The First Three Rules (19 page)

“Hey Franky!” Benny said. “You ready to go?”

Under the cigarette smoke was the buttery scent of rotting meat. Franke didn’t move.

And he didn’t breathe.

Jon grabbed Alex and shoved him behind a chunk of abandoned machinery. A line of bullets chased Benny across the room. The automatic fire ran right up his leg, chewed up his cheap suit, and dug out a massive hole in his side. He was dead before he hit the floor.

“Holy fuck,” Thomas tried to back out of the room, but the metal roll door dropped, closing them in. He dove behind a pile of wood and metal debris.

Jon followed the direction of fire to the catwalk across the room. He took aim.

The wooden crates fell away revealing gunmen stationed on all visible sides. Each of them stood behind a group of young girls tethered together. Tears streaked their dirty faces and their eyes begged for help.

None of them could be over the age of fourteen.

“Aw fucking hell,” Alex said. “Fucking, fucking, hell.”

Franke’s corpse still stood by the window, cigarette burning a line to his fingers. From the new angle, the ear-to-ear slit across his throat was visible.

“A corpse,” Alex said. “A goddamned corpse tied to a fucking post.”

The sounds of sobbing broke apart the sudden silence. “I suggest you let us get this over quickly, Marshal Foster, Kennedy, and Detective Cruise. Just step out and we can make this quick.”

“Is that who I think it is?” Alex said.

“Yeah, it’s Beck.”

“Every minute you waste my time will be paid for by one of these lovely young women.” Beck said. “I know you don’t want to see them die. I know I’d rather not lose the merchandise. Time starts now, gentlemen, don’t wait too long.”

Thomas caught Jon’s attention and jerked his chin at the far wall where a metal door hung off its hinges. Then he ran a finger in the air, tracing the catwalk, pausing where each of the gunman stood.

Tucked against the wall Jon, Alex, and Thomas were only visible to one side and the debris they hid behind blocked the line of fire.

If they could stay close to the wall and shield themselves they could make it to the door and have a chance at getting out. The wooden pallets were a bust and anything made of metal big enough to work was too heavy. The only other option was a decoy.

Thomas whistled and then he held up a quarter.

Alex hissed. “Tell me he’s not suggesting one of us makes a run for it.”

“Think so.”

“Times up, gentlemen.” Beck cut one of the girls loose and shoved her over the edge. It happened so fast, it was almost like a magic trick. One moment she was there the next she was on the ground. The girl landed on her arm and cried out.

She was only a few feet from a stack of crates. Jon waved at her to get behind it, but as soon as she saw him she tried to run in his direction.

The spray of bullets ticked a line across her midsection and she crumpled.

Bile burned a path up Jon’s throat. He dropped back behind the chunk of machinery.

Tears pooled in Alex’s eyes. “She looked about Dana’s age.”

Eight, maybe ten. But yeah, close to his oldest.

A baby.

“One down, plenty to go. How many gotta die before you take your medicine? Gotta send a message, you know. To my men, and to the fucking pigs who think they can turn them against me.”

Jon looked back at Thomas. The man had lost every bit of color to his face, making his dark eyes look like black holes burned into his skull.

He put the quarter back in his pocket and sank to the ground.

Another one of the screamed as she was separated from her group. This time the sacrificial lamb came from a different side. The gunman twisted his hand in her hair. He used the shoulders of two of the other girls as a prop for the muzzle of his gun.

“Thirty seconds gentlemen, better hurry.” Not even half that time passed before the second girl plummeted to the ground. She didn’t get up, but they still shot her.

“Fuck.” Alex scrubbed his face. “We’ve got to do something, Jon, we can’t just sit here.” But they couldn’t shoot because the children were in the way.

The distance from the machine where Jon hid and the door couldn’t have been more than a hundred feet.

It would only take seconds for them to clear it, and less time for a stream of bullets to take them down.

Jon whistled and Thomas looked up.

“What are you doing?” Alex said.

Jon pointed to Thomas then Alex. Thomas took the quarter out of his pocket and Jon shook his head. He jabbed his thumb at his chest.

“Times up, gentleman.” Beck said. Another girl cried out on her way to the ground. The thump of her body hitting the concrete echoed off the walls. A spray of bullets severed her pleas.

Jon didn’t dare look. He turned to Alex. “I’m guessing, I’ll be able to buy you ten seconds.”

“What are you talking about?”

“As soon as they start firing, you run as fast as you can. Stick to the walls. It will increase the distance, but it will give you cover.”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Jon?”

“Even if you get an opening, don’t take the time to return fire. When you get to the car don’t worry about backup. Just get the hell out of here.”

“Jon…”

“If Thomas goes down, don’t stop.”

“Jon, man…”

“Even if he begs, you don’t stop.”

Tears cut a path down Alex’s cheeks. “Jesus, Jon this is crazy…”

Jon checked his clip. Sheer will kept his hands from shaking. “Patty’s birthday is next week, right?” Alex stared at Jon with wide eyes. He nodded. “How old did you say she was going to be again?”

“S-six.” Alex cleared his throat.

“That’s a good age. Buy her something nice. Maybe a pony. Little girls still like ponies, right?”

Alex put a hand on Jon’s arm. Part of him hoped Alex would tell him not to go. Convince him not to do this. Another part prayed he wouldn’t. Because if Alex did, he would lose his nerve.

And the girls on the catwalk and the two men trying to stay alive couldn’t afford for him to back out.

Alex tightened his grip. Sorrow, hope, and gratefulness burned in his eyes.

Jon pried his partner’s hand from his arm. He looked over at Thomas and mouthed the words You ready?

Thomas nodded.

To Alex, Jon said. “On my count of three. One-two…”

“Hi Jon.”

Jon jerked his head up. The sound of screaming girls echoed in his ears.

Rudy sat at the end of the kitchen table. “Are you going to eat oatmeal? Ellis makes the best oatmeal.” He grinned at Jon around an oversized spoonful.

“Small bites, Rudy.” Ellis’s voice came from the kitchen. “I’m making eggs, do you want any?”

Jon stared at Rudy, knowing who he was, but not quite sure how he’d gotten here. Where was here? The brick and busted windows of the processing plant had been replaced by warm peach colored walls decorated with pictures of Rudy, Ellis, and their parents. Jon blinked against the sunlight pouring through the bay window.

“Jon?” Ellis put a hand on the back of Jon’s neck. The scent of sex on Ellis’s skin mixed with the smell of fresh soap. The memory of last night destroyed the nightmare. Jon nodded, although he wasn’t sure why. Then he remembered Ellis’s question. “Yeah, sure, that would be great.” Jon picked up the coffee cup sitting in front of him and took a sip. It was cold.

Ellis walked back into the kitchen. “What time did you get up?”

“Uh…”

“I’m sorry, I slept so hard. I don’t normally do that.” He poked his head around the corner. “Two or three eggs?”

“Three.”

Ellis disappeared again. Jon fought the urge to chase after him. He was only on the other side of the wall and he could even see him though the opening in the partition when he stood near the sink, but it felt so far away.

Jon dropped his gaze back to the coffee cup sitting between his hands. How long had he been up? The only clear memories were from last night. The unrelenting image of Ellis, writhing under him, flashed through his mind. The look on Ellis’s face, the sounds he made, and how he asked—no begged—for more. And Jon had given him what he wanted.

Ellis returned, plates in hand. He set one down in front of Jon.

It was good to see the bruises on Ellis’s face were now more green than purple. A few more days of rest and he would be back to his old self.

“Wait,” Jon said. “What are you doing out of bed?”

“Making you breakfast.”

“You’re supposed to take it easy.”

“I’m fine.”

“You had a concussion.”

“And I feel better. Besides, it’s just breakfast, it’s not like I’m out driving around.” He sat and Jon ran his knuckles down Ellis’s bruised cheek.

“I drew you a picture,” Rudy said. “Do you want to see it?”

Jon smiled. “Sure.”

“It’s you.” Rudy produced a white square from his pocket. He unfolded it and laid it on the table in front of Jon. Four stick people graced the page beside a crooked square with a triangle top.

Ellis looked too. Jon pointed to the two figures in black with big frowns on their faces. “Who are those two scary ones?”

“The police men.” Rudy indicated the third stick person standing behind a scraggly line that Jon could only assume was a wall. “That’s me inside.” Rudy pointed to the really tall figure standing on a square. “And that’s the porch with Jon, scaring off the police when they came the other day.” Rudy went back to eating.

Ellis paled. “The cops came to the house?”

Rudy nodded, knocking a blob of oatmeal from his spoon to the table. He scraped it up with his fingers. “The cops came.” He licked them clean. “Jon told them you were asleep. Jon isn’t afraid of the cops. He made them leave.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jon carried his cup to the kitchen and put it in the microwave. “Honestly, I forgot.”

“It was Louis and Russell, wasn’t it?” Ellis turned in his chair.

“Yeah.”

“Oh God.”

“It’s okay, Ellis, they’re gone. And I doubt they’ll come back.”

“What if the doctor reported it? I know he said he wouldn’t, but…” Ellis stood and fell back in his seat. Jon walked over. He pulled his chair up so close that when he sat his knees pressed against Ellis’s thigh. Jon held Ellis’s face.

“I took care of it.”

“You don’t understand. They’ll be back.”

“Then I’ll take care of it again.”

“You don’t know them.” Ellis gave a scared laugh. “You don’t know what they’re capable of.” His gaze drifted back to Rudy. Jon followed it. Rudy stirred the remnants of his oatmeal. He wasn’t smiling anymore and all the light in his eyes had blanked out. The lack of his happy childish expression disturbed Jon.

He gave his attention back to Ellis. “What are you not telling me?”

“Rudy.” Ellis swallowed several times., “Can you go to your room?”

“Can I watch TV?”

“Yeah, you can watch TV.”

“What if I have to go to the bathroom?”

“Then you’ll go to the bathroom and back to your room.”

“Okay.” Rudy stood.

“Don’t forget your dishes.”

Rudy picked up the bowl and empty glass of milk and took them to the kitchen. There was the clank of ceramic touching the bottom of the metal sink. “I’m going to my room now,” he announced.

“Thank you.”

“I’m going to watch TV.”

“That’s fine Rudy.” Silence. Ellis said, “Rudy, please go to your room.”

“Am I in trouble?”

Ellis shut his eyes and slumped. For a second or two, Jon thought he might actually fall out of his chair. His lip trembled and he seemed to have a problem catching his breath, but when he spoke his voice betrayed nothing. “No Rudy, you’re not in trouble.”

“Okay.” Rudy’s heavy footsteps faded away.

Ellis covered his face with his hand. When he dropped them back in his lap there were no tears, just the hard lines of worry and fear. “A few years ago Rudy was arrested.”

“For what?”

“Something stupid.” Ellis shrugged and then shook his head. “He knocked over a display at the big discount store they built off of Main.”

“And he was arrested?”

“Louis and Russell showed up about half an hour after we got home. They said someone called in, saying Rudy had assaulted them at the store.” He sat back in his chair. “They decided not to charge him, but refused to let him out because his paperwork was misplaced.” A haunted expression swept over Ellis’s face. “They put him in a holding cell with no bathroom, no bed, and I’m pretty sure no one gave him any food. He wasn’t badly dehydrated, so someone had to give him water. But by the time they let him out, he’d soiled himself, because he didn’t have anywhere to go to the toilet, and he’d chewed all his finger nails down to the quick. Bruises covered him head to toe.”

Disgust hardened Jon’s tone.. “They beat him?”

“No. Rudy tried to get out by throwing himself against the door. He must have done it for hours or until he just couldn’t.” Ellis clenched his fists. “When I picked him up, I headed right for the hospital, but as soon as Rudy saw the building, he began making these terrible noises, like a dying animal. He slid down to the floor board and curled up in a little ball. I took him home instead, and cleaned him up. He wouldn’t look at me and he didn’t talk for a solid week.”

Jon tried to imagine Rudy silent and found it frightening.

“When he finally did speak, he told me he was sorry and he wouldn’t be bad anymore.” A tear slid down Ellis’s cheek. “You know what the last thing I said to him was before they put him in the patrol car and took him away?” Jon wasn’t sure he wanted to know, but Ellis said, “‘Don’t worry, Rudy. It will be okay, Rudy. I’ll take care of you. Don’t be afraid.’ I lied to him. He wasn’t okay. I didn’t take care of him.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“He’s my responsibility. I should have been watching him better. He spent three nights in hell, trying to claw his way out. All because I turned my back for a few moments.”

Jon made Ellis look at him. “You’re only human. There’s only so much you can do.” And what Ellis accomplished on a daily basis amazed him.

“Why are they still wearing badges?”

“It’s not from lack of trying.”