The blistering sinus burn cuts briskly through the haze of afternoon cocktails.

The familiar double chime of the subway doors stirs me. My head enveloped in a chemical fog, my eyes refuse to focus.

Dog Days’ Nights – Part II
Monday lost to weekend residue, I arrived Tuesday afternoon just in time for happy hour at the Thirsty Serpent. I settled in at the bar hoping to nurse a few whiskeys and read the paper. My hopes were promptly dashed when Tracey the bartender brought me a line [...]

Rex and I have been through some wild shit over the years. Truth be told I rather like him.

“What do you think I’m running here, CSI Bushwick?”

I called Jonesy and he was around with the car before we could down our drinks

The phone buzzed and gently rattled against some loose change in my pocket.

I talk non-stop on the ride to Murzim’s loft, convinced that if I leave the slightest lull in conversation unfilled the boys will have second thoughts about the entire escapade.

The peculiar words tug me back in to reality. The gruff yet familial tone pulls my focus from deep within an empty glass, where it had been languishing for some time.

Rodriguez’s long legs take the battered stairs three at a time.