Chapter 42: Book 1, The New Normal

At lunch, I don’t even get to sit, and Dahlia is asking, “What is this we are hearing about an army coming in with you this morning.”

Kim cuts in, “Ya, and why are the Barton guys following us around?”

“The ‘army,’ as you put it, was the Army, Navy and RCMP letting the school know that our wellbeing is a matter of national security. The Barton guys are our bodyguards. From now on, when we are at school or cycling as a group, they will be following us. I will always have a couple of them hanging around me.”

Kim is a little irritated, hearing my answer, and she lets me know, “What the hell. I’m your security officer. I should have been told what was needed, and then I should have been the one to set it up.”

“You are right, but there is more than just security. Given how the Principal has been acting, the whole rape and blackmail thing encompasses than just the jocks. Shane admitted it yesterday when I threatened him. Now they know that we have the full backing of the Army, Navy, and the police. They don’t dare move against any of you now. I still don’t know how big they are, but I had to ensure your safety. Just so everybody knows, the guards aren’t only here for my girlfriends and me. They have free rein of the entire school. They are concentrating where they feel the most significant threat is.

“You probably never heard of them before, but SERT is the Canadian special forces. They are outside the standard chain of command and can’t be held accountable for their actions. We actually rent them out. It is one of the reasons why they are counted among the best special forces in the world. They have more experience than almost anybody else. Yesterday if the jocks got a hold of one of you, I wouldn’t have a way to get you back. Today, Cub, Graham or Capt Milligan can call in the SERT to get to the bottom of things.

NOBODY knows half of what they SERT does so they could be operating on Canadian soil, and nobody would be none the wiser. Even when I was in the military, I could never figure out who ultimately had command of them. It seemed to change with every mission. In 1992 they switched from being primarily RCMP officers to military personnel only, and they rename it JTF2

I stir the pot a little. The Jocks have two tables in the cafeteria. One table is where they sit with their blackmailed sluts. The other is where they pretend to be decent people. If they have a girlfriend, they sit at this table. It is also where the majority of the cheerleaders sit.

The day after my guards are introduced to the school, I take my lunch over to the cheerleaders’ table. Instantly the jocks scowl. Some of the cheerleaders look concerned. The rest are blissfully ignorant of what their male friends do and have no idea why I would come to their table, so they look at me quizzically.

I ask, “Christy, you’re the head cheerleader, right?”

“Ya, what’s up?”

“My companies are in need of some models. To start with, it will just be for advertisements. This summer, we are going to be a big part of the bike race, Tour de Victoria. We will need some showgirls. I also want to get as many girls as possible to attend the race wearing our jersey. If you are willing to do some recruiting for me, I’m willing to give you a finder’s fee for every girl you bring in. I will only accept the most attractive women you can find.”

“Why do you need all the girls? Do you need a cheer-squad or something?”

“I’m unveiling a new bike and expect to get international attention. That is why the showgirls. One of the race sponsors is my business partner and is giving me space for a large display. The showgirls will need to memorize facts, so they can answer questions. They will get good pay, and all they have to do is look pretty, answer questions and flirt. If they do a good job, I will give them more work in the future. Eventually, I will hire a full-time spokesmodel.”

“What does it pay?”

“$12 an hour for the showgirls, $10 an hour for the ad modelling, and $30 to spend a day watching the races wearing our shirt. We are looking for girls 15 to 25-years-old.”

The longer we talk, the more irritated the jocks are. They keep their mouths closed, but sure do try to kill me with their death stares. I came over to this table for two reasons. The first, I legitimately need the girls. The second, I am trying to instigate the boys into doing something. They aren’t that bright. If they were blackmailing girls on their own, they would react. If somebody else is telling them what to do, they will hold their tempers. My plan works. Shane gets so mad he has to leave, or he will end up doing something.

Hearing about the money, the other girls are suddenly interested in our conversation. They end up asking about my companies and the products I am working with but end up steering the conversation to the military and all the rumours flying around about me. I am kind of disgusted in Elaine. She is a pretty brunette, but as soon as she realizes how rich I am, she starts flirting unabashedly. My back is to my usual table and my girlfriends. I can imagine how furious my girls are at her.

With ten minutes left in the lunch hour, I head back to our table. The girls are looking pissed at me, so I apologize, “I’m sorry. I should have warned you I was going to do that. I needed to taunt the boys to see if they would react. They don’t have self-control. Since they didn’t react, it means they answer to somebody, and their coaches don’t have that kind of sway. It is likely somebody who is in control of the blackmail. I also suspect our Principal is letting it happen because somebody has something on him.”