chapter 2

  In the streets of Liverpool the night was in full swing, the blue sky had been replaced by the neon lights of the night, the humidity was palpable while the previous day had cleaned the streets of the city. The smell was not good and the stench of garbage would have ruined anyone's day if the weather had not arranged things, but in the suburbs of the city some districts came to life, entire streets of pubs, clubs and other restaurants. Not a stain in these streets there, the beautiful and young generation free of any problems came to slacken off the daily pressure. On this Friday evening a man throws its waste outside. Behind one of the nightclubs, a door opens on the alley, from outside we could hear the muffled sounds of the music played inside, with force a shadow was projected outside a young man groaning at its impact on the ground. Getting up as best he could and throwing a black look at the bouncer, the man almost spat out his words.

  -You have no idea who I am!

  -You are drunk and your attitude with the other customers has done more than just introduce you. If you have a complaint, go see Mr. Woodmill.

  Before he could respond, the bouncer closed the door. Leaving the damp exterior, the back stages gave a completely different atmosphere, the heat was more important, the music and the bursts of voices or laughter was omnipresent although muffled by the walls, the bouncer followed the red brick walls, passing chairs, tables and other accessories for various receptions or theme parties. With his large build, he had to bend down at times to pass the old wooden door frames, the stairs creaking under his weight. Once he went up the stairs he met another bouncer, this one posted on a stool next to a red curtain and raised his head at his arrival.

  -Is it done Willy?

  - "You have no idea who I am", yes Greg, either he's going to pound on the door for the rest of the night, or he'll sober up somewhere else. Either way it's settled, the people in front will never let him through in this state. So we can say that the situation is under control.

  Hearing him say this, Greg brought his hand to his earpiece to say that Willy had dealt with the alcohol problem. As he spoke, a young girl stepped through the curtain and realizing that Willy was there, she clung to him seductively.

  -But if it is not my knight in shining armor. You know that usually I would feel offended to have been saved but seeing you in action has its charms.

  Tugging on his tie she brought him down to her level and left a kiss on his cheek.

  -Don't be jealous Greg, you're married.

  Blowing a kiss. She left for another marked door, reserved for female staff. Willy, pleasantly surprised, remained silent as Greg smiled.

  -You know Willy, I discussed with the others and the boss, hiring you as a bouncer I mean. Hours are more fixed, you are calm, you know how to judge a situation, we can put you in a place were you don't have to move often, you know. Frankly the only downside would be that you wouldn't be behind the counter attracting girls and you could be a bit slow to act.

  Greg gestured to him for the lipstick mark, Willy erased it and kept silent.

  -I'll think about it.

  -You've done a great job since you got here. I know you just need to think about it.

  Readjusting his suit, black sleeveless jacket, white shirt, black tie and matching pants. Willy took a breath and passed the curtain immediately the sound came to his head, passing the corridor in L and he arrived at a new door, passing again the door he arrived in the discotheque, overlooking the floor and the dance floor. He was on the balcony floor where there were tables and a bar. Not hesitating, he reached the bar, passing behind the counter through a small door that swung at waist level. He joined a woman with the same outfit as him. She showed him some papers with the orders and immediately started to make the cocktails. 20 minutes later, the rush that had been created by his absence had been resolved and finally the woman spoke to him.

  -Next time, call Greg or the other bouncers. It's not your job if you're injured you won't be insured, you understand?

  -Yes, Mrs. Julliard.

  -Next time I will report you, do you understand? Each to his place and the pigs will be well looked after.

  Willy could only keep quiet because of his responsibility in the situation.

  In front of him, people passed, laughed and drank. Nothing changed from his routine, the lights of the floor below appeared moving with the projectors bringing flashes of colors on the false mirrors on the ceiling and the bar. Mrs. Julliard had returned to the customers. When finally Dina, a barmaid came to replace him, Mrs. Julliard grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him hard towards her.

  -What did you do?

  Not understanding Willy looked at her as if she had three heads.

  -The boss is calling you. Go up and see him.

  Releasing his wrist as if it were a dirty rag, Willy passed in front of Dina who made herself very small by seeing him passing and the look that Julliard fixed on her back. Passing in front of the tables and skirting the railing Willy observed the atmosphere downstairs, a compact crowd of young people half drunk, half drugged, dancing on rhythms that he could never. Arriving at the end two bouncers were waiting for him in front of a staircase with a red carpet, Oscar and Julio, one of them greeted Willy while the second transmitted his presence upstairs. Less than a second later Julio climbed behind him to the landing, Willy spread his arms without waiting and let Julio search him for a possible weapon. A few steps away, a third person was watching the scene. Willy looked up and saw another bouncer, or rather bodyguard, Vino, a broad, stocky man with a holster under his armpit with a glock that Willy knew was loaded. Julio went back down once the operation was done and Vino signaled Willy to come up. Knocking on the door heavily, Vino opened it with one hand letting Willy pass in front of him, closing the door behind him, Vino stood behind Willy who was facing his boss's office.

  To his left was a bay window that gave him a bird's eye view of the room, a view that made Willy more dizzy than anything else since he had to lean forward to see clearly. The room was totally soundproof, music was no longer present and only the flashes of light disturbed the balance of the room. A bookcase spread on the back wall ending with a landscape painting, the carpet was an extension of the one on the stairs. Willy was doing his best to keep his mind occupied but nothing could distract him from the center of the room behind an oak desk was a man in a suit, almost identical to the one Willy had, the latter had a pocket watch that hung from his pocket by a gold chain, a purple tie around the neck broke the only differences in uniforms. The man behind the desk was old but not at all slow, quick with his hands, he took the glasses from his desk and placed them on his nose.

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  -William Willhope, do you know why I called you here?

  -If it's about the altercation, sir…

  -No, Vino came down himself and told me you handled it like a boss.

  -In that case, no sir.

  Nodding, he continued.

  -Remember our agreement.

  -Of course, sir.

  -Can you tell me the terms again?

  -I agree to work for Mr. Woodmill for ten years at a salary, in one way or another, in exchange for him protecting my family and my home…

  -In addition to paying you a salary. But you know as well as I do that the reason I agreed to this deal was to use the room, right?

  -I suspected as much sir.

  It just so happens that an acquaintance of mine had a disagreement with a well-known firm. I would tell you the details but it's not your business. Do we understand each other?

  -Yes, sir.

  -Well then, I'll go on, I need you to stock some goods for him. Nothing illegal of course, but in a place that is not linked to this firm and where it will not look. Do you still see where I'm going with this?

  -You want to use the room...

  -Exactly. I'm offering you a contract, covering all costs for the duration of the storage, you can work as a janitor if you want, even reopen if you feel able…

  -Nothing illegal.

  -Nothing illegal at all.

  -No risk.

  -Will, there's always a risk, you could slip and break your ankle just walking down to the exit. This is an opportunity I'm giving you, frankly I don't expect anything from this acquaintance other than the first payment for babysitting. All you have to do is close your eyes and tell the snoops to look the other way. A piece of cake, but... you're only an option.

  Mr. Woodmill looked Willy in the eye, staring at his reaction. Willy looked behind Mr. Woodmill, not wanting to confront him when his mind was already racing. A chance, but at what cost. There's a chance to win it all. Calm down William it's not the first time this has happened, put it all down on paper and take it for the best.

  -And when it should happen.

  -Exactly 3 days, in the best case, the goods will stay indefinitely otherwise, it should stay a week or two ... You know what? I'll give you a day off, if you don't decide, I'll hand the operation over to other people.

  -Sir... Why did you offer it to me in the first place.

  -Let's say you've done a good job so far and I want to give you a chance?

  With a smile, the old man signaled that he could leave, passing Vino. Willy passed in front of the bodyguards, before going the opposite way to the changing rooms. Changing into larger clothes, he passed the other staff members, a hoodie with jeans and he left with his bag on his back, no discussion other than goodbye. The night was almost over when he finally got out into the morning humidity, it wasn't raining but the smells had still been washed into the gutters. Walking at a slow pace as usual, Willy passed the lights of the neighborhood that never stops, went down the stairs of an alley where a screen door was missing. He could already only hear the echoes of lights and songs in the shadowy corners of the new neighborhood, like a varnish. Willy was colder but felt more awake, arriving on a large axis, he went along it from behind the concrete blocks, slowly he went up to pass on a bridge that spanned the traffic already omnipresent in the rising sun, passing the streets increasingly quiet.

  He arrived in front of a huge hangar, a massive double iron door with a door inside blocked the entrance. Above the door was a sign that read "Colossus Combat Training Club". Digging into his pockets, Willy pulled out his key and forced the mechanism open. The sound of the door echoed in the large room but he didn't turn on the light, the moonlight on the ceiling shone through the tinted glass panels illuminating the room with a soft night light. Willy walked past the machines, a mixture of weights, wires and ropes. Past the dust-filled ring to a staircase, making as little noise as possible, he climbed to the floor where three doors awaited him, one of them open he could see light inside. Glancing around he saw the TV light, left on a monster fighting channel. Slowly walking in, he approached the couch in front of him to discover a young girl sleeping.

  Smiling Willy looked at the clock and let her sleep. Going into the other room he found a semblance of a kitchen, a tiny cubbyhole in which was a sink, a fridge and an electric stove, above that was a food cupboard with packets of cereals and boxes of cans. He hesitated to make breakfast and then remembered that a bowl of cereal would still make her happy. Returning to the living room, he turned off the TV and put the bowl on the table. He went to look in a small room behind the sofa. Inside was the girl's room, looking on a small desk, he found a homework notebook. But when he opened the page for today it was scribbled with a drawing of a face sticking out its tongue and cats. Putting the stuff back in the bag, he reflexively looked at a framed photo on the edge of the desk. In it, Willy, Emma and Elisa were smiling with all their teeth.

  His mother, both of whom looked very much like him, had long blond hair flowing down from her shoulders, framing a lovely face with a white smile. Her outfit was simple like her character and her good humor contagious to those around her. Below her was her sister Emma, smiling with her baby tooth missing and her hair tied in a ponytail, giving her the air of a boy. As for Willy, he looked at this photo with nostalgia, his smiling face, his blond hair in battle and his charming smile had earned him many attention, built to fight he had even managed to make a name for himself in small amateur fighting competitions. Putting the picture down, he returned to the living room.

  Emma had just woken up. Yawning, she got up from the couch and opened her eyes when she saw him, silently she went to him with open arms and Willy let himself be taken in his arms a little hello and a kiss on the forehead and the teenager let him go. The sleepy eyes she went into the "kitchen", to wash her face. He went to sit on the sofa. The tiredness began to take him and he began to lie down on the sofa. Without realizing it, he fell asleep.

  When he woke up, the sun was high in the sky and he changed into more suitable clothes to do his routine. Going from right to left, he began to clean the apartment laundry, household, once done, he left in the corridor going to take the second door, behind this one was an office in a mezzanine overlooking the gym below

  In what was once an office was a mattress on the floor next to it, an iron cabinet and toiletries on a small shelf, nothing extravagant for the rest, photos of fights, trophies and a wooden desk. He sat behind it and took out the bank statements and other information: bills, drinks, food, electricity. Willy could only watch and sighed at his situation. He was barely profitable, he would never be able to pay Mr. Woodmill back faster. He had to admit it, he had taken care of himself and his sister. But in exchange he would be his slave for the rest of his life. There was no way out.

  Willy didn't like to think, complicated things often overtake him, so he decided to get changed to go to the gym.

  Once he was dressed he went down to the gym and started training, arms, back, pecs, abs, but when he got to the legs at the first squat, his left leg gave out on him, it was as if all his weight had dragged him to the ground, holding back as best he could he got back into position, 10 squats was all he could do. He went to take his shower and as he was leaving he passed in front of the mirror. This sad mirror of reality.

  His body had been destroyed a few years ago, fate made him a cripple, his face now sported a scar along his forehead and down over his eye to the bottom of his jaw, his body had suffered injuries too but most had healed in the meantime, today only his legs crushed and burned remained the other silent witnesses of the event, he could never run, the doctors had told him it was even a miracle that he could stand without a cane.

  Passing in front of the door a paper was on it.

  “Going in town” Emma.

  He contemplated the paper for a long minute. He then went to the stairs.

  Once in the office, he made a call.

  -Mr. Woodmill?