[saltinespike]

Teaser

The door clicked as it opened, but the man at the desk did not turn around. Instead, he lazily brought the cigar to his lips, taking a few strong puffs before pulling it it out and examining the smoldering end of it. All of the lights in his study were off except for his desk lamp. His only company was a custom ashtray engrained with his initials and a glass of scotch. The air in the room was smoky and thick, but sweet-smelling in the way that only a fine cigar can be. He heard soft footsteps in the carpet behind him. There was no use in looking; he had seen the man's face plenty of times before. It was obvious what he was here for.

Paul Moretti had been expecting this moment to come for years. The Moretti Crime Family had been in its peak within the past decade and there were a countless number of people hunting for him. It did surprise him, however, that the final blow would come from someone so close. So it goes, he thought. The man behind him was dressed in boots, black trousers, a black sweater and gloves. He had prepared for this night for months, and didn't plan to leave any trail to follow. The only person that would ever know he was here would be Paul, and that wouldn't be for much longer. The barrel of his Smith and Wesson 9mm was pointed straight at the back of Paul's head from a safe distance. If his victim tried to retaliate, he could end the situation easily.

"So this is it, huh?" Paul asked, his voice hoarse, not only from he smoke and alcohol, but also disuse. He hadn't spoken in over a week. Finally, the older man spun around in his chair, turning to meet the eyes of his killer. The man in black pulled back the hammer with his thumb, making a distinct clicking noise. The old man didn't budge, but stared past the gun and into his hunter's eyes. It was obvious that Paul was tired and possibly drunk. His bloodshot eyes tore into the man with such an intensity that the killer wavered, breaking eye contact. The don didn't take the opportunity to put up a fight. He'd put on weight within the last twenty years and wouldn't make it halfway before he was shot.

"Well," he croaked, putting a large effort into standing, "are you going to do this or aren't you?" The younger man regained his composure, once again standing rigid with discipline. He aligned the sights to the area between Moretti's eyebrows, even though aim didn't matter much at this range. He drew a long breath, memorizing the last image anyone would ever see of Don Paul Moretti. He clenched his teeth, tightened his hand around the grip of his pistol and once again stared into the eyes of his mark. The final emotion that could be read on Paul's face was sadness. The gunman squeezed the trigger, which caused a burst of blood to explode from the back of Moretti's head. His body collapsed to the ground, the carpet suddenly soaking with his blood.

The man headed to the door where he entered, looking back to ensure no traces were left. He gazed at the limp body on the ground, feeling remorse, but also accomplished. This is exactly what he needed.


---


Alright guys, just a teaser for now. You'll have to excuse the writing itself, I'm a bit out of sorts at the moment. I did want to get this up and running so that everyone can know that Hatchet Man is making its return. It will be completely rewritten and quite possibly follow a different plot. I will say this: the core of it remains the same. The same characters will be in it, the core plot will still remain, everything like that. Some of the more ridiculous plot points, however, will be going away.

So after this, I'm going to begin writing Character Profiles in order from least important (these may contain two or three profiles per post) to the most important. These profiles will actually reveal small portions of the plot before I even post the introduction/preface, so I hope you enjoy them! Also, the chapters will be longer. I plan to make the chapters similar in length to actual books, so hopefully you can hang in there with me and I hope to make it worth the reading!

This post has been edited by saltinespike on Thursday, Jun 7 2012, 19:30

[Vercetti21]

I just came.

Some nice imagery there. I can't wait to see where this rehash goes.

[Ziggy455]

Quick paced, in depth; loved it. I'm glad we've got some talent back. Looking forward to just seeing you get this up.

This post has been edited by Ziggy455 on Thursday, Jun 7 2012, 23:16

[AceRay]

Damn, that was really really good. I have to say that's some real skilled writing, loved the tension in the descriptions.

[Eminence]

Great teaser. I love how you take something that on the face of it could feel quite familiar, yet you provide it with these unique touches that make it a whole new experience. And at the same time, it sets everything up nicely, leaving plenty of room to imagine what might come next. Looking forward to it.

As for the writing itself, I can feel that it's a little rusty, but considering how long it's been, it's retaining its pace and tension remarkably well. I imagine it's only going to strengthen with each passing instalment.

Any idea when the first profile might hit?

[saltinespike]

Characters

Independent

Character	Description
Shawn Dillard	Coming Soon!
Louis Jackson	Coming Soon!
Christian Wilcox	Coming Soon!
Gerald Kalvin	Coming Soon!
Andrew Patterson	Coming Soon!
Jeffrey Angel	Coming Soon!
Rachel Daniels	While working as a prostitute in East Chicago, Rachel Daniels was picked up by Lenard Giordano, who took a liking to her, and soon became his girlfriend. He couldn't get enough of her, while she couldn't get enough of his money. Most of the money she used fueled her crystal meth addiction. When Rachel found out she was pregnant, she renounced her drug habit and transferred $50,000 to a newly opened bank account before sneaking away from Lenard and the Giordano Family entirely. Now, fifteen months later, she struggles to make ends meet for her and her baby working as a waitress under an alias, still hoping to remain anonymous.
Calvin Jacobson	Calvin Jacobson is no ordinary pimp. He is one of Chicago's most well-known and most-hated criminals. A legend associated with human trafficking, prostitution and extortion, he knows anyone there is to know around Chicago. In the past, he's been associated with the Moretti Family, the Giordano Family, La Raza Familia, the local Triads, the South Side Knights and numerous independent criminals. He has retained a place on Chicago PD's Top Ten Wanted list for the past five years. He's not at all hard to find, but most seem too frightened to go near him.
Daryl "Buckshot" Adams	Daryl Adams has been associated with the South Side Knights in South Chicago since 2001, when he was inducted at age 14. Although Adams has been in his fair share of homicides, he has only been arrested for petty crimes. He earned the nickname "Buckshot" for being wildly inaccurate during his first drive-by. He has been a pushover at times, and struggles for money. Daryl is currently serving a 5-year sentence for unarmed robbery, but is hoping to reduce his term on his upcoming parole board.
Heidi Dillard	Shawn and Heidi Dillard met at a bar nine years ago. Both were fans of boxing and action movies; Shawn always referred to her as a man's woman. Both are very physical, which often leads to bouts of violence. Heidi filed for divorce three weeks ago, and is preparing to move to Los Angeles when all of the appropriate paperwork has been settled. She despises her brother, Andrew, as he has run his life into the ground with the use of drugs, and plans to leave him behind.
Sophie Dillard	Born to Shawn and Heidi Dillard in 2006, Sophie has already experienced some ugly parts of life. Her parents are pending a divorce and often resort to physical violence with each other, she has survived an attempted kidnapping and her uncle is addicted to meth. Tears don't come to her anymore, but she has oddly become more attached to both parents.

Moretti Crime Family

Character	Description
Vincent Moretti	Coming Soon!
Charles Moretti	Coming Soon!
Christine Moretti	Coming Soon!
Gina Moretti	Coming Soon!
Paul Moretti	Coming Soon!
Joseph Moretti	Coming Soon!
Mary "Mam" Moretti	Coming Soon!
Frank Poolder	Coming Soon!
Omar Zavatsky	Coming Soon!
Benjamin Melan	After serving in the military with Special Forces, Benjamin Melan began working security for numerous clubs in downtown Chicago. It was when he held security for an underground gambling tournament that he was first noticed by Vincent Moretti. Vincent, serving as a Capo, hired him for other events, eventually bringing him in to serve as an unofficial enforcer of Vincent's area of authority. Over the past two years, he has gained Vincent's trust and has become one of his go-to men.

This post has been edited by saltinespike on Tuesday, Jun 19 2012, 23:36