Bloodshed - A Dark Star Tale Pt. 01

The concept was simple, his drivers would unknowingly be driving the drugs packed into the cases of meat products to delivery points the length and breadth of the country. Their manifest containing delivery addresses that served as apparently innocuous points by which the consignments of drugs would be broken down and distributed by mid-level drug dealers. Will couldn't help but be impressed with the simple ingenuity, despite his entanglement in the highly illegal distribution chain.

Will was minded of an expression that he had heard somewhere, he couldn't think where, but it seemed very apt, he was swimming with sharks now.

********

Marco Mancini shook Will's hand firmly as the last of the vehicles rolled away from the loading bay.

"You see Will there's nothing to concern yourself with really," he spoke assured and confidently. "Naturally, there's no need for myself and Antonio to be present daily ...and to start we'll only operate with two maybe three days of distributions a week while we assess functionality, and everyone becomes familiar with the new process ...Gregor and Dimitri can handle all such responsibilities moving forward."

The two Eastern European's headed back into the building no doubt to the sanctuary of the unused area of the site that Will had provided for them, a small office and a space they'd set up to take in and pack the illegal contents. Marco flouting yet further health and safety regulations decided that the quickest way back to his sleek looking top of the range black Range Rover was by line of sight, heading diagonally through the loading bay. As he walked Will stepped in line alongside of him, Antonio followed a little way behind checking a palm top for updates and messages.

They walked in a relative silence across the Loading bay and through the single gate access to the main car park.

Looking over Will spotted Flick stood a distance apart from Gary Wilson in the smoking shelter, their conversation couldn't be heard but her body language seemed a little defensive to him. He was more surprised to see her smoking. She'd used to smoke but had given up at the turn of the year as a New Year's resolution, little hand rolled cigarettes she'd pre roll that sat in a small gold metal tobacco tin, he felt a little remorse for her that she'd lapsed.

"Fuck me for Summer this weather is shit ...I've lived in England all my life, but I'll be glad of two weeks away in Naples."

Will looked to the gloomy sky and couldn't help agreeing with his sentiment, much to Kelly's annoyance a family holiday had yet to be booked for this summer. He'd assured her it would happen but knew in his heart that stretching the family finances to Kelly's level of expectation might be pushing his unstable personal finances. He'd not drawn a full wage himself for months given the plight the business had faced. His own, joint, credit cards close to being maxed out as of the last time he'd checked their balances. Such sacrifices Will understood, but Kelly would not, were he even brave enough to tell her.

"Sounds ideal," Will countered.

"I've a Villa down there ...Arabella and I head over several times a year... rest and relaxation around the pool... evenings at the local trattorias."

Will barely heard what he said for his fleeting vision of the platinum blonde he'd met only days before hand, imagining what she'd look like in a two-piece bikini lay stretched across a sun bed. His mind then instantly distracted as Maya Cruz silver BMW pulled into the Car Park along side of Marco's Range Rover. Maya stepped out of the car, dressed in a smart navy skirt suit set clutching a clear box of salad, she obviously maintains her physique without the onsite catering provided primarily for the factory staff but accessible to all.

A gust of wind whipped her straight dark hair around her face a little as she looked over at them and offered a smile. Will caught the glance that Marco threw in her direction and the grin that passed his lips briefly. Stifling the pang of envy come jealousy that inexplicably gripped him. He offered a little wave himself, but Maya didn't stop, confidently she strode through the car park the sound of her heels on the concreted ground click clicked away as she headed for the buildings main entrance.

"How the fuck can you concentrate when she's working in your office?" Marco offered with a shake of his head.

"I don't get easily distracted," Will spun him the little white lie.

Marco Mancini chuckled shaking his head again, "I don't believe you."

Will took no offence.

"You know where I am Will," Marco didn't offer to shake hand again, "We'll stay in touch as and when we need to."

"Sure," Stepping back Will watched briefly as the two of them headed towards separate vehicles. Antonio heading towards a sporty looking black Mercedes A Class and without exchanging conversation with one another Marco headed to his own vehicle; with the personalised registration plate of 'M4NC1N1 V' set into the bumper of the gleaming Range Rover. Will trusts that the pair of them can both manage to negotiate their way out of the company car park as he walks away.

Head up walking towards the main reception he slows his pace a little as Flick crosses the walkway from the smoking shelter, looking beyond her, he noted Gary Wilson lighting up yet another cigarette.

"What's Gary doing here at this time of the day?" He enquires of Flick who catches his eye with a weak little smile.

"Oh ...um ...said something about switching his shift with Eric ... Eric Murphy ...Eric needed some time off today." Flick offered. As ever she had her finger on the pulse of Will's business, perhaps a little better than he honestly could.

"Smoking again I see Miss Bowerman," Will scorned but tried not to be too judgemental, having once been a smoker himself he knew how difficult giving up could be. He was honestly grateful to Kelly for some influences she'd had on his life.

"Had a lot to deal with... a lot to process," Flick offered and left the matter at that.

Not for the first time today Will decided not to press any further as he held the main door open for her. Flick slipped in just a little ahead of him and they walked up the stairs together in an almost awkward silence. Whatever it was that Flick was dealing with she certainly wasn't her normal effervescent self.

"So..." it was Flick that broke the silence "...those were your new partners ...how was your meeting?"

"Associates," Will corrected Flick. "They we're just here to see our dispatch area and make suggestions on how we can work together."

"Sounds like partners," Flick almost pedantically offered. "Otherwise, you'd be telling them what to do."

"They've the expertise in what they do," Will countered. "I trust them."

"And you're not going to tell me what they do are you," Flick asked almost suspiciously.

"Offer advice," Will's turn to shut her out. "Like I say I trust them."

"So long as you do ... I guess that's all that matters."

Entering the admin office Maya stood on the far side of the room as they walked through the rows of barely occupied desks. Smiles exchanged as she seemingly cleared down her desk and packed away her laptop; no doubt she was off out to at least one client meeting for the afternoon.

Reaching his office Will accepted Flicks offer of a coffee as he entered the room and sat down at his desk. His monitor came to life, the internal CCTV camera in packing area captured a grainy image of the girls diligently working on the packing line. Pausing briefly recognising several of the girls before tap-tapping his fingers on the keypad of his laptop as it took control of the screen and displayed the 96 unread emails in his inbox.

"I'm heading home a little early today... things to do," he ambiguously said barely looking up as Flick placed the steaming hot black coffee down on the desk to his left-hand side.

**********

Maya pulled up the hand break of her car and looked across at the figure sat in the black Range Rover parked to her right.

Slipping from her seat as she opened her door. No sooner had she closed the door than she reached her hand out and opened the passenger door of the Range Rover. Leaving her jacket in her car, wearing just the sleeveless high necked navy dress she slid herself onto the cream leather seat of the immaculately tidy vehicle.

"Romantic spot," she smirked looking out the windscreen across the barren wasteland at the far undeveloped end of the Industrial Estate on which Marchants Meats was located.

"It's quiet," Marco Mancini offered with a smile. "Offers a certain privacy."

"A certain privacy ... for what?" Maya smirked in her mind knowing full well what the gorgeous looking Italian meant as he turned to her.

He simply smiled in response; his eyes narrowed offering a devious yet sexually charged edge to his smile as his left hand slipped around the back of her neck through her hair.

They both leaned forward into one another.

Lips meeting, they kissed passionately.

Minutes later Maya didn't object, didn't push back as with her own left hand wrapped around his dick, she felt his left-hand press down across the back of her neck.

Making brief eye contact, through seductively narrowed eyes she lowered her head to his crotch. Opening her mouth wide before closing her lips around the tip of his dick.

Marco Mancini's hand continued to press gently once more on the back of her neck pushing her head down as she ran her tongue along his shaft and took him deep in her mouth.

**********

**********

Una Lubrovic stood waiting outside the main staff entrance of Marchant's Meats. Pressing her phone to her ear she heard the call immediately divert to voicemail for the third time in as many minutes.

"Hey... Una... you want a lift or not?" Stefan Brehmer called over to her from the lowered window of the beat up dark green Vauxhall Corsa.

"I not know where Mila is... I've not seen her... I thought she is wanting lift too," the dark-haired Slovenian answered back a little frustrated.

Mila's shift had finished an hour before hers but rather than travel back into the city on busses only to have to take a connection it wasn't unusual for her best friend to choose to wait for the car share, they'd arranged with Stefan with another worker Dejan, seeing as they all lived in close proximity to one another on the Hillcliffe Estate.

"C'mon Una..." Stefan frustrated himself at the delay urged her, pausing only to light up a cigarette "...I cannot be late."

Una knew Stefan worked as a delivery driver for a Pizza Chain in the evenings and couldn't afford time to spare given that majority of the work was handed out on a first come first served basis.

"I'll go without you..." he threatened revving the rattling sounding engine of his beat-up little car.

"Ok ...ok" Una stated looking back to the closed door to the factory as she hurried across the car park breaking into a run to save precious seconds. Mila had told her about the handsome new employee Gregor she'd been talking with, perhaps that explained her absence. Other than that Una had absolutely no idea where Mila could be, but it was her loss of time and money if she had now to catch the unreliable bus service to get home.

Una clambered into the passenger seat and pulled her seatbelt across her chest, knowing how erratic Stefan's driving could be. She kept the window wound down to save inhaling all of the passive smoke from the cigarette.

**********

Mila Jokowski had no idea where she was.

Knelt on a cold hard silver floor the sterile cold room around her was unfamiliar.

Sobbing she looked down across her naked body her blonde hair scraped back from her face into a loose ponytail.

Exasperated she tried in vain to move her thighs that were tied together tightly with a rough, thick rope, she could feel her ankles tied equally tight behind her. Mila's arms were held outstretched and bound at both the wrists and elbows to a static cold metal bar that ran across the backs of her shoulders.

Her knees ached from the temperature and the period of time she'd spent knelt there since she'd regained consciousness.

"Help me," she cried out yet again, "Help someone please."

Her voice was horse from her constant pleaded protests, pleas that had brought no salvation. She could hear no sounds around her no sounds even from beyond the door she faced. In the centre of the room sat a small, grated drain, the feint wet patch that led from her body to the drain where's she'd been unable to hold off the need to urinate around an hour previous.

Sobbing once again she pulled at the ropes that held her hands and arms firmly. She shook her body violently but could gain no mercy from the restraint.

"Please..." she whimpered hanging her head, "...Please."

Her head raised from her chest as she heard the lock of the door open. Her heart beating in her chest at the promise of salvation.

"Help ...help me," she weakly whispered as the white clad figure entered the room, she did not recognise whichever of her colleagues stood there behind the sanitary face mask and the protective white hat pulled down over a plastic hair protector.

Hanging her head low in shame, she was instantly embarrassed by her predicament, her nudity, and the feint smell of urine in the air. Light blue rubber boots stood before her as a hand wrapped in a thin disposable blue glove tilted her head up and she looked into the eyes of the white clad figure.

In the corner of her left eye Mila caught glimpse of a blur of something yellow.

The last thing she felt was the cold metal pressed against her forehead.

The quick sudden pneumatic thump of the stun gun filled the room.

Mila Jokowski's head slumped immediately forward, her life ended in an instant by the bolt which retracted back into the barrel of the stun gun. The bolt that had swiftly punched a hole through her forehead and her skull deep into her brain.

A trickle of claret red blood ran down her forehead from the gaping hole that had been punctured. The single line of blood ran down the left-hand side of her nose, dripping on to the stainless-steel floor beneath her limp body as it slumped forward.