Opening the leather bag, he
removed a smaller explosive device and a metal strap designed to hold it firmly
in place beneath the bottom of the tank. The thick, blast-proof strap had
tightening bolts at each end. By turning the bolts clockwise, Bell removed what
little slack there was. When he could turn the bolts no further, the taut metal
straps pushed the device firmly against the metal shell of the gas tank.
When he was finished and the
leather bag much lighter, he paused before sliding out from underneath the
vehicle. His intent was to exit from the same side he entered. But then he
heard DeFaeo’s unmistakable voice.
He was trapped.
Bell could hear DeFaeo and
Lenny disagreeing about some aspect of the new office. They came to a stop
directly behind the rear liftgate.
“Boss, I’m only telling you
what you already know.”
“Which is?” DeFaeo asked.
“The car is a safer place to
work—all things considered.”
“Lenny, you’ve already made
that argument. Let me see if I can recall? Oh yeah, we have a 360-degree field
of vision. We can see anyone come and go. Right?”
DeFaeo was no more impressed
with this argument now than when he first heard it. The irony wasn’t lost on
Bell as he lay prone beneath the SUV and only feet away from both of them.
“Look, I’m hungry. We’re
late as it is. Let’s go, now, please?”
Lenny lead the way to the
rear passenger door. The car floor above Bell’s head crept an inch or so closer
as DeFaeo’s weight was transferred to the thick, upholstered seat. Lenny closed
the door and moved to the back of the vehicle on his way to the driver’s side.
Bell knew he had to make his
move now, or risk being discovered—and worse.
As quietly as he could, Bell
slithered to his right side—away from the garage’s exterior wall and in the
direction of the Honda in the adjacent parking stall. Lenny opened his door and
took his seat, starting the engine.
The engine noise prevented
Bell from hearing the conversation inside the car. Lenny took the opportunity
to look at his employer in the rearview mirror to continue his arguments
against the new office space, but not before placing the transmission in
reverse. The car lurched rearward for a foot, trapping Bell’s pant leg at the
cuff beneath the tire.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
BLURB:
Fraternal twins are
raised by an ambivalent aunt who provides an unusual childhood experience. One
twin leaves home to join the armed forces and is ultimately assigned to a
Special Forces unit conducting clandestine operations in North Korea. The death
of one his unit members produces an introduction to an organized crime family
specializing in murder for hire. The funeral for the family's son and an
interest in their daughter brings new blood and methods to the family business.
Amazon Author Central Web Site:
The book will be $0.99 during the tour.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AUTHOR Bio and
Links:
Howard Weiner is a recent addition to
the literary genre of fiction. Writing mysteries, thrillers, crimes—with a
touch of romance—an approach described by one reader as “one bubble off.”
Many
authors sharing the genre have characters whose fortune is determined by
others. They literally have dodged the bullet that otherwise would have killed
them. Weiner’s characters make their own fortune—good or bad—and they live with
the results.
Weiner’s own experiences are blessed
with no small number of noteworthy characters and events. He brings these
slightly off-kilter individuals to life, complete with their own stories and
dramas. Like the child prodigy in his first novel, "It Is Las Vegas After
All", who comes to the starting edge of adulthood and then loses the
approval of his doting parents, the sponsorship of one of America’s great
institutions of higher education, and gains the enmity of his girlfriend’s
father—an international arms dealer—to become a home-grown terrorist operating
on U.S. Soil.
A survivor of rich, nuanced
bureaucracies in the public and private sector, Weiner writes about characters
whose career choices and decisions are morally questionable. A student of
personal behavior in complex circumstances, Weiner brings these often
cringe-worthy characters to life. Some are amoral, others immoral in a narrow
slice of their lives, yet they otherwise look and act like people we all know
from work or even childhood. Like one of the female leads in his novel,
"Serendipity Opportunity", an out-of-the-box thinker who flunks most
of life’s basic relationship tests, yet she is someone you never want pursuing
you in the cause of justice. There’s a former foreign security official who
uses his protected status as a witness for federal prosecutors to provide cover
for his own mayhem and murder in Weiner’s third novel, "Bad Money".
Many of Weiner’s stories are born out
of real life events: The mix-up in luggage claim at the airport in, "Bad
Money", the chronic high school slacker in "Serendipity
Opportunity" whose one stroke of good fortune creates his opportunity to
perpetrate a complex series of frauds, or the brilliant student in "It Is
Las Vegas After All" who uses his prodigious talents toward an evil end.
As a former federal official, Weiner
can neither confirm nor deny having the highest security clearances in
classified security programs. Yet, his knowledge of the dark web, criminal organizations,
and security organizations takes stories from the popular press to the next
level.
Author Page https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B001KE771A
Author Web Site:
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