The Fall Guy Ch. 04

The rest of the evening was spent discussing old times and how the guys were getting on, on the outside. It was gone four in the morning when they finally left. I think they only left then because the booze ran out.

Needless to say I needed another of Jenny's mixtures when I finally woke the following day. Jenny had come into the room early and spotted all the empty Scotch bottles, then promptly headed off to find the required ingredients.

After insisting I eat a late breakfast in my room, Jenny decided it was time I had a shower and we played a bit. The woman nearly killed me that afternoon; she claimed she'd gotten used to plenty of sex and had been missing me. Well, I don't think she was missing me so much as a certain part of my anatomy. Anyway she damned well nearly wore it out; I couldn't get it up again no matter how much she tried.

"I don't want you getting all excited around Helen tonight, and scaring the poor girl away," Jenny said.

Then she informed me that Helen was joining me for dinner that evening.

"Johnny, that woman's got the hots for you, you know. She's a bloody good catch and you should go after her."

"Damn it, Jenny, I'm pretty sure Helen's got her eyes on Frank."

"What is it with you? First you say she's after Harris and then his bloody sidekick. Johnny, she's sweet on you. I know - I'm a woman."

"What makes you so convinced?" I asked, curious whether Jenny would say 'woman's intuition.'

"Well, she's bringing her children tonight and she wouldn't do that if she wasn't after you. She's letting you and her children look each other over, to see how you take to each other. And secondly she told me when you were sedated. You can't have better than the horse's mouth. Oh, don't tell her I told you; I promised not to tell."

"You told me after you promised her you wouldn't?"

"Yes, of course, why do you think she told me she was falling in love with you? I'm supposed to tell you," Jenny said with a satisfied smile on her face.

"You are?"

"Of course and, as I know you fancy her, we're saving a lot of time here. You be a good boy in front of the children and before you know it, you'll be bedding Helen on a permanent basis. Look, she's not a tart. I think you'll have to ask her to marry you."

"Women!"

"What?" Jenny asked.

"'Women,' I said; I'll never understand them," I replied.

Actually Jenny was quite right. I was really taken with Helen. I think I had been from the moment she first approached, or should I say the moment she proved to me that I couldn't frighten her in that motorway services.

Helen arrived about half six. Dinner would have to be early because of the children. But before the meal all five of us went for a little walk in the hotel grounds. Then we went into the restaurant to eat.

Helen's two girls were on their best behaviour. I doubt that they had been in a place that grand very often. Come to that neither had I. I don't really stand on too much ceremony. I had some fun with them by taking the Mickey out of the oh-so-correct waiter. The girls giggled and Helen gave me that look that I could remember getting from Angela when I messed about with my children in public.

I really believe that with Auntie Jenny's help, I hit it off quite well with the girls. Auntie Jenny had supplied me with the correct little gifts to give them. "First impressions are important with children and in-laws!" she'd said.

As I gave the children their little presents, I discovered there was an extra little box in the bag that Jenny had given me. That proved to be a broach for Helen; it was nothing special or very expensive. Apparently Helen had told Jenny she liked it when they'd been going around the shops together, whilst I'd been asleep, as my time in hospital was explained to the children.

Officially that was the purpose of the dinner; I was thanking the children for letting their mother spend so much time away from them, whilst she'd been at my bedside.

Helen and the children didn't stay very late. After they'd left, Jenny declared the evening a success and demanded that we go into the bar for a while to celebrate.

"Just how do you know the children liked me?" I asked Jenny.

"What, not like superman, who jumped over a car in one bound? They were awe-struck. How could they not like you? Christ, if you get your own children back off of Angela, you and Helen will have a bloody house full. You'll need a governess; do you want my application in writing now?" Jenny said with a triumphant tone to her voice.

"Give over, Jenny, I hardly know Helen, and anyway I didn't exactly jump over that car in one bound. I bounced a bit!"

It was only when it got late that I realised that Jenny obviously wasn't going home that night, so we retired to bed. It was a long night punctuated by bouts of exertion.

-------------------------

I got the cryptic phone call about ten the following morning. Jenny wanted to come with me but I refused to let her get involved.

It took me nearly two hours to get to the warehouse. As I approached, a large door was opened so that I could drive inside so my vehicle was out of sight. One of my friends met me and led me through several other warehouses until we got to one that must have been right by the river. Parked in the middle of the warehouse was Curtis' car.

I was led over to a small office built against the wall on the riverside of the warehouse.

"Alright, mate," the guy who had planned all this said as I entered the office. He had two gorillas with him who would have scared the shit out of anyone who met them on a dark night.

"He's been stewing in the boot since just after midnight. The boys have been standing by the car talking about how we are going to dispose of his body. I reckon he'll be ready to tell us anything for the chance to get out of here alive.

"Now we've checked that he won't be able to see you in here, but you should be able to hear him. We'll check with you in case there's anything we don't cover. Right, Marko, let's get the ball rolling."

The two gorillas and my friend left the office. They went over to the Merc, opened the boot and dragged a terrified looking Curtis out of it.

End of part four.