Bottle after bottle, Derrick drank in the hopes of numbing the pain, but as the hours bled into one another and the pain remained, his head slumped off to the side, and there they were, shining in the corner of the room, the last thing he needed to see in a moment like this. His keys to his McLaren 720s.

  He knew it was a bad idea, but hell, honestly… what else was left to ruin? He pushed himself up, legs wobbling, the floor tilting in every direction as he tried to get his feet beneath him.

  Left, right, left, right. “One foot in front of the other,” he told himself through slurred words. It was a ridiculous thing to say out loud, but the alcohol had turned the simplest of tasks into a thing, in the moment, that felt impossible to Derrick. His steps were slow, gingerly, his vision foggy, but he made it. He crouched, grabbed the keys, and staggered out.

  In the car, the ignition was running, and the engine hummed beneath him, ready, even if he wasn’t. But he didn’t move. He just sat there, staring at nothing, breath trembling. No one to call. Nowhere to go. No one he could confide in. He had nothing left.

  His hands tightened around the steering wheel as hard as his grip would allow, until his knuckles felt like they were about to burst through his skin.

  “Ahhh!” he screamed, pulling his face into the steering wheel. His head dropped momentarily before he erupted again, slamming his fists repeatedly into the steering wheel until his hands went numb.

  Tears streamed down his face uncontrollably as he refused to accept the reality of what his life had become. Then it dawned on him, the lightbulb he thought had lost all its light began to shine again. He still had one card left to play.

  So, with his new play in mind, he swiped away the alcohol from around his mouth and the snot running down his nose with his sleeve, then, with both hands, he spun the steering wheel, then drove off into the distance.

  “Robert, honey, are you coming to bed? It’s getting late,” Nicole called, tucked beneath the covers.

  “Yeah, I’m coming, darling!” Robert shouted back, toothpaste foaming at the corners of his mouth.

  Things had gotten better for Robert. More time with the boys. More date nights with Nicole. He finally found the balance he’d been chasing, and his family was stronger for it.

  Robert gargled one last time, spitting the toothpaste into the sink, and he was done. He pulled at the cord, turning off the light, then headed straight to bed where Nicole was waiting.

  As he hit the bed, Nicole gazed into Robert’s eyes with a loving smile, and he returned it. The spark that had its flame doused by Robert’s obsession with his work was lit again, and the love birds were ready to start anew.

  “I do hope this lasts, darling,” she said, hope draped across every word.

  Robert let out a slow breath, his eyes closing as they did. “Baby steps. We start as we mean to go on. All I can do now is keep showing up. Eventually my actions will speak rather than my words, darling.”

  “Music to my ears,” she said, nestling closer.

  Robert turned off the night light, and Nicole lay on his chest until both of them fell into a deep sleep.

  As time passed and the lovebirds slept, Robert’s alarm on his phone started to blare—

  Security alert!

  Security alert!

  Security alert!

  Nicole groaned, her head tossing and turning. “Babe, can you shut that thing off?”

  Robert reached down to grab his phone off the small brown table next to his bed, his heart in his mouth. He swiped up on his phone and checked the alert, and with that, the red light in his office turned on, and that was all Derrick needed to see to know that Robert was watching. As the image became clear on Robert’s phone, there he was, in Robert’s office, smoke surrounding him, waving at the camera.

  Robert threw his phone to the floor. His feet scrambled back, pushing him up the bed until his back hit the headboard. His heart was in his mouth. But he couldn't help but peek. His neck extended, his eyes glancing over, and there he was still sitting there, still smug as ever in Robert’s eyes. It wasn't a dream; it was a nightmare that wasn't going anywhere, and he needed to address it.

  Robert threw the covers off his legs, then jumped up from the bed, putting on the clothes that lay scattered across the floor, fear consuming his every thought.

  It was dark, but not dark enough that Nicole couldn't see Robert getting dressed. As she turned, she caught his leg raised as he was putting on his pants.

  “Is everything okay?” she asked tentatively.

  “It will be,” he lied. “There’s just something that set off the alarm. Nothing serious. I’ll be back before you know it.”

  “You sure, Robert? Maybe you should call the police. Last time your alarm went off, they were practically levelling the place.”

  Robert’s head snapped towards Nicole. “No!” he shouted abruptly. “I mean… no,” he said again, calmly. “I can handle it. It’s just a routine security trip that needs me to punch in the code, and then I’m gone.”

  Nicole had a look of concern on her face. She wanted to push harder, but she buried her worries deep enough that there wouldn't be an argument tonight. Instead, she sat up on the bed, her head tilted back, resting on the headboard as she spoke.

  “Okay, hunny,” she said, trying to convince herself more than Robert that everything was okay. “Just make sure you stay safe. Any sign of danger—have your phone ready and the police on speed dial, okay?”

  Robert leaned over and kissed Nicole on the forehead. “Okay, hunny. First sign of trouble, and that’s the first thing I'll do.”

  As soon as Robert left the room, he ran downstairs and straight to his car. Nicole, on the other hand, sank back into her bed and lay there, staring blankly at the ceiling as a feeling of dread blanketed her. There was no chance she was getting back to sleep, not while Robert was still out there.

  Robert threw his car door open and slid into the driver’s seat. His fingers shook violently as he struggled to get his keys out, fumbling as he tried to put the key into the ignition. His hand turned the key a few times before the engine finally started, and his car was ready to drive. He was nervous. As he looked up, he caught a glance of himself in the mirror, and the man looking back at him—the man staring back—felt like a ghost he’d buried long ago. He couldn't face himself, not this version of himself anyway, so he looked down, and without a second thought, his foot slammed on the accelerator, and he was gone. Driving through the city was a blur—the cars around him, the late-night clubbers, the lights, the city—none of it mattered in the moment. There was only one thing on his mind… the impending showdown with Derrick.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  He arrived at the lab, skidding across the car park to a sudden halt. Flinging open the door, he hopped out of his car and sprinted as fast as he could toward the lab’s entrance.

  “Welcome back, Robert,” the COM voice said as he swiped his ID card across the sensor—a voice he’d heard a thousand times, but tonight… it hit differently.

  “How did I forget to cancel Derrick’s key card?” The thought hammered in the back of his mind, but it was too late now. He ran down the corridors as fast as he could until he finally reached his office. As he opened the door, a whirlwind of smoke escaped the room, completely engulfing Robert as it passed.

  “Robert,” Derrick paused, smiling with the cigar held toward his mouth. “What took you so long?”

  “What took me so long?” Robert shot back, anger replacing where the fear in his chest once lay. “Why are you here, Derrick? You know you're not welcome here.”

  Derrick’s hand raised to his chest, his mouth hanging wide open as he sarcastically pretended to be offended by Robert’s words. “That’s no way to speak to your friend now, is it, Robert? Tut-tut.”

  “Let’s get one thing straight, Derrick,” Robert said, eyes narrowing. “Me and you? We’re not friends. We stopped being friends a long time ago.” His hand raised, twisting from side to side as his left eye squinted tighter. “Right between the time you decided to work for a kingpin and the time you took advantage of a vulnerable moment in my life. Then”—a solitary finger raised, as though he were in class with a question to ask—“let's not forget, Derrick, the intimidation, the beating me with the butt of your gun, and oh—how could I forget? You turning up to my event, trying to ruin my moment. Should I continue?”

  “Alright, alright, Robert, we get your point. Now that the small talk is out of the way, let’s get to the reason I’m actually here.”

  There was silence for a moment, Robert’s heart beginning to beat anxiously as he waited to hear what Derrick had to say.

  “I need your help, Robert.”

  “Help? What could I possibly help you with, Derrick? I told you, I’m done cleaning your money through my lab. So, if that's what you're here for, you might as well get up from my seat and head on home.”

  “I see you’ve got jokes, Robert. It’s cute,” Derrick said, and as his face switched, the calm demeanour went out the window. The man who ruled the streets entered the chat.

  Robert took a few steps back, trembling as Derrick switched up on him.

  “No need to be scared, my friend—I mean, Robert. I would like to bring your attention to the board behind me.”

  Robert looked on, confused, as Derrick plugged in his USB drive. As the video flashed on the screen, Robert’s confusion only amplified.

  “What is this, Derrick? What is the meaning of this?”

  “Shhh, Robert. Just watch. It’ll all make sense soon.”

  But as Robert watched on, his hand raised, itching his head.

  “Derrick… what has any of this got to do with me?”

  “Get your popcorn ready, Robert. The moment we’ve all been waiting for is coming up.” Derrick tapped the keypad, pausing the video.

  “Derrick, enough games. Now you're pausing the video? I haven't got time for this.”

  “I’m just adding some clarity to the situation, so you have all the context when the big reveal happens.”

  As Derrick continued to speak, there it was—that wicked smile. His trademark.

  “You remember Avery, right?” he asked.

  “Of course I do, Derrick. What has my son’s friend got to do with any of this?” But then Robert looked at the date…the time of the recording… and he put two and two together.

  “So, this is the moment the police caught Avery’s grandfather’s killer.”

  “Bingo!” Derrick shouted, wagging his finger toward Robert.

  “But they already caught the killer, so you showing me the video has what to do with me exactly?” Robert asked.

  “Oh, old friend—you’re about to find out.” Derrick nodded toward the screen.

  Robert slammed his finger on the play button, and it all unfolded.

  The masked man ducked, and Dragonblade grabbed ahold of his mask, pulling it off—revealing Daniel. Robert stood there, eyes wide, mouth hanging.

  “Ding, ding, ding! He gets it now, folks,” Derrick said as he sat back smugly in his chair.

  Robert’s stomach started to twitch. It pulled upward twice, then he leaned over and threw up.

  “Get it out, Robert! It’s not going to go away.”

  Robert was hunched over, but he managed to wipe the sick from around his mouth. His head twisted toward Derrick in disbelief.

  His son. A murderer.

  There was no way.

  As he stood upright, his breaths were ragged, his breathing out of control, but he had questions—questions that needed answering.

  “Daniel’s a good kid. Sure, he’s gotten into trouble at school, but this? It doesn’t make sense. And they got the killer,” Robert said, shaking his head, confused.

  “Well, look no further, Robert. I’m here to answer all of your questions and give you the missing pieces to your puzzle. Your son was lost. No one to turn to—and as you know, that’s how it usually starts. No one there for them, no one to talk to, so they turn to the streets,” he said, cheeks raised, enjoying every word that came from his mouth.

  “You fought tooth and nail for that lab but left him out in the cold—neglected him, Robert. So he turned to the boys, and they filled that hole that you left empty.

  “And when he turned up to the meet point that night, I couldn't believe my luck. Robert’s son on a hit? It felt as if God was looking down and decided to bless me that night. And I wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth and miss my window of opportunity. So, I called in a favour and set everything up. And as a naive pup does… Daniel ran straight into the trap.”

  Robert’s face tightened. He stormed forward, but Derrick wasn't stupid—he pulled out his gun and pointed it at Robert, immediately stopping him in his tracks.

  “You’re the one that left your piece on the board unattended, Robert. I told you this wouldn't be the last you heard from me. That night in the car—I told you, there are fates far worse than death. And sure, he didn't pull the trigger, but his face is on the police cam. Cam footage that only I and my man on the inside possess.”

  Derrick stood up from his seat, his body hunched over the table as he looked Robert in the eyes.

  “One of my guys took the rap, in exchange for his family to be looked after for life. But don’t get it twisted—with this footage and my word, his testimony would change quicker than you could blink.”

  “Oh, officer, I was scared for my life! Little old Daniel put a gun to my head, officer—threatened to kill my entire family, officer—unless I took the rap, officer,” Derrick sang theatrically as he put his hand to his mouth.

  “You’re sick, Derrick. You’re sick.”

  “So… here’s what we’re going to do, Robert. We’re going to hit the Marquez family, and we’re going to hit them at their home.”

  “Have you lost your goddamn mind, Derrick? The mob? You want to hit the mob—and the Marquez family of all families? The oldest mob family in Miami—and you want to orchestrate a robbery at their home?” Robert couldn't help but laugh through the pain.

  But Derrick was serious. His eyes told the story.

  He wasn’t messing around.

  “You’re serious, aren’t you? You’re actually serious.” Robert shook his head. “Well, if you want to get yourself killed on this stupid suicide mission, who am I to stop you? But count me out.

  “There’s no way the Marquez family are just going to let you—and your men—stroll up into their home and take their money. Their compound is heavily guarded from every corner. There’s no way in, and there’s certainly no way out, Derrick.”

  “You’re right, Robert. You hit the nail on the head. And normally I’d just blackmail you with the piece of evidence I have—threaten you that I’m going to go to the police with the evidence—but I’m smarter than that. A kid with no priors, no gang connections, never seen with any of the gang members… evidence that just so happens to turn up, that was suppressed… and a squeaky-clean family? Doesn’t look good, nor bode well for me, now does it?”

  That’s when Derrick stood upright and started pacing back and forth across the room before abruptly stopping and continuing his speech.

  “But here’s the thing… the police want the Black Hood, and the mob want the Black Hood. And I believe I’ve got it all figured out. I know exactly who the Black Hood is.”

  Robert took a huge gulp and listened with tentative ears.

  “You see, I did some digging. And it turns out the Black Hood and his crew were infamous for their heists. No one knew each other's identities—perfect setup in case anyone got caught. And on January 5th, 1998, the Black Hood pulled his last job. Three months later… someone bought a state-of-the-art lab. Care to guess who?”

  Robert remained silent.

  “And after that, the rest of the crew kept going until they were all caught—except for one man… who conveniently vanished.” Derrick paused for effect. “Funny how that lines up, isn’t it?”

  “That doesn’t prove anything,” Robert said, voice shaking.

  “Oh, we can play that game if you want. I can go to the police and raise my suspicions. Tell them I think I’ve found the Black Hood—their long-lost mastermind—the biggest criminal of the last decade. Let’s see what they do with that information. Let’s hope you covered your tracks, dear friend. Oh—and Robert? With you behind bars, your reputation ruined… let’s see if the feds question the evidence then.”

  Robert clenched his fist, seething.

  “Alright. I’m in—but on one condition. You and whoever has that footage destroys it, and you leave the Black Hood where it belongs— dead and buried.”

  “You have my word, Robert.” Derrick pinched his fingers together, running them across his mouth. “My lips are sealed.”

  “Now we just have to figure out how to do this job and leave with our lives intact,” Robert said.

  Derrick began to laugh.

  “By giving them the person who eluded them for so long,” Derrick said, with a humongous smile plastered across his face.