Gangsters: It’S Not Just a Game

By Nelson Rodriguez

Mark is a cop whos been set up to take a fall for possession of narcotics; although innocent, he is found guilty and is sentenced to four years in the state penitentiary. After being released from prison, he returns home to New York City where he meets with a childhood friend who loves playing Gangsters on his computer; eventually, the sick individual, who goes by the name of Sam, takes the life of Marks friend due to the seriousness of his sickness and his addiction to the game.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Nov 22, 2011
• ISBN: 9781465369093

Nelson Rodriguez

Nelson Rodriguez was born and raised in Puerto Rico. He and his wife are the parents of two sons and two daughters. He has worked several jobs including general construction, roofing, iron work, painting, welding, and demolition. He lives and works in the United States. This is his first book.

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Copyright © 2011 by Nelson Rodriguez.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2011916906

ISBN:         Hardcover                               978-1-4653-6908-6

                   Softcover                                 978-1-4653-6907-9

                   Ebook                                      978-1-4653-6909-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-888-795-4274

www.Xlibris.com

[e-mail]

104293

Contents

IT’S NOT JUST A GAME

MEANWHILE, UP IN THE BRONX…

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Mark is a cop who’s been set up to take a fall for possession of narcotics; although innocent, he is found guilty and is sentenced to four years in the state penitentiary. After being released from prison, he returns home to New York City where he meets with a childhood friend who loves playing Gangsters on his computer; eventually, the sick individual, who goes by the name of Sam, takes the life of Mark’s friend due to the seriousness of his sickness and his addiction to the game.

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In this story, the author Nelson Rodriguez explores the effects of an online game called Gangsters on its players. Rodriguez examines how people interact with others when they are involved or even obsessed with online gaming, delving into the relationships that are built through the game, sometimes with others who live a completely different part of the world. For Sam, the game Gangsters became an extremely personal and real experience; he began acting out his crimes in real life without giving any thought to the law or the lines that he was crossing. To win, he did everything in his power, regardless of the consequence making bribes and intimidating anyone he perceived was in his way. But would he take to the ultimate step and actually kill someone? Mark was committed to his job as a police officer, and so he never imagined that one day, he would have to engage in the very acts that he had sworn to fight. It seemed that destiny had a different path for him a life he never imagined for himself. Despite their strong personal relationships, once these players get caught up in the game, all that matters to them is the game and everything they cared about before is in jeopardy.

IT’S NOT JUST A GAME

T his is 911. What’s your emergency?

Hello, hello.

Yes, I’m here, I hear you, ma’am. What’s the emergency? said the operator.

The caller replied, Hello, yes, I’m calling because there are three young men across the street in front of my neighbor’s home.

The operator began to ask the old lady on the phone of any suspicious acts or movements; the frantic woman cut into the operator’s question as if she already knew what the operator was going to ask her. She continued on explaining the color of the clothing they wore; though not confident of the definite color, she still described the clothing as dark with what seemed to be a hooded sweatshirt or jacket.

Please send someone over. I have a bad feeling about this.

Police are on their way, Miss… , the dispatcher responded, Do you still see the three men out front?

As the woman returned her focus to the house across the street, she observed that the three individuals were gone; she continued to sort the individuals out.

Just then, she heard a scream, which she thought to be coming from the house but, at the same time, felt as if it was coming from a farther distance. Deep inside, she felt a strange feeling, and she began to plead with the operator on the other end of the phone, Send someone to check the neighbor’s home, please.

Ma’am, calm down. I need you to focus here with me right now, okay? the operator said. Just relax for a moment. I need for you to give me the address. Take a breather first. Okay, ma’am, are you ready to tell me the address now? Can you tell me the address?

Yes, I can, replied the caller.

Okay, let me get the address, and I will send someone out and have the officer take a look around the premises and knock on the door to ensure all is well at that residence, okay? Now give me the address.

Okay, the address is… , the old lady began to tell the police operator the address but clearly became nervous. She began to stutter, Okay, the address… unh… uhn… oh dear! Let me see, okay! Ahm… is 157 North Seventh Street.

Operator said, Ma’am! Please stay on the phone! I am going to contact the Garden City Police Department, and they will dispatch the police over, okay, ma’am?

The old lady replied, Okay, thank you so much. I hope everyone in that home is safe. Please get someone soon as you can. Please, Oh Lord, please watch over that family.

Tears began to run down the surface of her cheeks, overpowering the strength that she once had possessed in holding them back. The more she tried to stop, the more the tears came as if they were immune to the fight.

The police got to the address given to them, and the old lady rushed toward the marked vehicle as it came to a stop, pointing and explaining her story as she cried and gasped for air.

The other officer exited the car through the passenger side. As she continued to talk to the other officer, he walked toward her to get more information. Suddenly, there was another scream that came from the exact location of the house.

Taking the gun off his holster, one of the officers moved toward the house, then banged on the front entrance of the house and yelled out, Police! Open the door!

The lack of response and a lot of movement from inside the house caused him to kick the door. Inside, he yelled, Stop! Don’t move or I’ll shoot!

The other officer was outside, waiting for backup to arrive when he heard his partner yelling and giving a command. He ran into the house to cover his partner as well as to apprehend a potential suspect.

Once inside the house, the police officer told the other one that just came in, I got this one! Go for the other two that ran through the back. Go, hurry!

The other two culprits were fleeing the scene at great speed that he had to stop and listen. Hearing branches break and footsteps rumbling across the terrain through the backwoods drove him to pursue the suspects north where he discovered another parking area at the bottom of the hill. Never even getting to see the individuals, he realized they got away.

Ten minutes after, the officer returned to the house and mentioned to the other officer that the others got away! The officer in the house replied, Oh, fuck it! We got one of them. We’ll catch the others later!

Once Steve was arrested, who was one of the three men inside the house, the officer took him into the patrol car and drove him away to police headquarters as backup began to arrive at the scene. The other officer entered the house to collect evidence. After the officer was finished in the house, he went to the lady who made the 911 call and told the lady that they captured one of the suspects, and the other two fled. But not to worry she and the neighbors were safe.

The officer then thanked the elderly woman and left. While all this was taking place, the other two men who ran out the house earlier walked in a Chinese restaurant and used the payphone inside to call a taxi. While they waited for the taxi, they ordered something to eat.

After they finished eating, the taxi came and honked the horn. They exited the restaurant and jumped in the cab. Louis said to the driver, Take us to the airport.

The taxi driver drove to the nearest airport.

Inside the Garden City Police Headquarters, Steve was being interviewed by the police officer. They were asking him all kinds of questions back and forth. Steve wasn’t saying anything, and the police officer doing the interview told Steve, You know that you are going to jail for a long time. But if you cooperate with us to capture the others, we make sure that you do only 1 percent of the time or less.

Steve asked to make a phone call