Don't Close Your Eyes

Casey Ellison peeked through the open door as his wife of six months packed her belongings. He felt bad about her leaving, even though he was in the right. Sometimes being right wasn’t all it was stacked up to be.

The situation was impossible for him to live with. His wife was in love with another man. It was with her mind. He knew when they made love, she was loving another man in her mind.

She even admitted it, when he asked her about it. At first she tried to change the subject, to duck and dodge but in the end she admitted it.

Casey decided that he couldn’t live with another man in bed with them. She cried but was honest enough to admit that she couldn’t stop. That she loved Casey, BUT a BIG BUT, this other man held the key to her life.

Casey sighed. Guess that what happens when you marry a woman on the rebound. She was recently divorced from an abusive spouse. Casey met her at the hospital where he worked as a doctor in the emergency room. She came in by ambulance after her ex husband had broken into her apartment and attacked her. She was battered and bruised and scared to death.

He had been a doctor long enough to know that you should never get involved in a domestic situation. He learned about that first hand when he was a Paramedic, before Medical School. He had gotten cut across his cheek and shoulder while loading a women injured in a dispute with her boyfriend. As the cops were trying to arrest him, she jumped off the stretcher and attacked the cops because they were too rough with her man.

But she was so pitiful that his heart went out to her. He let her stay at his house while she recovered from her injuries and went to court with her. They gave her ex 18 months.

Things had progressed. He had fallen in love with her. Casey thought she had fallen in love with him too. Guess it was closer to like on her part. He treated her like a queen. She worked part time and kept the house. They married three months later.

Life was ideal for the first three months. Then she started accepting phone calls from her ex in jail. She became more and more distant. She also started staying out late with the girls from the office, coming home drunk, sometimes high.

When he asked her about the change, she said she needed her space. That he tended to hold on too tight. She said she was married to her ex for a long time and had a place in her heart where she stored their good times together.

Casey had then asked her was that next to the place where she stored the broken bones and bruises he had given her. She had given him the finger and stormed out of the room and slammed the bedroom door.

After that Casey started checking the finances closer. He noticed that she had stopped depositing her check in their joint account. He also noticed cash withdrawals on their credit cards.

When he asked her she became defensive and said it was her money and she could do as she pleased with it. That it was none of his business.

Casey had just shaken his head and walked away. The next day he closed the joint account and cancelled the joint credit cards. He also changed the place where he kept his emergency money.

By this time she was no longer wearing her wedding bands. Casey put them in his safety deposit box.

When she realized that he had closed the checking account and cancelled the credit cards, she blew up. Called him all kind of nasty names and tried to slap his face. Casey side stepped her. He told her very quickly that that was a bad move.

He went to his bedroom and shut the door, leaving her to rant and rave for another 20 minutes. She then slept in the guest room. Which was okay by Casey because nothing was happening in the bedroom anyway.

The next morning was Saturday. Casey waited for her to come into the kitchen for her morning coffee. She looked really rough. All the hard living was starting to show.

“Are you ready to discuss this calmly now.” He asked her

“What’s to discuss. You’ve already done it now.” She mumbled

Looking at her very carefully, he asked, “What’s the deal? I’m not stupid. I can tell where this is going. I love you but I won’t be a fool for you. You need to straighten up your act or we’re done. I will not live this way. Life is too short. If your ex and your friends are more important than I am, that’s fine with me. Go live with them.” He said

She looked at him in shock. He had never spoken to her like this before. He was always kind and understanding. Guess he isn’t such a wimp after all.

“Okay. If that’s what you want. I’ll move out today. It’ll take some time to store my share of our things.” She said matter of factly

Casey laughed. “I don’t think so. You leave with what you came with. Pre nuptial agreement. Remember. You wanted it that way, Now I’m glad. Pack your clothes and personal items. Then call a cab or have one of your friends to pick you up. The car is mine also.”

“That’s only in case of adultery. I haven’t done anything” She said , thinking, nothing that he could prove anyway.

“Really.” He walked to the counter and opened an envelope. Inside were several sheets of paper and several photos.

“This is the copy of the arrest report where you were arrested for prostitution last week. Also simple possession of drugs. These are copies of financial documents showing how you took money from our accounts and deposited them in ones controlled by your ex husband. I think that proves it. Plus your past record of prostitution and possession.” He stated in a calm voice.

She looked at him in shock. “How did you get this stuff?”

“Most of it is public record or my accounts. Plus I have lots of friends who are really talented. They look out for me.” He stated. “The photo’s were taken by a Private investigator friend of mine.”

The photos showed her in different sex acts with several different men and a few women. Others showed her snorting coke and smoking crack. She knew she was stone cold busted. She tried to bluff.

“All this stuff is fine, but I have friends, big mean friends who will kick your ass if you do me like this. As your wife, I’ll get everything then.” She smirked.

He looked at her and laughed. “Are you threatening me? You don’t know me very well at all do you?” he said shaking his head sadly. “Let me educate you.”

“Well, let me see. First of all I’m a black belt in several different forms of martial arts. Second, I’m an ex green beret medic, who was in Delta Force for several years. Third, A bunch of my ex colleges live here in town. Most of them I patched up a time or two after a firefight. We look out for each other. Cover each others backs. Half of them are cops, FBI, GBI, Marshals Service and ATF.”

“In fact, here are a couple of them now.” He said as three large men entered the kitchen.

“The big black guy is Randolph Scott Jones, FBI. The red head is Liam Devlin, ATF, and the other guy is William Wilson, the chief investigator for the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. He’s ex DEA. Hates drugs. And druggies.” He said

“Were you threatening me with having your asshole buddies work me over? I think that’s a felony isn’t it Randolph? He’s an attorney and former federal prosecutor by the way. Hated sitting in an office all day.” He supplied

Her mouth dropped open. She knew she was truly and totally screwed. Reality started to set in. How had she come to this point?

Casey went into the garage and returned with several empty boxes. He carried them into the bedroom.

“Get your shit packed and get the fuck out of my house. You’ve got fifteen minutes, that’s it. And I will check what you take out.” He ordered.

Knowing she was beaten she did as she was told. It didn’t take long.

As she packed her clothes, she thought of the turn her life had taken. She had been 17 when she married her first husband to get away from an abusive father who drank, never worked and beat her mother and her on a regular basis.

Life had gone from bad to worse. Her husband had her using and selling drugs within a month. She was selling her body a month later.

So it went on and on. Deeper and deeper. The spiral turned faster and faster.

Then Casey came into her life. Finally light at the end of the tunnel. He treated her like she was somebody. With kindness and courtesy. Later with love.

Those first months were golden. She was living her wildest dream.

Then her ex came back into her life.

Threatened her mother if she didn’t put money in his account. More and more. Finally to get the money she turned to prostitution. Then to drugs to survive the pain and humiliation. Lies and more lies. A deepening hole.

Now she hit the bottom again. She couldn’t live like this anymore.

Casey came into the bedroom. She was sitting on the floor propped against the bed away from the door. Only the top of her head was visible.

He heard a distinctive click of the safety being released on his .40 cal. Smith and Wesson.

He dove over the bed in time to knock the pistol out of he mouth before she could fire. But her finger was still on the trigger and the pistol discharged into the chest of drawers.

Three very large men tried to get through the bedroom door at the same time. It looked like something from a Three Stooges movie, except deadly serious with three large weapons drawn and ready.

Casey said, “All Clear. Nothing hurt except my chest of drawers.”

Scott looked at her, “What the hell are you doing?”

“What was she doing Doc. Trying to ambush you or what? That’s another charge. Long jail time.” Said Wilson

She looked up with tears in her eyes, a shocked expression on her face. “I’d never do anything to hurt Casey. I love him.” She cried

“But you sure were talking about having someone work him over, not ten minutes ago.” Answered Devlin.

“Hold on guys. She was fixing to off herself. I knocked the gun out of her mouth just in time. Couple of seconds later and I’d have a bad mess to clean up.” Said Casey

He looked into her eyes. “Why?”

Randi looked at him and burst into a new bout of crying.

“Come on girl, stop your blubbering and talk.” Demanded Devlin with his faint Irish brogue that came out in times of stress..

Unable to keep it inside any longer she told the whole sordid tale of blackmail, prostitution and drug use while staring a hole in the floor.

When she raised her eyes she saw four sets of eyes staring at her.

Casey was the first to speak. “Why the hell didn’t you come to me the first time he threatened you? We could have dealt with him. Now we have a bigger mess to clean up.”

Jones asked, “Are you buying this fairy tale, Casey? It’s a good one but hardly plausible”

Wilson looked deep in thought. Finally he spoke. “This fits in with something we’ve been working on for awhile. A drug ring run out of the prison system.”

Devlin added, “Yeah it sure does. We can’t get anyone on the inside. Their turning big bucks and don’t leave any loose ends. This sheds new light on how they keep the operation so tight.”

“Using the family members as the outside contacts, and keeping them in line with threats and drug use. Plus using the prostitution money as capital. All kinds of contacts on the inside to choose from. Very slick.” Said Wilson

Randi looked up in suprise. “You really believe me? I really am telling the truth, but I thought you would never believe me after all the evidence you’ve collected.”

Casey looked at the agents. “There is such an operation going on? You’re working on it?”

Devlin looked at Wilson. Wilson nodded.

“Yeah we are. It’s a joint operation between the DEA and the GBI. It’s going on in both the state system and the Atlanta pen. This is the first break we’ve had. All we need are names and addresses. We can bust this thing wide open. Put these assholes out of business. For good.” Explained Devlin.

‘What’s going to happen to Randi? She’d be on the hit list for sure if they find out she ratted them out. She’s been through enough shit as it is. What about her mother? “ demanded Casey

“We can protect them. Put her into rehab and stash her mother out of state for awhile. But we’ll try not to give her up as the informant. We’ll work on one of the others and make them look like the informant. Plus we’ll take care of her ex. Prison is a dangerous place. Accidents happen. Fatal accidents.”

Randi sat there open mouthed. She couldn’t believe these guys or Casey. Fifteen minutes ago they were throwing her out the door, now they were working on ways to help her. Amazing. But could she do it?

HELL YEAH! The opportunity to finally be shed of that SOB. She’d do whatever it took to regain some of her pride. She knew it was too late for her marriage. But at least she’d be free to start over.

“What do you need to know?” she asked. “I tell you anything I can. My mom died two months ago. So she isn’t a concern anymore.”

‘Your mother died and you never told me.” Asked Casey

“It wasn’t your problem. And I was so deep in the shit I really didn’t care. We were never close. She let my father abuse me for too long.” She answered matter of factly.

They formed a council of war to decide how to handle this operation.

The real war was about to begin.

END OF PART I