Carl's Plan

Carl watches the two men from the safety of the second-story window. It was a cold, starless night, but the bright full moon gives off just enough light to see. One of the men runs towards the others while his enemy retreats the way he came. They haven't figured it out, have they? No, they couldn't have; my traps are well hidden. He recalls the great pains he took to hide them among the remaining autumn leaves. The way he concealed the tripwire under the colorful foliage scattered across the ground. Carl finds his enemy pacing in front of his truck when he raises his binoculars again.

Marcus turns towards the house, Carl ducks. He didn't spot me, did he? No, there's no way he could see me from way over there. Carl discovers the remaining team walking towards their leader when he slowly raises up. He then sees Marcus's hands flying around as he talks. He chuckles at the sight. I wish I knew what he was saying.

~~

"Lewis said you saw something?" Raul nervously glances around.

Marcus points to his left. "I saw a bunch of fishing nets in the trees and trip wire on the ground." He recalls a few similar devices they'd set for their enemies and the horrid outcome that followed. He shivers. "It's hard to say what else might be waiting for us out there."

"What do you want to do, Marcus?"

"Whoever set this up is obviously after me, so I'm going to take the bait. When the kidnapper comes to collect, I want you five to grab him." He surveys his blood-hungry crew and adds,

"Work him over as much as you want, but don't kill him. Not until Manny is safe."

Paco nervously combs his fingers through his hair. "This could be dangerous, Marcus, setting yourself up without knowing who's behind it."

Lewis quickly scans the crew. The guys will back me up on this. "He's right. This plan of yours could go sideways in a hurry, bro." The crew nods in agreement.

Marcus turns towards his brother. With his hands on his hips, he growls through gritted teeth,

"What do you suggest we do, Lewis?"

"Find out who made the call and then take him by surprise. You know, do one of our famous blitz attacks." The gang has taken down a lot of men that way. Rivals that are double their size.

Throwing his hands down by his sides, he says, "Our brother will be dead long before then."

Hanging up his phone, Raul walks towards the men. "I called Dante, told him what's going on. He said he'd get his crew together and head our way."

"Backup couldn't hurt," Lewis says, still not convinced this is a good idea.

"What if we're being watched, Marcus?" Paco asks, anxiously looking around.

"I was thinking the same thing." He does a quick side glance toward the house. I know I saw someone in the window then. He starts to tell the others when a horrid scenario comes to mind. Lewis and I need to handle this one on our own. "Hidalgo, Paco, I want you two to meet them at the end of the road and then sneak back in on foot. Sancho, and Raul, I want you to stand guard at the edge of the woods. Lewis and I will grab the extra ammo and meet you there."

Lewis gives him a strange look. Marcus glances towards the house. Lewis follows his eyes. Seeing a shadow, he nods.

***

Flipping off his light, Captain Martin steps out of his office and then pulls the door too. The squad room's soft fluorescent lights silhouette the empty desks. A few are neatly arranged, while others have an assortment of papers scattered haphazardly across the top. I don't know how they find anything in that mess, he thinks, shaking his head. Jack notices the empty whiteboard in the corner and smiles. We've had a very productive day. He and his detectives were able to get another sexual predator off the streets. He loved days like this, but unfortunately, a win for the good guys are often few and far between. He recalls the team's high spirits as he continues across the floor. He then recalls being invited to a celebratory drink a their favorite bar. Nothing like a mark in the winner's column to boost everyone's morale. He smiles. His thoughts turn grave. Remembers the trafficking case they caught, the captain stops in his tracks. At least we got one off the streets. It seemed for everyone they lock up two more take their place. He shakes his head. We're in an endless battle, that’s for sure. Sighing, he heads towards the elevator.

The doors slide open. A lanky woman rushes across the white tiled lobby. Her shoulder-length strawberry blonde hair hangs loosely around her shoulders. Her chalk-white complexion makes her look deathly ill. The splash of freckles across the bridge of her nose intensifies her skin's colorless appearance. Her light-pink dress isn’t doing her complexion or her curvy figure any favors. Besides washing out what little color she has, the knit fabric fits tight in all the wrong places, making her appear heavier than she is. Jack notices a hint of wrinkles at the corners of her eyes and around the edges of her mouth when she gets closer. He then finds deep worry lines on her forehead.

"My husband is missing, and I think he might be dead," she anxiously blurts out as she crosses the floor.