The Revenge of John W: Desert Intrigue, Daring Prison Escape: Thrilling Action (Unlimited exclusive, Joe Corso Book 1)

by Joe Corso

  The following morning at 9 a.m., on the top floor of the Christo Building, a meeting of his security team was in session. John looked at the men assembled in his conference room. “We have to act fast now that McCormack’s two killers are no longer with us. He’ll hire more killers if he hasn’t done so already. We have to stop him before he does that.”

  Jason was curious. “What do you intend to do, Mr. Christo? You always seem to have some sort of plan in mind.”

  “Funny you should ask, Jason. Only this morning I checked on McCormack Industries International’s stock and it had dropped dramatically when the announcement was made that there was no gold in his new mine. He spent over a half billion dollars of stockholders’ money and has nothing to show for it. If there was gold in that mine, he might have been considered a hero, but since there’s none, he’ll become the goat. His stock is now at $3.00 a share. I placed an option to buy all of the shares in his company when it hits a dollar. I expect that to happen today or tomorrow, at the latest. When that happens, I’ll arrange a meeting at the mine with Jack McCormack and John W. Hardin. He’ll come if he knows that John will be there. Maybe he’ll spill the beans and talk when he discovers I now own his company. I want everything set up before we get there. We’ll have microphones spread out throughout the mine at spaced intervals. Jerry, you’ll handle that. If we can get a camera hidden somewhere in the mine to videotape what he says, that’ll help. Jason, I want you to leak a story to the Wall Street Journal that the attempt on Lee’s life was because he’s scheduled to be a witness as McCormack’s trial and that John W. Hardin is in hiding because he fears there will be an attempt on his life. That should make the stock drop in a hurry. Is everyone clear on what their assignments are?”

  “What about me?” Lee asked.

  “You go with Jerry. Help him set up his equipment, then go hang out with Persistent. Stay with him until I get there.”

  Both Jerry and Lee nodded. Jerry asked. “Any idea how long we’ll have to stay there?”

  “It shouldn’t be long. Once the announcement is made that McCormack was behind the attempt on Lee’s life, his company stock should drop like a rock.”

  When the men left the room, John W picked up the phone, called Persistent, and told him he would be having company for a few days. Then he explained his plan to him.

  Persistent loved every bit of it. “Good. That rascal is going to get what he deserves. And, oh boy,” he said, sounding like Gabby Hayes. “I can’t wait,” he said gleefully, rubbing his hands together.

  The following day, John received a phone call from his broker. “Congratulations, John. You are now the principal shareholder of McCormack Industries International, Inc. I bought you sixty-five percent of the company when the stock his $1.00 this morning.” John thanked him and hung up the phone. He didn’t allow himself to show any outward emotion, but inwardly he was ecstatic. McCormack had no idea he had just lost his company, so John W put a call in to Jack McCormack, using Jack’s private number. McCormack was surprised when he found his caller was none other than John Christo.

  “Jack, I have something you may be interested in.”

  McCormack’s senses were telling him to hang up but instead, he said, “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

  “I know where John W. Hardin will be.” He added, “He wants to talk to you. That is if you’re interested in talking to him.”

  “Of course, I’m interested,” McCormack blustered. Then he realized he was acting the fool by bellowing. He spoke in a more moderate tone. “Do you know what he wants to speak to me about?”

  John W said truthfully, “I think he wants to talk to you about the property he thinks you stole from him.”

  McCormack angrily paced the floor of his office. “Look, Christo. I didn’t steal anything from him. He had a worthless piece of property and I did his mother a favor by buying it from her. I gave her $125,000.00 for it, plus a home and property in Flagstaff. That’s what happened. I don’t know why he has it in for me.”

  John W kept his simmering temper in check and spoke to McCormack in an even, controlled tone. “He’d like to know why he was sent to prison for all those years when he was innocent of the crimes he was accused of, Jack. Can you explain that to me?”

  “Well, I have to admit that that his going to jail was unfortunate. I certainly didn’t mean for it to go that far. If him and his mother would have just been reasonable and allowed me to buy their property at a fair price without a hassle, then none of this would have happened.”

  “Well, what do I tell John Hardin? Will you meet with him or not? Either way, it means nothing to me.”

  McCormack thought for a moment, then he asked, “Where and when, John? Where does he want to meet me?”

  “He wants to meet you at the Four Peaks Gold Mine.”

  “Why there? That mine was the worst mistake of my life. I hate even thinking of going to that place.”

  “Don’t ask me, Jack. That’s where he said he wants to meet you if you’re interested in meeting with him.”

  Jack McCormack let out a deep breath and sighed in resignation. “All right. I’ll meet him at the mine whenever he wants.”

  “He said he’d be there tomorrow morning.”

  “Tomorrow morning? It’ll take me a good 2 to 3 hours to get there.”

  John W smiled and said, “Well, you’d better leave early then.”

  “All right. Tell him I’ll meet him there at 11 tomorrow morning.”

  “Okay, but he wants you to come alone. Do not bring anyone with you because he’ll be watching from a vantage point where you won’t be able to see him, but he’ll see you.”

  CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE

  When Jack McCormack arrived at the mine, he knew that he was no longer the principle shareholder of his company. Someone had bought all the available shares at $1.00 a share. He was finished and he knew it. But he had one more card to play before he checked out. John W. Hardin wanted to meet him here, eh? Well, this mine would be the last place the punk kid ever visited. Jack carried a hand grenade in his jacket pocket and when he left the mine, he knew that Hardin wouldn’t, because when the grenade he was planning on lobbing at Hardin exploded, he would be buried under a ton of dirt and rock when the mountain came down on top of him. McCormack smiled, thinking of Hardin dead. Right now, he didn’t care if he lived or died. He was finished and he knew it. Once the trial began and all of the dirt came out about all the years he cheated and robbed people of their property, he would be the one buried. Not buried in dirt and rock, but instead buried in a cage of iron and steel, and that was something he couldn’t allow to happen. He’d rather die than have it come to that.

  McCormack made the trip by helicopter to the mine. He told the pilot to remain with the chopper and went alone to the mine just as he was instructed. It took a while for him to navigate the mountain path and make his way through the hidden cleft in the mountain. Once through the slit giving him access to the valley on the other side, he made much better time. Upon arriving at the mine, he could see no one waiting for him. Nor was there any activity going on. He was apparently alone. He walked along the narrow ledge leading to the mine, stepped through the entrance, and then went into the mine itself. “Is anyone here?” he shouted.

  “Back here,” a voice answered.

  Jack McCormack walked toward the second chamber and when he stepped into it, he saw a figure sitting at a table.

  “Come in, Mr. McCormack. You and I have a lot to talk about, don’t we?”

  McCormack’s eyes opened wide displaying small pupils surrounded by the whites of his eyes. The man looked as if he seen a ghost. John W was wearing chinos, a western shirt and cowboy boots, and the wig he wore made his hair look as long as it was when Jack last saw him.

  “How did you escape the explosions? Where have you been hiding? I’d like to know how you made it out of the desert. It’s impossible for anyone to survive in that god forsaken heat without water. How did you do it?”


  John W. Hardin sat there at the table, facing opposite Jack McCormack, and he was smiling. “That’s my little secret, Jack, and one I don’t feel like sharing with you. Maybe someday I’ll tell you but not now, not at this moment. But first things first, Jack.” John W got up from his chair, walked around the small table, and asked McCormack to stand and open his jacket. Jack did as he was told. “Do I have to pat you down Jack? Are you carrying a weapon?”

  “No, I’m not carrying a gun.”

  “Okay, then we can talk without worrying about one of us getting shot in the middle of our little talk. I’d like you to explain to me why you did what you did to my mother and me. You lied and you cheated. Your lies put me in prison where I languished for seven years, so please explain it to me so that I can understand it.”

  Jack nodded his head nervously. “I know, I know. It was Rutgar who set you up. You see, we found that the played-out mine on your property actually held a large hidden vein of pure gold and I wanted it. When you were gone, I made a deal with your mother. I gave her $125,000.00 and some land and a home in exchange for her property.”

  “What about me, Jack? Why did I have to remain in that hellhole of a prison for seven years when you got what you wanted? Can you explain that to me?”

  “That was Holland Wilson’s doing, not mine. I had nothing to do with you remaining in prison. Wilson wanted the old man’s gold mine so he set him up just like he had you set up. You went before his judge, his court, in his state. You didn’t stand a chance. Yes! I cheated you and your mother out of the gold mine on your property. I even sent Tom Jenkins to Hayes Real Estate to see that you were gotten rid of. But that poor sap fell in love with Hayes’s daughter. Can you believe that? The jerk goes and falls in love. Then I hired those two supposed experts. The two mercenaries I sent to take care of Kleinst and when they killed him, I sent them after you and Flowers. But Christo outsmarted everyone, even those two killers. Did you know I offered them a million dollars to kill the three of you? No! Of course, you wouldn’t; how could you?” He sat in the chair with his head down cradled in his hands. After getting all of this off of his chest, McCormack sat down in his seat, a beaten man. Then he looked up at John W. Hardin and quietly said, “I’m a ruined man. That bastard Christo owns my company now. He bought the controlling interest in my company. When the shares dropped to $1.00, he bought it all.” Jack was confused. “The guy’s one of the richest men in the world, why would he want my company?”

  John W smiled mirthlessly at him. “Why, to destroy you, of course. Why else would he want your company?”

  McCormack looked at John W suspiciously now. This wasn’t the same ignorant, unschooled lout he had framed and had put in prison. This was someone with intelligence and cunning. “Tell me something. Are you really John W. Hardin?”

  John said conspiratorially, “That’s who I used to be.”

  McCormack didn’t like the direction this conversation was heading in. “Used to be? That’s who you used to be?”

  “Yes that’s right. That’s who I used to be.”

  McCormack blinked nervously. “If that’s who you used to be, then who are you now?” Almost before the words left his tongue, he knew the answer. “Christo. Jesus Christ. John Christo. I should have seen this one coming. Of course, Christo and John W. Hardin are one in the same. You son of a bitch . . . you think you’re gonna get away with this. Well, I have another surprise for you. I told you the truth when I said I wasn’t carrying a gun. But I have this. He took the hand grenade from his jacket pocket and pulled the pin. “I’m gonna take care of you myself. Say good-bye, John Hardin.”

  As McCormack raised his hand to throw the hand grenade, two shots rang out and the grenade dropped to the ground. John W rushed over, picked up the grenade, and flung it as fast and as far as he could into the third chamber. Seconds later, there was a resounding explosion.

  “Are you all right, Mr. Christo?” Lee asked.

  “Man, it’s a good thing you were there. He surprised me with the grenade because I didn’t expect he’d have a grenade with him. A gun, yeah! But a grenade, never. Shows you how wrong a guy can be. Like I said, it’s a good thing we planned this out before we came here.”

  The chamber they were in was filled with dust particles and they had trouble seeing where they were going.

  “The grenade didn’t block our way out did it?”

  “No. The entrance to the first chamber is clear. Let’s take a look at the damage the grenade did to the third chamber.”

  The two men walked over stones and rubble and made their way into the third chamber. “Holy mother of god. Will you look at that wall?” John shined his flashlight on the wall and he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “That’s a gold vein, and it’s covering the entire wall. The explosion must have uncovered it. I guess tomorrow I’ll be having a press release and a stockholders’ meeting.

  CHAPTER FORTY-SIX

  On a quiet sunny Sunday morning, Priscilla Bluestone answered her front door. She was surprised to see a handsome, elegantly-dressed young man standing in her doorway. A large, black limousine with a driver standing by the open car door looked in her direction. “Yes. How can I help you?”

  “I didn’t mean to intrude, but would you be Priscilla Bluestone, by any chance?”

  “Why, yes, I’m she.”

  “Would it be all right if I came in for just a few minutes? I have something that I think you’ll approve of.”

  Her curiosity got the better of her. She looked at him once again, then her eyes roved over to the limousine and the uniformed driver. There was no danger here, so she invited the elegant young man in.

  “Can I bring you something cold to drink?”

  “A glass of water would be fine. Thank you.”

  Priscilla left the room to get a glass of water. When they were seated, John opened his attaché case and took out an envelope. Priscilla’s eyes never left the envelope, wondering what it contained.

  “I know that times have been difficult for you, Mrs. Bluestone, but I think from this moment forward everything will be better for you.” John handed her a cashier’s check for one million dollars. Priscilla had to lean back for fear of passing out. When she regained her composure, she asked what the check was for. “You allowed an old man to read your grandfather’s diary. You will never realize how much that meant to the old man. He struck it rich, and he asked me to see that you received this money. Do you have any questions, Mrs. Bluestone?”

  “Who are you?”

  “My name is John Christo, ma’am.”

  “John Christo, the billionaire?”

  “Yes ma’am, that would be me.”

  Priscilla threw propriety out the window and put her arms around the tall young man, crying with joy. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to get my tears on your nice jacket.”

  He smiled a genuine smile at a good decent woman that hadn’t had too many breaks in life. “That’s okay, ma’am. Here’s my card. If you ever are in need of anything, don’t hesitate to call me. That’s my private number, so you’ll have no trouble getting through to me.” He kissed her on the cheek, and then drove out of her life . . . gone but never forgotten.

  McCormack Mining International Inc. Stock skyrocketed to $75.00 a share when the story of the monstrous new gold strike at the Lost Four Peaks Gold Mine broke and John now owned 85% of the stock in the company. He coaxed Persistent Sam out of retirement. The old man was bored out of his mind, anyway, and he was looking for something to do. John put him in charge of the investigation of new mining sites. This old man was the pre-eminent expert in evaluating potential mines, and he proved to be worth his weight in gold. He could sniff the gold or silver in a mine. The ones that he selected were the ones that produced, and the ones that he turned down, were found to be barren of precious minerals. He was so successful that to his delight, John W made him a partner in the company. John W called for a meeting and asked Lee, Angelo, Jerry Sutphin, Jason Sweeney, and agent Dan Harlbager to ma
ke sure they attended. He would brook no excuse for anyone not being there.

  After everyone had coffee and sat down, he began the meeting. “Lee, you have done everything I’ve asked for and then some. This company will grow and so will your duties. I’m giving you a raise to compensate you for your growing duties. From this moment on, you’ll be making $250,000.00 a year. Angelo, since you’re now part of the team you’ll be making $150,000.00 from now on.” He looked at Jerry. “Jerry, do you like working for me?”

  Jerry, not knowing why he was at this meeting, didn’t know what to expect. But he answered truthfully, “Yes, Mr. Christo, I have to admit that I have enjoyed working for you. You’re a fair man and you’re easy to get along with.”

  Christo smiled. “Good, because I want to buy your company and have you work full time for me. Figure out what your company is worth and let Lee know and I’ll cut you a check. Put together your tax returns from the last three years and I’ll pay you whatever you made during those three years plus a 25% raise. That should satisfy you.”

  Jerry was beaming. “It sure does, Mr. Christo. When do you want me to start work?”

  “Work that out with Lee. But I think Monday would work for both of us.” Then John turned and faced Sweeney. “Jason, I like the way you handle yourself. I want to buy your company and make it an international enterprise. I intend to make it another Black Water company, only better. Tell your staff that they’ll all be getting raises. I don’t want anyone working for me to lack for anything. Dan, that includes you. I was real pleased with the way you took care of Jenkins and protected the ladies, so whatever you’re making with Jason here, we’ll double it.” Then John told Sweeney, “That pretty little girl who worked as the receptionist. I was impressed with her. Let everyone in your company know that since they’ll be working for me from now on, they all can expect a raise in salary, especially Susan what’s-her-name.”

  “Slay. Susan Slay,” Jason answered.