Lullaby (Jerod's Third Tale - Part 3)

The day Ted arrived while I was eating lunch. “Right, here are the tickets. Business class all the way.” Ted waved around a small envelope.

“And here is a laptop for you to use.” He laid a small computer down on the desk, placed the envelope with the tickets next to the laptop and sat down to demonstrate it.

“Ted, we could buy a computer.”

“Not like this baby," Ted explained with a grin. "I started with the best laptop on the market. I have everything set up, best security systems I could get. I’ve preconfigured email and the SimBrowser to automatically use secure encrypted connections.”



I sighed, “Translation please.” I use computers on the rare occasion that I have to use them. Ted lives and breathes computers. He always forgets the rest of the world doesn't share that passion.

“You just use it. It’s set up to be secure from the moment it comes on. And,” his voice went serious, “I expect you to use this computer and only this computer to contact me.”

Tania had entered the room in time to hear that last. “Will you be keeping an eye on things here? Can I email you about the kids?”

“Tania, would I abandon my goddaughter at a time like this? Her parents will be away on holiday. You can expect daily emails.”

---

The first day in Champs Les Sims was a good day to get a feel for the town. Take in a few sights, try out some local food, shop a bit. Plus it would be my chance to arrange the meeting with the contact for sometime tomorrow. I've traveled enough to know that I do not want to arrange a meeting on the first day. It takes time and sleep to be at your best after a long flight.

Our first stop was the bistro at the centre of town. It wasn't a big place but it really is quite charming. I hope I can my business out of the way quickly so we have plenty of time to spend checking everything out.

Our second stop was the nectary. A lovely place with free sampling of some of the nectar. It's a good strategy, I think I will be taking home a few bottles.

"Tania, what would you like to do tomorrow? The museum, try your hand at making nectar, a lazy day in the lodge?"

Her eyes narrowed. "I was planning to spend all day every day with you. So what were your plans?"

"Well, I was thinking to start at the museum and then attend a little business meeting. That's going to be dull as anything so I expect you to do something a bit more fun."

"Oh no you don't. You are not attending meetings, or at least not without me." Damn, that was the easy option for both of us.

I smiled at her. "Let's go explore some more." I leaned forward to whisper, "Let's find somewhere better to chat."

I had noticed a small campground on our way out to the nectary. A tent, a toilet block and no other cover. I had a look in the tent and toilets before I returned to chat to Tania. I have a natural aversion to plotting if others might be listening.

"Tania, my sweet, I was afraid you'd feel that way." I closed my eyes, concentrating on phrasing the next bit. "There is really only one way that I'd take you along. You'd have to go as my protection and to do that, you are going to have to convince me that you can be a bad-arsed bastard."

One eyebrow shot sky high, "Excuse me?" Tania sounded rather ticked off.

"Sorry, should have said bad-arsed bitch instead." The eyebrow reached new heights. "Seriously, sweetie, this sort of meeting only has two types of people attending. The negotiators and the people they need to feel safe. You couldn't go as the negotiator, you aren't devious or evil enough."

"A negotiator has to be devious or evil?"

"It may require shameless lying, complete misdirection, and a willingness to do whatever it takes to come out ahead. You are simply too good to be able to be effective as a negotiator for the company. Being protection, on the other hand, is very straight-forward. You just have to be able to convince people that you are one tough bitch and messing with you is asking for a world of pain."

"Could you stop saying that word?"

"Bitch? In this case, no. You also have to willing and able stand the assault of god fucking damn bitching cocksucking language because that might be the way things go down." Poor Tania was wincing. "On the other hand, if you can hide your natural reactions, I think you could do it."

Tania was looking at me very sceptically. I continued, "Now this one is just a meeting with a supplier. He won't be expecting me to bring along anyone but he probably won't argue either. You do not say anything during the meeting, you just have to give off vibes that say if someone messes with those you protect, there will be blood on the floor before it's over. And that is a matter of attitude. If you can convince me that you have the attitude, I'll tell the supplier I'm bringing my protection. Do you still want to try?"

Tania started pacing around. "You think I can do it?" She finally turned to me to ask. "How on earth could I convince anyone?"

"I told you, it's all in the attitude. Let me demonstrate." I started slowly walking concentrating on my feelings. Disdain for people in general, hatred of those who would stop me, wanting to cause pain to those who annoy me. My walk changed to slow deliberate strides, my breathing deepened and I felt a contempt for everything else that walked the planet. I could crush someone if I wanted, I just needed to work out who.

Holding hard onto that ball of anger and contempt, I walked back to Tania without a word. When I was still two strides away, she backed up a step. I halted. "Shrimp? Woah, I can't believe it." I took another step in Tania's direction. She instinctively stepped back one step.

I stood there for another minute, glaring at a spot just beyond Tania's shoulder. Then I exhaled, allowing the feelings to dissipate with my breathe. "It's all just attitude, nothing more. If you make yourself believe you are deadly and dangerous, you'll appear that way to others."

"I don't know, Shrimp. Me feel that dangerous?"

I reached into a bag I had brought along. "When you are angry enough, you do feel dangerous to be near. But in your case, a few props might help you get in the mood." I had bought her clothes that would suit the role of an enforcer. Well, I hoped they'd suit.

"Jerod, you didn't need anything." Tania protested as she examined the clothes. "And this stuff is just so not me."

"Sweetheart, I've been able to turn on that attitude since I can remember. By the time I was in school, I could definitely intimidate the bigger kids when I wanted to or felt I needed to. I was even one of the school bullies, but that's about the time my dad stepped in. My dad didn't approve of bullying though I was targeting bigger boys and not smaller ones." And not even my dad knew that my worst and best was after my little brother started dating a guy. A couple of the school bullies started harassing them but I put a halt to that.

I gave Tania a gentle push toward the toilets. "Now you go change. When you come out, think about the day in your life that made you angriest, the most frustrated. Remember the anger and let that determine how you walk."

It seemed to take Tania an unusually long time to change. I was just getting ready to collect her when I heard the distinct sound of her new boots headed this way.

She strode toward me, those boots sounding out a rhythm of anger against the hard ground. Her eyes narrowed, "You," she growled.

I love to live dangerously. "Me?" I smirked. She took another step in my direction and it took all my self control not to step back. "Tania, think about how you've just walked up to me. The attitude, the rhythm, the movement. Once you can do that at will, you'll be set for this."

She blinked twice and my lovely Tania returned to normal. "Shrimp, that felt amazing."

"You were doing it right then. I have one more thing for you." I handed her a box.

She quickly had that box open. "Knives?"

"More specifically, throwing knives. Quiet, small and potentially deadly. You should carry some sort of lethal weapon if you are an enforcer. Guns are a more certain way to kill someone but a good knife carries its own respect." I spent the next 15 minutes teaching Tania what I'd learned from the guy who sold me the knives. It was the basics of pulling one from the sheath, holding it right, and how to throw it. One lesson wasn't enough to develop an accuracy with the knives but it was enough to get Tania used to them.

"Tania, do you really still want to come?"

My lovely wife frozen in place for a minute, facing away from me. When she turned and started to walk toward me, I already knew her answer. It wasn't as much a walk as a stalk. She stopped and held one of those new knives a couple of inches from my left eye. "You are not leaving me behind now, mister."

"Damn, you are sexy as all hell when you do that." I gently pushed the knife to one side. "You do know that I adore you."

"And?"

"Well, unless the guy has a serious problem with me bringing my favourite enforcer, you are coming."