Authors: Bernard Lee DeLeo
“No,” Connor replied smiling. “I actually have no intention of using Jim here to steal cars, run numbers, sell drugs, or pick cotton. Jim says he probably owes you in excess of five thousand dollars. Just let me know what the figure is.”
By this time four other men had come out of the back room, all black, and all over six feet tall. Connor noticed bulges under all of their coats. The man Connor had been talking to went over and opened up the door through the glass partition, and motioned for Connor and Jim to come in the back with him. Jim tried to pull Connor back; but Connor just motioned him to calm down, and followed the man’s lead.
The back room looked like a play area, with a pool table and card table. There were four small piles of chips, and some cards strewn around. “Not only are you gentlemen packing illegal firearms,” Connor pointed out, “but you seem to be gambling illegally too. Someone should call the police and report this.”
Connor heard Jim gasp behind him, as the five men burst into laughter. The man with the clean-shaven head clapped Connor on the shoulder good-naturedly, shaking his head. “You are alright man, now what’s this about Jim here?”
“I wish to buy his contract,” Connor replied. “How much?”
“Ten thousand.”
“But. “ Jim interrupted, only to have Connor turn and hold up his hand to him in a quieting gesture.
Connor turned back, and took the sheaf of money he had out of his inner suit coat pocket. He counted out ten one thousand dollar bills on the table. As the men looked between the money on the table, and the still thick wad in his hand, Connor again turned to his original greeter. “May I have a receipt?”
The man laughed again, and went back out to his desk. When he returned, he handed Connor a receipt. Connor looked at it and nodded. He turned to walk back out the way they had come in, and gestured Jim out first.
“Just out of curiosity,” The bald man said, “what do you think your chances of walking out of here with all that money might be if I didn’t think ten grand was enough?”
The blur of movement confused them all. The men were jostled and something brushed by all of them, and then they heard a bang as all of their guns were thrown onto the card table. They all reached for what they no longer had, and then looked at the table, and again at Connor, who smiled at them from the doorway.
“Pretty good actually.” Connor again stopped smiling. “I hope you gentlemen realize Mr. Decker and his family are under my protection. He will be working for me from now on. If you have any further business with him, you will please address it to me.”
The bald man looked unbelievingly at the pile of hardware on the table and back at Connor. “I understand.”
Connor smiled again, waving as he turned back, and followed Jim out of the office, and over to the limousine. Jeremiah was standing next to the passenger side door. He saw Connor and his brother come out of the building and toward the car. His brother looked gray, and he was breathing hard. Connor was still smiling, pleased at himself for not having wrecked any havoc at all. He stopped in front of Jeremiah.
“I wish your brother could drive so I could now say, home James.”
Jeremiah laughed, and Connor joined him. Jim looked at the two, and laughed nervously, as he glanced back at the office. Connor opened the rear door for him, and followed him into the backseat. Jeremiah went around to the driver’s side, started the car, and headed back to the business. Jim stayed quiet all the way back. Connor relaxed, thinking of how surprised Nate would be that he did not have to kill anyone.
They pulled up inside the garage because Nate, Henry, and Joseph were back from their driving lesson, and the doors were already open. Jeremiah shut off the car as the rest of the crew came out to greet them, with Nate in the lead. Nate opened up the back door for Jim and Connor.
“Okay Thomas, where do I send housekeeping, and how many bodies?”
“I am shocked, shocked I tell you,” Connor replied in mock surprise. “What makes you think there would be bodies my good man? This gentleman is Jeremiah’s older brother Jim. Jim say hello to my partner Nate Johnson.”
Nate shook Jim’s hand, and clapped him on the shoulder. “Welcome aboard Jim. You certainly had an unusual employee interview.” Nate then turned back to Thomas, as the rest of the crew came over to take Jim around the place.
“Come on Mutie, spill it,” Nate ordered.
Connor told him how he had handled it with breaks for laughter. “Oh man, that’s good Thomas. You got that out of
Crocodile Dundee II,
didn’t
you?”
“I had to adlib a little,” Connor said, “because I don’t think throwing a knife would have impressed these guys.”
“You think they will give Jim anymore trouble?” Nate asked.
“If they do, I will have to send over ‘Don’ Johnson to deal with them,” Connor replied.
“I would not go so easy with them; and I am afraid by the time they knew I was there, they would all be dead.”
“Not very subtle there ‘Don’,” Connor observed.
Nate smiled. “Did I ever claim to be subtle? Greg called from Langley. He’s already over there taking a look around. He said he would call you as soon as his confirmation goes through. That boy really sounded excited. Maybe you were right about him.”
“I better be,” Connor replied, “or I will surely get a couple of those girls killed later on. These have to be smooth operations. Even I cannot shield them from automatic weapons fire.”
“Karen called.”
“Oh boy,” Connor sighed.
“I don’t even think she believed me when I told her you were out on business,” Nate laughed. “She probably rushed out to make sure that Kathy woman was still in the building. I think you will definitely have to send her to the special place to work this out of her system.”
“Very funny, how did Luke and Sammy do today?” Connor asked, changing the subject.
“Outstanding so far,” Nate replied, “according to Jeff. They aren’t back yet, but I expect them in an hour or so.”
“Do we have two more drivers for tomorrow?”
“I think the driving part will be fine,” Nate told him. “We just need to reinforce their customer skills. I think we should send them out together tomorrow for the day, like we did for Luke and Sammy.”
“Yea, good idea,” Connor agreed. “I guess we better get in there and get to work on them.”
“Don’t forget Thomas, Karen will be over, and she won’t be happy.”
“Gee, what would I do without you to remind me of things Nate?”
Karen walked into the front entrance of the business, and was greeted by Barf, who had been given the run of the place after closing. Jeremiah and a young man she did not recognize came around from the garage area. They were wiping their hands on shop rags.
“Hi Dr. Blakely,” Jeremiah greeted her. “This is my older brother Jim. He started working for us today.”
Jim smiled at her in lieu of holding out a greasy hand. He waved it a little instead. “Nice meeting you Dr. Blakely.”
“Nice to meet you too Jim. I hope you like it here.”
“I love it here. Mr. Johnson will be taking me out with Jer tomorrow for a lesson in the limo.”
Karen nodded smiling. “Good deal, do you know where Thomas is Jeremiah?”
“Ah. I think he and Mr. Johnson are reviewing the tapes for today, and going over them with the rest of the crew. He told me to tell you to go home, he does not feel well today,” Jeremiah said uneasily.
Karen laughed. “Come over and open the door to Attila for me, so I can see that snake in person.”
“I.I can’t do that Doctor. You can knock, but I would get into trouble if I let you in there. You know how he feels about security.”
“I know,” Karen said. “I will knock. You guys go on back to work. Nice meeting you Jim.”
“Same here Doctor,” Jim said.
Karen walked over, and knocked on the security door to the super computer room. She waited a few moments, and then knocked again. After a moment, she looked back to see Jim and Jeremiah, still standing in the office, watching her. Jeremiah pointed up at the top of the door. Karen looked up, and saw the camera. A voice came over the intercom.
“I saw that Jer,” Connor said, as Karen listened to Nate’s braying laughter in the background.
Jeremiah tugged on his brother’s arm, and waved at Karen. “Sorry Dr. Blakely, we have to go now.”
Karen looked up into the camera. “Open this door little pigs, or I will huff, and I will puff, and I will blow your door down.”
The door opened, and Connor came out sheepishly. Karen heard the laughter coming from the room. He closed the door behind him. “Hi Karen, nice to see you.”
“I guess you talked to Nate.”
“He did mention telling you about an unfortunate practical joke I played on him,” Connor answered.
“Yes he did,” Karen replied, “involving a certain bimbo from the Center.”
“Hologram.”
“A projection of a real life image of someone we both know,” Karen continued. “Apparently you cannot get Kathy out of your head.”
“No, apparently you cannot get Kathy out of your head.”
Connor watched Karen’s face tighten, and then she chuckled. “I am getting out of control in your eyes, aren’t I?”
Connor shrugged. “Since I have not seen Kathy since she sat at my table at the Center, I have a hard time understanding your concern. Now you have me entertaining my employees with my school boy angst over having you mad at me.”
“What would you do if you saw me hanging on another man? How would you react?” Karen asked.
“You have seen no one hanging on me,” Connor pointed out, “and if I cannot stand up to comparison, then I would leave you alone until you contacted me.”
“It would seem to be a futile endeavor trying to make you jealous then,” Karen concluded.
“Pretty much,” Connor agreed, “but it does not mean you can’t hurt me. I guess you will have to just get over yourself, and accept me for what I am.”
“And that would be?”
“Someone who cares for you very much,” Connor replied, “but who has played his last hide and seek in the back room game. Nate has enjoyed this too much for my taste.”
Karen laughed. “He did however seem sorry to have told me about it this morning. I’m sorry for acting like I own you. I keep forgetting my
Circle of Iron
lessons.”
“I told you about your low self esteem,” Connor said. “I will be heading to France soon. Were you still interested in going with me? It will be very dangerous.”
Karen’s face lit up, “Do you mean it?”
“Of course.”
“I will let Derek know. Will I be able to help you?” Karen asked.
“Yes,” Connor replied. “I will need some cover, although I will be traveling in disguise. The danger comes in how well anyone out there knows who you are. If they have some kind of dossier on you, they may make my visit an attempted execution.”
“Will you have to let them know?”
“I want to set up a meeting with Pierre as Raymond Yee,” Connor explained. “If I keep the meeting out in the open like I am conducting business, I might get to a spot where I can get my hands on the list of girls taken, and where they were sent.”
“You mean force it out of him?”
“Not unless I have to,” Connor said. “I plan on buying the list. His funds are very low, thanks to my excursions into his accounts.”
“You just plan to buy the list and then leave him?”
“No Karen, Pierre and his entire staff must die on the spot. If even one lives, I will probably lose some of the girls. As I said, it will be dangerous.”
“I will be with you there too, won’t I?” Karen asked.
“You do not have to go with me to Pierre’s stronghold,” Connor replied. “I could use you along on the other missions to get the girls out.”
“I want in at Pierre’s too.”
Connor sighed, and shook his head. “I figured if I let you come, you would force your way in on the Pierre deal. You could die on that one you
know?”
“I know.” Karen put her arms around his neck. She looked into his eyes. “No one can get through you.”
“I am not a God Karen. I am a mutant like Nate says. I can be killed, and if I am, you will be too, or worse. You will just be in the way at Pierre’s.”
“Then you should not have asked me to come. I am in all the way,” Karen stated.
“Okay.” Connor held her to him tightly. “We will have to coordinate things with Greg after the Pierre deal. We will need a team to help us wherever we need an extraction. These missions will have to proceed quickly, or we will lose some of the girls.”
“How will you handle the people who bought these girls from Pierre?”
“They die, and their holdings will be destroyed or confiscated, with the help of the team we coordinate with,” Connor said without hesitation. “Once we have the girl in safety, there must be an object lesson in kidnapping children from the United States.”
“An international incident will be hard to explain to the President, after the fact,” Karen pointed out.
“We keep a low profile until we are done. If we are found out, and the President doesn’t like it, then fuck him.”
Karen laughed and held Connor at arms length. “You will cost a lot of people their jobs.”
“Derek is in all the way, and Greg will be. Nate could give a shit less. When it comes to returning little girls stolen from our streets, and sold into slavery overseas, we will get justice.”
“Your justice,” Karen stated.
“I will take responsibility for it. I remember my daughter Karen.”
“I remember your justice,” Karen observed.
Connor’s face seemed as if a shadow passed over it. His mouth turned down and his eyes looked past her into a hellish memory. “I killed and tortured, trying to erase the memory of my wife and daughter’s mangled bodies. I have a chance here to do it in reverse. The faster I move, the more parents who will see their daughters alive.”
Connor focused again on Karen with an awful smile. “You are right Karen, many will die to achieve my mission. If you have a problem with it, I would suggest staying home.”
Karen put her arms around Connor’s neck again and kissed him on the lips. “I have no problem with that.”
Two weeks later Greg Haynes, Nate, Derek, Connor and Karen sat at a table inside the super computer room. Connor and Nate had taken them all through the software changes, and programs they had added. Overall coordination for all operations would progress through Attila, under Nate’s control, through prior agreement. Nate would coordinate follow-ups with Greg’s resources at CIA, and determine extraction routes on the fly as needed.
“How are you doing Greg with your teams,” Connor asked the new CIA Chief.
“Nate has already fed in the locations I have put on alert for you,” Haynes replied. “I should say I will need some time. If I can have at least a general area just before you move in, I will get you out. Some are concerned for their networks they have built up. I told them I will put teams on the ground who will not compromise their resources.”
Connor nodded, “just so when I have a girl under protection, I can count on backup to take out interference, so I can get her clear without accident. The team you use on site will be in danger, and they will have a free fire zone until I get the girl out. Once Karen has the girl on her way to military or civilian transport out of the country, I will return to make sure your team gets out. I will leave no one behind.”
“I understand,” Greg replied.
“We will have state of the art communications and satellite reconnaissance all the way,” Nate put in. “Derek and I will be here to help you through every step. We will not leave anything to chance. The main blank will be Connor’s initial contact with Pierre. There will be no extraction there. Thomas and Karen will leave on their own. Once they have the location of the kidnapped girls, we move deliberately from one operation to another until we have them all. Clean up and containment after each extraction will be of utmost importance, or the next operation will be endangered.”
“I realize you will be approaching Pierre in disguise Thomas,” Derek said, “but how do you know he will take money at first, and put the list in your hand? On top of that, I am worried about you setting up the meeting before hand.”
“I know Derek,” Connor admitted. “The meeting with him remains our weakest link. Listen, I would do this by remote control if I thought I could contain it after I got hold of the list. I must be on site to make sure none of the names on the list get warned, and that requires in person physical control.”
Derek turned to Karen, “I know Thomas has to go to Pierre’s, but why do you have to go?”
“We have been all over that Derek,” Karen sighed. “I am going.”
“I could order you to stay. You work for me. Remember what happened the last time you went against my requests,” Quenton pointed out.
Karen flushed, as Nate and Connor laughed, and Greg looked on in confusion. “I’m going Derek.”
Connor reached over and put a hand on Quenton’s shoulder. “Forget it Derek. She only learns the hard way. I already told her she would only be in the way.”
“Very well,” Quenton relented. “I still do not like it.”
“Mr. Connor,” Jeff s voice came over the speaker. “A man has arrived to meet with you at Mr. Haynes invitation. Shall I send him in?”
Greg smiled. “The man I picked to head up the strike force after you get going. You and Nate know him.”
“Send him in Jeff,” Connor said.
The door opened, and a well-dressed man of Chinese descent walked in. Of average height and build, his dark black hair combed straight back, the man presented a pleasant innocuous appearance. He nodded at Derek, Karen, and Greg, and smiled as he recognized Nate. His mouth dropped open in stunned silence, as he recognized Connor.
“Has anyone told you how gawking like a little school girl makes for a very unprofessional image,” Connor said, rising to come towards the man. “Hello Johnny, nice to see you.”
The man recovered enough to take Connor’s proffered hand, and then hugged him instead. After a moment he stepped back, as he remembered they had an audience. “I cannot think of anyone I would have been more surprised to see Thomas. You owe me an explanation. After all you are responsible for me.”
“Don’t give me that hocus-pocus about my owing you crap,” Connor laughed.
“You saved my ass in Kuwait, and that means you are responsible for the rest of my unworthy life. I had released you from your debt only because I heard you were dead.”
“If CIA had not sent a slanty-eyed devil into Kuwait to begin with,” Connor joked, “there would have been no need for my saving your ass.”
Johnny Loo nodded. “Not one of my most brilliant volunteer ideas. You are now responsible for a wife, and three children, ages two, five, and seven.”
“When did you have time to work?” Connor asked. “Come on over and sit down. I guess you know Greg and Derek. This is Assistant Director NSA Karen Blakely, and you already know Nate.”
Johnny shook hands with everyone but Nate, whom he kissed on the top of his shaven head, bringing a bout of laughter as Nate rubbed the spot. “Hi honey, long time no see.”
“You little prick, I told Thomas he should have left your wise ass for Iraq to deal with.”
“I guess you know the danger involved Johnny,” Connor continued, as they sat down together. “I have to say, I am happy to have you in charge of the strike team.”
“I have two daughters Thomas,” Loo said. “I speak for the team I picked. We know what the mission entails, and we will get it done. Director Haynes did not say what the rules of engagement would be.”