Ryan Anderson considered New Orleans his second home. It wasn’t as good as California, the ladies, perhaps, not as voluptuous, but very nice nonetheless. There was just something about the vibe, the culture, that made him feel as if he was stranded in an exotic land of poboys and jazzbos.
He looked up at the condo complex from where he had just jumped, at his window, 12 stories up. Seeing a police officer stick a confused head out, gazing down at the ground, he quickly retreated to the concealing shade of the ornamental shrubbery. He had to go, any moment spent lingering was a minute closer to him getting terminated by cops.
And after what he had done to his teammates, who would blame them?
However much he had felt accepted in New Orleans, those warm feeling were gone now. He snuck along the periphery of the building. His usual routes to Smoothie King Center could not be taken; the chance of detection was much too high. No, he had to go through the back ways, through the less desirable section of town. Taking care to not look too suspicious, he set out. It was the middle of the day; most people were at work, and the streets were relatively quiet.
These were the parts of New Orleans that he was less familiar with. Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath was still readily apparent, unlike the tonier areas which he frequented. For not the first time, he cursed his large frame. A huge white person strolling casually around here was sure to be noticed. On the other hand, he thought, at least he no longer bore an arm-mounted flamethrower.
Anderson’s nervousness grew. The police were sure to be on his trail, and he didn’t know exactly what his plan was once he got to the arena. In his preoccupied state, he did not notice the rough-looking men who had just started following him.
Before he knew it, Anderson was tackled harshly to the ground, as four men bound him. He started to scream, despite his status as a wanted man, but before he could attract attention he was knocked unconscious by a heavy blow to the head. The unknown assailants dragged him into a nearby vacant house, leaving the street as placid as it had been before.