Dying For LA by Ian Jones (top fiction books of all time .txt) 📕

Reed looked at Turner who didn’t look at all happy.

‘This is a PD matter, you know that. We can’t start kicking in doors and shit. We need to call them and let them deal with this.’

‘Yeah, we do, but I think we should try and get the lie of the land. The police are going to want to get their SWAT guys there, and that doesn’t happen quickly. If we are there, we can start watching.’ John replied.

‘He’s right sir. We’re not going over there armed. We can just look.’ Reed told him gently.

Turner stood.

‘Can I talk to you please captain? John, you wait here if you don’t mind.’

Reed stood up and John watched them leave the room. Reed had to do as he was told, but John didn’t so as sorry as he would definitely be to be without Tom he would go on his own. Although he had no idea how he would get there.

Chapter Thirty-Six

The hotel bar wasn’t busy, it never was on weekday afternoons. Sal and Rico sat opposite Rolf and Greg while Leo headed up the table. He had pulled over a stool from the bar so he towered over them, and Rico decided he would probably feel the same even if Leo was just sitting in a normal chair.

The bar was an optimistically big space for a small hotel, with booths all the way around the edges. It was gloomy inside, done out in dark red throughout and heavy curtains around small windows. The only other customers were a couple that were sitting at a table by the door, staring at a TV on the wall and not talking.

The barman, an elderly black man with an elegant grey beard brought their drinks over on a tray.

Beers all round, in frosted glasses. To the men, this was a welcome sight, they looked great. The barman carefully set them down around the table, collected the tray and withdrew with a polite nod.

Greg grabbed his up immediately and took a long gulp, and Rolf followed. But both Rico and Sal were conscious of Leo watching their every move so waited until he had raised his glass and taken a drink. Both men had the same idea; make this beer last. Hopefully there would be a second and it was all time outside of that damned yard, Leo would surely not start anything in here.

‘So, who has a story to tell?’ Leo asked.

The men all looked at each other and then Sal, who was always reliable in such matters recounted a tale where he was stopped by the police in New York. He had a couple of shotguns and a pile of coke in the boot, but managed to get away with it. Rico had heard it before, it was a good story, entertaining and Sal told it well.

Leo smiled and looked surprised in the right places and Rico felt himself relaxing, if only for a short while.

***

Major Turner opened his office door and ushered Reed in, then pulled it shut.

The two big men stood in the centre of the room.

Reed knew what would be said, but stood there stoically, knowing that he would not speak out. One thing that Tom Reed did was follow the chain of command.

Turner looked at him closely.

‘Look Tom, I understand. But you do know, that we can’t take any civil action. We are Military Police, and that’s where we start and finish. We don’t get involved outside.’

Reed nodded.

‘Yes sir. I do know that, of course. But I’m not suggesting we take any action. We just watch, and report anything we see.’

‘Tom, you are a good officer. You’ll be in my shoes and I think it could happen real soon, maybe not here at Indigo but you will be MP XO for sure. You got all the right qualities. This kind of shit could screw your career permanently and I don’t want to see that.’

‘Sir, I …’

‘Drop the sir Tom. This ain’t the army talking. It’s just me and you and I’m only trying to advise.’

‘Sir … Alex, you know if I don’t go, John will go on his own.’

Turner sighed and leaned against his desk.

‘Yeah, I do know that. I can’t do nothing about that, he’s a civilian and can go where he damn well pleases. And I know you like the guy.’

‘It’s more than that sir. We’ve been through a lot. I’ve learned a whole bunch from him. He is a good man sir, one of the best I ever met.’

‘What is he going to do?’

‘I think he wants to see for himself. Look, he isn’t a guy to start a war. We know all about this Pinsky, he’s a Russian, some kind of military attaché but seems to spend all his time either here or in Vegas. John isn’t at all sure that he’s part of 1-Too, and that is troubling him. He can’t make the pieces fit. And we don’t have any real idea how many guys he has with him, but we know they haven’t got this document, plan or whatever it is and it looks like they will go to any lengths to get it. I don’t want nobody else to die sir, not if I could have prevented it.’

‘I understand Tom. I do. Look, I got to go up the ladder here, I can’t make this decision without authorisation, I’m sorry. We got you involved to make sure that the army was clean, Major Hayter getting shot dead in a bar and his new wife getting the same the day before does not look good. Lot of men above my head were worried. And you’ve done a great job, hell I never had to do anything like this. But I got to make a decision, or try to I guess, and for that I need the ok. So go back downstairs, and just wait.’

‘Yes sir.’

John watched Tom Reed walk back into the office. He sat down at the computer and went