Simon

Simon - A Hannah Todd Story

Simon - 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 read at least some of "The Bridge," "Badass," and "The Auction," which provide the backstory for most of the characters in this story. And if you've been reading me, thank you for your continued support. Your comments are priceless, so please leave your wisdom so I might improve my writing.

Simon - Part Six

Today, Tuesday, August 1st, is the day Simon would be talking to all the remaining auctioneers. It would be by videoconference, and my wasp drone was postured in such a way as to capture those on the screen in Bolinski's library. And my fly on the wall was ready when the screen lit up and Truth and Doyle appeared. But where was Simon? Would he be a no show for this meeting and would Tom Truth take the reins? But it was L'Cheetah Bolinski who took charge to start. She had done the bulk of the work and was well prepared to conduct the meeting.

As she was talking about where the auction would take place, Simon appeared on the screen, ready to take charge, as he is wont to do. The first thing he did was take Clunky Doyle to task for his lack of cooperation.

"Clunky, I'm going to need more of your help with this meeting and less attitude. Unlike with Teetotaler's auction, I expect you to be there. I expect all of you to be there, with your best security. It's..."

"I ain't gonna be there. I've got thirty girls for you, Simon, and that's all I'm willing to offer. Anyway, if Teetotaler could get hit, so could we. What do we know about these people who have taken down Miles as well as, I expect, Deacon Peacock. That son of a bitch is still missing. I'll bet he's holed up somewhere with a couple of bitches and a whole lot of money."

"He's probably dead, Doyle. That's where you're gonna be if you can't get with the program. Now, do we have a date?"

"We are finding Friday, August 25thto be acceptable by all of us and to most of the buyers and sellers we've contacted. Do you have any girls to add to the mix, and will you be gracing us with your presence?"

"We'll see. And yes, I will have girls, maybe twenty or so. I've got bills to pay too. Now, about the location..."

"L'Cheetah wants to do it at the old Lexington furniture plant we used about three years ago," Truth said. "It's still viable and we can get the lights on. There's plenty of floor space and even room for a shipping container in their huge warehouse. It's the Leximade plant off of Route 285. It's still for sale, but I know the owner from the last auction there, and it will be no problem setting it up."

"Doyle?" Simon asked. "You will be there, won't you?"

"I'm ambivalent at best, Simon, but I will send representation. The real question is, will you?"

"I am always and I am never there. I saw what went down at Miles' auction. But I chose not to attend in person."

"I think many of the buyers and sellers will expect you to be there after the incident with Miles. Everyone is at least a little gun-shy and your presence would add a lot to draw them in."

"Then tell them I will be attending. Tell them I will be there."

"Then you should show up. If..."

"I'll be at the reveal conference. When they are given the location, I will be on the call and I will raise their confidence. I will, however, want to meet with you, L'Cheetah, to check out the venue before that videoconference. If I can speak to them with first hand knowledge of the venue, they will have more confidence that I will be amongst them.

"Don't sell these people short, Simon," Truth said. "They are not fools and will not be played. I'd hate to see bidders walk away without spending a dime because you didn't show. These are tender times, Simon, and it's time to put up or shut up."

"Just make sure this time you have proper security. And you, Clunky, better send some of your toughest gangsters to back up everyone else's guards. And don't give me no shit about it, either. If we are all gonna survive, we will have to do it together. Nowarewe together?"

Everyone chimed in that they were and Simon brought the meeting to a close, but the other three stayed on the feed.

Truth was the first to speak.

"Clunky, I'm really going to need your gangsters for this auction. They are an imposing force that will keep the other bodyguards focused. The guards at Teetotaler's auction obviously panicked and failed at their mission. We must be prepared this time for any and all eventualities. Can I count on you?"

"I'll send you a dozen of my best Dorcester boys to keep an eye on things. They'll keep the bodyguards from fucking things up too badly. You gonna conduct the thing, Tommy Boy?"

"I hate that name. Yes. Everything will go through me, and I'll make sure everyone gets their cuts. Including Simon."

"Fuckin' Simon," Doyle said. "If he can't provide some security and a bunch of ass, what's his purpose, anyway? And his cut? That's bullshit. What's he..."

"You've seen what Simon can do, Clunky," Bolinski said. "Besides Teetotaler, there are two other auctioneers not joining us 'cause they fucked with Simon. His stormtroopers are the best of the elite. You fuck with Simon and you fuck with them."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I'll give him his fuckin' vig. My corner boys are pretty rough, but his people aren't human. Either way, I'd like to know what we can do about these vigilantes that have decimated our people in the Mid-Atlantic."

"Enough of this nonsense," Truth said. "Cheetah, you get the venue squared away and get me your list of attendees. You too, Clunky. I'm bringing my best security outfit with me and they will take the lead because there will be the most of them to manage. Plus my General is very squared away and commands his troops like the military man he was."

'Yeah' I said. We'll see what kind of respect he commands when one of his own drones is flying up his ass. As the fly on the wall, I'm feeling very good about this meeting.

"Let's meet up by video by the end of the week and exchange information digitally," L'Cheetah said. "By then we should have something to talk about."

"Agreed." They all said.

And the screen went black and L'Cheetah Bolinski walked out of the room.

I immediately called in to Herb, to see if we got it on video. He did, so we had it for me to review with my General and my team.

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On Thursday, the 3rd, I gathered the team in the Greenhouse. It was a bit hot and humid, but not as bad as outside. Time to reveal what I had found out and spread the word to my team and garner their individual and collective wisdom. So I told them a story; as collected by a wasp drone, no bigger than a small cigar butt.

I told them about the organization of auctioneers and their plans for another auction. But I also told them about Simon's plan to visit the venue, prior to the auction. That's where Hoagie stopped me. Of course he did.

"Hannah, this is the perfect time to nab Simon. There will be fewer guards around him, and we can go in with just us and maybe some of the assault squad. With help from Ms. Spanner's tech people, of course. If Simon is what you want, this is how to catch him. From what you say, it sounds like there is no guarantee he will even be at the auction."

"Yeah, but I want the whole enchilada. I want Simon, I want the buyers and sellers, and I want the girls. Only then can I rest."

Duane smirked when he told me that I was biting off more than I could chew. "If you want Simon, go for Simon. You just got your opportunity. Take it. But if you want everything the price will be much higher.Much higher."

"Do you think we need as many resources as the other auction?"

"They will be ready for us this time. I think we'll need more. And more input from the tech people. Teetotaler was a serious player, and these folks are all second tier players. Expect them to fuck up along the way. But let's make sure we are there to catch them when they fall. And they will fall."

"Well then," I said. "We must create conditions that will encourage Simon to attend the auction. We must find a way. Ideas?"

"Let's send him an engraved invitation via one of his cronies," Archer said. "Make it real classy. He won't be able to resist."

Everyone got a good laugh out of that. But nobody else had a better idea. Not until Avi spoke up.

"We may be holding the key in our hands and don't even now it. These bidders and sellers have friends in the business. All over the place I would guess. I say we shake things up and have these friends call their friends in the south who would be the majority of the attendants of the auction. It could force Simon's hand and make him have to attend. If we could figure out on the blue memory stick where the names of these people might be, we can confirm with Teetotaler, Peacock, and even Jim Bulter."

"I think I like the idea, Avi, although you will have to explain it to me more in depth. Maybe during a visit together to the safe house."

"Sounds perfect, Queen Bee."

"Anybody else have any ideas?"

Domingo, who had gone from crutches to a cane to unassisted walking, raised his hand.

"Dom. It's so nice to see you in the mix. Whaddaya got?"

"Do we have drones at Truth's or Doyle's homes?"

"That's an excellent question. We have one in Truth's car, but none to Doyle yet. I believe Rhee Spanner is having the drone replaced at Truth's and maybe expanding to two, one for the car and one for the house. This is his circus to run, so the best intel will probably come through him. He is the biggest player after all."

"How about the venue?" Avi asked. "We should probably place one there as soon as possible, to monitor the process and progress and to scope out any potential landmines."

"Excellent suggestion. We do know where the venue is supposed to be, so a wasp drone, or even a sparrow, if the facility is big enough. The sparrow will give us longevity, as it will run a week to ten days without a recharge; longer if not fully active. It also has a wider range of vision than a wasp and can hear from farther away."

Avi picked right up on that. "If we can get a sparrow in there before things get started, they will never know it's there, and we can supplement it with a wasp as we get closer to the date. But we have to get eyes on that venue ASAP. Preferably before they take possession."

"Fine," I said. "Alec and Anthony get a sparrow and a wasp and take them down to Lexington and get them planted at the old Leximade plant. I want this done by tomorrow. Can you two leave immediately?"

"I can," Anthony said.

"I can too. We just need the drones. We can plant them sometime tonight and be home by late tomorrow afternoon. My tablet says that it should take eight to nine hours to get there. So we'll be able to do this under cover of darkness. And when nobody will be around."

"Good call," I said. "Go let Bertha feed you two and then hit the road."

"Aye, aye, ma'am." The two men said in unison.

"I want Hoagie and Romy to go down to Lexington this week as a young couple looking to move into the area. I want you two to scout things out, and familiarize yourselves with the neighborhood down there. Take a week and then come back and report to me. I'd like that to happen this week and for you to report to me on Wednesday of next week, the nineth, I believe. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am," they both said.

"Will your wife have a problem with that, Hoagie?"

"Nah. She understands the job. And she don't get jealous. She knows the score."

"Good. I guess after the years of grifting you put her through she should."

"You cut me to the quick, Queen Bee. I've gone straight now. Those days are a memory."

"Ah, but you haven't changed a bit, Hoagie. Now at least you are doing it on my behalf. But at least you are doing good with your talents."

"As long as you let me, that's what I will continue to do."

"Good. Huddle with Romy and figure it out. I'll see you back here in a week. And I'll make sure your debit cards are loaded up with free credits."

"Alright," Duane asked. "Any other ideas that might help us move forward?"

"I just have a question," Ronnie asked. "Are we going to be working with Miss Spanners troops again, or just her techs?"

"Well," Duane said. "We're definitely going to be working with her techs no matter which way we go, but if we are going to do an assault on the auction we will need the numbers she can bring us. I'll talk to Arnold in that regard as soon as possible. Right now we will just follow the intel and let it guide our next moves."

A mumble went through the crew, as they talked among themselves regarding next moves.

"Alright, everybody. Let's calm down," Duane said. "We'll be having regular meetings of this group until it's time for the operation, just to discuss the most recent intel and where it will be taking us. Until then, everybody do his or her job and remain flexible until the job is done."

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Avi's idea of having our captives talk to some of their mates struck a nerve and he and I, along with a contingent of trusted assault squad members headed to the safe house to have a meeting with Deacon Peacock. Miles Teetotaler would also be on the agenda.

"Deacon," I said. "I want you to be in touch with some of your people who might be attending Thomas Truth's auction that we are expecting to take place in the south, down in L'Cheetah Bolinski's territory. After the debacle of Miles Teetotaler's auction, I want them insisting that Simon attend, to assure the highest grade of security. If they are bitching at the auctioneers, the auctioneers will be bitching at Simon. It's pretty obvious that the financial losses from Teetotaler's auction set him back a pretty penny. So, I want you to make some phone calls."

"I don't know these people's numbers off the top of my head. How do you..."

"Remember, I have your files on memory sticks. Where on the blue stick is the list of contact information for these people? That should give us the information you need to contact them."

"They will be in Contacts, under 'out of district.' It's a subdirectory where I kept the numbers of those outside my district. Some will be tied to Teetotaler, but others will be tied to other auctioneers, and they will all be tied to Simon. I expect many of them were apprehended during Miles' auction. But I assure you some still run free."

"If I supply you with a printout of names, could you identify the best ones to contact?"

"There's so much I don't know, being locked up here. But I can try."

I immediately got a great idea and excused myself and went off to the living room of the safehouse.

"Call Carlotta Russo."

"Miss Todd, how can I help you?"

"Are you alone, Carlotta? There is something I need from you."

"I am alone in my office for now, but have a meeting in fifteen minutes."

"That's fine. I need a list of all the bidders you have locked up from the Teetotaler auction, and I need that list as soon as possible."

"And how do you..."

"Put the list on a memory stick with any pertinent information you have collected on them. I'll have it picked up from you at your place. I'll send one of my top agents to pick it up tomorrow. Understood?"

"Yes, ma'am. I can do that. Will you..."

"I will be in touch when she is on her way. Just have it with you by the end of the day tomorrow."

"Will do."

"Good job, Carlotta. Thank you."

*CLICK*

We had no such memory stick for Miles Teetotaler, however, before destroying his supercell we downloaded all his contact information from the phone. We had names and numbers, but Teetotaler would have to supply the relationship information for each of them. It would be a painstaking process trying to figure out who was relevant and who was not. But the pain would be all his, as Avi would be conducting the investigation. And Avi, my ex-Mossad agent, knew how to dish it out.

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With everyone assigned a job, it was time to head home and go from queen bitch, to good old mom. But first I wanted to inspect the pool house, which was coming along swimmingly. Please pardon the pun. The building that Celeste referred to as her dream house was coming to the end stages of construction. The foundation and sub-basement were totally finished and the pool was built. The solar roof was on and finishing touches were being put on the building. We were hoping for a Christmas opening. The solar installed on the roof was providing enough energy to support the construction work still going on.

The week of the fourteenth we'd be in Mexico at the Olympics. Danny and Herb would be manning the Closet that week with port and starboard shifts. They would be my lifeline to Rhee and her people as this would be their week to keep an eye on things while I was out of town. Avi would be running heard over Todd Recovery, as usual, but also lording over RFS as Lizzie watched over Todd Acquisitions.

So I used the week of the seventh, to get Peacock to connect with some of his old mates to put fear into their hearts. Or at least doubt. And he did. Avi and I saw to it.

"Gerald, this is Deke Peacock. How have you been, old man? Long time."

"Peacock, I thought you were dead. At least that's the word going around."

"Rumors of my passing are premature, I'm happy to say. Gerald, I understand there is an auction coming up in late August. I also understand Simon will not be making an appearance. He didn't appear at Teetotaler's most recent auction, and look what happened there. I have product and I would like to do some selling, but I fear if Simon doesn't show, with his advanced security and top operators, things might not go so well. It's time for Simon to put his money where his mouth is. But please don't tell anyone you heard it from me. You know how Simon can get. Spread the word though. I'd hate to see more fallen brothers and sisters. I'm absolutely heartbroken over the Teetotaler catastrophe."

"Yeah, me too. I'm thinking of taking a pass on this one, anyway. I do have stock I'd like to move, but I wonder if it's safe yet. I could use the money, though."

"Well, you quell those rumors about me and get out there and pound the phone lines to warn anyone considering going to this auction to make sure Simon will be attending. You stay safe, Gerald."

"Speaking of safe, Deke, where the hell are you?"

"Now I wouldn't be safe if I let that out, would I, old friend."

"I guess old friends shouldn't ask."

"Just make sure you've got a commitment from Simon before you consider going."

"Thanks, Deke. Stay safe."

*CLICK*

"Very good, Deacon," I said. "Now just make that phone call a few dozen times and that should send a shockwave through Simon's world. And I've got a very special dinner for you tonight. It's a special lasagna that my cook makes. It's heavenly. You've earned it. Now don't make me a fool and keep earning it."

"I hate this."

"Exactly what do you hate, Mr. Peacock?"

"Leading my old friends down this road of yours. It will only..."

"What? What are you gonna say, Deke, it will lead to my ruin?"