Jack Taggart Mysteries 8-Book Bundle. Don Easton

… please … don’t, please … I’m bleeding…”

      He picked up a camera and there was a blinding white flash of light.

      His words started to fade. “Okay, okay. That’s enough. He’s ready! Get on your hands and knees. Now! You don’t think I’m going to fuck you, do you?”

      Wizard sat in the car and watched the flash of the camera on the cabin’s curtain. He thought about Damien and chuckled out loud. Damien despised The Suit and had no stomach for this. Being a family man with two young daughters has made him weak. The Suit is the key to success. Big mistake for Damien to let me control that key.

      Wizard watched as The Suit eventually left the cabin. The Suit avoided eye contact with him and hustled down the street with his dog.

      Wizard took a syringe out from under the dash of the Acura and walked toward the cabin.

       chapter eleven

      Danny saw a figure moving down the darkened alley toward him. Light from a dirty bulb farther down the alley briefly identified the bald head. Leonard Waschuk!

      Leonard paused near the rear of the Black Water and looked around. Danny held his breath and watched. Leonard bent over and Danny heard the sound of a brick scrape as it was moved out of place. Moments later, Leonard hurried off down the alley.

      Jack saw Red glance behind him toward the front entrance of the bar. She put her beer down and casually made a thumbs-up sign with her fist, while pretending to scratch her chin with her thumb. Jack pretended not to notice Leonard as he walked by. Leonard made a circle around the pool tables, then walked out the front of the bar.

      Red looked at Jack and said, “Okay, sit tight and get your bread ready. It’s time.”

      Jack nodded to the group of men playing pool and said, “Do you want me over there?”

      Red grinned. “Naw, sorry about that. First-time customers. You know how it is.”

      Red went to the rear door and pushed it open. Seconds later, she was back. Jack passed her the money under the table. She discreetly counted it, then passed him two baggies of powder. As Jack took it, Red said, “Shit!”

      “What’s wrong?”

      “Bart and Rex.”

      Jack turned around and saw two large men slowly moving through the bar. They were scruffy-looking and wore jeans. Even the bouncer, who himself was a giant of a man, quickly stepped aside as they approached. One man was casually tossing a ring of keys into the air with his hand. They made a jingling sound each time he caught them. The noise in the bar died off to a few whispers and the sound of jingling keys.

      “Who are Bart and Rex?”

      “City narcs,” she whispered. “Bart’s the one with the keys.”

      With his back to the two men, Jack slowly tucked the two baggies of powder in the elastic tablecloth under the table, then glanced behind him. He saw looks of fear and hatred on the patrons’ faces as Bart and Rex walked past them.

      Jack heard the jangling of keys come closer, then stop behind him. He stared at Red, trying to read her eyes, then slowly took a sip of beer. He could see Spider sitting at another table with a junkie. The junkie let out a dry cough and put his hand to his mouth.

      The jangle of keys started again, but on the second toss, Bart missed them and they fell beside Spider’s table. Bart stooped down to pick up the keys, but as he did, he grabbed the junkie by the throat with his other hand and hurled him backward off his chair onto the floor.

      Rex immediately pulled out his gun while Bart sat on the junkie’s chest and choked him.

      “Open your yap!” Bart yelled. “Spit it out!”

      The junkie shook his head and gritted his teeth.

      Without letting go, Bart used his other hand to take out the handcuffs hanging from the back of his belt. He flipped one cuff open to expose the serrated clasp, then jammed it into the junkie’s mouth. A small bundle of dope, wrapped in a condom, spit out from between the junkie’s bloody lips. Bart then dragged him out the front of the bar while Rex tagged along, his gun still drawn.

      “Christ, I hate those fuckin’ guys,” muttered Red.

      “Too damn close, if you ask me,” said Jack, retrieving the two baggies from under the table. “Think I’ll sit and have another beer and make sure those two gorillas are gone before I leave.”

      “Yeah. Good idea.”

      Danny had seen Leonard return to his stash and then hand the drug to Red. He waited for Jack to exit. What the hell is taking him so long?

      A car came down the alley and stopped. Someone opened the trunk, and Danny cursed silently as he felt the weight of more garbage being thrown on the pile.

      The waitress came over to Red and said, “Someone called and said to tell ya your package is here.”

      “Yeah? Thanks. Send a cab around back for me, will ya?”

      Red sipped her beer. A moment later she stood up and said, “Gotta go. See ya around.” She walked out the back door into the alley.

      Jack wanted to leave as well. Danny would be fuming, in more ways than one. He decided to give Red a few minutes to clear the alley. She was paranoid enough without him walking out right behind her.

      Danny watched Red enter the alley. She looked around, then strolled over to where he was hiding as a taxi rolled to a stop behind her. Has she seen me? She reached her hand toward the garbage. Should I pretend I’m drunk?

      She shook the garbage and said, “Hey! What’re ya doin’ in there?”

       What the hell should I say?

      A girl moaned loudly. Someone is lying on top of me! Red shook her again and she started to wake up. Red stood back and said, “Oh my God, Marcie, it’s you!”

      She half-lifted and half-dragged Marcie out of the Dumpster and into the alley.

      “It’s a good thing I came along! Come on, get in the cab. What happened?”

      Red got in the taxi with Marcie and the car disappeared down the alley. Danny was able to get the taxi’s number.

      The door opened again. It was Jack.

      “It’s about bloody time!”

      Jack helped Danny stagger out of the garbage. He had sat for so long that his legs had gone numb. “Did you see Leonard?” Jack asked.

      “Yeah, I saw him. But that’s not all that happened. Red set up some young girl by the name of Marcie. Only about ten or twelve years old. She’s really hurt. They just left in a cab. I got the number.”

      “So did he stash it?”

      “What are you talking about?”

      “Leonard. Did you see where he stashed it?”

      “Yeah, there’s a loose brick over on the wall, but this kid —”

      “Where? Show me!”

      Danny found the loose brick and pulled it out. There was a small empty cavity in the wall behind the brick.

      Jack was pleased. “This is great! I’ve got an idea. With the amount I scored tonight, we better stay away from here for about a week. After that —”

      “Forget the fuckin’ stash for a moment, will you!”

      “What’s wrong?” “This kid! I got the number of the cab that took her away. I think we —”

      “You’re worried about someone in this ‘den of snakes’?”

      “This is different! This is just a kid!”

      Jack