Page 54 of Special Agent Joseph

“My dog’s outside by my car and he needs water.”

“Yes sir. I’ll bring him a bowl.”

“Maybe something to eat. I don’t know… leftovers or whatever you have.”

“Sure. I can take care of it.”

“Thanks.” Satisfied that Jack would be looked after, he went to the office to find Vinnie. “Jie called and said you need me.”

“I do. Today is the big day.”

Joe followed Vinnie into his office, saying, “You look better today. You had us worried yesterday.”

Vinnie looked his way. “I feel better. And thank you for staying with me last night. An old man can be afraid to be alone during times like this. You kept me from losing my mind and I’m grateful.”

“No problem. Not that I could help much in the conversation. It’s a fucker losing one’s memory. You can’t believe how many things one can remember that have no significance and yet they can’t recall the important stuff.”

“It’s okay. You let an old man ramble on and that helped enormously. It’s good to speak of the old days when life was sane and free of all these troubles.”

Vinnie poured a cup of coffee for himself and then one for Joe. Handing it over, his hand shook slightly but not near as bad as it had the night before. “I wanted to go over the plans with you before the action starts.”

“Then I’m glad Jie caught me before I… ahh, took Jack for a run.” Actually, when Joe left the office, he’d planned to give Jack a workout before heading back to Vinnie’s. Jie’s call had changed that.

“I want you to go with Jie and make sure all the arrangements are in place. I know you don’t remember what happened the last time, but Jie will remind you. The dolls, where the drugs are stored, have to be opened and the product distributed tothe street vendors. We can’t afford any mistakes. Chen will personally be watching every move we make.”

“Last night you mentioned that during previous hauls, he spent a good portion of the evening before with you in the casinos. Not surprising that this time he never reached out.” Joe waited for Vinnie’s reaction and saw his face tighten into a mask of hate.

“He knows I want him dead for messing with my Lucia. So it’s not surprising I didn’t get an invitation to join him. But I had some of my men following him when he made the rounds of the big gaming houses. Bastard acted like nothing had changed.”

“Did they pick up any clues to where he had Lucia?”

“None. But he better know this. If she’s been hurt in any way, he’ll pay. The fool knows family is where the line is drawn, and he crossed it. If I have my way, we won’t be doing business anymore.”

“So you meant it when you said you’d quit.”

“I wish.” Vinnie huffed. “Chen forced me to reconsider my decision.” Vinnie rubbed at his face, anxiety clearly marking his blotchy cheeks and pale skin. “Only a fool thinks he can opt out when there’s this much money on the table. I’ve always known that to be a condition. One would have to be dead or in jail and neither option works for me.”

Joe heard the harsh tone and suddenly understood something Vinnie hadn’t put into words. The old man was trapped. He wished he could feel sorry for him, but he couldn’t. Responsible for bringing the devil’s indulgences to the city meant he had to answer for his crimes. After seeing personally the disasters and waste of humanity his drugs created, Joe’s sympathy had been with the poor fools hooked on the garbage. “So what will happen after this shipment?”

Vinnie’s shoulders slumped. “I don’t know. Chen Bao is involved with a wealthy Chinese tong with fingers all overthe United States. Renouncing him and his people is dire. A commitment I’m not sure I’m willing to make. Right now, all I care about is my Lucia. Once she’s safe, I’ll worry about the rest.”

***

Sometime later, Jie walked Joe around the facilities they had used in previous operations, allowing Joe to see the set-up for the first time. Smirking, Jie made a startling announcement. “Known to only a few, the operation takes place mainly underground.”

“Excuse me? There’s a hidden basement?”

“Yeah. The Boss had it put in a few years back.”

“It’s ingenious. Even if the cops were to investigate, they wouldn’t find anything.”

“See… that’s the idea. Plus, it acts as a storage place for us as well.”

Joe looked around the large, well-lit space filled with clean tables surrounded by mostly empty shelves and laughed. “Where do they unload?”

“At the loading docks around back. One truck brings in dolls that haven’t been tampered with, and we place them on the shelves here. And the second truck delivers the real merchandise for the basement. Therefore, if the cops pay us a visit, they won’t find anything.”

“Christ. You’ve got it covered.”

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