leaving the ground, his knuckles turning white from how hard he was squeezing. He got a few sideways looks from some of the other passengers but that didn’t bother him at the moment, he was just trying to make it through. 

As soon as they were at a comfortable cruising altitude he loosened his grip a bit. The thought occurred to him of trying to get some rest but that might just be a pipe dream at the moment. 

 No rest for the wicked after all.

Dick was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief as the plane touched down, the wheels skipping along the runway before coming to a halt. He wasn’t really sure why airplanes bothered him so much, each trip wasn’t all that bad and nothing bad ever happened but it was just something that he couldn’t shake. 

He was a bit exhausted as he deplaned but there were only so many hours in a day and he needed to get moving along. There was no telling how much bad product Vera was putting out in a day but Dick figures it was most likely a number that would make his head spin. Dick was going to have to do some legwork on this one as well. Someone as well connected and with as much cash as Daniel Vera had wasn’t going to be an easy target. There were going to be safe houses and body guards and everyone was going to be well armed. Dick had been lucky so far being able to miss catching any type of injuries but his luck wouldn’t last forever. If he wasn’t smart about this one he would get cut down before he ever had the chance to cross the next name off of his list. 

The airport was a bit out in the sticks so Dick had to hail a cab rather than walking. It wasn’t ideal, he always liked stretching his legs after a flight but it wasn’t the worst idea considering that a light rain had begun to fall at some point while he was in the air. He let a family of three take the first one that pulled up but it was only another minute or two before the next pulled up to the curb. Climbing into the backseat, he asked the driver to bring him anywhere in the heart of the city. He didn’t have any leads yet but he was confident that he could find some answers to his questions there. 

Dick didn’t really mind the rain, the way the droplets washed down the window of that cab was actually pretty relaxing. He caught himself dozing a couple of times before the driver pulled up in front of a row of bars, coffee shops and hotels. The streets were quiet but not really empty. The citizens of Seattle had probably gotten used to to the rain at some point in their lives here. 

After passing over the fare and a little extra for a tip, Dick stepped out of the cab. A few bars looked rather inviting at the moment but he wasn’t here for that, at least not right now anyways. He gave his colts their customary pat beneath his jacket before zipping it up quickly to fight off the chill that was setting in. 

Shielding his lighter from the rain he sparked up a smoke, drawing in a deep breath before he started to head towards the end of the block. It would have been much easier if he knew someone in the city but it wasn’t imperative. He had done things like this before and was taught by the best. There was certainly something to be said about having the right training. 

Finding an overhanging canopy, Dick took some respite from the weather as he leaned against the damp brick of the building. The best thing that he could do now was observe the people that were moving about. It took him a few cigarettes before he noticed anything out of place. Across the street was a younger man, his eyes sunken and he looked like he was more nervous than he should have been. He kept scratching at his arms roughly as his head snapped back and forth as if he was waiting for something bad to happen. Tossing his last smoke away, Dick pushed off of the building and quickly stepped across the street. He made sure that he looked as inconspicuous as possible, keeping the man in his sights but staying far enough behind him that he wasn’t going to draw any attention to himself. 

Dick felt slightly bad for the kid. It only took one bad day, one mistake to be where he was and with the way that Vera operated, it was only going to take one day for all of that to be washed away. 

Following the junkie for a couple of blocks, he finally paused, looking in each direction awkwardly before he rushed into a bakery that was a little ways off from the next closest business. It was actually a smart play running things out of a shop like that. It was good cover and it sure would make laundering the cash a whole lot easier.

Dick positioned himself a building or two down the street as he waited a few minutes for the man to exit. He came out a bit wobbly legged, a bit sluggish, his already sunken eyes looking even darker around the edges. It seemed like Dick had found the right place after all.

Dick took a casual stroll towards the bakery after the junkie was out of sight. Something about the whole situation made his skin crawl but he forced that feeling away as best that he could. It wasn’t the first time that he was uncomfortable and it certainly wasn’t going to be the last. Part of it wasn’t knowing what was inside. There very well could have been men armed to the teeth for all he knew. As Dick reached for the door handle he thought to himself out loud, “Only one way to find out.”

The bakery itself looked like any other that he had been in before. A small display sat to the right with assorted cakes, pies and cookies. A few circular tables were on the left, each surrounded by three high back chairs. All of them were empty except for one where a medium build man sat, munching on a muffin as he read the morning paper. The counter top where the register sat had traces of flour sprinkled atop it. It really looked like a bakery, maybe he had been wrong about the place but he couldn’t seem to shake the feeling that it wasn’t just a bakery, that there was something sinister at play here.

Making his way towards the register, Dick noticed the man at the table fold down the corner of his paper and look him up and down. He also noticed the gun stuck into his shoulder holster that dangled underneath his coat as he shifted. While by itself that wasn’t really a tip off, half the country here was packing but coupled with the way the junkie stumbled outside was more than enough for Dick to put two and two together. 

”I’ll have the special.” Dick stated as he reached the counter.

The baker gave him a confused look as he wiped his hands on his apron, “I think you might have the wrong place. We don’t have any specials here, just the usual baked goods.”

”Oh, I see.” Dick replied, “Well, then I’ll just have what the last guy left here with.”

The man behind the counter took a half step back, before he could single his cohort, Dick out a round into the man sitting at the table’s chest sending a splatter of blood into the air, staining the wall behind him as he hit the floor.

Keeping his voice cool, calm and collected, Dick turned back to the baker, his colt still in his hand at his side, “​​​​​​​Like I said, I’ll have the special.”

“I’m-im-I’m just doing what I’m told!” The baker threw his hands up in the air as he stumbled over his words.

”Now, that may very well be true but that doesn’t change the fact.” Dick stated coldly, leaning forward on his elbows atop the counter, “You are going to do a favor for me. You are going to call your boss or whomever the fuck it is that you answer to and tell them that you need more supplies. And you are going to do it right here, right now.”

”I-I-I can’t!” The middle aged gentlemen managed to stutter out. “They recently dropped off a shipment, they’ll know something is up. It never goes that fast. They’ll think I’m skimming!”

”That sounds like a you problem. Make the call or-“ Dick motioned his head towards the lifeless body with the blood pooled around it in the corner, “That will be the future that you have.”

”F-fine!” With a trembling hand, the bakery worker reached for the phone, the look of terror splashed across his face. It took him a couple of times to fight off the shaking but eventually he got the number right, “Ye-yes it’s Don. Seems the sugar shipment went rather quickly, I’m in need of a new delivery...I know you just dropped it off...Like l said, business has been good...Yes, today would be ideal. You should see the line, it’s all the way up the block...ye-yes I’ve got the cash on delivery...see you soon.” 

With a bead of sweat dripping off of his brow, he hung up the phone as he swiped at it with the back of his hand. Dick knew that the baker had essentially signed his own death warrant just by making the call but that really wasn’t his problem right now. Play stupid games, win stupid prizes after all. Dick thought about putting a bullet in him like he did his partner over there, just to ease the inevitable pain that was coming his way but he needed him at the moment. Dick needed him to draw the delivery in, after that, all bets would be off.

”Much obliged, Sir. Play this the right way, do what I tell you and there is a chance that you will get out of here in one piece.” Dick’s voice came out colder than he expected it too but it certainly helped get his point across. 

Dick positioned himself in the back room of the bakery so that he was hidden but he could still see the front door from where he was. It only took an hour or so for the front door to be pushed in and two rather long, rather grizzled men entered. The larger of the two men had a nasty scar that ran from his hair line down his left cheek to his chin, making him look rather intimidating actually. The second man was an inch or two shorter with curly black hair that stood in contrast of his pale skin.

Watching from the back room, Dick saw the baker moving nervously. If he wasn’t careful then he would give this all away before Dick had a chance to figure any of this out. The men were joking about as if they had done this a thousand times before which made Dick’s skin crawl, mostly because they probably had. There was no telling how much product had been moved out of this place before he showed up but there sure as hell wasn’t going to be anymore after today. 

Dick waited until he spied Scar drop the bag roughly on the countertop next to the register. In one quick motion, Dick swing the door outward, catching the two men off guard as he fired two shots off. The first caught Curly in the throat, sending him stumbling back in shock as he clutched wildly at his neck as he fell to his back, the blood pooling out of him with a sickening gurgle.

The second shot that Dick managed to squeeze off caught Scar in his left shoulder, spinning him away from the register as he fell to one knee, trying to reach for something under his jacket as Dick spring forward, landing a heavy boot along the side of his head sending him crashing to the ground. The baker stood there dumbfounded at the action that was unfolding in front of him. Dick pressed on the downed man, laying his knee across his forearm as he landed a couple blows into the side of his head, sending him into a daze. 

Dick caught his breath for a moment as he had Scar pinned. Unfortunately for Don the Baker, he had served his purpose by now and was just as guilty as everyone else. Dick pulled the trigger of his colt once more, sending the round into the man’s forehead as he splattered dark red blood all over the pastries that were behind him as his lifeless body slumped down. 

”Where is he?” It was a question that Dick wasn’t going to ask to many more times, “Where is Vera?”

”Fuck you!” Scar spat out through the haze that Dick had caused.

”That just isn’t going to do.” Dick stuck the barrel of his gun into the bullet hole in the man’s shoulder, drawing an inhuman howl from him, “Where is Vera. Last time I’m going to ask nicely.”

Before he could answer, Dick fired another shot into the Scar’s left knee, causing him to buck and fight against Dick a bit more although he was essentially sapped of all his strength now. 

”Fine! Fine!” Scar managed to croak out through the pain, “There is a warehouse in the Waterfront. He’s there, I swear!”

”That’s all I needed to know.” Before the man realized it, Dick jammed his blade into the man’s throat, catching him off guard and choking on his own blood.

That actually went better than Dick thought it would. He had another lead to follow as soon as he took care of the rest of this place. Moving into the back room where the ovens were, Dick grabbed at one of the gas lines, pulling it with all of his strength and ripping it out, the acrid stench of the gas immediately hitting his nose. Leaving a finished loaf of bread atop the stove, he flipped it to high before he rushed out the back exit. He was only a block or so away when the explosion shook dust from the buildings around him.

With a smile on his face, Dick headed towards the Waterfront.

It took Dick a little bit to gaining his bearings, being in a city he wasn’t familiar with but soon enough he was surrounded by a few different warehouses that dotted the landscape before him. It wasn’t too hard to figure out which one was Vera’s as it was the only one with a constant stream going in and out. The armed guards standing by the front door certainly were a tip off as well. 

Dick tucked himself into the alley way between the building and the next, pausing to check both of his colts. Ideally he could pull this off with as little loss of life as possible but that was going to be tricky, especially with the two tommy guns that were beside the front entrance. That option was off the table. If Daniel Vera heard any shooting he was liable to go running and with his cash and safe houses, Dick may never get another chance at this. 

Hugging the damp brick as he moved towards the back of the building, Dick hauled himself up the fire escape, taking it all the way up to the top, occasionally stoping to peer in the dusty windows that were on the side of the building. The light rain had picked up now, matting Dick’s hair to his forehead as he climbed upwards.

It didn’t take long for Dick to reach the roof and much to his surprise, there wasn’t anyone guarding the door at the top. That might have been a stroke of luck but Dick couldn’t be sure how many people were actually inside, the rain had covered the windows in streaks and he wasn’t able to see much inside but he had come to far to turn back now, he was just going to have to take the chance. 

With his colt steadied in his right hand, he slowly turned the door handle, pushing it open slowly as he entered. Shutting it behind himself as quietly as he could, he took a deep breath before moving down the flight of stairs that were in front of him. It was best to work his way downwards anyways, it gave him a clear line of sight and no one would really be expecting anyone to try and go the route that he had. Reaching the top floor in a matter of minutes, Dick stepped from the stairs cautiously, poking his head around the corner for a second to look left and right. There was a single door at the far end of the hall with the light cascading underneath it. Seems like the place to start, Dick thought you himself as he took slow deliberate steps in that direction.

Luck seemed to be on his side as he opened the door to Vera’s office, the man sitting behind his desk, head buried in paper work. He didn’t even notice the door open and shut. By the time he did look up, Dick had crossed half of the room, breaking into a sprint as he jumped the desk, catching Daniel Vera in the chest with his heel as he sent the man sprawling to his back. Dick jammed his pistol under the man’s chin, roughly pressing up as he grabbed his collar with his free hand. 

”You might want to pay a little extra for security next time.” Dick couldn’t hold off the smile, “Granted, you aren’t going to have a next time.”

Daniel Vera tried to struggle but Dick quickly put a stop to that when he smashed him in the nose with the butt of his gun, splitting it wide open sending blood cascading down his face, staining his once white shirt.

”It might be best if you kept your mouth shut. No one is going to hear you all the way up here and you’re just going to make me want to drag this out.” Dick grinned from ear to ear as he slammed him upside the head. “You’ve done something bad shit here Vera. Was the extra money really worth it now?”

Daniel opened his mouth to speak but Dick landed a heavy fist into his jaw, “That was a rhetorical question there Danny boy. You certainly made a name for yourself out here, a big enough name to land on the list. If it makes you feel any better, you aren’t the first, or the last for that matter.” 

It had been a long few days for Dick and he wasn’t really in the mood to drag this out at the moment. Using his knee to apply pressure to Daniel’s chest, Dick holstered his colt as he looked down on the man. It wasn’t fear he saw in his eyes though, it was recognition. The recognition that he was going to die and there wasn’t a damn thing that he could do about it now. Reaching under his jacket, Dick unsheathed the blade that was tucked into his waist band.

”You are done ruining lives. Done profiting off of others losses. It ends right here, right now.” Dick clasped his hand over the man’s mouth as he stuck the blade into his stomach, dragging it upwards to his breast bone in on tough pull. It only took a few seconds before Vera stopped spasming, the color draining from his face as the light left his eyes. It wasn’t exactly clean but that was kind of the point. Before he stood, Dick wiped the blade clean on his victim’s pant leg. 

With a sigh, Dick slipped the knife away again. Quickly moving over behind Vera’s desk. He seemed like the kind of guy that would have a couple of bottles somewhere stashed and sure enough, Dick found two nearly full bottles of vodka hidden away in the bottom drawer. The boss was dead but if he didn’t do something about this warehouse, someone else would just take his spot and this would have all been for naught. After unscrewing the tops of both bottles, Dick ripped a few shreds off of Danny boy’s shirt that hadn’t been completely soaked with blood and stuffed them into the necks of them. 

Dick looked around the corner again from his place in the office and when he was satisfied that no one was coming he made his way back to the top of the stairs. Finding his way downwards, Dick stopped as soon as the warehouse floor came into view. He was suddenly very glad that he didn’t try the front door as he saw for the first time how many workers actually were inside. It was borderline a small army, there was no way he ever would have made it all the way up here if he had gone that route. As he crouch down, Dick pulled the lighter from his pocket and flicked it alive as he held it to both pieces of cloth until they each caught. Aiming for the two largest stacks of crates, Dick let them fly one after the other. The flames biting outwards as the bottles exploded on impact. The confusion began to reign down below as everyone scattered like rats from a sinking ship. Watching for an extra second to make sure the flames spread, Dick quickly made his way back to the roof, swiftly moving down the fire escape the same way he came up. 

About halfway down he noticed everyone pushing into the alleyway, trying to escape the flames and smoke. Well, that’s not good, he thought to himself. There was no way he could make it all the way down now without being noticed. Thinking quickly and acting even quicker, he hopped over the railing, pushing off with all the strength his legs could muster, catching himself on the fire escape on the building immediately across from them. He decided to head upwards rather then down into the fry, finding the roof access open once more. He slipped into that building and made his way down through the building. Fortunately, in all of the confusion and panic he was able to go unnoticed as he made his way out of the front door, all of the workers there had headed outside to see what all the fuss was about. 

Everything had gone surprisingly well as Dick made his way through the crowd, making sure to keep his head down until he was far enough away, heading back towards the heart of Seattle. 

Checking his watch, he knew he had to catch a flight soon enough.

After all, no rest for the wicked.