How Things Are
#1 of How Things Are
A cool summer breeze blew past a solitary Doberman standing on the corner of Griffith and Green avenue; the edges of his open trench coat fluttered, revealing two silenced Berettas on each side resting comfortably in holsters. One Silver. One Black. Night had fallen, and the brothels had opened...
His green eyes rolled upward to the blue neon sign; a dancing naked doberman with the word Heat spelled out below. He wasn't there to get his cock sucked nor for the entertainment. It was to save someone he'd let fall so long ago. It was time to attone... Putting a cigarette in his mouth, lighting it, he walked through the barred door.
The Canid took a puff of his cigarette, mostly to overwhelm his sense of smell. Stale smoke hung heavy in the air, and the smell of vomited booze wafted up from the floor; this place was an utter shit hole... One of the human's in the corner getting 'served', grunted loudly as he cummed into the mouth of one of the male hookers that worked the bar. He felt his fingers yearn for the cold touch of that steel beretta but he stayed it with the knowledge that more than likely the bartenders held shotguns below the bar.
Kai... He recognized him instantly as he danced on stage in dull green underwear, who could forget a smile like that-- but it was different now-- weakened from the days when they were young, and his face was swollen. For a moment, Kai's eye's locked with his but no emotions showed. To him, Gabriel was a stranger. A stranger like so many that came in here.
The music blared and he danced. His hands traveled up his muscular body brushing through his fur that had lost the sheen of it's healthly years. It was Gabriel's fault he'd been forced to live like this for so long, but not much longer-- his eyes spotted his mark.
The owner, Romero, was a tall man with black greasy hair pulled back into a knot. His dick was being sucked upon by one of his many whores, but as Gabriel's tall looming figure approached, he shoved away the head of the canid sucking him and slid hand into his maroon coat pocket. He knew those green eyes. They had come to kill him once before. He zipped up his pants with his other free hand never removing his other hand from his pocket.
The doberman drew in a long drag of the cigarette, puffing it out of his nose."Think I'm stupid Romero? Before you could pull that trigger, I'd empty my clip in you."
He removed his hand from the pocket, "Fair enough. What do you want Mr. Fr--"
"It's just Gabriel."
The rolling beats of the music drowned out the conversation, but the bartenders and bouncers noticed the growing tension between the two. They were ready...
"What do you want, Mr. Gabriel?"
"Kai."
"Ah," He glanced to the stage to his star performer, and his lips stretched into a thin, pursed smile. "Sentamentality, in this business, is a serious flaw... or perhaps it is somethin--"
Before spatted cigarette even hit the ground, the silver beretta had been ripped from it's holster and now laid it's focus clearly upon his head; his finger held the trigger tight. It was eager to kill once more. "Don't think you want to finish that sentence..." The click of several guns being pulled from behind him only made his ear flicker in agitation.
"I got nothing to lose here by dieing." He growled, "Enough with the bullshit questions, you gonna give him up or are we gonna go down in a hail of bullets."
The bar started to clear out.
"You can have him. KAI!" Kai's eyes widened slightly, and he obediently shuffled up to Romero. It angered Gabriel to see one of his own kind held so obediently-- no doubt today this man would die by his hand like he should've so long ago.
"Go with him, I don't want you here anymore." He raised his hand, laughing as Kai cringed in fear. "He'll do whatever you say. I'll call this a free favor to you. You <i>owe</i> me."
"Agreed, I owe you something." Gabriel holstered his gun, and wrapped his arm around Kai. "C'mon, man. He's not gonna hurt you anymore." The bouncer's behind him kept their guns sighted.
Some minutes later, Romero sat back down, now in a more private place in the back. Damn mutts had no respect for his pleasure. He motioned for the Canid following him to resume sucking his hard dick. The Canid whimpered, but obeyed, unbuttoning, unzipping and taking the cock into his mouth.
Romero grinned and glanced up to the sky light above him as his listened to the roaring music. His eyes widened in fear; IT WAS HIM ON THE -- Before he could say anything, his body went slack and his head shifted to one side. A trickle of blood rolled down from the bullet hole placed squarely upon his head, and the music just kept on rolling... and no one was the wiser until his wet dick went limp.
Gabriel paid up.
***
Nothing but the roar of the engine, and the squeal of the tires filled the void between them. It wasn't so much Kai had nothing to say to Gabriel, but he didnt quite know <i>what</i> to say. "They said you died." He finally uttered.
"Yeah, they say alot of things." He threw the steering wheel to the right and the tires shrieked.
"Do we have to go so fast?"
The sounds of sirens responded in the distance, Gabriel only focused on roar of the engine as he floored it. "I'd say yes." He blared the horn as they blasted through an red lighted intersection.
"God damn it-- You killed him?!"
"He was beating on one of the few friends I have that are still alive-- I couldn't let him get away with that."
"You.. always were a bit overprotective of me."
He felt a burning lump in his throat. "Until I left you behind, when you told me..." His hushed voice trailed off. They both knew the reason they stopped being partners: Kai was gay. He wasn't. Not then anyway - or maybe he was; Fuck, he didn't know anymore. He just knew that-- "I love you." As soon as the final syllabal of those words rolled off his tongue, he was flooded with strange, surreal feelings.
"I thought- but--"
Gabriel had to keep pressing forward. "I made a mistake leaving you. I just couldn't handle it, ya know? I thought about it, and I want... this."
"Christ, it's been like five years. You can't just decide that we're lovers!"
"It's been six." The sounds of siren's in the distance faded as they pulled down a winding street, and their speed gradually slowed. "And you know if we're partners again we'll eventually become lovers; there's no avoiding it."
"You broke my heart-- and how do you know I'm gonna do jobs with you?"
He held up his paw's first digit, "Well, for one, your former employer is DEAD," Raised his second digit, "Two, your home was in the brothel so you got NOTHING," Raised his third digit, "And three, you're still interested in me, and I'm still interested in you."
"And how the fuck do--"
Gabriel had grown sick of his constant nagging, and wanted him just to agree. He knew it was only Kai venting his fustrations but it was annoying him. He pulled the black beretta from his side holster and tossed it into Kai's lap, that'd shut him up.
He cradled the Beretta. "Son of a bitch... you told me you junk'd it." He clicked the safety on and off then grinned, but it slowly sunk into a frown. "Okay, I'll work with you, but <i>this</i>," He pointed the gun back and forth between them. "might never happen-- Don't argue with me about it."
"We'll your help will be good enough. For now."
Kai knew they were doing the classic drill for when things went ass up for a mobster: get out of the country. As they were racing towards the sea, the docks was the only place they could be heading, "Ship?"
"Royal Cruislines to Paris, France. Clothes, Passport are in back for you."
"Nice. You always had flair for going out in style. How'd you manage to get tickets?"
"I didn't."