The Runner

 “Sir, please, if you'll allow me. You know that I've been loyal to you. I've never done you wrong yet, I don’t understand why you’re coming at me about this.”

      I know the answer to this already: it's no. Nonetheless he still acted as though he needed a minute to think about it, like my loyalty is questionable. Staring at me with a smug grin, and cocky attitude. He's a pufferfish, I see through him. I get it though. Gotta do what you need to in order to keep the front and keep  the backup of your people.Can’t allow them to question the way you run shit.  That's when he finally spoke out, “You're right. I'll hand that to you.  You have been a loyal runner for me.  I appreciate you for that…….. This is what I'm gonna do.”

      He shook a finger at me as he sat in his chair, one leg crossed, ankle resting on the knee of the other.  He sat there  in his grey suit with a pink button up mens blouse, and dark brown dress shoes.  He likes his suits.  He wants to present himself with class. Sittin’ there with arms on the armrests, arm up shaking that finger. Damn annoying if you ask me though. I'm not a dog, don't shake your finger at me like an old lady to her shitzu.  Save your arrogance for your grunts, I'm a freelancer, let's remember.

       Anyways, this is the bargain he gave me, he said “I'm gonna give you the chance to figure out where this ring went, and then I'm gonna let you hunt it down. I want whoever stole my precious Ruby taken care of….. He wants proof. Then he said “you bring my ring back to me so I can hand it down to my son, for his beautiful woman so he can get married.  Family tradition, you understand?  Comprende?” In his cocky arrogant tone of his. 

 I told him “Yes, Sir.”  What else could I say? Gotta get a job done.  So then he tells me. 

    “I'll be nice. I know these things take some time, but I also don't got all my life to sit around for this family piece. And of course, I'm not the one that failed to remember the RING WHEN LEAVING A BAR! SO!....... You’re lucky I didn't bust ya nose you know that? That’s how ya know I like ya. With that you got a month. No less. No more. June 20th, it better be here. Don't make my men have to hunt it out. I trust you can follow through, you're a good man to me… Respectable!!........Now go find my damn ring before I lose my composure…” As he raised a hand and waved me off. So I took my bow out and said “Yes sir” and was on my way. 

       So that's why I'm back out here walking down these streets. I'm gonna have to track back, and figure out where the ring wound up after my screw up. In my defense let me tell you what happened and catch you up. 

     So I'm a runner, and my name is Jack. I'm not exactly your take home to meet your parents type, but what can I say, a man who’s gotta survive and I was dropped off with the wolves. So I do what I do. No apologies from me for surviving. Apologies are for the weak.

    That mob man I owe? Thats Joe. I've been working for him for the last decade. He's a good, fair man.  He's a mobster so you can imagine he's not an angel, but he does put into the community if it helps comfort you.  He runs a business in the jewelry industry so he definitely makes his money, but he doesn’t stop there on his earning.  

     Down the line back in the day, his family had bought a Ruby mine, and they have been mining and selling Rubies since. They wound up growing and developing their own jewelry store that they buy jewels from other jewel miners and sell them as jewelry along with their own. As for the heirloom, that's where this heirloom comes in.  It's been in the family since the beginning of this business. 

      Back when his family got the money for this land to mine, and found the Rubies, his three times great grandfather took one of those first found rubies, and had this beautiful intricate Ruby ring made for his woman. He proposed to her to be his wife and enjoy his success with him. She of course said yes, and they lived lavishly and passed it on. Surprisingly the chick didn’t turn out to be some gold digger. The family has been socialites for generations now, ever since.  Ever since then, the woman possessing the ring grants it to her son to propose with, when she approves the woman he's with. 

      So I'm sure you're thinking, what a sweet little family heirloom story, how the hell did something so precious to this family wind up lost? 

     Well, that comes back to his son, they thought he found the right girl, she seemed sweet. I saw right through her though, she was a gold diggin’ hussie if you ask me.  I had to let them figure it out on their own though. They're not the type to take being told about their decisions lightly.  Then, well, the true colors came out and as soon as she got the ring, she was gone with the first man she found.  Took off with this ring and I was asked to go chase it down. 

      This lady sure damn did run out of state, out to damn Kansas.  Why the hell she chose there is beyond me.  Not a place gold diggers would typically think of first.  But in the end, to each their own path right?  Or maybe she just knew what was gonna come next, and thought she was gonna hide. 

 So I got the call from Joe. He said, “Hey! My friend! How are you today?! Beautiful day today am I right?” 

     Knowing what was likely to come I responded, “What's the chore of the day boss?” he's a sentimental man though. 

    

      “Jack, come on man,  when are you gonna give me a little conversation? I mean come on there my friend. Tell me how's your day? Day first, chore second!” 

       I rolled my eyes, he can be so petty sometimes, but I gotta play the game. So I did. “Beautiful day! My god! It is just absolutely gorgeous out wouldn't you say Joe? My god. If I had a dog I'd be taking him for a walk. Showing a little leg and getting a little tan, today really would be a good day for it, what do you think boss? You gettin’ a little tan on the ankle today?” 

      “Ahhhhhh! Yes! That! That right there! I love you man! I really do! Thank you! Yes, I agree!  You get a little tan on those chicken legs of yours, they could use it. Maybe this chore will help ya, eh?” 

Well we're about to find out now aren't we? Whatcha got going? Who's in trouble?” 

 “Hahahahaha who's in trouble……. It's a good thing I can trust you Jack…..I need you to retrieve a ring for me.” 

“A ring? That's new.” 

“Yea this one….. man I got fooled….. this one really got me. So I'm gonna have you break her fingers and bust her nose.” 

      “Her?.......Boss her?....... Come on now, you know I can't do that. Don't you have some boss ladies to do that work?” 

“A lady shouldn't be doing any dirty work like this and if she wants to do dirty like a man she can be handled like a man, so yes, her is what I said.  And HER, is who you will go after, comprende?” 

“......Yes, sir…..” what else can I do?  It's her or me and like he said.  Their rules are you do dirty like a man, ya get handled like a man. Also, she knew them and how they work.  She knew what she was walking into.  So I gotta do my job. 

     I hopped in my old Honda Civic and rode out.  I went to her house out in Timbuktu, and I was lucky, she was home, didn’t have to wait.  I could tell ‘cause her blue mercedes sugar daddy ex bought her  was sitting out in the driveway.  Finding her wasn't hard. She wasn't ever that bright and I knew she'd register her address.  All it took was flirting with a couple of her chick friends and checking the white pages. 

     So I get there, see her car, I walk up and I knock on the door. She answered. She asked me what I was there for, I told her I needed to come inside.  What do ya know the bimbette let me inside with no second thoughts.  Guess I’m a trusting guy.   I was ordered to break her fingers and bust her nose. So, I hesitated for a moment, again I try to be  a gentleman so this was hard, but then I made it fast.  I busted her nose, then when she put her hands to her face I grabbed her fingers and I broke ‘em. 

      Now again, I'm not a savage, and I still have some gentleman in me.  So I went to her freezer and grabbed her some ice and made a couple ice packs for her.  I came back and told her she can have them if she tells me where the ruby was.  She didn't hesitate and told me it was in the top drawer of the dresser and asked why I didn’t just ask first.   I didn't need to break her damn fingers.  I knew it wasn't needed, she would've handed it over.  But, the boss made his request, and like his genie I must oblige.  I’m just the messenger. 

      So I grabbed the ring off of her dresser top drawer, where she said it was, and helped her call a friend to give her a ride to the hospital to help with her broken nose and fingers. Can't leave her there hanging like that, that's just cruel. 

     So I left on my way and I was feeling a bit hungry.  Ya know, us runners get hungry too. Even a robot needs some juice to keep it going right? So I stopped by the closest local watering hole. There were definitely some animals in there, but that's how you know it's a dive, and that's exactly what I want.  Less easily noticed and even the bartender doesn't want the cops called. 

    So I sat at the bar and ordered myself some Tennessee Jack Honey neat. Always a little needed after a job.  My personal favorite.  Got some wings and fries to come with it. Luckily I got to finish my meal so I didn't leave with an empty stomach, but because of my damn brain I left with an empty hand!  That bartender was cute as shit though.

      I was working on a buzz before heading back and these two fools  next to me got into it.  I didn't notice the gaslight to the fire, because I was so lost in thought about this heirloom story. I was holding the ring staring at it.  It really is beautiful, I’d pass it down too.  Imagining what it's like to live a life like mine while having so many lavish things like they do.  Be a gangster and a husband and father.  Maybe one day I’ll get a chance to find a wife and have some kids.   What a beautiful love story to be told.  Men like me don't often get to tell those. 

       But anyway, Smash! The glass broke right next to me on the bar, broken glass went flying everywhere.  Out of instinct I hopped up and hopped back.  Dropped the damn ring, like an idiot, in the process.  Someone yelled out that they recognized my face and,  without too much investigation, I just left. I'm not trying to get caught up in any funny business, because tweedle dee and tweedle dumb couldn't settle their shit like grown men instead of grown boys. 

       Anyways, I looped back around later for a quick glance after all the heat cooled off. But the ring was gone. Shit!!! I knew then that Boss was gonna be mad as a hatter about that matter.  But I'm a man and I handle my business in proper etiquette.  So I head right back to Joe and let him know what happened. And well that's the part when we loop back around. 

     So now I'm heading back to the bar to ask for some video footage so we can see who exactly I'm gonna have to take care of.  Bartender shouldn’t mind helping me out.