by Noah Harris
“I’m not opposed to fighting our way out, but I would rather look for another way. I’m sure that if we put our thinking caps on that, we might be able to come up with something.” I walked the length of the building and stayed away from the windows, as much as possible. I didn’t want them to see me, and that would’ve been tantamount to giving them a reason to come back in here in force. As it was, they were using the precaution of staying within a certain distance, but still able to act on a moment’s notice.
“Why do I get this funny feeling that you have experience in this kind of warfare? Is there something that you need to tell me?” My past was not something that I wanted to revisit. The way that Derek was looking at me made it almost impossible not to say something in my defense. “I’ve already told you that I will never judge you. I have to believe that somewhere in there is the man that I’m falling for.” This was the first time that either one of us had said anything of the sort. There was this big pause that needed somebody to fill that awkward silence.
“Like I said, I’ve lived a long time, and I’m no stranger to getting my hands dirty. You may do it in business, but I’ve been known in the past to take things too far. I don’t leave any witnesses, regardless if they are innocent or not. I made sure back in the day that nobody was able to call attention to me. I’ve massacred my share of the human population. I’ve been trying to make up for it. Hiroko and his family were the only ones that were able to help me.” He was holding my hand, and that intimate connection was better than any therapist.
“I understand your need not to shed blood, but sometimes it’s unavoidable. I would rather walk away from this, but I’m not sure that we are going to be able to do that. Even if we were to make it out, the place would be surrounded. They most likely will be using infrared technology. Not even your cold temperature is going to fool them, or at least, it won’t for, as long as we would like.” I was surveying the area. I looked at all the chemicals. I could easily make an incendiary device, but if I were to do that, then I would have to make it one hell of a bang.
“I may have an idea, but it’s not exactly safe. I have everything that I need right here in front of me to give them something else to think about. I don’t want to do it, and I just found this place. It has everything that I want, but we need a distraction.” I gathered certain chemicals and knew that they would be a lethal cocktail in the right combination.
“Once you do that, we’re going to have to tap into that part of ourselves that we are not exactly happy about. That will be the only way that we can survive that kind of explosion without finding ourselves in pieces. We need to time this just right. Anything less will make us a prime target for their wrath.” If he were anybody else, I would tell him to fend for himself, but he had turned out to be something more. I was falling for him, but I had not said anything. I believed that my actions spoke louder than words.
I moved through the building at breakneck speed, checking on the exits and then verifying the best way to get out of here when the explosion occurred. It was on the west side of the building. The bathroom was encased in a thick concrete wall. We could leap through the glass, but opening the window would be easier.
I came back to find Derek standing there and waiting. “You have to stop doing that. I have this fear that you might leave me here to take care of this on my own. You might be able to get out of here without being spotted with your speed, but I don’t have that going for me. They might be terrified of the wolf, but in a knee-jerk reaction, they could open fire and kill me from many feet away. I wouldn’t even be able to defend myself. It’s not the way that I want to go.” I grabbed his hand and moved us into the bathroom. Duncan’s feet were literally smoking. He had to stamp them repeatedly to make sure that they didn’t burst into flames.
“Derek, I want you to stay here. I need to make sure that everything is set.” I took off again, knowing full well that he was probably sighing. I made my way to one of the labs, found several Bunsen burners and turned them on full blast. I placed the chemicals nearby, and once they heated to the right temperature, their molecular structure would take on something that was deadly. The place would go up, and there would be nothing left.
I pitied those workers that came to work in the morning to find only a crater left behind. I had to believe that they would rebuild or, at least, find temporary accommodations for the blood bank. There were always contingency plans in place for any type of emergency.
I flew down the hallway, not bothering to duck from the windows. The most that they might see was a blur of motion, and they would contribute that to a trick of the light. I noticed out of my peripheral vision that there were guards at every entrance and exit.
“I think that I might have to put a bell around your neck. We have a problem. We’re not exactly alone. Outside the window is one of the guards. He’s smoking a cigarette, but there’s no way that we can go out that window without being discovered.” I hung off the windowsill, looking down and seeing this man puffing some kind of nicotine substance that was most likely going to kill him slowly. That toxic chemical was worse than any disease and why anybody wanted to poison themselves was beyond me.
“We don’t have time for this. We can’t possibly get by him without attracting more attention than what it’s worth. We can wait, until the last minute, but then I’m going to have to do something unpleasant.” I was whispering my words with the window open and that fresh air reminding me that life was more important than death. I really didn’t have time to think about it. I had my watch set for when the possible festivities were to begin.
“I would rather not kill anyone myself, but this might be what you would call acceptable collateral damage.” I didn’t like those words, and I’d heard those words too many times in the past. My commanding officers in any number of skirmishes had said the very same thing. It made me sick then, and it made me sick now. It was better than facing all of them at the same time.
There were less than 30 seconds to go, and that was only a subjective guess on my part. I took a deep breath, moved with that same blur until I grabbed onto this man’s shoulders and dragged him into the bathroom with us. His cigarette hadn’t even dropped to the ground from his mouth before his neck was snapped between my two hands. I couldn’t think of his family or the people that called him a friend. They were just going to have to mourn his loss, and life would go on.
I heard the blast. I knew that in a matter of moments that explosion would echo down the hallways. It would spread like wildfire coming in contact with other chemicals that would feed on it like locusts. I grabbed Derek’s hand and saw that his face had changed. We went through that window with the fire licking at our heels. I moved us behind the parked cars of those that had come to hunt us down.
There were screams, and then people rushing towards the fire. It never seemed to fail, and when there was a catastrophe, instead of taking cover, they would move towards the very thing that was threatening their lives. It made it easier for us to climb into one of the vehicles, turn the ignition and listen to the soft hum of the engine come to life. That very noise was masked by the explosion that was blowing out the windows one after the other. The flames were belching into the skies. We drove away slowly while they were most likely looking for those guys that were stationed at the exits.
I heard the cocking of a gun, and I glanced back to see that we had not taken everything into account. There was no way that we could have predicted that one man would be left behind at the vehicles. It was just dumb luck, and we had chosen the one vehicle that had this man hiding in the back ready to act on the behalf of the others. I was in no condition to leave my seat.
“I knew that I was right. I told them that somebody should stay with the vehicles, but they almost convinced me otherwise. I don’t want any trouble. As long as you keep your hands where I can see them, then we won’t have any.” He was waving the gun back and forth between us. “I want you to take a left at the next intersection and then the next
left after that. Don’t try anything funny, or I will have no choice, but to shoot the both of you.” I almost laughed, because bullets didn’t do anything to me, other than slow me down for a moment. I wasn’t sure if I could say the same thing for Derek. He was their primary target of choice.
“I don’t think it’s necessary to threaten us. You have the gun, and it’s not like we can take it from you or anything like that.” It was almost like a running joke. I was driving, but if Derek were in this seat instead of the passenger one, I could have dealt with this accordingly. Thinking quickly, I thought of one thing that might work. “You could just let us go, but I doubt that you are the type of man that is going to do that. You do know that Derek is wealthy and could probably pay you to look the other way. What exactly is the amount in your head that would make you betray the others? Don’t tell me that you don’t have a price, because everybody does.”
“My friend is right, and there is no amount of money that I can’t afford to give you. I’m thinking of maybe five million dollars. Do you suppose that would be enough for you to leave and never look back? That’s only my first offer. I’m more than happy to take a counter offer. I’m not married to that number.” I could see the indecision in his eyes, and this man was obviously more concerned about his own safety than getting the job done.
“If I were to agree, then how exactly would you be able to give me those funds? The bank is closed, and I’m not one of those that has an account that can be accessed on the Internet.” He was making it hard on himself, but at least, he was thinking about a way out. This business wasn’t for everyone, and I could see in his eyes that he wasn’t exactly happy with his chosen path. It was basically a battle between what he believed to be right and what he believed was good for him.
Chapter Thirteen
We arrived at our final destination, which of course was an abandoned junkyard. This was a good place to get rid of a couple of bodies and not have them show up, until the spring thaw. It would even be possible that we could be crushed in the same vehicle that we had arrived in. It was kind of ingenious but also frightening to think that he had the forethought to come up with something like this.
“I could arrange for an account to be made in your name with any kind of lump sum that comes to your mind. Think about it and if I were you, I would not be too greedy. These things tend to come around and slap you in the face. Trust me; I’ve been in the same position myself, and I know what it’s like to see dollar signs in your eyes. Five million is more than enough.” Derek was making this sound like a business transaction, and I suppose from his point of view it was. “I’m a man with a lot of resources. I can not only get you the kind of money that you can retire on, but I can get you out of the country. They may know that you were the traitor, but that doesn’t mean that they’re going to get their hands on you. I can have a jet or even a boat ready and fueled within minutes.” His gun wavered, and I wondered if maybe that meant that he thought that life wasn’t worth all of this hassle.
“I should call them and tell them that I have you, but I think that maybe you have made me an offer that I can’t refuse. Let’s start with a lump sum of seven million dollars. I like that number, and it makes it sound lucky in some way. Then we can move on to getting me out of the country in the most expedient way possible without being detected.” It was a risk to give him any kind of money, but I had a feeling that maybe Derek was one step ahead.
“If you think that you can take the money and then kill us, then I can assure you that the funds will not be released, until the next day. That way, I am assured that you won’t have a moment that you want to stab us both in the back. You can either kill us and get nothing or you can wait patiently, until the next day to retrieve your ill-gotten gains.” I had to admit that his way of thinking was better than mine. I was considered street smart and savvy, but his was more of the business intellect that came from knowing how to move around the boardroom.
“I understand, but believe me; I have no reason to go against a man to man offer like this. A man’s word is his bond, and that is one thing that I take very seriously. What exactly is your idea of getting me out of the country? I don’t want any paper trails, but I don’t see you being the type of guy that would want any yourself.” Now that the van had come to a stop, I could’ve easily taken that gun and stuck it in his mouth. I was actually looking forward to seeing the fear in his eyes, but that was the vampire and not the human side of my emotions.
Derek did most of the work on his phone. He called somebody and got them out of bed and made the arrangements for not only the account but also for a slow boat to Cuba. It would be on a fishing trawler. That seat was reserved for this man. There was no need for names.
“I think that you’ll see that everything is aboveboard. I have made sure that they will need to see us personally. I don’t like taking any chances, and you may be a man of your word, but I’ve been fooled in the past. It’s not gonna happen again. I hope that this satisfies everything that you have requested.” He motioned for us to start the vehicle and I had a feeling that those dollar signs in his eyes had given him food for thought.
We drove away, and the look of elation on his face came from knowing that good tropical drinks and beautiful ladies were in his future. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to take a few precautions of my own. I’m sure that you’ve lived around here long enough that you can help navigate us to the dock without going near any main roads.” Still with a gun in his hand, he reached out and played with the GPS unit. He punched in where we needed to go, and I saw several side roads that looked like they hadn’t been used in a while.
We were well away from Las Vegas. It would take us almost an hour to get back. I shouldn’t have taken us out this far, but I didn’t want to risk having my actions caught. The best way to do that was to find a place that was out of the way and this one fit the criteria to the letter.
“I do have to say something. You both work amazingly well together. This is the kind of partnership that I’ve always wanted to have. The people that I work for would stab me in the back without even thinking about it. We are only in it for the money, but the both of you have each other’s back. I hope that you never lose that. That kind of loyalty is rare and a commodity that is not easily found in the type of business that I do.” He didn’t have to say that, but it was sweet of him.
“The only thing we need from you is your silence. Take the money; retire someplace where you can literally hide in plain sight. You don’t have to stay in Cuba. From there, you can go anywhere in the world with the type of money you have. I’ve given you a new lease on life, and I hope to god you make the most of it. Don’t spend it all in one place. There will be no more where that came from. I don’t want you thinking of me, as your personal ATM.” I knew from personal experience that most people couldn’t be trusted. Humans were greedy and didn’t want to work a day in their lives. I’d seen the trend over the years. Each generation thought that they could be that next big thing. Those that didn’t succeed would look for the easy way out.
It wasn’t as if we trusted him, but unfortunately, these were the cards that we were dealt, and we’re going to have to play them. The only thing that was saving us from being backstabbed was that the money would not be released to him, until after a day had elapsed. We could’ve easily killed him, but that would have left his people to wonder what happened to him. They would most likely believe that he fell victim to some kind of foul play. They would unmistakably blame us, and they would have every right to do so.
“This is, as far as we take you. Remember that my generosity only goes so far and that you should not even attempt to contact me after this. The one thing that I don’t condone is greed, and you’ve already pushed the envelope by asking for seven million dollars. I already know that seven is a lucky number, but that still went beyond the five million that I initially offered you.” I think Derek wanted to make sure that nothing was going to come back to land on his doorstep. “Pe
ople tend to talk when they’re drinking. If you say anything, I will deny it, until the day that I die. There will be no paper trail that I gave you even one red cent, which should deter others from trying to do the same thing in the future.”
“We don’t know each other, and I get the feeling that you would like to keep it that way and that is perfectly fine by me. I’ve gotten what I want, and you’ve gotten what you want, and now we can go our separate ways without feeling any guilt. After all, your contribution to all of this was only money, although I do respect the fact that you found me a way out of the country. You didn’t have to do that and with that kind of money, I could probably take care of that myself. Take care of yourselves and trust that we’re not the only ones that are out there trying to collect the bounty.” He was about to get out when Derek grabbed him by the wrist and made him look him in the eye.
“I don’t know anything about any bounty. What exactly is this bounty and who is it that has the unmitigated gall to think that they can put a price on my head?” This was the first time that I had heard of any such thing myself. I could only assume that somebody was taking drastic steps to make sure that Derek didn’t breathe too much longer. “I want all the information that you have before you even step out of this vehicle.” Derek didn’t exactly sound happy about the fact that somebody was gunning for him. I think he always knew that there would be enemies, but for somebody to actually assign a price had made it a reality.
“I thought that you knew. The person that brings in your head gets a bonus of one million dollars. The initial sum for your capture is a half million. That could give somebody a payday of $1.5 million and believe me people would do a lot more for a lot less. If you don’t mind, I really do need to catch this boat. It won’t take them long to put the pieces together and then my life won’t be worth a plum nickel.” Derek reluctantly lets him go, and I had the force myself not to grab the man by his neck.