Luke and Lelia Ch. 02

Authors Note: Thanks to those who enjoy my stories. To those who are critical and bitch and complain without leaving an e mail address, SCREW YOU! I am not a Bible thumper by any stretch of the imagination. But right is right. Wrong is wrong. If you feel different than me about morals, that's your right. Just as it is my right to have my opinions. That's known as freedom of speech. Also remember that was the first part. Wait and see before you jump to conclusions.

TWO YEARS LATER.

Luke Jennings was lost.

Worse than that he was lost in a strange town, and in a sleazy neighborhood.

SHIT!

All he wanted to do was to find the interstate, then drive home. It had been a long week.

Luke stopped at a traffic light. A blonde haired hooker approached his car.

"Hey Baby, Looking for a date" she said in a tired voice that lacked enthusiasm.

The women looked familiar. The shape of her face. Recognition came to both of them at the same time.

"LELIA is that you?" Luke gasped

"Her face fell. "Oh God. Luke, Please go away. I can't stand for you to see me like this!" Lelia cried.

Luke grabbed her arm.

"Please Honey, get in the car." He asked

"Please go away Luke. I'm so ashamed." She cried

"Get in the car. Now. Damn it." Luke said

With great reluctance, she got in.

"Where can we go to talk?" Luke asked

"Go park by the entrance to that closed factory. I can't be too long or I'll be in deep shit from Tyrone." She said in a scared voice

"Who the fuck is Tyrone?" Luke asked

"He's my boss. If I piss him off I'm in trouble. You got to pay for this time or I'm really gonna get it." She said

"So he's your pimp? How much for the whole night?" he asked

"$200 dollars, up front." She said. "and I have to tell Tyrone where I'm going. You have to give him the money." She stated

"How in the hell did you get into this mess? You have a MBA and you're a CPA for Christ sake. Why are you on the street corner turning tricks?" he asked

"It's a long sad tale, that started when you kicked me out with nothing. It was bad and went downhill from there. I really don't want to talk about it. Do you want a blow job or what?" she asked

"No damn it. I don't want a fucking blow job! I want to know what the hell is going on. Why you're here." He exclaimed

"I don't need you preaching to me. You're the reason I'm here now. I know I screwed up, but you made sure you got your pound of flesh. You should really be happy now. I'm the slut now that you thought I was then. So fuck off! Get away from me you son of a bitching bastard." She said crying

As she tried to get out of the car, Luke grabbed her and pulled her close. She cried into his chest. Gallons and gallons of tears.

Luke felt like a monster. He had wanted her to pay for what she had done. But nothing this drastic. GOD, he was a SOB.

"Lelia, Is this want you want? If not, I'll take you away from here and help you start over. I never wanted this to happen. Please believe me." He asked

"I can't leave. If I do Tyrone will hunt me down and kill both of us. He's a mean SOB. I want to get away, but I'm scared. For me and you. No matter what, I still love you." She said

A LITTLE HELP FROM AN OLD FRIEND.

Luke thought for a moment. Getting out his cell phone he made a call to an old friend. One who owed him his life.

The phone rang once and was answered.

"This is Luke Jennings. Let me talk to Willie. It's an emergency. Yeah, I'll hold." Luke said into the phone.

Willie Etheridge came on the phone.

"What's the problem old friend? Long time no hear. What's your emergency?" he asked

"Willie, remember when I told you about my ex-wife fucking around." Asked Luke

"Yeah, you really fucked that bitch around. I was proud of you." He said

"Well, don't be too proud. I really fucked up. That's why I need your help, really bad." Luke said

"You know if there's anything I can do, or anything I have it's yours." Willie said with emotion in his voice. "I owe you big time."

"Do you know a pimp named Tyrone? They say he's a mean SOB. My ex- wife's pimp. I want to take her out of here, but she's afraid of what Tyrone will do to both of us. Can you help me out of this mess?" Luke asked

"Yeah, I know that pussy mother fucker. He thinks he's bad. But only to those weaker than him. I can't stand that fucker. Where are you?" Willie asked

Luke answered, "I'm at the entrance to an old factory at the corner of 120th Street and Conklin Avenue. I'm in my blue Trans AM."

"Stay put. I'll be there in 10 minutes or less." Willie said

"Okay man. Thanks. I owe you." Luke said

"Not even close brother. Not even close." Answered Willie

As Luke disconnected from the call, a big black arm reached into the car and grabbed him.

"What the fuck you doing shithead. You're tying up my bitch. Pay up or I'll break your fucking arm." Said a large black guy.

Luke figured this must be Tyrone. He needed to stall for time.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about an all nighter with this chick. How much you want?" Luke asked

Tyrone let go of his arm and looked at Luke.

$500 Dollars in advance. I pick the place. From sundown to sunup. No marks. If you mark her up, I'll mark you up. Got it shithead" he asked

"Yeah man. That's cool with me. You want the money now?" Luke asked, knowing the answer.

"Hell yeah, dickhead. Right fucking now, or I'll really fuck you up. I might fuck you up and take your money. How about that shit." Tyrone said as he reached into the car.

As soon as the words left Tyrone's mouth, He went flying through the air, landing in the gutter filled with slimy water.

As Tyrone tried to get up, a highly polished black shoe pressed against his throat.

The owner of that shoe stood about 6' 10"inches tall. He had to weigh close to 350 pounds. None of it looked like fat. Standing behind him were five of the meanest looking men Luke had ever seen.

"Tyrone, I've told you about trying to cheat customers. It's bad for the image asshole. But you really fucked up this time. This man is my best friend in the whole world. He saved my ass in Kuwait." Willie said

"But worst than that, you're pimping his ex wife. He's very upset with you. And if he is upset that really pisses me off. And you know what happens to people that piss me off. They never get the chance to do it again. Get the picture." Willie asked in a calm voice

Willie took his foot off of Tyrone's throat, allowing him to speak.

"I'm sorry, Willie. I didn't know he was your friend." Stammered Tyrone.

Tyrone kicked him in the side with his size 16 shoe.

"Motherfucker, who told you that you could call me Willie. Only my friends or people I respect can call me by my first name. It's Mr. Etheridge to you dickfuck. That's your last chance. If you fuck up again your dead. No questions asked." Willie said

The fear in Tyrone's face was easy to see. He knew he was skating on thin ice. People who pissed off Willie Etheridge seldom lived to talk about it.

"What do you want me to do Mr. Etheridge?" asked Tyrone

"That's better dickhead. How long have you had this women?" asked Willie

"About six months. She's about worn out. I was planning on sending her to John Woo, to sell overseas." Tyrone answered

"That means you might get $500 or a thousand bucks for her at the most." said Willie.

"Just to prove I'm a fair man, here's five thousand. Don't ever try to contact them, blackmail them or pull any shit at all. If you do I'll cut out your liver and feed it to you while your dying, Understand?" Willie asked

Tyrone shook his head in agreement, glad to escape with his life and five thousand to the good.

"Oh and to let you know. That man in that car is the only motherfucker in this world meaner than me. Your lucky he didn't rip off your arm and shove it up you're stupid ass. You're lucky he called me rather than taking care of it himself. Because you would be waiting on the Medical Examiner to say the words over your stupid ass. Believe me when I tell you this. Don't ever fuck with him. Ever." Willie said in a stern voice. "He takes no prisoners."

"Let's get the fuck out of here." Said Luke

Turning to Lelia, Luke asked, "Anything you need to get from where you're staying?

"Lelia said, "Fuck no. I want nothing to remind me of this part of my life. Can we please go?"

"Luke, can you come by my place for a bit before you go?" Willie asked

"Yeah sure. I'll follow you." He said

As the cars pulled off Lelia looked back one last time at what had to be the lowest point in her life.

But she still wasn't totally relaxed.

What was the deal with Luke and Willie Etheridge the Pimp King of the three state area? What did Willie mean when he said Luke was the meanest man in the world?

Luke had always been kind and gentle with her, till she screwed up so bad. He still had never put his hands on her in a violent way.

Must be some story. She had wondered why Luke never talked about his time in the Marine Force Recon.

Oh well. Time would tell.

THE HEALING BEGINS

They arrived at Willie's place. It looked like any other semi-run down townhouse in the neighborhood.

But a closer look showed it to be quite different.

The windows facing the front were fake. Only looked like windows. So were the doors.

They drove into a garage. Once the door closed, another one in front opened into a courtyard.

Once in the courtyard they pulled under a covered entranceway.

They got out of the car and walked up the steps into a large entranceway.

Willie entered.

Speaking to the guard at the door, he said, "I want Mr. Jennings' car cleaned and serviced right away. It better look like brand new when they are done. If not it will surely piss me off. I know you don't want that. Do you?" he asked

"No sir." The guard answered.

"Shit Willie, you don't have to do that. I was gonna have it done when I got home anyway." Luke said

"Fuck it. It'll give them lazy bastards in the shop something to do. All they do is sit on their asses most of the time. Come on in." offered Willie

They went through a steel security door into another large room. Inside were several beautiful women of all races, size and styles.

Willie pointed to a women behind a desk.

As she came forward, Willie excused him self and met her half way across the room. He talked to her in a low voice. She shook her head in agreement and walked toward Luke and Lelia with Willie beside her.

She was a beautiful, tastefully dressed Eurasian women. She had large breast that fit her build and a killer ass. She was fine.

Willie introduced her as his head woman Michelle. He said she would take care of Lelia and get her some new clothes and an opportunity to clean up.

Lelia looked at Luke with fear in her eyes.

Luke took her hand gently and in a soothing voice said, "It's okay sweetheart. No ones ever gonna hurt you again. You're among friends now. I know you'll feel better after a bath and some new clothes. I'll be right here till you get back and then we'll go home, Okay?" Luke asked

"Okay Luke. If you say so. But please don't leave me. Please." Lelia begged

Luke pulled her into his arms. "It's okay love, I'm not gonna leave you ever again. Promise." Said Luke

Lelia went with Michelle. But she looked over her shoulder at Luke, and smiled a very small smile.

"Come on Luke. Let's go into my office and have a drink." Willie said

"Okay, but only one. I'm gonna be driving later." Said Luke

They went into Willie's richly appointed office. One fit for the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.

Going to a wet bar in the corner, Willie asked, "What's your poison. Still Turkey and Ginger Ale. What a way to fuck up good whisky."

Luke laughed, "Yeah, but that was the only chaser we could find in that bombed out bar in Kuwait City. Got used to it after awhile. Even hot. At least I found you guys some booze. None of the other Platoon Leaders did."

"Yeah, I can say that for you. For a shit head LT., You were alright." Laughed Willie

"Fuck you Gunnery Sgt. Etheridge. You sorry excuse for a pimple on a Recon Marine's ass." Joked Luke.

"Okay Luke, it's time to get down to business. What the hell are you going to do with this girl. I doubt if she'll ever be the same after six months on the street. God knows what illnesses and diseases she has. Plus what other accessories she might have installed on her body. That fucking Tyrone does not take care of his women. He uses them up and throws them away like used Kleenex." Explained Willie

"Damned if I know what the fuck I'm gonna do. I just know I feel responsible for her. She fucked up, but not bad enough to deserve this. I'm gonna do all I can to get her back as close to normal as possible. No matter what the cost." Luke answered in a grim tone.

"That's what I figured. Do you mind a few suggestions from a friend?" asked Willie

"Shit Gunny, your my closest friend in the world. Plus as lost as I am, any advice would be appreciated." Said Luke

"Okay, first thing is to get her seen by a doctor and have her tested for diseases and have her health in general evaluated. Second thing. She's probably addicted to some drug, Maybe crack or heroin. We need to get her detoxed and into treatment. Plus she is gonna need lots and lots of counseling and support. I have a friend who runs a detox and rehab center. It's one of the best in the country. All the rich and famous use it. It has a months long waiting list. But being that I own 51% of the place, that's not a problem." Said Willie

"It's gonna be a long hard road. If you ain't in it for the long haul, let me know now. You were real happy about the way you fucked her over in the divorce. Is this guilt or do you still have feeling for her. I'll take over if you want and get her straightened out. You can just walk away. No strings." Willie explained

Luke looked at Willie.

"Fuck you Gunnery Sgt. Etheridge. I'm partially responsible for this mess. I always clean up my own messes. I do have feelings for her. She was my wife for God's sake. I was mad at her at he time of the divorce. I wanted to hurt her like she hurt me. But I never wanted this or anything close to it. I should have kept track of her and made sure she was alright. I didn't. My fault." Sighed Luke.

"But with God as my witness, I'll do everything I can do to get back the old Lelia. If it takes every penny I have, every second of my time. I owe her. A bunch. I intend to pay. Period." Said Luke

Willie smiled. "Yeah, that's what I thought. You're too good a man to shrink your obligations. But I had to be sure. Let's get this show on the road."

"My personal doctor is on his way to do a preliminary exam. He's gonna take blood and urine samples. He'll take them to a 24/7 lab. We should have the results by morning. You and she will spend the night. Depending on how the test turn out, I'll arrange for a space for her at the center. They also have accommodations for the family of the clients. You also will get counseling to help you help her."

"I'll also take care of brother Tyrone. I can't stand that fucker and this is a good excuse to take him out. I have a good man to take over his area." Laughed Willie

"The lady should be done cleaning up by now. You have a suite on the second floor. Separate bedrooms if you want. Anything you need pick up the house phone. You may want to try to get her to tell you what happened. I have a good idea, but I'll let her tell you." Said Willie

"How the hell do you know so much of this psychological stuff?" Asked Luke

"Actually, LT., I'm Dr. William Etheridge, Ph.D. I have a doctorate in Psychology and counseling. Why do you think I went to school all the time? I didn't want to be a Marine all my life. That's why I own half of a detox and rehabilitation center." Willie laughed

"You're shitting me. What about this Pimp Master crap then?" asked Luke

"Well, it's like this. My mother is white, from a rich family, a long line of doctors, lawyers and other assorted upper class professions. My father was black. He's from a long line of pimps, crooks and other not so noble professions. To make a long story short my mom fell for my dad. She was of course disowned by her white bread family. My father loved her to distraction. He always treated her like a queen and never touched another woman except in the line of business. My mom felt the same about him. They had me about three years into the marriage. My dad was the original Pimp Master. He controlled about 75% of the prostitution in the Tri-State area. All his women were clean and disease free. He did not allow rolling the john's and no drugs. He ran his empire with an iron hand." Explained Willie

"He had an understanding with the local law. As long as he kept a low profile operation and his girls caused no trouble they left him alone. He got sick about five years ago. Lung cancer from those fucking non filtered Camels he smoked all those years. That was after Kuwait. I was set to retire with 20 years. I had just finished my dissertation and had been awarded my Ph.D. I had invested my money in a detox/rehab center with a friend of mine."

"My mom called and said I needed to come home right away. When I asked her why, She cried and said Dad was dying. I of course hauled ass home. When I got there Dad was still running the business, but you could tell he was bad sick. The vultures were starting to circle already."

Dad called me into his office. He said, Son I'm not long for this world. Three months max. I know you have other dreams for the future. But I hate to see all I worked for so hard got to a bunch of assholes. You know what will happen to my girls. It will be just like the bad ole days. I need you to take over for awhile. Till you can find someone to run the business like it should be run."

"What could I do? Dad had supported everything I had ever wanted to do, never asking anything. I told him okay. I took terminal leave till my retirement date. I run the business just like Dad. Except that the girls who want to leave get help preparing for a new life. Also the profits go to support rehab centers for those who can't afford it.

"You sneaky old fucker you. Best of both worlds. I should have known you'd be able to play both ends against the middle. What a setup." Said Luke

"Well, I really don't need the pimp money. The rehab center makes a large fortune. This way everybody wins." He said

But it wasn't all fun and games at the beginning. I had to kill about thirty of my competitors the first month. After that I control about 90% of the market. I have a good man who runs that end. He has a crew of ex-military special operations guys who back him up. You saw some of them today. It was easy to wipe out the punks who were around. They lasted about 30 seconds. Wasn't even challenging. They watched too many gang movies on TV. Holding automatic weapons one handed and sideways. Their lucky they didn't blow their nuts off. Dumb bastards." Willie laughed

"We also keep the gang-bangers in line. As long as they leave my girls alone and don't hurt innocent bystanders, let them kill each other. But one group picked up one of my girls. They hurt one of my employees. Wanted a little fun. Took months before she got out of the hospital and rehab. Really pissed me off."

"I took care of those punks personally. They found bits and pieces all over the city. Used the det cord trick. Man that shit stinks when it's burning through flesh. Then I caught their leader. I have a Hispanic guy who's an artist with a knife. He skinned that fucker alive. Kept him screaming to the end. Made me puke. But we videotaped it. Sent a copy to all the gangs. Haven't had any trouble since." Willie said.

"No fucking shit. I bet you haven't. You gonna do that to Tyrone?" asked Luke