by Mike Ryan
“That doesn’t sound very encouraging.”
“Maybe he’s getting ready for a war with Vincent.”
“What makes you think that? Hear something about it?”
“Nothing specific. Just, Jeremiah’s been recruiting hard. Usually when men like him start looking for more soldiers they got something specific in mind. Like taking more territory or something.”
“Or maybe he just fears Vincent’s getting too big and he’ll make a move on him first,” Recker said.
“Could be. Anyway, if you wanna meet with him, I’ll let him know you’re coming.”
“What time?”
“He said one hour.”
“Usual spot?”
“Same spot as always.”
“I’ll be there.”
“Good news?” Jones asked, overhearing part of the conversation.
“Could be. Looks like Bernal went to Jeremiah for some guns.”
“I take it you’re meeting with him to see if he has anything else to offer?”
“Yeah.”
“What was that stuff about Jeremiah and Vincent?”
“I don’t know. Tyrell said Jeremiah seemed jumpy lately. Maybe he’s getting worried about Vincent getting too big a stake of the city.”
“Possible.”
“Yeah, well, doesn’t really matter to me. I’ll be back.”
Recker immediately left the office to head to the meeting with Jeremiah. It’d been a while since they had one. The last time was after Recker killed Bellomi, and Jeremiah wondered if The Silencer was working with Vincent, after the mob boss publicly displayed the dead body of Mancini to announce he was taking on more territory. By the time Recker got to the area of the meeting house, he was a half hour early, but he didn’t mind sitting for a while. He parked down the street as it wasn’t wise to sit in front of a place Jeremiah owns for too long if you’re not conducting business at the time. It’d give the impression he was running surveillance on them. And if it was the case, then whoever’s sitting there might as well get their gun out, because Jeremiah’s men would be, and they’d come out shooting. It gave Recker time to think and look around. It’d been a year since he’d been to the house, or the area in general, but it didn’t look like anything had changed. Once the time came near, Recker pulled down the street, parking in front of the house. He saw the same burly man standing by the front door as usual.
“Good to see you’re still kicking around,” Recker said as he walked past him. “Don’t bother to show me in, I know my way around.”
The man stood pat, not really appreciating Recker’s sense of humor. If he had his way, he probably would’ve tried working Recker’s face over a couple of times. But those weren’t Jeremiah’s wishes, so his desires would have to go unfulfilled. As Recker walked into the living room of the boarded-up house, he saw his host sitting in the chair in the middle of the room. Recker sat down across from him and looked around, seeing that they were alone.
“When you gonna get around to decorating this place?” Recker said.
“You know, I think you say the same thing every time you come here,” Jeremiah said.
“Well, I guess I figure one of these times you’ll start listening.”
“Still crazy as ever I see.”
“Don’t wanna ruin my reputation.”
“I heard you left town for a while. Too much heat on you?”
“No, nothing I couldn’t handle. Just had to take care of some business elsewhere for a while. I’m back for good now.”
“Glad to hear it.”
“Are you?”
“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” Jeremiah asked.
“I dunno. Just checking. Not everybody’s so happy to see me.”
“I can understand how it is. Enough of the pleasantries though. I hear you wanna know about this guy I sold some guns to.”
“Yeah. Adrian Bernal.”
“Why? What’s it to you?”
“I just have an interest in it. What’d you sell him?”
“Handgun and an assault rifle.”
“You know what he wants them for?” Recker asked, not sure how involved he was.
“Yeah. He wants to kill a cop. At least that’s what he told me. Why you looking for him?”
“I’ve been hired to stop him.”
“What would you wanna do that for? As far as I’m concerned, one less cop is good for everybody.”
“Well, my employer thinks otherwise.”
“I’d have thought this would be a case you’d turn down,” Jeremiah said. “Since when’d you get so chummy with the cops? I’d think you’d be happy about one less cop hunting you.”
“Nah. Not my thing. I just go where the money is.”
“Yeah, I bet.”
“So you know where Bernal’s heading or when he’s planning on doing this thing?”
“Maybe I do. It’s nothing I can talk to you about though.”
“Why not?”
“It’d be bad for business.”
“How you figure?” Recker said.
“People come to me ‘cause they know I’ll have the merchandise they’re looking for. They know they can trust me once they get it,” Jeremiah said. “Now, how would it look if I sold people out after I sell them the goods? My reputation takes a hit and I start to lose business.”
“You’re assuming someone would find out about it. You know I’m certainly not gonna spill the beans. After I kill him, who’s gonna know?”
“And you’re assuming you live and he doesn’t. What happens if it’s reversed or he finds out about it?”
“You really think some small-time hood’s gonna get one over on me?”
“What, you think you’re gonna live forever?” Jeremiah asked, smiling. “Time’s gonna come for all us. You and me both. We’re not any different.”
“Probably true,” Recker said, confused by his host’s intentions. “If you’re not willing to help me find this guy, I have to wonder what I’m doing here then. I mean, what was the point of this? The only thing you told me was what weapons you sold him. Not really much of a revelation, I could’ve guessed as much.”
“’Cause I got some other things to discuss with you. Wasn’t sure you’d come otherwise.”
Intrigued, Recker sat up a little straighter in his chair. “And just what might those other things be?”
“Where your allegiances lie.”
“My allegiances? They lie at the same place they always have. With myself.”
“Nah, you’re gonna have a dog in this fight. You have to,” Jeremiah said.
“You know, I’m sure we both have things we need to get done so why don’t you stop talking in circles and tell me what it is you really want,” Recker said.
“Things seem to be heating up between me and Vincent.”
“Really? I haven’t heard anything about it.”
“Mostly low-key stuff right now.”
“Is that why you’ve been recruiting?”
Jeremiah smiled, impressed his visitor seemed on top of his game. “That’s what I like about you. Whether you’re here or not, you always know what’s going on, always got one ear on the street.”
“So, what’s been happening?”
“Like I said, just small stuff, but it’s adding up. Some of Vincent’s men have been seen in my territory from time to time. I can only assume it means they’re scouting things out.”
“Could mean anything,” Recker said, not jumping to any conclusions. “Doesn’t necessarily means he wants to start a war.”
“You know what his intentions are?”
“Haven’t the foggiest.”
“If things happen, I wanna know which side you’re on,” Jeremiah said.
“I’m not on anybody’s side. I’ve done business with you. I’ve done business with him. I’m on even terms with both of you. I don’t have a dog in this fight.”
“A man like you can really tip the scales, tip the balance as to who’s got the upper han
d, who has the most power.”
“Not taking sides,” Recker said.
“Maybe I can persuade you.”
“Before you get all hot and bothered with what you think is going on, why don’t you actually request a meeting with Vincent and talk? Then you can get everything out in the open.”
“You think he’s really gonna tell me if he’s trying to move in? All it’d do is give him a better target.”
“I think you’re worrying about nothing.”
Jeremiah leaned forward in his chair as he was about to drop his next bombshell. “I need to know you’re with me.”
“I don’t know how many times I can tell you I’m not. I’m not with anybody. The only person I’m with is me. If you and Vincent go to war, it’s on you guys. I won’t get involved.”
Jeremiah’s eyebrows dropped as a scowl came over his face. He looked at Recker with mean intent, not pleased at The Silencer’s stance. He was hoping to convince Recker to join his side before trying to blackmail him into it. But a man like Recker could give either side the edge in an upcoming war between the two parties, and Jeremiah wasn’t about to let Vincent swing him over to his.
“I was hoping you wouldn’t take such an adversarial tone,” Jeremiah said.
“There’s nothing adversarial about it. I’m just not taking sides.”
“I was hoping you’d fall in with me on your own and I wouldn’t have to do this, but it seems you’re not giving me much choice. I can’t afford to let you walk out of here without knowing you’re with me. If you fall into Vincent’s hands, then that’s on me.”
“You’re not listening to me,” Recker said.
“I think I am.”
Recker was starting to get a little antsy at the way the conversation was going. It seemed to be going in the wrong direction. The manner in which Jeremiah was talking was making Recker feel uneasy, like he had to start looking around for some unwelcome guests to come into the room who might take some shots at him. Luckily, he was armed and Jeremiah didn’t have him frisked for weapons when he got there. Of course, he might not have been as willing to hand over his guns to Jeremiah’s crew as he was to Vincent’s. For whatever reason, he was always more trusting of Vincent than he was of Jeremiah. Though they were both equally as dangerous, Recker always considered Jeremiah more of a loose cannon, someone who was more likely to double cross him than Vincent was. His suspicions were about to be proven correct.
“I’m not waiting around anymore for Vincent to make the next move,” Jeremiah said. “We both know he’s eventually gonna make a play for what I got. Maybe it’s today, maybe it’s next month, maybe it’s not for another year. But we both know it’s gonna happen. I figure it’s better to go on the offensive and hit him before he does it to me.”
“No concern of mine,” Recker said.
“I want your help.”
“You’re not getting it.”
“I think I will.”
Jeremiah reached into his pocket, causing Recker to squirm in his seat in anticipation of a gun being pointed at him. Recker reached into his coat and put his hand on the handle of his gun in case he needed to react quickly. Jeremiah pulled out a piece of paper and looked at it for a minute, causing Recker to relax his hand away from his weapon.
“I understand you know her,” Jeremiah said, holding the paper out in front of him.
With a concerned look on his face, Recker glared at his host, before grabbing the piece of paper. He let his eyes drop down to it, horrified at what he saw. It was a picture of Mia taped to the sheet of paper, with her name and address written underneath her photo. Recker, not wanting to admit he knew her, tried to play it off. He shrugged and handed the paper back to Jeremiah.
“So? Who is she?” Recker asked.
“You’re saying you don’t know her?”
“Not to my knowledge. Why? What’s this about?”
A sinister smile overtook Jeremiah’s face as he took out another piece of paper, this one having nine more pictures stapled to it. Once again, he handed it over to his surprised guest. Recker quickly looked the pictures over and saw several pictures of him and Mia sitting together at the hospital cafeteria. It looked to him like the photos had been taken several months ago, probably just before Recker left for Detroit. His blood started boiling. Recker took his eyes off the pictures and peered up at Jeremiah, wanting to extract his revenge on him by filling him full of holes.
“Now that’s the face of a man I need,” Jeremiah said.
“What is this about?”
“So you admit now you know her?”
“Met her at the hospital when I was having some work done,” Recker said. “Talked to her for a little bit, nothing came of it.”
“Looked a little cozier than a chat.”
Tired of the conversation, Recker wasn’t handing the pictures back and put them in his pocket as he started to get up.
“That’s all right. You can keep those,” Jeremiah said. “I got copies made.”
Recker sat back in his seat, anger clearly visible on his face. “What do you want?”
Jeremiah threw his hands up, looking like he hadn’t a care in the world. “I keep telling you. I want you working for me.”
“Are you trying to blackmail me?”
“You can call it whatever you want. I know where this girl works. I know where she lives. I got people tailing her. If you care anything at all about her, you’ll play ball.”
“Or else?”
“Or else she’s fish food, man.”
“You really think this is a good idea? Making an enemy out of me?” Recker asked angrily.
“The thing is, it’s not what I’m doing. We’re gonna be partners. You help me out. I’ll help you out.”
“I don’t need any help from you.”
“You help me get rid of Vincent and the girl lives. It’s as simple as that,” Jeremiah said, confident in his actions.
“Until you want something else from me and you take someone else hostage to try and get my assistance.”
“All I want is Vincent. If you’d just said yes to begin with I wouldn’t have to go through these extreme and drastic measures. And if you have any thoughts to putting a bullet in my head before you leave here, just know this; if my man’s watching her doesn’t hear from me, he’s got instructions to put two in her chest.”
“And just how do you propose doing this takeover of yours?” Recker asked.
“You set up a meeting with him. I don’t care what you tell him, say whatever you want, just get him and his top guys together. Then take them out.”
“Just like that, huh? Just get them together and kill them all?”
“You set it up, you tell us where it’s gonna be, I’ll have men already waiting there inside the building. Then I’ll have more guys swoop in and surround the place,” Jeremiah said. “There’ll be nowhere for him to escape.”
“And the odds of me escaping this crossfire exchange?”
“That’s why you should hurry up and get it done so you can get to ducking.”
“And your time frame for all this?” Recker said.
“Let’s make it within the next week or so. I don’t like long setups. Too many things can change, people start to get stupid ideas in their heads, like maybe there’s other ways around doing what needs to be done. The quicker the better. This will also be the last time we meet face to face until the job is done. Just in case there’s ideas about taking me out and rescuing her before the job is completed.”
Recker reached back into his coat and pulled out the pictures of him and Mia, looking them over. “How’d you come across these?”
“Just dumb luck really. I had some acquaintances of mine who happened to be at the hospital,” Jeremiah said. “They just happened to be in the cafeteria when they recognized you. They saw you sitting with a pretty girl who looked like she worked there and started snapping some pictures. They showed them to me and I thought I needed to find out who this girl was. She y
our girlfriend?”
“No. Just a friend.”
“But an important friend. I can dig it, man. I got some pretty friends like her too.
“So, what, you’ve just been sitting on these for a few months, waiting for the right time to spring them on me?”
“Something like that.”
“So, are you on board?”
“Guess I don’t have much choice, do I?
Jeremiah smiled, knowing he had his dangerous friend over a barrel. With their business concluded, Recker stood up to leave. Jeremiah extended his hand to cement their deal, which Recker spurned, instead choosing to ignore his new business partner as he left the premises. Jeremiah followed him to the door and watched Recker get into his car and drive away.
“Is he playing ball?” one of Jeremiah’s men asked.
“Oh yeah.”
“You really think we can trust him?”
“As long as we got the leverage. Put a couple more men on his lady friend, just in case he gets any funny ideas.”
As Recker was driving, he tried to think of how he was getting out of his predicament. Nobody was going to blackmail him and get away with it. He certainly wasn’t getting involved in Vincent and Jeremiah’s feud and he definitely wasn’t going to kill anyone for them, or do their dirty work. But he was kicking himself for getting Mia involved. Even though it wasn’t his doing, she was in danger because of her relationship to him. He just had to figure out how he was going to get her out of it. He was going to have to figure out a way to protect her while also permanently getting rid of the problem. And the problem was Jeremiah. If he threatened her once, he’d do it again. In order to protect Mia, he was not only going to have to shield her from whoever was tailing her, Recker was going to have to kill Jeremiah.
7
By the slamming of the office door, Jones could tell Recker wasn’t in the best of moods. He assumed the meeting with Jeremiah didn’t produce the results they were looking for. Little did he know Recker was about to spring a new problem on him. Recker was so consumed with rage, and stewing over his problems, he didn’t even bother to let Jones know what was going on. And with the news Jeremiah had sprung on him, Recker had almost completely forgotten about why he went there to begin with. Ever since he was told Mia was being used as a bargaining chip, Recker hadn’t had a single thought about Adrian Bernal. Jones greeted him as he came in, though Recker didn’t acknowledge him. Jones assumed he didn’t hear him, as was sometimes the case when Recker was deep in thought. Usually Jones either kept pestering him until he responded or he just left Recker alone until he came around. Considering Recker kept pacing around the room, causing Jones to lose his concentration, he began pestering his partner until he snapped out of whatever funk he was in.