Chapter 37

The girl that had been discovered snooping around the Draiman property had fallen asleep in the chair she was tied in.  “Wakey wakey”, the voice of a sweet woman said.  The voice reminded her of her mother.  “Come on, dear, I haven’t got all day.  I have grandchildren running around the house that I’d much rather be spending time with.”

She slowly blinked awake.  “So you’re Mrs. Draiman?” she said sleepily.

“Who were you expecting, Mrs. Clause?”

“No, just not you.  Maybe one of your daughters.”

“None of my girls look enough like me to pull this off.  Most of them look more like their father.”  The woman pulled up a chair and sat in it backward.  “Now, why don’t start by telling me your name?”

“Why?”

“Look young lady, I don’t have the patience for this today.  You can either start talking or I can start hurting you.  Which would you prefer?”

The girl looked at the Draiman woman.  “I don’t think you’ll do it.  I don’t think you have the stomach for it.”

The woman looked over her shoulder toward the door.  “Morbus, may I borrow your K- Bar?”

“Of course, Boss Lady.”  The bodyguard removed his knife and handed it to the woman.

“Take off one of her shoes then give me something to make a tourniquet with.”

A shoe came off and Morbus handed her a length of rubber tubing.  “Here you are.”

“Secure her foot to the floor for me”, she asked as she started tying the tubing tightly around the calf.  Once she was secured, the woman looked up at the girl.  “You should feel your foot starting to go numb.  Not that you care, but this is because I used the tubing to cut off blood flow through the popliteal artery.  Now, you can either give me your name, or I start cutting off toes because there is still nerve sensation, maybe not a lot in the way of activity, but you’ll still feel it.”

“You still won’t cut off my toes.”

The woman positioned the knife over the girl’s big toe.  “Last chance”, she said a little sing song.  The girl spat in the woman’s face and the woman leaned on the knife, severing the toe from the body.  “You were saying?”

“You crazy bitch!  You just cut off my toe!”

“I warned you.  Now, you can start talking”, the woman repositioned the knife, “or you can keep losing digits.  Once I’m done with all of your toes, I’ll cut off your feet.  Then, I’ll move up to your hands.  If you still don’t want to talk after I’ve cut off both hands and feet and all ten fingers and toes, I’ll just cut my losses and shoot you right between your eyes.  Either way, whether you talk or not, my husband and I have decided that you’re not leaving here alive.  What better way to make sure that doesn’t happen than to do it myself.  Not that I don’t trust Morbus, but as you can see, I’ve grown a little bit impatient the older I’ve gotten.”

The girl looked at the woman.  “You want me to talk, but you’re not going to let me live?  Why should I talk?”

The woman repositioned the knife. “Would you rather die with most of your pieces attached, or detached?”

“Cut it off, I don’t care.”

The woman adjusted the knife so that it was over all four of the remaining toes.  “Are you sure?”

“I can’t feel my foot anyway.”

A sadistic grin crossed the woman’s face as she untied the tourniquet.  “Fine.  Now you’ll feel it when I cut off the others.  I was trying to be nice.”

Blood and sensation rushed back into the girls foot and she started to scream in pain as blood spurted out from where the toe used to be.  “You’re fucking psycho, you bitch!”

“I told you I was being nice.  Seeing as you want to keep playing games, I’m done being nice.  Nice just died.  Give me your name and why you’re really here or I will cut off the remaining toes on this foot.”

While all this was going on, Morbus stood back and watched.  Brie, I wish you could see this, you and David.  Maddie has become quite the psycho in her time.  The girls is a spitfire.  I hope Colton knows what he got himself into when he married this girl.  The look on his face was one of pride.

“Morbus, do you have a machete I can use?  She still doesn’t want to talk.  I think it’s because she doesn’t think I’ll kill her.”

“If she were smart, she’d believe it.  I still remember what you did to you cousin.  Barrel against her head and BOOM!  Bits of brain and blood everywhere.  It was so pretty.”

The woman smiled, hiding her confusion well.  “Oh yeah.  Memories.  She shouldn’t have been working with the Utopians.”  Morbus found a machete for the woman only to turn to see her with a pistol in her hand, the barrel against the young woman’s head.  “You heard what my husband’s former bodyguard has just said that I did to my own cousin.  What makes you think that I won’t end you?”

“You’re a Purist.”

“No, I’m a Libertarian.  The cause of liberty is what I fight for.  I don’t like violence, but if it has to come to that, then that’s what I’ll do.  You have until the count of five to start talking before I splatter your brains all over the shed because I’m running out of patience.  Five, four, three, two, one…”

The girl refused to talk so the woman pulled the trigger and watched the back of the girl’s head explode.  Morbus applauded.  “Beautiful Maddie.  That was shades of your mother, all over again.  Nearly brought a tear to my eye.”

---------------

When Maddie and Morbus made their way into the house Jake looked at her expectantly.  “So, dear, what did you learn?” he said with a laugh.

“Nothing.  She refused to talk so I ended her”, Maddie had a cold smile on her face.

“Nice.  You think Mom and Dad would be proud?”

“I think they would be”, Morbus said.  “Jake, you sister here… shades of your mother.  She reminded me of the day your mother killed her own cousin.”

“What?”

“I’ve been meaning to ask about that since you mentioned it out in your shed, but what are you talking about?” Maddie asked.

“You two were both still fairly young.  Malachai was ten or eleven.  No… Malachai was almost 13.  You kids were all playing when I brought the woman into the house.  Utopian uniform, the whole nine.  Your mother recognized her immediately and flipped.  ‘What the fuck are you doing here wearing a Utopian uniform?’, your mother screamed in her face.  She kept giving bull shit excuses, then your mother put a gun in the woman’s face.  ‘You have five seconds to tell me the truth’,  and the woman did.  Your mother blew her head off.  Your Dad was cautious that she didn’t turn that gun on him, got it from her and when she came to, she bolted for the bathroom and puked, not from the fact that she killed a woman but because she was covered in brain matter.”

“That’s pretty fucked up”, Jake laughed.  “I never thought Mom would do something like that.  Mom’s not cold blooded like that.”

“You don’t know you mother as well as you think you do”, Morbus said.  “Maybe you should ask her about some of the things she did during the Occupation.  You mother is an angel, granted, but she can and will do some pretty evil things to take care of her family if need be.”

Maddie and Jake exchanged a look.  “We’ll have to do that sometime”, Maddie said.  “I wonder myself what some of these stories are now that you say something.  Mom doesn’t strike me as the type to go psycho like that.”

“You don’t know your mother like you think, Maddie.  None of you do.  There are two people in this world that know her well enough to know some of the things she did back then and one of them is buried in Arlington.  The other happens to be your father, of course.”

“Buried in Arlington?” Maddie said.  “Uncle Matt?”

“Yeah.  Uncle Matt doesn’t know about your mother beating the hell out of the General while she was pregnant.”

“Pregnant with whom?” Jake asked.

Morbus pointed to Maddie.  “Her. I was still a gopher when it happened.  Karyn was in class while a couple of the others and I were delivering groceries and the daily newspaper.  Your Dad had a real thirst to know what was going in the country then.  The day your Uncle was arrested by the Utopians she freaked.  You’ll have to ask your parents the rest of it.  I don’t really know it all.”

Jake nodded.  “I don’t remember that.”  He frowned.

“You were two, Jake.   Malachai might remember it.”

“I might asked him about that.”

Malachai came down the stairs shaking his head.  “Don’t bother.  I don’t remember it happening either.  I know it did because I remember Aunt Tina and Aunt Nikki talking about it, but I don’t remember it actually happening.  I didn’t see it.  Dad had us taken from the room.  Mom didn’t know she was pregnant, though.  I can tell you that much.”

“Oh, I think I’m going to have to call Mom and ask her about a few of these things”, Maddie said.

“I wouldn’t.  At least not for a few days”, Jordan said, coming down the stairs to get something to eat.  “She and Dad have Reece out for a visit and fact finding mission.  I asked them to get back to me on what he has to say.”

“Who’s Reece?” Jake asked.

“Levi and Jasmine’s father.”

“Ah.  And you want to know what Davina’s been saying to him behind your back?”

“Pretty much.  When I talked to Dad last he mentioned that he was thinking about inviting Reece out to see the kids and all that, so I asked if he did to get back to me on that in case I end up divorcing Davina after all this is over.  Now, if you’ll all excuse me, I’m going to hit the gym.  I’ll see you in a little while.”

After Jordan left, Jake pushed himself to standing.  “I’m going to join her.  I’ve actually been waiting on her to get up.  I’ll see you all later.”  And with that he walked away.

----------------

The guards were doing what Morbus had done for the band during the Occupation.  They were destroying the evidence from the girls’ arrival and subsequent death.  They cleaned out her pockets and tossed everything into the fire with her body.  They were looking for identification, but found nothing.  “Who travels without ID?” Travis asked.

“Someone who’s either planning on dying, doesn’t plan to be found out, or someone who wants to get lost and not be found”, Morbus said as he approached the place where the boys were burning the bitch Maddie had just offed.  “Have you boys tried looking for a vehicle nearby?”

“Nope.  Maybe we should?” Will said.

“Yeah, William, maybe you boys should get out there and look for it.  Carter and have the rest of this mess.  Get out there and see if she left a vehicle.  You know where the boarders of the property are.  Start looking and stop acting like you don’t know any better.  How am I supposed to trust Reckless Disregard’s safety to you if you’re making rookie mistakes?”

The boys were gone with a flash.  “You’re being tough on them, huh?” Carter asked.

“I have to.  I’m retiring after this run as Morbus.  Disturbed is retired.  They don’t need me to protect them anymore.  David lives in Israel; John still lives in Austin, Dan in Chicago, Mike in Milwaukee.  There’s nothing left for me to do.  I was trained to protect Disturbed and their families.  Well, Disturbed is no more.  It’s time for Morbus to fade to black as well.”

“Metallica reference.  Nice”, Carter laughed.

“I may have worked my entire life for Disturbed, but I did listen to other bands.  I like Metallica.”

“James Hetfield was a God.”

“If you say so.  I say he’s nothing but a man.  I’ve met him.  Nice guy.”

“Is there anyone in the music business you haven’t met?”

Morbus thought about it for a few moments.  “I would have loved to have met Dimebag Darryl.  David has fond memories of partying with him and Vinnie.  He actually went to Dime’s funeral.”

“Cool.  Now, you mean Dimebag Darryl of Panthera, right?”

“Yes.”

“Ok, just making sure that we were on the same page.”  He stared into the fire.  “Did you do this often for the band during the War?”

“Actually, yeah.  You’d be surprised at how often I was getting rid of the evidence for one thing or another.  Hell, I just informed two of the Draiman children about some things their Mom did during the Occupation- one of which I did exactly what we’re doing now afterward.”

“Is Maddie as crazy as her mother?”

“I can’t tell you that.  You’d have to judge it for yourself after meeting Brie Draiman.  In my opinion, yes.  Madison GreyEagle is as insane as her mother.”

“Does Brie Draiman know that you think she’s insane?”

“Yes, I’ve made my opinion of the Boss Lady very clear to her and she isn’t offended by it.  As a matter of fact, she says it a compliment.  She and David both say that it’s a prerequisite to be crazy to be around them.  They believe the crazier the better.”

Carter laughed.  “I hope that I can meet them.  They seem like my kind of people.”

Morbus joined in the laughter.  “If you’re lucky you’ll get to find out.”

---------------

On the other side of town, Davina was looking around the house she and Jordan had shared for the last 10 years.  She paced through the house and looked around the kids’ rooms and watched the ghosts of Jordan sitting in the floor playing with the kids.  She knew it was a trick of the mind; a memory locked in the building.

She walked through the living room and watched as she taught Jordan to Hula and do the traditional dances of her homeland, then making love on the couch after the lesson.  Once her parents returned from their trip, they showed them their dance.  It was poetry in motion.

Tears flooded her eyes as she went into their bedroom, recalling all of the nights the two of them would make love- and fight.  Their fights would forever be trapped in the once hallowed halls of this house.

I’ve got to make this right with Jordan, she thought.  If I want to keep the comfort I’ve become accustom to then I need to be the bigger person and go to her and apologize.  I just hope that she’s rational enough to see that I’m trying to do what’s best for us.

Chapter 36

He was finding it difficult to stay in his seat as the plane pulled around the runway.  The only reason he wasn’t up and pacing was because the plane was still in motion.  Instead, he stared out the window and looked for the bald rocker that was the grandfather of his children.  Sitting under a light was black classic Mustang GT with a bald man standing near the rear setting a little girl with black curls on the trunk.  So, that’s David Draiman?, he thought.  It’s really him.  Jordan’s dad.  She was right.  He’s not really larger than life when he’s away from the spot light.  He looked for Levi only to find him wrapped around an older woman’s waist like he was hugging her.  And that must be the beautiful Mrs. Draiman.  There is no way she’s a day over 45.  There’s no way either of them are old enough to have a 40 year old son.

When the plane finally stopped, he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.  He didn’t wait for the attendant to lower the stairs for him.  He did it himself and sprinted down them.  From the car he saw David setting the little girl on the ground and heard him say, “Now you can tackle him.”

The kids took off in his direction in a dead run and nearly knocked him over.  If he hadn’t squatted down to be on their level he may have been bowled over.  “DADDY!” they screamed.

“Hey there you two!” he laughed as wrapped his arms around to the children.

“We missed you so much!” Jasmine said.

“I missed you too, Jazzy Jazz.”

“Dad, when we get back to Gramma and Grampa’s, I’m gonna show you the pictures from my diving trip”, Levi said excitedly.

“Really?  You went diving?  Who took you diving?”

“Grampa.  He made me take a class then took me diving the next day.  It was so much fun!”

“What all did you see?”

“All kinds of things.  Sharks and a big manta ray… tons of fun.”

“You’ll have to show me the pictures.  Now, you two have got to let go of me.  I need to go greet Gramma and Grampa.”

“You’ve never met Gramma and Grampa?”

“Nope.  This is the first time I’ve ever met them.  So, why don’t you guys walk me over there?”  Levi and Jasmine took their father’s hands and walked over to their grandparents with him.  Jasmine clung to her father’s leg as he extended a hand to her grandfather.  “Mr. Draiman, it’s an honor to finally meet you.”

“I don’t know about all that, but I’m glad to finally meet you as well”, David said as he shook his hand.  He turned his attention his wife.  “This is my wife, Brie.”

Brie held her hand out to Reece.  “Pleasure to meet you, Reece.”

He took her hand and kissed the back of it.  “The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Draiman.”

“Don’t flatter yourself, Reece.  All the boys say that to me.”

“I’m not trying to butter you up, Mrs. Draiman.  There’s no way to a person can’t notice that you’re a stunning woman for your age.  How old are you?”

“70.”

“Not a chance in hell.  There’s no way.  You’re not 70 and David’s not 73.  Neither of you look older than your mid forties.”

David and Brie looked at each other then back at the young man that had just flown all day to meet them.  “Where have you been all these years?” Brie asked with a laugh.

“Here, there, and everywhere.”  He smiled.

“You’ll do”, David said.  “Now, why don’t we head to the house?  Brie put something on to cook this afternoon.”

“Sounds good, Mr. Draiman.”

“Please, call me David.”

“Alright.  David then.  Dinner sounds wonderful.  I ate a little something while in Germany, but I still need to eat something else.”

“Well, my blood sugar is starting to plummet”, Brie said.  “If we’re going, then we need to go.”

David kissed her head.  “Alright.  We’re going.”

Brie moved around to the passenger side of the car and loaded the kids up while David opened the trunk for Reece to load up his bag.  Once everyone was in, they took off and headed home.

Reece sat back in the car and listened to the music that was playing in the car.  He couldn’t help but laugh when he saw David reach over and turn off the stereo when he heard an old Disturbed song.  “Why did you do that, David?” he asked.

“The front man for Disturbed I may always be, but I don’t want to hear it every time I get in the car”, he said with a chuckle.

“What do you listen to at home?”

“These days, and I suppose I’m dating myself with this, but we listen to a lot of opera and what was called classic rock when Disturbed was just getting started.”

“Tears for Fears?”

“Among other things”, Brie said.  “Aerosmith is one of my favorites.  I’m a huge fan of ‘Dream On’ and ‘Sweet Emotion’.”

“Good band.  I prefer to skate to Disturbed than anything else, though.”

“Really?  A skateboarding metal head?”

“Is there any other kind?”

---------------

After dinner, Levi and Jasmine told Reece about all of the fun things they’d done since being out with Gramma and Grampa.  Levi showed off his pictures from his diving trip.  “This is the black tip shark we saw”, he said as he showed his father the picture.

“That’s cool.  It was really awesome of Grampa to take you deep sea diving.”

“I don’t get to see the grandchildren as often anymore now that we live out here in Jerusalem”, David said.  “I figured that I’d take him down when he asked on the trip out.  He is my grandson, after all.”

“While Grampa and Levi were diving, Gramma and me were getting our nails done and shopping.  It was so much fun”, Jasmine said.

“Had to distract her somehow”, Brie said.

“Ok, you two, it’s bed time”, David said.  “Tell your Daddy good night and you’ll see him in the morning.”

The kids fussed but did as they were told.  They gave their father- as well as their grandparents- a hug and kiss goodnight.  “I’ll still be here in the morning”, Reece told his kids.

Once they toddled off to bed, David went to the kitchen.  “Reece, join my wife and I for a night cap out of the back patio?”  Brie had stood up and went out back to have a seat.

Reece went into the kitchen to see what David was doing.  “What do you have?”

“A little bit of everything and it’s all the good stuff.”

“Vodka?”

“One of my personal favorites.”  David grabbed the young man a glass out of the cabinet and handed it to him.  “Make yourself whatever you want then join Brie and I out on the patio.”  David poured a little bit of soda in one of the glasses with the burbon that was already in there then grabbed both glasses and went out back.

Reece watched as the elder Draiman’s kissed.  He could see that even though they were in their 70’s, they were still so very much in love.  Brie stood  and let David sat down  then curled up against the front of his body on the lounger.  Reece smiled.  They were the perfect couple.  He made his drink then joined them out on the patio.  “I wanted to thank you both for your hospitality and allowing me out here to see the kids.  It really means a lot.”

“Just because Davina’s being a bitch doesn’t meant that you should be kept away from the kids.  If Jordan allows you to see them then we have no problem with it”, Brie said.

“You would have known sooner but we didn’t even know you were involved in their lives until earlier this morning”, David said.

“What?  You didn’t know?” Reece seemed surprised.

“No.  And the only reason we found out is that Jasmine had a bad dream involving Jordan.  Levi told us.”

“I’m surprised that Jordan didn’t tell you.”

“Jordan likes to keep home at home, which we understood.  But, Davina led us to believe that you were nothing but a donor.  It wasn’t offensive that you didn’t want to be involved, but it seemed strange because Jordan told us that you would have been involved with Joseph should he have been born.  It didn’t make sense, but we accepted it.”

“That’s ridiculous.  I made it clear to Jordan when she came to me about Joseph that I wanted to be involved and that should she want to have children when she was in a relationship that I would gladly father the children, but I wanted to be a father them.  I don’t believe in having children and not being a parent to them.  That Davina would lead you to that conclusion is insulting.”

“The things we’re learning right now are starting to make us both wonder what else Davina has lied about”, Brie said after taking a sip of her drink.

“Oh, I’m sure in regard to me, there’s been plenty.  But, when David called earlier he said he’d rather explain why the kids are out here in person.”

David nodded.  “And so I shall.  To make a rather long story as short as possible, Jordan has recently been going through some stuff.  I can’t really go into detail about it, but she was injured as a result.  She had broken ribs and a broken leg.  Her fibula actually had to be stabilized with a titanium rod.  As a way to make taking care of her easier on Davina we brought the kids out here.  After I took Levi on his diving trip, Jordan called and told us that she and Davina have split.  As a way to protect the children, Jordan had a provision put in the pre- nup that should she and Davina split, my wife and I get temporary custody until they either reconcile or custody is decided by a judge.  We just found out right before I called you that you were already dragged to court to have your rights stripped and the judge ruled in your favor.

“How did you know that?”

“I have my ways, Reece.  That’s all you need to know.  Now, what we need to know is this; should something happen to our daughter and she doesn’t make it out alive, would you fight for custody of the children?”

“In a fucking heartbeat.  Those are my kids.  If Jordan’s not in the picture I fear what would happen to them at the hands of Davina’s family.”

“What makes you say that?” Brie asked.

“I don’t know how much you know about Jordan’s home life, but Davina likes to pick at Jordan.  I don’t know why, but Davina will pick and pick and pick at Jordan in order to get her to fight with her.  I honestly think that Davina is trying to get Jordan to knock the shit out of her so that Davina can launch domestic violence charges at Jordan and use that as leverage to get the kids.”

“That’s not Jordan’s style”, David said.

“I know.  Jordan fights with her words and she will talk circles around Davina.”

“Jordan has a Masters’ in English Language and Syntax.”

“I know that too.  It’s something that she’s very proud of.  Davina hates it.  She feels like she’s accomplished nothing in life though Jordan’s told her that if she wants to go back to school, that she’d pay for it.  I think that Davina is just using Jordan’s fame as an excuse to be shitty.”

“What do you know about the touring issues?”

“Which ones?”

“How many are there?” Brie asked.

“Too many to count, but the biggest one is Davina insisting on going on every tour.  Jordan wants the kids to have a normal life, like you tried to give them after the War.  Davina is a suspicious bitch and thinks that Jordan’s just using it as an excuse to cheat.”

“You’ve heard her say as much?”

“Yes.  Jordan actually asked me to come over to try to help talk some sense into Davina during one of the more epic fights.  Jordan and I insisted that Levi and Jasmine need to be around kids their ages and be normal.  Davina thought it was bull shit and that I was slipping it to Jordan behind her back.  Jordan and I both went ape shit.  Thankfully, the kids were in school when this happened.  I’ve never hit a woman in my life, but I came really close that day.”

“It’s a good thing you didn’t.  I applaud your self control”, David said.  “So, if something were to happen to Jordan, you’d go after custody of the kids?”

“Absolutely.  I don’t want Davina ruining those kids anymore than she has.”

---------------

They all stayed up well into the night.  Brie had dozed off where she was curled up against David, but the two men were having trouble sleeping.  “So, let me ask you this”, Reece said.  “What was your reaction when Jordan told you she was gay?”

“She told her mother and I at the same time and we looked at each other, then back to Jordan and said, ‘You’re telling us something we don’t already know?’.  We’d figured that she wasn’t attracted to boys when they started school after the Occupation.  She didn’t like any of the boys and thought they were all losers.  And this was after they’d been in school for a year.  Telling us that she was a lesbian when she was 13 really came as no surprise.”

“See, that’s not what Davina told me.”

“What did she tell you?”

“She told me that Jordan was so afraid of you that she didn’t come out until she was already out of the house.  She said that none of the family was supportive and that’s why Jordan moved out at 18.”

“Oh, for the love of God.  No, that’s not what happened.  Jordan told Malachai and he told her what he thought we would say.  I know this because I asked Malachai about the conversation with Jordan’s permission.  When she told us, we could have cared less.  So what?  She’s not attracted to men.  Is that supposed to piss me off?  No.  Am I supposed to be disappointed?  I wasn’t.  What fucked me up the most was her first heart break.  If it had been a boy to break her heart, I’d have sicced Malachai and Jake on him and been done with it, but it was a girl so I couldn’t do that because Jordan’s my oldest girl.  What good would sending my sons to threaten a little girl do?  None because I taught my boys never to lay a hand on a woman.”

“I knew that didn’t make any sense”, Reece said in disbelief.  “I mean, when Jordan would talk to me about you and the rest of your family she made you out to be super supportive.  She told me that you were happy that she was going to adopt Samantha’s baby.  Then Davina came along and started telling me that Jordan was lying about you guys.”

“Believe what Jordan told you.  Apparently Davina has something else up her sleeve.”

“It pisses me off that she would do this to me and to Jordan.  More to Jordan because Jordan’s her wife.  I wonder if Jordan even knows about the lies Davina’s been telling?”

David shrugged.  “I couldn’t tell you.”

Brie stirred and smacked her husband.  “Get still.  You move around too much.”  She moved around a little more and got comfortable again before going sinking back into a deep sleep.

David chuckled and kissed her hair.  “I’m sorry, baby.  I’ll try to be still.”

“There’s another lie from Davina.”

“What?”

“That you two fight all the time.”

“That couldn’t be further from the truth.  My wife and I never fight.  We never really have done a lot of fighting.”

“I can’t believe this shit.”

“I think Jordan needs to know the lies that Davina’s been telling you.”

“I’ll make it a point to get in contact with her as soon as I get back to the states.”

“I don’t recommend that.”

“Why not?”

“Remember that rather long story I shortened for you?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s why.  If you stick around for a couple of days, I’ll call her and let you talk to her after I tell her that I looked you up and invited you out so she doesn’t freak out.”  David fell quiet for a few moments.  “Can I ask you a question, Reece, and you’ll be perfectly honest with me and ignore the fact that Jordan is my daughter?”

“Yes.”

“Out of Jordan and Davina, who do you think would be the better parent to those children?”

“Jordan, hands down.  She always tries to have their best interests at heart.”

“If she and Davina should get divorced, you’d go to court and testify as much?”

“Yes, I would.  Jordan and I would be able to work out a visitation schedule for me to see the kids and all that good mess.  Davina would take those kids, run to Tonga and I’d never see them again.  I might not always be in the Springs, but when I’m there I’d like to see my children because I was raised to be an active part in the lives of any child I help create.”

David nodded.  “That’s what I needed to hear.  Thank you, Reece.”

“It’s nothing but the truth, David.”

“And that’s why I appreciate it so much.”

---------------

Everyone that had been sitting outside dozed off in the seats they’d been sitting in.  Reece had been kind enough to step inside to grab everyone a blanket.  As he relaxed in the lounge he’d been sitting in, he took in everything that he’d learned about David and Brie Draiman since meeting them at the airport.  He was in disbelief that he’d been lied to so much.  Hearing from David himself that he not only didn’t care that Jordan was a lesbian, but that he was upset that he could do nothing about his oldest daughter’s first heartbreak, made him question everything he’d learned from Davina about the Draiman family.  There was no way such bigoted people could come from two people who were nowhere close to as bigoted as he had been told.

Is there any way to meet her brothers and sisters when I go back to the states?, he asked himself.  It would clear up a lot of misconceptions.  Davina described all of Jordan’s brothers to be brutes and her sisters to big roaring bitches.  None of that can be true.  I mean, isn’t Jordan’s twin a doctor?  None of it makes sense.  I hope Jordan divorces Davina so that I can testify to all of the lies the bitch has told.

And so, Reece drifted off to sleep until his children got up and woke him.

Chapter 35

It didn’t take long for Reece Tyson to get back to the grandfather of his children as to his ETA.  “I’ll actually be flying into Jerusalem.  My agent heard that I was heading out there to see my kids to meet you and he booked me a private flight.”

“Nice.  You didn’t have to cuss him or anything, did you?” David said with a laugh.

“Surprisingly enough, no.  I just said pull me from the competition, I’m going to Jerusalem to see my kids whether you like it or not.”

“And he didn’t argue.  Rather he booked you a private flight.”

“Which I’m being asked to get off of my cell phone so that we can take off.  We’ll be stopping in Germany to refuel then we’re flying straight into Jerusalem.”

“Sounds good.  Call when you’re on the ground in Germany to give me the time you’re going to arrive here in Israel so that we can meet you at the airport.”

“Alright, will do Mr. Draiman.”

“We’ll see you soon, Reece.  Have a safe journey.”  He hung up and looked at his wife, who had just put a movie in for the grandchildren.  “He’ll be here soon.  I’m guessing that he’ll be here tomorrow sometime.”

“Which direction is he coming from?” she asked

“East.  They’re going to refuel in Germany.”

“No layovers?”

“It’s not a commercial flight.  He told his agent that he was coming out here to see his kids and the agent booked him a private flight.”

“Nice, but didn’t you say that John told you that he was in the middle of a competition?”

“Yeah.  He had his agent pull him.  He said, and I quote, ‘It’s not like it’s the fucking X- games’.”

“Wow.  Now that the kids are distracted and watching a movie, why don’t you tell me what had you so upset after you hung up with him the first time?”

“Davina.  She told him that we never accepted that Jordan’s a lesbian and that we don’t treat Jasmine like she’s our grandchild.”

“What?”

“Exactly.  We don’t treat that precious little brown skinned, black curly headed angel like she’s our granddaughter.  She also told him that we never wanted to speak to him.”

“Why on Earth wouldn’t we want to speak with him?”

“He told me that Davina said that it was because Jordan’s a lesbian and that her having to be artificially inseminated pissed us off.”

“Not at all.  I can’t believe that Davina would say those things.  We’ve treated her like family.  We took the kids off of her hands so that she could take care of Jordan and not have to worry about the kids.  What the fuck?!”

Levi looked over his shoulder at his grandparents.  “Is everything ok, Gramma?”

“Yes Levi.  I’m fine.  I stubbed my toe.”

“Ouch!” Jasmine said.  “That hurts, I know it does.”

“Yeah, it hurts but I’ll be fine.  You two just watch your movie and if you start getting hungry, let me know.  I’ll make you some lunch.”

“Ok, Gramma.  We’ll let you know.”

She looked back at David.  “That’s ridiculous.  The more I hear the more upset I get.  I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep my head about me when you start talking to him.”

“I know.  You feel betrayed.  So do I.  We’ve treated Davina like family for nearly ten years and to find out that she’s been lying to everyone… I’m pissed.  I hate liars.”

“I know.  Me too.  David, what are we going to do about this though?”

“I don’t know, Brie.  We’ll just have to see what Reece has to say when we finally get to talk to him about all of this, then we’ll make a call.  Either way, we’re still keeping the kids here until Jordan decided what she’s going to do because that’s what the paperwork says to do.”

“And we’re good law- abiding citizens of both the US and Israel.”

“Exactly.  Why don’t we settle in with the grandkids and watch that movie until he calls again?  It’s going to be a while and there’s really nothing we can do about anything we’ve just learned until he finally arrives.”  He took her hands and kissed them.  “We both need to calm down, Brie.  I know you’re upset, so am I.  Let’s just calm down for now.  We’ll tell the kids after he calls from Germany to let us know that he’s even coming out.”

“Sounds like a plan.  We need to just let it go for now.”

---------------

“All I want is for you to tell me the truth, darling”, Morbus said.  “If you’re not willing to do that, then there’s nothing I can do if my boss tells me to step aside.  If you think I’m a twisted bastard, then you won’t like the woman that comes out here after me.  The boss’s old lady is psycho.”

“You don’t have the balls to hit me.  I’m a girl.”

Morbus pulled back a hand and landed the back of it across her face, making her spit out blood.  “That, my dear, is where you’re wrong.  I just don’t make it practice to hit women.  Now, my boss is going to be calling me any minute now and he’s going to want to know if there is anything new.  If I have nothing to tell him, then there’s nothing I can do if he tells me to pack it in and let his wife handle you.  Now, I don’t know what you know about the Draiman family, but the women are scary when they get mad and Brie Draiman is the scariest of them all.”

“So that was David earlier?”

“Who did you think it was, fucking Santa Clause?  It’s David Draiman that still calls the shots here.”  His phone rang, playing “Down With the Sickness”.  “Yeah boss?  Not a thing since you left.  She won’t talk for me.  Damn it, that’s what I was afraid of.  I told her, David, I warned the bitch that if she didn’t talk you’d send out the big guns.  Alright.  I’m done.  I’ll come in and let her stew for a little while.  She’s not going anywhere and if she tries I’ll have Travis on the door.  Yes sir.  I’m on my way in.”  He sighed and looked at the young woman.  “Oh, you’re in for it now.  Boss lady is coming out and she doesn’t play nice.  I was being nice.  Boss lady will fuck you up.”

“Yeah right?  How old is this woman by now?  At least in her late sixties.”

“And in better shape than you could ever hope to be in at her age.  You should have talked to me.”  He grabbed the K-bar that the Master Guns had given him many years before and put it back in its sheath on is thigh.  Once he walked out, he looked at his son.  “I should be back out here soon.  You, your brother, and Carter are to rotate the watch every 3 hours on the hour until I return with Brie.”  He leaned into his son.  “It won’t actually be Brie, as you know.  It will be Maddie dressed as Brie.”

“Yes, sir.”

“If she gives you any problems, let me know and I’ll let Brie know.  Brie will set the little bitch straight.”

“Yes sir.”

Morbus mounted the four wheeler he’d pretty much claimed as his own and headed to the house.  Upon walking in, he saw Delilah and Jona helping to get Maddie ready to go out into his shed to cause serious problems for the young woman out in the shed.  Morbus laughed.  “Damn, jumping on it already, huh?”

“Yep”, Delilah said.  “Maddie’s looking forward to fucking with this girl.”

“Fuck yeah.  Jake got to by pretending to be Dad.  It’s my turn now.  I’m the one of us that looks the most like Mom”, Maddie said with a bright smile.  “Anyway, I’ve been waiting to let my inner crazy bitch loose for a while.  Now, I get to play.”

“What do you plan to do to the girl?” Morbus asked.

“You’ll see, but she won’t leave the property.”

“Are you saying you’re going to need my help?”

“Unless ‘David’ wants to come out and help me?” she said, making air quotes around her father’s name and shooting a glance at her big brother.

“I don’t know if my acting is far enough up to par and I swore to Dad over 10 years ago that I’d never shave my head again to pretend to be him”, Jake laughed

“You’ll just fuck with people and sound like him.”

“Pretty much.  Have fun with it Maddie.  Make shit up as you go.  If there’s anything historically incorrect, I’m sure Morbus will set you straight afterward.”

Morbus shrugged his massive shoulders.  “Just keep in mind that your mother can be very dark if she has to be.  She doesn’t tolerate bull shit and gives very few chance for someone to tell her the truth.  If she’s not satisfied, in this case she’d kill the girl and not blink.  Can you do that Maddie?”

“I think I can.  I have a different view point on things than my sisters do.  But, I also remember Mom telling people that she knew the points on the body to do different things.”

“Well, your mother would use her knowledge of massage to cause pain.”

“Remember how Mom would tell Dad if he didn’t behave she’d drop a bow in his ass?” Meagan said with a laugh.

“Yeah, Mom was talking about putting her elbow in his Piriformus muscle”, Maddie responded.

“Well, that’s my point.  Mom was joking with Dad, but she wouldn’t hesitate to hit a trigger point on one of us if we were doing something wrong.”

Maddie nodded, only to get smacked by Delilah.  “Hold still.  This may only be temporary color, but you still need to be still as Jona and I put it in or your hair will end up jacked up.”

Maddie laughed.  “Sorry Lilah.  Sorry Jona.”  She looked at Morbus.  “Do you think Mom would cut things off in order to her point across?”

Morbus took a deep breath and thought about the question for a moment.  “I’ve never seen her do it, but I wouldn’t put it past her.  If she was anywhere near as twisted as your Uncle Matt was when he was alive, then I certainly wouldn’t put it past her.”

---------------

The plane was wheels on Tarmac in Frankfurt, Germany when the attendant woke him.  “Mr. Tyson.  We’re in Germany”, the woman said softly.

He came around slowly and blinked.  “Thank you.  What time is it?”

“It’s about 6pm local time.”

“How long will we be on the ground?”

“About fifteen to twenty minutes.  It will give you time to stretch your legs and everything.  Make the phone call to your father in law.”

Reece ignored the father in law comment as he turned his phone back on and dialed the number that had called him nearly nine hours before.  “David, its Reece.”

“Hey Reece.  I take it you’re in Germany.”

“Yep.  Just hit the Tarmac.  I’m gonna see about getting something to eat here in moment.  I haven’t eaten since yesterday afternoon.”

“About what time do you suspect you’ll be here in Jerusalem?”

“If you leave as soon as we hang up and head for the airport, then you should beat me there, but not by much.  It’s an hour flight from here I think.”

“Alright, that sounds good.  We’ll let the kids know and we’ll meet you at the airport.”

“That’s great.  Again, thank you for all of this.  It sincerely appreciate it.”

“You seem like you have the kids’ best interests at heart, and they seem to miss you.  Once you’re here and you’ve gotten reacquainted with your children, we’ll talk and go into detail about what’s going on.”

“Thank you, again.  I know I don’t have to say it but you and your wife are amazing people.”

David chuckled.  “Wait until you meet us to decide that for sure, Reece.  We’ll see you on the Tarmac.”

Reece smiled.  “I’ll see you when I land.  You’re still bald right?”

“Have been since I was in my late twenties.  My wife likes it, so who am I to complain?”

“As long as the wife enjoys it, I suppose.”

“Well, her happiness it at the forefront of my every thought.”  He sighed.  “I need to get off of this phone to help my wife corral children so that we can go.  She just told them you’re on your way and they’re extremely excited.”  In the background, Reece heard David say, “No Jasmine Nichelle, you’ll talk to him when he gets here.  Find your shoes and put them on so that we can leave.”

“Are we gonna get to eat dinner with him, Grampa?”

“Yes Jasmine.  Get your shoes on so we can leave after I hang up with him.”  David laughed.  “As you can see, they’re excited.  Jasmine was trying to get me to give her my phone so that she could say hi.”

“She’ll see me when I get there.  I’ve missed them more than I can explain.”

“I understand how you feel.  I would be away for months at a time and leave my wife at home with ten.  I missed each of my children and my wife.  I can relate.”

“I keep forgetting that you know exactly how I feel.  Well, I need to eat a little bit of something before we take off, but assure Jasmine that I’ll try not to fill up.”

“Will do.  We’ll see you soon, Reece.”

“Yes you will.  Bye David.”

“Bye Reece.”  And David hung up.

Reece caught the attendant.  “Is there any way I can get something light to eat before we take off?”

“Is there anything in particular that you’d like?”

“What’s onboard?”

“We do have some fresh sushi that the Chef’s prepared.”

“That sounds wonderful.  Just one roll though.  As soon as we land in Israel, I’m going to dinner.”

“Do you care what kind of roll?”

“Not particularly, no.  I just need to eat something so that I don’t make a pig of myself when I eat with my children and their grandparents.”

“Not a problem.  I’ll have something right out to you.  Anything to drink?”

“Just a soda.  Coke, please.”

“Alright.  I’ll have that right to you.”  She smiled and walked away.

Reece sat back in his seat and relaxed for a few moments.  He was excited.  He was about the meet one of his idols growing up.  If only Dan Donegan, Mike Wengren, and John Moyer were going to be there as well.  But, David Draiman- the Voice himself- had invited him into his home to meet his wife and so that Reece could see his two children.  He wanted to know what else Davina had lied to him about.  David didn’t seem like the man Davina had described to him.  He seemed like he was actually a very kind man.  But the biggest question on Reece Tyson’s mind was why were his children staying in Jerusalem with their grandparents?

---------------

“Was that really Daddy?” Jasmine asked as she fought with her sandals.

“Yes Jasmine.  That was really your Daddy.  He’s on his way here to see you and your brother.”

“That’s so cool.  I wish Mama were here too.  We could be a family.”

David and Brie exchanged a look.  His asked, what do I say?  Brie swooped into for the rescue.  “Jazz, sweetie, Mama Jordan is going through some serious stuff right now.  It’s best that she not be here.  But, your Daddy is excited to see you.  He can’t wait to see you when the wheels on his plane are on the ground.  You just need to be patient, ok, baby?”

Jasmine smiled sadly.  “Yes, Gramma.”

“Ok, now finish getting your sandals on so that we can leave, or your Daddy’s going to be waiting on us to pick him up from the airport.”  Jasmine went into the living room to find her other sandal as Brie sat down at the kitchen table.  “Sometimes you just need Gramma powers”, she said with a laugh.

“I’m glad you knew what to say, because I sure didn’t.  I wonder if that’s something else Davina’s and her family have been doing to those kids.  Trying to tell them that a family consists of a Mama, Daddy and the kids.  If that’s what’s been going on, I actually think I’m going to encourage Jordan to get a divorce as much as I don’t believe in it.”

“I know, I don’t either, but you’re right.  If Davina and her family have been trying to do that to these kids, then Jordan needs to get them out of that environment.”  She took his hands.  “I’m really glad this isn’t something we ever had to deal with.  Jason would have tried to make our lives hell.”

“I could have handled Iverson.  He doesn’t bother me.  I’m glad I didn’t have to put through baby mama drama.”

“There wouldn’t have been drama.  She would have been told once how things work in our house and the moment she forgot that, I would have put her back in her place.  You know me.  I don’t play around.”

David smiled softly at his wife.  “I know.  But, that never happened.  My only children live in the US, save one and she lives right here in the city.”

“We’re ready Gramma and Grampa”, Levi said from the living room.

They chuckled softly.  “Alright.  Let’s go.  We’ve got to go pick up your Daddy.”  They pushed away from the table and stood.  David grabbed his wallet and keys as Brie grabbed her purse.  “Alright, let’s go.  But should we take the Chevy or the Mustang?”

“Mustang!” the kids shouted excitedly.

“Alright.  The Mustang it is!  Everybody out to the car.”

Chapter 34

“It’s too quiet out here”, Carter said.  “I don’t like it.”

“Me neither”, Will said.  “Dad always taught us to trust our gut.  Mine is saying that something is coming and we’re not going to like it.”

“I know we’re supposed to be doing a perimeter sweep, but I just have to know.  What was it like growing up with Morbus as your Dad?”

“He’s just like any other father.  And we got to spend a lot of time with the younger Draiman kids.  I’m actually only ten months younger than Jessi and Marc.”

“Who’s Jessi?  Is she here?”

“No.  She’s the baby of the family.  The last of the ten Draiman kids.  My mother was the surrogate that carried them.”

“Why did the Draiman’s need a surrogate?”

“You haven’t met David and Brie have you?”

“No.  I haven’t had the honor.”

“David will tell you it’s not much of one and Brie will just smile brightly at you.  Anyway, you’ve been to the main house by now and you’ve seen the family photos that are scattered throughout, right?”

“Yeah.  I take it that of the short woman and bald man are David and Brie.”

“That would be correct.  Now, the story as I understand it is that after Maddie- the one of the girls that looks just like Brie- there was a miscarriage that almost took Brie.  It was bloody and bad.  David left the room to ask Danny something, went back to the room to hear Brie crying in the bathroom and found her in the floor screaming about how bad it hurt.  He leaves to call the Agency headquarters and finds her unconscious in the bathroom, lying on the toilet.  He moved her to find blood all over the place.  The miscarriage was the precursor to Brie going into early menopause.”

“So the infamous quads I keep hearing about?”

“Are James M. Draiman, Esquire; Dr. Jeremiah A. Draiman, PhD; Dr. Meagan L. Draiman, PhD; and Oscar and Grammy award winning Choreographer Makayla D. Draiman- Hamilton.”

“So, where are Marc and Jessi?”

“Marc is here as well.  His wife is the daughter of JJ Juarez.”

“The director?”

“Yeah.  And Marc is an award winner as well.  Jessi lives in Israel with her husband and new baby girl.”

“Does she live there to stay close to her parents?”

“No, she lives there because she works for the US Embassy to Israel in Jerusalem.”

“Ah.  Gotcha.  It’s interesting to learn so much about the Draiman family.  Will there be a time where I can meet David and Brie?”

“Who knows, man?  They left before you came here and who knows when they’ll be back.”

“Ah.  That kinda sucks.”

“It happens.”

Travis pulled up on one of the four wheelers.  “Dad and I caught someone on the SE side of the property.  Dad’s calling Jake as we speak and he told me to come get you two.”

“Alright, little brother.  We’re right behind you”, Will said as he started his four wheeler.  He and Carter roared off after Travis to see what was going on and if Carter recognized the person that had been snooping around in the woods.

---------------

He knew it was a long shot that John would still be up, but David had to try.  He needed to see if there was any way to get the kids’ father’s number.  He sat at the kitchen table with his fingers crossed and prayed that John would answer the phone.  “Moyer residence”, the familiar voice of a young man said.

“Seth, it’s Great- Uncle David.  Is your grandfather around?”

“Yeah, Uncle David.”

“Is he still awake?”

“Yup.  Let me get him for you.”  He heard the young man call out for his grandfather and laughed.  “Here he comes.”

“Thank you Seth.”

“Uncle David, when are you going to call me Eddie like I’ve asked.”

“As Aunt Brie would say, on the twelfth of never.  I’ll call you Edward.”

The young man groaned.  “Fine.”  He went quiet for a moment.  “Here’s Grandpa John.”

John was laughing in the background.  “Hey David.  Is my grandson giving you problems?”

“A few, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“True.  You have ten kid and how many grandkids now?”

“Twenty- five.”

“Who just had a baby?”

“Jeremiah and Jona had a little girl.  Her name is Rina and she’s adorable.”

“I bet Skyler a happy guy.”

“Yeah.  Last time I checked.  Haven’t talked to him since we left.”

“Oh yeah, you two were there for the birth, weren’t you?”

“Yep.  And we came home with two extra.”

“Which two?”

“Levi and Jasmine, which is why I’m calling.  Are you still the Intel genius I used to know you to be?”

“Yep.  What do you need?”

“I need a phone number.”

“That’s the easiest thing in the world to find.  Whose number is it?”

“Reece Tyson.  He’s the man who was the sperm donor to both Jordan and Davina.  I need to talk to him about something that’s rather important.”

“The kids?”

“Yeah.  And while you’re at it, will you check to see if he still has his parental rights?”

“Not a problem.  Let me transfer the call to my office and I’ll take care of it all from there.”  The line went dead momentarily before John picked up again.  “Alright, I’m back.  So, Reece Tyson, right?”

“Yeah.  Reece Tyson.  I need his number and to know if he held onto his rights.”

There was the noise of keys clicking as John typed.  “Google reveals that he lives in Denver.”  John rattled off the address and phone number.  “Gimme just a sec to see if I can access their birth certificates to see if he’s named.”  A few more key strokes and John said, “Aha!  He is named on both birth certificates and I also found a petition to the court requesting that he sign them over.  The ruling was in favor of Reece.”

“Davina asked that he sign his rights to Jasmine over?”

“Not just to Jasmine.  To Levi as well.  She wanted to give them to Jordan and for Jordan to allow to give them to her for Levi.  The court ruled that because they were married they both had the rights and having Reece sign them over would be pointless.  And that’s literally the wording from the judge’s ruling.  He said, ‘Mr. Tyson signing over his parental rights to the two minor children named in the petition would be pointless’, and he goes on to list his reasoning.”

“Uhuh, that’s insane.  I can’t believe that.”

“Neither can I and it’s right here in front of my face.  What’s going on that you’re asking for this information?”

“Jordan was kidnapped about two or three months ago and the boys had to do rescue her.  A few weeks ago, the she called and told me that she and Davina had split up.  The kids are telling Brie and I that Davina is neglectful and Jasmine had a dream that Jordan died.  I don’t think Jordan’s going to die, but I need to talk to these kids’ father about what he knows about what goes on anyway.”

“You’re going to see if Reece has any insight into the marital strife between Jordan and Davina?”

“Yep.  I want to know how long this has been going on.”

“If it were Kylie, I’d be all over it too so I don’t blame you.  Well, I’ve got a party to stop.  If you should speak to Logan before I do tell him to call me because his son is about to die.”

“Is he throwing a rager at his rock star grandpa’s house?”

“Yeah, for the football team.  They took nationals and Kristen and I have been up all night.  I’d LOVE to get some sleep right now, but sleeping isn’t going to happen as long as Seth has his team over.”

“I know how that goes.  I remember when James would have his parties.  Thankfully, he’d ask if we could throw it elsewhere and chaperone.”

“So the Draiman house was never wrecked from parties?”

“Not homestead.  Malachai’s house has been from the different parties that Isaiah and Miranda have thrown.”

“Well, Logan needs to come get his son so that he can do these parties.”

“I’ll have Jake let him know.  Go run off the teenagers.  I’ve got another phone call to make.  If I remember what Jordan said Reece works nights.”

“Technically.  He’s at a competition right now.  He’s a pro skateboarder.  The new age Tony Hawk.”

“Nice.  Let me give him a call, then.  I’ll check back with you later.  Thanks again.”

“No problem.  Let me know how it goes?”

“Soon, brother.  I’ve got to make the call first.”

--------------

After he walked into his room in Milwaukee, he collapsed on the bed and kicked off his shoes.  It had been a hell of a day.  He’d had some killer runs that day though.  The free style course was his high point, but he still had yet to do that half pipe.  That was going to be his crowning glory.

As he reached out and grabbed the remote to the TV in his room, his phone started blowing up.  He checked the number and it wasn’t one he recognized.  “Hello?” he said.

“Reece Tyson?” a man’s voice said.  The voice was strong and deep.  It sounded like he’d heard it before but never directed at him.

“Yes.  Whom may I ask is calling?”

“My name is David Draiman.  I’m Jordan Draiman’s father.”

“You mean the former front man for Disturbed, David Draiman?”

“Among one of the many other hats I’ve worn over the last 73 years of my life.”

“Wow.  I’m surprised to hear from you.  I thought that you never wanted to speak to me.”

“Really?  Who told you that?”

“Davina, Jordan’s wife.”

“Is that a fact?  Did she say why?”

“She said that you were never really accepting of Jordan being a lesbian and the thought of her having to be artificially inseminated pissed you off.  She told me that you don’t even treat Jasmine like she’s family.  I thought that was pretty fucked up because you always preached about equality and tolerance.  I take it none of that is true.”

“It couldn’t be further from the truth, Reece.  My wife and I have always been supportive of Jordan’s lifestyle.  When she told us that she was going to adopt the child you and her ex Samantha were going to have together, we were excited for her.  My only complaint was that she was going to call the boy Jo Jo.”

“Yeah, I laughed when she told me that.  So, my daughter is like family to you?”

“Yes, Levi and Jasmine are our grandchildren.  As a matter of fact, they’re here with us.”

“And where exactly is here?”

“Jerusalem.”

“What?  Why are the kids in Jerusalem?”

“It’s a rather long story, one that I would rather tell you in person.”

“Is this an invitation to meet you and your lovely wife in Jerusalem and to see my kids?”

“If you’d like it to be, Reece.”

Reece Tyson sighed.  “This competition isn’t really that important and my agent will be pissed but my kids are far more important.”

“You’re telling me that you’re going to leave the competition you’re in to fly to Israel to meet with me and my wife?”

“Yes.  I want to find out what else Davina has lied to me about as well as see my children.  I haven’t seen them in several months when the court has ordered every other week at when mine and Jordan’s schedules don’t conflict.”

“Why is everything based on Jordan’s schedule?”

“Because first of all, she’s the one I have the most contact with, and second because her schedule is always so hectic with being a recording artist.  Anyway, Davina and I don’t really get along now that Jasmine’s been born.”

“Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Jordan and Davina’s dynamic at home?”

“Go ahead.  I’ll tell you whatever I can now that I know that Davina’s a liar.”

“Well, I’ll save the detailed questions for your arrival here at Ben Gurian and the trip between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.  I will ask you this, though.  When you would see them at home, did they fight and argue a lot?”

“Jordan and Davina?”

“Yeah.”

“Jordan would really try not to, especially if I’m there to see the kids.  Jordan would always tell her that you and her mother didn’t fight in front of the kids, if you two even fought at all.  She’d ask Davina to either wait until the kids and I weren’t present or to take it to their room.  I think Davina delights in trying to get Jordan’s goad.”

“Thank you.  When can we expect you to be here so that I know when to be in Tel Aviv to pick you up?”

“I could get a driver.”

“The address of my home isn’t public knowledge, Reece.  I’d like to keep it that way.”

“Understandable, Mr. Draiman.  What time is it there?”

“You’re in Milwaukee?”

“Yes sir.”

“We’re eight hours ahead of you.  It’s 10am here.”

“It’s about 2am here.  Ok.  I can call you back as soon as I have my ticket booked and I’ll let you know when I’ll arrive.”

“Sounds good to me.  I’m sure you’re tired, though and you want to get some sleep.”

“I can sleep on the plane.  I’m going to grab my computer and get on that as soon as we hang up.  I’m also going to call my agent and tell him to pull me from the competition.  My kids are far more important to me than this skating thing.  It’s not like it’s the fucking X- Games.”

“Call me as soon as you know when you’ll be here.  When the kids get up, I’ll tell them that you’re coming out for a visit.”

“Thank you, Mr. Draiman.  I look forward to finally meeting you.”

“And I you.”

---------------

“I’m never going to tell you where he is, so why don’t you just kill me?” the woman said from inside the shed that Morbus used to store his toys and do his interrogating.

“Why would I want to do that?” Morbus teased.  “You have something I want and I’ll do whatever I have to do to get it.  What you don’t seem to understand my dear is that you’re no good to me dead.”

“But there’s no way you’re going to let me leave here alive.”

“It depends on why you were really snooping around the property and why you assume I’m looking for someone.”

“That’s the only reason David Draiman would call in his old bodyguard, isn’t it?”

“David didn’t call me in.”

“Oh.  Then why are you here?”

“I’m the one that asks the question, dear.  So, why are you here?”

“I was sent by Porter Grissom to look for a traitor named Thomas Carter, but I’m really trying to desert.”

“And what does Mr. Grissom want with Mr. Carter?”

“Why am I telling you all of this?”

“Because I really don’t want to kill such a pretty young woman as yourself and I really don’t want to torture you because I don’t want to mess up such a pretty face.  It’s bad enough I’m a monster.  We don’t need more in the world.  I’m bad enough.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“What don’t you believe?  That I don’t want to hurt you or that I’m as hideous as I say I am?”

“Both.”

Morbus reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing his scarred and mangled face.  “Do you believe me now?” he asked, squatting down to her level.  He grabbed her face and made her look at him.

She screamed and closed her eyes.  “No.  Please don’t hurt me!” she cried.

“I told you that I don’t want to hurt you.”

“Are you going soft in your old age, Morbus?” a voice asked from the door.  It was a man who sounded a lot like David Draiman.  If one didn’t know better, they could have sworn that it was David Draiman.  The body was shadowed intentionally so as not to reveal the man’s true identity.

“Not at all, Mr. Draiman”, Morbus said.  “But, you know how the Master Guns trained me not to hurt a woman unless it was absolutely necessary.”

“Ah yes, the Master Guns.”  She saw brown eyes shift to her.  “Unless you want to get hurt dear, I suggest you tell Morbus everything he wants to know.  If you do that and you prove that you have no intention of bringing harm to my family, you can go free.  If you prove a liar, I may not kill you, Morbus may not kill you, but you won’t live to regret lying to that man.  You have my word on that.  We’ll give you a little time to consider your answer.”  He looked back to the tall hooded bodyguard.  “Morbus?”  The scarred man followed him out of the building and off a little ways up the path so that she couldn’t hear the remainder of the discussion.  “Mr. Draiman?  Nice touch, Morbus.  I loved it.”

“Well, technically, you are my boss until I retire and that won’t be until this whole mess is resolved.”

“Once Jordan follows her fate and kills Porter Grissom.  I hear that the FBI wants his ass for several murders, including the two kids that were in ashes that came home with Miri a few months ago.  The IRS wants him too.  I don’t think there’s an agency amongst the Federal Alphabet soup that doesn’t want a piece of Porter Grissom.”

“Well, once Jordan does what she needs to do, the IRS can seize the bastard’s assets and dissolve York Industries.”

“Yep.  Well Morbus, as much as playing my father was fun, I need to get back inside and play father to my own children.  My wife is going insane by now, I’m sure.”

“Alright.  Thanks a ton, Jake.  I think hearing you shook her enough to make her want to talk.”

“Let’s hope it did and that she tells the truth.  I’m sure that Maddie wouldn’t mind ending her if need be.”

“Maddie’s a scary little thing.  As scary as your mother at her worst.”

“My mom’s scary?”

“Oh, you have no idea.  I’ll have to tell you the stories sometime.  You might die laughing, but it might make you think differently about your Mom.  Just a warning.”

“I look forward to hearing those stories sometime.  I will certainly have to hold you to that.”