Road to Darkness (10 page)

Chapter 26

     The past few weeks had been a blur for Tony. Which was odd seeing that before he started driving for Slade, his life felt like life was in slow motion. The ad agency he worked for had been his dream job. He had people working under him. He had creative control over projects. He could even set his own hours. On top of all that, the money was great. He was pulling in six figures a year after only two years working there.

     Then there was the crash. In September 2008, the stock market took its biggest dive in decades. They were all told at work not to panic, that everything was fine. Despite his bosses’ constant reassurance, Tony knew something was wrong. He could see it by the strained looks on their faces. One of his managers was suddenly taking sick days, a lot of sick days. The most telling thing was the projects, or lack of them. He went from managing almost a dozen at a time, to just five or six, and then only two or three. Tony explained to his own people
the agency was just spreading out the workload more, but he knew.

     They hung on until late 2010. There had been no overt warnings other than the signs he had noticed. One day
the bosses called everyone in for an employee meeting to announce they were closing the doors. They all had thirty days. Just like that, his life had turned upside down. Over the next few years, Tony and Kim maxed out every credit card they could get their hands on. Once that was all dried up, the bills started piling up.

     Both their cars had been repossessed. He’d driven a fairly new Cadillac Escalade, and Kim had a BMW. Now he was stuck with the shitty Dodge he currently drove. Getting the job at United P and C had been a huge break for them, though it was barely enough. That and he was little more than a corporate drone. When Domingo offered him all that money, no telling what he may have done for that kind of money.

     So here he was. All that money had cost him everything in such a short amount of time. He pulled in at Ramos Medical without drawing any attention. The gate guard had seen him enough times, he had just waved him on in. Apparently word hadn’t gotten out among the employees yet. Just as well. He pulled right up to the plant and parked. Reaching under the seat, he took out Slade and Hector’s guns and tucked them into his pants. He did his best to cover them with his shirt. If someone wasn’t looking too closely, then it wasn’t too obvious.

     Before opening the car door, he caught a glimpse of himself in his rearview mirror. His beard had grown in fully and his hair was longer. With everything going on the past several weeks, he hadn’t paid much attention to his appearance. Though the beard made him look about ten years older.

     He climbed out of the car and walked into the warehouse. Once inside, he wound his way toward the back and through the sliding door. As he stepped inside he saw several cages containing teenage girls. Two men were standing guard, but actually they were more like sitting guard. Before either of them could stand, Tony shot each of them in the face. To his amazement, none of the girls screamed. They just looked at him. One finally spoke up.

     “Did you come to get us out?” She asked.

     “Kind of. Come on.” He opened the cages and let them out. There were four girls total. They followed him through the sliding door and out the back of the warehouse. There were a few more men back there, but Tony shot all three of them before they knew what hit them. He shot the lock off the back gate and looked at the girls.

     “Run
,” He said and walked to the side of the building. The girls took off while he found the large natural gas tank. He positioned himself about fifty feet away and fired a shot into the tank, dropping to the ground immediately. He covered his head waiting for a big explosion, but nothing happened.

     The slide was locked back showing
it was out of ammunition. He tossed it aside and pulled out the other gun. This time, staying on his stomach, he fired several shots at the tank, on the fifth shot the tank exploded. He placed his arms over his head as shrapnel and debris peppered his body. There was a secondary explosion as something in the building blew up. He ran back to his car, climbed in and sped away.

     In his rearview mirror he could see the building burning. He was sure he’d killed dozens of people inside, but he didn’t care. None of them were innocent. There were no innocent people in this organization, including himself. Needless to say, this should rattle John Adams’ cage. He didn’t want to go after him
directly, there was no doubt he had plenty of security. Best thing he could do would be to make Adams come to him. Draw him into this darker element where he’d be vulnerable. Tony had always wanted to stick it to the Man. Now he could take down the Man himself.

     As he drove off, he considered the next move. This one would require a bit more finesse, but he could do it. So far
, he had been both lucky and one step ahead of the game. Had he done this from the beginning, Kim and Taylor would still be alive. Nothing he could do about that now. Now everyone will feel his pain.

Chapter 27

     “Goddamn Motherfucker!” Adams yelled as he hurled his phone across the office. One of his aides came running into the office at the sound of the commotion.

     “Is everything ok sir?”

     “What? Is everything ok? No! Everything is not ok dumbass!” Adams said. The aide looked confused as Adams pulled a handgun from his desk and shot the aide in the face. He fell to the ground as Adams circled around him, stood over him and fired several more shots into the man’s body, emptying the gun’s magazine. His security and other aides stood around open mouthed. Adams threw the gun down and looked around.

     “What the fuck are you all staring at? Clean this shit up! Anyone else have any stupid questions?”

     They all went back to doing whatever they’d been doing earlier, while his security team began removing the aide’s body. The phone call had been from one of his employees to inform him that Ramos Medical had been blown sky high. Most of his workers were dead. Many of his trucks were destroyed. Plus the authorities were going to find the cages. He wasn’t sure how many, if any, girls were in the cages. No way could he get close to any of it now. Local police and DPS had the whole block closed off.

     Not that he couldn’t throw his weight around to get there, but it would raise a lot of questions. Questions he didn’t need
to be dealing with at the moment. His first thought was Esteban and his crew were behind it, but his guy said there was an older white guy snooping around just before the explosion. When Adams asked why no one bothered to check who this guy was, the dumbass didn’t have an answer. Good help wasn’t hard to find anymore, it was impossible. Everyone was so complacent these days. Unless you specifically told them to do something, they were happy just wandering around in their own little world.

     So
, it wasn’t Esteban. It had to be this Tony asshole. Adams couldn’t figure out how he took out his two best operators, and then managed to walk into his plant in the middle of the day and blow the place to pieces. Goddamn it. He was going to lose millions over this, maybe more. So much for everything being in place. It was time to call Krautenhammer.

     Krautenhammer was an operator he had used many years before. The guy was freelance so he had no loyalties to anyone. He was also serious overkill. That is why
Adams was so reluctant to use him. The guy was not subtle at all. If his mark was sitting in a restaurant, Krautenhammer would go in shooting, not caring who he hit. He always got his mark, but usually also took down a dozen other people in the process. Adams had no idea how the guy wasn’t in prison, but it didn’t matter. He picked up the phone and made the call.

     “Ya,” the man on the other line answered.

     “Yes. This is Adams. I need the Kraut.”

     “You know Kraut price, yes?” The other man said in a thick German accent.

     “Yes. I’m well aware of the cost.”

     “Good. You no pay, Krautenhammer takes hammer to you.”

     “I will pay. Money is not a problem.”

      “Good. I make sure you understand. I will text you fax number. You send the mark’s name and photo and any other information. Krautenhammer will start on it tonight.”

     “Tonight. That’s fast.” Adams said.

     “Him very efficient. Any questions?”

     “No. I’ll wait for your text.”

     Adams hung up and wai
ted several minutes before the text came through with the instructions. There was also an account number for him to wire money. Adams followed the directions carefully, faxing the documents and wiring the cash. He included a note in his fax. He told the Kraut to make it hurt. Once he was done securing the Kraut’s services, he called for his driver and walked outside to his car.

     Even though the air in the car was on full blast,
Adams couldn’t stop sweating. He wasn’t usually a sweaty person, but the events of the past few days had taken their toll. Once they were on the road, his phone rang again. It was Esteban. Why in the fuck would Esteban be calling him when they had their meeting tomorrow?

     “Hello,” Adams said.

     “So you send this burn out to try and kill me? That is the best you can do?”

     “What?”

     “My guys caught some old white guy trying to sneak into my place. Who else would he work for? That your plan? Take me out before our meeting?”

     “No! I didn’t send him. This guy is a former employee. He just blew up my main plant and warehouse. Check the news in my area, I can’t even get to the place.”

     “So what, you can’t control your people?”

     “I sent my best guys to take care of him. Somehow he got to them first.”

     “So you expect me to believe this. The great and powerful John Adams let some low level employee get the best of him?”

     “Look, I don’t want a war here. I know you don’t either. Why would I send him
, of all people, to kill you? Hell. You did me a favor. If you guys haven’t already, go kill him. I won’t be mad. Hell, skin him alive while you’re at it. This guy has cost me millions.”

     “You do have a point. My men are having some fun with him now. He claims you sent him.”

     “I imagine he would say that. Trust me. I know taking you out wouldn’t help things for me anyway. One of your captains would step in and it’d be like starting all over. I assure you, I did not send him.”

     “Okay then. I will have my men peel the flesh from his bones. We’ll make a movie for you and send it to you
,” Esteban said.

     “Now that would be some fine entertainment
,” Adams said and hung up.

     Well that was one headache he didn’t have to deal with. Shit. He’d just hired Krautenhammer
for nothing.

Chapter 28

     Tony ignored the gate guard at the Mexican warehouse and crashed through the gate. Men came running and as he had hoped, Benito came running out as well. Several men were carrying rifles. This wasn’t the best way to make an entrance, but he was tired and didn’t feel like arguing with a gate guard. He just hoped Benito would listen to what he had to say.

     He stepped out of the car as the men yelled something at him in Spanish.

     “I need to talk to Benito,” Tony said, but the men kept screaming. “Benito! I need to see Benito!”

     “Who says I want to talk to you
, puto!” Benito said from behind his men. He stepped through and glared at Tony. “You got a lot of balls to come crashing into here like this. That, or you’re just stupid.”

     “I know it was your men who robbed me.”

     “And how are you so sure?”

     “It just makes sense. You guys are tired of being the middle men and want a bigger piece of the action. I have a proposal for you and your boss.”

     Benito stood and laughed. The rest of his men laughed along with him.

     “A proposal? What kind of proposal could you have? You’re a fucking driver.”

     “So you haven’t heard anything about what’s happened with Adams’ operation in the last twenty-four hours?”

     “No, I been kinda busy. Why don’t you enlighten me?”

     “I killed two of his best operators, including Slade. Then I blew up their main warehouse at Ramos Medical.”

     “How did your stupid ass do that? First time you came here, you were scared shitless.”

     “Things have changed a bit since then.”

     “All right. Come with me. We’ll talk.” Benito said.

     Tony walked toward him as Benito pointed toward the door of the building. Benito fell in behind Tony as they walked. Just before they got to the door, Benito struck Tony on the back of his head with the butt of his gun, knocking him to the ground.

     Freezing cold water woke Tony up. Everything was
hazy as he tried to make sense of what was happening. Last thing he remembered, he was driving. Now he was hanging by his arms from a hook. His hands were bound together with a plastic zip tie, and his feet could barely touch the ground. Worst of all, he’d been stripped naked. Several men were standing in front of him. One had a bucket of water. Before Tony could register anything the man flung the ice cold water onto Tony’s naked body. He let out a gasp as it stung his flesh.

     “What’s going on? Where’s Benito?” Tony asked.

     “You stupid fucking gringo. You think our boss wants to talk to you?” The men laughed as one of them jammed a cattle prod into Tony’s stomach sending ten thousand volts through his body. Tony saw stars while he twitched and jerked helplessly as the men laughed. The man with the cattle prod was a large Mexican with gold teeth. There was a shorter Mexican standing behind him.

     “Come on man. You got to play with the last one. It’s my turn!” The short one said.

     “It’s your turn when I say it is,” The big man said as he gave Tony another jolt. Spit and slobber flew out of Tony’s mouth as the electricity coursed through him. Tony began to realize he’d taken things a step or so too far. He should have just quit after blowing up Ramos. But he wanted them to pay, all of them. No one gets a pass. He was willing to use these guys as a means to an end, but that was now off the table. But first he had to get out of here.

     “Ok, you can try it,” the big man said as he handed the cattle prod to the little one.

     “Haha. All right. I’m gonna stick it up his ass!” The little one said.

     “You’re a sick fucker
, homes.”

     “Yeah, I know!” The little one said as he circled around behind Tony. He jammed the prod in between his ass cheeks. Tony tried to struggle, but he was too weak. He couldn’t lif
t himself at all. The prod went off sending the powerful jolt through his behind causing Tony to jerk backward. He felt like his spine would snap, he jerked so hard. Once he pulled the prod out, Tony’s bowels let loose as shit sprayed out of his ass. The little Mexican didn’t get the cattle prod clear on time.

     “Oh! You asshole! You got shit all over this man!”

     “Well what did you expect when you shove it up his ass?” The big one said.

     “I don’t know man. I didn’t think he’d shit all over it. Here.” The little man held the shitty end up to Tony’s mouth. Tony pinched his mouth shut and pulled his face away. “Come on man, open your mouth. I want you to suck the end of this. Suck it like you’re suckin’ a dick. I bet you like to suck dicks.”

     He smeared it all over Tony’s face, but Tony wouldn’t open his mouth. He could feel the warm feces against his lips and beard. The last thing he wanted to do was let that thing into his mouth, with or without shit on it. The little man kept taunting Tony with the prod. Taking a deep breath, Tony mustered enough strength to lift his legs and kick the little man across the room. The guy almost left his feet as he flew backward, dropping the cattle prod as he fell back several feet and flopped onto his back. His head hit the floor with a loud
Thud!
And he stopped moving.

     The big man walked over to him and bent down.

     “Holy shit, dude,” the man said.

     “Is he dead?” Tony asked.

     “No. You knocked him out man.” The big man stood. “You shouldn’t have done that. You thought it was bad before. Now we really gonna play.” He raised the cattle prod and walked toward him. Tony took a deep breath and closed his eyes.