Street Justice (30 page)

Sam thought about this and said, “On second thought, Adrian is exactly right. I wouldn’t let an FBI agent do this. I feel a responsibility to my agents and don’t want to do the paperwork if one of them dies. But you’re not an FBI agent. I don’t have to do any paperwork if you die, in fact, I bet I could get away with not paying you. And at your rates, I might shoot you myself.” Sam gave Steve a big grin. Both men knew Sam was mostly kidding about all of this, mostly.

“Okay, so what do we do?” Adrian asked.

“Well, Russ vouches for me, tells them he knew me when, blah, blah, blah, and puts me in touch.”

“We can do better than that. I’ll build you a fake history, military record, back date some posts on some soldier of fortune sites so it looks like you’ve been around for a few years. That should help sell you,” Adrian offered.

“Perfect, let’s make sure what Russ says and what you create line up, and we’re good to go. I guess now I need to go spring Russ,” Steve said.

“Spring Russ?” Sam sad startled.

“Um, yeah, they are still holding him at the police station,” Steve explained.

“They can’t let him go, he has admitted to multiple offenses. He’s going to do some time.”

“He can’t very well vouch for me from a jail cell,” Steve offered with a straight face.

“How do we know he’ll stick around?”

“It seems to me he could have just disappeared and never come in, so his conscience weighs on him. I think he’ll be around, at least long enough to alibi me.”

Sam thought for a moment, “Fine, I guess we can’t move ahead without him and it sounds like the exact target we’re looking for is in our grasp, a drug supply line with ties directly back to the terrorist regions. We set out to shut at least one terror funding channel down, and we can do it. Russ is a DEA or local police problem. I’ll call ahead.”

“OK, let’s go,” Steve said, “You’re free.”

Russ, whose hands were stuffed in his hands looked up. He crinkled his brow and looked up at Steve. He stuttered and said, “W-W-What?”

“One small catch,” Steve smiled and stepped into the room and let the door close behind him, “Don’t worry, the cameras are off, anyway, I found you an idiot, your guinea pig.”

“Really?” Russ said, “Wait, no,   I don’t want an idiot or a guinea pig. I can do it. I’ve been thinking, I will tell him that I’ve been thinking--”

Steve cut him off, “Listen Russ, I like you. In fact I have been in your shoes, well, at least close to it. Anyway, no, there is no way you get to leave here and go in. Shoot, you should be excited to leave here. Many didn’t want you to. Anyway, what we need in exchange for your ability to walk out of here is I need you to vouch for my dummy.”

Russ stared for a moment then said, “What?”

“What, what?” asked Steve.

“I’ve led ops, they take time, there is no way you have one set up this quick,” Russ replied.

“But if we don’t, more will die.”

“I’ve seen a lot of men die.” Russ looked into Steve’s eyes. He expected to see softness. He saw Steve’s eyes of steal.

Steve did not break eye contact and said, “I too have seen men die. I too have caused men to die. Now what I need is help for my plant.” Russ looked deep into Steve’s eyes and saw his own reflection. He knew Steve was not driven by ego but by responsibility. He could also tell that Steve was not going into this lightly, he knew the risks.

Russ nodded, “OK, what are the next steps?”

“Well, Adrian is back at the FBI building creating a fake background for me, seeding stuff online, making it look like I’ve been around. We need to head over so you can give him any input and make sure our stories align.”

As Steve and Russ exited the building to walk the few blocks to the FBI building, they did not see Alex sitting in the car across the street. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Johnny. “Uh, yeah, your hunch was right. Good thing we tailed him. He went into the police station a few hours ago, now he’s walking out and down the street with another man, could be his lawyer I guess but he’s dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, not a suit.”

“Keep following him,” Johnny advised.

“Will do,” Alex said and he hung up the phone. He put the car drive and eased into the street behind his quarry. He eased down 5
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Ave in the right lane keeping the two men about half a block in front of him. Just before the corner a large truck was parked unloading packages. Alex eased left to go around. When he did, headlights filled his rear view mirror and a horn exploded. The faster moving traffic did not appreciate his traveling at a walking pace. Alex glanced at the driver behind him, obviously yelling in his own car at Russ and Steve.

The two men started to turn to see what the commotion was about. Alex knew he could not let Russ identify him so he hopped on the gas, cut across three lanes and took a left on a stale yellow light. He headed down one block, took three right hand turns and headed back down 5
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street in the opposite direction. The two men had recommenced walking and were talking, not aware or looking for Alex traveling down the road.

Alex whizzed by, this time flowing with the traffic. Once past them he took another right then one more. He planned to head up two blocks this time. Half way up the block he saw the light turn yellow. He gunned the engine and nearly made the yellow. Instead he sailed through the intersection under a crisp new red. Not thinking anything of it he continued up the road, preparing to take another right, then saw red lights again, this time flashing from the top of a patrol car behind him.

Alex thought about gunning it but then looked about at the busy city traffic. The chance of extricating himself from downtown and alluding the police was slim. He knew he had not broken any laws, other than the red light, so he pulled over. The cruiser pulled in behind him and a young officer got out. He sauntered up toward Alex, taking his time. Alex rolled down his window and waited.

When he got to Alex’s window he leaned his head in and said, “You know why I pulled you over?”

“No sir, officer,” Alex replied as he scanned the area, looking for any sign of Russ and his companion.

“Well, you seem to have run a red light back there.”

“I’m sorry sir, I didn’t mean to,” Alex replied, secretly hoping he could just get a warning and move on.

“You know, I have trouble believing that, know why?”

Alex was not focused on the officer, instead trying to search for the two men and figure out what to do now. Johnny would not be happy he had lost them. It took him a moment to realize that the officer had asked him a question. He then had to stop and reply the scene in his head, finally stuttering out, “N-no, why?”

“Because when you saw that light turn yellow, you sped up. I heard the engine rev. You know, that is just as illegal as running a red,” the officer droned on.

Finally Alex’s heart leapt as he saw Russ and the other man heading south down Columbia St. barely a half a block in front of him. “Sorry sir, can I just get my ticket and go?” Alex asked.

The young officer seemed taken aback as if the script had been flipped and he did not like it one bit. He was the officer, this was his domain. The ticket giver was supposed to say how things went, the ticket getter was supposed to listen, or at the very most whine about how they should not get a ticket. This was not right at all. He was the officer, he was in charge, he had the power.

So, the young officer shook off the question and decided, if this guy wanted to leave quickly, then he would do the opposite. “It is my duty as a police office to not only enforce the laws but educate you as well. I know we like to joke that red means stop, green means go and yellow means go faster, but that just isn’t the case. It’s a safety thing…”

The officer’s words turned to a buzz as Alex sat in the car, watching Russ and his mysterious friend wander down the street and out of sight. Alex fumed and the officer continued talking, “…and did you know the police station is just over there? This is not a good place to be breaking laws…” In his head Alex imagined reaching under his seat, pulling the H&K 9mm he had tucked there and shooting Officer Chatty in the face. In reality he sighed and leaned back, knowing for the time being it was out of his control.

              Half way down the block, Charles watched Alex as he watched Russ and Steve. He laughed at the irony that the officer was going to give the hitter he was following a ticket for running a red light when, if he knew what all he had done, he should be booking him on multiple felonies. He supposed this re-affirmed the saying about knowledge being power. Charles retrieved his phone from his pocket and dialed Carl’s number to update him.

At FBI headquarters, Steve and Russ came upon Adrian and two other baby-faced people in suits hunched over his desk, hammering away at their keyboard. Steve cleared his throat, Adrian looked up, the other two did not. “Geek-fest?” Steve asked?

“Sort of, yeah, but in the best possible way. These two junior agents, Mark and Mike…”as he said this, the young agents staring at their screens raised their respective hands without looking up and without seeming to slow down in their typing. Adrian continued “…We have your name: Christopher Ziener, you went into the Army straight out of high school, got out a year and a half ago. You’ve been kicking around doing construction since. You are avidly into CrossFit and Ford trucks,” Adrian beamed, “We’ve placed these electronic clues throughout the internet and back dated them over the last five years.”

Steve smiled back, “You really are a geek. You’re dying to tell me how you did all of that aren’t you?”

“Yes, yes I am,” Adrian said.

“Well, it will have to wait. Adrian, this is Russ. Russ, this is Adrian. He’s an FBI agent.”

Russ cocked his head, “Aren’t you an FBI agent?” He brought his arms into his body and folded them.

“Actually no. I work with the FBI, for the FBI, but I’m not an agent.”

“So what are you?” Russ’ lips set in a thin line.

“I used to work for the Agency but let’s not make that common knowledge,” Steve said.

Russ still did not look like he understood. Adrian jumped in, “Yeah, we have a mercenary posing as a mercenary.”

“I’m not a mercenary,” Steve protested.

“I’ve seen your skill set. You take people out for money right? Mercenary.”

“I only work for the FBI,” Steve continued his protest, raising his voice.

“You’re not an FBI employee,” Adrian said flatly.             

“They won’t let me be,” Steve said, getting animated, waving his arms.

Finally a big smile broke across Adrian’s face and he laughed. Steve laughed as well. “What? What?” Russ asked.

“Damn it Adrian,” Steve said to Adrian then looked over at Russ and pointing at Adrian said, “This yahoo was just winding me up.”

Russ visibly relaxed. He unfolded his arms and a small smile crept across his lips. Jumping in Adrian said, “I almost had him.” He raised his eyebrows and pointed back at Steve.

Russ laughed. “Damn, that was a good one. We used to play jokes like that on our guys back in the service. One time I got my boy Mario so good, we were in front of the CO and he said…” Russ stopped. His smile melted and his shoulders slumped. “Yeah but that was a long time ago.”

Adrian tried to keep up pretenses, “It wasn’t that long ago, how long ago did you get out?”

“Nah, nah, I know what you’re trying to do,” Russ said, “Thank you. I feel bad but I should do.”

Steve interjected, “Well you shouldn’t actually. You didn’t do any of this.”

“Yeah, but I let it happen. I enabled it,” Russ said, “I’m out but they are still there.”

“But you couldn’t have known what was going to happen?”

Russ relaxed more than when he was laughing but seemed to be more serious than ever, “Because that is my job. I survived, I kept my squad alive, I kept my friends alive, by being three steps ahead. It is not for me to simply say I didn’t pull the trigger, so the deaths aren’t on me. I should have been able to see ahead.”

Steve knew what Russ was saying. Staying alive in the field was as much about planning, strategy, and knowing what was going to happen and preparing for it, as it was fighting. You can’t lose a fight they are not in so if you can avoid one and reach the same objective then you should. Still, he knew beating himself up was not going to help. He offered, “We all miss things man.” It was not much but it was what he had without sounding cheesy.

“Thanks,” Russ murmured.

“Well, then, let’s get back on point. Russ, what are these guys looking for? What do we need to make sure they see if they are going to bring Steve onboard?”

Russ thought this through for a moment then replied, “He needs to show a trait of him and his team against the establishment. Johnny’s crew could have split up and climbed much higher than they did but to them the team was more important than climbing the ranks. In fact, climbing the ranks was seen as kowtowing to The Man. They lived and worked in the Army, it was their life, yet they hated the system, if that makes sense. The brass was the bad guys, the real bad guys were, I don’t know, furniture? Widgets? If that makes sense?”

“Yeah,” Steve nodded, “The missions, including killing, were a job. It wasn’t personal because the person you shot wasn’t a person. I saw it in my former work as well.”