[Chapter 86: Borrowing Power to Eliminate Future Troubles]
Outside Fountain Street Ranch Park, after just two minutes of a car alarm wailing, silence returned once again.
It might have startled the nearby residents, but given the brief duration, no one wanted to venture out at night to check the situation.
Pedro had his hands tied behind his back, blood covering his face, as he was marched into the dimly lit ranch park by Hawke with a gun pointed at him.
Edward rushed over from behind, holding a steel wool ball, and said, "I pulled this out of the exhaust pipe. The valve on the right tire is completely plugged with super glue."
As they approached the edge of the woods, Hawke kicked Pedro down, saying, "Great, super glue at the valve, and steel wool clogging the exhaust, huh? Savior, shove that steel wool in his mouth."
Edward bent down to do just that, but he certainly wasn't as skilled as Frank.
Pedro struggled desperately.
Hawke kept the gun pressed against his forehead.
Pedro obediently opened his mouth, allowing the smoky steel wool to be stuffed inside.
After a moment, Hawke asked, "I have a few questions for you. Who are you? Why did you do this? Who sent you?"
"Um... um..." Pedro nodded repeatedly.
Hawke gestured for Edward.
Edward tugged on the part of the steel wool sticking out, pulling hard.
Pedro groaned painfully, and when the steel wool came out, his mouth was all red.
Hawke kicked him, "Speak."
Pedro mumbled, "I was in a bad mood today, walking by here, saw that car and didn't like it..."
Hawke tossed the super glue to Edward, "Shove the steel wool up his ass and seal it with super glue."
Edward opened his mouth, but didn't say anything; he wasn't cut out for that.
Hawke didn't actually intend for him to really do it, so he continued, "Doesn't he like using super glue? Seal all his holes -- mouth, nostrils, ears, and eyes."
He pointed to a horizontal branch on a tree, "Then hang him up there; his balls make a good target. I want to practice my slingshot in the moonlight."
Sealing the back with super glue was something Edward couldn't do, but the ears were no problem.
He twisted open the cap of the glue, pressed onto Pedro's head, and was ready to drop it into his ears.
Pedro was scared out of his wits, yelling, "I'll talk! I'll talk!"
His head throbbed fiercely, and his mouth pained him just as much. After gasping for breath, he finally said, "My name is Pedro. I came here today to get back at you for my brothers Lewis, Puyol, Harvey, and Sergio. They were tortured badly in prison by you guys!"
Hawke knew those four names well. He asked, "Are you a member of the Dwarfs' Gang?"
"Yes," Pedro looked up, seeing the dark faces and the super glue dangling in front of him. "You and Fox made things really tough for them. I just wanted to let off some steam for them."
Hawke thought of Megan, "What did you do to Fox's people?"
Pedro replied, "I keyed Megan Taylor's car."
Hawke asked again, "Who is your boss?"
Pedro was reluctant to answer.
Hawke kicked him right between the legs.
Pedro rolled around in agony.
When the pain began to lessen, and he was still trying to catch his breath, Hawke stepped on his sensitive spot.
Pedro realized that he had to protect his little brother from suffering; little brother is more important than blood relatives.
He shouted, "Henry! Henry Cruz from the Dwarfs' Gang!"
Hawke continued to ask, "Does he have a relationship with Miller Collins?"
Facing the threat to his manhood, Pedro followed along with Hawke's questioning, "Miller Collins has been best friends with Henry since childhood; everything shady about Miller was handed to Henry to do."
...
Hawke questioned him further, directing Edward to keep an eye on Pedro.
He pulled out his phone, searching for Megan Taylor's number while quickly thinking.
The Dwarfs' Gang was a hassle; they could resurface at any moment. Plus, now they had messed with Megan. Would Fox Broadcasting let a notorious gang threaten one of their prominent female anchors and producers?
Hawke realized his current capabilities were limited. What he couldn't handle, Fox could.
With that in mind, he dialed Megan's number.
Megan had just stepped out from the Midnight Entertainment studio when she answered, "Calling this late? What's up?"
"I caught the guy who keyed your car this afternoon..." Hawke explained the details of what Pedro had revealed.
Megan asked, "Is he with you? Didn't electrocute him, did you?"
Hawke glanced at the bloodied Pedro, "He's still breathing."
He pointedly reminded her, "A well-known anchor and producer at Channel 11 being threatened by gang members -- does Fox Broadcasting not care?"
Once Megan heard that, she understood Hawke's intentions. The reality was she wanted the same. This wasn't just about a keyed car.
"If those lowlifes aren't punished this time, how can I report the news with peace of mind?"
"This time, if you're not tough enough, more people will come knocking next time," Hawke echoed her thoughts. "Will you dare to deliver hot news after this?"
Megan replied, "I'll call you back."
...
After a short wait, Megan called back.
Fox Broadcasting would fully involve themselves in this matter; she and several professionals were on their way.
It wasn't far, and within half an hour, three cars arrived.
Megan stepped out of one, still in her short skirt, stockings, and high heels, clearly in a rush.
Upon seeing Hawke, she asked, "You weren't hurt, right?"
"I'm fine." Hawke noticed Fox's people arriving and gathered with them to talk more thoroughly.
One of Fox's security heads made a call to the police.
Not long after, several police cars arrived, and without asking Hawke -- the person involved -- they took Pedro away.
The security head told Hawke, "Fox will pursue this matter to the end."
Hawke replied, "Hope this helps Fox."
The man smiled and nodded before getting into his car.
Megan was also leaving, "I'm going to keep an eye on this. Those who dare to mess with us will get what they deserve!"
Hawke nodded, "If there's good news, remember to let me know."
Megan confirmed and drove off.
Hawke glanced at the blocked valve on the tire before heading back to sleep.
...
When a big news organization like Fox mobilized, not to mention just one Frank; even ten Franks wouldn't stand a chance.
When the underhanded tactics came into play, Pedro forgot all about brotherhood, spilling everything he knew about Henry Cruz and the Dwarfs' Gang.
...
In the early hours, Henry's apartment was filled with the sound of snoring.
He had drunk that night and brought in two women, so he was thoroughly exhausted and sleeping soundly.
Suddenly, with a crash, the door was kicked open, and a flash bang was tossed inside.
With a deafening noise and bright flash, Henry and the two women found themselves helplessly on the floor.
Fully clad SWAT officers rushed in, their rifles and shotguns directly aimed at Henry's head.
Henry was disoriented, and when his vision settled enough to see, he was met with a team of SWAT and felt utterly bewildered. Did they really need this much force for a small-time thug like him?
...
At almost the same time, the neighborhoods controlled by the Dwarfs' Gang were undergoing a massive sweep by the LAPD, resulting in several high-ranking members being arrested.
The gang's leader, Brighton, was found hanging from the rafters of his home, ruled a suicide.
Yet, his home safe vanished without a trace.
That day, the Dwarfs' Gang, once rampant in parts of West Los Angeles, ceased to exist completely.
...
In the morning, with the sun just rising, Miller Collins, amid scandals and divorce proceedings, had not yet shaken off his hangover when multiple LAPD officers knocked on the door of his rental in the Palisades under the direction of a sergeant, presenting him with a subpoena.
As Miller Collins was escorted out, numerous media reporters, tipped off beforehand, surrounded the area, snapping pictures frantically.
Soon after, several Fox-affiliated outlets broke the news that Miller Collins would face charges of conspiracy and incitement to commit crimes among others.
His relationship with the Dwarfs' Gang was also put under the microscope by the Midnight Entertainment program, scrutinized thoroughly in front of audiences across America.
Some tabloids even published bizarre stories claiming Miller Collins had hired a hitman to silence Brighton, the leader of the Dwarfs' Gang.
Megan occasionally called Hawke to share any information she gathered.
...
On Friday afternoon, folding tables were set up again in the parking lot of Ranch Park.
This time, only Hawke, Edward, and Frank were present.
After flipping through several newspapers from that day, Frank lamented, "Why didn't you call me that night? I wanted to try stuffing someone with steel wool too..."
He boasted unknowingly, "What a shame; I could've used steel wool back in the day with those starlets."
Hawke and Edward simultaneously shot him the finger.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely call you next time." Hawke, recalling Edward's hesitance and lack of skill, said, "You're a pro at tying up and stuffing stinky socks."
Frank seized the opportunity again, "They insisted pretty strongly, so I couldn't refuse. After doing it a few times, I got the hang of it."
Edward couldn't take any more of this show-off and quickly changed the subject, "Fox Broadcasting created quite the uproar this time. Megan Taylor is just an anchor on Channel 11, does she really have such an impact?"
Hawke casually said, "Megan doesn't hold that much influence; Fox is just maintaining its own authority."
"Let me explain something to you," Frank elaborated, "Fox is one of the four major networks in the U.S. It has numerous anchors and journalists, many in sensitive positions. They might resort to unusual means to get news. If Fox can't even protect its well-known anchors from gang harassment, how do you think their frontline reporters will feel or behave?"
He sneered, "Fox Broadcasting needs to send a signal to the public and its staff: They are a steadfast mountain, unshakeable!"
Edward absorbed the lesson, rare for him to not mock Frank, instead saying, "I understand now that you put it this way."
Frank looked towards Hawke, "You know this well, so once you see an opportunity, leveraging Fox's power to wipe out the Dwarfs' Gang is the way to go."
Hawke reiterated, "Cockroaches don't kill you, but they are incredibly annoying."
After finishing their meal, Hawke and Edward left.
Edward said again, "Boss, I won't be coming to work tomorrow. I'm going to meet Downey's son."
"Go ahead," Hawke had plans for the next day too.
Megan Taylor invited him to a party for Midnight Entertainment.
*****
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