Everything that Glitters Ch. 03

Can't you just see the #MeToo activists surrounding your offices and the courthouse? I'm gonna be right there with 'em, egging 'em on!"

"If you'll remove the gun from my ear, I'd like for all of us to have a seat around our conference table and we can discuss your so-called evidence and perhaps make a deal."

Zane looked at the other Slicks, and then at Cal. "I told you it was a waste of time. These oily bastards and the slimy bitch intend to use their fancy shysters to bamboozle the law and us; they expect to get off scot-free!

"This place needs a cleansing. Hit them with the horse tranquilizers and put them in a couple of beds naked. Or maybe put them all in one bed naked with Slick on top of the bitch. I'll light it up, and we can cleanse some of the evil from this world."

The bitch and Slick3 were hugging themselves and staring wide-eyed at Zane. Slick2 was trembling; Slick1 still looked cool, but sweat was running down his neck.

Cal calmly said, "In the interest of satisfying my curiosity, let's listen first. We can roast them anytime."

They gathered around an oval table in the conference room. Cal walked to the door and signaled for Jack and the techies to come inside. Zane told David and Tom, the members of the security team watching the Asshole and the nurse to bring them in, but sit them back on the floor... and shoot their worthless asses if they moved!

Steve stuck his head out of the adjacent bedroom. "Cassie is coming around now; we just had a brief conversation, and she asked to see you, Zane."

He quickly went to the bedroom door; "Is she going to be all right, Steve?"

"Yes, I'm confident she will. I'm not sure I understand her response to those particular drugs, but maybe that was her way of dealing with what she knew was coming. Anyway, traces stay in the body for twelve hours or more, but the effects wear off after 3-6 hours. I'm taking a blood sample before the body metabolizes and excretes it.

"As far as your wife's mental state, I think she should be lucid by now. Like I said, the effects only last 3-6 hours, and it's been much longer than that since she was injected."

Cassie was sitting on the edge of the bed; her hair was mussed, she looked groggy and distraught, but she was fully dressed again. As soon as Zane entered, she asked, "What did they do to me after they injected me?"

"I don't think they did anything. Cal hired a team to harass them all night, and we had eyes and ears on this building; to the best of my knowledge, nothing happened to you during the night. I can't speak to the trip up here, though."

"I felt myself before I zipped up my jeans; it didn't feel like anyone had been down there, but I needed some assurance, I guess.

"How are you, Zane, and what are you doing here?"

"I'm fine; I'm here because Lindsey called and told me you had disappeared. We learned that you had been grabbed and tossed in a SUV, so I called Cal. He sent his jet to get me, we joined forces at the airport in Caldwell, and here we are... very glad to see you alive and... okay.

"We're about to have a little conversation with your management team at EMS, and with your former manager / loving father. They seem to have contracts and releases you signed on the way up here with Daddy Dearest and your medical provider, and we want to talk about those.

"We assume you signed them under duress; are we correct?"

"I don't remember much of anything since they threw me in the car and someone stuck a needle in my thigh, but I guarantee you I didn't sign anything that I remember."

"That's as we suspected. Want to come join us?"

She did, but she needed a bit of support to keep her balance. Steve handed her a cup of coffee and a bottle of water, but just before they got to the conference room, she stopped. "Zane, did you get the documents I sent from Caldwell? I sent them to the ranch by FedEx as soon as we finalized them."

"I did, Cassie. They were quite a surprise, but perhaps you had a premonition, because they are going to be very, very helpful in a few minutes.

"Are you up for this? The crew from EMS, your 'nurse', and your loving daddy are all in there."

"Yes, as long as you're there with me" she replied.

"I'll be by your side, and Cal is here with his team. But if you feel too woozy or aren't up for it, we can handle it without you. We're here to destroy them, one way or another."

She took a sip of the coffee and another of the water, and then handed them to Zane. She unbuckled her belt, unbuttoned her tight jeans, pulled her sequin and rhinestone studded blouse down and tucked it tightly in her jeans, and buttoned and belted up. She smoothed her clothing, used a rubber band that mysteriously emerged from her pocket to put her hair up in a ponytail, took another deep breath and looked pleadingly at Zane. He held his arm out, coffee and water in hand. She took his arm, and they entered the room together.

The first thing she saw was Daddy Dearest, kneeling on the floor beside the so-called nurse; he looked hopefully at Cassie, who glared at him for several seconds before turning loose of Zane's arm. She walked directly to daddy, stood over him glaring, and then slapped him as hard as she could!

"You are the most miserable excuse for a father that ever lived! What kind of man drugs and pimps his daughter? You're despicable!"

She slapped him again, with the other hand; glared until he looked down, and returned to Zane.

She looked around the table, and blanched when she saw the EMS team on the other side. "Oh my God! These are the maggots he picked to further my career? They're the ones who tried to force me into doing pornographic movies and photo shoots!"

Zane shrugged his shoulders, turned his palms up, and calmly said, "It seems they have a contract and releases you signed in the car on the way up here with your loving father. Those documents say you give them the right to photograph, film, and use your likeness as they see fit, and have a few other clauses I think you'd like to hear more about. Such as, you agree to three movies of their choosing, with the option of three more if they decide they want more. You also agree to do publicity in the form of personal appearances for each of the films and the photo sessions.

"Or so Cal's lawyer tells us. He's the one in the dark suit beside Cal."

Cassie looked bewildered; mouth open, she looked from Zane to the four slicks, to Cal, to Jack, and then back to Zane. "I did no such thing! Even when I was strung out on drugs and booze, I refused to do anything like that! You know I wouldn't suddenly agree to do it NOW!"

"Certainly not if you were in your right mind; but when we find what we know we WILL find in the blood sample Steve took from you, maybe it becomes possible. Here, take a seat beside Jack and we can discuss the legal aspects of their being complicit in kidnapping, drugging, and forcing someone to sign something while clearly not of sound mind. Or, even worse, forging their signature!

"As I've made clear, my personal choice is to knock them all out with horse tranquilizers, bundle them in the safe room, and set the entire encampment on fire. My second choice is to call the law and send their asses to prison for a few decades for doing all those things to you.

"Slick #1 there in the yellow Polo shirt says he has another alternative that we'll all like. Want to hear it, or go with one of my plans?"

"I'll listen, as long as Cal's lawyer is my lawyer. If I don't like it, can we go with your first plan? I never want to worry about any of them again!"

Zane beckoned to Cal, who invited Slick#1, Donovan Talbott, to make his pitch. Zane thought he would have sounded unconvincing in a $2000 suit, but in his pastel yellow Polo, tan slacks, and Malibu Moccasins, he sounded preposterous.

"No way in hell!" Cassie shouted when he finished. "I don't have a contract with you OR my former father and I'll testify to that in any courtroom!"

Cal held up his hand before Zane could start, and summed it up: "So, your proposal is that you will change the contract so Cassie will only have to do two films, not three, and only two photo shoots, and you back that up by saying you're certain your documents will stand up in court? Tell me, Donovan, are you fireproof?"

Zane stood up. "I'll get the darts. Steve, you get the thermite."

"Wait!" Donovan interjected. "That was our first offer; we can negotiate, as long as you accept that our documents are legal."

"Hand them over," Cal stated flatly. "Jack will compare the signature to those he is holding that Cassie filled out in an attorney's office in front of a notary."

"Well, we are relying on her father's word and testimony," Donovan replied, now in full retreat.

"Cassie, do you recognize these documents?" Jack asked, showing her the documents she sent to Zane; she nodded.

"Do you recognize the signatures as your own?" She nodded again. "I do."

"How about these documents and these signatures; do you recognize them?" He asked, handing her the papers Donovan had just turned over to him.

Cassie looked through them and then exclaimed, "I've never seen any of these before, and that signature is a joke! It wouldn't take a handwriting expert to know those are not my signatures or initials! I've never been drunk or drugged-up enough to sign my name like that!"

"And you are willing to testify to that in court, when we sue these folks for tens of millions, right?"

"Absolutely!" she responded gleefully.

"It appears we have been duped by Mr. Collins, whom we trusted!" Donovan exclaimed with wide-eyed innocence.

Zane started laughing; Cassie joined him, and then Cal, Steve, and Jack joined in. "I'm telling you, only a cleansing fire..." Zane got out between guffaws.

The lone female spoke up: "I'm Elizabeth Parker. Perhaps we could make it up to you, Miss Collins. You already have a large following in most cities on the tour. With EMS, we can expand that via social media, personal appearances, and guest spots on key shows. We can develop and market a line of western wear around your trademark glittering shirts, colorful hats, and designer jeans and skirts. You could, at a minimum, double or triple your highest income on the tour, and actually travel less. That would leave you more time to reestablish your relationship with your child, and an income that would greatly elevate your lifestyle, and that of your child."

She looked pleased with herself, until Cassie replied. "Caldwell was to be my last rodeo for the year; maybe forever. I've already spoken with my mother, and, in spite of my poor treatment of her, she welcomed me back into her home. Now that I've seen the lengths you will go to in order to destroy my life, I'm more committed than ever to stopping."

The woman put her hands out and shook her head in denial. She started to respond, but Cassie interrupted her. "No, don't even THINK about denying it! We all know the world's worst father wouldn't have bothered to kidnap me if he didn't already have this set up with EMS, so you are equally guilty!"

She again started to deny it, but Zane held up his hand, pointed at her, and quietly said, "Cleansing fire..." She closed her mouth.

With a shit-eating grin, Jack interjected, "You're making the sale to the wrong person anyway. The first document containing Ms. Collins' notarized signature assigns durable power of attorney to Zane Rhys for a wide range of legal, business, and investment matters. The second is a personal services contract with Mr. Rhys, and the third is a managerial contract.

"This attempt to exploit Ms. Collins was doomed from the start; she didn't have the authority to sign a contract with any of you, including Mr. Collins."

***

In the end, Donovan and Cal saved Albert, who was lying on the floor sobbing. Donovan by reminding everyone that he was an addict whose last chance had fallen by the wayside. Cal by laughingly stating that Albert faced a miserable life of poverty and infamy without his daughter, and killing him would actually be a reprieve.

Donovan also reminded them that parents exploiting talented children, especially women, for personal gain, had been going on practically since the beginning of time. He mentioned several current stars whose careers were managed by daddies that grew quite rich while the child or young adult worked long hours for the money daddy spent.

It was Jack who saved Donovan and the EMS executive staff by telling Cal, Cassie, and Zane that he had everything he needed to destroy the company and every company executive in a lawsuit, so all they had to do was tell him when to file. He then warned the four that, should news of their visit this morning find its way to law enforcement, third parties would file that lawsuit immediately, with great fanfare.

Cassie said she had mollified by Donovan signing a release stating they had no claim to her time or image, and went around the table, ostensibly to shake hands. Donovan's fake smile disappeared when Cassie slapped the crap out of him! He leaned back in his chair when she leaned forward and told him that she really, really wanted to watch him burn, but the presence of the others saved him.

Nothing, however, saved the compound, which burned to the ground along with their vehicles and personal communication devices. The wanna be militiamen slipped back into the forest, having become convinced that working for EMS was extremely dangerous, and having been told that anyone who helped them get off the mountain wouldn't see the next sunset.

For Albert, Jody, and the four swindlers, it was a long and perilous walk in their sporty moccasins and canvas shoes, and it was a chastened group that finally found someone to help them about ten miles into the twenty-mile hike to town.

The slick execs would come to understand the meaning of humility a few months later as the promised lawsuit was filed with much fanfare. Jack, speaking on behalf of his client, was a star on the networks and cable news outlets. Entertainment Management Services almost folded when the award, including treble damages, was made by the jury. It did fold after women - and men - came out of the woodwork with stories of their own exploitation, and filed similar lawsuits.

Emboldened by Cassie's courage in facing the skunks down, women pressed and attorneys accepted and pursued lawsuits against other, more powerful, organizations and men. Men so powerful and feared no one had dared to sue them before.

Cassandra's reputation was not only restored, she became a symbol of courage and willingness to take on the untouchable corrupt and bring them to their knees. Three years ago, she had become a pariah on the rodeo circuit, but the true story redeemed her reputation, and admiration replaced scorn for most of the cowboys and cowgirls.

Cassie? She could have cared less. She was at home, taking care of her daughter, overseeing her mom's and Zane's ranches, and rooting for her ex-husband as he and Brad made their run for the world championship in team roping, and Zane made his run for World Champion Tiedown Calf Roper and All-Around cowboy.

They held their own throughout the fall while the other ropers made their final runs at cutting their leads, but on December 6, they entered the Thomas Mack Center in Las Vegas with significant leads in their events. By December 15, they had substantially increased those leads and for the last few rounds, they were routinely mentioned as "the new champions" by the CBSSN TV announcers.

Turned out there is a lot of hoopla associated with being the presumptive Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Champions, and for Zane that was triple, because he also won All-Around Cowboy, he was young, single, composed, well spoken, good looking, and humble... but with a little swagger.

He was also previously married to a world-champion barrel racer and rodeo queen, who was now a heroine for rising above exploitation and bringing down her tormentors, but he told them the fastest way to end an interview as to bring his marriage to Cassie into it. He had no problem discussing her flawless barrel racing or her fearless attack on the corrupt, but he would not discuss their personal relationship, past or present.

The interviews began before the first round, and their sponsors were insistent that they make appearances at Las Vegas shows, and at party after party. Hell, they even spent a few hours with The King of Country himself, George Harvey, his wife Norma, and son Bubba, a pretty good roper in his own right.

The limelight was blinding, temptation in every form was omnipresent, and their egos were stroked so often and so well they almost started believing the hype.

They were handed key cards with the room number written on them by bodacious blondes, brunettes, and gingers, and a particularly persistent beauty stuck her white thong in Zane's front jeans pocket with her phone number written on it.

Brad was resolute; he absolutely knew his wife would find out and kill him, so he was a hard no regardless of the temptation! He made the mandatory appearances and went back to the trailer. That disappointed some of the women, but everyone knew he was very married, so they let him be.

Zane, on the other hand, was single and very hunky. The cowgirls were aggressive enough around the arena and at the sponsored parties, but it was those late night-early morning invitation-only parties on the top floor of some hotel where he learned just how truculent and determined a rich girl or woman can become when turned down. Apparently, they had never heard the word ''no" in reply to their proposals before.

It wasn't so much that Zane was concerned about his reputation, although he was; nor that he was concerned about what his ex-wife would think, although it had crossed his mind. Mostly, it had to do with being a proper father for his daughter, and staying focused on his craft.

By the fifth day, however, he had been sorely tempted; sorely, sorely tempted. After winning the third and fourth goes in both events, he had taken an almost insurmountable lead in each chase. His female fans and admirers spent each night telling him he was the greatest roper ever, and he was so handsome, so sexy, and just irresistible!

He had been stoked and fondled mentally and physically each evening, and had engaged in pseudo-sex on the dance floor a few times without initiating it. He knew it was about his celebrity with some and rich girls wanting to try a little of the rough with others, but it was still ego inflating.

It was late on the night after the fifth go round, he was in the company of the man appointed by a major sponsor to get him to each of the events they had lined up, and they were at their third party. He was drinking whiskey because no beer was served at either the second or third parties, and he was fairly drunk and very tired.

He had somehow become paired with a tall, strikingly long-limbed, model-beautiful, early-twenties temptress with an unusual accent who was wearing a slinky designer gown and about $10,000 worth of jewelry. Alena, it turned out, really was a model, from Ukraine. She made no bones about wanting to fuck the handsome cowboy, and promised to introduce him to exotic sexual practices unknown outside the Carpathian Mountains.

He finally succumbed to her entreaties about 3 am, and agreed to go down to her room for the night. She told him to wait right here for a moment, and she hurried off to a large group of men who had been discussing business all night. She pulled an older man aside and spoke to him; he nodded, and she returned to Zane. "My manager; I told him good night. Now we hurry to my room!"

They went down one floor to a penthouse suite; as soon as the door shut, she turned and kissed him almost frantically. Her tongue probed his mouth, her body rubbed against his and her mons ground against his cock. She turned her back to him and asked for help with the zipper of her dress; it fell to the ground, leaving her in a skimpy black bra, black thong, and black thigh-highs. Zane assessed her and found her wanting in no areas that mattered.