Hey everyone,

The book is getting close. I am waiting on print proofs which should be here any day now. The publisher has been kind enough to let me give a little sneak peak. So without further ado, I give you the first six pages of Sulfur.

Chapter 1: The Package

“Brother, your language savors of impiety. Too much free thinking’s made your faith unsteady, and as I’ve warned you many times already, ‘twill get you into trouble before you’re through” –Tartuffe

It was a damn cold morning. The wind was blowing like the business end of a bellows, freezing everyone down to the bone as they went about their business. Mike stood on the corner of Main and First Street, a cup of Starbucks in his right hand, the remains of a croissant in the other. A gust of air whipped his black trench around, causing it to trail out behind him like the cape of a superhero. He took a long swig of his coffee to find nothing but bitter remnants of burned grounds. Mike cringed at the acrid taste. He popped off the plastic lid and slid the last corner of croissant to the bottom where it soaked in what little liquid was left. After replacing the cap, he walked over to the trash can at the edge of the sidewalk with calm measured steps and deposited the cup. He looked up toward the empty apartment building where the deal was going to go down, removing a stick of gum from his coat’s interior pocket and popping it in his mouth.  The cool mint flavor mixed with the leftover coffee film which encased his tongue. The gum wrapper met the same fate as the coffee cup. Mike stepped away from the trash can making sure he would be out of sight from the windows across the street.

He and his crew had been following Dan for a while; sometimes, in fact, it seemed like forever. He wasn’t about to let the job get botched by a screw up as simple as standing where he could be seen. Rookie mistake number 1, being seen, and if anyone was a rookie in this group, it damn sure wasn’t him. He was there because he was the best. Well, the best there was since Lu was gone. The boss had confidence in Mike, knowing he could do even the most difficult of tasks to perfection. He was the big guy’s right-hand man, trusted above all others. The wind kicked up hard again; Mike stood stone still, not even allowing the cold to touch him. His earpiece began to hum.

“Hey, Chief,” came Ariel’s voice. “So you really think today’s the day?”

“Yeah, I do. That’s what Amy’s intel said and she’s never been wrong before,” Mike rumbled back. “Why?”

“I’m just a little bit nervous. I mean something doesn’t seem right about this whole thing. Why has it taken them so long? What would inspire them to spend so much time screwing around with this? Dan’s contacts have had the package for what, like two months now? It seems pretty risky for them to hold on to it for such a long time. I mean, come on, Mike. The cost alone to store the thing has got to be a bit pricey, and most of these guys are two-bit thugs anyway. Plus the risk of getting caught with it. I mean these guys would never get out of jail. The whole thing just doesn’t seem like it was well thought out, and you know how this stuff gets when it’s not well thought out. It gets messy; Mike, really messy, and I end up patching up one of our guys in a back alley.”

Mike rubbed his forehead. Ariel was the best patch-up man they had, but he was always just a little bit on the jittery side.

“Look, Ariel, there’s nothing to worry about. This is going to be easy. Everything is going to go just as we planned it. The exchange is going to be made between Dan and the thugs. Then they are going to part ways. Jan and Israel watch Dan as he leaves with the package and follow him for a little bit. When he is somewhere nice and quiet, Israel swoops down on him from out of nowhere. We’ve got it all wrapped up and we can be home before the sun even starts to set.”

“How can you be so sure?” asked Ariel.

Mike shook his head, knowing full well Ariel couldn’t see him from the drug store across the street where he had been posted.

“Guys, you want to help me out on this one?” Mike pleaded with the rest of his team.

“Sure thing, Mikey Boy,” came Israel’s response. “There’s nothing to worry about on this one, Big A. There are four of us and one of him. This whole thing is wrapped up tight, my friend. There isn’t anything to be concerned about. Right, Jan?”

“Right,” said Jan. “There is no way Dan is going to get out of this. Let’s face it, once Israel shows himself, Dan isn’t going to know what to do. He might be big and tough, but thinking on his feet was never his strong suit. I would even bet you the idiot shits himself.”

“Nice, Jan. Very ladylike of you,” Mike said.

“Come on, Chief. Lighten up a bit,” Jan retorted.

“Come on yourself. You know darn well the boss wouldn’t like to hear you, or any of us for that matter, saying those kinds of things. Try to keep it clean, will you?” He hated coming down on them before a job but there was no need for vulgarity.

“Yeah, yeah, sure, sure.”

Mike brushed a lock of blond hair from his eyes. A fly buzzed nearby, the sound of flapping wings drawing his attention. With the flick of his hand, the fly was encased in flesh. Mike stood still, holding the it in his closed fist. He could feel it flapping its wings trying to escape from its prison. He tightened his grip, squeezing, sensing the small insect crunch under the pressure. Mike allowed his fingers to unfurl, revealing green-gray goo with two shattered wings stuck to it. He wiped the hand on his pants, leaving a streak of guts. “Keep an eye open, everyone. I think they might be watching us. Stay sharp and everything is going to be fine. I want radio silence from this point until the deal starts to go down. We don’t want to get picked up on someone’s radio by accident. Understood?”

“Yes, sir,” they all responded.

The next hour and a half passed as though moving through frozen molasses. Mike constantly checked his watch, a black Skagen with silver showing through the chipped paint on the titanium band from a decade’s worth of hard wear. People heading to work walked zombielike past him. A never-ending stream of cars began to flow through the streets, the sounds and movement from the vehicles almost hypnotizing. There was nothing quite like waiting for something to happen to put someone into a catatonic state. Mike had been doing this kind of work for a long time, and he had learned to believe in the old saying “a watched pot never boils.” It was unfortunate for Mike a large part of his job was to watch pots. The sun began to rise over the horizon, a purplish haze as the light refracted off the thick film of smog, which was hanging in the air. Mike took a breath, a deep, long inhale; he could taste the dirt, carbon emissions from diesel trucks, smoke from factory stacks five miles to the east. He was ready; he knew today would be theirs.

The whole thing started without warning. Mike was leaning against a lamp post when he saw them coming, three very large men with the package in tow. They were walking in a V formation with the group leader two steps behind. The men in the front were dressed in blue jeans with white button-down shirts, sports jackets, and paisley ties. They walked with conviction toward the unoccupied building, its exterior in desperate want of attention. Mike watched, careful to remain hidden, as a man peeled off from the group. The man reached into his the side of his jacket and from the hidden holster removed a gun, a .45-caliber Desert Eagle. Those types of guys always carried the biggest thing they could get their hands on. It didn’t even seem to matter to them that the larger the caliber, the more recoil, and the more they would have to readjust for the next shot. A well-placed small slug would kill anyone just as dead as a large one, but it’s all about looking cool and tough for guys like them. The thug reached over to the door, turned the knob, and entered with the muzzle of his gun leading the way. A few moments later, he emerged from inside. He nodded to his boss, indicating the building was all clear. It was a good thing too, the leader was beginning to get a little nervous about having the package out in the open for such an extended period. It would be just a matter of time before Dan showed up.

Mike stepped around the corner, removing himself from view of the building. It was all quite simple. If he couldn’t see the building, Dan couldn’t see him. It was up to Jan and Israel. They were the ones who were going to have to keep watch now. Mike spoke into his headset.

“Jan, Israel, the package is inside the building. Keep your eyes peeled. I want to know the second Dan hits the scene. Copy?”

“Copy, Big Mike.”

Two minutes passed until Jan’s voice broke in. “I got visual.”

“What do you see?” asked Mike.

“He’s heading south on First toward the building,  wearing a gray trench coat, a black wide-brimmed hat, dark blue shirt, black pants, and a black tie. He is carrying a black leather suitcase. I assume it’s full of money he intends to use to pay the guys for the package. Man, that guy is huge. I always forget how big he is.”

“It’s OK, Jan,” Israel interjected. “I’ll take care of him. Like Cassius Clay baby, float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, one punch and T.K.O. He’s gonna fold like a piece of paper.”

Mike’s ire rose. “Keep the chatter down. What else you got, Jan?”

“He’s at the house, Chief.”

“It’s show time,” said Israel

“Good. Ariel, hit the microphone we placed in the building. I want to hear everything they say.”

The microphone clicked on just as Dan turned the knob on the front door.