Caspien

I followed the man that I saw with Fran. Fran was going to be easy enough to find. I knew where she was going to go, so I wasn’t so worried about her. I was worried about the man that put his hands on my woman. Was that why she had called the cops on me? It wasn’t like there was another reason. Yeah, I may have gotten a little rough with her, but it wasn’t like it was that bad. It wasn’t enough for her betrayal.

So instead of dealing with her first, I knew that I wanted to deal with the neighbor. I knew exactly who Lucas was. It was hard not to because the man was someone that liked people to know that he was the boss. He ran a gang of misfits and sold a little powder. It wasn’t like he was anyone that was going to be a problem. I just needed to get a few men together and I had a plan to give him the kind of welcome that he deserved. He knew that Fran was mine and he shouldn’t have tried to take her from me. I didn’t take kindly to that, not at all. Lucas was going to have to pay.

I picked up my cell phone and made my way to the hideout. It wasn’t that far from the city, but it felt like it was miles and miles away. Everything was right where I left it and I had a good feeling about the old swamp shack. I hadn’t had to use it in a long time, but it was helpful in more ways than one. The only bad thing about the place was that the cell service was sketchy at best.

Walking around until I got some service, I dialed the number that I had been waiting to call. “Conrad?”

“Yeah.”

“I need you and Bruno to get down to the shack. We have some work to do tonight.”

“What about the shipment?”

“What about it?”

“It will be here in an hour. We need to go down to the docks and get it. The coast guards have been out in full force lately, so I don’t think you want it sitting on that boat too long.”

I agreed, but I was more pressed with the current matters, the ones that had nothing to do with business. This was personal and I wanted it taken care of first. Then I could think about my product that needed to get out to the streets.

“I need you and Bruno out here. Send Tito out to get the shipment. He can drive the truck. Scott can go with him.”

“Sure thing, Cass. Do you need us to bring anything out?”

“Just bring me some things for a West Virginia wakeup.”

The man on the other side of the phone laughed and said that he would be here soon. I didn’t need much to get through my plan. Really all I needed was something flammable and a couple of guns. Lucas was going to realize real quick that he had messed up. He was going to wish that he had never laid eyes on my woman.

I hung up and looked around the shack. It was horrid on the outside, it was made to look that way, but the inside was packed with all kinds of creature comforts. I had maintained this place for years and I still hold to the fact that it has always been a great investment. I don’t have to use it very often, but when I do, I am always thankful for it. This time was no different. I had to lay low until I figured out what I was going to do about those charges. They were ones that I wasn’t too sure how to get out of them, but I was already in contact with my lawyer.

Jumping in the shower, I rinsed off and waited for the two to get here. My chest hurt and it looked worse in the mirror than I would have liked it to. I could see and feel infection. The heat was burning off of it. I needed some meds and made another call. I was going to be here a while, so I needed to get everything sent to me.

The two got here together and I went out to the porch to see what they had brought. I was walking a bit slower, but I wouldn’t flinch or act like I was hurt. In this business I couldn’t show any weakness, even though when they went inside, I slumped against one of the trees nearby. I didn’t feel up to it, but it had to be done. It was a disrespect action that I couldn’t ignore. I didn’t want to. Anyone that touched Fran deserved everything that they got.

The only problem was that I had a feeling the cops were going to have my place staked out. They were looking for me and everyone seemed to have the tendency to want to go home, even though it was always the first place that the cops were going to look. They always checked family first and since I didn’t have any family, the only place that they had was my house. Lucas’ house was a little too close to mine, but I hoped the chaos from the fire would confuse them. It would happen fast and I just had to get out of there when the man hit the ground or the house engulfed in flames.

The actual plan was a little fuzzy still, but everyone involved knew what was supposed to happen in the end. This wasn’t our first go round and it wouldn’t be my last. I would beat these charges one way or another and life would be back to normal. I had to tell myself that, because anything else was hard to imagine.

***

The cops were watching my place. I sent one of my guys to make a distraction a few blocks over first. It was going to pull the cops from my house and send them out of the neighborhood. It was going to be a fiery night for this side of New Orleans and I didn’t care either way. It was going to get me what I wanted, without getting caught. That was all that mattered. Lucas had to pay for even thinking about my girl in that way.

When I got the green light, the three of us took our positions around the house. It wasn’t empty. I counted at least three other people in the place besides the mark. I didn’t care who they were. They were going to end up being in the wrong place at the wrong time. That was not my problem. The people should have kept better company. All I cared about was the fact that none of them was my Fran. I still didn’t have a handle on where she was, but knowing her she would be at work tomorrow and I wouldn’t have to find her. She liked her routine and I knew it perfectly. Fran could be hard to deal with, but after some time and a little convincing, she would see things my way.

“Are you ready boss?”

I told Bruno to throw the first burning cocktail in the upstairs window on his side. The process was repeated on the back and the other side windows. I wanted only one way out and that was through the front door. We could pick them off as they tried to get away from the smoke. It was a good way to get rid of evidence and make sure that you got rid of the people as well. I wasn’t worried anymore.

After the first one was thrown, it quickly turned into chaos. I could hear screaming in the house and it was more than likely because they were waking up to flames. I would have imagined that would not be a good way to wake up in the morning. I certainly wouldn’t have wanted to be them.

I heard someone holler my name over the phone and I aimed for the front. The first to come out was a blonde woman and she didn’t get but five feet before she was stopped with a shot. There was another one that was starting to come out, but backed up when they heard the shot. As the building around them burned, I waited them out. They didn’t have anywhere to go, so it wouldn’t be long before the other three made it out, if they made it out at all.

The sirens from before were coming closer and as the sound moved to our street, I saw the ambulance and fire trucks. The police weren’t going to be far behind. I needed the rest of them to get out of there and fast. The house was flaming and I knew that going in wasn’t an option. It looked like it was going to collapse at any time.

I couldn’t wait any longer and I sent the orders to retreat. He was worth a little drama, but not enough to get me put back in jail. I was doing everything I could to stay as far away from there as possible.

Looking back from a safe distance, I still didn’t see any movement and I left thinking that I had gotten the bastard. It was all that I wanted and I felt relieved and ready to move on now. My will had been done and Lucas wasn’t going to be a problem anymore.

The cops were passing us as they made their way to the second crime scene, though they didn’t know that was what it was, yet. Right now it was just a house fire, but the girl with a bullet in her head was going to give away the truth of it all. The truth was that this was not just a fire, this was an execution and I was sure that everyone had been taken care of. While I would have liked to have seen them all shot and dead, it was better to stay out of jail then to see it with my own eyes. I was going to take this as a win and move on to finding Fran. She was most likely at her friends or at work. I would see her soon enough.

I watched the place burn and the smoke rise up in the rearview mirror as we drove away. It was a good day.