Old Sayings Hold True

The next morning was filled with anticipation and a few tears as the chopper lifted off with Paul, Arthur and 3 others on board. It only took 2 hours for Peggy to want to head off after them. Aunty Flo and Alice took her aside for some secret women's business while I did my physio. When they returned, Peggy had a smile on her dial bigger that Uluru.

The next week seemed to slip by quickly for us all. A couple of updates from Paul about Walsh's disappearance. There were people looking for him. Some harder than others. Jake had eventually put it out there, that Walsh had fled the country for somewhere in Eastern Europe. Paul also told us that Arthur had been assessed and the search was on for a donor.

Our departure day arrived, and Peggy was just about jumping out of her skin. Think of a 5 year old at Christmas, then double that. By the time Alice and I finished breakfast, Peggy was waiting in the car, urging us to hurry up. I let Peggy drive the first hour to the pub. She didn't have a license, but out here, not many people did, even though everyone knew how to drive.

When we stopped for my customary tipple, the publican mentioned that he had heard there was a commotion near my place. Thinking quickly, I told him I had tried using some explosives to speed up the mining process. But me being a clueless cunt, used way too much, and totally fucked it all up. The mine totally collapsed, but luckily I was smart enough not to be inside when it did.

He gave me a strange look and said, "That's not quite how I heard it, but your story sounds feasible. I guess we can go with that. The next round is on me." As we were leaving, I thanked him for the drinks and he said, "So I suppose you don't need that gun and alibi now?" I smiled and replied, "Thank you but not anymore."

Alice drove the rest of the way home. We stopped at the hospital first to check up on Arthur. He was doing just fine now Peggy was there. Alice and I then continued on to the workshop. The guys mobbed us, asking what happened with Walsh. I just told them we didn't have to worry about him anymore. However, I did remind them we still had to be vigilant as there were others who were after him and they may come our way. Joe assured me everyone was staying on their toes.

When Alice and I were leaving, a stretched limousine rolled into the yard. The dark tinted window rolled down and the face of an older Asian gentleman appeared. He said in perfect English, "I am looking for

anyone who can tell me where I might fine one Alistaire Walsh?" I slowly made my way to the limo, bent to look him in the eyes and asked, "And just who might you be?"

He replied, "I could be your best friend, or your worst enemy." I stood back and waved my hand and a red laser dot appeared on his chest. He saw it and looked up at me as I said, "And I could be yours! Do not ever come onto my property again and threaten me or my friends." With a look of fear, he apologized profusely and said, "I believe I have been mis-informed. I hope you are able to find forgiveness for a foolish old man?"

I opened his door and told him to step out. His driver quickly ran to place himself between us. The old man raised his hand and said something to him. The driver bowed his head and backed away from us. I held out my hand and introduced myself as Jay Jones. He said, "I know who you are Mr Jones. I am Yuri Huyong. We shook in a sign of an uneasy truce.

I gave him a curious look and he said that a Russian man had saved his father from the Japanese during WW2 and he wanted to honor him. I guided him to the office where Alice made us coffee. In my office, I asked him to explain.

He told me his 17 year old daughter had been kidnapped almost 8 months ago. It had taken Yuri a lot of time and money to follow the trail to Walsh, and by coincidence to me. He said all he wanted was to find his daughter. Money was no object.

I told him that I was sorry about his daughter, but I was unable to help him. He then offered me $1million for any information I could give him. I told him to keep his money as the information I had would not be of any use. I said that as far as I knew, he had gone to Eastern Europe. A look crossed his face that I could not decipher, but I didn't like it. I showed him back to his limo and they slowly drove away.

Joe came over and informed me while we were inside, the driver seemed to be casing the area. They had stopped him from entering the shop twice by the time we came from the office. That strengthened my feeling that Mr Huyong was not exactly who he made himself out to be. I had Alice download the security footage of Yuri and his driver and send it to Jake and Paul with an explanation of our interaction.

Jake was the first to call back. He told me Yuri Huyong was known as a billionaire businessman from Hong Kong, who was mostly involved in electronics for the car industry. Although there were some rumors of nefarious dealings, nothing had ever been made public. I aske Jake about any children and he said there was a daughter who is 29 and lives in on board a yacht with her husband and 3 kids. They constantly move around the globe for security reasons. He said if he found anything more, he would let me know. Before we disconnected, I asked Jake if he could quietly find an opal valuer.

Paul called later that night with further information. First he had me repeat the conversation from earlier. He then told me exactly who Mr Huyong is. He is the head of the human trafficking ring that Walsh worked for. Paul told me I should feel honored that Yuri visited me personally. It had never happened before. Usually people were dragged kicking and screaming to meet him.

He also told me what was most concerning, was that Yuri was in the country and nobody knew until he showed up at my shop. He warned that compared to Yuri, Walsh was a rank amateur. Paul strongly advised me to somehow force the guys to stay away from the shop. I told him I would try but I doubted they would abandon their second home. In the end, all I could do was assure Paul I would pass on how serious the threat is.

First thing the next morning, I gathered everyone together and passed on what Paul had told me. Each and every one of them reiterated their previous resolve to stay and defend their home ground. David and Donald said they would review their action plan and update as necessary. I did notice they both had grins when that was said. That did intrigue me.

Alice called over the P/A system for me to come to the office. I looked at Rick and asked, "When and why did we get a P/A system?" He replied, "While you were on holidays and because I thought it would be a good way to contact the guys in an emergency." I had to agree with that.

As we walked in the door, Alice handed me a bundle of paperwork in one hand, and 6 cheques in the other. She pointed to the paperwork and said, "Read them" then pointed to the cheques and said, "Sign those". The cheques were already written, so I just signed. Yes, I trusted Alice that much. When I had done that, I said to Alice, "Honey, we need to talk."

Her head snapped around so quickly, I thought she might break her neck. Rick quickly made himself scarce. I took her hands in mine, so she couldn't hit me, and did my best to gently explain why I believed she should be with her daughter for the next few days. She had heard what Paul told me about Yuri Huyong. I told her of my gut feeling that this was a long way from being over with yet. She fought me about her leaving until I threw in, "These people are sex traffickers. They would kill to get their hands on a hot white woman like you."

When she tried once again to protest, I laid the hottest kiss on her I could muster. I felt her melt into me as her arms encircled my neck, dragging me in tighter. Just then, her desk phone rang, breaking up our little lovefest. Alice answered it, then put it on speaker. Rick casually said. "By the way, I forgot to tell you there are now cameras covering every part of the office, workshop and yard. Just thought you two should know." He hung up and both of us blushed a crimson red.

Alice eventually agreed to going to her relatives and made plans. While she did that, I walked into Rick's office to see him with a smirk a mile wide. He said, "For a straight guy, you really know how to kiss. Maybe I should try you out one day?" I held out my arms and stepped toward him. He jumped from his chair and ran around the desk, then out the door. Hearing the commotion, Alice stuck her head in and asked what was happening. When I explained, she said in a husky voice, "Those lips belong to me. Anyone else who touches them will die." I believed her.

Late that afternoon, after Alice had set off to meet up with her daughter, a large covered truck drove in the yard. David and Donald excitedly came out to meet it. When the driver exited the truck, the 3 of them hugged like old friends. I was introduced to 'Bear'. He greeted me with the same type of hug he had given Dave and Don. Dave said, "That's why we call him Bear, just a big cuddly teddy bear."

Don told me they had a surprise for me in the truck. Bear then pulled the truck into the shop and the doors were closed. With the trailer doors open, Don and Bear climbed into the trailer and a short while later I heard the growl of two large engines starting up. I then heard the unmistakable sound of machinery moving. A couple of the guys were guiding them out of the trailer and I had to rub my eyes to make sure of what I was seeing.

As they came slowly down the ramps, the looks on everyones faces said it all. David came over and using a bad Gomer Pyle impersonation said, "Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!" He then said, "Don't tell Paul, but they are fully operational. The government thinks they have been demilitarized, that's why, as a collector, Bear can have them." I told him I wouldn't say anything, but Paul wasn't stupid and would work it out pretty quickly.

That night, Paul called and told me how it seems I had stirred up a hornets nest. Apparently my mate Yuri thought I was an arrogant bastard and had disrespected him. The word had gone out that he wanted me brought before him so he could teach me how to respect my betters. Paul suggested I should head back to the mine until everything blew over.

I reminded him that rich, arrogant pricks like Yuri don't usually give up until they have what they want. He reluctantly agreed with me on that. So I asked Paul what 'we' were going to do about him. I said I had one idea, but even I thought it was way out there. He cringed at that but asked me to elaborate anyway.

By the time I finished the outline of my plan, Paul said, "I thought you were crazy before, but now I'm thinking I should have you committed for the safety of the country. I can do that you know?!" That gave me a laugh. I asked him if he was willing to help me and he said he would look into the feasibility of my request. Before I hung up the phone, I said to him, "With or without your help, I see this as the only way things will go in my favor."

The next day I called Jake and organized to meet him and Wendy later to discuss my plan. I gave Rick an insight of my plan and what Paul had said. He totally agreed with Paul that I should be locked up. I thanked him for the vote of confidence and went back to my office.

While I was going through my emails, Alice rang to let me know she had arrived safely. As we spoke, I scrolled through my emails until I saw one from Yuri Huyong. I must have stopped talking because I heard Alice asking if I was still there. When I said I was, she asked what happened. I told her about the email and she told me to get Rick immediately. I yelled for Rick to get in here now, and when he entered, I handed him the phone. After a brief conversation, Rick opened the email and we both read it.

In it, Yuri Huyong said he didn't believe me when I said that Walsh was in Eastern Europe. He believed I was giving him shelter until such time as it was safe to move him elsewhere. He then graciously said he would give me one more opportunity to tell him where Walsh was. Otherwise, things would become unpleasant for my family. He left a phone number for me to call with the information he requested.

Now I was so far past pissed off it wasn't funny. This was the second time some piece of shit had threatened my family in the last couple of months. NO MORE!! The rabbit hole had opened and I had one leg halfway in. Rick had been reading the email out loud so Alice could hear. I heard Alice's voice in my ear asking what I was going to do. I told her I was going to finish it once and for all. I told her she had to stay away until it was all over, and I would brook no argument.

I had been working on an idea for the last couple of hours. It was out there, but I thought it would be worth a shot. Hopefully I could avoid an all out confrontation with Yuri and his crew that I was sure would get very messy if it came to that.

I called Jake and told him what I wanted and asked if he could organize it. I said not to worry about cost, but he told me Walsh would be paying for it. He said he would contact some friends of his and get back to me. I said I didn't like to push but I needed it ASAP.

I then called Paul and explained the situation and my solution. When I said the only other way would be a head on confrontation, he realized how serious I was and said he would do what he could. I reiterated to him that time was of the essence, as I didn't believe Yuri Huyong was a patient man.

I then decided it was time to poke the bear. I called the number that was on the email. It was answered by a female, so I abruptly told her who I was and that I wanted to speak with Yuri Huyong now. When she blustered about how I had to wait until Mr Huyong was ready to speak with me, I told her to tell Yuri I had information about Alistaire Walsh, and for him to call me back within 5 minutes, then I hung up.

Needless to say, it was 25 minutes later when my phone rang and the same woman said, "Please hold for Mr Huyong." I hung up. My phone rang immediately and when I answered, the same woman said, "I am very sorry you were cut off..." and before she finished speaking, I replied, "We weren't cut off, I hung up. What part of 5 minutes did you not understand? Tell Yuri to call me tomorrow after 9am", then hung up again. I thought that should be enough poking to get his attention.

It was 2 days before Yuri called me back, but at least it was the man himself who called. He almost apologized about not calling earlier and asked what information I had. I needed to buy some time, so I told him that I heard Walsh had not left the country and I was looking into a few things.

When he asked what I was looking into, I told him one story I heard was that he had pissed off the wrong husband and was now dead. Yuri laughed and said, "Walsh has been fucking married women for years and no husband has been able to touch him yet. Perhaps you should look elsewhere." I continued, "I will need about a week to check some facts and will get back to you then." I quickly and rudely ended the call. I made another call to pass on a message.

Later that afternoon, Jake and Wendy showed up with what I had been waiting for. I quickly viewed the USB and was very impressed with the end result. They told me it took a dozen tries before they were happy, but it was a hoot while they and their friends were doing it.

It was another 2 days before my next bit of good news. I made a quick overnight trip and picked up my 'Coupe de Gras'. It was something I thought would never be found, but my luck seemed to be holding. Now I just needed Paul to come through on his end and start the ball rolling. 3 days later, he did.

I strolled into the workshop and told everyone that the shit was about to hit the fan, so get ready. Sure enough, 2 hours later my phone rang. It was Paul asking what the fuck I had done to Yuri Huyong. When I asked why, he told me 5 armed Hummer vehicles were headed my way, with a black limo trailing behind. I thanked him for the heads up and let the guys know.

As the Hummers rolled through the gate and took up positions along the front of the shop, the black limo slowly rolled to a stop behind them. I stood defiantly between them and the shop and pointed to the limo, crooked one finger and motioned it forward. At that, a head popped through the roof of each Hummer and the guns were pointed in my direction.

Then the doors behind me opened and the 4 APC's rolled into position, facing the Hummers. I saw the Hummer crews look at each other in what I thought was trepidation, but they held their resolve. Again I motioned the limo forward with one finger. It didn't move. The middle Hummer then fired a short burst over my head.

I thought, "Enough of this shit!" so I waved both my arms toward the limo. My 2 surprises sped from each side of the workshop to block in the limo. I could only imagine the look on Yuri's face when 2 WW2 era Sherman Firefly tanks had their 76mm guns pointed directly at him.

I slowly walked toward the limo and motioned for Yuri to join me outside. He slowly opened the door and got out. I stared him in the eyes as I said, "I do not appreciate anyone threatening my family. Just so you know how easy it is for me to get to your family, watch this." I pulled out my phone and showed him a video of me talking with his daughter. It reaffirmed the phone call he received from her earlier about our meeting.

I signaled to Joe, who brought over a box and handed it to me. I opened it and showed Yuri the contents. He immediately threw up over the back of his limo. I placed the box on his seat and shut the door. I said to him, "That head is all that could be found of Walsh after I fed him to the crocodiles. If you or anyone else ever threatens my family again, the same will happen to you."

"Now fuck off and tell anyone else you know who had dealings with Walsh, that if there is a next time, it will be Armageddon that I will bring down on them." I turned on my heel and strode back into the shop. The Shermans backed off enough for the limo to turn around and leave, with the Hummers behind it. I collapsed into a chair, shaking like a leaf.

The Shermans and APC's came back in the shop and took up their positions. My phone rang but I was shaking so much, Rick had to answer it. It was Paul saying he was coming in and not to shoot (again). We heard the chopper land, then Paul walked in with #1 and #2 behind him. He pointed to the Shermans and asked, "Where the fuck did they come from?"

Bear stepped forward and replied gruffly, "They're mine, so keep your grubby mitts off them!" Paul looked at him, then said, "I should have fucken known you would be in the mix somewhere here Max." They then greeted each other like two old warhorses would. We came to find out Paul and Bear had met on their first day of basic training and had served together until Bear was medically discharged after a regular patrol in Afghanistan went to shit because of very bad intelligence. That was when Paul decided he could do a better job of it and set himself on the path to where he is now.

After I had a couple of Scotches, Paul wanted a debrief of everything that happened over the last few days. 'Just in case there might be some political blowback later of course.' So with another Scotch in hand, I began my tale.

Pauls' part was to get someone with an Australian accent, who looked just a little like me, to manufacture a 'random' meeting with Yuris' daughter. He was to introduce himself as Jack Jones and then during their conversation, he was to bring up Yuris' name and that 'I' knew him. I knew the meeting and conversation would be enough out of the ordinary, that she would contact Yuri and mention what had happened. With my name and a description over the phone, Yuri would believe it was I who had spoken with his daughter. That would unsettle him enough for my purposes.