Shadow and Shine (Book 2): Dark Divide Page 20

  Jenna shrieked through her tears. Her hands were shaking like crazy.

  All of this could have been prevented if Mickey was half a man as Asher. Instead, two people were dead.

  Nino began laughing and pointed his gun around the remaining survivors. “Alright, who’s next?”

  “Me!” Harry leaned up.

  Marshall didn’t hesitate. He put his forearm underneath Harry’s armpit and threw him into Asher.

  *******

  Harry

  Full dark

  Couple hours east of Utah

  The noise coming out of Asher was a mixture of an overheated, overflowing coolant reservoir in an old engine and the noise Harry made when he lost his leg. He shook back and forth in the fetal position, crying out in pain each time there was pressure on the knife wound on his back. Harry sat next to him, watching the poison take over his blood stream and slowly kill him.

  Harry couldn’t turn away from his slow torture. If he would have been clearer minded, he would have crawled over to Shelly’s body. There was no hope of her surviving, Harry could see pieces of white, spongy flesh all over the dried grass. He knew what they were.

  And now, Marshall was going to kill him. Harry wouldn’t fight it. If he demanded three people go, then Harry would volunteer. He would die for Mona. Harry was prepared to jump in front of a bullet for any of them. They were his family. If this was where he found his redemption, by dying for someone else, then so be it.

  He leaned his body up, staring back at Marshall. He wanted to curse him out, but couldn’t. Resolved bravery of self-sacrifice couldn’t replace the terror standing over him.

  *******

  Jenna

  Night

  East of Utah, maybe Iowa.

  Marshall whistled, again. Jenna hated him. She hated everything about these horrible men. Asher was dying because they were evil. Shelly was dead because they were cruel.

  Shelly is dead. How could anyone let it happen?

  Jenna watched Tink struggle against his ties. She wished he could do something, he was the only one who was trying. Everyone else stared at Marshall as he bent down to Harry. Even Harry, who acted like he was going to teach Marshall a lesson earlier, was silently crying as Marshall closed in.

  “Now, Harry, didn’t you say earlier, you didn’t want to ride with us anymore?”

  Harry nodded.

  “I thought so. Normally, I would prefer to keep a cripple in the car, since it gives us extra room. But I don’t care for you, Harry. I know your type, those big talking, proud, red-blooded Americans with no backbone. You talk about freedom as if you deserve it. You speak about America with pride and honor, even though you have nothing to be proud of. You’re the worst part of my country, Harry. You’re an embarrassment to our nation. How many times have you thought about killing yourself? You have, haven’t you? It’s written all over you, pathetic. I can’t stand the sight of you anymore. I would rather blind myself than spend another minute looking at your pathetic, worthless, embodiment of American pride.”

  “Then kill me and be done with it, bub.”

  Marshall leaned back up and shook his head. “No, that would be too easy. And somehow, I believe you would feel vindicated if I allowed you to become a martyr. No redemption for you. I don’t respect you nearly enough to give you such an honorable end.” Marshall turned to his men. “We’re leaving the cripple here.” He looked back down to Harry.“You’re going to starve out here, old man. You don’t have the will to survive.”

  “Are you sure, sir?” Nino asked.

  This can’t be happening.

  Marshall looked annoyed. “Behind schedule by twenty seven minutes. It’s time to go.”

  “But what if someone finds him?” Nino asked. “…sir?”

  “Don’t ask stupid questions. Jordan, round up the cargo!”

  Why isn’t Mona doing anything?

  Mona walked towards the van without argument. All of the youthful promise and ancient wisdom she possessed was reduced to empty shell. Nino enjoyed seeing the look on her face, or maybe it was Jenna’s disappointed reaction. “Don’t worry, sweetheart, he promised four survivors, you’re safe.”

  Harry laid by Asher, crying, while Asher continued convulsing.

  It’s all different now. It’s over. Everything Mona said, it’s never going to happen.

  Jenna thought back to her dream; Nino’s throat ripped open and his blood all over the front seat of the car. She wanted to be the one to kill him. She wanted the chance.

  *******

  Detective Roy Hadley

  10:42 p.m. (Western time)

  Las Vegas, NV

  “I don’t think we should go in there,” the hooker said. Roy unholstered his gun and continued walking down the long brick hallway. As they went in deeper, he stopped thinking she could be playing him. There was no way she was capable of manipulation. She jumped at every noise, she didn’t have the acting ability to fool him. She was a dumb whore, that’s it.

  She was afraid, and she should be, this was the first time since Roy first carried a badge in which he was scared, too. The decision to stake out a whore congregation based off a text message was foolish, continuing the path to follow the man down the street was ridiculous, but entering into the brick building felt like he was finally catching a break. The man in the suit knew something, and Roy was going to get it out of him. And if he didn’t like his answers, Roy was going to kill him.

  The walls of the hallway were freshly painted a pale grey. Long drips ran down the walls. It was a poorly done job, someone must have been in a hurry. Roy tried to think about why someone would use an abandoned building in Las Vegas for anything good. The rabbit hole of negativity was never easily escaped. Unfortunately, innocent people don’t paint the walls in abandoned buildings.

  “Detective, please, let’s leave. I don’t wanna go any further. I’m gonna go back. Please, can I go back?”

  Roy didn’t reply. She was free to make her own choices. She wasn’t his partner nor his friend, she was a dumb prostitute tied up in the same web as him. On the other side of the door, possible redemption waited. Las Vegas was a city of mass corruption and unparalleled disgust. It celebrated men who dressed in glitter, but dealt poison. The man in the suit knew something about those missing people, Roy didn’t need facts or figures to know it. If these walls could talk, they would announce it with a roar. This is why the hooker wanted to go. Roy was closer to finding Peretti, and closer to breaking him.

  *******

  Tink

  Dark

  East of Utah

  Anger burned inside of him like hot coals in the pit of his stomach. The van wobbled as it merged onto the interstate, Tink’s senses were heightened as the sack was back over his head. There was silence, other than the low beat of the engine and weight under the tires. There was darkness, other than the white hot fury coming out of Tink’s eyes. Tink’s nose was broken, so he couldn’t smell anything.

  He felt everything.

  Mona brushing up against his arm, her empty shutter.

  Jenna’s silent whimpering, her back bouncing against the seat.

  Mickey’s confused daze.

  Nino’s victorious movement.

  Jordan’s quiet storm.

  Marshall’s evil confidence.

  Tink knew most of these feelings were internal, not necessarily coming from outside his body. He wasn’t like Asher, who used to pick up people’s heartbeats.

  That is, before he died.

  Could he still be alive?

  Tink couldn’t see how, but then again, Marshall said he never saw someone live more than one minute after being stabbed.

  So maybe.

  But Shelly was dead, and it was probably Tink’s fault. Just like Edie and Lynn. He didn’t listen to Mona, and he put everyone at risk.

  He would make it up to them, though. He had to. These people might not be his family, but they were the closest thing he has ever had. They loved his sister. They’
ll protect her. Tink needed to do the same for them.

  It wouldn’t happen right away, but Tink promised himself, right then, that he would make these men suffer for their actions.

  *******

  Detective Roy Hadley

  11:48 p.m. (Western time)

  Las Vegas, NV

  “Detective.” The man in the suit sat with his fingers locked, resting on a clean steel desk. Roy holstered his gun, someone this skinny wasn’t a match for him physically. His pencil-thin lips barely moved as he spoke, “Have a seat, please.” Roy looked around, other than the table in the middle of the room, there was nothing but large windows and a closet door. His shoes stuck to the floor as he walked around. Just like the hallways, the walls and floor were recently painted.

  “I’m Detective Roy Hadley with the Las Vegas Police Department.”

  A subtle smile peaked from his face. “I know. Please, have a seat.”

  Roy watched the dumb woman pull a chair out, he couldn’t believe how stupid she was. Was she really dumb enough to listen to this man? Roy reminded himself, she made a career off of listening as men told her what to do. Snakes like this were able to charm idiots like her to bend over backwards. Roy wasn’t willing to play his games. “That’s funny, I don’t know you.”

  “Really? We’ve met before.” The man’s long legs stretched under the table and pushed the whore’s chair out for her to sit. He stole a glance at her and smiled again. “I’ve met you too.”

  He was playing her like a fiddle, Roy found him to be obnoxious. “Is that so?”

  The man grinned back to Roy. His smile stretched further. “I have. But it’s been awhile.”

  Roy stood up, and leaned over the table. It was time to make sure this skinny goblin realized he was playing games with the wrong man, “Listen buddy, I don’t have time for this. How did you get Markie’s phone?”

  His voice was calm. “With all due respect, Roy, you resigned. If anyone has time, it’s you. Not to mention the insomnia.” He pointed at Roy’s chair and scooted it out. “I insist, have a seat.”

  Roy exhaled. The man in the suit was better prepared for this conversation than Roy. If Peretti was going to bend his only-Italian rule, it would be for a guy like this. Roy was going to play this creep’s game long enough to learn everything. He would play, but he would make sure the creep knew he was playing above the rules. The two shared a smile as Roy sat down.

  “Thank you, Roy.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” Roy said, and placed his pistol on the table.

  The man mouth stretched to a long, thin smile. Roy thought he looked like a junkyard dog.

  *******

  Acacia Gold

  12:01 a.m. (Western time)

  Las Vegas, NV

  He was different than any man Acacia ever saw. There was something about his skin that made her want to rub her face against him. She wanted to feel his marbled flesh against hers. It would make her feel young, somehow she just knew it. He was the kind of man she dreamt about; wealthy, powerful, smart, but also dangerous. Someone to take her away from the ugliness of the world, make her feel beautiful, and still keep her on her toes.

  He could tell she was checking him out too, and he liked it. At least, she thought he liked it. His smile wasn’t desperate, like she was used to. It was more like a smile a proud father gives his daughter. Which made her attraction feel gross. It was the first time she thought about her dad in months. She wondered if he was still alive, even through all the crazy stuff happening in Utah. If anyone could be, it was her stubborn father.

  She shook her head. The man in the suit was too hot to be ruined by weird reminders of her senseless dad. Acacia was sitting across from the sexiest thing she had ever experienced. She wasn’t going to let anything get in her way. His dimples tightened and released as he waited for Roy to talk. Acacia continued to lose herself in his dark eyes.

  Roy spun his gun on the table to make it point at the man. “Here’s what’s going to happen; if you don’t answer my questions, I’m going to use this gun.” He was trying to intimidate someone who was above fear. Acacia thought she could get the answers out of him, Roy just needed to leave her alone with him for a little while. “Like you said, I’ve resigned. I don’t have anything to lose.”

  His perfect thin lips pursed together. Acacia wanted to kiss them. His firm smoothness made her ache. In all of her years of being a working girl, she never thought a man could do this to her. “Mmmm,” his noise quaked inside of her, “you have plenty to lose. Trust me.” He turned away from Roy and looked at the door to his right. “No reason to threaten me. What questions do you have, friend?”

  “Who are you?”

  “Thank you for asking. My name is Adam.”

  “Where is Markie?”

  “Detective Marcus Nelson,” he winked at Acacia. She smiled back, whatever game he was playing, Acacia wanted to play too. She couldn’t wait for this to end. “Sadly, the answer is more complex than I have the patience to explain.”

  “We’re off to a bad start.”

  “I suppose we are.”

  “Answer the question!” Roy yelled. Acacia looked over and saw sweat trickling down his face. Veins were pulsing. She thought she saw him angry before, but it was never like this. Roy looked like a psycho.

  “I don’t think it’s important to know, Roy. I’m sorry. Ask another question.”

  Roy picked up the gun. “How did you get his phone?”

  Adam smiled. “Good question.” He stood up, and nodded to Acacia. “Do you mind waiting here, for one moment? I have something… Right. Over. There. In the closet. I don’t mean to be coy, but this will settle some of your frustrations.”

  Roy clinched his jaw. “Sit down.”

  Adam’s perfectly trimmed eyebrows raised. “Make me.” He stood and walked slowly over to the door. Roy kept his gun pointed at him the whole way.

  ******

  Roy Hadley

  12:08 a.m. (Western time)

  Las Vegas, NV

  “Before I open this door, I want you to ask yourself a question.” He jiggled the door handle. “Why did you resign?”

  Roy didn’t answer. He was done playing this scum-bag’s game. Whatever he was trying to do, Roy wanted out. Adam was teasing him. He knew it, and hated him for it. Adam was better at interrogations than Roy.

  The door opened, inside the dark closet was a man strapped to a wheelchair. Adam walked in and pushed him out. The man was covered in duct tape; from his mouth, to his hands and knees tied to the chair. Roy saw the bruises and cuts along his forehead and neck. He was wearing a dirty suit, and smelled like he was tied down for several days.

  “Peretti.” Roy whispered. The most powerful man in Vegas was sitting in front of Roy covered in his own urine and blood.

  “Your questions about Markie, this is the man to ask.”

  “How?” Roy couldn’t believe it. The man he set out to kill was sitting in front of him. A sitting duck. It was too easy. Too perfect. Roy wanted to thank him. There was no guilt or desire to protect the broken down mobster, Roy was happy to see him in such a beaten position. He never thought he would actually see the day when Peretti was reduced to a shell of himself.

  Adam walked back to the desk and sat down. “Silvio isn’t untouchable. The Peretti crime syndicate is overrated. Remove the casinos and police force payroll and Silvio here is a two-bit player compared to the old days. He’s closer to the Zodiac Killer than Al Capone. If he knew what was good for him, he would have stuck to using the butcher knife instead of organized crime.”

  Roy examined Peretti; he was frightened, hurt, ragged, but was going to be fine. It looked like Adam put him in the chair gently, other than smacking him around a little. There was a part of Roy, the detective part, screaming for him to arrest Peretti and take him in for questioning. That part was small though. Nearly dead. The bigger part of Roy realized if he took him in for questioning, Peretti would be home before midnight. A resigned cop, wit
hout tangible evidence, and a beat down casino boss would result in another lawsuit and Peretti whistling back to business.

  Roy wasn’t sure what Adam had in mind, but he decided Peretti wasn’t leaving here alive. “What happens now?”

  “Answers,” Adam said, and slowly unwrapped the tape from his face. “Detective Hadley has come all this way for answers. He’s my friend. Treat him with the same respect you would—”

  Peretti’s deep voice interrupted, “Detective, I’m begging you.”

  Adam put his finger against Peretti’s lips. “I said answers, Silvio. Roy has questions, you have answers. I will not ask again.”

  Roy noticed the whore staring at Adam. Her legs were shaking. He nodded towards her. “Are you sure you don’t want the woman to leave?”

  “Not yet,” Adam answered, and turned his attention towards Peretti. “Your turn, Silvio.”

  “Please, detective.”

  Roy smiled, this was better than he could’ve imagined. Roy pulled his chair around and sat in front of Peretti. The smell nearly causing him to gag. The hopelessness in Peretti’s eyes was a dream come true. Roy wanted nothing more than to be the source behind those tears and that blood, but it felt amazing to look at him in his defeated state. The most evil man in Vegas was quivering at Roy’s presence. “Where is Markie?”

  Peretti shook his head in disappointment. “He’s dead. I’m so sorry, Detective. I—”

  “Where?”

  His eyes focused on Adam, he didn’t want to answer. Adam began unstrapping his right arm. “You can do it, Silvio. Tell him the truth.”

  “East Downing Street mailbox, MLK street, Remington’s Casino, your doormat.”

  “What? That’s four places—”

  “Chief Jackson’s garage. Henderson Super 8.”

  “I don’t understand,” Roy looked at Adam. The disappointment in his face gave Roy the answer. Adam finished untying Peretti’s arm.. Peretti was almost free, but held still against the chair.

  “You cut him up, you cut my partner into pieces. You… You’re a… Wait… where is his wife?” Roy asked.