Five hours later, Cal had a meeting set up at a park that Todd had suggested. Ranger had flipped, as I thought he might. Because of that, there was an ERT team undercover in various locations in the park, I was wearing my Kevlar jacket, and we were all connected by earbuds. Julie and Ranger and the children were sitting in a restaurant close by, and Ranger was monitoring the situation as Hal directed it onsite and Tank directed it from the control room. For fun and Julie's own experience, we gave her an earbud as well and set it to receive but not transmit. Todd had suggested a meeting time of an hour after the phone call in hopes that we would not have enough time to muster a police team to take him. And we wouldn't have. But our own team? Yeah, we could do that. We had a muster time of ten minutes, and we were all in place twenty-five minutes after that.

Cal and I arrived at the meeting location at five minutes before the meeting time, and we sat down on the bench to wait. About two minutes later, Todd showed up. I suspected that he had been watching the area, and I surreptitiously looked around to see our staff. They were well hidden and I was glad - but then, I didn't know why I was questioning that. They were considered the best for a reason.

Todd sat beside me. Cal bristled, but I smiled a bit to myself. I guess I looked like the weak link, and I could see Todd's point. I was the weak link - but I didn't have any illusions. If it had been just Cal meeting Todd, there would have been no ERT team there for support. I had ten men plus Cal, Hal, Tank and Ranger to support me. Sometimes I felt like the Rangeman princess. I had mentioned that to Ranger once, and he had laughed and told me that he didn't think 'princess' suited me. He said that, despite being very feminine, I was far too sexy and tough to be a princess. I laughed, but privately I was relieved. If you looked at the fairy tales, princesses were rather pathetic. I would much prefer to be Wonder Woman. Can you blame me? Wonder Woman was the bomb.

When I told Ranger that, he said that I was definitely much more like Wonder Woman than a princess, and I decided that I loved him even more.

So Todd figured that I was the weak link and sat beside me. I was okay with that. It always paid to let a person feel like they had the upper hand. "Hi", I said as I held out my hand. "I'm Stephanie."

"Todd."

Cal introduced himself.

"You said you could prove that my parents didn't steal the money?" said Todd.

Cal looked at me. "Steph, you did the research. Do you want to lead the discussion?"

I smiled. "This is going to be an exchange of information and nothing more than an exchange of information right now", I said. "I know that you are the person who has been trying to force a number of stores into selling to Night Terror. I know that you are being set up to take the fall if you get caught." I paused. "You look surprised." I didn't know what he had been thinking when he had done the extortion, but him being set up seemed pretty obvious to me.

"I never thought that I was being set up. I thought that it would always look like I had done it on behalf of Night Terror."

"No. Right now you are in a pack of trouble. I have my theories as to why it has happened, but I need you to tell me in your own words what is going on so that I can confirm my theories."

Todd sat there for a moment and thought. Cal and I were quiet and let him think.

"Tell me first about my parents."

"Fair enough. When you were in the car accident, the medical expenses were steep and your parents didn't have the money. Your uncle gave them the money to pay for the expenses and then, when you went to college, he gave you the money again to help support you. I suspect he did that on the condition that his gifts weren't made public." I was taking a stab in the dark on that, but it was the only thing that made sense to me.

Todd looked confused. "My uncle said that my parents stole that money."

"Did you ever ask your parents what happened?"

"No. I have been so angry at them ever since it came out that they stole the money that I haven't seen them since. They call me every week, but I just hang up on them."

"From what the evidence is showing me, I suspect what happened is that your uncle was the accountant at the time. Is that true?" He nodded. "I think he stole the money and put it in his own account, then hopped it over to your parents and told them that it had been his money. I think he told them that he would give them the money if they would only step down from the run for the presidency and support him in his bid for the leadership. I don't think they knew that he had stolen the money and made that deal with him. I have been able to trace that money trail and, if you want to as well, you can find it if you look at the bank statements for that period.

"I need help with what happened from there. There was a drug bust on the club and your parents were the only ones in the building at the time. The bust was the result of an anonymous tip. Your parents were charged and they took the fall since they thought they had to pay back their brother and they wanted to support their brother's presidency.

"Put it forward a handful of years, and now you are being set up for extortion. Can you tell me what is happening?"

Todd looked down at his hands for a moment as he thought about what I had said. "You really think my parents didn't do it?"

"That's what the evidence is saying to me. As I said, you are perfectly welcome to do the money trace, but I wouldn't approach Richard about it. I want to take him down, and I don't want him to catch wind that something is going on." I paused. "What happened, Todd?"

He sighed. "I adored my parents. The three of us were really tight. My mom was the kind of person that always made dinner from scratch, who always had a hug for me. It was funny. She would go to work and wear black leather and look like a tough biker chick, and then come home, have a shower and change into sleep pants and a long-sleeved t-shirt and a hoody, and start to cook or clean. My friends always thought she was the biker Mrs. Cleaver. I loved her so much. Same with my dad. He would spend hours listening to me read, hours teaching me how to maintain a bike. He was the kind of person that would encourage you to try anything you were interested in, and to push yourself to be the best that you could be. I was devastated when they were put in jail."

"I understand that. My mom might not look like a biker" - I could hear Ranger snort quietly at that, and Hal try to hold back a laugh - "and my father wouldn't know how to do maintenance on a bike, but they were equally as supportive when I was growing up. I think that's important."

"I do too."

"Tell me about the extortion."

"I wanted to leave the club. Without my parents in it, it wasn't fun any longer. However, my uncle told me that, to leave, I had to earn back the money that my parents stole from the club's coffers. The money was astronomical. He gave me a month to think about it, and the only thing that I could think of to do was to create a better spot to distribute drugs and run girls out of. We are doing a good job and are making lots of money, and it was the only thing that I could come up with that would generate the amount of money that he told me that I had to pay back. So I looked into an appropriate location, got approval from Uncle Richard, and started to approach the different businesses. People aren't cooperating, though, and I don't know what to do. I'm not an arsonist, and I guess that I'm not particularly scary." He sighed.

"He put you in a difficult spot."

Todd sighed again and tears came to his eyes. "It's been a nightmare. Uncle Richard comes to me every few days for an update on the status of the nightclub development. He said the club didn't have enough money to develop the nightclub on its own, and I would have to do it personally and have the club pay me back over time. The problem is that I don't have enough money either and I would have to sell my house and all its contents in a bid to try to raise the money for a down payment and pray that it was enough to secure a loan. That house is one of the few things that my parents were able to leave me and it has a lot of good memories in it. I don't want to give up my house."

"I can understand that. You realize that the hands-off demand by your uncle is again a method of making sure that you take the fall rather than him, don't you?"

"That would be why he told me that I have to keep my efforts a secret?"

"Absolutely." I patted his arm. "I like you, and I think you are in a terrible position. From what I hear, and you can correct me if I am wrong, the situation is that your uncle stole money from the club and put it in his own bank account, then jumped it over to your parents to pay for your expenses. In return, your parents stepped down from the running for the presidency so that your uncle could win the leadership. Your parents were the only people in the club the night the police raided it on a drug bust. The raid happened because of an anonymous tip which may or may not have been done by your uncle. Your parents, in continued appreciation for your uncle, chose to take the fall. Personally, I suspect that your parents were set up, and personally I want to know why your parents were in the club that night in the first place. I also want to know why your parents were set up.

"After your parents were put in jail, your uncle 'found' the proof that they had 'stolen' the money from the coffers and turned everyone in the club - including you - against them. Then, when you wanted to leave the membership, he told you that you had to earn back the money to pay for the amount of money that he stole. How much did he tell you that you had to earn back?"

"Seven hundred thousand."

"That's interesting."

"Why?"

"Your medical bills were only a hundred thousand, and your school fees were three hundred thousand. However, your uncle stole seven hundred thousand from the club's coffers. In total, he made three hundred thousand all together for himself and got the presidency out of the deal as well."

Todd looked at me in shock. "That bastard!"

"You know, I've never met your uncle, but I can say that he isn't my favorite person either. It's not the first time he has 'borrowed' money from the coffers. He did the same thing when he bought his last chopper."

Todd stared at me. "That's disgusting. My dad raised me to be an honorable man. He had wanted to take over the club presidency so that he could guide the club out of the drug distribution and prostitution business. He wanted the club to be clean, something people could be proud of. Our membership is getting older and there was a lot of support for my father's ideas. My uncle thought that doing so would make us laughingstocks. He liked being the big, bad, Night Terror. After my uncle was made president, however, the membership agreed with my dad and, when Uncle Richard wouldn't play, they wanted to oust my uncle. Now they are asking me to become president and take over for my father. I don't want the role, but I've often thought that my uncle resented that."

"And now we have our motive. What do you want Night Terror to be?" I said softly.

Todd sighed. "I don't really want to be a part of an organization that distributes drugs and runs prostitutes. The car accident that I was in as a teenager left me with medical concerns that will last for the rest of my life. My friend had been driving the car. I didn't know it when he got behind the wheel, but he was high at the time and the whole reason we were in the accident was because of drug use. He died. I luckily survived, but it gave both me and my parents a different view of drug distribution. As far as prostitutes, I don't think it is fair to treat women as vessels and slaves, and that's what I think being a hooker is like. It takes a beautiful act and turns it into something that is a business deal, and I don't think that is right. I was proud of what my dad was doing and, although I don't want to be president, if I was I would do the same thing."

I patted him on his arm again. "You're a good man, Todd."

He smiled sadly. "Not good enough to have faith in my parents."

"Your uncle has been making it hard for you, and your parents' failure to admit to what is going on didn't help. Don't beat yourself up. Decide what you are going to do to make it better."

"I want to take my uncle down. Do you think that is something that I could work with the police on?"

I smiled. "I think they would like that immensely. All along, they have felt that something hinky was happening in your parents' case and that your parents were innocent, but they couldn't get your parents to play ball when they asked them questions."

He nodded sadly again. "Three years wasted, years that I could have been enjoying my parents."

"Then it is up to you to get them out of jail, and to put your power-hungry uncle where he belongs."

Todd looked up. "Fuck. A group of Night Terror members are coming."

"Play along", I said quietly.

"We've got your back, Steph", said Hal. "Unless there is an altercation, let the newcomers go, everyone."

I nodded. That is exactly what I wanted as well.

"How much were you offering for the sale of my shop?" I said as the newcomers got closer. I didn't know if they could hear or not, but it would give Todd a minute to switch gears.

He paused for a second and stared at me, then smiled. "Fifty thousand. Your shop isn't doing very well, and I don't want to sell women's clothes. I don't want to pay for your leftover product."

I sighed. "It's hard, you know? It was my mama's shop and I really wanted to see it continue as a dress shop. However, you are right in that we don't have enough customers to justify keeping the shop open. I have been working off my line of credit just to pay the bills. The problem is that your offer will not be high enough to clear my line of credit."

"That isn't my problem, lady."

I turned to Cal. "What do you think, honey? Should we sell?"

"I don't know, sweetie", said Cal. "It's a lot to think about. I know that your mother left it to you in her will, and you might not want to let go of that piece of her yet. And if you don't, that's okay. I think you should sleep on it."

"Okay", said Todd. "But remember, the longer you wait, the less I will pay for your business."

I sighed. "I'll have an answer to you by tomorrow."

The group of Night Terror members came up and looked at Todd. "Who is your friend?" said one of them. I recognized him as Uncle Richard.

"This is someone that I have been negotiating the sale of her store with", said Todd. He turned to me. "These are some of my associates."

"I thought you were negotiating the sale of her body", said Richard with a leer.

"Stay calm", said Ranger. He knew how upsetting that kind of comment was to me. After being raped the week before the twins were born, I had become sensitive to the idea of anyone sexually assaulting me. I wouldn't want to have sex with anyone other than Ranger. I trusted him, and I knew that he would rather die than hurt me. With him it was a beautiful act. The idea of doing it with anyone else was terrifying. "You're covered, babe. There are twelve people on site to protect you. Nothing is going to happen to you."

"Hooyah", said Hal.

Ranger groaned.

I stood up and slapped Richard across the face. Immediately, the other Night Terror members stepped forward, and Richard put his hand up to stop them. "Who the hell do you think I am? I am not a 'ho, and I deserve more respect than that." I turned to Todd. "If this is the kind of person you hang out with, I do not want to sell my mama's shop to you. I had thought you were an upright person, but you can tell a lot about a person from their friends."

"Get out of there, babe", said Ranger. I could tell from the tension in his voice that he thought things were going ass over teacup.

I turned to Cal. "Let's go, honey." I turned to Todd. "This deal is over. I will not abuse my mama's name by selling her shop to you, to someone who has friends who think of me as a 'ho." I turned to Richard. He was blocking my path. "Move, asshole." I put my hands up on his chest and pushed him out of the way.

"Steady, men", said Hal.

"I don't think you understand, bitch", said Richard. "My nephew has asked you to sell your shop to him, and that means you should sell your shop to him. I don't care if it was your mama's, your papa's or the queen's herself. That shop should be sold to my nephew and, if it isn't, my nephew has said that he would burn it down. He needs it badly."

"Too bad. I only sell to good, devout people. Anyone that treats me like a 'ho and calls me swear names is not a good person. I was seriously considering it when I was working with Fat Tony, but now that I know that he is related to someone like you? This deal is done. Now get out of my way." I turned to Cal. "It's time to go, honey."

"You are a good-looking woman", said Richard. "I could be a much more manly boyfriend than your man here. Look at him. He's quivering in his boots because he is surrounded by some of my friends."

I tried not to laugh. Cal would never back away from a fight. He was Special Forces, through and through. He was just very good at acting as well. "Ha. My husband is a good man who doesn't call me 'bitch'."

"But does he satisfy you?" He grabbed his balls and lifted them.

"Attractive", I said. I tried to deke around him.

Cal pulled out his phone. "Do you want me to call for help, sweetie?"

"If this asshole doesn't get out of my way, then yes, please. Call in the police, the Marines, the National Guard, the Emergency Response Team and the President himself. No one should accost a woman. This is harassment."

"Ooh, I'm shaking in my boots", said Richard. He stepped in front of me again, and he grabbed my arms.

"NOW!" I said. "Let go of me, asshole." I stomped on the man's foot with my heel, brought my hands up between his arms in a praying motion and snapped my arms apart as hard as I could. Richard didn't expect it and let me go. I brought my knee up in my signature move and, as he bent over in reaction, I slammed my knee up again, this time into his face. Out of my peripheral I could see the ERT pour out of their hiding spots, and within minutes each of the Night Terror members were arrested.

Cal arrested Todd personally, and through my earbud I could hear him say quietly, "play along. Don't worry." As he snapped on the cuffs, Todd struggled hard.

As I looked around at the struggling gang members and the satisfied ERT members, I shook my head. "My mama will definitely not like me selling to assholes like you."

"A lady wouldn't say the word 'asshole'", said Richard. "You, bitch, are no lady."

I smiled. "My mama always taught me to call it as I see it. If you walk like an asshole, talk like an asshole, and act like an asshole, you are an asshole."