Chapter 13

JAY

Monday and a new week. It seemed like the previous week was lawyer week. They had each given depositions three times, answered hundreds of questions, and dug out every record they could find. Fortunately, the lawyers had given Jay a week to get into his new routine. After the weekend at the Tee, it had been decided he should just dive right into work at Rejuve. There was a different feel about Rejuve, but the same upbeat, confident spirit from the women.

Driving home from his last Monday class, he was thinking about school in the fall. The discount at Addison was great, but he did have the scholarship for the extension. Unless the lawyers got some tuition money out of his father quickly, he would probably be better off going to the extension for another year.

Their condo was not in a notably bad area, but the occupants of the thirty-two units were, to put it kindly, a varied group. Add to that the contract landscaping and maintenance workers and there was a good deal of traffic. Jay had cultivated the habit, espoused by his sensei, of scanning his home area and cataloguing every person and vehicle.

Just as he slowed to turn into the lot, the hair on his neck bristled and he gasped audibly. Backed into a far corner slot was a BMW seven series looking completely out of place and suspicious. It was the model his father preferred. Worse yet, the front windows were down and the profile of the driver was unmistakably that of Stanley Cantrell, his father.

He had never been in a fight or a dangerous situation, but he had learned his sensei’s lessons well. When in a potentially dangerous situation, try not to be noticed unless you want to purposely draw attention. He had barely begun to slow down, so he eased back up to speed and went on past the entrance. Unfortunately, he could not get a view of the license plate, but he did notice every other detail of the car. Once out of sight of his father, he sped around the corner to the other entrance of the complex. Unable to imagine why the man was there, he had to assume it was not for a good reason. The legal actions that had been filed on their behalf came to his mind after a moment, and that produced a feeling of panic. The women were already home. He had to get them out of there immediately. An encounter with his father would be traumatic. It could set back all of Sami’s gains.

Choosing a visitor spot around a corner from their front door, he walked in front of the condo as casually as he could act, staying far out in the parking lot. Once again, he had to walk past because there was a man standing outside the partially open door. He was looking inside and did not appear to see Jay.

Now, Jay had to fight down panic as he was certain the women were in danger. The condo was a two-story with a two car garage under part of the second story, opening to an alley in the back. There was a normal door beside the garage door. That and the door into the house provided the alternate entrance required by local code.

Did that really help, though? It would get him to the women quickly, but it might leave him two against one - possibly three against one. The best thing would be to try to take out the man in front, first. He was good friends with the retired couple living next door, and he decided to go through their unit. The front doors were very close and the privacy lattice that screened them off would give him a chance to watch for the right moment. He could also have the couple call the police.

Calling on his cell, he spoke quickly. “Walt, this is Jay. Please let me in through your garage. It’s an emergency. I’ll explain quickly.” Once inside, he told Walt “Mom’s ex sent some men to attack us. He’s parked out at the Crescent Blvd corner of the lot in a silver BMW seven series. Call the police and lock your doors. Make sure they detain my father. I’m going out the front. There’s a guy on guard there.”

“Wait one,” Walt insisted, returning in moments with a baseball bat that Jay took gratefully. It was not exactly the staff or the cudgel he had trained with, but it was far better than bare hands.

Trying to control his pulse and his breathing, Jay eased out Walt’s front door and closed it softly. He heard Walt turn the deadbolt. Using his fingers to move aside some leaves in the privacy trellis, he saw the guard by their door. At the moment, he was looking straight outward, but seemed to move quite a bit. As he waited about twenty seconds, Jay heard some female cries and it took everything he had to wait for the opportunity. It was certain that they would react when he entered, and that would alert the attackers. Everything had to be done very quickly.

When the guard faced away, Jay pounced. Not taking any chance of the man getting off a warning, he hit him on the head with a downward stroke of the bat. There was a flash of worry over the consequences of killing the man, but nothing mattered right then but the women’s safety. Fearful that just the noise of the blow and the guard falling would alert whoever was inside, he slid in through the door, which was open just enough. The slight pause to change direction from his sideways slide to a dash into the room was all the time he had to assess the situation.

The women were sitting in chairs, facing the door. Two men were facing the women, their backs to Jay. To his surprise, one wore a suit. The other was obviously muscle, and Jay lunged straight for him. The man heard or sensed Jay coming at him and turned to defend himself. There was no weapon in his hands, and when he raised them to ward off a blow, Jay rammed the heavy end of the bat into the man’s gut. As the thug doubled over, Jay wasted no time in delivering another head blow.

Turning quickly to the suited man, Jay ordered softy but intensely “On the floor face down, arms and legs spread. In three seconds I’ll crack your head just like the other two.” Almost humorously, the man dropped quickly. Purposely leaning hard on his back with his knee, Jay grabbed the collar of the suit coat and pulled. The man’s arms were forced behind his back to the accompaniment of an expensive sounding ripping noise.

Right in Suit’s ear, Jay hiss softly “Are the others armed? Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.” He got a ‘yes’. “Both of them? ‘Yes’ or ‘no’.” Another ‘yes’.

“Is my father armed?” That made Suit gasp. Angrily, Jay reached between Suit’s legs and grabbed his balls. “‘Yes’ or ‘no’?” he demanded, emphasizing with a squeeze. Another ‘yes’.

With his knee still in the man’s back, Jay could finally check out the women. They were each sitting on a dinette chair, their ankles handcuffed to the legs. They wore robes, probably having to grab them before seeing who was at the door. Their recent habit had been to greet him naked. His quick glance showed Kelsey with blood on her cheek.

Jay told the crying women “Sorry! I’ll get you free in a minute. I need some help, here.”

With his knee still in Suit’s back, he dialed Walt. “I’ve got two guys out cold and one tied. The two are armed. Can you toss me some rope and maybe keep an eye on the guy outside through the trellis?”

Walt agreed and tossed two pieces of rope through the door in just a few minutes. “I’ll tie up the one out here.” Jay did not feel like arguing.

“Now, I’ve got to make sure these assholes are secured,” he apologized again. He noticed that each of the women had her ankles cuffed together with the chain looped around a leg of the chair. When he had finished trussing up Suit with ankles and wrists tied together behind his back, he snarled at the man “Where is the key to the cuffs? Tell me, but don’t say another damn word.”

“H ... his pocket,” Suit stammered, nodding toward the unconscious thug lying face down on the floor. Reluctant to move either of the unconscious men, he told the women “Sorry, but you may have to wait for the police to get you free.” He did move the unconscious man enough to tie his hands behind his back. He made sure the gun was not in the back pockets or the waistband.

Dialing 911, he explained who he was to the operator and what call was involved. “First of all, get an ambulance out here. I knocked out two attackers and my sister was injured before I got here. Can you connect me to the unit responding?”

That was when he recalled the sessions Sensei had conducted with a police officer on procedure. It was remarkable what an impact those years of lessons had on his life. The first time he had to do anything but forms and drills, he was able to rescue his women.

When the officer came on and identified himself, Jay told him “This is Jay Cantrell. I live in this condo with my mother and sister. Three men were here when I arrived. They had the women cuffed to chairs. I knocked out the two thugs with a baseball bat. They are all trussed up. The two unconscious ones are armed. If they wake up, they are going right back to sleep. The man in the BMW is also armed.”

“I know where the key to the cuffs is, but I would have to move the unconscious man to get it. It don’t’ want do that. The women will be uncomfortable until you get here.

“First of all, though, make sure you apprehend the man in the BMW. He is my father, Stanley Cantrell. I am positive he brought the others here. He’s my mother’s ex-husband. I have things under control here. Make sure you get the bastard.”

That brought a shriek from Sami and Jay wished his father’s presence could have been kept secret. For himself, he was happy for a chance at some meaningful revenge. His father would have a very tough time wiggling out of this one.

A single car had been dispatched, and that gave the two officers a problem. Procedure required both to be present for an apprehension, but there was a call of an attack. A very shocked Stanley was looking the other way when the squad pulled up to block his car in and both officers came at him with guns drawn. Gruffly ignoring his protests, they cuffed him quickly and disarmed him. One officer then hurried to the condo.

After ordering the suit not to move or speak, Jay had tried to comfort the women. Fending off their teary embraces, he whispered to each that they were in their robes because they were preparing to go out when he got home.

All he could do was stand there touching them for the eight or ten more minutes until an officer appeared at the door. He had his gun out and made Jay show his ID before he quickly undid the cuffs on the women.

As soon as the officer entered, Suit started complaining, accusing Jay of unprovoked battery and other crimes.

“Permission to shut him up, Officer?” With a nod, the officer got very busy uncuffing the women.

Leaning over Suit, Jay snarled softly “Hope you’ve had all the kids you want, ‘cause they’ll have to remove your balls if you say one more word.” Jay wondered how the man could do the obviously shady work he did with as little guts as he seemed to have.

“Did you get the man in the BMW?” Jay demanded as the women clung to him.

“Yes, Sir, we did. He is just who you said, and is he complaining!”

“Well, there is a chance that none of these idiots will admit that he brought them. Shall we see if Suit, here, wants to finger him right now?”

“Hmmmm. Sir, everything is pretty much by the book right now. Let’s keep it that way,” the officer advised.

The officer undid the restraint that Jay had put on Suit and cuffed him. Suit protested loudly that he was just there to get some documents signed.

“I’m sorry, Sir. You were present during an obvious assault. That makes you an accessory,” the officer declared, clearly not sorry at all.

Looking at Suit, Jay realized that they should have a lawyer present. They certainly did not want the idiot who got them nothing in the divorce. He called Julia. Stating that it was urgent, he was put right through. After a brief description of the situation, she assured him a lawyer would be there as quickly as possible.

Before long, three more squads and an ambulance descended on their place. The delay waiting for the lawyer did not make the police happy. When Jay briefly explained about the lawsuits that had been filed, they were more accepting. The wait was less than thirty minutes. Most of that time was spent getting identifications. Walt was asked to join them to tell what he knew about the situation.

Right from the start of the questioning, it was apparent that Jay’s abrupt and brutal attacks were considered questionable. Only the fact that he could hear the women’s cries gave him justification. Julia’s lawyer assured him that defense of his family gave him the right to attack. Because the women were tied and because Kelsey was injured by the door being thrown open, it was a clear hostage situation.

As the only one left in the house after the ambulance picked up the two thugs, Suit kept insisting that they were only there to get some papers signed. Since he had not had a chance to dispose of the papers, they became evidence. Believe it or not, the lawyer sent by Julia was named Perry. When he was allowed a brief look at the documents, Perry started grinning and did not stop until he left. Jay thought a grin like that on a lawyer could only mean money in the bank - a sure winner.

The paramedic determined that Kelsey did not need stitches to her face and assured her there would be no scarring. He did warn her that her cheek would be colorful and tender for several days, though.

The reconstruction of the event proved to be about what Jay had surmised. At the knock on the door, the women had scrambled into robes. Kelsey saw the man in the suit through the peep hole and after consulting with Sami, unlatched the door. The safety chain was on, and Kelsey asked what the man wanted. The thug, who was hidden from sight, kicked the door, tearing the safety chain loose, causing the door to hit Kelsey in the face, and knocking her to the floor.

At that point, the third man appeared and they got the women cuffed to the chairs. The third man went back out as a guard, and the first announced that they were going to sign some papers. He threatened rape and disfigurement if they refused.

There had been only a couple of minutes of arguing and crying before Jay arrived. He shuddered to think what could have happened if he had been delayed.

Perry stayed until everyone else was gone. With a sigh, he told them “I know who that lawyer is and who he works for. I’m a criminal lawyer with the same firm that you talked to last week. I hate to say it, but I don’t think it is safe for you here. You have somehow run into some very bad people.”

While the women cried and objected, Jay once again called Julia. “I don’t want to put anyone at Transformations in danger, but Perry tells us we need a place to stay. Apparently my ex-father is involved with some nasty folks.

“I’ve already had a call from the law firm handling your suits,” Julia replied. “They told me that you should take precautions. I have already called the Plonske agency for two more full-time guards on the grounds.”

“But the cost!” Jay exclaimed.

“The law firm is going to make out big time on these suits. Not just from their cut on your settlement either. I’ll let them explain it to you. Just pack enough for several days and come on out to the complex. There will be a place for all of you to stay.”