Debt Collector - Vengeance (Book 2 of a Jack Winchester Organized Crime Action Thriller) (Jack Winchester Vigilante Justice Thriller Series)

by Jon Mills

  With that he put out his cigarette and lit up another using the car lighter. He must have gone through two packs a day as he literally smoked cigarettes back to back. It hadn’t exactly helped his smile either. His teeth were yellow.

  “Well, he better stay out of our way,” Danny said, tapping the steering wheel to the rhythm of the radio.

  “You not going to listen to him?” Rachael asked Danny. “You heard him. You have to get out by the end of this week. That’s within two days.”

  “Or what? He’s going to whack us?” He roared with laughter again.

  “Seemed serious to me,” Marko said.

  “Oh please. He might have caught us off guard last time, but the next time,” he leaned over and tapped the glove compartment. It dropped down to reveal a silver .45 Magnum. “He’s going to get his head blown off.”

  Jason couldn’t hold in his laughter.

  “Something funny?”

  “This guy took out four bikers and two of them had guns. You think you are going to kill him with that?”

  “Not me. You.”

  “What?” Jason stammered.

  “I’m not going do it. He’ll see me coming. But you, nah, he won’t know what has hit him,” Danny said.

  That was how he worked. He always got others to do his dirty work.

  “I’m not going to kill him, man.”

  “Really?”

  “No. Are you out of your fucking mind!”

  Danny slammed the brakes on. Everyone jerked forward. Inside that car you could have cut the air with a knife. Jason gulped. Danny leaned across, took the revolver and popped out the cylinder with a flick of the wrist. He emptied out the golden bullets into one hand then inserted one bullet. The car idled and Jason glanced over his shoulder at Rachael. She looked back at him. Danny spun the cylinder before flicking it back into place. He cocked the gun and lifted it up to Jason’s head.

  Jason’s mouth went dry, he could feel his pulse beginning to race.

  “Danny, stop messing around,” Rachael said.

  Jason could hear Marko in the back snickering to himself.

  “Danny.”

  “If I have to tell you one more time to shut up, Rachael, I swear I will put a bullet in you.” He paused. “Now Jason here wants to know if I’m out of my fucking mind. Well let’s see, shall we?”

  Jason squeezed his eyes tight. Click. The sound of the cylinder turning over was all it took. He flinched. Nothing had happened. He let out his breath in short bursts, not realizing he’d been holding his breath. He couldn’t believe it. He’d pulled the fucking trigger. Jason was literally shaking, unable to even form words.

  “Of course I’m out of my fucking mind.”

  He started laughing and tapped the revolver’s barrel on the side of Jason’s cheek before tossing it in the glove compartment.

  “Man, you should have seen your face.”

  Marko roared with laughter.

  With that he pulled away as though nothing had happened.

  6

  Two hours later Jack arrived at Dana’s. They planned to leave at eleven. As long as the traffic wasn’t busy they would arrive in the city at around nine that evening. He’d already told Eddie they wouldn’t be visiting until the following day. They were liable to be wiped out after the long drive and it would give him a chance to relax with Dana. She was busy filling the back of her truck with a couple of bags when he killed the engine.

  “Need a hand?” he asked.

  “No, I think I’ve got everything.”

  She wiped dirt from her hands and placed a bag of food and water in the front seat.

  “Did you see Jason on the way?”

  “No.” Jack frowned. “He’s not here?”

  “He said he had to see his girlfriend before he left.”

  “At least you managed to convince him.”

  “Barely.”

  Jack glanced at his watch. They still had another two hours before they would need to get on the road. He suggested they have a bite to eat, probably by then Jason would be back.

  The journey to Rachael’s place had been tense. She hadn’t said a word. Jason honestly thought she was as scared of her brother as much as anyone else. It wasn’t that Danny was physically threatening. He barely had enough meat on him to keep him alive. But you never quite knew what he was going to do. There was always this air of unpredictability surrounding him.

  Danny and Rachael Regan had moved to Rockland Cove two years ago with their father. The guy was never around. He was a traveling salesman so he spent only a few weeks a year at home. That’s how they managed to get away with so much. There was no one supervising them or giving them the heavy. Rachael was the same age as Jason. They attended the same school. Jason could never quite figure out what she saw in him. At times he wondered if Danny was behind it. She had done the rounds in school. Most guys looked at her as if she was a bit of a slut. Word had it that she had slept with nearly everyone on the football team. The strange thing was everyone she hooked up with usually ended up dealing or hooked on drugs. Either way they ended up making them money. It was almost like Danny was using her as bait in order to recruit.

  In many ways she didn’t look like a slut. She could have easily passed for a girl who was part of a chess club. However, she was extensively easy on the eyes and she definitely used her sexuality to lure in guys.

  “Why do you let him get away with that shit?”

  “What do you expect me to do? He’s always been like that.”

  “And your father? Is he like that?”

  Jason had yet to meet her father. Allan Regan. Apparently after their mother had died from cancer, he threw himself into his work. He was rarely home and when he was, Rachael would say that he just stared off into space, or drank until he passed out. It was better with him gone, at least that’s what she thought.

  She was messed up, but then so was Jason. Perhaps it was because both of them had lost a parent that they connected. Life wasn’t exactly as they portrayed it in the movies; happy families, big homes, everyone holding down great jobs. It had been one thing after the next for both of them. Before moving to Rockland Cove the two of them had lived in New York City.

  So when Danny had learned that was where Jason was heading for the weekend, he was ecstatic. Apparently one of his drug connections lived there. Usually they would receive shipments. Drugs came in the same way they used to when Jason’s father was involved — by boat. Nothing slowed it down. If one person couldn’t bring them, someone else took over.

  Problem was, there had been some drugs that had got lost in shipment. They had promised to send more to make up for the loss but they hadn’t. That’s where Jason came in. Danny wanted him to drop by his contact’s apartment in the city and do a pickup.

  “I don’t think I can do this. Your brother has clearly lost the plot. He wants me to be his drug mule and bring that shit back from the city, and kill Jack? Are you fucking kidding me?”

  “Listen, just pick up the drugs. I’ll talk him down on the whole killing. Don’t worry about it. I’ll make him see reason.”

  “You better, Rachael, as this is way over my head. I don’t mind selling a few blunts here and there at school. But I’m already selling shit that could get me put away for years. My mother has already found the paraphernalia.”

  “Oh yeah, what did she say?

  “What do you think? She went ape shit.”

  “So you want to back out?”

  He stared at her. There was something very disarming about her. Like he didn’t want to let her down. But he knew that wasn’t the truth. He just didn’t want to lose her. He had fallen for her hard. She had been the first long-term girl he’d had for quite some time. However, he kind of figured she wasn’t taking it as seriously as he was. He’d seen her eyeing up other guys. He wasn’t stupid. She was the kind of girl that needed the attention. She thrived on being the center of conversation. Why she got involved with him was anyone’s guess. He didn’t
exactly have connections with anyone in school.

  “There has got to be a better way to earn money without all the risk and danger involved in this.”

  Danny had started selling a year ago. At first it was just him getting weed. Rachael would then sell it at school. It didn’t take long for greed to get the better of him. Within a matter of months, he’d shifted into the hard stuff and made more money than most corporate employees do in a year. That’s when he made the decision to pay for a condo. But he was getting sloppy. His greed was starting to attract the cops. Numerous times they had shown up at condo 112 on Carlton Street. Somehow he always managed to talk his way out of it.

  After that he stopped paying for the apartment. He honestly thought he could pay Keith in drugs. But Keith was as clean as a whistle. And now he had Jack looking into things. That was a bad combination.

  “This is only going to end badly, and you know it,” Jason said.

  “You need to relax, Jason.”

  Rachael laid him back on the bed and begun undoing her shirt. That was her answer to everything. Have sex, get high, and repeat the whole process. But it wasn’t going to work this time. Selling weed was one thing but being asked to kill someone and bring back large amounts of drugs from the city was another. They were moving into dangerous territory.

  “Get off, Rachael.”

  She was straddling him at the time, forcing his hands onto her breasts. It was what she always did when he started asking her too many questions. Usually it worked but not this time.

  He pushed her back until she lost her balance and toppled over onto the floor.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” she said.

  “Listen, I like you. I really do. But things are getting out of control. Your brother is going to wind up in jail, and he’ll take us all down with him.”

  “No, you’re wrong. We’ve gone a year doing this. When the cops come around, he has it handled. Not once have they dinged him. They just think it’s kids having a good time. And really, that’s all it is.”

  She moved close again and placed her hand on his face, trying to lure him back into her web of lies and deceit. She had been doing it for so long, she had lost sight of what was manipulation.

  He loved her but in this moment he was prepared to walk away from it. He slapped her hand away. As he did she stumbled over one of Danny’s weights and fell on her ass. The look on her face said it all.

  She was up fast and he could see that was a bad idea. This whole thing; seeing her, getting involved with them, damn, he had been so stupid. Despite what his mother might have thought, or even Jack, the whole dealing drugs wasn’t something that he was keen on. It was a means to an end. A quick way to make enough money to pay his way through college. It beat working at the supermarket. With the hourly salary there he would have had to work for years to get enough to pay for even a year at college.

  “Danny,” she yelled.

  “Oh shit, c’mon, Rachael.”

  “Danny!”

  Danny burst into the room, his eyes looking wild.

  “What the fuck is going on here?”

  “Seems he thinks he can just walk away from all of this.”

  “Really?”

  Jason raised a hand. “Look, I didn’t say I’m walking away from it. It’s just this is not me. I’m not a killer, and I certainly don’t want to become a drug mule. I thought I could make a few bucks, but I’m no killer, Danny. I like the guy. He’s been good to us.”

  “Oh yeah?” he paused. “Marko!”

  Marko came into the room. Danny whispered something to him and he dashed out. Jason was starting to get nervous, his eyes scanned the room for some way out. There was no way out. He pushed forward and Danny knocked him back. Marko returned holding drug paraphernalia: a metal spoon, a syringe, a piece of cotton, and a rubber band.

  “What the fuck?” Jason stammered.

  “You think you can be privy to all of this. Have a little bit of my sister and then walk away?”

  “This is a joke, right?” Jason asked.

  Danny moved forward and Jason took a swing at him and knocked him on his ass. Marko was on top of Jason before he could react. He slammed his fist into Jason’s face, knocking him back against the wall. He continued pounding with his legs. Until Jason was barely conscious.

  “Stop,” Rachael said.

  “Rachael, I swear I will put you in the ground if you don’t shut up,” Danny said before wiping blood from the corner of his mouth and getting back to his feet. Before he said any more he slammed his foot twice into Jason’s gut.

  “You will do as I fucking say. You understand?”

  He followed up with a few more punches to the face.

  “I don’t want to get on that shit,” Jason said, spitting blood.

  He’d seen Danny do this several times with people who wanted to get out from selling. It was simple. He made them addicts. That way they had no other choice than to sell to feed their addiction. If they wanted to walk away, now they couldn’t.

  He’d seen them. It was like he was building an army of addicts. They would do anything to get that next hit. Good guys. Those who had a clean record. Guys who you would have never imagined would have ended up on drugs were now lost.

  Jason tried getting up and a final scuffle ensued as he tried to resist. Danny didn’t mess around. He hit Jason hard in the mouth several more times until he was flat on the floor.

  “Rachael” Jason mumbled. But she wasn’t paying any attention. In fact, she walked out. She was just as scared of Danny as he was.

  Marko stepped in. His big, overbearing shadow covered Jason. He began to heat up a chunk of rock on the spoon. Danny held his hand over Jason’s mouth while Marko rolled up Jason’s sleeve. A minute, maybe two and then he felt a pinprick. Within seconds he felt warmth flood his body. His eyes rolled back in his head and he succumbed to the effects of the heroin.

  It was closing in on eleven and there was still no sign of Jason. Dana had tried his phone several times but got no answer. He’d been gone for almost two hours.

  “You think he’s bailed?”

  “No. He seemed up for it.”

  She tried to reach Rachael on the phone number Jason had given her but didn’t receive a reply back.

  “You want me to go look for him?”

  “No. He should—”

  In that moment the sound of a car could be heard pulling into the driveway.

  “Ah, that’s him. All right. Let’s get going,” she said.

  When they came out, Jason was lying there on the gravel. Jack watched the red sports car peel away.

  “Jason?”

  He looked up as if he had just awoken from a long nap, except he hadn’t. His lip was bleeding and his face was red.

  “You okay?” Dana asked.

  “Yeah. Just tired.”

  Jack crouched down by him and held his face in his hands. His pupils were small. That’s when he slid up the sleeves on his arms.

  “Oh shit.”

  “What?” Dana replied.

  “He’s used.”

  Dana was at a loss for words. Jack went through his pockets and found some additional heroin. He stared off into the distance at the car that was nearly on the other side of the breakwater.

  “I’m gonna…”

  Dana grabbed his arm. “No, Jack. Leave it. I don’t want more trouble. Let’s just get him inside.

  An hour later Jason was beginning to feel better.

  “You want to tell me what happened?”

  Jason shook his head. His eyes dropped to the floor.

  “Did you purposely take this?”

  He said nothing.

  “What about the cut lip?” Dana asked.

  “I really don’t want to speak about it.”

  “And this?” Dana pointed to the chunks of heroin rocks laid out on a piece of paper. As soon as Jason saw it he looked away. A part of him wanted to say what had happened. But he knew it would only end in disaster. Jack w
ould fly off the handle and storm out of there. No doubt Danny would end up dead and then they would be back in the same boat as they were before.

  “How many times have you done this before?”

  He rubbed his eyes. “I haven’t.”

  “Are you lying?”

  “No, Mom.”

  “I can’t believe this. And after we talked this morning.”

  Jack came close to Dana and whispered in her ear. “Give me a moment with him. Get the rest of the things together and we’ll head out.”

  “But.”

  “Dana.”

  She bit down on her lower lip and then left. Jack waited until Dana was out of earshot.

  “Now you want to tell me what actually happened?”

  “No.”

  “They did this, didn’t they?”

  Jason’s eyes met his.

  “You know these kind of people don’t go away. They don’t learn, Jason. They only understand one thing.”

  “I don’t want a lecture from you, Jack. If we are going let’s just go.”

  Jason got up and left the room. Jack sat there quietly. For the most part Jack had avoided the drug scene growing up. He’d seen too many of his friends overdose. Of course, they all said they could handle it. They wouldn’t get addicted. How naïve. And then there was stealing to support their habit. If they didn’t overdose on the stuff, they were shot for stealing from suppliers. No, Jack stuck to bourbon. It was the better of two evils.

  He gave them a few minutes before he joined them outside. Dana was hugging Jason. She loved the kid. And if he was honest, he’d grown attached to him. A part of him wanted to go deal with the problem. That’s what he was used to. And this group had it coming to them. They weren’t going to leave that condo. He knew it. But right now, Dana and Jason needed a break. They needed this more than he did.

  They journey to the city was quiet. Jason slept most of the way. Dana took a turn driving while Jack checked in on Eddie. They arranged to see each other for breakfast the next day at nine.

  Their Hilton hotel was located in Brooklyn. It was about three miles from the Brooklyn Bridge. It was a tall brown building that stood out like a sore thumb. Jack circled around looking for a place to park. It felt good to be back in his stomping ground. Yet he was mindful not to linger long outside. As he searched for a space, all of them were taken. Even the handicap spots were filled. He finally found a spot near the back. He parked the Ford truck and they rolled in the luggage.