Memories Unlocked #38

Chapter 38

Vargas found himself taken from his cell. “Hey, what’s going on?”

The officer merely looked at him. “Someone wants to talk to you.”

“I’m not talking to anyone without a lawyer?’ Vargas scowled at the officer. “I have my rights, you didn’t even let me call anyone.”

“You’ll get your call.  Right now you’re coming with me.”

Vargas frowned but allowed himself to be hauled upstairs.  The next thing he knew he was put into an interrogation room.  A few seconds later, the commissioner walked in.

“We’ll have to make this quick.  I just learned there is already a lawyer looking to get you released.  His name is Phillips. Do you know him?”

Antonio looked at his boss.  “No, he’s not one of Bernardo’s lawyers.”

“Okay, then it’s a safe bet someone else is looking after you.  What did you find out?”

“They’ve approached Bernardo but he wanted to meet with O’Brien.  Word has come down that it’s not going to happen. Bernardo is really pissed.”

“Do you think Bernardo will give in and work with the syndicate?”

“I doubt it,  Bernardo likes his power and he’s not about to let someone he doesn’t know come in and make off with his territory.”

“I see”  Bo sat on the end of the table. He looked at the man in front of him and to tell the truth, even up close, he looked nothing like his friend Antonio Vega.  Vega had been willing to undergo some Botox treatments and some prosthetics to change his looks. His face was fuller and he wore some gnarled scars on his left cheek. He had also died his hair black. But Bo could still see a lot of Antonio when he looked at him.  “Are you sure you want to continue this? What if someone from your old gang sees you? They could mess up this whole scheme.”

“Bo, I knew what I was getting into.  Look, I made sure none of my former pals are anywhere in town. My gang dissolved years ago when we cleaned up Angel Square.  Most of them scattered and those that didn’t are dead. All of Bernardo’s men have only recently come here, they followed Bernardo from New York.  They have no real family here. I think I’m safe.”

Suddenly a cop popped his head into the room.  “The lawyer’s on the way?”

Bo stood up and rounded the table standing opposite Antonio.  “Listen, Vargas, one of my men ended up in the hospital because of your gang.  I can’t get the ones who hurt him but I have you. I’m going to see you go to prison for it.”

“That won’t be happening, Commissioner,” said a man standing in the doorway. “I’m Harold Phillips and I’m here to see that my client isn’t tried for something he had nothing to do with.  I have sworn statements from several store owners who live on the street where your officer was hurt and all of them say that Mr. Vargas never touched the officer in question. I demand you release him at once.  I’m sure the Mayor would frown if you railroad an innocent man.”

Bo exchanged a quick glance at Antonio and then growled. “Harrison, release Vargas.  Mr. Phillips, I suggest you find another more worthy client then Vargas here. He’s street scum and isn’t worthy of your trouble.” With that, he stormed out of the room. A short time later Antonio found himself on the street.

“Mr. Phillips, thank you.  You’re not one of Bernardo’s regular attorneys.  It usually takes them a day or two to get any one of us free.  Where did he find you?” Antonio took a good long look at his new lawyer waiting for an answer.

“You don’t need to worry about that.” said another man who approached them.  “I’m
Bart McKinney  I’ve been authorized to offer you a deal.  I’m not sure if you heard but I’ve been told Mr. Bernardo met an unfortunate accident last night while the police held you.”

Surprised Antonio struggled to keep his composure. “Bernardo’s dead?”

“If my sources are to be believed and I trust my sources.  Surely the police already know this? If not, I’m sure they are finding it out as we speak.” McKinney watched Vargas intensely to see how the man took the news.  He could tell Vargas was shocked but he still needed to know what Vargas would do next.

Antonio’s mind was working a mile a minute.  O’Brien hadn’t wasted any time. When Bernardo wouldn’t fall in line  O’Brien had just eliminated him from the equation. Bo was right., the syndicate meant business.  He shoved a hand through his hair. “Wow, well I guess I need to get back to my men. With Bernardo gone, they’ll be itching to make some trouble. I take it that Mr. Phillips here is your man.  What is this offer you have in mind? I need to hear it quickly, the gang will be in an uproar with Bernardo dead. I’ll need to get to them soon and settle them down.”

McKinney smiled. “Excellent, you’re just the man I hoped you would be.  We want you to work for us, You and your gang already have a hold on the people of Angel Square.  I‘m aware you’re currently running a protection scheme. My boss wants to take that to a new level.  But he needs men already in place. You would be working under me and taking orders. All you have to do is give those same orders to your men.  What do you say? Answer carefully, Mr. Vargas. Who knows, maybe you’ll end up having an unfortunate accident too?”

Antonio realized he had no choice but to accept.  Still, getting into the syndicate wasn’t the problem, getting enough on them to get rid of them was.  McKinney had made it very clear that O’Brien was still out of reach. One step at a time, Vega.  Antonio held out his hand. “I understand perfectly.  I’ll get the men to toe the line. You have us. The next step is yours.”

****  

It had been over a week since Blair and Todd had discussed O’Brien’s Syndicate.  Blair refused to back off and when she discovered that a street gang leader had been killed suspiciously she had turned all eyes on the organization.  Strangely, she hadn’t received anymore threatening calls. For his part, Todd had been working extra hard to get his legs strengthened. Just that morning he had walked the whole length of the parallel bars in the therapy room without the use of the braces.  It was the first milestone he had been working for, unfortunately, he still didn’t have the strength in his legs to climb steps and he desperately wanted to finally get upstairs in his penthouse.

He had a fantasy of calling Blair over and then greeting her by walking down the stairs.  He wanted to see her eyes and be able to pull her into his arms while standing up on his own two legs.  His stomach growled letting him know it was time for lunch and his date with Blair. He rolled his chair to the curb where Williams and the van sat waiting.  Todd positioned his chair and locked the wheels in place and reached for the seat belt. “Williams, let’s go. You know Blair is always ready to eat by now.” He started to reach for a drink when a bag was suddenly flung over his head. “What the…” he reached to remove the bag but felt his hands grabbed and someone zip tied them to his chair.

“Relax, Mr. Manning, we’re just going for a little drive.”

Todd’s heart was beating a mile a minute and he was trying to control the panic attack that was threatening to take him over. He still had some trouble with tight spaces and a hood over his head reminded him of being stuffed into a trunk, bleeding, and taking a long flight off of a cliff.  It took him a minute to steady his breathing and his mind was racing, he was rich but he didn’t have any current enemies that he knew of. Of all times to be incapacitated. Todd seethed, he was so close to being able to walk but whoever had him had timed things perfectly and he was caught in a stupid wheelchair “Who are you?”

“ Oh, I’m just someone who’s concerned about you and your family.  Let’s just say, as long as you behave yourself this will just end up being a short vacation for you.  Don’t worry you’ll be back home before you know it, but only if that wife of yours is smart. Although on that I have some doubts, she strikes me as a pretty dumb blonde who doesn’t know her place, so she’s going to learn. Sean let’s go.”  The car began to move.

Todd didn’t like that last statement at all.  His heart sank as he realized who had him. Blair wasn’t going to see this coming and Todd had a bad feeling his captivity was only the tip of the iceberg. The fact that they had taken him told him they weren’t ready to all-out kill her but they planned to make her suffer by using him.  He kept his voice steady. “It won’t work, She’ll never go along with your demands, I’m just not that important to her except as the biological father of her kids. We don’t even live together. Sure she’ll be upset if something happens for the sake of the children but she won’t lose any sleep over me.”  Laughter came from the seat across from his chair and he heard a drink being poured.

“Hah, Tsk, Tsk, Mr. Manning, you should know better than that.  We’re very thorough. We know she flew all the way to Guam to bring you home.  I must say I am surprised you haven’t been living with her though. I imagine she’s probably good in bed or maybe you just haven’t been able to get it up since your accident.  I'm guessing that’s why you’re living apart. Too bad, if she wasn’t so interfering, I wouldn’t mind having a bit of that ass myself.”

“Why you son of a bitch. If you so much as put a hand on her you’re a dead man!” Todd’s hands had been gripping the arms of his chairs so tightly as the man talked but now he struggled to break free. All he wanted to do was get those same hands around his captor’s neck.  

“Temper, temper, Mr. Manning.  She’s okay for now. You will be too, as long as Mrs. Manning stops writing her articles.  By now, the police will have found your chauffeur and I’m guessing she’s received word you are missing.”  

“This isn’t going to work.  The cops will be on the lookout for this limousine, once Williams is found.”

“Of that, I’m certain, which is why this is where we get off.”  

The van came to a stop and Todd prayed they were just going to just leave him and the car but unfortunately they had other plans.  Suddenly Todd felt a knife drive into his shoulder. He almost passed out from the pain and blood traveled down his arm. God, please let it be a flesh wound.  He started feeling dizzy and worried they had struck an artery.  Before he passed out he heard another man enter the van.

“Bart, that wound is bleeding bad. The boss doesn’t want him dead.”

"It will be fine.  He’ll be stitched up as soon as we get on our way.  The boss also said leave evidence that we aren’t kidding.  I think the blood will do just that.” McKinney checked Manning’s pulse,  “He’s still alive. Let’s move, we need to be gone before some cop sees this Limo.”  After rolling him off, they removed him from his chair and dumped it next to a garbage bin.  Then they laid him in another vehicle and left.

*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***
Your comments are 'payment' for the work of the authors. Our writers like to hear your feedback. Please leave a comment when you read.