The Nephew

by Claude Bouchard

  A small LED display appeared on the device in Carlos hand showing a flashing 5. His thumb pressed the button again, the flashing stopped and the 5 became 4. At the same time a shrill buzzing began emanating from somewhere on Ramos’ boat.

  “What the fuck?” Ramos yelled while Danilo’s face turned white.

  “Two, one, zer–” were Carlos last words they heard.

  * * * *

  “Wow,” Carlos whispered from two miles away.

  Even from that distance, the massive ball of flame was bright enough to make them all squint as they watched from Benny’s boat. The booms followed a couple of seconds later as the sound reached them from across the water. Overhead, Jonathan’s plane flew by as he and Hayden headed to the explosion’s location to assess the damage and, hopefully, confirm their success.

  “Do you think they’re dead?” asked Carlos.

  “I can’t see how they could have survived that,” Chris replied, “But we’ll know soon enough.”

  “Will they even see anything?” asked Carlos. “It’s damned dark out there.”

  “Night vision goggles,” Benny explained. “They’ll see.”

  They waited as they watched the plane approach the dissipating cloud of smoke in the distance. It lessened its altitude and circled the area a couple of times before heading back in their direction. As it came closer, Jonathan contacted them.

  “There’s nothing left but bits and pieces not big enough to identify. Our work is done.”

  Chapter 6 – Wednesday, August 9, 2017

  Gravenhurst, Ontario, 9:23 a.m.

  “Good morning,” said Carlos as he joined the others in the kitchen at Benny’s place. “I slept later than I thought but it looks like I’m not the last one up.”

  “Well, you are, lazy-bones,” Leslie teased. “Benny and the others just left on his boat.”

  “Oh,” said Carlos, blushing. “Sorry.”

  “Not a problem,” said Chris. “I wasn’t sure if you would sleep at all after last night.”

  “It’s actually the best I’ve slept in the last week,” said Carlos. “I don’t regret what we did and I thank you for letting me help.”

  “You deserved it,” said Jonathan, “And we’re all impressed with how you handled yourself.”

  “Thank you,” said Carlos. He hesitated a moment then added, “When I met with Fernando, I told him I’d probably leave Toronto to start over somewhere else. At the time, it was to get away from Danilo and the gang rather than constantly looking over my shoulder. That’s no longer an issue but I’ve decided to leave anyhow.”

  “That’s a big step,” said Chris. “Quitting your job, leaving your hometown.”

  “I have nothing to keep me here,” said Carlos. “As for work, it’s a small company so it’s not like I have a promising future with them.”

  “What about your studies?” asked Dave.

  “That’s not a problem,” Carlos replied. “I have half a dozen courses left to complete my degree, all of which I can do online.”

  “Where are you planning to go?” asked Chris.

  “I’m not sure yet,” said Carlos. “That’ll depend on if I can get the right job.” He paused then looked at Jonathan. “I don’t know if it’s even possible but, if it is, I’d like to join your team in any capacity you’d see fit.”

  “Really?” said Jonathan, glancing at Chris, who shrugged. “We do some nasty work.”

  “Huh, I’ve already got a sense of that,” said Carlos, “But somebody’s got to do it.”

  “The training is brutal,” Dave warned, “Even if you’re in decent shape.”

  “I’ve been kickboxing for about five years,” said Carlos, “And I’ve been running since high school.”

  “Are you sure about this?” asked Chris.

  “Yes,” Carlos replied. “When I ran down Amaya, when I set up Fernando and again last night, each time, I felt I was doing something right. I was getting rid of dirt. There’s too much dirt out there and I want to help clean it out.”

  “There’s a battery of tests and evaluations you’ll have to go through before I can say yes,” Jonathan informed him.

  “I’ll do whatever I have to do,” said Carlos. “I really want this.”

  “When do you want to get started?” asked Jonathan.

  “As soon as I can,” Carlos replied. “I’ll need a bit of time to look after things for mom, her apartment and my apartment but I can work around that.”

  “We’ll help you out with that,” Chris offered then added, “One last time, you’re sure about this?”

  Carlos nodded. “Definitely.”

  Chris gazed at Jonathan. “Maybe he should come with us today?”

  “Not a bad idea,” Jonathan agreed.

  “I’ll ride back with Leslie,” Dave suggested.

  “Fine by me,” said Leslie.

  “Where are we going?” asked Carlos.

  “We have one loose end left to look after,” Chris explained. “We were thinking you’d head back with Leslie but we might as well involve you to the end.”

  * * * *

  In flight near Val d’Or, Quebec, 12:14 p.m.

  Jose Ortez was scared – deathly, frightfully scared. Over the previous three days, he had been kidnapped, beaten and left injured in a cinderblock cell somewhere with only his thoughts and pain to keep him occupied. When his captors had entered the previous day, he had believed it was to give him another sandwich or burger but instead, they had injected him with some powerful knockout drug. He had awoken hours later to find himself shackled to an iron cot in some other unknown location, another concrete room with a camping toilet, granola bars and bottled water.

  He had slept fitfully, partly due to his injuries but mostly due to his increasing terror as he considered what his likely outcome would be. He had little expectation of being rescued by the gang and certainly doubted the police was even aware of his disappearance. His captors were linked to the woman he and Edwin had kidnapped and she was now dead. Chances were high he would be made to pay for Edwin’s crime.

  A couple of hours earlier, two men had entered the room and he had recognized the one who had beaten and questioned him shortly after he had been captured. They had shackled him, prison-style, duct-taped his mouth and blindfolded him before half-leading/half-carrying him outside. Following a painful and cumbersome trek across a grassy area, he had found himself on a slightly swaying or bobbing platform, presumably a dock. From there, he had been lifted into a seat and strapped in place.

  He had been aware of some bustling about by others and whatever he sat in also moved as if on water. Two people, he believed, had climbed in by him, pulling themselves up by the back of his seat before moving behind him. A third person had then climbed in, staying momentarily in front of him and a door had clunked shut to his right. That person had then moved to his left, brushing against his knees as he went.

  A moment later, an unfamiliar sounding engine had started up and shortly after, they had been moving slowly forward. Soon after, Jose had had the sense they were turning and the engine had opened up, thrusting their vessel forward. Seconds later, he had realized they were on a plane, rushing across a surface of water before rising in the air.

  A couple of minutes after taking off, a man behind him had said, “The least we can do is let you enjoy the view,” before removing his blindfold. Another minute had gone by and the man had tapped him on the shoulder and pointed down, saying, “There’s Gabriel Ramos’ place. It was attacked last night and both he and Danilo are dead. My condolences.” Unable to respond, due to the duct-tape, Jose had remained silent, though fear would have likely prevented him from speaking even if he hadn’t been gagged.

  They had been flying, mostly in silence, for at least an hour, possibly two, when the pilot had announced they were going down and pointed to their apparent destination. The landscape below had increasingly consisted of forest, lakes and little else since their departure and they now seemed to truly be in th
e middle of nowhere. A wave of terror rushed through Ortez, leaving him feeling tingly, numb and nauseous.

  “That’s Kun Lake,” Jonathan said, glancing at their captive. “I’ve been here before and you’re going to love it.” He turned toward Chris in the rear seat and added, “Why don’t you remove the tape from our friend’s face so he can join the conversation?”

  “Sure thing,” Chris agreed, leaning forward and carefully peeling the strip of duct-tape off.

  “There we go,” said Jonathan, looking at Ortez once again. “Just to situate you, we’re roughly fifty kilometres south of Val d’Or. Are you familiar with the area?”

  Jose shook his head then mumbled, “What are we doing here?”

  “We thought it would be nice to get you out of the big city,” Chris replied from behind. “You’ve been penned up for a couple of days so some fresh air will do you good.”

  “You’ve also been hanging out with the wrong crowd and it’s a bad influence on you,” Jonathan added. “Spending some time with nature will help you change your perspective on life.”

  Ortez didn’t respond and the others went silent as Jonathan brought the plane down onto the small lake then navigated to a rocky beach on the south side. He slowed and swiveled the plane around then raised the rudders and, seconds later, they felt the back of the floats graze the surface. Wearing reef shoes and rolled up pants, Chris opened the door and climbed out into the shallow water with a mooring line and a minute later, the plane was secured in place. He returned to the door and signalled Carlos then helped him out, offering support as his nephew made his way atop the float to dry land beyond.

  “Your turn,” Jonathan informed Ortez as he unbuckled his safety harness.

  “No,” Ortez whimpered, shaking his head.

  “Oh, don’t be a wuss,” said Chris.

  He reached up and grabbed the chain linking their prisoner’s wrists then pulled as Jonathan pushed from the other side. Ortez landed with a splash and a cry before Chris pulled him to his feet.

  “The water’s freezing,” Ortez whined.

  “Then get out,” said Chris, pushing him toward the beach.

  With difficulty, due to the shackles and an injured knee, Ortez shuffled forward until he was out of the water where Chris and Carlos grabbed hold of him, helping him over to a large rock.

  “Sit,” said Chris, trying to guide him down.

  “What are you going to do to me?” Ortez blubbered as he resisted.

  “I’ll take your other knee out if you don’t sit,” Chris replied.

  Ortez relented and let them lower him onto the rock then eyed Chris in fear as he reached into a pocket and pulled out a key.

  “If you move, I’ll kill you,” Chris warned before getting down on one knee and reaching for Ortez’ ankle restraints.

  He removed the shackles then stood and unlocked the handcuffs. Stepping back, he pulled out a switchblade and clicked it open.

  “What are you going to do to me?” Ortez repeated.

  “Me? Nothing,” Chris replied, handing the knife to Carlos. “This is his call so, talk to him.”

  Ortez looked at Carlos as tears streamed down his cheeks and said, “I’m sorry for your mother, dude. It shouldn’t have happened. I should have never even been in the gang but I got dragged into it. I don’t know what else to tell you so do what you got to do.”

  Carlos stared at him for a moment then clicked the switchblade shut before flinging it down the beach.

  “You’d better go get that after,” he said. “Might come handy if anything attacks you out here.”

  He turned around and headed back to the plane where he began to untie the mooring line.

  Chris looked at Ortez and said, “Should you get out of this alive, you can tell whatever story you like about what happened but don’t mention him. If you do, I’ll find out and you won’t get a second chance.”

  * * * *

  From the far end of the small lake, the plane accelerated and lifted into the air. As the beach came into view, they peered down and noted Ortez remained seated on his rock, hunched over, not daring to even watch their departure.

  “Do you think he’s going to make it?” asked Carlos.

  “Hard to tell,” Jonathan replied. “If he heads east, there’s a road about five kilometres away. If he stays near the water, canoers or kayakers might find him or someone might spot him from the air. Then again, there are bears out there. You want us to go back for him?”

  “Not a chance,” said Carlos. “He’s lucky I didn’t kill him.” He hesitated for a moment and looked at Chris. “You took me by surprise when you gave me the knife. Did you want me to kill him?”

  “I wanted you to deal with the situation,” Chris replied. “We wanted to see how you handled it.”

  “So, this was like a test,” said Carlos.

  “Yep,” said Chris.

  “Did I pass?” asked Carlos

  “You did,” Jonathan replied. “Get ready for more.”

  Books by Claude Bouchard

  Available for your Kindle at

  Amazon.com ~ Amazon.co.uk

  Vigilante

  Book 1 of the Vigilante Series

  Montreal . . . the long, hot summer of 1996. . . and in the dark of night, moving like a shadowy wraith, a vigilante prowls the city's streets. The targets of his bloody rampage: the worst of the worst. . . Murderers. Gangbangers. Rapists. Six months. Sixteen murders. The harried police are still without a clue . . . until the day they receive an email from the assassin himself. Lieutenant Dave McCall, head of Montreal's Special Homicide Task Force, needs help to crack the secrets of the killer's taunting message. He calls on an expert, Chris Barry, who runs a security firm specializing in computer communications. Together, McCall and Barry launch a grim quest to track down a man who preys on predators - an urgent quest to bring this remorseless killer to justice. But whose justice will prevail: theirs--or the vigilante's?

  The Consultant

  Book 2 of the Vigilante Series

  The friendly takeover of CSS Inc. leaves computer executive Chris Barry unemployed, very wealthy and pleased with the situation. But the hiatus is short-lived. . . As a result of his involvement in the recent ‘Vigilante’ investigation, Barry is approached by Jonathan Addley and invited to join ‘Discreet Activities’, a government agency of the clandestine variety. Accepting, he promptly takes on his first assignment under the guise of an IT consultant, to investigate possible links between a local import business and the murder of its MIS director. As he discovers the firm is being used to import narcotics, his cover is blown and things get personal, spurring him to show that murderers, drug lords, biker gangs and kidnappers are no match for. . . The Consultant. . .

  Mind Games

  Book 3 of the Vigilante Series

  Montreal is plagued by a string of vicious sex slayings. . . Captain Dave McCall and his Special Homicide Task Force are in a frustrated frenzy as they try to bring an end to the savage butchery. . . Assisting officially is noted psychiatrist, Doctor Samuel Bowman and unofficially, computer genius and multi-millionaire, Chris Barry. . . With each passing day, McCall works his way closer to the truth. . . Unaware that they are heading deep into the deadly core of. . . Mind Games. . .

  The Homeless Killer

  Book 4 of the Vigilante Series

  The homeless of Montreal are dying at the hand of 'Allan', a serial killer set on ridding the city of street people. . . As the killer taunts the police about the increasing body count, Captain Dave McCall calls on the services Jonathan Addley and Chris Barry, both operatives with the government's clandestine 'Discreet Activities' team. . . All while fighting the city's proposed by-law banning the homeless from downtown parks, philanthropist and activist, William Enright, joins the law-enforcement crusade to capture the assassin. . . But will the combined efforts of the law and old money be sufficient to stop the Homeless Killer?

  6 Hours 42 Minutes

  Book 5 of the Vigilante Series
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  Though most of them dabbled in a variety of criminal activities, they weren't experienced in this particular field and had never been involved in a job like this before. However, with proper planning, careful organization and the inside information available to them, they were certain that this bank heist would be a piece of cake. Ten minutes, in and out, was all it would take and they'd be sharing 2.5 million dollars. Nothing could go wrong as they had thought of everything. . . How could they possibly know that a new member of the board was visiting the bank that morning? How could they know that the new board member was Chris Barry?

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  Book 6 of the Vigilante Series

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  Femme Fatale

  Book 7 of the Vigilante Series

  Less than two years earlier, Leslie Robb, an accountant in her late twenties working for the Imperial National Bank, had seen her life-partner and co-worker, Gina, shot to death during a bank heist subsequently foiled in part by Chris Barry, millionaire and clandestine operative of the government's 'Discreet Activities'. Taken as a hostage along with Chris by the remaining robbers onto a helicopter secretly piloted by two 'DA' operatives, including 'DA' head, Jonathan Addley, Leslie had played an integral role in helping bring the offenders down. As a result, thanks to her sang-froid, sense of moral justice and martial arts affinities, Leslie left the world of finance to fight crime as a member of the 'DA' team. Now, Leslie has a new partner in life, Dominique Petit, a Canadian/French dual citizen who suggests Leslie visit Paris with her while she is in the City of Lights on business. Less than twenty-four hours after Leslie arrives, Dominique and her sister, Corinne, disappear, turning Leslie's vacation into her own business trip of justice and revenge...