Vindication- Ties That Bind

by Patricia Kasdan

  He approached the counter, taking out his identification and a credit card. He needed a car, and he needed it now. As he stood behind another couple, he watched as people that had gotten off the bus after him, walk up to the counter to the right and were taken care of immediately. Just as he was about to explode, the clerk said, “Can I help you?”

  “I need a car and not just any car. I need a fast car, something with power behind it.”

  The clerk behind the counter gave him a sideways look saying over the top of his glasses. “Do you have a reservation, sir?”

  Jeff snapped, “No, I don’t.”

  “Let me check and see if we have any available cars that meet your requirements.”

  The clerk tapped away on his keyboard, looking up now and then. Jeff shifted from his right foot to his left foot and back again. When the clerk took his long bony fingers off the keyboard to push up his glasses again, Jeff had just about enough. “Can you go any faster. I have to be somewhere.”

  “I am going as fast as this computer will allow. Give me one more minute. Without a reservation, I need to make sure we have cars to cover people that do.”

  Jeff turned his head as he gritted his teeth, working his jaw muscles. Pulling his phone out, he decided to try his driver one more time with no luck. Slipping his phone back into his pocket, he looked to his left he saw a sign that spoke his language. It read Exotic Rentals. Without a word, he walked away from the counter.

  They had the transportation he needed. He rented a Jaguar XJ220. He had to get back to Camden and get there fast.

  He merged onto Route 95 and punched the gas. The car shot forward like a bullet, weaving in and out of cars as he made his way back towards New Jersey.

  4

  Partners?

  Nelson slammed his phone on the dashboard. He had just about all he was going to take from Mitkin. He yanked open his glove box and took out his .45 caliber handgun feeling the weight of it in his hand before placing it back into its hiding space. He’d get what he needed from home, and he would make it to that meeting, only after he made one stop first.

  Flying through the streets to get to his condo, didn’t help to take away any of the anger that burned inside him. His garage door was opening just enough for him to squeeze under it. He had to slam on his brakes, in order not to hit the front wall.

  He threw the car into park and pushed the button to shut his car off. Breathing deeply and exhaling in one quick short breath, he took his two hands he scrubbed them across his face.

  Jeffery Mitkin, your days are numbered; laughing out loud he thought, make that your day. We’ll see who should be running this operation.

  Getting out of his car, he walked into the condo. As he entered, a sense of calm washed over him. The chaos of the world disappeared with every step he took. There wasn’t anywhere in the world he would rather be than in his own space.

  It was unlike the outside world he was forced to exist in day after day. His private world reflected how he thought. He walked through an open, uncluttered floor plan. Clutter always made him feel on edge, giving him a physical reaction. The muscles in his neck would tighten, and he felt as though he had hundreds of ants crawling all over him.

  His stark white walls and floor made his condo feel massive. Everything else that occupied his space was black, from rugs on the floor to dishes in his cabinets. That is the way he perceived life. Black and white, there wasn’t any room for a grey area, that is not the way he viewed the world. Right and wrong, and Jeff was treating him wrong.

  He walked through the living area and directly to his office. Behind his desk sat black steel filing cabinets. He pulled his chair out and spun it around to face the cabinet. Leaning back in his chair, he inhaled deeply. If I do this, there’s no turning back. If I don’t, I’ll never get where I want to be in this world, Mitkin will make sure of it. He thinks he’s so much better than I am; I’ll deal with him before I even leave.

  With his decision made, he stood, unlocked and opened his filing cabinet, stepping back he scanned all the files. A smile formed on his face that he felt in his stomach. He had accumulated quite a bit through the years. Doltz and Mitkin had no clue. Every transaction they were a part of, every dollar spent, every deed done. He knew this operation inside and out, right to left. There wasn’t any doubt in his mind that he could run this organization.

  He went through the files, taking out what he needed for the meeting and locked the cabinet. Choosing a briefcase, he decided on his most expensive one. A Tom Ford grained leather that cost him over two grand. Placing the files inside along with his business cards and a black Montblanc pen, he locked the top.

  Now, what do I want to wear? He walked into his bedroom and made his way to his walk-in closet. His closet looked much like his home. All of his shirts were starched white. His sweaters were black, some were white, each one sat in an individual cubby. He had a tower of black shoes, in different styles. Every suit and tie he owned, was black. On the other side of the closet was a mix of black and white running shoes, training clothes and jeans.

  Walking into the closet, he went to the side that held his suits; he ran his hand down the different textures of material that made up the array of designers hanging there. Taking his finger and tracing the collar stitching of a black Armani, he thought, presentation is fifty percent of the sale. If I want them to take me seriously I better dress the part; Armani it is, head to toe.

  As he buttoned his shirt and straightened the cuffs, a feeling of power slid over him like a suit of armor. Tying his shoes, he stood and checked his look in the mirror. Satisfied with what he saw, he shrugged on his wool coat, one that was tailored perfectly to his athletic body, and wrapped a cashmere scarf around his neck. Grabbing his briefcase, he squared his shoulders and walked over to his fireplace.

  Pulling the mirror above the fireplace over to the side, he exposed his wall safe. He used his palm print to open it. Inside held numerous fake identification. He selected one that he hadn’t used yet. I’ll need this to rent a car. I don’t want mine anywhere near that building. He grabbed another wallet, filled it with the counterfeit credit card, drivers license, and a hundred dollar bill. Knowing he would need legitimate identification to board the plane, he opened his briefcase, place the wallet with his real id in and relocked the case.

  As he headed towards the garage, he turned in a full circle, taking in the expanse of his condo. When this deal is all tied up, I’m getting that penthouse I've been eyeing.

  Backing out of the garage, he decided he had enough time to stop by Craig Doltz and discuss he thoughts with him. “I’ll call first, I don’t want to make the trip if he’s not there.”

  “Nelson, what’s up?”

  “You at the office?”

  “Yes.”

  “Good, stay put, I’m heading over, I’ll be there in ten minutes.”

  Nelson flew through the streets on his way to Doltz’s office. Pulling into the parking lot, he cut the engine, jumped out of the car and headed towards the building. He didn’t wait for the receptionist to clear him, he flew through the waiting area and burst into Doltz’s office.

  Doltz calmly pushed away from his keyboard and looked at Nelson over the top of his glasses. As if to say, are you kidding me?

  Nelson closed the door before he said, “What the fuck is going on? I got a call from Jeff. He wants me to go to California in his place.”

  “Yeah, I know, he called me, I suggested he send you. He’s all caught up with the Levell’s. The last thing we need is for him to blow this whole deal.”

  “I’m a little sick of this entire situation. His head is either in the game or not. He almost blew our operation once already.”

  “I hear you; we worked long and hard on this. What can we do?”

  “I know exactly what I’m going to do. Just as we said before, his ego is becoming a liability.”

  “Ego or not, I’m not about to let him blow the progress we’ve made.”

 
“What do you have in mind?”

  “He’s holding us back, he sees us as his underlings, and I have had it. I’m done taking orders from him.”

  Doltz lifted an eyebrow, “Like I said, what do you have in mind?”

  “I can get to York Street before Jeff does. He won’t even know I’m there. I’ll stay in the shadows. He won’t see it coming. I’ll shoot that bastard, right between the eyes and enjoy every minute of it. I don’t know who the hell he thinks he is ordering me around like some two-bit grease ball. I’ll get out of there and to the airport. No one will even know I was there.”

  Doltz squinted his eyes as he looked over his glasses. “What? What are you talking about? That takes balls if you ask me.” He took his glasses off and scrubbed a hand over his face. “ What is going on? Why kill him?”

  “As I said, I’m done taking orders from him. I’ve put up over a million of my own money and -“

  “What? What are you talking about?”

  “My money - this so-called partnership. He doesn’t treat me like a partner.”

  Doltz pushed out of his chair and walked around his desk. “You put your money up? When?”

  “How the hell do you think we kept in business when everything caught up to Anton Levell and the feds drained our accounts? It was me; I kept us afloat. Mitkin’s parents cut him off years ago. He certainly didn’t have the money to keep us going.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me? I gave him the cash we needed. He came to me for it. Where did it go?”

  “Fuck if I know. Looks like he played the both of us. ”

  “Damn straight. Now it’s time for us to play him. He said I have all that's needed for this meeting, well, he’s right. Even more important, WE have all it takes to run this operation. Why have him screw it up in the final phases? He’s becoming a liability.”

  “I don’t have a problem with it. He’s been a thorn in our side since the beginning. Every move he makes, he makes with the Levell’s in mind. Now you tell me he’s been double-dealing, fucking with both of us. You do what you have to do. I’m not going to stop you. When it's done, let me know. ”

  “I knew you would be on board. I’m headed over to U Drive car rental. I don’t want my car to be seen down by the building. I’ll call you from the airport.”

  He left Doltz’s office and made his way to the U Drive car rental. He pulled into the lot, cut his engine and walked in.

  There was a girl behind the counter, decked out in a purple, red, and black outfit with hair to match. Purple eyeliner circled her eyes, and her lips were bright red. Nelson couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

  The name tag pinned to the sleeve of her shirt read ReRe. She gave him a sideways look that scanned the length of his body. When she opened her mouth to speak, it was as if she had a mouthful of marbles. “You need a car?” He could barely hear her.

  He wanted to reach across the counter, grab her by her freaky hair, lift her off the ground and shake her. He stepped back, forcing his shoulders to relax and unclenching his teeth, he calmly answered, “Yes.”

  He settled on a late model Chrysler, one of the only two that were available. He gave her the counterfeit credit card and bogus drivers license, signed the paperwork and was out the door. The Chrysler reeked of stale cigarette smoke and a putrid sweet air freshener; a combination that was nauseating. He opened every window before pulling out of the lot. He wanted to get this over with stash the rental and get back in his car. He made it into Camden within minutes of leaving the car lot.

  As he cut the engine to his rental, he scanned the area. The wind took discarded papers, and they flew along the street like low flying birds, catching a gust and flying high into the air. Empty water bottles bumped along the curbs, but he didn’t see another living soul.

  Taking his gun off the front seat, he shoved it in his coat pocket. He stepped out of the car and headed towards York Street, stopping just before the corner, he peered around it. Again the street was empty, he didn’t see Krista or Jeff’s car. The wind picked up and hit him in his face as he turned onto York, sending his dark hair flying into his hard dark eyes. He pushed his hair out of his eyes and pulled the collar of his coat up.

  As he looked up, he realized he was in front of the building Jeff would be at any minute. He slipped in the back, like a snake, hunting its prey. His eyes were just starting to adjust when he heard footsteps. He slid his hand into his pocket and pulled out the .45. As he made his way over to the staircase, not paying attention, he tripped on trash that was strewn across the floor in front of him, the sound echoing throughout the abandoned building.

  As Evan stumbled up the dilapidated staircase, he heard what he thought was a car backfiring. He fell backward, his hands flaring out to catch the banister thinking he had a firm hold on it when it let loose from the wall. He plummeted down from the top step, and his head hit the side of the stairwell before striking the bottom step. His ribs were on fire, and sparks danced around his vision, and then his world turned to black.

  5

  Surreal

  Krista’s car stopped on a side street. She noticed that the streetlights were broken out, the pavement was cracked, litter sat along the curb as if waiting for the next bus, from one corner to the next. A sour odor seeped into her car from outside, almost making her gag. “What has become of him? How could he be here? What the hell is he thinking? This is how he wants to live? Why, why would he do this?” She couldn’t help, but think of how much life had changed. How happy they once were, not knowing what was lurking in their future. All she could think about was her brother and how everything had changed.

  The sound of gunshots shattered the silence that surrounded her. She was so startled she couldn’t even think. The door to the adjacent building down the alley swung open, and a hooded man ran full force in the opposite direction. She couldn’t see his face. Not knowing what was happening she grabbed her gun out of the glovebox and pushed her door open. Forgetting to release her seatbelt, she got all tangled up. Krista’s heart pounded in her ears. She didn’t know if it was because of the gunshot or because she pictured her brother lying in a pool of blood. She swore out loud as she tried to release the seatbelt. In her peripheral vision she spotted movement. As she turned her gun towards the cause, Jeff stepped around Krista’s open door.

  She lowered her gun and said, “I almost shot you. What are you doing here?”

  “I called you, but you didn’t pick up, I got Nelson to go to California.”

  “I could care less who’s going. Did you hear the gunshots? When did you get here? What the hell? Did you even leave?” She was still fumbling to unfasten her seatbelt, becoming more and more frustrated.”

  “I just got back here, and no, I didn’t hear any gunshots.

  “There were gunshots. I saw the guy take off, I need to, what if he’s dead? What if my brother is dead?”

  She grabbed her phone and dialed 911. When dispatch picked up she identified herself, reported gunshots fired, gave the address. Taking a long breath, she reached for the seatbelt and released it without a problem.

  The car windows vibrated when she closed the door. “Dyadya, are you carrying?”

  “Always.”

  Her feet hit the ground like a seasoned sprinter, flying down the alley, Jeff had a hard time keeping up with her. As she rounded the corner going to the front of the building on York Street, she inhaled deeply. There was what appeared to be a team of men running into a building.

  “Dyadya, is that where you saw Evan?”

  “Yes, that’s the building he went into.” She could hear her heart pounding in her ears, and her hands felt like ice. Please, please, please let Evan be okay.

  As she reached the building, she spotted Travis Wilks, the DEA agent she had known since her first year with the FBI. He was standing in front of the open door of the building where Jeff said he had seen Evan. His dark eyes seemed fixed on something just on the other side of the door. She sprinted up to him, with her badg
e in hand. Her eyes were as wide as a sinkhole, and her skin looked translucent, she was so pale.

  Travis stood tall, with a wide stance and squared off shoulders. His wavy sandy brown hair fell to his shoulders and was blowing in the wind that had whipped across the alley. His worn leather biker jacket snuggly zipped across a muscular chest, would let anyone know not to mess with this agent. As he looked down at Krista, he asked: “Special Agent Levell, how did you get here so fast?”

  “What do you mean? I was looking for my brother. Did you see him?”

  “Yeah, Evan is, um-ah- Levell - Krista, I’m not sure how to … , " Travis started to say. As he was talking, she saw his eyebrows came together creating creases between his eyes as he inhaled deeply.

  Before he could say another word, she ran through the door and stopped abruptly; Evan stood there splattered with blood, almost falling over. The blood covered his entire left side of his body. It shot across him like a firework exploding on its way up through the sky. He looked like a canvas that Jackson Pollock painted. There was blood everywhere, but he was alive.

  Travis got between Krista and Evan before she could get any closer. “He seems to be okay. I looked him over a minute ago.”

  “How can you say that? He’s covered in blood.”

  “I don’t think any of it is his. The paramedics should be here soon. They will be able to check him out.”

  She tried to push past Travis, but he stood firm. He placed a hand on each one of her shoulders, stopping her.

  Looking down at her he said, “You can’t be involved in this one Krista, you are too close to the situation to be part of it. We need to process him, and we can’t have you contaminating the scene. You know the drill. You can go in and talk to him, but don’t touch him or anything else. Got it?”