The Gray Wolf of New York

Intro

The eyes of Mr. Jesse Gray were almond-shaped, cobalt blue, and sharper than any blade. When looking into the eyes of Mr. Gray, one felt that their very soul was being examined. Yet when idle, they had the look of a cat's, lazily and calculatingly watching their surroundings, like a lion that had already eaten its fill, but still surveyed the area for prey just in case it wanted seconds. Currently, the cobalt eyes were looking at a young woman in that very same way. She was blonde, slender and fair-skinned. Slumped in the lounge chair next to the pool in the backyard of his Spanish mansion, Jesse watched her swim, eyelids drooped slightly and mouth partially agape to make room for the cigar he held loosely in his hands.

One of the things that made Jesse Gray so dangerous was his ability to focus almost solely on the present. He did not have any anxieties about the future, or regrets from the past. This allowed him to put all his attention into the task at hand, no matter what it was. Right now, the "task" was admiring the beautiful figure before him. He took a drag from his cigar, grinning slyly as the woman came out of the water. Ruby Parks turned to him as she grabbed her towel. "Not tonight, Jess." "And why not?" "Because we did it last night." "And?" She chuckled slightly, gracing her fingers across his shoulder as she made her way to the back door. Jesse grabbed her thigh in response. She shooed him away and went inside. Mr. Gray took a long drink, peering out at the skyline of New York City. His kingdom, even if people didn't know it yet. He had already meddled in elections and bought off several officers of the city police department. But this was only the beginning. He mulled over his next move for a while, calmly picturing the faces of a couple of somewhat important people. The mayor would be too cliche, he thought. He's more use to me alive. What about...hm. His son is very dear to him. No, not money. I don't need money. Money doesn't matter. What if...fuck. Whether it was the late hour of the day or the several drinks he had consumed, Jesse could not formulate a plan. That was, until Ruby came back into the backyard, now dressed in a silk nightgown. She was frowning slightly. "Mr. Tolson.." "Should that name mean something to me?" Ruby sighed. "That stockbroker from Wall Street. You used to play cards with him on Wednesday's. Well...his wife died yesterday. Car accident." Jesse nodded, then took another drink. "You should go to the funeral, Jess." "And why on Earth would I do that?" "Mr. Tolson considers you to be a good friend." He blinked, unsure of where she was going with this. "God damn it, Jess. Just...just go. It would be the right thing to do." "I don't see-" he paused, eyes lighting up for a moment. "He has a daughter, no? How old is she?" "God, she must be..oh...19 or 20 now." His lips curled into a wolfish grin.

"Perfect."