Ivy's Twisted Vine Redux (35 page)

“Brooks just said that he proposed to Trina.” Gremier passed Nicola back his phone.

“What?” Nicola was in complete shock. “When did this happen?” He took the phone and sat up.

“Tonight, I guess.” Gremier shook his head and ordered another drink.

“He’s on his way down?” Nicola asked taking his hot plate.

“Yeah,” Gremier said noticing the troubled look on Nicola’s face. “What? You’re not happy for him?”

“Fucking ecstatic,” Nicola said sarcastically as he got up and made his way to the restroom. “Watch my food. I’ll be right back.”

**

Across town, while Brooks celebrated his engagement with Nicola and the boys, Caesar and his men piled bags of unmarked money into the back of a black, late model Yukon Denali to make their monthly exchange for drugs from their largest distributor, Miguel Guerra.

Caesar had proven over the years, his reliability and had grown to be trusted by Guerra, the South’s most notorious drug trafficker. The cocaine had just made it through customs compliments of a rogue agent that took a nice cut from every shipment and was waiting to be picked up off a local delivery truck near a warehouse in an industrial district on the edge of town.

“Alright, Hector,” Caesar said handing his little brother the keys. “Don’t make one mistake on this.”

“I won’t,” Hector said grabbing the keys and jumping the driver’s seat of the truck.

“Do you remember everything that I told you?” Caesar asked feeling his gut reject the idea of letting his little brother take the lead on the drop.
“How many times do we have to go over this? You’re my blood! I’m not going to let you down. Trust me.” Hector patted his brother on his shoulder.

“Guerra isn’t someone to have to answer to about his coke. After you make the exchange, call me immediately. I need to know for sure that everything went cool. Alright?”

“Alright,” Hector said listening. “We’ve been over this, man. Look, if you don’t trust me, then why don’t you do it.”

“I do trust you.” Caesar sighed. “I have to keep my face off the streets because Agosto and his boys have their foot so far up my ass, I can’t breathe. I’m suffering too many losses. No one knows about you. You’re my secret weapon. Agosto and Brooks have no idea you even exist. They’ll never suspect you. Just drive safely and slowly. Keep your glasses on, your music down and your hat to the front.” He tapped his brother’s University of Memphis baseball cap. “You look like a college kid.”

“I am a college kid,” Hector said looking over at his schoolbooks on the passenger seat. “Speaking of which, I have to hurry up and get back, so I can study.”

“With as much money as you are gonna make off this one drop, you can buy a college professor,” Caesar said proud of his brother. Hector would be the first to ever graduate from college in their entire family. “Look, no one’s gonna give you shit. But Antonio and the boys won’t be far behind you. So if you run into some trouble, they’ve got your back. We’ve done this a million times with Guerra. You’ll be fine.”

Anxious to get on with the job, Hector pulled out in the dark streets of Memphis with his payload, and Caesar’s crew followed closely behind him. For Hector, this drop would prove to his brother that he was capable of being in business with him. At school, he never received much attention, couldn’t get a girl friend and hated his 1985-Buick Century. Maybe he could buy himself a new lifestyle equipped with a place off campus, a new truck like the one that he was driving now and some new clothes. Then there was always Amber, the girl in his physics class that he had a crush on since his freshman year. If he could just impress her, all of this would be worth it.

Caesar’s right hand man, Antonio, drove behind Hector with his crew locked and loaded. He had been quiet the entire day, pissed that Hector had been chosen over him to perform the drop. What did Hector know about the streets? Everything that Caesar had ever gotten in Memphis was because of him
not Hector
. Trying not to appear too frustrated in front of his crew, Antonio leaned back in the seat half-high off marijuana and listened to the radio. He almost prayed for something to go wrong.

Half an hour later, Hector pulled into the empty warehouse and picked up his cell phone. So far so good. Turning off his lights as previously instructed by Caesar, he pulled into the unmarked dock. Quickly, he got out of the car and walked to the back of the truck. Flashed by a black BMW parked in the darkness across from him, Hector popped his trunk and grabbed the black duffle bag full of unmarked large bills. Nervous, he closed the trunk and raised the bag and then proceeded to approach the car.

Guerra’s point man got out of the BMW smoking a large cigar. Hector was stunned that the guy was a villain straight out of the Hollywood with his all black attire and slicked back jet-black hair. Hector could feel his heart begin to pound heavily as he approached the man. He needed to be cool, the way his brother would be. That was it…he would pretend he was Caesar.

“Hola,” Hector said showing the bag.

“Keep your hands where I can see them,” the villain said in a raspy voice walking up to Hector. He frisked him quickly for guns or wires. He nodded at Hector approvingly and led him to the back of the warehouse alone.

Hector walked quietly beside the villain hoping that he could not hear his heart pounding. He looked back for Antonio, but he was nowhere to be found. With haste, the two walked up the stairs of the dock into a small opening that lead down an alleyway to the back of the dock where the delivery truck sat awaiting them.

Hector was both happy and scared to see the truck. So far he had not been set up, but he prayed that all the money was in the bag. These people looked like they would not accept and IOU. Gripping the bag, the tried to walk with confidence but felt himself stumble as he approached the back of the truck.

Two very large, Hispanic, armed men sat at the back of the delivery truck, both wearing black and confirming the theme for the night. One of the oversized men approached Hector, reeking of loud cheap cologne and patted him down again, while the smaller man took the bag of money and passed it inside of the delivery van to be counted. Hector unconsciously bit his lip as the villain talked on his cell phone to whom he was sure was Guerra.

“It’s all here,” a thin gaunt Hispanic woman said as she stuck her head out of the delivery truck.

“Give him his work,” the villain commanded to one of the muscular bodyguards as he smiled sinisterly at Hector. “And say hello to your brother for me.”

“Will do,” Hector said adjusting his glasses and most happy to be leaving.

“These men will see you to your car with your goods,” the villain said motioning to the men to follow Hector with three large silver briefcases.

Hector turned nervously and walked back to the truck. As he popped his trunk for the men, he waived at Antonio proud that he had completed his mission without grave error.

Antonio and his crew watched carefully. They were supposed to get out of the car and accompany Hector after the drop was made. It was Caesar’s crew that was supposed to ensure everything went smoothly, but because of their dislike for Hector, they had not. Antonio had ordered everyone to stay in the car and wait for the inevitable to happen. A screw up. And now Antonio watched angrily with the proverbial pie in his face, pissed that everything had gone as planned even without his help.

“The shit bag actually did it,” Antonio said as he motioned for the point man to start the truck.

“I actually did it,” Hector said to himself as he watched the men load the truck and walk away.

As instructed previously by Caesar Hector got in the car and watched the villain drive off. When he was alone in the parking lot with only Antonio and his men across the way, he started his truck,. He was about to dial Caesar’s number to let him know that everything had gone as planned, when he was suddenly flashed by a bright light that did not to appear to be coming from Antonio. His heart stopped when he realized that it was a police car’s spotlight.

On the loud speaker, a loud and commanding voice demanded that he and Antonio turn off their trucks and put their hands in the air. Hector could hear his heart beating and large sweat beads forming on his forehead. Following their instructions, Hector tried not to look as suspicious as he actually was.

The officer, although very new to the area, realized that the situation would call for back up. Getting on his radio, he called in Hector’s tags and the request for additional vehicle. Looking for the least threatening car, he spotted Hector, visibly nervous and alone, and decided that he would approach him first. Getting out of his squad car with his hand on his gun, he walked towards Hector’s car. He called in the license plates and proceeded to the driver’s side. Still with his hands up in the air, Hector tried to ignore the sweat running down his forehead.

“Sir, turn off your vehicle, and carefully step out of your truck and give me your license and registration,” the officer said with a tighter grip on his sidearm.

“Yes, sir,” Hector said turning off of the truck. Getting out of the car, Hector passed the officer his license and looked over at Antonio’s truck.

“Hey, don’t look up at them,” the officer demanded peering through his glasses at the young preppy Latino, his finger pointed. “Turn around and place your hands on the truck.” Patting Hector down, the officer was relieved to find no concealed weapons or drugs.

“Is there a problem, officer?” Hector asked trying to ignore his first panic attack.

“What’s your purpose for being out here this late?” he asked reading Hector’s body language.

“I got lost,” Hector said visibly nervous.

“Lost?” The officer looked through Hector’s wallet.

“What were you trying to find with your truck full of
homies
over there?”

“I was looking for a friend’s place.” He stuttered.

“On a warehouse lot?”

“Like I said, I got lost, sir” Hector said wishing that he had collaborated with Antonio on a just in case story.

“Oh, I’m sure,” the officer said wondering where his back up was and looking over at Antonio’s truck.

“Really officer, this is all a big misunderstanding. Me and my friends were…” Hector was violently interrupted by a loud gunshot and blood splatter across his face. He screamed and hit the ground. Ducking beside the truck, he looked over to see the officer bleeding on the ground.

“Shots fired! Officer down!” The officer struggled as he tried to pull his gun from his holster. “I’m hit. Do you hear me, I’m…” With a fade of life in his eyes, the officer swallowed one last bloody gulp before Antonio walked up and shot him in the head.

“Oh my God! Why did you do that?” Hector shrieked in tears. “Why would you fucking shoot him?” Shaking in his now urine soaked pants, he instantly wished that he had not volunteered to help his brother.

“Shut up with all that damned whining,” Antonio said pointing his gun at Hector.

“This is not happening!” Hector wiped the tears and blood from his eyes. There was something new in Antonio’s eyes. “Antonio, I need to call Caesar!”

“No, you
need
to stay here,” Antonio said shooting Hector in his chest. Pulling the young man from the side of the truck, Antonio jumped in the Yukon and pulled off with the other men following shortly behind.

For a moment, as Hector watched himself drown in a bloody pool beside the now already dead police officer, he thought about how stupid this entire situation had been. Why did he volunteer to do this? To throw is life away. He cried and kicked, the pain shot through his body and he gasped for fleeting air.

Hector held on to his last breaths debating what good thing he could do. He didn’t have the strength to call his brother and say goodbye. And in his last hour, he was angry at him for exposing him to this. Having no chance to receive his last rights, having no one to hear his last confessions, he reached over the officer’s radio.

“Hello,” he said hoping someone on the other end would hear him.

“Dispatcher 1-5-0. May I ask who this is? Please respond?”

“My name is Hector…Hector Dominguez. I’m Caesar Dominguez’s brother. Umm…The drop went bad; Antonio Martinez shot me up pretty bad and left me here to die.” He coughed blood. “I am dying.” He began to cry, wheezing to breath in between the painful inhalations.

“There is help on the way. Where is the officer that owns this radio? Please respond.”

“Dead.” Hector looked over at him. “ But I didn’t kill him…Antonio Perez did. Now, we don’t have a priest for our last rights.”

“Someone is on the way. Please hold on. Give me your exact location. Please respond.”

“I see lights,” Hector said seeing five police cars approaching speedily with their lights and sirens. “But it’s too late.”

“Hold on,” the female dispatcher said hearing his voice fade.

“Caesar Dominguez is at 124 Clearborne. He’s at the old Clearborne apartments…building 202…apartment 4. That’s his headquarters. That’s where he is. Tell him that I sent you. Tell him it’s from little bear to big bear.” Hector said laying his head on the officer’s chest as he took his last breath.

Chapter Eighteen:

Caesar’s Last Stand

Chapter 18

CAESAR’S LAST STAND

“
Let’s round it up again,”
Brooks said drinking a cup of coffee to stay awake. It was five o’clock in the morning and the entire Narc/Tact Unit had been activated to respond the officer killed only hours before in an abandoned warehouse lot.

Nicola and Brooks had come directly in to the headquarters from the East End Grill still very much intoxicated. The entire team was in awe as they pulled up to discover that Mayor Henderson was there in his pajamas along with his entire staff as well as the director and deputy director of the police department.