The Adventurer
Copyright© 2025 by A Well Traveled Man
Chapter 5
Trey did his form early Wednesday morning, went to the dojo, and did his martial arts workout. Then he showered, dressed, and went to the stables. He saddled Blackie, and they went for their ride. Returning to the stables, Trey sensed danger, so he hopped off Blackie 25 yards from the stable and entered through the rear. Two men in dark clothing were at the stable entrance, so he went up behind them and knocked them out. Trey searched the men, and they had new driver’s licenses and nothing else in their pockets but vehicle keys. They had tie wraps, duct tape, and a tranquilizer gun ready for him.
He kicked them in the head hard and whistled for Blackie. He came into the stables, and Trey cared for him. Then he got the mule, took the two men behind the bluff, and read their minds. They were subcontractors hired to grab him and then call for pickup. Trey broke their necks, stripped them, and returned to the garage. He left their clothes in the mule and went to the kitchen for breakfast.
After breakfast, Trey drove the mule looking for their mule. He found their SUV a half mile away, and he searched the SUV. Two duffel bags were in the rear, and a laptop was under the passenger seat. He returned to the garage and searched the duffel bags. They were armed to the hilt with military grenades, smoke, tear gas, flash-bag grenades, and AR-15s with loaded extra clips. They also had two silenced Glock 9mm handguns. It appeared they didn’t trust their customer. Trey put the duffel bags in the garage attic and took the laptop to his room.
He hacked into the laptop, which had all the profiles of their previous jobs. It listed the customer, the job requested, and the payment amount. His job was the last entry, and he was shocked to see Jacob Cohen. Trey disabled the GPS, shut off the laptop, and put it into his closet. Then he went to the kitchen, and the FedEx package from Karen Shepard at WME arrived. We read the representation agreement and emailed a copy to Uncle Jack. He called and said it was a standard agreement for representation and gave the go-ahead to sign it. Mom signed it.
Trey took it to Uncle Jack’s work and put it in a FedEx drop box. Then he called Karen and told her the agreement was signed and in FedEx for delivery. She said, “Great, the movie group wants you to do a reading and an audition Friday at 10 a.m. It’s at the Great Ice Park in Irvine, CA, so you’ll fly into Orange County Airport, and a car will be waiting for you.” I’ll email you the itinerary, but you’re coming home the same day. Karen said goodbye, and Trey said, “Shit, another long flight.”
Upon arriving at work, Trey spent two hours helping in the lab, then moved to IT to assist with a network issue. At the end of the day, Trey visits Uncle Jack’s office. Jack asks Trey to sit down and admits he doesn’t know how to break the news. Finally, Jack says he and your mom are getting married. Trey responds, “Great, but does he have to call you Daddy?” and they laugh. Uncle Jack asks if he was upset, and Trey says it’s about time. Besides, you’ve been more of a father to me than Dad ever was, and Mom deserves to be happy, too. The only question I have is about the living arrangements.
Uncle Jack said we’re still discussing that, and things could change quickly. You should know that your grandfather is in serious trouble with campaign donations. One of his donors has been indicted, and he might name the senator. He’ll win the election but may have to resign to avoid jail time. The governor asked me if I would serve your grandfather’s remaining term. Trey said shit, and Uncle Jack said exactly. So, everything is in limbo until after the election. But as a senator, I must maintain a residence here, so you can see our problem.
They shook hands goodbye, and Trey headed home with a lot to think about. He enjoyed living on the ranch and didn’t want to move to the city or DC. When Trey got home, Mom asked if he had a good talk with Uncle Jack. He said, “You mean Daddy?” Yes, Mommy. We talked, and everyone laughed. Trey looked at his Grandmother and said, “It looks like we’re going to hold down the fort while Mommy sips tea with an extended pinky.” Everyone laughed, and they ate dinner.
Trey told them about the reading and audition on Friday at the Great Ice Rink in Irvine, CA. He flies there and returns the same day, so he’ll get home late because of the time change. After dinner, they watched TV for an hour, said goodnight, and went to bed. Trey had another dream, and he was examining his body. He started at his feet and moved up, checking bones, muscle growth, and blood flow. He stopped at his brain, and all areas appeared vibrant in color, then he fell into a deep sleep.
Early the next morning, Trey finished his forms, went to the gym, and did his hockey weight workout. Then, he returned to his room, showered, dressed, and turned on the computer. He checked his emails and received one from Jarrett Brook, the director of “Retribution at Grove Creek.” Jarrett said the movie promos would be released this weekend, so be prepared. Trey said, “Great,” then shut down the computer and went to the kitchen.
After breakfast, he drove to Home Depot and bought 20 2x4s, nails, two metal racks, and a framing hammer. When he returned home, Trey took everything to the cave in the mule and set up the metal racks. He figured he’d need over 50 more 2x4s and 20 sheets of plywood to build his workshop and hidden storage room. When he got back to the garage, it was lunchtime, so he cleaned up and went to the kitchen. While they ate, Mom told Trey that she and Jack were considering getting married in Las Vegas.
He asked if Elvis would perform the ceremony and what songs he would sing. Mom and Grandmother were laughing, and she said no, at a wedding chapel. It would be a small ceremony, and we’d spend our honeymoon there. Then, we’d have a reception here when we returned. Trey said you should consider the Elvis wedding and have him come for the reception to announce you as husband and wife. It would make a great press release photo, and Trey left them laughing hard.
He went to his room and examined the project Jacob had sent him. Then he reviewed the previous two, and it was a program to monitor internet communications and activity. So, it had to be for the CIA or NSA. Jacob had him do the programming in parts to keep him in the dark about what he was doing. Trey knew they wouldn’t let it go, and the next visit would be official. National security would be used to convince him to finish the project.
Trey considered adding a back door to monitor their actions and decided it was a good idea. He also planned to demand a letter authorizing him to develop the program so he wouldn’t be set up as the fall guy if it was discovered. That was enough of the depressing stuff, and he did his online college course homework. When Trey finished, he went to the kitchen for dinner.
While they ate, he told Mom and Grandmother that the movie promos would be released this weekend. Hopefully, the paparazzi will leave us alone here, but keep an eye out when you shop. Grandmother asked him how he was going to handle questions about the asshole in interviews. Trey said he’d talk to Karen about it, but with the incident at the gala, it’s common knowledge here that they were not close. The problem would be the media outside our area, and Karen should have advice on how to respond. After we watched some TV, we said goodnight and went to bed.
Trey woke up early on Friday morning, completed his forms, and then went to the dojo. He did his martial arts workout, showered, dressed, and drove to the airport. Trey went through security and to the gate. He asked the gate clerk to upgrade him to first class, which she did free of charge. Trey handed her $100, and then he boarded the flight. Two and a half hours later, we landed at Orange County Airport. No car was waiting, so he took a taxi to the Great Park Ice and Five Points Arena in Irvine. He waited thirty minutes in the lobby, but no one showed up.
So, he called and left the Arena. When the cab arrived, Trey got inside, and someone ran out of the lobby yelling Wait. He got out, and the gofer directed him to a conference room. Introductions were made; John Keys was the director, Giles Morgan was the producer, and the scriptwriter was Nancy Cline. They asked about his acting, the sports he played, and his education, then Trey read a section of the script. Then they went to the training room, and Trey was issued skates only. He put on the skates, went to the ice rink, skated around, did some hockey moves, and returned to the locker room. Trey took off his skates and left the area.
On the way to the airport, he called Karen. She asked how the interview and audition went. Trey said he wasn’t impressed with anyone involved with this movie. He told Karen about taking a taxi to the arena and then waiting 30 minutes in the lobby. Then, to add insult to injury, they had me skate in my street clothes. Now I’m paying for another taxi ride to the airport. Tell them I’m not interested if they call, and he hung up. When they arrived at the airport, Trey went through security and upgraded to first class with the gate agent. She was happy receiving the $100 he palmed her.
The flight boarded, and a man sat next to me. He extended his hand and said, “Richard Harper.” Trey shook his hand and said his name. Richard asked if he was visiting Orange County for business or pleasure. Trey said he auditioned for an acting job, which was a total cluster. He had no car when he arrived, so he hired a taxi. They had him wait thirty minutes in the lobby; he was their only interview. Fed up, he left, and a gofer ran after him. The reading went ok, but the ice-skating tryout was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They issued only a pair of skates and expected me to do a hockey workout in my street clothes.
If I didn’t know better, I’d suspect his agent, Karen Shepard, at WME New York, was somehow involved. Forgetting to get a car for pickup could be excused. But the 30-minute wait, no workout gear, and no vehicle back to the airport were planned. He would have fired his agent if the movie promos hadn’t been released this weekend. Richard asked what the movie was, and Trey said, “Retribution at Grove Creek.” Richard handed Trey his card and said he would find out what happened and give him a call tomorrow.
Trey looked at Richard’s business card. Richard was the managing partner of WME in New York. When they landed in North Dakota, Trey shook Richard’s hand and thanked him for helping him. Then he drove home and arrived after 7 p.m. Grandmother pulled his dinner out of the oven while explaining what happened at his hockey audition. Grandmother said she thinks it was a power trip to reduce your contract offer. Trey said he sat next to Richard Harper, the managing partner of WME in New York, on the flight home. He promised to find out what happened and call me tomorrow.
Mom said she agrees with Grandmother, but there’s more to it. Your agent had to be in the plan, or it wouldn’t work. Treating you like an afterthought only works if she supports their offer. They finished dinner, watched TV for an hour, and said goodnight. Trey lay in bed thinking about what happened and decided to fire Karen tomorrow after talking with Richard Harper. He finally fell asleep.
Richard Harper called Karen Shepard and told her to be in his office at 9 a.m. Saturday with the file on Trey Bowman and the info on his hockey audition. Karen said yes, sir, and hung up. Then, she called her Uncle Giles Morgan. Karen asked Giles what he did to Trey during the audition. Giles said they may have overdone it, but he had to find a ride to and from the audition. Then we let Trey wait 30 minutes in the lobby and skate in his street clothes.
Karen said shit, this is bad. I was called into the managing partner’s office tomorrow to answer questions. Giles said Don’t worry, it will blow over and Karen said It’s better. If I get fired, I’ll call Aunt Sally and hung up. Giles asked how a fourteen-year-old kid could cause so much trouble and poured himself another double bourbon. Then he had an idea and called some muscle he’s used before. Giles gave Trey’s address and said to rough him up and tell him to stop causing problems. The pay is $2500 each, plus expenses, and do it immediately. Rocko said we were on the first flight out and hung up.
Early Saturday morning, Trey did his forms, went to the gym, and did his hockey weight workout. Returning to his room, he showered, dressed, and went to the stables. He saddled Blackie and they went for a ride. Returning to the stables, Trey cared for Blackie and went to the basement. He hit golf balls using the simulator until Mom called him for breakfast. Mom and Grandmother talked about the wedding, and Trey ignored it and ate.
Karen Shepard arrived at WME and went to Richard Harper’s office. Richard told Karen to sit and asked for Trey Bowman’s file. He reviewed it and asked how her Uncle Giles was doing. Karen said shit, and Richard said That’s what you’re in, Karen. You ignored your agent’s fiduciary responsibilities to do a favor for your uncle. Richard told Karen he sat next to Trey on a flight back to New York on Friday, and he told me all about the screw job he got from your uncle.
So, you’re fired, and your agent’s license is suspended until a review board can hold a hearing. Don’t bother returning to your office, we will send your personal effects with your final paycheck. The guard will show you out, and good luck. Richard said Oh, by the way, he’s reported your Uncle Giles to SAG and the Producers’ Guild. So, he should be busy trying to save his ass. Karen left the building escorted by two guards, crying and calling her Aunt Sally.
When they finished breakfast, Trey drove to Home Depot and bought more lumber and nails. Returning home, he drove the mule to the cave and built four walls. It was close to lunch, so he returned to the garage, parked the mule, went to his room, and cleaned up. Then Richard Harper called and said Karen Shepard was fired this morning. She conspired with her Uncle Giles Morgan to pressure you into a subpar acting contract.
Richard told Trey he had the right to sue WME, but Trey said he didn’t want to sue. All he wanted was fair representation. Richard thanked him and said he would manage his account personally, and they said goodbye. Trey went to lunch and told his Grandmother and Mom about his phone call from Richard Harper. They agreed that he was lucky to find out now before she could hurt him later.