by Miller, Tim
“Where are you going? We need to talk about this!”
“I’m going to bed. It was a long night.”
Chapter 14
Tony arrived at Ramos the following morning. Kim was already at work and had taken Taylor to daycare by the time he woke up. Slade was there when he came into the office. Domingo was standing next to him.
“So what’s going on?” Tony asked.
“So despite all that chaos the other night, you did a good job. I know I wasn’t happy about you killing Benito’s guy. Not thrilled about you killing two cops for that matter, it was all over the news.”
A lump settled in Tony’s stomach. He was so worked up and exhausted the other night, it hadn’t even registered to him they’d be on a manhunt for a cop killer. That was sure one title he never thought would apply to him.
“Do they have any suspects?”
“Doesn’t sound like it. You did good, took the camera and everything.”
“Yeah, it all happened so fast. I just didn’t want to go to prison,” Tony said.
“That’s good,” Slade said. “It’s that desire to stay alive and stay out of jail that will take you far in this business.”
“I don’t want to go far in this business. I just want to make enough to take care of my family.”
Slade began to laugh and stood.
“You’ll make plenty. You have already. I called you here because I had a proposal for you. As you know, Jose is gone. He is the one who ratted you to the cops, and he’s been taken care of. Domingo will be helping me run things from here for the time being. You did so well on that run, you’re going to help me step up our operation.”
“Step up how?”
“Instead of one run a week, we’re going to do three a week. There’s a bit of a situation, and we need to make up some ground. It has nothing to do with you, you’ve done great. But you’re going to help me get things back on track.”
“Three runs a week? The agreement was one,” Tony said.
“I’m changing the agreement. And you’re not gonna fight you way out of this one. Its three runs a week. Unfortunately the pay stays the same for now.”
“What do you mean pay stays the same?”
“It’s still twenty grand a week, but you’ll be doing three runs instead of one. Right now I can’t pay you any more, especially after the other night. It will cost a ton to clean all this shit up and keep the old man out of it.”
“That sounds like your problem, not mine,” Tony said.
“Something you are going to learn really quickly man, is my problems are your problems. You got it? If the cops are messing with me, that is a problem for you. If the boss is unhappy with me, he’s unhappy with you. If the boss is unhappy, people get hurt. People you care about, and I don’t think you want that.”
Tony considered this for a moment. Once again he was left without much choice. It was hard to believe just over a week ago he was answering phones in a call center. In that time he’d killed three men and was at the center of an elaborate human trafficking operation. The only good thing he could say was that it paid well.
“I guess I don’t have much choice.”
“Good.”
“Tell Benito there will be no retaliation, retribution or so much as a word said about my last visit. I don’t want him or any of his goons to so much as lay a hand on me this time.”
“You got it. Anything else?”
“Nope, that’s it I guess.”
“Good. Your first load will be ready in a few minutes. Just so you know, you’ll be taking anywhere from five to eight girls per run. Depending on their ages and race, they are worth anywhere from fifty to a hundred grand each. As you know, if you get caught you go to jail for a long time. If you decide to rat us out, you may get a deal, but we will find you and kill you and your family.”
“Just curious,” Tony interrupted, “Does every single thing you tell me have to be followed with a threat to kill my family? I mean, is that just a regular thing for you?”
“It’s just a way to drive the point home. And yes, you’ll be hearing it a lot until we are sure we can trust you.”
“After everything I’ve done for you so far, you still can’t trust me?”
“Sorry. It’s not something we give away in this business. Your truck should be ready.”
Tony walked over, climbed into the cab and headed out yet again on another Mexico trip. When he took the job he hadn’t realized how tiring of a drive it was. Now he was doing it three times a week. At least the money was good. He hadn’t spoken to Kim since he came home the other night. He had no idea if she was going to stay with him after learning what he was doing. Though, he saw the way she was looking at the money. He had no doubt that if she did stay, it would be the money that saved their marriage.
As he headed south, he tried to drive as casually as possible. After the last run, it was hard for him not to freak out every time he saw a police car. After this run, he would have a longer talk with Kim and figure out where she stood with things. They’d been getting gradually more distant over the past few months and this situation wasn’t helping. Maybe he’d send her on a nice vacation. That might ease her mind. As he drove he tried to think of more positive things and fun things he’d like to do with the money he was earning. Lost in his daydreams, he didn’t notice the eighteen wheeler closing in behind him.
Chapter 15
Kim stood at her register staring off into space. She was an assistant manager at a grocery store chain, but today was running register because they were short-handed. That suited her fine, as she didn’t feel like having to make any decisions. She didn’t even know what to make of her conversation with Tony. He was delivering something illegal, but wouldn’t tell her. Did she even want to know?
More customers came through her line and she pushed the thought away as she rang up their purchases. Once she finished, her relief had arrived. In her mental fog she hadn’t realized her shift was over. She counted down her drawer and headed to her car. She pulled in at the house and headed straight to the bedroom and into the walk in closet. The duffel bag was on the top shelf. She pulled it down and unzipped it, exposing all the cash. Running her hand across it, she picked up a wad of bills and flipped through it. It was all hundreds.
She dropped the bills back into the bag and stared at it. One thing she was not, and that was a legal expert. If what Tony was doing was illegal, she wasn’t a part of it. She didn’t even know what it was. This was a lot of money. It was money they could do a lot of things with. Pay off the cars, redecorate the house, and put a fence in the back yard.
Yet, because she had no idea what he was doing, she had no idea where this money came from. Did someone die over it? If it was drug money, then people did die. Could she live with herself, living high on the hog with blood money? There was a part of her that wanted to keep it and just not ask questions. There was the other part of her that didn’t think it was right.
She picked the bag up again and went back into the living room.
As she passed through she grabbed her purse and headed to her car, and pulled out of the driveway. Within a few minutes she arrived at the Salvation Army drop box. She sat in the car, staring at the bag. It was as if the thing was talking to her, telling her to keep it; to go on a spending spree and buy everything that would make her happy, and all her troubles would be gone.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. What could Tony have done for that money? Could he have killed someone? No. He was the most non-violent man she’d ever known. He didn’t even like football. Tears ran down her face as she opened the door, jumped out of the car and grabbed the bag. Without looking, she hurled it into the collection bin and got back into the car. If Tony hadn’t killed anyone yet, he was going to kill her for sure. She just tossed a hundred thousand dollars away.
It was the right decision. Tony could be mad all he wanted. Though part of her wondered if she shouldn’t have kept some of that money so she could
start planning an exit strategy for her and Taylor. Divorce wasn’t her first choice. Maybe this job will be a short term thing, or maybe it’s not as bad as she’s making it out to be. Either way, it was going to be a tough road ahead, no matter how much money he made.
Chapter 16
Tony wasn’t aware of the eighteen wheeler until it rammed his bumper. The jolt shook him out of his trance as he looked up and saw the rig in his rearview mirror.
“What the hell…” he said as the rig rammed him again, this time much harder. He tried to keep control of the truck as it began to fish tail. He hit the gas, trying to speed up but the rig closed in again, hitting him one more time. This time the box truck veered to the shoulder and rolled onto its side. Tony undid his seatbelt as blood ran down his forehead. He didn’t feel any pain, but must have hit his head.
As he crawled around the cab, he looked up at the mirror. He saw a man with a rifle exiting the semi and walking toward him. Shit! The windshield was all busted up. He began kicking at it. After several blows, the windshield fell out so he could crawl free of the cab. He was at the front of the truck, unsure where the gunman was. Keeping his head down, he took off running toward the field on the right side of the road.
Gunshots erupted behind him as he ran in a zigzag pattern. One round just missed him by inches as dirt kicked up just to his left. He ran until he reached some trees and stood behind one, trying to catch his breath. Slowly he peeked around the tree and saw a second man walking through the field looking around. The first one was looking around the box truck. Fucking shit. Tony turned and kept running past more trees and down a hill.
There was a stream running along the base of the hill. He ran through it and up another hill. He turned, but there was no one chasing him. Well that was one good thing at least. The bad thing was, he just lost a load. From what he had heard, you only lose a load once with these guys. He had no ideas who the assholes in the semi were. No one told him of any rival gangs or someone who would know what their trucks looked like or anything. Guess he should have figured there’d be other hazards besides the cops.
He continued through the field until he reached a small house. There was a car sitting in the driveway. It was an old car, a 1987 Chevy Caprice. The windows were rolled down, so he climbed in and shut the door. The keys were in the ignition. This seemed way too convenient. He turned the key in the ignition, but the engine just sputtered. Then he remembered the age of the car. He pumped the gas pedal five times and turned the key again. This time the engine roared to life. There was apparently no muffler, or a crappy one considering how loud the thing was. He backed out of the driveway and onto the road.
The car drove pretty well for its age. He raced home as fast as he could without getting himself pulled over again. That was the last thing he needed. He hoped he made it before someone reported the car stolen. It took him almost two hours to make it home. He squealed into the driveway and ran inside. Kim and Taylor were in the living room watching cartoons.
“Tony? What’s going on? What happened to your head?” She said as she stood.
“Daddy!” Taylor squealed.
“Grab everything you can. We have to go.” Tony said.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“Something has happened. We need to leave.”
“What? I’m not leaving. Have you lost your mind? You’re acting insane!”
He grabbed her by the shoulders and looked in her eyes.
“Listen to me! I am not fucking around. That job, those people I drive for, my truck was stolen today. Ok? The people I work for are not going to be happy. So we have to get out of here now.”
He turned and ran into the bedroom and into the closet. It took him a second to notice the bag with the money was gone.
“Kim?” He called out. “Kim!”
She came running into the bedroom.
“Stop! You’re going to scare Taylor. You’re scaring me!”
“Where is the money?”
“What money?”
“What the fuck you mean, what money? The hundred grand in a duffel bag that was up here. Where is it?”
“Oh. I, um, gave it away,” she said, looking down.
“You what?!”
“I gave it away. I was looking at it today, and its blood money. Its dirty money and I don’t want it in my house. So I took it to the Salvation Army and donated it. All of it.”
Tony stepped back, put his hands on his head and fell to the floor.
“I don’t understand. Can’t you just talk to them? I mean, it’s not your fault some guys stole your truck.”
All he could think about was every worst case scenario he’s ever seen in gangster films. None of them were pleasant. He could only imagine what they did to Jose for being a snitch. And here, Kim, in her infinite fucking wisdom just up and decided to donate the hundred grand he had worked so hard for, that he had killed for; she just gave it the fuck away.
“It’s not that simple. This isn’t the grocery store where they give you a cash violation if your drawer is short. They are big, bad people. They pay a lot, but they expect perfection. We had that money, we could have gone anywhere and be safe.”
“So you don’t think we’re safe?” She asked. The question frustrated him. Kim was much smarter than she was acting. He couldn’t tell if it was denial, or if she really didn’t understand the danger they were in.
“Safe? Kim, you’ve just killed us.”
Chapter 17
Slade sat in the restaurant cutting up his steak. The man across from him sat and watched. After a few bites, Slade looked up at him.
“Your food’s gonna get cold,” Slade said. His dinner companion was Henry Velasquez. Henry was a captain for the Bexar County Sheriff’s department, though was currently wearing a suit and tie as opposed to a uniform.
“I’m not that hungry.” Henry said.
“Well I’m buying and this place isn’t cheap. You should at least pretend
to eat it.”
“When you’re done stuffing your face, we can talk business.”
Slade took a drink of his beer and continued eating. He’d been dealing with Henry for several years. The guy was a prick. Yes, he was a police captain, but seemed to forget from time to time exactly which side he was on, or the fact that he wasn’t actually in charge of much of anything.
“You can talk. I’m listening.”
“So I heard about the incident the other night. With my two deputies.”
“Incident?” Slade said.
“Don’t play dumb. I know it was your truck my guys stopped. Now they are both missing, and probably dead.”
“I’m not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Slade, goddammit!” Henry said as he banged his fist on the table. Not only did Slade stop and look up at him, but so did everyone else in the restaurant. Henry shifted in his seat as he realized the attention he was drawing. “Look. You guys are not supposed to kill cops. That was never in the deal! DPS is all over this thing. Your guy called one of the cops directly. So there is no record with dispatch, but I know it’s no coincidence Jose suddenly vanished. If they put me together with any of this, we are all gonna get the needle!”
Slade put his fork down and just stared at Henry. For a cop, Henry was such a spaz. The guy was only on the street for a year or so before he moved to a desk job and worked his way up the ranks. So calling him a “cop” was being generous. He was a bureaucrat with a badge.
“Henry. Let me explain something. How much we pay you a week?”
“Like ten thousand or so.”
“And what do we pay you for?”
“That’s not the point,” Henry said.
“It’s entirely the point. We pay you ten grand a week for safe passage through the county. Yet a few of your cowboys decide to stop one of our trucks anyway.”
“Yeah, like I said. Jose must have known these officers, he didn’t call dispatch or anything.”
“But they are your guys
.”
“Yeah, but…”
“Do you know what happens to me if my guys fuck up?” Slade asked.
“That’s different.”
“No, it’s not. So you take our money, but our guy gets stopped anyway. Now your cowboys are both missing.”
“I know. Just saying. I’m trying to keep the heat off of all of us. But it’s gonna cost more.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?”
“I’m serious. His shit is gonna require me to get my hands a little dirty. That’s more risk. More risk mean’s more money.”
Slade sat quietly, took his napkin from his lap and wiped his mouth and sat it on the table.
“So you want more money? You want me to pay you more to clean up your fuck up? Is that it? Is that what you’re telling me?” He asked.
“It’s not my fuck up. Jesus. Are you even listening?”
“I swear, you must have completely lost your mind. You fuck up, almost get my driver busted, and now you want to come here and try and extort me? Have you completely lost your mind?”
“No, I…”
“I tell you what, Henry. You make this go away. I don’t care what you have to do. Don’t let them tie it to you or us. I know everything about you. I know where your kids go to school. I know where your oldest daughter goes to college. I even know she is being treated for a fucking eating disorder. I know what kind of tampons your wife uses.”
“You son of a bitch.”
“You’re damn right. We already pay you. So fucking fix it. Or I will cut the contents out of your skinny daughter’s stomach and make you watch. I don’t care what you have to do.”
A phone started to ring. Henry reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.
