Jasper Valencie was only trying to get groceries for his mom when he heard a loud one-sided argument between two men on the streets in broad daylight.

“The cops are on our tail ‘cuz someone snitched us out. You were like family Frankie, and you betrayed the family.” 

A bulky, black-suited man punches a middle-aged man in the jaw, causing him to collapse onto the ground. Jasper drops the items he’s carrying and jumps in between the men, trying to act as a wall and feebly pushes the suited man away.

“Kid, get outta here before you get yourself hurt.” He pulls Jasper out of the way and tosses him aside like a feather only for Jasper to jump onto his back and try to pull him down to the ground. The man tosses Jasper off of his back and picks him up by the collar, walking him to a black car with black-out windows; he shoves Jasper into the backseat and goes back to pick up the other man, Frank, and shoves him in next to Jasper. 

The car starts and they sit in silence as they’re driven to who knows where too afraid to speak to each other. The driver puts in a passcode after stopping outside the mansion gates and the gate opens slowly, allowing the car to drive up to the double-doored mansion. Frank and Jasper exchange a look before the door is opened and they’re pulled out onto the doorstep; a man guarding the doors opens them and Frank and Jasper are dragged inside where they are met by even more guards.

“Take ‘em to the boss, he’ll want to see ‘em.” The new guards smirk at them and drag them further into the mansion, Jasper trying to fight his way out of their hold while Frank accepts his fate. 

“Quit squirmin’ kid, you're not gettin’ outta this one.” Jasper stomps on his foot and the grip on his arms loosen enough for him to get away and he runs through a random door only to find a sharply dressed man behind a desk. The mystery man looks over Jasper’s shoulders and nods at the guards waiting at the door, a sign that they were to leave them alone.

“Hello, what brings you to my home?” He says in a bit of an Italian accent. Jasper looks around, confused as to how his day has gone from simple chores to a random mansion. 

“Oh um, I was just trying to do some shopping for my mom and these people shoved me into a car when I tried to help a guy who was being beaten up by one of them and then I ended up here but I got away by stepping on one’s foot and now I’m here in an office I guess.” Jasper takes almost no breaths in between his summary. Jasper glances out the window, noticing a motel sign and rickety old fire escape. “Who are you and why am I here?”

“Ah, that is the question, yes?” He stands from his chair and walks around the desk, holding out a hand for Jasper to shake, which he takes tentatively. “Well I am Malachi and you seem to have stumbled into my operation; case of wrong time, wrong place, yes? Come with me.” Malachi puts a hand on Jasper’s shoulder and lightly pushes him back out of the office to where seven guards have gathered along with Frank.

“Ok, who are you people?” Jasper looks around the room of stone-faced men in suits and gasps. “Are you drug dealers, or...or killers? You’re serial kidnappers aren’t you, traffickers? Oh no I’m going to be shipped off to some random country and-” Malachi claps Jasper’s shoulder and laughs, cutting off Jasper’s worrisome ranting. 

"Josh,” Malachi points to the same guy that was beating Frank earlier, “why have you brought these men to my home? I hope it’s something important and worth my time.” He gives a pointed look and Josh nods.

“It is boss.” he steps forward, pulling Frank with him, “Frankie here ratted us out to the cops, figured you’d want to take care of him.” he taps Jasper in the chest, giving him a smirk, “The boy here tried to intervene by trying to help our Frankie out of his situation.”

"Hi, I have a name. It’s Jasper,” he says as he’s poked by Josh, who snarls and ignores him and looks back at Malachi. Malachi’s professional demeanor slips for a mere second as he smiles at Jasper's Jasper's absolute cluelessness. 

“Jasper merely has a heart boys, no need to punish a do-gooder. And Frankie, you snitched to a cop. Boys, you know what to do.” He snaps and three men drag Frank away while he begs Malachi to change his mind. He turns back to Jasper, waving a hand at the remaining guards to signal that they should leave, and leads Jasper to the back of the room where a minibar is sat. He pours a couple of shots for himself and Jasper before sitting down next to him.

“Jasper, you can’t tell anyone about the events you witnessed today, I really don’t want to hurt you.” Malachi glances at Jasper and downs his drink. “Why don’t we get you back home? I trust you won’t say anything about my business, you know what happens if you do.” Before Jasper can say anything on the matter, Malachi stands from the barstool he was sitting on. Jasper is pulled up and pushed out of the room, leaving his undrunken drink on the bar counter, and the door is closed behind him.

“He’s gonna let the kid live, probably woulda let Frankie live too if we weren’t there. Malachi inherited a business he doesn’t have the backbone to run; we could do a much better job running this thing, aye Nicky?” One of the guards says from around the corner of the hallway Jasper is in; Jasper peeks around the corner, seeing Josh and the other man, Nicky, talking.

“Maybe we oughta do somethin’ bout the boss?” Nicky says and Josh nods in agreement. A cell phone rings and they both sigh, knowing it’s Malachi. He answers it, listening to the person on the other line before the other person hangs up. “Let the kid live, now we gotta take him home.” 

They both turn and Jasper goes to the other side of the room, hoping they don’t figure out he was listening. They glare at him and point to a door down the hall, making it clear they weren’t going to take him back home. Jasper leaves the building and walks back home before realizing those men are going to do something to Malachi and he’s the only one who can help him. 
Jasper groans and turns back around, mumbling to himself, “I cannot believe I’m doing this.” 

Once he gets back to the building he sneaks around to the back of the building; he knows that going right in would look suspicious and tip-off Josh and the other man. As he’s trying to remember what room Malachi’s office was, he sees the flashing vacancy sign of a motel and remembers the old fire escape outside of Malachi’s window and slowly climbing. The fire escape creaks under his weight and he grasps the railing tighter, trying not to look at the ground below. Continuing to climb up to the window slowly, he reaches it in just a couple minutes and quietly taps on the glass. Malachi opens the window with a blank expression on his face, which Jasper takes as a bad sign, but climbs in regardless, leaving red rust on the window sill.

“Jasper, while I like you and all I have work to do. What are you doing climbing into my window?” He shuts the window and returns to his desk, where a pile of papers sits that had grown since the last time he was in there.

“I heard something bad that I thought you should know of; but it’s not because I agree with your work or side business, it’s only because human life is precious and should be protected.” Malachi stares at him with a still blank face and taps his watch. “Right, ok so...your friends Josh and Nicky are planning something and it probably involves a coup.” The professional demeanor is yet again gone from Malachi as he sighs heavily and slouches in his chair.

“Yeah I figured at some point they’d figure out I’m a fake, but now they wanna kill me?” Malachi looks over at Jasper and laughs at the confusion on his face. “I took over after my dad died in a shootout a few years ago. I hate the people, the business, and especially the death; but it’s family.” He opens his desk drawer and takes out a small revolver; he checks the chamber for bullets and clicks it back into place before handing it to Jasper.

“And what do you expect me to do with this?” Malachi reaches back into the drawer and pulls out a pistol, checking the magazine clip on this gun.

"Protection, shoot at anything that shoots at you. Hold it like this,” he puts the safety on and lifts it up, pointing it at Jasper’s chest with his right hand hovering over the trigger and cradling with his left, “and make sure you’re prepared for the backfire. Stay back and try not to get hurt.” He shoves the gun in his jacket and Jasper follows suit carefully; they both leave the room and come across Josh and Nicky, which causes Jasper to hide behind Malachi.

“Malachi, I’m not really comfortable with this,” Jasper whispers in his ear but is waved off as Malachi starts talking.

“Boys, how’re we doin’ today? Good? Great! Heard some interesting news today boys, you wanna hear it?” They glance at each other but stay quiet. “Well, our little friend Jasper brought to my attention that you are not happy with the current leadership.” Josh is the first to throw a punch at Malachi; Nicky, however, decides to go after the easy prey, Jasper. Jasper dodges and runs away while now both men go after Malachi, throwing punches that he dodges with ease; he grabs Josh's wrist and twists it up and around, flipping his body around so his back is against Malachi's front, and Nicky throws a punch that hits right under his ribcage. 

Josh flips Malachi onto the ground and takes out a gun from his belt, pointing it at him. "You aren't worthy of running your father's business, you're just some kid with no guts." Jasper shakily reached into his jacket and pulled out his own gun, taking off the safety and holding it like Malachi showed him, and pointed it at Josh; Malachi notices and nods slightly. Jasper closes his eyes and pulls the trigger, his shoulders jolt back as the shot is fired and a loud groan and thud are heard. He opens one eye and sees Josh on the floor with a bullet wound in the back of his left shoulder; Malachi stands quickly and shoots Nicky in the leg.

“I’ll call someone. You should go before you get any more caught up in this.” Jasper walks to the door and Malachi takes out a phone, pausing before dialing anything. He smiles at the boy standing in the doorway. “Thank you for coming back, Jasper.”

“No problem Malachi, it was a pleasure.” He walks out of the door and back to his house.