12
The next morning, Axel cooked some eggs and bacon that he found in the fridge. I was at the small dining table looking over the map, the pictures and coordinates that the Commission had sent us. Since we were at the boardwalk, we would have to do a little looking around to figure out where this, Thomas Pettigrew. He was angry faced man with thick glasses and slick grey hair. Otto came into the kitchen, buttoning up his shirt. I smiled as he leaned over and kissed my right cheek.
Oscar came in a few minutes after him kissing my left cheek in response. They sat at the table and motioned their heads at the information I had.
"We will need to gather information on who Pettigrew is and where he stays. Judging by his picture he could be a man of high class. We should kill him quick and get out of here." I replied looking at Oscar and Otto who nodded before the three of us looked at Axel. He just kept cooking in silence.
Oscar and Otto looked at me a bit worried now as if something happened last night. I shook my head and just looked back down at the papers. This could be tricky and I knew we'd have to take our time in the era. The could just go where they pleased, but they kept the same mind as back in Pennsylvania and just went in guns shooting, this wouldn't work. Axel finally turned motioning his head at us to come eat. Oscar and Otto looked at me with light eyes wanting me to go. I shook my head motioning for them to go ahead. They looked at each other and shrugged before getting up and moving over to their oldest brother.
I had more work to do than them. If the location given to us was at the boardwalk then that meant he lived somewhere close. It wouldn't be too hard to ask around about him. Like the boys would do that. If I did this, I'd have to be alone, so no one would be drawn to us. I noticed Axel nearing me and I glanced up at him to see him standing beside me holding up a plate of eggs and bacon. I smiled politely and took the plate setting it down in front of me.
"Thank you." I replied before looking back down at the papers. Once all the brothers were seated I looked at them. "We have limited resources in this time. We need to ask around about Pettigrew…"
The boys just all glanced at each other as they ate silently of course. I shook my head.
"I will ask around. Since the whites here are less likely to speak to me, I will ask the African American community here. When I get answers I will point you in the direction of our target and you shoot. Easy and out." I explained. Otto shrugged nodding as if that idea sounded good. Axel nodded once taking a bite of his bacon. I sat the papers down and decided to eat now.
"We will go with you to talk to the African Americans." he said. I thought about that for a moment. Three white men hovering over me in a black community could cause trouble.
"Could you stay in the truck then? Together you three are intimidating and very scary." I replied and the brothers smirked at each other and I shook my head. "You don't need to scare anyone here right now. I can't do my part if you don't do yours." I put a small fork full of eggs in my mouth. Surprisingly they were good. The brothers looked at each other as if having a conversation with their minds before nodding. Axel finally glanced at me.
"Fine." he replied. Once we were all cleaned up, we went out to the truck, making sure nothing Klansmen related was on it. As we began to get in the truck, a soaring noise shot above us. We looked up quickly. That sounded like a plane or a jet. In this era? Something was falling over our heads attached to a parachute. The thing that dropped it was not visible. Once it was close to us the brothers reached for it and noticed it was a large case and they sat it down on the ground. We all stood around it and tilted our heads. On the top was a white note. I leaned over and picked it up unfolding it. The boys leaned over me and read it. It was from the commission.
In case you need the extra fire power.
Axel leaned over and opened the case, it's locks unclicking and he lifted it open and my eyes widened as the brothers smirked. They looked like powerful automatic guns definitely from our year.
"Why would the Commission send us these?" I asked. Did they know something we didn't? Was something going to happen to where we needed these weapons. Axel smirked and nodded as he looked at his brothers who was grinning wide.
"Carnage." All three of them said in unison. I looked at them curiously wondering what they were talking about. Did that word mean something? Axel nodded at them and Otto and Oscar just lifted the box on either side and carried it inside the house. Now it was just Axel and I. He was staring at me, and we both knew I knew, but I didn't respond. There was nothing to say so I wouldn't start the conversation now.
Once they came back out we got in and took off. We ended up on the North side of Atlantic City where now we saw mostly black faces. I leaned forward some taking in the people around me that I saw. Their clothes, their hats, the way they stood. The photos and portraits I've seen in history books and museums did not do this era of people justice. Axel and Oscar just looked out their window noticing the stairs already pointed to the truck. They pulled over to a grocery store. Oscar got out and let me out.
"Do not take long." he muttered and I nodded moving inside the store. I took this time to look around at the place. It looked like your average store. What would it look like in 2020? Would it still be here? I shook my head and started to wander through the store smiling and bringing up conversations with complete strangers. I told them I was new and out of town and looking for work. The people in here were very nice and easily we were talking about churches who could use help and black owned houses that could use a maid.
"I have heard around about a man called Thomas Pettigrew?" I asked. Now the couple I was talking to tensed.
"That man is a thug, sells drugs and everything and is a brothel owner, specifically of colored women…" The husband replied. I tilted my head stunned, but also interested. The wife nodded, their names I did not remember, but she looked out bitterly to me.
"White people hate black men but secretly love to fuck their women." she said with disgust.
"Mayleen." Her husband scolded before looking at me sympathetically. "He lives on the rich side of Atlantic City and hosts many parties. If you're looking for quick cash, word around says he's having a party tomorrow night, gonna need some negroes to serve food. You may be able to find him at his office in town. He's owns a bar called The Two-headed Snake. If you go to him, be careful. He's very dangerous." he explained. I nodded looking down in thought before waving good bye to them. Oscar was right where I left him and Otto leaned over the side of the truck looking at me curiously. More people were looking at us now curious of who the four newcomers were. Axel leaned over some and looked at me with a blank stare. I inhaled looking at all three of them.
"I may possibly need a maid uniform." I replied. The Swedes frowned in confusion before we regrouped in the truck and drove down the road until Axel stopped on the side of a diner and we just stood together on the side and I told them the information I gathered.
"We need to get into his party tomorrow night. I will find go to him as some poor girl needing a job and maybe he will hire me. If he does I will find out where the party is, we get you some nice clothes and you should be able to walk right in if it's a large part. But from what I know he has a lot of henchmen too meaning you can't go in guns blazing. You'll have to kill him quietly and I'll snap the picture then we get out of there. If by some chance we get separated, you can track me." I explained, yet the more I spoke the more the three were frowning and looking at each other. I looked at them confused taking hold of Otto's arm. "Hey what's the problem?"
Axel looked at me.
"You are not seeing this man or going to this party." he stated. I looked at him heavily confused before crossing my arms.
"Why not?" I asked, his rugged features not breaking at all as he looked down on me.
"You will only get in the way." he replied. I frowned some crossing my arms feeling he was lying. What else was new.
"Look you need me okay. This is my job to help you all get close to your target. You can't always sneak around and disguise yourself it won't work. This man has a fetish for black women, let's use that to get to him and get out of here." I replied. Oscar and Otto said nothing as they watched us. Axel frowned stepping closer to me eyes sharpening on me as he stared at me.
"I said no." he replied lowly. But I didn't back down. I knew I wasn't allowed to go against him, but how else would they get into this party? They were literally mindless when they were shooting at their targets, the definition of enforcers. But they weren't using their brains.
"I'm going to need a nice dress if I'm going to help you so I can get the fuck out of here and away from you." I almost snarled as I walked around him. God why was he being such a… dick! I was fuming and I needed to get away from him before I completely screamed. Before I reached the truck, I felt a hand grip my arm and I turned to see Otto standing there with pleading eyes.
"Don't be angry with him, muffin. He's just worried." he said. I frowned up at him.
"About what?" I asked. He sighed and tilted his head.
"Come on… you tell us the man we are sent here to kill is a gangster who owns a whore house with black women and then you want to just walk right into his den and ask for a job. What if something happens to you in there and we cannot get to you? Like you say this is a dangerous period for your race. We don't want to see you hurt." he explained lowly. I stared up at him feeling the tenseness in my body slowly slip away beneath his blue-eyed gaze. I realized that I wasn't thinking this through either. I huffed gently.
"Why couldn't he tell me this?" I asked. He shrugged.
"He is not good with words." he replied smiling down at me. Tell me about it. I couldn't help but break beneath this innocent smile and smile back. So he motioned for me to come back with him and I did moving back over to Otto and his hard headed brother. Otto smiled at me as well and Axel just stared at me roughly with his arms crossed. I just stared at him unapologetically.
"How do you want to do this?" I asked. Axel looked at Otto who just motioned at me and he sighed some.
"We go to this bar, together, you do what you have to do to get information on where this party is. We will sneak in, kill him, regroup at the barn and head home." he said. His brothers nodded as if this all sounded like a good idea. Axel just stared at me tilting his head at me waiting for me to respond. I just stared at him for a moment feeling more plans needed to be discussed, but he was the boss. I just nodded and said nothing else as we headed back to the truck. I want to believe this plan is solid and I just hoped it went as smoothly as he assumes it will.