Smoked

Smoked

  Patrick Quinlan

  Smoked

  Copyright ? 2006 Patrick Quinlan

  All rights reserved

  www.patrickquinlan.com

  If you like SMOKED, check out its sequel, THE DROP OFF.

  Praise for Patrick Quinlan's novels:

  "A fast-paced thriller...the story moves at warp speed, capped by a cinematic chase...before ending in spectacular fashion." -- Los Angeles Times

  "A sizzling crime caper paced at NASCAR-style velocity. A turbo-charged tour de force." -- Port City Life

  "What makes [SMOKED] so wonderful is an author who can write great prose, great set-ups, great dialogue, and create characters that jump off the page. Can't recommend this enough for those of you who like your thrillers on the very dark side." -- Bookaholic

  "[A] strong cross between Elmore Leonard and Quentin Tarantino doing Elmore Leonard. The result is tightly plotted, confidently written and very hip."

  -- The Sunday Observer (UK)

  "Quinlan's prose is as smooth as his character's dialogue and when the action hots up, its hard not to find yourself grinning with pure joy. Quinlan? does it with an infectious enthusiasm and a confidence that makes SMOKED a pleasure to read." -- Crime Scene Scotland

  "One hell of an exhilarating ride. Certainly one of the better thrillers I've read this year."

  -- Shotsmag (UK)

  "Cue kidnappings, explosions, beatings, murders and car chases aplenty. Pacey, Punchy and raw, this is one self-assured debut." - - In the Air - inflight magazine of Qantas Airlines (Australia)

  "[A] thrilling ride that will keep you hanging on the edge of your seat. It will make you curse the fact that you need sleep." -- Bullz-Eye.com

  "The story combines vicious villainy with threadbare morality to produce a bang that movie producers and script-writers would be sorry to miss. Once you've picked it up, it's hard to put it down." -- Channel NewsAsia (Singapore)

  "THIS is the stuff - violent, pacy, stylish and funny." -- The Daily Mirror

  "Quinlan delights in wrong-footing the reader. A fast-moving, hugely entertaining thriller." -- The Observer on Sunday

  "[A] Leonardesque thriller. For this top-notch noir entertainment, think Coen Brothers (Blood Simple) in print." -- Mystery Scene Magazine

  "Quinlan brings to glorious life several offbeat, deviant characters from roads less traveled. [THE FALLING MAN] hurtles along like an express train to its smashing climax." -- Publisher's Weekly

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  Books by Patrick Quinlan

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  SMOKED

  (Book 1 of the Stolen Millions series)

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  THE DROP OFF

  (Book 2 of the Stolen Millions series)

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  THE HIT

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  THE FALLING MAN

  THE GIRL INSIDE THE WALL

  THE DEMON

  SEXBOT

 

  SMOKED

  (Book 1 of the Stolen Millions series)

  Patrick Quinlan

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  Table of Contents

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  THE DROP OFF by Patrick Quinlan

  About the Author

  The great King of Kings

  Hath in the tables of his law commanded

  That thou shalt do no murder.

  Shakespeare, Richard III

  ?

  ?

  CHAPTER ONE

  ?

  Nine years had passed since a gang of laughing boys raped Lola Bell at the back of a weedy and trash strewn vacant lot.? Pulling a train, they called it.?

  Now it was about to happen again.

  Back then, 16 years old, five of them had grabbed her in the late afternoon as she cut through the lot on her way home from the dance lessons her grandmother had paid for.? She knew three of them.? Tall, brooding, hostile - Brothers of the Struggle, they thought of themselves, young Gangster Disciples.? They'd lounge on the benches, their hoods pulled down low over their faces, drinking out of bottles covered in brown paper bags. They had hit on her before, made comments to her, appraised her as she left her building and walked to the bus stop.?

  "Hey shorty, where ya walkin'?"

  "Honey, I'm liking that big black ass."

  "C'mere baby, wanna make some green?"

  Stupid, always taking that shortcut through that back lot, never thinking of the danger.? She remembered how the late sun was sharp and savage in her eyes as they held her down and took turns riding her.? She remembered how the towering shadows of the Robert Taylor houses grew longer as the time passed.? She remembered the sound of cars speeding by on the Dan Ryan freeway.? She remembered the smell and taste of cheap wine on their breath.? She remembered, after they left, lying there alone, the night coming on, rats starting to move in the bushes.?

  Now, twenty five years old, she stood in a tiny orange bikini and high heels, in a small, bare office five stories above Congress Street, Portland's main drag.? She cursed herself, her stupidity, that this could happen again.? She had come here for a modeling "try-out."? But now the man stood just behind her, holding her, twisting her arm against her back until tears nearly came.? His other hand held a chunk of her hair, not quite pulling it, but tensed, ready to pull, controlling her like that.?

  Mr. Blue Eyes, he called himself.? He was tall and good looking with a muscular body.? He was clean shaven and blond, and when she met him he was wearing a light blue Polo shirt by Ralph Lauren, and a pair of tan khaki slacks.? His teeth, she had thought at the time - he didn't have model's teeth.? That was what threw off his look.? He had the snaggle teeth of a redneck.

  "Hey Shaggy," he called across to his partner.? "You should see the tattoo she's got on her shoulder blade here.? Girls Kick Ass, it says, in a neat little curlicue.? Well, ain't that cute?"? He leaned close to her ear.? "You gonna kick my ass, honey?"???

  She could feel his erection against her back, pushing against the rubbery fabric of his Speedo shorts.? They were standing on a plastic mat and behind them was a fake ocean scene.? On either side of them were the bright lights and the black umbrella of a professional photographer.? The lights were hot, and both she and Mr. Blue Eyes had a fine sheen of sweat on their skin.? She thought of the tattoo, the optimism it had represented for her, the dawning of a new day.

  All lost now.? All gone.?

  Across the office from them, maybe ten feet away, Mr. Shaggy hunched behind a video camera on a tripod, viewing the action.?

  "Easy now," he said.? His words flowed like molasses, and his voice gave a taste of the Confederacy, as if he had come north as a 10-year old boy and never quite assimilated.? "Let's just do this real easy.? You're a beautiful girl, Lola.? You got a future in this type of work, if you want one."

  Mr. Shaggy was everything Mr. Blue Eyes was not.? A mountain man, husky, bordering on fat, with a bushy beard and long hair.? He was a bear of a man in a black Harley Davidson t-shirt.? He had been stretched behind the desk when Lola walked into the nearly empty outer office, his feet up on a side table.? He had conducted the interview.

  Lola had liked Mr. Shaggy.? Despite his fearsome appearance, he had a disarming way about him, a gentle manner, one that had put her right at her ease.? When she walked in, he had smiled, looked her up and down.

  "Oh yeah," he said. ?"Young lady, I think you're gonna do just fine."

  Mr. Shaggy and Mr. Blue Eyes.? They were a perfect pair of con artists.

  And Lola had walked right into their trap.

  A week befo
re, she had spotted a flyer tacked up on the public bulletin board in Monument Square.? MODELS WANTED.? Male and Female.? Experience preferred, but not necessary.? Fresh or exotic look, enthusiasm, most important.

  Lola had done some modeling from time to time.? A couple of years had passed since the last one, but she still kept her eyes open for opportunities.? She didn't imagine anything would come of it, but decided to give it a try.? A little extra money would come in handy.? And with her long curls and brown skin, she figured she could pass for exotic in any case.? She pulled the flyer down and stuck it in her bag, glancing around as she did so.? People sometimes got funny about it when you pulled down flyers.

  That night, she called the number on the flyer.? A brisk, businesslike woman's voice on the machine said to leave a message.? Lola did.? Two days passed and no one called her back.? On the fourth day, a man called her in the evening.? He told her the modeling agency was conducting interviews in Portland the very next evening for a catalog shoot.? Could she make it?? Friday night.? She sure could.?

  He scheduled it for seven o'clock, gave her the address, said they would buzz her into the building.? He told her to bring a head shot and a performance resume, if she had these things.? She said she did.? He told her that would be great.

  "No promises," was the last thing he told her.

  "None expected," she said.?

  She tried not to get too excited after she hung up the phone.? These things had ended in disappointment before.? All the same, it might be something.

  Now, her moist skin broke out in gooseflesh despite the heat from the lights.

  "You cold, honey?" Mr. Shaggy said.? "Need somebody to keep you warm?"

  Her heart raced.? Her breath came in rasps.?

  Mr. Shaggy looked up from the camera.? "Mr. Blue Eyes, will you remove those bottoms for Lola, please?? If she's not gonna do it herself."

  Mr. Blue Eyes brought extra pressure to bear on her arm.? He let go of her hair and his hand strayed to the panty of her orange bikini.? It was made of tight, grippy latex.? He needed two hands to pull it down, but if he released her arm, then she'd be free.

  "Come on, Lola, help me out," he whispered into her ear.? His breath smelled like those curiously strong mints, the ones that came in the little tin and used the spaceman in their ads.? He smelled like he had eaten a whole handful of them.

  "I promise I'll make this the best one you ever had."

  She had changed out of her street clothes and into this skimpy bathing suit when Mr. Shaggy suggested they take a few pictures, see what they had.? She changed in a tiny bathroom.? It looked like no one had used this office in months.? When she came back out into the office, Mr. Blue Eyes was already packed into his ice blue Speedos.? They barely contained him.? He had thick neck muscles and a broad chest.? His legs rippled with muscle and veins.???

  She had fanned herself with her hand, feigning a hot flash.? "Oh my," she had said.? "I didn't realize."

  "That's what I like," Mr. Shaggy had said.? "A girl with a sense of humor.? Okay kiddies, let's shoot a little something, what do you say?"

  Now he said, as he looked through the LCD screen that folded out from his camera, "Yessir, like to break me open a little piece of that.? Mmmmm-mmmm.? That's what the doctor ordered."

  The things they said made it hard for her to think.? The bright lights blinded her.? She was in danger of freezing up.? If she allowed her mind to lock, then they could do with her what they wanted.? She had to get loose.? Calm down, find the center, let everything go.? Become soft rather than rigid.

  She could scream.? Yes, she could do that.? What had she learned about screaming?? Don't scream for help.? Nobody responded to cries for help.? If anything, cries for help scared people away.? No.? People responded to a different word.? One that made them look out for their own self-interest.

  Fire.?

  She took a deep breath, lungs gathering air for the effort.? It had to be loud, it had to be piercing, it had to rip through the calm and the quiet of an after hours building, it had to rip through the walls out to Friday night drinkers and diners and moviegoers - people walking by five stories below on the street.? It had to rip through the world.

  Mr. Blue Eyes clamped a hand over her mouth.

  He whispered in her ear.? "If you scream, then we're gonna have to hurt you."

  It was too late to scream.? It was too late to do anything.? She carried no weapon.? The only weapon she had was herself.? In a ridiculous orange bikini and high heeled shoes.?

  Empty hand, she thought.? Empty hand.?

  "You know what?" Mr. Shaggy said.? "Let's have you folks head over to the examination table there.? I'll just let this camera run, and bring the second camera over there and join you both.? That'll make things easier on everybody, hmmm?"

  Mr. Blues Eyes turned her to the right and shuffle-stepped her over to an empty desk sitting near the wall.? The wall itself was lined with floor to ceiling mirrors, as if this place had once spent time as a dance studio.? He bent her over the desk.

  He pulled her head up by the hair.? "I want you to watch."?

  In the mirror, she saw him hovering behind her.? His smile floated above his muscular torso.? He still held her arm behind her back, but he had relaxed the pressure just a little.? She felt him, erect now, monstrous, against her.? Her eyes stared back at her.? Was this what all that training was for?? Was this what all the long hours of hard work had come to?? To be easily manhandled by two jerks?? By two rapists?? No.? The answer was no.? All her hard work was so nothing like this would ever happen again.?

  Mr. Blue Eyes giggled.? He had become almost, but not quite, gentle.? He stroked her hair, his fingers ready to clench again at any false move.

  Nearby, Mr. Shaggy fussed with the lighting, moving the big umbrella closer, a round light shining up into its maw.?

  "Please don't do this," Lola said.

  "What's that?? What did you say?"

  "Please."

  "That's a good girl.? That's what I like to hear."

  What was she waiting for?? She still had one free hand.? Do it now.

  In the mirror, she watched him.?

  He gyrated his hips against her, like a dance floor showoff.? The sight of it might have been comical in some other circumstance.? "You are gonna come your brains out tonight, darling.? You are one sexy bitch.? I can't wait to put it to you, you know?? I mean I just can't wait.?? Fact is, I think I love you."

  Then Mr. Shaggy's big body appeared in front of her, blocking her view.? His meaty hands undid his belt buckle.???

  "You got a boyfriend, Lola?" he said.?

  He lifted her chin between two thick fingers.? Strapped to his other hand, he had another small camcorder, its LCD screen folded out and facing her, displaying her own face back to her.? Her eyes were wide and frightened and confused.??

  "Sure you do, pretty little girl like you.? See how pretty you are? ?I bet you got yourself a nice boyfriend."

  Lola thought of her boyfriend, Smoke Dugan.? Silly old Smoke, who had offered to come with her on this interview.? He was afraid for her because scams like this were all over the place.? He wanted to protect her. ?Smoke, always a gentleman, well into late middle age, who walked with a limp and carried a thick wooden cane everywhere - his shillelagh, he sometimes called it.? Dapper Smoke, who had gray and white hair and wore Irish touring cap of wool tweed in cool weather.? Smoke, with his big workman's hands and his cats and his cigars and his long afternoon naps.? Smoke wanted to protect her from animals like these.

  "I'm a big girl," she had told him.? "I think I can handle it on my own."???

  "That's all right," Mr. Shaggy said now.? "We're gonna give you right back to him when we're done.? Of course, that's if you even want to go back."

  DO IT her mind shouted.

  Almost ready.

  Almost...

  "All right if I put something in your mouth right now?? Come on Lola.? Open up and say AAAAH."

  "Okay," she said quietl
y.? She heard her voice shaking.? Her chin had begun to tremble in his hand.? Her whole body started to shake.? She felt like she could vomit.???

  "What's that?" Mr. Shaggy said.? "Not sure I heard you correctly."

  "Okay.? I'll do whatever you want.? Just tell him to stop twisting my arm.? It hurts."

  The two men exchanged a glance above her head.

  "Well, young man.? You heard the lady."

  "Do I believe her?" Mr. Blue Eyes said.?

  Mr. Shaggy shrugged.? "Come on, kid.? We're on camera here.? It's not a conversation we're filming."? He undid the button of his green workpants and pulled down his zipper.? "What's it gonna be, Lola?"

  She felt the first sting of tears and let them come.

  "Whatever you want."

  "I believe her.? Let's get down to business."

  Mr. Blue Eyes released her arm.? The numb arm flopped around in front of her like a fish and she planted her palm on the desk, next to her other hand.? He released her hair.? She was free, bent over the desk, her chin in Mr. Shaggy's hand.? Still, she did not move.?

  Mr. Blue Eyes stepped back and bent over, peeling down his Speedos.?

  She had signed a waiver.

  That thought struck her now with strange force.? Mr. Shaggy had handed the waiver to her right before she went into the bathroom to change her clothes.? He had spoken with offhand nonchalance.?

  "Let's get you to sign one of these releases.? You never know.? Might get something tonight we want to use."

  She signed without even reading it.?

  Oh, they were smooth.? They had it down to a system.? Get the stupid girl to take off her clothes and put on a bikini.? Flatter her some, tell her you'll pay her $100 an hour.? Have her sign away her rights.? Then rape her on camera.?

  Chances are good she never tells a soul.

  If she does, you have it in black and white.? Hey, maybe things got a little out of hand, but she agreed to it beforehand.? It's all right here on paper.

  Bastards.? They had done this before.? Of course they had.??

  "It's okay," Mr. Shaggy said.? "It's gonna be good.? No need to cry."

  His voice came to her as if she were at the bottom of a deep well.? He removed his shirt.? He positioned himself in front of her, his big hairy stomach even with her face.? Sometime today, he had sprayed his belly with cologne.

  Now.?

  If she was going to stop this happening, it had to be RIGHT NOW.