As Lock and Ty walked up the loading ramp and into the warehouse their juvenile escort melted away. Cresting the top, they walked down a long dock that smelled of mould and motor oil, and into a cavernous warehouse, long since abandoned.
At the other end of the building was a set of large swing doors, one of which had been wedged open. Through the open door, Lock could see an alleyway. On one side of the warehouse a set of metal steps led up to a gantry that ran half the length of the building. Behind it were several offices, presumably where the warehouse and factory managers would have been able to watch the workers below.
Lock’s cell phone rang. He answered.
“You ready?” said Orzana.
“What is this? A scavenger hunt?”
“Just wanted to make sure you hadn’t called in any LEOs.”
“Listen to me. We want this deal done clean as much as you do. Speaking of which, where are you?” Lock asked, as Ty walked over to the steps and began to climb. The height of the gantry made it a strong strategic position. Plus the offices behind would offer some kind of concealment and cover.
Lock hit the mute icon on his phone and shouted up at Ty: “Check the offices. Make sure they’re clear.”
Ty shot him a thumbs-up as he bounded up the steps. “On it.”
“We’re almost there,” said Orzana. “Less than a minute. By the way, one of my carnals, Ernesto, has disappeared off the radar. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“I don’t even know who he is,” said Lock.
“Just wondered,” said Orzana. “Talk soon.”
Lock started walking the length of the warehouse, scoping out any other entrance or exit points. So far, they had only the loading dock they’d walked in through and the doors at the other end. Two exits didn’t give Lock a happy feeling in a situation such as this.
As he did his recon work, he called Li Yeng. “We’re at the exchange point.”
“Emily and Charlie are there?” asked Li.
“Not yet, but I’m assured they’ll be here soon. You good to go?”
“All we need is the word from you to make the next transfer.”
There was more muffled conversation at Li’s end. Then Chow Yan was on the line. “Mr. Lock, do you see them?”
“Any minute now is what we’ve been told.”
“But you’re at the location?”
Lock did not need this right now. He understood Chow Yan’s anxiety, but he and Ty had to focus on what was in front of them. Things could change at any second.
He looked up as Ty appeared back on the gantry and flashed him an OK. “Clear!”
Lock hit mute again. “Stay there for now. Give me cover if you need to.”
“Lock?” Chow Yan was saying.
He unmuted the call. “Yes, I’m here.”
There was the sudden sound of engine roar from the alleyway. The noise echoed through the warehouse. Lock guessed this was it.
Game time.
Car doors opened and slammed.
Two men wearing ski masks appeared at the swing doors. They both had long guns slung over their shoulders, and handguns on their hips. Lock noted their lack of body armor. A good sign under the circumstances. They had come armed, but not anticipating any kind of pushback or fire fight. He hoped they were correct.
The two men pushed open the other door, and a black Suburban drove slowly through, tires squealing on the poured-concrete floor.
“Stay on the line, and await my command,” said Lock, switching into operation mode.
Chow Yan was no longer a client, no longer a worried father or uncle: he was the man Lock was relying on to hold up their end of the bargain. Lock reduced him in his mind to a functionary, just as he was.
For this to be finished it was important to tune out any remaining vestige of emotion and function on the mechanics. It was a transaction. One weighed down by greed and distrust and a lot of other ugly human factors, but a transaction nonetheless.
Chow Yan continued to jabber questions in the background. Lock tuned him out as he walked towards the vehicle. At the very edge of his vision, he could see Ty hunkered down, weapon drawn, ready to lay down fire.
Not that it would be of much use. Lock was standing dead center of a warehouse. The MS-13 didn’t need to shoot him. All they needed to do was have the driver of the Suburban stomp on the gas pedal and Lock would be so much road kill.
The only thing he had going for him right now was that they didn’t have the balance of the ransom.
The solar system must have bounced the thought all the way to Beverly Hills because the next thing he heard Chow Yan say was, “Should I action the transfer?”
“No,” Lock barked into his phone. “Not until I say we’re good.”
“Can you see them? Are they there? I heard something.”
“There’s a vehicle. They may be inside,” said Lock, taking a few more steps. “I’m approaching it now. Don’t do anything until I tell you.”
He stepped off to the side. As he moved, the rear passenger door popped open. Instinctively, his right hand fell to his SIG.
Another MS-13 heavy climbed out, revealing Emily and Charlie on the backseat. “Okay,” said Lock. “I see them.”
Now the front passenger door opened, and Noah Orzana got out. Lock hadn’t expected to see him. He figured that, like Chow Yan, he’d leave the actual physical exchange to the lower ranks.
Orzana stayed next to the vehicle, his door still open.
“What’s the delay?” he asked Lock.
“I see them,” Lock answered, with a nod to the backseat. “But that’s not the same as having them with me.”
“What?” said Orzana. “You don’t trust me? You think we’d take your money and drive off?”
“You have that option,” said Lock. “I don’t.”
“You want me to have someone bring your car round?” Orzana smirked.
“No,” said Lock. “Just let them out of the vehicle. Soon as they’re with me and I’m walking out, I’ll say the word and you can have your money.”
“You want to know the problem with this world? There’s no trust anymore,” Orzana said, nodding for Emily and Charlie to be let go.
A cell phone rang. It was Orzana’s. He looked at the screen and there was a flicker of something across his face that Lock didn’t like. He held up his hand in the direction of the heavy who was in the process of helping Emily and Charlie out of the Suburban. “Wait.”
As he took the call Lock did his best to tune in to what was being said. He could only catch Orzana’s end.
“What? . . .Where? . . .You’re sure?”
His expression was darkening with every question. Whatever it was, Lock knew it wasn’t good. And it looked like bad news that couldn’t have come at a worse time.
“That carnal I asked you about earlier,” he said to Lock. “Ernesto?”
Lock shook his head. “Never heard of him before you brought him up.”
“He’s been shot. Three blocks from here. In front of his son,” said Orzana, eyes dead.
“And your crew have been with me this whole time. They walked me down here, remember. I think they’d have noticed if we’d stopped to put a hole in one of your associates.”
“What about him?” said Orzana, with a nod to the gantry where Ty had his gun aimed square at Orzana’s back, the message unambiguous––Kill Lock, and you die too.
“Same. He was with me. Ask your junior crew if you don’t believe us.”
“Even so,” said Orzana, “price just went up a million, and this time I mean it.”
He turned back to Emily and Charlie. “I’ll kill them both right here in front of you.”
“Deal’s agreed. It’s too late for renegotiations,” said Lock, his tone even, his voice calm.
“Screw you,” Orzana countered. “Too late? What does that mean?”
Lock had hoped not to play this next card. It was open to his bluff being called. But things could spin out of control fast if he didn’t talk some sense into the man facing him.
“It means that when we got here I texted this location to my buddy Carl Galante. I told him that if he doesn’t hear from me in the next . . .” Lock theatrically checked his watch “. . . three minutes he’s to call LAPD. So, we have three minutes to do this and get the hell out of here. Because I don’t want to explain to them what we’re doing here anymore than you do. So, dead carnals or not, it’s time to either piss on the pot or get off.”
Orzana said nothing at first. Seconds passed. Lock looked past him to Emily. Her head was down and her eyes were closed. Her nails were dug hard into the palms of her hands. She was holding on, but only just. She must have been able to sense that this was it. In the next minute she could be free, or dead.
“Okay,” said Orzana. “But if I find out you had anything to do with it then this isn’t over.”
Lock kept his own counsel. He’d be happy to discuss any of this one-to-one with the man in front of him at a later date but telling him that wasn’t going to get this done.
Orzana gave the signal for the second time. Emily and Charlie were helped out of the back of the Suburban on shaky legs.
“You mind removing their restraints?” said Lock.
A nod from Orzana, and one of the men took out a knife. He cut the ties from around their wrists and ankles.
“You can make the transfer,” Lock told Chow Yan.
Everyone waited. Lock motioned Emily and Charlie to walk over to him. Emily had to put a hand out to steady her cousin. He’d need medical attention, but first Lock had to get them out of there. And for that to happen, Orzana had to get confirmation he’d been paid. Then Lock had to hope the money clearing would push any thoughts of revenge or double-cross to the back of his mind. In his experience, a few million dollars tended to have exactly that effect. People found all kinds of forgiveness in their hearts when they saw seven figures lined up in a row. Even hardened criminals, like Orzana.
Orzana’s cell rang again. This time he seemed to respond to the news a little more positively.
“Okay. Thanks,” he said, his mouth threatening the barest of smiles.
Lock stayed on guard. He wasn’t about to turn his back on anyone. He moved so that he was in front of Emily and Charlie, and made sure he had one hand on his weapon. Above him, Ty held his position, ready to move on Lock’s signal.
“We’ll let you guys leave first,” Lock said to Orzana.
“You don’t want a ride?” Orzana asked.
“Think we’ll pass,” said Lock as, out of the silence, another vehicle roared down the alley, and seconds later all hell broke loose.