I'm Not Who I Used to Be Ch. 02

Mark, along with Bianca and Tiffany, had finally decided to grace us with his presence. I will say that at least the girls had the decency to look a little embarrassed until Sarah and I both reassured them that they had no reason whatsoever to feel uncomfortable.

"I'm going to fix the three of us something to eat," Mark told me, "Would you and Sarah like some breakfast, too?"

"We had breakfast earlier this morning, Romeo," I laughed, "But thanks for the gesture just the same, Cuz..."

As Mark, Tiffany and Bianca sat and ate their breakfast on the back patio, Sarah and I joined them with our glasses of iced tea so that the girls might feel more relaxed as they ate.

"I enjoyed the hell out of getting to play with Ray Manzarek last night," Mark said, "What do you think, Mikey?"

"Me, too," I warmly smiled, "But I thought for a minute that I was going to have to drag him onto the stage."

"I know, right?" Mark laughed, "But it turned out alright. I could tell that Hugh was really pleased by the smile that was on his face."

"Hef doesn't let just anyone come into the mansion and play unless he really likes their music," Bianca smiled, "And I've got a feeling that you guys just saw the tip of the iceberg last night."

"She's right," Tiffany added, "I remember the night that Van Morrison played at the mansion. But Hef wouldn't let the press come in for photos and interviews like he did with you guys last night."

"Is that right?" Mark asked them, looking at me with a smile on his face, "So what're you saying?"

"She's saying that Odyssey is out to break wide open," Sarah smiled, leaning over and giving me a soft kiss on the lips, teasing me when she said, "And that means that my husband is going to drooled over by every female in the country," making my face turn beet red.

"What're you talking about, girl?" Bianca giggled, joining in, "He already is being drooled over."

"That's right," Tiffany also giggled, "You should've seen the jealous looks on the faces of every woman at the mansion last night when they found out that Michael was married."

"Uh huh," Mark playfully jabbed, "It looks like my cousin's face is going to start showing up on the cover of every teen magazine in the country," which was followed by a cacophony of female laughter.

"Come on, Mark," I hissed, "My picture better not be seen on some damn teen magazine, or I'll make damn sure they all know that you're the one whose single, not me."

"Damn," Tiffany giggled, "They sound like brothers."

"They're close enough," Sarah said, and then at the look of question on Tiffany's face, Sarah girlishly giggled and said, "They're first cousins."

"Oh, so, that explains it then" Bianca chuckled, "But you've got to admit, they're both a couple of cuties; and I can see why you married Mike."

"What do you mean?" Sarah asked smiling.

"Nothing bad, I swear" Bianca replied, "Mark told us about you two and I think it's one of the most romantic stories I've ever heard," sweet tears forming in her eyes.

"Isn't it?" Sarah tenderly replied, sighing as she looked at me "I've never met anyone who is as forgiving as Michael is...

~~~~~~

HER
LATER THAT EVENING

Mark had taken Bianca and Tiffany back to God only knows where, which left the two of us, Michael and I, alone at the house there on the beach. It was times like this that I truly enjoyed being near the ocean, and I would've loved it even more had the phone not interrupted the tender silence Michael and I were sharing.

Michael reached over and picked the receiver up, placing it to his ear and said, "Hello?"

"Hello?" he again answered, and then after hanging it up he just chuckled and said, "Hmm, must've been a wrong number."

Of course neither of us thought anything about it at the time, and after talking about it for a few moments, Michael told me that he wanted to go to a place called, Kinsey's, a place which is no longer there but at the time was in downtown L.A., for a bite to eat.

~~~~~~

Michael and I decided to dress alike, hence the reason he wore a men's evening jacket and a white button collar shirt, along with a pair of blue jeans and boots. And like I previously said, I dressed just like him, with the exception that my clothes were designed for women.

We weren't trying to be "trendy" like they call it in Los Angeles, nor were we trying to set a certain style, we were just trying to dress comfortably without looking like a couple of hillbillies that were out on the town...

~~~~~~

I got a first-hand experience that night at what a bunch of vermin and assholes that the media can be when, the moment we pulled up to the valet stand, some jackass with a camera was in my face flashing pictures to the point that he had me cornered until I couldn't move.

The next thing I heard was the sound of Michael's voice telling me, "Come with me, baby," and then I felt his hand grabbing mine as he practically had to almost drag me away from the asshole with the camera.

"Back off, you jerk," Michael growled at the photographer, pushing him out of our way, "Or one of these days someone is going to shove that camera up your ass."

"It won't be you, bitch," the photographer hatefully spat, making the stupid mistake of taking a swing at my husband.

The next thing I heard was the sound of something crashing onto the pavement, accompanied by the same butcher-block meaty sound I heard the night that Michael put Dennis Worley down. And it was only seconds before two police cruisers arrived on the scene, wanting to know what had happened...

~~~~~~

The photographer, who, it turned out, was a free-lance jackass that had already been arrested for the same shit he'd just pulled only a few moments earlier, and had a police record longer than his arm for similar offenses, tried to lie and say that Michael had assaulted him first.

That was until a young couple on vacation had caught the whole incident on their video camera and were more than happy to show the police what had really happened. Of course we were all taken to the police precinct where a magistrate convened, allowing Michael to press assault charges against the photographer, who was remanded to the Los Angeles County Sherriff's office, and taken to jail.

On the way out, Michael graciously signed several autographs for the Police Officers and Sherriff's Deputies alike thanking them for demonstrating the professionalism associated with the type of work they did...

~~~~~~

Michael made it a point to graciously thank the couple who had so kindly volunteered their video tape to be used as evidence when the trial against that asshole photographer who'd so aggressively accosted us at Kinsey's came up...

~~~~~~

"My name's Mike," he smiled, introducing us to the young couple, "And this is my wife, Sarah. What're your names?"

"My name is Tom Caffey," the young guy widely grinned, shaking Mike's proffered hand, "And this lady is my wife, Leslie, Mister Taylor."

"I see," Mike boyishly grinned, "So, you know who I am then?"

"We sure do, Mister Taylor," Leslie excitedly smiled, also stepping up to shake Michael's hand, "We're from Houston, Texas, just like you guys in Odyssey, and we really love ya'll's music."

"Is that right?" Michael smiled, giving me a knowing wink, "In that case, you two are cordially invited to come have dinner with me and my wife, our treat," and then looking at me, Michael smiled, and said, "It's the least we can do, isn't it Sweetheart."

Yes, it is," I warmly replied, taking Leslie's hand, "Come with us, girl. You and I can sit in the backseat of the car while the men sit up front and talk trash..."

~~~~~~

ME

To make a long story short, the police took us all back to Kinsey's where we piled into our car and then we drove north up the Pacific Coast Highway until we ended up at "Joey's Italian Ristorante" just couple of miles north of where we were temporarily living. Of course Michael had called ahead to make reservations; and none other than Joey and Marie Giacomo were there to greet us the moment we walked through the front door.

"Michael, Sarah," Joey warmly greeted us with hugs, Marie following suit, "It's so good to see you again," and then stepping back to see Tom and Leslie Caffey accompanying us, he smiled, and said, "And you brought some guests with you...Come with me, I'll seat you at our finest table..."

~~~~~~

"Thank you, Michael," Leslie sweetly smiled, affectionately calling me by my full name, "You didn't have to do this, really."

"Oh, yes I did," I quickly let her know with a smile on my face, "You and Tom saved me and Sarah from a whole lot of trouble, not to mention saving me from assault charges as well. How could I not return the same kindness you showed us, huh?"

"This is really very nice of you, Mike," Tom smiled, "The guys I work with aren't going to believe it when I tell them that I had dinner with Mike Taylor, the lead singer of Odyssey."

"I've got an idea," I chuckled, "Did you bring your video camera with you?"

"It's outside in my camera bag in your car," he quizzically replied, "Why do you ask...?"

~~~~~~

Because of the fact that Joey had seated us away from everyone else in our own private room, I got Tom to set up his video camera on a tripod that faced our table borrowing an extension cord from Joey so that Tom wouldn't run the batteries down on his camera. After Tom pushed the proper button on his video camera and was certain that it was recording, we all sat down and shared a nice meal together, making certain that the camera could clearly see all of us, also making sure to say "Hello" to his friends back home.

To say that Tom and Leslie Caffey were excited was the understatement of the century. I also made sure that a limousine was made available for then to use for the rest of their stay in Los Angeles, knowing that I would be able to use the cost as a tax write-off at the end of the year.

"Once again, thank you, Mike," Tom graciously smiled, as the night came to an end, "I'm going to make sure that everyone back home knows what nice and kind people you and your wife are," and then handing me a business card, he smiled and said, "The next time you're in Houston, please give me a call so that we can return the kindness you've shown us this evening, okay?"

"You've got it, brother," I grinned, hugging him and Leslie both. Then I handed him my business card, with my personal number written on the back, "I smiled and said, "The next time you're here in L.A., I want you to give me a call as well...okay?"

"No problem," he smiled taking his camera bag and following his wife into the back of the limo, "Odyssey rocks..."

~~~~~~

Chapter Four
HER

"You did a wonderful thing tonight, Michael," I softly told him, as he drove us home, "Those kids will remember tonight for the rest of their lives, not to mention what their friends and family are all going to say when they see that video tape."

"It was the very least I could do," he gently replied smiling, placing his hand on my knee, "Think about it for a minute, baby; those kids didn't have to come forward in court with that tape. Plus, with my martial arts training I was facing one hell of a lawsuit along with aggravated assault charges, too. Tom and Leslie Caffey saved my bacon in a big way."

"I suppose so," I smiled, quietly yawning, "I don't know about you, my love; but I've had a long day. Can we go home and go to bed?"

"Mmm," he teasingly purred, inching his hand toward the crotch of my jeans, "Bed sounds like a good idea to me, my love."

"Oh, God," I playfully complained, gently moving his hand from between my legs, "I think I've created a monster."

"Uh huh," Michael laughed, gently tweaking my nipple, "And don't you dare say that you don't love every minute of it, my beauty..."

~~~~~~

When we arrived back at the beach house that night, it felt eerily quiet, as no one was there and the house was dark.

"IS ANYBODY HOME?" I heard Michael loudly shout, only to be met with silence, as he began turning enough light for us to be able to see.

"I guess not," he chuckled, pulling me into his arms, "It seems that we have the house all to ourselves."

"It looks that way," I warmly smiled, reaching up and kissing my beautiful husband's lips, "Doesn't it?"

"What would you think if I just felt like sleeping tonight?" he kindly asked me, "I want to lie next to you and hold you in my arms, my love."

"Mmm," I purred, pulling him against me, "That sounds so romantic, baby...I think I'd really like that."

"Good," he smiled, pulling me into our bedroom, and then with a bratty look on his face he chuckled and told me, "The last one dressed is a rotten egg" and then he began to quickly remove his clothes not bothering to pick them up off of the floor...

~~~~~~

ME

I woke up the next morning to find my beautiful Sarah laying right next to me with her soft, bare body pressed closely against mine; making the love I already felt for her burn even more brightly than ever before, if that was even possible at this point. I was attempting to get out the bed without waking her until she opened her bright blue eyes; and then with a smile on her stunning face she leaned over and ever so tenderly kissed my lips.

"Mmm, good morning, baby," she sweetly beamed, "I slept like a baby lying next to you."

"Me, too," I smiled, intoxicated by the taste of her kiss, "Just like I always do when you're near me."

She was about to speak when she was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone, making me reach over to the night stand beside my bed to answer it. However, the moment I said, "Hello," the line again went dead.

"That's happened twice now, once last night, and again this morning" I uneasily told Sarah, a bad feeling beginning to suddenly arise inside of me, "And you know that I don't believe in coincidences, my love."

"I don't either," she fearfully replied, rising up and taking her clothes from the chair on her side of the bed, "Let's get dressed and get the hell outta here...please Michael?"

"I agree, baby," I quickly agreed, following her lead, "I'm beginning to get a bad feeling all of a sudden."

We quickly dressed, and the moment I walked into the kitchen, the back door flew open followed by two guys I'd never seen before, both of them dressed in black tactical clothing, and both of them armed with nine millimeter handguns which were equipped with suppressors (silencers) so that anyone nearby wouldn't be alerted by the sound of gunfire and call the authorities.

However, before they had time to react, I kicked the intruder nearest to me and knocked him unconscious, making him not only drop his weapon, but also allowing me to use his body as a shield when I threw it against the second intruder. It knocked him off his guard long enough for me to disarm him, and then using the butt of his own weapon, I knocked him unconscious as well...

~~~~~~

After everything had settled back down, the second intruder awoke to find himself very securely restrained with no chance of being able to break free of his bonds; blindfolded and gagged, I had also duct-taped his lower legs, and thighs to the seat of one of the kitchen chairs. And because his partner was lying in the floor in the same condition, I rested a little easier in knowing that our would-be assailants had been neutralized and the immediate situation had been defused for the moment.

I'd managed to get my hands on two boxes of the heavy plastic zip-ties that our roadies used to secure the cords and cables that we used on stage to send home to Uncle Jack to use on his still. However, at this particular moment, I was using some of them to bind the intruder's hands and arms not only behind their backs, but where the second intruder was concerned, I was using four of the zip-ties to the secure his upper body to the back rest of the chair I'd placed him in, and his legs to the bottom legs of it.

Call me barbaric if you want to, but these two animals had broken into our house with the obvious intention of doing bodily harm to Sarah, myself, or God forbid, the both of us. Once I'd accomplished the task of neutralizing the immediate threat to our lives, I instructed Sarah to pick up the phone and see if she could possibly get my bandmates back to the house while I questioned the second intruder...

~~~~~~

"If you try anything at all I'm going to unload this weapon into your head," I quietly hissed, jamming the muzzle of his partner's weapon into the base of his skull, "Nod your head if you understand me," which he quickly did.

"I'm going to take the gag out of your mouth so that you and I can have a little talk," I told him, "Remember that these weapons have suppressors on them; so, if you try to scream or yell out, no one will hear me firing this pistol into your brain pan. Is that clear?" and again he nodded his head.

The moment I removed the gag from his mouth, I quickly told him, "I'm sure your mouth is probably as dry as the Sahara, so; going to give you some water to drink because I'm not the monster you seem to think I am."

"Thank you," he gratefully said, "I'll tell you whatever you want to know...please don't kill us, okay?"

"I give you my word that I'm not going to hurt you," I assured him, "But that means you're going to tell me why you're here as well as who sent you. Do we understand one another?"

"We were sent here to take the both of you back to Texas," the intruder confessed, "We weren't going to kill you, I swear it."

"Who sent you?" I calmly asked him, and when I was met with silence, I removed the pistol from the base of his skull and placing it underneath his chin, and heatedly barked, "WHO WAS IT, MOTHERFUCKER?"

"It was Jimmy Don Worley," the man confessed, "But please don't let him know that I told you. He said that he would kill my wife and daughter if we failed to bring you two back" and by this time he was so overcome with fear that he finally broke down and began to weep like a child.

"Let me guess," I told Sarah, "He's talking about Dennis and David's father, isn't he?"

"Yes," Sarah fearfully cringed, pulling me into her arms as tears began to fill her eyes, "And he's a very dangerous man, Michael."

"Is that right?" I laughed, as Sarah nodded her pretty head, "I want you to relax, baby. He sounds like another stupid redneck as far as I'm concerned."

"You don't seem to understand, Michael honey," she frightfully replied, tears now running God given beautiful face, "Even though it could never be proven in a court of law, everyone knows that he killed those three black teenagers over in Montgomery County."

"Is that right?" I angrily growled, "So not only is he a redneck as well as a racist, but he's also a murderer, too?"

"Why do you think I'm worried about my wife and daughter?" the second intruder suddenly interjected "My name is Josh Willis, my partner's name is Shane McGowan and if you'll let us, we can help you get that evil sonofabitch once and for all..."

~~~~~~

NINETY MINUTES LATER

Sarah had been able to get a hold of Mark, Lee, and Kevin and within an hour they were back at the house, all three of them full of questions.

"Would somebody like to tell me just what in the hell is going on here?" Mark asked first, "Who are these two guys and why are they dressed in tactical clothing?"

"No shit," Lee inquired, pointing to the two suppressor equipped pistols sitting on the kitchen table "And who in the hell do these damn guns belong to?"

"If you guys will give me the chance to tell you, I can explain everything" I quickly replied; and then after getting everyone to calm down and have a seat, I told the three of them everything that had taken place that morning...

~~~~~~

"I know who Jimmy Don Worley is," Mark disgustedly spat "He's an evil, redneck, piece of shit."