“No. Lynn is working on the details, if you know what I mean. When she’s satisfied, Denny will take the info and see what kind of assets we can count on. I can go with you for a short time. I’ll have my i-thingy with me, Lora. If you hear about anything, let me know.”
“I will, John, but you should put off the Russian mobster meeting and take care of your chest.”
“I’ll ride over with the ice pack on. That’s all I could do here anyway.”
Lora hugged me. “Thanks for the wonderful afternoon and the Beeper performance. That was the best.”
“Good. I’ll pull it out to use on Minnie-me for special occasions.”
Lora sighed as she let me go. “You might as well. I don’t think Beeper’s going anywhere soon.”
“If you two are done activating my barf reflex, can we get going, John?”
I caught Lora up off the floor as she let Tommy get into her head and launched. Tommy, of course, was laughing his ass off pointing at her. I have to learn from my partner. Man, can he get on Lora’s last nerve with relative ease. I don’t know what she thought she would do when she reached Tommy, but it’s good not to find out. Tommy would have fought her off with good natured effectiveness. Lora realized instantly how silly her attack was and collapsed in my arms with a big sigh.
“The Karma train is coming for you, T,” Lora fired off at the unrepentant Tommy. “I will help guide it into the station if I get a chance.”
“I would expect no less, Mrs. We done here, DL, or are you going to do the robot before we go meet with Alexi.”
“I’ll grab a couple ice packs and meet you out at the car.” I kept a restraining arm around my mate while she continued to eyeball the much amused Tommy. In the kitchen I retrieved the ice packs and kissed Lora. “You let T creep into your head again.”
Lora shrugged. “Yeah, I did. You have to start feeding me info on how to make his head explode.”
Oh no I don’t. “Sorry, dear, that’s not in the Dark Lord’s marriage vows. It’s best not to trade one liners with him. Good Lord, you look enticing in that outfit… you little minx.”
With that, she jerked away out of my arms and pulled her short shorts down while turning with provocative flair. I stared at that magnificent butt of hers pointing at me. Oh my God, did I want to leave Tommy stranded by his car for another hour. Damn it! “That’s just wrong. I will be back, and night will follow. Nothing on earth will keep you safe from the Dark Lord this night.”
“Oh… I’m so scared,” Lora whispered, moving in such a way I had to clench my fists and leave the room with her laughter haunting me on the way out. There would be blood.
In Tommy’s car, I leaned back and applied the ice packs. We rode in comfortable silence with him chortling over his past verbal victories with Lora while I enjoyed the ice pack comfort. We arrived at our favorite hangout, The Warehouse, without any thought in my head concerning the meeting. I figured if T had anything I should know before the meeting he would have already shared it.
“Hey champ!” Marla, our favorite waitress called out the moment we walked in. “What the hell? You get into a fight I didn’t get to bet on?”
“Nope. Just meeting my friend Alexi for some future business.”
“He’s not here right now. Want one of the usual while you wait?”
“Man, does that sound good. Yep, I’ll do that.”
“How about you, T?”
“Not today. I’m here on business to keep the Dark Lord in line. I’ll have an iced tea if you can find one.”
Marla already had the Bud and Beam in front of me while listening and nodding her understanding of Tommy’s request. “I’ll get you some tea. You’ll probably be ready to go home by the time I serve it, but what the hell? You can always claim you walked in here and ordered one.”
Oh boy, did she nail Tommy. He of course batted me in the back of the head for enjoying the moment too much. “Fine! Give me a Diet Pepsi.”
As Marla laughed while serving Tommy, she glanced up at the front entrance with a gasp. “Jesus, Mary, and Joseph!”
Tommy and I looked around at the two figures walking in together. One was Alexi. The other one was nearly seven feet tall with broad features reminding me of Andre the Giant. Only difference is, this guy moved like a cat. His nearly white blonde hair, white walled on the sides, stood up in a short, flat top type cut. He looked chiseled out of stone. Tommy stared at me as if I had something to do with it. He stood up and patted my shoulder.
“Time to retire, John. Don’t listen to anything Alexi says.”
Marla grabbed hold of my shoulders over the bar, shaking me. “Tommy’s right! Don’t you dare agree to anything with Alexi and that thing.”
I started laughing. I stood up to greet Alexi. He’s a friend. He’s also a Russian mobster with contacts in Interpol. Alexi doesn’t deal in drugs, human slavery, or weapons. His main enterprise is gambling endeavors of all kinds, and sticking his fingers in everyone’s legitimate business. We’ve done each other favors, the last one was my team catching and handing over his brother’s killer. We now shook hands.
“Hello, Alexi.”
“John, let me introduce my new fighter, Demetrius Subotić. He upset Baatar Okoye. We have a ring name for him of sorts: The Destroyer.”
I held out my hand and Demetrius grasped it with a smile. “Hello, Mr. Harding. I have watched your fights on YouTube.”
Then The Destroyer decided to test me a little by squeezing my hand like it was a rubber ball. I grinned because nobody can win that game with me, not King Kong, not Godzilla, and definitely not The Destroyer. See, I squeeze back. When Demetrius started getting an uncomfortable look on his face, Alexi laughed and smacked our hands.
“Enough! Did I not explain it is unwise to underestimate, Mr. Harding, Demetrius?”
“Yes Sir. I am sorry, Mr. Harding.” He wanted to rub his hand, but resisted.
“No problem. Let’s get a table, and we’ll hear you out. Marla? Another round for me, and whatever Alexi and Mr. Subotic would like.”
Tommy had his game face on. I could tell he didn’t like any of this. Once we were seated with drinks served, Tommy started off the conversation. “Where did you fight the Big O, Mr. Subotic?”
“In Nigeria. We traveled there to give him a match. Please call me Demetrius.”
“So you beat the Big O on his home turf,” Tommy said. “That took balls going there to fight. How’d you beat him?”
“I knocked him out in the first round. It was not a popular thing to do. We were hard pressed to get out of the auditorium in one piece.”
“It was my fault,” Alexi said. “I did not think Demetrius would win so handily.”
I would like to see that one. I made a note to myself to get Jafar on the lookout for the video. “Very impressive, Demetrius. Call me John. This is Tommy Sands, my partner. I take it you have an idea for a fight, huh Alexi?”
“I would like to build up an audience worldwide, starting right here in Oakland. You have become the most popular fighter on YouTube, John. We will build on that in the coming months by attaining a similar popularity for Demetrius. Then, I am hoping we can get you two together in the ring under the auspices of the UFC. They want you back as soon as possible, John. I’m sure Tommy has told you. I am hoping if things go well for you in your next UFC fight, you will be kind enough to give another newcomer a leg up.”
“Alexi,” Tommy said through clenched teeth. “We don’t run the UFC. They are looking for another opponent for John in the coming months; but no matter how we do in that fight, we can’t order them to put something on the docket between John and Demetrius.”
“Please, I am aware of that, my friend,” Alexi replied. “It will be up to Demetrius in the ring around here to gain his own reputation. I was wondering if once he has a legitimate following, perhaps John could ask to meet him in the cage under the UFC. If that is not possible, perhaps John could fight him here in Oakland for a very big purse.”
&
nbsp; I waited for Tommy to answer, because I don’t make business decisions.
“It’s your call on that, John,” Tommy said. “I don’t think you should be fighting this Yeti under any circumstances, no offense, Demetrius.”
Demetrius laughed in a booming bass. “None taken, Sir.”
“I’ll do what I can then, Alexi, in either venue.” I stood up and shook Alexi’s hand, and patted Demetrius on the shoulder. “Nice meeting you, Demetrius. I will check out your fight with the Big O. C’mon, Tommy, I have a date with an ice pack.”
“Nice meeting you too, Mr. Harding,” Demetrius answered.
“Goodbye, John,” Alexi added.
I waved at Marla, putting a hundred dollar bill on the bar. “Thanks, Mar.”
“Retire champ,” Marla called out.
* * *
“That chump’s bigger than Rankin,” Tommy mumbled as we drove toward my house. “You’d need a tire iron and possibly a shotgun to take that guy.”
“You worry too much, T.” I decided to boink him a little. “Ever since we went the UFC route you’ve turned into a pussy.”
“Maybe so,” Tommy admitted. “I don’t want to see you lying in bed with twenty tubes sticking out of you. You’re young, John. I know you’re nowhere near the age your license says. You’ve got plenty of money and a good business. Alexi is going to keep finding giants until he finds one that can bury you. You need to go into management, and delegate the rest of the business to your crew. Lora can direct them.”
“Wow, so now I’m the pussy?”
Tommy chuckled. “No, but you are out of control sometimes. Take for instance you adding that psycho, Montoya, to the business. Are you stupid?”
Uh oh, I feel a ripple in the Force. “Lynn’s a little rough around the edges, but she’s part of the package with Clint. I’m working with her, and being around everyone else has mellowed her attitude a bit. She’s part of a major operation we have on the horizon.”
“I think I liked things better before Denny decided to make all of us his own praetorian guard. Montoya scares the crap out of Jess, and anyone else with half a brain. That woman is capable of anything, John. Hell, I thought Casey and Lucas were scary to be around until I saw Montoya in action. She makes them seem like a couple of school crossing guards.”
Yep, I need to pay more attention to underlying currents in my unit. “For all of what you just mentioned, we need her, T. You don’t get involved in the deeper shit we have to do, and I don’t want you to. The damn politicians in Washington are selling us out, and allowing terrorist cells to form right under our noses. Denny navigates in political rough waters like a shark with chum in the water. He needed a crew at his back like no other. That’s us, including Lynn. Denny flew her to Gitmo right after the Harvard serial killer bust with Clint as her second, because he had someone there we needed a few answers from. Fifteen minutes in a room with Lynn, and the guy became a part of Denny’s captive terrorist panel. That boy doesn’t ever want to see Lynn’s face again.”
“That makes two of us.” Tommy gestured with his hand at me in a calming action when I was about to address that statement. “I know it has to be done. I’ve seen the way these assholes go after Samira. That attack on your house woke me up to the fact things have changed, and the front lines are being drawn in our own backyard. Doesn’t this nightmare with getting sold out by our supposed leaders make you want to just pack it up and get the hell out?”
Never. I wouldn’t tell Tommy this, but if Denny ever makes a legitimate case for questioning one of these political hyenas who has a secret agenda behind their actions, I’d take the crew, round him or her up, and introduce Lynn to them in a heartbeat. “Truthfully, brother, it pisses me off. We have laws on the books, and in the Constitution, that would handle every single thing that has happened, and ended the threats. Our governmental morons have perverted and undercut enforcement to the point we’re in danger of destroying ourselves from the inside out. Our crew out here is the field dressing the nation slaps on a battlefield wound, and we don’t take it lightly. The UFC fight front is a key part of our cover. I need you with me to keep it functional.”
“I’m with you, John. I guess I can look at Lynn like the crazy old Aunt that shows up on the holidays. Lora, Al, and Samira practically follow her around like puppies when she’s in a room with them. What’s that all about? The little lesson you gave Al with Lynn as the example of learning worked real good on Al. How much of it was real?”
“I don’t know.”
Tommy laughed. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Are you serious about fighting Demetrius?”
“Yep. Alexi plays us straight. If I do well against the next UFC opponent, I’d consider mentioning Alexi’s fighter to them. The chances of dying are less in a UFC cage than our backstreet arena, and you get to vacation in some nice spots. I’d even consider a fight with Demetrius here in Oakland before any UFC fight.”
“I saw you give him the vice,” Tommy admitted. “I know how strong you are, but even you didn’t knock out the Big O with one punch. Besides, you handle pain well, but Demetrius looks like he doesn’t know what pain is.”
“He did during our handshake.”
Tommy grinned over at me and nodded at the next stop light. “Yeah, he did. The UFC wants you to fight that guy who looks like Ice Cube on steroids.”
“I know who you mean. He’s good, and he’s had a lot more UFC fights than me. They call him The Rattler.”
“That’s the one,” Tommy replied. “He’s only lost one fight by decision, and I think he got hosed in that one. That’s what comes of letting it go to the judges.”
“I agree.” Tommy turned onto my street and stopped in front of the driveway. “Lora will let you know if I get called away on Denny business. We have a man missing, but Lynn worked her magic to find out where he’s missing at.”
“I’ll bet she did. If I don’t see you for a while, you take care of yourself, White-bread.”
“I will, T. It won’t take long, because if it does, we’ll be in trouble. I’ll tell Lynn you said hi.”
Tommy’s features twisted slightly in distaste. “Yeah, you do that. I need to keep on her good side, because I don’t think her bad side is in this dimension.”
“I hear ya’.” I watched Tommy drive away, knowing we need Lynn, because like Clint says, you don’t get the bad guys using Snow Whites for bait. The fact she scares the hell out of some very scary guys is just an added humorous bonus.
Chapter Four: Deadly Trap
Clint traced a finger lightly down Lynn’s side as she lay gasping for breath in front of him. She shuddered at his touch, reaching back to clamp onto his hand. “You shouldn’t be allowed to do that to me. I’m a scary monster. You should be so frightened around me that even touching me would give you nightmares.”
Clint kissed the back of her neck. “I love every scary inch of you. Thanks to you, we may have a chance to save Laredo. I had a feeling that old dolt would let his guard down the moment he started living the high life. I hope Denny can sort the info out so we can move on it quickly. It’s tough waiting for his okay, but no one does it better. He won’t send us into a Belize trap.”
“Have you operated in Belize before?”
“Yeah, but just once. It’s like a couple of worlds existing in the same small place. In one section they have private security patrolled areas with air conditioned houses. In another section they live in thatched roof squalor. In the bad part they have all the usual things going on: drugs, alcoholism, gangs, murder, and mayhem. The address you retrieved from our helpful guest is on George Street, which also is home to the George Street Gang. One of their guys made it up into the US. He raped and killed a thirteen year old niece of a very influential man in Democratic politics, and escaped back into the hellhole on George Street. They called in Denny. He sent me down to get him. It took me three weeks to track him down. He was no fool.”
“How’d you do it, Clint?”
“They
wanted a statement that could not be traced back to the US. I blew up the place they did a little celebrating in and left no trace. I used an imploding device that limited collateral damage to the gang quarters itself.”
Lynn squirmed around inside of Clint’s arms to face him. “How many?”
“Twenty-three.”
“But they were all bad, right baby?”
Clint shrugged. “I didn’t ask them.”
Lynn pushed away. “You monster!”
Tonto leaped up on the bed between them, a tennis ball in his mouth. He dropped the tennis ball, and licked Lynn’s face as she squealed, trying to hide under the sheets. Tonto immediately growled, rooting her out with nose and paws, while Clint laughed and made room for Tonto’s actions. In moments, the naked Lynn tumbled off the bedside, arching away from Tonto’s cold nose. Tonto pursued, sticking his nose into Lynn’s sides as she tried to turn one way and then the other, peals of laughter heralding the dog’s success at finding Lynn’s weakness.
“Cli…Clint! Do… do something!”
Clint leaned over the bed. With a short two toned whistle, Tonto left off his tickling attack and leaped up to be petted by Clint.
“Damn it, he slimed me!” Lynn wiggled enticingly as she recovered with overtly sexual overtones which brought Clint down next to her with the unrepentant Tonto.
“I’m thinkin’ of sliming you myself. Look, Tonto’s very sorry, right Tonto?”
The dog immediately rolled over, with feet in the air, and tongue lolling out of his mouth. Clint laughed, but Lynn growled. “You have me on my last nerve, Tonto, you furry wart on humanity’s ass!”
Tonto peeked up at her with one eye, which started Lynn giggling. The moment she giggled, Tonto launched, only to be caught by Clint in midair. “Oh no you don’t! What the hell’s the matter with you, dog? Have you been teasing him, Lynn?”
“Hell no! He’s a mean dog, Clint. Tonto is a very bad boy.”
Hard Case: Boxed Set Books 1,2 & 3 (John Harding Books) Page 63