by Matt Rogers
‘Keeping busy. The position you put me in took off very quickly. Soon Rico had me outfitting all his men. He fortified the shipyard, too. Most of his supply comes in through there so he wanted to be able to defend it from any sized attack.’
‘Fantastic,’ King muttered.
José looked his way for a moment, then shrugged it off. ‘Come on in, my friends. You sounded like you needed something on the phone, Raul.’
‘I do.’
‘Anything for a friend.’
The three of them headed into the warehouse.
CHAPTER 36
They stepped into a cramped front office with orderly stacks of paperwork lining a long timber desk. A desktop computer rested in the far corner. José looped around the desk and sat down behind it. King and Raul both took seats facing him across its surface. King’s groaned as it adjusted to his bulk.
‘Let’s cut to the chase,’ King said.
José looked at him. ‘Okay.’
‘I’m ex-Special Forces. I know what I’m talking about. I’m not some lunatic who decided to get wrapped up in all this on a whim. I’m here for a very clear reason and you don’t need to question me about that. Let’s clear that up first.’
‘Got it.’
‘Over to you, Raul.’
Raul paused, waiting for José’s attention to drift over to him. ‘Mamá and Ana are missing.’
José’s eyes widened. ‘Are you serious?’
‘You think I’d joke about that?’
‘Fuck. I had it in my diary to check on them this week.’
‘You’ve been doing that?’
José nodded. ‘I felt terrible when you two got sent away. I knew you were the household’s only income. My relationship with the Movers meant I had a lot of spare income, so I made sure to siphon some off to your family. It’s the least I could do, brother.’
Raul leant forward and offered a hand. José clasped it. Raul bowed his head and touched it to the handshake. He sighed. ‘Thank you so much.’
‘You don’t need to thank me. I would be a monster not to help them out.’
‘It means the world to me.’
‘They are missing…’ José said, his voice drifting off. The blood had drained from his face, turning his skin pale.
King piped up. ‘Not for long. I managed to briefly get in contact with Rico. He said he had his men take them as soon as he realised we had escaped from El Infierno.’
‘When did that occur?’
‘Yesterday. He wants us to meet him in a couple of hours and surrender ourselves over.’
‘Do not do that.’
‘Does it look like we’re doing that?’
‘If you give yourselves up, he’ll kill all of you.’
‘We know that,’ Raul said. ‘So we’re thinking of trying an alternative.’
José raised an eyebrow. ‘Trust me, Raul, I do not know a man more ruthless than Rico. I still fear the day where I fail to deliver an order, or miscalculate a truck full of firearms. He’s not mentally stable. He would kill me if I fuck up, but I’m in too deep. Don’t try and mess with him.’
‘Remember that part about me being Special Forces?’ King said.
José nodded slowly.
‘That’s an oversimplification,’ King said. ‘I was something else. Something worse. I’m not going to go into details, but I used to do this type of thing for a living.’
‘What type of thing?’
‘Tell him,’ Raul said. ‘No use skirting around it any longer.’
‘We’re going to infiltrate the shipyard,’ King said. ‘I’m going to kill anyone who tries to stop me, and I’m going to find Rico and deal with him, and then I’m going to get Raul’s family out of there. He’s a good friend, and I want to help him.’
‘Do you know Rico?’ José said.
‘Well enough.’
‘Then you must know that you will die if you attempt something so stupid.’
‘It doesn’t matter what you say, José,’ King said. ‘You’re not going to change my mind.’
‘You know how many men he has in that shipyard?’
‘Over a hundred?’
José paused. ‘Uh, no. More like sixty.’
‘Then I can handle it.’
‘Keep up the badass act all you want,’ José said. ‘You will still die.’
‘I’m simply telling you what I’m capable of,’ King said. ‘Based on past exploits. I’m not asking you to believe me, because I honestly don’t care. But we need guns.’
The man’s eyes widened behind the desk, and his tone shifted. ‘Wait … you think—’
‘Yes,’ King interrupted. ‘Yes, you will help me try to destroy your main source of income. And you’ll do it because you’re not a soulless piece of shit. From what he tells me, Raul’s family gave you a home. You won’t dishonour that. At least, I hope you won’t.’
José looked at Raul. ‘You’re helping this madman?’
‘He’s helping me,’ Raul said.
The office went quiet as José leant back in his chair, mulling over what had told him. He drummed a hand against the desk, the hollow echo ringing through the office. Then he spoke. ‘Nine out of ten times that you came to me with that proposition, I would tell you to get the fuck out of my sight.’
‘But?’ King said.
‘But today is your lucky day.’
‘I get the sense this is mutually beneficial to you.’
‘And what makes you think that?’
‘You’re very interested in making money. You wouldn’t have fought so hard to get where you are now otherwise.’
‘I’ve been considering something for a while,’ José said. He spoke slowly, clearly choosing his words very carefully. ‘I think this may be my opportunity to capitalise.’
‘You want out, don’t you?’ King said.
José nodded. ‘I have for a while. Rico’s paying me exorbitant sums of cash. I have enough to support myself for as long as I want. And frankly, it’s not worth fearing for my life anymore. I want to get the hell out of Vargas but I know he’ll hunt me down and tear me to shreds while I’m still alive.’
‘Give me everything you can,’ King said. ‘I’ll make sure you have the opportunity to get a fresh start.’
‘I haven’t made up my mind yet.’
‘You will soon. This suits everyone.’
José’s expression glazed over. The man was deep in thought. He had clearly reached the financial position he was in by making carefully calculated decisions. King knew he would not be brash. But hopefully he would see the advantages.
‘I need to make a call,’ he said. ‘Give me a moment.’
He launched off the chair and scurried through a side door, disappearing into the warehouse. The door clattered shut behind him.
‘You think he’ll come round?’ Raul said.
King nodded. ‘I think so. He seemed to believe that I can help.’
‘And he hasn’t even seen the shit you’ve done.’
As Raul spoke, his right leg twitched violently, shaking up and down on the spot with the fervour of someone terrified by what lay ahead.
‘You okay?’ King said.
‘To be honest, no. At least there was some kind of structure in El Infierno. This is going to quickly turn into madness. I just know it.’
‘I’m the opposite,’ King said. ‘The prison was madness. Being locked up inside those walls drove me insane. This is more like what I used to do.’
‘You’re not nervous?’
King shrugged. ‘I will be later. Right now — I don’t feel anything.’
‘Lucky man.’
King looked at him. ‘I’d rather be scared. Makes me feel more human.’
With a resounding crash the door to the warehouse burst open. King jolted off his seat, reacting to the sudden noise the only way he knew how. He spun. Clenching his fists. Gritting his teeth. Ready for a fight to the death with whoever came charging through into the office.
José stood in the doorway, a confused expression plastered across his face. He held a mobile phone in one hand. The other was empty.
‘Fuck me,’ he said. ‘You react quick.’
King shrugged. ‘My life hasn’t been relaxing.’
‘Evidently.’
‘Do we have a deal?’
José extended the hand with the mobile phone in it and shook it back and forth, indicating he had just made a call. ‘I spoke to a few business partners. They’ve given the all-clear. We have a deal.’
‘Shit,’ Raul whispered.
King turned to him. ‘Did you just get cold feet?’
‘I didn’t think this would actually go ahead…’ he said. ‘I thought it was all ludicrous … fuck, my heart’s racing. Okay, let’s do this before I back out.’
José beckoned them through into the warehouse. They followed him through, and King’s eyes widened as he gazed out at an extraordinary arsenal of firepower.
CHAPTER 37
The cavernous space had been outfitted with symmetrical rows of metal shelving, towering far above them on all sides. A few forklifts were scattered across the warehouse floor. Hundreds of crates littered the shelves, ranging from the size of a man to the size of a tank.
‘You weren’t kidding,’ King said. ‘I thought you were an amateur…’
‘I was,’ José said. ‘I learnt quickly. Expanded quickly. That’s why I have enough funds. At some point the risk begins to outweigh the reward.’
‘Are you worried about arrest?’
The man scoffed. ‘Are you kidding? I’m integral to the operation of the largest drug gang in Vargas state. The police probably know exactly where I’m located, and what’s in this place. They wouldn’t dare do anything about it.’
‘So it’s solely Rico that’s making you want to step away?’
José nodded. ‘He’s a lunatic. A high-paying one, but a lunatic all the same.’
‘If he finds out you supplied me…’
‘That’s why I’m praying to God that you are who you say you are. I’ll give you enough firepower to level a skyscraper. Please use it effectively.’
‘I will.’
‘I hope so. Because I’m dead otherwise —’
He trailed off mid-sentence, as if a new thought had struck him.
‘What is it?’ King said.
José turned to Raul. ‘You don’t expect to rescue them, do you?’
‘My family?’
José nodded.
Raul shrugged, his eyes turning wet. ‘I can try, right? I can hope.’
José sighed. ‘Don’t go in there expecting to save them, my friend. In all likelihood they won’t be there. Or if they are, Rico will simply see you coming and kill them before you can reach them.’
The spiel hit Raul hard. King watched as he bowed his head towards the ground and blinked hard, struggling to control his emotions. He cleared his throat, composing himself. He looked up. ‘It’s the only thing we can do. I don’t have any other options.’
‘I know, my friend,’ José said. ‘They were dear to me too. It hurts to think about what might have happened to them. But with so many unknowns, please don’t charge in expecting for all to end well. It won’t.’
Raul nodded. ‘I know. Thank you, brother.’
They embraced, pulling each other tight. Raul slapped his childhood friend on the back hard several times, letting out the frustration bubbling to the surface inside him. As they rode out the anger together, King turned away. He let them have their moment. He scanned the nearest shelf, looking over a dozen open crates propped side-by-side, exposing glinting gunmetal within. He studied their contents. His eyes widened.
When Raul and José separated, King thrust out a hand and pointed at the wooden boxes.
‘Where the fuck did you get these?’ he said, his tone incredulous.
José peered past King and noted the crates of weapons intended for delivery to the United States Special Forces.
‘Ah,’ he said. ‘That’s right. You’re ex-U.S. military.’
‘I am. How’d you get them?’
José raised both eyebrows and scoffed. ‘You honestly expect me to tell you? You could have me arrested and extradited by dialling a number. I’ll spend the rest of my life in Guantanamo Bay for that.’
King let out a wry smile. ‘Trust me, I won’t be dialling any numbers in the foreseeable future. I’ve had enough of that life. At least for now.’
‘You don’t want anything to do with the government?’
King shrugged. ‘Not so much that. I just want to move on.’
‘You’re probably telling the truth,’ José said. ‘But out of principle, I’d be the worst arms dealer on the planet if I even considered trusting you.’
‘Well, do you mind if I make some selections?’ King said.
‘Rico specifically requested those. He offered me double the asking price.’
King took his time to respond, letting the idiocy of José’s statement hang in the air. ‘You’re sending me to kill him.’
José shrugged. ‘Yeah, whatever. Point taken. Choose whatever you want. Fuck, man, I can’t believe I’m doing this…’
‘I don’t understand the hesitation,’ King said. ‘You just agreed to help us.’
‘Because if you take guns out of those crates and head off, it becomes real,’ José said. ‘I’ve built a stable business here. As soon as you leave, shit hits the fan. I’m still in disbelief that this is all happening.’
‘Where will you go?’
The man checked his watch. ‘First flight out of here. I can choose where I’m headed at the airport.’
‘Just like that? You’ll drop everything and leave?’
‘I’ve been considering it for months. If I don’t make my mind up now, it’ll never happen. Time to move on.’
King approached the first crate. It contained orderly rows of brand new weaponry, intended for use by elite infantry. He stared at Heckler and Koch HK416 assault rifles, HK MP7 sub-machine guns, and a pristine row of M32 6-shot grenade launchers. Just the sight of the weapons brought back a swarm of memories.
Body parts flying in all directions.
Thousands of rounds of ammunition tearing his cover to shreds.
The punch of explosives detonating nearby, resonating through his chest wall, shaking him to his core.
The savage violence of the battlefield.
The lack of mercy.
The flow-state he entered where killing became second nature, something primal and animalistic, when he transformed into a rabid animal demolishing everything in his path.
Those times had killed some part of him. That much he knew. He’d ignored it for years, suppressing the things he’d seen, the things he’d done.
He grimaced and battled the memories away. It took a good few minutes to squash them back down within himself, and by the time he did so a cold sweat had broken out across his brow. His hands shook, suddenly clammy. He rested a palm on the lip of the crate and took a deep breath.
Raul watched with hesitation. ‘What’s wrong?’
King looked at him, still sweating. ‘I might need to go to a dark place soon. I want you to be ready for that. If this goes according to plan, I’m going to kill a lot of people today. It might shock you. I want to warn you before it all kicks off.’
‘Obviously…’ Raul said. ‘We’re going there to save—’
King shook his head vigorously. ‘No, Raul. You don’t get it. You probably have an idea of what this will be like. All noble and honourable. Fighting for the greater good, that sort of thing. It doesn’t work that way. You might have seen some shit in El Infierno, but this is going to be on another level. Don’t take it lightly.’
Raul nodded. ‘Understood.’
King motioned to the crate and turned to José. ‘This will be very useful. Thank you.’
José shrugged. ‘We’re both helping each other. I actually have something to show you. It took me almost three month
s to secure one. Rico requested it. I think for high-security transportation. You might want to use it. I don’t have use for it anymore.’
‘What — like an armoured truck?’ King said.
José smiled. ‘A little better.’
He led King between two rows of shelving, guiding him to a secluded corner of the warehouse.
CHAPTER 38
They rounded a corner and King laid his eyes on the vehicle parked in a designated bay against one wall.
He whistled softly. He knew exactly what it was.
‘What kind of an arms dealer are you?’ he said. ‘How the hell did you manage to get access to that?’
‘A contact in the Turkish military,’ José said. ‘They had a surplus. I paid double what it’s worth. Rico’s paying double that.’
‘Not anymore he’s not.’
During his time in Black Force, King had seen a couple of Otokar Cobras. None quite like this.
‘Is it a Cobra II?’ he said.
José nodded. ‘Almost double the weight. Rico said he’d pay me a couple of million for it.’
Another low whistle. ‘And you’re willing to give it to me?’
‘I’ve made more than a couple of million doing this. I don’t need the money. I need the security.’
‘And I’d very much like to kill Rico.’
‘So we both come out on top.’
‘I hope so, José. I hope so.’
The Otokar Cobra was a 25,000-pound armoured vehicle, almost the same size as a tank. Its enormous heavy-duty tyres almost reached King’s chest, and its steel hull would protect them from any small-arms fire the Movers could throw at them. They were developed and manufactured by a Turkish firm. He’d used one to storm a compound manufacturing biological weapons in Kuwait almost a year ago. The operation hadn’t quite gone according to plan.
‘If I use this, it will change my tactics considerably,’ King said. ‘We’ll have to use it as a battering ram.’
‘That’s what I would advise you to do,’ José said. ‘Smash the gate in, find cover somewhere in the shipyard, and work your way through from there. There’s no way you’ll be able to sneak in undetected.’