Wicked Break

Twenty-eight

The interior of the Excursion resembled a mobile nightclub. Instead of the standard passenger seats, there was a leather bench running along the walls. A square oak table filled the middle, a bottle of Crown Royal sitting inside the brass rails that rimmed it. Pungent cologne permeated the air like it was being piped through the vents. The stereo system, even turned down, sounded expensive and ear-busting. The windows were blacked out and theater lighting dotted the ceiling.

Carter and I slid onto the seats that faced the rear of the vehicle, a dark partition behind our heads preventing us from seeing who was driving. The Jolly Black Giant with the TEC-9, who had patted us down and removed our guns before we got within ten feet of the car, climbed in behind us and occupied the space next to Wizard Matellion.

Wizard sat in the back corner. He had dark chocolate skin with closely cropped black hair. Around six feet tall, athletic build, and a friendly smile on his dark face. He wore a bright blue nylon Adidas warm-up suit zipped up to his chin. White high-tops covered his feet.

He extended his hand toward me, thick gold bands on his fingers flashing. “I’m Wizard.”

I shook his hand. “I think you know my name.”

He nodded and extended his hand toward Carter. Carter didn’t move, keeping his eyes on the giant. Wizard’s smile tightened a little as he withdrew his hand and sat back in his seat. He motioned to the giant. “This is Ollie.”

Ollie didn’t move, keeping his eyes on Carter.

The engine hummed a little louder and we glided away from the curb.

“Sorry to have to meet like this,” Wizard said. “But I gotta be careful going out in public.”

“So many friends,” I said.

He laughed. “Yes. So many friends.” He waved a hand in front of him. “I don’t want to keep you for too long. For future reference, it might be better if you contacted me before you came down to this neighborhood.”

His casual tone made him sound like a Realtor speaking to potential home buyers. But that tone didn’t make me forget that he killed people for a living.

“We’ll remember that,” I said. “But to be honest, we were just looking to talk to Deacon.”

“Deacon works for me.”

“I know that.”

His smile widened. “Then you probably know the game, so you knew you were gonna have to talk to me first anyway before Deacon would talk to you.”

“Nothing goes down without your approval?”

“I’m like the CEO.”

“So did you order Moreno to take me out?”

The grin didn’t falter. “Sometimes Deacon likes to pretend he’s management, going and doing his own thing. It’s called initiative.” His white teeth gleamed in the dark interior. “So I’m not sure what you’re talking about. I’ll have to talk to him about that.”

I nodded. “Sure.”

He leaned back in his seat. “Is that all you wanted with Deacon?”

The rhythm of the wheels on the pavement came through my seat. “No.”

“What else, then?”

“I wanted to know if he knows a kid named Linc Pluto.”

Matellion crossed one leg over the other. “Name doesn’t sound familiar to me.”

“Deacon was working with him.”

“Deacon say so?”

I shook my head.

Wizard shrugged. “Then maybe you’re wrong.”

I glanced at Carter. He and Ollie were smiling at one another, each silently daring the other to do something.

I looked back at Wizard. “Let me put this another way. Deacon Moreno was working with Linc Pluto, who I think is a white supremacist.”

The grin finally faltered and the charming facade that Wizard Matellion worked so hard at began to crumble.

“White supremacist?” he said, his voice an octave lower than before. “Fuckin’ skinhead and shit?”

“Something like that.”

“And you’re telling me Deacon is tight with him?”

I nodded.

Wizard thought about that for a moment, then shook his head. “Bullshit.”

“Got someone who says it was happening.”

“Someone you believe?”

I didn’t know who I believed, but at least I had Wizard interested.

“Yeah,” I said.

Wizard fiddled with one of the rings on his fingers, staring hard at it. He looked back at me. “Why you looking for this Pluto dude?”

“Because someone hired me to look for him,” I said, starting to feel claustrophobic. I leaned forward toward Matellion. “Mind if I ask another question?”

The smile came back and the bright white teeth flashed. “Go ahead.”

“Let me start with what I know,” I said. “I know I was hired to find Linc Pluto, who had something to do with some sort of hate group. I know that his older brother was killed, probably by the same group.”

I watched for a reaction, but didn’t get one.

“At the same apartment complex where Deacon used to live, a girl who lives next door to Pluto gets shot. Shortly after that, some of your guys paid me a visit in my neighborhood. So here’s my question.”

Wizard folded his arms across his chest, but didn’t look away.

I leaned forward a little more. “Why did your guys try to take out the girl at the apartment?”

Ollie directed the TEC-9 at my nose, but I didn’t take my eyes off Wizard. After a moment, Wizard reached out and pushed the gun away and back toward Carter.

Carter didn’t seem to notice.

“I don’t do no business with no fuckin’ skinheads, dude,” Wizard said quietly.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” I paused. “Why the girl?”

I knew there was a connection between Linc and Moreno. Rachel, while living next door to Linc, had been shot at a place where Moreno used to live. I learned early in my career that coincidence was for people who liked to ignore the facts.

“I don’t know anything about this girl,” he said finally, shaking his head.

“Then why did your guys come after me?” I asked. “Right after I talked with her?”

“Probably because you were sticking your nose where it shouldn’t be.”

“Probably?” I said, almost laughing. “I’d think the CEO would have a better handle on things in his own company.”

Wizard’s arms tightened across his chest. “You think that because you’re big and white, I’m just gonna tell you some shit?” He tilted his head. “Even if I did know the answers, what do I get out of all this?”

“I don’t know and I don’t care,” I said. “But I just wonder how all your friends-and for that matter, your employees-would feel about you if they knew you were doing business with some skinheads.”

Wizard Matellion’s friendliness disappeared completely. He nudged Ollie slightly and for a moment I thought he was telling him to shoot me.

But Ollie just reached up with his free hand and knocked twice on the ceiling.

The car moved to the right and glided to a stop.

“I’ll be in touch,” Wizard said. “Now get out.”

Ollie opened the door and exited first. Carter and I followed him out into the bright sunlight.

Ollie opened up the front passenger door and produced our guns. He laid them on the sidewalk near the front of the car. Then he walked back and climbed into the Excursion

“Braddock?” Matellion said.

I looked back in the SUV.

“Don’t come into my neighborhood again without asking,” he said, his eyes staring out at me like hard spikes. Then he flashed the grin from before. “Because next time, you won’t walk out alive.”