Chapter 1
The Headman’s adrenaline was pumping. In between labored breaths, his mind continued to replay the events that had just transpired. Did I just take out the prime members of the Vargus Syndicate? This is insane!” Gristle looked over at his boss who was deep in thought. He was speaking, but the Headman wasn’t hearing him as his ears were still ringing from the barrage of close-range gunfire.
“Boss? Boss?! Are you hearing me maan?”
“What?” Declan cleared his thoughts and refocused on the situation at hand. By now his trusted chauffeur and bodyguard was yelling quite loudly.
“Where to now, boss?”
“We need to finish the job and quick.” His second in command nodded in agreement and knew exactly what he meant. The black SUV though speeding at first, had now assumed the correct speed limit as it turned the corner leading into the industrial complex a half a mile away. They needed to blend in and not to attract any unwanted attention.
“Turn left here. Then pull up into that driveway.”
“Right away boss.” They had driven through the complex in order to emerge in more of a residential area. The building in front of them was little more than a run-down tenement building housing some forty section-eight apartments. The front of the building housed three small businesses, a shoe repair shop, a UPS store, and a family-owned bodega.
“Seriously, who gets their shoes repaired in this day and age?” Old man Vargus was very traditional in his upbringing. His nostalgia for the ways of the old country had him establishing storefronts that were relevant back home, but not so much here in the U.S.
The shoe repair shop had been his intended entrance but it was well past regular store hours which meant he would have to find another ingress. He walked around the back of the building until he came upon a service ramp and a security door with a keypad intercom. The ringing in his ears had almost ceased. The initial impression was that of a fortified business, but the Headman knew differently. Back in his younger years, he too was running product for the Vargus Syndicate and had become quite familiar with their operations. He flipped up the keypad and after trying several four digit codes, the internal door lock clicked allowing him easy access inside.
“Cover me.”
He pulled out his chromed revolver and stepped one foot inside. Gristle instinctively reached for his employer’s shoulder.
“Are you crazy boss? You’re going to get yourself killed!” He took his pointer finger and made a small circular-motion on the side of his temple.
“Please, Danimal. If anyone was going to shoot at us, they would have done it already. All of the Vargus heavy was eliminated back at the piers. The only ones that are going to be left here are his accountants and spies. You know...the exact kind of people we would want joining up with us.”
“And if they don’t?”
The Headman released the locking mechanism on his revolver barrel in order to examine and count his bullets. After a brief pause, he spun the barrel and then flicked his wrist to snap it shut.
“Then they’ll be joining their former employers in the morgue. Enough talk, keep a lookout and send in four stormtroopers as soon as they get here. Have the other headhunters follow regular deployment procedures.”
“Will do boss, but I still think you should wait.”
The Headman scoffed at the thought, then slipped quietly inside. The interior was well-lit and littered with dozens of large cardboard boxes and several large wooden shipping crates. A card table was set up in the far corner with poker chips and three face-down hands laid out on the surface. The place seemed abandoned, but once more using his past experiences, the Headman knew better. Seconds later, his phone trilled with a new text message. They’re here. Less than a minute later, four heavily-armored stormtroopers entered the building to catch up with his current location which was no more than a yard or so away from the door.
“Excellent! You guys were quick. Follow me and stay sharp!” he used the two fingers of his left hand to point at his eyes. They immediately flanked their leader at his six, three and nine, but allowed him to keep point. The floorplan was almost exactly as he had remembered it nearly eight years ago, and he had no problem finding and undoing the latch leading to the lower levels. He pushed the faux wall to his right which exposed a locked door. He stepped to the right of the doorway using the door frame to shield his body and knocked.
The guard slid back the peephole cover. “Who is it? And be quick about it.”
“Your new best friend.”
There was a brief pause before the locked flipped and the door opened outwards. A familiar-looking man stood in the doorway with his firearm drawn. Immediately, the stormtroopers cocked their weapons showering the man with four well-placed laser targets. The guard wisely threw up his left arm while slowly bending down to place his pistol on the floor.
“Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! I’m unarmed!”
The Headman stepped forward and placed the muzzle of his pistol into the man’s chest, but didn’t fire. After a brief moment, he removed the tip of his gun from the man motioning for him to stand up..
“Well hello, Carlito. Fancy seeing you here. How long has it been? Five? Eight? Ten years is it?” The man shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other not sure of his fate just yet.
“Relax amigo, I’m not going to kill you. Well, at least not yet. In fact, I might not kill you at all if you can prove that you’re beneficial to me.”
Carlito leaned forward to peer at the well-dressed man with the mask a bit more closely. “Declan? Is that you?” The drug lord once more placed the muzzle of his gun into the man’s chest and scowled.
“It is, but I no longer go by that name. I’m the Headman now and you’d be smart to quickly learn that.”
“What...what are you doing here? Did you rejoin the syndicate?” The man holding him at gunpoint began to laugh.
“No, my dear friend. I AM the Syndicate now. So say hello to your new boss. The Vargus boys had an... unfortunate accident.” After a slight bow, he turned his gaze back to Carlito who seemed completely surprised by the proclamation. “You seem perplexed. You mean to tell me that you didn’t know?”
“What’s to know? The Vargus boys rarely come here. Everything here is handled by Lolita and Chavo.” It was now Carlito’s turn to observe the look of surprise on the Headman’s face. “Should I let them know that you’re here?”
The Headman pointed towards the camera directly to his left. “I’m sure they already know.” A moment later he heard the faint click of a gun’s safety from among the shadows.
.”
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