Audrey launched a campaign to get back in my life. She started to bombard me with phone calls and e-mails. Now it was easy enough to avoid her e-mails and simply delete them unread. It was a different matter with the phone calls. I was avoiding Bev and Barb by staying out of my home unless Kari was there. I was refusing to answer the phone when I was home, and leaving my cell switched off when out. I was spending my whole life staying out of other people's way. It started to wear me down.

It was easy enough to change my home phone number. That made the evenings a little less stressful. What I didn't expect was that changing my cell phone would also resolve the Bev and Barb dilemma. I was sitting in my room familiarizing myself with my new phone when Kari told me she was running out to the store to pick up a few groceries that had run out. Non essentials like coffee. I mean, how do you run out of coffee? I was starting to think she was setting me up.

Bev came into the room first.

"Mum is out, how about a little taste?"

I fiddled with the phone a little more before answering.

"Bev, I have told you both, I want nothing to do with you. You are only sixteen. This is my house. I offered your mother and you a roof over your head, and you two are abusing the privilege by trying to get me into trouble."

Barb came in, naked to the waist. "Bev, I told you I was going to have him first!"

I threw her a towel, "Cover yourself up please. I have told you not to wander around naked."

"What's up? Don't you like my boobs?"

"Look, if you don't start behaving and respecting my home, I will ask your mother to leave and tell her why."

"And we've told you if you try it, we'll just tell her you are a pervert who tried to rape us," said Bev.

"You have to accept it. We are going to fuck you, and there is nothing you can do about it."

"Let me make this clear. You are under age. I am not going to have sex with you. If you keep harassing me, I will tell your mother and you will have to find somewhere else to live. Now you are both doing well enough at school for me to know you aren't stupid. So get it into your heads, I want nothing to do with you. Get out of my room!"

They looked fairly shocked that I was quite so firm this time. I had two reasons. First I was pissed off having to live my life being dictated by other people. Second, I had taken a leaf out of the book of modern youth. I had used my cell phone to record the conversation. While familiarizing myself with the phone, I had switched on the video recording feature. I had surreptitiously aimed it at them. Once they left the room I made sure the recording was saved to the memory card.

Kari arrived back, and made coffee. I noticed that she didn't open the new pack she had just bought. I took my cup and excused myself and went to the computer. I connected to the cell phone, downloaded the recording and e-mailed it to my work address. I also downloaded it to a couple of DVDs. Then I listened to it on the headset. The quality wasn't great, but it was good enough to hear most of what was said. I realized that Kari and the girls had free access to my home most of the day. Putting together all the little snippets I had picked up, I was starting to wonder if Kari and the girls were part of some plan of the Diablos to trap me. I took the DVDs and put them in mailers, went onto the USPS site and bought Click-N-Ship postage for them, printing off the labels and fixing them to the mailers. Then I deleted everything I had done.

"I'm going out for a beer."

"On your own? Do you want some company?" offered Kari.

"No, I'm meeting a couple of friends. You might not want to be seen with them. They are police."

"I'll give it a miss."

I checked my Beretta; made sure I had my spare clips, and looked around the front yard before leaving the house. Then I drove to the nearest mailbox to mail the DVDs, one to myself at work, and one to Lou at the police station. Then I phoned him.

"Lou, can we meet?"

"Diablos?"

"No, but maybe something tied into them.

"I'm in the station; do you want to talk there or somewhere private?"

"I think the station might be good. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

I laid my cards on the table. I told Lou everything that had gone on with the Kari and the girls. "Jeez, man. You are one dumb fuck! What were you thinking of? Some woman who ran with the Diablos turns up on your doorstep two fuckin weeks after the main event and tells you she's out on her ass, and you invite her into your home. You gotta death wish or somethin'? They had two weeks to set it up."

"They wouldn't have known I would do that."

"No, they wouldn't. They probably expected you to try to get to know her better though. Maybe try dating or something. She says she wants to see the guy who beat the shit out of her man and your ego took over. She tells you she's in a biker gang and you bought that shit? You just gave them the biggest present you could. Lemme see that recording."

After viewing it he went and got another officer and an evidence bag. "We are going to take a statement off you and I want the memory card from your phone."

"Lou, I was only looking for a little advice."

"And from what you tell me, Rob, we could be looking at a major conspiracy. I want to make sure the case is watertight."

"You seem pretty certain that it is." I was starting to get worried.

"Rob. I could be wrong, but I don't like the way this looks. I am not about to take any chances."

I made the statement, giving him as much detail as I knew about Kari.

"Her name, and the make and model of her car? That's all? What was her previous address?"

"I don't know. I lent her the truck and she went to get her stuff herself."

"Rob, do you do banking over the internet from home?"

"Yes."

"And you leave two teenage girls in your house with access to that computer? Fuck's sake Rob! They figured out your weak spot and played it. Where is Audrey?"

"At her sister's."

"How do you know?"

"I ... she told me."

"Ever phone her there?" "Yes."

"On her sister's landline?"

"No. Audrey's mobile."

"So how do you know where she is?"

"I don't."

"Exactly. I'll want access to your house. We'll have to sweep it for bugs, and then plant our own. Although, if we find any, we could be screwed. I'll leave that to the technical guys. I was going to phone you anyway. I've checked out the Diablo Riders, and they aren't just a local outfit. They are affiliated with Diablos across the country. The word is they've called in outside help. This might turn Federal on us. If it does we'll probably have to analyze your computer, so make sure your taxes are right. The get out of jail free card we gave you won't cover you for federal offences."

"I got an accountant to do them the past couple of years so I'm good."

"Right, don't forget to call into the bar and have a beer before you get home."

"Yeah, I will."

Next morning things got worse. My nerves were starting to fray. I checked my gun and ammo about three times before I got to the door. When I looked out to check the area, the first thing I saw was Audrey leaning against her car. As I made my way to mine she hurried over.