Chapter 6
The pier was deserted when Joe reached it and he quickly scouted it to make sure that the 'boss' was nowhere near. He made his way to the godown where the crates were stacked and quickly looked around. Apart from a back door which he had not noticed earlier there was nothing new. He also thankfully noticed that there were no concealed cameras anywhere and berated himself for not thinking of that before heading inside. But it also gave him the glimmer of an idea to get a camera inside...now that would be very useful he acknowledged.
Glancing at the watch and seeing that he had only a few minutes left for three o clock he quickly made his way back to the pier relieved that the boss had not arrived. It would have been incredibly awkward to explain a visit into the godown by himself.
There was no time to think further as the boss came soon flanked by a couple of other gang members. Without further ado he gestured for Joe to follow him into the godown and within a blink Joe was staring at the same crates he had looked at just a few minutes before. He waited for his instructions and was not disappointed when the man said "get down the crates marked toys".
Joe had a vague notion of where this was going but stepped up to the crates and lowered one of them with a grunt. Geez! This crate was so heavy considering they were toys and then it clicked with a light in his brain. So when he was instructed to open the crate he was not really surprised. He was handed a wrench and he soon disposed off the lid to see the crate filled with soft toys. He had to admit it was rather ingenious. Who would guess that it was drugs inside the toy instead of squishy silicon or something similar...it really felt just the same.
"Cut open the toys and transfer the packets to these bags. You will then join these two boys in transporting them to a different location" the boss instructed and Joe nodded to show that he understood. The boss then made his way to a chair and sank onto it with his legs stretched out onto the desk in front of him. He then settled down to watch Joe and the others proceed with the task.
It took Joe and the boys a good two hours at the end of which they had two duffel bags full of drugs which they loaded into a van. The boys then got in themselves and Joe let his thoughts wander as one of the boys drove the stash and them to a different location. Joe had expected the next location to also be a warehouse of some sort but he was thrown off balance when they entered a regular residential area.
"What?" he asked aloud "we are storing these in an apartment?" he asked incredulously. His companions smirked "where else pretty boy?" one of them sneered… "Think about it laddie...unexpected and easy to distribute as well no?".
Joe had to admit that it did make sense and he nodded thoughtfully with "yeah true". He also made it a point to observe everything about the apartment. He had not been able to see the name of the apartment or the number when they drove in from where he had been seated and instead now had to rely on other data. He noted the number of floors, the appearance, color of the paint and any other small data that could help to zero in on the apartment.
He hefted one of the bags and quietly followed the other man as the one who was driving remained behind. There was no conversation as they rode to the eighth floor and soon they were ringing the bell of one of the apartments. The door opened and a tall man who was so muscular that he could pass off for obese if not for the toned muscles gestured for them to step inside. Joe stepped inside warily to see about four other well built men seated with a pack of cards.
"Hey Carl, the boss sent in the next consignment" Joe's companion spoke as he handed over the bag to the man who opened the door. The man took the bag and looked over Joe skeptically "who's the new guy?" he asked with a raspy voice that hinted at too many cigarettes.
Joe's partner shrugged "Name's Al, just another guy who is in it for the money" he said carelessly as Joe tried to look neutral. "Have you checked him out?"Carl asked gruffly and Joe's companion grinned. "Yup, the boss has scouted him out, he is alright. We even checked out the place he lives" making Joe clench inside. Shoot! This was hitting close to home and he knew that they had to be doubly careful now if they were monitoring him without his knowledge. He however gave no reaction as his companion made some small talk and soon walked out snagging a beer.
Joe followed silently until they reached the elevator. Once the door had closed he turned to the other man "what you said inside? Did you really check out my place?" he demanded. The other man lifted an eyebrow as he lit a cigarette casually "what did you think? You can just waltz in and make money...doesn't work like that pretty boy. Chris is not so high up that the boss will just take his word. Of course he will check you out his way"
"Don't call me that" Joe snapped as he digested the information and running through extra security measures in his head. The man simply laughed as he dragged on his cigarette and made his way to the van. The next half hour they rode in silence and Joe made a note of the area and route this time as they went back to the pier.
The 'boss' Alex was still in the garage when they arrived and he gestured for Joe to come to him. "Okay Al…here is the thing. What you did today was just a kind of initiation and this is how it works. From three to six the stash will be removed from the toys and shifted to the bags which you might or might not transfer to the apartment. You come back here and then start with the rest of the unloading. Once all the crates are unloaded it will be purely transferring them to other locations. For the first few days I want you to just do this and then we will see what happens ".
"Okay" Joe responded before moving into the garage where the full task force had arrived by then. He gave Sam a quick smile and fell into the routine of transferring crates from the ship to the garage. Thankfully they were down to the last few crates and by two hours all the crates were in the godown.
Finally the work was done and everyone left with their pay with Joe being told to report at three the next afternoon as well. Joe nodded and quickly made his way to the apartment being doubly careful now that he knew that he could be monitored. Gosh! There were a lot of things he had to tell Frank and for the first time he wondered if he should meet his brother before firmly squashing the thought down. No, in case he was caught Frank should be free to come in. it would not do if the gang played Frank with Joe as a hostage which would help neither of the brothers. This way they would have no hold on Frank if it ever came to that which he sincerely hoped it did not.
Seeing the extent of the operations there was no doubt in his mind that if he was ever suspected of not being what he was he would be executed without thought. They simply had too much to lose. Joe now knew enough to cause significant damage if not all. He was so lost in thought however that he did not realize that he had taken the quieter route until he felt the silence and the presence of a person behind him. Even as he quickened his step and sought to move to a better lit area without giving anything away he felt a powerful shove on his back.
He stumbled and felt a deeper shove that sent him to the ground with a grunt. "What the h.." his voice was cut off and petered off into a grunt as a boot connected with his ribs. He lifted his head and vaguely identified the three gangsters cum thugs as those he had seen at the godown. He had no idea what this was about and the confusion on his face was not entirely faked. But he got his answer in the next few minutes.
"Stop buttering up the boss pretty boy or you might not stay pretty for very long" one of them hissed as Joe struggled to get to his feet. But another kick to the back of his leg set him back on his knees as he glared at the speaker "I have no idea what you mean". The three youths exchanged glances and the earlier speaker sneered "sure you don't know…don't think we have not noticed how you have made your way in so quickly when we have spent months trying to do the same. What's the deal huh? You warming his bed or something?"
Joe held a hand to his ribs trying to contain the radiating pain from where he had been kicked. "Look, I have no beef with you man. I am here to make some dough that's all…I am just doing what I am told ok?" he said trying to contain his anger. He could easily take them out if he wanted to but he could not afford to blow his cover, for now he was the guy trying to keep his head down and blending with the crowd.
"I believe we asked you 'what's the deal with the 'boss'? You have not answered the question" the thug snarled as he lifted his leg for another kick. But Joe blocked the blow and tried to appease the youth "I don't know ok. He thinks I have guts and he thought he would try me out. He is just trying me out, that's it. That's all I swear". The youth glared at him and kicked him in the chest pushing him to the kerb again "Fine, we will see, you better not try anything else" he warned.
"What's your deal with Sam" the one with an earring and green hair demanded stepping into Joe's field of vision his expression almost feral. "Nothing" Joe replied as the youth fisted a hand in Joe's hair and pulled his head back. "Then what was the lunch all about? You keep off her you understand? She's too good for the likes of you" the youth warned.
Joe held up a hand in surrender "I didn't know man, thought she was a free agent alright? You want me to stay away? Got it" he replied. The youth shook his head one more time and let go off Joe with a punch to his gut. "Watch your step pretty boy because we will be watching yours" he warned one last time before the three youths beat a retreat leaving Joe to climb to his feet with a groan.
He knew what he had to do...he had one elder brother to reassure. He pulled out his phone and called Frank. The ring had barely gone when the call connected "I am fine" he said bluntly before Frank could completely freak out. Frank let out a sigh 'I don't know about you Joe but this case is going to kill me" he said in a resigned tone.
Joe let out a sigh "look I am pretty beat. I will call you once I get back to the apartment. I need to talk to you in detail". He could practically see Frank's nod "yeah you do that" his voice came back over the line. Stretching his limbs to relieve a bit of the pain he made his way to the apartment and collapsed on the couch as soon as he entered it.
After what seemed like forever and a battle of wills he realized that he needed to patch himself up and decided that a shower was in order first. He limped to the shower and surveyed his body in the cracked mirror. He thanked the gods that they had not touched his face, that would be a beast to camouflage but there was a deep red bruise on the left side of his body. His ribs had taken a beating and he was again thankful that they had only bruised and not broken. His stomach also had a bruise from where he had been punched and he tenderly pressed on it to check and let out a breath when the pain seemed not very bad. His leg was sore and he would probably limp for the next day but all in all he had been lucky he reckoned.
He swiftly ran through the shower and lay down on the bed clad only in his towel. He knew that he really ought to get up and down a couple of painkillers and probably apply an ointment but he simply had no energy to do so. He closed his eyes and drifted off until the doorbell snapped him out of the impromptu sleep. Blinking the sleep from his eyes, he slipped on a t-shirt and looked through the peephole to see Mike standing with a bag in his hand.
He opened the door to let Mike in who had a concerned look plastered on his face. "You better call Frank, he is going spare" were his first whispered words as soon as he was inside. Joe nodded and gestured for Mike to take a seat while he got decent. Mike in the meantime puttered around looking for bugs and Joe was grateful for it. He had meant to do it but he had had no time to actually get to it. When Mike put up his thumbs to signify that all was clean Joe took the phone and sat gingerly on the sofa.
"I have got the medical supplies here...I can patch you up while you talk to Frank. No offence but you look awful" Mike told him and started taking out the bandages without waiting for Joe's go ahead. Joe let out a noisy breath "fine" he agreed as he dialed Frank. Frank picked up the call on the first ring "put it on video call...I want to see how bad it is" he said in the 'elder brother' voice that Joe could never disobey. Reluctantly he moved to video mode and for the first time in days saw his brother's handsome visage. He hungrily took in his brother's worried features and gave a wan smile. For some reason seeing Frank had brought back the homesickness with a bang so much so that it was almost a physical pain.
He was exhausted and vulnerable and feeling so low that he just wanted to unload it all on Frank. His eyes filled with involuntary tears and it was a raspy teary "Frank…" that came out. Suddenly he felt very naked sitting in front of someone who didn't know anything about him and he turned to Mike "sorry but can I talk to Frank in private?" he asked. The other man to his credit tacitly understood and quietly walked to the bedroom and closed the door. He then turned to Frank feeling slightly better as his strength was returning a teensy bit.
"Hey kid you don't look so hot…are you sure you don't want me to come? You know how unrecognizable I can be" Frank's concerned voice boomed from the phone."Frank..." Joe cleared his throat and tried again "Frank, you don't know how much I want you here. It's tough but I am making headway and as much as I am tempted to see you this is important. I want to keep you separate from me so that they can never use me against you. You need to be free to come get me …you get that right?". He knew he sounded totally wiped out and the pain in his body was leaking into his voice but there was nothing they could do.
Frank's eyes clouded over "Joe you are hurt. What better reason could there be for me to come? Damn you Joe, why are you so stubborn on this? Please let me come". It took every ounce of willpower that Joe had not to give in but he truly believed that it would be better if the gang had no stronghold on him. They had to believe he was an orphan and there was no one they could threaten him with or use him to threaten the other. This was his safety net. "No, sorry Frank, just trust me ok" he begged and saw resignation settle on Frank's features. "Fine ask Mike to help with the injuries and don't you dare go off video" he said and muttered "next time dad thinks I am stubborn I am giving him the case file" under his breath. Joe smiled and knew he better keep the video on. "Okay" he agreed and walked to the bedroom.
Mike looked up from the bed "can I take a look now?" he asked and Joe nodded sinking onto the bed and removing his t-shirt. "Yeah gotta follow brother's orders" he grinned and resolutely avoided looking at Frank. Mike let out a low whistle on seeing the bruise and quickly wrapped up the ribs after using the spray rather liberally. "you really ought to do an x-ray but under the circumstances it's no go I understand" he quipped while Frank hissed on the line. "Joe I am sending the agency medic to the garage tomorrow. You need to get that looked at "he said as Joe yawned and nodded.
"Hey kid…eat dinner, take the meds that Mike has and then sleep. We can talk in the morning. You look ready to crash" Frank advised as Joe's eyes started misting up with the onslaught of a million yawns. "Ok then bye" he agreed and got offline before turning to Mike who held out a sandwich.
"I am sorry that Frank got on your case, he worries" Joe apologized but Mike waved it away. "What you have…this bond ...it is rare. I have to confess that I am a tad bit jealous. I only have a sister and we are very different people and we have drifted onto different paths. I am honored to be able to help so please don't apologize. Out here in the field we gotta take care of each other. I know you would do the same for me".
"I sure will" Joe smiled as they finished the sandwich and he swallowed a couple of pills that Mike held out. "You hit the bed now, I will see myself out" Mike said and walked out closing the bedroom door. Joe sank onto the bed totally exhausted, well if not anything else he would definitely sleep like the dead tonight.
At the other end of town Frank sighed and sat on the bed emotionally exhausted. In the past he had faced down bank robbers, international spies and the assassins themselves and yet this felt like the hardest case he had ever been on. All the other times Joe's ability to stay positive and his indomitable humor had always diffused the tension. He had not realized how much of the cases Joe had carried them through without being obvious until now. Now away from Joe and it had taken barely a week for Frank to become a nervous wreck and he was not even the one in danger. Frank was pretty sure that he had not laughed in quite a while and he knew that his smile did not reach his eyes and he could see the concern in Callie's eyes.
Now as she slid into the bed by his side he simply drew from her strength. "What happened"her voice was calm and soothing to his raging mind and he drew her to him. With her body pressed into his side it was easy to get the words out "Joe was hurt today" he said simply unable to share the details of the confidential case. "Is it bad?" she asked still in the same calm tone and it helped to ground him "no, not as bad as it could have been" he quietly admitted.
"Frank, you have to trust him. It is time you see him as the capable agent he is rather than as just your younger brother. He is tough, as tough as you and he would not be doing this if he was not confidant that he could pull it off. Just trust his instincts and yours" her words made perfect sense and he could see his logical brain and frantic heart calming down just a bit.
"You are right…you always are but it is so hard. He is my little brother and I always feel that I should be the one looking out for him. But you are right, he is doing a terrific job out there and I am not ashamed to say that I could have never pulled it off as he has. It just hurts you know…not being able to see him. For all the cases we have worked on we have never been apart and it feels just so weird" he confessed softly burrowing deeper into his fiancee's side.
Callie turned to him and placed her hand on the side of his face "Let it go Frank otherwise this is going to needlessly tear you apart. He will be fine; he has you to get him out of trouble. But to be able to do that you need to be fit and fine. He needs you just in a different way. Now sleep peacefully and everything will seem better in the morning" she said softly kissing him on the lips.
Frank returned the kiss fervently and chuckled "you know it's almost the same thing that he said and you both are right. Although if you ever tell him I said that I might have to disown you" . Callie laughed softly "me admitting Joe is mature and right? Not a chance" she promised and it was with a soft smile and lighter heart that Frank drifted off into sleep.
Author notes: hi everyone, sorry for the delay and a slightly rushed chapter. So apologies aplenty for any mistakes that might be there. It has been an absolute beast of a week that has left me no time to proof read the way I normally do. Having said that, I hope the chapter reads ok and please do leave a review. It just brings a warm glow to the writer and I know the many writers out there know the feeling. So please don't scrimp on the love..share it all around! Cya! And for those of you who asked ..yes it was a fantastic vacation by the beachside.
