The Ravens Watch: Part 5 (short story)

The penthouse of a large hotel

I

n the supremely lavish penthouse apartment of the Machiavellian Hotel & Casino, a subtly chiming alarm roused Gabriel Cruz from his slumber. He sleepily reached over to his nightstand and picked up the remote control of his bedroom’s automatic blinds. As they rose with a soft whirring sound, sunlight streamed into the room. Cruz cursed under his breath at this, because his eyes had not yet adjusted to the light. He let out a loud yawn as he sat up, then got to his feet and stretched. Through the window was an excellent view of  The Cruz Complex, which was one of the main reasons Cruz Inc. had acquired, renamed and more or less rebuilt the entire property.

Cruz pressed the button of the intercom on the nearby wall and without waiting for an answer, said, “Donald, I’m going to take my shower now. Tell the kitchen staff to prepare an English breakfast and a cup of green tea. Also, lay out my best blue suit and red tie.”

At the other end of the line, Cruz’ butler replied, “Yes sir, will there be anything else?”

“Oh, make sure Kenneth and Dominic are ready to drive me to the mayor’s office.”

“I will do so, sir,” Donald answered curtly.

While he relaxed under the shower’s warm jets, Cruz considered that Donald was ten years older than him and had worked for him for nearly fifteen years.  He knew very little about Donald, other than that the man had a decent work-ethic, did as he was told, and obviously had no ambition to improve his lot in life.

Cruz stepped out of the shower to find his breakfast waiting on a large silver platter and his suit and tie laid out on the freshly made bed, along with a pair of well-polished black leather shoes on the floor below it. He dressed in front of the full-length mirror and combed his short, greying brown hair, parting it neatly on the right side.

The day was a clear one, so Cruz decided that he’d enjoy his morning meal on the balcony. All the while, he thought over his agenda for the day. He had a morning meeting with the city’s mayor, Robert E. Blake.

Due to his high societal standing, Cruz knew Blake well. The man was a brilliant politician and mouthpiece, well-versed in the mechanics of interpersonal communication. His shining public persona had ensured his election by popular vote, as had substantial campaign donations from Cruz Inc.

His breakfast eaten, Cruz left the penthouse and took the elevator down to the building’s lobby. At the passing of each level, a faint beep emanated from the speaker next to the thick metal door. He looked down at the large signet ring on the pinkie of his left hand. Made of solid gold, the signet had a large, circular onyx centreplate. Set into it was Cruz’ personal emblem, a golden wolf’s head with glinting ruby eyes. Cruz felt he had a connection to the wolf. Its ruthless, predatory and calculating nature embodied his own attitude toward life. After all, while wolves are adept at hunting in packs, their actions are first and foremost for self-serving reasons.

Once in the lobby, Cruz encountered the overly friendly receptionist. The young man was dressed in the black uniform of a typical Machiavellian employee, other than that, Cruz saw nothing of any significance besides his irritatingly sincere smile.

“Good morning Mr Cruz. Lovely day, isn’t it?”

“Never mind the small talk, where are my drivers?”

His smile faltered a little, but he answered cheerfully, “They’ve parked the limousine right by the entrance sir, they’re ready to go as soon as you are.”

Cruz turned and walked away, not bothering to acknowledge the man bidding him a pleasant day.

As his young employee had said, Cruz’ black limousine was parked just outside the lobby. Jet black, with an extremely polished finish, the long and luxurious vehicle glinted in the morning sun. Emblazoned in the roof’s centre was a much larger version of the wolf’s head. Cruz wanted to ensure that wherever he went, people knew who it was that passed them by. A perfect combination of style and practicality, the limousine’s body was armoured, and its glass reinforced to protect Cruz from any attempts to threaten his life.

As he walked toward the limo, Kenneth, the more wiry of the two bodyguards got out and opened the passenger door.

“Good morning sir.”

“Kenneth, Dominic, to Mayor Blake’s office, please. We have business to discuss.”

“Right away sir,” replied Dominic.

Both men bore stoic, emotionless expressions. Veterans of different Special Forces and Black Ops units, they had seen and committed many brutalities, and their training had instilled in them a machine-like willingness to follow orders. They each wore the same black tactical suits and sunglasses. In fact, the only ways to tell them apart were that Dominic wore a pair of silver hoop earrings and Kenneth had a prominent scar, spanning from his bottom lip to the tip of his right earlobe, obviously a remnant of some past battle. Their most intimidating feature was that in shoulder holsters, they carried the military issue side-arms of their most recent military units.

As the limo wound its way through the city centre, en route to Blake’s offices, Cruz smugly observed the life outside of his window. What he saw were throngs of pedestrians, beggars and street vendors. They moved and scurried like insects, all rushing to and fro. Most of these people would live their lives in the same way, following the same routine each day, until their time was utterly spent. For an instant, Cruz felt what may have been pity, but just as quickly, wiped it from his mind.

He was stirred from contemplation by Dominic’s gruff voice saying, “We’re here sir. Should we stay out here and wait for you?”

“No, I want you two with me for this little meeting. Blake might be resistant to the proposition I’m about to make him, in which case, your shared powers of persuasion might come in handy.”

On the face of the mayoral offices, the image of a large and imposing bird, soaring over a steep cliff was carved into the concrete above the wide mahogany doors of the entrance. Encircling this image was Raven’s Peak’s official motto. “May this city be ever prosperous, and soar far above the valleys of despair.”

Flanked by his two enforcers, Cruz strolled up the stairs, between the marble pillars and through the doorway. Blake’s ego rivalled Cruz’.  As proof of this, photos of Blake’s widely smiling face covered the inner walls of the building. In his mid forties, Blake could be termed generically handsome. Blue eyes, vibrant blonde hair, kept short and neat, a classically charming smile and an athletic build were all tools Blake had used to charm the voting public. Cruz however, was far too shrewd to be drawn in by such a transparent ruse.

As the three men walked down the wide hallway that led to Blake’s main offices, they passed many smaller offices, filled with people who worked behind desks, spoke to each other in small groups, or engaged in hurried telephonic conversations. Finally, they passed through another, smaller set of doors and found a young woman with silvery blonde hair and alluring green eyes, sitting behind the slim monitor of a desktop computer. Next to the monitor sat a brass nameplate which read: Thalia Grayson, Personal Aide to Mayor Blake

“Good morning young lady, Gabriel Cruz to see Mayor Blake.”

“I’m sorry sir, the mayor’s just about to leave for brunch, you’ll have to make an appointment.”

A faint prickle of irritation entered Cruz’ mind, but he didn’t let it show. He smiled as genuinely as he could manage, “Just tell him that I’m here to see him. I assure you, he’ll make some time.”

“Very well.”

The secretary picked up the telephone on her desk, and after pushing a button on its keypad, said, “Gabriel Cruz and two associates are here to see you sir.”

After listening for a moment, she said “Yes sir,” and put the receiver down.

“You can go through now gentlemen.”

Cruz smiled once again, “Thank you, my dear.”

When they walked into his office, Cruz and his men found Blake sitting behind his desk. On the wall above his head was a large oil portrait of Blake himself, standing majestically before the entrance Mayoral Building.

“Good morning Robert, your secretary tells me you’re going to brunch. I apologise if I’ve come at an inconvenient time.”

“No, not at all, it’s just a little meet and greet, it can wait. What can I do for you?”
While Kenneth and Dominic stood like silent sentries on either side of the doorway, Blake rose from his seat and extended his right hand. Cruz grasped it and shook it so firmly that he felt Blake flinching away. He maintained his grip an instant longer, then released it, “I have a business proposal to make, and I think you’ll be very interested.”

Blake sat down once again, “Please, take a seat,” he gestured to the chair opposite him. “Now, what sort of business do you have in mind?”

“I’ve been monitoring the harbour and all adjacent properties for the past several months and quite frankly, it leaves a lot to be desired. The entire area is filled with criminals and low-lives. Add to this the fact that the ports are run with such inefficiency that it has become a major drain on the city’s economy.”

Blake frowned and began to drum his fingertips nervously on the desk, “Well yes, the harbour is one of our problem areas, but every time we try to clean the place up, it reverts back more deeply than before.”

At this, Cruz smiled, “I’m well aware of that, and I have the solution.”

As the tycoon had predicted, Blake’s face suddenly exuded interest, “It would earn some huge brownie points with the media if I was seen to decisively take control of the situation, with your help of course. So, what’s your plan?”

Cruz’ plan was this; he intended to privatise the bay region in its entirety. Changing regulations and instituting new policies as he saw fit. To ensure that these rules were followed, Cruz would call in a private (and heavily armed) security force that would take its orders directly from him and specially selected executives.

“I can’t allow that, Gabriel,” Blake said, shaking his head.

“I don’t see why not.”

“Firstly, the harbour has always been a governmentally run enterprise, the legal complications involved in privatisation would be a nightmare.”

“Just a minor detail, my legal team will take care of all that. You’re thinking too small, Robert. It’s time you started seeing the bigger picture.”

“Look at this from my perspective, I can’t simply hand over complete control of such a large undertaking to, for all intents and purposes, one individual, no matter how appealing you make it sound. My public image would be placed under extreme scrutiny, my credibility torn apart.”

“Come now, you have a team of public image consultants on your payroll, you have nothing to worry about.”

The drumming sound his fingertips made grew louder as Blake said, “I’m sorry Gabriel, I stand by what I’ve said. I can’t help you with this scheme.”

At once, Cruz dropped all pretence of pleasantness. Without looking away from his prey, he said, “Kenneth, close the door please, we don’t want to be disturbed.”

Kenneth did so wordlessly.

“You know, Robert, your biggest problem is that you’ve never had any vision. Now it’s out of your hands, and I’m going to do what should be done.”

Blake stood up, “Don’t forget who you’re talking to, Cruz. I might treat you as a friend, but I’m still the mayor.”

Cruz looked calmly up at him, “By the same token Robert, don’t forget that without me, you’d never have been able to achieve such status. You owe me.”

Blake’s face tightened as he felt Cruz’ trap close around him, “And if I refuse to take part in this?”

Cruz’ eyes took on a malevolent glint, “I won’t stoop to the melodrama of threats, but you know very well the extent of my power, as well as my influence, so I would suggest that you consider your decision with great care.”

With fear and anger commingled in his eyes, Blake shouted, “Get out, you manipulative bastard! I won’t allow myself to be bullied, no matter what veiled intimidation tactics you try to use.”

Just as quickly as it had left, Cruz’ uncharacteristically pleasant demeanour returned, “As you wish, my friend. Feel free to blame your lateness for brunch on my sudden visit.”

Cruz got to his feet and walked to the door, “Oh, and don’t you worry Robert, the next time I drop by, I’ll be sure to have an appointment. Come on boys, places to go, deals to make.”

Blake stared after the smiling Cruz as he and his men left the room. When they passed back through the reception, Cruz smiled at the pretty young aide, “Enjoy the rest of your day Miss Grayson.”

“Thank you sir, the same to you.”  

==========================================================

[Part 6 goes live next week.]