Wolf nodded.
“SEALS are pussies,” he said. The two others with him laughed.
“Is that a fact?” Wolf replied.
“What do you carry, an M60 or a Colt M4A1?”
“You know your weapons,” Wolf replied, nodding slightly in appreciation. “What do you think?”
“The M60 is a piece of shit,” he replied.
Wolf shrugged, “I don’t know about that, but I do prefer the Colt. When you do what I do, the versatility comes in handy.”
The Hispanic male nodded, “The new ones can be configured with grenade launchers. It’s a badass weapon.”
“It is. You any good with that AR-15?” Wolf asked.
“I can shoot the wings off a wasp at 50-feet,” he replied.
“That’s true,” chimed in one of the other men. “Alejandro is badass with a gun.”
“A lot of people can shoot a gun at a helpless target,” Wolf replied. “The real test comes when you find out how good you are when someone is shooting back. That requires commitment… training.”
Alejandro trained his weapon on Wolf’s chest, “Maybe before you leave, we’ll do a little dance, just you and me.”
“Alejandro!” Teddy yelled at the Hispanic alpha. “Shut up. This ain’t no social hour.”
“Barkley’s expecting us,” Snake said.
“That’s what I heard,” Teddy replied. “What’s your business with Barkley?”
“That’s between us and Barkley,” Snake said.
Teddy’s face went dark and he flashed Snake an icy stare. After a moment, he raised his walkie-talkie and pushed the button.
“Paco,” he called.
After a moment, a reply came, “Yeah.”
“There are three boys at the door to see Barkley,” he said. “They’re big sumbitches, too,” he added.
“Pat ‘em down,” Paco said. “I’ll be down in a minute.”
“You heard the man,” Teddy said. “Grab a piece of the sky and turn around.”
The three men complied and Teddy patted them for weapons. Alejandro and his two buddies trained their weapons on the SEALS in the event anyone took offense at the personal nature of the search. The door opened. Another Hispanic man appeared, this one older, perhaps 45, with black hair, slicked back, wearing a leather vest. His face was heavily pocked and he sported a wispy Fu Manchu. His arms were tanned dark and covered in various tattoos.
“I’m Paco. Which one of you is Snake?” he asked.
“That’s me,” Snake said.
Paco looked at the three large, muscular SEALS. “Okay,” he said to Snake. “You can come with me. These other two men need to stay here.”
“They come with me,” Snake said.
“I said they stay here,” Paco replied.
“My business with him includes these men. Let’s get Barkley on the phone and we’ll see what he says,” Snake said.
Paco paused.
Snake pulled his cell, “I can call him myself if you prefer.”
“Okay,” he said. “They can come. Stick close to me. Alejandro, you and your two misfits follow too.”
“I don’t work for you,” Alejandro protested. “I take my orders from…”
“Get your ass in line, or get out,” Paco insisted.
It was obvious that there was no lost love between Paco and Alejandro. Alejandro stood toe to toe with the bigger, older man before one of the other men pulled him away.
Paco began walking away. Alejandro and his two buddies followed suit. Trevor, Wolf and Snake trailed.
When the door opened the sounds of men and women screaming and applauding could be heard. The noise level inside the enclosed warehouse reminded Trevor of a monster truck rally.
Snake, Trevor and Wolf followed Paco and the three guards into the arena. Off to the right of the arena 40-50 black and chrome Harley Davidson motorcycles were parked.
What appeared to be old high school football field bleachers had been positioned around a makeshift boxing ring. The floor was covered in old, worn, discolored wrestling mats.
Paco led the three SEALS through a path in front the bleachers. Trevor could see the crowd – mostly gang-bangers, truckers and bikers with their women. Some were openly doing drugs. A plume of cigarette and marijuana smoke could be seen and smelled over the odor of stale beer. Discarded empty beer cans and whiskey bottles were scattered about the badly cracked concrete floor.
Two large, thickly-built twenty-something men were squared off in the make-shift ring, one Hispanic and one African-American.
“The Mexican’s name is Piedra,” Paco said. “That’s Spanish for stone. The black guy is the favorite. His name is Blade.”
The Hispanic male, Piedra, was well cut, with the exception of a soft-looking midsection. Blade was 40 lbs. heavier. His arms and fists looked chiseled. As the SEALS passed the ring Blade caught Piedra with an overhand right to the mouth. Blood spattered on Wolf’s right sleeve as he walked by. Piedra recovered quickly and slammed his right hand into his opponent’s stomach, doubling him over. The crowd cheered.
Snake pointed ahead, “There he is. That’s Barkley.”
Trevor got his first glance of Baby Barkley and immediately understood where the name came from. The similarity between “Baby Barkley” and Charles Barkley, the basketball player, was unmistakable, only the man before him was a foot shorter, hence the Baby portion of his name. He was focused on the fight.
“Boss,” Paco called as the men approached. “There are three boys here to see you.”
“Snake,” Barkley called out in an acknowledgement that was neither dismissive or welcoming. He took his eye off the action happening in the ring for only a moment.
“Y’all have a seat. I’ll be with ya in a minute,” Barkley said in a strong drawl.
Snake, Trevor, and Wolf turned toward the seats. Alejandro and his two shadows stood in their way, glaring at the SEALS. Paco made eye contact and nodded. The three men stood aside.
The fight appeared to be drawing to a close. Blade had reclaimed the advantage. Piedra was wobbling on shaky legs. After another two minutes of chasing the man around the ring Blade finally caught his opponent, grabbed him and slammed him to the floor. Piedra raised two fingers on his right hand, the sign for submission. The crowd roared.
Barkley fist-bumped the two men sitting with him and smiled for the first time since they arrived. He turned toward Snake. The smile disappeared quickly. He gave Snake a cursory glance and a fist-bump, then sized up Trevor and Wolf.
“Follow me,” he said.
Barkley led the three SEALS, Paco, Alejandro and his two men to the back of the bleachers. Thirty yards away sat a white construction trailer. The three SEALS, Paco, Barkley and Alejandro went inside, leaving the remaining two guards standing by the door.
Trevor, Wolf, and Snake found rickety fold-out chairs and sat. Barkley took a seat behind an ancient desk covered in randomly scattered paper and old fast food bags stained with dried ketchup and mustard. Paco and Alejandro stood. A rusty lamp, a half dozen empty beer cans and a half-filled bottle of Maker’s Mark completed the desk décor.
“Whatcha’ been doin’ with yourself, Snake?” Barkley asked.
“Just trying to keep myself out of trouble,” he replied.
Barkley nodded, a small smile forming on his face, “I heard that. Who are these two mountains? You never stuck me as the type who needed bodyguards.”
“These are my friends, Bootstrap and Wolf,” Snake replied. “They are Navy SEALS.”
Snake looked at the two men, pursed his lips and nodded, “They look too young to be retired like you.”
“They aren’t retired,” Snake said. “They’re active, but none of us are here in an official capacity. We need help, the kind of help that’s off the books.”
“I got your message but it was vague,” Barkley said. “What brings y’all to The Pines?”
“I need to call in my marker,” Snake said.
“You did me a s
olid, Snake,” Barkley said, leaning back. “I remember that. Tell me how I may be of service.”
“Bootstrap’s fiancée was kidnapped in Seattle,” Snake said. “Her name is Honor. We think she’s here. We intend to get her back.”
He chuckled softly, “Last I checked, my men and I don’t do that kind of work,” he said. “You need Johnny Law for that.”
“We can’t get the authorities involved. The men we are looking for are well-funded,” Snake said. “They would know if the law mobilizes. She’d be dead within minutes.”
“I’m sorry to hear about that,” Barkley said. “I still don’t know how I can help you.”
“We have reason to believe that the kidnappers brought Honor to Yelm,” Snake said.
Barkley exchanged looks with Paco, and then turned back to Snake, “I don’t know nothin’ about it.”
“You must know something,” Snake said. “Nothing goes on in this town that you don’t know about.”
Trevor sighed, “Look, Mr. Barkley…”
“Who told Schwarzenegger he could talk?” Barkley interrupted, pointing at Trevor. “I don’t know you, fool. I’m having a conversation with Snake.”
Trevor’s eyes flared in anger. He stood and stepped forward. Paco clenched his fists. Alejandro raised his weapon. Neither of them seemed the least bit intimidated by the SEALS. Wolf grabbed Trevor’s arm, halting his advancement.
“Everyone stay calm,” Snake said. “We’re just talking here.”
He turned back to Barkley, “You must know something. I can’t believe a group of strange men can come into Yelm without you knowing all about it. You owe me…”
“I know I owe you!” Barkley yelled. “I’d tell you if I knew somethin’, but I don’t.”
Trevor started to reply but was interrupted by the door opening. One of the two body guards entered and whispered to Paco.
“Boss! I hate to interrupt but we have a problem,” Paco said.
“Handle it then, bitch!” Barkley huffed. “I’m talkin’ here.
“Boss! Manny hasn’t showed.”
“What? What do you mean he hasn’t showed?”
“He’s not here,” Paco insisted. “They’ve called his cell and that no-account brother of his, too. No answer.”
Barkley looked at his watch, “Damn! It’s twenty minutes before show time. Did they call that woman he hangs with?”
Paco nodded, “Yeah. No answer.”
“Damn!” Barkley spouted. He stood, turning toward Snake, “Look man, I gotta go. I’m sorry about your problem, I really am, but as you can tell, I have problems of my own. I have your number. If I think of something I’ll call you.”
“Listen, Barkley,” Wolf began.
“I got no time for this,” Barkley said sharply. “I got a few hundred people out there waiting for the big fight of the night and the challenger is a pulling a no show. I have a lot of money riding’ on this.”
“Let’s move, boss. We have to find a replacement?” Paco said. “That crowd will get ugly if we don’t.”
“We ain’t got no replacement,” Barkley scowled. “Ain’t nobody gonna go up against Bonecrusher. They’d have to be crazy…”
“Boss!” Paco interrupted.
“What?” replied Barkley, annoyed.
He nodded toward Wolf and Trevor, “The meat, boss, the meat.”
Barkley looked at Wolf, then at Trevor. Wolf could almost hear the wheels turning.
He stood and walked around Trevor and Wolf, sizing the two men up. He exhaled and smiled.
“Either of you boys ever do any martial arts or street fighting?” Barkley asked. He looked at Wolf. “How about you, Dolph Lundgren? You been in any hand-to-hand combat?”
“We’re SEALS,” Wolf said. “What do you think?”
“I don’t know. There ain’t no high-powered sniper rifles in this ring,” Barkley said. “Ain’t got no scud missiles or IUD’s either.”
“It’s I-E-D boss,” Paco corrected.
“What?”
“It’s I-E-D. - improvised explosive device,” Paco continued.
“Check out the big brain on Paco. Shut up, Schwarzkopf?” Barkley barked, “I’m talking to King Kong and Godzilla over here.”
“I have no interest in entering your ring,” Wolf said.
“The challenger’s cut is $3,000.00,” Barkley said.
“Not interested in money. We came here for information,” Wolf said. “If you can’t help us, we’re done. We’re out of here.”
The three SEALS turned toward the door. Trevor had his hand on the knob when he heard Barkley’s voice again.
“These men you’re looking for--- are they A-rabs?” he asked, emphasizing the ‘A.’
The three men froze. Snake made eye contact with Trevor and Wolf, all realizing that none of them had mentioned the men they were looking for were of Middle Eastern descent.
The three men turned, “They’re Middle Eastern, yes,” Snake replied. “Syrians.”
“Hmmm,” Barkley said. “You know, come to think of it, I just might know something about that.”
“You’re lying,” Snake said. “You just need us to help you.”
“Look, you’re right, I need help,” Barkley said. “I stand to lose a shit load of money if I don’t produce a solid challenger tonight, not to mention the heat all those biker boys and gang-bangers might bring down out there. Manny DePalma was a legit challenger.”
“There’s a lot of tough guys out there in the audience,” Snake said. “I’m sure a few of them have the balls to get in the ring.”
“Naw, man, no way,” Barkley said. “Everyone out there knows who Bonecrusher is. Ain’t none of them gonna step in the ring. He’s killed two men in the last year – put five more in the hospital – two of them are screwed up for life. Even if one of those ham’n’eggers got in there, nobody would bet on him--- nobody.”
“You said you know where Honor is at?” Trevor asked. “Where is she?”
“I said I might know where some A-rabs might be hanging out,” Barkley corrected. “Don’t know nothin’ about no girl, and that’s the truth.”
“Tell me what you know, now,” Trevor shouted.
Barkley pointed at Wolf, “You get your boy in that ring tonight, and I’ll tell you what I know, win or lose.”
Wolf and Trevor looked at each other momentarily. Trevor sighed.
“Honor is my fiancée,” Trevor said. “I’ll do it.”
“No,” Wolf protested, “I’ll do it. You’re a better shooter and you’re better with the knife, but I’m better at hand to hand combat – we both know that.”
“I can’t let you do it,” Trevor said. “She’s my responsibility.”
“It’s not a negotiation,” Wolf replied, turning to Barkley. “Can you tell me a little about this guy?”
“Alejandro knows him best,” Barkley replied.
“You’re crazy to do this SEAL-man. Bonecrusher is the east coast champ,” Alejandro said. “He’s the size of a tank. If he connects, you’re gonna think you’ve been hit by a sledgehammer.”
“Don’t let him get you on the ground,” Paco added. “Flopping around on the floor is boring for the crowd. They get antsy.”
“It’s more than that,” Alejandro said. “Once you’re on the ground with Bonecrusher, I don’t care if you’re Hulk Hogan or Mike Tyson… you ain’t getting’ up.”
“Are there any rules in this fight?” Trevor asked.
“Yeah, don’t die,” Barkley replied. “The law looks the other way because of the information services I provide. All is well unless someone dies. When that happens, I get heat. So, yeah, one rule – don’t die.”
“I’ll do my best,” Wolf said. “You aren’t gonna ask me to take a fall, are you?”
Barkley, Paco and Alejandro looked at each other and began to chuckle.
“Don’t worry about that,” Barkley said, finally. “You won’t have to take a fall. Bonecrusher is going to take care of that for you.�
�
“What about the betting, boss?” Paco asked. “Everyone is gonna want to dump their bet when they find out Manny is out.”
“It’s all in the odds, man?” Barkley said. “What were the odds with Manny?”
“15-1, for Bonecrusher,” Paco replied.
“Let’s pump up the replacement,” Barkley said, pointing to Wolf. “We have a decorated Navy SEAL, skilled in hand to hand combat under life or death circumstances. Lots of kills overseas. Let’s play that up. We might get even more action. Hell, we might even parlay this into the biggest profit of the year.”
“Should we delay the start?”
“Yeah, do it. Let’s get some more betting action going.”
“Wolf,” Trevor said, “I can’t let you do this.”
“I’ll be alright,” Wolf insisted. “This is not my first rodeo.”
Snake turned back to Barkley. “You’d better not be screwing with us,” he scowled. “If Wolf does this and you don’t come through, I’ll bring so much heat down on you, you’ll…”
“Who do you think you are, coming into my house and threatening me?” Barkley shouted. “I told you I’d tell you where the A-rabs are hanging out. Your boy gets in the ring with Bonecrusher, first. That’s the deal.”
He looked at his watch, “If you’re gonna do this, best get out there. You have about 15 minutes to stretch and warm up. Paco will get you fixed up with some sweatpants, towels and water. Do you need a shirt?”
Wolf shook his head no. He peeled off his shirt displaying his chiseled upper body.
Barkley did a double-take when he saw the shirtless SEAL.
“Holy shit. Lookin’ good, Mr. SEAL,” Barkley said with raised eyebrows. “Let’s parade this man in front of the crowd. We will get some betting action that way. The women will love it, too.”
“Bonecrusher is going to break you in two,” Alejandro said, dismissively.
“There are no shoes allowed, no gloves, no head gear.” Paco said. “It’s just you and him.”
“Got it,” Wolf said. “Anything else?”
“I hope you said your prayers last night.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Wolf said.
“I wish I had more for you,” Barkley said. “Alejandro has seen him fight some. He knows fighting. He’s pretty damn good himself.”
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Fighting for Honor (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 7
