2 The Introduction

opened the room door and saw Von Ruiz a fat, short, long bearded, middle aged white man seated on a royal-like chair. Only Von Ruiz can sit on that seat. He was holding a pipe which he has been smoking. He had some bottles of Jack Daniels and Bellaire on a glass table before him. A stripper was behind him massaging him. Immediately he saw me, he called out to me. "Hey, Henry, my boy come in son!". I walked in and he signaled the stripper to leave the room. I sat on a sofa directly opposite Von Ruiz who was still having a taste of his pipe. He finally adjusted himself and faced me. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today, son", he said smiling showing off his grilled teeth. "What have you been up to exactly?"."Nothing!" I replied. "Just trying to get my shit together. It's been rough recently""You're looking for money then", Von Ruiz asked while pouring himself a glass of Jack Daniels."Exactly! I'm looking for money. I'm just trying to get my hands on something", I replied "You see son, that's why you are here. That's why I called you to this place. A lot of things are happening in this city. A lot of people are trying to get me killed", Von Ruiz said sounding bitter. "This city is very bad. In fact, this city is corrupt. It needs to be cleaned out and there's no better person to do that than you Henry. I may not know you very well, but I know what you're capable of doing. You love to come to my club. What other way will I show my appreciation than to hire you". Von Ruiz took a sip from his drink before pausing for a while. "I want my enemies dead and I want you to take care of that for me". "What makes you think I'm capable of killing your enemies? A man like you can't have ordinary enemies", I said. Von Ruiz laughed hysterically and starred at me. "You're not a kid anymore son. There are many younger than you that have worked for me. I underestimated them, but they surprised me. I expect more from you Henry. Consider this offer very well", Von Ruiz said. He signaled the guy closest to him to come. He came, and he whispered something into his ear. It wasn't long before he returned with a wrapped package and gave it to me. He also gave me a small card with an address on it. "That's my office address. Stop by anytime you have made up your mind", Von Ruiz said. I opened the package and I saw money up to $50,000 in cash. "There's more from where that came from but only if you're willing to work for me", Von Ruiz said again. "Are you trying to bribe me?", I asked. "Bribe you?", Von Ruiz said laughing out loudly. "Bribery is a strong word. I'm just trying to help you", Von Ruiz said. I stood up and turned my back to leave but Von Ruiz called me. "Henry!"I turned around to look at him"I'll be expecting you"I left the VIP room and made my way downstairs. I was about to leave the building when Helen grabbed my arm from behind. "Hey, you didn't tell me you were leaving. Are you planning on leaving me behind handsome?", she asked. "I didn't see you around. Are you leaving now?" I asked. "Yes! Let's get out of here", Helen replied.

I woke up the next morning on my bed. I looked over to my right side and there lay Helen naked but covered with the bed sheet I shared with her. She was still sleeping. Last night was fun if you know what I mean. I wasn't expecting to wake very early if not for the dream I had. It was a dream about me when I was still in the US Army. My Captain, I and few other rookies were sent to Pakistan to take care of a terrorist group stealing large barrels of oil from the pipeline. The fight between us and the terrorists wasn't pleasant. I lost Eden, a close friend of mine in the combat. We were ambushed and taken by surprise by our enemies. "Get up sergeant!" Captain Frank ordered while grabbing my arm and dragging me back, away from Eden who was lying on the floor dying. "We need to fall back. Fall back everybody!" Captain Frank ordered. I cried as I was dragged away from him. Eden was buried in his hometown in Chicago and two weeks after that incident at Pakistan, I was fired from the US Army because of a complicated case. I was accused of something I knew nothing of. I was in Captain Frank's office waiting for a final reply after a whole month of decision making and investigation. Captain Frank stepped into the office with a sad look. He was wearing his military suit with a lot of medals on them signifying his rank. He looked straight at me and sighed. He held my shoulder and told me the news. "I'm sorry boy", he said quietly. "But I did all I could to stop them from taking this decision. They insisted you're the one that planned with the Iranians and caused the death of the members of the team". "But do you really think I did it? Why would I want to ditch my honor? Why would I want to plan with some foreign terrorist group?", I asked Captain Frank. He paused for a while before replying me. "They found their gun and a letter stating every information about our plan in Iran. It was signed with your signature. I don't understand why you did such a thing", Captain Frank shouted "You were my best man. The best the team has got. You're just like your father but he never betrayed his title. Why you? I'm sorry but you can't continue working in this place anymore. Your uniform and everything concerning your connection with the US Army will be stripped from you. I'm sorry but this is the end of the line for you". "This is a set up captain. I can never do such a thing. This place I am has been my dream. I don't want it to end like this", I said begging. "I'm sorry son... but it already has", Captain Frank replied. I grabbed my bag containing the rest of my things and turned my back to leave. Captain Frank called me back to talk to me one more time. "I wish you good luck in your future endeavors Henry". I didn't say any more words. I left the base that day and that was how I lost my job as a soldier in the US Army. All these happened a year ago. I climbed down from my bed, picked up my clothes from the floor and threw them inside the wardrobe. I wore a white shirt together with a red short and a pair of jogging shoes and set off to the gym. I try as much as possible to stay fit because it was a regular routine for me when I was in the US Army. I returned home only to see Helen in the kitchen, dressed in one of my oversized shirts preparing breakfast. "Hey!", she called out to me. "I woke up but didn't see you. Where were you?", Helen asked. "At the gym", I replied immediately. She observed my dressing and nodded in affirmation. "I made pancakes for breakfast", Helen said handing me a plate of fresh, hot pancakes. "It was the only thing worth preparing". Helen left my apartment after breakfast. We exchanged numbers and we promised to call or text each other. I went to my wardrobe and found a small card on the floor. I picked it up and it was the address to Von Ruiz's office. I starred at the card for a while and dropped it on the bed. I then took a shower, dressed up and left for the address.