The Divine Devils: Mystery Suspense Crime Thriller: Book 1
Page 48
“I noticed. From the resources you provided on the Hawkins case, it would appear your reach and power are—how should I put it—extensive.”
Amari shrugged at the comment, then clapped his hands, the servant promptly standing at his side.
“It is past noon and I’m hungry,” stated Amari, twisting towards the man. “Would you care for lunch, Hunter?”
“I never turn down food,” he replied rubbing his stomach.
“Pablo has been roasting chicken since this morning in potatoes and carrots. Will that suffice?”
Hunter nodded, sipping more of the Ale. “If more of this brew is included, I’m up for anything to eat.”
Amari put in the order, the servant leaving the two of them alone while he prepared their plates.
“My reach is extensive,” stated Amari, leaning back in his wheelchair, his hands now resting on his lap. “It comes from my background in military, intelligence, security and a touch of mercenary work all over the world. With it I’ve amassed in my fifty-five years of life, as you can see from this house, a fair amount of money and connections in the worlds I’ve lived in.” He stopped to sip his Ale, wiping the foam from his lip with a blue velvet napkin. “These days I have people coming to me for advice, or consultation as Mayfield put it. Many times, it is of a private nature. One you wouldn’t care to have others out in public to know about. Especially the authorities. Does that sound clear?”
Hunter shrugged. His words were hardly clear-cut. But the man seemed not to want to implicate himself in possible illegal matters. Maybe he was part lawyer to boot.
“I believe I understand the gist of what you’re getting at.”
“There are times when dirty work needs to be done,” declared Amari, leaning forward, a serious tone in his voice. “Outside the normal channels of the law. People who’ve been hired not to worry about the consequences of their actions. This was the type of work I did, up until my accident a few years ago.”
The man was dancing around the reason he asked to meet with the former US Marshal. And Hunter was eager for the man to get to the point.
“And what does this have to do with you bringing me here today?” he asked hoping for clarity.
“Hunter, I require a man and a team who can do this type of work. And I believe your team, led by you, are what I’m looking for. And what my clients demand.”
Hunter let out a whistle, as the servant brought them their food and another bottle of Ale. The former US Marshal grabbed his fork and knife, cutting into the chicken, finding it tender. A couple bites and he knew this was going to be an excellent meal. He wondered if asking for the recipe would lower his street cred in Amari’s eyes.
“From the men you provided us, I assumed you already had a team?” inquired Hunter.
“In a manner of speaking, yes,” replied Amari. “They are tactical muscle only, and not investigators capable of tracking down leads. You have that type of background, as well as muscle provided by your team to get the job done.”
Hunter always enjoyed the investigation part of his job working as a US Marshal. If this opportunity afforded him a similar arrangement, it would be worth talking about.
“That’s quite an offer. I’d have to get a few more details and talk with my team before providing an answer.”
“Perfectly understandable. Let me throw out a few details.” Amari took a couple swallows of his meal. “I can provide you a few perks for you to consider. First of all, a luxury two-bedroom two-bath apartment home rent free down the road in Interlocken. Giving you a home base to live and work from. Which you’ve not had in many years.” He stopped to pour more Ale into his mug, a long drink to wash down the food. “I can even provide a mode of transportation to get you around town. Nothing too extraordinary, but we can work out those details once you agree.”
Hunter had been bouncing around since he’d lost his job all those years ago. No car and no home. Moving from place to place to find work. Before this last case, dirty employment too, which didn’t always pay well. Enforcer tasks against those that couldn’t help themselves, in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Squeezing pennies out of druggies and boozers, teaching them a lesson that would never sink in no matter how many times you punched them or broke their bones. He didn’t like it, but it was all he had to keep him off the streets. At least until now. The question would be, what type of nasty work would he be doing?
“Do you have an example?” inquired Hunter, his interest piqued.
“What would you say about finding out the circumstances in the death of a college boy. Killed while under the guard of a US Marshal.”
Hunter’s eyes lit up. “That sounds eerily familiar.”
“Yes. It was your case. The one that cost you your career. Over time we may be able to shed light on what really happened. If you come work for me.”
“It sounds as if you know details, I’m not privy to?”
Amari’s eyes shifted when he spoke. “Nothing concrete. But I believe certain facts were…covered up to make you the scapegoat. Details we might be able to unravel with you under my employ, with access to my resources. Again, this would be a perk to explore in your free time when you aren’t doing other work for me.”
Hunter cringed, noticing the eye shift, figuring Amari wasn’t being completely truthful. A common trait for men in his field of work.
“Sounds like you’re holding this over me. Twisting my arm, to get me to work for you. I’m not sure I like the sound of that.”
“It is a carrot, I would agree,” stated Amari, while literally eating a carrot.
Hunter thought it over for minute. It was a carrot. A big fat juicy one. Indubitably capable of luring him in. But would there be a cost, doing work he might have a distaste for. Not that he hadn’t already gone down that road. And who was this man Amari Sarr? A person he knew little about. Secretly investigating his background, a likely action before fully committing. He contemplated for several minutes, weighing the pros and cons. If there’s a chance to clear his name—get to the truth of what really happened, it would be difficult for him to resist.
“What control would I have over any missions you were to offer me?”
“Complete control,” replied Amari, his eyes meeting Hunter’s straight on this time. “If you aren’t interested, then those who try to hire us, will go elsewhere. Compared to what you just went through on the Hawkins case, I doubt it could be any more challenging. You crossed a lot of lines to get the job done. That is what people are looking and paying for. And what I want in a team I employ.”
They had crossed the line. On this case and a couple of others through the years. Now he was being presented with the possibility of steady employment, a car to drive and a place to live. A home he could bring a woman to, that wasn’t a fleabag hotel with bedbugs in a seedy part of town.
“I’ll talk with my team, but I don’t foresee any issues working with you,” remarked Hunter, finishing up his plate of food, his stomach happy with the grub. “Maybe you can stock the fridge in the apartment with a couple of six packs of this Ale.” He held up the mug, drinking it down.
“I believe that can be arranged,” replied Amari, holding up his mug. “To be clear there maybe times you won’t need your team. You alone might be good enough for the job. But we’ll work on that as the offers come through, to see what backup you require. And I can provide additional resources, tactical muscle if necessary, like I did on the Hawkins case. Did you save room for dessert?”
Hunter sighed. “After that meal, I’m not sure I’d have room.”
“Pablo can make it to go. His chocolate mousse cake is heavenly.” Amari grabbed an envelope next to him and handed to Hunter. “Keys are inside for your apartment with the address, along with paperwork for you to read over. It’s just a standard non-disclosure agreement for you and your team to sign.”
Hunter pulled out the paperwork, reading the top. Among all the legalese he saw a name he’d not seen before. One that stood ou
t when he read it.
“What is this name?” he said, pointing to it at the top of the first page.
“Do you like it?” replied Amari. “I came up with it. I’m thinking we need to trademark it. Maybe come up with a logo. The name seemed to fit you and your team. It came to me one night in a dream.”
Hunter looked at it again, nodding with a huge grin on his face. If they did get a logo, t-shirts for the team were in order. For they would forever be known as The Divine Devils.
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This is what I hope will be the first of a series of books featuring the Divine Devils team. For now, you can always check out my other books, the Jarvis Mann Detective series of which there are 8 books to read. Starting with, The Case of the Missing Bubble Gum Card, Tracking a Shadow, Twice as Fatal, Blood Brothers, Dead Man Code, The Case of the Invisible Souls, The Front Range Butcher and Mann in the Crossfire. All are available on Amazon in eBook, Paperback and Kindle Unlimited.
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