The days had been long recently, the nights even longer. I found myself going through the motions. Moving product here, making profit there. Doing what was asked of me, nothing more, nothing less. Folding the profits back into the family with whatever was left over being sent back home in a trust. Only holding onto enough to keep the lights on and the bartenders in whatever city I was wandering through happy. 

Despite the inherent risks, it’s was a relatively quiet life. Nothing spectacular but I wasn’t looking for spectacular at this point. I was keeping an eye on the future, the quiet town house off of the beaten path. The long meandering driveway through the trees. Big enough yard for Emma and Jason to play and grow. 

Most days it felt like a distant dream. Arms outstretched, hands grasping but unable to take hold as of it like it was an impossibility. Other days it felt inevitable, like the future was set in stone. Just waiting to draw me in.

I was snapped back to reality by the clink of glasses beside me. The dimly lit pub coming back into focus. Taking a deep breath, I refocused, forcing a laugh at whatever story was being passed around by the regulars for the hundredth time. There was no point in dwelling on what was out of my control right now. It certainly wouldn’t bring that future I so desperately wanted any closer. If anything, it might have pushed me away from it.

The time passed slowly, only marked by the growing amount of empty bottles that now littered the bar top. They were an escape more than anything. A pause on whatever was lurking outside those pub doors. Whatever it may be, it wasn’t good, it very rarely ever was. 

I was barely paying any attention when the small bell above the door chimed lightly. The air in the room seemed to shift, a subtle change that I could feel prickling against the back of my neck more than anything.

”Mr.-Mr. Grayson. There’s-there’s been...” 

I turned in my seat slowly as the man trailed off. He was young, probably no more than his early twenties. There was a thin layer of soot and dirt coating his hands, a factory worker I assumed. “Well, get on with it. What is it now?” I couldn’t hide the slight annoyance in my voice. I wasn’t in the mood to talk business at the moment.

”There’s been...an incident.” The factory worker’s eyes fell to the floor as he slid his cap from his head, “A-a fire, Sir. They-they’re gone.”

I heard the words but they didn’t seem to register. Maybe because of the drink or maybe because I didn’t want to understand them. Either or would have been a good guess at this point, “Fire? Where?” A slight tremble shaking my words.

”At...at the Manor, Sir. It-it was torched.”

The world suddenly felt like it was spinning, the bottle slipping from my grasp, shattering against the floor. It suddenly felt like I was underwater, a huge weight pressed against my chest, not allowing me to breathe. This, none of this, was supposed to go this way. This wasn’t how things were supposed to end. How the future was supposed to be.

Not even thinking, I stumbled up out of my chair, sending it clattering to the floor behind me. I could hear vague voices calling out but none of that mattered right now as I stumbled towards the back door behind the bar. 

I wanted to scream as I stepped into the cool drizzle and fresh air but nothing came out. I wanted to curse the gods and punch the walls but I felt paralyzed. Holding onto the wall with one hand as I emptied the contents of my stomach into the mud. 

I had planned for every thing, set up plan Bs and Cs and Zs. But I wasn’t counting on this. Even in my worst nightmares did I think that this could be possible. They...they were supposed to be safe. They were supposed to be kept separate from this world. 

I lost track of the world as I stood in the alleyway, using the damp brick to keep myself upright. It could have been minutes or hours but the world felt like it had stopped spinning. As if it was all crumbling down around me. 

Normally I would be able to right the ship, plan for the next move but this was different. This was soul crushing. This was the living nightmare.

I barely even reacted as I heard the pub door creak open behind me. Truth be told, I was hoping that whoever it was, was here to finish the job. To put me down like a dog in the mud. I was still having trouble wrapping my mind around the words and it took longer than I cared to admit to figure it out, “Mr. Grayson, what do we do now?”

It seemed like an easy enough question but one that I wasn’t prepared to answer at the moment. “How-how do you know?” I managed to stumble through the words.

”There were four bodies in the ashes, Sir. Two adults and two...”

”Two fucking what?!” I snapped back, already knowing the answer in my heart of hearts.

”Two children, Sir.” I could feel the sadness in the messenger’s voice. It didn’t matter who it was, it was never easy to pass along information like this.

Taking a deep breath, I tried my hardest to steel myself. I thought I had been careful, I thought I had taken every precaution that I could. How the fuck did this happen I questioned over and over in my mind. There were only a handful of people that even knew they existed let alone where they were. I had a long list of enemies by now, both here and abroad. Enough of them having the means and wherewithal to find whatever information they were looking for. 

”Who?” My question came out corse, dripping with venom.

”I-uh-I-“

I spun on my heels, grabbing the messenger by the collar, pushing him harder than I had intended to up against the wall of the alley, “Fucking who?!”

”I-I don’t know, Sir. There hasn’t been any word.”

I let go of all the rage flowing through me in that moment, grabbing him around the throat as I slammed a heavy fist into his midsection, sending him to the seat of his pants in the dirt. I drew my face close to his, still keeping my grip tight, “Youre going to find out. I don’t give a fuck how but you are.”

I hadn’t realized it but I was holding my breath nearly the entire time as I finally let him go. Straightening up, I spat into the mud as I made my way towards the back door of the pub. 

His words caught me off guard more than they should have, “What are we going to do, Mr. Grayson?”

I stopped with my hand on the door as my eyes fell to the ground, “We are going to burn the whole fucking world down.”

The days seemed as if they were dragging on. I hadn’t slept in god knows how long at this point. Every time I closed my eyes, their last terrified moments played over and over in my head. It certainly didn’t help any that I was downing bottle after bottle of whiskey and putting anything and everything up my nose as some form of distraction that just wasn’t working.

I had tossed myself into this head on by now, consequences be damned. There were only two ways that this could end. I wasn’t ready to let go until those responsible suffered, after that, everything was fair game.

I spent my time calling in every favor, turning over every stone to find any information possible. It was all futile so far. There was nothing but radio silence. No one claimed the kills as their own which was odd. Usually somebody would start running their mouths in the speakeasies or brag about their exploits but this was different somehow. If this really was directed towards me, someone was going out of their way to drag it out, to leave me wallowing and questioning the world.

On top of all of that, the billets began to fly. The newspapers were filled with all the men and women that had been gun downed throughout the country. I had managed to stay relatively unscathed despite watching friends and family end up in the gutter, but truth be told, I wasn’t in any condition to do anything about it even if I wanted too. Between the booze and drugs I was solely focused on whatever this task was in front of me. 

Reaching for the phone, I clumsily knocked over a half empty bottle, spilling its contents all over the floor. Cursing under my breath, I dialed one of the few remaining numbers that I thought could at the very least, point me in a direction. “Yea, it’s me...I know things have been strange but-but I need your help...Look, I’ve got cash, drugs, whatever you want. I just need a name. You’ll be kept out of it completely...I know you see more than anyone else. Just give me a fucking name...Fine. I’ll jump through whatever hoops you want. Give me a name. That’s it.”

I rubbed at my eyes tiredly. It felt like I wasn’t doing much but spinning my tires over and over. I was stuck in the mud, trying to drag myself out of it by any means necessary.

”Thank you.” I finally relented, “Call in the favor whenever, whatever it may be.”

As I hung up the phone, I grabbed the pen and paper beside it, quickly scribbling down the name even though I had already committed it to memory. It was the first lead I had since all of this happened, since the world came crashing down.

I was weary when I was heading towards the precinct. I was always a little on edge with the cops. Most of them were on the take and it was growing harder and harder to figure out who was being paid by whom. Those ones were somewhat easy to deal with, if not a bit time consuming, all you had to do was throw some cash their way and they’d look the other way. It was the honest ones that you had to look out for. The ones that took the letter of the law as if it was written by god himself. They couldn’t be bought, they couldn’t be pressured, they were dead set on the good and bad side of things.

Fortunately for me, Officer Williams wasn’t one of the good ones. He had a penchant for the drink and taking out his troubles on his young wife. It was always hard to tell who he was working at for the moment, his life was ruled by the highest bidder. A true mercenary in every sense of the word. 

As much as I wanted to grab him around the throat and beat the answers out of him but the only way to get any real answers was to pay up. At this point, price didn’t matter. I’d spend every last dime if I needed too. I was going to take this as far as I possibly could. 

I paused for a moment before entering the station. It still made me uncomfortable, even if I was here for a purpose.

The inside of the station looked like every other one I had seen before, albeit most of the time usually in cuffs. It was slightly odd being on this side of things. I did my very best to push my anxiety aside as I moved towards the front desk. I was on a weeks long bender at this point and I probably looked like a homeless person and smelt like a distillery more than anything else. 

I forced a smile as the officer sitting behind the desk absentmindedly looked up, “Excuse me, Sir,” I placed a few folded bills on top of the desk and pushed them in his direction, “If it isn’t too much trouble, could you point me in the direction of Officer Williams, please?”

After shooting me a somewhat disgusted sideways glance, he thrusted his thumb towards the back of the station, going back to his paper without so much as a word. 

”Thanks. Appreciate it.” I scoffed, only half serious.

There was a lot riding on this meet up, more than I cared to admit as I made my way towards the back of the station. I had called in favors and exhausted all my possibilities up to this point. If this proved to be a dead end, I was back to square one with absolutely nothing to show for it.

Officer Williams’ desk was immaculate, not a single piece of paper out of place. It struck me as someone who kept a very structured life. As if everything was down to a regiment. Meals at the same time ever day, probably the same with breaks at work. I got the feeling of an ex-military man. The type that never fully got out of the service.

I sat in the uncomfortable chair on the other side of his desk, waiting for the click clack of his type writer to stop before he looked up, a bored expression on his face, “Can I help you?”

”I sure hope so,” I responded, trying my best to keep my emotions under wraps as best I could, “There was a fire a few weeks back, four dead, including two children. I was wondering if you might have some information about it.”

Officer Williams looked me up and down for a tense moment, most likely trying to figure out what my angle was. “Yes, there was a fire, on the outskirts of the city. You some kind of report or something?”

”Or something.” I mumbled underneath my breath, “I’m looking for some answers. Call it a personal interest. I’m willing to pay handsomely for any information you might have.”

I watched his eyes light up as the gears started spinning in his mind, “Information such as that wouldn’t come cheaply. Not sure if a...vagrant such as yourself would have such funds.”

The man had balls, I had to give him that much. I suppose my hunch about him heading towards the highest bidder was well founded, “Money doesn't concern me much these days, if I’m being honest.” I very slowly and very carefully pulled an envelope out of my breast pocket, placing it on the desk in front of myself, “There’s twenty thousand here, another twenty if your information turns out to be...valuable.”

Without a word, Williams’ hand shot forward, clutching the envelope close to his chest, “There may be a few things I’ve heard.”

”Care to elaborate any?” I tried my best to remain stoic even though my frustration was ever growing.

”You didn’t hear this from me but-“ Williams paused for a moment, scanning over the room with his eyes to make sure no one was listening, “I’ve heard rumblings of a crew from Detroit. Word on the street is that there M.O. fits perfectly. Guns for hire. Or rather gasoline for hire. Nasty fellas, willing to work for the highest bidder regardless of the job.”

I drew in a deep breath as I leaned back in the chair, stretching my arms before resting them atop my head, “Any idea where these guys like to hang out? Maybe a bar or something of that nature?”

”From everything that I’ve heard, they run shop out of a hole in the wall place across the street from the train station. Seems to be their own little haven. They don’t take kindly to strangers.”

”Very few do,” I scoffed, “If this pans out like you think it will, I’ll be back in a few days with the rest of your cash.”

”No, not here.” Williams shifted in his seat, grabbing a pen a scribbling down an address, “Not here. Drop it off at this address.”

”Not a problem at all.” I took the piece of paper as I stood up, “Oh, and one more thing,” I leaned forward, flashing the handle of my pistol as I did, “If this proves to be a useless exercise, I will end you like you’re nothing.”

As hard as I tried, I didn’t get any rest on the way into Detroit. My adrenaline was pumping the entire time. Each time I closed my eyes all I saw was their headstones back at the cemetery in New York. I tried to push it into the back ground but it was always there, would probably always be there, stuck in the corners of my mind, right on the edges of my sight.

Truth he told, I want to kick the door down and murder every single one of them where they stood but that wouldn’t get me any answers. And I desperately needed answers. I needed to know who hired them. From everything I had managed to put together after leaving the precinct and speaking with Officer Williams, these guys certainly weren’t the brains of the operation. They were little more than rabid dogs let off the leash and pointed in a direction by someone. Unfortunately, that someone could have been anyone. One doesn’t live this life without making more than a few enemies and I had made plenty.

I always knew that the day would come that someone would be knocking at my door, ready to put a bullet in me but I never imagined anyone would go after my family. The last people that I had in this world. It was a cold, callous, calculated move. One to make sure I was pushed to the breaking point.

Whoever they were, probably hoped that I would crumble. That the weight of this would be too much and I’d collapse. They weren’t all that far off. I was barely keeping it together by now. Only held up by strong whiskey, even stronger drugs and the singular thought of revenge.

It was that singular thought that kept me going. Deep down I knew that it wouldn’t make any difference what so ever. They were gone and never coming back. No matter how badly I wished they would. No matter what I did. The hunt was the only thing that gave me purpose at this point. 

After stepping off of the train, I immediately moved to see the lights off across the street. Frustrated, I pulled my pocket watch out with a sigh. It was still a bit early now, the best course of action would be to find a place to settle down, maybe come up with some semblance of a plan for all of this. 

This wasn’t an endgame yet, just another step in hopefully the right direction. A lead to another lead if all went well. 

Deciding to skip the cab, I walked the streets for a bit before stumbling upon a quaint little motel a few blocks away. The place seemed quiet, only a couple of cars spaced out in the parking lot. There was a small diner beside the building, from what I could see through the windows, there was only one customer inside. 

After dispensing with the pleasantries and getting my room key, I slumped down into a surprisingly comfortable chair as soon as I entered the room. My body felt like it was weighted down right now, completely spent, running on little more than fumes right now. Sleep was something that escaped me lately. There would be plenty of time to rest when I was dead, I always seemed to reason with myself a little morbidly. Everything was a little too fresh still too be able to rest just yet.

I let out a groan as I pushed myself up from the chair, trying my best to shake myself awake as I did. Ok, time to try to put some of these pieces together. I couldn’t walk in guns blazing, I probably wouldn’t make it three steps inside. There had to be a way around that. From everything I had been able to learn about these guys, I wasn’t overly confident that cash could buy me any information either.

The more I thought about it, the heavier my eye lids seemed to grow. I pulled my pocket watch again as I yawned, taking a seat for a moment on the edge of the bed. Maybe, I’ll just lean back for a moment, close my eyes for a few minutes, I thought to myself. I stretched my arm underneath my head as I laid back, my feet still dangling off the edge of the bed. I was out before I could get my shoes off.

I awoke with a startle, propping myself up on my elbows as I let out a prolonged yawn. The sun had set at some point, leaving the room cast in dark shadows. I had no idea how long I was out for, it could have been only a few hours but it felt like I was asleep for weeks, a heavy grogginess weighing down on me.

After a moment of trying to collect myself, I pushed up off the bed, my body protesting every movement. I wanted to shut it down again, slip back under the covers and pretend that everything that was going on was nothing more than a bad dream. That, unfortunately, wasn’t the case at all. The nightmare wasn’t there when I was asleep, it was there when I was wide awake. I was living the nightmare. 

I made my way over to the small sink in the bathroom, leaning forward to splash cold water in my face in a vain attempted to get all the gears spinning again. I knew why I was here in Detroit but I was still struggling to place the how into the equation. There was some key to figuring this play out, a way that I can get the information that I need without tipping any one off or catching a bullet for it. 

Running a brush through my hair, I shut off my brain while I went about getting ready. Dwelling on it wasn’t helping matters any and no matter what plan I ended up going with, I was going to need to be, at the very least, clean and presentable. I laid out a suit atop the bed before hopping into the shower.

The entire time under the water, I kept my mind as blank as possible, forcing myself to think about how the Rangers were playing back in New York or what were Cubs’ fans going to do if the losing, oh so much losing, was going to continue or not. It was something that I needed. To get out of my own head for a little. Every day since the fire, I had been consumed by it, pushed forward by it. I was going to burn myself out, make mistakes I usually wouldn’t. Nothing got fixed that way. 

I dried myself off with a soft towel before stepping into the kitchen, reaching into the cabinet for a half empty bottle of whiskey. Some habits were harder to shake than others. I took the glass back into the bedroom, taking a sip before placing it on the nightstand and started to get ready. 

I finally shifted myself back to the task at hand. These guys weren’t the smartest but for what they lacked in brains they more than enough made up for in firepower and ruthlessness. I certainly wasn’t going to outgun them but it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility that I can a way to out smart them. Hell, this might even be one of those cases where a few stacks of bills could push things along. These thugs weren’t anything more than mercenaries after all. 

After a couple of minutes, I cinched my tie up before pulling my vest on and then my suit jacket. Pausing for a moment, I looked out the crack in the blinds, the street was mainly dark, a spot or two of lights shining through windows were visible like distant stars. Taking a deep breath, I pulled my bag from underneath the bed. Opening it up, I began to fill my vest pockets with stacks of cash. 

Well, nothing ventured, nothing gained, I said to myself before locking the door on my way out.

I was far more nervous than I expected to be as I stepped into the street. I couldn’t quite place it but I was getting an odd feeling that was snaking it’s way up my spine. Pushing the thoughts away as I lifted a smoke to my lips, flicking my lighter’s flame to life. It took a moment but I found a quiet spot to lean against the wall, half hidden in shadows as I watched the building across the street intently.

A few people walked in, looking about as tough as I was expecting. They all wore deep scars across their face and they didn’t even care enough to conceal their pistols beneath their jackets. They knew no one was going to mess with them here, this was their territory and they definitely knew it.

After a few more minutes if watching, I stubbed my cigarette out before tucking my hands into my pockets. I was taking a pretty sizable risk trying to pull this off. There was a whole lot on the line and at this point, I wouldn’t even give myself a fifty-fifty chance of this actually working. Best case scenario, I get what I came for. Worst case scenario, I don’t see daylight again.

I slowed my breath as best I could, trying to quiet my heart pounding in my chest. I took one more deep breathe as I reached for the door handle. It was now or never.

As soon as I stepped inside my senses were assaulted by the smell of stale smoke and old beer. An old jukebox thumped loudly in the corner, just loud enough that everyone had to yell over it to be heard. There were fifteen or so stuffed into the small space but there was a worn stair case and long hallway that housed more, I was sure of that. 

It took a moment for them to realize that there was a stranger among them but as soon as they did they swarmed like ants protecting their queen, circling around me, some with knives in their hands, others with guns. I very slowly and very calmly held my jacket open with both hands, “Gentlemen, gentleman, please relax a bit. Im here for business and as you can tell,” I did a quick turn, lifting up my jacket in the back as I did, “I come unarmed.”

I should have been expecting it but, the shove in my back caught me off guard, sending me down to the floor on one knee, “Who the fuck says you can do business here?!” A gruff voice called from the crowd.

”Well, to be honest, this does.” I stood slowly, holding one of the stacks of bills that I had stuffed into my pocket earlier in my outstretched hand now, “Here, take it. There’s more where that came from if you can handle...a little problem of mine.”

I could hear the hushed whispers and murmurs as they noticed that cash in my hand. I couldn’t make out any words from the group but I guessed things were going in the right direction when they lowered their weapons to their sides if not put them away altogether. There was a long awkward pause before a short man pushed through the crowd. He seemed smaller than everyone else but there was a certain weight behind his eyes, a look that said you better not be fucking with us without actually having to say the words. The man obviously held some weight around here as everyone else took half a step back and stopped talking altogether. 

He looked me up and down for a moment, craning his neck a bit to look upwards as I stood a solid four or five inches taller than him. He slowly reached into his back pocket as I held my breath. It was possible that I read the situation wrong and he was going to kill me on the spot and just take the cash but I was pleasantly surprised when he pulled out a cigar, biting off the end of it before reaching for the lighter in his other pocket. “What makes you think you can walk in here and demand a meeting? We’ve no idea who or what the fuck ya are. Could be a cop. Could be a rat. Could be just about fucking anything now, can’t ya.” 

“Could be, but I’m not.” Try as I might, I couldn’t keep the smirk from showing in the corners of my lips, “I’m a business man, nothing more, nothing less. Would a cop or a rat walk in here with no protection? I don’t think so. I have some work I need taken care of. Dirty work if you will and I need the best.” I made another slow, deliberate move to reach for my other pocket as they flinched in anticipation, “Easy fellas, easy. Here, like I said, there is more elsewhere, take care of this for me and I will make sure that you are all rewarded nicely.”

The de facto leader snatched the money from my hand like a coiled snake, recoiling slightly as he flipped through the bills with his thumb. When he was sufficiently satisfied, he tucked the bills away and turned on his heels, beckoning me to follow him with a wave of his hand, “Follow me. Let’s iron out these details.” 

Well, that actually worked better than I had anticipated but I still wasn’t going to let my guard down fully. It was amazing what money could do around these parts but even cash didn’t take into account crazy. I assumed none of these guys got into this life by being the sanest members of society. This could still flip on a dime at any moment.

I followed the snake towards the back, past even more angry looking thugs, to a small office, just big enough to hold a desk and a couple of chairs. He sat first, motioning for me to take the other chair. “So, uh, how’d you find out about this little operation of ours? I mean, it’s not like we’re advertising or anything like that.”

I rested my hands on my knees as I drew a slow breath, no need to lose my mind now, I was already far enough in it, “Like I said earlier, I need the best. And when you’re the best,” uh, the words hurt to say, stoking his ego, “word tends to travel. Whether or not you mean or want it too. I will say, I do have my reservations though.”

”Aye!” He snapped back, “And what might they be?”

”Im a simple business man. What needs to be done. I can’t have that falling back on me. Cant even have the tiniest hint that I may be connected. What I need is...” I paused for a moment, trying to find the right words, drawing this little dance out, “References. Past jobs. Now, I’ve only heard of a couple, was pretty much blind luck that I put two and two together.” I lied, “What was the last job you did?” I could see the questions start running through his mind, so I quickly diverted. Reaching into my pockets I pulled out the rest of the cash I had on me, placing it atop the desk, “And of course, name your price.”

I saw the gears stop turning and his eyes grow wide as soon as I placed the cash down. “Oh, I think we can work something out here. We take care of some side things here and there. Shops that can’t pay for the right to be protected, things like that. Had a guy out Vegas way, Lundstrom or something, wanted us to take out a rival. A couple of guys out New York way, James, uh, James something, big time guy, has something to do down at the docks. Of course, the Gambrelli’s. Do a bunch for them in and out of the city.”

I had ties to all three names he said in some form or another but nothing stuck out. At least nothing I could see that warranted what happened. It was another step though, another clue. Things were bleak but they weren’t completely dark yet. There was still a trail here.

”I heard about some big fire just outside the city a few months back now, big mansion, torched the whole thing to the ground. Was that you guys?” I tried my best to keep my eyes down as I spoke. I knew if I met his, I’d give myself away.

”Oh, hell yea that was us!” He bragged, so goddamn proud of himself, the fucking animal, “Thing went up like a damned tinder box. Hot fire. Reds and blues and greens. Ah, that was a fucking fun one!”

”Oh yea?” I somewhat growled, gripping the arm rest of the chair tight enough that my knuckles turned white, “Heard there was a family or something like that inside.”

”Ya heard, right!” He chuckled making my stomach turn, “The screams, my god! I’d never heard anything like that before. It was a job from, uhm, damn, who was it again? They wanted to send a message to some guy. Dick something or another. Grays? I don’t know. Actually, come to think of it-“

I moved in an instant, before he could even finish his sentence. The chair skidded away from me as I pushed forward, grabbing the back of his head with my left hand as I forced the blade in my right deeper into his throat. I held him there as I watched his eyes begin to fade, the color draining completely from his face before the eyes went dark, lifeless. It wasn’t exactly what I had intended to happen but as slow witted as he was, he was about to figure things out and I couldn’t have that. 

Picking up a few of the bills, I wiped my hands and the blade off before tossing them away. Small price to pay, I thought to myself. Now I just have to figure a way out of the rest of this mess. I shut the lights off in the office after checking to see if my hands were as clean as I could get them. The noise in the bar had picked back up to what it was when I first entered. I was hoping that enough was going on that I could slip out unnoticed. I kept my head low as I pushed through, trying to draw as little attention as I could to myself before making it outside with a relieved sigh. 

I made my way back across the street under cover of darkness before my feet stopped altogether, freezing me on the sidewalk outside of the train station. I immediately knew why they wouldn’t take me any farther. Removing one of them, even if it seemed to be their leader, wasn’t going to stop anything. God knows he wasn’t the only guilty one there. Nothing would change. They’d still take on jobs. They’d still destroy lives and families. 

Circling back around the building, I grabbed a piece of metal from the trash, as quietly as I could, jamming it between the door and the wall, making sure that there was no way at all to get out of the building that way. I kept moving around the building until I reached the front, finding a couple pieces of discarded wood and did the same as I did around back.

It seemed slightly poetic as I knocked the gas can over with my foot, sending its contents splashing and spilling underneath the door. I wasted no time at all in bringing a smoke to my lips before taking a long drag and flicking it away. The flames immediately coming to life, dancing and licking at the building. I waited as the smoke rose, leaning my back against a building across the street as I took small drags from another smoke. Listening to the screams and cries mixing with the crackle of the flames.

We all get our due one way or another.

Things changed rather abruptly after I burnt the bar down in Detroit. I settled in Philly for a bit, met Elle and built up the Answering Service. Coincidentally, burned that to the ground also. Set off a blood vendetta with the Gambrellis, one of the biggest goddamn families on the east coast. An entire family that would burn everything to the ground just to prove a point. 

It made life more than a little hectic at times. A constant shuffling around from place to place, rarely spending even more than a single night in one hotel, in one city. A near ending shuttle of head lights along the back roads.

Sleep was nearly nonexistent and when it did come, it was short and jumpy. Every little sound causing my heart to leap. A permanent heightening of the senses. It all made for a terrifying world. 

That’s why I made the move to bring in Slade. It was reckless and dangerous.

Dangerously stupid. 

I knew what I was getting into, but that didn’t make it an easier pill to swallow. Everything I stood for, or at least thought I did, thrown out the window. Any thought that I might be helping someone, anyone, somehow, gone. In one very, very expensive bid to save my own neck. 

I know Slade. Learned from him before I truly knew what he was. What he is. A nightmare. What the monster’s nightmares are made of.

A true psychopath like him isn’t supposed to be real. He’s supposed to be what the ghost stories are all about, not a living breathing killing machine. Where the stench of death floats around him like an aura and he enjoyed it.

And I just let the rabid dog of its leash. Pointing him at families. Wives, children, aunts, uncles. I pointed him like a loaded rifle without a safety and removed generations from existence.

But it wasn’t just me that I was buying free now. It was Elle_E_Ott as well. Somewhere along the way we became connected. A package deal. One of the very few that I trusted with my life in their hands. It suddenly made all the background noise, all of the static, turned down a notch. A little quieter. The heart resting more. A calmness in the constant rocking of blackened seas.

We grew together. We weren’t the people we were back in Philly. We couldn’t possibly be. Too much had changed, shifted beneath our feet. But there was always one thing there, each and every time, with everything that had happened. The travel, the sleepless nights, the drunken tabs. We always had the other to fall back on. One to carry the other when need be.

It was almost over. I kept having to repeat it over and over in my head. Hold out a little longer.

Just a little longer.

Everything has been set in motion, there’s nothing that could be done. Then I’ll rebuild, I reasoned with myself somehow, when it’s all over and done with, that’s when I will make up for all this bad.

When the knock at the door came, it snapped my thoughts back causing my pulse to jump. My fingers instinctively wrapping tightly around my colt as I shot a glance over at Elle, our eyes locking quickly. I took slow calculated steps towards the door, hiding behind it while Elle stepped to the side, using it as cover. 

Ducking my head around the door, I spied no one there but a folded newspaper held together with an elastic there. Quickly snatching it, I shut the door with my foot before turning back quickly. 

“That’s- thats a bit odd.” I stumbled as I slipped the rubber band off, “It’s dated for tomorrow.”

Folding the paper open, another small piece fell out floating towards the floor as my I gasped out loud, my breath catching in my throat. The headline read, in dark black letters, “Gambrellis no more! Generations brutally tortured and slain!”

My hands began to shake as my mind spun, reading the words over and over again, slowly forcing itself to process what I had truly done. What evil I unleashed on the world. I could feel the cracks forming, splintering, growing sharper, wider. 

With trembling knees, I bent to pick up the paper from the floor. I let out a pained groan, “Fuck. He wants us in New York tomorrow night. Eight o’clock sharp. Says to bring the rest of his due.”

I felt everything in my body drain as I dropped the newspaper to the floor, leaning my back against the wall as I slid down it. “What the fuck did I just do, Elle?”

"Exactly what you had to." 

It weighed on him, it would always weigh on him, and there was nothing she could do about it. They'd had this conversation before, different versions of it, but it all came round to the same thing, again and again. 

There was just no other way out of this.

Elle crouched down to level herself with Dick as he sat there against the wall, placing one hand on his shoulder as the other reached for the newspaper and spun it around so that she could read it. The headlines, blocky and large, left the pads of her fingertips stained with black ink. The rest of the paper's contents were jibberish, nonsensical words printed at random in the form of paragraphs. A novelty newspaper, one Slade had had printed up solely to taunt Dick Grayson. He'd gotten half the cash up front, and this appeared to be his first expenditure with it. Elle looked over at Dick again, gave his shoulder a firm squeeze, then stood up, extending her arm and her open hand towards him.

"Come on. The bank opens soon, and we need to get Mitch and Margo down there. If they're hungover again, that's going to take some work." She smiled at him, and when he finally made it to his feet, she embraced him in a tight hug. It was pointless saying everything would be okay. It wasn't going to be, and it may never be. She could help him learn to live with it, though. That, she could do.

It wasn’t all that hard to get Mitch on board with the plan. It didn’t take much to convince him of an opportunity to double his cash, especially in his walking the line between sober and drunk and all the dirt that Elle and I had dug up on him. Dirt that he would most definitely pay to keep under wraps. Sure, the drunken slob didn’t really like it but, that wasn’t anything he could do and he accepted that without a fight, just a surly standoffish demeanor.

Elle and I left them back in Chicago after tucking away the cash. They didn’t need to be around for this part and really, neither one of us wanted them around. The less they knew the better. Besides, it wasn’t smart to bring anyone else into Slade’s ring of hell. Knowing Slade the way that I did, it was just as possible he was luring us in to kill us. He did promise me that if I ever saw him again.

For a brief moment I thought of ditching Elle and slipping away before she realized. She’d kill me herself if I ever tried that now. We’re in this together at this point.

We took the train into the city, the same sinking despair gripping my muscles tightly. It had been a while since we had been back. We drew too much heat here. Hopefully, that was taken care of now. The last of the cash putting it over the finish line. 

I tried to focus as best I could but the closer we made it to Manhattan, that haze surrounding me seemed to grow thicker. A mix of unsettled nerves and energy, my anxiety sky rocketing as I habitually clipped the briefcase with my heel every so often just to make sure it was still there.

Thank god that I could grip Elle’s hand a little tighter each time to bring me back down a bit. The next few days were going to be rough. 

Nothing about New York had changed, but it certainly had in Elle's eyes. After the pair had disembarked the train in Manhattan, it took her several minutes to convince herself that every stray glance, each random brush of a shoulder didn't harbor some ulterior motive. She squeezed Dick's hand every few moments, unaware she was doing it. The briefcase in his opposite hand may as well have been a lead weight, dragging them both down with every step.

Wordlessly, Dick hailed a cab. Elle knew without asking that the destination was going to be a questionable one. Some flophouse of a hotel, maybe a hole-in-the-wall bar, or diner. Elle was trying to remember the last full night of sleep they'd gotten, or the last decent meal that wasn't eaten hastily on the run, and she couldn't do it. The worst part of this little revelation, was that they might never get around to having either again. It wasn't just the danger of what lie ahead, but the ever-present danger of what was currently sitting next to her in the back of the cab.

Elle turned her head slightly, studying Dick's tense profile. His eyes looked everywhere, absorbing everything then quickly dismissing all the visual clutter New York had a tendency to shove at you. He'd always been brooding, highly-strung. Elle wasn't sure he could ever shake it off. Especially now, with all that was coming. Regardless of everything he'd told her, all his actions to the contrary so far, she just wasn't entirely convinced there'd be room for her, once the guilt took up permanent residence in his heart.

The cab slowed with a squeal of brakes. Elle had been so deep in her own thoughts, she'd never seen or heard Dick give the driver an address. She looked out the passenger window, then at Dick.

"This is the place?"

“I think so.” I stated coldly as I kept my eyes diverted, a certain tension hanging on my words. “Wouldnt put it past Slade to fuck the whole thing up just because.”

I slowly exited the cab, making sure that Elle was positioned behind me just in case. When my feet hit pavement and I didn’t have a fresh hole in my head, I figured at the very least, he would want his cash first. I paused for a moment, debating whether I should send the cab away with her still inside or not. Deep down I knew it wouldn’t matter. If Slade was dead set on this, it wouldn’t matter where I sent her or where she ran too. He’d find her and end her. Most likely in some horrific fashion.

I kept a tight grip on the case. That was really the only ace in the hole I had. Slade might have been a monster but he had certain rules, a code that he lived by. The main point being get paid. As long as I had the cash on hand, I was hoping that would be enough to buy our way out of here.

Reaching back, I took Elle’s hand in mine, keeping a firm grip as I helped her from our ride. I didn’t say anything because, well, I didn’t know what to say to her. I tried to convey everything through the death grip I had but I wasn’t sure she was getting the message. As fucked up and messy these last few weeks and months had been, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her.

She had to know that. Right now more than ever.

I took slow deliberate steps as I scanned the area in front of the beat up old doorway. There weren’t any obvious signs of things to avoid other than the entire situation that we found ourselves in. We were in the shittier part of town, the run down part. The kind of place where every other window had been smashed out by something or someone. The type of place that held the stench of death. In general, a place I would usually try to avoid at all costs.

Slade would have known that though. He’d do whatever he had in his arsenal to screw with my nerves, to throw my senses off. That was a big part of why Elle was here now. Even with how dangerous this was, she kept my grounded. Gave me a reason to get through this. She was a guiding light, a beacon in the darkness. I only hoped that when this was truly over and done with, that we could start from scratch. Build ourselves a life that we hadn’t been able to before now.

”In for a penny, in for a pound.” I stopped myself as I reached for the door handle, letting go of her hand as I spun on my heels. I caught her slightly off guard as I kissed her deeply, “I promise this will all be over soon, Love. I promise.”

My sense of dread heightened as I stepped into the dimly lit room. A single chair sat in the center, bathed in a single light. The head of the Gambrelli family sat there, slightly slumped over. Fresh blood covered the old dried wounds. Slade had done a number on him. Which I really wasn’t surprised by. He wasn’t one to do things half assed.

”Ahh, Grayson. And wench.” Slade’s voice came from somewhere deeper in the building that I couldn’t place, making my skin crawl all over again, “Are you finally ready to do what needs to be done.” Unfortunately, it wasn’t a question, it was a dangerous statement.

The kiss caught her off guard, but the words that accompanied it, even moreso. Could he really promise such a thing? Confidence was one thing. This was, well. Insanity.

"Sure thing." Elle barely mumbled the words as Dick opened the door. Stale air surrounded them as they entered, with the telltale coppery scent of blood underlying it. The last living Gambrelli sat in a lone chair, bloodied and battered. Slade was in the shadows somewhere, and it wasn't long before the vocal taunts began. 

”Ahh, Grayson. And wench. Are you finally ready to do what needs to be done?" 

Elle waited for Dick to reply. When he didn't, she turned her head to look at him. He was staring at Gambrelli, utterly lost in thought. Elle could almost see them, the memories of those that had been taken from him. The fresh losses were there, too, the countless collateral deaths that never should have come to pass. 

They'd had to, though. They'd had to, and here they were, and no one was moving, and Slade was on a rant about Dick having no balls when push came to shove, and there was a screaming in her own head and there was only one way to silence it now. Light as the gentle snap of a fallen fall twig underfoot, Elle's mind broke. 

"Peach." A push of air, hardly a word crossing her lips. She'd had enough, and could take no more. She pulled the gun from the waistband of Dick's pants and fired, placing a crimson rosebud of a stain high on Gambrelli's chest. He gurgled a little, convulsed, then stilled. There was a long stretch of silence before Slade spoke. Elle wasn't understanding his words, but the sound of him cocking his gun sure got through loud and clear, and Elle knew that, no, it wasn't over, would never be over for Dick, because Slade wasn't going to let it go. Shooting Elle in front of him was going to be too much fun for him to pass up. 

I didn’t have any time to react, but that was what Slade wanted. This was a long con for him, nothing more. Make a ton of cash doing what he does best and wipe us out at the end. 

Diving towards Elle, I caught her hip with my shoulder, sending us both crashing to our left as I heard the fucking bullet wiz by our heads.

Ah, fuck, Slade wasn’t going to like that. There were few things in this world that set him into more of a rage than missing a shot. Usually, it didn’t happen. I doubt he was going to make that mistake again. I wasn’t going to let him. He was cocky, arrogant and obviously more than a little crazy. He made a mistake, one I was going to have to pounce on if we wanted back out of this building.

He gave himself away with the shot and knowing him, it didn’t bother him all that much. We were still in his territory, fighting the way that he wanted. One of the things that Slade taught me that stuck above all else was, always, always have a backup plan. No matter what, have a plan B at the ready.

I noticed the charges when we walked in. I was hoping that Slade wanted them for the final clean up. Bury everything in a pile of broken glass and rubble but I was clearly mistaken. They were there to bury us. 

Still lying atop Elle, I fired towards where the shot originally came from. In the dark, it was more of a hope and a prayer than anything else but I got lucky. Probably luckier than I ever had before.

The explosion was deafening and brighter than I expected. The white hot flash blinding me for a moment until my eyes readjusted to the dimness again. There was a small moment of silence that seemed to stretch on and on before the pained groan reached my ears.

“Stay here.” I pushed down on the small of Elle’s back lightly as I stood, a slight ringing in my ears. The building creaked and protested as I moved slowly, weary of any other charges that were most likely set up at the building’s weak points. 

I let out a long sigh as I spied Slade buried in rubble from the waist down, his out stretched arm desperately reaching for the detonator that was just out of his reach. He knew as well as I did, and he buried all of us and count that as a win for himself, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

Stomping my heel down hard, I heard the crunch of bone and sinew as his forearm snapped underneath my weight. He was nothing more than a monster, one that didn’t deserve anything to be quick and painless. He deserved to suffer just as badly as he made those I pointed him at suffer. 

“You could have just taken the money, Slade. Left it all be.” I kicked the detonator away as I knelt down beside him.

Slade did something than that shocked me and shook me to my core. He laughed. Not the laugh of a defeated man, one that knew he was going to die. The laugh of a true psychopath that still figured he was crazy enough to get out of this mess, “Come-come on now, Grayson.” He managed to cough out, the smoldering rubble doing more damage than I thought it did, “This was always how this was supposed to end. It was always going to be me- me or you. But it’s not over ye-“

I slammed my blade down hard, harder than I expected before he could finish the sentence. Plunging it through his eye in one swift motion. It might not have been the drawn out, painful ending that he deserved but it was the ending that he got. He body spasmed for a brief moment before he exhaled a puff of air before falling limp.

”Elle.” I called out, “It’s over.”