The Meeting
Adjourned
It was a few days after the so-called ‘Chairity Gala’. Ari Ascher was resting his hands on his desk and was watching Simo as he settled his bulk onto the leather chair across from him. “No information at all about John Harding?”
“None. Chen is doing everything he can. With Xander doing a nasty job on his knee… Harding is probably out of the country getting help.”
“We may have cut the head off the snake with Joel, but I am fearful that Harding is still a threat, my friend.”
“I would want payback… big time.”
Ari nodded once. “Let’s not assume he made it out of the country just yet. So… we keep underestimating Xander…”
“Yes. Maybe he is a little like his father was, but I think he is too much like his mother…”
“Ah… Simo.” Ari grinned. “I met Xander’s grandfather on his mother’s side once when I was young. Viscount Colonel George Hanworth… he was a decorated officer who was trained at Camp X in Britain in World War Two… in actuality, he was a highly decorated spy…”
Simo stared wordlessly at Ari. He knew Ari was telling him that Xan had soldiering on both sides and that it was in Xander’s blood.
Ari nodded. “Let’s keep Xander in the loop about Harding. Speaking of which, how are Halo and Xander faring?”
“Good…” Simo grumbled. “I guess his head got out of the way of his heart. It looks like he wasn’t the only one.” Simo shot Ari a half-smile.
“Ah, touché, my friend, touché.” Ari smiled back, then cleared his throat. “Back to business… Are you still confident about keeping Alabama on the payroll?”
“Better on than off. I think he will integrate well. Him coming around helped. He is due to leave for two weeks of extensive hostage rescue training in Britain. That one cost you a lot.”
“Does it not always?” Ari laughed. “And Foster Lee?”
“Paid off and returned home to ‘retire’... so he said.”
“Good. Who are you keeping up at Halo’s?” Ari saw Simo roll his eyes. “What?”
“Theo… he asked JJ out for a date. I questioned him on his timing.” He shook his big head, making his long black ponytail swish back and forth. “They like each other,” he grunted.
Ari chuckled. “Love… catching it seems, nea?”
“Yeah… I already took that antidote,” Simo mumbled.
“Ha! Be careful what you say, my friend. Andrew will handle security here, Gunnar at Ronson’s, Theo at Halo’s. Use Eleni and Jessie as backup for days off and keep Becky in mind.”
“Of course. I will be looking for Harding. When I find him, what do you want done with him?”
Ari stared off for a long moment. “The authorities, if possible… if not? Do what you think best.”
Simo grunted his agreement. “Ah… one more thing. Halo says it would be good to give Johnny a job off-camera.”
“Yes, it is about time I had a conversation with Mr. Stone…” He shot Simo a dark look as Simo smiled in return.
“When?”
Ari spread his hands wide and grinned. “Why not this afternoon… it would be ideal.”
“I’ll bring him in myself…” With that, Simo nodded to his boss and left Ari’s high-rise office.
Simo pulled up alongside the drab, gray-colored, rundown Values Motel off Sunset Boulevard.
He walked up the drive onto the narrow parking lot and up the outside stairway to the second-story hallway.
He found room 314, paused at the door, and listened in.
Simo heard the TV and the air conditioning running.
He stepped to the side of the front door, reached out his thick arm, and pounded on the door.
The TV was muted, and he heard Johnny’s voice from behind the door.
“Who is it?”
“It is Simo. Open the door so we can talk.”
“Oh… uh, ok.”
After a long pause, Simo finally heard the latch unlock and the door slowly opened. He saw that Johnny’s hands were at his side and he was wearing old shorts and a ratty t-shirt. “Let’s talk inside,” Simo ordered.
Johnny nodded nervously and backed away as Simo’s bulk filled the doorway.
Simo looked about the musty room and decided to pass on sitting down on anything. He shut the door behind him and made it noticeable that he locked the door.
“Uh… Mr. Simo, did I do something wrong?” Johnny swallowed hard as he backed away from the big man.
“I dunno, did you?” Simo replied gruffly as he pointed to the worn, colorful, seventies-patterned armchair.
Johnny’s eyes went to the chair and he quickly took his seat. “Is—is it about Elara Swan?”
“Maybe.” Simo grunted as he stared at Johnny.
With a nearly pleading voice, he asked, “Halo? Is it about her? I brought up the past…”
“Maybe.”
Johnny’s head slumped, and he looked down at the worn, avocado-green carpet.
“Payback time…” he muttered. Without looking up, he continued quietly, “Please tell Mr. Ascher I am so sorry… I shouldn’t have left Elara alone.
I know I should have gone to the cops.” He considered asking the huge man to make it quick but was afraid he would only laugh and prolong his death.
He wanted to look up, but knew a gun had to be pointing at him.
All he could do, in the long silence, was sadly shake his head.
The silence turned into what seemed like minutes as he waited for a bullet or the blade of a knife to end his life.
Nothing was happening, nor was Simo speaking.
Eventually, his curiosity defeated his trepidation, and he slowly and cautiously peered up.
Expecting to see the barrel of Simo’s huge gun being pointed at him, relief flooded through him when there wasn’t.
He was utterly confused by the big man just standing there, his huge hands clasped together, patiently watching him.
“Y—you’re not going to k—kill me?” he stuttered and expected to hear, ‘maybe’.
“Should I?” came the gruff response.
“Uh… n—no?”
“Good. Get dressed. Ari Ascher wants a conversation with you.”
“Oh… ok, sure.” Johnny wasn’t sure if that would be a worse situation than a quick death right here and now. “W—what?” Johnny asked as Simo interrupted his thoughts.
“I said, make yourself presentable… consider it an interview.”
“For what?” he blurted out.
“Ask Ari. I’ll be around the block in the Challenger. Move it and don’t make me come back up here… it smells,” Simo ordered.
Simo was negotiating the midday traffic while Johnny sat fidgeting next to him. He shot him a sidelong glance and gave him a once-over. “Is that all you had to wear?” Simo grunted as he continued to look at Johnny’s atrocious attire of cargo shorts, an old Hawaiian shirt, and worn deck shoes.
“I’m sorry… it’s all I have left. The flashbang burned my new clothes. Everything, my condo, my shi… stuff is gone. All I had was my piddly-ass savings account. I can’t get a job, even as a f… freaking dishwasher.” He heard Simo sigh heavily.
“Fuck.” Simo grunted. From the corner of his eye, he watched Johnny jump.
“Did… did I do something wrong?” Johnny asked.
“What the fuck do you think?” Simo said, shaking his head.
Johnny sighed. “Yeah…” He watched as Simo shook his big head at him.
“I have a question…”
“Y—yes?”
“Why you try and protect Halo from Joel?”
Johnny sighed again, then shrugged. “No one else looked like they were able to, I guess.”
“That’s not the real answer…” Simo mumbled, then met Johnny’s eyes.
“Ok… I didn’t want to see her hurt anymore. I hurt her… badly.” Johnny shook his head hard and raised his voice. “Fuck, she is pregnant and that asshole Joel just wanted to ruin and hurt her! Ok? Is that a good enough answer?”
“I dunno, is it?” Simo casually asked.
Johnny nodded. “Yes. It’s the truth… all this shit is my fault.”
“Not all of it.”
“What do you mean?”
“It was Joel’s fault, too. You fucked up by leaving Elara Swan alone and not going to the cops, like you said; then you got into bed with Joel because you were greedy.”
Johnny simply nodded his agreement at the big man. “Why are we stopping here? Is this where Ari’s office is?”
“No.”
Johnny watched as Simo pulled into the Neiman Marcus parking structure off Wilshire. “Why are we here?”
“Because you look like shit.”
“I—I don’t have much money left…” Johnny hung his head. “Could we go to like… like the Goodwill store?”
“No.”
“Mr. Simo… I’m sorry I don’t have enough…”
“Shut up and get out.”
Johnny did as ordered and soon he was being pushed forward and into the store. They took the escalator up to menswear with Johnny nervously fidgeting all the way.
Simo walked up to the nearest salesgirl and pointed at Johnny. “Make him look good for a meeting, and fast… get him some other clothes to wear, too. He looks like shit,” Simo grunted irritably and slipped her a hundred-dollar bill. “For your time.”
The flabbergasted girl nodded. Then she looked Johnny up and down and nodded harder. “Yes, sir. I’m on it!”
The car ride to Ari’s office was in total silence. Then in the elevator, Simo inserted a key and suddenly the elevator began to skyrocket upward.
Johnny glanced into the polished metal surface of the elevator and saw his visage.
His suit was dark grey, with a white shirt and blue tie.
His shoes were new, as well as his underclothes.
He couldn’t remember the last time he had worn a real suit.
Simo had also purchased him street clothes and shoes.
He gripped the large shopping bag gratefully in his hand.
Risking Simo’s ire, he looked toward him and cleared his throat.
“Uh… Mr. Simo, I will do my best to pay you back. Thank you again.”
Simo grunted, then turned to him. “No need. Just get your shit straight… I did this out of respect for Ari, and you showing some balls when it came down to it. Katalaveno?”
Johnny didn’t know what that word meant, but took it as ‘understand’. He nodded solemnly in thanks to the big man.
Johnny was ushered past a beautiful Indian secretary and into another office, where a man of Indian descent was sitting at his desk, watching him with dark, cold eyes.
Simo’s hand gestured toward the man. “This is Sagar Manwar… you know him as Sugar Man.”
Johnny gasped as the man slowly stood, with malevolence written across his face. “Well… if it isn’t Johnny Stone. We’ve been expecting you.”
“Uh, uh Mr… Mr?”