Exley smiled stupidly and wondered what the hell was going on.
***
Rebecca Holloway also wanted to know what was going on.
She had spotted the federal agents gathered around her partner and lover, but she didn’t dare risk being caught with the laptop just to appease her curiosity. The sooner she stowed the laptop away in her office the better it was for her and Seth.
Holloway walked swiftly to the bank of elevators. There were two other women already waiting to go up, and the elevator was coming down, but each second seemed like an eternity. She and Seth had taken one final risk the night before and it had paid off, but they would be screwed if she didn’t get upstairs.
The group in the corner of the lobby with Exley was paying her no attention, but whatever was going on, it had Seth smiling like an idiot. It looked to Holloway as if he was being congratulated by the man for something, and the man definitely gave off a cop vibe, a federal cop vibe.
Holloway caught Exley’s eye and mouthed the words, “What’s going on?”
“It’s cool,” Exley mouthed back, and then he smiled at Amanda Zwicky while holding her hand.
Holloway seethed. Seth had sworn to her that he was just using Zwicky, but his smile looked genuine. Rebecca took another look at the agents and saw that they were all smiles as well.
What the hell is going on? Holloway thought.
One of the women standing beside Holloway asked her companion a question.
“What’s all that over there in the corner?”
“I think that cute guard there caught a thief. I also heard him say something about wanting to make a deal.”
The other woman’s face screwed up in confusion.
“A deal? What kind of deal?”
“I don’t know, maybe he wants a promotion before he talks,” the first woman said.
Unbeknownst to Holloway, both of the women were undercover cops. They had just planted seeds of fear in her mind, with the hope that they would sprout and blossom into fields of betrayal.
***
“I’m really getting a reward?” Seth Exley asked FBI Agent Cal Rantino.
“A reward and a medal. That man you apprehended was a dangerous fugitive,” Rantino said, while lying through his teeth.
“The smelly homeless guy that I called the cops on last week? He was on the Most Wanted list of fugitives?”
Zwicky grinned.
“Yes, Seth, and you caught him. You’re a hero, honey.”
“I’ll be damned. What did he do?” Exley asked.
Zwicky’s smile turned cold.
“Basically Seth, the man fucked with the wrong people.”
Sara, who was standing beside Zwicky, gave her a nudge with an elbow. Zwicky got the message and her phony smile reappeared. Luckily, Exley had been looking at the female agent, and hadn’t seen the gleam of hate in Zwicky’s eyes.
Seth tore his eyes away from the female agent, Agent Gunderson, and turned his attention back to Agent Rantino.
“How big a reward do I get?” Exley asked.
Rantino took him firmly by the arm and began leading Exley towards the security office.
“Why don’t we sit and relax while we talk?” Rantino said.
***
At the elevators, Holloway was getting a very bad feeling.
The male federal agent was escorting Seth towards the security office, and then she saw Sara point at her and whisper to the female FBI agent. Something had gone very wrong.
The elevator chimed its arrival and the sound made Holloway jump.
She stepped on the elevator and mashed in the button for the top floor while watching Sara and the agent rush towards her.
“Rebecca Holloway?” Agent Gunderson called out. “Ma’am, I need to speak with you.”
Holloway pushed harder on the button even though the doors were already closing.
Gunderson almost made it, but she was too slow, purposefully slow, and then the elevator began rising.
The undercover cop on Holloway’s right spoke to her as she faked a look of bewilderment.
“What was that all about?”
Holloway didn’t answer her. All she could think about was getting rid of the evidence she was carrying around.
***
Downstairs in the lobby, Agent Gunderson turned and smiled at Sara.
“That was fun.”
“Let’s go to the security office and watch the cameras,” Sara said.
“Hey Blake, did you really shoot Jake Garner?”
Sara sighed. “Yes.”
“Good for you honey.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Garner and I worked on a case together three years ago and we became friendly. I took him to bed and he never called me again.”
“He’s different now.”
“Honey, men like that never change.”
“He’s marrying my sister.”
“No shit?”
“The wedding is right around the corner.”
“Fuck Sara, forget what I said, I have a big mouth.”
“That’s all right, and he really has changed.”
“I’ll say one thing for the man.”
“What’s that?”
“He knows what to do in bed.”
“And out of it as well,” Sara said.
They had reached the security office. After Sara keyed in the code, she entered, and saw Exley. He was handcuffed to a metal bench and looking like his puppy had just died.
Sara smiled at him.
“Your partner sold you out, Exley. In exchange for her freedom. Oh yeah, in case you haven’t figured it out yet, you won’t be getting a reward.”
Amanda Zwicky patted Exley on the head.
“I explained that to Seth in great detail.”
Sara laughed.
“Yes, Amanda, I’m sure you did.”
CHAPTER 15 – The Brotherhood
Choa gave his cousin, Adán, a bro hug, and then Hodges and Adán shook hands.
They were meeting inside one of the vacant homes that Hodges owned. It was just the three of them while Adán’s men played basketball in the backyard.
There was no table, just three chairs, and Hodges sat facing Adán while Choa sat to Hodges right.
Adán was an average-sized man who didn’t look nearly as intimidating as his Cousin Choa, but Hodges knew from Choa that Adán was as ruthless as anyone and that his whole world revolved around his crew, his gang, and the new alliance called The Brotherhood.
Hodges explained what he needed Adán and his crew to do as Adán sat listening without displaying any reaction. However, when Hodges revealed his long-range plan, Adán’s eyes glittered, and a smile lifted the corners of his mouth.
“How did you come up with this idea?” Adán asked.
Hodges gave a little shrug.
“I got pissed. Here I am in this shitty little town halfway between New York City and Boston and both of the families in those cities think they own me. Joe Pullo even seems to be trying to set-up shop here, and if that happens, well, I can read the writing on the wall.”
Adán nodded.
“Pullo is all bluster. His troops were cut in half by the battles he waged last year, and Boston suffered similar losses when they fought off that Canadian mob that tried to take over their turf. Meanwhile, The Brotherhood has been growing.”
Hodges leaned forward in his chair.
“You’re like Choa, right? You were a member of Los Treinta?”
“No, I’m still a member of Los Treinta, but I’m also in The Brotherhood, and so are the H 8’s, the Tomb Boys, the Crew Sliders, the Home Growns, the Bay Street Demons and several other gangs, including what’s left of The Conglomerate’s corporate side.”
Hodges looked incredulous.
“The H 8’s and the Home Growns joined The Brotherhood? They’re working together?”
“You’re damn right,” Adán said.
“But the H 8’s are White supre
macists and the Home Growns are a Black power street gang.”
“Yeah, but they’re both part of The Brotherhood, and hell no they don’t work directly together. But, they will follow orders from The Brotherhood Council and their leaders each have a seat on that council. The Brotherhood Council is all about getting rid of the old school gangs like the Mafia. That’s what unites us.”
Hodges sat back. Things had progressed further than he realized. He was not going to be running anything, but The Brotherhood sounded like they might be the next power brokers, and if you had to be a cog, it was better to be a cog in a wheel that was rolling in the right direction.
“How big is The Brotherhood?” Hodges asked.
“We’re closing in on a thousand members.”
“That many? Hell Adán, that’s a damn army.”
“It is, but we get bigger every day. Now, imagine how many others would join us if we owned the east coast from New York to Boston. Your plan isn’t new, Hodges, but you have opened my eyes into what a strategic spot this town could be, since it’s about halfway between New York and Boston.”
Choa spoke up.
“I thought that was why you guys were in Hartford?”
“It is, but we’re still too small to take over Hartford. We get hassled every time we turn around. In this town, that would be a different story. All these white bread tech types wouldn’t give us any trouble at all. We could own this town.”
Hodges began laughing, and when Adán looked angry, Hodges held up a hand.
“I’m not laughing at you. Hell no, I’m amused by how perfect this all is. You drove through the streets around here. Did you notice all the old abandoned houses? They’re mine, Adán. I own whole freaking neighborhoods that nobody wanted a few years ago. Your boys could move right in.”
Adán spoke to his Cousin Choa.
“These houses any good?”
“Fuck yeah, I live in one. They ain’t like the new townhomes that Silicon City built for their people over on the other side of the park, but they’re ten times better than the shitholes we grew up in.”
Adán stared at Hodges for several seconds as he took his measure.
“You don’t have much of a crew, Hodges, but you do have a base of operations we could use. If we came in here we could move on Pullo next, and we didn’t think we’d be able to do that for a year.”
“How does using Killburry as a base help speed up your timetable?”
“Easy, we let Boston have Hartford back. We’ve been taking over their territory there, but if we gave that back, we could barter for more weapons, maybe even score some cash. With our thousand troops and better weapons, we’d own New York by summer, and after that, Boston falls.”
“There’s one thing you’re not adding to that equation about New York,” Hodges said.
“And what would that be?”
“Tanner, Pullo’s got that hit man Tanner in his corner, and that dude took down Alonso Alvarado.”
Adán laughed.
“Bullshit! That’s just some propaganda that Pullo came up with. The way I hear it, a dude named Dante Cardoso took over Alvarado’s cartel.”
“Yeah, I heard that too, but no matter what, Tanner ain’t no joke.”
“Hodges, mi amigo, he’s one man. What the hell could one man do against an army like The Brotherhood? Tanner will be as easy to whack as this guy you want killed, this—what was his name?”
“Myers, his name is Tom Myers,” Choa said.
“Yeah, Tanner won’t be any harder to kill than this Tom Myers, and I’ll personally put a bullet in Myers’s head if you want.”
Hodges leaned forward again.
“I know you probably can’t make this decision yourself, but I want to make a deal. I’ll give The Brotherhood homes in Killburry, a base of operation, which you yourself said will take a year off your plans for New York. You’ll also have my men, myself, and my boy, Dexter.”
“What do you want in return?” Adán asked.
“I want a seat on the Brother Council.”
“That’s a lot to ask, and what’s to stop us from capping you and just taking over the town anyway?”
“I took out insurance. If I wind up dead, both Boston and New York will be told to expect trouble. Even with a thousand men you’ll need the element of surprise. Also, if Boston thinks you’re coming after them instead of New York, you’ll never get weapons from them.”
Adán grinned.
“You’re smart. That’s good. I find you living in this ghost town and I didn’t expect that.”
“This town wasn’t always this tame. When the chemical plant was here, we had four times as many people. Back then, my father ran it all, whores, numbers, the drugs. He killed guys from New York and Boston to hold on to his territory, but once the plant closed, it all dried up.”
“And you want that power back?”
“A piece of it, hell yeah I do, and I’m willing to throw in with The Brotherhood and practically give them a town. I own over a hundred houses, Adán. They’ll be barracks for your army.”
“I’ll talk to the council, but one more thing, what about the cops here?”
“They can be handled. Chief Ellison will have to go, but I got an inside man who will do anything, and three others on the take.”
“And this Myers, if we kill him, Pullo might get wise too soon. It will have to look like you had nothing to do with it.”
“Exactly, and that’s where you come in, you and your crew.”
Adán’s eyes sparkled.
“A home invasion, that’s our old specialty, but over the last six months we’ve been all about recruitment. Anyway, if we pull a home invasion on Tom Myers, Pullo won’t suspect you, and the cops will just open another file on us.”
“It’s not just Myer’s home, Adán. He lives on a dead-end street with a bunch of vigilantes. We could kill two birds with one stone.”
“I bet they got some nice shit in those houses too,” Choa said. “They all got money.”
“It sounds like a rich haul. How big of a cut do you want Hodges?” Adán asked.
“Nothing, just take care of my man, Choa here.”
“Hell, he could come along too. Choa did a few homes with me back in the day. It would be like old times.”
Choa smiled.
“Yeah, I’m in, and I want a crack at Myer’s wife.”
Hodges raised an eyebrow.
“You want to rape her? She’s hot and all, but I didn’t think you were into that.”
“Hell no, I ain’t no rapist, but the bitch pointed a gun at me. She won’t get the chance to do that shit again, and we don’t need her around as a witness.”
Adán stood, and Hodges and Choa followed suit.
“All right, I’ll ask for a meeting of the council. Once they vote, I’ll let you know what the verdict is, but you got my support.”
Hodges smiled.
“This is the beginning of something huge; I can feel it. Joe Pullo isn’t going to know what hit him.”
CHAPTER 16 – No honor
Rebecca Holloway walked as fast as she could while trying not to break into a run.
There were cameras in the hallway and running would only make her look guilty. She normally wouldn’t put the laptop back in the safe until after Mr. Quale arrived later in the morning and opened it himself. That was no longer an option, since she was certain that the law was on her heels, but once she returned the laptop to the safe, they couldn’t touch her.
Seth Exley had sold her out, she was certain of it, and she was sure that he did it in such a way that made him look totally innocent.
There was a camera pointed directly at the safe. Holloway’s usual mode of operation was to switch one laptop for another while the safe was open, and to do it in such a way that the camera couldn’t detect the switch.
There was no time for that now, and she had to either disable the camera or point it in a different direction. After fumbling with her keys and finally unlockin
g the office door, Holloway was near tears. She was struggling to think of a way to look innocent while taking out the camera.
When her eyes fell on the coat rack in a corner of the room, she rushed to it. It was early spring and no one was wearing a coat anymore. Holloway could claim to be moving it into the back room because it was unneeded.
She held the coat rack up high as she walked back into the small room that housed the safe, and then she “accidently” bumped the camera with the tip of the coat rack. It was a lame ploy, but it was better than being filmed opening the safe.
She looked up to see that the camera was pointing towards the ceiling and immediately went to work on the safe.
Her ruse with the coat rack was useless, because Sara and Zwicky had already installed several hidden cameras, including two inside the safe.
As Holloway swung open the metal door, she heard the elevator chime out in the hallway. She was running out of time.
Using the bottom of her sleeve like a glove, Holloway placed the encrypted laptop in the safe, and removed the matching decoy. She had just shut the safe when she heard Sara, Amanda Zwicky, and Agent Gunderson enter the office.
Holloway greeted the trio with a smile, which was betrayed by the fear in her eyes and the cold sweat gleaming on her face.
“Hello, if you’re here to see Mr. Quale, I’m afraid he’s not in yet.”
“We’re here to see you,” Zwicky said, in a voice that was dripping with venom.
Holloway blinked her eyes innocently.
“What can I do for you?”
Gunderson reached out a hand.
“There’s a laptop inside that huge purse you’re carrying. I want to see it.”
Holloway shrugged, removed the decoy laptop from her purse and handed it over. Earlier that morning, the laptop had been marked on its bottom, and could be identified as coming from the safe. As they hoped she would, Holloway had switched the laptops.
They had her dead to rights, now it was time to make her roll over on her partner, Seth Exley.
Gunderson checked the bottom of the laptop, smiled, and passed it to Zwicky. She then whipped out her credentials, held them up, and proceeded to tell Holloway that she was under arrest for corporate espionage and would likely face more charges.
Holloway protested, but Zwicky just laughed at her.
The TANNER Series - Books 13-15 (Tanner Box Set) Page 21