A Despicable Crime

by Liza O'Connor

  Making knots in the rope was tedious as hell. The clock had already chimed three by the time he finished. Finally, he tied one end to a roof beam, moved the loose planks from the overhang, and began his descent, mentally cursing Xavier for the excruciating pain in his hands as he made his way down. He should have killed Xavier the day he had first become a Crime Lord. Only his father had warned him against it. He said Xavier had too many friends in high places. So, Seth had let him be. Then one day, Seth had a young boy shoot a drunk who had the audacity to squat on the sidewalk watching his building across the street. He hadn’t known it was Xavier Thorn. The drunk looked nothing like Xavier. But nonetheless, that fiasco brought an entire squadron of soldiers to his most lucrative place of business. Since he had already moved Xavier to a different building, he expected a search and an apology. Instead, they tore his building down to the ground, shooting a great many of his men in the process!

  And did Xavier offer to pay me for the cost to rebuild? No. Instead, he behaved as if he had been the one who deserved compensation, carrying on about how close he had come to dying. The gall!

  Seth was half way down the rope and his left hand was bleeding.

  Damn it all! When I recover, I’m going to locate the maker of those poisonous Rubert’s Drops and toss the deadly bubbles of glass into all three of the buildings that Xavier owns. I don’t need the damn women. I just want Xavier dead once and for all!

  When he was twenty feet from the ground, he heard the click of a rifle. He couldn’t see anyone, since there was no moon. But that meant they couldn’t see him either. So, he slowly continued down.

  The sound of the rifle cracked in the night air. He expected the shot to miss him, since it was pitch black. Instead, pain exploded in his chest. He looked down and realized the white prison clothes he wore remained a dim white, even without the moon. Having lost the strength to hold to the rope, he fell, hitting the ground hard. While injured, he wasn’t yet dead. “I will make you a rich man, just save me,” he whispered to the man standing before him.

  “I’d rather make my own fortune,” Lion stated before shooting him in the heart.

  Samson and Hercules soon arrived and helped move the body. By swinging the body back and forth they were able to toss it further into the currents, so the body might travel out to the ocean. Then they hurried to their carriage and returned to Samson’s house in high spirits.

  Once they arrived, Samson invited them into his library. “First thing we need to do, is divvy up the territories so you can go at once and stake your claim. I’ll loan you men while you work out who in your staff can be trusted. Be warned, there will always be men who will want to kill you.” He walked to his closet and pulled out two vests. “These are bullet proof vests. They will not save you from a rifle shot, nor the latest guns. But they will save you from eighty percent of the guns on the street, and they look quite nice. So, wear them!”

  Both the brothers nodded.

  “Now let’s divide the goods.”

  When Samson began by stating he’d be taking the properties on his side of the Thames, Hercules objected. “This is supposed to be ours!”

  “So, I’m to teach you how to be a Crime Lord for nothing? No one becomes a Crime Lord without being taught. Seth learned from his father. I learned from Vic and Xavier. You are going to learn from me. These properties should have always been mine all along. Only Xavier asked me to leave it be, so Seth wouldn’t start another war.”

  Lion nudged his brother. “We do need a teacher. It’s worth giving him a bit of land to have a successful and very rich brother to teach us how to do the job.”

  “That’s true,” Hercules admitted.

  “Then pay attention because you will need to take control at once. Here’s how I did it: I entered the finest establishment in my area, wearing my bullet proof vest, and every gun I owned.”

  “I only have this rifle,” Lion admitted. “I lost my gun when trying to swim with my arms behind my back.”

  Samson went to a floor to ceiling vault and opened it. He handed out several guns to each brother. “You still know how to shoot a gun, right?”

  They both nodded happily.

  “Excellent, tomorrow, shoot any man who objects to you being their new Crime Lord. In fact, shoot any man you don’t like. I’ll loan you the support of some of my best men for tomorrow. Under no circumstances are you to shoot my men!”

  Lion grinned. “We know all your men, and speaking for myself, I’ll feel better with them backing me up.”

  Hercules nodded in agreement.

  “Lion, when you arrive at Casino Royalle, you are not going to fix any problems, start any new crimes, nor make any promises. You are there to let the men know that you killed Seth Sojourn and you are taking over, and if any man doesn’t like it, he can leave now or be shot.”

  “Got it,” Lion stated.

  Samson then focused on Hercules. “Herc, you can’t claim you killed Seth, and you are very young to be a Crime Lord, so you need to let every man at Hell’s Dungeon see how strong you are. I’ll send my best men to stand behind you, but you need to create a tough persona. Can you still bend the long neck of a rifle?”

  Herc laughed and nodded he could. “Just bent one a couple of days ago.”

  “Excellent, find some big guy near the front who is holding a rifle and challenge him.”

  “What if he isn’t saying anything?” Herc asked.

  “Then claim you know exactly what he’s thinking. That you are too young to be a Crime Lord. Grab the rifle out of his hand and bend that neck. Then turn around and walk back to your platform and face the men. After you’ve eyed each and every man in the room, say: ‘I may be young, but I’ve been doing the work of a man since I was six years old. And whether you like it or not, I helped take down Seth, and as of now, I’m the Crime Lord of the South End. End of discussion.”

  Samson added, “My men will take out a few fellows in the group, just to make the point. Do not scold them.”

  “I won’t,” Herc promised.

  “Then let’s get both of you and my men out to your new territories.”

  ***

  An hour later, Vic and Xavier arrived in disguise. “If you wish to check up on your brothers, we can fix you up with a different face and hair color.”

  “Thank you, I would feel much better if I could ensure they are ready for this job.”

  Vic patted his back. “They’ll be fine, but you’ll worry yourself sick before you believe that, so let’s turn you into a harmless old man.”

  Samson first checked on Hercules. His strength had clearly awed the crowd. Some men were claiming he might even be stronger than Tubs.

  Vic wanted to object but starting a fight with the fellow wouldn’t help Hercules, so she remained quiet. They left and went to check up on Lion. Given the five dead bodies that Vic tripped on while entering the large room, she assumed he had incurred some trouble early on. But honestly, she didn’t sense any trouble now. They all listened to Lion’s short and powerful speech and even cheered when he told them to get to their jobs.

  “Thank you for letting me spy on my brothers. I now believe they can do this,” Samson said once they were back in the carriage.

  “And that was why we came,” Vic admitted.

  Once they dropped off Samson at his home, they hurried back to the office.

  Pete informed them that the screeching dog was now reunited with his original owner.

  “Well done!” Xavier stated and gave Pete a hearty hug. “You, young man, deserve a raise.”

  Chapter 22

  A week later, after Vivian had her meeting with Vic and Xavier’s man of finance, she moved a large portion of her money into stocks and bonds, so the multitude of collapsing banks could not ruin her. She set her portfolio up to mimic Vic’s, upon discovering Vic had a sense of risk similar to hers and Vic’s portfolio did amazingly well.

  Once the three returned from Mr. Ascot’s Office, Xavier insisted they all n
eeded some fun. The fun turned out to be going to an exclusive shooting range.

  Charlotte had taken a liking to Captain Pike and almost backed out from going. And while she agreed to come, for Vivian’s sake, she missed Captain Pike.

  “Xavier, why didn’t you ask Captain Pike to be our protector for the day?” Charlotte asked.

  Xavier smiled. “You are your own force to be reckoned with. However, if you attempt to steal Captain Pike’s job from him, he will likely up and quit.”

  Charlotte focused on Xavier’s teasing eyes. “I hope I never have to shoot another person again in my life. I now know for certain it harms the soul.”

  Xavier leaned in and gripped her hand. “I regret it has harmed you to shoot those men, but when I think of what the alternative would have been...”

  Charlotte nodded. “Yes, when I think of what would have happened if I had not shot them, the never-ending torment we would have both suffered, I am glad God gave me the courage to shoot them. I had not expected any repercussion from the shooting, but the next day I became inexplicably sad.”

  “Are you still sad?” Vic asked.

  “Not today. How could anyone be sad riding in this lovely weather?”

  “It might not be an injured soul that was bothering you. After an intense event, especially if all goes your way, a normal day can seem rather empty. At least that’s what happens to me,” Vic admitted.

  “And had you shot someone during the exciting day?’ Charlotte asked.

  “Not this time. After we had ensured Lion and Hercules had firmly taken control of their territories, the next day I was most frustrated and bored. Which is why I asked Xavier to move up the day in which we would go to the shooting range.”

  “Then perhaps that is all I am dealing with. To be honest, I don’t regret shooting the men. However, had Xavier not shared with me precisely what they planned to do, I doubt I would have been able to shoot them.”

  “It does help, if you know how evil the person is or isn’t,” Vic admitted. “The first day I met Tubs was when he kidnapped me. He worked for Seth Sojourn. Only Seth had no respect for Tubs, so he had given Tubs to the madam and her husband who ran one of his many brothels. The idiot husband was trying but failing miserably to break into our office.”

  “And you were inside?”

  “Yes. I had been asleep upstairs. When I heard the idiot gnawing on the front door, I loaded my gun and came downstairs. I was waiting for him to open the door, so I could decide my next move. If a young boy opened the door, I was going to send him off with a scold. However, if a man came through, I planned to shoot him in the kneecaps. Only this fellow was taking forever!”

  She grinned. “Finally, I grumbled there should be a law against incompetent thieves. Then a deep chuckle sounded behind me. I had barely turned around when Tubs had removed my gun, tossed a sack over my head, and tied me up. Then, in less than five seconds, he tossed me over his huge shoulder, opened the door, and headed to the carriage.”

  “Dear Lord. What did you do?” Vivian asked.

  “I became outraged. Instead of congratulating Tubs on his perfect abduction, this fool jay bird was squawking at him for failing to obey his orders.

  “As I bounced around in the carriage, I expected Tubs to strangle the idiot jay bird, but I soon discovered that Tubs doesn’t anger easily. So, he just ignored the jay bird squawking at him the entire way back to my new home: an unclean den of iniquity. But it was precisely the place I wanted to be, for somewhere in that large building with hideaways galore, I was certain I’d find Xavier.

  “The blue jay ordered Tubs to watch me. Once the idiot left, I befriended Tubs. Thus, by the time the army showed up looking for Xavier, I convinced Tubs to escape at once. And even though we had just become friends, he trusted me and safely got away. Good thing too. The army men tore the building completely down. And in doing so they saved lots of young girls and boys, including our cook’s niece, Sara, who later became Tubs’ wife. But unfortunately, Seth had ordered Xavier to be moved to somewhere else and he was very close to dying.

  “Between my intuitive nature and Lil Pete’s information, we found him in a filthy room, nearly dead with Tubs guarding him. When I showed up with Jacko, I assured Tubs that I didn’t want to shoot him, but I had to save Xavier. Jacko still wanted to shoot Tubs, but I wouldn’t let him.

  “Tubs declared he was quitting his job and that I was the only nice feller he had ever met. So, I offered him a job working with me. And that is how we rescued Xavier and how we got Tubs.”

  Xavier huffed. “Once I recovered, I had to negotiate with Seth for ownership of Tubs, and he did not wish to give it. Fortunately, Tubs knew where all his weapons were, and stripped Seth clean, so now I had all his weapons, and I set about proving how well I could use them. Finally, in fear for his life, Seth agreed to give me Tubs as payment for nearly killing me. And that is how I acquired Tubs.”

  “Yes, but when you refused to let Tubs marry Sara, I had to convince Tubs to leave your service and come work for me.”

  “That is true, but I now agree that Tubs is capable of keeping you alive and caring for his family.”

  “Where is Tubs?” Charlotte asked.

  “He’s sitting on top with Casey. He thought you would be happier with more room in the carriage.”

  Just then the carriage slowed and turned down a single lane dirt road. “We are almost there.”

  When the ladies stepped from the carriage, Hamond greeted everyone and encouraged them to enter. “You are the only ones slotted for today. Now which one of you took out the three men trying to scale your fence?”

  Charlotte held her head up with pride. “That would be me. I come from Kentucky, and even girls learn to shoot there. We have more animals than humans there.”

  “Excellent. I’ll test you on the hunting scrolls.”

  He then smiled at Vivian. “And what, pretty miss, do you wish to shoot at?”

  “Perhaps old men who believe women are helpless fools.”

  “I’ve met many a man I thought was a helpless fool, but never a woman. But since you take offense so quickly, I know which scroll to give you.”

  He then turned to Vic. “Are you here to help or to shoot?”

  “To shoot.”

  “Excellent, I have recently created a set of scrolls that no one has mastered yet. Xavier, I will require your assistance on the scrolls.”

  “I anticipated as much. However, before we test anyone, I need to give my great-grandmother the basics on firing a gun.”

  Hamon took the news with only a few blinks. “I will leave that to you while I make our guests a cup of tea.”

  Xavier had planned to teach Vivian, but Charlotte insisted she and Victor would be better teaching Vivian. “You have no patience.”

  “I believe you are recalling my behavior when I was five years old. I am a man of great patience now.”

  Vic smiled at him. “He is much improved.”

  “That is all well, but I wish to teach her.”

  “Vivian, I believe this is your call,” Xavier growled.

  “Well, this is a pickle. I’m bound to hurt someone’s feelings no matter what I do.”

  Vic grinned. “Not mine. I’ll save all my energy for the scrolls Hamond has made.”

  “Thank you, Victor,” Vivian said.

  Xavier sighed. “I will cede my right to teach my great-grandmother, if you begin at once, and Vivian shows marked improvement within an hour.”

  “I accept,” Charlotte snapped. “Now go away!”

  “Do you not want me to place items in the field?” Xavier asked.

  “It’s not necessary. There are plenty of creatures running about.”

  Xavier rolled his eyes and stormed into the building.

  ***

  “Charlotte, I don’t see anything running about,” Vivian admitted.

  “Nonsense. You just aren’t paying attention. Can you see the hedgehog?”

  “The cute little round
creature smiling at me? I’ll have nightmares if you harm that animal!”

  “How about the large rat sitting on the plank of wood?”

  “I can barely see it. It is almost the same color as the wood. It is very far away!”

  “Not so very far. Once you have the animal in your site, then move your rifle up two and a half inches.”

  “Do you have a measuring tape?”

  Charlotte laughed. “No.”

  “Then how will I measure two and a half inches?”

  “That will come with practice, so give it a try.”

  “The rat has run away. There’s just a plank of wood out there now.”

  “Try to shoot the wood,” Charlotte encouraged her. “But first allow me to improve your stance. All rifles have a kickback. So, if you’d rather, we could switch to hand guns.”

  “I’d rather try shooting the rifle first.”

  “Then you shall. While the wood won’t shoot back at you, it is better if you narrow your aim to a small spot on the chest, or in this case, the center of the block of wood. If you just aim at the entire animal, be that human or rat, you will almost always miss it. My rifle has a very nice site. So, give it a try, aiming at the very center of the block of wood, then lifting the rifle two and a half inches.”

  When Vivian pulled the trigger, she yelped from the kickback.

  “Are you hurt?” Charlotte asked.

  “Not seriously, but it hurt more than I expected. Perhaps I should try items closer up with a handgun.”

  “We can do that, but first let us go check out the wood and see if you hit it.”

  When they arrived, Charlotte lifted the wood and showed it to Vivian. “You hit the center on your very first shot. You have no idea how rare that is. It took me months to consistently shoot bulls-eyes. Are you certain you don’t want to continue with the rifle?”