Badass

Badass - A Hannah Todd Story

Badass - A Hannah Todd Story

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This work is copyrighted by the author. All characters involved in sexual activity are eighteen years of age or older at the time of portrayal.

This is the continuing adventures of Hannah Todd. I would strongly recommend you stop reading this and go back and read at least some of "The Bridge" which provides the back story for most of the characters in this story. I know... it's 30 chapters and lots and lots of pages, but I and a small handful of folks think it's pretty good. I have tried to provide some of the history of the characters so that you can feel like you are getting the full story just by reading Badass. So proceed as you wish. And, bad or good, your feedback is always welcome.

Badass - Part Ten

Badass - Part Ten

When I got downstairs at seven-thirty, Linnie was in the kitchen with Bertha having a cup of coffee and one of Bertha's famous scones.

"Ladies, how are my two wisest advisors on this inauspicious day?"

"Getting ready for the onslaught of your children at breakfast." Bertha said. "Aggie, Becca and Holly are getting the big ones ready for school. The babies will follow."

"Do you think I have time for a cup before they come charging downstairs?"

"Probably not, but you can get a running start." And Bertha poured me a cup and slid it across the kitchen island table. Black, as usual.

About five minutes later, the kids started trickling down, starting with Georgie, who was escorted by a smiling Lizzie. Then the girls sashayed in, all dressed in their little uniforms. Georgia was her bright and cheery self, and Celeste was engrossed in an audiobook that was playing through her earbuds.

After spending about fifteen minutes with the big kids, I went up to check on Holly, Aggie and Becca who were attending the twins. Little Elspeth would be dropped off by Mac before he left for work in his shop in Downingtown. He had left his job in construction and now dedicated himself to building furniture one hundred percent of the time.

I ventured back upstairs to see my babies and bumped into my Holly, who gave me a big kiss and thanked me for sharing my confidences with her last night. I asked if she wanted to share a shower this morning, and she obliged me. It was the best shower in a dog's age. My back has never been so clean. And my dearest Holly went on to prove thatneitherof us were completely straight. Not yet, at least.

With my short kimono on and my hair up in a towel, I ran downstairs with Holly, and kissed the kids goodbye as they departed for school. Dom was in the kitchen, cup in hand, and we both blushed when he saw me in my half-dressed state. So, when Alec and Ronnie left with the kids, I ran back upstairs to make myself presentable. Or did I mean to say impenetrable?

Linnie was already dressed and made up when I got upstairs, and she was talking to her housekeeper and nanny about the disposition of her kids. Lizzie was just getting into the shower.

When Holly and I got back downstairs a little before nine, Avi and Hoagie had shown up and were chatting with Bertha and Dom. Linnie and Lizzie followed soon thereafter. All this time I hadn't seen Duane as he was in the home office conferencing with some of his people at the Navy Yard.

Herman and Avi were up from downtown and just exiting their vehicle when Duane came downstairs, in his suit and tie, looking more dapper than any man should. I directed everyone to the big dining room so we could get started with our pre-meeting.

"Alright," I said from the head of the table. "Let's bring this meeting to order."

Bertha stepped forward and interrupted me. She's the only one who could. "Who is eatin' today? I've got a passel of scones and a bucket of batter for those who want pancakes or waffles. Y'all speak up or remain hungry."

Orders flew like grenades being flung from a foxhole. When this crew gets around Bertha, everyone eats. And everyone did. So, while Bertha performed her magic act, we just shot the shit for a while, ate and then got down to business.

"F.B.I.'s comin' to call, gang. They want to talk about Peacock. Both his hitting us and, I presume, us hitting him. Everyone at this table knows what happened on April 16th. Feel free to talk about it at this meeting. At the meeting with the feds, only Linnie and I do the talking. And maybe you, Duane. Everyone else is here for support. Understood?"

Everyone acknowledged his or her role. Then we discussed what happened on that fateful Sunday when Peacock's forces invaded my property. We talked about what we should say and what we shouldn't let on to the feds. We talked about what they could prove, and what they couldn't. We'd let them do the talking, and we would affirm or deny as we felt we should.

Hoagie had been quiet, so unlike him. He was doing what he does best, reading the room. But when things fell silent for a moment, he raised his hand and looked me straight in the eyes.

"Queen Bee, what about the battle over the Brandywine Battlefield? A burned-out vintage helicopter with its tail shot off and a bunch of dead and wounded guys dressed in black and armed to the teeth. Some of those guys got away. And nobody knows anything about that. And if they make the tie-in to Peacock's estate and what we did there, someone is fucked. That's what this meeting is about. Don't kid yourselves."

Hoagie's words cut me to the core. This is a man who sees things as they are. No rose-colored glasses for this guy. And he's right. This has to be our biggest concern.

"Hoagie's right." I said, with the sternest of looks on my face. "Duane, do we have flight plans for the birds? And has the Little Bird been scrubbed?"

Duane put his wrist up to his mouth. "Call June Jurgensen."

"Jurgensen."

"Juicy, it's Royce. Do we have flight plans for the two excursions with the Little Bird? What state is the little chopper in as it sits?"

"Yes, and it's being worked on."

"Explain that to me like I'm going to be visiting you in a couple of hours with the feds on my tail."

"We have a flight plan for the day of the defense of the house. If you will remember, it was us who called it in to the authorities as a flyby on a training mission. And the Alpine raid was a flight up the Hudson River. A follow-up to the incomplete training flight. Alpine is right there on the river. Can't miss it. Remember, we were called back to the house to contribute to the defense of your property the day we took down the big Huey."

"Excellent. And the state of the helicopter?"

"We just got her sanitized and repainted. We have a crew washing her down now with the power washers. We patched up about a half dozen holes. Nothing critical. Thanks for the weekend. Gave us a chance for the paint to dry."

"Great job, Juicy. Are the guns and missile mounts stored away?"

"You betcha. And the live ammo is hidden away off site."

"Stick around at the airfield. I may be bringing around company."

"Until you say differently, I'll be right here. And Ronnie was driving the kids today, but he'll stop around here once they are set in the classroom. He said he wanted to do a final run through."

"That's our Ron. Nothing if not efficient. And meticulous. Stay vigilant in the event the feds send someone out to the airfield without us."

*CLICK*

"When they bring up the hit on Peacock's property and the similarities to the hit on us, how are we going to handle that?" Avi asked.

"Like we don't make the connection," I said. "It was all over the news for an entire cycle, so everyone knows about it from that point of view. Any further speculation on our part, in their eyes, would only make them observe us that much more closely. I think it's a great time to be vague."

Everyone at the table agreed. Even Hoagie, our resident skeptic. But he wasn't done.

"Hannah, we can't all be present at this meeting with the feds. They'll know something is up. This is overkill." As he waved his arm at everyone at the table.

Duane and I nodded to each other, and I took the lead.

"Right again, Hoagie. So, here's what we are going to do. You, Avi and Lizzie are going to be up in my office, in the videoconference room, monitoring the goings on. Duane and I will have earbuds in so we can receive your feedback, as you will be monitoring via our video and audio system. Duane, Herman and Dom will be there to provide muscle and a presence representative of what we do at RFS. Linnie, Duane and I will take the lead answering their questions. Using my supercell, I will contact Bertha, camped out in the kitchen, to provide a distraction or a disturbance in the questioning if need be. Got that, Bertha?"

From the kitchen comes the voice of the center of my universe. "Yes, missy. I got scones, and I know how to use them."

Bertha joined us in the dining room, coffee carafe in hand, and listened in on our plan. None of this was new to Bertha. Nobody knew more about the goings-on within this house or our enterprises, all of them, than Bertha.

"Queen Bee," Domingo asked. "What if they bring more agents? Or a SWAT team?"

"Good call, Dom, but Duane has taken care of that. You probably noticed we've doubled the guard, and Juicy and Caroline are on standby if we need air support."

"You think of everything, don't you?"

"I hope so, Dom. For all our sakes."

"How about me?" Holly asked.

"Holly, you are on babysitting duty throughout this meeting. I don't want you coming downstairs unless I call for you. And then, all you know is that you and the kids were stuffed into our bunker and were locked down for the duration of the assault of the property. That is true, so there is nothing to tell but what happened to you. As it stands, you can tell them far less than the police report. With regard to Peacock, tell them nothing you didn't learn from the news. Not that you know any more at this point. Under no circumstances will you tie the raid on us to the raid on him. Let the feds figure that out themselves."

"I'll do whatever you need me to do, Hannah. I'll hang out with the babies. They should be napping at that point. And Aggie will be with me. She's upstairs with them now. Becca will be taking off today and heading down to West Chester and her place."

Duane and I placed our earbuds, and the upstairs crew took their places. Holly with the kids and the rest in the videoconference room where they could listen to all we were saying.

----------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------

At ten after eleven, a large SUV pulled into the driveway and were announced to us by our vigilant welcoming committee. Two agents, who happened to be part of our commando squad, made sure to stop and identify the four people in the car. Four? I was expecting three. Regardless, by Duane's orders, all four were permitted up to the house.

Two men and two women exited the car. Along with Davante and the two agents from Washington, was Harley Tanner, someone at this point, I considered a frenemy. Davante, Duane's brother, and the head of Division down at the Federal Building, was crushing on her, but I just couldn't bring myself to trust her. Not yet. Especially not now.

On more than several occasions I had spent time with Harley on a social basis, and we would hug when we met. Today, however, was definitely a handshake occasion. She was not cold, but definitely presented as cool. I was the consummate professional.

Davante introduced us all to Carlotta Russo and Leo Herbert, the two special agents from D.C. We all shook hands and took our seats. Mine, at the head of the dining room table. Behind me stood Domingo, like the rock he is, guarding over me like a mother hen over her beloved chick. Linnie sat on one side of me and Duane the other.

The four feds sat at the other end of the table, but it was not Davante sitting at the foot of the table, but Carlotta Russo. It appeared it was her party, and I welcomed that it was a woman opposite me for these talks. It was she who got the ball rolling.

"Miss Todd, what do you know about a man known as Deacon Peacock?"

Good. Right to the point. No shuffling around, no foreplay. Right to it."

"Not very much, I'm afraid. Only what I've heard on the news. It sounds like he's been busy lately."

"Well, he is suspected of several home invasions, both in the area, including the one at this very property."

"So, you are saying this Mr. Peacock is responsible for our home invasion. The one where we kicked their asses."

"From all the reports, it appears your people did an amazing job."

"You know this was the second time this property was hit."

"We do, and we think it was the same outfit both times."

"Peacock?"

"Yes, or his underlings. We also understand they hit one of your neighbors, the Tuttlehills."

"Who happen to be our clients. RFS repelled that attempt as well. What can you tell me about this Peacock? Will he strike again, or do you have him in custody?"

"We don't have him in custody, but we believe his organization is broken. But I can't guarantee that."

"So, what brings you to my door? Are you offering me protection? Or do you have information that would help us to avert yet another strike by this evil guy?"

"Frankly, Miss Todd, we don't know where this guy is. We think he may have fled the country or is trying to do so. We were hoping you might have some information leading us to him."

"Please, Agent Russo, if I knew where he was, you'd already have him."

Boy, that was a lie. A big one. Someone's nose is gonna grow today.

"It appears, Miss Todd, that Mr. Peacock's property in North Jersey suffered a similar invasion, and now the man is missing. Many people were killed, and some were found zip-tied on the property, including Mr. Peacock's force of bodyguards. We're just trying to figure this all out and thought you might have some insights as you went through the same experience."

"I'm not sure I understand. If Peacock was the one who ordered the hit on my property, who ordered the hit on his? He certainly didn't invade his own property."

"No, but there are striking resemblances to the two invasions. Much of the same ammunition was used on both invasions, and it appears that aircrafts or drones of some sorts were used in both attacks. We found that along with the 223 Remington,.45 caliber and.9 mm bullets, 7.62x51mm bullets and shells consistent with those used in the airborne mini guns cropped up. Most unusual."

Duane chimed in. "It sounds like your Mr. Peacock must have escaped by chopper and laid down fire to cover their departure. Did his property have a landing pad for a helicopter?"

"As a matter of fact, it did," Agent Herbert chimed in. But we believe the Huey helicopter we found burned out and barely recognizable on the Brandywine Battlefield not far from here was the chopper that belonged to Peacock. It was a relic of wars long past but said to have been in good working order. Our investigators found records of such at the property. We got a partial tail number from the Huey, and it appears to be a match."

"Yes," I said. "I recall hearing about it on the news. A big chopper and a hand full of dead people."

"Yes, Miss Todd. We believe it was brought down by a surface to air missile of some kind. Our analysts think it's a stinger missile of some sort, fired by an individual on the ground."

"Some of us think it was already on the Huey and it exploded while the copter was flying toward your home. We believe the crew of the chopper was heading to your house and was preparing to attack the house with the missile when something went wrong and it exploded in the air bringing down the helicopter. We expect it exploded on impact with the ground, and there wasn't much left of it by the time the fire company got to the battlefield."

Well, so far they are wrong on all counts, and nobody is talking about Juicy and her Little Bird yet. But it's not time to relax just yet. Linnie decided to ramp up the tension. Just a bit.

"Tell me, Ms. Russo, what is it you expect to accomplish with this visit? Linnie asked.

"Well, Mrs. Lawrence, frankly we are hoping you could help us in our pursuit of Deacon Peacock, or whatever his name is. Thus far we have several aliases for the man, but he has been operating for the past couple of years under the name Peacock. However, we believe his name is Deacon Dove."

"Dove, huh?" I said. "How unfitting a name that is. What do we know about Deacon Dove?"

"Dove has a long rap sheet." Agent Herbert said. "Lots of arrests, but no convictions. Dove is said to have died several years ago in a plane crash, but no body was ever recovered or identified. Unfortunately, though, we have nothing to match his DNA to. If we can catch him, it will do a lot to figure this guy out."

"I'm getting the impression you have no idea where this guy is. I thought you guys were supposed to be the premier investigators in this country. I'm more than a little disappointed, Davante."

"We'll get him, Hannah. We're looking at every possible escape route he could have taken. We are monitoring everything from buses to private planes. We believe he is being assisted by another or his lieutenants, a man named Dieter Rose."

"I know Rose, Davante. I've done business with him. He's tied up with Peacock?"

"Yes. His property was also hit, and he disappeared as well. Some of us think he is running some sort of underground railroad to help his brothers in crime escape our grasp."

"Looks like it's working so far. But again, why are you here? Why me? I don't get it. Do you think these people are planning to hit me again?"

"Hardly likely," Russo said. "I expect after the hit on Peacock's property, Rose's property and the retail establishments of two of his associates, all of whom you've had business with, you must have something to tell us about these people."

"Am I hearing an accusation?" Linnie said. "You people are getting very close to being out of line. I won't stand for it. I'm thinking this meeting is over and..."

"No, Linnie," I said. "These people are just trying to do their job. And I must admit we've got more than a few coincidences to deal with. Quite frankly, I'd like to see if we can help them get to the bottom of all this. It could do nothing but help us. Tell me, Agent Russo, how many of these people are out there with a possible vendetta against me? I think RFS and the rest of us should do everything in our power to help these folks. What do you think, Duane?"

"Hannah, you know I support Davante and his efforts and I'm more than happy to put the full weight of Royce Field Services at his disposal until these perpetrators are caught. But we are not investigators, we are defenders of people and property. I'm all for helping the F.B.I., but we are a defensive force, not an offensive one." Now there's Duane's nose growing.

Ms. Russo took exception. "Well, Mr. Royce, it appears that a lot of the people involved were military vets, and a lot of your bodyguards are veterans, and many of the bodies and prisoners we identified were veterans. And they all seemed to be wearing the same uniforms."

"Not our guys." Duane said, knowing our people rarely wore black fatigues when we knew the other guys were. "When you interviewed our people at this property, I can assure you they were all in olive drab, or dressed for their particular home assignments. Tell me, either of you, if any of our people interviewed here on the property was wearing black."