The lost reflection, p.14
The Lost Reflection, page 14
At some point in time, I realized the money I had given Buck had most likely run out. He refused to take anymore.
“’Bout half of the people in here don’t pay for shit,” he said proudly as he pushed my money away. “You know we all fall on hard times every now and then, but as long as you got some food in the gut, you’ve got half a chance to beat the bastards back. I know you boys ain’t got no problem payin,’ but shit, Semper Fi, motherfucker.”
Buck, the guy who did not give a fuck, as he was often overheard saying, had a heart bigger than the four of us combined, and his generosity would not go unrewarded. Dinner passed, as did the sunlight. The joint eventually filled to the rafters with locals who knew the common tourist would not consider setting foot in this place. Crawdad’s was a dump by design and Buck the mastermind was indeed smarter than he appeared. He loved the locals and they loved him. Crawdad’s was not quite what I had envisioned while scouting for a hole in the wall for our meeting, but the boys loved it, so we made due. We rolled on well beyond our second dinner, although it never really seemed like a single dinner thanks to Chuck and Buck. Buck continued delivering dish after dish, and Chuck kept disposing of all the food remnants on the table.
Unlike the food on our table, the dinner crowd never dissipated. The patrons did transform from food to mostly alcohol consumption. As the sun faded, the natural light was replaced by many dimly lit hurricane lamps. By nine o’clock the crowd had spilled over to tables and chairs Buck had placed outside. I looked at my watch and thought of Sam waiting on my call.
“I hate to bust the party up guys, but we need to take a walk.” Without any doubt, removing Sam from the equation, our party would have gone on all night.
“Why?” Rob asked sharply, inspiring snickers from Chuck and Jimmy.
“Job,” I replied bluntly.
“Oh hell, there you go again. Always busting up another good party.” Rob served up the reminder it had always been my duty to corral the cattle.
“Tell you what. We will take a short walk. Then you guys can come back here, drink yourselves into oblivion, and close the place down,” I suggested.
“You guys?” Chuck questioned, raising a brow.
“Yes, I have a deal up the street which requires my attention.”
“Brian’s getting laid,” Rob sung badly out of tune.
“No, nothing that interesting. I have business to attend to, that is if you want to get paid.”
“Getting paid so we can get laid,” Rob continued to serenade out of key.
Buck returned to the table. “Mr. Buck, my buddy here informs me we must leave for a short time, but we will be returning ASAP,” Chuck alerted.
“Like I give a shit,” Buck snorted.
The four of us headed out the open doorway, feeling bloated and downright uncomfortable from all of the food and beer. The evening light had faded, giving way to night made hazy from the humidity and the glow of the gas lanterns. We meandered down and across several quiet streets in the direction of the convent. Our pace was intentionally casual, attempting to walk off the discomfort of the gorge fest. Over the years, our work was high speed and dangerous. On the occasional “off-duty” night, we slowed the pace enough to breathe a little fun into what normally were very intense times. Tonight was definitely one of those nights.
Our conversation volleyed between travels, future plans, and girls, mostly pertaining to the guys. I avoided any discussion of my imminent retirement and especially Sam. The less these guys knew of Sam, the better for her—and me.
As we closed in and caught first glimpse of the convent, I stopped the crew. “This will do.” The haze created an altogether ominous, intimidating aura. Cloaked in a mist of dense haze, the lights encompassing the building produced a foreboding glow. I gestured toward the historical landmark.
“Gentlemen, I give you the Old Ursuline Convent.”
The guys looked down the street. “Piece of cake,” Chuck piped in with overriding confidence.
“I hope so. With a little luck, it is just a victim of overstimulated imagination of people with nothing better to do than to prey on the fears of misfits looking for unnatural phenomena to give purpose to their meaningless lives.”
“Unnatural?” Detailing every word as was his character, Jimmy desired deeper clarification.
I blew off his inquisition and addressed the concerns of the job.
“If the Vatican is truly guarding an item of great value, then it is a safe bet they will have a sophisticated alarm system and guards ready to respond to intrusion. Jimmy, naturally the alarm is all yours. Once you have identified the system, we will have a better understanding as to the level of importance. Until we know, we proceed as if we were breaking into the Pentagon. But remember, this is Vatican property. What happens in there is not U.S. soil. If anything goes wrong, there will be no help of any kind. Just like Iraq.”
“Just like Colombia too, eh Brian?” Rob reminded.
“Yes, but there should be no need for any of that intensity here.”
“Hey, it’s a convent. Just a bunch of nuns, right?” Chuck was looking for reassurance to relieve any premonitions which might stand in the way of a quick payday.
“I still want to hear about the unnatural,” Jimmy repeated.
“We need to keep all options open.” I was looking for a temporary excuse to increase concern without diminishing validity, which any discussion of vampire chicks would instantly accomplish. “There could be a platoon of badass albinos guarding the place, you know, like in The Da Vinci Code.”
“Bring ’em on, bitch,” Chuck bragged. “I’ll show them the true meaning of badass hombre, courtesy of the United States Marine Corps.”
“The plan is to slip in, then slip out. No conflict, no ass-kicking, and definitely no guns. So, Chuck, you will have to keep your badass guns holstered,” I ordered.
“Killjoy,” Chuck objected with a bark of disapproval.
“Rob, I want to know who and how many people come and go out of this place over the next couple of days. How much food goes in, what kind of deliveries they receive. Keep an eye on the amount of garbage they generate. Get me some heat signature readings so we know where the bulk of the staff is at various times of day and night. I want to know electricity and water usage, cable or DSL, whatever they are using, everything and anything. Jimmy, we need building schematics, entry, exit, and alternate strategies. Hack their phones and network. Anything of interest, forward to me ASAP. You guys keep Chuck busy and out of trouble. Any questions?”
Chuck, Jimmy, and Rob nodded in unison.
“I will be in touch in a couple of days. If you need anything, get it. Expenses will be reimbursed. Let’s make this go down in three days, unless there is a damn good reason to extend the window. Okay?”
“Where are you going, bossman?” Chuck pried.
“I am working a tangent; there are some peripheral acquisitions which need my attention. One thing you must remember: Besides your employer, nobody wants us on the third floor. Not the locals, our government, and especially the Vatican. If this thing blows up, there will not be many places to run. The Vatican’s arm extends almost everywhere, so unlike Colombia, where you could count on rival drug cartels, there is no backup on this one.”
“Geez, Brian, you need to chill down, dude. You make it sound like we’re going to steal the remains of JC himself. We’re not going to need any backup for this one, boss,” Chuck promised. “We’ll slip in and out, like a visit to Ho town. They won’t feel a thing.”
“Guys, have fun tonight, but not too much. Keep a low profile. When this goes down, they will be looking for us. Do not leave a footprint.”
My steely expression and lack of humor accentuated my concerns. In the past, we would march into the gates of Hell, my face blanketed with a half-ripped jackass smile of delight, joking all the way. My change in demeanor caught Jimmy’s attention.
“I don’t think so, Brian. Something stinks.”
Having hardly spoken a half-a-dozen sentences all night, Jimmy objected to my departure. But he was like that. He usually only spoke when spoken to or when something was gnawing at him. Otherwise, the remainder of the time was spent in deep contemplation.
“I’m not going in anywhere until I know what gives. I’ve known you for over twenty-five years, and we’ve been through a lot of crap. You are not right, my friend. You haven’t been all night. You are concealing something from us.”
It is always the quiet ones, like Jimmy, who are so keenly aware of even the most minuscule changes in their environment.
“No shit,” Rob agreed. “You are not one hundred percent on board with this job. Jimmy’s right, something else is going on here. Give it up or we walk.”
“This is why I hate working with you guys. I should have known better,” I confessed.
“I knew it,” Jimmy proclaimed proudly.
“Dog, what’s the deal?” Chuck demanded. “I know there’s more to this job than what you’re giving up. I mean, come on, you don’t need guys like us to break into a convent.”
“Yes, I do need guys like you, and I really wanted to get through this without having to deal with a non-job related issue.”
“Too late for that,” Rob interrupted.
“Like I told you earlier, after this job my ass is retiring.”
I paused to consider how to tell the complete truth without setting myself up for a royal-ass reaming. With the exception of Phillip, these guys were my best friends, but I was not in the mood to wade through the bucket of shit that was about to follow.
“What the hell, there is no other way to say this. I have met someone.”
“Girl or guy?” Rob interrupted.
And it started. “Whatever. When the job is done I plan to be spending a lot of time with her.”
“Define a lot of time. Two weeks or so?” Chuck knew me all too well. “We all know for you a week might as well be eternity. Come on, dude, think of all your other relationships. Two weeks was like what? Ten days too long?”
“Yeah I know, guilty as charged.” I confessed to the crimes of a personality disorder previously worn like a badge of honor. “But this is different. I have changed.”
“You’ve changed? You don’t even change your underwear,” Rob continued.
“Up yours, Rob.” I turned my attention to Jimmy and Chuck. “I knew you guys would give me a ration of shit, which is why I chose to keep it dark.”
“Brian, guys like us don’t settle down,” Jimmy began to lecture. “It’s not in our blood. It’s not in our DNA. We live for the adrenaline rush. We’re junkies. You won’t, you can’t get that in a relationship with a woman, at least not for more than about fifteen seconds. Think about it, B,” Jimmy pointed to the convent, “this is the shit we live for, the game you love. Guys like us don’t fall in love with women. You can’t just turn off the addiction for the game just because you met an exceptional piece of trim.”
“You know, that is exactly where the root of my problem lies. Maybe my need for the thrill is gone. Maybe I need something else. Maybe my life’s feeling pathetic.” Never, in all our years, had the three been collectively so silent.
“I thought about it the other day, on the way here, about life in general. How many times have we come close to biting it?” I illustrated with my thumb and forefinger almost pinching together. “And a month, or even just a day later, come right back and do it all again? Adrenaline junkie? Nah. I just did not have anything meaningful enough to make me give a damn about myself.”
I told the guys how I met Sam and how I struggled. They looked disgusted and concerned.
“So this woman is the reason why you’re not hanging with us tonight,” Rob surmised.
“Something like that.”
“Not if I float her first,” Chuck jumped back in.
“Dammit, nobody floats her. There will be no capping of her ass. In two nights, when everybody has their shit together, we will meet back at Crawdad’s and get hammered. In the meantime, this town is full of freaks who like to play pretty sick games. Trust me, I know. Stay away from a bar called the Chamber. It is trouble we do not need.”
“The Chamber sounds like a great place to go kick some freaky ass,” Chuck boasted.
“I said, low-profile, Animal, very low profile.” I finger thumped Chuck in the chest. “That does not mean mixing it up with the local freak show.”
“I’m just screwing with you man.”
“Crawdad’s in two nights at twenty-two hundred.”
“Roger that,” Rob confirmed.
As I started to move away, Jimmy followed me and grabbed my arm. “Brian, this relationship, it’s a good thing. I wish you the best.”
“Yeah, glad one of us is getting some poon tonight,” Rob bellowed.
“Thanks, JB.” I headed away from the convent and the hecklers. I would make several shoulder checks to ensure they did not follow. Inasmuch as they were soldiers, more so they were pranksters. I did not need any middle-of-the-night uninvited visitors.
“Don’t forget your rubber ducky,” Rob broadcasted as I headed further away.
From a hundred yards away, Chuck yelled, “Hey, old man, if you can’t perform, give me a ring. I’ll be on deck, and I don’t require stinking Viagra like you older guys.”
Shoe on the other foot. If it were one of them I would be busting balls exactly in the same manner, I mused as I continued away.
“Are we really going to let him get away with this?” Chuck asked Rob and Jimmy.
“Not this easy, not in a million years. No bimbo gets our friend before we say so,” Rob replied slyly, his mind off to the races. “Not while we still call ourselves his bro.”
CHAPTER 14
Attempting to maintain a relatively low profile over the past two days, I had purposely avoided areas where any chance meeting might occur, thus delaying a confrontation with my envious, horny mercenary buddies.
Since tonight’s dinner date with the boys was already prearranged, Sam and I were enjoying what might be our last meal until the conclusion of the job. Customary to discipline, I was seated with my back to the rear of the café, facing the front, maintaining a watchful eye on all that moved. While some habits will never die, I had not contemplated the possibility of any covert assault from the kitchen in the rear. After all, this was New Orleans, not South America, and other than the night crawlers, I had not pissed anybody off enough to warrant concern. “Excuse me?” Sam spoke with an appalling glare in her eye to a mystery person standing behind me.
I turned and much to my dismay it was Rob. He did not acknowledge me, as if I was a complete stranger. He continued to stare at Sam intently. I could only imagine what he must have gestured while my back was turned.
“So what do you say, Blondie?”
Sam took one look at my suppressed smile and the cat was loose. “Brian Denman! Please don’t tell me you know these guys?”
“As excruciatingly painful as it is to admit, yes I do.”
Sam had a wildly perturbed gaze in her eyes.
“I would personally like to apologize for my associates’ behavior. I am Jimmy, and these two assholes are Chuck and Robert. I personally did not approve of Robert’s tactics, but he insisted we couldn’t let Brian run off and retire without us approving of the bimbo first, you being the said bimbo.”
“So that gesture was your lame idea to what—see if I’d throw a knife at you?” Sam pointed the accusatory finger of shame directly at Rob.
Suddenly timid, Rob had no response. Chuck came to the rescue with his own half-baked explanation.
“Yeah, we followed Brian back to his hotel and kind of staked out the joint. We decided today was as good as any time to check you out.”
“And then you followed us here?” Sam asked.
“Alright then,” I said, intentionally interrupting any explanation. “You have met her, so now you can go back to work.”
“We bugged the room,” Chuck replied proudly. “By the way, did you guys know how much noise you make when you’re having—”
“Thanks for coming by,” I said loudly, cutting off Chuck’s words as I rose to usher them out the back door.
“No. Wait, Brian,” Sam intervened. “I’d like them to stay, so we can get to know each other.”
The guys smiled and pushed their way past me. “Seriously? Don’t you guys have work you need to be getting done?”
“Nah, it’s lunchtime,” Chuck replied as he pulled a chair across the floor to the table.
“So, exactly how did you bug Brian’s room?” Sam’s attitude shifted from aggressive to curious.
The boys all looked at each other sheepishly, forcing concealed grins. “Just an audio bug,” Chuck responded unconvincingly.
“Yes, just audio. At no time did we see any video images,” Jimmy chimed in.
The boys rounded up chairs from surrounding tables and crowded in. Ordering beers and food, they made themselves right at home, settling in for the long haul. Not quite what I had in mind for lunch, but with Sam having met the crew, it was time to make the best of it. About the time they had finished their food and a second beer, almost on cue, Jimmy rose with Chuck and Rob following his lead.
“We are sorry for putting you through the meat grinder, Samantha, but Brian is a true friend. There is not one of us who wouldn’t take a bullet for him. We just wanted to be sure you were worthy of the same.”
