Page 5 of Winds of War

“Fergus said that Ardan went and talked to him, and they want you to pull the same stint from two years ago,” Everly answered, giving Seamus a toothy grin.

“I thought so. Who is the target this time? Or is it a group of sleazy bastards we're after?” Seamus plopped down in the chair Xavier indicated, waiting for answers.

“Only one,” Everly said, then frowned a bit. “Okay, maybe two. Lester Ames and Jorge Montemayor.”

“I know Ames. He has the intellect of an amoeba,” Seamus spat. “One of those worms who think they are a snake. Last time I've heard of him, the piece of shit was into child prostitution. He doesn't know shit about drug dealing. Montemayor is a small-time Mexican drug cartel leader, an arrogant bastard who will be brought down by his huge pride.”

“Well, you may want to revise the information you have on the Montemayor bastard,” Xavier said, a gloomy expression on his face. “The human-faced monster managed to make a lot of prominent gangsters jump at each other's throat, which led to this senseless street war that is about to break.”

Seamus gasped in shock. “No kidding! Some of the gang leaders are violent, easy to manipulate, brainless bastards, and I can understand how that lowlife Montemayor convinced them to join him in his little, dirty game, but others are wise men who wouldn't fall for this kind of bullshit.”

“The story behind that human garbage's evil maneuvers is long and twisted, but those respectable dons had solid reasons to act the way they did. Well, at least at first sight.” Everly let out a long, frustrated sigh.

“It seems that Montemayor possesses a certain level of intelligence, even if just rudimentary.” Seamus stopped, frowning. “The scenario I used last time won't work. I need to adjust it if what you just told me is right.” He turned to Xavier. ”I’ll have to do some serious work to win his trust.”

“Just tell us what you need, and we'll do everything in our power to get it,” Dehaan, who hadn't said a word until then, spoke in a vibrant voice. “Money won't be a problem, and this time, the labs where the drugs will be neutralized will be equipped with the most modern devices.”

“You see, that's exactly the problem.” Seamus scratched his chin, “I can't implement the scenario right from the start. “Last time, I was dealing with small fishes who pissed their pants from excitement at the idea of working for the big shark McAtee and didn't suspect anything when they started to get robbed. Montemayor, on the other hand, is a category of his own.”

“So what do you suggest?” Everly stared for a few seconds into Seamus's eyes, an amused smirk forming on his lips. “You already have a plan, don't you? Of course you do.” He shook his head in disbelief.

“Yep.” Seamus popped the p, grinning like a Cheshire cat. “Well, I'll have to meet a few more people and take care of some important details, but here is what I have in mind.”

“As Advisor Bloom likes to say, you have my undivided attention,” Everly said, his voice tinged with excitement.

Dehaan and Xavier nodded in approval and relaxed into their chairs, eyes on Seamus, who took a sharp inhale, then started to talk in a calm voice. He would need top quality stuff in order to impress his future associate and sweep him off his feet, so Seamus thought about enrolling the help of Bayan Stark, Advisor Bloom's cousin, who was the leader of one of the oldest, most respected Hong Kong triad.

The Eurasian, Seamus explained, helped him to take down all major players on New York City's drug market by offering him financing and advice. Although the idea of using the Steel Raiders, Xavier’s father's biker gang, as a weapon against the drug dealers belonged to him, Seamus said he couldn't have done it without Bayan's support.

The triad he led owned or controlled more than half of the hotels, houses, and apartment complexes on the island, going almost totally legit. In spite of this, it still had connections with some of the biggest drug dealers from the Golden Triangle, and Seamus intended to use them to get the fine quality drugs he needed in order to impress Montemayor.

Seamus asked Xavier to make a list with the most trustworthy members of the Steel Raiders, the biker gang his father, Sarge Mills, was the president of. At least some of the men, Seamus said, had to be familiar with that type of mission, and they had to tell the others what it involved. Once created, the group was going to be coordinated by the president Mills himself and by Oliver Flannagan, Seamus's right hand.

“Wait a minute,” Xavier gasped, his eyes wide with disbelief. “That name sounds very familiar. Isn't he the guy who finished that Greenwood bastard off? I thought he...”

“Yes, that's him.” Seamus grinned. “And no, he's not dead. A combination of poor health and urgent, tangled family matters made him lay low for a while, so he spread the rumor about his death.

“That's good.” Everly let out a big sigh of relief. “I really liked the guy back then. He made Fergus feel safe, and gods know how much he needed that.”

”With old Flannagan and Dad in charge of the operation, that Montemayor son of the bitch won't know what hit him.” Xavier evilly smirked. “I can't wait to see the fucker's face once he realizes he'll drown in shit.”

Seamus nodded in approval, the Cheshire cat-like grin still plastered on his face. “Well, gentlemen, if that is all, I suggest we move our precious behinds and get to work. The sooner we set our plan in motion, the greater the chances to stop this senseless, crazy street war.”

**********

The cold, gloomy, rainy weather made the leaden silence in the sparsely furnished room even heavier. The boy in the armchair woke up from the slumber he fell in for a couple of minutes, blinked a few times to adjust his sight to the darkness, then listened intently, but, except the beating of his own heart, no other sound reached his ears.

His beautiful face etched with worry as the boy left the armchair, moving on the edge of the small bed. His stormy gray eyes swept over the delicate form under the thick blankets, frantically searching for a sign of life. After staring at that shape for a few long minutes, he buried his head in both hands, loud sobs shaking his body.

Why did it have to be like that, baby, why didn't you wait a couple of more hours? Was the pain so unbearable? It probably was, and now that you're gone, I'll put that bastard in the ground with my own two hands, then I'll join you. The boy was so caught in his sorrow and heartbreak, he didn't realize he was voicing his thoughts, his pain-filled voice reverberating through the room.

“Cahal, what's wrong? Who are you mad at? Why were you crying?” The sound of a weak voice made the boy fall silent as he incredulously stared at the form under the blankets.

“Evon, you...you came back! My poor, innocent love, you’re awake,” the boy stuttered, pulling the blankets over and taking the smaller kid huddled under them in his arms. “Thank you,” he murmured as warm, fresh tears fell from his eyes into his friend's blond hair.

“Three days had passed, and I didn't have any news from you,” Evon started in the same weak voice, pausing between words. “Yesterday, he barged into my room, dragged me into the kitchen, and made me watch Tim and him having breakfast. He laughed when I knelt and begged for a little food and told me I have to earn my right to eat.” At that point, Evon stopped, staring into the ceiling.

“That...that's enough, sweet boy. Don't torture yourself anymore.” Cahal hugged the blond kid's shaky form to his chest, then ran his hands up and down the other's back, anger boiling inside him when he felt the ribs and vertebrae protruding through the pale skin. “You are with me now. I'll feed you all the goodies you like so much, and you'll be back on your feet in no time. Speaking of food, I'll go to fix you a quick meal, an instant soup or something.”

---