by Johnny Asa
“Thank you for your patience,” the cop in the passenger seat, a fella named Doug, said as he turned around and stared at me with his baby blue peepers. I got the feeling they saw a lot more than they let on. “But you have to understand, the discussion we’re about to have is, well, not something for everyone’s ears.”
“Okay…” I said, letting the word trail off as we pulled into a parking spot beside the stairwell on the third floor.
“Come on out, and leave your phone in the backseat. If you have a watch, leave that too. I don’t want you recording us,” Cam said, throwing the sedan into park before tossing his own phone and radio on the seat. Beside him, Doug did the same, and the two of them stepped out of the vehicle to wait for me.
I sighed and dug my phone out of my pocket before tossing it on the seat. Then I pulled off my old dive watch and stared at it for a moment. It was a silver Grovana Men’s Diver Watch and had set me back about five hundred bucks when I’d purchased it. I wasn’t even sure why I’d wanted it, other than I felt like I should have a nice watch that could also withstand some water.
“You coming?” Cam asked, his drawl filling my ears as he watched me set the watch down on the seat and get out. “Because if you were under the illusion that my partner’s time is not valuable, I would have you know that is one-hundred-percent true.” He touched his chest with one finger. “My time, on the other hand, is quite valuable.”
“Sorry,” I said, shutting the door and moving toward them. “It’s been a long day.”
“S’okay,” Doug replied and began walking. “Let’s go.”
Not knowing what the hell was going on, I had no choice but to follow the two cops as we made our way up the stairs to the fifth floor of the six-level structure. They stopped in the stairwell in front of the battered metal door with a giant five spray painted on it.
“So here’s the deal,” Cam said, shoving his hands in his pockets. The movement caused his cheap suit jacket to open, revealing his Glock tucked away in its holster. “We know everything.”
“Everything?” I asked, raising an eyebrow and trying to play off the statement even though I was pretty sure I was about to go to jail forever.
“Yes,” Cam said, shooting me a knowing smile. “That’s why we’re here. We like what you’ve been doing.”
“Say again?” I said, taking a deep breath. It felt like I’d just been sucker punched, but not in a bad way. More like when you’re sitting in class, and some cute girl slides a note on your desk that says “I like you…”
“See, here’s the thing,” Doug said, edging close enough for me to smell the eggs he’d eaten for breakfast. “The top brass down at the precinct is crooked.” He held up a hand. “The DA, the mayor, anyone who matters or gets elected? They work for the Scorpions. That’s why when your house got shot up in broad daylight, no one came.”
As his explanation settled over me, I got angrier. I’d been going after these guys because I was trying to find my dad. I hadn’t realized just how much of a cancer the Scorpions had become. Worse, that cancer had been spreading, and no one, save my dad, had done a goddamned thing to stop it.
“No one can touch the Scorpions,” Cam added, sighing as the weight of years of injustice settled over him. “Until you came and went to town on their asses. Now we’ve got two leaders dead, and the ants are scrambling. Now is when it gets worse.” He wiped his brow. “Hopefully, it gets better after.”
“Worse?” I asked, confusion filling me. So they knew what I’d done, but I was still here. How was that possible? “What do you mean by worse?”
“There’s a Fed who has been in deep cover for years. He’s up there in the Scorpions now. We’ve never met him, but he dropped your name to us. Said they’d make a play for you.” Doug sighed. “That is something my partner and I do not want to see happen. It’s why we tailed you to Troy’s place, and believe me, if we did, they did too.”
A snake of panic slithered up from my gut at their words.
“Wait does that mean Mary Ann—”
“No.” He cut me off. “She’ll be fine. My friend is watching her. He’s clean as a whistle. You have some time. Not a lot, but some.”
“Why are they making a play for me?” I asked, thanking my lucky stars she was okay. If anything happened to her, it’d be one hundred percent my fault, and I’d have a hard time living with that. “I mean, more than the obvious.”
“You killed two big shots in the organization. They can’t let that stand or the locals might get uppity.” Cam cracked a smile at me. “The big boss wants to personally see you.” Cam drew a thumb across his throat. “This will be your one chance to take the head guy out. Do that, and the Scorpions will degenerate into infighting. The mayor and the DA will start burning them to keep their careers from going under. Everyone will be better for it.”
“I’m not interested in that,” I said, waving my hand and glancing back to the car. I wanted to call Mary Ann and make sure she was okay. Part of me was just glad she was on her way here. “I’m not some kind of action hero. I’m just trying to get my dad back.”
“Fortunately, our asset has a line on your dad. He says that as soon as you do this, he’ll turn over all his information to you.” Cam smiled, showing his teeth, and while it was supposed to be reassuring, it was anything but. “Now does that sound like a deal or does that sound like a deal?”
“Whoa,” I said, trying to keep the tears from filling my eyes as the lump in my throat got twice as large. “You mean he’s alive? My dad, I mean. Part of me had thought…”
“For now, but I got the impression that was subject to change,” Doug said, putting a hand on my shoulder, but I almost didn’t see it because I was suddenly so happy I could have screamed. Tears threatened to cloud my vision as I turned to look at the man.
“Thank you,” I whispered, swallowing hard. He was alive. Thank God. It meant I could still save him, that there was still time. Now, I needed to hurry more than ever.
“Don’t thank me. It won’t be long before said Head of Scorpions leaks your name to the police, pinpointing you as a homegrown terrorist. So, you need to finish this fast because once that happens, we really won’t be able to help you.” He shrugged. “You’re in too deep. This only ends one of two ways for you, now.”
I screwed up my face with my hands. On the one hand, my dad was alive. On the other, they’d really given me nothing I didn’t know. Worse, I had no way of knowing where this boss was, or how to get to him. Somehow I had to make all that work so I could take out the leader of the criminal organization that owned this entire city.
“How do you expect me to do that?” I asked, wiping my eyes with the back of one hand. “I don’t even know who runs the Scorpions.”
“We don’t either, but we do know his boat, the Hard Tide, is coming in tonight. There was supposed to be a meeting between the heads of the organization. It’s locked down tighter than a drum, but if you can get in there, you have a real shot at taking him and all his people out in one fell swoop.” Cam gave me a reassuring smile that did anything but. He was serious.
“So let me get this straight. You expect me to somehow get onto a boat filled with gang members and kill them all? By myself?” I asked, incredulous. “Because that sounds insane.”
“I didn’t say it would be easy,” Cam replied and threw his hands in the air in front of himself. “But what choice do you have.” He glanced at his wrist where his watch would have been and frowned. “I’m guessing you have, at most, six hours before we get the order to actually bring you in. Once that happens, you’re screwed.”
“Thanks for telling me,” I mumbled, casting my gaze skyward. It was insane, but I had to try. I hadn’t come down here to lie low. No, I’d come here to find my dad, and since finding Jimmy hadn’t worked out, it was time to focus on the Hard Tide.
“Sorry we can’t help more, but it wouldn’t be wise. We’d draw attention, and that would just wind up ruining your window of opportunity,”
Doug said, slapping me on the shoulder. “We’ll do our best to run interference, though.”
“Thanks,” I said, hoping that would be worth a damn but knowing it probably wouldn’t be. These guys had gone out on a limb just talking to me, and what’s worse, Troy would know it. That meant something, but I wasn’t sure how much.
Still, I wanted to find my dad, and if that meant I had to take down a drug cartel, then I was taking down a drug cartel. First things first though, I had to get back in the game, and that meant meeting up with Mary Ann and Ren to formulate a plan.
“You’re welcome,” the cops said in unison. They looked at each other for a second. An uneasy laughter broke out between them before fading into the emptiness of the stairwell.
“Good luck,” Cam said, holding his hand out to me.
“Thanks,” I said, shaking his hand. His grip was firm but not bone-crushingly strong.
“Now let’s get you your stuff back so you can get on your way.” Doug nodded down the stairs behind me. “Hope you didn’t mind the hike too much.”
22
“Well, that was interesting,” I said as I flopped down in the passenger seat of Mary Ann’s car and let out a slow breath. My dad was alive, and what’s more, I had a way to find him. That meant I would find him.
“Penny for your thoughts?” she asked as Cam and Doug left the parking lot, moving past our position without a backward glance.
“Turns out dad might actually be alive,” I told her.
Relief washed over her features. “That’s great! Did they know where he is?” she asked, excitement tingeing her words.
“You remember that boat Ren talked about?” I asked, pulling out my phone.
“The Hard Tide?” She chewed on her lips. “What about it?”
“Turns out the Scorpions’ head honcho is on the boat and is holding some kind of meeting. Seems there’s an undercover agent who knows about dad but won’t give me the info unless I do something about said meeting.”
“Do something?” she asked, one hand tightening around the wheel as she threw the car into reverse and backed out of the space. “What are you supposed to do?”
“What I’ve been doing, but bigger.” I sighed and stared at the ceiling of the car. “Can’t say those cats don’t deserve it.”
“That’s suicide, Billy.” She swallowed and looked over at me. “I think it is high time you called the police—”
“Those were the police, Mary Ann. They can’t help. This whole town is locked up tighter than a cookie jar at dinner time.” I rubbed my face with my hands. “I don’t think there’s another way.” As I spoke, I scrolled to Ren’s number in my phone and hit call.
“You don’t know that,” Mary Ann said as Ren answered.
“I do,” I said, glancing at the phone. “Hey, Ren, we just got a tip that the Hard Tide is supposed to be holding some kind of meeting. When’s it at, and how the hell do I get into it?”
“Midnight, and you don’t,” Ren replied, his voice distracted. “I’m looking at the invite right here…” He paused for a moment, and I heard keys tapping in the background. “Wait, that’s it.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, my heart lifting slightly. Had he found something that would let us sneak into the meeting?
“The invites are encrypted, but I can get past that.” He paused once more, and I could see him gesturing at the screen in his mind’s eye. “Sorry, I was pointing at the computer. Anyway, long story short, I can get you through the security if you can get out to the boat.”
“Explain in more detail?” I asked as Mary Ann gave me a look that let me know we’d have words when I hung up. Damn. I had hoped to avoid that.
“Basically the invite has a passcode that you can load onto an id card to identify yourself to security and open doors. I can crack it for you, but obviously, I can’t hack you onto a boat a couple miles out to sea if you catch my drift.” Ren sighed loudly. “If I was closer, I could do it. At least, I think I can. It will depend on if they have deactivated Jack’s code. If they’ve done that, you’re probably going to catch a few extra holes in the head, if you know what I mean.”
“Sounds like a fool proof plan if there ever was,” I muttered. “Let me know when you’re ready to try.”
“Will do,” he replied as I hung up. Mary Ann glared at me even though she was in traffic. I cringed.
“Please tell me you’re not going through with this,” she said, voice hard and angry.
“What do you mean?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at her, but if it bothered her, she didn’t show it. “Of course I’m going through with it. There’s no other way.”
“I heard Ren. That boat is out in the middle of the ocean. That means we need to sail to it.” She waved one hand to the left, indicating the darkening sky outside. “We can take your dad’s boat, but you can’t sail alone at night. For one that’s suicide, and for two, you haven’t sailed in how long?”
“Since mom died,” I said, swallowing hard as I shut my eyes, recalling the memory of my Dad and me spreading her ashes in the Channel Islands out in California. It’d been where my mom and dad had met forever and a half ago. She’d told him he needed a bigger boat, and he’d known on the spot he needed to marry her.
“Exactly, so you’ll need help, and if you recall, I used to be pretty good at the whole sailing thing.” I let her words rattle around in my head as we moved along the busy street. “And where are we going?”
“To the docks,” I said, hoping there wouldn’t be a welcome committee waiting for us there.
Assuming we got to the boat intact, she was right. I did need help. If the weather was at all bad, it’d be really hard for me to adjust the sails on dad’s Catalina 36 and steer by myself.
If the conditions were bad, sailing by yourself had a lot more luck to it than I cared to admit, and being that I was rusty and was going to infiltrate the Hard Tide at the end of it, the absolute last thing I wanted to do was get killed on the way. That’d save no one.
If I was being honest with myself, I’d realize I needed her with me. Only I was being pig-headed and wanting to keep her safe. Which was why I’d left her without a word so many years ago because, at the end of the day, I didn’t want her married to a soldier who might not come back.
This time was no different, and while I was willing to take an inordinate amount of risk myself, I needed her to come with me if I had any hope of pulling it off, if only just to keep the boat in a place where I could get back to it after the job was done. She had to come whether I liked it or not.
“Okay,” I whispered as we pulled in front of the docks. The police had long since cleared out, but they were still funneling people through the side entrance.
“Okay, what?” she asked, moving her car into line.
“Okay, you can come sailing with me,” I replied before gesturing at the line of cars. “You know, assuming we ever get inside.”
23
“Your friend is here,” Mary Ann called as I rummaged alone in the cabin of the Catalina 36, trying to make sure everything was situated correctly. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure. While I’d helped my dad get the boat ready, it’d been almost twenty years ago, and what’s more, most of his instruction hadn’t been explanatory. It’d been more, “Boy, grab that line,” or “Boy, turn that knob.”
“Okay,” I said, looking around one last time. It felt like I was forgetting something, but I wasn’t sure what. Unsatisfied, I climbed back out and found Mary Ann messing with the rigging on top of the boat. I wasn’t quite sure what she was checking because both the mainsail and the headsail were strapped down, and we wouldn’t be using either until we motored out of the harbor.
“Hey, help me with this stuff,” Ren called from the dock, and I swung my gaze toward him. He was standing there dressed in a sweatshirt and blue jeans and a fishing hat. His nose was covered by a smear of white zinc sunscreen as were the tops of his ears. Beside his feet was a backpack and another bag about the size of a la
rge suitcase. He looked me over warily and shifted his garment bag over one shoulder.
“So much stuff?” I asked, climbing up onto the side of the boat and stepping across the water to the staircase on the side of the dock. I took the three steps down and looked at all his stuff. “Do you really need all that?”
“Me? No. But you will.” He shot me a grin before shoving the garment bag into my hands. “That’s a suit. It should fit.”
“A suit?” I asked, raising an eyebrow as he grabbed his backpack in one hand and hoisted it onto one shoulder. Then he stepped past me and moved up the stairs.
“Yes, a suit,” he affirmed as he stared dubiously at the chasm between the boat and the dock. He stepped across it, one hand snaking out to grab the stainless steel pole next to the safety wires. He hoisted himself on board and hopped down into the cockpit of the boat.
“What do I need a suit for?” I asked, grabbing the bag he’d left on the dock.
It was heavy as all get out. Hoisting the strap onto my shoulder, I made my way to the boat and looked at him.
“For infiltrating the party?” He gestured at me as I tossed the bag onto the deck before stepping aboard myself. “You’ll stick out like a sore thumb like that.”
“Excellent point, but how the hell do you expect me to get there in any kind of shape to do that?” I grabbed onto the wooden handle attached to the boat to steady myself before stepping down inside. I dropped the garment bag on the bench before turning to grab the heavier bag.
“Hence the dry suit.” He pointed to the heavy bag as I lugged it onto the seat.
“You can’t be serious,” I muttered, glancing down at the bag. Then I very slowly unzipped it to find myself staring at a metal tank. No wonder the thing had been so damned heavy. Full tanks weighed something like thirty-five pounds on their own.
“Look, I know you hate scuba diving since we did it down in Peru that one time,” Ren said, flopping down on the seat and hauling a laptop out of his backpack. “But I figure it like this. Our best bet is for you to put on the suit and scuba your ass over to the boat. Then you can climb aboard, shed the gear, and be all done up in your suit.” He nodded like it was a great plan.