by Bill Craig
It really bothered her. Lisa headed out the door, planning to collect her car and go home for the night. However, that was not meant to be. Someone came out of the shadows and pressed a chemically saturated rag over her mouth and nose. In seconds, Lisa was out of it, and the car was driving away from the parking garage.
Jorge Campos had finally given up and told Harker who was the next link in the chain to Raoul Cervantes. Harker was headed back to Little Havana. He had a new name to check out. Tito Flores. He was, according to Campos, one of Raoul Cervantes most trusted lieutenants. If anyone knew exactly were Cervantes was at, it would be Flores. That was good enough for Harker.
“Raoul, you have displeased me,” Constantine Renko said, over his glass of wine. He took a puff from the Cuban cigar in his left hand. Raoul Cervantes sat across from him looking very uncomfortable. Two of Renko’s men stood behind him to make sure that he stayed put.
“What have I done, Mister Renko?” Cervantes asked, trying hard to keep his voice from shaking.
While Cervantes was known as a brutal man, he knew that he didn’t hold a candle to the Russian. Renko was ex-KGB and had established himself as the most feared member of the Russian mafia know as ‘Bratva’ in South Florida. Even Victor Maiteese in Tampa was not as fearsome as Renko.
“The DEA and ATF seized two of our large shipments that were sitting in Customs awaiting movement. From what I hear, you are having trouble with your help,” Renko smiled. It was like looking into the jaws of a great white shark just before they closed on you.
“An unfortunate occurrence. It happens from time to time,” Cervantes waved it off.
“Everything dealing with Costanza Enterprises was seized, Raoul. That cost me a substantial amount of money. Explain to me how this happened,” Renko quietly commanded.
“I only found out about the problem a couple of days ago. I had Costanza deal with it, but he made a fatal mistake,” Cervantes sighed.
“And that was?”
“The man he sent to deal with it had done something stupid. The girl that had uncovered evidence was on her way to see a private detective. A man known to me. Costanza’s man killed her on his doorstep, bringing attention to our activities.”
“And this private detective, why is he such a problem?”
“He is tenacious. Like a bulldog, he won’t let go of things. He will not rest until the dead girl has been avenged!”
“What are you doing about this detective?”
“I have my top hitter out on the streets to take care of him. AJ Harker is as good as dead.”
“He had better be, Raoul. Because if this continues to be a problem, I’ll have no choice but to cut you out of my business. Permanently. Do you understand my meaning?” Renko looked at him with the cold dead eyes of a shark.
“I understand, Mister Renko. It will be taken care of,” Cervantes said.
Renko gave a nod of his head and the two men let Cervantes rise from the chair and then they escorted him out of Renko’s presence. He puffed on his cigar and blew out a cloud of blue-gray smoke. He watched it swirl around. He would have this Harker checked out, for it seemed that Cervantes was almost more afraid of Harker than he was of Renko. That would be a bad mistake on Cervantes part.
Lisa Castela opened her eyes. Her head hurt. Wherever she was, it was dark. She blinked a couple of more times and tried to move. That was when she discovered that she was tied to a chair.
“You’re awake at last,” said a familiar voice. Lisa tried to turn her head to see who it was.
“Who are you?” she asked at last.
“Who I am is not as important as who you are, Miss Castela. You are AJ Harker’s girlfriend. I want AJ Harker. You seemed to be the best bait to draw him out to where I can kill him,” the man said, softly.
Lisa suppressed a shiver that raced down her spine at those words and answered, “You’re the man from his office. The one that was coming into the building as the elevator doors were closing,” Lisa shook, as the memory of his face came back to her.
“Yes, I am,” Eduardo Torres smiled, finally moving into her line of sight. He was immaculately dressed in a pearl gray suit over a white shirt. His hair was coiffed to perfection, and he looked like he had just stepped out of the pages of GQ. Except the eyes. They were dead and soulless. He had the eyes of a killer.
“Why are you doing this?” Lisa demanded, trying to buy time, but she wasn’t sure for what.
“Because AJ Harker has become a problem for my boss. A very large and noisy problem. My job is to quiet him down.”
“You think kidnapping me and holding me will stop him? You’re even crazier than I thought!” She shook her head in disbelief.
“Oh no, you see, I think it will make him act impulsively, recklessly even. That should make him easier to kill,” Torres smiled.
“I wouldn’t bet on that,” Lisa sighed. This idiot didn’t know what he was setting himself up for. She asked, “Do you work for Cervantes?”
“Why do you ask that?”
“Because that is what started this mess. Raoul Cervantes had an innocent girl murdered on Harker’s doorstep. Were you the one that made that mistake?”
“No. If it had been my job, she would have just vanished without a trace. But Costanza made the mistake of using hired muscle for that job. I took care of Mr. Costanza, so it won’t be a mistake that will be repeated,” Torres said.
“You just don’t understand. You’ve made a much bigger mistake by taking me,” Lisa looked into his eyes, hoping that he would see the truth in them and understand.
“You keep telling me that. Why is that?”
“Because now, Harker won’t quit coming after you until you are dead and bleeding out at his feet.”
Torres threw back his head and roared with laughter. It took a couple of minutes for him to run down. “I am not afraid of AJ Harker,” Torres told her.
“That was your first mistake,” Lisa said, soberly. Shaking his head, Torres walked away and out of her sight again. Moments later, she heard a door open and close, then lock. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She had to figure out how to get loose and warn Harker!
Harker was almost to the address for Tito Flores that Campos had given him when his cell phone rang. Harker used the Bluetooth in the Jeep to answer it.
“Hello?”
“AJ Harker. I am looking forward to meeting you,” announced a heavily accented voice.
“That’s all well and good, but who the fuck are you?” Harker asked, frowning.
“We met last night, but you got the better of me. That won’t happen again,” the man said.
“You have a name, asshole?”
“My name is Eduardo Torres, Harker. I am the man that is going to kill you.”
“You won’t be the first to try, probably won’t be the last either.”
“No, but I will be the first to succeed. You remember that I followed that woman into your office? She is now my prisoner.”
“Pal, you just signed your own death warrant,” Harker said, softly. There was no bluster in his voice, just cold and deadly menace.
“You talk big, Harker. But you don’t scare me,” Torres laughed.
“Then you are a lot dumber than you look. Let’s settle this. Where are you?” Harker asked.
“I will call you with directions later.”
“If you harm one hair on Lisa’s head, even dental records won’t be able to identify you, Torres.”
“Keep talking, Harker.” Torres broke the connection, laughing as he did so. Yet, a small part of him was wondering if he hadn’t just made a very big mistake.
AJ Harker beat his fist on the steering wheel. Eduardo Torres was going to die. That was a given. The question was when? It might be before he got Cervantes, it might be afterwards. But he was going to die. Harker would make damn certain of it. Because Eduardo Torres had broken the number one rule. He had kidnapped Lisa Castela. That was something that Harker could not let go of. Not any
more than he could let go of the fact of Emma Cain being murdered on his doorstep. He would make sure that Torres died a slow and very painful death!
Tina had gone to the hospital to be with her brother. Manny had come through the surgery okay and was recovering. She was sitting by his bed when he opened his eyes. He’d been in and out of consciousness since he had been admitted.
“Hey, kid,” he rasped.
“You want some ice chips?” Tina asked him.
“Did we get them all?” Manny asked.
“Yeah, I believe we did,” she told him.
“You be careful, Sis. And keep an eye on Harker. He may be in over his head in this one.”
“He usually is,” Tina smiled at him.
“He needs you, Tina. Even if he won’t admit it. I never should have stood in the way between you two,” Manny shook his head.
“Harker is an honorable man, Manny.”
“I know that, Sis. I always have.” Manny closed his eyes and Tina patted his hand. She knew that he had slipped away again. It still worried her though. She loved her brother, almost as much as she loved Harker. But her brother was here, and Harker was not.
Lisa Castela struggled against the duct tape that held her against the chair. She needed to free herself. Once she did, she could call Harker and let him know that she was safe. When he knew that, he would be able to go after Torres without abandon. She hated being a captive. She hated being used. If she got the opportunity, she would kill Torres herself. One way or another, she would free herself!
Raoul Cervantes was back in his office. He knew how lucky he was to have survived his interview with Renko. He felt that he was caught between a rock and a hard place, with Harker on one side and Renko on the other. He pulled out his cell phone and dialed Eduardo Torres.
“El Jefe, what can I do for you?” Torres answered.
“Is Harker dead?” Cervantes asked.
“Not yet. But he is on his way to find me,” Torres said.
“You had better hope so, Eduardo. If Harker lives, you will die. I promise you that,” Cervantes told him.
“Harker will die, El Jefe. I promise you that.”
“You had better be right, amigo.”
“I always am,” Eduardo said, with a smile. Torres had no idea how wrong that he actually was.
“Nobody can get past me, El Jefe,” Torres boasted.
“You had better be right,” Cervantes told him.
“I am,” Torres said.
Chapter Seventeen
Tina Mendez hated hospitals. She always had. There was just something about them that was too cold and sterile for her taste. Hospitals had always been where people went to die. And yet, here she had been sitting in one next to her brother’s bed for what seemed like days. Although, she knew it hadn’t been days, just many many hours.
Manny had come through surgery just fine, according to the doctor. A complicated procedure but successful. But he still was weaving in and out of consciousness. He was able to talk to her when he did wake up and hearing his voice was something that she desperately needed right now. She pulled out her cell phone and thought about dialing Harker. She couldn’t do it. He was out there on the street, looking to find the man responsible for the attack on their office and the men that had shot her brother. She couldn’t take him away from that.
“Tina?” It was barely above a whisper. She spun around. Manny was awake, looking at her.
“Hello again, my brother. How are you feeling? You keep falling asleep on me,” she told him, squeezing his arm.
“Ouch!” Manny groaned. “You’re hurting me!”
“Oh God, Manny, I’m sorry,” Tina said, as she let go and stood up, taking his hand instead.
“Did we get them all?” Manny asked.
“Honey, as I told you before, we got four, and I wounded another guy. Don’t you worry, Manny. I’ll protect you.”
“Hey, that’s my line. I’m the one that is supposed to protect you.”
“Not this time, my big brother. The department has guys outside your door. I’m going to go down to the cafeteria and get something to eat. I just had to make sure that you were okay first,” Tina told him.
“Go eat. I’m sleepy,” Manny told her, fading fast. Tina left the room with a heavy heart. Manny just had to be okay.
The door flew open, the latch shattering as AJ Harker kicked it open. He had his Ruger in his fist as he entered the building. One of Flores men spun to face him, and Harker fired, putting a .40 round into his chest. One down. Harker moved deeper into the kill zone. It was over in minutes. Tito Flores quickly gave up Raoul Cervantes. Harker left nobody alive when he left. He had an address for Raoul Cervantes at last.
Eduardo Torres stood, looking out at the evening lights as they began to come on. He had no doubt that Harker was going crazy, trying to find his woman. It was good. If Harker wasn’t thinking straight, if he was reckless, it would work to his advantage. The more he could shake Harker up, the better the odds in being able to kill the man. Raoul wanted him dead, once and for all. Torres wanted to make sure that he was able to make that happen!
Harker stopped by his home. It was time to turn the tables on Cervantes and on Torres. He could put pressure on them in ways that neither of them would be able to imagine. He gathered his gear and headed out.
After gearing up, he headed back to the Latin Quarter. Cervantes had several fronts there that he used for illegal gains. Harker meant to shut them all down. If he cut off Cervantes’ money, the son of a bitch would have no choice but to come out of hiding!
Sure, Harker knew that he was going to be treading on thin legal ice with what he had planned. But that was why he had Peter Algernon Bannister for a lawyer. Bannister was the best in Miami, and he owed Harker some favors. AJ had a feeling that once this was over, they would be square on the debts.
His first stop was at the Jaguar bar. It was still early. Harker went in, walking through the kitchen to the rooms at the back. He quickly took down the two guards and kicked open the door to the back room. Four guys were there, taking betting slips from pre-teen runners. Harker ordered the kids out. He tossed a gym bag onto the table.
“Fill it up,” Harker commanded, “All the cash on hand.”
“You know who you’re ripping off? Cervantes ain’t going to let this go,” the man said.
“Do I look like I fucking care? Cervantes isn’t long for this world. Now do what I said!”
Harker put a round right past the guy’s ear, so close that the man felt the heat from the bullet. He shut up and filled the bag. Harker pulled out a flare, scraped the cap to light it and tossed it onto the table. Betting slips burned up in a heartbeat, but by the time anybody got around to looking, Harker was gone.
Harker’s next stop was a whorehouse in Little Havana. He got all of the girls out and set the place on fire, adding a few improvised explosives to the mix to make a real mess. Then he disappeared into the city. The fire department was unable to put out the blaze before the entire house had burnt to the ground.
The afternoon paper led with the story about Lisa Castela’s kidnapping by a suspected Cuban drug lord. It also led the evening news on television. Lisa Castela’s face was everywhere anybody chose to look.
Raoul Cervantes was furious as news of more destruction of property and money came in. A large shipment of heroin had been torched in Little Havana. Cocaine had blown up in the Latin Quarter. One name was left behind at each scene. Harker. The message, ‘Let her go!’ It was left at each place. Cervantes dialed Torres number. Eduardo didn’t pick up. He looked at Santino Morales.
“Find Torres. Tell him to let the woman go. If he argues, kill him!”
“I will do what I can, El Jefe,” Morales replied.
“Eduardo brought this shitstorm down upon us. Kill him, and then turn the woman loose. Make sure that she reaches out to the media to let Harker know that she is safe,” Cervantes said.
“Si, Senor Cervantes!” Morales replied, turnin
g on his heel and walking out of the room. Raoul Cervantes frowned. He had no love for what was happening. Eduardo was acting stupid. That was something that he could not allow. He picked up a phone and dialed a special number.
Tina Mendez turned on the news. There were numerous stories about Raoul Cervantes’ businesses being destroyed, burnt down, robbed, and the list was growing. It appeared that war had been declared on the drug lord. So far, Harker’s name was straying out of the reports, but Tina and Manny both recognized his style. Tina grabbed her cell phone and dialed Harker’s number.
“What is it, angel? I’m kind of busy right now,” Harker answered.
“So, the news is telling me. So far, they don’t have your name. Is that how you want to keep it?” Tina asked him.
“Yes. Eduardo Torres took Lisa. I’m going to make it too hot for him to keep her or hurt her. I’d say Cervantes isn’t too happy with Torres right now,” Harker explained.
“I’d bet you’re right. They are going to keep Manny overnight, let him go home in the morning. Is there anything you need me to do to help?”
“Yeah, call Pete Bannister and have him on standby, just in case.”
“I’ll take care of it, boss!” Then Tina heard Harker hang up. She pulled Bannister’s number up from her contacts and hit call.
It was afternoon and the daily rainstorm had hit. Harker was sitting in a rental car looking at the building that Raoul Cervantes worked out of. It hadn’t taken him that long to find the place. It made him wonder why the feds and the Miami-Dade police hadn’t found out before now. The door opened, and a man stepped out. Santino Morales. Harker recognized him from back when he was a cop. He had busted Morales a few times.