Jimmy walked down the street with a casual stride that made it appear as if he was blissfully unaware of the goings on around him. To the casual observer he looked like just another office worker walking home after a long day. In reality Jimmy’s was on high mental alert and his body was ready to spring into action as he glanced sideways into a storefront and once again saw the same man a short distance away attempting to tail Jimmy unnoticed. What worried Jimmy was that the man was just a bit too easy to spot. A less suspicious mind would likely pat themselves on the back for seeing the man and let themselves be lulled into a false sense of security in thinking they were prepared for any attack that might come their way. Jimmy, however, had survived as long as he had in a profession that tended toward short lifespans by having a very suspicious mind and always trusting his “bump of trouble” which was going off like a gong at the moment. 

Concluding that the man was a decoy meant to draw his attention from the real danger Jimmy began scanning the street ahead for a likely ambush point. Spotting a dark alley about fifty yards ahead Jimmy went over his options. He could avert his course but he suspected that the man following him and men lying in wait knew this was his normal path for the evening and if he changed it they would likely simply being to pursue him - taking the chance at getting a running shot off that would take him out rather than the hoped for quick and quite ambush kill. Worse, Jimmy may well lose the one advantage that he had right now - which was that those lying in wait did not know he was expecting them. 

Jimmy rarely carried a gun with him - he felt quite confident ending a man’s life with less conspicuous means if needed and did not like the idea of giving the cops a reason to tack on additional jail time if he was ever caught in one of his more colorful exploits. Tonight, however, he sorely wished he had brought the .38 snub nose that was gifted to him when he joined up with The Speakeasy family - if he was going to be outnumbered 3 or 4 to one with a likelihood of his attackers having their own pistols or worse it would be nice to have some firepower with him. Deciding it did not good to cry over spilled bourbon he casually put his hands in his jacket pockets and hunkered down slightly as if fighting off the chilly evening wind. The inside of the right pocket held a seam which allowed him to reach through and grab the dagger he had sheathed on the inside of the overcoat.

As he reached the alleyway he saw the briefest flicker of movement that confirmed his suspicions and thanked whatever higher power might looked over scoundrels and thieves that at least one of his attackers was less than skilled at keeping still in the shadows. Suddenly lunging toward the shadow he lowered his shoulder the rest of the way and took a man in the gut, throwing him back into the wall he had been hiding near. Ducking quickly he spun around as he pulled the dagger from his pocket. Seeing another man lunging at him from the other side he waited until the split second after the man moved forward to take hold of him before side stepping slightly to the left, and ducking under the man’s grasp. He then quickly took hold of the man from behind and pressed his dagger to his throat. Intending to use the man as a shield against any potential gunfire Jimmy whirled toward the entrance of the alley were new the other man would be running around the corner any moment. If they had another man waiting deeper in the alley he was done for and he knew it but he had to face the threat he knew existed and pray that there was not another behind. 

As expected the man came running around the corner and seeing one man on the ground and the other being held threateningly by Jimmy the man laughed and said to the man who was now slowly getting up from the ground rubbing his head where he had hit the wall, “You were warned he was dangerous in close.” 

Turning to Jimmy the man’s laughter disappeared and he said in a steely voice, “We were told to get you and bring you to the boss unharmed, but spill Mocker blood and all bets are off.”

Jimmy’s heart jumped slightly at the mention of the Mockers but calmed again as he took in the words - they weren’t here to kill him, just to gather him up. Why the boss couldn’t have just called him he didn’t know, but then why does a criminal mastermind do anything? 

Jimmy quickly released the man he was holding, kicking him in the back to propel him onto the ground a bit in front of him as he took a step back preparing for any retaliation from either of the men he had humiliated. 

“A simple call would have sufficed, why the theatrics and why does the old man want to see me anyway? I haven’t heard a peep in months and now he decides to reach out by setting thugs on me?”

Jimmy was waiting for a response and still deciding if he would even go with these men when two tree trunk like arms wrapped around him from behind, pinning his arms to his side - so there had been a threat from behind; maybe these guys weren’t as inept as Jimmy had assumed. 

The man with the steely voice smiled condescending and said, “Phones have ears and the boss doesn’t take chances. As for the rest - that’s for the boss to know and you to go fuck yourself until he says otherwise. Now, my friend here is going to put you down and you're going to follow us, real calm like, to the car parked just up the street. You will get in the car, be blindfolded, and keep your trap shut. Assuming you decide to take any other route my friend here is going to knock you out and you can take the trip in the trunk - your choice.”

Jimmy nodded his ascent and upon being put down he straightened out his clothing and regally bowed, “Lead the way gentlemen”. 

A short while later Jimmy felt the car pull to a stop and was guided out of the car and into a building where he was searched and relieved of his rather large assortment of knives before having the blindfold removed and being bid to sit down in an armchair in what was a rather nicely furnished sitting room. 

Taking a seat he only had to wonder a moment who he would be speaking to when a rather stately looking older gentleman entered the room and took a seat across from him. Speaking in a soft but commanding voice that was clearly used to being listened to the man began, 

“Good evening, who I am is unimportant but suffice it to say that I speak not for myself but for one to whom you owe a debt. When the debt was taken on you were informed that a day would come when a favor would be asked that only one of your peculiar talents could fulfill - that day has come and it is time for you to repay your debt. Do you accept?”

Jimmy was a bit surprised by the question at the end - after all, not accepting would have fairly dire consequences he assumed. That said, he had made up his mind before arriving that he would do whatever it was that needed done as long as it didn’t go against his oath to his family. Jimmy nodded, “A debt is owed and a debt shall be repaid - how can I be of service?”

Smiling almost warmly the old man spoke once again, “There is one who is privy to many things about the Mockers who has recently decided it would be in his best interest to share certain business practices with governmental agencies whose interest go against those of our organization and who could make life quite difficult for us if they were to learn what this man knows. We would like you to eliminate this threat.”

Jimmy was taken aback slightly by the request - not because he had any doubts about the ruthlessness of the Mockers or their willingness to kill a rat, or because he had any qualms about killing someone who needed killing  but because he was one of the last people he would consider for a job of this kind. Jimmy was far from a modest man, but his skills lay in acquiring items others though unstealable, not in pest control. 

“I would think that the Mockers have people far more skilled at the type of work this calls for - it’s not exactly the type of work I’m known for after all. I’m called Jimmy the Hand, not Jimmy the Gun for a reason, ya know?”

The man gave a small chuckle at the bad joke and responded, “If we just wanted the man dead he would be dead - even with the protection he has right now. What we need, however, is for him to die in a way that doesn’t have our fingerprints on it while under the protection of the US Marshals. We need someone who can get in quite, do what needs to be done, and get out just as quietly. That’s where your talents come in.”

Jimmy thought it over and nodded, he could understand the logic. The Marshals were cracking down hard on booze smugglers and Jimmy knew that was a large source of income for the Mockers. If this guy was about to squeal to save his own neck the Marshals would make sure he wasn’t easy to get to and if the Mockers attacked straight on and ended up killing a Marshal the heat they would get would be more than even an organization as powerful as the Mockers could handle. Even if a Marshal wasn’t killed if it was clear the Mockers took out the witness it would give the Marshals the leverage they needed to get judges to start signing off on warrants that could make business difficult. 

Jimmy spent the rest of the evening studying up on everything about the target, the house he was currently staying in with his 24 hour guard, and what was already known about the routine of the Marshals protecting him. The next evening he spent scoping out the house and adding to the extensive knowledge the Mockers had already provided him. He would have liked more time but that was the one thing the Mockers weren’t able to give him. 

On the third night he put his plan into motion - but he didn’t start at the safehouse. Instead, he made his way to the small neighborhood on the north side of town where the man lived with his wife and young son. Creeping along in the shadows until he reached the well maintained house Jimmy picked the lock on the front door and made his way silently inside. A short time later, his mission accomplished Jimmy crept just as silently out of the house and made his way across town to the rather drabby looking safehouse currently harboring the informant. 

Waiting until just after one of the hourly patrols around the house Jimmy made his was to the back window to the bedroom where the man slept and peaked inside. As he hoped the man was sleeping soundly so Jimmy jimmied the lock on the window and crawled quietly inside. Approaching the man on the bed he quickly covered his mouth and as the man’s eye’s shot open in surprise he put his .38 to his head and whispered, “Stay quite and you and I can have a chat - get loud and I have nothing to keep me from pulling this trigger, got it?”

Wide eyed the man nodded and Jimmy slowly removed his hand from his mouth ready to make good on the threat should the man scream out - the Mockers might prefer the death to not be able to be tied back to them but they would take a dead informant that might be attributed  to them over a living informant that would certainly point back to them. Once he was sure that the man was going to stay silent he pulled two photographs from his inside pocket and laid them on the bed in front of the man. The man gasped silently and a tear welled up in his eyes. 

The first picture showed his wife sleeping peacefully in their bed. Laying at the foot of the bed over the covers she slept contently under was a dead rat with a knife through its midsection. The other was a similar picture but featuring his young son. 

Whispering menacingly Jimmy said, “You broke your oath and a price must be paid. You, however, have a choice on how that price is meted out. You can be a coward as well as a rat and let your family pay the price for your deeds, or you can be a man and pay that price yourself. What’s it going to be.”

The man seemed to deflate in front of him before looking up with a broken determination in his eyes. Speaking with a slight Irish accent the man said, “I did what I did and I should have known what would happen. If I do the stand up thing will ya guarantee that my wife and boy will be left alone?”

Nodding Jimmy motioned for the man to stand and directed him to the small writing desk in the corner of the room. After dictating a note to be found by the Marshals he directed the man to the closet and watched as he fashioned a noose out an extra sheet, tied it around his own neck and the high bar in the closet, and then allowed his own weight to slowly suffocate himself. Once sure the man was dead Jimmy made his way out of the room, quietly off the property, and then quickly to the nearest bar he could find - he needed a stiff drink.