CHAPTER FOUR
The door flung open. Mario stared at his mentor with large eyes.
Please, please don’t kill me.
Carlos was furious. His crew knew better than to come crying to him after dark.
When he first took over the Jiménez Cartel, he wanted to know about everything and anything that happened, every second of every day. He soon realized gang leadership had an unglamorous side: dealing with petty fights amongst gang members. A lot of it. After a year, he forbade crew members to contact him during night time.
“Um…”
“What, Mario!”
Mario held up his phone to Carlos, who squinted his eyes in disgust and stepped closer, lifting a hand to hit him.
“He refuses to talk to me!” Mario stepped back and covered his face with one arm, “Said it’s an emergency and it can’t wait.” He kept his arm in front of his face. Carlos plucked the phone from Mario’s hand, held it to his ear and let out a menacing sigh.
“The police arrested me today.”
“Congratulations.” Carlos turned to Mario and signaled that he should stay put. Mario nodded nervously. “What does it have to do with me?”
“I’m telling you to prove you can trust me. Should I have kept it from you?” Carlos kept silent. “I have it under control though, it had to do with an internal conflict, but they had nothing on me.”
“We meet tonight. You know where.”
“Carlos, I just told you they arrested me today.”
“And you said you have it under control.”
“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean the police won’t be watching me. You really want to take that chance?”
“Don’t you talk to me like that, man. Do you know who I am?”
“I meant no disrespect, Carlos. I just wanted to…”
“You wanted in, Federico!” Carlos angrily pointed in the air, “If I had known you were such a coward, I wouldn’t have even considered getting you onboard to distribute my precious product.”
“Coward?” Carlos heard Thompson chuckling on the other side, “Young man, watch your mouth. Do you know who I am? Besides, I thought it was Leo’s product. I’m not sure he’d appreciate you walking around telling everyone it’s yours.”
“Sure, you’re the idiot who got himself arrested, and I shouldn’t be wasting my time with you. Deal’s off.” Carlos hung up and threw the phone to Mario, who was still looking terrified. He continued standing around, shoveling one foot on the ground.
“What is it?”
“Well, uh…”
Carlos stormed to Mario and picked him off his feet, “Mario!” He lifted him up so he could look him in the eyes, “How many times do I have to tell you? Get some confidence!” He threw him to the ground.
Mario struggled to his feet.
“Um… No one else in New York is going to do it.” Mario held on to his shoulder, “They’re all too scared of Thompson Federico. We…” He cleared his throat and moved a few steps back, “I mean, you need him if you want to establish a solid distribution network in New York City.” Mario took a breath and prepared himself to get hit.
“That’s why you’re my man!” Carlos said in a loud, proud voice. Even so, he still sounded dangerous. “Give me your phone.” He held out his hand to a bewildered Mario.
Carlos pressed the redial button and stood with one hand in his trouser pocket, “Tonight. Make sure no one follows you.” He hung up again and handed the phone to Mario.
Thompson stared at the empty wooden display shelf against his living room wall. He thought about how Detective Jason Williams had confiscated his 1928 Tommy Gun, barely two days ago—about how he, the most feared gangster-boss in New York City, had been defeated. Humiliated.
On top of that, his daughter—his best kept secret—had been taken.
“Detective Williams.”
“Where the hell is my daughter? What did you do to her?”
“Calm down before you get a heart attack, little man.”
“How dare…”
“I just took precautions to make sure you keep your end of the bargain. It’s like, um, what do you thugs call it? Insurance.”
A pause followed.
“Do your part, and Emma will be safe.”
He’d hoped telling Carlos about the arrest would end their relationship. When Carlos hung up on him, he was so relieved that he ordered one of his boys to bring him an expensive bottle of champagne from the cellar. The man had barely returned when Thompson’s phone buzzed again.
He had no choice after that call—he had to give something to Jason. Nothing was more important than Emma’s safety.
“Hello, boss. I heard about the arrest…”
“Lawrence, listen to me.” Thompson got up from the couch and gulped his champagne, “We have a pickup tonight. You’re going to get it and handle sales. I need to lie low.”
“Too risky, boss… They’ll be watching the whole organization, not just you.”
“You just do what you’re told,” Thompson snapped at him and hung up.
When Jason entered his living room, he forgot about all his problems. He leaned against a wall and smiled at Catherine. Her arms were crossed above a fluffy, pink blanket; she stared at the TV monitor and pouted. Jason let out a faint chuckle. He walked over and kneeled next to the couch.
“I’m sorry, baby girl. Daddy had work to do.” He leaned in and gave her a kiss on the cheek. She winced and pouted even more, then gave him an angry look.
“But you promised to be home in time for movie night.”
“Yeah, but…” Jason made a sad face, “Daddy had to catch a bad guy.” He blinked three times. Catherine pursed her lips in an attempt not to smile. Jason blinked again, and she burst out in laughter. He beamed and kissed her on the cheek again.
“Keep my seat warm, I’ll be right back.”
Jason went upstairs to change. He checked the time before removing his wristwatch: 19:57. He smiled and shook his head—Catherine would fall asleep in the next half an hour. The moment his phone started buzzing, he knew it was Thompson Federico.
Thought you would have called a lot sooner…
He held the phone away from his ear as Thompson ranted about his missing daughter.
Past midnight, his phone buzzed again.
“This had better be good, little man.” Jason yawned.
“There’s a pickup meeting between my boys and Carlos Rodrigues at West 39th Street in forty minutes.”
“The Ferry Terminal?” Jason was surprised. It wasn’t exactly the kind of location to exchange drugs. Then again, who would think of searching for thugs doing what they do in such an obvious location?
“Yes.” Thompson hung up.
Jason called Mary after he got permission for a police raid from Thomas Patrick. He told her to coordinate with the SWAT team and that he would meet them at the terminal. Once there, they broke into two groups.
“NYPD! We’ve got you surrou…”
Jason scrambled for cover as a gunshot went off.
“You set us up!” Mario screamed at Lawrence as they both sought cover.
“Are you crazy?” Lawrence shouted back at Mario. “If we wanted to set you up, we would have been gone before the cops got here…”
Jason broke cover and fired two shots. Someone cried out in agony. Jason’s troops started shooting.
Mary and her troops had surrounded the gangsters without drawing attention. Once in position, they opened fire. Most of Carlos and Thompson’s men were hit.
“We need to get the hell out of here!” Lawrence yelled. He and Mario had escaped most of the action by running and taking cover behind one of the terminal’s glass buildings.
Mario nodded, “We’ll head for the water!” The shooting was subsiding.
“Not yet!” Mario yelled after Lawrence as he started running.
“AARGH” Lawrence fell to the ground and grabbed his leg.
Mario wished he’d taken a bullet to the head instead.
“Idiot,” he murmured to himself.
“Don’t move!” Mario dropped his gun and fell to his knees, arms in the air, as three SWAT members approached with guns pointed at him.
The police caught all the remaining men. Only five had survived the police raid, Lawrence and Mario included. As the paramedics attended to Lawrence, Mario sat at a distance under police guard and scowled at him. He couldn’t get Carlos’ words out of his mind… He told him to get out. He had a wide, open door, and he chose to stay. He should’ve accepted Carlos’ offer immediately. There should have been nothing to think about.
“You’re the youngest and smarted of five kids. Go do something that makes your Mamá proud.”
“Why the long face? This is a big win.” Mary asked.
“Rodrigues… He wasn’t here tonight. It’s going to be impossible to get him after this.”
“That’s what we thought about your little man. And look where he’s at…” Jason smiled when she said ‘little man.’
“He misled me. I ought to throw him in jail for it.”
“What do you mean?”
“Federico, he told me,” Jason made quote signs with his fingers, “there’s a pickup meeting between my boys and Carlos Rodrigues.” He let his arms fall down and shook his head.
“He told you that?”
Jason nodded.
“Look, tonight was a success. We’ll figure out the rest. We always do, don’t we?” Mary tried to cheer him up. He just nodded.
“Now go home, get some rest.”
Jason kneeled at Catherine’s bed. Every day she got older, she looked more like her mother. He let out a soft sigh. It was painful to see her slowly turning into the woman he had to say goodbye to so soon. The love of his life—his compass.
“I am sorry, Mrs. Williams, Mr. Williams; there is nothing we can do.” The doctor chanted a generic sentence as he looked at them with apparent sympathy.
Six months later, the cancer had stolen her from him.
“Daddy?”
“Hey, baby girl. Daddy just wanted to give you a goodnight kiss.”
“But, Daddy…” Catherine sat up and rubbed her eyes, “It’s morning!” She pointed at his wristwatch. He frowned and looked down: 06:16.
CHAPTER FIVE
“They arrested Mario in New York last night.”
“How?! What happened?!”
“Federico, your associate… He signed an immunity agreement yesterday in exchange for delivering intel on you.”
“Why didn’t you tell me, huh? Why’d you wait for Mario to get arrested?”
“I wasn’t sure whether he’d actually do it. I’m sorry.”
“You’re sorry? I’ll kill you, woman! Where is my product?”
“They confiscated everything. It’s over, Carlos.”
“What the hell am I paying you for? You’re good for nothing!”
Carlos smashed his phone into the wall. How could he have been so blind to what Federico had been up to?
“Santos!” A chubby, gray-haired man appeared, “Make preparations. We’re going to America.”
Santos knew what “make preparations” meant. It was Carlos’ code word for gathering his most trusted crew members to take out a traitor. It had to be serious if Carlos himself was joining.
“Is everything all right?” He asked cautiously.
“An associate betrayed me. Mario was arrested as a result.”
Santos was there nineteen years ago when Carlos’ kid brother, Miguel, was shot in front of Carlos. It changed him, made him bloodthirsty and hungry for revenge. Not long after the shooting, Carlos confided in Santos that he had joined Jiménez.
He was disappointed, but not surprised. Carlos’ father, Jose, was Santos’ best friend. Santos saw how much like his father Carlos was. After Jose’s death, Santos made Carlos promise that he would never join a gang like his father had done. He wanted him to be different—for his mother’s sake and to set a good example for Miguel.
After learning the truth, Santos did the only thing he could to protect Carlos… He joined Jiménez, too.
And now Mario was in jail. Santos knew that, in many ways, Mario had replaced Miguel as Carlos’ kid brother. His second chance… If Carlos had a heart, it must’ve been devastated about Mario’s arrest.
“When are we leaving?” Santos asked, ready for action.
“As soon as everyone is ready. That fool will wish he had never been born.”
Mary rushed down the hallway, oblivious to the startled looks as she passed by her colleagues. There was no time for pretenses. It was Jason’s fault. She had let her guard down since he became her partner three years earlier. Because of him, her life was in danger. She had to prove her worth, no matter what.
All she ever wanted was to be a cop. To put away bad guys. She just wanted to do the right thing. Her grandfather used to say there wasn’t a bad hair on her head.
Then she sold her soul to the devil.
She had just been accepted into the police academy when she met a self-assured Mexican man while he was on a business trip. After spending a few nights with him, the truth confronted her as she watched him put a bullet in an associate’s head.
“I really wish you didn’t have to see that,” he said as he pointed the pistol at her head, “I enjoyed your company.”
“Carlos, wait!” She threw her arms in the air, palms faced towards him, “I-I’m going to be a police officer.”
Carlos smiled, “All the more reason to get rid of you.”
“But I can help you.” Her calmness surprised her.
Carlos tilted his head to the side and let the gun down a few inches.
Mary let out a scant breath.
“I can be your eyes and ears on the inside.”
Carlos let the gun down to his side and scrutinized her. It was a useful offer. But she could have been playing him just to get away and tip the police off about him. He let his free hand slide over his chin and pointed the gun at her head again.
“I’m not stupid, woman.”
“Please, please…” Mary sniffed, trying to stop the tears, “I promise, I won’t betray you.”
“And I’m supposed to just believe you?!” He darted towards her and forced the pistol underneath her chin, “I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve heard that before.”
She closed her eyes tightly and started praying.
She had no idea what made him change his mind. It seemed like a lifetime ago. Whatever moved him, it saved her life. But ever since that day, her life was bound to Carlos Rodrigues’ success. Not just her life, but her family’s, too.
“You’re part of the Jiménez family now, and we take care of our own.” Carlos handed Mary a thick roll of $100 notes after her first successful assignment, “But we don’t tolerate betrayal. I know everything about you, Mary.” He circled around her, “One wrong step, and your family dies with you.”
Despite having had so little sleep the previous night, Jason felt wide awake. He got out of his car in front of the police station and inhaled deeply as he shut the door. He lifted his head and admired the clear, blue sky.
Once inside, he headed for Thomas’ office. He was putting his foot down. Thompson Federico had proved himself all but useless. He probably knew Carlos wouldn’t be at the pickup meeting, and he withheld that information. If anything, the scumbag probably hoped Mary and he would have gotten shot during the raid. As he walked down the hallway, he noticed people staring awkwardly at him. He paused.
“Hey, Vince, what’s up?”
“Good morning. All good. You?”
“Fine… Why are you guys looking at me like that?”
“You look just like Mary. She stormed out of here earlier. Now you’re storming in.”
“Mary?” Jason scratched his head, “Stormed? Are you sure? That sounds nothing like her.”
“Yep… Everybody saw it.”
“Huh…” Jason took out his buzzing phone and looked at the screen, “Excuse me, Vince.”<
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“What do you want?” Jason’s good day was ruined.
“Rodrigues is in New York. He wants to meet me at Floyd Bennett in one of the old hangars.”
“Good.” Jason changed direction and headed to his office, “You’ll record the whole conversation.”
Thompson burst out in laughter.
“Care to share the joke, little man?”
“There won’t be a conversation. He’s here to kill me.”
“You don’t know that…” Jason entered his office and plumped down on his chair.
A pause followed.
“Detective Williams, when I’m gone…” Jason heard Thompson take a deep breath, “Will you make sure my—”
Jason heard a loud bang, like a door slamming against a wall. “What the…” He heard Thompson say before a gunshot went off.
“Federico? Hello!” Jason jumped up from his chair.
“Fed…”
“I knew it!” Thompson’s yell sounded far off. His phone must’ve fallen. Jason grabbed his car keys and ran out of his office.
Thompson hunched behind his desk as another shot went off. He knew the oversized piece of wood would come in handy one day. He opened the bottom drawer to his left and reached for a revolver. He then picked up the phone from the floor.
“I knew you were a dirty cop!” He sprang up and lunged the phone at Mary. As she dodged, Thompson took a shot at her.
“Shit!” Mary’s gun fell out of her hand as the bullet hit her arm. When she focused on Thompson again, she saw him pointing his revolver at her.
“You should have kept your mouth shut about Carlos, Federico. You’re a dead man.”
Thompson smiled, “That arm doesn’t look too good, officer. You’d better go patch it up.”
Jason sat frozen behind the wheel of his car as he listened to his partner’s voice. He didn’t want to believe it. He hung up the call and looked at his wristwatch.
Did Carlos send Mary to Thompson’s house? He couldn’t have... Why would he want to meet Thompson at the abandoned airfield, then?
He had forty minutes to get to Floyd Bennett. Even if Thompson fled, at least there was a chance to get Rodrigues. He sighed and called Thomas Patrick.
In The Line of Fire (Thriller: Stories to Keep You Up All Night) Page 3