by Nees, David
“What are you going to do?”
“You’ve heard the saying, ‘cut off the head, the body dies’? That’s what I’m going to do. I need to know how to reach Joe, Big Al and the head of the militia, Larry Roper.”
Michael just stared at Jason, his eyes wide.
“You’re not serious? You’re going to take them out? Kill them?”
“These are hard times. These are men who will kill you without a second thought when they don’t need you, or think you crossed them. They’re planning to wipe out my town, Hillsboro. I can’t let that happen. Taking them out of the picture should stop that. Helps Charlotte as well.”
“I can’t have anything to do with that. I’m with FEMA.”
“Does FEMA deal with gangsters now? And how much support do you get?”
Michael was quiet.
“Everything’s in the hands of the mob. Therefore, your future and maybe your life is in their hands.” He gestured to the luxurious couch. “Come over here and sit down.”
“I’ll get us all a drink,” Luke said and disappeared through door. He came back a few minutes later with a bottle and three glasses. “Got a stash set aside even here on the top floor…or especially on the top floor. Impress the ladies with it.”
After the drinks were poured, Jason spoke up again.
“You said it yourself. The mob is going to try to run the east coast from Boston to Charlotte. You’ll be a lacky for them at best. FEMA is going to stand by if that’s what the feds want in order to gain control. What they don’t understand is they’re making a bargain with the devil. The mob will corrupt everyone and soon they’ll be unchallenged, with a lot of federal officers and bureaucrats working for them.”
“Why are you so against that?” Michael asked.
“For one thing, I don’t want to see my country run by the mob, any part of it. That happened in the large cities at the beginning of the twentieth century up until the seventies, from what I’ve read. If the whole east coast comes under their influence and control, honest people might never get us out from under them.
“For another thing, they’re planning to wipe out my whole town just to get others under their thumb. They’re the modern equivalent of barbarians.”
“And you think you can keep this from happening? A few assassinations and everything will be fine?”
Jason shook his head. “No. It may take more than that, but it’s a start and it could save a lot of lives in Hillsboro.” He took a sip of his whiskey.
“And here’s the opportunity it creates. You have the connections to other civic leaders who have been put on the sidelines. Luke, in spite of his eccentricities, has a fresh imagination and could provide you and the others with a vision of how to reinvigorate the population into demanding better. While there’s disarray, you can grab the reins of power.”
“‘Power comes from the barrel of a gun’, didn’t Mao say that?” Michael asked.
“Something like that. You’ve got a militia. You can get some of them, maybe most, on your side.”
Michael shook his head. “I don’t know. It seems so risky. The mob isn’t going to just roll over and give us control.”
“I can handle them,” Luke said. “I told you I dealt with them my whole life.”
“Then you know how ruthless they are,” Michael said.
“You’ll only have the Charlotte mob to deal with. The other cities won’t be able to come here. And this group will be in chaos,” Jason said.
“There’s gonna be power plays,” Luke said. “Those under Al and Joe will be more worried about maneuvering for their own advantage to be too worried about what we might be doing. You can trust me on that.”
“Look, all I need is some information. I’ll do the rest. You stay in touch with Luke. The two of you make whatever plans you want. I’ll be going my own way. You’ll have no further connection with me.”
“We don’t meet again?”
“Not after tonight if you give me what I need.”
Michael turned to Luke. “And I can’t be connected to this building? I never came here?”
“Never,” Luke said. “I’ll lead you back and you’ll just head home like you usually do.” He paused for a moment. “Of course, I’ll stop in once in a while. Maybe you could make a position for me? Community outreach or something like that.”
“I guess I can do that,” Michael said.
“And I’ve got a date tomorrow with Suzy. I hope that’s okay with you.”
Michael just stared at Luke and shook his head. Jason couldn’t tell if it was in disgust or wonder.
Chapter 37
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M ichael told Jason where Big Al and Joe lived and where their offices in the city government building were located. He said that Roper stayed out at the airport with the main body of militia, but he had an office in the city building. Michael guessed he might be there to help direct the search for Jason. He said he’d find out more and pass it on to Luke. Michael seemed more comfortable having Luke as the go-between, keeping himself separated from Jason who he now considered a dangerous person.
After the two men left, Jason sat back. His thoughts went to Anne and his family back in Hillsboro. They seemed to be a world apart from his situation. Would it be enough? Just to take out one or two leaders? Could he then leave and head back to the life he wanted to live? The assassin role weighed heavily on him.
He shook his head. No time for that. Concentrate on the mission. If you don’t, you’ll get yourself killed.
He went over his next moves. He was secure enough in the building. Luke would run interference for him here, and there were many places to hide if a search occurred. His concern was that he had to figure out how to strike quickly and lethally and then get out of town. Once he took one of this three targets out, the others would harden up. They would make themselves less visible and have more security around them.
If he took out the first one with a sniper rifle, the others would avoid putting themselves in a target situation and their increased protective measures would make it harder to execute a close-up assault. He concluded that his first target would have to be attacked up close. The others would then protect against that situation leaving him the option of a sniper attack.
Joe would be the first. Big Al might think he was more protected. He might feel less of a target. Now he had to figure out how to get close to Joe. With everyone on the lookout for him in the downtown, moving around was not going to be easy. He’d go to Joe’s residence and ambush him there. Joe lived on the south side of the downtown area. It was once an expensive neighborhood, heavily wooded with large homes on secluded lots.
The next night he made his way out of the high-rise. He wore dark jeans and coat over a thick sweater. There was a hood on the jacket that he pulled up over his head. He had to be careful getting out of the downtown. He would have to find a place on the perimeter less patrolled.
It was cold. The cloud cover increased the darkness of the night. There was no moonlight to relieve the black. He started walking east. He came to a set of railroad tracks, now unused. Jason moved slowly using every bit of screening he could find. Thankfully there had been no attempts to stem the return to nature in the landscaped areas. Their unchecked growth offered points of concealment along his route. He saw militia patrols along the way. They were still searching through buildings for him. It was not a large geographic area, but was dense with large buildings that proved troublesome to search and check off a list. He easily avoided the patrols by keeping to the overgrown areas.
The tracks went under the interstate that ringed the inner downtown. They were blocked off just before going under the highway, but it was an imperfect seal. It was enough to disincline the opportunists, but not enough to withstand a serious effort. Jason watched the barrier for a long five minutes before approaching it. He was in an undeveloped area, one of the few inside the ring road. The ground had been cleared for probably another high-ri
se, but the EMP attack had intervened.
At the edges of the train right of way, where the ground sloped up to the overpass, the barrier offered gaps. Jason wedged his way through one of them and continued under the highway. Once on the other side, he quickly sought the cover of the brush and made his way further from the road. With far less scrutiny outside of the downtown, he would have the night and the streets to himself.
On the other side of the perimeter road, nestled nearly up to the overpassing highway, was a parking garage. Like the others, it was now one of the more useless structures in the city. There might have been homeless people at one time living in the lower levels, the upper floors were too open to the wind and cold, but with the drop in population, there was no shortage of houses to occupy.
He had a long walk ahead of him. Once to the south of the downtown area it took a good hour of navigating through neighborhoods to find Joe’s house. The area was filled with shrubs and trees, now overgrown. They offered good cover, shielding him from the houses, which were set well back from the streets.
When he got to the address, Jason entered a thick stand of trees between the mansion and the street. He crept through the dense foliage to get a view the building. Joe’s home had a large, four-car garage set off from the main house. The house had two wings coming off the main section forming a semi-courtyard which contained a patio and large pool. The drive and turning area in front of the garage and house was laid with paving stones in an elaborate pattern. A black Ford Galaxy from the sixties was parked near the front door, facing out to the street. Jason assumed it was Joe’s ride back downtown in the morning. For now, he’d have to wait. There was always the waiting.
He hunkered down in the underbrush and tried to keep warm. He had no idea when Joe would leave the house. If he was not an early riser, it raised the risk of Jason being discovered. An attack early in the morning, in the dim winter light, would be best.
Sleep came fitfully with confusing dreams of the mob descending on Hillsboro, the Hillsboro council embracing them. Jason being told to follow Joe’s orders. Through it all Jason fidgeted. The dream morphed into the whole east coast being under Joe’s control and the president standing behind him with a smile on his face. Could it come to that? Jason doubted it. Dreams often amplified the deeper emotional content of one’s mind, throwing rationality aside to make a point.
As the grey of dawn dissolved the dark of night, he got up and began to stretch. He drank some water and chewed on a piece of venison jerky that he had brought with him. Then he crept closer to the driveway. The house, now seen in more light, was huge. It had a long, three-story front wing facing the road but screened by the trees. It looked like the front made a left turn towards the rear. Along the driveway was an irregular shaped façade that held the formal front doors. The garage sat at the end of the drive, facing the road. With hired drivers, none of the house residents would have to walk to their car in inclement weather. Ah the joys of being rich. Jason smiled. And with it a complicated life.
He positioned himself so it was a short dash across the driveway to the car. He wanted to be on the house side, so no one could use the vehicle for a shield. The key was surprise and speed. When he was satisfied with his position, Jason took out his 9mm with its suppressor and checked the weapon thoroughly. Thirteen rounds in the magazine, one in the chamber, safety on, ready to switch off and go into action.
He waited, cold but patient, as the daylight increased. He kept still and only rubbed his hands occasionally to keep them from going stiff in the cold. It was a cloudy November day with a hint of rain. He hoped it would hold off until he got back to the high-rise. Such mundane thoughts at a moment like this. Maybe that was compartmentalization at work. He’d experienced that effect in the army and since the EMP attack.
Suddenly the front door opened. Two men stepped out in coats and ties. They looked around, then one of them called back to the doorway and Joe emerged. He kissed a woman goodbye at the door and stepped out on the driveway. The men turned. One went to open the back door and the other looked like he was going to get into the driver’s seat.
Jason stepped out onto the pavement and ran towards the car. The two men stopped for an instant before reacting. That hesitation proved fatal. While running forward, Jason leveled his 9mm and with two quick shots, hit both men in the chest. The sound the gun made was a muffled “thwack”. The men went down. Joe recognized Jason.
He put his hands up and shouted, “Jason! What are you doing? You don’t want to kill me.”
Jason stopped about ten paces from Joe. He knew he should just pull the trigger and leave, but something held him back. Joe was on the wrong side, but Joe had believed in him. At least the undercover version of him.
“Don’t hurt my family, please. We can work this out.” Joe said. “I gave you an opportunity. We’re growing, making things better for everyone. Why not be a part of it? You afraid of Big Al? I can protect you from him.” His words tumbled out of him, seemingly desperate to stave off Jason’s intent.
“It isn’t that. I’m from Hillsboro.”
He let that sink in for a moment. Joe’s eyes widened as he digested all that statement meant.
“Look, I don’t have anything against Hillsboro. It’s not personal, it’s just business. If they pay and knuckle under, we’ll leave them alone.”
Jason shook his head. Get this done! His inner voiced shouted to him.
“That’s not what you said.”
“I can change that. That was Big Al’s idea. You can take one of my cars and head home now if you want. I’ll make sure no one stops you. I’ll work something out for Hillsboro’s benefit.”
Jason shook his head again. “Too late for that, Joe. You said it yourself, ‘It’s not personal, it’s just business.”
“No!” Joe shouted. Jason pulled the trigger and shot him in the chest. With Joe’s shout the door opened and the woman reappeared. She screamed as she saw Joe on the driveway along with the other two men. She started out of the door but Jason glared at her and she retreated inside.
Jason stepped forward and put a shot through the head of each of the guards. He went over to Joe and hesitated. Then he shot him through the heart. He’d keep his face unmarked. Next, he reached into the driver’s pocket and found the keys. He got into the Ford and drove off. As he pulled out, he saw the woman running out to the fallen bodies.
It would take some time for the word to spread and when it did, everyone would feel more exposed at their homes than at their work. Just what Jason wanted. He drove at a steady pace to the parking garage near the train tunnel. He’d park the car there for possible use later to escape.
Chapter 38
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B ack in the high-rise office, Jason was thankful find himself alone. He clamped down on his thoughts, not allowing them to run into dangerous areas. He was in attack mode. He had a job to do to protect his family, protect Hillsboro. These men had chosen their path and so had Jason. But they didn’t realize how good he was at what he was about to do. He stopped his mind from ruminating on the morality of his task, and concentrated on the logistics of it. He had to stay focused to pull off what he was attempting. He’d deal with any conscience issues later.
After eating something and taking a large, stiff drink of the whiskey Luke had provided, Jason headed to the roof. Once up there, he took his spotting scope and scanned the city building. He had a sight line to Big Al’s office. But he wasn’t sure he could make a shot through the glass, especially since it wasn’t straight in. Hitting the glass at an angle could disrupt the trajectory enough to cause him to miss.
He turned his attention to the entrance. Some cars drove up to drop off their passengers, the higher-ups in the mob and some of the city big-wigs as well. Daniels didn’t have a car which put his status down on the pecking order; something Daniels was probably well aware of.
After an hour of watching, the traffic pretty much ended. Only pedestrians were en
tering the building, and not too many of them. They’d be looking for Joe soon. Maybe his wife would drive herself downtown to report his killing. Jason didn’t know if she had access to a car, but Joe’s death would certainly be discovered today.
That would increase the tension. Could he count on Big Al leaving the building at the end of the day? Would he forgo going home to throw off an assassin? Jason only needed Big Al to exit the building; go somewhere. It didn’t matter where as long as Jason got the opportunity when he went out the front door.
Things settled down and Jason let out a yawn. Maybe he should grab a few hours of sleep and take up watch in the afternoon. If he got his shot, he’d be busy tonight without much chance of rest. He got up, stretched, and went back downstairs.
Luke was sitting in the office suite.
“When did you get back?” Luke asked as Jason entered.
“You sound like a parent.”
“Yeah. Guess I do. You didn’t come home last night. I sat up and worried myself sick about you.” Luke mimicked a worried mom’s voice.
“It’s okay, I was out with the boys.”
“It’s always the boys. I told you not to hang around with that crowd. You’ll get into trouble.”
Jason allowed a thin smile on his face.
“You don’t know the half of it.”
Luke changed back to his normal voice. “And I don’t want to know. Are you planning some action?”
“It’s already started. I’m planning the next steps. I need to rest now. I’m going back on the roof later this afternoon.” Jason looked around. “Can you rustle up something to eat? I’m starving.”
“So now I’m supposed to feed you? You’re talking to the Duke of East End, remember.”
“Mr. Duke, can you please gather up something to eat? Seeing as how you know where everything is in this building?”
