As I tore open the envelope, my heart rate quickened with unease. Inside, there was a folded piece of paper and a photo attached to it with a paper clip. The piece of paper had an address scrawled on it. But the photo attached was what really caught my attention. The photo was of a young girl sitting on the metro, looking innocent and unaware of the fact that someone was watching over her. Cynthea recognized it immediately.

“That’s Jen,” she yelled, her voice shaking with emotion.

“Who’s Jen?” I asked, my mind still reeling from the shock of the situation.

“Dave’s daughter,” Cynthea replied, her voice urgent. “They're planning on using her as ransom, and the address must be where Dave is located. Come on, we can bring him in before the Tyger Claws kidnap his daughter.”

Without wasting another moment, Cynthea started the car, and we sped towards the address, our minds racing with fear and determination. Time was of the essence, and we knew that the fate of an innocent life hung in the balance.

We arrived at the address given; the address was a small, run-down house. I ran to the door and started bashing it, trying to get the attention of whoever was inside.

“Open up! We need to talk to you!”

Whoever was inside clearly wasn’t interested in talking. Cynthea looked around the house and looked through the window leading into the living room. She wasn’t able to see anyone inside and began thinking that they had been sent to the wrong place in order for the Tyger Claws to capture Dave’s daughter.

I tried the door again, but this time I mentioned the girl. This time someone responded, telling me to fuck off or else I'll be shot. I brushed over the comment and kicked the door open.

The door swung open, allowing the man inside to open fire. This caused me to dive inside and take cover behind a wall.

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“We don't have to make things difficult, Dave! Just hand over your gun and come with me... Trust me, you don't want to make this even harder than it already is! Given the fact that your daughter could be in danger!”

Dave responded by unloading his gun to where I was seeking cover before swearing uncontrollably, claiming that if anything bad happened to his daughter, then everyone I loved would suffer the same fate. I again brushed off Dave's comments, as he was clearly in a fit of rage, was solely focused on killing me, and wasn’t worried about Cynthea sneaking up behind him.

I knew that the coast was clear once I heard the gun stop firing and a thud coming at the end of the hallway.

“You know he could have made things a lot easier if he was willing to talk,” I said.

“Good idea on being the bate. Maybe it was a good idea for you to tag along.” Cynthea replied.

“Whoa, wait a second, I had the situation all under control. I was waiting for the right moment to strike.”

“It doesn’t matter anyway, as he’s, our target. Put him in the trunk, would you?” Cynthea instructed.

“Yes, mam,” I said before saluting her.

She laughed at my comment and headed back to her car, leaving me with Dave’s unconscious body. I grabbed his shoulders and started dragging him to the car’s truck. While dragging his body, a vibrating sound made its appearance. I checked Dave’s pockets and pulled out his phone, the person calling Dave was a number that wasn't saved on Dave's phone.

Intrigued, I answered the call. On the other line was a man with a deep, raspy voice.

“Dave I’ve been thinking about how we can get back at the Tyger Claws.”

I tried my best to copy Dave’s voice. “Oh yeah, what were you thinking?”

“Not over the phone. Meet me in twenty minutes at the war memorial.”

The stranger hung up after that. The idea of going to meet this strange man was in my mind, but I felt more compelled to just get the gig done and be done with the Tyger Claws.

I continued to drag Dave’s body to the car and proceeded to drop his body in the trunk.

Getting back inside Cynthea’s car, she was quick to comment on the fact that I was taking my time. I began telling her about the phone call and the fact that one of Dave's friends wanted to meet him at the war memorial and that it would involve Tyger Claws.

Cynthea asked for my option, to which I said that we should just finish up with the gig, get paid, and never have to worry about dealing with the Tyger Claws again. Besides, I already have enough to deal with, and I wouldn’t like to add Tyger Claws to my ongoing list of problems that I need to get involved with.

We agreed that it would be better if we handed over Dave to the Tyger Claws.