The Gauntlet
Thrown and accepted
Joel was pacing in his kitchen with his cell phone pressed hard against his head, his fingers white from squeezing it so hard.
“You tell Samantha I want a press conference ready as soon as that bitch has hers! Samantha needs to get talking points to me right away! Got it? Good!” Joel took the cell phone from his ear and stabbed at the screen with his finger, terminating the call.
He looked at Lee, who was patiently standing next to the sink watching him.
“Where the fuck is Harding?” Joel turned and yelled at Alabama.
“He is on the way… Sir,” Alabama replied calmly in his lazy southern drawl.
“That fucking bitch thinks she's going to ruin all my plans! Wait till she finds out her precious video is out of her reach!”
Lee spoke up. “Sir, what if she has a second copy and all?”
Joel chuckled, “My guy fought like hell and made sure she didn't have one. She just wanted to see that fucker Xander and traded it. He had her thinking she would go to jail, cost me enough...”
“Yes, Sir. What if she does?” Lee replied, shaking his head.
“Then you get to kill her. I knew we should have tried to get to her in Hawaii… we should have downed her plane or something. Can't you guys get missiles or some shit?”
“Sir, you would have to ask Major Harding,” Alabama replied and picked at his fingernail with his knife.
“I pay you guys enough, so you should have. Did Harding hire more guys yet?”
“Yes, Sir, he did.” Alabama switched to his other hand's fingernails.
Joel paced the cold marble floor of his kitchen. He stopped and looked up at Lee. “What of that asshole Xander? Anything yet?”
“No, Sir, the Navy is buttoned down tight on this one.”
“For how much I pay you guys, I should know when that asshole farts!” Joel said irritably.
“Yes, Sir, the military is something else entirely. Selling secrets? It's a court-martial; not sure you want to pay that much for just some location info, Sir,” Lee replied, trying hard to not snicker.
“Yeah, yeah...” Joel muttered. “All this damn time and she just decides to show up! Some poor fucker washes up on her beach and she gets all weepy and calls home. Boo hoo, come get us. God, I hate her… well, I'd still like to fuck her, ya know?”
“Yes, Sir.” Lee nodded to no one in particular, held his finger to his ear, then looked at Joel. “Sir, Major Harding is pulling in now.”
While waiting for Harding to come in, Joel went to his cupboard, pulled out a bottle of Hennessy and poured himself a glass. He took a long sip and coughed. Clearing his throat, he poured himself another and sat down at the kitchen table.
“Sir!” Lee called out to Harding as he walked into the kitchen. Lee motioned with his head to where Joel was sitting.
Harding walked over to a sulking Joel. “Good evening, Sir,” Harding said flatly.
Joel looked up at his hired man. “Took you long enough. Sit down. Let's go over options.”
Harding pulled out the oak mission-style chair and sat down opposite Joel. “What are you thinking?” Harding asked.
“Well, I was thinking we could kill that bitch. We should have shot her plane down. That would have been epic!” Joel pantomimed being a newscaster, “Halo Raines rescued from a plane crash only to tragically die in another on the way home! News at six!”
Harding leaned forward, the light from the ceiling making his gray crewcut look white. “Sir, are you absolutely sure there is no other video?”
“Yes! My guy pressed her hard. She told them all repeatedly that was her only copy. How in the hell could she make a copy on that island anyway? The bitch even threatened to fight my guy if he took it.”
“Again, why did she end up giving it up?” Harding sat back and watched him.
Joel laughed, “My guy told them all she would have to give it up at some point.
Either then, or be arrested when she got off the ship.
So, she wanted to see that asshole Xander.
She negotiated it so she could see the fucker.
She knew she had to give it up, so she got what she could from it.
Hell, Harding, if it were me and I had a copy?
I'd have seen it on YouTube already. I don't hear cops at my door.”
“If you say so, Sir. We should have a plan in place, just in case.”
“Kill her.”
“Sir, I meant getting you out of the country…”
Joel stared at Harding for a moment. “Fine, any ideas?”
“For one, we should have at least two aircraft ready on a moment’s notice.
One rotary and one fixed-wing, preferably a jet.
We can have the jet fly low under radar into Mexico, refuel, then head to Belize and get you out by sea.
I suggest you have operating expenses at hand… which brings me to paying us.”
“What? You want a fucking raise now?” Joel cried out.
“I did not ask for a raise, Sir. We don't cheat our employers when the going gets rough. What we do is make sure we are going to be paid. So, I am strongly requesting that we are now paid a week in advance. Makes business sense, does it not?”
“Yeah, fine. Tomorrow I'll advance you a half a week at a time, not a full week. Deal?”
“Yes, that should suffice,” Harding quipped, and looked at Lee who winced to his boss. “On another note, when and if you have a press conference, you will take Stubbs with you and Alabama as your driver. I insist.”
“Fuck, fine. More the merrier.” Joel sipped at his Hennessy.
“What is this talk about killing Halo Raines? Don't you think it might attract unwanted attention? The authorities are already sniffing around you.”
“Fine, I'm just talking. You would if I paid, right?” Joel asked expectantly.
“If the conditions were right? Yes. None of my men want to be caught and spend the rest of their lives in prison, so the bounty better be damn high for a high-profile target like Halo Raines.” Harding looked at Alabama, who rolled his eyes and shook his head.
“How much we talking?” Joel asked, narrowing his beady eyes.
Without missing a beat, Harding answered, “Five million at least.”
“Fuck. Yeah, yeah.” Joel sighed and looked up to the white ceiling of his kitchen, “Fine. So, if I'm gonna carry that much cash around? You get me a gun, like a non-traceable one.”
“Will do, Sir.” Harding sighed and drummed his fingers on the table, watching Joel sip at his drink. “Sir? Might I suggest something?”
Joel wiped his mouth with his fingers. “What?”
“Sir, have you thought about contacting Halo and discussing the situation? It may be possible you two could work something out. If she has a press conference, she is going to be telling the world the truth… as she sees it.”
“I'm not calling that bitch. Besides, I know what she's going to say and I have one of the best PR firms at the ready. I know how I am going to counter that bitch. Don't you worry.”
“Just a suggestion. Will there be anything else?”
“No. I'm going up to bed.” Joel pushed his half-full glass away and headed to his upstairs bedroom.
When Joel was out of sight, Alabama came up to his boss and began speaking in a whisper. “Kill Halo Raines? You can count me out, Major; I didn't sign up to assassinate Halo Raines.”
“Not too keen on it either,” Lee added.
“One of the new recruits then,” Harding grunted and left it open for interpretation.
Alabama sighed, “Sorry to say, Major. Glad it wasn't me offing that JJ, I don't care the price. I would have mind you, but killing chicks? Like that dickhead Simo said, 'Not good for business.'“
Harding stepped close to Alabama and face-to-face barked, “Business is business.” Harding grabbed Joel’s remaining Hennessy, downed it, and left the room.
Halo awoke to helicopters overhead, the sun barely up. Her dreams had been of Xander again; she looked at the empty side of the bed and sighed at the heavy feeling in her heart.
Down in the kitchen, Jillian was already up. “Good morning, Love. Didn't sleep well?”
“Not much.” Halo poured coffee and breathed it in like she'd missed it more than she'd admit.
“Love, your manager's bringing Lewis with him.”
Halo sighed, then quickly downed the last of her coffee. “I'm going up to get ready.”
She came down twenty minutes later to find her stylist, Lewis, already mid-story to her mother.
He turned, his hands coming over his cheeks.
“There she is!” Lewis crossed the kitchen and hugged her hard enough to lift her off her heels.
“Girlfriend, you look athletic and sexy and exhausted, in that order. Lewis is here to fix the third one.”
“Good to see you too.” Halo smiled and caught sight of Paul, her longtime manager, behind him. “Hello, Paul.”
“You almost gave me a heart attack hearing your voice on the phone last night.” Paul set down his coffee.
“It’s good to see you home. So, let’s get down to business.
Joel's hired Huntley and Patterson. Samantha Patterson's running point for him personally.
They're ready to counter whatever you say, soon as you say it.”
“Do you know where they're holding their press conference?”
“I do,” Simo said from the doorway.
“Who,” Lewis asked Halo, not quietly, “is this fine hunk of gentleman?”
“Simo. Head of my security.” Halo didn't wait for the introductions to finish.
Simo continued after a nod at Lewis, “They've got a conference room at the Bel-Air Club.”
Halo slammed her hands on her hips. “Good. The best way to deal with a bully is to bloody his nose.”
Simo folded his arms. “Did you not understand what I told you last night about being careful?”
“Did you not understand what I told you back?”
“More work for Simo...” he muttered, already working the problem.
Paul frowned. “Is that wise? Joel's been offering a reward for information on Sarah. It's all over Hollywood.”
Halo's jaw tightened. “He ran away, paddling his ass off like a coward over a shark fin, and now he wants to ruin Xander's name to cover it. He can call me himself if he's got a problem. He hasn't. So no, Paul, I'm not being careful about this one.”
Nobody argued with her after that.