Vertigo: Hydra's Greatest Weapon

Chapter 8

I sit hunched over in my desk chair in my bedroom in front of my MacBook. I have a growing headache from staring at a screen for days on end. I've been doing nothing but being on my computer and eating for about 72 hours. I'm hunting.

Mateo Cruz is the drug lord of Manhattan. I used to know him. We actually used to be friends in a way. I knew him in high school and we had a few classes together and we ran in the same crew all four years. He's one of the younger drug lords but he's got more connections than anyone I know. He's got friends everywhere. Because of that, it's going to be incredibly hard to go after him and get away scot-free. Even if I do go after Cruz and make an attempt on his life, if I fail, he'll come back for me and he won't hesitate to end my life.

But the first issue I have to deal with is where he is now. All we know is he's based in Chelsea and that's not a lot to go off of. I may not buy directly from any drug lords but I have connections of my own. On my computer, I pull up maps and plug in an address I have stored in my phone from when I went to a dealer's party.

-

I wait until after dark to leave my apartment to meet the dealer. I dress in dark clothes so as to not draw too much attention to myself and make the drive. I don't tell anyone where I'm going. I haven't told anyone I've started my search for Jasper's dealer. I don't want to put anyone in danger by involving them.

I pull up to the small-ish abandoned warehouse behind some buildings in Harlem. At the moment, the only sounds are the occasional car and my dog tag jingling with each heavy step I take. It's pretty worn down on the outside and the inside is even shittier. The concrete floor has a lot of cracks and dust litters the air. I grip my keys and wallet tightly as I make my way through the warehouse.

"Callie Atwood. Never thought I'd see you here again." A familiar voice startles me.

"I'm not here for business. Just information," I state, turning around to face Zion Lopez.

"What kind of information?" He crosses his arms but keeps a straight face.

"Mateo Cruz."

He takes a deep breath and uncrosses his arms. "Let's talk somewhere else." He finally drops his strict body language and leads me to a back room where we can talk freely.

He closes the door behind us and stands in the middle of the room. "What kind of business do you have with Cruz?" he asks sternly.

"None. I just want to know if you know where he's located."

"In Chelsea-"

"I know he's in Chelsea," I cut him off. "Where in Chelsea?"

"I don't know. I've never needed to be in direct contact with him. I know people who can give you that information. Hell, I know people with direct contact with him." He recrosses his arms.

"Okay, great. Who?"

"First, you need to tell me why you need to know," he demands.

I sigh under my breath but figure there's no reason I can't tell him. "You know Jasper Webb?"

"Yeah, kind of. Bought from me once but stopped. I guess when he found someone else. Why?"

"I found Webb almost dead in his own torn-apart home after he called me saying he needed help. Turned out he missed a payment. He didn't say who but we know he was buying from Cruz." I suddenly feel lightheaded so I sit down on one of the three couches in the room.

"So what're you even planning on doing if you find him? If Mateo himself beat your friend in his own home, you don't stand a chance." He slowly takes a seat on the couch directly opposite me and continues to stare at me.