Roman

by K. J. Dahlen

  “Come on, let’s collect Caulder and get off the streets before we tip them off that there’s something going on,” Jackal whispered.

  “I think we should be the ones to take care of Mrs. Harris,” Silas stated. “We can’t leave her fate to the court system. She’s slimy enough to slip under the radar and get off scot free.”

  “Oh, I don’t think she’ll get off scot free.” Pappy kept grinning. “We aren’t going to forget her role in all this. We have a rather unpleasant surprise waiting for her. Don’t you worry about that.” He paused then suddenly had an idea, turning to Silas he asked, “You wouldn’t know anything about a man named Rosco would you?”

  Silas grunted loudly, the sound breaking the silence surrounding them. “Yeah, I know the man, or should I say I know the scumbag. He’s a real lowlife.”

  “He wouldn’t be Russian by any chance would he?” Pappy questioned.

  “How did you know that?” Silas frowned.

  Pappy looked dumbfounded for a moment, then glanced at Jackal and back to Silas. “Would you happen to know where this man lives?”

  Silas nodded. “Yeah, we keep an eye on him. It’s better to know your enemy than be surprised by anything he does.”

  Pappy nodded. “Did you know that Benny was supposed to be his next victim? The night Frankie was shot, they were supposed to deliver him to the scumbag as you call him.”

  “The hell you say,” Silas swore.

  “I wish I were wrong.” Pappy shook his head. “Thankfully, he was able to escape.”

  “Now that’s a man who really needs killing.” Silas seethed. “Too bad, murder is against the law.”

  Pappy looked down at the ground for a moment. “Yeah, I know that feeling. I’ve run into a few of those people myself. But I also have a feeling he isn’t gonna be long for this world.”

  Silas frowned. “What makes you say that?”

  “Just an idea.” Pappy wouldn’t say any more than that. “So if a person was looking for him, where could they find him? You know if they were looking…”

  “He’s got a house down by Highland Perkins. It’s a big estate, set back off the street, surrounded by a massive wall, fifteen feet high. He’s even got armed men walking the top of the walls. Now tell me why does he need that? Why would any man need all that security?” Silas asked.

  “Why indeed?” Jackal stated as he stared at Pappy.

  “From what I hear, he came to this country about seven years ago after some kind of trouble back in Russia,” Silas informed them. “He and the Harris woman made friends very quickly, if you know what I mean. I’m not so sure that alliance is a very good one or not.”

  “It isn’t,” Pappy assured him.

  Jackal suddenly lifted his head as a message came across his headset. Then he turned and smiled at Pappy and Silas. “Get in place. Caulder is coming our way.”

  All three men stepped back into the shadows and waiting as footsteps echoed closer to where they were waiting.

  Roman stared out the window in his living room. Darkness had fallen, so he couldn’t see much beyond the glass of his window. But then he wasn’t so much staring outside as remembering the past. In another time and place, his memories were locked into a time when he was ten years old.

  Usually, this time in his life was something only his nightmares let him relive but now he was forcing himself to remember it. In his mind’s eye, he saw again, the cold dead eyes of the man who tried to steal his innocence from him. The man who hurt him in ways no child deserved to be hurt and the man who he almost killed because of it.

  Now he’d learned that same man was here not even a hundred miles away and he was still up to his old habits. This time, their meeting would end in a different sort of way, this time when he left the nightmares behind him, they would stay in his past.

  Roman sighed and hung his head. He knew before he could move forward, he had to admit to his brothers a little bit about his past and that was something, he hoped he never would have to tell them.

  “Are you ok?” came a soft voice from behind him.

  Roman turned and saw her standing there.

  Benny came up behind her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

  They both stood there waiting for him to say something.

  “I’m fine but we need to talk.” He motioned toward the sofa and waited until they sat down before he began, “I need to know some things about you two. How did you get here from Baton Rouge?”

  Stevie glanced quickly at Benny then faced Roman. “I had a friend bring us but it turns out, he wasn’t much of a friend. He brought us down river in a house boat, but before we got to the city, he dumped us in a row boat and left us there.”

  Roman nodded. “Do you happen to know why?”

  “He told me just before he hit me with the barrel of a gun he was bringing in contraband.” Stevie rolled her eyes. “He couldn’t be seen with anyone else on his boat when he made delivery.”

  “Do you know what he was bringing in or who he delivered it to?”

  “I assume it was drugs and he never said who it was for.”

  “Why do you think it was drugs?” Roman asked.

  “Because he was using again.” She shook her head. “When he wasn’t using that poison, he was a great friend but when he got that crap in his hands, he became a selfish little prick. That morning, he was the prick and if I ever see him again I’m gonna mess him up.”

  Roman shook his head. “That isn’t going to happen.”

  “Why did you say it that way?” Benny asked.

  “My security team found a houseboat floating on the river. There was an empty hold and a body that had been beaten to death. I have a feeling it was your friend.” Roman looked at them both. “I’m sorry.”

  Stevie grabbed her brother’s hand but didn’t cry. “Poor Marko. He never got it. He wasted his life for a dream that he could never reach.”

  “What do you mean?” Roman asked.

  “A man I met while living on the street taught me an important lesson years ago. He told me that every decision we make whether right or wrong, teaches us a lesson. That sometimes, fate will lend us a hand but most times those lessons make or break us and it’s up to us to decide which way we will turn.” She shrugged. “Marko never could see the bigger picture life had to offer. He was always living just for the moment and you can’t live that way for long. You have to have a future in mind cuz if you don’t, then the future will never happen.”

  “A smart man,” Roman agreed. “But sometimes, it’s hard to see a future when you have nothing to look forward to.”

  Stevie shook her head. “There is always something to look forward to. It doesn’t have to be anything but a dream but a dream is something. You get out of life what you put into it.”

  “Want to know what I looked forward to?” Benny asked quietly.

  “What is that?” Stevie asked.

  “I was looking forward to the time when we could be together,” Benny admitted. “Every day I was with the Harris’ I hated it. I knew one day, I would get away and the two of us would be together again, and that was my dream.”

  “Well, you’re together now.” Roman nodded. “And I’ll do whatever I have to, to keep you guys together.”

  “What are you going to do about Marko?” Stevie asked. “About what he brought here I mean?”

  Roman smiled slightly. “Yuri already has a lead on that. Leave it in his hands. He’ll use his connections, track down the problem, and take care of it.”

  “You guys can be dangerous can’t you?” Benny asked.

  “We can be to those who oppose us but never to the ones we care about,” Roman assured them both. “You don’t ever have to fear us.”

  “Do you have any idea what’s going on back home?” Benny asked. He glanced over at Stevie then looked back at Roman. “I’m a little worried about Caulder and his brothers finding out where we went.”

  Roman smiled. “I don’t think you’ll have to worr
y about Caulder or his brothers any longer. I have a feeling the people of Baton Rouge will be taking their streets back very soon.”

  “Is everyone all right?” Stevie worried.

  “I don’t know,” Roman admitted as he turned away from her. When he turned back, he noticed Benny signing his answer. “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about you not hearing my answer.”

  Benny shrugged. “No problem. She just doesn’t like to draw attention to it.”

  Stevie blushed when she realized he knew something that not everyone realized. She’d tried so hard to hide it but now, he knew her secret shame. Tilting her chin up, she faced him. “Yes, I have trouble hearing. That too, is thanks to Caulder Briggs. But I’ve learned how to read lips and I can still hear some out of my right ear. Benny and me learned to sign in our own way. It may not be the right way but we understand it, so for the most part, I don’t consider myself handicapped.”

  “Can I ask whether you and Benny have been in school at all?”

  Stevie scoffed as she shook her head. “Mrs. Harris told the state she’d homeschool her kids but she was too damn lazy to get up much before noon, so no, we never went to a proper school. What we did learn we learned on our own because we didn’t want to be stupid.”

  “Well, we’ll get Benny into a proper school once we get this thing settled. And you can take classes to get a proper education, if that’s what you want.” Roman shrugged. “Nikoli insisted we get an education as well, so I know what it’s like not to have one.”

  “Well, that will have to wait until we see what happens in Baton Rouge.” Stevie looked doubtful. “We can’t make any plans until that situation is over.”

  Roman stared at her for a moment then said, “It doesn’t matter what happens in Baton Rouge, you and Benny are here now.”

  Stevie just stared at him for a moment but didn’t say anything.

  For once, Benny didn’t say anything either, he just looked from one to the other and back again.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Caulder groaned and tried to open his eyes but his head hurt too much. He heard other people moan in the same room and frowned. For a moment, he didn’t know where the hell he was. He tried again to open his eyes and when he did, he was surprised to find himself laying on the floor.

  He wondered why his head hurt and why he was lying on the floor but when he tried to get up, he found he couldn’t. For some reason, his hands were tied behind his back. “What the fuck?” he called out. Struggling to free his hands, he looked around the room. He was in an old warehouse and he could smell and hear the river somewhere beyond the walls. He looked up toward the ceiling and could see the night sky through a huge hole in the roof. Frowning, he searched the room and saw most of his men there with him. Turning his head the other way, he saw his brother Tony not too far from where he was lying. “Tony,” he called out softly. “Are you awake?”

  “Yeah, what the fuck happened?” Tony turned around to find him.

  “Damned if I know.” Caulder shook his head as he still felt dazed. “Where the fuck are we?”

  “Don’t know that either,” Tony replied groggily. “Just woke up myself.”

  “Does anybody know where the hell we are and who took us?” Caulder called out.

  Suddenly, they all heard a door open somewhere in the warehouse. Heavy footsteps echoed through the room and everyone waited as the footsteps came toward them.

  When Caulder looked up, he saw a pair of boots stop close to his head. Gazing upward, he found himself looking into the face of Luca Perez. The Kings second in command.

  Luca did not look happy.

  “Luca, what the fuck is this all about?” Caulder demanded.

  “Now that’s funny coming from you Briggs,” Luca spat.

  More footsteps came closer and Caulder looked around the room.

  All along the walls, lined the rest of the Kings Crew. None of them looked very happy to be there.

  “What is going on here?” Caulder demanded.

  “Seems we got us a problem Caulder,” Luca began.

  “And what would that be?” Tony demanded.

  “Banger went missing two days ago,” Luca informed the group. “Would you know anything about that Briggs?”

  “Why would we know anything about where Banger is?” Caulder asked as he struggled with the ropes that bound his hands behind his back.

  “Well, the curious thing is someone came to us and told us he was witness to a shooting down by the docks. He told us that you and Banger were having a discussion about that harebrained idea you had again, about getting a cartel to run drugs and guns through here. Then he said you just plain shot Banger, rather than argue anymore.” Luca paused and rubbed his hand over his jaw as he looked around the room. “Now tell me that didn’t happen. Who knows I might even believe you.”

  “Of course, that didn’t happen,” Caulder lied through his teeth. “Banger told me several times he didn’t want to get mixed up with the cartel. I would never kill him over that.”

  Luca nodded. “Well, that’s a good thing to hear. But you see, this man was real insistent that that’s what he saw. And you know what? I believe him. Yes sir, I really do.”

  Caulder began to struggle but he couldn’t break free. When he stopped, he looked up at Luca again. “So why did you take us all hostage then? Why are we tied up in some old warehouse? Aren’t we all part of the same club?”

  “Well, I thought we were, but after what I learned, I might be mistaken about that.” Luca shrugged.

  “So what is this all about then?” Caulder asked.

  “Well, I didn’t really know if I should believe that witness or not. So many people lie right to your face anymore.” Luca shrugged again. “Then I found out more about the cartel deal and we found Banger or rather his body. Then everything fell into place.”

  Caulder frowned. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  More footsteps were heard coming closer.

  When Caulder and Tony shifted around to see who was coming, they saw three men join the rest of them. Two were dressed exceedingly well and the third was someone Caulder knew well. But he wasn’t looking so good at the moment. His face was bruised and bloody. His clothes were askew and like him, the other man’s hands were tied behind his back.

  “Who the fuck are you?” Caulder growled.

  One of the well-dressed men came over to where he laid and kicked him in the belly. “Watch your mouth puissant.” The man growled.

  Caulder hissed as he tried to catch his breath. “What the fuck is going on here?”

  The other man stepped forward and looked directly into Caulder’s face. “It has come to my attention that one of my underlings has been making deals behind my back regarding cartel business. My name is Cordell Innediaz. I run the Martinez Cartel.” He looked over his shoulder and motioned at the bound member of the trio. “My underling, Jose has confessed everything to me and I have to say I am disappointed in him.”

  Caulder glared at Jose. “Not as much as I am right now,” he mumbled under his breath.

  Cordell shook his head. “The cartel has certain rules we must all follow, as I’m sure your own organization does. When I received a call from an old friend the other night and I discovered a breach within my own ranks, I knew this had to be handled quickly. I also have to set an example so others think twice before they betray me.”

  “So what are you going to do?” Tony asked.

  Cordell moved away and the other man threw Jose down to the floor beside Caulder.

  Now Luca squatted down close to him. “You and your men are gonna burn tonight Caulder. You betrayed not only us but the cartel too. You killed a good man and you just lied straight to my face about it. Now, that to me, does not exactly make me trust you. But you know what? I didn’t trust you to begin with, so I guess it doesn’t really matter.”

  “You called me a murderer but what does this make you, you bastard?” Caulder called out as he watched Luca walk back to the
wall. “You’re going to kill over twenty men.”

  “Actually, I hate to inform you that your brother Frankie didn’t make it. He died of his injuries tonight. Your mother was inconsolable,” Jasper, another of the Kings Crew told him.

  “You fucking bastards!” Tony screamed and struggled with his bonds. “You murdering bloody bastards.”

  “Yeah, well at least we own it, we may not like it, but we own it.” Jasper sneered. “We didn’t stab anyone in the back and then lie about it.”

  “That doesn’t make it any less true,” Caulder remarked.

  “No it doesn’t,” Luca agreed. He didn’t look happy as he looked over at Cordell and nodded. “Let’s do this then.”

  Cordell looked at the man next to him. He then turned and walked out of the warehouse. Luca and his men followed while the other man went to the far corner of the room with a small red gas can. Pouring some of the liquid out on the floor, he went from one spot to another. Soon, he threw the gas can away and went back to the first spot. Lighting a match, he flipped it to the floor. Taking a couple of steps back, he lit another match and tossed it to the floor.

  Flames grew around the men laying there. They began struggling to get away from the flames but they couldn’t get far enough away. They began to scream as the flames licked closer.

  By the time the man got close enough to the door to escape, the flames had started to gobble up the room. He wasted no time in escaping the room. As he went out, he heard the crackle of the flames and the screams of the men burning alive.

  The man joined his boss, Cordell and the remaining balance of the Kings Crew. He turned and watched the warehouse as the flames engulfed it.

  Slowly, the crowd began melting into the shadows until only a few men were left standing there. Cordell was one of them. Nikoli Silvanic was another. Pappy, Luca and Jackal were there as well.

  Nikoli turned to Luca and handed him a small cloth bound bundle. “This is the gun that shot Banger. You’ll find Caulder’s fingerprints on the shells. It was wiped clean of any other prints but it was also the weapon used to shoot Frankie.”