Geek Mafia

by Rick Dakan

  And if we're going to rebuild, then we need to do it together. And we need to start now."

  Bee started to cry in earnest now. She looked down at the computer in her lap and wiped away at the tears.

  She stared at the screen, apparently thinking about what they said. Paul and Chloe knew enough to let her figure things out for herself now.

  Suddenly she looked up from the laptop. "Ok, I'll help," she said. "But we need to hurry. Raff's here."

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  "Here as in here?" asked Paul with a hint of panic.

  "As in at the door," said Bee.

  Paul and Chloe both lunged towards the motel room door simultaneously. Being closer, Paul got there first and twisted the deadbolt shut, a second later whoever was on the outside tried to open the door.

  "Hey," said Raff from outside. He knocked softly on the door. "Bee, it's me. Raff."

  Chloe and Paul looked at each other in puzzlement and then at Bee, who was still staring at her computer screen. "I told him to come," she whispered. "He's expecting me to let him in."

  Raff knocked again, this time louder. "Bee! Come on. Let me in!"

  Chloe drew the stun gun from the back of her pants and showed Paul the she was ready with it. She nodded to him to go ahead and open the door while she retreated to the other side of the bed, where she crouched down out of sight. He wasn't sure this was a good idea, but it was a plan anyway. He moved to the door and, as quietly as possible, undid the deadbolt.

  After it was unlocked, Bee waited a few long seconds before Chloe prodded her. Then she said, "Come in."

  Raff twisted the knob and started to swing the door open. Paul moved to the side, so he was hidden behind the door as Raff came in.

  "Bee, what's going on?" Raff said as he stepped into the room. His left arm was in a makeshift sling and his face had a nasty purple bruise that covered his entire right cheek. He noticed Bee crouched in the corner and said, "Jesus, what're you doing down there? What's going on?"

  He moved forward, leaving the door open with Paul still hiding behind it. Of course if he turned to the right even slightly he'd see that Paul was there. Paul wondered if maybe he should jump Raff now or wait for Chloe to make the first move.

  "Just stay there," Bee said, her voice shaking. "Stay right where you are Raff."

  Raff stopped and held up his one good hand in a gesture of surrender and peace. "It's ok, Bee. But we need to hurry. You said Chloe was coming here right?"

  "That's what I said," Bee whispered.

  "What?" asked Raff.

  "Yes, she's coming." Bee finally looked up from her screen. "But I need to know something first Raff."

  "Sure thing Bee, whatever you need to know."

  "Why'd you do it?" she asked.

  "Do what? Evacuate the house? I told you, with the cops coming down on Paul and him and Chloe running off, it was too dangerous to..."

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  "No," Bee said. "I mean why did you do it?" She looked back down at her laptop again. "Why did you add Paul's former partners to the list of invitees? Why did you get that Frank guy to come to the fundraiser?"

  "What're you talking about, Bee? I didn't do..."

  "I'm looking at the list right here Raff. It's all right here on my computer. All five of those names are on the list and they shouldn't be."

  "I swear I don't know what you're talking about. Anyone could've put those names on the list. Hell, Paul probably put them there himself. You know how eager he was to prove he was one of us, even though he never really was." From behind Raff, Paul watched as the lanky man slipped his one good hand behind his back. Just where Chloe kept her stun gun, Raff had his extendable baton. At least it wasn't the damn gun, Paul thought. And then he remembered the PI and the camera across the street with the crosshairs.

  Raff took a step towards Bee, still trying to talk his way out of this. "Why would I invite them there? Why would I bring the cops and all that trouble down on our crew? You know me, Bee. You've known me for almost two years. I'd never do that, would I?"

  Bee never looked up from the laptop screen. "You'd do it for the money. To keep the money for yourself."

  Raff took another step forward. He was even with the bed now, and in just a few feet he'd be able to see Chloe crouched behind it. The baton was at his side, held close along his leg so Bee couldn't see it.

  "No way," Raff insisted. "There's no way I'd do that. I'm like you, Bee. I love this life. It's not the money, it's the life. Same for me as for you."

  Bee finally broke her gaze away from the screen when she heard this. Paul wondered if Raff was getting through to her. He was glad he'd had a chance to use this tactic with her first. Still, Bee had always trusted Raff until today. Old loyalties might win out.

  "No, Raff, not the same." Bee said. "Not the same at all. You ruined our family. Ruined it all." She then looked back down at the laptop's screen.

  Raff's voice was smooth and calm as he stepped forward and raised the baton to strike. "That's just not true, Bee." The baton arced over his head as he moved quickly around the bed. "I'm your friend..."

  If not for Chloe, he would have bashed Bee's head in then and there. Instead, Chloe lunged forward from her crouch and stabbed him in the chest with the stun gun, pressing him back against the flimsy motel wall with a crackle of electricity. Paul slammed the door shut and came charging forward as well, ready to subdue the stunned Raff.

  Except Raff wasn't stunned. Braced against the wall, he kicked out at Chloe, catching her square in the stomach and doubling her over. He swung the baton down onto her back, sending her straight to her knees.

  Paul kicked the motel room door closed and then slammed into him from the side. The two of them crashed down to the floor. Raff's baton wielding arm was trapped beneath both their bodies, and he cried out in pain as Paul landed hard on the broken left arm. "Fuuuuuuuck!" Raff screamed.

  Chloe raised her head, wheezing for breath after having the wind knocked out of her. She saw Raff and Paul struggling on the floor a few feet away and crawled towards them, the stun gun still in her hand.

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  twist onto his back, freeing his good arm to swing at Paul with the baton. The blow glanced off his shoulder, but still hurt like a motherfucker. Now sitting astride Raff's torso, he grabbed at the baton arm with both hands.

  Chloe looked for an opening, still amazed that Raff hadn't felt anything from the stun gun. As Paul grabbed Raff's arm, she saw a layer of black rubber beneath Raff's shirt - he was wearing a wetsuit. He really did know all Chloe's favorite tricks. She smiled and jabbed the stun gun into his neck. Raff instantly stopped resisting and started convulsing in pain.

  Paul didn't have a chance to catch his breath before a booming thud came from the front door. Bee kept her eyes on her laptop. He and Chloe both turned to see what the noise was when the door flew open with a splintering thud. In the doorway stood the PI, his gun pointed right at Paul.

  "Hands up!" the PI shouted. "Drop everything, get off him right now or I'll shoot."

  Before Chloe and Paul could move, the front of the PI's head exploded with a wet plop. Blood and brains and skull fragments sprayed across the room and the man fell forward onto what was left of his face.

  Bee finally looked up from her laptop screen.

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  Paul and Chloe looked over at Bee, shocked and horrified at what they'd just seen happen. Raff moaned underneath Paul, still unaware of what had befallen his comrade.

  "What...?" Paul tried to say, although it came out more like "Wuuuuh"

  "Did you hack their gun camera, Bee?" said Chloe, her voice somewhere between awe and skepticism.

  Tears started to stream down Bee's face. She couldn't speak, but after a moment she shook
her head vigorously no.

  "Then why did they..." Suddenly realization dawned on Chloe. "That was never their camera, was it?"

  Bee just shook her head again. No.

  "You set this whole thing up?"

  A tearful affirmative nod from Bee.

  "Who were you planning to shoot?"

  Bee struggled for words, but Chloe voiced her thoughts for her. "You were going to kill whoever destroyed your family, weren't you?"

  Bee nodded, openly sobbing now.

  "You did good, Bee" Chloe assure her with a calm voice. "You got the guy who screwed us all over. And if you hadn't, he probably would've shot us." Chloe's voice was comforting, almost motherly. "You did good, honey. But maybe you better shut that gun down now, just in case, ok?" Bee nodded again through her tears, grateful for both the approval and for being given a task to perform. She started typing on her laptop again.

  Turning to Paul, Chloe said, "Shut the door and help me get him tied up, quick."

  His shoulder still aching from the baton strike, Paul moaned as he got to his feet. The dead body of the PI still blocked the doorway. After a moment's inaction he grabbed the man's legs and pulled them through the door and then closed it behind him. He glanced outside but there was no one else out there, at least not that he could see.

  Paul was surprised that he dealt with the dead body as easily as he did. He would have thought the mere sight of it would have made him helpless with disgust and horror. But since less than a minute earlier he'd been 99.9% sure that the man was going to shoot him dead, all he really felt was relief. He dimly imagined that the shock and alarm would set in pretty much any minute now.

  "Wha happ nnn?" Raff asked from the floor. Chloe was busy tying him up with a power cord she'd pulled free from a lamp. "Owww!" he shouted, as Chloe yanked his broken arm behind his back and tied his wrists together. She stuffed a towel into his mouth to shut him up and got up off the floor with a wince of pain.

  "Ok, the gun's shut down," Bee said in a soft, timid voice.

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  "Great," Chloe said. "Now I need you to start packing up. Pack all of this stuff up as fast as you can." She ripped another cord free from the room's other lamp. Now the only light came from the open bathroom door.

  "Paul, was there anyone else out there?"

  "Not that I saw," he said.

  "Good," she again bent over Raff, this time tying his legs together at the ankles. "I need you to take a towel, wet it down, and wipe every surface of the room for fingerprints. Everything, ok?"

  Paul nodded and set to work. Bee was cramming her electronics into three big nylon bags and a milk crate.

  Testing her knots to make sure Raff was secure; Chloe took his baton, her stun gun, and the dead man's pistol and stuffed them in her shoulder bag. Then she helped Bee pack.

  "What name did you check in under?" she asked Bee.

  "Suzy Wu," she said. Chloe's steady direction and the professional tone in her voice had gone a long way to calming Bee down. Paul found her to be a source of strength for himself as well, and wondered if it was this quality in particular that made her such a strong leader.

  "Paid cash?" Chloe asked.

  "Yeah, but secured with a false credit card."

  "Ok," Chloe said. "I'm going to step out and take a look around real quick. Make sure Raff's other friends aren't out there too. Then we're going to get out of here and not look back, ok?"

  "Ok," said Bee. "But I didn't see any other cars pull up when Raff got here."

  "I've still got to check it out." She went to the window and pulled aside a corner of curtain to peer out into the parking lot. After about a minute of careful watching she let the curtain fall back, stepped over the dead body, and opened the door just enough for her to squeeze out.

  Paul and Bee both carried out their assignments in silence. Finished, they stared awkwardly at each other. Raff seemed unconscious on the floor, but Paul decided he was probably faking it. Now that he'd finished wiping the room down he was afraid to touch anything. Bee poked and prodded her pile of equipment, but it was all as packed as it was going to get.

  "I really meant what I said," Paul finally announced, breaking the oppressive silence. Bee just looked at him with a sad, curious look on her face.

  "I know Raff and I said the same thing - that the crew was a family for us. But for me it really was true. It is true, and I know it's probably even truer for you. I know that I'm really still kind of an outsider but..." He paused, realizing that he was starting to babble. "I just wanted you to know. And thank you. Thank you for saving my life." He gestured towards the dead body. Neither of them wanted to look at it. Finally he concluded with, "And whatever happens next, I want the three of us to do it together, to stay together, to be a family."

  Bee stared at him and started to turn watery. No, Paul realized. It was he himself who was tearing up now, turning everything in the dim room blurry with tears. Bee jumped up with surprising speed and clasped her small arms around Paul, holding him tight. He hugged her close. "Thank you," she said. "Thank you..."

  "No, thank you..." Paul replied and gave her an affectionate kiss on the top of her head.

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  They stood like that for a few minutes, just comforting one another. Finally Chloe returned, slipping in quietly through the door. "What's this? I'm gone ten minutes and you're already with another woman?" They just smiled and held their arms out for her to join the hug.

  "Yeah, yeah, ok." She gave them a perfunctory squeeze and then pulled away. "We all love each other. Blah, blah, blah. But we're not quiet finished here. We've still got that to deal with," she said, pointing to Raff.

  "Why can't we leave him here like that?" Paul asked.

  "Maybe we can," said Chloe, "But I need to talk to him first."

  "About what?"

  "We need to sort some things out," she said. She dug the stun gun out of her bag and then crouched down beside Raff before pulling the towel from his mouth. He opened his eyes then, giving up all pretense of being unconscious.

  "Hey Chloe," he said. "How's it going?"

  "Not bad," she said. "I'm afraid your friend over there got his head blown off."

  "Yeah, I noticed." Raff craned his neck to catch a glimpse of his dead mentor. "I have to admit, I'm kind of pissed about that."

  "Well, he did shoot my friend first."

  "I guess that's true," Raff said. "Although that wouldn't have happened if..."

  "Let's cut the blame game Raff. We both know the score at this point and we both know who did what to who."

  "To whom," he corrected.

  "Whatever. Now we have to figure out what to do next."

  "I figure you probably won't kill me, so that means you're going to leave me here, tied up, for the maid service to find."

  "That's an option," Chloe said.

  "Is there another option?" Raff asked.

  "There is. We can cart your tied ass out of here and drop you off somewhere non-corpse adjacent, so at least you won't have to deal with the cops."

  "Sounds good to me. What do you want in return?"

  "Your promise that this over between us now. We each go our separate ways and never look back. No grudges, no vendettas."

  "I can live with that," Raff said. "Anything else?"

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  "Yeah," Chloe said. "Forty-seven thousand, two hundred and eleven dollars and eighteen cents."

  "Oh..." Raff said. "You know about that, huh?"

  "Know about you skimming money off the top of every job you ever helped the crew pull off? Yeah, I know all about that."

  Raff laid his head back and looked up at the ceiling. "Let's see, we add my forty-seven thousand to the seventy-seven thousand you skimmed and you've got close to 120k, right?"

  Chloe laughed. "I guess we both know a lot about each other, huh?"

  "I guess so," he agreed. "You know, I'm really going to miss
you, Chloe."

  "You should've thought of that before you fucked me over."

  "I did," he said, "But I decided I'd miss that money more."

  "And now you get neither."

  "But at least I get to be tied up in a ditch instead of in a room with a rotting corpse," he concluded.

  "Way to look on the bright side," Chloe said. "Gimme the account number, password, and routing info for the money and there's a lovely ditch in your future."

  "How can I refuse?" he said with a sigh.

  "I can't believe we're letting him go," Paul said as he pulled their car out of the motel parking lot. There'd been a particularly anxious moment when Bee clambered up on the roof of the gas station and retrieved her remote controlled rifle, but no cars had passed by during that time. Now Bee's car was right behind theirs.

  "We're going to dump him penniless in a ditch, for God's sake," Chloe said. "That's punishment enough."

  "Ok, ok," Paul said. "He only ruined my life. No big deal..."

  "Did you always whine this much?" she countered playfully.

  "I only whine when it comes to anything to do with revenge or ditches," he said with a smile.

  "I suppose I can live with that."

  They drove on for a few miles. Chloe had a particular stretch of road in mind, one with muddy ditches that was far enough off the beaten path that Raff wouldn't receive help anytime soon, but not so far that he'd never be found.

  "And I guess," Paul said, "That from a certain point of view Raff does have a legitimate grievance."

  "I'm surprised to hear you of all people say that," Chloe said.

  "Well, you did bring the Crew in to try and steal my money from me, didn't you?" he said.

  "Yeah, I meant to explain that..." Chloe replied.

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  "And so from his point of view, fucked up as it is, you cheated him out of money he was due. And as you have repeatedly reminded me, you're all a bunch of fucking thieves."

  "Ok, Paul, I know what Bee and I said might've come as a shock, but I really..."