In a run down bar, GM stuffed another handful of peanuts into his mouth and bit down with a loud crunch. He waved the bartender over and ordered another tall glass of beer. “Man, what a great day.” It’s been too long since I did some good ol day drinking. All I’m missing is a beautiful lady by my side,” he said to himself with a laugh.

The tv above the bar blared news about local tragedies including several related to the Black Diamond. They mentioned Jin, showing a blurry photo of his face and saying to report any suspicious behavior or anyone that looked like him. The entire bar seemed to ignore the message of terror it was trying to send.

A patron next to GM leaned in to start a conversation. He was a greasy man who sported a beanie cap and a long beard. One of his front teeth was missing and age showed prematurely on his face. “Hey man, what do you think about those Black Diamonds? Been seeing them in the paper and hearing about them in the news more often lately.”

“Yeah, there seems to be more news about them every day. If you ask me, they’re a bunch of weirdos,” said GM.

“Seems pretty scary. The streets of this city ain't safe. Not that they’ve been very safe for a while. You even hear things about The Organization. Those guys have always been up to no good too, but the Black Diamond is really dangerous.”

“Hey bartender, can you put some sports on or something. All this news is depressing the patrons.”

The bartender nodded and flipped over to a baseball game.

”Now this is more like it,” he said with a chuckle. “Good old fashioned entertainment.”

GM’s phone buzzed on the table in front of him. He wiped his hands on his pants and grabbed it. As his eyes scanned the message his smile faded with a long sigh.

Well, I guess it was too good to be true. At least I got to enjoy part of the afternoon. Dammit, Gil, didn't you know it was supposed to be my day off. GM stood up with a wobble and adorned his long tan overcoat that had been draped over the back of his chair before brushing peanut crumbs off his sweater.“So long, friend. Enjoy your afternoon. I’ve got work to do,” he said as he tossed money onto the bar counter.

“Good luck,” said the bearded man with a small wave.

GM stepped outside and gently slapped the sides of his face. “Ok time to sober up.” Bright sunlight caused him to squint as he made his way to the car. He started the engine and gripped the wheel before noticing something very important. “Wait a second, I’m drunk as shit. I can’t drive like this.” Faced with a decision of driving drunk or failing to go on the mission, his jumbled brain searched for a possibility and that was when he saw a bike perched up against the wall of the bar.

Wind whipped through his hair and his coat flapped up behind him as he pedaled down the road. The bike was a wild horse under him. Each dip or crack on the ground was a hellacious obstacle. It wasn’t long before he took a sharp corner going a little too fast and found himself flat on the ground in the middle of the road. “Shit that hurt like a bitch!” he yelled, sitting up and holding his knee. A dribble of blood painted a small red spot in the middle of his pant leg. A car stopped and honked as GM was sprawled out blocking almost the entire lane. “Fuck you! Go around!” he yelled, waving them by. They honked again and swerved around him, revving their engine. “Ahh go to hell you stupid.”

After a moment of recovering he peeled himself off the ground and mounted the bike again. “Good thing I’m drunk or this would hurt a lot more. I’ll definitely be feeling that one tomorrow.”

After an almost hour-long bike ride, he arrived at his destination. He parked the bike under an awning at The Organization-owned motel on block thirteen. It was the kind of place that ordinary folk would avoid after dark. The parking lot was lined with broken down cars missing hubcaps among deep cracks and potholes in the pavement. The building was a faded green that seemed like it was painted at the same time the stained curtains were bought.

Sweat dripped off GM’s chin onto the checkered tile floor as he walked into the lobby and went up to the front desk. A sleazy-looking man in a stained t-shirt was reading a magazine, completely ignoring GM. “Hey!” shouted GM, giving the man a start.

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The man pushed his glasses into place on his nose and regained his composure. “Oh, it’s you GM. Sorry about that,” he said with a sense of nervousness.

“What room?”

“Thanks for coming on such short notice. Normally our guy handles things like this, but he’s out today and…”

“Room number,” said GM, sternly cutting the man off mid-sentence.

“Forty-eight.”

GM turned and left the lobby. He took the elevator up to the fourth floor and made his way to room number forty-eight. He knocked loudly with his knuckles and waited. The door opened to reveal a woman in a lingerie nightgown. She was incredibly skinny and had dark bags under her eyes. “Oh it’s you, GM,” she said, instantly smiling. She jumped up and hugged him. “How have you been, honey?” she asked.

“Been better. Nice to see you, Bonnie.”

“Oh honey, you need to come see me more often. All the girls have been talking about how much they miss you.”

“Is that GM?” came a woman’s voice from inside the room. “Oh it is!” she said, excitedly coming to the door. It was another skinny girl with bags under her eyes. This one had bleach-blond hair with about half an inch of roots showing. “I can't believe they called you in for this measly business. So good to see you.” She leaned in and hugged him.

“Great to see you too, Vee,” he said with a half smile.

“Well, come on in,” said Bonnie, stepping aside.

GM entered the room. It was a small one-bed room with dark brown carpet and a thirty-two-inch flat-screen tv. Inside was a man and two other girls besides Bonnie and Vee. The door clicked shut as Bonnie closed it behind them.

“This guy owes me five hundred dollars,” one of the girls said.

“He said he ain't gonna be able to pay until next week,” Vee chimed in.

“I see,” said GM calmly.

He went up to the man who was sitting in a corner chair.

“Jimmy, you never learn, do you?” asked GM.

Sweat ran down Jimmy’s neck and passed several bruise marks before wetting the collar of his shirt. “GM, it’s like they say, I couldn’t pay today. You see, I got some deals lined up and stuff. I’ll be good for the money I swear.”

“Remember what happened last time you told me that?” asked GM, eyeing Jimmy’s stomach area. “Now, clear up this misunderstanding here so we can get the ladies their money and we can all be on our way,” he said with a smile.

Jimmy looked GM straight in the eyes. His eyebrows furrowed. “That bitch never said nothing about no five hundred dollars. Besides, I can get it. It’s just gonna be a week or so.”

GM stiffened up. “First off, we don't disrespect the ladies.”

“Hmph,” Jimmy snorted.

“Second, give me your wallet.”

“What? Hell no.”

“This is your last warning, Jimmy. If you’re not going to cooperate, things are going to get a lot harder for you.”

Jimmy hesitated. His eyes darted around the room as if he was looking for some sort of escape route.

In the flash of an eye, GM pulled out a katana from under his long coat and stuck it into the arm of the chair that Jimmy sat in. “I suggest you get that wallet out,” GM said quietly.

“Oh… yeah ok. Good idea,” he said with wide, fearful eyes. He produced a wallet from the the back of his jeans and handed it to GM.

“Thanks.”

GM opened the wallet and took out the man’s ID and credit card then tossed them over to Bonnie. “They’re going to keep you accountable, Jimmy. You’ve got exactly twenty-four hours to bring six hundred dollars cash to the man down in the front lobby. You don't wanna know what’ll happen if you don't.” He yanked his katana free from the chair and took a step back, putting the weapon away under his coat.

“Six hundred? You all said five hundred.”

“Should we make it seven?”

The man stared hard at GM. “Six hundred. Got it,” he grumbled.

“Good. I’m glad we were able to come to an agreement on this.”

“Ok girls, why don't you all go on down to the cafe and get yourself a little something? Jimmy’s paying. That credit card ought to work.”

Their faces lit up. “Thanks, GM, you're the best!” said Bonnie.

“Don't thank me, thank Jimmy for being such a reasonable guy.”

Bonnie opened the door and they all piled out. Vee blew a kiss at GM over her shoulder as she left.

“Great doing business with you, Jimmy,” said GM, leaving shortly after the girls. An awestruck Jimmy remained seated there with his jaw on the ground.

GM shut the door behind him and sent a quick text to Gil letting him know the mission was completed. “That definitely killed my buzz.” He sighed deeply. The wrapper of a cigarette pack crinkled as GM fished it from his pocket. He lit one up and went down the elevator to ground level. Leaned up by the office doors was the bike, right where he’d left it. He looked over at it as if pondering whether to get on it again. He took a deep drag from his cigarette and then walked home.