Dirty Money

Chapter 25 - Thomas

A week had passed since the last deal and Brendan stood at the door of the warehouse as the massive storm approached; fierce lightening shot down in the distance, as black clouds took over the sky. The rain was still a fair distance out, but the wind had arrived it was ferocious; trees were swaying violently and the howl was almost deafening. The snipers stayed in the watchtower, nervously radioing in for updates every five minutes. The dog squad had retreated into the small shed built for the workers to the side of the warehouse, and the gate guards stood about uneasy looking constantly toward Brendan for orders.

            The order however was for everyone to stay put, no one could leave until after the transaction. Brendan eased back inside pulling the door tightly; Charlie was by the sink making coffee, and the rest of the soldiers lazed about waiting for progress like everyone else. “Big storm coming huh?” Charlie said, as he poured the hot water into the mugs.

            “Yeah, hope Rai’s boys don’t get too scared,” Brendan said, despite the overcast weather he had sweat all over his body.

            “They’ll be here,” Charlie said, stirring the contents of each much with a small teaspoon, “This ones yours,” Charlie said, holding up a white mug to Brendan.

            “Cheers, I don’t know we go through so many products each week, it feels like we just got a shit load,” Brendan said.

            “Those junkies will take whatever whenever, you know how it works.”

            Brendan shook his head, “But I’ve never seen anything on this scale.” 

            “The weather or the operation?” Charlie asked trying to light his cigarette.

            “The operation,” Brendan said, climbing onto one of the lounges and placing his mug on the wooden bench next to it.

            “So good news about Chuck having a kid,?” Charlie said.

            “Yeah...I never really pictured him having children, you know because he’s so cold and I couldn’t see him being all nice and shit,” Brendan said, moving around trying to get comfortable on the lounge.

            “I know what you mean, but it will be exciting shit man I can’t wait. I wonder if his kids will hang out with Michaels kids,” Charlie said.

            “Who can tell that now? It hasn’t even been born yet…it might even hang out with yours.”

            “Mine are too old, by the time the baby is ten they’ll be twenty-three and twenty-five,” Charlie said.        

            Charlie turned on the radio on the small kitchen bench and pulled up two chairs; he sat in one and put his feet up on the other and glanced around to make sure his crew was alert. They were all brandishing their new submachine guns – courtesy of Rai. Two were playing chess, one looked to be half asleep, and the other was sitting on a chair smoking a cigar by the door.

            He pushed the chair his legs were resting on and stood up to double check on the product; it was all right where it should be; in stacked up toasters. Each time the goods came in different packaging to help fly under the radar. Charlie checked his cigarette packet to see there was still half a box left and sat back down into his relaxed position.

            “Tower to home,” a voice came through the hand held radio.

            Charlie reached down and put out his cigarette on the concrete floor, he reached up to the bench with his other hand and clicked his own radio, “Go ahead tower.”