DAX ASHTON SULLIVAN (Wild Men Series #33)

Chapter 1

CASTELL BAR

W. 85th Street, New York.

September 2016

UPON arrival at the bar, the guards immediately pointed the way in without much inspection. Ash is already well-known in that establishment because he is a friend of the two owners. He walked into the bar right away and was greeted by the pleasant atmosphere.

The bar, which was opened in February 2012 by a locally famous crew that included Zachary Montelibano, the renowned bartender, and mixologist Kyle Sotto, has been in Vogue since it first began slinging its spice-themed cocktail menu. The bar is big and spacious, with the best seats near the counter and beside the window, which opens and welcomes a breeze on hot days. A soundtrack that combines old school, hip hop, and party anthems keeps the mood light.

Ash looked around the counter and found what he was looking for. The man with rolled-up sleeves moving from one end to another. Behind him was a mirrored wall of alcohol bottles and stem glasses hanging upside down in racks above his head.

"Ash!" Kyle's face lightened up upon seeing him.

Ash sat down right away on one of the wooden stools arranged along the counter. He gave his pal a wide smile as they bumped their fists.

"It's been what? Three? Four months you've been here. What keeps you busy man? Well, aside from work," Kyle stated, quoting his fingers as he mentioned the last word.

"Well, you know where Lenard sends me. I've been to all four continents," Ash grinned.

"Don't tell me you came here tonight for a mission," Kyle teased.

Bahagyang umiling si Ash. "I feel like getting wasted tonight, man, so give me your best shot."

Kyle clicked his tongue and motioned his hand like a gun to Ash. "On the way!"

It wasn't long before Ash had a decanter and a glass of whiskey in front of him. Kyle leaned in closer and said, "that's on me tonight."

Ash chuckled. "Thank you, man. I intend to take advantage of your generosity tonight."

Kyle laughed, causing his friend to frown. "I can't believe you really took that. What generosity? I'll deduct your expenses from your money."

"Asshole."

Kyle burst out laughing. They've been pals for over four years, and Kyle and Zachary are well-versed in his profession. Well, aside from the confidential jobs he did. His friend's bar is one of his 'safe places' since, in addition to being well secured, it also contains a secret chamber that is specifically allocated for his work. The bar provided quick access to his weaponry. Not only that, but he keeps a lot of his money there for when he gets into financial problems.

"By the way, where is Zach?" he inquired to his friend, who was still attending to customer orders.

Kyle hardly caught a glimpse of him before returning his attention to his work. "He's busy roaming the world for his spice-themed cocktails, as usual. He likes to collect herbs from different parts of the planet, you know. That friend of ours is a wanderer, so don't look for him," Kyle replied, with a quiet chuckle and a gentle shake of his head.

Hindi lang kasi drinks and ibinebenta doon sa bar. There's an area on the side of the place where anyone can dine in and relax comfortably.

"Is he looking for herbs or a woman to take home?" Ash joked.

"What else? No wonder why women flocked to him like bees. Aside from having a face to be proud of, Zach is such a flatterer. But enough of Zach, how are you and Anne?"

"Nothing has changed."

"Aw, the poor girl didn't even make it to girlfriend status?"

"You know it's not going to happen with my line of work."

"But you've been together for...months?" Kyle wondered. Hindi niya kasi alam kung paano kalkulahin ang tagal ng relasyon ng dalawa.

"That's all there is to it, man."

"Why don't you give me a hand here instead? Just so you could spend time with Anne whenever you desire."

"What do you want me to do? Mix your tonics with bullets and stir it with my gun's barrel?" Ash jested.

"What else do you live for?" Kyle complained, blowing a sigh.

"I live to kill," Ash simply answered. "Care to be my best buddy?" he added.

"Nah," Kyle waved his hand in refusal. "I don't like the smell of blood."

Ash shrugged his shoulder as Kyle walked away from him. He continued drinking quietly, vibing his head to the beat of the music.

Mayamaya ay naagaw ang kaniyang atensyon ng isang babaeng blonde at may kasamang matangkad na lalaki. Lihim niyang inobserbahan ang dalawa na nasa kabilang dulo ng counter. They seemed to be arguing over something. Dahil sa tugtog ay hindi umaabot sa pandinig niya ang pinag-uusapan ng mga ito. He didn't like to listen, either.

Napansin ni Kyle ang ginawa niyang pagsulyap sa dalawa kung kaya lumapit ito sa kaniya at bumulong.

"That's Santino Salva, multi-millionaire. He gets what he wants."

Ash arched his brow. He didn't ask but it seems like Kyle was willing to provide him the details.

"And the girl... well, I don't know her. If I were you, I'd stop staring at her because Santino might notice you," Kyle added.

"Why?" Ash taunted, "What would he do if he caught me staring at his woman?"

"Perhaps he'll take your eyeballs out," Kyle said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Really?"

"Oh, well," Kyle said matter-of-factly, "I know he can't hurt you, but killings inside our territory are really bad for business."

Ash shook his head and sipped. "I have no plans for tonight, man. I just wanted to drink, so don't worry."

"Thank Heavens! If you want, I can give you all the girls you want tonight," Kyle offered.

Ash raised his hand to dismiss his friend's suggestion. "Give me a break."

Natatawang lumayo si Kyle at iniwan na siya habang umiinom. Katatapos lang ng kaniyang assignment sa Columbia at pagod siya sa halos apat na araw na walang pahinga. Hindi rin naman siya makakapagpahinga sa bahay ng kaniyang boss na si Don Maranzano dahil mainit ang mga mata sa kaniya ng mga kasama niyang assassins. They belonged to the same organization, but he knew they were only waiting for one of his missteps to give them an excuse to get rid of him.

Kung kaya kahit na nasa sarili siyang organisasyon ay hindi kampante ang loob niya. Nobody knows when they are going to assault him. The boss had no idea how he felt about his "comrades" and he had no intention to tell him. He didn't like giving Don Maranzano something to be concerned about. Any suspicions he has concerning the organization, he would rather keep to himself.

Nahulog sa malalim na pag-iisip si Ash. May mga pagkakataong muntikan na siyang mapahamak sa mga misyon niya. He suspects someone is sabotaging him, but he can't point fingers at anyone. Lalong hindi niya gustong pagdudahan ang underboss na si Lenard dahil bagamat alam nito ang lahat ng kilos niya'y alam niyang tapat at maaasahan si Lenard ng kanilang boss.

Hindi lamang niya matanto kung paaanong mumuntikan ng pumalya ang mga misyon niya. Kung hindi lamang siya naging maagap sa kilos at mabilis mag-isip ay nasisiguro niyang mabubulok na lang siya kung saan maan siya mapatay ng mga kalaban niya.

Dinukot ni Ash ang isang manipis na box mula sa kaniyang bulsa at binuksan iyon. Naglalaman iyon ng ilang stick ng sigarilyo. Kinuha niya ang isa at tumayo para tunguhin ang smoking area ng bar na naroon sa kabilang dulo. Dala niya ang baso at decanter ng alak. Naglalakad siya nang bigla na lamang may bumangga sa balikat niya.

"What the f**k is wrong with you?" sigaw ng lalaking nakabangga sa kaniya. Sinipat ni Ash ang lalaki at iyon ang kasama kanina ng babae. The man's face was already flushed. He must have been drinking really hard. Halos magkasing tangkad lang sila at sa mukha ng lalaki ay mukhang naghahanap ito ng away. However, Ash was not in the mood. He can kill the man in an instant, but killing inside the bar is bad for business, according to Kyle. He respects his friend, so he attempted to remain cool so he could let go of this one.

"I'm sorry," maikling hingi niya ng paumanhin. Sa ibang pagkakataon ay hindi makakatikim ang kahit na sino nang paghingi ng tawad mula sa kaniya. He would just shoot them between the eyes and it's over. Simple as that. But for Kyle's sake, he let the words slip out of his mouth.

"I don't accept sorry, bastard! You need to kneel and kiss my toes!" The man laughed so hard that he nearly choked on his own saliva.

"That's too much, Santy. Just let this go. You're the one who bumped into him, after all," the woman replied, staring at Ash.

"Shut up, Bree! He bumped into me, didn't you see it?"

Ash heaved a deep sigh and decided to just leave them alone. Ayaw niyang patulan pa ang lasing na lalaki at alam niyang kapag nagtagal pa siya sa harapan ng mga ito ay makakatikim talaga ang lalaki ng pitik sa kaniya. His tolerance is wearing thin, and God knows how much he's keeping himself from giving the man the punch he so richly deserves right now.

Paalis na siya nang tinapik ng lalaki ang hawak niyang decanter ng alak kung kaya tumapon iyon sa suot niyang coat at gumawa ng ingay ang pagkabasag niyon at ng baso sa sahig. Ash even heard the woman's loud gasp, despite the music.

"Oh, my God! I'm sorry!" she rushed over to Ash and wiped his coat with her bare hands, but Santino grasped her arms and yanked her back so hard that she almost fell over.

Umangat ang isang sulok ng labi ni Ash at pinahid ang alak na tumapon sa damit niya. He looked at the woman, feeling sorry for her because her man was about to be murdered by him. Ash's lethal glances eventually rose to Santino's face. The mood within the pub became more intense. The other patrons saw the commotion and turned to look at them.

"What? What exactly are you looking for?" sita ni Santino sa klase ng tingin ni Ash sa kaniya.

"I was about to ask you the same."

Santino spit and laughed. "What do you think? Come on tell me!"

"You're looking for trouble, asshole," Ash clenched his teeth.

Santino chuckled, unfazed by Ash's lethal aura.

"Santy, please stop. He didn't hurt you and already apologized," pigil ng babaeng kasama nito.

As he stared at the woman, Ash placed the cigarette between his lips and noticed a flash of dread and apology on her lovely face as she caught a glimpse of him. Hinawakan nito sa braso ang lalaki ngunit nagpumiglas lamang ito na ikinapitlag ng babae.

Come on, scumbag. Listen to your girl while I was still able to maintain my cool.

"Shut up, Brianna!" angil nito sa kasama.

"Leave the place or else..." Kalmadong wika ni Ash. Hindi na nag-abalang sindihan pa ang sigarilyo dahil sa nakikitang pagtrato ng lalaki sa kasama nitong babae.

"Or else what? Don't you know me for you to act so arrogantly, huh?"

"Then who are you?" ganting sagot ni Ash. Hindi niya alam kung bakit tumagal ng ganoon ang pasensya niya. Sa ibang pagkakataon ay hindi na niya hahayaang magdalawang salita pa ito at pinatulog na agad sa isang suntok lang ang hambog na lalaki. O 'di kaya ay pinaglalamayan na ngayon ang lalaking ito.

The man grinned and threw a punch, but Ash grasped his fist and held it so tightly that the man practically whimpered in pain.

"f**k you!" mura ng lalaki na nakangiwi na dahil sa sakit.

"Oh, please! Stop it stop it!" wika ng babaeng kasama nito na hindi alam kung saan hahawakan ang lalaki. Ngunit sumenyas ang lalaki sa mga kasama nitong nakamasid lang sa una.

Ash let out a string of expletives. He promised Kyle that he would not get into a fight tonight. But it appears that it is unavoidable. He was definitely getting intoxicated, but not with alcohol. One by one, the goons charged towards Ash. He unleashed a barrage of kicks and punches, causing havoc in the place. The women screamed as they hurried out of the pub.

When the commotion started, Kyle paused what he was doing and shook his head, signaling to the DJ to turn up the volume. He sat at the counter, content to watch his pal wrestle with Santino's men. He was aware that Ash did not require assistance. Even if Zach was present, he would enjoy seeing Ash fight. They will not be able to stop them from fighting in such a situation. Kyle even told the bouncers and security guards not to restrain them. As a result, they just attended to the clients who were outside before closing the bar's entrance.

Sa isip niya'y hindi naman masama na turuan ng leksyon si Santino at ang grupo nito paminsan-minsan. They were always the ones who started fights in the bar, but they always handled it professionally and sensibly. Hinahabaan lamang nila ang pasensya nila dahil costumer nila ito. Malas lang ng mga gago at si Ash ang nakaharap nito ngayong gabi.

Less than five minutes later, roughly ten of Santino's goons were badly beaten on the floor. Ash is limited to moving one hand and one leg. He hadn't yet drawn his gun, which was always tucked at his side.

While Ash was still clutching Santino's fist, he almost dropped to his knees due to Ash's firm grip. Ash was not even moved from his original spot. Brianna was gasping for air as she witnessed everything turned into a mess. She just snuggled at the counter's corner.

"Let go of me, bastard!" sigaw ng lalaki na tinangkang undayan ng suntok si Ash gamit ang kabilang kamao ngunit hindi umabot sa mukha ni Ash ang suntok nito. Ash twisted his wrist the reason why the man groaned in so much pain.

"Just so you know, I am not the type to kneel before anyone and kiss their toes."

"Damn you!" Santino yelled at him.

Ash smirked. "Create troubles here again and I'll break all your bones. You hear me?" mariing wika ni Ash bago marahas na binitiwan ang namimilipit na si Santino.

"You will pay for what you've done!" sigaw ng lalaki na hawak ang nasaktang kamay.

Ash glared at the man before returning to Kyle on the counter. "Sorry, I can't help it."

"What else can I do? It happened already," wika ni Kyle. "Who will cover the costs of the damages?"

"Charge everything to me," balewalang wika ni Ash at sinindihan ang sigarilyo na nakaipit sa labi bago naglakad palabas ng bar.

He exited the bar despite Santino's series of curses hurled at him.