Page 42 of Salvation

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Max is drivingme to a meeting with a new client out of Shreveport. He’s looking for a large shipment of untraceable guns and is waving around a lot of money.

My contact has checked him out and he’s not a cop, but something feels “off” so we’ve scheduled this meeting to try to figure it out.

With Davey assigned to Hope until we figure out what’s happening, Max is on driver, as well as right hand man, duty. I could have another one of my guys drive me, but the simple truth is that I don’t trust that many people and don’t have the time or inclination to find someone that trustworthy right now. We have another vehicle behind us with four of my men in it. But they only know that they are there with the intent to watch out for anything suspicious and to protect me should anything go south.

They have the address of where we’re going and instructions to stay close to us on the drive. The rest they don’t need to know. They’re hired guns. If needed, they shoot and take care of issues that arise. Nothing more, nothing less.

Max is quiet as he checks the GPS for the third time in as many minutes. Finally, he breaks the silence. “What do you think is waiting for us, Gabrial?”

Opening my eyes, I take in our surroundings. It’s fully dark and we’re in the Atchafalaya Basin… the swamp. There are no streetlights out here, no sign of civilization as a whole, but we have military grade GPS and tracking in the Escalade, so we know where we’re going.

It’s a single cabin out here in the middle of the swamp. A peculiar location for a meetup.

Shrugging, I check the magazine of the Glock in my lap. Fully loaded with one in the chamber. Setting it down, I reach for the pistol in my ankle holster and make certain it’s loaded and ready for anything as well. It is.

The blade strapped to my back, hidden by my suit jacket, is also unsnapped in the holder and made easily accessible should the need arise to use it.

With the men in the vehicle behind us, I shouldn’t need to use my own weapons no matter what happens, but I’m always prepared. Finally, I answer Max. “I really don’t know, but I have a peculiar feeling and my hunches are usually right.”

Max grunts and makes a left turn onto a barely visible dirt road between two trees. “You thinking set-up?”

Again, I shrug nonchalantly. “I’m not certain it’s a set-up. We checked him out. He has no ties to law enforcement. I’m thinking more like a lone wolf hoping to become the new top dog.” My eyes harden as I stare out the window. “He’ll realize very quickly that there’s already an alpha around here though, should he be dumb enough to entertain those thoughts.”

Max meets my eyes in the rearview and says, “Yeah, we’re on the same page on that.” He points a little ahead to a slight break in the trees that’s barely visible. “This is the turn, and it should be about a quarter mile up on the right. You’ll need to keep watch since I’m driving Miss Daisy tonight.”

I smirk at his word play and clap his shoulder, “Only if Miss Daisy is suddenly packing like Vincent Vega.”

Laughing heartily, he makes the turn into the trees. It’s pitch black as we pass under the thick foliage blocking out the sky. The headlights are the only light on the path. Max slows to a crawl and the branches of the trees scratch along the front, top, and sides of my Escalade. The branches make a screeching sound as they gouge the paint.

Cussing loudly, I snap, “Damnit to hell. No matter what happens out here tonight, this fucker is paying for my paint job.”

I can practically hear Max’s wince as the sound of the Escalade being destroyed fills the cabin, echoing in the darkness. He growls, “Yup. This shit is like something from Deliverance.” The cabin comes into view, and he mutters, “Ok, let’s look alive and see what we’re working with.”

Looking behind me, I see the second vehicle’s headlights on our bumper as we park. Both vehicles cut the lights and Max says, “Wait one sec, let me get out first and get these guys around you before you exit.”

I nod and wait with my Glock in my lap as I hear the doors close and then talking outside the door. It opens and Max nods, “Let’s roll the dice.”

Nodding back, I step out. We all make our way to the door of the cabin. It opens as we reach it and a twenty-something man with beady eyes wearing an expensive suit greets us. “Gentlemen. So nice of you to come out tonight. Do come in. We have much to discuss.”

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