by Mike Ryan
18
Haley pulled through the gate and was directed on where to go, not that he really needed a reminder. He’d been there enough times to know. Once he parked in front of the building, he tried to give his new partner a few more tips, even though he’d been talking about it the entire drive over there.
“Remember, I know your style is to pretty much say whatever’s on your mind, but if you could just button it up this one time it’d probably be beneficial for everyone.”
Phillips shrugged. “If he wants to know the real me, I’ll give him the real me.”
Haley raised his eyebrows and scratched his ear. That wasn’t exactly the reply he wanted. He got the feeling in the pit of his stomach that this meeting was going to be a disaster. He held out some hope that somehow something miraculous would happen to avert that disaster, but that hope seemed to be slipping away by the second.
They got out of the car and went up the metal steps, the door to the warehouse opening as they were about halfway up them. Malloy stood there, holding the door open for his guests. Once they walked through it, Malloy closed the door, then shook hands with Haley.
“Glad you could come,” Malloy said.
“Where’s the old man?” Phillips asked.
“He’s waiting for you. Just one thing, though.”
“What’s that?”
“When you’re in there with him, show some respect. He’ll give it to you. He appreciates the same in return.”
Phillips shrugged. He really didn’t care about showing respect or becoming friends with anybody. “Yeah, whatever. I’m not really interested in any of that. I’m here out of courtesy, not because I’m interested in having any kind of relationship with him, either business or personal. As far as I’m concerned, like I told you before, you all belong in the slammer.”
Maloy looked at Haley, wondering how they could have allowed a guy like this into the fold. He didn’t seem like he fit into their dynamic. But Malloy was as aware as anyone about changing dynamics and loose cannons. It seemed every organization had at least one.
Phillips looked around. “We gonna get this started soon? We got places to be after this?”
Malloy glared at him, unimpressed by his demeanor. If it was up to him, he might have knocked him out right then and there. But that wasn’t what Vincent wanted. At least not yet. Instead of leading him anywhere, Malloy put his hand in the air and wiggled his fingers. Within seconds, six men descended on their position. Haley saw the men coming and was completely unconcerned about it. Phillips, though, immediately went into a defensive posture, putting his fingers on the handle of his gun, debating on how close he’d let them come before he pulled it. Haley noticed where his partner’s hand was and put his hand on Phillips’ arm to prevent him from doing something stupid.
“Put it away.”
Phillips continued looking at the other men now surrounding them. “You sure?”
“Put it away,” Haley sternly said.
Phillips finally took his hand off his gun and stood a little straighter, a somewhat defiant look on his face.
Malloy put his hand out, palm up. “Your weapon.”
“I don’t hand it over to anybody,” Phillips replied.
Malloy didn’t blink an eye. “Your weapon.”
“I’m not giving it and you’re not taking it.”
Haley shuffled his feet, already growing uncomfortable with the conversation they were having. His eyes glanced at the other men surrounding them, observing them putting their hands inside their jackets or behind their backs or by their belts. And he knew they were scratching an itch. Too much of an objection by his partner and Recker might have been attending a funeral before he left. Maybe two of them.
“Give him the gun!” Haley tersely said.
Phillips looked at him briefly, then his eyes went towards the other men around them. He also saw where their hands were positioned. If there were only one or two of them, he might have been more eager for a fight. But since they were severely outnumbered, and with how close they were, even he knew there wasn’t much of a chance of surviving if it came to a battle.
“Your weapon,” Malloy said again, his hand still outreached.
Phillips looked at Malloy, then Haley, then back to Malloy again. He sighed, not liking the fact that he had to hand it over. He thought it also made him look bad.
“I don’t see you taking his,” Phillips said, nodding at his partner.
Malloy grinned, seeming to enjoy making him angry. “I know him.” He kept his hand out. He was growing impatient, though he didn’t let it show. “This is the final time I’ll ask. Your weapon.”
Phillips sighed again, but finally got a firm grasp of his gun and made sure he slowly removed it so that none of the other men got the wrong idea about his intentions. Once the gun was in his hand, Malloy took a few steps back and nodded at one of the men behind Phillips. Malloy’s man quickly got up behind Phillips and pushed up his arms into the air and started patting him down. Phillips didn’t care for the rough treatment and instantly turned around and started pushing back. The rest of the men moved in though, quickly getting the skirmish under control before any punches were thrown.
Malloy just stood there looking on. Haley didn’t lift a finger to get involved either. Since he was already known and respected, everyone went right past him on the way to subduing Phillips. Haley took a few steps back as well, so he didn’t get mixed up in anything. He knew they weren’t going to do anything too unpleasant to Phillips, so he didn’t need to intervene. Even if they were, though, he still wasn’t sure he’d do anything to help him. As far as he was concerned, Phillips got himself into the mess, he could get himself out.
The whole skirmish was over in a matter of seconds. Phillips had a man holding each of his arms, not letting go of them as another man continued the pat-down. As the man got down to Phillips’ legs, he felt the outline of a gun near his right ankle. He lifted up Phillips’ pant leg and found the Glock pistol attached to his ankle. The man then removed the weapon from its holster and handed it over to Malloy.
“Nobody treats me this way,” Phillips said.
“You get treated the way you deserve,” Malloy replied. “If you were honest, we wouldn’t have to.” Malloy nodded at the others, who released their grip of Phillips.
Now free of their grasp, Phillips turned to the other men, looking like he wanted another piece of them.
Haley put his hand on Phillips’ arm. “Let it go.”
“You just stand there and let it happen,” Phillips said.
“The numbers are not in our favor. A little sense and humility would do you a lot of good. Neither of which you seem to have in your tool belt.”
“These’ll be returned to you on the way out,” Malloy said. He then let out a grin. “Assuming you make it that far.”
Phillips finally closed his mouth and didn’t reply, though he was still steaming just the same. He was taking notes and wouldn’t forget his treatment.
“Let’s go,” Malloy said, walking in front of everybody as they were led down a hallway.
Once they got to the end of the hallway, Malloy opened the door and stepped inside, holding the door for their guests to enter. Haley entered first, Phillips following close behind. As soon as they entered, they saw Vincent sitting at the end of the table. He looked at them closely, though mostly at Phillips. Malloy closed the door after they were fully inside and stood in front of it.
Vincent stood up as Haley approached him. He held out his hand for him. “Chris, good to see you again.” He then looked at Phillips. “And this must be the new partner, huh?”
Haley looked back at Phillips. “Yep. That’s him.”
Vincent put his hand out to shake, though Phillips did not reciprocate. “And you are?”
“Paxton Phillips.”
“Ah, yes. The new partner.”
“Before we get started,” Phillips said. “You might have these other guys graveling at your feet. Chris,
Recker, even these mugs that you employ, but I’m not gonna be one of them.”
Vincent sat back down, letting the man have his say. “Is that right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Maybe everyone else is afraid of you, or maybe you got everyone else in your pocket, but I don’t play that game.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s so. As far as I’m concerned, you and your merry bunch here are a bunch of criminals and should all be behind bars. I don’t know why Recker and the other guys have thrown in with you, but I’ll tell you right now that I’m not. Recker’s leaving, so that means you’re gonna have to deal with me now.”
“Oh, I will, huh?”
“Figuratively speaking, that is. Because I won’t be dealing with you the way he did. As far as I’m concerned, he let you operate for too long in this city. You’re just as bad as the rest of them and I’m not gonna just sit by and idly watch you continue to amass your power by stepping all over everyone.”
Haley sat down and put his hand over his forehead. He didn’t even have a chance to steer the guy away from putting his foot in his mouth. Phillips just did it all on his own. That was one thing he excelled at. There was no question about that.
Vincent then looked at Haley. “Is this the new attitude towards us, Chris?”
“Uh, he doesn’t speak for the rest of us, no. As far as we’re concerned, nothing’s changed.”
“Except for me,” Phillips continued. “Like I said, I’m not throwing in with you like they have. So if you have a problem, or a situation comes up, don’t call me asking for help, ’cause I’m not coming.”
Vincent grinned. “The reverse could also be true. Like the incident you had earlier today.”
“Listen, you did what you did more out of taking out Jerrick’s men than saving me. I know that. Maybe you got these other guys snowed under, but not me. I’m not buying. I’m not asking for your help, don’t want it, and don’t you expect any from me.”
“Sounds like your mind is pretty well made up.”
“It is. I’m here to help clean up the city. As far as I’m concerned, you’re part of the problem.”
Vincent clasped his hands together on the table. “It seems as if you’re not on the same page as your partners.”
“We’ll be in agreement before too long. I’ll get them to see things my way.”
Haley just shook his head, not believing the stupidity of the man. From the neck down, he might have been a world-class operator. But from the neck up, he was a world-class idiot. There was no doubt about that now. Now the only thing to wonder about was how much damage he’d help accumulate along the way.
Vincent looked at Haley and smiled. “Quite the combative new partner you have there.”
Haley raised his eyebrows. “Yeah. Seems so.”
“I’m not combative,” Phillips said. “Just honest. I call it like I see it.”
Vincent sat there, listening to the man speak. And while he wasn’t really bothered by anything he said, after all, he’d heard it all before in one way or another from a variety of people, he was slightly amused by it. Plenty of people had told him that before, and they’re all gone now. He assumed this would be no different. Whatever Phillips’ plans were, Vincent was sure he’d outlast him.
“Is there anything else you got to say?” Phillips asked.
Vincent stared at him and slowly shook his head. “No, I guess not. It doesn’t seem like it’d do much good anyway, does it?”
“Not with me.”
“I had hoped that the word I’ve been hearing about you was slightly overblown. I can see now that it was not.”
“Glad I didn’t disappoint.”
“I had hoped that we would have as good a working relationship as I’ve got with Mike and Chris. I can also see that will not happen with you.”
“No, it won’t. Don’t come knocking on my door for help. ’Cause I’m not answering.”
“That is most unfortunate.”
“For you, maybe.”
“Could be for a lot of people. But that is your choice.”
“Anything else?”
Vincent shook his head. He could see there was nothing he could say that would change Phillips’ opinion of him. And he was fine with that. He wasn’t sure how his relationship would now evolve with Haley and Jones, but that was something that would probably be determined soon enough. Either way, he wasn’t too worried about it.
“No, I guess there’s not.”
“Fine.” Phillips turned his head and looked at Malloy. “Oh, and, uh, can you tell Frankenstein here to give me my guns back?”
Vincent grinned. “You’ll get them on the way out.”
Phillips went over to the door and Malloy opened it. Haley got up and started moving in that direction as well.
“Chris, can I talk to you for a minute?” Vincent asked.
Haley stopped and turned toward him. “Sure.”
Phillips turned and walked back in the room as well, though his presence was no longer welcome.
“Just him,” Vincent said.
“Whatever you say to one of us, you can say to both of us,” Phillips said.
“You’ve already made your case very plainly what you think of me. Anything else I have to say will not be said to you. You may now leave.”
Malloy, anticipating there might be trouble, motioned to a few of the men outside the door. Malloy walked up behind Phillips, the rest of the men entering the room. Malloy tapped Phillips on the shoulder. He then gave him a thumb, indicating it was his time to go.
Phillips sighed, but knew he should leave before things delved into a more confrontational situation. “Guess I’ll be waiting for you.” Phillips then walked out of the room.
Malloy looked at Vincent, who gave him a nod to escort the man outside. He didn’t need a guard there for Haley. Once they were all gone, Vincent’s eyes finally settled back on Haley, who looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there at that moment.
“Chris, what is going on here?”
Haley shrugged. “Wish I knew.”
“Mike’s taking a leave of absence and this is the person that’s replacing him?”
“Seems that way.”
“Pardon me for butting into you guys’ business, and I certainly don’t like it when people butt into mine, but he seems like he doesn’t quite fit in.”
“He’s… different.”
“Is this a permanent thing?”
“As far as I know.”
“Are you sure this is going to work out?”
“I guess we’ll find out.”
“As much as I’d like to keep questioning to find out the motives and reasoning behind his hire, I know that’s probably not wanted questioning. So I’ll move on from him specifically. His position on me is much different than yours and Recker’s.”
“Seems that way.”
“So where does that leave us?”
“As far as me personally is concerned, nothing has changed. If you need something, and I can help, let me know. And I would hope the opposite is still true.”
Vincent nodded. “It could be. But what about your man there?”
“I can’t speak for him, but if he doesn’t want to be involved, he doesn’t have to be. But he doesn’t speak for me. And I know he doesn’t speak for Mike either.”
“Having partners with opposing viewpoints and ideals could make for some interesting and challenging situations and conversations.”
“Could.”
“Going forward, unless there are extreme circumstances, or something unforeseen happens, I would think that any agreements between us, or any situations that require both of our presence, I would think it would be better off if your man there wasn’t involved or present.”
“That could be challenging at times.”
“Yes, it could. But I think it would be better for his health if he was left out.”
Vincent didn’t need to say much more. Haley already knew what he me
ant. Since Phillips was already combative toward the crime boss, Vincent wasn’t going to let him near him again. If he was, Vincent couldn’t guarantee Phillips’ safety. That was as much of a free pass as Vincent was going to give.
“You know I have no beef with you, Chris. I like you. Always have. And Recker is… he’s almost like a son to me. I would hate to have to lose all that we’ve worked up to build over the years because of an unfortunate influence.”
“I don’t see why anything should change,” Haley said.
“I’m glad you feel that way. I would hate to have to be on opposing sides.”
“No reason why we will be.”
“Good.” Vincent stood up, putting his hand out. “I hate to run, but I have another appointment soon.”
Haley returned the handshake, then left the room. He walked down the hallway, eventually coming back into the warehouse part of the building. Malloy met him halfway across the room. He had guns in hand.
“Here’s Big Mouth’s guns.” Haley took the weapons. “I didn’t quite trust giving them back to him. He seems like the kind that would start shooting.”
Haley looked away and sighed. “Yeah.”
“I don’t wanna meddle in your business or anything, but what the hell are you guys thinking bringing this guy in?”
“Um, well, he… scored well?”
“You testing people?”
“His record before this was good. Really good.”
“Government?”
“Yeah.”
“I can spot the type.”
“Like I said, his record’s good. But you can’t always tell everything by a sheet of paper.”
“You sure can’t. Where’s that leave us?”
“Like I told Vincent, as far as I’m concerned, nothing’s changed. His attitude is his alone and doesn’t speak for us.”
“That’s gonna complicate things, though,” Malloy said.
Haley nodded. “Yeah, it might. But for now, we’ll have to work through it. Even if it’s just me.”
