Chapter Eight: Night on the Town
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"Ed ordered you to take me out to an early dinner?" a skeptical Nessa Holt asked, sitting down on one side of the booth. The black, English woman's dark eyes surveyed her companion carefully as she flipped a strand of her straight, shoulder-length hair over her shoulder.
"Well, no." a nervous Mike stammered, putting a hand to the back of his neck. The usually jovial man's mind raced as to how to explain that he thought a dinner out would be a good way to act on his feelings for his female companion. "Ed actually wanted me to come here because the Professor's been spotted here."
"What?" Nessa exclaimed as her eyes began darting around the restaurant. "Where is he?"
"Right there." Mike replied quietly as he pointed through a hole in the shrubbery near their booth. As Nessa peeked through, she could see the older, curly-haired man sitting at a table. A short wall and the aforementioned shrubbery blocked his vision of the booth.
"What's he looking for?" Nessa asked, noticing that the man had begun looking around.
"Mr. D. seems to think that the Montecito Mole will be joining him for dinner." Mike reported as Nessa turned back towards him. He picked up his cell-phone, which had been lying on the table, briefly. "He wants us to call him when the Professor's guest arrives."
Nodding, Nessa turned suddenly as she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A woman with brown and blonde hair had walked up to the Professor's table with a smile. Not taking her eyes off of the woman, Nessa gestured to Mike, who turned his attention towards the hole.
"What is she doing here?" a stunned Mike asked.
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"Hi." Leah greeted cordially as she sat down in one of the empty seats across from the Professor, who nodded back at her. "We made it on time."
"I had no doubts that you would, Higgins." the Professor smiled back. "And our guest?"
"He's out parking his car." Leah replied, nodding towards the entrance. "He'll be joining us shortly." She paused as she knew the next question she would most likely be asked. "We drove around for a bit in case anyone from the Montecito followed us."
"Good." the Professor nodded in approval.
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"You know that woman?" Nessa asked, not taking her eyes off the pair.
"Yeah." Mike nodded, also still watching. "That's the chick Danny's been seeing lately. The one I told you about." He shook his head. "It makes no sense though that she's his dinner date. She knows next to nothing about the Montecito."
"That because she's not the Montecito Mole." a stunned Nessa suddenly replied as her gaze turned towards the entrance. Her reaction was enough to pique Mike's curiosity, and he looked over just in time to see Danny walking towards the table.
"No…no way." Mike quietly stammered, watching the scene play out in front of him.
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"Hope I didn't take too long." an apologetic Danny said as he sat down at the table. Parking his car hadn't taken long, but the tall, brown-haired man had gotten distracted upon seeing a silver Cadillac Escalade in the parking lot. Mike drove one as well, and Danny wondered if his best guy friend was ironically here on the same night. However, an older, white gentleman had come out and gotten into the vehicle, so Danny's fears had been eased.
"Not at all." the Professor assured, shaking his head. "It is good to see you again, my young friend." A smile appeared on his face and a curious twinkle appeared in his eyes. "So, Leah told me that you have your answer."
"I've thought about it." Danny replied, looking straight into the older man's eyes and offered his hand across the table. "And I've come to the conclusion that joining you is what I have to do."
"Welcome aboard." the Professor replied, shaking Danny's hand.
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"Tell me that I just did not see that." a stunned Mike commented, leaning back against his seat again. The bald, African American man shook his head as he stared at the table in front of him. "Tell me that Danny really isn't the Montecito Mole."
"We both saw it, Mike." Nessa replied as she clearly tried to suppress her anger. "Whether we want to believe it or not, we both saw it." She paused for a brief moment. "The only thing to do now is to call Ed."
"The hell it is!" Mike replied, breaking out of his trance. "Do you realize what Ed's going to do to Danny when he finds out?" The African American man shook his head. "There won't be anything left of him!"
"It's what he deserves, Mike!" Nessa pointed out, gesturing to the hole and Danny outside it. "Now's not exactly the time to be a loyal friend. Make the call!"
Swallowing, Mike nodded and picked up his phone. He could feel a lump form in his throat as he waited patiently for Ed to pick up the other line.
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Noticing Mike's number on his caller ID, Ed immediately grabbed the phone in his office. His heart raced with anticipation as well as dread. The grim, older man realized that part of him was foolishly hoping that someone wasn't really turning against the Montecito, especially someone who was close to him as the Montecito Mole was bound to be. He slowly scooped up the phone.
"Mike." Ed greeted cordially.
"Uh, I just thought you should know that he did meet with the Montecito Mole." a nervous Mike stated as Nessa wrapped her hands around his free one for support.
"Thought so." a solemn Ed nodded, "Who is it?"
Silence.
"Mike?" Ed asked, realizing that this wasn't a good sign.
"It's Danny, Ed." a quiet Mike replied, "Danny McCoy."
"Danny?" a surprised Ed said, immediately sitting in the chair behind him. "Are you sure, Mike?"
"I'm sending you visual." Mike replied as he snapped a picture of the table with his cell-phone camera. It wasn't long before it appeared on the computer monitor in front of Ed. "What are we going to do, Mr. D.?"
"You and Nessa just enjoy your dinner." Ed calmly instructed, not taking his eyes off of the monitor in front of him. "Don't let the kid see you. I don't want him knowing that we're on to him yet."
"Got it, Mr. D." Mike replied as Ed hung up the phone.
Setting the phone back down on the receiver, Ed remained staring silently at the monitor in front of him. How in the hell had this happened? Suddenly standing up, Ed ran a hand through his gray hair and turned away from the monitor. However, the older man's cold, blue eyes found their way back there in a few seconds. They analyzed the happy expressions on both of the Professor and Danny's faces. It was as if they were both in on some private joke. With a growl of rage, Ed threw the monitor off of the desk and to the floor in one swift motion. As it shattered, the seething Deline put his hands on the desk to steady himself and hung his head.
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"You won't regret your decision, Danny." the Professor promised a little bit later over dinner. One of the older man's hands suddenly strayed into his jacket.
"I don't." Danny assured, shaking his head.
"Good." the Professor replied, pulling a photograph out of his jacket.
Taking the photo, Danny looked at it, as did Leah, who was sitting next to him. The tall, brown-haired man immediately recognized the dark blonde woman pictured in it, and he looked back up at the smiling older man in front of him.
"Miss Connell is the other thing that you should already have, my friend." the Professor remarked, resting his elbow on the table. "However, her love is something that you're going to have to earn on your own." He shrugged slightly. "However, in return for you joining my organization, I will personally ensure that she will not be harmed when we make our move on the Montecito."
"Thank you." a grateful Danny nodded, handing the picture back to the older man. His cell-phone suddenly rang out, and the tall, brown-haired man's hand reached immediately into his pocket. He smiled apologetically at the two people near him as he answered it. "Hello?"
"Danny?" the voice on the other line greeted. "It's Mitch." There was a brief pause. "Listen, there's some papers here that need to be signed and faxed over to corporate headquarters, and I can't get a hold of Mr. D." The wheelchair-bound man sighed. "I know that you're on a date and everything, but they need to go out tonight and your signature would be just as good as Ed's."
"I'll be right there." Danny agreed, hanging up. He ran a hand through his hair as he stood up. "Sorry about this, but I'm needed at the Montecito."
"That's quite all right." the Professor assured, putting his hand up. The curly-haired man got to his own feet. "I would like to see you tomorrow, so that we may begin planning."
"Yeah." Danny nodded before turning to Leah, who was also standing. He took her hand in his. "I'm sorry that I wasn't much of a date." A grin appeared on his face. "I can assume that I'll get another visit or phone call tomorrow?"
"Count on it." Leah said as Danny headed for the door. A worried look appeared on her face as she watched him leave. As they sat down again, she turned worriedly towards the Professor. "Something didn't seem right about that."
The Professor was about to respond when Nessa, who had appeared out of nowhere, sat down in Danny's recently vacated seat. Her angry, dark eyes focused squarely on the curly-haired man in front of her.
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"Danny's on his way." Mitch sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Good." Ed nodded from behind the wheelchair-bound man. "The cameras in the employee parking lot have been cut?" There was an eerie pause. "I don't want there to be any evidence of this."
"They're off until you give the signal." Mitch assured with a nod. "The lot's also been cleared and closed."
"Good." Ed said, heading for the door. "Have someone unlock the door to the inside when I call you."
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"Ah, Ms. Holt!" the smiling Professor greeted with a friendly tone to his voice. "It's always a pleasure to see you."
"I'm not going to rest until I find out how you got to him!" the still-angry Nessa spat, causing the Professor to laugh. Leah simply watched silently on.
"Please!" the Professor still chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like I brainwashed him or something." He stopped laughing and looked seriously at the African American woman in front of him. "Regardless of what you and Big Ed would love to think, McCoy is acting on his own free will." He paused for a moment. "It's not too late for you to do the same, and save yourself…"
"Save myself?" Nessa scoffed before her eyes narrowed in warning. "You should be concerned about saving yourself from the wrath of Ed Deline. He may still show Danny mercy, but I wouldn't count on any for yourself."
"Let's go, Leah." the Professor ordered, standing up.
"I'll be out in a minute." Leah called after the retreating Professor. The petite, brown and blonde haired woman looked to the African American lady next to her with a look of curiosity. "Tell me something. Does Ed Deline know about Danny being the traitor?"
"Yes." Nessa nodded, not relaxing her tone.
Saying nothing, Leah simply got up and walked quickly away from the table. After dodging waiters and several guests, she ducked quickly into the ladies' room. Making sure that no one else was around, she pulled out her cell phone from her purse.
"Luis," she said into the phone. "It's me. We've got a problem."
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"Tell me to come here and sign papers, and don't leave the door unlocked!" Danny grumbled, heading back to his car to fetch his keys. The tall, brown-haired was not in the mood for this. He should still be at the restaurant, convincing the Professor that he was legitimate about joining him. Running a hand through his hair, Danny stopped instantly as he realized that his was the only car in the usual crowded lot. His dark eyes looked around in bewilderment. "What the…"
BAM! McCoy suddenly felt something collide into the back of his skull! A brief pain shot through him and he could feel himself fall to the cold, hard asphalt before darkness swallowed him.
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Feeling something hard against his body, Danny groaned as consciousness slowly returned to him. His first thought was that Leah had just kidnapped him again, but he realized that it couldn't be. She would have never been able to beat him back from the resteraunt, even she did have a vehicle. Was this some sort of intiation from the Professor then? Trying to grab a handful of whatever was under him, Danny's eyes snapped open as he felt the hard ground of the barren deserts that surrounded Las Vegas. As he got to his elbows, the many legends of vigilante justice being carried out in these very deserts raced through his mind. A lump rising in his throat, Danny knew that he was about to become one of these rumors as he had finally noticed the cherry red Hummer H2 that was parked in front of him. The driver's door slowly opened and closed again. The sole passenger stood there, in the now setting sun, with a metal baseball bat in hand, looking like something out of a horror movie.
"You know what I do to people who stab me in the back?" came the angry yet quiet voice of Ed Deline as an approaching thunderstorm rumbled in the distance.
To be continued.....
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"Ed ordered you to take me out to an early dinner?" a skeptical Nessa Holt asked, sitting down on one side of the booth. The black, English woman's dark eyes surveyed her companion carefully as she flipped a strand of her straight, shoulder-length hair over her shoulder.
"Well, no." a nervous Mike stammered, putting a hand to the back of his neck. The usually jovial man's mind raced as to how to explain that he thought a dinner out would be a good way to act on his feelings for his female companion. "Ed actually wanted me to come here because the Professor's been spotted here."
"What?" Nessa exclaimed as her eyes began darting around the restaurant. "Where is he?"
"Right there." Mike replied quietly as he pointed through a hole in the shrubbery near their booth. As Nessa peeked through, she could see the older, curly-haired man sitting at a table. A short wall and the aforementioned shrubbery blocked his vision of the booth.
"What's he looking for?" Nessa asked, noticing that the man had begun looking around.
"Mr. D. seems to think that the Montecito Mole will be joining him for dinner." Mike reported as Nessa turned back towards him. He picked up his cell-phone, which had been lying on the table, briefly. "He wants us to call him when the Professor's guest arrives."
Nodding, Nessa turned suddenly as she spotted something out of the corner of her eye. A woman with brown and blonde hair had walked up to the Professor's table with a smile. Not taking her eyes off of the woman, Nessa gestured to Mike, who turned his attention towards the hole.
"What is she doing here?" a stunned Mike asked.
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"Hi." Leah greeted cordially as she sat down in one of the empty seats across from the Professor, who nodded back at her. "We made it on time."
"I had no doubts that you would, Higgins." the Professor smiled back. "And our guest?"
"He's out parking his car." Leah replied, nodding towards the entrance. "He'll be joining us shortly." She paused as she knew the next question she would most likely be asked. "We drove around for a bit in case anyone from the Montecito followed us."
"Good." the Professor nodded in approval.
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"You know that woman?" Nessa asked, not taking her eyes off the pair.
"Yeah." Mike nodded, also still watching. "That's the chick Danny's been seeing lately. The one I told you about." He shook his head. "It makes no sense though that she's his dinner date. She knows next to nothing about the Montecito."
"That because she's not the Montecito Mole." a stunned Nessa suddenly replied as her gaze turned towards the entrance. Her reaction was enough to pique Mike's curiosity, and he looked over just in time to see Danny walking towards the table.
"No…no way." Mike quietly stammered, watching the scene play out in front of him.
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"Hope I didn't take too long." an apologetic Danny said as he sat down at the table. Parking his car hadn't taken long, but the tall, brown-haired man had gotten distracted upon seeing a silver Cadillac Escalade in the parking lot. Mike drove one as well, and Danny wondered if his best guy friend was ironically here on the same night. However, an older, white gentleman had come out and gotten into the vehicle, so Danny's fears had been eased.
"Not at all." the Professor assured, shaking his head. "It is good to see you again, my young friend." A smile appeared on his face and a curious twinkle appeared in his eyes. "So, Leah told me that you have your answer."
"I've thought about it." Danny replied, looking straight into the older man's eyes and offered his hand across the table. "And I've come to the conclusion that joining you is what I have to do."
"Welcome aboard." the Professor replied, shaking Danny's hand.
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"Tell me that I just did not see that." a stunned Mike commented, leaning back against his seat again. The bald, African American man shook his head as he stared at the table in front of him. "Tell me that Danny really isn't the Montecito Mole."
"We both saw it, Mike." Nessa replied as she clearly tried to suppress her anger. "Whether we want to believe it or not, we both saw it." She paused for a brief moment. "The only thing to do now is to call Ed."
"The hell it is!" Mike replied, breaking out of his trance. "Do you realize what Ed's going to do to Danny when he finds out?" The African American man shook his head. "There won't be anything left of him!"
"It's what he deserves, Mike!" Nessa pointed out, gesturing to the hole and Danny outside it. "Now's not exactly the time to be a loyal friend. Make the call!"
Swallowing, Mike nodded and picked up his phone. He could feel a lump form in his throat as he waited patiently for Ed to pick up the other line.
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Noticing Mike's number on his caller ID, Ed immediately grabbed the phone in his office. His heart raced with anticipation as well as dread. The grim, older man realized that part of him was foolishly hoping that someone wasn't really turning against the Montecito, especially someone who was close to him as the Montecito Mole was bound to be. He slowly scooped up the phone.
"Mike." Ed greeted cordially.
"Uh, I just thought you should know that he did meet with the Montecito Mole." a nervous Mike stated as Nessa wrapped her hands around his free one for support.
"Thought so." a solemn Ed nodded, "Who is it?"
Silence.
"Mike?" Ed asked, realizing that this wasn't a good sign.
"It's Danny, Ed." a quiet Mike replied, "Danny McCoy."
"Danny?" a surprised Ed said, immediately sitting in the chair behind him. "Are you sure, Mike?"
"I'm sending you visual." Mike replied as he snapped a picture of the table with his cell-phone camera. It wasn't long before it appeared on the computer monitor in front of Ed. "What are we going to do, Mr. D.?"
"You and Nessa just enjoy your dinner." Ed calmly instructed, not taking his eyes off of the monitor in front of him. "Don't let the kid see you. I don't want him knowing that we're on to him yet."
"Got it, Mr. D." Mike replied as Ed hung up the phone.
Setting the phone back down on the receiver, Ed remained staring silently at the monitor in front of him. How in the hell had this happened? Suddenly standing up, Ed ran a hand through his gray hair and turned away from the monitor. However, the older man's cold, blue eyes found their way back there in a few seconds. They analyzed the happy expressions on both of the Professor and Danny's faces. It was as if they were both in on some private joke. With a growl of rage, Ed threw the monitor off of the desk and to the floor in one swift motion. As it shattered, the seething Deline put his hands on the desk to steady himself and hung his head.
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"You won't regret your decision, Danny." the Professor promised a little bit later over dinner. One of the older man's hands suddenly strayed into his jacket.
"I don't." Danny assured, shaking his head.
"Good." the Professor replied, pulling a photograph out of his jacket.
Taking the photo, Danny looked at it, as did Leah, who was sitting next to him. The tall, brown-haired man immediately recognized the dark blonde woman pictured in it, and he looked back up at the smiling older man in front of him.
"Miss Connell is the other thing that you should already have, my friend." the Professor remarked, resting his elbow on the table. "However, her love is something that you're going to have to earn on your own." He shrugged slightly. "However, in return for you joining my organization, I will personally ensure that she will not be harmed when we make our move on the Montecito."
"Thank you." a grateful Danny nodded, handing the picture back to the older man. His cell-phone suddenly rang out, and the tall, brown-haired man's hand reached immediately into his pocket. He smiled apologetically at the two people near him as he answered it. "Hello?"
"Danny?" the voice on the other line greeted. "It's Mitch." There was a brief pause. "Listen, there's some papers here that need to be signed and faxed over to corporate headquarters, and I can't get a hold of Mr. D." The wheelchair-bound man sighed. "I know that you're on a date and everything, but they need to go out tonight and your signature would be just as good as Ed's."
"I'll be right there." Danny agreed, hanging up. He ran a hand through his hair as he stood up. "Sorry about this, but I'm needed at the Montecito."
"That's quite all right." the Professor assured, putting his hand up. The curly-haired man got to his own feet. "I would like to see you tomorrow, so that we may begin planning."
"Yeah." Danny nodded before turning to Leah, who was also standing. He took her hand in his. "I'm sorry that I wasn't much of a date." A grin appeared on his face. "I can assume that I'll get another visit or phone call tomorrow?"
"Count on it." Leah said as Danny headed for the door. A worried look appeared on her face as she watched him leave. As they sat down again, she turned worriedly towards the Professor. "Something didn't seem right about that."
The Professor was about to respond when Nessa, who had appeared out of nowhere, sat down in Danny's recently vacated seat. Her angry, dark eyes focused squarely on the curly-haired man in front of her.
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"Danny's on his way." Mitch sighed, running a hand through his hair.
"Good." Ed nodded from behind the wheelchair-bound man. "The cameras in the employee parking lot have been cut?" There was an eerie pause. "I don't want there to be any evidence of this."
"They're off until you give the signal." Mitch assured with a nod. "The lot's also been cleared and closed."
"Good." Ed said, heading for the door. "Have someone unlock the door to the inside when I call you."
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"Ah, Ms. Holt!" the smiling Professor greeted with a friendly tone to his voice. "It's always a pleasure to see you."
"I'm not going to rest until I find out how you got to him!" the still-angry Nessa spat, causing the Professor to laugh. Leah simply watched silently on.
"Please!" the Professor still chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "You make it sound like I brainwashed him or something." He stopped laughing and looked seriously at the African American woman in front of him. "Regardless of what you and Big Ed would love to think, McCoy is acting on his own free will." He paused for a moment. "It's not too late for you to do the same, and save yourself…"
"Save myself?" Nessa scoffed before her eyes narrowed in warning. "You should be concerned about saving yourself from the wrath of Ed Deline. He may still show Danny mercy, but I wouldn't count on any for yourself."
"Let's go, Leah." the Professor ordered, standing up.
"I'll be out in a minute." Leah called after the retreating Professor. The petite, brown and blonde haired woman looked to the African American lady next to her with a look of curiosity. "Tell me something. Does Ed Deline know about Danny being the traitor?"
"Yes." Nessa nodded, not relaxing her tone.
Saying nothing, Leah simply got up and walked quickly away from the table. After dodging waiters and several guests, she ducked quickly into the ladies' room. Making sure that no one else was around, she pulled out her cell phone from her purse.
"Luis," she said into the phone. "It's me. We've got a problem."
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"Tell me to come here and sign papers, and don't leave the door unlocked!" Danny grumbled, heading back to his car to fetch his keys. The tall, brown-haired was not in the mood for this. He should still be at the restaurant, convincing the Professor that he was legitimate about joining him. Running a hand through his hair, Danny stopped instantly as he realized that his was the only car in the usual crowded lot. His dark eyes looked around in bewilderment. "What the…"
BAM! McCoy suddenly felt something collide into the back of his skull! A brief pain shot through him and he could feel himself fall to the cold, hard asphalt before darkness swallowed him.
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Feeling something hard against his body, Danny groaned as consciousness slowly returned to him. His first thought was that Leah had just kidnapped him again, but he realized that it couldn't be. She would have never been able to beat him back from the resteraunt, even she did have a vehicle. Was this some sort of intiation from the Professor then? Trying to grab a handful of whatever was under him, Danny's eyes snapped open as he felt the hard ground of the barren deserts that surrounded Las Vegas. As he got to his elbows, the many legends of vigilante justice being carried out in these very deserts raced through his mind. A lump rising in his throat, Danny knew that he was about to become one of these rumors as he had finally noticed the cherry red Hummer H2 that was parked in front of him. The driver's door slowly opened and closed again. The sole passenger stood there, in the now setting sun, with a metal baseball bat in hand, looking like something out of a horror movie.
"You know what I do to people who stab me in the back?" came the angry yet quiet voice of Ed Deline as an approaching thunderstorm rumbled in the distance.
To be continued.....