Long Blonde Hair, Sky Blue Eyes Pt. 09

KJ saw him smiling at his phone and asked what he was smiling about. "Just making sure that drone above us is friendly, and the team is in place." KJ immediately looked up but saw nothing.

"Your guys must be really good; I've seen no sign of them, and I don't see the eye in the sky either."

"The best there is, but it's still on us to be alert. If Annika hadn't spotted the 'carjacking' set up, she wouldn't be here. Speaking of, have you and Cassie been through a security training session? If one of our projects takes off, there is a chance she could become a target. That's unlikely, but better safe than sorry, right."

"No, I've always relied on my size to scare people off, but that's not much defense against a well-organized and armed group, is it? And Cassie has never mentioned having any martial arts or self-defense training, other than what they learned as freshmen in their dorm."

"Are you off work the entire month? If so, I'll try to set something up for a week. Johnny, you and Hanna need it too."

"I agree; nothing seems unlikely anymore. We're gonna need to consult the calendar, though; I'm swamped, and I doubt Hanna can take off a week until spring break. Will she want to spend it in that camp? Might require some persuasion."

"We should all talk tomorrow; Annika is the one who will be persuasive."

"Assuming we aren't hung over, bring it up over coffee, Erik. Seems like a 'first thing in the morning' subject."

"Quit talking and walk, you slow pokes! We have a lot of ground to cover!" "Yes, Dear," KJ replied, and they jogged up to their women.

They walked by so many historic sites they almost ran together: Ashton Villa, the Moody Mansion, the Bishops Palace, the Henry Beissner House, and historic business buildings on Market and Strand streets, where the Mardi Gras celebrations were centered. Everyone wanted to visit the sites, but not today - there wasn't enough time.

****

Tonya and Dave Parsons had a 5 bedroom, 5 bath house on Pirates Beach. It was raised twelve feet off the sand, and the ground floor was the three-car garage, with a large patio and pool on the beach side. The landscaping consisted mostly of palm trees and native shrubs that would grow in the yellow sand; there was a little grass, but not much.

It wasn't the largest house in sight, but it was among the larger. Stairs ran up to the deck in back, and to the covered porch entry to the house in front. They had arrived on time, but there were at least fifty men and women already there, and it seemed some had been there a while, given their state of inebriation at four in the afternoon.

Cassie and KJ were hurrahed over their late arrival, but their friends came over to say hello and introduce themselves to the newcomers. The men were dressed in jeans and khaki pants with pullover sweaters or polo shirts; the women were unanimously dressed in mini-skirts and dresses with wedge or heeled sandals. As before, it was a very fit, attractive, and friendly crowd, and they felt welcome.

Thirty or forty minutes after the Saunders, Swahns, and Lundells arrived, Erik heard a low murmur run through the crowd, and then KJ asked, "What the fuck are those assholes doing here?"

Hanna and Annika turned in tandem to see who KJ was calling 'assholes.' Erik was a heartbeat later; just in time to see Annika flush and frown. "That's not them, is it?" Hanna asked. Annika nodded and quickly turned her back to them. Hanna glared at the newcomers before turning away.

Erik continued eying them; he noticed that a few came over to greet them, but the rest ignored them or glared as if issuing warnings. In appearance, they looked like the rest of the men: fit, muscled, and large. The difference was the sense of superiority and entitlement they wore like badges of honor.

Dave Parsons approached the two men - one black, one white - and seemed to issue a warning. They put their hands up and shook their heads. Erik couldn't hear a word, but KJ said, "Bullshit! Fuckers are promising they are just here to have fun, but they will start shit within an hour and Dave knows it! Worthless douchebags!"

He walked over to another group of men who were glaring and muttering, and they started animatedly talking. Erik turned to Annika and Hanna: "Okay, who are they?"

Annika didn't reply, but Hanna answered, "Barry called them 'Double Trouble,' but KJ nailed it with 'Assholes' in my opinion! They played for the Vikings for a while but got in so much trouble they got cut. I think they are with the Jaguars or Panthers now.

"They used to come to parties at Barry's house, but they wore their welcome out damn quickly. The only reason I know them is that was the summer Annika was going with Barry, and I stayed there several weekends. She had a really bad experience with them, but..."

A loud voice interrupted her, "Annika Olsson! I'll be damned! What are you doing here, you gorgeous thing?" Annika's flush deepened and she flinched at the sound of the voice. Gritting her teeth, she whirled to face the loudmouth. Her hands were in fists, and the look she gave the two of them would peel paint.

"You two need to always keep at least 20 feet from me! If you get closer, I'll consider it another assault!"

"Oh, come on, Girl. We didn't assault you! You were having as much fun as anyone. If Barry hadn't gotten pissed no telling how much fun we could have had! Now, give us a hug and let's make up!"

Ignoring Annika's words and her angry face, they walked straight to her. Erik moved beside her and faced them. Up close, they were BIG - the biggest, looked at Erik and smirked. "Who's your little buddy, Honey? Your accountant?"

Unafraid, Erik took a step toward him, extended his hand, and chuckled. "No, I'm her fiancé, Erik Swahn. And you are?"

Without shaking, the man said, "You must not be a football fan, or you'd know Damon the Demon, Boy! And you ain't near enough man to take care of that woman! She must have a couple on the side."

KJ stepped up on Erik's left and gestured at the four. "These are my guests, Damon, and you'll treat them with respect, or you'll get your ass tossed out of here! What will it be?"

Erik could see that at least a dozen men were heading their way, and they looked predisposed to tossing Damon and the white guy, who was standing back a couple of steps, out on their asses. "Hey, Demon, let's go drink some of Dave's whisky. Long night ahead."

Damon sneered at Erik, then at KJ, but he winked at Annika, turned and walked off with his friend.

"Worthless asshole stays cranked up on 'performance enhancing drugs,' which is why he's flunked a couple of drug tests, and why he's gets more penalties than tackles in a game. I can't believe he's still in the league!

"His buddy is just as worthless, and he's living proof that being a highly touted college QB and first round pick will keep you in the league as a backup QB for a long time no matter how crappy you play."

The rest of the men were standing nearby, listening in case KJ had a plan, and they heard Erik say, "Yeah, I remember him well. The word was that Ron was a 'system QB' on a great team, and the OC gave him a 'first read and hot route' playbook because he couldn't read defenses. The pro DCs tested that when he became the starter the last half of his rookie year, and yeah, he couldn't. I honestly didn't know he was still on a roster."

"The Panthers lost three QB's in the first month, or he wouldn't be," KJ explained. "Damon was having a good camp, he went to bat for Ron, and that's why he's on a roster. Backing up a rookie, barely making league minimum, but still on a roster."

"So where do we go from here? I'm not afraid of either one of them, but I'm a guest too."

Roquan spoke up. "I'd be afraid of Damon. He's strong, he's nuts, and he's usually jacked up on something during the offseason. If he keeps messing with you, don't be afraid to ask for help. No one here likes either of the assholes, but Damon has pissed everyone off more than once."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind, but I'm not her accountant. As far as I'm concerned, it's over. But like you said, he's big, strong, and crazy, so if he comes at me, I'm not going to fuck around; I'm going to damage and disable. He should probably know that."

"He should, but none of us are going to tell him because he'll consider it a challenge, not a warning. Stay around us," KJ said, "and we'll hope he leaves you and your girl alone."

"You must have some training to be confident enough to take that crazy muther on but let me warn you: if you take him on, take him out! He's not above pulling a gun and killing you if he gets up!"

****

KJ missed his prediction: the afternoon passed without Damon or Ron causing trouble and getting ejected. Were they model guests? Hardly, but they stayed within acceptable boundaries, unless you call telling stories about Annika to other guests and leering at her all afternoon, or giving Erik threatening glares, unacceptable,

After a private conversation, Erik understood her reaction to hearing their voices. They were at one of Barry's parties, during the time in which they were Vikings and Barry was leading the Twins in batting. They knew about his partying and sleeping with other women while on the road, but Annika didn't. They managed to get the couple separated and made sure Barry was drinking doubles. Annika was still a teenager, and she wasn't much of a drinker, so they waited until Barry was shit-faced drunk before they began feeding her drinks, perhaps with a chemical kicker of some kind.

Barry was being an ass to her and everyone else, so the party began breaking up and the other ball players and their partners were gone around midnight. There were a few hangers on, mostly groupies drinking the free booze and sucking up to Barry, and the two assholes. Barry was at nearing point of passing out, and Annika was giggly and staggering, but unusually sensitive and horny.

Damon and Ron had been fast dancing with her, and then a slow song came on. Damon took her in his arms, and they began swaying. He kissed her, and then Ron was pressing against her from behind and kissing her neck. Damon began holding her by her hips and grinding his cock against her pussy, and Ron was grinding his against her ass. Ron was telling her that Barry was cheating on her on every trip, and they would make her forget the cheater.

She was turned on by being in the middle of a sandwich with two muscular, virile males, and admits she doesn't know where it was going to end up. Then Ron began squeezing her breasts and pulling and pinching her nipples so roughly she was in pain. She tried to protest, but Damon's tongue was down her throat. She bit his tongue, twisted enough to partially escape their grasps, and screamed.

Drunk as he was, Barry heard her scream and came staggering toward them. Damon started laughing, saying he'd kick Barry's ass and they would teach her how it feels to be with real men. He turned her loose, turned to face Barry, and suddenly his bravado disappeared: Barry was pointing the pistol he always carried at Damon, daring him to come on!

Damon held his hands up, Ron turned her loose, and stepped away from her. Ron told Barry they were just playing around and didn't mean no harm. Barry fired a shot that kicked up grass right in front of Damon, and they broke and ran, in different directions. He fired once more, in the general direction of Ron, and then fell to his knees. Annika was stunned by the whole thing, but when she recovered at bit, she went to him, helped him up off his hands and knees, and they staggered toward the house.

The groupies had scattered when the gun fired, so she was on her own with a drunk that weighed a hundred pounds more than her. She left him on the couch, pushed the button that turned the security system on and locked the doors, staggered upstairs, and passed out.

The next day Barry didn't remember anything, so she told him that Damon and Ron tried to rape her, and she never wanted to see them again. He sent them threatening texts and told them never to show up at his house again or he'd shoot their asses.

She appreciated that, but another road trip was coming up and she remembered what they said about him cheating, so she hired a PI, and that was it for Barry. When he got back, she was gone and refused to listen to his lies.

Apparently, from Damon and Ron's perspective, it had been a case of coitus interruptus, and they had unfinished business with Annika. From her perspective, they had gotten her drunk, maybe drugged her, and tried to rape her. From Erik's perspective, there was trouble ahead, probably tonight at the parade or dance, and they were going to need help.

"Did you guys get all that?" he asked the air. Annika looked around to see who he was talking to and heard his phone ring. He answered without speaking, and a voice said, "Yes, we've been tracking everything since the two punks showed up. What do you want us to do?"

"Monitor everything but have someone close. I'm not sure what these jackasses are up to, but I'm confident they have plans for Annika. If they try and I'm not able to intervene, you know what to do."

"No Erik; Bill will have our asses if you get a hair on your head mussed, so stepping in if you can't handle them isn't a plan we can live with. How about we run their car off in the Gulf with them in it, or have a little talk with them when they leave the party instead?"

"Let's see if I'm being paranoid before you drown them in the Gulf. Just stay close until we know - I don't want anything happening to Annika."

"Nor do we, and we also don't want anything happening to you, so remember what I said. You have nothing to prove to these guys."

He didn't, but he wasn't going to take any shit either. Twenty years of martial arts training didn't make him invincible, but it made him a formidable foe regardless of the size of his opponent. Now bullets, that was a different matter, but - he would be carrying too.

By the time they were picked up by the party buses at six, some of the group was already three sheets in the wind. They - the Swahns, Lundells, and Saunders - were not, but they were enjoying the party spirit and getting to know more of the Krewe. Tonight's dress was civilian, but the women had a side bet on who would return with the most beads, so low cut sweaters and dresses over tights were predominant. Annika and Hanna had decided not to ante up, but the 50-degree temperature and coastal breeze wasn't much for Minnesota girls, who stuck with sweater dresses and knee-high boots, forgoing tights or jackets.

Johnny and Erik wore the boots, jeans, and long-sleeve polo shirts they came in, but added brush jackets to cover their holstered SS P320s. Because lately you just never know.

KJ had VIP All-Access passes for the six. Those included admission to the Strand, balcony parties, and musical entertainment in the park, which consisted of a Tejano band from 7-10, and a well-known Texas band from 10:45-2. The Grand Parade hosted by the Knights of Momus was long and grand. Ha'lina was winning the bead contest with her DDs, followed by Abbie, but Annika and Hanna's display of legs was collecting almost as many as the bare breasts. Turns out men will throw beads to pretty girls with their sweater dresses pulled up to their panties too, which inspired Cassie to work both ends.

KJ laughed uproariously the first time she pulled her dress up with one hand and her unbuttoned shirt apart with the other, but the shower of beads made him stop laughing and help collect beads! When the last float passed, she was the runaway winner. The other women accused her of cheating, and then planned to incorporate that strategy for Tuesday's final parade.

Johnny and Erik were having as much fun as everyone else without more than a few beers, although frequent scanning for danger did keep their enjoyment down a notch or two. After the parade, they visited a private balcony party hosted by a PR firm KJ used for his Texas endorsements, but it was a little too staid for their tastes, so they migrated to the one hosted by two members of the Krewe.

That one was held inside and on the balcony of a rented property by a couple from New Orleans, and it was anything but staid. Big Diron and Kate had a DJ blasting music, vats of gumbo and jambalaya, a keg of Irish Channel Stout from NOLA Brewing, and an open bar.

The two beer drinkers got cups of the stout, took a sip, and looked at each other with wide eyes. "Best sip these or we'll need help getting back!" Johnny commented, which drew a nod of agreement from Erik. Meanwhile, Cassie was introducing their girls to the 'Potent Purple Mardi Gras Punch' and the many Krewe members and guests they hadn't met.

KJ wasn't as accommodating a host; he was wandering around, renewing acquaintances, and teasing and flirting like everyone else, but Johnny and Erik weren't neglected. Big guys and beautiful women were constantly coming up to introduce themselves and/or visit with them, Abbie dropped by to hug and squeeze on them, and Ha'lina, the Polynesian beauty with the firmest big tits they'd ever seen, gave them a closeup of her monsters and rubbed them on their arms a few times.

The music was loud, the laughter was louder, and the raucous discussions, teasing, and flirting were loudest. Abbie and Ha'lina voluntarily showed off the boobies that won so many cheers and beads, Annika and Hanna met the challenge to 'stand on the table and show off the legs that won more beads than bare boobs,' and Cassie was placed on the table so she could show off the winning combination. It was all entertaining, everyone was having fun, and no one was offended.

Well, Johnny did frown in umbrage when Hanna was assisted onto the table with Annika, they danced around, and then pulled up their sweater dresses to show off their legs. But Erik reminded him that he would be envied by all these pro football players because Hanna had such great legs, and that Annika showed far more than that at every photo shoot and in most TV commercials, so if he could abide that, Johnny should chill about a little leg show.

Reoriented, Johnny puffed out his chest in pride, but started keeping a better eye on his fiancée: the cheers, whistles, and catcalls of the football players were a little too appreciative. Having been on location with her, Erik was unfazed by the display of long, lean legs, the enthusiastic response of the audience, or the laughing enjoyment of both girls, but he would watch to make sure no one got carried away.

His phone buzzing in his pocket sent him outside into the relative quiet of the balcony, and to a dark corner away from Strand Street, which had been filled with revelers but was now deserted. "That was a great show, but did you notice the two strung-out assholes watching from the doorway? They seemed to be plotting something with another guy we haven't identified. Given the amount of crack they smoked before they showed up at this party, you guys need to be wary."

"I assume you have someone inside here?"

"We did earlier; he installed cameras in the main room and on the balcony. We're in a florist van on the cross street a block southeast and we have a bird in the air, monitoring. By way of establishing the seriousness of the situation, Demon is carrying, so don't let any shit start in that crowded room. Get him outside if you can; if not, shoot his ass before he can pull his.357 mag and start blasting. As doped up as he is, he won't hit what he's aiming at but everyone in the room will be in danger."

"Man, we're all here having a ball, and then you have to show up; what a downer!"

"Don't blame the messenger; now get in there - it looks like they are moving in."

Erik walked back inside, spotted Johnny with a few couples, but couldn't find her or the tall blonde. He saw Cassie and made his way over. "Where are Annika and Hanna?" he asked.