Prince leaps to the side out of the way and sees the vehicle plow head on into the open metal storage vault where today’s cash receipts were stored. It was arrogantly put on display in full sight as if tempting anyone to try and break into it.
BOOM! When the SUV hits the safe, there is a huge explosion, as if a bomb were detonating. The GMC Yukon is totaled, but its demise has created a raging inferno.
The impact of vehicle against vault knocks the safe over, and fire starts to spread on the ground.
Because this building was built with a tight budget - and without any kind of official oversight - corners were cut. No sprinkler systems, no fire-retardant building materials. Essentially, a glorified wooden barn made with not-always-up-to-grade materials, this place was a firetrap waiting to happen.
The wooden seats and building frame ignite like tinder. The conflagration is contagious and spreads quickly throughout the building.
With nothing he can do, Prince races out of the building screaming, “Fire! Fire!”
There’s pandemonium as his men in the living quarters building rush out.
Prince and his men grab hoses and buckets of water - anything to help contain the blaze. But it’s like these flames from hell have a mind of its own - they will not be defeated.
Realizing the futility of their efforts, Prince’s men turn to dousing the ground around the octagonal building, hoping to contain the fire to this one edifice.
At least something is working.
While the blaze from The Arena lights up the night skies like a miniature Mount Vesuvius, the blaze does not spread beyond the building perimeter.
Not much comfort in small mercies.
***
Ice broken, moods improved, girls and guys are happy, Russian, Chinese, white and black eating, drinking and partying - just the way young people should.
Noah stands up and claps his hands to get everyone’s attention. “Okay. Okay. I know everybody is going a little crazy being cooped up here, but tomorrow will be different. I’ve rented a bus, and we are going to take a tour of New York. Dah?”
“Dah! Yes!” echoes the Russian contingent.
“Hao, bu hao? (Good or not)” asks Noah in Chinese.
“Hao!” is the united answer from the Chinese.
“Anything in particular you want to see?”
There is chorus of different answers. Statue of Liberty, Central Park, Times Square, Madison Square Garden, Coney Island, Bronx Zoo, Little Odessa...
“You interested in seeing Chinatown, Ling Ling? It’s not too far,” asks Abby.
Ling Ling looks at her Chinese comrades then back to Abby. “We don’t care if we never see Chinatown again. We hate it.”
How could I be so stupid? That’s where they’ve spent their entire eminently forgettable American existence. “Of course. I should have remembered. Chinatown is definitely not on the list. What would you like to see?”
“Can we see the Empire State Building?”
“Sure. How do you know about it?”
“Every year, they put on a special light show for Chinese New Year. I saw it on the Internet, and it looks so interesting.”
“The Empire State Building sounds wonderful, although we’ll have to wait for six months before Chinese New Year.”
About the only one who hasn’t displayed any enthusiasm for the Empire State Building or for anything else for that matter is Tanya.
She was not part of the original group of ten girls to come - at seventeen, she was too old. However, she pleaded with the “recruiters” to let her and Larissa come. It was about the only thing that had come up that would allow them to escape the miserable life they had as an “unwanteds” in Moscow.
Her picture and Larissa’s were sent to Alexei, who immediately saw the potential. Tanya now and Larissa in one year, maybe two.
Like the others, Tanya had no idea what she was getting into, but unlike the others, she found the life that Alexei was offering exciting. She loved being adored by men, but even more than that she loved the heroin high. She wasn’t an addict - yet, but she certainly enjoyed the highs, and the last few days have been torture without the rush. Definitely playing games and chitchatting to children wasn’t her idea of fun.
Her little sister, Larissa, comes up and tugs on her blouse. “Tanya, isn’t that wonderful? We get to see New York. I think Noah and JJ are wonderful. Maybe you should marry one of them.”
“That’s a great idea, Larissa.”
***
Wading through the rubble, smoldering and soaked ashes, Prince makes his way to his toppled storage vault. He takes out his key and carefully opens it - it is damned hot.
Suddenly, there is a blast of fire that comes from inside the vault. As much as he tries, Prince can’t beat down the fire. In twenty seconds, it is all over. The fire has died and along with it, the future that Prince so carefully planned for.
He looks inside.
Inside are ashes and smoldering bits of paper. Prince realizes what must have happened. The vault was not only used to put today’s gate in but Prince it used to store his drugs - heroin, poppers, crack, steroids... Maybe one of them had a lower burning point, maybe there was some residual ether from processing the heroin... it didn’t matter. The safe was still extremely hot - that’s why he had to be so careful when he opened it. While the safe was airtight, by his opening it, the mixture of the intense heat, oxygen, paper and any little bit of flammable material caused the immediate conflagration.
If Prince had been patient enough to wait until the safe cooled down, everything would still be okay. But he didn’t think, and he really wanted to check on his funds...
Everything was gone. And of course, there is no insurance for stupidity or lost income on an illegal leopard match.
Prince forces himself to look inside the wrecked SUV.
Another unpleasant surprise. There are two charred bodies in there, burnt badly but not beyond total recognition. They belong to Tony and Leo, two of his posse.
Not that it makes any difference at all, but why?
Prince grimaces. Out of a lousy lot of henchmen, Tony and Leo were his best street dealers. They were also looking after his last three girls. That means they’re gone too.
Prince walks outside into the cool evening air. There is a sickening feeling in his stomach as he faces up to reality.
Prince is virtually broke. Everything he has been working for, has been geared for, has just gone up in smoke. In the last few months in the frenzy to complete construction and gear up for today’s matches, he let his regular businesses slide - not a whole lot of pimping or selling drugs, thinking he could his two best guys to look after things.
What a joke. What a mistake.
***
Twelve Years Ago
Prince snuck in to watch his father train. He could not believe the regimen of weights, cardio and calisthenics. Three solid hours without a break and then immediately into a battle session with a tiger.
This animal was lazy, sick or tired. Or maybe it was just full. Whatever the case, it could not be coaxed into putting up any kind of fight at all.
Chin started caressing it, stroking it, kissing it. The animal was purring, content... off its guard. Prince watched in rapt fascination - he thought his father was going to make love to the beast when he wrapped his arms around it.
Not a chance. Chin, with a sudden jerk, twisted the animal’s neck, breaking it. He then looked in Prince’s direction.
Prince knew that his father had just taught him a lesson. Always, always be on your guard. You have no friends in the world. A fat cat is just waiting to be killed.
Present Day
Prince had always seen himself as his father in this scenario. Strong, aggressive, ready to kill without mercy.
Now, he realizes something different. He was more like the tiger than the tamer.
The tiger was not lazy, sick or tired like Prince thought. It was one of his father’s most ferocious animals. Every da
y, the feline trained with its handlers, building speed, agility and strength. Every day, Chin came by and caressed it, kissed it, fed it all the animal’s favorite foods.
The tiger believed that Chin loved it, and it trusted Chin.
That was the tiger’s mistake... and that was Prince’s.
It’s not a literal analogy though, but it’s close enough.
Prince went through a workout regimen every day that would have exhausted or killed a lesser man. He was the strongest of the strong, the nastiest of the nasty, the king of all he surveyed. By pushing himself so hard, he was positive that he was unbeatable.
And that was his error. He lost his edge by relying solely on his physical prowess and the confidence that he was better than anybody else he knew or had heard about.
Which may very well have been true.
But that worldview is too narrow. He was complacent in thinking that the world is static. Hell no, it’s not. It’s constantly changing. Old loyalties change. There are always new big dogs or old dogs that have learned a new trick. Or different animals altogether that he doesn’t even know about.
Prince forgot to, “Expect the unexpected.” If Prince for a moment thought something might happen to his fortune, he would have been all over it, protecting it from harm. Instead, he was like the tiger. Confident, unworried, not on its guard for any possible change in the universe.
And now he’s paid the price.
There is, though, a remnant of something good. He’s still alive, he’s still healthy. He still has the capacity to earn one hell of a lot of money. Who cares if he doesn’t like the smell or look of Russians. Prince likes the smell and look of money.
Prince takes out his cell phone and types in a message.
Now to talk to Li Peng. Even though he’s only a martial arts trainer, he’s always got an idea or two worth talking about.
***
JJ is earnestly staring at his laptop, flipping to different web pages. It’s obvious he’s looking for an answer that none of what he’s looking at supplies.
Abby sidles beside him, body touching his. She looks at the screen, puzzled. “Correlations between Chinese religious practices and Christianity? What on Earth are you studying, JJ?”
“There are some very interesting theories out there about Christ revealing himself to the Chinese. Tie-ins between Chinese characters and God, monotheistic beliefs, similar practices of sacrifice... Fascinating stuff.”
“You got to be kidding. Why would you be looking at that?”
JJ turns to Abby. “Because of you. I want to know what you believe, whether it can reconcile with what I know to be true.”
“Why don’t you just ask me?”
For one handsome guy who’s twenty-eight, JJ is so inept with relationships with the opposite sex. Sure, much of it can be blamed on being in a Shaolin monastery since he was three, but there’s awkward, and then there’s awkward. JJ is definitely awkward.
“I don’t know what to ask.”
“Try me.”
JJ’s breath stops. He’s rather face a live tiger than his own feelings right now. “Do you think that given what you believe... ”
Abby interrupts. “You didn’t listen. I said, ‘Try me.’”
“As in... ”
“Yes.”
JJ puts his hand on Abby’s arm, then lets his fingers dance down to her hands. Abby takes his hand, then kisses it, then puts it on her breast. “Try a little harder.”
JJ looks like he’s going to explode as he brings his head closer to Abby’s.
Mouths touch, tongues explore...
In another room, twenty kids are jammed around Walrus’ laptop in rapt fascination, looking at the images sent from the webcam from JJ’s computer.
Kids.
CHAPTER 10
Alexei lies on a massage table, getting the full meal deal from a busty, young blonde. It’s been a long day, over eight hours in the back of his V12-powered Mercedes CL 600, and his body aches. It took him longer to get to Prince’s than it would have in the Hummer or the SUV, but he wanted to make an impression on Prince, and the $250,000 CL600 with his special modifications is guaranteed to do that. However, he hated the idea of getting any kind of nick or scratch so he got his driver to go extra slow. Even so, he hated what the dirt road did to his precious vehicle - and to him.
But it was worth it. Alexei bet heavily on Prince to win. He had seen Prince’s father, Chin, in the ring and felt that if Prince were half the man his father was, there was no way he could lose.
Prince did not disappoint, which confirmed something that has been niggling at him the last few days - his own men. Had they gotten soft in America? How could his supposedly seasoned veterans be so badly outmaneuvered and outmuscled by JJ and Noah Reid?
Much as his men wanted a second crack to redeem themselves, as a tactician Alexei knew that there is no point in using the same people to try and achieve the same goals if they’ve failed once. Better to attack on a different flank with different and hopefully better forces.
Which is where Prince comes in. The worst that could happen is that he’s given up fifty grand to see the most entertaining battle he has seen in years. The upside is that he will develop an alliance that will help move him into the upper echelons of respect with the criminal elite - that is where the real money is to be made. Right now, he is in a position where most people will take his calls. Play the cards right with Prince, and he will be the person that everyone is calling.
DING goes his cell phone. The text message is simple.
“Let’s talk.”
Although the identity of the sender is unknown, there is no doubt whom the message is from.
“Where and when?” he texts back.
“ASAP, my place.”
Alexei pulls the masseuse’s hands off his not-too-private areas. “Later.”
***
An hour later, Alexei is in a chopper, trying to find Prince’s complex. Although it’s almost pitch black, you would think there should be some lights showing the outline of the octagonal-shaped building. He gets the pilot to double-check the coordinates, and yes, this is the place, and there are some flickering lights evident. Dropping the chopper lower reveals not only the rest of the buildings in the complex but smoldering rubble where the eight-sided arena used to be.
Now that’s interesting, thinks Alexei as he clambers off the winged bird. He is escorted by one of Prince’s cohorts to The Barn, the huge building at the far side of the complex.
***
The Barn is an amazing building. Prince created this structure because he did not want his cats to lose their animal instinct and feel for the wild. Almost half the size of a football field, inside fifty leopards call this home. While some are kept in cages for periods of time, most of the time the cats are allowed to roam free. Although, they are the smallest of the big cats, they are the most adaptable, and around fifty of the animals live in its remarkable manmade ecosphere. Artificial and live fauna and flora co-exist in this multifaceted, temperature-controlled environment. One section is desert, another is rainforest, another is thick bush, all stocked with animals that are normally found in their respective habitats.
This is the building that cost the most to build, and unfortunately for Prince, this is the building that has no commercial value at all should he ever leave the business.
It does make for one helluva meeting place though. Prince and Alexei sit in a protected area at a cordoned-off worktable at the side of the building. A middle-aged man, Li Peng, stands quietly to the side.
“This is a private conversation,” growls Alexei, motioning in the direction of Li Peng.
“He is my longtime trainer and advisor. Ignore him,” says Prince.
Alexei snorts. “So I see you have some damage to the property.”
“Some, yes,” admits Prince.
“Now you come groveling back to me because you need cash. You want to take the job I offered you. Well, Prince. The price has gone down.
No more million dollars. You want the job, it’s seven hundred and fifty.”
“If you want to keep insulting me and pissing me off, you can get lost,” says Prince.
Alexei looks at Prince as if he’s gone mad.
“You see, Alexei, your problem is that you see problems. I torched the building.”
Alexei does a double take. “What?”
“I see opportunity. You see a burnt down building and a dumb muscleman who needs money. This is what you don’t see.”
Prince’s focus lasers onto Alexei’s eye. “I am going to offer you this deal first. You either accept my terms, or I will call the other Russians that showed up today. They will find my proposal interesting.”
Alexei examines Prince. Why is he so calm? “I’m listening.”
A wicked glint crosses Prince’s face. “What you saw today was an appetizer, a taste of what can come. I don’t know that many people, and yet I managed to gross almost eight million today. Of course there are expenses but not eight million dollars’ worth. I know some high rollers but not enough. This is where you come in.”
“I torched the building because it was for this one event only. After today, there will be no end of curiosity-seekers and authorities trying to find out where the match between leopard and Leopard Man was.”
Alexei nods - can’t argue with that. He’s already had several inquiries himself.
Prince folds his hands, pausing for effect. “I want to build an arena seven times this size for one use. It will be completed within nine months. And have a capacity of 3,000 people, each paying 50,000 dollars to attend. More than that, I want us to have all bets go through us. To guarantee that, each person that attends must put up a minimum of $500,000. We will take five percent of every bet... You do the math. You saw the show. You can get every Russian gangster from Moscow to New York to Los Angeles to Jerusalem to come. And if there aren’t enough Russians, we will get the Chinese. They will all pay to see and be seen. This is the event of the century. I call it ‘Super Match.””
SLAVERY UNBOUND: Cruelty & Lust with the Emerging Eastern Mafia (Noah Reid Action Thriller series Book 4) Page 7
