The Dodge pulled up to a small house on a lonely road, just on the outskirts of Seattle. Another city had been uprooted and given cause for another relocation. It had become a tedious process, Mackenzie hoped that it would allow them to settle for a short while again before they would have to move. She was grateful that they never found a home in Detroit, it allowed them to back right back up and head back over to the West Coast without ever needing to do anything except for check out at the front desk of the hotel. Jack was relieved that he had the forethought to move his liquor operations, but keep them out of Detroit. The last thing that he wanted was a raid of the building because of him leaving town.

This situation was different for him. Jack still had no clue about what happened, a long weekend where he went under the radar to spend with his wife, but once he returned, he was given the familiar code that it was time to move on. Something drastic had happened. Jack was beginning to get numb to it. He had liked the move to Detroit, he like the leaders above him, but he wouldn’t be missing the snow now that he had left.

Mackenzie was already in the house, waiting for Jack to arrive, she had flown out to get everything in order for her husband before he brought the car and their possessions. She knew that he was making a couple of stops on his way to Seattle. As much as she supported him in this life he lead, she knew that some of his business needed to be handled without her around or without her knowledge.

“Welcome home, Jack,” Mackenzie said. She twirled her finger in her curled brunette hair. For Jack, he was always glad to know that his beautiful wife was by his side. Each time something happened, he counted his blessings that this wonderful woman was sticking by him.

“How have things been out here?” Jack asked. He knew that she hadn’t gone very far from the house since moving here. With him having their car and her apprehension about cabs, it would be a stretch to believe that she would be checking out the more densely populated areas of the city.

“Things aren’t bad out here, it’s very quiet, I would say more quiet than any other place that we have stayed before. It’s not that large of a city.”

“It’s a good place for you to be. I won’t have to worry about your safety every time that I leave the house.”

“You shouldn’t have had to worry. You know damn well that I can take care of myself.”

“Yeah, I know. Still, someone has to keep an eye out for you.”

“That’s what your guards are for, aren’t they?”

“Some of them. Others are just around so that I can use them to run my business.”

“You’re gonna need to find a new setup out here. The warehouse in Port Austin should be fine though, no?”

“It’ll work, but it won’t be long and I’ll have a few places to import to here.”

“You already have connections?”

“I have a lead on someone that I need to go see soon. If I can’t get them to help me out, then it’ll be time to show some muscle again.”

Mackenzie smiled. So much had changed for them since they were teenagers in school together, just waiting to grow up. She no longer saw that skinny kid that she saw when they first got together. Her husband had bulked up in the last couple of years, his hair was much longer than the shaved head that he had when they were in school. Hearing him talk about his work brought her pride, knowing that it had little to do with her was irrelevant. They were successful because of each other. A matter of time would bring them back up to the life of comfort that they had in California.

“So who’s the target?”

“You make it sound like a hit.”

“Is it not?”

“No, but things could take a turn. I just need to make sure that this guy knows that I’m in town. Hopefully we can find a few other people around to know that we have friends in this city.”

“I highly doubt that you are going to find anyone by just driving around to follow your lead. We may need to take a night out and go see what this town is all about.”

“If the things I have overheard are anything to go on, the only thing going on in this town is a bunch of damn rain. Let’s hope that we can find something more exciting for us to make the time pass.”

“Alright, I hear you.” Jack said. As loyal as his men were, he knew that there was coming a time where he would have to keep a closer eye on them. All of the moving around and Jack could tell that there was some unrest within his men.

“Just keep in mind, this guy has been loyal for a while, it may be unfounded. I just thought that you should know what you’re dealing with out here.” The woman on the other end of the phone explained. Jack ran his hand over the left side of his face. It was an unpleasant situation to be in. He was sure that he would be in the clear once he had moved out here, but it seemed to him that the men on his payroll were getting ready to turn on him quickly.

“I’ll find him. We’ll get this situation figured out. Thanks for the info, it’s very much appreciated.” He lowered the phone back down onto the receiver. With his wife cooking dinner in the kitchen, he was patiently waiting for her to finish the chicken. “After dinner, I’ve got to make a run. I shouldn’t be gone more than a couple of hours.”

“Be careful when you go out there. Last thing we need is you getting picked up for something that could have been avoided.”

Jack sat down at the kitchen table as she placed the plates down between her spot and her husband’s. Each bite was more delicious than the last, with Jack savoring each bite. Once the meal was finished, Jack tossed on his jacket and went through the front door out to the car. Quickly speeding away, he was out of sight from the house in a flash.

A Few Moments Later…

The car screeched to a halt in front of the John Morgan Bar on 7th Street. It seemed to be a full night for the bar, keeping a raucous crowd inside with the live music. Jack discretely made his way to the back of the bar, finding the man that he was looking for sitting at a corner table by himself. It appeared that this was a routine for this man.

“Jack Waltz, to what do I owe the pleasure?” The gentleman said.

“Do I know you?” Jack asked. He was taken back by the fact that this man knew exactly who he was. This was not something that Jack had expected.

“No, but I know that you’re looking for me. Let me guess, you were only told where to find me, right?”

“Yeah, I needed to speak with you privately.”

“This is as private as it is going to get, son. My name is Zachery Compos, I’m your contact in the police department, though you didn’t know it. You normally only had contact with a couple of my men. I’m here to give you a warning.” The officer said. His plain clothes had hidden his identity well. Jack still wasn’t sure if he was telling the truth about being a member of law enforcement.

“A warning for what?”

“Your other contact for the police force, Cleo, he’s been making some moves. You never heard this from me, but Jack, listen to my advice. Do not, I repeat, do not meet up with this man tomorrow. He’s going to want to meet you at his home, make absolutely sure that you do not meet this man, especially on his terms. He’s been discovered by the department and he’s about to be brought down quickly.”

“What do you propose that I do?”

“If you must meet him, insist on somewhere out in the open. Make sure that you’re packin’ and that you have back up around you.”

Jack nodded and then he headed back out to his car. This had gone far different from how he thought it would need to be handled. He was sure that Cleo had been one of his most loyal informants. Finding out that there was a plan now that he was found out was disheartening. Jack felt a dull rage building up inside him. As he started the engine, it roared as he drove away from the bar. He was thankful at least that he would get that night of peace and relaxation before having to deal with this in the morning.

The house was dark. Mackenzie had been sitting out in the living room, looking through the window on the side of the house at the night sky as the rain fell down outside. The little amount of light that she had left on inside the house only illuminated the path to the bedroom and the bathroom. There was a low tone of the music playing on the radio on the other side of the room. She hated for the house to be silent, but didn’t want to have music louder than she needed it. With it just low enough to hear the music, she found a perfect balance, allowing her to clear her mind.

It was just a moment later that she heard a car pulling up outside of the house. A smile came across her face. It must be Jack, finally coming home, she thought. She sat up and then got off of the couch, walking over to the front door. As soon as she reached it, she heard a knock on the outside of the door. Suddenly, her heart sunk. Jack would never knock on the door, just unlock it and then walk in. Her mind began to race, thinking something must have happened to Jack on his way back from wherever he had disappeared to. Opening the door, she was face to face with a police officer in uniform. An uneasiness was settling in her stomach.

“Good evening ma’am, is your husband home?” The officer asked. Mackenzie kept the door only opened a crack.

“No, he’s not. May I ask who you are?” She replied. A laugh came from the officer, not helping the uneasiness that she felt from his presence.

“My name is Cleo Tietge. I am worried that your husband is in a severe amount of danger. Its urgent that I get to speak to him.”

“I’m sorry, but I have no idea when he will be home. What’s all of this about? We have barely been in town for a couple of days. What could possibly be going on?”

“I’m not at liberty to discuss that with you ma’am. I’ll be getting out of your way now. If you see your husband tonight, I urge you to have him find me. He knows my address.”

“I’ll let him know as soon as I see him. Thank you.”

Mackenzie shut the door as Cleo walked away from the house. She carefully watched out the window as he was leaving. When she thought he was about to pull away from the house, she noticed that he just pulled a little farther down the street, his lights off.

Looking down the street, she was able to see another car coming down the road. It had to be Jack this time, she thought. If there was something that the police officer needed to talk to her husband about, she was sure that this would be the best time for it. She watched as Jack pulled the car up to the curb and shut off the engine. That was when she saw the police officer’s car pull away. Strange, why would he leave when Jack just got home if he needed to speak with him, she wondered.

Jack walked in the door and Mackenzie looked up at him. She could see distress on his face, something had happened while he was gone, she couldn’t imagine what.

“What happened?” Mackenzie asked.

“Things are worse than I thought.” Jack answered.

“A police officer was just here looking for you.”

“What?”

“A police officer was just here. He said that it was urgent. That he needed to speak with you.”

“He was just here?”

“Yeah, then he sat outside until you got home, then he drove away. He said that you knew his address.”

“What was his name?”

“Cleo Tietge.”

“Tell me that you didn’t let that cop into the house.” Jack snapped. It was rare that he would ever speak to his wife like this, but with the stress of his current situation, he was not thinking clearly about how he was speaking.

“Absolutely not. I barely cracked the door.”

Jack walked over to the couch, setting his head in his hands as he leaned over. It was at this moment that Mackenzie realized the situation couldn’t be all that it seemed to her. He ran his hands over his face before slouching back on the couch, staring up at the ceiling.

“He only said that it was urgent that he needed to speak to me, didn’t he?”

“Yes, what’s going on, Jack?”

“I went to that meeting with Compos, one of my contacts inside the police department. He told me about this guy wanting to meet with me. This is not a friendly meeting. Cleo used to work for me, now something has happened and it seems like he’s hoping to burn me to save himself from whatever is going on.”

It seemed like something out of a bad dream to both of them. They were sure that they had managed to get away from their enemies by moving to Seattle, but now it appeared that Jack’s own trusted men had begun to turn on him. To Jack, he saw only a handful of scenarios that could go on to quell this disturbance. He knew that the majority of his men knew what he had been capable of in his past. It would seem that since he had gone to the business side more recently, that those who hadn’t been around as long were ignorant to the lengths Jack had gone to prove himself.

“This meeting isn’t something that’s going to end peacefully, is it?”

“I don’t imagine so. I’ve been told I’ll be walking into my own funeral if I go meet this man at his address.”

“So what are you going to do?”

Jack grabbed the decanter of bourbon on the coffee table in front of him, pouring himself a glass, filling it with nearly three times the amount of alcohol that he usually would. Mackenzie sat down on the couch beside him, running her hands over his shoulders, massaging the tense muscle.

“I’m going to give him a call, make sure that we meet somewhere that’s in front of people. At the very least on a somewhat populated street. I can’t let him get me alone, he’s been preparing for that.”

“Here, make the calls.” Mackenzie told him. She slid the phone over to him, allowing him to pick it up and direct the operator to connect him to Cleo’s home line.

“Hello?” Cleo said. He had been patiently waiting in his living room, the radio on to the boxing match taking place in town. It was late, nearing midnight now, but Jack could tell that he hadn’t woken up the man on the other end of the line.

“Cleo, it’s Jack Waltz. I understand that you stopped by my home tonight, telling my wife that you had some urgent business that you needed to meet with me about,” Jack replied.

“Ah, yes. Mr. Waltz, I’d like for you to stop by my place at your earliest convenience. Never know who’s listening in on the phone, you know how it is.”

“I won’t be meeting you at your place, Cleo. You can meet me tomorrow morning, ten o’clock, outside of John Morgan’s.”

“I must insist that you meet with me in private.”

“Listen to me, Cleo. You do not insist anything upon me. You are to know your place, otherwise, you will find it much harder to cope with your future situations. Do not forget the leniency that I have shown you, or the money that has been kicked back to you. Tomorrow, ten o’clock. Do not be late.”

Jack hung up the phone before Cleo could answer Jack’s last statements. Cleo picked up his phone and tossed it across the room as far as it would go before the cord snapped it back down to the floor. He knew now that his entire plan had to be changed and it had to be changed quickly. The clock was ticking.

Jack picked the phone back up as his wife headed into the bedroom. She found that Jack had his ammo sitting out and a couple of new pistols on the bed. As she looked over the items sprawled out on the bed, she began to load the magazine with ammo. There must have been half a dozen magazines that she loaded herself while her husband organized for a small group of his men to be in the vicinity of John Morgan’s bar in the morning. The ease of setting up protection for himself was something that Mackenzie was grateful for. If this had happened earlier in their life, things would be much harder to organize. It was useful to be someone of influence. Having his own men helped him out immensely. He didn’t have to depend on someone else’s guards for protection against smaller, but valid, threats.

When he joined her in the bedroom, she placed the magazines on the dresser at the end of their bed. Jack shut the light of and was soon asleep while Mackenzie struggled to fall asleep. Her mind kept wandering to the thought of everything that could go wrong at this meeting. She had to wonder if this police officer was the only member of Jack’s men that had flipped on him and decided to go into business for himself. It didn’t seem like a smart decision unless most of the men had soured on her husband, something that she found hard to believe, though not impossible. She wasn’t around him with most of his men around, after all, so she could not gauge their loyalty.

In the morning, Jack rose with the sun. That damned window let in so much light, shining directly on his face. Regardless, he knew it was time for him to get up. Walking into the kitchen, he started to make breakfast for his wife. A nice plate of eggs and bacon with toast. They sat nearly silently throughout breakfast and once Jack had finished eating, he was in the bedroom getting everything prepared. He loaded two of his pistols and took the rest of the magazine with him, sliding them into his suit jacket.

“Be careful out there, Jack,” Mackenzie said. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” Jack replied.

“Go take care of business.”

“I’ll be home in a few hours.”

She wasn’t sure if she believed that. She knew that there was no guarantee that, even with his men backing him up, making it through this meeting was going to be possible. For all she knew the cop could fire off shots the second that he sees Jack. Hopeful that it wasn’t the case, she watched her husband pull away from the house in the car.

Down at John Morgan’s bar, Cleo Tietge had been standing outside of the bar for the last fifteen minutes. The bodyguards that Jack had called in were blending in perfectly, not only outside the bar, but in various shops around the bar and inside the bar itself. Jack pulled up to the curb only a few minutes later.

“Mr. Waltz, I’m glad you made it on time,” Cleo said.

“What’s so urgent? What had you coming to my house so late at night?” Jack asked. There was an irritation in his voice. Jack knew where his men were, he felt safe in this spot. That safety allowed him to speak with more indignation.

“The department is calling for your head. I have to take you in, just to get the booking and everything done. You would have to spend at least a couple of nights in jail.”

“Not gonna happen, Cleo. I know about your investigation. I know that you’re trying to throw me under the bus to save yourself. You’re not getting off this time.”

“Investigation, what are you talking about?”

“Drug trafficking, Cleo. I know everything.”

Cleo didn’t dare look Jack in the eyes. He stared at his feet until he reached for the gun in its holster. He fumbled with the holster. That delay gave Jack the perfect opportunity to pull his gun out, placing it against Cleo’s chest.

“It’s over, Cleo. Get in the car.”

He knew that he had been bested. His own incompetence had allowed him to look like a fool in front of not only Jack, but everyone else that was in the area. Cleo got into the car and Jack used his own handcuffs against him to keep him restrained in the car. Taking the officers gun, he tossed it to one of his men as they got into the car with him.

“We’re gonna take a little drive, Cleo. Get comfortable.”

An hour later…

They arrived at a lake several miles away from the next town over. As Jack shut off the motor, his accomplice pulled Cleo out of the back of the car, dragging him over to the shoreline. He tossed him down on the sand and then Jack walked over to him, making sure that he was aware of his body language while he lay on the ground.

“Stand up,” Jack ordered. That fire in his voice had remained. Cleo stood up, shuffling to get himself to his feet while he was still restrained by his own pair of handcuffs.

“Jack, you have to understand,” Cleo pleaded.

“Listen to me, I find nothing more insulting than a man that doesn’t accept his fate after he tried, and failed, to carry out a hit.”

“It’s the investigation.”

“You won’t have to worry about the investigation anymore. You can be sure of that.”

Cleo lunged forward at Jack, trying to knock him off of his feet with his body weight. Jack was knocked to the ground with him, but quickly rolled over to pin the dirty cop to the ground. Jack grabbed him by the collar and began to strike him in the face. After four consecutive right hands, a cut had opened up above Cleo’s eye.

“You’ve got some balls. Too bad you didn’t have the balls to let me know what was going on so that I could help you out.”

Jack pulled out his gun and pointed it at the forehead of the man before him. Pulling the trigger was easy, it didn’t require a second thought. Once the round exited the back of his skull, Jack watched the dead officer fall into the sand face first, his blood pooling into the sand, permanently staining the area a crimson red.

“Help me out here, we’re gonna bury him in the sand,” Jack directed.

“Won’t he come up with the water?” His accomplice asked.

“Yeah, that will make sure that everyone who comes looking for him knows what they are up against. They’ll know that I won’t go easily. There’s shovels in the back of the car.”

Once he had retrieved the shovels, the two of them began digging a shallow grave. They kept it at only four feet deep, knowing that they wanted the body to wash up sometime after the search would begin. Jack stuck the shovel in the sand and then got back into his car. Driving away from the scene, he was ready to finally head back home.

Arriving back home, Jack saw that his wife had just finished dinner. He sat down at the table with a smile on his face while his wife pulled her hair back into a bun. The sun had set, Jack's business taking longer than he had originally planned on, but Mackenzie was happy that her husband had made it back unscathed. 

"Dinner is delicious, Kenz," Jack told her.

"Is it just because you're here to taste it?" Mackenzie asked.

"That might have a small bit to do with it."

"I'll take the compliment anyway. Thank you."