Ezekiel
Disclaimer: Do not own Buffy.
Ezekiel watched from the sidelines outside of Noctem as two vampires followed a poor, lost man down the street towards the infamous vampire club. The man appeared lost, but only to the untrained eyes. As he walked down the street, he seemed to trudge down, but that trudge held purpose. He was older than Ezekiel, and had no hair upon his black head. Ezekiel took a quick look down the street: a truck was down there, and somewhere in the back of his head, he knew that this guy was not alone.
He took a quick look around the area and noticed two kids, probably his age, moving around the alley behind him. They appeared to be armed with…
"Crossbows," he whispered to himself.
He took in the main one's apparel: he was dressed in black clothing that looked appropriate inside of a rap music video. He also noticed a slight brooch in his jacket: a stake. That made it official for Ezekiel. These guys were vampire hunters, which automatically made them fall underneath his list of allies. The problem, however, was that if they got cocky and decided to go for the whole club, then they'd end up dead. If not, then they'd end up with so many enemies that they couldn't hope to get home without twin holes in their neck.
He sighed to himself. The one night that he didn't think to invite either Edana or Adil along. 'Oh, don't worry about it! Thursday's always slow!'
"Dumbass," he cursed himself.
He sighed to himself once more, and decided to let this fight get started. For all he knew, none of the vamps liked these two and maybe this group was wise enough to take advantage of that and get the Hell out of dodge. Of course, who'd ever take his advice?
He leaned back against the wall and silently reached behind the small stack of wood he had hidden Blood Sword behind. He gripped the hilt, silently reminding himself to be careful with the powerful blade. He watched as the man walked to about fifty feet away from the club, and then he suddenly turned around, drawing his stake as he did so. Ezekiel noticed the truck lights turn on and start careening down the street, and he also heard the people in the alley start running up the street.
"Y'all bloodsukas are outta luck," said the man to the vampires.
The people running out the alley spared a small glance at him, but Ezekiel imitated a look of surprise and fear, which was more than enough for them to just ignore him. They probably believed they were saving him. The two, along with about seven others, along with the truck, surrounded the man and the two vampires, all of them armed with stakes and crossbows.
"You know this is suicide," growled one of the vampires, "You're going to slay us outside of a vampire club? How stupid is that!"
"If they come out here," said the man, "Then, we'll just stake 'em."
With that, the man charged at the two vampires, followed by his crew. Ezekiel stood back and surveyed the battle, or rather slaughtering of the undead, and forced a small smile to come out when he saw two piles of dust fall to the floor. However, that smile turned into a grimace when he heard the commotion from the club. It was followed by the arrival of about fifteen vampires from the club, led by a tall vampire with black hair and a gray goatee. The two groups silently formed lines, like horsemen and soldiers of Medieval times preparing to charge into battle.
"You blokes just made a mistake," said the vampire in a British accent, "You killed Lenny and Frank Burrows."
Ezekiel inwardly winced as he heard this. Lenny and Frank Burrows were well known around Paradise as the two vampires you went to when you needed a buzz, specifically in the form of any white substance illegal in the United States. These gang members just stepped in a huge pile of bullshit.
"So," said the man who led the gang, "Whatchu gonna do about it?"
Bad choice of words, friend, thought Ezekiel. Deciding that now was as good a time as any to defuse the situation, he pulled Blood Sword out from its place and silently strolled into the center of the potential war zone. He could feel all those eyes staring at him as he did so.
"All right," he said once he was in between the two leaders, "Let's all just calm down now and take a breath."
"Who the Hell are you," asked the Brit vampire and the black gang leader.
"My name is Ezekiel," he answered.
As expected, the vampire backed away slightly, a look of fear in his eyes. Many of his friends also backed away. He turned to the humans and saw absolutely no recognition from them. Oh, well. In the end, the reputation didn't matter to the allies, only to the enemy.
"Now," said Ezekiel as he turned to the humans, "Obviously, you guys are new in town. Welcome to Paradise and if you're staying, remind me to give you my phone number so we can discuss battle tactics.
"Now, as I was saying, Noctem is the main vampire club in the whole city. Basic rule is that you can kill vampires near Noctem, but don't try to battle every single vampire that's inside…unless I'm there, then you stand a good chance and they usually try to stay away from me, unless they're on orders from the Master, right?"
"That's about right," said the British vampire.
"So," said Ezekiel, "Seeing as how I really don't feel like a brawl tonight, why don't we go our separate ways? In other words, vamps, order another round on me and get the fuck out of here!"
At the cheers from the vampires, they all turned around and entered the bar.
"Now," said Ezekiel as he turned to the gang leader, "I want you guys to give me a back story, if you can."
"What is wrong with you," asked the leader, "You just let them go away. Now they're going to kill people!"
"Listen up, kid," said Ezekiel.
"The name is Gunn," said the gang leader, "Charles Gunn."
"Well, you already know my name, 00-Gunn," mocked Ezekiel, "I want to know what your story is, and if you don't tell, I will contact my people and you will be sent to a very interesting place."
"And this place would be," asked Gunn in mock fear.
"The place where demons go when they die," said Ezekiel.
"…Who are you," asked Gunn.
"Like I said, my name is Ezekiel. Now, if you want to enjoy your demon hunting, I'd suggest we go to a bar or to my apartment and have a few beers, then we discuss everything we need to. Deal?"
"…Deal."
"Hey," called a vampire as he walked out to the group, "You owe money for the round!"
"Oh, I'm sorry," said Ezekiel as he reached into his jacket, then he brought his sword up and sliced the vamp's arm off, followed by a quick slash which left the vampire legless. Ezekiel reached into the vampire's jacket and withdrew a large wad of cash.
"Thank you kindly," smiled Ezekiel as he decapitated the vampire, then, he walked into the bar entrance and tossed the wad into the crowd of vampires.
"Now," said Ezekiel as he walked over to Gunn's gang of demon hunters, "I know a bar that hosts demons, but is still a non-violent area. How about we talk there?"
"So," asked Ezekiel as he, Gunn, and his entire crew gathered in Surge that night, "What's your story?"
"Me and my sister, Elana," Gunn motioned to a pretty girl as he said this, "We're from the badlands of LA."
"Damn," whispered Angus as he dropped off their drinks, "I tried to get a job there once. Nearly got killed, too."
"Thank you, Angus," growled Ezekiel.
"Anyway," Gunn continued, "The badlands are the center point in LA for vampires. I had to protect my sister, so, I started hunting demons. I joined a gang, rose through the ranks, and I lead them now."
"What brought you guys to Paradise," asked Ezekiel.
"Weapons," said Gunn with a smile, "Me and mine were running low, heard there were some good suppliers in the area, so…we came up here."
"Makes sense," whispered Ezekiel.
"So, what's your story," asked Gunn, "And why was that vamp so afraid of you?"
"Well," began Ezekiel, "To tell my story completely, I'd have to violate laws older than the recording of time."
"Huh," asked Gunn.
"See, when I was three, my family was killed by vampires," said Ezekiel, somehow he felt that he could open up to Gunn, "At the hospital, I met a Father in the Catholic church. He was aware of my situation, as in the supernatural bit, and he offered to help me get revenge."
"Nice church," said Gunn with a grin.
"I didn't think so," said Ezekiel with a serious look on his face, "I was trained for thirteen years by those Fathers, Cardinals, and Bishops. I've got more scars, mental and physical, than any of you could possibly hope for. And I hope none of you ever receive them."
"Why thirteen years," asked Gunn, "And why would they offer to train a three year old?"
"Because, after that kind of event, kids often grow up real fast if they don't repress it," countered Ezekiel.
"…True," said Elana from behind Gunn.
"And because Vatican laws say I have to be released at sixteen," said Ezekiel, "They've been doing this for years, and they know how to do it."
"So, they just let you go to fight demons on your own," asked Gunn.
"Yeah," said Ezekiel with a faint smile, "All they wanted from me was to do God's work, as in kill demons. I do it, and they're happy with that. If something major comes up, they'll come and tell me and even help me…if they can."
"Did you have to go through some kind of ritual," asked Elana.
"You mean like in gangs where you have to take a beating to get in or out," asked Ezekiel.
"Yeah," said Gunn.
"…Definitely," answered Ezekiel with a murderous look in his eye, "I had to defeat more creature's than I could ever hope to see in one room and live again. Then, as a final blessing from the Holiness Himself, I got branded with a holy mark."
"Damn, man," whispered Gunn, "I've heard some rough shit before, but…that's just horrible, man. I'm sorry."
"Don't be," said Ezekiel, "It saved lives last week, and it's saved my life quite a few times already."
"And the church did this to you," asked Elana.
"Yeah," said Ezekiel, "When I think about that, I remind myself that any demon worth his weight would do worse to me over a much longer space of time."
"…Hey, do you want to come with me and mine to LA," asked Gunn, "I mean, we ain't no church, but, from the way you talk, we're better."
"Thanks for the offer, Charles," said Ezekiel with a smile, "But, I've got friends here, along with a mission. Maybe…another time."
"Right, man," said Gunn as he stood up from his seat, "Well, take care of yourself, and if you ever need some backup, just come by my way, got it?"
"Got it, Gunn," said Ezekiel as he extended his hand, which Gunn shook without hesitation, "And, the same goes to you."
Detective Daniel Cohen groaned to himself that Thursday night as he reviewed the files in front of his desk. A gang member from LA with a huge rap sheet when it came to the demon department had just be spotted in town, along with his sister and known members of their gang. Commissioner Wilks had just ordered officers to set up road blocks all around the city and to catch the demon hunters on the way out. If Daniel knew his luck, then the vigilante would have already run into the group and would be very unhappy. On the plus side, however, that did mean that Wilks would probably be dead by Friday. Those were the odds, especially with the fact that the bastard had the phone conversation with Mayor Wilkins of Sunnydale. Granted, it was nothing incriminating directly, but…it sure raised suspicions.
Ezekiel collapsed onto his bed later that night, or early that morning if you want. He had stuck around the club for a few more drinks, then he just decided to head home. He didn't even bother to try and pick up some hot girl and have some fun. Talking with Gunn had been…interesting, to say the least.
His mind was torn away from his thoughts as he heard an unforgiving sound come from his right. Sighing to himself, wondering who in God's name would be calling him at this unholy hour, he flipped himself onto his back and searched around for the phone. Once he found it, he put it up to his ear.
"Yeah," he said into the phone.
"Ezekiel," said the voice on the other end, "We need some help, man."
"Gunn," said Ezekiel as he sat up, "What's happened?"
"We all just got arrested," said Gunn, "Well, all of us except for Elana. She got away."
"And seeing as how I'm the only friend who's number you have in Paradise, you call me," said Ezekiel, "What charge do they have you in on?"
"I don't have a clue," said Gunn, "They didn't tell us, and we asked, but they just read us our rights and took us away. Man, you gotta find Elana. She's out there in this town. Who knows what shit could happen?"
"Alright, calm down, Gunn," said Ezekiel as he got up and started to get dressed, "I have a pretty good idea who's behind this and I'm going to pay them a visit. Meanwhile, I'll get my friends to start searching for Elana. Hey, think of the good. If she memorized my number, then she can search through a phonebook and find my apartment."
"Yeah," said Gunn on the other end, "Maybe you're right. Oh, shit, time's up. Listen, hurry up man, I don't feel like getting sent to prison on anything that I didn't do."
"Right," said Ezekiel as the line went dead, "I'm on it."
With that, he hung the phone up and then picked it up again, dialed in a number, and began topull on his black pants.
"Hello," came the sleepy reply from the other end of the phone.
"Adil," asked Ezekiel.
"Zeke," said a now wide-awake Adil, "What's up, man?"
"We have a problem. Get to my apartment, ASAP."
"On it. Pick up Edana?"
"Yeah. I'll call ahead to let her know."
"Right," said Adil, then the line went dead.
Ezekiel grabbed his leather jacket and began to line it with knives, then he dialed in Edana's number.
"Who the fuck is it," asked the angry sounding voice at the other end.
"Ezekiel," he answered, "I'm looking for Edana."
"Edana," yelled, or rather slurred, the feminine voice, "Get your ass down here and take this call!"
A few moments later, Ezekiel could hear some yelling, then he heard some shuffling and then his friend answered the phone.
"Zeke," asked Edana in a seething tone, "What is it?"
"We have a problem, Edana," said Ezekiel, "Adil's on the way to pick you up."
"We going to war," she asked, he could practically hear the grin in her voice.
"Not yet," said Ezekiel with a smile, "I need you to get here as soon as you can."
"I think I hear him," she said.
"How can he possibly get there that fast," asked Ezekiel.
"He lives in my neighborhood," said Edana as-a-matter-of-factly, "If you'd actually come over sometime, maybe you'd know where it is."
"Maybe," said Ezekiel, "But, I doubt your mom would like me."
"She doesn't like anyone who doesn't give her something," said Edana, "Anyway, we'll be there in a few. Bye."
Ezekiel put his phone down, the grabbed a few more blades and jammed then into his ankle-sheaths. He grabbed his ski mask and thought about what he should do about this situation. He couldn't possibly bust them out of prison, with so many people to get out, one of them would get shot. He knew without a doubt that Wilks was behind this, and that clenched it for Ezekiel. He had no faith in the possibility that they had done something illegal that didn't involve demons, and what with Wilks's reputation for hating both vigilantes and demon hunters, he knew that Wilks had something to do with this. If the good Commissioner was in his office which, considering how late it had to be that the order to arrest Gunn and his crew must have come, was a possibility, then Ezekiel would pay him a visit.
He grabbed the last of his blades and jammed them around his suit, then walked out the door and down to the street, and just a few minutes later, Adil and Edana were driving up.
"Hey," he said.
"What was so important that neither one of us could get a few hours worth of sleep," asked Adil as he parked the car.
"A group of demon hunters just moved into town," said Ezekiel, "I met them, and they're good. Anyway, as they were leaving, the cops arrested them all, save the leader's sister."
"And anything involving the police leads us to Wilks," asked Edana.
"Basically," answered Ezekiel, "I'm going to pay him a visit. I won't kill him if I can help it, but if he presents a problem, his ass is in the ground. Adil, I need you to drive around town and see if you can find her. She's about your height, black, and will probably be heading this way, if she knows enough. Edana, I need you to stay here just in case she shows up. Her name is Elana, by the way."
"Got it," said Adil, "I'll check around Noctem as well, and Surge."
"Good thinking," said Ezekiel, "Get going."
"Gone," said Adil as he took off down the streets.
"Good luck, Zeke," said Edana, "And please, don't kill him if you don't have to. I know neither you nor Adil have any problem killing people, but still…"
"I won't kill him if I don't have to," said Ezekiel, then he turned away and ran down the street.
Ezekiel walked up the stairs slowly and silently, much more silent than any Spec Ops team. He kept his ears open for anything coming his way. When he heard a floorboard creak, he opened a closet door and hid there. He stayed silent as the creaking moved toward him, then waited until it passed by, then continued going down the stairs. He waited until he heard it no more, then he exited the closet and continued his journey.
Wilks's office was at the very top of the fifteen story building. Ezekiel knew better than to take the elevator, and he had managed to buy himself an eighteen minute window with Adil's computer, which he had conveniently forgotten to hand over to Adil. He had used about five of those minutes making it to the floor, which meant he had thirteen to question Wilks. That should be plenty of time.
He looked up at the doors on the floor. None of them had Wilks on them. He turned around and walked down the hall, then he noticed the double doors to the right. They had 'Commissioner Wilks' in big, gold letters. And the light was on, seeping through from the door. Ezekiel sighed to himself, preparing for the worst. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a dagger, then he knocked on the door.
"Come in," called the snooty voice on the other side.
Ezekiel smiled faintly, then pushed the doors open. Sitting in a huge, leather chair with an open bottle of Scotch on the large desk, was a small man inside a dirty suit, his tie undone, and his gray hair oily from sweat. Wilks stood up upon seeing Ezekiel and before he could do anything, Ezekiel covered the distance between them and pinned him up against the wall.
"Who are you," asked Wilks.
"That doesn't matter to you," growled Ezekiel, "You just had a group of demon hunters arrested on no charges."
"What of it," asked Wilks as he paled slightly.
"You're going to have them released," said Ezekiel.
"And what if I don't," asked Wilks with fake reserve.
Ezekiel smiled a devilish smile, then looked over to the left…at the open window which led to the street below. Wilks turned his head to follow his gaze, then turned back to Ezekiel, his face white as a sheet.
"You wouldn't," he quivered.
Instead of answering, Ezekiel dragged Wilks over to the window and hung him out of it, using the poor bastard's shirt to keep him from falling.
"Alright, alright," cried Wilks, "I'll do it."
Ezekiel threw him back inside. The Commissioner slowly stood up and walked over to his phone, his legs shaking with every step. Ezekiel put a blade up to his neck as the Commissioner pulled the phone up and began to dial in a number.
"No hero work," said Ezekiel, "Though, I doubt anyone would consider you a hero."
Wilks said nothing, but put the receiver up to his ear. For a moment, no sound came out of it, but then some answered.
"Inmate Department," answered the voice on the other end.
"This is Commissioner Wilks," said the shaking man, somehow keeping his voice steady, "I ordered the arrest of several demon hunters."
"Yes, sir," said the voice on the other end, "They're in cells right now."
"I'd like them released, post-haste," said Wilks.
"What about the paperwork," asked the voice.
"Don't worry about it," said Wilks, "They weren't brought up on charges, so just consider it a mistake."
"…Yes, sir," said the voice, "They'll be released within the hour. And the search for the girl?"
"Call it off," said Wilks.
"Yes, sir," said the voice.
Wilks then put the phone back down, then turned around to face Ezekiel.
"Good job," said Ezekiel, "Now, here's the tricky part. You have eight minutes to tell me what your involvement is with Mayor Wilkins of Sunnydale."
"I'm not talking," quaked Wilks, "No way. If I tell you, then Wilkins will kill me for sure."
Ezekiel sighed to himself. He silently punched Wilks in the gut, then turned around and closed the doors, locking them as he did so. He couldn't believe his luck that no one had even noticed, but, he sure wasn't about to argue with it.
"What about the files," asked Ezekiel, "Surely there's something in there."
"I'm not telling," said Wilks, though by the look in his eyes, Ezekiel could tell that there was something within those files that held the information needed.
"Well, then," said Ezekiel as he walked over to the window, "I guess you're expendable."
Ezekiel looked up and was about to grab Wilks and threaten to let him fall again, but instead, he saw the small man charge at him. Ezekiel felt the force of the man and then fell backwards, holding onto Wilks as he did so. He fell through the window and out into the air which led down to a very hard place. The wind whipped through his hair as he fell. Ezekiel looked around below for anything he could grab onto and the first thing he noticed was a flagpole on the sixth floor. He bit his lip and reached out, then gripped the flagpole and felt the jerking of his arms nearly getting wrenched out their sockets as he did so.
He breathed in a deep, calming breath in hopes of regulating his now Nascar worthy heartbeat. Then, he looked down…just in time to see Wilks slam into the body of an '86 Le Baron. Ezekiel winced, imagining what that would feel like and grateful that it wasn't him who felt it.
He took another deep breath and looked at the nearby building. There was one open window nearby, and Ezekiel wondered how he was going to get out of this one. If it held someone, then the odds were he'd get pumped full of led. Oh, well. He'd have to take his chances. He carefully slid his arms down the pole and then gently swayed his body until he felt he had enough force to get to the window below, then he let go. As he did so, he felt his heart skip a few beats until his feet connected with solid brick. He grabbed onto the side of the building, then steadied himself.
He took a quick look inside the room and found it to be empty. Sighing in relief, he quickly left the room. He made his way down to the bottom level of the building, then left out the backside entrance. He listened for the sirens as they came down the street with an ambulance. He took of his ski mask and put it into his pocket, then made his way down the street. Not a single person looked his way.
Ezekiel sighed to himself as he walked into his apartment, thankful to God that Whitney had been too busy watching the television to haggle him. When he entered the apartment, the first thing he noticed was a sight he would remember for days to come. Adil was sitting inside a chair, his head against his shoulder, drool coming from his mouth. He had a pistol inside his hand. The sight that he would really remember was what was in his bed.
Edana and Elana were lying inside the bed together, looking very comfortable underneath the blanket. Elana had her head on the pillow while Edana was resting her head against Elana's chest. Ezekiel smiled as he thought that the only thing that could possibly top this would be if all their clothing was strung throughout the room instead of it still being on them.
He walked over to Adil and lightly tapped his ear. Instantly, the native of Yemen was awake and had his pistol aimed at Ezekiel's head.
"Zeke," he whispered, "How'd it go?"
Instead of answering, Ezekiel put his finger on the barrel and moved the gun away from his head. He then pointed towards his bed. Adil turned to look, then smiled at what he saw.
"Dude," he whispered to Ezekiel, "That must have happened after I fell asleep."
"The only thing better would be if they weren't restricted by clothing," whispered back Ezekiel.
"Wonder how long we can leave them like this," said Adil.
Ezekiel let his mind wander for a second, then an idea popped into his head. He walked over to his television and opened the drawer underneath it. Inside was a small, disposable camera.
"Right on, man," whispered Adil as he saw what Ezekiel was about to do.
Grinning from ear to ear, he focused the camera and put the flash on, sense there wasn't enough sunlight yet so that it wasn't required. He pressed his finger against the trigger, and the camera took a picture of this moment in history. However, the flash was apparently enough to get Edana awake. She began to stir and slowly sit up, followed by a weary looking Elana. Ezekiel handed Adil the camera and he put it inside his pants pocket.
Edana blinked her eyes against the light, then she seemed to focus on Adil and Ezekiel. Adil still had a grin on his face, but he was covering it up by placing his hand over his mouth.
"Hey," she said sleepily, "How'd it go, Zeke?"
"It went well," said Ezekiel as he and Adil walked over to them, "You two seemed to have a pleasant night."
Edana looked at him oddly, then looked over at Elana. Suddenly, it clicked within her mind. She turned to face them, a sly grin on her face.
"Not to disappoint you boys," she said, "But nothing along those lines happened last night…or, technically, this morning. Just because I will doesn't mean that she will."
"Huh," said Adil, Ezekiel, and even Elana.
Edana smiled wryly at them and before she could continue, there was a knocking at the door. Ezekiel recovered first, shaking his head as he went to answer the door.
"Later on, we're going to have a talk, missy," he said.
He answered the door and came face-to-face with Charles Gunn, the demon hunter.
"Hey, Ezekiel," said Gunn, "Did you find her?"
"Charles," called Elana as she got up from the bed, "I'm in here."
Gunn walked into apartment and embraced his sister.
"Charles," she said, "Oxygen."
"Oh, sorry," said Gunn as he let her go, "What happened?"
"Adil," began Elana as she pointed to Adil, "Found me inside of Surge. I went there because it was the only place I could remember to go to."
"Thanks, man," said Gunn to Adil.
"Not a problem," said Adil with a smile, "Plus, it was worth while to see this morning."
"What," asked Gunn in confusion.
"Edana," said Elana as she pointed to Edana, "And I were tired, so we took the bed while Adil stood guard over us. We ended up in an…"
"Interesting position," said Ezekiel with a smile.
"…Do I wanna know," asked Gunn.
"No," answered Adil, Elana, and Ezekiel at the same time.
"She made a comfortable pillow," said Edana with a grin.
"Edana," warned Ezekiel, "Don't make nice Mr. Gunn here blow his top. I don't want to pay for the damages."
"You know what," said Gunn, "I'm just happy to have my sister back, so I'm going to let that slide."
"Which is very appreciated," said Adil.
Daniel smiled to himself as he counted out all the money he had won from the pool. Ordinarily, he wouldn't be this happy from the death of a police officer, but Wilks wasn't a policeman…he was a politician who was dealing with bad hands.
"Hey, Danny," said Poe as he walked into his office, "See, I told you you'd win."
"Right, Captain," said Daniel as he put all his winnings into a briefcase, "So, how's the investigation involving Wilks going?"
"We got no surveillance," said Poe, "No witnesses, no prints, no DNA, and a large bottle of Scotch. As of right now, it appears to be a suicide and it's going to remain a suicide."
"I heard a rumor that something happened inside his office," said Daniel.
"Yeah," said Poe with a frown, "Idiot left his cigarette lit near his leaking bottle of Scotch, and we all know what happens when fire and alcoholic beverages come in contact."
"Boom," said Daniel as he nodded his head, "So, who's going to take over for Wilks?"
"Don't know," said Poe, "But, I've been hearing rumors that Donald Mancuso has been recommended by the District Attorney."
"What," asked Daniel, "Mancuso was Wilks's lackey, Allan. Even though he is the Chief of Detectives, he was just a pawn for Wilks to use."
"And that gave him a hold on the position if Wilks did die," said Poe, "Don't worry. The only reason why the DA did recommend him is because Mancuso has those pictures."
Daniel nodded as his memory informed him of what Allan spoke of. District Attorney Alek Orimoff was born in Paradise around forty years ago to his Russian parents who had left in the hopes of a new life away from Communism. Alek had studied law at Harvard and had traveled back to Paradise to become a council for the state. He rose through the ranks very quickly, and was offered the position of District Attorney around three years ago.
He had married his college sweetheart, Margaret. However, Alek had been having an affair with his Executive ADA and Mancuso had been present during one of their…escapades and had taken photographs. Right now, Mancuso was enjoying full extortion benefits. Ah, what would the world be like without politics?
"So," said Daniel, "Are there anymore people who have a shot at Commissioner?"
"Not that I know of," said Poe, "But, I have some good news for you. Your new partner will be here Monday."
"Oh, joy."