Old Sayings Hold True

Three hours later we had decided to let any animosity we had go. It was a conversation I never thought would happen. It was now after 8pm, and hunger had set in. I ordered a couple of pizzas then realized Jill hadn't come home. When I mentioned this to Paul, he pulled out his phone and made a call. When he hung up, he told me Jill was at Alistaire's house. I didn't bother asking how he knew that.

After we had eaten, I talked Paul into staying the night. He gave me a smirk and said, "I was hoping you would ask that", as he reached out the back door and picked up a full duffel bag. I shook my head and told him he could use the master bedroom or Allans room tonight. He said he would take the couch as it looked very comfortable. I just said, "It's your back" while he got a change of clothes and headed for the shower.

Considering all that happened the previous day, I slept well that night. I was woken the next morning by the smell of breakfast. I looked at the clock and it was only 5.15am. I was forced out of bed by my bladder, so I continued on into the kitchen, where I found a plate of bacon, eggs, sausages, grilled tomato and toast waiting for me, along with coffee. Paul had already devoured half of his.

After we ate and the kitchen was clean, we sat and Paul asked what I was planning to do about the situation. Without hesitation, I replied, "I'm going to kill the cunt. He threatened my children!" My voice was cold and determined. Paul shook his head and said, "That's easier said than done. He's a nasty piece of work."

Paul went on to explain that our Alistaire Walsh was not only into fucking married women, but also money laundering for the mob; drug running for the cartels; slave trading for the sex trade as well child trafficking for the elites. I asked Paul how was he not in jail, and he said Alistaire Walsh 'owned' a number of politicians and judges as well as more than a few senior federal and state police.

I guess that's why I had trouble finding a solicitor for my divorce. When I asked Paul why he hadn't arrested him, he said their hands were tied because it wasn't a national security issue as described in the legislation covering his department. It was classed as a domestic issue, even though it involved overseas interests. As I sat there contemplating, Paul looked at me.

Then I twigged to what was happening. The method had changed but the outcome was the same. He was still bullying me. This time I decided to use it to my advantage. He wanted to intimidate me into something but this time it would cost him. I knew where my destiny lay, but I required assistance to get there. Paul was going to give me that assistance. I just had to figure a way to manipulate him into giving me what I needed.

I asked him what his plans were for the near future and he told me he had taken annual leave for the next month, so he could help me sort out my problem with Alistaire Walsh. I looked at him and said, "You are full of shit! What do you really want?" He said he really wanted to be the big brother he should have been when we were growing up. I didn't fully believe him but decided to push the issue a bit.

I said to him, "I'm more than willing to go all in on this, but there are things I will need...". At that, Paul butted in with, "I'll help with anything you want." I pushed further... "I'm going to need ways to defend myself and take him down." Paul's expression hardened as he asked what I meant by that. I told him I would need a couple of hours to work out exactly what I wanted and would give him a list later in the day. He didn't look too pleased with my request.

I decided to call our parents and ask them to keep the kids with them at their beach house for a while and why. I asked Paul if he wanted to speak with them and agreed to a quick hello. When Dad answered, he said they already knew of our marital problems from the kids. I gave them a very vanilla description of Alistaire Walsh and what I was up against. Dad and Mum understood and agreed to keep the kids with them until I came to pick them up. I then handed the phone to Paul, and he had a 3 minute conversation with them. It didn't seem very friendly.

I knew then, that people had been keeping secrets from me for far too long. The other thing I knew was, that the only way two people could keep a long term secret, was if one of them was dead! But finding out what it was is for another time. I had more pressing things to take care of for now.

I went into my home office and started working on a plan to take care of one Alistaire Walsh and hopefully stay out of prison and/or alive. Many years ago, I had read Sun Tzu's 'Art of War' and thought he had many great ideas. One of them was to fight your enemy where he's not. Being a person who thought outside the box, I decided to turn that around and have him fight me where I was not. I had my plan, now to put it in motion!

I made a list and presented it to Paul. He laughed and said I was mad. There was no way he could get me everything I wanted. Even if he could get it, there was no chance of meeting the deadline I had set. I admitted it was tight, but I needed this resolved quickly as I had other things to take care of, sooner rather than later. I told him we would see if he was good enough to look after the country's security by how well he accomplished filling my requests. I knew that would hit him in his masculinity...

Paul asked me what I was planning to do. I told him there were a few different parts to it. Firstly, I had to get Jill away from Alistaire so he couldn't use her as a weapon against me. Before Paul could say anything, I went on to explain that there was no way her and I would ever be a couple again, but as she was the mother of my children, I was obligated to ensure her safety.

Secondly, I had to ensure all my employees were safe. That was why I required the 20 F88 Austeyr rifles and the 25 Mark 3 9mm pistols with ammunition so they could defend themselves. He complained that half of them were ex criminals and I said that shouldn't be a problem as they knew how to keep their mouths shut.

I spent the rest of the day refining my plans, especially how to get Jill away from Alistaire. While I was doing that, I could hear Paul on his phone. He sounded like he was making a genuine effort to acquire my supplies. Just to be sure, I started on my plan E. I already had plans B through D sorted.

When Paul finished talking, he gave me a rundown of what he could get. He could only acquire 15 rifles and 10 pistols, and they would be here in 2 days. I looked totally forlorn on the outside, but inside I was ecstatic. I expected him to tell me he couldn't get anything. I made a big show of being eternally grateful.

He then apologized, saying that he could only get 5kg of C4 but it will take until Friday to arrive. That threw me off balance for a few seconds because I only added 20kg of C4 to the list as a joke. Maybe he really was trying to change. This new twist needed a plan F.

After dinner that night, Paul said he was leaving early to go and pick up my items and would be back Tuesday morning. He joked that if he saw anything he thought I might need, like a couple of RPG's, he would throw them in as well. When I went to bed that night, plan F started to expand...!!

When I woke Monday morning, Paul had already left. I went into work and called everyone together. I knew and trusted all these people well, so I didn't hold back anything. The general consensus was they would defend the business from any threat. When I told them about the weapons that were coming, they laughed and said they could do a lot better themselves. I didn't doubt that.

When I casually asked if anyone knew how to use C4, it went deathly quiet, apart from a "Fuck Yeah!" from somewhere in the back. Everyone turned to look at Arthur. I waved him forward and asked if he really knew how to use it. He nodded and said nervously, "Yes boss, I do." I understood that most of my guys had something they wanted to keep private, so I told him to come and see me after lunch and we would talk further.

I need to describe Arthur. He was only just over 4 feet tall and weighed no more than around 38kg. He made a jockey look like a giant. I knew he was 58 years old but looked about 75. If you saw him walking along the street, you wouldn't even give him a second look. He had spent 13 years inside for the attempted murder of his former boss, who had an affair with his wife. I had never asked any of my guys for details of their former lives. If they wanted to share, I would listen but not judge. Afterall, this was their fresh start.

When Arthur showed up, I told him to close the door if he wished and take a seat. He left it open saying he had nothing to hide anymore. He told me that when he found out about his wife's affair, he had been working in the mines as a powder monkey for 18 years. Before that he had spent 6 years in the army learning demolition.

He decided to kill his boss the best way he knew how. By blowing him up. Arthur laid charges in his house, car, boat, gym and office. He had no intension of missing. Luckily for Arthur, and many other people, he was spotted on a security camera setting the charges in the office. When he was arrested, he told the police everything he had done and why. He wasn't really a bad man, he just lost the plot for a while. I could sympathize with him on that.

He asked me what he could do for me and I told him I just needed to quickly learn how to place and set off the C4 to the best effect. Shaking his head, he said he could teach me how to set it off in 2 minutes, but where to place it takes years to learn. I told him I didn't want to risk anyone but me going to jail if things went to shit.

Arthur then got up and closed the door and sat back down. He looked at me and said, "I wasn't going to say anything until we finished these contracts, but I will be leaving here when they are done. The doctors diagnosed me with Black Lung Disease from my time in the mines and gave me no more than 12 months to live. I have no family to mourn for me when I go, and I don't want to die gasping for breath. It would please me no end to go out in a blaze of glory while helping one of the very few people I call a true friend." He stood and went and opened the door, then turned back to me and said, "Just let me know what you need done and when." Then he went back to work.

I sat there stunned. Here I was feeling sorry for myself, when one of my best workers knew he only had a very limited time left to live. I decided to honor Arthur's wish and set about refining my plans. I called Paul and told him I needed all the information he could give me on Alistaire. He asked me why I wanted that, and I said it's better if he didn't know. For some reason he never pushed the issue. That made me suspicious, but I don't know why.

I also asked him to have a think of a way to get Jill away from Alistaire. I mentioned that kidnapping was not out of the question and if he knew anyone with experience in that area to give them a call. We disconnected and I pulled out my notebook with my various plans. I'm a dinosaur remember, and at least this way, there is no electronic trail left behind. All I have to do is throw it in our furnace to remove any evidence.

By the end of the day, I had my plans to a point of what outcomes I wanted. The fine details of how to get there were still open, although I had a few ideas that to most people would seem out there. I took Sun Tzu's ideas to a different level. I went and spoke with Arthur and gave him a rundown of what I wanted. He would take tomorrow off and start working on a plan and what he needed.

I then walked over to Joe and asked him to make some secure areas in case bullets started to fly. He then pointed out 8 solid steel 'bunkers' placed around the workshop and said, "Already on it boss!" I went and had a look at the nearest one. It was made from 25mm thick steel with a door that could be locked from the inside. There was room for at least 6 people.

I noticed there was already a couple of weapons inside. I said to Joe that they didn't lose any time getting organized, and he said that Alice spoke with everyone earlier. Smart girl that Alice. I asked Joe about something for the office and he told me they were making a doorway straight into the secure room for that. I don't know why I bother to even be here half the time. I decided it was time I headed home. I called ahead for a Chinese meal to be delivered in 2 hours.

When I arrived home, I had a shower and just poured myself a beer when the doorbell rang. That's all I remember until I heard the 'Beep' 'Beep' 'Beep' near my head. As I slowly opened my one good eye, I knew where I was by the pain and sterile smell. When I groaned, a very pretty nurse appeared in my line of vision and asked how I was feeling. I just groaned again!

Her name tag read 'Nicole' and she informed me the police were waiting to ask me a few questions if I was up to it. I quietly said no and asked her if my phone was here. Nicole had a look in the bag my clothes were in and found it. As she handed it to me she said, "Pretend to be asleep until I close the door." When Nicole opened the door, two policemen tried to enter. She pushed them back out saying that I was asleep and still needed a lot of rest. I really liked Nicole.

I scrolled through me phone until I came to James T Kirks number and pressed dial. When I identified myself to his receptionist, she told me they were expecting my call and put me through. James answered and said he heard what happened and asked how I was feeling. I told him I felt like I had been hit by a truck. I asked him how he knew what happened when I didn't even know. He just said, "I have my ways. That's why you hired me."

I told him about how the police seemed over eager to question me, but that I don't remember anything after I opened the door. He said not to worry about the police, he would take care of them. Just then a doctor came in, so I told James I would call him later. The doctor went on to inform me of my injuries. A fractured eye socket was the worst of the list. Two dislocated fingers and a bruised rib the other main ones. A few bruises and minor cuts rounded out the list.

It seems my food delivery interrupted what could have been something very serious. I asked the doctor how soon I could leave and he said I should be able to go home in about 3 days if all went well. That wouldn't suit my plans at all, but I remained calm and asked if there was any chance of getting something to eat seeing how I missed dinner. He looked at his watch and said the kitchen closed an hour ago, but he would see what he could do.

When he opened the door to leave, the two police officers tried to push past him. With a block that would make a Rugby player proud, the doctor stopped them. I just said to let them in so we could get it over with. The police stepped back to let him out and as he passed he told them they had 10 minutes and gave me a wink.

They came to my bed and started with the questions. I held up my hand to stop them and when they were quiet, I set the timer on my phone. This seemed to piss them off somewhat and the questions started again. I honestly tried to speak but they never gave me a chance. At the 6 minute mark, I pointed to my phone until they went quiet. I then simply said to them, "Any questions will be answered through my solicitor." Then the threats started. I would be charged with hindering an investigation and failure to comply with a lawful direction were just 2 of the many they quoted.

The phone timer went off and I pointed to the door. They never moved, so I pressed the nurse call button. In less than 3 seconds, Paul and two others, wearing military dress uniforms with lots of brass and medals appeared and told the police to leave immediately. They refused until two big, burly military police came through the door and suggested it would in the best interests of their ongoing health to comply.

After those 4 left, Paul said it was time to let him know of my plans. I glanced at the others in the room and I told him it was not the time nor place to share that information. Besides that, you can't be involved in what's going to happen. Paul shook his head and said, "I'm already way more involved than you realize. Oh, and you don't have to worry about these guys. Let's just say they are my numbers 1 and 2. I trust them with my life."

I told Paul I would fill him in just as soon I got out of here. He said, "That's good because I have an ambulance waiting downstairs for you!" Paul told #1 to find the doctor and bring him to my room. Shortly after, the doctor entered, saw Paul and quickly snapped to attention. Paul just said, "At ease. You're a reservist?" The doctor replied, "Yes Sir." Paul told the doctor to relax and ignore the uniform. It was just for effect.

He said to the doctor that he needed to get me out of here ASAP for my own safety. He also explained there was an ambulance and medical team waiting in the basement. The doctor looked at me and asked if I was ok with this. I replied, "I think I can trust my brother to look after me for a while." He seemed taken aback at this, but recovered quickly, saying he would organize everything immediately. Paul told him to be discrete for security reasons.

When we got to the basement, there was an army ambulance and medical team waiting. As they loaded my gurney, I asked Paul where we were headed. He just said he had a secure site available that was 30 minutes away. I told him I needed to check in at the workshop and he said they knew what had happened and he dropped the supplies off there earlier. He also told me #2 was headed there to ensure everything was secure.

We arrived at a nondescript warehouse and drove in when the door opened. Inside was just an empty space with a few wooden crates and what looked like an office area. I was wheeled into the office where a bed was set-up. I insisted to get myself on the bed. Apart from the pain in my ribs I could move reasonably well considering. The doctor asked if I wanted pain relief and I eagerly accepted.

Paul waited until I was settled then had me explain what I had planned. Before I spoke, I quickly looked around and realized there were 7 others in the room. If I added in #2, that made 8 more people involved. This was getting out of hand. Paul knew what I was thinking and said, "Don't worry. I hand picked everyone here and I can guarantee each and every one of them is trustworthy."

I gave them a basic outline of the first half of my plan. The one called Smith said it seemed solid, but what did I have planned if Walsh came after me. I lied and said I still had to work on that part. Paul told Smith and the one called Jones to start on a plan for that eventuality. I then asked Paul if he had the info on Walsh I wanted, especially his finances. When he asked why I wanted that, I simply replied, "It' always about the money. Follow that and you'll get where you need to be."

I also told him I wanted to speak with Jake and Wendy. He looked at me for a few seconds and said that sounded like a good idea because he wanted to have a chat with them too. He quickly followed up with, "It's all good. I want to make them an offer to work with us in the future if they are interested." I called Jake and explained the situation. He was skeptical until I assured him they could back out at any time. Jake agreed to come by the warehouse after dark that night, just to check things out.

I was getting restless laying in bed, so I slowly got up and wandered around. I worked my way over to the crates I had spotted earlier and gently lifted the lid of one. I was rather surprised at what I saw. Along with some RPG's and what I believed were rocket launches, was a large number of anti-personnel mines. I closed that crate and looked in the next one. There I found rifles and grenades.