Pausing she said before I got comfortable I needed to know she and Steve had decided to go ahead and make the move and let the children finish out the year at home. I nodded and could tell she still wanted to say something. I waited and then she said when they went home they had some unexpected company. Sticking her chin out she began mumbling under her breath as she went about her work I caught something about no one threatens he family and gets away with it. I asked who threatened her family and she looked up and realized she had been talking out loud and told me their previous boss or someone else had sent over a few men in those stupid dark suits and the stupid sunglasses they liked to wear on the day of Steven's retirement party or one of them as he it would not be official for another week. She looked up and asked if I knew how much my credit line was and after shaking my head she shook hers with a smile and said that in that case she wanted me to take a look at the rigs the boys back home liked the most and more importantly it was made in this country and to their specifications. She handed me a printout of a flier for a four wheel drive truck manufacturer. I glanced at it and then looked at it again and noted they also made extreme RV's. Handing it back I nodded. Looking at me as she began printing out messages she told me she was assuming that I was not planning actually living in this house full time. I said I had not gotten that far but at the moment it looked like I would still be doing a lot of travelling and asked if she had any names of lawyers in SC I could use.
Smiling she told me she had several but at the moment I was not going to reopen that lid; when I told her I still had not decided what I was going to do but explore my options she told me to take a seat and she would help me explore my options. As I did I asked where the furniture came from as it looked familiar. Smiling she said it was as it was my furniture from the house in Carolina which she actually had to buy as when she went by the entire contents were being sold. I looked out the window and then nodding as I heard the Hummer come back I told her I would still need a place to stay in SC. She told me if mom's was not good enough for me then I could use her place, but I needed to know she had a boarder who would be playing caretaker for the place. I got up to leave and asked if it was anyone I knew; she nodded and told me my second oldest had decided to go ahead and pursue her doctorate and needed a place to stay and hated the idea of apartment living. I told her that was her home and she nodded and said it would remain her home but since she and Steven had joined this new adventure they thought it might be fun for the teens to see another way of life and when I raised and eyebrow she shook her head and told me she was not talking about my home away from home better known as Sin City. Shaking my head I told her to be honest I rarely stayed there unless it was on the outskirts. After a few minutes another vehicle drove up and looking at the time she told me that would be her best friend stopping by to have lunch and let the boys catch up. I asked if she meant who I thought she meant and I was told yes. Handing me a folder she told those were the boys she had hired and they were not all boys.
When I heard her voice I made my way out the back door and around the side of the house. I did not get far as Christopher Jr. was out front checking out the hummer. Christina came out with her best friend from her childhood. The look on her face I could not read and she mouthed something I understood the part she was sorry. Just then a sheriff deputy drove up and asked if I was there, when I stepped forward the older deputy handed me documents and told me he was sorry to have to introduce himself this way but it was a part of the job and he was sorry to say I had been served. Taking the court documents I glanced at the paperwork and noted my wife was serving me or should I say my ex wife. I looked at her walked up and handed her the paperwork and said apparently not sorry enough. She looked down and asked what it was about and I told her since I was the one being served maybe she could explain it to me. As I went to climb back into the hummer, my eldest who had come out and grabbed the paperwork from her mom skimmed through it and asked Christina if she authorized her lawyers to get dads financial records. She shook her head and said they had talked about the possibility of her dad petitioning the courts to revisit the divorce settlement and the possibility of her asking for it to be overturned. Looking at my partner I told her I would be needing that lawyer. Christina told me this was all a mistake; I told her regardless it was a court order and one in which I would be refusing to abide by. My daughter told me I could go to jail for contempt, shrugging I told if it came to that I guess I would be going to jail. When Christopher Jr. said I could not go to jail I told him it was out of my hands. Getting into the hummer I was told to wait again, Christina went to hand me my old phone and I told her that was company property and she told me it was still her company. I refused to take it and Steven who had gone inside to make lunch came out at that moment and said he had almost forgotten and ran back inside and brought out a newer smart phone and told me one of the boys had did something to it. When I turned it on I it began buzzing immediately letting me know I had messages.
I called the colonel first as I recognized his phone number and asked what might I do for him. He told me I bolted out before we had a chance to talk; my reply was talk was cheap. He told me he understood but just so I knew he was on my side he had my knew rides GPS and whatever else they put into these new cars changed and was working at finding a way to disable anyone's ability to track my movements. I told him I already knew how and just had not the time and did not care. My next question was who authorized for my belongings to be sold out of my house. He was shocked and said he would look into it. I told him I wanted that man out of that seat. When he colonel told me he was a good men and I reminded him the man was a soldier and took orders. I then mentioned that I might be going to jail again in the near future as my ex had served me and her lawyers wanted me to give them my financial records which I was assuming they already had in their possession. I was still talking to him when my wife received a call from by her reaction was a man asking her to go out on a date. She told him when she got back to town she would talk to him and see. When she hung up i asked how the old sheriff was doing and she glared at me. When I pulled out I was stopped again this time by my old handler who pulled up right behind me and told me to turn off the engine over a loud speaker. I did that and got out went to my knees interlocked my feet and putting my hands behind my head interlocked my fingers as well. When she stepped out of her government issued SUV she told me to stop it as that was embarrassing, I told her she was the one that rolled in on me so she had a choice take me into custody or get that damn vehicle out of my way.
She asked why I had to make things so difficult, I looked at her went over took the documents from my daughter and told the woman to read those and ask me if my life was getting easier and anyway how did she find me. Christina raised her hand and I told her I hoped she enjoyed her date and climbing into the truck made use of its off road capabilities and went around the house and across the golf course scaring an older couple half to death. I was heading north on the interstate and pulled off at the rest stop the only exit in Arizona when they caught up to me. Both Christina and my ex handler followed me right into the bathroom and when I realized they were not leaving I asked if they thought I was handicapped. They waited as I did my business and followed me as I walked out. I headed to the Hummer and climbed in just as several more government issued vehicles began rolling up. I recognized Mark and knew the jackets and shaking my head asked why the US Marshall Services would be joining this little party. One the Marshall's asked if I would please step out of the vehicle and I asked if he had a warrant. When I realized he did not I headed for the access road to the recreational area by crossing the lawn and driving the wrong way in the entrance barely missing a semi which was coming in a little fast. It would be a week before I made my presence known after making a short trip to Baja to find out what had transpired. I did it in the only way I could which seemed to get the attention of someone as I walked into a joint session of Congress which the President happened to be addressing. When secret service and capitol police surrounded me, I told them to calm down I just wanted to listen to the man preach which I felt was only fair since this country had taken my service and returned the favor of twenty years by first sending me to torture camp and then ruining my life.
I did not stay though as I told them on second thought the man would just be spouting more of the same drivel he had been for the past several; years. With the crowd of reporters flocking along with more security I slipped out and left DC in a rented very dark SUV which looked exactly like the numerous other SUV's in town except for the rims and the plates which were DC plates, I borrowed from a colleague.When I went back to the Hummer which looked nothing like the nice shiny new one left on the Virginia farm of my old acquaintance I headed straight for Columbia, SC. There I booked a room in my own name and waited across the street at another hotel and watched while I began filling out the necessary paperwork to petition the court. It was the following day I saw the place crawling with law enforcement. Turning on the news I was amazed I was still a mystery man. Realizing the one shot they had of me in the crowd was a man with hair, I went and shaved my head and then gathering up my papers I went down and drove the still dusty Hummer right through the crowd of law enforcement. Walking into the court house I handed in the paperwork and paid the fees and then called Christina to find where she was at. She was back in the desert, so I asked how the sheriff was and she asked how I knew he was there. I told her she was single, very attractive and had amassed for herself a nice little fortune. She told me we needed to talk and I told her we would soon enough and then told the clerk she would find my wife at her home in Cali listed on the form and if she hurried she could get her new boyfriend the sheriff there to serve her the papers. The old gal read the names as she looked through the paperwork and she asked if we were all related to the Christensen's from up north where that boy built his young bride that beautiful house. Smiling I told her I was that young boy. Smiling she told me I had built her house shortly after and it to was shaped like a barn. Nodding I asked if she had three little ones and was told they were not so little. When she read the explanation of why I wanted to revisit the decree she shook her head and told me I was being kind for having her do all that while I was on death's bed.
I could here Christina ask when I was on death's bed and I explained to her that when that knife wound went septic it had given me blood poisoning and apparently the doctor was worried I would not make it. When she asked if I was really at the court house and I told her yes I was as the last I heard we were still divorced and she still wanted my financial records which she should have everything from before the divorce as she had kept out books and now owned the company I had started with her dad. When I got my receipt the woman behind the counter told me she hoped things went better for me. They almost did not as US Marshall's were coming in with local police as I left. Thankfully I had parked several blocks away in a residential neighborhood at a house where I saw both adults head off to work. I had my clipboard out again as I walked up the block making notes. When an officer did stop me he was very polite when he asked if I had seen a man come running by. I pointed back toward the courthouse where I had seen someone jogging toward it. When he asked what I was doing I handed him a fake card which would actually check out if he called the number as that company I had owned was an appraisal company. I was out of town and heading south when Christina finally called me and told me she had made it very clear to the sheriff she was not interested and he was more than happy to come back and serve her and thanked me very much for that awkward moment as he had also asked her out on one last date. I asked how many that would have made and when she paused I told her not to worry she could tell the judge instead. She told me she knew she could not win this and I told her it was not win or lose as we both had already lost I just wanted some answers and no one was willing to just give them to me so I figured they could tell the judge. I flew from Atlanta to Orange County after making two stops to gather some cash as I did not really want to use any card. I had checked a bag filled with some clothes I had bought at a thrift store just in case. It proved a good thing as when I walked out of the airport and caught a shuttle to San Diego, where I paid cash for a room at one of the numerous smaller hotels used by the military. Since out court date was not for another three weeks I called my eldest and asked what she was doing and she told me working her but off to keep me out of jail. I asked her why I should be in jail, she told me that she did not know why. When she asked where was I told her I was in San Diego just waiting.
Three hours later she showed with her brother and mom in tow. Behind them showed up the colonel and my old handler, Mark and his wife in separate entourages and then the local police. The local police figured I must have done something wrong and took me into custody and being a holiday weekend I would not be able to see the judge until Monday at the soonest so I sat in county jail doing absolutely nothing accept listening to the other patrons except for the one incident where I had to explain to some low life that he was mistaken if he thought I was a pushover. Monday showed up and a court appointed lawyer came in and introduced herself to me and asked if I knew why I was in jail and smiling I told her my guess was my ex had accused me of something and when she looked at my file she said no and she was not sure why I was in jail. When I went before the judge he asked me the same question and I ignoring my court appointed attorney asked if he would please explain why one minute I was sitting in my hotel room minding my own business and the next minute it seemed like every gun totting law man in a thousand miles had descended on me. The judge had gotten into reading the file and ignored my question. When he was done he asked the assist DA exactly what was I being charged with when he looked down at his files he had to finally look up and say he did not even have a file on me. The judge asked why then had I been arrested and held in jail for an entire weekend when as far as he could tell I had done nothing wrong. As the judge looked up he told me he was sorry for my stay and I told him it had not been as bad as the last couple of times as the first time it was in one of those secret government spas where the facials involved a mask and lots of water and exfoliation involved a wet sponge and a car battery and the second time I had to assume because of the attempt on my life it had to do with keeping me quiet about the first time as after two weeks some desk jockey realized they had made a mistake and sent me on my way with no explanation. The judge asked if he should be hearing this and I shrugged telling him no one ever told me not to say anything. He nodded and looked at the DA and told him maybe he should be talking to me and find out why someone had tried to kill this citizen of the United States while he was locked up. I was shuttled to a a holding facility in the court and allowed to change back into my clothes and I was surprised to find my old Homeland ID was apart of my personals even more so was the deputy who had to call in a supervisor who seeing my ID started apologizing profusely and asked what they could do for me. I told him first he could arrange for me to get a ride back to my hotel and then verify nothing was stolen.
I did get a ride with a detective and found not only were the few belongings I owned missing but my room had been rented out. With my ID in hand and the detective standing their the manager called the corporate offices and at first was getting nowhere until he explained what the detective explained to him about his being an accessory. Two hours later someone higher up the food chain was there asking what she could do for me and I asked where my stuff was. She was immediately on the phone after finding out the basic details and moments later I was on the phone with both their CEO and head of security who tried to explain I had been arrested for disorderly conduct and trespassing. I asked if I had paid and signed a contract with his representative on the property why exactly I was too blame when a whole mess of people showed up to throw some party without even paying rent and probably stole my belongings as well while his representatives stood by and watched and then probably waved at them good bye. When I saw the managers face I knew it was true. I asked the CEO for his address so I knew where to send the summons when I brought suit against him. I had by that evening another hundred thousand dollars in cash and had signed an agreement that would be an acceptable settlement. I had the detective take me to the airport where I bought a dufel bag and stuffed half the money into it and then thought twice and took a shuttle flight to the desert and walked to the bank the following morning. I deposited all of it and walked out of the bank to find the colonel waiting with Mark and his wife. I asked if I was under arrest and when I was told no, the colonel said we should really talk and I told him thanks to him my wife had left me, I had lost my company and then pulling off my money belt I told him that should even us up as I paid my debts unlike some crooked lawyers I knew.
He asked if that was what this was all about and looking at him I told him between us it was. Looking away he asked if I knew how much it cost to pay for that doctor and the hospital bill and I told probably no where near what he charged for his services or his little side kick who was also probably collecting a paycheck from our great uncle. I looked at Mark and told him I was not sure what part he played in it but for what it was worth I enjoyed the conversation even if he was not really married. He looked up at me and I pointed to his ring finger and told him if he had been married that long and just took off his ring he would have a tan line. Looking down he said shit, I looked at her and told her I was sorry but whatever friendship we had had was dissipated. The colonel asked since I was in a talkative mood why not tell me about my experience at camp. I told him no need to as someone else was already looking into it along with the thefts from my hotel room which by the way the hotel chain owned up to letting happen and after coming to terms with me were now assisting the local authorities to find everyone involved. He told me Christina and my children were there and I asked did they take anything and could tell from his reaction it was no. I said my guess then was it was the feds who did not have a search warrant and if I pressed they would find say some illicit pharmaceuticals in my bag along with fifteen thousand dollars minus a couple thousand in cash which by the way I had earned legitimately designing an apartment complex twelve years ago and if they gave me access to my company I can account for everything and show I paid taxes. He asked what it would take for me to sit down and hear him out and I told him when he returned what was rightfully mine and pointing to Mark said his boss not only out of the business but behind bars for the atrocities he was directly responsible for.
He looked off in the distance and I told him I could always cash in with a book and drop every name I have into it and the where, when, how and why. Mark looked at the colonel and asked if that was such a bad thing. I told him he was little new to the game but the truth was I had been at it for some time now and more or less ate, drank and slept the game for my own reasons and now it was time for me to get out which I should have done years ago. She asked me if I had talked to my wife and I reminded her I did not have one. She finally looked at the colonel and asked why they had missed it. He asked what and she looked at me and said I was going to use my little court deal to have a look at my divorce decree in court to parade all sorts of people onto the witness stand. She looked at me and told me my wife could go to jail, I told her again I was no longer married and if she broke the law she should pay the price. I then asked her what was up with the entourage wherever she went accept for now. The colonel said they were not far off and on a hunch he had brought them along to talk. I nodded and said we talked and now I was going to find someplace to lay low and for the first time I thought I might start making use of my second amendment rights so he might just warn those trigger happy boys that I do not miss and when I point a gun it will kill whoever it is aimed at. She told me they were here to protect me. Smiling I told her it was so kind of her handlers to tell her that but I did not need their protection and if I thought I did I would hire my own which by the way I needed to make a call. Calling down to the gal in Baja I asked if she got her paycheck and was told yes she did as did her two friends and anytime I needed any help just call. Smiling I told her to get up to the states as fast as she could and call me when they got their. She told me just in case I wanted to know someone kept asking about me and how I was doing. I told her thanks and apologizing I went back into the bank where I called the manager of the hotel who asked when I was coming back to open her safe and give her one of my famous massages.
I told her at the moment I was not sure as I was about to embark on another journey. I could almost see her smile when she told me she liked adventures, I smiled thinking about her dropping her bikini in my lap and her excitement on the elephant. My next call was to my old friend who told me his offer still stood and I told him I wanted to talk to him about that and also wanted to let him know i had not forgot about his elephant and had an idea. He asked if I was in a position yet to handle such a beast. I asked if he had met my mom and when he said yes with a chuckle I told him she owned a hay farm which more or less was just growing lots of grass and I mentioned the property next door was for sale. It then hit me why should I not buy back my company. I walked outside after telling my old friend I would find out what Christina's position with.his offer was. Walking out I asked the colonel if he would so kindly give me a ride to see the mother of my children and told him to invite those boys. I ended up riding with my handler who told me I had once said if I was not married. Nodding I told her I had not forgotten but I did not think now was the time or place and she needed to be professional at the moment. As she drove down valley into the ranch areas I did watch her. When she finally asked what I asked if she slept with Mark; she looked the other way. She finally said the night of that little party I ditched them at with all of those politicians it was either keep fending them off or show them she was madly in love with her husband who actually is married and his real name is not Mark. I asked how long had he been working undercover; she told me he had been in Mexico for almost fiver years after only two years on the job. She shook her head and asked how I knew something was up. I smiled and told besides the food being late the man's shoes were all wrong for that resort as were his pants. As she pulled into a driveway with huge ornate iron gates she told me those boys had been sent by a cartel leader, I nodded and said that I already knew but my question was who that leader was doing a favor for. Why I was thinking about that I called my friend and said I had a proposition to make him which went like this we both by my company back and he becomes the CEO in Central and South America while I take I assume all North America operations into my company. He asked about Asia and Europe or Africa; I told him that depended on who had the resources and we could work out the details as we go as there were a lot of places right now we did not even want to be in.
I was told as I hung up that man did business with known criminals and I told her so did she as did her ex husband Mark who I supposed of he had not been sanctioned would either be dead or rotting in a hole somewhere. As we pulled up I had wished I had carried a weapon just so the crew now guarding my wife and family could try to get it; as it was the man who tried to search me had his finger dislocated and for a few moments had been used as a human shield until my eldest daughter called them off. Christopher Jr. had watched the incident still had his mouth gaping as I asked the young man if he wanted me to help put his finger back. As I walked by Christopher I told him they taught me that in spy school. Christina was sitting around the pool talking on the phone with her were her two lawyers and their friends. When they saw me the two lawyers looked over their sun glasses at me. Sitting down with them I said the next time someone tries to have their way with one of them I was going to stand by and watch. Christina hung up after telling her new client she would see her in two days. Looking around at the place I shrugged and told Christina i guessed I no longer knew who she was. She looked down and said she had to live somewhere and there was space for the dogs and horses to run around and the fruit off the trees actually helped pay for the upkeep. I told her I had a proposition to make. When she looked at the two women; I told her no they were not seeing my financial records as in reality I personally did not have any accept for the paycheck I received or would be receiving again. Christina nodded and said she explained to her legal advisers recently that I never took more than my paycheck out of the company and then that I had sent home and my last paychecks from when I came home to when she fired me had been put into an escrow account.
I told Christina I wanted to buy the company from her and if she agreed to my terms I would stop the proceedings on reopening our divorce. She asked if she did not sell to me, I told her that from what I understand it was still going public, and when I bought it up piece by piece and called for an audit and they found all those dollars travelling through her company that had not been obtained by actually selling a service or a product I supposed someone would be very interested and the IRS and the Justice department would send someone to jail. As the colonel came around the corner she asked him if that was true and he nodded. Shaking her head she said she supposed she should have listened to him. He nodded and told her if she had they would not be hear right now and she would still be married. I scratched him off that list and told him I apologized for doubting him. She looked around and asked what she should do. I stood up and told her I could not give her legal advice and if I could I would tell her to go with her instinct and fire her legal advisers who in my opinion used her to pad their pockets. The short blond stood up and said I should talk as I got paid and I had to correct her and tell her I had not seen a dime from any of those settlements and had to actually borrow five thousand from my old friend and his helper just to help me get started and I really did hit a jackpot with only twenty dollars risked and that happened after the divorce. She told me Christian told her I had money cached around the world. I shook my head and told her my wife had been going through a trying time and may have been mistaken and my question is why the women who I had helped save from a really bad night had decided I was her enemy and had to destroy me and get rich off of her friend's emotional struggle. She stopped me and asked if she thought she had been helping my wife so she could get rich; shrugging I asked if she had done it probono. When she did not answer I nodded and said that she became a lawyer to make money so she did not need a man and now she had plenty of mine and did not need a man as she also had my wife. She looked at Christina and then back at me and slapped me. When she went to do it a second time my handler stepped in front of her and told her to give her an excuse. I looked around and told Christina I said what I came to say and would leave her to her plotting.
She stood up and walking over asked if that was what I thought she was doing. I told her to let me think about that; she promises to never divorce me and then while I am laid up in a coma she goes and does just that and completely destroys everything I had ever made for her and the children and then to top it all off she sells all of our furniture in a garage sale. When the blond told her technically it was not ours but hers; Christina looked at her and asked if that was her doing. When the woman did not answer Christina said at least I got it back and I told her actually it belonged to my business partner. Looking at her two lawyers she told them no more doing what they thought was in her best interest unless she specifically told them to do it and the first thing she wanted them to do was fire the man they had talked her into hiring she then said actually no I could have my old job back and do it myself. I shook my head and told her I could not as I had a non compete agreement with my current company so the best I could do to help was buy the company or rather companies that owned FES at their fair market value which would include all assets and real property owned. She asked if that would stop the proceedings and I told her the first day in court I would tell the judge we had worked out the details. Our oldest daughter told me that the judge may decide after reading the case notes that she wanted a grand jury to look into the circumstances and even though my case was over there could still be legal ramifications for the railroading job a couple of attorneys from the west coast orchestrated against me while I was on my death bed. Both of them looked at her and she said she was just giving her take on it and had heard from some friends and her sister who the DA had already talked to that the wheels had already began turning as folks in the south really do not like when their heroic sons and daughters get trampled on. I looked at my daughter who said those were the governor's words not hers. As I began to leave the taller asked what should they do. I told her I was no lawyer so I could not give out advice. She then blurted out asking if I gave her husband a hundred thousand dollars to gamble with. I nodded and told her technically I did not give him any money but let him use my credit. She shook her head and said thanks to me they were being audited. I told her I had no control over the IRS or her husband so if he tried to hide something from them it was not my fault. She asked if she could at least get a statement sworn of course as to the fact her husband had been allowed to use my credit to gamble with. I told her no.
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