by Hargrove, A.
“Yeah. We had it turned into living space.”
“Nice.” It was an old warehouse and when I walked in I got the impression I was entering a modern home. It was sectioned off between the living areas—kitchen, dining, and great room on one side, and then the bedrooms on the other.
There were four bedrooms, each with their own bathroom. Drex and Gemini’s was enormous, but the others were also large. The brick interior walls gave the place a warm homey feel and reclaimed wood was used to give the look of modern yet not sterile.
“This is lovely. Did you all design it?”
“Ha! Drex tried but it was too much, so we hired an architect. That was after we had several knockdowns over it.”
I couldn’t imagine the two of them arguing. “You two don’t seem like you disagree on much.”
Gemini threw her head back and howled. Drex even laughed, which wasn’t something I’d seen much of.
“Isla, you should’ve seen us when we first met. It was constant fireworks and I’m talking massive ones.”
“You’ll have to tell me about it sometime.”
“Do you have a spare week?” she asked.
“Ladies, you can stand here and talk, but I’m going to eat the dinner we brought.”
We traipsed after him and all dug into our food. I had so many questions about their planned strategy for everything, but I didn’t want to ask. I’d leave it for the next day.
My alarm woke me up and then I smelled freshly brewed coffee. Ruffles licked my cheeks and I scrambled out of bed to shower. Taking Ruffles out and getting a cup of heaven was high on my list of priorities. It only took a few minutes for me to dress and twist my wet strands into a messy bun. Ruffles was quick to do her duty, then my grabby paws were soon reaching for the pot of java I spied.
“Good morning.” Drex pointed to the refrigerator as he said, “The cream’s in there.”
Ruffles wagged her tail at Drex and he gave her a belly rub.
“Thanks. I love it fully loaded.”
“So does Gem.”
I concocted my favorite brew and pretty much guzzled it. I was filling up cup number two when Gemini showed up.
“Ahh, another coffee whore. Drex has one important job in the morning and you’ve found it.”
“I love it, especially the way it smells,” I said, inhaling the yummy aroma.
“You too? I’m hooked and when he grinds the beans I go crazy, trying to speed up my routine.”
“I don’t have anyone to make mine, so I stick my nose in the bag.”
She chuckled. “I used to do that too.”
A memory of Acer bringing me my morning cup flashed in my head and I grinned.
“You about ready?” she asked. “As you already know, we eat in the office.”
“I’m good.” I checked Ruffles and she’d finished eating. I packed some food and treats for her as she’d be coming with us for the day.
“I wish I had your hair. I love the way you twist it up like that.”
My hand automatically went to the back of my head. “You do?” I’d always worn it like this out of convenience but thought it looked awful.
“Yeah. I can’t do that with mine. The straight ends poke out everywhere.”
Her hair was perfect and I’m sure it would look amazing. “I can try later, if you’d like.”
“If you can teach me, I’d love it.”
“Hey, you two chatterboxes, it’s time to leave,” Drex called from the door.
We laughed as we walked to the car.
The office was already a hive of activity when we arrived and it was only seven-thirty.
Huff walked over and said, “Did you three sleep in or something?”
Drex kind of growled out, “Or something. Try to get two talking hens and a dog out of the henhouse.”
Gemini punched him in the shoulder. I only snorted out a laugh.
Huff grabbed my arm. “Check out what I found.”
“You mean more than what Art did?”
He grinned deviously. “Oh, yeah.” Then he typed away on his computer and up popped on the main monitor an email. “Read it.”
When was the last time you were in Savannah?
The time is right for a visit. I hear there’s a great Irish pub there.
Don’t forget to look at the stars around ten.
“Jesus, it’s right there.”
“I tracked the IP addy to New York and narrowed down the neighborhood to the lower east side. Danny O’Brien is known to operate out of Manhattan, but the exact location is unknown.”
After I sat, my brain sped with questions. “Who contacted Paulie?”
“It had to be either the O’Briens or the deputy director. Who else could it be?” Huff asked.
“We never could come up with an answer to that,” I said.
“Does it matter now? We know the link in your office and we know that the feds were dirty and connected to the mob,” Huff said.
“That’s true, but Paulie is still missing.”
“Paulie is dead,” Drex said.
“Yeah, Isla. Don’t you remember the police telling us that? Acer said they tossed his body into the container where Acer was first held.”
Shit! I forgot all about that. “But wait. Didn’t they say Acer tried to wake him up? Besides that, Acer was high as a kite, so we really don’t know he’s dead.” Everyone got real quiet.
Then Drex spoke. “Okay, so Paulie is still one missing puzzle piece, but if I had to bet, I’d say he was gone. It really doesn’t change things. Moving on to Art, they figured out he knew too much, which was why they took him out. My guess was they were going after you next.”
My heart beat like a conga drum at his words. After taking a calming breath, I asked, “How’s this going to work?”
“I’m going to send a package to the director and everyone else who’s not on this list. Then I’m hitting up the attorney general with everything. The DOJ will have a field day when they get this, and so will the director. His team has been doing the dirty right under his nose and he wasn’t aware. It’s time to clean house.” Drex rubbed his hands.
“I’m good with all that. So let’s begin, shall we?”
We copied everything, creating ten packages to go around. It took us most of the day to do it, and then pack everything up and send it off to be delivered the next day. In each package, we clarified that if we didn’t see an immediate response, this same package would be sent to media outlets everywhere. We were giving them three days from the time they received the package to act.
Now it was sit and wait. This was the worst part.
The next question I posed to Drex was, “When the shit hits the fan, the O’Briens are going to run. What will we do about them?”
“No, they won’t get a chance because we’re going after them.”
Chapter Forty-One
ACER
Isla should’ve received the second letter weeks ago, but again, I never received a response. In fact, I’d only heard from Raiden and my parents in the last few weeks. No matter, I was moving forward with my plans. In another week I would be released and then I’d move to Denver. Mom and Dad would travel with me and spend some time there too. They claimed they missed me and how could I refuse? I owed them so much, not to mention how they’d stuck by me through everything.
Raiden would fly here to pick us up and then that would be it. I’d have follow up video conferences with Caroline three times a week to stay on track and she’d already located a NA group and sponsor for me. Even though I was excited about leaving, I was going to miss this place and the friends I’d made. They’d helped and supported me through the toughest time of my life and I’d be grateful to them forever. I thought back to when I first arrived and how much I’d changed since then. A feeling of contentment settled over me, that is until Isla’s face popped into my head. She would complete my total picture of happiness, only I’d ruined it by sending that idiotic letter. Most likely she was on her w
ay to building a new life for herself and the new me wished her all the best.
Glancing up at the clock on the wall, I sprinted out of my room. I’d be late for my session with Caroline if I didn’t hurry.
I whooshed into her office and she laughed.
“Acer, what are you doing?”
“I lost track of time and didn’t want to be late.”
“Aww, you miss me already and you haven’t even left yet.” A warm laugh rolled out of her.
“This is true. I am going to miss you.”
“Hey, I’ll only be a phone call away.”
“I know that, but it won’t be the same. You’ve been my lifeline.”
She leaned forward and locked her fingers together. It was lecture time. “I haven’t been anything of the sort. You’ve done all the hard work. I was only the conduit.”
“And the kick in the ass I needed at the time.”
“Eh, maybe.” She grinned. “Most patients are like that. But they end up figuring it out, the same as you. No one wants to talk about the ugly. But when you do, it frees you from it.”
“I know that now. You could’ve hit me on the head with a concrete block at the beginning and I wouldn’t have believed you.”
“Perfectly normal. Pain is not what people want to delve into or share with others.”
Wasn’t that the truth? “Not only that, who wanted to hear all the ugly stuff too?”
“People who care about you, that’s who.”
“I’ve discovered that too. And I have you to thank. So what’s next?”
“I want to go over a few things. Your discharge date is Saturday. We have everything set. As you know, normally, we’d suggest a halfway house, but since you’ll be with family, we’re approving it.” She scribbled some notes in my file. “I also want to know what you plan to do if the urge to use hits you.”
“Yeah, I wanted to discuss that with you too. When will I meet my sponsor?”
“I would like that to happen ASAP. Could you do it on Sunday? I could set it up for then.”
“Yeah, that will be fine. Just tell me where and I’ll have my brother get me there.”
She wrote something else down then raised her eyes to mine. “Back to my original question then. What will you do?”
“Call my sponsor or talk to one of my brothers.”
“Good, but your brothers, while they love and care for you, don’t understand the impact of addiction. I’d suggest your sponsor first.”
“Right. I have his information and as soon as I get my phone back, I’ll enter it there.”
“I’m also available. Don’t forget about that.”
“Caroline, I haven’t had any urges for weeks. Do you think they’ll still come?”
“There’s no way to tell. Opiates are difficult to kick. Since they were forced on you, maybe your situation will be different, but that’s hard to predict. I’d rather be safe than sorry and be prepared for it.”
That was a good point. I didn’t want to cave, ever. “NA meets every day, right?”
“Yes. There are meetings everywhere and you’ll need to attend one every day, at least initially. After a while, and your sponsor will be your guide, you may be able to back off. Until then, it’s a daily thing for you.”
“Got it.” I would not skip one.
“Do you have any questions for me?”
“There is one thing. You know that letter I sent? I never heard back from her. Should I just let it go?”
She bit her bottom lip for a second and then said, “If I were you, and she’s as important to you as you say, I’d write another letter once you’re in a routine and settled. Then you’ll have more to tell her, other than words from rehab.”
That brought a grin to my face. “Funny. Words from rehab. Sounds like a blog.”
“It does. Too bad you didn’t start that from the beginning.”
“I did keep a journal.” This was the first time I mentioned it.
“You did?”
“Yeah. I wanted to have something to reflect on if I got down on myself in the future.”
“What a great idea. You can even use it when you get your website up and running.”
“When I started it, that wasn’t the reason, but yeah, I’m planning on it now.”
“Acer, I’m so proud of you. I can’t wait to track your progress after you leave. I foresee great things ahead for you.”
“I hope so.”
When my session ended, I went to work out and then afterward, I had a group session. There were plenty of new people in now and I encouraged them whenever possible. It was gratifying to be able to help others and my intentions on continuing that were firmly cemented for the future.
Saturday came, and I’d had a sendoff party on Friday evening, complete with cake and balloons. It’s how we usually celebrated for the ones who were leaving.
It was an emotional time for me, because I’d bonded with people, such as James. When Will left, I’d felt the same way, but now with me getting out, I’d be able to talk to him on the phone.
My parents and Raiden arrived, and I waved goodbye to everyone. I’d accumulated two large suitcases worth of things during my stay. Funny how I didn’t think I had much here. When we got in the car, Mom said, “Your father and I took the liberty of packing the rest of your things. We had them shipped to Raiden’s. I hope you approve.”
“Thank you and of course I approve. I didn’t expect you to do that.”
“You look fantastic, son,” Dad said.
“Thanks. I feel great.”
“Yeah, Little Guy. Looks like you put on some muscle since I saw you last.”
“I hope so. I’ve been working out a lot.”
Raiden chuckled. “You up to an arm wrestling contest?”
“You bet. Want to put some money on it?”
“How about a fiver?”
“Sounds like a plan. One thing. Can you lend me five bucks?”
That cracked everyone up.
“I have an idea. You can take it out of my first paycheck if I lose.”
“It’s a deal,” Raiden said, laughing out his response.
We arrived at the local airport and I was pretty sure Mom wore a smile the entire way there.
Dad said, “Someone is happy.” He nudged her with his elbow as Raiden and I unloaded the luggage and handed it off to the waiting attendant.
“How can I not be? Look at him. I’ve never seen him look this way.”
I turned and hugged her. “Thanks, Mom. I do feel great.”
She patted both of my cheeks and said, “I was so worried my little boy was gone forever, but I love this new and improved version. Not that I didn’t love the old.”
“Hey, I know what you meant. I didn’t love the old version, but now I have a purpose in life.”
“Right now, that purpose is to get your ass on the plane so we can leave,” Raiden said.
“Right. Let’s go.” I escorted my mom up the steps, walking behind her as we boarded.
Once we were at ten thousand feet, Raiden came over and pointed to the seats with the table between them. “Let’s do it, Little Guy.” He grinned wickedly.
My brothers had always handed me my ass in arm wrestling. This was my time to shine and I was going to prove to them I had earned my strength.
“Hey Dad, will you be our referee?” I asked.
He laughed and came over with Mom. Then he said, “Ready, set, go.”
Raiden was strong. Very strong. For a couple of minutes, I let him think he had me, but then I went in for the kill and slammed his arm down. Okay, maybe not slammed, but in comparison to the other times I’d wrestled him, it was a kill. When he hit the table, I said, “Don’t let your eyes roll out of their sockets, big bro.”
My parents got a hearty laugh out of that. Then I held out my hand until Raiden slapped a five-dollar bill in it.
“Thanks.”
“Damn, you’ve gotten strong.”
“I’ve worked
hard at it.”
Dad patted my brother on the shoulder. “Where were those excellent observational skills you normally have? If you’d have noted his arms, you wouldn’t be so surprised.”
“Yeah, my bad there. Good job, Little Guy. I’m proud of you. Hey, do me a solid. Don’t mention this to Cruze, but challenge him too.”
“I can do that. I’m up for making some more cash.”
The rest of the flight we caught up on trivial things and Raiden gave me more information on what I’d be doing within his company. I was excited to begin working on that. Anything I could do to help end human trafficking was a go for me.
Chapter Forty-Two
ISLA
We sat around the conference table. It was the first time I’d seen all the seats occupied. There were men and women present that Drex hired for this op outside of the company. We had to bring in more chairs for everyone because there were thirty of us in here altogether.
“The reason you’re here is because you’re the best,” he began. He motioned to Huff and an image appeared on the screen. “All of you are ex-military, many former Rangers, SEALs, and Green Berets. Your qualifications are what landed you here today. So listen up. This is our target. He is well guarded and dangerous. As one of the heads of the most active mobs in the country, this is not going to be easy.”
Someone in the group asked, “Are those Danny and Aiden O’Brien?”
“They are indeed,” Drex answered.
Somebody else whistled. “You have high ambitions.”
“It was explained before you agreed to join this how dangerous this op was. If any of you are uncomfortable with doing this, now is the time to leave. Once committed, there’s no backing out.” Then Drex went around the room to make sure everyone was in. Only one person left. I couldn’t blame him. He had a wife and two kids back home.
“Now that we have that taken care of, this is how it’s going to work. First, every one of you has worked with us before. The same rules apply and they’re in the contract you’re going to sign. All orders must be obeyed. There’ll be no second-guessing. If I tell you to do something, I expect all orders to be followed. Am I clear?”