wilted streets: a novella & stories

by Steve Shadow

  He shook his head in despair. “You still do not understand. Yes, Sergiu is head of gun business but there is much bigger people in Bucharest. We are only, how you say it, pass through for goods. We make deal with ATF agent that is only piece of system. Johnson, he wanted too much and made problem for us. We wanted clean plate and make new friends. He go behind our back and enlist stupid girl to watch us. I tell you truth. That is why we make you to blame for her death. But I told you, we are in many places. I am dead man no matter what happens. I go home and I am dead. I go to your prison and I am dead. Business is too big. Mexicans want more and more guns.”

  “I don’t give a shit about your business. I only want to be left alone. You will take us to this Sergiu and I will explain to him that we only want to be left alone. I am not interested in your business or what you do. Shit, we have been selling guns or giving them to the Mexicans for years. It is none of my concern.”

  “It is waste of time to talk to Sergiu. He will just kill you and these ladies. You know too much. Maybe if you go hide, change name and face. If you stay he will find you. Remember, you have killed 2 of us plus the Mexican assassins we sent to kill you all. We are all dead.”

  “Yeah, well we ain’t dead yet. You call Sergiu and tell him you have me. Tell him we have to talk. Tell him I can make him a good offer. That I have connections with the military and access to weapons.”

  “What do I say when he asks where we have been? What do I say about Alexi and Martin, who that crazy little bitch has killed?”

  He glared at Annie. She ignored him and finished loading her weapons.

  “Never mind that shit, you just tell him what I said. Do it or you will die now.”

  He hung his head. “Then kill me. He will never believe me and he will not meet you. I am nothing; he is not caring if I am alive or dead.”

  I turned to Annie. “What do you think? Shit, it occurred to me that even if he called this Sergiu he would have to speak in Romanian and we wouldn’t know what they were saying. I guess we could go to this guy on our own but we don’t know if he is alone or has a bunch of goons with guns around him.”

  “Well I think we should get Roxanne out of the picture and then go scope out this guy’s place. Maybe we will get lucky and catch him alone. Maybe we can talk to him or maybe not. He is no doubt a rank scumbag so then we just eliminate him and the loop is closed. They know you didn’t kill this babe who died so the whole thing should blow over. I don’t see any other way out.”

  I looked at Cotrubas and then Annie. “I guess you’re right. Let’s wrap him up and toss him back in your car. I don’t want to murder him. Well I guess it’s you and me Rambo.”

  Annie grinned. Cotrubas moaned. Roxanne stared into space. I checked that my weapons were fully loaded.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  We packed up the SUV and pulled away from the house. The air was full of monsoon dust. Annie had to keep using the window-washers. Visibility was low. The heat was stifling as we snaked our way back to Phoenix. In my mounting paranoia I was afraid that Roxanne’s home and office might be under surveillance. We dropped her at Sky Harbor Airport. Traffic was at a crawl due to the haboob, the dust storm. I let her out at the Southwest terminal. We had no time for long goodbyes. I had her phone number and was glad that she was out of it. I watched her slumped figure go through the terminal doors. As much as I had desired her I was glad that she was gone. She tried her best but she was not cut out for what we had to do.

  Annie drove us out of the airport and we headed east to the 101 freeway to north Scottsdale. Cotrubas had given us the address of a gated community in McDowell Mountain Ranch. This was an upscale development in the foothills of the mountains. I guess it was probably a good cover for a bunch of gun runners. It was secluded and protected. We got

  104 the gate code from our bound and gagged captive. After a 25 minute drive we approached the entrance. I entered the code and the gates swung open. No guard was present nor did we see any security vehicles. We drove slowly through the winding streets until I saw the address we were looking for. Annie drove past it and turned a corner where we stopped. I reached behind me and took the tape off Cotrubas’ mouth.

  “Tell me again; how many people are in the house? Is he usually armed at home?”

  “I never know,” he croaked. “Sometimes he is alone or maybe 2 or 3 men with him. Sometimes he has whore come. I am only soldier; I maybe come to this house only two times. He has big dogs loose in back yard.”

  “OK,” I mumbled as I was thinking. We needed a way to see who was in the house. “Annie, they don’t know you. How about you go to the front door and pretend you are selling magazines for college money? Maybe when they answer the door you can get a peek inside and see who is there.”

  She turned to me with a look of doubt on her face. It suddenly occurred to me that I was taking Annie’s participation in this sordid murder spree for granted.

  “Annie,” I said. “I can understand if you have had enough of this. I don’t want you to get killed on my account. This whole thing has turned to shit and I am flying by the seat of my pants. Who knows what’s inside that house? He could have an army in there.”

  The body in the back, even though he was bound and gagged began to thrash around and make grunting noises. I leaned over the back seat and punched him in the head. “Shut up, you asshole.”

  Annie laughed and said, “Billy, I’m already in the shit. Remember, I killed two guys outside your door. I haven’t had this much fun since Ashcanistan. Shit Billy, this is what I was trained for. Let’s take care of this business before it takes care of us. We still have the element of surprise. This Sergiu guy is probably wondering what happened to the 3 stooges he sent to do you and Roxanne in.”

  She leaned over and grabbed me behind the neck and pulled me to her. She planted her lips on mine and rammed her tongue down my throat. She had a fierce grip and we stayed liplocked for a good 30 seconds. She let go, gave a huge sigh and grinned. I grinned back and felt the blood lust charge through me. I stared into her dark brown eyes and felt an irrational but powerful lust; for her and for action.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Let’s do it.”

  I rooted around in my suitcase which I had taken from the safe house. I pulled out one of my notebooks and handed it to her with a pen. She stripped off her camo outfit. Underneath she had on a t-shirt and a pair of running shorts. This was the first time I had seen her dressed like this. She had a terrific body. She looked in much better shape than me but that was not saying much.

  “I’m going to start at the end of the block and hit a few other houses first just in case they’re watching.”

  “Good idea. I’ll drive around to the other end of the block out of their sight. I’ll park this thing where I can see you. Just please be careful.”

  She gave me an odd look. I moved to the driver’s seat as she got out of the car.

  She went up to 4 different houses. She spoke briefly to the two homes that answered her knocking. Finally she arrived at what we now knew was the house of Sergiu Celidibache. Annie rang the door bell and after a few seconds it was opened. I could not see who answered but she was only there for a few seconds. She left and moved on to the next house playing her role perfectly. The monsoon wind was still blowing. The haboob had not reached this far north but the sky was dark and the smell of rain was thick and pungent. A powerful odor of wet creosote filled my nostrils.

  After three more homes she turned the corner and got back in the SUV.

  “This goon answered the door. He spoke broken English. I could see he was carrying. Another goon was standing to his left. I got a peek into the living room and saw an older guy with gray hair watching a soccer game on a big TV.”

  I reached over the back seat and poked Cotrubas. “Hey, is the guy with the gray hair Sergiu?”

  He nodded his head. “Well, if they are the only one’s there then that’s only 3 of them. We need an element of surprise.” We sat thinking for a minute.
“I got an idea.”

  I took the Romanian’s cell phone out and made a call. 25 minutes later we were parked outside the gate when a Dominos pizza truck pulled up. I waved him over. A teen-ager got out holding a large pizza box. I paid him for the pie. I got back in the SUV and made sure our prisoner was securely tied and gagged. We reentered the complex. Annie had jumped out as we rounded the corner and was approaching from the side as I walked to the front door with the pizza. I had my cap pulled low over my eye’s and hoped they would not recognize me. I rang the bell. I waited and was about to ring again but the sound of approaching footsteps stopped me.

  The door opened as I said “Domino Pizza.”

  “We order no pizza here.” The guy in front of me was big and thick through the middle. He had a large red scar on his stubbled cheek and a face that looked like a used punching bag. I stepped back onto the porch and looked at the address plaque.

  “Hey, this is the address I got. Are you sure?”

  He stepped forward to push me away. He got a look at my face and his eyes got big as he saw who I was. That is when Annie put a silenced 9mm bullet into the side of his head. Blood and brain matter sprayed against the door jamb. He fell backwards into the house. I dropped the pizza and got out my Glock. I fell to my knees, avoiding the blood and brains and scanned the room. Another guy in a suit came walking into the foyer and froze when he saw the dead man in front of me. He reached into his jacket but Annie put two rounds into him from her silenced Beretta and he crumpled to the floor with blood leaking out of his missing face. In the living room Sergiu had leapt from the couch and stood there with his arms raised. I shut and locked the door behind me.

  “Do not shoot me. I have no gun. What is this? Who are you?”

  Annie rushed to his side, spun him around and handcuffed him with her plastic ties.

  I came around the couch and faced him.

  “Ah, it is you.” He said. “I see my clowns failed in their job.” He sneered and spat on the floor. “Hard to find good help. Isn’t that what you Americans are always saying?”

  I pushed him down onto the couch. “Is there anyone else in the house?” He shook his head and sat back down. Annie was sweeping the place with her Beretta in front of her.

  “No, we are alone now.” He said. “So you have me now. I suppose you are here for some answers; well, why not? This operation is all screwed up. I knew it was stupid to try and put the blame for that foolish red-haired girl’s murder on you. That idiot Johnson thought we would not realize she was watching us for him. Greed; it is so prevalent amongst your law enforcement people. Greed for promotion, money, women; it never ends. His greed was hampering us. I assume that you are here because one of those 3 idiots talked. Have you killed them all?” He turned to Annie with a sardonic smile on his face. “And who is this lovely bit of murderous evil? I clearly underestimated you, Mr. Wilewski. You seemed such an ineffectual drunken nothing when they brought you here. We should have just killed you both instead of the obviously dumb plot I hatched. Well, never mind that. Our operation is compromised here and we will have to move. Why don’t you and this camouflaged killer join me? I thought you were just a sex-starved fool but obviously you and this woman are much more than that. Guns are a very profitable enterprise. Work with me and we can make a lot of money. I am sure that two enterprising American individuals such as you two seem to be will prove invaluable to me.”

  He smiled with his cold, flat eyes belying the silly grin on his face. He had two perfect dimples that almost made his smile believable, but not quite. While he had been talking Annie searched the upstairs and found nothing.

  “Look, Mr. Sellabashe, or whatever you say your name is. I am afraid you mistake us for corrupt cops or worse. We are most definitely not that. As soon as we figure out which agency to call we are turning you over to them so we can get out of this mess you put us in.”

  He laughed at us. “First of all my name is pronounced Chel-I-di-batchey. Repeat after me; Chel-I-di-batchey.”

  Annie stepped forward and tapped him on the nose with the butt of her pistol. Blood began to run down his face and drip onto his white shirt.

  “You will regret that.” He said.

  “Sure I will. My life is full of regrets but offing a piece of shit like you won’t be one of them.”

  “Annie, I think you ought to get your car off the street. See if there is room in the garage and pull it in.”

  While she was gone I asked him why it was necessary to kill Beverly O’hara. What could she possibly have known of his operation?

  “Oh, she would know nothing but my stupid help were often drunk and they were trying to impress her the night you were there. They did not know who she was. I only told them as much as they needed to know. They only wanted to have some fun torturing you and raping her. I doubt they thought of any consequences being the dumb peasants they were. It is lucky I came by the house we were using or you would be dead. I came in after Martin, that stupid idiot, was attempting erotic asphyxiation on that poor girl. He did not understand that he was the one that was supposed to be strangled to enhance the experience, not her. I am afraid she failed to appreciate his effort. Well, she had to go anyway. I thought we could lay the blame at your drugaddled feet and send Johnson a message to quit acting so greedy.”

  Annie returned from the garage. She had to step carefully to avoid the blood seeping all over the floor. “Car is in the garage. I don’t think anyone saw me.”

  The three of us sat staring at each other. I was not sure what to do. I was afraid if I called the local cops they would never believe me. I was released to the ATF and I would have a hard time explaining what happened to them. We had dead bodies in the house and no proof of anything against Sergiu. He seemed to be reading my thoughts.

  “Listen to me. You both are in a precarious situation. The police will never believe you. They will find the bodies wherever you dumped them. We found the ones you left in the ravine without too much trouble. I once again trusted those Mexicans to do a decent job but they proved as ineffectual as my own people. Even if Breck and Johnson were crooked they are still government agents. Also my men; what did you do with them? If you free me I can make a call and we will be out of here and gone to where no one will find us. I can offer you money and a life of riches.”

  I wanted to see where this game would lead. “What kind of money are you talking?” Annie looked at me. I winked at her.

  “A substantial amount,” He said. “There is plenty for everyone.”

  “Excuse me if I do not believe you. You can promise us anything. I think that once anyone shows up we will be dead very soon. How about you show us something on account?”

  “Ah, I see what you mean. It is not the illegality it is the money. Yes, American’s. It is always the money with you. Fine, take me to the wine cellar and I will show you some, how do you say it, good faith.” 113

  We got him up and walked to the rear of the house and down 3 steps to a large wrought iron gate inlaid with etched glass. I opened the door and pushed him inside.

  “Go to the rack on the far wall and pull out the third bottle from the left on the top row.”

  I did as he asked while Annie stood behind him with her Beretta shoved against his kidney. I pulled the bottle from the rack and a section of wine bottles swung away from the wall to reveal a safe.

  “Untie me and I will open the safe and give you, what shall we call it, a recruitment bonus?”

  “Not a chance. Give me the combination and I’ll open the safe. You won’t be using it again if we have to leave the country.”

  He thought for a moment and rattled off a group of numbers. It took me three tries before I got the thing open. It was stuffed with bundles of money. I began pulling the bills out and stacking them on a table in the center of the room. I had never seen so much cash in one place. The money bundles seemed to be all hundred dollar bills.

  “How much money you got here?” I asked. My eyes were wide open and my fi
ngers were twitching.

  “I think maybe 3 million.” He said. “I will give you each 100 thousand but we will make much more as soon as we get reestablished.”

  I stood rooted in place; my mouth open staring at all the cash. I heard two soft pops and turned to see Sergiu crumple to the floor. Annie stood with her arms hanging down and the Beretta smoking in her right hand.

  “Annie, what the hell did you do that for?”

  “Look Billy, we had no choice. We couldn’t trust him. Even if we called the damn CIA, no one is going to believe us. Hell, with my record and you under suspicion for murder we wouldn’t stand a chance. You would end up being charged and I would probably end up in a nut house or worse. I had some problems when I was in the Marines. They discharged me rather than put my dirty laundry out in public. I got lucky but my luck just ran out. Even Ridley couldn’t get you out of this mess. The only thing we can do is take this money and get out of the country. I have a plan but we have to move fast. Do you have your passport?”

  I stood rooted in place. I was looking at the dead man at my feet. “Yes, I grabbed it when we left my place.”

  “Good, let’s load up this cash and get out of here.”

  “Wait a sec; what about Cotrubas in the car?”

  “He isn’t in the car anymore. Don’t worry about him. We just have to wipe everything down and get out. You have to trust me,” She took hold of both my arms and held tight. “Billy. I wanted you from the first time I saw you but I never thought we would end up together like this. You have to believe me. I know what I’m doing. I guess I’m no beauty like Roxanne but I’ll grow on you.” She threw her head back and laughed. “Just think of all the material I can provide you with for you’re books.”

  She was still laughing as she began to stuff all the cash into a carry-all.

  “Wait a minute, Annie. Just what kind of trouble were you in? I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”

  She sat down hard on a wire chair in the corner of the wine room with the bag of money in her lap. “Look Billy, I can’t go into all the details now. We haven’t the time. I was out of Abu Grahib just before the shit hit the fan. I was ferrying prisoners in and out of there but I saw what was going on. I really did not give a shit because I was totally on board. For some reason the higher-ups didn’t want a Marine officer involved. They sent me on a mission ferrying jarheads to a forward fire post. My chopper was damaged and I was stuck there. We came under attack. Some of our men were taken captive. I was on a patrol when we found them. I kind of went out of my head and ended up killing everyone in sight. Some of them were civilians but at the time I didn’t care. Like I said I got lucky and the Corps covered it up and got me out of the country and gave me a desk job in D.C. until they could dump me back on the streets with a hushed-up discharge. Since then I have had this bogus consulting job with a contractor who’s on the Federal payroll.”