Page 42 of Wrecked

“Yes,” Real said and his sigh sounded pained.

“So the fuck what? The guy is over here on US soil selling drugs and raping minors.”

“True.”

“Listen…I know we have political bullshit we have to deal with, but everyone bleeds the same color blood,” Crow said.

Real gave a soft grunt of acknowledgment, and after a small moment, the man continued.

“There is word on the streets that Slavic Balagula’s main man from down south is missing. Did you have anything to do with that?” Real asked.

“Mitch Fallen?” Crow asked.

“That’s the one,” Real said.

“I did.”

“Is he alive?”

“No, he’s not,” Crow said and filled in Real about Jose Garcia and the idea that it might be seen as a gang hit.

The sound of ice clinking came through the phone as Real took a swallow of something and then cleared his throat.

“This guy Lincoln is not to be underestimated. He’s got some serious manpower and some deep pockets backing him.”

“What I don’t understand is why don’t they just eliminate this shit and clear them out?”

“This goes deeper than that. The narrative around drug enforcement has changed with the legalization of marijuana and certain substances.”

“I get that, but organized crime, overdose deaths, and black markets are on the rise. So, legalizing that shit didn’t make a bit of difference,” Crow said.

“It was naive to think it would,” Real said in agreement. “Organized crime is deeply entrenched in drug distribution and human trafficking and getting evidence to take down the biggies is almost impossible.”

Crow walked to the window overlooking the city of Los Angeles.

“So, what you’re saying is that taking out the head of the snake wouldn’t make a damn bit of difference.”

“Maybe for a day or two,” Real said.

“Fuck.”

“Listen…let me talk to Rebel. I’ll convince him to come back here. Later we can take a crack at bringing Lincoln down.”

“Um…Rebel’s not here.”

“Where is he?”

“With Lincoln.”

“Why?”

Crow told Real about Rebel’s plan to rescue an Angel.

“Well, I’ll be damned,” Real said.

“Yeah,” Crow said with a smile.

Because they both knew that Rebel was indeed worth saving.

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