I Want Her to Know What Love Is

In this chapter, attacks are made on the hookers getting out of the business and they're temporarily removed to Rooster's and Maya's houses. That can only be a temporary solution, so they decide to get some expert help from someone used to setting up shelters for abused women. This chapter is light on sex, and more on drama. My thanks to JohnnyGalt for his help. This is a copyrighted work, and not to be edited, rewritten, altered or published in any other location or in any other medium. ©Copyright 2025

I Want Her to Know What Love Is, Ch 22

I Want Her to Know What Love Is, Ch 22

More Trouble

More Trouble

I heard Tank and Preacher come in at midnight, and I went down to check on them.

"What's going on?" I asked. "I thought both of you would still be out. I wasn't expecting either of you to be back until tomorrow morning."

"Yeah, we all talked about that, but we figured if we treat these ladies like whores, that's the way they'd feel. We all decided just to go on dates, like regular dates, just to get to know one another and figure out if we like what we know. If we actually pair up and start going out with one person exclusively, we'll check out sexual compatibility then," Tank said.

"Tank's right. If we slept with all of them right away, we'd just be another john fucking them. This had to be different, if we want different results."

"Once again, you surprise me, boys. That's incredibly mature. Who thought of that?"

"Tank."

"Is at least some of the idea for keeping sex off the table, because you're hoping Shelly doesn't fuck anyone else until she decides if you're the guy for her?"

"Probably, but it makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Perfect sense. I think the ladies will love it."

"They already seemed to," Preacher said. ""I surprised Sharonda when I refused her, and she thanked me profusely with some passionate kissing."

"Yeah, Shelly did the same. She was surprised as hell that I didn't want to have sex with her."

I laughed, then patted both on the back. "Who are you dating tonight, Tank?"

"I set up a date with Sharonda."

"Get some rest, boys. I may need some help getting Hoán moved in."

"You're shitting me," Preacher said. "You're adding her to your harem?"

"Nope, housekeeper only. Turns out she's desperate to do anything not to be a whore, and doesn't trust men generally at the moment, so indicated she isn't likely to marry any of you fellows anyway, so I get a new housekeeper out of the deal, and we're allowing her son to move in here, so she can be a live-in."

"You really are a nice guy, Rooster," Tank said. "I'm proud to associate with you. See you in the morning."

"You bet. Night guys."

"Good night, Rooster," Preacher said.

I went to bed feeling pretty damn good about myself. Having the respect of men like Tank and Preacher went a long way.

Sonia and Bobbi sleepily opened their eyes when I got back to bed, but settled in nicely after I crawled in between the two of them.

******

Tank followed Ken and Barbara home in Bobbi's car, to make sure all was copasetic when they opened up. He helped with their luggage and the presents they received at Christmas, then returned with her car, and the three of us piled into the Genesis and headed to Hoán's to grab as much of her stuff as we could.

I met the elderly couple who she lived with, Stan and Mabel Hart, and I explained to them that I was hiring Hoán and wanted her to start as soon as possible.

"How much is her rent?" I asked.

"$500 monthly," Mabel said.

"I'm going to write you a check for $2000, covering four months rent. If you want to keep your apartment vacant from now on, I still want to thank you for giving her and her son a home for such a long time. She was pretty desperate when you took her in. Not everyone would do that. If you do manage to rent to someone else in desperate circumstances, and you think they might be able to use a little extra help, I want you to contact me, could you do that for me?"

"Of course. Thank you," she said. "This is awfully sweet of you."

"This is only money, of which I have a lot. What you did was sweet, and it might have saved her life. You're the good folks in all of this."

Mabel gave me a peck on the cheek, and we went about the business of moving Hoán's meager possessions into my vehicle.

"Let me know if you need anything else for you or Quý to be comfortable in your new home," I said to Hoán. "We'll get you situated and fed when we get you back to your new quarters."

"Thanks, Rooster."

As soon as we were home, Hoán's room was set up for her, and since Kenny and Kathryn were now gone, Quý picked the bed he wanted in the kid's room. We ate lunch, after which the other kids soon had him involved in their activities, while Benson went over Hoán's housekeeping chores with her, where all the cleaning and laundry supplies were, and she was soon hard at work doing whatever didn't interfere with any of the other activities in the house. From what I could see, she'd work out fine.

That afternoon, the Unit guys, me and my girls, and Ann worked out in the gym and in the pool, the kids joining us in the pool when they could be looked after. It felt like a real productive day. Around four, my two Unit buddies began getting ready for their next dates. They were going to Uber again.

Just as we were getting ready to sit down to dinner at six, I got a call from Preacher.

"What's up, Preacher Man?" I asked.

"I might need a really good lawyer, Rooster. I might have just killed a man."

"What the hell happened!"

"When I got to Cherry's, some low life was beating the hell out of her. I got so fucking pissed off, I trashed the asshole, Rooster. He may not make it."

"Can't Cherry explain what he was doing to her. Sounds like a clear case of you protecting someone else and maybe going a little overboard, but understandable under the circumstances."

"Maybe," Preacher said, "but Cherry's in a coma herself, and may not come out of it. I think the ambulance crew think I beat both of them. The police might feel the same. They're on the way now."

"Fuck! Okay, don't say anything to the cops but say you beat him because he was beating her. That's it, nothing else until an attorney gets there. I'm on the way. Does Tank know? Has he seen Sharonda yet? Is she okay?"

"I've got no idea. The only number I called was 911 for an ambulance, then yours."

"We'll handle that. We'll check on the others, too. Just sit tight and wait to hear from me or a lawyer, got that."

"Sure thing." He hung up.

"Sonia, call the other girls and see if anyone has tried to beat them up. Cherry was just beaten so bad she's in a coma. I want to make sure the others are okay. Do it now! Hoán, call your former place and make sure that elderly couple is okay. Tell them to call the police if anyone tries to break in, or they see anyone sneaking around outside. I'm going to call the other guys and Maya. Bobbi, copy this number down and call it. It's a good criminal attorney. Tell him we need his services. Find out from Sonia where Cherry lived, and send him to whatever police department has jurisdiction over her area."

"Minneapolis," Sonia quickly responded, then started making her phone calls, even as Hoán made hers.

"So, Minneapolis PD."

"Got it, Rooster."

I gave her the number and immediately started a group call with my other three unit buddies.

"Preacher just walked in on Cherry getting the shit kicked out of her, and beat her assailant half to death. She's in a coma and Preacher might get arrested. If you're not already with your date for tonight, get your ass there ASAP to ensure they're okay, then move them to Maya's so you can keep an eye on all of them. Call me if you have any trouble. I'll take care of Preacher, so you can do your shit. Who wasn't going on a date tonight?"

"Shelly," Tango said.

"Sonia's calling all of them now, but you can back up the call. Warn her, tell her to go to her parents or sisters immediately, like now. If she doesn't answer, after you pick up Sharonda, you can immediately check on Shelly, bring them all here."

"If she and the kids are hurt?"

"Do what you have to. I've got your back."

"They better not have touched anyone else," Tank said. "Fucking hell."

"Yes, Sarge. We've got it covered. Don't worry your pretty little head," Tango said.

"Thanks."

I called Maya next. "Preacher just walked in on his date for the night getting beaten to a pulp. I'm assuming Greg. Assume for the moment it was. Arm yourself, set your alarm and sit tight. Tango and Gomez are going to check on their dates, then move everyone to your place so they can watch all of you. They're the only ones you let into your house until you hear otherwise. I'm heading to Preacher now. He might get arrested. Bobbi and Benson have both handled weapons before, so I'm leaving them in charge here with the same restrictions. Don't fuck around with this."

"I won't."

"If Sandy was heading over, call her to cancel. No point in getting her mixed up. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Later."

I went to my gun safe, got out two automatics, a.40, which I gave to Benson, and a 9MM, which I gave to Bobbi. She was still on the phone with the lawyer's office, going through the after hours service.

"After I'm gone, lock up the house, set the alarm and gather all the kids in the Entertainment room. Go ahead and watch some movies or something until I get back. If anyone else enters the house but Tank or me, shoot them. Tank's got the code so he can let himself in. He'll warn you before he comes upstairs."

"Aye, aye," Sonia said. "Let's move this party upstairs. Benson, Mom, take care of the food, we've got the kids. Bring some snacks to feed us with."

"Yes, dear," Ann said.

"There's no answer at my old place," Hoán said.

"I'll stop by there on my way to Cherry's. Text me Cherry's address, Sonia."

"Will do, Rooster. Be careful."

I got my.45 from the gun safe in my bedroom and put on some cold weather clothes, leaving as soon as I was finished. I heard the alarm go on behind me. Somebody was going to pay for this shit.

******

I reached the old couples house and the front door looked busted in. I feared the worst, but it wasn't as bad as I imagined. They were still alive, just tied together, blindfolded with bags over their heads, gagged and scared as hell. They trembled when they heard me come in.

"Hey, it's Rooster Johnson, Hoán's friend from earlier. We got worried when Hoán called and you didn't answer your phone. I'm going to take off your blindfolds, take out your gags, then untie you, okay. Then I'm calling 911 and I want you to talk to the police when they get here. I've got to check on some other folks, and then I'll get back to you."

I started with the blindfolds so they could see it was me, then removed the gags. I cut off the ropes, not wanting to take time with the knots.

"Do you need anything before I call the police?"

"Stanley needs his insulin shot."

"Can you handle that, Mabel?"

"Yes, I can do it."

"Did whoever did this say what they wanted?"

"They wanted Hoán."

"Did you tell them where she went?"

"Yes. They threatened to hurt us. I'm sorry."

"Don't worry. You did the right thing."

I called 911 and reported a home invasion and assault at the address. "You might want to send an ambulance. It was an elderly couple, gentleman with diabetes. Wife is giving him insulin now. They were tied, gagged and blindfolded in their own home, front door busted open. They both seem fine at the moment, but make sure they're checked over by competent medical. My name is Robert Johnson, owner of Cybernetic Electronics. I have to leave but they're both cogent and capable of telling you what happened. Notify me at this number if they need medical care."

"Why can't you stay?"

"Another young lady was beaten and my friend pounded hell out of her attacker. I want to check on both of them. At this point, I don't know any more than I just told you, and I'm sure an officer can get the story as well as I can. The other seems more important at the moment."

"The dispatched squad car is about a minute away. Can you at least wait until he's there."

"Sure."

I got Mabel and Stan a glass of water since I was otherwise going to be twiddling my thumbs. The squad pulled up about ninety seconds after I disconnected, so pretty close. Since officers tended to get nervous rolling up on a scene without much info, I raised my hands up so they could see them.

"Robert Johnson, I made the call. Stan and Mabel Hart inside. They were tied up but don't appear injured."

"Are you a neighbor?"

"No, they had a boarder living with them. I just moved her and her son out today. Some stuff is happening, the boarder couldn't reach them, so I stopped by on my way to another crime. Mabel has got my info if you need to get in touch with me. I need to leave."

The other officer went to ask Mabel if I was the perp, and she said no, that I was a very nice young man, so they let me go.

Before I got out the door, I got a call from Gomez. "Tiffany was okay when I got there, but a man showed up before we left armed with a knife, and I had to put him on the ground. He's unconscious at the moment, but I had to call 911. Tango said Monique is fine, and she and her daughter are on the way to Maya's with Tango. I'll get there when I get there."

"Tell Tango that Maya's armed, so make sure he calls out so he doesn't get shot."

"Wilco."

"What the hell is going on?" the officer asked, hearing my side of that conversation.

"Some women are getting beat up. We're trying to help them. It's a long story. You might want to call the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. This might be crossing jurisdictional borders. Be happy to give the whole story to someone at a better time. I need to check on the others. I think the man or men who tied up the couple were after the young woman who just moved. They were asked where she was, and the answer is my house, so have another squad car sent to my house. It's also in Minneapolis." I gave him the address. "A squad car had to come out on Christmas Day and take six bozos into custody. I think it's the same thing. Two people inside my house are armed and expecting trouble, so go in with lights and sirens so they know it's you, and clearly identify yourself. I have definitely got to go."

"Okay."

As I walked to the car, I figured that Cherry and Preacher weren't in any more trouble that couldn't wait, so before I headed there, I called Tank.

"Was Sharonda okay."

"Yeah, she's fine. I ditched the Uber and Sharonda is driving me to Shelly's now. I got hold of Shelly and told her to go to a neighbor's until I got there. She said she would, and we're heading there now. We'll gather them up and head to your place."

"Cops are also headed to my place. The Harts were tied up and they told their attacker Hoán moved to my place. Benson and Bobbi are armed and waiting for the police to show."

"I'm getting pissed off, Rooster."

"You and me both, brother."

Okay, now I could go to Cherry's. I slowed my breathing down and got a grip, then headed to Preacher at Cherry's house.

When I got there, there were three squads and a meat wagon. I hoped it wasn't Cherry going into the wagon. A couple officers were keeping the looky-loos away.

"I have information for the officer in charge," I said. "I need to speak to him."

"What kind of information?"

"That a whole bunch of hookers are getting beat up and I know, generally, who's responsible. The lady inside wasn't the first one to have trouble tonight. It's all one big thing, so I need to talk to someone in charge. Is the lady deceased?"

"No, some guy."

"That's the guy who beat her up. My friend had a date with her tonight and he found her getting pounded and took action."

"He had a date with a hooker?"

"She's not a hooker anymore. That's why they're getting beaten up. They're getting out of the business. I don't want to repeat myself. Let me talk to the officer in charge and I can explain everything to him. There are already two other crimes in Minneapolis tonight involving the same shit. It's all related."

"Jerry, take this fellow up to see the Sergeant. He says he's got some info for him."

"10-4. Come on fellow."

"I'm letting you know, I'm currently armed. I'm licensed to carry, and it's in my possession."

"Hand it over."

I pulled my coat back, showed him the.45, plucked it out of the holster with two fingers and handed it to him.

"Rounds in the chamber. Safety's on."

Jerry walked me up to the house and Preacher was sitting on the floor, hands in cuffs. No sign of Cherry, so she must already be gone to the hospital.

"I guess I got a little rough," Preacher said. "Fuck, Rooster, you should have seen her. She was all dressed up for our date. She looked great, except her face looked like hamburger. I couldn't help myself."

"Sarge this fellow says he knows something about the crime. Wanted to give you the information."

"Do you know this man?" He pointed to Preacher.

"I certainly do. His name is Jeremy Lincoln, US Army, Delta Force, call sign Preacher, and one of my best friends."

"Did he beat one Miss Cherry Shannon up?"

"Not on your life. I guess he's claiming the death of the fellow who did beat her, but he'd never lay a hand on a woman. His mother was permanently crippled by an abusive husband. He can't tolerate a man who beats women up."

He looked down at Preacher, then back at me. "What information do you have for me?"

"There are two other crimes that already happened today, all verifiable. An old couple named Mabel and Stan Hart, in a small home south of Lake Street, had their home broken into by person or persons unknown. They were questioned about a former tenant border, a Miss Hoán Nyguen. Then they were tied up, blindfolded and gagged. I just found them. Another of our friends from the unit, Manny Chavez, was going to go out with a young woman named Tiffany. I warned him that Cherry got beaten up and Preacher roughed him up, and to be careful. As they were leaving, someone with a knife jumped him and Tiffany, and my other buddy had to knock him on his ass, out like a light. That got called into 911, also verifiable.

"Both of these incidents follow one on Christmas Day when six jokers attempted to come into my house, also in Minneapolis, also armed, to get six former hookers that I'm trying to help get out of the business, because they weren't standing on their street corners. Cherry, Hoán and Tiffany were all at my house on Christmas when I offered each of them a chance to get off the street if they wanted it. Now, they're all being attacked. It's all related. There were three others as well. Two of my other Unit buddies are already picking them up for their protection. I gave Hoán a job as my housekeeper yesterday, and I moved her to my house this morning, with Jeremy's help. If she'd still been there when the Harts were questioned, I'm sure she'd be another statistic, maybe her kid too.

"I also had two of the engineers who work for me, get threatened by some of these same thugs. They were temporarily moved out of their houses. One had their home burglarized in Maple Grove. Another had two idiots trying to break into theirs in St. Louis Park. Crime reports and arrests made on all of them. All of the hookers worked for a pimp named Greg Hudson. He was just arrested for conspiring to commit the burglary in Maple Grove. I believe the men committing the crimes are the enforcers he uses to keep his stable and johns in line. Losing six at once is probably affecting his income stream substantially.

"That asshole was also married to my sister, Maya Hudson, soon to be his ex-wife. We're also keeping an eye on her because I don't think ex-hookers are the only women he's pissed at. I suspect I'm high on his list of people he'd like to fuck over, but I don't fuck over easily, so he picks on women. All of this stuff happened in the last two weeks, all easily verifiable, and Jeremy here, didn't even arrive from Fort Bragg until 12/23, which is well after all of the other stuff occurred.