LITMIR.BIZ

      The surveillance team from CFSEU scrambled to get into position to see what was in the cooler.

      “Anybody see what was in it?” asked Hinds into the radio.

      “No, the lid blocked my view,” came the reply. “By the look on their faces it must be something important.”

      “Damn it,” mumbled Hinds, reaching for his cell.

      Jack spoke with Natasha and quickly told her about a kidnapping. He said the husband did not want any official police involvement or any record of the incident. He then told her where they were.

      “I’m coming in. I can be there in an hour,” she said.

      “I don’t want you around until after I find the Brit,” said Jack. “It’s not safe.”

      “I’m done living my life in fear out here.”

      “Natasha! Listen to me! It’s obvious he’ll murder you the first chance he gets!”

      “We’ll talk about it later. Stay there, I’m on my way.”

      Jack put his phone away and said, “She’ll be here within the hour.”

      Damien stared at Jack for a moment, then asked, “So what was that all about? Why do you want this Brit? You think he wants to murder your wife?”

      Jack told Damien about the Brit but changed the story to say that a source of his identified the Brit in the park with The Toad and Leitch.

      “And this guy tried to make your partner’s wife decide which one of her kids was going to die, just because she made you dinner?”

      Jack nodded. “Who the hell would do that? You must know him.”

      “I don’t! Maybe he was hired by someone I do know, but I can’t think of who that would be.”

      “You doing anything with the Indos?”

      “Not me. And he met with The Toad ... it doesn’t make sense. The Toad would never get involved in something like that! He was at the election last year when we were deciding whether or not to waste you. He voted against the idea. Same as everyone else.”

      “Maybe The Toad doesn’t know about it. Could the Brit be someone Leitch is using to pass on messages to The Toad?”

      “But if they were all in the park together, why didn’t Leitch just deal with The Toad personally?”

      “Maybe The Toad wanted to keep his liaison with Leitch secret. Maybe he didn’t want to risk someone seeing them together.”

      “Possible, I guess.”

      Jack decided to change the subject and asked, “Why $7 million in Canadian and then $3 in American?”

      Damien shrugged and said, “Doesn’t really matter. If we can’t find The Toad and get the money back by Monday, Vicki and Katie are...” He stopped, unable to say what he was thinking.

      “You’re telling me that you have all that coke and can’t come up with $3.5?”

      “In a week, easy. But not in two days. Maybe half, I don’t know. But look what Carlos has done. You really think he’ll accept half?”

      Jack glanced down at the cooler. It made him feel ill. He said, “I’m not so sure it’s even about the money. He runs one of the biggest cartels in Colombia. This is chump change to him. What he’s doing ... he’s a psychopath. This is entertainment for him.”

      “I figure the same. That’s why I want you to find The Toad for me. You said you have a source close to him. I don’t care who that is. I just want the money before Monday!”

      “The Toad likes a little female companionship,” said Jack. “I know someone. I’ll see what I can come up with.”

      Damien nodded and said, “Thanks, I appreciate it.” He then took the cooler and placed it between his feet. For a while, both men were silent, absorbed in their own thoughts. The cooler eventually became a magnet for their eyes.

      “They’re in this because of me,” said Damien, fighting back tears. “I thought the club was everything. How could I have been so fucking stupid?”

      Jack didn’t respond. His own emotions were boiling to the surface as he stared at the cooler.

      “After all these years of being in charge of the club, this happens ... and who do I turn to for help? A fuckin’ cop.” Damien paused, trying to regain control of his emotions before saying, “How could this have happened to me?”

      “It didn’t,” said Jack. “It happened to Vicki and Katie.”

      Both men returned to their own thoughts. Jack thought about Damien. I always saw him as a monster. Now he looks like any worried dad or husband would. Scared because the people he loves are being violated. Angry at himself because it was his lifestyle that put them there.

      Jack then thought about his own actions. Charlie paralyzed ... his dad murdered. A war vet murdered because I made the price of speed go up. The O’Reillys. Now this! Consequences of my actions. What have I done?

      “What have I done?” said Damien.

      Jack looked at Damien in shock. Was I thinking out loud? He saw the tears in Damien’s eyes as Damien leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees while covering his face with his hands. His body started to shake.

      “I think they’ve raped Katie,” he said, choking out the words. “She’s only eight years old.”

      Jack had forgotten about the panties. He picked up the cooler and examined them. “These have been sliced off,” he said.

      “I know. Oh, God, please ... what have they done to her? I know I don’t deserve a break ... but if you really exist, why would you...”

      “She may not have been raped,” said Jack. “They were probably cut off because her ankles were bound together. He sent them to terrorize you.”

      Damien sat upright and looked at Jack. “You really think so?”

      “Cop’s point of view.” Jack shrugged.

      “You’ve dealt with this kind of thing before?” asked Damien.

      “Not really. I’ve been thinking a lot about the psychopathic mind, though. Especially since my partner’s family was attacked. Picture a mother tied to a chair for half an hour staring at a swimming pool that her baby had been tossed in.”

      “Christ,” came Damien’s mumbled reply.

      “We’re dealing with” — Jack paused to look at Damien — “real monsters. You help me catch mine and I’ll help you with yours.”

      Damien nodded and said, “If The Toad met this British or Indo, you can bet he was involved in ripping off the cash. I’m not sure where Leitch fits in. He once offered to ... help me with my finances. I don’t entirely trust him, so I said no. Maybe The Toad is using his services.”

      “How long has The Toad been dealing with him?” asked Jack.

      “That’s just it! I didn’t know the two even knew each other.”

      “But you will find out who the Brit is? Maybe through Leitch?”

      “I’ll deliver him to you like pâté on a plate!” Damien nodded toward the cooler and started to shake. “I just have to make sure they’re safe, first. That’s all that counts.”

      Natasha hurried toward the park bench. She saw the tears in her husband’s eyes as he tried to console the large man sitting beside him. “Jack?” she asked hesitantly. Both men sat upright and then stood. Their faces became masks. Hiding any appearance of weakness. As a doctor, it was a sight that

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