Double Barrel Read online

“So what are we going to do until then?” Mia asked. “Find another place to live?”

  “I’m sorry. That’s all we can do.”

  Mia's shoulders slumped. She knew Recker was right before, about a home being wherever they were together, but she couldn’t help but be a little sad. It was their first place together. She was upset that they’d have to leave it under such circumstances.

  “You guys can stay with me until you get situated,” Haley said. “You know I got that extra bedroom. Stay as long as you want.”

  Mia looked at him and smiled. “Thank you.” She turned back to Recker. “We still have our clothes and stuff though.”

  “Chris and I will go back, pack all our stuff, bring it with us.”

  “Why can’t I go?”

  Recker shook his head. “Not without knowing what’s out there. Who knows if someone’s watching or waiting? I’m not gonna take a chance and put you in danger.”

  “I hate this. I hate all of it.”

  Recker put his arms around her. “I know. So do I. I promise I’ll get to the bottom of it, though.”

  “What if we get to Chris’ and somebody’s waiting for us there too?”

  “They’re not.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “Well, the way it looks right now is that they’re only after me.”

  Mia pulled away from her boyfriend and looked at him with a terrifying thought. “You know, I just thought of something. What if you’re right about everyone and none of them tried to kill you?”

  “What are you getting at?”

  “What if the shot wasn’t meant for you? Maybe it was meant for me?”

  Recker smiled. “Mia, I love you. But, seriously, you’re a pediatric nurse at a hospital. Who’d be trying to kill you?”

  Mia shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just trying to throw some possibilities out there.”

  “Well, I think you’re throwing them too far out there.”

  “So you don’t think I’m the target?”

  “Uh, I would have my doubts.”

  “Oh. OK.”

  “It’s good to think outside of the box sometimes,” Recker said. “But I think it’s safe to assume I’m the one they’re after. And that’s the way I would prefer it, anyway.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I can live with me being the target. If it was you it’d drive me crazy.”

  Mia gave Recker a hug. “How long are we going to have to deal with this?”

  Recker rubbed her back as he hugged her. “Not long. I promise.”

  4

  Recker and Haley got everything they needed from the apartment and took it to Haley’s place, where Recker and Mia spent the night. It was probably where they would be spending the next week or two until they found another apartment. With Recker trying to find out who was after him, that would likely be Mia’s job, though on this day, she had to go to work. Recker dropped her off at the hospital, not wanting to take the chance of her going in alone. He feared that if someone was after him, and he knew where Mia worked, there might be a kidnapping job in there somewhere. He wanted to make sure she got there and didn’t have to worry about her safety while he wasn’t there. He even walked into the hospital with her to make sure she got to her floor.

  Satisfied that she was safe, Recker went to the office, where Jones and Haley were already waiting for them. Jones immediately swiveled his chair around, hardly able to contain himself with the news.

  “We found him.”

  Recker rushed over to the computer, where he saw a picture of a man leaning out of a car window. It was the same car that was used the day before to take a shot at him. There was no mistaking that car.

  “That’s him,” Recker said.

  “Are you sure this is the vehicle?” Jones asked.

  “No doubt. That’s it. Who is it?”

  Jones reached down and grabbed a piece of paper he printed out. He handed it to Recker. “His name is Justin Sadko.”

  “Don’t know him.” Then Recker took his eyes off the paper. “Wait a minute. That name sounds familiar. Why do I know it?”

  “Keep reading and you’ll get your answer.”

  Recker kept reading, seeing that Sadko did have a criminal history. It was mostly small stuff. But the face looked familiar. He knew he’d seen it before. He just couldn’t place it. Then he saw it.

  “Vincent.”

  Jones nodded. “Currently affiliated with Vincent’s crew, and has been for the last five years.”

  “That’s why I know him. I’ve seen him here or there, though I don’t think I’ve ever spoken to him. I’ve just seen the face, though I don’t think I’ve seen it lately. Now it rings a bell. When we first started running down the list on Vincent’s guys, I remember he was on the list. He’s not high up in the organization though from what I gather.”

  “No, but perhaps that’s changing.”

  “Could be this is something to change his stripes,” Haley said.

  Recker sighed and plopped down in a chair as he continued reading the rundown on Sadko. He then shook his head. He thought he had a better handle on his relationship with Vincent. How could he have been this wrong? It still didn’t make sense to him, though. He could have thought of a hundred better ways Vincent could have taken him out if that’s what he wanted.

  Recker put the paper back down on the desk after he was finished and took a deep breath. “It still doesn’t make sense.”

  “There is something peculiar about this,” Jones said.

  “I mean, not to toot my own horn here, but killing me would kind of be a big deal, no?”

  “It would.”

  “So in theory, if Vincent wanted me dead, who would he send after me? His best guy, right? His most trusted guy?”

  “Yes.”

  “So who is that?”

  “Malloy,” Haley replied.

  “Exactly,” Recker said. “So why wouldn’t he send him instead of this guy who’s not even high on the totem pole?”

  “Maybe it’s a test for him?” Jones asked.

  Recker glanced at him like he said something ridiculous. “You really think I’d be the guy you send someone on a test for? I don’t think he could take the chance of a fail, which is what happened. And why would it be just me? He’d still have to contend with you two. He knows you exist.”

  “Maybe he doesn’t think we’re as much of a threat,” Haley said.

  “But he knows you are. He’s not dumb. And we all know how Vincent operates. He’s not a guy who rushes in before he’s ready. This thing seems kind of sloppy. Look at all the times we’ve done business with him. Or with the Scorpions even. Vincent will wait until the right opportunity, when the time is right, when the time suits him. He doesn’t rush because he doesn’t want to make mistakes.”

  “So maybe this guy is acting without Vincent’s knowledge.”

  Recker looked at Jones for his thoughts. “Well?”

  “It would certainly be a possibility,” Jones replied. “It does seem like a somewhat unusual pattern for Vincent to partake in.”

  “We need to figure out what’s going on here.”

  “How do you intend to do that? Other than finding Mr. Sadko here.”

  “Go right to the source.”

  “I infer that to mean you intend to talk to Vincent about it?”

  Recker smiled. “Yep.”

  “Are you sure that’s wise?”

  “I can usually tell if someone’s lying to me. I may not always be able to tell what they’re covering up, or what they’re hiding, but I can usually tell if it’s not the truth.”

  “So what’s the plan?” Haley asked.

  Recker shrugged. “Only got one. Call him and find out.”

  Recker pulled out his phone right away and called Malloy, who picked up on the second ring.

  “Hey, what’s up?”

  “Need to talk to the bossman,” Recker answered.

  “He’s really busy today. Has a lot of m
eetings.”

  “You need to unbusy him. Now.”

  “Sounds urgent.”

  “It is.”

  “What’s going on?”

  “I need to know something. And I need to know it from him.”

  “And you need it today?”

  “I do. If not, I may start making some assumptions that may not be accurate.”

  “Sounds like we’re talking about a dire situation.”

  “We are. There’s something big happening. And I need to know what’s going on.”

  “I’ll, uh, talk to him and call you back in a few minutes.”

  “OK.”

  “If he can make it, I assume it’ll be at the usual place.”

  “No,” Recker said. “I’ll pick the place. And I’ll pick the time.”

  Malloy could tell by his words that something big was going on. “I’ll relay the message.”

  It didn’t take even five minutes for Recker to get that return phone call.

  “Boss says he can meet you in one hour. Where?”

  “Love Park. I don’t wanna see anyone else there except for him. And you. The rest of his guys have to stay on the outside.”

  “You sound like this meeting is a prelude to a war or something.”

  “Maybe it is.”

  “Something happen that I’m not aware of?”

  “I don’t know. We’ll see when you get there.”

  Recker hung up, then looked at his partners.

  “Love park?” Jones said. “Interesting choice.”

  “Wherever I meet with him, I want it to be public. Out in the open. Less chance of anything happening.”

  “Afraid your instincts about him are not correct?”

  Recker shrugged. “It has occurred to me that it’s possible he orchestrated the other hit, knowing it would fail, or wanting it to fail, knowing that I would reach out to him and call this meeting. Maybe that’s what he was hoping for. Drawing me in for a better opportunity.”

  “But you don’t really believe that.”

  “No. But I can’t say it hasn’t crossed my mind.”

  “So what’s your plan here?”

  “Well, meeting time is in an hour. So we need to get down there.”

  “We?”

  “Me and Chris. If I’m wrong, I want some backup there.”

  “Works for me,” Haley said.

  “So you’re gonna need to figure out a spot you can cover me from. Unobstructed.”

  “And unobserved I take it?”

  “That too. And you’re gonna have to find one fast. I want you to be looking out from wherever you are and letting me know if you find something that doesn’t add up.”

  “Like men where there shouldn’t be?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Let’s get to it.”

  Recker and Haley grabbed their guns and went out the door, hopping in different cars as they traveled to downtown Philadelphia. Love Park was officially known as the John F. Kennedy Plaza, located near City Hall, and an entrance for the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It was nestled between 15th and 16th streets and Arch Street. It got its nickname from the iconic LOVE statue designed by Robert Indiana in 1976. There was a big water fountain in the middle of it, to go along with a grassy area, open paved areas, as well as walking paths, benches, and tables for eating. The park also sometimes served festivals and events in the area. It was a popular spot amongst tourists and locals alike, many of whom liked to take pictures standing by the LOVE sculpture.

  Recker and Haley got there about twenty minutes before the scheduled meeting time. It didn’t give them a lot of time to set up. Recker quickly found an open table. Haley was not as lucky. There were plenty of buildings around, but finding an open room, or an uncovered rooftop that couldn’t be seen from other nearby buildings would be too much of a challenge in a short amount of time. With a hat pulled low to conceal his face, Haley walked around the perimeter of the park.

  “I’m gonna have to cover you from the street. There’s not enough time for anything else.”

  “That’s fine,” Recker replied. “As long as you can see what’s going on.”

  “I can. You’ll be good.”

  They didn’t have to wait the full twenty minutes for the meeting to begin. Vincent showed up ten minutes later. His was among three cars that pulled up. He got out, along with Malloy, and started walking into the park. Several more of his men got out, though they stayed back towards the street. Recker immediately picked them up and watched their movements closely.

  “You got them?”

  “I see them,” Haley said. “Nothing unusual so far.”

  “Keep alert.”

  Though the park was pretty active with a fair amount of people in it, Vincent and Malloy quickly spotted Recker. He was the only one sitting by himself. They walked over to his table and sat down across from him.

  “Thanks for coming,” Recker said.

  “Judging by the urgency that this meeting was requested, it didn’t seem like I had much choice,” Vincent said.

  “Well there’s always a choice. It just depends on which door you wanna walk through.”

  “So what’s this about?”

  “Someone took a shot at me yesterday.”

  “Oh? First I’ve heard of it.”

  “I was just walking on the street somewhere, with someone else, not on the job.”

  “And someone just happened to recognize you?”

  “Seemed strange to me too.”

  “And what, you think I had something to do with it?”

  “It occurred to me. I also went back to my house and found someone had broken into it. Left a mess all over.”

  “Mike, I give you my word it wasn’t me. Why would I do that?”

  “I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out. There’s only a select group of people that would have the resources to do that.”

  “And I’m at the top of the list.”

  “Second, actually,” Recker said with a smile. “The first one checked out already.”

  “Mike, I swear I would never do that. I wouldn’t even attempt to follow you. I know you’re too good for that.”

  “There’s also the possibility of following someone who’s close to me. And we both know you already know who that is and where she works. I’ve trained her well. But maybe she tripped up somewhere along the line.”

  Vincent put his hand up. “Mike, as God is my witness, I have not, and would not, lift a finger against you. I thought we’ve built up enough trust over the years for us to know better.”

  “I thought so too. Then we found this.”

  Recker reached into his pocket and removed the picture of Sadko. He placed it down on the table for his guests to see. Vincent picked it up and looked at it. It was obvious from his face that he wasn’t pleased with what he was seeing.

  “What is this?” Vincent asked.

  “This is the man that took the shot.”

  Vincent looked up from the picture and stared at Recker. “You’re sure?”

  “Positive.”

  “Since we’re here, I’m assuming you’ve already made the connection and identified him.”

  “Justin Sadko. I believe he works for you.”

  Vincent handed the picture off to Malloy, who also had a displeased look on his face as he stared at the photo.

  “I can see why this was so urgent for you,” Vincent said.

  “You can see how it looks,” Recker replied.

  “I do. It makes it seem as if I may be behind this.”

  “A little bit.”

  “Crumb,” Malloy whispered.

  “What?”

  “Not you. Stinking Sadko bum. If I get him in front of me, I’ll kill him myself.”

  Vincent put his hand on Malloy’s arm. “Easy, Jimmy. As you may be able to deduce, Mr. Sadko is no longer part of my employment.”

  “As of today, or is this a longer-term thing?”

  “As of three months ago.�
��

  “So this wasn’t with your blessing?”

  Vincent put his arms out as if he were going to give Recker a hug. “Mike, after all the things we’ve been through together. Do you really think I would try to gun you down on a street corner? Even if we were on the outs, which I want to stress that we’re not, but even if we were, I would give you more dignity than gunning you down on the street with all the other slobs out there.”

  “So if you didn’t send him, what’s the story with this guy?”

  “He’s been with me for five or six years now. Or was I guess I should say. Wasn’t a bad hand. But he had some reliability issues. With the time he’d put in, he thought he should’ve been higher up in the food chain. With the issues he had, I resisted until I could trust him more.”

  “What kind of reliability issues?”

  “Showing up on time, being a few minutes late, not being where he’s supposed to be, things like that. In our business, a few minutes late on some deals can cause a million dollars to go up in smoke.”

  “So what, you got rid of him?”

  “No. Because I liked him, I wanted to try to work with him to correct his issues. Develop him. He got tired of waiting, I guess. A few months ago he said he was leaving to pursue other opportunities, and I gave him my blessings.”

  “Did you know those other opportunities involved killing me?”

  “I swear I did not. If I did, I would’ve taken care of him myself.”

  “How did he find out where I lived?”

  “That I don’t know. Perhaps he followed the missus home from work one day? Or maybe he followed you from one of our meetings? I don’t know.”

  “Know where he lives?”

  “I did. I would doubt he is still there, though.”

  “I’m gonna need everything you have on him.”

  “You’ll get it. I would suggest you let me take care of him, though. This is a stain on me.”

  “With all due respect, I’m the one he tried to kill. If you wanna look for him, go ahead. But I’m not stopping until I see him in a bag.”

  “Understood.”

  “What’s the purpose of him coming after me, anyway?”

  “If I had to guess, I would say he’s trying to make a name for himself.”

  “He planning on taking you on?”

  “I would think that’s just crazy talk at this point. But after him trying to kill you, maybe that’s what he is now. When he left, he said he wanted to pursue some other opportunities elsewhere. I assumed that meant he was leaving the city. It now appears that was a misguided assumption.”