Chapter 49
The ringleader nodded to one of his underlings, who frisked us. It didn't take him long to find our guns and our badges.
"They’re fucking cops, Rico!" the runt shouted.
Rico glared at him. "Man, keep your dumb mouth shut." His angry eyes found mine. "That would explain why the county showed up on our island and torched our crops. The way I see it, you owe me a lot of money. I'm going to collect.”
Rico glanced around.
There was no one in sight. The moon hung low in the sky, and the stars twinkled above. An eerie mist covered the ground. An owl hooted in the distance.
A beat-to-hell blue-gray cargo van was parked behind the Revenant. I’m sure it belonged to the thugs. The right front quarter panel looked like someone had spilled brake fluid on it. The paint bubbled and peeled.
I'm not sure where the groundskeeper was. If he was still on the premises, he didn't want any part of this.
"Into the crypt," Rico commanded. "Move!"
We did as instructed.
Rico and his gang followed us in. "I know the money is here. You wouldn’t be out here if it wasn't. We've been following you dipshits. It wasn’t hard to track down a washed-up movie star and an over-the-hill drug dealer."
“I’m not washed up,” Flynn replied.
"We just came to pay our respects to loved ones," I said.
"Bullshit,” Rico snapped. “Open the crypts. I ain't playing games with you.” Rico took aim at me, and his finger wrapped tight around the trigger.
I put the cordless drill to work and started unscrewing the marble plate. With a hand from JD, we removed it and set it back on the marble bench.
Rico's flashlight beam spotted the bricks of money, and a smile curled his face. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Tell you what, I'll take this money, and I'll forget all about the crop that was destroyed.”
"That money belongs to Pepe Sandoval," I said.
"Pepe's dead. And if his son wants it, he can come and take it."
Rico’s crew laughed.
"All of you. On the ground,” Rico commanded. “Now!"
We complied. We didn’t have much choice.
The runt used our handcuffs to secure JD and me, then used zip ties to restrain Flynn and Mickey about the wrists and ankles.
Rico nodded to the other two goons, and they filed out of the mausoleum. They returned moments later with several black duffel bags and started stuffing the bricks of money inside.
"You're making a big mistake," I said.
"Oh, really? How so?"
"Well, a couple of things are going to happen. Pedro is going to come after you. If anything happens to Mickey's daughter, I'm going to personally make it my life's mission to hunt you down and kill you."
Rico laughed. "I hate to tell you, but none of you are ever leaving this crypt.”
I didn't like the sound of that. I don't think anybody else did either.
When the duffel bags were full, Rico's crew lugged them out of the crypt, then returned moments later with more duffel bags. These guys were prepared. I had to give it to them. They had thought of everything. They weren't as dumb as they looked.
Rico's crew stuffed duffel bags until all three crypts had been emptied. $150 million. They lugged the heavy bags out of the mausoleum and loaded them into the van.
"Now for the fun part," Rico said. He nodded to his underlings, and they grabbed JD and stuffed him into one of the crypts. He kicked and screamed and cussed up a storm.
They sealed him in the middle slot.
Mickey was next.
Then they grabbed Flynn and stuffed him in with Mickey into the far right slot.
Flynn said, "Hey guys, did I ever tell you, I don't do well in small spaces?”
Jack kicked and screamed inside the crypt, his muffled voice barely leaking out.
“I’ll sign memorabilia,” Flynn shouted.
The thugs slammed the marble plate against Flynn’s crypt and sealed them in.
I would not want to be tripping on mushrooms, sealed in a crypt. That would make it all the more unbearable. Either way, I didn’t want to be sealed in a crypt.
Flynn and Mickey both screamed and howled.
The runts had a hard time getting me off the ground. I didn’t make it easy for them. My hands were cuffed behind my back, but my legs were free. I kicked the bastards and got in a few good shots.
I managed to get to my feet and do a few roundhouses. My heel caught one of them in the head.
He fell like a stone.
Rico had had enough of that. He pushed in with a rifle, aiming at me. “Keep putting up a fight, and I’ll shoot you right now.”
“That’s better than the alternative,” I said.
One of the goons cracked me in the back of the head with the butt of his rifle. That was lights out.