“Are you ok man,” Javi asks?
“Yeah, I’m good. Just ready to bust some heads and bring these fuckers down. They picked the wrong city to distribute that shit in.”
Javi knows all about what happened with Crystal and I know he’s only checking to make sure that my head is in the game. This week has been hard. I listened to the message that she sent the night I left, but I didn’t respond. As much as I love her, this mission is more important right now. Ignoring her is the only way that my head is where it needs to be and staying away from her has kept her safe from Mina. I haven’t heard anything from her, and I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. For now, that situation will have to wait. I talked to Jeffrey, April, and Chas about making sure that Crys is never alone or staying late at work by herself. I have an officer escorting her to and from work, but you can never be too careful in a situation like this. I love her so much and the thought of anything happening to her while I’m on this assignment is fucking scary, but I have to do this for Mike’s family. I have to bring closure and honor my friend. Having his killers in my sight has helped me understand that I was not responsible for his death. It also helped me turn my anger into determination.
The adrenaline in the warehouse is high. We have more agents this time and we made sure that we have the correct intel on the shipment. We’ve had a tail on Devon and Jordan all day, so we know their every move. We’re going through our checklist when Special Agent Williams from the DEA gets our attention.
“Alright, listen up. The Alpha Team is in place at the dock waiting on the shipment and ready to take the ship’s crew into custody. Beta Team, he looks at me, Javi, and our team members, you will be secondary, situated in various locations on the pier to make sure any runners are taken down. Chief Monroe, you and the team members from the FBI will pull up the rear. Once Jones and Jordan come through that gate, lock it down and secure the area. We don’t want any civilians getting hurt. My team will surround them once they get on the dock and exit their vehicle. We’ll also have some of the S.W.A.T team on top of the cargo containers for visual support and to take out anyone we can’t see on the ground that pose a threat. Are we clear?”
We answer in unison, “Yes Sir.”
He looks at his phone and then says,
“Okay, it’s showtime.”
The ship’s crew was taken into custody swiftly and without incident. They’re ready for us to get into position.
We pile into several unmarked, black SUVs and take the short ride to the docks. Nervous energy courses through me and my mind is going over the mission step by step. We’re more than prepared and so far, everything is going as planned. I look at Javi and he gives me a thumbs up. He’s just as anxious to get this over with. Not only to get these drugs off the street, but he recently confided in me that he feels guilty for what happened to Mike. As much as I reassured him that he wasn’t at fault, he still feels responsible because he was the one that gathered the intel. I don’t blame him at all for Mike’s death. It was a mission gone wrong and these heartless bastards took his life for sport. Tonight, will end with Devon and Jordan in custody, the drugs confiscated, and me giving Mike’s mother the good news that his killers were arrested.
We’re in position. After what seems like forever, I hear the Chief’s voice in my earpiece.
“Okay guys, their vehicle is through the gate and we’ve secured the perimeter. They’re coming towards you now.”
That’s our cue to be on alert and lay low until their vehicle is surrounded and they exit. Our plan is perfect and there’s no way anything can go wrong.
The vehicle pulls onto the dock and agents come out of nowhere and surround the vehicle. They let them know that they’re surrounded and order them out of the vehicle. I watch as Devon, followed by Jordan, exit the vehicle with their hands raised. All of a sudden, the driver gets out and starts firing. All hell breaks loose, and it takes everything in me to remain in position. In the midst of the chaos, Devon runs towards the ship and Jordan runs toward the cargo trailers. Javi, goes after Jordan and I go after Devon. I get to him just as he starts a speed boat. He starts shooting when he sees me, and I dive for cover. The bullets don’t stop until I hear an engine roar to life. I come out from my cover and fire until my clip is empty. I see him clutch his stomach, but it wasn’t enough to stop him. Son of a bitch!
I make my way back to where the FBI agents are still surrounding the vehicle. The driver is face down and bleeding from a chest wound. He won’t make it, so a call is put in for the coroner and an ambulance. I walk over to the Chief and say,
“Where’s Javi?”
“He went after,”
Her words cutoff as we both hear Javi through our earpieces and the worst case of Déjà vu is playing out in real time.
“Jordan, you’re already facing murder charges for the death of an officer. You don’t want to do this again.”
“Devon pays a hell of a lot more than the city does. You guys just had to stick your noses in where they didn’t belong. Mike was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I hated to kill him, but he recognized me, and I couldn’t risk him telling anyone that I was working for Devon. It really is a shame that I’ll have to do this again, but I don’t have a choice.”
I run like my life depends on it. I can’t believe this is happening again. I see flashes of Mike lying there, the light fading from his eyes as he takes his last breath. The blood stained my hands and clothes as I looked on, helpless, unable to do anything to help him. I knew he was gone, but that didn’t stop the guilt. I cannot let this happen again. I hear the Chief calling for another ambulance, and I hear the foot falls of the other agents, fanning out and searching for Javi. I hear one, then a second gun shot, and when I round the corner of the first set of trailers, the scene before me is one that will haunt me forever. I freeze and it seems like time has slowed down as I watch Javi fall to the ground lifeless.
I’m in shock and I feel as if I stay here, frozen in this place. This will all be some bad dream that I need to wake up from. I hear several voices shouting orders and it jolts me into action. I run over to Javi and he’s still breathing, but the bullet went into his chest right above his heart. I take off my shirt and hold the wound to help stop the bleeding.
“Javi, please stay with me man. You can’t do this to me.”
I know I couldn’t take this happening again, I wouldn’t survive it mentally. I beg Javi to stay with me. I hold his wound as if my life depends on it. He’s so still and it’s fucking with my head. The only thing helping me cope is feeling the warmth from his blood. It’s seeping out from the corners of my shirt and that lets me know that his heart is still beating, and he has a pulse.
The chief is here now. She leans down to check Jordan’s pulse and he’s dead. One of the members from S.W.A.T took him out, but not before he got a round off and hit Javi in the chest. I wanted to take that bastard out if it came to that but knowing that we have a bad cop off the street is a victory.
“Javi, you have to live, I can’t do this again. Please don’t die on me.”
“Barnes, you have to let him go so the paramedics can work on him.”