The pub is crowded as always. I walk breaching the crowd to reach where Andy is. He deliberately choose more isolated place where there is less people and less light. I put my bottle on the table first before putting my bottom on the chair next to him.
"Everything's good ?" he asks, sipping his cocktail. I nod, taking a white envelope from inside of my leather jacket and giving it to him. He quickly reaches it and opens it under the table. "Why there is more than usual ? Do I get a raise ?" he asks jokingly.
I chuckle. "Nah.. that's only a bonus for some extra works you need to do to help me teaching that bastard," I answer him in light.
Andy snorts. "I'm more than happy to do it for free. That racist bastard really deserves that lesson," he says. I raise my bottle in the middle of the air and wait for Andy to cling his glass to it to act as my agreement to his statement.
We are talking about the Ferguson's racist bodyguard that now is probably facing his boss' murder charge. I usually don't scapegoat my act to anyone else. But once in a while, there are people that were so malevolent that pull my evil cord to give them a lesson.
"Thanks for the bonus," Andy eventually says while putting the envelope inside his shirt. "I'm going to Paris next week for a fashion week," he continues his words to inform me.
I glance at him. "They invite you ?" I ask. He chuckles.
"Who do you think I am to receive that kind of invitation ?" he answers me with a question. I laugh.
My laughter is subsided when the corner of my eyes see a silhouette is sneaking in between the crowd. I kind of recognize the figure, but i can't be 100% sure.
"Excuse me for a minute," I ask Andy's permission before leaving him alone to go to the backside of the pub where the silhouette disappears.
When I open the pub's back door, I hear a scream, "Let go of me !!" and some laughters that disdain the scream. Once I enter the dirty alley I see Jeanny, the striptease dancer standing with back facing the wall against four men who surround her. She is struggling to let herself go from the men's grips and touches.
"Hey.. Hey, guys.. why don't you let her go ?" I say to them indifferently. As I expected, the five men turn their body on me.
"Who are you ?" a guy asks, continued by other's barks, "What do you care ?!" and "Mind your own business !!"
I smile goofily to them. "Come on.. If you don't have money to pay the sluts, I will treat you," I say to them. Those men let go their grips from Jeanny and approach me. Two of them pull out knives from their pockets.
"This guy requests dead"
"Let's teach him a les.. Aarrgh!!" The guy can't finish is words as I quickly twist his wrist that holding a knife down while kicking his fellas with double round kicks, make his body flying as well, following my body.
The other guy who also carrying a knife tries to stab me on my stomach. But before the tip of his knife even can scratches my jacket I kick his stomach hard. I dodge a punch that is hit by the last guy, then throw the first guy's body to him in one swing.
The two guys whom I just kicked stand staggeredly. Before they can focus their sights, I punch one of them right on his eyes while the other get my elbow on his jaw. The fourth guy is about to get up, but suddenly he is being hit by Jeanny with her bag.
After I make sure none of them is willing to make another attack, I approach the girl. "Nice move," I say to her. She puts her sling bag back to his shoulder. "Are you alright ?" I ask her just to make sure.
Instead of answering, she smirks at me. "Sure," she says. "You didn't have to help me. I could handle them," she continues her words with smug face then kicks a guy near him.
"Thanks anyway," she adds before leaving me just like that. I am so stunned with her response.
--------------------
A loud noise comes from a room right above my apartment wakes me up. "What the fuck ?!" I curse them. Another noise is heard when I'm about to close my eyes again. This time, it is followed by a muffled scream, then another noise, like something being thrown.
There should be a regulation that forbid people to argue after midnight, I curse again while raise my body to sit on the couch where I slept previously. But my curse stops when I hear running steps from right above me to somewhere above my front door. Something's wrong up there.
I don't have any intention to have a finger in the pie of what ever happen up there. But less than a minute later there are rushing steps sound on the alley in front of my apartment.
"Help.. help.. please, help.." a woman voice is hissing in high pitch, in panic knocking on my neighbor's door.
Well, it is an empty apartment. Actually, there are only two people renting on this floor, me and another guy who always works at night shift. So, literally, there is only me that can help her.
I grab my gun that lays on the coffee table then stand to approach the door. With the gun near my chest, I stand next to my door. Soon, the woman is knocking on my door.
"Help.. please let me in, please..." I open my door while pointing my gun on her. She is shock. Not only her. I am also shock to see who's in front of me.
"YOU !!" we both exclaim.