The Hunt [5]

Stella's Mission.

 

Stella, Vince, and Jake were riding in a van filled with monitors, many with some RADAR equipment. Stella was busy checking her weapons making sure that there were no flukes in any of them. She understood that one minor problem with them could blow their cover, or worse, harm someone else. Vince was sitting on the opposite side of Stella, with Jake at his side. He felt that if the two sat together, one would stab the other. In his mind, Stella would be stabbed, but would have enough energy to grab a machine gun to kill Jake for stabbing her. He always said "she's too stubborn for her own good" which everyone agreed with. Jake stared at Stella. Like usual.

The driver of the van spoke in a small PA system to the back of the van where the 3 sat in silence. "Ok, we're almost at the center. Watch out for cops 'cause I see several patrol cars. Count down at 60."

Stella sighed, "Ok, 1 minute to trade. I'll handle the hand-off. Vince, you and Jake will go out first and make sure that they don't have any hidden attackers. When you know it's clear, cue me."

"Out of curiosity," Jake spoke out, "but why do you always get to hide?"

"Because," she retorted with a sting, "if they saw me, they'd immediately think to take advantage of my size and attack right off the bat. If they see you two, they'll know that if they mess with the trade, you two will break their necks. Intimidation factor."

Vince laughed and gave a side glance at his son, "Jake, my boy, I think she just gave you a compliment!"

Their minute was up, and it was time for the trade. Vince and Jake both jumped out of the van and stood tall. Before them were 6 men. They were muscular, but not compared to the father and son. The two glanced around looking for key emotions. The man in front was most likely the leader, or at least one of the top guns. No idiot gang leader would allow a lower member to handle trades. They were too precious to screw up. Vince could tell from his expressions he was definitely confident. There was no change of emotion in his face or body language to show fear. The others, on the other hand, had plenty to show. Jake paid attention to the furthest one, who happened to make the biggest move by taking a step back. Jake could only smirk at the desperate move.

He remembered the one thing that Stella told him that actually sounded smart to him: "Emotions give away strengths and weaknesses. Holding your position strong and steady, like a rock, shows you're not afraid. Any movement when faced with a challenge, whether it be moving a body part to the pattern of breathing, shows fear. However, each sign shows a certain amount. Use your judgment to determine whether or not you have a chance. If the opponent doesn't move, it means he's modest. His moves could be unpredictable because 1) he could truly be a good fighter or 2) he's one hell of an actor. If the buffoon takes a step forward or is trying to provoke, it means he's too cocky. We'll call him Jake 2. Jake 2 tries too hard to be strong, most likely just acting. That means you have a chance at taking him. Now, when your opponent takes a step back, it means he's intimidated. Signs of fear provoke mistakes in the opponent's movements. If you ever see this, you have nothing to fear."

Vince and Jake looked at each other, then nodded. "We're ready for the trade!" Vince called with his authoritative voice. That was Stella's cue to come out. She took a step out holding 2 large cases made of hard metal, which was handcuffed to her wrists. Being handcuffed only meant only one of two things: either they were dealing with a lot of money, or hard core weapons. Today, hard core weapons.

Of course, as if on cue themselves, the other group broke out in laughter. Jake smirked even more. From the lecture that Stella gave about emotions of strengths and weaknesses, laughter fell into the category of "they're cocky, so take your best shot". All of them were laughing so much, except for one. The one that took the step backward. The one that got caught in the mall by Stella.

Stella immediately knew he was there, which either meant the transaction was going to be smoother than usual, or just down right bumpy. From the look of it, it was smooth sailing.

The leader of the group also had a case, but it wasn't handcuffed. Cocky, she thought. The two walked closer to each other. Vince followed, since he had the key to the cuffs. When they were just a few feet away from each other, Stella spoke first.

"10 highly equipped military sniper rifles. Super X-10 SWAT models with 300-400 ft. range. Includes eye piece that can also see in the dark. Did I mention the additional 1000 rounds per weapon courtesy of the Pack?" Her voice carried and the opposing group sounded excited. The man in front smiled and opened his case.

"$20,000 for the package."

"That's it?"

"Look, cutie," the man retorted, "this is business. Why don't you go home where you belong and do some homework or something. You don't belong out here." Stella stared at him. Stella stared at him for a long time.

"TAKE EVERYTHING!" Stella yelled.

Fights then took place. The two cases were still attached to Stella's wrists, so she managed to feel a bit more secure about the weapons' safety. One person attacked her from behind and she swung her arms backward, hitting her attacker on the head with the metal cases. That's gonna hurt, she thought.

She ran as fast as she could while lugging two heavy weights when she ran into the kid from the mall. "Man, I'd thought you learned your lesson," she screamed as she ran right through him, knocking him down.

"GET IN THE VAN, NOW!" Vince screamed as he hit the main guy. The man was still holding firmly onto his case, but Jake appeared out of nowhere and kicked the hand holding the handle. The case, flew from his grip, and it fell to the ground. Vince was closest, so he grabbed it and both Jake and Vince sprinted to the van, which was already in motion.

Inside, all of them looked out the back to see each of the other group running, but not fast enough. All of them laughed, then sat down. Vince took the cases and unhandcuffed Stella from the large boxes. Inside were weights.

"Vince, you were right. Those guys are cheap," Stella commented. "I saw that one wearing the red hoodie earlier today stealing an old lady's purse." She kept laughing. "Today was a good day."

Vince and Jake nodded. It really was a good day.

The trade was a success. The Pack managed to retrieve the $20,000 and keep the sniper rifles. As the three returned to the warehouse, all the wolves who were there came out and applauded. It was a tiny tradition, but it sure did bring the cheerfulness up.

"ok, everyone," Stella called out, "you all know the drill. We got $20,000. There's 50 wolves total. So, everyone's share is $400. Take it and go. Night watch, get to work. Everyone else, watch your backs and get some sleep." Stella looked around, and she thought of something that hit her hard. "Ya know what, Take the whole day off. If anything comes up, we're back on schedule. If not, enjoy." That rose some cheering in the crowd.

Vince came up to her, holding $400. "Something tells me you're going to spend at least ½ of this," Vince remarked.

Stella smirked and grabbed the wad of $50s. "It's my business. I'll do what I will." Then she left.

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