by Finian Blake
“None of us are what anyone would call ‘normal citizens’.” Adam tossed the other boot in the straw. Susan shucked off her Jodhpurs and took hold of Adam’s belt buckle. “Right now you are going to do something for me.” She fell backwards into the hay pulling him on top of her.
Adam walked in the kitchen to see Muriel and Terri having a cup of tea at the table. Terri wiggled her finger at Adam.
“Did you see Susan right after her ride?’
“Yes, Frank and I went down to talk with her about Frank doing some consulting for the Sheik.”
Terri pressed, “Was she using her special saddle?”
“She took the gelding jumping,” Adam admitted.
“Was she in a sweat when you got there?” Adam nodded silently. Terri reached out pulling a few pieces of straw out of the waist band of his pants and Muriel started looking for the quickest exit. She could see the blow up coming.
“I am surprised that you had the energy after last night.” She pushed him out of the kitchen into the laundry room. “Go shower before dinner. Be sure you throw your clothes straight in the washing machine. I don’t want horse shit all over my house.” She looked at Muriel.
“Susan has a ridge built up in her saddle. By the time she is finished riding she is crazy with lust and normally Lynn handles it.”
Muriel still sounded nervous, “I thought you were going to throw him out of the house.”
“It is my house Adam gave it to me.” Terri said confidently. “Nothing on the Knoll is in his name the whole place is mine. Adam does not even have a bank account in his name, if they confiscated everything that he had his name on, they would have nothing. As unlikely as it seems, if we ever got divorced it would be all mine. If you stay around here long enough you will understand we are not the people that you would normally find anywhere else. With Susan, it was pure lust. She would rather have had Lynn or me, but Adam was convenient.” She could see that Muriel did not understand. “The only reason that he slept in the chair the other night is that he knew you needed to be comforted and I was the one to do it. I have his heart and his head, and that is more important than his body.”
Sheik Husayn returned to the Founder’s cottage for a rest after his ride finding Jennifer waiting for him with Hamza assigning two of his men to stand guard outside of the door for the night. The security room detected movement on the central road down by the river around midnight. They alerted Frank at his apartment calling Tom and Brent at their cottages down by the river. Frank called to alert Hamza.
“Security has detected two intruders on the central road by the river. Make sure the ear pieces for the radio is plugged in and use channel nine. Alert your men. Security will be updating all movements over the radio. I will cover you from the top of the Knoll.” Frank woke Suki up and broke out the Dragunov rifles with the starlight scopes. Suki scanned the main entrance with the starlight scope mounted on a Dragunov.
“Don’t forget that Tom and Brent are out there too. They will be wearing the red and yellow star light reflectors. Hamza and his men will be at the cottage. They do not have any reflectors, but I am going to send some down to them.”
Suki spotted three figures moving just outside of the main gate. The stealthy movements of the three figures told her that these were not friendlies. They seemed to be checking out the entrance. The three intruders were backlit by the head lights of a vehicle parked on the highway.
“This is Suki. I have three intruders and a vehicle at the main gate. There may be more than three. Have security call all of the cottages for a lock down. We need Terri to cover the top with us and tell Adam to get Hamza’s men those reflectors quickly.”
As the intruders probed slowly, it was obvious that they did not have the layout of the Inn. Everybody was in place within a few minutes. All of Frank’s drills were paying off. Adam passed out the reflectors to Hamza’s men stepping into the Founder’s cottage with the Sheik. Jennifer had thrown on a robe and was sitting with the Sheik in the love seat.
“Jen protect the Sheik you are the last line of defense.” Jennifer was stunned by the request since she had no idea of what to do, but went with the bluff.
Jenifer bluffed beautifully, “With my life…”
The Sheik gave her a surprised smile, “You are one of these Amazon women?” Jennifer kissed him softly and pushed him back on the love seat. “You are safe in my arms. I will be the only one to touch you tonight.” The Sheik smiled broadly as he opened her robe.
Tom called in to report, “We have two more armed men moving up the road from the river that are currently by the entrance of the court yard. I can take them now, if you want.”
“This is Frank. Hold off on that idea. We have three intruders thirty yards down from the top of the road. Mark, do you have them?”
“This is Mark, they are moving parallel to me across the road. Tom, you should have them in a few minutes. Ryan has moved up the road to check out the vehicle. We are both wearing reflectors and using silenced Uzi’s. Ryan has the night vision glasses.”
“Ryan this is Frank. We will wait until you have eyes on the vehicle, when you can take it out call for action. We will key off of you.”
Ryan was thankful for the night vision. There was a lookout between the hedgerow and the van with another man in the driver’s seat. He moved within fifteen feet without being detected. He could detect no one else in the van.
“I am ready. We are good to go.”
“This is Mark, I have my targets.”
“Tom is good to go.”
“Ryan, count three and go at my mark. Tom, go at my mark. MARK.”
Ryan shot the lookout and the driver in the head. Both men were down, before Tom finished counting to five. Ryan charged the van ripping open the rear doors finding the van empty hurriedly loading the lookout into the van and driving through the gate down toward the other old men.
Tom, Brent and Mark opened fire at the count of five. Two men were down before they had any idea that they were under attack. Only one man was able to get a shot off and that went into the ground as he was falling. They raised their weapons preparing to shoot at the van as it sped down the road. Brent took out the two intruders coming up from the river with a few bursts from his Uzi before they knew that there was a fight.
“This is Ryan don’t shoot. The road is clear. I have both targets dead in the van.”
“We have seven targets dead. Frank all known targets are down and we are going to use Lynn’s dogs to sweep the Inn. There might be other targets by the river. Cover us from the top.”
It made sense to sweep the only exit left. Mark left the van with Ryan and Brent taking Tom with him. As they passed the entrance of the equestrian property they heard a soft feminine cough. Lynn was sitting on a stone waiting for the Old Men with Shultz sitting by her foot. Susan was standing behind her with a silenced Uzi. Shultz was trained as a guard dog. He did not bark at intruders because he was trained to give a signal and freeze. Tom handed Lynn a Taser allowing Shultz to take the lead. When they reached the entrance by the river, Tom moved down stream by about ten yards to secure their backs. Mark, Lynn and Susan went up stream and almost instantly Shultz made his signal. Mark studied the area with his night vision glasses finally finding an intruder hidden in the bushes. He had picked his spot carefully, so there was no way to sneak up on him without being detected. Mark signaled that he was going to fire. There was a sound no louder than a cough and the intruder dropped like a stone. Mark checked to be sure that his target was dead signaling the others to move up.
Lynn gave Shultz a signal to continue moving up the river bank and the dog froze after ten meters. Mark checked with the night vision. There was a man sitting on a rubber boat facing up stream having a cigarette. Mark was incensed, since smoking on guard duty was inexcusable. He decided to teach this slob a lesson. Mark pulled a Taser out starting to move close noticing that the man’s AK 47 was leaning against the side of the boat. When he was within five feet, he c
ould hear the man humming. Mark could have knocked him out but decided to use the Taser. He fired with the barbs on the Taser sinking into the man’s skin as fifty thousand volts went through the wires causing a spasm to run through the intruder. He flew five feet forward landing face down in the mud. As Mark raced up to secure the intruder, he heard a cough behind him spinning around just in time to see a figure slump over the side of the boat. There was a third man asleep in the boat and when he heard the noise, the man rose up to see Mark working on his companion. Susan caught the movement firing a single shot into the intruder dropping him over the edge of the boat.
“You told us not to get sloppy.” Susan added with a little sarcasm in her voice.
Mark loaded the bodies into the boat floating it downstream to the entrance. He sent Lynn and Susan downstream to clear the river bank with Tom. Mark called Frank with an all clear. Terri picked up Wayne from the Home Office and took him down to the van to find Adam and Sheik Husayn waiting for him at the van. The Sheik looked over the bodies not recognizing anyone. Mark brought the one prisoner up to the van. Sheik Husayn recognized him instantly identifying his nephew Ismail.
“Is this your idea or your father’s?” His anger was evident. “Adam do you have a place that we can keep him until we leave? I need to return him to my brother. He must not be harmed. I must hand him over to his father personally.”
“We have a room in the security building. Do we need to protect him from Hamza?” Susan said answering before Adam could.
“No, I do not think that will be necessary. Hamza is his cousin, my sister’s son. I am the first son and his father is the second son. He was called Ismail to honor his birth right on his side of the family.”
Hamza and his guards were standing behind Sheik Husayn. There was a mixture of emotions going through their heads. Hamza was incensed over the treachery, and he was disappointed that he did not get to protect his uncle. The attack did come from within the family and he felt the need to show his uncle that he was loyal. He was also in awe at how these old men put things together in mere minutes.
The Sheik turned to Hamza knowing his nephew wanted to demonstrate his loyalty. “I know that you would lay down your life for me.” He indicated the old men. “These are trained men that have spent their life teaching and doing this sort of thing. As your reward for your loyalty, I have arranged for them to train you and your men. They will also provide the same weapons that they were using tonight.” Hamza was feeling a little better. “Hamza, I will never forget your loyalty. Tell Frank how you would like to improve our security. After all you are the head of my body guard.” Hamza visibly brightened at the compliment. “And now I must return to my protector Jennifer.” Hamza looked questioningly at the Sheik who pointed out Lynn and Susan. “She is also one of the Amazon women.” Frank also brightened at the thought of his first contract.
“Hamza, if you would let me know what your wishes are, we will be happy to work with you.” Frank knew that if he was going to work with Hamza he would have to recognize his position. “I need to arrange a cleanup. Please excuse me.” Frank turned to Wayne from the home office. “Would you like to help me arrange for a cleanup or do you want this in the news.”
“I will call the office for instructions. I believe that they will send out a crew but I think that they will need an action report. The last thing that the office would want is a splash in the tabloids.”
Frank smiled at the request, “I have filled out several action reports, so that will not be a problem.” He knew that there would not be a request since the action never happened unless the Sheik filed a formal report which would not happen since he would not want to go on record that his brother tried to assassinate him.
The rest of the week went smoothly. The Sheik bought a sire and another mare. Terri and Muriel finished the plans for the studio. Terri’s favorite contractor had three crews that were idle. She put them all to work on the apartment and studio. They agreed to work through the weekend to make some progress on the job while Muriel ordered the rest of the studio’s equipment. Frank went with Martin to Saudi Arabia to deliver the horses and Ismail on Sunday. Suki and Jennifer were more than happy with the additional gifts that the Sheik left for the ‘Amazons’. Adam settled back into his role of the attentive husband. Adam found himself looking forward to the next visitors. He wanted to hear what Gregory was able to find out. Today was Sunday and everybody was working to clean things up. It was decided that Jennifer would occupy the guest cottage next to Susan’s home. Muriel was content to stay in Adam and Terri’s guest room. With three crews working the project, her apartment would be done quickly since all that they had to do was finish the inside. There were two additional crews of electricians and plumbers, one working on the studio at the North end and the other working on the apartment at the south end. Except for the dark room and a reception area, the studio was planned as an open area. Suki reoccupied her cottage next to Terri’s home.
Francesca, let Gregory take the controls of the Lear for the trip over. Her husband Frank stayed in the cockpit with him. Gregory had obtained his official multi engine rating and was eager to get in more time and Francesca was glad of the chance to visit with Anna and Jeff. She wanted to know about Alice and her schooling. Francesca filled Anna in on the charter business. She wanted to have children. They were just too busy and Francesca did not want to be a baby factory. With their business on a roll Francesca and Frank had three Lear Jets and ten Twin Otters that were set up for cargo. Their company operated up in Alaska, British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest along with doing international charters. They owned all of their aircraft outright and had steady contracts for hauling freight and oil drilling equipment. She also did contract work for Everywhere Air. They also owned a bell Jet Ranger helicopter. Francesca and Frank were worth thirty million on paper which was a big step up from being a rebel leader running through the jungle two years ago.
Mark took the van to pick up Francesca and her four companions. Although they thought that they would see more when they reached the main gate all they could see was the long wide road that led down to the river which was a major change from the Inn that she knew two years ago. Mark turned into the cottage area of the Inn. He pulled up between the Founder’s cottage and the quiet cottage. Jennifer settled Anna and Gregory into the quiet cottage and Suki settled Francesca and Frank into the Founder’s cottage. Jeff was regretting being the only single person on the trip. He shut down his studio for a week to come here. The cottages looked old and run down. This was a surprise since Adam was usually accurate on his descriptions. Mark pulled down the drive to the next cottage. Adam was sitting on a golf cart waiting for him. When Mark opened the door of the van, Adam stepped out of the cart. A shapely young lady with auburn hair stepped off the other side of the cart. She wore a fitted button front dress and her high heels put extra wiggle in her step. Jeff had to admit that Adam knew how to pick his women everything about her fit and finish were flawless with her smile being warm and welcoming.
“Jeff this is Muriel. She will introduce you to your cottage and give you a tour of the Inn.” Things were looking up. The place may be a dump but the help was ‘oh my god’. “Muriel is our photographer. She is setting up a studio on the top of the Knoll. I was hoping that you could give her a few suggestions.” Adam walked off in the direction of the Founders cottage looking for Gregory and Francesca.
Muriel led Jeff into the cottage sweeping her hand expansively around the sitting room expecting to impress him.
“This is the Visual cottage. Adam thought you might like the amenities in this one. Terri designed the whole Inn. She wanted to keep a rustic look.”
“You mean a rusty look,” Jeff was not impressed.
“Excuse me?” Jeff decided to back off the sarcasm. She seemed friendly enough and Jeff was hoping that he might talk her into dinner. He followed in silence. Muriel walked around the room pointing out the amenities. The sitting room was modern and up to date.
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“Adam said that you were a drinker. There is a fully stocked bar in the sitting room. There is also a beer pull behind this door. She opened the door showing Jeff how to work the pull. She pulled a pint handing it to him. He turned it down so she sipped on the pint as she continued her tour. There was no problem getting him to follow her. With that wiggle he would follow her barefoot across a bed of broken glass. The bedroom was large and easily held a four poster king size bed with a heavily smoked mirror over the bed. There were large mirrors placed throughout the room. Some of the panels were hinged so that they could fold away from the wall like the mirrors in a clothing shop.
“The entire cottage is heated by radiant heat. There is a gas fire in the wall and you will find the controls here.” Muriel bent over to demonstrate the controls. When she did her skirt rose up over the tops of her hose and Jeff noticed a red welt above her stocking.
“Adam needs to check his stroke. He is leaving marks.” Muriel straightened up so quickly she lost her balance causing her skirt to rise further. Jeff could see three more angry looking welts on her buttocks.
“Are you alright?”
Muriel’s pale skin turned a deep shade of red when she blushed. “Adam did not put them there, but he did take care of the people who did this. Adam would never do anything like this.” She sounded angry and looked frustrated. “You obviously need to do this with someone else. Wait here and I will get Terri to finish.” She started to hurry out the door. He put an arm around her waist to stop her.
“I did not mean to suggest that he would do anything like that. I was shooting off my big mouth without thinking. Is there any chance that we can start over?”
Muriel was clearly upset, “I am not in a very good mood are you sure you want me to continue?”