Threatened

Chapter 20: The Pier

I drive conservatively to the pier and find a parking spot near the water's edge. Once I hit the pier, I start weaving through the booths and the children and the tourists. Eventually I find a cotton candy vendor with a bench nearby. I sit down and pull out my cell phone. It's turned off, but I can still act like I'm not paying any attention.

I sit on the bench for an hour, pretending to listen to music, just waiting for anyone suspicious to walk by. I see a Viper tattoo at last and keep my gaze near him. Thankfully, the sun is out so wearing sunglasses that hide my eyes is not out of the ordinary. The man stops by the cotton candy vendor and hands over a large wad of cash, just as Lee described. The vendor reaches down and retrieves an old-fashioned key which goes straight into the gang member's pocket.

I snap a few quick, inconspicuous photos with my phone and start to leave the pier. The sun is high right now, maybe around 1-2:00. There are more and more people out at this time of the day and it starts becoming harder and harder to keep track of my surroundings. I finally break through the crowds and make my way to the parking lot, which is strangely empty. My instincts start screaming that something is wrong, and I quickly see that there are two burly men sitting on the hood of my car.

"We are going for a drive Miss," the smaller of the two grumbles at me.

"Why on earth would I go anywhere with you?" I snap at him.

"Come quietly or we will have to use... unfriendly means to force you into the car," he smirks at me, looking me up and down like I were a piece of meat. I hate it when people underestimate me. However, both men are carrying automatic weapons under their shirts. I can try to scream, try to fight my way out of the situation, but if I do, not only could I get shot, innocent bystanders could also catch a bullet.

"Alright. where are we going?"

"You're going to meet someone who is very interested in your talents," the smaller man chuckles. The larger man has not taken his eyes off of me yet. He is wearing dark sunglasses, but I can feel his eyes on me. The large man opens the door to a black Lincoln Continental with completely blacked out windows. I had to think how cheesy this was to myself for a moment before allowing the large man to push me into the backseat and then slide in next to me. He pulled out a black head bag and I knew that this was going to be fun.

I let him slide the head bag over my face and I am honestly just glad that it doesn't smell like someone else's head has been in here. I can hear the car start and feel it pull out of park.

I keep quiet during the drive and try to work out who would want to see me. The obvious answer is Cordero and the Vipers, but there is no guarantee.

I have got to find a way out of this situation. If I'm being taken to my death, I want it to be the last thing Lee has to worry about. I start turning different ideas over in my head, each plan crazier than the last. The car finally pulls to a complete stop and I head the driver change gears. We must have arrived.

I am hauled out of the car and dragged down a wet staircase. It smells like a musty old basement, with a hint of iron in the air. I am forced into a chair and my hands are bound behind my back and tied to the chair itself. So they aren't the stupid criminals. Excellent.

"Detective Anna Davis, I've been waiting a long time to meet you," says a smooth, baritone voice. I can feel the man's body behind me, his chin over my right shoulder. His breath is minty, and I can hear the faint sound of gum smacking between his teeth.

"I would say the pleasure is mine, but it's not. Can we get this over with?" I spit through the head bag. The man chuckles and I hear his footsteps walk away, then the distinct sound of a chair being pulled from its place. The man sits down, presumably across from me. Heavier footsteps sound behind me and then the bag is ripped off. I can feel my hair raise a little, clinging to the charged bag. In front of me is an average sized man with black hair and caramel skin. I can see the ink of a tattoo, but it doesn't resemble the Viper mark. He looks to be in his late 20s-mid 30s.

"I understand you've been chasing one of my dealers for a while," he says, reading from pages in a manila folder.

"I dunno, I chase a lot of things, my dog, my boss, where might your dealer fit in?" I respond, doing my best to keep my tone borderline bored.

The man chuckles, low and slow, then closes the folder on the table. "You've been chasing quite a few of my dealers really, but lately you've dropped off the grid. Well, almost."

"You're going to have to be more specific, I forget faces as fast as I see them," I reply with a smirk and a quick chuckle of my own.

"I wonder if you've even heard of me. Something tells me you're not quite as smart as you think you are." He stands, waving a few of the men out of the room. "My name is Vasquez, Peter Vasquez. I run the Viper organization across the country."

"And you had to have a chat with little old me? Your schedule must be so empty these days." I start to look away, but Vasquez grips my chip and pulls my face inches from his.

"My schedule was quite packed actually, until your little witness decided to talk to the police. It's quite made a mess of things here. I had to kill Cordero and most of his leaders. You would not believe how hard it is to replace structure like that." Vasquez sighed and flexed his fingers. "I haven't been able to get my hands dirty like that in ages, and now I find that I quite miss it." He looked into my eyes and there was a malicious spark there, like he was just itching to wrap his long fingers around my neck.

"Your point is? Cordero messed up. It's not that strange for someone from upper management to make some cuts," I reason, trying to keep my voice from shaking. There are a lot of bodies behind this guy.

"My point, dear detective, is that I have a few more bodies to leave, including you and your witness. He'll be dead within the next hour if my sources are accurate, but I'm afraid you don't have that much time."