Originally posted July 19, 2011
"You're not here, right now!" I recognized the voice from the phone call hours earlier. I couldn't place the face no matter how much I tried. DEMON had scraped the very bottom of the King's roster to dig up this guy. He didn't seem very bright at all. "Maybe I'm not here, either," El Alacran taunted as she stepped out of the shadows behind him, swords in her hands, hanging loosely at her sides. Good. She had finished with the magicians on the boat. I had hoped she would be here to see this.
Anyone watching the restaurant would have a hard time believing Chance Thomas was really on the docks, breaking up an arms deal. They would see the young restaurateur and Paz Delgado sitting quietly at the special table in the kitchen, somberly eating dinner as they reviewed the books. The two would seem pre-occupied, tonight, nervous.
Paz and I usually ate together a few nights a week. Running a business together never ceases to generate topics of conversation. Tonight we used body-doubles; two employees that happen to look just enough like us from a distance. They have to wear wigs, but unless you got right up next to them, they would pass.
"You're sister is dead!" His light brown face contorted with fear and panic. After waiting for the gang to unload the boat, we moved in. It took Paz and me about three minutes to capture nearly everyone. We left our friend here for last. He fumbled with his phone, trying to cover both of us with a revolver while trying to text. ¿Oíte? Dead!"
Something chirped from my belt. Shifting my grip on Kokoro, I slipped my phone from its pouch. I had turned up the volume, counting on Eddie's impeccable timing. I made a show of checking the number before talking. "Excuse me for just a moment. I should take this." He nodded, unsure and puzzled. He moved his phone to the gun hand, trying to force shaking fingers to press unsteady buttons. El Alacran just smiled.
"Yes?" I started to nod, smiling. "That's great news! She said what?" I couldn't stop the laugh from bursting out. It may have sounded taunting, but a lot of relief went into that chuckle. We had timed it perfectly. Eddie launched his rescue the same moment we started our attack. "OK, OK, One second." I held out the phone. "This is my friend, from the police department?" He nodded. "My sister's been rescued and your men arrested. Would you like to talk to him, just to be sure?"
The lump in his throat moved up and down as he swallowed. He shook his head. I put the phone back to my ear. "Thanks Eddie. I'll see you soon."
"You're all dead," he whispered. "You have no idea what you are dealing with."
My phone slipped back into its pouch as I closed the gap between us. "When I get out…" he continued.
"I know exactly what I'm dealing with. You're not getting out," I interrupted. "Kidnapping can bring a life sentence." He paled as I stepped closer. "Don't think your new friends will help you. You're just another street thug to DEMON. There are dozens of stupid punks like you, lined up, they will to sell to." His hands started trembling. "They might ask you if you want another deal. Think about this moment when they ask. How they left you holding the bag. Then think about how bad prison is, and figure, how much worse, Hell."
He collapsed in a heap on the floor, fainting dead away. Paz gently poked him with the tip of a sword. "They just don't make them like they used to."
--
Eddie slid out of the both to stand in the kitchen. His hands kept moving, quickly darting to grab a sip of wine before continuing the story. "You have to picture this. I break down the door, two other officers in tow. We have guns out. My suit's powered up. Yukiko is just standing there, calm, cool. She still has some rope still loosely wrapped around one arm. She's knocked out the two guys guarding her. She stands up stock straight." Eddie lifted himself up and then bowed at the waist, his hands flat against his sides. He pitched his voice slightly higher. "Lt. Alejandro. I am grateful for the rescue and I am deeply sorry for any inconvenience I've caused to you and the Millennium City Police Department."
The table disintegrated into laughter. Eddie slid back into his seat adding, "And then Danny broke into the window…. He got a hug." Another wave of laughter rose as Yukiko did her best to hide her furiously blushing face in the crook of her boyfriend's arm, concerns about public displays of affection forgotten for the moment.
Paz poured more wine. We had retreated to Kori's "Kitchen Table" to eat a late dinner and debrief. By the time we finished with police reports and other paperwork, the restaurant had long since closed. We enjoyed our food, conversation, and company in private. I went through the pantry to hastily prepare some of Yukiko's favorite foods in an impromptu welcome home celebration.
"What happens now, Eddie?" I asked as I turned my chopsticks around to grab another morsel of yakiniku from the common plate. "What's left of the Kings," he replied, taking a sip of wine, "is going to jail. DEMON will have to find some other way to influence the gangs on the West Side. Yukiko will have to testify. I don't think the DA will have any trouble getting convictions."
I nodded. It wouldn't bring back Tobias Glenn, but our actions would help prevent more needless deaths in the future. Eddie and I didn't talk about the risks taken. He had located where the King's had stashed Yukiko within a few hours of her abductions and spent most of that evening convincing her boyfriend to stick to the plan. Our coordinated attack saved my sister and made the streets of our home safer.
"What's next for you, Chance?" Eddie asked, using a fork to spear a piece of meat. "What will you do about the lawsuit?"
"I have my lawyers looking into it," I answered pausing to take a sip of wine. "I'm going to buy the building. The slumlord who owns the place now will get a lot more than what it's worth and will get off my back."
"You can't solve everything with money, jefe," Paz cautioned.
"Claro, but I can solve this problem with money," I smiled. "I figure we can rehab the place. Green it up. Offer affordable, clean and well maintained housing in an area that needs it." That would make our neighborhood safer, too. I watched as Eddie and Paz looked to each other across the snuggling Yukiko and Danny, and nodded.
Protect the people close to you or go out, beat the bad guys, save the world? A hero, a group of heroes, figures out a way to do both.
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