Taking Down Tony

I sighed and shrugged my shoulders. It wasn't like that was all I was going to get. I was going to pick up some beer to go with it. I patiently waited while my sister wrote me a list of things to buy.

The country store was owned by a local rancher and featured a meat counter. All you had to do was specify what cut you wanted and they would slice it off the fresh prime beef while you waited. Along with a couple chickens and some nice thick pork chops I stocked up on enough to last us for a week. I found most of the items Jill had put on her list and settled up at the cash register.

While I unloaded the pickup up the girls went through the bags and put the groceries away. In the last sack Jill pulled out the small white Styrofoam container and popped off the top to look inside and shrieked when she saw the big Canadian nightcrawlers squirming inside. I laughed as I walked over to take them out her hand.

"It's bait. Thought I might do a little fishing while we're here," I said.

"Thank God. I was hoping you weren't expecting to put those in a salad," Jill giggled.

Jill and Christy used the cold cuts I had bought to make us some sandwiches while I brought out three rods and reels from where Lyle's family kept them stored. We took the sandwiches and a cooler down to the pier at the lake edge. I set up the folding lawn chairs I had brought down and while the girls got out the food and drinks I baited up the hooks and tossed out the lines. There was no way they were going to touch the worms, so that was my job. I set the rods in the holders mounted to the side of the pier and sat down to eat. I started talking with Christy and managed to get her to open up some more to me.

As she talked, Lucky sat next to her chair with his head in her lap as she pet him. I think he could sense that Christy was hurting and he was trying to comfort her in his own way.

I learned that she was an only child and that her father had left when she was just a child. Her mother had passed away a year ago and she had no other family. Christy had moved here nine months ago and her only friend was Jill. That explained a lot about why she had become Tony's prey. Single woman, new to the area with no family nearby and few friends, easy pickings. It also matched the profile of the other missing woman.

Christy then asked about Jill and I. Despite being friends with my sister for six months, prior to her being kidnapped by Tony, they hadn't really shared much about their personal lives. I admitted to her that Jill and I were trust fund babies. Our mothers was the only daughter of wealthy parents. When they were alive, my grandparents had doted on my sister and me and had set up the funds for us. Jill and I had gone to college and I had joined the Marines after I graduated. Jill had found a job.

I had spent the last three months since my discharge basically decompressing from the rigors of military life. And even though I could live comfortably off my trust fund, as long as I didn't go hog wild, I was still looking for something to do with my time. I just wanted to make sure it was something I would enjoy.

Just as I was finishing telling Christy about my life her pole bent over almost in half. She shrieked as I jumped up and grabbed it to set the hook. I held the rod in one hand and pulled Christy to her feet with the other. I put the pole in her hands and told her to reel it in. She was struggling to get the fish in so I stepped up behind her and put my arms around her to help. I showed her how to raise the pole and then reel in as she lowered it. When she lowered the rod her bottom would press back against my groin. I was fighting a losing battle to keep my personal rod from rising.

Finally we managed to get the fish in and pulled a six pound channel cat up to lay flopping on the deck. Lucky stood to one side barking excitedly at the big fish. Whereas I was all for filleting our catch, my sister and Christy protested and begged me to set it free. With a roll of my eyes I removed the hook and reluctantly put the fish back in the water and watched it swim away. I baited her rod again and tossed it back out. A short time later Jill's line bent down and she brought in a smaller fish that was also released.

That was the extent of the action for the day and as we walked back to the house I was kidded about being out fished by two girls. I didn't mind the jesting as this was the first time I had seen Christy laugh. But I was soon to find out that it was going to take more than catching a fish to heal her.

That evening I decided to grill up some steaks. I had just placed the meat over the fire and realized I hadn't seasoned them. I went back into the kitchen and Christy was at the stove stirring a pot when I walked up behind her. The seasoning was in a spice rack over the stove and as I stepped up behind her I spoke her name. She hadn't heard me coming and screamed and turned as her hand flashed out and slapped my face. She had a look of pure fire in her eyes. Tony may have damaged her spirit but I could see he hadn't broken it. As soon as she saw it was me standing there her face changed to shock.

"Oh God, Jake. I'm sorry. I forgot where I was. I didn't mean to hit you," she said pleadingly as tears filled her eyes.

"It's okay, Christy. It was my fault. I shouldn't have come up behind you like that," I replied.

Christy reached up and stroked my stinging cheek. It was almost worth being slapped to have her caress me. I had to fight the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her. Maybe the day would come that I could hold her but now was not the time. She needed to time to get over what Tony had done to her. I settled for taking her hand and kissing it as I again reassured her I was not upset.

The next five days passed slowly. We left the lake house only once and that was to take Christy to a doctor to have her checked out physically and for any STDs. While cabin fever had not set in there was still the prevailing feeling that we were being held captive because of Tony. The only upside was the time I spent with Christy. She continued to become more relaxed in my company and would even join in with my sister in teasing me about little things they seemed to find amusing.

The most eventful thing to happen occurred on our third night there. Jill and Christy had said they were going to turn in and I went out to take Lucky for a late walk. We had gone down to the pier and I stood and admired the night sky. It was lit with the twinkling of stars that you only see when you were away from the city with it's ambient light. The moon was just rising and reflected over the still dark waters of the lake. That was not the only heavenly body I was to see that night.

As I was returning to the house I noticed movement in one of the windows and looked over to see Christy standing in her room. With the light on in her room she couldn't see out into the dark. She was wearing a robe and drying her hair with a towel. I stood rooted to the ground as she let the towel drop and then undid her robe. It slid down her shoulders and I gasped at the sight of her nude body.

The beauty of the moon paled in comparison to the vision before me. Her damp blond hair fell past her shoulders ending above a perfect pair of breasts capped with pink nipples. Her slender waist widening perfectly into a slim but unmistakable woman's hips. And her lovely shaven pussy that I had glimpsed the day she wore my shirt made my cock swell. She reached down to the bed and picked up her night gown and held it over her head. Only after it had slid down her body, covering her, was I able to move forward again. I fought the twinge of guilt I felt about watching her, rationalizing to myself that I had not set out to intentionally spy on her. Besides, I don't know any man who would have looked away from such a sight.

I stayed in touch with Lyle daily and even though he had much of his companies resources trying to come up with something to use against Tony, they had no more luck than the authorities. The news on our sixth day of exile was more disturbing. Lyle had had cameras placed both inside and outside my house which transmitted to his office through a secure satellite uplink. They had caught two men scaling my fence. Even though they had not broke into the house they had gone around peering into all the windows. It looked like Tony had linked me to my sister and thereby to Christy.

"Jake, we've been here for a week," Jill said over breakfast. "Maybe we should just move away some place. Some where that Tony can't find us."

"Hon, I don't know if it could be that simple. If Tony really does have ties to organized crime they may find us where ever we go. That's why the government has the witness protection program. There has to be a better way. We just have to be patient," I said.

What I didn't tell her was that I had gone so far as considering going after Tony myself. I couldn't help but think that if this was Iraq and Tony was identified as an Al-Qaeda leader he would have been a sanctioned target. But this wasn't Iraq.

"Maybe I should go to the police," Christy said.

I shook my head. "No, that's not a good idea. Even if they took him in he would get out on bail and then there's no telling how far he would go to stop you."

Jill and Chrissy let the subject drop, but the decision of whether to stay or leave was taken away that night. Jill and I were watching the late news and Christy had stepped out back for a breath of fresh air. Lucky, who had been laying at my feet, sprang up and ran to the back door barking furiously. I jumped up and ran after him throwing the door open. Lucky tore off chasing after a dark figure disappearing into the gloom towards the pier. I gave chase, drawing my gun as I ran. As the pier came into view I saw my dog leap through the air and a scream rang out. This was followed by a loud splash.

I ran onto the pier to see a speed boat racing away and someone thrashing in the water. I let my pistol clatter to the boards as I realized it was Christy in the lake. I dove through the air and knifed through the water surfacing next to her. I wrapped one arm around her and swam for the shore. When I could stand I lifted her and carried her onto shore. Christy wrapped her arms around my neck and cried. Dropping to my knees on dry ground I held her shaking body. It was a good five minutes before she could talk.

"Thank you for saving me, Jake," she said between sobs.

"As much as I would like to take credit it was Lucky who saved you," I said as I looked over at my dog sitting next to my clearly shaken sister who had followed me out of the house. Lucky had a piece of material in his mouth that when I removed it from between his teeth that turned out to be the back pocket of a pair of pants. I almost chuckled when I saw that it was coated in blood. I knew someone was going to have trouble sitting for awhile.

I stood up pulling Christy to her feet and passed her to my sister. I told them to wait while I retrieved my pistol and then instructed them too follow me to the house. I sent Lucky in first and then followed him. The house was clear.

"Jill, get Christy into some dry clothes then pack your stuff as fast as you can. We have to get out of here," I ordered. They hurried off to do as I said. I ran to my room and threw my clothes in my bag and grabbed my rifle and the ammo. I had my stuff loaded in the truck and was standing guard with the AR-15 when the came out. Jill put her suitcases into the back and after loading up Lucky we peeled out down the dirt road. When we hit the highway I made a sharp left heading away from Austin. Fifteen minutes later my phone rang.

"Jake, this is Lyle. I'm afraid your position might be compromised," he said hurriedly.

"Yeah, I know. We were paid a visit and they almost got Christy," I replied. "What the hell happened?"

Lyle groaned. "One of the men I had keeping an eye on your place must have blown his cover. The police found his body dumped in an empty lot. He had been tortured. It had to be Tony's apes. Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah, we're fine. We're on the road. Not sure where I'm heading but I will call you later," I said.

I hung up and told Jill and Christy what Lyle had told me. "This is all my fault," Christy said plaintively.

Christy was sitting next to me and I put a hand on her leg and gave her a gentle squeeze. "Sweetie, that's the last time I want to hear you say that. Tony is a psychopath and that is not your fault. Okay?"

"Yes, Jake," she said softly. I was about to remove my hand from her leg when she surprised me by placing her hand over mine holding it there.

A few miles down the road I saw a pair of headlights in my rear view mirror as I crested a hill. The next hill I topped the lights appeared to be closer. A chill ran down my spine. I turned off my headlights, relying on the light of the moon to guide my way and drove until I saw a dirt road off to the right. I quickly turned on to it and stopped under some trees a hundred yards off the highway. I got out taking the AR-15 with me.

"Stay in the truck. I just want to make sure we are not being followed," I said.

I climbed into the back of the truck and laid the rifle over the back of the tail gate. Less than two minutes later I saw a dark car speed by on the highway. I couldn't tell what kind of car it was from that distance. I was pretty sure they couldn't see my truck in the darkness of the trees. Breathing a sigh of relief I hopped out the bed of the truck. The girls peered at me when I slid back behind the wheel.

"I think we're alright," I said. Jill and Christy blew out a breath of relief. After starting the truck I checked my GPS navigation and saw that the caliche road we were on belonged to the county. If we followed it we would come out on another highway twenty miles to the north. It was a safe bet that no one would be looking for us there. As I looked at the map the name of a town on the highway I was heading for rang a bell.

As I drove on Christy laid her head on my shoulder and I could tell by her breathing that she soon fell asleep. Jill was using her rolled up jacket for a pillow and had her head up against the passenger side window. As I drove through the darkness I came to two conclusions. First, I had to find somewhere safe for Christy and Jill and second, it was time to take action. One way or another Tony was going down.

An hour later we pulled into the little town I had seen on the GPS. I found a church with a parking lot in the back where we could park without being seen from the road and pulled in. The girls stirred when I turned off the engine.

"We're going to stay her until morning. Lucky can curl up in the floor board and one of you can stretch out in the back seat and the other one can use my lap as a pillow."

I was happy when Jill took the back seat. I leaned my seat back and Christy laid her head on my leg. I couldn't resist stroking her head and I choked up when she put her hand over my knee and squeezed my leg. I had only really know her for just over a week but I was falling for her.

The sun peeking over the horizon woke me. It took a few seconds to realize where I was. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and looked down to see Christy's head still in my lap. I suddenly realized that my morning hard on was pressing up against her cheek. That knowledge caused my cock to jerk and I heard her lightly moan in her sleep. Reaching down I gently shook her shoulder. Christy started to raise up and I opened the door and slid out of my seat hoping she didn't see my stiff dick pushing out against my pants.

I walked around the side of the truck and let Lucky out then stood stretching. My cock wasn't the only part of me that was stiff from sleeping in the truck. Jill woke up when I opened the door and stepped out to join me. Reaching back into the truck I grabbed my smartphone off the dash where I had put it last night and connected to the internet.

"Whatcha doing, Jake?" Jill asked.

"Trying to look up the address of a buddy of mine. He got his discharge a little over a year ago, but I remember him telling me that this was his hometown." I was striking out through the usual methods until I thought of the county tax records. I put in the name Kowalski. There were three listed in the county but only one in this town.

"I think I got it. Let's load up," I said. I called Lucky and put him in the back seat. Jill got in next to Christy and I put the address into the GPS. Fifteen minutes later we were pulling into the driveway of a large farm house on the outskirts of town. As I got out of the truck an older man came out of the house.

"Can I help you," the big man asked.

"Maybe, I was looking for Stanley Kowalski," I replied.

The man turned back towards the house and yelled, "Hey, son. Someone here to see you."

A minute later a mountain of a man came to the door. He looked out and I watched his face light up. He came barreling down the stairs and lifted me off the ground in a bear hug.

"Goddamn, Jake. It's good to see you," he said after setting me back on the ground.

"Great to see you too, Bear," I said laughing. Bear was the affectionate nickname he had been given by his fellow Marines. He stood six foot five and was almost as wide at the shoulders as he was tall.

"What brings you to this neck of the woods," Bear asked.

"We have a bit of a problem," I said nodding to the girls in the truck. "I could use your help."

"Hell ya, buddy. Anything for you."

"First, is there somewhere I can park my truck out of sight?" I asked.

"Yeah, pull it into the barn over there," he said pointing to the big building back behind the house.

I pulled into the barn and we all got out. As soon as Lucky hit the ground he bounded over to Bear wagging his tail. The big man got down on one knee and the two became instant friends. Jill came over and whispered in my ear.

"Bear, the ladies need too use the head," I said.

"Sure thing. Y'all come on in the house," he said leading the way.

We entered through the back door into a large kitchen. Inside were his parents, the man who had met us when we pulled up and an older woman. Bear introduced me to them and I introduced Jill and Christy. Bear told his mother that the girls needed to use the bathroom and she led them away. Bear poured us a cup of coffee and we stepped out on the back porch to talk. He stood silent while I told him about everything that had happened.

"Jesus Christ, Jake. That's some shit. What are you going to do now?" Bear asked.

"That's where I was hoping you could help. I need somewhere safe for the girls to stay. I was hoping they could stay here while I go back and take care of the problem."

"Of course the ladies can stay here. But what are you going to do when you go back?" he asked.

"Haven't got that figured out yet, but I've got to do something." I said shaking my head.

"Well you ain't going alone. I'm going with you," the big man said seriously.

"Bear, I can't ask you to get involved in this mess."

"You ain't asking. I'm telling you I'm going." I knew Bear and from the look in his eyes I knew there was no arguing with him. All I could do was shake his hand and thank him. I knew from experience there was no one better to have on your side than him if the shit hit the fan.

Bear called his dad out and explained the situation to him. His dad promised to look after Jill and Christy and told us to be careful. I then called Jill and Christy out to talk while Bear and his dad went back inside.

"The Kowalski's are going to let you stay here. No one will think to look for you here so you will be safe," I said.

"Where are you going?" Jill asked, afraid of the answer.

"I'm going back to settle this once and for all." They both heard the finality in my voice. Their eyes filled with tears that spilled down their cheeks. Jill stepped forward and hugged me fiercely. When she moved back Christy took her place and squeezed me in her arms.