Chapter 28

“Can I go to the hockey game Saturday night?” Mia, Asher, Frank, and Axel were having dinner together. Mia had made a roast and potatoes and it must have been good because Axel was stabbing the last piece onto his fork as he talked.

“With who?”

“Whom,” Frank corrected.

Mia rolled her eyes and smiled at her father. “With whom?” she modified.

“Mike and Craig.”

“Who’s driving?”

“Mike.”

“How long has he had his license?”

“Jeez Mom! Dad, a little help here?”

Asher grinned. “I’m on her side dude, how long has Mike been driving?”

Axel shook his head but smiled as he said, “He started driving his dad’s pick-up on the ranch when he was eleven.”

“Axel…”

“I’m kidding, Mom. He got his license when he was sixteen. He’ll be eighteen in two months. He’s never had a ticket. He doesn’t drink or do drugs. It’s just a hockey game.”

Mia smiled. “You should have just said that in the first place.”

Axel shook his head. “Next thing she’ll want me to wear a helmet so I don’t get hit with a puck.”

Asher and Mia looked at each other and Asher started laughing. “Don’t you dare,” Mia said to him, threatening him with a breadstick.

“What?” Axel said.

“Never mind,” Mia said.

Asher was still laughing. “Come on, tell us now,” Frank said.

“Yep, Grandpa’s right.”

Asher looked at Mia and said, “Sorry baby. So Mia and I went to a hockey game one night when she was about sixteen. Travis and Dean were there too and the game was kind of slow so we were all just talking and hanging out. All of a sudden people started yelling and cheering. We turned towards the ice and a hockey puck came right at us. I yelled at Mia to duck and she did…” Asher was laughing so hard he could hardly talk.

“Did it hit you, Mom?” Axel asked, wondering why that would be funny no doubt.

“No.” she narrowed her eyes and looked at Asher again. He was still laughing. He tried to finish telling the story but every time he started talking, he would start laughing and he couldn’t get the words out. Axel and Frank were laughing too because he was laughing so hard. Finally, tormented enough, Mia said, “I was holding the nachos in my lap.”

Axel, still laughing said, “Oh my God, you didn’t?”

“I did. I gave myself a cheese facial.” She was laughing now too and Asher reached over and grabbed her around the waist. She tried to act mad at him, but it wasn’t working.

When he could finally talk again he said, “The puck hit the guy two rows back, so we were distracted by that for a minute. When we turned back around,” he started laughing again. “Mia was sitting there with cheese all over her face and a jalapeno stuck to her cheek.”

Mia let them all laugh and poke silly fun at her for a while and then she said, “Let’s change the subject. Has Andrew called you back?”

Still chuckling Asher said, “Not yet.”

“Who’s Andrew?” Frank asked.

“He’s a friend of mine from my army days. Andrew Fletcher. He was my second-in-command on the last mission I went on in Afghanistan. I called him to enlist his help with this Proctor stuff.”

“To break some kneecaps?” Axel asked with a grin. Asher smiled back at his son, Mia shook her head.

“Not yet, son. We’re going to see how much information we can come up with about them and hopefully let them hang themselves. Andrew is putting together a team to turn over every rock out there and find any evidence we can use against them. They’re going to work on finding out exactly where the money comes from and just why the hell they have so much power.”

“Is he still active?” Frank asked.

“No, he’s retired and so is the team he’ll be putting together. In Special Ops you tend to make a lot of friends in a lot of places. Between six of us, we’ll have hundreds of connections, to just about anything.”

“Cool. I think I want to join the army,” Axel said. Mia nearly got a case of whiplash from turning her head so quickly. When her huge eyes met her son’s he laughed. “Just kidding, Mom.” Axel did feel the brunt of her breadstick.

Mia got up and started clearing the table. Asher was helping her when his phone rang. He looked at it and told her, “It’s Andrew.” She nodded and he stepped out through the back door and put the phone to his ear. Axel and Frank got up to help her with the cleanup and by the time Asher came back inside the work was done.

“So, what did he say? Can he help?” Mia asked him.

“Good news,” he said, “We might not have to do much after all. Andrew found out that the FBI has them under surveillance already. They’ve been watching them for five years.”

“Five years?” Frank pulled his brows together, “What the hell is taking them so long to bring them down then?”

“According to Andrew it’s happening soon, but he doesn’t have an exact date. Apparently they’re really thorough. They’ve been gathering proof that Randall has been misappropriating funds from grants the school has received, as well as lining up witnesses that will testify about money laundering, bribes, and the drug part of the business. They have a roomful of evidence against these guys; all four of them.”

“You mean it’s finally almost over?” Frank asked.

“That’s what it sounds like,” Asher said with a grin. Frank still looked anxious. “What’s wrong, Frank?”

“I’m just so used to worrying, I think. I guess I’m just anxious about the damage they can cause in the meantime.”

“It’s been so long in coming that it’s no wonder you’re still anxious about it, Dad. At least we know it’s coming now, and Andrew said soon, right?”

Asher smiled again. “Yes, he said very soon.” He saw Frank visibly exhale.

“I wish I could be there when they slap the cuffs on James,” Axel said. “I can’t stand that guy.”

“We’d all like that, baby,” Mia told him. “Hey! I made a banana cream pie. Let’s have a piece and celebrate.”

The men were all on board with that. They moved into the living room and Axel turned on the baseball game. A few minutes later Mia returned with pie for everyone and a carafe of coffee. Axel got up and went into the kitchen for a soda. Mia poured her and Asher’s cup of coffee and she had just begun pouring one for Frank when she suddenly said, “Damn! I forgot I was supposed to go lock up the main safe after they closed tonight. I’ll have to run down there. You guys can start the movie without me.”

“I’ll go do it,” Asher said.

“Are you sure, babe? I don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind either. You made dinner and pie and you cleaned up. Relax and watch the movie. I’ll be right back.”

“Okay, if you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“I don’t mind at all. I’ll go take care of it and be back in ten minutes.” He stood up and then leaned down to plant a kiss on Mia’s lips. “Be right back.” He headed out the door and down the walkway towards where his car was parked. He had almost reached it when Axel called out after him, “Wait up, Dad! I’ll go with you.” Asher liked that Axel chose to go places with him now on his own. He smiled and in a playful manner he said, “Well if you’re coming you better hurry up, I’m already half-way there.” Asher heard the car before he saw it. When he turned back around all he could see were headlights. The car was speeding and headed right towards him. He turned back to warn Axel but then everything happened within a split second. It was too late!