Trigger Pull

by Mike Ryan

  “How you making out?” Recker asked.

  “It’s all good, man. Everything’s a go.”

  “You talked to Milton?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He fall for it?”

  “Man, he fell for it hook, line, and sinker,” Jerome emphatically said.

  “What’d he say?”

  “Well, at first he wasn’t too pleased to be hearing from me, but when I told him I knew where your base was, he was all ears.”

  “Just like I figured,” Recker said.

  “Yeah, so, then I told him I’d let him know for fifty large, and he said he had to ask somebody if he could swing it.”

  “Probably his boss.”

  “So, then he called me back and said they could only do twenty, so I took it.”

  “He say when he was coming?”

  “Nah, didn’t say. I tried to pin him down, but he wasn’t too talkative, and I didn’t wanna press him and give the jig up.”

  “No, you did right,” Recker said.

  “He said they’d check it out in the next few days and get back to me. Said they’d only pay if it turned out to be legit.”

  “Oh, they’ll pay. They’ll pay in spades.”

  “You know, I just got to thinking.”

  “Try not to do too much of that,” Recker joked.

  “Nah, I’m serious.”

  “What?”

  “I just realized that once they go there and realize that they been played, they might come back after me, thinking I pulled a fast one on them.”

  “I wouldn’t worry too much about that.”

  “Why not?”

  “Because after we’re through with them, there won’t be any of them left to come after you.”

  23

  After getting off the phone with Jerome, Recker immediately called Jones and Haley to let them know Nowak’s crew was coming. He knew Nowak wouldn’t be waiting. They’d be coming tonight. Jones and Haley were waiting inside one of the trailers, monitoring the cameras they placed along the perimeter. Recker also let Malloy know, who had men placed in various spots on the property. A few were waiting inside the office. A few were placed along the outside of the fences in all directions. And a few were waiting in vacant trailers, lying down on their stomachs, as the doors were open just enough to see anyone walking by them. They were all ready and prepared for anything to come their way.

  For his part, Recker had to wait. He had to wait until Haley gave him the word that Nowak’s men were watching the property. Nowak’s boys most likely weren’t going to enter until they had visual proof that Recker and the team were actually and actively using the property. So Recker was waiting further down the street until they knew for sure that Nowak’s bunch were out there.

  They weren’t sure how long it would take. If Nowak’s bunch just wanted to do a quick look to see if it was legit, it probably wouldn’t take long. It would probably be just a couple of guys waiting across the street in a car and watching. But if they had something else in mind, something with a little more action, then it might take a while for Nowak’s clan to get organized and get enough manpower. Either way was fine for Recker. He probably would have preferred them to just bring down the whole organization and get into a battle royal and fight until the last man was standing. He hated the whole cloak and dagger charade that Nowak was playing, mostly because it took his attention off of what should have been their main focus, and that was helping innocent people who truly needed help.

  It took a few hours, but eventually, it looked like they were ready to get things started. A little after nine o’clock, a car drove by, but instead of continuing going down the street, pulled into the parking lot of a manufacturing business located across the street. Jones and Haley were watching on a monitor, observing them parking the car and turning off their lights. There were no other movements after that.

  “That’s gotta be them,” Haley said.

  “Yes, but we didn’t get a good shot of the license plate or the occupants inside,” Jones replied.

  “That business they’re sitting in front of has been closed for four hours. No reason for anybody to just be sitting there.”

  “Unless of course it’s a young couple satisfying some urges.” Haley just looked at his partner, surprised that he would suggest such a thing. “Or maybe it’s a couple of teenagers getting high.”

  “Should we have Mike drive by and see if the windows are foggy?”

  Jones grinned. “It might not be such a bad idea.”

  Haley then called Recker to let him know what they had and to get his opinion. “Hey, we picked up something.”

  “What?”

  “A car pulled up and parked across the street. They’re just sitting there with their lights off.”

  “Nowak?”

  “Ahh, it’s tough to say. I assumed it was, but David pointed out it could be some people making out, or a couple of kids blowing their minds.”

  “That would be a big coincidence,” Recker said. “Those things happening on the same night we set something up.”

  “Yeah it would.”

  “That’s why I don’t buy it. It’s them. It’s gotta be.”

  “What do you wanna do?”

  “Let’s go under the assumption it’s them. If it’s not, no real harm done.”

  “True.”

  “How long they been sitting there?” Recker asked.

  “About five minutes now.”

  “Let’s give it another twenty minutes. If it’s those other things they’ll be gone by then.”

  “Sounds good.”

  “And if it’s Nowak’s bunch, if they’re just scouting, then they’ll either leave as soon as I show up, or they’ll wait and leave right after I do and try to tail me.”

  “Yeah, probably right about that.”

  For the next twenty minutes, they waited. There was still no movement from the car. They couldn’t quite tell what was happening inside the car, but nobody was getting in or out, and the lights remained off, so whoever it was seemed like they were staying for a while. Haley then contacted Recker again to let him know.

  “Still sitting there.”

  “All right, I’m gonna make my way in,” Recker said. “Did you let Malloy know to be on the lookout?”

  “Yeah, him and his boys are ready.”

  “OK. Coming in.”

  “On his way,” Haley said to Jones, picking up his pistol and rifle to make sure they were loaded, anticipating a fracas breaking out.

  It was only a two- or three-minute drive to the trucking facility from Recker’s spot, so he was there in no time. He parked just in front of the entrance gate, the headlights of his car shining brightly upon the gate as he got out to unlock the padlock. As he got out, and back into the vehicle, he made sure he didn’t make any eye contact with the car across the street, pretending like it wasn’t even there. With the gate now open again, he drove into the property, then got out of his car again to close the gate.

  “Well, he’s selling it as well as he can,” Haley said, looking at the monitor.

  Recker drove up to the office area and went inside, turning the lights on. He stayed for over an hour, just sitting there, waiting for word from Haley on what was going on outside.

  “The car move yet?” Recker asked.

  “Not a peep.”

  “They’re waiting on me for sure.”

  “Yeah, might be,” Haley replied. “When you figuring on leaving?”

  “I dunno. Maybe give it another hour, just to keep everything on the up-and-up. Let me know if they move.”

  “Will do.”

  Another hour passed by, and the car across the street still didn’t move from its spot. As they waited, another thought came into Haley’s head.

  “You know, all this time we’re thinking it might be Nowak, but what if it’s the cops? What if they followed Malloy and his bunch here and are wondering what we’re doing? And now they’ve seen Mike.”

  “Oh, pl
ease don’t even suggest such a thing,” Jones said, shuddering the thought. “Let’s not even think about that possibility. I already have enough bad thoughts running through my head without adding to them.”

  “All right, I’m heading out,” Recker said. “It’s been two hours. That’s plenty of time. They’re obviously not coming in. And there’s nobody else out there, right?”

  “Nope, just the one car is all we see.”

  “OK. Let’s see what happens when I leave. That oughta trigger something.”

  “Damn well better.”

  Recker left the office and got back in his car, driving toward the exit gate. Once again, he got out to unlock it, then drove through the opened gate. Then he got out of his car to close it up again, making sure it was locked. He still made sure he didn’t make eye contact with the car across the street. Recker drove away, and not even a minute after he left, the car across the street turned its lights on, then pulled out of the parking lot.

  “We might be up,” Haley hopefully said.

  The car drove across the street, stopping just in front of the trucking facility entrance gate. The passenger door opened up and a man got out.

  “Who is that?” Haley asked, not yet getting a good view of the man through the cameras.

  Once the man got to the gate, he checked on the padlock, then look a closer look at the rest of the fence, walking the length of it as he inspected it.

  Jones and Haley looked at each other with a sense of satisfaction once the man’s face became clearer.

  “Mr. Milton,” Jones said.

  A wide smile came over Haley’s face, pleased with the results. “Looks like we hit pay dirt.”

  After a few minutes inspecting the fence and looking through it at the rest of the property, Milton got back in his car, then drove away. They immediately contacted Recker to let him know.

  “Hey, is that car still there?” Recker asked. “‘Cause I haven’t seen it following me.”

  “No, it just left,” Haley replied. “I think you can turn around now, we got what we were looking for.”

  “How’s that?”

  “After you left, the car drove up to the fence and started looking it over.”

  “You get a good look at him?”

  “Oh yeah. It’s Milton.”

  Recker grinned, also satisfied with how the plan was shaping up so far.

  “You think they’ll be back tonight?” Haley asked.

  “I dunno. Let’s be ready if they are. I’ll come back now in case they do.”

  “How long you wanna wait?”

  “All night. If they don’t strike tonight, I imagine they’ll do it tomorrow.”

  “Let’s hope they don’t drag this out.”

  “No chance of that,” Recker said. “They won’t wanna risk us getting jumpy and packing up and moving. They’ll strike. Either tonight or tomorrow.”

  “They’re gonna be in for a big surprise.”

  “Yeah. Let’s just make sure we put a big bow on it.”

  Recker came back to the facility, joining Jones and Haley in one of the trailers, as Malloy’s men readied themselves in various locations, including the office, where they made sure to keep a light on. It was a long wait, though, and one that didn’t wind up being productive, as there wasn’t another hint of Nowak’s men anywhere. They didn’t decide to call it a night until three in the morning, giving their opponents every opportunity to hit them. Once they did pack up, they agreed with Malloy to come back to the following day, just before the sun went down, giving them plenty of time to get ready for the action. And they wanted to make sure they got there before Nowak’s crew showed up, which they didn’t figure would happen until after dark.

  “Here’s to hoping we have some fireworks tomorrow,” Malloy said.

  “There will be,” Recker replied. “Just a question whether we’re getting the big ones or the little firecrackers.”

  “It’ll be the real deal. I can feel it.”

  “Let’s hope you got some good intuition.”

  24

  It was a long and impatient wait for everyone involved. All they wanted to do was get this over with. Recker and the team made sure they kept their day clear, not wanting to get mixed up in something that would take all day to rectify the issue. Luckily, nothing major came up, as they wouldn’t have been able to turn their backs on a big problem, regardless for what it meant for their plan with Nowak. But if it was something that could wait, it would wait another day.

  Everyone got to the trucking facility around five o’clock, making sure they had plenty of time until Nowak’s bunch got there. They put every light on in the office building, making sure it could be seen that someone was in there. That’s where they were hoping Nowak’s team would go once they got through the gate. Jones got in his spot in the trailer, looking at the cameras, while Recker and Haley took up other spots to be more readily available when the action hit. While they were figuring out their respective spots, Haley noticed the vest Recker was wearing, which he seemed to be doing more frequently lately.

  Haley tapped the vest. “Is this like your AMEX card now? Can’t leave home without it.”

  “Doesn’t hurt to be prepared. Especially since it’s saved my life already.”

  “I hear ya. I’m not poking fun, I should probably start wearing one myself.”

  “Probably would be a good idea. Especially when you’re around me. I seem to have a black cloud over me.”

  “I don’t think that cancels out the angel on your shoulder.”

  “Huh?”

  “Mia?”

  “Oh,” Recker said with a laugh. “Yeah.”

  They then departed, each taking opposite ends of the yard. Recker dropped to the ground to lie underneath a trailer near the front gate, though there were still a couple trailers in front of it, so he would still be concealed by the darkness from anyone entering. Haley went to the back corner, standing between a trailer and the corner of the fence.

  It wasn’t until after ten that they finally started to see some movement. Everyone, including Malloy and his men, had an earpiece that was linked up with Jones, so he could inform everyone at the same time what he was seeing on the cameras.

  “Several cars just drove by and parked across the street,” Jones said.

  “Is that for us?” Recker asked.

  “I would say so. Looks like they’re getting out.”

  “How many?”

  “Five cars,” Jones answered. “Four men in each car.”

  Milton led the charge of the twenty men, but Recker and the team weren’t discouraged by the number. They were actually quite satisfied. With the help of Vincent’s men, they had more than enough to handle them. Not including Jones, who was fairly useless with a weapon, they had twelve men of their own. And Recker and Haley always counted themselves as being able to take out four or five men on their own, so they were confident it wasn’t a problem. If anything, it just took a larger chunk out of Nowak’s numbers, crippling her more quickly.

  “They’re walking across the street,” Jones said. “Heading for the gate.”

  “Not very creative,” Recker quipped.

  “Wait, a few of them are breaking off and going around the side. Looks like half.” Jones counted the men on the screen. “Yes, ten have broken off the main group and moving around the side.”

  “Malloy, those are all you,” Recker said.

  “We got them,” Malloy replied.

  “They just took out the fake cameras,” Jones said. “Now they just broke the chain on the front gate. They’re coming in.”

  “OK,” Recker said. “Everybody be ready. This is it.”

  Milton, leading the group in, instructed some of his men to loop around the trailers, that way they’d come up on the office in three spots, including the men coming around the side, that way they could surround it. The men were also instructed by Milton to look out for signs of a trap. Absent that, they all were to meet up at the office, which the
y did within a few minutes. Once they reconvened at the office, one of the men snuck up to a window, peering in to see if anyone was inside. He then reported back to Milton.

  “Looks like one guy inside,” the man inside.

  “Was it him?” Milton asked.

  “His back is turned but it looks like him. Same haircut, same build.”

  “It’s gotta be him. All right, let’s do this. You guys got the window. We’ll take the door.”

  Just as they were about to shoot, gunfire erupted from the roof of the building. Some of Malloy’s men looked down and started picking some of Nowak’s men off. As Milton and company returned fire, more of Vincent’s men threw open a trailer door, ripping off shots themselves. Not wanting to stand out in the open and get caught in the crossfire, Milton and a few others burst through the office door, only to see five more of Vincent’s men waiting for them, unleashing a barrage of gunfire.

  Milton and the rest of his group were now dead, but the rest of the bunch that were on the side had now made their way inside, cutting through the fence with bolt cutters. Recker and Haley came out from their spots and joined the action, cutting down the rest of Nowak’s men with ease. It was a furious and intense battle, but it was short-lived, and lasted less than five minutes from when the first shots were fired.

  After it was over, Recker and Haley looked at each other, thinking that was actually easier than they expected. They thought there’d at least be a little bit more of a fight. As it was, neither of them hardly broke a sweat. Malloy’s team did most of the heavy lifting, which was fine by Recker. It was about time they had an easy time of it, he thought.

  “David, anything else going on out there?” Recker asked, wanting to make sure there wasn’t a second wave coming.

  “Everything is clear.”

  “Keep a lookout while we clean up back here.”

  “I will, but if I may make a suggestion, I would suggest that you hurry up. Somebody surely heard the barrage of gunfire and I would think the police would be here soon.”

  “Be out in less than five.”