Justice Ch. 02: Ghost Riders

"And just who are you?" Greene asked.

"My name is Danni Williams, and I represent Mr. Bradley," she said. "Here's his offer." She set a folder on the table in front of him. He opened it, read the proposal and started laughing.

"You have got to be kidding," he said. "There's no way I'm going along with this. Ten billion dollars? Never gonna happen."

"That's ten billion, tax free," she said. "That's not including all the costs and my fees, which are also listed." He looked at the paperwork again and scoffed.

"And what are you gonna do if I refuse?" he asked with a smirk on his face.

"Well, then, we'll be seeing a lot of each other in court," she said. "This employment contract you had Mr. Bradley sign is a fraudulent document. In fact, his whole employment was a ruse cooked up by all of you to turn his wife into your personal prostitute. We have documents, video, pictures, everything that shows you all complicit in this scheme. We've got you on attempted murder, illegal imprisonment, torture, prostitution, slavery, human trafficking, drugs, the list goes on. You held my client against his will for two months, tortured him and starved him just so you could have your way with his wife.

"In fact, you've violated just about every single one of my client's civil rights, and that doesn't include the destruction of his marriage and the wrongful death of his wife. And I'm sure there's many more victims we can find. There's enough just in this so-called contract alone to keep you tied up in the court system for 100 years," she said.

"And that's not even including state and federal criminal charges," she added. "Just imagine what Acme's reputation will be once all this hits the media." At that, Greene's face turned white.

"Look, I can't approve this by myself," he said. "We need to discuss it and vote on it, and the CEO has to weigh in."

"Bullshit, Greene," Mike said. "Your company did a good job of training me on your financial controls. You can approve this yourself, right now. As the President and Chairman of the Board, all you have to do is pull up your ACH application, punch in your code and it's done. You don't need Carson here to do that."

"Speaking of Doug," another man at one end of the table said. "Where is he? Where is my brother?"

"You're Doug Carson's brother?" Mike asked.

"Yes, why?" he asked.

"You were Gloria's initial boss?" He nodded his head and stood up.

"Yes," he said.

"So, you're the one who got Doug to make her the company whore," Mike said. The man walked around the table and stood in front of Mike.

"Yeah," he said. "She was a damn good fuck and she loved gangbangs. So what are you gonna do about it?"

"Help you join your brother," Mike said. "In Hell." The man's eyes widened and he took a swing at Mike. Elijah and I moved to stop them but it was too late. Before we knew it, Mike had blocked the man's swing, throat-punched him and put him into a headlock. Mike twisted the man's head, rapidly. We heard a sickening crack, and he fell to the floor, dead. All of us were shocked at what we saw.

"That was for Gloria," Mike said. As we watched, the man glowed red for a few seconds, then disappeared.

"You just murdered that man in cold blood," Greene said. Mike looked at him, hatred in his eyes.

"It was self-defense," Mike said. "Isn't that what you all saw?" he asked, looking behind him. Everyone nodded their head.

"Looks that way to me," Bat Masterson said. "That fella took a swing at you first." Greene looked at us, angry.

"Do you have any idea who you're messing with?" he asked. Elijah chuckled.

"Do you?" Elijah asked. Suddenly, the room darkened and the inside temperature went down several degrees. I saw Greene and the rest of the board looking behind us, their eyes wide with fear, so I turned around. Elijah and the other lawmen seemed to have grown a bit, their features blurred. Their eyes glowed like campfires. Around them were several large, dark, winged beings with flaming swords. A couple minutes later, the room returned to normal, but the fear behind the table was palpable.

"Okay," Greene said, his face still registering shock. "I'll do it. Just one thing, please."

"What's that?" Danni asked.

"What do we get if we do this?" he asked.

"Y'all get to keep breathing, at least for a little while," Wild Bill said to chuckles. Greene looked at the other board members.

"Do it," the woman sitting next to him said. "Just do it and get it over with." Greene nodded his head and opened his application. He entered the amounts and all the other information he needed, then punched in his code. He followed that with a scan of his thumbprint. We watched as the transactions took place on his monitor. When they had all completed, he looked up at us.

"Please," he said. "Just go." Elijah whipped out his lariat and the next thing I knew, we were back in my living room.

"That went well," I said, sarcastically.

"So, is that it?" Mike asked. Elijah nodded his head.

"For now," he said. "The rest is up to the feds. If they don't do their jobs, though, we may jes' have to intervene. I think we can all call it a day."

"Just a moment," Danni said before they left. We all turned to her. "I spoke to my folks while you were in Albania. They said they'd talk to the pastor of the old country church they go to about having our wedding a week from Saturday."

"That's kinda fast, isn't it?" I asked. "I mean, are you sure that's what you want?"

"Yes, I want to get married as soon as possible," she said. I turned to Elijah.

"Grandpa," I said. "Look, I know this may sound unusual, but would you do me the honor of being my best man?" He looked at me, stunned.

"Shouldn't that be something you ask of your best friend or something?" he asked.

"Yes, it is," I said. His eyes grew wide as he thought about it for a bit.

"Why, yes," he said. "I'd be honored to. Would you mind if I brought some guests?" he asked, motioning to the others.

"I'd be insulted if you didn't," I said. I saw the other men smiling. Elijah nodded his head.

"Okay, if that's what you want, son, I'll do it," he said. "This is gonna be a bit difficult to explain to yer folks, though."

"Probably not as difficult as you might think," I said.

"Alright, we'll see y'all a week from Saturday," he said. We shook hands and they left the house. I turned to Mike.

"You're invited as well," I said. "That is, if you want to come."

"Thanks," he said. "I'll see how I feel. Right now, I'm starving."

"Sure," I said. "Why don't you stay the night and I'll take you home in the morning if you want."

That night, we finished off the leftover meatloaf I had in the refrigerator, then got Mike settled into one of the spare bedrooms. Danni and I went into the master bedroom and talked for a bit before going to bed.

"Why the rush?" I asked. "I'm not complaining, I'm just a bit curious."

"I realized that life is too short and too precious to waste time and I want to start my new life with you," she said. "That and the baby. I also have a feeling you may be spending more time with your grandfather and I'm a bit afraid that you may leave one day and never return."

I held her in my arms and comforted her.

"I'll always be here for you," I said. "You and the baby are the two most important things in my life. Never forget that."

"I love you," she said before kissing me.

"I love you more," I answered.

...

Epilogue:

The next day, I took Mike home. It seemed that Acme had his car towed back to his place, and oddly enough, the bills had still been paid while he was being held. He thanked me for everything and shuffled into his house. I could tell he was lonely and heartbroken and made a mental note to keep a loose tab on him.

I also asked Danni about the settlement she got for Mike.

"Is that actually going to hold up?" I asked. She nodded her head.

"Oh yeah," she said. "The dollar amount is a lot higher than what you might expect, but it'll hold up if it's ever questioned. Especially under the circumstances. Trust me."

"So, what was your take?" I asked.

"Only about three billion," she said.

"What?" I asked. "You got them to give you three billion dollars?"

"Yep," she said. "Tax free."

"Why so much?" I asked.

"Well, it just might come in handy if I'm going to be a stay-at-home mom like I want," she said.

The wedding went off as scheduled, and we all had a blast. Danni was gorgeous in her wedding dress, and I could see the pride in her father's face as he walked her down the aisle. Grandpa Elijah showed up, dressed in a modern tuxedo that matched mine. I almost didn't recognize him. He had a woman with him, a graceful, trim blonde with a floor-length dress and a hat with a veil that obscured most of her face.

The rest of the posse showed up as well, all of them wearing modern clothes. I could tell they felt uncomfortable in the suits, but they seemed to have a good time mingling with the guests.

The test came when I introduced Elijah to my parents. I introduced him as Justice O. Peace instead of his real name - that was at his insistence. He acted as though he had never met them, but I could tell my mother saw something in his face. She was the historian in the family and spent a lot of time in Grandma Elizabeth's journals. She cornered me during the reception.

"That man looks awful familiar," she said. "I get the feeling I've seen him somewhere before."

"Just a coincidence, I'm sure," I told her. She said nothing more, but I did get a kick out of seeing her dance with the posse. One day, I would tell her she had danced with some of the most famous lawmen in American history, but not today. Danni's folks also had a good time.

About a couple hours into the reception, Elijah pulled Danni and I to the side.

"We don't have much time left, but there's someone I want to introduce you to," he said. His "date" showed up and lifted the veil from her face. There she was - Grandma Elizabeth. She appeared young, about Danni's age, and had long, flowing blonde hair that framed an angelic, smiling face.

"Amos, meet your Grandmother Elizabeth," Elijah said. I was shocked and stunned by her beauty. She smiled and extended a delicate hand. I politely shook her hand and introduced her to Danni. Her face lit up when she saw her engagement ring.

"I don't believe I'm actually meeting you," Danni said. "I've often wondered if you would approve of me wearing your ring."

"Of course, dear," Lizzy said. "I can't think of anyone more deserving. I know you'll be a wonderful wife to Amos and a terrific mother to your children." She turned to me. "And Amos, I want you to know that I'm so very proud of you and I love you both."

"I've read your journal," I said. "And I feel as if I've known you all my life." She smiled and touched my cheek.

"I'm glad, Amos," she said. "You're a lot more like your grandfather than you know. Maybe one day Danni can add her own chapter to that journal. Just know that we're always here for you."

"Thanks, Grandma," I said. "I love you," I added, giving her a hug. She hugged me back and I could feel her warmth. It was strange but she emanated a strange warmth that was also quite comforting.

"Oh, could you please give this to that Mike person?" she asked, handing me a slip of paper. "Gloria gave it to me. Said he would know what it is." I looked and saw it was a telephone number and an address.

"Sure," I said. "I'll tell him. Thanks."

"We need to get going, dear," Elijah said. "It's almost time." She nodded her head and kissed Danni and I on the cheek before lowering her veil.

"Remember," she said. "We're always with you."

"I'll be in touch, son," Elijah said. He turned to Danni and kissed her on the cheek. "Welcome to the family," he added. He turned to his posse and motioned upward. They nodded their heads and followed Elijah and Elizabeth out. I followed a few seconds later, but they were already gone. I turned and almost ran into my mother.

"Where did those charming folks go?" she asked. I could tell she was a bit tipsy.

"They had to get going," I said. "They have an appointment they had to get to."

"Oh darn," she said. "I promised one of them another dance." I smiled to myself.

I gave the note to Mike and thought he was going to pass out when he saw it.

"Everything alright?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said. "It's in her handwriting."

"What is it?" I asked.

"The address and phone number of an old girl friend I dated before Gloria and I got married," he said.

"That's a good thing, isn't it?" I asked. He smiled as he looked at me.

"Yeah," he said. "A very good thing. I thought I lost this number. Thanks."

"You're welcome," I said.

Danni and I enjoyed our two-week long honeymoon in Hawaii and came home. Her folks took care of Ringo while we were gone. I don't know who was happier when we got back, Ringo or me.

I started working on one of the bedrooms, getting it ready for the new baby. Nine months after Danni and I made love at the pond, she gave birth to a strapping baby boy, named William Elijah Jones. Her parents were proud as punch as were mine. Somewhere, I knew my grandfather was smiling.

It took nearly a year after the settlement, but the feds finally moved in on Acme. It wasn't a pretty sight and news reports painted a horrible picture of crime, sex, drugs and illegal guns. Every member of the board was arrested, along with most of the senior executives. After months of wrangling in the courts, they all received life sentences. More than one ended up committing suicide. The company itself was broken up and the pieces sold off to other interests. Something told me their story wasn't quite over.

Mike and I stayed in touch with each other after the reception. He finally connected with his old girl friend and the two of them are planning to get married. She seems to like the new Mike and I've never seen a man happier - that is, until I glance in the mirror...

Oh yeah, I did see Elijah again, but I'll tell you about that the next time we meet.

In the meantime, happy trails...

Notes: The Winchester rifle in this story was patterned after the one used in the old series, "The Rifleman." The modifications mentioned here were patterned somewhat after the modifications used on that rifle.

It's not known if Bill McDonald, who died in Wichita Falls in January 1918 of pneumonia, actually saw a biplane, however, Call Field was established at the "Falls" during World War I as a training site for aviators and observers. Construction began in August 1917 and the 164th Aero Squadron, equipped with six Curtiss JN-4 Jenny trainers, was posted there in November 1917. Two other squadrons joined it in December, one month before McDonald's death. Given that, I figured it was possible that he might have seen one of those old flying crates and exercised a bit of artistic license.

As for the extremely large settlement, I realize there are some who would say that would never happen. I took some artistic license with that as well, but as I said in the beginning, this IS my universe, so...