by Mike Ryan
“Are you in pain?” Tiffany asked.
“Uh, it’s not too bad.”
Franks laughed again. “That’s like saying, is it worse getting hit with a hammer or getting run over by a tractor? I mean, pick your poison, right?”
Tiffany then glanced at Thrower, who wasn’t marked up like her boyfriend was. She took turns looking at the two men. “What are you two hiding? Something’s going on here. Only one of you looks beaten up, and neither of you are talking. Someone please tell me what’s going on.”
Jacobs walked over to the couch, Tiffany holding his arm, and sat down. She sat next to him. Gunner hopped on the couch next to them, too.
“I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say that you didn’t just meet Mr. Andrew Berry, did you?” Franks asked.
“Well, we met him,” Jacobs said.
“And then some,” Thrower replied.
“Brett, please just tell me what happened,” Tiffany said.
Jacobs sighed, but he knew they had to come clean about what happened. “We got into his place, but we never got to talk to him. They must’ve figured we were coming or something, cause they were there waiting for us.”
“How could that be?” Franks asked. “Nobody but us knew you were going there.”
“The way I was inferring, I think they’d been waiting there for a few days, assuming I’d show up at some point.”
“Mallette did make a point about you visiting all his other lawyers,” Thrower said.
Franks rubbed his chin as he thought about it. “Yeah, I guess we have made that a habit, haven’t we?”
“Just a little,” Jacobs said.
“Maybe we should retire that number and think of something else.”
“I think we’ll have to.”
Jacobs then relayed the rest of the story, without interruption, not stopping until the part where he and Thrower reached their car. He was uncomfortable talking about most of it, especially the part where Mallette had them tied up in a room, a gun to their heads. He knew how close he’d come to death. At one point in his life, it wouldn’t have bothered him so much. But now, with Tiffany, he didn’t want it to be his time yet.
“Wow, that’s a crazy deal, man,” Franks said. “So you mean to tell me that the only reason you’re here right now is because of one of Ames’ men? Wow. That’s a crazy thought.”
“So you said,” Jacobs replied.
Tiffany immediately leaned over and hugged Jacobs tight. She knew how close she came to losing him.
“Can we please just go somewhere?” Tiffany asked. “Leave all this behind?”
Jacobs put his hand on her back. “You know we can’t. Mallette will try to find me wherever I go.”
“How can you be sure? Maybe if he knows you’ve left, he’ll just forget about you and move on.”
“If there’s one thing I can be sure of, it’s that he’s not forgetting about me. Ever.”
“I hate to agree with him, but I think he’s right on this one,” Franks said. “Neither of you will ever be safe until Mallette’s out of the picture permanently.”
It looked like Tiffany was about to cry. “I just want to be done with him.”
Jacobs pulled her closer to him. “We will be. Soon.”
“It’s just never going to end.”
“It is. I promise.”
“You also promised you’d always take Gunner with you.”
Jacobs hesitated, remembering telling her that. “Uh, yeah, but… this was more of a challenge to get him in.”
“Brett, you promised.”
“Well, Nate was there.”
Tiffany glanced at Thrower and while he was obviously capable, more than capable, there was just something comforting about having Gunner by Jacobs’ side. She had this belief that no matter what, however bad the situation was, Gunner would find a way to get his owner out of trouble. Maybe it was wishful—or foolish—thinking, but it was what she believed.
Tiffany looked back at Jacobs. “No matter what, please bring Gunner.”
It wasn’t a battle worth fighting in Jacobs’ mind. “OK. I will. No matter what. He’ll be there.”
Tiffany softly touched his face again, and he winced. Though Jacobs didn’t appear to be in much pain, it still looked like it hurt. “I’m gonna get some stuff to clean you up.”
“Oh, I dunno,” Franks said. “I think he’s looking better like that.” He laughed. He looked around at everyone who was looking back at him, though no one else was laughing. “Oh, c’mon, none of you are really gonna laugh at that? Come on, that was funny.”
Tiffany went to the bathroom to get what she needed. While she was gone, the others kept talking about the night’s events.
“Believe it or not, regardless of how hairy everything was, the night wasn’t a loss,” Thrower said.
“How say you goes it, man?” Franks asked.
“What? That wasn’t even English.”
“I mean, whatcha talking about?”
“Fact of the matter is that the end result is Mallette lost a few more guys. And he didn’t have a lot to begin with. We took out what, four or five more?”
“Well, we didn’t exactly take them all out,” Jacobs replied.
“Still, they’re guys Mallette no longer has at his disposal.”
“True.”
“I still can’t get over that one of Ames’ men helped you out there,” Franks said. “That’s just crazy to me.”
Jacobs shrugged. “I guess when Ames was killed, his loyalty went with him. He didn’t like Mallette or how he handled things, didn’t want to be tied with him, and took the first opportunity he saw to bolt. And helping us meant helping himself. That’s really the bottom line.”
“Too bad we couldn’t bring him into the fold too.”
“He was more interested in just being anywhere else.”
“And I’m not sure I would trust him anyway,” Thrower said.
“Why not?” Franks asked.
“When it all comes down to it, he was still one of Ames’ men. And he turned on Mallette. Who’s to say he wouldn’t eventually do it to us too?”
Jacobs nodded. “If Mallette came to him with a big enough payday, he’s already shown he’s willing to change allegiances.”
“They were different circumstances, man,” Franks said.
“Still… doesn’t really matter, anyway. He’s not here. And he’s not coming back. No need to debate it.”
Tiffany came back in with everything she needed to start cleaning up Jacobs’ wounds.
“This might hurt a little,” she said.
Jacobs winced. “I think I can take it.”
As Tiffany took care of her boyfriend, Thrower and Franks went over to the window and looked out.
“So who’s in worse shape right now?” Franks asked. “Them or us?”
Thrower looked back at Jacobs, then turned his attention back to the window. “Oh, it’s definitely them. This was just a small setback for us. For Mallette, he’s got a skeleton crew right now. And if we can find him again in the next few days and take the fight to him, before he’s able to build his crew back up again… I’m not sure he could survive it.”
“So he’s on borrowed time, then?”
Thrower nodded. “He’s on borrowed time.”
13
Mallette was in his upscale apartment, one which he kept hidden from everyone except for Selby. He was still fuming about everything that had happened at Berry’s house.
“He was right in front of me. He was right there. I had a gun in my hands. Jacobs was a few inches away from me. And yet… he’s still not dead.”
“Just tough luck, boss.”
“I should’ve just ended it right away. Not bothered talking or explaining anything. I should’ve just pulled the trigger the moment I saw his face. Then he’d be dead right now, and I could get on with putting my organization back together.”
“Speaking of that, boss, we’re in a tough spot right now. We’re being he
ld together by duct tape, you know?”
Mallette sighed, then walked over to his sixth-floor window and looked out at the city below. “How many do we have left?”
“Well, with the guys we lost, and Ames’ boys that we took out… we’re down to nine, not including me and you.”
Mallette closed his eyes and shook his head. “Nine. In my heyday, I had close to a hundred. Now I’ve got a skeleton crew.”
“We can make it work.”
Mallette pounded his fist on the table that was next to him. “We’ve got to make it work! And now! We can’t afford any more casualties. We can’t have any more missteps.”
“We didn’t really have a misstep this time. We had him. Just like you predicted, he showed up at Berry’s place. We were there, ready for him.”
“But we didn’t close the deal. That’s all that matters. Closing the deal.”
“If it wasn’t for Joe, we’d have had him. We couldn’t foresee that crumb turning on us.”
“Maybe we should have,” Mallette said, continuing to look out the window. “If I hadn’t been so desperate to build our group back up, I probably wouldn’t have even wanted that bunch to join us. I would’ve left them lying there with their boss. But things being what they are… we need more strength. We’re hanging by a thread.”
“I can go out and hit the pavement, go on a major recruiting spree.”
“I’m not sure we have time for that.”
“Boss, I know you may not wanna hear this, but… why don’t we take a few steps back for a while? Just lie low for five or six months, build things back up, get another fifty or sixty men in the fold, then go after him again.”
“The problem is, this city’s ripe for the taking. If we go underground for six months, someone else is going to come in here and try to take it for themselves. Just like Butch and Ames did. Then in six months we’ll have another war on our hands with that group. Then we could find ourselves in the same exact position that we are in now. Depleted, having to fight Jacobs with a handful of guys.”
“What other choice do we have?” Selby asked.
Mallette turned and looked at his underling for a moment, thinking about the question. He then went over to his desk and sat down, still looking out the window. Looking out to the city always seemed to bring a sense of calm and clarity to him.
“We may still have an option or two,” Mallette said.
“What about getting New York involved again?”
“That’s not one of them. My ties to New York are shot. They’re not interested in helping me any longer, and I’m not interested in taking their help.”
“What else is there?”
“We lured him in once by putting breadcrumbs out there on the internet. We could do it again.”
“I’m not sure he’d fall for that again, boss.”
“And then there’s the elephant in the room,” Mallette said.
“What elephant’s that, boss?”
“The girl. Tiffany. She means everything to him now. Everything always comes full circle. Where she works isn’t a secret. She’s still going there. It’s the one constant that we know. She’ll be there. Jacobs will be there. Maybe it’s time we stop the cat-and-mouse game.”
“And do what instead?”
“Overpower him. We still have nine men. He’s got two.”
“And the dog,” Selby was quick to point out. “He ain’t no slouch.”
“No, he’s not.” Mallette rubbed his chin as he contemplated. “It’s all about the girl at this point. She’s our last and final play. We have to make it count. Succeed, we bring Jacobs to his knees and he’s nothing but a distant memory. Fail… and we are.”
Berry walked into his new office, the one that Mallette had paid for. He’d only been in there for a week. He was slowly trying to build up his client list, which was going better than he expected. Of course, when you become known for being the one that gets the infamous Rich Mallette out of prison, it certainly helps to build your reputation.
“Mr. Berry, your appointment is already in your office waiting for you,” his secretary said.
Berry walked briskly to his office, coffee in one hand, briefcase in the other. When he got to the door, he set his briefcase on the floor to free one of his hands to open it. Once inside, he closed the door, hardly paying any attention to his would-be clients. His head was down as he walked to his desk.
“So what can I help you…” He finally looked up just as he got to his desk. He saw a familiar face sitting in the chair in front of his desk. It was Brett Jacobs. Berry then noticed another figure, out of the corner of his eye, standing by the door. It was Thrower. Berry froze, unsure of what he should do. Screaming or yelling for help didn’t seem like it would do much good considering they’d probably kill him before help ever got there.
Jacobs smiled at him. “You remember us?”
Berry briefly glanced at the both of them. “Uh, yes, vaguely.”
“We’re the guys who almost got killed at your house the other day.”
Berry pointed at both of them. “You’re the guys who broke into my house the other day. You might want to consider yourselves lucky that I didn’t have you arrested.”
“Well, you could do that. Of course, then we could say how your boss had a gun in his hands, and that would basically send him back to prison for life. But you already know that, which is why you didn’t say anything yet, anyway.”
“What do you want?”
“I’d like to make a deal,” Jacobs said, putting his hand out toward Berry’s chair. “Why don’t you sit down so we can talk about it?”
Berry sat reluctantly. “How did you guys get in here, anyway?”
“Oh, it was really easy. We just called and asked for the first available appointment. And here we are. Your secretary is very nice, by the way. Very friendly.”
“Consider giving her a raise,” Thrower said.
“Well, that would depend on him actually being in business for a few more weeks, which I think is very debatable right now,” Jacobs said.
“What do you mean?” Berry asked. “Why wouldn’t I still be in business?”
“Well, I think it’s very likely you’ll be dead.”
Berry looked stunned. “What? Are you threatening me?”
“Me? No. But do you really think you have a future when you’re aligning yourself with the likes of Rich Mallette?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Do you really think Mallette wouldn’t try using you to get to me? He’s already proven he’s willing to put you in harm’s way. That business at your home, he used you as bait.”
“What are you getting at?”
“You don’t need him anymore. You got him out. Now you’ve got a rising reputation. You don’t need to let him manipulate you now.”
“He is not manipulating me,” Berry said sternly. “We have a very good business relationship.”
“Take it from me. I know him better than anyone at this point. The only thing he cares about is getting his organization back on top and eliminating me. And he’ll do anything and sacrifice anyone, including you, in order to accomplish that.”
“That’s a very good story. But I think I know what I’m doing.”
“You think you know. But you have no idea, do you? You really don’t know this guy at all, do you? You really don’t know what he’s capable of.”
“I’m quite aware of what he’s capable of.”
“The guy doesn’t care, Brett,” Thrower said. “He’s making his bed. Let him lie in it.”
Jacobs shrugged. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Some people just can’t be helped. Isn’t that how the saying goes?”
“Something like that.”
“I don’t need help,” Berry said. “And certainly not from the likes of you.”
Jacobs laughed. “The likes of me. Like I’m the bad guy here.”
“What is this all about, really? Why are you here?”
“Because I thought that maybe we could both help each other.”
“How?”
“You could help me get Mallette, and I could help you live past this, which right now, is less than a fifty-fifty bet, I think.”
Berry chuckled. “You’re serious? You’re really serious? You come here, sneak into my office, and have the audacity, the gall, to actually think that I might set up my own client for you?”
“I thought I might give you a chance at living, which you don’t have much of one at the moment.”
“Just out of curiosity, what makes you think my life is in danger?”
“Do you know what happened to Mallette’s former lawyers?” Jacobs asked. “They’re either dead or in jail.”
“That does not have anything to do with me.”
“You’re gonna go down the same path that they did. Believe me, I’ve been here since the beginning. I know how this works, I know how he works. You just got here yesterday.”
“Your concern for my well-being is heartwarming, it really is, but I think I’ll be just fine. I’m the one who got Mallette out of prison. None of those other guys did. I did.”
“And for that you think he’s going to show you his undying gratitude for the rest of his life?”
Berry shrugged, a smug look on his face like he believed it would. “Maybe.”
“You’re sadly mistaken if you do. Like I said, he’ll throw you to the wolves if he thinks it’ll benefit him.”
“Well, we’ll just have to agree to disagree, then, won’t we?”
Jacobs shook his head, then looked at Thrower. “They all make the same mistake, don’t they? They all think they’re special. They’re different. What happened to the others won’t happen to them.”
“I have another saying for you,” Thrower said. “You can’t fix stupid. If he wants to go down with the ship, let him sink.”
“Really, I’m deeply touched by your concern for me,” Berry said. “But I think we’re done here. I have other clients coming, and I can’t spend all day here with the likes of you.”
“Looks like we’re getting shooed out.”
“Seems like it,” Jacobs said. “Guess that’s all we got for you.”
He stood up, moved closer to the desk, and put his hands on the edge of it, though the tips of his fingers were underneath the desk. He kept talking, keeping Berry distracted, while he put a listening device underneath the desk. It was small, something that Hack designed, and it wasn’t any bigger than an SD card. It had an adhesive on it to stick to the wood of the desk.