Paradise Burns

by J. P. Sumner

  ‘But you don’t know why the original deal had been cancelled?’

  ‘Don’t know and don’t care. I do what is asked of me. If I need to know something, I will be told.’

  ‘You’re the consummate Army brat, aren’t you? Tell me, where are you from? Your accent’s very... multicultural.’

  She smiled.

  ‘I was born in Russia. My mother was Swedish and my father was American. I’ve traveled around Eastern Europe since I was seven.’

  ‘Well, you sound great. You should work in a call center.’

  ‘I’d kill my boss within a matter of hours.’

  I had to smile.

  ‘I don’t doubt it.’

  There was a moment’s silence, which was interrupted by the groans of a man who was regaining consciousness after being shot for a second time in the last hour.

  Jackson looked groggy, and he gazed around the room slowly like a man with a hangover. He saw Clara next to him, staring at him. He then turned his gaze toward me. I was also sat staring at him. Except I also had a gun pointed at him.

  I turned to Clara.

  ‘Be right with you honey,’ I said. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily. I turned back to Jackson.

  ‘Teddy, good of you to join us. Me and Clara here were just getting acquainted. She’s lovely, don’t you think?’

  He groaned, clearly in pain.

  ‘What do you want from me?’ he said, all confidence now having left his voice.

  ‘I want you to answer a few questions, completely and honestly.’

  ‘P-please don’t sh-shoot me again,’ he begged.

  ‘I can’t promise anything, Ted, because you’re an asshole. But, if you do as I ask, you’ll be giving yourself the best chance you can of avoiding a third bullet.’

  He took a moment to weigh up his options in his head. To figure out his next move and to formulate a plan that would ultimately save him. I watched as the realization of impending defeat dawned on him. Quickly followed by resignation.

  ‘Wh-what do you want to know?’

  ‘Finally,’ I said. ‘Okay, first question. Why did you revoke your offer to Pellaggio without telling him?’

  He hesitated.

  ‘Ted, don’t even think of lying to me.’

  ‘I... I can’t tell you. They’ll kill me.’ As he said that, he glanced at Clara. It was just a quick look, but I spotted it.

  I looked at her.

  ‘Are you going to kill him if he talks to me?’

  She stared at me blankly, as if I was stupid. She was really good at looking at me like that, and I didn’t care for it.

  ‘I just finished telling you I’m meant to protect him. Why would I kill him?’

  I sighed again. I was going round in circles. This called for slightly more drastic measures. I got up and walked over to where my silenced Beretta had been thrown by Clara earlier. I retrieved it, and checked the magazine out of habit. I walked back over and stood behind Jackson. I fired my gun at the sofa in front of us where I was just sat. I put four bullets into it. What most people don’t realize is, when you fire a gun the barrel heats up from the mini explosion that propels the bullet out. So, after four bullets, the barrel is really hot.

  The shots terrified Jackson. But when I put the barrel of my gun to the side of his neck and held it there, he unleashed a scream that could’ve woken the dead. Even Clara looked uncomfortable.

  After a few seconds, I walked round his chair and crouched down in front of him.

  ‘Teddy, I swear to God, I’m going to make you tell me what I need to know. That was nothing compared to what I’m both capable of and willing to do to you.’

  Jackson was crying. His skin has blistered on his neck, and then burst, leaving him with blood and puss dripping over his raw, burnt flesh. I put my gun near his neck again.

  ‘Okay, okay!’ he yelled. ‘I saw that GlobaTech Industries had this land on their books that they weren’t doing anything with. I’d read of Pellaggio’s plans for expansion in the area and I approached him to sell him the land and make some money on the side. I didn’t think for a second that GlobaTech would miss it.’

  ‘So you wanted to make a sneaky bit of cash? Makes sense,’ I said. ‘So why pull out at the last minute?’

  ‘A few days ago, I was brought in to work on an ongoing project with a militia organization called Dark Rain. It was off the books, which was why I’d found no record of the land being used before. The project was devised by a small division within GlobaTech that worked outside of the standard protocols and operating guidelines. It was just my luck that this project required the use of the resources found on that land. I had no choice but to walk away from Pellaggio’s deal. I knew I was causing myself problems with the mob, but I knew that I was protected by this deal that GlobaTech was working on with Dark Rain.’

  I looked at Clara, who I could see knew some of what Jackson was saying, but was either confused or disinterested with the rest. I looked back at Jackson.

  ‘What do you mean when you say “the resources found on that land”?’

  He sighed, reluctant to continue, but knowing he had no choice.

  ‘That land sits on top of the only natural uranium deposit in the United States.’

  I didn’t expect that. This is big. Like, military big. At that moment, all but two words had failed me.

  ‘Holy shit.’

  FOURTEEN

  I was still reeling from the bombshell Jackson just dropped. Under the circumstances, that’s probably not the best phrase to use.

  I aimed my gun at Clara, who was looking as shocked as I was.

  ‘Are you working with Dark Rain?’ I demanded.

  ‘They recruited me a couple of years ago, yes,’ she stated.

  ‘What are they planning?’

  ‘I don’t know.’

  I put my gun an inch away from her forehead.

  ‘Don’t lie to me, Clara.’

  She remained calm, but she was worried.

  ‘I honestly have no idea. I was assigned to Jackson and told to keep him safe. That’s it.’

  She was very matter-of-fact, and my instinct was to believe her. I knew she was good, but I think she was given the short straw assignment because she’s relatively new to this Dark Rain outfit. Plus, the look of shock on her face when Jackson mentioned the uranium was genuine. I turned back to Jackson and put my gun against his forehead instead. He started crying again.

  ‘Ted, you gotta start talking. Uranium? What’s the big picture here?’

  ‘W-we were going to mine it and then process it in one of our R&D labs.’

  ‘Process it, how?’

  ‘We were using gas centrifuges to enrich the material highly enough that it became weapons-grade.’

  ‘Weapons-grade? As in, the stuff that goes in nukes?’

  ‘You could use it in nuclear bombs, yeah. Having control of our own deposit meant we could sell it on for a hundred percent profit. GlobaTech approached Dark Rain after learning of the mine’s location and proposed the operation.’

  ‘So, you were going to sell the land to Dark Rain, so that they essentially owned the mine? But then you guys were going to do all the hard work for them, and sell the product that they technically owned? That doesn’t make sense.’

  ‘The United States and Russia set up a joint program back in ‘93 to convert all highly-enriched uranium into nuclear fuel. Ever since then, practically all weapons-grade material has been disposed of. We saw an opportunity to fill a massive gap in the market.’

  ‘That still doesn’t explain why you’d give it to Dark Rain?’

  ‘Having weapons-grade uranium isn’t exactly legal. If they owned the mine, they would have liability.’

  ‘And you offered to do all the mining and processing and selling making it look like you’re doing them a favor – but you were just setting them up to take the fall while you reaped the profits?’

  ‘That was the plan.’

  ‘Christ, is ther
e anyone you won’t screw over?’

  Jackson shrugged.

  ‘If the money’s right, no.’

  ‘But you essentially gave an underground militia control of a uranium mine!’ I continued. ‘Is the almighty dollar so important you’d risk the lives of millions?’

  ‘Says the hired assassin?’ he scoffed.

  ‘Don’t try and lecture me on morals, Teddy, this really isn’t the time.’

  We fell silent. I was trying to think of a plan. How could I put this right?

  ‘Has the deal for the land been finalized yet between GlobaTech and Dark Rain?’ I asked him.

  He sighed.

  ‘That’s what I’m in town for. I’ve got all the papers with me, I just need to sign them and the land’s sold. Then mining can begin.’

  ‘And does anyone have any idea what you were intending to do with the land before you were brought in to broker this deal?’

  ‘No, I covered my tracks well enough, I think.’

  ‘You were just unlucky, right?’

  ‘Like you wouldn’t believe,’ he said, gesturing toward me with his head.

  I walked over to the desk he was working at and picked up his briefcase. The same one he had handcuffed to him yesterday. It had a combination lock on it. It didn’t take much persuading for Jackson to give me the code, and when I opened it, I saw the documents relating to the land purchase resting on top of a quarter of a million dollars in cash.

  I took the briefcase with me and put it on the floor in front of Jackson and Clara. I aimed my gun at Jackson once again.

  ‘Is this everything?’

  He nodded.

  ‘And I suppose it’s too much to ask for you to have any information to hand about Dark Rain?’

  He shook his head.

  ‘I never dealt with them directly,’ he said. ‘My only contact with them is through her.’ He gestured at Clara with his head.

  ‘Okay, so let’s recap. Your company, GlobaTech, is selling land that contains a uranium mine to a militia outfit called Dark Rain. They think you’re being really nice by handling all the mining and processing of the uranium, but actually have no idea that you’re setting them up to take the fall for everything, freeing you guys up to sell the material and make loads of money.

  ‘You were originally going to sell the land to the mob to make some extra cash. At the time, you had no idea what the land actually was, and now you do, and your company has charged you with managing this new deal, you’ve had to back out of the old one, which has caused the mob to hire a hit man – that would be me – to kill you for screwing them over. Have I missed anything?’

  Jackson let out a heavy sigh.

  ‘Nope, that’s pretty much it,’ he said.

  ‘Excellent.’

  I pulled the trigger and put a bullet directly in the center of his forehead.

  The bullet was roughly ten millimeters in diameter, which was about half that of a dime. The tip is rounded for easier penetration. It travels at a speed of roughly three hundred and seventy-five meters per second. As the bullet impacts, the velocity causes the end of the bullet to shoot up to the tip, causing it to flatten and double in width. As a result, the exit wound is significantly larger than the entry wound.

  His head snapped back violently as the bullet pushed its way through the thick bone at the front of his skull. The recoil of the impact meant that his head sagged heavily forward again as the bullet worked its way through his brain and out the other side.

  A spray of pinkish fluid – a mixture of blood, bone and brain – exploded over the floor behind him. From my finger squeezing the trigger to the dead weight of his lifeless body sagging against his restraints in his chair, just under one second had elapsed.

  Job done.

  FIFTEEN

  I looked at Clara. She seemed unfazed, but I could see her thinking of ways to avoid suffering the same fate. I had no intention of shooting her. But it wouldn’t do any harm to keep that to myself for now.

  I walked behind her, being careful not to step in the bits of Jackson that were scattered across the carpet. I cut her restraints and aimed the gun at her.

  ‘Okay, Clara,’ I said. ‘Get up, nice and slow, and move over to the desk.’

  She did.

  ‘Now ring down to the front desk and tell them Mr. Jackson has decided to extend his stay, and will require the suite for another three nights.’

  She did.

  ‘Now sit on the bed.’

  She sat down.

  ‘Right. Clara, this is make or break time for you. Tell me what you know about Dark Rain.’

  She looked at me with her dark green eyes. They were filled with conflict. She said she’s been with them a couple of years, but given this uranium thing seemed as new to her as it was to me, my guess was she’s currently re-evaluating her association with them.

  ‘Now I think about it, I realize I don’t actually know much about them,’ she began. ‘They recruited me a couple of years ago after some work I was doing over in Sierra Leone. I met a guy over there who said he was with an organization that had money and plans and they could do with someone like me. The usual sales pitch.’

  I was actually beginning to feel sorry for her. It was becoming clear that she’d been blinded by the promise of money, and made the rookie error of not finding out who she was going into business with. And you could tell she was realizing that too. Her voice was quiet, and the confidence and presence she’d had earlier had gone.

  ‘I did a few jobs for them - nothing major. Then a few weeks ago, I was brought in to meet with their leader, Colonel Roman Ketranovich. He said I’d been impressive with the work I’d done for them already, and had proved my dedication to their cause.’

  ‘And what is their cause, exactly?’ I asked.

  ‘I’m not sure what their end game is. But they’ve got the numbers and they’ve got the backing to do whatever they want. The Colonel is a madman, and I could tell he was determined to take revenge on the various people he feels have wronged him, and he believes he’s right in doing so. His followers are completely loyal to him and his ideals. They would die for him without hesitation.’

  ‘And what about you?’

  ‘I was there for the money. I’m a killer, not a monster.’

  ‘I get that,’ I said, with a half-smile.

  ‘He told me I needed to protect someone for a couple of weeks. Said he was important and was doing Dark Rain a great service. I had no idea that they were involved in things that would lead to nuclear weapons. That’s more heat that I can be paid to deal with.’

  Again, I believed her.

  ‘Good,’ I said. ‘That makes this next part a bit easier.’

  I walked back over to the briefcase, took the documents out of it and closed it. Then I threw it on the bed next to Clara.

  ‘I’ve got what I came for,’ I said, waving the documents in my hand. ‘In that briefcase is quarter of a million dollars. Take it and walk away.’

  She was shocked, clearly not expecting me to be so kind after seeing me shoot Jackson in cold blood. I could see her doubts, so I tried to put her mind at ease.

  ‘He was a job, nothing more,’ I said. ‘The whole thing has obviously got a bit messy, and I’m going to do what I can to sort that. But it’s now my problem. I don’t see it as being yours as well. As far as I can see, you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, and I have no desire to hurt you. But you need to walk away. Now. Take this money - I’m sure you’re resourceful enough to put it to good use.’

  She looked at case, then back at me. She smiled. Not her mercenary, ready-to-kill-you smile. But, as best as I can describe, a girly smile. Then it faded.

  ‘I’ll never be able to hide from them. The Colonel won’t allow me to leave. He’ll see it as treason and he’ll order me killed if I even try.’

  ‘Then help me.’

  ‘You can’t manage on your own?’

  ‘Well, I’ve very recently found myself in possession
of a uranium mine that’s wanted by an extremist army that has funding from a military defense contractor, as well as a very powerful mob boss who is determined to get the land to build a casino on it, but has no idea it even has a uranium mine underneath it. I’ve been in better situations.’

  ‘Yeah, that sounds like a pretty shitty day,’ she said with a laugh.

  I laughed too. But as I was laughing, I remembered something. This morning, as I was coming out of Jimmy Manhattan’s club, there was a leather-clad biker who sped off as I walked out, which must’ve been Clara. I know a tail when I see one, but what I didn’t realize until just now, is that she was tailing me before I’d even heard of her or Dark Rain. If she was following me then, that means they knew who I was long before I found out about them. And a betting man would think that if they knew who I was, they knew why I was there.

  Clara stopped laughing when she saw the expression on my face change. I raised the gun once again.

  ‘How did you know to tail me this morning?’ I demanded.

  ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about,’ she said, defending herself. ‘I wasn’t tailing you this morning, I was with Jackson. Besides, I’ve only just met you.’

  ‘Bullshit. You knew I was outside the door before.’

  ‘I know, but that’s only because I’ve been expecting some kind of attempt to get at Jackson ever since I was assigned to protect him. Why else would he need protecting? Plus, your bellboy routine was so transparent it was embarrassing.’

  ‘What? No it wasn’t. Shut up.’

  ‘I was just saying.’

  ‘Well, just don’t. If it wasn’t you following me, then who was it?’

  ‘What did they look like?’

  ‘Like you - head to toe in black leather, almost certainly a woman. Blue and white motorcycle, black helmet.’

  Clara thought for a moment. I could tell by the look on her face she’d figured something out and wasn’t happy about it.

  ‘What?’ I asked.

  ‘Natalia Salikov,’ she said.

  ‘Gesundheit,’ I said.