For the most part, things had been going rather well in Vegas with the exception of a small supply problem with the booze shipment to my establishment, McGinty’s. Someone had grown a conscious and the hefty price that I had been paying didn’t seem to matter to them anymore. That didn’t leave me with all that many options at the moment, unfortunately. They were going to have to be removed one way or another. It wasn’t the ideal situation but it was what it was by this point. The worst part of the whole thing was that it fucked up my supply chain back home something fierce. Eventually, I was going to have to fly home and figure that step out as well but one thing at a time at this moment.

Before I could make any moves, I needed to find a replacement though. Someone that I wasn’t going to have to worry about not taking a pay day. In this day and age it shouldn’t be all that difficult, there were enough people just managing to get by that any extra cash would be greatly appreciated.

Checking my watch for a moment, I made my way to the parking lot adjacent to the police department. If I timed things right, I could catch them before their shift began and sure enough, there she was, parking her car before grabbing her bag from the back seat. I approached slowly, trying my best to not set off any alarm bells for her, “Excuse me, Miss Skone I presume. I have a proposition you.”

Looking me up and down for a moment before scoffing lightly and turning away, “I don’t have time for this.”

”I think your little brother would disagree, Ma’am.” I took a chance, it wasn’t ideal but I needed her to understand and rather quickly at that, “I understand he’s got a bit of a problem. Owes the wrong people the wrong amount of cash. I can make that go away for him.”

She stopped midstep, turning slowly with her hand on the handle of her service revolver, “What did you say?” 

I held my hands out to my sides, showing her that I wasn’t a threat at the moment, “He’s in trouble and I believe a deal can be worked out. Mutually beneficial to the both of us. I’ll take care of his debt and you’ll make that extra dough that you so desperately need. Maybe it will be enough to keep him out of trouble, maybe it’ll be enough to set you up for a nice quiet retirement when the time comes.”

I could see her shoulders slump slightly as she dropped her hand away from her weapon. She didn’t want any part of this, I could tell that much, but in this moment, she was caught between a rock and a hard place. It seems that I had chosen wisely. “There will be certain shipments that will be making their way to this city, mainly a small pub in Paradise. All you need to do is look the other way. Nothing complicated, nothing dangerous. You just need to let it pass and then you and your brother won’t have to look over your shoulders constantly. It’s a win win for everyone involved.”

I could see the defeat in her eyes before they fell to the ground. She spoke in a hushed whisper as if she was struggling to get the words out. “Yes. I-I can do that.”

With a half smile, I slipped her a stack of folded bills I had retrieved from my vest pocket, “Thank you, ma’am. You won’t regret this. I’ll be in touch.”

”I already do.” She stuffed the bills into her own pocket before turning away and rushing off before I could get another word in.

That went better than I was honestly expecting it too. Now it was time to take care of the next problem. If I hurried, I still might be able to catch him at his family’s home. I was just hoping that his family wouldn’t be there as well. I had no interest in hurting his wife and kids but this wasn’t anything that I could let slip through my fingers, there was far too much riding on it now.

Connor_McManus - didn't you hear?  The 21st Amendment came in last year!  Booze is legal again.

There was no need to intimidate that poor woman.  You ass-hat.

I stepped from the cab a block or two away from the home. It wasn’t the smartest thing to go running in blindly without having a look around first. There wasn’t any point in not being smart about this now. The last thing I needed was some innocent getting caught up in the cross fire. Leaning against one of the older brick buildings in the neighborhood, I sparked a cigarette as I let my eyes wash over the place. It was a smaller home, much like the others that dotted the street. Nothing flashy or out of the ordinary about it at all. 

I was halfway through the smoke when the front door opened and Mrs. Dessire stepped out with her children’s hand in each of hers. I couldn’t help but let out a little sigh of relief. As long as they weren’t in the home, this was going to go off without a hitch. I waited a few more minutes until they made their way down the street and out of view before I moved to the back of the home.

Hugging myself to the shadows, I pulled a Bobby pin from my front pocket, quickly finagling the lock until it gave way, allowing me entrance into the home. Inside was just as unassuming as the outside. It was small, cozy even. The only sound coming from an old radio in the other room and the soft rustling of what I assumed to be the daily paper. I reached for my gun first but thought against it, the sound of a gunshot on this sleepy street would certainly draw more attention then I was comfortable with attracting at the moment, instead choosing to slide my blade from its sheath on my hip. It might be a bit messier but at least it would be quiet.

I took slow deliberate steps forward, following the sound of the radio broadcast as I moved. Making my way through the kitchen, I rounded the corner to see Officer Kenneth Dessire sitting on his couch in the living room with his back to me, the paper held up in his hands in front of him. The easy thing would have been to slit his throat without a warning but he needed to know why this was all happening now. It wasn’t anything personal but business was a nasty thing at times and this just happened to be one of those times.

The Officer let out a startled gasp as I grabbed him from behind around the neck, dropping his paper as I did. I could see his service revolver lying on the small coffee table before him, “Don't do it. I’m not here to hurt you. Only talk at the moment.”

He seemed to relax slightly as I said that, resting his hands on the couch beside himself, showing no indication that he would be putting up any sort of fight. “That is good. Just keep everything nice and calm and this will be over before you know it.” I let go of him, taking a small step backwards but still within reach if I needed to make a move, “Things didn’t have to be this way, not at all. You could have kept taking the money, kept going about your business and nothing would have changed, everything would have been fine. Unfortunately for you, that wasn’t the choice that you made. I’m going to say this once and only once. You’re going to pack up your things, take your family and get the hell out of Vegas. It doesn’t particularly matter to me where you go as long as it isn’t here. This is the only chance you’re going to get, don’t go wasting it now. That wouldn’t be good for you. Or the kids.” 

I let my words lingering a moment, watching the gears turning in his mind even from behind him. I wasn’t leaving him with all that many options here but I was at the very least, hoping that he would be smart about this. I would never harm his family but he didn’t need to know that.

I suppose I shouldn’t have been surprised when he lurched forward, arm outstretched towards his weapon. I was unfortunately, expecting it, grabbing a handful of his hair and pulling him back hard against the couch, nearly tipping it over with the force. “Wrong choice.” My hand moved swiftly, the blade pressing through the flesh of his neck like I was cutting a piece of paper. Dessire kicked violently but it was a useless effort at this point. The damage was already done. I didn’t necessarily want it to come to this but a man like him wasn’t going to stop if I gave him an out. He would keep coming until it ended up this way anyways. It always had to be one of us and I was going to be damn sure that it would be him. 

Twisting the blade roughly, I pulled it out harshly, sending him crashing to the floor as he gripped wildly at his throat, the blood already soaked into his officer blues. I wiped the blade against the back of the couch before slipping it back away. It wasn’t ideal but it was what needed to be done. I was here to protect my assets and he was in the way of that. It was going to be a terrible scene for his wife and kids to return too so I dropped a stack of folded bills on the kitchen table before heading out the back door again. It wouldn’t do anything to bring him back but it might ease the hardships that they were surely going to face in the upcoming days and weeks.

Kuku stands and watches as his bodyguard, hired because of his uncanny resemblance, falls to the ground, fatally wounded in the throat.  Kuku watches the murderer, McManus, and thinks to himself "what a fucking cunt."   Kuku, fearlessly, runs up to the cutthroat and begins to talk...

"Son, what are you doing?  You just got ripped off by some shysters who sold you legal booze.  You scared that poor woman.  And now you've killed my stunt double bodyguard.  What are you doing, son?

Kuku offers him a small bag.

"Son, you've got two choices.  Accept what's in this small bag as payment for going away, or understand that consequences will happen"

WHAT'S IT TO BE, SON?

It took a couple of hours to get everything figured out but, soon enough I had a plane ticket back to the Isle by way of New York. It was going to be a long journey and I wasn’t exactly sure how I would be welcomed when I made it back home. I didn’t exactly leave on the best of terms and there were quite a few people that were going to be less than happy to see me. Still, it was a risk that I was going to have to take. Dessire screwed up the supply chain and I needed to get that back on track as soon as I could. 

The plane ride into New York was easier than I thought it would be. I was more relaxed and was even able to catch a few hours of shut eye which were very much so welcomed. I had a feeling the last leg of the trip was going to be quite the opposite. I had never intended to be back home so soon, or at all for that matter. Things were messy at the best of times there and I was getting the sinking suspicion that they hadn’t changed much in my short time away. 

I grabbed a quick drink before getting on the next plane in the Big Apple. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a bit apprehensive but I wasn’t really left with much other choice. As long as I could keep my head down and out of sight I was going to be just fine. Luckily, I had a few bridges left unburnt which was going to be the lifeline that I needed.

The ride across the pond wasn’t terrible, much better then the boat I took in the other direction. It was a bit hard to relax so I spent the time sipping on whiskey as I let my eyes fall onto the waters out the window. Soon enough, the wheels were touching down and I was slinging my bag over my shoulder. I had come this far at this point, might as well see the rest of it through.

I made sure that my cap was pulled down low over my eyes and my trigger finger was never too far away from the weapon that was tucked into the holster beneath my jacket. Now wasn’t the time to be taking any chances. I moved swiftly and quietly, hugging the shadows of darkened alleyways, avoiding the main streets where ever I could. I picked a few faces out of the crowd here and there that I recognized but luckily enough, they never noticed me. Maybe enough time had passed that the things I had done had been forgotten. It might have been a long shot but I was hanging my hat on that thought at the moment. 

The distance that I had to cover from the airport to the distillery was longer than I cared for and I dared not step foot into a cab. There was no telling who was on my side back here anymore. It took a little longer but I still remembered all of the short cuts and by passes from my younger days when I was trying my best to stay out of trouble. Before I knew it, I was standing in front of the back gate of the whiskey distillery, the sun setting off in the distance behind me. I was still a bit apprehensive about being back but that was outweighed by everything that I passed that I had missed. Ideally I timed it right and Murphy would be working still but even if he wasn’t, I had a plan B just in case. It would have been much easier if I could deal with my brother here but the way things had been going, I wasn’t going to hold my breathe on that one.

I waited for the sun to slip past the horizon a little farther, bathing the land in soft twilight before I slipped through the gap between the gate and the stone wall next to it. It wasn’t hard, it was the same way thing that I had done too many times to count growing up. I approached the side entrance by the loading docks as carefully as I could. There would be some type of security lurking about and it was best not to be seen at this moment.

I caught the glimpse of a flashlight off to my side and pressed myself against the cool brick of the building, holding my breath while it passed before I continued on my path, slipping through the side door that was a few paces ahead of my hiding spot. As soon as I stepped foot inside, I grabbed one of the worker’s jackets that was hanging on a coat rack beside the door, slipping my arms into the sleeves and pulling the collar up enough to obscure my face a bit. I already knew this place like the back of my hand, I had already broken in a bunch of times when I was younger, it was avoiding the workers that was the real problem. Grabbing a heavy looking box as I moved, I kept my eyes on the floor, taking deliberate steps until I was at the base of the metal stair case that led up to foreman’s office. 

About halfway up the stairs there was a second floor, a few offices lined the hall way with the break room at the far end. I was taking a chance but I made my way down the hall, moving a little quicker than I would have liked. I drew a deep breath as I pushed the break room door open to find it empty except for one man sitting with his feet up and his back to me reading over a clip board of some kind. With a sly smile, I placed down the box I was carrying as quietly as possible and tip toed forward before reaching out and grabbing the back of the chair, sending it crashing down backwards drawing a scared yelp from the man.

Jumping up as fast as he could in a fighting stance, he gave me a look over before grabbing me in a bear hug and pulling me tight, “Ya son of a bitch! What the fook are ya doin back here?! Ya know how dangerous this is?!”

The force of the hug knocked the wind out of me for a second or two but I was able to compose myself after a few seconds, “Aye, it’s good to see you too Murph! Necessary evil I’m afraid. Need to rework the deal sending booze back to McGinty’s. Hit a small hiccup back in Vegas.” 

“Well, lets get on with it!” My brother finally let me go, “Yer in trouble if ya stick around here too long. Come on, I can get ya up into Gildan’s office easy enough.”

“There is only one way that this works, Gildan.” I stated as if he didn’t have any other choice, “The path has been cleared and you now deal with me and my people alone. That’s it. I’ll pay you enough that you don’t have to double dip but you already know that.”

”I want double.” The portly fellow said matter of factly, as if he really had a leg to stand on at the moment.

Murphy gave me a sideways glance trying to gauge my reaction. I wasn’t here for a negotiation and he knew it. Things could take a turn for the worse real quickly if this pushed on any farther.

”Listen Gilds, I’ve known you a long time. Yer family as well. Ya seen what happens when people cross me. I can just as easily have you removed and replaced with someone who will play the game.” I was bluffing, I didn’t have any more pull in these parts but he didn’t need to know that.

I could see the wheels spinning in his head, as if he could try and bleed a little more out of me. I kept my glare even though, I wasn’t about to let him know that this was the last chance that I had to keep things afloat. After a long pause he relented, taking his glasses off and placing them on his desk before rubbing tiredly at his eyes, “Double ya say?”

In that moment I knew that I had him now. It might have been the money that tipped the scales but it also might have been the subtle emphasis when I mentioned his family. We all had a history together and I’d play that up as much as I needed too knowing full well that I would never to anything to put them in harms way. “Aye, double. And Murph here,” I made a gesture to my brother who was standing off to the side with his arms crossed in front of his chest, “Is going to stick around these parts to make everything continues to run smoothly. A shipment every three weeks. I’ll send the cash to him and he’ll pass it along to you. Simple as that. But I’m the only one you’re dealing with in the states from now on. Do we have a deal?”

Gildan slowly opened the bottom drawer in his desk pulling out a fresh bottle and three glasses as he nodded his approval of the deal, “Aye. We’ve got a deal.”