The Cartel

Thunderstrike! It was raining heavily, and George sipped his hot coffee while looking at a portrait of his last war. George had been a soldier relieved of duty for breaking military rules. He had settled in North Carolina with his best friend, Dave. Dave was an ex-boxer whose career had been ruined when he was found guilty of d*** use. He had then gotten involved in business with d*** ca***s. Dave had a girlfriend named Martha. Martha was a badass, and one didn’t mess with her. She worked as a stripper in a nightclub but also ran some illicit operations for Dave.

“Come on, man, you have to take something more,” said Dave. “Have some whisky; it’ll help with this cold.” George took the whisky, drank some, and said, “This is damn good.” Dave suggested they go out and have some fun, and George accepted.

It was 10:00 PM, and the rain had stopped an hour ago. They drove off on a bicycle, with Dave laughing at some jokes. George cracked, “Come on, man, that’s damn funny,” and Dave said, “If I were the man, I would kick the motherfucker’s ass.” George looked out of the window and tapped Dave to stop. Dave asked in shock what was wrong, and George, with a furious expression, replied, “Nothing, just go.” Dave nodded and zoomed off.

The music was so loud, everyone was dancing, strippers were busy, the club lights were roaming, and there was so much fun in the house. Martha saw Dave and George drinking and came over to them. She kissed Dave and gave George a kiss on the cheek. Martha asked George how he was doing and if he was having fun. She told him to pick a girl, and she would make sure he had her for the night. Hahaha, what a funny statement. George was capable of picking any girl in the hall, but he was more preoccupied with being relieved from duty. Dave made a funny face and told Martha, “George will pick you instead because you’re a crazy bitch.” The three of them laughed. While Dave and Martha continued their conversation, George walked towards the restroom. He went to clear his head. As he walked out of the door, he caught the eye of the same guy he had seen walking down the street on his way to the club. Who was this guy? His name was Allister; he was a deadly assassin who worked for politicians, d*** ca****s, and businessmen all over the world. George had met him when he was on special duty in Turkey. Allister had killed George’s best friend, and George had been lucky to survive his brutal beatings. George wondered why Allister was in North Carolina. Was he here for another assassination? Who was his target this time, and who had sent him?

George walked past him, and Allister looked at him with suspicion. George rushed to Dave and told him they had to leave now. Dave looked at him, surprised and wondering why he wanted to go. George became furious and insisted that they must leave. Martha wasn’t okay with that and tried to walk away, but George held her hand and said, “Your work for the night is over. You are leaving with us.” Meanwhile, in the restroom, Allister was busy attaching a silencer to the muzzle of his pistol. He looked at his target picture once more, which, unfortunately, was Dave. Who wanted him dead? Why was Allister after Dave?

George, Dave, and Martha moved out of the hall towards the exit door. Allister saw them and followed. They quickly got into their car and drove off. Allister rushed to his bike and went after them. Dave was surprised and asked George what was going on. Martha was more confused and demanded an answer from George. George only instructed Dave to lose Allister and go to a safe place.

Allister came almost close and pulled out his pistol, pointing it toward Dave, but he couldn’t get a good shot. His bullet hit the side mirror instead. Immediately, Dave knew something serious was after him. He accelerated and made sure Allister couldn’t get close to him.

They were approaching a sharp bend, and a truck was coming towards them. In a tense moment that lasted just a second, Dave moved faster, cut the sharp bend, and the truck crossed the road. Allister had to stop and watch as Dave’s car vanished.

They quickly parked the car and rushed inside, closing all the windows and locking the door. Martha rushed towards George, hitting his chest, and asked him, “Who is that, and why is he after us?” George looked at Dave and Martha, sat down on the couch, and began to tell them about Allister, how he had killed his best friend on special duty, and how he had survived his assaults. He explained how d*** ca****s Allister was either here for him or Dave. Dave felt weak upon hearing this and started thinking back about who might want to kill him and which of his past businesses might have led to this. Martha was not safe either because she handled all the dirty jobs for Dave. If Dave was wanted dead, she wouldn’t be an exception.

The phone rang, and Martha picked it up. “Hello, who is this?” she asked. A heavy voice replied through the phone, saying, “I guess you’re Martha. I want to speak with Dave.” Martha stretched her hand to Dave, giving him the phone. Dave took it and responded to the unknown caller, “Yeah, this is Dave. Who is this, and what do you want?” The caller laughed and said to Dave that he was shocked he had survived the night, but he wouldn’t be breathing for long. If he wanted to stay alive, he should return the barrels he had stolen from his ship.

He had been involved in some deals in the past, stealing from cartels and selling to another cartel across the border, but he had stolen three barrels from a container. The question was, who among them was after his life? George told him they had to leave because the apartment was no longer safe. Martha nodded in agreement with what George said.