Enforcer

by Black, Selena

  Matt looked towards him. The thought popped into his mind and he let it out before he could stop himself.

  “How’s the head?”

  An irritated expression flashed across Lincoln’s face, but he ignored the comment to get his phone out and dialed a number.

  “Bring the cars to Room 26,” he said and ended the call.

  Matt looked around desperately for a way out, but could see none. He was facing two armed men, with more on the way and the situation seemed utterly hopeless.

  “There’s no fucking ashtray to save you now, is there Harris?” Lincoln said.

  His voice was suddenly composed and that concerned Matt more than if the other man had been angry. The order to bring cars around probably meant that nothing was going to happen to them at the motel, but he was certain he wouldn’t like what was waiting for them at the end of the journey they were about to take. There could only be one place they were going and it didn’t bode well.

  “An ashtray wouldn’t do me much good against two guns,” he said. “Unless you boys want to put the weapons down and make it a fairer fight.”

  “I think we’ll pass on that,” Lincoln said. “Get down on your knees and put your hands on your head.”

  “You’re kidding me, right?” Matt replied.

  “Do I look like I’m joking?”

  Matt could see Lincoln’s expression hardening as they stared at each other. He was in no position to argue with the order and did as he was told before the situation became even uglier than it already was. A glance towards Brigitte and Delores showed them clinging on to each other, with tear-stained cheeks revealing their obvious distress at what was taking place.

  “Let them go,” he said when he looked at Lincoln. “They have nothing to do with this. It’s between me, you and him.”

  “You don’t…,” Brett started.

  “Shut up, Collins.” Lincoln snapped then returned his attention to Matt as he walked closer. “I can’t do that,” he went on. “One of them might get the idea of going to the police and we don’t want them involved, do we?”

  “They won’t,” Matt said, but saw the look of derision on the other man’s face and knew he was wasting his breath.

  There was silence in the room for a few seconds as they stared at each other and it was Lincoln that ended it.

  “How are the stab wounds?” he said and smirked as he moved closer.

  “Probably not as sore as your head,” Matt shot back.

  The jibe made the smirk slide from Lincoln’s face and his voice was menacing when he spoke.

  “I’m going to make sure you hurt. If it wasn’t for the fact that Eddie wants to talk, you’d already be suffering more than you could cope with.”

  “Lucky me,” Matt said under his breath, but Lincoln’s comment confirmed where they were about to be taken.

  It was a bad sign and he wondered if he would see out the day alive. He was more concerned about the two girls though. They didn’t deserve to be part of what was happening, but he couldn’t see a way of getting them free. The sound of cars coming to a stop on the access road outside the room was heard and Brett moved across to the window to take a look.

  “Two black sedans,” he said.

  “I think our taxis have arrived,” Lincoln replied. “It’s time to go.”

  Matt started to get up, but stopped when the muzzle of a gun touched on his head.

  “Who told you to move?” Lincoln said in a harsh tone. “You stay down there like a good boy.”

  “Do you expect me to walk to the car on my knees?” Matt replied.

  “No,” Lincoln went on. “The boys will help you out to the vehicle.”

  “I don’t need any…”

  Matt’s words came to an end as the pistol pulled away from his head then crashed across the back of his skull. The explosion of pain was instant and he let out a dazed grunt as he toppled forward to land on the floor. Lincoln moved position to look down at him then leaned closer.

  “How’s the head,” he mocked.

  “Fuck you,” Matt got out in gasping voice.

  The room swam before his eyes, but he still saw the boot coming towards his face. There was no getting out of its way and all he could manage was to turn his head slightly. The pain intensified when the kick connected with his cheek and the last thing he heard was Brigitte calling his name before the blackness closed over him.

  Chapter 21

  The pounding agony in his head was all Matt could think about when he started to come around and he kept his eyes shut as he tried to cope with it. He knew what the coppery taste in his mouth was and flicking out his tongue to lick around his mouth showed him the reason for it. He wondered if the bleeding split in his lip was from the first kick to his face or whether Lincoln took another shot while he was out cold. It was all he could do to catch a breath now and he waited a few minutes before even trying to determine his surroundings.

  The feeling of movement let him know he was in a car before he even opened his eyes, so he guessed the journey to Eddie’s place wasn’t over yet. He could make out the slight bumps and movements as the vehicle sped along at high speed and that probably meant they were still on the highway heading into town. It made him wonder how long he’d been out for, but there was no way of telling. He wanted to look at his watch, but quickly realized he couldn’t do it because his hands were tied behind his back. The men he was with were obviously taking no chances with him.

  When he opened his eyes, he saw he was lying on the rear seat of a vehicle and that he was alone on it. He remembered Brett saying that two black sedans arrived at the room of the motel. That likely meant he’d been separated from the others, who were being transported in the second car. He wanted to sit up and get a look around, but having his hands tied made that awkward to do. The pain would explode in his head if he moved anyway, so he decided to close his eyes and remain where he was for a few more minutes. He finally let out a long breath then gritted his teeth as he tried to push himself up and it caught the attention of the man in the passenger seat.

  “It looks like sleeping beauty has finally woken up,” Lincoln said.

  Matt heard the laughter of the two men in the front seats, but remained quiet as he worked himself up to a sitting position. He waited for the pain to lessen before finding his voice.

  “Fuck you,” he let out under his breath, but it only brought out more laughter from the other men.

  He glanced out of the window, but the barren countryside they were passing through gave him no real clue as to exactly where they were. The rope chafed at his skin when he tested how tightly his wrists were secured. Whoever tied him up didn’t do the best of jobs because there was some slack although it wasn’t much. It still gave him hope that he could work his hands loose. He wasn’t going to manage it straight away, but suspected he could free himself from the bonds in time. That was probably in short supply though.

  When he brought his gaze inside the vehicle, he saw the gun being aimed at him. It brought home the perilous situation he was in and he silently cursed Brett Collins. He should never have gotten in the man’s car, but it was too late to worry about that and he forced himself to concentrate on the situation he now faced.

  “That bruise on your face looks sore,” Lincoln taunted. “You must have taken a nasty fall.”

  “A nasty boot to the face,” Matt replied.

  “Come on,” Lincoln said. “I did owe you one.”

  “Well, now that we’re even,” Matt replied. “If you’ll just stop the car for me, I’ll be on my way.”

  Lincoln let out a loud guffaw of laughter.

  “You can get out if you want,” he said. “But the car isn’t stopping.”

  Matt knew the central locking would stop him opening the door and there was also the small matter of his hands being lashed together behind his back. He was going nowhere and they both knew it. The ache in his cheekbone made it feel like it was on fire and he guessed his face wouldn’t be the pret
tiest of sights. That was the least of his worries and thoughts of Brigitte and Delores came to him. There was no sign of the other sedan in front of them, so he turned his head to get a glimpse behind and saw it was following. The blacked-out windows meant he couldn’t see anyone, but there was no doubt the two women and Brett were sitting inside it.

  “So, what now?” he asked when he faced the front again.

  “Relax and enjoy the view,” Lincoln said. “We’ll be at Eddie’s place soon and I’m pretty sure your enjoyment of the day will end around about then. He’s looking forward to seeing you and hearing why you decided to ignore his orders.”

  Matt bowed his head to look at his feet and said nothing. It was probably safe to assume that Brett spilled his guts already and told everything. That meant it was probably known that the reason the meeting went awry was because of Delores. It was confirmed in the very next comment.

  “I can’t believe you told Collins to run because of a woman,” Lincoln said and laughed. “What a dickhead. Now you’ve condemned yourself. You really are a dead man walking.”

  “That wasn’t the only reason,” Matt said. “Collins was pretty adamant that he wouldn’t go through with any deal.”

  “He seems to have changed his mind,” Lincoln replied.

  “Is he giving you everything Eddie wants?”

  Lincoln ignored the question but went on talking.

  “You should have just gone through with the job. I wouldn’t have let a woman get in the way of me doing it.”

  “Yeah, well, we’re not all scumbags like you,” Matt said.

  “Sticks and stones might break my bones,” Lincoln said in a sing-song tone, but a hard edge came over his voice as he went on. “But guns will fucking kill you.”

  He lifted his hand to aim the weapon he was holding and mimicked the sound of it firing, but Matt didn’t flinch.

  “Untie my hands and we’ll see who dies,” he said.

  “No thanks,” Lincoln replied. He turned to face the front and the rest of the words were thrown over his shoulder. “Sit quietly like a good boy and maybe I won’t make you suffer too much when the time comes.”

  The urge to move position and head butt the man in the passenger seat came over Matt, but he resisted the temptation. It might feel good to do, but would only end with him unconscious again. He needed to clear his head and stay alert. He also needed to work on the ropes around his wrists and couldn’t do that if he was out cold. Nothing else was said, but he could see the gaze of the driver coming to the rearview mirror to check on him every few seconds. He started to slide across the seat towards the window and the man in the passenger seat glanced back.

  “Sit still,” Lincoln said.

  “You told me to enjoy the view,” Matt replied.

  “Don’t be a fucking smart mouth, Harris,” Lincoln went on in a louder voice. “Just sit still.”

  Matt stopped moving and settled back in the seat. Leaning on his arms was uncomfortable, but there was little he could do about it. He tried to stretch his hands apart and the rope bit into his flesh. It was painful, but he kept doing it over the next few minutes and little by little, he managed to slacken his bonds. It was only enough that he could get some more movement with his wrists and there was no way he could free himself, but it gave him something to work with.

  He started trying to gently slide his forearms against each other, but surreptitiously kept his gaze on the man in the passenger seat and stopped if Lincoln glanced over his shoulder. It was painful work and he knew he would end up bleeding, but the lubrication might help.

  He occasionally glanced out of the window and eventually saw more buildings dotted around in the landscape they were passing through. It was a bad sign that they were approaching the outskirts of town and meant time was running out. The rope holding him captive was loosening, but he was nowhere near getting his hands free. When they started to pass through the suburbs, he knew he was going to be at the mercy of Eddie Millar soon and it was a sobering thought. Dying with his hands trussed behind his back wasn’t the way he imagined going out, but there was a danger that it might happen.

  “Nearly there,” Lincoln said and swiveled his head around.

  It stopped Matt from what he was doing and he stared out of the window to ignore the man gazing at him.

  “Nothing to say…, no smartass wisecracks,” Lincoln went on.

  “How about you shut up,” Matt said.

  “Pressure getting to you, Harris,” Lincoln said. “You’re used to being the man on top of things but not on this occasion. This time, you’re going to be begging for the pain to stop.”

  “Are you auditioning for Hollywood with this bullshit,” Matt let out and shook his head.

  “That’s more like it,” Lincoln sneered. “You carry on talking…., while you can.”

  Matt saw Lincoln face the front again and carried on trying to loosen the rope. He was making progress, but not nearly as fast as he wanted. The streets they were passing through started to become familiar and he knew he’d never be able to get loose before they reached their destination. The situation was becoming desperate, but he couldn’t use any more effort without revealing what he was doing. A grimace passed across his face when he caught sight of the ornate entrance to Eddie’s home. The driver slowed the car as they approached it and honked the horn. It was a signal for the guard inside to activate the mechanical rollers.

  “Home sweet home,” Lincoln said when the gate began to open.

  The driver waited for the gap to widen enough for the vehicle to pass through, then got them moving. Matt glanced over his shoulder and saw the second sedan following them inside. The gate was already closing when they came to a stop.

  “You wait here,” Lincoln said to the driver then got out.

  He moved to open the back door and Matt knew the gun pointing in at him was an invitation to get out. There was no avoiding it, so he slid across the seat and his upper arm was grabbed to help him exit the vehicle. He strained against the ropes when he was standing, but knew there wasn’t enough slack yet to let him drag one of his hands free. The gun was touched on his temple.

  “Nothing funny,” Lincoln said.

  “What the hell do you expect me to do?” Matt replied.

  “Move,” Lincoln said in a louder voice.

  He pulled the gun away and shoved his captive in the back to make him start walking. Matt glanced over his shoulder to see the others getting out of the second car. There really was nothing he could do and a sense of foreboding washed over him. That he was about to experience some more pain wasn’t in doubt and he could only hope that he survived the ordeal in Eddie’s office. It wasn’t as if the organization had a habit of killing people at what was essentially their headquarters, but there was no accounting for the temper of his ex-boss.

  The door of the property opened as they approached and he saw the man that greeted him on his last visit. Nothing was said on this occasion and he walked straight past him towards the staircase.

  “Stop,” Lincoln ordered.

  Matt did as he was told and they waited until the others caught up. His smile was tight when he met Brigitte’s gaze. Her tear-streaked face was testament to the fear she was experiencing and he wanted to comfort her. He knew there was nothing he could say or do however, and a glance at Delores showed that she was wearing the same expression. Both women were terrified and he silently cursed that he was unable to help them.

  “Gun,” Lincoln said when he stepped up to Brett.

  “I’m not giving you…”

  “I’m not fucking asking you,” Lincoln cut in severely and raised his arm to aim his weapon. “I’m telling you to hand it over.”

  Brett was all too aware of the other men around him taking aim and knew he was in no position to argue.

  “OK…, OK,” he conceded and made sure to move his hand slowly. “Nobody get an itchy trigger finger.”

  He reached in his pocket to get the gun and held it out. Lincoln
nodded towards the man that opened the door and it was him that took the firearm. Matt could see the irritated expression on Brett’s face and almost let out a laugh.

  “Did you think they would let you keep it?” he said.

  “Shut up, Harris,” Lincoln snapped. “And get moving.”

  Matt started walking and it was him that led the way up the stairs to the corridor on the first floor. The vain hope of some miracle happening to save them disappeared when he got to the office and stopped. They were about to meet a psychotic gangster boss and it didn’t bode well for any of them. Lincoln moved forward to open the door then made them walk inside.