‘Huh,’ Iron turned to face me.
‘Nothing,’ I said, pointing to my head, ‘just going a little bit crazy, I guess.’
His facial expression- as usual- didn’t change from its ordinarily disinterested but stern look. ‘Hmm,’ he managed before turning back to observe the nothingness that was happening on the outside.
‘Can somebody get that idiot to shut up?’ Tony turned around, looking from me to Iron.
‘I could think of a couple of ways, but you’d have to pull over for the majority of them to be possible.’ Jones replied laconically.
‘Why don’t you just blast the music?’ I added, finding numerous ways in which such an action would be beneficial to me, but knowing this wasn’t something that would be agreed to- and rightfully so.
‘Because we’re not trying to get the president to hear us from the slaughter house,’ he smiled.
‘Eh. You might have a point,’ I noted, settling for the slight volume that Jones added.
I hummed, tuning out the dark thoughts that entered my mind.
‘Seems like you’re in a good mood,’ Adam’s eyes met mine.
Rather than divulging just how much the situation scared the life out of me- of how I wanted to use Derrick Shaw’s head to pound a hole into Harry’s head- I settled with a, ‘yeah, relatively good,’ and continued to hum to the tune of the song.
‘Dude,’ Adam’s voice came louder this time. ‘We love this song.’
Everyone including Iron laughed.
‘No, Adam. You love this song.’ I reached in front of me and patted him on the shoulder.
‘What do you mean? We used to jam out to this all the time. Don’t you remember?’ Everyone continued to laugh. ‘I can’t believe you all have memory loss. Remember that time when…’
‘Adam,’ I held back a chuckle, ‘you are the only one who has ever liked this song. The only reason we listened to it all the time is because you never stopped playing or singing it.’
‘Look who’s talking. You’re sitting over there humming like a teenager who can’t get a Bieber song out of her head.’
More laughter ensued only to be brought to a halt by the bumping of the vehicle. We’d finally reached our location and Jones sped through the most open- but yet, still bushy- part of the woods, flattening the grass and everything in his way as he rolled through. Speed was a necessity here as it was imperative that we drew as little attention to ourselves as possible. Though the streets in this part of town were rarely frequented whether morning, noon or night, weekday or weekend, we needed to get out of sight quickly. A few more bumps later and Jones stepped on the brakes.
‘Finally,’ Adam let out a loud sigh, jumping out of the vehicle and placing a cigarette between his teeth.
‘Really,’ Jones rolled his eyes. ‘You’ve really got to light up, now.’
‘Oh, come on man, don’t be a sourpuss.’ His voice muffled from the difficulty it took to spit the words through his teeth while flicking the lighter and sucking in.
Jones rolled his eyes again, then reached over to the passenger seat and slammed Adam’s door shut. ‘This man and his priorities. I never quite understand him.’
I didn’t quite find Adam smoking to be as much of a big deal as Jones did. However, the fact that he was just as hyped up about this meeting, as I was- and possibly hyped up with more vengeance, I understood how he could be as irritable as he seemed to be.
‘Damn,’ Jones looked at me again, ‘I really could reach into that trunk and just fuck that Shaw dude up. Break his legs and arms so he can’t kick around like a freaking cracked out dog. How did he manage in a cell so long?’
‘Willpower,’ I answered.
‘Willpower my ass. He seems just about as weak as they come.’
Derrick Shaw wasn’t weak. He’d gotten a whiff of freedom and he wanted to revel in it sooner than he was allowed to. He thought we were on his side; that we were meant to protect him. He thought that we worked for Harry Peterman. And because of this, I could understand where he didn’t understand why being locked in a trunk was a part of the plan.
‘Alright guys. It’s time to set up.’
Jones, Iron disappeared into the bushes while Adam took to a broken down building where he could get a great view of our position from above. Tony stayed by my side. Harry arriving to see me by myself would have led him to be suspicious. Sure, one other person wasn’t plenty, but it would work fine to shadow any doubt that I had other tricks up my sleeves.
‘I think we should duct tape his mouth shut,’ Tony said out of the blue.
‘Huh?’
‘His mouth. Duct tape it. If he starts blabbing on and asking where the other guys are when Harry Peterman gets here then we’ll find ourselves in a bit of a pickle.’
‘Damn. Why did I not think of that?’ My mind was in a million and one places at the same time. I should have known how to shut out all the voices by now, but it wasn’t easy.
‘ I understand that you’ve got too much on your mind. But you’ve got to buck up. We haven’t got room for error here.’
‘Alright, you get the tape from the glove compartment and I’ll hold him still.’
I popped open the trunk and made my way over to Derrick Shaw who sprung up like a flower receiving water for the first time in years.
‘What the fuck is this? You’re not really taking me to Harry are you?’ The smile he had worn earlier was no longer there.
‘We’re waiting for Harry,’ I assured him. ‘Just sit still. Keep your mouth shut and wait.’
‘If this is some kind of joke, Harry will get you for it. He’ll crucify the living crap out of each and every one of you.’
‘Just shut up already,’ I commanded.
Tony came shortly after, fiddling with the end of the tape before reeling off a lengthy piece and cutting it free from the roll with a knife he had attached to his keychain.
‘What the fuck!’ Derrick Shaw exclaimed as I wrapped my arms around his shoulder and struggled to hold him steady.
Tony was quick to wrap the duct tape around his mouth, deadening Shaw’s words. He then opted for a bigger piece, positioning the end of the tape on his cheek and moved the roll around his entire head, securing it in the front. Finally, the ramblings and muffled speech stopped. I let go off Derrick, stepped away from the trunk and slammed it shut. The only thing left to be heard was his struggling to kick the trunk free. I’d always wondered why people did this. There was no escaping and even if he were to escape, where would he run to? Of course, adrenaline and a lack of clear thinking didn’t allow for logic.
I made my way over to the driver’s seat and Tony took the passenger seat.
‘Close the door and put the heat on,’ Tony said, rubbing his hands together.
Though not the chilliest of days in DC, the weather surely wasn’t accommodating. I did as I was asked.
‘I don’t see why we do this to ourselves. I mean, who chooses to live in the cold anyways?’
‘Us,’ Tony laughed.
‘Well, you know what? After all this is done, I’m moving my ass to Florida. I hate this weather.’
‘You’ll say the same thing about the sun. People always love what they can’t have and hate what they have.’
‘But there’s always the beach to cool off. Here, it’s not like I can jump into a pool of fire.’
‘No. But that’s what heaters are. Plus, you should be used to this weather by now. Remember during training when they had us camping out when the temperature was in the teens. Man, those were the days. Couldn’t start a fire because it would bring attention to us and blow our hiding spot.’
‘You think you could still do that?’
‘If I had to, but I’d rather not. Life is a lot more chilled now. This stock market shit is just the bomb. You should really get into it. Iron and I could definitely use a guy like you.’
‘Nah,’ I smiled at the gesture. ‘That life isn’t for me anymore. I’m getting comfortable with no
rmalcy.’
‘Normalcy doesn’t involve stealing from the president to free your wife. Guys like us, we’ll never have normal. We’re fighters. We were designed to fight, to take what we want and not give a fuck about anyone else.’
‘We were trained to fight.’
Okay, so maybe Tony was born the way he was. Some people are. However, the chip that he constantly had on his shoulder was one that I’d been able to remove from mine- it wasn’t one I was born with. Before the government recruited me, I was just a guy who happened to find himself in MIT. I was a guy who worked out too hard to overcome the nerdy demeanor that didn’t allow me to get along with the ladies. Early mornings in the gym, days in the classroom, hours in the library and weekends at whatever party was going on. That’s what my schedule looked like. Until, one day, a massive dude, dressed to perfection spun around in the office chair in my dorm room. I thought I’d gotten myself in shit with the Headmaster or something, but no, he was recruiting. He’d been keeping an eye on me ever since high school, ever since my friends and I hacked into the Pentagon. The technology I’d been working on had piqued his interest and thus, he found that it was prime time to get me on his team. Though when I finally succumbed to their desires, technology wasn’t something I had much to do with. They realized that a gun in my hands was even more useful to them. Needless to say, there was no debating whether or not I should take a job working with the president. The fact that my family had passed away the previous year meant that I had no one to answer to about skipping out on school and becoming one of the government’s secrets.
‘They’re here,’ Tony’s voice pulled me away from my thoughts.
I felt my heart rate increase along with the moisture of my hands. I took a few deep breaths, trying hard to settle my nerves. Tony looked as relaxed as ever, and I could understand why. He didn’t have as much at stake as I did. He popped the door open and I followed.
Together, we stood at the side of the vehicle, facing the dark Sedan that stopped only a few feet away from us. I squinted my eyes, trying hard to see through the blackened out windows; trying to get a glimpse of Lila. And though a part of me strongly felt that she was there, behind the glass, there was no guarantee. My eyes slowly traveled down and then up as I watched Harry extend his legs out of the vehicle, wrap his hand above the door and pull himself out of the car.
His face was a lot smoother, a lot more human-like, than the way it looked on the photo I had of him. Rather than looking like rugged badass, his appearance leaned more toward that of an oversized dad; a man with a soul. But like they, say, looks can be deceiving and that they were. The perfectly groomed man who flashed a white smile-unlike that of his brother’s- didn’t have a tender heart. He wasn’t a caring, loving individual. No, he was a ruthless criminal. Someone who found joy in ruining the lives of those around him. Someone who believed that it was okay to set off a bomb in the middle of a city and claim the lives of innocent folk who had no reason to feel his fury.
My eyes were set on his face as he walked closer and closer to me. For a moment, I forgot that Tony was standing beside me. It felt as though Harry and I were the only people in the world. But rather than having my spirits lightened by the calmness he exuded, I felt a pounded in my heart- one that made me want to take him down even more.
‘Mr. Chandler,’ he flashed me a crooked smile. ‘It’s so great to finally meet you.’ He reached out a hand which I didn’t take before turning to Tony. ‘And you would be?’
‘Now’s not the time to be scouting for new buddies,’ I jumped in. ‘Where’s my wife?’
‘Where’s Derrick Shaw?’
Not this again.
‘That thudding you hear in the trunk isn’t coming from my radio. Now, where’s Lila?’
‘Seems like I treat her a lot better than you treat my family. See, I was starting to think we were friends.’
‘Where’s Lila?’ I insisted.
‘For heaven’s sake, she’s in the car.’
‘And I should just take your word for it?’
‘Boys,’ his voice came loud and enforcing, ‘show the man his wife. You see, Mr. Chandler, I’m a man of his word. I wanted one thing from you and seeing as you’ve brought me that one thing, I no longer need to hold on to your wife.’
Two men hopped out of the back of the vehicle. One, a short guy with a scar that extended from his forehead to his neck, made his way to the left side of the vehicle, pushing the door open. My eyes were stuck on them. Was she really here? Was my Lila, really here? Was it all over?
Chapter 10
To say that Harry Peterman was careless would have been an understatement. Lila emerged from the vehicle. Her weak body was held in place by two of Harry’s men- seemingly, the only two who came with him. Upon showing that he had Lila, he demanded that we set Derrick Shaw free. In only the cockiest of manners, he made his way to the back of the vehicle, where I fumbled with the keys, buying Iron, Adam and Jones time to take out the guys. The stocky man was the first to hit the dirt and the second guy, a tall slender figure, found his destiny right beside him. I didn’t have time to look at Lila, as I was busy strapping handcuffs on a dazzled and frantic Harry Peterman.
‘Is this some kind of setup? I knew I shouldn’t have trusted you. Oh, you’re going to have it coming. Just wait. You’re going to see that I’m bigger and badder than you are,’ he threatened.
We moved quickly, shoving him into the drunk, on top of his brother before slamming it shut. We had won. We were victorious. I ran over to Lila, who looked as though the grim reaper was standing before her.
‘Honey, it’s me. You’re safe,’ I said before lifting her frail body and carefully placing her inside the SUV. The other guys, Iron, Adam and Jones, joined Tony, Lila and me, only a few moments later. Now, it was time to put part two of our plan in action. Tony started the engine and whizzed through the bushy and rocky area and into a hiccup. Harry had been stupid in not coming with enough people but what we didn’t expect, was that he was smart enough to have backup. Another vehicle headed in our direction with two men bent out the windows with guns pointed at the windscreen of our vehicle. A flurry of gunshots filled the air as they pumped round after round into our vehicle. If it weren’t for the bulletproof glass, we would have all been out cold. Tony sped around them, and onto the streets. Through one road and down the next. Turn after turn, it seemed as though we’d lost them. But we knew we still needed to be cautious.
‘Are you okay, Lila?’ I asked, streaming my hands down her tear soaked face. She looked at me as though she had no idea who I was; as though I was the enemy. ‘It’s okay. It’s going to be all okay,’ I reassured her. ‘These guys. They’re going to take care of you. They’re going to make sure you’re fine. I promise you Lila. I promise you that nothing bad will ever happen to you again.’
When we were certain that we’d lost them, we turned off the lonely street we’d been on for over ten minutes and parked beside Iron’s vehicle. Carefully, he lifted Lila from my arms. I watched sadly as he placed her into the vehicle and sped away with her. I had no idea what she was thinking. The fact that she didn’t speak; that she didn’t resist what was transpiring was incredibly frightening. A part of me felt as though she’d given up hope; that she’d stopped fighting and was willing to allow just about anything to happen to her. I’d imagined our encounter being different. I thought that maybe she’d see me as her knight in shining armor; that she’d realized that I’d save her. Shaking the feeling that she viewed me as one of the bad guys was impossible. Did she think that I was just like them? What had Harry Peterman said to her? She had no idea what my past entailed. She’d insisted that we just swept it underneath the rug and moved on with our lives in a direction filled with only positivity. I was terrified that the negativity of who I was and of what I’d done was too much for her to handle. There was no telling if, once she got back on her feet, she’d move on from us and leave me behind. But now wasn’t the time to think about all that. The
second part of the plan needed to be put into action and it carried significantly more risks than Harry Peterman’s encounter could ever begin to compete with.
Iron was to carry Lila back to the bunker, taking her away from all the action. He’d keep her safe while we carried out the rest of our plan- a plan that could blow up in our faces in ways we hadn’t bargained for. A part of me wanted to tell all the guys to leave; to allow me to handle everything on my own. However, I knew that I needed the assistance. I knew that even though we’d be the underdogs once we arrived and that they wouldn’t be able to shelter me or themselves from the vehemence we could face, I needed them.
‘You think the president remembers us?’ Adam smiled cheekily. ‘Maybe we’ll just be able to walk inside and bump fists like old buddies.’
The reality of it was that we’d never been able to sit back and have a beer with the president. Our meetings were always a ‘yes sir’, ‘no sir’ kind of ordeal. How the president would accept us was in the air. But we had a prize, one that I knew he would enjoy. Unfortunately, there was no telling if he’d take us as an addition to an already great deal.
Chapter 11
As tony maneuvered the vehicle around the final bend, a knot, the size of a baseball developed in the pit of my stomach. Some may say I was nervous but the truth was, I was scared shitless.
‘We’re here. Are y’all ready?’ Tony said before approaching the gigantic gate that stood between us and either victory or demise.
‘We don’t have a choice but to be ready,’ I replied.
Slowly, the vehicle rolled closer and closer to the majestic gates, prompting the men who stood guard to aim their weapons right at us. I stuck my hands out the window-hoping they wouldn’t shoot- willing them to come closer in order to see who we were and what we were about.
Presidential Cleaning: A Psychological Suspense Novel Page 6
