I picked up Cassidy and Brook, and we drove to the dojo to work out. Coach Hope shared some of his knowledge with us. It was interesting to see how he would present the same idea Cassidy did, and yet I would take away a different lesson. It wasn’t that Cassidy was wrong, it was just a different take on how to do something. What I found was it opened up options to attacks that I hadn’t contemplated. While Cassidy’s approach was quickness and redirecting your opponent’s attacks, Fritz’s had been about using your strength and leverage. Coach Hope seemed to blend the two. There were times to pound your opponent, and then there were times for finesse. The key was to learn when to do each.
Coach Hope took Cassidy and Brook home, and I followed Fritz to Rita’s house.
“I’m home!” I called out as I came through the front door.
“We’re in the kitchen,” Halle called.
Stepping into the kitchen, I gave them each a hug and a kiss on the cheek.
“I’m surprised to see you here,” I said to Rita.
“I go back in two days. We needed a little break before we start postproduction.”
“Did Trip stay in LA?”
“Yeah. He had some auditions.”
We spent dinnertime catching up. When we were done, Fritz took me to his rooms.
“I need some advice,” I began, and then told him what I suspected.
Fritz had several questions, and I gave him all the information Megan had come up with. It was quite a lot more than I’d expected she would have.
“What do you want to do about it?” Fritz asked.
“I would love to beat the shit out of him, but I have a bad feeling that would come back to bite me in the ass.”
“No, I’d advise against that. It sounds like what happened to your friend is only a part of what he did. Are you looking for justice or retribution?” Fritz asked.
“I’m not sure if I could get justice. Too much time has passed.”
“He could confess.”
“Would you?” I asked.
“Good point,” Fritz said, and then gave me a hard look. “How far are you willing to take this?”
“I don’t want to go to jail, but I don’t want him getting off scot-free, either.”
“Are you willing to pay some money to make it happen?” he asked.
“Yeah, I could do that.”
“In a past life, I used to work for the
“Know people?”
“People who can get things done. The only problem would be that most of what they do would probably not be admissible in your courts,” he warned.
“I wouldn’t be paying for someone to kill him, would I?”
“God, no. I don’t think you’d want that, anyway. I also don’t expect you want this to come back on you or anyone you know.”
“Could they do that?” I asked.
“They may not even want to get involved, but let me make some calls.”
I must have looked a little sick.
“Don’t worry, it’s not like you ordered a drone strike. What your friend got is a good start. Let me see if they’re willing to get to the bottom of it.”
“I’m trusting you,” I said.
“David, men like Brandon make me sick. Let me see if my friends will help and what it’ll cost. If they can’t help, we’ll find someone who can.”
I had visions of a bunch of men and women with FBI jackets showing up at my house. If it hadn’t been for Tami, I might have backed off.
“Okay, go for it.”
◊◊◊
I went up to Halle’s room, where she was at her desk, studying. I made myself at home, stretched out on her bed, and gave her my best sexy look.
“My mom might catch us,” she warned.
“She’s on a call with Jessup. Fritz said those usually last a couple of hours.”
“You had Fritz spy on us?” she asked.
“Spy is such a strong word.”
“Did you have him turn off the security cameras for my room?”
I waggled my eyebrows.
“Why are you so sexy?” Halle complained. “You talk me into the worst things.”
I stood up and started to get undressed. When I was naked, Halle took me in. She had to be horny; we hadn’t had sex in over a week.
“I’ll never get my homework done,” she huffed and then stood and took off her clothes.
“Damn, you’re sexy. C’mere. Let’s play a little game.”
“What game is that?” Halle asked.
“How many orgasms can I give you?”
“I like it when we play games.”
◊◊◊
“Halle, Bandit’s in the hall … Oh, my,” Rita said.
Bandit bounded into the room, obviously upset—the little tattletale.
“I’m not sure what I’m supposed to do in a situation like this,” Rita said.
“You might close the door,” I suggested.
She did, but she stepped into the room.
“Mom!” Halle complained.
“Oh, right,” Rita said, then walked out and closed the door again.
“You think she suspects something?” I asked.
“Gee, David, do you think I might be homeschooled after this?”
