A Man of Honor.

Chapter 4: How I got My Big Break

"I hope when my time comes that I die decently in bed. I don't want to be murdered beside the garbage cans in some Chicago alley." ~ Bugs Moran

A few nights after going to Junior's club is when things really started to change for me.

I was working another shift in the cab past midnight when I got a notice for a VIP pickup across town near the old warehouse district. It seemed like a completely normal pick up to me at the time so I drove there thinking that I'd probably be picking up some wiseguy and probably get a handsome tip for my troubles.

I pulled up around back like the app had instructed me too and parked waiting for my customer to show himself messaging him through the app that I was outside. I watched as the back door opened and I spotted O-Ushi along with Tonen and a few others, my pickup was this one guy among them named Jiro.

They were all taking their time finishing their cigarettes and chatting it up. I couldn't hear a thing they were talking about so I just waited for them. I caught sight of something moving at the corner of my eye and I looked to see a mangy alley cat scurrying down an alley. It stopped and looked right at O-Ushi and her boys, then right at me. This little black and orange cat stared directly at me with a pair of bright yellow eyes. I immediately felt kind of bad for the mangy little thing as one look at it's face showed a number of scars marking its face. It had clearly had a lot of fights with other cats in it's time living on the streets.

Just as fast the cat turned away from me and sprinted down the alley. I turned back to look at O-Ushi and my pickup all dropping their cigarette butts on the ground and stamping them out. They turned down to walk to their own cars or to get into my cab when down the long alley a van rolled down the alley with the side door wide open. It took me a second to realize that something was wrong.

O-Ushi and her boys saw danger immediately. They scrambled for whatever cover they could and drew their guns from their jackets. A masked man in the van raised a rifle and fired. Flashes erupted from the muzzle illuminating the alley as the gunman strafed the alleyway with automatic fire.

"Oh Shit!" I cursed taking a little longer than I wanted to admit to get over my shock. I watched as the gunfire struck two including my pickup Jiro. I honestly don't know what I was thinking then, but the minute I was able to process what was happening I went into action.

I put the car into gear and stomped on the gas moving down the alley and past O-Ushi, shots struck the cab so I turned the car so it could be used as cover blocking a section of the alley and providing what cover I could for O-Ushi and her boys. Several bullets shattered the windows and pierced the side. One went right through the door and struck me only to be absorbed by my aura.

I threw the door open and stepped out looking at the two bodies bleeding next to a bunch of garbage. O-Ushi moved behind the engine block of my cab with both revolvers in hand and leveled. They boomed like thunder when she fired them sending echoes down the alleyways. Between the machine guns from the van and the various pistols going off my world was surrounded by ear splitting gunfire.

Several shots from the gunner struck O-Ushi, her blue aura flared and she dropped down behind the engine block throwing the cylinders of her revolvers open and spilling the brass to the ground.

"Good thinking kid," she complimented as rounds continued to tear my cab apart. Tonen was stuck in the doorway hiding behind the little wall. He had a type of machine pistol out and the stock unfolded as he fired bursts at the van and the gunner.

"Get inside!" He said to O-Ushi who tucked one of the gun barrels in her armpit to free her hand to reload the other. He aimed down the alley and released a hail of automatic fire from his little compact machine gun.