Prologue: Another Gig

"Enjoy these five long nights."

"Fuck." Jack tossed his phone onto the circular table, leaning back in his not-so-comfy chair.

He ran his hands through his dark brown hair, ruffling it in desperation. After a minute, he took off his glasses. "What am I gonna do...?" He heaved a heavy sigh.

All those interviews were finally getting back to him, and so far, that was the twentieth place to reject him. Maybe thirtieth? Honestly, he stopped counting after ten. He had dipped into his savings for the last time and was now officially flat-out broke. His only saving grace was that rent wasn't due until three weeks from now, which wouldn't matter much if he couldn't find a job. Even a small gig would do—anything to make money.

Jack glanced around his shabby apartment. Though the lights were off, the bright city lights outside shone through the cracked walls, illuminating his living room.

A quiet pattering noise echoed through the apartment, and Jack immediately knew it was the rats that made their home within the walls. He was surprised he could hear them through the bustling sounds of the streets seeping in through his cracked window.

Four years of engineering school... for this? Where did he go wrong? Or was it just bad luck that struck him?

He sighed again and looked down at the black screen of his phone, staring at his somber-looking reflection. His baby-blue eyes conveyed an intense sadness in them. He was getting depressed just by looking at himself.

"If I don't do something, I'm gonna go homeless." He groaned.

Jack put his glasses back on and reached for his phone to see if there were any other job listings he had missed. Just as he was about to pick it up, it buzzed, and he jumped at the sound of his ringtone.

He examined the phone before identifying the caller—his brother. "What does he want?" Jack questioned. His brother calling him out of the blue was unusual. It wasn't like they had a bad relationship or anything—quite the opposite, actually. Still, he often texted or came in person. It wasn't like him to suddenly call, especially this late.

After studying the phone for a moment longer, Jack answered the call and was immediately greeted by a man's upbeat voice. "Yo, yo, Jacky! How's my favorite lil' bro doing?"

"Terrible," Jack replied, leaning back in his seat. "What do you want, Adam?"

"Ah, come on! Don't be like that. We haven't spoken in months, you know."

That's because you never stop by. Is what Jack wanted to say. Instead, he shook his head. "Currently, I'm facing the very real possibility of going homeless, soexcuse meif I'm not in the best of moods." Though he tried to conceal his frustrations, his anger came out in the form of passive aggression. Jack took a few seconds to calm down. "Sorry. I didn't mean to come at you like that. I'm just... I'm going through a lot right now."

"Hey, hey! Don't sweat it. Actually, that's why I'm calling!" Jack perked up, straightening out in his seat. "Well, it's sort've why I'm callin'. Consider it a help me help you kinda deal."

"Yeah?" Jack murmured, encouraging Adam to continue.

"So, let's just say I've run into a little hiccup, and I'm having trouble finding people to fill this position. So I was thinking you could fill it!"

"Me?"

"Yeah! You're not only trustworthy, but you're the best technician I've ever seen."

"Mechanic." Jack corrected.

"Eh, tomato tomâto. Point is, you have the skills I need! Sure, security might not be your thing, but it'll be fun! Promise." Adam sounded very enthusiastic about this, but Jack raised a brow.

"So, it's a security gig?" He inquired.

"Y-Yeah. But it's a night shift, so you'll do fine. You're a night owl anyway, so it shouldn't fuck up your sleep schedule. More than it already is, anyway. I bet you woke up a couple of hours ago, didn't you?" Adam had him all figured out.

That didn't stop Jack from sensing something was off about the proposal. "And where exactly would I be doing this shift?"

Adam nervously chuckled on the other end. "Oh, y'know. Just at a small little hangout spot. It uh... It's got good drinks!"

"Adam."

There was silence on the other end for a solid minute. "...So, have you heard of this girl called Fredina?" Jack sighed, knowing he shouldn't have gotten his hopes up. He pulled the phone away from his ear, soon hearing Adam shout, "Don't hang up! Don't hang up! Don't hang up!"

Jack held his thumb over the 'end call' button. In the end, he decided against hanging up. "Really, Adam? Fredina's Nightclub? What the hell do I look like to you?" He muttered angrily.

"Listen! I know you aren't the biggest fan of Fazclaire Entertainment. Buuuuut, I also know you've fallen on hard times recently." Jack remained silent, mulling over the gig. "Look, it's not even an official employment—or permanent, for that matter!"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well, you see, I need this job done ASAP. Getting you an offer letter would take too long, and the actual onboarding process would take even longer. So I say screw all that! And the best part for you? I only need you for a week. Hell, not even a full week, just five nights!"

Jack scrunched his face in confusion. "If that's the case, why don't you just do it yourself?"

"Five nights alone with those beauts? God, please. But unfortunately, I'm needed elsewhere, so I can't. Which is why I'm asking for your help!"

"I don't know... No amount of money is worth working in that place."

"Really? Not even... five hundred..."

Adam paused, making Jack assume that's all he was offering. "Ha! The answer is obviously—"

"Thousand?"

"FIVE HUNDRED THOUSAND?!" Jack shot up to his feet, making his chair fall over.

Half a million dollars? That kind of money was more than Jack had ever seen in his life! There was no way Adam had that much cash to give. Then again, Adam was never one to lie to Jack—or at all, for that matter.

"Yep, that's what I said," Adam confirmed. "Five hundred thousand dollars could be yours by the end of this week. All you gotta do is work these five nights."

Five nights? For five hundred grand? That could keep him afloat for the next few months at least—and that's if he chooses to splurge out. He really needed the money, but to work at such a degenerate establishment...

"Jack." Jack's attention focused in, realizing Adam hadn't called him Jacky. Adam only ever dropped the 'y' when he was being dead serious. "I know what I'm asking you to do is incredibly selfish on my part, especially since I know how you feel about the franchise. But I really,reallyneed this, and you're the only one I know I can trust to do it. Please. As a brother, I'm asking for your help."

Well, damn. How could he say no after that?

"Fine, fine. I'll do it." Reluctantly, Jack accepted the offer.

"Great!" Adam boomed with audible joy. "Be there tomorrow night at eleven. Triple B will fill you in on all the details!"

"Triple B?"

"Oh, sorry. His name's Braxton. He's the day guard. Good dude, but not much of a night person. He's been there a while, so he'll give you the run-down of everything. Thanks again, Jacky, you're the best!" Adam hung up before Jack could get a word in.

With yet another sigh, he set his phone down and walked to the window, raising it all the way and leaning out to stare at the lively city below.

It was only then that another thought crossed Jack's mind—he could've just asked to crash at Adam's place and promised to find another reliable person to take the gig. After all, he was sure someone, like a guy he knew named Austin, would've been a better fit. "I should've said no."