Black Hand

Ambrose eyed curiously the rowdy atmosphere in the tavern and saw all sorts of people—some were so tall that their heads almost touched the ceiling, some were so short that they had to stand on chairs to be seen.

In general, there were rough people who hadn't been blessed with a good life and others that looked like gangsters but were still well off, as if their criminal enterprise was booming.

Ambrose thought he blended well among the rough folk; that's why he didn't bother to wipe off the dirt from his face, as it gave him good camouflage and made him blend well with the crowd.

After a moment of scanning the room, he got seated on the bar counter and saw Eli filling the cabinets with bottles of liquor.

"The same whiskey, please." Ambrose said and placed several gold coins on the counter.

Eli poured him a drink, handed it over to him, and stored the gold coins in his hidden pocket.