The Thorns Under Pedals

Chapter 11:

“Carlos, you are coming to the party Andrews is hosting right?” Carlos could hear Jorge ask him as they walked down the hall from the glass buildings on the 7th floor.

“We both have to be there idiot.” Carlos muttered in his thick accent which made it difficult for Jorge to completely hear each word. He knew this as well and that was probably why he did not slow down for Jorge. Carlos came from Mexico a year ago while Jorge only visited it once a year with his grandparents. To say they were at different levels in the hispanic language sense was an understatement. Carlos almost laughed at the idea of how much effort it took for Jorge to try to speak Spanish.

When it was just them Jorge would switch from English to broken Spanish. For a while Carlos was patient with his bodyguard coworker but to a point. Once Jorge starts giving him a headache with sentence structure problems or saying words completely wrong in every sentence that is when Carlos snaps. Luckily this was one of the times he just spoke in English.

“Right.” Jorge chuckles. “Of course but does he really need us there?” While asking his voice dropped a couple octaves so the people trolling by to their work could not hear him. Though the employees in the building knew that they worked under Mr. Andrew Williams, only a handful knew exactly what they did for the man. It was not something that they could announce and the less people that knew about it the better to keep the Williams family secrets just that secret.

Carlos sighed. Is he really this dumb? Carlos spoke in his head fighting the frustration from reaching to the surface. In as calm a manner as possible Carlos replied, “To do our jobs so nothing happens to him like his sister.”

Jorges ' facial expression that was confused now was hard. They all had heard about Miss Williams' death. Her living family members had increased security measures in case the action was the first step towards the whole. Though it was not the first time that someone wanted to kill any of the Williams family. Miss Williams had less enemies than the others to Carlos' knowledge. The amount or who was not really his concern since he was not in charge of her safety. Andrew was.

After her death both of them had to keep a closer eye on Andrew even at small gatherings like his party. Not only on Andrews but they had to watch each other back as well. The news of all Miss Williams bodyguards, security, and underlings were brutally murdered in ways that made any strong man’s stomach nauseated. That was all before Miss Williams body was found under lake water. Whatever was left of the body shriveled up and lost color when the body surfaced.

Just yesterday Carlos and Jorge had received news of Drake's death. The police had been hesitant in IDing the body as Drakes but both men were able to see the branded mark they had tattooed on the back of their necks confirming his identity. There was no doubt when they saw the letter A being tightly wrapped by a Cobra. Blood had to be cleaned off the area and only half of the symbol was still intact when they saw the severed mostly burnt off head.

A young raven haired lady bursted through the elevator straight into Jorge’s chest with a thump. Carlos could see him stiffen at the contact. Jorge avoided a woman's touch even if it was a brief one.

“I’m so-sorry.” Her voice trembled in her flustered state. Getting a good look at her Carlos noticed her breathing unevenly and the wrinkles of the bottom of her blouse as if she had been wringing it in worry. The ladies hair was also loose over her shoulders, easy to twist between the ladies fingers.

Jorge just nodded and took a step back away from her. As soon as he was no longer touching her his body relaxed while a sigh left his lips. This left her badge on the front of her blouse visible. Carlos frowned, knowing right away that it was the surveillance and security department badge.

“What’s happened?” He asked. The lady looked at him for the first time since she came on this floor.

He must have used an authoritative tone because her back straightened and the composure she lacked came back. She stared at him and Jorge down, questioning who they were to even ask. Before that fun conversation began Jorge stepped in.

“Here.” Jorge flashed the black card that was the quickest way for them to get access to information though most of the security staff knew who they were already. Carlos did the same but was grunting about stuckups in the department. “Now what has happened?”

The lady's eyes shifted back hesitantly as she looked back up at Carlos. The sound of her throat clearing could be heard. Nerves were shining through her composer once again.

Can she not stick with one? Either be confident and uncaring or be nervous.Carlos wanted to yell at the girl while shaking her to answer the damn question. She was taking too long to answer them.

“It would be easier to show you. Please follow me.” She responded finally before they asked a third time. The words were whispered and she twisted back to the elevator. Following her the three of them were sent down to the first level. Carlos had to bite his tongue not to demand answers. His whole demeanor was aggressive. Carlos had his arms crossed and feet spread. Jorge however was tense and kept his eyes glued to the red number that told them what floor they were passing.

6.

5.

The air in the elevator was uncomfortable. The lady was visibly wringing the bottom of her blouse with her nerves or anxiety. A heavy layer of silence was surrounding them. One word and Carlos may very well demand an explanation. Sure he could be intimidating which would serve a purpose here like in interrogations.

4.

3.

2.

Foot tapping broke the silence as impatience was mixed into the air. The ride was feeling like years were passing by yet they were not that much closer to their answers.

“First floor.” An electronic voice stated as the door slid open. Carlos muttered finally as the group stormed out of the elevator into the hall that looked much like the others. More people moved around than the upper floors but accustomed to this flow the group easily made their way to the security office.

Clicking on the keyboards was the first thing they heard as the door was open. Surprisingly several security staff were crowded around one screen having a heated discussion. The words were not heard by the group and the lady loudly cleared her throat to signal their arrival.

All eyes turned their way. Once their eyes set on Carlos they all paled slightly. This made him narrow his eyes and step closer.The tense air and how the staff stumbled over their feet to get out of his way told Carlos he was not going to like what he saw. Scraping of chairs around the room hurt his ears but he pushed forward to look at the screen they had been.

What he saw fueled the flames of anger inside. On the screen were the images and clips of the parking lot camera. Carlos's gray Chevrolet truck with his custom wheels and newly painted designs was in the image. However the truck he had taken so much time to customize now stood destroyed. Windows were shattered on all sides. Glass pieces in the vehicle as well as around. The gray paint now held streaks of scratches cutting into the bottom surface. Tires that held the truck high off the ground now were flat on what to be all sides. One of the images allowed Carlos to see the other side of his truck since no one was currently parked near him blocking the view. On the driver's side had big black letters that were written out in a message. It said, 'Miss William and Drake was just the start. You're next."

A roar left his lips as he flipped the desk with the computer and threw a chair crashing into the nearest wall. Carlos could not tell at this moment if he was this furious because of his truck situation or if it was the fact the kills were now confirmed to be from the same murderer. The situation was in fact what the head of the family was always worried about.

Carlos was fuming and repeatedly clenching than unclenching his fists. Jorge made the necessary calls. The police report was quick and simple. However, getting a hold of the head family was not so easy. The situation called for his attention and that was something they would have to tell Andrew then follow up to the man himself.

"Hello." Andrew answered the other end of the call in a gruff voice. Knowing him he was messing around in his office with some girl in the building.

"We have a problem, sir. Both you and your father need to see this." Jorge said calmly even though Carlos was cussing people out loudly enough for Andrew to hear.

A sigh filled Andrews' end before he asked, "Where and how serious is it?"

Jorge cleared his tight throat. “Security office.” The only thing that he could say after was the phrase Carlos taught him if things were dire. So the others in the room would not understand him except Carlos. Jorge spoke in the best Spanish he could. “La parca puso sus manos sobre cada uno de nuestros hombros.” This meant ‘ The Grim Reaper has placed a hand on each of our shoulders.’

Silence. A pen could drop and be heard on his end since Andrew was speechless. Jorge waited for any kind of response but did not receive any. Even after Andrew recovered some control over his shook Jorge did not get one. The only sign that Andrew would be on his way with his father was when the line was cut beeping in his ear. There was nothing to be said that could follow the news. Their worst fears were true and the family would be on the defense until they somehow learned the identity of the unknown killer.

Jorge locked the screen of his phone and was met with a grim look from Carlos. He must have heard the last bit of the conversation. Both of them shared a look. Carlos’s eyes shone with anger and pain while Jorge's dark eyes had fear in them. Carlos has been through many more situations dealing with these kinds of things while Jorge was experiencing this newly.

A half hour to an hour and a half later Andrew Williams walked behind his father Connor Williams along with Carlos and his senior bodyguards. The small room that had already felt tiny was over crowded now. They only stayed long enough to watch the recording from the camera before they left to meet the police officers in the parking lot by the truck. The head in the department rushed over to follow Mr. Williams demands, obviously intimidated.

This was the second time Jorge had ever seen the head of the family. The first time was when he was hired a couple years ago. Even now being in the same space as the man had Jorge tense and on edge. Jorge looked at Carlos and noticed even he was feeling it. Both of them were looking at Mr. Williams discreetly and took in any slight reaction he showed. That was almost impossible to see as the man kept his expression straight. Not even his hazel eyes shined with any particular emotion unlike Andrews that reflected pain at the mention of his sister's death.

The recording was short. All they got from the camera was a small framed figure wearing a long sleeved black jacket that approached the car. First the figure who made sure to keep any features hidden and wore leather gloves stabbed needles into each tire while scraping a key to the paint. That’s when the figure seemed to notice the camera which was strange to them all. The figure did not move to destroy the camera, instead motioned to continue watching what they were doing. That is when they began writing on the truck drivers side. Once done the figure looked back at the camera. Lastly the Windows were smashed one by one with a bat taken out from the bed of the truck and put right back. The figure wasted no time in between each act nor after they were done just to troll away out of all the camera angles.

Andrew was the first to react to the video by glaring daggers at the paused figure and muttering under his breath. His spiked short styled brunette hair was messed up as his long fingers ran into the gel locks.

All the bodyguards in the room rewatched the recording a couple more times looking for any sign to recognize or identify the person but from the bulk of the body it could be a male yet the slimness leaned to a female.

Connor Williams was the first to speak, drawing the room's attention to him in a second. “I want this person found and dealt with properly. I will not lose anyone else.”

That was a double meaning phrase. The security staff would hear it as being protective of his family. However, each bodyguard in the room understood that instead of involving the police they were to kill the individual to keep William's family safe as well as themselves. That was always the solution to the threats facing the family since they were in a dangerous field. Yet the people that went against them knew that already.

“Yes, sir.” All of them said in unison, bowing their heads in respect.