Let's Fuck Things Up Together

"This isn't a place for kids, get lost." Didn't take long for someone to tell me that. I looked up from my seat and saw my unwelcomed guests; 3 guys with tribal tattoos on their upper arms and too many chains around them. Definitely criminals but then again, this bar was run by the boss of all criminals in this region so it wasn't a surprise. The man ordering me around had a distinctive cut above his right eye as well as mole under the same eye. I wasn't going to forget his face.

"I'm a paying customer. Won't you let me finish my drink before you throw me out? How about I buy you guys a drink as well?" If my offer was accepted then I would be pleasantly surprised. These guys were known to shoot first and ask questions later.

"How about you give us your money then leave?" Looks like they were done talking by the looks of it.

"I'll have to decline that offer but mine still stands." I took a sip of the sweet dry wine sitting in my glass.

"Fuck you." He pulled out a gun pointed it at my head. He didn't think twice before pulling the trigger and sending me flying off my seat. The entire bar was silenced for a moment while I laid on the ground. My head pained and the ringing in my ears didn't help but I was okay as usual. I took a breath and stood up then picked up the chair I was sitting and placed it back in it's original spot before taking my seat again.

"What the hell? Are you a magician?" He quickly asked me. At least he had something in that big head.

"That's a complicated question for me to answer." I took another sip then turned to face him but he raised his gun back at me. I quickly put my hand against the muzzle of the gun and waited for his next move.

"You've seen that your gun doesn't have any effect on me so if you pull that trigger then you'll lose your left hand, are you okay with that?"

"Go away Slinger." This time it was a female voice. It sent a terrifying chill through my body so I knew this was who I was waiting for.

"Yes ma'am." Slinger, glad I could put a name to the face. He turned around and led his gang to the opposite side of the bar.

"You shouldn't be here boy." I tried to not show the fear I was feeling as I faced her but I could tell that I was failing.

"I'm old enough." She looked younger than I expected her to be. Probably in her early 40's but her pictures on the internet were clearly outdated. The only pictures there were of her was when her husband, Damon 'The King' Porter, was still alive. He ran the criminal underworld in this region before his wife took over when he fell ill and eventually died.

"You're not from town, who are you?"

"My name is Jared Broad." Her eyebrows immediately rose at the mention of my name. She clearly knew who I was and what happened to my parents.

"Jared Broad, the one who got away now sitting in my bar. You do know there is a price on your head. If anyone in this bar recognized you then you'd be dead." The bounty on my head, I knew all about it. When I escaped, a warrant for my arrest was put out but it was quickly taken back when they realized that I had no part in what happened to the rest of my family. Someone then placed a bounty on my head which just about ensured that I was hunted wherever I went. Thankfully I had disappeared for the last 5 years so no one knew how I looked now that I grew up, well people would put it together sooner rather than later but I didn't care. I could take care of myself now.

"They're welcomed to try and kill me. I'm surprised you haven't ordered my capture yet as well."

"Where's the fun in that?" Suddenly she took a seat next to me. The bartender instantly handed her a drink then disappeared from her sight as quickly as he appeared.

"So, tell me a story." For someone who scared even the most bloodthirsty criminals, she didn't look like she had a care in the world. She didn't even have a bodyguard around her. Was she not afraid of anyone coming for her head?

"My sister sacrificed herself to save me. The government ordered my family's demise when my parents accidentally discovered their secret." I informed her then took a sip of my drink and looked ahead of me. There was a mirror behind all the different coloured bottles on the shelves so we could still see each other.

"Do tell."

"Can't be spilling all my secrets to the family who carried out the government's orders." A smile spread across her face as she took a sip of her drink.

"I'm just curious here but why did The King climb into bed with the government?"

"How do you think the president got elected?" That cleared up everything. He was a dark horse during that election but somehow he ended up beating not one but two of the most favoured candidates. They did the government's dirty work and the government turned a blind eye to their criminal underworld, within reason that is.

"This was pointless then." I released a sigh then drained the rest of the wine in my glass.

"So you are here to get revenge then." Her deduction skills were accurate there but then again, would wanting revenge be that surprising?

"I am. We'll be on separate sides it seems."

"Not necessarily." She tapped the counter and the bartender immediately poured me another glass of wine before disappearing again.

"When the government ordered your family's death 7 years ago, my husband was reluctant to do it. He only agreed to do it because they threatened our daughter. Once you sell your soul to them, there's no going back."

"That isn't going to stop me." I picked up the glass in front of me and swirled the clear liquid inside it.

"You do realize that no crime happens in this city without my knowledge. If you break that rule, you go to jail." So that's how she ran things around here. A simple rule that all criminals could follow and she would be able to keep tabs on all of the crime in the city.

"So who killed Duncan Adams?" Confusion suddenly settled on her face. She clearly didn't hear about that yet. But how could she? His dead body was lying in his home and wouldn't be discovered for another hour when his wife came home.

"Are you suggesting that you killed him? I was told that you came straight from the police station so how could you have possibly killed him?" I expected her to keep tabs on me from the moment I stepped into her bar but that was kind of creepy. I only came here 10 minutes ago so how did she know where I came from already?

"I didn't kill him. I was being questioned by the police at the time of his death so how could I have killed him?" I took a sip of wine in my glass again then set the glass down on the counter and watched her.

Our eyes met in a fierce battle through the mirror. Both of us tried to figured out each other's goal but I couldn't figure out why she wanted to talk to me and she was probably trying to figure out what my goal was. She lifted up her left hand and beckoned someone towards us. A tall man stood up and came to her side. She whispered something in his ear then he nodded and disappeared right in front of my eyes. I had seen teleportation magic before he didn't even have to chant a spell, he just disappeared.

"We'll know soon enough." She took another sip of her drink as silence settled between us. My phone vibrated in my pocket and I immediately knew why.

"Fiery Dimension." I activated a spell then took out the device in my pocket and checked if I got the right thing.

"Fiery Dimension, that's an extremely high ranking spell." She commented.

"I have some experience with that." I placed my phone next to her drink on the counter to allow her to see the picture on it. "Your associate on the other hand is sloppy."

"What is your goal here?" This time she turned to face me. "You come in here and tell me that you're going to take down the government and now you want to blackmail me? You do realize that I can have everyone in this bar kill you?"

"Don't worry about them, they'll be dead as soon as I leave. You'll be too if you're not fast enough." This was the part of my plan I was afraid of. Everything could fall apart right here and now if she didn't buy my bluff. I could kill everyone in the bar but that would just cause too much problems for me and be unnecessary really.

"And you think I'll believe that?"

"I don't. Like you said, I want revenge and your family carried out the order to kill mine. I think it's only fair that I kill your family right? I literally have nothing to lose." I turned to face her when I finished and met her angered eyes. Suddenly the tall man that disappeared earlier reappeared next to her again.

"Samson, kill him." She ordered him then raised an eyebrow at me. I knew that she was testing me but I wasn't going to back down.

"Yes ma'am." Samson turned his attention to me but immediately appeared behind me and used one hand to lift my chin and the other to drag a knife across my throat.

"I expected more from you Samson." I told him then sighed. "Animo Deliquesco." I activated a spell. Nothing happened for a couple of seconds then suddenly Samson released me and fell to the ground. His agonizing screams began filling the bar as everyone's eyes turned towards the man writhing in pain while clutching his head.

"Anyone else you need me to kill or can we finally have a conversation?"

"First undo whatever you did to him. We can't talk with his screaming interrupting us now can we?" She looked forward once again so I followed her instructions. I stood up and knelt down next to Samson as he rocked his body on the ground. He must've been feeling the world of pain right now. I placed my hands on his arms then took a deep breath before chanting my spells.

"Goiteía Akyróno." I commanded and his pain gradually subsided. "Restore." I activated another spell and allowed his body to recover as much as possible. I couldn't undo the full effects but that would have to do.

"He's alive and should be able to continue working for you in about 2 days." I informed her as I took my seat next to her again.

"What languages were those spells in?" She suddenly asked me.

"Greek and Latin. I prefer doing old magic, it's more reliable and powerful." I informed her. She didn't look impressed or show any emotion for that matter.

"So what do you want?" She asked me as then took a sip of her drink.

"That's not the right question. I'm going to kill all seven people who carried out the attack on my family that night. You can't stop me, the police can't stop me, not even the government can stop me." I told her then took a quick sip of my drink before continuing.

"The real question is what are you going to do?" Now it was all up to her. What was the queen of the underground going to do now that she knew what I was planning on doing? Was she going to stand in my way, let me do as I please or capitalize on my actions?

"Looks like my husband was right for a change, the government will pay for killing your family." That brought a smile to my face and I could see a wry smile hanging on her lips as well. I guess we were working together now.

"In three days from now, Ian Thompson will die of organ failure." I informed her.

"First a political analyst and now a private investigator, who else is on that list?"

"You'll find out soon enough." I drained the rest of my glass then slowly stood up. "I'll be living in my old house if you're looking for me."