Page 1 of Carver’s Crusade

CHAPTER 1: CARVER

“I guess I should be grateful the fight didn’t turn into a bloodbath, but instead I feel disappointed,” Shield says as he sits. “I wanted to see some action. It feels like forever since we had a good gun fight.”

I chuckle. “We’re like those poor saps who attended the Tyson-Frazier fight in ‘86 only for Tyson to knock out Frazier in thirty seconds.”

Shield tips his beer bottle at me. “Exactly.”

We’d just spent the last two hours gearing up for a fight against a cartel looking to kill our President’s mother, Angela Westbrook. Angela is a wealthy and powerful woman. She owns several businesses in the United States, but most of them are just fronts for her true power. She is also the head of the largest cartel in Mexico. It isn’t just one cartel, but more a conglomerate of cartels with her at the very top. She’s brilliant and has a strategic mind, which is why, when her past reared up to take her head, she devised a way to crush her opponent without getting her hands dirty. She also sent a powerful message to anyone else looking to take her on.

“You have to admit getting Border Patrol agents to take down Carlos’s army was a smart move,” I say. “Her enemies know she has an army of men at her beck and call. Now they know she also has the U.S. Government ready to do her bidding,” I say.

Shield chuckles as Byte joins us.

“What are you guys talking about?” he asks as he hands us each fresh beers.

“The boring battle,” Shield says.

“At least now we can get back to normal,” I add.

“Maybe. We don’t know for certain that Border Patrol caught Carlos. We have to wait until BP releases the names. In the meantime, I’m still monitoring the hotel.”

“What about my work sites?” I ask him. “Were you able to add more cameras to each site?”

“I had to order more cameras. I’ve installed cameras on all the compromised sites.”

“What’s going on?” Shield asks.

“We’ve had trouble at several of our sites. Someone has been stealing equipment and resources.” My primary job is running the club’s construction business. Not only am I responsible for overseeing club projects, but I also bring in income by completing projects for external clients. We have projects all over the city, and I’m responsible for them all. Over the last few weeks, I’ve had site managers reporting missing equipment and materials.

“Someone is stealing from us? How is that possible? Do they have a death wish?” Shield asks. As a police detective with the SDPD, he knows construction sites are often targets for petty thieves and vandals. However, most thieves are smart enough to avoid hitting our sites. No one wants us to track them down and make them pay for messing with us.

“I don’t know. There are at least two of them. We caught them on security footage, but they’re wearing hoodies, and they’re quick. In and out.”

“Need help?” Shield asks. “I can send patrols around the sites.”

“Not yet. I want to catch them. So far, they’ve taken items that are easy to replace. They haven’t yet impacted our timelines. I considered buying sheds and locking everything up inside, but I’d rather catch the bastards and teach them a lesson about messing with us.”

“Let me know if you need any help,” Shield says, slapping me on the back.

We drink in silence until a news story flashes on the television.

“Laser, turn it up,” Shield shouts.

On screen is a reporter standing outside, with the banner “San Diego State University” displayed under their name.

“The body of Cory Mitchell was found tonight on campus. Cory Mitchell made national news one year ago when he was tried for the alleged rape of Krista Altwood. Though he was acquitted, the case drew widespread criticism when Ms. Altwood committed suicide within hours of the verdict. Numerous activist groups have protested what they call a failure of the judicial system. Mr. Mitchell was in his final year at San Diego State. The cause of death has not yet been released.”

“I bet she got another one,” Shield comments.

“She?” Byte asks.

Shield shrugs. “Poison is usually a woman’s weapon.”

“Wait, you think this guy was poisoned?” I ask.

“I don’t know for certain, but he fits the profile of her victims.”

“Wait, so you’re saying there have been more murders?”