The tight clothes Dylan wore limited his flexibility. They were really uncomfortable and he needed to make a conscious effort in order to walk straight. He didn’t think the clothing depersonalized him. He just felt he was given a role at which he needed to play his best. His future depended on that. He didn’t even consider that this was a role that didn’t suit him; the consequences were far too important. Playing parts never were his strong point. But now that fate had brought him here, he had to play the part as believably as possibly.
As with all the others, the studio apartment where Austin Barnes lived was very common. It was subject to the same laws as all its other inhabitants, with all the problems such implied. They weren’t surprised when upon arriving at the indicated apartment, the door opened as soon as they knocked on it. They knew this hospitality came at a price. Austin Barnes opened the door and looked at both of them.
“Are you Austin Barnes?” Dylan asked.
“What do you motherfuckers want?”
“We want to propose a deal.”
“Is that so? Don’t tell me you need a pimp.”
Dylan got in the game of the discontent one. “I told you it wasn’t a good idea coming here.” He play-slapped Nathan on the arm.
“Wait,” said Nathan, “even if he’s an ass, we can still get what we want. Can you get us to The Island of the Rich tonight?”
They had hit Austin Barnes’ soft spot. They could read on his face that he was intrigued, that he wanted to know more. He walked out of his room, then looked left and right down the hallway. No one was around. He pulled them inside.
“First of all, how do you know about me?”
“It wasn’t hard,” said Nathan. “Lots of people know you. I talked to someone at the market who gave me a few slips for you.”
“What slips, dude?”
Nathan Green reached in his pocket and pulled out $500 in five $100-bills. He handed the money to Austin Barnes. Austin Barnes’ eyes sparkled. He could make some money tonight for sure.
After a short pause: “Who are you? Do you really think it’s that simple, you dumb fuck?” yelled Austin. “What if you go there and break someone’s neck? I am taking a great risk for you. I need to know exactly who you are and what do you plan on doing there.”
“We’re going to visit a friend. We want to surprise him, if that pleases you,” said Nathan sweetly.
“Easy on the jokes. I don’t want to be pleased in any way.”
“My friend, you are obsessed. Not everything is about sex.”
“With you people, it’s better to clear things up from the start.”
“Anyway…we were saying something about a surprise and because it’s exactly that, we would like it to be as discreet as possible. Why do you need to know all the details? We’re peaceful people; I think that’s apparent. We mean no harm. If you want to make sure that we’re on the up-and-up, you can come with us. You and whomever you might want to bring.”
Nathan Green chose a risky route. But upon a closer look, it made sense. They would seem less suspicious if they asked Austin to join them. He’d know where went, whom they met, and wouldn’t have to taking any chances. They had to make him that offer and give the impression that the $500 was easy money.
“From what we’ve been told, you ask about $2,500 for a transport, but if you get us both across, we will pay you $6,000. Meaning all of this.”
Nathan removed from his back pocket the remaining $5,500 and threw it on the table. He had ignored the advice about splitting the money. He had made other plans beforehand. The money on the table aroused Austin Barnes’ interest. For Austin, money had a special aroma, a smell that made him feel really good. He picked it up and fluttered it around. It had been a bad month. With this money, he could recover part of what he had lost. He wondered if he could get more.
“Not enough.”
“It’s all we have. Want it or not?”
“How long do you plan on staying?”
“Not long. A few days. If things go south, we might be talking only a single night.”
Austin thought for a while. If they spent more time there, he could ask for more money as well. For now, though, this would suffice.
“I don’t know who you’re planning to meet, but I’m coming with you to make sure everything is all right. You go in with me, you get out with me. This money is only enough for two days. If you want to extend your trip, you need more. How’s that?”
“It’s fine by us. It’s even better; we won’t need the visas since we’ll have you with us. I am sure you can be persuasive with the guards.”
#
Maybe it was their clothes, or maybe it was just the need for money that had convinced Austin Barnes, but they sealed the deal. According to their agreement, they would meet at 9:00 that night, near the main access bridge to the island.
“What is wrong with you? Are you insane?” Rose Brooks flared up. “What if he’s not alone? If he brings someone else, it will be very difficult to get rid of them. And if he brings along three or four people, it will be impossible.”
Nathan Green had not considered that possibility.
“I hope he doesn’t. I just wanted to sound convincing. And what other option was there? You sent us there without a plan, dressed like clowns. I did my best. If he brings along more people, we’ll abort the mission.”
“And how will you get in afterward?”
“Look. We’ll try to get rid of him—or them. You take care of Sarah Sanchez and bring her to a secluded place, from where we can attack her.”
“And then how will you get off the island, genius?”
“You said we’d drug her. She’ll look quite drunk. We’ll look just as drunk. In additional to looking drunk, you need to procure a drug that can quickly get her nauseous . When we get close to the barrier, we’ll give her the injection and she’ll throw up in the middle of the street. If that’s not enough to look convincing, one of us will puke as well. The guards will be too disgusted to search us. After all, the guards main purpose is keep people out the Island of the Rich, not to force them to remain on it.”
Rose Brooks reflected for a bit. Could that plan really work? They only had a few more hours and she needed to find a drug so strong that it caused nausea almost instantaneously. She called her team. Yes, it could be arranged. But she needed to make one thing very clear. If anything went wrong, if they got caught, they would be on their own. They must not say a word about her or their plans.
Rose went to the table where a projector displayed a 3-D map. She showed them the route Sarah Sanchez would take. Sarah was expecting to receive a package from someone in a mansion relatively near the exit and would be accompanied by two bodyguards, as usual. Dylan and Nathan would have to shoot them from a distance, and then inject them all with a drug. Their semi-conscious state would prevent them from contacting Krugar for a while, but they might be seen by someone else who could also sound the alarm. That was why they needed to move quickly. The Island of the Rich was well guarded. Surveillance cameras were installed at every house, every intersection. Krugar could gain access to them all in a second.
They identified a secluded space where Dylan and Nathan would hide while waiting to for Sarah Sanchez to appear. There the angle of the camera helped them. It would only record that the Sarah and her two bodyguards were being attacked from behind, nothing else. It was important for them to remain in position and wait. The fact that they would have company complicated things. Their new pal or pals had to be eliminated beforehand. They had to inject them with the same drug. The syringes looked like regular recreational drugs—just in case they were searched when they first arrived at the island. If anyone asked, it was heroine.
On their way to the meeting point, Dylan asked Nathan Green, “What do you thing the NSO will do if we fail?”
“I think they already have a back-up plan. I’m sure someone will be watching us, and if we don’t stick to this plan, they’ll kill us for sure. The implications are
too serious. If Krugar catches us, he’ll torture us until we spill everything. And they know it. Don’t fool yourself thinking that since we’re working for the state, they’d even hesitate. We’re far from being safe. On the contrary, I think we’re within firing range.”
“You are right,” said Dylan. “I shouldn’t have even mentioned it. We have to focus on what we need to do. We can’t afford to even consider failure.”
“No, it’s good that we talked. We know where we stand now.”
Fortunately, Austin Barnes came alone. He was either in a great need of money, or he was a cheapskate who wanted to keep everything for himself. Or maybe he couldn’t imagine two homosexuals would create any problems. At the entrance, he told them to wait for him for a moment in front of the cabin where the guards of the island stayed. One of the guards came out smiling.
“Where are you taking these girls?”
But Austin Barnes was not in the mood for joking. “Shut up already. If you want anything, you speak to me. I am the pimp.”
Except for a few other jokes at their expense, no other problems ensued—no questions about visas or their plans once they reached the island. They went to where they would be waiting for Sarah and drugged Austin Barnes before he had a chance to figure out what happened. Dylan held Austin up with his back to the road while Nathan Green kept watch over the parallel road.
On schedule, Sarah Sanchez came into view accompanied by two gorillas. Unfortunately, from the other side of the same street, someone was walking straight toward them. They couldn’t change their position and abandon Austin Barnes right then; it would have looked suspicious. They had to wait until the passerby was far enough. But now Sarah and the two guards were now out of the shaded patch.
Nathan looks hesitant. “What should we do? What if someone sees us?”
“We have no choice. We go now and hope for the best. And if Rose Brooks asks where we attacked them, we’ll say we don’t know for sure.”
They started running toward their victims. While still running, they took out their Tasers and shot at them. They didn’t even know what hit them. Within thirty seconds they had to inject the drug. They had plenty of time.
Dylan looked at Sarah Sanchez up close. She was wearing a brown and black leather suit. He noticed for the first time since he saw her that she was quite beautiful. He zipped up her coat, so that her breasts didn’t show at all. They needed to prevent the guards from being attracted to her curves. He ruffled up her freshly washed hair and tied it in a ponytail. He tried to make her look as unattractive as possible. Each of them grabbed her by one shoulder and started walking toward the exit. When they got near the guards they started singing and talking loudly as if they were piss drunk. Two homosexuals and a woman were having fun together? The guard heading toward them noticed the woman was actually cute. He tried approaching her.
“What’s your name, doll?”
But when the guard got close enough, Dylan injected Sarah discreetly with the nausea drug. Sarah Sanchez vomited on the guard. The shock and disgust of the guard was the desired effect.
“Ooh…”
“Princess, you had a bit too much to drink…”
“Get the hell away from here.”
The other guards who remained in the background made fun of the one who had the bad luck of being puked on, but they kept a certain distance, and didn’t ask Dylan or Nathan anything else and let them leave. At the other exit, nobody inquired about a thing. Those guards were happy to just watch them leave. They were too busy with those who wanted to get on the island. They reached the meeting point, which wasn’t very far. Sarah Sanchez was lifted into some kind of handcart and taken over by some other agents. It was the kind of rig Dylan had seen when he witnessed the kidnapping in the middle of the street after having been beaten up by Jeremy Phillips—a makeshift wheelbarrow. Was that also the work of the agency or just common practice around here?
Chapter 25
Krugar was sitting in an armchair, frowning. He couldn’t believe it. This was the first time he ever faced a situation such as this. Someone actually had the guts to enter his island and kidnap his girlfriend! And who? Two nobodies whom he could crush like bugs with the tip of his shoe. He will prepare a special torture room for them, with the worst types of devices in it. Just like the Middle Ages.
But now he had to remain calm. The governor himself was coming to his mansion. This wasn’t common, either. He couldn’t remember the last time Garry King had visited here. In fact, he couldn’t remember a time he had ever come to his house. Krugar was tense. He needed a cigarette. He wondered where Sarah could be. Oh, why would they kidnap her specifically? Was it that someone was trying to replace him? Or scare him? Why him? He swore he would make anyone who was behind this scheme pay. For now, however, he had a different issue to contend with.
Garry King wore a classic, dark suit. The handkerchief in his breast pocket matched his tie and shoes. To him, image was everything; he was a politician after all. His adjutants stayed outside. Just the two of them were in the spacious living room.
“Play some music, loud!” ordered Garry King.
Krugar didn’t seem to understand.
“I wouldn’t want to experience the surprise of being listened in on.”
“Who would dare plant microphones here?” asked Krugar.
“You don’t understand. Things have become complicated. The NSO is involved too, no doubt.”
“Are you sure? That slum dog would have had serious reasons to do this. And the other one helping him, too.”
“No. I’m sure it’s not only them,” said Garry King. “They spent serious money to get to the island. Where did they get so much money? And then again, they used injections of a drug that’s very hard to find, even in New Hope. Then, Sarah Sanchez is explicitly asked for to pick up a package for a partner who, surprisingly, is nowhere to be found now. And the attack takes place in an area close to the exit, which is not monitored as well as others. Don’t you find it a little suspicious? I do. How did they know to attack precisely in that spot, with no access to a map and with information only you or your men knew?”
“It may be just a coincidence,” said Krugar.
“It’s too much of a coincidence. And I don’t believe in coincidences. If I did, I would have never become governor. And wait, the most interesting part is yet to be told. They are sending us a recording. Did you see her?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
“They want money. Five million dollars.”
“What can you tell me about the recording?”
“I don’t know… Sarah Sanchez appears to be tied to a chair in a regular studio apartment from New Hope.”
“Is that all you saw?”
“Yes.”
“But didn’t you see that the window is open, and through it you can make out the number of the building across the street? That the recording is made on a device belonging to a guy who lives there? What does this tell you?”
“They probably mugged the guy, took everything from him, and moved into his house.”
“False. Completely false. Let me tell you what they’re doing. They are leaving you clues. They are hoping you take the hint and go to them. Actually, they hope I take the hint and send the sheriffs there. They want to catch us in the act. They’ve deactivated their bracelets so that we’ll think those two are acting on their own. It would have been too obvious to leave their bracelets on.”
“They took off the bracelets when they were cornered. That’s how they managed to escape.”
Garry King stopped. For Krugar, things were barely starting to make sense. There was a protocol. Each of the agents who worked for him in New Hope could press the panic button attached to their bracelets only in case of a major emergency. Once pushed, the bracelets sent everything that was happening about the suspect. If the situation was indeed serious, the sheriffs were called in, located the signal, and headed toward the location of the emergency. They had war
cartridges and an order to shoot at anyone who seemed suspicious. The operation was coordinated by a trustee. Officially, the deployment of troops was to catch extremely dangerous criminals. This is exactly what occurred with Jeremy Phillips and the rest of the gang. Unfortunately for Sarah Sanchez, she did not have time to press the panic button as she was shot, drugged, and bound before she even realize what was happening.
Basically, the sheriffs were subordinates to Garry King, who could send them on whatever missions he saw fit. The cases when someone pushed the panic button were actually very rare. But every time it happened, it all went under the table. Officially, Garry King and Krugar had no actual connections.
Now they knew the location of where they needed to intervene, but they couldn’t go there. They would fall right into a trap.
Garry King continued, “And they told you to bring the five million in a bag and leave it under the third bench from the entrance to the park, in area 18D10. Tomorrow at eight. They will count the money and if it’s all there, they will set her free. And, in the end, they have underlined that they are men of their word. That they won’t play tricks on you.”
“If you’re referring strictly to the exchange being made this way, I find it logical. They don’t want to risk an operation out in the open. If we catch the one who takes the bag, they still get Sarah Sanchez.”
After pausing for a few minutes Krugar asked, “What are you going to do?”
“I’m still thinking about it. We have until tomorrow night to make a decision. They are expecting us to take that house by storm. We will definitely not do that. And since we won’t, they will assume that we know the NSO is involved. But they don’t have much choice either. They need to wait for us to act. It’s our move. Do you play chess?”
“No.”
“Obviously not. I wonder why I even asked you. Anyway, chess is a game where each player takes turns at moving his pieces. And in order to win, you need to anticipate your opponent’s moves. Depending on what you think he will do, you decide your next move. The more moves you plan ahead, the higher your chances are to win. This is what we must do: plan our moves ahead. It’s clear they’ve invested a lot of logistics into this operation. They won’t give up until they get something out of it. For now, they have Sarah Sanchez. They could try to torture her until they find out something out of her. We shouldn’t lie on our oars. There is that risk as well.”
The Free City Page 18
