Harbor City (An Alec Winters Series Book 4)

by Chariss K. Walker

  Now, the women could only assume the worst. A couple had already been working the streets… they realized that they were being relocated and would continue their trade wherever they ended up, but it certainly wasn’t what they had signed up for. At least at home, they had family and friends. They were an unhappy assortment.

  “Well, what do we have here?” Buddy exclaimed while smacking his lips together greedily. “We hit the jackpot, Billy Ray!”

  “They’re all mighty fine, Buddy, but they’re not ours. If you’d followed the plan, we wouldn’t even know that Heady was also dealing in sex. You just got us killed.”

  “They’re ours now…we just jumped from start-up to fulltime. What’d they promise us from this shipment? A small cut? A few thousand dollars? We laid out more than that to make the arrangements for this shipment. It ain’t fair, man. It’d take months of risking our necks for someone else. What if we’re caught by the Port? We didn’t even take into account the cha-ching it takes to pay off the guards. Each shipment would get harder to unload. With this cargo, we’re all set. We can start making money off this deal right away!” Buddy exulted.

  “Are you crazy?” Billy Ray shouted. “I can’t believe what you’re saying…we were supposed to start a business, not steal one! I think you’ve lost your fucking mind.”

  “No!” Buddy retorted. “I’m not crazy, but I am dead serious.”

  “Dead, for sure! What the fuck do you think is going to happen when they find out we cut them out of this deal? Hell, Buddy, we stole from them! It was only supposed to be drugs, now it’s something entirely different. We saw what Heady does to anyone who double-crosses him. He killed that dealer just to make a statement. And that was only a drug deal. This is so much more! What do you think he’s going to do to us? He’s going to kill us; that’s what he’s going to do!”

  “You worry too much, Billy Ray. I’ll explain it to him. I’ll tell him that by keeping this shipment it’ll be easier for us to get the rest of the shipments unloaded. The way he worked it out, we were using all our own money. Now, that we know what he’s up to, we’ll have an income from the trade while we help him get more drugs and women into the country. It’s simple. Besides, he needs us. It’s not every day that you get a port worker on your payroll and Heady Fields knows that better than anyone.”

  “Buddy, even if he doesn’t kill us, where in the hell are we going to keep all these girls? We can’t leave them here!” Billy Ray, exasperated, tried to reason with his partner.

  “We have to leave them here for the time being. No place else to put them. If I move them to the garage, they might run away. We’ll get on that first thing tomorrow. I have to admit that the women were a surprise. I mean hellfire; we thought we were getting a shipment of drugs, right? I suppose we could sell half and keep half.” Buddy stroked his chin as he considered the options.

  “You’re going to leave them out here in this closed container in this heat?”

  “I guess so.”

  “I’ll run a power cord out here and set up some fans. We can also open those grates at the top for some ventilation. I swear Buddy; you’re going to get us both killed. I can see it now. I should’ve never let you talk me into this venture in the first place. Now, you’ve tricked me as surely as you tricked Heady Fields. I didn’t sign up for this, damn you! There are rules in any trafficking business and we just pissed on our supplier. We pissed on him and then we stuck his nose in it. We’ll get what’s coming to us. You can count on that.” Billy Ray was scared. His argument expressed his real concerns and the fear that bubbled and churned inside his stomach.

  “You can thank me later when you’re rolling in the dough from this little expansion.”

  “What good is more money, Buddy? We won’t be alive to spend it, you idiot!”

  “Just shut the fuck up about it, will you? You’re jinxing everything with your negative vibes… and I’m sick of hearing it already. You said it. I got it. We’ll think about it tomorrow and get it all settled. I promise. Right now, let’s take a few of these delightful women inside and have some fun.”

  Buddy went through the compartment and handpicked three girls in their early teens. He encouraged them to come inside the home with him using hand gestures along with one of the few Spanish phrases he knew, “Venga usted conmigo, you come with me.”

  When he turned to leave, two of the working girls pushed the younger ones aside to protect them and then took their places. The grateful young virgins whispered, “Gracias, gracias.”

  Buddy, too puffed up and high on his success, didn’t even notice the switch take place. Billy Ray was aware, but distracted and worried about his own fate, he let it slide.

  While Buddy took the selected girls inside to shower, Billy Ray brought over a water hose and encouraged the rest to wash off the sweat and grime of the trip. Next, he busily set up some fans and tried to ventilate the container.

  If he hadn’t been in such turmoil, he might’ve realized that most of the girls were too fresh and innocent. He might’ve felt protective and recognized how terrible he would feel if his own family was kidnapped and sold like a piece of meat. For a fleeting second, he thought about his little sisters. Twins and only thirteen years old. Just beginning to get interested in boys and makeup, they were the apple of his aging parents’ eyes.

  But, as he normally did, Billy Ray pushed his conscience aside, following Buddy’s lead. He’d been tagging along behind Buddy since he was ten years old. He’d often regretted the many different paths they’d taken together. He realized he was really an accomplice rather than an ally or pal. It seemed that every course taken had gotten them deeper into quicksand. Now, they were up to their necks in the mire and Billy Ray felt a choking sensation. He was sure that Heady Fields would want blood for what they’d done, but after one snort of white powder, the anxiety temporarily fled his mind. The reprieve lasted only a short while so he repeated it often to keep from losing his mind.

  Buddy and Billy Ray had never even seen more than an quarter kilo and they’d never dealt more than an eighth. The huge pile before them was overwhelming and Billy Ray was stupid enough to want to make snow angels in it.

  The pleasure-trip lasted for thirty-six hours as Buddy, high on coke, sampled the goods he’d stolen. When his phone rang the first day, he answered it and explained that they’d run into some problems at the docks. After that, he merely looked at his caller ID and pressed ‘ignore.’ He was having too much fun to worry about the consequences at the present moment.

  The three girls he’d taken inside had showered and eaten whatever they could find. The rest were still inside the storage container, miserable, thirsty, and hungry.

  Billy Ray, having some compassion in his soul, ordered five large pizzas and three cases of sodas and bottled water. After the delivery arrived, he took it to the women before closing and locking the door once again. Even as he participated in the illicit gains, the coke couldn’t really keep his anxiety at bay. He grew more and more uncomfortable about the situation as each hour passed.

  Chapter 21

  In the meantime, Alec followed the scent he’d picked up to the container located off Babcock. There happened to be two sisters in the group who’d been taken at the same time. Marianna was sixteen, but she’d fervently sworn to protect her baby sister, Gabriella, who was only twelve.

  Alec ripped the padlock off its hinge and quietly moved inside. Although not in celestial form, a shimmering light encompassed him and the women instinctively knew he was not a threat. Standing before them was a good man. Whispers of ‘padrino de boda’ and ‘es un santo’ filled the area, as they moved toward him with beseeching hands. Each wanted to explain their situation. He listened carefully and heard their stories with compassion. Marianna brought Gabriella out from behind the port-a-john where she’d kept her hidden while Buddy made his selections.

  “Por favor, Señor, tome a mi hermana a la seguridad,” she begged Alec to take her sister to safety.

&nb
sp; “Le ayudaré. Por favor no se preocupe,” he reassured that he would help and to please not worry. “Habla a Inglés?”

  “Si, Señor. Un poco,” a women replied as she came forward, “Mi nombre es Lupé.”

  He gave Lupé a cell phone and instructed that she call 9-1-1, but before he finished explaining, Heady Fields showed up with four men in two separate vans. He’d come to retrieve his property and to punish the offenders.

  Billy Ray and Buddy, currently high and involved in an orgy, never even noticed the activities taking place outside. Alec encouraged all the women to move further back into the compartment and remain quiet while he assessed the situation.

  It was a blood bath and it happened very quickly. Heady kicked down the front door, and expecting a fight, he shoved Billy Ray’s twin sisters into the room as cover. They were bound and gagged, but their eyes were wide with terror, revealing the panic they felt.

  Billy Ray jumped to his feet to rescue them, but he didn’t make it very far. Heady, equipped with two sawed-off shotguns, shot Billy Ray in the chest. Then, he shot Buddy in the groin. Screams filled the room and two of the young women were slightly injured in the melee before they could take cover.

  Billy Ray flew backwards from the blast and slowly slid to the floor, but Buddy was already seated and the only evidence that he’d been wounded was the blood stains that quickly pooled in his lap. He looked down at the injury and knew he couldn’t survive it.

  “You stupid bastards!” Heady screamed. “Did you think you could steal from me? Know this, fuckers, these little girls are mine now. I’ll use them until they’ve paid off the debt you owe and then some!”

  Billy Ray lifted his hands in protest, but he couldn’t say a word. He was dying. The blood rushed out of his chest like an open faucet. He recognized that he had it coming, but he’d never dreamed that his family would be pulled into Buddy’s subterfuge.

  Heady fired the second weapon, shooting the men once again for good measure. Next, he gathered up the remaining women from inside, and handed them off to one of his men.

  “Get them in the van and then come back for the twins. Tell the others to get the girls from the container loaded in the vans so we can get the hell outta here. We’ll send a trailer to pick up the container,” Heady ordered.

  “Yes, boss.” The underling left to do Heady’s bidding.

  Heady was mad as a hornet that two lowlifes had defaulted on the deal they’d made with him. It made him look bad. Not quite satisfied with the punishment he’d already inflicted, he continued to beat the dead men with the shotgun’s stock…while the twin girls watched in horror…while he screamed out his rage, emphasizing each word with a soundly placed blow, “You think you can fuck me over! You sons of bitches! I’ll show you!”

  While Heady was inside, his men followed his orders. The first three women were forced into the second van, while three other men approached the container. They thought they only faced defenseless women and hadn’t drawn their weapons.

  It wouldn’t have mattered anyway.

  Alec’s transformation ensured the captive’s freedom as brilliant light filled the small boxcar. The women gasped in surprise and awe. Some knelt on the floor in reverence, but Heady’s men screamed in terror. The loud shrills got their boss’s attention and he rushed outside to see what was going on.

  When Heady saw the monstrous demon ripping his men apart, he was terrified and confused. He ran back inside looking for a place to hide. The demon caught two of the men by the throats and clenched his fists. The action removed all the soft tissues and vocal chords; their screams ended abruptly. He threw their lifeless bodies through the air and they landed with a sound thud on the grassy yard. A third man jumped behind the wheel of the first van, planning to escape.

  The driver soon learned there wasn’t enough time to get away or any place to run. It seemed the devil was everywhere at once as he attacked and punished those in his path. With one twist of his mighty hand, the huge red demon ripped off the driver’s door. Then, the driver was forcefully shoved through the windshield. It ended his life as the shards of glass penetrated his jugular.

  Next, the fiend tossed the heavy metal door through the air with such power it cut the fourth man in half as he tried to get back inside the house.

  That left only Heady Fields alive. The red-eyed snarling face towered over Heady as he hid behind the sofa, quaking in fear. Trembling hands dropped the shells needed to reload the weapon. The huge devil bellowed with the mighty sound of thunder causing window panes to rattle as pictures fell off the walls and shattered.

  “Please, please, don’t kill me. I’ll leave the girls and drugs here. Please, don’t kill me,” Heady begged as the demon wrenched the shotgun from his trembling hands and shoved it in the offender’s mouth to shut him up. The barrel exited the back of Heady’s skull.

  With all the men dead, the devil’s rage was spent. Alec noticed the twin girls, still bound and gagged with duct tape, shivering against the same wall where Billy Ray had landed. Unable to make a sound, a flood of tears streamed down their silent faces as they mourned for their brother. Alec’s brilliant light moved towards them and they could see blue eyes and amazing white wings. The angel gently removed the constrictions. And when the gag came off, the twins began to sob.

  “I want my mother and daddy. Please, how do we let them know where we are?” the twins begged in unison.

  “Use the landline to call your parents, sweet little girls. They will come for you. Tell them you’re at Buddy’s home on West Fee Street off Babcock. They’ll find you,” he replied, his voice filled with love and kindness. By that time, Alec could hear wailing sirens.

  As adept at disappearing as he was appearing, Alec stayed out of sight when the cavalry arrived. The yard was soon filled with every available resource –ambulances, police cars, and fire trucks – called to the address by concerned neighbors who had heard loud gunshots and saw bright light spreading across the lawn. Witnesses thought it was a downed power line.

  Alec was still close enough to listen to the conversations and assessments made, but quickly realized that something was off.

  Two of the officers were more interested in Gabriella than they were in anything else. They didn’t get involved with the crime scene procedure. In fact, they seemed to avoid it altogether, focusing only on the young girl.

  Using the incredible response to the disturbance on Fee as a distraction, they soon had Gabriella in the back of a patrol car and drove away. The officers had been bribed well. Gabriella was a special order that wouldn’t get away or get caught-up in red tape as the government came to assist in the situation.

  With almost all the young women under age, many different departments would be called to sort out the problems, including the State Department. The captives would have to be returned and restitution made to heads of state and the local authorities in Mexico.

  Gabriella had been removed from the crime scene before immigrations and child protective authorities arrived and it was as if she’d never been there. Marianna wrung her hands in fear and worry that her little sister would never survive in this horrible situation without her. It broke her heart and she looked around to find the holy man that had been there earlier. Now, there wasn’t any sign of him either. She cried in abject desperation and bitterness.

  Chapter 22

  While Alec was in Melbourne, Vivien continued to work the cases piling up. But she couldn’t get Suzanne, the waitress from Café Amelia’s, out of her mind. She briefly wondered if Santeria had planted a suggestion about the girl. Then, when she realized that the same question had also plagued her for several months, she put the concern about Santeria from her mind.

  How did Suzanne see both angel and demon?

  Vivien couldn’t stand not knowing. She quickly left the precinct and drove to the Quarter. When she entered Café Amelia’s, she caught Suzanne’s eye and followed the waitress to her section in the restaurant. Then, she sat at a table-for-two.
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  “I had hoped to never see you again,” Suzanne said as she handed Vivien a menu.

  “I’m sure that’s true, and if it makes you feel any better, I had hoped to never need to see you again either.”

  “Great! Then, what the hell do you want?”

  “Let’s cut the pleasantries, all right?” Vivien retorted.

  “Fine by me. What do you want?”

  “A priestess would like to speak with you.”

  “And, what? I’m just supposed to thank you for the message? How does she even know about me? Oh, I get it; you opened your big mouth and told her. Thanks a lot, be-otch! Our conversation was supposed to be private, or did you forget that?”

  “I’m sorry, Suzanne. I had to share the information with her. She’s the keeper of the Voodoo prophecy… she needed to know what you saw. It has had us both wondering how you saw both the angel and demon when everyone else only sees either one or the other. What makes you so special?”

  “Just born lucky, I guess. Can’t you tell?” Suzanne asked as she waved her arms around the restaurant to emphasize that she was only a waitress and would most likely remain in that position for the rest of her life.

  “I suspect that you are much more than what life has shown you to be so far. So does Santeria, the priestess. She’d really like to talk with you. Here’s her card. Please give her a call or drop by to see her.”

  “What are you ordering today? Water and crackers?” Suzanne’s voice was chilling.

  “I’ll have a cup of gumbo, the oyster dinner with a loaded-baked potato, sweet tea, and a slice of pecan pie. Correction, a slice of pecan pie for here and an entire pie to go. I’ll take it back to the precinct for the officers.”

  Suzanne raised her brows slightly but took down the huge order. She left briefly and then returned with a tall glass of iced, sweet tea. “Look, I know you don’t mean to be such a nuisance. You’re only trying to find the truth behind things. It’s more than most people do. I didn’t mean to come down on you so hard.”