Thrills

by K. T. Tomb

  “Sorry, you have to wear that Rufus,” he said. “It’s for your own protection as well as ours.”

  “It’s all good, Romey,” he replied, using a childhood nickname that Romeo hated. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”

  “I need some more information about where our guys can find Kenneth,” Romeo said quietly. “None of our sources on the ground seem to know who the hell I’m talking about.”

  Rufus laughed and smiled to himself, shaking his head slightly. “You know, for a set of uppity federal agents, you guys can be real idiots at times, you know that, Romey?” he retorted.

  Romeo could just about imagine the look of outright scorn that must have been on Rufus’ face as he said that. He grit his teeth and smiled a little before responding as cordially as he could. He thought of the triumphant court proceedings in his future and the imminent promotion that would follow. He was looking forward to having his pick of all the vacancies available in the bureau. He would deserve that.

  “Why’s that, Rufus?”

  “If I already told you that the man is the Boss’ bookkeeper, you really think he’ll do business under his real name?”

  Romeo pondered the revelation for a moment and chose his reply very carefully.

  “I doubt that he would, Rufus. So, that’s why I need you to cut me some slack, bredrin,” Romeo said, being careful to add the term of endearment. He hoped that Rufus would keep relating to him as his countryman and just give up the goods.

  “You’re not going to find his name in the phone book or listed as a chartered accountant. He always operates under the name Ricardo Jackson. It’s the alias that the Boss gave him when he joined the posse eighteen years ago.”

  Romeo remained silent and waited. He knew that Rufus had more to say on the topic.

  “All of us went to the same school as kids. We played cricket and football in the streets. We all used to sit down on the same wall and smoke together; until it was time for high school. Me and Kenny went to Excelsior, but Moses’ father sent him to a private school. All of the politician’s kids went there. He got to know people.

  “When his dad was killed, Moses needed to bring some of his own people into the posse. The people he grew up with, the people he could trust. But he didn’t have a use for us if the authorities could track us down using the names of his friends from childhood, so he gave us new names, new identities. We got birth certificates, high school diplomas; the works. Right now, I don’t think even Kenny’s wife knows his real name.

  “Moses sent me to the States to lock things down here and he put Kenny through university and all the professional exams until he became chartered. Then he started dealing with all of the money for the Boss.”

  Romeo was intrigued. Perhaps growing up in sleepy Rosedale, New York hadn’t done anything to help keep him in touch with the inner workings of the underbelly of Jamaican society.

  He took out his phone and clicked on the GPS app. The van they traveled in had no windows, of course, and he hadn’t been paying attention to much other than his conversation with Rufus, so Romeo found that he had no idea how far they had gone. The little blue dot seemed to be proceeding at a steady pace. All Romeo could see was the darkened road ahead of them, which was briefly illuminated by the headlights of the van.

  Romeo was about to make some crass joke to Rufus to pass the time when the van suddenly jerked.

  “Everything alright up there?” Romeo asked the driver.

  “Just getting a bit bumpy. Nothing to worry about,” the driver replied.

  Then Romeo heard the tires pop. He saw the driver twist the wheel as he tried to gain control of the van. But it was too late. The momentum was too much and the van capsized. Romeo’s head smashed against the wall of the van. He tried to steady himself, but the van continued to move.

  He could hear Rufus grumbling in the back as he flipped around. The chains would keep him stationary, but he would probably be hanging upside down. Romeo tried to stand, but he collapsed back to the surface as the shock of bullets started pelting the side of the van.

  He couldn’t tell how many there were but by the sounds of it, there were plenty. The van was armored, so they’d be protected for at least a minute. Romeo leaned over and tried to get a look at the driver. He was bleeding from the base of his skull. Romeo didn’t need to check his pulse to see that the man was dead.

  “What’s goin’ on out there?” Rufus asked.

  His hood had fallen off of his head and he was looking around. The van was completely black except for the light reflecting off the ground from its headlights.

  “Don’t worry. We’ll get out of this.” Romeo just needed to think of something, anything. He’d lost his cell phone in the crash and he couldn’t see it. Bullets were still raging against the side of the armored van. Soon the glass would give way and they’d be screwed.

  Romeo drew his pistol and waited. When the glass shattered, he’d try and fire off a few shots, maybe take out some of the assailants.

  The glass finally broke and machine gun bullets soared through the center of the van. Romeo was thankful that they’d put Rufus on one of the edges of the van. He pressed himself as flat as he could against the opposite wall. The bullets kept ripping through things. Since they were striking inside the van, it was only a matter of time before one of them ricocheted and killed them.

  Silence fell; a thick and heavy silence. Romeo was sweating profusely. He could hear Rufus’ movement as he was looking around, but thankfully, he’d decided to keep his mouth shut.

  Romeo heard boots approaching. He held his pistol at the ready. They would go for the back door. It would take them some time to pry it open. That realization did nothing but give Romeo time to prepare for the inevitable.

  Finally, the door was opened; flung open, banging against the side of the van. The men wore black balaclavas and held assault rifles pointed in their direction. They mumbled something to each other in low voices. Romeo knew better than to try to make a move. He let them take his pistol and he extended his hands above his head.

  They undid Rufus’ chains and lowered him down from the bench. He remained quiet and Romeo was glad for that. The last thing he needed was a dead prisoner on his hands. At least this way, he’d have a chance at recovering him.

  That is… if he were left alive. The men carried Rufus out of the van and away from Romeo’s vision. He wondered what would happen next. More likely than not, they wouldn’t have any use for him. If that was the case, he hoped his end would be swift.

  Just as he thought, the men returned, but before Romeo could utter another thought in his brain or even react, darkness encased him.

  Chapter Three

  Beeping. That’s what Romeo heard as he tried to fight toward the thin veil of light penetrating through the darkness. His vision was blurry and there were people clamoring all around him. Yet all he could hear was that damned beeping. Where was it coming from?

  “Can you hear us?” someone asked. Their voice boomed and echoed in his head. He blinked his eyes heavily in an attempt to clear his vision. Romeo could see the blurry form of his unit leader begin to take shape.

  “What the hell happened?” Romeo gasped. His head ached and his body was extremely heavy. How long have I been out?

  “We were hoping you could answer that,” responded the unit leader. “We came looking for you when you didn’t check in. We tracked your cell phone and found you face down in the dirt.”

  The question made Romeo’s head throb. He rubbed his wired hand over his forehead hoping to find some sort of relief.

  “What about Rufus?” Romeo groaned.

  Robert sighed. “He’s gone.”

  “Any idea who took him, or why?” Romeo asked. In spite of the fact that he felt like a very large bear was sitting on him, he couldn’t hold off the sudden guilt of losing the asset. You’re an idiot, Romeo. You should have brought more backup.

  He had to fix it. He was responsible and he would fix it. Romeo tried to
sit up in the bed. Things weren’t working very well. He was extremely weak and his head throbbed even more.

  “You suffered a concussion,” one of the doctors said.

  “They want to keep you overnight for observation,” Robert said. “I have half a mind to let them.”

  Romeo shook his head. “You’re shitting me. I’m not doing anything like that.”

  The doctor and unit leader looked at each other.

  “I told you,” Robert said. He threw his hands up in the air. “You understand the risks you are taking, which I suppose aren’t any greater than the ones you already take,”

  The doctor sighed. “Fine. You’ll probably just try to leave anyway. We’ll discharge you with you a prescription.”

  Romeo nodded. “Fine.” The pills would probably help with his throbbing headache.

  Romeo started to get out of bed. He wasn’t thrilled about the pain and weakness, but he was happy to be on his feet again. Still dressed in the hospital gown he gave himself a once over in the full-length mirror on the bathroom door.

  “Where are my clothes?”

  The doctor moved aside and handed him a plastic bag.

  “We put everything in here.”

  “Your phone and badge are inside,” Robert said. “I have your gun. I’ll give it to you when you get changed. Take the stuff and go home. Get some rest, will you?”

  Romeo waved him off and grabbed the bag. He changed into his regular clothes in the bathroom, though he wasn’t winning any speed contests as he did. There were sore muscles accompanying the heavy pounding in his head. From what he could see in the mirror, he would probably have a pretty nasty bruise coming in on his head soon.

  When he came out of the bathroom, Robert handed him the pistol.

  “Thanks,” he said, putting it in its holster. He took the bag with the rest of his stuff and limped outside. He called a cab with his phone—which was nearly dead—and then ordered some Pizza delivery to meet him at home. He was in no condition to be cooking, but he was half starved. Gotta take care of the important things.

  When Romeo got home, he showered and changed into some fresh clothes. He could already see the bruises forming on his chest. He touched them carefully, wincing each time. He sighed, still disappointed with himself.

  Romeo moved into the kitchen and grabbed a beer from the fridge. Before he could pop the cap, the doorbell rang. His food had arrived. Over a beer and some pizza, Romeo replayed the recording he made of his talk with Rufus. He made some notes, trying to figure out if there was anything there; anything that could give him a lead on who took Rufus and why.

  But the more he went over it, the more he was convinced there was nothing. He was tired and his eyes burned. He couldn’t really focus. He thought about getting rest, but the doorbell suddenly rang again.

  He cursed under his breath and wandered over. Who could it be now? Romeo opened the door and was surprised to see Consuela standing there. She was gorgeous—as always—with light brown skin and an hourglass shape that Romeo loved putting his hands around. Her black hair was tied behind her head, revealing her big blue eyes and tiny nose. Her lips were thin and smiling.

  “Hey there, special agent,” she said sweetly. She carried a bag of takeout in her hands.

  Romeo swallowed and took in a deep breath. It wasn’t the bag of takeout which caused that response.

  “What are you doing here?”

  Her facade fell immediately, revealing a somewhat annoyed interior.

  “You aren’t happy to see me?”

  “Well, it has been a while,” Romeo complained. “The last time I saw you, you were busy trying to key my car.”

  She blushed and tried smiling again.

  “I know. I’m sorry. I just overreacted. I get a little jealous sometimes.”

  That was an understatement, Romeo thought. But he wouldn’t mind the company. He moved aside and let Consuela in. She swaggered through the doorway, her hips swaying dramatically from side to side. Romeo couldn’t help but be mesmerized.

  He closed the door and followed her into the kitchen. She’d already set the bag down.

  “You ate already?” Consuela said, looking disappointed.

  Romeo shrugged.

  “I didn’t know you were coming.” He wiped his eyes. “Speaking of which, how did you know what happened?”

  She smiled and walked over to him.

  “I’m still your emergency contact, baby,” she reminded him as she kissed him on the cheek. “I tried going to the hospital, but there were a lot of agents there. So I waited a few hours and thought I’d check here. Lucky me!”

  Her breath was warm and smelled sweet. In fact, all of her smelled sweet. She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned in for a full kiss. In spite of the protests of the bruises, Romeo didn’t stop her.

  “Well, you’ll be hungry again soon enough. That’s for sure.”

  “You know me.”

  “Why don’t you let me take care of you tonight?” Consuela said.

  Romeo grinned. As eager as he’d been to get out of the hospital, it was next to impossible to turn down an offer like that. Besides, he’d had a rough day and she was probably the perfect antidote. He let her lead him into the bedroom.

  She pushed him onto the bed and he winced a little bit from his bruises, but he was enjoying himself just the same. She carefully removed his clothing and then undid her own. Then Consuela did what she did best as she climbed on top of him and began the process of taking them both to a very different and much more enjoyable place. Romeo had forgotten all about his problems with the recording and Rufus’ disappearance for the next several hours as Consuela worked her magic.

  When he awakened, Consuela was gone. Her clothes had been picked up off the floor, but his were still there. He called for her but didn’t get any response. He sighed and sat up on the bed. He guessed that she’d gotten her fill. He moved off of the bed in order to go relieve his bladder feeling a little more refreshed than he had when he’d come home the night before, but still feeling some stiffness. Another shower was in order, but he was hungry. He pulled on the nearest pants he could find and headed into the kitchen.

  Thankfully, Consuela had put the takeout in the fridge before she left. He didn’t bother thinking about why she’d left or when she’d be back. She would be, eventually, but Romeo never really knew when. He’d gotten used to her coming and going.

  Romeo took one of the containers out and looked inside. It was Italian. Perfect. He heated it up and ate it out of the container. As he did so, he went over to the table where his notes were laid out.

  With a forkful of pasta in his mouth, he looked them over. His eyes scanned names, places, important phrases which Rufus had uttered. His head was clear now and he was beginning to see the connections which hadn’t made sense before. Then he saw something that made him pause in the middle of a bite.

  He dropped the food on the table and ran to look for his phone. He found it connected to his computer, charging. He pulled the cord out quickly and called Robert.

  “Romeo, didn’t I tell you to get some rest?” Robert groused.

  Romeo ignored him.

  “I need the number for the unit currently attached to the embassy in Kingston.”

  “Why would I do that?” Robert asked.

  Again, Romeo ignored him. He decided to take another route.

  “Call them and tell them they need to put Ricardo Jackson’s entire family into protection. There is no Kenneth Colton.”

  Romeo heard Robert take in a sharp breath.

  “Are you sure?”

  He nodded subconsciously.

  “I recorded my conversation with Rufus in the van. It’s all here.”

  “I’ll get right on it.” Robert hung up.

  Forgetting the Italian feast he had just started to dig into, he went to get dressed.

  ***

  A phone rang. The Boss, curious as to who could be calling him, answered. “Hello?”

>   “It’s done,” said the voice on the phone. “The FBI connection has worked out for us.”

  “Has it now?” asked the Boss.

  “Yes. We’ve been able to retrieve our lieutenant. He’s on the way to the safe house now.”

  The Boss scratched his chin and nodded, satisfied.

  “Perfect. Keep a set of eyes on him at all times. He’s been on the other side of the fence for too long; he may have already started to weigh his options, especially if he knows what’s been happening down here on the island. Be sure that I am kept updated as well.”

  ***

  Lasco closed the door to Kenneth’s office behind them. The suitcase Lasco carried contained the money that Marcus Brown had requested. He kept it close to him as he met JJ who was waiting outside and they headed down the sidewalk.

  Minutes later, Kenneth exited his office. He turned the keys in the lock and tugged on the doorknob. When he was satisfied that he’d securely locked the doors, he put his keys in his pocket and walked down the steps onto the sidewalk. His briefcase hung in his left hand, bouncing against his leg as he walked.

  He felt his cell phone vibrating in his pocket, pulled it out and answered it.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, honey,” said Dawn, his wife. Kenneth smiled, she always knew when he was leaving work. He loved that about her.

  “How are you?” he asked.

  “Great! I hope you had a good day at work,” she said.

  Kenneth shrugged to himself.

  “It wasn’t too bad.”

  “Wonderful!” Dawn said. “Listen hon, I put in an order at Chang’s bakery and I was wondering if you would be a sweetheart and pick it up for me on your way home?”

  Kenneth raised an eyebrow.

  “Oh, really. Chang’s, huh? What did you order for me?” He smiled to himself.

  “Who said it was for you?” Dawn said, in a teasing voice.

  “Well, why wouldn’t it be?” Kenneth returned.

  “If you’re nice, maybe I’ll share.”