I'd like to work with you on the logistics of it." When he heard that, he agreed, and the two of us continued to the caf. After we got some coffee, I ordered, and we talked over what I thought was going to happen while I waited for my meal.
When I'd finished breakfast, Agent Hendricks and I shook hands before I headed back for the room. Once there, I went into the room that the girls hadn't used in a couple of days, and made my call to Jules. He answered quickly, and let me know that he'd made arrangements for 'the interested party' and I to meet sometime that day.
I asked when would be a good time, and he told me "Pretty much any time – just make it at least a couple hours from now so they can make arrangements, okay?"
"How about one o'clock, then?" I asked.
"Beautiful. You know you're going into the lions den, don't you?"
I gave a small laugh, and said "Yeah – same old tune."
He laughed then, too, and said "I guess it's nothing new to you, is it?"
"Not really."
"Well, I'll be there, too, kind of as a go-between. I know my uncle, and I know you – maybe we can settle this before it goes too far."
"I hope so, Guido. Stuff like this doesn't do*anybody* any good."
"I hear that. Okay, I'll see you later, okay?"
"See you then."
That conversation over, I called down to speak with Agent Hendricks.
When I told him what Jules and I had set up, he said "His uncle, huh?
Must be Benito Francone, a.k.a. Benny. He and Jules' daddy were in business when Jules' dad kinda got blown up. Benny had the entire operation then, and we heard that he personally took care of the people that killed his brother. No bodies were ever found; it was like they dropped off the face of the earth. He's a mean old bird, and hard as they come. Watch yourself."
"Oh, I will. He's not the first hard-ass I've had to deal with."
Hendricks laughed, and said "Yeah, I guess not. I'll bet he's gonna be some surprised at you, though!"
I verified the arrangements I'd made with him over breakfast before ending the conversation.
With a few hours to fill before my meeting, I went back into 'my' room to collect my new laptop. Once in there, I saw that Amy was mostly awake. When she saw me, she woke up completely, and gave me a radiant smile of greeting before gesturing that she wanted me to come over to the bed. I sat on the edge, careful not to wake up Lucy or Robyn, and Amy reached out to take my hand. Holding it to her mouth, she softly kissed my palm before holding it to her face as she whispered "Thank you. Last night was the best time I've had in my life. I never felt so loved, so accepted, by*anyone*, not even my own family."
I smiled at her, and took her hand in mine in return, telling her "It was my pleasure – OUR pleasure. Know that we love you, and when you get the chance, pass it along."
She nodded solemnly, and I leaned over to give her a kiss – and getting a taste of Lucy and Robyn in the process. I smacked my lips in appreciation, and she blushed slightly when I told her "Hmmmm.
Robyn, with a little Lucy tossed in for variety…"
I grinned when I saw the blush, and told her "I'll be in the other room, working a little bit. You're welcome to stay as long as you want – just remember, if you leave before they all get to give you a proper goodbye, you'll be in some*serious* trouble."
She grinned back at me, and said "I wouldn't dream of it – I owe them, and you, too much."
"Amy, you owe us nothing. We did it because we love you. No more, no less."
She gave my palm another soft kiss, then released it so I could stand up and collect my things before heading back into the girls room.
Back in the other room, I got the laptop fired up, and spent a little time getting the software I used loaded on it. That done, there was a little fine-tuning the settings, and I logged into my internet provider to check my email. I was pleasantly surprised to find that nearly all of my customers had replied to the messages I'd sent them, saying they appreciated the warning, and wishing me well. When I saw that, I silently laughed to myself, thinking "If they only KNEW how well it turned out!".
The couple of people that had problems or questions were easily dealt with, so it wasn't long before I was done. Email out of the way, I started working on the project that I'd set aside to come help Lucy; I'd copied the necessary files to a few diskettes, so was able to pretty much pick up where I'd left off. When I checked the time again, I still had an hour and a half before my meeting; I saved my work, and went in to see what the others were up to.
I opened the door to 'my' room, and saw that it was empty. Continuing on, I found them all on the bed in Lucy's room, snuggling as they watched cartoons on TV, of all things. All four of them clambered off the bed to come over to hug and kiss me when they saw me. Amy and Lucy were particularly enthusiastic in their greetings, making sure that I*knew* I'd been kissed. Almost had my socks rolling up and down…
Sandra told me that she'd woken up and went looking for me; when she got to my room, she saw the three of them in bed, and decided to join them for a little bit while she and Amy talked quietly so as not to wake Lucy or Robyn. Lucy was the next to wake up, and finally Robyn.
With all of them awake, they decided that they smelled like a used brothel, and went in to take a group shower that turned into a grope session. Dried off, Amy told them that I was working in the other room, and they'd decided to leave me alone, figuring that I'd been busy enough with all of them the last few days. Instead, they'd gone to Lucy's room to watch TV, so they'd be sure and not disturb me. The idea of cartoons had actually been Amy's – it sounded like fun, and they'd all agreed.
I told them that I'd be going out early that afternoon, but that I'd be back in a couple of hours, tops. They all looked apprehensive, but I told them that it was just a meeting, and that there wasn't anything to worry about. Lucy and Amy looked dubious, but didn't say anything; Robyn and Sandra accepted it without any noticeable problem.
They invited me to join them, and when I agreed, Lucy and Amy got into a friendly argument about who sat on my lap – Amy wanted Lucy to do it, and Lucy wanted Amy Amy finally gave in when Robyn and Sandra chimed in, telling her that she was the guest so she'd better do it, or they'd positively*ravish* her. In mock fear, Amy made her way over to me, and let me hold her as Lucy snuggled into my side, with Robyn, then Sandra on the other.
When I figured it was time, I hugged Amy and told them that I had to go – Amy got off my lap, and she and Lucy stood up to let me get off the bed. Both kissed me again – Lucy looking on in amusement when Amy saw her watching and hesitated a moment – and told me to hurry back.
I assured them I would, and headed out the door.
In the lobby, Agent Hendricks was waiting for me, along with the two suits I'd seen earlier. He asked me if I was sure I wanted to do it this way, and I told him I was. With a sigh, he gestured to the other two agents, and the four of us headed for the parking lot. There, we got into an issue FBI car, and left, another car of agents right behind us.
After a while, we pulled up to the gates of a small estate – probably the size of a half-dozen 'normal' house lots, with a guy standing there. I handed my holstered pistol to Agent Hendricks, and told him "Try not to lose this, okay? I kinda like it."
He laughed, and said "It'll be here when you get out."
I got out of the car, and it and the one full of agents pulled out of the driveway to park across the street from the gate. The guy standing there watched all this carefully. When I walked up to him, I told him "My name is Dan Andrews. I believe I'm expected."