Chapter 13 - Basic Principles

Gage pulled his truck into the parking lot of a small gas station. By the time he made it into the office, the owner was coming in from the garage, wiping his hands on a rag. Manuel Torres was short and a bit on the round side, but solid. A talented mechanic, he could have been running any number of repair shops at high-end dealers, but he said he preferred to stay in the neighborhood.

"How you doing, Mr. Randall?"

"Pretty good, Manny. How's business?"

"It's okay. I can pay the bills and feed my kids. That's what counts." He was being modest. All of the lifts were occupied and there were three cars on the lot that were either waiting for service or pick up. All of them were late models.

"Any way you can service the truck today? I'm thinking of taking a little trip up North, and I want to make sure it's in good shape."

"For you, I'll make the time." Manny's smile was genuine.

"I told you before, I don't need special treatment."

"Sure you do. You made this happen." He gestured at the garage. "Six guys plus me have work because of you."

"I just put up the money. You did the work. And you paid me back a long time ago. I'm just another customer now."

"Yeah, okay." Manny leaned to look out the window on the truck. "You want me to take care of that scratch?"

"If you have the time."

"Like I said, I can make the time. It can be done by the end of the day, if you want." Manny was writing in his appointment book.

"That works. In the meantime, do you have a loaner car? I need to run some errands in town, and I don't feel like dealing with a rental if I don't have to."

"All I got are a couple of beaters. You don't want them." Manny waved towards the side lot.

"Beater suits me fine. It's just errands." Gage looked at the two old cars. Nondescript American sedans. Perfect.

"If you say so." Manny handed him a set of keys. "Take the blue one. It's cleaner."

"Registered and insured?" Gage asked.

"I took your advice. Everything is legal here, even those guys." He motioned to the mechanics, grinning. "Papers are in the glove box. It sticks a little."

"Thanks, Manny. I'll take good care of it." Gage headed for the door.

"Not like you could make it much worse," Manny said.

Gage transferred his bag into the passenger seat of the blue car. Despite Manny's description, the car was in very good shape. The smell of cigarettes lingered under the scent of pine, and there were a few holes in the upholstery, but that was the extent of the damage. He rolled down the window and headed for the highway.

It took less than fifteen minutes to get to the industrial park. He drove past Cavuto's warehouse doing just over the speed limit. Any slower would look suspicious. There was an empty guardhouse with a tall fence on either side and just enough room for two cars – or one big truck – to pass. The access road led past another warehouse with an empty parking lot. After that, it turned up a service road which was blocked at the end by a chain link gate.

The sign said the road beyond the gate was under repair. Grass growing through the cracks and the lack of equipment told him that the repairs were a fiction. He turned off the car and got out. The only thing securing the gate was a length of chain and a rusted lock. Keeping alert for the sound of cars, he grabbed a pair of bolt cutters. It took a few minutes to cut through one of the links. He cut another one on the other side but left the chain hanging. Unless someone checked on it, he would be able to remove it easily when the time came.

There were trees on the hill overlooking the industrial park. He took a camera with a high powered zoom lens and walked into the woods. Only two businesses were operating, Cavuto's and an industrial building supply company on the far side. He had passed it coming in. That business was not likely to operate at night. Blowing up Cavuto's site might interrupt their power, but there should be no other damage.

He had expected the windows of the drug lab to be darkened, and most of them were. From where he stood, he could just see the empty loading dock. If Cavuto was moving enough stuff to need trucks, they would be loaded at night. That would have to be factored in. The office faced the access road. Those windows were not covered with paper. He could make out a waiting room with a desk at one end. The lights were on, but no one appeared to be working there. He waited. After a few minutes, a man passed through the office and walked towards the guard station.

Gage returned to the car and took out the bag. He was going to have to wait until the guard took another break or risk taking Manny's beater over the rough road, so he might as well make good use of the time. He walked back and forth to find the right angles, then set up cameras on several trees. They wouldn't give great detail, but they would record the shift changes. It was better than sitting there all night.

There was no fence on this side of the lot, a careless oversight on their part, but he was not inclined to get closer. Getting an audio feed would not be possible. The trees thinned out towards the bottom of the hill. If he was smaller, he might try it. Deira could probably get close enough but he didn't want to involve her yet. Chances were an audio feed would not produce much in the way of useable information anyway. Too many voices mixed with whatever equipment they had running would result in a jumble that he did not have time to sort out.

Cloning the cell phones would be the tricky part. It had been easier before digital technology. Nicky had given him a contact for decent equipment, but the stand of trees was barely within range. He needed to get control of at least one cell phone, preferably more. If he had their phones, he should be able to get all the targets to the warehouse.

As plans went, it was dicey, but it was the best he could do. That irritated him. Hits should be planned out to the last detail, all variables examined, and contingency plans put in place. That was much easier to do when there was only one target. It had been a long time since he'd done a multiple hit. They never went according to plan.

He watched the warehouse for several hours. Occasionally, someone would step onto the loading dock to smoke, but otherwise there was no movement. The guard did not leave the station. Gage checked his watch. He needed to get back to Manny's shop in time to get the truck. It looked like he was going to have to take the abandoned road after all. It was a good idea to find out if it was open on the other end anyway. If he damaged the car, he would pay for it.

The sound of an engine made him pick up the camera. A white SUV was approaching the warehouse. Gage zoomed in, trying to see the passenger, but the windows were tinted. He took a picture of the license plate instead. Nicky could run that for him. The SUV was waved through the guard station and parked by the office door. Three men got out.

Jack Cavuto was easily identifiable. He had never been one to keep a low profile. Pictures of him in the newspaper were usually found in the society section. All the best criminals were legitimate businessmen during the day. Everything about him screamed money, from his styled hair to the way his tailored pants fell at just the right point over expensive shoes. He was shorter than the other two men, but their body language made it clear they deferred to him.

He recognized the bodyguards from photos Nicky had provided. They were standard issue thugs, large and a little slow, much like the ones Gage had killed in front of his house. They were better dressed, of course. Cavuto would insist on it if they were going to be seen with him, in whatever capacity. Gage took pictures of all of them. He would need to make sure these were the men Deira was targeting. Not that he would mind killing all of them, but there would only be so much time.

All three men went into the office. One of them sat down at the desk. Cavuto disappeared into the warehouse. Gage wished he had pictures of the manufacturing set up, but the blueprints would have to do. He knew what sort of equipment would be inside. Sticks had assured him that the small explosives on the perimeter would be enough to start fires. The chemicals inside should do the rest. With luck, the workers inside would escape before the place blew up. Gage mentally added masks to his equipment list. There would be enough pump in the air to affect everyone in the area. One strong breeze and he'd get a face full of it. No telling what would happen then. A mask wouldn't keep it off his skin, but at least he wouldn't be inhaling it.

He checked the cameras to ensure they were working, then headed back to the car. Removing the chain, he tested the gates. To his surprise, they moved easily. He drove the car through, grateful that Manny's care kept the engine noise low, then got out and replaced the chain.

The surface was in bad shape, but it was not difficult to avoid the larger potholes. The road curved along the edge of the industrial park but so did the tree line, so it was unlikely he would be spotted. He checked constantly anyway. There was a barrier at the end of the road but nothing on either side of it. The car would be returned with a bit more dust for its brief foray into off-roading, but Manny would not care. Gage made sure there was no one on the road before he pulled out, heading for the highway.

He considered stopping by Deira's apartment to give her the rundown on the lab, but decided against it. She would need time to get over her anger at him. Time. It all came down to that. There was not enough of it. She might not be ready for this sort of job but there was no way to exclude her now. Having her handle the explosives should keep her from the actual fight, providing she didn't get the insane notion to go off on her own. He would have to impress upon her how badly that would turn out.

At least Nicky knew enough to stay away from the action. She could set up anything, or anyone, from the comfort of her home. In a tight spot, she was useful, but she knew her strengths and stuck to them. He had always admired that – except when he had found out he was her target. She now knew more about him than any person alive. If not for their romantic involvement, he would have killed her as soon as he had figured out what she was doing. She said she had already turned on her employer by then, but he still had doubts. At least the person to whom she had been passing information was no longer a threat. Unfortunately, Nicky still was. He would have to stay on her good side once her obligation to him was fulfilled. The best way to do that would be to leave her alone. In the meantime, he needed information. It was best to get all the recon out of the way. He dialed her number.

"You're a pain in the ass. What do you want now?" Music blared in the background.

"I need the address for Cavuto's whorehouse," he said.

"Oh, you're going to love this." She turned down the music and gave him the address.

"That is not his territory," Gage said.

"That's because it's not his business."

"Explain."

"I just love it when you get all terse and demanding, especially when you know I'm going to give you what you want anyway."

He said nothing.

"Seems that Jack's boys have branched out on their own. Someone smart must be running the side business because he hasn't figured it out in two years."

"He will notice eventually, and I imagine he will not be pleased when he does. That would be a shame."

"Why do I get the feeling he's going to notice a lot sooner than eventually?"

"Because you have very good instincts," he said.

"Maybe you should check the place out. You could use to get laid."

"Goodbye, Nicky." He disconnected.