The door closed and the Man-beast went back to Tommy. “Now, where were we?” He asked and was promptly answered as Tommy brought the fire extinguisher down hard against his head with a loud bone crunching smack. He then followed up with a shot that snapped the Man-beast’s head back like a Pez dispenser and he stumbled out into the lobby dazed as the door opened.
Tommy was exhausted but saw his enemy was on the ropes and charged at his attacker then taking to the air he planted both feet hard in his chest sending him crashing through lobby’s plate glass window. The sound of crunching glass under his boots could be heard as Tommy walked over and stood defiantly over his foe.
“Not so tough now are you, asshole?” He asked sucking wind. Then he felt a tap on the shoulder. He spun around and was hit with a powerful blow that sent him slamming to the ground chin-first. Tommy’s vision swam as he looked up and was startled by the alarming presence of the person who sucker-punched him. Dressed in a dark hooded leather outfit reminiscent of Clive Barker’s Hell raiser, was a lanky figure whose face was hidden beneath a white porcelain mask. “What the hell’s your problem Doll face?” Tommy asked as he clambered to his feet more dazed from his attacker’s blow than he thought. He wondered who this weirdo was, then looked over his shoulder and his eyes widened. Parked outside was the same black Mercedes Benz that had almost succeeded in running him down earlier that evening. “Son of a bitch!” he said no longer concerned with Doll face’s identity. He swung then yelled out in pain shaking his aching hand after punching what felt like solid granite. A pair of eyes cold, dark and calculating with no emotion behind them stared at him through the mask’s eyeholes and Tommy was sent flying like a rag doll with a backhanded smack.
Tommy realized he was up against something far more complicated than he could handle and got up and went for his Glocks but before he could get a shot off they were knocked from his hands and he was lifted into the air kicking and wiggling in the Man-beast’s viselike grip.
Doll face watched Tommy struggling for air then realized what his cohort was attempting.
“Just what do you think you’re doing?” Doll face demanded.
“Fuck’s it look like? I’m breaking this sorry bastard’s neck!” The Man-beast replied struggling to keep Havoc at bay.
“Don’t you dare! I’ve worked far too hard to let him get off so easily. He must suffer…The way I have! The way we all have! Besides, when the time’s right, I want to be the one to kill him! Now release him,” the masked figure ordered.
The Man-beast played deaf and tightened his grip around Tommy’s throat that is until he felt the cold piece of steel pressed against his right temple.
“Don’t,” Doll face warned.
The Man-beast grunted like a hibernating bear then as much as it pained him only squeezed tight enough to put Tommy to sleep then dropped him to the floor and stormed out. Doll face kneeled beside Tommy and stared at his limp body. “I swear before this is over you’ll be wishing I would’ve let Nature snap your sorry neck!” Afterwards Doll face and the Man-beast exited the lobby.
Chapter 29
‘Hey! Where’s the Beef?’
As soon as Tommy’s eyes opened he felt pain all over his body. Although his vision was blurry he could make out the Wendy’s commercial playing on the television across the room. He was lying down on someone’s couch. But whose? He shut his eyes and tried to recall what happened to him. The last thing he remembered was leaving Donnie’s crib and heading home then suddenly he was attacked by an old enemy. They fought, he was getting the best of him and that’s when the lunatic wearing the freaky doll facemask and weird clothes jumped him from behind. It was also around that time he recognized the identical black Mercedes Benz that tried to run him down parked out front. He put two and two together and came up with drama!
He hit Doll face in the chest and it was hard like a rock. Whoever was beneath that mask wasn’t human! It hurt to swallow and he remembered hands, big hands come up from behind. Choking him, killing him-and everything went black! Tommy opened his eyes and a pair of big hands came at him! To finish him! He freaked. Not again! No way was he going out like that! He grabbed a hand and twisted it with every intention of tearing the arm out of the monster’s socket!
“Ow! Donnie get yo man offa’ me! This crazy fool’s gonna break my arm!” Onetta screamed dropping the cold compress she was using to keep the swelling on Tommy’s face down.
“Tommy! What’s wrong with you? Stop it!” Donnie shouted pulling Tommy back as he had Onetta down on one knee with her arm twisted behind her back. Left no choice she slapped Tommy hard across the face and he snapped out of the trance. When realized what he was doing he immediately calmed down.
“Oh geeez! Onetta I am so sorry. I thought you-were somebody else.” Tommy apologized.
Donnie went back to Tommy. “How are you feeling baby?” she asked with intense sincerity, lightly touching his face.
Tommy shook his head grimacing a painful response and lay back down feeling safe in familiar surroundings. “Not sure.”
“Here. Onetta brought you some painkillers.” Donnie said handing him some pills and a glass water.
“It’s the good stuff from the hospital. Not over the counter.” Onetta said.
Tommy nodded ‘thanks’ and washed down the jock style doses of pain medication with some water. He looked up at Donnie, her eyes were red and her cheeks were stained with tears. He rubbed her hand to assure her he was all right. “How did I wind up here?”
“My neighbor Misses Goldsmith called me and said that she saw two men fighting in the elevator. I immediately thought of you and ran out. Onetta saw me in the hall and rode down with me.” Donnie explained. Tommy nodded recalling the old woman in fuzzy slippers holding the cat.
“That’s when we found you in the lobby all jacked up.” Onetta said then twisted to Donnie with a huge plastic cup. “Hey gurl you got any more red Kool-Aid? My throat’s a bit parched after carrying yo man up here.”
“No sorry. But-Onetta, thanks for your help. I can take it from here, okay?” Donnie said giving her the hint it was time to exit stage right.
“Um okay but if you need me for anything remember I am right across the hall.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” Donnie said practically pushing her out the door.
“So did big Mama really carry me up here by herself?” Tommy asked.
“Over her shoulder, caveman style.” Donnie nodded. Tommy shook his head at the image then began patting himself down. When he didn’t find what he was looking for he jumped up and started looking everywhere at once. “They’re in the drawer.” she said.
Tommy reached over and opened the drawer to the small end table and took out his Glocks.
“I grabbed them before Onetta noticed.”
Tommy nodded ‘thanks’ then got up and went over to the hanging mirror in a daze. He did not recognize the man staring back at him and reached out a hand towards his reflection and sighed as their fingers met. His neck had purple bruises and one side of his face was red and swollen. He poked his tongue around and flinched tasting his blood then went back over to the couch and plopped down with a defeated look.
“You want to tell me what happened?” Donnie asked as she began massaging his shoulders.
“I stepped off the elevator and an old buddy of mines is in your lobby waiting on me.”
“A buddy did this to you?”
“Figure of speech. Anyway, we danced a few rounds and I get the drop on him. That’s when this other jerk-off wearing a freaky mask sucker punches me from behind.”
“Hold up. You mean you fought two men? Downstairs in my lobby? After you left-here?” she asked in disbelief.
“Please. I’ve dealt with as many as six heads at once.” Tommy said like it was nothing. “But are you ready for the shocker?” Donnie nodded like she was unsure she wanted to hear any more. “This guy, with the mask wasn’t like anybody I’ve ever faced
before. It was like-I dunno, like fighting a brick wall or punching the ground. I don’t care how much iron you pump or steroids you take, muscles just don’t get that hard!”
Donnie glanced at Tommy oddly. “I’m not saying I doubt you, but baby do you know what you’re saying?”
Tommy nodded slowly staring at the floor. “That I’m basically up shit’s creek without a paddle.” Feeling the need to comfort him, Donnie wrapped her arms around her man and rocked him slowly. He suddenly sprang forward. “Oh no!”
“What-what is it?”
“They know you’re my girl. And where you live. It’s not safe for you here. Is there somewhere you could go? Pumpkin’s? A relative’s?”
Donnie screwed up her face. “You think I’d leave your side baby? You know me better than that.”
“Sweetheart I’m really touched that you got my back and all but we’re talking about some major life and death shit here!”
“You just said that whoever is after you knows where I live. So wherever I went who’s to say that I might not be followed? I’d never bring that kind of drama to friends and families.”
“Like I’ve done to you,” Tommy said angry with himself. “Fuck!”
“I didn’t mean it like that. Look I knew what I was getting involved in by dating you. But when it comes down to it I wouldn’t leave you because like I told you before, your beef, is our beef.”
“Sorry, but you must be this big to ride this problem.” Havoc said holding up his hand to demonstrate the height of the situation.
Donnie folded her arms across her chest like she wasn’t trying to hear it. “Tommy look at me!” she demanded. Tommy looked wearily into his woman’s eyes. She had the face of an Angel and the heart of a warrior. “Do you love me?”
“Of course I do baby but-”
“No ifs ands or buts. Do-you-love-me?”
“You know I do.” Tommy said and planted a kiss on her lips.
“And if the situation was reversed and someone was trying to harm me, would you be there for me?”
“In a heartbeat!”
“Then there’s nothing left to discuss. So what’s the plan?”
Tommy sighed, “First my place. I need to check on a hunch. I might have an idea who’s behind all of this. Then pick up my sister and go somewhere safe.”
Donnie tossed on a jacket. “Then let’s go!”
Tommy exhaled. He really had no choice since he could not leave her there by herself and she refused to go to a friend’s house. He stuffed his guns in their holsters, looked up at the ceiling for strength and shook his head then followed Donnie out thinking perhaps there was something to the square life. At least it was safer!
Chapter 30
Mayhem was excited to see her master and Donnie walk through the front door. Tommy gave her a pat on the head then proceeded over to where two double-decker aluminum file cabinets stood. He unlocked the drawers and inside were files on every trouble consulting job he had ever taken since day one. Each file was color coded and arranged in perfect military order.
“I keep records on all my clients with their pictures and those I consult attached in case I ever have to revisit them or the case, I’m prepared.”
Donnie looked over his shoulder and frowned. “Written files? Babe, this is the 80s. You really need to invest in a Commodore 64 home computer and store all of that information on a floppy disk.”
As he flipped through the files he paused to look over the countless pictures of men and women who hired him as well as the intimidating-looking thugs he was hired to consult. He glanced up and noticed that both his phone’s answering machines were blinking and sped past the greeting on his personal line first.
BEEP! ‘Hi, this is your momma. Your father and I arrived here in New Orleans and checked into our room, at the hotel. I was hoping you were home so you could talk some sense into your father. During the entire flight he insisted he saw some young men back in New York following us through the airport.’
‘I’m not crazy Carla. I know what I saw. Them boys was following us! Right up till we boarded. Then they disappeared.”
‘You hear your paranoid father? Anyway, we’re about to go have dinner. You two have fun. I love you.’
BEEP! ‘Hello, this message is for Tommy Strong. Mister Strong this is Andrew Carmichael, the detox counselor over at Brooklyn Hospital. I am calling about your cousin Alonzo. We allowed him to leave on Friday January eighth for a relative’s party with the understanding that he would return the following morning but we have not heard from him since. If you know where he is please inform him that this kind of behavior will not be tolerated and if he does not contact me soon he will lose his bed to someone who wants to be helped, thank you.’
Tommy sucked his teeth and shrugged.
BEEP! ‘Tommy this is Nicky! What in the hell were you thinking dropping Tee-Tee over here without checking with me? What could have been so important? At first I thought you abandoned Tee-Tee for a job but I quickly nixed that theory since you are quitting for your new girl-friend!’ Donnie snapped her head at the answering machine. ‘Look you call me as soon as you get this message!’
“I-think I’ll wait until she’s calmed down.” Tommy said.
“Good idea.” Donnie agreed.
BEEP! ‘My goodness you guys are still out? You must be having fun. This is your mom again. Well your father finally calmed down and we are about to have dinner then take a tour through the French Quarter. You have the number. We are going to go out and get some Cajun food. Your dad is trying to get me to eat alligator and crawfish. Maybe I’ll try the crawfish because they look like tiny lobsters, but I don’t know about the alligator-Oh hold on, your father wants to say something.’
‘Hey son, hey baby girl and if you’re there hey to you too Donnie.’ Donnie glanced up from the kitchen table blushing. ‘Son I see you are still not home and I just wanted to remind you about what we discussed. Your mother and I are about to go and we’ll talk to you-huh, what’s that?…Okay. Tommy your mother says not to have your sister out too late. Okay son, call us when you get in. Talk to you later.”
“What did your father want to remind you about?” Donnie asked.
“Not to take on any consulting gigs while Tee-Tee is visiting.” Tommy answered. He stopped flipping and pulled out two files, opened one and studied it with great interest.
“What?” Donnie asked.
“Remember the story I told you about the guy I was chasing who fell through a skylight?”
“The one who proposed to his girlfriend then got busted by his mistress and started harassing her when she left him?”
Tommy nodded. “After meeting Doll Face that job came back to me. Read this and you’ll see the connection between the two.”
Donnie took the file. Stapled to it were three pictures, one of an attractive blonde woman labeled ‘Lisa Greenstein’ leaning against a chain link fence in jeans and a midriff top smiling. The second picture was of a tall handsome Caucasian man with stoic features labeled ‘Nathan Owens’ and the third was of Lisa and a chubby smiling black man in a romantic embrace labeled, ‘Tide Carter’ all three looked no older than thirty. Donnie brushed over Lisa’s information skimming past the info about her living in Clinton Hills and being an art curator for a gallery in Soho and found the date she first contacted Tommy. “December third, nineteen eighty- five.” She looked at him for a link between this and a guy who celebrates Halloween in January.
“Keep reading and peep the date.” Tommy instructed.
“Tide Carter is no longer a threat to clients Lisa Greenstein and her fiancé, Nathan Owens. Assignment carried out on…January tenth, nineteen eighty-six.” She looked up at Tommy wide-eyed. “Today’s the tenth!”
“Precisely. I’m thinking that Tide’s looking for a little payback on the anniversary of his accident with me.” Tommy said and picked up the phone.
“Who are you calling?”
“Lisa Greenstein. I know it’s a long shot but I’m hoping she’ll be able to provide me with some answers.”
“Such as?”
“Well for starters back when I paid her a visit at her gallery she had all these fancy masks hanging on the walls. I’m thinking Tide might have a scar or three from the fall and she might be missing a mask or two.” Tommy said. Donnie looked at the picture of Tide and Lisa skeptically. “What?”
“I don’t know. I mean looking at this tubby unassuming guy, I find it hard to believe he could take you on even if he made a complete transformation. It’s also highly unlikely that she kept tabs on him after all this time.”
“That’s why it’s called a long shot-” Tommy hung up. “I hit a brick wall. The number’s disconnected. But I got another idea.”
“Now who are you calling?” Donnie asked.
“That night everything went down I called an ambulance and I distinctly remember that it came from Brookdale Hospital. I have a connect there who works in the records department. Maybe he can give me some info on this guy…Hello…Yeah hi-lemme’ speak to Drake Baltimore in records please…. Drake what’s crack-a-lacking?… That’s right, the one and only…Taking it one day at a time…Mayhem’s fine, yeah listen I need a favor. I need any info you can give me on a guy that was admitted there on January tenth, a couple years back named Tide Carter…Yeah that’s right Tide, like the laundry detergent…What?…He dropped through a skylight and got diced up pretty bad…It’s not important how. The less you know the better off you are. So can you help me?” Tommy asked then smiled. “…My man fifty-grand. I knew I could count on you…Ok, I’ll be here waiting…Yeah, the number’s the same. Aight, peace.” After Tommy hung up he turned to Donnie. “Drake’s gonna check it out and get right back at me.” he said then stared off into space blankly.
“Hey-are you Okay?”
Tommy exhaled and shook his head. “Too much is coming at me at once. I need a drink, you want one?”
Havoc and Mayhem Page 39