"I’ll rip his head off, I swear to God. He took away the woman of my dreams, and now she’s my Lost Paradise.”

Where I’m going, I’ll find out where this fucker took her. I’m done sleeping alone at night where a Goddess once laid next to me. I’m coming, I’m on my way, babe.

When I arrived at Pool Hall, a joint where you can find the right answers from the wrong people, I parked my convertible outside the building. Frank, the bouncer, biggest man I’ve met and yet I could still take him. Frank didn’t even ask anything from me, not because I’ve been here before, no. Frank has heard of what I’ve done to people, people who wrong me or thought themselves invincible and tried to come at me. Big mistake.

I grab me a seat at booth so no one will bother me. I’m not in the mood for pool. Shelly comes by to offer me everything on the menu, but I’m just here for a Jack and Coke and some info.

“Ever heard the name, Olivia Seli? Fine woman. Shy but beautiful when she wants to be, no offence to you Shelly.

Shelly gives me that smart ass look like I said something dumb, and I did but just couldn’t realise it, “I’ll go find out in a sec, Brune.”

Shelly… an angel disguised as a mother of four and more to come. Shelly could mean the world. It’s too bad I already got me a woman … Olivia, where’d you go?

In that moment I had to leave, go somewhere to stop thinking about her. I charge to the bathroom and everyone pushes themselves out of my way, as if I were a tractor ready to plow anyone in the way. No one was in that janky shitter but me, so I crush the soap dispenser. The plastic shards cut my hand good, and I like it. The violent pain gives me a damn strong rush, one that helps me forget my Olivia.

I clean off the blood with toilet paper and whatever soap didn’t spill on the floor. This place can’t keep up with its paper towels. I return to my seat with a tall glass of liquid gold, and I slam it like water, and Shelly comes to replace it with another. She knows me too well.

I slam that one too before she goes off, “Brune, I talked to some of the guys in back. They heard of your wife leaving someplace this morning with some guy down here a few nights ago. She looked stressed and having a hard time just sitting still, kept her hands moving.”

“They sure it was her?”

Shelly could see my intent ready to strike bombs on whoever this guy is, “Yeah, and the guy wore sunglasses indoors. Slick back hair, and the money to spend on her. I’d never seen him and neither had they. He dressed well though.”

“Thank you, Shelly.” I rise in a heavy motion, as if I were a monster. A real lunkhead of a man, and tonight I smelt something foul. This man took away my woman, and I ain’t stopping till she’s mine.

Shelly’s cold hand pulls me before I head out, “You gonna be good, Brune, Sweetie? Don’t go looking for something you ain’t ready for. You’ll hurt someone, or worse yourself.”

I encase her hand with both of mine as if she were a child, “Don’t you worry. Remember, I’m a nice guy.”

I smile and trudge out of Pool Hall pissed as hell. Whoever this slicker is, he better like the taste of boots when I find him. The problem now is, they could be anywhere… Olivia, where’d he take you? Why now? Things been rough at home, and I’m not perfect, but they weren’t bad. Never hit you or nothing. You didn’t run off on me, no. Someone stole you and now I gotta find him.

Two clowns who thought being a meathead and outnumbering me meant they had leverage. Don’t go into a fight not knowing your enemy. If they had guns I’d be dead already, and I don’t see knives or steel pipes. Big mistake.

“Hey fellas?–?”

I swung twice so fast at both of their heads, my right went numb for a minute. Minutes pass and the two wake up next to another chained together. I bought them out near the outskirts of the state on the countryside. No one will find us here.

I bring out Switch, my switchblade, and he flicks out ready to cut, “So who wants to start?”

No one talks… until I cut the one on the left’s shin. Yeah, he ached in groveling pain, good. That’s what I like to hear.

“Alonzo, his name’s Alonzo, man.” I bet those chains and cuffs feel mighty fine while I gut his leg. I stab the other one in the leg and he yelps, but it’s useless out here.

“I don’t know where he is! W-We don’t know where he is!”

I twist the blade, and can feel the bone touch the tip of Switch, “Ah! Fine! He lives in Garrison Hotel, top floor. Swear, I swear!”

I smile, “Good to know.”

The horrid mess I left those two in would give anyone nightmares, hell, I know I’m getting them tonight. Whatever I don’t finish the Timber Wolves will eat. Plenty of them coming out near the outskirts of Verrick when people aren’t roaming around here. When the struggling stopped, I picked through their pockets in case they were holding out anything. Found both their phones, but

couldn’t get into them. Might as well visit ol’ Garrison Hotel. A luxury in the downtown area, but the top floor meant a mighty fall when I grab this sucker by the throat and toss him off. Olivia… I’m coming. A call comes through one of the goon’s phone.

No number listed, but I answer to listen, “Hey, Harris. You get it done or what? He dead?”

My mouth keeps shut like a portcullis as I listen to this sweet talking man-rat go on.

“Anyways, I got your payment down at the Garrison. Meet me at the top.”

He hangs up and I get moving on. Alonzo… I’ve heard that name before, don’t remember where though. He must be worth something to have my Olivia up there, hire those two, but where and why are the questions I need answer. I don’t have time for questions now!

A smooth drive of traffic that’ll eat away anyone’s patience and I arrived at the tower of power, Garrison Hotel.

I’m jumped before even reaching the place.

“Can I shoot him? Let me shoot him?”

That voice… the one on the phone. It’s him. I haven’t opened my eyes yet and I already know who he is: Alonzo. Bastard had the same scratchy voice, like nails clawing at a chalkboard. I’d choke him if it weren’t for these goons holding me down, and my eyes covered with their dry, cracked hands.

“Leave him, Alonzo. Just get rid of him.”

That voice! Olivia!

“Olivia! Olivia! Hey, what’ve they done to you? Tell me please,” I said, struggling to push myself up against these two ton dumbells of men. I get a smack across my jaw, a streak of my blood flies from my mouth to the floor. Even with my strength, I’m helpless against these two barrels of weight on my. I hate this feelings, fighting it knowing it’s pointless to struggle and tiring myself out.

“Would you stop you dumb oaf,” said Olivia. And of course I listen to her in confusion, halting my fight for freedom. “Alonzo, just get rid of him so we can leave but don’t kill him, please.”

Leave? With him? Why Olivia? I don’t understand, and I don’t think I want to either…

“Just let me toss him, Olivia,” said Alonzo. “I’ll just say he tried getting violent and tripped. No one will say otherwise, right?”

I’m comfortable with dying, no problems there. But what bothers me with this bastard deciding my fate. If I’m going it’s not going to be some fall, no. I’ll be loud with a hellstorm following behind me, blood-for-blood.

Then comes the weasel, striking my face and tearing open skin on my temple, sticking the barrel of his pistol in my mouth. I bet he got off on this. I can’t wait to get my fingers around his neck, crushing the life out of him, and reclaiming Olivia.

The clicking of heels echoed as if everything had halted. Olivia strolled towards us, “Let him be. Let’s just leave.”

“But… but,” said Alonzo.

He didn’t stand a chance against her, “I said let’s go,” said Olivia. Her heels trudged to the other room in silence, or so I believed. Nothing made sense to me in these moments.

Alonzo removed his cold pistol from my mouth, and the goons released me, but not before slamming their shoes into my face. I’ve had worse, but they beat me until I drifted in-and-out of unconsciousness. Hallways, rooms, blood; everything I could recall before the drive to what were my last moments. I’m sorry Olivia. I couldn’t save you or myself.

I woke up on leather seats in the back of, what I think is, a Tord Forrest. And I smell fish. I hate the smell of fish. But I see no cuffs or nothing tied around my wrist or ankles. Big mistake.

I try not to attract the mindless thugs attention while peeking out the window: a wharf and warehouse, meaning they drove down to Fourth Ward. They couldn’t kill me there with Olivia noticing, and this makes the clean up easier too. She loved me enough to save me, and buy some time before I hunted Alonzo down one last time. I love ya baby. We aren’t too far from the Hotel, so Olivia and the dead man, Alonzo, aren’t too far. Just got to wait for my moment with these two, killing one and saving the other for questions. You’d think the formula would change…

Tension drives me into sweat and anxiety. Might as well go out fighting, just the way I like it. So I reach for the passenger’s pistol while kicking the driver’s face with the drop on them. The car spun out, slamming against one of the warehouses. Crawling out of the Kord seemed like the right idea at the time, my muscles aching and weary. I don’t remember smelling of pure violence in my life, but when I roll out of the backseat unto the cold, hard cement, I laid there with a smile. But there wasn’t much time for savoring the moment, I hunched over before my body decided to act again. My jaw couldn’t move like before… must’ve fractured it, and the temple wound opened up and began to bleed a second time. I

had enough.

Both goons were either dead or knocked out, so I tossed out the driver and kept the passenger. No, I didn’t forget about their pistols either. I’ll need both pistols when the real fighting begins. I’m surprised no one showed up when the crash happened, not surprised though. If they need to keep bodies unseen then no one can be around to talk about them.

Scouting the car for any hidden surprises, I found me a gift when I popped the trunk open: two pump-action shotguns, with the shells to boot, laid there looking mighty fine. Bastard probably would’ve filled me those shells. A horrible way to go, but for the two goons though… •