by Ethan Egorov
“Haha. Oh you’re still a pup. You’ll understand what I’m talking about soon enough, Trenton. When you go home and you find that stray hair on your pillow and you still smell her perfume and it smells like the place you want to be buried, you’ll realize the signifance of even the little moments.”
“Oh Flannigan… you and pop pop. You’re a dying breed, you know that? Listen I gotta get going. Thanks for a great lunch like always. I feel better already. Oh hey before I forget... Kristina’s in town again. So if you’ll do me another favor and keep an eye out on her?”
“Who’s the deadbeat she’s with now?”
“Eh… she didn’t say she was with anyone. Says she’s in town for a job, but I haven’t heard of any new players in the game so this concerns me.”
“Yeah… I see your point. She is the best at what she does though. She knows how to take care of herself.”
“Yeah, still though, it’s concerning. I just hope that whatever the job is she makes sure to follow through with it. I don’t like having to clean up her messes.”
“It seems that her professionalism has…grown through the years though. She’s getting better at not leaving any loose ends.”
“You know just as well as I do, there’s no room for distractions when you’re an assassin. I hope she doesn’t screw up this time. I’m getting old for this shit.”
“Nah… I’ll keep an eye out. Remember Trent, you’re still just a pup. Now follow that scent and see if you can find out more on the Saul situation. You’ve got this”
Trent exited the deli and hailed a cab. He decided that the chill in the air was too much for him to walk down to the docks. He gave the cabbie the address and then pulled out his cell phone, sending his father a quick message. “Hey pops, I’m heading down to the docks. Hey you think you can send me a drive in about a half an hour or so?”
“No problem. See what you can find out. I’ll be waiting to hear from you when you get home.”
“Okay, gotcha.” The rest of the car ride was uneventful. Trent got out and quickly paid the driver. He always made certain to have cash in his wallet in case he needed to take a cab or bus wherever he needed to go. He also had a hefty sum in his account also, but no one had to know that. Trent learned from a young age to be easy with his money and save it. Sure, he liked having nice things as much as the next guy, but he found that it was more important to have his rent paid so he’d have a roof over his head. He also saved money just in case he got hurt. In his line of work, there wasn’t anything as insurance, so if he had a bullet buried in him somewhere, it was handy to have a few grand to have a reputable doctor remove it. He’d seen guys in the past be put in the poorhouse, just from medical bills. Private care and discreet care was expensive and on one wanted an ugly paper trail after a firefight. Trent walked to the shell of the building that was once one of their prominent storage facilities. He shook his head and cursed under his breath after surveying the damage. “Fuck me.”
He walked to the door of the burnt building and pulled out his phone. He took several pictures of the building as well as the surrounding area. He wanted to be able to show the damages when he got back to the mansion. He put his hand on what remained of the charred door and pushed it open gently. He then turned on the flashlight of his phone and looked around. The ground underneath him was covered with soot and ash. He found himself suddenly saddened at the loss. The concrete floor seemed intact and he was grateful for at least that much. He kicked some loose boards out of his way and proceeded cautiously through the rest of the warehouse. The room itself was uncluttered to begin with so that was a plus, there wasn’t mounds of rubble to walk through. He reached the back of the building though and coughed several times, the smell of the smoke was still thick and hung in the air. The sunlight which streamed through the mostly broken windows cast heavy shadows on the damages. His heart dropped though when he saw their main supply storage. “Shit!” The tables that were once full of white powder and various scales were completely demolished. The precious drugs which had immense value on the street had been completely destroyed. Nothing from it remained which could be salvaged. He then saw the barrels that had been used for chemical storage. Those were melted and blacked on the outside. They were also shriveled slightly. He dared to kick one with his foot and it didn’t give him any resistance whatsoever. It was dried out. “Dammit to hell!” He took out his phone and pulled up his camera taking a few more shots of the damages. He was sure to include the barrel that he had just knocked over in them. His father and his grandfather were not going to be pleased. He looked around for any signs the intruder may have left behind. He didn’t even seen a footprint that looked out of place. How could he though? There was so much damage that had there been any indication of the breaking and entering it would have either been destroyed in the fire or covered up by the damages.
Trent sighed and looked above him. The rafters were doing their job still of holding up the roof, but in terms of reconstruction he knew they needed to be completely rebuilt in order for the building to be usable again. They had withstood too much damage to be salvageable. “What the fuck? Why is this happening?!” Trent kicked the barrel once more out of anger and frustration. He then looked up at the rafters once more and rubbed his eyes. “What the fuck?” He grabbed a ladder that happened to be in the warehouse and took his foot, testing it’s durability. It was heavy and steel. Despite being warped in the fire, it still seemed like it was able to support his weight. He stood on it and reached up, almost touching the top beam. He grabbed what was hanging off of it and pulled it down gently. He didn’t want to pull the damned thing down atop him so he took his time in both extracting the object and climbing back down the ladder. He smiled to himself. It wasn’t much, but at least it was something to go on. Apparently the intruder got caught on some of the corners as they fled. He held in his hands a small, silk orange colored scarf. “Well this could prove useful. Now we just have to find the owner of this odd item.”
After taking a few more photos of the scene, Trent opened the door of the waiting car and got in the backseat. The driver only nodded at him. His father always vetted the staff making certain that each one was reputable. He was then generous with their bonuses and salary to discourage them from seeking another outlet for money. He knew that well-paid men were loyal to a fault and in their line of work both secrecy and devotion were treasured qualities. The driver said nothing as Trent sat in the backseat staring out the window during the short drive back to the mansion. Trent worked his jaw muscles. His head ached. He knew that this loss was substantial and he shuddered to think what impact it had on business. He knew that pop would give a specific breakdown though. That’s one thing his father excelled at was the financial aspect of the business. He even made certain that in the event of an unforeseen raid that his front businesses were thriving and financially solvent as well. They could be used as collateral in the event of an emergency. Trent nodded and thanked the driver as he pulled up to the front of the mansion. He then walked in the entryway. It was surprisingly quiet in the mansion, which Trent was thankful for with his aching head. He took his phone out of his pocket then hung it up on the coat rack. He then padded through the house until he heard his father. He was in his office, talking on the phone. He sat at his desk staring at a spreadsheet and nodding. He then said into the phone, “Okay, well. We’ll just have to find out the verdict on that in the end anyway, no won’t we? Yeah, yeah. It’ll all come out in the wash Marvin, you mark my words. Okay, okay. I’ll talk to you later. Yeah, bye.” The older man then hung up the phone and looked at Trent with somber grey eyes. “So, my boy what mysteries did you solve?”
“Well, pop. You’ve taken all your medication today haven’t you?”
“You boys with that blood pressure stuff… Jesus it’s like you’ve never heard of any other way to die. Yes though for you information I took every pill I was supposed to this morning. Rosa brought it in with breakfast. That was very good by the way, you
really should have had some of her eggs before you left, I swear she is getting better with age.”
“That’s the only way to be pop. Yeah… hey I feel a little claustrophobic in here, you mind if we move to the study or something?”
“You never did like this office and I swear I’ll never figure out why. Yeah we can go in the study and you can sprawl out on the sofa. Make yourself a drink or something too.”
“Nah. I’m feeling a bit under the weather, I think I just may need to take a nap or something. I hope I’m not catching a bug.”
“You keep it away if you are. I’m too old and fragile to be getting sick.”
‘Hah! Fragile is a word that will never be used to describe you in a sentence pop.” The pair relocated to the study where Trent stretched out on the brown leather sofa his father had kept for many years. It’s well-worn fabric never had lost its sheen nor it’s comfort. Trent stretched out across it with his head against one arm using it like a pillow. He then pulled out his phone hit a few buttons and threw it to his father.”
“You’re lucky I’m a good catch, otherwise your fancy phone would have broken into a billion pieces. What are you showing me here?”
“I went back to the scene of the crime and took some photos. It looks like it’s wiped completely out. Before that though, I went to Flannnigan’s. He sends his best.”
“You say your head’s hurting? That’s why right there. You done ate all that sodium-loaded deli meat and it’s got your blood pressure all jacked up. Now, you can’t say anything to your old man about that. I’m glad Flannigan is well though. When you see him again tell him that he owes me fifty bucks, but if he comes over for poker night next Saturday, I may consider waiving that fee for him.”
“Okay, I will pop. You need to stop that weekly poker game before you end up owing everyone in town freebies.”
“Or they could end up owing me stuff. That’s even better now isn’t it. What did you find out?”
“Eh, nothing new on the street. It’s basically business as usual as far as Flannigan can tell. He was awfully upset about Saul though so he’s going to keep his ear to the ground and see if he can find the perp. So what do you think about the building, pop.”
“You weren’t kidding when you said it was bad. Jesus. That’s an entire shipment gone. Those supplies would have probably lasted two or three months. Street value… we’re looking eh I don’t know 2 or 3. The supplies alone were in the hundreds of thousands. Shit. We really weren’t in a position to lose that much. This won’t stop us though. We’ll just up production on the north end to compensate for the lack of supply and rely on our shippers to move the product in the south. There’s always a way to bounce back, Trent. You remember that.”
“Oh I will. Pop?”
“Yeah?”
“There’s something else. I found this at the scene.” Trent pulled out the bright orange scarf from his pocket and waved it at his father. “You got any ideas on this?”
His father suddenly looked graven and the blood drained from his face. “No, I mean, I don’t know who put it there. Trent… you think that’s a scarf don’t you?”
“Yeah, I thought maybe it got hung on the person who set the fires on their way out.”
“That’s not a scarf son… that’s your baby blanket.”
Trent’s mouth dropped open in shock. He couldn’t believe that. What that meant was that all the attacks were centered around his kidnapping as a baby. It also meant that the person who was responsible had direct access to his immediate family and his home. “That can’t be it, pop. Who would have taken that? I mean hasn’t it been in the attack for a million years with the rest of Grandma Monica’s things? Besides, who uses a silk baby blanket? I thought those were knitted.”
“Hah! That’s a story all in itself. Ya see, when you were little of course you had some issues adapting to us because you were away from your mother. You’d cry and just wouldn’t be comforted at all. Then one day, Grandma Monica was carrying you around and you pulled the orange scarf she was wearing from around her neck. You clutched it in your tiny hands and instantly the crying stopped. From that point on if you’d have a fit or get sick or scared, she’d drape that scarf around you and you were instantly okay. So yeah… it’s not the ideal baby blanket, but it worked for you for many long nights.”
“Wow. Well I guess you’ve got a project now pop. After your paperwork, go up to the attic and see if there’s anything else missing from Grandma Monica’s boxes. That should give up some clue or at least something to look for to find out who the culprit is.”
“Oh yeah, what are you gonna do then?”
“I have another pressing business matter to take care of first, but I’m still going to be hunting down some evidence. Hey… be careful pop, okay?”
“Oh trust me, all the guards have been briefed and we did improve security starting today. Also I got my pal with me at all times. I may be an old man now, but I still got great ears, Trent. I can handle myself, don’t worry.”
“Okay, pop. I’ll call you soon.”
Trent walked out the mansion and decided that he would again ask for the assistance of one of their drivers. After finding out about the history of the baby blanket, he didn’t feel as safe being out in the open. Once more the driver nodded at him and did as instructed. He waited for him in the lot in front of his apartment building. Trent decided that even though he had showered earlier that morning he would shower again because his clothes and hair smelled like the dilapidated warehouse he was tramping around in. He quickly lathered his hair and washed it, then did the same with his torso, making certain that he smelled much better. He then walked naked through the apartment, taking his discarded clothing and immediately placing them in the washing machine for the next time he did laundry. He knew that he had to be at the hotel by a certain time, so he toweled off quickly and pulled on an old, worn pair and jeans and threw on an old sweatshirt that he used to use solely to go to the batting cages in. Trent then decided not to waste any time on his hair, instead he threw on a baseball cap and grabbed leather jacket that didn’t smell like smoke and Sulphur. He placed his wallet in his back pocket and grabbed his keys as well.
Before he left he also had the thought to bring his spare Colt .45 with him, placing it underneath his jacket and securing it between his belt and jeans. He hoped he wouldn’t have to use it, but at the same time he knew that as long as he had the weapon he could at least protect Kristina if she was in trouble. After all, that’s what his plan was, to find out who exactly hired her and why she was suddenly being so cryptic. He grabbed his birthday present and the box from where he had placed it earlier and walked out his door, slamming it behind him. Trent then stretched himself into the backseat of the waiting car and gave the driver instructions on which hotel he wanted to go to. He still couldn’t believe that Kristina would just suddenly show up out of the blue like that. She did have a history of creating drama though. He just hoped he was in time to clean up any messes that she may have gotten herself into. Sure, as far as a skilled assassin went, she certainly had the talent to do the job, but she was also a tad flighty and could leave traces of evidence behind that would sometimes leave her clients with legal issues to deal with. This was something that many of them took personally as an attack or an affront to their family, so she’d pissed off her share of their competition through the years.
He arrived at the hotel and instructed the driver to return for him in a couple hours unless he phoned him and wanted to be picked up earlier. Trent thought that should give him ample time to not only figure out what was going on with Kristina, but it would also give him time to let her know what he’d found in the warehouse. Kristina needed to know the family was being targeted as well.
The lobby in the hotel was packed and he could see droves of wealthy businessmen and women waiting to be checked in. Apparently the hotel was planning its annual New Year’s Eve Gala and anyone who was legitimate in the business world wanted to be in atte
ndance for the event. It was an excellent time to meet new contacts and also network. For some business owners it meant a chance to merge with other businesses or even get needed backing from some very deep pockets. It was good timing, but again it wasn’t. This meant that they would need to keep a very low profile otherwise surely someone would recognize them and feel the need to talk shop. Trent quite frankly didn’t have time for any of that. He was on a mission.
He bypassed the line of people waiting at the desk and immediately walked up the first flight of stairs to the elevator. He then made certain that no one else followed him into the elevator car and quickly punched the button which would take him to the fifth floor. This was the room that Kristina had left on the note with the box. Once more he stepped out of the elevator and looked around him to make certain he wasn’t being followed. He then quickly walked to Kristina’s room. It appeared that she had a room on one of the nicer floors of the hotel and it looked as if it had recently been renovated. He could still smell a bit of glue from where the posh carpeting had just been laid down and he could tell that along the seams of the wall, fresh paper had been applied. The other paper downstairs had a dullness to it that this didn’t seem to have. Trent never really knew why hotel owners bothered though. It was obvious that no matter what the décor a traveler would stay wherever was closest to whatever their destination happened to be. He knew that he personally didn’t care what color the carpet was or for that matter if there happened to be any furnishings at all. As long as there was a bed and a roof he was happy. Some people though, wanted all the flair and elegance that came with money, prestige, and power.
He took a few moments before he knocked on the door to make sure that he was ready. Even though he just saw Kristina earlier that day, she still seemed to catch him off guard, especially when she curled her fingers in her hair and stared into his eyes. That was the past though, they had both moved onto different things in life and he knew that they weren’t good for one another. That kind of love was desperate and dangerous, it was the kind of love that didn’t build marriages, but split them apart. It was longing and nothing but pure fire. If they did ever get together surely it would fizzle and die out just as quickly as the spark began. “Shit. Here we go.” He muttered to himself under his breath before he knocked on the door several times. There was no response so he tried again. After checking his watch, he verified he was on time. There must have been a change in plans and she couldn’t meet him before her business meeting with her client. As he turned to walk away though, he heard her hand on the doorknob and it swung open. He turned around and saw Kristina standing in the doorway, running her fingers through her long red locks. “Trent. How nice of you to pay me a visit. I really didn’t expect you to be on time. Normally you’re making some excuse as to why you’re running late. Wow. Maybe you have changed, slugger. Come on in.”
