Jimmy: "Woody, take a seat, let's talk. Do you really want to go home or travel around?"

Woody sighed, "Wait a minute." He turned back to the bar, grabbed a bottle of Bourbon and a glass, "I've been here for so many years, how could I think of giving up this life? Cheers."

Jimmy and Woody clinked glasses: "So what are you planning to do?"

Woody: "Take a break for a while, then look for a job, maybe leave Manhattan and try my luck elsewhere."

Jimmy: "What about other bars?"

Woody shook his head: "It depends on luck, but there's no point if I'm just going to be a low-level bartender."

Jimmy: "Oh, if, and I mean if, this place gets a new owner, would you stay?"

Woody: "You don't understand, in this line of business, usually, the owners bring their own people to take over the bar's affairs. I'm not just a bartender, I'm also the bar's on-site manager."

Jimmy: "So, actually, there's no owner in the bar right now, it's all you managing?"

Woody nodded, and Jimmy finally understood what was going on. No wonder Woody seemed so desolate; after the owner sold the bar if Woody left for another place he would just be a mere bartender. That would be quite a fall.

Jimmy thought for a moment: "Let's have a drink, I need to think this over."

Woody: "What do you mean? You want to buy the bar?"

Jimmy spread his hands, "I've never run a bar before."

Woody's eyes lit up as he looked at Jimmy, "You really have this idea, right? That's great, I think..."

"Stop! Woody." Jimmy picked up his glass, "I need to think about it more, don't talk about this with anyone else."

Woody nodded: "I understand." The two clinked glasses one more time, Jimmy drained his glass in one gulp, and then stood up and left the bar.

When it came to running a bar, Jimmy was a novice, but he had acquaintances he could consult. After returning home and getting ready for bed, Jimmy went to the study, took out the Black Stonecrop cell phone, and called Justin. Justin did not answer, but called back a few minutes later.

Justin: "Hey, Jimmy, long time no see."

Jimmy: "Hey, Justin, are you busy right now?"

Justin: "All good, what's up?"

Jimmy: "I need some advice. If there's a bar in the Upper West Side of Upper Manhattan up for sale, can money be made from buying it?"

Justin: "You want to be a boss? It's Manhattan, of course money can be made, as long as you're not reckless."

Jimmy: "There's this local bar near my apartment I frequent, the owner seems to have some issues and is looking to sell. I've never done this before, any advice?"

Justin: "It's not something that can be settled in a sentence or two. I'd suggest you find a professional to help you out, I guess you don't have time to be a boss yourself."

Jimmy: "I definitely can't manage it, I still have a job to do. Do you know anyone?"

Justin: "Wait for my call."

Jimmy: "Thanks."

Jimmy and Justin's relationship had evolved to be more like friends than the previous employer-part-time employee relationship, especially since Jimmy had a good relationship with Justin's former boss Winston, Justin was naturally quite nice to him.

-----------------

Justin was quite efficient. In just two days, the person he had contacted called Jimmy to arrange a meeting.

Jimmy met the person Justin had referred at a coffee shop, a middle-aged Latino man with slightly curly black hair and a neatly trimmed short beard. He was about the same height as Jimmy, dressed in a hand-tailored suit complete with a vest, and a brown tie featuring light blue floral patterns. He looked very much like those upper-class individuals, except for his ethnicity.

"Diego Isaac. Pleased to meet you."

Isaac sat opposite Jimmy, introduced himself, then signaled for the waiter and ordered a coffee.

Jimmy: "Jimmy Yang, I think Justin must have told you."

Isaac: "You're looking to take over a bar and in need of a competent manager."

Jimmy nodded: "Please introduce yourself."

Isaac was a skilled professional manager, only he had bad luck and suffered heavy losses in a previous stock market crash, then he had been working for some small companies.

Justin was in the intelligence business, so it was no hassle for him to play the role of a headhunter.

After understanding Jimmy's needs, finding someone capable and without much baggage to manage the bar was no issue, and Isaac, having been a bar manager before, was a seamless fit for Jimmy's place.

After chatting with him for a while, Jimmy felt more at ease, with Justin's help in the background check. Jimmy called his lawyer to prepare the contract, and then had Isaac act on his behalf to contact the bar owner. The rest of the bar transfer negotiation was left to Isaac – Jimmy would only make the final decision.

After dealing with all of these matters, Jimmy finally felt a bit more relaxed. The bureau's business wasn't too much trouble, but he was soon shocked by a piece of news.

A series of scandals alleging government involvement in assassination operations came to light, the Black Stonecrop project was exposed, CIA Director Ezra Kramer was under judicial investigation, two senior CIA officials were arrested, Black Stonecrop project planner senior director Dr. Albert Hirsch, project executor senior director Noah Watson.

The Anti-Terrorism Bureau head Watson being arrested had a significant impact on Jimmy, as he used to prefer going there for precise investigation needs. The information was the most complete and fastest there, and crucially, he had a sort of rapport with Watson, who never refused him when he came asking.

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