Ward Jake Slade

1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-1-945538-04-9
Verlag: BookBaby
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: Adobe DRM (»Systemvoraussetzungen)

E-Book, Englisch, 200 Seiten

In a not so distant future, Jake Slade's world has taken many twists and turns. He has a beautiful wife, a career as a police officer, and a best friend who also happens to be the partner he fights crime with. Life was going well until the day of the plane crash. It's been two years since the crash and Jake is managing life as well as he can. Now a private detective, Jake and his new partner Jane are two of the few good people left doing their part to protect Chicago against crime. A random encounter with a mysterious woman fleeing from her ironhanded husband, Jake is brought into a situation that will challenge the very fiber that he is made of. He soon learns the woman's husband is the most powerful man in the city. However, he must find a way to take him down. Jake will be faced with the choice of continuing to live in the past or move forward toward a new beginning...with a surprising opportunity for a new romance.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Ward, Glenn

Leseproben

CHAPTER 2 Mr. Cook stood outside the door to his boss’s office. He gave his appearance the once over. He was freshly shaved, washed, and his brown hair was combed back with a little bit of hair grease to keep it in place. He brushed a stray thread off of the left sleeve of a very expensive, dark blue, Armani pinstriped suit and decided he looked presentable. The boss didn’t like his employees to be unkempt, even though they had been together so long and he was his right-hand man. He felt that he should lead by example and God help the man who didn’t live up to his expectations, which were pretty high. He then opened the heavy, real oak door to James Rivers’s office. He walked over to the desk like he was an old familiar friend and indeed he was. He had been a close business associate to James Rivers for about ten years, ever since they met on that fateful day back when Rivers was still a gopher for the Forgione cartel. He had a feeling about James Rivers even then that told him, This guy is going places. James Rivers projected an air of superiority and arrogance that was almost untouchable. His persona projected an almost imperceptible glow through to his very being. Ever since then, he has never left his side. They have been practically inseparable since that meeting. “Has she gone out yet, Mr. Cook?” Rivers said. “Yes sir, we let her get out of the building easily, but not too easily. We didn’t want her to get suspicious and think that we were on to her. She used the door codes that you said she’d use. I’ve got a couple of the boys tailing her now. At last report she was heading in the exact direction you requested.” “Excellent!” said Rivers. “Is Mr. Slade on his way to the rendezvous with her?” “Yes, sir, he is out of his apartment and is proceeding as anticipated. We should have a preliminary report shortly. At present his vehicle is heading down Augusta Boulevard toward the expected point of contact.” As an afterthought he chuckled and said, “It’s almost too easy, boss.” “Excellent! Too easy you say, I’d say that it wasn’t even a challenge for me. A few minor logistical problems easily solved, but no, not even a challenge. I love it when a plan comes together, don’t you? Oh, by the way, did you manage to plant a few of our electronic tracking devices on my dear wife before she left? I would hate to lose her in all the confusion and ruckus that’s bound to happen,” Rivers said sarcastically. “Yes, sir, at last report she had eight of the devices on her dress and in her belongings. The doctors even implanted four of our newest subcutaneous T-56 models under her skin. The ones you designed for use by the military as an extra safety measure while she was asleep.” “Well done. Now all we have to do is wait and see what happens as this little drama unfolds, eh? That will be all for now. Please keep me apprised of any further developments. Oh, and send Helga in, would you? It’s time for my afternoon massage.” “Will do, boss.” As he was walking toward the big oak door he could hear his boss’s giggle turn to a full-throated laughing fit. He couldn’t help thinking that his boss sounded just like, what he thought the devil would sound like. His maniacal laughter echoed down the hall even after the door was closed. Mr. Cook gave a slight shudder and proceeded down the hall to his office and called Helga. Mr. Cook sat at his desk after he called Helga. Helga, what a burly woman, he thought. She was a six foot six, 300-pound, Scandinavian beast of a woman. Her hands were like meat cleavers and she had arms as big around as Mr. Cook’s thighs. She barely spoke when spoken to other than the occasional grunt of acknowledgement. She was definitely not someone to trifle with. He didn’t even know how she came to be in the boss’s employ. Just one day she showed up and the boss hired her. As far as he knew, she handled all the boss’s massage duties. It got him thinking. For as long as they have been together, he didn’t know everything the boss was up to. The boss kept secrets close to the vest and didn’t like sharing, which was fine with Mr. Cook, as long as the credits kept coming in like always. The first time Mr. Cook saw James Rivers was over 15 years ago in the family room of the Forgione crime syndicate. Don Rocco Forgione was the patriarch of the biggest crime family in Chicago. He ran everything from petty theft to drug and human trafficking. He owned politicians, judges and cops all over the city. He also kept the peace in the city. No one was wasting no one unless Don Forgione said it was ok. Mr. Cook was at the back of the family room one night, which was where his status in the organization was. The higher your status, the closer to the front of the room you got to stand. Mr. Cook heard Don Forgione praising someone up front. He shuffled around the outside ring of other up and comers to get a better look at the front and caught a look at a younger James Rivers down on one knee in front of the Don. “Gentlemen, today is an auspicious day for our family,” the Don said. “One of our own, with my blessings, engineered the greatest coup any family could hope for. Not only did he set up a plan to bring down the banking institutions in the city, but he also got the American government to do away with the dollar bill system and go with a credit bill system. He was so slick that they didn’t even realize that what they were changing over to was being controlled by us. All dollar bills will be changed over to this credit bills system, which by the way, we own the printing presses for this new currency.” There was a little bit of laughter and good wishes from the men at the front of the room. The Don continued, “Because of the enormous amount of capital coming in to the organization, his brilliance, loyalty and dedication to the family, I am going to do something unprecedented in family history. As of this moment, James Rivers, you are a made man, a confidant of the family and now my right-hand man and heir. No one will touch you and you are answerable only to me.” There was stunned silence in the room. Never in all the history of the families has a non-Italian been made and certainly not to be a Don’s right-hand and heir. It flew in the face of a tradition, which could be traced, back to Sicily for hundreds of years. “I know this is irregular and against tradition,” the Don said, “but on my recent trip to Sicily to meet with the founding family members, I was able to persuade them that this was the right way to go. Not only has James increased our coffers by 120 percent annually; he has streamlined all of our operations so that they are running smoothly and at optimum efficiency. He was able to bring 22 more senators under our thumb, which gives us the majority of all the crime families in the country and soon the world. The families were pleased and after much deliberations and debate, it was unanimous, and they gave their blessing for James to be made a part of the family even though he isn’t Italian, we can overlook that one defect in his character. Is there any man here who opposes this motion?” The room was silent; there wasn’t even the slightest murmur of dissent. After a few moments the Don said, “Since there are no dissensions to this decision, rise James Rivers and take your place at my right side.” James Rivers stood and slowly walked to the right hand side of the Don’s elaborate chair-like throne at the very front of the room. “Might I say something Don Forgione?” he said. “Of course James, you may address your family,” the Don said with a wave of his massive hand. James Rivers stepped forward and said, in a humble tone, “My family, friends, thank you Don Forgione for this honor you do me. Never in all my life has someone looked out for me the way you have. Since that first day that you brought me here from the orphanage, you cared for me, and educated me, and taught me the way of the family. You showed me what honor is, and I will never forget how generous you were with me. I want you to know that you have my undying support and loyalty for the rest of my life, and I will continue to perform at my utmost best for the good of the family.” He then stepped back to stand at the right hand side of the Don to thunderous applause. Mr. Cook was even caught up in the moment and found himself applauding a man he had just seen for the first time that night. He knew right then that he had to get to know this man. It was a few days later that Mr. Cook arranged for an accidental meeting with James Rivers. The two hit it off immediately, and they have been inseparable since. It was several weeks later that tragedy struck the family. A mole was able to infiltrate the family and passed on a bunch of secrets about the family to a straight-laced cop who used that information to try and bring the family down. It led to a shootout in the streets. Many family members were killed, including Don Forgione and several high-ranking family members. The mole was discovered and summarily tortured for information by several over eager family members. They were unable to finish the job due to the police raiding the warehouse and killing them all. The mole disappeared and was never found. Afterward, the family was in shambles. Without the strength...