by Mark Nolan
“Nice, I’m all about being a gangsta who asks you if you want fries with that,” Terrell said.
“That reminds me, I meant to say I like your spiffy new clothes and gang tats, very impressive.”
“Hey I make this stuff look good.”
“You were born to be bad.”
“Is there some reason you constantly say dumb things that are not true, like you did to that guy at the drive up window?”
“Yes, in fact, it is a little-known condition similar to Tourette’s Syndrome, but instead of yelling out random words I say dumb things that are not true,” Jake said. “It is also known as being full of BS and/or part Irish.”
“Find a pill for that and take it already.”
As they drove along, Jake noticed a police car coming toward them from the other direction with its lights on. He pulled over into a parking space and cut the lights. The police cruiser roared by them like a Daytona race car, zooming right on past Jake’s supposed gang banger vehicle with the smoking gun and criminal coffee buyers.
Jake thought it must be nice to work in law enforcement. You can break the speed limit, ignore laws, and never get busted by your pals. But if you were an average citizen, you sometimes couldn’t even say a joke without someone trying to bust you just for talking.
“Your driving is not helping my headache, in fact now that I think of it, maybe hanging around with you is the cause of my headaches,” Terrell said.
Jake spoke in a voice like a television drug commercial and said, “If you are experiencing these symptoms, ask your doctor if four-twenty might be right for you. Side effects include getting the munchies and not giving a …”
“Shut up and step on the gas,” Terrell said. He took a sip of the bad coffee and made a face.
Chapter 57
When the Jeep approached the lot where the taco truck was parked, Terrell reached for his pistol and coffee cup, taking one in each hand. He stared at them and said, “Let’s see, pistol goes in pocket, coffee goes in mouth. All set.”
“Glad you got that straight,” Jake said. “Nothing gets by you, even with a hangover.”
“That’s why I get the big bucks, I am a highly trained professional,” Terrell said. “And for your information, I can’t be hung over if I’m still drunk.”
“Words of wisdom.”
“Okay maybe I do have a blistering hangover, and I’m simply asking the media to respect my privacy during this difficult time.”
“Are you feeling any better after that cup of coffee?”
“I have the feeling of impending doom that comes from hanging out with you, but otherwise, I’m okay,” Terrell said. He drank the last of the coffee, made a face and said, “Tastes like ass.”
“You know what ass tastes like huh?”
“Even worse than ass, if that’s possible.”
“Artificial ass flavor number five?”
The two of them looked around but didn’t see the suspect walking by in plain sight, no surprise there.
“So where did the perp go?” Terrell said. “My head hurts, and I just want to shoot him and be done with it.”
“I like your plan, keep it simple. My buddy’s text said the suspect parked here and then walked away. Maybe by now he took a cab to a hideout hotel a couple of miles from here.”
“Or he just abandoned the car and isn’t coming back. That would be okay because it would mean I can go home to my fine woman and my comfortable bed.”
Terrell’s phone vibrated. Someone on the night shift had sent him a link to a news video of Jake getting hugged by a blonde woman in a pink bikini. There was a police tape reading “Do Not Cross” stretched between them at crotch level.
Terrell watched the 30-second video clip, then played it again and held the phone up so Jake could see it. Jake just shrugged his shoulders.
“What is it with you anyway?” Terrell said. “Do you use Jedi mind tricks to make women like you?”
“One woman told me that she dated me because I was funny and I could make her laugh,” Jake said. “What can I say?”
“With the way you seem to attract women like a babe magnet, why did you put up with Gwen’s angry tantrums for so long?”
“Uhh… because I really believed I was in love with her?”
“Another case of positive thinking gone wrong,” Terrell said. “Better to think negative, that way you’re never disappointed.”
Although Terrell was joking, he knew it was the truth. Jake really had been in love with Gwen, and had kept thinking positive long after he should have quit.
Terrell’s wife Alicia had said that Jake seemed blind to most women’s faults, he loved them too much. She hoped Jake would be more careful about who he trusted and allowed into his life in the future. It seemed that Jake always gave too much of himself in life. And like so many people who lived fully, Jake was flawed in many ways.
Jake pulled over near the parking lot. He texted his friend Luis in the taco truck to let him know that he and a policeman had arrived. He got a text in reply saying the wanted man had left a Dodge car in the lot. He’d walked away going East and had not returned so far.
Jake texted, Thanks, Luis.
The return text said, This is Guadalupe. Luis and Maria’s daughter. My parents are not here. I’m using their phone.
Jake replied, Oops sorry, have we met?
Guadalupe wrote, No I’ve been away picking crops. Earning money to pay for classes at City College.
Jake wrote, Ok we’re going to search the area now.
A flashlight went on and off twice inside the taco truck window, with the light pointed toward the Jeep.
Jake and Terrell exited the vehicle, with Cody following along by Jake’s side. They quickly scanned the surrounding street, windows and rooftops for threats. Jake clipped a lead onto Cody’s collar, and they all walked toward the taco truck.
The truck’s door opened and a college-aged Latina woman stepped out. She stood there in a faded t-shirt and yoga pants. Her hair was mussed, and she wasn’t wearing any makeup. It appeared that she may have been sleeping in the taco truck. Jake’s guess was that it was probably illegal, as everything else was nowadays, but her secret was safe with him and Terrell.
Jake thought Guadalupe was a vision of wholesome Latina loveliness, and his heart skipped a beat. Her eyes were dark liquid pools, and her mouth was like a soft flower. Her curvy figure seemed to call Jake’s name and say, “Jake look here and behold this miracle of nature’s beauty before you. Rethink your plans for tonight, your goals and your entire life.” The unexpected meeting left Jake momentarily speechless. He was hypnotized by her girl-next-door goodness. His mind began calculating their ages; they seemed to be only a few years apart.
The young woman said, “I’m Guadalupe. You must be Señor Jake. My parents told me you were a friend, and if there was ever any trouble, I should contact you.”
“Yes, I’m Jake. Nice to meet you, Guadalupe. Where are your parents. Are they okay?”
“They were taken by la policia. A police officer came and told my parents their restaurant permit expired a week ago. When my father argued that he already paid the annual fee and was waiting for the sticker to come in the mail, he was accused of resistirse al arresto. My mother and father are in the San Francisco County Jail right now.”
“That’s not good. I’ll see what I can do to help them. What was the name of the officer?”
“Señora Denton.”
Guadalupe was born and raised in California and could speak perfect English, but when she got flustered, she switched from English back to Spanish or mixed the two languages together.
Terrell said, “What is she saying? That her parents got arrested? All I know how to say in Spanish is enchiladas and cervezas. In fact, I used to think Taco Bell was the Mexican version of the phone company Pac Bell.”
“Denton came here and handcuffed her parents and took them to jail,” Jake said.
“That’s ridiculous,” Terrell said.
“Why was Denton here? She’s supposed to be working on homicide cases, not arresting burrito-making working mothers.”
“¿Por qué la policía venido tu la restuarante,” Jake said.
Guadalupe looked at Jake sadly and pointed at him. “The police came here because of you. She knew you bought food here with your debit card. The police wanted my parents to tell bad lies about you and sign a statement. But they refused to betray you. Señora Denton got very angry.”
Jake felt terrible for Guadalupe’s parents. He’d led Denton to them. “I promise you I’ll get your parents out of jail. I give you my word.”
Guadalupe didn’t believe him. The look on her face made that clear. She nodded politely at him. “When Denton pressured my parents to lie about you, they just kept shaking their heads no, and saying thou shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor.”
“Your parents are good people, they’re like family to me now. I’ll keep my promise to gain their freedom, you’ll see.”
“I’m sure I saw that bad hombre you are looking for. I recognized his face because I’d seen it on the news. The photo of when he was driving on the Golden Gate Bridge.”
“Your text said he parked a Dodge?”
“Yes, that’s the car right there.” Guadalupe pointed at a Dodge Challenger, “Then he walked in that dirección.” She gestured at the street that went east.
“Good work. We’re going to find him.”
Guadalupe still had a skeptical look on her face. She gave Jake a quick appraising glance up and down from head to toe and back, then tossed her dark hair and closed the door. At the last moment, as the door was closing, Guadalupe looked Jake in the eye. She gave him a small, tentative and curious smile. She hadn’t lost hope, not yet. Her parents could use a hero right now. She would keep her hopes up, and have faith in Jake. The look in her eyes said, “I want to believe you. Please be real.”
Terrell said, “I’ll take a quick look at the vehicle, while you and Cody scout around the parking lot.”
“Good to go.”
“Cover my six.”
“Roger that.”
Jake and Cody covered Terrell’s back or his “six o’clock” as they did a quick walk around the lot. Jake held his pistol close by his thigh as he did recon. Cody sniffed the air and the ground, searching for a scent trail.
Terrell carefully approached the Dodge. It was backed in with the front facing out, presumably for a quick exit. He carefully looked inside, then got down on one knee and looked underneath. It appeared to be free of booby traps, so he made a hand signal. Jake saw the signal, and he brought Cody close to the car. Cody alerted to something explosive near the driver’s door. Jake praised Cody and reached into his pocket for a tiny but very bright flashlight on his keychain. He shone it inside the car and looked around.
“My guess is there are some grenades under the driver’s seat,” Jake said.
“But no C-4 and not rigged to explode I hope?” Terrell said.
Jake shook his head. “Probably a stash of frag grenades.”
“Probably? That’s very reassuring professor.”
“Don’t touch the door.”
“Wow, good advice.”
“Is this the same car we saw on the way to the funeral?”
“Yeah it looks the same.”
Jake leaned close to Cody and said, “Where’s the enemy Cody? Do you smell him? Where’d he go? Find the enemy.”
Cody did as he was trained to do, and he sniffed the car door handle and the ground nearby. He let out a low growl and then he sniffed the air. He looked at the street and pulled on the lead while holding his tail straight out.
“Seek Cody. Seek, seek, seek.”
Cody began following the scent trail out of the parking lot and down the sidewalk in the direction that Guadalupe had pointed out. Jake walked right behind Cody, holding the lead while Terrell followed them and covered their backs.
Inside the food truck, Guadalupe looked out a window, through a small space between curtains. She watched the two brave men with their smart dog, who had come rushing to the aid of her family in the middle of the night. Guadalupe’s mother and father were fond of the man named Jake, and they said he knew important people in the city. Although it was Jake’s fault that her parents had been arrested, he’d given his word to get them out of jail. She had to admit he was a dashingly handsome man, and right now he was out there risking his life to protect her. Guadalupe gave this some serious thought as her eyes followed Jake until he vanished into the night.
Chapter 58
Banks sat in the backseat of the limousine and sweated in fear of what Zhukov had shown him on his phone. It was diabolical how Zhukov had set up a remote controlled weapon, targeting one of the council members.
Zhukov said, “Of course I have no reason to want you dead Chairman, so there is nothing for you to worry about. You are my benevolent employer and the payer of generous sums of money, which I appreciate.”
“Yes, of course, you and I have a good working relationship,” Banks said. “I value your services, and you value how well I reward you for a job well done. It’s only business after all.”
“It is a pity that not everyone on the council feels as appreciative, businesslike and patient as you do,” Zhukov said.
“I’ll explain to them that you can’t rush a great artist at his work,” Banks said.
“Exactly, and I’m glad we had this little talk, even though it interfered with my plans to kill Jake Wolfe tonight.”
Zhukov was pleased to have made it clear to this pompous ass that nobody could intimidate him. Nobody who lived much longer to talk about it anyway.
Banks felt a knot in his stomach, and he lowered the screen between the front and back seats and spoke to his driver.
“Abhay, our meeting is successfully concluded, please take our honored guest anywhere he wishes to go now.”
“Yes sir, my pleasure sir,” Abhay said and glanced in the rearview mirror at Zhukov.
“Abhay is it?” Zhukov said. “I believe that’s a Hindi name meaning brave and fearless. It suits you.”
“Very good sir, thank you, and where to now sir?” Abhay said.
The limousine drove in a roundabout way as was routine by now, and Zhukov told the driver to stop in front of a hotel he’d never visited before.
Zhukov got out of the car and said, “The thing you desire will happen very soon, I promise you.”
Banks nodded and his face showed his great relief at this reassurance. He was caught between the powerful council members and this killing machine of a man who could take your life from afar with a touch on his phone.
Zhukov walked away into the fog and darkness. He switched taxis several times and was soon within walking distance of the lot where he’d parked his car.
He planned to approach the lot slowly, and if there was the slightest sign of trouble, he would slip away in the dark and steal another vehicle. Car theft was like child’s play for him. But for some reason, he was feeling a fondness for this powerful car at the moment. It was mostly the game that beckoned to him, matching wits with the smart people that worked in law enforcement. They were the only ones who really understood him and could offer him a challenge.
When he got to the parking lot, everything looked the same as when he’d left it. He was walking up to the car when he heard a dog begin barking nearby, followed by the sound of running footsteps rapidly approaching from down the street. It was then that he noticed a black Jeep parked nearby.
Zhukov pulled out his pistol and ran the remaining distance to the car, pressing the remote control on the way, in case the car was rigged with a bomb. There were no explosive surprises, so he approached and quickly checked underneath the car, and then under the driver’s seat. As he was getting into the vehicle, he saw two men running in the darkness, along with a golden-haired dog. The men appeared to be carrying pistols, and they were coming straight at him. They would soon be within firing range.
&nbs
p; He needed to improvise a plan of escape. If he drove away from the armed men, they could open fire and shoot him in the back of the head as he tried to escape. That left him few options.
“When in doubt, go on the attack and kill the enemy,” Zhukov said, quoting his former Spetsnaz Special Forces military instructors.
Chapter 59
Cody had picked up the target’s scent at the parked car and followed it a few blocks to a taxi stand, but he lost it there.
“We can go back and stake out the parking lot, and hope he comes back tonight,” Terrell said.
“Sounds good to me,” Jake said, “Maybe disable the car engine or let the air out of the tires, so the guy can’t make a run for it.”
They headed back to the parking lot, and when they were close to it Cody started growling and pulling at the lead. Up ahead they saw a man that seemed to fit the height and weight profile of the suspect. His facial features looked different, but he was heading straight toward the Dodge they’d inspected earlier.
“Bogey at two o’clock,” Jake said, and he held tight to Cody’s lead as he started running alongside his dog.
“Roger that,” Terrell said, and he ran off to the left to flank the target. The two men had worked as a team in battle so many times that these coordinated actions came naturally to them without discussion.
The man in the parking lot noticed them, and he sprinted to the parked car. Headlights came on, and the car drove straight at them. The driver’s arm appeared outside the window holding a pistol, and he fired several rounds at Jake.
“Something tells me that’s our guy,” Jake said.
“Oh, you think?” Terrell said.
Jake and Cody ducked into the gap between two parked cars to avoid becoming hit-and-run casualties. Terrell fired a round at the driver, and Jake got off a shot at the rear tire as the car roared past. The attack was over in a few seconds, and it didn’t appear that anyone was injured. Terrell had shot a hole in the car’s windshield, but the driver smashed the glass out of his way with his pistol and kept on driving.
