Page 2 of Outlaw

Chapter Two

Adam

There’s nothing else to do. I don’t have a real choice in the matter. I have to surrender, then brazen it out, and rely on my instincts to get myself set free again. Inside my head, I’m begging, “Help me, big brother. I need to find the perfect words, and say them in the right tone, or I’m a goner.”

Out loud, I assume a nonchalant, tough guy attitude, and brazenly demand, “Who the hell are you, and what the fuck do you want with me?”

A large man, dressed in black military style gear steps forward into my personal space. I can see his pearly white teeth as he grins at me. In the darkness, those teeth, and his gleaming gray eyes are all that is visible. He widens his legs into a fighter’s stance before answering in a deep, sarcastic voice, “Not that it’s really any of your business, but we’re the fucking CIA, and we can do whatever we please with your sorry ass.”

The CIA? What is going on? I’ve never been in the sights of the CIA. What did I do to deserve this? I just left an idiot tied to a chair in his own residence, with a busted up face, and one finger missing. I cut it off to get information out of him concerning my brother’s murder, but it turns out he didn’t know anything. His wife will find him soon enough, and he doesn’t know who I am, so why should that have brought out the CIA? The cops have only been chasing me because I accidentally tripped off an alarm on a parked car. It is a stupid, and rooky mistake to make, but my mind has been on my brother too much lately. The anniversary of his death is coming up soon, and it always messes with my head.

“You guys have the wrong man. I’m not anybody important. I was just stepping out to get some air, and maybe have a smoke. The CIA shouldn’t be wasting their time over us homeless sleeping in a basement,” I tell them, using my own white smile, and the dimples that usually gain me a successful bluff.

“We know you aren’t one of the homeless who squat here. Do you really think we’re that stupid?” the man growls at me. “I suppose you think you’re acting all cute, and innocent. I’ll have you know, we’re all immune to those dimples, and your pretense of innocence. We’ve seen it all before. Adam Marcus, you are under arrest for crimes against…well everyone, I suppose. Drop your weapons carefully, and push them toward the dumpster. Don’t run. I wouldn’t mind shooting you in the head, but my boss would likely be a little upset.”

Frowning in confusion, and finally getting scared, I do as I am told. Something is wrong with all this. It’s a twisted scenario that doesn’t make sense. I’m a career criminal, and I’ve been arrested many times. Yet, I always get the charges dropped due to lack of evidence, or spend only a day or so in jail. Surely, the CIA couldn’t have evidence against me. I’m far too careful. Well, except for that car alarm. But, you don’t call in the CIA for someone who’s trying to break into a car.

I am handcuffed, and unceremoniously stuffed into the back of one of the SUV’s. Nobody will look at me. It’s so surreal. I sit frozen in place, not even trying to ask questions that I know instinctively won’t be answered. Besides, I’m not sure I want the answers if anyone does volunteer them.

The sun is rising when the SUV’s pull into a parking garage located beneath an empty warehouse. The entire area surrounding the warehouse is deserted, as if a war has come, and destroyed all life anywhere close to it.

Several of the armed men surround me as I am herded toward the double metal doors. I stumble on the concrete steps, but I’m quickly grabbed by rough hands that squeeze my biceps in warning. I assume they think the stumble was deliberate, and I was trying to get free. They are very wrong. Fear of things being out of my control is making me uncharacteristically clumsy.

I am tossed into a room that holds a metal desk, one metal chair, and a really nice office chair that seems out of place. The floor is concrete, as are the walls. There are no windows, and only the one door I’d been tossed through. Not being a complete idiot, I choose to sit in the metal chair to await my fate.

It isn’t long before I am joined by a stranger. This one wears a power suit. It fits his slim body to perfection, and I can clearly see the outline of a gun at his shoulder. His black hair is wavy, and recently cut. His blue eyes glare at me as he takes the office chair, and crosses his arms.

“Well, we finally get to meet. It took us long enough to get you, Mr. Marcus. You are a wily bastard. You slip away from the cops so easily, but we’re a bit better at capturing our prey than the common police force. I bet you didn’t even know we were watching you.”

“I don’t know what you think you’ve got on me, but whatever it is won’t stick. Let me go now, and there won’t be any hard feelings,” I demand.

The man dares to laugh, which makes me instantly furious. I start to rise from the chair, but soon realize it will be useless. My hands are still cuffed behind my back. I can’t punch his smirking face, and if I try to kick him, I’ll end up in a heap on the floor.

“Ah! Good boy. You see your dilemma, and aren’t foolish enough to continue down that path. We knew you were intelligent. That’s why you were among the short list of candidates for our needs.”

“Piss off, asshole! We have nothing to talk about,” I bluff.

“That’s where you’re wrong, Adam. I can call you that, right? After all, you’re at my mercy. You can call me Agent Franklin. We’re going to be friends soon enough.”

“You’re wrong about that. I don’t make friends with people like you,” I reply in anger at his continued audacity.

“You’re the one who isn’t seeing the big picture, Adam. We’ve been observing you for a long time. We’ve carefully collected evidence against you, and there’s quite a large stack of it. We have surveillance pictures, as well as video putting you at crime scenes. That includes today’s little excursion into torture. We’ve got you red-handed, but we want to make a deal. I assume you don’t want to waste away in a cell for the rest of your life, and never discover who killed your brother. Am I on track?”

I feel the walls closing in on me. They have chosen this room to make me understand what my life will be like if I don’t cooperate. Already, the cold sweat is trickling down my spine. I need freedom. I long for it. My head aches.

I have to reply, “What is it you want me to do? I’m all ears.”

“We wish you to go undercover for us, Adam. You’ll fit in perfectly with the mob. You’re handsome as sin, strong, crafty, and notoriously evil. That’s exactly what we’re looking for. If you do as we say, and get us the information we require, then the evidence against you will vanish. We might even be convinced to help you discover who killed your dear brother. Do we have a deal?”

The adrenaline in my body is spiking to a whole new level. This is a challenge that I’m up for. If I do this, then I may be able to start a whole new life, one without the baggage from the past.

“Give me the details,” I say with a grin.

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