Chapter 3

This is the third chapter the kidnapping of Croation Joe.

Chapter 3   

 

      The three flunkies gathered in the tiny, stale, dim living room of 203. They were in the mist of an intense argument as a Magnum PI reruns occupied the audible ambiance from a small black and white TV.

“What the f**k! What are we going to do now man?” John said as pacing.

“Oh, this was your idea man. Now you don't know what to do. F**k man!” Ken screamed pointing in John’s sweaty face.

     John stepped between them the peacemaker,

“Calm down, everyone calm down! We need to think this out.”

    John snatched a pack of cigarettes from his pants pocket and put one in his shaky lips. He lit and inhaled hard,

 “This is bullshit! Okay listen! Go back and ask him to put us in the Union.”

     Ken spit a sarcastic sentence,

“Oh you gonna just ask him to put you in the union. You are crazy! Just ask Croatian Joe to put us in the union. You are crazy man! You never had this planned.”

“Man I don't know what the f**k you gonna do.” Replied John.

     Ken raised him arms into the air surrendering to the situation. He stomped across the floor and stopped in front of the closed bedroom door.

“Let's go back and talk to him. We have to talk to him.”

     John thrust his fist hard into an empty palm,”

“Man we have to get into the union. We have to. My dad was in the union, my grandfather was a on the docks!”

“I want to be a Longie man. But I don't know if this is the way.” Ken said between puffs.

“This is the only way. The only F*****g way. We have to do it.” Josh said, deep inside he came to the realization they were too deep and the only way out was forward.

     John stormed toward the bedroom door,

“Lets go! Come on!”

     He threw open the door with a vicious shove. Croatian Joe was secured to wooden chair, eavesdropping on the entire conversation with handkerchief shoved his mouth. He laughed to himself, while wiggling out of the poorly tied ropes as the door flew open. The trio invaded the space and turned on the light.  John aimed the gun at Croatian Joe’s head, but Ken slapped his arm down,

“Chill dude he's tied up.”

    Josh removed the handkerchief from Croatian Joes mouth. The Union boss exhaled his words strongly,

“What are you f***s up doing? Do you know who I am, what I can do to you and your families?”

     The men nervously searched each other for answers. Josh stumbled backwards toward the wall,

“S**t families? What the f**k John?”

    Croatian gleefully sensed their fear. He knew he had them and a little more pressure would break them,

“You boys are not gangsters. To me your little b*****s. Who did not plan out this kidnapping very good. I mean what did you want money?”

“No, we wanted to get into the union.” John said almost to the point of tears. Ken continued,

“That's it Joe we just wanted to get into the Union.”

     The Croatian cocked his head sideway at them. A large suspicious smile swept across his stout, emotionless face,

“Your the cheaters! The one's who cheated on your test. So this was your plan? Kidnap the president of the union. Whew I heard it all now. Really I thought I have heard every f*****g stupid trick in the book. This is a new chapter.”

      Ken looked to the other two helplessly,

“What do we do now? What have you gotten us into John? This was your idea.”

“Oh now I'm suppose to take the fall for this. I didn't force you to come Ken. You broke b*****d!” John ranted.

“F**k you man!” Ken yelled.

    John stepped toward Ken but Josh blocked him again before he did bodily harm. The relationships started to fray and Joe saw a chance to manipulate them when he interrupted the argument,

“Boys, boys please your hurting my ears. Please take that bullshit to the next room. Come in here with a better plan then the one you have.”

     They exited the room closing the door behind them as the arguing had increased in intensity and desperation. Croatian Joes easily slipped out of the weak knots. He bent over and reached toward his ankle. He grabbed a gun from a hidden ankle holster and checked the chamber while giggling to himself,

“A******s!”

 

 

      Ken plopped down on the sofa, while Josh seated himself in a chair and John paced  the room manically,

“What the f**k man. We are in some s**t right now. What do we do? John what do we do?” Ken screamed into his hands.

     John ran over and pointed in his face,

“Shut the f**k up you little p***y!”

“For real what do we do? I mean we are in some deep trouble. He's not going to put us in the union.” Josh interjected.

“He might you don't know that. Did you see his eyes? He was scared. He's ready to negotiate.” John tried to convince himself.

     Ken pulled his head back and laughed sarcastically,

“Man who where you looking at? That m**********r looked bored like he had seen that before. Like our little kidnapping was a prank.”

     John extracted the gun from his waistband,

“We just have to kill him and hide the body.”

     Ken and Josh stood to his feet with wild gazes of confusion,

“Slow down John!”

“I never signed on for a murder.”

“If we don't kill him, then we are going to jail. You heard him! He's going to hurt our families. We have to do this. You with me or not?”

     Ken shrugged his shoulders and they both reluctantly follow. John nodded his head now full of confidence and vigor. He had the will to kill,

“Okay then. Let's do this.”

     He flung opened the door and a loud thunderous, bag filled the room.

They gawked down at Ken’s dead body lying on the ground with a bullet hole in his head and gallons of blood streaming to the cheap carpeting. John surrendered his gun and both of them raised their hands in the air. Croatian reached for the weapon,

“Pathetic! You are the worst kidnappers I have ever seen in my life.”

     Croatian Joe glanced at the body of their dead friend, his ropes removed and thrown to the ground,

“Look at your friend. Looking down from heaven. Sit down gentlemen.”

Both of them followed his instructions,

“Are you going to kill us Joe?”

     Joe motioned no,

“No, no way this has been fun. I have not had this much adventure since Serbia. We used to kidnap political prisoners. Of course we used to get kidnapped. I can say that was the worst knot I have ever seen. Have you ever heard of frisking? You boys have really step out of your league on this one.”

     John a serious expression occupied his face,

“I told you to tie the knot man.”

 

 “F**k it was your rope.”

 

      John broke down and began to cry with trembling lips.

 

“Why did you kill Ken? It was my idea. He didn't even want to go along with it.”

 

 “He was weak. What I am going to have you boys do, you have to be tough. Plus it's self-defense. You guys kidnapped me. I could keep shooting if I really wanted to.”

“No, no. That's cool!”

“What are you going to have us do?”

“A Hit.”  Joe sang deathly serious.

“Like kill someone?”

“Yes.”

“But we never killed anyone.”

Joe laughed,

“I can tell. But you are going to kill this person.”

“What if we decide not to? What we decide to turn ourselves in to the police?” John mumbled.

     Croatian Joe paused and then placed the barrel of the gun in John ear and cocked it. The click sent shivers up his spine.

“Then I will hunt you down and kill you. Then I will kill ever member of your family that lives in Pedro.”

“Okay, okay man! We will do it! Who is it?”

     Joe pulled out an eight by ten picture and showed it to the two,

“Him. I want him dead!”

     Both their eyes lit up with fear. They gingerly lifted the picture from Joe's chubby, wet hands.

“Him?”

“Yes!”

     Joe checked out John’s new ink and smiled with approval.

“By the way. Nice tattoo. Where you get it? I like the detail

 

Author's Note

Chapter three, Let me know what you think please. Comment accepted.

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

I like the chapter. I like the way things got turned around. Croatian Joe is a cool character. No fear and he found opportunity with the kids. I like the relax feel in the bad situation. A very entertaining chapter. Always a pleasure to read your words my friend.
Coyote