Ride to Redemption (23 page)

Chapter
42

I
t’s 5 a.m. already?
I whined as my phone
alarm went off, vibrating three times, before playing some randomly selected
hideous song, Rolling onto the floor on my hands and knees, I found it,
silencing it just as the music began.

A
new text message icon appeared.

Message #1, 4:30 a.m.:

Morning asshole!

Ah... it is from Vic,
that is easy enough to see.

Woke
up too early again because of you. Fly out at 7:35, we’ll be in town by 9. Love
ya.

What is it with this we
stuff? Who is we? Guess I’m about to find out soon enough.

Dressing
quietly, I made my way downstairs to find Josie rattling pots and pans in the
kitchen. “Couldn’t sleep, son?” asked Josie, gingerly handing me a steaming
fresh cup of dark roast coffee.

“I
sleep fine,” I confided, “it’s the wake up part that I can’t get a handle on.
Dark thirty has replaced at dawn.”

“Honey,
you got too much on your mind, too much on your plate; changing your name,
changing your looks, hiding from me,” lectured Josie far too early in this
morning.

“Long
story, short, Josie, I got into some bad financial dealings, nothing criminal
that I have tried to make right. Now I’m tangled up in another mess, that’s
about to get messier.”

“And
then you met that very special girl, didn’t you, Jon David? I can tell the way
you look at her, the way she looks at you. You’ve got something priceless going
on there. You were always the one for the ladies. They stuck to you like glue
the last time you were here. Well, not the last time, but you know when I’m
talking about.”

“I
do, Josie, I do. When was that, twenty something years ago?”

“I
guess so. I had just started out with this place and you offered to stay here
after the Stampede and help me work out the kinks.”

“I
remember,” fondly recalling all those carefree days of my wild and crazy youth.

“How
do you like my glass wall? You designed it, but at the time I didn’t have the
money to build it. I worked on the gardens first and finally about 10 years
ago, I pulled the trigger and built it.”

“You
did an excellent job, Josie, both inside and out” complimenting her as
graciously as I knew how.

“Run
along, Jon David, I’ve other guests here this morning, and much cooking to do
before seven o’clock rolls around.”

Taking
my coffee with me, I strolled out into her beautiful gardens, immediately
feeling crispness of the 55 degree morning, while reflecting on the peace and
tranquility the sound of running water brings from her man made waterfalls.

I
miss the lake, the waterfalls, Major. There’s too much turmoil going on in my
life right now, right here. It’s become one big soap opera and I’m its most
reluctant star.

First
things first, I thought, as I began my walk through the gardens to the rolling,
lush green fairways, and beyond. There, that’s better I said to myself. I can
breathe and think much clearer when I walk at dawn. It amazes me just how much
life gets in the way of those precious things that heal us, but only, if we
make time for them.

Gio
and Mile are going to be okay. Joseph and the suits are there to get them home.
Vic is flying in to address the gun possession charge. I’m sending out the
ledgers this morning. Just what else am I missing, as I listed these bullet
points in my head, in some maligned degree of importance? The contract, I’m
missing the contract out on me. I wonder how much it’s for and if anybody is
seriously looking for me? If the return of the ledgers will all but satisfy the
Family, maybe they’ll have enough influence to call off this hit and let me get
back to my life. Besides, I’m not trying to claim the reward, just return them
to their rightful owners and get them off our backs. That has to count for
something, doesn’t it? Where do Candi and I go from here? Does it matter? Why
can’t we just take it one day at a time? We both came into this whirlwind
romance with baggage. In the end, she gets what she wanted and more. I, in
turn, have someone who knows my past, my weaknesses, my failures, and continues
to want to be with me. That alone is priceless. Sure, she has a “family.” Who
doesn’t? But that doesn’t mean we can’t peacefully coexist, does it? Only time
will tell. And as it stands right now, I have way too much of that.

Walking
back to the inn, an empty cup in hand, I refilled it and made a black and green
tea for Candi. “Morning, darlin’,” I announced, as I placed her tea on the
table beside the bed. “How did you sleep?”

“Morning,
baby,” Candi sleepily replied, stretching her arms to the sky, while wiping the
sleep from her eyes. “What time is it?”

“It’s
6 a.m. Josie said breakfast would be ready at seven. I’m jumping in the shower.
Would you care to join me?”

“I’d
love to,” answered Candi, climbing out of bed and beating me to the bathroom
door. “The shower is too small to play today, D. But we’ve got a perfectly good
bed to finish what I start, if you’re so inclined?”

“I’m
always inclined, baby,” I responded both verbally and non-verbally, as
evidenced by the rising in my shorts. As I finished washing her back in the
limited space provided, Candi spun around to face me, just inches separating
our lips. Our eyes met, our lips met, our tongues tangled, as she lathered me
with soap with both hands.

“Looks
like you’re ready, D. Just let me wash my hair and I’ll gladly take care of
that for you,” breathed Candi, gliding her tongue across her lips.

“You’re
on,” I agreed, stepping from the shower, leaving her sufficient space to do
what girls do,when they have adequate room to maneuver.

I
dried off and shaved rather quickly, hoping to beat her to the bed. Successful,
I threw myself onto the ruffled comforter, face down and waited impatiently for
her to lie down beside me. Not to be disappointed, Candi, mostly dry, lay down
on top of me, and began to bite and kiss my ears, my neck, my back and finally
my legs. Flipping over, I pulled her up and onto me, locking our lips so our
tongues could play. “Spin around, baby,” I directed, as I sat up with my back
to the headboard. With her back facing me, she preceded to ride me like that
horse from Chico, as my hands were free to massage, rub and gently twist her
most intimate parts until our rhythmic tempo increased to the point that we
were able to create an almost simultaneous O.

Falling
back into my arms, Candi whispered, “You are addicting, D.”

“So
are you, baby. So are you.”

Chapter
43

D
ressed
and out the door at seven, Josie greeted us with fresh vegetable omelets, thick
sliced Canadian Bacon, whipped orange juice and fresh baked croissants, rounded
off with Saskatoon berry muffins.

“This
is beautiful, Josie,” said Candi. “Thank you, I’m starved.”

“The
two of you are most welcome,” replied Josie. “If you need anything else, just
let me know. I’ll leave you two alone.”

Josie
later appeared in the doorway. Candi bubbled over, “That was incredible, Miss
Josie. I can’t eat another bite. Couldn’t we just stay here, D? I mean, Josie
treats us like family.”

“It’s
not just us, Candi, she treats everyone that way. That’s just who she is. It’s
inherent in her DNA. She loves to serve, to please, to give. Remember, we
talked about that last night? In some people, it just comes natural, while
others it’s a trait they must learn through life experiences.”

“Do
you think I’ll ever learn those selfless traits, D?” Candi asked with the
utmost sincerity.

“I
do, baby. I do. It may require you at some point in your life to walk away from
something or someone that you value above all else, because in the long run
it’s better for all those concerned. Sacrificial giving, remember? You’ve been
so sheltered and blessed your entire life, I doubt, you’ve ever had the
opportunity to live sacrificially.”

“Come
on, let’s get out of here. We’ve got a big day, beginning with your phone call
to your mom, followed by our FedEx drop.”

“Miss
Josie,” Candi shouted into the kitchen, “Again, it was all wonderful. Thank
you.”

“You’re
welcome, but you know that already,” replied Josie, as she emerged from the
kitchen with two goody bags in hand. “These are for your friends in the
hospital. Tell them we’re thinking about them.”

“Will
do, and let me thank you in advance on their behalf. I’m sure these will make
their day. I may need another room tonight,” I said, noticing the puzzled look
in Candi’s eyes. “Can you hold one for me?”

“Glad
to,” replied Josie. “When you know for sure, call and let me know if one is all
you’ll need.”

Walking
to the bike, I just knew what the next words coming out of Candi’s mouth would
be. I was in no way disappointed.

“The
room, it’s for your lawyer friend, Victoria, isn’t it?”

“It
is,” I confessed. “You might as well make friends with her. She’s coming here
to help Gio, which helps you and me, for that matter. Remember, you’re supposed
to be life-learning the trait that it’s not always about you. Sometimes it’s
what’s best for everyone else, too.”

“I
know, D; you’ve made that very clear. My question is, just why does she have to
stay here?”

“You’re
jealous. I can see it by the light of the fire raging in your eyes.” I had to
laugh, but my timing was ill advised.

“Stop
it! I am not!
I just don’t want to share you with anyone else. With her
here, I’m sure I will.”

“You
have a point,” I humbly acknowledged. “I should’ve asked you first. My bad.
I’ll tell her she’ll have to go find her own damn room.”

“No,
you will not. As far as I’m concerned, this is the best place to stay in
Calgary, bar none. Oh, never mind, we’re wasting time arguing over something I
can’t win. Let’s ride.”

And
ride we did; straight to the closest FedEx office. I got off the bike and dug
out the Sat phone, handing it to her. “Call your mom. Remember what we talked
about last night. If she’s not receptive to my offer, we’ll have to come up
with plan B.”

I
walked into FedEx to retrieve a hard box and packaging while she talked to her
mom. On my return, Candi was hanging up.

“And?”

“First,
she yelled at me for not getting them earlier. Then, she wanted to know who is
supposed to collect the reward. Finally, when I told her what you said about
influencing Standford to call off the dogs in lieu of the reward, she thought
that was a smart move on your part. Mom said once she has the ledgers in hand,
she’ll deal with Standford personally. That’s good, D. I mean, she made it
sound more like a promise than an idle threat.”

“If
you’re satisfied, I am. Give me her street address and I’ll take care of the
rest.” Opening my trunk, I unlatched the hidden compartment in the lid that
held the ledgers, along with a few extra bags of diamonds and some emergency
cash. “Here, Candi, I want you to put these discs in the box personally, then
seal it.”

“I
can’t believe you’ve had them with you this whole time,” voiced Candi, looking
greatly perplexed.

“Insurance,
baby, insurance. One never knows when you’ll find yourself in a bind and need
something to negotiate with. Here’s a fifty, best if your name is on the
receipt, not mine,” I continued, as Candi walked inside the building and out of
my line of sight.

My phone vibrated then
chirped, notifying me of a new text message:

Eagle has landed. Renting SUV, where do we meet
you? Vic

I replied:

Foothills Medical Centre,
Room 304 Make sure SUV has GPS or rent one, On Me. LOL. C U there. Glad you’re
here, Victoria. Really glad.

“There.
It’s done,” said a much-relieved Candi. “Mission accomplished.”

“Excellent!
Vic has landed, Candi. She’ll meet us at the hospital. Now we’re off to check
on the Italians and exude warm fuzzy’s to your ex-husband and his two suits. I
can’t wait!”

“Neither
can I … Neither can I.”

Chapter
44

A
s
I pulled up to my reserved space by the front door in the striped off No
Parking Zone, I saw Vic sitting on a bench just to the right of the door.
Dressed in a navy, wool suit with her hair pulled back tightly into a bun, Vic
oozed professional. And not the kind I mistook her for on the catwalk.

“Victoria,
may I present Candice. Candice, this is Victoria.” Once the pleasantries and
hugs had been exchanged, I kindly asked Candi to go to the room while I filled
Vic in on Gio’s dilemma.

“You’re
too old for her,” chided Vic, immediately after Candi was out of earshot.

“That’s
your opinion. Besides she has stamina to die for.”

“You
got that right, D,” replied Vic, discreetly patting me on the crotch. “You let
her keep wearing out that little thing right there, you may just see your
previous statement come true sooner rather than later.”

“Hey,
it’s been a long time since I’ve been with someone who wants me as much as I
want them. I’m long overdue.”

“I
could say the same thing, D,” Vic breathed, as she patted me on the crotch
again. Then she took my right hand and patted hers, as well.

“I
got it, Vic. I do. I told you, you’d be the first I called if things don’t work
out.”

“
Come on now. You didn’t fly all the way here to talk about your sex life or
lack thereof, did you? You’re here to talk about the best way you can represent
Gio and get his charges dropped, or at least reduced. Right?”

“We
can do both. Can’t we? All work and no play makes Vic a very dull girl. Fill me
in on as much as you know. We’ll work first and play later.”

“First
time I saw his gun was in Wyoming or Montana, I can’t remember. Asked him why
he was carrying, and all he said was bears. When I pressed Candi on the matter,
that’s when she confessed he was “family,” both literally and figuratively.
Therefore, that gave him the right, which I assumed meant he has the right to
protect himself 24/7.”

“Works
for me. How good is his English?”

“It’s
tolerable,” I replied. “Funny thing is, it's much better when he’s drinking.”

“I
did some research on the plane, plus I made a call to the court on the way
here. We can use his poor language skills, poor English reading skills and fear
of the man-eating bears he’s seen in American movies about the Wild West to
plead him down to scared and stupid. Best guess, this being his first offense,
he’ll plead guilty to carrying an unregistered firearm into Canada and pay a
fine of up to $2500. No jail time and he’ll forfeit his gun. You think he will
go along with that?”

“I
do, if that’s what I tell him to do. He trusts me. Long story, about six beers
long, I’m guessing.”

“Well,
D, I guess we’re set. Let’s go meet this bad-ass Italian perpetrator and pitch
him our defense.”

Stepping
off the elevator on the third floor, I pointed to the suit halfway down the
corridor. “Just walk to the muscle in the dark suit and hang a left.”

“You’re
joking, right? He has a guard at the door just because he was unlawfully
carrying in Canada?”

“Nope,
that just means there’s two more suits inside. One is Donny, he’s more muscle,
the other is Joseph, the family’s lawyer. And, get this will ya, Candi’s ex-husband.”

Taken
aback, Vic exclaimed, “You weren’t kidding when you said her mom was sending
someone up here to tidy things up!”

“Seriously,
I think I’ve resolved the main problem, I’m just not sure about the other one.”

“The
walking, talking, stab-you-in-the-back-when-you-ain’t-lookin’ ex?”

“Yep,
that one,” I replied, as we strolled entered the room.

With
all eyes upon us, I introduced Vic to everyone, pointing to each one as I
spoke. “Victoria, may I introduce Gio, Mile, Donny, Candi you’ve met and
Joseph. Guys, this is Victoria, my lawyer. I’ve brought her in to clear up this
weapons charge.”

“Excuse
me, Victoria, but my firm is going to be handling Giovanna's affairs,”
announced Joseph defiantly.

“Really?”
Victoria began her diatribe of legalese, finishing up with, “Just how many
lawyers in your firm are licensed to practice in Canada?”

“Well,
ah, I may have to get back with you on that, but it’s irrelevant at this point.
When we get him back to the states, we’re prepared to spare no expense to have
him acquitted of this trumped-up charge.”

“Really,
Joseph?” Vic continued. “Just how do you plan on getting him out of the country
and into the States?”

“On
our private jet, of course,” answered Joseph indignantly.

“Without
a passport?” Vic continued. Looking at Gio, she asked, “Is that okay with you,
sir? I mean, are they going to sneak you out of the country in a steamer
trunk?”

Gio
just shrugged his shoulders as Joseph asked, “Gio, do you have a passport?”

“
Sì
,”
Gio replied.

“There.
How dare you insult my intelligence and his, too, miss whatever your name is? I
graduated from Harvard at the top of my class, I’m a senior partner in my firm,
and I bill out over 40 very expensive hours a week. Thank you very much. For
that matter, I’m sure I make more in one month than you make in one year, you
arrogant bitch.”

“The
name is Victoria. Victoria with a ‘V,’ as in veracious or vivacious, take your
pick. And I, too, graduated at the top of my class from the University of Iowa.
Gio, honey, I know you have a passport, but will you kindly tell Mr. ‘God
Almighty himself’ where it is at this moment?”

“
Polizia
,”
said Gio.

“Gio,
would you please repeat that, only louder so our Harvard-educated kick-ass
lawyer can hear you?”

“
Polizia!
”
repeated Gio.

“That
means police in English, if my limited foreign language skills from the
University of Iowa are still intact.”

“
Sì,
”
nodded Gio.

By
now the three-ring circus was in full swing, as everyone was being thoroughly
entertained by Vic’s banter as she made an absolute fool of Candi’s Ex.
She’ll
soon have him reduced to a whimpering, whining seal pup, in ring number two,
I thought.
Oh, to have had that on film. It would be on You Tube before the
sun went down.

Trying
to let the dust settle, I asked, “Gio, Mile, how are you feeling?”

“Good,
D” replied Mile. “Okay. I go home. I stay.”

“Good,
D. Thanks for you, I go home tomorrow,” replied Gio.

Turning
back to Gio, I began, “Victoria flew here to see that you do just that. Candi,
please translate for me if needed, baby. Gio, you must plead scared and stupid,
little English, poor reader, etc. We will blame the gun on you being scared of
bears like you’ve seen in American movies. You pay $2500, lose the gun, plead
guilty, they dismiss the charges and give you back your passport, then you go
home.”

“Candi,
please repeat that for me so Mile can understand it as well. She’s just as much
a part of this as you are,” I directed, while pointing at Gio.

“I
trust you, D. You good guy. She good, too,” said Gio, pointing to Vic, much to
Joseph’s chagrin.

Completely
ignoring Joseph, I addressed Candi and Donny, “The key to making this work is
that Gio has to stay in the hospital until after tomorrow morning’s hearing.
That works in our favor, eliciting sympathy for this poor Italian who was taken
out by a Canadian Moose. Vic is sure after talking with the authorities that
she can have his passport released immediately following the guilty plea and
payment of fine.”

Turning
back to Joseph, I attempted to initiate some degree of damage control. “I’m
sure that you are a great attorney in the corporate world, sir. I’m also
confident that your firm, if given sufficient time, could prepare an adequate
defense. Victoria, who’s licensed to practice in Canada, came here immediately
at my request to do whatever had to be done to get Gio’s passport back. My goal
was to help him and Mile return home ASAP, once the hospital releases them.”

Nodding
at Victoria, I continued, “I believe that by tomorrow she will have
accomplished her mission. At no charge, I might add.”

The
air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. It was pleasant for the moment
to watch him squirm knowing that Victoria had cut him down a size, but now
Joseph’s steely blue eyes seethed with anger aimed squarely at me.

“Gio,
Mile, we’ll be here tomorrow afternoon to fly you back to Tampa, then home,”
announced Joseph. “Candice, walk me out,” he grunted, as he stormed through the
door, without acknowledging anyone else in the room.