His Daddy's Car

Kelly went to a computer and created a composite image of what the finished rings would look like and printed out colored copies for Patty. Bobby paid for the wedding bands and a put a sizeable deposit on the engagement ring.

When they returned to the car Bobby asked them, "Do either of you have any place you need to be for the rest of the day?"

Patty smiled and said, "My schedule is totally clear. JR?"

"I'm okay," he said.

Bobby gave the driver instructions before turning back to Patty and JR, "Then let's go ride some roller coasters."

***

Earlier that morning, it had taken Mikhailov three attempts to reach Aleksey Butorin before he answered his phone.

"What took you so long?" screamed Mikhailov when his call was finally answered.

A weak Butorin replied, "I am just now able to move to pick up my phone. I awoke totally paralyzed and have only begun to gain movement again."

Mikhailov heard a gasp from the phone, and then there were several screams as Butorin tried to summon his own body guards, but like Mikhailov earlier, he would receive no reply. It took several minutes before Butorin returned to the phone.

"Boris, I need to go find someone. There are two strange men in my bed where my wife should be ...."

"Shut up," shouted Mikhailov. "That is why I am calling you."

"You did this? Why Boris?"

"I did not do this you fool! I woke up to the same situation as you over an hour ago, only my phone call was from the person who is claiming responsibility. If you will listen, I will tell you what I was told to communicate to you and Konstantin Ivankov."

"Ivankov too?"

"That is what I was told," said Mikhailov, "but he will not be able to confirm this for another two hours. He will be paralyzed like you and I were until that time."

"Please start with telling me where my wife is," said Butorin.

"If your situation is the same as mine, your wife and children have been abducted, along with all your body guards. My man, Vitaly Kazan has come over and reviewed the security camera data and there is nothing. All the camera feeds were jammed somehow during the night and when they came back on, they showed nothing of what happened. Once I confirm that Ivankov has also been visited, I need to explain to each of you the demands being made by the Suka."

"The Suka did this?"

Mikhailov replied, "The Bitch Wars have started again, and I'm afraid we may not survive this time Comrade."

Exactly two hours later, Mikhailov had a similar conversation with Konstantin Ivankov. He made arrangements for the three Brothers to chat on a conference call that evening.

Ivankov was not sitting idly by and waiting. He wanted answers. Waking next to two men that he recognized as being part of the assault team sent to deal with the Harpers, and knowing that the operation he had initiated likely triggered what had happened, he summoned Ginzburg to the beach.

"What in the hell happened?" It took all of Ivankov's strength to moderate the words he wanted to shout at the top of his lungs.

"I can only tell you what I know for certain Comrade," said Ginzburg. "The primary assault team last reported that they were in route to the neighbor's house. This was around 8 a.m. our time yesterday. They were never heard from again. The second team reported that they were holding position at their hotel until they had the go ahead from the first team. They have failed to respond and we have had no further reports from them. Our sources within both the local Texas law enforcement and the U.S. Marshals service report no arrests, or in fact any contact or sighting of either team."

Ivankov nodded, "The condition of the men returned to us would tend to eliminate the involvement of the authorities in this. They are all now less than men and are probably better off dead."

Ginzburg could not argue this. He had seen the men in Ivankov's bed and heard that the Brothers in New York and Chicago had received men in similar condition. "We have learned one interesting fact..."

"Go on," said Ivankov.

"The Harpers are no longer under the protection of the U.S. Marshals Service. The assignment has been transferred to the Department of Homeland Security."

"That makes no sense," said Ivankov.

"It is unprecedented, but perfectly legal under the right federal declarations."

Ivankov was confused, "What are you talking about?"

"If someone in the Administration -- and we're talking at the President's level or his Cabinet level at a minimum -- has deemed something involving the Harpers as being a threat to national security, then Comrade, we are no better than terrorists in their eyes."

"Can we find out who is behind this authorization?"

"We might be able to, but that will not necessarily tell us who has your family and who is attacking us."

"Maybe, maybe not, but at least we'll know who we are dealing with. If they want to treat us as terrorists, maybe we should act like terrorists. Get me as much information as you can by 5 p.m. I'll be talking to the Brothers then and we need to come to the table strong."

"Dah" said Ginzburg as he turned and walked through the sand to the parking lot.

***

Bobby treated Patty and JR to a four hour VIP escorted trip to the Six Flags over Texas amusement park in Arlington. They had been whisked to the front of every line by their park escort, and Bobby reveled in the excitement both Patty and JR displayed as they rode the most thrilling and popular attractions.

"Who's ready for dinner?" Bobby asked as the climbed back into the limousine.

JR hugged his dad and said, "Thanks dad. I'm glad my first time was with you."

"Me too," said Patty as she joined her son in hugging his father.

"You're both very welcome. Now, are you ready for some down-home Texas vittles?"

"When in Rome..." laughed Patty.

Within minutes, they were at the Arlington location for Bone Daddy's House of Smoke. There were a few groups of people standing outside the door, indicating that they could expect a wait for a table.

"Ummm, it sure smells good," said Patty.

After entering the restaurant, Bobby leaned down and spoke to his son, "JR, would you please go over and tell the hostess that we would like a table for three. If she offers you a booth, tell her that we would prefer to wait for a table. Can you handle that while your mom and I wait over here out of the way?"

"Sure," said JR, and he walked to the waitress with a proud smile on his face.

Patty squeezed Bobby's hand and said, "Keep it up buster and that kid is going to worship you almost as much as I do."

"I learned from the best... my Dad."

"Yes you did. I'm going to go powder my nose while we wait. Stay away from that Sports Illustrated swimsuit model who's moonlighting as a hostess. Be right back."

She kissed Bobby on the cheek and walked down a hall following the signs to the restrooms.

JR was back beside Bobby within a few minutes with a big grin on his face. "She'll call my name when our table is ready. It should only be about five minutes she said. Where's mom?"

"She went to the restroom," and as Bobby said this, he turned his head in the direction that Patty had walked to indicate for JR where she was. His blood cooled, and then instantly started to heat as he saw three men surrounding Patty just across from the ladies' restroom. She had her back against the wall with a man standing directly in front of her, leaning against the wall by bracing his hands on either side of her head. There was a man on either side of her preventing her from getting around the man in front of her as he had is face inches from hers. All three of the men easily had three or four inches and at least fifty pounds on Bobby. The first impression that came to Bobby's mind was that these were oil field workers out for a little hell-raising on their night off.

"JR, you better come with me" and he put his hand on JR's shoulder and started leading him towards his mother. As they approached the men's' restroom, Bobby opened the door and said to JR, "Wait for me in here. Do not come out until I come and get you. Okay?"

"Sure dad."

Bobby let the restroom door close before continuing towards Patty and the men harassing her. He walked up behind the man in the center of the group and Bobby could smell the alcohol on him already.

He reached around the man, took Patty's hand and said, "Let's go Patty our table will be ready soon."

"Screw you ass wipe, she's my date for tonight. Ain't that right cutie?" The other two men laughed.

Patty just turned her head to try and avoid smelling the stench of the man's breath on her face.

Bobby let go of Patty's hand, and there was a brief look of confusion in her eyes.

"Sorry, but she's my date for eternity. Move aside and let her pass."

Looking over his shoulder at Bobby, the man said, "Hell, you're not man enough for someone like her. Now get lost before you get hurt." He started to run a finger down Patty's cheek.

Bobby thought back to his martial arts instructor at the Air Force Academy. The general rules of non-lethal combat had been drilled into all students, and then Bobby's later advanced studies drove the rules home further...

If a man can't see, he can't fight

If a man can't stand, he can't fight

If a man can't breathe, he can't fight

With the center man's back to Bobby, he started with the one to the right of Patty. A forearm blow to the Brachial plexus rendered him unconscious. As the man in front of Patty turned, a blow to his jugular notch left him gasping for air in a heap. The third man tried to pull a hand gun, which Bobby forced him to drop with thumb pressure on the Large Intestine point 4 while squeezing the outside of the hand with his fingers. Bobby then moved him into a wrist lock, hyperextended his elbow, and then dislocated the man's shoulder for good measure. While the man was not without the ability to still fight, Bobby felt that there was no longer any threat from him, and left him moaning on the floor.

Patty couldn't see exactly what happened, but within seconds Bobby took her hand and helped her step over the unconscious or disabled bodies of the three men. Bobby reached down and picked up the hand gun from the floor.

Before Bobby could open the restroom door to retrieve JR, Patty whispered in his ear, "What planet are you from?" Then she teased him further by displaying mock shame and holding her arms over her breasts, saying "You don't have x-ray vision do you"?

Bobby laughed as he opened the door to the men's room and called for JR to join them. JR came out and noticed the three men on the floor, but just looked at his dad and shrugged.

Bobby approached the hostess and handed her the gun, "I found this on the floor outside the restroom. You may want to give it to the police so they can try and find the rightful owner."

The hostess took the gun and examined it. "Nice piece. Maybe if no one claims it, they'll let me have it. I've wanted an automatic and this looks almost brand new." She slid it inside the podium she was standing at and smiled at JR. "I was just getting ready to call you JR. Your table is ready."

"Only in Texas," Bobby thought.

The hostess addressed another girl, who Patty was convinced was destined for Playmate of the Month and said, "Nikki, would you please show JR and his party to their table." Nikki escorted them to a table for four, placed menus for each of them on the table and said, "Your server tonight is Carrie, and she'll be with you shortly."

Bobby held a chair out for Patty, JR sat across from her and Bobby sat between the two of them. They had barely picked up their menus when a waitress, who they all assumed was Carrie, greeted them. "Hi JR, I'm Carrie. I have been told to take special care of you and your guests tonight, so can I start you all off with something to drink?"

JR was momentarily speechless. Patty took mercy on her son and said, "I would like unsweetened ice tea please." Bobby selected the same, and JR was finally able to squeak out "Lemonade please."

If the two hostesses were beautiful, Carrie made them both look like yesterday's old news. She was absolutely stunning, and as Patty looked around the restaurant, she noticed that all the servers were young and very attractive; dressed in tight zippered shirts that came to their midriff, and short shorts that accentuated their perfectly toned bodies.

"A girl could get a serious inferiority complex coming here," as she stroked Bobby's arm. "This place makes Hooters look like a convent full of cloistered nuns."

Bobby was able to keep a straight face as he replied, "Really? I hadn't noticed until you mentioned it. What do you think JR?"

"They're okay."

Patty laughed at both men in her life and then turned her attention to the menu. "What would you recommend?"

Bobby made sure he had JR's attention too when he said, "The barbeque is legendary, but I'm going to get the Chicken Fried Chicken. I'm hoping to buy the recipe and give it to PattyKat so that she knows how to make it at home. Whatever you get, the portions are large, so don't worry about finishing everything. We can take the leftovers home."

"Can I have ribs?" asked JR.

"Of course," said Patty, "but why don't you get the full rack and I'll split them with you. If your dad won't mind sharing his Chicken Fried Chicken with me as well, I'll just order a side salad and sample what my guys are having."

"Sounds good to me," said Bobby, and JR agreed.

Bobby looked at his cell phone and noticed that it was nearing 7 p.m.

"PattyKat, could you please order for me. I need to make a quick phone call, so I'm going to step outside for a minute."

"Of course. Hurry back"

***

Mikhailov made certain that both Butorin and Ivankov had joined his conference call before he began.

"Comrades, have either of you heard anything from this Alpha Bitch since you woke up this morning?"

"Not yet" said Butorin.

"Nor I," said Ivankov. "I wish he would call me. I'd tell this eunuch what I will do to him when..."

"Please tell me, Comrade Ivankov. And while you're at it, tell me how you will do these things with your head detached from your body and sitting in the United States Attorney's office."

"Who is that," screamed Ivankov.

"You should know who this is Comrade. Don't waste my time."

"Listen you piece of shit, you caught us all by surprise last night, but you won't be as lucky next ... What the hell?"

"What..." was the similar reaction from Mikhailov and Butorin as the lights went out on them.

"Do you think that you cowards could hide from us?" The lights came back on for all of them. "We know exactly where each of you has run and hidden, and we will always know where you are. Quit playing games and focus on our demands."

"What demands?" asked Butorin. Mikhailov hadn't had a chance to convey those to them yet.

"As I mentioned to Comrade Mikhailov this morning, the short-term demand is that the heads of Konstantin Ivankov and Alex Ginzburg to be delivered to the office of the United States Attorney in Los Angeles by 9 a.m. Monday morning. That is tomorrow morning.

They are the cowards who have been frightening and killing innocent American citizens in an attempt to clean up their own mistakes. You other two, have sat by for the last ten years and watched this idiot continue his foolishness, and done nothing to stop him, so you are as guilty as he and Ginzburg are."

Ivankov was hysterical, "You expect me to sacrifice myself to appease you? You are the one who is an idiot."

"First of all, I have no expectations, only truths. Your head will be at the U.S. Attorney's office tomorrow morning, either figuratively or literally. Let me remind all of you that we had you totally helpless and under our control last night. If simply killing you was our objective, you would all be dead by now. Can any of you argue that point?"

Silence. "I didn't think so. Therefore, speaking to the demand related to Comrade Ivankov and his flunky Ginzburg, they can walk into the U.S. Attorney's office tomorrow morning by 9 a.m., confess all of their transgressions against the American people, and plead guilty when charges are brought, or their severed heads, as well as those of Comrades Butorin and Mikhailov, will be delivered on your behalf the very next day.

Now Comrade Ivankov, regarding your threat to act like terrorists if you were going to be treated like terrorists... that's right Comrade, your little surfside conversations are known to us, as are all your other conversations... let me assure you that your cowardly actions give terrorists a bad name. You have no cause, you have no beliefs, and you have no loyalty. You are only concerned with your own power and greed, and use cruelty to achieve those objectives alone. We will treat you as terrorists with respect to denying you due process under the Constitution; we will not bother ourselves with trials or even arrests. We will treat you as enemy combatants and eliminate the threat. It's that simple, and you can do nothing to stop us. So what's it going to be Comrades? One Brother's head or three?"

Butorin answered first, "If we give you Ivankov and Ginzburg, what of Mikhailov and me?"

Ivankov shouted, "Butorin, I'll kill you myself..."

"As I told Comrade Mikhailov this morning, once Ivankov and Ginzburg are neutralized, you will both be allowed to cease your operations within the borders of the United States, and to return to Russia. Your families will meet you there. Rest assured that your activities will be monitored, and any future existence of Russian mafia elements within the United States will result in your deaths."

Ivankov tried again, "We know that the U.S. Government is behind this. All we need to do is leak to the press that due process and Constitutional rights are being denied and..."

"You know nothing you pig, and you could prove even less. I am tired of this. The option of you and Ginzburg surrendering is now off the table. Tonight your heads will be removed from your bodies and delivered as instructed. Comrades Butorin and Mikhailov, will you facilitate this or should I. Remember that if I do it, yours also will be included in the deal."

"It will be done," said Mikhailov.

"Agreed," replied Butorin.

Ivankov screamed, "I'll kill you both first!"

Bobby disconnected and returned to his family.

***

Their meals were delivered soon after Bobby returned to the table. Carrie had brought extra plates for Patty to allow her to sample as much as she wanted from the meals of Bobby and JR. Carrie also tied a plastic shirt protector/bib around JR's neck to keep the barbeque sauce on the ribs from staining his shirt. JR looked like he was going to faint as the very attractive waitress kissed his cheek when she finished tying the knot.

Patty portioned out servings for herself from the other's plates and then they all dug into the food before them. As they ate, Bobby began a conversation with Patty.

"I am going to ask my attorney, as well as a legal representative from the Department of Homeland Security to come and meet with you tomorrow. You should probably have your parents participate in some of the meetings as well."

Patty licked barbeque sauce off her fingers and asked, "Why do you want me to meet with the lawyers?"

"A couple of reasons. First, your identity is a mess, and the HSA attorney can help in getting most of that straightened out. Secondly, once you can legally act as Patricia Harper again, you will face business responsibilities that you need to be made aware of."

"Dad?" interrupted JR.

"Yes JR?"

"I really love that you treat me like a person and not just a kid, but is it alright if I ask questions sometimes?"

"JR, I respect you as a person and love you as my son, but I promise that I won't forget that you may not always understand everything you are exposed to, and it is my job as your father to help you when you need explanations or advice. However, your mom and I also need to trust that you respect family conversations and don't discuss our private matters with others. Okay?"