Someone got to him or his family and did something. Not sure what it was but it was enough to get him to go through everything I've ever paid his firm for and root out some of my 'alleged' business dealings.
"I'll be back soon and we're going to work out a new contract," I inform Mr. Mark Delauter who smiles and as I leave I hear him talking on his phone to his security.
I haven't been escorted out of a building in over a decade and this time it wasn't even a good escort. They didn't touch me or tell me not to come back, pussies. I have my boy Jessie, not really my boy but he drives my truck for me cause I hate paved roads deeper into town and to the Union tattoo house where Jim usually does most of his meetings. Jim and I have been doing good work for years running more weapons out of the country for the big names back east that when I come through the door he is happy to see me and not worried about his skin cause he has no reason to be worried. We sat in his office and I'm brought an iced tea by his grand-daughter, a sweet little thing named Vicki.
"Not surprised you came in yourself but then again it has been a while," Jim welcomes me with a smile.
"It's been a while since I needed to see what the hell happened to my investments," I counter and he nods.
"Bit of a hiccup really, our system has been in place for almost a decade and my current movers have been doing really solid work when someone got wind of one of the holding spots and hit it hard. Nothing to go off of other than they disguised themselves and the people that were on site say one of them was crazy," Jim explains as I sip on some good tea.
"Numbers," I ask and Jim shows me," You mean to tell me this is the first time in years we've had any opposition and they take us for one fifth of a shipment? Jesus you made it sound like they hit every unit you had."
I'm laughing but a shipment can be up to half a million dollars and someone just took a fifth of it and walked off into the sunset. I check the lists, Jim has lists just for me and I know he does them only when I'm coming otherwise they're in his head where nobody can get at them. I put the list down and take another sip of my tea.
"So who was running your show, not your boys directly I'm hearing," I ask and Jim nods.
"Local crew came in a couple years ago with a deal," he explains and I let him continue," they wanted enforcement and support to run some bad dealers and drug dens out of a couple neighborhoods."
"Those kids, the neighborhood watch once. They are why you asked for permission to take a hard line on drugs in the south side," I ask and he nods.
"Yeah, it was dragging things down anyway and with a little help, some munitions and a little money we have kept the worst out of neighborhoods the police never could all the while hiding weapons in everything from elderly homes to storage units privately owned and not in any names they can connect," Jim fully explains and I nod in agreement, it's a smart plan.
"Bring in their man in charge, I need words with him," I tell Jim who makes a call.
We talk about easier things and a few of our deals to move merchandise out west. I explain that I have a few legitimate businesses that need a couple hard nosed drivers for Mexico and he promises to get me some prospects from his Union boys to run them for me. I can hear people talking in the main area and figure Jim and I need to say hello.
"Carlos Ortega I'd like you to meet a friend of mine," Jim introduces me without giving my name and I shake the young but smart and tough man's hand.
"Who are you," Carlos brought a skinny loudmouth with him and the boy was asking questions he shouldn't.
"Shut up, H," Carlos scolds his boy and I notice the kid has been in a fight," It's good to meet you sir. I know we have a problem and I want you to know my people are working on it as we speak."
"No working on it, I want everything locked down and secured. That's your job and I want it done," I order Carlos who understands who I am without any names, his friend however.
"We'll handle our business man, that's what Jim pays us for and we get results," the boy, H, is digging himself a hole.
"Hector shut up and wait outside," Carlos orders his boy and I don't smile, it doesn't help to piss off children.
The loudmouth Hector leaves us in peace and only Carlos, Jim and his son Smitty are with me in the main lobby of the tattoo parlor.
"I want my business brought to order, Jim has a great record and is immune to any sort of backlash from this. You have an alright record according to Jim and at his recommendation I'm going to keep you working however I get more problems and we're going to find a new group to assist in our business," I explain my position in a firm tone as Carlos listens patiently.
"I'll have everything taken care of properly in an hour," he tells me and now I smile, he's a smart boy.
"Good, I like your dedication. I'll leave anything else I want you to do with Jim," I tell the boy Carlos and he nods before making his way out.
"A lot of merchandise just walked out and you don't make them pay for it," Jim asks and I shake my head.
"Who took it will try to sell it, we find out who is looking to buy hardware that isn't us and we find the people who took it," I explain and Jim sees the plan," After that we figure out where the weak link in the system is and remind the competition that this is our city and to move on."
"I'll get people on it, our contacts in the police say there isn't anything on their end," Jim tells me and I am surprised, he can tell by my expression," I made the call the morning after it happened, didn't put them at the scene or anything but I have a few legal ears to the ground as well as the rest of them."
"Good, now what the hell am I gonna do about my lawyer," I ask as a joke and get a confused look," I got notice Friday last week that the firm I've been using for all my legitimate and other businesses is dropping me as a client and today when I went to meet with the lawyer who sent me the notice I could tell he was taking something that happened to him or someone close to him out on me."
"Who's the lawyer," Smitty asks as a reflex, good boy and likes to get his hands dirty.
"Mark Delauter, he's senior partner and Delauter and some other names I don't care about right now," I really don't, I just pay for the best.
"I know that name… Vicki," Smitty yells to his daughter who is outside and she comes in quickly," How do I know the name Delauter?"
"I don't know, I think that kid Carlos was here talking about a D name like that a while back," she says and he waves her off.
"Vicki darlin' is Carlos still outside," I ask kindly and she smiles and nods," Send him back in here please? Thanks girl."
Always be nice, if you're mad and the person ain't there that pissed you off be nice to everyone else. It takes a minute or two but Carlos comes back in and leaves his idiot outside.
"Delauter, that name rings a bell with you Carlos," I ask and he knows something.
"Yes sir, a couple of his kids go to school with some of my people and my sister," he slipped a little while mentioning his family. He's trying to be open but that was more than he wanted to give," His two daughters and step son are seniors this year."
"Why does that man have a fucking hard on for making my life miserable," I ask the question rhetorically and see an answer on Carlos's face and it's not one I'd like.
"Carlos tell the man what you know, same as you told me," Jim orders him calmly but there is no way out of this.
"The step son, nobody knew he was their family for years and my boys have been picking on him a lot," Carlos explains and I'm missing something.
"So you push the kid around, so…," I ask and he resigns himself to his fate by telling me.