Chapter 110: Chapter 110: The Backroom
Alexander pushed open the heavy wooden door of the bar the smell of stale beer and cheap tobacco hitting his senses immediately.
The place was dimly lit with a few sketchy patrons scattered around the tables.
He walked straight to the counter keeping his movements smooth.
"Give me a beer" said Alexander to the bartender
The man slid a cold bottle across the scratched wood.
Alexander paid took a sip and began to casually circle the room.
He was trying his best to blend in but his clean clothes his posture and the undeniable glint of the blue Rolex on his wrist made him stand out like a beacon in the grimy establishment.
He could feel the heavy suspicious glares of the locals tracking his every move.
Ignoring the stares Alexander checked his phone.
The GPS marker was close right beyond the back wall.
He scanned the area until his eyes landed on a heavy unlabeled steel door near the restrooms.
He walked over and grabbed the handle.
It didn’t budge.
He gave it a firm silent shove trying to force the latch but the deadbolt was solid.
"Hey! What the fuck do you think you’re doing?" shouted a massive scarred man stepping out from a nearby hallway
The thug didn’t wait for an explanation.
He wound up a heavy telegraphed punch aiming straight for Alexander’s face.
"I’m looking for a girl" yelled Alexander, his voice cutting through the ambient noise of the bar "You better just hand her over right now"
Alexander didn’t even need to dodge.
With his TMC training kicking in his reflexes were on a completely different level.
He stepped inside the man’s reach his fist slamming directly into the thug’s jaw with precise explosive force.
CRACK.
The impact was devastating.
Alexander instantly realized he was significantly faster and stronger than before.
The massive man went completely limp his eyes rolling back as he crashed heavily onto the floor knocked out cold from a single blow.
The loud crash and the sudden violence instantly alerted the rest of the bar.
"Hey! The kid just dropped Big Mike" shouted someone from the back tables
Four more thugs stood up drawing knives and heavy wooden clubs as they came rushing down the narrow corridor toward him their faces twisted in rage.
Seeing the mob closing in fast and realizing he was outnumbered in a tight space Alexander didn’t hesitate.
He reached under his untucked shirt his fingers gripping the cold handle of his firearm and pulled it free aiming it directly at the chest of the leading thug.
CLICK.
The sharp mechanical sound of the safety flicking off echoed through the tense corridor.
The leading thug froze mid-stride his knife hovering in the air as his eyes locked onto the black muzzle of Alexander’s firearm.
The three men behind him scrambled to a halt their boots squeaking loudly against the grimy floorboards.
"Back off" said Alexander, his voice entirely devoid of emotion, his hand steady as a rock
The bar went dead silent.
The patrons at the tables ducked some sliding out of their chairs to press their bodies against the floor.
The bartender slowly raised his hands backing away until his spine hit the liquor shelf.
"Whoa, chill out, man" muttered the leading thug, his aggressive bravado evaporating into pure sweat as he slowly lowered his knife "We don’t want no trouble with a piece"
"Open the door" stated Alexander, gesturing toward the locked steel door with a quick tilt of his chin
"I don’t have the keys, swear to God" explained the thug, his hands shaking slightly in front of his chest "Only the boss has them, and he’s back there right now with the new girl"
Alexander didn’t waste another second.
He stepped forward grabbed the front of the thug’s jacket and shoved him violently against the steel panel.
"Call him Now" commanded Alexander, pressing the cold barrel of the gun right under the man’s chin
The thug swallowed hard his skin turning pale as he frantically pounded his fist against the heavy metal door.
"Boss! Open up! It’s an emergency! Some crazy kid has a gun out here"
A muffled curse came from the other side followed by the heavy clanking of chains and a deadbolt turning.
The steel door cracked open revealing a thick middle-aged man with a grease-stained shirt and a cigar dangling from his mouth.
"What the hell is the matter with you—" began the boss
Before the man could finish Alexander slammed the center of the door forcing it wide open.
The impact sent the boss sprawling backward into the dim cluttered backroom crashing into a stack of wooden crates.
Alexander stepped inside his gun sweeping the room as he immediately looked for the target.
The room smelled heavily of damp concrete cheap liquor and copper.
Alexander stepped past the groaning boss his eyes instantly tracking to a worn leather couch under a flickering halogen bulb.
Ashley was sprawled across the cushions completely unconscious.
Her public school uniform was torn at the collar and a dark purplish bruise was swelling heavily across her left cheekbone.
Her breath was shallow her lips parted and dry—she had clearly been drugged.
Her skirt was pushed up to her waist and her black panties had been yanked down past her knees forcing her legs open.
Alexander’s gaze shifted to the boss who was scrambling to his feet among the shattered wooden crates.
The man’s face and thick neck were covered in fresh bleeding scratches.
Ashley had fought back hard before he knocked her out.
"You piece of shit" muttered Alexander, his voice dropping into an absolute, freezing calm
"Hey, look, kid, she’s just a stray from the slums, nobody cares about her" yelled the boss, his eyes gesturing frantically to the black muzzle pointed right at his forehead as he held his hands up "We can share! Just put the gun down"
The sheer disgust in Alexander’s chest hardened into concrete.
He didn’t say another word.
The heavy silence in the dim backroom stretched to the absolute limit the tension screaming as his finger tightened slowly around the trigger.
