You Have a Relative Named Washington?

The gang bosses worked fast. By the time Alvin left the bar, the first batch of silver-plated reloads had already arrived. There weren't many, but there weren't that many vampires in Hell's Kitchen, either. Besides, Alexei was still making more.

Ginny's arrival had left Alvin so overjoyed he'd nearly lost his wits. As he carried her out, he suddenly remembered something and turned to Kingpin. "There are vampires hiding at Lanshev's docks. He's helping those monsters gather illegal immigrants to use as food." He glanced at Lanshev, who was already trembling with fear. "Kill them all. They're traitors to humanity."

Kingpin shot Alvin an impatient look, apparently thinking that talking about killing in front of Ginny wasn't appropriate. He gave Ginny a good-natured smile and waved Alvin off. Then he turned to Lanshev, his gaze turning chillingly cold.

The scene that followed wasn't suitable for little Ginny to see. Alvin carried her out of the bar.

The sun was shining outside, so Alvin decided to take a walk with Ginny. She'd been there for five or six days, and he still hadn't really taken her out for one.

Ginny held onto one of Alvin's fingers and happily walked along with her dad. His sidekick Thor followed behind, resting his big head lightly on Ginny's shoulder. His fluffy fur tickled her now and then, making her giggle.

Alvin was happy—happy in a way he'd never been in his previous life. He had family and friends, people who would stand behind him without hesitation whenever he needed them.

He paid no attention to Officer Misty, standing beside a police car across the street. She'd clearly heard the news and come to investigate. Nor did he pay attention to Jessica, who'd rushed over, worried about Ginny.

Right now, Alvin just wanted to enjoy some father-daughter time with Ginny.

Hmm... why was Jessica carrying a shotgun? Never mind. Nobody would give her trouble; everyone around here knew her.

He didn't know how long they'd been wandering. Along the way, the beautiful young mother Dahlia had even flirted with him. Alvin was already in a great mood today, and now he was in an even better one.

When he spotted a convenience store up ahead, Alvin smiled and asked, "Ginny, would you like some chocolate? Daddy will buy you some, okay?"

Ginny looked up at Alvin in confusion. "Chocolate? Ginny doesn't know. Ginny wants Daddy."

Alvin's nose suddenly stung. He felt like a pretty lousy dad, but that was all right. They had plenty of time ahead of them. Hmm... today he'd buy her every kind of snack and see what she liked. He couldn't be some well-known figure in Hell's Kitchen and have a daughter who'd never even tasted chocolate.

The supermarket's owner was a Black man in his fifties. Whenever he smiled, he showed a perfect row of eight teeth, making him seem very likable. Alvin also thought he looked awfully familiar.

He grabbed a little shopping cart and set Ginny inside. They sampled their way through the store: take more of what tasted good, put back what didn't. Hmm... so what if he had no manners? Fine, he shouldn't teach the kid bad habits. He grabbed a basket too, so they could put the things they didn't like in there and pay for them all at the end.

Ginny giggled from inside the cart, happily watching herself disappear beneath a mountain of snacks. It wasn't until she was too full to eat any more that Alvin realized he'd bought three carts' worth of stuff. One of the store's waiters was pushing the other two.

He knew the young man. He lived in Alvin's neighborhood and was Old Kent's nephew. His name was Kenny. His father had been shot dead on the street, and his mother had damaged her brain with drugs while she was pregnant with him. Kenny had been born with a low IQ. He was slow, and it took many lessons for him to learn anything. Old Kent had raised him, and Alvin had no idea how he'd ended up working here.

Kenny knew Alvin. When he saw Alvin looking at him, he gave him a silly smile. "Hi, Alvin."

Alvin smiled and punched Kenny lightly in the chest. "How'd you end up working here? I'd already talked to Old Kent about making you a guard at the Kindergarten."

Kenny scratched his head and grinned. "The boss was hiring people, so I came to try. The boss likes me. Heh."

Alvin figured Kenny meant the familiar-looking Black man out front. A guy willing to hire Kenny probably wasn't too bad.

Alvin didn't know which district this was. He'd been wandering aimlessly earlier, and was a little disoriented. No matter. He'd find out when they left. He could tell the people on this street to leave this place alone. They'd do him that favor.

When it was time to pay, the owner came over to help. He even gave Ginny a palm-sized lollipop, which made her very happy.

Alvin looked at the man, who seemed more familiar the longer he stared, and finally couldn't resist asking, "Buddy, have you ever worked as a bodyguard or anything? Ever said, 'It's God's job to forgive you. It's my job to send you to Him'?"

The owner's pupils contracted sharply. He pressed his lips together and tilted his head. "I'm afraid I've never worked as a bodyguard, and I've never said anything that cool."

Alvin nodded, a little disappointed. "Then do you have a relative named Washington?"

The owner smiled, showing all eight teeth. "No. My name is Robert McCall. Can I help you with anything else?"

Alvin's questions had clearly come out of left field and given him the wrong idea. He didn't seem keen to talk to Alvin anymore.

Alvin had a feeling Robert was a man with a story. But he seemed wary, and wasn't easy to approach.

Still, Alvin was terribly curious about him, because he looked so much like a Hollywood star Alvin had loved in his previous life.

But if Robert didn't want to talk, that was fine. In the spirit of hospitality, Alvin said, "I own the Peace Hotel in the 25th District. My name's Alvin. If you're interested, come by sometime. You look a lot like someone I know. He's my idol."

Hearing that, Robert relaxed a little. He looked at Ginny, who was hugging her snacks and grinning, and figured he might have been too suspicious. This was just a loving father and daughter. They couldn't possibly know him.

Indeed, when Alvin and Ginny were together, people tended to overlook the difference in their skin color and accept that they were father and daughter.

Robert smiled. "Sure. I'm looking for a place to have dinner, so I'll stop by. Maybe it'll become my regular spot." He paused, then added, "I'm definitely not the person you're thinking of, but that line you just said was cool. 'It's God's job to forgive you. It's my job to send you to Him.' Wow... I need to write that down."

Alvin smiled and shook Robert's hand, feeling like he'd finally found someone who understood him. "You think so too? Then I think we'll be friends. We may have the same philosophy."

Robert smiled and nodded, his voice a little thoughtful. "Sometimes we have to make the wrong choices to get to the right place. I hope this is that place!"

Take a guess! I really like this character! He's not a superhero, but he fits the overall feel of this story.

I'd planned to write him in from the start, but I was afraid I wouldn't make him feel fully realized. After all, he isn't a character everyone knows. If anything feels off, please bear with me!