My Wife's Li'l Secret (22 page)

As if reading my mind, Aristov took the cigarette from my hand, threw it on the ground, and smiled at me. My eyes flitted between the lit cigarette and him. He didn't even squash it with his patent shoe! You know what I hate more than the sight of litter?
People
who litter. I loathe them.

Aristov not only threw a lit cigarette on the ground, he deliberately didn’t bother to extinguish it. He dared disrespect my sunburnt country like that? Sydney was one beautiful and classy babe; she deserved respect. I had one more reason to despise the fucker.

“Well, I gotta go,” I said in a sullen voice.

He nodded and put out his hand.

I didn’t want to shake his hand, didn’t want to touch his sordidness, so I hesitated.

It was not a smart thing to do, but it was really hard to smile and act friendly to a sinister thug who thought nothing of killing people, destroying lives, and hurting children.

Having little choice, I eventually shook his hand and got into my car.

As I drove off, in my rear view mirror, I watched Aristov and his goons stroll into the tavern, the Nike sports bag and the money he extorted from me firmly in his clutches.

Feeling like I had touched a slug and wishing I could wash my hands and sanitize them, I drove for about ten minutes before I spotted the white Nissan parked on the side of the road. I nodded at Arena and Bear seated in it and eased my Jeep into a spot behind them.

I handed the keys to my Jeep to my sister.

“Your phone,” she said.

I gave it to her, then slid into the Nissan with Bear.

“Good luck,” she said, before she drove off in my Jeep.

I looked at Bear. “Been inside?”

“Yep. Everything’s in and it’s all set up for you. Canines mildly sedated.”

“You sure?”

He glanced at me and grinned. “As Soong would say, hundred percent!”

“Great!”

As Bear drove, I opened my laptop and monitored the interior of the property in real time.

“No movement inside the house,” I reported as we neared Aristov’s house.

“Cool,” Bear said, pulling into a parking spot on the side of the road and killing the engine.

We sat and watched the house for about an hour before Aristov and his men drove past.

“Okay,” Bear said, watching the outside of the property through a pair of binoculars. “Shit’s ’bout to hit the fan, mate. Ready?”

“Ready,” I said, my eyes fastened to the laptop screen. “Five of them have entered the lion’s den.”

Bear nodded. “O…kay. Dogs in a fenced-off area. They drinking yet?”

I hesitated before I answered. “Nope. Booze hasn’t been touched.”

He lowered his binoculars to look at me. “No?”

I shook my head, a glum look on my face. That wasn’t good news. We needed them to drink.

Ten minutes later, they were still not drinking, and I started to get hot around the collar, even though I was wearing a t-shirt.

“Chill,” Bear said.

I nodded and continued looking at my laptop.

“Good news is…they are drinking!” I announced. “Finally!

“Bingo!”

“They’re snorting off the coffee table,” I said with a grin. “Party’s happening.”

Bear bobbed his head. “Sweet!”

“Vodka…whisky…not sure…um…yeah…one of them has left the group, going to take a piss, I think…yep, that’s right, the loo it is.”

My commentary went on for about fifteen minutes. “Okay, Aristov is at the safe…write this down, Bear:  seven, two, nine, two. Got it?”

“Got it! Combination hasn’t changed.”

“Hundred per…holy cow! He’s got a shitload of money in it!”

“Yeah?” Bear asked, starting the car to prevent the car battery from dying.

“O…kay, it’s happening,” I said. “Only one standing. You need to take over.” I handed Bear the laptop, drew a black beanie over my head, rolled up the collar of my jacket, and slipped on a pair of leather gloves. “Okay. Say when!”

Minutes later, I heard the words I had been waiting for. “All yours, Big. Move it!”

With a nod, I threw open the car door.

“Good luck, mate. I’ll be watching from here.” Bear’s voice crackled with caution.

I stopped and turned to look at him. “Bear?”

“Yeah, Rich?”

“If…if anything happens to me, tell my girls I love them more than life itself, okay?”

Bear stared at me.

“Okay?” I persisted.

“Okay, Ritchie. But nothing’s…”

“And…tell Nadia…tell her…tell her I love her. Very much.”

He nodded.

I pulled my beanie over my eyebrows, stuck my headphones into my ears so I could communicate with Bear, and got out of the car.

Carrying the packs of Benylin-soaked meat, I crept up to the house and threw the meat at the dogs. The mildly sedated dogs were inside the fenced section of the property, leaving me free to walk up to the front door, but I still needed to top up the sedation.

The dogs took longer to eat the meat, but even though they were drugged, all the meat was gone in minutes.

This time, I didn’t wait for the Benylin to take effect; after patting my pocket for the tools I needed, I climbed the fence and walked towards the front door. My heart was beating really fast. Guess it was thinking the same thing as my brain: fuck this up and you’re a dead man!

****

With my heart thudding, I knocked at the door and waited.

If anyone opened, I had my story ready – I was there to take Aristov up on his offer and party with them. To mesmerize them, I would flash a wad of cash I had in my wallet, then ask for my free coke. Demand it.

Nobody answered the door.

I tried the door, ready to open it with the locksmith starter-kit in my pocket if necessary.

Luckily, I didn’t need my tools; the door was unlocked.

The first person I saw sitting back on his chair appearing relaxed was The Family Man, his drink glass on the carpet next to his feet.

“Ritchie!” he said. “How are you?”

I smiled when I saw all the other men slumped in their chairs, trying to move, their drink glasses on the floor or on their laps threatening to fall to the floor, their movements clumsy and uncoordinated.

“Hey!” I said to Aristov. “I’ve come for my free coke.” Erring on the side of caution, I extended my gloved hand to shake his.

He looked at my hand and I could tell he was willing himself to shake it, but couldn’t. “I don’t…feel very…well,” he eventually admitted, even though his eyes were alert.

I grinned.

“The thing about Tropenohl, Aristov, a drug very similar to a date rape drug, is that it’s sneaky. It affects your limbs first. One of the first signs of its effectiveness – your drink slips out of your limp hands.” I pointed at his glass at his feet. “See?”

His eyes turned large. “Wha…like…what do you…?”

“At first, you think you’re just drunk. Your mind is alert, like yours is, enough to wonder why you got drunk so quickly. You scratch your brain – did I swallow some headache pills, perhaps? Some sinus medicine? You know, medication with a label that you may have missed? Warning: This medication causes drowsiness and may increase the effects of alcohol. May impair the ability to drive a motor vehicle or operate a…chainsaw
–
that kind of shit, get it?”

Aristov looked at his men. “Sivo!” he called, his voice urgent. “Sivo!”

I looked at Sivo, who was struggling to sit up, a confused look on his face. “He’s in the same position as you, Ari. Sorry. He’s good for shit, right now.”

“Fuck you!” Sivo yelled. “I will fucking sliiiice you. I will –”

I cut him off with a boot to the face. “Payback, arsehole!”

“Big, move it!” Bear’s voice crackled in my ear.

I chuckled and wriggled my gloved fingers at Aristov. His eyes bulged.

“That’s right; I’m here to kill you and to kill
all
your men.”

“Alexandrov!” Aristov cried.

I looked around at the men. “Who’s Alexandrov?”

Nobody answered. I looked back at Aristov. Unmistakable terror ran rampant in his eyes and he started to grunt like the pig he was. I chuckled and squatted in front of him. “I want to look into your eyes before I take back my money, steal
all
your money from your safe, and kill you and…all your men.” My grin vanished.

He shook his head. “Ritchie, we can work this…”

“Lessee, seven, two, nine, two, right?” My grin returned.

Satisfied with the look of both unbridled terror and fury in Aristov’s green eyes, I patted his cheek, hopped to my feet and strode over to the wall safe.

“Don’t mind if I work as I talk, okay?”

“Oh, fuck!” I heard Bear curse.

I froze. “What?”

“An SLK is heading toward you guys.”

Visitors were not part of the plan.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!

“Okay,” I said in a calm voice, not wanting to alert Aristov and his men. “Who?”

“Not sure, Big, but I think it’s Glebov Dyatlov, Aristov's brother. That Cyanide guy, remember?” Bear spoke fast.

“Yep.”

I remembered. According to Liefie, cyanide was his weapon of choice when it came to eliminating his competition, i.e., other drug dealers, witnesses to any of his crimes, and anyone who gave him trouble.

“Talk,” I said in a cryptic voice.

“The dude with Cyanide is his bodyguard, a Russian national named Tomac, who shadows him 24/7. He was charged with murder twice, and twice the charges were dropped when the witnesses vanished – Big, they’re pulling into the driveway. I’m coming in!”

“No! No! No!” I whispered. “Don’t! Stay where you are. I got this, bro.”

“Ritchie, I’m coming in!”

“I got this!” I almost yelled.

Nearby, Aristov had a smile on his face.
Now you’re gonna get it!

Ignoring him and trying to stay focused, I turned up the volume on the TV, then rushed over to Sivo, pulled open his jacket, and fished out a Glock.

“Leave my fucking gun,” he slurred.

My response was to crash the barrel of the Glock into his jaw. “Shut the fuck up, bitch!” 

His head lolled. Blood oozed from his mouth and dripped all over his shirt.  I ran around to Alexandrov, pulled open his jacket, and brought out a snub-nosed .357 Magnum.

“Beautiful!” I said to Alexandrov, who , after witnessing Sivo’s bloody mouth, had the sense to shut the fuck up before I made him
.
 

“Big?” 
“Got a .357 and a Glock in hand, bro. All under control. It’s just two more to the party, that’s all. No stress.”

When I heard the car hoot, I buzzed opened the gates from inside, unlocked the front door, grabbed a cushion, and stood behind it.

The moment Cyanide and Tomac entered the front door, I fired the Glock, one bullet each into their right shoulders, using the cushion to muffle the sound of the gunshots. 

Both men staggered into the lounge.

Tomac tried to reach for his weapon, but I fired another shot, hitting him in his throat.

While he lay on the floor, gurgling in his own blood, Cyanide looked at me, a stunned expression on his face. Slowly, he turned to look at his brother, then at the other men, then at Tomac, before he looked back at me.

I rewarded him with a bullet to his left shoulder. “Gatecrashing my party,” I said, shaking my head at him.

Satisfied my gatecrashers were no threat, I looked at Aristov. “Now, where was I?”

He didn’t answer.

“Ah, yes, the safe. Back in sec,” I said as I hurried toward it.

I opened the safe and eyed the huge stack of dollar bills. I had no idea how much was there, but I began stuffing the money into shopping bags. Six in total, filled to the brim. I picked up the heavy bags of money, dropped them outside the front door, and covered them with a rug.

I went back into the house and looked at Aristov. “You’ve been really busy, my
friend
. Thank you for the money!”

He looked like he was foaming at the mouth. I couldn’t be sure if that was foam, or just a lot of saliva. But I knew he was willing himself to move. I was sure of that.

“Big, move it!” Bear repeated in my ear.

When I hurried back in, I dragged all the bodies into a circle, ignoring the men’s grunts.

As I walked into the kitchen, I said, “As I was saying about Tropenohl, Ari, you’d think, maybe I drank on an
empty
stomach? Or you’d blame the booze –
Damn,
this vodka is good shit!
But as the minutes tick by, your body movements become slower, uncoordinated, your speech slurs, and by the time you realize something is wrong, it’s usually too late. The worst part of this drug – your mind stays alert till the very end. No blissful haze or sleepiness to help you along.”

I returned with two large plastic bottles that Bear had placed earlier under the kitchen sink.

“During my police training, I ingested the drug so that I could give a detailed report to other students in my class. At nineteen, I was cocky enough to believe that the drug would not affect me. Boy, was I wrong! I was shit scared, Ari." I cocked my head at him. “You are aware that I am a former cop, right? A former member of SWAT?”

He looked away, his chest heaving up and down.

I raised a plastic bottle in the air. “This, my friend is Chanel Number…” I squinted at the bottle. “Chanel Number…number, eh,
Petrol!
” I laughed hard at my own joke. Nobody else in the room did.

I grabbed Aristov off his chair and flung him into the center of the circle. He lay on his back, his body contorted, unbridled terror on his face. Quickly, I splashed all of them with petrol.

“Please…don’t do this,” Aristov slurred. “I will give you money. Lots of it.”