The first meeting had been simple.
A few hesitant words.
A few careful gestures.
But that was enough.
Ginny finally relaxed.
She still couldn’t speak very well, and holding a conversation with her took patience.
Alvin didn’t mind in the slightest.
She’s my daughter.
We’ll learn together.
Slowly, giving her every chance to pull away, Alvin lifted Ginny into his arms.
The little girl tensed for only a moment before melting against him.
She buried her face in his neck, greedily soaking up the warmth of family.
Barely above a whisper, she murmured, “…Daddy.” Alvin’s heartbeat skipped.
People always joked that daughters were their fathers’ little sweethearts.
He’d never understood that before.
Back in his previous life, falling in love with Aiko had happened naturally.
They’d spent years together before marrying.
This…
This was different.
Looking down at the little girl in his arms, Alvin suddenly found himself wanting to give her everything.
If she wanted the stars, he’d figure out how to bring them down.
If she needed protecting, he’d stand between her and the world.
Still holding Ginny securely, Alvin extended his free hand toward Professor Wilson.
“Thank you.” He gripped the professor’s hand firmly.
“You’ve brought an angel into my life.” Professor Wilson smiled, though there was a trace of sadness behind it.
“I hope you’ll always feel that way.” He looked at Alvin thoughtfully.
“I knew I hadn’t misjudged you.” “You’re one of the most remarkable young men I’ve ever met.” Alvin ignored the deeper meaning behind the compliment.
He smiled down at Ginny.
“Of course.” “My little angel.” Professor Wilson nodded slowly.
“She’s…
special.” “My wife and I truly wanted to raise her ourselves.” “We meant it.” “But after spending several days with her…” He sighed quietly.
“We realized we couldn’t protect her.” “She’s too special.” His expression turned serious.
“Promise me something, Alvin.” “Protect her.” “Treasure her.” “Don’t make this old man regret bringing her to you.” Alvin met his eyes without hesitation.
“I promise.” “She’ll be the most precious person in my life.” “No one will ever hurt her.” “Not even God.” Professor Wilson held his gaze for several seconds before finally nodding.
“Then I can leave without worrying.” “The school still needs me.” “My wife is fine, so don’t be too hard on that boy.” He reached into his briefcase and produced a folder.
“The adoption paperwork has been updated.” “Ginny is yours now.” Alvin accepted the documents.
Professor Wilson adjusted his tie, straightened the cuffs of his jacket, and with the effortless grace of an old gentleman, quietly took his leave.
Watching him drive away, Alvin couldn’t help comparing him to Professor Cage.
Both were retired professors.
Yet they couldn’t have been more different.
One carried himself with impeccable dignity.
The other looked as though he’d spent his youth robbing stagecoaches.
Still unwilling to set Ginny down, Alvin turned toward the teenage boy JJ was restraining.
He sighed.
The school uniforms really couldn’t come soon enough.
Baggy jeans hanging halfway down their hips.
Oversized T-shirts.
Cheap rings.
Fake chains.
Stud earrings.
Half his students looked less like children than recruits waiting to join a street gang.
The Black teenager glared back defiantly.
There wasn’t the slightest hint of remorse on his face.
Alvin reminded himself there were customers in the restaurant.
He suppressed the urge to throw the boy through the front window.
Instead, he asked calmly, “Tell me.” “Why did you attack Mrs.
Wilson?” Anyone who knew Alvin understood what that tone meant.
If he yelled, cursed, or threw a punch, things usually ended quickly.
When he spoke this quietly…
Someone was about to have a very bad day.
Unfortunately, the teenager had no survival instincts whatsoever.
He bared his teeth arrogantly.
“That old bitch wanted me to apologize.” “I should’ve stabbed her.” “That would’ve taught her.” A chill ran through Alvin.
What kind of place produced a kid like this?
The worst student he’d ever met in his previous life had argued with a teacher.
This boy casually talked about stabbing an elderly woman.
Mrs.
Wilson was one of the gentlest, kindest people Alvin had ever known.
Before Alvin could respond, Ginny suddenly twisted around in his arms.
Her tiny face scrunched up with fury.
She bared her teeth and let out an angry growl.
Her right hand clenched into a fist.
Two razor-sharp claws shot from between her knuckles.
She slashed toward the teenager.
Alvin reacted instantly.
He wrapped both of Ginny’s arms tightly against his chest.
The claws sliced through his shirt and cut into his skin before he could stop them.
His movement had been so fast that no one except JJ seemed to realize exactly what had happened.
Ginny froze.
The claws immediately retracted.
Looking up at Alvin, she stared at him with panic, guilt, and fear.
The wound hardly mattered.
With a Constitution of twenty, it was little more than a scratch.
As soon as the claws disappeared, the cut began closing on its own.
Only a small stain of blood remained.
Carefully shifting Ginny higher in his arms to hide the blood from everyone else, Alvin rested his forehead gently against hers.
His voice was impossibly soft.
“Ginny.” “You’re a little lady.” “Let Daddy handle things like this.” “Okay?” Ginny relaxed.
“…Mm.” She buried her face against his neck again, refusing to look at the teenager anymore.
The boy, however, had gone pale.
He had already learned at school that Ginny wasn’t ordinary.
Now he’d seen it again.
“Keep her away from me!” “She’s a monster!” He struggled violently.
JJ barely tightened his grip.
That was enough.
The boy stopped moving.
He continued glaring hatefully at Alvin.
The word monster made Ginny’s body stiffen.
Alvin felt it immediately.
He gently rubbed her back, silently reassuring her.
Then he looked at the teenager again.
His voice remained calm.
“I know your name is Jason.” “Who are your parents?” “Where do you live?” “I think it’s time I had a conversation with them.” Jason snorted.
“They’re dead.” “Go ask them in Hell.” Alvin nodded once.
“I see.” “If you’ve survived on your own…” “You’ve joined a gang.” “Which one?” “I’ll talk to your boss instead.” Jason puffed out his chest proudly.
“My boss is James Lancer.” “Fifty-Eighth Street.” “Now let me go.” “You’d better apologize.” “The ZL Crew won’t let this go.” “We’ll kill every one of you.” Alvin ignored the threat completely.
Instead, he turned to JJ.
“Do we have many students like him?” JJ considered the question.
“We had quite a few at first.” “Once the school started providing meals, most of them changed.” “But…” “There are still a few.” “So there are.” Alvin nodded.
He looked toward Old Kent, who had wandered over to watch the commotion.
“Kent.” “You ever heard of this…
ZL Crew?” “I haven’t.” Old Kent scratched his chin before making a quick phone call.
A minute later, he hung up.
“They’re real.” “About a dozen hotheaded kids pretending to be gangsters.” “They move product for Black Bear on Fifty-Eighth Street.” “Want me to bring their boss here?” Alvin nodded.
Black Bear.
One of Bloody Jensen’s distributors.
Jason’s so-called gang sat at the absolute bottom of Hell’s Kitchen’s criminal ladder, earning scraps by running errands for larger organizations.
Bloody Jensen, meanwhile, controlled one of New York’s largest drug distribution networks and had been feuding with Kingpin for years.
With enemies like that…
His life expectancy probably wasn’t impressive.
“Bring in their boss.” He paused.
“And Black Bear too.” “He’s the one handling drug distribution in Hell’s Kitchen, isn’t he?” Old Kent nodded.
“Bring him.” Jason’s confidence vanished.
Until now, he’d assumed invoking his gang’s name would scare Alvin.
Instead, Alvin hadn’t shown the slightest interest.
He hadn’t even bothered repeating his boss’s name.
Panic slowly crept across the teenager’s face.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
He’d picked the wrong person to threaten.
Alvin glanced at him before speaking to JJ.
“Find him a chair.” “And make sure he stays put.”