A/N: DANGER, READER, DANGER! Naughty Interactions Ahead! Carnal Knowledge! Protect thine eyes! (Damn, I crack myself up!) I guess I haven't been as intellectually honest with that "T" rating as I planned. Ah well, I'm already going to hell (at least I would be if I believed it existed, but this isn't Bible Fanfiction... Wait, is that redundant?). Yes, this chapter contains some Cinemax… OK, maybe Playboy channel, level scenes (but it's got good articles, really). Barry White playing low in the background, glasses of chilled chardonnay left condensating and, at least temporarily, forgotten on the nightstand. ::whew::
A/N 2: Holy crap, Batman, that last author's note was a "how-to" on offending nearly everyone! Mock reasonable sensibilities and honesty, then mock religion! Good show!
Another A/N: This installment of "Sarah vs. Fulcrum" comes hot on the heels of the last chapter. I know I said one chapter a week. Speaking tensely, my current self is turning my past self into a liar. A prerequisite, as I understand it, for future acceptance into previously referenced fantastical locations. (See what I did there? Tensely, I mean. I'll wait...). I've still got a couple more chapters in the pipeline but once nine is loaded, you guys are gonna have to be patient with me. Like waiting on jwatkins for Matchmaker levels of patient. Sorry Joe - that story is just so damn good, I couldn't resist a jab. You take your time and do it right... or should that be 'write'?
Really?: No, not really. And no, I'm not as think as you drunk I am. I did have a really good cookie about an hour ago, and my normally angelic wife has a rather devilish smirk... Which seems suspicious. Regarding Mrs. Wright, I am curious what your assumptions were. Are? Tense is weird.
Shhh. The show is starting...
Sarah realized that the chain of events which led her to find Rebecca Wright supported the woman's story of having been threatened and held captive by the gang. Sarah hated that the piece of shit on the bed had created doubt in her mind. It would be just the sort of play a guy like that would make. He knew she'd cry either way and foretold its coming, thus casting suspicion on the tears.
Sarah understood that rape was a misused word in that it often wasn't applied where it should be. Being coerced via threats into non-consensual sex was rape the same as being attacked at gunpoint in an alley. Not being combative was not the same thing as giving consent.
A person might not always recognize rape for what it was, and Sarah had to admit that even though the man had been tied up, the building itself being full of his gang underlings was pretty goddamn coercive. Being tied up could even be construed as him mocking her; shaming her with the realization that even when tied up and theoretically helpless, he still had power over her. The coercion could even extend to him demanding that she pretend to enjoy it or suffer reprisals.
After tasing the naked gang member, Sarah had helped Rebecca get dressed and situated her in the living room of the apartment. Rebecca seemed to waver from dazed catatonia to hysterical tears, and it looked to Sarah very much like shock. She had a grey pallor to her skin and was covered in a sheen of greasy sweat. At one point, Sarah made soothing noises and placed a hand on her shoulder with her pinky finger very close to the carotid artery in Rebecca's neck, surreptitiously taking her pulse. It was pounding away jackrabbit fast, over 150 beats per minute, even sitting down, and Sarah was feeling more convinced that Rebecca was a captive in this situation. Sarah new she could fake most of the same symptoms but she had decade of experience and was extremely skeptical that the young heiress could be that skilled at deception.
Bryce had pulled all the other gang members into the apartment next door, as well as three paying customers, after which they'd called LAPD to come in and begin processing everyone, including the women, most of whom appeared to be severely drugged and spoke very little English. They would all spend a few days in the hospital undergoing withdrawal treatment for the cocktail of drugs they'd been given a steady diet of. It seemed that many of them were undocumented South and Central American immigrants who'd been forced into the sex trade, and their plight broke Sarah's heart. She would make sure that human trafficking would be added to the list of charges against the gang.
Once the call went out, within ten minutes, it was total pandemonium. Dozens of ambulances had to be called from all over to transport the more than sixty women who'd been drugged into oblivion and repeatedly raped. They had to split the women up across multiple hospitals, and officers had to be assigned to ride with each ambulance to record any spontaneous statements they might make. Rebecca was also taken to the hospital for observation and Sarah made sure to insist that an LAPD officer be stationed outside her door at all times.
Sarah had to make it clear to the lead detective that their names be kept out of the reports and that they only be referred to as undercover FBI agents. When the first officers arrived, she refused to identify herself other than as the lead FBI Special Agent on scene. The story she gave the LAPD was that Rebecca Wright was a person of interest to the FBI in an unrelated matter. Attempts to contact her had led Sarah to believe that her life was in danger. Subsequent investigations had led them to track Rebecca via her cell phone to this location, an apartment complex she actually owned. Fearing for their target's life given the presence of criminals with known ties to prostitution and other violent gang activities, they had no choice but to act. In doing so they were able to subdue the gang members and rescue their target.
Sarah found it particularly ironic that it was Vice detectives who showed up to pick up the investigation regarding the Soto Street Motorcycle Club and their activities. Since the FBI was able to recover their person of interest, they were happy to hand over to the Vice Detectives the mountain of evidence the gang members were stupid enough to create regarding their illegal activities. Judges were pulled from their slumber and warrants were immediately issued for the ten gang members that had been at the apartment complex earlier that night as well as any others that might be associated with the gang. A team was set up to go through the weeks of security footage to see what other gang members had participated.
The Detectives were impressed that a team of four FBI agents were able to take down a notorious LA gang in just a matter of hours. She wondered how the Vice division would respond when Carina showed up Monday morning to poach a couple of them. She laughed to herself thinking it would increase the number of requests they received, which was another bonus. She thought maybe she would tag along with Carina just to get a feel for how things would play out now.
Overall, Sarah felt pretty good with the outcome. She was overjoyed that she'd helped free over sixty women from their brutal enslavement, and that a lot of dangerous men would be going to jail for a very long time. But she wasn't any closer to getting that goddam strip mall.
When everything was said and done, Carina and Bryce returned to their hotel while Sarah and Chuck left to return the surveillance van. She called Coburn on the way to fill him in on their activities.
"Good job, Walker. The SSMC was starting to make a name for themselves. Sounds like you've pretty much neutered them," he'd said, to which she could only grunt.
By the time they got home to their apartment, it was nearly nine am and they were both exhausted. Chuck called in sick to work and they barely had the energy to strip off their clothes as they climbed into bed together.
"You were such a badass last night," Chuck mumbled sleepily. "The way you took out that guy on the fourth floor was frickin' awesome."
"Those guys were a joke," she said, yawning. "Taking them out was about as challenging as walking and chewing gum at the same time. Not something to be too impressed with."
"Still," he whispered as he was fading out. "Bad ass."
Sarah smiled and snuggled in closer to him as she fell asleep.
Sarah had set an alarm for noon so they wouldn't sleep the day away and screw up their schedules. She also wanted to get to the hospital so she could have some one-on-one time with Rebecca Wright.
Chuck whimpered behind her, "Make it stop!" As she reached over and turned the alarm off.
"We can't sleep the day away, Chuck!" She said as she rolled over and stretched up against him. "Wake up, stud!"
He rolled over on his stomach and put a pillow over his head. "I never thought I could dislike you this much!" he yelled.
"Chuck Bartowski, you take that back right now!" she yelled as she climbed on his back and started tickling his sides.
He started squirming and thrashing, and yelled, "I take it back! I take it back!"
She stopped tickling him but didn't get off his back. "That's better," she said as she started caressing his back and sides rather than tickling.
"Mmmm, ok, I'm getting more on board with this whole being awake thing," he mumbled from under the pillow.
"Yeah? How about now?" She asked as she leaned over and kissed his neck.
"A little more on board."
She started sucking on his earlobe, biting playfully. "Now?"
"Ok, I'm up," he said rolling over underneath her.
"Oh, my Chuck, you are up!" she exclaimed, mostly just to see him blush. It worked. "Chuck, I know exactly how to resolve this tumescence problem you seem to have developed this morning. Would you like me to help you with this?"
"Nah, it'll go away in a bit," he said with a smile.
His response was so unexpected that Sarah couldn't help the laughter that bubbled out of her as she leaned down and started kissing him.
"Well, I mean, if you insist. I suppose it would be rude to decline your assistance. It can be quite uncomfortable," he said as he grinned at her.
She reached over and pulled a condom off the night stand as his eyes started to nearly glow with anticipation. "Only if you're sure," she said with a dark glint in her eye.
"Yes, I'm really very sure. Help me out here. I'm asking you to help. As soon as you can."
She tore the package open slowly with her teeth. As she pulled the condom out and moved her hands over his erection, she whispered, "I'm not sure you're being sincere, Chuck. I don't want you to do anything you don't want to do. Consent is important here. I need to really believe you."
"I want you too very badly, more than I want oxygen. I want your help with this. Please."
"Well, since you asked so nicely." She dropped the condom on the bed, instead taking him into her mouth. She toyed with him, running her tongue and lips around, alternating between sucking gently, then harder until she finally pulled him in deeper into her mouth, to the edge of her ability, sucking harder still then slowly pulling back, undulating her tongue against him as she went, then repeating the process as he moaned with ecstasy.
She felt like she could do this to him all day. Wanting to draw him out as long as possible, she listened to his breathing, stopping when she felt his muscles tense then simply kissed and licked the length of him. She repeatedly dragged him right to that ragged edge, then backed off as he moaned and writhed on their bed. She reveled in the sound of him whispering her name over and over again. She went on for what seemed like hours until she couldn't take the anticipation any longer herself. She grabbed the condom and rolled it down him, feeling his incredible hardness as she slid herself down the length of him, shouting his name. An orgasm exploded out of her almost immediately, waves of white-hot bliss traveling outward from the center of her being as she felt him fill her up, feeling the entire length and hardness of him inside her. She used her legs and hips to pull herself almost completely off of him, then slowly back down, focusing on the raw, wet energy as he slid so deep into her she could barely take it. She lay down on his chest and pushed her legs back, just wanting to soak in the feel of him. She felt him start to take over, pulling himself out slowly then forcefully driving himself back into her. She sensed him looking at her as she leaned up and looked into his eyes, amazed at the whiskey color that was so prevalent in the sunlight. Another orgasm washed gently over her as he continued to thrust himself into her with a soft but powerful rhythm. He slowly started increasing the speed and strength, going faster and harder until the power of it washed away all her other senses but the feel of him. Before long, a particularly powerful thrust burst open a dam inside her that had been holding back an ocean of pleasure. She felt her entire body flex and shudder as her orgasm seemed to contract every muscle in her body simultaneously.
She lay down on top of him panting, wanting to hold on to the sensation of his body and hers intertwined. She lay on top of him for several long minutes, barely able to think of anything but the feel of him still inside her. She found herself squeezing him gently with her internal muscles. "Chuck, what have you done to me?" She asked softly.
"What do you mean?" He asked breathlessly.
"You've turned me into some kind of crazed sex fiend," as if to emphasize her point, she flexed hard, grasping him firm and sudden, making him gasp and cry out. She could feel his erection as she squeezed him, not wanting to let go.
He rolled them over so that he was on top of her, and she noticed that he was careful to not pull out of her. The look of raw lust in his eyes made her shiver as he said, "You think you're a crazed sex fiend? All I can think about most days is… this."
As he was talking, she felt him slowly pulling out of her but then thrust himself back into her as he said 'this', causing her to gasp and moan. "I'll be at the Nerd Herd desk talking to someone, but I'm thinking about… this," he thrust himself into her harder.
"I'll be eating my lunch but all I can think about is… this," thrusting harder still.
"I'll be talking to someone on the phone but I'm thinking about… this," he grabbed the headboard of the bed to give himself leverage as he drove himself into her with power that stole her ability to breathe.
His voice became husky and raw. "In my meetings, I've had to tuck myself between my legs because I'm thinking about… THIS," he slammed himself into her and Sarah arched her back as another orgasm raged across her body and she felt him shudder on top of her.
"Chuuuuck!" She screamed, dragging her nails down his back. She closed her eyes as she felt him collapse onto the bed next to her, both of them panting from exertion.
Sarah's eyes popped open and she realized with dismay that she and Chuck had fallen back asleep again after… whatever that was that they had done together. Just calling it sex seemed woefully inadequate. Like winning the twenty-four hour of Le Mans and referring to it as going for a drive. She grabbed her phone and groaned when she saw it was after three in the afternoon. "Shit, shit, shit," she mumbled as she climbed out of bed. She realized she was actually a little sore from their noontime sexcapades but she couldn't help but smile and shiver at the memory. She took a quick shower and Chuck was ready to get in as she was getting out. As she was stepping past him, he grabbed her and kissed her hard enough to make her toes curl.
He pulled back and gave her one of his full body smiles. "Just thought I should give you that to let you know how fucking amazing you are."
"You're pretty amazing at fucking too," she said with a wicked grin. "Oh, wait, did that come out right? Why, yes! Yes, it did!"
Chuck simply put his hands over his face as he blushed crimson and started walking into their oversized shower. Sarah turned to watch his adorable behind when she noticed the scratches she'd given him. "Oh, shit, Chuck, I'm sorry! Does that hurt?" She asked
"Does what hurt?" He asked, confused.
"I scratched you pretty good. You're going to feel it when the water hits it, I think," she said wincing.
"Are you kidding? My back got scratched in the throes of passion? That's so awesome!" He exclaimed proudly.
Sarah just shook her head. "If you say so, nerd." She started brushing her teeth. "Hey, weren't we supposed to get a bunch of TV's and entertainment stuff delivered today?" She asked.
"Yeah, Morgan texted me. Since I called in sick, he had the delivery delayed until 4pm, which is in like 45 minutes."
"Wow, that guy really looks out for you, doesn't he?"
"Yeah, Morgs is a good guy to have on your side."
After he turned the water on, Sarah started counting down from ten. She got to four as he started yelping. "Yeah, stings huh?" Sarah asked laughing.
"Yeouch, yeah, that stings!" he yelled. "I still think it's awesome though, just for the record!"
She laughed. "So, you have to be here for the delivery of all the electronic stuff, but I need to have a conversation with Rebecca Wright and I'm hoping she's still at the hospital, but if not I need to track her down. I'm not sure how long it's going to take, but I'll call you when I know, ok?"
"That's fine. I'll have my hands full getting stuff setup anyway. When you get home we can cuddle on the couch and watch TV finally," he said.
She stuck her head in the shower and said, "Give me a kiss before I go." He stepped over to her and kissed her being careful not to get her wet even though she was still naked too.
"Ok, cute stuff. I love you. I'll call you later, OK?"
"Sure thing. I love you, too."
Sarah got dressed quickly then called the hospital and was relieved to discover that Rebecca had actually stayed the day there but was starting to make noises about wanting to be released. Sarah asked them to hold her until she could get there and take a statement.
Sarah made the trip to the hospital in record time but was delayed when she unexpectedly bumped into Ellie as she was getting off the elevator.
"Oh my God, Ellie. I keep forgetting that you and Devon actually work here," Sarah said with a laugh. "Are you guys all set and ready to go tomorrow?"
"Sarah, hi! What a surprise! Yes, we are so excited. We haven't been on a trip together in years!" Ellie said. "Are you not here to see me?"
"No, actually, I'm here to get a statement from a woman who was brought in early this morning, from the gang raid that happened last night," Sarah said. "Rebecca Wright."
"Isn't that crazy?" Ellie asked excitedly. "There were actually some reporters here trying to get information about it. Apparently the FBI and LAPD broke up a sex trafficking ring and took down this notorious LA gang in the process," a look came over Ellie's face. "Oh, my God, you're FBI! Sarah, were you involved in that last night? You said you're here to get a statement from one of the women!"
Sarah grimaced inwardly but put on a blank face. "I'm sorry, Ellie, I honestly can't talk about it. But I do need to talk to her, can you tell me what room she's in?"
"Sarah, you said you'd be working behind a computer most of the time! I mean you just started at the FBI right? How could you possibly be involved in something like this so soon?" Ellie asked, genuinely surprised.
Sarah couldn't help but smile. Ellie was nothing if not persistent. "Ellie, if I promise to tell you what I can when I can, will you help me find the woman I need to get a statement from now?"
"Of course," she said apologetically, walking them over to the nurses station as she talked. "I'm sorry about pushing you like that, it's just crazy to think that my brother is involved with someone like you."
Sarah frowned a little. "What do you mean?"
Ellie's eyes got wide and she said, "Oh my God, I didn't mean it like that at all. That sounded terrible!" Ellie looked around a little and lowered her voice. "What I mean is that I always knew Chuck would end up with someone great, but it was this abstract idea. You make that idea not abstract, Sarah. You're that reality and it reminds me how great Chuck is too. I would have been no more impressed if Chuck had brought Jessica Alba home and introduced her as his new girlfriend."
Sarah smiled again. "She's an actress, right?"
"You don't know who Jessica Alba is?" Ellie asked as she picked up a chart from the desk.
"I think she's an actress, but I can't picture her," Sarah admitted.
Ellie smiled and shook her head. "It doesn't matter, just trust me when I tell you it's a compliment," she said.
"Well, thank you," Sarah said. "Is Rebecca on that chart?"
"Yes, she's in room 407."
"Thanks, Ellie," Sarah said. "If I don't see you before I leave, have a good night and get some rest. Chuck and I will be by to pick you guys up in the morning."
Ellie giggled and hopped on her toes as she clapped her hands together. "I'm so excited!" she said as she hugged Sarah. "I'll see you in the morning!"
Sarah put on a sympathetic, understanding expression as she approached room 407, where there was a young LAPD officer sitting in a chair, most likely a rookie. He saw her looking at him as she approached so he stood up. "Can I help you ma'am?"
"I'm Agent Walker, FBI," she said, showing her credentials. "I need to speak to Rebecca Wright."
She saw his eyes go a little wide. "Yes, of course Agent Walker, go right on in. She's been watching TV for the past hour or so, but she's asked about being released a couple of times."
Sarah glanced at his name tag. "Thank you, Officer Turner."
As she stepped up to the door, the officer touched her arm briefly. "Ma'am, I just wanted to say, that was really amazing work you and your team did last night. Saving all those poor women and arresting those scumbags," he said. "I mean, I just wanted to say, you know, congratulations. That was really impressive!"
Sarah smiled and said, "Thank you, Officer Turner, I appreciate that. But it was really LAPD who did the arresting. We just sort of... facilitated things. Do me a favor and keep our involvement in that situation close to the vest. I'm running an undercover operation and last night was sort of an unexpected event for us. We don't want it to ruin the other things we're working on if our involvement were to become common knowledge, you know what I mean?"
The young officer nodded. "Yes, ma'am, absolutely," he said.
"I appreciate it, Officer," Sarah replied. She knocked on the door and walked in after a three count, closing the door behind her.
Sarah saw Rebecca Wright in her bed staring listlessly at the television. She looked over as Sarah came in and pushed herself a little more upright in the bed, which had the head-end tilted up. She put her hands in her lap and looked at them as if she wasn't sure where else to look. She was in a hospital gown and had an IV on a slow drip.
"Hi Rebecca, how are you feeling?" Sarah asked.
Rebecca sighed and said, "I'm feeling OK I guess, considering. I kind of want to go home, I haven't really liked hospitals much since my Uncle died."
"I understand. I'm going to talk to your doctor and see if we can get you released in a few minutes. Do you have someone who can come pick you up and take you home?"
She nodded and said, "Yeah, my cousin Andy."
"Are you two close?" Sarah asked.
Rebecca shrugged and nodded, still looking at her hands. "Yeah. I've always thought of him as a brother. He and his mom lived with her brother, my Uncle, before he adopted me. I grew up with Andy from the time I was 5 until he got married and moved out."
Sarah nodded. "Rebecca, have you had a chance to call your lawyer yet?" she asked.
Her eyes got wide and she looked scared. "Are you going to arrest me? I didn't do anything wrong! I know how bad it looks," she started crying softly. "I can't believe you saw me like that. I'm so fucking ashamed I just want to die!"
Sarah had to admit to herself that if this was acting, it was goddamn good. She walked up to the bed and took the hand that wasn't hooked up to the IV. "Rebecca, you're not under arrest," Sarah said soothingly. "But this investigation is going to get messy. You're going to be in the spotlight to a certain extent. You really need to call your lawyer as soon as possible ok? You need to talk to him and other people you trust about how you want to work through this, just don't try to do it alone."
Rebecca nodded. "Why are you telling me this? Isn't it your job to assume I'm guilty of something and try to get me to confess?"
"No, that's not my job at all. That's not really any law enforcement officer's job whether they work for the LAPD or the FBI. But I understand why you might think it. I'm telling you these things because it's going to get worse before it gets better," Sarah said honestly. "I'm just sort of learning how big of a deal this investigation is going to be, too, and I feel a little stupid for not realizing it sooner."
"What do you mean?" Rebecca asked, sniffing and wiping away tears.
"The press has gotten wind of the fact that a notorious LA gang was taken down along with a pretty serious sex trafficking ring. If your name gets out there, they will start hounding you. I seriously advise you against talking to any of them."
"I don't want anyone to know about this, ever," she said. "I just want to crawl into a hole until everyone forgets about it. Talking to reporters is the last thing I want."
"Rebecca, can I ask you some questions, just between the two of us? Completely off the record."
She shrugged. "I guess."
"Your cousin called you late last Tuesday morning, right?"
Rebecca nodded and said, "I saw his name come up on my caller ID, but Jimmy wouldn't let me have my phone back. He took it away that morning."
Sarah knew that James Fletcher was the man tied up in bed last night, the ostensible leader of the SSMC. "Did Jimmy answer the call?"
"Yeah, but he wouldn't let Andy talk to me. He made Andy tell him why he was calling."
"Did Andy tell Jimmy why he was calling?"
"Yeah, something about the FBI needing access to the basement of one of my properties. Jimmy lost his mind. Asked me if I called them and told them anything. That's when he took me to that apartment complex. It's one of the properties I inherited from my Uncle. The SSMC took it over like three months ago and I knew they were doing all kinds of illegal things there, but I had no way to stop it."
"Did you talk to Nancy, the woman at your property management company when she called?"
"Yeah, Jimmy gave me the phone because he figured it had something to do with that strip mall. Nancy told me someone wanted to buy it. I told Nancy the building wasn't for sale at any price and to delist the empty storefronts. She probably thinks I'm trying to devalue the property in preparation for a Chapter 11, but it was Jimmy. He didn't want the FBI around any of my properties. I haven't seen my phone since then."
Sarah nodded. "Rebecca, that was me trying to buy that strip mall, on behalf of the FBI. That's what led to this whole thing last night. I was trying to call you directly to see if I could negotiate with you on the building, but some angry, vulgar man answered your phone. I heard someone scream in the background and thought it was you, so I traced your phone. When we got there, we saw the situation with the gang members and decided to take them down to get to you."
Rebecca was looking at her with wide eyes and an open mouth. "You took down the Soto Street Motorcycle Club to rescue me?" She asked softly, tears once again in her eyes.
The truth was more complicated, but Sarah just nodded. "Too many things didn't make sense about the situation. When we found out Andy was your cousin, we figured he called you to let you know that the FBI would be interested in your strip mall because it's the only way we can get into the bomb shelter, which is what we're really after. We thought maybe you were just playing hardball, stonewalling us to get a better price for the property."
A couple of tears spilled over and down her face, but she wiped them quickly away. "So Jimmy's paranoia is what really did him in," she said.
"Rebecca, you don't have to answer my questions, but how did you get involved with the SSMC?" Sarah asked.
"I only met Jimmy about two months ago, when I went to inspect that property. His crew was there, and they all started harassing me, and I was getting really scared when he stepped in and made them stop. He just said, 'Yo, step off' and they did, like instantly. The respect they gave him was something to see. They all went from being terrifying to sort of nice and polite. They apologized for scaring me, like it was a joke that got out of hand or something." Rebecca paused, remembering. "And Jimmy was one of the most beautiful men I'd ever seen," Rebecca blushed suddenly and looked away. "That sounds so lame right now."
Sarah laughed softly. "No, it doesn't. I can sort of relate."
Rebecca looked back at Sarah, obviously skeptical. "Really? You're like a supermodel or something."
"I'm not sure what that has to do with thinking a particular man is beautiful, but thank you for the compliment," Sarah said with a smile.
Rebecca nodded, looking embarrassed. "Yeah, I suppose you're right. Anyway, Jimmy was super charming with me, friendly and respectful. But he still had that bad-boy quality too, obviously. He asked me out on an actual date, and I couldn't say no. And it was a really good date. We went out for dinner at a place in his neighborhood where everybody loved him, we went bowling and he's like this super impressive bowler if you can believe it. So random for the leader of this notorious gang to be like a great bowler. It was endearing. I totally would have slept with him on the first date, but he didn't even try to kiss me. We went out every night that week and I was practically begging him for it by the end. Then the next few weeks went by in a blur until one day I realized that I was genuinely terrified of him. He never came close to hitting me or even really threatened to, but he'd started making these little offhand comments that were crazy violent. Things he said he'd done to do to people to get where he was. He didn't even say those were things that he would do to me, but it was just sort of implied I guess. He started controlling where I could go and who I could talk to. He said he'd let me keep my phone until I proved I couldn't be trusted," she stopped talking for a moment. "I can't believe I let myself get in that situation. It's like he owned me. I literally fell for a horrible human being because he had such pretty eyes."
Sarah listened to her story and completely understood how it could happen. The man was a predator who knew how to seduce and control women, especially young impressionable women. "Rebecca don't be too hard on yourself here. This is what he does. He manipulates people. It's his job and he's a master at it. But now he's going away for a very long time."
Rebecca scoffed. "Jimmy was never afraid of prison. And he said it was fun to make the meat come to him, make them beg to blow him for protection or drugs or whatever. It was one of the little violent comments he used to make. He'd laugh about it. He said once you got used to the routine and the boredom, prison could be peaceful. He said he could make just as much money running his crew from prison as he could on the streets."
"And that might have been true, but his whole crew is going down with him. You know those security cameras they had installed?" Rebecca nodded. "They were recording all their illegal activity. Every one of the SSMC who stepped foot in that house to act as muscle or a guard is going away for a very long time."
Her eyes widened again at that information. "Seriously, everyone who worked in that house?" She asked.
"Yeah, every one of them, and the investigations will pick up the stragglers who didn't work in the house and focused on other stuff for the gang. Plus, some of them will flip and rat out the others for a reduced sentence. It's inevitable. The SSMC is done. The ones who haven't been arrested by the end of the week will run and get picked up in some other city in a few weeks or months. And having no crew on the street is going to make Jimmy one of the ones begging to blow others for protection."
Rebecca didn't look like she fully believed it. She sighed heavily. "The really insane thing about all of this is that I miss the guy I dated that first week," she started crying again as Sarah sat quietly and held her hand.
After several minutes, Rebecca seemed to gather herself and asked, "Why do you want to buy my strip mall?"
Sarah paused. "Rebecca, we don't have to talk about that now. It can wait. All I ask is that you let us lease the empty storefronts and have the right of first refusal on any additional units that become available."
Rebecca shrugged. "I seriously don't care one way or the other at this point. All of my properties are mortgaged into oblivion and that one is one of the worst. You can buy it or lease it or burn it down. With all this other shit that's going on, I can't deal with the black hole of debt my Uncle left me. I loved him and he was a really great substitute dad, but he sucked as a businessman," she laughed softly as she wiped at the wetness on her cheeks.
Sarah made a decision to trust her instincts. She honestly felt that Rebecca was a victim in all of this. "Remember how I told you I called you because I wanted to negotiate with you?"
"Yeah."
"Like I said before, at first I thought you were playing hardball to drive the price of the complex up. I figured your cousin had told you that the FBI was going to need access to the bomb shelter underneath the property and that you could use that to your advantage, try to drive the price up."
Rebecca actually smiled a little. "Yeah, and that's probably exactly what I would have done, but I wouldn't have shut you out. I would have come at you with a ridiculous number, then let you negotiate me down to something more reasonable, but still way over market value."
Sarah winced. "Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to avoid, which is why I came up with a different idea."
"I'm open to ideas, but selling one property isn't going to change much. The whole portfolio is basically on fire," Rebecca admitted.
"So this portfolio you referred to, it's made up of twelve separate properties that under normal economic circumstances would be worth about forty million dollars, is that accurate?" Sarah asked.
Rebecca looked impressed. "You do your homework," she said. "Yeah, that's pretty much right on the nose. But the economy is killing the value of the properties. Current market value is around twenty-seven million, but my debt load is thirty million."
"Well, if you're open to the idea of centralizing all of the properties under one entity, I have a way to get you a single loan for every property at two points under prime for five years, using appraisal values from last year."
Rebecca looked completely stunned as her mouth fell open. After several long seconds she finally asked, "Is your method of negotiation to always offer your opponent a winning lottery ticket?"
Sarah laughed and said, "Well, this will be my first real negotiation, so if that's what it looks like to you, then I suppose the answer is yes."
Rebecca looked suspicious for a moment. "What happens after five years?"
"The rate can adjust upwards up to one point per year for five years, but can never go higher than one point over prime."
"And to get this deal, all I have to do is sell you that one strip mall at market value?" she asked.
"Well, I told Nancy I could have three million in escrow by the end of business. I would stand by that offer, though I think it might be slightly higher than market value given your occupancy ratio."
"Uh, yeah it is. Three mill would cover my nut on that one. I could walk away clean," she admitted. "So Agent Walker-"
"Call me Sarah, please. I think we're a little past formalities," Sarah said.
Rebecca smiled. "So, Sarah, not only do you show up last night and save my life, you also show up today to give me a deal that will save my business as well?"
Sarah shrugged. "Last night I was doing my job. And this deal may or may not save your business. That's really up to you."
"Maybe, but it makes saving it possible. I mean holy shit, it will save me over eight hundred grand a year," she said, sounding a little awestruck. "Sarah, yeah, I accept that offer. Hell yeah, I accept that offer," she said with a laugh.
"I would ask that we take possession of the empty storefronts right away, then take over the building once the money is in escrow and your loan is confirmed. I should be able to push this all through on Monday. We would become the agent on record. I would probably want to retain your management company to oversee the day-to-day stuff."
Rebecca didn't hesitate. "Agreed, no problem," she said quickly.
"I would also stipulate that you not tell anyone about the deal or how it came about," Sarah said.
"Again, no problem."
Sarah held out her hand, "Rebecca Wright, we have a deal," she said.
Rebecca laughed again. "Fuck yeah we do!" She said, shaking Sarah's hand vigorously.
Sarah found herself enjoying Rebecca's company and stuck around for a while longer, talking to her about various things; growing up in Bel Air with an Uncle who was quickly burning through his own inheritance, going to UCLA. Sarah learned that her aunt and cousin actually inherited the house they all lived in together, which was the gem of the holdings as it was mortgage free and valued at around eight million dollars. Sarah found herself genuinely liking the woman. She had a sharp wit and quick laugh even given the situation she found herself in. When Sarah realized she'd been there for a couple of hours she was surprised.
"Hey, why don't you call your cousin to come get you. I'll talk to the doctor about getting you discharged," Sarah said.
"Sounds good to me," Rebecca said, sounding relieved.
"And Rebecca, I'm going to follow up on you to make sure you do two things, get your lawyer in front of this, and talk to a counselor. Preferably someone who specializes in trauma."
Rebecca nodded and started tearing up again as Sarah left to find her doctor.
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Sarah had called Chuck as she left the hospital to let him know she was going to grab some food on her own and run some other errands and he told her to take her time, that he was working on a surprise for her.
She heard the music as she got off the elevator and had a sneaking suspicion she knew where it was coming from. The music was muted, but it was almost as if there was a dance club somewhere nearby. It got progressively louder as she approached her door and as she unlocked and opened it she was surprised by how much the door had actually muffled the sound. She walked in and was stunned to see their furniture pushed up against the walls, with Chuck, Carina, Bryce and Morgan of all people, all dancing their asses off to the EDM music that could only have been Carina's choice. And had a light-ball been on the list of electronics that Chuck had bought? The interior lights were dimmed to their lowest setting and with the multicolored lasers and lights shooting everywhere, it totally felt like a dance club, if a rather empty one.
They all seemed to sense her presence at the same time. They looked at her and stopped dancing as if not sure what she would do. Then Chuck yelled out, "Holy shit, it's the Feds!" which had her cracking up. So she did the only thing that made any sense. She threw her purse on the kitchen island and started dancing her ass off too, with the rest of them joining in with her after just a few seconds.
She danced her way over to Chuck and gave him a huge grin as she danced around him. "Was this your idea?" She asked, talking just loud enough for him to hear her over the music.
He grinned and nodded as he jumped around, obviously enjoying himself tremendously. He danced over to a table and picked up an evening edition of the paper that had a headline 'LAPD Arrests SSMC!'. He leaned in to her and said, "Apparently no one has ever taken down an entire gang at once before in LA!" He then mouthed the words, "That was us!"
She nodded and smiled and just kept on dancing, losing herself in the music. She had a lot to be proud of over the last twenty-four hours. Over the last several days in fact, she felt good about how things were progressing. She decided to stop thinking about work and lost herself in dancing with her boyfriend.
She discovered that Carina had brought the ingredients for Margaritas and after a while they were all standing around the island drinking and talking, with even Morgan joining in the fray talking about the crazy things that people would do to retail sales staff, from the creative ways people tried to shoplift, to insane holiday shoppers.
At one point, Carina pulled Sarah off to the side. "I gotta hand it to you, Walker. Your orgasm machine is a skilled operator," she said with a sly grin and Sarah regretted using that phrase with her.
"Oh my God, Carina, please tell me you don't call him that where he can actually hear you?" Sarah pleaded.
"Please! Do you really think he'd mind?" She exclaimed. "But I admit, I'm impressed. You were right. The man has the skills to do the job. I'm woman enough to admit that I was wrong. I mean he hacked into the LAPD booking system like he was logging in to check his bank statement! I've worked with some seriously good DEA computer guys, and I've never seen anything like that." Carina said honestly. "And he kept his cool on the radio as we took down those dumb ass gangsters. I've seen recruits lose the plot on training missions with nothing on the line but a poor grade. This was a genuine field op against bad guys with guns. Admittedly incompetent bad guys with guns, but still."
Sarah couldn't help the swell of pride she felt. She hadn't really had the time to think too much about it, but while she could tell he'd been nervous about their plan, he'd kept his cool and stayed professional. He really had done a stellar job.
Out of the blue, Carina asked, "So how many have you had today?"
"Had what?" Sarah asked.
"Orgasms! Duh!" Carina said. "How many? Please tell me!"
Sarah pinched the bridge of her nose and reminded herself that Carina was probably her best friend, after Chuck. "Four?" Sarah said suddenly. "No, five. It was definitely five. And three of them genuinely made me question the nature of reality."
"Uhg, now I wish I didn't know," Carina said sulkily. "I need another margarita."
Sarah had a long held belief, supported by years of personal observation, that excessive alcohol consumption in no way changed who a person was, it merely lowered their guards so that their true self was revealed. People weren't angry drunks or violent drunks or sad drunks. They were those things all the time, they just had a lid on it while sober that slipped off when they drank.
She watched Chuck consume an impressive number of margarita's, and saw him become more openly friendly, more gregarious, more animated, but still thoughtful and attentive with other people. He became less shy and self-conscious and it came across as him being ever so slightly more self-confident, more in tune with his natural charisma. She thought it was hot as hell. Sarah found herself wanting him so badly she could barely contain herself. Every now and then she would catch him looking at her and saw that glint in his eye that told her he was thinking the same thing. She saw that reverence that made her feel like a goddess.
She eventually realized that she didn't care if everyone left or stayed and crashed on the furniture. She just walked up to Chuck and started kissing him. She could feel his desire pouring off of him. This was her home and if she wanted her man, by God she would have him. She eventually looked up at everyone and said, "We're going to bed. Spare bedroom is in there with extra blankets in the closet, that loveseat is a full size hide-a-bed and that couch is very comfortable. You guys can crash here or whatever. We'll see you later." She then raced up the stairs with Chuck where they proceeded to attack each other with a ferocity that rivaled their very first night together.
It was close to midnight when Sarah picked up her phone and texted a new number to Carina, who texted back saying, "Now you're just being mean."
The next morning they had to get up early to pick up Ellie and Awesome and take them to a small local airport where a helicopter was waiting to fly them to Carmel for their weeklong getaway. Chuck had also arranged for a rental car to be waiting for them at the airport in Carmel.
As they were brushing their teeth Chuck had a thoughtful expression on his face. "What's going on in that big brain of yours, Chuck?" Sarah asked around a mouthful of foamy toothpaste.
He laughed. "Nothing terribly deep or enlightening," he said. "I was just thinking that this is the first morning we didn't immediately jump each other's bones."
Sarah held her hair back as she bent over and spit in the sink. "I would have thought I jumped your bone enough yesterday," she said with a grin.
"Oh, my God, you just can't help yourself, can you?" he asked as he blushed.
"It's just so much fun to watch a person change colors like that," She said giggling. "Besides, in all honesty, I need a little recuperation time," she grimaced a little. "My lady parts are a little sore."
Chuck's eyes went wide as he looked at her. "Are you saying I've hurt you?" He asked in a concerned voice.
"Don't freak out, Chuck," she said giggling again. "I was an active participant in all the activities that led to this particular set of consequences and I wouldn't change a thing. Not one damn thing." She leaned up and kissed him softly.
"Well, I know I wouldn't either, but I find myself wanting to... you know... kiss it and make it better," Chuck said with a lascivious grin. It was Sarah's turn to blush crimson as Chuck giggled and said, "You're right, it is fun to watch a person change colors. Like you're an embarrassed chameleon!"
"Oh, I'll get you back, don't worry," she said, poking him in the ribs.
He smiled and said, "I know, but totally worth it."
Sarah had arranged with the Audi dealer to drop off her car the evening before to have some upgrades installed and got a larger four-door sedan as a loaner. It was actually the car that Chuck had fallen in love with but couldn't bring himself to spend the money on.
"What's up with this?" he asked as he slipped into the passenger seat.
"There's some options I decided I wanted for my car, so I got this one as a loaner. And we needed a sedan today to pick up Ellie and Awesome, so it worked out."
"Mm-hm," he said suspiciously.
"What, it's a nice car! I like it too!" She said defensively.
He sighed longingly. "Yeah, it is nice."
Awesome was impressed as well as he and Sarah loaded bags into the trunk while Chuck helped Ellie close up the apartment. "Nice wheels."
"It's just a loaner," Sarah said with a smile. "Chuck is afraid Ellie would lose it if he spent this much money on a car."
Awesome actually grimaced a little at that. "Sarah, Ellie actually feels really embarrassed about how she reacted with the whole money thing. She has a hard time letting go of how hard they had it growing up. She knows he's a responsible adult who can spend his own money however he wants."
Sarah nodded and said, "Tell Ellie it's fine. Chuck has a lot of the same issues with money that Ellie does. He thinks Ellie would disapprove but ultimately he's the one who doesn't want to spend the money. I mean for a long time he's been making less than thirty grand a year. Having money is new to him and he wants to be smart. If it hadn't been for you guys buying all the food, he would have really struggled. I'm not sure how he got buy even with you guys buying all the food. He's told me how much he appreciates it."
Awesome chuffed and looked embarrassed. "It's all good. We knew he'd figure his stuff out eventually and it was fun having him around. It's been strange this past couple of weeks without him," Awesome admitted.
Sarah smiled and said, "Well, he's mine now, you can't have him back."
Awesome laughed. "We'll see if you still feel that way when your badass new apartment is overrun with comic books and computer parts!"
"Is it weird that I'm actually looking forward to that?" Sarah asked with a giggle. "I mean, I see it here at your apartment, the random action figures on display, science fiction novels on the shelves and comic books on the tables. It's just so him, you know. I want that at our place. It would feel strange without it."
Awesome looked at her and shook his head. "It's a little creepy how perfect you two are for each other. Is that what Ellie and I look like?"
"Maybe, but I look at you guys and think 'relationship goals' because you two are so perfect together, even after almost, what? Ten years?"
Awesome looked up at Ellie and Chuck as they were walking towards them, Chuck carrying one final bag. The look on Awesome's face confirmed it for Sarah. It was a softer version of how Chuck looked at her and it made her warm inside.
"Yep, almost ten years, and I can't wait to see what the next ten have in store, then the next ten, and so on," Awesome said quietly, almost to himself.
Sarah couldn't resist. "Chuuuck," she yelled as he and Ellie approached. "Awesome is making googly-eyes at your sister!"
"Gross, dude!" Chuck complained. "You know the rules, not when I'm around! You've got a whole week for that, bro!"
Awesome laughed. "Sorry, bro, can't be helped!" He shouted. Ellie blushed but also looked very happy.
As they got to the car, Ellie stood up on her tiptoes and kissed him. "Don't ever stop with the googly-eyes. Ever," she said softly.
"Ok, guys, you'll have plenty of time for all that. Let's hit it!" Chuck said rubbing his hands together as he got in the car. Ellie and Awesome shared the back seat as Sarah drove.
"Can you tell us now where we're going?" Ellie asked.
"You're going to Carmel, we told you already," Chuck said sarcastically, earning a smack in the head.
"Yeah, but you guys aren't driving us there are you? That would be nuts! It's like a five hour drive one-way!"
Chuck turned around and looked at Ellie, giving her a smirk. "We aren't driving you there, but it's a surprise… Just. Wait. And. See." Ellie stuck her tongue out at him.
"Hey Chuck, how's that plan for him to take over the Nerd Herd going?" Awesome asked, sounding genuinely curious.
"It's going well actually. Like I said, they were really gung ho about the idea from the outset. I've had several meetings with BM corporate this past week and we've gotten all the contract language ironed out. I have a lawyer reviewing it and if he signs off then we'll probably be signing the contracts tomorrow, and I'll be starting the pilot program the first of the month," he said.
"So you're going to have your own company and all the Nerd Herders will work for that company and not the Buy More," Ellie said it as a statement, but obviously was looking for confirmation.
"Correct," Chuck replied.
"And you're all going to continue to work at the same store and wear the same outfits and still be called the Nerd Herd."
"Correct," he repeated. "My company name is Nerd Herd Cubed, like the mathematical version, with a little three next to it when it's written out. I made a logo where the N and H form a three dimensional cube with the 'erd' on the top of the cube."
"Awesome, Chuck!" Awesome said, sounding impressed.
"And the Buy More pays your company the cash equivalent of all their salaries and medical insurance and other benefits, which you then pay to the crew. I don't get it, how is this beneficial for you?" Ellie asked.
"Well, corporate is actually paying me a lot more than those things you just mentioned. Substantially more," Chuck said. "So much more that I'm not allowed to say the number."
"Why would they do that?" Awesome asked.
"So think about how wacko my team is for a minute, how they work harder at not working than anything else. Anna is fairly diligent, and Chip is good, but Jeff and Lester are a shit show, right?" Awesome laughed and nodded as Chuck continued. "And they influence the others into their shenanigans a lot of the time. But the really hysterical part is that even as bad as they are, my Nerd Herd team is considered one of the best in the entire Western Division. We have the best turn-around time, the most positive feedback and fewest number of complaints. So even running at something around twenty percent capacity, which is about where my group is at, we're still getting it done a lot better than other stores."
Both Ellie and Awesome looked dumbfounded as Chuck laughed and continued to explain. "I know, right? So just with that information, the guys at corporate think I'm some kind of genius, and it's really what opened them up to me being the one to help them revamp the Nerd Herd as an organization, starting with this pilot program. That and they all desperately want to fire the VP of the Nerd Herd division but it's all messed up corporate politics."
"But I still don't understand why they would pay you so much more than their current baseline," Ellie said.
"Well, if we were just looking at my store, they wouldn't be, but we had to aggregate out all the stores in the Western Division, and holy crap, it's costing them a fortune. Internal sexual harassment claims alone are costing them millions every year. It's crazy. And then there's the HR overhead, the training, the theft. I'm taking all that on," Chuck explained.
"So how does this benefit you though?" Ellie asked. "It doesn't really seem worth it."
"So the other piece of it is that I get to outsource the Nerd Herd. I can go out and find businesses that need support – any kind of support, computer, audio/video, network, server systems, software, whatever – and then use the Nerd Herd guys to do that work, and I get to keep ninety percent of that revenue, which I would use to improve their pay scale and benefits, as well as my own. Corporate gets ten percent, but they just take it off of what they're already paying me."
Awesome nodded and said, "That really is pretty cool Chuck. And if you billed out a lot of separate work for them, you could eventually be billing out at a point where Buy More corporate is getting their Nerd Herd teams doing the customer stuff for free. You know, when their ten percent share of all that extra work equates to what they're paying you, right?"
Chuck grinned and said, "That's the other part they tried to sneak past me. I built in a stop-loss clause. Buy More will always be on the hook for the Nerd Herders baseline salary and benefits, but that's still a huge win for corporate. I will of course pay the guys working for me a lot more, because I know that's part of their productivity problem, but at the end of the day, they will always make at least what they were making before."
"Bro, that's freaking genius!" Awesome exclaimed, putting his fist between the front seats, earning a bump from Chuck.
"Ah'thank you," Chuck said proudly, taking a little bow. "Yeah, overall I'm pretty proud of the whole concept. My concern is when I have to start taking over some of the other stores. Corporate wants a pretty aggressive ramp up schedule should the pilot program prove successful."
They continued to talk about Chuck's new enterprise and were completely shocked when Sarah spoke up, telling them they'd arrived at their destination. "Ok guys, we're here," she said. The helipad for the small airport had a separate parking area and the helicopter was only about a hundred feet away from them, the pilot standing there waved as they pulled up. "There's your ride."
Awesome had an expression of wonder on his face that made him look like a little boy. "Dude, we're taking a freakin' helicopter to Carmel? That's. So. Awesome!"
"Chuck… I mean… Just, wow, Chuck!" Ellie said quietly.
"It was actually Sarah's idea," Chuck admitted.
Ellie looked at Sarah and back at Chuck. "Both of you, thank you so much. Devon and I really needed this," she said with tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.
"You're welcome, sis," Chuck said with a smile. He and Awesome got out of the car and started pulling luggage out of the trunk.
Sarah turned in her seat and looked at Ellie. "When you guys go out for lunch, go to Brophy's Tavern and ask for Mandy. Tell her you're Chuck's sister, the guy who did the amazing Karaoke at the fish-fry two weeks ago. She'll remember. Tell her I told you about this amazing private spot on the beach but I wouldn't tell you where it was. I can't tell you because it's sort of Mandy's secret to share, not mine. But I'm sure she'll tell you, we had a great time and they all loved Chuck," Sarah said with a giggle. "He's so effing lovable."
"I've always known that and I've been baffled why the women I've tried to fix him up with couldn't see it," Ellie said.
Sarah nodded and said, "Don't fault them too much. Chuck was holding the idea of a relationship at arms length and he subconsciously sabotaged his dates to a certain extent."
"Thank you again, Sarah," Ellie said with emotion in her voice. "Now get out of this car so I can hug you properly."
Chuck and Sarah were leaning against the front of the car as they watched the helicopter take off after they said their good-byes.
"I gotta admit, I'm a little jealous of the helicopter ride. I took a tour around LA once years ago, but other than that I haven't been on one," Chuck admitted. Sarah glanced at him and saw something occur to him as he looked at her and a smile spread across his face. "I just remembered something we put a pin in," he said.
Sarah laughed. "I wondered when you were going to come back around to that."
"You said you once had to buy a small airplane to escape a hostile country," He said. "I asked if you were a pilot and you told me to focus on the topic at hand." Sarah nodded and bit her lip.
"You are, aren't you? You're a pilot?"
Sarah nodded again and shrugged. "Depending on the aircraft, flying is one of those use it or lose it skills, though, Chuck, and I haven't flown in a while. For example, I could fly that helicopter, but it would take some time to get back into the groove. It would be pretty terrifying for anyone else on board while I did."
"What about small airplanes, like the one you had to buy to escape wherever you were."
"Small airplanes are way easier than helicopters. A Cessna 172 is what I bought. One of the most ubiquitous little planes ever. Very easy to fly. For a pilot, flying one of those is like riding a bike; you never really forget."
"Can you teach me?" he asked.
"Well, I'm not an instructor, so I couldn't certify you, but yeah, I could teach you," she said with a smile.
He gave her that look that made her feel like she could walk on air. "Have I told you recently that you're the most amazing woman I've ever met?" Chuck asked. "And that I love you?"
Sarah felt the heat rise in her cheeks. "You're a smooth talker, Chuck Bartowski," She said. "And I love you, too." She bumped his shoulder with hers.
His smile made the corners of his eyes crinkle. "So, you want to help me pack up my old room and start moving my stuff over today?"
"There's nothing I'd rather do," she replied honestly.
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Post Script A/N: Did I make your eyes bleed and your ears wilt? No? Hmm. Challenge Accepted!