Chapter One
A Death Wish
The music was loud, the smells were overwhelming, and the night life was legendary… Logan shook his head as he walked down the streets of New Orleans. The smells were overwhelming, sure, but they weren't all good. Logan's eyes fell on a man sprawled on the side of the road, poor bastard, he could smell him fifty feet ago. If there was one thing Logan didn't prefer, it was large crowds of drunken people. Ok, well maybe sometimes it was fun. Great place to let off some steam… but not tonight. Tonight he was on his way to finish something he should have finished a long time ago.
Logan crossed the street and ignored the hotdog vendor on the corner. If the guy had been selling a beer maybe… Walking along the sidewalk near a restaurant he took in the way the catwalks played out above him. He did admire the aesthetics of the city at least. A bit further down the road he could see a crowd of people gathered around some tables in front of a small café. Logan took a drag on his cigar and grunted to himself quietly. This girl sure liked to pick the best spots for fun didn't she?
As he made his way through the crowd, most people just side stepped to allow him through. That was the way it usually was. The way that Logan carried himself seemed to announce his presence before he got there. Most everyone just sort of backed off. Logan may not have been ten feet tall, but he was pretty sure everyone else thought he was.
"Logan, you made it…" a soft yet sharp female voice said as he made his way to the center of the crowd. Logan took another drag off his cigar and leaned forward; putting both hands on the table that everyone had been standing around, "Yeah, aint it a shame?" The girl looked up at him from the deck of cards that were neatly put out over the table. "Well, we can't always get what we wish for can we?" She looked up at him with a half smile and a wink. She quickly, but smoothly gathered up the cards. "Ok everyone, show's over for today. I will be back for more tomorrow! Same time, same table!" The girl stood up before even finishing her sentence. "Come on big guy, let's go someplace private." Her smile was half hidden behind the reddish brown hair that hung over her eyes. She was shorter than Logan, probably by at least three inches. Her green eyes shown brightly as she started heading out of the crowd. "Hurry up; I don't want to be kept waiting any longer." She hollered back over her shoulder.