The Storm Giants

by Pearce Hansen

  “Calling us by name like that, it’s no longer hypothetical Phil,” Everett said. “By the way, nice improvisation acting like Aaron had you on the ropes.”

  “Did you fall for it at all?”

  Everett grunted. “Did you and the Widow really bump uglies? Did you ever even know her, other than to heist her gold?”

  He glanced down and saw the stone Phil had kicked. Everett started to boot it as hard as he could. Phil made a funny animal like yelp just as Everett threw his kick. Distracted, Everett scuffed his foot against the ground as it impacted the stone, which traveled not one inch further than when Phil kicked it.

  Everett said, “Aaron must have known where your bodies were buried. You still needed him to do the hacking?”

  “Oh, no. He was a vain man who made the fatal error of becoming redundant. He liked showing off and was too inattentive to realize he had trained his own replacements.”

  Everett risked a direct look at Phil. “If you needed Aaron dead, you could have just straight out offered the gold for the deed. Didn’t need to pussyfoot around.”

  Everett smiled at the big man’s reaction. “No. This way it’s more deniable, and whatever you use for a conscience stays clean. Aaron was the one who moved your PIN numbers for you. He was your connection to earn, that’s a big part of why you hesitated to show him the curb.”

  “We’re a legitimate business, son. We would never engage in any illegal activities.”

  “Maybe we should run a magnet across those disks Aaron was running off with, destroy the data. Wouldn’t want you be an accessory.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Phil glanced over at the truck. “Your friend expects you to kill me, doesn’t he?”

  Everett answered, "It’d be prudent. You’re back trail, which makes you a quantifiable risk. You’re a formidable opponent so it’d be doubly stupid to leave you still breathing in and out.”

  “Am I supposed to be flattered by that?”

  “Doesn’t matter,” Everett said.

  Phil glanced at him from under bushy brows. “Again speaking hypothetically, what if I never really intended for you to have the gold? I have you surrounded, outnumbered, and who knows? There may even be some guns concealed amongst the crowd. No one can dodge a bullet. I’d feel foolish if it turned out I’d caved to a mere bluff.”

  “Guns just make it easier,” Everett said. “This is what happens, Phil. They see you fall down. Unless they’re really trained up, they come forward in dribs and drabs. It’s wonderful when the armed ones take pot shots from middle distance. They miss, and have that much less ammo to be a distraction when they’re close enough to matter.

  “Ordinarily in dealing with numbers like this, you initiate the action. Pick out the weakest, close with them, cripple them non-fatally. They make distracting noises and commotions. The stronger pile up behind them in dismay. You dance around behind that screaming human linchpin, killing anyone unfortunate enough to get within reach of whatever weapon you’re wielding that day. When self preservation kicks in the wolf pack breaks and scatters in panic, you put the linchpin out of his misery and move on. Pursuing the survivors can get complicated, but not gonna lose any sleep about that.

  Everett said, “This one isn’t ordinary, though. This time, there’s two people here close to me in brute speed. One of them is on my side.

  “No, Celeste is agile and brave. However, she’ll be emotionally galvanized by what happens to you. She’ll be at the forefront to reach you. This time, my linchpin will be the strongest instead of the weakest.” Everett looked at Celeste, who looked back at them quizzically, far out of hearing.

  Phil’s eyes were closed, and he was gulping for breath. Everett continued, “Fringe benefit? If I botch your kill and can’t finish you before it comes down to melee, you’ll be too distracted by what’s happening to her to offer any effective leadership. Do you think I’m bluffing Phil?”

  “No. Is that what you intend to do now?” Phil’s face had crumpled in defeat.

  “You know what I need, right Phil? Need to know I’m doing the right thing not burning this place to the waterline. You’re right: thirty million dollars is a big pile of ducats for you to be giving up without something up your sleeve.”

  As Everett watched, Phil firmed like wax dripping in reverse. Resembling an empty balloon inflating, Phil grew visibly stronger from the inside out. He opened his eyes with a warm smile on his lips and Everett was in awe.

  “Too many ducats,” Phil said, his voice calm, friendly and banal. “Look at all the trouble it’s caused already. People will keep coming after it as long as it’s here. The next batch will be even scarier than you, and not so willing to conversate. And if not, now the knowledge of its existence will corrupt my family and make us cannibalize ourselves.

  “If I had sinister intent, it would be easy to abscond and retire to luxury in some welcoming third world country. But I don’t wish to abandon my life here and run with it, whatever you choose to believe. Ironically, the gold is a liability that I’m giving away for very selfish reasons. You’re doing us a favor by taking it away.

  “You still suspect me of ill will?” Phil looked him up and down. “I’ve gotten to know you a little; even through that bank vault you call a heart. Initially I thought you were what I call ‘cartoon people:’ someone who sits alone in the theater of their own mind watching the movies on the screen. No one else exists but them.

  “But once I saw your family standing behind you, I had to switch orientation to what should have been obvious. Here’s a question for you grasshopper: after you half way amputated Brad’s wrist, why’d you let David put a tourniquet on him?”

  “He would have bled out,” Everett said.

  “No,” Phil said, shaking his head. “Why did you even care?”

  “I played it soft on you from the beginning,” Everett said. “It was selfish of me, to let feelings affect my game.”

  Phil’s peals of laughter were loud enough to turn every head within hearing. “Selfish, grasshopper? I think you’re the most unselfish man I’ve ever met.”

  “What’s it to you?” Everett asked. “You keep spouting that self help revolution hooey. Just one more scam?”

  “No it is not,” Phil said, eyes gone hot, the seductive calmness leaving him. “It’s the truth, my intentions are sincere. Things need changing.”

  Phil’s eyes went distant. “I was a good earner. I was a good telemarketer and they threw me away like trash. Those were bad times. You don’t need to know where I went then.”

  He caught Everett’s look and chuckled. “All right, I didn’t mind the way of things while I thought I was on top. But I was humbled, schooled by what they did to me. I’ll never forgive them for that. I’ll never stop the fight.”

  In short order, Phil had displayed terror for a loved one followed by bitter anger. If the big man was acting, he was so far out of Everett’s league that Everett might as well get on his knees and yield right now.

  No. He was close to seeing bedrock emotion here. This chink in Phil’s armor reassured Everett enough to finally feel safe about leaving him alive.

  “People don’t care, Phil,” Everett said.

  “Yes they do, grasshopper,” Phil said. “And if they don’t I’ll make them care. My people, I have to speak in a language they understand, but I’m about ready to extend my reach. The stuff you know about is just a means to an end. I have plans, son – big plans.”

  As Everett was inserting into the snack truck, Phil leaned in his window. “I’d like it if you’d come back some time so we can talk. I have some things to run by you, and some ways I could perhaps help you with your own personal issues.”

  “Maybe you’re for real, maybe you’re not,” Everett said, feeling Tobias’s scornful grin ripple open at his back. “We’d prefer not being dimed to the Man whilst we’re on the road. Might prove inconvenient to all concerned.”

  “That’s not going to happen, grasshopper. No phone calls, no tr
icks.” Phil touched his arm. “Henry, that’s dirty gold. You don’t want any part of it. Unload it quick as you can and walk away.”

  “We’re through with it, Phil,” Everett said. “You don’t need to game me anymore.”

  Phil smiled. “Some people, their personalities are the color of a chameleon on a mirror. What happens when a chameleon gets tired? What happens when he needs to let his guard down a little? You and I are two sides of the same coin. I get lonely, son – don’t you?”

  Phil stepped away and Everett revved the engine, hoping the extra weight of the gold hadn’t bogged the truck’s tires into the unpaved driveway.

  Phil said, “Tell her goodbye for me. I know it’s a waste of time to ask for more.”

  The truck didn’t bog, but Everett kept its progress to a creep, not wanting to tempt fate. As they idled down the driveway toward the gate, the phishermen converged around Phil. As Phil talked to his family, they responded with nods and cautious smiles demonstrating continued loyalty.

  Celeste was at Phil’s side, in the position Aaron once occupied. She reached out one hand and placed it on Phil’s shoulder. Phil didn’t look at her or shake it off.

  Her hand dropped and she put her arm around his waist. Phil stiffened, then swayed in Celeste’s direction and put his arm around her waist in turn. She didn’t object to his touch. He had her permission.

  The phishermen thronged around the entwined couple. The big old cult leader and the tough little street girl made a new royal pair.

  “Phil is one scary dude,” Everett said. His highest possible praise.

  “I could take him easy,” Tobias said, and snorted. His sneer grew defensive when Everett didn’t respond.

  Tobias glared back at the family. “If he’s so bad, how come we let him live?”

  Ch apter 39: Best Friends Re-United

  They drove to where Tobias had dumped his Desert Eagle. While Everett waited in the truck, Tobias scurried into the alley and snaked his way onto the roof. When he came out tugging his coat down to hide his shoulder holster, there was a confident cock-of-the-walk strut to the little man that hadn’t been there in a while.

  “Now I’m whole again,” Tobias said with a comic simper.

  Chapter 40 : On the Discovery Channel

  “I’d like you to reconsider dealing with Larry,” Tobias said. “This could be the biggest payday of your career.”

  They were headed south on 101 after transiting 299. The snack truck was a lumbering brute, not meant for driving agility in the first place. The gold weighed them down beyond spec loads, the vehicle had to be coaxed around the curves in the mountain road.

  “So who is this widow y’all were talking about?” Tobias asked.

  “She’s the one that has my people in her sights,” Everett said as he negotiated another hairpin. “She can do them major damage. Wouldn’t have minded going with Larry at first. Nullifying the threat means dealing with her.”

  “Well, I can see this is a problem for you Everett. We’re still getting paid, right? That’s the bottom line for me. I’ve got to get my end.”

  “You’ll be taken care of,” Everett said.

  He pulled over at the turnout before Kerri’s house. He looked at the entrance to her access road.

  Tobias’s eternal sneer evaporated. His face was blank as he rested his hand on his holstered piece. “Craptacular, Everett. You looking to make a move at this late date?”

  “Don’t soil yourself,” Everett said, making no move to get going.

  Perhaps a minute went by with Everett staring into space and Tobias growing increasingly antsy. Everett started the truck and took the road down to Kerri’s, the heavy laden truck immediately challenging on the grade.

  “We have to make a detour here,” Everett said. “Checking something out. Don’t freak less’n you see something drastic.”

  Everett hadn’t been able to call, not knowing if the Widow had the phone lines tapped. His gaze was glued to the house whenever it came into view on the switchbacks. No sign of damage to any of the property or buildings. That meant nothing. He knew just how it would look, how it would smell, if the house was a murder scene.

  It had been the only real move he had; to walk away and leave them uncovered except for the brothers. Fox parents did when they were on the hunt, didn’t they? Mountain Lions? Leopards? He’d seen it on the Discovery Channel.

  Sometimes the other predators came around while the parent was away. A cartoon clip ran through his mental projector, of a hyena with the Widow’s head carrying Raymond away in her jaws.

  Had the brothers been up to it? Would the Widow have merely killed Kerri and Raymond? Would she have vented her spleen and made it last?

  Would Kerri and Raymond have died together? No. After the brothers fell Kerri would send Raymond away while she made her stand. The Widow’s people would catch his son from behind: running, frightened and far from his mother.

  Why did he have to have this tactical computer running in his head all the time? Everett screamed inside, his face not blank at all. Tobias ostentatiously let go of his pistol butt, deciding that now was not the time to be a distraction.

  As they came off the access road onto the level, Kerri stood in the house’s doorway with Rolly’s sawed off in her hands, Raymond next to her. A light shone behind them in Everett’s mind. A small sound leaked out of him that Tobias opted not to comment on.

  When Kerri and Raymond saw it was Everett driving, they ran to him as he parked. Norm sat on the porch, his shirtlessness exposing the bandages wrapped around his midsection. He clutched an Ingram MAC 10 in his hands, with a pile of extra magazines on the porch at his feet.

  Everett got out the truck and confronted Norm. “Where’s Rick?” he asked, not hiding his anger.

  Norm looked past Everett toward the distant ridge line where the Widow’s shooter died. Rick stood up amidst the shrubbery there, brandishing the DeLisle over his head with a teeth baring grin visible even from that far away.

  “Good work,” Everett said.

  “Gee daddy, did we do okay?” Norm asked.

  Everett looked at him, snorted, and then the two men were laughing together for the first time either could recall.

  Introductions were in order. “This is Tobias,” Everett said. “We need to feed him.”

  Kerri fished some home baked cookies out the fridge for this posturing little friend Everett had dragged home. It was amusing how hard Tobias worked at being scary. But he had flamethrower eyes, and Kerri found herself already thinking how she’d incorporate them in her next painting.

  Raymond grabbed Everett’s leg and pressed his cheek against his daddy’s thigh. Kerri embraced him as well. Tobias munched a cookie as he studied this family reunion with interest.

  Everett eyes were closed as he flashed back to the exact moment he left the Life.

  Even after Raymond was born, they stayed in Hayward and Everett kept working. He just made sure not to rub Kerri’s face in it as he waited for the ‘perfect’ time to retire.

  Most of his clients were easy to blow off. They could take a hint if it wasn’t too subtle. But Larry was another story. He presumed on their long association and wouldn’t take no for an answer.

  Time after time the phone would ring. Kerri – with growing impatience – would give Everett ‘the look’ as she handed it over. Larry’s voice would spill from the phone describing another emergency that only Everett could fix.

  Every time Larry’s unending need tried to draw him back in, Everett would listen with one ear. With the other, he’d listened to hear if the storm giants had any comment. He knew eventually the storm giants would reach a consensus. The line would give ‘green light go’ for removing the last obstacle to keeping his promise.

  On his last gig for Larry, Everett caught a round in his shoulder. No big deal. Just a .25 short out of some girl’s purse gun, 50 grains at most. A ridiculously underpowered little round unless you got popped in the head or right in the heart. On
other occasions, he’d seen .25s bounce off furniture next to him, even seen them stopped by heavy clothing.

  Still, this little .25 had to come out to prevent lead poisoning. Rolly sat him down at the kitchen table, bleached and boiled up the field surgery kit they jointly owned, and commenced to digging, plucking and cutting on the wound.

  They’d chatted and joshed as Rolly probed to get at the tiny bullet. Everett looked over once to watch Rolly’s hemostat wiggle around hinge deep in the bullet hole, musing at the exposed meat exposed by the incision. Business as usual, something they’d done for each other often enough.

  Everett became aware that Raymond stood in the doorway in his pajamas, watching his daddy get cut on. Raymond had just started walking; he was still pretty tottery, but there he stood.

  Their eyes met. It gave Everett a pang that his little boy wasn’t upset about this scene at all. He was picking up on how relaxed Rolly and Everett were. Raymond was treating this whole thing as normal, just as the grown up men considered it.

  Raymond would turn out just like him, if he let him. If Everett stayed in the Life, his son would follow in his footsteps. Everett saw the line to it, clear as day.

  Rolly fished out the.25 and sewed up the hole. Everett went to the Lost Boys’ Clubhouse next morning and told Larry he wasn’t doing any more jobs for him. Everett, Kerri and Raymond had been up in Mendocino the day after.

  In the here and now, Everett let go and walked outside. Tobias followed, wiping his mouth with his fingers and flicking the cookie crumbs to the floor.

  “Is it done?” Norm asked.

  “Almost,” Everett said. “Need you two here for a little longer. Got most of what we need accomplished. Need to tie up a few more loose ends so I won’t be calling, for the same obvious reasons. Give it a day or two. If not back by then, take Kerri and Raymond to where you think safest. The thing you were talking about, regarding those strangers wandering the back roads? Keep doing it, don’t take any chances.”

  “Candy in the truck, daddy?” Raymond asked. “Give me a ride?”

  “No ride, son,” Everett said, reaching in the truck. “But here’s a candy bar.”