Fight 4 Us | Book 14 | Revenge, page 14
part #14 of Fight 4 Us Series
I see the Caucasian female that drove Lauren and me before, and she asks us, “Too good for me to drive you two again?”
I don’t know how to take the Caucasian female’s question and I just keep walking with Lauren towards Phil’s electric car.
“I see how it is!” shouts the Caucasian female as Lauren gets into Phil’s electric car.
I turn towards the Caucasian female and shout, “What’s your name?”
“Angela!” shouts the Caucasian female.
“Thanks for the ride earlier! Stay safe!” I shout to Angela and get into Phil’s electric car.
“Friend of yours?” jokes Shaun from the front passenger seat of Phil’s electric car.
Phil drives away from Angela, exits the parking garage, and I answer, “Yeah, we are best buds.”
Phil drives away from the Ghost building and asks, “How did the meeting with Isiah go?”
I look at Lauren and answer Phil, “It went okay, but something is up with Isiah, Bakari, and the Ghosts and they seem to have made a deal with the government.”
“I knew it,” says Shaun.
“You didn’t know shit. You always think the government is involved with everything,” replies Phil.
“But this time I think they are. Isiah has cameras in his living room that are connected to some government and military group,” I say.
“Did he say why they didn’t tell us about the attack before it happened?” asks Phil as he makes a right-hand turn.
“Kind of, but it seems like they decided to let it happen so they could get their people out of prison and also setup a connection with the government,” I answer.
“If the government and military are involved now, shouldn’t they have a plan for things and any survivors? What did they say about the government?” asks Shaun.
Phil passes the Tampa Bay Convention Center and Lauren asks me, “Remember when we went to the Tampa Bay Superhero Con?”
“Yeah, and we saw those guys dressed up like Lord Supreme and the Rebel Knight from Space Wars?” asks Lauren.
I nod my head yes, smile, and answer, “Yeah, that seems so long ago now.”
Phil arrives at the drive-up entrance to Channelside and the guards keep the entrance shut and shout to us from their platforms inside Channelside.
“It’s Ryan and his group to meet with Sal!” shouts Phil from his opened driver side car door window.
The Channelside entrance remains shut and Shaun jokes, “This is about right. These idiots won’t let us in.”
I look at the tall metal doors of the drive-up entrance, the two platforms at each side of the entrance and I see one guard shout to someone down at the street level.
Another guard is on his radio and I say, “They are talking to someone on their radios.”
“I hope they have plenty of food, I’m starving,” says Shaun.
Suddenly the large metal doors open, and I see Brad, Eric, and Carmine standing at the Channelside entrance.
Carmine motions for Phil to drive in and Phil slowly enters Channelside.
“Go park in any spot over there,” says Carmine to Phil as Carmine points to a row of open parking spots.
Phil drives towards the parking spots that Carmine was pointing at and I hear the sounds of several speed bikes driving towards the Channelside entrance that Phil just drove through.
“Keep it open!” shouts one of the armed Channelside entrance guards.
I exit Phil’s electric car and I see three very expensive tricked out motorcycles stopped at the Channelside entrance and the lead motorcycle driver talks with the Channelside entrance guard.
The lead motorcycle driver is on a red custom sports bike and the other two drivers are on their own custom sports bikes, but one is purple and the other is black and white.
Eric, Brad, Carmine, and two guards come over to us and the three sports bikes exit Channelside.
“They need to pat you down and check out your vehicle,” says Brad.
“Whatever you need, we are here to make a deal and become allies,” I reply to Brad.
The guard finds my pistol and says, “No guns when you meet with Sal.”
“What should I do with it then?” I ask the armed guard.
“I’ll take it from you,” answers the armed guard.
“You aren’t keeping my gun,” I say to the guard as he holds my pistol in his left hand.
“Watch where you are grabbing! I don’t have any weapons on me!” shouts Lauren.
“What the fuck is this bullshit Brad!” I shout as I stare at Brad who is standing behind Carmine.
“Just making sure you aren’t a threat to our leader and community,” says Carmine.
“Why can’t we keep the guns on us or at least keep them in our car?” asks Phil.
“No guns in with Sal, but I’ll let you keep them in your car,” answers Carmine.
I give Brad a frustrated look and Brad mouths the word, “Sorry.”
The armed guards give Shaun, Phil, and me back our handguns and we put them inside Phil’s electric car and Phil locks his car.
“All of our guns are in our car,” I say to Carmine.
“Good, but I want to set-up a couple of ground rules first while you are inside our community,” replies Carmine.
I find Carmine is being overly arrogant and aggressive, but I decide to keep my mouth shut and let Carmine act like he’s controlling us in here.
“Okay, now you do whatever we say whenever we tell you to do it. If you get out of line, we’ll put you down real quick,” says Carmine.
“Do we really have to walk in a line when we are in here?” jokes Shaun.
Carmine glares at Shaun and shouts, “You know what I mean! Don’t start anything and there won’t be any problems! Do as you’re told and there won’t be any problems!”
“You’re a little early and I know Sal was with one of his lady friends, so hang right here and I’ll see if he’s ready for dinner,” says Carmine as he looks at me.
Carmine and the two guards walk away from us and Brad and Eric come over to us.
“What the fuck Brad?” I ask as Brad walks over to me.
“I know, I know. I’m sorry, but I thought this meeting would be the best chance we have with Sal,” answers Brad.
“Jon couldn’t make it?” asks Eric.
“Sorry, no. Sal said we could only bring three people with me,” I answer Eric.
“How is he and Kelly doing?” asks Eric.
“Good, they are doing well. I’ll tell him that you asked about him. You should come by Citrus Oaks and say hello,” I answer Eric.
“What’s the play here? Are we going to kidnap Sal? Poison him? Or what?” asks Shaun.
We all look at Shaun and I answer, “We are going to talk with him and have dinner.”
“So, this is only a dinner then?” asks Shaun.
“Yeah, are you disappointed?” answers Phil.
“Kind of, I thought we were going to try and take over Channelside today,” replies Shaun.
“Who were those three on the bikes?” asks Phil to Eric and Brad.
“Three Russians. Valentina, Vladimir, and Victor,” answers Brad.
“Are you serious?” asks Phil.
“Yeah, and if you see them coming or even just hear their bikes coming, you need to hide,” answers Brad.
“Why?” asks Lauren.
“They are bad news and the lady they work for is even worse,” answers Brad.
“Svetlana is one badass chick,” says Eric.
“What? Who is Svetlana?” I ask.
Carmine comes back over to us and says, “Sal is ready and waiting.”
“Should we have brought something to this dinner?” asks Lauren as we start to walk with Carmine towards a building in Channelside.
“I don’t know, but it would have been a good gesture,” says Phil.
Carmine takes Brad, Lauren, Phil, Shaun, and me into a building and we see Sal and two other men sitting at a long-oversized dinner table.
“Finally, glad you all could make it!” shouts Sal to us as he sits at the head of the long-oversized dinner table.
Sal stands up from the long-oversized dinner table and walks over to me. “You must be the famous Doctor Ryan Briggs,” says Sal to me.
“Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you,” I reply to Sal and shake his right hand.
I introduce Shaun, Lauren, and Phil to Sal and Sal tells Lauren that she is beautiful, and Sal introduces us to the other two people that are sitting at the long-oversized dinner table.
“This is Dennison and Alberto, partners of mine,” says Sal.
I look at Dennison and Alberto and see that they have some bruising, wounds, and red marks on their faces. Phil notices that Dennison and Alberto are wearing overpriced suits and so is Sal. Shaun sees all the food on the long-oversized dinner table and Lauren feels uncomfortable as Alberto is eyeing her up like a piece of meat.
“Come sit down, and let’s enjoy a nice meal, before we work on making a deal between our communities,” says Sal.
“Sounds good, this looks amazing,” I reply.
“If you and I can work out a deal, this won’t be the last time you eat like this,” replies Sal.
I smile at Sal and Sal smiles back at me.
We all take our seats at the long-oversized dinner table and Sal has his Channelside workers come out and take our drink orders.
I sit down in my chair at the long-oversized dinner table and it feels surreal to be sitting down for a nice dinner with people I care about, a gangster, and two escaped prisoners.
CHAPTER 13
A REAL PIECE OF WORK
“I can’t remember the last time I had a meal like that,” says Shaun as he sits in his chair at Sal’s Channelside long-oversized dinner table.
“I’m glad you enjoyed the dinner. How about you Ryan and Lauren?” asks Sal as he looks at me.
Sal is sitting at the head of the table and I’m sitting at the foot of the table. Our seats were pre-arranged with markers at each seat.
“The meal was delicious, thank you,” I answer Sal.
“How about you Lauren? You seem like a nice Italian girl,” says Sal.
“It was great, the pasta and everything was just like my mom used to make,” replies Lauren.
“Is your mother gone?” asks Sal to Lauren.
“No, she’s still with us. She just hasn’t made big Sunday dinners like this in a long time,” answers Lauren.
“What’s your mother’s name?” asks Sal.
“Fran,” answers Lauren.
“No kidding, that was my mother’s name as well,” replies Sal.
“When are we going to get to the deal making Sal?” asks Dennison as he looks at Sal.
Sal glares at Dennison and answers, “Let’s digest our food for one fucking minute and then we can get into the deal specifics.”
Phil, who has been watching Dennison and Alberto from across the table since he sat down for dinner, says something to Shaun in a low voice.
“You talking shit about me?” shouts Dennison to Phil.
“No, I was just wondering if you got those marks on your face when you attacked our community,” answers Phil as he looks directly at Dennison.
“Which community is yours?” asks Alberto.
“It doesn’t matter, the point of this meeting is to make a deal, so our communities work together,” I answer as I look at Dennison and Alberto who are sitting to my right and across from Shaun and Phil.
“The way you and your boys have been looking at us all night, shows me that it does still matter that your community was attacked. You looking to settle the score right here right now?” asks Alberto with some attitude as he looks at me and then at Shaun and Phil.
Sal gets frustrated and shouts, “This is why I don’t deal with idiots! I thought Jacob was the last idiot I would deal with!”
“Are you done working with that little prick Jacob?” I ask Sal.
“Yes, he’s dead to me. He challenged several of my orders with Dennison and his group, and I don’t take mistrust and defiance lightly,” answers Sal.
“Good, because we hate Jacob and his group,” I say to Sal.
“But what are you proposing?” asks Phil to Sal.
“A partnership,” answers Sal.
“But there are several groups here. Four by my count,” I say.
“The more groups, with more people, the merrier. Just as long as we all see things the same way and have the same goals in mind,” replies Sal.
“What are your goals?” I ask Sal.
“I want to run things and control Tampa Bay and then branch out from there,” answers Sal.
“Like a dictator?” I ask.
“No, more like a president or a boss,” answers Sal.
“So, we aren’t talking about you running things around here with an iron fist and whatever you say goes?” asks Phil.
“Well, some problems and discrepancies may require force with an iron fist,” answers Sal.
“We are friends with several groups and I’m not sure they would like anyone interfering with what they are doing,” I say.
“You talking about the group of colored guys that wear those crazy masks and face coverings?” asks Sal.
“They are called Ghosts and they are very capable and well-equipped people,” I answer Sal.
“They could oppose us and there could be a war, or they could join us, and we all become allies,” says Sal.
“But what do we do about Jacob and the Conquerors?” asks Dennison.
Sal looks directly at me and asks, “Great question, what should be done with Jacob and his group?”
I feel Sal looking at me and I ask, “Are you asking me, directly?”
“Yes, I would like to know what you propose we do with Jacob and his group,” answers Sal.
“Well, we have to find them first,” I reply.
“So, when we find them, and we are going to find them, I can promise you that, then what?” asks Sal.
I feel uncomfortable with Sal’s question and I feel everyone looking at me and waiting for my answer.
“We get rid of him,” I answer Sal.
“What does that mean exactly? There are several different ways to get rid of something or someone Ryan,” replies Sal.
I feel that Sal wants me to say we would kill him, but as I look at Lauren, Phil, and Shaun, I feel a sense that if I say that, then Lauren would see me as a monster.
“Well Ryan?” asks Sal.
“He’s too scared to even say it, how is he even going to do it if the time comes?” asks Dennison.
I glance at Dennison and Alberto and see them as evil terrible prisoners and then I glance at the other side of the table and see Lauren, Phil, and Shaun, who represent good people and my loved ones.
“Is that true Ryan? Would you be too scared to kill Jacob?” asks Sal.
“I killed his brother,” I answer Sal.
“Bullshit!” shouts Dennison.
I look at Dennison and ask, “Jacob didn’t tell you that part, huh? He didn’t tell you that I cut his fucking head off with my samurai sword?”
Dennison looks at Sal and Sal says, “It’s true, well from what I heard, it’s true. I didn’t see it happen.”
Dennison and Alberto’s mean mugs towards me slightly dissipate, and I feel like they see me somewhat differently now after hearing that I killed Joseph.
“But this seems like general concepts so far, what are you wanting from us specifically?” asks Phil to Sal.
“Great question, I think a test is in order and then we go from there,” answers Sal.
“What type of test?” asks Shaun.
“A measure of trust and ability,” answers Sal.
“What are you thinking?” I ask Sal.
“I’m thinking that I want Ybor cleared out and taken back from the dead,” answers Sal.
“And the Colombians?” asks Alberto.
Sal scowls at Alberto, but doesn’t respond.
“When are you thinking you want to get Ybor cleared out?” I ask.
“When are you available?” asks Sal.
“Why not have your people here do it?” asks Phil.
“Most of the people here at Channelside are useless and incompetent,” answers Sal.
“Why not have Dennison’s group do it?” I ask.
“We lost more than half of my people recently. We are barely holding on as it is,” answers Dennison.
I think that it’s a good thing that Dennison’s group of escaped criminals are dwindling down as the last thing we need around here is more problems with the living.
“Do you know if the Conquerors are still around Tampa Bay?” I ask Sal.
“I would think there are small groups of them, but our patrols haven’t seen much of them around Tampa Bay recently,” answers Sal.
“Why did you agree to work with Jacob?” asks Phil to Dennison.
“He promised us that he would give us food, supplies, and anything we wanted in exchange for helping him attack a community,” answers Dennison.
“And that community was ours, you killed some of our people and destroyed our walls, vehicles, and homes. My father’s home,” I say to Dennison with a stern voice.
Dennison looks at me with a death stare, but doesn’t reply.
“Jacob recruited Dennison and his people without consulting me. I wouldn’t have allowed that to happen,” says Sal.
“Why not?” asks Phil.
“Because it wasn’t the best use of Dennison’s group,” answers Sal.
I look at Dennison and I can see that Dennison is getting angrier with this conversation.
“How can we trust that a bunch of criminals and convicts won’t attack our communities again?” I ask.
Sal looks at Dennison and then looks at me and answers, “I won’t let them attack Citrus Oaks or the Haven.”
“They’ll just listen to you?” asks Shaun.
“They’ll listen to me,” answers Dennison.
Lauren asks where a bathroom is and Sal says that a person from Channelside will escort her.
Lauren gets up from the table and I worry about her safety.
“I’ll be okay,” says Lauren to me in a soft voice and Lauren shows me that she is holding a steak knife in her right hand that is being hidden in her right sleeve cuff.
