Cobra: The Vigilante: Volume Two

by Nicholas Bella

  “I picked it up, I’m examining it, yeah,” I said. “I had every intention of taking those monsters out. I could even help you fake your death.”

  “That’s my last ditch plan if you don’t kill everyone at the top,” he said. “Really, Cobra, I’d rather not lose everything I spent my life building.”

  “Well, you should have thought about that before you put your lot in with them.”

  “The odds of someone like you stumbling onto our little ring was practically nil. Ten years ago, enhanced humans like you weren’t even a thing. At least, not on this scale.”

  “Is that how long you’ve been a part of the Killing Game, ten years?”

  He nodded. “And the Killing Game has been in business for twenty-five years.”

  “Jesus Christ,” I gasped.

  “When I joined, I was told that it had started fifteen years prior, so my ten years in the Game makes it twenty-five that these guys have been killing strangers and some not so unknowns. Twenty-five years of covering their tracks and making sure leaks got plugged. It’s not a stretch for me to say that I think you’re in over your head by believing you can take them down. You look relatively young, and the Killing Game is either as old as you are or older.”

  For a minute, I wondered if he could see my face past the blindfold, but then I remembered he had seen what little he could before I had brought him home. I had my mask on, but he saw enough to know that I was young, or at least what he believes was that version of me.

  “Remember, you don’t know what I really look like,” I reminded him, even though I had been myself, just wearing my mask. But he didn’t need to know that.

  “True, but something tells me you aren’t my age, son,” Richard shot back. “As resourceful and witty as you are, you’re missing a certain something-something that only comes with long life experiences and aged intellect.”

  I was taking all of it in, absorbing and processing. The more he revealed, the more I knew I was going to need help. He was right, in the sense that I was relatively young. But I felt I’d experienced enough of life to take anyone or anything on. “You mentioned something about the victims being unknowns and knowns. What do you mean by that?” I wanted to get back on subject, my age wasn’t important.

  He shrugged. “Most are homeless people, poor people from all walks of life. Vets, orphans, whores, easy captures. People willing to meet our procurer at a specific location for money. But every once in a while, someone of significance gets placed in the Game. Perhaps a business rival of one of our members finds himself or herself being betted on. Or police who came too close, politicians who wouldn’t play nice with those in control of the Killing Game, they have all been eliminated.”

  “Have you ever betted in your ten years?”

  He shook his head. “I just love to watch, like I told you.”

  “Why not?”

  He pursed his lips and sighed. “I’m a voyeur, Cobra. I pay people to fuck in front of me while I masturbate. Sometimes, I enjoy having a man stand over me and jerk off without me ever touching him. When it comes to the Killing Game, I don’t need to be the person to pull the trigger. I just like watching the kill take place. Sometimes, I masturbate while it happens, and other times, Takahashi would do the honors.” He paused. “To you, I might be a monster.”

  “You are a monster,” I corrected.

  He smirked. “If I am, then so are you. You boast about how well you can torture someone, and I’ve seen the crime photos of your last two victims. What you did to them. Someone with your skills and obvious lust for blood and violence would be an asset to the Killing Game. I know this line is cliché as fuck, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t say it. We really aren’t that different, you and I.”

  “Maybe we aren’t, but there is one difference that you can’t deny.”

  “And that is?”

  “I don’t mind getting my hands bloody. You obviously do.”

  “And that is what gives you an advantage, I know. That’s where my brain has to give me the advantage.”

  “Who recruited you?”

  “You asked me this once before.”

  “And you didn’t answer then, but I’m hoping now that we’re such close friends, you’ll tell me.”

  “Are we friends, though?” he asked with a slight rise of his voice, his head tilted.

  “As friendly as we’re ever going to get. Take it or leave it.”

  “I’ll leave it. When the meeting with Zia ends with me still alive, I’ll tell you everything else I know if you promise to set me free,” he said.

  “God, you’re frustrating as fuck,” I grumbled, and chained both of his hands back up, put the gag back in his mouth and the headphones on his ears. I walked over to Jordan. “Did you get anything off that conversation with Zia? Was he telling the truth?”

  “Well, my language translating software pretty much confirms what he said. It’s not word for word, no computer can actually replace a human in that task, but it was the gist of it. He did some groveling on his side. Claiming that nothing in his personal life can tie him to them, so they haven’t been compromised,” Jordan said.

  “It does sound like he was being honest, then. Did he tell them that two bodyguards would be joining him?”

  Jordan nodded. “Yep.”

  “Okay, okay… at least we’re on the same track. Were you able to trace the number?”

  He shook his head. “Far too many firewalls up. Like he said, they’ve been at this longer than I’ve been hacking. I would have needed him to be on the call longer in order to break through all their algorithms. They are good.”

  “But you’re better, right?”

  “We’ll see.”

  “Well, that doesn’t fill me with confidence, babe.”

  Jordan chuckled. “I never allow myself to be too arrogant that I make a mistake. You should remember that, as well.”

  After what happened to me with Richard, being found out and tortured, I really didn’t need the reminder. But I knew it was coming from a place of love, not ridicule. I leaned down and kissed his temple. “Always.”

  “So, I’m going to be busy trying to crack through this firewall. What are you going to do until your meeting with the Black Knight?”

  I’m going to go ransack all the properties that asshole owns again. See if I missed anything. He might be hiding something of value. Then, I’m going to stake out Griffen Towers until this dude shows up.

  Jordan shuddered. “You’re leaving him with me for all that time? What if he claims he has to take a shit?”

  “Tell him to hold it. Under no circumstances do you untie him.”

  He held his hands up, surrendering. “You don’t have to tell me twice.”

  “Good.”

  I took my costume with me, grabbed my car keys, and before I left, I transformed into Richard Tate. If I was going to be searching his properties that were in the city, it would be easier if I looked like him.

  “How does it feel to be him?” Jordan asked after I finished the painful transformation.

  “Like… shit,” I panted.

  “I bet. You know, one of these days, you need to transform into a celebrity and take me someplace nice and expensive to eat. See what we can get for free,” Jordan said.

  I chuckled. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. I might just do that. For now, the job comes first.”

  “This is a mission, you get paid for a job.”

  “If I find some loose cash lying about, believe me, we’re getting paid.”

  I bade him goodbye, hopped in my ride, and drove to the area where his high-rise condo was. I walked a few blocks to Tate Towers and apart from some curious looks at my attire, I didn’t have any other issues with security. I guessed Richard didn’t normally do sweats and a t-shirt. I searched every inch of that place, and I did find some money, about three hundred grand. It was in a safe hidden behind a bookshelf so cleverly, I almost missed it. And when you can rip safe doors off their hinges, it w
as easy peasy getting paid. I then went to his other home, this time it was a mansion in a wealthy and secluded suburb. The security guard at the gate let me in without any hassle. I wasn’t driving my own car, which helped. It was one of Richard’s luxury sports cars from his collection at Tate Towers. I might keep this bad boy for compensation. I always wanted an Aston Martin. File away the VIN number, replace the registration, a simple task for Jordan, and replace the license plate, and voila! New owner.

  I tore that place apart too, but didn’t find anything that could help me discover more about the Killing Game. He really wasn’t playing when he said he didn’t mix his business with pleasure. Would I find more at his office? I did find more money, which was a bonus. So, it wasn’t a complete bust. A hundred and twenty-seven grand. I’d give that to Jordan. He more than deserved it. The other bit would go for the house, weapons, and outfits. Every time mine got ruined, I had to buy new ones, and I went through them a lot. Fortunately for me, my designer was as discreet as a Catholic priest. So, I wasn’t worried about getting found out. At least, not by her.

  It was getting late, so I drove to Griffen Towers and got dressed up in my Cobra costume after I transformed back into my old self. I had about another hour and a half before he was expected to show up, so I ate my submarine sandwich I had picked up along the way and waited. Have I mentioned how much I hated stakeouts?

  Chapter Fourteen

  I was standing on the top level of Griffen Towers, waiting in the shadows between two vents. I perked up when I heard the rooftop door open and had the perfect viewpoint. I watched a man, about six feet tall—my height—well, maybe an inch taller. He was dressed in all black with a long, flowing cape. You couldn’t melt and pour a cape on me. That was just too much flash for my taste. But, I had to admit, it worked for this guy. His costume was pretty badass. Black leather, like my own. Boots that were knee length, and a utility belt loaded with weapons. His mask covered his entire face, and I seriously wondered how difficult it was to breath under that thing.

  I stepped out from the shadows and he walked over to me. “Cobra, I presume?” he asked in a voice that was modulated with a mechanical device so it distorted what his real voice sounded like. Well, I didn’t have such a thing, maybe I would look into it.

  “Black Knight?”

  He nodded. “In the flesh. You’re not what I expected.”

  “Oh? And what were you expecting?”

  “I’m not sure. Someone taller, maybe a less flashy costume.”

  I looked down at my outfit, because this motherfucker had some nerve to call my shit flashy when he was out here in these vigilante streets with his extravagant cape flapping in the wind. My vest was open, exposing my decorative shirt with the strategically placed slash openings. They had a purpose. The leather could get pretty hot and I needed ventilation. Plus, it was sexy.

  I looked up at him and shook my head. “No, no, no… the man with the billowy cape doesn’t get to call my costume flashy. Anyway, I’m glad you came out here, but I need to know about these stipulations you spoke about. The ones so secretive, you had to meet face-to-face to reveal them.”

  “I’ve been keeping my eye on you and how you do things. The murders.”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “Yeah, so what?”

  “That’s not how I work.”

  “Well, that’s how I work,” I stated.

  “I thought you’d say that. I won’t work with you if you kill these people. They must face punishment for their crimes in the court of law,” the superhero said.

  See, this was why I didn’t like working with other people. Was I the only vigilante out there with the balls to put criminals down for good? “Some people are rich enough and smart enough to never see the inside of a courtroom.”

  “Everyone has dirt I can bring up on them.”

  “That doesn’t mean it will stick. For example, that guy you did a ‘citizen’s arrest’ on a year ago got off because of his lawyer and a mistake in police procedure. He was released on a technicality,” I pointed out.

  He was silent for a few seconds. I took that opportunity to gloat.

  “Yeah, I’ve done my research on you too.” Well, in truth, Jordan had done the research, I just stood there and listened to the information.

  “And I’ve been keeping my eye on that guy. He’ll slip up again and when he does, he won’t get off on a technicality next time,” he said.

  “Well, my way, he wouldn’t be getting off at all, ever again. Problem solved. Meanwhile, you’re waiting around for him to kill another innocent woman, so you can bag him again. How many women will he kill before you finally catch him in the act a second time?”

  “I’m not saying my way is flawless, but it is morally right. At the end of the day, I have to be able to sleep at night with what I’ve done. I have to be proud of my actions,” he said.

  I shrugged. “I sleep like a baby every night.”

  “Then you’re psychotic, a sociopath like those you’ve killed. I’ve seen your handy work. The tortures and mutilations. It was sick.”

  “It was justice. You can call me whatever you want, I don’t give a fuck. Fact of the matter is, I’ve got the stomach to give these sons of bitches what they gave to their victims. They needed to feel the fear and pain they put their victims through.” I shook my head. “Look, I’m not asking you to kill anyone. You can leave the dirty work to me. I just need your back-up.”

  “You won’t get it if you kill.”

  “Jesus Christ!” I threw my hands up in the air and turned around. I put my hands on my hips and sighed, because this jerk was just as frustrating, if not more, as Richard, if that was even possible.

  “Do you have a cop that you work with? I have someone on the force who I contact when I bag a criminal. That’s my other stipulation,” he said.

  “Oh, this just gets better and better.” I turned around. “You want me to contact a cop and tell that officer of the law I break on a daily basis everything I know about this murder ring? What the fuck do you think he could even do about it?”

  “He? Do you know a cop?”

  Well, I did, but not like that.

  “Answer my question. What is a local cop going to do about a highly-organized criminal ring with members who are untouchable? If I thought it was that easy, I would have delivered a file with everything I had on these assholes on the precinct doorstep. This is completely out of their jurisdiction.”

  “That’s because you took it out of their hands. The people you killed were local.”

  “And powerfully rich and highly connected. Not to mention, they covered their tracks well enough that the cops wouldn’t have anything on them.”

  “You did.”

  “Because I broke the law to get it. Are you seeing the pattern here?” I asked, a deep frown on my face, because this dude was annoying the shit out of me. “What I found on these people wouldn’t have held up in court. It was illegally obtained and coded. They could have denied it was even them and because of who they were, they would have gotten away with it.”

  “And yet, you felt what you had on them was enough to tie them to their crimes,” he stated.

  “I followed a money trail that was illegally obtained. I don’t think you’re really getting this. I did the ground work that would have needed a lot of red tape cut for a cop. I broke into homes, tortured to get the truth, which is off-limits to a cop. I dug deep into the dark web to get what I needed, where most court orders don’t dare to go.”

  He sighed. “My stipulations still stand.”

  I walked over to him, hoping to reason with him. “Listen to me, and really hear me out. These people are from all over the world. I have to fly to Russia to meet with the next big player in this ring and I need your help. I don’t know what’s going to happen when we get out there. They might try to take us out. Do you expect me to not defend myself if shit goes south?”

  “Can you defend yourself without killing? What are your abilities? That is, if
you have any.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What are yours?”

  “I can read a person’s mind and make myself invisible. I’m a third-degree black belt in mixed martial arts and jujitsu. Are you impressed yet?”

  Well, shit… that was some useful as fuck skills right there. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t. Hey, are you reading my mind now?”

  He shook his head. “I have to make physical contact with my target.”

  “I see.”

  “So, I showed you mine, show me yours.”

  “Me, I can transform into anyone I want to. My skin is impenetrable, and I heal very quickly when injured. I also have super strength, powerful enough to rip doors off safes.”

  He whistled. “That’s quite the arsenal. Hey, if your skin is impenetrable, why do you need to heal?”

  “I can’t be punctured; doesn’t mean I don’t feel pain or bruise. My bones are extremely strong; however, they can still break. I appreciate that I heal instantly,” I explained.

  He nodded. “So, between the two of us, I’m sure we can get through this without killing.”

  “I’m making no promises. But, I’m asking you to meet me half-way. I will try… try to refrain from killing, doing so only in the most extreme case. And you forget about adding the cop in the picture.” I hoped he’d take the bargain.

  “How about I accept you killing only in the most extreme instances, if you bring a cop into the picture.”

  Ahhh, fuck a duck! “Really? That’s your counter-offer?”

  “Take it or leave it. This marks the end of our negotiations. If that’s not good enough for you, then you are on your own. But I will be notifying my cop friend of what your partner sent to me. There may be nothing he can do, as you’ve stated. But we won’t know unless we try. Don’t worry, I’ll keep your name out of it.”

  He had given me a lot to think about, and a very short time to mull it over. It was either yes or no on this rooftop. The only cop I trusted was Alexi, but he really didn’t know who I was. Did I bring him into this, expose myself to him? Should I risk the relationship we had to save countless innocents? Could I expose Jordan? Fuck, fuck, fuck… I hated this ultimatum shit, but it was better than trying to go at this alone. I’d put Jordan in danger if I tried to take him with me to Russia and shit kicked off. Well, it was good news for Richard… or maybe not. I still wanted to kill that asshole, but I was guessing I’d have to convince Mr. Morals over there that his death would be just.