Green Eyes

“That’s horrible,” Selene recoiled as Jared finished telling his story in Jael’s tavern later that night.

“I know,” the mercenary shrugged over a mug of cider. “But what could I do? We’re walking on thin ice as it is.”

“Still, to just leave her like that,” Selene sympathized with the unfortunate woman. “Maybe if we act fast enough, we can save her too.”

“Maybe,” Mara said, though she privately doubted it. She had seen this story before and…well, it never ended well. Still it wouldn’t have done any good to dash Selene’s hopes. “I can’t say I’m surprised though,” she added. “Prostitution is pretty typical for organized crime.”

“It is but this is different,” he cocked his head from side to side. “I’ve never met prostitutes so interested in getting to know their clients. It seems almost like the prostitution is a front for something else.”

“Same with the extortion bit too,” Mara concurred. “It’s almost like a smoke screen.”

“I don’t follow,” Selene’s face was blank.

“Consider the facts,” Jared admonished. “The Bats have this sort of unofficial weekly tax of about 15% on everyone. At least the inns and craftsmen do, so it’s safe to assume that the shops have this problem as well.”

“Isn’t that normal for gangs?” Selene interrupted.

“Yes and no,” Mara picked up for her brother. “It is normal for gangs to run racketeering gigs, but usually the extortion rate is much, much higher. For example, Jael could run this inn if they took 50% of her profit. She herself would be nearly destitute, but gangs care little about that.”

“The other thing is destitute people are preferable for gangs,” Jared added. “Poor people can’t leave which means gangs have absolute control over the people in their area. Also destitute people are desperate and desperate people will do anything to survive. Again, that gives gangs physical and psychological control over the people in their territory. That’s their power.

“These guys haven’t pushed their people that hard,” Jared elucidated. “For the most part, people live in relative comfort and ease. Oh sure the 15% cut in their profits is annoying, but it is little more than a reminder tax, something to remind people that they’re there and they’re in charge.”

“So why do it?” Selene questioned.

“Intimidation, mostly,” Jared answered. “It makes people feel owned and makes it harder for them to refuse their requests.”

“And it’s their requests that intrigue me,” Mara remarked. “I asked the blacksmith if they asked him for a customer list and he said they did. So did the potter. The question is why would they want that?”

Jared leaned forward on his elbows, looking very pensive. “Of course,” he sat straight up suddenly. “They’re information brokers.”

“Of course,” Mara shook head. “Jasper’s castle must’ve addled my brain; how did I not see this right from the start?”

“Information brokers?” Selene looked quizzical. “What’s that?”

“Various types of organized crime exploit different things,” Mara explained. “Prostitution, slavery, smuggling contraband, for examples. Some gangs sell information.”

“What kind of information?” Selene asked.

“Any kind of information,” Jared shrugged. “This is a particularly strategic location for an information gang since it is the last real stop before the Harosheth and the Ammonite border. Overland caravans have to come through here on their way to Endor. The Bats can then sell their information to rival caravans and merchants. It would explain why they target visitors to Beth Haven.”

“It also explains how they have a stranglehold on the army garrison,” Mara added. “They almost certainly have some sort of leverage over the commander at the very least, maybe the entire command staff.”

“And how they have managed to hide their leadership structure,” Jared noted. “I mean we still have no clue how they are organized.”

“That’s not entirely true,” Mara countered. “From what we’ve seen, they’ve divided their gang into several smaller cells that are disconnected from each other. The leaders of each cell probably make up the leadership of the gang itself. I’d guess that most members of the gang are just grunts who themselves don’t know who is leading the gang.”

“Doesn’t help us that much,” Jared grunted. “We still don’t know who the leaders are so we don’t know where to strike.”

“I guess,” Mara shrugged. “But it’s still something.”

“Hold on,” Selene cut into the random finish-each-others-thoughts conversation the twins were apt to. “How do you know that they’re an information gang?”

“Oh that’s quite simple,” Mara said, much to Selene’s irritation. “Think about it: they demand a detailed, weekly customer list from the local artisans and craftsman. Why? Because they want to know who is buying what. Rival merchants and caravans will pay big money to find out those things.

“Then there are the prostitutes that Jared dealt with. As Jared pointed out, prostitutes typically don’t get personal with their clients. It’s a business deal for them: agree to terms, have sex, pay up, and then leave. That’s it. But these ask very personal questions,” Mara elucidated. “Remember what we talked about earlier, how prostitutes make great informants?” Selene nodded. “Well these guys have taken it to the next level, intentionally using prostitutes as informants. It’s quite ingenious, really, if not a bit sordid. Guys will tell a woman just about anything if she sleeps with him.”

“But why not have prostitutes everywhere then?” Selene challenged. “There aren’t any here, or at least not current ones.”

“Logistics, for the most part,” Jared answered. “There are hygienic issues that come with prostitution, which, in addition to the morality issue, is why I never use one. To keep a brothel clean or as clean as possible, you have to invest a lot in clean sheets, mattresses, doctors, and such.”

“Another logistical issue is staffing,” Mara said. “This is a border town and a commercial highway so you have a lot of traffic through here. A lot of traffic means a lot of inns. To supply all the inns with whores requires a lot of girls. I’m not sure there are enough attractive women in this town to do it and even if there were, trying to force that much of the female population into prostitution would cause an uprising.”

“You’ll note which inns have prostitutes,” Jared appended. “The largest and nicest inns, where the vast majority of travelers, especially caravans, are going to stay. They’re targeting the places they are most likely to get information.”

“Another point is the guy you had to deal with, Reuben or whatever his name was,” Mara went on. “Anyway, he was a gang member working in a tailor’s shop. That doesn’t strike you as odd?”

“I just thought it was his day job,” Selene shrugged.

“He’s a gang goon,” Mara chuckled. “That is his day job. But think about it Selene: when you go shopping, do you talk to the store keepers?”

“Sure, all the time,” Selene nodded.

“Exactly,” Mara leaned back in her chair. “Markets are gossip-central. People go to shops and marketplaces just to talk about the latest gossip or get the latest information. That’s how news is passed in most places. So if you’re a gang whose main commodity is information, what better place to glean information than a marketplace?”

Selene nodded, seeing her point. “So why the racketeering and prostitution and stuff?”

“Smoke screen for the most part,” Jared answered. “It gets people looking in the wrong direction. When it comes to get people’s secrets, if you getting them looking at your right hand, you can steal their wallet with your left.”

“Fascinating as this is, what’s the point?” Selene questioned. “I mean, what does this mean for us?”

“It means we have an uphill battle ahead of us,” Mara shook head. “To be honest, I have to admire them; these guys are good. They have their people in all the key places of the city and they have a done an excellent job covering their tracks.”

“It makes you wonder if they’re more than a gang and just who they are supplying information for,” Jared commented.

“At this point it doesn’t matter,” Mara sighed. “We’ve committed to take them down and we’ll see it through. But it’s going to be a challenge, that’s for sure.”

“But how?” Selene asked, beginning to regret forcing Jared and Mara into saving Jael. “All I’m hearing is how good they are.”

“Have some faith child,” Jared chuckled. “Things aren’t that bleak. In fact, we’ve learned enough to get a plan to take them down.”

“We did?”

“Think about it,” Jared chided. “Their bread and butter is information. We are a mystery which makes us irresistible to them. In other words, they will come to us, especially since we’ve made ourselves a nuisance.

“The other thing we know is roughly how they are organized,” Jared added. “The cell-model has a lot advantages, but it has one severe drawback: if you take out the leadership, the cells suddenly turn into rival gangs and tear each other apart.”

“So what you’re saying is that all we have to do is find their leadership and take it out?” Selene clarified. “How do we do that when we don’t know who their leadership is?”

“Like Jared said, they’ll come to us,” Mara reiterated. “There is a cell that is responsible for Jael’s inn and sooner or later, they’ll try to take us down and we’ll be ready for them. Then we can have that cell leader take us up to the next level of leadership and so on.”

“For you guys, that sounds rather vague,” Selene noted.

“We’ve done this before,” Jared reminded. “The problem with combating crime organizations is that there is always a lot of unknown that comes with them which makes seeing more than a step or two ahead very difficult.”

“The good news is we’re one step ahead of them,” Mara encouraged. “We know who we’re dealing with and they don’t really know who they’re dealing with, which gives us the advantage.”

“I’m pretty sure they know I’m the Navi,” Selene pointed out.

“I was referring to Jared and I, dearie,” Mara laughed.

“Oh, right,” Selene felt slightly foolish. Just when she thought she was getting their respect... “So what now?”

“Now,” Jared leaned back and finished off his cider, “we wait for something to happen.”

“Like that?” Selene questioned, pointing towards the bar.

Jael was trying to pour some drinks, but was being inhibited by a half dozen menacing men. They weren’t doing anything life-threatening, at least not yet, just spilling her ale and pushing her around. Every now and then one would grab at her breast or bum.

Selene saw Jared’s form flash red for a moment as he started to get up. An image of him slicing through them flashed into her mind, giving her an idea of what he was about to do. But Mara held him down.

“Not yet,” she whispered. “Now’s not the time, certainly not in front of all these people. We don’t want a riot.”

Jared’s muscles tensed under his clothes, but to Selene’s surprise he remained seated. Mara was probably the only person on the planet that could give him an order and have it obeyed.

Maybe because of that or because Jael had had a long day or simply because it was late, Jael closed down the tavern soon after, shoeing everyone out, including the men that had harassed her. Jared started to go after them, but Mara held him up.

“No, I’ll go,” she told him quietly. “We need them followed, not killed.”

“I’m fine,” Jared icily replied.

“I’m not arguing with you about this,” she answered, her voice just as glacial. “Go help Jael clean up; right now I don’t trust you not to start a massacre.” Again Jared relented and Mara slipped out into the night.

For her part, Selene was tired. She was coming off an adrenaline rush which coupled with power use left her drained. Besides, it was past her bedtime anyway so she headed upstairs, leaving Jared and Jael alone. Silently the mercenary began straightening up chairs and clearing tables.

“The tavern is closed,” Jael told him. “So I have to ask you to leave.”

Jared laughed lightly. “You don’t really want to clean all this up by yourself, do you?” he questioned.

“You don’t have help me; I can take of myself,” she told him trying, and failing, to sound confident.

“Clearly,” Jared replied with a touch of sarcasm. “That’s why you’re shaking like a leaf,” he said coming up to her.

“Here, let me take that for you,” he offered, gently removing a plate from her trembling hands. “You should sit down.”

“I’m fine,” she bravely answered.

“You’re not a very good liar,” he pointed out. “Now sit.”

Jael acquiesced, sitting down on a stool in front of the bar while Jared continued to pick up things around her. He stacked the plates and cups and bowls and one load at a time carried them into the washroom. Jael followed him, leaning against the doorway and watching the hardened mercenary wash dishes.

She felt like she ought to help him; it was her inn and therefore her responsibility, but she was so emotionally exhausted from everything that had happened the last two days she couldn’t. Jael involuntarily reflected on her situation, shuddering as she recalled the groping hands and the not-so-veiled threats. Suddenly it felt like her world was crashing down around her and the waterworks began to flow.

Then she felt a hand on her shoulder. Looking up, she saw Jared standing in front of her. His face was still veiled by the low-drawn hood, as if he was trying to conceal it, but she could sense his sympathy. Instinctively she pressed herself into his chest and sobbed.

Awkwardly Jared wrapped his arms around her, a little unsure of what to do here. He had a woman soaking his shirt with her tears, which didn’t happen to him really ever.

“I’m sorry,” she blubbered.

“It’s okay,” he said, mind racing for the right words. “Strength isn’t always putting on a brave face; it’s knowing that sometimes it’s okay to cry.”

“It’s just that I feel like everything I’ve worked so hard for is falling apart,” she cried. “I left Jermelek to start a new life and to give Deborah the chance to be a better woman than I. Now that’s going to be destroyed.”

“It will be okay,” Jared promised. “But you’ve got to be patient. Did you think we’d have the Bats destroyed overnight?”

“Things are worse than before,” she shook.

“Of course they are,” Jared tried to soothe. He wasn’t very good at this emotional stuff. “But,” he added, “they will get better. And then your daughter will truly be free to grow up.”

“Are you sure?” she looked up at him, her face stained with tears.

“Of course,” Jared nodded. “You are tired and things always seem worse at night. What you need,” he said as he literally swept her off her feet, “is a good night’s rest. Things will be better in the morning.”

He was right that she was very, very tired. She relaxed into him as he carried her out of the washroom and down the hall to her own room. How he knew where it was, Jael had no idea. But then Jared seemed to know a lot of things.

“Who are you?” she mumbled as he gently tucked her in.

“A friend,” Jared whispered back and left the room.

To his irritation and chagrin, he found Selene standing in the hallway, arms crossed and a devious look on her face.

“Does the big, bad Jared have a crush?” she smirked.

“No,” Jared coldly replied as he strode past her. “And shouldn’t you be in bed?”

“I was wondering if you needed any help,” Selene said. “Apparently what you needed was alone time.”

“Drop it,” Jared growled. “And actually I could use some help with the dishes.”

Selene followed him into the washroom and started rinsing off the dishes that he washed.

“I think Jael’s good for you,” Selene remarked suddenly.

“I told you to drop it,” Jared warned.

“Oh come on, you can’t tell me you don’t have feelings for her,” Selene rolled her green eyes. “Earlier you nearly killed those guys in front of everyone. And then that scene just now, I haven’t seen you that tender with anyone but Barack.”

“I don’t,” Jared flatly denied.

“Why not?” Selene demanded. “She’s beautiful, courageous, and strong, not to mention your age and I think she’s starting to fall for you. So why not go for it?”

“We’re not staying here,” Jared replied. “Mara and I’ve got to get you to Jerel.”

“First off, Mara could get me there without you,” Selene observed. “Secondly, have you thought about what you’re going to do after you deliver me to the other Navi? You’re not going to be my babysitters forever.”

“I don’t know,” Jared looked thoughtful. “I guess I just thought I’d stay in Ammon or travel to Esther.”

“Why not come back here?” Selene prodded. “She may not be in love with you yet, but she’s going that way. Why not come back here? You could have a life, a family.”

“Because I don’t love her,” Jared answered.

“Why not?” Selene pressed.

“Because I just don’t do relationships!” he finally snapped.

“Oh,” Selene blinked, taken aback. “Why?”

“It’s complicated,” Jared sighed. “But the basic reason is that people are never who they seem to be and when you open your heart up to someone like that, it’s like inviting a hydra into your house. You are bound to get betrayed and bound to get hurt.”

“That’s not true,” Selene protested. Jared had shattered many of her ideals, but she was going to be damned if he destroyed love too.

“Let me tell you a story,” he said. “Once upon a time, there was a prince: a brave, kind, and noble prince. He was loved by his people One day this prince was riding through his kingdom and came across some ruffians harassing a young woman. But she stood her ground against them, even though it was hopeless. Impressed by her courage, the prince himself rescued her and took her with him to his palace. There he discovered how beautiful she was and fell in love with her.

“But there was a darkness in the woman. Many of the prince’s friends and family saw it, but because the prince was in love, he refused to believe it. For a couple of years, everything was good and he was happy. But then one day the king’s enemy attacked and it turned out that this woman whom the prince so deeply loved was an agent of the enemy’s. So while the prince and his men were defending the palace, she snuck into the king and queen’s chamber and murdered them.

“With the king and queen dead, the battle was soon lost and the prince was exiled, never to return. He lost everything: his love, his crown, his family, and his kingdom all because he let love blind him to the truth. The prince brought a monster into his house.

“That, Selene,” he concluded, “is why I avoid romance and relationships. It brings nothing but grief and pain. While I haven’t often seen betrayals as wicked as that woman’s I have seen this story played out again and again to lesser degrees over the years.”

“And so you just shut yourself off to love because of what might happen?” Selene incredulously questioned.

“Of what will probably happen,” Jared corrected. “And yes, I do. Some things are simply not worth the risk. Some, I suppose, have had happy marriages, but precious few. And the happiness that I see them enjoy is nothing compared to the heartache I have seen others endure from the inevitable betrayal.”

“Not all women are like that, you know,” Selene countered. “Some of us are actually honorable and faithful who will love our man no matter what.”

“I will believe it when I see it,” Jared dryly retorted. “Until then, I will carefully guard my heart.”

Selene had nothing to say in return. It was sad really to see anyone, especially someone she admired as much as Jared, like this, willfully rejecting the possibility of happiness because of the risk of disaster. One thing Selene had learned over the last month or so of travels is that the greater the reward, the greater the risk. But if he wanted to be a miserable old man, that was his choice and there was little she could do about it.

“There you are,” Mara’s voice suddenly interrupted their awkward silence. “I was wondering why you weren’t in the room.”

“What did you find out?” Jared asked as he dried off his hands.

Mara smirked devilishly. “Only the answer to all of our problems,” she confidently answered.