Chapter 104: Car Bombing
The battle between the three nerds ended with Raj, who was slightly stronger than the other two scrawny guys, emerging victorious.
"Yes! I did it! I'm gonna marry a Cooper girl!" Raj jumped for joy, and Ron patted his shoulder with mock approval.
"Congratulations, champ."
"Can I marry Missy now? Can we have the wedding in India? I can pay for your family's plane tickets and put you up in the most luxurious hotel in Mumbai, with three personal servants for each of you..."
Raj spoke enthusiastically, completely lost in his fantasy of a beautiful future with Missy. He unknowingly revealed his family's wealth, but the other two nerds were so crushed by their defeat that they weren't even listening.
"Sure thing, as long as..." Ron dragged out his words teasingly.
"As long as what?"
Ron opened the photo gallery on his phone and showed it to Raj. "If you can beat this guy in a fight, I promise Missy will be yours."
"Who... who is that?" Raj asked, his voice trembling.
On Ron's phone was a photo of a man gripping a heavy machine gun, staring at the camera with cold, dead eyes like an emotionless killer examining his next target. Raj was instantly terrified to the point of wetting himself—literally. A warm sensation spread through his crotch.
"Didn't I mention this? Oh man, my bad!" Ron feigned annoyance and casually ruffled Sheldon's hair. Sheldon didn't dare protest, but made a mental note to complain about this behavior the next time he called his mother.
"This is Forrest Gump, my buddy, Missy's fiancé, and a Navy SEAL. One of the deadliest warriors alive—a guy who can run a five-mile obstacle course carrying a machine gun. Sorry I forgot to mention that earlier."
Ron said "sorry" but his face showed no trace of apology. He deserved a beating, but unfortunately, all three nerds combined wouldn't be enough to challenge Ron with one hand.
While they were messing around, Ron's cell phone suddenly rang. It was an unknown number. Ron almost ignored it, but when he saw the area code, his heart skipped a beat.
Dominican Republic? That's where Dom is hiding out. Last time they'd talked, Dom was on his way out of Cuba after that whole mess.
Ron had also asked Yuri's transport crew to deliver him some supplies and useful equipment. Ron hit the answer button and Dom's deep voice came through.
"Ron, it's me, Dom. Has Letty contacted you in the past couple days?"
"No, I haven't heard from her. What's wrong?" Ron detected anxiety in Dom's voice.
"Letty's back in LA. Mia said she spotted her yesterday. When she was staying with me, she said something came up and took off. I figured she'd come to you about the amnesty deal."
"No, she didn't. If she had, I would've called you immediately. What's going on?"
Dom's tone was grimmer than ever. "Letty's in deep trouble. Check out yesterday's car bombing. That was Letty's ride."
A car bombing?
Ron suddenly felt a sinking feeling in his gut. This couldn't be happening. He'd already worked out the amnesty deal with Dom. Was everything falling apart now?
"Where are you right now?" Ron shoved Sheldon aside and grabbed his laptop to search for news reports about the car bombing. Everything matched exactly what he remembered from the movies.
Letty was dead.
"I'm at the docks looking for cargo transport back to the States." Dom's voice was ice-cold with determination. "I'm going to personally get revenge for my family, and nobody's gonna stop me!"
"Hey, I'm not planning to stop you. Letty's family to me too." When it came to family, Dom rarely argued. "But you can't just waltz back in like this. The FBI will nail you before you can get your revenge. Listen:
I'm gonna call you back with a contact. Tell them you're working with Orlov—mention my name and they'll get you on a boat. It'll take you straight to the Port of LA. I'll be waiting for you there."
The line went quiet for a long moment, then Dom's voice came back: "Thanks, Ron."
"We're family, aren't we?"
"Yeah."
Ron hung up and stood up. Sheldon immediately reclaimed his seat and wiped down the mouse and keyboard that Ron had used with a disinfectant wipe, looking disgusted.
Ron's eye twitched as he fought the urge to slam Sheldon face-first into the desk. "Sheldon, you're taking Missy to the airport tomorrow, got it?"
Sheldon looked up. "Why me? She's the one who wanted to visit."
"Because you're the big brother, and I've got business to handle—I'm heading out right now. By the way, Leonard, tell Penny I won't be back tonight and let Missy crash in my room." With that, Ron turned and left the apartment.
On his way downstairs, he fired off four text messages: two to summon Hank and Arthur, one to Dom with Orlov's contact info, and the last to someone completely unexpected.
"Meet me at your chicken joint in one hour."
The recipient: Gustavo Fring, the drug kingpin Ron had nicknamed "The Chicken Man."
If Ron remembered correctly, the guy who hit Letty was some low-level dealer named Braga. As the undisputed king of LA's drug trade, Gus had deeper knowledge of the city's underground scene than anyone. He knew his competitors were his enemies, and Ron had every reason to believe he'd cooperate.
An hour later, Ron ignored the "CLOSED" sign on the fried chicken restaurant door and walked right in. Sure enough, the Chicken Man was already waiting at the same table as their last meeting. The large restaurant was empty except for him.
When he saw Ron, he immediately stood up and greeted him with his signature customer-service smile. "How can I help you today?"
"Drop the fake smile. I'm not in the mood to play restaurant owner and customer today." Ron ignored Gus and sat down at a table across from him.
"I'm here for one thing. What do you know about Braga's operation? I want you to tell me everything."
"Excuse me, sir, I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Gus maintained his confused act, still holding a serving tray. Seeing this, Ron lost his temper and pulled out his piece, pointing it directly at Gus's head.
Colt .45 ACP Government Model.
"Now do you understand what I'm saying? And if your answer doesn't satisfy me, I'll make sure you have a very peaceful eternal rest."
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