Without You I Have Nothing (29 page)

_{From his position at
the rear of the three car procession, Peter was well placed to observe the
dynamics. When Andrew left the car, no one was interested. Whenever Jennifer
left one of the tattooed men followed her, leaving Peter satisfied that they
were interested in only Jennifer. It was late when he finally rushed home to
shower, shave and change before hustling to meet his guests.}

_{Waiting for her
outside his apartment building, he watched Jennifer’s car pull into the curb
and noticed the strange car kill its lights before stopping further up the
street.}

_{It was still on her
tail.}

_{Jennifer didn’t care
that it was a crush with two big men in the Mini. She had her two men with her
and was delighted. Peter gave directions and spent most of his time turning to
talk with Andrew in the back while watching the headlights behind, as that
strange car seemed glued to them.}

_{At the restaurant,
Jennifer handed the car keys to the car park valet.}

_{Dressed in the
uniform of one of the oldest regiments of the Indian Army, the Madras Regiment,
the Indian recognized Peter as he clambered from her small car. In an instant,
he drew himself to attention and threw Peter a military salute, greeting him in
Tamil.}

_{Without any
hesitation, Peter snapped to attention and replied in Tamil.}

_{Another Indian, also
in the uniform of the Madras Regiment, led them to their table and he likewise
saluted Peter before arranging their seating. The military bearing of the man
and his crisp salute showed he was no ordinary Indian.}

_{Jennifer wasn’t
surprised but her brother seemed nonplussed.}

_{“The sahib shall sit
here. Memsahib, you sit here beside the sahib, and the little sahib will sit
here.”  The Indian held the chair for Andrew.}

_{Jennifer couldn’t
help laughing at the look on her brother’s face. The little sahib was shocked
at his new title.}

_{When the waitress
arrived - all dark eyes and beautiful sari - Peter stood to place his hands
together in an attitude of prayer, bowing slightly before greeting her in
Tamil.}

_{Even Jennifer was
surprised, particularly as he began to talk rattle-fire Tamil while the
waitress nodded her head, writing the order on her pad. As she walked away, he
called, “And add three bottles of ice cold Kingfisher.”}

_{“Kingfisher?”  Andrew
was surprised.}

_{“A Goan beer which is
tart enough for an Indian meal,” Peter replied.}

_{“Jennifer,” Andrew
demanded more information, “you said this man was wonderful but you didn’t say
how wonderful.”  He laughed and patted her shoulder when, overcome by
confusion, she didn’t know how to answer.}

_{The Goan Prawns, the
Kingfisher beer, indeed the whole meal was outstanding and Jennifer noticed
Peter didn’t bother reading the bill but merely slid notes into the waitress’s
hands. He seemed preoccupied and anxious to get them back into the car and
away.}

_{As Jennifer pulled
into the circular driveway of his apartment block, Peter could see that mystery
car still following them. He knew he would have to ask some questions.}

_{“Give security your
keys, Jennifer. They’ll park the car for you and we can just go without a
worry.”  The grimness in Peter’s voice brooked no argument as he’d seen that
car pull out and begin to swoop down on them.}

_{He rushed his two
guests into the foyer and they were soon in the safety of his apartment.}

_{“What was that all
about?”  Jennifer seemed ill at ease.}

_{“Ask your brother,
because I believe he knows the answer. All day you’ve been tailed by three
heavily tattooed men and they’ve only been interested in you, Jennifer.”}

_{Stunned, Jennifer
stood open-mouthed, speechless and ashen faced. Staring at Peter as if unable
to believe his words, slowly she began to understand his meaning. Terrified,
she started trembling.}

_{“Tonight they decided
to swoop on you. Andrew - we need the answer please.”  Peter became decidedly
rough with Andrew, pushing Andrew into a sofa where he looked most
uncomfortable as Peter, scowling fiercely, stood over him.}

_{Jennifer tried to
intervene but Peter whirled on her.}

_{“Shut up, Jennifer. Stop
carrying on like some teenage virgin who can only giggle and talk about boys.”}

_{Ashen, Jennifer sank
into the lounge. Shaken, she was unable to comprehend why Peter would be so
offensive to her.}

_{Moving to sit beside
Jennifer, Andrew began.}

_{“Ah, well, I do
believe I owe you an explanation.”  Placing an arm around Jennifer’s shoulder
to console her he turned to her as if asking her permission to continue. “Jennifer,
I must tell him what happened after that dance.”}

_{Ignoring her
confusion, he continued. “We need his help. No one else can help us and I
believe he is the man to assist us.”}

_{“What help?  I don’t
understand. Who are these tattooed men?”  Jennifer began interrogating her
brother.}

_{Peter interrupted her
questions. “Ah, stop all this bloody crap!”  Peter was infuriated. “Just tell
me what’s going on.’}

_{Glaring at Jennifer,
who was still extremely upset, Peter dismissed her from his mind for the moment.
He turned back to Andrew.}

_{“Now explain, because
I’m completely out of patience. There’s so much I just don’t understand. Jennifer
carries on as if I’m going to ravish her nearly every time I touch her, or goes
all cold whenever she believes I am getting too close. She runs hot and cold
like a Sahara Sandstorm off the Antarctica ice shelf.”}

_{Peter was pacing the
floor in front of them, gesticulating to emphasize each point.}

_{“These men - who are
they?  Explain now. What’s going on?”  Staring at Andrew, Peter paused
demanding an answer.}

_{He ignored Jennifer’s
sobs and words, “I didn’t realize but really I don’t feel cold towards you.”}

_{Annoyed by her
sniveling, Peter barked, “Jennifer, go into the other room if you wish, but
don’t interrupt. We have to resolve this now. What’s the bloody problem?”}

_{As if gaining
strength from each other, the brother and sister were now holding hands. Sighing,
Andrew began his story.}

_{“Something happened
when Jennifer was 17 and she’d been to the school’s end-of-year dance. I’d been
to cricket practice. Having had a few illegal beers, I was rather late leaving
the pub. As I was driving towards our property, I noticed there was a car
pulled to one side of the road and when I passed, I heard screams and moans. I
stopped and got out of the car, grabbing my cricket bat out of the back seat
before approaching the car.}

_{“Suffice to say, I
found three mongrel students tearing Jennifer’s clothes off and telling her how
she would move her ass for them when they showed her what men they were. They
were brutally punching her as they stripped her. They ignored her screams and
laughed as they punched her repeatedly demanding she give in to them and to
stop struggling, but I stepped in.}

_{“The three bastards
attacked me and their knives showed they were not playing games.}

_{“Luckily a second car
pulled up to help. Blue and Tiny, my mates, made certain I was not alone in
protecting Jennifer. The three ‘would-be-rapists’ ended up in the hospital ward
at the local prison and then looked at spending eighteen years in jail. They’ve
recently been released prematurely for good behavior.}

_{"Following that
attack, Jennifer spent weeks in hospital recovering from their brutal beating,
two broken cheek bones, a broken jaw and two broken arms. She went into deep
depression and nothing seemed to get through to her. She was a walking talking
zombie until she began her lectures at Melbourne University."}

_{Sighing, he studied
Jennifer. "Dad paid some of her fellow female students to be with her
constantly while Tiny, Blue and I were her unofficial bodyguards. She has been
unable to socialize with men and is so terrified of their intentions she has
never been able to form an emotional relationship of any kind with a man - that
is, until you came along.}

_{Turning to gaze at
Jennifer who, realizing her tormentors were now free, was drained of color and
trembling with fear, Andrew continued. “As for those criminals - last Thursday
I received a phone call from them saying they intended to complete the rape and
fix Jennifer for putting them away. They informed me they knew she was in
Sydney and that the world wasn’t large enough to escape their vengeance. Of
course, their message to me was that once Jennifer was disposed of, they’d
return for me and make certain I never messed with them again.”}

_{Facing Peter again,
he calmly announced, “The three men who’ve been following us are outside in
their car now. That’s why I am carrying this.”  Looking distinctly ill at ease,
Andrew reached under his coat to produce a pistol - a Colt Trooper Mark V.}

_{With a contemptuous
snarl Peter turned away to walk to the family altar. He reached behind it and
returned with an expensive leather attaché case that he placed on the table. Staring
fixedly at Andrew, he unlocked the case to reveal a Mini-Uzi.}

_{Shivering, Andrew
remembered he had read about this weapon and its effectiveness. It was the
favorite choice of assassins. This machine pistol could fire from inside the
case through a small hole, using a hidden trigger mechanism.}

_{Andrew could only ask
himself what kind of man was this.}

_{Peter made a wry
comment as he placed the large machine pistol, complete with silencer, on the
table beside the pistol.}

_{“I don’t know why you
bother with a water pistol. This is a gun.”}

_{Leaving the two to
contemplate the arsenal for a moment, he walked to the balcony to stare down at
the ferries and to think. Then, as if satisfied with a decision he’d reached,
he went to his bedroom to prepare his mind and body. His life in the jungle had
come to the fore as he realized that soon these strangers would be dead men.}

_{Peter knew that
killing was not such a difficult thing to do. Not when, in all his early years,
killing and death had been a major part of his life. He could hardly remember a
day when death wasn’t present - as much of a routine as cleaning his teeth with
a piece of frayed bamboo after every meal or of scraping his tongue with a
piece of bamboo.}

_{Having dressed in a
sarong and a Baju Melayu (a loose, long-sleeved Malay shirt) he returned to the
lounge room where he knelt before the altar, his head bowed in prayer. Then he
stood, turned toward the twins and silently stared for what seemed an eternity.}

_{Jennifer, terrified
by the look on his face and the fire in his eyes, knew that ‘The Little One’
was awake after a long sleep. His donning of Asian clothing only reinforced
this knowledge. Finally, Peter broke the silence.}

_{“The good shepherd
giveth his life for his sheep and there shall be one fold and one shepherd.”}

_{He gathered up the
pictures of his parents and the Regimental Plaque. Peter then placed them on
the coffee table, facing the twins.}

_{Taking the two Kukris
from the plaque, he unsheathed one of them. His mind was back in his childhood
and he knew that Gurkhas always kept their Kukris honed to razor sharpness and
never unsheathed their distinctive weapon without drawing blood. With slow
intent, he nicked his thumb, drawing a little blood as he lovingly stroked the
blade.}

_{The little cigarette
box was opened for Andrew’s inspection.}

_{“Andrew, you are
looking at death.”}

_{Accepting the
accuracy of that statement, Jennifer shuddered, understanding that ‘The Little
One’ was here in the room with them.}

_{“These people are my
concern, not yours. They have done or intend to do something to my own sweet
love, the woman I want to be my wife. They have also threatened you, whom I now
consider a friend. That is something I cannot ignore and I will not ignore! 
Tonight you will do exactly what I tell you and you won’t question what I’m
doing. You’re not involved and you will never know anything. These people will
be dwelling in hell before the sun rises.”}

_{Both Jennifer and
Andrew shivered at the icy tone, the honest statement of fact. They knew those
men would be dead before the night was over - this was no idle boast of
Peter’s.}

_{Turning to Jennifer,
Peter lifted her to his feet. Holding her, he looked at her steadily.}

_{“The good shepherd
giveth his life for his sheep and there shall be one fold and one shepherd,” he
repeated. “I am that shepherd Jennifer, and you are my dearly beloved sheep and
no wolves will hurt you. Now pack some clothes in a case and add some of mine
for your brother. You need enough for the weekend for you both”}