by Mike Ryan
“How are we supposed to find him?” Milton asked.
“How do you find anybody? Put the word out. Talk to the right people. Do that and we’ll find him.”
“And what if he doesn’t want to meet?”
“Then you make him want to,” Nowak answered.
“Got it.”
“He’s a man that could help us in this upcoming war.”
“And what makes you think he’ll be willing to help us?”
“Money. That’s what makes the world go round. Give him enough money and I’m sure he’ll be willing to help us do anything.”
14
Recker arrived at the office, finding both Jones and Haley banging away at the keyboard. After grabbing some coffee, he joined them at the desk.
“What’s the good word, people?” Recker asked. “Find our next case yet?”
“We are working on it,” Jones replied.
“How long?”
“Oh, a day or so probably. Enjoy the break.”
“Who said I wasn’t?”
“We know how you get when you have too much time between things,” Jones said. “You start to go stir-crazy.”
“How you feeling, Chris?”
“Hanging in there,” Haley answered. “Better than yesterday. Oh, David told me about your vacation plans. Sorry about ruining them for you.”
Recker gave him a pat on the back. “Don’t worry about it.”
“Is Mia mad?”
“Nah. She’s more concerned that you’re OK. Besides, I told her we weren’t canceling plans, just pushing them back two or three weeks. She’s good with that. As long as I’m not canceling them permanently. Then we might have an issue.”
“Have you heard anything regarding the Vincent, Ms. Nowak issue?” Jones asked.
“I heard they had a meeting at her hotel in the restaurant two nights ago.”
“Any idea how that went or what was discussed?”
“Haven’t a clue. Somebody told somebody, who told Tyrell, who then told me.”
“Interesting development. That’s something I wasn’t predicting would happen. A meeting between the two.”
“What’d you think would happen?” Recker asked. “That Vincent would just go in there blasting away?”
“As a matter of fact… yes.”
“You know as well as I do that’s not how he operates. He waits for the right opportunity.”
“Nothing like surprising your opponent when they are least expecting it,” Jones said.
“Too public. Vincent will wait for the perfect time to strike. And he’ll do it with a vengeance.”
“Well, I hope nobody innocent gets caught up in the conflict between the two of them.”
“Guess we’ll see how it all shakes out.”
The three of them continued working on some preliminary information on upcoming cases for a few hours until Recker’s phone broke the silence and their concentration. It was Tyrell again.
“What’s up?” Recker asked. “Got more on that meeting the other night?”
“Uhh, no, not quite. Got something just as interesting though. Maybe even more.”
“More? Well that’s quite a lead-in.”
“Yeah, I figured you would think so.”
“So, what’s up?”
“Got word on the street somebody’s looking to talk to you,” Tyrell said.
“Somebody’s always looking to talk to me.”
“Yeah, not new female crime bosses though.”
“Nowak?”
“Yes, sir.”
“She wants to talk to me?” Recker asked.
“That’s the word.”
“Who says?”
“Got it from the same source who told me about that abandoned building thing the other night.”
“So, it’s pretty solid.”
“I’d say so.”
“Any idea what it’s about?” Recker asked.
“Don’t know. But what does anyone want to talk to you about? Help. They all recognize who you are and your place here, and they all want you on their side of things. Just the way it works.”
“So, she wants to recruit me against Vincent?”
“That’d be my guess. You want me to get word back to her somehow?”
“No, I don’t think that’s necessary.”
“What’re you gonna do?” Tyrell asked.
“Maybe I’ll pay her a surprise visit.”
Tyrell laughed. “How did I know you were gonna say something like that? You would.”
“No use in changing how I operate, right?”
“Yeah, if you say so.”
“Got anything else for me?” Recker asked.
“You need more?”
“I’m always looking for more.”
“Yeah, well, you’re gonna have to look on another day.”
After Recker finished his conversation with Tyrell, he put the phone back in his pocket. Though he didn’t immediately look at his partners, he could almost feel the heat of their eyes staring at him. He slowly turned his head and saw both Jones and Haley with their eyes glued on him.
“Something I can do for you two?” Recker said.
“For starters, you can tell me why you feel the urgent need to meet with Stefania Nowak,” Jones replied.
“Who said I was doing that?”
“You did.”
“I did?”
“You said her name then you said something about her wanting to meet with you.”
“Oh.”
“Doesn’t take a genius to figure it out,” Jones said.
“Tyrell said she’s looking to talk to me.”
“Why?” Haley asked.
“He thinks she’s probably looking to recruit me somehow in her war against Vincent,” Recker answered.
“Sounds about right.”
“I thought we came to an agreement the other day about us staying out of this thing,” Jones said.
“We are. I’m not getting involved.”
“Well if you’re planning on meeting with her, then I would say that is getting involved. Tell me why you’re seriously considering this? What purpose does it serve?”
“There’s a new player in town, possibly a major and dangerous one, and I think it would behoove us in our business to see what she’s all about,” Recker said.
Jones put his elbow on the table, then dropped his head into his hand and shook his head, knowing Recker was going to meet with the woman anyway, no matter how many objections he had.
“Why do I even bother?” Jones said to himself.
“What’s that?” Recker asked.
“Oh, nothing. Can I ask another question even though I realize it will probably fall on deaf ears?”
“Never stopped you before.”
“What happens if she is looking to take you out for whatever reason?”
“Why would she do that?”
“I don’t know. Maybe because she’s heard you help Vincent from time to time,” Jones said. “Or maybe because she knows you were at that building the other night and is angry you got in her way and disrupted her plans. Could be any number of reasons.”
“All valid reasons not to go.”
“But you will anyway.”
“Curiosity usually gets the better of me,” Recker said.
“I’m painfully aware.”
Recker then grabbed his gun and held it in the air. “Don’t worry, I won’t go in empty handed. I’ll be ready if something goes down.”
“You don’t think they’re actually going to let you meet her armed, do you? They will surely pat you down first.”
“Surely.”
“Well then?”
“I’m not giving up my weapons.”
“Oh, that should go down well,” Jones said.
“We’ll see.”
Recker then looked at Haley. “Feel like getting out of the office for a bit?”
“What’d you have in mind?” Haley replied.
Recker gr
inned. “I got a little something.”
Upon hearing that, Jones moved his hand over his eyes, really not liking where this was heading. “You’re not seriously contemplating taking him back out into the field already, are you? I mean, he can’t move quickly enough if something happens.”
“For what I have in mind, moving won’t be necessary. He’ll be safe and stationary the entire time.”
“Why do you do this to me?” Jones asked.
“Do what?”
Jones started patting his pockets as if he was looking for something. “Give me heartburn, headaches, high blood pressure.” After a minute, he found some aspirin.
“Relax. It’ll work out.”
Recker went over to his gun cabinet and opened it, looking for a specific weapon. He pulled out a rifle with a laser scope on it. He then walked over to Haley and handed it to him.
“You’ll need this,” Recker said.
Haley smiled, thinking he understood what his partner had in mind. “When you wanna do this?”
“No time like the present.”
Jones knew it was going to happen and didn’t see the point in arguing against it any further. Now he could only hope nothing went awry.
“Let me know when it’s over so I know you’re both not dead in a ditch or a gutter somewhere,” Jones said.
“You always have such an eloquent way of phrasing things,” Recker replied.
“As do you.”
Recker and Haley left the office to go to Nowak’s hotel. Along the way, Recker explained his plan in detail so Haley would know what he had in mind.
“You sure that room will be available?” Haley asked. “How do you know there’s a spot there?”
Recker smiled. “I’ve actually been to that hotel before, so I already know the layout.”
“What’d you go there for?”
“A couple years ago, a businessman who had some questionable business practices was on the wrong side of a hit for hire.”
“You stop it?”
“Yeah.”
When they finally got to the hotel, they immediately went to the floor Nowak was staying. Once they stepped off the elevator, Recker and Haley went their separate ways. All the rooms faced each other, as there was a big balcony that encompassed the inside part of the hotel. They immediately knew which door was Nowak’s, as the guards standing in front of it gave it away. With Recker approaching them, nobody paid much attention to the guy on crutches who was walking on the far side of the floor, directly across from them. As Recker got within a few feet of them, one of the guards put his hands up to prevent him from coming closer.
“Hold up, man, that’s as far as you get here.”
“I think I’m expected,” Recker said.
“I wasn’t informed of that.”
“Well, tell them I’m here.”
“And who are you supposed to be?”
“I’m told I’m The Silencer. I’m also told your boss was looking to meet me.”
“Oh,” the guard said, his face looking a little awestruck, clearly hearing of Recker’s reputation beforehand.
The two guards looked at each other for a moment, neither of whom seemed to be sure what to do next.
“How ‘bout one of you go in there and tell someone I’m here,” Recker said. “That way we’re not standing out here all day.”
“Wait here,” the guard said, ducking inside the room.
“I’ll wait here.”
The guard looked back at Recker, giving him a glance that indicated he wasn’t amused by the quip. As he waited, he put his finger on his ear, pretending to be cleaning it out to not give away Haley’s voice was coming through on the com.
“I’m in position,” Haley said.
As soon as he said that, Recker quickly twirled around to look at where he was, giving the illusion he was looking at the features of the hotel. Haley had taken up residence in a maintenance room located across from Nowak’s room. The room was always locked, but with the guards paying more attention to Recker, no one noticed Haley was picking the lock. He left the door open a crack to give his rifle enough room to point at the guards. He stayed just inside the door, making sure the rifle didn’t stick out of the door to not give himself away if anybody was walking nearby.
A minute later, the guard finally emerged from the room again, this time with Milton behind him. As Milton closed the door behind him, he looked Recker up and down to see if the description he’d heard matched the man in person. It did.
“You look about the same as I pictured you would,” Milton said.
Recker smiled, not able to resist taking a small shot at the man. “Can’t say the same for you. Thought you’d be bigger.”
Milton also didn’t look amused. “I’m sure.”
“So, we gonna stand out here jabbering all day or am I gonna talk to your boss?”
“Ms. Nowak is currently in conference.”
“So, are you saying she can’t see me?” Recker asked.
“Maybe come back later today or tomorrow. Or leave your number and we’ll contact you when she’s available.”
“Listen, pal, I’m busy, this is a one-time offer. I didn’t come here to be poo-pooed and given the runaround by the neighborhood lackey. If she doesn’t see me now, I won’t be back. I heard she was looking for me. I don’t really give a damn if I talk to her or not.”
Milton sighed and looked somewhat disgusted. “Wait here.”
“I’ll wait here.”
Milton gave him a second look before going back inside the room again. Recker then looked at the guards and started some small talk to pass the time.
“I like the system you guys got going on here. You try to bore people to death before they get to go inside?”
Neither of the guards replied. They actually hoped he’d be out of their hair soon as they weren’t particularly impressed with his personality. A couple minutes later, Milton came out the room again.
“You’re in luck, Ms. Nowak is ready to see you now.”
Recker laughed. “I’m in luck? Like how you phrase things bud. You’re a real charmer.”
Recker started moving toward the door but was stopped by Milton, who put his hand on Recker’s chest to prevent him from going in.
“No guns,” Milton said.
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. No weapons are allowed inside. We’ll need to frisk you.”
Recker took a step back as he balked at the request. “You don’t need to check me. I’ll tell you right now; I’m carrying.”
“Boss’ orders. Nobody gets inside who’s packing.”
“Well then, that presents a bit of a problem, doesn’t it? I don’t meet new people I don’t trust without packing.”
The guards, along with Milton, stood in front of the door to block Recker’s path.
“Listen, does she wanna talk to me or not?” Recker asked.
“With no guns,” Milton replied.
“Well here’s the deal. I either go in, guns in my possession, or I walk away never to return.”
Recker could see on Milton’s face he was uncomfortable sending him away. It was obvious his boss really wanted to meet him and talk to him. If not, he figured Milton would have already told him to take a hike after balking at surrendering his weapons.
“If you want I can make this easier for you,” Recker said.
“How’s that?”
“You see that red dot on your shirt?”
Milton scrunched his eyebrows together, not sure what he was talking about. He looked down at his shirt, but there was no red dot. “What are you talking about?”
Right on cue, Haley aimed his rifle at Milton’s chest.
“You might wanna check again,” Recker said.
Milton looked down again, this time seeing the red dot. He immediately knew what it was. A nervous look came over his face as he realized he was in the crosshairs of a sniper.
“Nobody takes my guns,” Recker said. “I either go in wi
th them or I leave. I don’t really have a preference which way this goes so I’ll leave the decision up to you.”
Milton took a deep breath, finally ready to concede his position. Nowak really wanted to talk to him, and he was under orders to make it happen, so he relented. “Fine. You can keep your guns. Just realize if something happens...”
“Then what? I’ll never make it out? Somehow, I think I would. I’ll give you my word, though, nothing will happen unless someone tries to kill me. Fair enough?”
Milton nodded. “Oh, uhh, and can you do something about this?” Milton asked, pointing to the red dot on his chest.
Recker put his hand on his ear. “Stand down.” Within a few seconds, the dot disappeared. Recker then smiled at Milton and slapped him hard on the shoulder. “Let’s get this party started, huh?”
15
Recker walked into the room, Milton closely behind him. Recker looked around and saw Teasley standing watching him but didn’t see Nowak. He stood in the middle of the room for about a minute, with nobody saying a word. Recker was starting to get a bad feeling about being there. In case he badly misjudged what was about to happen, he stuck his hand inside his jacket, ready to pull out his gun if the situation called for it.
It turned out to be a false alarm for him, though, as Nowak showed up only a few seconds later. But it wasn’t quite the initial appearance he imagined it would be. She came out of the bathroom, her body wrapped in a thick white towel that went from her chest to her mid-thigh. She walked right up to Recker and looked him over, in a much more lustful way than Milton had done earlier. She stuck her hand out to shake hands, which Recker reciprocated.
“So, you’re the famous Silencer.”
“That’s the rumor,” Recker replied.
“A little more good-looking than I was anticipating.”
“Scars are coming next week.”
“And a sarcastic sense of humor. I like it.”
“It’s just for you.”
Nowak turned to her underlings to shoo them out of the room. “Leave us. Wait outside.”
Milton and Teasley looked at each other, both surprised by their boss’ wishes. It was highly unusual for them to leave her alone, as they hadn’t done so in any other meeting she had up to that point. And it wasn’t something she previously indicated she would do when she told them about meeting Recker.