“Hey! Let him go or I’m calling the cops,” a man yelled. Two of the guy’s coworkers came from around the back of the building. One of them was carrying a large metal pipe.
“Shut up! The cops are already here, idiot,” Ruxs yelled, pulling his out badge, hanging from the chain around his neck. The guys didn’t utter another word and quickly backed off like they wanted no dealings with the law.
Steele leaned against the wall, watching their surroundings and listening intently to the crooked dock manager.
“I didn’t mean to run. I thought you were with those gangsters that showed up at my house a couple days ago.” The guy sounded like he was on the verge of crying. But Steele had no sympathy for criminals. Don’t do the crime. It was that simple. The payoff was never worth it. He’d never met an honest criminal. No matter how much he did for Artist, the man would’ve never honored their arrangement. The dockworker was lucky he wasn’t dead already. Now that Artist was dead, it’d only be a matter of time before the next guy moved up to take his place.
“We’re not gangsters. We’re the good guys.” Green smiled charmingly. The next second his smile fell and, gripping the worker by his collar, he jacked him up higher on the wall and growled, just inches from his face. “Now start talking. What’s coming in and when? Say it fast because I plan to be home in time for Judge Judy.”
“It’s guns! Guns, okay! Um, assault rifles and Uzis. Just help me and I’ll tell you everything. I have names, even bank accounts. But I need protection.” The man looked as pitiful as he sounded.
Green jerked his hands back, letting the man crumple into a heap of blubbering weakness at his feet. Steele wanted to have a go at him. This piece of crap was helping put illegal weapons into the hands of felons and gangbangers so they could keep killing innocents and terrorizing neighborhoods, all for a lousy buck.
“Seal him up.” Green nodded his head at Ruxs. Ruxs pulled out a zip tie from his inside coat pocket and bent over to pull the man’s hands behind his back.
“Hey, what are you doing? You said you’d help me. I can’t go to jail.” The man struggled uselessly, Ruxs got his arms secured and pushed him back against the wall.
“How many people do you think lost their lives on the wrong end of the weapons you’ve helped smuggle in here? Women, children, cops. I hope you get sentenced under the jail, asshole.” Ruxs turned around, shaking his head in disgust.
Ruxs tapped on his smartwatch. “Tech… need a unit for transport… notify ATF to send over a few guys.”
“ATF? We don’t interrogate him?” Steele asked, feeling like there was way more this guy could tell them.
“Yeah, we will. But we go after the drugs, Steele. ATF will have to be brought in for the weapons.” Ruxs lowered his voice so only Steele could hear him. “We’ll shake him down for everything we can. Probably try to cut him a deal, if he has something good enough. God will take the lead if he can tell us of any drug shipments he knows about.”
Steele nodded. It was ATF’s jurisdiction and they’d be able to set up a sting to intercept the shipment of assault weapons. The collar was a good break for all departments and Steele was glad about that. Lives would be saved because of it. After the cruiser showed up to take their perp downtown, they left to head back to the precinct. Steele felt good. In only a few days, he’d seen more action and made more of a difference than he had the entire time he was in Oakland. He’d have to thank his uncle soon. God’s team was the absolute truth… and now he was a part of it.
Tech
Tech sat at his desk most of the afternoon because he fluctuated between half hard and a raging erection since Steele had taken the kiss he wanted from him earlier that morning. He was glad God was out of the office most of the day and Day was consumed with his own thoughts, so he wasn’t required to move too much. Steele’s lips had branded him, but his words had penetrated his mind, as well. He wasn’t going to get the chance he wanted without going for it. If his bosses didn’t know, then it was no one’s fault but his own for not telling them. Chen said he was ready. Tech had been taking the classes and training for more than two years. Longer than any other enrollee. He felt ready to defend himself, his team if need be, and handle himself if shit got real. With his mind made up, he was going to talk to Syn.