There Must Be A Mistake Ch. 15

"I hate you Rosalynn. I now have to ride 90 miles to the airport with a hard on."

"I have to go shopping to make sure I have enough D cell batteries. Find us a home Rod, and it will solve both our problems."

"I hate to do this; goodbye Rosalynn. Take care of our kids. I will call you tonight. I will be house hunting this weekend, I promise."

"I will be house hunting all week online. I will narrow the choices down for you. We are team Rodney, we always will be. Goodbye husband."

**************

Rod walked into my office and 12:10 PM, and in his usual chipper manner said, "What the fuck am I doing here?"

I didn't talk to him. I handed him four sheets of paper, listing the qualifications necessary to fill an opening that needed to be filled immediately.

"I need someone to fill that job yesterday. I am falling behind on my science because I have to sit behind this fucking desk to keep the paperwork moving. Find me that person now and you can go home."

Rod read through the requirements and kept nodding his head as he did so. He read through it once and then again as I continued to work. Finally he asked me what the salary range was, because the job not only required legal skills, but great organizational skills, contract negotiations, government interface and much more.

I made it sound like I was angry. "The president makes less than $500,000 a year. How much will I have to pay this idiot?"

"If you want me to do a search, it is going to take me 90 days minimum. At the end of that time I'll have six maybe eight people to interview that will take another 30 days. Then we will have to vet each one of the three winners; which will take up to two weeks. You're looking five months down the line before you can have someone sitting behind that desk. If you want to offer an executive a really big payday to leave where they are, and come here, you can have them here in less than a month."

"How much money am I talking about for a person with that type of that background?"

"You are looking at $3 to 5 million dollars.

"Shit, for that amount of money I could have you do it. Why didn't I think of that before? What a wonderful idea. I pay you $5 million a year isn't that right?"

"You know damn well you pay me $5 million a year. That's why you got me down here you asshole. Don't try to make me believe this was one of your brilliant, spur of the moment ideas. Rosalynn has already started house hunting."

"Okay, you caught me. You can go back to Denver. I'm sorry I bothered you. It was nice to see you again."

I dropped the bomb when Rod was halfway out the door.

"I never thought I would see the day you would turn down $5 million."

He nearly walked out of his shoes.

"What did you say?"

"I never thought I would see the day you would turn down $5 million."

"You said you were going to pay the guy $5 million. You already pay me $5 million. I won't be making any more money, and I will be doing 10 times the work?"

"Where is Gordon when I need him? I'll try to explain this to you myself. I pay you $5 million a year for being my personal lawyer. Is that correct?"

"Yes that is correct."

"If I hire you to take this job away from me so I can do the work I have to do to get my spacecraft off the ground that job pays $5 million a year. $5 million a year as my personal lawyer, and $5 million as my executive assistant would bring you to a total yearly salary of $10 million. Is that correct Rod?"

"You're going to pay me $10 million a year if I take this job?"

"Are you going to take the job or are you going back to Idaho Springs knowing that I need you here."

"You know damn well I'm staying here. I would kill myself before I turned down another $5 million. Rosalynn is already packing the kids summer clothes. As I told you she's already looking for houses."

"Why would she be looking for a house, when she has already rented one for you."

"You are a real bastard Even. You knew I was going to take the job, but you had to yank my chain anyhow. Did you enjoy it?"

"How many years did you enjoy yanking mine Rod? Be here tomorrow morning at 7:30 AM ready to work. The moving van is at your house now packing your furniture. Rosalynn knew you moving here last week. Jennifer told her all about it."

"I'm going to kill my wife. She knew about this and didn't tell me. She played her part perfectly. She never gave me a hint. When I left for the airport this morning, her eyes were misty. She missed her calling. She should've been an actress."

"There's one other thing you'll have to prepare your mind for. Everyone, including your children will always have a guard with them. We don't any chances with anyone being kidnapped or hurt, because of what happened to Gray and Delicious. Your house is under guard 24 hours a day seven days a week, even when you're not at home. There is a state of the art security system in it. You will have a guard with you at all times. If he or she tells you to jump, you will jump. Don't ask questions, do it.

Oh, one more thing you don't drive anywhere, and neither does Rosalynn. Your protection detail does. If it's for a quart of milk, your driver brings you to the store goes in with you, and comes out with you. If you break protocol in any form or fashion, you will be taught the lesson painfully. I did, and I learned quickly."

(There was a knock at the office door)

"Come in."

"Sir, Mister Laver, and I have to go."

"Rod, this is Mister Steele; he is your agent during the daytime. Steel, who is going to be Mrs. Laver's agent?"

"Mrs. Laver daytime agent is Lexi. Her nighttime agent will be Anna."

"Thank you Steel. Goodbye Rod, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

"Even, where am I going?"

"Unless you want your wife to sleep all alone, or with Steel at the hotel tonight, you're going to the airport."

"You are miserable sonofabitch, I don't care what Divine said about you."

"You're wrong Rod. She said those things about you. Get going before you miss your wife and Steel has to sleep with her. Steel, she is a stunner. Just remember don't kill Rod over her. I need him. You can shoot him in the legs, as long as he can work sitting in a chair, it's fine with me."

"I'll try to control my baser instincts sir. This way Mister Laver, watch out for the scorpions in the backseat of the SUV."

"I will get you for this Even."

"Who signs your checks Rod?"

"You do your Majesty."

"I like that answer better. Say hello to Rosalynn for me."

"Yes your Majesty, just before I kill her."

***************

He kissed his wife as she entered the terminal. "You know I should kill you for deceiving me. I flew down on a commercial airline. Even flew you down on a private plane. He really wanted to dig this one into my spine, didn't he?"

"If you're not happy to see me, I can always go home and be with my children."

"How long will it be before our children get here?"

"They will be staying with friends until the end of the school year."

"Are you telling me we have 3 ½ weeks alone?"

"How can you be so smart Rod and not be able to count. You forgot the three days travel time."

"It's only a two hour airplane trip from Denver to here."

"They're coming in our maxivan Rod."

"Who in their right mind would want to drive them down here?"

"Our new agents will be driving them here, with a car in front and a car in back. The van is being totally serviced now. They are putting special tires on it, and running it through a complete battery of tests to make sure it is in top shape. The best part is, you are paying for this out of your new salary."

"That's another thing I wanted to talk to you about."

"Do you want to talk to me about it here in the airport, or at the hotel?"

"If I get you to the hotel room, I will not want to talk to you."

"I guess you don't want to see my new nightgowns."

"You knew all about this."

"I was going to take the job myself. Even said it would hurt your ego, and you wouldn't be able to take care of our children."

"I hate it when he's right. Are you hungry?"

"Yes I am, but not for food."

"I thank the day you wore those blue panties."

"I'm not wearing any panties now."

"You're not wearing any what?"

"I'm leaving for the hotel now. Are you going to join me?"

Rod was frozen to the spot, and his mouth didn't work. Rosalynn started walking towards the exit.

Lexi and Steel intercepted her.

"Hello Mrs. Laver, I'm Lexi, and this is Steel. I am your daytime agent, and he is your husband's agent. You will never go anywhere without me at your side. If you go to a public restroom, I will be in there with you. This is my job, and I take it very seriously. If you need anything, you ask me first, and I make the decision for you. Do you understand?"

"Yes Lexi, Doctor Luck explained all of this to me last week. If I make any mistakes please feel free to correct them instantly, especially when my children come down. I don't want anything to happen to them."

"You and I will get along just fine, Mrs. Laver. Why is your husband standing there like a statue?"

"We are both addicted to sex Lexi. Six children should make that evident. I just told him I wasn't wearing panties, and his mind went into overload. I've never done this before, and he's trying to process it."

"You are a nasty girl."

"No, I am a good Catholic girl. That's why he's standing there like that. He can't believe I did something so naughty."

****************

Stephano and Patti spent most of the day locked in their bedroom. Except for their mandatory lunch and dinner breaks, they were not seen around the house. Just before 7 PM, and after a tearful goodbye from his wife and daughter, he got on the helicopter, flew to Albany, and on to Charleston. It was never a pleasant flight for him, and the crews knew to leave him alone.

When he arrived at Charleston, he was picked up by his agents. He was taken to work at his request. He would not be able to sleep, so there was no sense going to his apartment. The first thing he put on his to do list for the following morning was to hire a medical supply specialist. That would be quite a load off his back thanks to Patti's quick thinking. He would check the other items on his list, just in case he was doing things he should have farmed out to specialists. If he missed one obvious case, he could have missed others. He was staring at the door thinking about a project he was involved with, when he dropped a pen. He reached down to pick it up just as a high-powered bullet pierced through the window behind his head. He dove for the floor and rolled toward the concrete abutment under the window. Several more bullets pierced the window shortly afterwards but he was safe where he was. His back was full of glass, when he heard return fire going towards the position of the shooter.

From outside his door he heard Al yell, "Mister Valentino, are you okay?"

"Don't come in Al. He has a direct shot at that door. I can't get to the light switch to turn it off. Wait until the all clear is given. I am safe."

"Where are you situated?"

"I am directly under the window, by the concrete abutment."

"Very good, stay where you are. There are four of us here, four more downstairs, and 10 on their way. Everyone is on alert. The houses are all being covered; troops should be there within five minutes."

"Has anyone called the police?"

"Yes sir, as soon as the first shot was fired."

"Why here Al? It doesn't make any sense."

"Fear. If they can keep the scientists from coming to work, they think they might win."

"Call Doctor Luck's residence and make sure he's okay."

"Yes sir."

"Carmine, this is Al, I am with Mister Valentino, and he wants to make sure Doctor Luck is okay.

"Yes Al, all stations reported in, and everyone is accounted for. There is no activity around the 'NEST.' All the lights are on, and everyone is at work. Doctor Luck wants to speak to Mister Valentino."

"Tell him that is not possible. The all clear has not been given, and he has to stay where he is to say safe. I will have him call as soon as we can secure him."

"Doctor Luck wants to talk to you."

"Where is he Al, and why can't you get to him?"

"He ordered me not to come into the room. The shooter has a direct shot at his door, which I am standing by. His position is secure. He is underneath the pane glass window, which is where the first of many shots came through. He is protected by the concrete and steel the building is made of. As soon as the all clear is given, I will get him out of that room."

"Al, I want to talk to him as soon as that happens."

"Yes sir."

Two minutes later, the first police car showed up, followed by several more. The agents pointed to the area the first shots came from and told him their men were on their way to look for the shooter. They pointed to window the window the bullet went through.

The officer asked if anyone was hurt.

Just then, the sound of semi-automatic gunfire was heard coming from the area south of the position the shooter had been.

The agent smiled and said, "I believe so, but not in the building."

Over their radios they heard, "The perp is down, but unfortunately, he is not dead. Send an ambulance. We're about 60 feet in from Ajax and Collins."

"Good work guys; keep him alive. We have a lot of questions for him, and dead men don't talk."

"Come on Eddie, you're ruining my whole night."

"I'll buy you a diet Sprite."

"Do you promise?"

"Yes I promise."

"Al, all clear."

"Thank you, I'm going in. Stephano do not move. I will come to you."

Al opened the door a few inches and felt for the light switch. He turned the lights off, and slithered in on his knees and forearms to Stephano's position.

"I thought it was all clear Al?"

"What happens if there's a second shooter up there hiding in camouflage clothing that our guys didn't see? These people aren't dumb. When they went after Doctor Thyme, they went in heavy and dumb. This time they came after you, light and smart. If this guy had just taken one shot and moved, we would never have found him. He was pissed that he missed you, and you are going to have to tell us how. Let's get out of here so we can debrief you. Forearms and knees Stephano protect your hands.

In a moment they were in the hallway with the door to his office closed.

"You were very smart Mister Valentino, you took a great position, and the shooter couldn't get to you."

"Are you forgetting who my father was, and the men who trained me growing up?"

"Holy shit, you really are the Don's son? I thought they were joking with me."

"No they're not. I am the last surviving member of Don Alberto Valentino's family."

"I won't ask you how you got out of that business, but congratulations for doing it."

"Thank you, my father was very happy that I got out too."

"How did that guy miss you? You had to be a sitting duck in that chair."

"I dropped my pen."

"That only happened in movies."

"I'm happy to say you're wrong. Otherwise we wouldn't be talking."

The police came walking down the hallway and asked who they were shooting at.

Stephano said, "I was walking around my office, and Al was sitting in my chair. He dropped something on the floor and went to pick it up when the first shot rang out. We both hit the floor. There were several more shots, but we were protected by the concrete wall. All the shots entered the back of the wood door. I don't believe they went through it. If Al had not bent over, I would've lost a friend."

"What were you talking about when this started?"

"I had just come back from a weekend at home. I was telling Al how stupid I was because I made an error in judgment. Doctor Luck sent me an email directly, instead of through the normal system. I thought he wanted me to order all our medical needs personally. While I was home my wife told me that's not what the email meant. He just wanted it done quickly, not personally. I was telling Al I had written it down on my 'To Do' list for first thing in the morning."

"May we see your list?"

"Sure, take a look." Stephano handed them his list. The first item on it was to hire a medical supply specialist.

"The officer said thank you, and told Al they would need to take a statement at police headquarters in the morning."

"Officer, it already is early in the morning. Could we do it late in the afternoon after I get some sleep? I have to stay with Mister Valentino until 7 AM, when I am relieved. I may tell you I saw a three-headed goat if I have to go to your office that early."

"We will see you at 4 PM tomorrow afternoon."

"Thank you very much guys, I appreciate it."

As soon as the police left, Al said, "Why the hell did you tell him it was me?"

"If my wife thought it was me they were shooting at, she would never let me back into this building again. I will not leave this project when it's three quarters done. I don't leave a job until it's finished. You know what to say. Don't embellish the story. Keep it short and to the point, and be sure our guys know to back you up. I'll take care of everyone else. If this gets out to my wife, I'll be castrated, and then she'll take me home."

"Whatever you say Stephano, I'll take care of it."

"Thanks Al, I owe you one. You have never seen my wife when she's angry. Unfortunately, I have. I better call Doctor Luck, and tell him everything is under control now."

******************

I do not hide anything from my investors. I set up a conference call for 6 PM that day and gave them the news of the attack on Stephano's life. I advise them of deception Stephano asked us to take and the reason behind it. They agreed to keep Stephano's secret and lauded his bravery during this attack. They also gave me many ideas on how to protect our people in the building.

1.                             Blackout all the windows.

2.                             Replace the windows with bulletproof glass.

3.                             Replace the windows and put concrete in their place.

4.                             Put Kevlar and ceramic plates behind each window.

5.                             Remove the windows and put armor plate in their place.

I had Rod run everything to do with the exterior of the building through the building and zoning department, with the police department's report in his hand. They didn't care about the report and said no to each request, because it would not be aesthetically pleasing to the community.

Rod asked the head of the department if dead bodies would be aesthetically pleasing to the city.

He replied it was not his department. That was the police department's problem.

Not deterred, he called the Department of the Navy and asked them if they had any surplus armor plate from ships being dismantled.

The seamen laughed. "Do you know how much armor plating weighs?"

"It's a little bit more than 40 pounds per square foot using 1 inch armor plate."

"You look that up in the encyclopedia."

"No, I learned it in law school."

"How much do you want, and what sizes do you need?"

"We have 318 windows that measure 8 foot wide and 9 feet high."