Desperado (Jerod's First Tale - Finale )

Finally, the night of the finals. Marta was wearing a suitably short dress to distract any real security dudes we happen across. She claims it won't work if they happen to be girls but with that skirt, I don't know about that.

She tested the level of distraction by lifting Ted's phone before we got in the car. She gave me the nod that she'd got her target.

Yeah, I asked her to do that. If there is one thing I'm certain of, it's that Ted cannot be trusted.

Sinbad and I had rented security outfits. I think the uniform suits me.

It wasn't until we were in the car and on the move that Ginger finally found out this is the real heist. He wasn't exactly happy to find out that all of his plans were useless.



It did take Bad and I some time to pull off the heist. We waltzed in, just some hired muscle to take care of the money. The girl selling tickets let us into the ticket office without any question, she had been waiting for the security team to arrive.

We got there in plenty of time to watch the eager fans pay good money for their seats to watch the finals. A lot of fans. Most impressive.

The queue of people for tickets finally dried up a few minutes after the game started.

"You a fan?" I asked the local girl selling tickets.

"Oh yes, I love the Llamas."

"You should go in, it's the last game. Give yourself a treat."

"But what if someone else wants in?"

"My partner and I can handle the money for you." Bad nearly blew it by snickering.

"Really? The Llamas have such a good chance this year."

"Really, kiddo. Get in there."

She disappeared into the stadium, then we disappeared with the cash. Sweet and easy as that.

We counted the cash at our place. About 60,000 simoleons of cold hard cash. That's 30,000 for the company, 15,000 for me, 5,000 each for Sinbad, Marta and Ted.

"Damnit man, why did you tell me it was the City Hall?"

"Ginger, can you look me in the eye and say there were no cops hanging around City Hall tonight at 9:30?"

"Hell, man," he started.

"Don't bother lying, I know. There were four cops waiting."

"But I made sure that the reports weren't filed on the computer."

"Ginger, not all of us depend on computers to retrieve information. The sooner you learn that, the better off you'll be." Bribery and friendship will get you information just as easily as any computer. "Hey, Marta, give Ginger back his phone." She handed over the instrument with a twinkle in her eye.

"Fuck, I thought I'd left it here."

"Couldn't take any chances of you telling the cops to the stadium was the target." Marta and Sinbad grabbed their share of the take and split.

Ginger and I eyed each other. "What the hell do you want, Shrimp? What's your next target."

"What I want right now is a drink. Let's go."

"So, Ginger, what are you after?"

"What you have and more. My own place, respect of the Company, your position." Sinbad was right. Ginger is a menace. He is so ambitious.

We drank. We were trying every drink in the bar. There is truth in alcohol, if you have enough of it.

"Ginger, you intend for me to be one of bodies you climb over to get to the top, yes?"

"Damn betcha I do. Gonna climb every mountain. Or in your case, mole hill."

"Knock off with the Shrimp jokes already. Or do you want me to hand you your ass again?" I shook my head. "Do you think that it ends?"

"Whasss?"

"The plots, the scheming, the backstabbing? Let's say that one of us comes up with the perfect scheme to remove the other one in a permanent fashion. Is that the end?"

"Coursshhe, tishh."

"Even if, say, I happened to find some secret of someone looking to climb over me. That I can persuade them to give up that ambition. While that might be enough for awhile...if someone else comes along, can I be sure they won't team up? Would you Ginger?"

"Would I swhhatt?"

"Team up to take a rival down?"

"If it getshh what I wantshh, yeah. I'd team up, beat up, date, whatever. I want to lord over puny mortalshhh. I want to prove that I'm shhooo musch better then they are."

I stared deep into the drink. Then drank some more. "It's never gonna end. In a year or three, another young ambitious punk comes along. You get him or her out of the way. And later, there will be another." I could see future wannabes. The ones with dark hair, the ones with no hair, weird accents. Some easier to deal with and others being downright deadly.

"Shhoooo? You deal with the punkshh ashh they come along."

"Nope, you do. I'm out. "

"Out?"

"Yeah, damnit, out. I don't want to spend a freaking lifetime watching my back. Watching my coworkers in case they are plotting. Wondering when the cops are going to catch up." I shook my head.

There was a sparkle in Ted's eye, "Shhhounds like a great chhhallenge."

"That might sound great to you but it's not for me. I want a good time. Parties, dancing, travel. Play gigs with the band. Paint more. Where you want to go? Never ending plotting to reach the top and stay there. You relax and you might die. No thanks." Ted has a driving ambition. He might make it.

I thought hard for another minute, this was going to burn the bridges. Then made the call to the Company office. "Just letting you know, I'm retiring from the Company. Yeah, I know, the talent is a bit short in this town. But that Ginger guy is your best bet for success for planning. Marta is your gal to keep the thieves in town in line."

"Yeah, Ginger will have your share of the take. I'm sure you can trust him to deliver it." I closed the cell phone.

Ted was still looking stunned when I started to walk out. "By the way, your plan for City Hall should work splendidly, if you could get all the stuff on your list. It is a bit elaborate, I'm not quite sure the Company will invest in armored helicopters or missile launchers just for you. Oh, and move your stuff out of my place. I'm not in the Company now."

----

There was one last thing I need to take care of. The most important one of all.

I spent what felt like hours, waiting for Tania to get off work.

"Shrimp?"

"Tania, I think you stole something when you left."

"Shrimp! How dare..."

"You stole a huge piece of my heart. I've been feeling - lost without you."

"Oh Jerod."

"I bought you a little something, so you might want to move back home and bring the rest of my heart."

Yeah, yeah, bite me.  I am going to ask Ms Goody Goody the old fashioned question in the old fashioned way.

"Ms Tania Kennedy, you have been the only woman I love. Would you move back home and marry me. Bring back that piece of my heart you carry forever more?"

"Yes, I've been hoping for ages you'd ask me."

"I am not the best guy for you though. You need someone good, like you."

"Is that what that was about? Your little hints for me to leave? Did you really think I didn't notice your job, the company you kept or where your donated money went?" Her smile changed, " Bad boys are definitely more fun. If it makes you feel better, Momma can spank her bad boy."

"Tania, I must have misheard. What did you just say?"

"I said Momma is going to spank her bad boy." Hmm, this could be very interesting.

"Bad boys bite." I demonstrated oh-so-gently on her neck.

"Do that again and Momma is definitely gonna be spanking you as soon as we get home."

I couldn't resist that charming invitation. This bite was just a little harder. I could feel a shiver go down her spine. "When are we going home? Cause I'm a very bad boy."

"Oh no you don't. You have to wait for your spanking. Momma needs some sugar first." The spanking can wait, it will be all the sweeter for the anticipation.

-----

So where to from here? I don't have a road map, just a vague idea to go 'Thataway'. There's the band, there's my art and there's Tania. We'll have parties, travel, and arguments. The arguments will still lead to our bed which will probably to some babies sometime.

I should watch my back until Ginger gets a decent rival to keep his brain ticking over. But I'm glad to be out of that business.

So this is a close to that part of my life. The future is just over the horizon, and I will have fun getting there.

The End

-----

Bonus pic

Another of Ted's floozies.

Honestly, Jerod, how am I to take you as a seriously evil dude when you paint stuff like this?

He does have some good expressions.

A Sim in love can look so awfully goofy sometimes.