Hunting Party #2
Simo let out a laugh. “And get his piss all over me? Fuck, no. He gets dragged. Here, grab one leg, I’ll get the other.” He chuckled and radioed his group. “Ari, Jessie caught Joel. Helo or your location?”
“We heard,” Ari chuckled. “Very well done, Jessie. We will police the area, then bring the live one back with us to the helo.”
“Roger that.” Simo smiled, then began whistling ‘Never on Sunday’ into the darkness as they dragged Joel through the dirt to the helicopter.
“Good morning, Mr. Miller,” Ari grinned as he shook Joel’s shoulder.
They all watched as Joel struggled to get his swollen eyes open. “Ari?” he gasped in shock.
“The one and only, as they say.”
Joel groaned and tried to lick his dry and cracked lips. “Water?” he grunted, as he looked up at the rafters of a basement ceiling. He tried to move his hands and legs, but he was tightly bound onto a table.
“My apologies, Mr. Miller, we are not here for your comfort.” He grinned.
Joel blinked several times and focused on all the people around him. He recognized Jessie and Simo right off. He turned to the side and saw that his prison cellmate, Randolph, was gagged and bound to a chair.
“So, Mr. Miller… we need to make absolutely sure you do not have any other people that may attempt to trouble us any further.”
“There is no one else…” he croaked.
“Joel… your word has no merit. We need to make sure, beyond any shadow of any doubt.”
“There is no one else! Let me go, you asshole,” he croaked louder.
“Ah… that was rude, Mr. Miller.” He turned to Jessie and gestured to Joel. “First one will be for Elara Swan, my niece.”
Joel saw Jessie heft a mini-sledgehammer and examine it all too carefully. “That was a fucking accident!” he yelped.
Jessie stepped up with the mini-sledgehammer in her hand and made a caterwaul sound, then the room erupted in laughter.
Then her smile faded and an angry sneer replaced it.
“Speedballing and raping Elara as she lay dying is not an accident, you sick fuck!” She tapped the hammer head in the palm of her hand.
“Since I caught you, Ari said I get to go first.”
“First for what? Where are the cops and where are my clothes? Why the fuck am I naked?” he spit out angrily.
“Oh, there are no cops here and no one to help you. Harding got exactly what he did to Selena…”
“Fuck you! Y—you can’t do this to me!” Joel yelled.
“That’s not nice, Joel.” She smiled wickedly at him.
Ari moved close and gestured to Jessie to wait. “I am curious, Mr. Miller, why do you feel that we cannot harm you?”
“Because you just can’t! I—I’m Joel Miller and this—this is illegal! You will all go to jail!” he sputtered incredulously.
Ari paused, then continued, “Oh? Are you implying we should simply let you go?”
Joel did his best to nod. “Yes! I will leave the country and never come back… you can trust me!”
Ari chuckled evilly. “Trust? You really believe that we are ignorant enough to trust you? After you killed Elara, not to mention trying to kill my family, as well as Halo’s?”
Joel’s eyes widened and he began stuttering, “N—no! Y—you can’t do this to me!”
Ari leaned down to Joel’s ear and whispered calmly, “We can and we will… and we will also have all your secrets out by the time we are done here… including everything about your mother, my niece, your father’s old housekeeper.
Everything. And think on this… no one will ever find your remains.
Your acid-etched bones will lie in an unmarked grave.
The world, your father’s attorneys included, will believe that you slipped out of the country and are in hiding. ”
“No… no! NO!” Joel yelled, his voice full of panic.
“One moment, please, Jessie. Please let me explain to Mr. Miller about Miami and what transpired with Tammy. Mr. Miller here should have an idea of what is coming his way.”
As Ari finished his story to a shocked and utterly pale and trembling Joel, he peered down toward Joel’s legs. “Sadly, it appears that Mr. Miller has made a mess of himself. Best we start.” Ari nodded to Jessie and backed away, giving her room.
Jessie chuckled. “Remember the movie, Misery? Yeah, I think I will start there.”
A pop sounded and Simo held up a lit propane torch.
Then, Gunnar held up a bucket of tar. Theo placed a tray of syringes next to Joel, shook his head at him, then walked over to Randolph and whispered into his ear, “Luck is with you; your death will be quick.” He proceeded to drag a wild-eyed and struggling Randolph, Joel’s prison roommate and disgraced cop, out of the room.
Simo moved in and looked down at Joel, trembling against his ropes, and smiled. “Joelly, what did Harding say to me? Oh… I’d be missing pieces? Sucks to be you.”
“No, NO!” Joel Miller began to scream in panic.
Simo picked up a syringe, tapped it as he held it up to the light, then turned to Jessie and gave her a nod. Suddenly, Joel’s screams turned to ones of agony as the mini-sledgehammer smashed against his ankle, nearly splintering all the bones in his foot.
Xander waited on the steps of Ari’s home as a black Escalade pulled up to a stop.
A grim and weary-looking Ari Ascher stepped out of the back passenger side, then Annabeth hastened out to meet him.
He watched as Ari took her in his arms and held her tightly as she kissed him.
He felt someone behind him and turned to see Tina and JJ.
Tina nodded to him, then took off toward her father, and all three held each other as JJ remained next to him.
Chen was the next out of the SUV, then Theo and Gunnar.
All three looked tired and in need of something strong to drink.
He watched as Theo smiled at JJ and nodded, then she waved at him.
The three men went to the back of the SUV and began unloading cases and black gym-type bags.
The staff waiting behind him did not go down to assist; he figured they knew.
Ari came up, nodded at Andrew, then approached Xander with a tired smile.
Xander gave him a tight-lipped smile. “Hello, Ari. I am very happy to see you upright.”