The Secret Part II: The Plan

If you haven't read part one, check it out and come back for part II.

The guys were in the gym working out. They were still reeling from the revelations at the river. Donny wanted to kill Mike Harper. He wanted it so bad he could taste the venom growing inside of him. When he mentioned Shelly's dad, Jack would put up his hand and shush him.

Jack was working out details in his head. There was a silence about Jack. As angry as Donny was, Donny worried about what Jack might be contemplating.

Jack put the dumbells away, his arms tight and his body aching. He had never trained this hard, for this long, until now. While Donny was single-minded, focusing solely on one thing, attack-Jack was preparing for what was to come. It had been two weeks, and while there was still much to be done, Jack was ready to get to work.

"Do you see that guy over there?" Jack asked Donny, nodding slightly to the powerlifters.

The area of the gym known as the pit was where the roid users congregated. They all were huge, flashing their bulging muscles, and older. The one in the center was a 45-year-old reject of modern chemistry and the state prison system. The rest of the group, three guys most referred to as meatheads, worked for the one in the center of the group.

"What about him?" asked Donny.

"Meet Michael Harper," announced Jack. "Shelly's father."

Donny sat on the bench next to Jack, looking on in awe. Donny had aspirations of someday making his way into the world of professional wrestling, maybe even getting a spot in the majors of pro wrestling. These men had a look popular on television and were sought after by promoters.

"You're freaking kidding me," sighed Donny. "Well, maybe we can help her run away. I have six-hundred dollars I can chip in for a trip to anywhere else."

"I've got a better idea."

Jack stood up and grabbed his bag. He motioned for Donny to follow him.

Once they were alone, driving away from the parking lot, Jack navigated toward the lake. They needed a place they could talk privately. Jack had some things to show his friend but would wait until they were far away from prying eyes.

When they arrived, Jack pulled into the lake and turned the rear end toward the shore. He turned down the radio and killed the lights, including the internal lighting. He was being extra careful.

"Awfully cautious," said Donny. "You'd swear you're up to something."

Jack and Donny agreed on one thing. Mike Harper needed to be taken down. Jack wasn't a fan of impulsive actions, particularly the kind that could get someone put in prison. He got out of the car and went to the trunk, Donny following along.

Jack took out a different bag and pulled out a file. He opened it in the trunk, shining a flashlight over the pictures and data.

"Jesus, you've been busy," Donny said, staring at the images of Mike Harper going in and out of his house, his barn, the gym, and pictures of his cars and license plates.

"I woke up two weeks ago, the day after the river, with an idea. It was about time I put that camera equipment my folks bought me for my European trip to good use."

"So what is all this?"

Jack explained that he'd been doing surveillance on Harper, his house, properties, and his employed goons.

"How in the hell did you learn this?"

Jack laughed, "Google searched surveillance methods, tactics, and equipment."

"I see," Donny said, worried about Jack. "Isn't this a bit extreme."

"What good does having rich parents do if you can't use the money to help a friend?" Jack asked.

"And how does this help get Shelly away from her father?"

What Donny didn't know, was that Shelly's mother wasn't her real mother. Her real mother died when she was just five. Mike Harper was her only family. Until she was seventeen, without her testimony in court, there was no way to take him down for abusing her. Mike Harper, however, had more secrets than his affection for his daughter.

"Like what?"

Jack pulled out his laptop and entered the security code. A program came up with a request for a secondary verification. Jack put his eye to the camera, a green glow emitting into his cornea. When the corneal scan finished, the program opened.

"What does Shelly's dad do for a living? How does he make all that money?"

"I suppose you're going to tell me," asked Donny.

"That's just it, on the surface, he's independently wealthy. He's done some trading, investing, and real estate work. The bulk of his wealth, however, comes from something else," explained Jack.

Jack pulled a picture out, an aerial photo taken from a drone. The image was in black and white, except for the bright white in the middle of the barn.

"Infrared," said Jack. "And there's a lot of heat being generated in that barn, that suspiciously has more security than my parents bank, the county lock up, and more guards than the governors security detail."

"Jack, you're kind of scary when you're focused. What's in the barn?"

Based on the amount of heat, the number of people going in and out in the middle of the night, and the vehicles leaving the grounds, Jack knew it had to be drugs.

"Here, take a look at this."

Donny looked at images of non-descript vehicles coming and going. As he looked at the individual photos, Jack would go over the route the vehicle took from the barn to different locations. Each vehicle was a currier.

"Shit, it's a drug operation," sighed Donny.

Jack held out another image, a photo of a group of Hispanic males.

"Not just a drug operation, a major drug operation. They're cartel players from across the border. The way I figure it, they're the U.S. arm of the Sonora or Seniloa cartel," explained Jack. "And, I intend to use that to our advantage."

Donny got suddenly nervous. He was alright with killing some shmo for abusing his daughter. What Jack found out about Shelly's dad changed everything.

"What the hell are you planning?"

"If we kill him," said Jack, "then it's murder. We're on the hook for that for the rest of our lives. There's no statute of limitations, no escaping that need to look over our shoulder, and no way out once it's done."

"Yeah," pushed Donny.

"What if we get the cartel to do it for us? Or, at least make it look good enough that it will get written off as a cartel hit?"

Donny paced around in a circle. He didn't know if Shelly was going to be able to keep it together much longer. He was happier with the idea of putting a .308 round in the bastard's skull.

"Then Shelly's a ward of the state until she's seventeen when she can emancipate," said Jack.

"It'd be a lot faster than what you're thinking. I appreciate the long game as much as anyone else, but she doesn't have much time before daddy gets consfused about his role again," Donny angrily quipped. "We need a solution sooner than later."

"How's next weekend?"

"What's next weekend?"

Jack knew that there was a big load being transported out next weekend. It would be the motherload of product, worth forty million, and Shell's dad was responsible for the security. They were going to make sure the load didn't get to Chicago.

"Jesus, you want to rob the cartel's drug shipment," exclaimed Donny.

Jack folded up the documents and photos, turned off his computer, and put everything away. He looked at Donny, concerned he couldn't handle the level of danger this entailed.

"No, I have no intention of robbing the cartel."

Donny was confused, "What are you intending?"

"To burn down Michael Harper's world, and leave everything for Shelly after the gentlemen from across the border take his body back to Mexico with them."

"Why would they do that?"

Jack laughed, "For the safe return of their drugs."

To be continued...