After the first meeting it has been around three months of Si or Sean, as that was the name many people knew him as now. But the more he listened in the meetings and the more messages he delivered on the behalf of his Sargent Johnny Connors, the more Johnny got disrespectful towards Si. "Thanks Sean you've been a good boy a very good boy indeed. You wanna biscuit, huh boy a biscuit? Nah I'm just busting your balls man, here is your pay for the week". Johnny teased Sean and handed him his money and Sean walked to his car and drove home. Feeling defeated from the bad situation and the fact that Si wasn't used to being treated with disrespect, let alone treated like a dog. Si couldn't just bail and run, Jonny would know and kill him or at least trump up some charges and put him in prison for the rest of his life. Defeated Si opened a bottle bourbon and drank his sorrows into the night. The next morning a thought went into Si's head. "Hell if I'm making all this damn money why not spend it to make someone happy. I'm not happy making it so hell I hope I can be happy spending it". On the way to the station Si stopped for coffee and donuts, enough for the whole station twice. Si walked in and everyone quietly but enthusiastically roared with gratitude as he layed the multiple boxes of donuts and copious amounts of coffee cups down he went to his office with a smile on his face. Si began on paper work and was uninterrupted for about five minutes until he heard a knock on the door and Si very cheerfully gave permission to whomever was knocking on the door. It was Tess looking as beautiful as when she first walked into Arron's store. "What can I do for your Mrs.-" She interrupted. "Just call me Tess, Mrs. makes me sound old. And do I look old to you"? Si coughed and looked around chocking on his words and embarrassment. "Um ugh hmhmmm I me-ment no offense Mrs. I ugh mean T-Tess, I meant no offense". Tess quietly laughed, Si thought wemon could be so cruel but could never tell if it was from the dominant gender being cruel or having a manlier sense of humor that shattered even the most masculine of men. "Mr. Sean wha-". "Now who's making who feel old ha ha"? Before Tess could finish her thought Si interrupted her with what he thought was a witty comeback. "Touche, but Si I was gonna ask if you was ok you seemed a little distracted lately, I mean besides the doughnuts and coffee you've just seemed a bit aggravated or frustrating. What I'm getting at is everything alright". Si panicked he couldn't tell her the truth and he was already a nervous wreck and he couldn't lie he thought from his numerous experiences with his sergeant mother and biological mother calling him out on the whittest of lies. What could he do. "My kid is needing some braces and the misses is freaking out about the money, probably shouldn't be buying the station breakfast b-but j-just everything right now is all just a big pain in my". Si looked around making sure the coast was cleer to make sure none of the elder ladies were around to pinch his ear for swearing, and whispered. "Ass". She laughed at that. " I didn't know you were married and had a kid, how come you never mentioned this before"? Si internally panicked. "You idiot you've never mentioned this once, now think of something and quick before your silence makes her suspicious and suspicion in your case throws you in prison!". Si took a long breath and slowly exhale. "My son is struggling in school, needs braces, and has weird stomach problems. My wife and I are not in the same love as we used to be, now we're waiting for our boy to turn 21 and get on his feet before we uh separate." Internally Si was panicking not knowing if his story was good enough to convince Tess, but on the outside Si thought he was cool as a cucumber to use an old expression. Tess looked down and said she was sorry to hear that, a comon thing for people to say when they hear a friend, family member, or even coworker when they have received bad or sad news. Witch was always something Si never understood are you apologizing that life happens because if so that's a weird thing to apologize for, life happens to all of us it just happens in different ways. Could it be they apologize that they're kicking ass in life and they wish your life could be going as good or even better? It's something Si always debated about, but could never get any leeway. "Would you like to have you're family over to my place to have dinner, I know my my husband could use another guy freind. He has been looking for work since he got back from the army and I think a good friend could help out. So whaddya say sir?" She has no idea on how many thoughts and emotions she triggered in that one statement. The word army has a whole part of Si's brain racked with PTSD, the fact that she has a husband just adds fuel to the fire of his jealousy. After a few seconds of staring at a thousand yards Si shook his head and responded. "Well the wife is outta town and my boy is staying at a friend's house playing them v-video games, so yea sorry. B-but I appreciate the offer." Si thought he was in the clear until Tess rebuttled. "Well you could come anyway, it'll be nice to for my husband to make a friend and I like having co-workers over, it's easier working with friends than associates." Si was trying to avoid shutting Tess down without seeming defensive. "Tess do you offer this to all the new people? Haha." Her eyes widened and she shook her head. "God no some of these people are stright up assholes or are just borning, but you seem like a alright guy so I'm not to worried. Hell sometimes I worry about getting a knife in the back from some people. But you seem by the books, and I am trying to be nice so I'd appreciate it sir if I could get a yes or no now please." Si felt defeated, because he knew what he had to do but didn't have the strength to turn down a dinner invitation from the only woman he ever had feelings for. Even if it ment he could burn for it. "I could eat, yea I mean 'yes'. Haha what time should I arrive." Tess gave a light chuckle told him to be there by seven and walked out, and when to door shut Si reached for his desk drawer and pulled a bottle of bourbon, unscrewed the lid, and turned the bottle upside down. At the end of Si's shift he headed to the door and felt a hand on his shoulder, it was Johnny Connors. "Tomarrow meet me at the club house at three thirty sharp. Sean DO NOT BE LATE!" He whispered then in his normal speaking voice said. "Another fine day at the desk ay Mr. Iplier.?" Si nodded and followed with a exhausted, "Yes sir, same time tomorrow?" And walked out the door. It's 6:30 and Si couldn't decide if he should dress formally or casually and landed on a white collared Polo shirt, jeans, black dress shoes, and a nice watch. Not a Rolex, Si didn't understand breaking the banks for a time teller. His watch is nice and shinny but not Rolex shinny, but it got the job done. Si got in his car and turned the ignition, but before he took off he realized he might have to talk to Tess' kid and Si realized he doesn't know shit about what's in with the kids nowadays. So he Googled 'what is popular with kids today' and the search pulls up 'Mark Wyatt's Play Land is number 1 on today's billboards and is a puppeteer who has been on air for three years now'. "Good enough." Si thought not thinking about the fact that Tess said her kid was a teenager. All he was feeling was his nerves on the drive over and the walk up was almost worse, until he forgot the bottle of wine he brought was still in the car. So Si did a small jog back to his car and made his slow approach again to the door and gave it three knocks hoping it wasn't to hard or soft of a knock not wanting to come off as a asshole, but also wanted the knocks to be heard. In reality it was only three seconds but to Si it felt like two life times until someone opened the door. "Hey Sean, wow you clean up nice." It was Tessa she looked beautiful in her casual attire from her leopard print Tshirt, hoop earrings, dark skinny jeans, and black sandals. Then a small silence broke over us, until I heard footsteps coming to the door and then a burly hand wrapped around the door and pulled to door open. "Hi I'm Drew, you must be Sean Iplier pleasure to meet you I've heard good things about you." He held out a hand for me to shake and through Si's mind was filled with hate, jealousy, and the feeling that this Drew fellow had stole his dream woman from him and now he wants to shake hands. 'That's like kicking a man in the nuts, spitting on his head while bent over in pain trying not to puke while rapidly breathing, and then the same person that kicked you in the nuts is asking you to thank him' Si thought. He tried not to show anger and Si thought he did a good job and shook Drew's hand and tried to squeeze it hard be Drew had a mighty handshake as well. As Si walked in he saw the house and it looked nice and clean as Tessa lead them to the dining room that had a nice table, chandelier, and a China cabinet full with cups, plates, and silverware all with cute designs on them. Dinner was a huge pot of spaghetti, a plate of garlic bread, a bottle of, Pinot Noir, and a pan of cinnamon rolls for dessert. Tessa filled our plates full with two pieces of the perfectly cooked garlic bread but not the cinnamon rolls, assuming she was saving them for post dinner, then poured all of our cups two thirds full. "Lyyyyynn dinners ready." Tessa loudly announced at the staircase. A few minutes later a boy maybe around seventeen-ish walks down. He had medium to long dark brown hair, some beings of beard stubble, with a black hoodie, dark blue shorts, and Puma slides on. When Lynn entered the dining room Tessa put her hands on her hip and tiled her head. "Boy I told you to put something nice on, we have company." Then she looked at her husband hoping he would back her up, but when she turned he had a mouthful of the spaghetti and his eyes got wide as he chewed faster to swollow the delicious pasta. "Now honey he should be comfortable in his home, I mean it's just us and I doubt Si isn't going to get upset. Hell we're men we probably would have dressed as comfortably if not for your beautiful presents and wonderful cooking." Drew said then looked to Si cocking his elbow towards him. "Right Si haha.?" Drew said it playfully atteming to let his son off the hook without upsetting his wife and complaining her and her cooking abilities at the same time. "R-riiiight." Si said attempting to play it cool but it more or less sounded like agreeing with the bully that yea it would be a tragedy to get shoved in my locker or yea it would be a shame to get a black eye over this five dollars that I have for my school lunch. Lynn sat and we began to eat in a mixture of comfortable yet awkward mood in the air. About five or so minutes later my mouth gets dry from the delicious garlic bread, it was cooked very well but at the end of the day bread was bread. So I take a pull from the red wine and as the warmth of the alcoholic beverage hits my stomach it also knocks back the nerves and stress I was feeling. So I return for another pull of the crimson colored goodness, but this time the pull was longer than socially acceptable to the point to where it was almost a chug. I mean when I put the glass down there was still a gentlemans sip left. When I look up from the glass Tessa and Drew was staring at me as another layer of tension fell over the table. "Damn Sean if you wanted to drink drink I have a sixpack of Coors haha." Drew said in a attempt to kill the awkward silence with a halfhearted joke. "Just a long day and uh the w-wine was just hitting stonger ya know hmm?" Si said in a attempt to defend himself. "So could I excuse myself to the restroom?" Si was near panic tring to get away from the room. "Yea hey Lynn so Mr. Iplier where the can is would yea." Drew said and Tessa gave her husband a sharp look for saying "can" insted of anything else than bath or restroom in front of a guest. Lynn chugged the rest of his Diet Coke and stood up and lead Si to the bathroom. They were walking in silence down the hall until Si just had to open his mouth again. "Hey L-Lynn do you watch any of the Mark Wyatt!?" Lynn cocked his head to the side and raised his eyebrows in shock. "Well don't because he hides subliminal messages in his storys to brainwash kids. I-It's a long term plan so when the kids gets older he can use them in a army to take over the world." In Si's mind he thought his rant was in a calm conversational tone, but in reality his words was a mile a minute and the look on Lynn's face made Si believe that the boy think he was insane. So in a attempt to cover it up Si threw in another cherry onto of his souring cake. "The only way I uh knew this i-is because we was erm roommates in hig- college I mean. Hell he tried to get me to join, of course I declined but then he tried to drug me but luckily I got away. " Lynn just stared at Si for a few seconds before he pointed down the hallway. "Take a left and it's the second door on the right." The boy said it so monotone it almost came off like a ghost was saying the words. Si went into the bathroom and looked into the mirror. "C'mon Sean get it the fuck together, your gonna blow it and get yourself locked up and a lotta people in trouble you stupid bastard." Si whispered to himself, then he splashed water violently in his face and took a big breath. After a few seconds he looked to the window wishing he could just dine and dash but that would pile on to the amount of shit in the creek he was going through without paddles. After another few minutes he managed up the courage to head back to the dinning room. "So if he come off a bit odd it's because he is just going through a lot, but he is a good ma-." Si had walked in on Tessa clearly defending him from his own actions to her kid and husband, but everyone froze when Si walked in earlier than expected. For a few minutes no one spoke. Si went to open his mouth when he felt his front pocket vibrating and for a split second he was confused until he remembered his phone. He reached down and saw a text message from Johnny Connors. "Emergency meeting, shits is hitting the fan, picking you up in one hour at your house. Be there don't fail me boy." Si's emotions where all over the place but he took a deep breath and look over at Tessa and Drew. "Thank you for this wonderful meal, I hate to run but my son is in trouble. Drew it was a pleasure to meet you, you too Lynn." Si said so calmly the Hagan family was in shock and rightfully so. Just ten minutes ago Si was a nervous and awkward wreck now he was calm, cool, and collected. Just a complete one eighty in just a moment. Si walked out the house got into his car and drove back to his place. On the drive home there was no music playing but only his thoughts that where so loud they could have been based boosted. "Man that felt good. I mean I left a friendly household dinner to go help a man that has basically made me his henchman with the strong possibility of a firefight about to take place but now I'm fine. Maybe I'm only built for combat, maybe I'm not comfortable living without a gun in my hand and death in the air. Maybe I don't know but this shit better be important." About forty five to fiffty minutes later Johnny pulls up I get in. "Sean where about to be in shits creek without paddles do you have your gun on you?" I pull back my coat to reveal the under arm holster with my service pistol. Johnny turned to see the glock 17 reached over took it out and put it in the console and pulled out a snub nose .357 revolver. "If it comes down to it uses this it's unregistered and what ever you do don't drop it. Fuck next step I gotta buy you a pair of leather gloves. But tonight we have a meeting that could get hot and fast. Ms. Campbell is withholding a large amount of money from Trevor and he is pissed and stupid, but she is not coming off ehhh nice. She is scared that if she gives him more money that Trevor and his men are gonna buy some stupid expensive shit when in reality Trevor has some men that was a tad bit irresponsible and now can't pay some bills." Me trying not to give off the fact I'm a little on the tipsy side spoke 'without thinking'. To be fair I was thinking just with half a handle and a full glass of strong wine on my brain. "What's she scared off just give'em some cash and the problem is solved." Johnny turned and started poking my head aggressively with his finger. "Sean fucking think son." I leaned to thr right and he stopped with the finger. "The way this works is by all of us beinh on the same page. If Trevor or his bikers DO buy something stupid like a twenty thousand dollar part or new bike when they file taxes with little to no income the IRS is gonna catch someone and no man or woman wants to be locked up, so if they're caught they'll sell Ms. Campbell out witch shuts me down, Trevor down, and Tyler down if we're lucky if they don't turn us in. It's a give and take system a-a machine and one cog doesn't work we aRE ALL ROYALLY FUCKED!" The rest of the drive was in silence, we pulled up and right when I reached for the door Johnny looked over and told me. "Safety off but follow my lead." Then we both got out the SUV and walked into our meeting trailer, and saw the very angry Trevor barking at a very frustrated Ms. Campbell. "Listen bitch all I'm asking for is five thousand so a couple of my men can afford a bill or two hell why is that so hard to get through your head." Trevor was pissed. "And I told you you crazy cracker ass bastard that me not giving you more money than we can launder is a one way ticket to us behind a cell or in the fucking dirt so get that through ya damn head you foolish ass honkey!" But what she lacked in size and muscle she made up with fire. Trevor turned to Johnny. "I still don't understand what the hell she does anyway could you please reiterate what the hell she does for us anyway and why we need her anyway." Johnny walked up and slammed the table. "She has her legitimate business that we use for a front to the IRS and you get paid very handsomely to be her 'handyman' since y'all were 'old friends from highschool' that way you can have cash to give to your men. They also have part time job or at least thier wives do that way y'all can live and not be suspected of having illegal funds. By the way I am sick of pussyfooting around. Not all of your men have part time jobs or their wives, get them employed so there are fewer cracks for them to fall through damnit!" Then a disgruntled voice came from the corner of the room. "Since I ain't got no fucking problem can I go my ass back to bed. For fuck sakes I am the only one outta this group of middle aged fucks who understands their role and plays it.?" It was a very tired Tyler White leaning back in his chair with his hood over his head. Johnny turned to Trevor. "Has he been making his drops to your men?" Trevor nodded. "Fine White go get some sleep." Tyler stood up and walked out but as he existed through the door stuck up a angry middle finger, not to anyone in particular just to everyone. After about ten or so minutes of more arguing and negotiating Johnny had convinced Trevor's boys to get or convince their spouse to get a part time job in exchange for Ms. Campbell to give them a five thousand dollar advance but they had to 'fix her leakey roof" for it. Ms. Campbell got in her black Escolade drove off, followed by Trevor and his couple of bikers. "Si come out and have a smoke with me." Si followed outside and leaned with Johnny on his SUV as he fished in his pocket for a pack of non mentol Marlboro light 100s, took two out, lit them both, and handed Sean one. In Sean's mind all he could think of how sick he was of the Marlboro brand. He smelled and smoked so many when he was a marine he quit the brand and picked up Lucky Stikes non mentol full flavored, but Sean also didn't smoke much besides the acasional cigar at a barbecue with a glass of whiskey. Johnny inhaled and exhaled a pike of smoke than spoke. "It's sad. Sad that the only people that understand how shit should run is a young junkie and my lap dog. Jesus Ms. Campbell had a good head on her shoulders but hot damn if she isn't the most sassy, most dense, and the most annoying ass bitch I've ever met in my life. And what's with the racism 'honkey' 'cracker' I mean when you're the most racist in a room full of white guys I've got some concerns. I mean Tyler is racist but at least he hides it when he's in public. Fuck man I need some help with these horse's asses but I-." Johnny stopped and pulled his phone out and read. The morr he read the more he visibly got angry. Then he put hid phone in his pocket and walked up to me and stopped when he got nose to nose. "Listen before I lose my shit here is some context. A I had to leave mid coitus to argue with a racist black lady, a dumb redneck with a money problem with a shit ton of guns, and the only one not giving me shit is a kid. And B it's 2am and I have to wake up at 8am to go to work and act like I give a fuck about these people. Oh and C you and Tessa are being promoted by the way." As Sean went to turn his head in confusion he felt a knee to his stomach. Johnny had lifted his knee straight up into Sean's stomach, followed with Johnny while leaving his knee in Sean's stomach lifted his foot into Sean's nuts. Sean now experiencing not only the wind being drove outta him, but now having to deal with the worst pain known to man. For the wemon out their getting kicked in your nuts feels like being stung in the crotch by a thousand wasps, while making it scary to breath. If you breath it makes your brain think you are about to puke, but also almost impossible to breath because your entire body is focus on this intense pain that you can't hold or comfort, on top of the knee to the solarplex driving all the wind out of your lungs. So in lamins terms Sean was fucked and in a painful comatose. Then Sean fell to his side as Johnny gripped Sean's shirt and followed the knee kick combo with five unprotected punches to Sean's temple, cheek, and jaw. Then Johnny took a step back and gave Sean two massive stomps to his ribs. They seemed to have been the conclusion to Johnny's rage beating as he drug Sean to his feet, walked him to the SUV and took out another two cigarettes. Sean struggled to his feet and took the smoke. "Tell me." Sean said. Johnny took a deep intake of smoke and let it out. "Tell you what?" Sean gave a bloody grin. "What I need to know to help you think. You're in too deep tell me everything you got and before tomorrow night I will have all of your problems solved. Just like that." Sean snapped his fingers of his non smoking hand to add effect to the end of his thought. Johnny scratched his chin and pondered his current predicament, and to this day I will never know what made him spill his guts. Was it the anger, the adrenaline overwhelming his usual smarts, or the blue balls I don't know but boy did he sing. "When it comes to Ms. Campbell she lives in a small home with two other people that I don't know another woman and a young girl, Trevor I've never trusted so I bribed one if his men to be a mole for me by a name of Kevin Larson, and Tyler White is just the average young dumb junkie. But for some reason I see him going to the Blanchard place ya know the people. They are the super rich family, uppity bunch of bitches and bastards, I don't know maybe he sells to them. Tyler also hangs out in the abandoned motel off of Jefferson Street." I took every word and memorized it to my best ability, but I was fishing and wasn't satisfied. "What about funds what type of cash are we playing with here, not that'd I suggest we'd do anything with it I just work better with all the facts." Johnny again looked at me with the most curious eyes, but can you blame him not five minutes ago he was kicking the shit outta me and now I'm asking to help, he'll I'd be questionable too. But again luck stuck. "About two million in dirty money and about forty-five K that I can access. Oh and also the promotion I mentioned, you and Tessa are being, well have been promotedto DIA investigators so we can have more peanway into you missing. But after a 'big case' you two will be attacted by two thugs one kills her and you 'somehow' only leave with scratches to take away any suspision of your promotion" I smile and just whisper one word just one, but it was the word that lit the fuse to a keg of black powder. "Perfect." It was so quiet Johnny took a second to comprehend but once he did his eyes widened as he reached into his coat. But at the same time I've slowly inched my hand to the car door handle and swung the door as hard as I could and slammed the door into Johnny's face dazing him as he took a step back, I ran up and kicked the gun out of his hand with my right foot and with my left kicked the back of Johnny's knee with so much force it put him on his back and straddle him and lay my right arm across his throat and use the left to apply pressure. Then I leaned my head beside his to avoid any eye gouging. The sounds of Johnny's attempts last only for seconds but felt like hours, and I have no idea how long I stayed over his body turned corpse but it could have been days. I was making damn sure he could not get back up. When I was sure he was never gonna draw another breath I lifted his body and layed him across the floorboards of the back seat of his SUV and I got into the driver's seat and drove off. It took me twenty minutes to get to Sullivan lake, luckily since it was so late road traffic was almost nonexistent. I got out and put Johnny's corpse in the driver side as I pick his pockets. I got his wallet, phone, and house keys. I reached and opened the glove box and found a bottle of Jim Bean and stared at Johnny's face. His eyes were open with a angry expression same as his face. Then I poured the entirety of the bottle down his throat, buckled his seat belt, took every gun besides his service pistol, put the vehicle into drive and pushed the SUV into the lake. "This way you die a drunk insted of being know as a fraud to the city. Sorry for not giving you a quick death but if I were to shot you, or perhaps stab you it would leave evidence of a murder. This was the only way I could get you off my back and save Tessa. But now I must say Auf Wiedersehen to you 'sir', to keeping my hands clean, and to the thought of a happy life. And now I say hello to my new life."
