Epilogue:
Nick could not see anything thanks to the burlap sack covering his head. Pushed, pulled, and dragged was the horrible way they lead Nick. At one point, Nick could tell that he was in an elevator as it went up. The only things Nick could make out were dark shadows. There was a large dark shadow that dragged him by his right arm and small shadowy figure to his left that pushes him forward.
They march him through, what he can only believe to be a doorway — the sound of plastic sheets cringle under his feet. With a forceful push, Nick flops down on to a chair. The burlaps Sack ripped off from his head. Nick's eyes squint and try adjusting to the room that filled with sunlight.
"Hey Nicky, you all right" Nick heard Flynn say on his left. He was the small shadow that pushed and guided him to, where ever they were. Looking around the room, Nick could see that they had brought him to a very high stylized penthouse. "Sorry about the theatrics, but it's necessary."
Other than Flynn, Nick could see that a black panther was standing a little back to his right. The panther wore a black suit and tie that matched the color of his fur. He was tall and very lean looking, standing next to some table. On the table appeared to be, what Nick can only guess to be, a sawed-off pump-action shotgun, within the panther's reach.
To his far left, Nick could see a black fox vixen leaning against a countertop, shooting Nick a devilish smile. She had blue, pink, purple high lights in her banks that only draped over her right eye. She wore tight leather pants, a tank top, and a leather jacket that cut off a little past her breast. What stood out most from her design wear was a soft lavender scarf wrapped around her neck.
Other things that stood out to Nick was the handle of a katana blade, made perfect for a mammal of her size, poking out the left side jacket. The handle of a silver revolver tucked into the waste of her pants stuck out — last of all, a knife in a leather sheath attached to the right side of her belt.
"Nicky," Flynn says wanting to get his attention again. Nick turns to see what the Australian Kola has to say. Flynn turns his head toward the large penthouse windows that let the sun's rays fill the room. Standing in the middle was a towering figure, cast in shadow. Nick couldn't see who or what mammal it was with the sun's light in his eyes. The figure steps forward so Nick can better see.
"Nicky," said Flynn. "I would like you to meet my employer. Mr. Shan Khan."
The towering shadow figure becomes visible to Nick as it steps closer to him. Towering over him was a large muscular tiger. The hair on top of his head slicked back. His eyes jaded bright green. The suit he wore was a dark gray that clashed well with his orange and black striped fur. His fist was like two large bell weights, that had one or two gold rings.
Shar Khana stops in front of Nick and looks down at him. He didn't say anything, which was a bit off-putting. Nick was unsure whether he should be the first to speak or not. Nick scratches the fur under his chin and smiles. "Well," said Nick. "Let me say it's an honor, Mr. Khana. I've been waiting a long time to meet you."
.
The Long Hustle will continue in Vol. 2: The Empire & The Emperor...