Chapter 26

"It's just not right," Nora said. David's trip into her father's future upset her, probably more than anyone gathered to deal with what David had witnessed, including her father. "David, you shouldn't be messing around in anyone's past or future. You said yourself that you could alter the past or future with your time trips. It's just not right. You're not God. You're a man, and you shouldn't be messing around in God's bailiwick."

"Whoa, Nora. What I do isn't close to God-like. What I do is unique, but I can't create a heaven or an earth. I can't say, 'Let there be light, ' and have light appear unless I flip a light switch at the same time. Get a grip. We're dealing with science here, not theology. We're dealing with time and space and how we fit in the universe we occupy."

He paused and, after exhaling a loud sigh, continued, "Nora, I don't believe my time trips can alter the past. I can only witness the past. So far, while I'm witnessing someone's past, my consciousness has not allowed me to do anything that would alter the future, either. Time paradoxes can happen, I guess, but only in the future, not in the past. Time paradoxes in the past just don't pass the logic test; they become circular. Take the movie The Terminator, for example. If Schwarzenegger, in the form of a mean cyborg, actually succeeded and eliminated the heroine to prevent her from conceiving a son, who as a man led the future's resistance movement, then no reason would have existed to send a terminator back in time in the first place. But if no terminator traveled back in time, and the heroine did in fact give birth to a baby boy, then a terminator would need to be sent back in time to kill the heroine. Circular. Around and around it goes, and it goes nowhere. Makes no sense. But it was a good action movie, and Schwarzenegger made a hell of a villain, so few paid any attention to the flawed logic of its premise. The director of the movie Back to the Future had the same problem, and he tried to handle it by implying Marty McFly would be erased from history if he didn't get his future parents together so he'd be born. Erasing history doesn't pass the logic test, either; it only masks the circular premise."

"Nevertheless," Nora said, "You can alter the future."

"Not while time tripping - so far. I believe I only witness one of many possible futures, and we're taking steps right now to make certain the future I saw never comes to pass. In other words, whenever I witness someone's possible future, if I do nothing or say nothing to anyone about what I saw, the future I saw might happen."

"You told Denise and Colleen about a baby in their future," Nora said.

"Yes, and how they react to what I witnessed, what they do or anyone else does who knows what I saw can change what I saw. Right now Denise and Colleen are thinking about a baby they will love and cherish in the not too distant future, and they'll probably take steps to make what I saw a reality - a self-fulfilling prophecy, if you will. If I refuse to grant Denise's request, perhaps she'll select another man as the father of the child she so desperately wants. Perhaps while Denise waits for a definitive answer from me, Denise and Colleen will become impatient and decide not to wait, and Colleen will become the mother of the child I saw with them. Perhaps they'll do nothing, and the scene I witnessed won't come to pass. The possibilities are infinite. How anyone reacts, including me, to any scene I witness in the future can alter that future. Because everyone here can change what I saw in Joe's future, I'm not the only one who can change the future. You're changing the future, too, Nora. All of us are, and none of us are messing around in God's bailiwick. Every choice each of us makes, everything we do every minute of every day alters the future."

"Maybe," Nora said. "I still don't like it."

Frustrated with Nora, David glanced at his wristwatch. "I must phase out. The meeting between Bello and Frisk has started already." He stood up. At the French door leading to his mother's patio, he turned. "Joe, you're doing the right thing. Change everything I saw. Don't let it happen. I'm like you. I'm not interested in a future without Nora in it."

After David left, Joe and Carol wandered off, leaving Nora with Darla and her baby.

"You were pretty hard on him, Nora," Darla said. "Why? He had your best interests at heart."

Nora frowned. "I know. I've come to accept his flights of consciousness as long as he stays in the here and now, but time tripping really bothers me. It's just so... scary. Your mother doesn't like him wandering around in her past, and she told him if he ever visited her in the future that she didn't want to know about it, so I'm not the only one disturbed by the trips."

"Is that why you're so adamantly against him traveling through time? Are you afraid of the future or don't want him to know something that happened in your past, or both?"

"Both, but mostly I'm concerned about the past. I'm not proud of everything I've done, Darla. I'm afraid if he witnesses some of the things I've done he won't love me anymore." There I've said it, Nora thought. I didn't say it to David, but Darla will tell him. Tears stung her eyes.

"Ah, now I understand," Darla said compassionately. "I grew up with his trips. For a long time, I tried not to do anything I thought would destroy his love and respect, but I soon realized love doesn't work that way."

"I was a slut, Darla. I fucked around; I mean I really fucked around. I dated a lot my senior year in high school, and fucked almost every boy or man who asked me out. As you can imagine, I got asked out a lot. I started playing around with group sex the summer after I graduated high school when I fucked two boys my age, not once either, but a bunch of times, and when they invited a couple of their buddies to join us, I didn't mind in the least. Then I went to college and really blossomed. Faye, my roommate was bisexual, and I discovered I enjoyed sex with women, too. I attended a few college-style orgies and was the belle of the bedroom at some fraternity parties. At one of those parties, early in my sophomore year, I took on a bunch of fraternity brothers, and some of them wanted me more than once. It was the mother all gangbangs, and I loved it! A few days later I discovered I had the clap. Talk about a wakeup call! I knew it could have been worse, like syphilis or aids, so I put my sluttishness behind me and became extremely discriminating. I haven't been a slut since, and I'll never be a slut again. I'm rambling, I know, but the last thing I want David to see is the mother of all gangbangs with me at the center of it all."

Tears streamed down her cheeks. "That was then. I'm not the same person anymore, but if he sees me take on half the college boys in a fraternity house plus a few of the female guests who joined the fun, he won't love me anymore. I know he won't. He couldn't because I wasn't loveable then, and I don't want him to see me like I was because I want him to love me. I want him to love me because I'm so in love with him it hurts, and I'm scared, Darla."

She sniffed and brushed the tears from her face with the back of her hand. "I'm highly sexed. I haven't been truly satisfied sexually since my wild days, not until I met David. He can satisfy me all by himself, and then I figured out I wasn't the only one he was having sex with. He was having sex with you and Carol, and I didn't see how I could compete with the two of you for his love. After Pops and I made love, everything came together for me; finally, I understood. I didn't need to compete. If David were like me, he could love you and his mother and still love me, because I could love both Pops and David at the same time. Then all of us got together this weekend. I wasn't a slut, but I had sex with everybody, and I loved every second of it, and I'm rambling again. What am I to do, Darla? How can I stop him from visiting my past and seeing what a slut I was?"

"You can't, but it doesn't matter. I'll say it again. Love doesn't work that way. Love is lot more than sex, and part of love includes compassion and understanding. David loves you. If he witnesses the mother of all gangbangs, as you called it, he'll still love you. Heck, knowing David, it'll probably turn him on. That event, in part, made you the kind of person you are today, the person David loves. Let me ask a few questions. Did you get into drugs?"

"No. Oh, I experimented a little, but I didn't like feeling out of control. I never did much drinking for the same reason."

"Did you take money for sex?"

"No! I said I was a slut; I didn't say I was a whore."

"Have you had sex with someone and then blackmailed him?"

"Of course, not. I just fucked around, Darla. I fucked around because it was fun and felt good. I wasn't a slut because I lacked self-esteem, either, like a few other sluts I've known. I fucked around because I adored fucking, still do. That never changed. Even after contracting a venereal disease, I didn't stop enjoying sex, I just stopped falling on my back and spreading my legs for any reasonably attractive man or woman who wanted me."

"Then you're wrongly equating being a slut with being evil. Sex in and of itself isn't evil, even a lot of it with a lot of different partners. Unless sex is used for evil purposes, it isn't evil at all. It's beautiful. You aren't an evil person, Nora. You just like sex. Big deal. Like you, David adores sex. David abhors evil. If you were evil, he'd know it. By most standards you were immoral, still are, but you were never evil. By most standards David and I are immoral, too, but neither of us is evil. David loves you. Stop doubting him, and accept his love. I know David, and I know he loves you as deeply as you love him. You've got the rascal hogtied and branded, to use one of Joe's phrases. Lighten up and quit worrying so much. Okay?"

"I'll try," Nora said with a waxen smile. She sighed deeply. "Thanks for listening. I needed to talk with someone."

"Anytime, Nora. You and I will soon be sisters, one way or the other, or both. Most likely, there will be times I'll need your attentive ear, too."

"Anytime."

"You need a hug, don't you?"

"Uh-huh."

The hug was tender and sweet. Suddenly Nora realized she considered Darla a friend, and Nora didn't have many friends. She'd been too career oriented, too careful in her relationships.

"Thank you, Darla. I want you to know that besides being a phenomenal lover and a soon to be sister, more importantly you're a friend, and I need a friend right now more than anything."

"I know what you mean. Yeah, we're friends, and I need a friend now as much as you. Tell David about your fears, Nora. Tell him just like you told me. He'll understand. I promise."

"Maybe."

They met in what looked like a well-appointed boardroom accessed through a rusted steel door from a dirty office in a warehouse owned by a mob front. Inch-thick walnut decorated the walls, and plush Berber carpet covered the concrete slab floor. Six large executive chairs surrounded a walnut conference table, and a well-stocked bar was available on the left side of the room.

Bello was waiting when Frisk arrived late, and David arrived with Frisk. After pouring brandy into a snifter, Frisk slumped into a chair, setting his closed briefcase on the boardroom table in front of him.

"Did you have him killed, Vincent?" Frisk asked and sipped the brandy.

"No. The old man ordered the hit without consulting me. He didn't tell me until the hit had taken place. I wanted to strangle his wrinkled, old neck. He's got to go. I'm tired of covering for him."

"Not good, Vincent. Not good. Why? Why did the Don order the hit?"

"I made the mistake of telling the geriatric fuck about a call I received from my informant with the FBI." Bello detailed what the informant had told him, and added, "Maldonado decided Royce was out to get me, and because I didn't react, the old man ordered the hit. If he'd discussed the situation with me, I'd have stopped him. Some of the information Stuart - he's my informant - gave me was bogus, and if some of it was false, all of it was suspect. After the hit, I received a call from the same women who'd called Stuart; at least, I think it was the same woman. She told me Royce wasn't alone in the plot to take me down, that he was receiving his marching orders from James. What a hoot! Can you imagine Royce under James's thumb? Never happen. Someone is messing with us, Clarence."

"I agree." Frisk told him about the calls to Sean and Matt made from Frisk's home. "The person giving us a bad time has to be associated with Boynton in some way. None of these problems existed before we set up the contract on Boynton. Do you think Black is involved?"

Yes! David exclaimed silently. If the director did what I suggested and wired this place for sound, the FBI now has all the evidence needed to arrest Boynton's killers.

"No. I considered him because, like you, I noticed the link to Boynton's death and the start of our troubles, but Black doesn't have the brains or the imagination to be Cyber Deep Throat. He's not even an exceptional hit man. He took care of Boynton for us, but we had to place Boynton at a certain place at a certain time so Black could do the job." Bello paused and sipped his drink. "I wanted to meet with you, Clarence, to get your take on how the other cabal members will react to Royce's death. Do I need to surround myself with more bodyguards than I already have? Will you and the other members of the group put a contract out on me because the old man fucked up?"

Clarence gave Bello a stern look. "You're responsible, Vincent. You're organization made the hit, and our old friend is dead because you didn't control your organization."

"I understand. What can I do to make amends? I can't bring Royce back, but I can make sure the old man never fucks up again. I can promise Maldonado won't last out the week. Will that help?"

"Perhaps. The real problem is Cyber Deep Throat. You're responsible for our security, and frankly, Vincent, I, for one, don't feel very secure right now." Frisk watched Bello's expressions carefully and opened his briefcase.

"I'm responsible for security, Clarence, but I don't provide bodyguard services for the cabal members, and I resent your implication. I handle the dirty work no one else wants to perform. I buy politicians and cops. I bribe whoever needs bribing. I threaten whoever needs threatening. I employ blackmail when blackmail is the appropriate tactic. I set up contracts for the cabal, like the Boynton contract. As I said, I do the dirty work, and the first time we're threatened as a group, suddenly I'm not doing my job. I don't appreciate your attitude, Clarence. It isn't reasonable."

"Take care of Maldonado and Cyber Deep Throat by the end of the week, and I can promise you a pass on Royce's murder." Frisk moved his hand into the briefcase and gripped the pistol.

"Not good enough, Clarence. I'll take care of the Don, but I won't make any promises about Cyber Deep Throat. That being the case, where do I stand?"

Clarence shook his head. "Not good, Vincent. Not good."

Bello rose and walked to the bar. "Would you like another brandy, Clarence?"

David watched Bello pull a gun from a shoulder holster and hold it where Frisk couldn't see it. At the same time, from David's viewpoint, he watched Frisk point the gun in his hand toward Bello. The open briefcase hid Frisk's gun from Bello's sight.

"No, I'm fine, Vincent," Frisk said.

David noted a quiver in Frisk's voice.

With his back to Frisk, Bello stated, "I won't go down without a fight, Clarence. Tell them. If they want a war; I'll take it to them."

"I don't think so, Vincent," Frisk said and pulled the trigger.

The bullet tore through the briefcase and slammed into Bello's back. It didn't knock him down, though, and he turned, raised the gun in his hand and pulled the trigger just as Frisk squeezed off another shot.

The bullet from Bello's gun struck Frisk in his left eye and exited the back of his head, killing him instantly. At the same time, David watched the bullet from Frisk's gun slam into Bello's chest. This time, Bello sank to the plush Berber carpet. A pool of blood started to spread over the tufted, beige wool.

The steel door to the well-appointed boardroom crashed open, and a half-dozen husky men with FBI stenciled in large letters on their jackets swarmed into the room with weapons in their hands.

Three down, three to go, David thought and returned to his body - and Nora. She was cuddling with his comatose body, awaiting his return, he guessed.

When she sensed his consciousness had entered his body, she rolled over onto him and gave him a soft, gentle kiss. He tasted the saltiness of tears on her lips. "You've been crying. Why so sad, sweetheart?"

"Oh, David, I'm so sorry. I... I don't want you taking time trips because I don't want you witnessing my past. I'm afraid you'll see some things I've done that will revolt you so much you'll stop loving me, so I tried to make you the bad guy, which wasn't fair or right. I can't take being afraid you might see into my past, not anymore, so I want you to listen without interrupting me while I tell you everything I've done. It's all about sex. I fucked around, David. It started..."