The Devil's Syndicate

by Chris Draper

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  Back in the main room Travis was still thinking about the newcomer. Something about the situation just didn't add up. A strange man just waltzes in from the wilderness and gets taken in as one of them like that? It wasn't right, especially not someone who looked like that. He shifted on the couch a little until he was beside Byron sitting in the chair, out of ear range of the other Syndicate sitting nearby still engaged in a card game.

  “Are you sure we made the right decision about that Blake guy?” He asked Byron who was busy going over the blueprint of the El Hombrez bar, outlining what everyone's role was in the raid on the El Hombrez tomorrow. “You're just going to let him in like that?”

  Byron looked up at Travis and shot him a look that said don't bother me right now. “Look brother, I think you need to have more faith in me. When have I ever led you astray before?”

  “Well, never but...”

  “So what makes you think I'll do so this time?”

  “I don't think you will, I just wanted --”

  “You wanted to what? To question my logic?” Byron raised his voice and looked at him with those jet black eyes and Travis immediately regretted broaching the subject. The rest of the Syndicate who were sitting nearby went quiet and continued their game looking over uneasily.

  “That's not what I intended.” Travis gulped slowly. “I was just looking out for the Syndicate.”

  “Looking out for the Syndicate?” Byron balked. “First you question my intentions, which means you don't think I am capable of making the best decisions for the Syndicate and next you think I can't handle what's best for all of us?”

  Travis remained silent. He knew saying anything else at this point would be pointless. As far as his side of the argument was concerned it was closed. What Byron said stood and they were all aware of that. Byron continued: “In regards to our newest addition, the man who calls himself Blake, don't you recall me mentioning we might have a visitor?Someone that might be sent out by Mr. Wagner himself?”

  Travis slowly nodded, realization starting to creep through his brain.

  “And don't you think I too found it a little odd that this stranger shows up around the same time I got in touch with Mr. Wagner about his daughter's ransom? And the fact that he mentioned St.Mary's centre, the same place that Dottie visited? And above all, Blake mentioned he was at Florida state prison where myself and Randall were imprisoned for several years yet neither of us remember seeing him there. Don't you find that a little odd as well? Of course you know what I'm getting at Travis. You all do.”

  He now addressed the rest of the Syndicate who were still hanging around the room. “I think our friend Blake may not be completely transparent in his intentions with the Syndicate. Which is why I want to have a little fun with him tomorrow. We'll make sure we have someone keeping an eye on him at all times to be sure he doesn't try anything. But of course, we'll also give him a few chances to try something just in case, so we can see just what his intentions are.”

  Travis understood now. They all did. Byron's logic had proved itself yet again. They trusted him completely and it shone through their faces like a transfixed glow. He stood up and walked over to a window overlooking the first cusps of night that would soon blanket the entire jungle in a sea of black. And again that smile spread itself across his face again like it always did when he got a dark idea in his head.

  “But you can all be rest assured of one thing.” He said keeping his eyes fixed on the growing darkness outside and his voice even. “I have other plans for our new guest. Very special plans indeed.”

  16

  Hawk was woken the next day by the harsh sound of worn out hinges grinding open the door to his room. He shot up quickly, remembered where he was, then sat up on the mattress. He felt stiff from sleeping on the worn bed, and outside the window it looked like daylight but he wasn't quite sure what time it was.

  “Rise and shine.” Byron said stepping into the room. “I want to go over the plans with you for later to make sure you know what you got to do.”

  “What time is it?” Hawk asked rubbing his eyes.

  “It's almost lunch.” Byron said noticing Hawk looking out the window. “It's darker out there on account of the weather this week. Come on and get up and join us in the main room.”

  Hawk rose but still felt weary, probably from yesterday's journey he realized and followed Byron back through the hallway to the compound's main room. When they got there, Hawk sat down on a small sofa beside Etaro and Byron sat across from Hawk in a wooden foldup chair. He pulled out the blueprint and started going over the plan again with Hawk, how they planned on ambushing the Fiesta Lochez bar and how they planned on murdering all of the El Hombrez for killing two of the Syndicate as well as moving into their turf.

  Hawk couldn't believe what he was hearing. It all sounded like the workings of a madman and as he looked around he could see what it was that each of the Syndicate saw in Byron. It was pure adoration. They would jump off a building if he asked them to do so. It all seemed so childish – but then again he could never understand the mentality of most organized crime groups. The way they operated defied any reasonable logic.

  “Isn't that a bit harsh killing them all like that?” Hawk asked. “Isn't there another way?”

  “No.” Byron was firm. “That's the way it has to be. If we don't squelch out these leeches now, they'll grow like parasites and pose an even bigger threat to us down the road. You're either in or you're not – and I don't think you have much of a choice.”

  Hawk thought about pressing the matter further, but didn't want to run the risk of arousing suspicion. He needed a way to contact the police, tip them off on what was going to happen later on in the day. Doing so could save the lives of the many who would surely die in this senseless raid. True, he wasn't a police officer anymore and this really wasn't his problem – he'd been hired to find and bring back Dottie, nothing else. But on the other hand, he couldn't ignore his conscious either which told him he couldn't just turn a blind eye. There was bound to be innocent people in that bar that had no idea what was coming later.

  “I see.” Hawk said. “And what if there are cameras in this place? Have you considered that?”

  A blonde woman, Stacey, was nearby and croaked a smoker's laugh at the question.

  “Hun are you joking? That place is a total piss joint. Trust when I say they ain't got no cameras in there.”

  “She's right.” Byron said. “Martinez isn't that dumb. If they had cameras then they would be recording a lot of incriminating stuff about themselves. You don't have to worry about it.”

  Hawk looked over the blueprint on the table. “So where do I figure in these plans?”

  “You'll come in through the front door with Cleetch when I give the signal.”

  “Okay.” Hawk said thinking, then pointed to the back storage area on the map of the bar. “But is there any reason why I can't come in the back on my own? We could surprise them from behind when the shooting starts. Then you can have some other guys flank them from the sides of the bar – that way we'll have them covered from most angles and there won't be any stragglers left. We'll have them boxed in and can pick them off better, it'll save us time since we won't have to chase any of them if they try to run to that back exit.”

  “A good idea.” Byron said. “But unfortunately we already thought of that. The backdoor is a fire escape so it's locked from the inside. We're going to have two Syndicate watching it from the back to make sure none of the El Hombrez try and go out that way.”

  “What if I said I could open it?”

  A few eyebrows went up on the Syndicate who were sitting nearby and Travis chimed in.

  “That's impossible. There's a breaker bar on the inside of that door that disables anyone from opening it. Everyone knows that.”

  “I can open it.” Hawk said. “I've broken into those doors before I was tossed in prison.”

  “Interesting.” Byron asked. “How so?” />
  Hawk was bluffing again. He actually had no idea how to open a fire door and knew it was next to impossible. Byron was right, those metal doors were meant to keep people out. He needed a way to get away from them, a way to come back here and get Dottie while they were still embroiled in the battle with the El Hombrez inside. He thought of everything he'd heard from all of his old police friends in the robbery division and thought he had a convincing enough explanation that would fool them of his break-and-entering prowess.

  “It's simple really.” Hawk said. “You grease the small end of a crowbar so that it will slide into the narrow side of the door, it has to go in gently where the opening mechanism is or it won't work. Then you tap the other end with a soft mallet until you hear the lock's mechanism start to give way. After a few taps on the crowbar the door will slowly start to open, then it's just a matter of pulling back when you hear the proper click and the break bar will disengage on the other side opening the door.”

  Travis shook his head. “I think that's a load of crap. How do you know it will work? Those doors are meant to stay shut, it's not as easy as just jamming the lock with a crowbar.”

  “It will work,” Hawk said. “I used to jack a lot of houses when I was younger, spent some time in jail for it, trust me when I say that I know how to break into a place.”

  “Okay,” Byron said. “You can come in from the back, but if you fuck it up it's your ass. Remember that.”

  “I won't fuck up.” Hawk said “It's a safe bet.”

  “Fine. But I think I'll have Cleetch tag along with you anyway.” Byron said. “Since you guys became so well acquainted yesterday I think I'll also have you ride with him to the bar.”

  Hawk eyed Cleetch sitting on the couch nearby filling his bloated belly with a can of Dr.Pepper. “To keep an eye on me?”

  “That's right.” Byron said. “Remember what I said about proving yourself?”

  “Yeah, I get it.”

  “Good. Then it's settled. We'll leave in the evening. You're free to go back to your room until then.”

  “Alright.” Hawk said remembering about his duffel bag and rifle that they still had. “Any chance on getting my things back?”

  “You'll get it all back before we leave later.” Byron said. “We still haven't seen you in action yet and can't take the risk that you'll try something before then.”

  “Okay, then I think I'll head back to my room to get some more rest.”

  “Someone will come and fetch you when we're ready to load the vehicles.” Byron turned to Etaro. “Go back with Blake and lock the door after he's inside.” Etaro nodded and led him back towards his room, locking the door after he was inside.

  Hawk sat back down on the bed and thought of what had just occurred. So far his plan had worked – even if Cleetch was coming along with him to the back of Fiesta Lochez, he didn't think it would be too hard to knock him out and steal the keys to one of the vehicles while the rest of the Syndicate were still inside the bar. It would be dark out by then and Byron had mentioned it would likely be raining as well which would provide additional cover. Hawk was surprised though that Byron had even considered letting him go off with only Cleetch keeping an eye on him. Could it be some sort of trap? It wasn't entirely out of the question, although he didn't think so. He didn't think Byron suspected him of anything at this point and if he did he sure was hiding it well. But still, one could never be too sure – Hawk would have to keep an extra eye out as soon as they arrived at Fiesta Lochez just in case.

  The hardest part about his plan would be finding his way back to the Syndicate compound afterwards to free Dottie, which meant he was going to have to stay focused and try and memorize the route Cleetch took through the forest to the highway. Another kink in his plan was Byron's cousin Larry. He'd overheard that Larry was going to stay behind and guard the place while the rest of them were away. Hawk didn't see this being much of an issue though. Larry was small and judging by his interactions with the rest of the gang didn't seem too bright. Hawk was confident he could deal with Larry quickly when the time came. He lay back down and counted the minutes in his head until the day bled into evening.

  Cleetch was still sipping from his drink and Byron called him over to where he was. He took one last gulp, slammed the empty can down on the table and took a seat near Byron.

  “Do you know what you're doing later?” Byron asked.

  “Yeah boss, you got me keepin' an eye on that new fella.”

  “Yes and do you realize the responsibility that goes with that?”

  Cleetch looked confused for a second, sort of like he'd been asked a trick question on Jeopardy or something.

  “Ah, aren't I just keeping an eye on him like you said?"

  “That's one part of it but another reason I only have you going to watch him is because I want our friend Blake to try something.”

  “Try something?”

  “Yes, try something. As you know we all have a feeling that Blake is not who he says he is and if that's the case I believe he'll try something while the rest of us are preoccupied. Which is why I've chosen you Cleetch to stay close to him. He's much more likely to do something when he's being guarded by one instead of several. Do you follow?”

  “Yeah I guess so boss.” Cleetch said but the clouded look over his face still hadn't completely subsided. “But if you're so cautious of him why not just kill him now? Why go through all of this trouble?”

  “Well there's more to it then that. Sure, I could easily kill him now and be rid of the problem but wouldn't you agree it is more exciting to see someone bring about their own peril first?”

  “Yeah...”

  “Yes Cleetch. I think that Blake is here for Dottie and I think that at some point in the next day before we meet her father for that money he's going to try something. The timing of his arrival points that way.”

  “So he doesn't wanna join us?”

  “No, it was just his bad luck to stumble upon the Syndicate when he did, when we were planning on getting rid of the El Hombrez. But in a way, this gives us an opportunity to witness his self-destruction.”

  “What if he doesn't do anything?”

  “Then maybe I was wrong.” Byron said. “But I don't think I am. All you have to is keep an eye on him, but remember if he tries anything don't shoot to kill – we want him alive. I want him alive especially. This is your chance to shine Cleetch. Don't botch it up.”

  “I won't boss.” Cleetch said, honoured that Byron had selected him in the first place. It wasn't very often he got asked to do things for the boss and this really was his chance to get up there in the big leagues so to speak. Usually he just got tasked with mundane things like cleaning the facility or filling up the vehicles with gas – but ever since he found that Blake guy outside the other day he felt like Byron was putting more trust into him.

  “So are we good Cleetch?”

  “Yeah we're good. I keep an eye on Blake and if he does anything don't shoot to kill but bring him to you and you'll handle him.”

  “Exactly.” Byron said looking down the hall towards the room where Hawk was locked up. “I'll handle him.”

  It seemed that no sooner had Hawk closed his eyes then there was someone coming to wake him again. This time it was Cleetch saying that it was time to load up the truck. Hawk nodded and got up, followed him outside to the front of the building where four large black pickup trucks were being loaded with canvas bags that Hawk assumed were weapons. Most of the day had been sucked into the darkening sky that hung over the Everglades like a sheet and a light drizzle had started falling down that made the dirt squish underneath his boots. To the right of Hawk were two pickups and Byron was closing the hatch on one when he saw Hawk come out.

  “You'll be riding with Cleetch in the other truck.” He said stepping over then turned his attention to Cleetch. “Once we're out on the highway remember we all need to keep a distance from each other to avoid drawing any suspicion. If you need to reach me use the two way r
adio in the truck.”

  Byron turned back to the truck and fished something out of the back. It was Hawk's duffel bag and rifle case. “Here's your stuff back. You'll notice I kept the ammunition for your rifle. That's until I know we can trust you.”

  “Okay.” Hawk said taking the items from Byron. “But do I get a gun when we get to Fiesta Lochez?”

  “No. You'll be watching more than anything. To see how we do things – so to speak.”

  “I don't think that's good idea. What if I need to defend myself?”

  “I wouldn't worry about that.” Byron said with a smile. “Cleetch is more than good enough with a gun to protect the both of you. You just worry about breaking open that back door. Cleetch'll give you a crowbar when we get there.”

  “Alright.”

  “Oh and another thing.” Byron said. “We'll need to keep you blindfolded on our way out of the Everglades, think of it as our protection in case you end up being not who you say you are.”

  “You really don't trust me do you?”

  “I don't trust anybody.” Byron said walking back to the truck and removing a black handkerchief from the back. He tossed it over to Cleetch who caught it in mid air. “Make sure it's good and tight around his eyes.”

  Cleetch snorted a laugh. “No prob'em there boss, by the time I'm done with him he'll be as blind as a bat.”

  Byron called out to the rest of the Syndicate that it was time to leave then got into the truck with Randall in the passenger's side and kicked up the engine. They were moving a few seconds later over the gravel driveway in the direction of a dirt road cut into the forest. Larry was at the front door of the compound and waved goodbye to them as they drove off. Hawk couldn't help feeling a bit of pity for Larry. He'd probably intended to ride with them but instead got stuck guarding the place while the rest of them were gone. He wondered if Larry had ever even been out with the rest of them. Hawk had other things to worry about at the moment though. He hadn't considered that they would be covering his eyes which meant he'd have no way of knowing how to get back here afterwards and that was even assuming he'd be able to find a way to sneak back here anyway.