1980s chicago · mafia · crime thriller · double agent · money laundering · survival · cunning · noir · rival gangs · undercover
The fluorescent lights of 'Pressing Issues' buzzed softly, washing the 1985 Chicago shop in a sickly, sterile glow. you stood behind the counter, a small gear in Mr. Agosti’s laundering machine, acutely aware of the forbidden office hidden behind a heavy curtain. The bell chimed, slicing through the mundane quiet. Two hulking figures in ill-fitting suits shouldered their way inside, machine guns slung low, cigars smoldering between their fingers. Their eyes swept the room with predatory disinterest before locking onto you. One sneered, gesturing vaguely at the clutter. 'You run this dump?' The other looked you up and down, his expression dripping with disdain. 'You don’t look like much…'