Safe Haven - The Duke pt.2

[...Posted by Ted H]

Computer trouble on the rise....gonna send this post up just in case...

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[Safe Haven - The Duke pt.2]


As Jezus approached, Dmitri stood up with a menacing glare. “Oh I never know the fucking pass code,” Jezus complained. Dmitri folded his arms and did not yield from in front of the door.

The fucking pass code, a phrase that Jezus always knew but could never recall right away. “Klaatu Barada,” Jezus started as a joke but Dmitri didn’t even crack a smile. Jezus sighed and thought for another moment. “Fuck the queen, now I’m king,” Jezus said after a moment but Dmitri didn’t move. “C’mon! That’s the phrase!” Jezus protested, but Dmitri showed no sympathy. “I ought to just fucking kill-” Jezus said before realizing what he forgot.

“Every fucking time,” Jezus said before starting again “Kill the bishop, fuck the queen, kill the king.” Dmitri nodded and finally stepped aside. The inside of the arcade was lit up with hundreds of candles and any light that shone through the patched up boarding job on the front windows. Multiple people were lounging around inside and barely acknowledged Jezus’ presence.

Two overweight men in wrinkled dress shirts approached him. One was named Timmy and the other was named Chris. Jezus never bothered trying to learn who was who since they seemed interchangeable with their shaved heads and the same clueless expression on their face.

“He’s not ready to see you,” one of them said, making Jezus laugh. “I’m here now though, so tough shit,” Jezus said as he walked right by and towards the back. The arcade managers office was closed so Jezus slammed his fist against the door several times. “Go away!” someone inside yelled. “At least I knocked,” Jezus said to himself as turned the handle and threw the door open. He knew it wasn’t locked since he was the one who broke it once before.

Inside the office was the man Jezus was looking for, Duke. Currently Duke was sitting back in a leather chair, pants down, and a nude women going down on him. “Knock knock,” Jezus said as Duke pushed the woman off of him and made himself presentable. “We should talk,” Jezus said as he then looked down at the woman “In private.” Duke led the woman to a far corner and petted her head. The room itself was lit up by two high powered electric lanterns on each side. The energy required to power them was siphoned off from a nearby street light. Jezus knew this, since he was the one who set it up for Duke.

“Don’t worry bout the girl,” Duke said as he walked back over to his chair “She’s so wasted she don’t where she is, let alone what’s being said. We’re practically alone.” Jezus shrugged as he closed the door. Everyone outside in the arcade were either trustworthy or too high to notice anything else, but Jezus preferred his closed door meeting to have an actual closed door. “I trust you have results?” he asked as Duke shook his head. “You know how hard it is to find results when all you gave me was a vague description?” He reached into his desk and pulled out a note pad.

“Here’s the description you gave me,” he said as he referred to the paper “I got my people on the street looking for, and I quote, a short but not too short woman, kinda hot, don’t look like she could take anyone in a fight, brownish or blackish hair that you’re not too sure which cuz it was dark out, brown sweater, skinny jeans though I doubt you even know what skinny jeans are, and a nice ass…You described half the women in this city, how can you expect me to have results by now?”

“You would know her when you see her,” Jezus said as Duke dropped the paper onto the desk. “So you’ve told me before,” he said as he sat down “I have my people looking anyway, the least I could do. But I gotta tell you, it’s not exactly the highest priority on my list.”

“Bull shit, like any other ResEs have more important shit that needs doing.”

“Manson, for example, needs a lead or two in finding some thief.”

“Someone’s stealing?”

“Yeah, but they’re stealing from other citizens so I know you don’t care.”

“My bitch killed a ResE, that should make her rank higher.”

“Sounds isolated to me. Your old partner wasn’t the sharpest tool in the shed from what you’ve said of him anyway. My guess is he probably fell on his own gun.”

“No, we made sure foul play was the cause.”

“I bet. Look, a shitty description won’t net you instant results, I’m sorry, at least not while other ResEs have more pertinent and more descriptive instructions.”

“Well the little work your lackeys have managed on my girl, what have you got?”

“Not much if anything. I’ve had them keep an eye out for women that fit your description, then keep track of any that act suspicious.”

“Suspicious? How suspicious are we talking?”

“Anything out of the ordinary really. I leave the discretion up to my people, but it usually ranges anywhere from keeping unusual company to a sporadic routine.”

“Anyone who fit’s the clothing?”

“Jeans and a sweater? Fuck that. This isn’t some cartoon where all the characters wear the same damn thing every day.”

“Anyone bragging about how they killed a ResE recently?”

“Everyone’s bragging about that. Fucking riot may have deluded the pool on that one.”

“Well, any suspicious bitches in general?”

“Maybe. I’ll have my people get some info down for you on who they‘ve noticed. Come back tomorrow and I’ll have something in writing for you to go on. Just don’t get your hopes up.”

“You better keep trying then.”

“Whatever. Yo, this list won’t be free, so you better have proper payment ready.”

“Paid in advance, just in case you woke up this morning and decided to be competent,” Jezus said as he pulled out a rolled up paper bag and tossed it to Duke, who opened it up and became wide eyed a what he saw. “I didn’t even know this could still exist?” he said as he pulled out several bags of white powder.

“Some one is making it out there,” Jezus said “And Rogues are sneaking it in and occasionally some dumb mother fucker gets it seized by us.” Duke smiled as he put the cocaine away and put the bag into his desk. “Any heroine?” he asked as Jezus shook his head. “Not right now. Why? Running low?” he asked as Duke shrugged. “Good for now, but shit isn’t infinite.”

“Get Manson to handle it,” Jezus said as he left. He took another look at all the drugged out patrons in the arcade as he walked through on his way back onto the streets. Duke was defiantly an asset to have in Safe Haven. Not exactly a gang leader, more of a shrewd business man, Duke is viewed as a God by all the drugged out and homeless people of Safe Haven, who play his eyes and ears on the streets. As a result, he is able to broker information to the ResEs for the right price.

The price of doing business with Duke is usually drugs so that he could maintain the addictions of his underlings. ResEs usually kept all the vices of Safe Haven to themselves, but the harder, more addictive drugs were usually left alone. Certain ResEs like Jezus would use them instead as currency to enlist Duke. Not all the ResEs use Duke or even know about him, since him being a powerless citizen in possession of drugs should land him six feet under, but enough ResEs recognize that he can get information from the streets that no ResE could ever hope to get.

Enough ResEs rely on Duke for him to have guaranteed protection for him so long as no drug ever leaves the arcade and no user is ever allowed exit unless sober, that way nothing gets traced back to the arcade and no unwitting ResE ever has need to even know about the arcade.

Duke would give him some leads tomorrow, so Jezus decided to finally return to Kendall and see what he was up to at the moment. Juan’s rifle was finally tracked down by another ResE, who had received help from Duke in fact. Duke sold them information about a citizen who was trying to move a rifle, and before two hours had passed, the rifle was recovered and the man trying to sell the rifle was dead.