Kate Pt. 01

"Come on," I said, "You and I both know that our beloved Sheriff, Fate Thomas, is bigger crook than Al Capone ever was; and he's the reason that not so much David, but Mike has gotten away with the shit he's been getting away with for so long."

"I know," she replied, looking at her hands, "But like I said, those guys are dangerous; and if you go fucking around with the wrong people, and sticking your nose in the someone else's business, somebody is going to cut your head off, and then I'll have to see it on the news when they pull your body from the Cumberland River," and by this time she was crying with her head laid upon my shoulder.

"Shh, baby," I soothed her, as I gently wrapped my arms around her and pulled her body against mine, "It's going to be fine, I promise you. You're going to have to trust me...okay?"

"You know that I trust you, Mark," she wept, "That doesn't mean that I'm not going to worry about you though."

"I know," I gently replied, "But everything is going to be just fine, please believe me when I tell you this."

"I have to believe you," she sniffled, "I don't have a choice."

"Yes, you do," I said, looking into her eyes, "I don't want you to do it, but you can always turn and walk away ya know."

"Yeah, right," she frowned, "Like that's really an option for me now."

"Is that right?" I knowingly smiled, "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"You don't get it, do you?" she quietly but angrily replied, her arms tightly around me, "It's impossible for me to do that now, because I'm totally, as well as irrevocably in love with you, Mark. There's no turning back for me, because we're part of one another now, and where you go, I go; and that's all there is to it, okay?"

"Okay, baby," I tenderly told her, gently kissing her lips, "I love you, too, with all my heart, and I promise not to let anything happen to me."

"You better not," she smiled, tears raining down her face, "I swear that I'll piss on your grave if you do. Do you understand me?"

"Yeah," I grinned, "And God knows that I wouldn't want you to have to lift your skirt in public just to piss on my grave."

"Oh, shut up," she giggled, "That's not funny..."

~~~~~~

When I got to the building where Linder and Dodge had their offices, I took a moment to prepare myself for the meeting that I was about to have with Mike and David. I knew that what I wanted, as well as the conditions that I was about to set to do the Gaylord Entertainment job, were going to thoroughly piss Mike off, but because of the kind of people that he and David were, I was left with no choice. And I was certainly going to personally see to it that the both of them were going to pay for their sins, David, for committing statutory rape of at least two girls that Kate knew of, as well as countless others, and Mike, for trafficking poison into this country, the poison that was known as cocaine.

Not only did I lose a couple of friends in college to that shit, but I also saw it almost destroy the life of someone who was not only very close, but also very dear to me, my sweet and precious cousin, Tabitha. I'm glad that she was able to get off of that crap and go through rehab. Kate knew none of this as of yet, and something that no one else knew, was that my Uncle John Sheppard, my mother's brother, as well as Tabby's father, was an agent for the Drug Enforcement Administration, commonly known as the DEA.

I hadn't made contact with him as of yet, because I wanted to have proof that Mike was doing the shit that Kate told me that he was doing before I wasted my uncle's time. I only hoped and prayed that Mike's wife, Linda, Kate's Aunt and Carolyn's sister, had no part in, or knowledge of her husband's misdeeds. It would be not only heartbreaking to them, but also a shame to see her go to jail.

After all, she'd been so gentle and kind to me the first time I met her; plus, it would really upset me to find out that she was somehow involved in Mike's bullshit. Still though, only time would tell; and at that moment, time was something that I had very little of before I had to meet with Mike and David. So, with all of that in mind, I made my way into the building and then took the elevator up to the offices of Linder & Dodge.

~~~~~~

"Hi, Mark," Mike gladly shook my hand as he greeted me, "Man, that was a wild scene last night, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," I smiled, burying my contempt for him deep inside of me, gently placing my briefcase on its side, atop the desk between me and him, "But at least we got Tyler Martin's ass put away, huh?"

"We sure did," David proudly grinned, "And I didn't know you could fight like you do; holy shit, Mark, where did you learn to move like that?"

"Oh, that," I humbly replied, passing it off as nothing, but knowing otherwise, "It's just some stuff that I learned in a self defense class that I took for a semester in college, that's all."

"It worked though," Mike grinned, "Maybe you could show me some of that stuff sometime?"

"Maybe," I said, "But let's talk about the Gaylord Entertainment job, okay?"

"You're right," Mike said, getting right to the point, "What are the conditions you were talking about earlier, Mark?"

"Oh, that," I emotionlessly replied, "I want half of the money we're going to make off of the job, or you can tell Jake Anderson and Bobby Hanson that they can find someone else to do the job."

"Are you crazy?" David harshly asked, "How are Mike and I supposed to make any money, God dammit?"

"That's easy," I cooly replied, "You two can split the other half...That's the only way I'm going to do this job...I've got bills to pay, too, and if I can get my hands on the kind of money that this job is going to pay, then I can pay off everything in one stroke."

"You're out of you're fucking mind," David seethed, "You greedy little bastard."

"I'd watch my fucking mouth, if I were you, you son of a bitch" I ruthlessly growled, "Otherwise, I'll give you the same thing I gave Tyler Martin last night, motherfucker."

"GENTLEMEN, PLEASE," Mike shouted, then he looked at me and David, and then calmly said, "I'm sure there is some kind of agreement that we can all reach without getting violent. Do we understand each other?"

"I'm agreeable to anything," I quietly hissed, glaring at David, "Just as long as I get what I asked for."

"Who the hell does this kid think he is, Mike?" David spat, "You can't let him get away with this shit...you just can't, and that's all there is to it."

"I know of a way that we can pay him what he wants, and still make the money you and I wanted from this job, David, old friend," Mike knowingly smiled at him, "I can tell that Mark likes to play games. Well, I've got a game that he'll love; and if he plays by the rules, the money he'll make is probably more than he could ever imagine, and one hell of a lot more than he's ever seen...that's for damn sure."

"I can imagine a lot more than you think," I flippantly replied, while playing Mike's unknowing and gullible ass right into my hand, "What kind of game are you talking about, and how much money is involved?"

"I'm talking about a game of chance," he evilly grinned, "And the amount of money that's involved is One Million Dollars."

"One Million Dollars," I laughed, "I won't even get out of bed for less than two."

"And that's okay, too," Mike grinned, "But you need to know that the more money that's involved, the higher the risk is."

"What kind of risk are we talking about?" I asked, "And what all is entailed?"

"I'm talking about picking up a package overseas," he said, "And then bringing it back here to me, where I will pay you Two Million Dollars, cash, the moment it's in my hands."

"That sounds good," I excitedly replied, intentionally leading them on, "What's in the package, and is it legal?"

"Of course it's not legal, you dumb ass," David spat, which made me stand up and quickly knock him out of his chair and onto his skinny ass with one punch to the jaw.

"What did I tell you about using that kind of language about me, motherfucker?" I growled, placing my foot upon his throat, "Now, I'm going to let you up, but if you make one move against me, I'm going to break your fucking neck, asshole. Are we clear on this point?"

"Yes," he helplessly choked, "Just let me get up...please?"

"Please let him up, Mark," Mike politely asked, glaring at David for the second time since I'd known them, "I promise that he'll watch his mouth from now on."

"I'm not trying to be a jerk, Mike," I replied, taking my foot off of David's throat, while picking up my briefcase, "But ever since David said what he did about the reasons why you guys brought me here to begin with, I've disliked him ever since."

"I can understand that," he chuckled, "Apologize to him, David...now."

"Why, Mike?" David whined, "He was..."

"I said apologize to him, dammit," Mike growled, "NOW!"

David, in turn, extended his right hand, and said, "I'm sorry, Mark. I promise you that it won't happen again, okay?"

"Alright," I smiled, drawing them in further, setting my briefcase back down, onto the floor this time, and shaking his hand, "I apologize for hitting you, too, David, I was way out of line, and I promise to never let that happen again either."

"I ask again," I said to Mike, "Is the package I'm picking up overseas legal, and if not, what's inside of it?"

"So, you don't have a problem with it being illegal, then," Mike said, "Did I hear you correctly?"

"Yes, you heard me correctly, and no, I don't have a problem with it being illegal," I told him, "Now, what am I smuggling into the U.S.?"

"One Hundred Keys of Cocaine," he plainly told me, "Pure Peruvian Flake, hence the reason it pays so well."

"I guess so at twenty thousand a key," I replied, "But how in the hell do you expect me to get that much in at one time, and without being caught at that?"

"I don't know," Mike laughed, "That's up to you."

"Yeah," I grumbled, "And I guess thanks for nothing means just that, thanks for nothing."

"You're the one who got greedy all of a sudden," Mike sarcastically replied, "So, if you can't handle playing with the big dogs, then I suggest you stay your young ass on the fucking porch with the rest of the puppies, boy."

"Alright, I'll pull this off," I spat, "But when I come back with the product, you'd better damn well have my money. Do you understand me?"

"I'll have your money," Mike replied, "But that's if you make it back. In the mean time, what about the Gaylord Entertainment job? Are you going to do it, or not?"

"Yeah, I'll do it," I nastily replied, "But I get a twenty percent bonus at the end of the job. Is that clear?"

"You should've asked for that first," he growled, "Because now you're in too deep to back out of the other. But I'll give it to you anyway. Oh, and one more thing, stay the fuck away from Katie from here on out."

"Fuck you," I laughed, "I'm the only one who knows where she is, asshole."

"Shit," Mike spat, "You'd better make damn sure that nothing happens to her, or I'll hunt you down like a dog and kill your little ass."

"Kiss my ass," I growled back, "And the first one of your goons that follows me will come back in a body bag. I don't plan on crossing you, I just want to make some money, that's it so; leave me alone and I'll do the same, are we clear on this?"

"Yeah, we're clear," Mike hatefully replied, "Now get the fuck out of here. You got a meeting with Jake and Bobby so; don't be late."

And then I left his office, closing the door behind me, but I stayed outside in the hallway only long enough to let them think I was gone, and then I quickly stepped back inside Mike's office, telling him, "I almost forgot my briefcase, sorry, guys."

"That's not a very good way to start this new relationship off, boy," Mike warned.

"Don't worry," I snapped back, and then pointed at David, "I'm not as stupid as he is," and then I left his office for good.

~~~~~~

Mike might've told me that I wasn't going to be followed, but I still didn't trust him, and because there was no way that he could have my phone tapped back then, no matter how much money he had, I wasn't worried about making phone calls from my house.

~~~~~~

I still had the rental car, and because I had enough money to keep it as long as I needed it, I had driven it to meet with him and David that morning so that he wouldn't be able to see my Corvette leave the parking garage from his office. Still though, I watched closely to see if I was being followed...and after I was satisfied that I wasn't, I went to the hotel to exchange the rental car for my car. I wanted for Jake Anderson and Bobby Hanson to be able to see me pull up to the jobsite in my Corvette, and not the rental car that I'd left for Kate and Sarah to use.

But before I went to meet with them, I stopped by the hotel to talk to Kate, as well as play her the tape from the small tape recorder that I'd turned on, and then securely placed inside my briefcase before I went in to meet with Mike and David in order to record the whole conversation I had with them."

"Damn that bastard," Kate angrily seethed, "I need to warn Aunt Linda and get her to safety as soon as possible."

"Are you sure that she's not in on any of this shit?" I asked her, "It could cost me my life if so."

"I'm sure, baby," she began to cry, "As a matter of fact; she told Mom the other day that Mike had been acting very strangely lately and that she didn't know why, but she was afraid for some unknown reason."

And because she'd told me that, I then let her know about my Uncle John, while she was listening to the tape, as well as what all I had planned.

"Wait a minute," she quickly interrupted me, rewinding the tape, "Listen to this."

What I was listening to was clearly recorded after I'd left Mike's office the first time, when I'd intentionally left my briefcase behind.

"Dammit," David said, "What're we going to do now, Mike?"

"Leave it all to me," Mike said, with an evil hiss, "I'll call our friends in Medellin, Colombia, and when our young friend arrives down there to pick up this month's shipment, they'll make sure that he doesn't leave there alive, and then that'll be the end of that."

"But what're you gonna tell Katie?" David said, "You know that you're the first person she'll come to when he comes up missing."

"You worry too much," he laughed, "Gail Harris at the realty company he bought his house from gave me an extra key to his place. I'll get one of my girlfriends to write a love letter from some other woman to him, and then we'll plant it there while he's gone to Colombia, making it look like he was fucking around on her all along. Kate will get so pissed off that she'll soon forget all about young Mark, and then we'll be in the clear," and then I heard myself coming back into the office to retrieve my briefcase.

"I think it's time to have not only the locks changed on my house, but it's also time that I call my uncle and make him aware of what's about to happen."

"I told you that Mike was dangerous, baby," Kate began to weep, "Please let your Uncle take care of this and just walk away...please, Mark. I'm afraid for you."

"Don't worry, Baby," I smiled, picking up the telephone, "I'm calling my Uncle John right now."

"Good," she sweetly replied, "And when you're done, I want you to have the locks on your doors changed before the sun sets so that Sarah and I can go home. I want to sleep in my own bed tonight."

"Your bed," I grinned, "What makes you think that it's yours?"

"Because it's where you sleep," she softly replied, gently kissing my lips, "And you belong to me now so; don't ever forget that, Mark Powers."

"You can bet the farm on that one, baby," I smiled, tenderly kissing her lips, "I'll always belong to you, just like you'll always belong to me, okay?"

"You're damn right," she sniffled, "I love you now more than ever, Mark."

"I know you do, Katie," I smiled, "And I love you, too."

"That's the first time you've called me Katie since I've known you," she cooed, "I like it, too."

"Is that right?" I chuckled, as she eagerly nodded her head, "Well, I guess I'll just have to keep doing it then."

~~~~~~

After informing my uncle as to what all had recently taken place over the past forty-eight hours, Uncle John told me to keep doing what I was doing, and not deviate from my normal routine so as not to draw any suspicion. He also told me that because he was in Atlanta, Georgia, it would be nightfall before he would be able to get to my house, and that he would see me when he got there later this evening, and that we would talk again then.

In the mean time, I went to meet with Jake Anderson and Bobby Hanson, making sure that I drove my car, the Corvette, after which I checked Kate out of the hotel and let her take the rental car back to my house to await the locksmith that I had called to come and change the locks on everything, and I do mean everything, at my house.

~~~~~~

About ten minutes before I was to meet with Jake and Bobby, I stopped at the Opryland Hotel to call Uncle John, and let him know that it was important that he come to Nashville immediately.

You need to take the first flight out here that you can get, Uncle John," I told him, "This is a matter of life and death."

"I believe you, Mark," he quietly replied, "I've never known you to cry wolf without a good reason, son."

"And I'm not crying wolf now, sir," I quickly replied, "But I promise to tell you everything when you get here. Just leave your flight info with Grams and I'll get it from her; and whatever you do, don't, under any circumstances, call me at home...at least not until I know it's safe. In the mean time, I want you to fly into Nashville during the middle of the day when it's the busiest, okay?"

"Okay, kiddo, but be sure to call your Grandmother tonight to get my flight information," he told me, "One more thing, I'm placing a tail on you just to make sure that you're safe until I can get there...and don't argue with me about it. Do I make myself clear, Mark?"

"Yes, sir," I respectfully answered, "I understand completely."

"Alright then," he lightly chuckled, sounding relieved, "I'll see you tomorrow...be careful, boy."

"I will, "I grinned, "See ya tomorrow...and thanks, Uncle John," and then I quickly hung up so as not to be late to my meeting.

~~~~~~

After making certain that I hadn't been followed, I got back into my car and took the back way out of the hotel, being very careful about how I drove. Even though I was sure that I wasn't being followed by any of Mike's people, I didn't want to get the attention of the police either so; I obeyed the traffic laws and made sure that I didn't speed either.

A Corvette Stingray would gain the immediate attention of any and/or every police car that I encountered just because of what kind of car it was. God forbid I should commit any kind of moving violation, because those same cops would be on me like white on rice...hell; they're still bad that even today. But then I'm getting ahead of myself...again...

~~~~~~

Chapter Thirteen

"Hello, Mark," Jake Anderson smiled, as his secretary showed me into his office, "Bobby and I were so glad when Mike told us that you were going to be taking the job here."

"That's great," I forced myself to smile, "And I'm really looking forward getting off to a good start, too."

"Me, too, kiddo," he appreciatively smiled, "So, how soon do you think you can get everything going?"

"That all depends on you guys," I informed him, "The moment I get all of the permits, which I believe you and Bobby are supposed to be taking care of, I don't see why we can't break ground sometime next week."

"We've already got the plans that Mike sent over," he told me, "And we're supposed to have our permits in place by the end of the week."