I shake my head at Eli and zip the hoodie over the bulletproof vest before checking to make sure the knife that’s strapped in my cargo pants pocket is secure, then I grab the bag of counterfeit money out of Eli’s truck.
Show time.
Loose gravel crunches under my boots as I stride over to the derelict warehouse to meet the dealer who slips out of his car the moment I come into his view. A short guy with floppy brown hair comes to stand before me with a bag tucked tightly under his arm.
“You Jay?” He asks whilst tipping his head at me.
“Yeah, that’s me. Got what I asked for?” I keep my voice even so as not to alert him of my plan.
“Two grand’s worth of snow.”
I nod before gesturing to the bag. “You mind if I have a look?”
The man shuffles on his feet before plonking the bag on the hood of his car, then proceeds to unzip it to reveal stacks of heavily wrapped cocaine.
“It’s pure? No cutting?” I question as I check the white powder. I couldn’t give a fuck if its pure or not. My main goal is for him to give up anything about his boss.
“Of course it is. Only the finest from my boss.” The guy says with a frustrated tone, and that’s when I make my move. Swiftly I drop the drugs back in the bag and send my elbow flying into the dealer’s face which causes him to stumble on his feet before hitting the floor with a heavy thud. Blood pours profusely from his nose and he tries to use his hand to stop the heavy flow but it’s no use, I’ve already got him by the scruff of the neck, my arms clamping tightly around his throat to cut off the flow of oxygen.
He scrambles in my arms, his limbs flailing aimlessly to try and pull me off him but I easily overpower his thin frame. After a couple of seconds, the weight of him becomes limp and heavy and I drop him back down onto the floor, then signal to Eli.
“Storm. The dealer is down. Grab the stuff.”
“Heard. On route.”
“Shit. He’s a bit blue isn’t he.” Eli says behind me, his gaze travelling over to the guy who’s currently having a quick nap on the gravel floor.
“Shut the fuck up man. Let’s get him strung up somewhere before he wakes up.”
“You’ll be lucky if he does wake up!” Eli chuckles out before making his way further into the dark warehouse, leaving me to grab the dealer with his ankles to drag him into the damp space.
Chains and metal support beams make up the ceiling of the abandoned warehouse with broken windows lining the outside walls which allow beams of moonlight through to illuminate the grim looking floor. There’s also a metal hook hanging from one of the iron beams which I use to hang the dealer from after securing his wrists in handcuffs from Eli’s bag. His feet swing inches from the floor whilst his head hangs heavily between his shoulders.
“This is the real shit you know?” I hear Eli say as he cuts openthe brick of cocaine before running the finely milled powder between the pads of his fingers.
“Yeah? I wonder how much of this shit he’s pumping out onto the streets then?” I say whilst unzipping the hoodie and throwing it onto the floor with the bags containing our weapons.
“Fuck knows man. We just need to know what else he’s dealing in. Kidnapping Ana doesn’t benefit his drug business, there must be something else that we’re missing.”
The mention of Ana’s name has me gritting my teeth until they ache. I’ve gone over a month now without her by my side. A month of my soul being empty like a barren wasteland. Everyday she infiltrates my mind, the sound of her voice and the way she laughs at absolutely nothing in particular.
“We’ll get her back man.” Eli says, breaking me out of my trance, his hand landing heavily on my shoulder.
“Oh I know we will. I’ll do whatever it takes. Starting with that fucker over there.”
The chains clang together as the dealer comes round from his loss of oxygen induced sleep.
“Where.. where the fuck am I?” He mumbles and I watch Eli dip into the weapons bag to grab my mask before extending it out towards me.
“Ready to strike Viper?”
Taking the mask from Eli’s grip, I slip it over my head, leaving only my burning green eyes in view.
“Let’s do this.”
There’s a familiar darkness that slips over my mind the moment I put on the mask, like it’s got its own personality, its own brain and thought process. Strangely, it gives me a sense of calm, like I’m able to shut off my own mind for a moment and sink into that darkness that I’ve been too ashamed to admit that I’ve missed.
Don’t get me wrong, my life has been significantly better since I leftthislife behind. I’ve been able to live a life without the fear of constantly looking over my shoulder in case a hit lands on my head from angry clients. Now I’ve got something worth living for, a woman who brings happiness and love into my dark world. Both of which are something that I’d never thought I’d get to experience again with someone.
