by Mike Ryan
Mallette turned toward the door as he heard it open. Butch and Reed came in together. Mallette could already tell by the looks on their faces that it wasn’t good.
“What’s the damage?” Mallette asked.
“We’re down four,” Reed said.
Mallette closed his eyes and sighed. “Four. Four we didn’t have to spare.” He looked at Butch, who had even worse news. “What about on your end?”
“I lost another eight.”
Mallette took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. “Eight.”
Butch looked down and shook his head. “Eight more. That’s on top of losing ten earlier. I’ve lost eighteen men in two separate fights in a matter of hours.”
Mallette rubbed both sides of his head. “So where does that leave you?”
“It leaves me hurting,” Butch said angrily.
“We need specifics in order to plan our next moves.”
“What difference does it make? It’s obvious this thing isn’t working.”
“I understand your frustration. I do. Believe me, I’ve been there before. While I was in prison, I could do nothing but hear how my organization was crumbling, one brick at a time. Men falling left and right, and there was nothing I could do about it. But this… this we can fix. This we have an opportunity to change. And we will. We’re down right now. We’ve taken some shots. We’ve taken some blows. But we’re not on the canvas. We’ll get back up and throw some shots of our own.”
“I’ve got less than twenty men now.”
“I understand. But that’s still enough for Jacobs if we play our cards right.”
“We haven’t done that yet.”
Mallette put his hand up to try to calm his partner down. “We will. We’ll fix this. Jacobs has the dog and a partner. Ames can’t have more than ten or twenty men of his own. We still have enough to get the job done.”
Butch sighed. He wasn’t sure he agreed. “I sure hope you’re right.”
“Trust. Have trust.”
“It’s hard to have trust when you’ve watched half your organization fall in front of you.”
“I know it’s hard. Don’t forget, we still have plans in place for Jacobs.”
“How did this happen with Ames? That’s what I wanna know.”
Mallette walked over to the window and looked outside. “He must’ve spotted my guy. Or he suspected he was being followed. Once he realized that he was, he set everything up to trap us. He waited for us to show. Had the lights on a timer. Then when he had us in a vulnerable position, he opened up and let us have it. Objectively speaking, it wasn’t a bad plan.”
Butch walked over to the window and stood next to Mallette. They both looked out the window.
“So what’s our plan now?” Butch asked.
“We’ll lie low for a few days. Regroup. Try to recruit if we can. In the meantime, we’ll be opportunistic. If something comes up on Ames, we’ll evaluate it. If it’s something we can act on, we’ll do so.”
“As long as it’s not another trap.”
Mallette nodded. “Yes. As for Jacobs, we’ve got the other plan in motion. Once we find our computer guy, we’ll set something up for Jacobs that he has no chance of escaping from.”
16
Two days passed. Mallette and Butch were both getting restless. Selby thought he had a couple of candidates, but both options fell through at the last minute. For whatever reason, they weren’t interested in the job, regardless of the amount of money they would make. But Selby finally found a guy he thought would get the job done.
Mallette and Butch were in the office overtop of the textiles facility, where they’d spent most of their time over the past few days. They were going over plans, creating some, throwing some to the curb, altering some, and doing it all over again, wanting to make sure they had the perfect plan in place, not only for Jacobs, but for Ames as well. They were planning for every alternative, every contingency, every single thing that could go right, everything that could go wrong, and having an option in place for each of them, regardless of how big or small the alteration was.
Mallette and Butch were both sitting at the desk. They had maps, notes, and papers thrown all over it. The door swung open, with Selby walking in. He had another man with him. He wasn’t part of either Mallette’s or Butch’s group. He appeared to be in his thirties, long hair, beard, jeans, and a T-shirt that looked to be a size too big for him.
As Selby and the new man walked into the middle of the room, Mallette and Butch stopped what they were doing and looked at them.
“So who do we have here?” Mallette asked.
“This is him, boss,” Selby answered.
“Him, who?”
“The computer guy you wanted.”
Mallette stood up. “Doesn’t look like much.”
“They say he’s the best.”
“After the other two who turned you down, I take it?”
Selby shrugged and threw his hands up. “I can only get who I can get.”
The other man was looking around the room, not seeming to pay any attention to the conversation about him.
Mallette walked over to him. “So you have a name?”
The man put his finger in his ear and got some wax out of it, then looked at it, and wiped it on his pants. Mallette looked less than impressed.
“They call me Ace.”
“That your God-given name?” Mallette asked.
Ace laughed. “Nah. Just a nickname I picked up over the years.” He glanced over at Selby. “I don’t really like to tell people my real one, you know what I’m saying?” He tapped Selby on the arm with his elbow. “I just go by Ace nowadays. What’s in a name, anyway?”
“Names aren’t of much importance to me, as long as you’re the man to get the job done.”
“Uh, yeah, that’s what I hear. I mean, this guy says you need some computer magic to happen?”
“I do. If you think you can handle it.”
“Hey, man, I can handle just about anything. They don’t call me Ace for nothing.”
“Because of your top-notch computer skills.”
Ace cleared his throat. “Nah, not really. I mean, they are, but I picked up that name when I was a teenager, you know? Mostly because I liked to play cards a lot. You know, played with my friends, my uncle, basically whoever’d throw down with me. Always seemed to get a lot of aces when I played, know what I’m saying? Name kind of stuck from there.”
“I see.”
“But, I mean, the name still applies to computers too.” Ace put his hands in the air and wiggled his fingers. “I’m aces when it comes to these puppies too, you know?”
Mallette glared at Selby, unsure of why he brought this seemingly unstable person into his office.
Selby shrugged again. “They say he’s good.”
“Who’s they?”
“Everyone.” Selby leaned forward to talk softly. “And they say he’s willing to do things under the table.”
“For a fee, man,” Ace said with a laugh. “Let’s get that out of the way up front, you know? I mean, I’m willing to do just about anything… with computers that is… as long as the money’s right, you know? I mean, it’s all about the reward at the end of the rainbow, right?”
“The reward will be substantial,” Mallette said. “As long as you do your part, you will be well compensated.”
“Well, I mean, not to quibble over finances or anything, you know, but, uh, what exactly are you meaning by well compensated? Because your definition and my definition might be two different things, you know?”
“Name your price.”
“A million dollars?”
Mallette didn’t even blink. “A million dollars.” He then smiled and looked at Butch and Selby. “The man drives a hard bargain, no?”
Ace looked at the others and smiled too. “Well, you know.”
Mallette then stared down the new guy in the room. “If you can get this done by tomorrow, you will get your million dollars.”
“By tomorrow?”
“That’s right. And to give you some extra incentive to work more quickly, if it’s not done by tomorrow, with each passing day, you’ll lose one hundred thousand of it.”
The smile faded from Ace’s face. “What kind of deal is that? What if it takes me two weeks?”
“Then I guess you would owe me money.”
“Hey, man, I don’t work for free or nothing. Sometimes it takes time to do things. Besides all that, I don’t even know what you want me to do.”
“I want you to hide me in plain sight and make me visible.”
“Say what now? That don’t exactly make much sense.”
“I’m a hard man for certain people to find,” Mallette said. “I want you to make it seem like something about me has slipped out in the online world so these people can swoop in on me.”
“And then you’re gonna lay a trap for them or something?”
Mallette grinned. “Exactly. You’re a smart man.”
“Yeah, I told you.”
“So if you’re able to do that, then you will get your money. If not, then…”
Ace waved his hand at him. “Oh, please. That? Pfft. Piece of cake. Consider it done. There’s nothing to it.”
Mallette walked back over to the desk. “Good. Butch and I have been going over maps here, coming up with the perfect place.”
Ace looked confident. “All you gotta do is tell me the place you want me to put you and kazam… you’re there.”
Mallette tore off a piece of paper from a legal pad and handed it to Ace. “This is it.”
Ace looked at it. “Consider it done.”
“We have a deal, I take it?”
“For a million bucks?” Ace smiled. “Yeah, we have a deal.”
“When can you get started?”
“All I need’s my laptop. I got it in the car. I can get started right away. Just point me to where you want me after that.”
“Pick a corner of the room.” Mallette looked at Selby. “Find a table and bring it up here for our new friend.”
“Some soda and some pizza would be nice too, you know?”
“Whatever you want.” Mallette smiled at him. “Just get the job done.”
“No sweat, man. Like I said, easy as pie.”
“Looks like the beginning of a beautiful partnership.”
Hack was sitting at the kitchen table, doing his usual thing, trying to find someone for Jacobs to go after. He wasn’t having much luck yet. The others kept going in and out of the kitchen, checking on his progress. He’d been there each of the last two days.
“I thought you were supposed to be good, man,” Franks said.
“Hey, I can’t find something if there’s not something there,” Hack replied.
“There’s always gotta be something, man. Gotta be. Always. Something. These guys ain’t no Houdinis. They’re leaving some stuff out there.”
Hack pointed to his laptop. “Well, be my guest if you think you can find it.”
Jacobs walked in and tugged on Franks’ arm. “If there’s something to find, Hack will find it.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Franks tried to clarify himself. “I’m not saying anything against him. We all know how good he is.”
“Didn’t you just say…?”
“I know what I said! Well, that’s not exactly what I meant. Anywho… where was I going? Oh yeah, well, I’m just saying, man. I mean, why are these guys so secretive now?”
“Because they have to be,” Jacobs answered. “Not a lot of things have gone right for them. Ames was almost killed, Mallette’s recently been released and probably building up his army, and Butch thought he had me, but I slipped away. They’re licking their wounds. You can bet they’re trying to come up with something. Whenever they’re the quietest, that’s when you have to worry.”
“They thought they had you,” Thrower said. “And they’re not gonna stop. I’d say from here on out you gotta be extra careful. Because they’re gonna try that again.”
“No doubt.”
“The next time, they’re gonna try something bigger, sneakier, dirtier. And now with all three of them on your bad side, now they can’t resort to trying to lure you in the natural way. They’re gonna try something that on the surface looks good. But we’ll have to dig deep on it. Whatever it is.”
Jacobs nodded. Thrower was right. Whatever Mallette and company tried next would be a doozy. They would have to be on their guard and not fall for anything stupid. Even if something seemed good, they’d have to take it an extra step and investigate further.
Jacobs looked at Tiffany, who was sitting on the couch reading a book. She’d given up her Stephen King books for a while. Real life was scary enough. She turned to reading lighter material. No bad guys involved.
As he looked at her, Jacobs thought of her parents. They’d be getting back from their time in Hawaii in a few days. They would be one more thing he’d have to worry about. Ames had already gone after them a couple times, and Mallette was more than capable, and willing, to go after anyone connected with him. Jacobs wasn’t sure about Butch, but if he was running with Mallette now, he really wouldn’t put it past him.
Once the Vogel’s got back, that meant Jacobs would have to stick Thrower on them to protect them. That was one less person he had to help him. It would just be him and Gunner in the field. While Thrower was great at his main job, protecting, he had also proved to be invaluable, and indispensable, in the field. If Jacobs was going to get rid of the three-headed monster that was now roaming around, he would need Thrower to do it.
Jacobs went over to Tiffany and sat down next to her. He put his hand on her knee and rubbed it.
“How’s the book?”
“Not scary,” Tiffany replied. “That’s all I look for in a book these days.”
Jacobs nodded. “Do you like it?”
“It suits my mood, I guess.” She knew he was starting to get at something. She put her ereader down and turned toward him. “What are you getting at? I know you’re not just interested in my book.”
“Of course I am. I’m always interested in whatever you’re doing. If it interests you, it interests me.”
She smiled at him, then leaned over and kissed him on the lips. “You’re sweet. Now tell me what you want.”
Jacobs laughed. “Really? You really think I have some ulterior motive?”
Tiffany stared at him for a few moments. “Yes. I think I know you well enough by now to know how you are.”
“Hmm. Not sure if that’s a good thing or bad thing.”
She grinned. “Mostly good. Now, just spill it.”
“OK. I was thinking about your parents.”
Tiffany looked confused. “My parents? Why? What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. Not yet.”
“Not yet?”
“I’m just thinking… they’ll be coming back in what, five, six days?”
“Yeah?”
“That means they’re gonna be back in the line of fire again. We’d have to put Nate on them again.”
“And that worries you?”
Jacobs nodded. “It does. For one, it makes them a target. Two, it takes Nate out of the field and splits us up.”
“So what do you suggest? Do you have an alternative?”
“Only thing I can think of right now is to keep them where they are.”
“Hawaii?”
“Yeah. Think you can convince them to stay?”
“For how long?”
Jacobs raised his cheekbone, not sure how she’d respond to what he was about to say. “Would indefinitely be too long?”
“Indefinitely? You want them to stay there forever?”
“Not forever. Just until it’s safe for them to come back. Or at least buy us a few more weeks. You think it’s feasible?”
“I might be able to tell them to stay a couple more weeks, but they don’t have an unlimited amount of money.”
“How are you doing this?”
A huge smile formed on Franks’ face. “That’s a trade secret.”
“Is it illegal money?”
He quickly wiped the smile off his face. “Bite your tongue! We will have no talk of illegal money around this table.”
“We’re not around a table.”
“Whatever. There’ll be no talk of that.”
“It is illegal, isn’t it?”
Franks smiled again. “Well, that’s neither here nor there. All that matters is that it’s there for them for the taking.”
“Can they get in any trouble from this?”
“Hey, it’s not counterfeit. No issues. Trust me.”
Tiffany turned her face slightly and gave him a glare out of the corner of her eye. “Mmm.”
“Believe me, it’s fine,” Jacobs said. “All that matters is their safety. They have nothing else to worry about.”
“OK. I’ll call them and try to get them to stay a few extra weeks.”
“Just tell them that their stay was extended for three more weeks,” Franks said. “Gives them a solid month there.”
“And if they ask for details or how it happened?”
“There were some booking errors and their room was unoccupied for the next three weeks, so their stay was extended. All-inclusive.”
“OK. I’ll try my best.”
“Shouldn’t be too hard. You got three more weeks in Hawaii or three more weeks here? Man, that ain’t no choice at all. They’d have to be nuts not to go for that.”
Tiffany grabbed her phone, then went into the bedroom to call her parents. Thrower came over to the group.
“What do you think?” Thrower asked. “Will they stay?”
“Like Eddie said, you’d have to be nuts not to stay there for a few more weeks.”