Chapter 5

The morning dawned clear and warm. Of course I didn't see the dawn. It had been a long and very pleasurable night lasting into the morning so it was well after nine o'clock when I woke. As I woke I became aware of the now familiar feeling of Stevie's body moulded to mine. What wasn't familiar was the feel of a second body pressed against mine. It was definitely female ... the breasts pressed against my back were large, warm and firm. The night before came back to me in a rush and I grinned what could only be described as a shit eating grin.

"Feeling pretty happy with yourself aren't you honey?" I opened my eyes to find Stevie's smiling face inches from mine. Grinning I pulled her head down to me for a kiss. Laughing, she pushed me away. "I love you honey ... I really do, but morning breath is an instant turn off. Besides, I need to pee."

With that she slid out of bed, flounced across the floor, and disappeared into the bathroom, shooting me a saucy look over her shoulder as she went. I was tempted to follow her in but I still had a few puritanical morals left. Becky chose this moment to stir. I rolled to face her and smiled at the confusion on her face as she opened her eyes and my face swam into view. As her confusion cleared she smiled, a soft sleepy smile.

"Good morning sir. You need a shave." What was it with women and the morning ablution rituals of men? Grumbling, I rolled out of bed and stretched before heading naked into the bathroom. Becky's laugh followed me all the way.

Stevie was brushing her teeth as I walked in and sidled up behind her. Her gorgeous naked ass was jutting out at just the right angle for me to lay my morning wood in the warm cleft of her buttocks ... which of course I did. She grinned at me in the mirror and gave her hot ass a wiggle which only served to reinforce my morning hard on.

"Careful lady or you'll get a taste of what Becky got last night," I told her with an evil leer and a wiggle of my eyebrows.

"Why sir, you wouldn't think of butt fucking little ol' me would you?" she asked in her best Little Miss Innocent Southern Belle voice as her face took on a mock shocked look.

"Damned straight I would," I growled in my best Big Bad Wolf voice, and gave her an extra nudge with my hips. She laughed and passed me my toothbrush.

"Brush and we'll see what happens lover." With a peck on my nose she twisted away from me and skipped out to the bedroom, laughing again. With a sigh I put down my toothbrush and headed for the toilet. I needed to pee. The task was made difficult by the erection I was sporting but finally I managed to get a stream going ... just as Becky wandered in. Now having a toilet with the traffic characteristics of Grand Central Station is not conducive to easy early morning ablutions. Finally I got a steady stream going and sighed with the relief that only comes with the draining of an overburdened bladder. Completing my morning piss I turned to find Becky leaning against the bathroom counter grinning at me. There was a hell of a lot of grinning going on this morning. Truth be told, I was a very happy lad indeed and I answered her grin with one of my own. I wandered back to the counter and washed my hands as Becky watched in silence. I got the distinct impression that she wanted to talk to me. Grabbing my toothbrush I began to polish my pearly whites while watching Becky in the mirror. Finally I could stand it no longer. Spitting the toothpaste foam into the basin, I rinsed my mouth out and spoke.

"Okay Becky, spit it out. You've been standing there fidgeting for the last couple of minutes honey ... just say what you want."

She took a deep breath and started to speak in a slow measured cadence. "Craig, Stevie is the best friend I've ever had in my life. She's more like a sister than a friend really." She stopped and thought about the previous night's activities and laughed. "Well more like a very, very, close cousin. The point is I don't want to see her get hurt. You're a hell of a nice guy, and you obviously have strong feelings for her, but then so did the last guy. He actually had stronger feelings for her money..." She let the sentence trail off as she looked into my eyes in the mirror with a mixture of uncertainty and defiance.

Wiping my mouth on a washcloth I turned to face her.

"Becky I love the lady for who she is, not what she can buy me. I have no idea what she's worth but if you really think about it, do you think I'm some penniless loser? Even after paying for this, I still have a net worth of over 23 million dollars. I made some damned good investments with the money I got from mercenary work, plus I inherited a few million when my folks died. I suspect that I'm probably ahead of Stevie in the cash stakes. I appreciate what you're trying to do and really admire you for it, but there is no way in hell that I would ever intentionally betray or hurt Stevie ... or you and Matt for that matter." Drying my face on a towel I continued.

"Becky the last thing I expected to find when I came back to civilisation was love. All I wanted was a bit of a holiday before I set up my security company. I just wanted to have a bit of solitude to try to forget the things I've seen and done over the last eight years. Instead I got some pretty damned amazing friends and a woman who I've fallen head over heels in love with. I have a beautiful house, and a great bunch of people. No way am I going to screw that up. Becky I really do love Stevie. I have no idea how it happened either. I've always thought that it takes a long time for you to fall in love with someone ... this is a huge shock to me. Damned nice but still a shock." I was rambling now and Becky was grinning again. To save me any further embarrassment she pulled me to her and hugged and kissed me. It was a warm friendly embrace lacking in any of the sexual overtones from last night.

"That's all I needed to know hon. She's a special lady and you're damned lucky to have her ... and she's lucky to have you."

"I agree. He is damned lucky to have me. After all I'm pretty incredible." Stevie had come to see what was going on and was leaning in the doorway, still naked, with a goofy grin on her face and tears in her eyes. She walked over to us and kissed us both after which we all enjoyed a group hug. My cock perked up at the feel of all that naked, firm, female flesh. The ladies teased me about that, then protested that they needed to be fed. I had no choice ... it was two on one and to tell the truth I figured they needed a bit of 'girl time' ... plus I was famished. Pulling on a pair of jeans and a tank top, I headed downstairs to cook breakfast.

I arrived in the kitchen to find Sam and Hemi rummaging through the fridge and cupboards. The smell of coffee wafted past my nostrils getting my salivary glands working. Grunted morning greetings were exchanged as I poured a cup and leaned against the counter watching the guys work. In a way it brought back memories of working with them in the jungle. Now instead of a small sheltered fire with a blackened and battered pot, we could play with a gleaming kitchen full of modern appliances. I moved to join them and soon we were chatting happily as we chopped and stirred ingredients into pans and pots. Omelettes and herb coated home fries were the order of the day, accompanied by fresh juice and a few gallons of coffee with a touch of chicory for extra flavour.

Inevitably the subject of the previous night came up. Hemi started it.

"So what are your plans for today Boss? A bit of rest and recuperation maybe?" He gave me his patented wide eyed innocent look and carried on as I braced myself for the ribbing I knew was coming. "I mean you probably didn't get too much sleep last night. You'll probably need a big breakfast too ... Sam, pour the boss another coffee will ya? He'll need to replace those fluids."

"Yeah Craig, we were kinda worried about you last night. There was a lot of screaming coming from your room and Liz and Joanne were worried too. We had to calm them down ... a couple of times."

"Yeah I could see how that might happen. It was all quite innocent guys. I was helping them deal with the shit that's been going on for the last few days. It was ... therapy. Yeah, that's it. It was therapy." I gave them both a shit eating grin and turned in time to see Stevie and Becky enter the kitchen.

"What was therapy baby?" Stevie asked as she came over and kissed me soundly. There was nothing reserved about the kiss; she put all her heart and soul into it. I didn't hold back either although I knew I was giving Hemi and Sam a lot of ammunition for future sessions of Rag the Boss. Sure enough, when we surfaced for air they both had mile wide smirks on their faces.

"That was therapy honey," I answered with a grin. "These clowns wanted to know what we were up to last night. I told him I was giving you ladies therapy to help you deal with the shit that's been going down over the past few days."

"Therapy my cute ass! He was fucking us senseless!" Becky's declaration was greeted by a shocked silence from the guys and a hoot of laughter from Stevie. I laughed at the embarrassed looks the guys were now wearing. It was good to see the shoe on the other foot. For once they were speechless, a situation very rare in its occurrence.

"Actually guys, I have a busy day planned. I have to go in and pick up my car from the dealership, then straight back here. I've got a heap of things packed away in boxes in the container out front that I want to get organised. I'm also going to hit the bookstores." I shot a meaningful glance Stevie's way before continuing. "I'm not sure when I'll actually get to read a book again but I suppose there's no harm in seeing what I've been missing." I got an evil look that promised I would suffer for that remark and an elbow in the ribs to reinforce the promise.

"Okay Craig, just let us know what you want us to do and we're there buddy. In the meantime ... breakfast is getting cold." Hemi started dishing breakfast while Sam poured coffee.

It was after 11 before we all piled into Hemi's Tahoe and headed into town. We figured to split up after I picked up my car with Stevie and Becky going into the office to tidy a few loose ends with Sam as a bodyguard. Hemi would come with me. Because I wanted to talk to him about what else Carmichael might have in store for us, I was sitting up front with him. I also needed to pick up any info on Montoya from Lee. Carmichael had promised he would have the information to me by the end of the previous day. It hadn't materialised. It was the first hiccup in what I expected would be a long list of them. Carmichael would plead administrative screw-up and I would give him a little more time. It was the way the game was played. I also knew that whatever intelligence I got would be heavily doctored, but from what was left, I figured I could make a fair assessment of our situation and possibly of Montoya's plans. As we drove the chat flowed freely, the topics ranging from the baseball season to the few anecdotes we could share with the girls. Everything was going great until I noticed that Hemi had fallen silent and was spending a lot of the time checking the rear view mirror.

"Trouble brother?" Sam had the girls attention as he told a particularly risqué tale of a night on the town we had shared in Bogotá so my softly spoken query reached only Hemi's ears. He nodded and indicated the mirror.

"We've got company boss. It looks government but I've got a weird feeling about that car. For a start, he's trying real hard to stay with us ... so much so that he stands out like Pamela Anderson's tits. He follows our every lane change and won't let other cars in between him and the car behind us. Plus ... there are three people in that car boss. One up front and two in the back. That's a hit formation."

I looked at the other traffic on the road. It was a typical weekday and the road was crowded. If these guys had a hit planned for us they would do it on a busy road, using the other traffic to hem us in and reduce our options. Innocent people would get hurt. I couldn't allow that.

"Sam! We've got company! Get the girls on the floor and get ready." I had them spotted now. It was the same sedan that had trailed us yesterday and they were definitely amateurs. "Hemi, get us off this road. Get us onto a quiet road. I don't want civilians mixed up in this and it'll give us some manoeuvring options. Becky, get on your cell phone and call Lee. Let him know we're being tracked and keep him on the phone. If we can we'll draw these creeps right to him. If we can't, we're going to have to deal with them ourselves." Guns materialised as if by magic in both Sam's and my hand. It took Hemi a couple of seconds to get his out as he was busy navigating us across three crowded lanes to an exit which would take us to a sub-division under construction. Becky had her cell phone and was dialling as she and Stevie dropped to the floor.

"Give me a gun. I can shoot ... you know I can. Give me a gun." Stevie's voice held no trace of fear at all. She could shoot, and shoot well. "Hemi, do you have another gun in the car?"

"Glove compartment Boss. But you better swap with her. The gun in there is too much gun for her. She'd be better off with the Beretta."

Opening the glove compartment I agreed with him immediately. Passing Stevie my Beretta I pulled the gun from the glove compartment and ejected the clip to confirm a full load of .50 calibre rounds. I was holding a Desert Eagle .50 AE with a 10 inch barrel and 7 round magazine. Hemi was right. The gun's savage recoil would have been too much for her ... would have been too much for most people.

"Where the fuck did you get this hand cannon from? Jesus man, you could drop a Jumbo jet with this puppy."

"Actually it's a gift for you. I picked it up in South Africa last year and thought you'd get a kick out of it." The casual chatter belied the tension in the vehicle as Hemi finally got us onto a quieter street, and rocketed forward. A quick glance behind confirmed that our not-so-sneaky shadows were still with us and rapidly gaining. Becky had Lee on the phone and was giving calm directions, but I knew with certainty that we would have to deal with this on our own. I told Becky to relay that to Lee and then turned to Hemi.

"Find us somewhere to make a stand buddy. Since Sam is directly behind me, it makes sense to stop with my side facing them okay? Try to give us some cover and when we stop I want you to get the girls clear. Get them away from here and keep going unless you hear otherwise from me. Understood?" He nodded once and began taking streets at random, looking for a quiet stretch of road with a bit of cover. God it was good to be working with professionals. "Sam, you and me are gonna deal to the bad guys." I was talking up a confident game but in reality I knew we would need more than a bit of luck to come out of this in one piece.

"It'll be just like old times buddy," came his reply. It felt good to be working with pros.

"Stevie, when we stop I want you and Becky to bail out and stick with Hemi. He'll get you out of here. Do exactly as he says and do it quick okay? Stevie ... I love you honey."

"I love you too and if you get hurt I'm gonna be plenty pissed." There was fear in her voice now which was good. The adrenaline would power her and give her the stamina to get the fuck out of here. I could already hear sirens in the distance but they'd get here too late to be of any help.

"Okay ... get ready!" Hemi had found the right street. Half finished houses lined both sides of it and more importantly it was dotted with dumpsters for the debris from the building sites and mounds of building materials. Most importantly, it was deserted; there wasn't a builder in sight. It was as near to perfect as we were going to get. "Okay ... HOLD ON!"

Hemi yanked the wheel over and we slid broadside in behind a large dumpster. As soon as the Tahoe rocked to a stop the doors flew open as we scrambled out; Hemi grabbing the ladies and heading from one place of cover to another as he dragged them clear. As the sedan slid to a halt, Sam and I immediately started moving forward to cut down our mystery guest's options. Moving from one bit of cover to the other we advanced on the stationary car, guns up and tracking the targets which were ... just sitting in the car watching with terrified expressions on their faces. We slowed our advance to a walk and moved to the car, covering the occupants. This was definitely no hit team.

The driver was a young guy, probably in his mid-twenties, his goatee perfectly framing his yell of fear. Movement from the back seat grabbed Sam's attention, and in two bounds he was at the door and ripping it open, his gun up covering the back seat passengers!

"Fucking reporters! Shit! That's all we need! What the fuck do you think you idiots are doing? Do you know how close you came to getting fucking shot?" Sam's vocabulary gets pretty colourful when he's pissed. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"

I sighed and lowered my gun. This was definitely not what we needed but I guess it was better than a shootout with a car full of coked up Colombian gunmen. I took out my cell phone and called Stevie. Hearing a cell phone ring just behind me I spun around to find ... Stevie peering around the base of the closest dumpster, gun in hand and looking ready for action. Hemi was standing a few feet to the side looking very flustered and slightly pissed.

"I couldn't stop her Boss. She just said that there was no way her man was going to get hurt when she could do something to help. Then she just took off. Becky is back at the Tahoe. She doesn't take instructions well either." I could see that we were going to have to discuss this in depth later. In the mean time we had a different sort of crisis to deal with. Putting my cell phone away and slipping the huge handgun into the rear waistband of my jeans I walked over to the car. The occupants had clambered out and were huddled in a scared group. The driver was accompanied by a man and a woman. If I read the group correctly, the guy was the cameraman and the woman was the reporter. The fact that the guy was holding a camera sort of confirmed my genius deduction.

"You followed us yesterday too, right?" Nods of confirmation. "You think we're news?" More nods. "Do you have a group death wish?" Frantic negative head shakes. They seemed struck mute. "Why do you think we are news? And who the hell put you onto us? Do you know how much danger you're in just following us? Do you have any idea what could have happened to you just now?" Still no answers. I was building to flash point and they knew it. The news crew's stupidity could have got them killed and it had put us in danger too.

They were saved from an outburst by the arrival of the police. Two cars loaded down with heavily armed cops lead by Lee Stowers pulled into the street and screeched to a halt. The doors burst open and men piled out in a hurry all searching for any sign of a threat. It was a hectic few moments until it was established that the call out was a false alarm. Lee organised his men to set up a safe perimeter anyway and wandered over to join me and Sam while Hemi took the girls back to his car.

"What the hell went down here Craig? We got the call while we were running an exercise a couple of streets over. We got here as soon as we could buddy." That explained the quick response time. I ran the situation down for Lee and then watched as he turned to the news crew. The chewing out he gave the silent news crew was worthy of a Marine drill instructor. They stood and took it. I think they were still trying to get over the sight of two armed men charging at their car. I left Lee to it and walked back to the Tahoe. I knew I was going to have to talk to Stevie about doing what she was told when it came to this sort of thing. It was probably going to be our first argument but there was no way I was going to leave her in any doubt as to the need for obedience if the faeces hit the rotary blades. She was going to have to learn. As I reached the Tahoe she forestalled any argument.

"I know honey. I was stupid and I'm sorry. I just got a bit panicky ... I had to make sure you were okay. Can you understand that babe?"

"Yeah I can honey but the thing is ... I'm the pro here. I know what I'm doing and I can get the job done a lot easier and safer if I don't have to be looking behind me for you. If I have to worry about where you are hon, it could prove to be a fatal distraction. Okay so this time it was a false alarm. What if it wasn't? You could have got your gorgeous little ass shot Stevie. From now on do what I say, when I say it. Okay baby?" She hung her head and moved forward for a hug. I just held her for the longest time stroking her back and hair as I felt the tension drain out of us both. After a few moments Lee joined us.

"Craig this is getting freaky man. These guys were given an anonymous tip about you and your merry band being involved in two murders and drug dealing." That got my attention. It was definitely not Montoya's style and didn't make sense at all. Montoya wouldn't want a news crew shadowing us. He'd want as much anonymity as he could get. A news crew would restrict his ability to get at me. Besides, it would bring him into focus on governmental anti drug radars. The DEA and other agencies would be forced to target him more thoroughly than they already were. I relayed this to Lee who digested it with a thoughtful look on his face.

"We're going to have to start looking at other possibilities Craig. There are lots of hidden agendas at work here, and until we can nail down exactly who is after you we are completely in the dark. It's going to be harder to protect you folks now, you know that don't you?"

"Not really buddy. It's still the same situation; unknown hitters coming after us. No matter whose paying the bills, we still have folks out there who want me dead. So as far as I see it there is no change to the game plan Lee. I'm going to call an old friend of mine who's in the security business. He's got a similar background to mine and really knows his shit and he's got a couple of damned good men working with him. I'll see if he can lend a hand here." I could see he was still worried. "Look Lee, I have weapons, the advantages of knowing they're coming and knowing the battleground better than them, and a group of good men on my side. We're gonna be okay man."

"Craig, up 'til now we have been assuming that it's you that they're after. What if it's not? Stevie's a rich woman buddy. And what about Matt? He's a pretty free spirited kinda guy. Maybe he's pissed off a husband somewhere. Just don't get too comfortable buddy. And call me anytime you need a hand or want to talk. I know when to take the badge off ... okay?"

With that he turned and walked back to the news crew who were starting to come out of their shock and looking for a way to get to us. I guess the story is everything. Lee's men were having a great time running interference; putting their bodies between the camera and our little group as we piled back into the Tahoe and headed out of the subdivision. I figured I was going to have to throw a barbeque for the SWAT team in the near future. Actually it might be a good way to break in the pool I had yet to use at home. As we drove past the news crew's car I saw one of Lee's men cover the lens of the camera with his helmet. Yep ... a barbeque was definitely going to be on the agenda.

We arrived at the car dealership 20 minutes later to find my Tahoe ready to go. It took only a matter of minutes for the final paperwork details to be cleared, then we were on our way with me and the girls in my new truck and Hemi and Sam following. Earlier in the morning the plan had been to take Hemi with me while Sam took the ladies to the office to get some work done. The drama with the news crew had wrecked that idea. Becky still needed to go into the office but Stevie had nothing urgent that needed her presence. We decided to go and grab some lunch before we split up so we headed to Killer Muffins. I was getting addicted to cappuccino and could think of no better place to get my daily fix than Killer Muffins. The atmosphere was great, the service awesome and the owner was very cool.

As we sat and chatted I reflected on the fact that since coming to Richmond my life had hardly been anything close to ordinary. Two men had been murdered; one an innocent. The alarm installation guy's funeral was in two days and I made a mental note to learn as much as I could about him and to attend the funeral. He hadn't deserved to die and I felt a lot of guilt over his death. All I knew about him was that his name had been Nelson Madden and that he was a single man with no family. That was a blessing of sorts I suppose but it still didn't alleviate any of the guilt I felt.

My reflections were interrupted by the arrival of an unwelcome visitor; Carmichael. The table had gone silent and I looked up to find him standing behind Sam looking over at me. I sighed. It had been inevitable.

"Tracking device on Hemi's truck eh?" I sighed again at his nod.

"Good morning Craig, may I sit?" I nodded and he pulled a chair in from a nearby table and parked his ass. With an imperious wave of his hand he summoned the waitress to our table. Once he had ordered his lunch he sat back and regarded us with what I would term a fairly nasty smirk.

"So ... how was your night?" There it was! The fucking bugs! I'd forgotten to make sure that they were deactivated in the bedroom last night. Carmichael had listened in to everything that had gone on between Becky, Stevie and me. My first urge was to leap the table and rip out his heart ... with a spoon. But that wouldn't have gone down well with the owner of Killer Muffins and I liked the place so I just leaned over and smiled back as I said, "Yeah ... we had a great night. How 'bout you? Listen to anything interesting Carmichael? Did you have fun sitting there in your cold little control room listening in to real people living real lives?" His secret was out and he knew it. Okay so I'd blown the usefulness of the bugs with a petty comment, but it was worth it to see his face flush and him start to fidget.

"What? Do you think I'm some sort of green amateur? You think I fell off the last freight train or something pal? You have to remember that I've been doing this shit for the last eight years. You're guilty of underestimating me Carmichael, and I'm guilty of overestimating you. I thought you'd be better. I guess I was wrong."

I looked around the table at my friends, seeing a range of expressions and reactions. Becky looked shocked and embarrassed but looked determined not to let the fact that our playtime last night was all on tape in some CIA vault somewhere. Stevie was trying hard not to giggle while at the same time looked pissed off. It was comical to watch. Hemi and Sam looked a little uncomfortable. After all ... they had been on the clock last night while they were screwing Liz and Joanne. Also I had asked Hemi to make sure the bug in the bedroom was deactivated. I grinned inwardly as I imagined the apologies that were sure to come when Carmichael was gone.

"So where are my intelligence reports Carmichael? I told you I wanted them yesterday." He looked flustered. I think he expected to find us rattled from the deaths a couple of days ago and the fun and games this morning, which I felt certain he had been updated on.

"I want those reports by three o'clock today Carmichael. I also want you to remove all the bugs from my house. I want your cell phone number so I can call you any time, day or night. Until you've done all this, you and I have nothing to talk about. Tip the waitress on your way out." With that I turned away from him to find the rest of the table staring at me in shock. They hadn't expected me to climb into Carmichael the way I had. Hemi and Sam looked particularly worried, but they had seen the lone wolf side of me before so they should have been used to it. I did my best to look completely unconcerned as Carmichael rose and walked out ... ignoring the waitress as he passed her. He looked like someone had pissed in his pocket. Not a happy chappy at all. I had called his bluff ... now I just had to see how strong my hand was.

"Jesus Christ Craig. Did you have to push him so far man? I don't think I've ever seen him so pissed. What the fuck did you think you were doing?" Hemi was almost apoplectic.

"Listen buddy, I'm sick of having to jump through hoops for that clown. I used to respect him but that seems like a different life and a different man. I owe him nothing so he gets nothing. Unless he plays ball with me. I need the intel he's holding so I can protect me and mine, and if this is what it takes to get what I need then so be it. Now you might have to bow and scrape to him but I don't. Remember buddy, I don't work for him any more. Now let's just enjoy our lunch shall we?"

I got up and walked over to the waitress and cancelled Carmichael's lunch order and apologised for his rude behaviour, then returned to the table where I got a very warm kiss from Stevie the moment I sat down. I grinned at her and kissed her back. Life was good.

After lunch we split up with Becky heading off to the office with Sam and Hemi. Stevie and I headed for the mall. I was determined to have a semi normal day. I wanted a spot of retail therapy to soothe my ruffled feathers and with Stevie as my guide I was sure I could have a successful session. She seemed like the sort of woman who could get a lot out of a shopping trip. I wanted to pick up some books and a few DVDs. There were a lot of movies made in the eight years I was in the jungles of Colombia and I figured it was time I did some catching up. My plan for the rest of the day was to shop, then head back to the house and start setting up my library.