Hey, I managed to squeeze out another one today...

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Chapter Ten

The next few days had gone by quietly. Mark had assigned a man to Joe Winters while he handled Frank, whose movements had grown stale again. Simply frequenting the bar and the strip club. Otherwise staying in and ordering fast food or having some buddies over. Mark documented the plates of each visitor to have them checked out. His other man informed him of Joe's movements. He'd been making frequent trips to Newport and had clearly been following the Cohens plus one. When the Cohen clan split up, he split his time between them. Sometimes sticking with Ryan and his bodyguard and sometimes with the Cohen, or Cohens, in question. Mark had informed Sandy of this and Sandy made sure everyone knew to stick to the procedure and that no one was to go out alone, or without a bodyguard.

Having a bodyguard dog your every move took some getting used to. Especially for someone who liked their privacy, like Ryan. However, after a while he'd forget the guy was there. Except when he was out and had to use a public restroom. The guy would stop Ryan, step in front of him and then lead him inside. Then he'd check all of the stalls and then he'd guard the door. That was weird, and very embarrassing when someone else was in the restroom at the same time. Most would scurry out, though. Seth had not let him down on the "The Bodyguard" jokes. He was relentless and Ryan was this close to punching him in the mouth. It didn't matter that Seth, too, had a bodyguard when he went out. That's ok. Ryan had ways of getting even.

Now, here they were on the day of the luncheon and Sandy, Kirsten and Caleb were preparing to head out. They were awaiting their bodyguard. Seth had already left with Summer and Julie, with his bodyguard in tow, because they had to be there early to prepare for the fashion show. As satisfying as it would have been to see Seth do his little turn on the catwalk, Ryan was really looking forward to a nice quiet afternoon alone. Well, as alone as he could get these days. The truth is, as weird as it was having a bodyguard, he did find it easier to relax now that he had one. He'd let go of some of the anxiety, knowing that he didn't have to be ever vigilant and knowing that Kirsten and Seth were also protected was a huge weight off of his shoulders. So, things were catching up to him a bit and he just wanted to be able to enjoy the peace and quiet. Besides, Sandy promised to video tape Seth's foray into modeling with his phone.

Sandy called Mark to make sure they had Frank and this Joe character accounted for and then turned to Ryan's bodyguard and gave him last minute instructions. Letting him know where they would be and how long they'd be gone. The other bodyguard arrived shortly thereafter and Sandy stepped up to Ryan and placed his hand on his shoulder. Giving it a squeeze, he asked, "you gonna be ok here by yourself?".

"I'm not by myself", he says with a jerk of his head in Alan, his bodyguard's direction. Right on cue, Whitney Houston's voice started emanating from Ryan's cell phone...and I will alwaaaays looove you-ooo-oooo. The bodyguards chuckled as Ryan groans and let his head fall forward onto Sandy's chest. Sandy's heart skipped a beat at the innocent gesture. Ryan had never done anything like that before. It was such an uninhibited thing for him to do. Sandy swallowed hard, moved his other hand to the back of Ryan's neck and pulled him a little closer. "He just doesn't know when to quit, does he?", he says of Seth. He closes his eyes and thinks how fortunate he is in that moment that he doesn't.

Ryan allows the sort of hug for a moment before sheepishly pulling away. "Yeah, well. He'll get his", he says with a wink.

Sandy's eyebrows raise, "You've got something planned already?".

Ryan smiles wide, "Already executed. Just need to wait for the payoff."

Sandy laughs, gives him one more squeeze on the shoulder and they take their leave.

In Santa Ana, Frank Atwood was preparing to take his leave. His patience had run out. The Cohens were about to see just what he could do. Now, all he and Joe had to do was lose the tail. Make that "tails". Joe had informed him that during one of his recons to Newport, he'd caught sight of a car and driver that he could have sworn he'd just seen in Santa Ana. It could have been a coincidence but he didn't believe in coincidences. And neither did Frank. Between that and the bodyguard being added to the kid, never leaving him alone for a second, he'd had enough of this shit. There was a new guy tailing him. He was better than the last guy. Much harder to spot but eventually he did. He was going to be hard to lose. He'd come up with a plan, though. One that should make it possible to lose both tails. He'd already shared it with Joe and they'd laid the groundwork. All they had to do now was put it in motion.

Hopping in his car, Frank drove over to Joe's motel. He went inside for a moment. Mark had followed him over and, seeing him pull into the motel parking lot, he parked in a lot a block down the street. Noticing the man he'd had trailing Joe, a guy named Tom, parked nearer the motel, on the street. He was a little concerned that Frank wasn't trying to hide his interaction with Joe this time. He'd never seen them meet out in the open like this. There was a chance that he noticed that Caleb's man was gone and figured the tail had been pulled off of him but Mark somehow didn't think that was the case. Eventually both men came out. They got into Frank's car and headed out. As Mark drove by Tom, he gave him a nod indicating that he'd take it from here. He followed behind at a distance. They drove to a small gas station/convenient store and pulled up to the gas pump. Having to hang back some distance to keep from being spotted, Mark pulled into a lot a little ways down the street, making sure he had full view of the station's front and rear entrances. Frank pumped the gas while Joe went inside, to pay presumably. Eventually, Frank finished and Joe had yet to come out. Frank went inside as well. Mark kept a close eye on the rear of the store. He began to get a little nervous when they didn't exit from either door. Just as he was about to pull out and take a closer look, they both came out the front door. Frank looking down scratching a lottery ticket and Joe opening a pack of cigarettes. They hopped back into the car and pulled out. Mark follows them as they get onto the freeway. He calls Sandy to tell him that they're on the move but tells him they're heading north, away from Newport, so there shouldn't be anything to worry about at the moment and that he'd keep him posted.

The only problem was that Mark wasn't following Frank and Joe anymore. Frank had spent the past two days in the bar or the strip club, scoping out someone he felt could pass for him at a distance. When he found a suitable person he offered him $500 to meet him at the gas station, wearing a matching dark t-shirt and blue jeans. He informed Joe to do the same, and find someone who could pass for him. He'd given Joe $500 to flash to whomever he found as incentive as well. They'd told the two men that the P.I. was hired by Frank's wife in an effort to catch him cheating on her. They were more than happy to lead the guy on a wild goose chase. Once they arrived at the convenient store and had gone inside, Joe gave his red flannel outer shirt to the guy he found, as well as his ball cap. He figured that would help to hide his face as he exited the store. Frank, too, had given his guy his blue outer shirt and had him buy the lottery ticket so he'd have an excuse to be looking down to obscure his face. The gas station/store was small, as was the parking lot. So it would have been hard to go unnoticed if you pulled into the lot. So he'd hoped that the tail wouldn't risk it and would hang back far enough for this to work. He smiled as he saw the car pulling out and following his. He and Joe then slipped out and hot wired one of the cars belonging to the fools they had leading Mark away. They headed in the opposite direction. Straight for Newport.

Seth was trying to psyche himself up for the runway when Right Said Fred could be heard emanating from his phone. His mouth fell open. Ryan was so dead. He answered, "Dude, that is...that is...I...oh, man. You are so dead. You just wait. I'll get you my pretty, and your little dog, too. You'll see..."

"Cohen! What is wrong with you? Get off the phone. We're up next", Summer said as she smacked him in the arm and shoved him towards the stage.

Sandy, Kirsten and Caleb were seated at their table. "There he is. He looks so handsome", Kirsten said with a smile as Seth and Summer walked down the runway. "Thank god Summer's with him. He looks like he's ready to walk right off the catwalk and out the door", she chuckles. Not getting a reply from Sandy, she turns to him and asks, "Sandy? Did you hear me? Is everything all right?".

"What? Oh, yeah. Sorry honey. No. Everything is fine", he reassures and turns his attention to the runway.

Caleb leans over and whispers, "Sanford?".

Sandy leans towards him and tells him what Mark told him in the phone call he had moments earlier. Caleb tells him that Mark probably has things under control and that he's sure every thing will be all right. Sandy nods. "I'm sure you're right. He did say they were heading away from Newport but, regardless, I want to leave here as soon as Seth is done.", he states. Caleb nods back and they turn their attention back to the stage.

Ryan's in the kitchen fixing himself his own lunch. He offers Alan something but the guy says nothing. They never say anything except when they're receiving orders. He guessed it was to keep them focused on the job and maybe they felt it was easier for the people they were guarding to forget they're there. He had to admit. It worked. Most of the time he forgot the guy was there. He shrugged and went about making his sandwich, getting a drink and then going into the family room to watch some tv. Enjoying the fact that he didn't have to fight with Seth about what to watch. He chuckled, thinking about the ring tone he put on his phone. Wait until he hears the one he managed to put on Summer's. Maybe he'd call it now.

Seth and Summer had just finished their last walk down the runway, in matching tennis outfits. He had to admit, Summer looked extra cute but he was still going to have to get his hands on his dad's phone long enough to erase any and all video that may have been taken. Just as they're walking up to a smiling Sandy and Kirsten, followed by Caleb, who were approaching them back stage, Summer's cell phone rings. No. No way, Seth thinks. He did not...I...that's vicious. That's just downright cruel.

"What the shit is this? Cohen? Did you do this?", Summer demands to know.

"Hey, I remember that song. I used to sing that to you, honey", Sandy exclaims. "Some people call me the space cowboy...", he says with a waggle of his eyebrows. "Some call me the gangster of looooove".

Seth clamps a hand over his dad's mouth. "Stop. Please. For the love of me. Stop. And don't ever sing that song again."

"Atwood? What the hell are you calling me for instead of Seth?", Summer asks. She listens for a moment and then smiles, "Noooo.", she begins to laugh. "That is twisted. I didn't think ya had it in ya...Good to know", she manages to say before Seth wrests the phone from her hands.

"You suck, dude. You suck so hard. Paybacks are a bitch you know...yeah, well, I'll pay you back handsomely for this payback of yours and my payback is going to put your payback to shame. You just wait", he harrumphs into the phone. "You play dirty, dude".

"Don't mess with an Atwood", Ryan says with a smile as he hangs up.

Seth stands there staring at the phone, shaking his head. Oblivious to Kirsten's reprimands about his language. Caleb grins at the antics. Admiring the easy family dynamic. A family that includes Ryan.

The doorbell rings at the Cohen house. Alan is instantly alert. He asks Ryan if he's expecting anyone. Ryan says no. Alan keeps the door closed and asks who it is. The voice says they have a delivery for a Kirsten Cohen. Alan asks Ryan, who has now walked into the foyer, if Kirsten is expecting anything. Ryan says he isn't aware of anything unless she ordered something else for his room. She kept doing that ever since he moved into the house. Alan, not wanting to take any chances, pulls his weapon and holds it at his side as he motions for Ryan to step further back. Alan unlocks the door and opens it...to the barrel of a gun in the hand of Frank Atwood. Before he can react at all, Frank pulls the trigger at point blank range.

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muwahahahaha. Yep, Frank is done playing games. I decided it was time for a little Ryan whumping. Along with some Cohen fretting.

So, yeah, rosebud, a pissed off Frank is not a good thing;) And, Krabby Patty, sorry to burst your "the good guys are always a step ahead" bubble. I felt it was time Frank got the upper hand for real. Again I say, muwahahahahaha.

Oh, and, as for the way I got around the tail(s). Yeah, probably not too plausible but I had to find some way for Frank and Joe to elude Mark. I think I'd made Mark a little too sharp, so it may be pretty implausible for him to call off his other guy in order for him to fall for this trick (or that he'd fall for it at all), but, again, I had to get Frank and Joe away from all those eyes and this was all I could come up with. Hope it doesn't detract from the story too much.