by Jenna Payne
Heading back to the living room she was briefly disappointed that Joey had fallen asleep. She stared at her a moment and then smiled. The woman looked so darn cute she couldn't be mad. She cuddled up next to her to go to sleep herself, and as she was fading out she felt Joey’s arms go around her. Samantha had wonderful dreams of the two of them having a romantic weekend in a cabin, alone together for days. It was the best dream she ever had.
Chapter 3
Laundering Money is A Dirty Business
Samantha awoke slowly and sighed, enjoying the feeling of being curled up next to Joey. After a few minutes though, she realized that she had to use the bathroom and separated herself from her friend. Joey was still sleeping heavily and slid down sideways to lie on the couch. Samantha draped a throw blanket over her and went to take care of business.
Once awake, Samantha could not go back to sleep, so she drank some water while the coffee was brewing and took two aspirin for her hangover. After eating some yogurt and toast she went into her office. It was only seven am so she figured she would get Jack’s taxes out of the way while Joey was sleeping.
First she read through the documents Jack had given her and then began doing some research. Nothing she found was good for Jack, but if she was going to give him bad news, she wanted all the information she could find. Fortunately, she was something of a hacker. She did not use her computer hacking skills for her job normally, but in this case she felt it was necessary. By the time she heard Joey waking up, Samantha was finishing up and storing everything she had found onto a thumb drive. She sighed and got up to go and greet her.
"Hey sleepyhead, good morning,” she said when she came into the living room. Joey smiled slightly and stretched, sitting with her back straight. The woman was all about posture. Samantha’s smile got wider when she saw her friend had undone her blouse so her front was only covered by a sports bra. Samantha again felt the warmth deep inside.
“Morning Sam, sorry to crash out on you last night,” she said, standing and stretching a little more.
"No problem, you can see my little nightgown another time. Want some coffee?" she asked with a saucy grin, causing Joey to laugh.
"I promise to be awake the next time I have a chance! And yeah, I would love some coffee," she answered with a smile. She followed Samantha into the kitchen and thanked her for the coffee, sipping it with a satisfied sigh.
"Oh, this is good. I am feeling a little grungy, would you mind if I take a shower honey?" she asked.
"Of course not, go ahead. I may have some clothes that will fit you too. Come on, I'll get them," Samantha offered.
She got her friend set up and in the bathroom with a towel, then she went back to her computer and shut it down after erasing anything having to do with Jack's business. She knew a few tricks so it was really erased. Most people thought if they deleted something it was gone. Samantha knew better and had a way to take care of it, just to be safe. She did not like what she had found and she wasn't sure how to tell Joey that her friend was in trouble. As it turned out, she didn't have to. Trouble found them.
Just as she heard the shower stop there was a knock on the front door. Samantha went down the hall to see who it could be as she wasn’t expecting anyone. As soon as she turned the knob it was pushed open and Jack rushed in, shutting the door behind him.
“What the hell are you doing?” she demanded and then noticed his demeanor. He looked exhausted, scared, and was wearing a miss-matched sweat suit and leather jacket. His hair was out of his regular ponytail and wild too.
“I am so sorry Samantha, but I think I got you and Joey in trouble. You have to come with me. Some bad people are coming and you can’t be here!” he told her breathlessly.
“What the hell are you talking about?” she demanded this time. Normally Samantha was not so forward, but this was her home.
“Look, throw some clothes into a bag and I will explain as you do. Hurry, it is dangerous to stay here. They will find where you live. Hurry!” he said sounding panicked.
Samantha could feel his fear; it was palpable to her. Whatever was going on she believed him when he said something bad was happening. She turned and rushed down the hall to her room, got her gym bag and began grabbing clothes, throwing them into it.
“What’s going on Jack?” she said over her shoulder.
“I woke up this morning and my office had been completely trashed. Files all over the floor, my computer taken apart. I think whoever did it stole the hard drive. Someone is looking for something. I think it’s the papers I gave you to look over. Then Tom showed up, and when I told him, he was all for hiring security to look into it, but did not want to call the cops. The he started asking about Joey, and especially about you Samantha. Do you remember meeting him last night? He knows you are an accountant, he mentioned that. I bluffed and said you had come as Joey’s date and were not tied to the business in anyway. He didn’t look like he believed me,” Jack finished with a grimace.
“I remember meeting him. Do you think he is behind it?” Samantha asked as she finished stuffing clothes into the bag.
“Yeah, he is up to something for sure. I just don’t know what and won’t until you go through the papers I gave you last night. We can’t do it here though,” he said. Before she could say anything Joey entered the room.
“Jack, if Samantha is hurt in any way I will rip your lungs out. Remember that!” she said fiercely as she came over to Samantha and put an arm around her.
Samantha appreciated the comfort. Joey smelled of fragrant shampoo and her hair was still wet from the shower. She had obviously dried off and dressed in a hurry in order to have heard everything.
“I am so sorry Joey, if I had known anything serious would go down I never would have involved either of you. You have to believe me. Now though, all I can do is try to find out what Tom is up to,” he told Joey.
“I already know,” Samantha told them causing Joey and Jack to turn to her in surprise.
“What?” Jack said.
“Already?” Joey said after Jack.
Samantha could not help smiling a little at their surprise.
“Of course. I have been up since seven this morning. It was fairly simple once I went through the papers. In fact, let me get them for you. I am guessing the papers are what Tom may be coming for. If not someone more dangerous,” she told them and hurried out of the room to her office with the other two following. Samantha tossed him the leather briefcase with his papers and then handed him the thumb drive.
“All of my research is on that thumb drive. Someone is using you to launder money. Quite a bit, it seems to me,” she told him. Strangely it only then occurred to her that Jack himself might be a part of it. She became still, waiting for his reaction. He looked stunned for a moment and then a look of shock came over his face.
“What?” he said harshly.
“Someone is laundering money through your account. It is not just money going out. A large amount comes in from the same tax id number and then is removed after a month or so, and ta-da, clean money. I did some research online and had to follow at least five dummy companies to trace it, but it seems like whoever is doing this is operating out of a little warehouse in Jersey. I did some other research and found a few articles about the drug trade in that area. I can’t be sure, but I would guess your account is being used to launder drug money,” she told him the last gently.
He was flabbergasted. Joey was shocked as well but seemed more worried about Samantha than anything else as she came over to her side again.
“Would going to the cops work? Is there enough evidence? You said you were not sure,” Joey said then.
“Yeah, I think so. It was what I was going to recommend. They have forensic accountants that will be able to do a more thorough job than I was able to do. It may take them a few days though,” Samantha said.
Jack thought about it a moment longer and then shook his head.
“Either way I need to get you two out of here. T
his won’t stop Tom or whoever is coming. I refuse to be the reason you two get hurt. If it is drugs, some thugs will be showing up here as soon as they figure out where you live. I have a place you can go, and me too if need be. No one knows I own it,” he said.
“Then you need to get dressed honey, and we can figure out the rest when we are moving,” Joey pointed out. Samantha only then remembered she was still in her robe and nighty. In fact, her robe was open and her tiny night gown was on display to them both. She blushed and headed for the bathroom to get dressed.
As soon as she got there she began shaking and leaned against the counter. She felt a tightness in her chest as the fear she had been holding back washed over her. All she had done was a favor for a friend, and now there might be drug dealers after her! She felt her eyes welling up and put a hand over her mouth to keep her rising cries from getting their attention. Then Joey walked in and shut the door behind her.
“Give us a second Jack, and we’ll be out,” she called back through the door. She was looking at Samantha with moisture in her eyes as well. She held out her arms and Samantha stepped into them and accepted her comforting embrace. She could not hold back the tears and Joey held her while shushing her at the same time.
“We are going to work this out darling, I promise. I will not let anything happen to you.”
Samantha felt her fear lessen and she pulled back, wiping her eyes.
“Sorry Joey, I should be tougher. But this, it just hit me! We have to go on the run. Hell, I don’t even know Jack!” she said the last softly while Joey nodded and sniffed herself.
“I thought I did. I didn’t know he was this stupid. I don’t see that we have any choice but to take him up on his place to hide. If you don’t think the cops can do anything with your information right away, then we do need a safe place. Would you rather go to the cops?” she asked, and Samantha thought about it, then shook her head.
“All they can do is tell us they are looking into it. Then we would be left on our own anyway,” Samantha answered, then began pulling on clothes from the clean stack she always kept in the bathroom. “What about a lawyer? Doesn’t Jack have one?” she asked, knowing he had to have one.
“Probably, we can ask. Maybe whoever it is could speed things up with the cops,” was Joey’s response. Samantha had finished dressing in jeans, a tank top and a blouse so they went back out to find Jack waiting in the living room pacing.
“What about your lawyer Jack?”
Jack immediately shook his head before answering.
“I called him after I left my house but he wasn’t picking up. After that I realized that Tom had found him for me so I’m glad he didn’t pick up. I’m nervous about contacting him, or anyone really. Once I get you two out of here I will drop off the thumb drive and papers to the cops and explain what I know. Then if need be, I will join you two in the trip to my cabin. Tom does not know I bought it. Originally I got it for a place to go between seasons, so I could relax and not take calls. I guess now it’s a safe house,” he told them.
Samantha and Joey looked at each other. It was obviously not a great plan, but Samantha didn’t know what else to do but go along with it for the time being.
Chapter 4
A Cabin in The Woods
The weather had turned bad as Jack drove them to the cabin. The snow was falling fast and furious making visibility poor. Jack had taken them to his car and driven them close to the nearest police station. He had parked in an underground garage and they waited while he went to file his complaint. It was the better part of an hour before he was back. He had spoken to a detective (who was a fan) and was promised it would be looked into immediately.
“The turn off is in another mile. I think we will lose our phone reception after we leave the highway,” Jack told Samantha and just as he said it her phone lost its signal.
“Apparently sooner. Shit,” she said mildly.
Her fear had eased considerably once they were out of the city. As Jack drove, Joey and Samantha were in the back seat watching the cars on the road behind them. It did not look like anyone was following them and both were feeling a little better about the whole thing.
“The way I see it, once the cops get on the trail of Tom Brody and whatever he is doing, we will be safe. I mean, it has to say something that you brought them the information as soon as you found out, right Jack?” Joey said nodding to herself.
“She is right Jack. If you are worried about your reputation, you probably just saved that by going to the cops. Traveling up here, we will all get a few days off and then we can go back to the city in peace,” Samantha said trying to be optimistic.
Jack glanced in the mirror at them with a smile.
“That is my hope. Of course I am going to look awfully stupid, not knowing what my manager and other employees have been doing,” Jack said.
“I would try not to worry about that stuff until you have to,” Joey told him.
Jack slowed and took the turn carefully in the snow and they followed the road for several miles until they came to the next turn off, deeper into the forest. Samantha was glad she had drawn out the route based on an online map. Without cell service it would have been easy to get lost. Neither her, nor Joey, were outdoors people and Jack had only been here twice.
They almost missed the next turn ten miles further down the road due to the snow. Even with all the trees overhead, the ground was getting thick with it. Jack was driving slowly to avoid any problems, but not slow enough as it turned out. There was a deep pot hole under the snow that Jack could not see and when they hit it the car lurched to the side and there was a grinding sound from underneath. It became quickly apparent that they were stuck. Jack kept trying to move the car forward, then back, then forward, to no avail.
“Easy Jack. We are only a few miles from the cabin right? We can get there easy peasy,” Samantha told him, trying to keep moral up for her sake as much as the others. She did not like the idea of walking two miles in a driving snowstorm. Joey wasn’t liking it either.
“God damn it! So close. I don’t want you to have to hike in the snow Sam. Hell it is not as if any one of us is dressed for this! Do you know how cold it is out there?” Joey asked Samantha rhetorically.
“Well, with this weather it could be hours before it lets up. Do you want to stay here?” she asked reasonably.
Joey took a deep breath and then let it slowly out. Then she repeated the action. Jack was watching them in the mirror, waiting for their decision. It was clear he would rather hike to the house. Joey finished her breathing and then nodded.
“Ok, you guys are right. Let’s go and make it quick so we don’t freeze,” she said.
“I’ll, get your bag ladies if you want to get moving. We just follow the road, and it should dead end at the house.”
Samantha looked at her friend and Joey had a worried look on her face. “You ready girlfriend?”
“Yep, let’s get it done honey,” she replied, the same as Joey always did in the gym. They shared a quick kiss and jumped out of the car.
It was only then that Samantha realized that Joey was wearing leggings to her knees and a skirt that barely came that far down. She had on a blouse that was long on Samantha, but not so much on Joey. Samantha felt horrible, even though there was no way she could have known where they would end up when she offered her the clothes that morning. She also felt a little guilty that she was wearing jeans. Both of them were wearing sneakers and ankle socks. Great, Samantha thought to herself as her feet quickly became cold.
They began walking down the road and Jack caught up to them with their bag over his shoulder. He also had a large flashlight that he had retrieved from the trunk. It was good he had one since night was beginning to fall and it was getting dark.
Samantha had believed herself to be in good shape, but trudging through the snow was incredibly difficult. Especially when you felt every snow flake coming in on the wind. The snow under the trees was halfway up her shins and she wa
s soaking wet from head to foot in no time. So were Joey and Jack.
Samantha only went to the gym twice a week. Joey was a professional at staying in shape and Jack was a professional athlete as well. Soon, Samantha had one on either side of her holding onto her arms and helping her along. They came to an open area where the trees didn’t hang over the road and suddenly the snow was higher than her knees and she had to high step to keep moving forward with any speed. She felt exhausted quickly and was embarrassed by needing to be half carried by her friends even though they were both puffing and struggling themselves. They got out of the deeper snow as more trees shadowed the road and Samantha was able to go a little faster. After almost an hour she could see the lights from the house up ahead and she gave a weak cheer. She was joined by the others and they all picked up the pace. Just knowing they were so close gave them the energy they needed.
“Almost made it ladies, and just think, the hot tub is ready for us. I was here last week and made sure it was set up. I really wanted to come out this weekend, I just wish it wasn’t like this,” he told them and they cheered again.
The very idea made Samantha feel like she was warming up already. They climbed the steps and she could see the front of the house was almost all floor to ceiling glass windows. The deck wrapped around the house and she could see windows on the other side of the deck and…there was the hot tub. Jack unlocked the door and let them in. The warmth felt like she had reached nirvana. It touched every bit of her wet body and her shivering seemed to intensify for a moment.
“Ok Joey, Samantha, just head down to the left, there is the door to the tub. I suggest just climbing in and don’t worry about your clothes. Get warm first. I will be coming out soon after you with robes and towels,” he told them, shivering himself.
They did not have to be told twice and they hurriedly made their way where he directed. Like Jack’s mansion, the house was incredibly plush and elegant. Samantha barely registered that though. Warmth was returning to her extremities and they were tingling. They went out onto the enclosed portion of the deck that housed the hot tub and after removing the cover and kicking off their shoes, they stepped down into the steaming hot water.