Chapter 64

Tuesday morning.

We slept for an hour and then swam a little trying to get our bodies ready for the day. We ate a big breakfast with all the housemates who knew something big had happened, but not the details.

"Wanda, I have a check ride in the G5 this morning. Cover for me until I can get in. I'll answer my phone if I can but I may be busy. I didn't plan on being in today."

"I didn't plan on you being in at all this week, but things change. You should call John this morning. I'm sure he's being fed continuous information, and knowing him, he's still awake too. Call him and tell him your schedule."

I called John and he told me to not go in today but to stay near my phone. I told him about my check ride and he said, "Do that, you may be needed to fly some big shots one of these days. When you get done, go home. If you need to go to the base to get another leg, do it. I've heard all about it. Christ, you don't even need a gun to kill and maim. One dead, one critical, perhaps permanent, and a jailer still in lala land. Christ, you're a one-legged dude without anything, and you did all that? Remind me not to make you mad."

I called Sarah on the way to the air park. Her first words were, "Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have had you do that. Who would have known it was a trap? I'm sorry, Chuck. I'll make sure that asshole pays for this. He and Roberta are both in jail and won't be arraigned until ten. His lawyers are going nuts, but I told them that you were attacked at their client's direction, so they better start bringing money in from offshore. I've had your judge friend lock up all the accounts of Rocky Mountain and have even had some of his offshore accounts frozen. I'm going to crucify him for fucking with you. Did you get your fake leg back? I heard the jailers lost it."

"Not yet, Sarah, that's another fifty-five hundred. Do what you need to do, sweet thing, but get lots for yourself."

At the air park Lisa said, "They are ready for you and know you've been up all night. Do the question and answer session, you know the answers, then fly that beautiful airplane. You'll be fine."

I was fine. The questions were a lot easier than the day before and we had plenty of coffee.

This time the aircraft had not been sabotaged, but I did find a problem that Jimmy had to come fix. The hour flight I took was fun, except when I landed I had to really pay attention to be gentle. I still set down harder than normal, but not bad. When we parked the G5 the instructor shook my hand and said, "What's next, a 767 or an Airbus? Let's fly them all."

"I think this is it for right now. This way I can help out here and I can help out in the school. It's been a long haul but fun, a lot of fun. I hate to run but I have to get back to doing some of my duties."

I was driving back home when my cell rang. It was Sarah, "Where are you. Can you come to my office?"

"As long as you won't put me in jail again."

"No, you know I won't, this is serious. You need to come right away."

I turned for downtown and called Wanda to tell her I was on my way to Sarah Perkins' office. Wanda said, "Good, you need to be there. All kinds of shit has happened. Remember that you are to stay away from news people like John asked."

Sarah's secretary ushered me into a conference room. Sarah came in with the secretary who was carrying a cup of coffee and a bottle of water. Sarah said, "Thank you for coming quickly. Rocky's attorneys are about to jump off the Skyway. The press has found out Rocky and his Roberta are in jail and are trying to find out what the deal is. If this gets out, he's going to lose his endorsements and probably most of his wrestling contracts. The man has a lot of money, but you're going to get most of it and he lives on his ego and the adulation from his fans. He won't have any if this gets out."

"What can I do? The judge put him in jail for breaking his order."

Sarah was shaking her head, "I know, but you're now the focus because Rocky tried to have you harmed at the Hillsborough jail. It is getting out that the jailers were corrupt and that an unknown person killed one and seriously hurt two others while defending himself. How in the hell did you kill someone with no leg against three men?"

"Training."

"I want some of that training. Look, Chuck, I have two of Rocky's attorneys here right now trying to give me anything if I withdraw the charges. If I do, Rocky might go free and Roberta might be freed as well. I'm not sure I should do this, but I have an idea. We can make a contingency agreement. You'll get so much now, but if he breaks the agreement, you'll get a whole bunch more for you or your heirs. I think the man is nuts enough to try to kill you, so the contingency amount will be everything the man owns now and in the future."

"Look, Sarah, I don't like any of this and I'd just as soon the man go about his business and leave me alone. He did fuck with me and that's going to cost him. Losing my leg is bad, trying to have me killed is really bad. Next time he attacks me, I'll intentionally hurt him. Do what you feel you should do. If you want him to bleed, cut him open, just do what you know how to do."

"You're serious, aren't you? You really want to give the guy a break. You're better than I am. Let me get these freak attorneys. They're in my office listening to us. I wanted them to hear that you're not a money grubber."

Sarah brought the two attorneys into the conference room and said, "This is the terrible man who supposedly attacked your client. What do have to offer?"

The two looked at each other and said, "Can we give you assets instead of money?"

Sarah asked, "What kind of assets."

"You know like trophies, belts, personal stuff that you could sell?"

I said, "No, I'm not interested in what Rocky has. I want him to know that he can't do what he did. If lots of money is what it takes, I want lots and lots of money. At least double what I got before and I want my attorney to get twenty-five mil this time. She deserves it for the way you've been pushing her around."

The two were whispering to each other. The one said, "Will you withdraw charges?"

"Only with a statement that no charges will ever be brought against me for anything that may have occurred, or ever will occur, between your client and myself."

Sarah looked at me with half-closed eyes. The greedy little wench was counting her money already.

I continued, "Give me a hundred, Ms. Perkins twenty-five, plus the agreement, and you have a deal, otherwise, I'll talk to the first reporter who asks."

"Ah, can we make a call? We'll get right back."

Sarah said, "Call from my office. It's private."

As soon as they left, Sarah locked the conference room door, punched some buttons on the phone, and sat back down. We heard a phone dialing and a man answer, he said, "What do you have?"

"He won't take junk, but he will give us what we want for a hundred mill to him and twenty-five to his cunt lawyer, plus an agreement that says Rocky will not and can never charge this Johnson guy with anything as a result of any contact between the two."

"Is there a penalty if we break the agreement?"

"Probably, but that isn't important. We need to get Rocky out of the country where he can lay low and do some video wrestling. He can come back for a quickie match, but he needs to get the hell out of here."

The remote guy said, "Find out what the penalty is going to be and write it up so we can get Mr. Wonderful and his bitch out of jail. We'll get everything signed and promise the check's in the mail. Let's get this done now."

The guy hung up the phone. Sarah said, "I'll handle the rest, stay quiet."

She punched some buttons on the phone and unlocked the door. The two came back and Sarah began writing on her legal pad creating the words and penalties. I noticed when reading what she wrote, that nothing happened until a lot of money in some form of cash and the signed statement/agreement was in Sarah's hands. She wrote the big numbers and added fifty-five hundred for a new prosthesis. She looked up and said, "Read this, if you agree, I'll get it typed up and you can leave to get what I asked for. You bring the money and the signed agreement. I want a guaranteed cashier's check or cash on this transaction."

The lawyers grimaced, but never raised an objection. Sarah had the agreement typed up and handed the attorneys some copies. She said, "Please do this quickly or we begin talking to all of the press. I have CNN's telephone number right here."

The two left and Sarah said, "I'll show them "cunt lawyer." I saw you flinch when they called Roberta his bitch. You can't change scum and they are pure scum. We'll still have to watch for tricks. They will try. You, go away, go home, and enjoy the day. I'll let you know how it's going. You and I will be filthy rich by tonight. If not, we'll sell the story to the highest bidder. I'm good at that."

I left Sarah's office thinking about it being lunchtime, but was apprehensive of what these men would do. They thought it would all be over the first go round and now we had struck back quickly and it had hurt, a lot, and could hurt more in the future.

Downstairs, standing in the lobby of Sarah's building I looked out the glass lobby front and noticed a guy sitting in a car across the street. He was intently watching the door to this building. I walked across the lobby and looked to see if I could see anyone else, and didn't. Should I go around and out the back of the building, or just go out and walk to my car to see if he follows.

Fuck it, I pulled my Glock to check the magazine and that a round was in the chamber. The security guard in the lobby was getting nervous, so I showed him my badge. I said, "Just precautionary, that's all."

I walked out of the building and headed for my car without looking directly at the guy. He was only watching, nothing else. I suddenly felt naked. My vest was in my bag. Was the bag in the car or at home? I would look.

At my car, I pushed the trunk release button on my fob and there was my case. I pulled it out and put it on the seat next to me as I started my car and drove away. I didn't want to lead someone to the house, but where should I go? I wanted to take whoever was following me away from people.

I drove north toward the trailer park, but passed it up and kept going toward the little biker bar up the road. It was early enough there shouldn't be anyone there, so it should be safe. The car was back there a ways, but still back there, following me. I couldn't tell if there was another car behind him or not, but I would find out soon.

I pulled into the bar and around back. I jumped out, put my vest on, and pulled the extra three magazines from the bag, along with my cuffs and a handful of the big tie-wraps we used for prisoners. I went completely around the building to watch for when the car pulled into the lot. The car only had one guy, the driver. He was talking on a cell phone when he pulled in. He backed up under a tree and parked next to an old garage on the other side of the parking lot. The guy seemed to be messing with something in his lap and I figured it might be something bad, like a gun.

I looked at the surrounding area carefully and figured out how to get up close to the car without being seen. I quickly moved behind obstructions until I was about six feet from the open window of the car. I walked up at an angle so he couldn't see me in the mirror and stuck my gun barrel to his head. "Hand me the piece in your lap by the barrel. Screw up and you're dead so move slowly, no fast moves."

I took the gun and shoved it in my waistband. "Now put your hands on the steering wheel and stay still."

Using two of the big personnel tie raps that I brought from the gym bag, I tie-wrapped each hand to the steering wheel. He complained, but I said, "It's either this or I stuff you in the trunk in cuffs." He looked scared.

I searched him, taking his wallet and his cell phone. I pulled the keys to his car and pocketed them. I finally asked, "What's going on? Why did you follow me and who are you waiting for?"

He sneered at me. I reached for the end of the tie-wrap. "You know that if I pull this tight enough, all the circulation to your hands will be cut off, in an hour or so the skin will die, and soon after that you will lose your hands. Please tell me what I want to know."

His cell phone rang so I answered it, "Yeah."

"We're getting close, is the guy still there?"

"Yeah."

"We'll pull in on the other side of the lot away from whatever side of the lot you are at and we'll go get him together. If he doesn't come peacefully, well, Rocky won't owe him anything. We're almost there."

The guy hung up and I said, "You have to be quiet." I pulled his tie off and tied it around his head so he couldn't talk. Then hurried across the lot to the other side to see what I had to work with. There wasn't much cover but there was a dumpster in the back. I figured I could jump one there and work on the other after the first was out of the picture. I needed more gags.

I was on the side of the building when two guys in a Lincoln pulled in. They were typical movie looking hoods in cheap suits. They got out of the car and one used his cell phone and the one I had from the guy following me rang. I answered, "Yeah."

"Where is he?"

In a whispered voice, I said, "In the back on the other side of the dumpster. One of you go around back and flush him out front, we'll get him out here."

The guy didn't even answer as he motioned for the other guy to get in front of the building and he began coming to the back. On the way to the dumpster, I found a long wooden dowel about an inch thick. Ah, I thought, "A weapon."

I picked it up and waited. The guy came up to the dumpster, looked around the side, and walked straight past me. I whacked him on the side of the head and watched him crumple. I tie-wrapped his hands behind his back and used his tie to gag him. He wouldn't be out long as I didn't hit him hard. I picked up the cheap .45 he dropped and put it in my pants pocket.

Going back around the way I came, I looked to see the other guy peeking around the side of the building. Very carefully I walked up to him and said, "Carefully now, you will drop that nasty gun you have and slowly kneel or I'll kill you. You see, I've killed the other two, so you're next unless you tell me who you work for."

When he didn't say anything, I whacked him on the side of the head with the dowel too. He fell like a rock. I tie-wrapped him and used his convenient tie to gag him as well. What's with these guys wearing ties and cheap suits in Florida? They obviously didn't shop at the warehouse. I picked up his gun and walked to my car to put the three guns in the bag. There were some more tie-wraps, so I brought those and tie-wrapped the guy's feet. I walked around back and tie-wrapped that guy's feet together too.

I pulled and tugged until I had the guy from the back on the side of building. The guy in the front was waking up, so I dragged him by the feet until I had him next to the other one. Thinking I needed all three to be together, I went for the guy in the car. Now I used my cuffs from the bag. With the cuffs on the man tie-wrapped to the steering wheel, I used my pocket knife to cut the tie-wraps. Those things are tough. I said to the man, walk slowly, or I'll hit you and drag you over there. You saw them."

The man did walk carefully. When he was by the building, I hit him with the dowel anyway. When he was down, I unlocked the cuffs and tie-wrapped his hands behind him and tie-wrapped his feet before propping him up, sitting next to his buddies.

I searched the other two and found their wallets and a pretty good amount of cash. I was more interested in who was hiring them. One guy didn't have a cell phone, but the other did. It was a nice one, one of those internet phones with a big fancy screen.

Now I was in a quandary. What to do with these guys? If I called the cops, they would be out here quickly and I'd never get the information I needed. If I called the deputy marshals, I would have to explain more than I wanted to right now. I called Sarah.

"Sarah, Sweetie, I need your help. A guy followed me when I left you today, and I led him on a wild goose chase and caught him, but not before he called a couple of his buddies to come help. One said over the phone that I was to be eliminated and Rocky would be clean and not have to pay anything. I haven't done any serious interrogation of these guys yet, but I want you to pull the attorneys' chains to see if they are stalling. If they are, they will call one of the cell phones I've taken from these guys. I'll see the number and have my office track it down. If they want me that bad, I may change the game a little. Make sure you don't let Rocky out until we get this settled and lots of real money in your hands."

"I'll call the assholes immediately. Now I want to hurt them. Are you okay? How did you take on three men? Are you some kind of superman or something?"

"Make the call, Sarah, I want to see if they call one of these phones."

I used each phone to call my phone to get the numbers and called Wanda. "Wanda, take these two numbers down. I should have another to run through the lookup. I'm in a situation where I may need backup, so if you could have Sarg begin moving at least one duty team out north of Land of Lakes."

Before she could answer, the cell phone that I took off the guy who came last rang. While it was ringing, I gave Wanda the number and said that I needed the source of this one fast.

I answered the guy's phone and said, "Yeah."

The person on the other end said, "What's your status, you get the cripple yet?"

I held the phone away from my mouth so the wind noise and low voice level would mask mine. "Not yet, he's slippery."

"Get that motherfucker before he goes to the newspapers. We have to keep him quiet. Do it fast or your boss will have your balls, this is important."

I hung up wondering who the boss was. I heard Wanda on my phone. "Are you talking to someone?"

"It's a long story but find out where that call came from and call me back."

I thought some precautions would be smart. I called Sarah, "Do me a favor, close your office, and get over to my office. Stay with Wanda. She's pretty tough and knows what to do if something comes up. I think you need to be watched until this comes to a conclusion."

"Are you saying I may be in danger, Chuck? If it's from these assholes, I hope they try something. I'll buy my island if they keep this up. I'll go over there, but only because I don't want my girl hurt."

"Good, and Sarah, when you get there, make up a news release describing all this bullshit. When you're done, fax it to those attorneys and tell them the clock is ticking and you will fax it out if they don't do what we want fast."

"Good idea, Chuck. Let me get out of here. To let you know, I do carry. I've got a neat little PPK that I know how to use. Some of these divorce cases can get out of hand, you know."