Saddled, chapter 21 (Patreon)

When the door came open, John was on the edge of his cot ready to launch himself. He had been prepared to attack the boss man, but instead White stood with a light behind him, a gun in hand. John shifted his weight back and held his hands up. “No trouble.”

“Get up,” White ordered.

That required John to move closer to the gun, which seemed like a bad idea, but he stood. He kept his hands raised and prayed that White wasn’t about to pull the trigger.

“Move,” White ordered as he backed up. Again, that forced John to move closer to the gun, but he didn’t comment as he moved into the main garage. Someone had set up a large folding table near a garage door. Since White backed off to the side, John walked over and sat in the metal folding chair. It would make a nice weapon, only White had a gun, which was an even more effective weapon. 

“So, what now?” John asked.

The office door opened, and the boss man came out, a bottle of unopened water in hand. Maybe this was the newest round of torture. He’d give John water if John made a statement in front of the camera. John might consider doing it except for two things. First, he hated giving assholes anything. Second, he still believed that Elena was his best shot at surviving.

Boss man sat across from John and fiddled with the cap on the water bottle before saying, “I’ve worked hard to get where I am.”

As opening statements went, that was fairly cryptic. John wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be impressed, but the hostage taking reduced the odds that he would ever join this guy’s fan club.

Boss man leaned forward. “I could be a very good friend. I certainly wouldn’t make you spread your legs to get some money. I know that’s not what you want to do.”

“You don’t know shit,” John said, his voice sandpaper rough.

Boss man pushed the water bottle across the table. “Here.”

John ignored it. “What do you want in return?”

That earned a huge sigh as if John was being unreasonable. Boss man had issues. “The water is yours, no strings attached. I just want you to realize there are benefits to being my friend.”

John uncapped the water and took a long drink. His throat was so dry that the cold water stung all the way down, but he didn’t let that stop him. 

“Are you going to ask about the benefits of my gratitude?” Boss man asked.

“I assume getting to keep breathing is one,” John said as he glanced toward White. The thug had tucked his gun in his waistband where it was still visible.

Boss man glared at White. That was ironic. “I know men like Davidson,” boss man said. “He’s arrogant. He likes to use people and discard them. You and I are in the same boat you know. I brought him a project I had put my heart into. He’s trying to take it away from me because he’s arrogant and petty and sadistic. I understand you suffered under him as well. He took something from you.”

John screwed the cap back on the water and kept the bottle close. He didn’t want to drink so much that he started throwing up, but hopefully they’d let him keep it for later.

“Do you know how to speak?” boss man demanded.

“Sure,” John said. He still wasn’t sure what he was supposed to add to the conversation.

Boss man burst up out of his chair, and John flinched back before he could control his instinctive response. “You fucking idiot. I’m offering you an escape route. We could work together and take Davidson down. You and me. Two little guys sick of getting stepped on could strike back against a rich asshole who thinks he can buy people. Who thinks he can buy you.” He slapped his hand down on the table, and John watched in silence. Considering that this guy smelled of money himself, the irony was enough to give John a brain cramp.

After a second, the boss took a step back. “All you have to do is tell the bitch that we’re working together, and I’ll write you a check for a hundred thousand dollars right now.”

John touched the corner of his lip and pulled his finger back to look at the red smear. The gag had rubbed his skin raw and the dryness had made it split. However, the boss clearly didn’t recognize John’s less than subtle hints. So after an awkward pause, he said, “Somehow I don’t think you have my best interests at heart.” That was as non-antagonistic as he was getting.

“You weren’t supposed to be hurt.” The boss stared daggers at White. John ignored the antics and kept his focus on the boss since that’s where any danger would come from. “If the police get involved, you and your boss are going to be in even more trouble than I will be,” he added. If his artistically worn clothes didn’t give him away, John would have pegged this guy as a poser because of the way his grammar got more proper as he got stressed. He sounded like a damn prep school escapee now, and as the person Elena saddled with teaching working class manners to the brats, John would know.

“I never have liked dealing with police or government people of any kind,” John said. He didn’t want a starring role in this assholes schemes, but he could agree to part ways without any charges filed. That’s what Elena would want anyway. Briarwood accounts would probably stand up to any quick audit, but if police poked around long enough and used the right bait, they’d catch something.

The boss grinned. “Exactly. So tell your boss that.” He pulled out his phone and punched in a number before handing it over. John glanced at the screen, and the number was labelled “bitch.” He had a pretty good idea who that would be.

“Hello?”

“Are you unharmed?” Elena asked. Her words were terse with just an edge of Eastern European accent. Because John had played body guard for her more than once, he recognized her voice as the calm that came before the shit storm.

“Relatively,” he said.

“Guards?”

“One asshole with a gun, one boss, I’ve seen a few more around, but I don’t see them now.”

“But the boss on the line.” 

John knew better than to argue with Elena when she was in this mood, so he handed the phone to the boss. The boss took it and walked toward the office. Behind him, John heard White take a step closer, but John wasn’t about to make a move now that he knew Elena had made contact. So he put his hands flat on the table and tried to avoid giving the asshole any excuse for more violence.

The boss got steadily louder until he finally shouted, “Fine!” and disconnected the phone. He strode back over to the table. “She’s coming here,” he said. His words were nearly as clipped and angry as Elena’s had been.

“You told her where we were?” White demanded, and John enjoyed hearing the edge of panic in his voice.

“She already knew!” the boss shouted. “Just stay calm.”

White settled into unhappy mutterings, but John kept his attention on the boss. “She’s not going to be happy,” he said.

“Shut up.”

John shrugged. “I’m just saying, you might want to start thinking of ways to make her happy. Jewelry works.” And if John played his cards right, Elena might feel guilty enough to part with a few thousand dollars toward his mother’s treatment. Since John was now hours late to either pick up his brother or visit his mom, he hoped Elena had made some sort of arrangements. Her first priority would be to make sure the clients were covered, but she should have sent Helene out to take care of any lower priority items. Helene knew where his mom was and had arranged for the first payment to get sent over there, so John had to trust the women to handle logistics.

“We should just leave.”

The boss shook his head. “She’s a whore. She’ll do whatever brings in the money, and Davidson can’t funnel too much money to an operation like hers. Not without attracting attention. I can make a better offer, and then we’re still in business.”

“You’re in business. I just wanted a payday,” White whined. He started edging toward the door.

“Walk out and you aren’t getting a fucking dime!” the boss snapped. His house of cards was collapsing.

Before the two of them could argue any more, the doorknob to the outside rattled. Both men fell silent, and then the boss’s phone rang. “Just shut up,” the boss ordered White in a vicious whisper and then he headed over to the door.

When he opened it, Elena came in so fast that she essentially pushed the boss out of the way. Behind her, Noah and Jackson followed. John had expected Jackson. They worked together as bodyguards or enforcers often enough that Elena tended to call them her J-team. Jackson had huge muscles and a dark olive complexion that someone who wanted to get throat punched might call swarthy. Paired with John’s scowl and working-class physique, they could intimidate most people into reconsidering any stupid life choices.

Noah was a larger surprise. The pony play trainer didn’t look frightening, which made John suspect that he brought some other skill to the table. John studied him to see if he could spot a weapon, but Noah kept quiet and projected a bored meekness that John didn’t trust.

Maybe the boss had some common sense because his gaze kept drifting over to Noah. Then again, that meant he wasn’t keeping an eye on Elena, and she looked angry enough to gut him or make him eat his own testicles. Maybe both. Anyone who mistakenly believed that fat people were jolly only had to look at Elena’s face to know better.

“Mr. Robinson,” she said. Her mouth was puckered in an unhappy moue.

“Ms. Elena. I’m sorry, I don’t know your last name or I would address you more formally.”

“Mr. Robinson, you will relinquish all rights in projects associated with Mr. Davidson and issue a statement referring to your need to focus on personal matters. You may make that statement as vague or as specific as you wish.”

Robinson took a quick step back and stared. John crossed his ankles and prepared to enjoy the show. This idiot had no idea what he had done, but from his stunned expression, he was starting to get it. He looked like a fish on dry land, mouth gaping as he tried to breath out of his element. He finally said, “You’re insane lady.”

She continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Or you will be arrested for kidnapping, assault, threat by intimidation, and attempted rape. I can promise you that you will spend every penny you have on a defense team. You may or may not go to prison, and no one will ever work with you again.” Elena smiled sweetly, and the whole garage when utterly still. Jackson had his gaze locked on White, but Noah looked around with a delighted smile.

“I know that’s an empty threat,” Robinson said.

“Oh?” Elena’s eyebrows went up and she tilted her head back so she literally looked down her nose at Robinson. He twitched at the implied insult. “And why is that?” she asked with an almost southern drawl. She was just fucking with the guy now.

“You won’t endanger your precious Briarwood brand,” Robinson said firmly.

Elena smiled and walked around the table, stopping near John. “Briarwood has nothing to do with this.” She rested her hand on his shoulder.

“Right. I hired two Briarwood whores. And my lawyers will make it clear that it was all a sex game that got out of hand.” Robinson waved his hand about as thought waving away Elena’s threat. “They’ll make sure that they smear the name of your precious agency far and wide. You’ll lose everything. Hell, maybe the police will send you to prison like all those other high priced madams.”

Elena’s smile was slow and so vicious that John fell in love with her just a little. “Noah,” she said. He nodded at her and went over to open the garage door. White dropped back several steps and put his hand on the butt of his gun. Elena ignored all of it and addressed Robinson. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, especially since the young woman you contracted has no ties to the agency.”

Elena looked toward the door, and a woman with broad shoulders and thick muscles walked in. She wouldn’t be out of place on the deck of any fishing boat, but she moved with a lot more grace. “Miss Lauren, would you like to come out here and identify the man who hired you?” Elena asked.

She had a hard look in her eye and she pointed straight at Robinson. “That’s him. He emailed me using the name of one of my other clients, but I didn’t trust him, so I hired John to back me up. I’m no fool, walking into a situation without support.”

Robinson spluttered and Elena laughed. “You are out of your league,” she told him.

“I can fuck you and your company. You have no idea what I can do.”

Elena leaned against the table. “I know what you could have done, but you didn’t play your card at the right time, and now Helene is gone. You’ll never hear from her again, and any insight she had into my company is moot. I’ve already restructured.”

John’s blood went cold. Helene had betrayed them. She had been Elena’s right hand since before John joined the company. Robinson was equally shaken. He turned an ashen gray as he stared at Elena in horror.

Ignoring all that, Elena asked Lauren, “And how did you meet John?”

She gave Robinson an equally cold smile. “He ran the boat when some guy hired me to spend the weekend with him.  We got to talking, and he asked if I was okay because he didn’t like how the client was—how he treated me. After that, I hired him once or twice to watch my back. He’s alright. He’s always talking about how I should find safer work, and he’s a square, but he’s alright.”

Robinson shook his head. “I never hired her.”

“Sure you did. Your emails prove it.” Elena chuckled as she walked back around the table.

“No, that’s not what happened.”

“I assure you—this is what the police will find,” Elena promised. “And while John is an agency employee, he is like the thousands of other men and women on the payroll: a hard working individual with unique services to offer.” She turned to the new woman. “Thank you, Miss Lauren. If the police contact you, please be sure to be extremely honest and open with them. The second the agency’s name is maligned, we will send our most expensive lawyers in to defend you.” Lauren gave a nod and then turned to the door Noah still held open. The two of them traded looks, and John suddenly understood her gait. She was a pony. The rolling easy stroll was designed for show, and those muscles made him remember what Noah had told him about competitions and weight pulls.

John’s brain was still in the process of rewiring when Robinson spoke again. His voice was colored with anger and frustration as he stepped toward Elena. Immediately Jackson was there in between them and John got to his feet. Robinson stopped. “You think you can get away with anything because you have money.”

Elena shrugged. “Money is less protection than you assume. However, paranoia, a wide range of friends in law enforcement, and intelligence are far more useful weapons when framing someone.”

Robinson ground his teeth so hard that John could hear it. “You bitch.”

“I am.” Elena’s response was absolutely cheerful.

“You fucking bitch.”

“I’m fucking you over, so again, that’s accurate.” Elena started toward the door. “Boys, come along.”

John had never been so happy to follow an order. He left Robinson and White behind, but he had no doubt that Elena had taken steps to ensure that Robinson either agreed to her terms and backed out of his partnership with Davidson or she would utterly destroy him. She was a hot when she got homicidally angry.

She reached the car and turned to study him. “Are you really okay?”

“Bruised, tired, thirsty and hungry, but not damaged,” John said.

Elena looked back at the garage, her anger still front and center.

“Helene?” John asked.

Her gaze snapped to him. “Don’t,” she said sharply. “Just don’t.” She got in the car. John didn’t understand the inner workings of the office, so he took her threat at face value and got in the car. Right now all he wanted to do was check in with his mother and then sleep for a week. 

 Chapter 22: https://www.patreon.com/posts/saddled-chapter-20049839 

Chapter 23: https://www.patreon.com/posts/saddled-chapter-20094108 

Chapter 24: https://www.patreon.com/posts/saddled-chapter-20174290 

Chapter 25: https://www.patreon.com/posts/saddled-chapter-20210420 

Chapter 26: https://www.patreon.com/posts/saddled-chapter-20310403 

Chapter 27: https://www.patreon.com/posts/saddled-chapter-20707456 

Chapter 28: https://www.patreon.com/posts/saddled-chapter-20726684 

Chapter 29: https://www.patreon.com/posts/saddled-chapter-20848455