A Powerless World | Book 1 | Escape The Breakdown

by Hunt, Jack

  He knew she was underhanded and capable of screwing someone over but he didn’t think she would go to these lengths just for a payday. No wonder she’d been fired from previous employment. And to think he’d gone to bed with her. Colby looked down at Kane. He brushed his head against his leg.

  “It’s all right, boy, I’m okay.”

  Wandering out of the bathroom, he ambled into the kitchen and opened the fridge. It held only a few essentials, milk, butter, some condiments, and salami meat. He took that out and tossed it to Kane. He then took a second water bottle and filled a bowl and gave it to Kane. He crouched, watching his dog lap it up. “You’ll need your strength.” While he was still lapping, Colby searched the cabinets until he found some liquor. A bottle of Jack Daniels. Perfect. He took it out and tossed it back, anything to help numb the pain. He glanced at his watch. He’d been out a good forty minutes. That psycho had a massive head-start. “Come on, let’s go,” he said, taking the dog’s leash and making his way down.

  As he got close to the ground, two guys were leaning over the dead body, rifling through his pockets. Petty thieves.

  They looked like tweakers, gaunt cheeks, jittery. All the telltale signs. When they saw him, one of them lifted a handgun.

  Colby had his in hand, dangling beside his leg.

  He was at the top of the flight of steps and they were at the bottom. The armed tweaker stepped over the dead guy with no idea of who he was screwing with or what he’d just been through. “Give me your wallet.”

  Colby sighed and lowered his chin. “I would truly recommend getting the fuck out of my way. I’ve had one hell of a day and so has this dog.” He could feel tension in the leash as Kane picked up on the vibe.

  “Yeah, well so have I. Hand it over, and don’t even think about raising that gun.”

  “My hands are kind of full.”

  “Then drop it,” the guy said menacingly.

  “Okay. All right, man. I’ll drop it.”

  He let go of the leash and said, “Fass. Fass!”

  There was a moment of confusion as to why he’d dropped the leash and not the gun. “What?”

  Before the man realized what Colby said, or what it meant, Kane took several steps and then launched in the air, landing on top of the guy, latching on to his gun arm.

  He began screaming. “Get your dog off! It’s unloaded,” he cried out. The other tweaker ran, fear driving him on as his friend was being mauled.

  Colby calmly made his way down and gave the command to release. “Oh, my bad, I thought you meant to drop the leash,” Colby said as he reached down and picked up the guy’s gun. Sure enough, it was unloaded. “You stupid idiot. Get the hell out of here!” he yelled.

  He didn’t need to be told twice. The tweaker got up, his arm dripping blood. He slid along the wall, his eyes bulging, fixed on Kane whose tongue was dangling. He was observing him, just waiting for the word to continue, just as he always did.

  Using the bloody rag that had Alicia had left behind, Kane picked up her scent, taking them east down Pico Boulevard. Even though he figured Daisy would head back to Sure-Fire Bail Bonds and give Manny some cock and bull story so she could collect the finder’s fee, he had to be sure.

  The streets were still crammed with people, some observing the macabre sights, others trying to get home or escape the city. Plumes of smoke unfurled above the buildings, a glow of orange, the crackling of fire. He could smell plastic, and all manner of toxicity as the blaze in buildings melted everything. He’d seen images of people caked in dust from 9/11 on the TV and this was almost like that. Having lived in L.A. for so long, he was used to the sound of cars rushing by, horns honking and the steady hum of construction, but now it was gone, replaced by the moans of the injured, and gunfire.

  As he headed northeast up Alvarado Street, he saw a huge pileup of vehicles that had been driving too fast, too close. Windows on businesses were smashed. There were steel shutters dragged out, nearby, chains attached to them so people could get in. Several buildings had been reduced to nothing but rubble; rebar protruded like ribs from a rotten carcass.

  Colby lifted the front of his shirt over his mouth as he cut through a parking lot full of black smoke that was billowing out of cars. He’d seen destruction in his time, turf wars, rough neighborhoods covered in graffiti, but nothing came close to this.

  He soldiered on, determined.

  It took him close to fifty minutes to reach the Financial District. When he arrived at the entry to the building, dark-tinted glass was on the sidewalk where someone had busted in the door. He knew the homeless and looters would want to steal, and see if they could find valuables, but there wasn’t much to be found here. It was nothing but offices. Across the street, he saw two guys carrying computers and loading them into a shopping cart.

  He was about to go in when he caught sight of a sedan with a crumpled roof and a body dangling half off it. He turned his head slightly to get a better look at the woman.

  Colby shone the flashlight on her face.

  Damn it. Rita.

  Colby lifted his eyes and followed up the body’s path, stepping back from the building until he was out in the middle of the street. There was only one window shattered high up, and it was on the ninth floor, the window that he’d looked out many times while in conversation with Manny.

  Colby entered quickly and made his way up the staircase, taking two at a time. Gun brass littered the steps. As he made it to the fourth floor that’s when he laid eyes on another dead person, a guy in a suit riddled with bullets.

  It was a gruesome sight.

  Bloody. Overkill.

  The guy’s mouth was agape, full of shock.

  Had he pleaded for his life? How many casualties had the county seen in such a short amount of time? How many would be left before this was over? His head throbbed, and for a moment he braced himself against the staircase. Kane looked at him and he nodded. “I’m okay,” he said.

  Once they made it to the ninth floor, he slowed his pace, seeing glass shards and another dead person, a woman who had worked across from them. Moving slowly toward the double doors that led into Sure-Fire Bail Bonds, Colby entered and took in the sight of the mess.

  Someone had gone to town and torn the place apart. The wall between the main reception area and Manny’s office was down, broken into multiple pieces.

  He walked in, heading straight into the office, expecting to see Manny but he wasn’t there. Colby looked out the window, down to where Rita was, then turned around and saw multiple gunshot rounds in the walls and door. The safe was open. The .44 was gone. He crouched and picked up one of the bullets from a box.

  What the hell happened here?

  As he made his way out to the reception area, a new angle presented a clearer picture. Kane had pulled on the leash, turning his attention away from the door.

  Tucked behind Rita’s desk was Manny, partially propped up, hidden in the darkness except for his boots. Colby rushed over, shining the light on his face. “Oh God, Manny,” he said. He lifted a forearm to his mouth as his gag reflex kicked in at the sight of the brutality.

  His face was a mangled mess. If he hadn’t seen those boots before he would have been unrecognizable. His ears, nose, and lips were no more, and both of his eyes were missing.

  There was blood everywhere. Colby backed up and was about to leave when he heard him cough, drawing in a tight breath. “Manny?”

  SEVENTEEN

  ALICIA

  Psycho had finally gone over the edge.

  Overly paranoid about Kane tracking her, instead of heading to her apartment Daisy had taken Alicia to some high school off 8th Street. There, they’d hopped a fence and she had her strip off and get into an outside swimming pool. Something to do with the strong smell of chlorine and a fresh set of clothes. She figured it would get the dog off their tracks. “Yeah, I don’t think it works like that,” Alicia said, bobbing in the shallow end. Daisy crouched at the edge. That remark only pissed her off.
She placed a hand on Alicia’s head and pushed her under, holding her there as she struggled to get up.

  When she let go, Alicia burst upward, gasping, spluttering.

  Daisy roared with laughter.

  “Are you off your meds? I’m glad you find it funny. I could have died.”

  “Ah shut up, drama queen. If I wanted you dead, you’d be dead already. Now dry off and put these on.” She’d placed a thick white towel just out of reach of the edge of the pool. She’d done it on purpose, knowing she’d have to crawl out completely naked.

  Dangling a handgun, Daisy sat on the edge of a pool bench with her legs crossed. She observed Alicia as she hauled herself out. A feat that wasn’t easy when she was still in cuffs. Her wrists were restrained in front of her. She tried to towel dry her naked frame while Daisy sat smoking a cigarette and studying her. “You think you can give me a hand. It’s kind of hard to dry myself with these cuffs on.”

  “Sure.”

  She’d done it on purpose. Daisy ran the towel over her, taking her time.

  “You have a nice body. I can see why Colby likes you.”

  “What?”

  “Oh yeah, you’re the kind of woman Colby goes for. Broken with a hint of criminality. He has this thing for your type. Did he tell you we used to be a thing?”

  Alicia glared at her.

  “Yep, friends with benefits.” She blew out a cloud of smoke then tapped off some ash. “He really is quite good in bed. It was a shame it had to end but I nipped the relationship in the bud. Realized men just aren’t my thing. Too hard around the edges. I like something soft, a little less edgy.”

  Daisy’s eyes scanned her like a barcode.

  She was saying all of this to make her feel uncomfortable. It had worked. Daisy leaned back, continuing to eye her closely. The handcuffs rattled. “Can you please take these off while I get dressed?”

  “Nope.”

  Alicia scowled as she struggled to slip into the new clothes stolen from the Gap. The store had been ransacked. The windows were smashed and some of the clothing racks were out on the street. The black yoga pants were too tight, and the black Rolling Stones shirt was one size too small. Daisy said it was all she could find but she’d wondered if she’d done it on purpose.

  Daisy let her fumble for a while before strolling over and uncuffing her so she could get into the shirt.

  “Here.”

  She tossed a running jacket at her.

  “Looks good,” Daisy said. “Spin around.”

  “What?”

  She lifted a finger and twirled it. “Spin. Let’s take a look.”

  Alicia squinted at her. “No.”

  Daisy pointed the gun. “Spin!”

  She was a total lunatic.

  Reluctantly Alicia turned, holding her arms out wide. “Satisfied?”

  A wry smile appeared on Daisy. “Very nice. It will be a shame to hand you over but a woman has got to make her way in this world. You understand.”

  As Alicia slipped on a new pair of Nikes, she looked at Daisy.

  That gun. It was always pointing at her.

  “Why can’t you just let me go? Money is of no use to you now. Even Colby was smart enough to realize that.”

  “Please. Colby wasn’t about to release you because he didn’t want the money. Hell, I’ve seen him throw prettier women under the bus for less than a grand. No, I think you remind him of someone, that or he pities you.”

  “What? Who?”

  Daisy wagged her foot while inhaling deeply. Beyond the school, in the streets, the noise of people smashing windows and taking what they wanted had intensified. “He never told you?”

  “Told me what?”

  Daisy found something amusing. “About his past.”

  She was confused. What did any of that have to do with her?

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s a long story. Maybe he would have told you in the end. Doesn’t matter now.” She stood up, and put the handcuffs back on her, and then motioned with a hand. “Hurry up. We need to get moving. We have a long journey ahead of us.”

  “No, we don’t. The Financial District isn’t far from here.”

  “Oh, you thought I was taking you in to see Manny.” She laughed. “Hell no! That low-life has screwed me over one too many times. No, that ship has sailed. I’m taking you back to Seattle. For the real payday.”

  “What?”

  “To Cynthia Howell.” Alicia knew the name. It was the woman who’d bailed her out, the same one she’d come to realize worked for Mikhail Boddrov. It was the reason she’d run. The feds wanted her for one thing, Bratva wanted her for another. Either way, she would have ended up dead. She’d come so close to losing her life in Seattle. Escaping to Los Angeles was meant to be a fresh start. She’d thumbed it for a while but had run into trouble with some freak that had made her second-guess getting into a car with a stranger. So it left her with no other option than to travel by Greyhound. She knew about the cameras but figured Los Angeles was too vast for anyone to find her in.

  She was wrong.

  “Cynthia won’t pay you.”

  “I’ve already spoken to her. Right after Manny tried to screw me over with a shitty deal. I decided to take out the middleman and go right to the source. I promised I would bring you in. She said she’d make it worth my while. Now I’ll be honest with you. I figured I’d be able to transport you by plane with Carl and be paid by tomorrow but then that option went out the window, so I was going to take you by truck except that’s no longer functioning.”

  “Too bad. So you might as well let me go then because Seattle is over a thousand miles away. And with no transportation and all hell breaking loose. From one woman to the next. Let’s just call it a day, huh, what do you say?”

  “I say get moving before I put a round in that perfectly round ass of yours.”

  Alicia narrowed her eyes and shrugged. Daisy directed her away from the pool. They hadn’t gone far, maybe twenty feet when Alicia got an idea. She stopped walking and Daisy shoved her. “Keep moving.”

  Turning toward her, she smiled. “Why? What’s the hurry? I mean you’re going to take me in, right?

  “You bet your sweet ass I am.”

  “Well, we’re here. Near a pool. Alone. Haven’t you wanted to…” Alicia moved a little closer and Daisy’s brow furrowed. “I mean. I’ve been that way for years,” she said. “And I don’t know, maybe the thrill of all that’s happening right now, the danger, being here with you, getting naked in that pool, well, it just... gets me in the mood. What about you?” She closed the distance between them, putting on her best performance. Now whether Daisy believed it or not, was neither here nor there, she looked to be buying it. But maybe that was only to see where Alicia was heading. Alicia placed her cuffed hands on Daisy’s belt and leaned in to kiss her.

  Just as their lips were about to touch, Daisy shoved her back. “Oh, I must say that was a winning performance. Hollywood approves.” She clapped. “You had me there for a second, but you’ll find I moved the key to the cuffs from the front to my back pocket,” Daisy said, removing it and showing her.

  Alicia sneered, she’d tried to go for it.

  It was worth a shot. Alicia thought if she could have gotten it without her knowing, she might have been able to get free later. As Alicia turned to walk on, a group of four Asian guys were making their way toward them. They muttered something in their language and all of them laughed.

  “Oh, don’t stop on account of us. Continue,” this Asian guy said with a smile.

  All of them looked to be in their late teens, eighteen roughly. Maybe even students at the high school. They had backpacks on and were wearing hoodies, jogging pants, and white sneakers. None of them looked to be carrying a weapon or threatening. Daisy was quick to intervene, getting in front of Alicia and saying something to them in Korean, followed by a curse word while tapping the handgun against her leg to make it clear that she was in no mood.


  “Hey, we don’t have any problem,” the one guy said, putting his hands up and stepping out of the way. They didn’t run but they didn’t walk away either.

  “Good.” Daisy clamped a strong hand on Alicia and lead her away.

  “You okay, girl?” one of them asked, noting the cuffs.

  “She’s fine. Now fuck off!” Daisy said.

  They couldn’t take instructions as they followed.

  “Oh, come on, babe. We just want to have some fun.”

  Daisy warned them two more times but they must have figured her gun wasn’t loaded or assumed she wasn’t a threat.

  Any mystery regarding that was soon cleared up when she turned and fired a single round at the kid who was closest to them. He dropped, screaming in agony. The other three scattered, leaving their friend to bleed out on the ground.

  Daisy walked over to him. He was squirming around in pain, clutching his thigh.

  She crouched down and put the barrel to his head. “Are you hard of hearing?”

  “No.”

  “I see you again, and it won’t be your leg next time.”

  She got up and kicked him hard in the ribs then pushed Alicia.

  “Was that necessary?” Alicia asked.

  “Damn right! You didn’t understand what they said in Korean or what they had in mind for you. I did. You can thank me later or I can leave you back there to find out.”

  She forced her onward.

  After making their way out of the pool area, they crossed a playground and followed 7th Street around to Mariposa Avenue and a huge red brick, four-story apartment block near a coin laundry store. All the while Daisy kept a firm grip on Alicia’s arm. A gun hidden underneath Daisy’s jacket dug into Alicia’s side to make sure she knew that if she tried to run, she wouldn’t hesitate. She had no doubt that she would do it. Daisy had already proven she was a force to be reckoned with, a head case that would screw anyone over if it meant lining her pockets.

  Daisy’s apartment was on the fourth floor. They passed by several apartments where doors were open, though most were locked. It was noisy inside and out. People coming and going, some taking out belongings in bags. They passed by a Korean family on the way and Daisy said something to them and they nodded and continued down the staircase. “You live alone?” Alicia asked.