Equalizer Pt. 02: Alpha Strike

"How do you take it all in stride?" Tabby asked, as I drove us back to Mom and Dad's house.

"After what I saw in the Army, I got used to it," I shrugged. "Thanks for not running away screaming, by the way."

"You don't know how tempted I was," she replied with a nervous chuckle.

"Your world just got a whole lot bigger," I said, giving her a smile. "I'm not a fan of Hamlet, but I agree with that line Colt quoted at the office."

"It fits, doesn't it?" she said softly. "I mean, I now know that the paranormal is real. I think I'm still somewhat in shock."

"Took me a while to process it all, too," I said, nodding in agreement.

"I can imagine, since I'm going to need a minute," Tabby laughed. "What's a Vampyr? It sounds a lot like vampire."

"Colt and Nadine are Vampyri," I nodded. Then I decided to explain. "From what Colt says, 'vampire' is a bastardization of Vampyr. Nosferatu are standard, the run-of-the-mill vamps, though. Vampyri actually means 'Children of Angels', or something like that. I don't know the whole story, but they're the good guys. Mostly."

"Mostly?" she asked.

I had to laugh. "Yeah, mostly. Their ex-leader died when he challenged Colt to a duel. He was kind of like a Bond villain, only he actually thought he was doing the right thing. I read myths about that guy when I was a kid, too."

"Umm, what?" Tabby asked, shaking her head in disbelief.

"I'll let Colt explain it, when we see them again," I shrugged.

"Who is Professor Drake, anyway?" she asked, after several long moments.

"He's the best damn CO that ever served in the Army," I replied, smiling. "As for who he was before, well... I'll give you a short summary, like he gave us. Ok?"

"Ok, so spill it," she said and gave me the 'hurry up' look.

"I'll give you the short, short version, then," I said, then started to relay the information they'd given me. "Colt started off as a Knight under the command of King Richard, during the Third Crusade. When he came to America, he ended up joining Major Robert Rogers and his Rangers during the French and Indian War. Then later, he went on to help General Washington win the Revolution. Now, the US Government has something called 'Protocol 76' in place, regarding Colt, Ian, and Nadine. Colt and Ian helped found this country. All three of them did a lot for the Abolitionist movement and Underground Railroad, before the Civil War, too. Basically, they've been fighting the good fight, for the better part of a millennium. If you want more details, ask Colt or Nadine, sweetheart."

"Wow," she said softly, a stunned look on her face.

"That sounds about right," I said in agreement. "It blew my mind when I first heard about it, too."

"When he taught us about the Third Crusade, he talked like he was there," Tabby said, shaking her head and smiling. "Now, I know why."

"Nadine was the one who taught me how to really fight," I admitted. I couldn't help chuckling, remembering all the times she put me on my back during our training sessions at Langley. "I've just been passing her teachings on to you."

Over the past couple months after Shelly recovered, I'd been teaching Tabby, Shelly, and Maggie self-defense. The moves that Nadine used were deceptively simple, but very effective. The ladies turned out to be quick studies, which helped a lot. There wasn't anything flamboyant, like you'd see in a martial arts action movie. It was kind of a mix between Judo, Aikido, and basic Karate, with a dash of Krav Maga thrown in. They picked up the basics quickly, and I showed them how to exploit any weakness their attackers might have.

I also taught them how to disarm an attacker armed with a knife or a baseball bat, like the one Gordy the Gunk had used when he'd attacked Tabby and Shelly. By the time we left for vacation, they could all handle themselves fairly well. In Nadine's words, they were 'adequate' in their skills.

"I'll have to thank her, the next time we see her, then," Tabby said with a grin, reaching over and stroking the back of my neck. That's one thing I love about her. Unlike some women I've been with over the years, Tabby has no problem with PDA. Holding hands or even kissing in public is perfectly ok.

"I'm sure she'll love knowing," I agreed. "I love you, Tabby."

"I love you too, Declan," she replied, her fingers still stroking the back of my neck. It had been a while, but now I felt like I could relax.

When we arrived at Mom and Dad's place, I got a bad feeling again. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, until we pulled into the driveway. Dad's 'Cuda was still gone, so he was either still on set, or was driving home.

I looked over to see a nice new black Infiniti parked on the street, in front of the house next door. I hadn't seen it when we arrived the day before, or this morning when we left, for that matter. Old habits die hard, and my old habit is to check for everything. I can't plan for every contingency like Mac can. Therefore, I have to be able to improvise at a split-second's notice.

"What's wrong, hon?" Tabby asked, sensing me tense up.

"I don't know yet, but I think we're about to find out," I replied, going into combat mode. It's something that never really goes away. Once you've seen combat, it all comes back when you need it. My senses were already working, listening for strange sounds and looking for anything out of place.

We exited the car, and I put my hand on the old bayonet handle at the back of my belt. I popped the snap on the sheath, and prepared to draw it as we made our way to the door.

As we approached the house, the sense of dread got worse. My 'Spidey Sense' was tingling, and not in a good way. Nothing in the windows, nothing from the door. I had my ears pealed too, listening for anything that might let me know what was happening.

The adrenaline started pumping through me, and I felt it again. My vision cleared, my nostrils picked on a vaguely familiar aftershave, and my ears picked up the sound of a muffled, baritone voice. I couldn't make out what he was saying, but it didn't seem angry. That was a slight relief, but I knew how devious some people could be. Curtis was a lawyer, after all. Present company excluded, I have no real use for lawyers. Almost as little use as I have for the LAPD.

I turned to Tabby, and her eyes widened for a second. I mouthed, your ex. Stay behind me, and motioned with my head. I left the snap undone and took a deep breath, but removed my hand from the hilt.

"What's he doing here?" she asked in a bewildered whisper.

"I don't know, but if he's hurt Mom, I'm gonna put him in a hurt locker and bury it!" I whispered back. Then I took another deep breath, calmed myself down, and opened the door.

"Hey, Mom," I called out loudly, scanning for, and finding them immediately. They sat in the living room, with Mom in her chair and Curtis on the couch across from her. He looked our way and smiled arrogantly.

"Oh hey, hon," Mom replied, smiling. She didn't notice the look on Curtis' face.

I smiled back at her, then turned to Curtis. I made it a point to keep my voice courteous, but firm. "Mr. Stevens, I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Now."

"What's going on, Deck?" Mom asked, looking confused. "Curtis just told me that he was waiting for you. He said he was an old friend of yours."

"Yes, I was just telling Naomi that I spent some time in India, shortly before moving here to Santa Barbara," he said, and my adrenaline spiked at the mention of the sub-continent.

"Mom, he's not my friend, he's Tabby's ex-husband. I've never met him before this afternoon," I said, never taking my eyes off him as I watched him stand. Then I looked him in the eye and addressed him again. "Now, Mr. Stevens, it's time for you to leave."

"Look, I'm sorry that we got off on the wrong foot, earlier," he replied, smiling and walking towards me. He extended his hand, and I shook it again. That gave me a good long look at his eyes. I didn't see any signs, so that was a good thing, at least.

Curtis tried once again to squeeze the life out of my hand. I just repeated the same trick from earlier, extending my index and middle finger along his wrist. That negated his leverage. This time, though, I squeezed back. His face showed shock and pain, by the time I released his hand.

"You need to stop harassing my boyfriend's family, Curtis" Tabby stated in her professional courtroom voice. "You came here under false pretenses, and you lied to Mrs. Shepard."

"Yes, I did," Curtis said, suddenly professional again, himself. "However, I need to speak to Declan Shepard immediately. This is very important. Also, I must speak with him alone." He looked pointedly at Tabby, as he said it.

"Outside," I said simply, motioning with my head for him to precede me out the door. Tabby move to join us, but I stopped her with a hand on her shoulder. "No, sweetheart. Let me see what the asshole has to say, first. Ok?"

"Ok, but I don't like this," she replied, shaking her head. "I know him, baby. He's a charming asshole. Hell, he convinced my mother and father that I was the one cheating on him!"

"Tabby, you said you trust me. So trust me, ok?" I said with a nod to reassure her. "I'll let you know every word he says."

"Ok, but be careful. Please. I love you," she whispered in response.

"I will, and I love you too," I replied. I gave her a reassuring smile, then looked back up to where Curtis had just left the house. I walked out to join him and closed the door behind me. It was time to find out what the asshole's game was.

*****

"Ok, I'm listening," I said without preamble, as I stopped a few feet from Curtis. I folded my arms and looked him in the eyes.

"Deck," he started. "I know you don't have any reason to believe me, especially after my lying to your Mom, but you need to listen to me."

"I just told you I'm listening," I retorted, keeping my voice neutral. "Say what you have to say."

He took a deep breath. "Tabby isn't who she seems to be, man. I found that out, the hard way."

When he paused, I nodded for him to continue.

"She's sweet, funny, and she's intelligent, but that's not all," he continued. "That's just on the surface. She's not a good person, underneath.

"When we got married, I thought she was the best thing to ever happen to me," he said, sincerely. "It wasn't until three months later, when she gave me the clap, that I had any inkling of what she's really like."

He paused again. I hate it when people do that, when in the middle of telling a story. It tells me that they're looking for the right lie to tell. I just raised an eyebrow and motioned with my hand, for him to get on with it. I wasn't going to react until I'd heard the whole thing.

"Well, she accused me of cheating on her, and bringing home that STD to her. I swear to God, I never cheated on her! I knew then, that she was cheating on me, though. She got violent with me, Deck. She tried to kill me with a kitchen knife. If I hadn't gotten out of there, I'm convinced she would've killed me!" he declared, his face now a mask of angst.

"How long were you two together, before you got married?" I asked, neutrally. I thought I saw a flash of something in his expression, but he recovered too quickly. I didn't see enough to figure out what it was.

"We were together for almost six months, before I asked her to marry me," he said, matter-of-factly. No lie, there.

"And how many women had you been with, before her?" I asked, keeping the tone in my voice neutral again.

"Six," he answered, and I knew he was lying on that one. That was when I saw his tell. He had a slight tick to the upper lip on the right side of his mouth, and it twitched a little bit. Now, I knew who I was dealing with, and how to deal with him.

Curtis Stevens was a storyteller. He could spin a yarn a mile long, and show no signs of lying. It's the way corporate lawyers spin tales of how their company wasn't responsible for the oil spill, or how their car seats weren't installed correctly, which caused the death of a child in a car wreck. It's also the way the high powered criminal defense attorney sharks work, when they know that their clients are guilty. They'll lie through their teeth, to get that defendant off the hook, and all the while you'll think that they were telling the truth.

It was only when directly questioned, that they might flub a bit or give you a signal, or tell, to let you know that they're lying.

"So, you never actually cheated on Tabby?" I asked, furrowing my brow and giving him a concerned look.

"I swear to God, I never cheated on that woman!" he declared emphatically. That time, there was no lip twitch, but the way he phrased the answer kept me on my guard.

"Then why does she claim to this day, that you were the one cheating? She didn't have to tell me that, back when we first started dating," I asked, still fishing. "You were in New York, and she didn't even know that you were here in California, until earlier today."

"A psychologist friend told me that she has a narcissistic personality. She's all about herself," he said, shrugging. "I'm no shrink, but I trust his word about her."

Again, no lip twitch, but again he didn't say her name. He was good at lying, I'd give him that.

"Ok, let's say I believe you," I said, inclining my head a bit. "I can tell that the woman you knew back then, isn't the same Tabby Williams I know. Either she changed, or she's really good at hiding the truth. Her actions have never been selfish, from what I've seen."

"You don't know Tabby, then," he said, and there it was! The lip twitch reappeared. "I know Tabby Williams, and she's a lying bitch!" Annnd another twitch of lipski, there. Gotcha.

"Are you absolutely sure?" I asked, my eyes still narrowed as my adrenaline surged.

"Hey, that big murder case a couple years back. Remember that? Gordon Smith, billionaire playboy accused of murdering his lover's husband? It made national news," he pointed out.

"I heard about it, but it didn't catch my interest. Why?" I shrugged. It was true, at the time. I just didn't care about that case.

"Tabby was his lawyer, and she got him off scot free," he said, and I knew it was the truth. Tabby had told me about it during the William Turner case.

"Hmm," I hmm'd. "She didn't tell me about that," I lied. Lying to a liar. Ironic, ain't it?

"I'm not surprised," lip twitch. "Tabby would do anything to get her hooks into a man," lip twitch. "Do yourself a favor and get out while you can, Deck," lip twitch yet again.

"After this vacation is over, I'll cut her loose," I nodded in agreement. "Mom and Dad have been after me to settle down, though. If I dump her here, I'd never hear the end of it. You know?"

"Oh, I know," lip twitch with an "understanding" smile. "My folks are the same way," lip twitch for the umpteenth time.

"Ok. Thanks for the warning, man. I appreciate it," I said, reaching out and shaking his hand normally. He didn't try to squeeze me out, that time. He nodded back, then started walking towards the Infiniti. As he walked away, my smile disappeared. I turned and walked back into the house.

"So, what happened?" Mom asked before Tabby could.

So I gave them the rundown on his tall tale, and Tabby shook her head in disbelief.

"The only true thing he said, was that I went after him with the steak knife!" she declared. She looked like she wanted to repeat that scene successfully this time. I couldn't blame her.

"I told him that after our vacation is over, I'm going to break up with you," I said, smirking. "It's a temporary fix, especially if he's planning on stalking you. It gives me some time to figure out how to stop him from doing that, though."

"With swift and blinding violence," Tabby suggested. I didn't want it to go that far, though. Not yet, at least. I'd seen him for what he really was. It was a far cry from stopping a sociopath like Gordy boy, to beating the crap out of a guy, just because he's an asshole.

"I have to agree with the young lady, Deck," Mom chimed in, shaking her head slowly. "While you two were out there, she told me about what he did to her back in New York."

"Violence should only be used as a last resort," I said, then explained. "This isn't another Gordon Smith. This is a whole new ballgame. Stevens is smart. At least, he's a hell of a lot smarter than Gordon. Besides, if he leaves us alone from now on, we're good. If this is the last we've seen of him, awesome. Right?"

"You're right," Tabby sighed. "I don't like the fact that he's here, though. He's scum, baby. Do you think he moved here after seeing the news about Gordon?"

"That makes the most sense," I replied, shrugging. "Can't be sure that's what happened, but it's a solid possibility. This last time Gordon got sent away, it made national news, too."

"Yeah, and my name was attached to the case," she sighed. "Since Maggie and Shelly handled William's divorce from Candace, their pics were all over the news too. So was I, when I told that reporter 'no chance in hell', when he asked if I would defend Gordon again."

"Yeah, TV idiots are just that," I said, smiling wryly. "That's why I don't like watching the news."

"I know, right?" Mom said. "As much as they speculate over shit, it's a wonder we get the truth at all."

"Exactly!" I agreed.

"You got a point, there," Tabby said with a genuine smile. "That asshole knew that Gordon had attacked me, and still had the audacity to ask if I was going to represent him!"

"More like the idiocy to ask," Mom chimed in again, to which I agreed wholeheartedly.

"So that's how Curtis knew you were here," I segued, getting the subject back on track. Then I went with the most logical conclusion that came to mind. "He comes here, gets his bar certification for California, and then... what? He gets a job here in Santa Barbara instead of down in Los Angeles. He wants to stalk you, but he doesn't want you to know that he's here. He goes into corporate law here, so he won't have to face off against you or Shelly in court, down in L.A. I think it's a safe bet that he knows where we live, and where we work."

"Why hasn't he done anything yet, though?" Mom asked.

"Not sure, Mom," I replied, trying to figure it out. "He might want to just wait and see what's going on, for now. It depends on how long he's been here. Judging by the expiration sticker on his Infiniti, I'd say two or three months, depending on when he registered it. That was slick of him, though. He parked in front of the house next door. That meant that he didn't want us to know he was here, before he showed up."

"How did he get our address?" Mom asked. "We aren't listed or published in the phone book."

"He's an attorney, Naomi," Tabby sighed and shook her head. "He can go online and get his hands on any court records he needs. He can also request DMV information and say it's for a case. Most DMV workers don't even ask for a warrant, as long as the attorney shows his or her credentials."

Then she looked at us. "What? I've done it. The first rule of Courtroom combat: If it helps you win and you don't get caught, it's legal."

"Works for me," I shrugged. "So, we have a douchebag attorney with his finger on the pulse of our operation down in L.A. Now, I need to figure out what to do about him, before he raises the stakes. If he decides to raise the stakes, that is. Yeah, better safe than sorry."

"You coming up with a plan?" Tabby asked, wryly.

"Just a basic outline, so I can improvise as I go," I shrugged. "You know, like usual."

I must have the worst luck of any Irishman in history. I'm pretty sure that's why I have to improvise as I go, since I have the skills to balance out my shitty luck, most of the time. At least with Gordon, I could take a proactive stance. I could go on offense. Curtis was too smart to do anything overt, though. I hate being forced onto defense, in situations like this.