“That you, Tops?” he called out, squinting in the sunlight but unable to make out the SUV’s occupant within the unlit garage.
The only response he received was the repeated revving of the engine from twenty-five feet away.
“Stop screwing around, Tops,” Olly warned, “Or I’ll kick your ass, you little shit.”
With a screeching of tires and the smoke of burning rubber, the powerful SUV fired out of the garage, its engine roaring as it accelerated and headed straight for Olly. Frozen in place by surprise and panic, the beefy outlaw simply stood there as the heavy vehicle smashed into his legs and torso, sending him flying into the air and crashing into the ground in the truck’s wake.
His death instantaneous, he did not witness the SUV as it veered across the lawn toward the house, demolishing the motorcycle parked on the walkway near the front door before racing back onto the driveway and away to the road beyond.
Chapter 12
Saturday - 5:41 p.m.
Butch stormed into the dining room and went straight at Chris, bringing his face mere inches from his captive’s.
“Who the fuck was driving your truck?” he screamed, spittle flying. “The bastard ran over my bike.”
Chris gazed back at him and replied, “I know it wasn’t me or my friends here. We’ve been kind of tied up all afternoon. You might want to check with the guys in your crew. They’ve been known to take stuff without permission.”
“Don’t get smart with me, asshole,” Butch shrieked. “My bike is totalled. Completely fucking smashed.”
“There you go,” Chris replied. “It must be one of your guys. You told me yourself they’re clumsy so they break stuff.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Butch snarled. “I don’t need to listen to your shit.”
“All I’m saying is, my car was stolen and likely damaged,” Chris continued. “Looks like we’re both having a bad day.”
Butch stood straight, swung his arm across his chest and backhanded Chris in the face, almost knocking him and the chair over.
Breathing heavily, he leaned close to Chris once more and said, “I don’t want to hear about your shit and I don’t need your advice. Now, shut the fuck up or I’m gonna hurt you real bad.”
He stepped back and rubbed his face in frustration before turning and yelling, “I want everyone in here, now!”
Like a caged tiger, he paced back and forth with impatience as he waited, swearing under his breath, kicking a chair over and smashing a jar of relish still on the table against the wall in a burst of rage. After a couple of minutes, having regained a modicum of composure, he stopped and turned toward the group which had assembled at the entrance to the kitchen.
“I said everybody,” he snarled as he scanned his crew. “Where’s Willy? And Tops?”
“Nose ain’t here either,” said Shades.
“So, where the hell is he?” Butch demanded.
Shades shrugged. “Don’t know. He just ain’t here is all.”
Rat cleared his throat. “Uh, last time I saw Willy was probably almost two hours ago. He was taking one of the Sea-Doos for a spin.”
“Is the Sea-Doo back?” asked Butch.
“I’ll go check,” Rat replied and hurried off.
“What about Tops?” Butch repeated. “Where the hell did he go?”
“He was out front with Olly by the garage for a while,” said Dibs. “Then I saw Olly walking across out front toward the tennis court but I don’t know where Tops went.”
“Did you look for him?” Butch snapped. “He can’t just have disappeared, damn it.”
“Yeah, I did look for him,” Dibs replied. “After the Lexus took off, I checked out the garage and the gym upstairs but he wasn’t there.”
“My fucking bike is finished,” Butch growled. “Whoever ran it down is dead.”
“Can I say something?” Chris called out.
Butch turned and glared at Chris. “What part of shut up don’t you understand? You gonna whine about your damned car again?”
Chris shook his head. “No. You’ve made it clear you don’t want to hear about that. I’m just trying to help you here.”
“Alright, what do you have to say?” Butch scoffed, his tone mocking. “I’m all ears.”
“I’m just guessing here,” Chris replied, “But did Tops have any gripes with you?”
“Like what?” Butch demanded, eyeing Chris suspiciously. “What kind of gripes?”
“I don’t know,” Chris continued. “You told us these guys work for you. Maybe he thought you weren’t paying him enough or something. Maybe you pissed him off somehow.”
Dibs cleared his throat and spoke up. “Uh, there was one time when Tops told me he thought your cut was pretty deep, Butch.”
Butch’s face darkened as he turned toward Dibs. “He was bitching about me and you never bothered to tell me about it?”
“H-he wasn’t bitching, Butch,” Dibs replied hastily. “It was just a quick comment he made and I backed you up. I pointed out that he had a great place to stay and I explained all the shit you do to keep us organized.”
“Little whining bastard,” Butch muttered. “When was this? When was the son of a bitch ranting about me?”
“It was a while ago,” said Dibs. “But he wasn’t ranting and it was only once. I shouldn’t have mentioned it. It was nothing, Butch, so don’t worry about it.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Butch mimicked. “It’s not your bike the little bastard destroyed when he stole that fucking truck.”
“And don’t forget he also killed Olly,” Dibs reminded him.
Butch shrugged and nodded absently. “Uh, yeah, there’s that too.”
“The Sea-Doo isn’t there,” Rat announced as he returned, “So I guess Willy didn’t come back after all.”
Butch shook his head in disgust. “Did anyone try calling them on their phones?”
A muttering of negative responses emanated from the crew.
“Damn it, how useless are you guys?” Butch bellowed then pointed to three members of the gang in succession. “Call Willy, Nose and Tops, now.”
He paced back and forth with impatience, waiting until one then the second and third shook their heads as they cut the phone connections.
“Where the hell are they?” Butch hissed in frustration.
Jonathan suddenly laughed from where he sat, getting everyone’s attention.
“What so damned funny?” Butch demanded.
“If you really want to know, here’s how I see it,” Jon replied. “To start, one of your guys goes off with a twenty thousand dollar Sea-Doo and never comes back. Then another one drives away in a ninety thousand dollar truck and disappears. You even have a third guy missing who’s probably in on this. Say they meet somewhere and load the boat into the truck. Those things weigh almost a thousand pounds which is why I’m thinking your third guy is with them. Anyhow, off they go and sell the package to some chop shop. They’re probably splitting thirty grand, maybe more, between the three of them right now.”
“You’re full of crap, man,” said Butch with little conviction. “How would they know where to find a chop shop around here? This ain’t exactly our usual neighborhood.”
Jonathan laughed again before responding. “I’ll ask you a question but you don’t have to answer, okay? It’s just to make a point.”
“Yeah, whatever,” said Butch. “What’s your damned question?”
“Are cars part of the merchandise you deal with in your business?” Jonathan asked. “Like I said, don’t bother answering that because I don’t care. I’m just pointing out that if your boys deal with any car buyers back home, they could easily get connected with someone local, even on short notice by simply making a call or two. I’m sure you know that some of these businesses are quite, how shall I say, ‘organized’.”
“Bastards!” Butch screamed, kicking the chair once again before turning to his crew. “I want us to go over every inch of this property just in case th
ose three shit-heads are still around, passed out or drunk somewhere. I can’t believe they pulled a stunt like this on me. When I find them, and I will, they’re dead. Come on. Let’s go.”
On that note, he stormed out through the kitchen and onto the terrace with his crew trailing behind him, leaving the dining room deserted save for the three captives trussed to their chairs.
“Way to go in seeding the conspiracy theory, Jon,” Chris murmured after a moment.
“I was just picking up on what you started, my friend,” Jonathan replied.
“It certainly got these idiots going and out of our faces,” said Dave. “Let’s just hope it keeps them busy for a while.”
“Yeah, I can use a break from these guys,” Chris agreed. “Not the nicest bunch I’ve met.”
“Yep, and we’ve met some nasty bastards,” said Jonathan. “How’s the arm doing?”
“A bit of a sting now,” Chris replied. “It hurt like hell when he crushed that cigarette on me but it was worth it just to stare the punk down. The kid was turning green.”
“You freaked him out, buddy,” said Jonathan, “And now I’m pretty sure we’ve convinced Butch he has defectors which should keep his mind off of us for a while.”
“As long as those three don’t show up somewhere,” said Dave.
“They might show up but I doubt it,” Chris replied. “The girls had two choices after I spoke to Sandy, either call the cops or deal with the situation themselves. With Leslie in the mix, my money is on number two and if I’m right, those three guys won’t be coming back.”
“You’ve got to be kidding,” Dave exclaimed. “This is a police matter. I know you two, and Leslie, might see things differently but I can’t believe Cathy and the others would agree to vigilante tactics. I certainly don’t.”
“I have to agree with Chris,” said Jonathan. “Leslie wouldn’t stand back from something like this and the police would be here by now if the girls had gone that route. I don’t know what they’re doing but I can tell you Josée has done two fly-bys so far. I’d recognize the sound of that plane anywhere.”
“I can’t argue with what you’re saying,” Dave admitted, “But our wives aren’t trained for this kind of thing. Surely, they’d realize that. They wouldn’t try to take on a bunch of thugs, right?”
“We’re married to three intelligent ladies who have supported what we do for years,” Jonathan replied. “I know Josée wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever it took to help me if I was in danger and I think I know Sandy and Cathy well enough to say they’d do the same. And then they have Coach Leslie.”
Dave shook his head. “You really think they’d put themselves at risk like that? It’s dangerous, and wrong.”
“What I’m thinking,” Chris replied, “Is that these guys are going to regret ever dropping by here, Dave. I would bet you that the missing three are either dead or in really bad shape.”
Jonathan nodded. “I’m with Chris and I’ll tell you something else. I doubt one of Butch’s boys grabbed Chris’ truck. Do you want to know why?”
“Why?” asked Dave.
“Because I think Leslie took it,” Jonathan replied.
“You can’t be serious,” said Dave. “Why would Leslie risk coming here to steal Chris’ truck with all these guys around?”
“I’ll tell you why,” said Chris, picking up where Jon had left off. “She came to get some stuff I keep in a hidden vault in the gym. She took my truck to get that equipment out of here, apparently running a guy down and bashing Butch’s bike in the process.”
“And if that’s what happened,” Jonathan continued, “Our ladies now have an arsenal at their disposal which would make some military forces envious.”
“If that’s what happened,” Chris stepped in for the finale, “These morons would be better off shooting themselves.”
“Jesus, this is crazy,” Dave muttered. “Something like this would be delicate for trained cops to deal with and you’re telling the girls are planning to take it on?”
“They’ve already started, Dave,” Chris replied, “And they won’t stop until it’s over.”
Dave shook his head, looking dazed. “For the record, I don’t like it and I definitely don’t agree with it, but you guys are convinced of this, aren’t you?”
Jonathan smiled and said, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and there are five ladies out there who are really pissed off.”
Chapter 13
Saturday - 5:49 p.m.
“The Lexus is in the garage and the blinds to the windows are closed,” Cathy announced as she joined the others in the neighboring home’s dining room. “Wow, that’s quite an arsenal.”
An array of firearms along with a variety of canisters, boxes of ammunition, knives and other weapons covered the surface of the large antique dining room table.
“I figured better safe than sorry,” Leslie replied. “I’m hoping we don’t have to use any of this, particularly the guns for the noise factor, but I’d hate to suddenly need something knowing I’d left it behind.”
“My neighbors would freak if they saw this,” said Sandy.
“We’ll get this thing all done and settled one way or another before they return,” Leslie replied with determination. “I’m just glad they’re away right now because having access to this place makes a big difference.”
“It certainly does,” Josée agreed as she examined the handguns, selected a model she was familiar with and proceeded to load it. “I can’t imagine trying to deal with this from a motel room across the lake.”
“Sorry, it looks like their meeting is over,” Dominique interrupted, her gaze locked on the iPad as she scrolled the cameras to follow what was going on. “They all seem to be heading out back through the kitchen.”
“All of them?” Cathy asked. “Do you think they might be leaving?”
Leslie shook her head. “I seriously doubt that. More likely planning to search for their missing pals and find whoever took the Lexus and bashed the bike.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Josée agreed. “Good thing we had somewhere to stash the truck. That may be the only problem with being so close by. They may come snooping around here.”
“It would make our job that much easier if they did,” Leslie replied. “I’d love the whole lot of them to come on over. We could get this settled in minutes.”
“Unfortunately, I doubt that’s going to happen,” said Josée. “I’m thinking, the cameras are fine to track them in and around the house but if they decide to go driving around to look for the truck, we should try to keep track of them. I’m going to take the plane back up to for a while to get a better view.”
“Good idea,” said Leslie. “Do you want someone to go up with you?”
“That wouldn’t really serve any purpose,” Josée replied. “It’s probably best to keep as many of us available down here to deal with these idiots. I’ll call you once I’m up and we’ll try to figure out our next step based on what I see.”
* * * *
The crew was gathered around Butch in the back yard, listening intently as he gave his orders.
“Dibs, I want you to head toward Knowlton and see if you can spot that Lexus or any of those idiots. Cruise the streets when you get there. Hell, you might even find the chop shop they went to.”
“I’m on it,” said Dibs.
“Smokie,” Butch continued, turning to the perpetually stoned crew member. “Take the other truck and head down the other way. There’s another town at the end of the lake. Check it out and go easy on your damned pot smoking, for Chrissakes. I want you alert on this. Got it?”
“I’m good,” Smokie acknowledged with a nod and a grin.
“So, both of you, get the hell outta here,” Butch snarled before turning to the others. “Lefty, you take that other Sea-Doo and go look for Willy down that way. There’s a marina in Knowlton. Have a good look when you get there. For all I know, Willy’s there drunk and hitting on some ladies. Rat, you ta
ke the boat and head in the other direction.”
He paused for a moment as a nearby seaplane accelerated across the lake’s surface and lifted into the air. “I want the rest of you to check around here, inside and out, just in case one of those idiots is passed out drunk somewhere or something. Any questions?”
“I don’t have a question,” said Razor. “I just gotta say something.”
“Well, don’t keep me waiting, dude,” Butch replied with little patience. “What is it you gotta say?”
“This whole deal kinda sucks is all,” Razor dared to say.
All eyes turned to the wiry young man, so nicknamed because he shaved his head daily.
“Really? What sucks?” Butch demanded as he motioned the man closer. “I wanna know what the problem is.”
“Well, uh,” Razor stammered, already regretting having spoken. “We ain’t been here that long, just a few hours, and besides some good booze, there ain’t too much going right.”
“Are you telling me I chose a shitty place to party?” asked Butch, stepping closer. “Are you saying this place ain’t good enough for you?”
“No, man,” Razor replied, trying to back-pedal. “It’s a great place. Like I said, the booze is good and the boats and pool, that’s all cool.”
“Then, what’s your problem?” Butch insisted. “You got something to say to me so say it.”
“It-it’s just that we got here,” Razor pressed on, knowing he had no choice, “And there ain’t any broads, just those three old guys. Then Ape gets killed and now Olly’s dead and Willy, Tops and Nose have disappeared.”
“I know all that shit,” said Butch. “So, what do you think we should do? I wanna know.”
Razor shrugged. “Maybe we should just get the hell outta here. Ain’t nothing good happening and I think it’s gonna get worse.”
Butch nodded, looking thoughtful. “Uh, huh. What makes you think that?”
“I don’t know, Butch,” Razor replied with a little more confidence. “Just vibes, I guess. I can feel it in my gut.”
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