A Father's Justice Pt. 01

"I plan to do more than just hit him, but yeah," Ryan said.

"When do you want to do this?" she asked.

"Right fucking now," Ryan said. She looked at him, shocked. Who was this man, she wondered. She pulled her phone from her purse. "Put it on speaker," Ryan said. She nodded her head, hit the speed dial and put it on speaker.

"What's up?" Jake asked asked when he answered the phone.

"Hi, babe," Lisa said. "Um, there's someone in town visiting Sarah in the hospital and he wants to see you right away."

"Oh?" Jake asked. "Who is it?"

"It's, um, Ryan," she said.

"Ryan?" Jake asked. "Your ex? That Ryan?"

"Yeah," Lisa said. "He's pretty adamant about seeing you right away. Says he only needs five minutes."

"Well, I'm not sure I can get away right now," Jake said. "I've got a shareholder's meeting this afternoon and I have a lot to go over."

"Listen to me, you little prick," Ryan said. "I have a score to settle with you and I want to meet you right fucking now."

"Where?" Jake asked.

"In the alley between Third and Fourth off Riverside," Jake said. "You know the area?"

"Yes, I know it," Jake said.

"Good," Ryan said. "Be there. No security, no bodyguards, no weapons. Just you and me. Or are you too scared to face a real man on your own? Maybe you'd prefer to hide behind your wife's skirts."

"You bastard," Jake snarled.

"You got that right," Ryan said. "Tell me, Jake, do your shareholders know how you broke up my family? Do they know about how you managed that deal in the Middle East three years ago? Do they know you sent a team there to assassinate your wife's ex-husband? Do they know about your philandering and the bastard children you've brought into the world? Do they know about how you abuse your wife?"

"You fucking prick," Jake growled. "You wouldn't dare put that out into the public. I'll sue you for defamation."

"You're wrong about that, Jake," Ryan said. "I've got a dossier on you that's nearly three inches thick. And I know some reporters over at the Wall Street Journal who would love to get their hands on it. I think the boys over at the SEC and the DOJ might be interested as well. So, what'll it be? Are you gonna meet me one-on-one, or do I make a phone call? What are you, Jake? A man? Or a mouse?"

"Alright, you asshole," Jake said. "I'll meet you, just as you said."

"Good," Ryan said. "And just so you know, if something - anything - happens to me, my daughter or Lisa, that dossier will get sent out to a hundred media outlets and more than a few federal agencies, not to mention your shareholders and your board of directors. Along with pictures and video. Got it?"

"I got it," Jake said, sighing. The call ended and Ryan looked at Lisa, who regarded him with shock.

"Were you serious about all that?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Ryan said. "You don't think I've been twiddling my thumbs all these years, do you?"

"I want to go with you," she said.

"I don't think that's a very good idea," he told her.

"I don't care," she said. "I have a right to face him as well."

"I take it you didn't know about all of this?" Ryan asked. She shook her head.

"No, I didn't," she said. "Not all of it, anyway. You really have evidence of all this?"

"Sure do," Ryan said. "One call and it becomes public knowledge. Certainly won't be very good for business."

"That bastard," she said quietly.

"You ready?" Ryan asked. She nodded her head and stood up. "Good. Let's go. I'll have Bob drive us over." They walked out of the room together and went to Sarah's room.

"Bob, I need you to drive Lisa and I over to an alley off Riverside," Ryan said.

"What?" Bob asked.

"You do know the area?" Ryan asked.

"Of course I do, but are you sure?" Bob asked. "That's a pretty rough neighborhood."

"We won't be there long," Ryan said.

"What's going on?" Sarah asked.

"Just going to clean up a loose end," Ryan said. "Don't worry, we'll be back."

"I love you, Daddy," she cried out. Ryan looked at her before he answered. It had been years since anyone had said that to him.

"I love you, too, princess," he said. "Get some rest, we'll be back." They went to Bob's car in silence and got in. Bob started the engine and looked at Ryan.

"What's going on?" he asked. "Really?"

"Just a friendly little meeting," Ryan said. Bob didn't believe him, but decided it best not to press the issue. He put the car in gear and headed out. They saw Jake's Jaguar parked next to the curb and pulled in behind it. After the car stopped, Ryan looked around to see if Jake had posted any guards or snipers. Seeing none, he got out of the car as Lisa and Bob did the same.

They walked into the alley and saw Jake leaning against a dumpster, his expensive jacket over his shoulder.

"Stay here," Ryan told Bob. "Keep an eye out. And hold my hat." Bob took Ryan's beat-up Stetson and stayed behind as Ryan and Lisa walked into the alley.

"Well, the cuckold returns from the grave," Jake said, a sneer on his face. "I thought you were killed three years ago in the Middle East. Guess if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself."

"Reckon so," Ryan said. Lisa stood off to the side and watched the two men interact.

"You know, I'm a third-degree black belt," Jake said. "I've won a bunch of tournaments."

"What do ya want, a medal or something to pin it on?" Ryan said. Jake snickered.

"A sense of humor, I see," he said. "Good. If you think that was funny, check this out. You know the best part of seducing a married woman?"

"No, but I'm sure you're gonna tell me," Ryan said.

"Yeah," Jake sneered. "The best part is knowing that she'll be taking a sloppy old creampie back to her unsuspecting husband. That he'll probably end up eating it out of her nasty cunt that very day, or night."

"So that's all Lisa was to you, a cunt?" Ryan asked.

"She was the best piece of ass I've ever had," Jake said. "I watched for six months as she slowly lost her love and respect for you. Then I talked to your daughter. Got her to go along with my little plan to fuck up your life."

"So you just used them for your own satisfaction," Ryan said. Jake shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah," he said. "And you wanna know why? Because I could. And I'm still doing it. Sorry, Lisa, didn't mean to let it out of the bag like that. It was just sex, though. I still love you."

"You fucking piece of shit," she said.

"It's not exactly a secret," Ryan said.

"I guess not," Jake said. "So, we gonna get this show of yours on the road, or are we just gonna stand around and jaw-jack all fucking day?"

"Let's see what ya got," Ryan said. Jake sneered and assumed a fighting stance. Ryan shook his head and snickered. Jake let loose with a kick that Ryan easily blocked.

"Boy, using that oriental martial arts bullshit on me is gonna get real fucking expensive," Ryan said. Jake snickered and came at Ryan, but he was prepared, since Jake telegraphed his move. Ryan was a blur, striking Jake in the throat, the solar plexus and finally in the groin.

As Jake doubled over, Ryan picked him up and ran toward one of the brick walls that lined the alley. He heard the cracking of bones as Jake's back came into contact with a large metal pipe that jutted out from the building. Jake screamed out in pain as Ryan threw him on the ground.

He wasted no time, repeatedly kicking Jake as hard as he could in the crotch and the ribs. Jake doubled over in pain and Ryan knelt down on his throat, blocking Jake's airway.

"I... can't... breathe," Jake gasped. Ryan ignored him and began grinding his knee into the other man's throat.

"Ryan, please stop," Lisa cried. "You're killing him." Ryan looked at her with his one good eye.

"Yes. Exhilarating, isn't it?" he said with an evil glint in his eye. He looked back down and saw Jake's face begin to turn blue. He took his knee off Jake's throat and watched as he desperately gasped for air. Ryan knelt by Jake and whispered loud enough for Lisa to hear him.

"Our time is about up, Jake, old buddy," he said. "But know this. If you ever raise a hand to Lisa, or if you ever do anything to hurt anyone in my family, I swear to God I will hunt you down like the dog you are and I will cut your stupid fucking head off and feed it to the pigs. You understand me?"

"Yes," Jake croaked.

"Yes, WHAT?" Ryan bellowed.

"Yes... sir," Jake said. Ryan nodded his head.

"By the way," Ryan added. "Parts of that dossier are being sent to the feds, anonymously. The parts that involve your illegal transactions, that is."

"But you promised," Jake croaked.

"So I told a little fib," Ryan said. "You know all about that, don't you? I couldn't very well cover up illegal behavior. That would make me an accessory after the fact. You have a nice day now, you hear? Oh, and remember, I was never here." Ryan stood and looked at Lisa.

"So, this is the piece of dog shit you and Sarah left me for," he said, kicking Jake one more time in the groin. "I hope he was worth it. By the way, you may want to call for an ambulance. I think he slipped on something."

"A part of me wants to let him lay there and die," she said. "But that would be wrong, wouldn't it?" Ryan shrugged his shoulders. "I'll call, but that'll be the last thing I ever do for him. Maybe I'll tell them he slipped on a banana peel." Ryan smiled.

"You might as well take his Jag over to the hospital," Ryan said. "Somehow, I don't think he's gonna be in any shape to drive for a while." Ryan turned and walked away, taking his hat as he passed Bob.

"What now?" Bob asked as they walked to his car.

"There's a Holiday Inn Express a couple blocks down the road," Ryan said. "Take me there, if you would, please."

...

To be continued...