Chapter 41

Present – Linus, Matt and Jim – Somewhere in Texas

Hell, we sure didn't expect the reception we got at the truck stop - after all these were Americans. Then we made a huge mistake asking them about Ben. What the fuck is a 'trucker's angel' anyway? We're almost to the door when someone touches off a round then we're in an all-out firefight. Thank God we're professionals and they're not, and thank God Matt and Jim aren't shooting to kill! Yeah, we're giving them something to think about while they're grabbing their asses and firing wildly.

I shoot out the damn big window by the door and yell, "With me!" We dive through the window, haul ass to the car, jump in and Jim makes like Darrel Waltrip as we fly out of the parking lot and onto the highway.

Matt comes out of his daze and asks, "What the hell just happened?"

I answer, "I sure the fuck don't know! Do you two know what the hell a trucker's angel is?"

Matt replies, "Fuck if I know."

Jim answers, "I'm not sure, but perhaps it's like a guardian angel."

I say, "I think I'd better report this to Jens." And then I make the call...

Present – Jens – At the cabin

I just get to my room, take off my clothes and I'm almost in the shower when my phone rings. I look at it and see it's Linus. I pick it up and answer, "Linus this had better be good because I was just going to bed."

I can sense the stress in his voice when he starts, "Jens we have a fucking issue and we need to talk."

I question, "Do we need the whole team?"

He states, "Yeah Jens we do, because we just had a fucking shoot-out in a truck stop and the more minds and ears on this the better."

I tell him, "Okay give me five minutes and we'll call you right back."

I roust Liz, Bernie, Jack and Maria (the rest I didn't think are needed). Then we head to the library and call Linus...

Present – Linus, Matt and Jim – Somewhere in Texas

Jens calls me back and asks, "Okay Linus what's going on?"

Linus replies, "Shit Jens we just had a shootout in a truck stop and barely escaped with our lives."

Jack interrupts, "A shootout at a truck stop? I thought you guys were supposed to be undercover."

I shush Jack and say, "Okay Linus give us the details."

He tells us everything and when he gets to the part about Ben being a trucker's angel he pauses and says, "I sure as hell don't know what a trucker's angel is."

Maria is typing like crazy on her computer and then she announces, "Linus, who has forgotten to call me, it looks like a trucker's angel is like a guardian angel for truckers."

Linus replies, "Sorry honey we've been real busy."

I nip this in the bud and say, "Listen you two can talk when we're done, first we need to figure out what we're going to do."

Suddenly we hear a hell of a noise, Matt and Jim start yelling and finally Linus yells, "Son of a bitch, what are those crazy..."

Then the phone goes dead.

I question, "Linus are you there?" I try calling back but don't get an answer.

Maria looks at me and says, "Jens I sure hope Linus is okay."

I try calling back again but still don't get an answer.

Liz offers, "Let me call Sam and see if they can find out what's going on."

Present – Samantha – Waiting for the new news van

I'm going to interview the hell out of this Stacy bitch, and there's no way she's taking over the interview this time. My lovely husband Frank grabs the camera and states, "Sam we can't do the interview."

I look at him and question, "Why not?"

He replies, "Stacy took the tape out of the camera and with the news van missing we don't have any more tapes."

I look at Stacy. She puts her hands on her waist and defiantly declares, "There's no way in hell you're getting that tape! Especially not after I heard you say what you were going to do with it. I'm not having my butt plastered all over the internet."

I glare at her, get ready to give her hell when my phone rings. I see it's Liz, so this time I put it on speaker and answer it correctly.

Present – Liz – At the cabin

I call Sam, put the phone on speaker and she answers, "My supreme and great looking boss how might I serve you?"

I chuckle and answer, "Sam did the new news van get there yet?"

Sam replies, "Not yet Liz. We were just going to interview Stacy but we don't have a tape in the camera."

This sounds strange so I question her, "What happened to the tape?"

She pauses then I hear Stacy yell, "I took the damn tape because your pervert news men took a video of me without my pants on while I kicked Samantha's boney ass."

Jens gets fired up and yells back, "You fat cow! If I was there I would have kicked your ass so hard you'd be smiling vertically."

We hear Stacy laugh while she taunts, "Well, well, well. Is that Jennifer Donaldson or 'princess pixy stick'? Too bad you didn't have a good enough body to keep your man because he sure loved mine. He couldn't keep his hand off of me, especially my breasts. But then what size are yours princess pixy stick? Twenty-four A's? I've seen boys with bigger tits than yours..."

Jens lunges at the phone, "No one calls me a princess let alone a pixy stick and gets away with it, I'm going to find you and kill your ass."

Stacy laughs and replies, "As Ben loved to say, 'I'm your huckleberry'."

Jens grabs the phone and yells, "Oh yeah I'll show you huckleberry." She gets ready to throw the phone, I grab it out of her hands and order, "Jack, get over here and take care of Jens."

Then I take the phone off speaker and order, "Sam if you put your phone on speaker that was a mistake. Listen I need to calm Jens down then we need to talk."

Present – Samantha – Waiting for the new news van

Liz hangs up the phone, I look at Stacy and she's grinning like the cat that ate the canary so I ask, "Did Ben really make love to you, because I thought Guy was the one that got you pregnant."

She smiles and says, "Sam since this isn't an interview, come with me and let me tell you all about what a great lover Ben was..."

Present – Stacy – Waiting for the new news van

Yes that was better than I even dreamed of: I got to put that Jennifer bitch in her place and now I get to feed this Samantha bitch a bunch of BS about Ben and me. And I'm certain it will get back to her fucking bosses...

Present – Samantha – Waiting for the new news van

Wow! I am hot as hell and wish I could find a private place to share with my husband. If even half of what Stacy told me about Ben is true, then he's a hell-of-a-lover! The replacement news van pulls up just as my phone rings. It's Liz again and this time I wisely choose to keep it off the speaker phone. I watch as Stacy gets busy with her horses and the trailer.

I move far away from her and apologize, "Sorry about that Liz I didn't know there would be such a fight."

Liz answers, "That's okay Sam, you didn't know. But we need to keep those two apart."

I reply, "Yeah especially after Stacy told me about what really happened between her and Ben. Liz I've read some sexy as hell books, but..."

Liz cuts me off, "Sam, I highly doubt what Stacy told you was true. She's just trying to get Jens worked up so I sure as hell don't want you talking about it. Now there's going to be a change in plans. We were on the phone with Linus and they had a big shootout at a truck stop. While they were driving away, something happened and their phone went dead. Maria got busy, found the sheriff's department reports on the shootout and the GPS location of Linus's phone. She will send you the information. You guys need to get down there as quickly as you can and see what's going on."

I reply, "Stacy isn't going to like this because she's doing everything she can to keep us from finding Ben."

Liz says, "If she doesn't like it tell her the deal's off and she can ride those damn horses of hers back to civilization. One more thing and this is very important - don't tell the trucker's you're looking for Ben or something called a 'trucker's angel.' That's what got Linus' team in trouble. Now move your ass and give us a call when you find out what's happened to Linus."

The email comes in from Maria, I walk over to Frank and describe the change in plans. He looks at me and questions, "When are you telling Stacy?"

I laugh, "I'm not telling her shit unless she asks."

Frank relays the message, we load up in the new van, do a U turn and Stacy complains, "Hey where the hell are we going?"

I grin and explain, "There's been a change in plans. Something has happened to one of our teams and we were told to go find out what happened."

Stacy orders, "Stop this van and let me out."

It's my turn to be a pain in the ass, so I laugh, "We aren't stopping until we get to the last known location of our team - we will be glad to let you out there. So sit the hell down and shut the hell up."

She starts to get up, I nod my head and Emanuel grabs her, ties her hands behind her back and sits her ass back down. She screams, "This is kidnapping."

My lovely husband says, "And it's your word against all of ours. So shut the hell up like my wife said or we will gag you..."

I taunt, "How about an interview now?"

She glares at me and threatens, "I will make you pay..."

She never gets to finish because Emanuel gags her.

I grin. It's nice being in control...

Present – Ira, Mira and Alexi – At the cabin

I reiterate, "Is tomorrow's plan completely comprehended?"

Mira asserts, "Certainly my sister Ira, I comprehend my assignment."

Alexi contributes, "Yes my sister, I know my duty."

I continue, "Has all of our equipment been inspected?"

Alexi replies, "I examined all of it."

Mira clarifies, "And I also doubled the check."

Alexi questions, "My sisters, shouldn't we alert Ms. Donaldson and the others of our course of action?"

Mira tutors, "Alexi, it is not our operandi of modus to inform others of information which we have received..."

I continue, " ... because we then must reveal our confidential sources."

I order, "I will stand first of watch while you two attempt sleep because the dark of O-Thirty arrives early."

They attempt sleep but sleep did not encroach for many hours...

Present – TA (Trucker's Angel - Ben) – Trip from Dallas to Austin – first roadblock

I'm riding with Reckless Raymond. He wants to gab up a storm but I'm more interested to see if he has any intel on the roadblocks. I ask, "Reckless Raymond, I was wondering if you had any idea how the roadblocks work. I guess what I don't understand is how they can get you guys to stop these big-assed trucks with only their pickup trucks. It seems to me you all could plow right through them and keep on going."

He gets real serious and explains, "Well TA, if we was only dealin' with the pickups we could. But the bastards have gotten smart. Most of them have those spike strips like the smokies (state patrol) use. Some don't give a fuck about the truck and shoot the hell out of the engine until it stops, and there are even some bastards that are using them rocket grenades."

I silently curse myself for not checking the back of those pickup trucks when I encountered the roadblock with Stinky Pete. I really needed to see what they had in the back.