Once we’d loaded all the bodies, Hopper and I grabbed our four-gallon backpack sprayers and started hosing down areas that contained biological fluids or matter. Simple bleach wasn’t enough to remove blood, so we created our own mix that was sure to eliminate any and all traces of DNA.
While we were busy spraying, Tripp collected all the shell casings and discarded weapons and tossed them in the boxes. Tiny droplets of rain started cascading down around us, but there was too much to be done for us to let it slow us down. I’d just gone over to grab some scrub brushes from the van when Grinder came over to me.
He seemed a little uneasy as he stood there watching me, so I asked, “You got something on your mind?”
“I have someone interested in your services.”
“Oh?” Due to the nature of my work, I only worked through referrals. I knew none of the men I’d worked for would want me landing behind bars or in their adversaries' hands, so it made sense to only work with recommended clients. I turned to face Grinder as I asked, “And who might that be?”
“Antonio DeLuca.”
“DeLuca?” I thought for a moment, then added, “Never heard of him.”
“Not surprised.” Grinder’s face was completely void of expression as he explained, “He’s an up-and-comer. We’ve been moving some product for him, and it’s pretty fucking phenomenal. I’m telling ya, this guy wants to shake things up around here, and he’s going to need a guy like you to make that happen.”
Considering that the guy was interested in my services, I didn’t have to ask what Grinder meant by ‘DeLuca shaking things up.’ The guy was out to make a name for himself and wasn’t going to let anyone stand in his way.
I was surprised that the Forgotten Renegades would get involved with someone who wasn’t already firmly established in their world, but it made little difference to me. I was simply there to do a job, and it was quickly coming to a close.
“Give me his contact information, and I’ll reach out to him.”
“I can’t do that.” Grinder ran his hand down his thick beard as he explained, “He’ll want to be the one who reaches out to you.”
“That’s not how I do business.”
“I know, but you don’t have to worry. This guy is the real deal.” His tone was filled with confidence as he said, “You know the Renegades wouldn’t be dealing with him if he wasn’t.”
“So, this guy has your full approval?”
“He does.”
I grabbed the brushes from the back of the van, then told him, “Have him contact me, and we’ll see how it goes.”
“Will do.” Grinder glanced back over to where the carnage had taken place, then asked, “How’s it coming?”
“Good.” As I started back over to Tripp, I told him, “Should be out of here within the hour.”
“That’s what I wanted to hear.”
I continued over to Tripp and started helping him with the final bio wash. Once we were done, I went back over the entire area with a mix of luminol and hydrogen peroxide—the same mix crime scene techs used to detect blood on surfaces that had been cleaned. As soon as I was certain that we were in the clear, I gave Tripp and Hop the nod, letting them know we were good and that it was time to do the final wrap-up.
While they gathered all of our equipment, I went over to Grinder and said, “You’re all set.”
He handed me an envelope filled with cash as he said, “Appreciate it, brother.”
“Until next time.”
With that, I put the money in my pocket, then turned and headed back over to the van. I’d like to say that our night was done, but it wasn’t. In fact, it was far from it.
Once we got back to my place, we backed the van up to the basement doors and started removing remains. In the beginning, we’d have to hike into the woods with shovels and lye to dispose of the bodies, but that all changed when I installed the incinerator. It made disposing of the bodies much easier and a great deal safer, but it took time to get the remains where we wanted them.
We used that time to go back out to the van and remove all the plastic sheeting. Once we had it all down, we replaced it with new, then we replaced brushes and other disposable equipment. As soon as we had everything changed out, we went back to the incinerator room and reloaded with the last of the remains and all the used plastic sheeting and protective gear.
After I did a final walk through to make sure we hadn’t missed anything, Tripp came up to me and asked, “So, are we good to go?”
“Yeah, we’re set.” I took the money I’d gotten out of my safe and carried it over to him. “Appreciate the help tonight.”
“Anytime.”