Unique.

Chicago

Admittedly, I had never ever been to Chicago, I had always wanted to go there but I don't know, I've just never been. I guess I've left this place pure. No stealing, murders or torture has to happen, I just need two weeks free of illegal activities, well maybe stealing cars but other than that, nothing overly illegal, I had this nagging feeling that I was going to die soon. That I had gone too far, seen too much and done too much. It was nagging away at me. I had 200 pounds left, I had to go exchange that then find myself a hotel or motel to stay in, just anywhere. I decided to go get a job in a bar, I could make a killer cocktail and maybe throw a few guys out too.

I went to the airport currency exchange, I turned pounds into dollars.  I walked into a bar, it wasn't too far away from a cheap motel which I had booked myself into.
"Hey, you the manager?" I asked.
"Nah, wanna see him?" The woman, big bust, curvy, tall and dyed red hair.
"Please."
"Follow me sugar." I followed her down the corridor into a room. "Hatter, young chick here to see you." She banged on the door. A man opened it, looked gangsta, big belly, cigar in hand, Italian striped suit and hair slicked back.
"Hey darling, come in." He said. I sat down on one of the chairs in front of his desk.
"I want a job." I simply stated.
"Bar or gang?"
"Bar."
"Ryder working in a bar? Really, nah, I want to hire you."
"Two jobs, wow, I agreed to myself to not do anything illegal."
"What the hell hit you on the head?"
"Alright, what you want me to do?"
"Be my right hand girl, don't worry you won't have to wear an Italian suit, you'll be wearing a dress when we're doing business or in meetings, whatever you wear to steal things and comfy clothes when you're on your own, exploring here or just in a one on one meeting with me."
"Okay, deal, do you know Harry the art dealer?"
"Sure as hell I do, that son of a bitch cost me 15 grand."
"He may come knocking, I agreed to work for him but I haven't received my 2 million yet or a job."
"Don't worry sweetheart, we'll have the son of a bitch taken care of before he can say boo to a goose."
"Why do you trust me?"
"All the people you've worked with have ended up better off, of course I trust someone with a talent like yours, you have a talent to turn the poor into millionaires and the millionaires into corpses."
"I thought the Chicago gangsters faded out back in the 70's."
"They did but we found a way back in, even New York is gaining gangsters instead of swag chavs crawling everywhere, all this world needs is class and elegance back."
"I don't think that will ever happen."
"Me neither, somewhere, somehow, a generation fucked up."
"Royally."
"There's a meeting tonight, here's 200 dollars, go get a dress and come back here at 6.30pm, code word is whiskey on the rocks, make it a double like the pinstripes have."
"Thank you."
"You're welcome Ryder, and sorry for your loss, your father was an asshole but always saved lives."
"Thanks."
"Now go, you have 3 hours."

I walked into the bar with a navy blue dress on, it clung to my curves and was long sleeved due to it being a bit cooler in Chicago, navy heels to match and a black leather jacket with my gun tucked away. I walked over to the bar tender.
"What can I get you princess?" He asked.
"Whiskey on the rocks, make it a double like the pinstripes have." I answered.
"Through that door, all way down until you reach the next door."
"Thanks." I walked through the heavy wooden door and down the corridor, it had wooden panels half way up the wall and yellow paint, with paintings hung up down the corridors. A person was a stood outside the door.
"Welcome." He said opening the door, I smiled at him and walked in to see 10 people sat around a large wooden table.
"Please, take a seat." Hatter said. "You all know Ryder or heard stories about her." They all looked at me, fear mixed with excitement and a hint of shock. The ages ranged from 27-60 which was a bit weird but I didn't mind. They all wore the Italian striped suit, very expensive.

The meeting finished and one of the 27 year olds, Santiago, walked me back to my hotel which I had upgraded myself to.
"So what's Ryder doing in Chicago?" He asked.
"Ryder is running for her life." I said as I walked over to the front reception desk.
"What from?"
"Damien, some others I've pissed off and every fed going."
"Why don't you stop running? Face up to it."
"If I do that here, it'll be the death penalty."
"If you do it in England."
"I'm almost certain they'll bring back the death penalty for me."
"Take it the stories are true."
"Yes, I'm a thief, ex-junkie, assassin and have a really bad taste in guys."
"Last one was FBI."
"Killed him."
"I've heard, there's also gang members to stop his little lover from grassing you up."
"There are well done, haven't you been a busy boy doing your research." I said winking at him and grabbing my hotel key card.
"That's the thing Ryder, it isn't research, everyone knows the story, you fell for Damien who turned you into a living nightmare monster, you found your way out but couldn't stop killing or robbing stuff, then you found Joe and you eased off, then you broke off with Joe and spiralled back into your old ways, then Damien suddenly gets tortured and now he's out for your blood, you come here to escape for a few days but you always make the poor richer and the richer dead, that's your problem Ryder, you may seem like a bad person and a monster that mums tell their kids about but inside, you're good and you do it for the greater good, seriously Ryder, you're not a bad person, just the things you've done to protect your own and to protect the weak have made you seem like a monster, it'll all come to an end soon." Santiago said kissing my forehead before walking out. I sighed and walked up the stairs to my room, I never trust elevators unless it's my way in or out.

I had been in Chicago 3 months, I enjoyed it here. The gang was pleasant and treated people well, made the richer, dead or poor or scared and the poor, richer.
"Okay, biggest heist in a year, maybe be your last job, might not be either, Ryder you need to be careful on this, Chicago is crawling with FBI, CIA, MI, DEA, every fed known who you've pissed off." Hatter said in one of our meetings. "You'll be robbing the main bank of every penny it's worth, take hostages if you have to, tech and geek can disarm the alarms but only for the time it will take you lot to get in, claim hostages, turn the CCTV off and get anyone away from the alarms and strip them from their phones."
"That's a pretty big job." Santiago said.
"If it goes south, I'll be the one they chase, you lot go a different way, I'll be the one they chase after." I said, I knew I had been doing this too long and I needed to give back one last time.
"You sure?" Santiago asked.
"Yes." I replied.

Could this be my last job?

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Another chapter done!

Hope you liked it!

-Parker