Cruising along in Shin’s beautiful blue convertible, Jia enjoys gazing at the twinkling stars above her. It’s a nice night and she’s comfortable in a tank top and jeans. They’re driving away from the city and there aren’t many street lights out here. It makes the starts really pop. She’s still working her brother for any details that could help her but he remains tight lipped. “Do you know who I need to talk to in this place? How many people am I looking at?”

Looking comfortable behind the wheel, Shin shrugs. “Depends on who shows up tonight. Around fifteen guys are there on an average night. There might be a few people who aren’t in the gang there but there won’t be a lot beyond the staff. They pretty much take over the place at night. Give it a few minutes and anyone who isn’t in the gang will be chased off. If you see a big bald guy with a nose that looks like it’s been broken a few too many times, that’s Rocco. He’s probably the best person to talk to. If he’s not there just ask the bartender who you need to speak with for business. They should point you in the right direction.”

This may be the nicest car Jia has ever found herself in. The seats are so soft she feels like she could get lost in them and she loves the feel of the wind whipping her face with the top down. “You know, I think this is the first time I’ve ever been in a convertible except with Carly in San Francisco a few weeks ago. I was too busy trying to keep her from killing us to enjoy it but this is nice. I don’t want to know how you can afford it, do I?”

“Bought it with my loan, nothing too terrible. Look, I can’t go in there or they might kill me on the spot. I’ll drop you off close and stay close though in case you need to get away fast. I have my phone. If you get a chance, look for a girl with a pink mohawk. That’s my friend Jillian. She’s there most nights. She’s cool and unlike most of the people in there, she doesn’t want me dead. She might help you. At the very least I’d appreciate her having a heads up so she can get the hell out of there. We’re getting close. I’ll cruise by and drop you off down the street.”

The bar they pass looks like it’s seen better days. It’s a wooden building in a part of town where you don’t see a lot of buildings, let alone businesses. The next building is a run down house probably a quarter mile away. The wood’s painted red but it’s starting to peel in spots as is the wood itself. One of the two windows on the front of the building is boarded over. There’s a sign hanging from a poll that says, “Have a Brew,” out front but there’s no sign of a name or anything else to tell you to come in and have a drink.

“They hang out here?” Jia asks her brother.

They slow down significantly so Jia can get a look. “Ya, it’s out of the way, not a lot of random people wander in. The few who do, if they just get a drink and go before long are mostly left alone. Anyone who lingers is told to get lost, at least at night. It’s pretty dead during the day so nobody cares what happens then but at night they prefer privacy. Maybe we should actually come back during the day.”

“I have to work and besides, the whole point is to talk to these guys. It’s not going to do me much good to show up when they’re not here.”

Shin speeds back up as they get further away. “Alright, I just don’t want you getting hurt because I’m an idiot. You don’t have to do this. I can try and straighten things out with them myself.”

“You’re going to do that how? You’re afraid to show your face around them.”

They finally park on the side of the road, not far from the bar. He shifts in his seat looking away from her. “I can try to get Jillian to help. I really don’t want to get her involved, but if it’s my only option we can give it a try.”

“Forget it, we’re here. I’m going in. Stay close and keep your phone on.” With that, Jia climbs over the side of the car and reaches into the back to get her jacket. Trying to appear confident, she heads toward the bar.

Reaching the parking lot, she counts nine cars. Maybe tonight’s a slow night. If things go bad she’ll be thankful for that. The screen door’s the only thing that needs opening but it sticks and makes a loud clang as she pulls it open. The screen itself has a number of tears in it and has definitely seen better days. The first thing that hits her as she walks in is the overwhelming smell of sweat.

Looking around the bar, there’s actually less people than she expected to find even from the cars. She sees a grand total of eleven people including the bartender who is half asleep behind the bar. There’s only three women among the group. The bartender’s the first, with the second being slumped in a booth in the back between two men wearing sun glasses even though the lighting in here can only be described as dim.

The third has to be Jillian. Jia can’t imagine there are two women with pink mohawks who hang around with this gang. It takes a minute but Jia recognizes her. She’s a fighter and they’ve faced off in competition a few times, though that was years ago before she went to college. In those days Jillian wasn’t rocking a pink mohawk but it’s definitely the same girl. She’s sitting with three large men in another booth in the back. One of those men fits Shin’s description of Rocco. Their whole table looks drunk and the stack of empty bottles surrounding them helps confirm it.

Making her way to the bar, Jia can’t help but notice that everyone in the place is staring at her. They try to look like they aren’t and most soon return to their drinks but they’re paying attention to this unknown girl. The sticky door didn’t help her stay incognito. The bartender perks up as she gets close. She doesn’t say anything at first, waiting for Jia to make the first move. She sits on a stool and leans forward. “Can I get a scotch and soda?”

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The woman hesitates but nods and goes to make the drink. It only takes a minute. As she sets it in front of Jia the woman says, “Here you go. How’d you find our bar? We don’t get a lot of random people out here. Mostly just our regulars.”

“Just driving along and saw the sign. Figured I’d check it out. Big fan of little dive bars. Doesn’t seem to be much of a crowd for this time of night though.”

The woman grabs a rag and starts wiping the counter down. “It’s a slow night but we don’t get that much busier than this. Enjoy your drink. After you’re done though, it might be a good idea to move on. The regulars kind of like having this place to themselves. Some of the guys here are a little unpolished too. I don’t want you to have a bad night.”

“Sounds like a hard way to run a business.”

“Real good tippers. We’d do worse if they stopped coming in. Just offering free advice, take it or leave it.”

“Thanks, I’ll keep it in mind.” With that, the bartender goes to the end of the bar where one of the guys is standing wanting a couple more beers. Jia keeps her words in mind, but decides to make her drink last as long as she can. Sipping it slowly, she looks for an opportunity to get Jillian alone.

Twenty minutes pass and she’s getting tired of watching sports scores scroll by on the TV. Her drink’s starting to get low and what remains is watered down. She can feel eyes on her. Nobody has come up to her yet but the bartender isn’t making any move to offer another drink. She has a feeling that once this glass is empty she’s going to be handed her check.

Jillian hasn’t made any move away from her table. One member of their group got up and left but she’s still surrounded by two men and there’s no opportunity to get her alone and warn her. Even if she approached the bar this place is way too quiet to have a conversation without everyone else hearing. The people in the back seem to be practically whispering to keep others from hearing them. To keep her from hearing them.

Feeling a buzz in her pocket, Jia realizes her phone’s going off. She pulls it out to check who it is but realizes it’s just an email. The buzz gives her an idea. She shoots a text to Shin telling him to text his friend and ask her to run to the bathroom. That’s the one place here they might be able to chat.

With that text sent Jia chugs the remainder of her drink and gets the bartender’s attention. She puts a twenty on the bar. “Where’s the ladies’ room in this place? I need to go before I get out of here.”

The woman points her to a small hall in the far corner of the place but quietly says, “Once you’re done with that, I’d go. Some of the boys are starting to get antsy.”

A word of thanks later and Jia’s heading for the bathroom. The hall’s not short but there’s a room at the end with an office sign which is sitting slightly open. She makes her way into a stall and leans against the wall. A few minutes of standing around go by without anyone following her. She considers just heading back out and confronting Rocco. She tried to give the friend a warning. There’s not much else she can do. Just as she’s about to head out though the door swings open and under the stall she can make out a pair of leather military boots. Definitely not something the bartender would be wearing. That leaves only a few possible women who could be joining her.

Exiting the stall, Jillian’s standing there staring at her with a pissed look on her face. Jia tries to make a good first impression and offers her hand. “Hi, you must be Jillian. My name’s Jia. I’m Shin’s sister.”

Without missing a beat Jillian steps forward and gets in her face. She ignores the hand. “I know who you are. I knew as soon as you walked in this place. I was hoping you were smart enough to leave. You need to get out of here now before shit gets bad. The guys at my table are ready to jump you and throw you out the door.”

Jia frowns. She needs this woman’s help. “I actually need to talk to them. I want to work something out so they forgive Shin’s debt and don’t make him rob any more houses.”

Jillian frowns. “You know about that huh? Look, last night was his way out of the debt and he blew it. I don’t know what happened but he needed to steal that shit and bring it back to these guys. They’re not going to give him another chance. They want to make an example of him and beat the shit out of him.”

“I won’t let them do that.”

Jillian sighs. “Look, you don’t have to worry that much. They aren’t going to kill him as long as he agrees to make payments over time. He owes enough money that they aren’t going to throw that down the toilet if they think there’s a chance they can get it back. He’s going to have to take that beating though.”

“That’s not going to happen. I caught him in the middle of robbing that place. I’m a registered vigilante and had to stop him. He’ll make payments, I can promise that. I want to work it out so the beating part doesn’t happen though.”

Jillian’s jaw drops. “Now you really need to get out of here. If they find out you’re a vigilante and you know who they are, they might kill you. You don’t owe them any money. They’re not going to skip the beating anyway. Zero chance of that. He’s my friend and if I thought we could help him I’d already be doing it but Rocco’s a jerk.”

“I didn’t come here for permission. I promised Shin I’d try to warn you before I talked to Rocco in case things go bad. I’m just doing what I said I would. You should probably go out first and find an excuse to get out of here. Go outside and smoke or something. Is that Rocco you were sitting with out there?”

For a moment Jia fears Jillian’s going to jump her but slowly she nods. “You can talk to him if you want but it’s a really bad idea. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. I’ll make an excuse to go outside for a few but if things go bad and I have to fight, I will. I like Shin and want to help him but if it comes down to a fight, I’m going to back those guys up. They’re assholes but they’re my assholes and if I don’t, I’m going to end up just like your stupid brother.” She pulls a phone out and glances at it. “Wait a few minutes after I leave before you follow me out. I’ll make an excuse for why you’re still in here before I bail. That’s all I can do for you though.”

With that Jillian washes her hands and heads out. The door slams behind her.