The Harvesters

by William J Manning

  ***

  It took little persuasion to get Lenny to roll on Radomir, especially when I told him Radomir is liquidating his black market organ racket to keep us from tying him to it, so to save his own hide, he gave us the name of the Admin Linsey Watford and the address was in Central Miami, at a dilapidated house. Lenny told us the homeowner bought the land kept the shit hole house.

  We’re at the suspect’s house, and we’re going in hot Lenny informed us Watford is armed to the teeth and wasn’t shy about gunning down cops.

  Another day, another dollar.

  Munroe arms herself with an M4 out of her trunk, and I take my Mossberg Cruiser. I rack the shotgun, putting a shell in the chamber. Munroe called in the CIRG team. FBI SWAT stacks up on the door armed with HK416s and tactical shotguns. The Agents bash the door in with a ram. “FBI!” They toss a flashbang into the room. A white flash and an explosion fill the living room. The agents storm into the house, with me and Munroe bringing up the rear.

  Death metal blasts on the loudspeakers, and an agent drops dead with a hole in his face. “Shots fired, shots fired!” One agent yells over the radio. I duck behind an oak cabinet, gripping my shotgun tighter. Munroe is hunkers down behind a tattered couch.

  That’s not much cover, but it’s better than being out in the open.

  “Mr. Linsey Watford, drop your weapon and surrender. Come on, you wanna go to jail or go to the morgue?” Munroe says.

  “I Linsey Watford do not recognize your laws. I am a free inhabitant. I own this land you and your imperialists Nazis are trespassing on it. Just like you did to the Native Americans.”

  For fuck’s sake, Sovereign citizen… I can’t stand these ass clowns.

  “Mr. Watford, you may not consider yourself a US citizen, but you broke the laws in the US by running a website for Radomir Volkov to lure people to their deaths and have their organs sold off.”

  “Get off my land!” I hear something clank down the hallway and roll down the tile floor. “Grenade! Get down!” the frag explodes, shrapnel obliterates the wooden furniture and peppering the walls and shattering the windows, filling the room full of smoke. Muzzle flashes pierce through the smoke. A round strikes an agent in the chest.

  Another agent is dead.

  “You assholes don’t get out of here. I’m gonna kill every last one of ya, Gestapo fucks.”

  Munroe pushes the button on her earpiece. “Waste the fucker! This asshole wants to go out in a body bag grant him his wish.”

  “Copy that.”

  SWAT lobs several flashbangs into the room. Bang, bang, bang. The feds storm down the corridor. Watford desperately fires a volley of bullets out into the hall, narrowly missing the agents. The agents rush into the room, muzzle flashes light up the room as the HKs let off several three-round bursts. “Suspect down,” the element leader calls out.

  “Copy that,” Munroe acknowledges.

  “We’d best get Forensics down here and hope the frag didn’t damage any critical evidence.”

  “One problem at a time, Devora.”

  I sit in my car and have a smoke while I wait on forensics and the Cybercrimes Division sweep for evidence. My hand trembles as I take a drag from my smoke.

  The adrenaline from gunfights gets me every time.

  Munroe exits the house and shakes the dust out of her hair and bits of glass. She strolls over to me, taking a sip of water.

  I blow smoke from my nose. “We weren’t supposed to kill him.”

  “Lobos, come on, that guy had enough weaponry to fend off an army. Are you seriously giving me shit?”

  “No, just saying what I wished had happened, but sometimes wishes are not granted. No judgement. You lost two agents and acted accordingly.”

  “Okay, you had me going for a bit.”

  I take a drag from my smoke and point at the house. “Something tells me we won’t need him alive once the computer geeks break into his laptop.”

  Munroe wipes her face. “You’re probably right.”

  “I need to inform Tanner.” I pull out my cell and dial him up.

  “What have you got for me, Lobos?”

  “The two Catfishers led us to the Admin of the dating sites. We raided his house, and it got messy. The suspect is dead, along with two agents.”

  “Shit, Lobos. Are you alright?”

  “Yeah. Situation spun out of control fast the bastard was laying down high volumes of fire and lobbing Frag grenades at us.”

  He sighs in frustration. “See if you can get Cybercrimes on his laptop.”

  “Way ahead of you, sir. How’s my family?”

  “They’re safe. We got a TAC team guarding their homes.”

  “Thanks, sir.”

  “Don’t mention. Keep me updated on your progress.” The call ends.

  A uniform officer rushes up to me. “Are you Special Agent Lobos?”

  I turn to him, furrowing my brow. “Yeah?”

  “A man over there says he’s got information that may help your case.” he points to a man in a Hawaiian shirt and aviator sunglasses with gold frames and clean-shaven.

  I take one last puff before I toss my smoke. “Okay, thanks, officer.”

  I stand up and head over to the man on the other side of the yellow tape. “You said you got information for… you!” I stare at him like a deer in the headlights when I realize it’s Santos.

  He has balls showing up at an active crime scene; I’ll give him that.

  “It’s been a long time, Cortana. Oh, wait, it’s Special Agent Devora Lobos, now isn’t it.”

  “I see you healed up nicely. The fact a doctor was able to wing you says you’re slipping.”

  “Yes, well, even professionals screw up from time to time.”

  “Like showing up here? I should arrest your ass right now.”

  He laughs. “Based on what? The vague description the neighbors gave? My blood at the scene? All they saw was a clean-shaven man bleeding and fleeing the scene. Gabriella’s lawyers will throw that out within a few hours and say I was defending myself. Who do you think courts will side with, hmm? A Doctor who cuts people up and sells their organs off on the black market or me, an innocent man who was just there to talk to him about homeowners’ insurance, or maybe I was his latest victim. Who escaped the clutches of a deranged psychopath?”

  “What the hell do you want, Santos?”

  “Gabriella sent me to congratulate you on destroying Radomir’s revenue stream on Black market trade. The favor you owed her is now paid.”

  “You tell your boss to stay away from Radomir. The Feds are moving in on him next.”

  “Devora, are you sure that’s wise? Gabriella said to leave Radomir to her. Come, chica. Don’t be a pain in the ass. Let this one go.”

  “Was she just using me to zero in on the Harvesters? Tell me the truth.”

  “Devora, Gabriella, and I kept you alive when we knew you were a Fed infiltrating the Vargas Cartel. The least you could do is simply repay us by getting out of our way. An easy debt to pay.”

  Gabriella has finally come to cash in that favor, and she’s sent my ex-lover/assassin to remind me of the debt I owe his boss.

  “You used me.”

  He scoffs. “Don’t play the girl scout with me, Devora. We’ve both seen how you enjoyed gunning down Vargas’s men. I saw the blood lust in your eyes.”

  Son of a bitch.

  My jaw tenses. “Radomir deserves to stand trial for all the shit he’s done.”

  He briefly stares skyward. “Stand trial? Do you hear yourself? That asshole will manipulate the courts and walk.”

  My ex-lover/assassin is spitting truth, but alas, that dreaded due process.

  “The only reason your boss wants Radomir gone is so she can set up her own empire.”

  “True. But she’s not the monster Radomir is.”

  “Lesser of two evils is still evil.”

  He stares at me with worry. “I’m saying this as your friend. Don’t get in her way. I don
’t want to kill you, Devi. Do yourself a favor; you shut down the Harvesters. Your job is done. Go home.” He kisses me on the cheek and heads back to his car and drives away.

  I thought my feelings for him had died, but they resurface right when I feel his warm, smooth lips on my cheek.

  “Go home, Mi amor.”

  “Who was that, Devora?”

  “Gabriella’s Sicario.”

  “And you let him walk?”

  “We’ve got nothing on him right now.”

  “Uh, the blood and the hair under Xander’s fingernails.”

  “Come on, you know Cartel lawyers will get that cleared as self-defense and using the fact the person he killed was one of the Harvester suspects. He could simply say the Harvesters targeted him, and he was defending himself.”

  “Ugh, damn it!”

  “So what else did he want?”

  “He wanted me to step aside and let Gabriella have Radomir because he believes she’s the lesser of two evils.”

  “Bullshit Radomir and Gabriella are just different sides of the same coin.”

  “You’re preaching to the choir, Sarah. How long before those geeks break the password on that laptop?”

  “It all depends on how well the Watford secured his laptop.”

  “Figured.”

  My cell rings, and it’s Greg. “Hey, Greg.”

  “I just can’t seem to get you out of my fucking life. I got cops sitting outside of my house, again.”

  “Greg, it’s for your protection. I pissed off the Mexican cartel, and they threatened to kill you if I didn’t work with them.”

  “Jesus Christ! I break up with you, and you’re still fucking with me.”

  “Greg, don’t be an ass. The cops are there as a precaution.”

  “Fine. Just finish whatever shit you’re doing and get the hell out of my life.” The phone clicks off.

  Munroe’s eyes widen. “Damn, who was that yelling at you?”

  “An old migraine.”

  “What was he on about?”

  “Doesn’t matter. C’mon, I’ll buy you a beer.”

  Gulf Bar and Grill

  We stopped in the bar across the street from Munroe’s hotel and ordered beers. The bar has a beautiful few of the beach and Miami’s neon skyscrapers. “Thanks for the beer, Devora.”

  I take a sip of my beer. “No problem.”

  She scoffs and shakes her head. “Boy, Devora. You have some luck landing big cases like this.”

  “This was all on my brother. May he rest in Peace.”

  “I’m sorry again about your brother.”

  “My brother turned out to be a piece of shit.” I take a gulp from the bottle. “But he didn’t deserve to go out like that. It’s funny I came down here to prove he didn’t kill a DEA agent, and then he kills one right in front of me.” I flag down the bartender and order a double of Scotch on the rocks. He places the glass in front of me. “But I guess there’s a reason I was drawn down here.” I take a sip of the drink and wince.

  “You mean like God or the universe was speaking to you?”

  “I don’t know about all that. It could’ve been karma for all the shit that I’ve done. Maybe I was meant to see my brother piss away his life.”

  “That’s a pretty jaded perspective.”

  “You gotta better perspective?”

  She takes a sip of her beer and exhales. “Well, you could put some kind of spiritual spin on what happened to him, or the more logical take is your brother’s life was headed in this direction, and you just so happened to be here to witness its peak. Your presence here had no bearing on the situation.”

  “Interesting. I’m going out for a smoke.”

  I step outside and gaze at the purple neon lights, giving the beach strip a tri-color glow. I light up my smoke and take a drag, exhaling smoke into the night sky—my cell rings, interrupting my peace and quiet.

  This thing never stops ringing.

  “Special Agent Lobos.”

  “Lobos, it’s Jerry.”

  “Jesus, man, where’ve you been? It’s like you fell off the face of the earth.”

  “I may as well have.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve been watching both the Gabriella and Radomir.”

  “Are you suicidal?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What do you have?”

  “You remember how I told you Gabriella and Radomir hate each other?”

  “Come on, Jerry out with it?”

  “Okay, okay. That hate must’ve died out because Gabriella is meeting with him extending an olive branch.”

  “Where are they meeting at?”

  “At this abandoned cabin out here in the Everglade’s swamp. I’ll text you the coordinates.”

  “On my way.”

  “Lobos.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Leave the damn troops at home, especially that FBI agent you’re running around with.”

  “Why? She’s on this case?”

  “I’m not on the best of terms with the IRS, and you’re the only fed I trust to not have my houseboat repossessed.”

  “How the hell have you dodged the IRS all these years? Wait, I don’t want to know. I decided I don’t care.”

  “With a bit of luck and putting the houseboat in my Ex Wife’s name.”

  I throw my smoke on the ground. “I said I don’t care, Jerry.”

  “Seriously, leave Ms. FBI at home.”

  “She’ll be annoyed, but she’ll get over it.”

  “Plus, you don’t want Munroe to hear what Gabriella is saying about your history with her.”

  “Fair enough.”

  He’s right; I can’t have Munroe know about my life living as Cortana killing people with Santos to not blow my cover. I’ve gotta handle this on my own. If this is my last ride, then so be it.

  Chapter 29

  Everglades National Park

  The Russians and Mexicans are gathered in a cabin. Gabriella is on the right side of the table, and Radomir is on the other. Their most trusted soldiers are behind them. Me and Jerry are hunkered down in the bushes and muck. I peer through the binoculars. Jerry hands me a pair of headsets attached to a smartphone. “I put listening devices all over the interior of the cabin.”

  “Good job.” I place the earbud into my ear.

  “How long do you plan on keeping this ridiculous war going, Mr. Volkov? You must know you can’t win?”

  The corner of his mouth curves up. “If you come here for peace, you’re off to a terrible start.”

  “I am not here for a peace treaty. I am here for business.”

  “I see, and what about these two feds who destroyed my harvesting operation?”

  “What about them?”

  He scoffs and shakes his head. “Let’s say we do become business partners. Do you seriously think these feds will stop with me?”

  “I have a failsafe put into place in case Devora becomes a wild card.”

  “What failsafe? Threaten to kill her family?”

  “Mr. Volkov, my friend. You lack imagination. Devora worked for me when she used to be undercover in the DEA. Also, she and my trusted Sicario Santos used to be very passionate with each other. On top of everything else, she used to help him kill Vargas’s people.”

  He glances at Santos and leans back in the chair, puffing a thick cigar. “Let me see if I understand this?” He points at Santos. “You expect me to trust the man who was putting his dick in Devora.”

  “Santos is as loyal as they come, Mr. Volkov.”

  “You know what I do to my men who crawl into bed with cops?”

  She cocks her head to the side and sighs. “No, but I have a feeling you are about to tell me.”

  “I kill the pig fucker and the pig they slept with. I don’t suffer pig fuckers in my ranks.”

  “Yes, and that’s what drew Devora and the DEA to you in the first place. Such brilliant tactics.” Her voice sarcastic. “You s
ee, an agent like Devora, you don’t bribe her or kill her family. You do either of those things; it will only chum the waters for her to come after you more aggressively.”

  He shrugs. “So what do you suggest we do then? Kill her?”

  “When Devora was Miami PD, she rescued twelve teenagers from a cult. She was awarded the Medal of Valor, the highest award a police officer can receive.”

  “Is there a point to you bragging on this pig whore?”

  She scowls at him. “My point is, you don’t kill her. Despite the sex tape scandal, she is still a hero in this city; you kill her, you make her a martyr for every cop and Fed in this city. You have to ruin her.” her voice growing annoyed. “However, we only play this card if we can’t deter her.”

  Goddamn it, they’re going to air my past out to the world. I guess she realized ruining me was the smarter play here. Damn it, if my past gets out, this case will be botched, and I may as well pack it up and go home.

  “This is your plan to get Devora off my back?”

  “Yes, if she doesn’t back off.”

  He shrugs. “You’ll have to excuse me if I’m not convinced this will deter her, and what if they just put a different Fed on me like that FBI Agent Munroe?”

  “Agent Munroe is not so squeaky clean either. She has tampered with evidence to convict a serial rapist. He was no doubt guilty, but she couldn’t prove it.”

  “Ms. Trevino, I will make you a deal. If you can deter these two bitches, then maybe you and I can be business partners, but until then, we remain at war.”

  “War?” She chuckles. “You call all this war. Listen to me; I am the reason your surgeons are dead, and with a little help from Devora, your harvester operation is decimated. So do not insult yourself by calling this war.”

  Anger stirs in his eyes. “You come here talking of business when you just admitted you destroyed my Harvester operation using that fucking fed!”

  “If we’re going to do business, we need to refine your organization.”

  He leaps from his chair, glowering at her. “You fucking bitch! I should order my men to cut you down.”

  She folds her hands in her lap. “You can if you like, but just remember my organization has enough people to kill yours twenty times over. The feds are after you, the local PD, and the Coast Guard are gunning for you.” She crosses her legs and leans toward him. “You wanna war with me go ahead, just keep in mind what I’ve done to you are just mere skirmishes.” She takes a sip from a bottle of water. “Believe me, Mr. Volkov, you haven’t seen a war out of me yet.”