Page 53 of The Timeless Vigilante

Jack nodded. “The poor guy down on his luck and looking to make a buck to feed his family doesn’t get to fight.”

“That’s right,” Sully cut in cheerfully, pointing to a small shop with a blue awning. “That guy gets a donation from the Printing Prosperity Press secretly left at his door.”

“What?” Gen asked, looking between the two men, bewildered and trying to keep up.

“That seemingly innocent print shop over there, run by a nice family, actually prints counterfeit money,” Jack explained. “We allow it, provided that they report how much they put out into the economy and how. Also, half of it has to go to charity.”

“Is counterfeit money safe?” Gen questioned.

“Believe me, there will always be counterfeit currency,” Sully stated. “It’s a lot better if we know about it and where it’s going.”

“And ensure that half of it goes to a good place,” Jack added proudly.

“Okay, tell me about the other businesses,” Gen said, her heart beating fast suddenly with excitement. She never knew the world could be good and bad at the same time and it be okay.

Sully put his arm around her shoulder, steering her to face a place across the street. “This one is my favorite.” He glanced at Jack. “Can I have the honors?”

Jack nodded, a dimple surfacing on his cheek when he did.

“Well, over there at Vital Flow Blood Center, they take withdrawals from people,” Sully explained.

“Withdrawals?” Gen asked, not sure what he meant.

“That place takes blood from humans,” Jack imparted. “People have their blood tested in order to check their health in this era. Anyway, that’s a lab. And they take blood, but they always take one extra vial from each patient.”

Sully nodded. “That vial is then sold to hungry vampires on the black market. We allow the place to run if they give us a list of their buyers. It’s better for the world if we know and can track all vampires. Most of them keep to themselves, especially if they are buying blood and not taking it. But it’s good for us to know where they are in case one falls off the wagon.”

“Wow, people test their blood to check their health,” Gen said in awe.

Sully gave Jack a look of amusement. “Should we be concerned that the vampire thing totally didn’t faze her?”

“Vampires were around in my time,” Gen stated boldly.

“Yes, they are as old as dirt,” Jack joked.

“What’s next?” Gen asked, curious.

“Oh, this one is my favorite,” Jack said, pulling Gen out of Sully’s grasp and leading her down the sidewalk. He pointed to a place that had big open doors and loud noises emanating from it. There were also many cars with their front end opened up, like they had a problem. “That’s The Getaway Garage. It’s a place that repairs cars. You know those big metal things that go fast on the road.”

Gen mock scowled at him. “I know what cars are…”

“Well, anyway, that place steals illegal parts off cars,” Jack went on. “However, much like with the fight club, we approve the list of vehicles.”

“And we ensure that they are real scoundrels,” Sully boasted. “And usually, we pick a pretty bad time for them to have their cars stripped of parts, typically leaving them stranded when they need to make a quick getaway.”

“Wow, that’s very clever,” Gen mused.

“Now, do you want to go into one of the seemingly reputable businesses and see how we keep the lawbreakers in check?” Jack asked, batting his eyelashes at her in a playful way.

Gen nodded, excited to see the patrols in action. “Yes, show me how you police these crooks. I want to see firsthand.”

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

THE LIONESS AND THE JOKERS

Pawn of the Dead, Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, California, United States

Before entering the shop with bars on the windows, the guys explained to Gen what a pawn shop was. It sounded like something that she could finally relate to. That’s how things worked in her time, trading goods for money and bartering for fair prices. Also, if someone didn’t pay up, well, they paid in other ways.

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