The Woman Who Came from Smoke Part 6

Azrael’s Circus of the Bizarre

The Woman Who Came from Smoke

Draft 3

By: Chase L. Currie

Charon nodded, opening the door for him and locked it behind them. They took their time walking a few blocks away from their motel to get a taxi. Charon told the driver to take them to an Old Italian restaurant near Chain Town.

“What is the name?” The driver asked with a heavy Boston tone.

“Frank’s place,” Charon said. It wasn’t the actual name of the restaurant, but the driver knew who he was talking about. Everyone knew who Frank was, after all, New York was his town.

The driver glanced over at Lucille and asked, “Are you sure, friend?”

“Very sure,” Charon said sitting back in the seat.

The driver did as he was ordered too and dropped them off in front of an old run-down restaurant with red curtains hanging in the windows. Charon tried to pay the driver, but he wouldn’t take it. “Keep it,” the driver would say over and over holding his hand up, “You’re going to need it.”

Charon didn’t fight it too much before getting out of the car. He stood there as the yellow cab pulled away in a hurry. Charon pulled his coat tightly around him, smiled down at Lucille and headed for the door. She followed like she always did, like a cat waiting to get feed.

The restaurant was desolate except for a few gentlemen sitting at a table smoking and drinking. They both looked at Charon and Lucille with dead eyes not saying a word to them. Charon calmly asked, “Is Frank here?”

They both looked at each other and then back at the Irish man and to the girl with black boots on. One of them sat back in his chair as the other one faded into the kitchen. A moment he came back out taking his sit again, not saying a word. Before Charon could open his mouth to ask anything, the chief came walking out of the back, cleaning off his hands.

He nodded and asked, “What do want?”

“Frank?” Charon question.

“Yeah,” The thin black hair man said, “So what the fuck do you want?”

“A moment of your time, sir,” Charon calmly said, but he wanted to spin at the Italian looking shit standing in front of him. He wanted to break his big nose and skull.

“Just a moment, huh?” He asked walking over to the bar. He winked at Lucille as he went. “I guess I can give you a moment and a drink, how about a drink?”

Charon joins him at the bar and Lucille keep her eyes on the two men at the table. They went to back to eating, but they were also watching them closely.

Frank poured Charon a double shot. The Irish man took it and thanked him. Frank took a shot with him and then asked, “So what do you need?”

“Daisy Thundernight,” Charon said.

“She not for sale,” Frank told him with an eyebrow raised. “She not a whore.”

“I know,” Charon said back, “I want to pay her debt off and let her out of your services.”

Frank laughed from deep in his belly and pointed at the door, “Get the fuck out.”

“I am not joking, Frank,” Charon calmly said. “Azrael Cole wants her, and he is willing to pay anything for her.”

Frank smiled quickly fell into a frown, “Oh you are the asshole who kicked the shit out of my guys last night. You also broke the jaw of my doorman.”

Charon shrugged a little. “They were in my way.”

“Did you know,” Frank said stepping closer to the bar, “that my family has been in this city since it was started. My great, great, great grandfather was William Poole.”

“I don’t know who that is nor do I care.”

“He was called Bill the Butcher,” Frank explained. “A real nasty cat took no shit from anyone and didn’t let anyone fuck with his people. And you know, you hurt my people and now I have to hurt you. We could have worked something out for Daisy, she can be a real pain my ass, but you went and mess up. Now I have to do what I have to do.”

Charon backed up a little, cracked his knuckles and smiled. “I was kind of hoping you would say that.”

Frank jumped over the bar faster than Charon thought he would be able too. He moved like a mouse running from a cat, lightning fast. He hit Charon right in the jaw and once in the rips, but Charon knew how to take a hit. The pain wasn’t too bad. Frank was fast but powerful he was not. He could duck and dodge Charon’s attacks for only so long. Sooner or later Charon was going to catch him.

Lucille watched from the sidelines as did the two men at the table. They didn’t seem to want to get involved either.

Charon caught Frank in the stomach dropping him to his knees. Charon waited for the man to get back to his feet, he could have kicked him or kneed him, but it wasn’t something Charon was going to do, not yet anyway.

Lucille glanced over her shoulder seeing the two men still not getting up.

                “Get up,” Charon growled.

                Frank put up a hand, “Good hit, cool cat.”

                “Come on get up,” Charon order him.

                Frank nodded his head, “Right, Right,” and then he jumped at Charon putting a knife into his side. Charon let out a hard scream grabbing Frank by the arm and then punching him quickly several times in the face. He broke his nose causing the man to fall backward. Charon held the knife in his side with blood dripping from it.

                Lucille rushed over to him while the two men rushed to their boss. Lucille helped Charon out of the restaurant and down the sidewalk. She came looking back waiting to see someone coming after them, but there wasn’t anyone. The sidewalk was empty and cold. They both stepping into an alleyway on to the other streets. Charon keeps the knife in him, but the blood was still coming out, and the pain was starting to get too much.