A New Day, The Other Me chapter 9_(1)

Okay so one bag of weapons to one small sized drug wholesaler wasn’t enough and he needed more. I did the math on the situation and decided to assist with more drop offs and after dumping almost all the smaller arm, most of the long arms and every automatic I take inventory of my personal stash and realize that I don’t have much other than grenades, a few pistols, an assault rifle and the tubes. Not sure what I’m going to do with it all… okay I’m lying, I know exactly what I can do with it all but let the plan play our first. All I have to do now is just wait and let the fighting begin.

Detective Nancy Escalante: almost three weeks after Guy and Jenna’s date

I wake up sore, the good kind of sore as John is passed out in my bed. It’s been so chaotic the past couple weeks that we almost didn’t get a date night but when your estranged doctor boyfriend shows up with wine and take out you put sleep off a little while longer. Well it was a couple hours after he arrived that I got some sleep but John was always good at putting me to bed. I roll out of bed and stagger to my bathroom for a much needed shower. At least I’m not hung over as bad as I could be. I run warm water over my body and review the chaos we, the police, have been dealing with.

So small time drug dealers and distributers got hold of hardware and expanded with a vengeance into the south side of town which has been a major no fly zone for dealers and manufacturers of narcotics. They set up shops and when the locals took exception to it they showed they were better armed and forced Carlos Ortega’s people to back down. That lasted about two weeks till three drug dens were turned to Swiss cheese and nobody is talking. Money was left alone in most cases but all drugs were burned on site and anyone that appears to have shown resistance to whatever came through was dead but what makes it worse is the lack of weapons after the conflict. Drugs and money are expected to be stolen but their weapons? That makes no sense in a normal turf war. As for us in the police force we’re stuck in the back waiting to move in and claim that the war on drugs and violence has been curbed but mostly we’re just watching the perimeter as the commissioner is keeping us out of the fighting.

I dry off and pull on my robe to find John moving in bed as I make it back to him. He smiles as I make it back to my bed and lay down next to him.

“Did you need last night as much as I did,” he asks and I chuckle.

“I think WE needed last night,” I counter and he smiles.

“Yeah we did. Work has been kicking my ass and probably yours if the reports we’re getting are accurate,” John says putting his feet to the floor and getting up.

“I can’t talk about it but it’s bad. My current investigation is almost completely on hold as we are sifting through the aftermath,” I tell John and admire his ass as he heads to my bathroom,” Weirdest part is we’re not seeing any real crossfire and it’s dying out quickly.”

“That’s a good thing,” John says rejoining me in my bedroom.

“You’d think that but usually things like this don’t burn out, they blow up,” I explain and he nods pulling on clothes,” Going somewhere Doctor?”

“Not because I want to. I have a day shift I’m covering today so I can have three days off in two weeks. Then we are getting out of this crazy city and doing something fun,” John is teasing me but I like the idea of getting away.

We dress and I get ready to head in a little late but not as late as others have been but not before getting a sizzling kiss from John. I get in the precinct coffee in hand and wait for the worst case assignments to come my way but find nothing on my desk that’s new and when I stop in to see the captain he reminds me I have an case still unsolved on my desk, the Guy Donnelly case. I can’t get new evidence on it because there is none and I’m stuck on suspects since everyone in the area that could have done this is very quiet and not really putting themselves out there. I spend hours reviewing what information we have, most of it shows who wasn’t involved and that is where I have to start. I return to my car and head to the first crime scene, Guy Donnelly’s stabbing. It’s not evidence I’m looking for so much as methods. Isolated location with one entry and one exit, they knew he was coming this way so that means whoever did this was watching him. Plenty of good spots for a blind side attack and quick street access for a getaway, street access also allowed for quick response from the ambulance that was called on Guy’s cell phone but Guy didn’t make the call, the attackers did. They didn’t want him to die; it was about making a statement. Who was the statement for is the hard question? At the time I thought it was gang related. Guy’s problem with Carlos and his group of very enthusiastic neighborhood watch was habitual almost for everyone involved except Guy but all of the groups whereabouts were accounted for by statements and in some cases GPS tracking and video.

I drive to the warehouse, the start of the second crime scene and only spend about a minute looking at everything. Nothing was left behind; they scrubbed the area clean to the point of washing the animal blood off the floor and into the drains. Canvas of the area gave us no witness statements until a block later when people were talking about a crazy white boy walking down the street naked before he was stopped in front of a local church by Father Gomez. Everything was text book procedure from there with ambulances, police and the forensics team going over as much as they could. Detective James and Officer Martinez offered assistance and were thorough in helping us canvas the area for anything in the way of evidence. I’m outside of my car looking up and down the street trying to figure out the many questions about everything in these investigations when I see Father Gomez exit the church and smile at me.

“Come for a confession or advice,” Father Gomez asks with a smile.

“Just looking for some clarity, I’m still on the case but it looks like this is going to take a turn for the disappointing,” I tell him and head inside the church to speak somewhat privately.

We take seats at a pew in the back and I take appraisal of Gomez and the church. For a lower class church its well taken care of, either a great deal of donations in time and work or money. Gomez himself is in simple priest fare with the all black and white collar.

“So you come to my church for clarity or because it’s where the police were called after I found that young man,” Father Gomez asks with a good intuition.

“A little of both, when you first approached him you did you notice anything about him that was more out of the ordinary than usual for the situation,” I ask and he stops to think.

“At first he was more concerned for a girl he said was in danger but once the ambulance arrived and your brothers and sisters in uniform,” I like the way he said that, makes me feel a little better,” it felt like he didn’t want to talk anymore. He was talking with me just fine but as soon as police were asking questions he just stopped.”

“I was able to get a statement from him later thankfully and it pretty much matched what we found at the site where he was,” I don’t want to use the word but Gomez nods in acknowledgement.

“What happened to him was horrible but what it left is tragic,” Gomez says and I agree.

“Physically he has been through some horrible things but everyone says that he’ll recover and doctors cleared him from psychiatric,” I clarify and Gomez shakes his head.

“It’s his soul I’m worried about,” he says and I am not sure what is being said,” After everything I approached the local neighborhood watch group, I’m sure you are familiar with them?

“You’ve spoken about Guy Donnelly on more than one occasion,” I state and he nods.

“Well I put feet to the fire but these are boys I’ve known most if not all of their lives and while they were not kind to him they aren’t monsters. What worries me is the boy himself,” Father Gomez relates and I know he knows more.

“Did something happen,” I ask and he doesn’t respond which tells me yes,” Father if there is anything that you can tell me?”

“Rules are very clear about confession but… there is something very wrong inside that young man. It’s like all the years of pain have torn apart that young man’s soul and now,” Father Gomez stops talking and I have to wonder what he knows.

“Please Father, anything you think can help me find who did this to him,” I plead and he shakes his head.

“That is something I wish I could help you with but all I can talk about is how I felt after that young man spoke with me. It was something I felt before when talking to another person,” he says and I worry a little.

“Father you don’t need to break any rules on my account, you say that there isn’t anything you can tell me about the case,” I leave it at that point, it’s worrying him what he’s telling me.

Gomez and I talk for a little longer about the gang warfare that is happening and he’s happy to say that things are beginning to return to normal thanks to the efforts of the police. We are doing some to quell the chaos but it’s almost like there is a war going on that we’re not seeing. I return to the station and review my cases, both of them. I’m going to be in for a long night and not a good one like last night with John.

Jim: Somewhere private

“You do realize this isn’t the worst thing that I can do to you right,” I tell the piece of shit in the box.

He’s crying and whining like a little girl begging me for a hit of some shit he’d put in his arm or up his nose, I don’t know which and frankly I don’t give a shit. What I do give a shit about is the Tech-9 he used to spray up what he thought was a few of Carlos’s boys come to run him out of his little drug spot. Mulligan has given me enough space from the law and news people to bring this situation back under control. I decided to call in a favor or two and got me another organizations ‘hunter’. Ever want someone dragged out of their hole, you call someone to hunt them down and that is exactly what Hawk did. Granted while my boys were on clean up and extermination he was quiet and patient, one of the reasons I respect him more than his president Sid. That arrogant asshole actually had the balls to call Mulligan about moving into my city to prove he could control it better than I could. He was turned down but it’s the arrogance of it all to my mind. More begging from the box.

“Your way is taking too long,” Hawk informs me as he winds a chain around his arm and then unwinds it.

“Beating the shit out of him isn’t going to tell me how they came into possession of my merchandise,” I tell the local Devil,” And what happened to your patience anyway?”

“I’d like to get home and see my woman if it’s all the same to you,” he says it with a smile but I’ve heard he’s got a nice girl, “I can take him for a ride, that’ll help him talk.”

“I got something better for you to do, see if you can figure out who is holding the rest of my merchandise. Someone is supplying them and if he dies from detoxing before he can tell me I need to know where the rest is,” I tell Hawk who grunts.

I let the Devil’s Best hunter leave me to my work as I prepare a syringe full of something not exactly what this junkie is looking for. I open the hole in the box and his arm comes out at me trying to get out or grab at me, I have other designs for it and grabbing his wrist with one hand stab the forearm with the syringe and pump the liquid into his veins. He pulls his arm back in pain and I wait about ten seconds before the screaming really starts. If he was yelling before he’s crying in agony now.

“Not what you were hoping for? That’s because despite its milky white appearance that was Emperor Scorpion venom,” I tell my captive as he’s thrashing against the box,” It’s not lethal but it hurts a lot and I’m told has some horrible side effects. Now I can pump you full of anti venom but you need to give me a reason to do that.”

“I was there when Carl got the first batch of guns. The guy met us at a Denny’s and just gave Carl them,” the junkie has information, I smile.

“So what did Carl pay for my merchandise,” I ask as he thrashes around his box.

“Nothing,” the junkie responds and I don’t believe it.

“Bullshit, someone hands over quality hardware and takes no payment,” I say holding up the syringe with anti-venom.

“Gawd this hurts… he just told Carl that he wanted them used. He told Carl where to go to expand and where. He just wanted us to fight back,” the junkie is on a roll for information but it doesn’t make sense except for one thing.

“So someone wanted a war with the Union,” I state and he screams out a little.

“NO…. Dammit…. We were going after that fucking Latino group,” he tells me and I shake my head.

“So you just got handed some guns by a guy at a Denny’s and he told Carl where to go and what to do and you all just went,” I ask almost laughing.

“It was Carl’s play, he thought it was good and got more weapons. I wasn’t there for those meets,” the junkie is telling me plenty but no real details.

“I want a name, anyone dealing that many weapons used a name,” I tell him as he languishes in the box.

“He met Carl on the internet, I think it was Craigslist. Please… I don’t feel too good,” he tells me and I step away to grab a chair and have a seat.

“So some random man just comes out from the internet and gives your boss a bunch of weapons and tells him what to do with them? Nothing else, just go kick the hell out of the Latinos in the area if they make trouble and you all just follow Carl’s lead and go to war,” I ask and I see him nodding yes in the dark box,” So answer me one question? How are you feeling now?”

“This hurts, I told you everything,” the junkie declares and I nod.

“Yeah but you’re not very useful anyway and I can’t exactly have you warning Carl that my boys are going to be visiting him in the near future so we’ll just ostrich your worthless ass and be done with it,” I state before calling to my boys outside the small out building we’re in,” Men take this out back and bury it.”

More screaming and pleading but that stops once we close all the holes in the long wood box and my boys carry it out to the planting field. Couple years back my granddaughter had this great idea to build a full greenhouse to farm crops and uplift part of the community. It is a really great idea but the key is the fertilizer, Smitty and my boys have been burying people out there for a couple years now and the tomatoes are some of the best you’ll ever eat. Back to my business I have a weekend meet coming up and after that happens Smitty and the boys will be stomping out the drug trade on the east side. Looks like it’ll be a pretty good week.

Guy: School on Wednesday the same week

Not one, not one fucking casualty. Not a single fucking one of Carlos’s people have been shot or killed and that pisses me off something fierce. Worst part, that’s not the only piece of shit to come flying my way today and after nearly three weeks and not a single fatality from Carlos’s people.

This is not good, this is really not good.

Because we left shit to the hands of fucking drug addicts. They can’t find their asses with both hands, a flash light and a map.

Not talking about the war but that’s pretty bad too.

I’m sitting alone, my mood has me declining company right now as I see Romeo and Carlos looking my direction as I’m alone in the cafeteria. I see Romeo pointing towards me with his hands and more than a few of Carlos’s people are joining the leader and his aide. They’re waiting for something when I can almost smell the beauty to my beast as she enters the cafeteria behind me. She’s afraid to approach and I know why, I found out a little while ago too and it’s not good. Well not for me anyway.

“Hey Guy,” Jenna says sitting down at the square table next to me.

“Congratulations Jenna,” I tell her in a flat tone.

“Guy I didn’t know they made their decision till today. I really thought you would have won the scholarship,” Jenna says with sympathy in her voice.

“I didn’t get it because my family has means and trying to make it on my own without them funding college is a joke to the people making the decisions,” I state since I was given the reason as to why I was declined.

“Well I am sorry, I wanted it but not like this,” Jenna is hurt, she won and she’s hurt and I wonder as to why.

“You got what you needed, at least you have something to look forward to after high school,” I tell her as what little plans I had are now gone.

“Guy you can get another scholarship,” Jenna begins and I wave my hand to stop her.

“The dates to make final requests was weeks ago, several weeks ago. It’s over for me so please just leave me alone for the time being, I’d like to be alone,” I tell Jenna who nods with some sadness.

I don’t even look at her as she leaves; I’m still watching Carlos and his people as they look like they’re getting ready for something. I think for a bit and when they look like they’re ready to move I stand up and leave the cafeteria. I have no classes after second period so it is easy for me to just go to my car and drive home. Mom is home from her ‘work’ early and talking to someone in the kitchen, I hear another female voice and figure it’s my sister, the biological one.

“Guy is that you,” Mom calls out and I groan.

“Yes, I’m home early today,” I reply as I see Mother and Daughter come out to greet me.

“What’s wrong honey,” Mom asks and I better get this out of the way.

“I lost the scholarship and I’m past the application cutoff date for other ones so I’m stuck on getting any assistance for college,” I tell Mom who frowns at me a little.

“I think that’s great news, gives you time to get out and see the world. I was talking to Dad and I think this summer you should come out and spend a couple months at the ranch with us,” Gwen says fully believing that I’m in the forgive and forget mentality, not sure where she got that idea.

“How about you go back to the ranch and someday, in the future, I’ll actually bother to remember that it’s somewhere in the United States,” I tell her in response and get a stunned look from both of them.

“Guy I understand you’re angry but that’s no way to talk to your sister,” Mom says and I shake my head.

“When has ‘she’ been my sister? They’ve been here for almost a month and I’ve got about as much use for her as I do for my father,” I clarify and both don’t like my answer,” I will take care of my own plans for the summer and college.”

“Guy you don’t have to do everything yourself, you have a family,” Mom states and I nod.

“Yes but like everything else in the world it comes down to me and what I can do to fix my situation. You could probably blackmail or bribe someone to get me into a college but that is you doing it for me, not me doing it and making it my own. I can’t rely on everyone all the time,” I state and I hear something behind me.

“And when was the last time you relied on your family,” my Father asks and I wonder how he did that sneaking thing.

“I didn’t, which is why I have to take care of things,” I state clearly before leaving the foyer and heading to my room.

Good, keep control and exit the situation quickly.

God I hate being fucking out manned by everyone everywhere. I tried to develop an army and they have pretty much fucking failed at the simple task they were armed to complete. I’m stuck in a cycle where now I have to ask and beg for my family to help me with college when I don’t want their help I want my own ticket, written and punched by me. Is it so hard to ask for a little independence? Add to all of this my Father and biological sister have been hounding me for time to talk and work things out between us. There’s nothing to work out, I needed him years ago and he wasn’t there. Now I don’t need or want him and he thinks that it’s better late than never. I quiet knock on my door as I’m getting undressed has me debating on answering it when they, my biological Father, just enters my room without a word.

“I can understand why you’re angry with me. I’ve been angry with myself for years when it comes to what I should have done for you,” he says it as he leans against my closed door.

“Well I’m glad you believe you have an understanding of what you think is my problem and I hope you take that belief with you when you leave,” I counter as I change into some jeans and a plain white shirt.

“Guy if you haven’t figured it out your sister and I aren’t leaving anytime soon. She might step away to fix up a couple things at our ranch but I’m not going anywhere until things in our family are mended. Now talk to me, what can I do to help this… gap we have between us,” he is really trying to be a father, too little too late.

“You can’t do anything because I don’t need you. You left and I mourned your leaving me behind and for years I sat there waiting patiently because ‘my Father’ never broke his word. Months turned into years and I finally gave up because even if you were out there you didn’t want me,” I state calmly and he cuts me off.

“I wanted you Guy, I was ashamed of what happened when I lost you,” ‘Dad’ begins to explain and I stop him.

“Don’t… I don’t want to hear your sad story about how you were so broken up over losing me that you couldn’t bring yourself to come and get me when you KNEW where I was. You left. YOU chose to LEAVE and go find your daughter. You left me when you swore, YOU SWORE, that you would always take care of me,” I am seething and I can taste venom in my mouth.

“I know and I’m here for you,” he is soft, how is the strong and invincible man so soft.

“No you’re not and I’m leaving so excuse me,” I state pointing towards the door.

He moves and I step out of my room to take a drive, I need to clear my head and do some serious planning but he’s following me and I don’t need this right now. Mom and Gwen are still in the foyer and watching as I head towards them to the garage.

“Guy we came here for you. Gwen and I love you and we came back for you,” he says it and all I feel is cold.

“No, you’re here for the boy that you left. He’s dead and buried and you can’t get him back,” my words twist a dagger in his heart, good,” I’m what’s left and I don’t need you. You’re a scared weak man who couldn’t protect your family. All you did was fail them… fail me.”

“Guy that’s enough,” Gwen barks at me and I turn towards her.

“Listen favorite, I don’t care what you think is enough or too much. You have always been the priority, Mom knows it, Dad proved and I saw it within five minutes of being reunited with you,” I state fact as she waits for her turn,” I don’t care what you want or what you feel. Here’s what I want, I want you two to leave and never come back. Does that matter to anyone? No I didn’t think so.”

I turn and leave nothing for me here right now anyway and as soon as I get my car started I’m out the garage and down the road. I need to get away and cool off, get myself thinking. I should contact the drug dealer I’ve been supporting and put his feet to the fire about the complete lack of follow through he’s displayed. I’m keeping it under the speed limit and legal as I drive around, fill up on gas and continue to drive around. My phone goes off at a light and I pull into a grocery store parking lot to check what’s up. I have some messages but the one that catches my interest isn’t Mom asking me to come back or Abby trying to get me to sit down with the ‘family’. It’s Marta sending me a picture of me driving my car. Now I’m interested and ask where she is and she says to come back her way and find her, I’m smiling as I reverse my route and backtrack. It takes maybe five minutes to find her leaning against the wall of some business I’ll never use. I have to pull around again but I do and pull up right in front of Marta.

“Someone said there was a pretty girl around here,” I ask out my passenger side window.

“Someone told me there was a hot guy driving down this street, guess we both have to settle,” Marta jokes back getting in my passenger side.

“So I’m guessing you heard already,” I ask and she shrugs.

“I didn’t think you’d get it anyway. You’re good but you could have your parents pay your way,” Marta informs me and I’m almost disgusted at her for saying it.

“Do you like being the sister to Carlos the gang leader,” I ask and she gives me a look,” Didn’t think so. So why do you think I’d want to be the intellectual heir to someone else’s money that I didn’t earn. Them paying for my college is just more of me not doing it for myself.”

“Okay but you’re using their money now; you’re an adult so why not just give it up. Otherwise you are a bit of a hypocrite,” she says it and I chuckle.

“Fair point, I just figured if I was going to have a chance to step out and be myself it would have been college,” I reply as we pull up to her parent’s home,” One trip home minus douche bags with bandanas.”

“If I could ask you for one thing, just one and you be bound to do it would you,” Marta asks and I smile.

“Point of the contract doesn’t mean I have a choice. If I sign then I have to do whatever I agreed to,” I state and she smiles.

“I’ll remember that,” she answers my statement and exits my car.

I leave her home and continue to drive around, I’m still not happy but she’s very distracting and that helps for a few moments. I check in on my storage units to see if anyone is actually looking around areas where I’ve been, it’s paranoid but when pushing a war it’s a good idea to be a little more paranoid and nothing stands out after a half hour of watching the unit with the car and another hour watching my stash. I realize that now school is out and figure I can hang out with Sydney for a while and see what she thinks though I know what she thinks and will tell me again which she does right now as we’re sitting in her bedroom.

“You are really hard on your family, you need to lighten up a lot and just try to I don’t know… live with them,” Syd informs me as I sit on a beanbag chair and her on her bed.

“They obviously favored her, hell he couldn’t be bothered to show his face around me till I’m an adult,” I counter and she smirks.

“Nearly an adult, still got to make it through high school,” she jokes but she’s mostly right.

“Yeah real adulting comes in a few years with real drinking and arrest records,” I add and she laughs.

“Okay so what do you actually know about the new sister and your real dad,” Sydney asks and I have to think.

“My Dad is hurt, but she doesn’t understand how I could be as cruel to him as I am,” I explain and she gives me a look,” I know what I’m doing when I’m not nice, I just don’t feel bad about it. He abandoned me.”

“He lost you and he wasn’t able to get you back, he’s ashamed,” Syd starts and I stop her.

“Except he didn’t lose me like you lose a penny in the ocean and it’s obvious to me too but that doesn’t change the years he could have done something and didn’t. There’s a saying I learned, never meet your heroes because they’ll disappoint you,” I tell Syd who is paying attention to me now.

“You idolize him, we talked a little about him since everything but you really idolize him,” Syd says it and I hate it.

“I idolized what he was; he came back for what I was. Neither of us is what the other thought or wanted,” I begin to explain.

“Okay so how about you just talk to him? Sit down like two people and make him see where you are at,” Syd explains and I shrug,” He’s your Dad, like it or not he is and he’s not going anywhere from what you have told me.”

She’s right, I don’t like what she’s right about but Sydney is right. My Dad isn’t going anywhere until we settle whatever it is he wants to settle. I have to wonder what he’s really feeling. Guilt, disappointment, shame, regret? A lot of things going through him probably but he’s not leaving yet, he’s got something to settle and it’s probably me.

Boo-fucking-hoo!

I don’t eat dinner at Syd’s house, I figure it’s time to return home and find out what new bullshit is waiting for me. I’m headed home and it goes by in a blur from Syd’s house to home and I have a plan. Okay it’s not a great plan but for now I’m just going to go it alone and figure out how to do what apparently needs to be done between my family and I. Dinner is in a half an hour and I set up and wait in my room to be called when all my ideas are usurped as a knock on my door reveals Rosa with a tray and dinner for me.

“Your mother said you didn’t want to be around the family so I bring you dinner for your room,” the maid and friend informs me.

I let Rosa exit the room, a little quickly, before letting my emotions take over. I’m not allowed to the table; basically that is what I’m being told by them having Rosa bring me my dinner. Now I know exactly what I need to do. I need to hurt someone.

Neal: At the table

It’s a good meal and I’m trusting Loretta on her idea to have Guy eat by himself tonight so he won’t feel pressured to have a conversation with me or his sister. I know I failed him and I would like nothing more than to clear out and let him live his life but something is seriously wrong. He’s gone a lot, a lot more for a single teenage male to be and considering the amount of enemies he has it isn’t safe. That is problem number two; he doesn’t care about what is safe. I’ve followed him a few times and he is very brazen, my son was always reserved and cautious but Guy now is careless with how he acts and where he goes bordering on reckless. We eat, everyone talks about little things but nobody talks about Guy not being with us tonight. We’re almost done with dinner when I hear him coming down stairs. His steps aren’t rushed but they are angry, too angry. I get up from the table and see him say something to the maid before heading into the garage.

“What’s wrong Neal,” Lori asks concerned.

“Guy just left and he’s angry,” I inform my ex wife.

“Well did he say anything,” she asks now more concerned.

“Not to me, he did have a word with your help,” I nod to the maid coming down the stairs with a tray and full plate of food.

“Rosa did Guy ask you to bring down his dinner,” Lori asks and she nods but she’s holding back.

“What did he say exactly,” I ask and she hesitates but speaks.

“He say if he not eat with family then he don’t eat what family eat and he tell me to remove it so it doesn’t spoil,” she recounts what my son says and I shake my head, same as a decade earlier.

“He’s mad at us,” I state to Lori who looks confused,” Whenever he got in trouble for something when he was in school we made him sit at the counter and eat alone. He refused to eat because dinner time wasn’t supposed to be a punishment.”

“Oh my god how could I forget that,” Lori is upset and has her phone out,” He’s not answering.”

Time to try and find my son before he goes off and does something dangerous.

Guy: Half an hour later

First order of business is dealing with the weakness in my plan. I head down to my storage units and change. I moved most of my clothes out of Jackie’s apartment and into the unit with the spare car. One quick change of clothes and vehicle and I stop by the storage unit, in a different lot altogether, and get a few things I’ll need and my burn phone for Carl. I pull up his number, it’s the only one I have, and dial. It takes a couple rings but he answers.

“I was wondering when you’d answer, you’re not achieving the objectives I requested when I gave you all that wonderful hardware you’re currently using,” I greet Carl.

“We ran into a lot of opposition, it’s not a Latino gang giving us problems. It’s a fucking army of bikers,” Carl explains and I am about as interested in his excuses as I am a bear shitting in the woods.

“I have more hardware, something to really pack a punch and help even the playing field. Should we meet up somewhere,” I ask knowing he’ll say yes.

“If you got more hardware we can use then we can take care of a couple of those gangers you don’t like,” Carl knows my enemy, this isn’t good,” I’ll be at the firehouse waiting. The boys will let you up.”

Okay this doesn’t sound good.

Sounds pretty fucking amazing to me actually.

How does someone knowing more about him than he wants a good thing?

Because it gives him the chance to find out who else it playing this game.

I don’t arm up like I told Carl I would, I just get my car and a single piece of hardware before heading off towards the firehouse. Carl’s main location is an abandoned fire house; it’s small but has solid walls and only really held one or two engines when it was in operation. It’s got two floors with an office up some stairs in the back. I remember it all from the first two visits to deliver weapons to Carl and now it’s just a formality. I park about a block away in a back alley and after a little searching find a fire escape to the roof of a building and make my way from one building to the next till I’m across from the firehouse. All the doors are closed but the lights are on and nobody is out front keeping watch. I watch a little longer and figure I need a reference point. I get myself set up and make the call to Carl with the phone on speaker.

“Hey, I’m out front, why aren’t your people opening the doors,” I ask looking for movement.

“They didn’t hear your car,” I see Carl from the upstairs window, he looks like someone hit him in the face a lot,” I don’t see your car.”

“Carl, a man was once offered thirty pieces of silver to betray his god,” I ask looking through the scope,” How much did they offer for you to betray me?”

I see his fear, it’s obvious but he’s not afraid of me as he looks behind him.