Jake's Reward

He yanked his arm away as he backed up to check me out. Now this guy was about two inches taller than I was and about sixty-five pounds heavier. Noticing the size difference, the stupid oaf let his testosterone get the better of his brain. "You think you're man enough to stop me?" as he threw a roundhouse swing. I blocked his punch, threw four of my own to his gut, grabbed his arm, flipped him, and twisted his arm almost to the break point.

"Well Asshole, you didn't believe me when I said I'd break both arms, did you?"

He vehemently shook his head NO.

"Do you believe me now?" I said as I applied some more pressure on his arm.

"YES" he screamed.

"Now get your fat pathetic ass out of here" I said as I let him go.

He got up holding his arm. As he turned to go, he spat out, "Go ahead and take the Ice Queen! She is nothing but a FUCKING FRIDGID BITCH."

As he got into his car and sped away, I turned to the lady who was huddled in a ball on the ground sobbing. I was shocked to fond out that the lady in question was Angelique.

I walked slowly over to Angelique. Gently touching her elbow, I said, "Ms. Chamberlain, everything is all right now. Your date has gone, he won't be touching you ever again."

Looking up, Angelique recognized me. Throwing her arms around my neck, she started to cry uncontrollably. Kneeling, I just let her cry herself out and eventually she got herself under control.

As we stood, she asked, "Do you make a habit of coming to help me Mr. McAllister, or is it just coincidence? Anyway, I can't thank you enough. I don't know what I would have done."

"You quite welcome and I always enjoy championing beautiful ladies against egotistical bullies. Can I give you a ride home or would you prefer if I called a cab for you?"

"I'll take you up on your offer of a ride if you don't mind. Right now I feel safer in your company."

Attempting to lighten the mood, I said, "Well, milady, my humble steed awaits yon to carry you to your abode. I'm afraid she is a bit on the old side but extremely sound and trustworthy."

Chuckling, Angelique replied, "well how old is she?"

"I'm afraid she isn't a luxury car but a 1990 Ford F250 four wheel drive pick-up truck, but I've taken especially good care of her."

"Considering my circumstances, I'm more than grateful for her services" she said as I held the door for her.

As I drove, I knew that Angelique need time to process the events of the evening so I remained quiet. About half way back to her house she asked, "Why? Why did you help me again?"

"Ms. Chamberlain…"

"Stop. Please call me Angelique. With what you have done for me, you have earned the right to address me by my first name."

"Only if you call me Jake."

"Agreed."

"Well Angelique, you know my reasons for coming to you with the information for your divorce."

"Yes."

"As for tonight, well there are two things that put me into a rage. The first is when an adult abuses a child. The second is when a man hits a woman. The only time, in my estimation, when it is permissible for a man to hit a woman is only in self-defense."

"I was going to ignore the argument that you were involved in, but when I heard and saw you get hit, well you know what happened then don't you?"

"Yes, I saw it all. I have never seen anyone move as fast as you did. George never saw what hit him."

As we pulled into her driveway, I asked, "Angelique, do you have any pets or are you expecting anyone?"

"No, why?"

"Never mind. Just stay in the truck. There's a cell phone in the glove compartment. In about five minutes, if things are not settled, call 911 and tell the police there are vandals in your yard. Now give me the keys to your house."

With some alarm, Angelique said, "Jake what's going on"

"Not now Angelique. Just trust me, OK? I haven't led you astray yet have I?"

"No. All right, I'll do as you ask."

Reaching behind the seat, I pulled out two pairs of wooden ssang jeul bongs and tucked them behind my back. Then locking the truck door I closed it. As I started toward the front door, four men in black carrying some type of blunt weapon surrounded me.

"Mr. Kohl figured you'd show up here sooner or later, so he sent us to teach you a lesson to keep your nose out of his business."

"Thanks for telling me who sent you. Now, I'll give you boys just one chance to walk away, otherwise you'll just have to suffer the consequences." All of them laughed until I pulled out my ssang jeul bong. Suddenly, the leader yelled, "Get Him."

Before they could react, I took the fight to them attacking one guy who had a baseball bat. The next thing he knew was that his wrist was broken, quickly followed by his right kneecap. The next one to attack had a metal pipe. Having witnessed what happened to the first guy, he was more cautious in his approach. In the mean time, the other two were trying to circle behind me but I wasn't about to let that happen. Like the first thug, I attacked the second guy. He was looking for me to try the same tactic that I had used first. Not to disappoint him, I swung at his arm but as he pulled away, I immediately changed the direction of my ssang jeul bong and hit him full force square in his balls. He dropped like a lead balloon and to make certain that he was taken out of the fight permanently I hit him in his jaw, turning it into a jigsaw puzzle and knocking him out.

Abruptly turning to confront the remaining two thugs, I caused them to stop short to rethink their attack plan. My main concern was with the guy who had a chain. I feinted a couple of times at the fourth guy then turned to the one with the chain in time to see it whistling down at my head. I was able to block the chain but in the process, my ssang jeul bong was knocked out of my hands. I immediately attacked and because of the short distance, he had to drop the chain to defend himself. Try as he might, he was no match for me. Between my SEAL training and my martial arts experience he was quickly eliminated. Unfortunately, during this last exchange, the last guy, who was the leader, slipped behind me and nailed me in the ribs with a 2X4. As I went down after being hit, I rolled and was able to come up out of his reach. As he started to circle, I pulled out my second ssang jeul bong and attacked. The asshole was shocked to see that I was still armed, he never saw what hit him. Being so pissed by this time, I decided to make him suffer. By the end, I had broken his arm, his jaw and both kneecaps. As I finished him off, I heard sirens. I quickly retrieved my ssang jeul bongs as Angelique got out of the truck. She came around to my side and we were getting our story straight just as the police arrived.

We were separated and our stories taken down as the four thugs were shipped out to the hospital under police escort. The whole process didn't take as long as I expected. Apparently, Angelique was very well known and liked by the Alexandria Police department for many reasons the least being the amount of money she donated to the department.

After the police left, I walked Angelique to her door. When I opened it, I asked her if she wanted me to check her house.

'If it's not too much for you and you don't mind, Yes." Making a tour of the house and finding everything in order, I said, "I better be leaving now and head home."

"Jake, would you PLEASE stay here tonight. I'm really afraid right now. I wont be able to sleep if I'm left all alone. Please say you'll stay."

" All right, I'll stay. Why don't you go get ready for bed while I close up for the night then you can show me where to sleep for the night." Ten minutes later, I was heading upstairs when I heard Angelique call.

"Jake, please come here. I've made my mind up and I want you to sleep in here with me."

"Why?"

"I've told you. I'm frightened. I don't want to be alone. Besides, you have been nothing but the consummate gentleman. Being courteous, as well as solicitous of my safety. The bottom line is that my gut says to trust you so come to bed."

"I don't have anything to sleep in."

"Sleep in your underwear. I don't care. I just want to get some sleep and I can't do that unless I feel safe. I won't feel safe unless you're here."

I reluctantly gave in and went into the bathroom and got cleaned up. By the time I returned to the bedroom, Angelique had crawled into bed. As I was undressing, I heard a gasp.

"Oh my God! What happened to you Jake?"

Catching a glimpse of myself in the mirror, I saw a massive bruise on my side and back from where I had been hit with the 2x4. Making light of my state so as to not upset her any more I said, "Oh this is just where I got hit. Really, it looks worse than it is." Starting to make a fuss, I cut her off saying "let's just go to sleep, OK?" just as I shut the light off and climbed into bed. A few minutes later as I lay there, I felt Angelique move over in bed and snuggle in next to my side. A few minutes later, I heard the slow rhythmic breathing that indicated that she had fallen asleep after her exhausting night.

I awoke early as was my habit. Easing myself out of bed so as not to disturb Angelique, I grabbed my pants and went to the bathroom, then down to the kitchen to see what was available. I found everything I needed to cook breakfast.

"I wondered what smelled so wonderful and you made coffee also" Angelique said as she came into the kitchen. "Where did you learn to cook? Most men I know don't their way around the kitchen let alone know how to cook."

Turning, I handed her a mug of coffee. "It's something I learned from what my mom taught me as well as living on my own" I replied as I turned to fill my coffee mug.

"Oh my God Jake! Your back looks horrible. Why didn't you say anything last night?"

"Please don't get upset about me, you needed me to stay last night, remember?"

"I'm sorry Jake if I sounded like I was criticizing. I'm just alarmed at what happened to you because of me. I don't have the faintest idea of how I can ever thank you or make it up to you."

"Let's eat first then we can talk afterwards, OK?" as I finished placing the food on the table.

After an enjoyable breakfast, while Angelique got dressed I did the dishes and then finished dressing. Angelique joined me in the living room about fifteen minutes later dressed in jeans, a blouse, and sneakers. Looking very refreshed, she sat down opposite me and lit a cigarette. Sitting there for several minutes, an awkward silence developed as neither one of said anything.

With a serious expression, Angelique began…."I can't thank you enough for coming to my rescue. As I said last night, you have been the consummate gentleman, always sincere and very solicitous of my well being. Part of me views you like a knight in shining armor, a hero coming to rescue the maiden in distress, sort of a fantasy view but now back to reality. Twice now, you have come to my aid. I don't know how I can ever repay your kindness." "We've already been over the reasons for my actions Angelique. Besides, I have already received all the reward I need, your simple "Thank you."

"That's not enough for me. There has got to be something else I can do. Please, just name it."

"You are obviously very serious about this, aren't you?"

"Yes!"

Sitting there looking into those emerald green eyes of hers, I thought 'Be careful or you'll get lost in them'. After several moments I said…"I can't give you an answer right now Angelique. Could I have some time to think on this? I promise to give you an answer once I figure something out."

"All right, but I'm going to hold you to your promise. I'll give you a couple of telephone numbers where I can be reached or you can leave a message for me."

With that done, after receiving the information, we said our good byes and I left. On the way home I called my friendly P.I. requesting his services again and left some instructions. The remainder of the weekend was spent recuperating. Never believing very much in coincidences, but rather in the existence of a higher power that set events in motion for a reason I reflected on the past events. My path had twice crossed with that of Angelique Chamberlain's. What would I do? Getting frustrated at coming up empty handed, I took a break to read some Anesthesia journals and my all time favorite novel "Lord of the Rings".

Monday rolled around and it was back to work. Towards the latter part of the week, I received a message from Tim to give him a call. When we finally connected, I thanked him for all the information that I had requested, then asked him to make a couple of other arrangements and then send me the bill. With that, I started making plans for the weekend

After work Friday, I picked up the rental car and checked into the Ramada Inn under the fictitious reservation that Tim had made for me. Around 9:00 PM, I slipped out of the motel with out being seen and made my way over to my destination for the night. The situation couldn't be any more perfect with the house being in a very secluded neighborhood as well as situated way back on a huge lot. With the information from Tim, I put on my surgical gloves and was able to slip into the house without being detected just before the owner left. Once in, I familiarize myself with the floor plan of the house then proceeded to explore the house and computer. As 11:30 PM rolled around, I heard the owner arrived home and strategically placed myself in such a way as to learn what the security code was. About fifteen minutes after he had gone up to bed, I disarmed the system, slipped outside, disabled the cable and phone lines then came back in. Upon reentering the house, I went down into the basement to set my stage for my nights entertainment. When I was all prepared, I quietly slipped up to the bedroom. Pulling my trusty razor sharp K-Bar knife as I pressed it into the mans throat, I said…"Time to wake up George, we have some unfinished business" as I turned on the light.

George's eyes popped open with the most exquisite look of abject terror on his face, but to give credit where credit is due, he never moved an inch

"Hi George, remember me? If you do just blink once, if not blink twice."

George blinked once.

As I eased the pressure of my knife on his throat I said, "Now George, I'm going let you sit up so we can talk and OH by the way, I wouldn't think about trying for this."

George's eyes just about popped out of is face again as I held up his 9mm Barretta and pointed it at his head.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Now George, what ever are you doing with a gun that has had all the identification etched off. Seems to me that maybe you have a dark and shady side to you that no one really knows about?

Hey, what we say about my taking this off your hand for prosperity's sake?"

"FUCK YOU, you son of a bitch."

In my most condescending voice I said, "George, George, don't you remember the conversation we had out in the parking lot the other night?"

With pure unadulterated hate in his eyes, George just sat there and glared at me.

After 10 minutes without an answer, I pulled out a silencer, screwed it in place on the gun, and chambered a round. At which point George's demeanor changed. With all the scorn and contempt I could muster, I said, "We'll start again now that I finally have your undivided attention. Do you remember our conversation from the other night?"

"Yes."

"And what was the one most important thing I said?"

"That if I tried to hit the bitch again, you'd break my arms, then once they were healed you'd come and kill me."

"You under estimated me didn't you? You thought that because of who you were and your connections to, shall we say, those people of society that are less than desirable, that you could skate on by didn't you?"

Still feeling superior, George said…"Fuck off asshole, you don't know who you're dealing with."

No sooner had he finished, than I fired 5 quick shots making a nice outline of his head with the bullet holes less than a half inch from his skin. Shouting I said, "NO YOU FUCK OFF SHITHEAD!!! You know nothing about me. Now stand up! We're going for a little walk."

By this time George was sweating profusely and had turned deathly pale. As he passed me, I said "Move it fatso!" and hit him in the back of the head knocking him out.

I dragged him down to the kitchen and then down into the basement where I quickly stripped him and trussed him up like a pig. I then threw ice water on him.

Waking with a start George said, "What the fuck?" As his eyes focused on the assortment of toys I had assembled before him on the floor, he turned ghostly pale and said, "You're insane"

"You know that's not the first time that I've been told that. All the other guys in my unit made sure I was always sent out as point man on our search and destroy missions for just that reason.

Now we are down to the reason of why we are here. I've given a lot of thought to what has happened and what would be just. I've come to the conclusion that it's not worth the hassle of killing you and having to dispose of the body. So George, I can't let you just skate by without being punished thus I have decided to show you first hand what it is like to experience the fear and pain of being beaten. Just like you did with Angelique Chamberlain the other night. You may scream all you want but given the isolation and privacy of this house coupled with the fact that we'll be in the basement, well I doubt that anyone will hear us given the hour of the night."

Picking up my Taser (not your run of the mill Taser – I had, while over on Nam, arranged on the black market, to have it modified to my own specifications; it had multiple settings where I could adjust the intensity, the duration, the frequency and a lot of other innovative functions) over the course of the next 30 minutes I let George experience a myriad of electroshocks. None of which cause any physical damage.

I had decided very early that George would receive only two sessions of actual physical pain. The rest of the toys were brought for the sole purpose of shock therapy to produce abject fear. It never ceases to amaze me how ones own imagination can literally inflict so much fear and anguish on their selves. After I had finished with my Taser, I left George alone for about 15 minutes so he could rest but more importantly to let his imagination run rampant and do my work for me.

My plan apparently worked for as I picked up my Kendo sword, George lost it and pissed himself. It was quite the site seeing him kneeling there in a pool of urine. (For those of you who don't know what a Kendo sword is, it is a sword made out of split bamboo in the traditional shape of a Katana or Samurai sword used for training in the Art of Kendo [sword fighting]). I then proceeded to beat George over every inch of his body with the exception of his head/face, hands, and testicles. He had been hit with only enough force to produce the final results but not cause any visible or permanent damage. This beating lasted for 90 minutes and at the end George was bruised all over and in pain. When I cut him loose at the end of the session, he just fell on the floor like a blob just sobbing uncontrollably.

I grabbed him by his hair and looking into his eyes said my final words to him in a most deadly voice. "George, I'm going to let you live. Be thankful. I know who you are and what you are. As you have found out, I have a many, many contacts, which let me get up close and personal with you and you never saw it coming. Don't even think about revenge, because I'll know if you do. Then I'll come back and what happened tonight will seem like a fairy tail.

What you got tonight was just a beating. If I come back we'll go for a little trip into the wilderness and you'll find out just what torture is all about just before you die. Do you fully understand what I have told you?"