 
The Quartet

Babe

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Smashwords Edition Copyright 2018 Pamela Joan Barlow Smashwords Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Present day and place

Tuesday August 17th

9:09 a.m.

City of Coral Gables (four miles northwest of Skye's office)

Hot temperatures with partly cloudy sky

Quartet Associates headquarters building

33rd floor penthouse office suites of the Quartet

Reception lobby setting

The elevator doors opened.

I held the pink-tinted business girly briefcase in front of my new business suit of pink and white, moving ahead from the carriage and stopped, standing in front of the pretty receptionist and her office desk on the thirty-third floor of Quartet Associates.

The receptionist, a middle aged female with a brown haired bun and a brown colored business suit and a white blouse wear a shade of red colored lipstick without the makeup foundations. She stopped typed and turned with a smile and a nod to see the young female that was visiting the Quartet, without an appointment.

I did not want to get booted out from the nice penthouse hallway of business suites without providing a vocal message, saying with a smile and a nod. "Hello! My name is Skye Skyler. I would like to meet with Mr. Berrington, if possible today. The matter is very important to Quartet Associates," I continued to smile and nod to the nice receptionist, accepting my intrusion to meet with Austin on a very important matter.

She did not smile, saying with a controlled timber. "Do you have an appointment with Dr. Berrington, today, Miss Skyler?" Madeline exhaled with a puff of annoyance, since the three assigned QA informational desk clerks did not have a QA guard with a loaded hand gun down on the ground floor or inside one of the three lobby elevators, where any new QA friendly client or any new QA unfriendly foe could freely ride up the carriage all the way to the penthouse office of executive suites, where the person was greeted by the receptionist Madeline.

Madeline became employed the day after the creation of the business venture of four young men who were only twenty-four years old which had named the company after themselves, Quartet Associates.

Madeline was a little older and more seasoned than the young men at the mature age of thirty-three years old. She had the necessary skills and the front office experience for a general receptionist along with a nice looking face and a pretty set of white teeth for a great smile. She had worked since the age of eighteen years old as a general receptionist for a couple of businesses. She had ventured out of the home of her parents and on her own in the big bad city of Miami.

Inside the business world of Miami, a receptionist was a commonly good paying job, since numerous business offices would entertain numerous and different types of international business clients. Madeline was a home grown Florida girl, living within the city of Miami all her young and adult life. However, she was gifted with learning foreign languages.

If you ventured around sightseeing within the boundaries of metro city of Miami, you would hear numerous foreign dialects from both the citizens and the visitors.

Madeline had attended the local public school and had graduated from one of the Spanish programs, receiving a certificate in foreign language studies. If she had elected and attended college, the certificate would have produced a two-year college degree. However, she was young and tired of academic studying, craving an adventurous fun life inside the bright sunshine and salty waters of Miami.

Thus, she found a job at eighteen years and went to work like the rest of the ninety million Americans.

During her work tenure and her social fun, Madeline interacted with numerous people, picking up and learning different languages for fun and challenge, parlaying the foreign language skill into a front desk receptionist job with a set of good benefits and pretty good money for paying her monthly living expenses. If she had stopped working or stopped partying during the weekend hours and went to college, Madeline could have been a success in her foreign language career.

But she didn't choose that venue.

Madeline could speak in four different languages and easily converse easily with a native from that particular nation which was a very valuable asset at any business company. Then she had heard a set of rumors about a new start-up company that would entertain an array of foreign princesses, princes, heads of state, and other very important people who were wealthy or powerful. So she applied and received an interview with the Quartet and their new business venture Quartet Associates.

Seven years ago

Monday June 8th

7:07 a.m.

Hot temperatures with partly clouds of sunshine

City of Coral Gables

Quartet Associates building

Law library setting

On the day of the array of numerous human resources personnel interviews, the Quartet was housed inside the largest conference room on the eighteenth floor which would become one of the largest future law libraries at Quartet Associates.

Today, seven years later, the empty space contained walls of numerous books and sets of working desks for the hired lawyers.

Back then, the empty space contained a set of four square shaped conference tables that held one fourth of the Quartet which were equally apart, standing against the rear wall of the room, where each fourth interviewed a potential staffer from an accountant to a guard to a programmer to a receptionist to a toilet bowl cleaner.

Madeline remembered that it looked funny to see Austin, who was sitting alone behind an empty desk. However, the empty desk would become his trademark signature of executive work as the boss at Quartet Associates.

Stu sat behind a duplicate square shaped desk with a set of two desk top computers on each end that contained a set of fun security games for the potential Quartet Associate guard. His desk was covered with a dark brown tablecloth that fell down and spilled over the wooden floor that covered his leathers and also held an assortment of weapons, unloaded, of course. When an interviewee passed with satisfaction from Gage, Stu would ask the potential employee to work the fun computer game which was really an electronic hostage situation. Gage wanted to gauge the personality, attitude, angry, gun skill, and other human factors of the potential guard that usually was not revealed with a face to face interview.

If the potential Quartet Associate guard passed the clever electronic hostage game on the computer, then Gage would reach down underneath the brown cloth and expose a particular weapon or weapons, asking the guard to clean and load and unloaded the weapon.

Austin chuckled each time an unloaded but real weapon was drawn out from underneath the brown colored curtain by Gage for the guard's gun skull, since Austin's conference table was a few feet away.

The duplicate table with Frank sat on the other side of Stu. Frank rolled his eyeballs and sometimes left the room while escorting the potential accountant into another conference room setting which was down the quiet hallway.

The potential accountant became nervous and quiet without words or actions during the accounting interview process. The candidate would turn and stared at the loaded hand gun, instead of finishing the hand written accounting test that Frank had devised.

Tom was a total asshole during the daily interview process and pointed out literally the weapon to the potential lawyer when it magically appeared between the hands of Gage, explaining that if the hired lawyer fucked up, then his brother Gage had the right to shoot a toe off for losing millions of dollars for the new business company. The heated and nervous dangerous and tense interviewing situation allowed Tom to interact with the potential lawyer from a pure illegal point of view and measured the nervous perception of the biological person.

A lawyer was deaf, dumb, and blind inside the courtroom to win for his client no matter what.

Tom was looking and found those types of lawyers to work for him inside the legal office at Quartet Associates.

Stu also interviewed and selected the information technology personnel too.

Frank interviewed and hired all the medical staff that was needed also.

Tom only interviewed and hired a strict allotment of lawyers by the fourth day and went back home to fuck his old and new whores, since he was a single and available millionaire bachelor in Miami.

Austin had the primary job of selecting the rest of the staffers for the business company Quartet Associates, including the office positions, such like, the secretaries, the filing clerks, the workers for the cafeteria, the repair crews for the machines, and all the other very necessary jobs that worked behind the scenes that kept Quartet Associates up and running twenty-four hours, seven days per week and three hundred sixty-five days per year.

The Quartet used the old fashion system of recruitment, advertising inside the local newspapers, the local internet, and word-of-mouth. Three of Quartet worked three days to find and interview people for every job post. All the hired personnel would start immediately, if the person could quit their current job or two weeks later, if the person needed to resign from the current work job.

On the first day of interviewing, the elderly Band of Brothers, the fathers of Austin, Tom, Frank, and Stu assisted with man-handling the crowd of potential employees for their biological sons. On the ground floor, the fathers of Austin and Frank greeted and sorted the people into professional guards, professional staffers, and hourly staffers, directing them into one of three elevators.

Each elevator rose, landed, and opened onto the eighteenth floor anyways. But it was a very good system of herding the masses into the appropriate category and correct interview door with the appropriate fourth of the Quartet.

On the eighteenth floor of the Quartet Tower building, the conference room possessed a set of four separate entrance doors for a working team of future lawyers. So the fathers of Stu and Tom stood between the three elevators, pointing and shuffling the mass of interviewers through the correct door.

The potential lawyers entered into the door on the extreme right side of the wall to interview with Tom at his conference table.

The potential accountants entered through the middle door on the far right to interview with Frank.

The potential guards entered into the middle door on the far left of the wall to interview with Stu.

And the other potential staffers were herded to the far door on the extreme left side of the wall for an interview with Austin.

Once inside the conference room, there were numerous food and beverage tables between each separate entrance door for any interviewer to eat and drink. There were rows of empty folding chairs in front of each Quartet square conference table, where that particular group of interviewers would sit and wait a turn to talk with a fourth for a new job at Quartet Associates.

After moving through the archway, each interviewer was greeted with a smile by one of the moms of the Quartet and directed to the proper section of rows in front of the correct fourth to ensure the interviewer would be given the chance to talk with the correct Quartet member. The moms of the Quartet also served as waitresses, passing out beverages, food items, and answering simple questions while each interviewer sweated out the long and confusing interview process.

One the first day of the interview, Madeline had to park her personal car eight blocks from new headquarter building on Miracle Mile, since the interview process was a massive deluge of people for a certain number of working jobs. She was very nervous and excited, wanting to impress the Quartet with her self-learned skills, since she did not possess a college degree or a certificate in office management.

There was not a scheduled time for her personal interview as a receptionist with the Quartet. It was pretty much first come, first interviewed.

She dashed down the street in a pair of high heels, stopping with a pant, slowly strolling to a set of double shiny glass doors with a smirk. The outside entrance way of the building was empty of all interviews, except for the fat birds that shitted over the yellow colored brick. She stopped in front of the door, smoothing down her hair and her business suit with a smile and reached, grabbing the handle of the glass doors and jerked with a gasp.

The door was locked.

She leaned down into the glass, cupping both her eyeballs with the hands, seeing a mass of bodies inside the lobby of the building. She stomped a foot of disappointment. The interior office building could only hold a specific number of heated bodies per the Coral Gables fire regulations, so the Quartet had closed the lobby doors for the rest of the day for the interviews.

Madeline was so disappointment at first, remembering that the majority of the employees would be security guards, accountants, and lawyers. About half of the interviewees wore a business suit as she spied through the glass doors. She back stepped with a nod, slowly turning to see the pretty yellow colored bricked walkway and the twin pink tinted fountains that shot water into the sky and then fell back down into the clear water. The birds enjoyed the new brick too strutting around the warm colorful surface.

Madeline returned back to her car for a vacation day from her working current job. She had planned to leave and arrive much earlier tomorrow for the second day of interviewing at the new company Quartet Associates.

Tuesday June 9th

6:06 a.m.

Hot temperatures with partly clouds of sunshine

Quartet Associates building

Law library setting

The second day of interviewing, Madeline drove from home and arrived at six o'clock, parking over the city street spot. She scooted out the car, strolling to the glass doors. There were huddles of fifty people or more, blocking the glass doors. She stood in place, fidgeting with both hands and arms with nervousness and impatience.

During the next hour, more people moved ahead and stood around inside a lump of warm huddles while waiting for the front doors to open for business.

The door opened at seven thirty a.m.

The huddles of crowd swiftly dashed into the empty lobby, filling up the space quickly.

Madeline rushed ahead and stopped, standing with rows of angry mumbling interviewees.

The lucky front rows of people entered the lobby and stopped, standing in place within a semi-crooked set of two lines.

Inside the lobby, there were two elderly men, standing in the middle of the room, blocking the elevators and visually checked a resume or a set of professional credentials on each interviewee.

Madeline continued to stand in the rising sun of another heated morning of Miami and eventually scooted inside an air conditioned lobby and stood in front of an elderly gentleman who wanted to see her paper resume. Madeline showed him the resume in silence and was guided to the third elevator on the left side of the lobby space.

Then she moved and stopped, standing behind another group of various people of different professionals and different clothing styles, waiting for the next empty carriage.

The elevators doors opened at 8:11 a.m.

The entire group of interviewees stormed into the carriage squeezing into a cramped space, breaking the safety weight limit inside the carriage floor as set by a printed sign over the elevator archway.

The doors closed. The elevator rose to the eighteenth floor.

The group of interviewees moved off the carriage and stopped, standing in numerous semi-crooked lines for a second time and was greeted by a set of two more elderly gentlemen, the fathers of Stu and Tom.

Madeline had to stand in line and wait a turn for the male to see the paper resume again. She was directed to the last door on the far left of her face and entered, moving through the archway into a very large room that contained rows of metal folding chairs and four separate conference room tables. Each table held one fourth of the Quartet, mumbling with an interviewee.

The mom of Austin stood in front of six rows of metal folding chairs with a smile and a nod, quietly saying and rudely pointing to the food tables and the rows of chairs, asking everyone to take a seat and then Austin would motion with a hand wave for the next person and the personal interview.

Madeline was too nervous and confused to accept food or drink, scooting around some of the standing interviewees and moved to the first available empty folding chair and sat with a set of raw nerve endings. She was the first person in the last row of five rows of interviewees with plenty of time for an interview. It was mid-morning.

She had planned accordingly, arriving early and waiting to be the first interviewee of the day but it did not work out like that, since the other interviewees had planned and performed better than Madeline.

Madeline sat and wiggled side to side inside the flimsy metal chair, turning to scan each person. She saw a variety of ages, skin tones, hair roots, and uniforms. Some of the professional interviewees were part of the building maintenance staff. However, she did see a few more people that wore a business suit but they were males. She nodded with a smile of confidence.

She was the only clerical interviewee for the day which would definitely ensure a job at the new company. The lobby was beautiful decorated in dark golden tinted marble. The windows were very low and sunny, setting near the ground, almost kissing the yellow colored brick walkway which was ripe a breaking into the front reception office but this was a protection security company. The granite of gold and white looked nice against the lightly golden tinted four walls.

The Quartet had money. Their new business showed of that money.

Yes, Madeline wanted a job here, today. She puffed with frustration, watching the active commotion inside the large conference room.

Part of the mass interview process seemed to be swiftly working for the group of accountants and lawyers.

In front of the fourth conference table, each nicely dressed lawyer stood and moved from the metal chair, strolling to the single chair in front on Tom. Tom stood and shook a hand with a smile and a nod, pointing down at the chair. The lawyer sat with a smile and a nod too. Tom waved his hands, softly lecturing about the new lawyering job at Quartet Associates to the interviewee.

Madeline could not hear the actual vocal words but saw the head and hands movement of Sawyer.

After a period of varied time, Tom stood with an extended hand and a nod, smiling down at the interviewee. The interviewee stood with a hand shake and a nod to Tom. Then the interviewee turned and left the room with a big smile, after completing the interview process and left the building with the assurance of a father of Austin, Tom, Frank, and Stu.

Madeline could not tell if the lawyer had been hired for the new job.

Tom sat down inside the oversized chair and looked down with a smile, writing out a secret code next to the name of the lawyer on a sheet of page that was taped over the table surface, if the person was to be offered a salary position within his lawyering group. Then he stood and extended a hand to the next seated interviewee, repeating the procedure.

The multiple rows of the security guards were packed in front of the second conference table as each single interview was a longer drawn out process and sometimes scary when a weapon was displayed between the hands of Stu and then inside the hands of the interviewee.

Some of the potential interviewee lawyers stood with a worried brow and left the room with some of the worried minded accountants, exiting the room as most of the staying behind interviewees chuckled at the chicken shit assholes. That maneuver did reduce some of the rows of lawyers and accountants, making the duty of employment much easier for Tom and Frank.

At the third conference table, Frank stood and greeted each potential accountant with a smile and a nod, pointing down at the oversize leather chair. The interviewee sat down into the chair with a smile and then a frown. Frank leaned over the polished wooden surface and shoved a long sheet of paper underneath the nose of the potential accountant with a nod and a whisper of good luck.

The accountant grabbed and used the number two pencil, taking an accounting test. Some of the smarter accountants pulled out a favorite writing instrument and a small calculator with a chuckle from the briefcase for finishing the prepared accounting test from Mangrove.

Frank sat back with a smile, crossing his arms, since he had decided to examine each interviewee without wasting his words of minty fresh breath with an actually accounting test of numbers. He was searching for the swiftest and the smartest among the rows and rows of accountants, eventually finding and hiring them on the spot too.

The accountant finished the test, sliding the long sheet of paper to Frank.

Frank marked on the paper with a smile or a frown. The smile of Mangrove provided a job offer with a salary figure for an immediate employment accounting position at Quartet Associates. The frown provided a gently boot kick in the ass out the door. Each interviewee stood, turned, and left Frank, exiting into the heated sunshine of Miami.

Madeline enjoyed watching the commotion around the large conference room, slowly standing and moved, sitting down into the next vacant chair, after an interviewee had interviewed, turned and left the table with Austin with a face of smiles.

At the first conference table, Austin sat an ass inside a leather rolling chair, wearing a black sports jacket, a white turtleneck shirt, a pair of white trousers, and a fake smile. He slid back and forth across the wooden floor with nervousness. He was a twenty-four young adult with no work experience of life but numerous college degrees of academic learning.

He was given the massive duty of hiring all the other unfilled jobs that was not an accountant, a security guard, a computer programmer, or a lawyer, since his brothers possessed a little more life experience in those particular areas of study.

Austin motioned for the next seated interviewee one at a time to seat at his table.

The interviewee stood upright from the chair and moved ahead from a row of interviewees, sitting down inside an oversized leather chair with nervousness, too.

Austin smiled and nodded several times to the nervous interviewee, accepting the paper resume, reading the proper name and some of the work lines of experience. Honestly, he was a young and inexperienced executive of a new company who could not have distinguished the working experience difference between a plumber and a secretary. So Austin looked up with a nod and a smile and hired that seated interviewee on the spot for the needed job position at his new company Quartet Associates.

So far, each interviewee had agreed to the employment terms also and then stood and left the room and the building. Then, Austin had turned and filled in the proper name of the newly hired QA employee inside one of several sheets of loose paper that was taped down over the conference room.

After the first day, Austin had filled half the available jobs on the set of four listings of papers with two more days of interviewing.

The next interviewee stood upright from the folding chair and moved ahead, sitting inside the empty and oversized leather chair in front of Austin, shaking the extended hand of Austin. Then Berrington sat down and pretended to read through the paper resume.

Madeline stood upright from the folding chair and scooted sideways, sitting inside an empty chair in the middle of the first row. As each interviewee was interviewed and left the room, the row of interviewees moved sideways and shifted into the next empty seat. Now, she was four chairs away from being hired as a receptionist by Quartet Associates. She watched the face of Austin, since she could not see the rear skull or the face of the new interviewee behind the big wide chair.

Austin looked up with a smile and a nod, quickly standing upright from the leather chair and extended a hand.

The interviewee stood upright, shaking and released the hand with a smile, spinning away from Austin with a springy bounce in silence and smiles, leaving the room and eventually the building after being hired into the newly formed company Quartet Associates.

Madeline looked down at her non-designer watch. Each interviewee was taking between three and four minutes of interviewing time with the new chief executive officer Austin Berrington. That seemed a little strange to Madeline, but she was not the owner of a new security company within the heart of Coral Gables.

The next interviewee stood upright from the metal folding chair and moved ahead toward Austin, stopped, standing in place, shaking a hand and sat down inside the chair in silence.

Madeline could not see the face of the interviewee or hear the lips of interviewee either which was very strange. She was close enough to pick up a few loud words of a vocal response between the interviewee and Austin but was hearing the grunts of the two interviewees beside her ears and the loud words of the next security guard interviewee that had failed the electronic test.

She stared at the face of Austin. He was not asking any type of vocal questions but looking down to read the paper resume which was also strange to her too.

Then, Austin looked up with a smile and a nod, standing upright and shook the hand of the interviewee with a set of nice loud words. "Congratulations, sir! Welcome aboard to Quartet Associates. Your job will start on Monday morning at eight o'clock. The human resources department will be contacting and explaining all the salary and benefits information. Thank you for coming to see me."

Madeline gasped with a smile at the perfect set of employment words. Austin had hired that person on the spot without verifying the personal references or the interference of the human resource person. She turned with a stern face and scanned the large room, noting a smile from each newly interviewed interviewee. They had all been told and hired on the spot here inside the conference room. She wiggled side to side with excitement and confidence.

Madeline had never been told that she was hired on the spot. She would wait for days and sometimes weeks for the personal telephone call from the human resources person which did not come, sometimes, either.

The newly hired employee/interviewee back stepped from the chair and swung around with a happy smile, leaving the room with a new job at Quartet Associates.

The overhead lamps flickered on and off.

All the interviewees gasped with shock.

The mom on Tom, a tall and blonde haired older female with a pair of gray eyes, and a tone of pale skin dashed ahead from the food tables in the rear of the room and stood upright in the middle of the four conference tables with the Quartet, lifting both arms with a smile and a nod. "Everyone, it is lunchtime, here. Please, follow me. We have provided you with a hot lunch. You will enjoy your meal, because I have ordered it," giggling. "Then, you will come back here and complete your interview appointment. I promise that all is well. Come on, please raise and follow the three ladies in the rear of the room. Scat. Shoo. Get going, now."

Madeline continued to sit inside the chair in the middle of the row with a puff of worry. The other interviewees stood and turned, moving around her cross legs toward the rear of the room where the doors were propped open. She didn't want to leave the warm chair or end the interview process. She didn't understand why the interviewing process could not be conducted through lunch meal.

The room slowly emptied, leaving the Quartet behind a table and inside the room.

Madeline continued to sit inside the metal folding chair with the thoughts of approaching Austin, conducting a swift short two-minute interview. Once he learned of her valuable front desk office experience and her gifted foreign language skills, she would be hired on the spot too.

The conference room door opened.

The father on Tom entered the room, clapping with a smile, moving toward the four conference room table. "Well, Tom, how many lawyers have your hired, so far?"

Tom stood upright from the leather chair, back stepping and turned, moving ahead and stood in front of his dad with a smile. The father on Tom gave his son a hug, pulling back with a handshake and a smile of fatherly love. Tom shook and released the hand with a smile and a nod. "Dad, how's it going downstairs? We have been swamped with rows and rows of filled metal chairs."

Madeline stood with a gasp, seeing the fatherly interactive between the father and the son. She didn't want to be seen as a spy or a non-conformist or a trouble maker, lounging around the room. She stood and turned away from the Quartet, dashing down the dark shadows of the side wall and exited the conference room. She turned and stopped, seeing a long line of interviewees down the far corridor inside the lunch line, leaning against the wall and exhaled with a puff of disappointment. She had envisioned a different morning with the interviewing process. Now, she had to wait after lunch. It wasn't a bother. She had requested and received a few vacation days from her current job. As a matter of fact, some other employees had done the same. Now, Madeline realized that those same employees had arrived very early yesterday for the interviewing process with the Quartet Associates, wondering if they had received a new job too.

No matter! She was here, now. She would interview after lunch and receive a new job at Quartet Associates.

The conference room remained opened.

Madeline was hidden inside the shadow of the wall corner, ease dropping for fun, not really spying.

Inside the conference room, Tom returned and sat down inside the leather chair with a frown. "Where's my lunch, Dad?"

The father on Tom moved ahead and sat down inside the oversized chair with a smile and a nod. "Coming! Your mother and your aunts are leading the rest of the interviewees toward the food line. Then, she will have the catering staff bring inside a table and set up our food trays. There was a room full of people inside the lobby and a room full of people inside the hallway of this floor, too."

"And we still have a room full of people in here for more interviewing, right after lunch." Stu exhaled with a huff of excitement and exhaustion. The interviewing process was more time consuming and complicated than he had imaged. He looked down at the sheets of paper, reviewing the newly hired security guards. The interviewing process was set for three work days of Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. But Gage realized that he would need the entire week to hire the compliment of properly trained guard units. He was accepting both new and experienced males and females to encounter with a male or a female very important person, who would become the QA client for Quartet Associates.

Tom reached down and tapped on top of each taped down sheet of paper with a smile and a nod. "I have twenty-three very, very fuckingly great ass lawyers, Dad. They didn't even finch when Stu pointed the damn cold barrel at a toe, either. So, I have finished my quota. I'm not coming into work tomorrow either."

They both laughed with a nod.

The father of Frank entered the room, leading the fathers of Austin and Stu.

The father of Frank stopped and stood in front of the conference table, slowly sitting inside the oversized chair with a smile. "How many accountants have been you hired to date, Frank?"

Frank sat back inside chair with a nod and a smile without viewing the taped down sheets of paper. "I have offered employment to eighteen brilliant accountants of the planned twenty-five on my accounting roster, Father."

Tom turned with a confused brow and gasped at see the nose profile on Frank. "Twenty-five, you got twenty-five gawd damn accountants on your roster. I only get twenty-three lawyers total. I demand equal of twenty-five fucking lawyers to equal Frank's twenty-five accountants..."

"No, Tom," Frank turned and frowned at Sawyer.

The father on Tom turned and sneered at Frank. "Tom should have the equal number..."

"No, Soy." Uncle Franklin turned and frowned at the father on Tom. "We all discussed and agreed on every single point with our sons from ammunition to budgets to guards to very important persons. The budgets are set in dried concrete. Nothing is changing here and now."

The father on Tom growled. "Horse shit! Tom should be equal and..."

The father of Austin turned and sneered at the fathers on Tom and Frank. "Quiet down over there, pups. This conversation is done and over with." He turned and smiled at Austin. "How are all the recruitment and fulfillment coming, Austin? You were assigned the biggest lot of job positions at your new company."

The father on Tom leaned over the surface with a growl into the face of his son. "Don't worry, Tom! I will personally get you equal to up and more of Frank's lot."

Tom winked with a giggle. "Thanks, Dad."

Austin reached out and tapped on top of the taped down sheets of paper with a smile. "I have filled sixty percent of all the jobs, so far. I'm making very good progress, Dad. I expect to reach hundred percent by the Wednesday deadline."

The father of Austin smiled. "If not, that's okay. Some positions might need to be advertised by another media outlet. I can help you with that, son."

Austin smiled, "Thanks, Dad."

The father of Stu stopped and sat inside the oversized chair, turning and tapped on the computer keyboard, playing the electronic game with a chuckle and a grin. "This is a brilliant invention, Stu. So if the hostage dies, the potential guard will not be employed by Quartet Associates."

Stu exhaled with a huff of exhaustion, "Something like that! Thanks, Dad."

The father of Stu continued to play on the computer, hearing the beeps of the horns, the screams of the people, and the whistles of bullets. "What's wrong, pup?"

Stu tapped on the taped sheets on top of the table surface with a worried brow. "I have only interviewed and filled forty-eight percent of the entire complement that I require for the command of the Quartet guards. The day is half way done. I will never meet the deadline by Wednesday at five."

The father of Stu continued to play on the computer with a smile. "That's no problem, Stu. And you will find that sometimes you will never meet the intended deadline. That's where you as the chief operating officer compromise and revision and then re-group. I agree that you will need the extra time. It is important to find and fill the job with the right guard. Tell you what? You and I will interview together on Thursday and Friday, since I know what to look for. You can interview the young guards. And I will get the older ones. With the both of us, we will easily finish by lunchtime on Friday. Then on Monday, we start training sessions."

Stu nodded with a smile. "Thanks, Dad, that'll really help me out here."

The computer program turned into the color of black with a sentence in white. The father of Stu laughed at the computer screen. "I'm here for you, son. Damn! The hostage died."

Stu smiled. "Actually, the hostage always dies all the time. Part of the electronic test is mental, psychological, and emotional. I wanted to see how a guard reacted to distress, stress, and death under pressure of fifteen seconds. The calm guard gets hired. The irate one gets sent back home."

Tom bounced side to side inside the chair with a smile of excitement. He had finished hiring all the lawyers for the day. He was not coming into work tomorrow and for the rest of the week. And his dad would ensure that he had twenty-five lawyers to match asshole Frank's lot. And the Tom had made some telephone calls, filling his house with a group of whores for the rest of the afternoon. "Dad, I'm so excited. We start our first day of real work on a real Monday with our real employees in our real company..."

"The first day of work is the most exciting." The father of Stu stood and turned to see each young quarter. "However, the first year of the work is the most dangerous."

Frank turned and frowned at his uncle. "Dangerous? I don't believe so, Uncle Stu."

The father of Stu nodded with a stern face to young Mangrove. "You are a security protection company, Frank. We all approved and blessed this enterprise but not your mothers. So, please do not remind them of the danger, the dollars, and the damn damsels and dons in distress."

"Sure thing, Dad!" Stu turned and nodded with a stern face to each brother.

Madeline smiled at the tender moments of the father and son meetings, moving ahead and entered the lunch room. The line of people had diminished down to a handful. She grabbed an empty plate and filled it with a hot food, turning and strolled toward the rear of the large room, sitting at a round table with a group of potential security guards.

The guards laughed and ate, talking about guns, murder, blood and other gory subject matters.

Good thing, Madeline had a tough stomach and a strong mind.

The lunch meal ended.

The used food trays were left behind on each dirty table for the catering to clean.

The interviewees stood and moved very slowly through the archway, down the hallway and returned back into the conference room.

At 1:13 p.m., Madeline was one of the last and late persons to arrive into the conference room with a gasp.

The five rows of eight chairs inside her specific section were almost filled up with a set of new interviewees. The rest of the interviewees had left the room that served as a lunch space before her, arriving first.

She turned and moved down the row, sitting inside the next to last chair on the last row with soft curses and a flip-flopping tummy of worry. She should have dropped and parked a fanny against the side wall inside the hallway, entering into the conference room as the first interviewee instead of eating the good hot lunch.

The set of four doors closed with a loud boom, sealing inside the new group of interviewees in the conference room for the second round of interviews.

The interviewee inside the first chair of the first row stood and moved to the interviewing oversized chair, sitting and talking with one of the fourth of the Quartet.

Madeline exhaled with a puff of nervousness, breathing out long puffs of air. She could stay and endure three more hours of butthole hugging, since she really wanted to work for the Quartet.

At 4:49 p.m., Madeline stood and sat down inside the second chair of the first row. She was the next interviewee, exhaling with a puff of worry and exhaustion. She had been sitting on a fanny, since eighty thirty, this morning. Now, she would be rewarded with the grand prize of the evening, a new job.

The interviewee stood from the chair with a smile, shaking the hand of Austin, back stepping and turned with a smile and a springy step of newly employed.

Madeline exhaled with a puff of confidence and excitement. It was her turn to dizzy and dazzle Austin with her smarts and her talents.

Austin continued to stand, motioning with a hand and a fake smile in silence. There were two more interviewees left on the first row, before ending a hectic day of employment as the chief executive officer of quartet Associates. He wanted to go home and eat a hot dinner and then drink a cold beer, closing his eyeballs with rest on top of the long sofa.

He had cancelled a planned dinner with a pretty flame, since he had underestimated the amount of mind usage for interviewing over one hundred candidates for a job position yesterday at his new company Quartet Associates.

He had a date dinner planned on Monday evening which was cancelled, after his first exhaustive day of real work with a real company. Until now, Austin had used his brain and studied his eyeballs out with academic examinations, thinking he was ready for the real world.

Nothing could compare to a real working day at the office, his office was the newly formed Quartet Associates. Late night, the four brothers had dinner at Frank's manor in Coral Beach as a Quartet family which included each biological parent, non-blood related uncle, and non-blood related aunt, discussing all the fun and horrible events of a long day.

After the dinner, Austin drove back home with his parents to his private castle and went straight up his bedroom alone and tired for the first time since college, after his first day of real work.

He extended and shook her hand with a nod and a smile. "I am Austin Berrington. Please sit." He accepted her paper resume like all the other two hundred paper resumes, sitting down inside his chair and read her name and the propose job on the resume in silence. He turned and read the third taped sheet of paper, looking for the proposed job, since the sheets of paper typed in alphabetic order.

This had been the two-step process of the interviewee process for the past two working days, starting at eight o'clock until five o'clock in the afternoon.

His father and Frank's dad were downstairs inside the lobby, halting the flow of people at four o'clock. Tomorrow was a new day. The returned away interviewees could come back and interview tomorrow at eight o'clock.

The rows of accountants showed a sixty percent reduction. Frank was almost finished with the interviewing process, making the deadline of newly hired twenty-five accountants for Monday morning or two weeks later.

The row of lawyers was empty. Tom had hired his twenty-three lawyers and trotted out the room and left the building for his castle home in Coral Beach.

Austin as the new chief executive officer would see to it that Tom only hired twenty-three lawyers also, since Tom wanted to make trouble on the second official day of work at Quartet Associates, where only the new CEO could over rule the head attorney.

Austin exhaled with a huff of confusion, reviewing the taped down sheets of papers. He saw a receiver inside the warehouse, a recruiter inside human resources, a regulator person for governmental forms, a renovator for machine work, a repair man inside the generator room, and there were other jobs that started with the letter R also as he continued to view the listing.

She checked her watch with a smile. One minute had passed. Austin had averaging about two minutes to conduct the initial interview and then offer the job on the spot.

Austin continued to read the listing with a stern face. "You are applying for a..."

Madeline smiled with a nod at the black colored hair roots on Austin. "A receptionist position here at Quartet Associates, I am currently a receptionist now."

He exhaled with a huff of confusion, turning and read the first page of the taped down sheets of paper. "A clerical position..."

She smiled with nod. "It is more than a clerical position. It is the first social contact of any potential client at any company through the front door. A colorful first impression counts the most toward any future client or a current paying client of any company's profit and loss statement."

He continued to read through each sheet of paper, where the job position was typed in twelve font of black colored ink with an extended line. He used the blank line to hand print the first initial and the last name of each hired employee yesterday and this morning today.

Austin had already hired and filled all the clerical staff positions, quickly assessing a face and a personality of each clerical worker that closely matched the personality of group of related people inside the accounting department or the legal department or the security department or the human resources department or the maintenance department.

Austin was not a department head or headed a hallway of individuals. He was the boss of the entire company and the entire staffer and didn't need a secretary.

The brothers had decided and optioned not to employ a secretary inside the penthouse business suites, since their limited time needed to be spent with the employees, learning the trade and building the company from the sandy soil up into the heavens.

He exhaled with a huff of worry. All the clerical positions were filled. He did not see a job opening for a receptionist position either. When the listing of necessary jobs was discussed with his dad and his uncles that particular position was not mentioned as an employment career at Quartet Associates.

He exhaled with a huff of frustration. There was not one single blank line on one of the other sheets of paper for him to write down her name for a new position of clerical post at his company. Austin had really fucked up, now.

Until now, he had found a position listing for each candidate which numbered over two hundred interviewees. He really didn't have the proper work experience to figure out who was or who was not qualified for the job, so Austin hired the interviewee on the spot.

The human resource person received all the resumes with the telephone numbers and the names, quickly contacting the newly hired for salary negotiation and signing the legal paperwork, so the new employee could start to work on Monday morning at eight o'clock, if possible.

Until now, Austin had been really lucky. There had been one interviewee for one open job posting on one of the four sheets of paper. He exhaled with a huff of frustration. He was going to break her heart and his ego, telling this woman that there were no more posted positions at Quartet Associates which was the primary job of the chief executive officer of any company business, his real job position.

In the rear wall near the closed doors and the food tables, the mother of Austin leaned against the wall, exhaling with a puff of exhaustion and rubbed an aching foot. She was too old to work as a waitress with food trays but smart enough to see trouble with her son. Austin had quickly interviewed each candidate within a couple of minutes. However, the new young female had been sitting inside the chair for a couple of minutes.

The mother of Austin was only seeing the black hair roots on Austin which meant there was an issue with the interviewee or with Austin.

She turned and grabbed two bottles of cold juice, swinging around and dashed between the rows of security guards and the rows of empty chairs to Austin. She turned and moved ahead, stopping and standing over the black colored hair roots her son, leaning down with a smile to see the young girl and placed both bottles of juice on top of the table surface. "Hello, I brought over some cold drinks. Would you like a beverage, miss?"

Madeline turned and smiled with a nod to the mother of Austin, "My name is Madeline. No thanks. But I really appreciate the thoughtfulness."

The mother of Austin turned with a worried brow and a whisper into his face. "Austin!"

"No ma'am." He continued to scan the sheets, exhaling with a huff of worry. He had to do the dirty deed. There was no available posted position on the sheets. He could not make a job up either. He and his brothers agreed to stick with the taped pieces of paper for all the current new hires without going broke the first month of operation at the new company Quartet Associates.

The mother of Austin said with a stern face. "Is there an issue here?"

He leaned over the empty table surface with a smile to Madeline, holding the resume. "Please excuse me, Madeline." He sat back and turned with a grin to see his mother. "Mom, may I please speak with you for a moment?" Austin stood with a fake smile and a nod to Madeline, back stepping from the rolling chair as it slammed into the wall. He turned with a stern face, gently tugging on the arm of his mom and moved them to the rear of the wall and away from the interviewee.

Madeline gasped with shock at the back spines of Austin and his mother. The interview process was a fake here at Quartet Associates. She was confused and didn't understand. She had witnessed the hiring of over eighty persons from this morning to the late afternoon right before dinner time. She looked down with a puzzled brow to see her wrist watch. The time had elapsed by four minutes, thus she was not getting hired by Quartet Associates. She had seen a different Austin and had witnessed smiley faces on each interviewee from Austin. Madeline continued to hold a fake smile as her heart sunk down to her pink polished toenails with disappointment.

On the wall, Austin stopped and stood over the grayish black colored hair roots on his mom with a whisper and a confused brow. "Mom, I like her. But I do not have any more available secretary or clerical positions. It is almost dinner time for the working class and us. There has been a gang of interviewees with tons of experience. I have almost filled the other..."

The mom of Austin snatched and read the resume with a gasp. "You did not."

Austin exhaled. "Yes, I did."

"You did not." She read through the resume of Madeline.

He exhaled. "Mom, I have little to zero work experience here. I hired each and every interviewee that sit in front of me for the needed job from the empty line on each sheet of paper. I would have given that task to anyone else but there was not anyone else. Maybe, Dad could have done a better job for..."

She looked up with a smile and a nod to see Austin. "I'm sorry." She leaned over and patted his arm with a smile and a nod. "You are the leader of the Quartet and the boss of your new company. You have a done a good job. I also quickly reviewed each resume too while assisting the interviewees to sit down. I admit that I didn't see any whackos or weirdoes. You will find the weirdo after he or she is employed, then your father can guide you into a solution. However, Madeline has very good experience and a set of excellent references and..."

"Mom, I have filled all the clerical positions. I did that yesterday and today. Each candidate was very good too. And I have already given each resume to the head of our employment department. She is calling and offering them a job with a salary compensation right this moment. I cannot fire someone before the person starts a new job here at QA now."

The mother of Austin rattled the resume with a stern face. "No, you cannot. And I understand, sweetheart. But Madeline can speak four different languages. Her foreign language skills would be very valuable for you, Austin," she smiled with a nod. "She could become your personal secretary, Austin. You thirty-third floor penthouse suite of offices has a lovely empty reception room with nothing pretty. You could get a long desk with a telephone portal..."

"Mom..."

"You are the boss..."

He exhaled. "Mom, I am the boss man. But we decided that each one of us would be too busy with training and learning from our father and the staff of more experienced employees. Mom, I don't want another you, bossing me around my private office." chuckling.

The mom of Austin laughed. "If I didn't like your dark humor, I would be offered. But I hear and cannot obey. You and your brothers will need a very good personal assistance or a receptionist to handle the company telephone calls that reach the executive suite. And you need a bulldog to stop an aggressive person."

He laughed. "We each have a gun to stop any aggressive person, male or female."

She shook her curls. "No, a gun does not stop an aggressive business personality. You are desirous to entertain princes and princesses and heads of state. These particular individuals act like a set of demi-gods and goddesses on planet Earth. You need a vicious bulldog to corral and keep these demi-gods and goddesses at bay from you or tossed into Biscayne Bay away from you. I remembered that your dad had a very good receptionist that only guarded your father and your uncles without reward but with honor. A good receptionist is very difficult to find, Austin. She has worked since she was eighteen years old that means that she likes working and wants to continue to work..."

"Mom..."

"Austin, I never had to work for a living but I supported your dad and your uncles in their business pursuit. I always enjoyed visiting and hanging around the office with your father when it was not a busy time. And I remembered meeting the bulldog that guarded your father and your uncles. She was an old and proper fuss bucket when the days were calm and joyful. But when the days were tough and hard, she was the watchdog of the Quartet. She sat and watched over the Quarter. This is the position of a watch dog. A bull dog is seen and heard."

"Stu, Tom, Frank and I discussed all this information will our fathers. We will be spending the majority of the first year, chasing after clients. Once we catch the clients, we will be chasing off the villain that wants to harm the client. That means, we, four will be out of the office all the time. We decided not to employ a person on the penthouse suite. The person would be bored and useless when we are inside a foreign country with d..."

She exhaled. "Damn danger, yes, your father has tried to avoid that word with me. I am a smart woman and a loving mother. And I understand what protection means within the goals of your company." She exhaled. "I am only worried. Back to Madeline, she reminds me of the bulldog that your father and your uncles employed. Turn around and look closely at her..."

"She wears a conservative dark tan colored business suit with a pair of low heels. The skirt does not show any leg skin. The white blouse does not show any chest or breast skin. She wears a small amount of little makeup and doesn't need any makeup as a young pretty female. She is dressed professionally and does not fidget with nervousness. Her handshake was firm. Her voice is steady and strong with proper articulation."

She smiled with a nod. "You are an expert on people, Austin."

He smiled. "On girls..."

"Do you want to see her resume again? She has excellent experience..."

He exhaled. "Mom, the financial budgets have been set in dried concrete per Uncle Franklin. The sheets of job posting are taped on my table. I cannot change or amend or modify. I must go back that and tell her that there is not a position here as the chief executive officer of the company. If I start to expand the company without the permission of my brothers..."

"Austin, I am not asking. I am strongly suggesting that she would be that bulldog which your father and your uncles used and loved. The elderly receptionist that was employed had retired from her working job right before your father sold the business venture. Else, I would recommend her. But Madeline has all the same qualities. She is conservative and respective and well-mannered. She would be an excellent first impression for Quartet and your company..."

"She mentioned that too."

"She is smart and she is single too. You are running a company twenty-four hours per day and night. You need someone like her. She has worked since she was eighteen years old, making her wise, professional, and resourceful. She is looking for an opportunity career. You are looking for a career girl that will work both day and night. It is a perfect pairing, Austin."

"I would like to hire her but I don't have the resources."

She exhaled. "Money, we all have money. I will pay for her salary and benefits. I truly believe in her and the concept of the bulldog. Or I can talk to your father..."

He exhaled. "In my short years of life, I have found that you are always correct, Mom. No, our company will handle the company expense. I am certain that Frank has a hidden a slouch fund of monies inside the budget for this type of circumstance."

"Good."

"How much should I pay her? This job posting was not discussed. I guess that I will offer her the job and the salary, telling the human resource person what to pay her."

"I would offer one fifty thousand dollars in salary dollars..."

He frowned. "That seems high."

"You can take a salary cut."

He nodded. "Actually, we are not getting paid an executive salary. We are each using our trust fund to finance our living expenses until our business can make a profit."

"That's what the trust fund is for. You can't take all that money with you to heaven or hell, where ever you end up." She laughed. "Honey, it will be okay. This is part of business world. This is your first conflict or confrontation or conquest. Hire Madeline. She is worth it. And tell Tom that I ordered it while I talk with his mother about her son, again. You need to watch and control Tom."

He smiled. "I figured Tom out a long time ago."

She smiled. "You're a smart man. Madeline will make your professional day nice. A proper wife will make your personal home lovely. Go on, honey!"

He leaned down and hugged his mother with a smile. "I love you, Mom."

Two weeks later on Monday June 22nd

Quartet Associates headquarter building

33rd level penthouse suites of offices

Receptionist lobby setting

Two weeks later, Madeline had been offered, accepted, and worked as a receptionist for Quartet Associates.

Each newly hired employee of Quartet Associates was required to sign a stack of the legal document in red blood from a right index finger. Just kidding! However, each employee signed a thick stack of legal documents, promising not to steal an ink pen, the cheap toilet paper inside the bathroom, the expensive laptop from the desk, and the folded money from a greedy media reporter.

Madeline was paid the salary like the president of a small company, but she deserved it. She was a good employee and loved her job. She had grown up with Quartet Associates over the seven years.

When she was employed on two weeks later on her first actual business day, she was single and excited to be the only executive receptionist for the Quartet, the only clerical personnel to work on the top thirty-third penthouse floor of the executive suite of offices. She was valued for knowing and tracking down a fourth, when Austin immediately needed the brother for an emergency whether inside his throne room or on the telephone or inside a foreign country.

The first year of Quartet Associates was the hardest. The Quartet traveled extensively throughout the world, rescuing or cursing each full paid QA client for business purposes, of course.

Madeline had learned to live at her office desk sometimes up and over a twenty-four-hour day. She had Stu purchase her a comfortable long cot with a set of warm blankets and green colored bed linens for her to sleep inside the reception lobby, so she could communicate all the necessary vitally important information from the Quartet on the run inside a foreign country back to the local employees in Miami that needed to be deployed for a QA assignment.

Madeline was the trusted employee liaison between the Quartet and the world. And she could tell you some very interesting stories, if she wanted. And her gifted foreign languages were priceless when the Quartet was visiting a foreign country. Madeline also was surrounded by educational videos tapes, self-made paper notebooks from the internet resources, and numerous hard copy books of the world, self-studying about a new foreign country, talking on the telephone, giving advice to the Quartet on the run for handling both the social and the cultural table manners. She saved the lives of the Quartet on a couple of occasions, sending in the US military helicopter that had been commandeered by the father on Tom from his secret US military source plus bags of cash money.

There was a time during the end of the first year of operations that the Quartet was about up give up on their new company and their new dream.

Madeline had been part of the handful of people with the secret words that Quartet Associates would be folding its wings and grounding its dreams. She felt bad about losing a very good paying and exciting job but felt worse for the four young men of big dreams and few dollars.

However, a set of usual and unique circumstances had occurred inside a foreign country that was televised on the plasma screens for all eyeballs to see and eardrums to hear, creating and making the Quartet, the new brand of USA hero.

Thus, the company survived into a second year of operation.

The second year, Quartet Associates thrived with a set of new and old QA clients, making money and making both friends and enemies. The Quartet still traveled the world, but not so much, since Tom, Frank, and Stu were happily married at home within Coral Beach.

The lovely wives of the Quartet which were called the Band of Sisters did not travel on business with their husbands, either.

Madeline learned to block the elevator door or the bathroom door, finding out the next meeting, the next social event, the next bathroom break, and the next visit home from Tom, Frank and Stu. Austin was also located inside the throne room, handling business by talking on the telephone or meeting with someone face to face.

Madeline met a great guy and married. The Quartet was very generous, hosting a bridal shower at the company, giving her four very nice wedding presents. The Quartet paid for the entire wedding which was low-key compared to Quartet lavish and expensive weddings on Tom, Frank, and Stu. They also paid for the honeymoon that Madeline had desired to travel for simply being a good employee. Then, she was pregnant with her first child.

Then tragedy stuck in the latter month of June before the holiday.

As the Quartet Associates grew from a novice international security business into a super power for guarding very important people, the greedy and vile media reporters wanted the real scoop of the Quartet inside the privately owned and operated business venture by a telephone call, by an electronic email, by a hard copy letter or by a face-to-face communication.

One night, one of the greedy media reporters waited and followed Madeline home from work. The reporter stopped the car, scooting out and ran around the rear patio of her private home in Kendall. The reporter wanted to present money in exchange for some shit about the real Quartet.

Madeline entered through the garage door and into the kitchen, seeing the reporter at the rear door of her home. At the same time, her loving husband had parked the car inside the garage and followed Madeline into the house too and stopped, sneering at the nosy reporter.

The reporter stood in front of the door, banging on the glass pane with a smile and a yell of Madeline's name.

Her husband hugged Madeline, gently shoving her into another part of the house, dealing with the nosy reporter.

Madeline quickly rushed into another part of house for safety and pulled out her personal mobile telephone with a set of hot wet tears of worry and fright, contacting Stu for assistance. She had been informed a set of sneaky reporters that were tailing and following some of the QA employees back to a private home with the harmless intention of paying for a piece of hot juicy gossip on the Quartet, since the Quartet was a very private close knit family.

The Quartet would attend numerous social functions to raise public intelligent awareness of the current modern day social issues of abused children, abandoned animals, and other tormented human beings, donating large amounts of money for a good and noble cause of mankind. Between the numerous social functions and the numerous business meetings, the Quartet enjoyed a private life away from the hustle and the bustle of US Highway One of hot and sizzling metro Miami inside an island of a set of four secured and private estate homes of each billionaire within Coral Beach.

Her husband turned and sneered at the nosy reporter, dashing and stopped, slamming the door open and punched the pointy nose of the yelling reporter. The reporter immediately stumbled backward and fell down, landing on top of the patio brick with a bloody nose and a scream, when a second tall and ruddy male squatted down over the grounded reporter and drew out a long hunting knife, stabbing it into the heart of the reporter and stood.

Then the strange male advanced to her husband.

Madeline was talking to Stu inside the safe part of her home as her husband engaged the unknown assailant with the deadly knife inside the kitchen.

Stu immediately left his home in Coral Gables with the other members of the Quartet and the compliment of the four armed and ready to kill sentry guards at the two sentry post, arriving at the home of Madeline and her husband.

Madeline disconnected the mobile telephone, hearing the loud yells and the hustle of shoe soles throughout the air waves of her home, turned and ran back into the kitchen and halted inside the archway.

Blood covered the patio floor, the kitchen floor, the kitchen walls and cabinets, her husband, and the assailant.

The assailant turned and sneered, dashing forward and reached out, shoving a bloody hand into Madeline at the hallway archway.

Stu slapped the brakes, sliding the car over the manicured lawn, drawing his Ghost and moved, running behind the rear of house first. He immediately saw that the front entrance of the house was untouched. Stu stopped and yelled with a warning call on the patio floor in front of the dead reporter.

The assailant spun around from Madeline with a sneer and was covered in red blood, lifting an arm with the bloody knife, and ran at Stu through the archway and onto the patio.

Stu was calm, squatting on kneecaps for a perfect balance of body and bullets and fired a series of sharp razors into the face and the chest of the advancing assailant. The assailant stopped, standing upright in place and deeply sighed a last breath, falling forward onto a bloody face and a matching red stained chest on top of the dead reporter.

Austin, Frank, and Tom parked an individual car with the two other rolling sedans from the QA sentry guards and then haphazardly parked over the public city street. Each person scooted from the car and dashed around the building to see Stu, the dead reporter, and the dead assailant.

Frank dashed into the kitchen with a worried brow, squatting over the husband of Madeline, touching his throat with a deep sigh.

Austin dashed behind Frank into the kitchen, yelling for Madeline. She was unconscious and folded at the waist against the hallway wall, wearing a pair of bloody lips from biting a yelling tongue and a tear stained face. He knelt and wrapped her into his arms, probing her body for any more injuries. He didn't find a body injury, lifting her into his arms and stood from the floor.

Frank bowed a head in silence prayer, standing and turned with a worried brow to see the back spine on Austin.

Austin spun around, toting an unconscious Madeline to his car for an emergency trip to the Charity emergency room and stopped in front of Frank with a worried brow.

Frank exhaled. "Her husband is dead. We were too late to save him. How is she?"

Austin exhaled. "Unconscious, but I don't see any outward bodily wounds. I'm taking her to the Kendall ED."

Frank pulled out his mobile telephone with a nod, swishing the familiar icon for the phone call. "I'm coming, too. I'm calling Jace. He will want to personal examine her, too."

Austin frowned. "What about the unborn baby?"

Frank lifted the telephone to an eardrum, listening to the rings with a worried brow, spinning around and led Austin from the home of Madeline and her dead husband. "I don't know, Austin. We will let Jace examine Madeline inside the Kendall ED."

Austin turned and followed Frank with a sad heart.

The third year of Quartet Associates brought much peace and more stability. The Quartet hardly traveled the world for business but pleasure. Madeline lost the baby and her husband on the same day. She had taken a week off from work for the funeral, returning immediately back to her lonely office desk on the thirty-third floor of the Quartet Tower. She wanted to busy her active mind and a sad heart with a gang of happy people and mind boggling work, taking a series of college courses to occupy her mind also.

The Quartet purchased Madeline a new estate house within the city of Coral Gables with a gated entrance, a sentry guard, a set of guard dogs and a set of electronic alarm, so no intruder would ever bother Madeline again.

However, all the nice gifts were too late.

Madeline came to work and enjoyed the work day with the gang of happy people. The Quartet was accommodating and respectful her personal lost. After work, she returned back home, feeling protective but sad.

Then one day at the office, she answered the telephone like always. She only received telephone calls for Austin, when he was not inside his throne room desk. Today, the Quartet was out of office, working on a shared QA business assignment.

The smooth talking tenor voice on the other end of the telephone was quick with his words, offering Madeline a five-million-dollar check cash to tattle a piece of hot sizzling juicy gossip on the Quartet.

Some of the QA employees had tattled to a nosy reporter or two on the Quartet. The Quartet was swift with their retaliation too.

A handful of money talked but a sack of money tattled back.

All the tattled-tale QA employees were immediately discharged from the company by Austin and then personal sued for their personal monies for breaking the confidential statement by Tom, and then couldn't find future employment within Miami by Frank. Finally, all of the former and tattled QA employees and their family unit had to leave Miami by Stu, if you understood that subtle message.

Thus, there were not any more tattling QA employees at Quartet Associates, ever again.

So, Madeline was facing her first test of loyalty with the Quartet, too.

She left for home and agreed to meet the nosy reporter down the street from the Quartet Tower at the local Dee Dee's Hamburger restaurant, a popular hangout for teens and the family unit with children. She parked her new car inside a parking spot, scooting out and moved to the rear bumper, standing in place like she had described to the nosy reporter who carried around a blank ten-million-dollar check.

The reporter drove to the Dee Dee's Hamburger restaurant, immediately spotting Madeline and her car. He parked a couple of parking spaces away without looking suspicious. He scooted out the car with a springy bounce, a wicked grin, and a folded check of five million dollars with her name. A check of five million dollars was a lot of money for the average citizens. However, any shitty dirt on the Quartet was worth five times that amount for any successful reporter, as of today, no such hot juicy gossip items of the Quartet existed, except the media department within Quartet Associates published informational bullets.

Madeline didn't flinch, crossing her arms with a smile and a nod to the reporter, leaning against the trunk of her new car, compliments of the Quartet. The Quartet over the three years had treated her fairly and almost equal as a sister. Each one of the Quartet wives was very nice and friendly to Madeline too, during a day visit to the work office.

Except, Madeline had everything she desired but love and money. I guess no one had enough money as Tom continued to complain about as a successful billionaire businessman. She had experienced love and lost with regret and depression, mentally blaming her nice working job at Quartet Associates.

Now, she could receive a lump sum of five million dollars, where the large amount of money would pay for her simple lifestyle for many years to come, without working. The Quartet had purchased the house and signed it over Madeline, free of charge, a pay back or a payoff for her not to tattle to a nosy report what happened to her house, her husband and her miscarriage.

The Quartet brought her private house in the city of Kendall and demolished it, so the police and the reporters could not investigate and publish the terrible news.

Money walked and talked around Miami.

So Madeline was debt free of finances, owning only assets of a house, a car, and a house of furniture but without love and a soul mate, the true measurement of real happiness.

She exhaled with a puff of sadness and sorrow, thinking about her dead husband and unborn child from four months earlier.

The reporter stopped with a smile, standing in front of Madeline, saying with a nod and a wink. "What do you have for me, Miss Madeline?"

She looked down with a grin to see his folded hand. "Is that the check inside your hand?

"Yeah," He lifted a hand without opening the palm.

She looked up with a smile and a wink to see his face. "Is the check printed with my name?"

"Yeah," He nodded with a smile.

"Okay. I got the good sauce. Do you really want it, Mr. Reporter?"

"Yeah! I really want the sauce."

She exhaled. "Well, I don't have the meat, only the sauce. Are you certain that you want the sauce?"

He nodded with a smile, playing her mind game. "Yeah, I am absolutely positively sure that I want the sauce."

"Okay. Here it comes, the sauce," she leaned against the trunk of her new car, lifting a cupped hand, tossing the fresh apple sauce into his smile. She giggled with a grin at her accuracy. "There's the apple sauce. Sorry, it didn't come with any apple meat but it was made fresh today."

The reporter lifted one hand and wiped off the apple sauce from a face with a growl, stomping forward on a single worn and unpolished leather towards Madeline with a sneer.

The hand reached out and grabbed onto the collar bone of the reporter, jerking the reporter into a diamond formation of Stu, Austin, Tom, and Frank. The Quartet wore a sneer on each face and a Ghost inside each shooting hand near the sneer too. The reporter gasped with shock, holding up both hands in fear. And he was afraid of the Quartet, his newest deadly enemy.

Stu leaned into the nose profile on the reporter. "I understand that you have threatened our QA employee..."

"No!" the reporter shook a skull and his hands. "No! No! I didn't threaten her. I promise."

Frank leaned over and sneered into the other nose profile on the reporter. "What did you do to our QA employee, sir?

The reporter back stepped into Austin, who shoved him forward back into the diamond formation. The reporter dropped both hands, pressing down a wrinkled pastel colored shirt with a smile. "I wanted to ask..." he sneered. "Look! I am law abiding citizen. I am talking with a law abiding citizen. I did nothing wrong. She..."

Tom leaned into the nose bridge of the report with a tongue of fresh minty breath and a grin. "She is our friend, first. She is our employee, second. She is not talking to you ever again, man. And that is an ugly shirt, man. Go and buy a new one on me," he reached and placed a hundred bill into the shirt pocket of the pink and yellow colored flamingo patterned shirt with a grin and a giggle.

"Sure, sure, I'm going and leaving from her and you. But, I'm going to report you, all of you, the Quartet. Yeah, I'm calling the cops on the Quartet. You threatened me with your slick sliver tinted guns. You threatened my life. Yeah, I got my story and my reward from the Quartet. You all go to jail. I will be rich and famous..."

"I gave you money. I give you a single one-hundred-dollar donation, man, for a new shirt." Tom laughed.

The tall male in a pair of blue jeans and a white shirt moved and stood beside Stu with a sour frown and a sneer, pointing to the reporter. "You grabbed him. Thanks, Stu. That's the man that robbed my cashier of hundred dollars..."

The reporter turned with a sneer to see the tall unfamiliar male. "No, no, I didn't rob the fucking hamburger joint. I'm been outside all this time with the shitty ass Quartet."

Frank smirked at the rear skull of the reporter. "I would check all his external clothing pockets for the missing one-hundred-dollar bill from your food restaurant, Hammin."

The reporter slammed a hand over the shirt pocket with a gasp, where the one-hundred-dollar bill was located that had been given and place there by asshole Tom, turning with a worried brow to see Sawyer. Tom nodded with a smile. He turned with a worried mind to see Berrington. Austin nodded with a smile. He turned with a worried heart to see Frank. Mangrove nodded with a sneer. Then he turned with a sad face to see Gage.

Stu nodded with a smile. "I do believe that a criminal charge of simple petty thief and stolen monies gets ya three to five years inside a federal prison here in Miami with a pardon in a couple of years."

The reporter gasped with shock, "No, no, I did nothing wrong here. I parked my car here. I am standing here. The Quartet saw me. I'm having a nice quiet conversation with the Quartet. That's all. Nothing else here, I promise. I swear."

Hammin turned and frowned to Gage. "Do you know him, Stu?"

Stu stared at the reporter with a laugh and a smile. "No, I do."

Tom laughed at the nose profile on the reporter. "I know him. He's one of those asshole sleaze bag reporters that always wanna find a piece of hot juicy gossip on the Quartet to sale to one of those asshole sleaze bag newspapers for riches."

The reporter slapped a chest with a grin and a nod. "Yeah, that's me, a sleazy bag reporter, that's all. I am not a thief. I promise. I swear."

Hammin was the owner of the local restaurant exhaled with a nod, turning with a sour frown to see the reporter. "I believe Tom. He is my trusted friend but you are not. You look like the man that robbed my store. So, get lost from my eating establishment, if you don't wanna buy a meal for your face."

The reporter bounced into the chest of Austin, stomping forward and scooted around a growling Austin, back stepping toward his car from the Quartet and Hammin. He turned and entered his car, driving from the food restaurant.

Hammin watched the rolling car with a laugh and a smile. "Did I do good, Stu?"

Stu extended a hand for shaking with a grin and a nod. Hammin shook the hand. Gage smiled. "You did great. Thanks for helping with the nosy media reporter."

Hammin released the hand with a smile and a nod. "My pleasure, I don't like nosy reporters disrupting my business and my customers, either. I am happy to play along with your show and help ya out, Stu, Austin, frank, and tom. Do you want some dinner? I'm paying."

Madeline moved from her car and stopped, standing beside Tom. Sawyer leaned over with a worried face into her smile. "Did he hurt you? Are you okay?"

She laughed. "I'm fine. The apple sauce was a wonderful idea, Tom. And thanks for the entertaining performance. I don't think he will be bothering us again."

Frank exhaled. "One out of a million..."

Austin nodded with a smile. "And we will deal with the other nine hundred ninety-nine thousand plus one day a time, Frank. Now, I would like a plate of free hamburgers. Aggression always makes me hunger."

The Quartet turned and escorted Madeline into the restaurant for dinner.

Madeline enjoyed the receptionist job. The Quartet enjoyed employing Madeline, because Madeline kept a wiggling tongue inside her mouth and as her lips were sealed foreverly, without parting a tip of juicy gossip about the Quartet.

The fourth year, Madeline met and married a nice guy, producing a baby boy. She took two years off from Quartet Associates. However, she was nicely on the payroll for being a loyal employee and utilized her foreign language skills over the phone while nursing the baby when the Quartet was located inside a foreign country.

The sixth year, Madelyn returned to working a part time job inside the penthouse suites of office, raising her happy family.

Present day and place

Quartet Associates

33rd floor reception lobby

Skye and Madeline reception meeting

9:11a.m.

I stared with a smile at receptionist who was named Madeline. She was a human-like bull dog for the Quartet with a smile and a polite manner, but my instincts told me to watch this one very closely even with those polished lady-like manners. I exhaled. "No ma'am. I am..."

The phone rang.

Madeline turned with a fake smile and lifted the telephone receiver, interrupting the lousy speech from Skye that was not going to visit with Austin. "Quartet Associates, how may I direct your message, please?"

I stood in annoyance in silence at the office desk, since I knew that Austin could see everything through the set of two-way reflection mirrors as a thinly veiled set of decorative windows. Thus, Austin had decided to hide inside his billion-dollar office setting, ignoring Skye and her very important data.

I should have sent an email but this was after all an international security company with tight security measures including cyberspace. So I dropped that stupid idea and instead came in person, hoping for a face-to-face confrontation, I mean conversation. My data was very important. Thus, I needed to tattle to Berrington personally that he was going to die, I mean danger.

The Quartet was messing with the Mob, a very mean and determined group of men, who enjoyed killing each other and anyone that got in the Mob way. Especially, if the Quarter didn't concede the valuable waterside land property plus the ugly and abandoned warehouse building, Berrington must comprehend this newly discovered new data.

I gasped with a nod in silence, watching the receptionist chat-chit on the telephone. I changed my plans. I could talk to Tom Sawyer, since I saved his life yesterday.

The receptionist lowered and replaced the receiver onto the hook with a smile in silence.

I rushed my words with a smile and a nod to her nose profile. "May I speak with Mr. Sawyer?" I continued to smile with a nod for getting a meeting with Tom.

She turned and frowned at Skye. "A few moments ago, you were interested in talking with Dr. Berrington..."

"Yes, I did." I turned and smiled at the two-way reflection mirror, since I knew that Austin was watching and listening to my words and my body language. "Dr. Berrington looks very busy." I swung around with a nod and a smile to see Madeline. "I can speak with Mr. Sawyer about my important datum, also." I continued to nod with a smile, praying for a few seconds of his time with my message.

Madeline frowned, "Do you have an appointment with Mr. Sawyer, today?"

I shook my strawberry colored curls with a smile, looking at the upside down calendar of events. "No ma'am."

Madeline looked down with a sour frown at the desk calendar too, tapping on the paper, "I strongly suggest an appointment."

I nodded with a grin, "All right, may I have an appointment this afternoon at...at ten?"

"Not today," Madeline flipped the pages of the desk calendar with a fake smile, shaking her brown colored curls and stopped, staring down at the new day. "Mr. Sawyer, can see you in two weeks on Monday at ten in the afternoon?" She looked up with a smirk to see Skye.

I parted my lips, "No, that's too, too late. I must see him today. This information is very, very important."

She looked down with a smirk and tapped on the paper. "Dr. Berrington, can see you in three weeks on Wednesday at nine in the morning?" she looked up with a smirk to see Skye.

I shook my curls with a free hand. The other hand held my briefcase that I carried around which contained a new tube of pink lipstick, a driver's license, my new Florida law license, and some money. "You don't understand. I have vital, vital legal data that I must share with Mr. Sawyer or Dr. Berrington, today."

She turned with a smirk and lifted, swinging around and handed the small notepad to Skye with a nod, "You can leave the data on the paper and with me. I will see that Tom or Austin gets the information immediately."

I shook my curls, viewing the closed door. "No." I exhaled then viewed her. "I must speak with one or both of them, in person. Can I meet with Dr. Mangrove or Dr. Gage as a substitute, today anytime?"

She didn't bother to view the calendar with a smirk. "They all both are very, very busy."

I exhaled with a puff of annoyance. The receptionist did not want to understand my request, acting like a bull dog with her four puppies. "This is important..."

She pointed beyond Skye to the sofa against the far wall with a smirk. "Have a seat, please? Let me see, if I can fit you into Austin's busy schedule for a few minutes, now." She stood and back stepped from the desk, turning and moved ahead to the closed door.

The door opened.

I turned with a smile and strolled to the sofa of yellow, pink and green horizontal lines, turning and sat on the edge, bouncing a pair of heels up and down with nervousness, "All right, thank you!"

The door opened.

Madeline returned into the reception lobby and stopped, standing in front of Skye with a smile. "Austin will see you after he has completed his business transaction with another party inside his private office. Can you wait for a little while, Miss Skyler?"

I nodded with a smile. "Yes ma'am. I can wait for a while. Thank you, so much. This is very important."

Inside the throne room of Austin at 9:16 a.m., "How long are you going to make her wait, Austin?" Tom turned and stared with a sour frown through the two-way reflection mirror that sealed and protected the Quartet inside the throne room of Austin for spying on the enemy or in this case the strawberry blonde haired fairy princess.

"Until hell freezes over," Austin reached and tapped on the keyboard of the laptop with a grunt, playing the computer-generated military game with Stu, Frank, and Tom, since the workload was light and easy, this week.

Frank turned and frowned at the two-way mirror, also, "What did the cute fairy princess do to piss you off, Austin?"

"Refused lunch?" Austin reached and shifted the joy stick with an evil laugh, destroying Tom's ocean submarine.

"Gawd, do not ask me to lunch ever, bro." Stu reached and shifted the joy stick with a chuckle, destroying Tom's ground military tank.

"Who's move?" Frank swung around with a stern face to see the computer screen, tapping on the buttons.

"Tom's," Stu drove the joystick forward, attacking all on Tom's marching warriors.

"What?" Tom frowned at Skye through the mirror.

Stu slammed the buttons, emitting a barge of live bullets at rest on Tom's advancing warriors. "Move your soldiers or I'll whack it with all my guns, Tom."

Tom swung around with a sour frown, tapping on the buttons and slapped the levers, watching all his marching warriors die and descend down to hell.

Outside in the lobby reception space at 09:45 a.m., I stopped bouncing on the edge of the sofa after ten minutes, sliding back into the rear cushion of the sofa, flipping a shoe toe up and down for the next twenty minutes. I stood with a fake smile and moved, stopping and stood in front of her receptionist desk. Hi! Excuse me, again?"

She looked up with a smile, "Miss Skyler!?"

"I've been waiting patiently for thirty minutes. Will Dr. Berrington be much longer? I need to get back to my office as well. I do have a job too."

"Austin told me that he will notify me, when he is available to meet with you."

"I see." I addressed with a polite tone but fury within my active mind and turned, strolling toward the closed doors of the elevator.

She smirked at the back spine on Skye. "Are you going, Miss Skyler?"

"Yes, I am." I swung around with a fake smile to face Madeline.

The doors opened.

She smiled. "Aren't you going to leave the vitally important data for Austin?"

"No." I back stepped into the breezy carriage with a fake smile.

Austin was rejected. So, I was rejected. Misery loved company, the old axiom told. I modified it with the substitution word rejection.

Rejection loved company.

Austin wasn't going to meet with Skye.

The elevators doors closed.

Madeline turned with a giggle and a grin, typing on the computer.

Inside the elevator, feeling the smooth flow down to the entrance lobby, I whispered with a grin, "I'll solve the problem my own way, not the Quartet way."

Inside the throne room of Austin at 09:47 a.m., "She's leaving." Tom turned and frowned at the two-way mirror.

"So?" Frank batted the buttons with air waves of ammunition, killing the rest on Tom's warriors.

Tom exhaled. "We should..."

"Tom!" Stu frowned at his laptop screen.

"What?" Tom asked.

"Move your ass or I'll stump it dead, again." Stu drove the joystick, dropping an array of air bombs over the sleeping tents on Tom's troops.

"Fine," Tom spun around with a sour frown and reached, shifting the joystick forward, trying to rescue some his troops inside the electronic game.

Berrington still was feeling rejected and wouldn't allow her into this day of play until she offered to pay for it, one billion dollars or roses or candy, thinking with a grin.

2:14 p.m.

City of Miami

(ten miles, northeast, from Quartet Associates)

Hot temperatures and partly cloudy

Miami-Dade court house building

City street sidewalk setting

"Shit, shit, shit!" I rode inside the rear of the limousine with a soft moan.

Sawyer was going to get killed, because not one of his bozo billionaire brothers wanted to talk to me, this morning.

I could not let that happen, even though it was not my nosy business affair, but I could not. The nice and pretty wife on Tom would be really upset and unhappy the rest of her life. I read that she loved him. He loved her.

I exhaled with a sad face. I wished that I was in love. I wished that I was married. I wished that someone was watching over me also. My biological mom and dad were in heaven, making it both different and difficult when you had to live on planet Earth and they lived in the clouds as a spiritual person of faith.

"Here comes the golden tinted limo of smart ass lawyer Sawyer." The limousine driver sat behind the steering wheel, wearing a pair of sunglasses and a pair of new blue jeans, announcing from the cab, since Skye has assigned him as lookout for one of her silly impromptu plan.

"Thank you. And stay down!"

He reached and pressed the button, opening the door. "Why? What's going on here, Skye?" The driver frowned.

I sat inside the rear bench with a puff of worry, turning and scanning the high skyline and tall buildings, "Just another attempt to kill Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third."

"How do you know?" The driver frowned.

"Quartet Assholes are playing with real fire, this time." I remarked, without emotion.

"Explain that statement, Skye." The limousine driver sat inside the driver's seat with a sour frown as the Quarter limousine pulled in front of our vehicle, parking along the sidewalk also.

I could see the open door on the other limousine. I turned and placed my heels onto the hard concrete with a stern face. "Stay in the car."

"Yes ma'am," he sat with a worried brow, watching the commotion of people, birds, and Sawyer.

I stood in front of the open door of the limousine, slowly spinning around, scanning the rooftops, the windows, the buildings, the food vendors, the stationary cars, and the walking people. I reached and removed a real hand gun from my pink briefcase with a pair of steel eyes.

I didn't have to steal Tom's gun, again. I had my own weapon, a single action automatic loading pistol which required cocking for first shot, subsequent racking of the slide for marking accurate target shooting. And it was registered, of course.

I was a young sharp shooter on my mother's farm, scaring off the coyotes. I really didn't like guns, but sometimes necessary, especially, when saving a life of an asshole that I didn't really like.

I watched Tom within the left peripheral vision as he exited his vehicle, standing over the heated sidewalk, facing the front of the courthouse building. I noted within the right peripheral vision another bright flash inside an open window, the northern end street of a six-story building.

I dropped down on one knee behind the trunk of the limousine, lifting and held the pistol with both hands. I aimed, fired, and hit the person who was hanging over the exposed window pane with accuracy. The person dropped back and down into the darkened room. I hoped bleeding on the clean floor. I frowned. "He's hurt. Damn, I'm great." I turned and ran into the nose profile on Sawyer.

Tom had heard the gun exchange, dropping and crouching in front of the open door behind the rear bench seating over the concrete sidewalk and held a two-fisted Ghost, surveying the streets, the sky, and the scene.

I bounced backward from his folded body with a gasp, kneeling at the rear right side wheel base of the limousine. "Give me a dollar!"

"Fuck, what?" Tom turned and sneered at Skye.

"Money!" I snapped my fingers for the object with a stern face.

"Huh?" Tom reached into the suit jacket, pulled out the wallet, handing Skye the money.

I reached and snatched the money with a grin, "Payment for saving your ass. Get moving, now!"

"Don't tell me..."

"The assassin's after your ass. Get out, Tom!" I sneered.

Tom stared with a gasp at Skye and worry inside a pair of baby blue eyes, lifting and crawling into the rear bench seating, cursing with a string of nasty words.

The personal limousine driver on Tom peeled the burning rubber from the four tires over the hot pavement as the open door slowly closed with Sawyer inside the bench seating.

I jerked backward from the moving vehicle, crawling backward over the grass and stood upright like a woman with a grin, scanning the area. I holstered the hand gun back inside my pink briefcase with a nod. "All clear, now," I swung around, moving into the courthouse building, hearing the police sirens as the police cars were advancing to the courthouse parking lot for a missed murder.

Inside the court room galley setting at 02:30 p.m., I stopped and studied the wall, where an electronic ledger was mounted that detailed each current court case for the day. I turned and moved into the proper courtroom that Sawyer was supposed to occupy, today, on purpose.

The bailiff entered the room with a yell. "Please stand."

The court gallery stood for the judge.

The judge moved and sat inside the judge's bench, facing the court gallery with a stern face, banging the gravel.

"Please sit," the bailiff announced to the jury and audience with a stern face, back steeping and stood beside an empty spot on the wall.

I quickly rose with a stern face, stating with a clear and plain voice, "Your Honor, I am representing Quartet Associates, today, in court regarding this asset fixed property legal case. And I do hereby withdraw all charges, junctions, and lawsuits. The other business firm may have the lot, the building, and all the current rent monies that have been collected for the past three calendar years. I have a set of legal paperwork with me for a final signature and certification closing and then terminating this legal case, today, if the business firm agrees," I turned and smiled at the nose profile on the Mob's lawyer.

"Mr. Langford." The judge turned and nodded to the Mob's lawyer.

Mr. Langford turned and smiled to Skye, "Agreed."

"This asset property case is closed and dismissed." The judge banged the gravel and stood, turning and left the courtroom, preparing for the next legal hearing.

"Very good," I leaned down and gathered a stack of papers, turning with a smile, dashing to the defendant table and stopped, standing in front of the tall male and handed the papers, "Just mail to Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third at his office address on Miracle Mile."

Langford stared down at her strawberry blonde hair roots with a stern face, touching the papers. "This is finished, young lady."

I nodded with a smile, "Yes, sir! This is completely finished. I am very sorry about our innocent mistake that we at Quartet Associates made. Sometimes, we are called Quartet Assholes."

The three Mod lawyers laughed at her silly joke as one smiled with a nod. "Sometimes, that statement is so very true."

I nodded with a smile. "I totally agree with you, sirs."

"Thank you, Miss..." Langford grinned.

I smiled with a nod, "Skyler."

Langford accepted and turned, stuffing the legal papers down into the briefcase with a nod. "Miss Skyler."

I back stepped from the defense table with a smile at his nose profile. "You are very welcome. Let's hope we do not ever cross paths again."

He and the lawyers scooted from the table, spinning away from Skye and exited the courtroom as one yelled moving to the closed doors, "Ever, again."

I turned and stared at three back spines of the Mob lawyers, "Good day, sirs!"

The double doors opened and parted.

Langford exited the court gallery with a yell, "You, also, Miss Skyler."

I exhaled with a puff of relief, saving the Quartet Assholes. Their wives should give me a celebration party. I allowed all the Mob members to leave the building and then waited for a few minutes, since the open windows across the street should be closed and cleared from a set of floating mercenaries now.

I moved ahead and exited the room, the building, and onto the grounds.

The rear door of the limousine magically opened for Skye.

I dashed with a giggle back through the open door of the running limousine. The day was beautiful hot and cloudless. Now, time to tell somebody about my good deed for the day. I slid around the soft leather of the bench seating of the cool air conditioned cabin with a giggle and a grin. "Home, James."

"How do you know my name is James?" The driver slowly moved the vehicle down the crowded city street of cars and people with a smile and a chuckle.

"Just a lucky guess!" I leaned my skull into the head rest, closing my eyelashes with a smile.

3:37 p.m.

City of Coral Gables

(ten miles from the court house)

Quartet Associates headquarter building

Conference room setting

I arrived at my office, without dashing into my office. That made sense to me.

I scooted out the limousine, dashing to my sports car, sliding inside and cranked the engine, speeding to the building for the second time in my life. I stopped and parked on the city street without paying a meter.

I scooted from the car and dashed into an empty lobby of the Quartet Associates headquarters building that was located on Miracle Mile in downtown beautiful Coral Gables with a different purpose.

I wished that I was shopping at one of the expensive one hundred plus retail shops rather than facing the Quartet for a second time.

I breathed out and in, nervously. I did something brave and stupid. However, I didn't commit perjury.

Tom had paid Skye with three one dollar bills from his personal wallet this afternoon which was part of her part.

I forced Tom into a corner, car door corner, demanding the money, covering my ass, since I was a retainer for the Quartet Associates as their legal law representative in the court of law, this afternoon.

I hoped Tom was a forgiving man. I was quite certain, Austin was not. But Austin's ass wasn't involved, only Tom's.

I strolled through the lobby and entered the last carriage, feeling thrillingly excited and secretly pleased, turning around and slapped number thirty-three which were a floor of penthouse office suits for Austin, Tom, Stu, and Frank. I breathed in and out with excitement again.

The elevator doors closed.

I hoped that I didn't vomit on the clean floor. More so, I hoped they didn't toss me into one of their hidden torment chambers that I had secretly read about inside one of the unofficial biographies.

The doors opened.

I exited the carriage and moved, stopping and standing in the receptionist for a second time. "Hi, I..."

"Yes," Madeline pointed to the side down a well-lighted hallway. "The Quartet is expecting you, Miss Skyler."

"Thank you! Should...?" I turned and viewed the hallway with mystery.

"Go down the hallway to your left and into the first conference room. They are waiting for you, Miss Skyler," she held the finger with a fake smile in the air, pointing down the hallway.

I turned and slowly moved down the pretty hallway, seeing an array of weird art pieces. The walls were painted baby blue tones. The painting held flying birds of prey like eagles, vultures, and hawks that carried in a set of sharp claws dead small animals, such like, rabbits, foxes, and fish. Wow, the walls were making me more nervous. However, this was my show, not Austin's.

I stopped and stood outside a shut door of the first conference room with a soft growl.

Quartet Assholes, their nickname was really true to form. Tom could have greeted Skye inside the ground lobby or the executive receptionist space.

No, I had to walk alone down to the gas chamber, unlike prisoners who got a priest escorting to a death. "Shit!" I whispered for my eardrums only.

The hidden cameras were watching my body movements. I reached out and touched the door knob, feeling the cold brass with a sour frown, and twisted.

The door opened.

I entered with a fake smile and a rapid heartbeat and stopped, standing and faced the corner of the short conference table. The side wall contained a long counter with a row of individual trays of food entrees.

They were sitting down at a rectangle table, turned and stared at Skye in silence. Austin was seated at the head. Tom on his left side, Frank was at the end. Stu was on the right of Austin.

I hoped that they didn't have guns on them, because I'm not armed. However, I should have brought my gun, but I had left it inside my vehicle. This was after all a security company with armed guards, hidden cameras, heated sensors and four assholes.

They didn't stand up for a lady, either. This was going to be a tough interview. I didn't bother with a formal announcement of a name or a nice greeting.

I stand with a briefcase in hand, saying with a nod to each brother. "Good afternoon, gentlemen."

I was raised to be a proper lady, whether I encountered an asshole or an angel. I shook my pink briefcase with a nervous hand but a stern face. "Thank you for seeing me. I want to apologize regarding my brass behavior, this morning, Mr. Sawyer. I set you up to live. I tried to visit with one or all of you, this morning, to share my information, but I encountered resistance. Therefore, I took matters into my own hands."

Stu slowly stood and spun around with a finger and a sneer. "You don't work for the Quartet or Quartet Associates, missy. I'm going to arrest your ass..."

I nodded with a stern face to each brother. "Mr. Sawyer gave me money as a retainer for the legal work that I performed inside the courtroom on your behalf, this afternoon."

Frank turned and frowned at the rear skull of Sawyer. "Hell bells, Tom!"

Stu turned and frowned at Sawyer, "What the fuck is she talking about Tom?"

"Money, Tom?" Frank exhaled.

Tom stood with a gasp and a sour frown, jabbing a finger at Skye. "Holy fucking shit, I did that. I gave her money from my wallet after the shooting, ya little shit."

Frank frowned at the nose profile on Sawyer. "Why did you do that, Tom?"

I nodded with a stern face to each brother. "I asked Mr. Sawyer to pay me for my future legal services."

"She's the asshole." Tom jabbed a finger at Skye.

"Silence," Austin said in a firm tone, not too loud and not too soft. Austin was the boss like the trade and trash magazines stated. He turned and stared with a stern face at Skye. "Miss Skyler, you have our full undivided attention, now. What was the information you wanted to share with us, this morning?"

I turned to see each brother and cleared a nervous throat. "Thank you, Dr. Berrington! I wanted to tell you about the acquisition property that was located on the Miami River water front which originally was purchased and owned by the Mob, the Chicago Mobsters to be exact. As you know, the Mob's notorious for not paying their bills and allowing delinquent penalties on all assets held by their families as a show of bold defiance to the United States Federal Government rather than using some good sound business practice. Quartet Assholes..."

Tom sneered. "Watch it, young lady!"

"The Quartet came along and paid the fines, penalties, and altered the paperwork legally, of course. But, inside the minds of the Mob, this is their land, their building, and their monies. I simply wanted to explain this very basic concept to one or all of you, but I was unsuccessfully. Therefore, I selected my other option. I represented your firm legally..."

Tom sneered, again. "That's debatable."

"...in a court of law. Mr. Sawyer was targeted by the Mob for assassination. This is a common practice with all attorneys, regarding Mob holdings. You should have known this fact also, Mr. Sawyer," exhaling.

Frank turned and exhaled with a worried brow at Sawyer, "Fuck, Tom!"

"What did I do?" Tom frowned at Skye.

Stu turned with an angry tone and jabbed a finger into Sawyer's face, "Someone screwed up, Thomas!"

"Look for the asshole, later! What did you do in court, young lady?" Frank turned and frowned at Skye.

"I gave them back the land, the buildings, and all the rent monies in the form of a legal binding real estate contract which guarantees that you, Quartet Associates, will pay for all court costs, lawyer fees, and the previous three years of ownership for all delinquent US Federal income taxes, any State of Florida, and local city of Miami property taxes, the State of Florida property insurance, and all the Miami abstracts on both the land and the building located at Thirty two Miami River Road, Miami, Florida."

Frank gasped. "Wait one shitty second, we..."

Stu turned and raised a palm with a stern face to Mangrove, "One moment, Frank."

"How much?" Frank frowned.

"Do you really want to know that number?" I giggled.

"I should shitting do." Frank frowned.

"The amount is 13,325,613 and 89 cents." I smiled.

"Holy fucking shit!" Tom said. "Austin, I can fight this."

Stu turned and jabbed a finger with a sour frown at his baby brother, "The Mob!? Are you fucking out of your crazy-ass mind, Tom? This is good deal. We get to keep our heads attacked to our bodies, literally."

"Stu," Austin stared with a stern face at Skye.

Stu ignored Austin, yelling at his brothers. "Shit, give it rest, Thomas. Ya screwed up. Skye saved your ass twice and the rest of our asses with you. Don't mess with Mob? Didn't your daddy teach you that lesson? Of course, he did. Our fathers taught us all. Don't mess with the Mob? They don't play nice. They don't forget grunts. How the shit do we get out of this, Austin?" Stu turned and frowned at the nose profile on Austin.

I stomped a heel with a sour frown to see each brother. "You are out! The legal document, I wrote clearly states that Quartet Associates is giving up your rights to all assets as long as you pay the amount or maybe a slightly rounded figure..."

Frank gasped. "Higher, pay more?"

I nodded. "Yes, you are to pay more."

"How much more?" Stu turned and frowned at Skye.

"I would suggest a nice round figure of fifteen million." I nodded.

Tom sneered, "Holy crap, Austin!"

"That's means." Frank reached and pulled a tiny calculator from a breast pocket, tapping on the tiny keys with a tern face with a sigh. "We lose close to fifty-six million dollars on this land verdict. And she is to blame."

"Do it, Frank!" Austin stared with a stern face at Skye.

I smirked. "You, also, need to be very nice, polite, and polished diplomats."

"How's that?" Stu frowned.

I exhaled. "When you receive the final invoice from the Mob, they might adjust the money..."

"Higher?" Frank looked up with a worried brow and parted his lips.

I shook my curls. "I do not know. I've never upset the Mob. They might give you another figure when the final paper invoice arrives into Mr. Sawyer's office. But, you must hand write a personal letter of apologize to them with the enclosed check."

"You're shitting me." Tom shook his bangs.

I smiled. "No, I'm not shitting you, Tom. I'm ordering you to do this to save your precious ass along with your family members. Do not mess with the Mob!"

"We will do it, Miss Skyler." Austin turned and stared with a stern face to each brother.

Stu turned and nodded to Sawyer. "Yes, we will do it, Thomas."

I smiled. "Excellent."

"Is there anything else?" Stu turned and frowned to Skye.

"No." I said.

"Absolutely certain," Stu narrowed his eyelids with suspicion.

"I'm absolutely certain." I nodded with a grin.

"Very good," Austin turned and nodded with a grin to Skye.

"Well, I'm glad that's settled. Thank you, gentlemen! Good day to you!" I back stepped with a silly hand wave and a grin, moving backward into the open archway

"I'll escort you out to the door." Austin stood from the chair, sliding sideways and turned, moving ahead, facing Skye.

She continued to back pedal and entered the hallway and swinging around, strolling over the tile toward the lobby.

Austin turned with a smile and strolled beside her. "Thank you. Stu's correct. You saved Tom's life again along with mine. I really appreciate my ass."

"You're very welcome." I leaned back with a giggle and peeked behind the white sports jacket of Austin with a grin and a giggle, "And your nice ass, also." I leaned forward with a smile, moving down the hallway.

He chuckled. "You're a very smart attorney. I'm embarrassed to admit one of my QA lawyers missed that vitally important piece of data."

I exhaled with a smile. "I do research for my law cases, all the time. I just happen to find that tidbit of info. It was deeply embedded inside an ancient legal doc about twenty years or older. I thought you might be interested in my findings, even if I used an unorthodox method, showing you or showing off."

They reached the end of the hallway, turning and headed to the closed doors of the elevator.

Austin turned and smile at her nose profile. "Smart, creative, and intriguing, I'm very impressed, Miss Skyler. Maybe, we could have lunch one day and share more vitally important information."

They stopped at the elevators.

I swung around with a smile. "I would enjoy that, maybe tomorrow at eleven."

He leaned over and pressed the button with a smile and a nod, standing upright, staring at her cute smile. "Eleven, it is. May I pick you up at the law office?"

The door opened.

I back stepped into the elevator with a smile, "I'll meet you at the restaurant called FF Gators on Red Road at 11:05 am."

He smiled. "That's an excellent rendezvous point."

"Good bye, Dr. Berrington. Have a nice day!"

"Enjoy your afternoon, as well, Miss Skyler. We part until 11:05 am, tomorrow. Call me, if you have any more vital important to share. I'll clear my calendar for you, I mean, your data."

"Certainly, well, bye." I giggled with a grin.

The elevator doors closed.

Austin turned with a grin, moving down the hallway with a chuckle, and returned into the conference room. Frank and Stu were eating and badgering Tom about the Mob misconnection and missed legal data that almost get the Quartet killed and buried six feet deep in the golden sands.

Frank turned and smirked at Austin, "Lunch with the lady?"

Tom mouth spat his food particles over the plate and the table, "Lady, naw, that female's a vamp."

Stu frowned at Sawyer, "Tom, who screwed up?"

Tom stabbed the fork into the food. "Don't know."

Stu stabbed the knife into the meat. "Find out, Thomas!"

Frank stabbed the knife into the meat, "Fire the person, Tom."

Austin shook a skull, scooping up the food item. "No, we do not fire. We re-educate."

Stu jabbed a finger at Sawyer, "That includes you, Thomas Edison."

Frank chewed and swallowed with a frown, "The mob, Tom?"

Stu chewed and swallowed with a frown. "How the fuck did you miss that, Tom?"

Tom stabbed the fork at the meat, "Don't know?"

Frank stabbed the knife at the meat. "Don't know my ass, Tom?"

Stu chewed and swallowed the food with a sour frown. "You have to explain that to us by dinner tonight, Tom."

"What?" Tom turned and gasped at each brother.

Frank smiled. "Or I'll tell Janey."

Tom raised both hands, spilling the food particles over the plate, the table, and the floor, "Shit fire! Gawd damn! Don't tell Jane! She'll freak."

"We're all freaking fucking pissed. You could've personally gotten us six feet under. Well, you would have been, first, Thomas." Frank laughed.

"Tom was almost first. That girl saved your life twice. She's amazing. How did she know?" Stu turned and smiled at Austin.

Austin stabbed the knife into the meat with a smile. "She's a genius lawyer and a skilled sharp shooter."

"How in the fuck do you know that, Austin?" Stu frowned.

"Research," Austin laughed. "I always research my girls." He ate and chewed the meat with a wicked grin.
Wednesday August 18th

11:04 a.m.

City of Coral Gables

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of dull sunshine

FF Gators restaurant

Front porch entrance setting

My silver sports car pulled next to the other silver tinted sports car inside the parking lot.

The car door opened.

I slid out and stood in place with a giggle, turning and examining the similar automobile beside my car.

The license plate read: BAD ASS.

I found Austin and his license plate, quite amusing.

I marched ahead toward the entrance of the building, watching him. Austin was hanging outside the front porch, sitting inside a rocking chair, sweetly smiling and patiently waiting with a pink rose in his hands at Skye.

I stepped up the three wooden steps and stopped, standing in place and thumbed back over a collar bone at our matching sports car with a grin. "Great minds think alike."

Austin stood with a smile, presenting the rose to her. "Yes, they do." She looked pretty in the outfit of pink, a favored color. The pink matched her pink skin, her auburn hair and her violet eyes. "Good morning, Miss Skyler."

I accepted the rose with a smile and a nod. "Please call me, Skye."

"With great admiring pleasure, Skye," He reached over and captured one of her naked hands, leaning down and kissed a couple of her exposed knuckles, standing upright with a chuckle. He spun around, extending an arm.

She reached out and grabbed the arm with a giggle, holding the rose with a smile, "The zines are correct."

He moved toward the entrance door, slamming it open.

The door stuck.

He turned and escorted her down a lonely hallway of wooden paneling and pictures of green swamps and brown alligators with a confused brow, "Zines?"

"Magazines!"

He exhaled. "Trash art! I thought you to be an intellect. I'm very surprised you read that junk."

"The words are very fitting. The magazine writers call you 'a dashing Prince Charming with a warrior's attitude,' of course."

He laughed. "I missed that article inside the business trade journal."

I giggled. "I believe the description fits your personality perfectly."

He turned to the side entrance door, escorting her to the far table and stopped. Skye slid into the round cushion first. Austin scooted beside Skye, staring at her nose profile with a grin, "Interesting analogy! What's your personality, Skye? I haven't quite figured you out."

I lifted and placed the napkin inside a lap, scanning the room. "The room is empty. Is this a private room for us?"

He placed the napkin inside a lap with a nod, "This is my favorite hangout for lunch. I have a private table with private accommodations, when I request a private party. I'm intrigued you picked this place."

I placed my hands inside the napkin in a lap with good manners, "Wow, the thought just popped into my mind. I like the food and the atmosphere."

He slid an arm around the curve of the padded sofa, barely touching her shoulder, "Comfort and cozy."

I smiled, "Just right!"

"What do you like to eat?"

"I enjoy steak or chicken, mostly."

"Meat eater."

"I grew up on a farm with cows, not much lobster swimming in the pond."

He laughed. "I remember you learned to shot, saddle, spit, and such."

On cue, the waitress entered the private room, moving to the table and stopped, standing in place, sliding over two food plates of hamburgers with the works.

She looked down with a smile at the food plate and Austin, "You aren't shy, are you, Austin Berrington?"

He lifted the burger with a grin. "I'm very intimidated, Skye Skyler. You intimidate me."

She chewed and swallowed the food with smile, "How so?"

He chewed and swallowed the food, wiping off the mouth with a grin. "Your mannerisms, your style, your attitude, I can tell that you don't take shit from anyone."

"That's correct. I'm my own mistress."

"So am I? We're very much alike."

"I guess so."

"This Saturday is the Tiara Ball. Do you have an escort for the event?" He chewed and swallowed the food.

She slopped a French fry down into the heap of red ketchup with a smile. "You're fast. I wasn't really planning on attending that particular social event."

"The event is one of the highlights of Miami's social calendar."

"I guess that means that I must attend that social event."

"Definitely, you must. I wondered if you would accompany me to the grand charity ball dinner and dinner."

I smiled. "I would like that very much."

"Excellent, may I pick you up at your residence?"

"I live in townhouse on Fifty-fourth Andorra Court."

"Perpendicular to Sunset Drive."

"Exactly."

"Is the townhouse pink with a marble porch?"

"Exactly."

"I know your street. That's a very nice neighborhood."

"There are lots of children and pets that play in the street. The playground and the people are very friendly. I enjoy living there. One day, I'll be able to afford a house, if I continue to do a good job with the DA's office."

He smiled. "You like children."

"Like children, I adore children. I can't wait to have a child."

He leaned over with a chuckle into her cheekbone. "I would be happy to accommodate you with that particular request, today, if need be." Austin chuckled.

I turned strawberry red with embarrassment, looking down and grabbed the water glass with a stern face. "I meant to say after I'm married. So silly, listen to me, I sound like a school girl."

"Marriage and children are not silly items." Austin didn't seem the type to talk or think about weddings.

"I teach Saturday mornings at the YYCA, three-year-old little girls in ballet."

He smiled, "Ballet, another lovely hidden talent?"

"It's an excellent form of exercise. I'm not very good, but I can teach younglings. The girls are so cute in their pink outfits and curls."

He leaned over with a smile and a whisper into her face. "I find big girls cute in their pink outfits and curls, too."

I smiled. He was flirting so nicely. I liked Austin Berrington. The magazines were correct. He was handsome, dashing, and enchanting. I said. "Thank you," I lifted and ate the burger.

The mobile telephone rang.

"Damn it to hell," he reached and pulled out the borrowed mobile telephone from a breast jacket.

"Pleasure?" I stated.

"Work," Austin exhaled with slight annoyance.

"I must leave for work, also. I almost forget that I have a job." I reached into my purse and pulled out the wallet, leaving the money, covering our meals plus a big tip like Austin. "Allow me, today."

He pocketed the mobile telephone, turning to view the money on the table and then her with a smile and a nod. "I can see you are an independent woman, but I get lunch next time."

I wiped my mouth and dropped the napkin down by the plate with a smile and a nod. "That's a deal made in heaven."

"When is next time?" Austin scooted around the cushion, leaning over with his hands, assisting her from the booth.

I accepted both his hands, scooting around the cushion, standing in front his chest and looked up with a giggle and a grin, "Tomorrow, same Skye's place, same Skye's time."

"A good Skye decision," Austin turned and escorted her from the private dining room and the restaurant to her car with a smile.
Friday, August 19th

06:06 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with dull sunshine and light rain

Home location of Frank and Misty Marie

Office den setting

Inside the private office space within his house, the narrow rectangular-shaped office den room was anchored at the end of the long entrance hallway with the two lines of softly rattling knights of silver polished armor plus a sheathed authentic sword for both privacy and isolation.

The room was brightened illuminated at the moment.

Thus, the private tiny office den room was only accessed and used by Frank. None of his nosy brothers had ever visited this room within the Mangrove manor. And none of his nosy brothers would ever as long as Frank breathed and carried his Ghost.

One of the side walls held a set of undivided glass window which showed off the beauty bluish-green tinted Atlantic Ocean water, if the set of closed drapes had been tied off to the side for the gorgeous view. There were a set of heavy dull yellow colored velveteen drapes with a set of golden colored tassels that puddled down over the black colored floor and closed off each window into darkness. In front of the viewing windows and the closed thick yellow colored drapes, there was a six-foot writing desk which was made of dark wood with a set of golden inlays that went around the edges.

Frank leaned over the writing desk and stared down at the unmarked paper calendar of two months for July and August of the current year, picking up the pencil and dotted each death date of each victim. "Let's see! The dates were listed as July eleventh, July fourteenth, July nineteenth, July twenty ninth, August eighth, August thirteen, and August sixteen. Hmm, I don't see a new emergence single alphabetic letter pattern from the connecting calendar dates like police Chief Trilling had figured out with Lizard's death march. She was a true smart and dead monster. The rash of new murders of included young and old men and women which didn't follow a pathway of unique communities. The deaths of Austin's former flames had occurred inside a unique community by his crazy ex-girlfriend Lizard. None of this information makes any sense to me or Trilling." He turned and studied the lines of individual pieces of paper that consisted of secretly acquired Quartet background reports that came from his office computer, a set of colored pictures, and the clipped out newspaper articles and printed off internet information.

He didn't want any of his nosy brothers to see and find his hard work of novice police murder investigation and the hard evidence of paper trail either. Thus, his brothers would become slightly suspicious of Frank's nosy questions yesterday and might accidentally figure out that Mangrove was conducting his own murder investigative work that the police department was too incompetent to do for the victims.

He turned and jolted down all his personal notes into a paper notebook with the number two pencil, reviewing the summary mental information later this evening after his work day and his evening mealtime, before retiring to bed. Frank had been working non-stop on solving the mysterious medical murders for seven mornings and afternoons like the Miami-Dade police department.

On the first row inside the middle television plasma screen, the blonde haired news broadcaster shoved a microphone into the fat rose-colored cheekbone of Miami-Dade Chief of Police Leo Trilling without an introduction.

He looked up with a stern face to see the television screen without hearing the interview of Trilling with a deep sigh. "This police murder investigation is not related to nothing. Stu told me inside his office. This police murder investigation is not connected to the Quartet. Tom told me inside the bathroom. When I had tried to inquire with a tea tiny curiosity question to Stu about the uncommon rash of murders, he grunted with a set of vile unknown wild animal sounds and then threatened a wilder series of bodily harm hand motions on me. I can't speak to Tom either, since Tom would definitely tattle-tail directly to Stu, who will carry out the bodily harm after getting permission from badass Berrington. My non-biological brothers are really mean and rude. I guess that is why they are not blood-related to my biological family," chuckling. "You are smart, Frank. What is the missing element here? I don't know. What is common here? The calendar days do not overlap. The cities do not overlap. The friends and families do not overlap on each dead person." He looked down with a stern face to read and then jolt down a set of names with a gasp. "Sanchez, Maria. I know an elderly woman named Sanchez, Maria, also." He turned to the side of the table with a puzzled brow and reached down, pulling out the drawer, lifting up the glossy booklet and flipped through the papers for the information.

He compared the booklet information to the newspaper article with a gasp. "No. Yes. No. Miss Marie Sanchez is one of the many terminated board members at Charity. This is the common factor that everyone is missing. All the dead women and men is a set of terminated board of directors. The Quartet, actually, Austin legally and illegally removed the entire super board membership of directors at Charity Healthcare System, after the angel of death global death trial. This is the common factor. The removal process was not pretty or published or publicized, since Austin could have been prosecuted for his own rash of verbal personal threats which could have been followed up by individual hand strangulation method around a throat."

He tapped the eraser onto the paper notebook with a smile and a nod. "Well, you are a genius Frank. Thank you, Dr. Mangrove. I have uncovered a new clue. I can't tell Stu or Tom or Trilling. No matter! I know. I will go and to Charity Healthcare System and nose around the accounting department like I needed some new information, this morning. My morning schedule is light. And I am a reinstated member of the board too. A member of the board can access any piece of financial, clinical, and legal information at any time and inside any department for any reason." He stood upright from the chair with a smile and a nod, shifting and moving a set of large and heavy reference books over all his research notes inside the paper notebook in case of a rain of three nosy brothers. Misty Marie would never invade his tender privacy or his tiny palace.

Frank back stepped and surveyed the cover-up of the precious notebook and hand written work with a smile and a nod, spinning around and dashed ahead toward the closed door.

The door opened.

Frank exited the office den room with a smile and turned to the side, stepping lively down the semi-dark hallway to find his wife Misty Marie, hearing the tings from each suit of armor.

The array of ghosts was singing with high glory this morning.

His mind barely flicked with the ingrained three golden rules for him and his brothers.

No solo performance was the number one rule for Frank and his brothers, growing from a gang of young mischievous boys to a bunch of wild pimpled-faced teenagers, and then a team of eagerly bright college men.

Today, the Quartet of four mature adults in early thirties was always surrounded by either their biological family members and his blood brothers and their wives.

Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV was the chief executive officer of Quartet Associates, both the leader and boss.

Franklin Mangrove, III was the chief financial officer of Quartet Associates as the talented CPA and talented physician.

Stuart Thant Gage, III was the chief operating officer of Quartet Associate both the engineer and the muscle.

Thomas Edison Sawyer, III was the head attorney of Quartet Associates both the legal eagle and the vile jokester of the brothers.

As CEO of Quartet Associates, Austin had established three rules for his brothers.

No solo performance was the number one rule.

The Quartet was the sole owners and operators of a multibillion dollar international security company which was selfishly named Quartet Associates. Some wise-cracking observant people (media types, fools, and enemies) enjoyed referencing them as Quartet Assholes.

Frank thought that honorific title fit, occasionally.

No brother traveled alone not even to the boring and mundane Saudi Arabia legal cases which Tom had to preside, when a Quartet client broke a national or international legal law.

Rule number two was no dynamic duos like the pair of super hero antics like Batman and Robin of the 1960s fantasy television program.

Rule number three was no trio performances which was similar to the three stooges, an old black and white comedy Hollywood program played in 1950s. The three brothers caused trouble, made trouble, and stayed in trouble from the beginning to the end of the old television show.

The current Band of Brothers attended all events, social, professional, and public together, unless they were at their private house or on a private vacation with subtlety hidden body guards. After all, Quartet Associates was a security company, where the brothers and their families came first and foremost and were guarded with the highest protection available during any type of social event.

However, Frank could take care of his person with all his new electronic toys from Stu and his Ghost without the elegant secret bodyguards like dumbass Tom. Frank was a tough and rough martial arts expert in self-defense, a weapon trained warrior in hand to hand combat and clashes.

Frank will give Misty Marie a goodbye kiss before driving to the hospital for a collection and confirmation of his working theory and start a new day of work at Quartet Associates while solving the rash of fascinating mysterious medical murders.
Saturday August 21st

06:06 p.m.

City of Florida City

(28 miles south of Coral Gables)

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Florida Pioneer Museum location

Tiara Ball event

The charity gala was held inside a building built that was built by Henry Flagler, who was known as the "Father of Miami." The building was used as a recreational civil center, a banquet room, and a dance hall for the people living in the area of Florida City.

I felt like a true princess, wearing a pink tiara that matched the new pink sexy gown which the little Frenchman named Pierre had chosen for me, this time.

I insisted upon finding the sexy thing I could get around my non-sexy slender body.

The silver tinted limousine pulled to the city street curb in my neighborhood of Coral Gables and parked.

I wanted to jump out the door and dash down on the front steps into the arm of Austin like a romance story, but my mother would be rolling inside her grave, if I had chosen to act like a Montana country hick rather than a proper Midwestern lady.

So, I stood and peeked between the slightly parted blinds inside the Florida room.

The rear door was opened the driver as the driver stood in place.

Berrington stood in place from the limousine and straightened a dinner jacket of rich black without a tie. The driver seat handed Austin a pink rose. Austin accepted with a smile and a nod, advancing forward and up the front steps.

I breathed in and out, calming a set of excited nerve endings, traveling up and down my spine.

Austin stopped and stood with a smile, reaching and knocked on the front door in one rap.

I turned and flung open the door with a smile and giggle of happiness.

He extended the rose with a smile. "Ready."

"I'm ready." I accepted the rose with a giggle and a grin like a silly high school girl.

He extended an arm.

I popped out the front door, grabbing his arm and tucked my dress too close into his rib cage, readying for an evening of delight.

The front door closed and automatically locked.

Austin and I had started the week with a rough beginning at first, but the days had improved, very well.

They entered the limo.

Joe closed the door and climbed back into the limousine, driving to the charity gala for the evening.

Austin and I talked about various subjects from work to politics and law school. He actually mentioned an array of important items, such like, marriage, weddings, children, and family unit along with commitment, obligation, and responsibilities.

The fun part was dancing at the charity ball.

The best part, Austin was holding her hands as he talked and smiled inside the limousine, into the ballroom, over the dance floor, at the table and back into the vehicle, the entire night.
Sunday, August 22nd

02:29 a.m.

Warm temperatures with bright stars

City of Coral Gables

Home location of Skye

Front porch setting

The limousine stopped at the city street. The driver pressed the button, opening the door automatically.

Austin scooted out from the open door of the rear bench seating and turned with a smile, leaning inside and assisted Skye out from of the transport. He and I turned and slowly moved to the lighted front porch of the townhouse in silence.

He and I stopped and turned, facing each other.

Austin smiled. "May I call you later, this morning, after an appropriate slumber?"

I rudely yawned and slapped a hand over the parted lips, wiggling my aching feet from too much dancing. "I don't own a phone." I dropped my hand with a grin.

He frowned. "No telephone?"

I shook my curls. "I don't really need one."

"Cell phone?"

"No cell phone."

"Email service?"

"No email services." I smiled.

"Do you own a television out of curiosity?"

"No anti-electronics."

He chuckled. "Electronically challenged, you mean."

I grinned, "Yeah, it's that."

He spun around with a smile and moved, waving a hand at Joe. Joe dashed and stopped, huddling with Austin, head-butting in the middle of the sidewalk. Then Joe returned around, moving back to the car.

Austin spun around, holding a mobile telephone, rushing and stopped in front of Skye with a smile. "You must have a phone. I'll leave you mine."

I looked up with a frown to see the mobile telephone. "I cannot."

He wiggled the object with a smile. "This is the twenty first century, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers."

I shook my curls with a grin. "Buck Rogers was the twenty second century."

He smiled. "You're a sci-fi nut?"

I smiled, "You, too?"

"Tom's the sci-fi guru."

I nodded with a grin. "I knew I liked Tom for some strange unexplained psychic reason besides saving his life a time or two."

Austin snorted. "Tom would argue that point."

"Lawyers, we argue everything until we win."

He raised the object, "The phone."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"We'll discuss it today at lunch," he chuckled.

I frowned. "Today's Sunday, Austin."

"Sunday?" He frowned.

I nodded with a grin. "People go to church on Sunday."

"You do, too?"

"Yes, I sing in the choir. I am at church at seven thirty a.m."

"Me, too."

I frowned. "I have never seen you in the singing choir at church."

"You haven't looked hard enough."

I frowned. "Do not tease me. That isn't very nice, Austin."

"No more teasing, can we have lunch on a church day?"

I exhaled. "I promised to delivery flowers and food to the local nursing homes around South Miami, this afternoon."

He smiled, "An angel of mercy also, your talents will never cease to amaze me. So I can't interfere with Almighty God's work, can I?"

I frowned, "I am so sorry. I accepted the duty, three weeks ago. The church is short staffed and needs volunteers to help with small missions."

He smiled. "May I help, this afternoon?"

I nodded with a grin. "Of course, that would be so kind of you. I'd be personally delighted to have you with me."

"I accept. What time does service start?"

"Service?"

"The church service?"

"You do not have to attend the service to help with the flower delivers in the afternoon."

"I should do all the work, not just a few items."

"I and the choir sing in both services, today. The early service starts at eight am and the second service is at ten am. You can come to either one."

He smiled with a nod. "I accept."

"The church preaching ends at high noon or about. The volunteers will drive to the first home behind the flower truck."

He frowned, "Lunch?"

I frowned. "Well, we kinda just eat on the run."

"I understand. I'll prepare a picnic basket. How about you ride with me? Is that acceptable?"

"Yes, I'll love that."

"I'll see you later this morning at eight inside the choir section. The church?"

"Coral Gables."

"Bless my soul, that's my church, too."

"Your church? You go there too?" I looked down with a frown at my shoes and up to see Austin, "Sorry! That's a personal question. Do not address that!"

He smiled. "I shall. Now, I have a very personal reason to attend."

"You should attend church to talk to Almighty God."

He nodded. "Exactly, Almighty God and I are going to have a very good conversation, later this morning."

"Great! Good night...morning, Austin!" I smiled.

Austin leaned down and kissed her naked hand, then her naked shoulder, then her chin, and finally her lips, standing upright with a smile. "Good night, Skye. I very much enjoyed myself with your company. Sweet dreams!"

"You, also," I reached up and touched my hair roots. "Wait, I should return the crown."

He shook a skull with a grin. "That is my gift to you."

"The crown is very expensive."

"Just like you, very precious and very unique, I want you to keep the gift, reminding you of our time together."

"Always, I'll always remember our time, together, Austin." I smiled on my face and in my heart, watching him. Austin back stepped carefully over the front steps toward the limousine, watching her.

I continued to stand in front of the door with a grin and a giggle, waving a hand at him.

Austin carefully back stepped and bounced his ass into the side of the vehicle, moving forward and ducked down, sliding into the limousine with a smile.

The door closed.

The window dropped down. Austin sat near the window, nodding with a smile to Skye.

I leaned into the front door, fiddling with the door key.

The door opened.

I stumbled inside the dark foyer, still watching the limousine turn the street center, not really feeling sleepy.

08:01 a.m.

Church of Coral Gables

(three miles, northwest, from Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with party clouds of sunshine

Auditorium location

Second number pew bench setting

Austin was parked on the front row side near the aisle way, looking like he wanted to escape from the heavy crowd of people. He patiently watched and waited in hopes of catching a glance of Skye inside the church choir.

The one hundred-person choir entered into the large sanctuary, followed by the preacher.

Three little girls and their mother sat on the same church pew beside Austin. The little girls mewed and giggled until their Mom got them settled with crayons for coloring on the loose papers and a small plastic baggie of fresh crackers occupying busy mouths. The musical program started with praying, singing, and music from the choir.

Austin saw Skye as she stood between a tall lean woman and a queen sized lady, singing with the females. She was so beautiful, so perfect like a heavenly angel.

Skye smiled at Austin, only him.

He felt good inside. During the boring sermon, one of the little girls slid to the other, falling onto his arm, asleep. He didn't mind.

The child was beautiful with long brown hair and coffee-colored skin like her Mother. All the girls appeared like the mom. He thought that was so nice to have a daughter that favored the Mother, not a rough and tough boy like the Daddy.

Since the year 1838, the Band of Brothers had produced a cradle of male heirs, one son for each biological father, continuing the tradition of the blood pact. Austin wondered if Almighty God would allow that male tradition to continue into the next generation of brothers.

The church sermon ended. The church preacher turned and left the podium. The church choir turned and moved to a side door off the platform stage while the church people stood and shifted toward the entrance doors.

Austin stood and assisted the mother and her three little girls through the archway and into their car, since the littlest child was asleep inside his arms from the late morning church service. He stood inside the parking lot on a heated morning, waving a hand to the little girls with a silly grin as the car drove away. He turned and back moved to the first van, opening the door and double-checked the contents inside the van.

Stu had loaded all the vans under the direction of Misty, very early this morning. Stu had prepared six vans that were filled with goodies for a single delivery to a set of nursing homes, this afternoon.

The other van drivers and their families were eating inside the Coral Beach auditorium as Stu, Frank and Tom volunteered to load all vehicles with the precious merchandise under Misty's orders, again.

Quarter Associates was a privately family owned business. All social functions included the family, not just the employees, who were hired to engage the social event.

Therefore, if an employee wanted to work, they could bring along with the family unit to enjoy the entertainment or to assist with the work load. The Quartet paid everyone in salary, time, food, supplies, and presents.

A row of cleaned and shiny white colored unmarked vans were sitting along the side street at nine o'clock before first church preaching service had been dismissed.

Austin slammed the door shut with a smile and a nod, spinning around and returned inside the church for the second preaching sermon to watch Skye sing again. A young couple sat down on the second pew further away from Austin, not recognizing him. Austin only attended church when Gracie made him, usually during the elected holiday events, such like, Easter day, Christmas day, or a special church event. He really wasn't noticed which was okay with Berrington.

He came to church for Skye to notice him. He liked Skye. During the singing, Skye smiled at him, again, making him happy.

After the preacher dismissed the members and cleared the podium. The singing choir retired into the rear of the building.

Austin stood with the rest of congregation, turning and slowly exiting into the bright and heated mid-day weather, moving and stopped, standing in front of the lead van with a smile of happiness

Outside the church parking lot setting in the hot temperatures with rays of bright sunshine at 12:15 p.m., he moved down to each van, nodding and speaking to the driver with greetings and instructions. Austin didn't know the route of the nursing home tour but there would be a leader to follow, not him, of course. He spun around, after the last van inspection, and stopped, standing in place and opened the passenger door of the lead van. He turned and sat inside the seat for Skye which was highly usual behavior pattern for his tough and rough personality.

Usually, the girl wanted and waited for Austin. However, he didn't want Skye to want or wait for him or anyone else, especially another male.

Austin patiently watched from inside the van the commotion outside in the parking lot. The members of the congregation huddled to talk or walked to a vehicle, leaving the church parking lot. Ten minutes later and numerous car horns blasts, the parking lot was almost emptied of vehicles. He had elected not to drive his sports car or ride inside his personal limo. He didn't want attention from others, only her attention.

The door opened.

Skye came out with an elder pair of older women, talking and shifting her hands with a smile and a laugh and stopped with a frown, turning and spotted, waving a hand to Austin.

Austin leaped from the seat, leaving the door open and trotted toward Skye with a smile and a nod, stopping and cuddled her inside the parking lot and turned, pointing toward the stationary parade of full sized white colored vans, without a logo on the side street. He had borrowed the mobile telephone from Stu also, in case Austin needed a call of extra help with the vans and the merchandise. The vans were loaded down with new set of blankets, linens, pillows, food tubs, old and new reading books, magazines, boxes of candy, vases of fresh flowers, hanging flowering plants as advised by his Quartet sister Misty.

Misty was the church chairwoman for numerous church charity activities throughout three geographical counties, including Miami-Dade, Monroe, and Broward within South Florida. She took her job very seriously, especially giving away tons of fun and necessary merchandise to children and the elder. Misty was delighted when Austin asked for her aid in selecting the items for the nursing home delivery activity, last night at three in the morning. And Misty had helped organize the nursing home delivery route, knowing what was needed to be done.

His other Quartet sister Gracie was the animal and wildlife chairwoman of her personal charity foundation for all non-human events around the State of Florida.

His third Quartet sister Janey was the child welfare chairwoman of her personal charity foundation, since she was a former attorney for the Department of Children Services for all children throughout the State of Florida.

The Band of Sisters was a set of very busy chairwomen for their personal events, numerous social activities, and private charities.

Skye clapped with delight, turning and moved to meet with the organizer planner of the church event, introducing him to Austin and showing off the new vans.

The church people loaded into the Quartet vans and a fleet of church van, driving to the first nursing home for the delivery.

Then, Austin drove the lead van with Skye inside the shotgun seat, without any other church people inside his van, following behind a line of three more church vans, steering around different places with Miami-Dade County for the afternoon and early evening hours.

Outside the church parking lot setting in the hot temperatures with dull sunlight colors of pink, green, and yellow at 07:04 p.m., the van delivery to each nursing home complex took much longer than Austin had planned, thinking they would be home by four, not seven pm. During the visitation to each nursing home, Austin watched as the group of people lifted and carried items into the kitchen, the dining room, the Florida room, and game room, presenting gifts and making short happy speeches. The church people enjoyed visiting, chatting, and yakking about every subject matter in America and then around the world.

But Austin wasn't tired, sleepy, hungry, or angry. His hands sweated. His heart pounded. His knees shook. His mind was occupied with only multiple nice and naughty thoughts of Skye, since the slow dancing at the Tiara Ball to present day. Berrington possessed the symptoms. He was in love with Skye. She was cute, sweet, tender, compassionate, caring, smart, and concerned, and currently the passenger, occupying the seat next to him inside the van.

He usually didn't drive around the city performing domestic services, relying on his competent hired domestic staff members. Austin only supervised orders or yelled at Tom which always required his attention at the moment.

Tom caused trouble twenty-four hours, seven days per week and three hundred sixty-five or six days per word with his shitty bossy words or his rude irrational behavior.

Case in point, Sawyer couldn't stop talking with his bad and vile words about Skye, until Austin reared back and punched Sawyer in the gut. Tom got the message, loud and clear, since Sawyer was still upset about the Mob incident, in which, Skye had nicely saved the day and cleared away a set of our funerals for the Quartet.

Austin wanted to establish the new boundary limit soonest, since he had manly fond feelings for Skye.

All the Quartet vans were empty and had returned back to an empty church parking lot, shuffling people out from the bench seats. The church people moved and entered a personal vehicle, going back home for supper for the evening.

Austin stayed inside the lead van, driving like a servant, following behind Skye in her sports car, where the make, model, and color of silver like his.

He steered the van with a chuckle of amusement. "Great minds like and act alike..."

07:31 p.m.

Hot temperatures with dull sunlight

Home location of Skye

(two miles southeast from the church)

He stopped the van and parked behind the open garage, killing the engine. The van door opened. Austin scooted out the van, closing the door, dashing into the open garage with a smile and a new pink rose inside a hand and stopped, standing in place near the opening in silence.

I drove the car into the open garage and killed the engine. The car door opened. I scooted out from the car and turned, stopping and standing in place with a smile in silence.

He advanced and stopped, standing and extended the rose to her with a smile in silence.

I accepted the rose, lifting and smelled the sweet floral fragrance with a smile and a giggle, looking up to see Austin. "Thank you so much, Austin. Everyone was buzzing about the vans, the merchandise, and the good time, today."

He smiled, "We should thank, Almighty God. He arranged this particular meeting."

I smiled. "You're right. Thank you, Almighty God, Brother Jesus, the Holy Spirit, all my heavenly angels, and Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV for this particular meeting." I back stepped toward the garage door.

Austin scooted around her, reaching and opened the door with a smile in silence.

I back stepped into the archway door of the kitchen with a smile. "Would you like a cold beverage, Austin? It seems to be a slightly very warm night."

He nodded with a smile. "I would love a cold beverage. I seem to be slightly very warm also."

I back stepped further into the kitchen, turning with a grin and a giggle, moving to the refrigerator door. The door opened. I reached and grabbed to cold bottles of water.

He moved ahead, following behind Skye and stopped, standing behind her back spine with a smile.

I swung around with a smile, ramming the two sweaty bottles of water into his chest with a giggle.

He wrapped both arms around her shoulders with a smile. "Skye, I like you, lots."

I smirked, "Really, lots?"

He smiled. "I promise cross my heart and hope to die."

"I definitely don't want you to get hurt or to die, yet." I giggled.

He frowned, "Yet?"

"Yeah, I would like for that to happen in another seventy or so years," I leaned over and placed the two bottles of cold water on top of the kitchen counter, standing upright with a smile and a wink at him.

"Agreed," He chuckled with a smile.

Skye reached up and grabbed his hand with a smile, swinging around with a nervous giggle to face the archway of the kitchen that led to the staircase and then upstairs to the bedrooms. "I know of a cold place where we both can cool off," I jerked his hand forward, leading through the kitchen.

He moved forward, allowing her to lead with a laugh and a grin. "I know of the same place," then he halted, standing in place with a chuckle.

I felt the jerk of his hand, stopping and stood in place, spinning around with a frown. "What's wrong, Austin?"

"Nothing," He released her hand and leaned over to the kitchen counter, grabbing the two bottles of cold water and stood upright with a wink and a smile. "But, we'll need those two cold drinks, after we heat up and then cool back down," smiling.

I nodded with a wink, swinging around with a nervous giggle and led through the archway toward the staircase that would lead up to my private bedroom, "An excellent decision from you, Austin."

He chuckled with a smile, following behind her back spine, "And an excellent evening with you, Skye."
Monday August 23rd

09:09 a.m.

City of South Miami

(five miles southwest of Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

District Attorney Office building

Business office setting

District attorney Ernie Palmer

I straightened the new gray and pink business jacket for the third time with nervousness, sitting at the conference table with South Miami district attorney Palmer. I was being offered a real live legal case to investigate and hand alone.

Palmer sat inside the conference desk with a sour frown and dropped the paper folder over the surface, exhaling. "The child molester is being trialed here in Miami court of law, next week. You're on the legal case with the opening statements, observing the action with assistance district attorney Whit, Skye. But if you see something that needs to be addressed, speak up, since you are a licensed attorney and still the hero of Miami. All right?"

"Yes sir, I will." I nodded with a stern face to Palmer.

The office door opened.

The assistant district attorney Whit entered the office space, slamming the door with a huff, moving and stopped, standing in place at the conference table, looking down at the bald spot on the skull of Palmer. "I have received some very bad news a few moments ago. The mother and the molested child are both missing from the home. The neighbors had mumbled something about them living on the west coast of Florida, now."

Palmer stood with a sour frown even with the nose bridge of Whit. "Go and get him, Whit. We have an excellent legal law case here. The bastard will get five or more years in jail time. I don't want this nut case running around Miami and harming other children. Do you understand me?"

I sat inside the chair and lifted a palm into the air with a smile and a nod. "I can drive to the west coast of Florida. I can talk to with the mom and see if she wants to come back to Miami under police protection."

Whit exhaled. "We work in Miami. The nut case is here in Miami, too, Palmer. It is the mother that wants to press charges against the nut case who is missing here from here inside Miami. If she is not present in the courtroom, then the nut case will walk free and clear, harming other children in Miami..."

Palmer exhaled. "Yeah, I understand, Whit. Then you go and get the mom and her child, bring her back to Miami..."

Whit turned and winked at Skye. "Skye can do that, too."

Palmer turned and frowned at Skye. "Can Skye do that, too?"

Whit leaned over and touched, shoving the paper folder with a smile and a nod to Skye, "Of course, the Hero of Miami can. Great idea, Skye! Leave now. Don't bother packing a bag."

I nodded with a smile in silence but waited for the order.

Palmer exhaled with a worried brow. "Okay, Miss Cowgirl, I want you to find and located the mother and the child there on that end. On this end, I'll have an arrest warrant within the hour for the nut case to contain his ass inside a city jail before the bail hearing. Just find that mom and her child and then call me directly with the address. I'll send over a local police officer escort for you and the mom. Do you understand me, Skye?"

"Yes sir." I stood with a smile and a nod for my second exciting legal law assignment.

Whit nodded with a smile to Skye. "Go and get her, Miss Cowgirl!"

"Yes sir," I back stepped from the conference table, turning and dashed out his office into my office, writing out a handwritten note for the receptionist to send by a foot courier to Austin at his office at Quartet Associates. Then I left my office in Miami, traveling to the west coast of Florida, protecting the mother and the child as a junior district attorney of South Miami.

09:13 a.m.

City of Coral Gables (six miles west of Coral Beach)

Quartet Associates headquarters building

33rd floor business office setting

Chief Financial Officer, Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, III

The door opened.

Stu strutted into the office space with a smile and a nod, moving and stopped, standing in place at the side of the office desk of Frank. "I set up your guys and gals, Frank, inside the largest conference room at the end of the hall. Who are your new employees, Frank? Isn't it strange that they start working on a Friday morning, instead of Monday? Why aren't they scheduled for orientation session on Monday, either?"

Frank continued to stare and read at a stack of loose papers, flipping to the next page in silence.

Tom slammed the door before it closed, following behind Stu with a stern face and stopped, standing next to Stu and at the side chair of Frank also, jabbing a finger at the nose profile on Mangrove with a sour tone. "No more gawd damn hirelings, Frank. I fuckingly told both of you that the Japs are seriously questioning our full roster of employees, including the lawyers and the accountants. Remember, the last negotiations, in which I defended our asses, they wanted to dismiss sixteen full time persons. And I recall vividly you said there would be no more new employees. Frank's breaking the rules, again. So, you go and break his nose, Stu. Or better yet, go and fire the hirelings and then break Frank's big ugly nostrils," nodding with a chuckle.

Stu laughed. "Hirelings is not a word, Tom." He back stepped and turned, sitting inside one of the oversized office chairs in front of the desk, crossing a leg over a knee.

Tom back stepped and turned, sitting inside the other chair beside Stu with a sour frown and a matching tone. "Hirelings, younglings, ducklings and siblings, they are all fuck-ass proper English words, stupid Professor Stu Gage."

Frank lifted a face from the stack of reports turning with a smile to see Stu and Tom. "Those gentlemen and ladies within the party of six are not hirelings or new employees, Tom. They are external financial auditors here to examine the income statements, the balance sheets and the profit margin percentages as dictated by the bastard Japs, in which, Tom re-negotiated in our last batch of meetings to keep all of our staff members employed during the transition phase of the final acquisition. However, once the Japs occupy the executive toilets, I didn't know which employees go and stay."

Tom nodded with a smile. "Right, this is not our fucking ass problem, Frank. We have provided a good home and a good living for all of our gawd damn employees. This is our time to enjoy our life with our families, our wives and our future as a new set of fucking ass trillionaires. Am I right, Stu? Or I am right, Frank."

Frank said. "They are set up for the day camp, today. That's why their asses are presently occupying the largest conference room. The real work will start on Monday providing hundreds of financial documents exhibiting transactions for cash transmissions, vendor documentation and asset acquisitions, including visual inspection of weapon stores. Stuart, I need you there with me and them for that particular deadly inspection. And they have asked from me for samples of the filed weapon permits, training logs, and safety protocols along with a set of written interviews of ten Quartet Associate guards to complete their final audit to the Japs."

Stu laughed with a nod. "Use my Ghost on their toes, Frank! Check! That should wrap up their ass sitting audit really quickly and move their fucking asses out of here, to boot. Am I right, Tom? Or I am right, Frank."

Tom nodded with a chuckle. "Yeah, you are right, Stu."

Frank frowned, "No, Big Man! I'm warning your ass as I'm speaking for an absent Austin, of course."

Tom turned and stared at the closed door with a confused brow. "Where the hell is Austin? It's passed nine o'clock in the fucking morning. Our fearless leader is always here first and foremost inside the Quartet suite greeting and meeting us without his Ghost," laughing.

Stu turned and frowned at the closed door. "He is at that. I don't know. He didn't communicate with me this morning, if there was an emergency."

Tom turned and frowned at the red colored hair roots on Frank. "What shitty emergency? Austin doesn't encounter an emergency until he runs out of slices of hot sizzling pizza and freezing cold beer bottles. Then he orders it by landline and the sentry guards delivery the items to his front door," laughing.

Stu turned and winked at Tom. "Our fearless leader needs a wife. She can order the box of hot sizzling pizza and the carton of freezing cold beer bottles, taking and serving both items to him in bed naked."

Tom turned and gasped to Stu. "A wife does that?"

Stu nodded with a smirk and a wink. "A loving wife does that and more, Thomas."

Tom gasped. "Does Gracie do that for you, man?"

Stu nodded with a smirk. "Yes, Gracie respects and loves me and does anything that I ask, Tom."

He frowned. "That's not addressing my nude question. So, she don't," Tom turned and smiled down at red colored hair roots on Frank. "Does Misty order you a box of hot sizzling pizza and a case of freezing cold beer, serving it to you inside the bed naked?"

Frank tapped on the stack of papers with a stern face in silence without seeing Tom and addressing the insulting question from Sawyer. The company was being sold in a couple of months. Mangrove had the grand responsible with all the audits of various items, including the compliance, finance and legal issues. He stared with a stern face down at the papers. "This stack of loose papers contains all the compliance, financial, and legal requests from the group of external auditor that was selected by the Japs in regard to our compliance internal controls here at Quartet Associates."

Tom laughed with a nod. "Frank doesn't eat pizza from a box, only if the pizza and the box were cooked and made in the country of Italy. And then the private jet flew it over from USA to Italy and then the box and the pizza with a bottle of red wine arrived at the back door step of Mangrove's magical castle." He turned and frowned at Gage, "Why do you lie so much, man?

Stu laughed. "Why do you still believe so much in fairy tales, Tom?"

Tom hissed. "Fuck your ass!"

"Stu," Frank looked up with a stern face to see Gage. Stu turned and growled at Frank. Tom laughed. Mangrove said with a serious tone. "The ten selected Quartet Associates guards should possess a valid weapon permit and be extremely knowledgeable of all the safety protocols here at our company."

Stu grinned. "All QA guards are armed and ready to kill anyone on site, including the pussy ass auditors, Frank." Tom laughed with a nod.

Frank exhaled. "All right. Let us both make that appointment on Wednesday afternoon." He looked down with a stern face, writing down the information on the calendar planner, since Mangrove wanted to complete this assignment before it delayed the selling of the company. Frank looked up with a stern face to Sawyer, "Tom, the auditors need five sample VIP contracts for visual review. Since they aren't lawyers, you'll need to provide..."

Tom shook his bangs with a sour frown. "Hell no! I'm fuckingly busy doing my real and honest legal shit before we sell our big and mean company, Frank. So, you go and interpret five of the VIP contracts and read them out loud like a fairy tale to each fucking ass auditor, since you didn't debate with me about the assholes coming here."

Frank exhaled, "Fuckingly yes, Tom! As I use your common but vile language dialect, so I will place your name and your legal time down on Tuesday in the morning. Austin..."

Tom turned and frowned at the door. "Where's Austin, again?"

Stu turned and winked with a smile at Tom. "Austin brought cute red haired Skye to the Tiara Ball on Saturday. Don't you remember, Tom? They sat across from you and Jane. Gracie likes Skye. And I do too."

"Yeah," Tom exhaled.

Stu smiled. "So I would say that our fearless leader had a wonderful weekend. Thus, he is still MIA from the office environment."

Frank exhaled. "Austin gets his turn with the auditors, also. He gets to boast and brag about our great international relations with foreign VIP and families and how he handles any discreet difficulties among our clients."

He laughed. "I'll answer for Austin." Tom dropped his natural timber down into deep baritone, "Use my Ghost, Frank!" He laughed and reached, fist-bumping with Stu.

Frank frowned. "No, Austin or Stu cannot use your personal killing weapon, the Ghost. Geez! You both are acting like a pair of pussy jackasses here. Do I need to remind here? This is our future that we are dealing with and not an over bearing pompous royalty prince. The Japs have dictated this legal and financial audit before we sign the legal papers for sixteen trillion dollars for our company Quartet Associates. Tom, you are in charge of the all the entire legal process here..."

"Use contractions and breath in some more air molecules, Frank." Tom laughed.

"Yeah, you sound like a broken musical disc, Frank." Stu laughed.

Frank exhaled. "I am completing..."

"Did I tell you, Frank?" Tom grinned. "We're defending Sherry in an embezzlement suit against Third National Bank of Miami."

Frank gasped. "Sherry Meyers, the middle daughter of Dr. Steven Meyers of..."

"Fucking, yeah, right," Tom frowned. "She claimed that her foreign bank account transfer got accidentally deposited into her personal bank account at Third National Bank of Miami when she withdrew her monies of fifty thousand dollars. The bank officials have accused Sherry of embezzlement, so her fairy tale goes."

Stu frowned, "Hmm! It sounds to me like you don't believe her, bro."

Frank nodded with a smile. "Sherry is innocent, Tom, make no mistake of that legal fact. You shouldn't toss accusations so carelessly around the office without proper criminal evidence. I know her father. He is an upstanding citizen of Coral Gables, donates millions to local charities like our Quartet Foundation to be specific."

Stu frowned. "Why didn't you marry Sherry, Frank?"

Frank gasped. "Beg pardon!"

Tom turned and pointed at Frank with a grin and a chuckle. "Good point, Big Man. Why ain't you married to Sherry's ass? You, two pals ran around like Jack and Jill going up that hill for years."

Frank exhaled. "We are children of physicians, a common factor. I will admit. Her father spent close consultation on medical cases many times with my dad at the office and at our residence. That's all. There wasn't really any chemistry between us, nosy Tom and sly Stu."

Tom smiled. "Sherry thinks differently now. She regrets letting you go back then, Frank. She feels so depressed and so sad about that right now."

Frank frowned. "Where's this going, Tom?"

Tom nodded. "Just repeating her words during our conference meet, I think she likes you, Frank."

Frank exhaled. "I am a happily married husband to my love, Misty Marie. I do not fuckingly care what she feels back then or right now. Is that clear to the pair of pussy jackasses?"

"Are you stating with more non-contraction sentences, Frank?" Tom laughed.

Stu smiled, "If you say so, Franklin."

He exhaled. "I say so twice, Stuart and Thomas," Frank looked down with a stern face at the stack of paper. "Now...."

Tom frowned. "Why did we hire her, meaning Sherry inside your division as an accountant, Frank? She ain't no accountant and don't possess certified public accountant license or a degree in accounting, only a lonely associate's degree in business management. How does that qualify her to work as accountant?"

Frank looked up with a stern face to see Tom, "Sherry was in the process of..."

The office door opened.

Austin appeared and stood upright inside the archway with a smile in silence.

Stu turned and smiled at the archway with Berrington. "Austin, he's here."

"Austin, you're late for work, man." Tom lifted and tapped on his designer wrist watch, turning with a smile to see Berrington inside the archway.

"I am." Austin nodded with a smile to each brother.

Inside the private business office of Austin at 12:07 p.m., the door opened.

"No lunch date with that bitch, Austin." Tom entered into the throne room with a grin and a giggle, allowing it to bang into the face of Frank. Frank held a stack of auditor paper in both hands as Stu reached around Frank and caught the door, swinging it open for Frank and him.

Frank entered and turned, sitting inside his assigned southwestern wall corner chair with a smile.

Stu followed behind Frank and turned, sitting inside his assigned southeastern wall corner chair with a smile too.

Austin sat inside the throne chair and looked down with a stern face at the paper report. "What do you want, Tom?"

Tom turned and slid into the chaise inside the northwestern corner of the throne room, staring with a smile at the black colored hair roots on Austin. "Grouchy, man, wrong side of the bed, maybe? Whose bedroom bed were you inside, last night, Old Man?"

Austin stared with a stern face down at the paper report. "Don't you have work, Tom?"

Tom smiled at the hair roots on Austin, "My staff's busy."

Stu turned and frowned at Tom for aggravating Austin, "You, bro?"

Tom grinned at the hair roots on Austin. "I'm busy."

"You are busy doing what, may I ask?" Frank turned and frowned at Tom, holding the papers.

Tom turned and frowned at Frank, "Hey, what's up with the fucking fifty-six questions, smart ass medical doctor? You're goofing off, too, inside Austin's throne room."

Frank smiled at Tom. "I'm working on the almost final premise of the final financial statement for the final sell."

Tom rubbed his hands with a smile, "How much trillions are we getting, Frank?"

Frank smiled, "Eight trillion dollars."

Tom exhaled with a puzzled brow. "That's all. That's it, only eight trillion dollars..."

"A piece," Stu nodded with a smile.

Frank nodded with a smile. "After paying the proper US Federal income taxes, the money figure will be four trillion for each Quartet fourth."

"Do we really have to pay fifty percent to Uncle Sam?" Tom moaned with a sour frown.

Frank turned and smiled to each brotherly face and the hair roots on Austin. "You're lucky Uncle Sam doesn't take more than its cut of fifty percent. The supercomputer can't calculate the US Federal tax amount either. I had to give the US IRS Office that monetary figure myself."

Berrington didn't want to sell his company Quartet Associates, but the joyful time within the past few days with Skye had mellowed his heart. If she was the one girl that Austin would be with for the rest of his days, then the business company didn't mean a thing to him, only her.

Stu turned and nodded to Frank. "Good thing, Uncle Sam's stupid and Frank's smart."

"Smart ass," smiled Tom.

Stu frowned. "Shut up, Tom!" He turned and smiled at the hair roots on Austin, "Old Man, what's your input?"

Tom turned and smiled at the hair roots on Berrington, "Earth to Austin, come in?"

Frank leaned over and slid the legal contract over the desk to the leader first, "Sign this first, Austin."

Stu scooted to the edge of the chair and leaned over, stealing the legal document from Austin with a grin, holding the blue colored ink pen in the air, pointing at his name on the paper, "Sign, here."

Frank frowned. "Sign there on the line with your name, Stu."

Tom stood from the chaise lounge with a confused brow and moved to the desk, stopping and stood in front of Austin with a sour frown. "Why kill a grove of healthy trees, Frank? Haven't you heard of the internet?"

Frank turned and frowned at Tom, "Legal stuff, Tom! Your precious royal court yard, this asset sale is only shown in the colors of black and white with the original signatures in a colored blue ink pen with each name, finalizing the eight trillion dollar sell of our privately owned company Quartet Associates."

Tom lifted and stretched out his arms into the air with an ugly yawn, "O."

Stu signed his name with a smile, sliding the paper and the ink pen to Tom, scooting back into his chair with a smile and a nod. "When is the sell going to be finalized for my four trillion-dollar bank account, Frank?"

Frank sat on the edge of his chair, watching Tom. "I do not know yet."

Tom leaned down and scooted up the legal paper, standing upright and reading it with a laugh and a smile. "The smart ass CPA, don't know? Frank can't answer the shitty question. Shit, please, pose for my cell when I video the moment then blog it on my social page," laughing.

Frank pointed at the paper with sour frown. "Sit down, Tom, and finish signing the legal paperwork, so the Quartet can sale the company and be rid of your ass foreverly."

Tom reached around and scratched his ass with a free hand and a giggle. "Fuckingly no, I wanna review all the legal shit before I sign anything." He leaned down over the empty table surface and signed the paper with the blue ink pen and a smile, standing upright with a giggle. "There, man!"

Stu shook a bald skull with a frown. "I thought you wanted to review, everything."

Tom smiled. "I did."

"Did not," Stu frowned.

Tom grinned. "I'm a fast reviewer."

"Fast, asshole," Stu smiled.

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Stu."

Austin reached out and captured the legal document, sliding it into his chest, leaning down and signed his name in silence with the blue ink pen. He slid the paper to Frank.

Mangrove leaned over and captured the legal document, signing his name and lifted it into a face, double checking the signatures. "We have countered their money proposal with our money proposal with the eight trillion dollars."

Stu asked. "Will the Japanese accept our terms?"

Frank smiled. "Yes, yes, and yes. They want our company, badly."

Tom frowned. "Why?"

Stu smiled. "Clout, power, prestige name it?"

Tom slapped a chest, "We got that and more money."

Frank straightened the papers. "And we get our life back."

Stu viewed Austin. "Some of us do anyways."

The landline telephone buzzed.

Tom leaned over and hit the speaker button, since Austin was daydreaming at his throne desk about that bitch.

Madeline said via the landline speaker. _"Austin, there is a gentleman on the phone, who refuses to give his name. He must speak with you, immediately_."

Tom said, "Patch it through, please, Madeline."

She answered via the landline, "Yes sir."

Tom leaned over and punched the speaker phone, standing upright with a confused brow as Austin said with a curt tone and a stern face to the telephone speaker. "Berrington..."

The male tenor voice said via the landline, _"She needs your help."_

"Who the hell is this?" Austin frowned at the telephone speaker.

" _Not important."_ The male tenor voice said via the telephone speaker and then the call was disconnected.

The telephone sounded with static.

Tom leaned over and punched the button, killing the static with a puzzled brow.

Stu turned and frowned at the nose profile on Berrington, "Who needs your help, Austin?"

Frank turned and frowned at the nose profile on Austin, "She?"

Tom viewed the telephone with a sour frown. "Who's the shit ass on your private telephone line, Austin?"

Frank said. "She needs your help."

"Gawd, Skye!" Austin gasped and picked up the receiver with a worried brow. "What's the area code on the call, Madeline?"

Pause.

"Thanks for your help, Madeline." Austin slammed the receiver over the hook with a worried brow.

Stu pulled out and tapped on his mobile telephone to the IT department. "Austin got a telephone call, two seconds ago, what's the closest city?"

Pause.

Stu said, "Checking, Austin."

Pause.

Stu said, "Chicago, Illinois, Austin."

Frank frowned. "Shit!"

Stu parted his lips, "The Mob?"

Tom gasped. "Why's the Mob calling you, Austin?"

Frank looked down with a puzzled brow to see his leathers. "She needs your help."

Austin parted her lips. "Skye needs my help."

Stu turned and gasped to Austin. "Where's she?"

Austin stood with a worried brow. "Ruby Beach, Florida, she left for legal law assignment."

Frank frowned. "How do you know that?" He stood with a smile and a nod. "You contacted her, this morning. I'm impressed, Austin. She's nice wife material."

Stu sat inside his chair, tapping out a text on his mobile telephone with stern face.

Tom waved his bangs and his hands, back stepping from the office desk with a worried brow. "O no, I'm never going back to Ruby Beach, Florida, never, ever..."

Frank turned and ignored silly Tom and led the Quartet first from the throne room, down the hallway to the set of private elevators.

Austin back stepped from the chair and turned, following behind Frank, through the archway, ignoring Tom also.

"Yes, you are, Tom, coming and going with us." Stu stood and moved ahead, advancing and leaned over, grabbing and jerked one of the waving arms and the body of wiggling Tom into a chest, turned and dragging Sawyer and him out the office door of the throne room, down the hallway, into the set of private elevators that stopped onto the rooftop, where the helicopter had landed to rescue of Austin's princess.

02:21 p.m.

City of Ruby Beach (118 miles, west, from South Miami)

Hot temperatures and partly cloudy with sunshine

Side street intersection

Ruby Beach Boulevard and US Highway 86

Dairy milk tanker setting

Interior cabin

The passenger wore a dirty cap and a face of black whiskers with a bald skull, sitting inside the passenger seat of the stolen dairy milk tanker said with a sneer. "Do you see her?"

"Yeah," The driver of the dairy milk tanker watched through a pair of binoculars the girl. "She's at the corner gas station, talking on the pay telephone."

"She's talking on a pay phone to whom?"

"Don't care."

"The plan is to squat her flat like a pancake."

"She's pretty. Maybe, we should..."

"Stick with the plan or don't collect the money."

02:22 p.m.

Hot temperatures and bright sunshine

Gas station setting (half a mile west of dairy tanker truck)

Pay telephone booth setting

"Find the child," I whispered. The address wasn't correct that was showed inside the paper folder that came from the Miami police department. I had driven to every beach house for the past four miles against the stretch of road called Ruby Boulevard. I did enjoy the pretty scene of white colored beaches, blue colored water, and the big open sky. I smiled. "Like my name..."

However, I had missed something while searching for the mom and the child. I stopped the car, killing the engine.

The car door opened.

I scooted out and moved to the booth with a pay telephone. I liked the landline better than the mobile telephone, since I didn't own a mobile telephone. And I had forgotten to ask for one from Palmer at work before I leave the office, so I lifted the receiver and dialed the familiar office number, hearing the ring tone and then the connection to the telephone operator. I smiled. "Collect call from Skye."

Pause.

"My name is spelled s.k.y.e..."

Pause.

"Thank you." The line connected.

Pause.

"Hi, Sally. This is Skye."

Pause.

"I need to speak with Palmer, please."

Pause.

"Whit, please."

Pause.

"Thank you."

The line connected to the familiar tenor voice.

Her supervisor Whit said via the telephone transmitter that traveled into the eardrum on Skye, "...fucking son of a bitch! I told you to kill the child, not hide the child."

A second male voice of tenor said via the telephone receiver into the eardrum on Skye also. "Ya told me to get rid of the kid."

Sally had interlaced Skye into an existing telephone dialogue with Abner Whit and another unnamed male.

I didn't recognize the tenor voice of the male but listened and stayed onto the landline of the pay telephone with shock and fear.

Whit yelled via the telephone line connection into the eardrum on Skye. "I'm making this loud and clear. Kill the child and the mother, today. I want to read about their deaths in the newspaper headlines, tomorrow."

An unknown male voice said via the telephone line connection into the eardrum on Skye, "The money?"

Whit said via the telephone line connection. "You'll be paid the other half, when you return to Miami. I'll meet you in the usual place."

"Done!"

Whit exhaled via the telephone line connection. "What?"

"The other problem, the other target?"

Whit asked. "Where is she?"

"My contact has her in sight at a pay telephone at the corner gas station here in Ruby Beach."

I continued to ease drop with a gasp and a worried row, standing upright on the pay telephone inside the building corner of gas station here in Ruby Beach.

Whit said via the telephone line connection. "The little bitch, she's good, too good. Kill her first! She might get lucky and find that damn child before you and contact the police."

"Can I keep her instead?"

Whit yelled via the telephone line connection into the eardrums of Skye also. "Hell, no! She knows too much. Kill her or no money."

I released and hung up the telephone receiver, swinging with a worried brow, scanning the open gray colored paved road and the flat white colored sandy landscape with a whisper. "Whit is talking about me, the little bitch. I know too much. I didn't know anything, since I couldn't find the child and mother. I am being watched. Calm down!" I spun around with a fake smile and paced into the front door of the gas station like a visiting tourist, running up the aisle and grabbed, purchasing a cold drink. I spun around and moved through the archway, stopping and stood underneath the veranda of the gas station building, gulping down the beverage. I scanned the white tinted sands, the grey colored roadways, and the far tan colored buildings. I possessed a hand gun, so if someone messed with me, then he or she or it would be dead.

Go home! That was the wrong move here. Home was too far. I could be driven off Alligator Alley and not seen ever again.

Go to the police! Yes, that was good move here.

I slowly moved ahead and stood beside the car, reaching out and touched the lowered rooftop of my convertible. The killer might become suspicious of that obvious maneuver. So I left the convertible top down.

The car door opened.

I scooted down inside the car and cranked the engine. The police station was located due south of my current position. I backed out from the parking spot and entered the highway, speeding toward the police building on Ruby Beach Boulevard.

Inside a stolen dairy milk tanker on Highway 68 with a gray colored interior cab, the driver of the vehicle narrowed his two eyelids into the bright sun with a sneer behind the clean wind shield of the vehicle. "I see her, driving south on the highway."

The leader of the two men jabbed a finger at the speeding sports car, "She's going to charge through the green light. So we fly toward the road intersection, running the red light on our side."

"Mush her like a bug." He shifted the gear into overdrive with a grin and a laugh on the milk tanker. They had stolen the tanker from a local dairy milk station in the city of Naples up the street by fifteen miles and thirty minutes ago. The dairy milk plant would find it missing tomorrow when the milk driver didn't return back to work from the day shift.

Skye was traveling south on Highway 86. The dairy milk tanker was traveling west. The emergency fire truck drove with great speed from an eastern direction for an emergency with lights and whistles.

Thus, all three were heading into the same traffic light at eh same road intersection.

The traffic light was green.

I wasn't stopping for anyone, except for a nice police officer for a big expensive illegal speeding ticket over the highway and a little tattling of protection from my boss Palmer. I quickly thought about calling Austin in Miami, but this was my problem, not his. I accelerated my speed toward the traffic light that was colored in bright green.

The dairy milk tanker accelerated the speed toward a red light at the same road intersection. The huge intersection held eight open clear lanes without a set of stationary or rolling vehicles.

The fire truck was blowing an array of loud horns, whistles, and sirens, going toward a right light at the same road intersection.

"Jesus, save me!" I yelled and steered the wheel to the side, missing the milk tanker that had ran the right colored traffic light. The car spun around and around as the rear bumper clipped the front of the firefighter truck.

Then, all three vehicles violently collided together in the middle of the intersection, making a high plume of white and black smoke with ear piercing noise of metal pain.

The firefighter truck slammed with a direct hit into the long side of dairy milk tanker, slicing the metal along the bottom of the silver tinted tank. White sweet milk started flooding down and over the paved city street.

The cab of the dairy milk tanker jetted loose, flying up into the air, landing down on the top of the hard gray pavement of the road in a sideways pose. The occupants were not wearing a protective safety belt. Both the human bodies hit the roof, ricocheted into the windshield glass, and finally rested over the gray pavement of the road with immediate death.

The fire truck had slid sideways, ramming into the dairy milk tanker, resting against a mass of twisted metal. The tanker was spilling out the contents of milk over the fire truck, the road, and the sand. Each fire fighter was wearing a set of protective fire gear and a safety belt. One at a time, each one exited from the destroyed fire truck, jumping down and moving around the truck and surveyed the damage.

The captain of the fire fighters jumped down from the cab, yelling and pointing to the smashed object with a worried brow, "Jeezus H. Christ."

Another fire fighter leaped out from the cab, running and stopped, standing in place to see the damage to the other vehicle. "Have mercy, please, Almighty God? There's a tiny silver tinted sports car trapped between the inner guts of the fire truck and the diary milk tanker."

The captain of the fire fighters stood in place and shook a head with a worried brow, "I thought she had made it."

The other fire fighter turned and frowned at the nose profile on the captain. "She, you saw the tiny car?"

"A silver tinted convertible with a red hair girl was driving." The captain of the fire fighters nodded with a worried brow. "She didn't miss the accident. Get her out, now! Get the Jaws of Life up here, now."

The second firefighter nodded, spun around, moving to the fire truck, "Yes, sir."

The captain ordered to the third fire fighter. "Climb in-between there and check on her and her vitals."

"Yes sir," the third fire fighter turned and left the eyeballs of the captain and climbed between the spilling guts of milk tanker and the twisted metal of the fire truck. The captain waited with worry for the results. The third fire fighter returned to the captain with a worried brow. "She's alive, barely. She's unconscious but breathing. And her body is trapped inside her little car. There is rolls of twisted metal all around her. I can't move her without slicing an organ or taking off an arm or a leg. We can't move her. She will die. And milk is pouring over her body inside the convertible."

The captain gasped with fear. "Gawd, she might drown from sweet milk. Punch a hole into the other side of that milk tanker. Get a pump and try to stop the spillage on her side. Go back and keep her company and watch her vitals, now."

The third fire fighter nodded with a stern face and turned, running toward the cab with the radio, "Yes sir."

The second firefighter returned and stood next to the captain with a worried brow and a nod. "Jaws of Life and a chopper are both in route. How's she doing?"

The captain of the fire fighters frowned. "She's alive and breathing but trapped. We're pumping the milk from other side, so she doesn't drown from milk. The metal sliced on that side drowning the little car in sweet milk. Any ideas?" He turned with a worried brow to see his employees.

"None," The third fire fighter shook a helmet, staring at the pouring milk.

07:07 p.m.

City of Coral Gables

(121 miles, east, from Ruby Beach)

Humid temperatures and rain clouds

Quartet Associates headquarters

33rd floor business office setting

Chief Executive Officer Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV

Located in the middle of his empty desk, the envelope was pink.

Pink was her favorite color. The color matched her pinky skin, her auburn hair, so nice along with her cute girly giggle.

He lifted the light stationary with one hand, exhaling with a puff of sorry and sadness and depression. He slid a hand over the flap.

The lip opened inside was another pink colored piece of paper.

She had left him a note before she drove to the west coast of Florida inside the beach town of Ruby Beach.

Before the upcoming legal law trial of a molester, the mother and child had both fled the metro city of Miami. The mom was scared, learning of a threat with death by one of the South Miami district attorney and his money to stop the legal law case of the molester, of course.

The world ran on money, clean or dirty, the reason for escape.

Skye didn't know this information, but the Mob did.

The Mob called and warned Austin, too late.

The Quartet arrived at the messy road intersection of a traffic light one hour after the massive collision, a stolen milk tanker truck, a crashed fighter fire engine, and a tiny sports car that contained one individual.

A woman named Skye Sequoyah Skyler was a successful lawyer from Miami, Florida that worked for the South Miami district attorney office for one week and seven days. She was a bright happy lady, who also stole his heart.

He exhaled with a deep sigh of sorry, sadness, and depression again.

He removed the tiny piece of pink stationary from the envelope, exhaling with a huff of depression and opened the folded note.

The letters were printed in a small and neat handwriting, but the written signature was larger than a life, full of both spirit and energy like her.

My dearest darling, Austin,

I am so sorry.

My work is interfering with my fun and your time. I cannot meet for our lunch meal instead I will be present for our dinner date. I hope you understand my reason.

I will be in touch, soonest.

With deepest heartfelt love with attached hugs and kisses,

Skye Sequoyah Skyler
Tuesday, August 24th

02:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and bright moonlight

Home location of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

One Coral Lane

Master bedroom setting

He awoke on top of the pink tinted bed linen in sweat and stared up at the pink colored wooden ceiling with a sour frown, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read 2:31 a.m.

His sleeping dream was deeply disturbing with the tall and beautiful dark skinned female. The female stood inside the middle of the large room yelling at Austin. He did not know the female, ever.

However, he would find her as usual. But, he really didn't want to meet this tall beauty for some strange reason.

He flipped over onto a naked stomach and flipped the pillow, resting a sweaty and worried face back down onto the cool side of the pink satin, without falling back asleep.

04:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with bright moonlight and stars

House of the Mistress

Living room setting

Doral was a north central city within Miami-Dade County. The city was west of the Miami International Airport. The name was taken from a famous golf course and health spa resort which was called the Doral Golf Resort and Spa that had been built by Doris and Alfred Kaskel.

The married couple of Kaskel coined the word Doral by combing their first names.

The city had a large number of retail shops, financial institutions, and businesses of importers and exporters, primarily because of the airport proximity. The city was 13.6 miles of land with a mile of water. There were 20,438 people population, 7,692 households, and 5,492 families, mostly composed of 66.74 percent Hispanic or Latino with 8.22 percent Venezuelans. The median income was 53,060 dollars per year. Spanish was the first language which accounted for 74.5 percent of the population.

She slowly drove the older model car with an ugly yawn and rubbed one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She was employed as a nurse at Charity Kendall Hospital in the critical care unit. Her twelve-hour work shift started at three in the afternoon until three in the morning, the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN.

The LPN lived the American dream, working and spending money that she did not possess but wished for. However, she had remembered the feeling of fine living before coming to the land of the free in America, recalling the silk touch on both naked legs and a silver fork tastes inside a mouth from her distance past.

The LPN wanted that feeling again. She must have that feeling, again. She had a grand plan to achieve the feeling with the American ways by recruiting some help, a mistress who could change her shitty life back into the former elegant past.

The LPN was tired from the work shift and the shitty work, driving ninety minutes back to her house on the lonely street in the wee hours of pre-dawn day. She took care of the critical ill patients on the CCU ward, watching the beeping monitors and documenting the medical notes inside a patient chart on the floor while the desk of registered nurses consumed cups of coffee, boxes of donuts, and mouth gossiped about the rich and beautiful people of the world.

Thus, the same nurses appeared fat, ugly, single, and pursued the same single goal as the LPN, the hand of a wealthy and handsome physician to marry into the fairy tale life of servants, mansions, and parties with a closet of beautiful fancy gowns and expensive gem jewelry.

The Mistress had told the good news to the LPN on the first visit. Her destiny was to marry a wealthy man and attend numerous social gala dances with a closet of fancy ball gowns for the rest of her living and breathing days and nights. That vision was going on three years now.

The Mistress had a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. She could make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desired, using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make your body and mind change or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear.

The LPN desired the change of her body and her mind right now, feeling impatience for the fairy tale life dream of wealth and luxury and leisure. The LPN was so desperate for the change that she had visited another fortune teller within the city of Sunrise.

A young girl of Sunrise with a black hair bun and a pair of brown eyes told the LPN that the fairy dreams would not come true and her life was destined to be a lowly LPN, who continued to work the night shift at the local hospital. The LPN laughed in the face of the young fortune teller and ran back to the Mistress.

The Mistress repeated the good news into the eardrums and smiles of the LPN. The man was coming. The gala dances were coming. The designer clothes were coming.

On the roadway, the LPN turned and slowed the speed over the driveway of the private home of the Mistress in the city of Doral, parking the car in front of the thick row of plant shrubs, killing the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood silence in the night air. She gently closed the door without waking the dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She moved ahead and reached out to the knob, opening the unlocked side door of a two-story house, strolling directly up a set of creaking wooden steps toward the open archway of a single door. She entered the small room within the semi-darkness of the moonlight and stopped, sliding down into the ratty oversized chair with a stern face, "Mistress..."

"Tell me, child?" The Mistress stared at the LPN and said a low scratchy voice, sitting inside an old ratty tan colored rocking chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone.

She exhaled. "I have work, work, and more work. You said this job was going to be different, not the same thing over and over and over," Nutelo Nicoelo Necelo whined about treating all the zombie patients that breathed on a machine and ate through a plastic feeding tube in an arm or leg vein.

Mistress lectured with a stern face to Nutelo. "Jobs provide the soul with a good opportunity..."

"You talk, talk, and talk about an opportunity with the soul. What about an opportunity for me?"

Mistress nodded with a stern face. "There will becoming a grand opportunity. I predict one true very soon. Is there something different at work within the hospital environment that you would like to share with me before the dawn of morning?"

She rolled her eyeballs and starred with a sour frown back at the old wrinkled face of the Mistress, "Nope."

Mistress reprimanded with a stern face. "No ma'am."

She exhaled. "No ma'am."

Mistress nodded with a stern face. "No ma'am. You must practice a set of nice manners for your future duty. Concentrate, child! Has something happened or has someone talked about a recent event into your eardrums or maybe you have seen with your eyeballs?"

She exhaled. "No ma'am."

The Mistress nodded with a stern face. "Then we have concluded for the day and the night. Go now and then return back to me, tomorrow morning, at the same time, like always."

Nutelo stood upright from the chair with a nod and a stern face. "Yes, ma'am. I will return back to you, Mistress," she side stepped and spun around with a sour frown, marching back down the creaky steps and left the house, entering the car, driving back home for sleep before her work shift at three in the afternoon.

10:10 a.m.

City of Sunrise in US State of Florida

(40 miles, north, from Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

House of Ora Ortega

Interior room setting

The beige one story house was small with a set of two bedrooms. The interior windows held a set of vinyl covered dirty white tinted shades that were covered in a set of faded and patched blue midnight cloth with a series of painted on tiny yellow suns, white moons, and silver stars. The solid painted beige colored walls were lined a row of different types of chairs from one rocking chair to a straw bottom straight back pine chair and other without any bodies.

The front door opened and revealed the rays of pretty sunshine as the tiny chime sounded with a soft ting.

Ora blinked open her eyelashes and nodded to the client with a stern face. The client stood upright from the table with a smile and dropped down a twenty-dollar bill for the provided fortune teller service to the young woman, back stepping from the table and spun around, slowly strolling ahead and slammed into the chest of the tall dark skinned middle aged female.

The middle aged female was tall and dark in both body and mind, not moving with kindness from the foot path of the elderly woman. The elderly woman side stepped and scooted around Tamika with a stern face.

Tamika entered the tiny room without waiting inside the tiny foyer for an invitation from the fortune teller, coming through the swirling wall of pretty glass beaded curtains and stood inside a small ten feet by ten-foot small interior room, where the young mistress was sitting quietly inside an oversized ratty brown oversized leather chair. There was a row of lit small candles that illuminated the enclosed room one side, smoking incense from open tiny perfumed bottles on the other side of the wall.

The petite coffee colored young adult with a black hair bun and a pair of brown eyeballs sat inside the chair, without moving. "You came back again." Ora stared at Tamika with a stern face, seeing the shadow of death around the young woman without fear but worry.

"I predicted...promised that I would." She slid the colored photograph over the wooden table surface with a smile, sitting down inside the hard chair, tapping on top of the glossy print. "My last visit was very eventful. I have confirmed some of your information. Your angels are very good. He is coming to Ocala in the month of September. What date will he be in the city of Ocala?" Ora looked down with a stern face and stared at the photograph in silence. Tamika lifted and wiggled the stack of money with a grin, dropping it beside the photograph with a giggle. "When is he coming to Ocala? What day? What time?"

"I am not a clock."

She exhaled. "I need more data around a specific day of the week..."

Ora stared down at the photograph with a blank face. "I see a beautiful woman and a cliff of white..."

"I want you to see a handsome male and a hill of red dirt or a pasture of green. When is he coming to rural Ocala? I must have a time period closer than the first week of September from today, right now. Is the set of nosy brothers following behind his ass, too?"

"No, he will be with a loved one on September ninth."

She tossed a skull backward with an evil laugh and a wicked grin, looking down with a nod and a smile to Ora, "Excellent, youngling! You are very good, fortune teller." She stood upright and reached out, snatching the photography. "I don't wanna leave behind any physician evidence which might be used against me." She swung around with a laugh and left the fortune teller, the tiny room, and the small house, moving toward her older model vehicle.

Ora was a fortune teller like her mom and her grandmother, moving from cool northern California climate to hot sizzling southern Florida, predicting the future among the bright sunshine and warm weather of Miami inside a small suburban town Sunrise while making her money fortune in the market full of lost souls. She was a true prophet, not a false one. She heard all the heavenly angles whispering into an eardrum, since she whispered back to the angels, who were the massagers of Almighty God.

She had opened a small business inside her residential house to assist people who had lost their soul and possessed a confused mind within a world of evil and greedy material possessions.

Tamika Tami Tang had returned and left the house of Ora. However, Ora could still see a trace of faint drifting death entrails of black mist that followed behind the back spine on the evil soul. Tamika has plotted out her vicious revenge that involved a couple of innocent souls and she would be successful.

Now, Tamika had departed with the new information from the angels. Ora prayed to her all heaven angels that Tamika would not come back with more money for any more information.

However, Ora could predict that Tamika would return one more time. Ora cannot turn Tamika into the local police department, since she had seen a future crime, because of a client privilege policy. Ora could see that she was going to be her best client and her worse enemy.

Tamika was a former girlfriend of a very important man. The man was happily married to a nice woman with a bright and happy future. However, the time had come for the plotted plan of revenge for fun and evil as Tamika was jealous for a world of riches. This was always the case of revenge, murder, and hatred.

Ora had the power to give clues, hints, information, and data about any individual, male or female. She could see things, places, and events with insights of happy, sad, mad, and glad. Her old and new clients presented money in exchange for her heavenly angel information, feeding her daily livelihood.

She reached out and snatched the stack of bills, sliding the money down into the front drawer on the round wooden table without a smile. She needed to pay the mortgage on her tiny house within Sunrise for next month.

The next business client appeared and stood inside the archway with a smile, rattling the set of glass beads twirl with a sound of tiny bells of doom.

03:33 p.m.

City of Ruby Beach

(131 miles, west, from Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with bright sun, three miles-per-hour westerly winds

Home of Beach house of Bambi

Sandy white colored beach setting

She rested a naked body partly in the blue colored salt water and partly on top of the white colored sand, sunbathing and wasting another day in paradise while trying to purge all her childhood memories away inside a skull. She was a tall girl, measuring five feet and eleven inches in high, weighing one hundred twenty pounds and had nicknamed herself Bambi for vanity. She possessed a head of dirty blonde long hair and a pair of green colored eyeballs with a tone of dark skin.

One month and two days ago

After the age of eleven years old, Bambi could not visit with her paternal grandfather anymore, since he was a foreigner living inside a foreign country. Her biological father had died when she was eleven years old also. He would take her to visit her grandfather. After he had died, her mother would not take Bambi, making her daughter and angry at the same time.

Bambi really hated her mother. She hated all women. The species of females wanted things and stuff. Her mother was the same way with angry and yelled at her daughter all the time.

So, Bambi had left at the stroke of midnight on the grandfather clock inside the foyer wall at the independent age of eighteen years old. She packed a small bag and walked out the front door of the farm house, strolling down toward the country store which was locked and bolted for the evening.

Bambi had followed the main dirt road until she had been stopped by a patrolling country sheriff car. She had explained to the deputy. She didn't possess a car and walking into town. Once she found a pay telephone, emptying out all her coin, she would call a taxi cab to the bus terminal station. Then, Bambi was out here on the next bus, moving down to Miami where it was hotter than hell all year around. She hated the cold and ice and snow among the high hills of Tennessee.

The nice sheriff deputy laughed at her explanation and seemed to believe Bambi.

Bambi was eighteen years old, showing the driver's license and her birth certificate. She had money.

Her biological father had a bank account for Bambi. She had emptied it the week before she lost the possession of the car by her mother.

Her mother had demanded the car back and then moved into his house. She was a whore.

There, Bambi said it out loud, thought it all the time, and finally acknowledged it as fact.

Her biological father had died of a brain attack which was called something. She needed to look up the word in the dictionary, because she couldn't remember it. She didn't want to remember it. Her mother fucked the nice looking lawyer from the local town. Then he went to the local judge and changed all the legal documents. Her mother signed lots of documents and spent all the money that her father had left for Bambi's future.

However, the biological paternal grandfather of Bambi was smarter or more devious than her biological mother. He had sent Bambi money in a set of foreign currency of flat bills. Bambi had placed all the bills underneath a loose wooden plank underneath her bed mattress on her bedroom floor. The house was old, older than the United States of America as it had been built in the year 1741 or so. Bambi heard the old she-ghosts with soft moans and loud cracks upstairs in the attic that had died from the historical past inside the old house. All the she-ghosts didn't bother her. She would re-tell the ghost stories to her loving mother which scared her mom out the bedroom wing of the house. And it worked each and every time. Her mother was so stupid or drunk or stoned or something to keep from hearing each she-ghost moan.

Her parents married, after her father saw her mother on the first day of college. He fell head over heels in love. So, they married within six days. Her mother came from the lower creek bottom of a common lower class of country folks, who were farmers that resided on the other side of the creek near another farm.

Her biological father was much, much older than his wife by twenty-five years. Her mother was eighteen years old. He was fifty-two years old, a mature and happy man. Her mother became impregnated on the first shared date, hence a quickie marriage. Her mother birthed a baby nine months later named Babylonia Bolivia Bolt.

After the birth of the infant, the mother experienced post pardon depression and started eating bottles of prescription drugs and added bottles of alcohol which led to heavier uses of free-based drugs and finally taking dozens of pills and bottles of booze. Her father gave up his wife and her abusive behavior with sorrow, frustration, and finally stopped loving and caring for his wife. So, he turned to his baby daughter, whom he loved, denoted, and cared. He owned a large house in the country side within the State of Tennessee with a forest full of small wildlife, such as, deer, coyotes, rabbits, snakes, and birds. He loved the country, not the city.

He loved his daughter and settled with his wife and her mother with a luscious divorce.

Bambi was named after one of her parental aunt. Her biological mother was named Fawn Faith. Her daughter didn't appear like her mother, only her father.

The day after their wedding anniversary, he divorced his wife. He purchased a house in the city for his former wife and ordered her not to return to his private property, his private house, or his daughter forever.

His former wife agreed and left with the money check, a truck load of furniture, a closet of personal clothes, and boxes of personal possessions with a new boyfriend, the lawyer of her for the will and estate case. She loved the lawyer. The lawyer loved her.

Bambi did not see her mother for almost ten years. Then her father died inside his home. She was at elementary school, coming home by the hand of the ranch hand. The ranch hand told Bambi about my father. Her biological father died in a wicked tractor accident that burned the equipment and disintegrated her father into a pile of red sizzling and gray cool ashes.

Her mother was there at the home of her former house and leaned over, trying to hug her daughter. Bambi refused. It had been ten years and two days, since Bambi had seen her. Her mother appeared old, fat, and stoned. The boyfriend was there who had never married the mother, but fucked her good. Then the mother took over the house property, the staff members, the ranch pastures, and her daughter. Bambi was the prized possession.

Bambi didn't know her grand worth of money dollars that was listed inside the Last Will and Testament that had been read out loud by the lawyer lover of her mother.

The lover lawyer sucked the pussy and the money bank accounts of her mother dry to the bone. Then her mother started spending money, buying an assortment of new vehicles, furniture items, closet of clothes, furs, boxes of jewelry, and traveling adventures. Her mother traveled everywhere throughout the world.

Bambi lived in happiness and relief, attending school from the months of August to May. In the summertime, she spent by myself at the swimming pool, playing the electronic games, reading books, and entertaining her person. The paid staff of servants took care of the farm house, crop ranch, and all the other domestic and farm duties in the first year.

The second year, her mother traveled through the world and redecorated the farm house for a second time.

The third year, she traveled less and redecorated the house for a third again.

The fourth year, she didn't travel as much and sold the barns of horses.

The fifth year, she sold the pastures of cows.

The sixth year, she sold the crop fields.

The seventh year, she sold the fixed pasture lands.

The eighth year, her mother and the daughter lived inside a run-down, depilated old three story antebellum house. Her mother had her house guests, the men. They stayed and lived with the mother and her daughter between two to six weeks, leaving after the crazy adult female threatened to call a police car and report a sexual rape. Then, Bambi enjoyed the quietness.

One month and one day ago, Bambi landed in the metro city of Miami, after falling asleep on the moving bus. She traveled from the farm city of Pulaski within the US State of Tennessee to Miami. The place was the land of warm temperatures to go further down the road.

Bambi was a southern lady, so south Florida sounded good. She exchanged the foreign bills at one of the numerous international banks in Miami, cashing in over one hundred thousand dollars. She was rich beyond her normal situation, after running away from it all.

Well, not really, sorta, Bambi was scared.

At the age of eighteen years old, she moved on to a better life that she had curved out for myself with the stacks of money inside the ugly purse and a pair of walking shorts and a pair of flip flops. Bambi used some of the money to purchase a one-way bus ticket to another new place, leaving Miami, in case of spies, bounty hunters or her mother.

When the new bus stopped, she walked off and used the lady's bathroom, collecting all the free magazines from the rack, and purchased a small cup of milk. Bambi had to be careful with the stack of numerous US currency bills inside the ugly handbag. The stacks of loose foreign bills came from the country of Saudi Arabia. She prayed the money was enough to rent a room or a tiny apartment in the city while she looked for a job.

Present day and place

07:17 p.m.

City of Coral Beach

(131 miles, east, from Ruby Beach)

Home of Dr. and Mrs Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third

Two Coral Lane

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of dull sunrays

Office den setting

Inside the private office space within his house, the narrow rectangular shaped room was anchored at the end of the long entrance hallway with the two lines of softly rattling knights of silver polished armor plus a sheathed sword for both privacy and isolation. The room was the smallest space within the manor. Each one of the bathrooms was slightly wider and deeper.

Within the office space, each wall, the floor, and the ceiling consisted of set of rich black tinted bamboo, coming from the country of Africa.

In front of the viewing windows and the closed thick yellow colored drapes, there was a six-foot writing desk which was made of dark wood with a set of golden inlays that went around the edges.

The long writing desk held numerous extremely neat rows of thin stacks of papers for a purpose. Some of the top page of the stack of papers contained a set of right angled colored slash marks from a highlighter with a purpose.

Frank sat inside an ancient Queen Anne's chair which was made of puke green fabric and outlined in gold inlets behind the authentic British royal office desk, holding a left hand fist full of numerous colored highlighters, taking turns to view each stack of papers with a purpose, striking the valuable information over the page and then turned, jolting down the new information on a single line with a stern face into a paper notebook with a number two pencil. Then, Frank performed a set of right angled strikes on each new line item with a corresponding colored highlighter that matched the stack of papers.

On the opposite wall that held rows of plasma televisions, each plasma screen was black tinted without power of yesterday and the evening news events. Each screen was mounted on the opposite side of the office desk for studying, pondering, and viewing worldly happenings and current events. One the plasma was set on the Spanish network station, since Frank spoke the Spanish language.

Frank had been working non-stop on solving the mysterious medical murders later in the evening after his work day and his evening mealtime like the Miami-Dade police department, before retiring to bed.

Currently, Frank had found a new problem which was not related to his job at Quartet Associates, but greatly bothered his smart neurons. The stack of papers included secretly acquired Quartet Associates' background reports that came from his office computer, a set of colored pictures, and the clipped out newspaper articles, and printed off internet information, and copied information from Charity Healthcare System accounting department.

Frank had come to the same conclusion with the police department, a new killer in Miami. However, Mangrove knew the killer, on paper. The middle aged woman worked for Charity Healthcare System in the fund raising division who possessed an associate degree in marketing.

Frank had used the office computer to perform a super duper criminal, financial credit, and common civil search on this girl.

Her gift, if you could call it was to solicit money from live people, where she had a knack for producing a string of dead donors like falling ripe mangos from a fruit tree. He chuckled at the mental relationship to his sur-name.

The killer tortured each victim, before the person died in silence, without struggle. Each dead donor didn't display a knife mark, a bullet hole or throat strangulation with a set of hand prints. Then, the Last Will and Testimony of the dead persona left the estate and the monies to the blood-kin relatives. However, the relatives did not find any monies inside the bank account.

That was the missing clue in which the police did not know or understand.

The dead person wrote a check to the Charity fund raising division as a tax deduction of the federal income taxes. Each check displayed the killer's name which was normal and not illegal. However, all the donation monies had been deposited into an operating bank account that was connected to the killer's name also which was normal and not illegal.

Thus, Frank would speak with the super president Donald Pollard privately about the new issues of monies transfer between employees and bank accounts. However, if the Quartet knew about the new important, then they would object and beat Frank black and blue.

Frank heard taps of heels that echoed in near the door.

The voice of Misty echoed within the end of the empty hallway, announcing her presence before standing in front of the doorway. She never entered the studio. "Frankie, Gracie, and Stu have arrived, sitting in the driveway."

"Coming, love," Frank shouted with a loud tone for her, not to come any closer into his private studio. He stood upright from the chair and shuffled a set of large manual books over all the research notes, the stack of papers, the secret Quartet Associates' background reports and colored pictures. He did not want Stu to see the rows of mysterious information, either. He was too smart and would figure out that Frank was doing his own murder investigative work that the police were too incompetent to perform.

At 07:21 p.m., inside the hallway setting, the office door opened.

Frank turned from the office and moved ahead down through the long hallway with a stern face without hearing the soft tings of the ghosts inside the rows of knight armor and stopped, standing in front of Stu near the entrance door of the house. Gage had placed a heavy box against the black paint on the shiny foyer wall. Mangrove mouth spat with irritation. "In the vans..."

"What vans?" Stu leaned down and gently lowered the last box with a huff of sweat.

Frank sneered over the back spine on Stu. "Many vans..."

"What mini-van, Frank?" Stu stood upright with a smile and leaned over, cuddling his wife Gracie with a chuckle and a grin of happiness. He and her were going for a little night run through the golf course together for a fitness outing. It was Gracie's idea.

"M...a...n...y. Many vans! There is a row of numerous white colored automobile vans that are parked along the street curb in front of my house, asshole," Frank jabbed a manicured fingernail out the open archway toward a row of parked vehicles with a yell of more irritation, thinking about the line of heavy boxes that smudged the black tinted paint inside the foyer wall.

Stu thumbed over a collar bone with a smile to the lady. "I and all the heavy boxes were nicely ordered here against the black ugly wall by Misty."

Misty Marie responded with grace and kindness, correcting her husband's nasty and rude tone. Frankie was busy with his private work inside his private office. She didn't know what kind of business work, but he didn't want to be disturbed. Misty left him alone in the studio, since supper. She nodded with a sweet smile to her Quartet brother and sister, "Thanks so much, Gracie and Stu. Frank will deliver all the boxes tomorrow to the church."

"Do you need help, Frankie boy?" Stu cuddled Gracie and chuckled at the cute pet name that Misty called Mangrove only in private company.

"No, love! I got it covered as some the sob mouth spits into my hot beverage." Frank growled back to Stu.

"Okay, bro." Stu spun around and moved ahead through the open archway of the Mangrove manor with a smile, cuddling his wife with love and protection.

Gracie yelled with a smile. "Good night, Misty and Frank!"

"Much later," Frank moaned with irritation and stared at the long line of boxes that smeared the black wall paint.

"Bye, Gracie and Stu! Thanks again for your help and time." Misty waved to them as they moved under the veranda.

Mangrove squatted down and lifted upright one of the heavy boxes, carrying it to one of the mini-vans that was parked along the street of Coral Lane and as his neurons pondered the conversation about this morning and this afternoon. His brothers teased and taunted Mangrove about his latest theories of the cold blooded series of murders occurring outside the walls of Charity Healthcare System and not connected to the Quartet.

Only Frank figured that aspect out.

Mangrove couldn't get the conversation out of his sharp mind at lunch in the conference room.

At lunch time, inside the small conference room at the Quartet Associates building, Tom sat down at the table with a plate of food and a sour frown, after hearing the voice of Mangrove, eating the food with both hands and one utensil like a wild animal. "Frank, stow it!"

Stu sat down in front of laptop with the plate of food on the side with a smile. "Frank, you're still uptight about the Babe of the East kidnapping."

Frank sat down in front a plate of food with a sour frown. "I am fine. I am not thinking or pondering the babe, who happens to be from the eastern Asia based on her physical appearance. So, I guessed. Does everyone understand me? Does everyone feel me?"

Tom ate and chewed with flying food particles across the plate and the table with a laugh, "If you say so, Frankie boy."

Frank frowned. "I say so, Tom." He exhaled. "Back to the string of cold blooded murders, I have been engaging in some fun research..."

"Research?" Gage stopped the keystrokes on the laptop and looked up with a stern face to see Frank.

Tom mouth spat more food particles over the table and the plate. "Tell Frank to stop interfering!"

"Enough, pup." Austin ate and chewed the food items with a stern face.

The conversation had ceased at the lunch table, but the investigation for Frank was just getting started without his brothers.

At his home, Frank stopped and stood in the rear end of one of the many vans with a stern face.

08:58 p.m.

City of Coconut Grove within the US State of Florida

(1,053 miles, southeast, from Memphis, Tennessee)

Pink Flamingo Club location

(three miles, northeast, from Coral Gables)

Hot temperatures with bright sunset of pink, blue, and yellow

Poker game room setting

The Pink Flamingo Club was an adult play entertainment center which was located between Bay Breeze Avenue, Midway Street, and DeGamo Lane inside the city of Coconut Grove. The Club filled four city blocks and contained four restaurants, ten game rooms, three card poker rooms, a go-kart race course, and two individual thirteen-hole putt-putt miniature golf courses for playing fun.

"Poker night," the voice of the invisible host said via the invisible speaker inside the dining room as the numerous patrons stood upright and shuffled out the door, around the dining room for food or into a poker room for a card game.

Rosebud strutted through the entrance door into an empty hallway without a care in the world. She had dined with a few fans and a fewer friends, deciding to do something spontaneous for the evening beside read a book on top of her lonely bedcover, coming to the new club for adults. She stopped and stood in front of the young girl with a smile. The hostess turned and smiled at the new guest. "Are you looking for your party, ma'am?"

"I am interested in one of the card games for the evening, please," Rosebud nodded with a smile.

The hostess pointed to the side wall with a row of open doors with a smile. "You're lucky, ma'am. It is the intermission period before the first and last round of poker card matches. After this round ends at eleven pm, the card poker tables will be shut down and closed for the night until tomorrow evening. Go to the side wall and enter any one of the open archways, ma'am. There should be a couple of chairs left open before the start of the first match of the last round."

"Thank you." Rosebud nodded with a smile and scooted around the hostess, veering to the side wall, entering the middle door and sat down at the middle table with an empty chair. The chair faced the forward wall with a back rest to the entrance door.

The poker room door closed shut, not allowing any more players for the last round of poker matches.

Rosebud stopped and pulled out the chair, sitting down in silence and scooted into the smooth edge of the wood, jerking out a wad of neatly stacked hundred dollar bills in exchange for the stack of wooden chips. The young male dashed over with a wooden tray of stacked chips in various colors. She counted out the dollars and placed the money in front of the colored chips. The young male counted out the number of wooden chips that equaled her stack of hundreds, placing the stack in front of her chest with a grunt of lust and a smile of fun. She lifted a stack of wooden chips and handed to him with a smile and a nod in silence for his swift service.

The young male employee nodded with a silly giggle at the tip of three thousand dollars in wooden chips from the old actress named Rosebud Ruff. The other gentlemen in the room had tipped the young male five thousand dollars in wooden chips, but the young male employee was not going to verbally complain about the old broad. He back stepped in a folded pose like a servant with a pretend bow, slipping back into the wall corner, sitting on top of the uncomfortable stool and watched the action, sipping on the warm beer.

Rosebud continued to fiddle with the stack of wooden chips, waiting on the first poker card game to start. Her poker table contained an array of tall and short men with three women.

Austin quietly sat to the right side of Rosebud's chair beside only one brother Tom. He didn't mind traveling alone in person, but rarely did that. Actually, Austin was a really boring person and enjoyed being a home boy with a new flame for the evening.

Right before the end of the business day, Austin had invited each brother to a friendly mean game of poker with a jackpot of true stacks of real hundred dollar bills at the Pink Flamingo Club. Tom raised an arm and ear piercing yell of acceptance while both Frank and Stu silently shook a skull with a closed mouth.

Thus, Austin had traveled with Tom to the Pink Flamingo Club for the dinner meal and away from Janey. She was busy with a new vicious lawsuit regarding a newly abused child. Tom didn't mind that Jane put her husband ahead of a beaten black and blue colored child. Jane could be vicious if she didn't sic the foundation security guards and Tom's lawyers on the guardian immediately until the child was safe and sound with a nice foster family within Miami.

Austin found Tom the most entertaining of the Quartet. He was full of dirty jokes and vile sexy stories. Stu was wonderful company until he started reading the numerous sexy text messages from his wife Gracie. Then he would tune out of the brotherly conversation and type on the mobile telephone back to her with a set of soft chuckles and silly grins.

Frank scanned the room and offered numerous observations, voicing each one for annoyance while continuing to annoyance each brother until Tom stepped in with a brilliance argument.

Currently tonight, Frank was too busy with his wife Misty Marie. Stu was jogging over the golf course with his wife Gracie.

Inside the Pink Flamingo Club game room at the beginning poker game, Austin stared with a smile at her natural red colored hair roots. So, Rosebud had come to gamble away her money, playing a few poker cards hand, and possibility beating Berrington.

The room was rectangular shaped with four walls of expensive art pieces without a viewing window and a set of overhead illuminated lights that could blind a cave bat. On the side wall, there was a long beverage bar with a set of tall stools to eat, drink, or watch the poker game, if you had loss your hand during the game but wanted to entertain a new game. Once you lose all your money, you were invited to leave the poker room, without spying too much on your enemy or your friend.

There were four rounded tables inside the room with a filled seat. On each side of the poker table, there was a sitting card dealer, who passed out the cards and verified the bets of each round with a low voice. The room was almost quiet except for the occasional mumbling of the card dealer or the player.

On Rosebud's table, the card dealer shuffled the cards with a set of talented hands and a stern face, swiftly sliding the card over the smooth wooden surface into the front of each player, saying with a low mumble. "The ante up is two thousand dollars please, ladies and gentlemen."

Rosebud placed the required number of wooden chips in the middle of the table for the first match of the fun and competitive poker game, slowly looking up with a gasp to meet a pair of beautiful silver eyes. Austin continued to smirk at her in silence, placing the required stack of wooden chips into the middle of the table. She nodded with a smirk back in silence and shoved the required stack of wooden chips into the middle of the table surface, looking down to study her five cards.

Rosebud played the first match with confidence, grace, strength, and a slight wicked grin, winning the first hand. She was a gambler at heart, taking both risks and rewards. She did very well, winning some of the large money jackpots instead of depleting her money stash, staying until the last game of the evening.

At 11:11 p.m., all the other poker tables were cleared and cleaned of players, expect for Rosebud's table. The card dealer shuffled the card with a pair of talented fingers, doling out the five cards for the evening. "This is the last match of the evening, ladies and gentlemen. The winner will take the final money pot that will be presented in the middle of the table. You can cash out your winnings with the cashier, who will be outside near the bar, if you don't want to finish playing the last match." A few poker players stood upright from the table and left the room. The other continued to sit and refilled an empty beverage tumbler, watching the final card game of the evening.

Rosebud recounted the stack of wooden chips for the first placement of money. Frank sat beside Austin and watched the action, not playing the final card hand. Tom enjoyed the bourbon as he was out of cash and chips. Stu slid all of his remaining chips to Austin for the ultimate take down win for the night, sipping on the cold beer, watching the action too.

At 11:35 p.m., the jackpot was stacked tall and pretty with a money value of 200,000 dollars for the winner of the night. The card dealer turned and nodded to the first player. "The accompanying bet is 15,000 dollars, if you wish to continue in the last card match of the game for the evening, sir."

Player one submitted the money chips and two cards with a grunt. The card dealer accepted the bet and handed two new cards to the older male.

Player two bailed out of the card game, sliding the cards over the wooden surface, standing upright, leaving the room with the door open.

Austin increased the ante to 25,000 dollars, since it was the last game and last play at her for fun adventure, nodding with a smile to the red colored hair roots on Rosebud.

Rosebud stared down at the hand with a practiced actress face in silence.

The card dealer turned and smiled at the hair roots on Rosebud also. "The accompanying bet is 40,000 dollars to continue the playing hand in the last game of the evening, ma'am."

Rosebud reached over and recounted the stack of wooden chips, looking up with a worried brow to see the card dealer. "I'm short by five hundred dollars in chips," she turned and smiled at each player. "Does anyone have a stack of chips that I can buy for twice the money denomination?" She lifted and waved a wad of cash in her hand, hearing no vocal response.

The card dealer shook a skull with a stern face to Rosebud. "I am so sorry, ma'am. The cashier has closed the money bank for the evening. I am afraid, if you cannot meet the accompanying money bet, then you must withdraw your poker card playing hand, ma'am."

Rosebud smiled with a nod. "Is anyone interested in a good deal? I propose thrice the value of your chips." She waved the hand of cash with a grin.

"I have a proposition for you, Miss Ruff." Austin smirked.

Rosebud turned and frowned at Austin. "You do now?"

Austin lifted and held the stack of required money chips near a handsome grin. "I will loan you the required fee of five hundred dollars in a set of wooden chips for the last card hand for the evening. If you win, then you can pay me from your jackpot earnings by..."

She narrowed her eyelashes with a lady sneer, "And if I lose..."

Austin smiled with a chuckled. "You will spend the night with me, until sunrise tomorrow."

Rosebud gasped and then giggled with a grin, shoving all her wooden chips into the middle of the table with a nod. "I accept your unique and nasty proposition, sir." Austin reached out and placed the five hundred wooden chips into the jackpot with a smile. She turned and smiled at the card dealer. "I call on the final card hand. I have..."

The unknown male stood upright from the stool with a laugh and moved to the open archway. "Wait, ma'am! I'm closing the door." The rest of the players stood upright from each chair and stool, swiftly shuffling around the card table between Austin and Rosebud with a set of grunts, grins, and chuckles. The unknown male slammed the door shut and spun around, waving a hand to Berrington. "Austin, you go first. Show us your poker hand," the male chuckled with the rest of the male inside the enclosed poker room.

Rosebud waved a hand in the air with a sour frown, "But..."

The unknown male shouted. "Wait, ma'am! This is the moment of truth. Show us you stuff, Austin!" Rosebud huffed with annoyance without words. Austin slowly spread the cards over the wooden surface with a wicked grin, displaying a royal flush with an Ace card high. The card hand showed: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, and Ten of diamonds.

One of the males around the table gasped with a smile. "Good gawd! Berrington is going to win the hand and the girl," he chuckled with the other males and Austin. Rosebud frowned with fury.

The unknown male in front of the door shouted, "Okay, ma'am. Show us your set of playing cards!"

Rosebud slowly spread the cards over the wooden surface with a smile and a nod to Austin. "You are good, not great. I have five of kind in sevens with the one-eyed queen as the wild card."

"Shit!"

"Damn!"

"Holy fucking shit!"

"Double crap!"

"O boy! She won it all."

"She beat Berrington. I can't believe it."

Rosebud stood upright from the chair and slid a stack of three chips of one thousand dollars with a wink and a wicked grin to Austin. "I present back your original five hundred dollar chips with additional monetary interest, sir. Thank you for the evening pleasure, Mr. Berrington." Austin stared with a smirk at Rosebud. She gathered all the chips and slipped them down into an empty hand bag, back stepping from the table with a nod to each male, spinning around and left the room.

"Lucky bitch," Tom sat around the table with a sour frown, watching her ass leave the room, finishing the beverage.

Rosebud heard the nasty remark, since poor sportsmanship was a documented trademark from Tom Sawyer, who was the worse money gambler, gun shooter, and card player within the Quartet. Plus, Tom enjoyed acting like an ill-mannered rude nasty little man. However, Tom was the smart legal eagle brains of the Quartet and she could not outfox him inside the courtroom, either.

Inside the gambling room, the card dealer motioned to the cashier with a smile. "Go outside and cash her out! The evening final poker game has finished. Thank you both ladies and gentlemen for coming to the Pink Flamingo Club. We hope to see you again here tomorrow night," he stood upright from the chair and gathered the playing cards while food waiters dashed around the tables and collected the dirty dishes.

Rosebud had won the grand total of 258,659 dollars on the last poker game for the evening. But more importantly, she had beaten Austin for a second time, strolling back to her car with a grin and a giggle for her home.

Wednesday, August 25th

02:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach within the US State of Florida

Moonlight and warm temperatures with bright stars

Home of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV

One Coral Lane address

Interior master bedroom setting

He awoke on top of the pink tinted bed linen in sweat and stared up at the pink colored wooden ceiling with a gasp, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read: 02:31 a.m.

He had a new dream, this morning. The male was vivid, animated, appealing, and a brother. The dream was about Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third.

He continued to stare up at the pink colored wooden ceiling, without rest and with worry.

07:07 a.m.

Home of Frank and Misty Marie

Two Coral Lane address

Interior office den setting of Frank

Inside the private office space within his house, the narrow rectangular-shaped room was anchored at the end of the long entrance hallway with the two lines of softly rattling knights of silver polished armor plus a sheathed sword for both privacy and isolation. The room was the smallest space within the manor. Each one of the bathrooms was slightly wider and deeper.

Within the office space, each wall, the floor, and the ceiling consisted of set of rich black tinted bamboo, coming from the country of Africa.

In front of the viewing windows and the closed thick yellow colored drapes, there was a six-foot long writing desk which was made of dark wood with a set of golden inlays that went around the edges.

The long writing desk held numerous extremely neat rows of thin stacks of papers for a purpose. Some of the top pages on the stack of papers contained a set of right angled colored slash marks from a highlighter with a purpose.

Frank leaned over the writing table and scooted up each neat stack of papers into a larger neat taller pile with a smile and a nod, scooping up the papers, leaving the pile on the edge of the table. He gathered the neat row of colored highlighters and the number two pencil into a hand, dumping all the items down into the bottom of his man-purse with a smile. His notebook quietly rested in the middle of the writing table, closed and not locked for a pair of peeking eyeballs of an uninvited guest. He squatted down and lifted up a set of heavy manuals, gently dropping down over the tiny notebook, hiding the contents.

Frank back stepped from the table with a grin and surveyed the cover-up of the precious notebook and all his handwritten research murder work with a nod, leaning over and grabbed the tall pile of papers into his arms and spun around with a nod, dashing ahead towards the closed door.

The office door opened.

Frank exited out the office den room with a smile and turned to the side, stepping lively down the semi-dark hallway to find his wife Misty Marie, hearing the tings from each suit of armor.

The array of ghosts was singing with high glory this morning.

He toted the large pile of papers and veered into the kitchen, stopping and stood in front of the side wall with the kitchen trash can. His leather lifted and gently slapped down on the foot pedal. The lid lifted upward slowly. He tossed and dumped down an armful of papers down into the trash can with a loud swish. He wasn't worry about a person finding the stacks of messy papers. Misty Marie never entered the kitchen for food or touched the nasty trash can with a hand of garbage. He back stepped with a smile from the trashcan and spun around with a laugh. "I got this one covered, my brothers."

Frank left the mansion in Coral Beach as planned with the set of six mini-vans on the rear bumper of his luxury sports car that tagged behind like a set of slow turtles, heading towards the church, where the workers would unload the trucks. The church director was late, missing, or dead. So, Frank had to supervisor all the workers to direct all the merchandise out from the rear end of the many vans and walk directly into the church warehouse, which took most of the morning.

City of Coral Gables

(six miles, west, from Coral Beach)

Quartet Associates headquarters building

33rd floor level

Business office setting of Chief Financial Officer

Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, III

01:03 p.m.

Now, Frank had returned back into his business office and stood in front of the office desk with a smirk, lifting the landline telephone receiver to call the killer of the mysterious medical murders. Mangrove was a board member on the Charity Healthcare System with access to all the personnel records plus the demographic information at his fingertips, after making a call to the superman secretary. This murder case was too easy, too simple, and too smart. Mangrove would independently solve this case within forty-five minutes, after lunch, bragging and boasting to the remaining Quartet how wrong, arrogant, and stupid they were for not trusting his judgment at the first dinner course tonight.

Frank was one of the fourths of the famous Quartet, the smartest fourth. He could handle this vicious female with his Ghost in one hand and the mobile telephone in the other.

Mangrove chuckled into the receiver as the landline rang into his eardrum. She answered with her full name which was normal, since she was at her business office looking for the next victim of her deadly scam for money going to her personal bank account. He smiled into the receiver, "Miss Vein, I would like to provide a very large money donation into the Charity Healthcare System fund raising division."

He paused and listened to her smooth voice on the other end of the telephone connection.

Frank smiled. "I would prefer a face to face meeting, presenting my personal check to you, Miss Vein."

Pause.

"Your personal invitation sounds delightful. I want to contribute five million dollars to you, personally, seeing the sunshine in your face."

Pause.

"I will arrange a spot at one thirty this afternoon for a celebratory beverage at Antonio's Restaurant which is located directly behind the famous Miracle Mile. How does that sound to you?"

Pause.

"When you enter, tell the hostess that you have reserved the 'back door' booth."

Pause.

"Yes, she will understand the cryptic message."

Pause.

"Excellent! I look forward to meeting you in person, Miss Vein." Mangrove released the receiver with a smile and reached down, hanging up the telephone with the newest information. He was going solo, without Austin's permission, breaking the number one rule, again. He was concerned like a tea tiny little bitty leaf with a snigger. For the scheduled and plotted non-business meeting, he was toting along all the electronic toys like Stu had vocally instructed with a sour snarl into the eardrum on Mangrove, since Frank had an inkling, a hint, and a clue rather than the police, the members of the Charity Healthcare System, and Austin. Berrington didn't want to hear or see a new matter, including Stu and Tom.

Frustrating! Frank was correct again.

The killer, she only possessed an associate degree in the field of social marketing and was currently promoted as the newest vice president over the entire division of fund raising of Charity Healthcare System, because she had raised over thirteen million dollars in donations within six months, which was impossible and odd.

However, Frank had figured it out, again.

He spun around and straightened the necktie with a smile for the celebratory arrest, moving ahead toward the closed door, reaching out for the door knob. The office door opened. Mangrove moved ahead and turned, using the private elevator, where his car was parked with a smile, without informing his brothers.

Madeline was on vacation for the week.

The door closed.

City Street Aragon Avenue

Antonio's Restaurant

Window booth setting of Frank

01:09 p.m.

Frank sat quietly inside the reserved Quartet booth, since he had entered the restaurant earlier and found his good friend Antonio, paying for the advanced meal. This was a very private business matter without a waiter or a waitress, until Frank called the police.

He wanted to confront the killer first and pointed the cold barrel of his Ghost underneath the clothed table like one of the many western movies that Gage watched with his father, when they visited the city of Palm Beach for fun and relaxation.

Misty and Frank enjoyed watching comedies with his parents in Palm Beach.

Change was a good thing.

She entered the restaurant with a smile and advanced toward Frank, holding it underneath a black cloth napkin for his green emerald eyes to see, observe, and note. It wasn't a pistol, a knife, a dagger, a pill, a beverage, or a musical disc. The little stuffed person in the form of a male with a head of red colored hair was short. The short Voodoo doll wore a white colored shirt and a pair of pants, not a dress. She approached faster than light speed.

Frank continued to stare with intrigue at an upright tiny doll underneath the black cloth. The doll contained a pair of big green colored eyeballs and an open mouth of red lips that was posed inside her hand. He didn't notice the snapping noise near his earlobe either. A lock of his red curly hair floated down towards the floor, after a pair of tiny sewing scissors hidden within the napkin had clipped his hair.

She quickly grabbed the floating piece of red curly locks and then weaved his hair strands onto the red colored yard that served as the hair on the tiny doll. Then she swiftly pricked the right arm of the doll with a sharp needle with a smile.

"Ouch!" Frank swung the arm to the side and dropped down the Ghost over the cushioned seat, rubbing the muscle of his forearm with a left hand and a confused brow.

She leaned down and bad breathed into the cheekbone of Frank with a smile. "I guess you believe me, now."

He sat back away from her smelly breath and continued to rub the stinging hand with a nod and a stern face. "Yes, I believe."

"Excellent." She reached down and placed the Voodoo doll inside a big yellow non-designer purse with a smile, leaning over Frank and grabbed the Ghost, stowing it inside the purse with the Frank doll. She reached down and placed a naked hand onto his arm, ordering with a whisper down into his earlobe, "Get up! Walk slow! Out the door, now!"

Frank stood upright with a stern face and held her arm like a loving pair on a lunch date. "Yes, I believe." He quoted again, without her re-stabbing the Frank doll with the needle again, causing more pain on his body again.

They swiftly moved ahead from the eating table and towards the entrance door.

She leaned over a smile and a tongue of smelly breath into his cheekbone. "What am I going to do with you, Dr. Franklin Mangrove?"

He leaned back from her smelly breath with a chuckle. "Is that a problem, Miss Vein?"

She reached out with a free hand and slammed the glass door open, moving ahead from the restaurant and over the pavement into the sunshine towards her personal vehicle with her new friend.

Outdoor parking lot setting

01:11 p.m.

Vein leaned over and smiled into his cheekbone. "Yes, you are."

He smiled. "Let me go. I won't tell. I promise and you can keep the doll for posterity."

Vena laughed. "I promise not to let you go, so you won't tell."

Frank reached over and pulled out his mobile telephone from a jacket pocket with a fake smile. "I need to call my wife to tell her that I will be late for dinner time."

She reached over with a sneer and swiftly grabbed the mobile telephone with a sour frown. "Nice try! Your little model wife will most definitely alert the happy band of merry men living in Coral Beach." She maneuvered them closer to the dark side of the other building and tossed the mobile telephone at the trash bin, missing the opening.

They continued down the vanilla colored sidewalk towards her parked car inside an isolated parking lot away from the restaurant.

Her slick maneuver gave Frank a brilliant idea of rescue. Hopefully, Stu will be the smartest brother to pick up on it.

Frank didn't speak but was thinking. He knew about her deep dark secret and saw it with his own eyes, still feeling the sting on his arm. Now, Mangrove had caused this awkward and embarrassing situation. However, he could get out without her knowledge, knowing what he possessed and how he was trained as a warrior. But, he was going to need help to get out this mess.

The help had come in the form of a set of unique weapons, not his Ghost, which was located inside her ugly yellow tinted purse. She will never ever let him have until he had strangled her to death with both his bare hands.

That was "Plan B."

Frank was equipped this time with a mobile phone and other items that would identify his person to his brothers.

The mobile telephone was lost. Well, it will be found. The mobile telephone was equipped with a location device, once the Band of Brothers had figured out that Frank was missing in action. Then they would find the first clue.

Frank will leave a trial of "bread crumbs" which was similar to the childhood fairy tale of Hansel and Gretel that was written by Brothers Grimm. Hansel and Gretel eventually escaped from the evil witch, before dinnertime.

Frank strolled ahead with a soft chuckle on the arm of the female and loosened the necktie with the other hand. The weather was hot in Miami in August. He was sweating with stress, not heat. He was in a dangerous situation and solo again.

Geez! Austin had warned Frank for a second time, yesterday.

Frank removed the necktie and stored inside a jacket pocket, out of her eyeball view.

Interior car setting of Vena and Frank

1:13 p.m.

"Over there, Dr. Mangrove." She nodded with a smile towards a white colored older luxury sedan with four doors and held his body close to her body without an escape run.

He pointed at the car and stopped, standing in front of the closed passenger door with a fake smile. "Here, Vena!" He didn't want to ride with her much less know her for a social encounter, since she had him by the hair literally. The hair of a doll...

Death was not appealing now. But his humor was intact along with his common sense and sixth sense of awareness.

"Get in," Vena reached out and unlocked the electronic doors with the car key devise. The door unlocked. She turned and watched each shopper that scooted up and down the city street of Miracle Mile with a fake smile like a real date.

Frank stood in place and pulled off his designer watch, stowing the item inside the pants pocket with the set of tiny earplugs that came from the discarded mobile telephone. He reached out and grabbed the door handle with a smile. "You're not very elegant or smooth laced, Miss Vein. Do you display this typical behavior to your guests all the time?"

She continued to stare at each shopper with a fake smile and a whisper into his cheekbone, since they were the same height, "Only with the ones that I want to kidnap and enjoy later on in the nighttime."

He opened the door and slid into the passenger seat with a fake smile too. Interesting to him, her direct, if not rude and unpolished comment, might work to his advantage and her disadvantage.

She leaned down with the set of big tits and hit them into his face, opening the middle compartment, reaching inside, grabbing a pair of silver hand cuffs. She reached down and clipped them around his wrist bones.

He stared with a fake smile down at his two handcuffed wrist bones. "You seemed to be well prepared for the occasion. Do you plan this part of my kidnapping, too?"

She winked with a smile to Frank. "The pretty silver tinted handcuffs are part of my sex toys. For your 411, I didn't plan this occasion. But maybe, you and I can have a rumble later tonight, since you seem ready and able."

He sneered. "I don't fuck witches."

She leaned over with a soft laugh and bad breathed with a whisper into his face, "Are you really calling me a witch?"

He exhaled from the smelly breath on her tongue. "To me, I would seem to fit the perfect profile of a voodoo priestess who uses magic to victimize each one of her prey."

She smiled. "Hmm! That is a very intriguing statement, Dr. Mangrove. How in the hell do you figure that out, sir?"

He faced the windshield with a stern face. "I spy. I research. I reviewed the small details at each victim's house. I noticed the tiny doll that had you left on the shelf which intrigued my neurons."

She frowned with worry. "Did anyone else?"

He frowned, "Alas, no! I pointed out the item on the book shelf, but my information was ignored as a piece of insignificant trivia poop."

She softly chuckled with a whisper of success. "Good!" She back stepped from the seat and stood upright with a smirk, staring at the nose profile on Frank, slamming the door shut. She turned and swiftly rushed around the rear bumper of the car, opening the door and slid into the driver's seat. She started the cold engine for a few seconds in silence, turning to see the shoppers along Miracle Mile with satisfaction of success.

No person in particular noticed that she and Frank Mangrove was a dating couple.

She steered the car out from the parking spot and onto the city street of Aragon Avenue, stopping at the first red colored traffic light.

He turned and smiled at her nose profile. "You do expect me to fight back, don't you? I'm not going quietly. I'm a beast of the species."

She drove the car over the city street of Aragon Avenue with a smile. "You're called, Money Man, are you not?"

He turned and scanned the buildings on the new road with a smile. "This is called Bird Road. There are many wonderful restaurants and clothing bouquets. Do you like to shop, Miss Vein?"

City of Coral Gables

Street intersection

Aragon Avenue and Bird Road

1:18 p.m.

The traffic light turned into the color of green. She turned to the right and drove down onto 40th Street towards an eastern direction, passing the thirty-third building tower of Quartet Associates and steered towards US Highway with a smile in silence.

He turned and scanned the familiar landscape of Quartet Associates. His three brothers were inside safe and sound from a vicious vamp for the afternoon. He exhaled with a fake smile. "I hope that we are driving towards the northeastern direction. There are lots of exhibits and sights to see in greater Miami offers dozens of separate incorporated cities including Miami Beach. We could go to South Beach and ride down Ocean Drive or visit downtown Miami, driving east towards Key Biscayne, the home of the Seaquarium on the beach island of Virginia Key. Or we could go to the west towards Little Havana..."

"You talk a lot for a cute male doll."

The tall Quartet Associates building left his peripheral vision. He turned and stared with a worried heart to see the familiar city street with a fake smile. "Only when, I'm nervous about my life force. We can see the Duck Tours of Miami, a bit hokey for some tastes. But it is a water boat cruise around the bay, peaking at the waterfront homes of the rich and famous."

She drove with a smile. "You're also some type of rich Renaissance man. I read that inside a trash tabloid."

He nodded and stared through the windshield. "The word 'Renaissance' means to enjoy life and all the pleasures it offers such as my lovely wife, colorful exotic art, classical music, natural sciences, and wonders of the planet..."

"You are a boring person, doll." She drove with a chuckle.

"Why don't you call me, Frank? Since, we are somewhat together." He lifted and held the pair of silver cuff bracelets into the air with a smile.

She drove with a grin, "All right, doll! But you're still boring."

He dropped both wrists back down into a lap with a smile. "My wife doesn't think so. Maybe, we could ask her that question. We can call her, if you have a mobile telephone, since you pitched mine into the garbage bin at Antonio's. I hope that you are going to pay me back for my missing or messed up property," chuckling.

She slowed the car and turned at the green colored traffic light with a smile. "I am turning the car."

City of Coral Gables

Street intersection

Bird Road and US Highway One

1:38 p.m.

He turned and scanned the familiar highway and the business buildings. "Ah! We are heading in the direction of south and traveling over US Highway One. So, are we going to a southern town, perhaps? How far down the southern roadway to South Miami? Kendall? Pinecrest? Cutler Ridge? Homestead? Florida City? I'm been inside one of the caverns underneath the city of Florida City. They are cold and damp. Are we going there by chance?"

She drove with a smile, "South."

He chuckled with a smile. "Ah! We are driving all the way down to the southern tip of the USA within the main island of Key West. I love the water and the sun. I find the drinking and bathing water tastes like sea salt, to me. Would you agree, Miss Vein?"

City of South Miami

Street intersection

72nd Street and US Highway One

1:48 p.m.

He turned and stared at the familiar building with a fake smile. "We have passed 72nd Street. That's the location of Charity South Miami Hospital. But you know that, since you are employed by the Charity Healthcare System. Do you need to see a medical physician? I know lots of them in there."

She drove with a smile. "Is Berrington gay?"

He turned and laughed at her nose profile. "That's a very odd question. Who told you that information?"

"A rumor going around town..."

He softly chuckled. Her joke was funny, considering his situation was not. "Austin Berrington is a healthy red-blooded male with numerous heterosexual animal barbaric urges and passions. He is not gay."

She drove with a smile. "I would love to find out on my own someday."

He nodded with a smile. "Wishes do come true."

She frowned. "Who says?"

"The Holy Bible."

"You mean the One from above that lives inside heaven."

He nodded with a smile. "Yes, Almighty God will make all your prayers, your dreams, and your wishes come true."

Street intersection

80th Street and US Highway One

2:02 p.m.

She slowed the car and turned from the highway into a parking lot with a smile, "Turning."

He frowned with confusion. "Now, we are heading towards the west."

The car slowed and stopped beside the yellow colored cinder blocks of the Miami Bank which was located at southwest 80th Street and US Highway One within the city of South Miami. She stopped and parked the car beside the bank machine, turning with a wink to see Frank. "I have a pit stop at the bank. You don't mind, do you?" She reached over and grabbed his personal wallet from the jacket pocket, drawing the wallet towards her smile, pulling out his bank card.

He exhaled with a smile. "So, we have stopped for my money at the closest bank. Certainly not! I do not mine at all. You are welcome to anything and everything that will extend my life form for the night." Frank reached over and pressed down the button on the door. The electronic side passenger window fell down into the slot. He felt the hot air breeze on a face.

She wiggled the bank card in the air near her smile at Frank, "The pit stop is for our fun and games throughout the night. Would two thousand be okay to grab outta from your bank account?"

He nodded with a fake smile. "My daily bank card limit is five thousand, if you need it."

She turned with a smile and pressed the button, leaning out the window towards the machine with the bank card. "Five thousand dollars will not be necessary. I just need a few thousand for my fun today."

"Thought, I would offer my money, since I'm a very generous man." He wiggled the cuffed wrist bones down towards the pants pocket and grabbed the object, watching the black hairy rear skull with a pretty face above her black heart. He lifted and rattled cuffed wrists into the air, tossing out the wadded colorful silk necktie through the open window. His necktie fell down and landed on top of the vanilla colored sidewalk access which was near the busy highway. If the light wind didn't blow it away, his brothers might see it, since they were looking for him.

She fished the wad of money out the machine and sat back into the seat, stuffing the stolen money down into the purse with a smile. She pressed the button and closed both windows inside the car, jerking the gear into drive, steering the car back onto the highway with a smirk in silence.

He turned and smiled at her nose profile. "Where did you learn to voodoo from your mother?"

She drove with a smirk. "Actually, I used my voodoo magic on my mother to test my skill."

He gasped. "Gawd! You cold-murderedly killed your own biological mother."

"It was part of my voodoo training. I didn't have a choice."

"You seem like a very bad Tele girl," he laughed with the internal brotherly joke. Tom would have said something like that to get her attention and then he would have attacked the bitch with all the razors from his Ghost. Frank missed Tom as an unpredictable action packed brother. And he missed Austin and Stu also. "How do you learn to do voodoo?"

She drove with a smile. "You are full of questions, doc."

"I can't help to be curious. I never met a voodoo mistress before."

"Well, since you're curious, allow me to entertain you."

"Go ahead! I got all night. By the way, you said that we are going south. How far south are we traveling? What are you going to do with me, Miss Vein?"

She drove with a laugh. "I haven't figured that out yet. We'll play nice for a while until I get bored."

He switched the conservation topics while trying to think of a plan of escape, tossing her off the trail with a smile at her nose profile. "You must be rich."

She drove with a sour frown. "It is all relative. The federal government takes fifty percent of my earned income for US federal taxes."

He chuckled. "You are a witch that pays her IRS income taxes."

"I'm an American taxpayer. What's wrong with that?"

"It is just very noteworthy. You kill people to acquire their money and then you paid your USA federal income taxes. It is just ironic, to me."

"A girl's gotta make a living somehow."

"Why are you doing this, if you are rich?"

She drove with a laugh, "For fun."

He turned and stared at the windshield. "Yeah, I had to ask."

City of Kendall

Street intersection

88th Street and US Highway One

2:14 p.m.

He lifted and rattled the pair of handcuff bracelets on both wrist bones, pointing towards the object with a smile to annoy her. Maybe, if she became mad and angry, then he could attack and kill her in front of eye witnesses for fun. "We have passed Kendall Drive, the location of the popular shopping mall." He turned and stared at her nose profile with a grin. "Do you like to wear expensive jewelry items like rubies, emeralds, sapphires? O mine! I will gladly buy you an emerald necklace or a pair of diamond earrings. My wife Misty Marie loves jewelry."

She drove with a smile. "There are lots of people on this planet with other greater psychic abilities, such as, telemetabolics, teleclairvoyance, telekinesis and telepathy."

He frowned, "Telepathy?"

"Telepathy is the reading of a single mind."

"Telemetabolics?"

"Telemetabolics is a healing touch."

He laughed. "Teleclairvoyance, I'm not familiar with that skill set, either."

She drove with a laugh. "Teleclairvoyance is the ability to see the future events, places, person, and presents."

He turned and frowned at the buildings, "All right!"

"You know someone that possesses the ability of Teleclairvoyance."

"I think not."

She drove with a smile. "Yes, you do."

He turned and frowned at her nose profile. "No, I do not. I would vividly recall if I had seen you before," laughing.

She drove with a smirk. "Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth..."

"Austin?"

"He possesses the teleclairvoyance power. Berrington can see future events, especially with people that he loves."

He turned and scanned the clear and bright baby blue skies of Miami with a smile. "Good gawd! Can Austin see me here inside your ugly sedan with you, right now?"

She drove with a smile. "I didn't think that you believed in such nonsense, Dr. Mangrove."

"If I believe, will he come?" He turned and laughed at her nose profile.

She drove with a worried brow, "Maybe! I must be very careful with him and you."

He gasped. "Me!"

"The bond between you and your brothers is tight, close, and unbreakable. It was formed a long time ago by your individual great grandfathers."

He frowned, "Bond, saving bonds?"

"No, it is not a saving bond. The power is a magical bond that binds all the Band of Brothers together foreverly."

He smiled. "You don't sound convinced, doll."

She gasped. "Convinced? It is a magical bond of you and your three brothers."

He nodded with a smile. "I love my wife, my brothers, my mom, and my dad. Bond or magic, I will protect them because..."

"Love is the strongest of the bonding agents."

He laughed. "It is a love bond. Now, I do believe in that concept."

"Austin has the pre-empted ability to track you, only within his nightly sleeping dreams."

He dropped open a mouth. "Austin does."

"But I can interfere, confuse, and even fuss his images."

He gasped. "How can you control the mental mind of Austin Berrington?"

She drove with a smirk. "I did not say that, doll. I can fuss or distort a mental picture when he sleeps and sees it within a nightly dream only."

"That is just fascinating shit turds. Please, tell me some more!"

She drove with a laugh. "Do you really want to know? Or are you just teasing me, doll?"

He nodded with a smile at the windshield. "I really want to know. I am trained as a medical doctor, but I have encountered a few treats that I cannot explain or believe which leads me to believe in some type of psychic ability or power."

She laughed. "Ah! You are ready to begin the journey."

"Do I possess a psychic ability also?"

She smiled. "We all do."

He gasped. "We do?"

"Each person is on a different plane, a different level."

"So, we each have to learn our psychic skill." This insane conversation was batty within his smart neurons. However, Frank wanted to keep Vein occupied with the mental thought of not killing him at the moment. She was both insane and beautiful. He didn't mind a mental thought of fucking her. The woman could be an Amazon queen with a tall body, a pair of huge breasts, and a set of long athletic legs. She could probably fuck a mate for hours and never tire. However, Frank preferred his tender wife over an Amazon queen any night of the calendar week.

She drove with a smirk. "We each have to practice to learn our psychic skill."

He laughed. "How can I practice to learn a psychic skill that I don't have any knowledge of?"

She turned and winked at Frank for a second, looking back at the heavy traffic on the highway. "I'll teach you some new tricks, doll."

He turned and smiled at the rear bumper of the car in front of his face. "I look forward to that."

Street intersection

104th Street and US Highway One

2:25 p.m.

He turned and scanned the familiar city street with a smile. "On 104th street, I like to visit and do business with this private pharmacy vendor for all clinical medications that are needed for my brothers and my family members." He turned with a smile to see her nose profile. "Do you need a clinical medication filled today, Miss Vein? I would be happy to purchase them for you. Or I can also write you a medical prescription, since I am a medical physician."

She slowed the car and turned off the highway into a new business driveway with a smile, "Turning."

He turned and scanned the building. "We are stopping at a petrol station. The Brits like to use the term petrol. Americans use the term gasoline."

The car stopped at the first gasoline pump. She turned with a smile to see Frank. "I might be a witch. But I have to pump gas into the car to keep it running," laughing.

He chuckled. "You are a most practical witch." He leaned over and reached down with the cuff bracelets, cracking open the door.

She gasped. "What are you doing over there, doll?"

He turned with a smile to see her worried face. "I have become very hot. May I slightly crack open the car door for some breezy air while you pump petrol into the gasoline tank? You cannot run the air conditioning unit during the process, thus I might actually die from a car explosion."

She winked with a grin. "Sure, doll! But do not try to exit. I also carry a gun."

He nodded with a smile. "I wouldn't dare, ma'am."

She turned and slid out the seat, standing upright and advanced ahead inside the gasoline store, using Frank's money to pay for the petroleum purchase.

Frank elbowed the car door open, since both wrist bones were bound with a pair of silver coated cuff bracelets, compliments of Miss Vein. He stood upright with a fake smile and a loud hum of deception and moved backward from the car door and away from the set of rotating tires, reaching down into the trousers pocket, jerking out the object into the air near his leg. He spun around with a fake smile and a loud hum, dropping down a set of blinking colorful earplugs onto the gray pavement, shoving it with a foot into the manicured green grass. The set of earplugs came with the mobile telephone which was one of many toys from his brother Stu. The earplugs blinked in distressed as it was detached from the mobile telephone unit.

If someone found the black tinted earplugs that could be attached to any mobile telephone device and then used the item for listening to illegally downloaded music, the black tint would blink with a solid line of color on each earplug and then send a slight beep directly into the laptop of Stu.

Frank remembered in the past when each employee was issued a personal pager that beeped with the same alto musical note for attention due to an emergency or an urgent business matter at Quartet Associates or within the Quartet.

Then, it came.

The new invention of the mobile telephone replaced the beeper, the fax machine, the copier machine, the musical player, the radio player, and the landline telephone, reigning as the newest vocal and visual communication device throughout the world.

Everyone loved their mobile telephone, sometimes a little too much.

When Stu caught and captured too many guards listening to the music on their individual mobile telephone during working hours, instead of staying alert during working shift, he was not happy and then created a new order. An employee was not allowed to listen to music on their individual mobile telephone during work hours.

Of course, his new QA order failed epically and immediately.

Stu did not give up while worrying about safety of the QA clients and the QA guards. He bumped heads with his brothers, coming up with a new idea. Quartet Associates would provide each employee with a company owned mobile telephone and a pair of matching black tinted earplugs. Over the years, the employee could upgrade and change the exterior design and color of the company issued mobile telephone. The earplugs were available in the colors of white, black, or gray which depended upon your personality.

Quartet Associates paid the annual expense for each QA employee, since each employee could be called into the office for an urgent emergency at any time, especially all the QA guards. The mobile telephone also had a geographical location bot inside the specially designed QA mobile telephone. The Quartet was a set of four billionaire brothers.

Engineer brother Stu had contacted one of the largest mobile telephone companies and worked with the business enterprise to design a specially tailored QA mobile telephone.

Some of the QA employees kindly declined the nice offer of a free QA mobile telephone. However, each QA guard had to accept and tote around a free QA mobile telephone for an emergency.

When the QA employee used the free QA mobile telephone during the working hours, it was monitored by another secret QA IT team. When the QA guard used the pair of specially computer encoded earplugs that was attached to the QA mobile telephone, there was an internal computer team that tracked the mobile telephone usage for data or singing music or nasty or funny videos. Then, the QA guard was reprimanded and reminded that the QA job came first and foremost.

If the same QA guard repeated the reprimand, then the guard was dismissed and left the mobile telephone behind inside the open palm of Stu, of course.

Stu was a radical sticker for safety coming first and foremost. That meant, during any work shift at Quartet Associates, the QA guard was paid to pay attention to every large and tiny detail throughout the interior and exterior work environment for the paid QA client or clients. Gage did not tolerate or bend a rule when the rule was broken underneath his command shift. Period!

Stu had ordered each brother a new mobile telephone with a set of earplugs. Tom was the worse user of talking voice, non-talking texts, illegal downloading of rock and roll music songs, and drooling over numerous nasty porn videos usage among the Quartet. He racked up thousands and thousands of dollars each month in debt charges on the company issued mobile telephone that wasn't even related to business. Finally, Stu got even and frustrated, cancelling the QA mobile telephone service within the middle of the early morning when Tom was yanking to someone inside the country of New Zealand about some weird-ass plot of a science fiction novel by his favorite author Ela.

Yeah, the mobile telephone went dead, hanging onto the eardrum on Tom.

Yeah, it was really fun for Stu.

Yeah, Tom whined and cried like a baby on the mobile telephone from Janey into the eardrum on Stu at 1:02 am.

Yeah, that conversation was really fun for Stu, too.

Yeah, Tom had to purchase his own personal mobile telephone device along with his wife Jane, after returning her company issued mobile telephone back to Stu. However, Tom decided to pitch the company issued mobile telephone unit at the forehead skull of Stu like a high school fart, instead of a mature adult inside Stu's office.

Yeah, if Austin had been three seconds later, Tom would have been enjoying his fun time in heaven for the rest of eternity.

Yeah, Stu went on vacation for two weeks after that vile and nasty incident.

Yeah, the other three brothers greatly disliked Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

In the manicured grass at the gasoline station, Frank stared down with a smile at the black tinted pair of earplugs that was colorfully flashing, without a silent signal of help. Thus, Frank had left another bread crumb for his brothers to find, track, and trace back to his person and his kidnapper for rescue, soonest. He back stepped from the grass and slowly spun around to see the back spine on Vein. She was still pumping petroleum into the gasoline tank, leaning against the metal on the car and stared at the gasoline pump menu for the correct dollar amount. Sometime, the gasoline clerk would rob an honest customer that had paid with easy cash. Since, she had been a victim only once. But she would use her Voodoo doll on his or her biological body in revenge for a second time.

He moved ahead towards the car with a fake smile and a loud hum like a good hostage, sliding back down into the passenger seat, reaching out and slammed the car door shut with a loud boom.

She jumped from the loud sound and turned to see Frank inside the car. The pump machine beeped with a tenor note with the completion of petroleum purchase. She spun around and replaced the hose back into the gasoline slot and slid down into the driver's seat with a smile, reaching over and patted his arm. "You're a good boy, doll."

He stared ahead through the dirty windshield without a sneer of her touch on top of his tailored business suit with a fake smile. "I was taught by my mother to obey all the rules as a small child."

She cranked the engine and steered back onto the US Highway One, driving towards the south with a smirk in silence.

City of Pinecrest

Street intersection

112th Street and US Highway One

2:49 p.m.

He turned and scanned the familiar landscape as he was a native of Miami. "We are located at 112th Street which is inside the nice community of Pinecrest. Are we stopping again for something else?"

She drove with a smile. "No, we are not stopping here for any reason, doll. There are too many grassy parks with smelly dogs, a gang of snot-nosed children, numerous baseball games..."

"I would like to see a baseball game. It's a pretty day in August."

"I meant to say that there are too many people here. I might be seen with you, doll."

"Ah! That is a set of outstanding mental thought processing, Miss Vein. I am famous and rich with billions and billions of dollars. Yes, you would be seen by numerous adults and children."

She drove with a sneer, "Right, doll."

He turned and smiled at her nose profile. "I would be happy to pay you one billion dollars if you pull over and let me go, now. I have my personal bank account checkbook. I can write out a personal bank check for one billion dollars. I enjoy writing out my checks as opposed to paying through an electronic bank account. But I am open to either option of a payment with one billion dollars for my life."

She drove with a laugh, "Wrong, doll."

City of Suniland

Street intersection

124th Street and US Highway One

2:55 p.m.

The car slowed and turned into new gray colored pavement of a new business. She drove towards a parking spot with a smile. "Are you hunger for some food, doll?"

He scanned the parking lot with a stern face. "No, I am not really hunger. But thanks for asking, Miss Vein."

She stopped the car and turned with a smile to see Frank. "I do not have any food items at my house. Do you mind if we shop for a few minutes? Good. I like strong and silence men. We will get out and leave the car. Stay close to me. Or..."

He turned and gasped at her, "Or what, Miss Vein? What could you possibly do to me? You possess the Voodoo doll which is an ugly likeness of me."

She sneered. "Or I will get mad and hurt the little children..."

He gasped. "No, please do not hurt a child. You hurt me instead."

She smiled. "I could harm a child with my purse, my baggy or my hand..."

"I completely understand you, Miss Vein."

"Good boy, doll," she reached over and cracked the door, shoving it open with a foot. She stood upright and slammed the door, slowly moving around the hood of the car and stopped beside the passenger door, scanning the busy parking lot of shopping karts, children, and adults. She reached down and opened the door for Frank, holding out a hand. Frank reached up and grabbed the hand, standing beside her nose profile with a huff and a puff of annoyance in silence. She reached over and placed both her hands onto his arm, whispering with a smile into his ear. "You can hold my big purse over the hand cuffs which will disguise the shiny metal. And it is a gentlemanly thing to do for a lady." She reached over and dropped the handle of the purse over both the bounded wrists bones on Frank.

He grunted from the weight of the heavy handbag over a pair of tender wrist bones with a fake smile. "I was taught at all times to act as a South Florida gentlemen. I would be honored to tote around your extremely heavy non-designer handbag, Miss Vein."

She slightly led and jerked the arm of Frank towards the entrance doors with a fake smile and a whisper. "Inside the store, whisper your love words to me, doll!"

The heavy handbag hit against his penis inside the trousers and as Frank grunted with the slight pain.

Interior supermarket floor setting

They entered through the set of double glass doors and turned towards the long rows of shopping karts. Vein stopped and stood, pulling out the single shopping kart, guiding both his cupped hands which still held her purse on top of the long handle bars of the single shopping kart in silence. They back stepped from the rows of shopping karts and slowly strolled around the floor space, moving down the first aisle which was the baker counter like a young couple in love.

He slowly scooted the shopping kart ahead down each food aisle with a grunt of slight pain when the heavy handbag hit his penis. He hoped that his dick was not going to be used to fuck her today or tonight. His penis might not work too well if slightly bruised from the collision with the edge of the heavy purse. He turned and smiled to each shopper. He hoped that one shopper would recognize his cute face. This was a big bad metro city in South Florida. However, people tended to keep to themselves which was part of living inside a big bad metro city in South Florida, also.

Actually, if anyone noted Frank with a new woman, then the person would have mentally thought that Frank was having an adultery sexy affair, since there were so many unfaithful married couples who lived on the planet.

Frank would never commit adultery on Misty. He loved her more than life. He wished that he had listened to Austin and dropped his murder theory and his private personal investigation.

However, he was right, again. And he was in the right place, again.

He looked down at the designer watch. The time was 3:03 pm. No one would miss Frank during mid-afternoon. He was tied up in another common business meeting that made his disappearance common like a normal activity inside Quartet Associates.

Misty wouldn't notice Frank gone until supper time.

Yeah, he really messed up, again.

Austin was going to kick his ass out of the Milky Way Galaxy, this time.

Inside the supermarket space, Vein stopped and stood in front of each food aisle, reaching out and placed one item at a time down inside the shopping kart with a smile in silence. She slowly guided the cart towards the check-out counter after completing her shopping.

The handbag continued to beat upon his penis without mercy. He slowly moved ahead towards one of the many check-out counters and looked down inside the basket at each individual food item with a confused brow. "I do not see any meat products."

She stopped and stood beside Frank, bad breathing into his cheekbone at the check-out counter with a smirk, "All meat products dampen the spirit."

"Would that be an evil spirit or good one?" He turned and softly laughed into her smile.

"Both." She removed a hand from his arm, shuffling each item from the shopping basket onto the conveyor belt. The food times included two boxes of fresh guava pastelitos, a tray of assorted exotic fruits, a tub of vanilla favored yogurt, and several bags of greens.

The supermarket store clerk quickly rung up each merchandise with a smile and bagged the contents into paper sacks.

Vein reached down into the open purse and pulled out the money, paying with Frank's cash for the grocery items with a grin and a giggle to the nice young clerk. She lifted and placed each paper sack back down into the shopping cart, standing upright and grabbed the arm of Frank again. She shoved both Frank and the shopping cart towards the exit door, leaving the supermarket with a smile in silence.

Outside supermarket parking lot setting

3:07 p.m.

They moved outside of a heated day in silence.

The edge of her handbag continued to beat on his penis and as he strolled towards the car, stopping and stood behind the closed car trunk.

She reached over and grabbed her handbag, jerking into the air the car keys, opening all the doors of the car and the car trunk. He lifted and placed each paper sack down inside the trunk of the car for storage in silence. She continued to scan the parking lot of shopping carts, children, and adults with a fake smile in silence. He finished the task. She grabbed and shoved the shopping cart away from Frank and the car, leaving the lonely basket inside an empty parking space.

Frank wanted to reprimand her ugly action with the shopping cart but only frowned in silence annoyance, since she wasn't the only individual to abandon a shopping cart inside a car parking spot like an asshole. Frank would always leave the unattended shopping cart inside the closet shopping cart cradle like a good person. And when he did attend grocery shopping with his wife Misty Marie, he would retrieve each abandon and lonely shopping cart from an occupied non-car parking spot and place it back into the cradle for safekeeping. He didn't understand the irrational social habits of people in South Florida.

She swung around and grabbed his arm, shoving Frank ahead towards the passenger seat looking like a long termed married couple. She side stepped and advanced towards the driver's door, opening the door and slid inside the worn leather.

Frank swiftly moved ahead towards the passenger door and reached down into the trouser pocket and lifted up into the air the object. He tossed the golden plated necktie clip that was attached onto the lightweight silk pocket handkerchief onto the gray pavement of the parking lot before he closed the door.

She slammed the door shut and cranked the cold engine with a smile, examining the dashboard for any car troubles. "I hope you don't mind, but I have a couple of more stops, before we start our sexy fun for the late afternoon."

He slid down into the seat and stared out the windshield with a smile at the entrance doors of the supermarket. "That would be no issue for me, Miss Vein." Frank slammed the door with a loud boom. "I am very pleased and surprised that you trust me."

The car continued to run and warm the engines. She reached down into the purse and lifted up into the air a new object, turning with a smile to see the nose profile on Frank. "I do trust you as long as I have my new reminder for your smart neurons." She held a second Voodoo doll near her smirk with a laugh. The new doll was a female, wearing a little blue dress and a head of yellow colored yarn strand for the hair. Thus, the visual image was obvious.

Wrong threat, doll!

Vein could dangerously and deadly threaten one-fourth member of the infamous Quartet, since they did not give a damn, only a death. But a dangerous deadly threat again his wife Misty Marie within an eyeball or an eardrum on her husband Frank was fatal towards your long term health.

At the nasty whisper of his faithful lifetime mate on planet Earth to Frank, you had become his number one target with his Ghost, especially after her first and last successfully executed kidnapping attempt a couple of months ago.

Austin did not get the kill but Frank will enjoy the executed cold murder.

"I'm the good boy within the Quartet, Miss Vein." Frank exhaled and faked a smile between a set of gritted teeth.

She turned to face the steering wheel with a chuckle and jerked the gear into reverse, backing the car out from the parking spot. "You are a medical physician with a medical degree. I'm not surprised. You're very smart." Vein drove forward through the parking lot and left the supermarket building, steering back down US Highway One towards the south direction.

He smiled. "How did you do in class assignments?"

"I always received the letter of F-minus with a chair inside the detention hall." She drove ahead with a grin.

"Hmm! I would assume that you were not a very good pupil..."

"Best priestess..." she drove with an evil laugh.

He turned and frowned with confusion through the windshield. "I see."

Colonial Plaza location

City street intersection

136th Street and US Highway One

3:18 p.m.

She swiftly drove around the busy traffic and slowed, turning the car into a new piece of gray pavement of a new store with a smile, "Turning."

He turned and scanned the buildings with a smile. "There is a nice paint store down the street. Have you been sniffing a can of pretty colored paint fumes by chance, Miss Vein?"

She stopped and parked the car with a frown in front of the liquor building. "That is not a nice comment, Dr. Mangrove."

"I am very curious about our final destination, Miss Vein. We have been executing numerous stops and accumulating numerous gifts for our fun. Would you care to elaborate about the fun time for the rest of the afternoon?"

"South," she reached over and cracked open the door, standing upright from the seat and scanned the parking lot without numerous sleeping drunkards and paying patrons of liquor.

He leaned over and cracked the door, shoving it open with a foot, standing upright from the seat and squirted both eyelids from the bright sunshine. He moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of engine hood.

She reached out and placed the heavy handbag over the two bounded wrist bones of Frank for a second time.

He grunted from the weight of her heavy handbag and as the edge of the handbag kicked into his dick again.

Interior liquor store floor setting

They slowly strolled into the store entrance and then down each aisle with secret words of whisper. As if, Vein was daring a shopper to stop and say something into the smiling face of Frank, which did not happen once. This is the big bad metro city of Miami, where every person guarded their life and their money from one or many gun-toting robbers.

She stopped next to the stock food shelf with a smile and reached over, grabbing a bottle of expensive champagne, moving ahead with Frank.

They continued to stroll around the store floor without alerting each busy shopper and finally stopped, standing with the items at the check-out counters.

She reached over and rested the new bottle of champagne on top of the polished wood and then flipping down, retrieving her identification and the wad of cash out from her shoulder handbag that hung around the two cupped hands of Frank, without alerting the store clerk. The nice store clerk totaled the food item with a smile and a vocal money amount. She reached over and paid the purchased amount in cash with a smile and a nod in silence. Vein was smart, not allowing Frank to use his personal titanium credit card of one million dollars that contained his name. Since, the young adult store clerk would have recognized the famous name instantly, not necessary the famous face.

Frank wasn't completed dressed like a South Florida gentleman at the moment, missing the silk long necktie and the matching pocket handkerchief on the business suit.

Vein accepted the wrapped item and reached over, jerked the arm of Frank away from the check-out counter with a smile and a giggle.

They turned to face the entrance doors and slowly moved ahead through the exit doorway without a word from the store clerk of the liquor store.

Liquor store

Outdoor parking lot setting

Hot temperatures with sunshine

3:24 p.m.

She immediately separated from Frank and shoved him towards the passenger side of the car in silence, rushing towards the driver's door and opened the door, sliding down into the seat and reached over, cranking the engine.

Frank swiftly moved ahead towards the passenger door without causing trouble and fiddled with the wrist bone, flipping out his wrist watch. The designer wrist watch dropped down and then smashed onto the hard surface with a soft ting of metal pain in the parking lot of the liquor store. He reached out and opened the door, sliding inside the seat in silence, closing the door shut and secure with a slight smirk of his secret victory.

She left the liquor store and drove back over the same highway, heading in the southern direction in silence.

City of Cutler

City street intersection

144th Street and US Highway One

Interior car setting

3:33 p.m.

She swiftly steered around the busy traffic and slapped on the brakes, squealing the tires into the new parking lot of a new business with a stern face, "Turning."

He turned with a fake smile and scanned the familiar buildings. "Hmm, we have traveled very far from my personal and warming home. We are located all the way down on 144th Street within the city of Miami and the country of Miami-Dade. I know of a nice dentist who is down the street. Do you have a dental problem, Miss Vein? Maybe, you are in need of some medical prescription for a dentist visit?"

She killed the engine with a sour tone at the steering wheel, shaking her black colored curls. "Why are you so interested in my health, doll?"

He smiled at the building. "I am curious."

She reached over and cracked the door, slamming it open with a foot, staring at his nose profile. "Our next purchase is a set of candles. Do you like fire, doll?"

He reached over and cracked the door, slamming it open with a foot, turning with a smile to see Vein. "I love red hot and flaming."

She turned with a smiled, "You are my kind of doll. Get out! You know the routine, Dr. Mangrove." Vein stood upright and scanned the parking lot which was empty of both cars and patrons. She was not surprised or concerned. It was traffic jam hour late in the afternoon within metro city Miami. All the hard-working people were leaving a sucky job and driving back home to a sucky house for the late evening, just to repeat it again tomorrow. However, Vein would not be attending her sucky work job tomorrow. She would have her fun tonight and pack a few personal items for a swift escape from Miami, tomorrow morning. She back stepped from the door and slammed it shut without locking the car, moving ahead and stopped in front of the closed entrance door with a stern face.

"Yes ma'am." He slid out and stood upright, swiftly moving and stood in front of her with a fake smile.

She reached down and dropped the heavy handbag over both his tender and slightly bruised bounded wrists bones, whispering into his face, fiddling with the contents inside the purse with a stern face and a serious tone. "We are rushed for time. It is rush hour here in Miami. Everyone is going back home from a working job. Thus, I am doing the shopping for the candles alone. You will stay and stand next to side wall near the exit door alone, staring at the gift cards. Do not escape from me. Do not steal a gift card from the store. My unregistered hand gun is inside my purse. Do not make a criminal scene that would alert the store clerk or the police. Thus, I will use my Voodoo doll of you on your body when we return back into the car and for the rest of the night." She removed a small bag, her wallet, and the two dolls, placing the dolls inside the bag with the money with a smile at his red curly hair roots. "I can read your mind, Dr. Mangrove. You want to steal your Voodoo doll. I cannot allow that. So I am taking both Voodoo dolls with me inside the tiny bag with the cash to pay for the candles. Now, you will be a good doll and stay put next to the wall of greeting cards." She spun around from Frank with a smile and moved inside the interior space of the new candle store.

The cool air conditioning hit his sour face. Frank moved ahead and turned, stopping and stood in front of a wall of nicely decorated paper cards that showed birthday, anniversaries, and other social life occasions.

Yeah, he immediately thought of stealing the Voodoo doll out of the handbag while standing alone and pissing onto each greeting card on the wall and then alerting the police for a sissy ass rescue.

It was amazing how Vein could read his mental thoughts.

However, Frank was truly afraid of the true threat and the real painful punishment on the Voodoo doll by her wicked hand. Her magic was both mysterious and madness, except his arm still throbbed from the tiny needle stick onto the silly tiny doll inside the restaurant. He didn't want to die at the hand of Voodoo doll maker, softly chuckling at his silly joke in front of the wall of greeting cards.

The new issue, Frank didn't know how to destroy an active Voodoo doll. He was not an expert in Voodoo magic. Frank didn't really enjoy watching a pretend horror or a cursed Hollywood movie film about werewolves, vampire, demons, or Voodoo priestesses.

Maybe, Tom would know how to destroy a Voodoo doll. His weird-ass brother knew of such weird-ass things.

Frank used the alone time and fiddled with each sparkling cuff link on the sleeve on his dress shirt. However, he was running out of items. He quickly surveyed his body and found a couple of more bread crumbs items, hoping that she was almost finished with her shopping spree throughout the city streets of Miami.

The purpose of the bread crumb trail was for the Quartet to find, follow, and kill his personal kidnapper, saving his ass. However, if Frank ran out of all his tangible bread crumbs, then the Quartet would never be able to trace his body within an overcrowded city of the surrounding townships of Miami, an impossible feat even for a set of three billionaire arrogant brothers.

Inside the store floor, Vein shuffled around the floor space, quickly collected and purchased a set of long four candles with a matching glass stick with Frank's cash and a nice smile in silence. She back stepped from the store clerk and spun around, dashing to the back spine on Frank, reaching out and slapped his collar bone to signal the departure from the shop.

Frank back stepped from the wall with a sour attitude of a lost opportunity. But there will be another opportunity. He spun around and moved ahead towards her sedan.

Candle Shop

Outside parking lot setting

3:42 p.m.

She moved ahead towards the car and stopped, opening the rear door and stored the new bag of candles next to the bottle of champagne for her fun with Frank tonight, slamming the door shut with a grin. She opened the driver's car door and slid down inside the seat, cranking the engine, watching and waited on Frank. She was not concerned about a rebel or a revolt from mellow Mangrove. He was smart and afraid of the Voodoo doll.

Frank swiftly strolled towards the passenger side of her car, reaching out and opened the door, sliding down inside the seat with a sweaty face of jumping in and out of the car within the heated day. He leaned out the open door and dropped down the pair ruby red colored cuff links down onto the gray parking lot ground.

He didn't want to sacrifice the paired gems, but he was concerned that Vein would body search him, finding only one cuff link, since a set of cuff links was always paired with a twin set. Then, she would question or torture him with the truth.

So, he sacrificed the pair of ruby cuff links for a swift rescue from the remaining Quartet, hopefully coming soonest.

He slammed the door with a loud boom.

She swiftly steered the car out from the parking lot and wildly drove down through the busier traffic with a stern face in silence towards her final destination and her fun with the one-fourth of the Quartet.

City of Palmetto Bay

Street intersection

152nd Street and US Highway One

3:49 p.m.

He exhaled with a sour breath and a sour tone, staring through the windshield at the blazing set of red colored taillights and red colored traffic lights. She drove around the stopped cars and through some of the red lights with wild ass bad driving habits. He frowned. "You are driving over the speed limit, Miss Vein. I hope to arrive alive to the final destination wherever that is." He chuckled with a smile. "That is one of many mottos within the Sunshine State. Arrive alive! Do you know that, Miss Vein?"

She continued to steer with a stern face in silence through the busy traffic.

He turned and smiled down at the side city street. "The Miami Zoo is located on 152nd Street. Hey! Can we go to the zoo and see some of the animals?" Frank sounded like Tom and acted like a little kid, wanting to see the wild animals for the first time.

She steered the vehicle around the stopped cars and through the yellow colored traffic lights with a stern face in silence.

He smiled. "I guess not, this time."

City of Palmetto Estates

Street intersection

168th Street and US Highway One

3:59 p.m.

She barely slowed the car and slammed on the brakes, sliding over the loose gravel, parking onto the side of the roadway in silence and tossed loose peddles into the air waves.

He bounced side to side inside the car seat with a sour frown. "Wow. That is some kind of wild ride. Do you treat all your visiting guests like this, Miss Vein?"

She turned and stared at familiar landscape in silence.

He turned and scanned the landscape with a smile and a nod. "We are located near a row of mechanical body shops on 168th Street. My big brother Stuart, he likes this come to one particular body shop here for all his cars. Does your body need an alteration, Miss Vein, such like perhaps your gray matter?"

She continued to scan the landscape with the running car. "I am searching for the flower man. His little flower cart is usually located right here, but I don't see him. Do you like flowers, doll?"

He turned and scanned the landscape for the flower vendor with worry. He was leaving behind a trail of bread crumbs. He needed to find the flower vendor, so he could plant a new bread crumb for his brothers and his rescue. He faked a smile with a worried heart. "My wife Misty Marie loves yellow colored buttercups. I grow them inside our private flower garden just for her in Coral Beach." He was missing his wife and his brothers. He was getting anxious also, since no one knew that he was missing yet. Misty Marie would be getting worried about him when Frank missed dinner. Then, she would contact, no yell at Austin, barging into his house unannounced with fury.

She turned with a sour frown and shifted the gear into drive. "O well! I don't see him. He is usually right here every late evening. I guess no flowers for tonight."

He gasped with worry and turned with a faked smile to see each building. "O well! That would be a really bad shame, without a vase of nice perfumed flowers for our sexy fun tonight. I love the odor of fresh cut flowers." She steered the car ahead with a stern face and sped down US Highway One towards the next stop. He continued to search each building. If Frank could not place down the next bread crumb, then his brothers will not find him. He gasped with relief and lifted, rattling the cuff bracelets into the air. "Yes, I see it. Over there, I can see a flower shop. The shop looks very nice. And it is located on the same of the road." He turned with a gasp to see the passing building. "You passed it."

"That nice looking flower shop is nicely too expensive." She continued to speed down the road with a stern face.

He turned and exhaled with a sissy whine at her nose profile "Well, money is not an issue, tonight. I would like a very large vase of pretty flowers. You have been purchasing all kinds of gifts, since we left the nice restaurant. You have not asked me one time for my personal request, either. I would like a bouquet of yellow colored carnations. I adore the smell of freshly cut carnations."

She laughed. "You are not my guest, Dr. Mangrove."

He smiled with a nod. "I want a vase of fresh cut good smelly flowers for my fun tonight."

"No."

He frowned. "Yes."

She turned and quickly frowned at his nose profile and back at the road. "Dr. Mangrove?"

He turned and smiled at her frown. "Miss Vein, O pretty please..."

She released the gasoline pedal with a gasp of shock and exhaled with a puff of annoyance at her silly male captive.

Flower Shop

Brier Park location

172nd Street and US Highway One

Outside parking lot setting

4:11 p.m.

"All right," she slammed down onto the brakes and performed a U-turn at the next traffic light, speeding ahead over the roadway and slammed the brakes for a second time. She whipped the car through the media strip and stopped, parking inside the nicely paved gray parking lot. "Stay inside the car!"

"Yes ma'am." He cracked open the door with a chuckle and reached down, pulling the item from the trousers pocket, constructing the next bread crumb trail while she was gone.

She exited the car and left the car door open, dashing ahead into the nice building, disappearing from eye sight. At few minutes later, she left the building and slid back into the driver's seat, tossing a flower bouquet of yellow colored carnations at Frank.

The aim was lousy. The flower bouquet landed inside his lap.

Frank dropped down the personal handkerchief which was tied onto his golden wedding band over the gray colored paved parking lot with a smile and slammed the door shut with a loud boom and a chuckle. "Where are we going too next, Miss Vein?"

She backed out the parking spot and moved back onto the highway, driving towards the south direction in silence at high speed, steering around the slower cars and the fast changing traffic lights

He reached over and held onto the door handle with slight fear and worry.

City of Perrine

Street intersection

184th Street and US Highway One

Outside fruit stand location

Outside parking lot setting

4:21 p.m.

She slapped the brakes and forced the car to slow, turning into a field of loose gravel driveway, moving towards the single wooden stand.

He turned and frowned at the local landscaped. "I am familiar with 184th Street, Miss Vein."

She stopped the car and cracked open the door with a smirk. "Do you see the ugly tiny fruit stand with the smiling man? I'm dying for strawberries and grapes."

He frowned. "Are we are getting very close...?"

She laughed, "Close to what, doll? O. We are closes to my home. Stay here inside the car, doll," Vein winked

He pouted. "You don't want to be seen with handsome me."

She winked. "Especially with you, doll!" Vein slid out the seat and stood upright, moving ahead to the fruit stand and stopped, examining the fresh fruit.

Frank smiled, since no one was seeing, hearing, or knowing where he was or had been this afternoon. However, some people did see and hear and know. He leaned over and cracked open the car door, sitting inside the hot car, allowing the breeze to flood the compartment. As she walked back and leaned down into the driver's seat, he tossed his empty wallet down to the left and away from the wheels of the car. Her hand handed Frank the basket of fresh fruit for holding.

Mangrove had removed his money, his driver's license and his credit card out from the wallet. He might still need these items for the next shopping trip, once she spent all the cash that she had extracted from the bank machine in the city of South Miami on 72nd Street.

Vein wasn't stupid and would pick up on the fact that he had discarded the items, since everyone traveled with money and an identification card of some type.

She started the car and moved back into the highway, swiftly speeding around the cars in silence.

City Street intersection

188th Street and 109th Avenue

4:29 p.m.

She applied the brakes and turned the car onto a new roadway, heading west down 188th Street with a smile. "Home, again. Home, again as the nursery rhyme goes." Vena laughed.

He turned and scanned the road and the building with a confused brow. "We are not going further south on Dixie Highway."

"We turned and are going to the west."

"We are in the city of Perrine."

She drove the car with a nod, "Very good, doll."

He continued to scan the bland landscape, "I was always head of my class, every single year."

"You must have gotten all A-plus-pluses, Dr. Mangrove."

"So, your home is located inside the quaint small town of West Perrine." Frank said out loud for all his heavenly angels to communicate back by telepathy to his brothers for a swift rescue. He had one last bread crumb inside a breast pocket for a find by the Quartet.

Vena didn't body search Frank at the restaurant parking lot, since she wasn't a law enforcement officer, only a true blooded serial killer with a mad woman streak using the cute Voodoo dolls and her supernatural magic practices. He had one chance left praying and wishing that someone would get curious, after finding an expensive engraved ink pen in the middle of West Perrine. Maybe, that someone would be looking for a monetary award from the Quartet, since ink pen displayed the logo of the company Quartet Associates.

oooo

It was four small circles of four males or four men or four brothers which was a very recognizable symbol that had been seen by a tree of South American monkeys.

Frank had planted each step of his bread crumbs at each visited retail shop among US Highway One.

Down the road, there was parallel twin rows of new and old steel coated warehouses with scattered patches of dying yellow and green colored grass, her car slowed and turned into the warehouse arena, stopping beside a small-sized metal collection of silver coated mailboxes. She dropped down the window and leaned out the window, jiggling the key into the latch of her mailbox. Frank reached over and grabbed, lifting the car door handle with a fake smile. She continued to fiddle with the mailbox key with a smile. "We are here. My place is over there." Frank cracked open the door with a soft click and a fake smile. She swung around with a distorted face to see the open door. "What are you...?"

"I am stretching my long legs. It has been a hot and crowded driving trip. I am used to traveling inside a roomy rear bench of a limousine," he chuckled with a smile.

She snorted. "Yeah, you do. All right, I want you relaxed and ready for me." She turned back around and reinserted the tiny key into the small latch of the mailbox with a laugh.

Frank shoved the car door wide open and stood upright from the seat, wobbling side to side, shaking each leg into the air with a fake smile and a grunt. When a shiny black colored ink pen fell down into the yellowish green colored grassy weeds, the weeds neatly covered most of the object.

"Get back inside the car, Dr. Mangrove." She reached into the darken box for the stack of mail and pulled out a stack of invoices into the window.

He slid down back into the seat with a smile, slapping the door and turned to see the large stack of mail, "I'm ready to see your home. I see lots of bills there."

She turned and wiggled the tall stack with a wink and a giggle, "Your generous contribution will be aiding to my cause, today."

"Glad, I could assist you, today," he turned and frowned at the closed window with streaming fury. Frank had been kidnapped, embezzled, imprisoned, abused, used, insulted, teased, captured, and finally might be raped. He was pissed up to the heavens for his part in this silly ploy, falling down into her trap like a fly inside the silky spider web. He deserved an ass-beating from Austin and turned, glancing at the car clock. He tossed his designer wrist waist at the liquor store. He was getting anxious, since no one knew that Frank was missing again.

Vena drove the car forward and slowly turned, slamming the gasoline pedal, flying down and scooted around the small deep potholes, speeding down to the last warehouse and rusty steel and slapped down on the car brakes. The car stopped in front of the parking spot. The old road held two rows of older warehouse. Her warehouse was painted in bright red. She killed the engine and turned with a smile to see Frank, "Would you help me with the groceries, please?"

He reached over with the cupped wrist bones with a nod and touched the door, cracking open the door with a fake smile, "I would certainly assist you with groceries."

"You're a true gentleman, Dr. Mangrove."

"Thank you for that wonderful compliment, Miss Vein."

She turned and opened the door, sliding out and moved around to the rear trunk, stopping and lifted the lid, reaching down and loaded a set of numerous sacks and bags into his cuffed hands.

Hopefully, someone would follow the trail of bread crumbs that Frank had left that was somewhat clear. Austin had good instincts in tracking a missing person, especially a missing brother. And Berrington would be very anxious to whip his ass also.

His arms were loaded down with wet and dry sacks and bags, back stepping from the trunk with a chuckle of his current mental processes, spinning around to face the red colored metal door with a fake smile.

She back stepped with an armful of sacks and bags and swung around to see the warehouse with a smile, scooting around Frank and advanced to the door. "Welcome to my home, Dr. Mangrove!"

Then, they entered the warehouse one-at-a-time with Frank first.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sun with slight breeze

Home of Austin

Interior Florida room setting

4:32 p.m.

The set of double front doors was always unlocked and unsecured for any Quartet sister or brother to visit with Austin as each family member came and went with ease.

She slammed open both the front doors and allowed each polished wood to slap into the pink paint on both walls with great force of fury. Misty Marie marched into the Florida room with a puff of worry and fury. The impact of the doors was so hard. Each cherry wooden door ricocheted back from the door frame and slammed shut with more force, sounding with a two loud bangs.

Austin emerged from the kiss with a confused brow, looking up from the neck of the half-clothed young adult female, who was sprawled on top of the pink tinted long sofa inside his private house, and then turned to see his Quartet sister.

Misty Marie advanced ahead towards Austin and waved both arms into the air with a lady sneer, "Where the hell is he, Austin?" She never cursed with a set of nasty words to any person.

Something was very wrong for Misty to act and to talk like this to her Quartet brother Austin. He stood upright from the sofa and faced her, presenting a half chest and a pair of naked feet with a puzzled brow. "Misty?"

Misty stopped and stood in front of Austin with a nasty lady sneer, waving both arms, "Frankie, where the hell is he, Austin? It is five o'clock now. This is his curfew for the day, since you closed the office early. He isn't home, at the office, in the limo, at the club..."

After Frank had followed after the young female, who had been illegally snatching the group of newborn infants from the local hospital nursery at Charity South Miami Hospital while pretending to be a practicing physician, he left the hospital, stole a hospital van, slept inside a cave, caught a virus cold, and walked into a gas station, using a pay phone for rescue, Misty had demanded to know who, when, what, and where her husband was located during the daylights hours. Since, she didn't want to spy on him at the work office.

Thus, the spying job on the work office had fallen onto his three brothers at Quartet Associates. A task assignment his three brothers had seemed to have forgotten for the day.

Therefore, Frank was missing, again.

Austin exhaled with worry and yelled with frustration. "Damn it to hell!" He turned with a sneer to the young girl. "My chauffeur will take you home."

"But..." She stood upright and presented a half-nude upper body, jiggling the big naked breasts at Austin with a smile.

"Get dressed in the other room." Austin reached out and shoved the young adult female towards the single doorway on the side of the wall which was a small enclosed dressing room.

"Okay..." The cute unnamed young adult female reached down and grabbed, wrapping the blanket around a body, cuddling her clothes and shuffled towards the side room to re-dress.

Austin spun around and rushed to the landline telephone on top of the side table inside the foyer, lifting the receiver and pushed the button, without waiting for the greeting voice of his chauffeur. "Joe, take my date home!" The telephone call ended with a soft click on the other end.

His personal chuffer Joe knew what to do. That was why Austin employed him. Joe was a good man, a great provider, a wonderful husband, and the best damn employee of Quartet Associates. Joe was there when Austin needed him for any task, great or small. He would come quickly and take the young adult female back home and then stand-by for the new Quartet emergency.

This was another fucking ass emergency within the Quartet. For the past two months, there had been nothing else but a set of urgent life-threatening, siren-flashing, and whistle-blowing Quartet emergencies.

Now, the newest emergency dilemma, Frank was missing for a second time.

Austin slammed the receiver down onto the telephone slot and lifted it, quickly tapping the familiar mobile telephone number into the phone console from memory.

Misty spun around and moved ahead, standing beside him, placing his arm around her shaking shoulders. She was upset, mad, worried and more.

He was upset, mad, worried, and was going to kill someone for getting Frank into trouble again. Austin heard the receiver click open and said with a serious tone. "Frank is missing. Misty is here with me at the house. Where the hell did he go, after we all departed the office, earlier this afternoon?"

He paused and listened to the wise advice of his brother Stu.

"Yeah, I agree. We deploy all the gawd damn QA teams, starting at the office suites. Then, we have all the QA teams start the next body to body search on Miracle Mile and beyond until we find and locate Frank."

Pause.

He smiled, "Excellent idea, Stu! Use the locator bot and locate his personal car and all your electronic toys. Let us know what you find. Please, contact Tom and Janey for me. We all will rendezvous here at my house first, before we head to the office." Austin dropped down the receiver over the hook with a stern face and a worried heart.

One of the front doors slammed open and hit against the pink colored wall paint, ricocheting and slammed back into the door frame shut. Joe entered the living room and rushed to stand in front of the dressing room on the side wall, where the female whore was getting dressed. Austin had called this particular emergency before, so Joe knew what to do.

Misty leaned into his naked chest and cried with sobs and tears of fear and worry about her husband. He reached down and placed both arms around her for comfort like a big brother which he was, since she was a sister of the band. He softly spoke over her blond hair roots and nodded to Joe without a new command. "We'll find him, Misty. Don't worry. He's not so far."

The dressing room door opened and revealed the pretty female whore.

Joe reached inside and grabbed the arm of the young female whore with a stern face, shoving her through the living room and away from Austin in silence.

The female whore grunted in shock and dashed through the living room with puffs and squeals, seeing Austin. He was hugging onto a new blond haired girl, "Well, I have..."

Joe shoved the female whore and reached out, opening the door, moving through the archway in silence.

The front door closed with a loud boom.

Misty exhaled with more sobs and a soft voice, "Frankie, why is he so concerned and caring?"

He exhaled. "That is Frank's loving nature."

Misty noted. "I love him for that. But we..."

"I know."

She wiped the tears of fear and worry inside his arms of brotherly love. "Austin, the past two months have been hard on me..."

"It is okay, Misty. We all feel the same way."

"Why? Why is Frankie so nosy?"

Austin smiled. "He is curious."

"He doesn't talk about what happened to him, to me, to us. He doesn't confide in me after I lost our baby."

He exhaled. "Misty, that wasn't your fault. You were kidnapped by Hera. She..."

"She's a monster."

"She's dead."

She wiped off the tears. "I know. Then Frankie got curious about the Charity newborns. He followed that Asia girl and got captured with the old people."

He frowned at the new information "What older people?"

She pulled back with a confused brow to see the face of Austin. "Frankie didn't tell you."

"No, Misty. You are correct when Frank doesn't confide with anyone."

She exhaled. "He didn't tell you."

"No."

She shook her messy curls and wiped the tears with a sad voice. "I don't understand."

"I don't either but we'll find him. We'll get Frank help."

She gasped, "Help? Will the help be similar to the help that Tom had received?"

"No. Frank's help will not be like the help for Tom but only better. Jace will know what to do for Frank."

She frowned, "Jace? Frank doesn't talk to Jace, either. He's so quiet, reserve. Frankie's not himself."

"I understand. First, let's figure where Frank is. Second, we'll help him. Okay?"

She leaned into his naked chest with a sad face and a worried heart. "Okay, Austin."

The set of unlocked and unsecured front doors slammed open and hit each side the pink colored wall paint, announcing the new person. A loud obnoxious male tenor voice shouted up towards the skyline. "Holy fucking shit! Gawd damn our sissy brother Frank has gone and got his ass captured again." Sawyer entered and held the hand of his wife Jane, moving towards Austin with a sour frown.

Austin turned to face the open archway and pointed down to the blonde hair roots on Misty with a sour frown at Sawyer, "Tom, do not provide a set of unknown speculations, only the set of true facts."

Tom stopped and stood in front of Berrington with Jane and a sour frown, jabbing a manicured fingernail at the distorted face of Austin. "Fuck you, Austin! Frank insisted that he know who the damn killer of the new fucking murders was. He was fucking right. The bastard is always gawd damn right. How in the hell does he do that? I don't shitting know. But we should have believed fucking Frank. Now, she has got our brother Frank. So where the fuck could they have gone, out of state, out of the country?"

"Enough, pup!" Austin frowned.

Gracie and Stu rushed through the unlocked doors and stopped, standing beside Tom without smiling and filled with worry and concern that was etched on a tired face. Stu looked down and typed on his mobile telephone, looking for some electronic answers within all his electronic toys at work office and the computers.

Austin commanded to each family member as the boss of the Quartet. "Gracie and Janey, you two stay with Misty at her house. Let us search for Frank. If you hear from him first, please call us immediately."

Misty pulled back from Austin with a sad face and reached down, retrieving the item from the designer purse, presenting the item to Austin. The item was a green colored laboratory book which was used by a medical student during medical school for taking notes and outlining issues.

Tom looked down with a smile and jabbed a finger at the object. "Hey! I had one like that for my chemistry course in college where I received the letter grade of A-plus."

Misty opened the book and slowly turned to the second page with a stern face. "This isn't for a chemistry course, Tom. Frankie wrote down a set of something. It looks like dates and places with numbers inside this book. I think. I can't read all the information."

Tom nodded with a smile. "Shit, ya'll! Told ya'll, too! Fucking Frank figured it all out again."

Stu exhaled with a bald shake at the screen of the mobile telephone, "Yes, Frank has puzzled it out again."

Tom chuckled with a nod and tossed both arms into the air. "Frankie boy, he has done it again for a second time. He has gotten lost and misplaced and messed..."

Jane reached over with a sour frown and elbowed the rib cage on Tom, signaling silence during the discussion flow with facts, not fiction in silence.

"Ouch!" He reached down and rubbed the throbbing rib from an elbow punch with a confused brow, turning to see the nose profile on Jane, "Sweetheart, what did I say or do or..."

Stu reached over and slapped the chest on Tom with a folded fist and a growl, "Quiet, Thomas!" He returned back to reading the screen with new information on his mobile telephone with a stern face.

"Ugh!" Tom folded down at the waistline and grabbed the aching stomach muscles with a rough cough and a whisper, "Asshole..."

Austin frowned. "Misty, did Frank call you this afternoon for any reason?"

Misty frowned. "No."

Stu frowned at the new information on the screen of the mobile telephone. "Did you talk to Frank anytime today, Misty?"

Misty back stepped with a worried brow and scooted into a huddle with her Quartet brothers and sisters, wiggling a green colored book. "Around lunchtime, we were deciding what to do for dinner."

"I see that here." Stu frowned down the screen of his mobile telephone with the new information from the mainframe computers at Quartet Associates. "What were your plans for the evening?"

Misty said, "We had planned a quiet night for the two of us. He has been so busy at work. Frankie is tense and uptight all the time. I don't know why." She reached up and wiped off the tears with fear and worry of her husband Frank and his mental state of mind.

Austin reached over and wrapped an arm around her collar bone. "It's All right. The latest murders have all of us uptight."

Misty lifted and wiggled the green colored book near her frown. "Frank was talking about all those murders again last night during our dinnertime. He was reading and writing inside this notebook inside his private den, when I invaded his private office, since I was worried about Frank coming home late for dinnertime."

Tom reached out and snatched the exterior green colored small notebook from Misty, flipping through the pages with a stern face and a nod. "Then, it is confirmed. The murderer really did grab and get Frank, again. Geez! When is the asshole going to learn to...?"

"Do not jump to any single unconfirmed conclusion, Tom." Stu looked up and reached over, snatching the green notebook from the waving hands of Sawyer with a nod. "Frank is smart. He might be tracking the person instead." He opened the green notebook and read the new information on the tan pages with intrigue and a puzzled brow.

Tom shook his bangs and his hangs with a worried brow, "Yeah, not right."

Austin nodded with a smile to relieve the worried mind of Misty, "Frank's smart."

"Smart ass," Tom shook his bangs and his hangs again with a laugh.

Stu tucked the notebook underneath an armpit and held the phone in a free hand, leaning over and hugged his wife with a fake smile. "Gracie, please take Janey and Misty home with you. We'll find Frank."

Austin nodded with affirmative response. In reality, they were not coming back to Coral Beach and their homes, without Mangrove. "We will come back." He spun around and moved back to the long sofa, dressing in a shirt and a pair of leathers.

"Soonest," Tom reached over and kissed his wife, pulling back with a smile. He moved ahead and stopped, leaning over and hugged Misty with a brotherly hug, pulling back with a smile and a wink. "I'll bring him back, sweetheart, like I did with you."

"We all saved Misty, asshole." Stu laughed at silly Tom.

Gracie leaned over with a smile and kissed Stu, pulling back with a smile. "Good luck! Good hunting!" Each lovely wife of the Quartet spun around and left the house of Austin together, using Janey's car.

"Where do we start?" Stu dropped the notebook down into a free hand with a sigh and flipped through each page to begin the manhunt of Frank in the later afternoon of bright hot and sunny evening.

Tom nodded with a smile, "We start at the office. I saw him this early afternoon on the phone as I waved hello during lunch."

The mobile telephone played a jazz song. Stu tucked the notebook back into an armpit and tapped a set of numbers onto the mobile telephone, seeing the new information with a puzzled brow. "Frank accessed the business telephone menu inside his office at 1:26 pm, where he made a mysterious call to a mysterious person." He reached up and punched more numbers, extending the phone into the huddle of his brother and listened to the tiny speaker on the mobile telephone for all eardrums. "This is the Priestess of Sunrise. Leave me a message."

Tom frowned. "Fuck, what the fuck is that? Who the fuck is that? Priestess of Sunrise?"

Austin spun around from the sofa after dressing with a stern face and dashed ahead towards the entrance front doors with a new order. "Roll out, boys!"

Outside covered veranda setting of Austin

4:37 p.m.

The front door opened. The three brothers slowly moved through the archway one-at-a-time. The door slammed shut, without locking. They strolled ahead towards the luxury car of Stu, since he could carry a set of four people comfortably towards the business office at Quartet Associates.

Tom stopped and stood next to the rear passenger door, reaching out and cracked it open with a stern face, sliding inside. Austin stopped and stood next to the front passenger seat with a sour frown, looking at Stu and cracked open the door, sliding into the seat with a sour frown. Stu scooted around the rear bumper and looked down to read the mobile telephone, standing in front of driver's seat, opening the door and slid inside with a stern face, placing the green notebook over the bench seating with Austin. Gage placed the mobile telephone between his two balls and a dick.

Austin slammed the door shut with a loud boom and turned with a sour frown to see the nose profile on Stu. "What do I mean when I say no solo performances?"

Stu cranked the engine warming the car and stared down at the steering wheel with a sour frown. "I honestly thought that we all had learned our lesson."

Tom pushed forward and leaned over the head space between Stu and Austin with a laugh and a smile, reaching out and grabbed the green colored notebook. He flipped the book open and stared at the weird ass information with a stern face. "I honestly thought that Frankie boy had learned his lesson. The man is a pest."

"Frank is pest to both us and the police," Stu slowly drove the car onto the private road, traveling down towards the second sentry gate with a stern face.

Tom slapped the book and shuffled the notebook side to side in both hands with a nod. "He's uptight."

Austin exhaled with a sour frown. "Frank is solo, again."

Stu turned and asked to see Austin and then back to see the road. "Are you worried?"

Austin nodded with an angry tone, "Hell, yeah! I worried and pissed. This is the second time Frank has wondered off by himself, without telling us where he was going. When we find Frank..."

".... you're going to beat his ass," Stu drove with a nod.

Tom wiggled a face and a collar bone forward while dangling a pair of skinny arms over the front seat with the green tinted notebook in one hand and a stern face. "O really..."

Stu drove with a frown, "O really, Tom."

Tom frowned, "O really, Stu! I hear Austin all the time said within my eardrums. And I quote 'I am going to beat the shit out of him or her or my brother.' Did you beat an ass, last time? Fuck, no!"

Stu drove with a frown. "What fucking ass, last time, Tom?"

Tom frowned. "Are you going to beat an ass, today? Hell, no!"

"What fucking ass, today, Tom?"

Tom exhaled and dangled both arms over the front seat with the closed notebook and a sour frown. "Austin never beats an ass, anymore. He's too old, too weak, too sissy..."

Stu slapped the car brakes with a sneer. The car smoothly and quickly stopped in the middle of Coral Lane.

Tom swiftly tumbled backward down into the rear leather seat with a sissy yell, dropping the notebook onto the floor, "Fuck..."

Stu growled with a sour frown at the empty roadway. "Shut up, Tom! Before I pull my luxury car over into the shoulder of Coral Lane, then Austin can work up a sweat and practice beating your fucking ass, before his attacks Frank's." He slammed the gasoline pedal with a grunt.

Austin stared at the road with a smirk. "Where does the locator bot pinpoint Frank's car?"

Stu had read the information from his mobile telephone before sliding into his car, driving with a stern face at the busy road. "His car is inside the parking lot of Antonio's Restaurant."

Tom gasped and crawled back, leaning over the front seat between the heads of Austin and Stu, tossing both hands with a gasp. "Fuck it! Frank met the killer without us for a lunch date inside our secret back door booth. He is solo again, Austin."

Austin stared ahead at the road with a sneer. "Quit saying that, Tom."

Tom smiled. "It is fucking ass true. He did. He met her. She took him probably by gun point or knife point or spiked wine or..."

Austin frowned. "We didn't believe him, again."

"I believed him." Stu drove with a stern face.

Tom tossed both hands and his bangs with a sour frown at the nose profile on Stu as he sat inside the rear seat and hung an upper body over the front seat. "Fuck you, asshole. You did not."

Stu drove with a worried brow. "We didn't want to get involved..."

"...with too many loony-toony clinical medical sick-o cases. We ain't private dicks, Big Man. How many times do I have to say and repeat that statement, double asswipes?" Tom nodded with a sour frown and breathed on the cheekbones of Stu and Austin.

Stu drove with a sour frown. "You have said that statement too many damn times into my eardrums, Tom. I'll sick of hearing it, bro."

Tom tossed both hands and bangs. "Then close your fucking gawd damn two hairy ears, Stu, because I'm fucking right all the shitting times."

"Enough, pups." Austin sneered. "Back to business!"

Stu drove with a stern face. "First fact, Frank's car has been found."

Tom nodded with a stern face. "What else is on the kidnapped body of Frank beside the mobile telephone with the locator chip? We found the car, so far."

Stu drove with a smile and a nod, "His mobile telephone with the matching earplugs, his..."

Tom shook his bangs with a sour frown. "Last time, he exchanged his business suit at the hospital for a perfectly disguised physician costume, following that mysterious 'Babe of the East' out the hospital door while leaving all his personalized state-of-the-art expensive Quartet toys inside Jace's locker at the Charity Hospital physician dressing room."

Stu drove the car and shook a bald skull with a stern face. "He's not that stupid, this time. He learned his lesson."

Austin nodded with a worried brow, "Agreed! Someone took him from the restaurant without his permission."

Tom gasped. "Do you think that Frank was taken out of state, Austin?"

Stu drove with a stern face. "I do not believe so."

Tom turned and frowned at the cheekbone of Stu, "Why not?"

Stu drove with a stern face. "We would know. Frank is a familiar face, especially with the television media. Reporters or photographers would have seen him traveling around without his wife Misty Marie. Then, his face would be on the latest gossip news station, last hour."

Austin nodded with a stern face, "Agreed."

Tom frowned. "So where is his ass?"

Austin turned and scanned the landscape with a worried brow. "Miami."

Tom turned and viewed the landscape through the side window with a frown. "Miami is one big ass huge gawd dawn geographical area, man."

Stu stopped the car and parked inside a parallel spot along the vanilla colored city sidewalk in front of the Quarter Associates headquarters building. Austin nodded with a stern face. "Damn right, Tom! Confirm all teams, Stu! Find Frank a.s.a.p.! Before, I start tearing this gawd dawn gigantic geographic area apart with my bare hands," he sneered.

Tom nodded with a grin. "Yes, boss."

The mobile telephone tinged with a text. Gage reached down and grabbed, lifting the device into his frown. "I got a new text from our scout QA team that tracked down the locator chip. The locator chip inside Frank's mobile telephone has been confirmed also. Frank's mobile telephone is there at the same location with Frank's luxury vehicle."

Tom frowned. "Where is the mobile telephone?"

Stu said. "The mobile telephone was found beside the location of the trash bins behind Antonio's Restaurant on Miracle Mile."

Tom nodded with a stern face. "Our QA team has confirmed. Shit. He's with the killer."

Austin stared at the city street with a stern face, "Bread crumb..."

Tom reached over and collected the green colored notebook with a frown. "Why are thinking of food at a time like this, Austin?"

Austin stared at the city street with a stern face. "The electronic toys are a trail of bread crumbs from Frank like in the story Hansel and Gretel."

Each door cracked open. Each body stood upright. Then each door slammed shut with a set of three separate booms.

Tom and Austin moved ahead together towards the entrance doors of the building. Tom shook his bangs and wiggled the notebook side to side, turning with a stern face to see the city street, the sidewalk, and back to the glass doors of the building. "I wonder about your mental capacity, Austin. Bread parts? Nursery stories? Fuck it! Frank's dead."

Stu dashed around the front bumper and shoved a body between Austin and Tom, moving with his brothers in a row towards the illuminated Quartet Associates building with a sneer. "Shut up, Tom."

Austin nodded with a stern face at the entrance doors. "The phone was tossed away on purpose. So, Frank has his toys. Maybe, he can..."

"...contact us," nodded Stu.

Tom shook his bangs and wiggled the notebook side to side, "If he's not dead, already, right now? Has there been a gigantic money ransom for his dead body, yet?"

Stu stopped and stood in front of the building, reaching out and grabbed the handle, opening the door for his two brothers with a sour frown. "Be a lot more negative, Tom!"

"I am. Mangrove is positively dead by now." He chuckled with a grin and entered first through the reception lobby with a nod.

City of Coral Gables

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Quartet Associates headquarters building

(six miles west of Coral Beach)

Ground floor level

Interior lobby setting

4:46 pm

They moved inside and stopped in front of the far set of closed elevators. Stu reached over and pressed a button with a stern face. "Doubt it! This killer was getting money from his dead victims, using a set of personal checks."

The elevator doors opened. They moved inside and spun around to face the double set of the entrance glass doors. Tom leaned over and slammed the thirty-third button, shaking both his bangs and his hands. "Frank's life is good, until he writes that great big large one-billion-dollar paper check to the kidnapper. That might, maybe, save his life for two or three hours, tops."

Stu turned and frowned at the nose profile on Sawyer, since he was worried about Frank. "Shut up, Tom."

Tom shook his bangs and wiggled the notebook side to side, "Thinking out loud!"

Stu sneered at the closed doors of the carriage. "Think in silence would be much better, Thomas."

"Enough, pups!" Austin exhaled with annoyance with the brotherly cat fight. "I believe Frank is providing a set of clues towards his capture."

33rd level floor

Quartet business executive suites

Interior conference room setting

4:48 p.m.

The carriage stopped on the designated floor. The doors opened.

Tom moved ahead with a sour frown and the notebook, turning and dashed down an empty hallway with an array of new art works from sissy Frank towards the smallest conference room. "I don't."

Stu followed behind the back spine on Tom and moved beside Austin. "I believe Austin."

"Believing doesn't really help here, ya'll." Tom dashed down the hallway with a sour frown and wiggled the notebook side to side in both hands with a stern face.

Stu smiled with a nod. "Thank, Almighty God! Frank remembered his gadgets like his mobile telephone."

"He didn't before." Tom entered the conference room, since the door was opened. He scooted into the empty chair on the left side of the head of the table with a sour frown, slapping the green colored notebook onto the table surface with a loud thump. He opened the first page and stared down at the weird-ass information with a puzzled brow in silence.

"He does now." Stu nodded with a smile.

"He is leaving a trail for us to follow like a set of bread crumbs." Austin followed behind the back spine on Tom and sat down at the head of the conference table with a stern face.

Stu followed behind Austin and scooted down into the right hand chair with a stern face in silence, reaching out and pulled a stack of stationary paper from the middle of the table. Each conference table was equipped with a speaker telephone for calls, a stack of paper for notes, and a row of ink pens for information. On the side wall, there was a complete half wall of stored cold beverages and a coffee maker for hot beverages with a row of packed snacks inside a full basket. Stu wrote down the new information that he had gathered from the computers, whipping out the mobile telephone and typed numerous texts to a set of numerous computer programmers with new instructions inside the computer division of Quartet Associates.

The computer center ran twenty-four hours per day for an emergency that the Quartet would encounter. Thus, there was a full complement of people inside the computer center for such an emergency to locate a missing brother.

Tom twisted the chair side to side and stared down at the notebook, flipping to the next tan colored page in blue ink color with a puzzled brow. "What bread crumbs, man? He could've accidentally dropped it. Or a better theory here, the killer had stolen it from Frank. Or even a robber had stolen it from Frank and then left it beside the trash pile. Wake up, man! Frank's lost until he communicates with us, before it's too late to save his life from the killer, this time."

Austin turned and nodded to Stu. "This is another good lesson. Gage can save lives."

Tom looked up with a chuckle to see Stu, "Gage? O. You mean gadgets."

"That, too," Stu nodded with a chuckle to Austin.

"What is the next move to locate asshole Frank, Austin?" Tom ignored Stu's ego and stared at the nose profile on Austin.

"We split up into three parties," Austin turned and nodded to his brothers.

"Solo?" Stu frowned down at the screen of the mobile telephone, verifying the orders to the group of computer nerds, his loyal and devoted QA workers also. He had a new clue which was very vague but worth searching. So, his team of computer nerds was gathering all the requested information for Stu. Now, the three-fourths of the Quartet had to wait for the newest information before tearing Miami apart at the grass roots.

Austin shook a skull, "No solo! We each take several QA teams with QA gear, mobile phones, and numerous killing weapons until we find Frank and kill the kidnapper."

Stu looked up with a nod and a stern face to see Austin, "A search and rescue!"

Austin shook a black haired skull, "Hell no! A search and destroy the city. Find Frank and kill the kidnapper, pronto!"

"Yeah, man." Tom clapped with a snicker, "I like these destruction command orders bestest. And if we encounter some 'real' police officers during our destroying mission of Miami, Florida to find our brother?"

Stu nodded. "Call me! I have a direct line with the police chief, the police commissioner and the fucking governor of Florida. I will take care of it, more than pronto."

Tom frowned. "Why don't we call them now and include the police in the manhunt?"

Austin sneered. "This is our problem, a Quartet problem."

Tom nodded, "You mean a Frankie problem. I hope this time you beat the shit out of him, Austin, for this insane maneuver."

Austin turned and winked at Sawyer. "I will. You can remind me, Tom, after Frank's home safe, sounded, and bathed."

"Right, man!" Tom grinned with a laugh.

"O. I get it now. You don't want to share the bloody body parts with me and Tom. Huh, Austin?" Stu laughed with Tom.

Austin grinned. "Something like that!"

Tom turned and frowned at Austin. "You know that Frankie boy gets the right to kill his kidnapper with his personal Ghost."

Austin exhaled with a nod. "As soon as, we find Frank, he can kill it, if he is in shape."

Tom gasped. "Do you really think that Frank is harmed or hurt with spilled or splattered personal red blood proteins?"

Austin said. "Not hurt enough, if he has planted the mobile telephone as a bread crumb for us to find. He's thinking logically. He's calm in the dangerous situation."

Stu nodded with a fake smile. "He's okay. Frank can take care of himself."

Tom held up two fingers, shaking his bangs, "He has been captured two times in a row. I can debate that hot topic from now until the herd of flying black and white spotted fucking ass milk cows come back home to piss inside the green pasture fields."

Austin reached out and snatched the green colored notebook, sliding it underneath his eyeballs with a stern face for a quick review. "Debate it later, Tom, when Frank's here and present with us again. The answers are inside this notebook." He flipped all the pages back to the first tan colored page, sliding the notebook into the middle of a set of three pairs of eyeballs and associated smart neurons.

Stu looked down at the tan colored page with a puzzled brow, "Hmm, I quickly view a set of numerous columns of something like a calendar date, a hand written proper noun or name or place or something, and large amounts of number without a dollar sign or a mathematical symbol." He turned to the stack of paper and jolted down more impromptu notes with the ink pen, pondering the book.

Tom reached out and grabbed the notebook, holding it in front of a face, flipping it upside down, sideways, and upright with a puzzled brow. "I see scribble and scrabble inside the green colored old fashion college laboratory notebook. I can't make skulls or asses or breasts or dicks out of his ugly writing. Is this really American handwriting from the fourth grade of elementary school?"

Stu said. "I believe it is Latin or Greek writing and words and symbols." He reached over and tapped on the keyboard of the mobile telephone for new information with a stern face.

Tom frowned. "What the hell for?"

Stu chuckled. "Frank has encrypted his secrets while keeping the information away from three nosy brothers." He found the new information and jolted it down on the paper with a stern face.

Tom slapped the notebook back down to the table surface, shaking is bang with a sour frown to see Stu and Austin with a sigh. "He doesn't trust us, his thee loving brothers."

Stu reached out and snatched the notebook from the surface into his face, studying the first page and slowly flipped through each tan colored page with a worried brow. "We, three didn't believe him." He turned to the stack of blank papers and wrote down more information.

"I believed him." Tom smiled.

"I don't believe that you believed him, Tom." Stu laughed.

"Well, I don't believe that you believed in him, either, Stu," Tom sneered.

"Well, I don't believe that you belong here to believe in him, Tom," he nodded.

"Well, I don't believe that you believed that you belong here, either, Stu." Tom hissed.

"Well, I don't believe that you believe that you will finally leave from here for one-billion dollars in cash, Tom," he smiled.

Tom gasped. "Well, I don't believe that you believed that you will leave from here for two-billion dollar in cash, Stu."

Stu slapped the table with a smile. "Well then, I'll personally give you two-billion dollars in cash to walk out that door and leave QA foreverly, Tom," laughing.

Tom gasped and then sneered. "I want three billion dollars to walk out that door and leave QA foreverly."

"Greedy, asshole!" Stu turned with a smile and winked to Austin. "Well, I tried, Austin." Berrington didn't stir but stared with a stern face at Stu. Gage laughed. "Tom, after his death funeral, he'll negotiate with the devil to enter into hell..."

"Fuck you, Gage!" Tom sneered. "I'm going to heaven when I die. I go to church, ya stupid deacon asshole."

Stu turned and smiled at Tom. "Name calling does not get you into heaven, Tom."

Austin exhaled with annoyance and turned to sneer at Stu and then Tom. "Brothers, let us focus on the present, on Frank, on finding Frank, right now."

Stu placed the mobile telephone on the table and tapped on the notebook with a stern face. "I might can, sorta, surmise something from this notebook within the Latin or Greek handwriting. One, Frank has the neatest handwriting on the planet." He laughed.

"Stu..." Austin frowned.

Stu smiled. "Two, I recognize a couple of names..."

"Bull shit!" Tom frowned.

Stu nodded with a grin. "True shit, Tom!"

Austin exhaled with annoyance with his two silly brothers and gut worry for his missing brother with a stern face. "What are the two names?"

Stu chuckled. "Tom Sawyer..."

"Fuck you!" Tom stood upright from the chair with a sneer and reached across the table surface, wiggling all fingers for the notebook. "Gimme the gawd damn notebook back..."

Austin frowned with confusion with Stu and worry for Frank with a stern face. "Explain swiftly, Stu!"

Stu tapped on the notebook with a smile. "Frank used a set of Greek letters and Latin symbols to identify each proper noun."

Tom sat back down with a sour frown and shake both bangs and hands. "How the hell did you figure that out? Wait! I couldn't figure out nothing from the gawd damn laboratory notebook. So, you called shitty ass someone. Right? Am I right? Yes, of course, I'm fucking right as always, since I can't interpret the fucking notebook, either." He nodded with a smirk and crossed both arms.

"Stu..." Austin frowned with frustration at his two silly brothers, who fought over silly words inside a paper notebook while Frank was unknown and still missing.

Stu smiled with a nod. "Yes, I called the computer."

"What the fuck does that mean, Gage?" Tom frowned.

Stu tapped on the page inside the notebook with a smile. "Right here, on the first line, Frank has hand printed the word alpha. Alpha is the first letter and the pronounced word within the Greek language. Thus, the first name is Austin."

"Hell, fuck, naw!" Tom frowned. "How the hell did you figure that out, Stu?"

He said. "Next to the Greek name of alpha, there is a single Latin symbol, AE. The Latin symbol is smashed together, not written in a set of two individual letters side by side. Within the ancient Latin alphabetic symbols, the first letter of A comes from the country of Danish language is the exact same symbol AE..."

"Fuck you, Gage!" Tom frowned. "That's more silly and stupid heated bullshit patties."

"Please continue to elaborate, Stu. You have my undivided attention. Shut the fuck up, Tom." Austin exhaled with anxiousness for his brother Frank, since there were not any more tracking clues to locate Mangrove until the police called the Quartet with a cold dead and blue colored body.

Stu tapped inside the first page of the notebook. "The second name is Theta which comes from the Greek language also. So, Frank has used Greek letters for a name, not a place."

Tom gasped. "So, you believe that Frank has used the Greek letter of 'Theta' to represent your ass. Why? What fucking reason for, Gage."

Stu nodded. "Yes, my middle name is Thatch which would logical correspond with the letter of T of the Greek letter of 'theta' like 'alpha' represents the letter A of our bro Austin. If you bother to use your eyeballs and look down each hand printed line inside Frank's notebook, the Latin symbol is the letter of N with an extended tail on the bottom left side of the letter. The letter of N represents..."

"Nigger..." Tom clapped with a hoot and a laugh.

Austin turned with a growl to the nose profile on Sawyer. "If my neurons were not worried about a misplaced Frank and I don't need a warm silly ass body to lead the other fourth of QA teams, I would drag your fucking ass outta that leather chair, down into the parking garage, and beat your face with black, blue, and red fist prints, Tom. You apologize to our brother, before I stand up from my chair and perform that action anyways for my fury and my fun."

"Forget it, Austin!" Stu laughed with a smile of good humor. "I, immediately also, thought of the same thing when I saw the single alphabetic letter near a substation of my middle name. The letter N inside the Latin alphabet must reference someway the word or rather a physician color of dark Negro. Let be silly Sawyer alone! Tom's a fucking asshole. He has been since birth and will be until death. The letter of N is represented by the country of Niger inside the Latin string."

Tom sat back with a huff of annoyance on a sour frown and crossed his arms. "See? I only translated the stupid ass Latin symbol which was based on a physical appearance. In which, Frank first thought of the same gawd dawn image and then he wrote it down in pencil lead inside his tiny notebook. If you wanna beat someone bloody and black, Austin, then do it to Mangrove," snarling.

Austin huffed with a sneer at Tom and turned with a smile to see Stu. "Your original ancestors came from the country of Niger. How did you figure that out, Stu?"

Stu nodded with a smile. "I used my awesomely genealogical computer program. It took years to identify, of course. The country of Niger is a landlocked country within western Africa which is named after the Niger River. My single relative came from there. It was through genetic DNA genome and allele testing of my blood that helped me to find my true home..."

Tom mumbled with a soft timber. "Your home is here as an American, Stu."

Stu exhaled. "Tom, I'm damn proud to be an American. An American comes from someplace else, but here. Only the tribes of abused and honorable Native American Indians culture are the true native of North Americans, since the Ice Age when they walked across the Barrier Straits naked in body and on a pair of chapped bare feet. But lots of people here in the USA, the white and black and yellow and pink colored women and men have conveniently forgotten that. You should never forget your personal historical past of your person, your parents, your grandparents, your great-grandparents. The past makes up our soul and our personality and allows us to live right here inside the great United States of America.

"I was curious and with new technology and my money, I was able to find where the dead biological parents of my great-great grandfather came from when he had been abducted from his native home land as an unwilling slave..."

Tom exhaled. "Where, where did your great-great grandfather escape from?"

Stu nodded. "It was a cotton plantation. Tom, your great-great grandfather came from the country of Germany with a pocket full of gold coins. He was the territory's first mayor. Austin's great-great teen grandfather came over on a rickety old ship with a set of skilled hands as a blacksmith. He was employed at the local hotel with a tavern with a horse barn for storage. Frank's great-great-great-grandfather, an animal veterinarian actually saved my great-great grandfather's precious life. My great-great grandfather was a nigger slave on a cotton plantation in the South. But he was young and smart and brave, running away to find his way in the free country of America. As he was being chased down by horse and by gun powder, he escaped with bodily injuries. His body spilled blood for days as he hid out inside the swamps and underneath shrubs, eating the fruits and the pecans, moving slowly through the landscape. When he stumbled into the horse pasture, it was Frank's great-great grandfather as a teen, who was the same age as my great-great grandfather.

Tom frowned. "Where, where did Frank's great-great grandfather live?"

Stu smiled. "He lived on a horse ranch. Frank great-great grandfather found the nigger slave unconscious on the ground near an overstory shade tall when Mangrove was feeding the horses on the property. Mangrove aided the unknown nigger slave, lifting him from the ground and walked him to his father. Dr. Mangrove treated the bleeding wounds, saving Gage's life. Gage agreed to stay with the Mangrove family and work on the horse farm, providing valuable tips on planting, harvesting, and growing delicious food crops of corn, pumpkin, sunflowers, and strawberries..."

"Bullshit." Tom laughed.

"True shit, Tom." Stu nodded with a smile. "Dr. Mangrove was a learned man in his native country. His heir and son, teen Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove was a learning student while reading, writing, and keeping a daily journal of his wild-ass adventures in the new land of America. He taught Gage how to read and write also. Gage taught young Mangrove how to live within the wilder wildness of snakes and strangers. Back then, anyone could steal your land and your lady, if you didn't know how to fight and defend your territory with a pair of fists or an old hand pistol."

Tom frowned. "Wait up! We all know that each great-great grandfather lived near or close to the city of Tallahassee. So, what was the name of the township?"

Stu smiled. "Teens Mangrove and Gage met Berrington one day, when some of the Mangrove horses were taken into the blacksmith shop to shoe..."

"Fuck you, Gage! I'll figure it out with the historical information on my cell, since everything is on the internet even my dead great-great grandfather." Tom whipped out his mobile telephone and typed onto the tiny keyboard, looking up information while listening to Gage.

Stu smiled. "Inside the blacksmith shop, teen Berrington was there sweating and pissing in the wall corner when Mangrove and Gage entered the shop..."

Austin and Tom roared with laughter. Tom slapped a chest and shook his bangs with more laughter. "You are fucking ass lying through your set of yellow stained teeth."

Stu smiled. "My teeth are lovely white tinted. It is all true, Tom. Teen Mangrove kept a daily journal in wrinkled blank paper and charcoal black ink. Frank has the original document underneath lock and key inside his Renaissance castle in Coral Beach for safekeeping. Frank has translated and recorded every single action event of the first Quartet. Frank tells the story much better than I..."

"What fucking ass story?" Tom frowned down at the tiny screen and typed the keyboard, searching for more information.

Stu nodded with a smile. "This is the very first action adventure of the Quarter, our four great-great grandfathers as a set of wild teens within one of the first settlements in northern Florida."

Tom looked up with a sour frown to see Gage. "Wait up! Our great-great grandfather formed the 'blood pact' in the year 1838 as told by my dad. So, they were. How old were they, Gage?"

"I'm getting to that part, Tom." Stu frowned.

"I wanna know right now!" Tom looked down with a sour frown and typed on the mobile telephone with a sound of tiny taps.

Stu smiled. "Back to the story, Berrington was examining the hoof of the first animal, assessing the price of a set of horseshoes when von Sore..."

Tom looked up with a sneer to see Gage. "Bull shit! That is not my legal name."

"But that was your great-great grandfather's legal name in the year 1838, Tom. He was called teen ass von Sore." Gage laughed with Austin. "Out of the air, this tall and skinny teen lad wearing a silk and patched shirt with a new vest and a pair of dusty blue jeans and a pair of polished cowboy boots without a cowboy hat. His face wears a set of bangs over a pair of blue eyeballs with a long blonde colored ponytail down a back spine with a chin and a jaw line of blonde whiskers on pale skin. He ran ahead into the blacksmith shop and fell down into the dirt, crawling underneath one of the standing horses from fear and flight. The horse got scared and reared into the air. Frank wore a patched and worn vest body and a pair of dusty and patched blue jeans with a pair of semi-dirty cowboy boots. His hair is red curly and tied back into a short ponytail. He wore a red colored goatee on dark skin with a pair of emerald colored eyeballs, swiftly grabbing the halter of the horse while Gage reached out and grabbed the body, sliding both of them to safety and saved the ass on Tom for the first time..."

Tom growled. "Bullshit."

"True shit, Tom! Back to the story! Then, the sheriff and a posse of mature men with a pair of dirty and patched blue jeans, a dusty vest and shirt, and a pair of cowboy boots with a cowboy hat with a hand gun dashed into the blacksmith shop. Well, Gage worn a set of patched clothes that consisted of Franklin's clothing that had been mended together by Mrs. Mangrove with a set of old pair of cowboy boots and a soft cowboy hat with a shaven bald head and a pair of brown eyeballs on dark skin. He was a runaway slave and Tom was as a..."

Tom hissed with a sour frown. "Watch it, Gage!"

In the year 1838, inside the blacksmith shop, Gage cuddled with Tom and hid behind a great big heated rusty vat of cool water that was used to drown a newly hammered out and sizzling heated horse shoe. The sheriff and the posse of men stopped and scanned the blacksmith shop, seeking asshole teen Thomas von Sore. Teen gentleman of culture and refinement, Franklin Mangrove calmed the upset horse and nodded to the sheriff with a smile. "You seem to be in a rush, today, sheriff. Is there an issue?"

The sheriff turned and frowned at young Franklin. "You're the doc's boy, huh?"

" **Yes sir! I am young mister Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove. It is very nice to make your acquaintance, Sheriff." Frank extended a hand like a gentleman as he was taught by his father."**

The sheriff didn't shake the hand of Franklin with a suspicious frown of the teen. "What are you doing here, son?"

Frank returned back a hand to pat the mare with a smile. "This fine herd of mares belongs to my father, sir. Each mare needs a new pair of horse shoes." He cleverly switched the topic from the runaway blond haired teen and his new friend, the runaway nigger slave.

The sheriff leaned over and patted the horse with a smile and a nod. "Indeed, your father produces the finest herd of horses around the territory. How much for the fine little filly, boy?"

Frank smiled with a nod. "Well, since you are the sheriff, who protects our wonderful township, I would ask two silver bits plus I will toss in a new pair of shoes. How is that, sir?" He continued to appease the mental mind of the sheriff as a posse of three mature males scanned the interior of the blacksmith ship. The posse would not enter the shop with the permission of the sheriff, since it was private property.

The sheriff smiled with a nod to Frank. "Two silver bits plus the new shoes."

He stroked the forehead on the horse with a smile. "She's a gently mare around children, sir. The horse is excellent handing for a young girl," Frank knew that the sheriff had a passel of young school age children, when the family unit attended church with the Mangroves.

The sheriff nodded with a smile and pulled about the coinage from the dirty vest pocket, purchasing the filly for his children on the spot, handing the money for payment to Frank. "You have sold me with a new pair of shoes on the fine filly too."

Frank accepted and pocketed the money with a smile. "Yes sir. You will be very pleased, sir." He continued to pat the horse and purposefully deviated from the original visitation from the sheriff and the posse of mature men with a hand gun. Frank was worried about his new friend Gage, not that slick asshole teen with the head of blonde hair. However, if the sheriff entered into the blacksmith shop with permission from the teen blacksmith, then he was indeed find the blonde headed teen and Gage. Then, Gage would be hung up by a neck on a new hangman's gallows of pine wood set to die as a runaway slave.

Berrington wore a blacksmith leather apron without a shirt, a set of bulky biceps, and a naked chest with a pair of tore and ripped blue jeans with a pair of sturdy cowboy boots. His hair was slicked back into a black colored ponytail with a shaven face and pair of silver tinted eyeballs. He stared at the sheriff and cleared a throat with a smile, not wanting trouble, since his livelihood as a blacksmith upon finding the teenage asshole and the nigger slave could change that within a second. "Sheriff, I will start shoeing the mare, first. She will be available for pickup in a couple of hours, sir."

The sheriff turned and narrowed the eyelids, scanning the interior of the dark blacksmith shop. "Take your time, boys! I'm rather busy at the moment. I'm looking for an asshole teen. He's tall and pale skinny with a mop of long blonde hair and a pair of piercing blue eyes, a handsome lad that is related to a slithering snake."

Present day and place

City of Coral Gables

33rd floor level

Business suites of the Quartet

Interior conference room setting

5:05 p.m.

Inside the chair at the table Sawyer, the third frowned at his brother. "Bullshit, Stu!"

Gage nodded with a smile to Sawyer. "True shit, Tom! Frank's great-great grandfather wrote it all down sorta word for word inside his daily journal."

In the year 1838, inside the blacksmith shop, teen Berrington said, "No, sheriff. It's just me and him in here. I'm evaluating each horse for the shoeing process for young mister Mangrove. Why are you are seeking the asshole young lad of blonde hair and piercing blue eyeballs?" He chuckled with young teen Mangrove.

The sheriff looked at Berrington with a sneer. "That son of bitch teen is a slick poker player, who cheats all the good folks out of their silver bits and then he got Dunmore's teen daughter pregnant..."

Present day and place

City of Coral Gables

QA conference room

5:06 p.m.

Inside the chair at the table Sawyer, the third frowned at his brother. "Bullshit, Stu!"

Gage nodded with a smile to Sawyer. "True shit, Tom! Back to the story, it is all hand written and recorded inside Frank's journal."

In the year 1838, inside the blacksmith shop, the sheriff sneered. "We're hunting him down..."

" **To hang the vile piece of vermin by the neck muscles in front of the hotel like usual, Sheriff. I will inform my father of a new death body, soonest." Teen Franklin turned and winked with a chuckle at teen Berrington, hoping that the young blonde haired teen lad was hearing the bad news.**

" **Naw! Dunmore don't wanna neck stretching. He wants the asshole teen to marry his daughter proper and legal as her wedded husband. The daughter loves the slick teen." The sheriff shook a cowboy hat with a sour frown.**

Franklin turned and nodded with a smile to the sheriff. "I am so glad to hear that wonderful news. My father has delivered each one of Mr. Dunmore's children through the years along with your wonderful children, sheriff." He continued to draw the sheriff off the conversation and prevent him from entering and searching the long and semi-dark blacksmith shop.

The sheriff turned and nodded to Franklin with a smile. "Yes, your father is a good man, young mister Franklin. Naw, we're hunting down his ass for a shotgun wedding, today. Well, if ya'll boys ain't seem him that's too bad. I thought he ran this way for shore. Well, you, boys keep a look-out for me and give me back a holler. All right?" The sheriff spun around and pointed across the way to the tavern with a sneer. "He must've ducked down and run towards the other side of the dirt. Let's go and ask the bar keeper, see if the teen is hiding inside the tavern in one of the upstairs rooms. We keep looking for the boy. He's around here somewhere. Dunmore wants the wedding before sunset."

" **Yes sir," teen blacksmith Berrington nodded with a smile and moved ahead towards the open archway. "Franklin, could you please move all the horses inside here and then march them around back into the rear pen hole. I'm start working on the shoes. I'm closing the door to work in private." He stopped and reached over, slowly shoving the wooden side door in front of the open archway, watching the back spines of the sheriff and the posse. The men were checking underneath the building foundation and around each side corner for the missing blond haired teen. He closed the side door shut and reached over to shove the other door in front of a face, blocking out the bright sunshine. The doors slowly closed shut and the shop went darker.**

" **All right, sir!" He ticked a tongue to move the horse forward and away from the open archway of the shop. "Let's go, girl!" Frank nodded with a stern face and led the first horse through a side archway that was a long narrow walking pen which led into the open square holding pen in the rear of the blacksmith shop for shoeing each horse.**

Berrington stood in front of the closed doors and peeked between the cracked slots in the wood at the back spines of the sheriff and the posse. They had entered the tavern to search and find the blonde haired teen. Berrington was not stupid. A runaway slave was dangerous for any family to hide or help.

He slowly turned away from the closed doors with a sneer. If the stupid blonde haired teen and the runaway slave had been found, then Berrington would have lost his steady employment. He needed the work. His parents had died on the boat from heat and disease down inside the gallery with the other healthy and dying passengers.

Berrington was alone in the new world but surviving with guts, grit, and gravel to become a free and respected man which was something that his father could not become in the country of Great Britain. That was the reason for leaving his birth country, crossing the vast ocean of salt and sun to find his freedom and his place within a simple and civilized society. Austin made that promise to thrive and to continue into the ashen white face of his dying mother.

Then, teen Berrington would have lost the use of the tiny room inside the hotel which was a stinky shitty place to live but a rooftop over his hair roots. Then, he would have been hung by the neck muscles beside the runaway slave for harboring a fugitive. Since the Mangrove family was a very well respected lot of people as his father was the only physician of people and veterinarian of animals within fifty miles and inside the growing township.

Berrington carefully scooted around the two horses and stopped beside the vat of cold water, standing over the set of hair roots on the blonde haired teen and the bald nigger slave with a sneer. "You are safe. Now, get outta here!"

The blonde hair teen jumped up from the dirt with a smile and a giggle and hugged, clinging onto the sweaty naked chest of Berrington with both arms. "Thank you. Thank you, so much. I'm so relieved. I'm so grateful..."

" **Get off of me!" Berrington sneered with fury.**

The teen leaped back with a nod and a smile, running into the chest of Gage. Gage shoved the teen back into the middle of Berrington and his body with a sneer. The teen smiled with a giggle to see Berrington, "O. Thank you, boy! Lookie! I can pay you. I can pay you for saving my life. I got silver bits," he reached over and pulled out a velveteen pouch from the dirty and torn silk shirt that rattled with a set of soft tings with a smile. "I got coin. I will pay you for my life and my secret."

Franklin moved the four horses into the rear pen with ease and entered back into the blacksmith shop with a sneer, stopping and stood in front of the blonde hair teen male. "Who are you, young man? What trouble have you caused here inside our peaceful township? Where did you come from?"

Gage turned and moved ahead, standing behind the back spine on the blonde haired teen with a snarl. "What's your name, boy?"

The blonde haired teen danced side to side with a grin and a giggle, staring at Franklin, "Thomas von Sore at your service or your pleasure, if you were a girl, but you ain't."

Gage leaned over the blonde hair roots with a growl. "Von sore, you could have got me hanged by the throat."

Berrington sneered, "Me, too!"

Thomas twirled around in a circle between the triangle formation of Franklin, Gage and Berrington, dancing side to side with a giggle and a smile. "Sorry! Sorry! I didn't mean to cause harm. No harm! I'm a simply man..."

" **A sissy male..." Franklin laughed with Berrington and Gage.**

Thomas spun around with a sneer to see Franklin, "Hey!"

Berrington laughed. "Hay is for horses, of course."

Gage snarled. "What are we going to do with him, Franklin?"

Berrington sneered. "He can leave through the holding pen without scaring the horses and signaling the attention of the sheriff and his hand gun. Go and get from here, boy!"

Thomas shoved a body through the triangle formation with a giggle and moved towards the closed doors, stopping and peeking through the cracked slots with a smile. "I'm staying right here. This is my home too. I've been for three months, enjoying the food and the fun. I live inside..." He gasped. "Holy fucking shit! I see the sheriff and the hotel manager inside the window of my room on the top floor of the hotel building. They're stealing my worldly possessions. It took me..."

Berrington moved ahead with a growl and stood next to the nose profile on Thomas. "Did you really rape that girl?"

Thomas watched through the cracked slots of wooden doors at the glass window of his rental and paid hotel room with a stern face. "No. I touched her naked breast."

Mangrove moved ahead with a sneer and stood on the other side next to Thomas. "Did you really get her pregnancy with an unborn child?"

Thomas continued to watch through the cracked slots of the wooden doors at the glass window of his rental and paid hotel room with a stern face. "No. I kissed her soft and naked lips."

Gage moved ahead and stood behind the ass of Thomas with a snarl. "Did you really play poker and cheat at cards to steal all the money from the town's people?"

Thomas continued to watch through the cracked slots of the wooden doors at the window of his rental and paid hotel room with a stern face. "No. I'm very good with numbers. I win most of the local poker games."

Franklin laughed. "Well, he does fib, very well."

Gage snarled. "He's an asshole."

Berrington sneered. "Go and get from here and my angry boy!"

Thomas spun around with a sad face and a pout of defeat, staring into the ugly and steamy room of the blacksmith shop. "No. I am not fibbing, ya'll. Lookie! Dunmore is mad at me. In the last poker game, I beat his ass and get all his silver bits on the table. I did it honest and faster than a blinking eyelid. I'm good at cards and numbers. He didn't tell his wife. Now, his daughter is up and preg...nancy. I am not the father of that unborn child. I enjoy girls, but I am very, very careful. I'm been here inside this township for three months. Three months! Go and look at the fat girl. She is more than three months. Hell! It takes three or more months to figure out if a girl really is pregnant. I am innocent victim here. And I don't wanna marry that girl. She's uglier than a hyena."

Franklin frowned with a sigh. "Thomas has stated a good medical case like a sleazy Spanish lawyer. A female does not know if she is carrying a child until the third month or more. That information comes directly from my father, who serves as the local people physician. The first three months are the most difficult time and could result in a young girl losing the unborn child."

Thomas exhaled with depression. "See? I'm innocent here. Dunmore wants my silver and my freedom for his bastard unborn child. I'm handsome and cute..."

" **Males are not cute." Gage shook a bald skull with a sour frown.**

Thomas smiled. "I am. Now, the sheriff has robbed me of my worldly stuff and my paid room. I paid in advance for the rest of the month. If I was not scared of that ugly girl and the marriage thing and that shotgun, I would go and beat the shit outta that sheriff."

" **Really?" Gage laughed.**

Thomas nodded with a stern face, "Yeah, really! Now, where I am going to live, now? I have silver bits but no place to rest my cowboy boots for the night." He sighed with deep worry.

Franklin sighed with a nod. "I guess..."

Gage turned and frowned at Mangrove. "No, Franklin! You must ask permission from your father, first." He turned and smiled at Berrington. "Blacksmith, can the boy work and stay here..."

" **Lookie..." Thomas shook his curls head of long hair with a sour frown. "I don't work. I got silver bits for people to work for me."**

Berrington looked the body of Thomas up and down with an evil eye and a sneer, "Sorry, boy! You don't look strong and straight to me. This is my job, my only job for my weekly pay. I don't need any more trouble around here either. I do all the work. The owner gets all the money."

" **That is not a fair trade of your talented skills, sir. Horses are the only form of moving transportation throughout the region. Without a horse, a man cannot move around the countryside from place to place. You should negotiate for more silver bits," Franklin nodded with a smile.**

Berrington exhaled with a stern face. "Look, I have a good job for pay that provides three plates of hot food and a hotel room. I walked off that ship and walked town to town, seeking employment for my skills as a blacksmith. I have found a home unlike some of the other residents."

Franklin frowned. "Where are your parents? You seem to be a teen, more than a young adult."

Berrington nodded. "I am sixteen years old. My parents passed into heaven on the ship while crossing the ocean a few months ago. My father wanted a better life for me, his only son. This is why we all came to America for a free life."

Franklin nodded with a stern face. "I am so sorry, sir. I feel the same way. I am sixteen years old also. My family came over on a rough ride on board a sorry ship, but we landed safely in America for a better future. What is your name, sir?"

" **Austin Bartholomew Berrington, Junior."**

Thomas reached out and slapped on of the biceps on Berrington with a laugh. "You don't look like a junior of nothing. You look big with twin set of bulky arm muscles." Berrington reached out with a snarl and twisted the hand of Sawyer with pain. Thomas softly yelped and pulled back a non-injured hand with a sour pout of moans.

" **He is named after his father, who was named Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the original." Franklin nodded with a smile. "I am Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the first or the original. I guess. I am not named after my father. But I wished that I were. The tradition is an excellent method to ensure the continuation of your family blood-line. I do believe that when I have a son, then I will name him after my person," smiling.**

Thomas turned and laughed at Gage. "Who are you, my big and tall black colored nigger slave?" Gage gasped with parted lips. Thomas smiled. "Don't be so shocked, young male! I realized a runaway slave..."

Gage leaned over and hissed over the blonde hair roots on von Sore. "Do not threat me, my new enemy!"

Thomas slapped a spine back into the twin wooden doors with a smile. "No sir! Not me! I'm a lover of women, not a fighter of men. I desire the rich life of hot meals, hot bathes, and hot sex."

Berrington laughed with a nod. "I desire the same life, von Sore."

Thomas turned and winked with a smirk at Berrington. "Then I have new friend, since we both live in the right place and the right time."

Franklin exhaled with a smile. "I like you, sir. And I can see the truth clearly, since the sheriff has unfairly trailed your ass and trialed your person, without the right of six-person jury as set by Spanish law. I invite you to come and exist with my biological family and my new friend Gage. Our horse ranch is several miles out and away from the township and beyond the civilized world."

Thomas turned and winked to Gage. "Does Master Ferdinand always use too many shitty ass words in one single sentence structure?"

" **All the damn time!" Gage laughed with Berrington and Thomas.**

Franklin turned and pouted. "I do not. I elegantly describe the situation with accuracy, my good friend."

Berrington cleared a throat. "I have a job and work to do. You, boys can hang around here until I finish shoeing each horse. But, if Mr. von Sore does possess a pouch of silver bits, then he could buy us a round of cool ale from the hot weather."

Thomas gasped. "I cannot show my handsome face around the crowded tavern. The sheriff will see and drag me back to Dunmore and his ugly pregnant daughter for a shotgun wedding."

" **I can without a doubt." Franklin extended an open palm with a smile. "Since, you are coming to live with my family for a single bed and protection from the sheriff, my family shares all the good times, the bad things, and the mugs of ale." He laughed with Berrington and Gage.**

Thomas frowned and fiddled with two fingers inside the dirty but new body tan colored vest with a sour frown. "Well, I thirst, now." He pulled out the silver bits and handed to Franklin with a smile, "To my new three friends, a start of new four-person friendship and a pot of wilder adventures here within the growing township of Leshit."

" **The township is pronounced as lee-she and spelled as l.e.c.h.e.e, Thomas," Franklin accepted the silver bits with a sour frown.**

Present day and place

City of Coral Gables

QA conference room

5:11 p.m.

Inside the conference room of Quartet Associates, Tom and Austin laughed at the story. Gage smiled with a nod. "Franklin purchased and brought back a tray of cool ale mugs for the first Quartet, who was not the official Quartet, of course. Berrington finished shoeing all the horses. The sheriff took his purchased mare home, without finding Thomas, who was still hiding inside the blacksmith shop. Well, Tom could not ride a horse, of course, since he was an asshole."

"Hey!" Tom exhaled with a sour frown.

Austin smiled. "Hay is for horses. Since, my great-great grandfather originated that famous and popular farm expression in the 1800s." He lifted a hand with a chuckle and slapped a high-five with Stu, dropping both hands over the papers.

Stu chuckled. "So, Frank adopted Tom into the growing non-biological Mangrove family. Each one of us knows that our great-great grandfathers, after marrying, only had one son. So, at the time, the Mangrove family consisted of his mother and his dad and teen Mangrove. Mrs. Mangrove had conceived other children, who had died from various sicknesses. Gage had been living with Franklin for two months, after recovering and healing form his bodily injuries from the escape. Franklin and Gage had constructed a tiny one room shack of fresh pine wood for Gage to live, since the family wanted to help Gage but were afraid that one of town folks might accidentally find a runaway slave on their legal property. So, the tiny wooden shack stood beyond the edge of horse pastures. Gage had a gun and a bed and a chair..."

Tom tossed both arms. "Wait! Stop! How in the hell do you know all of this ancient misplace information, Stu?"

Gage exhaled. "It is all recorded down inside Franklin's daily journal which is under lock and key at his castle, Tom. At the end of the long day, teen Franklin wrote down everything that happened to him and his new three close friends, the first Quartet. Gage served a great purpose as a protector for the corralled horses which Franklin had done before since a young lad. Mrs. Mangrove never produced a healthy second child for the horse farm. Thus, Dr. Mangrove was grateful for the young and strong Gage, adopting the teen into his family unit immediately as a pseudo-son. Franklin and his new friend Gage, who was disguised in some of Franklin's clothing, had been assigned a new chore for the day. They had slowly ridden three mares to the blacksmith shop for new horse shoes. Then, Franklin sold one to the sheriff. One mare toted Franklin and Thomas. The other one was ridden by Gage. When Franklin arrived back to the horse farm, he went inside alone to see his parents inside the small house. Gage and Thomas waited and sweated outside in the hot sun. However, Thomas had provided more silver bits to Frank for compensation of a tiny room inside the farm house. Dr. Mangrove emerged from the house with his son Franklin, not happy about another stray stranger on his land property. But when Dr. Mangrove saw that Thomas was only a teen, not an adult male, his Christian beliefs and his generous heart decided to give Thomas a room..."

"Not fucking true!" Tom hissed with a sour frown.

"True shit, Tom." Gage smiled.

Tom frowned. "No! Frank has not, have not, and will never develop a generous warm heart, only the current growing and developing cold black colored heart." Austin and Gage laughed with a nod. It was so true. Frank was not a generous person, unless Misty Marie pulled on his dick. Then, Frank complied with her wishes, desires, and orders, only.

Austin exhaled with worry of Frank. "Stu..."

Stu turned and smiled at Berrington, "Yes, Austin."

Austin nodded with worry. "Stu, I am enjoying the lost adventures of the first Quartet as a gang of wild teens inside the wilder woodlands of Leshit. But, Frank is currently lost in Miami."

Stu nodded with a smile. "I have a new clue..."

"What clue?" Austin gasped.

Gage nodded with a stern face and tapped on the page of the notebook. "I have a new clue that is directly related to Frank's mysterious notebook. I have requested some additional information, lots of new datum. I don't know if my hunch is right, but it is the only hint that my gut has."

"Good enough for me!" Austin nodded with a smile. "I trust you, Stu."

"I don't trust or believe or fuck you, Gage." Tom laughed.

Gage said with a stern face. "We must wait. While we wait in here, I will finish the first Quartet adventure."

Tom raised a palm with a giggle. "Wait! Where's teen ass Berrington in the adventure? O. I get it. He shoed the horses and then shoved the shit making him an ass, only. The end!" Tom laughed with a nod.

"Tom..." Austin growled.

Gage smiled. "Dr. Mangrove agreed to accept the silver bits and Tom's presence as a new hired help on the horse farm. I want to explain that Dr. Mangrove was the township's physician and animal veterinarian, but he owned numerous acres of land, raising a herd of pleasure horses. A pleasure horse traveled at a slow gait like walking or trotting, especially for ladies and children. Back then, a lady who rode a horse came from a gentle and rich family. Thus, a pleasure horse was always in demand for the growing rich elite of the surrounding townships. Dr. Mangrove came from country of Portugal where his family was a set of horse breeders for the royal family. He was a horse whisperer and a people physician. The horse stock was his real income. The doctoring was a side business, since the peasants, the runaway slaves, and the other poor folks could not pay for his valuable medical services. Dr. Mangrove used his time and his son, wisely. He taught Franklin the doctoring business. Then, he used young and smart Gage to run and operate the horse business, rearing and training the horses while working the farm crops. Because, both Gage and Thomas could not be seen by any other town folk or a hanging or two would have been demanded by the populous from the rooftop of the tavern. The township didn't have a former city hall until Thomas became mayor, of course. Thus..."

Austin turned and gasped at Tom. "Thus, Thomas von Sore actually got both his hands muddy and dirty with a set of farm work tasks." Gage laughed, since Sawyer did not perform domestic chores, only read science fiction novels for fun.

Gage grinned. "No exactly..."

Austin gasped. "What the hell?"

Tom laughed. "Where the hell is Berrington, Junior in the first adventure of the Quartet? I know. I can tell you the truth. He is sitting and shitting inside the throne room and absent as usual from the wild ass adventure." Austin turned and growled at Sawyer.

Gage reached over and slapped the arm of Austin with a grin. "Berrington's role is coming up. Please pay attention, Austin. And shut the fuck up, Tom. I mentioned before that Thomas and his handsome face could not be seen, since the sheriff and Dunmore was still looking for Mr. von Sore. So, it was decided that Tom would assist Mrs. Mangrove inside the main house."

Tom flipped a hand with a sour frown. "Bull shit!"

"True shit, Tom! Mrs. Mangrove was a smart and strong pioneer woman. But it was hard on her with a husband on the go as a physician and a son trotting around the region with him as Franklin learned the doctoring ways. Then, the family household had increased by two hundred and thirty percent, since Gage ate for three men," chuckling. "So, Tom worked inside the house like a one-man maid service."

Tom growled with a sour frown. "Bull shit!"

"True shit, Tom! The three teens built a second shack on the opposite side of Gage for more protection of the property land from strangers, Indians, and other creeps. Tom turned out to be extremely grateful, using more of his gambled-acquired winnings of silver bits to buy more property landscape for Dr. Mangrove. Thus, in turn, Dr. Mangrove eventually deeded all the land back to Gage, Thomas, and Franklin, before his death. However, Tom seemed to have a knack for sewing..."

Tom growled with a sour frown. "Bull shit, Gage!"

Stu laughed with Austin. Gage smiled with a nod. "True shit, Tom! Mrs. Mangrove was a talented woman on the farm homestead but very busy with cleaning house chores and cooking meals for two grown men and two growing teen boys. Tom didn't like the sweat of farm cropping or the smell of the stinky horses..."

Tom sneered. "Bull shit!"

Stu chuckled with a nod. "Actually, the piles of horse shit and the nostrils of von Sore, it is written in Franklin's journal. Anyways, Tom offered to assist around the house as the new man servant to Mrs. Mangrove. And he could sew. He was talented with a needle and numerous spools of thread. He mended all the torn work clothing and helped designed a new dress form Mrs. Mangrove..."

Tom growled. "Bull shit!"

Austin turned and smiled to Sawyer. "Tom, I plan to read the journal and the journey of the first Quartet, our forefathers of ancient times, also. Use your smart neurons! Mrs. Mangrove would have been very grateful for the extra pair of hands and a pair of stronger arms. Pioneer women died at a very young age from the rough work inside a log cabin of rock and wood, without the use of modern appliances. That is a stated fact in the history books. It was wonderful for Thomas to assist the woman of the house."

Tom jabbed a finger at the mobile telephone with a sour frown. "I looked it up on my computer. The city of Tallahassee was established in the year 1824. That is fourteen years before the 'blood pact' of our four great-great grandfathers. The railroad of Tallahassee was created and functioned in the year 1834, which was four years before our great-great grandfather made the 'blood pact.' The city of Tallahassee was civilized with brick and stone houses, not like a town in the wild, wild western part of the non-USA.

Stu nodded. "I also looked it up on my computer, too. Yes, indeed, Tom. The territory of Tallahassee was given to the developing United States by the Spanish in the year 1821. This is one reason why Franklin and his family came from the country of Spanish with furniture and horses to settle the colony and claim the land. The city of Tallahassee was an established and growing city along with St. Augustine, the first settlement by the Spanish in the US State of Florida. The farm land of Tallahassee had been farmed by the Apalachee Indian tribes and then worked along the side of the newly established British colonies. This is when British citizen flew England across the Atlantic Ocean on a ship. Then the territory was attacked by Hernando de Soto and the Spanish conquistadores but they were defeated by the Apalachee Indians. So, Explorer de Soto left behind all the dead horses and bodies, gathering the wounded soldiers, turning north to scout present-day Georgia. Then the territory was invaded by a steam of fugitive slaves. This was where my great-great grandfather got the idea and the courage to leave the cotton farm plantation for freedom. By the year 1763, the Apalachee Indian tribe had been raid and killed. The remaining Indians fought in the American Civil War and meshed into the Creek Indian tribes in the area."

Tom pointed down at the mobile telephone with a smile. "My cell tells me the truth. The city of Tallahassee is eighteen miles due south of present-day Georgia. But our great-great grandfathers didn't really live in the city. They pissed from a dick inside the countryside," laughing.

Stu exhaled. "Tom, your nasty language skills are both insulting and annoying. Present day, if you ever traveled through the panhandle of Florida between the cities of eastern city of Pensacola and centrally placed city of Tallahassee, it is first, beauty country. And second, it is still natural woods and wildness landscape. Thus, our great-great grandfathers were living slightly near the present-day Georgia and Florida lines, where my great-great grandfather escaped and slept underneath the stars and the blue berry shrubs. There were numerous tiny settlements of settles which were composed of Native Indian folks, British citizens, Spanish colonies, and runaway slaves who didn't want trouble from the new USA or the law or anyone. The settles wanted to live freedom and do their thing. Franklin's township was called Lechee which doesn't exist on the map anymore."

"Where's Berrington in your story? Was he too good to piss on top of the blue berry bushes?" Tom laughed.

Stu exhaled. "Thomas was a good seamstress. He had been handy with a needle and thread to mend his own fashions within the township. Thomas had learned to cook, because he was a cheap-ass, who didn't want to waste his silver bits. He also helped Mrs. Mangrove in the kitchen. Actually, the small township of Lechee held an annual celebration each year to christen the new mayor, eat the baked goods, and hang each criminal down from the hotel rafters, and dance the night away with an array of loud and colorful fireworks. All the baked goods were judged and awarded an assortment of pretty colorful ribbons for the 'bestest' cooks. Tom could not show a face around Lechee, since the sheriff was still seeking his ass to marry Dunmore's daughter. So, Tom would bake a pie for the celebration while Mrs. Mangrove took the blue ribbon and the curtsey," he laughed with Austin.

"Bull shit!" Tom sneered.

Stu nodded. "The earliest washing machine was a washboard which was called a scrub board that was invented in the year 1797. There was not a purchased dryer machine for a pile of wet clothes either. A woman would hang the clothes up to dry on an outstretched rope that faced the sunshine. There was not power electricity either. People used a line of flaming and burning candles and a single oil lamp to illuminate the dark room even with a set of viewing windows. Cooking on a farm was done over an open fire pit or inside a fireplace. The food was cooked in large cast iron pots.

"Early settlers were a study and hardy lot of folks, Tom. They lived in log cabins made from trees on their own property. The cabins had dirt floors. Life was hard and fast. The people worked from four in the morning until five into the evening or more. The men worked the fields or hunted for the family food. The women cooked the rabbits and the carrots together, made clothes, and raised the children. The children attended school which was at the locate church and had chores around the cabin, the fields and the barns.

"When Thomas von Sore was not baking pies or cooking the meals or mending the clothes, he was cleaning the house, really extra pine-smelling good," Gage laughed with Austin. Tom flipped both hands in the air with a growl in silence. Stu smiled. "The homestead in the Mangrove family chugged along well and good. Franklin visited the sick folks with his father. Gage employed numerous workers with his fine set of social skills and a loaded shotgun, consisting of runaway slaves, runaway Indians, running immigrants to work all the crop fields, producing numerous food stuffs. Tom enjoyed working with a hum and a dance with Mrs. Mangrove..."

"Where is Berrington?" Tom frowned.

"I am getting to that part of the adventure in a moment, Tom." Gage chuckled. "One cool morning, there was a heavy knock at the front door. On the front porch, there stood the sheriff with a posse of men with a hand gun..."

"Bull shit, asshole Gage!" Tom slapped a chest with a nod and a smile. "I am alive and breathing. They didn't catch my relative or make him marry that ugly fat daughter of Dunmore. I knew that my great-great grandmother's maiden name is Winddrop..."

"You are right, Tom. The sheriff and the posse were escorting a couple of senators, who had heard about the fine baked goods of Mrs. Mangrove, the fine horses of Dr. Mangrove, and the fine pumpkin patch that the workers of Mangrove employed. It was a social visit. Dr. and Mrs. Mangrove and his son Franklin entertained the fine party of senators with a plate of pie and a tumbler of warm sweet tea inside their home. Tom ran and hid a folded body inside the private bedroom of Franklin, sweating and listening to the conversation. The senators greatly desired to purchase a herd of mares for his personal stables in Tallahassee. The chat-chit concluded with the agreement that Dr. Mangrove would deliver the herd of mares to the train stations. It was the 1834 Tallahassee railroad train that ran due south down into the rural town of St. Marks from the city of Tallahassee. The business meeting concluded with a gentleman's handshake a nod of the agreed monetary sum at the train depot with the mares and a smile, three days from now."

Austin smiled. "It was the first mental intellectual challenge of the Quartet."

Tom turned and frowned at Austin, "How so? Berrington has not been present or mentioned or done nothing..."

Austin smiled with a nod. "But he is coming up the solution like the true leader of the current Quartet and the first Quartet."

Gage laughed. "We shall see, Austin."

Austin turned and sneered at Gate. "What the fuck does that mean, Gage?"

Stu smiled with a nod. "I strongly encourage both of you to read Franklin's journal of the first Quartet. The personality of each Quartet was very different from our own. The sheriff and his posse of men were escorting the senator party from the dangers of wild animals and wilder natives of the landscape. The party left the house with good spirits and rode back to the hotel while meeting the horses at the train station. Dr. Mangrove was not happy and very concerned. Part of the business agreement required Dr. Mangrove to deliver the herd of mares both unharmed and on-time to the train station. He was a simply man of means with a vast amount of farm land. The harvested crops were slowly driven by three rickety open flatbed wagons with a team of two working draft horses towards the market street of Lechee for immediate purchase by the local citizens. Mangrove owned a single luxury buggy which had been pulled by two of the stallions that tarried his family to church or him and his son to visit the sickly patients.

"A dirt road was the pavement of travel. A horse and buddy was the mechanism of travel. After a hardy rain storm or wind storm, the dirt road had been filled with true pot holes of deep cravers and ditches. A horse was an animal that required sleep and food and water. If the galloping horse tumbled into the deep ditch of dirt, the steed could be hurt or the rider could be injured or worse killed. The senators of yesterdays were as nasty as the senators of modern day. The three Tallahassee senators had proposed a grand deal of money to Dr. Mangrove for a set of four mares to be delivered at the train depot station in three days. Inside a railroad compartment, the mares would be safe and secured. Back then, a train traveled at forty-five miles-per-hour, at best. A team of quarter horses could pass and beat the 'bestest' train engine to Tallahassee. Dr. Mangrove possessed the pasture of pretty mares, not a proper transportation, traveling towards the train depot which was miles from the Mangrove homestead. It was very dangerous for the mares to travel that far, coming from wild animals, wilder bandits, and widest ditches..."

Tom laughed. "I like his string of letter W's."

"Thus, Dr. Mangrove was frustrated and disappointed with the business deal. He didn't require the pot of gold coins for himself. He wanted to use the money to help more of the peasants and poorly sick, since he possessed a generous heart..."

Tom laughed. "Dear old great-great-great grandfather was not like his wicked ass great-great-great grandson Franklin, the third." Austin and Gage laughed with a nod.

Stu smiled. "Franklin was worried about his father and upset with the three selfish and greedy senators who lived within the civilized city of Tallahassee, but wanted the mares for the corn crops of the St. Marks while making Dr. Mangrove look like an idiot."

Tom clapped with a laugh. "The first vicious revenge of the first Quartet, I love it. What did the first Quartet do to the greedy ass senators, Stu?"

Stu nodded with a smile. "So, Franklin, Gage, and Thomas ventured away from the main farm house, walking back towards the tiny shack of Gage, mumbling about the three asshole senators and the treatment of his father."

Austin frowned. "Where's my great-great grandfather, Stu?"

Stu chuckled with a nod. "I am getting to that part, Austin. A sad note here, the Dunmore daughter gave birth to the infant baby and also died during childbirth. The child was colored in dark red skin tone, who was an infant son of a local Native Indian boy. That was common back then also. Thus, teen Thomas von Sore was cleared of any rape charges and pardoned of any type of crimes. So, he could freely roam around the township of Lechee without a rope necklace..."

"Holy fucking shit!" Tom gasped with fury and tossed both hands. "Now, you tattle that missing piece of wonderful information about my blood-kin, letting Austin think he's an asshole. You are one devious fucking ass serpent, Gage."

Austin frowned. "Hush, Tom! Where am I in the first Quartet revenge, Stu?"

"Typical Berrington, he wants blood on his two bare hands, the first damn time." Tom laughed.

Stu smiled. "Franklin explained the embarrassing situation. Then the three teens nodded in agreement to do something to the three greedy senators, bumping their heads and neurons to come up with a slick solution."

Austin nodded with a smile. "Teen Berrington came up with the solution. What was the solution as the leader of the first Quartet? Where is he in the tale, Stu?"

Stu smiled, "Coming up, Austin! Gage wanted to beat the faces of the three snobby ass senators for Franklin. Thomas wanted to rob and steal their pouch of gold for himself..."

"Typical von Sore, Junior behavior back then and present now," Austin lifted a hand and slapped it with Gage with a chuckle.

Tom sneered. "Fuck both of ya'll! I wanna see that gawd dawn yellow wrinkled ancient journal from Mangrove, the fourth."

Stu smiled. "Franklin wanted to attack and kill them which become the final deadly decision among the three teens. Franklin gathered two guns. Gage gathered the two horses. Thomas stood underneath the trees in the shade, watching the workers, as usual," he laughed with Austin.

"Typical von Sore, Junior behavior back then, and present now," Austin lifted a fist and bumped on the hand fist of Gage with a chuckle.

Tom jabbed a finger down on top of the table surface with a sneer. "Fuck you! I demand to see those papers..."

Stu dropped the hand and nodded with a smile to his brothers. "Franklin and Gage chased after the parade of slowing moving three luxury buddies on top of a quarter hose which could travel at a maximum speed of fifty-five miles-per-hour. The sheriff and the posse of men with a hand gun rode behind the last buddy and escorted the three visitors who had spent tons of gold inside the hotel and the tavern. The township special guest stars were heading back towards the township of Lechee. Well, then it happened?"

Austin exhaled. "Finally, my great-great grandfather came along, met, and killed the three asshole senators."

Tom shook his bangs with a giggle, "It is the legendary death man of first Quartet, Berrington, Junior. Man, now, I see where you had inherited your deadly manners of vicious killing, Austin."

Austin gasped. "Yeah..."

"No, Austin." Stu smiled.

"Yes, Stu," Austin nodded with a stern face.

Stu grinned. "A group of Indians surrounded and attacked the moving caravan of three shiny and polished buddies. The township of Lechee was seventeen miles due north of Tallahassee. The method of horse and buddy travel time was about three miles-per-hour over a rough dirt road which would have taken the parade about five hours to reach Tallahassee, the three snobby and arrogant senators were coming back from family time with a set of relatives on a large cotton plantation which was directly across from the Georgia-Florida line while on a vacation trip, scouting around the countryside and happened upon the township of Lechee for food and beer. The three senators smiled and waved, impressing the town folks, hearing about the blue ribbon pies of Mrs. Mangrove and the magnificent pleasure mares of Dr. Mangrove.

"Of curse or of course, the three asshole senators only visited to taunt and tease the respectable family of Dr. Mangrove for their shit and giggles. There was not a weekly moving transport of goodies coming from the township Lechee, going down towards the civilized city of Tallahassee. The local residents bartered, begged, and borrowed goods and services with each other, only. When the three elegant and dirty ass buddies of each senator arrived, the local town folks of course mentioned their most well-respected and popular Dr. Mangrove, who was a physician to the sick people and animals. Of course, the three asshole senators desired a new mental challenge for fun. The verbal business agreement between the three senators and Dr. Mangrove was a farce or a joke or a laugh.

"When Franklin and Gage arrived, they immediately dumped von Sore down into the blue berry bushes." Tom hissed. Stu laughed. "They engaged the Indian raid and aided the sheriff and the posse of men. Some of the horses and the Indians died. The rest of the scattered tribe of Indians retreated. All the men were safe. The three senators were not harmed by one of the buddies was broken when the dead horse landed and twirled the buddy around the dirt and dropped down inside a deep ditch. The unhappy senator abandoned the busted buddy and the dead horse, riding back with his friend towards Lechee. Franklin, Gage, and Thomas became individual heroes, not a trio of outlaw killers. The senator parade continued back to the hotel."

"Where is my blood-kin relative, Stu?" Austin frowned.

"So, pissed-off teens Franklin, Gage, and Thomas stayed behind and huddled with curses and mumbles of more disappointment and aggravation. Berrington showed up."

Austin tossed both arms with a sour frown. "Finally..."

"And too late," Tom laughed.

In the year 1838, on the dirt road, Berrington was coming down the road, driving a rickety open wagon with a pair of mules which toted a new set of horse shoes for a wealthier family and stopped, staring down at the dirty hair roots on the three teens with a stern face. "Dead horses..."

Gage turned to scan the blood stained dirt and each dead body with a laugh, "Dead Injuns, too!" He looked back with a wink at Berrington.

" **What did they do to you?" Berrington laughed.**

" **They attacked the caravan of the beautiful two-seater buddies. Do you pass the parade of senators?" Franklin frowned.**

" **Yeah! Do ya'll need a ride back to the homestead?" Berrington nodded.**

Franklin looked down with a worried brow at the bloody dirt road. "No, the mares need a ride."

Berrington laughed. "Bar maids, where are they in hiding from von Sore?" He turned with a smile to scan the woodlands.

Franklin looked up with a laugh and a nod, "No, funny sir! The mares need transport to the train station."

Berrington turned and frowned at the red colored hair roots on Franklin. "A team of mares are a pack of horses that has a set of four legs that can walk, trot, canter, glide, or gallop towards the train station with or without a rider. It is about sixteen miles due south from here in Lechee. A standard horse can run about six miles in an hour. The horse can make it in three hours or so. I do not understand your issue, young mister Mangrove."

Thomas laughed. "Berrington is smart with asses."

Gage turned and narrowed both eyelids, trying to see the end of the senator parade. "The two buddies contained a set of three senators. The senators have offered to purchase a herd of mares for real gold coins."

Berrington laughed, "Really? I would never believe a smiling politician even with a hand gun."

Thomas shook his bangs with a sour frown. "It was a farce of a joke on Franklin's father. The senators offered a grand monetary deal, if the four mares could be delivered without harm or injury in front of the train depot in Tallahassee within three days. That means the mares cannot be run without the possibility of injury." He kicked the dirt with a stern face. "The traveling old dirt roads are sometimes padded with both horizontal and vertical cracked fissions of loose dirt or loose pebbles which could damage the legs or the hoofs of the mares."

Berrington nodded with a stern face. "I agree, sir."

Gage exhaled, "If possible somehow, it would be ideal to tarry the mares over the top of the dirt road instead of running them through the dirt towards the train depot, then Dr. Mangrove would collect the big loot of gold from the three greedy senators. I want Dr. Mangrove to win, not the greedy senators."

Berrington nodded with a smile. "Yes, that would be an ideal solution. I like the idea of beating out three fat and greedy senators, too."

Thomas smiled. "Then, we do it."

Franklin frowned. "How, Thomas?"

Thomas waved both arms to the side with a smile. "Easy! We build a wooden flat and even platform of four for each horse to stand upon that will be elevated up from the dirt. Then, we place each level platform on top of a set of an axle moving formation. Then, the moving trailer would protect each horse from injury and tarry the entire herd down to the train station in front of the smug fat faces of the asshole senators. Then, Dr. Mangrove would win it all. Yeah, that would slap the three faces of the senators, without the hand print and the nose blood," he laughed with Gage and Berrington.

" **How does someone do that, von Sore?" Gage shook a bald skull with a sour frown.**

Thomas shook both hands and bangs with a sour frown. "I don't know. I'm thinking of the concept. I'm not a carpenter. I'm a hot lover of beautiful and ugly women," laughing.

Berrington laughed with a nod, "Me, too!" He turned and scanned the damaged buddy. "I am not a carpenter, but a blacksmith. I understand concept of metal minerals and formation of heated liquids. How do you envision the low trailer, von Sore?"

Franklin exhaled. "Can a moving trailer be constructed within three days, sir?"

Berrington slid off the bench of the open wagon and stood upright on top of the dirt, spinning around, advancing towards the damaged buddy. "This two-seater buddy has a sturdy even wooden platform which could easily hold the weight of a medium sized horse. The mare is a medium sized horse compared to a beasty draft horse or a bulky quarter horse."

Thomas advanced ahead with a grin and a giggle, stopping and stood beside Berrington, jabbing a finger down at the broken buddy. "Yes, yes, my friend, if all the iron rods and the torn and pretty cloth were stripped down and removed from the polished wooden floor of the buddy that would represent one flat and even platform for one mare. Excellent observation, Berrington! We, four only would need three more even platforms for the other three mares."

Gage moved ahead and turned, scanning the natural woodlands. "We, four could chop down and strip the trees for a new platform." He stopped beside Berrington with a smile.

Franklin moved ahead and stopped next to Thomas, staring down at the broken buddy. "Actually, my father has a set of older wagons that are out of commission. In which, we, four can reinforce the flooring to use for the other three platforms of a moving trailer. But, how would we, four connect the four separate platforms into one solid surface?"

Thomas bounced up and down in the dirt with a grin and a giggle of excitement. "I know. I know. Lookie! We, four place all the metal broken parts and pieces of the rod axle from the busted two-seater luxury buddy around each one of the four platforms and then build a gigantic flat open platform that can tarry four mares, instead of two people. Berrington, can you metal down tons of steel and make a long and wide axle and wheel system, where we can drop down four separate pieces of wooden? I want the axle and wheel system to be sizzling hot and heated. Then we, four can place a separate piece of flatten wood in-between the outline of the axle like a solid floor for walking inside the tavern. The sizzling metal will bond the wood into the metal for a secure platform and a smooth ride for the mares," laughing.

Berrington turned and nodded with a smile. "Yeah, von Sore, I can metal down any piece of mineral inside the blacksmith shop. And we, four can do this after the close of business tonight. I'm there anyways cleaning all the equipment and replenishing the supplies, so I won't get my person into trouble."

" **I will pay for the new axle and wheel system from the collection monies from the three senators. My father is an honest man. And his son, me is an honest man, too," Franklin said with a stern face and a serious tone.**

Thomas waved a hand with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, shore, Frank!"

Berrington smiled. "Then we, four can construct the axle and wheel system inside the rear horse pen, without burning down the trees or starting a fire."

Thomas nodded with a smile. "Then we, four place a set of upright wooden fencing of three feet around the outer perimeters of the wide and long platform."

Gage nodded with a smile. "I am an expert at chopping down and cutting up wood for fencing back on the cotton plantation."

" **Excellent, Gage! You're the man of the hour." Thomas turned and smiled to slave Gage. "Then, we, four hook a team of two powerful draft horses that can pull the wide and long and heavy flat trailer from the horse pasture of Dr. Mangrove towards the front of the train depot in Tallahassee. The mares will not be run or injured or shot dead. Then we, four watch the shocked faces of the three asshole senators and rightly collect all the monies for Dr. Mangrove to treat all the sick folks of Lechee. Thus we, four will win it all," he tossed both arms and his bangs with a giggle and a grin.**

" **I like your new innovative concept of a moving horse trailer, Thomas." Franklin smiled. "And I would like to point out also, my new four friends, that a foursome is usually referenced as a quartet."**

Gage tossed both arms with a laugh and a hoot. "We are four wild teens from the countryside that has created a working quartet, who will win it all."

Berrington nodded with a smile. "The quartet wins it always and forever."

Present day and place

City of Coral Gables

QA Conference room

5:18 p.m.

At Quartet Associates, Gage sat back inside the chair with a laugh and a smile. "Thomas von Sore came up with the idea and created the first ever long horse trailer that held four steeds. The moving horse trailer was composed of the four pieces of wooden planks that were buried or burned down into a flat steel axle wheel system which was made in the rear of the local blacksmith shop. The four teens rode on horseback as Tom steered the wagon, since he couldn't ride a horse. The horse trailer arrived at the train depot earlier than planned along with the posse of men and the sheriff, who wanted to meet and greet the three senators for the last time again. Well, the three fat asshole senators were absolutely shocked and stunned to see at the train depot the four mares, the four teens, and the four hand guns of the men of Lechee. They slowly handed over the bag of gold for payment of the four horses to Dr. Mangrove in which Franklin accepted. He paid the sheriff for his valuable protection time, the blacksmith shop for the materials with more than enough gold for Dr. Mangrove to help the poor and sick patients of Lechee. It was the formation of four teens of the first Quartet and their first successful mission of the Quartet in the year 1838.

"The innovative concept of a horse trailer produced a new commodity within the town of Lechee which was shared and spilt by the four teens, the first Quartet. With his share of silver, teen Berrington grew older and became rich enough to open his own blacksmith shop. Franklin grew up and served as the next physician and veterinarian within the growing township of Lechee, when his biological father passed into heaven. Slave Gage inherited vast amount of property from the Last Will and Testimony of Dr. Mangrove, farming the land for cotton, pumpkins, corn, and strawberries along with hunting for bear, duck, rabbit, and fox. He sold the fur, meat, and produce to the local stores, becoming rich, also. And finally, Tom became the 'bestest' wife for Mrs. Mangrove."

Tom growled with a mouth spit over the table and his hangs, "Fucking bull shit!"

Stu nodded with a smile. "True shit, Tom! Your relative continued to live with Frank's parents, enjoying the money from the new invention of the first horse trailer and saving all the silver bits. With Tom's great cooking skills and his immaculate housekeeping habits, Tom also captured and married the prettiest girl within the township. Her dad was the mayor at the time with one young teenage daughter. Back then, lots of young children and teens died from various ailments and diseases, making the township population very low. So, Tom married the young virgin, produced an infant son, and lived in the grandest house of them all. Once his father-in-law retired, then Thomas became the next mayor of the growing township. But he still cooked and cleaned for his little wifey."

Tom nodded with a laugh. "Now, that is real true shit!"

"The brothers formed a 'blood pact' after the successful mission, promising to care and protect each other's back spine and ass. Each brother become sorta rich and then married a nice girl."

Tom frowned. "How did Gage capture and marry a girl? He was a nigger slave. He did marry a local township girl too."

Stu shook a bald skull with a stern face. "Absolutely not, he would have been shot or hung on sight. That's the second mission of the first Quartet."

Austin gasped. "You can't leave a twisted neck hanging on the noose, Stu."

Tom gasped. "They kidnapped a girl for Gage."

Stu nodded with a smile. "No, Tom. They saved a young girl for Gage, who became his wife and my great great-grandmother." He laughed with Austin and Tom.

The sound of a hand knock on the wooden conference room door invaded the loud conference room. An employee appeared and stood inside the archway with a smile, holding a set of papers. "I am sorry to interrupt, Stu."

Stu waved the employee inside the conference room with a smile. "Come inside! What is the status, Juan?"

Juan entered and turned, nodding with a stern face to Austin and Tom and stopped, standing between Tom and table surface, leaning over, sliding a stack of papers to Stu. "I'm sorry for the delay. We rushed as fast as possible without error."

Stu reached out and grabbed, dragging the stack of paper into a chest, separating out into piles with a stern face. "You are doing a fine job, Juan."

"The stack of papers represents your request. What else do you need to find, Stu?" Juan nodded with a stern face.

Stu continued to separate the papers into stacks with a stern face. "All of ya'll stand by for my new order, please. I need to review all the new information. I promise it will be swift."

"We are ready and able, Stu." Juan back stepped with a nod and a stern face.

"Thanks so much, Juan." Stu continued to review the papers of reports with a stern face.

"Yes sir," Juan spun around and dashed out the conference room, returning back to the department to wait in the new order from Stu.

Tom shook his bangs with a sour frown. "We don't have time to read a stack of reports the height of the conference table, Stu."

Austin turned and frowned at the stack of papers. "Where is Frank located at, Stu?"

Stu separated the single stack of papers into a set of numerous thin and thick piles, spreading each stack of front of person, and tapped on the first tan colored page of the notebook, looking at Austin and Tom with a stern face. "The third Greek name on the next line is Mu. The Latin symbol beside the Greek name is the letter C with a squeakily sign underneath the bottom of the letter which was written in the country of Portuguese."

Austin frowned. "So, you believe that the Greek letter of 'Mu' represents Frank's name inside his own laboratory notebook. Why would he do that? What is he telling us about the killer?"

Tom tossed both arms with a laugh, "Wrong, asshole! Frank comes from the country of Spain."

Stu shook his baldness with a stern face. "Wrong, Thomas. I helped Frank to trace back his ancient family tree with my phenomenal genealogy computer program. All his blood-kin ancestors had come from the country of Portugal which always served with under the kingship of Spain as the natives migrated back and forth for centuries..."

"All right, Stu," Austin frowned. "The first three lines are the three names which are represented by me, you and him."

Stu tapped inside the tan colored first page with a stern face. "The fourth line is the Greek letter of 'Eta.' The Latin symbol beside the Greek word is the letter 'U' with a set of two dots over the alphabet. Each single alphabetic letter comes from the ancient diacritic combinations within the Latin alphabet. This Latin alphabet was used in writing letters, legal documents, and secret love notes to the empress. Inside Frank's notebook, it has a different purpose. It is associated with an individual that might have originated from the country of Germany. Are you seeing a pattern here?"

Tom frowned. "So, Frank used the first four lines inside the laboratory notebook to write down the names of his brother, his person, and his abductor. Why would he do that, Stu?"

Austin gasped. "My gawd, one of our own QA employees has nabbed Frank from a huge money ransom or some type of vicious bodily harm."

Stu laughed. "Austin always only thinks of permanent death and destruction."

Tom laughed. "You need to think of love, more often, Austin." He shook both his bangs and his hands with a smile, "Hell, no! No way, Austin! I trust all of my fifty-four lawyers and Frank's fifty-two accountants and Stu's army of QA devoted and dedication guards. I trust each QA employee with my life, since I live here three-fourths of the day."

Stu nodded with a smile. "I completely agree with Tom for once in my life."

Tom jabbed a finger at Austin with a stern face. "You need to tour the building, visit with our employees, and get out of your throne room, more often, Badass. We have hired and employed a set of excellent staff members here."

Austin exhaled. "Sorry! That was my first reaction."

"Where is Frank located at, Stu? What does his silly Greek and Latin writing mean to you? Since, you have figured something out." Tom nodded.

Stu tapped on the first page of the notebook with a stern face. "After I received the alert from Austin about Frank missing, Gracie drove us to Austin's house while I accessed the QA main computer from my mobile telephone inside the passenger seat of the car, accessing all the electronic calendar of our bro. Of course, Frank didn't have a lunch date with anyone, including Misty Marie. However, Madeline recorded Frank's mysterious business department as usual."

Tom nodded with a smile. "Of course, Madeline did. She always tracks each one of us down when we leave the office and the building, since her first day of employment like an excellent receptionist does. She is the 'bestest' employee that we employ here at QA."

Stu nodded with a grin. "I concur, Tom. There wouldn't be a Quartet Associates without Madeline and her awesome language and computer skills. We need to give her big bonus of one million dollars for all her swift and recorded observations, especially with Mangrove. She is an indirect part of saving Frank's life, once we find him."

Austin gasped. "Where is he, Stu?"

Stu nodded. "I'm getting to that part of the hidden location and upcoming rescue."

Tom frowned. "I disagree, Stu. We keep giving Madeline lots of money. She'll quit working for us."

Stu shook a bald skull with a smile. "Madeline will never quit working for us. Her son is in school. Her husband works her. She loves her job. And we love her like a sister, too."

Austin nodded with a smile. "Damn straight and proud of her! What did she record after tarrying behind Frank's ass upon her desk top computer's electron calendar?"

Stu exhaled. "Frank left the office and went to Charity Kendall Hospital..."

"Damn," Tom sat back and tossed both arms with a sour frown. "He went there for no fucking ass QA business meeting that's for damn sure. Frank is the nosiest son of a bitch on the planet Earth, Austin. I really hope that you blackened an eye socket for that stupid ass move which has gotten our brother kidnapped and probably beaten for a second time."

Austin nodded with a stern face. "I will blacken both eye sockets. I swear. What did he do there inside the headquarters building, Stu?"

Stu shook a bald skull with a stern face. "I don't know. After I found the new information, I tried to telephone and contact someone in the office inside the administration department. It is the close of the business day at Charity headquarters also even each one of us went home after our work day, without saying goodbye to Frank."

Tom frowned, "Wrong move!"

Austin nodded with a stern face. "I agree, Tom, which will not be missed ever again. We will say goodnight to Frank, even if we three have to call him up on the speaker phone, starting tomorrow evening."

Tom exhaled. "So, one of the thousands of thousands of thousands of Charity employees has kidnapped Frank's ass. Charity has more employees than QA. We will never find his hidden dead ass. Gawd, I hope he has a really good life insurance policy. Is Misty Marie going to be the first trillionaire of the world," laughing.

"Shut the fuck up, Tom." Austin turned and growled at Sawyer.

"I will not comment on Tom's asshole statement, ever." Stu nodded. "When I saw the first line of Greek letter of alpha on the first page of the Frank's notebook, I immediately thought of Austin. He is the alpha of the Quartet, our leader, our boss. When I saw the next three lines of the printed Greek letters that represented each name of other brothers of Austin, I quickly concluded that Frank had listed all his three brothers first..."

"What does it mean? I don't get it." Austin frowned.

"When I recognized all of the Quartet names as the first four names on the first four lines, I concluded that we were listed within some type of organization. Like you, Austin, I immediately thought that one of our employees had kidnapped Frank outside the office building too. But the listing of secretly coded names inside the notebook is too short. We employ over one hundred thousand people throughout the world. Then, I figured out that we, four were listed within a different organization of exclusive members, since Frank secretly visited the headquarters of Charity Healthcare System without our knowledge and permission. But, again, the secretly coded names are too short for the thousands of thousands of employees at the numerous Charity hospitals. Then, I immediately thought a smaller board of directors, where we, four serve also. Janey and I are on the Dade-Miami County Library director board, but I can't find a reference to our Quartet sister Janey with a Greek letter or a Latin letter. And you and Tom did not serve with me and Janey, either."

Austin snapped his fingers, "How about the Dade-Miami Science Center director-ship? We, four are board members there."

Tom nodded with a smile. "We, four are on the Coral Gables Youth Center, too."

Stu reached out and touched each pile of papers with a nod and a smile, "Excellent, my bros! I came to the same conclusion since we, four do not serve on numerous board of director tables for numerous companies for numerous payments of annuities. While we waited in here, I had ordered our IT department to print out all the individual board members from the science center and the youth center, specifically by sex, color, and amount of annual salary. First, I looked up the Latin letter here in the conference room which is associated with the physical color or character of the mysterious individual inside Frank's notebook like asshole Tom had figured out, most ugly. Second, the last column inside Frank's notebook is a mysterious math number in one or two or three digits. I immediately thought of an abbreviated salary amount. But I have concluded too swiftly that the number of entrances inside Frank's notebook is too, too long and does not correspond precisely or exactly or close to with either science center or the youth center."

Tom tossed both arms with a sour frown. "So, we are clueless once again for tracking down Mangrove's ass. You know he might be dead. We should go home and eat our hot dinner meal. Then, we can sleep and re-group, finding the cold blue stiff body like tomorrow morning," smiling.

Stu shoved the other piles of paper to the side and pulled a pile of papers, comparing to the first page of the notebook with a smile. "No, I have the answer."

Austin turned and sneered at Tom, "Excellent, Stu! Because Tom really wants to hear the answer and find our missing brother Frank, before any mouth eats a nightly dinner meal. Is that not correct, Tom?"

Stu ran a set of finger down each column when comparing the papers to the notebook with a stern face. "Well, I don't have the hidden location of Frank's ass, but I am most certain that I have the name of kidnapper."

Austin turned and stared down the papers and Stu. "Who is it?"

Stu frowned. "We have to do some additional foot work. These set of paper printouts is matching up much better with the short list of limited information inside Frank's notebook. For example, the Latin letter of I with a squeakily line on top is represented by a person who has originated or is associated with the country of Italy. I have found an individual with the last name which is Italian. It doesn't say if she comes from the country of Italy."

Tom tossed both hands with a sour frown. "This is so shitty ass stupid that I can't laugh. We should all go home and wait for the big huge money ransom note from the kidnapper which will come here first. You are guessing at the meanings of the Greek letters and the Latin symbols of ancient handwriting which means nothing to me." He stood upright with a growl.

Austin nodded to Gage. "How many names are listed inside Frank's notebook, Stu?"

Stu counted the entrance in silence with a sigh. "There are sixty-two, fifteen names or so apiece for four QA search teams that will be led by me, Austin, Tom, and Zak..."

"Lead to where the north, the south, the ocean, the skyline, the outer space limits?" Tom frowned.

Austin reached over and pointed at the stack of papers with a stern face. "We use the address..."

Tom sneered. "Forget this butthole running out of control shit! This is a wild ass goose chase without the plume of soft feathers. I am going home. You can call me when the money note arrives. Then I will return..."

"I found the killer." Stu looked up with a gasp to see Tom and Austin.

Austin gasped. "What killer?"

Tom waved both arms with a worried brow. "No, it is a kidnapper, not a killer, Stu."

Stu patted the paper with a worried brow. "This stack of computer printouts represents all the board members on the Charity Healthcare System within the fund raising division. The fund raising division has a smaller and tighter group of board members where we, four are each a member, also."

"Bull shit, Stu! One of the board members has kidnapped Frank for what evil purpose." Tom frowned.

Stu nodded with a worried brow. "There is a mysterious serial killer, who is killing both the active and inactive members of the fund raising division at Charity Healthcare System..."

Tom slapped a chest with a gasp. "I'm a target of murder. I am an active member that serves on the smaller board of directors on the fund raising division at Charity Healthcare System..."

Austin gasped. "Frank was targeted and captured to be murdered and die. No. Never. Frank would have resisted and killed the killer instead as a member of the Quartet."

Tom frowned. "How do you know that shit, Stu? It's not in the local news station."

Stu smiled. "How do you know that it is not in the local news, Tom?"

Tom sat back down with a sigh. "Jane, she always asks me questions. Then I find the answer for my girl, because I love my wife foreverly."

Stu exhaled. "There is a killer who is killing the board members of the fund raising division at Charity Healthcare System. I have found him or her.

Tom frowned, "How so, Stu? That is a stack of loose papers with names and that is a mysterious notebook that Frank left for fun to annoy his three brothers. You found nothing but..."

"Money," Stu nodded with a stern face and tapped on the tan colored page of the notebook. "In the last column, there is an individual math number beside each name. I original thought that was a salary figure. Now, I know. It is a donation amount in the term of millions, not a single math number.

Tom tossed both arms with a sour frown. "Holy fucking shit! You are really chasing after a finite set of the bright stars in board sunny daylight."

"No, Tom." Stu tapped on the notebook. "I can prove it. First, I have verified several names and the associated Greek letter of the name and the Latin letter of the ethnicity of the fund raising board members which include only us four, not our wives. Secondly, I have verified each money donation for this year."

Tom gasped. "You did not..."

"I did so," Stu smiled with a nod. "I have here inside this stack of loose papers on each board member of the Charity fund raising division a set of numerous items, such like, name, color, age, sex, culture, and one monetary donation. Because, the board agrees to donate each year at the first of the new calendar year, so the division can function and operate for the next three hundred and sixty-four days in the same calendar year. And I see here inside Frank's notebook that Austin, Frank, and I had donated twenty million dollars apiece towards the fund raising division on the date of January the second. However, Tom donated two million dollars on the date of January the second inside Frank's notebook. Mangrove also heavily highlighted your personal donation in the color of angry bright red that states the word two which is beside the math number two for double positive confirmation. So, that means that you donated only two million dollars of your billions into the fund raising division..."

Austin turned and sneered at Tom. "Tom, we, four agreed to donate twenty million dollars apiece to the Charity fund raising division. That is the numbers two and zero, not zero and two. And that twenty million dollars is .0235 percent of your total billions, which is less than one-fourth of a single percentage point. What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Stu laughed with a nod. "Tom's an asshole."

Austin growled. "You will..."

Stu frowned. "Silence, Austin! We need to find Frank. I have the correct listing that Frank has used to identify the new serial killer. We need a strategy of attack. What is the plan, Austin?"

Austin reached out and grabbed the stack of papers and Frank's notebook, drawing the two items in front of chest, verifying a few lines inside the notebook. "Frank was doing some very heavy and very thorough snooping on his own time. I would guess that he used our computer apps here at QA and the hard copy filing system at the Charity accounting office within the fund raising department, this round. He wasn't following a girl from the nursery and stealing the hospital van for annoyance." He saw the Latin alphabetic letter of O with a straight line on top of the alphabet which represented the country of England inside the notebook and turned, flipping through the stack of paper to find a British citizen. The next line inside the notebook, the Latin letter of E on the left side tick mark on top of the alphabet which represented a Vietnamese individual and turned back, flipping through the papers to see the name of the associated female. He looked back at the notebook. The next line inside the notebook, the Latin letter of A with a rooftop symbol which was represented a French individual.

Tom jabbed a finger at the notebook with a sigh. "His snooping could get us into a major lawsuit."

Stu jabbed a finger with a sneer at Sawyer. "His snooping could get him cold-blooded murdered and ascended up into heaven. I will find his ass. Austin will beat his ass. You, Sawyer are employed to win each lawsuit. Now..."

"Yeah, right!" Tom rolled the eyeballs and then stared with a sour frown at Stu. "What do we do now, Austin?"

Austin was satisfied that Stu had found the associated person listing of the mysterious names inside Frank's notebook. There were sixty-two individual names which meant a visit to sixty-two individual residential houses, since the business office at the fund raising division was closed for the day and Frank was still misplaced, not dead by the killer of the dead board members. Austin didn't see another solution for an immediate rescue, slapping the loose papers down back onto a stack, seeing the top page with a line of individual names. The page contained every board member and the employees of the Charity Healthcare System fund raising division but him and his brothers. Berrington exhaled with a nod. "After sorta doing a lousy translating job on the laboratory notebook, I do believe that Frank has ran through each person and found the killer. The killer is a board member or an employee of the Charity Healthcare System fund raising division which is underneath the nose holes of the superwomen and men board of directors again."

Tom reached over and grabbed the notebook, wiggling it in front of a face with a sour frown, "Lookie, if the four lines represent each one of us, which I fuckingly ass doubt, then why didn't Frank use the Greek word 'beta' for Austin's middle name of Bartholomew. Since, Frank kept with the same pattern of using the middle of names of Edison and Thatch for us. Your logical is unsound and stupid and shitty..."

Stu reached out and grabbed, typing on his mobile telephone a set of new texts to the IT staff with a stern face. "Yes, I pondered that question swiftly with my smarter neurons, Tom. The letter of B is one of the most commonly used symbols within the twenty-six alphabetic string along with the letters of G and S. Frank didn't want to waste or use one of the valuable Greek letters, when he had placed his three brothers in the first three lines that he has personally has known, since birth. Thus, he could expense the letters of B, G, and S more frequently for the other names on the charity list. And he did..."

Tom waved both arms with a sour frown. "I disagree. He used the 'alpha' a couple times. He used the Greek word 'beta' gobs of times. He used..."

Stu read the new texts and then typed a new set of texts to the captains of the QA guards. "Thus, he used his ingenious weird-ass Greek alphabetic method to disguise his masterful work which you could never do in a million years, Tom."

Tom tossed both arms with a sour frown. "Frank used the sigma about a million times. Who is the killer? Frank didn't mark in pink highlight the words: this is the killer. We still don't know the killer."

Austin studied the short report which showed numerous lines of individual names with an associated address, flipping through the four pages. Stu had ordered the report sorted by geographical directions of north, west, east, and south Miami for the mission. Gage was the real set of brains behind each successful QA mission. Berrington was only the leader that led the troops into battle. Today was a new battle. He separated the stack of reports into the four geographical stacks, deciding which part of Miami he wanted to explore with one of the four QA teams.

Tom tapped on the notebook with a sour frown. "Your fucking ass theory is stupid, Gage. Look, there are numerous betas, deltas, epsilon, kappas, and omegas here..."

Austin reached over and snatched, placing the notebook in front of a face, running a finger down the column of Greek words to see any new clues that Stu had missed. Tom was too busy rambling and mumbling with silly ideas. He dragged a finger down the mysterious coded names, starting at the first line which was alpha for Austin.

Frank had colored painted each hand printed line with a different highlighter tint, except for the names of his brothers. Now, Austin understood how Stu translated the mysterious notebook, so swiftly.

So, Frank had researched, eliminated, and color coded a name by some strange secret unknown Mangrove method. Austin realized that Frank had been working on the mysterious malicious murder case for weeks, without assistance or acknowledge of his wife or his brothers.

His finger slowly jerked down each colored line and as his neurons and his eyeballs stopped on the single line while hearing Tom and Frank's silly argument. The Greek symbol of 'Phi' was highlighted in a set of numerous orange strikes which was Frank's trademark and favorite pen highlighter for a major trouble alert. Austin has seen the familiar elegant right-sided strikes too many times on Frank's paper reports, since Mangrove enjoyed using a number two pencil over a keyboard of a computer unlike Stu.

Stu continued to read and type out new texts until the tasks were done. "Frank has used each letter of the Greek alphabet for a set of various reasons. I can't read his mind, Tom. But here in Miami, it is an international city of cultures. We have millions of people from different countries living and playing here."

Austin reached over and grabbed the cheat sheet of the geographical locations that Stu has created from the Latin symbols, reading down the list. The Latin symbol of D with a line through the center represented an individual from the country of Croatian. He reached over and swiftly flipped through the individual pieces of papers, looking for the corresponding name, since the entire entry was heavily stroked and highlighted in dull orange. Berrington found the name with a gasp and a whisper of worry. "This is the killer, who has kidnapped Frank..."

"Done," Stu turned and smiled at the black colored hair roots on Austin. "Austin, all the QA issued mobile telephones have been updated with every name, current picture, current address, and telephone numbers of the Charity fund raising board member and employee. What is the next step, Austin?"

Austin nodded down at the master list and tapped on top of the hard copies stack of papers with a stern face. "This is the master list where Stu has nicely printed in four geographical directions." He reached up and handed out papers to each brother. "I am taking the loose hard copies of paper that detail each board member and the employees of the fund raising division, scouting out the southern part of Miami. The rest of you..."

"Austin," Stu stood upright from the chair and read the new text with a stern face. "All the QA teams have gathered inside the largest conference room right now. They are wired and ready for their new assignment and QA mission of locating our lost bro, again. And our vehicles have our matching white colored QA gear and weapons for the mission to rescue Frank's ass. There is an operating QA issued mobile telephone in the trunk of your car, Austin. Use it, bro!"

Austin stood upright with a nod and handed the object to Stu. "Stu, you take Frank's notebook and mark off each weird-ass name as the best as you can, so we spy on each one. First task, each fourth and your QA teams will locate, find, and invade the address of each name on your sheet of paper, legally at first and illegally second, searching for Frank." He back stepped from the table and spun around to face the open archway, leading out the conference room.

Tom back stepped and swung around, following the back spine on Austin out the door, pulling up beside him, moving ahead with a stern face toward the set of closed elevator doors. "Based on what, Austin? Dr. Mangrove is an asshole. I can't tell that nasty piece of ugly information to Cutter, if one of our team members, like Gage, gets canned inside the local jail house," laughing.

Stu back stepped from the table and spun around, swiftly moving around the conference table and out the archway, pulling up beside Austin with a stern face. "Don't bother with Judge Cutter, this round. No legal law is needed here, Tom."

They stopped and stood in front of the elevators. Austin leaned over and pressed the button with a smirk. "There is only the Quartet law for the day, the place, and the death."

The elevator doors open. The brothers entered and spun around, facing the office desk. The doors closed. Stu leaned over and pressed the button with a smile. "I like this plan." The elevators doors closed. The carriage dropped down to new floor. Stu said. "We, four will break part and separate into four different quadrants of north, south, east, west, speeding up the search and rescue of Frank. We have plenty of light and time. Zak will substitute for Frank, until his ass is found. We, four identify with the call sign with a 'peep and boo' mission on the cell by text and by voice. Each fourth will lead a QA team and drive up to a house and then approach with caution like sheath-mode but with a cover..."

Tom turned and frowned at the nose profile on Gage. "What fucking cover?"

Stu turned and chuckled to Austin and Tom. "Each QA team will sell a box of cookies or some other delicious yummy food product or a bottle of some good smelling body usage product, after knocking on the door as the rest of the team search the interior house."

Tom frowned. "We ain't a tribe of Nature Trail boys and girls here, Austin."

Stu nodded. "We're the Quartet, a very big difference."

Tom exhaled. "I recommend a casual surveillance for Frank from the roadside..."

"If Frank is visually in there, then you will see all physical damage from the front door," Stu nodded with a smile.

Austin smirked, "Agreed."

The carriage stopped. Then the elevator doors opened.

22nd floor level

Law library conference room setting

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

5:21 p.m.

The three brothers moved off the elevator one at a time into an open archway with a stern face.

The law library was the largest office space inside the Quartet Tower, where each wall held an array of built-in mahogany polished bookcase of legal law books. Some of the legal law books were so ancient, making the volume of pages both yellow stained and crumbly brittle, as well as, priceless. Tom housed the ancient legal law books here for safekeeping, since the room was built for an earthquake, a fire, a robbery, and a hurricane which would protect the people and the property.

The interior of the room held an array of scattered office desk, where a set of lawyers and a set of accountants could work on a shared QA assignment.

The four double entrance doors were open for the newest QA emergency meeting. The room was overcrowded and smelly with sweat and sour breath odor.

Quartet Associates was an international security company, guarding, such like, princes, queens, billionaires, millionaires, and other types of heads of states.

When a QA emergency was pinged onto the issued QA mobile telephone, all the men and women responded immediately and came here inside the law library in full QA gear. Each male and female QA guard was dressed unlike a law enforcement police office, wearing a white colored pair of loose trousers with many visual and hidden pockets, a loose one-piece jacket that also hid many external visual and hidden internal pockets. The color of white or tan was selected, since the southern city of Miami was located on the ocean waters and on the sandy beaches of heated sub-tropic weather as a person walked around with a pair of sweaty armpits throughout the calendar year even with a tube of nice-smelling deodorant.

Most of the natives of Miami dressed very usual and wore an array of lighted colored clothing, sweating in the Florida heat.

Thus, Stu had created and designed the perfect QA guard outfit of white or tan color. Each pair of trousers and the solid jacket was made of bullet proof fabric for the protection of the QA guard. Safety came first and foremost in the mind and the mission of Gage. Stu hated to lose a man or a woman on a QA assignment which had not happened in six years.

Underneath the loose jacket, each QA guard wore a utility belt that was hidden from the public and the enemy two eyeballs. Each pocket contained a pistol, numerous clips of ammunition, a hunting knife, a first aid kit, a mobile telephone, a set of thin rope, a mini-tool kit, and a map of Miami and the outlaying cities to complete the QA assignment during any unforeseen additional emergency. Also underneath the loose jacket, a full set of body armor could be worn without attention that matched the fabric of the QA uniform. The uniform did not exhibit the QA logo but held the three black colored personal initials of the QA guard, mostly for prettiness and disguise.

Inside the hallway, the elevator doors opened.

Stu moved ahead and entered first into the law library, stopping and stood in front of the first office desk. Austin and Tom followed behind Stu and stopped between him with a stern face, seeing the crowded room. Stu was in charge of the QA guards and the QA mission to hunt down and find wayward brother Frank Mangrove.

Stu, Austin, and Tom wore a set of business clothes, coming home from work, finding Misty upset and Frank missing. Each one will change into a required white or tan QA gear after Stu updated the guards and issued the assignment.

Stu exhaled with a puff of worry with a firm voice to each guard. "Thanks for coming to my cell alert so quickly back into the office, this late afternoon. I really appreciate your dedication and your swift response. Frank is missing, again."

Some of the guards tossed both arms into the air with a chuckle and dropped them down to both legs. Some of the guards shook a skull with a moan and a smile.

Gage nodded with a sour frown. "Yes, it is so, again. Look inside your QA issued mobile telephone, there is a surprise. I have provided a list with a name, a pic, and an address. We, three believe that Frank is with this person, the kidnapper. So, each team will perform an undercover spying assignment on each board member and employee of the Charity Healthcare System Fund raising division. The list of suspects is in the right hand of your Quartet leader. Today, you will get to make up your own product for selling cookies, magazines or death threats on the front porch in front of the entrance doors while looking for Frank. So, someone go and run to the supermarket and buy something fun to eat or wear. QA will reimbursement you later," he chuckled with his brothers and all the guards.

Austin held up his torn piece of paper that listed all the suspects with a stern brow to see each guard face. "Northern portion of Miami, Big Man will lead A and B teams with the search. Western portion of Miami, QA head guard Zack will lead C and D teams with the search. Eastern portion of Miami, Law Man will lead E and F teams with the search. I and the rest of my QA teams will scout out the southern portion of Miami down to Homestead, if need be. Each Quartet fourth and all their QA teams will scout and scan and spy in different directions, covering the house, the lawn, and the swimming pool for Frank. If Frank is not found, then report back your loss to Stu. I want to eliminate each name on the list swiftly and without bloodshed," chuckling. "So, each team quickly move down your list of suspects, until we find Frank, then we all go home for dinner. Tomorrow, you take a couple of days off for vacation with a great big bonus of monies inside your personal bank account, compliments of our brother, asshole Frank. Roll out, girls and boys!" He spun around with a stern face and entered the open elevator carriage first, twirling around as each QA employee rushed with chuckles and mumbles into each carriage also.

All three elevator doors opened about the same time and moved down towards the ground floor, stopping each carriage inside the underground parking garage.

Each QA employee moved ahead in pairs through the underground parking garage floor towards an individual vehicle or outside inside the bright sunshine towards an individual vehicle for the newest QA mission, finding Frank.

Quartet Associates provided a business vehicle for the working job in the color of tan or white unmarked vehicle, since the Florida sunshine was sizzling and blistering on a face and the body during the daytime work hours. Each vehicle possessed all the fun and deadly QA gear, such as, first aid kit, guns, rifles, rope, small safe of cash and foreign currency, mobile telephone, body armor, helmets, gloves, blankets, pillows, and other necessary items to accomplish the QA job. Each QA employee paired together for the work mission as always, following behind the assigned Quartet brother or Zak, who was substituting for a misplaced Frank.

Interior underground parking garage setting

5:25 p.m.

Austin stood inside the elevator carriage with a heated face waiting for the small space to finish emptying. He swiftly dashed forward toward the sports car and stopped, reaching for the door handle while seeing the surrounding action inside the underground parking garage as the chief executive officer of a billion-dollar private enterprise.

All the QA employees were dashing in pairs towards a business vehicle. Stu was huddled around each captain, quickly answering questions, pointing down at each list while giving out last minute instructions as the chief operating officer of a billion-dollar private company.

The head attorney for the same billion-dollar business company, Tom held his personal mobile telephone into a face, pacing back and forth in front of his assigned sports car, talking with a worried brow to his wife and explained the latest information about missing Frank. Then his wife Jane would share diplomatically with her Quartet sister Gracie and Misty Marie.

Jane was great at giving out information without hinting about the terrible danger which was a good characteristic of a sleazy lawyer. Jane worked with an assortment of caring police officers, a number of sleazy lawyers, and all local fair-minded judges to protect all children, who had been abused by their asshole parents or their nasty guardians. She was not a sleazy but smartass lawyer that you did not fuck with, unless you wanted some jail time on your personal social record and a money lawsuit tossed up your ass.

Tom enjoyed it when Jane came home tattling about a nasty guardian that threatened her personal life, since Stu and Tom would team up and honor the asshole with a personal home social visit when the foolish one had dared to threat Mrs. Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

The pairs of QA teams of Austin cuddled around the QA captain for any additional instructions before entering the vehicles, starting the search for Frank. Austin enjoyed delegation of his power down to his employees like always as the captain of the boat. Austin didn't bother to guide his team of QA guards with instructions for the rescue of Frank. The QA captain knew his job and would follow behind the ass of Austin's leadership.

The car door opened. Austin slid down inside the seat and cranked the engine, slipping the stack of loose papers into the passenger seat for reference with the newest QA mission. He reached over and retrieved his Ghost, slamming the light weight gun over the stack of loose papers, keeping the stack intact. He enjoyed driving a convertible sports car but any driver knew that a set of loose items on the seat or down in the floor usually ended up in the air or on top of the highway street or inside the next shopping parking lot when a window was rolled down. He leaned over and opened the glove box, spotting the new mobile telephone that Stu kindly provided during a QA emergency mission to Austin, jerking out the mobile telephone and placed it next to his Ghost and over the loose stack of paper also. He slipped the stick into first gear and drove first out from the underground garage.

Frank and his smart neurons had highlighted and identified both his kidnapper and the murderous killer of numerous dead people, who had served on the Charity Healthcare System fund raising board of directors.

Stu and his smart neurons had translated the secret information inside the notebook of Frank and un-coded the name and the address of Frank's kidnapper also while providing a stack of hard copy papers with every name and address of the fund raising division plus the employees.

Tom and his mouth had been a pain in the ass as usual.

Austin and his vengeance wanted to arrive at the killer's home residence before the QA teams, since he planned to rescue Frank and then strangle that fucking bitch with a pair of bared hands, feeling the heated blood underneath a set of newly manicured fingernails with a laugh. Then, the QA captain and a few of his dearly devoted QA guards can bury the dead and broken body inside her backyard underneath the swimming pool.

Note: She did not have a swimming pool.

City of Coral Gables

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Sports car ride of Austin

City street Red Road location

5:27 p.m.

Austin gunned the sports car, driving east towards US Highway One and then swiftly glanced back into the rear view mirrors. The numerous QA vehicles were leaving the Quartet Tower, traveling and followed behind the tailpipe of Austin. The car stopped at the right light at US Highway One, where the entire team of QA guards caught up behind with the rear bumper of Berrington.

He revved the engine with the transmission gear in neutral with annoyance at the busy traffic intersection.

The traffic light turned into a green color.

Austin squealed the rear tires and turned to the right, speeding due south on US Highway One towards the home of the employee named Vena Veil Vein. Frank had highlighted, circled, and color coded in dull orange tinted strikes on top of her hand printed name inside the green colored laboratory notebook, where Frank might have suspected her as the killer. Berrington insisted on surveying her house first, picking the southern assignment on purpose without Stu or Tom's knowledge. He drove faster than the speed limit down on US Highway One and around the crowd of vehicles, feeling mad, upset, and worried as the other unmarked white and tan colored vehicles that contained the rest of QA teams that tried without success to follow behind the tailpipe of Austin.

City of South Miami

Street intersection

80th Street and US Highway One

5:31 p.m.

Austin slowed before at the traffic light and pressed the window down, tossing an arm directly into an open parking lot of a shopping center at the city street cross-intersection for the QA teams to wait while he found the home of the kidnapper first.

When Frank was found alive, Austin was going to ring the neck of Dr. Mangrove. Then Stu was going to break both the legs of Mangrove, thus Frank would not be walking around for two months, except on Big Man's wide shoulders. Austin snorted with delight of the mental image and wicked thoughts.

Since June first, there had been a string of dangerous social events involving the Quartet which had been too much, too long and too frequent.

Tom had been beaten and kidnapped by the mysterious Angel of Death. Then, Misty Marie had been punched in the face and abducted against her will by the familiar Temptress of Darkness. Then, Frank had been drugged and kidnapped for the first time in his adult life by the weird-ass mysterious Babe of the East, who had not been discussed by Mangrove to any brother or his wife or his friend Jace.

Stu enjoyed using all the silly pretend and make-up nicknames to tease and taunt Austin, Tom, and Frank, after a serious string of bad luck and bad judgment, especially towards Frank, until the face of Frank turned strawberry colored red with fury, angry, and embarrassment from the silly, vicious, and deadly weird-ass incident.

Austin didn't know any of the details of the mysterious deaths that had been executed by Frank in ransom for his freedom, but there were definitely deaths, since Frank didn't escape without harming someone or lots of some ones.

Mangrove kept his secret experience and the cave location buried deep within his psyche. The cave location was somewhere within the depths of Florida City above or below sea level when the Quartet helicopter found him hanging around at a local gasoline and food station. He was waving both naked arms and dressed like a semi-naked caveman while standing upright inside an empty parking lot with a sour puss face. Frank had walked to the gas station and called collect using an old fashion pay telephone on the wall of the store, connecting a telephone call directly into the Quartet Associates headquarters building communications operator, since a mobile telephone didn't allow a collect telephone call.

The Quartet acted immediate and swiftly that evening. Stu was the most protective protector with a set of steady and steeled cool emotions for the emergency. Tom was too emotional. Austin was too mad.

Now, Frank was too logical or in this case, too illogical. However, Frank had survived the Babe of the East, so he would survive this doll too.

Home residence Vena Veil Vein

80th Street and 54th Avenue

Outside front porch setting

5:39 p.m.

Austin slowed the car on US Highway One and turned down 54th Avenue, finding the proper address which was the home of Vena Veil Vein at the cross streets in the town city of South Miami, driving by a first time, then a second time, and finally a third time.

The curtains shades were closed. The door was closed. There was not a garage space or an outside car parked in front of the house. There was not a family playing outside in front of the manicured yard with a set of barking pets. There was not any type of exterior or internal illuminated lights. There was not any type of soft or loud noises or slow or fast movement inside the house. Thus, the Charity employee wasn't home or out for the evening. She wasn't at her working job, since the fund raising office was closed at five pm like the other business offices within Miami for the end of the day work activities.

Stu had a different team of QA guards that were riding around the local busy city streets, searching and scouting for her red colored sedan with the Florida plate B09 GWP, in case she had Frank inside the car with her. And that sketchy lead had not revealed Vena or Frank.

Berrington believed his early morning dream had been an image of this girl which had occurred yesterday, since he immediately recognized her pretty face on the hard copy printout with a photocopy of her Charity badge picture that came from the QA IT department.

This morning, Austin had dreamed about his brother Frank. His dreams were becoming a key or a warning regarding an upcoming dangerous event for one or more members of the Quartet. If Berrington had paid more attention to the morning dream, then Frank would be safe and sound with his wife Misty Marie eating dinner, not lost for a second time again.

The woman was a tall and dark skinned with an Amazon-queen body based on the Charity Healthcare System human resources badge photography which Frank had authorized from the human resources personnel records on this particular employee by illegal method. Tom would smooth over the legal stuff for his brother Mangrove with the Charity supermen and women, if there was an issue.

Frank's methods are too easy, too simple, and too smart. He was a superman member of the super board of directors at Charity Healthcare System. A Charity superman or superwoman could call, act, and do anything that they wanted with a hospital staff member, regarding any action that affected or impacted the safety of any one of the Charity hospitals.

Austin would order Tom to create a special restrictive privacy regulation for the rights of the patients, the employees, the physicians, and one specific nosy-ass board member of Charity Healthcare System later. So, Frank couldn't do this, again.

Berrington needed to see inside the windows of the house but didn't possess a reason for stepping onto the front porch. He needed a box of cookies to sell to the neighbor like Stu had described for each QA team to gain access to the front door.

Yeah, Austin needed to go shopping and he had left his QA teams inside a parking lot of a shopping plaza. He would purchase a basket of goodies at the local store and then return back to the front porch of Vena Veil Vein, breaking into the front door with his pen knife, inspecting the interior of the house for Frank and that bitch without the knowledge on Tom or Stu. Then, Frank would be safe and Vein would be dead.

Street intersection

80th Street and US Highway One

5:41 p.m.

Austin slowed and then turned the car onto US Highway One, leaving the dark and unoccupied residence of Veil Vein for the moment, racing back down to the shopping plaza, pulling the car across the parking lot towards a section of unmarked white and tan colored vehicles that contained his portion of the QA teams. He stopped the car sideways in front of the rows of vans, sports cars, sedans, and utility vehicles, cracking open the door and grabbed the mobile telephone, sliding out, standing upright and scanned the buildings and shoppers for a store that sold cookies to revisit the home of Vena Veil Vein.

The motto of the city of South Miami was "the City of Pleasant Living." The city was located within Miami-Dade County with a population of 10,741inside two miles of land, without direct water access to the ocean waters. There were 4,301 households and 4,457 housing units of married couples, single parents of children, and families without children. English was the first language, while Spanish was the second language.

The early history of the city started with a man named WA Larkins, who owned property west of modern day city streets of Red Road and Sunset Drive. He built a grocery store and then a post office.

Larkins became the first postmaster as the community took the name "Larkins." A train depot was placed along the street by the Florida East Coast Railway in the year 1926. Because of the boom of the small town which was located south of the bigger metro city of Miami, the local residents choose a new name "South Miami."

The original perimeter of the town boundaries had been widened by three miles Then, in the year 1937, the residents sued to get out the Miami's city limits and city taxes. The current boundaries burst and expanded into the modern day city streets of eastern Red Road, southern Kendall Drive, northern Bird Road, and western Coral Way, west. The business community included privately owned shops, restaurants, two radio and television stations, and two newspapers. The biggest employer was Charity South Miami Hospital and the most famous landmark was the Miami-Dade University which actually belonged to the city of Coral Gables, not South Miami.

"Austin..."

The baritone voice of the QA captain broke the daydream of Berrington as Austin turned and focused on each stern face of each QA team members which had loosely formed a huddle around his body and his car. He pointed to each pair with a stern face with a new order, "North Coral Gables. Southern Coral Way, Western South Miami, Eastern Coconut Grove. I am going further south on Kendall Drive and beyond. I want you in pairs and fan out looking for the car, the girl, Frank, or a combination. Do not call Stu until you have a solid clue. If you find something, then you re-search, re-scan, and re-scrutinize for a final assessment. Do you understand me?"

The QA captain frowned. "Austin, you are not allowed to perform a solo."

Austin raised a palm with a nod and a stern face with the mobile telephone, "I am not alone. Stu's expensive toys and games are with me. Don't worry! I'm boss. I can break the rules once in a while." He dropped both arms with a chuckle.

The QA captain chuckled with a smirk. "Stu's going to break your ass."

Austin winked with a smirk, "You'll protect me, right? I'm boss, today."

He smiled with a nod. "Right, boss."

"Roll out!" Austin stood in place and watched each QA transport head into a different geographic direction, disappearing from his pair of silver tinted eyeballs and spun around, moving back towards the trunk of the car. He stopped and touched the button. The trunk lid slowly lifted into the air. Austin scanned the neatly stack QA gear, seeing the folded white colored QA uniform with a sour frown. He didn't want to dress like an upright marshmallow electing to wear his casual clothes for the QA mission but needed cash to buy the basket of goodies for Vena. He leaned down and opened the small safe with a gasp, slapping the empty compartments with a hand. "Shit! My sash of cash is gone. Damn it to hell. Stu paid the smartass engineer very well for my new specially designed Quartet sports car with my personal cash. I don't need money. Yeah, I do need money. I gotta buy a box of cookies for my new sweetheart Vena Veil Vein." He looked up with a stern face to see the bank with a laugh. Berrington did not enjoy using the personal or the QA credit card inside a shopping retail store, since the clerk needed to see his identification for verification.

Then, the entire store would know that Austin Berrington was there in person which sometimes created an embarrassing moment. He smiled with a nod. "This is my lucky damn day, to boot. There's a money bank inside the shopping plaza." He reached over and grabbed the credit card that contained a five-hundred-thousand-dollar credit limit, slamming the lid of the trunk down into the car, turning and jogged towards the outside money machine. The money machine was located on the side of the bank for the convenience of a car driver. The people friendly money machine was located inside the interior of the bank lobby for safety of the bank customer. The metro city of Miami was the top five nastiest cities for robbery which had been done in sunshine by a hand gun to bank customers.

Austin stopped at the edge of the entrance of the bank entrance porch and peeked around the building corner, looking for a car, seeing a clear passageway. He stepped inside the pavement and stood in front of the outside money machine, shoving the card into the slot, pressing the buttons and waited. A thousand dollars of twenties spat out into his palm. He spun around and moved towards the edge of the sidewalk, looking back and forth down the city road named US Highway One, shoving the money into his pocket with a worried brow.

Frank could be inside the house of Vein or anywhere inside the city limits or outside of the city limits while the gut of Austin ached with pain, frustration, and instinct. Frank didn't possess his personal mobile telephone which had been located and found near the trash receptacle at the diner with the secret lunch meeting place within Coral Gables, where Vein had grabbed and kidnapped Frank, but her home was south within the town of South Miami. However, her home was dark and cold like she wasn't there either.

Austin exhaled with worry and looked down to the ground, scanning the dirty road street of litter, the trashed vanilla colored sidewalks of metal cans, and un-trimmed row of plant bushes. The South Miami city administration didn't do a good job of cleaning up the array of paper and metal trash and garage from the roadside, since there was too little money inside the city government budget. The green and yellow dying bushes were filled with an assortment of aluminum cans, paper items, glass broken bottles, and other trashy shit. Stu would have a fit seeing the disgusting man-made sight among Mother Nature's healthy green grass and plant bushes. The paid landscape service of the bank didn't keep the grass lawn clean, since there was not enough money in the business bank operating account. He started to turn away with a smile when a flash of bright color captured among the rich green leaves caught a sliver of his eyeball.

Austin moved ahead and stopped, staring at the single item which was half-folded and twisted inside a row of short green tree bushes that hugged the ground which kept a driver from hitting the side wall of bank while collecting all types of colorful litter trash. He reached down inside the shrub and plucked out the object with a puzzled brow, examining the smooth cloth. Unfolding the fabric, it revealed a necktie. A man's necktie was colored in vividly bright red ladybugs and orange beetle bugs.

Berrington chuckled. He didn't realize one of the numerous homeless people wore a silk necktie. This one was very nicely made and very expensive. The colors were bright and fresh like one of Frank's stylish dress codes which came from the 1980s during the preppy phase of clothes.

Austin recalled seeing Frank for a brief second through one of the reflection mirrors inside his throne room yesterday. Frank was leaving the executive suite reception lobby and waited for the carriage, entering the elevator without his "man purse" as Mangrove dubbed it.

Frank carried around a lumpy and loose baggie-thing which was an unstructured old black leather knack sack that contained all his personal items and some of his selected medical equipment, such like, a tap needle for an emergency that might arise.

Stu toted around a leather laptop bag with the laptop and a few other tiny electronic toys for his social and professional use at all time.

Tom used a brand new briefcase that matched his brand new business suit that matched his brand new pair of leathers which toted around all his legal papers.

Austin didn't carry anything but his Ghost inside a jacket pocket and the occasionally hand of the lovely eye candy for the evening meal.

Inside the QA reception lobby yesterday, Frank didn't bother to wave at the reflection mirror to Austin like usual for silly fun and then disappeared in silence while Austin went back to work inside his throne room. So, Mangrove had planned and executed a private meeting Vena without permission and notification of the Quartet while dressed in a preppy suit of beige pants, a navy jacket, and a pale yellow cotton shirt that was surrounded by a vivid and bright orange and red necktie of ladybugs and beetle bugs.

Austin palmed the silk necktie into a tight fist with a gasp and a whisper, "This was Frank's necktie and another bread crumb from Mangrove. So, Vena is moving south where her home is located." He swung around with a growl and a whisper, "Time to rescue Frank from that bitch." He halted in place and stared at the money machine. "If Vena was hidden inside her home, why would she need money, specifically Frank's money? Is she going to pay and settle a set of outstanding invoices? She could ransom Frank back to me for billions. This didn't make any sense. And it didn't make any sense to hide inside her personal home. She is smart too. She would know that I am coming for my brother Frank. What is wrong here? What is right here? The money and the money machine, she isn't at her home. She is taking Frank to a different place which is further south from the Quartet Associates building, the diner, her office, the bank, and her home." He dashed ahead with a stern face towards the car, holding the necktie with a whisper. "All right, Frank. I'm tracing and following you. Keep it up." He stopped and opened the door, sliding down into the seat and slammed the door with a huff, staring at the bank with a nod, cranking the engine, "Frank. Money. Necktie..."

Vena needed money, probably using Frank's credit card but wouldn't have entered the bank, since Frank was the stronger species of the unmarried and dating couple. Outside on the sidewalk of the bank, Mangrove could've overtaken her inside the parking lot. Inside the interior of the bank, Frank could have shouted out loud attention to the bank guard, without getting a set of innocent people harmed. So, Vena had used the bank machine like Austin just did when Frank had tossed out the necktie from the dropped window seal inside the passenger seat of her parked car. Thus, Frank was indeed leaving a set of clues while heading south.

So, Vena Veil Vein was driving with Frank towards Kendall or Homestead or Florida City or Key West. Vena would need gasoline inside the tank while running the cool air conditioning unit of her personal car, since the month of August in Miami was a hot sizzling ninety plus degrees inside the Sunshine State. This geographical logic made perfect sense, since the team of QA guards could not find her personal sedan as she was driving further away from the Quartet Associates building, the sandy beaches of Coral Beach, and Austin.

Austin slipped the gear and squealed the tires, shoving the car into the busy street of US Highway One, looking for the logical spot for Veil to torture and then murder Frank.

City of Kendall

Street intersection

88th Street and US Highway One

5:50 p.m.

Austin slowed speed and parked the car inside a corner parking lot at Miami Mall, a popular shopping mall of merchandise with a puff of worry. If Vena was in there with Frank, the entire US military armed services couldn't find her ass. Austin had her photograph inside his mind and inside the stack of papers on top of the passenger seat but felt he would recognize her face instantly. Inside a gigantic popular shopping mall which was filled with men, women, children, and crazy shoppers looking for a bargain, there was no chance in hell of finding Frank.

Austin could find Vena in the heated pit of fire and brimstone within hell quicker, since she would be the one talking with Satan, because that was going to be her next residential home.

When Austin found this bitch, she was dead on arrival for taking his brother, without Austin's approval. Austin was the boss of the Quartet, dictating orders to his brothers, not bitches, witches, princesses, or priestesses. Old Man was getting sick to death of people attacking his family members. Frank had become the latest and last victim of the Band of Brothers and Sisters.

Austin jerked the gear into place and smoked the rear tires, speeding out from the parking lot, driving in traffic to the first gasoline station, since she would need gas for the car of a bright and sizzling day in Miami.

Street intersection

104th Street and US Highway One

6:06 p.m.

Austin drove back into the main highway, after slowly stopping at the last gasoline station parking lot based on his gut instinct or his Tele power. Tom would had referenced the Tele power term as the guru science fiction master while Austin was watching for next sign, clue, or bread crumb. He slowed the speed of the car and entered into the empty parking lot of the next gasoline station, stopping in front of the gas pump, killing the engine with a puff of worry and a whisper of hope. "Almighty God, please help me find Frank. Just give me a little bit of a hint. P.S. Thank you," he opened the door without locking the car, daring someone to piss him off and entered the store for a cold beverage, looking the part of a paying customer, not a robbing thief. He scanned the building, the people, and the activities, not seeing Frank or Vena or a new bread crumb.

Inside the building, he paid for a soda beverage and spun around, leaving the cool air conditioned store, scanning the rows of building, the people, and the activities, moving towards the edge of the sidewalk near the manicured grass and rows of pretty flowers, still looking for Frank or Vena. He passed the two rows of pump stations, popping the soda lid and stopped at the edge of the walkway, slowly sipping and swallowed the cool liquid, holding his breath, hearing the engines of moving traffic cars.

Turning and strolling causally side to side over the vanilla colored walkway like he was stretching out the legs from a hard drive, Austin searched the concrete between the gas pumps and the trimmed grass, looking down with a stern face and spotted the black object between the blades of manicured grass, squatting down and picked up the object, a set of earplugs.

Austin immediately recognized the unique design of the blinking twin earplugs. The black cord could be attached onto any mobile telephone which was not blinking in distress from the separation of the QA mobile telephone. "The set of earplugs were located slap dab in the middle of a gasoline station," he smiled, "I am correct. Vena needed gasoline to power the air conditioner and drove away from her house in South Miami. She is heading in a southern direction with Frank. Way to go, buddy! Frank, keep laying down bread crumbs for me. I'm tracking and following you."

Stu had ordered each QA employee a new QA issued mobile telephone with a set of colorful earplugs to monitor all the non-working employees and an abusive Tom, by accident of course.

However, as usual, Tom had over abused the QA issued toy and the delicate raw nerve endings of Stu which almost resulted in Tom's permanent funeral. Stu had cut off the paid service on Tom's QA issued mobile telephone during Sawyer's late night chat with another science fiction nut. The next morning inside the office suite of Gage, Tom had entered and tossed the useless mobile telephone, hitting the wide forehead on Gage with minor pain. Austin and Frank had to ram the ass of Gage into the window, cracking the expensive glass, before Stu had purposefully murdered Sawyer with both bare hands as Tom danced side to side inside the office Stu with a hum, a smile, and a laugh of silliness.

Yes, Stu went on vacation for a week after that vicious death threat to his baby brother.

Yes, the other three brothers greatly disliked Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

Austin stood upright from the grass with a smile and spun around, dashing over the parking lot towards the car without pumping a gallon of gasoline into the tank, opening the door and slid down inside the seat with a puff of determination.

Vena was driving south with Frank like an afternoon date.

Yes, Berrington thought hard within his mind while pretending he was on an evening date with a new flame, since he did that all the time. He whispered, "Girl. Money. Gas. Gala," he shook a head with the new mental thoughts. "There is not a glittering gala or a fun party."

Vena wanted Frank alone to abuse and use him. The bitch was doing the same thing mentally and physically to the rest of the Quartet, because Frank figured out that she was killing the numerous donors for their monies. Inside the paper notebook, Frank had highlighted the math number of sixty-five which represented sixty-five million dollars. Vena had probably deposited all the sixty-five million dollars into a personal bank account. Stu didn't pick up on the vast amount of money, since he had found that listing of murdered individual that served on the Charity Healthcare System fund raising board of directors and the discovery of Sawyer's silly money donation. Stu only thought in one mode, happy or mad.

After picking up a girl, getting money for the evening, putting gasoline into the car, Austin would want to eat a plate of good food, before a heated sex act.

Yes, Vena needed a plate of food. However, Frank and Vena would not go into a private restaurant, since it would be too crowded. They would need a plate of fresh food, so they would visit a food grocery store.

The physical procedure was ticking off precious minutes of the day and a mental exercise on his psyche. It is summertime. The sun was slowly sinking down into the western horizon which will be around nine o'clock, giving Austin some daylight time to hunt down Vena, before she permanently harmed Frank.

Austin roared the engine and drove back onto the highway, looking for the first supermarket on US Highway One.

City of Pinecrest

Street intersection

112th Street and US Highway One

6:20 p.m.

The town of Pinecrest was a small suburban village within Miami-Dade County with a population of 19,055 based the information from his brother Stu. The small city hosted several grassy people and dog parks with numerous beautification projects, including replanting thousands of trees inside a newly dedicated Flagler Grove Park and Pinecrest Gardens. The Pinecrest Gardens offered a selection of various summertime children fun camps, teenage baseball games, and was the home of the fun and popular Miami Parrot Jungle.

The issued QA mobile telephone on top of the stack of papers sounded out loud with the bass timber of Stu. Austin turned off the highway and slowly pulled the car into busy parking lot, stopping the vehicle, reaching over and lifted the blinking screen of mobile telephone into a stern face with a tart response, "Pinecrest."

Austin paused and listened to Stu's voice on the mobile telephone.

He frowned. "I'm taking a pass in the bathroom, honey."

Pause.

"I'm not lost within Miami, Stu. I'm busy."

Pause.

"Continue the 'peek and boo' routine, before we run out of daylight."

Pause.

"Austin out," Berrington gently tossed the mobile telephone back down into the passenger seat on top of the stack of papers with a chuckle. Stu could be such a mama dog when he was mad, rowdy, and worried. Berrington turned and stared at row of stores, since he had parked the car inside the busy parking lot for the brief conversation with his brother Stu. There was not a single grocery food supermarket here.

He swiftly blended into busy traffic flow and fought through the car, traveling south down the highway.

City of Suniland

Street intersection

124th Street and US Highway One

6:31 p.m.

He slowed the car, turning and pulled into an empty spot of the parking lot in the last row, pondering how to search a 50,000 square foot grocery store for a single clue that Frank had been there. He killed the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood upright with an exhale of worry.

He moved ahead and scooted around the parked vehicles and the wandering shoppers, stepping into the walkway and halted, standing upright like a statue between the shoppers, who were entering the store it was end of the business day. Both the workers and shoppers were purchasing a set of last minute items for dinnertime. He would not be able to find a bread crumb inside a vast grocery store. So Frank would have left it before entering the grocery store, if Frank had indeed entered this particular grocery store.

Austin spun around with a soft curse and stomped down over the parking lot, hearing a crunch with both acute eardrums, feeling an un-leveled object underneath a left leather and then stopped. He lifted up the leather and spotted a crumpled piece of tiny cloth on top of the gray pavement which was next to the walkway near the entrance doors of the grocery store. The dirty cloth had been trampled down into the sand grains and dirt particles of the parking lot pavement.

He leaned down and snatched the dirty cloth, examining the color and texture with a gasp of good luck and worry. The tiny piece of silk cloth was the pocket handkerchief from Frank's sports jacket which had been tied down with a red ruby gem clip from Frank's necktie. The heavy gem clip had weighed down the lightweight cloth on the ground without blowing the item away with the breezy winds of Miami. The jacket pocket handkerchief matched Frank's necktie with an exact fabric design of an assortment of smaller red colored ladybugs and the orange beetle bugs. Thus, Frank and Vena had visited this particular grocery story for a basket of fresh food.

Berrington was on the right track. She was driving south. He placed the handkerchief and gem clip down into the pocket of his sports coat, dashing ahead towards his car with a whisper and a smile, "Frank. Money. Gas. Food. And..." He opened the door and slid down into the driver's seat, cranking the engine and backed out of the parking spot.

Austin drove through the parking lot and merged into on-going traffic, glancing at each retail shop, pondering the next stop for Vena. Berrington was king of dating tramps, vamps, and sluts. This girl was a queen-bitch slut also.

So like her, Austin would have a pocket of money, fill the car with gas, purchase a basket of food for a snack and then he would get the bitch-slut drunk for a perfect romantic evening of hot sex with a glass of wine or alcohol.

Colonial Plaza location

Street intersection

136th Street and US Highway One

6:42 p.m.

Austin drove around the slower cars and watched for the first liquor store, slowing down and pulled the car into an empty parking lot and stopped into an empty parking spot. This next clue would be easy to obtain, since a liquid store by law was numerous blocks from each other for competitive purposes or state law rules or something that Austin didn't give a shit about.

He killed the engine and opened the door, sliding out and slowly moving towards the entrance door of the store while looking down at his feet, surveying the grounds, the weeds, and the manicured grass.

So far, each bread crumb item had been grounded like Mangrove had tossed each object upon entering her sedan, so Vena would not see his growing trail of metal objects.

Frank was smart while leaving his personal items like a row of bread crumbs which was similar to the children's story Handel and Gretel.

Austin stopped a few feet short of the doorway. He wanted to enter the liquor store and inquire about the odd couple like tall and handsome Frank with a taller and beautiful Vena but that question would alert the news media of trouble. People were so eager to give out bad and good information about the Quartet, thus a missing Quartet member would be priceless. Correction there, the price would be worth ten million dollars or more for a little nasty piece of spying data.

Old Man slowly turned and moved around the other side of his car, scanning the pavement and stopped, bending down, picking up a shiny object that was tucked between the edge of the yellow outline of the parking spot and the round curb. The face of the wrist watch had been broken but intact. Inside the leather band, there were three initials: FFM. Thank goodness! Mangrove liked to identify his person which was not similar to Sawyer. Tom enjoyed identifying his person by mouth and tongue. Stu didn't bother.

Austin didn't give a shit.

Berrington chuckled. He sounded like Tom. He had found Frank's watch, the next bread crumb. Austin was elated but didn't show it, dashing back into his car and started the engine, slamming the door shut.

The car quickly maneuvered back onto the busy highway for the next stop on Vena's list.

He drove around the cars and searched for the next clue with a smile and a whisper for his eardrums only, "Back to business! Frank. Money. Gas. Food. Alcohol. And, and..."

On a perfect evening date with a new flame, Austin would have a pocket of money, a gas tank of petrol, a basket of food, glasses of wine and turn down the lamps. If Vena didn't have a set of dimmer lights, then a set of flaming candle light would work, too perfectly.

City of Cutler

Street intersection

144th Street and US Highway One

6:53 p.m.

The lonely candle shop was located at the next major city street intersection. Austin missed the turning lane at the traffic light and had to back track with a set of soft curses. He drove into the parking lot without stopping the car, rounding the pavement and as his eyeballs scanned an empty parking lot. A gleaning object shone on top of the gray pavement. He stopped the car and cracked the door open, leaping out from the car, sliding down near the object, picking up the item. It was a pair of cuff links from the dress shirt of Frank. He smiled with a whisper, "Frank. Money. Gas. Food. Alcohol. Candles. And..."

She was driving south but running out of roads. Frank was running out personal item while Austin was running out of ideas for his fantasy dream date.

He back stepped into the seat of the car and slammed the door shut, looking ahead towards more roadway of US Highway One with a worried brow.

On a perfect evening date with a new flame, Austin would have a pocket of money, a gas tank of petrol, a basket of food, a glass of wine, a set of candles, and what.

Austin swiftly drove ahead and entered the highway, speeding around the other cars with a worried brow and looked to the side at the different retail stores with a whisper. "What would I do next? I don't know. I would be ready to fuck the girl." He saw the little cart on the side of the road inside the gravel field with a smile, "Flowers. Perfume. I like the smell of a floral woman. She would like the smell of Frank. Correction, she would like the smell of flora flowers on Frank." He slapped the brakes with a chuckle.

City of Palmetto Estates

Street intersection

168th Street and US Highway One

7:13 p.m.

Austin crossed the roadway and drove around the loose gravel of white. The white color would provide a visual easy to spot a new item from Frank. Berrington drove around and around the loose gravel with a worried brow, examining the open space, without seeing a new object. He stopped the car and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood upright from the seat next to the car door. His gut instinct was not shouting with victory here. He turned and scanned the landscape with a stern face and a whisper for his eardrums only. "I'm located near a row of warehouses which are numerous mechanical body shops on 168th Street. Stu talks about this place all the time with Frank. Thus, Frank is familiar with the geographic spot. And there is a flower cart here. So, my logic is sound. But, I don't see a bread crumb from Frank." Austin spun around with a gasp to the other buildings. "She turned off the highway. I missed her..."

"Do you need help, young man?" The elderly wrinkled old man stood behind the flower cart with a smile.

Austin swung around with a fake smile and a nod, jogging towards the flower cart, pulling out the wad of cash. It would have been rude not to buy something after scarring up the loose gravel in front of the elderly gentleman and his flower cart. He stopped and stood in front of the cart, looking down with a fake smile to each flower pile. "Yes sir. I am looking for my girl. I thought she had stopped here for a bouquet of flowers. I was to meet her here..."

"How long ago was your girl here?"

"Uh!" Austin looked up with a confused brow to the smile on the old man. Misty Marie had invaded his private manor at five o'clock. The sun was slowing sinking down into the western horizon, making it about six o'clock. Frank had been missing since noon time, six hours. He softly said with worry. "About an hour or so ago..."

He shook a skull of gray hair. "Not here, I move my cart back home. I was gone. I break for dinner at five or so."

He smiled with a nod. "That information is good to know, sir. I would like two dozen roses for my sweet girl." He offered the wad of cash with a smile and lifted up a set of two wet bouquets of red roses for Frank, so Frank could give to his worried wife Misty Marie to forgive and forget for acting like a shit ass.

The man accepted the wad of cash with a smile and counted out the money with a sour frown. "Hey sir! There is too much money here for me..."

Austin spun around with a worried brow and entered the car, tossing the two sets of roses in the rear seat. There was another flower shop. If the man and the cart were gone from the loose gravel field an hour ago, Vein drove and found the next flower shop. She had Frank's money to purchase a wall of flowers. He swiftly sped out and kicked up loose gravel, entering the highway, speeding around the car and looked for the flower shop on US Highway One.

Frank was still dropping and leaving behind a trail of bread crumbs.

Brier Park location

Street intersection

172nd Street and US Highway One

7:21 p.m.

Austin slowed the car and turned into the first flower shop, immediately spotting a tiny white cloth on top of the gray pavement and slammed the brakes, stopping the car. He cracked the door open and slid down over the pavement, kneeling in front of the newest bread crumb. It was Frank's personal handkerchief with his monogram signature of FMF for Franklin Mangrove Ferdinand. Austin reached out and lifted the item with a smile. Frank had tied light weight handkerchief around his wedding band.

Austin's throat constricted with fear. A wedding ring was a continuous circle of faith and commitment within a marriage. Frank would not have removed his wedding band unless he was dying. He wasn't dying. Mangrove was sending the other message. He was alive and well. This was the next bread crumb left for finding Frank.

Berrington chuckled with relief. "I'll find you, buddy. And that bitch is dead."

So, she had brought both flowers and candles for a romantic evening with his brother for tonight. However, Austin was hot on Frank's ass, since the bread crumb trail hadn't ended.

He slid back into the seat and held the wedding band with a pair of sweaty and dirty palms. Austin was fresh out of dream date fantasy ideas, so he should contact Stu or Tom for some advice. However, his other two brothers were too far, too long, and too late. The time was after seven o'clock in the evening and getting later with a sinking sun within less than two hours of daylight.

Austin had to do this alone.

A few months ago, Austin found Tom during the Angel of Death mission, figuring out that Sawyer had been kidnapped and captured by the girl named Mouse who held Tom inside her rented beach house of Ruby Beach.

Berrington wished this was Ruby Beach, a small isolated town.

But, it was a big nasty metro city Miami with dozens of separate towns within the city limits. This was like looking for a needle inside a haystack.

He exhaled with a puff of worry, closing both eyelids, concentrating on his fantasy date dream with a whisper for his eardrums only. "Frank. Money. Gas. Food. Alcohol. Candles. Flowers. And, and, and..."

There was something else before the first sex act. Berrington didn't know. If he couldn't say it with a tongue, then maybe he could see it with the eyeballs.

Austin drove the car and pulled back onto the highway, driving like a little old lady while scanning each side of the roadway for the next bread crumb from Frank.

City of Perrine

Street intersection

184th Street and US Highway One

Outside fruit stand location

Outside parking lot setting

7:30 p.m.

Austin stopped at the traffic light of street intersection and as his eyes darted back and forth to see each retail store. He saw it, a standalone fruit stand. But, he had covered the item of food at the supermarket on 124th Street in the city of Pinecrest, when Frank had dropped down and left in the parking lot his pocket handkerchief as the bread crumb.

Then, Austin remembered one of his former flames, who liked strawberries a lot and everywhere on her, on him, on the floor.

The wooden home-made fruit stand stood alone and displayed a set of tiny boxes of fresh red colored strawberries.

Yes, Vena was a queen-slut bitch, who liked strawberries, too.

Berrington slowly maneuvered and parked inside the sandy parking lot, exiting the car and strolled around the sandy soil, scanning for the newest bread crumb without success. And he looked stupid wandering around the sandy soil, turning and venturing towards the older woman behind the fruit stand. He just smiled and purchased a box of fresh strawberries with a wad of cash in silence as the nice vendor nodded and accepted the wad of cash with a smile in silence.

He spun around and moved back to the trunk of the sports car, lifting the lid and wrapped the box of juicy fruit with a set of paper towels while storing the item inside the truck. Frank might need nourishment after his rescue.

Berrington reached down and grabbed a strawberry, spinning around, strolling towards the grassy field, chewing on of the juicy berry and stared out over the miles of growing crops with an exhale of worry. He spun around and stared out over the dull golden sand of the unplowed fields. His acute eyesight noticed a brown lumpy object among the dull sand. Austin raced towards the item, in case someone might snatch it from his view first, sliding down over the soil and stopped, picking up and lifted the item into the air near his eyeballs. It was a wallet, missing an identification card, cash money, or a credit card. The brown leather was ordinary. Austin didn't know if a wallet could be monogrammed, in this case the wallet was brown leather without contents.

His guts shouted with victory. This was Frank's wallet. There weren't any more clues or hints or bread crumbs around the stand alone fruit stand. A fool might have dropped down the personal wallet, but it would be filled with cash, a set of credit cards and an identification card. So, Vena had been here and had stopped for a box of strawberry fruit, while Frank had dumped out his wallet over the sandy soil.

He whispered with a worried brow, "Frank. Money. Gas. Food. Alcohol. Candles. Flowers. Fruit. And, and, and..." His mind was totally blank again.

Frank possessed an array of personal items, including the mobile telephone, the set of blinking earplugs cords, the silk necktie, the matching silk pocket handkerchief, the designer wrist watch, the pair of ruby cuff links, the wedding band, the wallet, and the what. Of course, there was one more toy, the last bread crumb on Frank.

Austin stood upright from the soil and pocketed the wallet inside the sports car, dashing towards the car, opening the door and slid inside, cranking the engine. He gunned the gasoline pedal onto the highway towards the major intersection to finally find and rescue Frank with a smile and a yell of victory. "I'm coming, buddy. Hold on!"

Street intersection

Marlin Road and US Highway One

7:32 p.m.

Austin's heart sank between a set of two healthy lungs with fear, worry, sadness, and disappointment. He slammed the brakes and stopped the car at the next road intersection without a column of other vehicles behind the rear bumper of his car. A small patch of sandy and grass on each side of US Highway One did not display a row of retail stores, a line of vanilla colored sidewalks, a gang of people, or Frank. Austin could see Florida's Turnpike, an expressway that traveled down from Miami down towards the Key West islands up close with a pair of naked eyeballs and he could mouth spit at the concrete bridge.

He slowly turned and drove the car on Marlin Road which technically the next traffic light exchange on US Highway One, pulling over into the shoulder of sand and grove of high palm trees for shade from the dull sunshine, stopping the car, seeing patches of red colored strawberry fields.

He sat inside the car and stared out through the windshield at a huge bright green colored traffic sign that identified the new expressway which led down towards the end of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico waters.

Florida's Turnpike was a major interchange leading into the cities of Homestead, Florida City, and finally the main island of Key West.

Vena was going down all the way down and into one of the hundreds of Key West islands with Frank. Austin needed to inform Stu and Tom immediately. Berrington would alert all QA guards and then gear up all the employed accountants and lawyers with a helmet, a pair of gloves, a hand gun, and a map to search each tiny compact city between Homestead and Key West for Mangrove. He would call and demand that the US Navy military base in Key West main island help in Frank's search and rescue with bags of billions of US dollars. With more help, Berrington could locate Mangrove by suppertime. He reached over and jerked the mobile telephone from the stack of papers, lifting to a face and swished the icon, seeing the face of Stu. Wait! He lowered the telephone onto the steering wheel with a confused brow.

Vena was here in Miami with Frank, not in Homestead or one of the Key West islands.

Austin reached behind the passenger seat and slapped the back seat floor compartment. The flush lid lifted into the air. He reached inside and grabbed all the city maps and geographical reports from dark hole with a hand. He sat back upright and cracked open the door, sliding out and left the door open. He moved and stopped in front of the hood of the car, placing the map over the metal and studied the information.

His finger advanced ahead over the map to the next city street intersection 200th Street, going passed Florida's Turnpike. Austin's gut was telling him, not that way.

Austin continued to study the hard copy maps from Stu, regarding the surrounding area outside of Miami. The reports contained a set of maps, statistics, and facts of all the streets, the cities, and the underground sewer system.

He exhaled with a puff of worry and as his finger moved backward and stopped at the missed physical spot 152nd Street which held the Miami City Zoo.

The Miami City Zoo was the largest and oldest zoological garden within US State of Florida which was located in the southern part of unincorporated Miami-Dade County. The Zoo was located within the southwest part of the city of Miami and due west of the village of Palmetto Bay. The Zoo housed 1,200 wild animals and was the only subtropical climate zoo within USA that contained on 740 land acres, three miles of walking paths, and eighty animal exhibitions, including the featured animals of jaguars, anacondas, river otters, harpy eagles, white tigers, and Cuban crocodiles.

Austin stopped reading with a huff. He couldn't read all the reports, right now. There wasn't enough time left for finding Frank. And Austin couldn't search all the physical places either. He looked up with a worried brow to scan the cloudy sky of predicted rain showers, this evening. The weather was not cooperating with Frank's rescue either.

He looked down with a stern face to read the next report in silence.

The Miami City Zoo was located between the villages of Cutler and Palmetto Bay.

The city of Palmetto Bay was composed of 24,469 people with a total area of eight point eight miles of land and water. There were 7,790 households which held 84.4 percent of white people with an average media money income of 95,584 dollars. There were numerous elementary, middle and high schools for the students, a few local radio and television broadcast stations, and two newspapers. There was an array of food joints, grass huts, and a private entrance into the Miami City Zoo.

Austin concluded that the Miami City Zoo was too crowded for Vena to exhibit Frank there for any reason and skipped to the last page of the report.

The town of Florida City was the last civilization which was located at the end of US Highway One. Then the highway turned into the roadway named Florida's Turnpike running directly into the town of Florida City. Florida's Turnpike was dotted with motels, eateries, and camper parks.

The city of Florida City was quite a ride, coming down south from the main metropolitan city of Miami. The city was small with a population of less than 8,000 people which was closer to the ocean water than the landlocked city of Homestead. Much of the town consisted of crop land which produced potatoes, tomatoes, squash, assorted fruits, and vegetables. There were numerous visitor hotels and tourist facilities. The eastern side of the city ran through the Everglades National Park, terminating at the city street of Flamingo Street. This was the last spot before driving over the concrete and steel Seven Mile Bridge, heading down into the upper and lower Florida Keys.

There were numerous small unincorporated communities between Florida City and the Florida Keys, such as, Redland, Leisure City, Naranja, and Princeton.

Austin leaned over and folded the southern part of the large map, staring at the city streets between northern Miami Beach down to the southern city of Homestead on top of the engine hood of the sports car, back tracking his progress with an index finger, tracing her path on the map.

Vena started her wild adventure at the city street of Miracle Mile at Antonio's Restaurant, grabbing Frank and tossed his mobile telephone at the trash receptacle, traveling east on Bird Road. She turned due south onto US Highway One.

His finger touched 72nd Street at city of South Miami. Charity South Miami Hospital was located there. Vena could have easily been seen with Frank at her office and by one of the numerous board members. Mangrove was a handsome, rich, married, and one of the many infamous Charity supermen on the hospital board of directors.

However, Austin found the silk necktie of Frank at the bank parking lot when she had gotten money from Frank personal bank account at the intersecting of 80th Street and US Highway One.

His finger touched 88th Street within the town of Kendall. Dadeland Mall was too crowded to hide out with Frank again.

The set of blinking earplugs and cord was located at the gas station for gasoline inside her car which was further down the block on 104th Street and US Highway One.

His finger touched 112th Street within the village of Pinecrest. The outside baseball park fields and grassy playground parks held too many adults and children which would have been too crowded to hide out with Frank again.

His finger touched 124th Street within the village of Suniland. Frank's pocket handkerchief was located at the supermarket parking lot, where she had gotten food.

His finger touched 136th Street within the Colonial Plaza. Frank's wrist watch laid inside the parking lot at the liquor store for purchasing alcohol.

His finger touched 144th Street inside the town of Cutler. Frank's red ruby cuff links were dropped down inside the parking lot at the candle shop.

His finger touched 152nd Street at the village of Palmetto Bay. The Miami City Zoo was definitely too crowded for hiding out with Frank.

His finger touched 168th Street within the village of Palmetto Estates. Frank's wedding band was grounded inside the parking lot at the flower shop. Vena wanted a vase of pretty flowers for their evening date. This was the only flower shop for miles, the last retail business off the highway. So, Vena had ventured to every store along US Highway One.

So, US Highway One was the common factor. She didn't turn to far off the main highway. Then, Austin recalled that every retail store was located on the west side of the highway.

Vena didn't use the left hand turning lane to cross over the highway toward the east side on the busy roadway, because she didn't want to waste time, maybe just save some time. She was driving in a straight line towards her final destination with Frank for her final act.

She had Frank, money, gas, food, alcohol, flowers, candles, and fruit, finishing the shopping list. Therefore, she was going back to her real home. She didn't live inside the Palmetto Bay estates which would have been too crowded and too normal with a normal family plus a couple of children.

This chick was abnormal, quiet, and secretive while driving south.

His finger touched the map on 184th Street within the city of Perrine. The empty wallet of Frank had been dropped and located there. So, Frank felt that he needed the money and the driver's license, because Frank was still in this area, somewhere.

The city of Perrine was her last stop, where Frank had placed his last bread crumb.

Austin exhaled with a deep sigh and continued to read the geographical report.

The city of Perrine was an unincorporated community between the metro city of Miami and smaller town of Homestead. The small town was named after Henry Perrine, a medical physician. In the year 1839, Perrine was granted a township of land by the United States Congress for his recognition of agricultural service. The town was attacked by the tribe of Seminole Indians in the year 1840, killing Dr. Perrine as his biological family unit escaped. His son Henry, Junior sold the land to the big railroad company. Then, the railroad company divided the grant land into numerous sections, calling the new community Perrine.

Perrine had a population of 15,576 and was divided into two sections West and East Perrine. East Perrine became part of the municipality of Palmetto Bay in the year 2000, consisting of an array of low income neighbors, playground parks, retail shops, and gas stations.

Berrington gathered the maps and reports with a deep sigh into both arms, back stepping from the hood of the car, side stepping and slid back down into the driver seat, dropping the maps and the repots onto the passenger floor mats. He reached over and cranked up the engine, staring the car and the air conditioner on a sweaty face, tapping on the built-in locator device with a puzzled brow. He recalled during one of Stu's intense psychological and mental training sessions, a murderer wanted to be identified and known, not hiding in secret. The murderer loved the social attention.

The female voice on the business telephone recorder inside the office of Frank had spoken the words: Priestess of Sunrise.

The reference to the word sunrise was the city. No, Austin didn't believe so.

The reference to the word sunrise was a business company. No, Austin didn't believe so.

The reference to the word sunrise was a symbol. No, Austin didn't believe so.

The word sunrise was a city street. Maybe, Austin thought.

The locator device didn't pick up a city street with the name sunrise.

Austin closed his eyelids and mentally thought about the girl inside his early morning dreams, hearing her voice on the recorded mobile phone message. The voice was familiar, not South American or North American, a foreign clip of her tongue, French Creole.

Austin recalled the same phonetic vibration of the voice when he dated a girl with a French accent. Her accent wasn't the only foreign thing on that girl. Berrington chuckled with a grin. The old former flame came from the country of French and worked as a church missionary on the island country of Haiti.

The Haitian Creole language was spoken by the female voice with the words: Priestess of Sunrise. The language is spoken inside the islands country of Haiti by nine million people, almost the entire population.

Austin had jetted the former flame back home on the QA private jet plane for her permanent assignment, after their last date. He was very impressed with her, but she had dreams to accomplish which didn't include family, children or Austin.

He admired her for that and her unique name, a talented and interesting female named Zwazo. Zwazo translated into the word bird within her native Haitian Creole language. She was beautiful lady with a head of black hair and a tone of dark skin, who denied all the American material values and valuables from Austin.

Austin remembered that Stu had used his brain and his computer, researching the background of each employee at the Charity Fund Raising division, including a city of residence and any historical or genealogical data from his trusty silver tinted beast and his talented IT department.

Berrington chuckled. He should learn to use the internet before another emergency, looking down to read the paper report.

About 400,000 people from the country of Haiti lived within the countries of Bahamas, Cuba, Canada, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico and the United States, who spoke the Creole language. Haitian Creole was one of two official languages of Haiti along with the French language. The basic speech was derived from eighteenth century French influences of African, Arabic, Spanish, and English. The history of Haitian Creole came from a man named Felix Morisseau-Leroy in the year 1961 as the official language of the country. Morisseau was the first and most influential author of the time writing about the Creole language.

Since the 1980s, a group of educators, writers, activists, newspapers, radio, and television programs had written and produced documents and programs in the Creole language. The history was perceived as a corruptive usage of the lovely French language when the African slaves combined both the French words and the African sounds.

For example: 'Ki jan ou rele?' was translated into 'what is your name?' within the Creole language. The official French phrase was "Comment vous appelez-vous?"

The language was used among Haitians who had relocated to other foreign countries within the United States and Canada with large populations in the major cities of Montreal, Quebec, New York City, Boston, and South Florida, including Palm Beach, Ft. Lauderdale, and Miami.

Currently, the Miami-Dade County sent out a paper communication for any type of public service announcement to the schools, hospitals, and other medical institutions in the Haitian Creole, using the Haitian television station and radio station.

The town of West Perrine contained 8,600 people with an average household size of 3.71 and a median income of 28,420 dollars, where 44 percent of the people lived below the poverty line and 2.46 percent of the population spoke the French Creole as the native tongue. The 2.46 percent speakers also lived in West Perrine, Florida. The town had a total area of 1.7 square miles all of land without a drop of lake water. And, most of the landscapes were dotted with rows of steel warehouses which was located in the southwest corner of Miami right off of US Highway One.

"Bingo has been renamed Frank." Austin tossed both palms and reached over, tapping on the locator devise. He was three miles south of West Perrine which was located at the previous major traffic light intersection, where he missed.

So, the jigsaw puzzle was fitting nicely into his active mind with all the solid clues in place, her background, her voice, her jog, her mystery place, and his brother.

Austin dropped a hand over the steering wheel and the other into the first gear, peeling tire rubber back onto the highway, heading towards West Perrine, Florida, breaking the speed limit. Berrington chuckled. He must really possess that Tele thing but he would never ever mention that to Tom. Tom would get jealous, since the man was really a loco nut case.

City of Perrine

City street intersection

184th Street and US Highway One

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of dull sunshine

7:34 p.m.

At the traffic light intersection, Austin pulled off the highway and stopped inside the shoulder of sand, turning to scan the road, the sand, and the cloudy sky. Vena was driving a straight line due south and then turned onto the avenue. He glanced down at the last line of report which stated West Perrine. Yes, Vena had turned towards the west, not the east.

Austin gunned the pedal and pulled the car onto 184th Street heading towards the sinking sun in the west, passing a set of grassy parks, numerous retail shops, and rows of old and new tall warehouses. The rows of warehouses were used a storage facility or a retail shop, such like, for cars, freight lines, and other bulky heavy products of heavy metal for sale or repair. A warehouse building was also an isolated private spot to practice the magical art of voodoo.

Tom had guessed right when he mentioned that her magical art trade was voodoo with the priestess who had addressed the voice message, since he was the true science fiction nut genius lone outer space alien on the planet Earth.

When Austin safely retrieved Frank, he was going to hug Tom and then kick Frank's ass.

Austin slammed the brakes with a loud squeal and slowed towards the next traffic light interchange, pulling off the road, turned and scanning for a row of ugly but solid warehouses.

The next city street intersection was 184th Street and 109th Avenue. He could see the shiny tin coated roof top of each warehouse with a smile, since it was too simple, too obvious, and too easy. This rest of the 109th Avenue veered due south too.

Austin's gut was cheering with victory.

He slowed maneuvered the car onto the street and then turned due south into the avenue, searching the warehouse with an acute eye. Tom mentioned that Frank had all his electronic Gage gadgets. However, there was one more bread crumb left on Mangrove.

Austin slammed the brakes and slowly turned, stopping the car in front of the tall set of metal post office boxes that was used by each retail business inside a warehouse. He was going to get Jace to identify his brother Frank with a locator necktie tag, so he wouldn't get lost again like a damn runaway dog. Austin whispered with a worried brow. "Damn it to hell."

He kept the car running in case of an emergency, where he might just kill Vena with front of the hood engine, cracking the door open, sliding out and stood upright with a puff of worry. He turned and scooted around the wall of metal mailboxes within the lawn of shitty dead yellow and green tall grassy weeds, slowly roaming around the other side, seeing nothing within his eyeballs. He continued to move around the wall of mailboxes for a second time, strolling ahead towards the ugly broken gray colored pavement and stopped in place, scanning the ugly pavement, the uglier grass, the ugliest weeds, and city street ditches. A shiny black object flashed within the fading sunlight, an ink pen.

Berrington raced over and reached down with a smile, picking up the ink pen.

Stu had ordered numerous boxes of ink pens for all the employees as a personal gift from the Quartet with a big monetary bonus. Gage insisted that each fourth carry the damn thing around inside a trouser pocket or a business jacket while Frank devotedly obeyed.

Austin left his personal QA ink pen on top of the empty desk inside his throne room which would be retrieved upon returning to work tomorrow morning.

He reached down and rubbed the ink pen, looking up with a worried brow to survey the ugly landscape and the uglier buildings in the far distance. Austin couldn't believe his acute vision or his good luck.

One of the farthest warehouses hidden down the long row of buildings possessed a big red colored letter V. The letter was painted on the side of the tall steel coated warehouse meaning voodoo or Vena or both.

Berrington laughed with a nod. It was a heavenly sign, coming directly down from Almighty God into the eyeballs of Austin, personally. "Okay, Sir, I got it. It is time to rescue my brother Frank. And I will be sending another fucking angel your way. You can deal with this witch."

Old Man back stepped from the pavement with a sneer and spun around, pocketing the ink pen with the other possessions that belonged to his brother Frank down inside the side pocket of the sports jacket. He dashed ahead towards the car and slid down inside the seat with a smirk, slowly driving over the pavement and around all the numerous potholes without creating a scene. The element of surprise was profound for saving Frank today.

Austin slowly drove the car and parked inside the park spot of her neighbor, cracking open the door while watching the front door of her warehouse, sliding out and stood upright with a sneer. He back stepped and watched the entrance door, stopping and stood in front of the trunk. The lid lifted up and revealed all the QA gear. He slipped off the sports coat and ripped off the sweaty turtleneck, replacing a naked chest with a fresh and clean white colored T-shirt, slipping back on the dirty and smelly black colored sports jacket over the clean T-shirt, not before taping a sharp blade onto the small bend of a back spine which was hidden underneath the shirt.

Vena would be expecting him and his weapon while Austin would be expecting her and her surprises.

He spun around and slowly strutted towards the entrance door with a soft sneer, staring at the gigantic blood red colored letter V on the side of her personal warehouse.

Warehouse of Vena

Silver tinted warehouse with red colored letter V

Hot temperatures with clouds of dull sunrays

7:42 p.m.

Vena would kill Frank after her sexual fun. The rest of the Quartet would never find his whereabouts or possibly the dead body. Stu was busy searching inside the city streets of northern Miami without communication of positive information. Tom was scouting inside the city streets of western Miami with the same loss result.

Austin was stalking her ass inside the city streets of southern Miami. He should wait for brotherly assistance before attacking the bitch, since he had sent a communication text to Stu and Tom only. A mobile telephone call had been relayed to his brothers for an un-friendly invitation to a single warehouse at 184th Street and 109th Avenue.

However, he was the leader, the boss, the dictator of the Quartet.

A leader leads. A killer kills.

Badass Berrington was also in a very "badass" mood, admiring the rows of full grown wide banyan shade trees and tall and furry pine trees, a weather damaged street, and one old warehouse painted with a red letter V for vengeance.

He moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of a rusty steel door over a flat concrete front porch, reaching out and touched the knob, twisting it to the side. The ugly door was locked. Austin reached down and pulled out, using the tip of pen knife swiftly into the key latch. The old lock was rusty and needed a set of replacement parts.

The door slowly opened with a swagger inward and halted in silence.

He entered through the open archway alone, quietly and cautiously, holding his Ghost near a soft sneer and ready for action. The front entrance space was an open dark and still room. His heart was racing, wondering if Frank was alive or dead.

There was a set of faint noise coming from the back rear room inside a square shaped warehouse building, echoing up and between the metal rafters. Someone was home.

He stopped and stood in place with a grin. The sound was a series of muffled words. Berrington could make out a female and a male timber, so Frank was alive and well. So, the sex hot action was in the rear room.

Austin slowly approached ahead and strutted towards the faint sounds, seeing a lighted room.

The door of the rear room was open. Vena wasn't expecting a visit from the Quartet.

Austin slowly paced with a raised Ghost near a grin, in case she had a set of Voodoo followers that could be hidden between the rows of boxes.

Vena was expecting Austin thou, knowing that he would come after her and to rescue his brother Frank, since Berrington was the leader, the boss, the badass of the Quartet.

Back room interior setting of Vena and Frank

7:44 p.m.

Austin stopped and stood upright inside the open archway, leaning against the door frame, crossing both arms over the shirt with a smirk. He allowed the Ghost to rest in a shooting hand while observing a South Florida gentleman. Frank was resting on top of bed mattress and naked with a set of tied wrist bones and ankle bones onto each corner of the small bed metal frame of the canopy. "Don't let me interrupt." Austin chuckled at the love scene on top of the bed mattress.

Vena swiftly spun around with a stunned and surprise face to see Austin.

He stood in place with a smile.

"Stop chuckling, Austin! Kill the fucking bitch!" Frank sneered in irritation and fright within his normal tenor voice.

"Sa se zanmi mwen," Vena winked with a smile to Austin. The sentence translated into English: This is my friend.

Austin recognized the Creole language, compliments of his former flame Zawa. He thought of the English translation: He is my brother. He was letting her know that Frank was a Quartet member, not a new boy toy for her musing enjoyment. He spoke in the baby Creole with a smile, "Li se fre mwen."

Vena gasped with shock. Austin had vocalized a completed sentence in her Creole language. He indeed was a man of action, adventure, and surprise. She reached over and grabbed the colorful tiny stuffed red haired doll in the shape of a small white man complete with an erected penis at the high noon position. "Don't move? He will and can die." She said in English, not her native language.

"Li se fre mwen," Austin repeated the Creole relationship of Frank to him and turned, tossing his Ghost down into a side chair in the wall corner with perfect aim. He held both hands in the air for his surrender, not harming Frank.

"Excellent move, doll!"

Austin winked with a smile, "How about an exchange, Vena?"

She parted the lips, "What exchange, doll?"

Austin nodded with a smile, "Me for him."

She sat back on both kneecaps and studied Austin with a smile, "You, the mighty Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth."

Austin chuckled, "I thought you wanted to fuck."

"Fuck?" She gasped.

"Yeah, fuck." He nodded with a smile and dropped both arms.

"Hmm! I do enjoy a rough challenge."

Vena spun around and reached down cutting off the cloth strips from the wrists and ankle bones of Mangrove. Frank jumped off the bed and moved ahead to the wall towards Austin with an angry face and a sneer, "Fucking witch..."

Austin removed and handed the black sports jacket to Frank, without moving an eyeball from Vena. "Leave, Frank. I'll take care of this."

"Fine! Finish her, now. I'm hungry." Frank kept up his sharp sense of humor, obeying Austin's command more from relief, embarrassment, and friendship rather than master servitude.

Frank finished dressed in a pair of pants and a set of shoes, leaving the warehouse while patiently waiting for Badass Berrington. Then, Mangrove was going back home to his wife, missing her during this asinine stupid captivity ploy.

Austin performed a simple strip tease, tossing the shirt and the pair of pants onto the floor. He approached the bed with a grin. Vena laid upon the bedcovers with a pair of shapely legs outstretched in a V-shape ready for him to enter her. He could smell the sex juices in the air, since she liked to fuck, probably anything with two legs, maybe four.

Austin climbed one knee at a time onto the bed, crawling hand to hand, knee to knee to her for drama while the entire time, eyeing her pupils. He grunted and snarled in a love fury.

She placed her arms against the wall with a soft thud like she was physically being chained. Vena liked games using sex, also.

He really wanted to try her and her juices when she arched her pelvis, bending the knees. He smiled avoiding words, only grunts and groans. Words were not needed.

The delicious vamp was going to kill him during sex obviously and obnoxiously. She possessed a knife which was hidden behind the pillow but within reach of her fingers.

He stopped the crawl with a smirk and sat upright on both kneecaps with both hands on the hips, readying for some fucking action.

She smiled with a set of low purring animal sounds deep within a throat. He chuckled, moving closer to her body. She didn't move her arms from the wall while he touched her breasts with both his hands, massaging the nipples. She closed her eyelashes, not moving her hands.

He reached back and grabbed the taped blade from the small bend of his back spine into his fighting hand. Austin slid the blade across the back spine, pricking his blood over the skin and then reached down, quickly stabbing the blade into her right kidney between the two ribs within the rib cage which was unprotected from her arms.

She screamed in fear.

He viciously pushed the blade into her body when she jerked a body towards the side of her wound. She moved like a cat and leaped off the bed, standing slightly folded on top of the tile floor. Blood was gushing out from the open wound onto the bedcovers, the floor, the blanket, the side wall, and her.

He jumped off the bed and back stepped to the oversized chair, dressing while watching her dance on top of the cool floor. The wound was fatal. He had studied biology and the points of lethal impact as required by Mangrove during one of many intense mental, physical, and emotional self-defense training exercises for the Quartet and the QA guards.

She reached down and jerked the knife blade out from the kidney injury with a set of shaky fingers.

Wrong move, doll!

Her blood flowed faster and swifter and as she dropped down and knelt onto the dirty red stained floor. Her black face was turning into a yellowish-white tone as the blood rushed faster out from the brain and down into the heart, communicating how to heal the wound.

Her body was trying to compensate for the kidney injury by carrying the blood from other body parts, such like, the lungs, the brain, the muscles, and the organs. But it was really too bad, too late and too dumb.

Vena collapsed down and rested on top of her blood over the floor, slowly breathing out oxygen molecules. In two more minutes, Vena Veil Vein would be dead.

Austin heard her breath gasp and gag with a smirk and a chuckle. "I enjoy a rough challenge, too." He spun around and moved across the tile, leaving an ugly blue-whitish matter on top of the dirty blood stained floor, strutting through the open archway with a smile which had been propped open by Mangrove. He exited the warehouse into the hot Florida sunshine with a chuckle.

A rushing dirty white colored sporting luxury sedan was followed behind the rear bumper guard by a racing baby blue sports car. Both vehicles squeaked to a stop, sliding sideways over the hard pavement, releasing Tom and Stu from an individual QA vehicle. They held a Ghost near a nose profile and run towards a smiling Austin and a frustrated Frank.

Mangrove was leaning on the driver's door of the sports car, wearing the black sports jacket and a naked chest, holding a box of strawberries with a smile. "Tom and Stu are too late as usual." He ate and chewed the single strawberry with a grin.

"Jeezus, Austin always has all the gawd damn fun." Tom stopped and stood in front of Austin and Frank, replacing his Ghost back inside the QA vest pocket for safety.

"Forget it." Stu stopped and stood beside Tom, staring with a smile to Austin and then Frank, replacing his Ghost back into the QA body vest for safety also.

"Right!" Austin nodded with a smile.

"How was she?" Tom grinned with a chuckle.

"How was she?" Austin frowned.

"The sex?" Tom laughed.

"Get real! I don't fuck witches, Tom." Austin chuckled.

"Lizard was a witch." Tom shook his bangs with a smile.

"Lizard was a bitch. There's a difference." Austin frowned.

"What the motto, boys?" Frank chuckled with a smile.

Austin sang in baritone timber with a smile, "The Band of Brother together..."

"...come hell or heaven," Tom, Stu, and Frank sang in unison together.

8:30 p.m.

City of Coral Gables

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of dull sunshine

Church of Coral Gables location

Interior music room setting

Rosebud entered the building and raced down an empty hallway through the dining room and into the music room. She had plenty of time getting to the church on time but padded and paddled around the house performing small tasks, making her late for the Wednesday night choir practice at her church.

All the other singers sat in an assigned folding chair since each alto, tenor, baritone, and soprano voices had an assigned section with assigned music and assigned chairs also. She scooted in front of the nasty face and reached her assigned chair, sitting down in the middle of the choir section as an alto voice. She faced the music director and lifted up, studying the new piece of singing music. The music director tapped the baton onto the musical stand.

Then, the entire church choir stood upright from the assigned chair and sung for the next thirty minutes.

8:58 p.m.

Church choir setting

The music director swung the baton upright and held both arms into the air with a nod as the church choir held the A-chord with all singing voices. Then, he dropped the baton and the both arms with a smile to the choir, "Very good, choir persons. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. I will see each one of you at seven thirty on Sunday morning right here inside the music room before we venture into the auditorium. Do not be late, please. Good night to all. Please, drive safety." He back stepped from the podium and spun around, moving back to his office.

"Miss Ruff..." the male shouted down from the rafters.

Rosebud swung around with a smile and parted the lips, staring at the male in shock and surprise. Austin stood upright on top of the fourth tier with a song book inside the baritone section of the singers as part of the church choir. He strutted down with a smile and stopped, standing beside the nose profile on Rosebud. "Did you enjoy the card game on Monday evening? I didn't get your reaction to your victory, Dr. Ruff."

"I..."

The other alto stood behind the back spine on Rosebud, Mrs. Gossly leaned over into air space of Rosebud to smile at Austin. "Did I hear a card game? What kind of cards? Did you play gin rummy or hearts, Rosebud? I enjoy a little competition ever one in a while too," she chuckled with Austin. She was the wife of Elder Gossly plus the head nosy busy body of the church, always questioning Rosebud about her nightly personal adventures away from church choir.

Up to this point, Rosebud had been quiet about her nightly adventures, since people liked to gossip. "Shit!" She whispered for her eardrums only while Austin continued to smile into her face while referencing the competitive poker game. The card game was okay, not the pot of money. Some people might construe that action as an act of gambling. Gambling was one of the lovely sins within the eyeballs of the church. Rosebud personally felt different. However, she sung in the church choir with the other people that felt the same.

"Rosebud wins at poker." Austin continued to smile in the face of Rosebud when the rest of the singers of the church choir listened.

Mrs. Gossly parted the lips with a gasp. "Did I hear the word poker? Are you a gambler of money, too, Rosebud?"

Austin smirked with a nod at Rosebud, "She is a very good gambler of poker. She won about four hundred thousand dollars on Monday night at the game of poker."

Rosebud cleared a throat with a mumble. "It was two hundred and sixty thousand dollars."

Another nosy busybody female choir singer turned and frowned at eth nose profile on Rosebud with a gasp and a nod, "My word, you are a gambler of money."

"A sinner," Mrs Gossly sneered into the eardrum on Rosebud.

Rosebud nodded with a smile to Austin. "I enjoy doing varied other sporting activities."

Mrs. Gossly gasped. "I hear the word sporting activities. What other sporting activities besides gambling?"

Austin smiled with a chuckle to Rosebud. "She races fast speed cars, also."

"The other night, I had some fun and engaged in racing around a golf cart like for the sport of golfing," Rosebud huffed with annoyance at Berrington.

Austin nodded with a smirk. "Yes, she engaged in racing around inside a golf kart while betting more money and winning it all. Is that not correct, Rosebud?"

Mrs. Gossly frowned, "The activities of betting money, gambling monies, racing cars are all the evil profits of Satan, Rosebud. I am very surprised and very disappointed in your chosen cultural behavior patterns. You are a role model to all young girls of all ages in America. Now, I have learned that you display such a vulgar habit as a gambler of money and a race car driver of dangerous speed. You should be ashamed of yourself."

"Shit," Rosebud whispered for her eardrums only and stared with a sour frown at Austin.

Austin winked with a chuckle. "Now, that's only her dark side."

Rosebud turned and frowned at Mrs. Gossly. "There is nothing wrong with either a nice card game or a kart race. The events are fun for all ages."

"Dr. Ruff..." one of the elders of the church moved ahead from the music office and stopped, standing in front of the music podium, motioning with a hand and a puzzled brow.

Rosebud turned and smiled at the elder of the church. "Yes sir."

The elder cleared a throat with a hand motion and a puzzled brow. "May I have a word with you in private inside the music office with the music director, please?" He back stepped with a sour frown from the podium and spun around, slowly moving towards the music director, who stood inside the open archway.

Rosebud bumped elbows with Mrs. Gossly and moved down the bleachers with a puff of annoyance, strolling towards the music direction, entering into the music office.

Then, the door closed shut.

Austin stood in place with a smirk, needing to unwind from a deadly kill. A kill made him wired and energetic.

Ninety minutes ago, Austin had left the dead and stuff blue colored body of Vena Veil Vein on top of the bloody floor of her warehouse in West Perrine.

Stu had called the police department during the wild ass drive inside his vehicle, coming from the northern section of Miami Beach to find Frank and Austin inside the city of Perrine, explaining the kidnapping plot and the daring brotherly rescue. Once the police had arrived at the warehouse that belonged to Vena, Austin and Frank each gave a brief eye witness account and were released from the crime scene and any type of crime, especially Austin for another cold-blooded murder which was justified with a small blade.

Outside the pavement parking lot of the warehouse, Austin had ordered Frank to purchase her property warehouse tomorrow and then tear it down while infusing a set of new business ventures with the local citizens in Perrine, helping the city heal his wounds of almost losing his brother Frank.

Austin returned back home to Coral Beach with a talkative Frank, who babbled about Vena Veil Vein inside the cockpit of the speeding sports car.

In the driveway, at the Mangrove castle, in Coral Beach, his wife Misty Marie had been both mad and glad to see Frank. However, Frank was not having a good and happy evening based on the distorted ugly face of his wife Misty Marie. His wife hugged and kissed a cheekbone on the other Quartet brothers, pulling back with a fake smile, swinging around without touching a body part on Frank, storming back into their shared multi-million-dollar castle residence.

Austin spun around and slid back down inside the driver's seat with a chuckle of relief that his brother was safe from other evil doers. He drove the car and returned back to his personal home, cleaning up and running late for church choir practice to see and smell the vanilla perfume of Rosebud for a few seconds.

Berrington didn't have anything to do during the evening while working out some mental and physical tenses with pretty and arrogant Rosebud and merciful and loving Almighty God. He always came to pray for his earthly sins also.

A murder was wrong. A life form was precious and sacred. But, a sub-human monster like Vena Veil Vein was a mistake that God had created in heaven and then Austin had rectified from the planet. Now, she was serving a new master named Satan.

And Austin was waiting for the next bitch to show up inside his dreams. His morning dreams had become a warning of something terrible which ironically featured a female in trouble. He softly chuckled. Almighty God could read the mind and the heart of Austin.

Thus, Austin had been dreaming about Rosebud which meant that she was in trouble or about to get into trouble. So, Austin decided to flow with the current dream and drew her attention towards his person. He owned one-fourth of an international security business with more than enough experience to protect Rosebud with a Ghost and a sneer. This way, she would focus her eyeballs on Austin. While his eyeballs searched for her future assailant. Thus, they made a perfect couple in crime and intrigue.

"Excuse me, ladies! I am retiring for the night." Austin turned and stared at the closed door with a smirk, moving down the bleachers with a hum of the last choir song, exiting the building and headed back home to Coral Beach. He had accomplished his task tonight, getting her attention.
Thursday August 26th

2:31 a.m. (East Coast time zone)

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and bright moonlight

Home of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

One Coral Lane

Interior master bedroom setting

He awoke on top of the pink tinted bed linen in sweat and stared up at the pink colored wooden ceiling with a wicked smile, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read 2:31 a.m.

His sleeping dream was deeply pleasant with a tall and beautiful dark skinned female. He knew the sissy name, the sexy body and the sassy personality of the fiery red haired middle aged female.

He flipped over onto a naked stomach and flipped the pillow, resting a sweaty smile back down onto the cool side of the pink satin, without falling back asleep.

10:10 a.m. (West Coast time zone)

City of Los Angeles within the US State of California

Cool temperatures with parted clouds of sunshine

Man Cave Play Palace of Hal Maxwell

1960 Charmingly Road address

Interior limousine ride of Rosebud and Benny

She sat inside the opposite bench seat inside the moving limousine from the airport with a sigh of annoyance. "I was kicked out of my church choir, Benny." The limousine drove down Charmingly Road towards the mansion Hal Maxwell for a planned business meeting. Then the transport slowed and stopped underneath the veranda of the building.

The chauffeur moved out and opened the rear door with a fake smile.

Benny scooted out and stood upright, extending an arm for her with a sour frown, "Rosebud."

She slid out and stood upright over the brick pavement, accepting the gentleman assistance with a smile, "Thank you for the comfortable ride, driver." She had traveled from Miami, Florida to Los Angeles, California to meet with the Playtime Palace Magazine.

The owner and operator of the sexy girly manor Hal Maxwell had been bugging Rosebud for years to pose inside the magazine as a hot popular actress. Her hot popularity days were long gone now, since Rosebud did not need the monies or the publicity. However, Benny had negotiated a handsome ransom of eighty million dollars from Hal for the display of Rosebud's exclusive body parts for the last time.

Rosebud was an old maid in the world of twenty something year old young things and sometimes commanded a tiny fee of money for any type of useful publicity pose. This particular large fee of money was for foundation of abused and neglected children. Part of the money was going ironically to Jane Sawyer, the wife on Tom Sawyer, who was the infamous obnoxious billionaire Quartet fourth.

Rosebud liked Janey. She was both tough and professional as a former child attorney for the state welfare office in Florida. And Tom was rude and goofy, since Rosebud attended the same gala banquets benefiting children while running into the married couple of Janey and Tom, every once in a while. Rosebud knew Frank and Tom through legal matters and financial accounts, since she was a Quartet Associates client, too. Usually, Rosebud conducted all professional business matters by a telephone or by post office mail with a black and white legal paper as the legal document arrived a couple of days later by some type of express mail.

And she had never met Austin before in person, only saw him. He arrived at each gala with a new piece of eye candy of designer perfume, gown, and gems.

Rosebud admired Janey and her personal drive to save every child from abuse, mistreatment, and violence and contributed as much money as possible for that noble cause. So, Ruff would pose for five pictures for five minutes and then leave with an eighty-million-dollar paycheck. She had been photographed hundreds of times with little pieces of clothing for her professional film studio work.

She gave Benny credit for his last legal contract negotiation package as her manager, since her last photo session will benefit all children.

This morning, Rosebud flew her personal jet plane from the Kendall-Tamiami Airport into the Santa Monica airport with Benny as a pretend a co-pilot.

The Kendall-Tamiami Airport was one of the busiest general aviation air fields in the State of Florida which was thirteen miles southwest of downtown Miami on State Road 825 which was off 128th Street and 145th Avenue in Kendall, serving any corporate, recreational, flight training, and governmental agency flying activity. The airport was a fifteen-minute drive from the business center of South Miami-Dade County, a reliever to Miami International Airport and easy access to the Florida Turnpike, Ocean Reef, and Florida Keys. The airport provided modern, efficient, and professional staff facilities, only if you made an appointment and paid in advance for piloting services.

Underneath the veranda of the Man Cave Play Palace, Rosebud slowly strolled into the manor house, entering the warm colors of a small den setting with a non-working fireplace, a long beverage bar, a set of oversized lounge chairs with people and stopped, staring at the Quartet.

Tom and Stu sat in a pair of high stool at the beverage bar while sipping an alcoholic drink. Frank was seated beside Austin in one of the two twin leather chairs. Rosebud prissed ahead towards a loveseat of tan with a fake smile and a soft growl and sat down beside her manager Benny.

Hal and his first born son shared the long sofa of dark blue. Hal smiled with a nod with a drink in the other hand. "Welcome, Rosebud! I do believe you know everyone that is present and accounted for. So, let us finish this before the moon shines. Here's the completed legal contract for your deal," he reached over and passed over the stapled papers to his son and then to Benny.

Benny accepted and flipped through to the last page with an ink pen in hand. "I have approved it. Just sign the bottom line, muffin!"

"What are they doing here besides enjoying the cool beverages?" Rosebud turned and nodded with a sour frown to Austin only.

Hal smiled with a nod. "The Quartet provides my QA guards twenty-four hours and seven days throughout the here in my mansion."

"And the Quartet also offers an array of personal VIP protection, as well." Frank nodded with a smile, sipping the beverage.

During the normal business affairs of clients, the Quartet was usually not formally introduced to working staff members or entertaining guests or family members. The Quartet watched, observed, and recommended all equipment and personnel in which to conduct twenty-four hours with seven days within the three hundred sixty-five day per year for a new paying client and their selected dependents. When business transaction was finished, the legal contracts were signed. The monies were deposited into the bank account. The equipment pieces were setup. The guards were assigned. Then the Quartet returned back home to Coral Beach.

"I recommend a full set of security with nine complement outside the building and six guards inside the space." Stu turned and nodded to Austin.

Rosebud turned and frowned at the nose bridge of Austin. "I don't like these recommendations. Since, I make my own decisions here."

Austin said. "We have expertise in this area, Dr. Ruff. The QA guards are for your safety and Hal's peace of mind," chuckling.

Rosebud was a unique client for Man Cave Play Palace, since she did not need the money as a billionaire like Austin. However, she will get a mega-dose of media attention whether she wanted it or not when the news of her body posing hit the international magazine.

Hal was a big client with Quartet Associates and a loyal friend. The father on Tom had visited the manor as the official Quartet Associates representative every month. He enjoyed the travel, the parties, and the fun like his son. When Rosebud agreed to pose for the Man Cave Play Palace and its magazine, the owner Hal immediately contacted Austin for security agreements. And Austin had offered a side trip to California, addressing the privacy issue personally with Hal and Ruff.

Rosebud turned and frowned at Hal, since reading the legal agreement. "I will pose for two shots..."

"Two?" Hal gasped.

She nodded with a grin. "Yes, I will pose with two pictures. The front magazine cover is not counted into the total. The first picture will be a head shot only. The second photo will be a center page shot in a vertical pose, not horizontal," giggling. "Take it or leave it, Hal?" Rosebud stood upright with a fake smile in silence.

He motioned back down with a hand and a smile. "Sit back down, please. Yes, I'll take it, Rosebud."

"Excellent," she sat down with a smile and a nod. "The agreed upon amount is one hundred million dollars..."

"Benny approved only eighty million dollars, Rosebud."

She turned and winked to Austin. "You improve my security. I improve my profit. But, if you don't want...?"

"Yes, I do agree." Since, Hal could use her pictures over and over again in different magazine issues making up the financial loss for the year.

She smiled, "One down! And I want Quartet Assholes..."

Stu frowned, "Careful there, little lady!"

She turned and smiled to Hal. "The Quartet Associates guards are not needed. I am a retired actress, without a movie and a movie contract. It is too ridicule to overstate the situation with overmanned power and over powerful weapons, Hal. I will allow two guards with a taser weapon each, if you insist upon such security measures. But honesty, I doubt no one would attack your mansion. Or should I be really worried about my upcoming photo shoot here?"

Austin nodded with a smirk to Hal. "Thus, there will be two guards with a taser as the lady wishes."

"Thank you, Dr. Berrington," Rosebud turned and nodded with a smile to Austin and finally to Hal. "Hal, if you would please update the legal contract, I can sign it right now." She passed the papers to Benny, who passed back to Hal.

Hal accepted and scribbled on the legal document with a stern face and a nod, "Very well! I'll add and delete the new information as requested by Rosebud. The final points include two shots, a head for cover and a body in a vertical pose. The final payment of one hundred million dollars will go directly to Rosebud Foundation."

Benny turned and frowned at Rosebud. "The money is going directly into your foundation. Your foundation is..." when the reviewed stack of papers slammed into the cheekbone of Benny from the son of Hal. Benny turned and snatched the papers with a growl from the smiling son of bitch of Hal, almost tossing them into the lap of Rosebud.

Rosebud caught the stack of paper with a smile, looking down at the changes by Hal. "All the monies are for my foundation to help children, my late hurrah as they say," giggling.

Benny frowned with a soft growl. "What about my cut?"

She signed the paper with a stern face. "We will discuss this item later in private, Benny."

Benny exhaled. "My usual cut is ten percent that is ten million dollars. But I reduced it for you to collect the money for the little brats."

She handed the papers and the pen back to Benny with a stern face. "I will pay you with a personal check to cover your usual management fee, Benny." Benny accepted the papers and tossed them to the son of a bitch of Hal without a smile in silence. The son accepted and handed the stack of papers to his father with a chuckle of amusement.

Hal accepted the papers and reviewed the new signature of Rosebud, looking up with a smile and a nod to see her. "All the final points are confirmed. Can you stay for another thirty minutes, Rosebud? I want to introduce you to my photographer." She nodded in silence. Hal turned and nodded with a grin to each brother and finally to Austin. "Austin, do you want to tag along for any type of security issues inside the play palace before your return back home?"

Austin stood upright with a smile to Hal which signaled for the Quartet that the business meeting had adjourned. "Our security issues have been noted and recorded. We are finished here. Good day, Dr. Ruff!" He extended and released a handshake to Hal with a nod and a smile. "Have a nice day, Hal and Dr. Ruff." Tom, Stu, and Frank shake hands with Hal.

Then, the Quartet exited the manor.

Limousine ride of the Quartet

Charmingly Road location

Cool temperatures with parted clouds of sunshine

1:19 p.m.

Tom exited the entrance door last and slid down into open door of the provided white colored limousine, scooting over the bench seat next to Frank with a sour frown, slapping both hands to the trousers. He looked at each brother. "Good gawd, what a fucking ass bitch? Glad, I don't have to deal with that witch on a daily basis."

Frank sat beside Tom and looked at each brother with a smile. "I find Rosebud to be an excellent business woman. How many females can negotiate and execute a legal deal for one hundred million dollars in ten minutes flat?"

Stu sat next to Austin on the opposite bench seat with a smile and a nod to Tom. "That's ten million dollars per minute, Tom. I am very impressed with her, too."

Tom shook his bangs with a sour frown. "I'm not. She's just another naked bite ass bitch."

Frank shook a skull with a chuckle. "Where do you get such awesome creative phrase, Tom? Naked bite ass bitch, would that come from a nasty-dot-com blog?"

Tom frowned. "Every red blooded male and pink laced gay female is going to pay through the nose to see her semi-non-nude photos inside the Man Cave Play Palace magazine."

Stu chuckled. "You like Rosebud! Remember, bro? She is the science fiction pretend princess."

Tom tossed an arm with a sour frown. "I like her books. There is a big difference between books and the person."

Stu smiled. "Are you going to buy the magazine with her head shot on the front cover?"

Tom frowned, "Hell no! I'm married. I don't engage in smut and shit. I got my beautiful wife, my queen whore..."

"We get the pic, Tom." Frank exhaled.

Stu turned and smiled at the nose profile on Berrington. "Austin, do care to join our sexy girly fun party?"

Austin turned and frowned at each brother. "The naked bite ass bitch is in real danger. I want eighteen complements of QA guards roaming and shitting all over Hal's manicured grass lawn and flower beds before, during, and after that photo shoot."

Frank smiled. "She vetoed our powerful QA army with a set of wonderful guns. Were you not listening to Rosebud, Austin?"

Stu frowned. "Hal is not going to pay for the extra Shirts. He is in extra debt from the extra twenty million dollars when Rosebud upped the ante to show her naked bite ass."

Austin nodded. "We cover the Shirts."

Tom shook his bangs with a sour frown, "We? Quartet Associates will cover the Shirts. Hell no! No fucking way..."

"I will cover it, personally. Write out a person check for me to sign for the amount of the eighteen complement of QA guards, Frank." Austin turned and winked to Frank.

Frank chuckled, since Austin did not perform any type of manual labor with his hands, except on a female. "It will be the first thing on my 'to do' list when we reach home in Florida, CEO Austin."

Austin said. "Second, place a QA scout on Rosebud at her private home. We don't know exactly when the photo session is scheduled."

Stu said. "I could inquire."

Tom shook his bangs, "Hal will get highly suspicious of us. And Ruff will get really mad, if she found out about us or should I say that Berrington is interfering with her personally business affair. And let me please note here! Berrington is interfering into her personal legal affair sine I am a great criminal lawyer..."

"Right-o, Thomas." Stu pointed with a nod to Tom.

"You're not a great criminal lawyer, Tom." Frank shook a skull with a sour frown at the silly fib from Sawyer.

"Good point, Tom!" Austin turned and nodded to Stu. "I want ready a QA scout, a female with a fake body of a toddler child near her mansion in Coconut Grove. Then, Ruff won't suspect a damn thing about Quartet Assholes," he chuckled with Frank. Stu shook a bald skull with a chuckle.

Tom frowned. "Austin, why are you doing this for her? The bitch hates your guts. Or maybe, she's pretending to do a good job of hating your guts."

Austin turned and stared at each brother. "She is in danger. The local, state, and international news media reporters and photographers will find out right before the scheduled photography session inside the Man Cave Play Palace and then all hell will break loose. Everyone will be trying to interview and snap her body in both the cities of Miami and LA. And we possess the resources to stop any attempt on her life."

Stu shook a bald skull with a smile. "You're getting paranoid, bro."

Tom shook his bangs with a grin. "Or Berrington is getting possessive, man."

Frank frowned. "Do you really believe that someone is going to try to kill Rosebud?"

Austin nodded. "A kidnap attempt will suite any male's needs best."

Tom frowned. "What the fuck for? She's an old fart, a retired actress from older Hollywood."

Frank smiled. "I would if I was loco nut job with some nasty intentions."

"Frankie boy, down on your kneecaps," laughed Tom.

Frank smiled with a nod. "Rosebud is a beautiful woman with a free spirit and a billionaire on top of all that eternal beauty. She is a reachable target. I agree with Austin's logic. We're trained to observe, plan, and execute on all available QA targets."

Tom chuckled. "I haven't noticed her writing out a personal check for our QA services. Hell! She turned us down with her cute button nose pushed up to her eyeballs."

Stu nodded. "I agree. So, you can call her on your mobile telephone, Frank. You know her."

Frank shook a skull with a smile. "No, I do not personally. But, Janey and Rosebud are bestest friends."

Tom shook his bangs with a sour frown, "Hell no! Fucking forget about involving my wife in this matter."

Stu frowned. "We're going above and beyond on this unofficial assignment, Austin."

Austin nodded to Frank. "I'm paying. Remember?"

Tom chuckled. "I'll pay more millions in keeping the Shirts at home."

Austin said. "Think of it this way! She's part of our club."

Tom frowned. "What fucking club?"

Frank smiled. "Rosebud is part of our billionaire club."

Tom shook his bangs with a sour frown. "She's behind the times. We're about to start a new club."

Stu frowned. "Which club is that, bro?"

Tom smiled. "We will create and belong only to the trillionaire club."

Stu sung in bass tone with a smile. "All for one..."

"One for all," Tom extended and touched with a ting the beer bottle with a laugh.

8:18 p.m. (East Coast time zone)

City of Coconut Grove within the US State of Florida

Hot temperatures with bright stars and cloudy night

Pink Flamingo Club

Interior gambling room setting of Rosebud

Rosebud had no plans while at home with nothing to do, except wait for the telephone call from Hal and the scheduled photo shoot in Las Angeles. But she could wickedly plan the next fun and vicious attack on Berrington, again. She read that hurting someone by physical force was suitable but harming someone by stealing their money was a much more effective and efficient process.

So, she had planned to steal more of Austin's money at the same gambling table, since she was very good at playing cards. She could not directly vocally insult Austin with his gathered posse of brothers, since they might attack her back. She had read that the Quartet was very vengeful and reactive with a single personal vocal, written, and electronic insult towards an individual family member like the gang of brotherly mobsters. So, Rosebud will fight with a real weapon, her body.

Inside the gambling room, Rosebud sat inside the chair and looked sexy in the new outfit as both breast lounged over the edge of the smooth wooden table surface, tonight. All the males drool at Rosebud while surrendering a poker hand and their monies to her, too.

Austin folded on the third bet while leaving Rosebud and the unknown male with a Spanish accent to duel out the last card playing hand. The male was losing with great unhappiness.

"I call," Rosebud reached down with a smile and spread the card hand over the table surface as the male slammed down his card hand over the table surface and a fist into the air with a sneer.

The card dealer turned and smiled at the card hand of Rosebud with a nod. "The lady wins the jackpot of 301,869 dollars, US."

"You cheated me," the male stood upright from the table with a grunt and slammed the chair into the wall, jabbing a finger with a sneer at Rosebud.

She stood upright and wiggled side to side in the little bitty black dress with a grin and a giggle to the unknown male. "Sir, I did not cheat. Where in the world would I hide a set of playing cards inside this dress?" the other males chuckled with her.

The male next to Rosebud nodded with a chuckle, "Rosebud makes a very good point, sir."

She pointed the card hand over the table with a smile, "Second, if you analyze your poker hand, then I beat you twice as nice. Without my wild card, I have a four of kind, consisting of the four queens, which always beats up a pair of tens, any day of the week, sir. Therefore, I win, not once, but twice," smirking.

The male leaped up and slid down, soaring across the smooth table, extending both arms at her, "Bitch!" He carried the chips, the cards, the money, and the glassware with a flying body and then connected both hands around her throat. They flew backward from the table and then landed together on top of the tile floor with a loud thump.

"Ah!" She yelled at the leech on her body.

Frank stood upright with Tom, pulling out a Ghost from the hidden pocket and aimed the weapon at the rear skull of unknown male with the Spanish accent.

"Get up, asshole, now." Stu stood upright from the same gambling table with a growl and slammed the chair into the other gambling table, dashing ahead and leaned down, jerking the male into the air off of Rosebud with a sneer. Gage held the wiggling male five inches off the floor. The bouncer swiftly dashed into the gambling room and stopped, reaching out and grabbed the male from the hands of Stu, hauling the ass of the male through the archway in the air and out the gambling room. The set of waiters raced around and gathered up the man's money and possessions from the poker table, dashing out the room after the bouncer and the unknown unpleasant loser.

Frank back stepped from the table and moved ahead with a worried brow, holstering his Ghost back into the jacket pocket, squatting down and gently grabbed, lifting Rosebud into his chest with a worried brow. He placed her on top of the tall stool, leaning down into her face. She wobbled side to side over the stool and inside his chest. Mangrove examined her forehead, her pupil dilatation, and her injured throat with a set of trained physician eyeballs and a whisper. "Rosebud, can you hear me?"

"I sorry for breaking the lamp, Daddy," Rosebud wobbled side to side with a stern face, staring down at the wall.

Tom back stepped from the table with a laugh and holstered the Ghost back into a business suit with a grin.

Austin slowly stood from the chair and back stepped from the table with a sour frown, moving ahead and reached out, shoving the back spine on Frank with a sour tone. "Let's get and go back home to Coral Beach, Frank. My limo is waiting."

Frank cuddled Rosebud with a sour frown and a miffed tone as she waivered side to side inside his arms. "Wait, Austin," he turned and stared at the wandering waiter. "Waiter, bring me a wet cold cloth or a piece of raw meat for her developing black eye, immediately, right now."

"She's talking. She'll live." Austin stood behind the ass of Frank with a smirk and a sneer, staring at the developing black eye sockets of Rosebud.

"Raw meat?" The young male waiter spun around with a confused brow to see Frank.

"Go, now, waiter! I need a piece of raw meat or a wet cloth for her black eye." Frank looked down with a worried brow and studied her head injury and her waving arms.

Tom moved ahead and stood beside Tom, staring with a smile at the face of Rosebud. "You're definitely going to shine, tomorrow, sweetheart," he laughed with Austin. The waiter turned and ran out the gamboling room with the verbal order from the Dr. Mangrove.

"Rosebud, your eye socket is starting to blacken. I promise, this will look very worse, tomorrow," Frank lifted a hand and poked around her face for any broken bones.

"Does she need an ambulance?" The club manager rushed through the archway with a wet towel and stood in front of the Rosebud with a worried brow, handing the wet towel to Frank.

Austin back stepped from the ass of Frank with Tom and stood in front of another empty gambling table, crossing both arms with a puff of annoyance. "She can walk back to her home, Frank. Let's go and get into my limo. I am really tired and ready for home." Tom marched backward and stood beside Austin, crossing both harms with a grin and a giggle, staring at the ass of Frank.

The waiter returned into the room with a piece of fresh red colored meat, stopping beside Frank, waving the meat as the blood splattered around his leathers, the floor, the wall, and Frank. Frank reached out a hand and accepted the meat, placing it down inside her hand with a worried brow. "Rosebud, listen to me. When you get back home, place this piece of meat over your injured eye socket, it will reduce the facial swelling. And then rest and relax! If you can't see visions of windows or trees, tomorrow, then call me," he reached inside and grabbed, slipping a business card between her breasts.

"She can use her own personal physician, Frank. You are not her doctor. Let's go and get into the limo." Austin exhaled with a puff of frustration and a sour frown.

The club manager tossed an arm into the air with a worried brow. "Cash her out. This poker game is over. This gambling room is closed for the night."

"Rosebud, can you see me?" Frank lifted and shifted an index finger in front of her face.

Rosebud blinked both eyelashes open and shut with a blank face. "See. Dr. Mangrove," then she tried to slide off the bar stool.

Frank cuddled her into a chest with a stern face and a whisper. "No, don't move, Rosebud! You need to sit here on the top of the stool for a while longer until your eyes have adjusted to the pain inside your aching head, Rosebud."

"You mean that you're a pain in the ass-burnt butthole." Tom laughed with Austin.

"Shut up, Tom!" Stu moved ahead and advanced to the waiter and the cashier, stopping and presenting a stack of hundred dollar bills from the Quartet to the young male and female with a smile, after the weird ass poker game. "Thanks for the evening, young people! Don't spend it in one place. Diversity!"

"Thanks, Dr. Gage," each waiter and cashier said with a smile and accepted the wad of cash for a set of personal expenses.

"You're welcome." Stu spun around and advanced to Tom, reaching over and grabbed the collar bone on Tom, shoving Sawyer towards the open archway with a fake smile, sneering into the rear skull of Sawyer. Tom laughed with enjoyment and skipped ahead with the fun evening.

"Let's go and get back home, now, Frank." Austin uncrossed both arms and slowly twisted to face the archway, moving behind the ass of Stu.

The club manager reached out and gently tapped Frank on the collar bone with a worried brow and a nod. "Don't worry, Dr. Mangrove. We will call a taxi cab and have Ms. Rosebud taken back to her personal home for the evening, compliments of the Club. Thanks for help, Frank. You can leave and go back home, sir."

Frank back stepped with a worried brow from Rosebud with a sigh and spun around, slowly strolling ahead through the archway while taking his time towards the limousine. He wanted Austin to wait inside the limousine with fighting fury at Mangrove. Then, Gage could beat the shit out of Berrington with the brotherly permission of Frank.
Friday August 27th

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and bright moonlight

Home of Austin

Interior master bedroom setting

He awoke on top of the pink tinted bed linen in sweat and stared up at the pink colored wooden ceiling with a smile, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read 2:31 a.m.

His sleeping dream was the same red haired fiery female, feeling happy to see her again.

He flipped over onto a naked stomach and flipped the pillow, resting a sweaty grin back down onto the cool side of the pink satin, without falling back asleep.

City of Coconut Grove

Home of Rosebud

Interior master bedroom setting

8:31 a.m.

Rosebud curled into a loose ball underneath the warm blanket and then shifted a skull with both shut eyelashes and a hiss. "Uh, pain!" Then, she shuffled a leg with a hiss, "Uh, sore!" She slowly rolled and sat upright inside the bed and opened both eyelashes with a sour frown, "Uh, ballet."

She should be smart and contact Mrs. Middleton of the YYCG, canceling the ballet class, but Mrs. Middleton did not like a quitter.

Rosebud slowly rolled from the bed and more slowly limped into the bathroom, feeling like a boxing glove. She stopped and stood in front of the reflection mirror, seeing a moon-shaped dark semi-circle shape above the right cheekbone. Today, makeup was a girl's best friend for teaching a quick and short ballet performance this morning. She did not want one of the little girls to see the face wound from the poker game at the Club last night.

City of Coral Gables

Youth Center of Coral Gables (YCCG)

(ten miles from Coral Beach)

Outdoor parking lot setting

9:14 a.m.

Austin raced Stu and Tom from the avenue of Coral Beach towards the large building in Coral Gables for fun and then won the race.

Tom and Stu had been stopped at the traffic light while Frank did not engage in any type of illegally road or other activities in his personal vehicle.

Austin ran the yellow colored traffic light, hugging the road curve with ease, allowing him to win the race. He stopped the car and cracked open the door, jumping out from the seat, posing by the car with a smile. The three brothers pulled into a row of side by side parking spaces, stopping and killed the engine.

Stu cracked the door and stood upright with a smile to see Berrington. "Victorious, again, Austin!" He slammed the door.

Tom cracked the door open and leaped out, bouncing up and down on both sneakers, jabbing a finger with a sneer at Austin. "You got a lucky fucking break, when you ran the yellow colored traffic light, Austin. Ya cheated, man!" Sawyer turned and pointed with a nod to Mangrove. "You saw that Austin cheated me. Right, Frank?"

Frank opened the door and slowly stood upright with a smile and a nod to Austin. "Thomas is correct. We agreed not to violate any of the current and active traffic laws of Coral Gables." He slammed the door shut.

The brothers scooted around each vehicle and fell into two pairs and moved ahead towards the recreational center building.

Austin moved beside Frank with a chuckle towards the front steps of the building. "Do you mean a one hundred percent or a ninety-five percent violation, Tom?"

Stu shook a bald skull with a laugh and moved ahead towards the entrance doors next to Tom. "Fuck! The man's going to argue with you, Tom, about the violation rule like a sleazy ass lawyer." He was disqualified before the race started while driving his selected breed of sports car which was known for luxury, not speed.

Tom spun around and walked backward, jabbing a finger with a sneer at Austin and slapped a chest with a smile. "Ya cheated, Austin! So, I win by default."

Stu continued to move towards the building and slapped a chest with a laugh, "Hell, no, Thomas! I was second place. I win."

Tom spun around and pointed at the nose profile on Gage with a sour frown, "Hell, yeah! You cheated, too, asshole! I won. I win. I..."

Austin scanned the parking lot and then saw the object. A parked sports car displayed a Florida vanity license plate: RUFF.

Ruff was an unusual last surname which was used for legal reasons. But, she went by her nickname Rosebud for other reasons. She was here at the youth center also. Misty said that Rosebud taught ballet lessons to the little dancers.

Austin wanted to get her attention today, since she seemed to have no trouble grabbing his attention. He climbed the steps with a chuckle next to Frank, hearing the yelling male voices.

Stu and Tom viciously continued to argue about the winner of the care race. Frank monitored the two yelling pups.

Recreational center building

Interior auditorium setting

9:18 a.m.

Stu stopped and reached out, standing to the side, opening the door for his brothers. Tom stopped and stood next to Stu, yelling into the eardrums with more curse words for annoyance like usual.

Austin entered through the open archway and led his brothers towards the gymnasium doors, reaching out and opened the door, standing inside the archway. There was a row of little girls who were dressed in pink, watching a larger figure in pink colors too. Austin enjoyed seeing little girls in the color of pink, the true color of a lady.

A flash of painful memory blinked towards Skye, who always wore a pink outfit that matched her pink tinted skin tone. Austin missed Skye, allowing the mental emotional thought to quickly vanish within his mind and his heart. Skye was dead, a few days ago in a car accident. Austin couldn't save her. He and Almighty God had a long quiet talk. Almighty God decided this was Skye's time to move back into heaven. So, Austin had moved ahead and strolled lonely on planet Earth.

Austin exhaled with fury. Rosebud had manly guts showing up here for ballet teaching, after the silly and sexy incident at the poker game last night at the Pink Flamingo Club.

Austin and she were the same chronological age. Austin had possessed numerous sexy posters of Rosebud inside his bedroom at home and at college, since every male did. The wicked-ass sexy pose made her both rich and famous. Austin stared at Rosebud with a smile.

He yelled inside the hallway. "What are you staring at?" Tom stopped and stood beside Berrington with a smile. "I see a group of tiny dancers, too."

"A group of three-year-old tiny ballerinas," Austin smiled.

"Awe! Look at the cute little girls in pink tutus," Frank stopped and stood on the other side of Austin. Mangrove always treated the female species with both respect and grace.

Deep down, Austin had always believed that Frank wanted a baby girl like Misty Marie, instead of a rowdy boy. Frank loved his wife Misty Marie, doting and pampering her with love, gifts, and kisses. Austin was jealous of Frank with his wonderful marriage relationship to his loving and devoted wife. Berrington wanted that kind of love and marriage from a wife too.

Stu shoved the back spines of his two brothers forward into the auditorium with a smile. "I see a cute big girl, also. Right, Austin?" He scooted around his brother and veered ahead towards the bleachers with a smirk near the wall.

"Who's the tall girl?" Tom moved ahead and stopped, standing with a smile and stared at the tall female with a hiss. "Holy fucking shit! That's Ruff."

"I do believe that is the lovely Rosebud Ruff, working out in ballet form on the auditorium floor. Am I not correct, Austin?" Stu climbed the bleachers first and sat down on the end, watching the show with a smile.

"Let's watch the ballet performance for a while." Austin followed behind the back spine on Stu and climbed up the bleachers, scooting in front of Stu and sat down beside him with a smile.

"Only for a few minutes, guys! I gotta go and set up the free weights for our class at nine thirty," Tom followed behind the spines of Frank and Austin with a sour frown, watching the row of little girls and then climbed the bleaches and sat beside to Frank.

The Quartet provided free volunteer time, teaching an assortment of fitness classes to boys and girls from the age of ten to nineteen years old inside YCCG. The classes include weight lifting and training, martial arts, fencing, and other physical exercises for body tone and mental exercise for the mind for a menu of total body fitness.

"Plenty of time," Austin smiled at the row of little girls, who tried to follow the elegant moves of Ruff. Rosebud danced on top of the toes in a pair of ballet points. She was beautiful, elegant, beautifully twirling in a completed circle and stopped, lifting a leg up into the air, standing on her single point and balanced both arms over her hair roots like an angel hovering. Austin exhaled with a huff of happiness.

Rosebud broke the angel hold, dropping down both arms and the leg, gliding down a body into a deep curtsy. The little girls tried to imitate her elegantly movements but fell down with a giggle and a grin. Then, the row of tiny dancers jumped and bounced up and down with more giggles and smiled.

Austin chuckled at the precious and cute line of little girls. His brothers nagged about a child, starting a family. Rosebud was a gorgeous woman. Her children would be beautiful and precious. And a little girl like her would be heavenly.

The quiet inside the auditorium was broken up with a tone of rock and roll music when the dancers stood upright from the floor and started dancing side to side with giggles and smiles. Austin chuckled. As the music rocked out loud on the right side of the arena, the left side produced its own set of noise, seven-year-old little boys. Each boy was dressed in a white tunic and a pair of matching pants as a pair of bare feet stomped over the wooden floor with a colored belt tied around a waist.

"My karate class..." Tom stood upright from the bleacher seat with a smile and pointed to the parade of tiny men that scattered and ran in circles around the parked equipment with a chuckle.

"Nine minutes and four seconds, too early," Frank looked down with a sour frown at his designer wrist watch.

"New instructor," Tom nodded with a smile and stared at the new instructor who guided the kids into a semi-straight line, sorta.

Frank looked up with a stern face to see the boys. "Are you teaching the rowdy kids in the karate class, today, Tom?"

"We alternate." Tom smiled with a nod.

Stu stared with a laugh at the rowdy line of boys. "Thomas, how in the shit can you teach little boys when you're the worse martial arts...?"

"Shut the fuck up, Stu!" Tom turned and hissed down at the bald skull of Gage. "You're the worse. You can't lift your fat ass to kick the water pail on the pole."

Stu chuckled at the boys. "I can kick your bony ass up to that pole, holding that water pail. Would you like to see that maneuver, Austin?"

Frank leaned back and slapped the bicep on Gage with a smile. "Bring it on, asswipe!"

Tom turned and jabbed a finger over the red hair roots on Mangrove with a sneer. "Stay out of my fucking fight, Frank! You're the second worse ass martial arts expert in the fucking universe with two solar suns." Austin chuckled at the barking pups, today.

On the top of auditorium floor, Rosebud reached over and stopped the musical song on the mobile telephone, gently shuffling the row of little girls towards the side of the wall for a snack of milk and crackers. They sat down and consumed the food with a set of giggles and smiles. She spun around with a fake smile and moved ahead towards the group of young boys when the little boy dashed ahead and intercepted Rosebud first. He stopped and stood, kicking a leg into the air. She caught the leg with a lady sneer and released it with a fake smile, pointing back to the instructor with a yell. "Go back to your instructor!"

"Hey!" The adult male spun around with a sneer and advanced ahead towards Rosebud.

She jabbed a finger with a fake smile at the young boy while protecting the group of tiny dancers of three-year-old girls from the older children. "Go back to your instructor, honey!" The male stopped and stood in front of Rosebud with a sneer into her face. Rosebud faked a smile to the instructor. "My little girls get very upset with the bigger kids. Move the boys back outside into the hallway, please."

He smirked with a sour tone. "Your ballerinas are eating, not dancing. We ain't disturbing you. We just doing some warm-ups before class starts."

She pointed at the clock on the wall with a sneer. "I have the arena for nine more minutes..."

"Finish your thing and ignore us," he laughed with a nod.

She exhaled. "Move the younger boys back into the hallway, now, sir."

He scooted closer into her face with mouth spit on her cheekbone, "Or what, princess? What's the pretty ballerina going to do to the karate guy?"

She moved and stood nose to nose even-steven with the jerk. As an actress, Rosebud had received numerous sessions of official martial arts train classes as part of her action-girl work for the numerous outer space Hollywood movie films while learning to fight without using a stunt-double. She lifted and stomped down a leather ballet shoe on top of his naked foot. He bowed down with a folded waistline to her with a grunt and a gag. She viciously lifted a set of folded hands and slapped down onto his back spine with a lady grunt. He quickly dropped down and fell onto the floor with a loud grunt. "Destroy the enemy," she laughed with a gasp. Her body hit the floor on a back spine when he had reached out and jerked her ankles, bringing Rosebud down to his eye level onto the floor.

"Bitch," he climbed ahead and parked on top of Rosebud with a sneer.

Inside the bleachers, Tom gasped in shock. "Fuck! She hit him."

Frank stood upright with a gasp, "Holy crap! He's attacking Rosebud."

Austin stood upright with a stern face in silence. Stu leaped into the air and cleared three tiers of the bleacher, landing with a loud thud onto the floor, dashing ahead towards Rosebud and the karate instructor. The group of little dancers stood upright and ran out of the auditorium door with a set of loud screams and soft sobs of tears into the lobby, where each parents watched the violent body exchange of Rosebud and the karate instructor, dropping down to the floor and hugged each child with love.

Stu stopped and leaned down, grabbing the collar bone, jerking the male karate instructor from the body of Rosebud with a sneer, "Off her!" He tossed the male into the air. The male flew sideways and landed, sliding over the floor with a loud huff.

Tom moved ahead and slowly climbed down the bleacher with a yell, shaking his bangs at the male. "Gawd, man, you are twice her body size. What the fuck are you doing to a fragile female, asshole?" He dashed across the floor and stopped, standing over the new instructor with a sneer.

"She started it," the male pointed with a sour frown at Rosebud.

"Mr. Adams! Miss Rosebud!" Mrs. Middleton stood inside the open archway with a stern face as some of the parents stood beside her without smile and held a crying daughter. She frowned. "Please, follow me back up to my office on the fourth floor," she back stepped with a sour frown and moved ahead towards the elevator doors, waiting on the two instructors.

Frank climbed down the bleachers and rushed ahead, stopping and squatted down, lifting Rosebud into his chest with a worried brow and a whisper into her face. "Can you stand, Rosebud?" He assisted her to stand with a worried brow. She wobbled side to side inside his arms, blinking both eyelashes open and shut. He whispered into her face. "Can you walk forward, Rosebud?" He steadied her movements and escorted Rosebud through the archway, into the carriage, and into the administrative office of Mrs. Middleton.

Fourth floor level

Office setting of Mrs. Middleton

9:26 a.m.

The office was square shaped with a set of hand drawn art pieces from the children that learned at the YCCG. The entrance wall of the office held a single door and a row of adults, standing from left to right. Adams, Tom, Austin, Stu, Frank, and Rosebud, each one faced Mrs. Middleton. She stood upright behind her office desk and exhaled with a puff of annoyance. "I am appalled at both of your misplaced social behaviors, Miss Rosebud and Mister Adams. We teach younglings in here at the Young Center of Coral Gables, a family environment."

"She started it," Adams frowned at Middleton.

Middleton turned and frowned at Ruff. "Miss Rosebud, did you initial the ugly fight?"

"I did," Rosebud exhaled with a puff of guilt to Middleton.

"Then, I have no choice here," Middleton shook her gray curls with a sour frown.

Rosebud reached up and held the temple of an aching head, "I would like for you to hear my side of the story."

She lifted a palm and shook her gray curls with a sour frown. "No need, Miss Rosebud! I was there and eyewitnessed the entire disgusting social display as the tiny dancers ran and screamed from the auditorium into the arms of their parents. You should be ashamed of your behavior, Miss Rosebud."

"I am," she looked down with a splitting head at the polished wooden floor.

"I didn't." Adams frowned.

"Hush, Adams!" Tom leaned over and smacked the rear skull of Adams with a growl.

She turned and pointed a wrinkled finger at the male with a sour frown. "Mister Adams, you are on probation with a personal review by Mister Tom. Miss Rosebud, you are suspended for..."

"Three months..." Austin smirked within the row of adults and nodded to Middleton.

"Three months..." she nodded with a stern face to Rosebud.

Rosebud slowly looked up with a sour frown and an aching head. "I believe that the punishment should be evaluated by my accomplishments, not an outside party, Mrs. Middleton."

She sneered. "What accomplishments?"

Rosebud rubbed the temple with the aching headache and a sour frown. "I am referencing my wonderful volunteer time with the little girls. For example, I teach the fine points of ballet along with a little tap and jazz steps."

"I would like to remind here that the tap and jazz dance steps are not within the ballet dance curriculum."

Rosebud faked a funny smile with an aching headache. "The girls enjoy it."

"I recall that little three-year-old girls and boys enjoy both fun and games. We are an institution of learning."

Rosebud faked a silly smile. "I wish for you to consider my suspension time one month, instead of three."

"Why is that Miss Rosebud?"

"I donate money to the YCCG."

"Dr. Berrington donates more," she smirked. "Your suspension is three months of time. Then, you can return here and teach the little dancers the finer points of ballet. And you should see your private physician regarding your body injuries. I do not want the Youth Center of Coral Gables responsible for your personal wounds, Miss Ruff."

Rosebud exhaled with defeat and rubbed both temples with an aching headache in silence.

Austin, Stu, Tom, and Adams back stepped from the office desk and Mrs. Middleton, spun around, dashing out the door one at a time. Frank remained behind and cuddled next to Rosebud, slowing swinging around to face the door, whispering into her face, "This way, Rosebud. Walk slow and easy! I will escort you down the stairs and to your car for the morning. You need to drive slowly and go back home, rest and relax..."

"Uh huh..." Rosebud exhaled with a puff of pain and a dizzy headache.

4th floor level

Interior hallway setting

Austin turned to the side and jogged down the hallway with a smile, moving towards the staircase for the class with Stu. "Let's go, Stu! It's time for setting up the free weights."

"Right beside you, bro," Stu sprinted with Austin and turned the wall corner, running down the staircase.

Tom turned to the opposite side and jogged ahead with a sour frown and a yell. "Adams, come with me, now!" Adams turned and pulled up beside Tom with a sour frown. Sawyer jogged towards the wall corner with a sour frown, "Didn't your mama teach you, not to hit little girls?"

"No," Adams continued to run beside Tom with a sour frown.

Tom exhaled. "Well, I'm going to give you the first class lesson. If you hurt another girl in front of my eyeballs, I'm going to bust our ass all the way to the ice belt of Pluto. Do you understand me, asshole?"

"Yeah," Adams frowned.

"Yes sir, Mr. Sawyer!" Tom huffed with annoyance.

"Yes sir, Mr. Sawyer!" Adams frowned.

They jogged around the wall corner and down the staircase towards the auditorium with the seven-year-old boys for the karate class.

On the fourth floor, "Rosebud, how do you feel?" Frank slowly moved over the floor and cuddled her into a chest with a worried brow. "Are you experiencing any type of double vision or an arching headache or stomach nausea? If so, I need to drive you to the emergency room at Charity Coral Gables Hospital. The medical facility is around the street corner."

She could see double images of each painting on the side wall and said with a fake smile. "I feel fine, Frank. I will drive back home and rest for the rest of the day."

8:01 p.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Quartet Auditorium location

Fourth floor level

Interior dressing room setting

The door was open.

Austin entered the room which was located on the top floor and stopped, standing in front of the low sofa, gently dropping down a set of three medium sized bags on top of the fabric with a stern face.

Stu stood in front of a long window with a pair of binoculars that kissed his eyeballs with a stern face, spying on Sawyer. Tom was padding around the upper floor of the Sawyer castle inside his private master bedroom.

Frank entered the room behind the back spine on Austin and stopped, standing behind his brother and slammed a hand onto the collar bone of Stu with smile. "What is happening in there? What's the asshole doing?"

Stu continued to spy on Tom through the open window with the pair of binoculars and a stern face. "Are our lovely wives off with Jace?"

Frank nodded with a smile and narrowed his eyeballs into the open window at Tom's house. He could not see inside the dark interior room. "Jace is tickled pink and lavender that our lovely ladies wanted to assist with his upcoming marriage ceremony. My genius idea..."

Stu continued to spy on Tom with a smile. "My genius idea..."

Austin emptied out the single bag with the contents with a smirk, "Our genius idea..."

Frank turned with a smile to see Austin, "Jace, our lovely ladies, and our private QA jet has cleared the runway for New York City. They are not planning to return home until the beginning of the next week which gives us about five days to torture and torment Tom for being a very bad Quartet brother," he chuckled with his two brothers.

Stu continued to spy on Tom with a chuckle. "Our Vic is located inside his master bedroom on the fourth floor while getting naked or trying too."

Frank turned and laughed at the bald rear skull of Stu. "How do you try to get naked? You are clothed or you are naked, Stuart."

Stu continued to spy on Tom with a sour frown. "Gawd, Tom is totally naked, now."

Frank reached over and pulled the binoculars from Stu with a smile, "Go and help Austin with the thievery inventory while I continue to spy on Tom."

Stu back stepped from the window with a stern face and spun around with a grin, moving ahead and stood beside Austin with a chuckle and a smile. They continued to pull each item out from the three open bags and whispered about the impromptu detail plot.

Frank lifted the pair of binoculars and spied on Tom with a stern face through the open window. "He's cutting off the toenails. The remnants of toe tissues are landing on the clean wooden floor. That's both gross and unsanitary."

Stu drew out a hand gun from the open bag and pointed at the weapon with a soft chuckle and a smile at the sidewall with a nod, "Frank, the caring maid of the Quartet."

Frank continued to spy Tom with a gasp. "O gawd. He's clipping his pubic hair with a pair of sharp scissors. I am deeply concerned about Tom using a sharp pointy object while drinking a whiskey decorated strawberry shot."

Stu turned and narrowed both eyelids at the open window with a stern face, not seeing Tom but the house, "I'm much more concerned that Tom stands body naked inside an open window. Who is he flashing?"

Austin loaded the hand gun with ammunition with a chuckle, "Us."

Frank spied on Tom with the pair of binoculars through the open window of the auditorium. "This is the northern directional sky view into the master bedroom. No one can see him from there, excluding us. How long has the boy been trimming his biological body parts?"

Stu lifted up and placed on the black tinted wool ski mask with a smile to Austin. "For the past thirty minutes."

Austin lifted up and tried on a pair of black tinted leather gloves, wearing the same black tinted ski mask, like Stu's. He frowned inside the ski mask. "Ah, shit! This robbery is going to take us all night to complete. I've scheduled a date for later, this evening."

Stu shook the ski mask and both gloved hands while holding a set of two hand guns like a bank robbery bandit with a stern face. "Cancel it, bro! Picasso gets fucked, tonight," he chuckled with Austin.

Frank continued to spy on Tom with a stern face through the binoculars through the open window. "He's trimming nose hairs..."

"With the same pair of scissors?" Stu frowned inside the ski mask. The mask completely covered the hair roots, the forehead, the nose bridge, the facial chin, and most importantly the mouth, where Tom could not see the identity of three fake bandits, who will be smiling and sniggering at the fake art heist show inside the Sawyer manor in a few more minutes.

Frank watched Tom with a frown through the binoculars. "No, asshole Stuart. There is an array of sharp and pointy metal instruments which are laid out across a wooden vanity bureau which is next to his dick, just for being nosy."

Stu dressed in the rest of the black tinted thievery gear, including a black long sleeved turtleneck shirt, a pair of black tinted blue jeans, and a pair of black leather boots with a smile. "Tom possesses a vanity bureau."

Frank spied on Tom through the binoculars through the window. "The vanity bureau is made of maple wood. How's that, sissy Stu?"

Stu loaded ammo into both of the hand guns with a smile. "At least, he's moving up the body towards his brain. Now, we know why he is so cute and stupid all at the same time. Tom trims his hair and his neurons right off the entire body, each night."

Austin loaded a gun for Frank with a smile and a chuckle, "Enough, Stu. Keep spying, Frank."

Frank continued to spy on Tom. "He snipped the last tinniest part of his blonde bangs. He's done and is strutting around naked and picking out his pajamas. He's moving towards the bathroom getting into the shower for the bathing hour. We missed a very good opportunity to steal the Picasso whilest Thomas was butchering his golden locks."

Stu zipped the empty bag and dropped it down to the floor with a smile. "Naw, Frank! Open your eardrums and quit mouth spit drooling on the floor from your boyish fantasy. Tom spends hours bathing and soaking inside a bathtub, not bath shower stall."

Frank removed and dropped the pair of binoculars from both eyeballs, twisting around with a gasp to see his two brothers in a set of solid midnight black colored clothes, "Bathtub, why? Ya'll don't look cute but ugly. Why are you, two wearing twin guns in each gloved hand?"

Austin sat down on top of the soft and leaned down tying the black tinted boots. "Get dressed, Frank. We're art thieves and must play and present the part for real tonight." He stood upright with a smile and twirled both guns inside the gloved hands with a smile inside the ski mask.

Stu sat down on top of the long sofa and leaned down, tying the same type of black tinted boots with a stern face. "You never listen to our lovely wives, Frank. Tom bathes, not showers. He'll be inside the ceramic bathtub for hours and hours while taking a bubble bath like a little girl per Gracie from Misty from Janey."

Frank pointed at the twin hand guns on Austin with a sour frown. "I'm not using a gun. We're doing this for shitty fun and annoying amusement. I don't want Tom harmed. Do you understand me? Then, I'll have to take the bastard to the nearest and nastiest emergency room of Charity since Jace is in New York."

Austin reached out and shot the side wall with a single shoot while making an ear-deafening sound inside the small room with a smirk. "The guns hold a clip of blank cartridges, Frank, for Tom's shitty show and our amusingly fun."

Stu stood upright and spun around, reaching out and tossed a bag to Frank with a sour frown. "Finish dressing, Frank. Then, we go and do this thing."

Frank exchanged the blue jeans into the black thievery clothing of shirt, jeans, gloves, boots, and ski mask with a worried brow. "How many minutes do we have to rip off the Picasso?"

"The painting," Stu chuckled for his shitty fun tonight, too. "We have three long hours or 180 minutes or 10,800 seconds. Take your mathematical pick, Frank?"

Austin frowned inside the ski mask, "Tom bathes his naked body for three long hours."

Stu lifted the bag of regular clothes that will be used after the art heist with a smile. "He exhibits his prunie-ass nakedness for three long hours, every night. Where's the ransom note, Frank?"

Frank sat down and leaned over, tying the black colored boots, standing upright and dug inside and around inside his man-purse. He lifted up and presented a folded and wrinkled white single sheet of short paper with a set of hand printed words in rich black color to Austin.

Austin reached out and snatched the folded letter, unfolding it and read out loud to all eardrums. "Three billion or else?" He chuckled. "That's short and sweet, Frank."

Stu spun around and led his brothers towards the open door with a smile. "Roll out!"

Frank followed behind the ass of Stu with a sour frown inside the face mask. "I didn't want to overdo my selected thievery role. Since, we are both the real thieves and the real protectors. And..."

Stu dashed down the hallway and climbed down the staircase with a growl. "Shut the fuck up, Franklin. Get into the damn truck!"

Stu led out the auditorium and towards the parked white colored pickup truck in silence. His brother exited the front entrance doors and swiftly scooted around to the passenger side of the parked truck, entering into the open doors of the cab.

8:18 p.m.

Pickup truck ride with Stu, Austin, and Frank

City Street Coral Lane

Stu slammed the driver's door and reached down, starting the engine, sweating inside the ski mask. He reached over and slammed the button on air condition to the maximum setting.

Frank slid inside the end of the long seat and buckled the safety belt for the short ride to Tom's mansion, slamming the door shut with a stern face. "And the front door entrance, who possesses the house key?"

Stu slowly drove ahead in the ski mask with a sour frown, "House key? We each possess a two-million-dollar secret state-of-the-art house alarm system, Frank. The doors all lock by themselves like fucking magic using the slick remote control pad. No one is supposed to be using a metal flat two-dimensional house key ever. Because, it can be stolen and then duplicated, Frank. And then, you and Misty Marie will get robbed and killed by some crazy asshole."

Frank stared at the road in the ski-mask with a sour frown. "I know that. And the house staff, Tom has a garrison of servants, including your black mailed elite bodyguards," chuckling with Austin.

Stu slowly drove ahead in the ski mask with a sigh. "The house staff is on vacation, since Janey is on vacation. She implemented that new rule by herself, so Tom would learn to take care of his own pookie dookie when mama wasn't home."

Frank stared at the road and tapped both gloves on his legs with a sour frown. "And the Coral Beach staff, we keep a skeleton crew during the evening hours until the day-shift returns at seven am."

Stu slowly drove the truck with a chuckle. "The Coral Beach staff members started their vacation at four pm today. I don't want anyone to recognize us and spoil our surprise either," he laughed with Austin.

Frank shook the ski mask, "Fuck! You didn't."

Stu drove the truck with a nod in the ski mask with a smile. "I did."

Frank leaned forward in the ski mask to see the ski mask of Stu. "Paid time off is money for vacation pleasures, while not working for us."

Stu slowly drove the truck towards Tom's castle with a chuckle. "You are a greedy bastard like Tom, Frank. I gave all the nightly Coral Beach staff the entire week off except for the four sentry guards and the three guys inside the firehouse. We own all the property sandy beach and groves of banyan shade trees rights of Coral Beach, since we're incorporated Mr. Stupid CPA. Therefore, we can't use the emergency services from either Miami metro or Dade County. So, we have to employ our own fire station and fire-trucks..."

"Fuck, Stu." Frank exhaled and stared at the road in the ski mask. "I know that since I set up all the separate accounting entities for our private billionaire properties in Coral Beach. But, you seem to make numerous stupid ass asinine decisions like Janey."

Austin smirked inside the ski mask at the roadway. "I'm glad that Janey isn't here to hear that vicious statement."

Frank nodded inside the ski mask and stared at the roadway. "She did that to me, when she distributed a shit-load of free gift cards to her entire house staff members plus their family members for a month's long vacation good-time treat at our financial expense. That cost us two arms and a leg to the tune of 450,000 dollars which I ransomed out from Tom's buttonhole."

Stu slowly drove with a chuckle inside the ski mask. "Well then, based on your sucky rambling, I'll give both the daytime and nighttime Coral Beach staff members plus their family members this work week plus the next work week who deserve paid time off whilest not working for your sorry-ass butthole. How do you like my new stupid ass asinine decision like Janey's now, Mangrove?"

Austin chuckled inside the ski mask and stared at the roadway. "I approve."

Frank exhaled and stared at the roadway inside the ski mask. "Do not harm Tom with this stupid-ass asinine plan!"

Stu slowly drove the truck with a smile inside the ski mask. "There are not any house staff members, no Coral Beach staffers. The doors are all unlocked. And Tom is occupied playing with his duckie in the water."

Frank leaned forward and turned to see the ski mask of Stu. "Is there some type of unfunny homo joke, Stuart?"

Stu halted the truck underneath the empty veranda on Tom's mansion with a smile, "Naw."

"All bosses play with their duckie, Frank." Austin chuckled inside the ski mask and stared at the manicured lawn of the manor.

Frank turned and viewed with a worried brow the closed front door, "Ah shit! What about the electronic camera? I don't want our ski masks photographed. Tom will be scared, but he ain't no dumbass like his stupider older brother, Stu."

Stu reached inside the bag and grabbed, pulling out and handed an object to Austin and Frank. "Let us begin with the alphabetic letter A for asshole Mangrove. We all wear sunglasses, so smartass Tom can't recognize our eyeballs behind the ski mask. And the letter B, I have the power," he lifted the devise near the nose of the ski mask with a smirk. "The muscle, the man, and the machine all belong to me. Tom's two-million-dollar security system is having some upgrades applied, this evening. He was notified last Friday morning via his business laptop, his mobile telephone, and his personal telecommunication devise at home about this special hi-techie event. And, the boy should've planned accordingly," he pressed the button that unlocked every door inside the Sawyer mansion while chuckling with Frank and Austin.

Stu reached down and cracked open the door, scooting out of the pickup truck with Frank and Austin while leaving all the doors open for a quick getaway. Stu dashed around the rear bumper of the truck and led towards the front door.

They invaded through the unlocked front door with a set of soft giggles, slowly moving across the grand room and climbed up the staircase towards the fourth floor master suit, where Tom lived.

8:24 p.m.

Home on Tom

4th floor level

Interior master bathroom setting

Stu barged first into an empty master bedroom and stopped, standing in place with a soft chuckle and a grin inside the ski mask. Frank and Austin entered and stopped, surrounding Stu with a set of soft chuckles and grins also. All eardrums heard the noise. Tom was singing off-key inside the grand bathroom while taking a colored bubble bath.

Stu pointed at the partially closed bathroom door with a nod and dashed ahead, stopping and stood, lightly knocking on the wood with grin.

Tom stopped the song and turned to see the partially closed door, narrowing the eyelids at the wood with a gasp. "Jane, is that you, sweetheart? Did you miss the jet? Shit! I'll kick Stu's ass for you..." A male in black clothes appeared and stood inside the archway of the bathroom. Sawyer gasped with shock. "Fuck! Don't hurt me!" Tom lifted up both bubble-soapy arms and hands with a gasp.

Stu moved inside the bathroom archway wearing the ski mask, pointing a set of two hand guns at Tom, where Sawyer continued to lounge inside the green colored bubble bath with a silly frown. Gage said in a loud musical groan to his brother Tom, "Duk. Duk. Dum. Dan. Duk. Dum."

Frank followed behind the ass of Stu second and held a set of wrapped rope. Austin entered the bathroom space last, holding a set of cold barrel twin hand guns on Tom.

Tom wiggled both arms and parted the lips inside the bathtub. "What are ya'll? Some kind of stupid motherfuckers can't talk English. Is that Spanish? I don't speak Spanish. Frank does. Let's call my brother Frank to help with my kidnapping and ransom! Okay?" He nodded with a grin and pointed at the toilet seat. "Yeah, that works for me, too. Hand me my cell phone on top of the toilet seat! I'll dial up asshole Frank. Then, my brothers will handle all of ya'll."

Austin moved closer and shoved the twin cold barrels into the forehead on Tom, saying with a set of deep moans, "Tin. Tum. Tuk. Tan. Tea."

Tom scooted backward into the wall of the bathtub with a sour frown. "Don't shoot, man! Okay! Fine! Do you want me to get out of my bubbled bathtub? Okay! I cannot understand your asses but you cannot understand my English. Okay. All right! Take anything you want! Get out! I'm going to hunt you down and kill you later. Okay! Okay! I'm getting out! Grab me the towel on the rack and toss it to me."

Frank slowly uncoiled the rope, saying with a set of tenor grunts t Tom, "Puk. Pan. Pin. Pum. Paz."

Tom parts the lips with a gasp. "You want me to get out of the bathtub right now. I'm naked you, stupid asswipes." He slid into the corner of the bathtub. "I'm naked. Toss me the towel or the robe. I'm naked, nude, no clothing, my birthday suit."

Stu motioned the gun upward for Tom to leave the bathtub with a set of deep moans, "Dan. Dim. Dum. Duk."

Tom yelled. "No. Don't hurt me! Take any damn thing inside the house but me! Looky! I'm moving. I'm standing. I'm naked, boys. Or are you, big ugly girls behind your shitty ass ski masks?"

Frank dropped the rope and leaned down, slapping the water with a gloved hand, saying with a set of deep grunts, "Puk. Ping. Pang. Pum."

Tom stood upright and painted in green colored wet bubble, gliding out from the bathtub. "I'm out! Don't hurt me! Take anything but me," he stood upright with both arms in the air in nakedness with a set of falling down bubbles, coming down from the wet skin. "I'm here. Now, what?"

Austin motioned the gun down at the tile floor, saying with a set of groans, "Tam. Tuz. Ten. The. Tiz."

Tom pointed down the floor with a puzzled brow and a gasp. "The floor? You want me to get down on top of the nasty floor. No! Naw! You're going to rape me. No! Please, don't hurt me. Please, don't harm me. I have a wife. She loves me. She's not here. Take anything, but me."

Stu turned and looked at Austin, saying with a set of moans, "Ding. Ding. Don. Do. Dim."

Frank pointed down to the floor, saying with a set of deep groans, "Pim. Puz. Puc. Pus."

Tom slowly kneeled with a set of tears to see Frank. "No! Don't hurt me! I wanna live. I'm a billionaire. I wanna be a daddy. I love my life. I love my wife. I love my money."

Austin turned and looked at Frank, saying with a set of grunts, "Tuz. Tan. Tim. Tin. Tap," then he squatted down and reached out, jerking one of the wet arms on Tom down onto the floor for shitty fun.

Tom fell down on a face and curled into a ball with more sobs and tears. "No! Please, no! Don't harm me! Don't rape me! I'm too beautiful and rich and lovely." Austin kneecapped and grabbed the legs on Tom as Tom rested on top of a back spine. Austin lifted both legs and the arms into the air, motioning for the rope from Frank. Frank dropped a bath towel over Tom's dick and two balls while Stu grunted in a soft chuckle from the amusing sight, holding a pair of twin guns at the curled nakedness on Tom.

Austin exchanged the two guns for the rope. Tom yelled in panic over the dirty floor with sobs and tears of fear. "Go away! Please, leave me in peace! I'm a good guy. No! Don't harm me! I'm rich. I'm pretty..."

Austin hog tied Sawyer with the set of single rope around both wrist and ankle bones as Tom screamed in panic. "No! I wanna live. Don't rape me! Don't kill me! Don't harm me! My brothers will hunt you down and behead you, all of you, assholes. No!" Austin exhaled with a huff of amusement and a smile inside the ski mask, standing upright and motioned with a hand to Frank. Frank handled back the twin hand guns to Austin. Tom struggled with the tied rope around both hands and ankles with a worried brow and sobs of fear. "Please, leave me alone! Don't harm me!"

Stu back stepped from Tom and the bathtub, holding the twin guns at a hog tied and yelling Tom while Frank swung around and exited the bathroom first with a soft chuckle and a smile inside the ski mask. Austin stood upright with a wicked smile underneath the ski mask, holding the twin guns at the face of sissy Tom, spinning around with an evil chuckle, exiting the bathroom.

Tom exhaled with a huff of relief, seeing the three masked gunmen leave his bathroom. He glided to the right, moving sideways over the wet floor and yanked on the ropes which were wet and too tight over both wrist and ankle bones. He scooted side to side on a shoulder and a butt cheek over the dirty floor towards the toilet seat, where his mobile telephone rested. He stopped and stretched out the rope, getting tired from the floor dance without reaching the mobile telephone with a set of heavy breathes.

Tom could not escape the rope like a magician. So, he leaned over and kissed the bottom of the toilet base with a face while stretching out both arms with the tied wrist bones towards the mobile telephone. He whacked air with a set of wiggling ten fingers until both hands touched the mobile telephone. The phone magically flew off the toilet lid and landed on top of his naked chest with instant pain. "Shit!"

He breathed heavy from the mobile telephone attack and stilled, calming down a body and a mind, pondering the next move.

Tom gently rolled to the left while twisting a body towards the tile, so the mobile telephone would gently land on top of the wet floor. The phone swiftly glided and then smashed with in silence upon the tile, face up for a phone call.

Tom crashed the four limbs up into a chest and an abdomen like a dead bug, reaching out and hovered a right dialing finger pad over the stationary mobile telephone. He lowered down and touched the sensitive face, enlightening the colorful icons. Then, a right pinky finger hovered over the square shaped telephone icon. Tom pressed the square.

The screen of the mobile telephone changed into a new menu of numbers when Tom touched the icon again for the listing of telephone numbers.

The tiny screen of the mobile telephone changed into a vertical listing of names and numbers with the name of Frank first on the row. Stu had instructed that all the fucking mobile telephones of each Quartet carry Gage's name first and foremost, but Tom secretly modified his personal cell for his shitty fun, making Frank's number first.

Austin did not tote around a fucking mobile telephone for any reason, since he used his Ghost for all killing reasons.

Tom held a pinky finger pad over the face of Frank and lifted it, mashing down the wet pad.

The mobile telephone rang on top of the wet floor while Tom panted with panic, hearing the connection and then yelled. "Frank. Frank. Frank. I've been robbed. I'm all tied up. Help me. Help me. I'm in my castle. Please, come and help me, man! I'm scared, Frank. I love you, Frank. Please, come and help me. Tell Austin and Stu that I love them, too. Tell Austin and Stu to come and help me out, too, Frank. I'm inside the bathroom, master bathroom. I'm upstairs on the fourth-floor inside my castle. Drive fast, Frank! I'm scared. They might still be here or out there in the kitchen, eating my food or drinking my beer. They were tall and masked and wore sunglasses looking just like a batch of baddie bank robbers, wanting me. But I gave them my money. I'm smart, Frank. You're a good man, Frank. I'm not so scared, anymore with you on the phone. Please, stay on the phone. I don't hear any more sounds or footsteps. Are you there, Frank? Say something, Frank..."

A few seconds later, inside the fourth floor master bedroom, Frank entered the empty room with a smile and a yell. "Tom, are you here?"

Inside the bathroom on the floor through the closed door, Tom yelled with panic and mouth spit. "Here! Here! In the bathroom, Frank..."

Frank slammed open the door and stood inside the archway wearing a white shirt, a pair of blue jeans, and a pair of navy leather, and a grin. "We're here for your rescue, Tom."

Tom wiggled side to side over the floor with a sigh. "Frank, I've been robbed. I'm tied up. Get me, loose!"

Stu shoved Frank into the bathroom and scooted around his brother with a smirk, squatting down, cutting off the ropes from the wrists and ankles of Sawyer with a chuckle, "Geez! It appears liked someone tied you up real good, Thomas. I would say a professional sailor, who enjoys both the sea and sail," he turned and winked at Austin. Austin entered the bathroom and leaned against the archway, wearing a white shirt and a smile. Stu chuckled. "And you're naked under that loose towel, Tom."

Tom twisted side to side and covered the nakedness with three separate clean bath towels, standing upright with a sneer. "I was taking a bath, asshole."

Frank moved ahead and stopped, leaning down with a smile, touching the cold water inside the bathtub, "A bubble bath with real..."

Tom moved ahead with a sour frown and slammed into the bicep on Austin, scooting around stationary Berrington and exited the bathroom. His three brothers swung around from the bathroom space with a grin and a set of soft chuckles, moving ahead and stood in the middle of the master bedroom. Tom moved ahead and entered the walk-in the closet to dress with a yell. "The important event here a few minutes ago was that I was really taken hostage and almost raped while being robbed of my possessions," He dressed in a new polo shirt and a pair of walking shorts, without a pair of leathers and stood inside the archway with a sour frown. "What possessions of mine were taken? I am the most possession in the house. But, I am still here, standing. I wanna track these assholes down and take them down into the laboratory, Austin."

Austin stared with a grin at Tom. "Stu, check out the house for any more uninvited guests, please."

Tom parted the lips inside the archway of the closet. "They're still in my house right here and right now."

Stu spun around with a sour frown and an arm toss to face the entrance door. "I'll go and check out the rest of the rooms in your castle, Tom, while Frank and Austin stand guard for your protection with a Ghost. How's that?" Austin chuckled with Frank.

Tom slapped a chest with a worried brow. "Thanks, man! Yeah, go and check out my castle. I was robbed and tied up like a poor person."

Frank laughed. "Poor people don't get robbed, Tom. Rich people get kidnapped and robbed..."

"...and killed..." Austin nodded with a stern face at Tom.

Tom frowned. "On the television station, the nightly newscast only report robbers, murderers, and rapes of poor people, not like us."

Austin smirked. "The lawyer is smart."

Frank frowned, "Smart-ass."

Three seconds later, Stu returned back into the master bedroom with a smile and a nod to Tom and stopped next to Austin. "Your castle is secured, Tom. There are not any more visitors..."

Tom moved ahead from the closet and stopped, standing in front of his three brothers, shaking both wet bangs and hands. "They were not my visitors, Stu. They were invaders, intruders, infidels. O my gawd! They were from a zealot group of something evil and bad. And they're coming back to get me, not taking me, the first time."

Stu rolled both eyes and turned to see Austin and then Tom, "Naw, Tom. They stole something more valuable than your ass, Tom."

Tom frowned. "What...what's more valuable then...then...my ass?"

8:54 p.m.

3rd floor level

Interior library setting

Stu spun around with a grin and pointed out the empty hallway, leading his brothers from the master bedroom and down the hallway, climbing down the staircase and moved inside the third floor library space. Gage stopped and stood in front of the side wall, pointing at an empty spot with a stern face. A single sheet of wrinkled paper was taped upon the wall with a set of bold black words in hand print.

Tom followed last behind the ass of Frank and entered the room, moving ahead, stopping and stood in front of the side wall. He leaned over and ripped off the single piece of paper, reading out loud with a puzzled brow. "Three billion or else!" He looked up with a confused brow to see the empty spot. "The painting is gone."

Frank stood between Stu and Austin with a stern face, shaking a skull, "The Picasso, Tom."

Tom looked up with a confused brow and shook the semi-wet bangs. "The painting was stolen over me. I'm worth a helluva lot more than three billion dollars. Fuck! Was that all the robbers took?"

Frank shook a skull, "The Picasso, Tom."

Tom crumbled up the single piece of paper and tossed it into the air as it fell and landed on top of the wooden floor. "Fuck that!"

Stu parted the lips at the nose profile on Sawyer. "Aren't you going to pay the ransom, Tom?"

Tom shook his bangs and spun around, leading through the open archway with a smile. "Hell naw! For a shitty piece of smeared oil on a rough canvas, they can keep it. I'm done with anymore robbers entering my house, illegally trying to harm me."

Austin frowned at the nose profile on Sawyer. "They didn't touch your bubbles, Tom. You were both safe and sound," he spun around to face the open archway with a sour frown and moved towards the open archway. He had time to arrange a cut flame for the evening.

Frank tossed both the arms in the air with a smile at the nose profile on Sawyer. "I like Tom's wise-ass mighty decision. He doesn't need that priceless valuable artifact inside his castle which might bring about another dangerous incident. And Janey might happen to be home the next time, too."

Tom turned and pointed with a smile to Frank, spinning around, leading towards the hallway with a nod, "Right-o, Frankie boy! I do not want Jane harmed," he moved through the open archway.

Frank and Stu spun around and followed behind the ass on Tom. Stu frowned at the ass on Tom, "Was the painting..."

Frank smiled with a nod, getting to keep the stolen master piece art for free, "The Picasso, Stuart."

Stu turned and frowned at Frank. "Was it insured on your homeowner's policy, Tom?"

Tom turned to the side and marched down the staircase beside Austin, shaking his bangs with a stern face, "Naw!"

Stu followed behind the asses of Austin and Tom with a grin. "Was it registered with the US National Archives, Tom?"

Tom continued to move down the steps with a smile, "Naw!"

Frank stomped down the staircase and spun around, extended both arms, blocking Stu from stomping off the staircase with a sour frown. "What's up your ass about a stolen piece of famous art? In which, you didn't own or wanna own or fucking don't care about owning, Stuart."

9:04 p.m.

Interior Florida room setting

The Quartet moved down the staircase and stopped, huddling into each other face at the bottom of the elegant staircase. Stu turned and smiled to Tom. "I was inquiring from a kitty cat curiosity point of view. Since, I happen to own a piece of priceless valuable Earth history, too, Franklin."

Tom giggled with a grin. "Dumbo, the fossilized pre-historical shitty smelling bones stands three feet tall inside your game room. You should meet my robbers. They might take it off your fucking hands for free, including the shipping and handling," he turned and winked at Frank.

Stu nodded with a smile. "And I had purchased my baby mammoth from the foreign country of India along with its birth certificate and insured it in case of fire, earthquake or thievery."

Tom laughed. "Who wants to steal a two-ton naked baby elephant?"

Stu nodded with a smile. "Frank would if he wasn't a poem and portrait man," he chuckled with Austin and Tom. Frank sneered. Gage smiled at Tom. "My priceless point, that Picasso is both popular and unattainable. Making me wonder, where did that art piece come from, Tom? How did you acquire it?"

Frank turned and frowned at Gage. "Don't answer the asswipe, Tom! Stu is just jealous that your Picasso is more priceless than his ancient bag of dusty bones." Tom turned and frowned at Frank and then Stu.

Stu smiled with a nod to Frank. "And my ancient bag of dusty bones is both insured and registered with the government of India and the US Federal government at the branch office here in Miami. Why isn't your Picasso registered with the US Federal government, Tom? You do possess the art object. You do display inside your house. And you do prevent Frank from buying the thing when asked over and over again." Tom turned and frowned at Stu and then Frank.

Austin smirked with a nod at Tom. "Soy stole it."

Tom turned and frowned at Austin. "Hey, man! That's my dad. Treat my dad with respect!"

Frank parted the lips. "Damn! Does Uncle Soy really own the painting, Tom?"

Stu smirked, "The Picasso."

Frank frowned, "Tom, how did you acquire that painting? When did you acquire it? And where is all your paperwork for the painting?"

Stu turned and winked at Austin. "Now, it becomes a painting when it becomes stolen."

Tom spun around with a grin and a giggle, moving ahead the kitchen archway. "It's gone, now, Frank. Forget it all!"

Austin motioned with a hand towards Gage with a stern face. Stu reached inside the pocket of the blue jeans and whipped out his personal mobile telephone, handing it to Berrington. Austin accepted the phone and looked down, swishing the icon with a stern face. "Tom, I do believe you should inform Uncle Soy that the Picasso is missing or misplaced or mixed up with some really bad guys, before the art work hits the black market for a billion dollars or so."

Tom spun around with a gasp and reached out, snatching the mobile telephone from the hands of Austin, cuddling it into a chest with a worried brow. "No! Don't call my dad!" He looked down with a worried brow to see the floor and then Frank. "Okay. All right. Dad owns the painting. I don't know any more information. He gives me stuff, on occasion. I just hang it around the house for decoration. I live in a very safe and secure spot on the entire planet. I don't understand how. Looky! I do know that the painting is not insured or even registered with any type of archives or government, including the US Federal government."

Stu frowned. "Geez, Tom! That's stolen property."

Tom looked down at the floor and then up with a worried brow to see Stu. "Dad will kill me when he finds out. What do I do now?"

Frank nodded with a smile. "You are going to pay the big ransom, getting the Picasso back home. Then you and everyone will happy again."

Tom smiled with a nod, stilling holding the mobile telephone. "Really, is it that easy?"

Frank nodded with a smile. "Yes, Tom. The procedure is that easy. You pay the three billion dollars. Then you will get the painting back. You replace it upon the wall like before. No one will be the wiser."

Tom smiled with a nod. "You're an old wise owl, Frank."

Frank exhaled with a nod. "Yes, I am."

Stu reached out and snatched his mobile telephone, slapping the collar bone on Tom with a smile and a nod. "Franklin has solved the problem. Now, it is time to go back to my homestead."

"No!" Tom lifted both arms into the air with a worried brow and turned, scanning the large room. "No go home, now! Can't ya'll stay a little longer?" He looked back with a grin at the face of each brother.

Frank looked down with a stern face to see the designer wrist watch and then back up to see Tom. "The time is close to ten."

Stu shook a bald skull with an ugly yawn at Tom. "This has been a long damn day. I wanna rest and relax."

Tom extended both arms to the side and wiggled the fingers with a nod and a smile to each brother. "Do it here with me! I'm still a little scared," he turned and stared out the window. "It's dark and nighttime. And Jane isn't here to get me company." He turned and smiled with a nod at each brother. "Please, brothers! We can have a sleep-over."

Stu sneered. "Men do not have sleep-over, Tom."

Tom bounced up and down and clapped a nod and a smile to each brother. "We can camp-out like a set of the nature scouts," he pointed down at the floor, "Right here inside my grand room, tonight."

"We can do that. It'll be fun, Stu." Austin nodded with a smile to Tom.

Stu frowned to Tom. "I do not..."

"It will be fun, Stu and Frank," Austin turned and smirked at Gage.

Frank back stepped from the huddle and hit the legs on the oversized leather chair, sitting down inside the leather with a smirk at the upcoming silence catfight between Stu and Austin while Tom bounced up and down on top of the floor with a smile of silly happiness.

Stu crossed both arms and performed a stare-down at Austin while Tom bounced up and down with smile and a nod of happiness. "Good! Great! Yeah, I'll fetch us some snacks including beer and sweets."

Frank stood upright from the chair and moved ahead, veering towards the kitchen with a chuckle. "I'll assist Thomas with our food selection for our nightly camp-out. Stu, is there any particular type of snacks that you require from the food pantry?" Stu continued to stare with a grunt at Austin while Austin stared at Stu with a louder grunt back. Frank continued to move ahead with a smile and a chuckle. "I accept the encrypted message as anytime edible. I am leaving the room, now. Don't splatter too much blood! Since the color of red completely clashes with Tom's fruit orange theme inside the extra-large great room," he entered the kitchen with a smile.

9:20 p.m.

Interior Florida room setting

Frank and Tom, each brother toted a tray of food and beverages from the kitchen and into the grand room while Austin leaned down and scooted a piece of furniture against the wall. Tom stopped with a puzzled brow and stared at the back spine on Austin. "What are you doing to my furniture, Austin? Every piece is out of its proper place sitting while bruising the wall paint. Jane is not going to be happy about this, guys."

Stu stood upright with the object on top of the second level floor with a grunt and a yell. "Move back and stand against the wall, Tom and Frank. Austin can stand exactly where's he at thou," he swung the object over the balcony railing, dropping a queen-sized mattress down from the air waves when Austin stood upright and dashed ahead, standing next Tom and Frank. Berrington looked up with a sneer to see Stu. The single mattress landed with a loud thump in the middle of empty space, where Stu and Austin had created an empty void of air and space.

Tom frowned at the grounded mattress which was covered with the original clean bed linens that were half-way dragging over the soft surface and the floor with a sour frown. "Hey! What the fuck are you doing, Stu?" He looked up with a sour frown to see Stu on the second floor.

Stu smiled down at the hair roots on each brother with a sneer. "Austin has approved your stupid ass camp-out. I ain't sleeping on no gawd damn hard cold floor or inside your tiny little designer chairs. I sleep on a big wide bed mattress."

Frank looked up with a smile to see Stu of the upper balcony. "I want one, too."

Stu swung around with a sour frown and a yell. "I will get each brother a mattress but Austin. He can pick out his own mattress, since he likes to boss us around and around and around..."

Tom and Frank moved ahead and stopped, leaning down and placed the numerous food trays on top of the side tables near the wall. Tom frowned. "What's up his ass?"

Austin looked up with a smile and a chuckle to see Stu and a new dangerous falling object for his personal safety, "The painting."

Frank stood upright and turned to see his brothers and the second floor balcony with a smile, "The Picasso. Stu is worried about your Picasso, too, Tom. He's such a caring brother. Right, Austin?"

Tom turned and smiled at Austin. "Are you going to sleep on a mattress too?"

"Yes." Austin reached over and grabbed, opening the cold beer bottle, watching the second balcony. Stu returned and tossed a second mattress over the balcony railing as the bed mattress landed on top of the flat floor with a soft thump. Then he spun around with a sour frown and slowly moved ahead towards a new bedroom, disappearing down the hallway. A few seconds later, Gage had returned and tossed a third and a fourth bed mattress onto the lower ground floor.

He dashed away and stomped up the staircase, stopping and stood on the steps, waving both arms at Gage with a smile. "I want another mattress on top of that one that I got, Stu."

Stu turned and sneered at Sawyer. "Why, Tom?"

Austin moved ahead and stopped, leaning down, touching the selected mattress, pulling the bed linens straight and neat. "Get Tom a second mattress, Stu."

Stu swung around with a growl and moved ahead with a furious yell. "I fuckingly obey, master, sir, your highness, your bossiness..." he disappeared down the hallway. A few seconds later, Stu returned and stopped, tossing a fifth bed mattress onto the ground floor. Austin and Frank dashed towards the mattress and dragged it on top on Tom's first mattress.

Stu stomped down the staircase with a sour frown and moved ahead into the grand room, scooting around the floor, helping Austin and Frank setup the snacks and beverages in the middle of the semi-square shaped circle on tops of the low tables in silence.

Then, Austin, Frank, and Stu moved ahead and plopped down on top of an individual bed mattress, chewing on the food.

A few minutes later, Tom bounced down the stairs, wearing a pair of orange colored pajamas with a blue colored alien face on his flat chest and a pair red and green tinted dragon-faced bedroom slippers. The bathrobe was electric blue that was covered in a pattern of white and gray star shapes. He smiled with happiness at each brother. "Does anyone want a pair of pajamas? I got another set of alien pajamas. Or you can wear my cool tomcat jammies covered in feisty clawed felines." He moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of his selected mattress with the green and white alien skull patterned bed linens. Frank stood upright from the mattress and moved ahead, stopping, stood over Tom, presenting a tray of food items. Tom selected a cold beer bottle and a snack bar to eat. "Thanks, Frank."

He nodded with a smile to Tom. "You are most welcome, brother," Frank slowly spun around to face each brother as a waitress while each brother declaimed the food tray items. He completed the turn and moved ahead, placing the food try on top of the side table, scooting around to seat back down onto his selected mattress of aqua and yellow hollow hearts with a cream colored background. He sipped and swallowed the cold beer with a smile, listening to the conversation.

Stu sat on top of his selected mattress with a set of peach colored bed linens and chewed with food particles with a laugh. "Felines are for girls, Tom."

Tom sat down and then bounced on top of the two stacks of mattresses, chewing and swallowed the food with a smile. "Naw, Stu. A feline is a kitty cat which comes in both sexes of male and female, because they fuck together producing a baby kitten. I thought you were the nature asshole. I guess I'm wrong. Kittens are so soft and precious."

Stu stood upright from the mattress and stripped down to the boxer briefs. "Turn down the air conditioning for sleep time, Tom. I got heated at night," he sat back down and chewed the food.

Frank sat on top of the bed mattress with a frown. "You didn't possess any pet animals, Tom."

Tom dashed ahead towards the wall and stopped, standing in front of the wall thermostat, lifting and touched the controls with a smile. "It is on sixty degrees for our sleep comfort. I know, Frank. But I love little kittens. I might get a kitten after my robbery,"

Stu laughed. "You should get a mean growling dog before another robbery. It'll tear an arm limb from the human body in three seconds flat."

Frank removed the shirt from a body and folded the clothing item neatly into a square, sitting it next to an empty side table for his personal use while sitting on top of the mattress, finishing the warm beer. Tom bounced an ass up and down on top of his mattress, staring with a smile at Stu. "I'll ask Jane if I can have a puppy. Then I'll be really protected. Thanks for the advice, Stu. Don't understand. Why didn't my bodyguard Albert stop the invaders, the intruders, the infidels inside my house?"

Frank exhaled with a huff of amusement and held a cold beer bottle. "You have a butler, not a bodyguard, Tom. Albert is the butler. And your house staff is on vacation when Janey is not home. Remember that carnal rule, Tom?"

Tom sipped and swallowed the beer bottle with a nod, "O yeah! So, I'm glad my bros are with me, since Jane isn't here."

Frank pointed to the tray of food next to Stu. "Pass me a cold beer, please, Stu." Gage reached out and grabbed, lifting the ice colds and the cold bottle into the air, flinging the water into the air and over the face of Austin with a laugh. Austin sneered. Frank reached over and extended a long arm across the face of Austin with a chuckle, accepting the cold bottle as the ice chips fell over Austin and the floor. Austin snarled.

Stu continued to extend a hand with a smile in front of Austin's face for shitty fun to Frank, "Pass me the bag of potato chips." Frank transferred the cold bottle of beer with the dripping water over the floor and his naked legs, reaching over with the other and grabbed, lifting a new very large bag of potato chips into the air, leaning over to reach the hand of Stu.

Austin reached above the muscular arm of Stu and snatched the very large bag of potato chips with a smirk. "Thanks, Frank! I was thinking about eating that particular type of cool ranch flavored potato chips." He cuddled and opened the bag, leaning down and mouth spat into the bag for meanness. Stu gasped. Frank laughed. Tom groaned. Austin dropped down a hand down into the food, contaminating the chips even more with a chuckle, lifting a handful of chips, eating with an open mouth and a laugh.

Stu frowned. "Gimme me another bag..."

Frank laughed. "That was the last gigantic bag of cool ranch flavored chips. But I do see a bag of fake corn and cheesy tasting twisted somethings."

Stu wiggled the arm up and down with a snarl. "That'll do!"

Frank reached over and grabbed any bag from the food tray, lifting it into the air and then pitched it over the skull of Austin, in case Berrington wanted to start a catfight with Stu. Mangrove didn't feel like referring the event tonight, since Tom was too scared to do anything but shit his briefs and cry like a baby until midnight.

Austin watched the food bag fly over a skull with a snarl. Stu raised an arm into the air and captured the bag, smashing the contents with a big hand, cuddling it down into a chest with a laugh. He ripped open the bag and mouth spat down into the potato chips, claiming his territory also. Frank laughed. Tom groaned. Austin sneered. Gage dropped down a hand and gathered a handful, lifting and eating directly from the bag with an open mouth like Austin too.

Tom looked down with a worried brow at the floor and wiggled the pair of dragon face bed slippers up and down. "I'm glad that Jane wasn't here. They could've hurt her. Then, I'll be mad and upset. Don't understand. Why me?" He looked with a puzzled brow to see each brother.

Stu chewed and then mouth spat a set of food particles over the floor and his legs with a stern face, "The painting."

Frank grinned with a nod at Tom, "The Picasso."

Tom turned and frowned to Frank. "Don't understand. Who knows about the painting?"

Frank chewed and mouth spat food particles over the floor with a smile. "Everyone knows about your Picasso, Tom."

Tom turned and frowned at Stu. "Don't understand! How did they get inside my house?"

Frank chewed and swallowed the food with a smile of good South Florida gentleman manners unlike his two other brothers. "The same way, we did, Tom. We entered through the front door."

Stu turned and frowned at Tom, mouth spitting food particles over the floor and his legs. "You keep your fucking doors unlocked, asswipe, like second asswipe Austin. I do not recommend you doing that anymore, Austin." Austin continued to chew the food with a smirk.

Tom stood upright from the bed mattress and moved ahead towards the back door, shaking his bangs with a puzzled brow. "If the door was unlocked, then the new alarm system will sound a loud beeping noise when the wood leaves the frame."

Austin turned and winked at Stu. "The lawyer is smart."

Stu chewed and mouth spat more food particles into the air, "Smartass."

Tom stopped and stood in front the glass door, reaching out and jerked the door knob open with a gasp of worry. "The alarm didn't sound. It's broken, Stu."

Stu turned and stared with a pair of chewing lips at Austin. "I really mean that, Austin. I do not recommend that you leave your front door unlocked for any reason, bro."

Tom slammed the door back and forth with a set of swishing noises without hearing the loud alert with a worried brow. "It's broke, Stu," he slammed the door shut and back stepped, spinning around and dashed to the front door, stopping in place. He leaned over and grabbed the door knob, swishing the front door open and shut without hearing the loud alert with a gasp of worry. "It's broke, Stu," He slammed the front door shut and back stepped, swinging around and dashed to every door that led out into the front yard or patio lawn on every level of the four-story house with a gasp and a high pitched sissy whine as his words echoed off the wall over and over again. "It's broke, Stu."

On the ground level, Austin, Frank and Stu sat on top of a bed mattress and laughed at silly Tom, continuing to chew the food and sip the beer. Tom returned and slowly climbed down the staircase looking upset, pointing at the front door with a worried brow and moved back to the square formation of four bed mattresses with his three brothers.

Frank turned and winked at Austin. "Naw, Tom! Use Stu's brilliantly created electronic devise to fuckingly, magically lock in place all the gawd damn doors at once!"

Tom stopped with a gasp and spun around with a smile, dashing to the side table and stopped, reaching out and grabbed, lifting and aimed the remote control device at the front door. He pressed the button. Then he moved ahead with a smile and stopped, standing at the front door with a puzzled brow, reaching out and opened the door with a gasp, looking out at the front yard. "The door isn't locked, Stu. The door lock is broken, Stu. My devise is broken, Stu. My alarm does not work, Stu. It is all broken, Stu."

Austin chuckled at the ass on Tom and the front door. "The accountant is smart, too."

"Smartass, number two," Stu sneered at the ass of Sawyer. "I will fix it all, Tom."

Tom spun around with a worried brow and thumbed back over a collar bone at the front door with a sissy whine. "Now, fix it, right now! I'll be robbed again tonight right here in an unsafe home," he moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of his selected mattress, staring at each brother with a worried brow.

Stu chewed and mouth spat the food particles over the floor with a sour frown. "Chill, bro! I'm here with my Ghost for your personal protection. You're safe with me as your personal bodyguard. Now, sit down on top of your silly green and white alien patterned and clothed mattress, Tom."

Frank chuckled. "Then Tom, you should lock it the old fashion way with a flat metal two-dimensional house key. Don't you have a house key for all the doors inside your mansion?"

Tom looked up with a puzzled brow to see the ceiling then the floor and finally to see Frank. "No! Stu took away my house keys. I want my house keys right back, now, right now, Stu."

Stu chewed and mouth spat the food particles over the floor with a sour frown. "Sit down and shut the fuck up, Tom! I will personal slaughter any evil-being coming through any broken glass or busted wood tonight for you."

Tom back stepped and landed on top of the mattress, bouncing up and down with a smile and a nod, "Really, Stu? You're a great brother!"

"Then what's the point of a highly double sentry guard unit covering a set of double entrance concrete gates, Stuart, if an evil-being can break into Tom's mansion with first grader ease?" Frank chewed the food with a smirk of annoyance for his shitty fun tonight.

Stu turned and winked at Austin. "True evil can't be stop with concrete blocks or loaded shotguns, Frank."

Frank smiled. "Gage, I have noticed that you have consumed three packages of chocolate covered cakes. You need to watch your glucose level."

Stu sneered. "You need to close your fucking eyelids, Mangrove. Then, you will not see me consume a fourth package of chocolate covered cake," he lifted and chewed the new sweet with a set of open lips for his shitty fun tonight, staring at Frank.

Tom wiggled the pair of dragon feet up and down with a confused brow, looking with a confused brow to see each brother. "Don't understand! Why didn't the robbers rob Austin's house first? Austin's house is too closest to the highly double sentry guard units."

Stu chewed and mouth spat food particles throughout the air. "No valuables."

"No Picasso," Frank nodded with a smile.

"Only dust..."' Austin sipped and swallowed the beer with a stern face.

Tom frowned. "Don't understand. Why didn't the sentry boys get them first?"

Austin smirked. "The lawyer is smart."

"They came by water," Frank smiled as Stu parted the lips. Austin lowered down the beer bottle with a stern face. Frank nodded with a grin to Tom. "They invaded your homestead by water. Stu figured that out. The boat skids are printed inside the golden sands on the twin sides of the Atlantic. Right, Stu?"

Tom swiftly stood upright from the mattress with a pair of parted lips and a worried brow. "O shit. They came by Atlantic Ocean water," he turned and dashed towards the wall of glass doors, stopping and examining the sand and water through the flood lights of the side yard with a worried brow. He back stepped and swung around, thumbing back over a collar bone with a puzzled brow. "I don't see the imprint of multiple boat skids."

Frank nodded with a smile. "It is completely darkness of nighttime, Tom. And the ocean tide will wash away all the visual evidence by morning. Don't worry about it. We're here, tonight."

Tom spun around with a puzzled brow and examined the golden sands again, spinning around with a confused brow to see Frank. "I don't see any boot prints within the sand."

Austin smirked. "The lawyer is smart."

Tom spun around with a puzzled brow and examined the patio through the glass door. "I don't see any sand on the rear patio brick," he looked down with a confused brow to see the interior tile floor inside the house. "I don't see any sand granulates on the tile floor or the staircase."

Frank nodded with a smile at the ass on Tom at the rear doors. "Tom, you were very upset and disoriented during the home robbery. The crooks wore no shoes. That's the only explanation for the missing sand granulates."

Stu chewed and mouth spat the food particles over the floor and his legs with a smile. "And they cleaned the house like Frank likes to do when not annoying the shit out of me for fun."

Tom spun around with a nod and a worried brow to see each brother. "O. I guess so. But, the water access is dangerous along the coastline. How do I protect Jane from more intruders, invaders, infidels?"

Stu chewed and mouth spat the food particles over the floor and his legs with a sour frown. "We'll get you some more elite bodyguards, Tom, for the nighttime, too. How's that, bro?"

Frank pointed at the two mattresses that belonged to Sawyer with a stern face. "Come away from the patio doors and lay down and rest, Tom. We're all tired from your terrible experience."

Tom dashed ahead towards the two mattresses with a grin and leaped into the air, landing into the middle of the mattress on a stomach with a giggle, "O yeah! A set of more elite bodyguards would make me feel much, much better. That's a great suggestion, Stu. You're a great brother," he wiggled side to side and rested on a back spine with a worried brow. "You know guys the infidels tied me up like this." Tom lifted both legs and arms into the air with a stern face. "I looked like a skinny pig. You know guys the infidels tied my wrists and ankle bones and it hurt, too. I got some rope burns on my skin."

Frank exhaled with a huff of concern and dropped the beer on top of the side table, reaching down, grabbing his man-purse into a lap. He opened the flip and dove down into the darkness of the soft leather, grabbing the medical objects with a stern face. "Come over here to me, Tom. Let me examine your skin indentations. I got some ointment cream in my man-purse for those rope burns," he lifted the items into the air and dropped the man-purse back down to the floor with stern face.

Tom swayed side to side the arms and the legs in the air with a stern face. "I was tied up like a hog, not getting freed. But I was smarter than him. When the badass infidel was wrapping the rough rope around my wrists, I jerked my wrists apart, so I could have some maneuvering room. I created space between the burning pain on my wrists, so I could manipulate my hands. I needed to reach my cell phone to call in the Calvary. And I did it. I reached my cell phone and called ya'll."

Frank turned and frowned at the nose profile on Austin, "Yes, you did, Tom. You were brave and strong and smart."

Tom swayed side to side both the arms and the legs, falling over and landed on the side, facing Austin with a stern face. "Then, I wiggled side to side over the floor. It was cold and rouge on my body but I did it. I reached the cell phone and called ya'll for help."

Stu turned and frowned at the nose profile on Austin, "Yeah, Tom, you did a great job saving your own ass, without us."

Frank stood upright from the bed mattress with a worried brow and moved ahead with a sigh, stopping and kneeled down in front on Tom, reaching out and touched the hands with a nod. "Let me see your rope burns, Tom."

Tom rolled upright and sat back on top of the mattress with a nod and a worried brow. "It mostly hurts on around my wrists. I had to wiggle them back and forth to reach the cell. It fell on my chest, not too hard. It hurt for a little while but I'm tough."

Frank nodded with a smile. "You're tough, Tom. I see some slightly pink circular marks. You'll heal in no time." He reached out and rubbed the white cream in the pink tinted rope burn wounds.

Tom nodded with a smile, "Uoo! It's cooling feeling. Thanks, Frank. Don't understand! How do I get all the three billion dollars from the bank for the vicious three art thieves, who hold the painting hostage?"

"I'll arrange that for you, Tom." Frank finished rubbing the cream and then bandaged Tom's wrists with a fake smile. "I handle all the money for Quartet Associates and the nasty three art thieves, too."

Tom watched Frank work on the wrist bones with a confused brow. "Don't understand! What type of denominations, Frank? The ransom didn't specific the types of money. I don't wanna give out the wrong bills. Then, they might harm the painting. Dad would become very angry at me."

Austin smirked at Tom. "The lawyer is smart."

Frank looked down to see the pink tinted rope burn wounds on Tom's ankles with a stern face, leaning down and rubbed the white cream over the skin. "A stack of crisp five hundred dollar bills is the general denomination type for any people or property ransom, Tom."

Austin chewed and swallowed the food with a smile. "The accountant is smart, too."

Tom watched Frank work on the ankle bones with a confused brow. "What time of day do I give them the money, Frank?"

Stu said. "Twenty-four hours after the robbery is the general date and time for any people or property ransom, Tom."

Austin smirked. "The engineer is smart, thrice."

"Smartass, number three," Frank wrapped a set of white bandages over the ankles on Tom with a smile. "I'm done. You'll be healed by tomorrow with maybe some tiny pink broken lines, Tom," he stood upright with a sigh and spun around with a stern face, moving back to his mattress.

Tom turned and looked with a worried brow at Austin, touching all the bandages. "I'm nervous about this whole thing."

Austin smiled with a nod. "Tom, don't worry about this whole thing! We're your brothers and protectors. Frank will get the money. Stu will deliver the bags of money. And I will acquire the Picasso back from the sissy wise-ass thieves by fucking force. Then, I will do my infamous thing. And you don't have to do a damn thing."

Tom parted the lips. "But I'm supposed to show up and..."

Stu chuckled. "Naw, bro! Let Badass Berrington take the deadly risk. After all, he is the number one Quartet Asshole. Right, Frank?"

Frank chuckled at Austin, "Right, Stu!"

Austin nodded with a grin to Sawyer, "Right, Tom!"

The song sounded with an escalating musical scale of piccolo notes on the mobile telephone on Tom, indicating a new text. Tom reached over and grabbed, lifting the mobile telephone with a gasp into his face. "The texter is Jane," he stood upright from the mattresses and looked up with a worried brow to see his brothers. "I don't think we should tell Jane. Right, Frank? She'd get really upset along with Misty and Gracie. Right Stu?"

Frank nodded with a stern face to Tom. "I do believe that to be a very wise decision, Thomas. This is our deep dark brotherly secret."

Stu nodded with a stern face to Tom. "No one blabs to our lovely wives, ever and forever."

Austin nodded with a stern face. "You need to call Janey back right now, so she doesn't worry about you, Tom."

Tom swung around with a nod and dashed ahead towards the staircase, reading the text with a stern face. "Yeah, yeah, I'm calling Jane right back. So I'll be back," he stopped and spun around at the bottom of the staircase with a worried brow to see each brother. "Keep the lights on! Don't cut off the lights. Okay? I don't wanna be in the dark tonight," he smiled with a nod. "Thanks for the camp-out, guys!" He slowly turned and dashed up the staircase, swishing the icon and lifted the mobile telephone into a face with a smile. He heard her sweet alto in his eardrum, "Hey, sweetheart! I love you, Jane. Guess what? The guys are here with me. We're having a camp-out..." he dashed ahead onto the fourth floor and disappeared down the hallway of the master suite.

On the ground floor, Frank turned and frowned at the nose profile Austin. "We should tell him."

Austin stared at the empty staircase with a stern face. "No."

Frank exhaled. "We should tell Tom the truth."

Austin looked up with a stern face and stared at the fourth floor. "No."

Stu turned and frowned at Frank. "Tom is learning the fucking truth. There could have be an attack inside his house with Janey present. He has to learn to be more aware and prepared."

Austin dropped down the empty bags of food and the empty bottles of beer over the floor with a sigh, leaning down and rested on top of the cold bed linens with a stern face. "Let's go bed! Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day for the Quartet," he closed the eyelids with a full stomach of happiness.
Sunday August 29th

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and bright moonlight

Home of Austin

Interior master bedroom setting

He awoke on top of the pink tinted bed linen in sweat and stared up at the pink colored wooden ceiling with a smile, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read 2:31 a.m.

His sleeping dream was about Rosebud, feeling happy to see her again.

He flipped over onto a naked stomach and flipped the pillow, resting a sweaty grin back down onto the cool side of the pink satin, without falling back asleep.

Home on Tom

Interior dining room setting

7:07 p.m.

Tom wiped a mouth and then dropped the cloth napkin down into the empty dirty plate, reaching over and gently kissed the cheekbone of his wife Jane. He was happy for all his possessions including his person, his wife Jane, and the returned Picasso.

Jane dabbed the lips and folded the napkin, placing it down into a lap, staring with a smirk at the nose bridge of Austin. "We had a wonderful shopping adventure with Jace in New York City. Jace know exactly what he wanted and needed. He ended up getting all his wishes and desires for the wedding."

Tom reached out and grabbed, lifting the beverage of bourbon and strawberries to the lips with a sour frown. "Jace is a guy. What the hell is a guy doing all the wedding shit for the ceremony? When are they getting shitty married? Where are they getting shitty married? No, wait! Who is he shitting marrying? When, where, who, how, and why are we meeting his girl? Jace talks about her all the time but she's a ghost to me. Is she an ugly gawd damn mutt dog? Is that fucking ass why, Jane?"

Jane reached over and patted the arm on Tom with a smile, "No, sweetheart."

Tom sipped and swallowed the bourbon with a puzzled brow. "Why's Jace missing here? The bastard never misses a plate of free food, especially at my fucking castle," exhaling.

Frank frowned. "Jace is eating more health, these days."

Stu frowned. "Jace is occupied with his upcoming wedding these days, not your free food, Tom."

Tom sipped and swallowed the bourbon with a smile. "What the fuck ever for?"

Misty turned and smiled at Austin and finally her husband Frank, "So, we had a wonderful time ourselves buying the entire store out, almost. I guess that we will do that our next trip into the big city of New York," giggling.

Frank wiped a mouth and both hands, reaching over and gently touched her arm with a smile and a nod of happiness. "Love, I am so glad that you have a good time. And next time, you have permission to clean the store out, only one tall department store." He turned and winked at Tom. "I'm only a billionaire, so far." Tom giggled with a grin and reached over, patting the arm of Jane, sipping the bourbon with four ripe strawberries.

Gracie reached over and tapped on the arm of Stu with a smile. "And what mischief did you, four boys cause during our brief absence?"

Stu turned and parted the lips down the hair roots on his wife. "We didn't get into any trouble, Gracie. We were good little boys. Correct, Frank?" He turned and nodded to Frank.

Austin turned and smirked at Gracie, "Absolutely none."

Jane sipped and swallowed the coffee with a smile at Austin. "Tom sweetheart, our house staff complained bitterly about the impromptu party inside our castle. You seemed to have a good time, last night. Who did you invite over for your play romp?"

Tom wiggled side to side inside the chair with a giggle and a grin, staring at each brother. "The boys and I had a spend-the-night party."

Stu turned and sneered at Tom. "Females have spend-the-night parties. Males have camp-outs. The males camped out. Sorry about the mess! We were too lazy and too tired from eating and bloating while burping," he turned and winked to Austin.

Jane nodded with a smile at Austin. "I am not sorry. I'm glad that you all had a good time last night with the big mess. But I hired three cleaning services to assist our house staff..."

"Fuck, Jace!" Tom swallowed the bourbon with a sour frown. "We currently pay twenty-seven people to clean our house now."

Jane nodded with a smirk to Austin. "And our house staff is like our extended family unit like your non-biological brothers and sisters. I'm referencing Austin, Stu, and Frank. Do you see my girly logic here, Tom sweetheart?"

Frank turned and faked a smile at Tom. "Thomas is a genius attorney and a good-hearted man. He sees all that and more, Janey. Thanks for bringing that to his attention."

Jane nodded with a smirk to Austin. "I'm so glad that we all love each other, yesterday, today, and tomorrow." Frank cut the eyelids to Austin and finally to Stu with a fake smile.

Jane reached over and patted Tom's arm with a smirk at Austin. "Tom sweetheart, now since, I completely understood that your wild-ass party was only with your brothers..."

Frank sneered. "It was a civilized man cave party, Janey, nothing more or less."

Jane smirked at Austin, "However, I do not understand carrying the party upstairs into our master bedroom. It was a mess and smelly and wet. The bathroom floor was..."

Tom cuts the eyelids to Frank and back to Jane, leaning over and cuddled her with a sad pout. "I am so sorry, Jane. I got excited when the boys came over just like a little kid."

Stu yawned with a loud noise and scooted the chair back from the table with more loud sounds, placing both hands on the collar bone of Gracie, saying with a smile for all eardrums. "Gracie babe, I bet you are beat from the jet ride and your four terrific days of shopping. Let us go and scoot back home. I'll massage your toes..."

Gracie turned and smirked at Austin, "Naw, honey! I feel refreshed and alive after eating that delicious meal. I wanna finish my hot chocolate. Please resume your position back at the eating table, Big Man."

Stu turned and frowned at Tom. Tom turned and frowned at Frank. Frank turned and frowned at Austin. Austin sipped and swallowed the cold milk, staring at Janey.

Jane nodded with a giggle and cuddled into her husband Tom. "Well, I must say that ya'll had a good time with the spend-the-night party..."

"A camp-out, Janey," Stu sneered.

Jane frowned at Austin. "Then, why was the camp-out dragged upstairs and into the library? I don't understand. Why were the little boys playing and messing inside the library?"

Frank shook a skull. "We don't play or mess inside the library, Janey."

Stu shook a bald skull to Janey. "We're sorry about the playing and messing around the house, Janey. We were having some good time manly fun. That's all!"

Gracie turned and smirked to Janey. "What kind of mess was made inside the library, Janey?"

Misty turned and smirked to Janey also. "What kind of mess was made inside the library, Janey?"

Frank stood upright from the table as the chair slammed near the wall. He leaned over and patted the collar bone of his wife Misty Marie with a fake smile of worry. "Love, may we leave now? I want to go and shit inside my own toilet after that delicious meal which had been generously provided by Tom and Janey. Did you bring a sweater to match your dress, love?"

Stu roared with laughter and stood upright from the table as the chair slammed into the wall. "I gotta shit, too, preferring my own personal cloth-covered toilet seat as well. Gracie babe, can we go?"

Tom shook his bangs and his hands with a sour frown. "Go and get outta here right now! I don't ya'll shitting inside my clean toilets. Get out now!"

Jane frowned. "The library floor was covered in sand along with the leather chairs. It looked like prints from a pair of leathers. Did ya'll dance in a pair of cowboy boots or what on both the floor and the chairs?"

Tom shook his bangs and his hands with a worried brow. "No, Jane. I stood inside the chair..."

Frank gasped. "Why you were standing in the leather chair in your shoes, Tom?"

Jane turned and frowned with angry at her husband. "You were standing in the leather chair in your leather shoes, Tom. Why were you standing in a leather chair in your leather shoes? You could've fallen and gotten hurt then your pack of drunken camp-fire boys wouldn't have been able to assist you into one of the nasty emergency room inside Charity South Miami Hospital, sweetheart."

Tom leaned over and cuddled Jane with a smile, returning back to wink at each brother, "No, sweetheart! I wasn't dancing in the chair. I was h...humming a silly song while entertaining the silly troops for our more sillier fun, last night. Fun and games, that's all, sweetheart. We did fun and games, last night, too. Right, guys?"

Austin smirked. "Right, Tom!"

Stu smirked, "Right, Austin!"

Frank smirked, "Right, Stu!"

Jane exhaled with a puff of annoyance and turned with a frown to see Austin. "Fun and games with a piece of art that is worth one billion dollars, is that your silly entertaining last night, Tom?" Tom cuts the eyelids to Austin. Austin cleared a throat.

Frank chuckled with a nod at Janey. "Tom isn't an art, maybe a fart, Janey. But Thomas is definitely worth about..." he turned and frowned to Tom. "How much are your worth in billions, now, Tom?"

Jane smiled at Austin. "I'm referencing the Picasso. A piece of priceless art based on Frank is valued at one billion dollars and growing steadily. Is that not correct, Frank?"

Frank stared with a silence nod at Jane.

Misty turned and looked up with a grin to see the chin of her husband. "Frankie, don't you want to purchase a one billion dollar piece of smeared oil on a rough canvas."

Tom parted the lips and stared at Frank.

Frank turned with a smile and reached out, patting on Misty's arm. "Yes, love. It is one billion dollars for Tom's painting, a steal at best."

Jane turned and grinned at Tom. "I believe that I have debated and won my case..."

"What case, Janey," Frank turned and gasped at Janey.

Jane turned and smirked at Austin. "I won my case. So, why is the one-billion-dollar painting upside down?"

Frank turned and sneered at Tom. "The Picasso is upside down. The Picasso is upside down. Tom?"

Jane turned and frowned at Tom. "Tom, you removed the Picasso and then placed it upside down. Were one of you or all of you trying guess that geometry image?" She shook her curls with a smile. "I must admit that I'm not really fond of Picasso's work. It all looks like sharp ninety degree angles drawn with a rule..."

"The Picasso is upside down. Tom?" Frank released Misty and back stepped from the table, spinning around and marched towards the staircase.

Tom stood upright from the table and slammed the chair into the wall as each brother and sister imitated the same movement and sound.

They all spun around and exited the dining room, swiftly marching up the staircase behind Frank.

Austin slowly stood upright from the chair last without hitting the wall and with a sour frown, watching them charge up the staircase with a soft moan, "Shit!"

3rd floor level

Interior library setting

Frank stomped into the library room first and stopped a few feet from the side wall with a sour frown, pointing at the painting. "The Picasso is upside down. Tom, you..."

"Yes..." Jane entered the room with a smile and cuddled with Tom, who was very quiet. They stopped and stood in front of the side wall, staring at the painting. Jane smirked. "Frank didn't insist the Picasso be turned downside or upside right, sweetheart," giggling.

Misty Marie followed behind Tom and Jane, moving inside the library, stopped and stood next to her husband in silence, staring at the painting on the wall with a smile in silence.

Gracie entered the room with a giggle and a grin inside the biceps of her husband Stu. They stopped and stood behind Tom and Janey, staring at the painting. She smiled. "Who in the hell can tell which is up or down or sideways? It looks fine to me. And how in the hell did you figure it out, Janey?"

Austin entered the room and moved ahead, stopping and stood next to Stu, staring at the painting in silence with a stern face.

Jane cuddled Tom and exhaled with a nod at the painting. "I spend lots of my morning up here, talking on the phone. I didn't realize it. But, Pic and I are good friends in art imagination. I came in here to check my voice messages when I discovered my friend Pic has been picked on," giggling. "Why was Pic picked on, sweetheart?" She spun around with a smile to face her three brothers. "Frank? Stu? Austin? Tom doesn't or didn't wanna answer my posed question. I'm not a slick accountant like Frank. But, does anyone know why my personal charity foundation received one billion, this morning?"

"A billion pesos, you say, Janey?" Frank chuckled at the upside painting and cuddled his wife Misty Marie.

"Or was it one billion potato chips, Janey?" Stu smirked at the upside painting and cuddled his wife Gracie.

Tom turned and frowned at Frank. "One billion US American dollars had been donated into our Quartet Foundation. I..."

"I received an electronic email that I can access one billion dollars for my Charity of Churches Foundation, too, Frankie. That's a lot of money, love," Misty turned and smiled at the nose profile on her husband Frank.

Gracie turned and winked at Janey. "Ditto here with my Animal and Pet Charity Foundation! Sisters, I think we should jet back to New York for some good-time spending and buy out a tall department store," giggling.

Jane turned and frowned at Austin. "I think that the camp-out boys planned our good-time fun for a specifically evil cause," she turned and frowned to Tom. "Tom, are you having...?"

Tom pulled away from his wife and lifted both arms with a worried brow, shaking his hands and his bangs. "Jane, it was horrible."

Frank frowned at the nose profile on Sawyer, "Tom."

Tom pouted with a sad face and shook his hands and his bangs, "O Jane, it was terrible."

"Thomas," Frank sneered.

Tom exhaled with a set of sobs, "O Jane, it was awful."

Frank growled. "Thomas Edison."

Tom heard the nasty sounds from his brother Frank and ignored them, since he would get into trouble with his wife Jane. He continued to shake both bangs and hands, wobbling side to side with panic and a sad pout. "O Jane, it was robbery. I just had sunk down into my bath, not playing with the pretty bubbles, yet. There were still forming in big and tiny circle and singing my favorite rock and roll song. Then, I heard a loud noise. I thought you had missed the jet which was impossible. When three tall big ugly giants..."

Jane turned and sneered at the three brothers, "Three big ugly giants?"

"The giants walked in and disturbed my private bath house, carrying rifles..."

Stu sneered, "Rifles?"

Tom bounced up and down with a worried brow, shaking both bangs and hands. "O Jane, I was so scared. They ordered me out my bubble bath, naked."

Jane turned and sneered at Frank, "Naked?" Frank leaned over and hugged Misty, looking down with a worried brow at his polished leathers.

Tom wobbled side to side with a sad pout, shaking both hands and bangs. "O Jane, I was so frightened. They tied me on the floor, naked."

Jane turned and sneered at Stu, "Naked!" Stu tried to hug Gracie as she back stepped from her husband with a flinging manicured fingernail into his face. He looked down with a worried brow to see his polished leathers.

Tom wobbled side to side with a sad pout, shaking both hands and bangs. "O Jane, I was so afraid. They walked away leaving me alive. Thank Almighty God, Brother Jesus, and all of mine and your and Frank's heavenly angels. I'm so happy to be alive. Then, I called my bros."

"Brothers?" Jane turned and snarled at Austin. Austin smirked at her in silence.

Tom turned and pointed to each brother with a smile. "Yeah, after my brothers came, we discovered the ransom note for the stolen Picasso..."

Jane leaned over and hugged her husband with a smile, sliding a right shooting hand into the left breast pocket of his sports jacket, removing his Ghost. She flipped the Ghost into the air and then aimed it at Austin with folded fists and a sneer. "Well, now, I know the truth. But I want my husband to know the truth, gentlemen. Please tell us! Where did the three billion dollars came from that happened to land inside three separate foundations which happened to belong to your Quartet sisters, Austin?"

Tom back stepped with a gasp from Jane and turned with puzzled brow to see Austin. Austin did not stir but smirked with satisfaction. Sawyer exhaled. "Jane, why are you aiming my Ghost at Austin?"

Gracie leaned over and hugged her husband, sliding a left hand into the pocket jacket of Stu, stealing his Ghost during the ploy. She pulled away and marched ahead, swinging around with a sneer and stood beside Jane, aiming the Ghost at Stu with a sour frown. "Please tell us! Where did the three billion dollars came from, Austin?"

Tom back stepped with both arms in the air and a gasp of fear from the two weapons and the two women. "Jane and Gracie, why are both of you aiming a Ghost at my older brother Austin?"

Misty leaned over and tickled Frank with a giggle, stealing his Ghost from the breast pocket inside his jacket too, dashing ahead with a giggle and then spun around with a smile. She joined the sisterly line-up. She held the Ghost on Austin with a smirk. "Austin, please, tell us! Where did the three billion dollars came from?"

Tom waved his bangs and his hands with a stern face. "Me! I paid the money ransom on the white colored wrinkled up piece of short paper note of three billion dollars, Jane, from my personal bank account. This wasn't a QA expense. I was robbed right here inside our house. But Austin, Frank, and Stu assisted me with the money, the delivery, and capture of the thieves. Now, they're dead."

Jane lowered and aimed the Ghost at the penis of Austin with a sneer. "They are alive."

Tom shook both his hands and his bangs with a smile, "Naw, sweetheart! The art thieves are dead, Jane. Austin got 'em. Right, Austin?"

Jane steadied the Ghost at the penis of Austin, "For once, Tom is truly innocent of a crime, but I suspect that Austin ain't."

Austin did not lift the arms or sound with a nasty sneer, saying with a calm timber. "We broke in and robbed the painting."

"The Picasso," Frank exhaled with a huff of worry, still holding both arms in a bank robbery pose in the air. Since, Misty couldn't shoot a Ghost accurately. She might miss Austin's dick and hit his instead.

Gracie slipped over and aimed the Ghost at the penis of Austin also with a smirk. "Austin never lies."

Tom back stepped from Jane with a confused brow, huffing and puffing and then turned strawberry red in the face, flinging both arms into the air. "My own three loving brothers tormented and robbed me for a painting..."

"A Picasso," exhaled Frank.

Tom jabbed a finger at each brother. "You, three turd rats, you scared me to death. I almost had a heart attack, seeing the long rifles..."

"...the short hand guns," Stu frowned. "It was a fake robbery with a fake hand gun, Tom. The gun was loaded with a clip of non-injuring but very loud blanks."

"To shoot at me, when I fought back and kicked your asses all the way up into the ice planets of Pluto." Tom danced side to side in fighting fury and rotated both folded fists with a snarl at each brother.

Stu held both arms in the air with a chuckle at Tom. "You were bathing in a bathtub of blue tinted bubbles, naked, Thomas."

Tom continued to dance side to side and rotated both folded fists with a snarl. "And my money was stolen from me."

Frank watched Misty and the Ghost with a sour frown. "Thomas, your money was donated into our Quartet Foundation with a better and nobler cause helping people then hiding inside your bank account, doing nothing good."

Tom stopped the dance with a sour frown. Jane leaned over and cuddled him, holding the Ghost on Austin. "Frank is correct."

Tom exhaled. "Well..."

Jane said. "Tom."

"Fine!" Tom hugged Jane with a sour frown as Jane continued to aim the Ghost at the penis of Austin.

Austin said with a smirk. "I have a date to fuck, unless Janey blows my penis off first." Frank and Stu grinned. Tom roared with laughter. Jane dropped down the Ghost towards the floor with a nod along with Gracie.

Frank slowly moved forward and eased around the body of Misty, gently grabbing his Ghost, lifting it into the air and away from her and his body, hugging and kissing her cheekbone. He pulled back with a smile and a whisper. "You did a good job, love."

Misty smiled. "Thanks, Frankie!"
Monday August 30th

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and bright moonlight

Home of Austin

Interior master bedroom setting

He awoke on top of the pink tinted bed linen in sweat and stared up at the pink colored wooden ceiling with a smile, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read 2:31 a.m.

His sleeping dream was the same red haired fiery female, feeling happy to see her again.

He flipped over onto a naked stomach and flipped the pillow, resting a sweaty grin back down onto the cool side of the pink satin, without falling back asleep.

City of Coral Gables

(6 miles, west, Coral Beach)

Quartet Associates headquarters

33rd floor level

Business office suites

Interior reception setting

8:06 a.m.

Frank and Stu stood together inside the reception lobby while bitching and moaning at the unmanly treatment by Janey last night at Tom's house.

The elevator door parted open. Jane stood upright and stepped forward off the carriage in a stylist business suit, posing with a smile to her brothers. "Good morning, Frank, Stu."

"Hey, Janey," Stu stared with a stern face at Janey.

Frank frowned at Janey. "Tom isn't here this morning for his working job where I pay his working salary when he is supposed to be working..."

"Yeah, I know and I approve of that, Frank." Jane nodded with a smile. "Tom and I are having a late breakfast. Then, he will return this afternoon, right after our late lunch date," she turned and moved ahead towards the closed doorway of the throne room of Austin. She slammed and opened the door, entering inside with a fake smile. "Good morning, Austin! I..."

Frank and Stu continued to stare at her back spine with a puzzled brow. The door closed shut. They turned and gasped at each other.

8:09 a.m.

The throne room door parted open. Jane emerged and moved ahead with a smile towards the elevator, entering the open carriage and swung around, pressing the ground button with a smile and a nod to her brothers. "Bye, brothers."

Austin appeared and stood inside the archway of his throne room, watching Jane leave the office floor, turning with a stern face to see the nose profiles of Frank and Stu, "We have work to do, brothers. Pronto! Please, join me right now inside my office!"

2:02 p.m.

Throne room setting of Austin

The throne room door was closed.

Tom stood upright in the middle of Frank, Stu, Jace, and Austin, slapping a dress shirt with a smile and a nod at the closed door of the throne room. "I forgive all my asshole brothers. Well, Jane forgives my three evil brothers. Man, she was highly, fuckingly, pissingly mad at ya'll three rednecks. A redneck is a stupid person that does stupid stuff just to be really stupider."

Stu reached out and dragged the arm on Tom towards the closed door of the throne room with a sour frown. "I accept being called a redneck, only if you will acknowledge that you're an asshole, Thomas."

"Not me," Tom stumbled ahead towards the door with forced motion from his brother Gage and whined with a sour frown. "What are we doing today for the rest of the afternoon?"

Jace led the four brothers and moved ahead, pointing toward the closed door in the throne room with a smile. "We are going to conduct a brotherly asshole counseling session which was your lovely wife's idea, Tom. And then we are going to come up with a recommendation for not acting like a South Florida asshole which had occurred the other night inside your home, Tom," he stopped and reached down, grabbing the door knob.

The door opened.

Jace entered the room and moved ahead towards the middle lounge chair with a smile.

Tom nodded with a smile and moved ahead toward the open door in the throne room. "O brother! Why did my three brothers get into trouble? I'm innocent here. Don't ya'll remember? I didn't do a damn thing to piss Jane off. She was so nice and cuddly, last night..."

"No graphics, bro," Stu released Tom and entered the throne room, veering towards the left side and near one of the other lounge chairs.

Frank followed behind Stu and veered to the right side towards one of two lounge chairs. Jace moved deeper into the room and stopped, spinning around and stood in front of the lounge chair with a smile.

Tom stopped and stood inside the archway with a confused brow. Austin moved ahead last and stopped, cuddling into the ass on Tom, reaching out and shoved the back spine on Sawyer inside the room with a growl. Tom moved ahead a few feet and stopped, standing in place, waving both arms with a sour frown. "It's dark in here."

The door slowly closed shut and revealed a completely dark throne room.

Stu sat inside the lounge chair inside a wall corner with a smile and a chuckle, not seeing Tom or the other brothers. "Open your eyeballs, Tom."

Tom yelled again. "It's fucking dark. O. Fucking Mangrove forgot to pay the utility bill again." Austin shoved the back spine on Tom further into the room with growl and then veered around Tom to the left, stumbling through the dark and found the empty lounge chair in the other wall corner that was on the opposite side of Stu.

Tom stumbled ahead with a gasp and halted with a confused brow. "O. I know now. All the curtains are closed. Geez! Austin has curtains for the first time ever. Austin never had curtains up and over the exposed and naked windows. Man, it can get really hot in here from the morning sunshine, sometimes. Why are there curtains up and over the windows? O. It makes the throne room dark and scary. Is this a Halloween party? I didn't wear one of my alien costumes. Wait! Halloween is three months away. O. I see. We are practicing for the Halloween party. Boo. Boo," laughing.

Frank spun around from the lounge chair and slowly moved ahead, reaching out with a hand and grabbed, snatching the waving arm on Tom in the dark, dragging Sawyer towards the wall corner on the left side of the room with a soft growl. "Sit down inside the empty lounge chair, Tom."

Tom stumbled ahead with a gasp in the darkness. "I am moving to the right side of the room. My lounge chair is located on the left side of the throne room. This is all wrong, ya'll. I am all wrong..."

"Tom!" Jace slid down and sat inside the middle lounge chair with a smile while not being seen or seeing the other males. "Austin's office has been modified for our brotherly asshole counselor session today. The walls are covered in thick fabric of rich black hues, blocking out the heat and keeping the air temperature cool. The office desk, the two chairs, and the lounge chaise are gone temporarily for the afternoon and have been replaced with a set of five lounge chaises in the color of rich black. We, boys are going to blend into the room today."

Tom slowly moved towards the right and stumbled over the edge of the soft lounge chair. "Shit! Do I kill you, Frank? I hope so. But I guess no. I didn't hear your sissy whine. Anyways, I wanna leave. I don't need counseling. I'm already a coun-see-lure..." giggling.

Frank shoved the back spine on Tom down into the lounge chair in the wall corner with a sneer, "Sit down, Tom," he slowly spun around and moved ahead to the parallel lounge chair in the other wall corner, wiggling both fingers and leather toes, falling down over the edge of the chair, sitting upright and slid down into the soft leather with sour frown.

Jace rested a full body over the soft leather of the middle lounge chair in the darkness with a smile. "No, do not sit upright. Please, lay down for the session."

Frank wiggled inside the soft lounge chair with a sour frown. "Lay down, Tom."

Tom sat on the edge and wiggled both leathers over the soft carpet with a grin and a giggle, turning to see more darkness. "I can't see a gawd damn thing. Are you here or there, Stu," giggling.

Stu rested a full body over the soft leather of the lounge chair in the darkness on the other side of the room, "Yeah!"

"Austin?" Tom giggled with a grin on the edge of the chair.

"Yo!" Austin rested a full body over the soft leather of the lounge chaise on the other side of the room.

Jace smiled. "We are gathered together here...."

"...for a fake fucking funeral." Tom giggled with a grin. "Who died? O, it was the rabbit," he waved both arms in the air which could not have been seen and chuckled with a grin. "O my gawd, Austin is preg...nancy. Congratulations, man! Who's the lucky bitch-slut? Do I know her? I take that back. I don't any sluts, tramps, vamps, or gold diggers, because Jane will beat my ass."

Frank sneered inside the lounge chaise in the dark. "Lay down, Tom!"

Jace smiled. "Each soft leather lounge chaise is located in a corner wall, since a perfect square has four perfect corners. Tom is in the southeast chaise. Frank is located in the southwestern sofa. Stu is hidden inside the northwestern furniture while Austin is inside the northeastern chaise. I am conducting the session in the middle of the room. I am resting a full body over the soft leather also. I want you to lounge like you are taking a catnap for the afternoon, closing your eyes."

Tom continued to sit on the edge of the lounge chaise with a giggle. "No need for me! I can't see a damn thing."

"Shut up, Tom." Stu yelled with annoyance.

Tom giggled. "I can't see..."

"Shut up, Tom," Frank yelled with annoyance.

Jace smiled. "Now, please place all leathers on top of the foot end of the chaise. Both hands over your business shirt and then breathe deeply."

Tom sat on the edge of the lounge chaise with a giggle, "I can't see..."

Jace smiled. "Today, we are cleaning our souls of shit like robbing our fellow brothers for greed and fun."

Tom giggled in the dark. "I don't need my soul..."

Frank sneered. "Shut up, Tom!"

Jace smiled. "Breathe deeply!"

Tom giggled. "I don't..."

Stu yelled. "Talk, silently, Tom!"

Tom giggled. "Talk silently! That means..."

Austin sneered. "Tom."

Jace smiled. "Our session requires each brother to release a confession. Confession is good for the soul, too."

Tom giggled. "Talk silently!"

Austin snarled. "Tom."

Jace smiled. "I would like one brother to begin our cleansing session with a confession."

Tom frowned and sat on the edge of the lounge chaise, wiggling both leathers side to side. "I confess nothing. I got no shitty soul or anymore shitty confessions."

Stu chuckled. "Tom loves money. Period! That's any example of a confession, Tom."

Tom smiled. "That's the fact, jack, not a confession," chuckling with the other brothers.

Stu chuckled. "Tom's confession, he is a double A-plus asshole."

Tom giggled. "Stu just confessed his greatest sin, a double A-plus asshole. All of you heard it just now, too," he stood upright with a sour frown in the dark. "Can I please leave? I need to pee."

Frank growled. "Hold your piss, Tom!" He exhaled. "And that isn't Stu's confession. My confession, I love Misty and I really desire a baby girl newborn, instead of a boy."

Tom gasped and waved both arms in the air. "Naw! Don't be stupid, Frank! Girls are big, huge gigantic fucking ass trouble. A baby girl will get kidnapped or raped or worse her heart broken into a zillion pieces. And you can't kill the boyfriend-asshole for that one. Look at us! Each one of us has found our soul mate."

Jace smiled. "Frank has provided his deep down dirty secret along with Tom's..."

Tom frowned. "And Stu confessed, too. If you are calling me any asshole, then Stu is the second asshole inside the Quartet. Are we done now?"

Jace smiled. "That is fair enough, pup. And Tom has argued a very good point about a precious loving soul mate which leads into Austin's confession."

Austin said. "I plotted the robbery to show the painting..."

"The Picasso..." exhaled Frank.

"I wanted to show it to a girl."

Frank said. "She was a very culturally sophisticated girl with excellent taste in art and literature."

Tom giggled. "Is that Austin's confession or Frank's wet dream? Shit! This is both stupid and funny. I don't have a shitty soul or need a fucking ass quack doc to hear my sleazy shit. I got work to do, guys."

Stu yelled in fury. "Shut the fuck up, Frank. Sit the fuck down, Tom. And fucking finish this, Austin." Tom sat down on the edge of the lounge chaise with a sour frown in silence.

Jace smiled. "Please continue, Austin."

Austin said. "I'm having trouble getting it up."

Tom exhaled with a huff of annoyance. "Austin confesses that he is having trouble getting up from a deep slumber. Well, man, my advice here! You need to sleep later in the morning and miss the a.m. QA business meeting. Or you need to go to bed early, Old Man," giggling.

Frank exhaled. "Austin is having trouble getting it up, Tom."

Tom exhaled with a huff of annoyance, "Geez! Then get your ass to bed right at after dinner, Old Man. I can guarantee that you will arise with the morning dawn," giggling.

Stu exhaled. "Austin is not able to gitty it up into a long, hard sleek bean pole anymore, Tom." Silence invaded the dark room for a few seconds.

Tom roared with laughter. "Jeezus, I missed the first..."

"...second and third times, too," Stu chuckled.

Jace smiled. "Austin has confessed too."

Tom waved both hands in the air in the dark, sitting on the edge of the lounge chaise. "Wait! That's it! I wanna here more of your gitty not-up fucking ass girly stories, Austin."

Austin growled. "Fuck off, Tom!"

Tom sat back into soft leather, flinging both leathers on top of the fabric with a giggle. "Fine! Are we done now, Jace?"

Jace smiled. "We have four confessions.

Frank smiled. "Jace is getting married to his soul mate, Tom."

Tom nodded with a stern face. "Know that. We're the visual groomsmen in your invisible wedding with an invisible date, and an invisible girl. When do we meet the lucky bride, Jace?"

Stu said. "We're scheduled to tailor the tuxedoes, next week, Tom."

Tom giggled. "Does that count as my wedding gift, Jace? Since, I gotta buy the gawd damn homemade ugly red colored tux. Right, Jace?"

Frank frowned. "Each of us has confessed cleansing a mind, a soul and in Tom's case his exceed pocketbooks," he chuckled with Stu and Austin. "Now, I do believe...

"We are done," Tom sat upright without sliding off the lounge chaise with a smile. "I need to piss."

Frank smiled. "Jace will confess a deep dark secret while sharing with all his best buds."

Jace smiled. "I am gay."

Tom giggled with a grin. "I am glad too. But, that's a profess, not a confess. Are we done now?"

Frank exhaled. "Open your clogged ears, Tom. Jace, please repeat your confession!"

Jace smiled. "I am gay."

Tom slid sideways and dropped down both leathers onto the floor, swiftly standing upright from the lounge chair with a stern face in the darkness in silence. Stu quickly lifted up the remote control and flashed on the overhead lights on. Austin, Stu, Frank, and Jace swiftly stood upright from the lounge chaise chairs with a stern face and quickly moved ahead, stopping and formed a semi-circle around Tom. Tom sneered with a sour frown at Jace. "I am not amused here. That is not a funny joke, Jace. And Austin is not gay. I like to tease the bastard, since he is the first born asshole of the Quartet."

Frank reached out and tapped the collar bone on Tom with a smile and a nod. "This isn't a funny joke. Our friend is gay. Jace is marrying his partner in three weeks at his house." Tom back stepped away from the hand of Frank as his legs hit the lounge chair with a growl.

Stu nodded with a smile to Tom. "Tom, please tell Jace that you are happy for both him and his partner!"

Tom flung both arms and parted the semi-circle of his three brothers and Jace, dashing ahead towards the closed door with a snarl, "Never!"

Frank spun around with a smile to see the ass on Tom. "Tom, we are all brothers, here."

Tom spun around with a growl and slammed a back spine into the closed door with a snarl, "No!"

Austin nodded with a smile to Tom. "Tom, we all have been through hell and back together like a set of brothers. Jace is our brother, since we formed our company seven years ago."

Tom reached back and grabbed the door knob with a sneer, twisting the wrist bone. The door open and emitted the rays of blinking white light into the throne room. Sawyer snarled at his brothers and Jace. "Not mine!" He swung around and dashed through the archway, moving ahead down with a sour frown through the lobby and down the hallway towards his office for the car keys. His work day had ended.

Frank moved ahead and stood in front of the open door, watching the ass on Tom moved down the hallway and shook a skull, "Damn!"

Stu moved ahead and stood beside Frank in front of the open door, watching the ass on Tom moved down the hallway and shook a skull, "Hell!"

Austin moved ahead and stood beside Stu in front of the open door, watching the ass on Tom moved down the hallway and shook a skull, "Fuck!"

Jace stood in place and dropped down a chin into the chest with a deep sigh of disappointment.

5:04 p.m.

City of Coral Beach

Light rain with parted dark clouds

Home on Tom and Jane

Interior master bedroom setting

Inside the master bedroom of an oversized chair, Tom wore a new gray colored tuxedo, sitting inside a chair next to his personal vanity bureau, playing with the extension cord of landline that hung from an earlobe. His dad liked talking on the landline telephone receiver instead of using the portable mobile telephone as an old senior citizen fart.

Tom said. "Yes sir."

He paused and listened to the voice of his father on the other end of the connection.

"Yes sir."

Pause.

"No sir."

Pause.

"Yes sir."

Pause.

"No sir."

Pause.

"Bye, Mom and Dad..."

Pause.

"Jane and I will come this weekend to your house in West Palm Beach. I promise around lunchtime only if there isn't a Quartet emergency. You do know how they pop up from time to time."

Pause.

"I promised last weekend too. But I promise. We'll come this weekend. Bye, Mom!"

Pause.

"Yes ma'am. Mom, Jane and I are attending this thing, too. This is the Quartet Foundation funding raising event. Remember?" He shook his bangs with a sour frown, "No, Dad. You don't need to stand at the speaker podium tonight. Austin is the CEO working the dog and pony show."

Pause.

"Naw."

Pause.

"Naw, it is a new word that the teens use here in Miami. Austin ain't the MC. We hired a nice company to handle all the decorations and flowers and food and stuff, Mom. Everything will be peachy keen and fine. I promise."

Pause.

"Yeah, I love you, Mom and Dad. Meet both of you inside the lobby at six sharp."

He reached over and gently hung up the telephone receiver with a sour frown and a matching tone. "My dad's a fucking bastard."

Jane fiddled with the jewelry, sitting inside her vanity bureau with a sour frown. "Tom, do not say bad things about your father."

Tom shook his bangs inside the chair with a sour frown. "I can't believe this. He wants to leave after the gala and see the painting."

Jane giggled with a grin, "The Picasso."

Tom crossed the legs and wiggled the leather up and down with a sour frown, staring at her red colored hairy skull. "I can't believe this. He doesn't trust me. I'm his child, his only child. There ain't no other Sawyer anywhere on planet Earth," exhaling.

"The tradition has lasted for over 170 years, four different sons, one Quartet."

He chuckled with a nod, "Damn straight and proud of it, too," exhaling. "How did he know about the painting, the robbery, and the set up?"

She fiddled with the makeup in the reflection mirror with a smile, "You."

Tom gasped, "Me?"

She smiled in the mirror. "Tom, you told me that he happened to call the night of the fake robbery by your mischievous but un-caring three brothers. You must've leaked too much data. Dad is really smart like his genius son," giggling. "The Picasso is truly valuable priciest asset for a robbery inside our house."

"Damn! He loves that painting..."

"That Picasso..."

"Dad loves that painting more than his only child. I'm his biological flesh and blood, his baby boy."

"What did he say? You only kept repeating 'yes sir' and 'no sir.'"

"Dad is too smart and too old fashion calling me a young billionaire with a set of wild ass ideas of joyous recklessness and silly asinine antics almost allowing that stupid painting..."

"Stupid Picasso..."

"When that stupid painting was stolen? Since, he sorta kinda owns it, somehow and someway..."

"Where did Dad acquire that Picasso, Tom? Frank mentioned that it is not registered or insured, either."

Tom exhaled. "He called me, a young billionaire without an ounce of good common sense knowledge with too much spare tick-tock time on my hands and way too many dollar bills," sneering.

"Hmm! An opinion formed beforehand, especially a pretty ugly unfavorable one, based on a set of unjust and inadequate facts."

He nodded with a stern face. "You are so true, sweetheart. My dad is fucking ass prejudice. Dad doesn't understand my situation. Quartet Associates is a billion-dollar company which is owned by four men, doing tough-ass jobs every damn minute of every damn day. If not for cheap-ass Frank, the Quartet wouldn't be a set of billionaires. If not for geek-ass Stu, the Quartet wouldn't be a set of billionaires. If not for tough-ass Austin, the Quartet wouldn't be a set of billionaires. And, of course, if not for smart-ass me, the Quartet would not become the new set of trillionaires, the one animal of its kind on planet Earth," nodding.

"And if not for the genius medical knowledge of Jace, you wouldn't have loss your life once, twice, thrice, or more..."

He frowned, "Maybe."

"I heard a time or two."

"My dad is always stereotyping billionaires into one neat silo. I don't fit into a solo vertical silo," He shifted both hands up and down with a sour frown. "I take up an entire city with all my awesomely billions of accomplishments," giggling.

"Hmm, you take up an entire world with your billions of genius ideas and concepts, becoming a world-famous billionaire."

"Right, Jane! Stereotyping folks can lead to false beliefs and prejudice and discrimination."

"Women are always warm and nurturing. Men are always tough and mean. Teens are always lazy and useless..."

He jabbed a finger with a nod at her back spine, "Precisely, sweetheart! People continue to shit out a personal opinioned stereotype stamp on your ass. Then you are stuck with the royal or peasant title. Take my dad! He can't accept that I'm grown, married, and successfully in my adult life. To him, I'm still that wild young buck fucking all those whores..."

She frowned in the mirror. "I beg your pardon, Tom."

He shook his bangs and his hands. "I mean that I was like that. I ain't, now."

She nodded with a smile. "Now, you're successful and almost retired. I'll be happy when Quartet Associates is sold, then we..."

"...can become a set of parents. We can have a son..."

...or daughter..."

He laughed, "Naw, son. I'm going to have a son. I feel it!"

She stood upright from the bench and swung around, shaking a finger with a sour frown at Tom. "No funny Tele power stuff, tonight, Tom! Dad doesn't like it when you try to mind read his brain cells and then get it right," giggling.

Tom stood upright from the chair and advanced, stopping and hugged her, pulling back with a smile and chuckle. "I can't help it. I am a true Tele boy with my awesome mind reading powers. That's why I picked you out of all the other thousands of sluts."

Jane chuckled with a nod. "All right! I do believe you, Tom. You are a very unique individual, spreading your wings like an angel, extending your tentacles like an octopus, then reaching out and snatching your dream with a pair of sharp claws on a lion, making you different, odd, strange. I love your uniqueness, Tom. You're an awesome sweet freak of nature."

He smiled, "Thanks for the compliment, Jane, sweetheart."

They turned and slowly strolled towards the open archway of the master bedroom. She smiled. "I actually have discovered another individual possessing your different, odd, strange unique awesomeness freaking sweet nature..."

He shook his bangs with a smile. "I don't know about that, Jane. You ain't talking about yourself, since you're my wife first, my buddy second, and my soul mate foreverly," he leaned and kissed her cheekbone, not wanting to smear her lipstick, pulling back with a smile.

"I am your soul mate. And I am so happy with you and my life. Don't you wish for everyone to be happy..."

"...wealthy and wise. That is a quote from old fart Ben Franklin," he exhaled. "And I wish for the entire world to be that, Jane."

She stopped and shook her curls, turning with a stern face to see his smile. "But, I don't think everyone is happy at least not tonight."

He turned and frowned at her. "Who ain't happy? No matter! We'll fix it up good making them all happy and warm. Tonight is the Quartet Foundation money raising banquet which is our main purpose, making folks happy."

She smiled with a nod. "I'm so happy to hear you said that, Tom. Since, Jace and his partner Arnold will be there at the banquet, too. They're sitting at our table..."

He gasped, "Hell no! I absolutely forbid him...them at our table. This is our table. This is our banquet. Jace ain't part of the Quartet ever before, during or after, since he's..."

"...only the brilliance life-saving world renown physician, who saves thousands of lives, every week, including your ass, Tom. Please, listen to your rambling like an elderly with no hair or teeth or brain cells."

He reached up and patted the bangs with a smile. "I have lots of hair and a set of good teeth. I'll keep my both teeth and hair when I get old like my handsome and healthy dad."

"And you look and sound like your dad, Tom. Soy is a prejudice son of a bitch asshole, who is a little immoral, and sometimes, unethical..."

The mobile telephone rang out loud with a piece of weird piccolo and cymbal music from a science fiction Hollywood movie film. Tom whipped out the mobile telephone and lifted a finger into the air with a smile to Jane. "Hold that thought, sweetheart! We are not finished with this conversation," he looked down with a smile to see the tiny screen on the phone and swished it on, lifting it into a face, "Hey, Dad. You're leaving for the banquet now. Are you inside the lobby? Ask the Hostess, she'll show you and Mom to your special table. It's in front of the podium, beside ours."

He paused and listened to voice of his father on the other end of the telephone connection.

He gasped. "You and Mom are not coming to the food and dance banquet tonight, because you just heard it now. I don't understand, Dad. What have you just heard now?"

Pause.

"You found out that Jace is a gay man. And his gay partner and his gay self are going to be at the banquet too. They're sitting at my dining table with the rest of the Quartet. Uncle Franklin just told you the terrible and awful news. The elderly Quartet is going, but you and Mom aren't attending the gala, because of Jace. Dad, please listen..."

Pause.

"Yes sir."

Pause.

"Yes sir."

Pause.

"No sir."

Pause.

"The painting..."

Pause.

"What about the gawd damn Picasso, Dad?"

Pause.

"You want me and Jane to miss the Quartet Foundation food and dance banquet right now, tonight. An event, that has been planned and schedule for a year which also raises millions and millions of dollars to help out Jane's abused children and other needy folks throughout the entire fucking ass world. And then, you want me and Jane to come to your house this weekend and bring that damn painting. What the hell for, Dad?"

Pause.

"You have a buyer for the Picasso. How much is the buyer willing to pay for that piece of smeared finger painted oil?"

Pause.

"The buyer is going to pay six hundred million dollars."

Pause.

He laughed. "Frank said that the Pee-cassie is worth closer to one billion dollars, US. So, I guess you fucked up missing an opportunity to become a billionaire, joining my exclusive club, Dad," chuckling.

Pause.

He exhaled. "Yeah, my sick dark sense of humor from you, Dad."

Pause.

"I love you and Mom. Yeah! I'll see both of you this weekend with the gawd damn painting. Gotcha, Dad!" He jerked the phone down from a distorted face and pocketed it inside the tuxedo jacket with a deep sigh of annoyance, turning with a smile to see Jane. "Let's go, Jane, sweetheart! We're running late for our annual gala event."

Jane parted the lips. "Dad, he told you not to attend our annual gala food and drink banquet."

He reached out and gently grabbed her hand with a sneer, leading them through the open archway of the master bedroom. "No one fucks with the Quartet with both a period and an exclamation point, sweetheart," chuckling.

6:11p.m.

City of Miami

Hot temperatures and windy with parted clouds of sun

Miami City Hotel location

Banquet room

Speaker podium stage setting of Austin

The reception ballroom displayed an array of round-shaped tables with a single center piece of a vertical upright tail-sailing single yellow tinted dolphin statue that was wrapped in a set of purple colored flowers. Each table was filled with a food plate, a folded napkin, and a set of fun-giving people.

Austin stood upright inside the dark shadow, straightening the jacket before taking the microphone at the speaker podium on the short elevated stage platform. He was responsible for welcome presentation, acknowledging both the attendees and the donor guests to the annual gala event as the boss of Quartet Associates, the Quartet Foundation, and the Quartet.

Tom rushed into the ass of Austin with a giggle and shoved Berrington to the side wall with a grin. "I got it this year, Austin. I have a special announcement for all the non-drunk and eating folks."

Austin slammed into the wall and ricocheted back with a sneer, seeing the ass on Tom with a smile.

Tom rushed ahead toward the podium and stopped, standing in front of the live microphone, waving his bangs and his hands with a smile as a set of flash bulbs brightened and burned his retinas with too much exposed light. Tom continued to smile and wave during the photo session, since photographers and reporters were allowed to attend while providing free advertisement to the world for soliciting additional money donations into the Quartet Foundation.

The Quartet was not picky about your money donation which were used and handed out to individuals and family units all over the world for food, clothing, medicines, jobs, and other life-saving necessities.

The photographers halted the snap as Tom nodded with a smile. "Thank you for coming to our thing. We love you and your money, too. To show our love, you get our five-dollar meal and we get your five-million-dollar donation," chuckling. "Austin will be taking over in a few seconds. I am Tom Sawyer if you don't recognize my handsome face. I am standing here to announce a newly donated item inside the silent auction lounge, a painting. Actually, it's an original work of art, a Picasso. Don't ask me what the fucking picture is either! Because, it looks like a bunch of sharp ninety degree right angles that was drawn by a competent college engineer," chuckling. Frank parted the lips and stood upright from the chair at the VIP Quartet eating table, back stepping and spun around with a smile, dashing ahead and out the banquet room. Tom giggled with a grin into the bright lights and the hidden audience, noting his brother Mangrove was missing from the upfront Quartet table. "Well, it is there in living funky shitty multi-colors for the taking by the highest money bidder, who shall not be named, identified or pursued," chuckling. "Because, folks, I carry concealed," laughing. Tom turned with a smile and thrust an arm out to Austin. "I present my business partner, my boss, and my brother Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth," he clapped and smiled with the audience.

Tom side stepped with a smile and a clap. Austin moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the speaker podium with a smile. Frank swiftly returned back to the Quartet table with a smile and a clap, since he had purchased the Picasso for one billion dollars, ensuring that only he acquired the priceless art work at the end of the dinner gala.

Tom scooted beside Austin with a smile and a hand wave, leaning down into the microphone. "O. I wanna announce too that the monies for the fucking weird-ass Picasso painting will be separately donated, creating a newly founded charity foundation. The foundation is named in honor of my college buddy and my great friend Jace Justin Jackson, a smartass medical research physician, who saves thousands of lives, every damn day plus my ass on a few occasions," laughing. "I wanna embarrass you some more, Dr. Jace. Please, stand up for the folks!" Jace stood upright with a smile and a hand wave to the audience. Tom smiled with a nod. "And Jace is getting married, also," he clapped. "Jace and your partner Arnold, it is my honor to establish the new foundation in both your names while continuing to save the lives of newborn infants to reckless teens, middle age folks, and elderly seniors. I wish you the best in your upcoming marriage and your continuous medical research," he reached out and grabbed, lifting up the tumbler of sweaty cold water into the air to Jace with Austin, "I propose a toast to my good friends Jace and Arnold!"

Frank stood upright and raised a sweaty wine goblet with a nod and a smile to Jace and his partner Arnold, "Here! Here!"
Tuesday August 31st

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and bright moonlight

Home of Austin

Interior master bedroom setting

He awoke on top of the pink tinted bed linen in sweat and stared up at the pink colored wooden ceiling with a smile, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read 2:31 a.m.

He stared at the ceiling with the dream of the same red haired fiery female, feeling happy to see her again, without falling back asleep.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

House of the Mistress

Doral is a northern central city within Miami-Dade County. The city is west of the Miami International Airport. The name was taken from a famous golf course and health spa resort which was called the Doral Golf Resort and Spa that had been built by Doris and Alfred Kaskel.

The married couple of Kaskel coined the word Doral by combing their first names.

The city consists of retail shops, financial institutions, and businesses of importers and exporters, primarily because of the airport proximity. The city is 13.6 miles of land with a mile of water. There is 20,438 people population, 7,692 households, and 5,492 families, mostly composed of 66.74 percent Hispanic or Latino with 8.22 percent Venezuelans. The median income is 53,060 dollars. Spanish is the first language which accounted for 74.5 percent of the population.

She slowly drove the older model car with an ugly yawn and rubbed one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball like always. She was employed as a nurse at Charity Kendall Hospital in the critical care unit. Her twelve-hour work shift started at three in the afternoon until three in the morning, the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN like always.

The LPN lived the American dream, working and spending money that she did not possess but wished for. However, she had remembered the feeling of fine living before coming to the land of the free in America, recalling the silk touch on both naked legs and a silver fork tastes inside a mouth from her distance past.

The LPN wanted that feeling again. She must have that feeling, again. She had a grand plan to achieve the feeling with the American ways by recruiting some help, a mistress who could change her shitty life back into the former elegant past.

The LPN was tired from the work shift and the shitty work, driving ninety minutes back to her house on the lonely street in the wee hours of pre-dawn day like always. She took care of the critical ill patients on the CCU ward, watching the beeping monitors and documenting the medical notes inside a patient chart on the floor while the desk of registered nurses consumed cups of coffee, boxes of donuts, and mouth gossiped about the rich and beautiful people of the world like always.

Thus, the same nurses appeared fat, ugly, single, and pursued the same single goal as the LPN, the hand of a wealthy and handsome physician to marry into the fairy tale life of servants, mansions, and parties with a closet of beautiful fancy gowns and expensive gem jewelry.

The Mistress had told the good news to the LPN on the first visit. Her destiny was to marry a wealthy man and attend numerous social gala dances with a closet of fancy ball gowns for the rest of her living and breathing days and nights. That vision was going on three years now.

The Mistress had a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. She could make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desired, using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make your body and mind change or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear.

The LPN desired the change of her body and her mind right now, feeling impatience for the fairy tale life dream of wealth and luxury and leisure. The LPN was so desperate for the change that she had visited another fortune teller within the city of Sunrise.

A young girl of Sunrise with a black hair bun and a pair of brown eyes told the LPN that the fairy dreams would not come true and her life was destined to be a lowly LPN, who continued to work the night shift at the local hospital. The LPN laughed in the face of the young fortune teller and ran back to the Mistress.

The Mistress repeated the good news into the eardrums and smiles of the LPN. The man was coming. The gala dances were coming. The designer clothes were coming.

On the roadway, the LPN turned and slowed the speed over the driveway of the private home of the Mistress in the city of Doral, parking the car in front of the thick row of plant shrubs, killing the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood silence in the night air. She gently closed the door without waking the dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard like always.

Interior den room setting of the Mistress and Nutelo

She moved ahead and reached out to the knob, opening the unlocked side door of a two-story house, strolling directly up a set of creaking wooden steps towards the open archway of a single door. She entered the small room within the semi-darkness of the moonlight and stopped, sliding down into the ratty oversized chair with a stern face, "Mistress..."

"Tell me, child!" The Mistress stared at the LPN and said a low scratchy voice, sitting inside an old ratty tan colored rocking chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone.

Nutelo Nicoelo Necelo exhaled with a puff of annoyance like always. "I came from work like always while watching over each zombie-like patient that breathed on a machine and ate through a plastic feeding tube in an arm or leg vein."

Mistress lectured with a stern face to Nutelo. "There is something different occurring here. I have seen it recently.

She gasped with a smile. "Am I getting married like tomorrow?"

"No, it is not tomorrow or the next day. However, the grand opportunity is much coming closer for you. But it is not here yet. I had predicted this one coming true for a long time..."

"Yeah, it is going on three years now."

"Life is not quick, not easy, and not simple."

"Yeah, I figured that one out a long time..."

"Is there something different at work within the hospital environment that you would like to share with me before the dawn of morning?"

She rolled her eyeballs and starred with a sour frown back at the old wrinkled face of the Mistress, "Nope."

Mistress reprimanded with a stern face. "No ma'am."

She exhaled. "No ma'am."

Mistress nodded with a stern face. "No ma'am. I have reminded at each session, Nutelo. You must practice a set of nice manners for your future duty when the grand opportunity presents itself. Concentrate, child! Has something happened or has someone talked about a recent event into your eardrums or maybe you have seen with your eyeballs?"

She exhaled. "No ma'am."

The Mistress nodded with a stern face. "Now, we have concluded for the day and the night. You, go home and then return back to me tomorrow morning at the same time, like always."

Nutelo stood upright from the chair with a nod and a stern face. "Yes ma'am. I will return to you, Mistress," she side stepped and spun around with a sour frown, marching back down the creaky steps and left the house, entering the car, driving back home for sleep before her work shift at three in the afternoon.

7:01 a.m.

City of Miami

Hot temperatures and windy and light rain clouds

Kendall-Tamiami private airport location

Outdoor runway strip with QA private jet plane

Interior cabin of the Quartet

Austin sat in the assigned chair inside the private jet on the runway with a stern face. "What are the specific details, Stu?" He was stupid leaving Rosebud alone in California. He had been dreaming about her for the past few days. His morning dreams were some kind of hint of trouble while he continued to ignore the warnings. His plan had backfired thinking Rosebud would contact him for help, if anything happened.

She had so much of his own social personality, such as, strength, defiance, bravery, courageous, and a piece of tough-ass wife material for any man. They meshed together so well like a peanut butter and a jelly sandwich.

After Austin rescues Rosebud, which he will, she will stay in Miami not traveling anywhere without him or his set personal set of QA guards.

Hal should be worried about his precious life. Berrington could not physically attack the elderly male, because of his physically advanced age, especially in front of eyewitnesses on the man's private property. However, Austin could do a lot more damage to him without the use of physical violence.

"Ruff left out on her personal motorcycle at 0604 hours from the garage and then headed south on Highway One. The female scout telephoned in the code: Cub Scout. When she lost the client at a traffic light which Rosebud ran on purpose," said Stu.

"Just like Old Man," chuckled Tom.

Stu said, "She drove like a bat out of hell in the middle of a nice warm Miami morning of flowing and stopping traffic vehicles while not very concerned about a set of roaming photographers. One of the Cubs spotted her speeding motorcycle on 112th Street which led towards the Tamiami airport. Since, she owns a private jet there, too. When the Cubs arrived and inquired with the air traffic controller, Rosebud was airborne inside your private craft flying into the skies."

Frank nodded with a stern face. "Rosebud prepped her plan before our Quartet fingers too with no worries. She's smart like us."

"Smart bite ass bitch," Tom laughed.

"Enough, pup!" Austin frowned.

Stu said. "The time is nine o'clock here in Miami. She is one hour ahead of us while flying. The time is six o'clock in California. Rosebud will arrive in four hours and thirty-four minutes including a brief refueling station of petrol in Dallas. She will land at 9:46 California time. We arrive at five hours and five minutes after our refueling station at 11:02 am in Californian time."

Austin exhaled. "Damn it to hell. Can't we fly faster, Stu?"

Stu shook a bald skull. "Her air plane is light weight with one person traveling at a cruising speed of 534 miles-per-hour or 439 knots while being fully fueled. We are traveling at 410 knots or 472 miles-per-hour with a full crew of two pilots and four passengers. Our maximum landing weight is 11,880 pounds and completely topped at the fuel tank."

Austin turned and sneered at his brother Tom. "Someone should have stayed back home in Coral Beach."

Frank narrowed both eyelids at the nose profile on Berrington, "Down, Austin." Everyone was needed for this emergency situation including Sawyer.

Tom turned and nodded to Frank. "Looky. We land our plane as she is wrapping up her photo shoot. Then, we arrive with a Ghost drawn and escort her pretty ass back onto our jet. Then, we all come back home to Miami. End of story time, ya'll!"

Stu said. "I have the connected and alerted our QA California division team units at the Santa Monica airstrip, watching her limo. They'll track her to the Man Cave Play Palace and then spy from the city street. Since, our QA guards were not informed, because Hal decided to lie to us."

Austin sneered. "Therefore, I suspect that Rosebud modified that legal contract more than we thought after we left the mansion."

City of Los Angeles

Man Cave Play Palace location

11:05 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time)

Interior staircase setting with Rosebud and Hal

Rosebud strolled down the staircase towards the room arm and arm with Hal while he innocently flirted. The two men approached from a side door with a hand pistol in silence. Rosebud turned and frowned at Hal. "I issued a statement where I had mentioned no weapon during the photo shoot."

He back stepped from Rosebud and lifted both arms with a worried brow. "Uh! These are not my security personnel."

She turned and sneered at the two males with a hand gun. "Who are you?"

The first unknown male smiled with a black cap, a pair of sunglasses, a hand gun, and a wink to Rosebud. "We are the local help to help you, Rosebud."

She back stepped with a growl. "You mean to help yourselves."

"Right, beautiful," the second unknown male grinned with a nod with a black cap, a pair of sunglasses, and a hand gun.

"Hey, beautiful girl, do you wanna come and dance with me?" The first male lifted a pair of shiny handcuffs, reaching out and grabbed the arm with a sneer.

"Cuff her wrists," the second male pointed the hand gun at Hal with a snarl.

She jerked away her arm with a lady growl. "I am not going anywhere, especially with you." The first male pulled Rosebud into his face and slapped the handcuffs over both wrist bones as the male was taller and heavier than Rosebud.

"Say good-bye, Hal!" The second male smiled with a nod.

Hal back stepped with a worried brow and a cracked nervous tone. "Rosebud, follow their instructions and do what they say. They only want the money."

The first male wrapped an arm around Rosebud and held the gun at Hal with a smile, slowly back stepping backward towards the side door. "The ransom money is one hundred million dollars in both small and large bills at high noon at dog and people manicured grass Clover Park. No cops or no Rosebud!"

Hal nodded with a worried brow and a nervous tone. "I agree. Be very careful with Miss Ruff. Don't harm her."

The second male back stepped with the first male and Rosebud, holding the barrel of the gun at Hal with a smile and a laugh. "Rosebud's in good hands, my hands. Don't worry about it, Hal."

They exited the door and spun around, running towards a white colored luxury car.

City of Santa Monica within the US State of California

Limousine ride of the Quartet

11:25 a.m.

The city of Santa Monica provided a general aviation airport which was not funded by a government budget. The revenues were collected from air craft landing charges. It had both a runway and a helipad adhering to strict noise regulations which only allowed air borne flights from seven in the morning to eleven at night each week while minimizing noise impact on the nearby residents.

Inside the moving limousine from the airport towards the Man Cave Play Palace, Frank sat next to Tom and handed his mobile telephone to Austin with a stern face, "Hal..."

Next to Stu, Austin snatched the phone and lifted it into a sneer without the words and listened to the voice of Hal on the other end of the telephone connection and then growled. "She's gone."

Pause.

Austin exhaled with a sigh and looked with a stern face to see Frank. "Rosebud was taken at the photo shoot. What the hell happened, Hal?"

Pause.

"The kidnappers demand one hundred million dollars, tomorrow, Clover Park, high noon. The Quartet will take over now," Austin removed the telephone with a snarl and tossed it into the lap of mangrove. Frank lifted the phone and heard the whines of Hal, cutting off the telephone connection with a sour frown.

The mobile telephone rang with a saxophone and piano musical notes of a jazz song. Stu lifted the phone into a stern face, "Gage."

Stu paused and listened to the voice at the other end of the telephone connection.

"She's found." Stu nodded on the phone with a stern face to Austin.

Pause.

Stu reached over and pressed the button on his personal laptop as the mobile telephone connection echoed into the speaker box that can be heard by all eardrums inside the limousine. "You're on the speaker phone. Go, Brad!"

Brad said via box speaker inside the limousine. "The Victim has been taken from the Man Cave Play Palace at 1117 hours by two assailants in complete black, including hats, shirts, pants, sunglasses, and pistols."

Holy fucking shit," Tom tossed both arms with a worried brow.

Shit." Frank moaned.

"Yeah," Stu typed on the laptop and accessed more information for the newest QA mission, a rescue of Rosebud.

"Damn it to hell," Austin exhaled for his eardrums only.

Brad said via box speaker inside the limousine. "The Victim was wearing a long red gown with a pair of matching heels and a set of tied wrist bones with shiny handcuffs. She was struggling side to side, stomping her feet with loud yells and curses. Then, she was hit in her face by the larger assailant, falling down towards her knees over the brick pavement."

Austin whispered for his eardrums with a soft growl, "Dead."

Brad said via box speaker inside the limousine. "The Victim was retrieved then tossed into a white limo. We tracked it south on Main Street, turned east on Rose Avenue, then on Lincoln Boulevard. The Assailants exchanged a white transport into a blue colored compact car turning east on Ocean Park Boulevard. They had finally arrived at a condominium on 31st Street. Based on the radar heat patterns, the Victim is locked in the front bedroom on the north side of building which has been verified. There are visual beige shades drawn over all the windows." Stu uploaded all the electronic images on the laptop and spun around the screen for viewing to the Quartet.

Brad said via box speaker inside the limousine. "The particular resident is a pink tinted condo of two stories, an open garage underneath the home. It has two bedrooms with two bathrooms of 1577 square feet. And the condo sells for 385,000 dollars or a monthly payment of 1,905 dollars. The condo was built in the year 1958 with a flower courtyard running along the property line. There are numerous pics of the kitchen, the baths, and the bedrooms. All compliments of the online reality website," chuckling. "We are waiting for further QA orders, sir."

Inside the limousine, Austin said. "Stu, how far are we from Hal?"

Stu said. "The limo is six miles. We will be there in fifteen minutes and twenty-three seconds."

Austin smiled with a nod. "Excellent! No contact. Wait and observe. I will have instructions, shortly, QA captain. Hold tight! Austin out!"

Brad said via the box speaker inside the limousine, "Yes sir! Brad out." The telephone connection sounded with a soft click.

Frank frowned. "What are our Quartet options?"

Stu grinned with a nod. "What are our Quartet ideas?"

Tom turned and smile at the smirk on Austin. "What are you pondering about Austin?"

Austin sat back into the leather with a smirk. "I am thinking of showing the world just how great the Quartet is."

Tom laughed with a nod. "We know that."

Austin smirked. "But, the world doesn't, yet. Get Hal on the phone, Frank!" Frank lifted and dialed the telephone number with a smile.

Charmingly Road location

Limousine ride of the Quartet

Interior rear cabin setting

12:43 p.m.

The entrance road, the entrance lawn, and the entrance door of the manor was covered with nosy media reporters, snapping photographers, and busy television crews with microphones, shouting fans, nosy spectators, celebrity personalities, and the Quartet.

The limousine slowed and stopped when the chauffeur driver said via the box speaker to the rear cabin. "Charmingly Road is completely backed up, Dr. Berrington."

"Back track through West Sunset." Stu studied the computer traffic report on the laptop with the new order to the chauffeur driver of the limousine.

"The nosy media reporters know the bad news, probably, too." Frank turned and scanned the landscape of city streets and houses through the windows with a worried brow.

"No shit, Mangrove!" Tom turned with a laugh and scanned the busy roadway, traffic, and people.

Austin turned with a stern face and scanned through the windows at the people and the television reporters. "Stop here, driver!"

Tom turned and gasped at Austin, "We're walking..."

"We are walking to the Palace." Frank turned and frowned at Austin.

Tom gasped. "We are walking in the hot sun."

Stu laughed with a nod. "This is the state of California with a set of cool weather temperatures. I promise that you won't soil your clean white underwear, Thomas."

Tom frowned. "I'm going to get damn hot and fucking smelly for the rest of the shitty day."

Frank frowned. "This road avenue is too far for walking towards the Palace."

Stu chuckled. "No choice, Frank! All the city streets are completely blocked by the nosy reporters and the busybody people."

Frank pulled out the mobile telephone with a stern face and a nod. "I will contact Hal and fetch us a ride on one of his swift moving golf karts with air conditioning and a tray of cold beer," laughing.

"Frank means a go-kart." Tom laughed with a nod.

Austin said. "No briefcases, electronic toys, phones or carrying cases."

"Why not?" Tom dropped his mobile telephone down into the briefcase with the stored tape recorder, the latest science fiction novel, and all the legal documents.

Stu did not mind walking to the building with a sour frown. "We are now on a new QA mission, brothers. We are not attending a tea party, Frank."

"Actually, we're staying for lunch." Austin chuckled with a nod. The chauffeur opened the side door for Austin with a stern face.

"That's great! I'm starving to death here. I like the yummy strawberry tarts. They're sweet and tart to my tongue. Get it? Got it? Good!" Tom giggled with a grin.

Stu frowned at Tom, "Shut up, Tom!" He turned and frowned at Austin, "Lunch? We have work to do, Austin. Brad is waiting for your official QA order to rescue Rosebud..."

"Stress always makes me hungry. Can we eat before the rescue?" Tom slid out and stood upright over the road pavement where Austin had asked the driver to stop the limousine from the road blocks, turning to scan the people and the reports with a smile, slipping on the pair of sunglasses, moving behind Stu and Austin along the grass.

"Shut up, asshole!" Frank frowned at the asses of Stu and Austin, saying to Tom. "Austin, what's wrong with you and your logic? I realize you aren't fond of Rosebud, but her life is in danger. That's why we're here and not in Miami."

Austin slowly strolled over the road pavement towards the Man Cave Play Palace building while avoiding all the media reporters with a smile. "I am very well aware of that medical fact and this location, Frank."

Stu exhaled. "Austin, I concur with Frank. What's up your ass? If you don't want to lead the rescue, I'll take over."

Austin looked up with a grin to see the sun and the sky and back down to the building. "This is a nice day in California for a stroll. Don't you think, Tom?" He did not reveal the rescue plan. He was the boss of the Quartet and their multi-trillion-dollar company, which was unkindly nicknamed, Quartet Assholes, on purpose.

The Quartet paced alone in two pairs on top of the pretty manicured lawn while a gang of media reporters sounded out with nosy questions behind a muscle wall of armed QA guards. The Quartet never traveled from Miami without the guards, the guns, and the guts. The media photographers continued to blast a set of bright flashes at the nose profile on the Band of Brothers between the elbows of the QA guards.

Quartet Associates was an international security company based US State of Florida with numerous branch offices throughout the globe, where the company and guards protected and defended VIPs or very important pocketbooks with millions or billions of George Washington's, including the Man Cave Play Palace.

Tom and Stu slowed and turned with a smile and a hand wave at the media reporters while taking care of business as usual like another day at the office.

Austin moved ahead with a fake smile beside Frank towards the building.

Tom, the media hound, stopped and stood in front of one of the walls muscle, occasionally chatting with a few honored media reporters while waving to the fans of the Quartet as some of the fans shouted out his name. Tom smiled for the camera lenses. Stu, the media defender paced between the two walls of muscles and fended out any escaping microphone carrying reporters and camera toting photographer who came to close to his baby bro Tom.

Man Cave Play Palace

Outside front entrance setting

Austin moved onto the walkway and climbed the steps, stopping and extended a hand to Hal with a fake smile in front of the entrance door of the Man Cave Play Palace as the media reporters spoke into the camera lenses and media photographs snapped the historical moment for posterity and all that other shit.

Hal barely shake the hand of Austin and looked tired and worn from fear and worry with a whiny voice. "I'm so sorry, Austin. I should've listened to you. Rosebud was so adamant and defiant about a security guard, coming from Quartet Associates. I...I wanted her happy, so she would agree to the elegant proposal."

Austin will not allow another QA client to be endangered ever again. Since, Rosebud was both upset and angry while focusing her fury directly at Austin. She wasn't thinking clearly about her own life and safety trying to upstage Berrington. Now, her sooty-tooty attitude and mighty good looks had caused this delicate deadly situation.

However, the Quartet was on top of everything which included her, her location, and her kidnappers. All matters would be wrapped up in less than thirty minutes, once Austin gave the signal.

Stu reached over and jerked the arm on Tom, dragging his brother back to the wolf pack with Austin and Frank. He moved ahead and stood beside Austin with a stern face to Hal. "Hal, have you received any more information about Rosebud, the threats, the pictures, the gossip, the rumors?"

Hal shook a balding skull with a worried brow in a whiny tone. "I have not received any new information that I can share with you, Stu. It is the same data that came from the two masked and gun toting kidnappers in person here inside my home, this morning." Stu nodded with a sour frown in silence.

Austin pointed to the media with a fake smile to Hal. "Hal, I hope that you don't mind. But I would like to address the media reports regarding Miss Ruff's kidnapping and terms of money ransom."

Hal frowned with concern, "What terms of money ransom? Are you going to pay the money to save the life of Rosebud? Is that not correct, Austin?"

Austin winked with a smirk. "Hmm. I thought that you were going to provide the lump sum monies to secure the release of Rosebud, Hal," he chuckled with Stu at the scared man.

He gasped, "Me!"

Austin nodded with a grin. "I do recall that you had promised to pay Rosebud one hundred million dollars for two colorful photographs inside the magazine."

Hal shook a skull with an angry frown, "No, I am not paying anyone a dime. Rosebud did not stay and complete the two photo shoots for my magazine. Her legal contract is both null and void right now."

Frank bumped a shoulder between Stu and Austin with a sour frown at the sissy attitude of Hal. Austin faked a smile to Hal. "I do believe that I must disagree with your decision, Hal."

Frank turned and frowned at the nose profile on Austin. "Gentlemen, we can settle this particular matter later. Austin, are you going to speak to the media reporters about any updates on Miss Ruff? They're waiting for you."

Austin nodded with a smile Hal. "I appreciate the reminder, Frank," he back stepped from Hal and spun around, moving towards a lousy single wooden podium between the two set of limousines to address the numerous media reporters and photographs.

Frank shook a skull and wondered about Austin. Berrington led the Quartet and his decisions were final. Mangrove was very concerned that the Old Man wanted his nemesis to wait until high noon tomorrow before her attempted rescue plan. Austin hated Rosebud for some reason.

In return, Rosebud enjoyed seeking revenge on Austin, too often and too frequently.

They mashed together so fine like a pat of cold butter that was melting down into a slice of heated white potatoes.

Tom did not particular care about the bitch either. He voted to save the girl, eating lunch at the Palace, and then heading back home to finish his outstanding legal work. Tom had been talking throughout the plane and inside the limousine with his wife Jane, since Rosebud was a working business associate and a personal friend, who enjoyed benefiting children that were abused and used by a set of evil guardians.

Stu back stepped and spun around, moving ahead and stopped, standing beside Austin, representing both the strength and harmony within the Quartet. Tom scooted ahead and stood on right side of Gage. Frank back stepped from Hal and turned, moving to stand on the other side of Austin, scanning the audience with a cool and controlled poker face, showing eh world the demeanor of the Quartet.

Austin reached down and tapped on the microphone that would echo his words to the radio and television stations in both English and a set of foreign languages, dropping down the arm. He cleared as throat and darted both eyelids side to side for any possible troublemakers which Stu would handle in two seconds flat. Since, the Quartet invited trouble as well as deposed of it sometimes at the same time.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the world," he paused with a stern face. "Miss Ruff and Mr. Maxwell are both clients of Quartet Associates. Therefore, the Quartet will be paying the one hundred million dollars as the designated money ransom." The crowd sounded with a set of loud shouts and claps. Austin waited for silence. "We will pay the ransom for Miss Ruff's eagerly anticipated safe return back into the QA family. The details of the exchange are both private and confidential. I am personally guaranteeing the measure of secrecy," he paused with a sneer. "I address to the kidnappers. I strongly advise that no harm comes to Miss Ruff. I will personally arrange something humanly unpleasant more than your current money problem," he smiled with a nod. "Thank you for your time, your attention, and your co-operation in this delicate private matter."

Austin back stepped from the podium and spun around to face the entrance of the manor with a wall of posted and armed QA guards that were blocking the entrance point. Frank back stepped and swung around with a blank face, moving behind Austin with Stu and Tom behind Frank's ass.

Interior hallway setting

After Austin had cleared the entrance way of the foyer of the Man Cave Play Palace, he side stepped and halted, standing in a circle with each captain from every QA guard, turning to each face with a nod. "I speak for Tom, Frank, Stu, and my person, Captains. We are deeply appreciative and want to acknowledge each staff member individually for doing an exceptional fine job within this life threatening delicate sensitive sticky shitty ass situation. Please pass this message along to your equally hard-working associates."

Because, if the QA guards had been posted like Austin had suggested then this wouldn't had occurred here inside the Man Cave Play Palace.

Rosebud would be home, tanning at her pool.

In the reverse, if any one of the QA guards had messed up the assignment while causing a nasty little incident like then, then the QA guard will not be breathing air molecules, compliments of Berrington.

Austin smirked. "Dr. Ruff is a formidable strong woman with defined thoughts that cannot be changed," he chuckled. "I have complete faith her abductors will not harm her, since they only want the money." Berrington hoped that the assholes had heard the news broadcast, since they were on the number one front row killing hit list of the Quartet. They will not be alive after lunch. They will be dead swiftly. Then, Rosebud will be returned safely to the Man Cave Play Palace.

No one with a fucking sane mind messed with the Quartet, Quartet Associates, a QA brother, a QA sister, a QA family member, a QA friend, or a QA client without a quick, fast repercussion on their life, a most precious thing on planet Earth.

Austin continued to say with a stern face. "We also want to acknowledge the respect, courage, and admiration of Hal facing these unstable mental individuals inside his home environment with a calm cool mind. And we want to personally thank Hal for letting us do our job regarding the safe return of Miss Ruff." He suppressed an immediate violent urge to strangle the pale colored throat of Hal with a pair of bare hands.

Rosebud was too stubborn making a life and death decision about her fantastic financial deal with the Man Cave Play Palace prince, since Hal held a gut feeling that something might go wrong. Money made the world go around fast but one hundred million dollars made the planet twirl faster within a crazy person's insane mind.

Hal contacted the Quartet first and then sidelined the Quartet second.

The Quartet will do their legal bound job, saving Rosebud and destroying the ill-breed stupid assholes for pissing off Berrington's ego. It would seem that the mamas of the asshole kidnappers didn't remember to teach them about the Quartet.

Austin waved a hand with a nod in silence dismissing all the captains of the QA guards, side stepping out of the circle with his brothers, turning and moved forward to face Hal with a stern face. Tom and Frank flanked Austin as Stu surrounded the captains for last minute instructions.

Hal tossed both arms into the air with a smile of relief to Austin. "I feel the same way. Thanks for the prep rally speech, Austin! Rosebud will be returned to us safe and sound, since the Quartet is here to guarantee that measure. To sing a happier note, I invite the Quartet to stay the evening with me while we wait for the deal to transpire tomorrow."

Austin nodded with a fake smile. "That is an excellent idea, Hal. Thank you for the invitation. We will stay until tomorrow morning," he reached over and patted the collar bone on Tom with a nod to Hal. "Tom is hungry and loves your strawberry tarts, morning and afternoon." The captain of the QA guards exited the hallway into the bright sunshine for the continued assignment. Stu moved ahead and stopped, standing between Frank and Tom with a stern face, staring at Hal.

Tom clapped with a smile, since he loved food and his wife which were two of his favorite hobbies, "Right, man! Bring the food on right now!"

Hal thumbed back over a collar bone with a smile and a nod, "This way, Tom. I have a buffet table of food set up. And I do remember your ferocious appetite," he spun around with a chuckle and led the quartet to the banquet room with the food tables.

Austin moved ahead with a fake smile behind the ass of Hal, moving beside his brother Tom. "Tom is also very much interested in discussing the terms of the Rosebud's legal contract that she had signed yesterday. We are her legal representative, as well as, her legal protectors, too," he turned and winked at Tom.

Hal moved ahead with a sour frown and shook a skull through the archway towards the dining room. "I think not today during the absence of Rosebud. Maybe, we might can discuss the matter tomorrow before you leave and head back to Florida, Austin."

They entered into the dining room in silence.

Sawyer understood the circumstances without the verbal explanation. Hal had cancelled the legal binding contract, because Rosebud hadn't filled the agreement, thus cheating both Rosebud and the Quartet out of the deal and the money.

Tom liked to fight with legal banter, especially a losing case for Ruff. Tom didn't care for the bitch, but her legal case was his fight. And Rosebud was going to donation all the money to Jane's personal charity foundation for the abused children.

Hal was a heartless monster to deny a child or children in Tom's opinion.

So, Sawyer was going to win while keeping his legal record spotless. Or Tom will reach a huge money compromise that would cost Hal some of his bony ass while covering all the Quartet's legal fees and donating money to Jane's charity foundation in the honor of Rosebud, too.

Sawyer chuckled with a smile and a whisper. "This is going to be a great day in the office."

Austin halted in place as Stu strolled through the archway. Berrington smiled. "Stu, may I have a moment of your time please?" Stu spun around with a smile and huddled with Austin in the dark corner. Berrington said with a stern face. "Tell Brad to explode a mini-sedation gas bomb into the glass bedroom window on the north side where Rosebud is being kept. The noise will be minimizing to the human ears. The smell will over whelm the human senses. Then, send in all the QA teams and kill every single bastard inside that damn condo. Use their dead bloody bodies as new fish bait for the hungry Pacific sharks. Then, take Rosebud to the St. John's Hospital, dropping her unconscious body at the emergency room doorway. And then, contact the media reporters and tattle about her eagerly anticipated safe return. How long will it take to execute that unique QA plan?"

Stu nodded. "I estimate forty minutes or less from bomb to bed. What about all the questions?"

"What questions, Stu?"

"The media reporters will ask a ton of questions, such like, who, why, where, what, and how."

He nodded. "Let the police department handle all the questions and figure the mystery puzzle."

"What about our QA involvement?"

He grinned. "What QA involvement, Stu?"

Stu shook a balk skull with chuckle, "Bro!"

He smirked. "I just addressed our role to the media, Stu. We're going to pay the outrageous money ransom while eating lunch, dinner, and breakfast here inside the Man Cave Play Palace. We will be chilling and relaxing inside the Palace with the Palace princesses while sitting around patiently waiting on high noon tomorrow before going to the nicely manicured grass park, just like instructed by the kidnappers."

Stu laughed with a nod. "You're one devious son of bitch, Austin."

Austin winked. "That's Frank earned title, since birth. I'm only a badass."

4:04 p.m.

City of Napleville

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Napleville City Hospital location

Interior patient room setting of Rosebud

Napleville was a principal city of the Marco Island metropolitan area with an estimated total population of 103,839 serving Collier County. The city was founded in 1880s by a former Confederate general and Kentucky US Senator John Stuart Williams and his partner Walter Haldeman, who was the publisher of the Louisville Journal. The newspaper printed stories of the mild climate and abundant fish likened to the sunny Italy peninsula while describing the white sands like a bay in the resort beach city of Naples within the country of Italy. Hence, it was part of the city's name.

The city was located on US Highway 41 which was located east of Miami and north of Fort Myers with a total land mass of 14.4 square miles and 2.38 square miles of water. The economy was based on tourism on Marco Island, Everglades, and Paradise Coast. Napleville City Hospital was a private acute care medical facility with 685 beds, providing medical and dental health care programs to over 200,000 patients with seventy percent as children.

The hospital patient door opened.

The physician entered into the private room with a smile and stopped, standing at the bedside of the patient, looking into her smile. "Good morning, Miss Ruff!" The door slowly closed shut for privacy of the patient.

"Okay," Rosebud sat upright inside the bed with a grin and a giggle.

He smiled at her. "Does your head hurt? Do your ears hurt? Does your chest hurt? You are healthy and fit. So, you can leave and go back home," he turned and nodded to the nurse. "Nurse, please direct Miss Ruff towards the cashier's office to pay my medical bill. Then please, contact a taxi cab for her personal transportation anywhere in the city. The hospital administration will pay the taxi cab receipt and then bill the invoice to Miss Ruff." He turned and smiled at Rosebud. "Good bye, Miss Ruff. It was very nice to meet you today."

"Okay," Rosebud sat upright inside the bed with a grin and a giggle. The physician spun around and exited the patient room for the next patient.

The nurse held a plastic bag with colorful items with a nod. "This plastic bag contains all your bloody and torn old designer clothes that you were wearing during your accident. However, the hospital auxiliary club has kindly donated a plain white cotton shirt and a pair of matching walking shorts with a new pair of flip flops for your journey back home from the hospital gift shop to purchase any additional clothing. We carry numerous clothing items with our logo that is very expensive," she rested the plastic bag at the edge of the bed.

"Okay," Rosebud sat inside the bed with a grin and a giggle, following the hand of the nurse to see the plastic bag of clothing.

The door opened. A second nurse entered the room and toted a laptop with a stern face. "Is this her?"

The first nurse turned and nodded with a grin to her co-worker. "It is. But do not mention this to anyone. You understand the hospital policy of any HIPAA violations. Correct?"

The second nurse nodded. "I understand clearly that I would be in trouble for telling anyone at the hospital or at home that Rosette Ruthie Ruff was one of our VIP inpatients here at Napleville City Hospital."

The first nurse nodded. "Good! You can ask her the questions now."

The second nurse turned and smiled to Rosebud. "Hello, Miss Ruff. This is an electronic hospital release form for your medical money bill which is required payment of your emergency room, nursing room, hospital medical tests, and the physician fee at Napleville City Hospital. Please, sign on the black line with your name."

"Okay," Rosebud reached out and grabbed the ink pen, scribbling down a wavy line over the paper the laptop, dropping the ink pen with a grin and a giggle. The first name handled the stack of clothes with a nod and pointed to the bathroom. Rosebud slid off the bed and accepted the stack of clothing, moving ahead into the bathroom. The door closed.

The second nurse read the screen of the laptop with a confused brow. "Hmm, we didn't have her home address. She lives somewhere in Miami but doesn't possess a driver's license when she was admitted into the hospital."

The first nurse nodded. "The hospital administration is aware of her delicate situation. I was instructed to get her original signature and then send the final bill to Quartet Associates in Florida."

The second nurse nodded with a smile. "That makes sense. She is a client. And we shall fax the entire hospital invoice with all the medical procedure charges, the nursing time, the food trays, the telephone calls, the taxi cab ride, and the ambulance transportation cost plus all the provided clothes that came from the hospital gift shop."

The first nurse smiled. "You could've been more a little more creative. They are billionaires with billions to spend."

The second nursed nodded with a grin. "We didn't want to seem greedy for the money. And the president of the hospital will call the Quarter once the bill has been received in a couple of days at the office headquarters and ask the billionaires for a great big donation to the hospital campus."

The first nurse frowned with a nod. "I remembered the good ole days only taking care of the patient for their good health..."

The second female pointed down to the computer laptop with a puzzled brow. "Is this her signature? It looks like a wiggling snake."

"I guess so."

The bathroom door opened. Rosebud stood inside the archway in a plain white short sleeved shirt with a pair of white colored running shorts, and a pair of naked feet. The first nurse turned with a smile and a nod to see Rosebud. "You look very nice, Miss Ruff. Are you ready to leave the room and the hospital?"

Rosebud giggled with a grin at the first nurse, "Okay."

The second nurse looked up with a confused face to see Rosebud. "She seems..."

The first nurse smiled at Rosebud. "No, she seems normal. After all, she went through a kidnapping plot yesterday. And now, the sea crash of private jet in the Gulf of Mexico happened the morning. Whew! That girl is a survivor. Give her credit for wanting to live. The physician has discharged her as perfectly fit. Thanks for visiting us, Miss Ruff. I hope you feel better soon."

Rosebud giggled with a grin at the first nurse, "Okay."

The first nurse reached out and patted the arm rest of the object with a smile. "Let's move to the wheelchair for a short ride, Miss Ruff! All right?"

Rosebud moved ahead with a giggle and a grin to the nurse and stopped, swinging around and sat down inside the seat of the wheelchair, "Okay." The second nurse back stepped and reached the door knob with a smile at Rosebud. The door opened.

The first nurse rolled Rosebud inside the wheelchair through the open archway of the room with a smile. "I have instructed the cab driver to transport you to the local hotel, Naples Inn, Miss Ruff. Don't worry about your payment. The hospital is handling the money matter."

Rosebud bounced up and down inside the seat of wheelchair with a giggle and a grin, seeing the different rooms and new hallways. "Okay..."

5:05 p.m.

Outside emergency room entrance setting

The nurse rolled the wheelchair with Rosebud through the emergency room entrance doors and stopped at the rear door of the parked white colored taxi cab with a smile, "Thank you for visiting us, Rosebud!"

Rosebud slowly stood upright from the seat of the wheelchair and moved ahead, scooting down into the rooftop of the taxi cab with a giggle and a grin, sliding inside the long bench seat. She bounced up and down inside the seat, turning with a smile to see the white sands of the beach, the bright sunshine, and the greenish-blue Gulf of Mexico ocean waters. "Uoo..."

"Goodbye!" The nurse slapped the door with a smile and reached up, knocking on top of the rooftop to leave. The taxi car slowly moved ahead into the city street towards the Napleville Inn.

Inside the cab, the taxi driver drove with a stern face. Rosebud bounced up and down inside the bench seat, dropping the pair of sneakers over the floor mat and as, her eyelashes caught the sparkling blue water. "Uoo..."

The taxi cab stopped underneath the veranda of the Inn. Rosebud scooted over and opened the door, sliding out the taxi and stood upright with a smile, looking at the entrance of the hotel lobby and then turned to see the sparkling white sands of the beach with a giggle and a grin. She spun around and moved ahead towards the white sands that led towards the ocean seashore, stomping a pair of naked feet into the white sands. "Uoo..." She squatted down and ran both hands through the soft sand, reaching out and grabbed all the pretty colorful silky sea shells with a giggle and a grin. "Uoo..."

City of Ruby Beach

Warm temperatures with moonlight and bright stars

Outdoor white sandy beach and ocean water setting

8:25 p.m.

The beach sands were hot. The water was warm. The night was cool while walking sitting on top of the wooden bench in rest. Rosebud stood upright with both arms of seashells and moved ahead towards a dark hole with a grin and a giggle. The dark cave possessed a small waterfall of fresh running water and overhead shade from the hot sun while feeling both comfort and cozy inside the mind of Rosebud. She entered the cave and stopped, standing in place, looking at the dripping water from the cave ceiling and squatted on both kneecaps, gently placing the seashells over the sand. She looked down with a grin and a giggle, lifting each one, admiring each pretty colored seashell. "Uoo..."
Wednesday September 1st

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and bright moonlight

Home of Austin

Interior master bedroom setting

He awoke on top of the pink tinted bed linen in sweat and stared up at the pink colored wooden ceiling with a smile, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read 2:31 a.m.

He stared at the ceiling and thoughts of red haired fiery Rosebud with happiness. He had seen her pretty face numerous mornings which means that she must be his soul mate.

He had not seen a repeating pretty face as many times as Rosebud.

He flipped over onto a naked stomach and flipped the pillow, resting a sweaty grin back down onto the cool side of the pink satin, without falling back asleep.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

House of the Mistress

She slowly drove the older model car with an ugly yawn and rubbed one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball like always. She was employed as a nurse at Charity Kendall Hospital in the critical care unit. Her twelve-hour work shift started at three in the afternoon until three in the morning, the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN like always.

The LPN was tired from the work shift and the shitty work, driving ninety minutes back to her house on the lonely street in the wee hours of pre-dawn day. She took care of the critical ill patients on the CCU ward, watching the beeping monitors and documenting the medical notes inside a patient chart on the floor while the desk of registered nurses consumed cups of coffee, boxes of donuts, and mouth gossiped about the rich and beautiful people of the world like always.

The Mistress had told the good news to the LPN on the first visit. Her destiny was to marry a wealthy man and attend numerous social gala dances with a closet of fancy ball gowns for the rest of her living and breathing days and nights. That vision was going on three years now.

The Mistress had a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. She could make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desired, using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make your body and mind change or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear.

The LPN desired the change of her body and her mind right now, feeling impatience for the fairy tale life dream of wealth and luxury and leisure. The LPN was so desperate for the change that she had visited another fortune teller within the city of Sunrise.

A young girl of Sunrise with a black hair bun and a pair of brown eyes told the LPN that the fairy dreams would not come true and her life was destined to be a lowly LPN, who continued to work the night shift at the local hospital. The LPN laughed in the face of the young fortune teller and ran back to the Mistress.

The Mistress repeated the good news into the eardrums and smiles of the LPN. The man was coming. The gala dances were coming. The designer clothes were coming.

On the roadway, the LPN turned and slowed the speed over the driveway of the private home of the Mistress in the city of Doral, parking the car in front of the thick row of plant shrubs, killing the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood silence in the night air. She gently closed the door without waking the dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

Interior den room setting of the Mistress

She moved ahead and reached out to the knob, opening the unlocked side door of a two-story house, strolling directly up a set of creaking wooden steps towards the open archway of a single door. She entered the small room within the semi-darkness of the moonlight and stopped, sliding down into the ratty oversized chair with a stern face like always, "Mistress..."

"I must tell you that the opportunity is coming very closer." The Mistress stared at the LPN and said a low scratchy voice, sitting inside an old ratty tan colored rocking chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone.

She bounced up and down with a smile of excitement in which the old woman could not see with a pair of old eyeballs within the darkness. "You said the same thing the other day. Am I getting married today or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow?"

"The opportunity is almost here, very soon." Mistress closed both eyelashes with a stern face at Nutelo, "Hmm! There is something with it which is surprise also. I see..."

She gasped with a smile. "What do you see?"

"I see him."

She giggled with a grin, "Who? Who is he? When is he coming for me?"

Mistress opened both eyelashes with a stern face to Nutelo. "Listen to me very carefully! This is very important, child."

She bounced up and down with a smile of excitement. "Yeah, I'm listening to you. What is it?"

"I want you to leave me and return back to your home. You will continue working your job like always. Do not come and see me for a few more mornings. I must go into a deep mediate about the grand opportunity and the new surprise for you."

She frowned. "Why? I wanna know right now. When do I come back for my surprise?"

Mistress closed the eyelashes with a nod and a stern face. "There is something else at work here that I must see. Then, I will share with you again before the dawn of morning like always."

She rolled the eyeballs and stared back with a sour frown at the old wrinkled face of the Mistress, "Okay. I'll go home and then go to work at my late night shift. So, when I do return back to you for my surprise?"

"Four." The Mistress exhaled with a deep puff. "Come back to me four mornings from now!"

She gasped. "When is that? What is the date four mornings from now?"

Mistress nodded with a stern face. "Please leave. I must mediate."

Nutelo stood upright from the chair with a nod and a stern face. "Yeah, I'll come back in four more days and see you, again, Mistress," she side stepped from the chair and then spun around with a smile, swiftly moving back down the creaky steps and left the house. She entered the car and drove back home with excitement. She would not be able to sleep before her work shift at three in the afternoon at the hospital today.

7:12 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Dark showers and rain with warm temperatures

Home of Austin

Interior Florida room setting

The door slammed opened. "Austin..."

Austin stood inside the Florida room dressed and ready for action, wearing a pair of blue jeans and a white short sleeved shirt with a pair of navy leathers. Frank had called very early this morning with the brief news report. Austin contacted the rest of the Quartet to meet inside his house for the mission.

Frank entered first with a stern face, holding a set of papers. Stu followed behind the ass of Frank, holding a cup of hot green tea. Tom followed behind the ass of Stu, holding a plate of food, chewing.

Frank stopped and stood in front of Austin with a worried brow, rattling the stack of papers near his nose. Stu and Tom stopped and surrounded Frank in silence. Mangrove exhaled. "Rosebud was in a hospital bed at the Napleville City Hospital in the beach resort town of Napleville. Gina, a former employee of Rosebud Foundation and a good friend to Rosebud received a set of faxed medical invoices from the Napleville City Hospital. Quartet Associates received the same set of faxed invoices. Gina notified me first. The amount of the hospital bill is 36,982.15 dollars for both the emergency and medical services that showed Rosebud as a former inpatient on Saturday, yesterday.

"She's dead." His heart dropped down into the toes and as, Austin stared with a worry at Frank.

Frank shook the papers and a skull with a sour frown. "No, Austin. No. She survived, after being hospitalized and then released on Saturday morning from Napleville City Hospital. Hence, I possess the medical bills."

Tom chewed and swallowed the food with a sour frown. "Holy fucking shit, Frank! Just tell us where is she?" He moved ahead and sat down on top of the long sofa, in front of the low table, placing the warm plate of food and the warm cup of coffee, finishing the breakfast meal.

Stu frowned. "I make some telephone calls after your contact, Austin. Officially, Rosebud is unknown at this time. Unofficially, some people at Ruby Beach had seen Rosebud. But, the girl sightings were very vague, including a single eyewitness who was the taxi cab driver. The taxi cab driver had dropped Rosebud off at Ruby Beach Hotel."

"What a relief?" Tom lifted and sipped on the cup of coffee. Jane would be very upset if something happened to her business buddy Rosebud. Sawyer didn't give a damn for anything, except his wife. He loved Jane more than the stars and his money.

Stu nodded to Austin. "The jet is gassed. And the limo is waiting. And all the QA guards are in root a few minutes ago. They will beat us to the sands of Ruby Beach. They have orders to start scouting for Rosebud. Each one knows her face."

Austin exhaled with worry with a meek voice. "Roll out!"

Tom sat back into the cushions of the soft sofa with a sour frown, "I'm not fucking..."

"Tom," Frank dashed over and leaned down, violently jerking Tom by the collar of the new shirt off the sofa with a growl. "Shut up, Tom! Before, I sedate you. Rosebud needs our help." Frank twirled them around, shoving Tom towards the open door with a sour frown, "Fucking, asswipe."

Tom slowly moved ahead with a sour frown. "I have nightly night mares about Ruby Beach all the damn time. I..."

"Tom," Stu turned and led Tom, Frank, and Austin towards the open archway with a sour frown. "You sleep like a baby after sex as Janey tells Misty. A hurricane couldn't rouse your ass from slumber."

Tom reached down into the pocket of the blue jeans and whipped out his mobile telephone with a grin, looking down with a smile at all the new text messages from his science fiction buddies, "During my sleeping mode, I have nightmares."

The limousine of Austin had arrived and waited underneath the veranda. Joe pressed a set of shiny buttons on the side panel of the door inside the cockpit of the vehicle. The rear doors slid open. The Quartet scooted and slid inside the bench seat in silence. The rear doors closed. Joe slowly drove ahead from Austin's mansion and Coral Beach with a stern face of a new mission for the Quartet.

East coast of Florida

City of Coral Gables

Dark clouds and heavy rain storms

Limousine ride of the Quartet

City street location US Highway One

8:31 a.m.

Inside the bench seat, Austin and Frank sat together, staring across the aisle at Stu and Tom.

Austin said. "Don't bother with a communication alert to Sheriff Keystone of Ruby Beach on this mission run! Talk to all QA teams and tell them to tear the fucking little town of Ruby Beach apart looking for Rosebud. She is there."

Tom continued to smile at the new text messages on his mobile telephone with a set of food stained lips from the morning breakfast. "Do I detect a single emotion associated with Rosebud from our emotionless leader?"

Austin looked with a sour frown and a growl at the blonde hair roots on Sawyer. "If you don't stop taunting me, you'll land inside the Napleville emergency room, while we look for Rosebud, Tom." Tom typed a new text on the mobile telephone with a smile. Austin turned and exhaled to Mangrove. "Frank, do you have any new information to share with us?"

Tom scooted side to side, shoving the stacks of paper away from his naked leg with a sour frown, "Move your mess, man! I need room for my long legs."

Stu continued to read the new report on the laptop with a sour frown. "Watch out, Tom! I spent all the morning hours collecting these official reports."

Tom wiggled side to side with a giggle, "Not my homework..."

Stu said, "I have reports from N.P.D, F.A.A, E.M.S..."

Tom giggled with a grin, "S.c.o.t..."

"You have spelled it wrong, genius," Frank laughed while finding a comedic note among the delicate new mission of the Quartet, a missing girl that Austin liked.

"I'll hold them, Stu." Austin extended a hand with a stern face, feeling worry and concern for Rosebud.

Tom gasped at Frank, "Huh?"

Frank smiled, "Scoot. S.c.o.o.t."

Austin exhaled, "Quiet, Tom! Go, Frank!"

Frank looked down with a stern face and read out loud from the new mobile telephone after receiving a set of new text messages. "Rosebud was discharged from St. John Hospital in Los Angles at 2:31 pm with a slight headache as I reread the electronic medical reports on my mobile telephone. She was conscious and talking per these medical documents. This is a very good sign for her fast recovery. However, I do have reserves about the medical diagnosis. Anyways, she argued with her attending physician, finally winning the debate which allowed her to be discharged from the nursing unit. She refused the generous offer to stay during the evening with Hal while electing to fly your personal jet plane out from Santa Monica airfield on her own time."

Stu read out loud on the laptop with a stern face. "The FAA report told. Rosebud took off on Friday at 3:42 pm flying her private jet from the Santa Monica airfield which is 1,002 miles. And it is a two-hour and fifteen-minute flight to Dallas for refueling. She filed the flight plan directly to Kendall-Tamiami Airport, which is 1,066 miles or a two hour and fifty-one-minute private jet flight. She ventured the right path, crossing over the Everglades in Napleville crashing down in the Gulf of Mexico. The Napleville emergency personnel plucked Rosebud out of the water and admitted her into emergency room where she stayed overnight with head trauma clinical treatment."

Frank frowned, "Sabotage, me thinks?"

Stu shook a bald skull. "Based the destruction of her personal aircraft, a bird had got caught in the engine while causing an unbelievable and uncontrollable incident at a high altitude. She was a very good pilot while compensating for the damage to the engine but missed the hard white sand, ditching the smoking plane down into the softer ocean water. I have the police report here from the city of Napleville, too." Gage looked with a stern face to see Mangrove. "Frank, you need to increase my platinum colored credit card..."

"No." Frank frowned. "Why should I do that, Gage? That card holds a half-a-million dollar credit limit for any occurrence."

Stu nodded. "I paid all the monetary fines that had been stated in the police reports to the Napleville and Ruby Beach city council chambers plus a generous ritual offering..."

Tom laughed. "Fuck! Gage was bribed, blackmailed, and suckered, man. I'll get them. Let me out of the limo," he reached over and touched the door handle, pretending to exit a rolling vehicle for funny amusement.

Frank turned and frowned at Sawyer, "Down, Tom!"

Stu smiled. "I willingly offered a generous monetary reimbursement amount for the swifter than hyperspace work which was forwarded by faxes, PDF files, and other shitty electronic mediums. I don't wanna overdraw my bank account, Frank."

"Shit," Frank swished the tiny screen from the text app and typed in the familiar telephone number on the mobile telephone with a sour frown. Gage was getting a higher limit on the company credit card before it was hit with large monetary penalties and fees.

Stu smiled. "Gina initiated the investigation for Rosebud. The Napleville police department was very quick, once they were told her name plus our name. The final police investigative report had concluded that Rosebud never showed up at the Napleville Inn where the Napleville City Hospital had reserved for her. She didn't collect the new wardrobe either."

"And all of it was paid for by us, too," Tom looked over with a sneer to see the laptop with Gage.

Stu elbowed Tom away from the laptop screen with a stern face, reading out loud the information to all eardrums. "Rosebud never claimed any of the items that sat prettily inside the closet or opened all the gift boxes that lounged lazily on top of the sofa in her reserved private hotel VIP suite."

Tom frowned. "What VIP suite?"

Frank exhaled. "Hush, Tom! She didn't show up at the hotel after her release from the hospital. Then, she must have been abducted right there at the hospital."

Stu shook a bald skull to Frank. "I don't think so. Someone was trying to kill her. And I believe that someone had planned to kill her and it failed."

Austin reached over and pressed the button on the side wall with a stern face. "Joe, break the speed of light, run every traffic light and get us to the QA jet. Pronto!" The limousine immediately shifted into a higher gear as the engines roared with a louder sound towards the private air strip in Tamiami Airport, where the QA jet stood ready and fueled for the Quartet.

Tom chuckled with a smile, "A joke! Is that right, Stu?"

Stu frowned. "No joke, Tom! Don't you read all the security reports that are sent to your personal computer?"

Tom looked down with a smile to see the new set of text messages from his science fiction buddies. "Yeah, of course, I read all these thousands of reports every damn day coming across my desk. The official Quartet Associates regarding the infiltration, attack, and sweeping removal of all the bad guys where one might could have grabbed Rosebud."

Frank exhaled, "No! You did not, asswipe."

Tom looked up with a smile to see Mangrove, "Yeah, I do."

Frank frowned. "No, you don't."

Stu turned and frowned at the nose profile on Sawyer. "Tom, Benny was one of the many bodies who got cut up for shark bait. He was the gang leader. He planned, arranged, and executed the successful kidnapping right underneath our noses."

Austin said, "Arrogant noses."

Tom nodded, "That man had a nasty attitude."

Frank said. "Benny had a nastier habit of gambling away all his George Washington's for a tune of a cool fifteen million dollars in debt."

Stu nodded. "Hence, his nasty behavior with Rosebud as we all eye witnessed at the Man Cave Play Palace. She was going to give all the monies to her charity, not her manager. His regular cut was thirty-five percent, just like a damn sleazy lawyer."

He lifted a free arm without the mobile telephone. "Damn straight! And I deserve every penny of it," Tom turned and winked at Frank.

Frank frowned at Tom, "Benny could not possible pay fifteen million dollars off. So, he begged for more money from Rosebud. I thoroughly researched all his skimpy ass bank accounts. She donated for his cause, not wishing for him to be poverty stricken."

Austin gasped. "Rosebud knew about his gambling addiction."

Frank exhaled, "Of course, she did. Benny jumped started her career, her fame, and her fortune career into a billionaire. Rosebud isn't a greedy woman. She is very generous with both her time and monies."

Tom nodded, "The dirt bag wanted more."

Frank nodded, "Yes, don't they all, always and forever!"

Stu said, "He saw a lush opportunity before his big brown greedy eyeballs with a retired actress ready to go into complete isolation. Why not go into total secret isolation with her person...?"

"...and her money!" Tom nodded.

Stu smiled, "And the man guessed wrong about us."

Austin nodded with a smirk, "Right, Big Man!"

Frank smirked, "His mama didn't teach Benny about playing nice with the other kids inside the sand box in hot sizzling Miami."

Stu smiled. "We corrected that error."

Tom laughed "And the Quartet playing inside the sand box in hot sizzling Miami."

The limousine slowed and drove through the open gates, veering through the open pavement towards the QA private jet, halting the vehicle. The rear doors slid open. Stu smiled. "We corrected that error, too, Tom," he slid out and stood upright, dashing towards the open hatchway of the QA private jet. The rest of the Quartet slid out and ran behind Stu, dashing towards the jet also.

The private jet taxied down the runaway and then launched into the cloudy skies.

Everglades within the US Florida

23,000 feet elevation

Rain and cloudy sky

9:11 a.m.

Interior cabin setting of QA private jet

The small private jet plane shook side to side within the storm clouds. Inside the cabin of the private jet, each Quartet sat inside the assigned seat. Austin stared across the short aisle space at Stu, "Where are all the QA teams?"

Stu looked at the mobile telephone with a smile. "The jets have landed. They are beating the white sands at the currently reported rendezvous point as we continue to fly. I ordered the engagement of the mission without your permission, Old Man, once you contacted me."

"Good thinking, Stu." Tom continued to read the new text messages from his science fiction buddies with a grin.

"Thanks, Stu," Austin nodded. "I want a report every fifteen minutes."

Stu frowned. "Fifteen minutes?"

Austin said, "Each fifteen fucking damn minutes on the dot."

Stu exhaled, "All right! Do we have any more clues, tracks, or hints to share and help with the search, Austin, Frank?"

Austin said. "We start with the damn hospital staff and that damn doctor."

Frank nodded. "Stu, please, find the hospital contact for that discharge physician and send it to me."

Austin said. "What are pondering, Frank?"

Frank exhaled. "I have a theory that you don't want to hear."

Stu frowned. "Franklin?"

Frank frowned. "You are not going to like it. She is alive. Since, Rosebud was released from the hospital. And Rosebud is a very logical person. She would have called for help in a serious emergency."

Tom said. "She called Gina."

Frank shook a skull, "No."

Stu said, "No."

Austin said, "No."

Tom frowned, "No."

Frank shook a skull, "Rosebud called no one."

Tom frowned, "The bitch is stubborn, defiant, arrogant..."

Stu chuckled. "Who is arrogant, now?"

Austin frowned, "Hush, Tom!"

Sawyer did not have his heart in the right place at the moment. His mind was always clicking and working, sometimes in the wrong direction. He had been a big-headed, highly arrogance lawyer after brow-beating Hal into a huge monetary settlement for both Rosebud and the Quartet.

Seven days ago

Thursday August 26th

Sawyer had engaged in his particular kind of first combat by threatening to slap a lawsuit for wrongly act and invasion of service against the QA Empire while suing for one billion dollars, a humorous threat on Hal to yield.

Stu had countered with the idea of selling Rosebud's storyline of the kidnapping, since all the photographers took numerous pictures of Rosebud before the kidnapping incident. Therefore, the financial revenues would be ginormous for both Hal and the Quartet.

After the fireworks ended, Hal had agreed to pay Rosebud the one-hundred-million-dollar monetary fee to her Rosebud Foundation for her exclusive rights of the kidnapping storyline plus all the glossy photographs to publish inside his magazine. And Austin agreed to purchase a large quantity of magazines for his employees, just to make Hal happier.

Jane would have been very upset with Tom for not collecting the monies for the abused children at her Florida charity foundation, once Rosebud had been rescued. Jane was smart, sometimes smarter than her genius goofy husband, who she loved dearly.

The Quartet had retrieved Rosebud away from kidnappers, without harm. Then Rosebud had withdrawal herself from the safety of the hospital while flying her private jet plan back home to Miami.

Present day and place

Rain and cloudy skyline

QA private jet cabin setting

9:33 a.m.

Inside the jet plane, Frank nodded with a stern face. "I am basing my theory on one important piece of evidence. She never claimed her belongings."

Tom frowned. "She was kidnapped."

Frank shook a skull, "That is not right, Tom."

Stu frowned. "She was targeted for a murder. The murderers died in the accident, too. They weren't wearing their individual safety belts." Stu turned and looked down at Tom.

Tom reached down and buckled the safety belt across his lap with a sour frown. "Happy?" Stu smiled with a nod in silence.

Frank said. "Rosebud might have a case of walking amnesia from the plane wreck."

Austin nodded. "She is not driving one of those ever again."

Stu frowned. "Are you saying that Rosebud had possibility been hit on the head by an object inside the cockpit when the plane crashed into the ocean, Frank? There wasn't a report of splattered blood or an open cut wound on her body based on the medical report and medical bill."

Frank nodded. "I am referring the clinical presentation of spontaneous sleep walking."

Tom shook his bangs. "Wrong, Frank! She's awake, not slumbering."

Frank said. "Patients can play music, write, climb, and swim during a sleep walking episode."

Tom shook his bangs. "You're wrong Frank. She's stubborn. She wants attention."

"A trance, with no signals from the brain waves to her nerves..."

"She's a science fiction project, Frank."

Frank frowned. "Medical research studies have been documented where people rise up and perform manual chores during a sleep walking episode. For example, they have been reported to flee outside for yard work while being deprived of a logical reason until they awake well and rational although a pale and weak body from the extreme exertions excited by external stimuli of..."

"A plane crash..." nodded Stu.

"A kidnapping..." nodded Tom.

"A poker game and the ballet moment..." nodded Austin.

Frank nodded. "I would say yes to all the mentioned above external stimuli. She has sustained numerous wounds to her cerebella for the past number of days," exhaling. "I believe her medical condition is one of mental automatism which allows her to survive on her own, without aid or help. She needs to see Jace after we find her for immediately clinical treatment. He knows what can be done. In the medical world, an epileptic fit sometimes closely resembles a sleep-walker which is activated by a severe trauma."

Austin nodded. "She left both the hospital and the hotel."

Frank nodded. "Yes, she made that decision on her own."

Stu parted the lips, "Gawd! Then, she is wandering around the white sandy beaches of Ruby Beach alone by herself and doesn't know who she is."

Frank nodded. "I do believe so."

Austin exhaled. "I hate it when you're right, Frank."

The musical song played a set of electric guitars and electric organ from a heavy metal tune on the mobile telephone. Stu reached down and swished the phone on, lifting it into a face, "Gage."

He paused and listened to the male voice on the other end of the mobile telephone connection. Then he removed the phone from a stern face and extended it to Mangrove. "Frank, this is her attending physician at the Napleville City Hospital. He wants to speak with you."

Frank reached out and snatched the mobile telephone, lifting into a sour frown. "Hello! This is Dr. Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third..."

Tom pointed at Frank with a grin and a giggle. "O no! He used his full name along with the whole number. So, Frank is totally, pissedly, and angrily hell-bend mad at every poor soul at the Napleville City Hospital," he scooted with a grin towards the side window. "Stay the fuck away from him today all the way until midnight! Then, Frank will return back into a normal character of planet Earth," he chuckled with Stu and Austin.

Frank frowned on the mobile telephone. "And I am the private physician for Miss Rosette Ruthie Ruff. I understand that she was involved in a private jet plane incident on Friday, September, the third. Please, explain to me under what circumstances you have seemed fit to discharge a trauma patient, without consulting with her personal physician, Dr. Nameless?"

He paused and listened to the physician voice on the other end of the mobile telephone.

"Did you perform an examination on her biological body, yourself personally?"

Pause.

"Did she show any signs of sleep walking, concession, or anemia?"

Pause.

"Did you ask her name, city street address, township, zip code, and all her biological family members plus the house pets?"

Pause.

"She answered completely to your professional knowledge."

Pause.

"Did you escort her to the taxi cab vehicle for her final destination towards the hotel?"

Pause.

"Your silence-ness..."

Tom mouthed with a whisper and a giggle to Stu: Silence-ness.

Frank frowned on the mobile telephone. "Hesitation concludes with my final finale answer of a negative professionalism. May I speak with the discharge nurse, who had attended Miss Ruff?"

He paused and listened to the physician voice on the other end of the mobile telephone.

"Why do I ask, doctor? Miss Ruff is not available. I cannot find her. She hasn't returned to her residence in the city of Miami. She is missing..."

Tom smiled with a nod. "And Frank is talking without English contractions. Since, they indicate a verily, pissedly, angrily mad medical professional," he chuckled with Austin and Stu."

Frank frowned on the mobile telephone. "I am Dr. Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third..."

Tom laughed. "He forgot to mention the billionaire part," he chuckled with Austin.

Stu tuned and frowned at the nose profile on Sawyer. "Why is that important, Tom?"

Tom tossed an arm with a smile. "You know some people worship the firm or soggy or sandy soil we all walk on."

Stu shook his baldness with a chuckle. "What planet is he from again? Better question, who are your alien-parents, Sawyer?"

Frank lifted and covered the screen of the mobile telephone with a hand and a sour face to each brother. "Shut the fuck up, triplet asswipes!" He replaced the phone back into a sour frown with a matching tone to the nurse on the other end of the connection. "I am the personal highly, expensively paid and employee medical physician for the Quartet. Do you know who the Quartet is?"

He paused and listened to the physician voice on the other end of the mobile telephone.

"Did you see Miss Ruff on Saturday morning? Explain to me her medical discharge status?"

Pause.

"You wheeled her inside the chair to the taxi. She entered willingly while smiling and waving goodbye to you. Did she seem to understand your vocal discharge orders?"

Pause.

"Your instructions? Your sentences? Your words?"

Pause.

"Nurse, I must inform you that Miss Ruff is officially missing. She has not returned to her home in Miami. I am very concerned about her present welfare and well-being. If she did not stop at the Napleville Inn, then where would she likely have gone?"

Pause.

"Based on the short introduction of Miss Ruff, can you surmise a guess for me?"

Pause.

"Down the road to where?"

Pause.

"The beach is south. The hotel is north. The police are east. The hospital is west. You have included every major landmark of the fishing town of beautiful Napleville. Do you have any more moronic ideas, comments, suggestions or observations for me?"

Pause.

"Thank you!" Frank jerked the phone from a sour frown and extended it back to Stu, "Fucking ass bite stupid woman! Rosebud was not responding to any of these verbal simple questions with any of her vocal instructions."

Stu nodded. "Frank's correct."

Tom nodded. "Frank's always correct."

Austin leaned over and snatched the laptop from Stu, reading the map information with a tern face. "The Napleville Inn is located in the northern direction from the hospital. Check it, again!"

Stu looked down with a stern face and dialed the mobile telephone with a nod, "Done!"

Austin pointed at the laptop screen with a stern face. "The beach sands are located in the southern direction and away from the Inn and the hospital."

"A gang of choppers and bikes are invading the sands like marching crabs. And we will arrive on top the parking lot of the public beach sands in nine minutes and fourteen seconds."

West coast of Florida

City of Ruby Beach

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunrays

9:58 a.m.

Outside white sands and ocean water beach setting

The QA private jet landed at the airport and parked. The Quartet exited the plane and dashed to the van, exchanging clothes into hot attired for the heated beach scene. They left the van and entered the pickup truck with driver Stu.

The pickup truck slowed and then stopped inside the open parking lot of the local beach sand park, where all people and dogs played in the sun within the resort town of Ruby Beach. A set of four doors opened. The Quartet scooted and dashed ahead towards the white sands in a pair of tropic clothing of walking shorts, a short sleeved shirt, a hat, and a pair of sneakers.

Tom stopped and stood next to Frank on top of the white sands, looking up with a sour frown to see the blue sky, the white sands, and the greenish ocean water, wearing a hat and a blue colored sunscreen over a pale colored face. "I hate this place."

Frank looked down with a stern face to study the local map, "Shut up, Tom!"

Stu moved ahead and shoved Tom towards the water and the command post with a stern face. "This ain't about you, bro. Your time was gone and done. That is past history for the Quartet."

Tom moved ahead towards the single picnic table and scanned the greenish water. "This is present history for the Quartet. Jace is supposed to be here recording all our noble causes and deeds."

The QA captain stood around a single wooden looking picnic table without the benches with a set of other upright QA guards. Each guard wear a pair of white running shorts, a white colored sleeveless shirt, a pair of white running sneakers, and a white baseball cap with the solid black tinted lower case letters: qa.

The Quartet dashed to the command post and squeezed between the QA guards. The QA captain pointed down to the map with a stern face "Stu, we have combed so far the northern section from the Napleville boundary line including all the sands, beaches, rental shops, retail shopping centers, the diners, the hotels, each life guard booths, and all the medical centers. The teams are parked along the same section in case Rosebud back tracks a wandering path or creates a new one into that landscape territory. And Sheriff Keystone ain't happy either, Stu," he thumbed back over a collar bone at the short round fat looking man who was waving both hands and arms.

Stu spun around with a chuckle to see Keystone and his two silly deputy dogs. "Keep him in the dark, the bastard deserves it. We are here on QA vacation with an army of our paid body guards. Hell, we're billionaires. We could be captured by a vicious kidnapper with a gun at any moment. Right, Tom?"

Tom frowned down at the map. "Whatever!"

The QA captain looked down with a smirk at the map, "Yes sir."

Frank turned and scanned the miles of white colored beach sands. "She went south. Rosebud loves the sun and sand."

Austin looked down at the map and then the white sands. "I agree with Frank. I want all the teams to continue searching, even after the sun quits shining. I want each team to get in as much time light as possible. Then we set up all the night surveillance that records for twenty-four hours."

Stu asked. "Should we use the dog? The group of canines are cooling out from the sweat inside each van."

The QA captain shook a white colored QA baseball cap and the pair of sunglasses. "The animals can't really help here, Stu. There's too much sun, sand, food, trash, and weird-ass odors from both sweating sun-tanners and yelling active children and running kids."

Austin said. "Roll out!" The QA teams scooted away from the picnic table and scattered around the beach sands, moving towards the southern direction. The QA captain gathered up all the paper maps and tucked the items back into a backpack without leaving any evidence for Sheriff Keystone, spinning around and jogged to one of the teams. Austin looked up with a stern face inside the sunglasses, scanning the miles of white sands. "The Quartet goes south."

Tom stood in place and kicked at the sands with a sour frown. "I don't wanna go to the south on foot."

Frank turned and pointed to the row of machines with a smile "No, asswipe! We're searching inside a comfortable sand buggy."

Tom turned and frowned at the row of sand buggies. "Could she have been picked up by strangers?"

Frank watched. All the QA guards loaded into a buggy, a bike, or one of the numerous helicopters, searching for Rosebud. He exhaled. "No. Rosebud has very good instincts. She wouldn't have been so careless."

Austin nodded. "I agreed with Frank. Her self-preservation skills will take over. She is alone."

Tom frowned and kicked more of the sands. "I am alone, hunger, tired, hot..."

Austin exhaled. "We will search until moonlight, finding her. Tom, take the helicopter looking high while the rest of us will search low through the sands."

Tom back stepped from the naked picnic table with a clap and a smile, "Fine! I like lots of shade from the heated sunrays. Is there a tub of cold beer bottles?"

Frank spun around and shook a baseball cap at the back spine on Tom. "There is not a tub of beer. But, there are many types of nutritious beverages on board the bird, Tom."

Austin spun around and narrowed the eyelids underneath the sunglasses at Sawyer with an authoritative tone. "Don't play with the electronic controls, Tom..."

"...or the weapons, Tom," Stu spun around with a sneer to see Tom.

Sawyer slowly back stepped from his brother with a smile and then tripped over a pair of big feet like an asshole idiot, tossing both arms to balance a body with a sour frown. "I'm not a toddler. Geez!" He tumbled over the low sand dune and then recovered an upright body with a grin and a giggle, slowly moving backward towards the helicopter.

Frank laughed. "I could debate you with that particular topic until the flying cows come home." Stu moved ahead and sneered at Tom, stopping and stood next to the row of sand buggies, waving an arm for the procession of the search to the QA teams.

Ruby Beach rendezvous point

Moonlight with bright stars and hot temperatures

11:57 p.m.

A set of three helicopters landed at the same time over the cold sands of the beach, releasing all the new QA surveillance crew and the other tired and beat QA teams. The sleeping crew moved ahead and loaded inside and outside an empty pickup truck bed which was head towards the hotel for the night, before the next search and rescue tomorrow morning at sunrise.

Each dirty sand buggy and road bike all parked on top of the warm concrete near the surveillance crew to access and protects the roadway and the sands from a gang of strangers or a group of sightseers.

"It is almost midnight. Gawd! I'm beat up," Tom stood in the archway of the first helicopter, wiping a dirty face with a wet cloth from sweat and sand.

Frank dropped down from the helicopter into the sands and wiped off a face with a worried brow, "We have been luckless today."

Stu stood inside the lip of the helicopter with a wet face, wiping off the sand and the sweat. "There is always tomorrow morning where sunrise occurs at 4:06 in the morning. And before the swimmers and sun-tanners and picnic baskets, this is the long holiday weekend."

Tom turned and frowned at Stu, "Fucking four...uh...okay!" Austin moved ahead and slammed a shoulder with Stu into the back spine on Tom. Tom dropped down and fell out of the floor, sliding down into the sands as his three brothers slowly moved ahead towards the pickup truck which was head towards the hotel for food, worry, and maybe sleep.
Thursday September 2nd

2:31 a.m.

City of Ruby Beach

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and bright moonlight

Ruby Beach Hotel location

8th floor level

Interior hotel suite setting of Austin

He awoke on top of the white tinted bed linens in sweat and stared up at the white colored ceiling with a worried brow, turning to see the clock devise on top of the nightstand within his private bedroom chamber.

The clock face read 2:31 a.m.

He saw Rosebud inside a repeating sleep dream with deep fear and concern emotions.

He flipped over onto a naked stomach and flipped the pillow, resting a sweaty worried brow back down onto the cool side of the white cotton, without falling back asleep.

Ruby Beach location

White sands and ocean water beach setting

Sunrise of pink, blue, yellow hues

4:06 a.m.

A fleet of helicopters landed one at a time onto the top of the empty parking lot surface. Inside the first helicopter, Austin leaped down from the rotate craft with a determined face and a soul of high spirits, dashing ahead with rested energy and stopped, standing in front of the tired QA captain. "Any sign of Rosebud during the night or morning?"

The QA captain shook a skull with a sweaty face. "I am sorry, sir. There has not been a faint sign of her last night or any movement other than the sea water and some small aquatic creatures inside the ocean water."

Berrington thumbed back over a collar bone to the helicopter with a deep sigh, turning with a fake smile to see the tired guards. "Thank you, all. Good job to everyone. Please depart. Get some sleep, teams."

The sweaty and tired teams of QA guards slowly scattered and moved over the sands, entering the first helicopter which would head back to the hotel for a bed of sleep and a plate of hot food for each guard.

The rested QA guards scattered from each helicopter and moved towards a vehicle. Then each sand buggy and a road bike were occupied with a single guard and then the engine roared into life. The guard steered down the white sands for another day of hunting with a pair of eyeballs that darted back and forth for Rosebud. Then, the machines would stop for bathroom breaks and a bit of food and drink while the helicopter flew across the sands with the search.

6:48a.m.

Hot temperatures with dull sunlight and parted clouds

White sands and ocean beach location

A row of sand buggies crisscrossed side to side over the flat landscape of white sand where a buggy seat held the individual drivers of Stu, Austin, and Frank.

Tom rode inside the shaded helicopter, sitting on the edge of the lips, wearing a pair of binoculars, scanning the vast miles of bright white sands.

Stu drove ahead inside the sand buggy and wore the device inside an eardrum, hearing the new information, saying via the ear bug. "Austin!"

Austin drove next to Stu and wore the device into an eardrum, saying via ear bug, "Go, Stu!"

Stu continued to drive and stood upright from the seat, pointing ahead in the far distance at the sands with a puzzled brow. "I got some new information. There appears to be some type of active activity near a small portion of a new beach which is known as Barefoot Cove. Barefoot Cove is three more miles south of us. Let's go and check it out!"

Austin pressed the gasoline pedal and drove beside Frank and Stu. "You lead the way, Stu."

Frank drove close to Austin, saying via ear bug, "What is it, Stu?"

Austin said via ear bug, "Zack has seen some non-village activity near Barefoot Cove. Roll out!"

Each sand buggy and road bike roared up and over each sand dune flattening out the stalks of tall tan colored sea oats for another three miles, following behind the tail of the low-flying helicopter. Tom stood upright on top of the lip inside the archway and hung onto the side, wearing the pair of binoculars, staring at the activity within Barefoot Cove.

8:08 a.m.

Barefoot Cove location

White sands and ocean water setting

Austin slowed and then halted the sand buddy over the sands, standing upright from the seat to scan the greenish tinted water, the white sands, and numerous semi-naked sun bathers with a sour frown, saying via the ear bug. "Barefoot Cover is one of the many small tourist sightseeing towns here on the western coast of Florida. I don't see any sign of Rosebud." He wore the QA baseball cap and a pair of sunglasses.

Stu slowed and then halted the sand buddy over the sands near Austin, lifting a hand and waved to the pilot of helicopter. The helicopter slowed and then lowered down, hovering in the air. Tom leaped down from the lip of the rotate craft and landed onto the sand, wiping off the sweat and the sand from a sunscreen wet face, drinking a cold beverage. The helicopter lifted up and resumed the search without Sawyer.

Austin, Stu and Frank slid off the individual sand buddy and gathered into a tight huddle away from the water and the group of sun bathers for a brief meeting.

Frank wiped the sweat from a neck and a face with a sour frown. "Beach combers, vendors, sun bathers."

Austin shook a baseball cap and the pair of sunglasses, scanning the sun bathers. "Rosebud would not be here. It is too crowded."

Tom heard the loud noise and spun around with a puzzled brow, pointing at the shiny silver tinted rounded fence in the distance, "Hey, lookie! There's the party over there. Let's go and see!"

Frank turned and stared at the fence in the distance with a sour frown. "It appears to be a local beach social party with a gang of pre-teens near the fence sighting. No, Tom! Please stick with our original assumption of scanning the crowds, beaches, and sands..."

Tom moved ahead from the QA huddle with a grin and a hand wave to his brothers. "I wanna a break. It's break time to piss. The kids are doing something near the fence grid. I wanna see what the action is."

Frank exhaled at the back spine on Sawyer. "Forget it, Tom!"

"Come back, Tom!" Stu pulled out a large paper map. The laptop would be contaminated and then destroyed from the blowing sand particles. Frank and Austin moved ahead and cuddled around him, holding part of the fluttering paper map. Stu pointed down at all the investigated sands while outlining what sandy spots were left to search. The township was small compared to the vast stretches of beach, lonely and lengthy.

8:09 a.m.

Outdoor fence setting

Tom shuffled ahead towards the commotion. The noise came from the huddle of sitting and standing pre-teens. He moved ahead and stomped over the flat concrete, where the kids had huddled in front of a wire cage. He stopped and bent down at the kneecaps, narrowing eyelids into the darkness of the man-sized drain pipe, "What are you looking at through the fence wire, kid?"

The lead kid squatted down in front of the wire fence and crumbed the food into an ugly wad with a smile. "I am looking for the dog."

Tom removed the pair of sunglasses and the baseball cap, narrowing both eyelids into the dark tunnel with a puzzled brow. "Where is the dog, kid?"

The kid continued to squat and pushed the individual pieces of wadded food between the square shaped wire that sealed off an extremely large drain pipe that was used to collect the rain water during a rain storm at the beaches. "There's a dog inside the cage. I feed it like every morning."

Tom stared into the dark tunnel with a puzzled brow. "Are you saying to me? There is a trapped dog inside the drain pipe."

The kid lifted and squirted the bottle of water through the wiring also with a sour frown. "Naw, it is loose and free."

Tom stood upright with a sour frown at the hair roots on the kid. "You should contact the city animal control department, kid, and let the professional animal control personnel handle a vicious dog that is running loose about unprotected babies and toddlers."

The kid leaned over and held the wiring of the drain pipe with a sour frown. "Hey! It's our dog, not yours. We feed the thing our chewed up food."

Tom parked both hands on the hips with a sour frown. "And a set of chewed up food is not healthy for either young children or old dogs. And you could acquire a flock of rabies or ticks or fleas from a runaway dirty pet dog."

The kid looked with a sneer into sown the dark tunnel. "Leave, mister. Get away! It's our dog, not yours."

The second kid held the wire with a smile and a nod, seeing inside the dark tunnel. "Here, it comes. Toss it the food first and then the water."

Tom leaned down at the kneecaps, peeking through the huddled bodies of kids, seeing the dog. "Does it have a name?"

The kid lifted and pushed more wadded chewed up food between the wiring with a smile, "Naw."

Tom narrowed the eyelids into the darkness, "What color is it?"

The kid laughed and stared into the dark tunnel at the dog, "Hairy."

The second kid laughed and stared into the dark tunnel at the dog, "Red."

The kid chuckled, "Yellow."

Tom frowned into the dark tunnel, "What breed of dog?"

The kid laughed and stared into the dark tunnel, "Mutt."

Tom saw the mutt dog which was slowly moving through the dark shadows of the drain pipe, coming towards the wire grid, but the mutt dog did not come close enough to touch the metal. The kid continued to shove numerous chewed foot items, such like, half consumed ice cream cones, broken peanut butter crackers, and half eaten hotdogs between the squared shaped wires.

The mutt dog moved closer towards the fallen food over the concrete floor inside the drain pipe while Tom spotted a head of wavy strawberry red hair with blonde highlights from the glance of bright hot Florida sunshine. The mutt dog torso was dark golden brown shiny skin, not hair. Tom rushed ahead with a gasp and slammed both hands into the huddle, scattering the kids from the wire of the drain pipe with a worried brow and a yell. "Holy fucking shit! Austin! Move, kid! Out of the way! Rosebud! Austin! Frank! Stu! Rosebud, come here to me. Rosebud, I am here," he reached the wiring and grabbed the wire, jerking the face of the drain pipe with all his physical force. The drain pipe wiring was too strong for a pair of human hands and human strength.

The kid stumbled back and stood upright, waving both arms into the air with a sneer at the back spine on Tom, "Hey, mister! Go away and get off that wiring!"

Tom continued to jerk on the open wiring and reached around, shoving the small kid away from the new spot, "That ain't no dog, kid. She's a human being, ya little shit. Get out of my fucking way, kid! Austin! Here, Stu! Come here! Rosebud! Frank!"

The crouched body of Rosebud halted in place from the loud sound and slowly back pedaled from commotion with fright while staring with wonderment and terror at the male in front of the drain pipe wire. Then, she spun around and ran back into the safe coolness of the cavern.

"Rosebud!" Tom jerked on the mush wire with a yell and worried brow. Austin ran ahead from the huddled and slammed into the back spine on Tom with a worried brow, scanning the darkness, seeing nothing. Tom exhaled. "Rosebud, she's the damn dog. She's in there. I can't move the grid. Help me!" He pulled on the wire grid with a set of gritted teeth.

Austin reached out and touched the rusty metal with a worried brow and a yell. "Damn it to hell! Stu!"

Stu ran ahead from Frank and slammed into the back spine on Tom and Austin, shaking a baseball cap with a stern face. "Forget it!" He looked down and read the map. "There are a set of tiny underground caverns. Best, we follow the cave from the opposite side. There is an opening which is across from the water. Rosebud must have accidentally discovered the entrance mouth of the cavern during her wandering adventure while living there in isolation." He back stepped and spun around, dashing back to his sand buddy. "Get into the machines! Follow me!" Austin spun around and dashed behind the back spine on Stu with a worried brow.

Tom back stepped from the wire with a worried brow and fingered the dark tunnel. "Holy fucking shit! She didn't recognize me. Rosebud didn't know me. She knows me and Jane. I have known her for years and years and years..."

Frank ran ahead and stopped, reaching out and grabbing the arm on Tom, pulling both of them towards his sand buggy with a stern face. "I am correct. She is in a state of sleep walking. Austin, we must be very gentle with her during her capture."

Austin climbed into the seat of the sand buddy with a stern face. "Let's catch her first. She must be both afraid and frightened," he pressed the gasoline pedal and drove behind Stu. Tom climbed into the seat and sat next to Frank. Frank drove the third sand buddy.

External cave entrance setting

Stu continued to steer and stood upright from the seat, pointing at the mouth of the dark cave, sliding the machine sideways to halt over the sand, leaping out from the machine without killing the engine. He jogged and stopped in front the mouth entrance with a stern face, staring down at the GPS device and the map in both hands, "All right. This is the mouth of the cavern."

The other sand buggies slid over the sand and stopped. The other brothers leaped out from the sea and dashed towards Stu, stopping and scanned the dark mouth of the cave also.

Frank exhaled. "She is gone."

"Damn it to hell! Where is she?" Austin turned and scanned the low sand dunes, the water, and back to see the cave.

Stu looked up from the map and turned, pointing with a stern face at the object. "Over there! There is another hill which might possess an underground smaller cave. She must have run over there after getting away from the drain pipe and Tom in fear."

Tom turned and stared at the hill with a gasp, shaking both hands and the baseball cap, "No. No. No. That's a cliff. Austin. Austin. Austin. Do you remember? I remember. It's a cliff, a cliff, a cliff..."

Austin turned and stared at the familiar limestone cliff, reaching out and patted the collar bone on Tom with a nod. "Yes, Tom! I do remember too. You stay here on beach side."

"Cliff!" Tom stared with a whisper at the limestone cliff of Ruby Beach. His active mind flooded backward with all the painful past moments of his kidnapping and his abuse by the hands of Mouse and Tiberius, who were both dead and now served Satan in hell.

Stu spun around and frowned at Tom. "Austin?"

Austin turned and jogged towards the tall gray colored limestone cliff with a worried brow. "Tom stays on the beach."

Stu swung around and jogged beside Austin and Frank towards the cliff. Each one climbed up the side of the rough white limestone and stopped, standing on the edge with a gasp.

Ruby Beach cliff location

Flat table top setting

Austin saw the crouched body on top of the cliff table first with a worried brow and a yell, "Rosebud!" Ruff stood on the opposite side which was near the edge of the limestone, wearing a torn shirt and a swimming suit bathing tong, looking frightened with a set of sobs and tears. Austin slowly advanced and then stopped, extending both arms with a fake smile to her, "Rosebud, baby, come here! Come here to me!"

Stu swiftly advanced and stopped, squatting down next to Austin, pulling out the items from a backpack with a whisper, "Food! Give her this food, Austin!"

Stu handed Austin the raw hotdog. Austin extended the food item to Rosebud with a fake smile of worry and a shout, "Food. See Rosebud? This is for you. Please, come here, baby. Please, come to Austin." Instead, Rosebud shuffled a pair of naked feet closer towards the edge of the limestone cliff surface near the water.

Frank slowly advanced and squatted next to Stu, staring at her with a whisper. "Stop talking, Austin! What is below her, Stu?"

Stu whispered. "It is the Gulf of Mexico with waves of deep water. This is the only cliff inside Ruby Beach."

Frank whispered and watched her. "Call the chopper to come and get her off the cliff!"

Stu whispered and watched her too. "No chopper! It'll frighten her more. Sit down on top of the cliff!"

Frank whispered with a frown at her, "What?"

Stu whispered and stared with a fake smile at her. "Sit down, Austin. Stay calm. She is only upset. Since, she doesn't remember us."

"Okay," Austin sat down in a cross-legged position, extending an arm with the hotdog with a worried brow and soft yell, "Food! Come here, baby!" Rosebud stared and then imitated Austin, sitting on top of the cool limestone rock of the cliff, watching him. He smiled. "Good."

Stu whispered, "Stay calm, Austin. Toss the hotdog but don't hit her with it. Toss it about two feet from her. She's hungry. Let's try to calm her fleeing and frightful instincts."

"Okay," Austin tossed the hotdog as she stared at the food and Austin. He exhaled. "She's so afraid."

Frank watched her with a whisper. "How do we get her down off the cliff?"

Stu looked down and typed on the mobile telephone with a stern face. "I called a sharp shooter."

Frank turned and gasped at the nose profile on Gage, "Stu?"

Stu confirmed the order on the mobile telephone text with a smile. "Listen to me! The sharp shooter will tranquilizer her on that spot here on top of the cliff. This is the only way to get her off the cliff, safely like a sleepy kitten."

Frank turned and frowned at Rosebud. "She could fall off and die."

Stu reached inside and pulled out items from the backpack with a smile, handing to Austin and Frank. "We are going to gas the cliff with a small bomb which will be harmless to both us and her."

Frank frowned, "Us?"

"Masks," Stu placed the tiny mask over a neck. "The sleeping gas bomb will work within three seconds as soon as she inhales the sweet odor. Then, she will pass out over the hard rock surface."

Rosebud stared at the food while Austin exhaled with worry. "She's so skinny and thin."

Frank reached out and grabbed the tiny face mask with a worried brow. "Keep it together, Austin. We'll get her into the hospital in Miami within two hours of Jace. She's only just frightened. She's a very healthy girl."

The sharp shooter stood upright on the lip of the hovering helicopter and fired the tranquilizer gun into the air. The small gas bomb flew through the air waves with a tiny whistle and landed, barely skidding on top of the cliff with a booming sound.

Rosebud jumped upright with Austin and paced side to side over the edge of the cliff. Austin smelled the sweet fragrance hit both nostrils lifting and placed the tiny face mask over the nostrils, breathing the fresh oxygen. So, he would not pass out and then he would unable to assist Rosebud. She batted the nose holes with both hands while smelling the sweet odor with fright, back stepping from the row of unfamiliar males. Austin dashed forward towards her.

Rosebud continued to back step into air and then plummeted off the edge of the cliff, falling down into the ocean water. He jumped feet first from the edge of the cliff and saw Rosebud down behind his feet. The water splash lifted up from the surface of the ocean water as she dropped down underneath the calm waves.

A few second later, Austin hit down into the calm ocean water and swam around the water for her. He spotted and swam towards her, reaching out and grabbed, jerking her into a chest and stood upright, kicking both feet up towards the air surface. He hugged her body and emerged up from the water surface. Rosebud was breathing but unconscious. "Rosebud," Austin cuddled her with a worried brow and a whisper into her eardrum.

The helicopter hovered above the wet skulls of Austin and Rosebud, dropping down a single body tray for Rosebud first and then lifted her up and down into the floor of the rotate craft for safety. One of the QA guard with medical training was attending to Rosebud while Frank hustled off the cliff and dashed towards another helicopter, where both helicopter would fly to the hospital.

Austin floated and paddled upright in the water and saw an electric rope devise drop near a cheekbone, climbing onto the rope and flying up towards the belly of the helicopter and eventually inside the floor of the copter.

Both rescued passengers were secured for flight. Then two helicopters flew directly towards Napleville City Hospital.

Frank, Tom, and Stu rode on a second helicopter.
Friday September 3rd

2:31 a.m.

City of Napleville

Napleville City Hospital location

Rain and thunder with warm temperatures

8th floor level

Patient room setting of Rosebud and Austin

Austin awoke and stared up at the unfamiliar white ceiling with a gasp, turning to see the device.

The clock time read 2:31 a.m.

He stared with a smile at Rosebud. She was sound asleep inside the parallel hospital bed next to him.

Austin was not taking any solo chance with her safety again. One or two bastards had messed with her plane and her life. Now, they were going to mess directly with Berrington. Once Rosebud had returned back home in the city of Miami, Austin would protect her.

Austin had ordered a second bed placed inside the private hospital room yesterday while staying the night for both her protection and her honor. The hospital administration greatly disapproved until Frank wrote a big personal check of funds covering the guest visit of Austin. Now, the hospital administration was happy, since money made people happy.

And Rosebud made Austin happy.

Her skin glowed golden underneath the dull room lights, making her beautiful. Austin stared at her until his eyelids fell over the eyeballs back into a deep happy slumber.

1:02 p.m.

Hot temperatures and scattered rain clouds with parted sunrays

Patient room setting of Rosebud and Austin

The door opened. He entered the cold and darkened room with the closed curtains in silence. The door slowly closed shut. Frank stopped and stood over the body of Austin with a deep sigh of worry, reaching out and gently shook a sleepy-headed Austin. Berrington snapped both eyelids open and flung a pair of hands upward into the air with a shout. "No!"

Frank grabbed one wavering arm with a stern face and maneuvered Austin to sit upright and lean against the head board. "Austin, please calm down. This is Frank."

Austin sat upright inside the bed with a deep sigh of relief and a series of heavy pants on a sweaty face with a whisper of worry, "Frank! Sorry. Rosebud?"

"Rosebud is doing okay. You need to eat something, Austin," Frank nodded with a stern face.

Austin turned and stared with a worried brow at a sleeping Rosebud. She looked beautiful underneath the white blanket, resting peacefully. All the monitors that were attached to her body were showing lines of green healthy activity without a beeping sound of distress. Thus, Rosebud was safe, healthy, and his girl, now. He sneered with overprotection. "I'm not leaving her."

Frank easily jerked the weakened brother out from the hospital bed and then cuddled an upright Austin into a shoulder with a stern face and a whisper into the cheekbone of Berrington. "Austin, we need to talk. You need to eat for your strength and your health too. Or you will not be any good for Rosebud. Let's leave the room for a few minutes only."

Austin slowly pulled away from Frank with a nod and stood alone in silence.

Frank slowly moved ahead towards the door, reaching for the knob. The door opened. Frank exited first and held the door open for Austin.

Austin exited the room next with a worried brow, a mind of fear, and a body of exhaustion, slowly moving down an empty hallway.

They moved together in silence.

Austin's body was stiff and sore after a high leap and then a long fall from the edge of limestone cliff, splashing down into the warm water of the Gulf of Mexico. He needed more exercise and fewer butthole hugs inside a throne chair this month as he mentally prepped a new goal of exercise and a new purpose of marriage while protecting and drooling over Rosebud.

Berrington loved her. He had finally found his soul mate after a long and difficult search among a life time of numerous tramps, vamps, and sluts. His parents would be very pleased also. Rosebud would be pleased too. Once he apologized properly for his teenly behavior, kneeling down on one leg, presenting her with a diamond engagement ring for a quickie wedding

Austin didn't want to wait for months to marry Rosebud. He was ready. She was ready. He was single and never married. She was single and never married. Rosebud would be the perfect wife. Austin would be the perfect husband. They would be the perfect couple that would make the perfect marriage and start the perfect family in Coral Beach.

Austin always saw Tom and Jane as the perfect couple within the Quartet. Tom treated Jane as his equal. Jane treated Tom like a child but that wasn't point of their eternal love story. They truly loved and showed their affection in public and in private. However, now, his Quartet brother and his Quartet sister were about to be dethroned.

Austin wanted a simple wedding inside his house with his Quartet family members only later in the week. Today was Friday morning, the official start of the holiday weekend in America. Rosebud and Austin would get married on Saturday afternoon in the Florida room, without the flashing light bulbs and the nosey media reporters. Everyone enjoyed the holiday weekend. Everyone took off their working job to enjoy the fun and the sun of the holiday weekend. He softly chuckled, "Yes, we do need to talk, Frank."

Frank steered them around the wall corner and down a new empty corridor, pointing towards a side door with a deep sigh and a stern face. "Let's eat some food first. I have a food and beverage bar set up inside one of the larger conference room which is not far from Rosebud. She is both safe and secure. There are disguised and wandering teams of QA guards posed inside this corridor and outside in the lobby and stomping the grass on the manicured lawn. Tom and Stu are waiting for us."

1:04 p.m.

8th floor level

Business conference room setting

Austin entered through the open archway first and stopped with a smile, standing in front of Stu. "Good morning, Stu."

Stu held a steaming plate of prepared breakfast food. "Morning, Austin."

Austin accepted the plate of food and turned towards the conference table, moving ahead to see Tom.

Tom was seated at a long and square shaped table with a plate of uneaten food, tapping a pair of manicured fingernails on the cup of hot coffee with a fake smile, "Hey, Austin!" On the forward wall, there was a long buffet table that held heated trays of food, tubs of cold beverages, stack of plates, tumblers, and two separate bends of utensils and cloth napkins.

Austin stopped and stood in front of Jace who blocked the foot path.

Jace turned and frowned at Frank in silence. Frank nodded with a stern face in silence. Jace exhaled with a huff of worry and turned with a stern face to see Berrington. "Austin, Rosebud is a very healthy girl."

Austin held the plate of warm food and smiled with a chuckle to Jace. "Good morning to you, too, Jace. And I know that," he scooted around tall Jace and dashed ahead, stopping in front of the conference room chair. He slid and sat down inside the oversized leather chair with the plate of food, leaning over and woofed down the food without a beverage. "I will give you two minutes to talk. Then I am leaving."

Jace, Frank, and Stu moved around and resumed an assigned chair at the conference room in silence, staring at the hair roots on Austin.

The conference room door opened. An unfamiliar medical physician entered the room and stopped, standing at the edge of the squared shaped conference room table, clearing a throat. "Dr. Berrington. I'm..."

Austin chewed and swallowed the food, looking up to see the unnamed physician and then Jace "I don't give a damn about you. What's wrong, Jace?"

Jace said. "Rosebud is comatose."

Frank said. "Rosebud is in a coma, Austin."

Jace nodded with a stern face. "She is a permanently sleep."

The physician reached over and pulled out the chair, sitting down, staring at Austin with a stern face. "Dr. Berrington, the tragic fall from the high limestone cliff has placed her biological body in a comatose state of sleep. She cannot be aroused out of her slumber. A team of missing physicians that are not here and around this table and inside this room, has been trying to awaken Miss Ruff, since five o'clock this morning."

Austin frowned. "What is the current time?"

"One o'clock in the afternoon, Austin." Frank nodded with a stern face.

Austin dropped both the fork and the lips. "Do something different, Jace, Frank?"

The physician smiled at Austin. "Dr. Berrington, the medical staff has tried every known clinical technique which has been applied to all known comatose patients. Miss Ruff is not either alert or responsive."

Austin sneered at Jace and then Frank. "Jace, do all the medical procedures necessary to arouse her? Pronto!"

Frank exhaled with a sigh, "Austin."

Austin sneered at Frank, "Pronto, Frank! I'll pay for every type of medical procedure. Start performing it right now!"

Jace turned and nodded to the nose profile on the physician. "Austin is acting as her legal guardian making all the medical decisions for Miss Ruff. Please start all the conventional medical tests immediately, seeing if we can find any type of small variance in her sleep-state, doctor." The physician stood upright with a smirk and a nod to Austin, turning to exit the conference room, trying to save Rosebud.

2:12 p.m.

6th floor level

Interior laboratory work room setting

The new room was wallpapered with an array of gigantic human-sized medical anatomical posters representing the muscular system, the skeletal system, the joint upper and lower extremity, athletic injuries of the knee, the nervous system, the digestive system, the immune system, the eye, the skin, and the female reproductive system.

One of the side walls displayed a ceiling to floor set of book shelves that contained hundreds upon hundreds of medical reference books along with electronic media of the anatomy, the human body, the drug handbook, and medical media forms in the foreign language of Spanish.

The other side wall held an array of life-sized plastic bodies of adults and children in various presentations of bones, tissues, organs, and other medical systems of the human body.

On the forward wall, there were two dummy infant bodies on top of a long naked table for teaching new physician about the human torso, eyeballs, hands, arms, throat, ears, female and male reproductive parts, teeth, muscles, and the list continued.

Napleville City Hospital was a teaching laboratory for all the new medical residents that used this room as the working laboratory to study medical diagnosis.

Inside the private hospital room, Rosebud rested unconscious after her biological body had underwent a series of medical tests with the latest state-of-the art medical equipment. The medical procedures included a body scan, an ultrasound, and a sleep study. She was currently hooked into a heart machine with a set of cold metal electrodes hugging a naked chest for her heart monitoring progress.

Rosebud was peacefully asleep while breathing freely, resting from the brain concession, after hitting the warm water. Both her naked arms contained numerous blue tinted bruises from numerous body collections of blood punctures which were performed to cure her current comatose state.

Inside the teaching laboratory room, Jace sat between Austin and Frank. Stu and Tom sat next to Frank. All eyeballs stared across the empty polished wooden surface at a team of medical physicians from the local area which had been employed by Jace's recommendation and Austin's money to cure Rosebud of her comatose status.

Austin sat upright stiff and emotional with an occasion soft sneer while listening to each babbling physician talk about Rosebud like a lab rat since two o'clock sharp. The long row of medical physicians started at one end and then curved around the work table, holding a stern face, staring directly at Austin. Austin didn't know a personal name and didn't give a shit. He had identified each unnamed physician by the order of the first chair, such like, first physician, second physician and etc.

The first physician continued the babbling and sat at the first chair around the circular work table, saying with a stern face to Austin. "I have found no brain damage."

The second physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "I have found also. The computed tomography scan shows no hemorrhaging either."

The third physician turned and nodded to Frank. "Dr. Mangrove has proposed spontaneous induced sleep walking."

The fourth physician nodded with a smile to Frank and Austin. "The mental condition using hypnotism is called artificial somnambulism."

The fifth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "Artificial somnambulism as a psychological effect is beyond sleep walking. It references a set of simply acts, for example, like a child getting occasionally out of bed which is a detailed medical case of a catalepsy trance."

The sixth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "Careful observation from long years of medical research has shown that it is very common for person to play music, write, climb, and swim during a walking amnesia episode."

The seventh physician nodded with a stern face. "Spontaneous somnambulism might be simulated by causation of somnambulism which is related to other nervous affections."

The eighth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "It is epilepsy, the lack of sensory and motor functions brought about by accidents."

The ninth physician nodded with a stern f ace to Austin. "A trance, a sleep walking episode, a sleep talking incident, these are all outside the normal mental conscious condition, a true substitute for a volitional self."

The tenth physician shook a skull at the ninth physician. "We will not have a psyche analysis here, please."

The eleventh physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "The will is the slave of a dream or a suggestion."

The tenth physician shook a skull at Austin. "Within the sleep walking episode, tracts of the encephalon function like an army igniting activity."

The ninth physician turned and frowned at the nose profile on the tenth unnamed physician. "Are you saying that her ganglion-cells regions of the cerebral cortex are not inhibited, doctor?"

The eighth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "A nervous sleep is one of the most remarkable features of somnambulism. A set of particular muscles or senses are called into play during the sleep mode which act upon a particular motor or a sensory centre. The sensory centre is to be awoken upon the downward track which is traversed by a transmitted current of activity."

The seventh physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "Exaltation or excess of one function of one part of the brain induces corresponding action or lack of function of the rest."

The sixth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "In plain old school of psychology, Rosebud is experiencing vivid wakefulness while performing acts of eating, drinking, walking, talking, and sun-tanning."

The fifth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "In some instances, a sleep walking episode is excited by external stimuli plus a resultant act, in which, therefore it is a reflex or an instinct or an intuition."

The fourth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "Trauma induced sleep walking."

The third physician frowned to Austin. "A certabi act during sleep does not excite an idea, but physical movement while offering a dreamless state of imagery, which in turn brings forth a sensory motor or a motor action, such-like, a sleep walker."

The second physician frowned at Austin. "Could the primary disturbance be vaso-motory or cortical?"

The first physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "Sometimes, it arises from the vaso-motor centre of the encephalon or from a localized vascular disorder. Originates inside the cerebral tissue are the result in any case of possessing an irregular distribution of blood. What is her bloody type?"

The second physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "This is none other than a physiological condition, not pathological. Her behavior is the consequence of a physiological condition of a co-independent or dependent activity inside her cortex of the cerebral hemispheres."

The third physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "Dreaming can sufficiently excite movements."

The fourth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "Somnambulism is classed under neuroses. The severest form is nocturnal epilepsy."

The fifth physician nodded with a stern face to Austin. "The condition of mental automatism in epileptic fits closely resembles the actions of a sleep walker."

The sixth physician turned and frowned at the fifth physician. "You are proposing that any trauma accident, where the victim is walking in a sleep state then indicates some type of serious nervous trouble, doctor."

The seventh physician nodded with a stern f ace to Austin. "Is there an occurrence of nervous disorders within her immediately biological family unit?"

The eighth physician nodded with a stern f ace to Austin. "Unfortunately, it is very difficult to obtain information for interviewing a single family member due to the US Federal Government privacy rules and regulations plus all the miles of study paperwork."

The ninth physician tapped on a copy of the medical chart of Rosebud with a stern face to Austin. "The condition of her muscular system is excellent. Miss Ruff has exercised daily developing good muscle tone. Her neurology and respiratory systems are in excellent shape. She left the hospital on her own accord while traveling throughout the city and clearing any psychological inefficiency here."

The tenth physician turned and nodded with a smile to each physician face. "Very good, doctors! What are the recommendations?"

The eleventh physician smiled at Austin. "I propose a treatment for her blood disorder."

The sixth physician smiled at Austin. "I suggest an evaluation inside our award winning Napleville psychiatric ward for her awakening. Then, she will have the best possible care here."

The second physician smiled at Austin. "I recommend upon starting a series of vaccines. The first one should be the newly released meningococcal shot and then so-forth. The vaccines might awaken her."

The eighth physician smiled at Austin. "Deep brain stimulation or DBS, this is the most recent method which roused faint communication, light movement, and eating food in a healthy young male in the year 2003. The male study patient had suffered from a traumatic brain injury left in a minimally conscious state..."

Jace stood upright from the chair with a stern face. The physicians stopped talking and turned to see Jace. Jackson nodded, "Austin, I strongly, absolutely, and positively recommend that Rosebud be moved into a local rehabilitation center within Coral Gables near your home."

The first physician stood upright and lifted the stack papers of the medical charts near a sour face, staring at Jace. "You are misunderstanding our good intent, Dr. Jackson. We can offer the best and most luxurious accommodations for Miss Ruff within our medical facility while monitoring and assessing her mental, physical, and biological conditions."

The second physician continued to sit and shook a skull at Austin. "We cannot estimate how long Miss Ruff will lay and stay in her comatose state..."

"Forever," the tenth physician continued to sit and nodded with a stern face to Austin.

"Months," the fifth physician continued to sit and nodded with a stern face to Austin.

"Years," the seventh physician continued to sit and nodded with a stern face to Austin.

"Decades," the third physician continued to sit and nodded with a stern face to Austin.

The ninth physician continued to sit and nodded with a stern face to Austin. "Comatose patients also die of old age."

"They're correct, Austin." Frank reached over and gently patted the naked arm of Austin.

Austin turned and stared with a sneer at the nose profile on Frank. "I want all the physicians to leave this room right now."

Jace wiggled side to side on the floor and waved both arms as each medical physician continued to sit with a confused brow at Austin and then Jace.

Stu stood upright from the chair and crossed both arms. Then each Lab coat stood upright with a sour frown and rushed out the laboratory work room.

The door closed shut.

Frank stood beside Austin with a nod. "We will move Rosebud to a private room at Charity South Miami Hospital which is the closest medical facility to our home in Coral Beach. Normally, a coma patient necessitates an admission directly to an ICU unit of the hospital, Austin. But for you..."

"I want her in my house, Jace." Austin turned and nodded with a stern face to Jace.

Stu shook his bald skull. "I don't believe that is at all possible with a medical patient, Austin."

Austin said to Jace. "I want her home with me. Please, build her a bed inside my house. I want a nursing service team twenty-four hours per day and seven days per week. Money is no object here, Jace."

Jace reached over and slapped the collar bone of Austin with a smile. "I have an idea, Austin."

Austin nodded with a stern face. "Do it! I don't care how insane or wild or crazy. Just do it, Jace."

Jace nodded with a smile to Austin. "It is done! I brought my blueprints with me after Frank clarified the clinical situation on the mobile telephone in my office."

The laboratory work room door opened. A set of three Napleville administrators with a worried brow invaded the room and stopped, standing next to the conference room.

Tom stood upright and reached down, lifting the old briefcase from the floor, sitting it on top of the table, clicking open the lip. He reached inside and grabbing, lifting the stack of legal documents. He always toted around all the legal paperwork for the QA client when the occasion involved an emergency crisis. Another copy of paperwork and a set of duplicate electronic files on a new laptop rested quietly inside his locked and guarded hotel room, since her comatose body will be highly questioned from a legal point of view.

The Quartet was both her legal and financial representative in this medical and legal matter.

Tom back stepped from the table and turned, dashing ahead to intersect the three Business suits with a whisper and rattled the legal documents in the air that Austin had signed yesterday.

Jace back steppe from the table and advanced ahead, stopping and stood next to Stu, slapping a hand over the collar bone with a smile and a nod. "Stu, can I have your brains?"

"Stu?" Frank turned and gasped at Stu.

Stu turned and smirked to Frank. "Awe! Frank's butthole is hurt. Are we a little jealous, now, Franklin?" He turned and nodded with a grin to Jace, "Certainly, man! When do we start?"

"Yesterday..." Jace spun around with a smirk and dashed towards the open archway. Stu spun around with a chuckle and jogged behind Jace.

They exited the conference room.

5:55 p.m.

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine and clear skies

Patient room setting of Rosebud

Austin felt depressed and sad exhibiting a set of reserve and withdrawn behaviors which was completely abnormal for the boss of the Quartet. He held her warm hand, scanning her pretty features while she appeared like the fairy tale of sleeping beauty. Her eyelashes were closed and as she breathed naturally without a face mask or an oxygen tank or an IV needle. Austin said. "Tell me the truth, Frank."

Frank stood next to Austin and stared with a stern face down at Rosebud with a deep sigh of worry. "Coma is a profound state of unconsciousness. The person cannot be awakened and does not respond to pain or light or sound. The person possesses no sleep-wake cycle and does not exhibit any voluntary actions, such as, waving goodbye with a hand motion. Therefore, the person is described as comatose. Her medical condition was due to her fall down from the Ruby Beach limestone cliff coupled with a series of multiple head injuries. Her biological body will start to deteriorate in seven days. She will lose weight, fluids, minerals, and proteins."

Austin exhaled with a huff of concern and gently caressed her warm hand.

Jace stood in front of the open window and stared down at the parking lot, saying with a stern face on the mobile telephone. "I want to confirm the transport of one single comatose female from the Napleville City Hospital who will arrive into the city of Miami, this late evening. I am the attending and discharging physician along with her guardian who has signed and executed the consent form as my medical patient is presented in a comatose medical condition. She has an IV in place."

He paused and listened to the discharge medical nurse at the hospital on the other end of the telephone connection.

"Her blood sugar is good."

Pause.

"Her carbon dioxide levels are good."

Pause.

"She has not received any type of brain injury."

Pause.

"Her airway management is good."

Pause.

"She does not possess a tracheal tube."

Pause.

"Her AVPU is adequate."

Pause.

Frank said to Berrington and stared at Rosebud with a stern face. "AVPU is alert, vocal stimuli, painful stimuli, and unconsciousness. The term is measured on a scale from three to fifteen, total. Rosebud is measured at the number nine for a moderate respond on the Glasgow Coma scale, Austin. I do believe that she will eventually awaken like the fairy tale princess sleeping beauty. Since, her prince charmingly is patiently watching and waiting for his sleeping princess," he reached over and gently patted the collar bone of Austin.

Austin continued to career her warm hand with a whisper and a smile, "Warm..."

Frank exhaled and stared down at Rosebud. "The outcome range varies from a total recovery to a total death, a few days to a few weeks, and does last as long as several years."

He continued to career her warm hand with a whisper and a smile, "Warm..."

Frank exhaled and stared down at Rosebud. "Then, there are some patients who come out and live a healthy productive life. Or the patients do progress into a vegetation state, while others do die. The outcome for a coma or a vegetative state depends on the cause, location, severity, and extent of her neurological damage. Rosebud is not damaged, anywhere. She is merely asleep like a tiny infant. Some awaking medical patients emerge from a coma with a combination of physical, intellectual, and psychological difficulties which are exhibited for the rest of their days. But I promise that will not be our Rosebud."

Austin continued to career her warm hand with a whisper and a smile, "Warm..."

Frank stared with a nod to Rosebud. "Jace's new invention, his marvelous machine is a brilliant piece of engineering work with the big huge help of our engineering god Stuart. Rosebud will be able to regain consciousness in an instant with full awareness without a profound state of confusion and not suffering from a speech articulation or any other mental disabilities. Her predicted chance of a total healthy recovery is the variable factor of time, Austin. Time is the best general predictor of completion within Rosebud's recovery. And we don't have to worry about infections or bugs, since Jace is the best damn medical doctor on planet Earth."

Austin continued to career her warm hand with a whisper and a smile, "Warm..."

Jace swung around and dropped the mobile telephone, advancing towards the back spines of Frank and Austin with a smile. "We are ready to roll, Austin and Frank. Please, allow the professional team of transporters to safely move Rosebud into the next vehicle. We are all going back home via the helicopter."

Frank reached out and grabbed the arm of Austin, forcing Berrington away from the hospital bed and Rosebud. They moved backward and stood against the wall, watching the action.

A team of red colored uniformed entered the hospital room, stopping and lifting the medical bed into the air, exiting the room.

6:04 p.m.

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

External hospital parking lot setting

land and air transports

The fiberglass base of the silver tinted coffin held a rectangular shape with a transparency glass dome on top of the base. The glass lid showed the unconscious biological body of Rosebud. The base of the metal contained no design or decorations. The coffin-like clear dome glass allowed the wind of precious air molecules to pass in and out the sleeping body in rest during her deep coma.

Jace stood inside the semi-dark bed of the covered semi-tractor trailer and hovered over the coffin that held Rosebud, smoothing the glass with both hands with a smile and a nod, talking to Frank and Austin. "This container will save Rosebud's life until she awakens from her deep sleep. And she will be able to fully revive in this contraction, without any harm to her limbs or body parts. My new portable secret laboratory will house and protect her for a long time, Austin."

Tom stood on top of the heated pavement in the open rear end of the long semi-tractor trailer in the heated sun, sipping and swallowed the cold beverage with a smile, staring at the end of the glass coffin. "What's the name of your new portable laboratory thingy, Jace?"

Jace smiled. "I call it, a living and breathing portal container."

Tom frowned with a nod. "The container looks and smells like a funeral coffin which was invented by Doc wild man Jace."

Stu swung around with a growl and dashed ahead, leaping off the lip of the rear of the trailer onto hard pavement, slowly standing upright over the blonde hair roots on Sawyer with a sneer. "The portal is called a container."

"Casket?" Tom danced to the side to see the coffin with a giggle and a grin.

"Container," he side stepped with Tom with a growl over the blonde hair roots on Sawyer.

"Cenotaph?" Tom danced to the other side to see the coffin with a smile.

"No, Tom," he side stepped with Tom and stood over the blonde hair roots with a snarl.

"Ossuary?" Tom danced to the other side to see the coffin with a laugh.

"You're sick, Tom," he side stepped and reached out, grabbing and held Tom in place with a growl.

"Crypt?" Tom danced side to side with a giggle, without pulling away from big and strong Stu.

"No, Tom," he frowned.

"Sarcophagus?" Tom nodded with a smile.

"No, Tom," he frowned.

Tom waved a hand into the air and smashed the chin of Stu with a giggle, since the other hand held a cold beverage from the sizzling heat of Napleville in September. "O. It is a pretty good imitation of fancy Egyptian tomb. But she will not be buried alive instead she will be preserved," giggling. Stu growled with fury.

Jace back stepped from the coffin and turned to the rear end of the covered trailer, moving ahead towards the ladder with Frank and Austin. He said. "Her organs and body parts will start to decline from the lack of action, exercise, and movement. This is a very common presentation with a comatose patient, but my apparatus will pump high concentration of oxygen into her private enclosed chamber. The bed will rotate Rosebud around and around..."

"Like a cooking turkey at Thanksgiving holiday..." Tom jerked away from Stu and spun around with a giggle, slowly moving ahead towards the single limousine.

Stu advanced ahead and pulled up, reaching out and grabbed the arm of Sawyer as the beverage dropped down and spilled over the white pavement. Stu shoved Tom towards the limo with a sneer. "Shut up, Tom!"

Jace slowly moved down the ladder first. Austin and Frank climbed down the ladder next. They slowly moved ahead towards the single limousine. Jace said. "The interior bed mattress is thickly padded and will perform a rotate, shift, move, and lift on each one of her body parts, consisting of both arms, both legs, both hip bones, the kneecaps, both feet, and both hands up, down, side to side like she is really performing a set of exercises on the dance floor while preventing waste deteriorate of her girly muscles."

Frank nodded with a smile at the glass coffin invention. "You really are a genius individual, Jace."

Jace pointed at the back spine on Stu as Stu and Tom wrestled with each other, slowly scooting towards the limousine. Jace nodded with a smile. "Stu is the engineering master, crafting the blueprint specs from my chicken scratch and all my colorful ink pen markings."

Frank nodded with a smile. "You both are truly a pair of geniuses on planet Earth."

Stu shoved Tom down into the rear seat of the limousine and stood upright, spinning around with a waistline bow to Jace, standing upright with a smirk. "I graciously accept that well-bred compliment as well as being most intrigued with Jace's new toy of suspended animation."

Tom rolled out the rear bench seat and stood beside Stu, parking both hands on the hips with a sour frown. "You said the words suspended animation. That is fuckingly impossible, asshole."

Stu swung around to laugh at Tom. "Listen to the science fiction loco nutty non-outer space man! Now, he disputes the real scientific technological fact of reality. Yes, Thomas! There ain't no Santa Clause but there is suspended animation working today within the real world."

Jace stopped and stood with a smile and a chuckle in front of Stu, Tom, and the open rear door between Austin and Frank. "The container is the working knowledge of suspended animation in real-time action like your mobile telephone, Tom."

Tom shook his bangs and his hands. "But, suspended animation means that her body temperature will drop or reduce down into a single solo or a negative math digit like almost dead, barely breathing like a zombie."

Jace frowned. "No, Tom! Her body temperature will vary, not like inside an old science fiction movie where the body is placed in a static of negative twenty degrees. During the day, her container will hover around the temperature of seventy-one degrees and then at night the air range will be fifty-five degrees. So, her body can tolerate the normal exchange of varied high and low temps like the outside air atmosphere, once she awakens. The day night warm temps are good while she sweats and exercises like a real person."

"The end..." Tom giggled with a grin.

"The beginning..." Frank turned and winked with a smile at Austin.

Each person loaded into the rented limousine, except Stu. Stu stood outside in the heat and talked into the mobile telephone to the truck driver of the semi-tractor trailer. "Roll out!" He waved an arm into the air to start the parade of vehicles. The limousine slowly drove ahead first through the empty parking lot in the rear of the hospital, moving back for the airport and then taking the fleet of helicopters back home to Coral Beach.

Stu swung around and jogged towards a grounded two-seater helicopter, loading into the passenger seat with a smile, reaching up and slapped the pilot with a nod in silence. The small business helicopter lifted up from the pavement and soared up into and through the blue sky towards the airport first, arriving before the limousine, the semi-tractor trailer, and the parade of other QA vehicles.

Inside the limousine, Tom scanned the cabin with a gasp and spun around with a confused brow, seeing through the rear window Stu. "Hey! We're forgetting Stu. He jumped into the helicopter. Where is he going? We are inside the limo and going to the airport."

Frank smiled with a nod at the hair roots on Sawyer. "Stu has permission to leave Napleville first. He and Gracie are going to our ranch house in Ocala to celebrate their seventh wedding anniversary. He was married first among the brothers. Then, I am going next week with Misty back to New Zealand. We love the country of Hawaii to celebrate our seventh wedding anniversary. We started the beginning of the eighth year of Quartet Associates in June. When we come back, Tom can go on vacation for his wedding anniversary. Where are you going to celebrate your wedding anniversary, Tom?"

Tom spun around with a giggle and a nod. "Jane and I are going back to New Zealand. She loves the water. I love the cool weather. Where are you going on your honeymoon, Jace?"

Jace turned and nodded with a smile to each face, "We are going to invade the beautiful Canadian mountains, after our short and sweet marriage ceremony within two weeks."

Tom nodded with a smile and looked at Austin. "And where will the future Mr. and Mrs. Austin Berrington go for a honeymoon?" Austin exhaled with a huff of hope and worry in silence.

Frank reached over and patted the arm of Austin with a smile. "Austin has plenty of time to figure that out as soon as Jace re-awakes his fairy princess."

Jace nodded with a smile to Austin. "Amen, brother!"

11:11 p.m.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with bright sky and clear night

Home of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

2nd floor level

Middle guest bedroom interior setting of Rosebud

The fleet of QA helicopters and single QA private jet plane safety parked and landed at the Kendall-Tamiami Airport in Miami during the quiet and heated night. All the air craft was unloaded with gear and guards that went back to the Quartet Associates for checkout, after completing a successful QA mission. Then all the QA guards went back home for a week of vacation after a good mission.

A new shiny semi-trailer tractor met the helicopter and unloaded the glass coffin that held Rosebud, carefully storing inside the trailer and then unloading the container into Austin's mansion in Coral Beach.

The three remaining brothers and Jace loaded into the silver tinted limousine of Austin as Joe swiftly drove them back towards Coral Beach. He dropped off Jace and Austin at the house first while they waited for the road convey coming from the airport. Joe drove Frank and Tom back home to an individual residence and then retired for the evening, waiting for a new QA emergency from his boss Austin.

On the second floor of the mansion, inside the newly redecorated guest bedroom, Austin quietly stood and studied each different shaped colorful gauge and switch on the smooth console panel of the container unit that monitored, tracked, and traced the medical, psychological, and mental data elements of Rosebud Ruthie Ruff. The computer screens displayed an array of colored lines and geometric symbols.

Jace stood beside Austin and pointed at the glass coffin and some of the monitors with a smile. "Rosebud is healthy and alive, Austin," he studied the breathing monitor with a nod. "Her brain is actively working in overtime. Look at this green neon line! See how it travels up and down both frequently and fast? Rosebud is communicating with her subconscious, talking to her consciousness. There is mental activity without the physical connection at the moment. As long as this particular life line is visually green with activity, Rosebud is alive and healthy, mentally and physically."

Austin exhaled with a huff of worry and continued to study each monitor, gauge, switch and finally the glass coffin.

Jace turned and nodded to the nose profile on Austin, "Please, call me for anything at any time. I will be here in less than three minutes. I promise." Austin nodded with in silence. Jace back stepped from the coffin container and his patient Rosebud, spinning around, exiting the guest bedroom and swiftly moved down the staircase and left the house. He toted a portal monitor that continued to record all the life lines of Rosebud into his face while he returned back home.

Austin advanced ahead and turned, pacing side to side, staring down at Rosebud. She was frightening beauty inside the transparency glass coffin and deserved to live with him for the rest of their lives, their togetherness, their happiness, and their such-ness.

Austin stopped and stood near her face, dropping down and fell onto the floor on both kneecaps in front of the beautiful glass coffin, bowing a chin with a whisper and a set of rolling tears of worry. "Almighty God, please help Rosebud! I am doing everything possible for a sorry-ass human. So, it is your turn, Sir. Thank you very much. PS. I love her, too," he continued to pray in silence.
Saturday September 4th

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight with parted clouds and warm temperatures

Home of Austin

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting

He sat upright with a gasp from the horrible face inside the new morning dream, huffing in a set of heavy pants inside the protection of his bedroom. He exhaled with a huff of sour breath and wiped off the sweat from a wet forehead.

The dream girl was a tall female with a tone of dark skin and an evil laugh with a wicked smirk on a pretty face but possessed a black soul of death.

He quickly rolled off and shuffled from the master bedroom and through the open archway, dashing down the staircase, turning into the second floor.

He dashed into the guest bedroom and stopped, standing in front of the glass coffin with Rose with a sigh of relief. It didn't understand the new morning dream. But he was fearful that it might include Rosebud somehow. "We will be together, soonest, Rosebud," he reached out and gently patted the silky cool glass with a smile and a nod, lifting a sweaty hand into the air. He turned to see each active monitor on the side wall, where Jace had invented and installed the electronic equipment. Each life line showed the same wiggling color of green for a healthy and alive Rosebud.

He exhaled with a huff of relief and back stepped from Rosebud, stopping and stood inside the quiet and cool hallway with a smile, slowly turning and walked back to his master bedroom, pondering the deep thoughts of future happiness with his girl.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

House of the Mistress

The short ratty driveway of numerous potholes led towards a mint green two-story private home within the city of Doral without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house on the second floor and up the set of creaking wooden steps, the single ratty tan colored door was closed but unlocked. Inside the tiny den room of dull peach, the moon beams danced into the armrest of the ratty oversized chair. "Yes! I understand the surprise now," the Mistress continued to close both eyelashes and whispered with a low scratchy voice to no one inside the room, sitting inside an old ratty tan colored rocking chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone. She wore an old fashioned ankle-length white dress with a high collar and two long sleeves.

She rocked side to side, griping both of the arm rests on the rocking chair, saying with a sigh and a whisper. "Yes, I have much more work to do. The grand opportunity has been complicated with a bitter surprise. I did not predict this surprise. But, things constantly are ever changing within the world of man and woman. Yes, she must refine and practice the set of nice and good manners for her future duty. Yes, she will come back to see me, tomorrow morning like usual."

The Mistress had a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. She could make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desired, using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make your body and mind change or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear.

The Mistress swiftly popped the eyelashes open with a gasp and a whisper. "Yes! I have much work to do," she slowly stood upright from the ratty chair with a stern face and moved ahead towards the closed door, reaching out, opening the door. She slowly moved through the archway and climbed down the creaking staircase to begin her magical work.
Monday September 6th

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach within the US State of Florida

Moonlight and cloudy night sky with dull bright stars and warm temperatures

Home of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

One Coral Lane

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

Stu," he sat upright with a yell on top of the pink tinted bed linens and as, his brain cells kicked into mental action from the terrible nightmare of a new morning dream. He stared at the forward pink colored wall in a set of heavy disturbing mental thoughts.

However, Mr. and Mrs. Stuart Gage were on vacation in the city of Ocala, not here inside the paradise shoreline of Coral Beach.

He reached up and wiped off the sweat from a wet forehead, rolling to the side and out from the bed, quickly shuffling ahead in a pair of blue pajama pants, a naked chest, and a pair of naked feet through the open archway of the master bedroom. He scooted around the wall corner and quickly dashed down the staircase, sliding around the staircase banister, running into the middle door on the wall and stopped, standing inside the open archway with a worried brow. His worry turned into a sigh of relief.

He slowed entered the modified guest bedroom and halted, standing in front of the glass coffin. Rosebud was there. The machine was rotating all her limbs up, down and sideways as she continued to sleep in a coma that came from an accidental cliff fall several days ago.

He brilliant friend and famous medical research Jace Jackson was working on a cure for a coma while helping to revive Rosebud.

At the moment, he was worried, afraid, lonely, and sad reaching over and gently patted the silky cool glass with a hand and a smile, "Soon, Rosebud!" He lifted the sweaty hand up into the air without turning to see the same medical monitor screens. The screens were not beeping or singing a loud musical tune.

Jace had reminded Austin almost every physician visit that the musical tone was a very bad sign. Thus, each electronic life line continued to dance the same set of wiggling colors of green for a healthy and alive Rosebud.

He exhaled with a huff of relief and slowly back stepped away from Rosebud, stopping and stood inside the quiet and cool hallway with a worried brow, slowly turning to the side and moved back onto the staircase, climbing up the steps towards the third floor master bedroom, pondering the deep thoughts of an uncertain future happiness with her and eventually returned back into the cool bed mattress without sleep.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with moonlight rays and bright stars

House of the Mistress

She slowly drove the blue rusty colored older model car with an ugly yawn and rubbed one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She was employed as a nurse at Charity Kendall Hospital in the critical care unit. Her twelve-hour work shift started at three in the afternoon until three in the morning, the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN.

On the roadway, the LPN turned and slowed the driving speed over a ratty gray colored driveway towards a two-story private home within the city of Doral which was empty without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard. She killed the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood silence in the night air, wearing a pair of hospital blue colored scrubs which was highlighted with red blood stains and green and yellowed colored body fluids from each sick patient at the hospital. She gently closed the door without awaking the dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard also.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

She moved ahead and reached out towards the knob, opening the unlocked side weather beaten red colored wooden door of a two-story green colored cider block house, strolling directly up a set of creaking wooden steps towards the single archway of closed dull tan colored closed door. She reached out and opened the door, entering the small room of dull peach colored paint within the semi-darkness of the white blazing moonlight as the door silently closed shut behind her ass. She stopped and slid down into the ratty oversized brown colored cloth chair with a bright smile, "Mistress..."

The bright moon beams danced down on the opposite side of Nutelo over each armrest of the ratty blue colored cloth oversized chair. "You returned," the Mistress sat inside the ratty blue colored cloth oversized chair with a pair of closed eyelashes and whispered with a low scratchy voice in a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of thick fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around diameter of the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet, and a matching ring which were made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in an array of flashing tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone on top of a set of white ankle length dress with a high collar and long sleeves.

Nutelo rocked side to side in the ratty chair with a smile and a whisper. "Yes, yes, yes, I am here. Where is my future husband? What time do I meet him today? What do I do next? You are so wonderful with your secret powers which have changed my life. I'm so happy. I'm going to be pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that I want right now."

The Mistress swiftly opened both eyelashes with a gasp and a whisper. "Listen to me, child! You have much work to do..."

She frowned. "I did all my waiting. You did all the work. I wanna meet my husband..."

"Shush, child! You need to practice your good manners for the moment when you encounter the grand opportunity."

She pouted. "I do."

The Mistress lifted up and shook a brown colored paper bag near her crooked smile. "Inside the paper bag, there is a pile of swan feathers..."

She gasped. "Swans have feathers."

"Yes, the soft feathers on a swan do not get wet, even though the swan lives in a body of water. The symbol of a swan is beauty, grace, love, and infidelity. The bag contains a pile of light grey feathers from the chicks of a mother swam which is very, very valuable..."

She grinned with a giggle. "It is."

"You will encircle your personal bed mattress with the pile of baby chick light grey feathers, surrounding the outer edge over the floor. Do not stomp on the soft feathers! Do not remove them from the floor of your house, until I say so." The Mistress leaned over and handed the brown paper bag to Nutelo, sitting back into the soft fabric of the ratty blue colored chair with a stern face.

She accepted and placed the paper bag inside a lap with a stern face, "Okay."

"This is Monday, September the sixth at dawn. You will not return back to me until the Friday morning of September the tenth..."

She gasped, "The tenth of September? That is four long whole days from now."

The Mistress closed the eyelashes and rocked side to side with a stern face. "There is something happening within the stars and the moons. I must focus on that specific event. I will be better informed later within the week. Thus, you will come back on Friday morning at dawn on September the tenth."

She gasped. "You said that my grand opportunity is here. I told you before that I can't wait four whole days from now. No, I wanna get married tomorrow. I wanna meet my new husband. I wanna have lunch with him tomorrow."

The Mistress continued to rock side to side with a pair closed eyelashes and a stern face. "It is not the right time. But it is time for you to go. I must meditate for the rest of the morning."

"Yes ma'am," she stood upright with a fake smile in the white tinted moonlight beams and spun around, dashing ahead towards the weather beaten tan colored wooden door, opening it. She dashed down the staircase with disappointment again for the past three years. She was not going to meet her husband today like the old woman had predicted three year ago.

For many centuries, the maternal family of Nutelo had occupied a small territory off the coast of Italy which had been founded by her great, great, great, great grandfather as an ancient agrarian rural society thrived without a set of knights, noblemen, and ladies, only farmers, field hands, livestock animals, and fertile brown tinted farm lands for harvesting grapes and white tinted wheat. The system of government was a monarchy without money. Her biological mother, the queen had made decisions day in and day out regarding laws, justice, and commerce for the working farmers.

The national sport was goat racing inside a small one-person wooden kart. Each year at the annual festival, the farmers gathered and sat around tables of home baked goods and tubs of pit roasted pork with a grand prize of no tax payments for a year.

History didn't consist of power struggles, corruption, bloody coups, or unstable transfers of political powers. There wasn't a military department, sea navy, or air force, only residents of nature and leisure. Surrounded by a tall range of tall mountains, the fertile region didn't produce any scholars, nobles, or socialites. The only form of communications was an old style radio waves and verbal tales from the elderly folks along with old fashioned guitar music, ballad singing, and folk dancing. The only town palace resident was an old crumbing concrete fortress from the 1600's that was covered with an array of yellow colored flowering vines and nighttime black tinted bugs. The courtyard was used for playtime since the outer lawn was also a field of wheat, housing the cows for milk and bulls for food. The farmers lived on less than two dollars per day based on the American dollar rate exchange in the impoverished rural counties which was one of the world's poorest and least developed economies on the planet Earth.

Nutelo, the name of her small country also, was a peaceful provincial except for her mother's brother. He was handsome male of dark skin, dark hair and tallness who was educated and driven. He couldn't be king, since his sister of dark skin, dark hair and petiteness was born first in the biological line up of royals. He was destined to be a lowly prince for the rest of his life. He often debated with his sister about the opportunities the land held for enterprising. Underneath the tan colored soil, there existed vast amounts of minerals, such as, uranium, chromite, talc, sulfur, lead, and salt for the profiting opportunity with vast amounts of money. The money would improve the basic necessities, infrastructure development of roads, power lines, water supplies, schools, housing and total economic reform into the modern day society. Digging a new mine for an energy source meant new money to the palace and to her Uncle Newt. The queen had argued the mining would displace the farms and farm animals while creating an imbalance in the ecology system which has been working for more than 1,000 years under her family's royal reign.

Uncle Newt had disagreed and liked to disagree, sending in a team of foreign college educated and business minded engineers and geologists to perform a land excavation which was paid by the foreign company bank accounts. The foreign companies had desired the task of tapping in the valuable minerals exports of Nutelo region.

By the time Princess Nutelo was five years old her, her uncle Newt had craved the royal power. He had overthrown and then killed his biological sister with a force of five hundred foreign soldiers, raiding and sacking the tiny city and the old palace and murdered the queen inside the dining room in front of her princess daughter Nutelo. Then he proclaimed himself as new king of the tiny country of Nutelo.

The majority of natives didn't really care one way or another. There were poor farmers living off the land which as likened to a tribal system of years ago under her great grandfather's royal rule. The tribe order solidified a fierce loyalty to their tribe, their family, and their country for unity. Some of the farmers would assemble weapons and acts of violence at the call of a new ruler, hence Uncle Newt. Some of the farmers also desired the new prospects of money and new luxury living of a modern day society. Other farmers wanted to remain satisfied with the status quo of a farmer.

No one had died but the queen, the mother of Princess Nutelo. The little princess and her short and overweight dark skinned and dark haired father the prince regent had escaped with their lives. King Newt had been satisfied, not to pursue them, since Nutelo didn't possess a bank account of money, a royal title, or a property deed to the land, town, or castle.

Her father prince regent and his daughter Princess Nutelo had escaped through the underground tunnels of the castle and into the flower gardens with the snakes and spiders, heading towards a land wagon with boxes of fresh fruit. The palace guards could see them at night.

Nutelo had sat and hidden behind the boxes of fruit inside the bed of the wagon during the daylight hours. At night, they had escaped out of the wagon and ran into the wooded wilderness, gathering sacks of food supplies from the set of kind neighbors like a pair of ancient barbarians. Her father and Nutelo ran towards the ocean water and boarded a passenger ship that was heading for the foreign country of America.

Once they reached the land of America at the Florida golden sand coast line within the shadows of Miami, Nutelo was too young to understand the Newt royal dynasty. She couldn't understand the English language or the other foreign languages, slowing learning to speak like the other citizens. She attended the day school, not really learning anything important. The other children were happy and merry with their young lives. Nutelo felt betrayed and defeated by her royal family. She was a princess and owned the small territory in the county in Italy.

If she had money and men, the dethroned princess would invade her land and take back her rightful throne. That was definitely inside each fairy tale book as she read and learned English in America.

5:31 a.m.

Outside front porch setting

Nutelo was mentally and physically exhausted from the work shift, the shitty work, and the words of the Mistress driving thirty-three minutes back to her house on the lonely street in the wee hours of dawning day. She took care of the critical ill patients on the critical care nursing unit while watching the beeping monitors and documenting the medical notes inside a patient chart on the floor as a long desk of registered nurses consumed numerous cups of coffee, boxes of donuts, and mouth gossiped about the rich and beautiful people of the world.

Thus, the same nurses appeared fat, ugly, single, and pursued the same single goal as Nutelo, the soft hand on a wealthy and handsome physician of marriage into a fairy tale life with servants, mansions, and parties with a closet of beautiful fancy gowns and expensive gem jewelry.

She lived inside the city of Doral on the opposite side, the shitty side of the town.

Doral is a northern central city within Miami-Dade County. The city is west of the Miami International Airport. The name was taken from a famous golf course and health spa resort which was called the Doral Golf Resort and Spa that had been built by Doris and Alfred Kaskel.

The married couple of Kaskel coined the word Doral by combing their first names.

The city consists of retail shops, financial institutions, and businesses of importers and exporters, primarily because of the airport proximity. The city is 13.6 miles of land with a mile of water. The city held 20,438 numbers in people, 7,692 households, and 5,492 families, mostly composed of 66.74 percent Hispanic or Latino with 8.22 percent Venezuelans. The median income is 53,060 US dollars per year. Spanish is the first language which accounts for 74.5 percent of the population.

6:06 a.m.

City of Doral

Orange colored apartment building (20 miles west of the Mistress house)

Peek sunrise of yellow, pink, and blue horizon

Warm temperatures with parted clouds of dull sunrays

4th floor level

Studio bedroom setting of Nutelo

She parked the ratty and rusty compact tiny older model car inside an empty parking spot that was located on the far side of her apartment building. The series of closer parking spots had been occupied by the daytime workers who would leave in the morning for a working job. She reached over and grabbed, snatching up into the air the paper bag from the passenger seat that held the individual items from the Mistress, slamming the other arm into the closed driver's side door. The car door handle didn't operate but the door stayed closed and would open with a forced shove. The door slowly creaked open.

She slid out from the seat and stood upright with an ugly yawn, holding an item in each hand, the car key and the paper bag, shifting a hip sideways, hitting and slammed the door shut, moving ahead through the crowded parking lot of older model vehicles with a set of good flood lights on top of each tall pole. Her apartment complex was safe but ugly and cheap. All the residents were paid poorly wages but worked for food and money to pay the monthly home rent.

She stomped up the side of the building onto an outside staircase of dull and dirty white concrete, moving up towards the fourth floor towards a row of tiny apartments and landed on the highest floor, strolling ahead and stopped, standing in the piles of grayish-white colored bird shit in front of the closed door of the last apartment on the end of the balcony near a grove of tall trees and a flock of flying blue colored birds that shitted on top of the external sideway and the porch floor in front of her apartment. She always wished for a hand gun to blow the little fuckers back up into the heaven.

She reached out and inserted the apartment key on the key chain with the car key into the locked latch, twisting a wrist bone, cracking open the door with a stern face.

The room was long rectangular shaped space. The forward wall held a three tier built-in bookcase which could hold the size of a skinny six years old child horizontal, since she had been that child.

Her biological father and his daughter had rented and lived inside tiny shitty one room apartment for the past twelve years until he died of a heart attack, when she was eighteen years old the week before she had graduated from high school. Then she continued to rent and live inside the same tiny apartment for an additional three fucking ass lousy years.

Below the built-in book shelf, there was a single twin mattress with a set of patched and clean bed linens and a single ratty and torn bedcover of ugly gold, brown, and dark green colors. It was purchased at a thrift store ten years ago. The upper built-in book shelf held a limited amount of her personal clothing of a couple of faded and torn blue jeans, two pair of walking shorts and a few white tinted T-shirts with a set of vile words that had been neatly folded and displayed for all eyeballs. The middle shelf showed a row of clean and laundered bath and hand towels for body cleanliness.

On each side of the tall single book shelf in the middle of the forward wall, there was a stationary and free-standing piece of thin and tall piece of plywood that had been painted in stark white. Behind the back side of one white painted plywood, there was housed the tiniest kitchen in the world. It was a small space which was square shaped with a set of three walls. One wall held a full size refrigerator unit that was surrounded by a long piece of dull gray plastic counter space. One wall possessed a single wash sink without a window or an automatic dishwasher. The third wall held a single stove and oven unit for cooking and baking. The apartment complex owners provided a nice set of working kitchen appliances, since a family of six to eight people would live inside one apartment unit. And the complex enjoyed receiving the monthly US Federal government checks also.

The kitchen did not have enough space for an eating table with a set of sitting chairs. So, her father and Nutelo would sat inside a metal folding chair in front of a cheap metal stand with a flat tray that held a plate of food in front of the front viewing window and watch the outside activity.

The outdoor show inside the parking lot included a variety of activities.

Each flying bird would take turn, hitting or missing the concrete balcony railing.

Or some of the angry residents cursed with words and fought with knives at each other. The dead ones were carted off by the local police officers.

Or the children played outside, stealing all the hub cabs for fun or break into the row of parked cars for boredom, stealing the times for fun.

Inside her studio apartment, behind the second free-standing piece of plywood on the opposite side of the built-in bookshelf, there was housed the tiniest bathroom in the world. It was only three solid walls. One wall held a single toilet unit. One wall held an upright shower stall. The third wall held a single wash sink with a set of exposed pipes below the unit. During the night, when her father would bath and then emerge out from the shower, she would lean into the air space in-between the single piece of white painted plywood and the other wall while spying on his naked penis. She had learned a lot about a male from her father. She had not fucked her father that would have been gross.

She entered her apartment room and slammed the door shut with a loud boom, scaring all the sitting birds into flight out from the metal balcony railing as she moved ahead towards the single bed mattress with an ugly yawn, sliding the paper bag down into one of the folding chair in front of the closed window.

The entrance wall into the apartment was composed to a single door in the middle of the wall with one single long viewing window on each side of the door frame. The set of dull beige and dirty colored blinds on the pair of viewing windows stayed closed all the time. The heat was intense in Miami which came through the glass windows, making the tiny room hot. And no scouting robbery could tell if she was home or not, since most residents kept a butcher knife by the bedside like her.

She slowly stripped off the set of dirty nursing scrubs that contained mouth spit, nose snot, and other nasty body fluids from each zombie-like patient on the critical care nursing unit, where she worked and had to assist the registered nurse with the numerous shitty and smelly body parts of each dying or almost dead patient, dropping the clothing items down onto the hard tile floor. She moved ahead and scooted behind the plywood, entering the tiniest bathroom in the world.

She stopped and spun around, sitting down on top of the toilet seat then shitted out all the food items with a loud grunt and peeing out all the numerous beverages with a soft hiss that she had consumed during the work shift, standing upright and wiped off the dirty ass with a distorted face. She turned to the side and reached over, slapping the faucet with the cold water. It didn't matter which two handles she turned on, only a flow of cold water would fall down from the shower head and into the flat shower stall, since the apartment complex wanted money for hot water.

She didn't mind washing in cold water. Her apartment stayed heated from the daylight sunshine and the nighttime hot weather.

She entered the cold water and showered, lathering up in a set of white bubbles of soap, washing every part of her body including the hair roots. She finished her bath and cut off the water, stepping out from the shower stall onto the tiny bathroom room in wetness and nakedness. She was five feet and three inches short in height and weighed 151 pounds with a head of very short brown colored hair, a pair of brown eyes with a tone of natural dark skin, and twenty-one years old in age.

She wiggled side to side with a giggle. Her two breasts and all the visible body fat on her stomach and an ass jiggled and wiggled side to side with fun. Nutelo mentally though numerous times about establishing a proper food diet and a series of body exercise but didn't bother, since she was going to marry a rich man. Then, she could hire a personal exercise trainer and lose off all the fatty weigh, getting thin and fit for her American prince.

She turned to the side and moved ahead, flinging an arm or a leg one at a time while tossing off all the water droplets, drying off her wet body and scooted around the single piece of plywood. The heat inside the tiny apartment would dry her body within a few minutes and she didn't want to clean a set of towels at the local laundry mat tomorrow before her work shift.

She moved ahead with a sour frown and a soft whisper for her eardrums only. "Tell, child? The old bat would ask every time that I had visited at four thirty in the morning. Work, work and more work, I responded. A job builds the grand opportunity, Talk, talk, and more talk, I responded. The grand opportunity is coming very, very, very soon. Yes, ma'am, I respond. The Mistress said that you must practice nice manners for your future duty as a new American princess for your new American prince," she stopped and stood in front of the folded metal chair, staring down at the paper bag with a frown. "Mistress told me to drop the bird feathers around the bed frame. That is so silly." She reached down and snatched up, opening the paper bag, looking down inside the darkness with a frown, placing a hand down into the bag and touched the darkness with a giggle, "Uoo! These are so soft and tiny." She jerked out a handful of feathers with a grin. "Uoo! They are gray colored, not white. I have never seen a gray feather. I have never touched a baby swan," she gasped. "I bet that I could make some fast cash money off the bag of cute little swan feathers. Yeah, I need the money to pay for stuff. I could buy a new dress for my husband. Yeah, I understand. This is a bag of gold for me to look like a princess again."

She wanted that feeling again. She must have that feeling again. She had a grand plan to achieve the feeling with the American ways by recruiting some help, a mistress who could change her shitty life back into the former elegant past.

The Mistress had told the good news to Nutelo on the first visit. Her destiny was to marry a wealthy man and attend numerous social gala dances with a closet of fancy ball gowns for the rest of her living and breathing days and nights. That vision has been going on three years now, since Nutelo was eighteen years old.

She leaned over and pressed the handful of feathers onto a naked and semi-wet chest with a smile. "But first, I am going to have some fun," she moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the single bed mattress with a laugh, dropping down on top of the bed linens over the bed on a back spine over the soft bed linens and the rear of the hairy skull on top of the pillow with a giggle.

She bent both kneecaps on top of the bed linens and lifted up the butthole and both hips in the air from the soft mattress of bed linens, gently lowering down the edge of the soft finger pad on top of the protruded fold skin on the external part of her genital, the clitoris. Nutelo gently rubbed the finger pad up and down on the clitoris. The female clitoris was similar to the foreskin at the end of a male penis. It was very sensitive to stimulation into an orgasm with the right friction of a single finger digit.

She arched the back muscles upward and lifted the butthole higher into the air, pushing a back spine down deeper into the bed mattress, breathing heavy with pleasure. She slowly dropped a dry finger digit down and dug down into the light brown colored pubic hair into the large lips of the vagina, feeling the fleshy skin that started to secret glands with sweat and oil. The set of large lips of the vagina was the same as the male scrotum. She caressed the lips that produced sweat on the finger and a forehead, sounding with a soft moan with pleasure.

She thrust the middle finger into the vagina inside and then outside with mighty finger force, sounding with a set of loud moans. The sensation tickled the lining of the vagina and created more mucus.

Usually, the vagina used for male sperm to travel up the tract and into the female egg, creating a fetus.

Well, Nutelo didn't have a dick of the prince in the room, only her finger. The middle finger was the best digit of the hand, since it was the longest length to reach deeper into the tight vagina.

Her body tingled with desire of a real penis inside her vagina.

The middle finger sawed inward and outward in a swifter motion of her pussy, and as the lining soft tissues of the vagina flooded with a thick moisture from the exciting finger-fuck motion. The moisture turned into white colored vagina fluid that flooded the interior of the vagina, onto the finger, and over the bed linens. She felt the hot liquid over the skin.

She thrust the middle finger faster in and out while lifting upright both legs from the wet bed linens. Then, the middle finger reached deeper down into the moist vagina and as, she felt greater pleasure. Nutelo panted in a series of heavy breathes and sweated on the face, the breasts, and the neck. She was getting closer to an orgasm.

She continued to thrust the longest finger in and out the vagina hole flooding the hand and the bed linens, panting in a series of heavy breathes and sweated over the body.

Right before a finger-fucking orgasm, Nutelo sweated out the perspiration from the motion, feeling a built-up of heat and water.

She was almost there with the orgasm.

Nutelo parted the legs and rammed the middle finger down into the slick and wet vagina with a deep grunts of lust and as, the finger thrust faster in and out.

Her body quivered and shook with the wonderful orgasm and as, she gasped for fresh air molecules with an open mouth. Her body broke into a set of sweat balls of heat. Vagina discharge flooded her and the bed linens. Finally, her vagina contracted back and forth with a set of spasm of pain and pleasure.

Nutelo breathed in a set of heavy pants and closed both eyelashes, enjoying the tinkling of her body with nasty lust and dreams of fucking her American prince tonight.

She had learned the technique from trial and pleasure. The finger-fuck method was the best sensation and solution for a quickie female orgasm, since she didn't have an American prince.

She jerked out the middle finger and reached over, wiping the digits and the hand clean over the dry part of the bed linens with a grin, feeling tingling and relaxed after the nice pleasure. The wet vagina discharge coated the dry fabric. She turned on the side and closed the eyelashes, dreaming of her American prince.

8:08 a.m.

Bedroom setting

Nutelo awoke with a tongue of mouth drool over the bottom lip and a set of sticky feathers over a naked body of dried vagina discharge with a sour frown. "Yuck-o!" She rolled to the side and moved off the bed, standing upright with a sour frown at the scattered pocket of light gray feathers on a body and the messy bed linens. She would wash off the bed linens and made the bed later this morning.

She reached down and wiped the feathers down off a naked body and turned, scooting around the single piece of upright plywood and moved into the bathroom. She stopped and leaned down, flicking on the water, entering the shower and bathed for a few second, cleaning off the dried vagina discharge and the sticky array of feathers.

She exited the bathing shower with a giggle and a grin of her wonderful masturbation from the morning while sleeping restfully, feeling good and giddy and exited the bathroom.

She stopped and stood in front of the twin mattress, seeing all the scattered pockets of light gray baby chick swan feathers over the floor. She squatted down and gathered the feathers, sticking each one back down into the paper bag, standing upright with a giggle and placed the bag of feathers onto the top of the messy bed linens of the mattress, reaching over and snatched a set of clothes, a pair of walking shorts, and a plain white T-shirt without a bra. She did not bother to wear a bra or a pair of panties which would have had to be washed and cleaned. She dressed and reached down, grabbing the paper bag of feathers and spinning around and moved to the metal car, grabbing the car keys with a giggle and a grin, exiting her apartment.

9:09 a.m.

Studio bedroom setting

Nutelo returned back to her apartment with an armful of numerous bags of groceries and scooted around the single plywood, entering the smallest kitchen in the world and stopped, standing at the empty countertop. She placed the bags on the top of the counter and yanked out the box of fresh baked cookies, ripping off the lid and reached down, grabbing a handful of three cookies. She ate the three cookies at the same with a giggle and mouth spat a series of the food crumbs over the counter, the floor, and her clothing with a giggle. "I am a genius." She had exchanged the paper bag of light gray baby chick swam feathers for one hundred dollars in cash at the local pawn shop. Then she visited the local grocery store and purchased numerous boxes and bags of sweet desserts, such like, cookies, pies, candy bars, cakes, and sweet rolls. She never had the extra money for a sweet dessert treat while stealing all the left-over platters of food at the hospital after the business meeting inside the conference room during her working shift.

The team of physicians during the meeting was served a plate of food inside the conference room but never ate the dish of sweet dessert. During her working night shift, Nutelo would eat all the leftover food plates which consisted of mostly sweet desserts, since the team of healthy physicians was a set of arrogant snobs and would not consume the bad food groups.

She stood in front of the counter and consumed as many sweet desserts as possible until her stomach was full as she might vomit up all the desserts, if she had eaten one more bit. She slowly spun around with a loud burp and exited the kitchen, moving towards the bed mattress, and stopped, resting down over the dirty bed linens for a nap with a loud burp before starting her work shift at three in the afternoon at the hospital. She rolled to side and burped out loud again, closing the eyelashes, falling into sleep with a grin of her American prince.
Wednesday September 8th

1:57 p.m.

City of Ocala within the US State of Florida

Hot temperatures with parted storm clouds of dull sunshine

Ocala City Hospital location

(310 miles northwest of Coral Beach)

US Highway 40 address

The six story rectangle building gleamed with a set of newly re-painted white glossy stones that were framed around a set of neatly square shaped windows which housed the administrative office suites, the nursing medical units, the ancillary departments, and the working clinical staff members of Ocala City Hospital.

The most unique feature was the monogrammed lettering over the front entranceway that displayed OCH. OCH was a 205 bed facility which provided medical hospital services including emergency, obstetrical, gastroenterology, ambulatory surgery, radiology, speech, audiology, and other rehabilitation services for all men, women, and children.

The hospital offered home health, wound care, oncology, laser surgery, all types of critical care units, a sentinel laboratory, a hemodialysis unit, a blood bank center, a cardiac catheterization laboratory, ophthalmologic services, radiation therapy, lithotripsy, neurological services, ultrasound, respiratory and pulmonary services, plastic surgery, nuclear medicine, orthopedic surgery, a bariatric center, and vascular surgery suites.

Interior hospital room setting of Gracie Gage

Gracie wore a yellow colored hospital gown with an array of tiny red cuts on a face, a big bad black bruise on the forehead, the chest and the stomach regions and was peacefully asleep while Stu studied her face from across the single room. They both rested inside a separate hospital bed in a private room at OCH within central part of US State of Florida. Stu grunted with body pain and mental sadness within his heart, facing sideways to see his wife from inside his private hospital bed.

Tom was quick as light speed, standing upright with a worried brow and dashed ahead from the guarded uncomfortable hospital chair, dropping down all the science fiction magazines over to the tile floor with a set of individual soft swishes. He stopped and stood, in a blue sports jacket, a pair of white trousers with a white dress shirt without a dress bowtie, and a pair of navy leathers leaning down with a whisper into the face of Stu. "Need something, man?"

"Gracie." Stu wore a yellow colored hospital gown, a black colored left eye socket with a set of red tiny cuts on the face, the hands, and both arms, and an assortment of black and blue bruises over a body and grunted with pain, sadness, and sorrow in his eyes, staring at her peaceful and injured face from across the room inside his individual hospital bed.

"She's fine, man. She's here in the other bed right next to you. She's looks great, sleeping peacefully. Do you need Frank? Frank's here. He is checking over your medical records. Frank won't let anything, nothing at all, happen to Gracie. Tell me! What I can do for you, man?" Tom stopped talking and started breathing normally, reaching out and touched the gowned shoulder of Stu with a pale hand. Tom wanted to help. He wanted to ease Stu's pain and Gracie's injuries with the touch of a magical wand. But he couldn't do that.

So, the pain and the injuries would have to heal the old-fashion way with time.

Stu turned away from the peaceful face of his wife and looked up to see the white colored ceiling, closing the eyelids. His head hurt while his brain was active in motion, repeating the terribly car accident again.

Yesterday

Tuesday September 7th

Car ride of Stu and Gracie

County road north location

Light rain and dark storm clouds

10:10 a.m.

His red luxury sports car had mashed between a roaming dump truck and a very low dirt covered ditch. Stu hit the ditch with the car avoiding a head-on collision with the bigger, heavier, and tougher service green colored dump truck. Gracie and he had been belted into each car seat with a set of protective safety belts like always and all the time for their added protection, since Stu had always harped on safety first.

The car hit the edge of the front fender on the dump truck, skidding towards a giant tree. Then Stu cut to the left and landed the front grill of the car inside a deep trench of green water, soggy leaves, and brown mud.

Gracie was safe and breathing when he last saw her red tinted bloody face which came from a nose punch and a set of small red colored cuts on the side of her cheekbone within a pair of drowsy closing eyelids. Stu couldn't move until the Jaws of Life devise slashed through the smashed and dented driver's door.

Then, the team of paramedics in bright blue uniforms and a pair of gloves had pulled Gracie out from the back rearview window of the sports car in an unconscious presentation. She had hit a forehead skull on the side of a falling tree limb that had plunged down and smashed the front wind shield without the rest of the standing ancient tree.

Stu had turned and stared at his "Gracie babe" with deep worry and concern inside the passage seat of his vehicle. Then he had passed out into unconsciousness after she had been was physically removed from his car during the extraction process of the incident due to intense pain and suffering.

The EMS personnel needed four additional males to tug and tote his giant beated up body back into the ambulance cabin. This was the fairy tale that had told from the mouth of emergency physician and then retold and repeated to Stu when he had awoken without Gracie by his side inside the hospital bed.

Once he had been declared fit and healthy by the medical radiology x-ray films, he had been stabbed with a pain killing needle shot, and then had admitted into a hospital room for observation. Stu had awoken inside a semi-private room with an elderly male. He cursed and screamed up into the heavens as he explained who he was and what he demanded with billions of dollars inside a bank account.

Then, Stu found Gracie.

They finally had been housed together in one of the unused semi-private rooms which suddenly became newest the VIP suite at OCH for one-fourth member of the infamous Quartet of Coral Beach, Florida.

Present day and place

City of Ocala

Light rain and dark clouds

Ocala City Hospital

2:02 p.m.

10th floor level

Private VIP hospital room setting of Stu and Gracie

At lunchtime, the Band of Brothers and Sisters had arrived by a fleet of helicopters an hour after the personal telephone call from the hospital president. They had entered the hospital lobby yelling demands and invading the small private hospital like an army of hungry ants looking for the picnic basket.

Frank wore a pair of light brown colored trousers, a yellow colored dress shirt without the colorful necktie, a blue sports jacket, a pair of brown colored leather and marched directly into to the nurse's station and reviewed each medical chart of Stu's head injury and Gracie's eye motion, before he had spoken a friendly greeting to the Ocala medical staff. Then immediately, Dr. Mangrove had left the nurses' station and tracked down the emergency physician, the radiologist, and the assigned attending physician before returning back into the hospital room with a set of handwritten notes regarding more medical data about his Quartet brother and sister. He had intently read, reviewed, and checked the medical notes, the medical films, and laboratory reports until fully satisfied with the informed, conformed, confirmed, and verified clinical results.

Presently, inside the private room of the Gages, Frank returned and declared Stu with a slight concession which translated into a headache for the rest of the next few evenings. He stood over the hospital bed with a smile and a whisper to Stu. "No activity for three days, Stu," he lifted and held three fingers near the eyeballs of Stu. "Can you see my fingers?"

Stu whispered with a stern face. "What fingers, Frank?"

Frank laughed with a nod. "Stu is fine. Gracie is doing great. She needs tender loving care for a good long while."

Stu smiled with relief that his brother was here at the hospital. Frank didn't lie or aggregate the truth. If something was wrong with Gracie's health, Frank would tell Gage. Stu whispered in pain and sadness, "No prob."

Gracie was receiving an armful of clear IV fluids, sleeping off the effects of the medication, the multiply blood punctures, and the multiply small cuts and bruises that covered her tough athletic girly ass.

Gage exhaled with huff, feeling lucky with the car accident. But Gracie had been luckier. They both had survived alive and thankful. But Stu was both thankful and mad.

Gracie had lost the unborn fetus. She had been about eight weeks pregnant. She didn't know. Stu didn't know. She had been irritable, since the beginning of the trip to Ocala to the Quartet sanctuary ranch house at Misty Farms. Stu didn't understand her odd personality behavior before, during, and after the planned vacation to Ocala, until it was too late.

If he had known that she was carrying their unborn fetus, then Gage would have taken her directly back home and tucked her back into bed at their home in Coral Beach immediately. They would not have stayed around the dangerous ranch. Gracie spent her time with the horses and animals, brushing them down, riding them, pampering and petting them like a sissy house dog.

Stu recalled from their earlier pleasant events on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday days and evenings of the so-called short-lived vacation. He biked, hiked, and explored the open earth and dirt terrain on a pair of booted feet.

Inside the hospital bed, Stu closed the eyelids and rested an active brain. He needed rest. He needed to be stronger for Gracie. She needed him to take care, comfort, and stay with her forever, once Gracie learned about the baby.

Austin wore a pair of blue jeans, a green colored knit shirt, and a pair of blue colored leathers and returned back into the private room of the Gages with Frank, scanning the small space with care and caution for any dangerous element while worrying about his Quartet brother and sister. He stopped and stood, leaning over the body of Gage with a whisper next to Frank, "Stu?" Gage tried to rise upright and then lowered back down an arching skull with a soft grunt.

Frank reached over and slapped the collar bone of Austin with a stern face and a whisper, staring down at Gage, "Don't bother him, Austin! He needs rest and sleep from the concession for three days. No one bothers him or Gracie."

Tom moved forward and wiggled upright between his two brothers, staring with a worried brow and a whisper at his Quartet sister Gracie, "Gawd, Gracie! She looks really banged up, Frank. Do something for her!"

Frank spun around and nodded with a smile at Gracie. "She is in perfect health other than a set of small healing cuts and some scraping bruises. She is going to have a big bruise on her arm where the tree limb fell onto her body while tapping her belly button and her forehead. There will be another few big ugly bruises also. But, she possesses a strong, healthy, and athletic body. Her recovery will be very swift as a young not-middle-aged adult."

Austin spun around and frowned at Gracie. "The fetus didn't have a chance to survive then."

Frank shook a skull with a stern face at Gracie. "No. Not with that type of dangerous impact of a hard dried tree limb on a delicate human being. None!"

Austin exhaled. "Stu knows."

Frank nodded. "He was told in the emergency room when he was looking for Gracie. They were separated when two different ambulances arrived at the accident scene."

The song played a scale of piccolo musical notes on the mobile telephone. Tom whipped out and read out loud from his mobile telephone the new text with a stern face. "The two limos have arrived. The bird's on stand-by along with Jace at the Miami airport," then he replaced the mobile telephone back into the sports jacket with a sigh of worry.

Austin exhaled. "Is Jace needed here for any reason?"

Frank smiled at Gracie. "No. They both need rest and relaxation which can be completed at home in Coral Beach."

Austin exhaled with worry. "When can they travel inside the limos and the helicopter back home to Coral Beach today?"

Frank smiled at Gracie. "The attending physician here at OCH will release both of them tomorrow morning."

Austin nodded with a stern face. "Do you approve?"

Frank nodded with a smile. "Yes, I do approve for them to leave the hospital and travel inside the limos and the helicopters."

Austin spun around and stared with a worried brow at his brother, "What is Stu's medical condition?"

Frank spun around and stared with a smile at his brother. "Stu is in excellent shape. His concession will be nothing but a minor throb and then gone within three more days. Gracie needs more immediately attention. I'm ordering bed rest for three additional days and nights."

Tom spun around and stared at Stu with a sour frown. "She's going to object, Frank."

Frank slapped a chest with a smile and a nod. "Yes, she is. But I'm the physician. I'll call Jace to handle Gracie. But, she's not going to fight with me and neither is Stu. I had hired a day nurse for Gracie's attendance for the rest of the week."

Austin frowned. "She'll object to a babysitter."

Frank exhaled with a huff of worry. "I seriously doubt that. Once she learns about the baby, Gracie will need someone to watch over her, secretly."

Austin smiled. "Stu can do that."

Frank smiled. "We all know Gracie."

Tom frowned. "She will not let him baby her like that. Mrs. Gage will kick his ass out the door to the office while pretending nothing is wrong."

Austin nodded with a smile, "She's tough."

Frank nodded with a grin, "She is a tough lady."

Tom nodded with a giggle, "Damn straight and proud of it, too!"
Friday September 10th

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight rays with parted clouds of and warm temperatures

Home of Austin

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting

Rosebud," he sat upright with a whisper on top of the bed mattress of pink colored satin sheet with a worried brow, staring ahead at the same pink colored forward wall with a confused brow. "I don't dream about Stu. I dreamed about Rosebud. Stu and Gracie are back home and safe and sound here in Coral Beach coming back from a terrible vacation. Why is that different now?" He gasped with alarm and rolled to the side, dashing ahead out the bedroom in a pair of green colored pajama pants, a naked chest, and a pair of naked feet.

He scooted around the wall corner and dashed down the staircase, sliding around the banister, running into the middle door of the second room on the forward wall and stopped, standing inside the archway with a worried brow. His worry turned into a sigh of relief.

He slowed entered the room and stopped, standing in front of the glass coffin with a worried brow and as his pair of eyeballs darted and studied each electronic monitor screen, examining her medical condition and then her sleeping body in a two-piece oversized set of pink colored satin long sleeved top and a pair of satin pajamas with a pair of naked feet. The princess was there. The glass lid was closed. The air was working. The lights were illuminated. The machine was rotating all her limbs up, down and sideways as she continued to sleep in the coma from the accidentally cliff fall several days ago. The glowing black colored monitors with an array of wiggling green colored lines were softly beeping with a soft musical tone of sweet tings like a tiny bell.

He exhaled with a smile and reached out, gently patting the smooth glass with a nod. "You are fine. I am just checking, baby," he stared into the glass as she looked peacefully asleep like a princess-charmed while waiting for her prince-charmed." He was the prince-charmed in the fairy tale story without the charming part or the proper fairy spell to awoken his sleeping princess-charmed.

He lifted up a sweaty hand into the air and exhaled with a huff of relief, back stepping from Rosebud, stopped and stood inside the quiet and cool hallway with a worried brow, slowly turning to the side and moved back into his master bedroom, pondering the deep thoughts of an uncertain future happiness with her and eventually returned back into the cool bed mattress without sleep.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with bright moonlight and stars

House of the Mistress

Nutelo slowly drove the older model car with an ugly yawn and rubbed one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball like always. She was employed as a nurse at Charity Kendall Hospital in the critical care unit. Her twelve-hour work shift started at three in the afternoon until three in the morning, the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN.

On the roadway, she turned and slowed the speed over the ratty driveway towards the familiar two-story private home within the city of Doral which was empty without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood silence in the night air, wearing a pair of nursing yellow colored scrubs which was highlighted with red blood stains and green and yellowed colored body fluids from each sick patient at the hospital and a pair of white nursing shoes. She gently closed the door without waking the dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard with a giggle.

She moved ahead and reached out to the knob, opening the unlocked side red weather beaten door of a two-story mint green cider block house.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps towards a single closed dull tan colored door and stopped, opening the door and entered the small dull peach colored room within the semi-darkness of the white beams of moonlight and stopped, sliding down into the brown colored ratty oversized chair with a stern face like always, "Mistress..."

"Now, I understand the surprise," the Mistress stared at Nutelo said a low scratchy voice, sitting inside an old ratty blue colored chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone, wearing a white ankle length dress with a high collar and a set of long sleeves.

She smiled with excitement. "What surprise? Is it a good surprise for me?"

The Mistress rocked side to side and grabbed the arm rests of the rocking chair with a sigh and a whisper. "Yes, you still have much more work to do, child. The grand opportunity is here but it also complicated with a bitter surprise for you."

She frowned. "I don't care. I am ready right now. I wanna meet my future husband right now. I'm off from my work job during the morning. I can meet and greet him for lunch or breakfast. Who he is? Where is he? Do I know him? Will I move away from Miami? I hate living here in Miami. The weather is too hot and humid."

The Mistress exhaled. "I did not predict this bitter surprise. But, everything is in a constant motion within our ever changing world of man and woman. Yes, you must refine and practice the set of nice and good manners for your upcoming future duty as the wife of a very wealthy man..."

She frowned. "Who is the man? Do I know him? I wanna skip all this silly stuff and get married tomorrow. I have waited for three long years."

"I have a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. I can make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desires using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make the body and change the mind or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear."

"When do I get married? When do I get fucked? I'm a virgin. I have never been married before. I have never been with a man. Is this all happening tomorrow? I wanna have a child. I'm only twenty-one years old. I am getting older..."

"No."

She gasped, "Why not? You said that the grand opportunity is here for me. So I am here too. I wanna get married. I wanna get pretty gowns. I wanna get..."

"Shush, child! The grand opportunity is here to stay. It is not going anywhere. But you need to refine your manner skills and you need to cleanse your body..."

"What does that mean?" Nutelo frowned. "I don't understand. When will I get married? Am I having a big wedding?"

The Mistress lifted up the first item near the stern face. "This is a candle."

She frowned. "I know and see that."

"Listen to me, child! You are very close to your grand opportunity. You and I have worked very hard for three long years. However, you must cleanse both your mind and your body while slowly preparing for the great opportunity," the Mistress rattled a paper bag inside her lap and lifted, holding up a candle near a cheekbone.

"That sounds weird."

The Mistress wiggled the candle with a stern face. "This is the first candle of five. It is the tallest in the color of orange. The color of orange represents the mighty sun which is the solo symbol of life for us on planet Earth..."

"You should like an astrologist instead of a fortune teller," she laughed with a nod.

"I am both. You will burn into flame the orange candle first," she lifted and held up a set of five candles with various colors and heights in front of her face with a scratchy alto timber. "This is very important, child. The first candle is the tallest in orange. The second candle is colored in white like the rays of moonlight beams which is the second celestial body near us and our planet Earth. The third color is smaller than the first and the second ones in the color of yellow. The color of yellow represents friendship. The fourth candle is shorter than the other three in the color of pink. The color of pink represents sweetness..."

"I am sweet already," she laughed with a nod. "But I do like the pink candle. Where did you get the pretty candles? Why is this important to me?"

"The set of five colored candles will cleanse your mind and your body of wickedness and nastiness and impurities that linger on this planet."

"Well, I am not wicked or nasty..."

"Listen to me, child! This is very important. The last candle is the shortest and it is colored in the blood red. The blood red represents love."

"Then, shouldn't the red color be the tallest of the five candles? Love is strong and long and forever which cannot be busted or broken or bashed."

The Mistress nodded with a set of yellow and crooked teeth to Nutelo. "Now, you understand me. You are to burn all five candles at the same time in the proper order with the tallest to the shortest, staring this morning as you quietly rest over the bed mattress in peace and meditation for five minutes, no more and no less. Then you extinguish the flame. The next morning at the same time, you repeat the same procedure."

She laughed with a grin. "This is really silly. I could fall asleep and start a fire and then die in the smoke and flames without meeting my rich future husband. Or I might forget to extinguish the flame after or before the five-minute deadline. How am I supposed to count out five whole minutes? There is sixty seconds in a minute. That is counting from zero to three hundred seconds..."

"Use a clock for the precise five minutes. Stay awake and meditate with your eyeballs open."

She laughed with a grin. "That is really silly. But I can do that."

"This is September the tenth at dawn. You will not return back to me until the morning of September the seventeenth..."

She gasped. "That's longer than the whole four days ago. That is seven days from now. No, I wanna get married tomorrow. I wanna a meet my new husband. I wanna have lunch with him tomorrow."

"You cannot. He is not ready to see you. You are not prepared to see him. This is very complicated step before the grand opportunity arises on the horizon. His mind is occupied with something else. He will not notice you."

She nodded with a giggle. "I can make him notice me."

"Love does not work like that."

She gasped. "But you said that you have a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. You said that you could make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desired, using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make your body and change your mind or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear."

The Mistress dropped the set of different colored five candles back down in to the brown paper bag with a stern face and a nod, leaning over and handed the paper to Nutelo. "Yes, I have a set of secret and powerful talents can change your life. But you must listen and obey my words. Love is the most powerful of the emotions that cannot be broken or borrowed or brought or bashed. Love bonds two or more individuals together that contains great power and great strength. Love is a bright light within the mind, the heart, the body, and the soul that cannot..."

She accepted the paper bag and placed inside a lap with a sour frown. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. I burn down the candles and come back in seven more days on September the seventeenth. When will I see and marry my future husband?"

"Yes, you will finally meet your future husband?"

"Can you give me a hint?"

The Mistress nodded with a stern face to Nutelo. "I want you to listen with your ears and your eyeballs when someone talks about a recent event," she closed the eyelashes and rocked side to side. "It is not time. But it is time for you to go. I must meditate for the rest of the morning."

"Yes ma'am," she stood upright with a grin in the white tinted moonlight beams and spun around, dashing ahead towards the dull tan colored door, opening it. She dashed down the staircase with excitement for the first time in three years. She was going to finally meet her husband like the old woman had predicted three year ago.

Nutelo came to see the fortune teller when her elderly father was sick and having a series of chest pains. He was unable to work for money. She didn't know what to do but a friend had been to see the Mistress who had given some advice.

Three years and seven days ago

4:29 a.m.

Nutelo had followed the road directions from the back stabbing, mean, older teen girl with the black hair and purple streaks at her apartment complex and slowly drove her older model blue colored compact car through the unfamiliar neighborhood of Doral. She was a teen student and about to graduate from high school.

However, her elderly and ailing father had been having chest pains while coughing and wheezing like he was about to die. Nutelo didn't know what to do. She didn't have any money to take her father to the emergency room and pay the physician. Or she might be discovered by her blood relative uncle. So she sought out the advice of a fortune teller.

The ratty gray colored driveway of a two-story private mint green colored cider block home within the city of Doral was empty without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She opened the car door and stood upright with a shiver of fear and fright but courage and curiosity, wearing a pair of walking tan colored shorts, a pair of white colored sandal, and a white T-shirt gently pushing the car door shut without a sound which might awake the dead souls from the spooky cemetery of the graveyard, moving ahead and entered the open side door of the tall house.

The back stabbing and rudely mannered older teen girl had tattled that the old fortune teller kept the side red colored door open, since the old woman could see into your mind and beat up a robbery with her set of evil witch powers.

Inside the interior of the private house, the door led straight up a set of creaking naked wooden steps and onto the second floor. Nutelo dashed up the steps towards a single dull tan colored door that was closed but unlocked, opening the door and stood inside the archway with a gasp of fear and cursorily. Inside the tiny room, the white tinted moon beams danced into the armrest of a brown colored ratty oversized chair.

The old woman continued to keep the eyelashes closed and rocked side to side inside her own blue colored ratty chair, saying with a deep alto. "Come inside, child! I sense your hesitation, your visitation, your acceptance, and your confirmation." Nutelo entered ahead and sat down inside the single chair, staring at the ugly wrinkled face of the old woman with a bun of gray hair in silence. The old woman said. "You are correct. Your father is going to die. He is experiencing a set of short heart attacks. The last one will stop the heart. Then he will die. You cannot do anything. You cannot take him to see a physician. The medical science cannot help him. It is his time to leave planet Earth."

Nutelo wiped out the tears of sorrow and worry with a whisper, "I am alone."

The old woman smiled without opening the eyelashes. "You are not alone. You have many angels around you. And you are very blessed."

She continued to wipe the tears with a set of sobs. "I am alone."

"You are not what you seem."

She gasped. "What?"

"You are out of place here. What happened to you, child?"

She growled. "Can't you tell me? You are the fortune teller."

"I need confirmation."

She frowned. "I will not tell."

"You are a princess from a lost city. Your uncle is an evil man."

She gasped. "How did you know that information about me without me telling you that story?"

The old woman opened her eyelashes with a set of yellow teeth of an ugly smile. "I know many things. However, you are truly blessed. You were ripped from your princess life. But your princess life will be restored."

She gasped. "I don't believe you, old woman. How is that possible? I live in America now. America does not have a throne of princes or princess or queens or kings..."

"America has royalty in money. Money creates a prince and princess."

She nodded with a smile. "Yes it does, if you have money."

"You will have money and more which is beyond your imagination. You will be restored as a new American princess."

"When will this happen to me? I have been living here for twelve years, since the age of six years old. I am now eighteen years old. That has not happened. That has not presented an opportunity to me."

"Yes, your grand opportunity is coming very soon."

"What must I do to ensure my grand opportunity?"

"You must come and see me."

She laughed with a smirk. "I understand now. You want my money in exchange for your service. I am poor. I don't have money. I can't pay you, old woman."

"I do not seek your money. I know that you are a high school student without means and almost without a father. However, I want to help you to seek your grand opportunity."

She laughed. "What is your golden deal? I have dealt with people like you before."

"I want only to help other people such as your person. Like you, I do not have money to help others. Once you receive your grand opportunity, you can assist me as you like in which I can help others like yourself. That is all I ask in kind."

"Hmm! It sounds slick. But, I am alone in the world and desperate for guidance. So, you are free to me."

"Yes, I am free. There will be no current payment only kindness to you from me."

She nodded with a smile. "All right, I guess. I will come back tomorrow morning."

"I will start with my kindness right now as a show of good faith. Your father will pass from Earth and into heaven in three days from now. You must drove him into the Everglade swamps and leave his weak body there..."

"Why? That is cruel cold blooded murder. The gators, the snakes, and the other wild animals will kill and eat him before he dies of a fatal heart attack."

"No, all wildlife can smell death of the soul. They will stay far away. However, your evil uncle is looking for you. You are the true princess of the lost land. He has been monitoring the news throughout the world. A dead middle aged man who is an immigrant will display upon the television screen, since the world likes to see violence, rapes, murders, and poor people. The news likes to show the struggle of the weak while glorifying the strength of the rich."

She nodded with a set of new tears. "I understand. I have the same nightmare dream of my uncle finding me.

"It is true. The news media will target him, if he is taken into an emergency room. Then you will be interviewed by the international news reporters and then your face will be seen throughout the world."

She wiped the tears with a nod. "Yes. My uncle will find me. Then he will kill me."

"Yes. You are truly cursed and blessed, child. I am sorry."

"I believe you. Yes, I will take my father to the Everglades in three days, where he will die in peace. I will live in secret until the day that I can comfort my uncle."

"Here!" The Mistress leaned over and dangled a pouch of green colored powder to Nutelo. "This is an herb that works like a sleeping potion. He will sleep deeply without pain. Then you tote his heavy body and drop him off into the Everglades swamps." Nutelo reached over and touched, grabbing the plastic bag of green powder with a sad face in silence. She said. "Now, go and leave me, child!"

Nutelo exhaled with a nod. "What is your name?"

"You will call me, Mistress."

Nutelo nodded with a sad face and stood upright, side stepping and spun around, leaving the room, marching down the staircase with a sad heart and a worried mind, leaving the house. She entered the car and drove away that morning but returned the next, looking for her grand opportunity.

Present day and place

6:06 a.m.

City of Doral

Burnt orange colored apartment building

(15 miles west from Mistress house)

Peek sunrise of yellow, pink, and blue horizon

Warm temperatures with parted clouds and dull sunrays

4th floor level

Interior studio bedroom setting of Nutelo

Nutelo parked the ratty and rusty blue colored compact tiny older model car inside an empty parking spot that was located on the far side of her burnt orange colored cider block apartment building. She reached over and grabbed, snatching the brown paper bag that held the individual items from the Mistress into the air, slamming the other arm into the closed driver's side door. The car door handle didn't operate but the door stayed closed and would open with a forced shove. The door slowly creaked open.

She stood upright with an ugly yawn and held an item in each hand, the car key and the paper bag, shifting a hip sideways, hitting and slammed the door shut, moving ahead through the crowded parking lot with a set of good flood lights on top of the tall dark wooden poles.

She stomped up the side of the building onto an outside staircase of dull and dirty white concrete, moving up towards the fourth floor towards a row of tiny single apartments and landed on the highest floor, strolling ahead and stopped, standing in the piles of grayish-white colored bird shit in front of the closed green colored metal door of the last apartment on the end balcony that was placed near a grove of tall trees and a flock of flying blue colored birds that shitted on top of the external sideway and the porch floor in front of her apartment. She reached out and inserted the apartment key on the key chain with the car key into the locked latch, twisting a wrist bone, cracking open the door with a stern face.

She entered her apartment room of dull beige that was shaped like a rectangular and slammed the door shut with a loud boom, scaring the birds into flight from the railing as she moved ahead towards the single bed mattress with an ugly yawn, sliding the paper bag and her car keys down into one of the folding chair in front of the closed window.

She slowly stripped off the set of dirty yellow colored nursing scrubs that contained mouth spit, nose snot, and other nasty body fluids from each zombie-like patient on the critical care nursing unit, where she worked and had to assist the registered nurse with the numerous shitty and smelly body parts of each dying or almost dead patient, dropping the clothing items down onto the hard tile floor. She moved ahead and scooted behind the plywood, entering the tiniest bathroom in the world.

She stopped and spun around, sitting down on top of the toilet seat and shitted out all the food items with a loud grunt and peeing out all the numerous beverages with a soft hiss that she had consumed during the work shift, standing upright and wiped off the dirty ass with a distorted face. She turned to the side and reached over, slapping the faucet with the cold water. It didn't matter which two handles she turned on, only a flow of cold water would fall down from the shower head and into the flat shower stall, since the apartment complex wanted money for hot water.

She entered the cold water and showered, lathering up in white bubbles of soap, washing every part of her body including the hair roots. She finished her bath and cut off the water, stepping out from the shower stall onto the tiny bathroom room in wetness and nakedness. She moved ahead and flung an arm or a leg one at a time while drying off, scooting around the single piece of plywood. The heat inside the tiny apartment would dry her body within a few minutes and she didn't want to clean a set of towels at the local laundry mat tomorrow before her work shift.

She moved ahead and scooted around the second piece of free-standing plywood, stopped and stood upright in front of the counter with the remaining unopened bags of sweet deserts, reaching out and grabbed a small chocolate covered cake. She ripped off the wrapping from the food and stuffed the entire item into an open mouth, chewing with a set of soft moans while tasting the sinful chocolate. She felt disappointed and depressed at the Mistress.

Again, the Mistress had purposefully neglected to mention the name and the address of her future husband to of Nutelo.

Nutelo believed in the Mistress but was confused about the swan feathers and now the bag of five candles. She continued to eat each sweet dessert until she felt full but still depressed, back stepping from the mess of garbage on top of the dirty counter inside the kitchen of an assortment of spilled food crumbs, torn wrappers, and new boxes of fresh sweet desserts. She spun around and scooted around the plywood, moving ahead and stopped behind the metal char. She reached down and snatched the bag, opening and placed a hand down into the darkness of paper bag, rattling the contents and withdrew four of the candles. The candles were very common but pretty colored. She lifted and sniffed each candle without a scent of perfume floral or mineral.

"Common, the candles are common but colorful. I don't understand the Mistress. I could actually burn the interior of my apartment down with these dangerous objects. She told me to burn them for five minutes," she yawned with a loud grunt. "I need sleep. I was so excited yesterday that I didn't get enough sleep during the afternoon," she laughed. "Well, I was so full of sweet desserts that my tummy hurt and then I couldn't sleep during the afternoon," she yawned again.

She spun around from the chair and the window with a handful of candles from the Mistress, scooting around the plywood and entered back into the kitchen. She stopped and squatted down at the bottom kitchen cabinet, opening the door, looking inside. She reached inside and pulled a short candle that was built inside a glass cup for protection from fire with a grunt. "I have a set of fragrance candles in pretty colors and smell good fragrances for my nose. I have a white one, a yellow one, a red one, a pink one, and an orange one. See? I have all the colors that match her silly long candles. And my candles make my apartment smell like vanilla and roses and honeysuckles when I sleep. Yeah, I can burn all these candles at the same time for five minutes instead of hers," she stood upright and placed the long candles over the counter with a smile and a nod, squatting back down and grabbed an armful of her personal candles. She stood upright with the candles and back stepped from the counter with a smile, turning and moved ahead, scooting around the single wall of plywood to the mattress.

She leaned over and shoved the towels into the side, placing each colored short candle on top of the first book shelf. She had burned all the candles before when she wanted a nice scent inside the stuffing apartment room. She adjusted the width of each candle and lifted the box of matches from the first candle, lighting each candle in flames with a smile. Each candle burned and flamed in blue, red, and yellow fire and as each emitted a nice fragrance into the tiny apartment. Nutelo inhaled a big gulp of air molecules, smelling the scent of vanilla, roses, honeysuckles, lavender, and pine fragrance. She dropped down over the messy bed linens with smile.

Nutelo drifted with a vivid imagination into her dreams while masturbating her pussy with one finger. She imaged the mysterious prince on top of her naked body, sliding a wet sticky penis in and out while she used her fingers instead. Her pussy enlarged to a point of painful lust and pleasure while her vagina juices flowed thickly onto the warm bed sheet.

She probed further inside her pussy with her single index finger deeper and deeper with a deep groan and bent one of the legs on top of the bed, thrusting a finger deeply down into the vagina, bounced slightly up and down.

She used the other hand to caress each breast with a smile and a moan, feeling heat and sweat of pleasure. She licked both lips with sighs of groans and continued to close the eyelashes, thinking of her prince, sawing a finger back and forth inside her vagina.

She started with a set of heavy breathes with good sensations with sounds of moans. Her sexual juices flowed through a body and her vagina widened and ached with the growth of a bigger opening. Her mouth was open from the sounds of a groan and a moan, desiring more good sensations, smelling the sweat, passion, and finger-fucking sex.

Both her breasts tinkled and wanted to play too, wanting to be touched a pair of male hands. She used her free hand and switched back and forth to each nipple with a soft groan. The fresh air surrounded each nipple, cooling down her hot sensations.

She continued to rest over the bed linens on top of the bed mattress, lifting and bent both legs, thrusting a finger back and forth into the lips of the vagina. Her pussy pained with stretching of the internal tissues and as her hot juices flooded the bed linens underneath her feet.

Then she screamed out loud right before her body exploded inside the vagina, the stomach, the bones, and the mind with incredible sensations of pleasure and lust as the hot liquid flowed from her vagina. She giggled with a shiver and a shake of coolness, feeling nasty and sexy to her imagination of the mysterious prince while using an index finger and a thumb to massage up and down the wet pussy.

Her vagina continued to ache from her finger-fucking penetration and as her juices drowned the bed linens with the hot clear fluid, reaching the orgasm. Her body shook and shivered from both lust and pleasure. She tensed coming from her orgasm.

Nutelo sounded with a series of heavy breathes without speaking or moving, falling down into a peaceful slumber in the warm morning.

7:55 a.m.

City of Coral Gables (six miles from Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with light rain showers and parted clouds of sunrays

Quartet Associates headquarters building

33rd floor level

Business office of Chief Executive Officer

Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

Throne room setting of Austin

The Quartet were back together again on a lazy Friday morning work day inside the stark white tinted throne room of Austin. Frank sat inside the assigned white colored oversized leather chair and kept one medical trained eyeball on his brother Stu. Stu sat inside his assigned white colored oversized leather chair in a custom made dark purple and white square patterned straight long jacket and a pair of matching trousers, a bright pink dress shirt with a thirteen carat purple tinted amethyst gem stone neck tie pin, and a pair of black leather and felt healthy without a set of double vision and a headache after the car accident, needing to escape from the house and a hostage wife as the assigned day nurse continued to car for his wife Gracie at home.

Gracie told Stu to venture out into work for the morning. Then they would eat the lunch meal together and spend the rest of the afternoon, walking the beach and cuddling each other while mourning the loss of their unborn fetus baby.

The closed white colored solid wooden door sounded with a light knock and then opened. Madeline, the wife of Dale Penn, the mother of four-year-old son Dutch, and the only executive administrator for Quartet Associates swiftly entered into the throne room a few feet and stopped in a conservative brown colored business jacket and shirt without a smile and a nervous timber. "Austin!" She appeared upset and tense.

A familiar male of peachy skin and a head of grayish-brown cropped hair stepped out from behind her ass while blocking the entrance way into the office without an introduction to Gage with a stern face. "Stu, I am very sorry," he wore the gray colored uniform of a current precinct captain from the Coral Gables police department, standing tall and overweight slightly in front of a trio of blue tinted uniformed police officers who stood outside in front of the open archway inside the reception lobby of the thirty-third floor of Quartet Associates.

Stu continued to sit inside the assigned chair on the southeastern side of the wall with a smile and a nod to the police chief. "Hello, Ralph!"

"Stu, if you will come with me and my police officers going to the downtown jail house, then the things will be much easier." Captain Ralph Hester lifted a palm with a tan colored envelope and guided the object towards Gage. Gage continued to sit in the assigned seat inside the throne room beside the side table, where the cup of steaming green hot tea stood in silence.

Frank stood upright from his assigned chair with a puzzled brow in a pair of beige colored trousers, a light blue colored dress shirt with a long necktie of purple, red, pink and light blue flower print and a matching pocket handkerchief, a dark blue sports coat, and a pair of beige leathers and moved ahead, blocking the forward movement of the police captain and the tan colored envelope towards his Quartet brother with a soft growl.

Tom rolled off the lounge chaise with a gasp and stood upright with a sour frown, wearing a dark blue pin striped pair of trousers without the matching jacket with a white dress shirt, a bowtie of red, yellow, and blue plaid pattern, and a pair of dark blue leathers dashing ahead in forward motion while blocking his tall lanky frame at the Captain's body from invading more footage inside Austin's throne room or near his brother.

Gage continued to pose with a smile at Ralph inside the chair without a fucking care in the world.

Austin stood upright from the office chair in a pair of white trousers, a white turtleneck, a black colored sports car, and a pair black colored leathers without speaking but watched and observed with keen interest and deep concern within a pair of intense grey eyes.

Frank was angry, not speaking any direct or derogatory intent towards the officer of the law. He didn't like to see the captain of the Coral Gables police department on the private business property or inside the private business office, since something was wrongly bad here.

"Are you his lawyer?" Hester turned and frowned to Tom.

"Fucking, right," Tom nodded with the eloquent nasty prince charmingly mannered tone and a sour frown when he was miffed to the heavens and pissed outward towards the ice planets of Pluto. Ralph slid a hand over and calmly handed the tan colored envelope to Tom. Sawyer accepted and ripped open the envelope with fury, looking down and reading swiftly the typed information in the single letter of a legal document with a stern lawyer face.

Hester turned and frowned at Stu. "I am sorry here. But you are under arrest for the murder of Tamara Tame Tang, Stu."

Stu stood upright from the chair with a gasp and a whisper. "What?"

Frank spun around with a puzzled brow to see Stu. "Who is Tamara Tama Tang?" Tom continued to read through the legal document for an obvious error and a fast loophole in silence using all his legal experience while the intimidating and dangerous conversation continued inside the throne room of Austin.

"Former flame," Stu stared at Frank with a soft timber using the same curt term of an ex-girlfriend that his brother Austin had created.

The rattled noise sounded throughout the air waves. Frank spun around with a gasp and jabbed a finger at the object within the hands of the police captain with a stern face. "The shiny pair of silver tinted handcuffs aren't necessary, captain."

Hester shook a skull and the pair of handcuffs with a stern face and a nod to Gage. "I am afraid so. Please come with me, Stu. You know the police procedure."

"I do, at that." Stu slowly moved forward from the chair with a nod and a stern face.

Frank slid to the side with a sour frown and stopped, standing in front of Stu like he could use his small frame of six feet and one inch when his body was compared to the giant of six feet and six inches of his brother Gage. Mangrove snarled at Hester, "Hell no! Stu is not leaving from here." He turned and frowned at the blonde hair roots on Sawyer with a sneer. "Tom, do something right now?"

Tom stood in place and continued to scan the arrest warrant while looking quickly for a loophole for the tenth time with a puzzled brow. "I can't, Frank. This is an official legal United States warrant for Stu's arrest." He looked back to see Stu, who stood upright calm and cool as always in every difficult deadly dangerous situation. Sawyer couldn't note the same composite for the usually good caring and controlled physician of the Quartet.

Frank possessed an attitude of fury, angry, and downright hostile hostage towards the police captain. If Mangrove wasn't very careful, he would get arrested for obstruction of justice. However, Tom would bail the ass of Mangrove out later this evening, after he had bailed out Stu's ass first.

Hester motioned with a stern face and a hand to Gage. "I am sorry, too, Dr. Mangrove. Please move aside. Stu must come with us. It's the law."

Stu scooted around Frank and stopped, standing in front of the police captain, shifting both wrist bones together for the submission of the metal cuffs as it was directed by the police procedure.

Tom exhaled with a huff of frustration at the legal arrest document and turned, staring with a stern face at the two nose profiles of Stu and Hester. "I'm coming along too. I wanna hear the criminal charges and speak to anyone involved in this legal law matter."

Hester secured the handcuffs over both wrist bones of Stu and gently shoved the bicep on Gage towards the open archway. Stu moved ahead first with a stern face. Hester turned and nodded to Tom. "That is your right as his attorney," he spun around and followed behind the ass of Gage with a stern face.

Tom moved next through the open archway with a stern face behind the ass of Hester and left the throne room. Austin and Frank dashed ahead out the throne room and followed behind the ass on Tom while watching and worrying. Tom stopped and stood in front of Madeline's office desk with a stern face. "Madeline, please inform my second in command Richard to fetch my briefcase, my jacket, and bring all the items to the jail house in Coral Gables on Salzedo Street along with our QA standard legal documents," then Sawyer spun around and dashed ahead, entering the open carriage floor of the elevator with Stu, the police captain, and the three uniformed police officers.

The elevator doors closed shut.

Frank stopped and stood in front of the closed doors with a puzzled brow, "Holy damn, Austin! What just happened here inside our building in our presence?"

Austin stared at the closed door with a worried brow, too, "Tom will find out and then contact us as soon as he can."

Frank reached down inside the pocket jacket and whipped out the mobile telephone into the air, swishing the familiar icon with a stern face. "I'm notifying Jace. This is going to be another legal and medical case which happens to be against Stu. Someone died. Someone killed. Someone murdered. That someone isn't our brother Stu," he lifted the phone near a frown and listened to the ring tone, staring at the closed elevators doors.

Austin stared at the closed doors of the elevator with a nod and a worried brow. "Damn straight, too!"

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with windy and bright sunshine

Home location of Austin

Florida room setting

10:23 p.m.

His legal genius mind and his billion-dollar bank account quickly posted the required money bail of ten million dollars at the court house.

Judge Sherman Cutter wasn't surprised to see Sawyer, who was waiting outside at the office door, after Tom had called and requested a personal bail hearing. Cutter had encountered the suave and smooth South Florida gentleman on numerous legal law civil cases. This time, the arrest was against Big Man, one of the fourths of the Quartet, a brother.

Stu wouldn't run or escape to the Quartet private island within the Caribbean Sea. He would stay home where sent along with an electronic ankle bracelet that provided twenty-four-hour satellite outer space body and heat tracking. Gage had complied with a nice tone which befitted an innocent suspect to all and any legal demands and conditions set by the assigned police officer, the nasty district attorney prosecutor, and the just federal judge. Tom yelled with a series of famous curse words, before and after while not getting his way with the blinking ankle device that was wired around the left foot of Big Man.

Inside the house of Austin, both set of double front doors opened with force and then slammed against the pink colored paint job with a set of loud booms and a new set of additional ugly dent indentations inside the foyer.

On top of the pink and white checkered long sofa inside the Florida room of Austin's manor, Frank wore the same business attire from this morning and sat next to Jace and looked down with a smile, checking the designer wrist watch. A mad, streamed, and energetic Tom moved ahead through the front door first in front of a tired, hungry, and unhappy Stu in the dark purple and white square print trousers without the matching jacket and the amethyst tie pin, entering into the comfortable Florida room. Mangrove looked up with a laugh to see Tom, "Damn! Two hours, twenty-one minutes, and forty-seven seconds later, we see our brother Stu again back in Coral Beach. What the hell took so long, Tom?"

Tom stopped with a sour frown and slid down into an oversized pink tinted leather chair next to the matching leather chair with Austin, saying with a matching tone, "Fuck you, Mangrove! Don't start with me. I'm not in the fucking mood," he leaned over and accepted the cold bottle from Austin, sitting on the edge of the chair. He sipped and swallowed a gulp of the cold beer, placing the bottle on top of the white colored low table with a stern face. Stu stopped and slid down into a white colored leather chair next to Tom in silence. Tom stood upright from the chair and leaned over, handing out a stack of copied papers to Austin, Jace, and Frank. The papers included the vocal and written reports that came from two different police stations, the Miami district attorney office, the hospital medical record department, and the murdered blood relative testimony. He sat back down into the chair and turned, nodding to Stu, Austin, Frank, and Jace. "Stu and I talked the entire period after the finger printing in a very private..."

"Bugged..." Frank accepted the item from Tom and looked down with a worried brow to read the stack of papers from Sawyer.

Tom turned and frowned at the red curly hair roots on Mangrove. "Who gives a fucking shit, Frank? Stu is innocent here. I don't care if the damn devil-man hears my words."

"Recording devices..." Frank continued to review the stacks of papers with a worried brow

Tom frowned at the red curly hair roots on Mangrove again. "I can't use them in a court of law, Frank."

"Quiet, Frank!" Austin wore the same business attire from the morning meeting and exhaled with a worried brow, staring at the nose profile on Sawyer with a steady timber. "Continue, Tom."

Tom exhaled with a puff of worry. "Tamika Tami Tang is the live sister of a dead Tamara Tama Tang, who was found murdered in cold blood at her residential home on top of the bloody kitchen floor in the city of Ocala within the US State of Florida on September fifth on Sunday afternoon around 3:30 pm."

Frank pointed down at the stack of papers with a worried brow. "The medical report states she was also beaten, raped, tortured, face lacerations, hand broken, and legs broken which was all done before the final murdering act. Jeezus! Who did these terrible injuries to the poor girl?"

"You missed the last part, Frank." Tom frowned.

Frank looked down with a puzzled brow and flipped the papers to see the last part. "What last part?"

"Page six, paragraph seven, the aborted fetus was murdered too, since the dead woman was pregnant." Tom reached over and pointed to the spot on the paper. "So, the bottom line states that Stu is the biological father of the dead fetus."

Jace wore a tailored made light brown business suit with an orange and black stripped dress suit without a necktie and shook a brown colored cropped skull with a set of parted lips. "No. The blood-kin biological sister is crying wolf, because Tamara was his ex-girlfriend."

Austin asked with a stern face. "Do you date her sister, Stu?"

Stu nodded with a stern face to each face. "I dated both sisters. They're twins."

"Jeezus!" Frank continued to read the papers with a worried brow.

Austin exhaled with a stern face. "We need the proof and the evidence."

Jace read out loud from the stack of medical reports. "The blood test of the fetus matches Stu's blood type."

Austin shook a black colored skull with a stern face. "There are only four known blood type with O being the most popular. That is not a very good court room debating point, Jace."

Frank looked up with a sour frown to see Tom. "This is all impossible here. I demand to see all the medical tests, the laboratory reports, and the hospital medical records."

Tom nodded with a stern face. "I requested all the hospital documents, Frank. They're coming tomorrow to our office by express mail service."

"Excellent, Tom," Austin nodded with a smile.

Jace turned and frowned at the nose profile on Mangrove. "Frank, do you know how hard that it is not to prove paternity inside a courtroom?"

Frank shook a curly red colored skull with a sour frown. "I don't give a damn. There's something fishy here," he looked down to review the papers with a worried brow.

Austin turned and winked with a grin to Gage. "Yes, there is something here. And we will figure it out right now. Big Man is All right. We show up in court for a smooth presentation."

Tom exhaled with a huff of worry and looked down to see the hand written legal notes, "Now, Stu!" He lifted and sipped, swallowing the cold beer in a hand with a stern face. "I wanna go over all the questions, again."

Frank turned and frowned down at the blonde colored hair roots on Sawyer. "Why, Tom?"

Tom exhaled with a huff of worry and looked up with a stern face to see each face. "I want Austin, Frank, and Jace to hear all your responses, Big Man. Maybe, there is something that we missed. You need to rehearse all the answers for your deposition for Monday morning..."

Austin gasped. "Monday morning? Do you mean the thirteenth of September?"

Frank shook a curly red haired skull, "That's too damn swiftly fast."

Jace nodded. "It gives the term speedy trial, a new meaning. Doesn't it, Tom?"

Tom said. "The right to a speedy trial is guaranteed by the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution for all defendants in any criminal proceedings which will ensure Stu is not subjected to an unreasonable lengthy incarceration period while prior to a fair trial. There is a set of four part tests that consider the length of the delay."

Jace turned and winked to Stu. "What are your reasons for the upcoming delayed fair trial, Tom?"

Tom exhaled, "None."

Austin frowned. "It is supposed to be the defendant's assertion of his right to a speedy trial, not the judge's or the district attorney's or Tom's."

Stu smiled. "Can I object, now, Tom?"

Austin, Jace, and Frank chuckled. Mangrove smiled with a nod, "Go ahead, Stu!"

Tom looked down with a stern face to review the hand written legal notes. "I am not a judge, man."

Austin smiled. "And you are not to prejudice the defendant, either, lawyer."

Frank chuckled with a grin. "Every ones, any ones, and all the other ones receive a fair court trial, except for us, assholes."

Tom continued to review his hand written notes, "Baker versus Wingo in the year 1972 is the US Federal government legal law case which provided for a speedy trial without prejudice, Frank."

Austin nodded. "Violations of any principle test for unreasonable length of time can cause the dismissal of the criminal case."

Frank turned and smiled at the blonde hair roots on Tom. "This is a very unprofessionally unreasonable test. Therefore, can we...?"

Tom continued to review his notes with a stern face. "No, Frank."

Austin frowned, "Stu is getting his chance to a speedy and public trial starting on the thirteenth of September that is Monday morning."

Tom looked up with a sour frown to see Austin. "Stu has gotten a faster than light speed shitty ass speedy court room legal trial. I received the gawd damn black and white subpoena which was slapped down into a left hand as I walked through the front shiny right-hand glass door of the court house at nine fucking o'clock, this morning. Cutter's place is preparing for an upcoming faster court of legal law trial."

Frank frowned. "Stu is getting a court of law trial next week. Can't you toss the murder charges out our thirty-third story window and down onto the city street of Coral Gables, Tom?"

Tom looked down with a stern face to review his notes. "No."

"Can't you move mountains?"

"No."

"Can't you...?"

Tom looked up with a sour frown to see Frank, "No."

Austin looked down with a worried brow and flipped through all the papers for the first time, "The papers contain lots of..."

"Stuff..." Jace exhaled with a nod at the hair roots on Tom.

Tom continued to review his legal notes with a stern face. "The stack of stapled papers contains all the police reports, the eyewitness verbal and written testimonies, the criminal background reports, the family history report plus any social assessments. There are colored photos, three psychiatric evals, four specimen evidence lab reports, three depositions..."

Jace frowned. "Who has already been deposed, Tom?"

Tom read out loud from his legal notes. "Miss Tamika Tama Tang, the live twin sister."

Frank gasped, "Already?"

Tom looked up with a sour frown to see Mangrove, "She has been deposed faster than light speed, Frank."

Frank frowned, "Why, Tom?"

Austin shook a black colored hairy skull and turned with a worried brow to see Frank. "The faster than light speed non-fair court of law trial has been purposefully planned to un-level our ballgame playing field for Stu."

"For us!" Tom nodded with a sour frown.

Jace nodded with a worried brow, "Right!"

Austin turned and frowned at Tom. "Are you going to make Stu testify in court, Tom?"

"Yes." Tom said.

Frank gasped with alarm. "Why's that, Tom?"

Tom exhaled with a puff of worry. "You will understand once we go through the questions, again."

Frank shook a skull. "Do this tomorrow, Tom?"

Tom shook his blonde colored bangs with a stern face, "Hell no! No. No. Now! Time's a wasting," he sipped and gulped down the warm beer and placed the empty bottle onto the low table, turning with a stern face to see Stu. "What day and time did you and Gracie arrive at the ranch house in Ocala? Stu, you need to make your answer both honest and short and to the point."

Stu turned and nodded with a stern face to Tom, "I left the city of Ruby Beach at six pm before you and arrived at the private air strip at seven thirty or so. Gracie was there waiting for me. Then we boarded the private jet and zoomed to Ocala at about eight o'clock. We arrived at the private air strip of Ocala at nine o'clock on Friday evening. Then, we were driven by limousine to the ranch house and stayed up, talking inside the living room and went to bed around midnight..."

"No. No. No..." Tom shook his blonde colored bangs.

Gage gasped. "Yes. Yes. Yes, I told the truth of my travels from the west coast of Ruby Beach towards the central part of Florida where the city of Ocala is."

"No, I mean that your answer is too long. The long answer will give the prosecution too much ammunition with a legal gun which will prompt more nosey questions about your alibi. You need to state your answer short and sweet. What day and time did you and Gracie arrive at the ranch house in Ocala?"

"Friday night at ten o'clock."

"Excellent answer, Stu! That is the way to response during your legal eyewitness questioning." Tom nodded with a stern face. "Did you and Gracie go out to dinner in the town?"

"No."

"Did you and Gracie go shopping?"

"No."

"Did you and Gracie stay inside within the compound of the ranch house?"

Frank exhaled. "You don't have to repeat the phrase: you and Gracie every single time. Everyone knows them, Tom."

Tom stared with a stern face at Stu. "Shut up, Frank! Answer the question, Stu?"

"Yes." Stu said with a stern face.

"Did you and Gracie eat with the one or many of the ranch hands?"

"No."

"Did you and Gracie eat all alone at the ranch?"

"Yes."

"Why were you and Gracie at Misty Farms?"

"Vacation."

"What did you and Gracie do for fun?"

"Varied activities."

"Not good! Be very specific, man!" Tom shook his bangs with a stern face.

"Gracie attended the horses, riding, grooming..."

"Stu!" Frank frowned and interrupted the flow of questions and answers. "Did you realize Gracie was pregnant?"

Stu turned and frowned at Frank. "I didn't discover that information until the car accident."

Tom shook his blonde colored bangs with a sour frown. "That is not relevant here, Frank."

Frank turned and nodded with a stern face to Sawyer. "This is an important piece of medical evidence, Tom."

Sawyer growled. "No! The car accident on the date of September the seventh has nothing to do with the murder of the girl on the fifth of September. Forget it, Frank!"

Frank frowned. "You need to investigate everything, Tom."

Tom exhaled. "You go and investigate it, Frank. I'll working on the questions that the Miami district attorney is going to ask Stu in the depose proceedings on Monday morning on September thirteenth."

Frank frowned. "You're being rude and an ass, Tom."

"I'm a soulless lawyer, Remember? Stu's life is on the line. Yours ain't. Shut the fuck up, Frank!" Tom turned and stared with a stern face at Stu. "How long did you and Gracie stay in the city of Ocala?"

Stu said. "Three days."

"All day and night on Saturday, all day and night on Sunday, and all day and night Monday until the day of the accident on Tuesday morning at ten am, is this correct?"

"Yes."

"What did you and Gracie do together?"

"Ate meals, played games, danced."

Frank frowned. "You just asked that same question twice to Stu, Tom. You're being a redundant asshole."

Tom stared with a stern face at Stu. "It is a very technique of a good lawyer, Frank. Tell me, Stu!"

Stu said. "Hung around the ranch...and..."

Tom shook his blonde colored bangs with a stern face. "No, that is not good enough. What else? Be very specific."

Stu exhaled. "Uh..."

Frank exhaled with a huff of worry and watched sissy ass Stu. He continued to struggle with a simple set of legal law questions that were related to his tragic vacation in Ocala while igniting a set of past mind memories of a tough-ass Gage.

Seven years ago

Country of Puerto Rico

(1,153 air miles southeast from US State of Florida)

Hot temperatures with light rain showers and cloudy night skyline

Jungle tree location

3:09 a.m.

The four young adult males were resting over the wet grass within four separate positions while engaging in one of the first Quartet mission assignments for one of the newest Quartet Associates clients.

The island was located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean which was surrounded by a range of massive volcanic mountains which formed the small land mass. The Quartet had been summoned by the un-named person in regards a friend for aid and assistance in a sensitive international kidnapping process.

"It's hot." Tom said via the headset and then tossed a tiny piece of dry and hard toast at the lizard which was twenty yards from his erected poncho tent setting. He wore a pair of night vision goggles and a set of green and tan colored fatigues with a green colored body armor seeing the island creature while tracking the crooked column of white bread crumbs. The island creature moved closing to Stu and Frank.

"Stop feeding the wild animals." Stu said via the headset and continued to observe both Tom and the animal with a sour frown, wearing the same set of green and tan colored fatigues underneath a set of green colored body armor for protection with a pair of night vision goggles.

"Iguanas are not wild. They are tame and live on bugs and fruit." Frank said via the headset and watched the target house through a pair of binoculars wearing the same set of green and tan colored fatigues underneath a set of green colored body armor for protection without a pair of night vision goggles.

"Smells like horseshit around me. Did you bath, last night, Gage?" Tom chuckled via the headset.

"Everything smells like horseshit including you and the damn iguanas." Stu tossed a rock at iguana while scaring it from his wet spot inside the rain forest.

The mountain top was like a dark jungle of Africa, instead of a Caribbean island paradise of water, sand, and a line of dancing semi-naked female natives. The time was 3:09 in the morning as the bright moon peeked through the thick canopy of tree limbs onto four camouflaged pup tents, where four guys laid waiting and watching for the QA prey.

Stu used the mission to waste time while explaining the finer points of sniper shooting the first thirty minutes of the boring assignment for the Quartet.

The four non-biological brothers were building their own brotherly empire of an international security company while needing some real-time dangerous experience and real-time killing action, not the desk of stack of fluffy papers or paper cuts on two finger pads inside the cozy law library.

The Quartet was not a trained professional law enforcement elite fighting force of officers, so they were learning and understanding both military tactics and strategic from battle minded brother Stu.

Gage had graduated from Coral Gables Police Academy with a basic law enforcement protocol while instructing Tom, Frank, and Austin on the finer points of staying alive and killing the enemy dead.

The Quartet had engaged for fun, play, and protection with a range of hand to hand martial arts, telecommunication devices, and weapons training. Each fun and serious training session was instituted by a biological father for safety and survival within a hostage world of nut cases and looney-tooney cartoon-characters, who only wanted money more than morals.

Ironically, the Quartet had visited here in the resort beach town of San Juan within the US territory of Puerto Rico three weeks ago on a family vacation outing while lounging inside one of the nicest sea resort spots with a set of nice natives on the little island.

"Look into scope and see the target!" Stu said via the headset.

Tom looked through the gun scope on the long rifle, saying into the headset, "Got it."

"We're lucky that it's not raining." Frank frowned into the headset.

"Don't start, Frank! You'll wish us bad luck." Tom sneered into the headset.

Frank smile into the headset. "Why do say that Tom?"

"Because, you start preaching and then something bad always happens, Frank. So, shut the fuck up!" Tom exhaled into the headset.

"Tom, pay attention," Stu said via the headset.

Tom stared at the tiny house down inside the flat valley through the scope of the long rifle, "Got it."

The Quartet Associates mission entailed a local street gang of young adults, who were responsible for a local string of vicious gunshot murders, drug dealings, and numerous carjacks throughout the small neighborhood. The local police department had worked the usually legal chores of numerous search warrants without an indictment through the legal law court room system while coming up empty handed without a conviction, each and every time. The US territory government had contacted the US Federal government. Then the US Federal government had contacted the Quartet.

"Austin, I disagree with our present mission." Frank exhaled via the headset.

"Our mission is easy, kill the bad guys." Austin continued to aim the scope on top of the cold long barrel at the front door of the tiny house while watching for an upright heated body that held flesh and bone wearing the same set of green and tan colored fatigues underneath a set of green colored body armor for protection with a pair of night vision goggles.

The small village was ugly with a set of badly patched rooftops, an assortment of unassembled rusty stationary non-functioning vehicles, a pack of roaming stray dogs, a flock of grazing live chickens, and one rooster within western San Juan. The village was surrounded by a set of rolling hills which were too small to be labeled as a grown mountain range.

The entrance and exit was a badly paved roadway with numerous visual potholes. The biggest house contained all the audio action including loud music, dancing girls, good-smelling food, and empty bottles of beverages, overall a good-time badass party.

Stu shot the first bullet from the long-range sniper rifle into the open front porch while beating out Berrington for the kill shot. He downed the first male as the musical party ended. Then, he jumped into the air and stumbled down the hill with a gun in each hand and a knife between the teeth, dashing into a bloody catfight with all the badass island rebels. Austin and Frank stood upright and raced down the hill behind the ass of Stu.

Tom slowly stood upright from the wet grass and exhaled with a puff of annoyance, wiping the water from the wet-proof green colored trousers.

Then, the Quartet Associate action ended with in both fists and guns, finishing the first victory lap that evening while saving a group of innocent people.

Present day and place

Home location of Austin

Florida room setting

10:41 a.m.

Tom reached up and touched the temple with a nod and a stern face to Stu, "Think, man!"

Frank turned and frowned at Sawyer. "What is Stu supposed to think of, Tom?"

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Frank!"

Austin exhaled with a stern face. "Let Stu chill for a couple of hours. Then we can rehash the questions, Tom."

Tom shook his blonde colored bangs with a stern face at Stu. "I don't have any time which I ain't got anymore. Start it up again! So far, you and Gracie eat, danced, and played games together at the ranch house. Gracie attended the animals. Did you go with her?"

Stu said with a stern face. "No."

"Was she gone all day?"

"No."

Frank jabbed a finger with a smile and a nod at Stu. "That is excellent news, Stu. Gracie is your alibi. See? Stu didn't commit any damn murder here."

Jace smiled with a nod. "This is great news. Stu's got it made now."

Tom lifted a palm with a stern face at Stu. "Hold up! Stu has to produce one or two other eyewitnesses when he wasn't around his girl Gracie. Did any of the ranch hands see your handsome face like Ralph or Paul or John?"

Frank nodded with a smile. "We can call all of them."

Tom frowned. "Don't, Frank?"

Frank frowned, "Why not, Tom?"

Tom exhaled. "Looky! This is a cold blooded murder-one case. Don't start calling every Tom, Dick, and Harry. I'm the attorney. I give the orders here, not you, Frank."

"Tom's the boss." Austin nodded with a stern face.

Frank shook a curly red colored skull with a sour frown. "I disagree. Paul is the overseer to see over Misty Farms. He sees everything. We pay him to see everything. He saw Stu at the ranch home. Period!"

Tom turned and gasped at Mangrove. "Gawd, Frank. I don't want a paying and seeing eyewitness. That's criminal. I could go to jail. Well, it is your fucking idea. So, you will go to jail, Mangrove," he sniggered at the quick mental thought of Frank, who would be crying and whining like a baby behind a set of jail bars for a minor crime.

Frank frowned with a nod. "My valid and accurate point, the ranch hands were at the ranch house along with Gracie and Stu at the same time during the days of September the third through the seventh."

Tom frowned. "My other point, I am the lawyer here. Stu didn't murder the fucking damn dead girl. However, he does need an awesomely solid clear-cut vocal and verbal alibi."

"Tom..." Stu said.

Tom stared at Frank while wishing that Mangrove could be beamed to another planet in another galaxy for the month, "What, man?"

Stu exhaled with a huff of worry. "I was gone for a day by myself."

Tom turned and gasped with worry at Gage, "Gone! Where did you go, man?"

Stu said with a stern face. "I went driving, sightseeing, and hiking in the hills..."

"Do you go for a couple of hours during the daylight?" Tom asked.

Stu smiled. "I was gone for a whole day without Gracie."

Frank parted the lips, "You were gone from the ranch house without Gracie." His stomach hit down into the bottom of the polished leathers.

Tom frowned. "Fuck, Stu! You mention this to me right now."

"I forgot." Stu softly said. He should have relayed the data to Tom inside the jail house. After recovering from the car accident, the loss of his unborn child, his body injury, his wife's body injury and her recovery, and the impromptu arrest at the office, he didn't think it important.

Tom exhaled with deep concern. "What were you doing for a fucking day without Gracie, Stu?"

Stu smiled. "I was sightseeing around Mother Nature and thinking with my quiet and peaceful thoughts..."

"You went sightseeing around the woodlands without Gracie." Jace frowned.

"Damn it to hell." Austin frowned.

"Holy fucking shit." Tom frowned.

"Jeezus!" Frank loudly moaned.

"I didn't do it." Stu turned and gasped at each face and finally back to Tom.

Tom nodded with a stern face. "I do believe you but a jury is not going to accept that crap. Shit!"

Frank frowned. "Your alibi..."

"...is blown." Austin nodded with a stern face.

Tom frowned. "When did you go into the woods like Brother Jesus?"

Stu said. "It was the day before the wreck. The wreck occurred on Tuesday morning at ten o'clock. I went into the wilderness hiking through the woodlands with the birds and the trees on late Monday morning which was September the sixth."

Jace whispered for his eardrums only. "The death day, the woman was killed."

Tom exhaled. "Did you leave out from the ranch house the entire range of daylight hours?"

"Did your impromptu sightseeing trip include any of the nighttime hours?" Frank frowned with worry.

Stu nodded with a stern face. "Yes."

Tom asked. "How long, as in the number of hours, were you away from the ranch house, Stu?"

Stu nodded. "I left out at mid-morning until late evening which was about eighteen hours." Tom turned and frowned at Austin in silence.

Jace gasped. "You were gone eighteen hours that is almost the entire night too. There is only twenty-four hours in a day plus a night."

Austin frowned, "Damn it to hell."

Tom frowned, "Holy fucking shit."

Frank loudly moaned, "Jeezus!"

Tom looked down with a stern face and jolted down the hand written information on the paper. "What time did you return back to the ranch house, Big Man?"

Stu nodded with a smile. "I came back to the ranch house around nightfall or so which was way after sunset. It was really dark with the bright sky of white stars." Tom looked up and turned with a stern face to see Austin in silence.

Jace gasped. "You returned back to the ranch house after sunset and with the moonlight beams and the bright stars."

"Damn it to hell," Austin frowned.

"Holy fucking shit," Tom frowned.

"Jeezus," Frank shook a skull with a worried brow.

Tom turned back with a stern face to see Stu and tapped the pencil eraser on the top of the paper. "Did anyone see, talk, or grab your ass?"

Stu shook a bald skull with a stern face. "No."

Tom exhaled with worry, "Holy fucking shit, Stu."

Austin shook a skull with a stern face. "I am a little lost. And I was not present with you and Tom during the police booking. Please start all over from the beginning, again. We saw you leave out from Ruby Beach at six o'clock in the helicopter. You reached the Ruby Beach airport first. Then, you fly home in the jet. By the time we reached the airport, the QA jet was back at the airport of Ruby Beach, so all of us to returned back to Coral Beach. So, what happened after we said goodbye inside the parking lot of Napleville City Hospital?"

Stu nodded with a smile. "I flew on board the QA helicopter out from the Napleville City Hospital parking lot at 6:08 pm on September the third. I landed at the Napleville private air strip at 6:22 pm. The QA jet was there and gassed. I boarded and flew from the air strip at 6:32 pm. It is a flight time of twenty minutes flat from Napleville to the Kendall-Tamiami air strip in Miami. I landed at 6:51 pm. Gracie was there to meet and greet me. We immediately boarded the QA jet for the next leg of our flight. It takes forty minutes to fly from Kendall-Tamiami air strip to the private air strip in Ocala which is closest to the ranch house at Misty Farms. We landed at 7:33 pm. The ranch house limousine was there waiting for us. We rode to the ranch house and stayed there for the rest of the night. The next day on Saturday, September the fourth, we hung around the ranch house. Gracie enjoyed grooming and feeding the horses. I hang around and played on the computer, swimming in the pool. We did the same routine on Sunday which was September the fifth also."

Frank lifted a palm with a stern face to see Tom. "Wait! I have a question. Stu and Gracie were there at Misty Farms, because they were celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary. Now, why would a man who didn't have a personal vehicle and was there to celebrate a successful marriage bother to murder a pregnant woman with whom he had not seen in thirteen years?"

Tom frowned. "The prosecution team wants to ask and find out that same answer, Frank."

"Please continue, Stu!" Austin nodded with a stern face.

Stu exhaled. "On September the sixth, Monday, Gracie and I performed the same routine. Then, Tuesday morning on September the seventh at 9:42 pm, we were driving over a lonely country road towards one of the other horse ranches. The staff had told Gracie about an owner that wanted to purchase some of our older horses for their young kids. We were driving there to negotiate the purchase when a city dump truck zoomed down the same road and then it veered into my driving traffic lane. I jerked the wheel away from the dump truck and landed down into a deep ditch while slamming into the forward tall tree. Then Gracie..."

"We understand, Stu." Frank nodded with a smile.

"Let us move to the next topic!" Austin said with a stern face.

Frank pointed down with a stern face to the glossy colorful photography within the stack of papers from Tom. "The victim, did you know her, Stu?"

"Yes." Stu turned and nodded to Frank.

"She's a former flame. Did she live in Miami?" Tom said.

"She lived in Ocala." Stu turned and stared at Tom.

Tom beat the eraser on the paper without making any noise. He knew the answers to the questions and the new direction of this murder legal case, since Tom had talked with Stu inside the police station during his booking and his lockup. Tom didn't want to concentrate on the outcome at the moment. "Do you remember her private residential home, Stu?"

"Yes."

Tom exhaled, "Stop! Ya betta explain that to me in more fucking detail, Stu. This line of legal questioning isn't looking very good for you, Big Man." Tom turned and stared at Austin, the other licensed attorney in the room and then turned back with a stern face to see Gage.

Stu nodded with a stern face. "Tamara lived in the college dormitory with her sister Tamika, but their parents had a house in the city of Ocala. I visited with her two or three times during the holidays in the city of Ocala while on college break from the University of Dade-Miami."

Tom frowned. "Did you fuck her?"

Frank gasped with alarm. "Tom?"

Tom nodded. "I need to know, Frank. Did you fuck both of them, Stu?"

Stu nodded with a stern face, "I fucked both of them."

"When?"

"I was in college with the both of them."

Tom exhaled, "I need to know more, a lot more. All of it! Keep talking, Stu!"

Stu nodded with a stern face. "I haven't seen or heard from either girl, since college. I met both of them as an incoming college freshman like the twins, long before I had met Gracie and after graduating college and before everything. And then..."

Tom gasped. "And then what, man?"

Stu said. "She was there."

"There? Who were there? Where was who, Stu?"

"She was there in front of the bank."

Tom frowned. "What bank?"

"In Ocala, I needed money from the bank."

Frank parted the lips with curiosity and concern, "You needed money. Why did you need money, Stu? The ranch house has everything a person needs or wants for months and all the way up into two years in case of numerous Mother Nature disasters. You didn't need to leave the ranch house."

Stu said with a worried brow. "In the early morning, I was buying Gracie a special gift in town. She was upset when we arrived at the ranch house on Friday evening. Then, the next two days on Saturday and Sunday, she was really mad at me and grouchy to everyone, except the damn horses. I wanted to cheer her up. I wanted my girl happy during our vacation trip."

Tom rolled a hand into the air with a stern face to Stu. "So, this girl named Tamara Tama Tang. She saw you at the bank in the city of Ocala on Monday the date of September the sixth in the morning."

Frank frowned. "So, you did see the dead girl on her death day."

Tom turned and sneered at Frank. "Stu saw the live girl at the bank which is a correction there, Frank."

Frank nodded with a stern face, "Right."

Stu nodded with a stern face. "Yes, I recognized Tamara."

Frank shook a skull. "Unbelievable!"

Tom asked. "Did you talk to her there at the bank on Monday the day of September the sixth?"

Stu said. "No! I noticed her strolling up the brick steps of the local bank. She looked physically the same when we both were eighteen years old."

Tom turned and nodded to Austin, "Fuck it! The bank cameras were working also."

Austin nodded with a stern face. "Frank, get hard copies of the electronic footage."

"Done," Frank whipped out the mobile telephone and typed a text message to Zack, the best guard at Quartet Associates. If the Quartet needed the queen's tiara, Zack could steal it for them.

Tom returned back to see Stu with a stern face. "Did she talk to you or walk with your person or see your face, Stu?"

Stu shook a skull. "I don't think so. Her head was down as she bolted into the bank lobby."

Frank looked down with a worried brow and jotted down his own notes in the paper notebook. "What time, Stu?"

Tom waved a hand back and forth with a stern face. "It doesn't matter."

Frank looked up with a sneer and jabbed a finger into Tom's face. "Yes! Everything matters right now, Tom."

Tom turned and frowned at Frank. "That is a minor point."

Frank sneered. "You are missing the minor and major points, Tom."

Tom growled. "I'm the attorney here, Frank. I do know what I'm doing."

"I didn't kill her." Stu gasped.

"I believe you, Big Man." Tom turned and smiled at Gage.

"How does both the dead girl and her dead baby play into the legal game here?" Austin asked.

Jace rattled the papers with a stern brow to each face. "The blood slide shows Stu's particular blood type along with his genetically makeup all match precisely the baby's profile of an aborted fetus that came from the murdered twin sister."

"Jeezus!" Frank looked down with a worried brow and flipped through the stack of papers for the report again.

Tom turned and nodded to Jackson. "Jace, can you prove it to be fake, false, wrong, or anything deceptive?"

Jace shook a skull with a sour frown, "Hell, never! I cannot prove false anything with a real blood splatter or a piece of dead skin tissue. Maybe, if it is a piece of fresh skin tissue, then you could splice some tiny microscopic molecules at the DNA level with a laser and then reshape it into a fake specimen sample but not on a dead piece of skin cell. This is real. I hate to admit this. This is real."

Tom exhaled, "Holy fucking shit. What else, Jace?"

"Clueless?" Jace shrugged a shoulder with a worried brow.

Tom said. "How did Stu's DNA get into the dead baby?"

Jace chuckled. "Do you really want me to answer that, Tom?"

Tom growled. "Fuck you, Jace! Theorize something evil has occurred here, not pure biology."

"Clueless?" Jace shrugged a shoulder with a worried brow for a second time.

Tom turned and nodded to Gage, "Stu, truth or dare, man? You knew the girl. You knew her house. You knew Ocala. Did you get drunk? Did you have an affair? Did you stray one day during a vacation trip to the ranch house?"

Frank yelled with fury. "Thomas?"

Tom sneered. "Shut up, Frank!"

Stu exhaled with a serious face. "I didn't stray. I haven't seen her, since I was eighteen years old in college. Honest, Tom! I'll swear on a stack of Holy Bibles."

Tom shook his bangs, "Holy fucking shit!"

Frank exhaled, "What a gawd damn fucking mystery?"

Tom nodded, "Fucking shitting mystery?"

Jace nodded. "Okay, guys! Let's move on. What is the next step?"

Stu parted the lips. "Is there really a next step, Tom?"

"The blood smeared slide is a piece of pure hard clinical evidence." Jace nodded.

"The blood smeared slide is a piece of pure hard horseshit." Frank frowned.

Austin nodded with a stern face. "I agree."

Tom nodded. "Someone has created a genuine copy from a fake-something using Stu's DNA."

Frank shook a skull, "Tom, you're not making sense."

Tom reached over and slapped Stu on the arm with a smile and a nod. "I believe my brother. If he didn't fuck her, then tell me, who was the person that did the fucking murder of a now dead and gone Tamara Tama Tang?"

"Clueless?" Jace shrugged a shoulder with a stern face.

Frank asked. "Whose baby is that really on top of the medical blood smeared glass slide of Tamara Tama Tang?"

Tom turned and nodded to Jace. "Can we track down a father of a dead fetus?"

"That's a science fiction question." Jace grinned.

"That will have a fucking science fiction answer, too," grinned Frank.

Jace shook a curly brown colored skull. "The answer is no."

Tom nodded. "Think! We're all fucking geniuses here."

Austin pointed down with a stern face at the new glossy photograph within the stack of papers from Tom. "Why was the terrain vehicle parked at the murdered girl's house, Stu?"

Tom turned and frowned at Austin, "What terrain vehicle?"

Austin lifted up the photograph near a frown. "This photograph clearly shows the license plate of MISTY1."

"Show me?" Tom frowned. Austin leaned over with a stern face and handed the photograph to Tom.

Frank looked down and flipped through the stack of papers, finding and confirmed in surprise and puzzlement, looking up with a worried brow to see Stu. "That vehicle belongs my wife Misty. Why was her car photographed by the police, Stu?"

Tom studied the photo for a second time with a stern face. "The police attacked the ranch house with a legal warrant and then snapped pictures of everything."

"A set of eyewitnesses told the police about a terrain vehicle that was colored in pink with a distinct Florida license plate. The first three letters were MIS. Misty's jeep is pink and has the first three matching alphabetic letters. The police assumed this to be the same vehicle which was located at the murdered girl's house." Austin read out loud from the stack of papers in which Tom missed or was too occupied to read. "And the terrain vehicle matches the fucking rubber tire prints which was taken on top of the dead girl's private residential driveway," he looked up with a puzzled brow to see Stu.

"Stu?" Frank gasped in surprise and worried.

Stu lifted both palms into the air with a puzzled brow and shake a bald skull. "I don't know. I didn't kill her. I didn't do it, Tom."

Austin frowned. "Was the pink tinted terrain vehicle stolen from the driveway of ranch house, Stu?"

Stu said. "No."

"Did you use it for any type of driving or recreational outing?" Tom asked.

Stu nodded with a stern face. "Yes, I left out from the ranch house and then drove the terrain vehicle over the rough dirt and stopped, parking directly at the entrance of the hiking trail which was five miles away from the ranch house."

Frank gasped. "What day did you go hiking over the mountain, Stu?"

Stu nodded. "I went hiking all alone on Monday morning until late night on September the sixth."

Tom exhaled. "Holy fucking shit."

"Damn it to hell," Austin exhaled.

"Jeezus!" Frank moaned.

Austin frowned. "This doesn't look good, Stu."

Tom nodded. "This doesn't sound, look, or smell good, Big Man."

Frank asked. "Why is Misty's pink terrain vehicle reported at the victim's house and not at the ranch house?"

"I don't know." Stu shook his baldness with a stern face.

"They are trying to un-level the baseball game playing field." Austin exhaled with deep concern.

"Yes. And we are losing the baseball game." Frank frowned.
Saturday September 11th

(USA Patriot Day)

City of Miami Beach

(16 miles, northeast, from Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures and windy with bright sunshine

Miami Beach Golf Club

USA Patriot Day Golf Tournament

1:01 p.m.

Auditorium setting

I do declare, if this place feels like the Old South in the beach town of Miami Beach," the slender male golfer was dressed in suntanned stinky body sweat and a set of wet golf clothing with a chuckle and a smile at the pretty hostess.

The female hostess stood slightly inside the archway of an air conditioned entrance hall that was fifteen feet high on the side wall and dressed in a lightweight peach colored fluffy plantation costume dress with the matching floppy hat, and a fake loop skirt underneath the cotton fabric, pointing with a matching short wrist bone yellow gloved hand, guiding each guest to the side door that led down a winding stone pathway of flora flower garden between the two buildings. The main building was the golf house that contained vertical rows of merchandise shops to purchase any and all men, women, teenager, and child golf accessories plus all type of cute aquatic items of Miami Beach in the form of postcards, statues, paper stationary, seashells, short objects of various fossilized colorful lobster, crabs, and fish, if you were into that thing.

The end of the hallway displayed a horizontal row of small and larger rooms of office space for the staffer and the owner of the golf club.

The Miami Beach Golf Course was an eighteen-hole fairway with a golf house and restaurant that lounged on top of an island which was straight across from the mainland of downtown Miami and surrounded by a set of circular rows of residential houses. The set of circular rows of residential house was surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean waters on the north side, the Biscayne Bay waters on the west and south sides, and a city street on the east side that led directly into the heart of the beach town of South Beach, Florida.

The exterior facade of the building displayed a set of four tall and thick columns of white concrete that held up a green tinted tile rooftop on a one story building.

The slender male golfer, his wife, three children plus three more married couples with children were vacationing in the city of hot and sizzling Miami Beach coming from the US State of Oklahoma.

The black haired slender male golfer led the party of hunger family members and friends with a smile beside his golf partner with brown hair. The brown haired golf partner nodded with a smile to the hostess and looked down the long hallway at the rows of shops where he could purchase a new set of golf clubs and a mounted fish to fool the co-workers in his office back home. "This particular golf house possesses that certain kind of Old South elegance in the middle of an ocean beach with a numerous semi-naked girls and a row of pastel colored Art Deco buildings. Are we really in Miami Beach? Every chick is hot and beautiful and almost naked. I'm going to fuck my wife good tonight."

The lead couple was greeted by a young boy with dark skin and dark hair who wear a pair of tan walking shorts, a dark green golf shirt with the name of the golf course, and a pair of yellow colored sneakers. He bowed at the waist and stood upright with a toothy smile to the new set of guests for a good money tip towards the table, spinning to face a set of open archway, slowly moving ahead down a tile floor.

The pair of golfers turned and followed behind the back spine on the elementary boy with a set of soft words and smiles. The slender male golfer yelled out loud with a grin, "Hey, young sir! Can my party of fifteen eat outside on the patio that overlooks the grass? Our kids can run around the patio and the grass after they don't finish the free plate of food while not perturbing the adult," laughing.

The children of each couple dashed ahead of their parents and stopped, standing with a giggle and tapped on the front glass of an enclosed salt water aquarium tank on each side of the hallway without a rooftop. the salt water aquarium tank held numerous schools of fish, a pod of brownish gray nurse sharks, numerous pink or orange coral reefs with plant life, scattered section of brown sea grasses, other various aquatic life, such like, starfish, seashells, eels, sea horses and numerous other sea life.

The young boy nodded with a smile at the wall of open archways on the next building, since he had seen the two large separate aquarium tanks on each side of the hallway for years as a young child. His mother and father worked here at the golf club also. He moved ahead with a smile to appease the new set of guests, "Yeah, sure, sir!" He veered towards a separate building. The building was a rectangular shaped and shorter in height than the larger golf house with an array of numerous squared shaped archways to enter and exit very quickly from the ballroom that served as a restaurant and an auditorium for any particular occasion where food was served.

However, each archway held a set of sliding glass doors that could be closed during any type of ceremony or celebration for the guests to enjoy the food and the entertainment.

The young boy veered to the left which lead into the air condition restaurant. The party of fifteen veered the same pathway with set of smiles and laughter while watching the aquatic life forms inside aquarium.

Each mom gathered their running children and herded everyone towards the same archway with a set of frowns and yells for the lunch meal.

In the led pair, the slender brown haired second male golfer turned and smiled at each side wall that displayed three tiers of hot steaming and cold food trays on top of pressed yellow colored tablecloths. "The food selection is abundant with a carving station and a seafood cart, a green salad bar. There is an omelet station with four hot items on the buffet, including frittata, potatoes, sausage, and bacon. And the alcoholic bar is all free for the day. The frittata was superfluous yesterday."

The young boy moved ahead and around the numerous eating tables that were filled with other guests of the golf club and exited through another wall of open archways and stopped, selecting a long table in front of the low windows for the party of fifteen with a smile and lifted an open palm.

The party of fifteen members scooted out the interior restaurant and selected a seat at the assigned long lunch table, sliding down, banging on the plates and utensils for the waitress to bring the plate of food. The black haired slender male golfer stood near the chair and reached down, pulling out a couple of dollars, handing to the young boy with a smile. "Ya did do good, kid. Thank you!"

The young boy accepted and closed up the palm with the few single dollar bills with a nod and a smile, spinning around, carefully dashing back through the interior restaurant, down through the hallway of aquariums, through the door into the hallway of the golf house and stopped, standing in the back of line with the other young boys. Each young boy worked for a few dollars and quietly escorted each party to an empty table while keeping the guests inside a seat without perturbing the rest of the occupants during the crowed lunch time setting.

A waitress approached and stood at the long table with a smile. "Welcome and hello to the Miami Beach Golf Club! I am your food gopher today. My name is Nori..."

The wife of the browned haired male golfer leaned over into the eardrum on her girlfriend with a sour frown. "Is that a boy or a girl? I can't tell. They all look the same to me. Is that a young person from the foreign country of Japanese? Why are the living here in the USA?"

The girlfriend leaned over with a smile. "The city of Miami is an international town within the USA. There are all kinds of people that live and work here. Please try to be respectful of human beings!"

The blacked haired slender male golfer looked up with a fake smile to food gopher Nori. "Please bring me a Bloody Mary drink first..."

Inside the Golfer Sandwich Shop, the waitress stood over hair roots on a tall, overweight, and bald skull of the male from the US State of Indiana. He frowned down at the menu. "Is the lunch meal free?"

His wife turned and smile at her husband. "Yes, husband! It is included in the vacation package."

He looked up with a smile and a laugh. "Well then, I wanna order every single item from the food tray at the buffet."

"How did you enjoy game play today, husband?"

He patted a chest with a smile. "The golf course is beautiful with a set of fast greens. The entire golf fairways are very well manicured and fun to play. It was a bit breezy here surrounded by water. But I still enjoyed it. What are you eating?"

"I am having a veggie and cheese omelet with a side dish of roast veggies and potatoes.

The brown haired young elementary girl turned and smiled at the cheekbone of her mother. "When do we live from here Florida, Dad?"

"Tomorrow, honey! What do you want to eat for lunch?" The mom of the brown haired young elementary girl smiled and patted the hair root of the child.

Inside the interior of the restaurant dining room at a center square shaped eating table two set of families, the husband turned with a smile to his wife, holding a forkful of food. "The Miami Beach Golf Course, this place is a gem stone of a golf course in Miami. The course layout is fun to play. I find that the greens are well maintained and the house staff is very friendly. These greens are some of the most challenging part of this course."

The wife frowned with a spoonful of food. "My one complaint is that the course doesn't have much land that sets on top of an island but the island is beautiful."

"I find all the holes narrow and on top of each other."

"This is vacation. We have fun on a vacation."

"And I hit waiting for the karts of other golfers who hit on our fairway which is too often.

She laughed. "It is an island, husband. Overall though, I enjoyed playing here and will definitely play another here next year during our summer vacation."

The children consumed the food in silence.

Inside the Golfer Lounge, the four enclosed lime green colored walls were displayed with an array of military pictures and an assortment of physical items that were mounted on top of long wooden shelving between the pictures, such like, old rifles, army helmets, army bayonet, marching boots, and other World War Two military objects.

The red haired female golfer from the country of Ireland sat at a table in the rear of the room with a smile at her golfer partner, picking at the seafood plate. "I played here last week and the week before last. This is one of the best golf courses in the USA. Believe me! My international job allows me to fly from one metro city to another for both business and entertainment. The fairways here at eh Miami Beach Golf Course are in very good condition."

The blonde haired second female golfer laughed with a nod from the country of Italy. "Watch out! I saw a pink flamingo in one of the water hazards, which technically wouldn't be part of the fairways anyway. But the poor bird could be hit by a stray golf bad."

"Don't worry! The outdoor golf staffers watch out for the fowl life and shoos it away before the strike of the next golf bay."

"That's nice. The executive management here is kind to both guests and animals. Why are the walls painted in lime green with some many different types of ancient items from a war?"

"This spot of land was a military base during the war."

"O. The food here inside the Golfers Lounge is first-class quality. You would never expect to find food this good inside the grill section of a private golf course. The food is simply amazing," the second female golfer leaned down and ate, chewing he food with a nod.

She nodded with a smile. "I know. I come to eat when not playing too," the red haired golfer reached out and lifted up the beverage, sipping.

At the eating beverage bar inside a set of two tall stools, the tall and slender male with a head of blonde hair smiled. "The greens on the fairways are spectacular. They are wide and large, hard and fast rolling, there is really no need for a second stroke. Each of my ball landings just on the green could still be putt. Pin placement was perfect for my lousy aim. Each punting cup on the bottom of shelf and on the perimeter of greens was a perfect hit, too," laughing with his golf buddy. The golf buddy nodded with a mouth of food in silence.

Inside the kitchen space of the restaurant in the rear wall near the rows of freezers and a wall of frozen chambers for meat, the young adult male stood in front of the fridge wall and waved both arms in the air with a worried brow at his supervisor. "Right now, the entire ballroom is filled with over eight hundred plus guests plus the ones inside the Golfer Lounge and the Golfer Snack Shop."

The owner was a petite woman with a head of straight shoulder length hair, a tone of olive tinted skin, and a pair of brown eyeballs, wearing a simple coral colored dress with a pair of flat matching sandals with a sour frown. "And we are completely out of frozen ice cubes. It's eighty plus degree outside this sunny and hot afternoon of March. Here's a stack of cash. Go to the ice block house on Collins Avenue and get sixty pounds of ice immediately. Hurry and bring it back here and store inside one of the older frozen chambers. I'm calling the repair man to fix the new freezer, right now," she nodded with a stern face. The young adult male spun around with a sour frown and dashed ahead, exiting the kitchen with the wad of cash to his car and travel to the ice block house per the instructions of his supervisor. She exhaled with a puff of frustration and whipped out the mobile telephone, swishing the icon for the listing of names that she trusted, punching the familiar face of the repair man. She lifted the phone to an eardrum and moved ahead through the kitchen space with a sour frown. The fun event day to celebrate the USA Patriot Day had been extremely busy with the family golf tournament for both the family unit and a set of single amateur golfers. Now, it was lunchtime for a big crowd of hunger American and international guests.

The mobile telephone cut off without a ringing tone as she dropped it from a distorted face. "Damn cell phone!" She slammed the rear door of the restaurant building, moving outside in the sizzling heat of the day, across the manicured grass, entering the back door of the golf house and moved down the hallway to her business office.

She entered the business office with a sour frown and stopped, standing in front of the office desk, leaning down, snatching the receiver on the old fashioned telephone landline. She lifted the receiver into an eardrum and heard static on the landline with a laugh of frustration. "Nothing is working today," she exhaled with a puff of annoyance and spun around, moving ahead t eh entrance door of the business office, strolling down the long hallway inside the golf house.

Each archway gate was closed and locked down, since each employee did double duty working as a clerk inside one the merchandise shops or a gopher on the outside golf course and then served as a waitress or a waiter or a cook or dishwasher inside the restaurant to earn a daily paycheck.

She exited through the set of open archway and strolled over the front porch, underneath the veranda, through the flower garden, and into the driveway moving away from the entrance of the golf course with a laugh, whipping out the mobile telephone again. "An array of Lightning bolts and a set of cell phone towers never work and operate around a golf course," she swished the tiny screen and punched the same ugly digital face of the repair man to come and fix the freezer on the mobile telephone. The guests could not be without chunks of cold ice cubes on a hot and heated day in Miami Beach. She continued moving away from the electronics and metal rooftop of the golf house that occasional interfered with the telephone connection and lifted the phone into a smile, hearing the ringing tone.

Outside the patio of the separate squat-looking restaurant building on the end of the terrace, a two-seater eating table held an elderly couple with a head of gray hair and a tone of weathered dark skin who lived in the city of Miami Beach within the US State of Florida. The elderly woman turned and smiled at the green fairway of manicured grass, holding his hand. "The staff service here at the Miami Beach Golf Club is both stately and superb, hubby. We were welcomed right away and shown to our favorite table like always. That little boy was really cute," she turned and smiled to her husband.

He stared into her face and reached over, patting her hand of wrinkles with smile. "And you are cute, too, wifey. We have been married for many years this year and many more years to come, sweetheart. I love you. This is the perfect spot on the outdoor patio that overlooks the ninth golf tee. I can't think of a nicer place to relax on a sunny March afternoon."

She giggled with a grin. "And today is March seventeenth which is St. Patrick's Day and our wedding anniversary," she leaned over and kissed his lips, pulling back with a giggle and a wink.

He nodded with a smile. "It is our fifty-fifth wedding anniversary, wifey. And a married girl always gets an emerald gem stone. But for you, you get this too."

"I love you, too." She turned and scanned the landscape with a smile, "A sky of sapphire and the greens of emerald, so lovely."

The loud sound echoed into each set of eardrums first before all four walls exploded and then fired out numerous rounds of small, medium, and large pieces of hard concrete. Each piece blinded the eyeballs of each guest with fear and as the sound of the blast deafened the eardrums of each guest into fright. Each mom hugged a child. Each father hugged both a wife and his children in terror. Each husband hugged wife in horror. Then all the four weak and unstable walls dropped down all at the same time with a whistling sound inside the restaurant building, kicking up dust. Before the dust could settle, the entire yellow colored heavy tile rooftop collapsed down on top each guest inside and outside on the patio, providing a final blow of death to each guest and each worker, since the shops were closed down as each employee worked inside one of the eating restaurants for the lunch time period.

Standing in the middle of the traffic driveway of newly paved gray hue without a rolling car, she spun around with a gasp to see the ugly mess of soaring concrete dust, flinging sets of individual body parts, and drifting red blood proteins in the air, coming up from the damage. The squat-looking shorter restaurant building had implored on top of every living form during the lunchtime meal. The glass-coated connecting hallway from the golf house to the restaurant building which held two enclosed walls each with an aquarium tank had bust and then broke into millions of tiny pieces of glass fragments as each aquatic life form spilled over the manicured grass and slowly died from the hot sun and lack of salt water. She continued to stand in place with an open mouth in frozen numbness and absent thought in silence with a pumping heart.

The light breeze from the ocean water blew across her skirt and her sweaty face as she continued to stand in awe of the terrible and horrible tragic of eight hundred and eighteen dead lives including both guests and employees inside the land property of her golf club.

The main golf house stood in place without rattling after surviving each year through numerous Atlantic Ocean hurricanes since the year 1928 which was made of solid concrete blocks in the color of dull white that does move but shakes a little bit.

1:16 p.m.

Miami Beach Police Station

(7.1 miles southeast from golf course)

On the opposite side on a different city street of Miami Beach, the short and slightly plump female sat inside the rear seat of the rolling white colored limousine, wearing a black colored pixie hairstyle, a tone of dark tinted skin, and a pair of brown eyeballs, dressing in a dull rose colored business suit with a set of horizontal ruffles on the bottom of the skirt and a column of vertical ruffles in front of middle seam. The limousine stopped in front of the sideways. She slid out the rear of the limousine door.

The chauffeur held the rear door for the woman because he enjoyed taunting Rose with a smile and a chuckle. "Why do you have to pick her up, Rose? Anyone can pay a bail including a bail bondsman."

Rose stood upright and pressed down the business suit with one hand a sour frown. The other hand held a worn pink colored briefcase that sorta matched the older business suit which contained the stacks of cash for the bail and as she sneered. "I'm the company lawyer. That's why, asswipe. Get back into the limo and keep the air conditioning running before my sixty-dollar nail paint melts in this heat. I will be eleven minutes, thirteen seconds, and six milliseconds."

He reached down and pressed the button on the designer watch for the stopwatch application with a grin. "I'm counting up from zero right now. If you lose, Rose, you own me a bottle of my favorite red wine."

She moved ahead with a smirk. "That's a sure win for me. And if I win, you own me quietness for one week while driving me around Miami."

He nodded with a smile. "Deal, Rose!"

Rose briskly advanced down the white concrete pavement of the building in a pair of high heeled matching rose colored sandals while sweating between the jiggling body parts with a sour frown at her co-worker and stomped up the flat three steps, entering through the open double archway of the Miami Beach Police Station. The station was a three-tiered white building with an array of glass windows for viewing the Atlantic Ocean. She slowly moved over the white concrete sideway while sweating the heat of eighty degrees in the month of March and stopped, standing in front of the open wall with a window, leaning inside with a fake smile. "I am Rose Ginnita Wellmoth."

The clerk inside the glass designed police work station stared with a smile at the woman, "Wellmouth is here. Open the entrance door! Who are visiting today? Is it another drunken fool or homeless person or prostitute girl?"

Rose exhaled with a fake smile, "I will supply my given name again like I had during the last time that I was here inside your immediately presence. I am Miss Rose Wellmoth. I kindly request to see Miss Kaleen Swanheart immediately."

The clerk laughed. "Ya got guts, Wellmouth! Madam Swanheart is being frisked down by both the police and the prisoners. I think she likes it and doesn't want to be perturbed with your lawyering presence."

Rose leaned into the open way with a fake smile. "I am so glad that the young and sexy Miss Swanheart can entertain the entire police station of crooks and bastards. Please send her into the bail reception room. I have the bail money in pile of large bills that can be stolen and then used to purchase an array of illegal drugs by both crooks and bastards."

He laughed. "You're welcome, Wellmouth! Please escort Wellmouth into our luxury hellhole where all the other convicts and Madam Swanheart are waiting to be released from police custody."

She faked a smile with a sneer. "Thank you!" Rose back stepped and turned to face the closed doors that led down into the various avenues of hallways. The door opened.

The female police officer followed behind the back spine on Rose, since Wellmoth knew which avenue to move down taking the left side at the intersection with a stern face.

The hallway was painted in a lovely shade of baby blue that represented the atmosphere of pastel and airy South Beach with a numerous open and closed doors on each wall that contained offices of the staff and police officers.

Rose moved ahead and turned, entering through the sixth door on the left. "The number six is bad luck which is paired with a left turn always."

The peach colored paint was a rectangle shape with a half-wall about one fourth deep into the reception room that contained a solid glass window with a tan colored uniform on a female police officer, who served as the clerk.

Rose stopped and stood behind a line of people, who wore a set of various attired clothing from walking shorts to business suits to a pair of blue jeans that was bailing out a friend or a family member. The rest of the floor space consisted of rows of long benches where the friend or the family member waited for the release of the prisoners.

Each prisoner had been convicted or not of some type of legal crime. The prisoner was being released form prisoner to appear in court. The friend or the family member was providing cash money to release the prisoner while promising that the prisoner didn't run away from Miami Beach without a fair judicial trial on a private jet to the Bahamas.

The person ahead of Rose received a clear plastic bag of clothing and personal items from the police clerk for the bailed out buddy or family member with a smile. "This is the personal effects for your family member, ma'am." The family member accepted the bag when the bell rung. Then the side door opened with a short male. The male moved ahead and hugged his mother with a sour frown. The mother and the son spun around and exited the bail-out room.

Rose finally moved ahead, stopping in front of the open window inside the glass window in silence.

The police clerk continued to view the computer printout listing of the housed prisoner with a stern face, "Name?"

"Swanheart, Kaleen..."

The clerk looked with a smile and a wink to see Rose. "Madam Kaleen is having some good old fucking time fun in the back room with all the boys, maybe some of the prettier girls. I don't know if I should perturb her..."

"You are perturbing me. Fetch her now!"

He reached over and typed in the prisoner number on the computer pad with a smile and a chuckle. "Madam Kaleen is putting back on her sexy clothes right now. She'll be out in a moment. You just have a seat and wait anywhere inside the reception room, Wellmouth. In the meantime, do you have the twenty-thousand-dollar bail-out money amount, before I release Madam Swanheart?"

Rose exhaled with a puff of annoyance and lifted up, placing the briefcase on top of the low window with a stern face and popped the latches, opening the lid of the leather, reaching own and pulled out a stack of hundred dollar bills with a sneer. "Count it, if you want to!"

He accepted the stacks of money with a smile and a wink drawing the money over the smooth desk and dropped it down into a deep cabinet with the other monies. "I trust Madam Kaleen. She says that you're a great lawyer-fiend." He didn't offer a clear plastic bag with the personal possessions of Kaleen Swanheart.

The bell rung with a loud ring tone indicating the release of a new prisoner. A side door opened and revealed a female. The female was tall and curvy with a head of bright red shoulder length hair, a pair of blue eyeballs, and a tone of pink tinted skin, wearing a peach colored silk blouse with a soft bowtie at the neckline and paired with a pair of elegant wide leg pants in rich black hue with a slender waistline, a pair of black colored high heeled sandals, standing in the archway and turned with a smile to see the female police office. "Thank you kindly! I enjoyed my stay, today. Until, we meet again!" She returned back to face Rose and moved ahead with a happy grin.

Rose stared at her friend and then swung around strolling ahead towards the open archway with Kaleen in silence, exiting out the Bail Room. She turned to the side, moving down the busy hallway, leaning with a sneer into the collar bone of taller Kaleen with a sneer, since Rose was shorter at five feet and three inches. "What did you do this time, Kaleen?"

Kaleen laughed with ease. "I thought you read the police sheet of crime charges before giving out our money. I could have saved us half the bail money which would be ten thousand dollars or so maybe."

Rose continued to sneer into the collar bone of Kaleen. "Each time I come here and pick you up like prostitute whore, why do the all the police officers call you, Madam Swanheart, here inside the police station?"

She moved ahead and turned down the next hallway, strolling towards the exit door of the building with a laugh. "It's a joke, a josh, a jest, Rose.

Rose continued to sneer into the collar bone of Kaleen. "Each time I come here and pick you up like prostitute whore, why aren't I given your personal plastic bag of possessions?"

She moved ahead with a laugh. "I don't have a plastic bag.

Rose continued to sneer into the collar bone of Kaleen. "Each time I come here and pick you up like prostitute whore, why isn't your body stripped down to your girly panties like the other prisoners?"

She moved ahead with a smile. "I am loved here, Rose."

Rose continued to sneer into the collar bone of Kaleen. "Each time I come here and pick you up like prostitute whore, what in the shit do you perform back there inside the lockup cell with each police officer?"

She laughed with a smile. "I do nothing inside lockup. Lighten up! What's your problem?"

"I was on the golf course."

She moved through the open archway and into the bright sunshine, opening the designer black colored handbag and found the sunglasses, pulling the pair of shades over the eyeballs with a confused brow. "I'm sorry. My prison release could have waited until the end of our golf game later this afternoon."

Rose exhaled the angry with a sneer. "It's All right. I had just pulled into the parking spot inside lot at the Miami Beach Golf Club when my cell pinged. The text message came from Rafaella."

She stopped with a smile and stood in front of the open rear door of the limousine, seeing the heavy traffic. A fleet of numerous emergency vehicles rolled down the street towards the north. Kaleen turned and smiled at the fleet of rolling emergency vehicles with a smile. "She is my friend."

Rose frowned. "She is my enemy."

Kaleen laughed at the building beside the limousine. "You should lighten up, playmate. Rafaella beat you fair and square last week in the poker game."

"Do not call me that nasty term here inside a police station, Kaleen," Rose stared and frowned at the hairy red colored curls on the rear skull of Kaleen. "She counts cards and wins by cheating.

He reached down and pressed the button on the designer waist watch, halting the stopwatch application with a grin. "I see eleven minutes, fourteen seconds, and eight milliseconds."

She turned with a frown to see the chauffeur, "Really?" He nodded with a smile in silence. Rose frowned. "Shit! Really?" She moved ahead and slid down into the rear seat. The chauffeur closed the door with a smile and a chuckle, back stepping from the rear door, spinning around, moving in front of the grill, scooting around the open driver's door and slid down into the driver's seat with a grin with the new reward. He looked for on-going traffic and then slowly steered the vehicle ahead with a smile for the nice reward from Rose.

Kaleen bounced side to side in the bench seat with happiness. "You lose on purpose to please the dick of Pepetta, one day," giggling.

Rose scooted into the opposite bench seat from Kaleen with the open panel into the cockpit of the limousine with a loud voice and a sour frown. "No. I do not lose anything on purpose. Pepetta and the po-po are working together and against me."

"What did he get this time?" She smiled.

He steered ahead with a smile. "I'm receiving my favorite bottle of 1937 red wine, any vintage."

She whistled with a nod. "Wow! That's a pretty penny."

Rose stared at Kaleen with a growl while talking to Pepetta. "That's a pretty penis. If I find out that you are working with police department against me, I'll rip out that pretty penis."

Pepetta steered ahead over the road with a grin. "Kaleen doesn't have a penis, Rose. I thought you were an ugly lesbian."

Rose growled and stared at Kaleen "I'm a short heterosexual girl that does know where and how to use a male dick. Why do we continue to pay him?"

She smiled. "Why do you continue to use my limo?" Rose gasped in alarm in silence.

"The last driver quit using his dick and working for Rose." Pepetta steered ahead and laughed, hearing the fleet of emergency sirens and whistles. He lived in Miami Beach where crime and accident happened all the time while ignoring the emergency.

The limousine slowed speed. Rose turned to face a set of four tall glass skyscrapers with sour frown. "O goody, we're finally home. Park the damn limo!" The limousine stopped and parked underneath the veranda of the Playgirl Sweets building as the driver opened the door and slid out with a chuckle, opening the rear door with a nod and a smile for the women in silence.

1:36 p.m.

Playgirl Sweets (1.4 miles south from police station)

560 feet tall skyscraper building

Hot temperatures and light breeze with bright sunshine

Underneath the veranda, Kaleen slid out first from the vehicle and stood upright with a smile to see her chauffeur, "Thank you, Pepetta! I enjoyed the fun ride and funny conversation," she spun around and scooted around the rear bumper of her personal limousine in the color of white, moving towards the open archway of the building with an amused grin without Rose.

Rose slid out with a sneer and stood upright, leaning into the chest of the tall chauffeur with a sneer as she was shorter when compared to his tallness. "Text me your reward gift to my personal mobile telephone, so that I have a copy of the transaction," she back stepped with a growl and spun around, scooting around the rear bumper of the limousine, moving towards the open archway of the building with a sour frown.

He smiled. "You don't say the word, please."

She sneered. "I don't need to."

He chuckled. "I don't know your personal cell phone number."

"Yes, you do," Rose disappeared into the darkness of the air condition lobby with a growl.

Interior lobby room setting

The entrance lobby room into the Playgirl Sweets tall building complex of four structures was squared shape with a set of black granite wall between a set of the three shiny glass exposed elevators on the long side wall that opposite side that viewed the golden sands of palm trees and short sandy shrubs and the rolling waves of ocean waters through the glass elevators doors. The elevator lifted up and moved outside the building for fun and terror if you were afraid of heights which had been Rose's idea. There was a set of three open archway doors on the entrance wall and a set one continuous tall to low single window on the opposite side of the entrance doors that also viewed the golden sands of palm trees, short sand shrubs, and the rolling waves of ocean waters.

In front of long side wall of solid black granite, there was a set of two parallel reception desks in four different colors of pink, white, aqua, and yellow without reason just fun colors of South Beach Art Deco theme with an individual person who nodded with a smile to Kaleen while greeting and meeting an old or new client, if presented.

Kaleen approached the forward wall of three shiny tined closed elevator doors and turned with a smile and a nod to see each member of the front desk staff, "Good afternoon, ya'll!"

"Hello, Madam!"

"Hey, Madam!"

"Good afternoon, Madam!"

"Hi, Madam!"

She stopped and stood in place, leaning over, pressing the button and waited on the one of the elevator carriages with a smile.

Rose advanced ahead from the heated outdoors and into the air conditioned reception room with a puff of annoyance, hearing the insult to Kaleen while ignoring to greet all the young and beauty hired help at each reception desk with a nice looking set of opposite sexes, turning to see the side wall of glass elevators, placing on a pair of sunglasses for the ride inside the clear windows that faced the bright afternoon sun. She stopped and turned to see the collar bone of Kaleen with a sneer. "Why do they call you that naughty name?"

She laughed. "It is for fun and amusement, Rose."

"You are not a madam."

"I beg to differ. I run a casino."

Rose sneered. "We run and own a set of hotels."

One of the empty carriages halted down inside the lobby as the bell chimed with a sweet ting. The doors slid open.

Rose entered first and spotted to see the sands, the ocean waters, and the people at the beach with a smile, wearing a pair of sunglasses. The limousine steered ahead and left the veranda covering to park inside the cool garage.

Kaleen followed behind and stopped, staring at the same fund beach scene with a smile, pressing a set of two buttons. "I'm getting a bath before..."

She stared at the beach. "You just came from the jail cell. What did you do that which requires a bath?"

"I wanna smell good before we start the work day."

"It's almost two in the afternoon, Kaleen."

"I'm going to take a quick shower. Then we can discuss my crime record inside my office."

"Fine."

She smiled. "Do you know that today is Patriot Day? Here today in the United States, Patriot Day is observed as the National Day of Service and Remembrance which occurs on September eleventh of each year in memory of the 2,977 people who were killed in the city of New York in the year 2001 in the month of September eleventh attacks."

"No."

"Now, you do. Please try to observe your good health and sweet charm the rest of the afternoon.

"Sure..."

The carriage stopped. The doors opened to reveal a set of glass doors on the opposite wall inside an empty hallway of unique art paintings and metal, concrete, and marble statues of various peopled and mythological characters without a set of roaming clients or employees.

Kaleen back stepped from the wall of the glass elevator, swinging around to face a black granite wall of three glass doors, exiting from the carriage with a smile. "I will see you within thirty minutes. Later, Rose!"

She continued to stare down at the beach scene without nausea, "Later, Kaleen!"

The elevators doors closed. Then the carriage with Rose soared up the next floor for a day of work.

2:12 p.m.

Business suite setting of Kaleen Swanheart

The business office door slid opened from the silence motor inside the computer sensitive body heated signature door frame. Kaleen entered her private business suite with a smile and wore a thick aqua colored bath robe, moving ahead.

The wide of the business office was measured with the floor length of the building. As a matter of face, each floor level was on long and wide room that matched the length of the building also.

The room was shaped similar the alphabetic letter D. A long and straight side wall of all clear glass window faced into the eastern direction with the sparkling ocean waters, the endless blue sky, a batch of scattered white clouds, and the golden sands of the beach. The forward straight lined wall was also a set of long windows that faced the same ocean and sky view. The other side window was a curved wall that viewed the blue skyline and white clouds, the below city street of cars, the tall and short other skyscrapers, and the built-in pool on top of the second tier of the Playgirl Sweets building. The windows were sound and bullet proof while enjoying the silly view of the semi-naked dancing and playing bodies in and around the swimming pool.

The entrance door was made of solid black colored granite with a side door in the wall corner. Over the rest of the entrance side wall, there was a gigantic fifty-foot television plasma screen which was surrounded a set of numerous smaller monitors that observed each floor of activity in silence inside the 560-foot-tall main building.

There was a command center level housed at the bottom and in the middle of the tall building that was supplied with an assortment of proper trained security personnel during the working day and night, since the company named Playgirl Sweets operated every single day of the calendar year including all holidays.

In the rear of the room in front of the forward windows of blue sky and white clouds, there was a circular desk of pink tinted granite slightly towards the side wall to see the pool activity that represented her personal business desk. The office chair was made of pink tinted lather, since her skin was tinted in pink hue from her Irish mother and grandmother. The desk held an assortment of stacks of papers from small to tiny problems and issues which were all related to her company Playgirl Sweets that would need to be addressed before the end of the evening.

The circular desk contained a black colored laptop on one side of the office chair and an old fashioned pink tinted princess telephone from the 1960s on the other side. Kaleen never performed any type of business conference meetings on the telephone inside her office, since she elected to use Rose's business office instead.

In the middle of the business office, there were two sets of a living room furniture setting that surrounded and focused on the gigantic television screen for both business and social discussions. The furniture colored expressed her mixed style of fun colors.

The two separate types of furniture living room setting showed a loveseat of solid yellow color in the center of the room in front of the office desk and before the wall of television screens where Kaleen lounged inside the brightest color in the world, since it was her private business office.

On each side of the center loveseat of bright blinking yellow, there was a single oversized chair in the funny shape of a female high heeled pump in the colors of black, tan, and pink which was empty at the moment.

On the other side, the oversized chair of purple with a set of white dots held Rose who sat and mumbled over something legal or illegal which had been performed from a misbehaving Kaleen.

Beside each oversized single sitting person chair, there was a long sofa. The sofa near the pool window was colored in aqua and orange big bright flowers. The other sofa across the way was colored in pink and tan vertical strips.

In front of each furniture piece, there was as assortment of low tables.

One low table was medium-sized square of colored neon green ceramic that was attached as one unit. The next low table was squared shaped pink painted wood. The third low table was clear rounded glass. The fourth low table was made of rounded light pine wood. Each table stood without an object like a stack of magazines or a pot of flower to hold a beverage or a try of snacks, not a plate of food.

Outside the interior curved wall, the bright cheery view showed a high-rise swimming pool water of dark blue tinted water. In front of the curved glass wall, a circular dining room table with four aqua and white stripped dining room chairs. Kaleen ate inside her office space each meal alone and watched the set of numerous active screens.

Or she visited one or more of her business partners as she was one-fourth owner of the Playgirl Sweets as the president.

Playgirl Sweets was a hotel with fifty levels of activities including a private casino machine, entertainment game machines, poker stalls, fitness center, and individual skyline luxurious and rent free apartment plus all buffet food for each daily and nightly employed staff member to attend to a twenty-four-hour fast life of gambling and gamblers.

Kaleen turned and smiled at each business partner with Lorain first.

Lorain sat on top of the loveseat in a bathrobe of gray with white owls. Lorain Edgerton was average weight with a height of five feet and five inches with a set of lean muscles with a tone of dark tinted skin from all the outdoor activities and the daughter of a pair of Native American parents from the city of Casper within the US State of Wyoming. She possessed a head of white blondish hair color below the collar bone to toss backward into a long ponytail and a pair of green eyeballs. Lorain was an exercise freak and pseudo-girly muscle among the four women, jogging among the clients, spotting trouble and then eliminated it with a right hook or a sneer or a telephone call into her mobile telephone to contact the set of four beefy and suntanned beach bums that were employed to handle the taller and meaner males and females that visited the Playgirl Sweets during a losing streak.

Behind the first row of furniture and in front of the circular desk, there was a second circular row of living room furniture for more guests of the Playgirl Sweets, not family members or business visitors, only her biological father.

The furniture pieces on the circle row, a dark blue sectional with foot rest, an orange colored seashell printed loveseat, a black colored oversized leather chair, a dark green tinted lounge chair with an individual foot stool, a dull red loveseat, and a brown colored leather sectional completing the half-moon shape inside the private office space.

There was plenty walking around room inside the 5,000 square feet flat level between the four walls of glass and granite on the 51st floor within the Playgirl Sweets hotel and casino.

The three other business partners occupied the above suites all the way up towards the 55th floor of the 560 feet building.

On the 52nd floor, Rose was one-fourth owner as the grumpy attorney who occupied an office suite with the same wall design plus the view of the swimming pool. However, her office desk faced the glass wall that viewed the skyline and the white clouds. She needed a quiet and numb, non-distracting work environment office to focus on the minor to serious criminal matters while keeping Kaleen out of jail on a daily basis.

On the 53rd floor, Rafaella was one-fourth owner as the vice president who lived inside the same suite with the same views and walls. Her office desk faced a wall of numerous computer screens that were required to maintain al the computer programming, especially with the gambling and entertainment machines throughout the Playgirl Sweet hotel and casino.

On the 54th floor, Lorain was one-fourth owner as the physician who lounged inside a unique business office suite. The suite contained a set of three walls of glass that overlooked the beach, the sands, and the skies, where the curved wall overlooked the outdoor swimming pool on the third tier, the outdoor grassy soccer filed on the second tier, and the outdoor tennis court in the first tier. Her suite was twenty feet tall that bumped into the running track on the 56th floor, where a set of cameras were embedded into the bottom floor of the running track grass that created and then displayed a cool looking living hologram over the center granite floor of the suite, so Lorain could see all the clients and invited guests who jogged around the rooftop running track. One day, an unhappy client jumped off the rooftop floor which prompted a swift police department investigation, but the single secretly recorded videotape device showed the tragic incident, so Playgirl Sweets were cleared of any type of criminal charges, because Rose possessed an awesome and smart legal mind.

Kaleen turned and smiled at Rafaella.

Rafaella sat in a loveseat in front of the pool window in a bathrobe of red colors with howling brown wolves. She was five feet and three inches short from the city of Los Angeles within the State of California with a head of long black straight hair down to the waistline, a pair of brown eyeballs, and a tone of coffee tinted skin that came from her Mexico parents. She was the genius computer programmer that maintained all mainframe computer system that controlled the gambling tables, the game machines, the elevators, the doors, the interior and exterior lightning, the air breathing system, the fire alarm and virtually all the lifesaving operations including anything with an electronic charge of life or death. The building was fully automated which make her job ease but her work constant.

Kaleen continued to move ahead and turned to grin and nod to Rose.

Rose sat inside the purple colored oversized chair with a set of white dots and wore the rose tinted business suit while constantly mumbling for all eardrums about the newest something legal or illegal which had been performed from a misbehaving Kaleen. She was the lawyer who also oversaw the floor of accountants that were used to count the money from all the gambling tables.

Kaleen stopped and twirled around, sliding down inside the center yellow colored loveseat with a giggle in front of the gigantic television screen that was active with pictures of the news and muted with vocal sound, saying with a grin. "Hey, ya'll!" She wore an orange colored bathrobe with set of yellow tiny ducklings underneath her nudeness after the fresh hot shower while washing off all the dirty germs from the police station lockup. She would never confess the truth to Rose who would mouth drool with laughter for the rest of the month.

Rose turned and frowned at each face. "One, why are each one of inside a bathrobe and assumingly naked? Two, the crime charge on Kaleen is assault on one of our nice clients."

Rafaella laughed. "I am nude inside my bathrobe. I just finished a lunchtime love festival with my new fuck inside my suite smelling like sex, since you are both nosy and rude to me, Rose. Why did you draw, aim, and shoot that damn x-ray gun at our newest client, Kaleen?"

Kaleen laughed. "I am inside my bathrobe with nudity too from a fresh warm bath, smelling like vanilla. It's a beam gun, not an x-ray gun, Rafaella."

Rose exhaled with a sour frown and held the ink pen in the air on top of the notebook. "Where did each one of our x-ray guns come from, Kaleen? So I can tell the district attorney that we are not importing a set of illegally spy equipment into Miami. We don't need an illegal import charge."

Loraine reached over and snatched it from the neon green colored ceramic low table, lifting up her personal x-ray gun near a smile which wasn't attached to the white colored bathrobe since she carried the x-ray gun around for her personal offense and defense among the clients inside the hotel. She laughed. "I'm inside my bathrobe with nudity too, after I had bathed out all the hot sperm from a sexy body with my new boyfriend inside my personal suite, too, Rose. So, please be certain to write that down, sweetie! Since Rose records all of our playmate adventures. And her daddy, he stole it the secret sophisticated technology from the Russians."

Rose frowned. "We are not playmates. We are partners. I am not the historian of nothing but taking down notes of our business meetings, since we don't have a secretary or a treasurer or a classic president."

Kaleen laughed, "I think that I have been insulted, playmates."

"No more than usual during a meeting with sour puss Rose." Lorain laughed with a nod.

Rafaella gasped. "Did your dad really steal the secret of the x-ray technology from the Russians? That makes him a USA spy or something, right, Rose?"

Kaleen shook her red colored curls with a laugh. "The Russian give it to my daddy when he had visited the foreign country in exchange for the secret listing of casino professional profit tips."

Rafaella gasped. "Her daddy stole it."

Lorain gasped. "Did you daddy really steal that x-ray gun?"

"Her daddy is a thief." Rafaella nodded with a smile.

"Naw, I'm fourth generation gamblers." Kaleen smiled.

Rose shook her curls with a sour frown. "Do not ever repeat that in a court of law, Kaleen! Gambling is illegal here in Miami, not the state of Mississippi."

Kaleen smiled with a nod to see each face. "My great-grandfather was a cotton farmer in the great US State of Mississippi as a teenager, who worked for his daddy in the late 1800s. Then, the Civil War of 1863 broke out where all the men-folk from each county went to war including the males of my biological family. Well, my great-grandfather came back home, alive and poor and penniless and homeless and no family members. My great-grandmother and her daughters didn't survive the infection from starvation. His cotton plantation had been taken away because he couldn't pay all the sky-high land property taxes like sleazy Scarlett O'Hara. So he lived on the streets, in the limbs of the tree branches, underneath the damaged front porch building. Then one day he wandered into one of the parlors with the room full of ugly whores and a set of gambling poker tables. He possessed three pieces of gold that he had stolen or killed for and played the first poker card of his life."

Rafaella nodded with a smile. "He won the poker game."

"No, he lost." Kaleen laughed.

Rose frowned and continued to take down notes, since she was really recording all the cultural and social events of the four partners who owned the Playgirl Sweets. She had read that one of the brothers Frank Mangrove wrote down and recorded each story for the Quartet to tell his grandchildren when he was old and forgetful.

Rose thought that idea was slick and wanted her four business partners to sorta imitate the Quartet who were a set of four brothers that shared everything like a real family unit. Rose had starting worked inside the casino as a blackjack dealer at the age of eighteen years old after high school going to college, using her brain cells, and becoming a better person. While her mother continued to stay drunk on alcohol and stoned on illegal drugs living off a monthly US Federal Government welfare check and a booklet of food stamps

Rose wanted a better life and eventually a husband to raise a child within a loving environment away from the crime, the drugs, and the thugs.

The job taught her to interact with different personalities of people and different walks of life, patience of self, and working with face-to-face a group of management and employees. She had taken the public transportation to work and to college until she purchased a used old car. Then both her brothers hot-wired and stole the car from the parking spot at the rental apartment complex. They wrecked her car without getting killed by the grace of Almighty God.

Then Rose learned a valuable lesson about family members. She started riding the bus to work and to college again.

However, the casino hotel didn't care about any of its employees. Rose was a hot body for a sizzling night of gambling with all the paying guests. The casino management staff members had not been empathy for her needs or desires to improve her simple lifestyle for a good career or her family situation at home.

Finally, Rose received a law degree in the month of August while waiting on the result of the bar examination which could take up to four months. No law firm would hire a fiery and ambitious young person without the legal law license of accomplishment. So she continued to work for the casino and made money for her biological family unit. However, her biological family unit didn't care that Rose had to work long days and nights on a set of crazy schedules for a weekly paycheck. Both her brothers did take her hard working money to enjoy more nasty fun, more illegal alcohol, and more illegal drugs. Or they had tried to steal it, sometimes. Rose finally placed her paycheck inside a bank account keeping it away from her two high school siblings.

After finally graduating from law school at the age of twenty-five, Rose took a bold risk and moved away from the city of New Jersey as a young adult with money in her pockets. Her mother had been arrested for drug use again and was in jail. Her two siblings were walking the streets as drug pushers which Rose didn't want to be a part. Rose wanted a nice life and to meet a nice male, eventually raising a family later in life.

On the last day inside the tiny two-bedroom rental apartment where she shared a bedroom with her mother and the second bedroom for her two brothers, Rose packaged a tiny cloth bag of a few personal items of clothing and her college diplomas with a set of numerous tears, spinning around, leaving it all behind, moving to the heat and sunshine of Florida by bus.

She came from the one of the poorest neighborhoods inside one of the many dumpy apartment buildings north of Atlantic City, where one in four residents live in poverty. Before the super hurricane hit, life for an African-American being was hard. After the super hurricane damage to the landscape, it was impossible. Numerous residential homes and company businesses, and residential apartment building, tree groves, and manicured lawns were destroyed. People lived without heat, hot water and electricity for days and weeks. People lost many material possessions, food items, and closets of warm clothing during the terrible winter weather of November.

Rose remembered freezing in the cold wintertime weather and standing in a long, long line of people for a box of food of warm chicken soap, cookies, potato chips, bottles of water, and blankets for her mother and two teenage brothers. She had loss a part time good job at the casino hotel but counted her blessings for her life and her family on an hourly basis.

Using her tiny bank account of money to find a better apartment for six months for her biological family, Rose made a bold decision and a brave risk moving away from the city Atlantic City within the US State of New Jersey as a young adult with money in her pockets. Her mother had been arrested for drug use again and was in jail. Her two siblings were walking the streets as a pair of drug pushers which Rose didn't want to be a part ever. She wanted a nice life and to meet a nice male, eventually raising a family later in life.

Inside the business suite of Kaleen at the Playgirl Sweets, Rose frowned at the president. "You are so melodramatic, Kaleen."

Kaleen nodded. "My great granddaddy went to work for the parlor room since he was young and could work all day and long while looking sorta presentable to the rich gamblers. Eventually, he won wads of cash and opened up his first gambling parlor as a mature adult. Then he continued to build his empire with a host of gambling parlors around the US State of Mississippi while getting wealth. Then my granddaddy took over the empire and eventually my daddy. Then I was born and here I am today, owning a casino in metro Miami. The end!"

Rose frowned. "We, four partners own a hotel. You are the president..."

"We own a casino," Kaleen laughed with a nod. "I'm the madam."

"You illegal earned nickname around the city of Miami, I would be careful, Kaleen." Rose frowned.

"It's a fun nickname while here in Miami. The entertainment shtick creates intrigue and mystery within the Playgirl Sweets while bringing in more new clients to spend money and gamble." Kaleen nodded with a smile.

"And it all makes us richer. Yeah, we might become a set of playmate trillionaires one day," Rafaella laughed with a nod.

Rose exhaled. "I own one-fourth of a hotel with you, you, and you."

Lorain nodded with a smile. "You are a real wild, wild gambler, Kaleen."

Rose frowned. "What did you do to the new client, Kaleen?"

Kaleen frowned. "The new client was counting cards and collecting our cash really fast. He was very, very good."

Rose turned and frowned at Lorain. "You are the muscle among the four partners, Lorain. Where were your kick-ass talents during this internal incident at the black jack gambling table?"

Lorain stood upright from the loveseat and danced to the side, spinning around inside the bathrobe, exposing her naked ass and kicked each naked leg into the air with a giggle and a smile "Yeah! I'm the muscle among the four playmates."

"Stop using and abusing that nasty and naughty term!" Rose exhaled. "We are not a set of four sexy playmates. We are a set of four business partners."

Lorain continued to kick both an alternative arm and then an alternative leg into the air with a loud grunt, spinning around for her fun and the annoyance of uptight Rose. "I can kick your ass and her ass but I elected not to kick his ass. Kaleen beat me to the nasty guy and then whipped out her personal slick x-ray gun, aiming and pressed the trigger. That tiny tight yellow colored bean shot beautifully down to the floor right where that guy's shoe was located." The other girls laughed.

Rose frowned. "I am not using you as a character witness for the upcoming criminal trial of Kaleen, Ms. Physician. Kaleen, what really happened with you and the new client? I need something to defend your ass before you go to jail for a longer period of time."

Rafaella turned and winked with a smile at Rose. "Yes, I admit it. I can kick the skinny ass of Rose." She leaned over and grabbed her personal x-ray gun, since it was not attached to her bathroom either. She lifted it near a smile. "It is oval shaped and made of solid gold with a set of slick sapphire circular bands around the fat cylinder sloping down into a tiny opening for .001 inch of an x-ray beam. Why is the x-ray made of gold and real sparkling gem stones of sapphire?"

Kaleen nodded. "Most of the natural gem stones of sapphire are cut and polished into a set of worn jewelry. All pieces of rich blue colored sapphire chips are used in man-made and productive products such like, infrared optical components, high-durability windows, wrist watch crystals, movement bearings in cars, electronic wafers of integrated circuits like our x-ray gun. The sapphire gem stone is extraordinarily scratch-resistant on the chart of hardness which is stated at a nine. The diamond gem is the hardness and strongest mineral of hardness in the world which is a perfect ten. And the sapphire gem stone possesses extremely high melting temperature of over one thousand degrees of heat. So, the tiny x-ray beam is discharged from the barrel, the rings of gem stones contain the high pressure and high heat inside the vacuum chamber without the gold melting inside a girly palm, playmates. And finally, the cost of sapphire is cheaper than a diamond," giggling.

"Excellent answer, madam!" Lorain continued to dance around the business suite with a smile waving an alternative arm or leg into the air without panting.

Rafaella turned and pointed the tiny narrow barrel at the pool side window with a smile without scaring one of her partners. "The skinny barrel of x-ray gun looks like a long stick carrot but fatter."

"Yeah, it does. The point is a much thinner and it shoots out a thinner ray beam. But it does look like a carrot stick without the plume of green plant fringes on top. Then the fatter carrot stick is attached to a slightly tilted molded hand. The shaft looks like the formation of a vertical row of knuckles that is missing the palm and the arm," Kaleen nodded.

Rafaella nodded with a smile and waved the x-ray gun up and down for fun at the window while pretending to fire a beam into the glass. "Yeah, it does."

Rose frowned at the nose profile on Kaleen. "Why did you beam our new client with your x-ray gun, Kaleen?"

Kaleen nodded. "The gun is powered by a tiny thin ray of intense heat like an old fashioned flashlight but brighter and hotter. Then the ray of light leaps from the barrel at a velocity of two feet per second and accurately hits the target.

Lorain nodded with a grin. "Yes, you were accurate with the target, Kaleen. You melted his shoe leather all the down to his exposed skin. He has a sun burn..."

Kaleen sneered. "He has a mom who is a bitch, thus he is a son of a bitch. We run a private casino hall, not a public Roman bath house. When an old or new client is caught cheating at cards, on his wife, or stealing one of the priceless art works, we react badly. This is our yearly livelihood."

"He cheated the madam of Playgirl Sweets," Rafaella turned with a laugh and placed the gun back over the low table with a nod to Rose.

Lorain skipped around the room without panting and turned, sitting back down onto the same loveseat with a smile to see Kaleen, "Geez! I'm a billionaire now. How much more money does a girl really need?"

Rafaella turned and smiled at Lorain. "More!"

Loran turned and frowned at Rafaella. "How many sexy dresses does a girl really need?"

Rafaella smiled, "Much more!"

"How many T-shirts does a girl really need?"

Rafaella frowned "One."

Lorain tossed both arms into the air with a smile and a nod, "Right, playmate! That's the right answer, greedy Rafaella. We don't need any more money or dresses or shoes..."

Rafaella sneered. "Leave now and go and speak on your preaching session right now, Lorain, without me! I love money and I want more money and more material earthly things."

Lorain turned with a smile to see the muted television screen and leaned down, punching the volume button on the remote control devise on top of the low table. The volume sound increased inside the business suite. She pointed at the screen with a grin. "Hey, look! There is your nemesis on the television screen, Rose. It's Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third from the Quartet."

Kaleen turned and smiled at the television screen. "Austin is there too."

Rafaella turned and winked at the nose profile on Swanheart, "Kaleen loves Austin."

Lorain smiled at the television. "What healthy red blooded girl doesn't? Please name in alphabetic order, Rafaella! Why are all of them back there at the police station, Rose?"

Rose looked up with a puzzled brow and stared at the television screen in silence.

On the gigantic television screen inside the office of Kaleen, the black hair male reporter on the screen wore a blue colored knit shirt with a tone of dark skin said with a smile into the lenses while thumbing back over a collar bone at the action. "You can see behind me. They are falling out of the silver tinted limousine one at a time. Now, the four brothers of the Quartet have returned once again back to the police station, today. Yesterday, Friday morning, Stuart Thant Gage, the third, who is one-fourth of the Quartet, had been arrested and charged with the cold-blooded murder of a formal girlfriend who is named Tamara Tama Tang. She was thirty-one years old living in the city of Ocala and was carrying his unborn child. As you can see with me, the Quartet is here again and escorting their murderous brother away from the billionaire paradise of Coral Gables police station after he had been booked and bailed out at one hundred million dollars for a set of two cold blooded murders, the mother-to-be and the unborn fetus..."

Inside the business office of Kaleen at the Playgirl Sweets, Rafaella turned and smiled at Rose. "You should call Sawyer and ask to be put on the murder case for Stu, Rose. I don't believe in my heart or my mind that Stu is guilty here. It sounds like a fish tail from the waters of Biscayne Bay. Tom would greatly appreciate a smart legal mind."

Ross stared at the television screen with a confused brow, watching the Quartet exit the limousine and moved back into the police station. "Tom has three floors of legal minds at Quartet Associates. And his wife is a brilliant lawyer. I have worked with her once or twice."

Kaleen gasped at the television screen. "When did you work with the Quartet?"

Rose exhaled at the television plasma screen. "Sometimes, on occasion, one of the homeless people that I help to defend from a criminal charge or a neglect case or an abuse case will have a child or a group of homeless children with them. Then I work with Janey Sawyer to find all of them a nice home to live and thrive for the rest of their lives. The Quartet Foundation pays for it all but my time is free."

Lorain grinned at the television screen. "That's so nice, Rose. Why is Stu going back into jail? Did his court trial end? I don't remember seeing his court trial in the news. Is the court trial over? Was Stu proclaimed with a guilty verdict?"

On the television screen inside the office of Kaleen, the black hair male reporter smiled into the camera lenses. "This morning, Stuart Thant Gage, the third had tried to escape with his life from his personal paradise island by boat over the Atlantic Ocean after he had tried to remove the electronic ankle bracelet from the court system which failed epically. The police cars fled the station and blocked off the sentry gates into Coral Beach. Then the district attorney personally was escorted by a fleet of police cars through Coral Beach to re-arrest Stu Gage for a second time before he could flee by the Quartet helicopter in the air waves. Even the Quartet can't escape justice, ya'll. Thus, murderous brother Stuart Gage has been ordered by the judge back into a new place of non-luxury inside the Coral Gables police station lockup cell until his cold-blooded murder trial begins later next week. You can see behind my collar bone. The Quartet has entered into the police station to say goodbye to a brother for now. We will stay here and stand by and wait to see what else happens next at the Coral Gables police station with the newest develops of the cold blooded law court trial of murderous Stuart Thant Gage, the third. Please continue to watch Channel 9998..."

Inside the business suite of Kaleen, Rafaella spun around and smiled at Rose. "Maybe, if Stu is found innocent, his wife will divorce him, then you can swoop in and marry him, since Rose has the hotties for Stuart Thant Gage, the third."

Rose turned and frowned at the nose profile on Kaleen. "The new and injured client is going to sue us for bodily harm, Kaleen."

"I'm not worried about it, Rose." Kaleen smiled at the television screen. "You will take care of it like always." Rose shook her curls and looked down jolting down notes in the paper notebook for the upcoming court trial where the lawyer will attend alone in front of a judge and offer a large money settlement to the injured gambler while still securing the fun and sleazy repetition of the Playgirl Sweets.

Rafaella whipped out the personal mobile telephone and snapped at picture of Kaleen on top of the loveseat with a giggle, standing upright from the loveseat with a smile, dashing ahead towards the pink tinted circular office desk and stopped. She pressed the tiny buttons on the screen of the mobile telephone, reaching down, capturing the single sheet of paper from the copier machine with a giggle, lifting it over the hair roots, "I got it."

Lorain stood upright with a confused brow and moved towards Rafaella. What have you got?"

Rafaella laughed. "I, now, possess the picture perfect message for her love Austin."

"What are you holding?" Lorain stopped and stood beside the nose profile on Rafaella, looking up with a smile to see a single piece of paper in the air over the hair roots on Rafaella.

Rafaella dropped down and held the piece of paper near the waistline, staring with a smile at the photograph. "I, now, possess a picture perfect pic of Kaleen in her sexy orange colored robe for Austin to see and drool over."

Lorain smiled. "Yeah, this is good pic of Kaleen in her bathrobe. That would definitely give Austin a set of some sexy and naughty ideas," laughing.

Kaleen continued to smile at the television screen. The Quartet moved out from the police station and returned back into the limousine. The door closed. Then the vehicle slowly drove away from the building and down the road until it was out of sight of the media camera lenses. "Do not send that sexy picture, Rafaella Josephine Marie Camilla Rangel! I will not be happy. I will fire you on the spot."

"You did a good job pronouncing her complete sexy Spanish name with your cute southern Mississippi accent, Kaleen." Lorain smiled down at the colorful paper photograph.

Rafaella continued to stare down the paper picture of Kaleen. "I own one-fourth of the casino, madam. So you can't touch me. But I bet Austin really wants to touch you, Kaleen," she laughed and then whispered to Lorain. "We send it inside my office, Lorain."

"Yeah! Do you possess the fax number for Quartet Associates?" Lorain read out loud with a smile. "The pic says. Austin, I love you! Come and marry me now! Hugs and kisses, Kaleen!"

Rafaella frowned. "No. But Rose does."

"Yeah, she'll team with us," Lorain laughed.

On the television screen, the monitor flicked to a new reporter in front of the Miami Beach police station. Kaleen exhaled with a sour frown and stood upright from the loveseat in front of the televisions screen, side stepping and spun around, racing towards Lorain and Rafaella with a sneer, reaching out and snatch the air. "I got it!"

"No, you didn't," Rafaella back stepped from the hand attack of Kaleen with a sneer and spun around, dashing around the desk with Lorain behind her ass as each female giggled with a laugh.

On the television screen, a short and slender female with a tone of dark skin and a head of dark hair wore a blue blouse with a red jacket and red skirt with a smile and said into the news camera lenses, "Newsflash! This is the first report from the local and trustful Channel 9998 here in Miami Beach. There has been a planned and plotted terrorist attach here in Miami, specifically within Miami Beach. The attack was executed at the Miami Beach Golf Club."

Lorain stopped the fun and turned with a gasp to see the television screen. "I play there all the time when not working. It is a lovely golf course that is located on an island between the Atlantic Ocean and the Biscayne Bay waters."

Rose stared at the television screen in silence. Kaleen turned and gasped at black colored rear skull of Rose, who had been there earlier this afternoon and was on vacation from work before coming and bailing the president out from the Miami Beach police department lockup station.

On the screen, the television reporter said with a stern face. "A set of numerous deadly bombs had explored and implored within the restaurant building. Song Tam Shini, she is the private owner of the Miami Beach Golf Club and has been arrested and charged as a USA terrorist with a setoff multiple accounts of cold blooded murder of an entire ballroom that was filled with exactly eight hundred eighteen guests including men, women, elderly people, teens, children, and a few tiny infants. She is residing inside the Miami Beach jail cell while awaiting a bail hearing of two hundred million dollars. However, I don't believe that she should leave the safety of her individual tiny prison cell where a team of police officers possess a hand gun. The populous and visitors into the street of heated and sizzling Miami Beach is rallying into a pocket of small and large riots instead of a set of peaceful protests for each death of a local citizen and the other American and international persons. Miami is an international city that brings international people and dollars into South Florida on an hourly basis. This is a terrible and tragic day for the citizens of Miami Beach, where it was held another terrible and tragic day in the year 2001 when 2,997 people died in the city of New York. Will history never stop repeating itself within our eyeballs and eardrums? Well, this USA traitor will not see the light of day by the end of the month. The prosecution team is moving very quickly with the newest court trial of two centuries..."

Rose quickly thought back to her teenage life before moving to hot and sizzling Miami. She had been a blackjack dealer in Atlantic City and had some no fun working for the guests and with the employees. The time had gone by fast. There had been a future promotion if she had wanted to stay in Atlantic City and then moved up from a table into a position of management. However, she had not wanted that type of life.

It had been a great job when she had attended college as a single person making good money working all types of hours. The job had provided a set of free meals and crazy schedules. Then, Rose left her biological family unit in New Jersey without regret for a great opportunity to her own individuality.

Rose stood upright from the chair and turned with a smirk to see each face. "I believe we should be like the quartet."

Kaleen gasped. "Are you going to go and save the life of Stu for the Quartet?"

Rose smirked. "No, Tom will save the life of his brother like always. I meant that we should save the lives of other people like a stranger or two. Thus, we would imitate or emulate or duplicate or mirror the Quartet and all their good humanitarian deeds."

Kaleen frowned. "How would we mirror the Quartet?"

Rose nodded with a smile. "The word mirror is a reflection of self. The Quartet is a set of four men. We are four smart and brilliant billionaire females. We should become the Quarteta."

"I don't understand the usage of the word quarteta in your sentence structure, Rosa." Lorain smiled with a nod at Rose, "Quarteta is a quatrain in a stanza that has four lines of art smaller than eight syllables. It is a verse of four verses with one or two rhymes like AAAA, ABAB, AABB, ABBA. A quatrain or a quarteta comes from medieval Catalan tradition which is influenced by the Spanish which tell whether the verses of greater art, a quartet or smaller art, a quarteta. One can spell out a poem, an epigram, an epitaph, or a satire like so. I can't figure out...what I be...but maybe...I am a bee."

Rafaella smiled at Rose. "I can't figure out...what I be...but maybe...I be a tree."

Lorain turned and nodded to Rafaella. "That's good."

Kaleen smiled at Rose. "I can't figure out...what I be...but maybe...I be a kee."

Lorain laughed. "That's great, Kaleen."

Rose smiled. "I can't figure out...what I be...but maybe...I behead..."

Rafaella laughed. "Rose flunked good!"

Lorain frowned. "No, you must rhyme one of the words together. The two words be and behead do not rhyme, Rose."

Rose laughed. "Okay. I will try it again. I can't figure out...what I be...but maybe...I behead the drunkard."

Rafaella laughed. "Rose is a very good swift flunker of poetry."

Rosa smiled. "My other point, we are the female version of a quartet. A long time ago, a quartet was composed of four males that sung the same song within a musical show. Now, we are the four females singing the same song which makes us the new Quarteta."

"What is it important that we become the Quarteta, not a Quartet?" Kaleen frowned.

Rose nodded with a smile. "If we, four really want to be like the infamous Quartet and claim to be a four-some of four females that form the Quarteta, then we, four playmates must be different and distinct from the well-known Quartet brothers, but we are to be still very generous with our time and our money."

Kaleen laughed. "Now, Rose calls us, playmates."

Lorain swirled around and halted with a smile to see Rose, raising both arms into the air with a nod, "Yeehaw! I wanna do that. So what do we do?"

Kaleen frowned. "How do we do that, Rose?"

Rafaella frowned. "Why do we do that, Kaleen?"

"We are four billionaires with billions of dollars to spend selfishly or generously on others like an unknown stranger. Do you agree?"

"Yes," Kaleen smiled.

"Yeah," Lorain smiled.

"All right," Rafaella grinned.

Rose exhaled with a smile and a grin to each face. "We will start by defending Song Lee Shini..."

"No," Rafaella jabbed a manicured fingernail at the television screen with a worried brow. "She's a fucking USA terrorist. You just heard latest and greatest media news reporter on the television screen. Do you want our hotel protested or raided or destroyed...?"

"Now, she calls it a hotel." Lorain laughed.

Rose nodded with a smile. "She is an American. All American are innocent until proven guilty, playmate."

Rafaella frowned. "Now, Rose uses our cute term. No, my answer is no."

Lorain twirled around in a completed circle and stopped with a smile to see Rose. "Yes, my answer is yes."

Kaleen waved both arms into the air with a smile and a nod to Rose. "My answer is yes."

Rafaella frowned. "We are not many of dollars of billionaires like the Quartet. We started our hotel last year and have been opened for one year making one billion dollars each."

Lorain turned and frowned at Rafaella. "How many billions do you really need, playmate?"

Rafaella pouted. "More..."

Kaleen turned and smiled to Rafaella. "We each are a single billionaire, a very unique species in the world. Our hotel is growing and will make more billions for us each year. So you are overruled Rafaella Josephine Marie Camilla Rangel. We are going to help defend the little people of the world like Austin Berrington does and says all the time."

Rafaella frowned. "When did he say that, Kaleen?"

Kaleen smiled. "I read it inside one of those unofficial biographies that came from a ghost writer, who made tons of money."

Rafaella frowned. "You don't know if Austin really said that."

Lorain nodded with a smile. "Our leader of the Quarteta Kaleen can call and inquire with the leader of the Quartet Austin, since we're going to follow the footsteps of the Quartet too."

Kaleen crossed both arms and shook her curls with a sour frown. "No, I am not."

Rafaella waved the paper photograph near her smile with a nod. "Call him! Or I'll send the sexy pic with the sexy note by fax right now."

Kaleen leaped into the air coming from the cushion and hit the bottom legs of Rafaella with a loud grunt, "Gimme that pic right now!" Lorain jumped into the air and landed down onto the pile of Kaleen and Rafaella with set of giggles and squeals. The three females wrestled over the floor with sounds of grunts and giggles.

Rose exhaled with a smile and spun around moving ahead towards the business office door. The door slid open by the body heat signature. She moved ahead towards the elevator doors with a grin to travel back to visit the Miami Beach police station to see Song Li Shini and eventually figure out how to save her life from a single chair inside the gas chamber in Tallahassee like her idol Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

The door slid closed while the other three females laughed with giggles over the floor, ripping up the colorful picture of Kaleen into a series of shredded ribbons.
Sunday September 12th

City of Coral Gables

(six miles west from Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunshine

Quartet Associates headquarters building

22nd floor level

Law library setting

5:11 p.m.

Austin sat inside the law library while surrounded by a set of open law books, wearing a pair of blue jeans, a green colored knit shirt, and a pair of dark blue leathers while reading and jotting notes on a top of legal pad of notepaper in silence.

Tom entered the room and toted a fresh cup of coffee that was filled with two pints of sweet milk and six tablespoons of cane sugar, lightly sipping on the beverage in a pair of blue jeans, a red colored knit shirt, and a pair of dark blue leathers while Frank tagged behind the ass on Tom like a trained pup in a pair of blue jeans, a pink colored knit shirt and a pair of dark blue leathers with a sour frown.

Sawyer couldn't get rid of Frank for two seconds, not even inside the men's bathroom, since Mangrove was continuously asking numerous irritating and annoying stupid ass fucking questions about Stu's upcoming murder trial.

Tom stopped and stood, pulling out leather chair, sitting down across from Berrington with a smile. "Austin, man, did you ring for my services?"

"Yes." Austin continued to review the page of the law book with a stern face.

"What is your offense strategy for the QA offensive team, Tom?" Frank asked the same question without using the proper legal term again.

Tom exhaled with a huff of annoyance and stared at Austin, "Frank, the Fourth Amendment and the Fifth Amendment gives the criminal defense lawyer, which is me, the right to challenge issues surrounding the apprehension, search, and the arrest of my legal innocent client Stu. In the United States, a criminal defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence."

Austin looked up with a smile to see Frank. "In other words, she or he is innocent unless proven guilty, which is the legal right of the accused like our brother Stu. The burden of proof is on the prosecution which is them to collect and present the compelling overwhelming hard evidence while convincing the jury which is they with only the actual hard evidence and verbal testimony that is legally admissible and in most cases lawfully obtained by which Stu is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. In the case of all and any remaining Tom Sawyer's doubts, Stu is acquitted."

Frank frowned. "Then, he is acquitted. Please go and get Stu out, right now, Tom."

Tom shook his blonde colored bangs. "Wrong, Frank!"

Austin said. "A serious felony like a murder within the US is tried by a set of twelve people of a jury, who must be unanimous in its verdict of guilty to convict Stu of the death penalty."

Tom said. "A split within the jury is often called a hung jury that results in a retrial."

"Stu's not on trial yet. How can there be a retrial?" Frank frowned at Tom.

Tom shook his blonde colored bangs with a giggle, "Gawd! Keep up, Frank!" Mangrove turned and frowned at Austin.

Austin said. "The first presumption is a rebuttable or ir-rebuttable inference dependent upon evidence of an initial fact..."

"The medical first fact, Stu's DNA is composed within the dead fetus." Frank nodded with a stern face.

"Objection, man!" Tom frowned while Austin chuckled. Sawyer jabbed a finger at his brother. "You ain't coming into the gawd damn court room with us, Frank. Whose fuckingly side are you on, Mangrove?"

Frank pointed down with a stern face at the law book. "I'm stating an ir-rebuttable medical fact."

Tom exhaled. "The prosecution has to prove the dead fetus belongs in Stu's DNA which is beyond a reasonable doubt."

Austin said. "The observable facts infer that Stu has been charged with a crime."

Tom exhaled, "The crime of murder."

Frank gasped. "Stuart will be present in court."

Austin smiled. "Where else would Stu be?"

"And he is represented by me," chuckled Tom.

Frank frowned. "I'm beginning to question your sanity, Tom."

Austin told. "Finally, all participates in the criminal trial is present."

Tom turned and winked at Berrington. "Are you going to kill Tamika with your Ghost when present in a court of law, Austin?"

"That is my Plan B." Austin smirked.

Frank looked down with a stern face and read out loud from the law book. "Stu doesn't have any burden of proof whatsoever. Stu doesn't have to testify."

Tom shook his bangs. "He is going to testify..."

"He doesn't have to call any eyewitnesses in his defense or present any hard evidence against his person," Frank looked up with a worried brow to see Tom.

Tom shook his bangs. "He is going to testify."

Frank frowned. "There is not a single eyewitness or a piece of hard evidence against Stu, Tom. Stuart doesn't have to be inside the court room or testify inside the witness box."

Tom laughed with Austin, "Gawd! Keep up, Frank!"

Frank pointed down at the book with a worried brow. "But, this law book states that if Stu doesn't want to be present inside the court room, then he doesn't have to appear. Is that correct, Tom?"

Austin shook a skull with a stern face at Tom. "He is going to testify."

Tom grinned. "Frank, can you look up these set of Latin words for me? Ei incumbit probation qui dicit, non qui negat. Okay?"

Frank nodded with a smile and stared down at the law book, "Of course, I will! E.i.n.c. Spell that, please?" Austin reached over and handed the sheet of paper with the spoken words from Tom to Mangrove with a smile. Frank looked down with a stern face and rapidly flipped through the pages inside the law book, rattling the paper with the words. "A legal term meaning: the burden of proof rests on who asserts, not on who denies.'"

Tom grinned. "Stu is charged with committing a murder."

Frank looked up with a gasp to see Tom. "In which, he didn't do."

Austin nodded. "The district attorney has the entire burden of proof."

Frank nodded with a frown, "So, the burden of proof would be the dead fetus with has Stu's DNA."

Austin chuckled. Tom shook his bangs with a sour frown at Mangrove, "Which the fuck ain't his baby, Frank!"

Austin smiled. "What is your defense strategy for Stu, Tom?"

Tom tapped the cup and shook his bangs with a stern face. "You don't need to know."

Austin pointed down with a stern face at the open law book, "Mistake? Stu made a mistake. You're going use as your defense."

Tom shook his bangs with a stern face. "He is not guilty. You can stop right now fucking with the defense techniques. I'm working on something else, Austin."

Austin exhaled. "Tom, you must pick one for the appointed appearance inside the court room, tomorrow."

Tom tapped on the coffee with a smile. "Know that."

Austin said, "Self-defense."

Frank frowned. "You are pitting a big tough-ass Stuart versus a weak one hundred forty-pound pregnant female which is not fucking likely."

Tom nodded with a smile. "Excellent come back, smartie physician." He turned to see Berrington. "Austin, shut the fuck up with all your defense techniques."

Austin pointed down with a stern face to the open law book, "Duress?"

Frank nodded with a smile. "Gracie was upset. Stu was upset. That sounds logically distressed under duress to me."

Tom frowned. "No logic. No reaction. The hard evidence is bad enough."

Austin pointed down with a stern face to the open book, "Invasion of privacy."

Frank smiled with a smile. "We used that one against all the villains in Kattleen's murder trial."

Tom nodded with a grin. "Indeed! We did, Franklin. But, that was an entirely different murder case here."

"Murder is murder." Frank chuckled with a grin.

Tom cringed with a sour frown, "Gawd! Don't speak with your pink tinted tongue, Frank. Strike that! You can't come anytime or anywhere near my court room with a pissy shitty attitude like that. They will fry Stu alive."

Frank frowned. "I didn't mean to cause harm."

Austin nodded with a smile. "That might be a new model for us to use, Tom."

Tom turned and frowned at Austin while ignoring Mangrove. "Might be?"

"Stu has a legal right to control his personal property against any type of police search and seizure method while controlling the illegal information about oneself plus parts." Austin grinned. Tom roared with laughter.

Frank frowned with befuddlement and bedazzlement. "What personal property? Whose personal property? The police department obtained a legal search warrant for seizing the what or the who at the hospital and the ranch house? I don't understand, Austin. I don't follow you, Tom."

"His sperm," Austin grinned. Tom roared with laughter.

"Sperm?" Frank frowned in puzzlement.

Tom chuckled, "Gawd! Keep up, Frank! You're fucking behind the eight ball again."

"All right!" Frank shook a skull while stilled confused and clueless with the chatter between two licensed lawyers Berrington and Sawyer.

Austin looked down with a stern face and read out loud from the law book. "There are four categories of invasion of privacy."

"Intrusion of solitude," Tom nodded with a smile.

Austin read out loud from the book. "Physical or electronic intrusion into one's private quarters."

"Not applicable." Frank shook a skull.

"Right, Frank," Tom smiled.

Austin read out loud from the law book, "Public disclosure of private facts."

Tom smiled, "The dissemination of truthful private information which a reasonable person would find objectionable."

Frank frowned, "The baby is not Stu's."

Tom shook his blonde colored bangs with a sour frown. "It is very, very, very hard to prove that statement as false."

Frank parted the lips, "But, you are going to do just that for Stu to win instead of..."

"Yes, I, fuckingly, am." Tom nodded with a giggle.

"False light," Austin read out loud from the open law book. Tom shook his bangs in silence.

Frank reached out and grabbed another law book, flipping through the pages and stopped, reading out loud from the page. "It saids acting with malice..."

"Wrong, Frank." Tom frowned.

Austin said. "Forget the fourth element of invasion."

Tom nodded, "Forgotten."

Frank said, "The Fourth Amendment?"

Austin said. "The Fourth Amendment says that the right of the people is to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects against any unreasonable searches and seizures and shall not be violated. No warrants are to be issued but upon a probable cause which is supported by oath or affirmation and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

Tom giggled with a nod. "The Fourth Amendment protects against the bad conduct of the US Federal Government but not for an annoying medical physician looking at the right DNA specimen."

Frank frowned. "I understand that, asshole lawyer."

Austin frowned, "Are you going to use as Stu's defense, the legal concept of mistaken identity, Tom?"

"How so?" Tom turned and frowned at Austin.

Austin nodded. "All the people, who had incorrectly seen Stu, will claim the actual innocence intent of the murder crime and then assert that they saw Stu, which in fact, the person was someone else face or body."

Tom shook his blonde colored bangs with a smile. "That's pretty good, Austin. But no people saw Stu, his face, or his body. That's my problem. He vanished like a hermit into the hills of Ocala for almost an entire day, without Gracie, friends, or foes."

Frank frowned. "There was a foe."

Tom turned and frowned at Mangrove. "What do you mean, Frank?"

Frank nodded. "Someone saw Stu disappear."

Tom smiled. "That's good! Who is the person?"

Frank frowned. "I don't know that who or that person, but I bet that person really murdered Miss Tang."

Tom nodded with a smile, "That is a good-ass working theory, Frank, Now, if you can prove it in a court of law, then we'll win it all. And Stu'll be set free. Then I'm going on another great fucking vacation with my wife again."

Frank turned and nodded to Austin. "I wondered if anyone else heard anything."

Austin frowned, "If anyone else had heard anything, Frank! What do you mean?"

Frank exhaled with a nod. "Pieces of broken glass were found and located at the crime scene of the murdered girl which came from Misty's personal terrain vehicle which was a set of more hard physical evidence against Stu. But maybe, there was a set of loud screams or a racing engine of the real getaway car of the real killer."

Austin said. "The deposition mentioned a set of loud voices, not screaming. One of the eyewitnesses saw the terrain vehicle but not a stranger who was driving the Quartet Associates owned vehicle."

Tom exhaled, "All of that is not good either."

Frank nodded. "I'm correct. Someone was watching Stu. Then, the someone used the QA terrain vehicle for an un-fun psychological mental-mind game and then brought it back and parked it inside the mountain valley while Stu was hiking or sleeping or shitting between the short bushes on the wildlife," exhaling.

Austin said, "Could there be a duplicate of Misty's terrain vehicle which would be located someplace else within the city of Ocala or within the US State of Florida?"

Tom shook his skull with a sour frown, "Hell, no! It is impossible. A personalized Florida car tag that reads MISTY1 is one of a kind, man. And I questioned the director at the Florida Department of Mobile Vehicles in the capital of Tallahassee on the phone too."

Frank nodded with a stern face. "A duplication of Misty's terrain vehicle would make perfect sense to me and a box of jury members who heard Stu's murder case, Tom. Stu didn't murder Miss Tany. Someone framed him. Someone is getting away with the arrest, trial, and harassment of our brother instead of...."

"Calm down, Frank!" Austin said with a stern face.

The library door opened and revealed a tall person. Jace dressed in a pair of beige trouser and a blue knit shirt, and a pair of beige leathers and entered the room first and was followed behind the ass by Jane. Jane wore a yellow colored sundress with a pair of matching high heeled sandal that was paired with a red colored pull-over sweater. Jace waved a hand with a smile to the three males at the conference table. "Hey, guys! Where's lunch?"

Frank jabbed a finger with a sneer at the nose profile on Tom. "No! I will not calm down. Every legal angle you are being obtuse, Tom. I'm trying to save Stu's life in which you have seemed to stop thinking. Just like, when he was ordered back into that stink hole inside the Coral Gables jailhouse. You didn't do jack shit. You're the fucking lawyer here."

Tom stood upright from the chair and jabbed a finger with a snarl down at the hair roots on Mangrove. "Stu was confided to work and to home by Cutter for his house arrest."

Frank pointed down with a growl at the open law book. "Your law book reads right here. Travel is allowed when there is a wired electronic monitor. Communications is permitted. House arrest is a lenient alternative to prison."

"Enough, Frank!" Austin frowned.

Frank turned and sneered at Berrington. "Shut up, Austin!" He returned back with a growl to see Tom. "The terms of house arrest rarely confine Stu into his Coral Beach manor for twenty-four hours per day. Stu can respond to any type of police monitor by a telephone call while not serving a single hour of jail time at Coral Gables police lockup cell."

Austin shook a skull with a sour frown. "You are missing the point, Frank."

Frank pointed down at the book with an angry face. "A house arrest allows the offender to work at his job, live with his family at his house, and attend social functions..."

Tom exhaled with a sour frown. "Stu was administrated a court-sanctioned prison term for violating the..."

"It was a defective, flawed, damaged non-working electronic devise. The Quartet engineers had figured out the problem and were trying to correct it," Frank stood upright from the chair with a nod and a stern face.

Tom jabbed a finger with a sour frown at Frank. "And all these listed adjectives got Stu into more fucking ass trouble. The electronic devise pinged out through all the observing monitors while scaring the police while upsetting Cutter and while pissing off the entire district attorney prosecution team. I couldn't..."

Frank pointed down the open book law in a hand with a sour frown. "The law book mentions several types of house arrest. One is a curfew at certain times. You didn't try that..."

Austin frowned. "Frank, this was an obvious ploy at politically motivated stifle dissent."

Frank jabbed a finger with a sneer at Tom. "No! This is an obvious breach of Stu's human civil rights in which the fucking lawyer has assisted and approved. Since, the fucking lawyer doesn't give a selfless shit for nobody but his own fucking ass."

Tom stepped forward and shoved Frank away from the table and towards the closed archway. "Leave from here and me, right now, Frank!"

Austin stood upright and turned, sneering at Tom. "It is your turn to calm down, right now, Tom!"

Frank stepped forward and shoved Tom into the table with a sneer. Tom stepped back and stomped ahead, bad breathing into Frank's face with a sneer. "Go and get out of here, right now! Before I get violent and hurt your ass, Mangrove."

Frank lifted the heavy law book into a chest with a snarl, blocking Tom, "Let me read on page..."

Austin moved ahead and stood between Tom and Frank with a sour frown. Tom leaned around short Austin and jabbed a finger with a sneer at Mangrove. "I'm the genius lawyer. I graduated from law school. You're the fucking ass doctor. You graduated from gawd damn medical school. You don't know jack shit about legal law, Frank. Leave from me and my law library, right now! Since, you are vexing me to the point of no return, asshole."

"No." Frank slammed the law book closed with a loud pop and then dropped it down onto the table surface with a loud boom, sneering with a sour frown between the body of Austin at Tom.

Tom leaned down with a sneer and grabbed, lifting and tossed a sealed letter sized envelope over the hard surface of the conference room that stopped in front of Mangrove. "Here, asshole! Take this envelope to Stu in jail. The latest strategy ideas, he wanted an update. And get the fuck out of my bangs, Mangrove!"

Frank jabbed a finger with a sneer at the sealed envelope. "Someone might read this secretive report. This is highly dangerous, stupid legal lawyer Tom."

Austin spun around and blocked Tom with a sneer from harming Mangrove. Tom leaned over yelled into Austin's face at Frank. "I live dangerously, Frank. I'm a deadly attorney. Anyways, I ain't afraid of anyone including the police, the prosecution, the judge, or the devil himself, only the jury. Leave Frank, before I bust your nose holes, making tons of blood proteins on the wooden floor of my legal law library."

Frank moved ahead and sat back down into the conference chair with a smile, looking down at the book while daring Tom to attack his person. "No! I want to stay here inside your legal law library and work on saving the life of my brother Stu. Our good friend Jace can deliver that item for you to Stu at the Coral Gables jail house," he opens the book and flipped through the pages with a sour frown.

Tom bounced up and down, waving both arms with a sour frown as Austin blocked Tom from harming Mangrove with a sneer. Sawyer yelled. "Fuck you, Mangrove! Get out of my law library, Frank. The door is that way nearest to your nose and then away from your ass."

Jane moved ahead and stopped, standing beside Mangrove with a smile, reaching out and rattled a report near his frown while patting his collar bone with a smile. "Frank, could you please go and give my report to Stu also? I believe that he needs support and encouragement from a Quartet brother too. Gracie has been there all day long with Misty. Misty and Gracie should go home for the evening and eat dinner and rest. Stu needs his big brother today ensuring that his wife is both safe and sound. Will you perform that small task for Stu, Frank?"

"Good point, Janey!" Frank swiftly stood upright from the chair with a smile and reached over gathering Tom's envelope and accepted her report with a nod, leaning over and gently pecked a brotherly kiss on the cheekbone of his Quartet sister Janey. He pulled back with a smile to see Tom. "I will visit with Stu and collect the wives for home. I will be inside the limo going straight to the jail prison. Please, call me for anything. I'll return immediately upon your request, Janey."

Tom sat back down with a sour frown and read the new report from one of his lawyers. "You are not needed here ever, asshole. You're not a gawd damn lawyer, Mangrove."

Jane leaned over and returned a sisterly kiss and hug to her Quartet brother Frank, pulling back with a smile and a nod to Mangrove. "We will, Frank. Please, give our love to Stu."

Frank side stepped and spun around with the items with a stern face in silence, moving towards the closed archway and opened the door. Jace back stepped and spun around with an item and a smile, moving towards the open archway with Frank. Frank and Jace left the conference room, moving down the hallway with whispers.

The door closed shut.

Inside the conference room, Jane moved ahead and sat down in Frank's chair with an exhale of worry, staring at Austin and Tom.

Tom looked up to see Austin and Jane, clapping with a smile and a nod. "Okay! We have three geniuses of the universe inside this room with a legal law degree. Tell me! How do we beat this warped fake dead baby testimony against Stu?"

The room went silence.

6:02 p.m.

Hot temperatures with light rain and parted clouds of sunrays

Limousine ride with Jace and Frank

Coral Way east roadway location

Inside the rolling limousine of Mangrove, Jace sat across the bench seat from Frank with a smile and nod. "I agree with Tom. You're in the way, Frank."

Frank sneered with fury at his college friend, "Et tu, Brutus!"

Jace smiled. "Your medical knowledge is valuable but not in this legal case. Tom knows what to do."

"He seems more stressed now than when he was preparing for Kattleen's trial hearing."

"Family connections are more personal and emotional. Tom is reacting as I would expect with professionalism and..."

"He was shouting and cursing at me. Now, he has added violence towards me. He threatened to break my nose, Jace. You were there. You heard his nasty tenor."

Jace shook a curly brown skull with a laugh. "You and Tom go bouts of rounds every day without physical contact. How in the hell Austin puts up with both of your play kitten and puppy fighting? It annoys the crap out of me, sometimes, but you, two are always entertaining."

"Austin defaults to Big Man as referee. If Tom gets out of line, Stu initiates the first punch." Frank chuckled. He was deep down worried sick about Stu and the upcoming legal murder trial.

No medical evidence had been disapproved. People lying could be recorded. Property stolen could be recovered. Medical tests could not be faked.

The blood and tissue could not be produced by any known man-made equipment. Almighty God created both red blood and pink tissue, not humans. Stu didn't stand a chance in hell with the pathology of a dead fetus from a murdered girl holding his personal property of DNA.

Frank exhaled with a huff of worry and turned, staring out the side bullet proof window.

The Coral Gables police department was providing special treatment with Stu during his forced incarceration. Stu was a native of Coral Gables as he had been born and reared within the city, before the Quartet built a private paradise island on Coral Beach.

His heart ached and his brain pounded with deep emotions of helplessness for Stu and his murder trial case. Frank turned with a stern face to see Jace. "What are your latest clinical results showing?"

"Positive. I'm just as stunned as you with the clinical matching skin tissue that was found from the dead fetus which matched Stu's DNA. I have performed every damn test that I could think of and have illegally copied a few from my peer colleagues. The results are the also the same every damn time. The skin tissue belongs to Stu. There is no doubtful single question in my mind or in my laboratory test tubes."

Frank shook a skull with a stern face. "I just can't accept the clinical outcomes with a scientific explanation."

"What is in your hands?"

"It is Tom's strategy to win the murder case."

Jace grinned, "Is that a fake report for Stu?"

"What?"

"Fake currency is used for fun in a child's game."

Frank nodded with a stern face. "I agree. The report is truly faked coming from the highly creative mind of a science fiction user. So, what is the real answer, Jace?"

"I don't know. I know that look, Frank. What do you really think? Tell me as a brother, not a doctor!"

Frank exhaled. "My heart says no. My medical brain says yes. I'm a medical doctor. Tissues cannot be man-made."

"You're acknowledging that Stu is guilty of an affair with another woman."

Frank exhaled. "The brief thought has scratched my neurons. Yes, I am. Stu and Gracie visit Ocala every month. He could've met her once or possibly twice."

"Frank?"

Frank exhaled. "Listen to me! Stu has the most stressful job position at Quartet Associates. Thousands of employees and millions of problems on a daily basis, he deals with each issue with confidence and integrity and finesse. Sometimes, I wonder how in Almighty God's green pastures. How Stu does it? In addition, heaven knows that the wives are whining about children again. They want babies. They are bored and ready to become mothers, not housewives anymore. The pressure gets to a guy after a while. I love Misty Marie with all my heart and soul, but the damn daily nagging."

"I have noted the screeching tones during dinner from Gracie too. She's very vocal."

Frank tossed a hand into the air with a sour frown. "Gracie is the worse of the wives with the harping and the nag, nag, nag about babies, babies, and babies."

"What's the holdup? Are you afraid of fatherhood, Frank?"

"Austin."

Jace nodded with a stern face. "I can see your dilemma."

"Since, the development of Stu's delicate situation, the trial has silenced those whining tiny voices for the time being."

Jace smiled, "I believe to be a short period of time, once Stu is freed."

"Stu is under great stress at work with his brothers and at home with Gracie and then everything else. He enjoys going to Ocala helping Stu balance out all the good and bad mojo. He comes back smiling, joking, and laughing."

"Do you believe that he had an encounter once or twice with the dead girl?"

Frank turned and frowned at the side bullet proof window and then returned to see Jace. "Could be true? Gracie comes back relaxed and then starts the whining about a baby."

"Frank, Stu has a natural easy going personality. As the physician for the Quartet, I check stress levels every six months, my semi-annual checkup. I understand the mental and physical demands of executives, who run a billion dollar a day operation like Quartet Associates. Stu can handle tons of stress. His medical indicators are normal for a supersized man of thirty-one years of age. I've never seen any stress in blood pressure or heart rate from Big Man, ever, Frank."

"I and my brothers appreciate the semi-annual checkups that you conduct out of your busy schedule."

Jace smiled. "I'm the Quartet doctor, first and foremost. Austin hired me in that position. Stu is priority for me at this time. For the record, his vital signs are positive and in normal ranges. His heart rate is up. That is expected as he is being confined within a ten feet by ten feet lonely jail cell. Stu is not stressed, Frank. He is not nervous about the incarceration or the confinement. A guilty man would be stressed and displaying signs of the pressure."

"Past serial killers possessed cool heads and even tempers."

"And then they exploded into the killing frenzy. Stu is not guilty."

"How do we prove that?"

"I'm working day and night on the evidence."

"The trial starts soon."

"I'm clearly aware of the time table of events. But Frank, I have an ally."

Frank slapped a chest with a sour frown. "Me? I'm not much help for you those days."

Jace smiled with a nod. "You, Austin, Tom, Janey, Misty Marie, Gracie, Almighty God, Brother Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all of our heaven angels, we are the good-goody team that will find out the truth that is embedded within the evil lies. We always do."

"I have confidence in the good-goody team, Jace. The DNA sample bothers me the most keeping me up and uptight during the day and night."

"Something is incongruent in the DNA sample. I have to figure it out and I will. I promise you, Stu, our earthly bound family members, and our heavenly bound folks. I will do that. Do you feel better?"

Frank exhaled, "A little."

"How is Austin holding up?"

"Tom is the one stressed. He threatened to punch my nose, if I didn't leave the office, a while ago. That is not his playful abnormal abusive asinine behavior."

"You can be an annoying son of bitch, Frank, at times." Jace laughed.

Frank laughed. "Thanks for the compliment, love."

"Are you temporarily accepting Tom's sarcastic role within the Quartet?"

He nodded. "For the moment, Tom is totally professional and serious business. No jokes! No games! No fun! He curses a mile a minute when he doesn't get the results that he desires."

"I need to check the stress levels of the attorneys."

He smiled. "It won't hurt. Tom has Janey and Austin locked inside the law library at the office with a set of four telephone lines and three mobile telephones and a big screen television that is full of people, places, and electronic legal articles."

"Poor Janey!"

He chuckled, "Poor Austin! Janey is a solid rock of faith and hard work. That girl is smart and beautiful. But in this instance, her brains outshine her beauty. She and Tom debate, argue, fight, bark, and drool over medical and legal fact and fiction regarding the testimonies and witnesses and medical reports and police information."

"Poor Austin, the leader of the Quartet possesses no practice lawyering."

He nodded. "Austin has his strengths but he usually listens and nods like me."

"You don't nod enough. That's why you're riding in the limo with me." Jace chuckled. "Are both Tom and Janey sitting on the defense table?"

"Only Tom, Janey suggested that too many smartass lawyers looked guilty for Stu."

"Why not her? She's really the 'smart one' in the family." Jace laughed.

He smiled. "Don't say that around Tom! He'll attack you with his hands, fingernails, feet and, toenails."

Jace laughed. "I'd like to see that. As the medical authority of the company, that action might alleviate some tension in the law office."

"Janey wanted to sit first chair. Tom and Austin supported the idea, but Janey felt it needed to be a 'brother' thing. The more the brothers show support, the more the jury might believe that this is simply a case of mistaken identity."

"With Stu's DNA crawling out the glass dish inside my lab," Jace shook a skull.

"I'm just the pretty cheerleader. You have to talk with the winning coach and the star quarterback."

"I should drop my stethoscope around Tom's heart and check his pulse this afternoon as well as Austin and Janey. I must keep the team healthy. Yay!"

"Good luck! Tom'll bust your nose, if you touch him without pre-offering a case of bourbon."

"And that is a very good reason I want to check his heart rate against the case of bourbon. He drinks in excess within my eyesight."

"I agree since I'll been watching him from birth. Tom does everything in excess eating, sleeping, drinking, reading, fucking..."

"Don't get graphic, Frank!" He laughed. "I'll toss up my yummy oatmeal cookies on you and inside your clean limo." Jace lifted and crunched on the third cookie, after stealing the food item from the bar counter at Quartet Associates.

"I'm his big brother."

"I'm a T-rex compared to that little swift raptor. He can't get by me for the medical exam."

Frank laughed. "Tom is tall and skinny, good speed but no strength."

"And Tom has no muscles. I'll plant a black eye to get my point across. He won't see it coming."

Frank smiled. "Stu is the enforcer of peace. He handles Tom for the brothers. I miss his voice and his presence. Austin closed and locked his office door, after Stu was arrested. It has been empty. We used to meet every morning discussing the daily business with Austin at his clean shining office desk. Tom lounges inside the chaise reading his glossy science fiction magazines, only listening for the latest office hot gossip. I'm in the chair on the right side the room drinking tea and Stu is opposite me slipping hot green tea. I miss the pic."

"The Quartet will be back together again, very soon, Frank. The answer is here in front of our faces. We will work together to find the truth."

Frank exhaled. "Austin is living at the house with Tom and Janey. They talk, bark, and burp law facts twenty-four hours. You'll find them there tonight after work hours."

"I'll invite myself for a night cap."

Frank chuckled. "Be careful! Strong personalities haunt that ghostly house during dark scary evening hours. Be sure to come out alive and breathing!"

He chuckled. "I've always heard there's a strong woman behind every man. I believe that was cited by some famous formal US president."

"Mrs. Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third is that woman for Tom. She runs that household and that Tom." Frank chuckled.

"Thank Almighty God for that feat. Can you imagine Tom's predicament without a strong and level-headed Janey?"

"He would be another Austin or worse."

"Austin, the man can't get any worse than the most sought after male in the universe."

Frank smiled. "His billionaire status is stifling for him. Girls only want his money and status, not poor Austin."

Jace frowned. "Is that your personal medical analysis, Dr. Mangrove?"

"Those are Austin's words."

"Austin should use more words rather than actions in my opinion."

Frank exhaled. "I, personally, wish Austin would accidently impregnate a girl, any girl. Then we, four could move to the next stage of our lives."

He smirked. "I cannot believe my ears heard that nasty confession, Franklin."

"Tom, Stu, and I want to become a new daddy. We would be overjoyed if the blessed event happened today."

"So, do it?"

"Austin! We're waiting on his testosterone to peak."

"Austin's testosterone may never peak, Frank." Jace laughed. "Dating is a sporting event with him."

Frank shook a curly red colored skull with a chuckle. "I guess. As four wild young teens, we all agreed to follow the path of our ancestors and have a child like our parents all at the same time. Tom, Stu, and I have cooperated. We got engaged and then married all at the same time."

"Right after college, I remember. Why not, Austin?"

Frank frowned. "He enjoys dating the tramps, the vamps, the whores, the sluts..."

"You morphed into Tom, Dr. Mangrove."

"Tom is vulgar with his vocabulary words, but the man tells the truth. Austin can't seem to find one decent girl on a planet with over seven billion people. And one-third of the population is adult females." Frank shook a skull.

"I don't understand."

"Austin does."

Jace frowned. "Is he afraid of marriage, wives, and children?"

"He's picky." Frank laughed. "He told me that the last girl had a big nose. The female before that had a set of flapping arm muscles."

"Austin can be so shallow and superficial."

Frank frowned. "It's an act, Jace. He is waiting for the right one."

"In my personal medical opinion, Austin hanging around the other ones is going to get him into some deep medical trouble."

"You are referring the AIDS virus."

"Austin and his medical doctor have discussed that sensitive topic every six months. I wish that boy would marry."

"He's careful."

"Careful is cautious! But, it takes one girl, who's infected and then bang," Jace nodded and chewed the cookie.

He nodded. "Austin is both careful and cautious."

"He's cautious. But I'm concerned. I agree with you. He needs a wife to care for him and stop the parade of beautiful pom-pom girls. They're nothing but playthings."

He chuckled. "How does Austin take your lecture, mama bear?"

"He walks out the door as I'm shouting my words down into the hallway."

Frank laughed. "Ah! You have hurt his feelings."

"Jeezus, Frank! Does Austin possess one solo single emotional feeling?"

Frank laughed. "Maybe, it is slightly a tiny tea leaf half ounce of something which is barely warm."

"Where is it located inside his little pinky toe on the left foot? The man is a monster with the entire female race."

"The monster girl was Lizard."

"Gawd! Do not get me started with that bitch! When she confessed to Austin, she was fucking every guy on the continent of Europe. We both had a heart coronary. I tested immediately. Austin was clean. What a damn scare?"

"Thank goodness! Lizard got what she deserved. Death served on a silver food platter in hell."

"Zara didn't."

Frank shook a skull. "Yes, that was a very tragic event, too. Zara saved Austin's life that night, but lost her own."

"She could've been a good wife and mother."

"She would've been along with both Athena and Kattleen. God bless both of their heavenly souls."

"I would have thought a love-relationship might have formed between Austin and Kattleen."

Frank nodded with a smile. "So, would I? Alas! No love-chemistry was there."

"So true. Love cannot be there without the biological chemistry."

"Austin will find his girl one day, when cupid finally smacks his ass."

"You're such an elegant romantic, Frank."

"Thank you, Jace."

"How are you handling the stress of all this, asked the medical authority?" Jace laughed.

Frank frowned. "I'm worried too. I spent my night calming Misty. Then she falls asleep in my arms."

"Should I examine Misty?"

"No, please do not, Jace! That act would upset her more."

"What about Gracie?"

"My advice is. Do not touch Gracie with any sharp instrument!"

Jace laughed. "Good advice."

"Where is she staying?"

"Gracie is staying with us in a room on the far end of our estate."

"Lucky! You possess a big house."

Frank nodded, "I count my blessings too. She's no trouble. She comes to sleep and eat then quietly returns back to the Coral Gables jail cell with Stu."

Jace shook the curly brown colored skull. "That is not a healthy activity for Gracie or Stu."

"Gracie is strong as an ox. Didn't pull on her reins! She is fine in my medical opinion."

"You are not a practicing physician or psychiatrist."

Frank chuckled, "So, I used my invisible Tele powers on my person to find those answers."

He chuckled, "You're sounding like Tom."

"I have my insane reasons. Tom, Stu, and I converse on the same wave length now days. Once Stu is freed and released from the murder crime, we are selling Quartet Associates."

He laughed. "What joke is that humor book from? I missed the office memo."

Frank shook a skull. "It is no joke. Tom, Stu, and I have been entertaining the prospect for a couple of months. The Company is all grown up and has children in almost every foreign country in the world. We're all tired of the politics, the people, and the problems of VIP services for both clients and crooks. We want out."

"Does Austin know that you are planning a mutiny?" He laughed.

Frank chuckled with a smile and a nod. "Yes and no! Austin doesn't want to admit that fate is coming to end his lonely regal empire. However, he stays busy worrying about his girl Rosebud inside her new princess-coffin."

"As his physician, I do believe a new direction of his young life form might lift his evil spirits and challenge his badass mental energies."

Frank nodded with a smile. "I agree. Austin started out whining like a bitch that has been left at his mama's house on prom night until Rosebud entered his selfish life. Then, she disappeared within his life."

He exhaled. "I can't do anymore for Rosebud. She is both stable and healthy. The machine is working all her limbs while her body is pumping oxygen and blood around the muscles, organs, and veins. It really is up to Almighty God with Rosebud's fate."

Frank nodded with a stern face. "I believe that as well. Rosebud will awaken. And I do believe that Austin has barely accepted our new radical idea coupled with a signed legal contract, since there is a great chance that he will eventually marry Rosebud. Then, the Quartet will live happily ever after."

He laughed. "Quartet Associates is his baby girl."

"The baby girl is attending college and wants to cut off the long extended arms of her daddy, both of them." Frank chuckled.

"You're vicious today, Frank."

Frank exhaled with a sour frown. "Tom pissed me off threatening me with bodily harm. I got to vent my angry and you're it."

He shook a skull, "You and your brothers would dissolve Quartet Associates."

"We will not dissolve Quartet Associates. We would sale Quartet Associates to the highest bidder with the highest stacks of George Washington's."

Jace frowned. "This is about money."

Frank shook a skull with a smile. "This is about family. I want to spend more time with my wife, my parents, and my personal family barbeque and beer beach time, not bowing down to Saudi princes to kiss an ass for a billion dollars in financial fees at Quartet Associates. I'm sick of 'whining and dining' the group of assholes."

"Now, Thomas."

"Tom is right when he preaches the 'sermon on the mount' lecture all the time for an open mind and a pair of unclogged ears. We are billionaires. We should act, live, and flaunt our lifestyle. You're a very wealthy man, Jace. Why do you continue to work for a living?"

He smiled with a nod. "I'm a little different. I hope to discover the cure for cancer and become a zillionaire," chuckling.

Frank nodded with a smile, "Heard that right, dog!"

"My personal zillionaire dreams aside. I have a partner whining for my undivided attention too."

Frank nodded with a smile. "How is the wedding progressing? Am I still the front-runner for your best man position?"

Jace smiled with a nod. "We're working out the final, final arrangements for our wedding. You are my best man, Frank. And I plan to include all my Quartet sisters and brothers in our future happiness always and forever."

Frank smiled with a nod. "Then, we only need to save Stu's life while completing your forever never-ending fairy tale."

The chauffeur of Frank's limousine said via the rear speaker box. _"We have arrived at the Coral Gables police station, Frank."_
Tuesday September 14th

Downtown Miami (ten miles north of Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Miami-Dade courthouse building

Court room setting

9:03 a.m.

All the lawyers and the single client arrived on time, sitting inside the gallery of the court room in whispers and mumbles.

The side door opened and revealed a tall figure inside the archway. Judge Sherman Cutter entered into the court room in a pair of black silk robes over a tan colored shirt and moved ahead, climbing up the set of tiny steps, sitting down inside the judge's bench and turned to stare with a smile at each face. "Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen! We seem to be quite crowded for a simple exchange of recorded legal facts. I will set forth Rule Thirty of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure within the American judicial system. A deposition is evidence which is given under oath and is recorded for use inside a court of law, my court of law at a later date. The person deposed or questioned is known as the deponent, who had been notified to appear today at nine am. In the United States of America, a deposition is required in any type of criminal case as stated in Rules 27 through 32 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure which is governed by the State of Florida legal law. The CSR is present today and will be making a verbatim stenographic record of all that is said during the deposition testimony."

On the prosecution table, there sat a row of four individual lawyers. The female in the first chair wore a brown colored business suit with a head of light colored hair, a tone of dark skin and said with a smile to Cutter. "Your Honor, will there be audio and video recording of the proceeding here today?"

"No." Cutter turned and smiled at the first chair district attorney lawyer.

She frowned, "Why not?" Cutter did not smile. She cleared a throat with a stern face. "May I ask the judge? Why there will not be allowed audio or video recording?"

"Thanks for asking!" Cutter smiled with a nod to the district attorney.

The female district attorney nodded with a stern face. "You are welcome, Your Honor."

Cutter turned and nodded with a smile to Stu. "At this time, I would like to ask the deponent a question. Dr. Gage, as a defendant in a criminal case which is located in the federal district of Miami, do you want to plea the Fifth Amendment of the Constitution of the United States? The Fifth Amendment states that the defendant may not be deposed without his consent which gives him the legal right not to testify against oneself."

Stu dressed a light blue and light green square pattern suit with a yellow dress shirt, a thirteen carat emerald tie pin, a pair of matching emerald gem stone cuff links, and a pair of blue leathers, nodding with a smile to Cutter. "I waive my Fifth Amendment right as advised by my attorney."

Cutter nodded with a smile to Stu, "Very good, Dr. Gage! Please begin the proceedings by administering the oath, CSR."

The court reporter or the Certified Stenographic Reporter or the CSR stood upright in front of the judge's bench in a blue colored skirt and a white blouse with a head of dark hair and a tone of pale skin and moved ahead with a stern face, stopping and stood in front of Stu at the defendant table with Tom. Stu stood upright with a smile and lifted a right hand into the air.

She reached out and held the Holy Bible in one hand. Stu reached out and placed a left hand over the Bible. The CSR mumbled the words to Stu. Stu nodded the acceptance that he was going to tell the truth and the whole truth under oath of law with the eyes and ears of Almighty God while seeing and listening.

Stu sat back down in-between first chair lawyer Tom and second chair lawyer Austin, observing all the legal proceedings, silently praying to Almighty God for strength and guidance. Jane and Frank were seated behind the defendant table for support and encouragement too.

The CSR back stepped with a stern face from Stu and spun around, moving ahead and sat down into a chair in front of the judge's bench with a machine. She placed the Bible next to her and lifted, holding both hands over the machine, typing out the proceedings of the court room.

Cutter turned and nodded to Tom. "Who is the deponent attorney for Dr. Gage?"

"Tom Sawyer," He stood upright from the chair in a dark gray colored business suit with a bright pink and white flower print bowtie with a matching pocket handkerchief, a white colored dress shirt, a pair of bright pink tinted diamond cuff links, and pair of dark gray leathers with a nod and a stern face to Cutter.

Cutter turned and nodded to the prosecution table. "Who is the deposition attorney for the prosecution legal team?"

"We are," the first chair district attorney did not stand or acknowledge the respect of the judge inside his court room.

"I expect a singular proper name for simplicity into both my eardrums." Cutter frowned at the first chair and un-named district attorney female, who was working the playing field today. The district attorney prosecution team was in for a big surprise while playing against the Quartet, since the four young men always uncovered the ugly truth by the Quartet way.

And the district attorney prosecution team did not seem to respect the judge either. Cutter would be keeping one eyeball on them the entire time. He didn't like to see disrespect within his court room, no matter the defendant party. If the prosecution team exhibited a display of disrespect and Cutter did not award a severe verbal and physical punishment, then some of the other bolder and nasty criminal lawyers would imitate the same silly antics inside his courtroom, Thus, Cutter would not allow that act in his playground ever.

The first chair and unnamed district attorney turned and smiled at the nose profile on Tom. "The deposition attorney is named Deidra Holland."

Cutter nodded with a smile to the nose profile on Holland. "The attorney who has ordered the disposition is Ms. Holland. She will begin the questioning of the deponent Dr. Gage. The questioning is referred as a direct examination or a direct for a short quicker term. Do I make my person clear, counselors?"

Holland continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "Yes sir."

Tom nodded with a smile to Cutter, "Yes, Your Honor."

"Both visible nods and gestures are not being recorded today. Therefore, the deponent is instructed to answer all the questions aloud. After the direct examination, Mr. Sawyer in attendance will cross-examine the eyewitness. Ms. Holland, may ask more legal questions at the end in the process of redirect examination which may be followed by the process of a re-cross examination from the defense attorney Mr. Sawyer. Does everyone understand?"

Holland continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "Yes sir."

Tom nodded with a smile to Cutter, "Yes, Your Honor."

Cutter nodded to each face. "During the course of the deposing, Ms. Holland or Mr. Sawyer may object to any question asked while allowing to assert a privilege and to object to the format of the English question asked. This will signal to the witness care and caution in answering the posed question."

Holland continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "Yes sir. I would like to address the topic of examining the hard evidence which could be presented during the deposition today."

Cutter frowned at the nose profile on Holland. "The rules of evidence are usually preserved for the actually court trial. However, I do believe in expediting the time and reducing the expense. Therefore, I will make any and all evidence available here today."

Holland continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "Thank you, Your Honor."

Cutter said. "The value of a deposition or a discovery proceeding is to give all litigant parties in a contested trial case a fair preview of all the evidence, without a swift surprise attack and an avoidance of extra labor-consumed days in a long and lengthy jury trial setting. The second benefit is to preserve the witness's recollection while the events are fresh within the mind, if the court trial is held at a later date. In case the witness is detained, the deposition serves as the testimony and is read before the jury, making it part of the record in the case with the same legal force as a live testimony which can be used to impeach or contradict the witness's testimony in an open court room," exhaling. "The deposition preserves the witness testimony for the trial. The Sixth Amendment confrontation clause establishes the constitutional right of the defendant to be present during the deposition and cross-examination of the witness. The defendant may waive this right. Do you waive the right of the Sixth Amendment, Dr. Gage?"

Tom said with a stern face for his brother Stu. "My client does not, Your Honor." Since, the legal babbling was taking too much time inside the court room. Cutter was enjoying the boring monolog, since all the licensed lawyers went to law school learning more boring law facts. Tom was too familiar with the dry stuff while greatly desiring the pre-game shit done. And then the real game would begin.

Cutter smiled. "Who is your first eyewitness, Ms. Holland?"

She turned and smiled at the nose profile on Tom without standing. "I call toward the eyewitness box, Dr. RJ Jenks, from the University of Dade-Miami Department of Genetics, specifically the medical research office. He possesses a side interest in forensic psychology."

Cutter exhaled with a huff of annoyance. "Everyone seems to possess a side interest in forensics something these days."

She chuckled at the nose profile on Tom. "A dead body produces numerous dead parts which is completely unexplained, sir."

Cutter chuckled with the other occupants inside the court room. "I must remember that one. Please continue, Ms. Holland."

She pointed the wooden box for the eyewitness while staring with smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "Welcome, Dr. Jenks!" The person stood upright inside the gallery chair in a dark blue business suit and a red necktie with a head of brown colored hair, a tone of pale skin and moved ahead into the court square, stopping and stood in front of the CRS. The CRS stood upright and swore the eyewitness to tell the truth. Dr. Jenks promised with a nod in silence and moved ahead, sitting down inside the eyewitness box, staring at the nose profile on Holland. She continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom. "Please would you mind telling all of us? What is forensic psychology, Dr. Jenks? And why is it relative here in this murder case?"

Jenks nodded with a smile to see each face inside the court gallery. "Thank you for inviting me to this legal session, Ms. Holland. Forensic psychology is the intersection between general psychology, the mental mind, and the legal system, and the crime. There is a separate division of electronic applications for the collection, the examination, and the presentation of all the psychological stuff for the both the US Justice Department and local, state and federal police stations. The person is trained in areas of clinical, social, and organizational psychology in which to understand and evaluate all and any legal law plus to interact with the judges, the attorneys, and all the other legal professions. A forensic psychologist is designated as an expert witness to testify in a court of law while reformulating the psychology findings into the legal law language for all legal parties in which..."
Wednesday September 15th

Downtown Miami

(ten miles north of Coral Beach)

Rain showers and dark clouds

Miami-Dade courthouse building

Court room setting

9:13 a.m.

All the lawyers and the single client had gathered on time inside the same court room for the second day of legal pre-trial proceedings.

Cutter entered the court room in a set of black silk robes with a green colored shirt and sat down behind the bench, turning with a smile to see each face. "Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to personally thank each one of you in advance for your participating cooperation and honesty answering of all legal questions for both the prosecution and defense attorneys. Now, the attorneys working together will select the jury for the murder trial of Stuart Thant Gage, the third. Please start the jury selection process, Coral Gables district attorney Edwin Lou Luckado."

Luckado wore a dull red colored business suit with a purple and yellow butterfly pattern necktie, a yellow colored dress shirt, a pair of black colored leathers and turned with a smile to see the nose profile on Tom, "I pick Mr. Appleton."

"I will not waste our time by asking the same question over again for each one of the prosecution attorney's selection picks. Does the defense team accept the named jury member? If you do, then you will response with the single word: agree. Then, the jury candidate will become part of the jury box in this murder trial. If you do not want the particular jury member, then you will voice the single word: disagree. Then, the jury candidate will be eliminated from the jury pool until we reach a total of twelve juries and three alternatives for the upcoming murder trial. Do you understand?" Cutter nodded.

"Yes, Your Honor, I understand your terms for the jury selection process. And I agree." Tom nodded with a smile to Cutter, sitting next to Stu in a dark blue pin striped business suit with a white shirt, an orange and yellow set of bugs on a bowtie, a matching pocket handkerchief, and a pair of dark blue leathers.

Luckado turned and smiled at the nose profile on Tom, "I pick Mr. Berrymore."

"Agree." Tom smiled with a nod to Cutter.

Luckado continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "I pick Ms. Caretelle."

"Agree." Tom continued to smile with a nod to Cutter, exhibiting overconfidence, feeling the eyeballs of Luckado on a cheekbone without whipping out his Ghost and killing the sleazy lawyer in the right eyeball.

Luckado continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "I pick Ms. Dewitt."

"Agree." Tom continued to smile with a nod to Cutter, feeling the eyeballs of Luckado on his cheekbone again.

Frank leaned over with a worried brow onto the wooden railing into the eardrum on Austin in a pair of beige trousers, a pair of beige leathers, a peach colored dress shirt, a blue colored sports jacket, and a necktie of gray, blue, and black dots with a matching pocket handkerchief. Austin sat in a black colored sports coat, a black colored turtleneck, a pair of white trousers, and a pair of black leathers beside Stu as the second chair defense lawyer. Frank whispered. "Are you noticing like I am? Tom hasn't dismissed or objected to the first four picks by the evil and nasty prosecution team while I feel both confused and concerned."

Austin exhaled with a huff of confusion and leaned over in front of Stu's chest with a stern face to see the nose profile on Sawyer with a loud whisper. "Tom?"

Luckado continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "I pick Ms. Egger."

Tom nodded with a smile to Cutter, feeling the eyeballs of Luckado on a cheekbone, "Agree," he said out loud without viewing Austin. "What?"

"What are you doing?" Austin said with a stern face. He demanded an explanation for Tom's irrational weird-ass behavior, since Stu was being trialed for a murder that he didn't commit.

So far, the police investigation report of the factual medical evidence was proving far beyond an ensured jury verdict of guilt for Stu. Therefore, Tom had formed a different unique strategy for Stu's defense without updating his other two worried brothers.

Tom leaned over in front of the chest of Stu with a smile and a whisper to Austin. "Looky. I want people to think the immediate mind set game: Stuart Gage is not guilty."

"Specific, Tom?" Frank continued to lean over the wooden railing with an angry face of fury in-between Tom and Stu while mouth spitting a tongue of salvia on the sleeve of the new business jacket of Sawyer.

Tom turned with a fake smile to see Mangrove and reached down, wiping off the mouth salvia from the sleeve with a whisper, "Back off, Frank! If I challenge any of the prosecution picks, then I will be announcing Stu's guilt. Stu is innocent, not guilty of any gawd damn murder crime."

"Reverse psychology?" Austin exhaled with a huff and stared with worry at Tom.

"Reverse legal tactics 101," Tom turned and grinned with a nod to Austin.

"I didn't like your reverse legal tactics by using our brother. He is not guilt." Frank mouth spat more tongue salvia in vicious fury on the sleeve on Tom.

Tom leaned into the huddle with a fake smile and a whisper to his three brothers. "You, you, and I know that. But, the rest of the world doesn't. Sit the fuck down, Frank! Before, I kick your ass out of the court room with Cutter's approval," he wiped the mouth spit from the sleeve of his business jacket with a sour frown.

Austin exhaled. "So, you are conforming to the moment."

Tom nodded with a smile. "I'm conforming. I'm confident. Let the mighty arrogant and ugly DA bastard toss shit at me! I can fight it in the air, on the ground, and under the water," he chuckled with a super inflated ego like a successful attorney who had never ever lost a legal law case in any national or international court room for the Quartet or his company Quartet Associates.

"Touché," Austin nodded with a smirk of worry to Stu. Frank sat back into the chair with fumed in the rear seat on Tom's ass, crossing both arms with a grin to Jane. Jane wore a dark red and white business suit with a pair of heeled pumps, and a white blouse with a smirk.

Luckado continued to smirk at the nose profile on Tom, "I pick Mrs. Fruge."

"Agree." continued to smile with a nod to Cutter, feeling the eyeballs of Luckado on his cheekbone, exhibiting overconfidence without jotting down notes with the pencil.

City of Miami Springs

Rain showers and dark clouds with warm temperatures

Quartet secret laboratory setting

11:20 a.m.

The jury members had been selected and filled very swiftly, since Tom didn't object to the first twelve people and the next three alternatives for Stu's upcoming murder trial.

The Quartet minus one brother left the court room and rode inside the limousine to the same secret medical laboratory that was utilized during the Angel of Death murder trial of two centuries.

Jace wore a pair of dark blue hospital scrubs, a pair of dark blue sneakers, and a white laboratory coat, sitting down inside the laboratory while working with the sketchy physical evidence of tissue to un-find Stu as the biological father of dead fetus.

Outside in the heat of the morning, the limousine halted near the sidewalk as the door opened. The remaining member of the Quartet slowly exited out from the limousine and moved ahead into the building in silence with a set of heavy mental thoughts of their brother Stu.

The laboratory door opened.

The Quartet minus one entered the room and scattered throughout the room into various chairs and sofas.

Tom sat down on top of the sofa and placed the old gray colored leather briefcase down onto the top of the floor, reaching over and grabbed the food from the tray on top of the low table between the living room furniture pieces. He sat back into the soft cushions and held the food, smiling with a nod at the ass of Jace. "Jace, tell me something good!" He continued to stare at the ass of Jackson with a sigh. "Tell me something bad, Jace!" He ate and chewed the food, swallowing the food with a puzzled brow. "Jace, tell me something!"

"I'm deciding." Jace stood in front of the long work station with an array of shiny laboratory equipment, a mini-stand of upright empty test tubes, and a box of empty glass slide, working on a particular slide of tissue with a stern face.

Tom frowned. "Deciding what, man?"

Jace spun around with a huff of worry and a stern face to see Tom. "I am deciding to give you the good or bad news first."

Tom extended both arms with the fruit to the side with a nod and a smile to Jace. "You always give the good news, first and foremost."

He exhaled with a stern face. "I don't have any type of laboratory results for you."

Tom dropped down both arms with the fruit and slapped one leg with a puzzled brow. "You always give the bad new first, man."

"I don't have any type of laboratory results for you." Jace exhaled with a huff of worry.

Tom dropped the red colored fruit piece over the floor and reached over, jerking out his Ghost from the new business jacket with a sneer. "What the fuck are you doing to me and to Stu, man?" He stood upright and parted both leathers, drawing the weapon up into the air with a sneer. "This ain't no comedy act. I'm drawing out my Ghost and shooting three of your damn toes out of your expensive leathers which might jump-start your brain cells into a solution."

Austin leaped out from the sitting chair with a growl and swiftly dashed ahead, swinging out an arm, snatching the Ghost from the two-fisted hands on Tom and leaned into the cheekbone of Sawyer with a sneer. "Don't piss me off, Tom!" Tom turned and hissed at Austin, feeling both worry and fear for his brother Stu also. Austin shoved Tom back down onto the sofa with a growl and spun around, storing Tom's Ghost next to his Ghost inside a jacket pocket, returning back to the sitting chair with a sour frown. He swung around and sat down in silence with worry and fear for the life of Stu, watching the action, listening to the conversation.

Jace smiled with a nod at Tom. "Haven't you heard the ancient axiom, Tom? No news is good news," he chuckled with Frank. Frank sat inside a single chair on the other side on Tom with a lap of medical charts, assisting Jace with the review of the medical information.

Tom lifted and waved both arms into the air with an angry face of fury. "I don't like that damn axiom. How about this one? Shit happens. When shit hits the fan, it stinks. Shit a brick. Shit on me. Then I turn around and shit on your shitty toes with my Ghost and sharp-ass razor blades, once I beat Berrington into a coma and steal back my Ghost," he turned and hissed at Berrington. "Give me back my Ghost, right now!"

Austin pointed down at the sofa with a growl. "Enough, pup! Sit down, Tom!"

Tom exhaled with a sour frown to see Jace. "Jeezus, I'm trying to win back Stu's life. Give me some gawd damn good medical information, man."

Jace spun around with a worried brow and started to work on the particular side of tissue on top of the laboratory work station. "I am working on some good gawd damn medical information for you, Tom."
Thursday September 16th

Downtown Miami

Miami-Dade courthouse building

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Court Trial Day One

Court room setting

9:04 a.m.

Tom had spent yesterday afternoon within the city of Ocala arguing a new venue hearing for Stu. Since Stu would not be able to receive a fair trial within the city of Ocala, because the local newspapers, the family rallies, and the general public had been carrying out ugly protests which were both prejudicial and inflammatory towards the Quartet, their brother Stu, and all the billionaires of the world. So, the Marion County Circuit judge granted the motion for change of venue with the added clause that the murder trial was to begin the next day within the metro city of Miami within the US State of Florida, without delay.

Inside the court room, the third medical eye witness for the prosecution team stated the same damn information in a different damn way regarding both the medical and clinical background plus the history of fetuses, skin tissues, and other medical stuff which belonged within Frank's arena. Otis Arnett wore a tan colored business suit with a green colored necktie and a white colored laboratory coat. He was the medical director of obstetrics and gynecology surgical services at Ocala City Hospital. He was also the medical obstetrician for Miss Tamara Tama Tang and her unborn baby during her pregnancy before her tragedy death on the night of September the fifth in her home.

The two previous medical eyewitness experts had been voiced the same damn medical information in a different damn way just to annoy Tom's butthole during an individual eye witness testimony.

Luckado wasn't tall or polished in the black and gray plaid business suit with a skinny black colored necktie, a bright blue colored dress shirt, and a pair of black leathers as a criminal lawyer while querying each eyewitness with a single legal question that was related to the medical information. And he also had a very bad vocal habit of starting each sentence with the word: So.

Tom ticked off another short black mark on the paper with the lead pencil and a slight grin. He sat beside Stu who dressed in a dull orange and rich black square print business suit with a solid black dress shirt, a pair of amber gem stone cuff links, a matching amber colored tie pin, and a pair of black leathers.

Luckado uttered in front of the witness box at the same eyewitness. "So, Dr. Arnett, what does the term forensic medicine mean?"

Tom stood upright from the chair with puzzlement in a solid black colored business suit with a white dress shirt, a purple bowtie with a set of individual tiny silver tinted anchors, a matching pocket handkerchief, a pair of amethyst cuff links, and a pair of black colored leathers. Luckado-do was either an annoying asshole or an incompetent attorney. Sawyer couldn't figure out which but it wouldn't hurt to mention that mental thought to Cutter again and to the twelve jury members and the three alternatives inside the jury box that possessed excellent vision and acute hearing. He smiled with a nod, "Your Honor, I ask with all due respect to my fellow attorney, Mr. Luckado-do..."

Luckado sniffed with a huff and spun around with a sour frown to see Tom. "Luck-a-do, if you do not mind with the correct pronunciation of my name, Mr. Sawyer, the third."

Tom smiled at Cutter in the black silk robes and a yellow dress shirt. "Mr. Luck-a-do, Do...does the current eyewitness inside the witness stand plus the two other previous medical eyewitness experts have to explain, recite, and quote that particular clinical definition for everyone here inside the court room again?"

"Mr. Luckado, why are you asking for another definition of forensic medicine?" Cutter turned and faked a smile to the district attorney.

Luckado sniffed with a huff and spun around with a smile to see Cutter. "So, Dr. Arnett might be able to reveal something that was left out from the two previous medical experts, Your Honor. We must cover every single bit of the intriguing field of science, Your Honor," nodding. Cutter motioned with the gravel in hand to proceed while Luckado turned and nodded with a smile to the eyewitness.

Arnett exhaled with a huff of annoyance at Luckado. "Forensic medicine is a study of clinical interpretations of medicine evidence using scientific facts such as DNA finger printing in both civil or criminal law cases."

"So, Dr. Arnett, what is forensic testing?"

Arnett exhaled with a huff of annoyance at Luckado. "Forensic testing uses a unique individual DNA sequence pattern to help identify another party for legal purposes, not a gene mutation which could be associated with any diseases and disorders of the biological body. There is a great big distinction here, Mr. Luckado. This type of testing is used to establish the biological relationship between two subjects in this legal case."

"So, Dr. Arnett, could you please provide for our wonderful judge, jury, and audience the answer? What is DNA? Please provide a layman's definition outline, not the medical terminology."

Arnett turned and frowned at the nose profile on Cutter. "The two previous medical physicians had thoroughly explained that particular medical term, Your Honor."

"Two contempt charges," Cutter turned and smiled down at brown colored hair roots on Luckado.

Luckado sniffed with a huff of confusion to Cutter. "So, why would you give my eyewitness a set of two contempt charges, Your Honor?"

Cutter grinned down at the confused brow of Luckado, "The two contempt charges are for you, Mr. Luckado. You are missing the obvious and messing with me," he smirked while hearing a set of soft sniggers from the brave audience members.

"Me," Luckado gasped with worry and looked down with a sour frown to review his legal notes. "So, deoxyribonucleic acid is an acid that contains the blueprints for the construction of component cells, including proteins and RNA molecules. Genetic tests are performed on samples of blood, tissue, hair, and skin. So, Dr. Arnett, were you Miss Tamara Tama Tang's obstetrician?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, obstetrics is the specialty dealing with the care of women and their children during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal. An obstetrician sees a pregnant female on a regular basis to check the progress of the baby's growth, verify the absence of disease, and to monitor any pre-existing disease. Is this the correct medical role of an obstetrician?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, the female is scheduled for sequential antenatal clinical appointments which can vary accordingly to the presence of any dangerous risk factors. Is this medical definition correct?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did Miss Tamara Tama Tang display any dangerous risk factors at her antenatal clinic appointments with her normal advancing pregnancy?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did you exclude the following dangerous medical risk for her advancing pregnancy, preeclampsia?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did you exclude abnormal fetus placentation for her advancing pregnancy?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did you notice any intrauterine growth restriction for her advancing pregnancy?"

Tom stood upright from the chair with a sour frown, parking both hands on the hips, "Your Honor."

Cutter leaned over the bench and extended a hand to the lawyer with a stern face. "Mr. Luckado, may I see your list of medical risk questions for the medical expert Dr. Arnett?"

"So, so," Luckado looked up with a confused brow to see Cutter.

"The list," Cutter wiggled the fingers at the papers. Luckado reached up and slid the set of papers to Cutter. Cutter accepted the items and looked down, reading the information with a stern face.

Luckado spun around with a smile to see Tom. "So, I had sent all the medical expert witness questions, testimonies, and depositions in advance to Mr. Sawyer before this scheduled murder trial date, Your Honor. These papers represent my currently unaddressed legal questions for the current medical expert."

Cutter studied the pages which were composed of hundreds of one single question with a single yes or no addressment. He also realized the district attorney prosecution team was more interested in upsetting Tom rather than currently infuriating Cutter's ego and reputation. He leaned down over the bench surface and slid the papers back to the prosecution lawyer with a stern face. "Mr. Luckado, you will summary all your questions into one group. Or I have no problem with discounting the entire three eyewitnesses. Do you understand?"

He nodded with a smile. "So, I have..."

Cutter nodded with a fake smile "Good! I'm so glad that you understand me. Back to the questioning! Or are we done for the day perhaps? This is a pretty nice day of cool weather for the month of September in Miami. I would rather be in my swimming pool performing my required thirty laps of exercise."

He nodded with a stern face to Cutter and then to the eyewitness, "Yes, Your Honor! So, Dr. Arnett, please provide me with a single answer as I read a single question to you first. Did Miss Tamara Tama Tang within your medical professional knowledge visit any other the following medical specialties for her advancing pregnancy including cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, gerhematology, geriatrics..." he stopped with a gasp while hearing the audience snigger and looked up with a worried brow to see Cutter. "I am sorry, Your Honor. That wasn't supposed to be on my list. I will continue with the following medical specialties including hepatology, infectious disease, nephrology, oncology, pulmonary, rheumatology, or a sleep laboratory study?"

Arnett shook a skull with a stern face to Luckado. "No! Miss Tamara Tama Tang didn't exhibit IUGR."

Luckado looked down with a sour frown to see Arnett, "Pardon me!"

Arnett pointed down to the papers in the hands of Luckado with a stern face. "I am addressing the prior question before you were interrupted by Judge Cutter. Intrauterine growth restriction occurs when the fetus expectation is low. The physician suspects the weight of the baby is small which will prompt more medical tests regarding both the mother and the fetus. My patient Miss Tamara Tama Tang did not visit any other medical departments that you had listed from that sheet of paper within OCH or any clinics of the hospital."

"Thank you for all your vital important, Dr. Arnett. Did she visit the emergency room on any other occasion for her advancing pregnancy?"

Cutter exhaled. "Mr. Luckado."

"So, are there any more medical specialties that need to be reviewed regarding Miss Tamara Tama Tang's well-being health?"

Arnett said. "No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, if you could evaluate from your first initial and then on-going medical antenatal examinations, did you perform and record her vital clinical signs, including height, weight, body temperature, blood pressure, pulse, respiration rate, and hemoglobin oxygen saturation?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did you note a health risk in her physical appearance for any specific clinical indicator of disease or lack of nutritional component or jaundice of the skin regarding her advancing pregnancy?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did you check her eyes, ears, nose, and throat?"

Arnett smiled. "You have missed the most important body part pertaining to Miss Tamara Tama Tang, Mr. Luckado," he chuckled with some of the audience. "Yes! I checked all those visual appendages and more during an antenatal examination."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did you check her heart and blood vessels in the cardiovascular system?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, was her respiratory system including lungs and airways clear and normal?"

Cutter interjected. "Mr. Luckado."

"So, Dr. Arnett, was her respiratory system including lungs and airways clear, her abdomen and rectum normal, her spine plus extremities and musculoskeletal system functioning properly? Did she exhibit a normal range of visual neurological factors consisting of consciousness, awareness, brain activity, good vision, and spinal cord movement?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, was she at any time a psychiatric patient or under medical treatment for any disorientation, mental state, or abnormal thought?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did she consume tobacco, alcohol, prescribed medications, or documented any type of illegal pharmaceutical drug usage during her advanced pregnancy based on your medical knowledge?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did your routine office visit for the first trimester include the medical procedure of a complete blood count or CBC for her blood typing? And were her laboratory testing and test results concluded as all normal?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, was her general antibody screen with an indirect Coombs test for HDN RhD negative?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did you perform a rapid plasma regent or RPR which screens for syphilis and the following medical cultures such as, the rubella antibody screening; the hepatitis B surface antigen; the gonorrhea and Chlamydia culture; a PPD for tuberculosis, and a HIV screening which all would have been with her permission, of course? Does your testing include the Group B Streptococcus screening for a child possessing Down's syndrome?"

"Yes."

Luckado spun around with a smile to see Tom, "So, Dr. Arnett, would you please tattle to each jury member the final laboratory result of each medical test for her advancing pregnancy?"

"Each laboratory test was within the normal without any type of deficiency."

Luckado stared with a smirk at Tom and then spun around with a smile to see the physician. "So, Dr. Arnett, did she encounter low back pain due to a shift in gravity or increased estrogen caused by spider angiomata and palmar erythema, or increased melanocyte stimulating hormone which causes hyperpigmentation of the nipples, the umbilicus, the abdomen, and the face?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did she experience any physical signs of shortness of breath for her advanced pregnancy? Were there any complications found from the routine ultrasound performed on her?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, in your medical opinion was both the mother and baby healthy?"

"Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, did she carry out an abortion, before she was brutally hacked up by her murderer without your medical or social knowledge?"

"No."

"So, Dr. Arnett, you have explained the concept of forensic testing which uses a unique individual DNA sequence pattern that helps to identify and establish a biological relationship between two subjects, in this case the two subjects happen to be a paternal relationship. Who are the two subjects in this paternal case?" Luckado spun around with a smirk to see Tom. "The biological relationship of..."

"Miss Tang."

"The murder victim and..."

"Mr. Gage."

Luckado tossed both arms into the air with a smile and a chuckle of the clever wording. "Correct!"

Cutter frowned at the rear skull of Luckado. "Mr. Luckado, you do a very good job of amusing the court gallery. Therefore, I will award you four more contempt charges making the grand total six. So, please continue to entertain me, counselor."

Luckado spun around with a grin to see Arnett. "So, Dr. Arnett, DNA can provide the genetic finger printing process. You listed the genetic tests are performed on samples of blood, tissue, hair, and skin. Does that include the amniotic fluid which comes from the womb in the form of a thick and warm liquid that surrounds...?"

Tom stood upright with a sour frown, "Objection! Luckado-do is doing it again by leading the medical expert eyewitness with the final game show answer of the day," exhaling, "The fetus."

Cutter pointed the gravel at the nose profile on Luckado with a stern face. "Mr. Luckado, I have warned you about performing a set of silly circus antics inside my court room. I award two more contempt charges. Two plus the other six contempt charges equal the number eight, if you can't count with elementary second grade math skills. When you reach twenty contempt charges for the day, you go straight into my jail cell which is behind my ass and do not pass by the bathroom. Do you understand me?"

Luckado nodded with a smirk to the eyewitness, since he was doing his job and pissing off tom and the judge. The jury was also listening to the entertaining vocal exchange. He smiled. "Yes, Your Honor! So, Dr. Arnett, did you use Mr. Gage's DNA sample inside your laboratory test too? And please describe the current medical procedure to extract a tiny sample of human DNA from Mr. Gage?"

"A small cotton swab is used to swipe the inside of the cheek in the mouth for a sample."

"So, Dr. Arnett, where did the blood samples come from?"

"They were collected from both the fetus of Miss Tamara Tama Tang and the mouth swab of Mr. Gage."

"So, Dr. Arnett, please state each laboratory result of the blood tests that have been performed on a poor tragic victim of the murderous crime which was committed on dead and cold Miss Tamara Tama Tang and her sweet innocent unborn aborted child in relation to an alive and breathing Mr. Gage."

Tom stood upright with a sour frown. "Objection, Your Honor!"

Cutter frowned at the nose profile on Luckado. "Sustained! Mr. Luckado, I could do without the extra adjectives in your question. It gives me a headache. Please proceed, very carefully!"

Luckado turned and nodded to Cutter and then viewed Arnett. Arnett exhaled. "All the biological components of the baby's protein, chromosome, and genes are common with Mr. Gage's biological components."

"So, Dr. Arnett, could you please explain to the jury and the non-medical people the term 'common'?"

"The two common subjects are the unborn child inside the womb of Miss Tamara Tama Tang and the related body component of Mr. Gage."

"So, Dr. Arnett, what are the laboratory results of ...?"

"I told you the answer in the last question, Mr. Luckado. The laboratory test is common."

Luckado chuckled with a nod. "So, Dr. Arnett, please tell me again! I seem to be hard of hearing lately."

Cutter smashed the gravel onto the hard surface of the bench with a sour frown. "I award a set of two more contempt charges and I hope you clearly heard that statement, Mr. Luckado."

Luckado smiled with a nod at the eyewitness. "So, Dr. Arnett, what is your final, final medical conclusion of your laboratory analysis for the two clinical extracted DNA samples when the dead fetus of Miss Tamara Tama Tang is compared to the mouth swab of Mr. Gage?"

"I told you for a third time. The laboratory test is common."

Cutter frowned at the nose profile on Luckado. "I have added one more contempt charge to your growing accumulation total, Mr. Luckado."

Luckado smirked at the eyewitness, since his plan was wondering wonderfully. The jury was seeing the tension and the drama inside the court room. Drama made the jury members feel the pain of the victim, since this victim was dead along with her unborn child. He smiled. "So, Dr. Arnett, I am a non-clinical specialist who cannot read and interpretation a medical report. The two test samples are positive which means that the US State licensed sentinel laboratory had found a common genetic characteristic in a particular gene, chromosome, or protein. Therefore, would the word common be an equal word match in your medical opinion, sir?"

He nodded with a stern face. "The word match would be equal to the word common. Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, does the word match translate into the word exact match."

"The word match would translate into the word exact match. Yes."

"So, Dr. Arnett, your final interpretation of the final medical report states that there is an exact match of the two DNA tissues coming from the dead fetus of Miss Tang and the mouth swab of Mr. Gage via the DNA finger printing processing sequence pattern. Is this a correct medical statement, sir?"

"Yes."

Luckado smiled. "So, Dr. Arnett, I would seem to have completely my long sheet with all my medical questions," he spun around with a smile and a nod to see Tom. "I am done here, Your Honor."

"Do you have any questions for the eyewitness, Mr. Sawyer?" Cutter turned and nodded to Tom.

Tom stood upright from the hard chair at the defense table with a nod and a smile to the eyewitness. "Dr. Arnett, I want to thank you for entertaining us with the third science lecture of medical data. I believed that I have learned something new today. I will be very brief, since you are probably mentally exhausted from the day's discourse. Did Miss Tamara Tama Tang mention the biological father of the unborn fetus to you by a piece of hand printed paper, a typed letter, a glossy colorful photography, an electronic computer email, a faxed piece of paper, an illuminated screen from a computer laptop, an audio voice message from a landline telephone, a visual display on a television devise, a voice or data bit on a mobile telephone, or by any other means of communication of the confirmation of the biological father that I had missed, sir?"

"No, Mr. Sawyer! Miss Tamara Tama Tang did not. I am very sorry that I do not possess that information for your question," he exhaled with a nod and a stern face to Tom.

Tom nodded with a smile. "Thank you very much for your brief answer, Dr. Arnett."

Cutter turned and nodded to the nose profile on the eyewitness. "You can now step out of the witness box, Dr. Arnett." He slammed the gravel and faced the audience with a smile. "We will break for lunch and then return back into my court room at precisely one o'clock."

12:56 p.m.

City of Miami Springs

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunrays

Quartet secret laboratory setting

Austin and Frank ate lunch with Tom at one of the restaurants with a reserved private dining room in advance for the Quartet minus one and then left the court house, leaving Tom alone inside the court room for the afternoon session while arriving by limousine back to the secret laboratory. They entered and scattered around the room in silence, watching Jace work in silence.

Jace continued to work inside the laboratory reading the medical records, reviewing blood slides, scanning laboratory reports, rereading medical notes and interviews of patients, witnesses, physicians, nurses, and technicians. He sat inside the long sofa with both tired feet on top of the low table. He had been working all day and all night inside the laboratory without bathing inside a shower and sleeping on top of a homemade cot inside the wall corner of the room. He didn't want to waste precious time driving home or bathing. He exhaled with a huff of worry and confusion for all eardrums, pointing down at the paperwork. "I have reread and reviewed every single blood test, laboratory report, and medical note within the photocopied medical chart of Tamara. However, I can't find anything new or different or unique or deceptive."

Frank reviewed the same stack of papers again with a stern face. "Keep looking, Jace!"

"What time is it?" Jace exhaled with a huff of exhaustion and rubbed both eyelids.

Austin sat on the opposite side of the room inside a single sitting chair, since Jace smelled worse than a pile of horse shit, looking up and glanced at the ugly analog clock on the side wall, since he didn't where a timepiece on the wrist bone. He exhaled with a huff of worry and fear with a stern face. "The wall clock states the time for beginning the afternoon session of Stu's murder trial."

Frank looked up with a nod and a stern ace to see Jace and pointed down at the same stack of papers. "Let's use biology logic, not common sense logic here!" He sat inside a single sitting chair next to the sofa while smelling a stinky Jace but Mangrove was a physician and his two nose holes were accustomed to strange odors pleasure or not.

Jace turned and frowned at Frank, "What biology logic, Frank?"

Frank tossed a hand into the air with a smile. "Follow my common sense logical here, Jace! Let us start with the fetus! Could the final laboratory test that had been performed by the Ocala City Hospital laboratory personnel be the result of fetus in fetu?"

Jace shook a skull with a stern face. "A fetus in fetu is a developmental abnormality inside the mother's body that resembles a normal fetus but really isn't. I vote no, absolutely not."

Frank nodded. "The fetus in fetu evolves into two theories. One is a parasite which has enveloped and wrapped around the normal fetus while displaying it like a twin. The other is a massive highly developed teratoma which occurs in one out of 500,000 live births. I agree. The answer is no."

Jace frowned. "The fetus is dead. You are way off base. You, me, and we can't deny the DNA composite of the body tissues, Frank."

"The point, I'm stating is that the fetus component tissue has not yet died or been eliminated. Could the fetus be a tumor instead of a normal developing baby? Thus, the baby was damaged or close to a miscarriage which would explain why it sorta resembled Stu's DNA," Frank shook a red colored hairy skull. "I am going crazy with you here too, Jace."

Jace shook a black colored hairy skull. "No, Frank! Based on all my numerous medical examinations from the baby skin tissue which had been provided by the district attorney, the biological cells come from the unborn fetus that shows a set of normal metabolic activity within the mother's womb. The organs worked perfectly while supplying blood from the host with a functioning brain, heart, lungs, and gastrointestinal tract."

"I didn't agree, Jace."

"Frank, this is a normal developing fetus with a given prospect of life outside the host, the mother."

Frank shook a skull, "I disagree, Jace."

Austin nodded with a stern face at the nose profiles of Jace and Frank. "These are good theories, Frank. But they don't apply here."

Jace nodded with a stern face to Frank. "Austin's correct. Do something construction, not destructive, Frank? Read to Frank, Austin! So, Frank can listen and quiet his crazy-ass mind," he exhaled with a huff of worry and annoyance, leaning over and grabbed one of the heavy medical textbook, turning to the side and pitched it into the air towards Austin. Austin lifted both hands and caught the flying heavy object with a grunt, dropping it down into a lap with a stern face. Jace nodded with a smile to Austin. "Flip through the book and start reading about fetuses from that medical textbook, Austin. I believe that Frank has a good point about that being the starting place."

"All right," Austin leaned over and sipped, swallowing the cold beverage, replacing the sweaty tumbler back on top of the low table and sat back and flipped through the medical textbook, finding the chapter on fetuses and read out loud with a strong timber and a stern face. "A fetus is a developing mammal after the embryonic stage and before birth. In humans, the fetal stage starts at the eleventh week in the gestational age which is the ninth week after fertilization. The fetus is attached to the placenta at twelve weeks after fertilization." Frank moaned with annoyance. Austin continued to read out loud with a strong timber and a stern face. "The fetus in the ninth week is typically one point two inches in length..."

Jace smiled. "Skip down a paragraph, Austin!"

Austin stopped reading and skipped down to the next section, reading out loud with a strong timber and a stern face. "The fetus is not capable of feeling pain in the beginning of the fetal stage," he looked up with a puzzled brow to see Jace. "Is that really true?"

Jace nodded with a smile. "The baby's touchy feely emotions develop within the third trimester around the seventh month with an array of uncontrolled movements and twitches of the muscles then form inside the mother's wound."

Austin nodded and looked down at the open book, reading out loud with a strong timber and a stern face. "The fetus is eight inches at the end of the fifth month of pregnancy."

Jace smiled. "Skip down again, Austin!"

Austin stopped reading and skipped down the next section, reading out loud with a strong timber and a stern face. "Intrauterine growth restriction or IUGR or fetal growth restriction or FGR occurs when the fetal size is less than expected."

Frank nodded with a stern face at Jace. "Could the mother have had SGA or small gestational age along with maternal difficult factors which could have been associated with her weight, body mass, diet, stress, tobacco, alcohol, or drug use?"

Jace stood upright from the sofa with a stern face and moved ahead, circulating his stinky odor around the enclosed and secured laboratory room. He stopped and slid down into the tall stool in front of the work station, fiddling with the slide of baby tissue and said with a stern tone. "No, Frank! You were present inside the court room, this morning. You told me that Luckado specifically asked her medical obstetrician about the mother and the baby's medical history and health. He told both were excellent."

Austin continued to read out loud from the medical textbook with a strong timber and a stern face. "The placental factors include size, microstructure of densities and architecture, umbilical blood flow, transporters and binding proteins, nutrient utilization, and production. The fetal factors include the fetus genome, nutrient production, and hormone output." He looked up with a puzzled brow to see the ass of Jace. "I'm not a physician here. But I can read and understand a common factor inside the medical textbook. Both the mom and baby share a nutrient production..."

Frank frowned at the ass of Jace. "Stop reading out loud, Austin!"

"Okay." Austin softly said with a stern face and felt out of place here inside the medical laboratory with the two medically trained Lab Coats. The insulting term Lab Coats had been coined by silly Tom. Berrington didn't possess a medical degree, knowledge, or experience to assist with the clinical assessment in Stu's murder trial. He wanted to help inside the secret Quartet and at the same time inside the court room.

However, Tom had kicked Austin's ass out of the door of the limousine while coming back from lunch and traveling towards the court house for the afternoon session with Judge Cutter. The twin sister Tamika was scheduled to testify after the lunch meal today. Tom had ordered no Quartet brother to be present inside the court room for the afternoon which was a very slick legal move.

Since Tom had secretly muttered into the eardrum on Frank that he thought Austin might gun her down before her ass warmed down into the witness box. Then Sawyer would be defending two Quartet brothers in a separate cold-blooded murder trial.

Frank had tattled the funny story to Austin inside the limousine as Berrington softly chuckled with a nod while outlining his Ghost with a shooting hand inside the sports jacket.

In the secret laboratory inside the same sitting chair, Frank flipped and reviewed the same stack of medical papers with a worried brow. "Jace, did you check the fetus for premature growth?"

Jace fiddled with the slides on top of the work station with a sour tone. "I checked. The list is inside your copied stack of papers. So, you can review and memory it, if it makes you feel better, Frank. I have a negative result which is classified for the following medical fetal conditions, small for gestational age or SAG and large for gestational age or LGA. There is no prematurity component, Frank."

Frank flipped through the pages and found the laboratory result, reading out the information for all eardrums. "No prematurity! No asphyxia! No hypothermia! No polycythemia! No hypocalcemia! No immune dysfunction! No neurologic abnormalities! No other fetus health problems inside the mother's womb. Damn!"

Jace fiddled with the slides with a stern face. "Yes, the baby was healthy."

Frank nodded. "Your report finding is brilliantly thorough, Jace. The baby had a good respiratory system and a central nervous system and a circulation system..."

"Based on all these math calculations, the boy was going to enjoy a long life." Jace said.

Austin parted the lips at the back spine on Jace at the work station on the other side of the room, "The fetus was a boy."

Jace fiddled with the slides on top of the work station with a sad face. "The fetus was a male."

Austin exhaled with a nod. "Stu always wanted a son."

Frank swiftly stood upright with the papers and dashed ahead, stopping and stood in front of the work station, pointing down at a row of red and blue colored glass dishes with a sour frown and a matching tone to Austin. "This shitting ass gawd damn mass of gray decaying tissue and red colored blood proteins do not belong to our brother Stuart. How many times do I have to fuckingly say this to you, asswipe Austin?"

Austin exhaled with a stern face of fury and worry. "We hear. We obey."

Frank turned to the side and slapped the stack of papers down into the stool surface with a worried brow. "Fuck this! I'm so..."

"...helpless and..." nodded Austin.

"...hopeless..." nodded Jace.

Austin nodded with a tight smile. "There is always hope, Jace."

Jace fiddled with the specimens and the slides with a smile. "I have hope, faith, love, and joy all rolled together, Austin."

1:12 p.m.

Downtown Miami

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Miami-Dade courthouse building

Court room setting

She sat inside the witness box with a face of tears and sounds of sobs, holding a white colored wad of used tissues next to a big crooked nose, dropping the used tissue into a lap and lifted down the black mourning veil and covered up an ugly fugly face.

His brother Stu "did her" was beyond Tom's normal neurons. She was one big, ugly girl with a mouth of buck teeth and a set of red colored pimples like a teenager in heat. Gage must have had a drunken "out of body experience" in college during that fucking sex act or just "out of luck" for the school week. Sawyer softly chuckled with the funny mental picture.

Gage heard the soft chuckle and then elbow punched the arm on Tom with a stern face in silence. Tom reached over and patted the hand of Stu for support with a smirk. The genius lawyer couldn't help but laugh at the ugly eye sight of the new key witness inside the witness box. He also couldn't argue with emotions, tears, smiles, whines, drool, sneezes, coughs, mucus, or snot. These were true signs for the jury members to misinterpret.

Not like the dramatic pause, then pace, then pause, and then pace of her Hollywood entrance from the open wide double door into the witness box, she moved sweetly sundering slowly. She was dressed in a black colored business suit with a pair of black tinted low heels, and a black tinted veil that was wrapped around the mouth and part of her nose. She was armed with a white wad of used tissues in a right hand and a small Holy Bible in the other hand.

The pair of Luckado and twin sister Tamika Tama Tang was the ultimate dynamic duo team, who has practiced the same old song and dance show together to win the final competition in front of the judge, the jury, and the court gallery. Luckado asked her a question and then answered her question as she played off her role with the loud boohooing and permanent loss of her dead twin sister.

Luckado had eaten up the time while telling useless information about the new eyewitness Miss Tamika Tami Tang. After each prosecution question, she halted the demon-tale for practiced drama and then cried, blew, sniffed, and stared directly at Luckado through the see through black tinted veil for the next posed legal question.

Tamika resided in the next town from Ocala which was the city of Silver Springs near the park. Silver Springs is the site of the largest artesian water spring in the world, producing 550 million gallons of clean water that comes directly from Mother Nature for free while employing a ton of people that host boat tours and natural hikes through the park. That vocal eyewitness testimony was irrelevant in the murder trial for Stu.

Her twin sister was Tamara Tama Tang, who was a very kind person that lived inside her parent's house in the city of Ocala. That statement was irrelevant in the murder trial for Stu.

Ocala is the county seat of Marion County which is composed of rolling hills of oak, pine, and palm trees. That vocal eyewitness statement was irrelevant in the murder trial for Stu.

Marion County is the northernmost county within the section of Central Florida. It is a five-hour car ride from Coral Beach which is a morning drive. That vocal eyewitness statement was relevant in the murder trial for Stu.

The population is recorded as 258,916 people, 106,755 households, and 74,621 family units that reside inside Marion County with a median income average of 31,944 dollars per working class. That vocal eyewitness testimony was irrelevant in the murder trial for Stu.

The dead twin sister Tamara Tama Tang had attended the local church while singing in the chorus and assisting with the children's nursery. She had loved kids. She wasn't married and worked as a lowly paid bank teller which was four blocks from her parent's house. That vocal eyewitness statement was relevant in the murder trial for Stu.

The dead twin sister Tamara Tama Tang was three months pregnant with an unborn baby that was fathered by Stuart Gage. That vocal eyewitness statement was relevant in the murder trial for Stu.

In front of the eyewitness stand, Luckado smiled into the black veil of Tamika without seeing her face. "So, Miss Tamika, please continue if you can?" The lawyer was calling the woman by the first name, since she was one of a twin and he didn't want to confuse the jury members using the same last name of Tang

She didn't nod but stared back at Luckado through the black tinted veil with a deep sigh. "My twin sister Tamara had asked Mr. Gage to give her some money to help with their unborn baby. My twin sister Tamara didn't want to ruin his lovely marriage to his beautiful wife or tarnish his nasty reputation in Miami as member of the infamous and famous Quartet. She wanted to raise their healthy birthed child in a simply loving home," she loudly blew out a set of runny snot from a pair of two nose holes and then cleared a throat with a loud strong timber. "Mr. Gage was going to beat Tamara if she told any other person about their unborn baby..."

"Objection! That is hearsay, Your Honor." Tom stood upright with a sour frown and stared into the black colored veil that hid her face but not her words.

Cutter nodded, "Sustained."

Tamika said. "Mr. Gage killed her ..."

Tom didn't bother sitting back down into the hard chair, since she was the enemy with the louder timber and the nastier attitude at eh moment. He yelled with a sour frown, "Objection!"

Cutter continued to stare with a stern face at the side view of the black tinted veil without seeing her face also, "Sustained! Miss Tamika, you have sworn to tell the truth, since you placed a hand onto the Holy Bible in front of me, the jury, and Almighty God. Please state only the fact or the facts that you saw with your two eyeballs, not an event or a set of events that you did not witness with the same two eyeballs. I have warned you before. This is your first violation with me." Tamika held the white wad of tissues into the black veil, hiding her true emotional expressions from the viewing audience. But her emotions, expressions, or tactics didn't fool Tom. Tom sat back down with a stern face at the black tinted veil that continued to hide her face but not her fury.

"So, Miss Tamika, could you please continue to answer my posed question, if you can?"

The black veil of Tamika said. "My twin sister Tamara told me personally inside her private home with worried fear in her two eyeballs. Mr. Gage said to my sister Tamara not to tell anyone about the baby and to disappear from his happily married life and not call him ever for nothing."

"So, Miss Tamika, when did this vocal conversation between your sister and Mr. Gage take place, including the date and time, if you please?"

"Monday morning, she saw Mr. Gage outside her place of work which is the local bank that is four blocks from her house while she was going to work for her job as a bank teller at eight o'clock in the morning."

"So, Miss Tamika, when did you see your twin sister last?"

"Alive and breathing!"

Tom stood upright with a sour frown, "Objection! I invoke Rule 704(b)."

"The ultimate issue rule," Luckado spun around with a gasp to see Sawyer.

"Specify to me the reasoning, Mr. Sawyer?" Cutter turned and nodded to Tom.

Tom exhaled with a stern face. "I would like for this court room to set limits on the eyewitness with her personal testimony."

Cutter frowned. "Why would you like the limits to the eyewitness, Mr. Sawyer?"

Tom nodded. "There is a historical United State judicial discretion for determining the limits of any single eyewitness testimony that continues to waste time or is irrelevant in the legal case which can be barred from any legal trial as stated in the legislative law history."

Cutter nodded. "I know the rule also. The purpose of the amendment is to eliminate the confusing spectacle of a competing expert witness while testifying to any type of direct contradictory conclusion. As to the ultimate legal issue for Rule 704(b), there has to be found the trier of fact. However, I do allow for a room for gray areas, Mr. Sawyer."

Tom nodded with a stern face to Cutter. "I expect a little gray but I would like to hear some more black and white, Your Honor."

Cutter nodded to Tom and waved a hand in the air with a stern face to the court reporter. "CSR, please strike all the weird comments of the eyewitness of Miss Tamika Tama Tang from the court report as a lot of gray as it has been judged and determined by the ultimate issue and me, which has been introduced by Mr. Sawyer." He turned and stared with a frown at the rear hairy skull of the prosecution lawyer. Mr. Luckado, do I need to add another contempt charge to your growing tally of math numbers?"

Luckado spun around with a smile to face Cutter and lifted a stack of glossy photographs that resided inside both hands with a nod. "I will direct the eyewitness to answer with her simple truthful statements," he pointed down with a smile at the glossy photograph of her dead twin sister. "So, Miss Tamika, when was the last time that you saw your sister? Please state the specific time of the day?"

"My twin sister Tamara went to work on Monday morning at eight o'clock of September the sixth at the bank and then she came home after her work shift that was late afternoon around five pm like she does every day. I was there inside her driveway waiting for her at five thirty like always. So, we could eat dinner like always. Then, we finished dinner at seven pm and I left her house for my home. And then, I never saw her ever again," she blew a loud sound into the white wad of used tissues.

"So, Miss Tamika, why was your twin sister Tamara at home instead of at her working job as a bank teller of the local bank which is four blocks from her home on the day of Tuesday, September the seventh."

Tamika said. "My twin sister..."

Tom stood upright with a sour frown at the black veil of Tamika, "Objection! That is hearsay, Your Honor! If I must advise the key eyewitness and caution the first chair lawyer also, her twin sister Tamara died on Monday night in her home at ten pm. Therefore, the twin sister Tamika would not have any prior killing knowledge of why her dead twin sister Tamara had missed work the next day on Tuesday, September the seventh. Unless, there is something here that the twin sister of Tamika wants to confess to the eardrums of the jury," he sat down with a laugh.

Luckado spun around with a sneer to see Tom. "The twin sister Tamara Tama Tang did die on the date of September the sixth at precisely 10:06 pm inside the living room of her private house in which your client..."

"Sustained!" Cutter lifted and slammed down the gravel over the hard surface with a sour frown.

Luckado turned and nodded with a stern face to the jury box. "So, jury people, I would provide Exhibit A. This is a transcript of the words of Tamara. She had called the work place and left a vocal message that she was feeling poorly and would not be at work the next day on September the seventh which was Tuesday," he turned to the side with a nod and a smirk to see the black veil. "So, Miss Tamika, can you please verify that your twin sister Tamara was feeling poorly at dinner on the night of September the sixth, before you completed the dinner meal and left her house for your private home."

"My twin sister Tamara was feeling very poorly and sickly with the baby."

"So, Miss Tamika, when did you find out about your twin sister's death?"

"The police told me that she had been..."

Tom sat down inside the hard chair without standing with a sour frown, "Objection! The eyewitness only needs to address the source of the posed legal question. We all had read the same police report like the eyewitness."

Cutter nodded, "Sustained!"

Luckado smiled with a nod to the black veil of Tang. "So, Miss Tamika, how did the police find your sister's body?"

"A dog ran..."

Tom frowned. "Your Honor, the first chair lawyer of the prosecution team is leading the eyewitness. And the first chair lawyer of the prosecution is asking the witness to state events that she did not see with her two eyeballs again."

"Sustained!" Cutter frowned.

Luckado spun around with a stern face to see the jury box. "So, I present to the judge, the jury, and the court Exhibit B. This is the recorded and copied official police report from the city of Ocala police department that details the cold blood murder investigating of dead Tamara. A neighborhood dog ran across the street and into the unlocked open door of the kitchen inside the twin sister Tamara's house. Then the neighbor ran after the doo and looked inside the kitchen, finding Tamara's mangled and dead body. Then the young lad of ten years old ran back to his father. His father called the local police," he spun around with a smirk to see the black veil of Tang. "So, Miss Tamika, did you see your twin sister's dead body?"

"Objection, Your Honor. That particular question needs to be clarified. Did she see the dead body inside the house or inside the outside manicured lawn or inside the garbage bend?" Tom continued to sit with a chuckle and a smile.

Stu leaned over into the cheekbone on Tom with a worried brow and a whisper. "Why are you taunting the lawyer, the eyewitness, and the judge?"

Tom whispered with a smile, "Because, I believe you, man. You didn't kill that dead bitch Tamara. The lawyer must prove that you did with all three things intent, weapon, and motive."

Tamika turned and stared inside the black veil for the first time at Tom with a low growl. "I went to the city morgue, where I was showed her beaten and tortured body for the final verification of my dead twin sister Tamara. My dead twin sister Tamara had been raped. Then her unborn baby had died during the rape of the murdered." She reached up into the veil and wiped the white wad of tissues into the face, dropping down the hand with the used tissues.

Luckado exhaled with a huff of annoyance at the eyewitness. "So, Miss Tamika, do you know Mr. Gage before today? If so, how did you meet Mr. Gage in person before today?"

She turned and stared at Gage inside the black veil with a smile. "Yes, I know him very well. My twin sister Tamara, Mr. Gage, and I all attended attendee the same college in Miami."

Luckado smirked. "So, Miss Tamika, did you go on a kissy-kiss romantic date with Mr. Gage?"

Stu leaned over with a worried brow and a whisper. "Are you going to object to that weird question?"

Tom exhaled with a whisper. "Naw, you dated the both of them. I can't change that fact."

She said. "Both of us dated Mr. Gage during our college days for many, many months."

"So, Miss Tamika, when was the last time you went out on a physical kissy-kiss romantic date Mr. Gage?"

"I was a freshman student in college at the age of eighteen years. I went on a kissy-kiss and more romantic date in the first week of college."

"So, Miss Tamika, did your twin sister go on a kissy-kiss romantic date with Mr. Gage?"

Tom said with a stern face, "Objection! That is hearsay."

Luckado spun around with a puzzled brow to see Tom, "What would you object? You didn't go on a date with the twin sister Tamara, Mr. Sawyer," he sniggered with some of the audience. "Anyways, they are a pair of biological twin sisters that share everything including DNA. They share secrets of life, too."

Cutter turned and frowned at Tom. "What are you objecting to the question, Mr. Sawyer?"

Tom nodded with a stern face and continued to sit inside the hair. "I will admit that they are biological twins with the same shared DNA. However, only one twin sister Tamika went on a kissy-kiss romantic date with Stu? Thus, the other twin sister Tamara heard the tale second hand, not first hand. So, the other twin sister Tamika could have lied or fibbed about the date with Stu also."

"Sustained!" Cutter nodded.

Luckado spun around with a smirk to see the black veil of Tang. "So, Miss Tamika, did your twin sister tell you about all of the kissy-kiss romantic encounters with Mr. Gage?"

Tom frowned, "Your Honor!"

Cutter frowned at the nose profile on Luckado, "Sustained."

Luckado softly chuckled with a smirk and stared at the black veil of Tamara. "So, Miss Tamika, did you and your twin sister Tamara meet up with Mr. Gage on the dates of September the fourth, the fifth, the sixth, or the seventh of last week there in Ocala?"

"No."

"So, Miss Tamika, the police report in my hands states there was a pink terrain vehicle that was parked in the driveway and in front of your twin sister Tamara's house. Do you recognize this pink terrain vehicle?"

"No."

"So, Miss Tamika, have you seen this pink terrain vehicle before that was parked inside the driveway and in front of your twin sister's house which belongs to..."

Tom frowned, "Objection! He is leading the witness again."

Cutter stated, "Sustained."

Luckado smirked at the black veil of Tamika. "So, Miss Tamika, I will ask the question a different way. Have you seen this pink tinted terrain vehicle on this glossy photograph before in the driveway and in front of the house of your dead twin sister?"

"No."

Luckado spun around with a smile to see Tom. "So, Your Honor, I have no more questions for the eyewitness who is the twin sister Tamika Tang."

Cutter turned and nodded to Tom, "Mr. Sawyer."

Tom stood upright from the chair and stayed behind the table, staring with a smile at the black veil that covered her face. "Miss Tamika, do you own a pink tinted terrain vehicle, perhaps?"

Tamika turned and stared inside the black veil at Tom. "No."

Tom smiled. "Did you see Stuart Gage enter or leave the home of your twin sister at any time or on any day or night while you were visiting your twin sister during the past four months, since the month of May of this year?"

Tamika said. "No."

"Miss Tamika, did you see Stuart Gage park his or any other unfamiliar vehicle at any time or on any day or night inside the private driveway of your twin sister's house as you were visiting during the past four months since the month May of this year?"

"No."

Tom smiled. "You ate dinner with your twin sister Tamara at six pm on September the sixth. You finished the dinner meal at seven thirty and then left the house of our twin sister Tamara for your home. Where were you at nine fifty-five pm on the night of September the sixth while your twin sister was being murdered in cold blood, Miss Tamika?"

Luckado turned and sneered at the nose profile on Tom, "Your honor, he is badgering my key eyewitness. I have established that her dead twin sister Tamara was raped, beaten and then murdered in cold blood. Her unborn baby was murdered during the rape process also. Miss Tamika Tama Tang was never a suspect of the police investigation. However, she voluntarily talked and worked with the Ocala police detectives to clear up any lingering suspicious of her person, since she was the last person to see her dead twin sister Tamara alive on September the sixth at seven thirty at the home."

Tom nodded with a smile to Cutter. "Which is the person, the place, and the point of a murder trial, Your Honor? The eyewitness is on the stand who has sworn to tell the truth to all eardrums with all questions. I would like an answer to my legal question that has been posed to the eyewitness inside the eyewitness ox of a murder trial."

Cutter turned and nodded to the black veil, since he didn't like her wearing the disguise and hiding her emotions. "Where were you at forty-five minutes after nine o'clock pm on the night of September the sixth while your twin sister was being murdered in cold blood, Miss Tamika?"

"I was in home and readying for bed, Your Honor." Tamika stared through the black veil at Tom.

Tom nodded with a smile to the black veil. "Thank you, Miss Tamika. I have no further questions for the key eyewitness, Your Honor," he sat down inside the hard chair with a grin.

Cutter nodded. "You may step down from the eyewitness box, Miss Tamika." She stood upright with the white wad of used tissues in front of the black veil and side stepped, moving ahead and exited the court room while the group of media reporters and newspaper photographers bombarded her body outside the court room with a set of nosy questions and pops of flashing light inside the court house lobby.

Cutter exhaled with a stern face to see the two lawyers. "The session has ended for the evening. Bailiff, please return Mr. Gage back into the holding jail cell behind the court room. My court room will commence tomorrow at nine o'clock sharp," he stood upright from the chair and turned to the side, moving down the small steps and exited the court room in silence. The bailiff turned and motioned to the row of court house guards that stood near a side door that led down an empty hallway towards a row of the jail cells and further down to a rear fire exit of the building.

Stu stood upright and turned with a worried brow to see Tom. His other brothers were gathered inside the secret laboratory, trying to find or figure out the single clue and non-evidence to proclaim his innocence of cold-blooded double murder. He exhaled with a stern face. "I do not believe that the court session went good to me, Tom. You kept taunting the lawyer and the eyewitness."

Tom smiled with a nod and reached out, patting the arm of Stu. "It is all good, man. That bitch didn't see you come or go from her twin sister Tamara's house, because you weren't there, Big Man. She's the fucking pot calling the damn kettle black."

"Her testimony was damaging for me, Tom. I dated Tamika and her sister Tamara. I saw her sister Tamara at the bank by accident on the morning of the sixth of September which is the same night that she died."

Tom shook his bangs with a fake smile of worry. "All of this doesn't matter. Don't worry? I have a plan."

"What is your legal game plan, Tom? You truly never shared the plan with me when I was in jail."

"I'm working on it. Jace is working on it. Frank is working on it along with Austin. We got your ass covered, man."

"I'm dead." Stu turned and stared with a worried brow the hard surface of the table.

He shook his bangs and his hands with a smile and a whisper, "Not now! Not ever! You are still breathing, man," Tom reached out and slapped the bicep on Stu with a smile.

The row of court house guards stopped and stood in front of the defense table without a pair handcuffs, readying to escort Stu back into the tiny jail cell for the night with the same procedure tomorrow morning at nine o'clock sharp, the two day of his murder trial.
Friday September 17th

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with bright moonlight rays and twinkling stars

House of the Mistress

She had not seen or heard from the Mistress in seven days.

Nutelo slowly drove the older model car with an ugly yawn and rubbed one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She was employed as a nurse at Charity Kendall Hospital in the critical care unit. Her twelve-hour work shift started at three in the afternoon until three in the morning, the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN.

The Mistress had said that Nutelo would finally meet her future husband and fulfill her destiny was to marry a wealthy man and attend numerous social gala dances with a closet of fancy ball gowns for the rest of her living and breathing days and nights. That vision was going over three calendar years now and finally coming true today.

The Mistress had a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. She could make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desired, using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make your body and change your mind or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear which turned out to be a set of pretty candles that she purchased at the grocery store.

Nutelo didn't bother burning the candles but her own candles. Now, she felt desire within her body and lust inside her mind while feeling impatience for the fairy tale life dream of wealth and luxury and leisure to flourish right now. It might have been the burning incense from the fragranced candles. She really enjoyed the different fruity smells which made her think of the young fortune teller the city of Sunrise.

The house of the fortune teller had a wall of burning candles in various heights from tiny up towards tall which flamed in an array of pretty colors and a room of good odors the day that Nutelo decided to visit a new fortune teller. Then, the young fortune teller told Nutelo very bad and terrible news.

Once Nutelo would meet her future husband, she would go back and visit the arrogant young fortune teller and demand all her money back. Or maybe, Nutelo will take her boyfriend with her and let him demand all her money back. Then the petite female with a black hair bun and a pair of brown eyes would see her lie when she had told that fairy dream would not come true and Nutelo was destined to be a lowly licensed practicing nurse who continued to work the night shift at the local hospital.

On the roadway, Nutelo turned and slowed the speed over the driveway of the private home of the Mistress in the city of Doral, parking the car in front of the thick row of plant shrubs, killing the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood silence in the night air in the pair of blue colored nursing scrubs and a pair of white nursing shoes. She gently closed the door without waking the dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She moved ahead and reached out to the knob, opening the unlocked weather beaten red colored side door of the mint green cider block two-story house.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Nutelo strolled directly up a set of creaking wooden steps towards the single tan colored closed door with a stern face, slamming open the door and entered the small room within the semi-darkness of the white beams of moonlight and stopped, sliding down into the ratty brown colored oversized chair with a smile, "Mistress..."

The Mistress stared at Nutelo and said a low scratchy voice, sitting inside an old ratty blue colored rocking chair with a folded body. "Has something happened or has someone talked about a recent event into your eardrums or maybe you have seen with your eyeballs?" She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone in a white ankle-length dress.

"Who is my new husband? Where is he? Is he here too?"

The Mistress nodded with a stern face. "You must continue to practice a set of nice manners for your future duty as the American princess of a wealthy man. Concentrate, child! Has something happened or has someone talked about a recent event into your eardrums or maybe you have seen with your eyeballs?"

Nutelo exhaled with a frown. "Well, the hottest lip gossip is about her. Ya know too? You have heard the news about that old woman who had that plane crash on the west coast and her so-called relationship with the billionaire playboy Austin Berrington. He is really rich and a billionaire. Have you ever meet a billionaire? I wish I could too. That old woman is a social media mystery to people, to the nurses, and to the doctors who gossip about rumors and the riches about the nursing floor where I work."

The Mistress nodded with a smile. "The hot lip gloss gossip is all true. I feel it."

She gasped. "The old broad and billionaire Berrington playboy are fucking each other."

The Mistress frowned. "Did you do as I instructed with the five candles, child?"

She nodded with a smile. "Yeah..."

"Yes ma'am."

"Yes ma'am," she continued to nod with the lie.

The Mistress narrowed her wrinkled eyeballs at Nutelo. "Did you burn the five candles...?"

"Yes ma'am. I burnt them in order and down into a set of tiny nabs that created a bit of tiny smoke. Is that okay?"

"Yes, that is fine. Did you encircle the feathers around your bed like I had instructed?"

"Yes ma'am. I did not stomp on them with my naked feet either."

The Mistress smiled for the first time in her life. "Then you are ready for our grand opportunity. Austin Berrington..."

She gasped with shock. "Austin Berrington, I'm going to meet Austin Berrington. He's a rich and handsome and a billionaire and rich..."

"He is your future husband."

"What?" She stood upright and wiggled side to side with happiness, waving both arms in the air with a smile and a singing cheer. "Yeah, yeah, yes, yes..." There wasn't any room to dance around, so Nutelo continued to dance wiggle her hips side to side in front of the ratty chair with a giggle and a grin.

"Shush, child! Sit down! Listen to me!" Nutelo sat down with a giggle and a grin, bouncing up and down inside the chair, staring at the old wrinkles on the face of the old woman in silence. The Mistress exhaled with a stern face. "Austin Berrington is going to need a nurse to take care of him. I feel it."

She gasped. "Why does he need a nurse to take care of him? Has he been injured by one of his meanie brothers? I will beat them up. Or has he been hurt by someone? I'll beat them up. I can fight..."

"The girl is in a coma, not injured. Her wounds have healed. Berrington is heartbroken. He needs a friend, a compassionate friend."

She gasped with shock. "What girl? What girlfriend? I don't like other girls as his girlfriends. Other girlfriends can't be a friend or near my future husband Austin. I get..."

"You will be that friend with Austin," the Mistress said with a stern face.

"No, I will be his wife. I am getting married tomorrow. You said this is my grand opportunity to meet my future husband. My future husband is Austin."

"It is not the time to ponder marriage.

She pouted, "Why not? You said that I would be getting married today on the seventeenth of September. Today is the seventeenth of September. I will get married today."

The Mistress exhaled. "On the eve of the seventeenth of September, you will be a friend to Austin Berrington first. The yellow color of the candle has established a friendship with Austin Berrington first. This is the first step. Then the pink of the candle has established a sweetness of his manner towards you. This is the second step. You are to act with your best good manners also. And then finally, his eternal love will appear and then you and he will be forever."

She gasped. "But I burned the red scented candle that was for my sweet love to Austin like you said. Why doesn't he love me right now?"

The Mistress exhaled. "Love is a very strong bond that cannot be broken or busted or bashed or borrowed. The red tinted candle will borrow love from him to you which will not last forever. We have much work left to do."

She frowned. "What work to do? I am tired of working my sorry ass nurse job. I love Austin. I wanna meet him right now."

The Mistress smiled. "You will meet him today."

She gasped. "I will. Really! You're joking. I will meet Austin today."

"You possess the desired and needed medical knowledge and have a degree in nursing."

She frowned. "I am a licensed practicing nurse which comes with a supervisor to monitor all my nursing work or else I get into trouble."

"I agree with your analysis function of your job but you will get this medical position with Berrington." The old woman closed both eyelashes and tossed a chin into the ceiling. "I feel it."

"Feel it, you said that phrase a lot."

The Mistress dropped a chin down into the neck and opened the eyelashes with a stern face at Nutelo. "Listen to me, child, very carefully. I want you to go to the medical personnel agency this morning..."

"A medical personnel agency, which one? There are zillions of them in Miami."

"Any medical personnel agency will have the information for which you seek. Go directly there..."

"This morning, I'm tired. I wanna go to sleep. I worked twelve hours for the money which didn't include the driving time of one hour each way to the hospital..."

"Listen, child. Take your printed nurse license card and all the letters from your previous employers with you. Then, you show the lady at the front desk and ask for the nursing job and insist that you can start immediately today..."

"Today, I have a working job at the hospital at three pm," she nodded with a worried brow.

"Hush, child! Tell the lady that you can start today! You will be offered the evening shift which starts in the late afternoon. Take the evening shift!"

"I'm working the evening shift now. I wanna day shift."

"Listen, child. Accept this evening position and sign the papers, call the hospital, and quit your present job."

"My job? My money?"

"Child, this is the grand opportunity that I speak of. You will be working directly inside the Berrington castle, you will see and speak and know him."

"I will marry Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth."

"You take the evening shift and work inside his castle. You will be around him all the time. He needs a friend, only a friend at the moment. Do not make more out of this work job than friendship. And follow all the directions of your new supervisor! Heed all my words, child," the Mistress croaked with a stern face.

"Okay, All right, yeah! I can be a friend to billionaire Austin. What else do I do for my future husband, Mistress?"

The Mistress said with a nod and a stern face. "I caution your ambition here. You will become much an important person more later while only a friend for now."

"You always said that I would be famous and rich and married."

The Mistress nodded. "It is coming but you must press forward and persevere with both patience and tolerance. Do you understand me, child?"

"Yeah..."

"Yes ma'am," the Mistress exhaled while correcting the rude slang within the American language.

"Yes ma'am," she nodded with a smile.

"Very good, child! Now, leave here and go directly to the medical agency right now and wait inside the car. Then you go inside the office and see the clerk and sign all the papers. Then you go back home and rest. Then you go to work this late afternoon inside the castle of Berrington. Then you will come back tomorrow morning at the same time to me. I will have further instructions for you. Your life is going to become very exciting within a few more hours."

"Yes, Mistress," she stood upright with a smile and side stepped, spinning around, moving ahead, slamming into the door. She dashed down the staircase with a giggle of excitement and then exited the house.

5:31 a.m.

Outside driveway setting

She dashed ahead over the front porch and then part of lawn towards the car, slamming a hip into the closed vehicle door. The blue colored car door popped open for entrance. She slid down inside the driver's seat and started the engine with a sour frown, driving from the house of the Mistress and around the city of Doral. She didn't know where a medical nursing agency was located which would kill most of the morning.

She lived on the side other of Doral which was a multi-functional commercial, historic, and cultural development within the city of Miami. There were provinces here that were called incorporations with a city name and city people and city laws and a mayor to tell you what to do and where to go. Nutelo needed to make a living for money until her karma or fate or destiny kicked into fame and fortune as the ancient witch told her over the past three years.

Nutelo had entered the healthcare field as instructed by the Mistress without an emotion and an explanation. Miami had sixteen operating medical care hospitals and a variety of medical centers as an employer.

Nutelo entered the short license practicing nurse program at Charity Doral Hospital near her tiny apartment. The tuition and the books were expensive when a person didn't have a job or a bank account of monies. She couldn't get a loan or a scholarship, since she was an illegal alien and wasn't a good student in high school.

However, Nutelo had seen the pride of each American citizen within their religion, their country, their ancestry, and their independence. All Americans held a piece of personal honor of freedom, loyalty to family, and readiness for fighting with a gun to defend their family, their friends, their pets, and their money, the American dream.

She wanted to be an American too which would have required taking a written and verbal test to become a citizen. But her heart led back to her native born country. If she had tons of money, Nutelo could overthrow my evil uncle. She didn't know his situation but he was married with three sons, who were positioned to take over the throne in a couple of years. The mental thought of revenge, avenge, and justice overpowered her mind on a daily basis.

However, each morning at 4:30 am, the Mistress would tattle into the eardrums of Nutelo the set of apartments within her apartment complex that held an abundant of expensive goodies. Then, Nutelo would slip through a side window of the apartment that did not belong to her. All the windows were old and ancient which could be entered into easily. You removed the outside screen and then placed the tip of a switchblade between the wooden pane and the metal frame. The metal frame had been bent and crooked from years of neglect. The metal would pop and the glass would open. You slipped a set of fingers underneath the glass and then lifted up the solid glass window. Nutelo entered through the open window when the resident was gone for work and steal all the boxes of cigarettes and bottles of hard alcohol. Then, she would leave and close down the window, replacing the window screen, appearing like normal.

Sometimes, the residence didn't know that the goods were missing or accused a family member of the thief. Then, there would be a gun shooting or a fight which brought out the police car. Sometimes, the residence would die.

However, the Mistress had always provided a new apartment location within Nutelo's rental complex for stealing one or two goodies. Nutelo didn't steal every day, only when needed. She didn't want to be caught and then go to jail or die by a gun bullet.

She had studied and attended nursing school to make a living after her father had died of a heart attack and was eaten up by a several Everglades alligators and snakes.

Her dream had stalled until she had visited and sought out the advice of an old woman that was simply named the "Mistress" who was a fortune teller, psychic, witch, or bitch to name a few more weird and odd nouns.

Presently, on the roadway, Nutelo slammed the brakes on the car and turned into the parking lot, stopping inside an empty parking spot near the entrance doors of the closest nursing medical personnel agency on the other side of the city. The entrance doors opened up at six in the morning which was in five minutes.

Nutelo waited inside the car with a smile. There were lots of rumors about the plane crash, the hunt, the find, the cliff, the coma that related to Rosebud and the Band of Brothers. So, Nutelo would find out soon the truth and then report back all the hot gossip news to Mistress, who had instructed Nutelo to always practice being silence and observe, listening for details that might relate to her grand opportunity.

9:09 a.m.

Downtown Miami

Miami-Dade courthouse building

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Court Trial Day Two

Court room setting

All the lawyers, the jury members, and the single client had returned back into the same court room the next day at nine o'clock. Stu wore a golden and black square tinted pattern business suit with an onyx jewelry tie pin and a pair of golden tinted cuff links on a silk black dress shirt, sitting in the electric, uh, the witness chair of the court room. He wasn't nervous, scare, or afraid but calm. He didn't murder in cold blood his former girlfriend or her unborn child. And he wasn't the father of the unborn fetus either.

But Stu was also trained as a police officer. The physical evidence presented and provided to the district attorney's office was fake or fabricated somehow, someway. Jace, Frank, and Austin were inside the Quartet laboratory trying to figure out the mysterious complicated puzzle before the murder trial ended with a verdict of guilt. Stu remembered that Jace's comment how a person could not use man-made circumstances to fake DNA, the molecule of a life that came from Almighty God.

Luckado wore a pair of bright yellow leathers and a yellow and white square pattern designed business suit with a pink shirt with a thin white colored necktie, standing upright from the prosecution table and side stepped, moving ahead and stopped, staring with a smirk at Gage. "So, please state your name."

He nodded with a smile to Luckado with a good set of Florida gentleman manners like his brotherly role model Frank. "Stuart Thant Gage, the third."

"So, are you married, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, please state your wife's name, Mr. Gage."

"Gracie Jean Gage."

"So, do you work, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, please state your work, Mr. Gage?"

Austin wore a black colored turtle, a matching colored sports jacket, a matching pair of trouser with a pair of black colored leathers while feeling nasty and mean, standing upright from the chair with an angry face. Everyone knew the Quartet who they were, where they lived, and why the fuck they existed. He shouted in fury, "Objection!"

"Overruled," Cutter turned in the black robes and yelled with a sour frown at Austin.

Austin immediately seated with an angry face at Cutter. Tom wore a black colored business suit that was paired a gray colored bowtie with a set of tiny white snowflakes, a matching pocket handkerchief, a white dress shirt like always. The dress shirt had a set of gray diamond cuff links. He wore a pair of solid colored leathers with a set of fringe tassels and leaned over with a sour frown and a whisper into the cheekbone of Berrington. "I'm warning you only once, Austin. If you overrule me again, I'll kick your ass all the way out to Miami Boulevard. Is that clear?" He turned back and stared at the Gage under fire from Luckado.

Luckado smirked at Stu. "So, please state your work for all the eardrums of the jury, Mr. Gage?"

"Quartet Associates."

"So, please state your title, Mr. Gage?"

"Chief operation officer."

"So, please state the address of your employment, Mr. Gage."

"Your Honor," Tom stood upright with a sour frown. He didn't need to shout out the word objection or explain the point of the objection, since Luckado-do was clearly badgering Gage, even though Stu was calm and in control of his fate, his situation, and his life like always. Austin had figured out the same thing but he was only second chair while Tom was first chair of the murder trial.

Cutter smiled down at the brown hair roots on the lawyer. "Mr. Luckado, since you did not bother to read the defendant's verbal disposition as requested of a competent attorney," exhaling with a frown. "You will allow me to inform you, the jury, the lawyers, and the captured audience all at once to save my precious time. This is Dr. Stuart Thant Gage, the third. Stu is married to Gracie Jean Gage for seven years. Stu is the COO or chief operations officer for Quartet Associates which is located on 212 Miracle Mile in the beautiful city of Coral Gables. The privately owned business company is located two blocks southwest from your legal office, Mr. Luckado," he stopped for the sniggers from the audience.

Cutter smiled with a nod. "Stu is a billionaire, an amateur golfer, and the fourth member of the Quartet. The Quarter members are, as such, his attorney Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third. Tom is standing next to your prosecution table. The other two brothers are his physician Dr. Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third and his boss Dr. Austin Badass Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. Stu's job function is to maintain both security and protection for the paying clients of the business entity Quartet Associates from all the bad criminals throughout the world. Please state all your questions together for a complete summary answer, not one at a time. I want to be home before the midnight talk show host begins his third funny joke." He nodded with a fake smile to Luckado. "It is your turn to entertain me, Mr. Luckado."

Luckado nodded to Cutter and turned with a smirk to see Stu, "So, in your verbal disposition, you were housed at Misty Farms on the eve of Friday night? What is Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

Stu smiled, "Misty Farms is a privately owned horse ranch, crop farm, and wildlife sanctuary for my family plus all the abandoned animals throughout the state of Florida and beyond. My family takes short trips from time to time for fun and adventure." Tom cringed with a stern face. Stu was giving out too much information that flowed into the eardrums of the jury.

"So, why did you go there to Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

"Vacation."

"So, do you vacation at Misty Farms often, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes.

"So, do you vacation at Misty Farms with your brothers, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, do you also vacation at Misty Farms without your three brothers, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, do you also vacation at Misty Farms without your wife, Mr. Gage?"

"Never."

"So, how long did you vacation at Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

"Three days."

"So, Mr. Gage, you vacationed on the days which include based on your deposition the late evening of September third on Friday evening, then the entire day and night of September the fourth on Saturday, the entire day and night of September the fifth on Sunday, the entire day and night of September the sixth of Monday morning, and then September the seventh on Tuesday morning. What date and time did you and your wife Mrs. Gage finally arrive on the first day of your vacation at Misty Farms in the city of Ocala?"

Stu nodded with a smile to Luckado. "It takes forty minutes to fly by jet plane from the Kendall-Tamiami air strip in Miami to the private air strip in Ocala which is closest to the ranch house at Misty Farms. The plane landed at 7:33 pm. The ranch house limousine was there waiting for us. We rode to the ranch house and stayed there for the rest of the night."

"So, the next morning on Saturday, September the fourth, what did you do on vacation during the day and the night with your wife Mrs. Gage at Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

"Horse riding, biking, reading, relaxing."

"So, the next morning on Sunday, September the fifth, what did you do on vacation during the day and the night with your wife Mrs. Gage at Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

Austin leaned over with a stern face into the cheekbone on Tom. "Are you going to objection here?"

Tom exhaled. "Why for?"

"Stu is talking too much."

"I know that too."

"You should object."

"Then, Stu will become worried inside the eyewitness stand. He is telling the truth with too many sentences. He is not doing anything wrong."

"How about the amount of excess questioning at Stu from Luckado is unacceptable?"

"You are a licensed lawyer by passing a comprehensive law examination, Austin. The lawyer is building up the momentum like riding inside the kart of the roller coaster going to the top of the sloped track."

"I don't like that analogy."

"I don't like it either. But I can...want to object, also. Then, all the jury members will want to focus on his arrival and departure days and times at Misty Farms which ended up being only three days. Does the legal term intent rattle around your brain cells, Austin?"

Austin frowned. "You can bring up the car accident that interrupted his vacation trip at Misty Farms."

"Yes, I will when the time is right. Right now, it is not the time to object or call attention to the fact that Stu was there at the same time when the girl was murdered. And he knew and dated her. And he walked with Brother Jesus up a fucking mountain for an entire day and night without a human being. Angels don't count or come into the court room, Austin." Tom exhaled and stared at Stu inside the eyewitness box with a whisper and a stern face. "I don't like this."

Austin exhaled and stared at Stu in the eyewitness box with a stern face. "I don't like this either."

Inside the eyewitness stand, Stu continued to smile and answer each question with a nod to Luckado. "On Sunday, Gracie and I performed the same routine."

Luckado smirked at Stu. "So, the next morning on Monday, September the sixth, what did you do on vacation during the day and the night with your wife Mrs. Gage at Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

Stu continued to smile and answer each question with a nod to Luckado. "On Monday, Gracie and I performed the same routine."

"Of course, you and your wife Mrs. Gage were on vacation at Misty Farms outside the city limits of Ocala. Was there any special activity on Monday, September the sixth, Mr. Gage?"

Stu continued to smile and answer each question with a nod to Luckado. "No."

Tom exhaled with a fake smile and stared at Stu. "Good! He is going back to the one word answers."

"Here comes the bomb." Austin exhaled with worry and stared at Stu inside the eyewitness box.

Luckado spun around and dashed back to the prosecution table, grabbing an object, spinning around and dashed back with a smirk, standing in front of the Stu. "So, Mr. Gage, was there not a special activity on Monday, September the sixth?"

"No."

Luckado lifted the object into the air and turned, sliding the object to Cutter. "So, I present Exhibit C in the form of a tiny portal computer devise. I love modern electronic technology." Cutter leaned over and accepted the object, staring at the video." Luckado smiled at Stu. "So, the running copied video by permission of the local bank that comes off the video camera on the money machine. So, the image clearly shows the face of Mr. Gage at the bank which is not an activity of horse riding, biking, reading, or relaxing. So, why were at the bank inside the city of Ocala, Mr. Gage."

Stu chuckled in the face of Luckado. "I want to the bank for money."

Austin leaned over into the cheekbone on Tom with a stern face and a whisper. "He was buying a gift for Gracie. Why doesn't Stu tattle about the reason for his vacation trip at Misty Farms and the money at the Ocala bank? He was there with Gracie, celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary."

Tom exhaled and stared at Stu with a confused brow. "I don't know."

Luckado smiled at Stu. "So, on your personal vacation of three days of Saturday, Sunday, and Monday during a day and a night at Misty Farms, you rode a horse, read a book, and relaxed with your wife. "Did your wife Gracie ride a bicycle or a horse or a read a book with you, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, you obviously left Misty Farms and want to the bank on September, the sixth, Monday. So, Mr. Gage, did you wife Mrs. Gage accompany you to the bank also for money?"

"No."

Luckado spun around with a smile and a nod to see each jury member. "So, I would like for each jury member to see the portal computer devise which is a copied video tape from the bank where I had received a copy with permission. So, is this allowed inside your court room, Your Honor?" He swung around and nodded to Cutter.

Cutter leaned down and slid the computer devise back to Luckado with a stern face, "Approved."

Austin leaned over into the cheekbone on Tom with a stern face. "Do something, Tom?"

Tom exhaled. "I can't. That computer thing was sent to our office, too. I can't spit on common property technology. Stu went to the bank for money. The machine gave him money. The camera captured him getting money."

Luckado reached out and grabbed, lifting the computer devise and spun around with a smile, moving to the first jury member, handing the devise. The first jury member accepted with a smile and looked down with a stern face to see the repeating video. "So, each jury member can clearly see the repeating electronic and colorful clear video recorded tape from the bank machine. So, it is obvious that Mr. Gage went alone to the bank based on the video and his testimony. Please pass the computer devise around. It cannot be broken or adjusted. It is visual devise like a television screen without a dial or a button. So, you can see the face of Mr. Gage. On the left side of Mr. Gage, in the background, there is a woman who is reaching out for the entrance door of the bank. That woman who is alive and breathing inside the colorful video recording on September the sixth on Monday morning at eight o'clock is Tamara Tama Tang." He paused with a stern face and a nod as the jury members sounded with a set of gasps and moans while some were leaning over and viewed the computer devise. Luckado turned and smiled at Tom. Tom didn't reaction.

Luckado turned and nodded to see each jury member. "She is the dead twin sister of Miss Tamika Tami Tang. Tamara was a very kind person that lived inside her parent's house in the city of Ocala. She had attended the local church while singing in the chorus and assisting with the children's nursery. She had loved kids. She wasn't married and worked as a lowly paid bank teller which was four blocks from her parent's house. Tamara was three months pregnant with an unborn baby that was fathered by Stuart Gage. These are the facts that cannot be disputed here inside or outside this court room..."

Tom leaned over into the cheekbone of Austin with a grin and a whisper. "At least, Luckado-do quit with the so, so, so..." Austin slightly grinned from the smartass remark from another smartass lawyer.

Luckado said. "I would like to remind and reread to the jury the verbal eyewitness testimony of her live and breathing twin sister Miss Tamika Tami Tang." He cleared a throat and read out from his mobile telephone devise with a strong timber. "Tamara had asked Mr. Gage to give her some money to help with their unborn baby. My twin sister Tamara didn't want to ruin his lovely marriage to his beautiful wife or tarnish his nasty reputation in Miami as member of the infamous and famous Quartet. She wanted to raise their healthy birthed child in a simply loving home.

"Tamara told her sister Tamika personally inside her private home with worried fear in her two eyeballs. Mr. Gage said to Tamara not to tell anyone about the baby and to disappear from his happily married life and not call him ever for nothing."

"Monday morning, Tamara met Mr. Gage outside her place of work which is the local bank that is four blocks from her house while she was going to work for her job as a bank teller at eight o'clock in the morning. Tamara went to work on Monday morning at eight o'clock of September sixth at the bank and then she came home after her work shift that was late afternoon around five pm like she does every day. Her twin sister Tamika was there inside her driveway waiting for her at five thirty like always. They ate dinner like always. Then, they finished dinner at seven pm and I left her house for my home. And then, her twin sister Tamika never saw Tamara alive ever again.

"The official police report from the city of Ocala police department that details the cold blood murder investigating of Tamaki. A neighborhood dog ran across the street and into the unlocked open door of the kitchen inside the twin sister Tamara's house. Then the neighbor ran after the doo and looked inside the kitchen, finding the twin sister Tamara's mangled and dead body. Then the young lad of ten years old ran back to his father. His father called the local police.

"Tamika went to the city morgue of Ocala, where she was showed the beaten and tortured body for the final verification of my dead twin sister Tamara. My dead twin sister Tamara had been raped in her home inside the kitchen. Then her unborn baby had died during the rape of the murder.

"The twins attended the same college in the big bad metro city of Miami and went on kissy-kiss romantic dates with Mr. Gage for months until Mr. Gage ended the relationship between the twins." Luckado turned and laughed at Stu, "Geez! When did you find the time to date a set of identical twins, Mr. Gage?" Austin growled.

Tom smiled. "Calm down, Austin! That is sick lawyer humor."

"You have added a fifth contempt charge to the total, Mr. Luckado," Cutter frowned.

Luckado turned and nodded to see each jury member. "College students Tamara and Tamika Tang know Mr. Gage very, very well as a set of freshman students at the age of eighteen years. Thus, Mr. Gage knew the girl, the city of her home, and the place of her employment. Then Mr. Gage ran into his old formal flame," his eyeballs darted to Austin with a smirk. Austin sneered. Luckado spun around with a sneer to see Stu. "Do you see your old formal flame Tamara at the same bank location while standing in front of the money machine, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"Did you talk to her?"

"No."

"So, you were seen there with her at the same bank in front of the money machine where you are a billionaire and can withdrew up to ten thousand dollars in case per day. So, Mr. Gage, did you promise Tamara a wad of money?"

"I did not talk to her at the bank."

Luckado spun around with a stern face to see each jury member. "So, Mr. Gage finally found out about the new wonderful news."

"That proposition belongs in the right spot." Tom grinned.

Luckado said to each jury member. "Tamara was pregnant with a baby. A baby is a gift from Almighty God. However, this unborn babe was an illegitimate tiny human fetus, a spot, a blemish, and a liability to a happily married man of seven years to a caring and devoted Mrs. Gage. Then, Mr. Gage followed her from the bank and then spied on Tamara inside her private house and watched, waiting for her sister Tamika to leave the resident. And Mr. Gage knocked on the door and attacked, raping, and murdering Tamara on top of the kitchen floor..."

"Where is the murder weapon?" Austin leaned over into the cheekbone on Tom with a whisper.

Tom said. "Don't know."

Luckado turned and smiled at Stu. "Why did you murder Tamara who was carrying your biological unborn child?"

Stu turned and nodded with a stern face to see each jury member. "I did not murder Miss Tamara Tang."

Luckado huffed. "So, Mr. Gage, where is the location of your bloody murder weapon that you had used to kill Tamara?"

At the defense table, "He started the so remark, again." Tom slightly smiled with Austin

Inside the eyewitness box, Stu turned and smiled back at Luckado. "I didn't know where the murder weapon that was used on Miss Tamara Tang. I did not murder Miss Tamara Tang."

Luckado huffed with a sour frown. "So, Mr, Gage, we are back here at square one. You obviously left the vacation paradise of Misty Farms and want to the bank for money on September, the sixth, Monday without your wife Mrs. Gage. Thus, you were alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage. So, is there another single activity where you and your wife Mrs. Gage did not entertain together on your vacation of three days from September the fourth through September the sixth at Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

Austin leaned over into the cheekbone on Tom with a whisper. "Why does he call Gracie, Mrs. Gage?"

Tom exhaled. "He wants the jury members to think that Stu is a bad man, who would have an affair with his loving wife and then murder the old flame without motive or an emotion or for greed."

"That is a pretty good strategy."

Tom slightly grinned. "Scratching for enough rat turds, that is a pretty good strategy, too, Austin."

"I agree."

Stu smiled with a nod to Luckado. "Yes."

Luckado nodded to Stu. "So, what type of other single activity did you engage with alone and without your wife Gracie, Mr. Gage?"

"Hiking."

"So, did you walk up and down the rolling hillsides alone without your wife Gracie, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, did you fly by your two arm span up to the other side of the rolling hillside alone and without your wife Gracie, Mr. Gage?"

Cutter exhaled with a huff down at the hair roots on Luckado. "I award my second contempt charge to you, counselor. Please continue to amuse me and the jury while in court session."

Luckado grinned at Stu. "So, you mentioned that your private limousine had picked you and your wife Mrs. Gage up from the private airport of Ocala where your private jet had landed. So, did the same limousine take you to the bank inside the city limits of Ocala for money also, Mr. Gage?"

"No."

"So, did you hike by foot and by another means alone and without your wife Gracie to the bank, Mr. Gage?"

"Vehicle."

"So, what type of vehicles does Misty Farms own, Mr. Gage?"

At the defense table, Tom continued to sit with a sour frown. "Objection."

Cutter turned and frowned at Luckado. "I will overrule the objection for Mr. Gage to answer the question. However, what are you doing to annoy me on this beautiful morning, Mr. Luckado?"

Luckado whipped out a single photograph and lifted it near a smile. "So, I will rephrase the question for Mr. Gage to answer. Does the ranch own an early model four-wheel drive terrain vehicle which is colored pink with a Florida license plate displaying the word MISTY1, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, the color of the pink tint and the Florida personalized license plate clearly belongs to one of the Quartet's wife who is Mrs. Misty Mangrove, the wife of Dr. Frank Mangrove. Is this correct, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, was Mrs. Misty Mangrove, the wife of Dr. Frank Mangrove at the Misty Farms during the three days of vacation with you and your wife Mrs. Gage?"

"No."

"So, did you borrow from Misty Farms the pink tinted terrain vehicle that belonged to Mrs. Misty Mangrove for a day trip to the bank on September the sixth of Monday?"

"Yes."

"So, where did you go after seeing Tamara at the bank and getting money, Mr. Gage?"  
Stu turned and smiled with a nod to some of the jury members. "I purchased a gift for my wife Grace at one of the retail shops in Ocala. We were vacationing at Misty Farms in celebration of our seven years of a wonder marriage."

Tom leaned over with a smile into the cheekbone of Austin. "Good plug!"

Luckado smirked at Stu. "So, where did you go after seeing Tamara at the bank, getting money, purchasing a gift for your wife Mrs. Gage at one of the retails in Ocala for an anniversary present? And let us assume that you drove the pink tinted terrain vehicle back to the Misty Farms and away from the city limits of Ocala and then presented the anniversary present with a kissy-kiss to your wife Mrs. Gage inside the kitchen. Where do you go next, Mr. Gage?"

Stu smiled with a nod, "Hiking."

"So, you went a hiking trip on September the sixth, Monday. So, did you borrow the pink tinted terrain vehicle on your hiking trip, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes. I drove down a dirt pathway which was five miles from the ranch house for a hike." Tom cringed with worry. Stu was talking too fast and telling too much information inside the eyewitness chair. This piece of data was very damaging for his legal case. Since, Stu admitted using the terrain land vehicle to drive to the bank and then saw Tamara. He drove away from the bank and back to the ranch house and then drove away from the ranch house. Gage was giving the impression to the jury that he was up to some no good.

Luckado nodded with a smile. "So, you alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage hiked up the hillside alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, Mr. Gage, you alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage drove the pink tinted terrain land vehicle down a dirt path which was located upon a hiking hillside and then entered into the woods. Was your person armed to kill...?"

Tom yelled with a sour frown, "Objection."

Cutter said, "Sustained."

Luckado smirked to Stu. "So, what kind of weapon was your person armed with for your hiking adventure upon a hillside, Mr. Gage?"

Tom frowned, "Objection."

Cutter said, "Sustained."

Luckado smile to Stu. "So, what kind of weapon is required for usage on a farm, Mr. Gage?"

Tom frowned, "Objection."

Cutter frowned down at the black colored hair roots on Luckado, "Sustained. Be very careful with your wording, Mr. Luckado!"

Luckado smiled with a nod at Stu. "So, I will re-phrase. Obviously, there are wild animals within the wild forestlands of the Ocala mountain range. Misty Farms would logically be equipped for protection from a gang of wild animals. So, were you specifically equipped for protection while hiking through the woodlands alone and without your wife, Mr. Gage?"

Stu smiled with a nod to Luckado. "Misty Farms is a sanctuary that is surrounded by thick and lush woodlands. Panthers, foxes, coyotes, and rabbits live and die peacefully there. I brought a cell phone, a flashlight, a bag of snacks, a coil of rope, a first aid kit, a camera, a pair of binoculars, a club, and a hand pistol."

Luckado smiled, "So, what kind of club, Mr. Gage?"

Tom frowned, "Objection."

Cutter frowned, "A club is a club, counselor. Sustained!"

Luckado smirked. "So, was your person armed for meeting a dangerous predator, Mr. Gage?"

Tom said, "Objection."

Cutter frowned, "Sustained."

Luckado smiled. "So, you carried a loaded hand pistol into the woodlands on your hiking trip. What was the purpose of your loaded and dangerously and deadly hand pistol, Mr. Gage?"

Stu smiled with a nod to Luckado. "On Misty Farms, a hand pistol is only carried and used in case of accidentally running into a single or pack of dangerous wildlife animals on the mountain, for example in hiking. Firearms are not discharged anywhere inside of our family farm, ranches, barns or stables."

Luckado chuckled. "So, have you ever shot a wild animal, Mr. Gage?"

Tom said, "Objection."

Cutter leaned over the bench with a chuckle down at the hair roots on Luckado. "This is your sixth contempt charge for the day, counselor. I do enjoy laughing. Please continue feeding my funny bone. Sustained!"

Luckado smirked at the Stu, "So, your deposition on September thirteenth mentioned a car accident. Please elaborate, Mr. Gage!"

Tom stood upright and shook his bang and his hands with stern face. "Objection."

Luckado turned and nodded to Cutter. "Your Honor, the accident occurred during Mr. Gage's vacation in Ocala which was part of his recorded deposition statement on Monday, September the thirteen. I'm allowed to question it."

Cutter asked. "Explain your objection, Mr. Sawyer?"

Tom said. "Stu and his wife Gracie were both seriously injured and hospitalized which required them to cancel their remaining vacation trip at Misty Farms. The district attorney is correct. This was part of Stu's legal deposition but completely unrelated to this court trial."

Cutter nodded to Tom, "Sustained."

Luckado looked down with sour frown to see Stu, "So, Mr. Gage, do you know where Ocala City Hospital is located?"

Tom continued to stand with a sour frown at Cutter, "Objection, Your Honor!"

Cutter frowned at the hair roots on Luckado. "Mr. Sawyer, two seconds ago, mentioned that Mr. Gage was at that very hospital with a set of serious bodily injures from a car wreck. Why is this question important, Mr. Luckado?"

Luckado turned and smiled to Cutter. "So, I am laying out the geographic area of the city of Ocala for the jury to comprehend the entire sequential events of Mrs. and Mr. Gage's travels from Miami to their ranch house at Misty Farms in Ocala."

Cutter turned and smiled to the jury members. "The jury can use the free internet services located in the rear wall of the back room, if they're curious about any or all geographical cities within Central Florida from Miami."

Luckado returned back and smiled at Stu, "So, you know the important locations in the city of Ocala of the hospital, the victim's house, the hillside, the pink tinted terrain vehicle, and the local bank. So, you alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage drove the pink tinted terrain land vehicle from the ranch house and down a dirt path which was located five miles from the ranch house and parked it at the bottom of a hill. Then you went hiking and entered into the woods where obviously numerous wild animals live and thrive within the wild forestlands of the Ocala mountain range. So, you alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage and brought a cell phone, a flashlight, a bag of snacks, a coil of rope, a first aid kit, a camera, a pair of binoculars, a club, and a hand pistol. So, did you fled from the wild animals and out from the woodlands and borrow the pink tinted terrain vehicle, driving away from the hillside and visited the private house of Tamara Tama Tang inside the city limits of Ocala on September the sixth, Monday evening, at ten o'clock while absent from your wife Mrs. Gage and the vacation paradise Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

"No."

"So, how long was your alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage private hiking adventure, walking up the rolling hills and deep into the woodlands with the wild animals, Mr. Gage?"

"Hours."

"So, did you leave during the morning hours, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, did you leave during the afternoon hours, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, did you leave during the nighttime hours, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, did you leave, so long, that the moon came out and blinded your eyeballs, Mr. Gage?"

Stu exhaled. "Yes." The jury members sounded with a gasp and soft moans.

Luckado turned to see each jury member. "So, you know the important locations in the city of Ocala of the hospital, the victim's house, the hillside, the pink tinted terrain vehicle, and the local bank. So, you alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage drove the pink tinted terrain land vehicle from the ranch house and down a dirt path which was located five miles from the ranch house and parked it at the bottom of a hill. Then you went hiking and entered into the woods where obviously numerous wild animals live and thrive within the wild forestlands of the Ocala mountain range. So, you alone and without your wife Mrs. Gage and brought a cell phone, a flashlight, a bag of snacks, a coil of rope, a first aid kit, a camera, a pair of binoculars, a club, and a hand pistol. So, you hiked starting after seeing Tamara at the bank after eight o'clock in the morning time and until the moon was out and blinking your eyeballs. Currently, the bright sun rises up at seven o'clock. And the sunset drops down into the ground at seven o'clock in the evening. Twilight is at nine o'clock at night with a bright almost full moon with white bright moon beams. So, is my long-winded statement true, Mr. Gage?"

Stu exhaled with a stern face at the nose profile on Luckado, not the jury members, "Yes."

Luckado turned and waved a single object near a smile at Stu. "So, I present Exhibit D, a glossy cute photograph of vehicle. It is a pink tinted terrain vehicle which is located at Misty Farms and is owned by the Quartet, clearly showing a personalized Florida registered license plate of MISTY1." He leaned over and showed the photography to Stu with a smile and a nod. "So, do you recognize this licensed vehicle, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

Luckado turned and nodded to each jury member, waving the photography near the cheekbone with a stern face. "Each jury member is right now receiving a copy of the glossy photography too. Inside the official police report, a set of eyewitnesses told the police officers of Ocala about a terrain vehicle that was colored in pink with a distinct Florida license plate. The first three letters were MIS. Misty's jeep is pink and has the first three matching alphabetic letters. The police assumed this to be the same vehicle which was located at the murdered girl's house and investigated, finding that the terrain vehicle matched all four rubber tire prints which had been taken on top of the private residential driveway of Miss Tamara Tama Tang, who died at ten o'clock on September the sixth on Monday night with a full moonlight. So, was the borrowed the pink tinted terrain vehicle stolen from the driveway of ranch house on September the sixth, Monday night while you were walking in the woodlands, Mr. Gage?"

Stu said. "No."

"So, when you exited out from the woodlands and into the moonlight, since it was clear night sky with an array of bright stars, did you drive the pink tinted back to Misty Farms, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, you drove the pink tinted terrain vehicle with the first three letters MIS on the Florida registered license plate and a set of four matching rubber treads away from the bottom of the hill, after hiking all alone without your wife Mrs. Gage on Monday, September the sixth, from daylight morning until moonlight and finally parked the vehicle, killing the engine. So, why did you park the pink terrain vehicle for all the other spying eyeballs to see inside the private driveway at Tamara Tama Tang's house and then murder her and her unborn baby in a double cold blood murder act, Mr. Gage?"

Stu gasped, "I do not."

Tom stood upright with a sneer, "Objection."

Cutter turned and stared at Gage, "Overruled."

Luckado smirked with both confidence and courage from Cutter. Cutter had cited a total of eighteen contempt charges on his ass, yet he hadn't initialed a punishment into the row of empty jail cells behind the court room. If Luckado could get Gage to confess to the double cold-blooded murder, he would be the hero of Miami while becoming a famous and rich lawyer within the USA, the American dream. He smirked. "So, who could forget a bright pinky-pink terrain vehicle that clashes with so ugly with your dark rich mink tinted skin tone, Mr. Gage?"

"Judge Cutter." Tom jabbed a finger at the back spine on Luckado with a furious yell and reached down, pressed down the collar bone of a growling Austin back down into the second chair, turning to the side with a growl to Mangrove, "Don't twitch from your seat, Frank!" Both Austin and Frank possessed a Ghost which was hidden inside a business jacket, since they had selected to walk up the rear back staircase instead of going in and out of the X-ray machines inside the lobby of the court house.

Luckado had crossed a fine delicate line of insanity. If Cutter didn't act swiftly within the next two seconds, Luckado would be lying in a thick pool of his bright red crimson blood after that nasty insulting remark about a Quartet brother with a herd of numerous razor blades cutting open his chest cavity while striking down his beating heart into instance death.

Cutter stood upright from the chair and pointed the gravel at the forehead on Luckado with a stern face. "Mr. Luckado!"

Luckado turned and smiled at Cutter and returned back with a smirk to Stu. "I will re-phrase my question, Your Honor. So, did you visit the beaten and bloody body of Tamara within the hospital morgue, Mr. Gage?"

Stu said, "No."

Luckado waved a stack of glossy colored pictures with a smirk in front of the face of Stu. "So, did you see all these glossy police snapped photographs of the mangled and beaten and bloody body of Tamara which had been taken inside her home kitchen setting, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"So, when did you really find about your unborn baby, Mr. Gage?"

Stu gasped. "I did not ever know about the baby."

"So, Mr. Gage, what day and time and location did you have sexual relations with Tamara before you planned and executed her vicious cold blood murder inside the kitchen floor...?"

"Don't answer that, Stu." Tom continued to stand and pointed at Stu with a stern face and a sneer. Austin swiftly stood upright from the chair with a stern face and a low growl, outlining his Ghost that was hidden inside a breast pocket, staring at the rear skull of Luckado.

Frank copied Austin's movements and stood behind the wooden railing inside the court gallery, staring at the rear skull of Luckado, outlining his Ghost with a set of fingers on a shooting hand.

Cutter reached over and banged the gravel with a stern face. "The court room will recess for fifteen minutes. I want both counselors to see me inside my judge's chamber right now."

The bailiff moved ahead from the wall corner and stopped at the side of the eyewitness box, motioning a hand to Stu with a nod and a stern face. Stu stood upright from the eyewitness box and side stepped, spinning around, dashing towards the side door. A team of court house guard entered the court room and stopped, standing ready and then escorted Stu back into the temporary holding pen in the rear of the judge's chambers while Tom watched with stress and worry the back spine on Stu who left the court room during the court recess.

Tom side stepped and moved ahead with a low growl of soft curses without his Ghost dashing behind the ass of Luckado through the side door that led into the private chamber of Judge Sherman Cutter.

The door closed shut by the bailiff.

Interior chamber setting of Judge Cutter

Tom continued to march through an empty hallway, an empty reception lobby, and entered into the chamber room of Cutter while wishing he had his Ghost, since he was required to travel through the X-ray machine inside the entrance lobby as the criminal lawyer before entering the court room. Cutter would not be sympathetic to a real weapon during a murder trial with a Quartet brother.

Tom stopped and stood with a low growl beside the infamous worn comfortable oversize brown tinted leather chair which Luckado had grabbed and occupied first.

Luckado rocked back and forth with a painted smirk while nicely annoying both Sherman and Sawyer. He was very close to getting a murder confession out from Stu Gage, one-fourth of the famous and rich Quartet brothers. Then, he was going to order a brand new sports car with all the bonus monies from his work office plus the office bet pool among the staff lawyers for an open and shut murder case.

Cutter moved ahead and spun around, standing beside the office desk furniture with a sour frown. The office door remained open with the private legal conservation also. He stared with a sour tone at Luckado. "In all my thirty years inside the judge's bench, I have never seen a legal case as permeated, discriminated, and riddled with racism as this one, Mr. Luckado."

Tom nodded with a sour frown and bad breathed over the greasy and slick down black hair roots on Luckado, "Travesty of justice."

Luckado tapped both hands over a crossed leg and stared with a smirk at Cutter. "Your guilty client can appeal on several constitutional issues, Sawyer, if he survives the death from the gas chamber in the capital of Tallahassee next week."

"More than that, you have tried both my patience and my jury for the last time, Mr. Luckado." Cutter looked up with a sour frown and shouted out loud towards the empty archway, "Bailiff."

"Sir," the bailiff wore a tan colored court guard uniform and popped around the door frame, standing inside the archway with a stern face to see Cutter.

Cutter looked down with a nod and a smile to see Luckado. "Please call all the court house security personnel for me immediately, bailiff."

The bailiff nodded and turned, motioning with a hand without leaving the archway, "Yes sir." Then a pair of two court house guards appeared and stood slightly behind the back spine on the bailiff.

Cutter pointed down at Luckado with a smile and a nod to each court house guard. "Gentlemen, thank you for coming so swiftly. I would like for you to meet Mr. Luckado-do. Mr. Luckado-do has finally run of his dookie good luck. I, as a duly law officer of the court justice system, proclaim twenty-one contempt charges against you, Mr. Edwin Lou Luckado. Twenty is the house limit. Then, you go straight to my jail cell which is behind my ass. You do not pass the bathroom door, since there is a single toilet and a sink for your shit and pee movements. You do not collect the two thousand lawyer fees ever. Please escort Mr. Luckado-do to the freshly pine scented jail cell number six. He will be our guest for twenty-one days and twenty nights, consecutively."

Luckado stood upright from the chair with a puzzled brow and a stutter of confusion and worry in the face of Cutter, "So, so, so..."

Cutter waved an arm with a stern face as his silk robes swayed in the breeze. "Quiet, Luckado-do," chuckling. "Take him away, guards," he turned and winked with a grin at Tom, "Geez! I always wanted to say that," he turned and nodded to the bailiff, "Bye-bye Mr. Luckado-do. Don't pee on the new rug either," he laughed with a smile. "Please call in the assistant district attorney who is sitting as the second chair on the prosecution team into my office, bailiff."

A few minutes later, the assistant district attorney entered and rushed into the office while snorting and panting with angry, confusion, puzzlement, and excitement, stopping and stood in front of Cutter with a nod and a smile. Cutter smiled. "Ms. Lumpkin, you are first chair of the prosecution team, now. Mr. Luckado challenged my reign and lost."

Lumpkin was a queen-sized female with a head of blonde colored hair, wearing a dark red pants suit with a pair of matching low heels and parted the lips in silence and then sucked in the air with a soft sound. "Ah! I accept, Your Honor."

He nodded with a smile to the female, "Excellent answer, Ms. Lumpkin! Quick introductions here, Mr. Sawyer of Quartet Associates and attorney for the defendant, this is Ms. Lumpkin, the newly promoted temporary acting Miami district attorney. It is time to begin my court, lady and gent." Cutter scooted around the female with a smile and shifted passed Tom, moving towards the open archway, leading out the office, through the reception lobby, and back into the court house.

Ms. Lumpkin slowly spun around and swiftly moved ahead with a nod and smile to Tom in silence, following behind the long black tinted judicial robes of Cutter back into the court room.

Tom nodded to the new lawyer in silence and spun around with a smile, moving with a brisker step to his walk, thinking Sherman was fair. Luckado was badgering, intimidating, and downright harassing Stu. Tom was happy with the appropriate punishment.

Now, Luckado was behind the jail bars.

Court room setting

The side door into the court room opened and revealed a line of people.

Cutter moved ahead and sat back down at the judge's bench with a stern face.

Lumpkin moved ahead towards the prosecution table and leaned down with a whisper of the newest information to a row of other district attorneys with a smile, grabbing and cuddled the stack of papers into both breasts the next round of legal questions for Stu's testimony.

Tom moved ahead with a smile and slid down into the first chair beside Stu. Gage leaned over into the cheekbone on Tom and stared at Cutter. "What happened in there, Tom?" Austin leaned over in front of Stu with a stern face to hear. Frank leaned a face over the wooden railing between the collar bones on Tom and Stu with a stern face to hear.

Tom leaned over with a smirk and a loud whisper for his brothers to hear, staring at Cutter. "Cutter jailed dumb shit Luckado for being a pain in the ass to you."

Stu parted the lips with a whisper. "Shit fire! Can he really do that?"

Tom nodded with a smile. "He just did. Don't ever piss off a federal judge, Stu. They got lots of baddie gawd damn power."

"How about the judicial power to dismiss my murder case, right now, Tom? I didn't kill the girl."

Tom exhaled. "Cutter doesn't have that much power, Stu. Looky! This case isn't over by a long shot. Trust me! I got a plan."

"Mr. Gage!" The bailiff moved ahead and stopped, standing beside the eyewitness box with a stern face and a hand motion to Stu.

Tom smiled with a whisper. "You are doing a fine job, Stu. Continue to be honest and answer all the questions, because you are an innocent man, my brother." Stu nodded and stood upright with a deep sigh of concern, side stepping in front of Austin, since Tom was in charge of the court room. Stu shifted away from the edge of the table and moved ahead with a stern face and a heavy heart, sliding back down into the eyewitness box, facing Tom and nodded in silence to the face of each brother.

At the prosecution table, Lumpkin swung around with a smirk and swiftly approached, parting lips with a sucking air sound. She was about to become famous and then rich, after convicting the billionaire brother of the Quartet of two cold-blooded murders. Her supervisor Luckado was an idiot and a fool, pushing the judicial ego of Cutter, who was known as a tough judge and a tougher ass. She stopped with a smile and stood in front of Stu, parting the lips with a sucking air sound, patting the stack of papers with a nod. "Ah! The final laboratory report from the Ocala Hospital that are here in my hand show that you are the father of Tamara Tama Tang's unborn baby through a DNA genome sequence testing procedure that came from your personal mouth salvia. How do you explain this, Mr. Gage?"

Stu smiled with a nod. "The laboratory report is a laboratory mistake. That happens all the time at any and all medical facilities throughout the USA and the entire world. I'm a member of the Charity Healthcare System. I have access to all the recorded medical errors in which the average citizen would not."

She parted the lips with a sucking air sound to Stu. "Ah! Do you possess a seat on the Charity Healthcare board of directors, which is also known as the nickname of the Charity supermen and women?"

"Yes."

She parted the lips with a sucking air sound to Stu. "Ah! Doesn't the hospital super board award each seat for each medical error, thus assisting in the continuation of your billionaire lifestyle?"

Stu frowned. "No. I am not rewarded for one single identified or recorded medical error which is associated with a single sick patient. No physician or nurse or medical professional is granted a set of monies like that. All the medical staff members are highly trained and save lives of men, women and children on an hourly basis, ma'am."

She parted the lips with a sucking air sound to Stu. "Ah! Aren't you a billionaire and part of the Quartet?"

"Yes."

She parted the lips with a sucking air sound to Stu. "Ah! The Quartet carries quite a nasty reputation. Does it not among the common folks and the nasty media types, Mr. Gage?"

He frowned. "No."

She parted the lips with a sucking air sound to Stu. "Ah! Doesn't your private business company, which is an international billion-dollar-a-day security business and its primary job function is protecting VIP or very important people, who also are involved in a set of very wrong doings, pay the Quartet a set of huge financial monetary fees in regardless of a legally or illegal acts, Mr. Gage?"

He frowned. "No."

She parted the lips with a sucking air sound to Stu. "Ah! Won't you say that the Quarter reputation isn't known for being similar to say one of goody-good Santa Claus who performs both goodness and giving to the poor folks of the world, Mr. Gage?"

"Objection!" Tom sat inside the hard chair with a stern face at the back spine on the new bitch district attorney. "That statement is hearsay," he turned and winked with a grin at the nose profile on Austin. Berrington turned to the side with a smirk to see Frank, since the Quartet did indeed possess a nasty, vile, and unruly business reputation, making them a rare breed, four brother billionaires.

Cutter stated, "Sustained."

Lumpkin parted the lips with a sucking air sound to Stu. "Ah! Did you use one of your big mean Quartet guards to slaughter Tamara, Mr. Gage?"

Tom turned back and frowned at Cutter, "Objection."

Cutter stated, "Sustained."

She parted the lips with a sucking air sound to Stu. "Ah! Aren't you a martial arts expert, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes." Stu nodded with a smile.

"Ah! Aren't you are a ninth degree martial arts expert, Mr. Gage?"

"Tenth degree."

"Ah! Is that the highest attainment in self-defensive tactics in the martial arts world, Mr. Gage?"

"Yes."

"Ah! Did you enjoying breaking the set of smaller girly hands of Tamara, Mr. Gage?"

Tom frowned, "Objection."

Cutter frowned down at the blonde colored hair roots on the district attorney, "Sustained. Ms. Lumpkin, do you have a specific question for Mr. Gage that does not include his personal hobbies which are not directly related to this legal case?"

Lumpkin turned and parted the lips with sucking sound at Cutter. "Ah! The prosecution rests, Your Honor," she looked back with a smile at Stu and swung around to see Tom without moving. Tom stared at the bitch with a stern face. Lumpkin turned and dashed ahead towards the prosecution table with a smirk of confidence and victory.

Cutter turned and nodded to Tom. "Mr. Sawyer, you may cross-examine Mr. Gage?"

Tom slowly stood upright from the hard chair at the defense table with a nod and a smile to Cutter. "I do not have any questions for Stu, Your Honor." The prosecution team had done the damage on Gage. Tom couldn't ask a question that could change the minds of the jury as Stu couldn't say anything to change the minds of the jury, either.

Big Man had stated all the answers both honestly and correctly while leading to the wrong conclusion. He had the motive, a former flame that was pregnant with his unborn child who could have wrecked his marriage and ruined his reputation as a billionaire. He had intent, a planned trip to Ocala for an anniversary where the victim had lived. He had a weapon, his dick and his powerful giant body which could kill a healthy man with his martial arts and combat moves much less an underweight mother-to-be with an unborn child.

The court verdict would be determined from the jury while Stu waited inside the tiny jail behind the court room. The Quartet would nervously wait at home while praying for a heavenly miracle.

The damn blood slide that showed the DNA of Stu's genes was the final straw on the camel's back. Jace wasn't called to testify, since he would answer honestly. But the DNA blood test could not be faked by man, machine, or magic.

Inside the judge's bench, Cutter turned and nodded with a stern to each jury member. "Jury members, this is a murder trial. You will be herded into the jury room in the back of this court house. Your duty is to determine guilt or innocence based on all the presented facts, not a set of hearsay or guessed supposition. Facts, which were presented for the past two days within this court room based on both written and verbal testimonies of each eyewitness. Please rise from the jury box and leave the court room in silence!"

The jury stood upright with a stern face and turned, slowly moving out the box, leaving the room in silence. The side door closed shut by the bailiff as the bailiff stood in front with a set of crossed arms and a stern face.

Inside the eyewitness box, Stu continued to sit and watched each nose profile on each jury member leave the court room. He was going to be escorted back into his holding cell waiting for the verdict of guilty or innocent from the deliberating jury.

Cutter turned and nodded with a stern face to the court gallery, slapping the gravel over the polished bench wood. "The trial is finished until the jury returns back into the court room with the verdict." The rest of the court gallery stood upright and swiftly emptied the court room, closing the set of double doors shut as the media reporters and the newspaper photographers ran towards the outdoor set of television cameras inside each news van for the latest story of the murderous Quartet brother.

The court room was empty, leaving only all the sisters and two brothers of the Quartet. Cutter slowly stood and stared down at the bald skull at the rear of Stu. "Mr. Gage, why don't you talk to your lawyer before you are required to return back into your jail cell?"

He spun around in the chair and nodded to Cutter with a smile. "Thank you, sir!" Stu stood upright and move ahead with a smile, standing in the middle of the room in a huddle with his brother. Cutter spun around with a stern face and a deep sigh of worry from the judge's bench, since he respected and admired the Quartet brothers. He exited the court room for his private office to wait out the verdict of the jury members which would be announced to the world tomorrow morning, not sooner.

The side door closed shut, leaving only the sisters and the brothers of the Quartet plus the bailiff.

Austin and Frank quickly embraced Stu with a brotherly hug of love while gently teasing about seeing him later tonight at his manor for the upcoming non-murderous victory party. Then, they spun around and swiftly exited through the rear exit door of the court house building and avoided the news reporters, traveling inside the limousine, riding back to the secret Quartet laboratory, where Jace had been sleeping and eating while working on the laboratory result to save the life of Gage.

In the middle of the court room, "Don't worry, Stu!" Tom reached out and slapped the bicep on Stu with a nod and a grin while reassuring everything was going to be fine.

"I'm not." Stu leaned down and hugged his brother while smiling at his approaching wife, "Gracie." Gracie moved ahead from the court galley with a set of tears that fell and flowed down from a red tinted swallowed face of worry, uncontrollably. He released and scooted around Tom, slapping and hugged Gracie with love as his and her set of matching teardrops poured down onto his dress shirt.

The bailiff moved ahead from the closed door with a sigh and stopped, standing behind the ass of Stu, reaching out and gently tapped onto the bicep on Gage which signaled for the prisoner to return back into the jail cell behind the court room and wait out the verdict form the jury.

Stu released Gracie and slowly back stepped from his wife with a smile and a hand wave of love. Gracie stood in place with sobs of tears and a hand wave of love with a smile to her husband, watching him.

Stu back stepped into the empty archway with a smile and slowly spun around with a worried brow, moving down an empty hallway back into his personal jail cell with the bailiff.

The side door closed shut.

Gracie burst into a set of heavy tears as Misty Marie dashed ahead and stopping, wrapping both arm and hugged her Quartet sister and displayed her own set of tears of worry and fear for her Quartet brother Stu.

Tom moved ahead and stopped, hugging and kissed the cheekbone of his wife Jane. "Take Gracie home, Jane." Jane sobbed with tears while trying desperately to hold back the tears of fear and worry. She had been inside the court gallery and listened to the damaging evidence against her brother Stu. She was a license lawyer too and guided Tom through the legal case, but she couldn't find a clue to save the life of Stu either. He whispered into cheekbone. "I'll call you when the jury returns back into the court room."

"Tom?" Jane sobbed inside his arms with a weak whisper.

Tom exhaled with a tight smile and a nod, "Be strong, Jane! Frank, Austin, and Jace are doing everything super humanly possible. I'm going to see them now."

Jane sobbed with a set of tears, "Will you have time to do that, sweetheart? The jury could decide and come back very quickly. You are required to be here for Stu."

Tom nodded with a grin, "I know Cutter. I can read the man's mind. This is 'his' thing. He is pissed with the entire staff of the Miami district attorney's office. He will house and feed the entire jury members while waiting until tomorrow to reveal the final verdict, if he fuckingly wants."

She sobbed with a set of tears of puzzlement. "Can he do that, Tom?"

Tom nodded with a laugh and a smile for the first time today. "Cutter can do any shitting thing he wants. Let's just say. He is fair man and judge. He is also a good ally of the Quartet."

She frowned. "Which does that mean for Stu, Tom?"

"Cutter is giving me, Austin, and Frank a little more time to help our brother Stu and save his life before..."

"Yes, I completely understand. I wish that I could offer."

"He is a fair man, Jane."

"You are, too, Tom."

Tom exhaled with a huff of worry and fear. "Please stay with Gracie at our house until I call you."

"Misty and I will. When are you coming back home to us, sweetheart?"

Tom looked up with a stern face and stared at the far wall inside the empty court room and returned a smile to Jane, "I will be very late in the evening, sweetheart. I'm going to touch base with Frank and Austin first to see their progress."

She leaned down and hugged him with a whisper of love and worry. "I love you, Tom, sweetheart."

He leaned down and kissed her lips, pulling back from her with a smile. "I love you, Jane, sweetheart. Everything's fine. I promise. I feel it in my bones that things will work out. Stu is not going to be in gawd damn jail. I fuckingly promise you that, sweetheart."

Jane sobbed with tears and a nod. "I believe you, Tom."

Tom leaned over and whispered with a nod. "Please remind Gracie that I personally guarantee that information also."

Gracie and Misty swiftly moved ahead in a single girly hug and stopped, standing behind the back spine on Jane with sobs, wearing a red colored swollen face while streaming a set of tears down a pair of chapped red cheekbones.

The bailiff returned and opened the door into the court room, standing inside the archway with a stern face and a hand motion to Jane in silence. He was going to personal escort the remaining Quartet members through the fire exit door in the rear of the court house building, so they didn't have to encounter the nasty gang of media reporters in front of the entrance doors of the court house per Cutter's order.

Jane pulled back from Tom with a stern face and reached down, grabbing his hand, moving ahead towards the open archway in silence. Tom spun around with Jane as they led Gracie and Misty through the archway.

The bailiff spun around and moved ahead, leading the group of people, swiftly moving down a different hallway from the row of jail cells and stopped, opening the rear door in silence with a nod to Tom. The sisters and one brother of the Quartet exited into the bright sunshine of pretty day in Miami.

Outside alleyway setting

A golden tinted limousine on Tom was parked behind a shiny white color limousine of Stu in the semi-enclosed street alleyway as both vehicles were encircled and surrounded by a tight group of individual Quartet Associates guards in a set of white clothing and an exposed black colored rifle or a hand gun near a growling sneer for the safety and the protection of the remaining Quartet members.

A gang of nasty and loud protestors, yelling set of media reporters, and numerous recording film crews and photographers surrounded each QA guard, mouth spitting down onto a pair of clean white tinted leathers or shoving on a QA body or cursing into the eardrum on QA guard. The guard stood in place and endured the set of physical and mental nasty abuse with an occasional rough hand shove back with a soft growl, without killing the bastard per Frank's order.

Tom dashed ahead and cuddled his wife Jane moving toward the rear door of Stu's white colored limousine and stood beside the open door as the guard, whipping out his Ghost from a breast pocket to protect his Quartet sisters with a sneer, darting a pair of eyeballs around the alleyway, the buildings, the crowded streets, and the back spine on each QA guard.

Gracie and Misty Marie swiftly dashed ahead from the archway of the court house building and leaned over, sliding down into the rear bench and out of sight, hearing the nasty comments from the nasty protestors and annoying media.

Jane stood with her husband without her lady Ghost and a stern face. "I will." She turned and leaned down, sliding down into the same rear door without giving a hug and a kiss due to the nasty people of Miami.

Tom watched the automatic door slam shut on the limousine that protected his wife and his Quartet sisters from danger with a set of bullet proof windows and doors. The white tinted limousine immediately drove forward as two rows of QA guards shifted around and created an empty avenue for the moving vehicle which was composed of two human bodies that kept away the crowds of nasty people of Miami. The rolling limousine sharply turned onto the main road and sped away through the downtown Miami, carrying the wives back home to Coral Beach until tomorrow morning when the verdict was heard from the jury.

Tom spun around with a sneer and heard all the nasty vocal comments within his eardrums, seeing the group of nasty people with his eyeballs, dashing towards the open rear door of his golden tinted limousine inside the alleyway and leaned down, sliding down into the rear seat of the cab. The personal chauffeur closed the door and dashed around the front bumper with a hand gun in silence, moving toward the driver's seat and entered the vehicle, waiting on the order from Tom.

Tom turned and stared at the closed door of the rear sight of the court building where Stu was housed while waiting for a decision of life or death. Cutter was both mad and curious with the old and the new district attorneys while protectively watching over all the jury members.

Austin, Frank, and Jace were searching for a mysterious medical miracle which Tom prayed that they had found just forgetting to call him on the mobile telephone with the good news.

Tom wished that he had attended church more often, volunteering as a preacher pet like Stu, who was a very religious and righteous man, the only one that he knew. Then maybe, Almighty God would grant Sawyer his ultimate wish to find the needed evidence to clear Stu's name, his reputation, and his earth-bound life form from an awaiting gas chamber chair in the capital city of Tallahassee within the US State of Florida.

However, the current situation wasn't looking good for Gage.

Tom exhaled with a huff of worry at the city street ahead. The dead baby fetus belonged to Stu. Then, Tom saw her. Tamika swiftly moved in front of the rear alleyway right in front on Tom's limousine and away from the rear of the court house building, dashing toward her personal car that was parked on the side of the city street. The media reporters didn't bother her either. Maybe, Tom had found the miracle, saying with a smile and a whisper for his eardrums only. "Thank you, Almighty God, Brother Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and all my heavenly angels!" He leaned over the open panel of the front seat into the cheekbone of the chauffeur and jabbed a finger at her wiggling fat ass with a sneer. "Follow that fucking ass bitch when she gets into her personal car. Let's see where hell lives on planet Earth."

"Yes sir!" The chauffeur placed a pair of sunglasses over the set of eyeballs with a smirk and a nod, staring the engine, slowly moving the car forward to chase after the bitch.

11:11 a.m.

City of Miami Springs

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunrays

Secret Quartet laboratory setting

Joe had broken the speed barrier in Austin's silver tinted limousine without receiving a speeding ticket from the police, since a fleet of police cars escorted the limousine.

Money ruled. Fools lost everything.

The limousine arrived in the front of the building of the secret Quartet laboratory, parking the vehicle as Joe killed the engine. The fleet of police cars continued down the street and turned the corner, returning back to the police station in downtown Miami. The passengers Austin and Frank opened the door and slid out, running ahead toward the entrance door, entering the building to check on the progress of Jace. Joe opened the door and slid out the vehicle, slowly moving around the car, darting a pair of eyeballs around the familiar streets and buildings while holding a hand gun and scouting for trouble.

Since, the public announcement that one-fourth of the infamous and nasty Quartet had been declared and arrested as a convicted murderer of a mother-to-be with an unborn baby, the death notes, the death threats had not stopped and appeared through numerous media, such like, hand written notes, typed letters, mysterious package, electronic emails, newspaper articles, and television programs.

Joe was worried for Stu and believed Gage to be innocent. Someone had framed the Quartet brother. The rest of the Quartet had to find and prove it before the jury returned back into the court room today or later than afternoon. The court presented physical evidence for a positive DNA match with the dead fetus was too damaging. Then, Stu would end up inside the gas chamber in the capital city of Tallahassee for a crime of murder and the punishment of death.

Joe exhaled with a huff of worry and continued to slowly move around the limousine with nervousness and concern.

Inside the laboratory on top of the long sofa, Frank exhaled with a huff of worry and reread the same stack of medical papers again. "Jace, have you tested subspecialties for...?"

"Yes, Frank." Jace stood in front of the work station counter and fiddled with the dead specimens on top of the glass slides with a stern face.

"Have you tested each subspecialty for both the mom and the baby?"

"Both, Frank."

Frank reread the same stack of medical papers with a worried brow. "Are you certain? There's addiction, bioethics for biology, clinical pharmacology, laser medicine, nasology, nosokinetics..."

"No, Frank."

"Pain management..."

"No, Frank."

"Pathology..."

"Yes, I am re-working all the pathology tests on each specimen, Frank."

"There is radiology, nuclear medicine, neurophysiology, dermatology, ophthalmology, congenital disorders..."

"Enough, pup." Jace fiddled with the glass slide on top of the work station.

Austin sat inside a single oversized leather chair and out of the way, silently reading inside the medical textbook with a stern face. "I have a question, Frank."

Frank exhaled with annoyance, since Jace was busy with frustration. Mangrove sneered down at the same stack of medical papers. "What is it, Austin?"

Austin continued to sit inside a single oversize chair and pointed down with a confused brow at the open medical book. "When I was reading from the medical textbook yesterday, I noticed that the mom and her baby share nutrition production. What does that mean, Frank?" He looked up to see the red colored hair roots on Frank with a nod.

Frank exhaled with more annoyance. He didn't want Austin injecting a set of silly ass questions at this time. Jace was busy re-working all his lab tests for the hundredth time, re-checking the inputs, throughputs, and outputs. Frank was assisting with the medical work, while Austin was standing around with nothing to do but worry. Berrington didn't have a command or an edict to dictate to anyone. And the rest of the brothers of the Quartet were busier than the sinners in hell.

Stu was sitting on top of a skinny cot inside the court house jail, waiting and worrying. Tom was in the office, working and worrying on the court appeal. The three wives were crying and sobbing at the home of Frank, waiting and worrying.

Jace was inside the laboratory, working and worrying along with Frank and Austin. Jace answered with a stern face for his friend Frank while working on the tissue slides at the same work station. "Everything starts with DNA, Austin."

Frank stared down and studied the same stack of medical papers with a worried brow. "The building blocks of life."

Jace worked on the slides with a stern face. "DNA is the blueprints for the construction of cells including proteins and molecules and such."

Austin tapped inside the manual reference on the page with a confused brow. "Proteins come from nutrients. Is that correct, Jace?"

Jace nodded, "Yes, Austin."

Austin said. "I read that the placenta connects to the fetus allowing nutrient uptake from the mom."

Jace nodded, "The placenta performs waste elimination and gas exchange via the mom's blood supply too."

Austin asked. "So, the mom provides nutrients and proteins into the egg sac. Isn't that a clue here, Jace?"

Jace worked on the slides with a stern face. "I guess it could be, Austin."

Frank stared and studied down at the same stack of medical papers with a worried brow. "The placenta forms with the fetus while functioning as two combined components."

Jace said. "The fetal part is called Chorion frondosum and the maternal part is called Decidua basalis."

Frank exhaled with a huff of frustration and worry and flipped through the same stack of medical papers with a sour frown. "Why, Austin?"

Austin said. "Isn't the DNA proteins the key here for both Stu and the fetus?"

Jace said, "DNA genetic tests are performed on samples of blood, hair, skin, and amniotic fluid which comes from the liquid surrounding..."

"The fetus..." Frank exhaled with a huff of frustration and worry, rapidly flipping through the same stack of medical papers.

Jace worked on the glass slides with a stern face. "The fetus employs their special oxygen transport molecules from the mom, drawing oxygen from the placenta which is a lower concentration than an adult for both proteins and food."

Frank nodded with a worried brow down at the same stack of medical papers. "Remnants of the fetal circulation can be found in the mother adult also."

Austin frowned at the ass of Jace. "How do you prove that the remnants are really, the really right remnants of the baby? Does that make any sense, Lab Coats?" He turned and stared down at the red colored hair roots on Frank with a confused brow.

Jace smiled down at the glass slides on top of the work station. "Actually, it really, rightly makes sense, Austin."

Frank exhaled with frustration and worry, staring down at the same stack of medical papers. "The mom's circulatory system works differently, Austin. The fetus obtains oxygen and nutrients from the mom through the placenta and the umbilical cord."

Jace spun around with a stern face to see the red colored hair roots on Frank. "Oxygen and nutrients are both the keys here too. I can test the remnants of the mom's placenta, seeing if it matches the fetus sample that I had received from the Miami district attorney's office via the hospital."

Frank looked up with a puzzled brow to see Jace. "Do you have a good sample of the dead mom's DNA slide of her placenta tissue?"

Jace spun around and side stepped, standing in front of the same work station, carefully shifting the mini-stand of numerous test tubes and small trays of glass slides while looking for the correct slide with a stern face. "Here! Let's see what the microscope shows us," he side stepped to the opposite side and stopped, slipping the newest glass slide specimen of the dead mom's placenta underneath the microscope and then adjusted the knob for a clear picture. He studied the image with a pair of medical eyeballs in silence.

Austin turned and frowned at Frank. "Now, Jace is performing a comparison of the mom and the baby. Why didn't we test for that assumption first, Frank?"

Frank turned and frowned at Austin. "It should match without any doubt or question, since the mom and the baby were inside her body. There could be a mismatch if the baby had been full term and then died by other means without the mom like inside the nursery or the hospital room."

Austin frowned. "I don't want to be the asshole here. Are you assuming that based on something medical?"

"Assume means to make an ass of me and Jace." Frank laughed with a nod for the first time, since Stu's arrest.

Jace continued to look through the lenses of the microscope and shouted out with a sigh. "It matches. The mom's remnant and baby's placenta appear to be a perfect match."

Frank tossed both arms into the air with a chuckle and a nod to Austin. "It is confirmed. You are the only asshole in here, Austin."

Austin smiled with a nod to Frank for the first time, since Stu's arrest. "Only today, and only here, Frank. Don't tell Tom, ever!"

Jace lifted and held the two separate slides side by side in the air with a stern face. "Hold your horses, Frank! Look at this. I have the fetus of the mother. One set of two medical slides that came from the district attorney office and another set of two medical slides that came from the hospital laboratory department. The assumption is that the remnants of the baby and the remnants of the mother should be a precise match. However, they do not match, Frank. The two slides are different from each other."

Austin turned and frowned, standing upright from the chair and stared at the ass of Jace. "The two slides are different from each other. Do you mean the two slides that come from the same mother of the same child? How is that possible, Jace, Frank?"

Frank turned and frowned, standing upright from the sofa, staring at the ass of Jace. "It would be only possible if there was a different fetus. But that is impossible, Jace."

Jace shook a skull and stared with a puzzled brow down at the two slides of tissue and blood. "It would be only possible if there was a different mother. But that is impossible, Frank. I am completely fucking clueless. Let us examine using my new electronic microscope which magnifies at 500,000 times the image and see all the red blood cells," he leaned over and slipped the two separate slide specimens into a set of a side by side even plate on the double sided microphone and leaned down, toying around with the knob and the two slides. Then he projected a set of two blobs of red swirling lines onto the far wall which held an extremely large computer screen to view the specimen image.

Austin spun around and pointed at the screen monitor with a puzzled brow. "Is that a blood protein?"

Jace pulled back from the glass lenses of the microphone and looked up with a stern face to see the computer screen on the far wall with a gasp. "The two separate remnant materials are different and do not match in blood proteins."

Austin gasped with puzzlement. "What is the meaning between the two slides of dead tissue and blood proteins, Jace?"

Frank spun around and looked up at the computer screen, exhaling with a huff of annoyance. "Fuck! You have received the wrong damn specimen slide of dead mom tissue, Jace. That is the obvious answer here."

Jace jabbed a finger with a stern face at the computer screen on the wall. "No, Frank. On the left side, this slide comes from the Miami district attorney office. Tom had requested the information on the first day of Stu's arrest on September, the tenth while both of them were inside the jail house at Coral Gables. You can see the order date and signed paperwork by Luckado, Lou E., who is the Miami district attorney which had been received on September the thirteen, Monday."

Austin moved ahead to the work station and stopped, standing in front of the tray of glass slides, reading out loud the information for all eardrums. "The other tissue slide comes from the Miami district attorney office too and shows the order date of September the fourteenth and the signed paperwork by Luckado, Lou E. It details Stu's DNA with a written note that he is the biological father of the dead fetus which was processed and delivered after Stu provided his property on September the tenth, a Friday."

Jace jabbed a finger with a stern face at the computer screen on the far wall. "On the right side of the computer screen, this slide comes from the Ocala Hospital laboratory department which is dated on September the sixth. It was the death date murder of Tamara. Tom requested this set of two specimen tissue slides after I had ordered him to retrieve all hospital physical specimen property and all the related clinical information for testing the set of dead fetus tissue. All the paperwork had been reviewed and signed by the lab people, who are certified with a license and worked at the Ocala Hospital laboratory department on September, the fourteen. This is not faked. This is a real specimen slide of another mother's remnant placenta tissue."

Frank shook a skull with a sour frown. "Fuck it! Obviously, some asshole had mislabeled one of our slide remnants there at the hospital. This happens all the damn time in any clinical laboratory, anywhere in the world. We can call and verify that small mistake with the hospital paid staff pathologist at Ocala City Hospital. And the hospital paid pathologist will not be happy about this. The real family of the real mom's remnant can sue the shit out of the hospital administration and their office of lawyers for this major screw-up, because Ocala Hospital must report the laboratory error and specimen exposure to the US Federal government also."

"How about a blood test slide on a live twin sister Tamika? Did that bitch provide one to the Ocala laboratory also?" Austin sneered.

Frank turned and sneered at Austin. "What the fuck for, Austin? She is a liar and not deceased yet."

Austin chuckled with a nod, feeling the same way, "Frank, Tom is too busy with one brother's murder trial, so don't go and add to his legal workload now."

Frank shook a skull, "She knows more about the entire incident and accident and intent. I bet my billions that she knows the real killer too. She is just hiding him for her annoying shitty fun."

Austin nodded with a sneer. "So, let go and kidnap, then beat, and finally tear out the fucking confession from her brain cells. Then we prove Stu's innocent."

"Right behind you, Austin," Frank reached over and whipped his Ghost from the business jacket with a sneer and a nod.

Austin lifted both arms with a smile. "Stand down, Frank! I'm only thinking out loud."

Frank waved the gun in the air with a snarl at Austin. "I'm not. We're desperate now. Stu is going to the death gas chamber in Tallahassee next month. Florida doesn't wait around for a death execution with a baby killer. They are dead and gone before I can blink my eyelids twice. So, my new plot is that we gas the jet and then flee the USA and live..."

"Enough, pups!" Jace yelled at Austin and Frank and looked down, fiddling with all the specimen slides at the work station. "I have Tamika's blood test slide, also."

Frank shook his skull and his Ghost with a stern face at Austin. "This line of thought and action is going nowhere to aid Stu during his last hours of freedom. We call our wives..."

Austin reached over and snatched Frank's Ghost with a sneer. "Enough, pup! Why are you checking on Tamika's blood test slide, Jace? I only suggested it, since I can't do anything but worry or think," he reached down and stored Frank's Ghost inside the jacket pocket with his Ghost. Frank gasped with a fury and spun around, pointing at Austin with a sneer.

Jace chuckled with a nod and fiddled with the slides. "Keep thinking, Austin! I ordered Tom to retrieve on September the tenth, the day of Stu's arrest all the blood samples and any related medical data and records from every party, including the hospital and the morgue that I could think of."

Austin nodded with a stern face at Jace. "You repeated that statement a few minutes ago, Jace."

Jace worked on the slide with a stern face. "They're twins."

Frank shook a skull and stared at his Ghost which was inside the hidden pocket of Austin's sports jacket, "This topic doesn't matter here for Stu's murder trial. She isn't the dead mother or the surrogate for the dead fetus."

Jace nodded down with a stern face at the specimen slides. "This entire murder trial matters greatly to me, you, Stu, Austin, Tom, and the jury. Twins come from the same egg."

Frank sneered at Austin. "Twins come from the same egg with the same plasma, cells, proteins..."

Jace shifted over the floor and stopped, placing the blood slide of Tamika under the microscope. "We are getting close, gentlemen," he leaned down into the lenses and adjusted the knobs on the microphone.

Frank shook a skull and turned with a sour frown, watching the back spine on Jace at the work station. "We are on the wrong tail, trail, and trial, gentlemen."

Austin nodded at the back spine on Jace at the work station. "Could Tamika have been pregnant instead? This specimen remnant slide is her dead fetus instead. She is a twin with the same exact cells, proteins, genes, tissues, blood, plasma, and baby stuff. Could she have placed her dead baby fetus tissue into her dead sister after she brutally killed for some weird-ass unknown alien-made-me-do-it reason?"

Jace stopped the work and lifted a confused brow to see the far wall, spinning around to see Berrington with a smile. "Austin, you sound mentally insane which I will purposefully ignore, since I have a job to do by saving Stu's life," he spun back around and leaned down into the lenses of the microphone with a stern face again.

Frank exhaled with a huff of frustration and shook a skull at Austin. "You are fuckingly insanely crazy, Berrington! The jury is going to burn Stu at the stake this afternoon. But, I can provide some rational mental thought processes for your weird-ass question, Berrington. One, fucking bitch Tamika would have had to be the surrogate mother for Tamara. Two, stupid Stu would have had to fucked bitch Tamika. Three, devoted Stu would have been cheating on his wife sweetheart Gracie. And four, honest Stu is still the father of the dead fetus coming from a dead Tamara or a surrogate mother Tamika," he back stepped from Austin and sat down on top of the high stool, leaning down over both kneecaps and holding both hands into a face of worry.

Jace looked up with a smile and a nod from the set of lenses of the microphone to see the far wall with results of the computer. "Do you see the nice two flowing lines of red? These are the two separate blood test slides. They represent the twins Tamika and Tamara. They perfectly match each other. I am expecting this with a set of twins," he leaned down and exchanged Tamara's slide for the district attorney specimen slide of Tamara tissue into the plate, adjusting the knob, projection the new image on the far wall. He looked up with a puzzled brow from the set of lenses of the microphone to see the far wall with results of the computer. "Do you see the ugly non-congruent wiggling lines of red? These are the two separate blood test slides that do not match. Austin, if you were correct, then Tamika was the mother. The district attorney slide doesn't match her plasma stream either. This is so very odd," he looked down with a confused brow to examine all the blood slides.

Frank continued to sit down in the high stool and exhaled with a huff of worry, looking down to see his polished leathers. "It is not odd. It is a gawd damn laboratory error. We got the wrong motherfucking mama's blood test slide that we have discovered to shitting late," he looked up with a sneered to see the back spine on Austin. "Stu is not going to be freed from jail. We need to set the wheels in motion as soon as humanly possible," he stood upright from the stool and reached over, whipping out his mobile telephone from a jacket pocket with a nod and a sneer. "I am calling the jet service to fuel our QA airplane. We are leaving out from Miami tonight," he swished the icon and lifted the phone to his eardrum, listening to the ring tone.

Austin frowned at the computer screen. "Stu is behind bars inside the court house jail cell with a set of guards, Frank."

Frank nodded with a sneer at the ass of Austin while listening to the ring tone. "We bust him out right after the reading of the damn guilty verdict. No one would expect the other three Quartet Assholes to pull off and out that slick-ass move. Are you in or out, Berrington? Have you got cold chicken-shit toes now? Tom'll shoot them off when he hears that you farted on my brilliant plan of escape from our Florida paradise. We go to Dog Isle first then plot our next destination..."

Austin exhaled with a huff of frustration at Mangrove and stared at the back spine on Jace. "What do you think about Frank's plotting escape from our Florida paradise? Do you want to join us on the plane, Jace?"

Jace reached over and removed the hospital's specimen blood slide from the plate of the microphone while leaving in place the district attorney specimen slide on the screen and studied the information with a puzzled brow, "Hmm! This specimen blood slide looks, so very familiar."

Austin moved ahead and stood beside Jace, staring at the far computer screen. "Can you explain the term: so very familiar? What do you mean here, Jace?" He looked back over a collar bone to see Frank. Mangrove was in the wall corner, whispering a set of secret words into his mobile telephone.

Frank was too emotional with a set of mixed feels and a tired mind while burning the light at both ends, sitting in court room with Tom, and assisting Jace with all the medical tests during the long evenings. Then, the final, final outcome showed that Stu was the father of the dead fetus of a murdered pregnant Tamara Tama Tang.

"The data is screaming at me. I just can't figure out the connection." Jace stared down at the slide of blood with a puzzled brow.

Frank dropped it down from an eardrum and tossed the mobile telephone at the side wall with a sneer. The mobile telephone slammed the wall with a loud boom and fell down with a soft ting breaking into three parts. He swiftly dashed ahead towards the laboratory work station and stopped, standing over the work station, reaching out and rattled the old slides, tossing each item carelessly around the hard surface.

"What are you doing, Frank?" Austin turned and frowned at red colored hair roots on his brother.

Frank continued to toss of more items off the work station and trashed the papers over the floor with a sneer. "The Quartet sea, air, and land toys have been permanently grounded by order of the fucking USA Justice Department, since our brother Stu is a fucking billionaire with the brains, the brawn, the brass, and the kiss-ass guts to escape from injustice with his other brothers. Therefore, we are stuck here until our assets are freed. Then I will plot another plan. In the meantime, Stu is innocent. One of these gawd damn blood specimen slides will prove it. I just need to find it. And that fucking tissue slide is not his baby. Stu's baby died when Gracie was hurt from the car accident in Ocala when the damn tree slammed into her stomach."

Austin observed and heard all the facts for second time. Sometimes, a person could pick up a new point of view while watching Mangrove trash the files in rant and rave with worry. He nodded. "Correct."

Frank continued to toss and trashed more papers onto the floor. "Tamara wasn't carrying his child either, because I believe our brother Stu."

Jace looked up and spun around with a gasp, moving ahead and stopped, squatting down, cleaning up all the messy files by Frank, picking up off the floor. "Tamara was pregnant which was recorded by her medical records, the physician's notes, and the hospital laboratory medical test. All it proves a viable fetus, Frank."

Austin spun around with a nod while observing and listening to Jace. "Correct."

Frank stopped the toss and looked at Jace, who was cleaning up the messy files. Mangrove frowned. "You mentioned that the blood test slides possess completely different DNA."

Jace stood upright with an armful of files and scanned down at the messy file, reaching over and placed the armful of loose papers on top of the work station. "I guessed, Frank. I don't have any other logical answer."

Frank lifted and slammed down both hands onto the counter with a nod. "No. You're correct, Jace. The slides are completely different. So, why the fuck are they different from each other? That is the solution to the question which will solve all our problems," he pointed at the computer screen with a nod. "It's here. The clues are here," he looked down and snatched up the empty two boxes that contained the set of specimen slides of blood, since the two blood slides were underneath the microscope. He read out loud for all eardrums. "The district attorney slide is labeled mother A. The hospital side is labeled mother B. However, the slides do not match."

Austin nodded with a stern face, "Agreed."

Jace squatted down and flipped through the out of order paper files one at a time with a sour frown. He was ready to kick both asses out of his medical laboratory. Austin was useless and annoying. Frank was acting like a crazy asshole. But, Jace was more worried about Stu who sat inside a jail cell for the rest of his life or faced the death gas chamber in Tallahassee.

Austin nodded with a stern face to Frank. "Based on all your medical knowledge and all the medical facts, and all the medical evidence, what do you conclude about the two different blood slides, Frank?"

Frank exhaled with a huff of frustration and looked down to see the floor, then the ceiling, and finally to see Austin. "The only reasonable solid conclusion, this slide, that was given to us, the district attorney slide belongs to another woman who is not Tamara Tama Tang, the dead mother. The hospital slide is the absolutely, positively, and genetically correct remnant of Tamara Tama Tang."

"Shit!" Jace flipped back and forth while looking at the paper folder and stood upright and turned, staring at the far screen with a smile. "Shit," he looked down with a grin at the paper folder and then viewed the screen again with a nod. "It's here. And it's there too. I completely missed it. It is right here in black and white," he looked down and scanned the work station for the new blood test slide, finding it and marched ahead, stopping, standing at the microscope. He loaded the new blood slide into the plate. "Of course, the mom's proteins do not match the proteins of the dead fetus. Gracie received a D and C. Do you remember, Frank? You told me. I read it inside her medical chart when they returned back home to Coral Beach after the car accident which ended their vacation at Misty Farms."

Frank back stepped from the messy work station and moved ahead, stopping and stood beside Jace at the other work station. Jace was prepping a new blood test slide into the microphone. Mangrove sneered. "How in the hell is Gracie involved in this legal matter of first degree murder? Who is the insanely crazy asshole now? Be carefully, Dr. Jackson! I might have to admit you into Charity ward number eighteen, Tom's former hunting nest," then he laughed out loud from all his stressed tension.

"D and C?" Austin spun around with a confused brow and stood in place behind the two asses of Jace and Frank.

"D and C is a medical term for cleaning out the aborted fetus tissues from Gracie's body after Stu's car accident." Frank said in an elegant manner for Austin without the gross details.

"The D and C produces dead remnant of the dead fetus coming from the biological mother," Jace fiddled the knob on the microphone with a stern face. "I'm comparing Gracie's proteins to the fetus..."

"...which is a waste of fucking time, Jace. Gracie has absolutely nothing to do with this mysterious medical matter with Tamara Tama Tang's unborn and dead baby," Frank crossed both arms with a sour frown.

Jace placed the slide under the microscope lenses and looked up with a sour frown to see Frank. "Do you want to see the results, Frank?"

Austin nodded with a stern face at the computer screen. "Yes, I want to see the result. Please, show me, Jace!"

Jace looked back down and fiddled with the knob while focusing a wiggling red line into a clear pattern and looked up with a gasp at the computer screen. "Do you see what I see?"

Frank gasped with a nod. "I don't believe it."

Jace smiled with a nod at the screen. "You are seeing a perfect match of blood proteins remnant on the screen. The one on the left is the dead fetus while the one on the right is Gracie's blood slide. This fetus remnant belongs to Gracie's baby."

Frank shook a skull at the computer screen on the wall. "Impossible."

Austin nodded with a smile. "This explains the difference in the two slides. One comes from the Miami district attorney office. The second one comes from the hospital laboratory department. Frank, you were correct. There are two different mothers which appear on an individual blood slide."

Jace nodded with a smile. "Someone stole this remnant tissue. It is so brilliantly simple."

Frank shook his skull with a confused brow. "Someone stole this blood tissue from Gracie. That is humanly impossible, Jace."

"No, Frank! The remnant tissue was stolen from the Ocala laboratory department stores. Someone stole Gracie's dead baby's tissue from the secured laboratory environment." Jace nodded with a worried brow.

Frank gasped at the screen, "Holy shit!"

Austin gasped at the screen, "Damn it to hell!"

Jace looked down with a stern face at the paper folder. "I remembered reading that Tamara was a bank teller. Her sister Tamika worked as a laboratory technician for four years at Ocala City Hospital before quitting six months ago."

Frank turned and frowned at Austin. "Fuck. The missing connection of the two different lab slides."

Jace turned and stared at Austin and then Frank with a nod. "Tamika would have been heavily questioned if she had worked at the same hospital during the time period of Stu's car accident putting Gracie in the same local hospital."

Frank frowned. "Why didn't we question her, Austin?"

Austin shook a skull with a puzzled brow. "Tamika wasn't a suspect at any time. She was yelling for the fucking wolf so loudly that he left and went vacationing within the isles of the Bahamas, not answering his cell phone."

Frank chuckled with a nod, "So fucking true!"

Jace smirked. "I believe this is a valuable lesson that the Quartet can be fooled."

Frank sneered at Jace, "Only once..."

"....and not for very fucking long," Austin snarled to Jace.

Jace smiled, "The complete linkage of the entire medical process. When Tamika worked at the Ocala laboratory department, she made some evil friends."

"She paid some evil friends." Frank snarled with a nod.

"The paid evil Ocala laboratory technician stole a small sample of the fetus tissue straight out of the glass dish and then gave it to Tamika." Jace nodded with a stern face.

"Who placed it inside her sister's womb?" Austin frowned.

Jace shook a skull with a stern face. "No, that is not right, Austin. Tamika didn't do a damn thing. The Ocala police department sent the tissue sample of Tamara's dead baby to the same laboratory where the same paid evil laboratory technician simply replaced Tamara's baby with Gracie's dead fetus. It is so stupidly simple."

Austin exhaled, "Mercy in heaven for the dead baby and our saved brother Stu."

Frank nodded with a sad face. "The answer that we are seeking is really true. The blood slide is really Stu's baby boy and Stu is the real father."

Jace nodded with a stern face. "The blood slide contained the stolen fetus tissue that came from Gracie's baby when she was inside a hospital bed within Ocala City Hospital on the day of the car accident which was September the seventh."

Frank growled. "Shit! I'm going to kill that bitch."

Austin sneered. "I get her first."

Frank parted the lips with a gasp. "This all means that Tamika killed, beat, mutilated, and tortured her own twin sister."

Austin sneered. "Tamika is an evil bitch, who tried and failed to frame our brother Stu."

Jace frowned, "Why would she do this, Frank?"

Frank nodded with a sneer. "Revenge, old flame, money, fun, kicks, evil? Pick one, Jace?"

Austin pointed at the computer screen and then the folder with a nod and a stern face. "Can we prove all of this in a court of law, Jace, right now, today?"

Jace nodded with a smile. "Yes, of course, I have Gracie's medical record, her blood tests, her DNA sample, and all her tissues on file right here inside my lab."

Austin nodded with a smile. "Start on it right now! How long to process and complete, Jace?"

"An hour," Jace smiled.

Austin shook a skull with a worried brow. "You need to work sooner, Jace."

Jace frowned, "I'm sorry with my equipment and my genius, an hour minimum."

"I can help." Frank smiled with a nod.

Jace reached down and gathered all the papers with a stern face. "No, I don't want your assistance, Frank. I need to be very precise, carefully, and thoroughly thorough. No missed steps or screw-ups. I get one shot, gentlemen."

Austin reached out and shoved Mangrove towards the closed door with a smile. "Damn right, Jace. Do it. Move out, Frank. We need to go and to inform Tom right now." They moved ahead and shuffled out from the laboratory room, down the hallway, and towards the set of double glass entrance doors of the building.

The mobile telephone sounded with a jazzy tone of saxophone and piano musical notes. Frank reached down into his jacket and whipped out the mobile telephone that belonged to Stu, swishing it on and lifted into his lips with a sneer. "What?" Frank yelled with irritation and fury. Jace had figured the puzzle out and then Stu would be saved, but Mangrove was still mad and hurt and emotional about the entire raw deal of death.

He paused and listened to the other party on the other end of the telephone connection.

Pause.

"Why?"

Pause.

"Agreed."

Pause.

Frank dropped down from an eardrum and slid the mobile telephone with a sour frown back down into the jacket. "Tom has tailed Tamika."

Austin moved ahead with a gasp and stopped, opening the door. "What about Stu?"

Frank moved through the door with a sneer and saw the parked silver tinted limousine without a crowd of police or protestors. "He is still in jail. The jury is still deliberating."

Austin followed behind and passed Frank, heading to the limousine with a worried brow. "We need to hurry then. Tom is going to kill her before we get there."

Frank reached out and grabbed the arm of Austin with a smile. "Relax, Austin! He wanted to but he used his brains instead."

"...for once in his life," Austin stopped with a huff of relief and waited for Frank.

Frank pulled up beside Austin with a stern face as they moved ahead towards the rear door of the vehicle. Frank said. "Tom is standing near the house inside the city of Sunrise, watching over her like a demon angel." Mangrove stopped and turned to see Joe who was hanging out of the passenger's window and then gave him the new residence street address.

Austin slid down into the rear seat and then Frank leaned down, scooting beside Berrington.

The rear door closed shut.

Then, the limousine started the engine and sped out towards a house in Sunrise.

3:06 p.m.

City of Sunrise

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

House of Ora

City street pavement setting

Tom stood outside in the heated weather and paced back and forth in front of the grill of his golden limousine with worry and angry, seeing the rolling silver tinted limousine. The vehicle pulled up beside the sidewalk and stopped behind the golden limousine. The rear door opened. Austin and Frank slide out and stood upright, scanning the low income neighbor, moving ahead towards Tom.

Tom spun around and strutted ahead towards the house, forming a moving trio line between his brothers Austin and Frank.

Austin moved ahead with a sneer and pointed to the small beige colored single story house in silence. Tom nodded with a sneer. "That's the place."

"We're attracting attention here." Frank turned and watched a line of spying local residents in each front weedy lawn.

"Who gives a shit?" Tom stared at the red colored wooden ratty front door. Tamika Tama Tang was in there while watching and waiting for the Quartet. "We're going to attract more attention before long."

"Where is she?" Austin turned and scanned all the surrounding streets, buildings, and people with a sneer and returned back to stared at the red colored wooden ratty front door.

"In there," Tom continued to move in the middle of the road of the quiet neighbor, seeing the painted red colored human palm design.

"What does the red painted palm mean?" Frank frowned at the sign.

Tom laughed with a smile. "Psychics, witches, bitches, o mine!"

"There is no meaning, only death for Tamika." Austin turned and sneered at the surroundings of the streets, the buildings, the people and finally back at the front door of the house.

Frank stared at the front door with a stern face, "What is the plan?"

Tom smiled. "Get the bitch."

Frank grinned. "And then kill the bitch."

Austin smirked. "That's the plan."

Tom exhaled. "We need her alive to confess."

Frank smiled. "We got the confession."

Tom smirked. His brothers had figured out the mystery without tormenting the twin. "Hell, tell me, ya'll!"

Frank exhaled. "The dead fetus is Gracie's baby. Tamika stole the tissue from the laboratory stores at Ocala City Hospital."

Tom parted the lips. "Then, she killed her blood twin sister and tried to frame our brother Stu."

Austin smiled, "The smartest brother of the band."

Tom stopped the walk and looked down with a worried brow to see the road pavement, "Jeezus! I need to get this new DNA evidence to Cutter, right now, before..."

Frank stopped and turned to see Tom. "Richardson is doing just that. Stu will be freed and home before us, Quartet Assholes," he chuckled with Austin.

Tom slapped a chest with a gasp. "I'm the fucking..."

Austin stopped beside Frank and stared at the front door of the small house with a sneer. "Do you want to play or stray, Tom?"

Tom smirked with nod to Frank. "It is the Quartet playtime."

"Good, pup!" Austin started moved ahead down the roadway.

Austin reached down and drew out his Ghost near a sneer first and then Frank followed the same movement. Tom drew the weapon out last in front of set of nosy neighbors.

1st floor level

Meditation room interior setting

Austin stomped up the set of short steps and slammed a hand into the unlocked front door of red colors, moving ahead through an empty room first with a wall of burning candles and decorated in stars, moons, and suns, strutting through the doorway of glass curtains and stopped a few feet inside a smaller room with a stern face.

Frank and Tom entered the smaller room and stood in a row and stared at the female.

She was not much older than twenty years of age with a black hair bun, a pair of brown eyes, and a tone of dark coffee tinted skin, wearing a white lacey blouse with a white tinted shawl. She smiled and spoke with a warm Spanish accent. "Come inside from the hot sizzling Miami heat, gentlemen."

"You are?" Frank did not move with a smile and a nod to the young female.

"I see. I am not important." She motioned down to the row of chairs in front of the round table with a smile. "Sit! I give the information that you seek, gentlemen of the Quartet."

"You give the information that we seek for a payment." Frank nodded with a smile to her.

She nodded with smile "I am a business woman. Psychic services have clients also. I have client privilege relationships like a lawyer, Franklin."

Tom laughed with a smile. "Lady, you ain't nothing like me."

Frank reached down and pulled out his wallet, leaning down with a nice stack of hundred dollar bills on top of the round surface table with a smile to her, "I do believe that the Quartet has paid in full for your service, miss," he stood upright and held the Ghost near a smile. So Tamika had a friend or a foe. He wanted to know.

Ora spread out both arms towards the row of empty chairs in front of a crystal ball on a rounded table. The brothers followed her lead and her game, scattering around and sat down in a chair with an exposed Ghost and a sneer. She spread the deck of cards before the eyeballs and studied the visible vibrations. "I see. You seek revenge on your target."

"Keep going! You are doing a good job, so far for the money, honey," Frank held his Ghost near a smile.

"I see. She is a very evil woman."

"She is your client." Frank said.

"But she pays her bills."

Tom reached down and pointed his Ghost at her wide forehead with a sour frown. He was tired of the games and hustles. He sneered. "Spill the beans or spill your brains?"

"I see. Thomas, you are not the tough buck that you claim to be. You possess a big heart filled with vanilla pudding."

Frank chuckled, "That would be Tom's brains, not his heart."

"Shut up, Frank." Tom turned and frowned at Mangrove while holding the Ghost on the female.

"I see. You will surprise your brothers with your kind and generous giving heart, Thomas."

Tom turned and continued to aim the Ghost at her head with a sneer. "Answer the fucking question. Where's she, Tang?"

"I see. Miss Tamika Tami Tang is the one that you are seeking for she has killed her own twin sister Tamara. Tamara was carrying an unborn child. Tamika had caused the car accident that killed Gracie's baby and then stole the fetus which was used to frame Gracie's husband Stuart."

Tom sneered, "That's all I needed to know."

"We figured all that it by ourselves, bitch." Frank reached down and aimed his Ghost at her left eyeball with a sneer.

"How the hell does this conversation help Stu or us? Jace figured it all out before you, bitch. Frank, can you answer that question?" Tom exhaled and continued to aim his Ghost at her forehead.

"It is a true confirmation for us, Tom." Frank continued to aim his Ghost at her left eyeballs with a smile.

Tom laughed, "Confirmed, man!"

"Where's Tang?" Frank sneered.

"I see. You like felines all kinds from cats to kittens, Austin." Ora turned with a giggle and a grin to see Berrington. Austin stilled inside the hair chair while staring back at the young girl with puzzlement.

"What the fuck is so funny, witch?" Tom aimed his Ghost at her forehead with a sneer.

"I see. Your pet is in a coma, Austin."

Tom sneered. "You saw that from the news media, bitch. Gawd! My dead grandmother could predict that one."

"I see. You are an asshole like your father, Thomas."

Frank chuckled with a grin. "That's not a news flash, lady."

"Touché," Austin chuckled with a smile and aimed his Ghost at her left eyeball.

"I see. Your dad should visit a physician, not Uncle Franklin either but an active doctor, Thomas."

"What?" Tom dropped down the Ghost into a lap and focused his attention with the worried thoughts on his dad, since his dad had been complaining about a series of chest pains, thinking it was a set of nasty gas bubbles.

"Is he going to die?" Austin gasped with alarm, since the witch seemed to have all the answers at the moment.

"I see. He will not die for many years, but he needs to see a physician about his heart, Thomas."

Frank lowered and aimed his Ghost at her chest with a snarl. "All right! The witch has had her fun with us. Where's Tang?"

"I see. There will be a set of four sons." Ora read the cards with a chuckle.

Austin blinked with a whisper and aimed his Ghost at her left eyeball. "What did you say?"

Ora smiled. "I see. The names of the sons are Frankie, Tommie, Stewie, and Cinco..."

"Son, I am going to have a baby boy," Tom turned and nodded with a grin at the nose profile on Frank, "I will have a son, Frank, a son."

Frank exhaled with a huff of annoyance and aimed his Ghost at her right eyeball with a sneer. "Tom, the bitch is guessing. It is a fifty-fifty chance that Janey will have a boy. All babies come from Almighty God, not from her."

"A son," Tom nodded with a chuckle to Mangrove.

"I see. She can be reached, Austin." Ora smiled at Austin.

"Who is the female subject in your statement, bitch?" Frank aimed his Ghost at her right eyeball with a sneer.

"I see. She is your pet, Austin." Ora reached out and touched the cards with a nod and a smile. Austin dropped down the Ghost into a lap and dazed at the female. She could help Rosebud.

Frank exhaled with a huff of annoyance and aimed his Ghost at her right eyeball. "Austin, the bitch is lying. There is no medical science for this non-scientific stuff or these pretty colored cards or her magical words. She is guessing, my two brothers." They were here for Tamika Tang, not a set of silly predictions about the future which was in constant motion with Almighty God at the steering wheel, not a female earthling. Since, the female could not predict her own future of death for pissing off the Quartet.

"How?" Austin exhaled with a huff of hope while desiring to revive Rosebud, getting her out of the coma, out of the glass coffin, out of sleep condition inside his house.

"I see. You have a past history of violent times. And I am afraid of more to come."

"So, what of it, witch?" Frank turned and frowned at the nose profile on Berrington, aiming his Ghost on her. "Austin, listen to me! She is lying. She is allowing Tang to escape from us. This is a clever ploy to fool us," he turned and sneered at her.

"I see. There were the individual deaths of Misty's baby and Janey's baby and Gracie's baby. There were two deaths of Austin's babies. The two individual babies came from Kattleen and Athena."

Frank exhaled and stared at her with a loud moan. "Fuck. She is guessing, again, Austin. She is right but guessing. Don't listen to her, Austin!"

Tom turned with a smile and stared at her, without the Ghost, "Gawd! She knows everything, Frank. How does she know about all these dead babies?"

"Almighty God tells me the answers, Thomas." Ora smiled at Tom. Austin was seldom, silent, and sad. "I see. Do not be sad, Austin! I see. Almighty God has wonderful plans for you, Austin. It was not the time for the babies. Every one of us has a destiny, if you wish. Both the two different fetuses were unhealthy. Almighty God decides, not you. The mothers died. Did they not, too? It was their time to return to back home also."

Frank chuckled at her. "It is provided by the daily news media, again, witch." Frank turned and frowned at the nose profile on Sawyer. Tom was still bedazzled while watching and listening to her words. And Austin was completely hypnotized.

"I see. These two adult women were not your soul mate, Austin. But there is one that is."

Austin whispered to her, "Who is the one that is for me as a soul mate?"

"I see. Are you not called the nickname Prince Charmed?"

"Damn it to hell!" Austin whispered for his eardrums only. The young fortune teller had called him "that" name. The same nickname that Nell Hartmann had used when he and Tom were captured, trapped, and tormented on the gray colored limestone cliff table in the beach town of Ruby Beach. Nell had called him Prince Charmed, not once but three times. Then the red haired lawyer Skye had called him the same name nickname where she had read it inside one of the trash magazines.

He was Prince Charmed leading a charmed life until he met Kattleen which started a roller coast ride into outer space and beyond the solar system.

Life changed. Everything changed. For the past four months, strange and odd events had dominated his life and the lives of his brothers with a range of emotions from sad, glad, and mad plus madness.

"I see. You care deeply for her, Austin. You wished that she was here with you."

Austin loved Rosebud from the first moment at the charity gala. He ignored his deep feeling, of course. He didn't want to be a bigger loser. He wanted her to pursue him, if she really liked him. He followed her career as an actress, a model, a writer, a business woman, and a philanthropist. She was everything that he had dreamed about in a girl, a woman, a wife, and a perfect mate.

Then, they had encountered for the first time that night at charity gala making it fate or a curse.

Rosebud was in a coma from a fall from a familiar limestone cliff in the beach town of Ruby Beach, dropping down into the warm Gulf of Mexico waters. She received a head injury while sleeping peacefully inside this house for the past six days and counting.

"What do I do?" Ora smiled.

"What do I do?" Austin repeated with a whisper and stared into the eyeballs of Ora.

"Kiss her," she smiled.

"Kiss her?" Frank laughed.

"Kiss her." Austin repeated with a whisper and stared into the eyeballs of Ora.

Tom blinked the eyelids closed and shut, lifting the Ghost at her forehead, coming to his common senses with a laugh. "Shit. Kiss her! I could've done that if I knew Rosebud would arouse from her princess-slumber."

"I see. You are not her soul mate, Thomas, but Austin is."

Frank aimed his Ghost at her right eyeball with a sneer, "How do you know this to be true for Rosebud?"

"I see. You do not fuck her, either, Austin."

"No." Austin whispered and stared into the eyeballs of Ora.

"Why not?" Ora smiled.

"I respect her." Austin whispered and stared into the eyeballs of Ora.

Ora laughed with a smile. "I see. Badass Berrington does possess a conscious, if only small like a tea leaf."

"Keep talking, bitch." Frank scooted on the edge of the chair for a better shot. The insane conversation was a ruse, so Tang could hide and escape from the Quartet.

"I see. Kiss her like in the story fable of Sleeping Beauty. She is merely waiting on Prince Charmed to arrive and awaken her." Ora smiled.

"Do not believe her, Austin!" Frank shifted and aimed his Ghost in-between the middle exposed brown tinted skin of both eyebrows with a sneer.

"I must awaken her." Austin whispered and stared into the eyeballs of Ora.

Inside the small room, a side door softly cracked open and revealed a tiny bit of glowing light while catching the left eyeball of Frank. A tall mink skinned female partially emerged into the air wave with a hand gun aiming at the rear skull of Austin.

Then, the three reminding members of the Quartet rounded towards the open doorway with a two-fisted Ghost. Frank shot first and emptied the entire clip of razors into the upright mink skinned female, killing her dead. Tamika dropped down and landed sideways on top of the white colored worn carpet with a pair of open eyelashes in death while spilling out massive amounts of red colored blood from a mouth and a chest onto the floor.

Tom swiftly twisted around in the hard chair aimed, shot, and killed Ora right in-between the middle skin of the two eyebrows with a sneer, "Fucking ass lying bitch!" Ora flung backward and continued to reside inside the chair with a pair of open eyelashes while red blood slowly dripped down from an open mouth and an open chest wound. Tom continued to train the Ghost at her still body with a snarl. "You don't really believe the witch, do you, Austin?"

"I believe in facts, Tom." Austin turned around and stared at dead Ora inside the chair with a stern face.

Frank lowered his Ghost and twisted around in the chair to see the dead young fortune teller with a sour frown and a sigh of annoyance. "Why did you kill the young fortune teller, Tom?"

"She aided, abided, and aimed that woman at Stu. It's my right as his brother." Tom hoisted the weapon down into a breast pocket with a smile and a nod, staring at the dead fortune teller.

"I share that right." Frank frowned at the dead fortune teller with a nod.

Tom turned and frowned at the nose profile on Austin, "Shit fire! Shoot her in one or both of the tits, Frank." Tom laughed with Frank. Austin continued to sit quietly and stare at the dead young female.

Frank stood upright from the hard chair and moved ahead, standing behind the rear skull of Austin, reaching out and placed a warm hand on the collar bone of Berrington with a whsiper. "Austin?"

"Austin?" Tom stared and shouted out at Old Man with a sour frown.

"Yes." Austin continued to quietly stare at the dead young fortune teller with a whsiper and a stern face.

"Old Man, let's go back home to Coral Beach. It has ended." Frank gently tapped a hand on the collar bone of Austin with a worried brow.

"Go." Austin stood upright from the hard chair and held his Ghost in one hand near the leg, staring at the dead young fortune teller.

"What about the fucking mess?" Frank reached out and wrapped both arms, protectively cuddling his brother Austin, spinning them both towards the exit door.

"Screw this fucking ass mess! Call all our gawd dawn QA teams to take care of the bloody ass mess like always." Tom tossed a hand and stood upright from the hard chair with a smile, spinning around and followed behind the two asses of Austin and Frank.

"You're the boss, now, Thomas." Frank slowly moved through the entrance room and towards the entrance door with Austin with a worried brow.

Tom scooted around Austin and Frank and slammed the door open, holding for his brothers with a smile, "Hell yeah! Since Austin has went zombie on us," he shook his bangs. Austin slowly moved ahead first through the archway and strolled towards the limousine in silence.

Frank entered through the open archway with a yell at the ass of Berrington. "Austin."

"Move out." Tom tossed an arm and moved through the archway, pulling up beside Frank with a smile.

"Austin." Frank moved ahead towards the limousine and watched the ass of Austin ahead.

"Call the QA team, Frank!" Tom reached over and slapped the bicep on Frank with a smile.

"Why me?" Frank turned and frowned at the nose profile on Tom.

"I shot the girl." Tom nodded with a smile.

"Draw?" Frank smiled.

"What the hell is draw, Frank?" Tom turned and frowned at Mangrove.

Frank nodded with a smile. "I shot the other bitch. You call the prime QA team to clean up the shitty mess in here before the police comes and arrests your ass," laughing.

"Fine! Checkmate." Tom tossed both arms in the air with a smile.

Frank frowned. "What is checkmate?"

"I'll contact the A team to clean dead girl one. You call the B team to clean up dead girl two. So, we're even-steven, Frank." Tom chuckled with a nod and whipped out his mobile telephone from the pocket jacket.

"I concur." Frank reached down and pulled out the mobile telephone of Stu's from the jacket with a smile.

Austin leaned down and slid into the rear seat of the open door in silence with a set of heavy thoughts of hope.

Frank and Tom bumped to each other and moved towards the limousine, scooting inside with a laugh and a smile.

The limousine moved ahead and swiftly sped back towards the court house in downtown Miami to retrieve a freed brother from the bonds of injustice and fight for innocence.

City of Coral Beach

Bright sunshine with parted clouds of sunshine and hot temperatures

Home of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

6:01p.m.

The limousine slowly and stopped underneath the veranda of his house.

The rear door opened. He slid out the door and stood upright, feeling the emotions of sadness and hope.

The limousine with his happy brothers rolled down the avenue back home to their loving wives.

Austin slowly moved ahead and opened one of the double doors, entering inside a few feet, standing inside a cold and empty house in sadness and hope.

Inside the Florida room of his house, on top of the second level, the tall and overweight woman in a set of white clothing stood upright and leaned against the balcony railing with a smear, since she didn't smile to anyone. "Dr. Berrington, I didn't hear you come inside the house. How are you doing, sir? I am doing well also. I want to report that Rosebud is doing fine. Do you require a plate of food? I highly recommend more proteins and meats and vegetables, sir."

Austin looked up with a stern face to see the nurse. He had forgotten that there was a day nurse inside his house and her room to care for Rosebud twenty hours now under the order of Jace. He nodded with a stern face, "Good evening, Nurse Wormley! I am fine. Thank you for asking. Yes, I would like a plate of food, if it is convenient for you at the moment."

She back stepped from the second floor wooden railing with a nod and a sneer, turning and climbed down the elegant staircase to the ground level while staring at Austin. "Of course, sir, it is always convenient to ask me for anything that you need at the moment. I will quickly prepare your hot evening meal and serve you inside the dining room, sir. You can go up the steps and visit with Miss Rosebud, if you like. Your meal will be ready in fifteen minutes," she stomped down the ground level and moved ahead towards the kitchen in silence, disappearing through the open archway, making noise. There was a set of sounds tings of eating dishes and glass tumblers inside the kitchen.

Austin followed her movement into the kitchen and stood in place, still hearing the soft echo of her words inside an active mind and as, he whispered with a smile, "Soul mate." He moved ahead and stopped, spinning around, sitting down on top of the long pink colored sofa, staring down at the clean floor with a deep sigh and a whisper, "Stupid idea," he bounced up and down on top of the sofa with a nod and a smile, "Why not? Why? Why not? Why? Why not?" He heard the nurse inside the kitchen working on the plate of food for his evening meal.

He stood upright from the sofa with a smile of happiness and moved ahead, dashing up the staircase and turned, jogging over the second floor level and stopped, standing inside the archway with a deep sigh of hope and a whisper for his eardrums only. "I have to try. Rosebud, I have to try," he turned to see the wall and stared at monitors with a set of painted colorful lights with a smile. Rosebud was alive and breathing still in a state of coma.

He swiftly moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the glass coffin with a smile. "I miss you, Rosebud. I love you, Rosebud." He reached out and touched the smooth glass with a gasp. "I could kill her." Her environmental was perfect for survival, but Austin wanted Rosebud in his world, not behind the glass. She looked so pretty and suntanned. Her outer skin color came from the set of tanning beams that were attached to a set of overhead lights inside the ceiling the lid which was installed by his life time friend, college roommate and genius Jace.

He had feelings for Rosebud since his teenage days in college and then he experienced the series of early morning Tele dreams. Austin had seen another young female first within his morning dreams more many times than the few images of Rosebud. He smiled. "I do like cats, not the furry kind but the girl kind," chuckling.

He reached out and tapped the button on top of the built-in control panel. The glass lid slowly lifted up and opened into the air as a plume of white stream curled up into the cold room. He reached out and touched her moving suntanned arm, feeling warmth and softness. He reached up and touched her naked shoulder, feeling warmth and softness. He reached down and touched her neck, feeling the throbbing pulse of life.

He shook a skull with a stern face and a whisper. "Please Almighty God! Let the dead bitch be right." He reached down and gently touched her lips with an index finger, feeling the warm breath.

"Here goes!" He sucked in a deep breath, leaned down, and gently rested his lips on top of her parted pink tinted lips, tenderly kissing the soft skin, pulling back with a smile. He stood upright and dropped down a chin into his chest while silently praying, waiting, and watching for a single movement of a fingertip or an eyelash.

Instead, Rosebud did not stir with a body movement or open an eyelash, breathing in a steady and slow with the rhythm like before.

He whispered with a smile. "I love you, Rosebud," he gently closed down the lid with a soft click that entrapped her body again for the night, wearing a fake smile and a heavy heart, back stepping from the coffin and Rosebud into the cool hallway.

The loud voice in a manly alto shouted up from the ground level. "Dr. Berrington, this is Nurse Wormley. I am sorry to bother you, sir. I can see you on top of the second level. Your evening meal is prepared and ready, sir. It is hot and heated for a yummy nutritious meal. Please come down when you feel like it, sir. I will resume my role as caregiver for Rosebud while you eat, sir," she moved ahead with a stern face and climbed up the staircase in silence.

He slowly spun around from Rosebud and moved ahead, climbing down the staircase with a nod in silence to Nurse Wormley, heading down into the dining room to consume the evening meal alone again.

7:07 p.m.

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of dull sunrays

Front porch setting

She slowly drove down the long avenue from the first and the second sentry posts with the set of nasty and mean guards with a smile and stared at the pretty landscape. She could see the rolling waves of the greenish-blue Atlantic Ocean, the tall groves of banyan trees, and the sparkling golden sands that didn't have a group of semi-naked girls or a nasty pod of children. She continued to drive with a whisper. "This is paradise on planet Earth. I love it here. I am here to stay foreverly," she slowed and stopped underneath the covered veranda of Austin's mansion, parking her rusty older blue colored model car behind the ugliest car in the world, an orange tinted four door sedan with a giggle. "Austin lives inside a pink house. And all the girls love the color of pink. So I love the house and Austin too." She leaned over and slammed an elbow into the driver's door. The door opened. Nutelo slid out from the car and stood upright with a smile and a giggle at her home.

The high covered veranda was part of the front porch and blocked most of the front windows and the front doors. The travel driveway was colored yellow brick that clashed badly with the three story pink tinted mansion.

She didn't care. Nutelo would redecorate the exterior portion of the mansion.

The Mistress said this early morning that Nutelo was going to work as a nurse at the Berrington mansion and then later in the week get married to Austin Berrington in a lovely and expensive wedding ceremony. Now, all her American dreams were coming true.

Nutelo scooted around her vehicle and moved ahead towards the set of double entrance doors, stopping and stood, loudly knocking on the polished wood with a smile. The door opened.

The man was very handsome, very suntanned, and very well-built with a set of nice biceps around both his arms that had been shown inside each one of these celebrity magazine pictures, wearing a five o'clock shadow and a head of black hair that was parted on the side, a pair of beige colored walking shorts, a white tinted T-shirt, a pair of tan tinted boat shoes. "Good evening! May I help you?" Austin stood upright inside the archway with a stern face.

"I, uh, I...from agency," Nutelo stuttered with a nod and a smile to Austin.

He nodded with a smile. "Of course, you must be the new nurse to assist Nurse Wormley. Please come inside and have a seat. I will seek her. Would you like a cold beverage or a cup of hot coffee perhaps?" He back stepped from the archway and Nutelo.

Nutelo entered inside the Florida room with a smile at Berrington. "Austin? Hey, Austin! I didn't expect you to answer the door. But it is your house and you live here. Wow! This is so sweet to meet you. I am..."

"Dr. Berrington, do not avail your person with all my nursing duties," she stood upright behind the second level wooden railing with a permanent sneer on the side of the mouth and a manly alto tone, back stepping and swiftly moved down the staircase towards the two individuals on the ground floor. She was an older female with a head of streaked gray strands throughout the dull colored brown hair that had been secured in a tight bun at the nap of the neck, a set of fat buttocks underneath the white tinted nursing dress, and a pair of intense almond shaped brown eyes and a sneer at Nutelo. "I am so sorry, Dr. Berrington. This is the new nurse that will be working my evening shift while I peacefully slumber here inside your mansion for both security and protection of Miss Ruff. And she is late." Please apology to Dr. Berrington!"

"Who are you?" Nutelo cut her eyelashes with a sneer to see the older nurse with a head of grayish-black hair.

Wormley stared down at the hair roots on petite Nutelo. "I am Nurse Wormley, your supervisor. Please apology to Dr. Berrington!"

Nutelo cut her eyelashes to Austin with a frown. "What the devil for?"

Austin continued to back step with a grin away from the open archway and the defiant new nurse. "It is All right, Nurse Wormley. There is no hurt. You can take over command now," he spun around with a soft chuckle, since he understood authority and defiance, enjoying both attributes within the newly hired employees by his friend and physician Jace.

The team of newly hired employees possessed a set of vast nursing background to monitor Rosebud inside the glass coffin but also performed cleaning and cooking duties for Austin, a team of babysitters at the Berrington house until Jace figured out the secret of comas and then he would revive Rosebud from her princess slumber. He moved towards the long sofa.

In front of the open archway, Wormley reached over and grabbed the arm of Nutelo with a sneer, spinning around, staring at the back spine on Austin. "We will leave with your permission, Dr. Berrington."

Austin nodded at long sofa with a smile. "Have a nice evening, Nurse Wormley and Nurse..."

"Nutelo," she smiled at the ass of Austin with a giggle. Austin stopped and spun around, sitting back down on top of a pink and white stripped long sofa, picking up the open textbook and started reading in silence. As Nutelo passed close enough to see the chrome and glass table, she noted all the different reading materials that were not a set of money magazines or a file of business financial reports or a section of the sports newspaper. The set of three low tables in front of the furniture pieces contained an assortment of medical books, health journals, and loose clinic articles that were scattered across his lap, the long sofa, two of the low tables, and onto the floor of the Florida room.

"Nurse Nutelo, please follow me." She waddled ahead with a sneer towards the elegant staircase which could fit four of her fat buttocks across the entire length with room to spare. Nutelo followed behind the fat ass of Wormley and pulled up beside a double chin of the older nurse. They both slowly climbed up the staircase.

Wormley leaned over and bad breathed down into the cheekbone of Nutelo with a sneer and a whisper. "Dr. Berrington is not to be disturbed or perturbed. We are the employees. He is the supervisor. His orders come first and foremost..."

"I ..."

She sneered. "Shush, nurse. Where are your papers from the medical agency? What is your name?

Nutelo hold up the stack of papers near the cheekbone of Wormley with a growl. "I am Nutelo. Here's my paperwork." Wormley reached over and snatched up the stapled stack of papers with a permanent sneer and a huff, reading the context in silence. Nutelo turned and smiled down into the ground floor. The Florida room was larger than her tiny studio apartment with a set of high cathedral ceiling panels that displayed a set of sky lights which was built into the roof that showed off the baby blue cloudless sky of Miami. The sun ray beat down onto the Mexican tile floor dancing in the light and heat.

Nutelo spun an eyeball to see Austin on top of the sofa. He was completely absorbed into the books, taking notes on a paper tablet with an ink pen, actually reading the medical textbook material. She felt weird in his presence, since Austin Berrington was one fourth of the infamous and rich famous Quartet of Coral Beach.

Now, she was walking inside his mansion up towards the second floor of the privately owned and privately guarded beach property with access directly to the Atlantic Ocean and golden sands. Nutelo wondered where the rest of the Quartet were hiding, eating, playing, or hanging out during the evening hours, since she had read that the four brothers always enjoyed time with their leader but not tonight.

Wormley pocketed the papers into the nurse dress and pointed to the second floor, turning to the side, leading Nutelo over the second level floor with a huff towards the middle room with an open archway. "You will be here at seven sharp tomorrow night. Or you will not be here at all. Do you understand me, nurse?"

Nutelo rolled the eyeballs and followed beside the fat ass of the older nurse with a sneer. "Yeah..."

"Yes ma'am! I am Nurse Wormley. I am your supervisor. Now, I will introduce you to Miss Ruff, who is our medical ward for the duration of her medical condition."

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom interior setting of Rosebud Ruff

Wormley stopped with a sneer and stood inside the archway of the second bedroom, clearing cleared a throat, staring at the glass coffin. Nutelo gasped in alarm with the creepy sight. Wormley said. "There are rules to be followed or your time will be short." Nutelo could smell the antiseptic perfume of alcohol and followed behind the fat ass of Wormley that wiggled side to side in a pair of worn and polished orthopedic nursing shoes. "Do not eat. Do not nap. Do not read. Do not bathe..."

Nutelo stopped and stood a few feet inside the bedroom, seeing the creepy sight. Rosebud was peacefully asleep inside a glass coffin like fairy tale of Sleeping Beauty. Her eyelashes were closed.

All true! The gossip was about Rosebud in the hospital, on the streets, and inside the medical personnel agency. The news media reporters and photographs had been banned from telling the truth about the female, where the lawyer of the Quartet Tom Sawyer had arranged that secret.

So Rosebud was alive and breathing.

The Mistress was correct, since she was always correct.

Nutelo was going to be famous, rich, and popular to the world. This was her true destiny, her luck, and her single chance to start over again from a shattered life of beauty and elegancy. She was supposed to be present here, not Rosebud or Wormley. She was supposed to help Austin get out of his depression over this coma girl. Rosebud was in a permanent coma and would never awake.

Nutelo needed to show Austin what he was missing. First task, Nutelo would get rid of the old nurse. Second task, she would get rid of the young fools, the three other nosy non-biological brothers. Three task, she would get rid of the breathing cadaver inside the glass box.

The loud voice in a manly alto broke into the day dreaming of Nutelo. "This is your duty now to monitor Miss Ruff. Miss Ruff is housed inside a glass coffin like a sleeping beauty princess that was told in the fairy tales as a child. The machine was designed to rotate all her limbs up and down. Dr. Jackson is credited for the invention of the medical machine. On the side wall, the machine is hooked to the electronic screen that monitors her life form. All the lines are moving up and down indicating a healthy patient. If something bad happens, the wiggling lines will turn bright red and beeps with a musical tone. Now, I am pleased that you have critical care nursing experience, since the guest bedroom has been modified into a hospital room. The modified hospital room setup is very similar to the CCU unit where you had worked.

"Each evening, I prepare a hot and heated yummy nutritious meal for Dr. Berrington. So, you will resume my role as caregiver for Rosebud while I clean up the messy kitchen and the dining room. Then I will retire for the evening at eight pm. We will not cross duties with the vital monitoring of Miss Ruff. Thus, you will be observing Miss Ruff alone. Dr. Berrington is downstairs and busy with his personal work. Do not bother him for any reason! If he needs something from you..."

"What would Austin need from me?" Nutelo smiled with a giggle.

Wormley frowned. "You will call him Dr. Berrington, not by his first name. We are the paid nurses to monitor Miss Ruff and her medical condition inside the glass coffin. However, if Dr. Berrington makes a request, you can feel free to fulfill it immediately."

She nodded with a giggle. "Yeah..."

Wormley frowned. "Yes, Nurse Wormley!"

She nodded with a stern face. "Yes, Nurse Wormley."

"You stand here and get familiar with all the different clinical screens on the entire wall inside the modified hospital room of Miss Ruff. The setup is similar to any critical care unit of any hospital but with more elegant medical instruments. Do not tough anything! Dr. Jackson comes each morning, lunchtime and before the dinner meal to monitor Miss Ruff, the glass coffin, and all the medical screens. And I will work with him personally with that nursing duty. Then, tomorrow night, you will take over and clean up the messy kitchen and dining room," she spun around away from Rosebud with a smile and moved ahead towards the open archway, over the second floor, and climbed down the staircase, heading down into the kitchen space to clean the dishes.

Inside the second bedroom floor, Nutelo rushed ahead and stopped, standing and leaned down over the glass coffin with a sneer and a whisper. "She is not injured. I will injury you. It will be easy with the glass. I break the glass with a nail hammer. Then the fragments will cut into your suntanned and unprotected outer skin. Then you will slowly die and ascend into heaven. Then, I will have Austin all to myself," she back stepped with a giggle and a grin, scooting around the self-created mortuary, observing the girl like Mistress had told. Rosebud was comatose, not moving. Wait! The body of Rosebud was moving. There were mechanical manual devices that shifted all her limbs around, up and down, and side to side inside the glass coffin. Very clever! This glass box must cost a billion dollars or so. Berrington could afford it. He was a billionaire. Nutelo softly giggled, since she would be the wife of billionaire soon.

Rosette Ruthie Ruff was a beautiful woman with a head of long red hair highlighted in blonde, a tone of suntanned skin, a pair of long tanned legs, a set of shaped arms and a pair of big tits. She was a former model and actress of B film movies in Hollywood.

Nutelo remembered seeing all the pretty and glossy colored commercial advertisements in each glamour magazine that advertised everything from a box of apple juice to a bottle of perfume. She barely wore clothes on a fit, thin, tanned, and scrupled body.

Nutelo didn't look like that. She was short at five feet and three inches with a curved body type, especially in the hips, the thighs and the legs.

Rosebud really was gorgeous. She possessed has a set of tiny lips, a pair of medium sized cheekbones, a high forehead, a tiny button nose, a pair of almond shaped eye sockets, and a set of small ears, looking older now where Nutelo was young at twenty-one years of age, youth, energy, and beauty once Nutelo completely her upcoming plastic surgery with the money from her future husband Austin.

Nutelo back stepped from the coffin and stood beside the wall with the control console panel reaching out and pressed the button. The oxygen air hissed and surged inside the coffin on the stern face of Rosebud, but she didn't stir. Nutelo grinned with a whisper. "Coma patients, you can abuse them until death. They don't feel it." This was the way to get rid of Rosebud by pressing the wrong button. However, there was a theory that a coma patient could feel, see, and notice everything around the body, but the mind was not sending all the signals down to the body for movement and action. Nutelo wondered if Rosebud knew that she was here standing by the control panel, staring down at her stern face and closed eyelashes, wishing for Rosebud to expire into death. Nutelo reached over and depressed the blue button on top of the control panel. The oxygen flow stopped inside the coffin. Then, she released the blue button and depressed the green button on the electronic menu. A light inside the tomb illuminated with a tanning devise onto the outer skin of Rosebud while feeding vitamin D into the skin. The concept of a coffin had come from the mind of a genius but it was not Berrington. He had supplied the money of course, but one of the other guys in the band, Frank Mangrove maybe. He was a physician by training and a billionaire by birth.

Nutelo was destined to become one of them in a few more days with her newly conceived brilliant plan. The compliment will be nice with her princess title, renaming her person as Princess Nutelo instead poor and plain Nutelo. Then everyone will acknowledge her as the new American princess.

Nutelo looked up and scanned the wall of monitor screens that displayed a series of green lines for healthy and alive with a gasp. "She is not truly injured but sleeping in a real coma. Once she awakens, I will lose Austin." She turned and sneered at Rosebud inside the coffin. "You are death, honey," Nutelo continued to stare down into the coffin with a worried heart and a worried mind, but she would tattle to the Mistress all the new information. She back stepped and spun around, smelling the sour breath of Wormley who had sneaked back into the room without any footfalls. "Ugh!"

"Good!" Wormley nodded with a permanent sneer to Nutelo. "You are getting acquainted with Miss Ruff. I see. You will stay here inside the modified guest bedroom and sat down on top of the day bed which is against the far wall. You will be able to monitor all the screens of green line activity while reading a book or a magazine. The medical equipment is set up to beep with a set of loud whistles and fog horn type sounds if the green lines turns into the color of blood red. You can't miss it. Then you will contact me as soon as possible. I am living here within the manor until Miss Ruff is fit and standing on her two feet. And you cannot use any type of mobile telephone here inside the mansion. The electronic currents from any type of mobile telephone will interfere with the fine electronics of the new medical equipment which was designed by Dr. Jace Jackson. I know Dr. Jackson personally from a professional work. He is a very brilliant man. Now, you can take potty breaks inside your private room which is the last door at the end of this hallway. This is the second level. There are three guest bedrooms. I am staying the first bedroom on the opposite end of you. Miss Ruff occupies the middle bedroom. You are inside the last bedroom but you will not be sleeping there, only storing your personally items. Did you bring a purse or a handbag?"

Nutelo lifted the car keys in the air near a smile. "No, I brought only my car keys. I don't possess a mobile telephone in here."

"Excellent! You can go and put away your car keys inside your borrowed bedroom space and then return back here and monitor Miss Ruff. I am retiring to bed. I get up at five am for my working shift, since I am in charge of everything. You arrived at around seven o'clock this evening, so you will leave precisely at three thirty in the morning when you work shift ends which included your lunch meal and your break times."

Nutelo would be cutting it close to arrive at the house of the Mistress at 4:30 am, saying with a stern face. "What about my food meals?"

"You can use and abuse the kitchen table at any time but you must clean up after your mess. And you must be very, very quiet while working here inside the Berrington manor."

"Yeah..."

"Yes, Nurse Wormley!"

Nutelo whispered with a nod. "Yes, Nurse Wormley."

Wormley back stepped with a permanent sneer and watched Nutelo, moving into the hallway, standing with a nod in silence which indicated that she was retiring for the evening. Her day had been long and uneventfully while attending to both Austin and Rosebud. She turned to the side and disappeared from the open archway, strolling into the private bedroom for sleep.

Nutelo continued to stand in place with a soft sneer at the older nurse while deciding to tattle to the Mistress about the woman and spun around, strolling around the parameter of second guest bedroom which had been transformed into an ugly hospital room with a puzzled brow and a whisper. "It is so commonness." She stopped and reached out, touching the painted wall of bright yellow. "Austin is a billionaire with billions of dollars in the bank. Why is his house so commonness? Well, he needs a woman's touch, my touch," giggling. "I got this good for him and for me," she circled the room and stopped in front of the open archway, moving ahead over the floor of the hallway and stopped, standing in front of the wooden railing.

Austin was still sitting on top of the long sofa and writing down notes inside the paper notebook in silence on the ground floor. The three-story mansion was very quiet and still like a dead morgue.

Nutelo exhaled with a puff of frustration without chattering and flirting with Austin. Wormley would hear or worse she would fire Nutelo from the nursing job. The Mistress had warned Nutelo to follow all the rules and the regulations until it was time for Nutelo to marry Austin. She back stepped with a puff of annoyance into the middle of the second bedroom and turned, moving to the day bed, sitting down and stared at the far wall. There was nothing to do but watch the screens or day dream about Austin. So, she leaned back into the head rest of the day bed and closed both eyelashes, dreaming about Austin with a smile.

10:10 p.m.

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Warm temperatures with moonlight and bright stars

The faint noise disturbed the slumber of Nutelo. She sat upright on top of the day bed cushion and wiped off the mouth drool, blinking both eyelashes into focus. The wall of monitor screens was active with a series of wiggling green lines without the beeps of distress. Rosebud was healthy and alive. The faint noise disturbed the air waves again.

Nutelo stood upright with a stern face and stared into the far wall, listening with both eardrums. The faint noise disturbed the air waves another time. She smiled. "Austin, he is standing up from that sofa and moving around." She turned to face the doorway with a giggle and dashed ahead to the open archway, stopping and standing in place with excitement and nervousness. She could actually talk with Austin in private, since Wormley was sound asleep inside the first guest bedroom on the same floor. She reached down and slipped off each nursing shoe feeling the smooth polished wooden floor underneath a set of naked toes with a smile and a whisper. "The wood glitters brightly from the bright moon rays," she moved ahead with a giggle and stopped, standing in front of the second floor polished wooden railing with a gasp. The long sofa was empty. Austin was gone. She spun around with a gasp to see movement on the third floor of the master suite. Austin was the one making all the faint noises when he had left the sofa, climbed up the staircase, and crossed the hallway inside the third floor for his bedroom.

Now, the house was quiet and still again.

"Poo..." she frowned with disappointment, missing a grand opportunity to flirt with Austin, her future husband. She turned and scanned an empty and quiet second level hallway, shifting ahead towards the first guest bedroom on the second level.

The first guest bedroom door was partially closed with a sound of a loud animal snort. Wormley had selected the room as her personal bedroom, since she was required to monitor Rosebud twenty-four hours per day.

Nutelo stopped and stood upright in-between the slender crack of space between the door frame and the wooden door with a stern face, eyeballing the interior room space. Each wall was painted in dull yellow that was illuminated from the moon light also. There was a naked bed mattress and a bed frame without a set of wooden posts that held a set of wrinkled white colored solid bedcovers, where Wormley slept underneath the covers. She back stepped from the crack of space between the wall and door frame, turning to the side and moved ahead into the end of the hallway, where a low window stood without a set of curtains and rays of moonlight beams on the floor.

She spun around with a confused brow and marched ahead, passing the first guest bedroom with Wormley, the second guest bedroom with Rosebud and halted, standing in front of the open archway, which was her private bedroom at the end of the long hallway.

She turned to face the door frame and entered the room for a second time, stopping and stood a few feet into the room. Each wall was bright yellow paint from the moon rays. There curtains were open and admitted the moon light. There was a naked bed mattress and a bed frame in the center of the room with a white tinted solid bedcover also. There was a single chest with a set of four drawers. The set of car keys stood on top of chest. She frowned with a whisper. "The man has no taste or style. This place looks like a cheap motel."

She turned to the side and moved ahead towards the end of the hallway with another low window without a set of curtains and a piece of decorative furniture, swinging around with a sour frown and faced the hallway. She turned to the side and moved up to the staircase, climbing up to the third floor.

Austin had retired to the bedroom at ten o'clock while leaving the stack of crooked vertical books on top of the long sofa, performing his business work at home while staying with Rosebud.

On the third floor, she slowly climbed up the staircase with a tiny amount of noise, strolling onto the level floor with a stern face, moving ahead towards the end of the hallway, stopping inside an open archway with a puzzled brow.

The new room was empty. The walls were painted in baby blue colors, not yellow like the second level set of three separate bedrooms.

The floor was wooden with an array of two long viewing windows on two walls. The ceiling was painted in baby blue colors with a set of tan colored baseboards and ceiling crown molding. It looked like a guy's spare bedroom.

She back stepped from the open archway and turned to face the end of the hallway. There was a second archway right next to the first archway. She moved ahead in the pair of naked feet with a confused brow. This was the floor of the manor which housed the master suite as she giggled and then slapped a hand over the parted lips with the anticipation of fucking her future husband Austin. He was the grand opportunity as a handsome, well mannered, rich billionaire playboy future husband.

She slid over the slick and polished wooden floor for fun and halted in front of the cracked space between the door frame and the wall. The master bedroom door was open as she didn't hear any noise or movement. She slid ahead and leaned down with an eyeball in-between the cracked space to see the man. Austin was inside the bed mattress asleep without snorting. She softly clapped with delight of the new information. He didn't snort.

Her father snorted which annoyed the shit out of her butthole. Every night during slumber, her father snorted in his deep sleep. She remained awake in deep insomnia. Thus, Nutelo did poorly throughout her high school days with a bad temper and a bad grade.

Then, she peacefully slept through the night after Nutelo had drugged and dragged her lightweight biological father down into the swampy grasslands of the Florida Everglades with the alligators and the snakes.

She continued to spy on Austin. He rested on a back spine with a naked chest. Her vagina produced wet discharge while dreaming about fucking him. He was a sex symbol playboy and dated over a thousand girls, since the age of fourteen with permission from his father. Nutelo had read that juicy tidbit of information inside one of the unauthorized biographies of Berrington. She read and re-read the book over and over again while dreaming of Austin. She also fucked the pussy each morning while dreaming of Austin also.

Now, she would marry him in one of the most expensive weddings of two centuries which would be greater and grander than a royal queen in England as she giggled and then slapped a hand over the parted lips with the anticipation of fucking her future husband Austin.

She continued to stare at Austin with puzzlement. His lower body was hidden in bed linens of pink tint. She gasped with shock. Austin had a set of pink colored bed lines for some strange reason. Well, he needed a girly woman's soft touch like Nutelo.

Her eyeballs left Austin and darted around the room. The four walls and the ceiling were painted in pink colors with a crazy set of zig zagging blood red colors in a set of horizontal and vertical lines. The lines wiggled up and down and sideways over the floor at different angles. It was some weird type of new art deco in Miami. She didn't live in the artsy fartsy world of rich people and artists, and music but she would learn to love that kind of silly art work too.

Strange! The rest of the walls did not possess the set of wigging lines of blood red hues near the window and the wardrobe closet. However, this was the master bedroom where the prince resided.

Soon, his princess would sleep beside him after she changed the bed linens colors from pink to purple for American royalty.

Once she was married to Austin, she would redecorate the master suite. She wanted all the sweet and floral fragrances of the one thousand female whores gone from inside the bed mattress with her and Austin.

There was a set of two short viewing windows in-between the bed frame. There was an open archway on the side wall which was probably the internal master bathroom. She could not see any more of the room without disturbing Austin.

The mistress had reminded Nutelo to display a set of good manners around Austin.

So, she back stepped with a smile from the cracked space without disturbing Austin and spun around to see the hallway. The hallway was made of dark wood without a single art painting on the wall or a piece of tall tan colored granite Greek-inspired god statue inside a wall corner like inside the home of his brother Frank.

Nutelo had read the one of the unauthorized biography of Frank Mangrove also. His castle displayed numerous sets of Greek-inspired granite statue of life-sized gods and goddesses.

The house on Tom displayed numerous crystal eggs and plates with an original Picasso painting that Frank had legally purchased at the annual Quartet Foundation banquet for one billion dollars. Then his wife Jane made Tom donate all one billion dollars to the Quartet Foundation instead of personal bank account while Tom cried and shouted with tears of a childish temper tantrum.

Stu owned house with numerous pieces of wood and modern day fitness equipment.

Inside the third floor hallway, there was a viewing window at the end of each hallway without a set of cloth drapes or plastic blinds, only a set of moonlight beams. During the day hours, the window shoved a set of sunlight burning rays over the floor. The staircase was located on the side wall in front of each bedroom archway that descended down onto the second floor and finally the ground floor.

She whispered for her eardrums only. "The hallway is less than common almost improvised. Well, it needs a female's touch with redecoration." She spun around to face the other end of the hallway, moving ahead towards the staircase and halted in front of the open archway of the second bedroom again with a puzzled brow. The room color was baby blue which was a strange color for a man's room. Then she whispered for her eardrums only. "Maybe, the baby blue room is sitting room for reading the newspaper or a book. No, there isn't any furniture in here."

Anyways, Austin was working downstairs on top of the long pink and white stripped sofa and surrounded with stacks of textbooks. He was a billionaire. He could have filled the empty room with a whisper.

She remembered reading inside one of the unauthorized biographies that Austin ordered all his commands with a whisper. He was rich and powerful that he didn't need a telephone, a laptop, or a finger snap.

She didn't understand an empty room inside a million-dollar mansion but she wasn't Austin. She spun around and halted with a giggle, slapping the lips with a soft pop and a whisper. "It was a baby room for a newborn." The room was painted in the colors of baby blue, not sky blue or dark blue or sapphire blue. Austin had built and designed the baby's room. The room was ready for a newborn son. He wanted a child. That was not a problem, since Nutelo was fertile and ready for a newborn, too. They were the perfect prince and princess, the first royal American couple.

She bounded up and down with happiness, softly clapping both hands, twirling around with a giggle without disturbing Austin and faced the staircase, moving ahead and descended down the steps.

Austin was a thrifty billionaire also without spending necessary monies on decorating all the empty rooms inside his castle, since he was waiting for his American princess also.

Well, Nutelo was here and would redecorate the mansion after the honeymoon in the Caribbean islands in the Atlantic Ocean.

She halted at the second level floor with a gasp. The house was quiet and semi-dark. She was supposed to be monitoring Rosebud inside the glass coffin and turned to face the hallway, seeing the end window with a sour frown. She didn't hear any musical tones coming from a piece of beeping medical equipment inside the modified hospital room. That was the first sign when a patient was close to death. So, it was a good sign that Rosebud was alive and breathing inside the glass coffin.

Nutelo dashed ahead and stopped, standing inside the archway of the door to see glass coffin. She found it spooky to see Rosebud through the enclosed glass like a zombie girl.

On her last job, Nutelo worked on the night shift in the critical care unit with a wall of zombie patients. Each patient was critical injured and sound asleep, not in a coma. There was a coma unit that was filled with more sleeping zombies which was not her responsibility. On her critical care unit, she sat behind a tall and long work station of numerous television monitor screen while monitoring all the colored wiggling liens of brain and body activity.

When a wiggling line beeped, she reached over and slapped a button. A team of physicians would come and save the life of the zombie again. Medical technology was amazing. The science could save a zombie from death and a one-pound newborn from death also.

In her nursing job at the hospital, during midnight, Nutelo would follow behind the ass of the registered nurse and push the heavy medical supply cart to the zombie patient, stopping next to the nurse. The nurse stood at the bed side and changed the dirty tubes, the needles, the bandages, and other bloody supply items on the body of the zombie. The nurse would toss the bloody item onto the hard surface of the supply medical cart while the blood and body fluids hit Nutelo in the arm or the chest of the hospital scrubs with nausea disgust.

The first week of work as a LPN, Nutelo would run to the bath and vomit into the toile each time from a bloody hit with the bandage until her stomach was empty. The nurses all laughed at Nutelo.

Nutelo learned to stomach the filthy and bloody bandages and constant drip of body fluids for her LPN job.

Now, this new job was easy and scary. The glass coffin looked both spooky in design and spectacular in beauty. Wormley mentioned that Jace Jackson had designed the medical equipment with his brilliant mind. Nutelo was going to meet and hang with Jace too, since Jace was the family physician for the quartet brothers.

Her eyeballs darted to teach monitor screen. All the wiggling lines of green hue displayed a normal alive and breathing pattern for Rosebud.

Nutelo whispered for her eardrums only. "Damn..." Rosebud was the bitter surprise that the Mistress had mentioned but did not clarify to Nutelo.

Rosebud was alive. However, Nutelo was the stronger of the two female in a comparison of strength and body muscle. All Nutelo had to do was open the glass lid and stab Rosebud with a kitchen butcher knife in the chest without mercy, except someone might get suspicious.

Or Nutelo could cut off the oxygen flowing through the enclosed coffin where Rosebud would suffocate and die within minutes, except the musical tones would beep with loud sounds.

Thus, Nutelo continued to work on a death plan of Rosebud which would end the bitter surprise.

However, the Mistress mentioned that the mental mind of Austin was occupied with the thoughts of Rosebud.

So, the rumors were true. Austin and Rosebud was a non-dating couple. And Rosebud was here which meant that Austin carried feelings for the bitch-monster inside the glass coffin.

Well, Nutelo was here now and in time. She would exchange bitch-monster for the love and devotion of Nutelo with Austin.

She spun around with a sneer and moved ahead, dashing down the steps and halted with a gasp. The mansion of the billionaire was not grand. It was not great. It was not good. It was okay at best. Austin was a frugal man who didn't waste his billions. She smiled. There would be billions of money for an extra grandiose lavish wedding and then her first shopping spree the day after the honeymoon from the Caribbean islands.

The mansion stood at third stories with two levels of bedrooms and bathrooms. So, the mansion possessed five bedrooms and five bathrooms, a poor man's castle.

Nutelo would insist to build onto the castle. There was plenty of land that led out to the ocean waters. She would build a swimming pool also.

Nutelo stared into the Florida room, seeing the playboy attitude within the layout of the small mansion. Austin fucked the whores inside the bedroom, since the ground floor was the playboy's paradise. The ground floor or the Florida room consisted of one great big room. The ceiling was high and painted in pink tinted colors also. All the walls were pink paint too. She was confused. First, Austin was a playboy billionaire that fucked a girl second. A girl loved the color of pink. She could understand Austin, the pink walls, the pink bed linens, and the vase of pink roses on top of the wooden mantel.

The open floor plan of the Florida room was shaped similar to a rectangle with a two long walls. The entrance wall held a set of double doors in the center of the wall. In-between the entrance door, there was a set of windows on each side of the wooden door frame that viewed the covered veranda, the manicured front lawn, and the pink tinted brick covered sidewalk. A row of old fashioned glass lamps outlined one side of the paved road of gray hue for traffic vehicles. Beyond the paved roadway, there was a grave of tall palm trees where the golf course existed. Nutelo didn't play the game of golf but she would learn the silly sport of hitting a ball down into a hole on the ground. Finally, there was an ugly old model orange colored four door sedan of Wormley that blocked the view of the one of the nice window scenes. His sports car was parked inside one of the three garages, since Nutelo didn't see the vehicle.

One side of the two short walls showed a set of tall and long windows which displayed the golden colored sand dunes with stack of weeds, scattered groups of sea shrubs. In the far, far distance of about one mile, Nutelo could see a grove of palm trees that marked the property of his brother Frank. Below the window panes, the floor was naked, except for a row of green plants with tiny pink colored blooming flowers. There was not a piece of art work on the wall.

When she was the new Mrs. Berrington, Nutelo would bust down that wall and build a new one with numerous art works that reflected the city of Miami and the ocean life.

On the opposite side of the room, there wall held a set of two separate archways. One of the archways was open that held the entrance into the kitchen. The other one was closed.

In the middle of the wall, there was a mantel made of white wood with a single glass vase of pink roses on top of the wood which was elegant for a female. Maybe, Austin used the pink décor to please the newest whore. Nutelo giggled from her made-up rhyme.

Above and below the mantel, the wall glowed in pinkness without a single piece of art work. The floor was polished and shiny in dark wood. On the same wall, there was second archway which was closed. She would venture down to the floor once her mind had absorbed the layout of the grand room.

The rear wall across from the entrance wall with the set of double doors displayed four sets of French doors of glass that led onto an outside wooden deck. The outside deck led down into the golden sands and out towards the ocean waters for a pair of naked feet and toes.

In the corner wall, there was an elaborate beverage bar with a long eating counter and four tall stools. The wall contained an assortment of upper and lower built in cabinets of cherry wood also. On the side wall near the beverage bar, there was a built-in case of billiards pool sticks for a game of billiards.

In the middle of the room, there stood three separate living room furniture settings that was scattered around in a semi-loose circle for face-to-face conversations.

One long sofa sat between two individual sitting chairs. In front of the long sofa and the two sitting chair, there were four separate low tables that could hold individual beverages, plates of food and other items. There was not a stack of magazines, only dust.

Across the low table, there was a loveseat, another long sofa, and a second loveseat of pink and white stripped. There were two sitting chairs beside the loveseat in solid pink tinted leather.

A set of individual sitting chair encircled around the semi-circle of numerous loveseats and long sofas, making the total furniture pieces thirteen.

Nutelo gasped in alarm, since the number thirteen was an unlucky number. Well, once she was Mrs. Berrington, Nutelo would remove the thirteenth chair, bringing good luck within the house.

On the other short side wall, there was a long viewing window of woodlands and golden sands which appeared like a park set with wooden chairs and swings. Away from the window, there stood a lonely and isolated billiards table slightly behind the living room furniture which was ready for play. Nutelo did not play billiards but she could learn to pleas her new American prince, after she was married to Austin.

She concluded that the Florida room was the biggest man cave in the world as she giggled and slapped a hand over the parted lips. She moved down the staircase and stopped, standing beside the closed door that she had missed before, since fat Wormley had blocked some of the wall during the flight up the staircase. The second archway held a set of tiny sliding doors in cheery cherry wood colors. The baseboard and the ceiling moldings were painted stark white colors. She reached out with a smile and touched the knob, sliding the handle to the side with a low grunt. The door parted and revealed a tiny enclosed room of darkness.

She reached over and touched the wall, feeling for a light switch and flipped the panel. The lights illuminated with brightness and showed a hidden cubby hole without a set of windows with a set of four walls of ancient and new books. There was a single lounge chaise lounge in the pink and white cloth in the middle of the tiny room with a solid pink blanket also. Nutelo was definitely confused with Austin but would get rid this room also. She closed the side door and released the handle, back stepping and turned to see the wall with the mantel.

She advanced forward and stopped, standing in front of the mantel, reaching out and touched the glass. The vase was smooth and cold with a fresh arrangement of pink blooming roses. She flipped the hand upright with a smile and spun around, advancing ahead towards the rear side of the long sofa.

She stopped and leaned over the cushion, examining the open textbook with a gasp. The words showed a set of medical terms. Austin was researching a cure for a coma to revive Rosebud. "That bitch-monster must not ever revive!" There was not cure for a coma. She stood upright with a sour frown and moved ahead, wiggling between the pieces of furniture, sitting down inside the first piece of furniture with a smile. She silently mouthed a set of whispered sweet words like she was hosting a party and waved both arms into the air. She took turns and performed the same motion inside each piece of furniture until bored.

She stood upright and spun around to face the entrance wall and the window. It was dark outside with an array of bright white twinkling stars over the woodlands. The road was quiet without a set of roaming cars or barking dogs. She could hear the insect life buzzing around the bushes and see the shadows above the tree tops.

Nutelo spun around and moved towards the billiards table, stopping and reached out touching the green soft fabric with a smile. It was thin and smooth on top of the playing field of the billiards table with a prepared set of stacked balls for a ready game.

She wanted to practice the art of pool but was afraid of awaking Wormley. Then Nutelo would be fired, since the Mistress had reminded Nutelo to use a good set of manners on the new job.

Nutelo turned and advanced ahead to the beverage bar, sliding up into one of the tall stools with a smile, reaching out and touched the smooth granite. The hard surface was clean in the colors of cheery red and white that matched the nice built-in cabinets. It was smooth and clean without dust or dirt. She smiled down at the cleanliness of the mansion.

Nutelo desired a nip of liquor but did not dare. She would prepare an alcoholic beverage for Austin tomorrow night, since he would be sitting on top of the sofa again while reading through the numerous medical textbooks with his smart neurons looking for a cure for a coma

She slid off tall stool and stood upright with a giggle, spinning around to see the wall of windows and doors that showed off the night sky and the dark ocean. The ocean waves broke upon the sands that twitched in golden hues, making the atmosphere romantic. She wished that Austin was awake. Then they could have walked along the beach waters and sands in the moonlight of Coral Beach.

She reached down and touched the crystal door, twisting the wrist bone to the side. The door opened. She gasped in alarm and gently shut the door, sliding to the second door. She touched and twisted the crystal door knob. The second door opened. She gasped in alarm. Both doors parted open from the frame, unlocked and unsafe. Her finger pads surrounded the crystal door knob looking for the locking latch. The door knob was made of shiny cut glass without a locking mechanism. She gasped in alarm again.

Nutelo scooted to the third door and moved down to the fourth door, examining the eighth door knobs, since there were four sets of double doors with two crystal door knobs.

Each crystal door knob was naked and unlocked. She would tattle to Wormley about this oversight on each French door tomorrow morning.

Nutelo gasped in alarm and spun around, running to the entrance doors, stopping with a grunt, reaching out and grabbed the door knob, twisting the wrist bone. The door opened. She gasped in alarm. The entrance door was open also. She gently closed the door shut and fumbled with the door knob. The door knob was made of the same solid crystal glass without a locking mechanism. The entrance door did not lock shut like the other set of four French doors on the rear wall. She gasped in alarm with the mental thought of a crazy person could come into the house and kidnap the future Mrs. Berrington. Then Austin would have to pay the outrageous monies to the kidnappers instead of Nutelo spending off that money on her person.

Well, she spun around to face the rear wall. She would tattle to Wormley the serious oversight tomorrow morning. Then after her marriage to Austin, Nutelo would bust out the entire wall of French doors and build a solid wall for her protection and safety as a new billionaire inside her new home. She turned to face the side wall with the open archway that led into the kitchen and moved across the floor, stopping and stood inside the archway with a stern face.

The kitchen was a long rectangular room with one wall of windows. The other walls held various kitchen appliances and counters. The entrance wall contained the open archway and a set of built-in tall cabinets.

The forward wall displayed a closed door that led into the garage space in the wall corner. The rest of the wall displayed a set of upper and lower cherry wood cabinets with a long granite counter without a set of small appliances. There was large refrigerator in the other wall corner.

The other long side wall was busy and crowded that housed the stove oven, the dishwasher, two wash sinks which were in-between a set of upper and lower cabinets that was connected with a long granite counter top with a set of wiggling lines of blood red in the white background that matched the beverage bar inside the Florida room.

Now, Nutelo understood the wiggling lines of blood red on the pink walls inside Austin's bedroom. It was the same blood red theme for his man-mansion.

The kitchen was common and the appliances were shiny and new, so Nutelo would redesign the kitchen space also.

She entered through the archway and turned to face a second open archway with a puzzled brow, advancing ahead and stopped, standing inside the door frame to see a dining room. The room matched the length of the kitchen space, since it was built directly behind the kitchen. The dining room had two walls of windows. One window overlooked the sand dunes of gold. The other window overlooked the gray roadway and the pink tinted brick-covered sidewalk. The walls and the ceiling were painted in stark white hue without color or a piece of art work again.

In the middle of the dining room, there was a slick cherry wooden dining room table that held six guest chairs on each side. The head of the table displayed a single chair without a set of arm rests.

She giggled with a soft whisper for her eardrums only. "The queenie chair is missing which would be me. There are thirteen chairs again. What is up with the math number of thirteen inside Austin's house and mind?" She back stepped from the archway and spun around to face the open kitchen with a stern face.

She entered through the open archway and strolled around the room with a smile. "The kitchen has a set of new appliances in silver steel. I guess this will due for now," she ran a hand over the clean granite counter top and stopped in front of the refrigerator. "The granite was dull white with the silly wiggling blood red lines, an ugly design. But it will due for now. This house is too small for us anyways. But it will due for now. After I marry Austin, we will move out of Coral Beach and live somewhere else and away from the three other nosy and bossy non-blood related brothers. We will build the biggest house in the world." She reached out and opened the door, looking inside the refrigerator with a gasp. The interior shelves were filled with numerous food items. She reached inside and pulled out numerous food items that filled both arms, back stepping from the shelves and slowly spun around and moved towards the clean counter top, spreading out each food item. She prepared a five-layer sandwich of turkey meat, ham meat, and chicken breast meat with numerous leaves of green lettuce and freshly sliced red tomatoes between the meat slices that was all surrounded with a fresh loaf of white Italian bread, making a big mess over the clean counter top. She slid sideways and opened each upper cabinet with a smile, finding a stack of fine china plates that were hidden from eye view and lonely, and reached up grabbing one. She gently lowered the fine china plate over the counter top and placed the prepared sandwich on top of the smooth material as the tall sandwich looked so pretty. She grabbed the plate and back stepped from the dirty counter top, spinning around, moving to the breakfast table that was built into the wall. The semi-round table was built into the wall that protruded through a bay window and out into the front lawn, creating a breakfast nook for fun social mealtime. She gently placed the plate of food over the hard surface and spun around, moving towards the side wall to the food pantry and stopped.

She reached out and touched the set of two door handles, slowly opening the door. The interior shelves were filled with numerous dry food items. She reached inside and withdrew two armfuls of food items consisting of a large bag of potato chips, a box of crackers, a box of cookies, a bottle of pickles, and a set of five sodas to complete her dinner meal. She slowly spun around and moved back to the breakfast nook, spreading all the items over the hard surface.

She spun around and dashed back to the cabinet, reaching up and found a set of crystal goblets for the beverage and selected one with a smile, turning and dashed to the refrigerator and stopped. She smashed the delicate glass against the metal mechanic for ice while hearing a soft ting within her eardrums. The ice cubes dropped down and bounced inside the delicate crystal.

She spun around and dashed back to the breakfast nook, sliding down into the smooth curved bench, placing the crystal goblet in front of the plate of food. She opened each box and bag of food, reaching inside with a dirty hand, eating directly from the box or the bag with a set of bad table manners.

She reached down and lifted the heavy sandwich into the air, biting into the thick layers of meat, chewing with an open lips and mouth drool, reaching over and popped the tab of the first soda, lifting and poured the drink down over the tower of cold ice cubes. The brown liquid bust from the side of the crystal goblet and spilled over the hard surface of the breakfast table. "Damn, the hot liquid broke the glass. Geez!" She slid off from the bench and grabbed the damaged goblet, running towards the wash sink while dripping the brown soda liquid over the clean floor and stopped in front of the wash sink. She gently placed the damaged goblet into the sink and flipped on the water. The water drained and washed out the brown liquid and the ice cubes from the goblet. "Shit!" She could see the tiny cracks inside the delicate crystal goblet, where it was bust and broke. Nutelo would steal the crystal goblet and take it home with her to dispose of inside the garbage can. She didn't want Wormley to discover the glass accident. Orr Nutelo would lose her new job.

The Mistress had warned Nutelo to follow all the rules.

Nutley left the damaged goblet inside the sink and spun around with a smile, dashing back to the breakfast nook and the food, sliding down inside the bench and ate the food in silence.

11:22 p.m.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

She finished the good meal with a loud burp and then a giggle of satisfaction, sliding out and stood upright from the bench, wiping off the dirty face and the dirty hands with the roll of paper towels, dropping the dirty paper napkins down into the empty fine china plate and turned to face the open archway with a loud burp. She slowly moved ahead with a loud burp and tapped on the chest with heartburn, feeling a tight tummy of food while leaving the ugly and smelly mess on top of the breakfast nook and the kitchen counter along with the food items. Thus, the team of day time maids could clean it up tomorrow morning while she slumbered back in her apartment during the late morning hours.

She moved through the archway with a loud burp and an ugly yawn, halting in place. "The damaged goblet..." she spun around and dashed back to the wash sink, stopping and stood near the counter reaching inside the sink and grabbed, lifting the goblet into the air with a sour frown. She reached down and placed the wet glass down inside the front pocket of her scrubs with a sigh and spun around, exiting the kitchen. She didn't want the damaged goblet to be discovered. Or she would lose her job.

She turned and climbed back up the staircase to check on Rosebud in case something was wrong. Or Nutelo would lose her nice access into the castle to see Austin. Then the Mistress would be mad at Nutelo, since the Mistress was more uptight and wired than normal.

Within the three calendar years, when Nutelo had visited her every morning, the Mistress seemed almost doubtful or determined. Nutelo didn't know which verb described the old witch. But the Mistress did demand that Nutelo visit her at 4:30 am tomorrow morning for an update of the marriage to Austin.

11:30 p.m.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

She turned and slowly moved across the floor, stopping and stood inside the archway with a loud burp and an ugly yawn of a whisper. "Yeah, the bitch-monster is still alive for now. Yeah, a coma patient is always asleep. Good night, bitch-monster!"

She back stepped and slowly spun around with a loud burp to face the hallway, turning and slowly advanced down the empty hallway towards her private room inside Austin's mansion. Nutelo didn't feel like sleeping inside the tiny day bed which as smaller than a twin mattress.

Nutelo entered into the last bedroom, marched straight toward the neatly made bed covers, and stopped, climbing up over the bed covers, landing on top of a stomach with a loud burp. She was supposed to stay inside the bedroom with Rosebud but decided to sleep for a few hours, since it was getting closer to midnight. Her shift didn't end for another three hours. She closed the eyelashes with a loud burp with a full tummy and a tired mind. "Good night, Austin!"

Continued...
Saturday, September 18th

2:02 a.m.

City of Coral Beach in US State of Florida

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

Home location of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

2nd floor level

Last guest bedroom setting of Nutelo

**S** he awoke from the refresh nap with a loud grunt since midnight with a tongue of mouth drool and a set of sleepy crumbs inside each eyeball, wiping both dirty body fluids from a face, rolling off the bed and stood upright with a wobble and a gasp. "Bitch-monster!"

She slowly moved across the floor and dashed out the door and turned, running over the hallway floor, swinging into the second bedroom. She stopped a few feet from the glass coffin with a sigh of relief. Rosebud was safe and alive.

She entered through the archway and stopped a few feet from the doorway, staring at the glass coffin with a sour frown, ignoring the monitor screens, sliding down on top of the soft cushion and wrapped the blanket around a body, resting over the cushion with an ugly yawn.

2:31 a.m.

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

"Rosebud..." he sat upright and reached up, wiping off the sweat from a wet forehead, rolling to the side and out from the bed, quickly shuffling ahead in a pair of blue pajama pants, a naked chest, and a pair of naked feet through the open archway of the master bedroom. He scooted around the wall corner and quickly dashed down the staircase, sliding around the staircase banister, running into the middle door on the wall and stopped, standing inside the open archway with a worried brow. His worry turned into a sigh of relief with a smile.

He scooted around the nurse with a grin and stopped, standing in front of the glass coffin, reaching out and patted the smooth glass with a nod, "Soon, Rosebud!" He spun around with a nod and a smile to see Nutelo, scooting around her again without a single word of good morning, exiting the room.

Nutelo slowly twirled round to see his back spine with a gasp of shock and a sneer. "What are you?"

"I am the day nurse that works with Nurse Wormley." The female was tall and slender with a head of grayish-brown cropped hair, a tone of pale skin, a white nurse outfit, and a big smear of red lipstick. "You are the new grave shift nurse."

Nutelo huffed, "Nutelo."

She smiled. "I am Nurse Bossner."

"Bossy..." Nutelo giggled.

"Nurse Bossner," she sneered with a sour frown at the young nurse. "I noticed and smelled the big ugly mess inside the kitchen. I do believe that each one of us was taught to clean up after each other's mealtime activity. So you go and run along downstairs and tidy up the kitchen before I come down and inspect it for cleanliness perfection," giggling.

Nutelo gasped and then frowned. "Yeah..."

"Yes, Nurse Bossner."

"Yes, Nurse Bossner," Nutelo scooted around the tall and slender woman with a sour frown and a set of soft curses which the eardrums couldn't hear, moving through the archway, exiting the room and climbed down the staircase. The house was quiet and cool from the air conditioning unit. Nutelo stomped down the last step and moved ahead inside the dirty kitchen with a sour frown. Yes, the kitchen smelled and looked very ugly. She moved ahead toward the breakfast table with a distorted face and stopped, leaning over and grabbed the dirty items while cleaning up her mess and deposed of the damaged water goblet inside the trash bags that she carried out to the outside garbage trashcan.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with bright moonlight and stars

House of the Mistress

She swiftly drove the older model car with sneer of loud curse words from Coral Beach after receiving a long-winded verbal reprimand from Nurse Bossner or Nurse Bossy, rubbing one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She had been gainfully employed at the Berrington manor working for indirectly for Austin through a medical nursing personal agency. Her eight and one-half hour work shift started at seven in the evening until three-thirty in the morning of the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN.

On the roadway, Nutelo turned the car off the city street and sped over the ratty driveway bumping into each pothole with force with an out loud cruse word out of sync, steering toward a two-story private home within the city of Doral which was empty without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and slammed the door open. The poor door cried in metal pain and swiftly opened up. She slid out and stood upright in heaves of fury with a set of curled white tinted fists of angry within the silence of the night air, wearing a pair of hospital yellow colored scrubs which was highlighted with red and yellow food stains while exhaling all of her frustration with the new job that prevented her from marrying Austin, yesterday. She scooted around the car and left the door open, so the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the rusty old model car. She moved ahead and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked side door of a two-story house.

She moved ahead toward the house and reached out toward the knob, opening the unlocked side weather beaten red colored wooden door of a two-story green colored cider block house, strolling directly up a set of creaking wooden steps toward the single archway of closed dull tan colored closed door.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of naked creaking wooden steps toward a single dull tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood of the closed door as tan colored sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. She entered the dull peach colored tiny room within the semi-darkness of the white rays of moonlight and stopped, sliding down into the brown colored ratty oversized chair with a stern face of angry with the same tone "He didn't look at me. He didn't talk to me. He didn't notice me. He only reads those books. What's wrong with Austin? When is Austin marrying me? I wanna get married now, today. This is a waste of my time. I ain't getting any younger here."

"Yes, you still have much more work to do, child. However, you started your new job and destiny pathway yesterday as I foretold. You work from seven in the evening to early morning hours," the Mistress sat inside the second ratty blue colored cloth oversized chair with a pair of closed eyelashes and whispered with a low scratchy voice in a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of thick fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around diameter of the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet, and a matching ring which were made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in an array of flashing tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone on top of a set of white ankle length dress with a high collar and long sleeves.

She smiled. "Yeah..."

"You have met the two new girls within the life of Austin Berrington, who are two older women with a set of strong values and morals. One is queen sized with a permanent smear and a head of grayish black hair," the Mistress continued to stare with a crooked grin at Nutelo

She gasped. "What did you say to me? What does that mean?"

"Tell, child!" The Mistress rocked side to side and grabbed the arm rests of the rocking chair with a deep sigh and a whisper.

"Yeah, I have much to report. There is an array of people at the house." She nodded with a sour frown. "Yeah, I am working for Austin at his home. I'm supposed to tell you that information. I always tell you the information and what happens to me."

"Listen, child! The days and the nights are going to move very rapidly for you and for me. I need only the latest factual information."

"What latest factual information?"

"You had received the nursing job as I had predicted. There is an overweight and older woman who is working with you that has a head of black hair."

"She is fat and ugly and the charge nurse." She nodded with a sneer. "Her name is Alice Wormley. Her hair is grayish-black."

"Yes, she is the one who possesses tons of experience in life. However, I will outfox her sour with my magic. There is a second slender middle aged female with a head of brown hair."

She frowned. "Nurse Bossy." The two old nurses were all the same, sitting around and consumed cups of coffee, boxes of donuts, and mouth gossiped about the rich and beautiful people of the world. They appeared fat, ugly, single, and pursued the same single goal as Nutelo which was the hand of a wealthy and handsome physician to marry into the fairy tale life of servants, mansions, and parties with a closet of beautiful fancy gowns and expensive gem jewelry, wanting Austin too.

The Mistress smiled. "I will outfox her too. I do not see additional working nurses. Is that correct?"

"Yeah, there are not any more nurses but the physician Jackson. Jace Justin Jackson, Junior, he is the physician that attends to Rosebud. He comes by the house to see Austin every morning, lunch, and dinner time. That's it with the people visits."

"That is enough."

She growled with furious worry. "What does that mean?"

The Mistress nodded with a smile. "I will stop Jackson. He will not return anymore."

She gasped. "Are you going to kill Jackson?"

"Shush, child! I do not commit murder. Murder is a heavenly sin that cannot be forgiven. I will do this very quickly. There will be many medical situations for Jackson in which he cannot come back to the house of Berrington. Wormley is the bigger problem. She is living inside the house."

"You can create another medical situation for Nurse Wormley too."

The Mistress shook her curls with a stern face. "I cannot. I must mediate on her. You still have much work to do, child."

She frowned. "Yeah, like I haven't heard that before."

The Mistress exhaled. "Now, you saw Rosebud inside a machine. What is that machine? The image eludes my mind."

"It is a creepy and smooth pane of glass made like a coffin that is enclosed around her body. Rosebud is in a coma and cannot move. But there is a machine inside the glass coffin that moves her body parts up and down and around and around."

The Mistress gasped. "This is a bad sign."

She laughed with a nod. "Good! Rosebud will die inside that machine when the glass breaks and falls down on top of her body."

The Mistress exhaled. "Now, tell me about Berrington!"

She giggled with a grin. "He is so handsome and nice and well-mannered and looks great..."

"No, child! Tell me more about his internal personality!"

She smiled. "He is quiet and reserve. He was studying like a homework assignment a set of different medical textbooks like he was seeking something."

"He is seeking a cure for the coma."

She frowned. "There is no cure for a coma ever. Rosebud will stay in that coma forever."

"No, she will awaken."

She gasped. "When is Rosebud waking up like tomorrow?"

"It is not tomorrow but she will revive eventually. I cannot give the time or the day."

She nodded with a laugh. "I thought you were powerful and all-knowing of everything."

"I do not know everything. Tell me more about Berrington!"

Sh exhaled. "He was kinda shy and quiet and working on the damn homework assignment. He didn't acknowledge me as his future wife. Why is that?"

"You need to wash your mouth or watch your mouth. His mind is occupied with the coma and Rosebud. I told you that earlier. Now, tell me?"

She frowned. "When do I get married? When do I get fucked? I am a virgin. I have never been married before. I have never been with a man. Is this all happening tomorrow? I wanna have a child. I'm only twenty-one years old. I am getting older..."

"No."

She gasped, "Why not right now? I wanna live my new American dream without working for the money, honey and spend all his billions on my body, my home, and my person. I remembered the feeling of fine living before coming to the land of the free in America, recalling the silk touch on both naked legs and a silver fork tastes inside a mouth from my childhood past..."

"Shush, child!" The Mistress leaned over and handed a small pouch of white powder with a stern face. "You are to pour this special blended white tinted powder into his beverage."

She gasped. "What?"

"I am giving you a powder inside the small plastic bag. Discard the bag after use!"

She frowned, "What for?"

"His thoughts are strong on Rosebud."

She gasped. "No. What are you telling me, old witch? You said that Austin loved me."

"I must confuse his dream thoughts, so he will think of you. His thoughts are strong right now with Rosebud."

"Why is it her and not me? I dropped the swan feathers. I burned the candles."

"Rosebud lives there inside his house with him. Berrington sees her all the time inside a pair of eyeballs and a night of dreams twenty-four hours per day and night."

She nodded. "Yeah, she lives inside a glass bubble. Rosebud is in a coma, not awake. Coma patients never wake up. However, I will create my own medical situation..."

"Do not commit murder! Do not take another life. This is the highest sin among Almighty God."

"She needs to die right now. So, I can..."

"Rosebud will not die. However, I can change Berrington with my magic. His thoughts will turn to you. However, it will take some time."

She growled. "More time? I don't want any more time. I have waited three long years. That's enough time. I wanna get married to him today."

"Your wedding will not take place today but much later. No more talk of a wedding or a marriage or a stack of money. Now, you take the plastic bag of white powder and pour the contents down into his hot cup of coffee..."

"Austin does not drink a cup of bitter coffee like the rest of the Americans."

The Mistress gasped with a nod, "How interesting to my soul! Berrington is indeed a strong force of nature. You will place the powder in any liquid beverage either cold or hot. The white powder will dissolve easily. Then, Berrington will need to drink the beverage. Then, the powder will affect his mind..."

She winked with a giggle. "I can affect his body."

"No, you will not. I need to affect his mind first."

"The powder will affect his mind like a drug."

"I will be able to influence his mind within his dreams at night. I will place you there instead of Rosebud."

"Just kill her! Then I will marry Austin."

The Mistress ignored the whines of the young girl. "Berrington must drink the potion powder anytime today but before midnight. It is very important that Berrington drink the power potion before midnight. Do you understand, child?"

"Yeah..."

"Yes, Mistress."

"Yes, Mistress," she reached over and accepted the plastic bag with a puzzled brow. "Is this a drug?"

"No, it is a natural cleanser for his soul."

"Well, I also need some type of poison to get rid Rosebud like an annoying rat."

The Mistress gasped. "No, leave the woman be. You will place the powder in his beverage. The white powder will absorb into any liquid. What is his favorite alcoholic drink?"

"Austin only likes to drink milk every hour of the day and night like me which makes him healthy, wealthy and strong like me."

The Mistress nodded with a grin. "That will due."

She lifted and examined the powder through the plastic pouch with a stern face. "How fast will the powder absorb into the milk? I might only have a few seconds. How long will it take to work your magic on him?"

"The powder will bind to the molecules of any beverage quickly including a cup of alcohol within a few seconds. You do not have to worry being spotted. You can place it into the beverage as you are walking with the glass tumbler in your hands, if need be. The magic you are talking about requires time, lots of time, and patience. This is only the first step of the process..."

"But I am there with him inside the castle. He speaks to me and smiles when I am around him. We have accomplished the first step..."

"Child, the man was raised with extreme care and culture within our society. He might represent terror to his enemies but he is genteel and culture with all men, women, children, and animals. His mom taught him to be a South Florida gentleman from birth. He is merely acknowledging your presence and displaying social graces to you and the two nurses and any other peoples at his business and home and surroundings. Now, you do as I say place the white tinted powder in a cup of his milk preferable soon as you can so the spell can work."

She examined the small pouch of white powder thinking that the white will show in the dark tinted chocolate milk for a millisecond but it will have to do. "Is this my love potion?"

"No, this is not a love potion. Potions for love do not exist. You must earn love and gain trust. Austin needs to learn to trust you with his new condition."

She gasped with alarm. "What is the new condition in Austin?"

"It is his new environment which I am creating within his strong mind, when he encounters it, he will need a strong woman for him to overcome all his human weaknesses."

"You are going to make him weak. I don't think that possible. He is healthy, tanned, and strong as an African elephant. I don't understand."

"I cannot control his mind or his spirit. Austin is a very strong metaphysically being in my world."

"Is Austin inside your spirit world, right now, this minute?"

"My world is beyond you and Berrington. You are to follow my exact wording instructions and then you will have Berrington as your future husband. I promised you that predicted event three years ago."

"How long is the process of your white fine powders going to take?"

"Do not rush the process!"

"Well, I overheard there is a party on Saturday night, a night of dancing and gowns and tiaras. I wanna go with Austin. Or I want Austin to take me. He's lonely and needs to have some fun..."

"His mind is not about dancing at the moment. He is focused on other deep thoughts of worry."

"Yeah, I saw him reading about hundred different medical books in his lap, taking notes and writing in a paper notepad. He actually uses a blue ink pen to write down notes. I don't know anyone that uses an ink pen. Everyone else types on the computer keyboard. Austin is researching how to get Rosebud out of the coma."

"Austin is an impatient man but very deeply concerned and worried about Ruff. He is also very resourceful but this is a dead end for the woman nicknamed Rosebud."

She giggled with a grin. "Is Rosebud going to die really soon?"

"I mentioned before to you. Ruff is getting stronger from all the careful and immediately attendance of the two nurses and the technology that has prevented her death and has provided her unconscious body with life plus a working sub-consciousness mind which is full of short and long term memories. Rosebud will recover very well. She will awake. She will be with her love Austin..."

"No," she stood upright and stomped a foot with a sour frown. "You said..."

"Sit, child!"

Nutelo sat down with a puff of worry. "I don't understand."

"Time is not to understand but be patient and be orderly. You are to be very careful with my word instructions and follow them exactly. This is very, very important."

She exhaled. "What about the two other nurses who are both strong and virtuous?"

"I will take care of the both of them," the Mistress grinned with a nod. Nutelo cringed. The wicked black magic, voodoo, spells or evil spirits coming from the Mistress was a little scary sometimes. This old woman was dangerous to everyone but Nutelo. The Mistress said with a stern face. "You are to go back to your home and rest during the morning. Then you are to attend to your nursing duties and perform all your nursing duties. And you are not to interfere in the usually daily and nightly routine. You are an observer of my work."

She gasped. "What does that me?"

"You are to watch, to learn and to listen for me. You are going enjoy this grand opportunity. While there inside the Berrington house, you need to observe and note everything and everybody and bring all that information back to me. I need to know everything."

She frowned. "I thought that you know everything."

"I need confirmation before I can develop a spiritual plan."

"Ok."

"Yes, Mistress."

She frowned. "Yes Mistress."

The Mistress exhaled. "You are to be a gentle and caring young female in front of Berrington at all times as he takes note of his environment at all times as well. You will come to me again tomorrow morning at the same time. Now, go and leave me. I must mediate," she closed both eyelashes and rocked side to side with a soft hum inside the blue colored ratty chair as the white bright moonlight rays twinkled down on top of each gem stone on her jewelry.

"What about the fat nurse that is named Wormley?"

The Mistress continued to close the eyelashes with a stern face to Nutelo. "I must mediate about the nurse. I will have a solution tomorrow morning at the same time, child."

"Yes, Mistress," she stood upright with a puff of frustration and side stepped from the chair, spinning around and moved to the closed door, gently opening the door. She moved down the staircase and exited the house to her rusty compact car with a sour frown and slid down into the seat, closing the door with a sour frown out of range of the Mistress. "Whatever, witch! This little mental mind playing game is getting tiresome for me. You call. I come. You command. I do," she started the engine and drove back home to sleep and rest for her new shift while watching over her future husband.

She was staying inside the house of billionaire Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth with the help of the Mistress, of course. However, Nutelo had planned her own days of enjoyment of the pretty ocean, the pretty money, and the pretty man.

Mistress told Nutelo that she would meet the man of my dreams and that man turned out to be Austin. So, Nutelo would become Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. The new problem was Rosebud inside the glass coffin. Nutelo needed to eliminate Rosebud before she awoke. The new plan, Rosebud was unconscious inside the glass coffin and easy target when Nutelo pressed the "wrong" button. Then all her nightmares were end and her dreams would begin.

But first, she needed to return back home to the tiny studio apartment and wash a pair of hospital scrubs for her lousy job with her supervisor Wormley.

9:03 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Away from the hustle and bustle of Highway One, the city of Coral Beach resided in Miami-Dade County, boasting a mayor, a sheriff, a physician, and a lawyer underneath a fake domed city hall. The gated community boasted other unique facilities, such as, a couple of jail cells, an interrogation room, a weapons room, a firing hole, a library, and an art museum.

The beachside city housed a fire department, a helicopter pad, a vehicle and boat garage, a gardener atrium, a mechanic machine and equipment shop, and a postal station. There were numerous house servant residential houses which were surrounded by a state-of-the-art security alarm system too.

The alarm system was hidden inside a set of two distinct iron and concrete decorative sentry security gates.

The landscape entrance into the lovely and lush beachside city of Coral Beach from the east roadside of Highway One nicely intersected at the first sentry gate, where a pair of armed and smiling guards blocked and inspected a set of any warmly welcomed visitors or coldly un-welcomed strangers.

If the lucky party passed through the first sentry, then a second sentry gate blocked and inspected you and your vehicle for a second round of non-fun time.

Once fully accepted and approved by the double sentry gatekeepers, the lucky party ventured down the magnificent majestic avenue of mansions to one of four formal addresses on Coral Lane. The four estates on Coral Lane were surrounded by a golf course, a tree and grassy walking park, and the bluish-green Atlantic Ocean, where both a south and an eastern sun horizon occurred every dawn and dusk.

A yellow cobblestone road named Coral Lane, paralleling a pink colored bricked walkway, displaying a set of four pastel colored mansions, consisting of neon orange, dark green, bright yellow, or a pink sissy hue.

Currently, a set of separate four limousines of gold, silver, white, and black slowly drove down Coral Lane and stopped at the first estate residence on One Coral Lane.

9:04 a.m.

Home of Austin

Kitchen setting

He sat around the breakfast table inside the nook of the kitchen space, looking with a sad pout at the brilliant physician. "Do something, Jace?" Austin whined without eating the plate of food.

"Austin..." Jace turned with a deep sigh and frowned with a stern face to see the windows.

A grove of tear shaped green shade trees guarded a row of picnic tables, the wooden swings, the beach hammocks, and a small battery operated refrigerator which stored both food and drink (only beer for Tom) on the golden sands of the Atlantic Ocean.

A perfect spot for young children to roam free and to play without an invasion of rude visitors, mean kids, and half naked sun bathing young girls.

The beach and park was owned by Austin, Frank, Stu, and Tom. No other foot prints were allowed on these golden beach sands.

This was an earthly paradise for a billionaire, who lived in the most beautiful spot on Earth, Miami. The weather was warm all year around for swimming, skiing, fishing, boating, sporting, shopping, jogging, walking, and playing.

And only money could buy this kind of paradise.

His friend Austin had lots and lots of money, thanking his family ancestor of inheritance from an extremely wealthy father, a very wealthy grandfather, and a slightly wealthy great grandfather.

The great grandfather of Austin was part of clan which was called the "Fathers of Miami."

The men (Austin, Stu, Frank, and Tom) called themselves the "Band of Brothers" but they were not biological siblings. Instead, they were "blood" brothers.

Their four non-related biological great grandfathers, in the year 1838, formed the first eternity "bond" of human red blood as a set of four young teens. The four young teens lived among the wild farmlands and wilder forests of northern Florida near the spouting town of Tallahassee, the current state capital of Florida.

Mangrove, the first moved as a teenager from his native country of Spain with his favorite stallion and the other barn animals to the new land of America, where his father worked as an animal veterinarian and occasionally a human physician inside a rural countryside township.

Gage, the first was shipped as a slave from his home land of Africa, working on one of many southern cotton plantations, where he had escaped and headed to the wild and free lands of Florida. He bartered his new skills as a farmer inside the same rural countryside township.

Sawyer, the first came from German royalty, but he was determined to rule his own destiny in the New World rather in the Fatherland, leaving behind his royal family members and his royal family fortune. He became the rural countryside township's mayor.

Berrington, the second traveled inside a wooden ship over the Atlantic Ocean with the other poor peasants from Great Britain, seeking freedom from British prosecution in the new land of America, expanding his trade-ship as a blacksmith inside the same rural countryside township.

Millionaire, billionaire, and zillionaire, the title was useless, now.

All of Jace's money could not bring that Rosebud out of the sleeping coma inside the glass coffin on the second floor of Austin's house.

Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth had no heirs to his throne yet. He and hopefully his girl Rosebud would plan for the future happy event, not this year, maybe next year, after the pain, angry, and sadness subsided within his heart.

Time healed everything.

Twenty-four years ago

Coral Gables Elementary Prep School

City of Coral Gables in US State of Florida (three miles. northeast. from sandy Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures and partly cloudy morning

The first mission for the "Band of Brothers" (young six years old Frank, Tom, Stu, and Austin) vowed to honor and protect each "brother" on a cool spring March in first grade at the Coral Gables Elementary Preparatory school building. On the shared playground, an oversized, strong, tall, and six years old Stu had beaten the shit out of an eight-year-old Cassidy Clay Stone, III, after the kid had called Tom, a wimpy cry baby.

If Austin's long term memory correctly served this was Tom's first of many rescues by his non-biological brother Stu.

Elementary school playground setting

Before the shitty and bloody beating of Cassidy, the four boys stood in a huddle igniting the Quartet tradition.

"We four stick together come hell or heaven forever until eternity," six-year-old Stuart Thant Gage, III said with a smile and a nod from watching too many violent wars and battle television programs.

Grandfather Gage was a formal military officer who was deployed from Miami in the 1940's, fighting in World War Two. Stu was very proud of his grandfather and secretly desired a military career that was not shared by his dad Stuart Thant Gage, Junior.

Stuart was pure logic, discipline, devotion, and loyal as a golden retriever to his master. Stu's master list consisted of his brothers, his families, his friends, his employees, his guests, and his wife Gracie Jean.

Stu did not ever meet a strange. Once he was your friend, you were his for life.

The brilliant man possessed multiple postgraduate degrees, including a doctoral in engineering, a master's of computer science, a bachelor's of mathematics, and certified as a local police officer just for the hell of it.

Austin had welcomed and relied on Stu's brotherhood, friendship, and protection for many years. And it did not hurt that Stu stood tall at six feet and six inches with a set of taut African American muscles, weighing in at 283 pounds with a bald head, a pair of brown eyeballs, and a set of two sunken cheekbones on an oval shaped face along with the stern fatherly manners of an old soul.

The tallest of the Band of Brothers, Dr. Gage was known as "Big Man," who maintained the peace, harmony, and tranquility with all people at home, at work, and on planet Earth.

"All for one and one for all," Six years old Thomas Edison Sawyer, III quoted frequently from his favorite fantasy adventure fiction book, _The Three Musketeers._

Tom was a full blown science fiction nut that read, quoted, and annoyed the shit out of ya with his latest and greatest sci-fi novel.

The novels were filled with outer space battles, x-ray guns, and time warped flying ships with settings inside and outside various locations from a white stone castle to a black outer space. Sawyer lived inside his science fiction world and was oblivious to the current social, economic, global, and financial events occurring on a daily basis in Miami, in Florida, in America, and on planet Earth.

Austin truly felt that Tom's highly exceptional IQ of 190 was the blame for that split in his bi-polar personality.

A loud mouth foul joker all the time, except when Tom was required to preside over a legal law case and then a brilliant genius smooth talking and fast thinking attorney emerged.

Thomas Edison Sawyer, III had never lost a single legal case for his company, his employees, or his family members since passing the Florida legal bar. The man was furious, fastidious, and feverous with legal and law issues. His brain cells could quote to you any federal, state and local law case, legal ruling, and court procedure, since the year 1829 within the United States of America. Thus, Tom was the "Law Man."

"The band of four brothers may no man force us apart, least ye die." Six years old Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, III said with a slight smirk.

Frank was the Renaissance man among the non-biological brothers. His beating heart ruled his mind. His sharp mind absorbed accounting principles and medicine knowledge as Franklin was a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) who had passed the examination after college. And he was a licensed medical physician of dermatology, after graduating medical school.

However, Dr. Mangrove preferred chess to war and books to guns with his side interest of gemology and art collecting.

So, the people called him, "Money Man."

"Brothers in life and the afterlife," Six-year-old Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV cheered inside a huddle on the playground.

Stu reached and opened his pen knife which had been hidden inside his school uniform. Each boy nicked a finger, squeezing the blood from the cut skin, mixing the blood with each other's finger wound. Then the act and action sealed the newest Quartet blood pact like their great grandfathers in the year 1838.

As the young boys advanced through elementary school to middle school into high school, and finally college, the blood pact had endured and strengthened the Band of Brothers as a family.

Present day and place

City of Coral Beach

Kitchen setting

9:07 a.m.

Jace turned with a sigh to see the black colored hair roots on Austin. "I've done everything humanly possible for her. She's safe, comfortable, and alive," nodding.

Austin stared down at the uneaten plate of food with a whine. "More! I want more. I need more, more for her, more for us."

"I want more for her but she has to wake up on her own. There's no cure, no drug, no operation, no procedure but one..."

"One? What is the one?" Austin looked up with a worried brow to see Jace.

He nodded with a smile. "The one is prayer, Austin."

"O, that!" Austin shook a skull with a stern face.

"Do you believe in Almighty God, Austin?"

"Yes, I do more than ever."

"Very good, Austin! You need to pray, every morning and night. Almighty God makes prays come true..."

"...in His own damn good time..."

"Austin, I'm afraid that fact is all too true. The good news, you found her. She's here. She's going to wake up one day."

"I know the one is pray." Austin exhaled with a huff of pain and worry. He had been praying on both the hands and the kneecaps for a heavenly miracle for Rosebud to awoken from her beauty sleep for the past six days. When she was up standing on her own feet and healthier, Austin will marry her immediately in the small private ceremony at the small chapel within his church in Coral Gables. Then Rosebud and Austin would be together and live happily after ever just like in the fairy tale books that his mom had read to him in bed as a young child.

Jace cleared a throat and wiped off the dirty hands from the breakfast food items onto the cloth napkin with a smile. "You are in good spirits and in good hands with Nurse Wormley, Austin. Rosebud is doing great. Please call me for anything and everything as always," he reached over and slapped the bicep on Austin with a nod. "Better, yet! Call Frank first! He's closer than I if there's a medical issue. Then I'll jet off from my home and land down on top of your rooftop," laughing.

Note: The rooftop had a painted helicopter landing drop zone red colored circle but Austin didn't own a private helicopter. Thus, the drop zone had not ever been used.

Austin nodded with a stern face. "It would be the first time for that action."

He smiled. "Life is short and full of first times and good times, lousy times, and bad times."

Austin exhaled. "Frank told me the same thing. You and he think alike, Jace."

"We are your family. We love you and Rosebud. We're concerned about Rosebud and we're worried about you, Austin."

"Me! I'm not in a coma."

"You're in worse shape than Rosebud will ever be in, Austin. You are alive, suffering, and living this nightmare. You need to eat, rest, and enjoy life for a while..."

"...without Rosetta."

"Yes, you need to eat, rest, and enjoy life for a little while without Rosebud."

"I'll survive."

"Call Frank, Tom and Stu! You need your family for love and support."

"I need Rosebud to wake up. That'll solve all my problems." Austin exhaled with sad emotions.

"Maybe, a little work in the office would occupy your active mind," he nodded with a grin.

"No, I'm not leaving Rosebud again for anything or anyone or anywhere." Austin frowned. "My brothers knew what to do without their leader for a little while too."

Jace stood upright from the chair with a smile and extended a hand with a nod. "I must leave you and Rosebud for a long while."

Austin stood upright from the chair and shook the hand with a nod and a stern face. "Thanks for stopping by to examine Rosebud and me, Jace. I really appreciate your help and advice."

"Then, follow it! Relax. Calm. Mediate. I have also recommended this to each one of your brothers after the wiped out week of too much drama. You seem to find trouble even when trouble isn't looking for you, Austin." Jace smiled.

Austin exhaled. "The past three and one half months have been most unusually for the Band of Brothers. And I can't explain why."

"Change cannot be explained or predicted. You and your brothers are departing on a new chapter in the same old novel, Austin."

Austin frowned. "You sound like Frank and my tenth grade literature teacher, Jace."

"Almighty God has tremulous plans for you. You just need to get your eyes open and your ears cleaned out, boy," he smiled while dangerously teasing the boss of the nasty Quartet.

Austin shook a skull with a smile and then a stern face. "Now, you sound like my mom. I should call her. She might want to know what is happening with me. But I don't want to worry her and my dad."

He nodded. "I agree with your last statement. Your parents will cause more harm than good. Let them be for the present! If you need them, they'll come. They always know when trouble is streaming for a baby boy."

Austin shook a skull at the mental thoughts of his loving folks. "That, they do. I always wondered how they know when to do that."

"It comes with age, experience, and maturity. All of that is the lovely advantage as an older and wise set of parents."

"I wish that I was wiser than I am now."

"You will be. Let Almighty God into your heart, mind, and soul! And don't curse at Him!"

"I..."

"You do. I can tell it and go to church on Sunday. The music will lift your sad spirits."

"I..."

"Church and prayer, they are only the two visitors that you all need right now, Austin."

"Pray! I got it."

Jace reached over and clapped the bicep on Austin again with a smile, "I will come back later to check on both of you, Austin."

"Thanks for all your assistance, Jace. I really appreciate it. Later, Jace," Austin reached over and slapped the bicep on Jace with brotherly force and a nod, watching Jace leave the house.

Jace back stepped from the chair and side stepped, moving ahead through the open archway of the kitchen, strolling toward the double unlocked doors inside the Florida room which was the front entrance into the mansion of Austin.

Austin could hear the set of massive foot falls over the hard floor inside the Florida room oft eh quiet house, since the mansion was very quiet without a roll and rock musical song, a loud radio show host voice, a set of food dishes, or a single voice of servant chatter. He had sent the personal staff on vacation for a couple of weeks, maybe the entire month or longer. He had to decide what to do next. But all he wanted was to be alone with Rosebud.

Austin back stepped from the table and then side stepped from the chair, moving ahead through the same open archway of the kitchen and turned to the side, climbing the staircase, scooting onto the second level and stood inside the archway with a smile.

He moved through the open archway and stopped, glazing down at her inside the glass coffin.

The glass coffin was shaped like a long rectangular box with a glass dome to view her entire body. The bottom and sides of the coffin was made of smooth metal without a design or a decoration. The coffin allowed a series of internal air molecules to pass in and out like the body was breathing during a deep trance of sleep. Her organs body parts would start to decline from the lack of action, exercise, and constant movement of a regular human. This clinical condition was a common reaction with a comatose patient, but the coffin and the internal apparatus pumped a set of high concentration of oxygen into the glass chamber.

The curved soft bed mattress rotated Rosebud around and around within the glass coffin. Rotated, shifted, moved, and lifted all her body parts, including each arm, leg, hip, kneecap, foot, ankle, wrist, skull, and hand up, down, and side to side like she was exercising on top of the floor. Her body temperature varied unlike the old science fiction Hollywood movies where the body was placed in static of frigid twenty degrees. During the day time hours, the air temperature inside the coffin maintained seventy something degrees and during the night time hours, the air temperatures degrees were fifty something degrees. So, her body would tolerate the set of regular air and sunshine temperatures once she was awakened. The daylight warm temperatures made her sweat and exercise like a real person does. Then the salt air cleansed her body during the nighttime activity like a bath.

Her body inside the glass coffin had been transported by private ambulance from Kendall-Tamiami air field to Austin's private home in Coral Beach. Jace arrived and set up the functional console panel of gages, and switches for monitoring, tracking, and tracing her medical, psychological and mental elements.

Austin turned and stared with a worried brow at each electronic bright green colored wiggling line that traveled up and down, frequently and swiftly. The body of Rosebud was communicating with her brain and her subconscious, talking to her sleeping consciousness. As long as each line was active and colored in green, she was alive and healthy both mentally and physically.

He wanted to touch her and kiss her lips. She was so beauty. She loved him too. He loved her. They deserved to live with each other for the rest of their lives, their togetherness, their happiness, and their such-ness. Austin whispered for the eardrums of him and Almighty God. "Almighty God, help her! I'm doing everything I can. It's your turn. Thank you. P.S. I love her, too," he didn't move and continued to stare at her to think about her and to pray over her for a cure out of her coma.

6:51 p.m.

Car ride of Nutelo

Interstate 95 north

The Mistress had told the good news to Nutelo on the first visit which over three years ago. Her destiny was to marry a wealthy man and attend numerous social gala dances with a closet of fancy ball gowns for the rest of her living and breathing days and nights. That vision was going over three years now.

The Mistress had a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. She could make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desired, using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make your body and mind change or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear. And then she had given Nutelo a small bag of white powder that was a real true love potion, so Austin would love Nutelo forever.

Nutelo desired the change of her body and her mind right now, feeling impatience for the fairy tale life dream of wealth and luxury and leisure However, the Mistress said that Nutelo could attend the social gala but Austin was not ready for a party. Well, things had to change more quickly in the world of Nutelo and Austin too.

Nutelo was going to a gala ball with a tiara and a fancy gown like when she was six years old with her mother the queen.

She slammed down on the brake pedal avoiding the flared red colored tails lights of the car in front of the grill, cramping a head out the window. There was a pile of metal and people indicating a new car wreck on the highway. She exhaled with a puff of annoyance. Nutelo had overslept from all the excitement of yesterday and this morning with the Mistress.

Now, she was going to be tardy for her new job at the Berrington manor while slowly maneuvering the car onto the side of the road on the interstate like the rest of the restless drivers in Miami.

7:11 p.m.

Hot temperatures with sunset of pinks and reds

City of Coral Beach

Home of Austin

Florida room setting

She sped down the Coral Lane Avenue through each sentry gate and stopped, parking the beat up and rusted out compact car along the city street Coral Lane like Nurse Bossy had ordered. Or Nutelo faced immediately termination of her new job which was angry the Mistress. She didn't bother to mention the surly attitude of Nurse Bossy either. Or Nutelo would not be talking or seeing Austin either. She slammed the door open with an elbow and a grunt, sliding out from the seat with a huff annoyance of her new job which wasn't any different from the job at Charity Hospital, moving over the pink tinted brick coated driveway toward the front porch.

She noticed the same tacky and ugly orange colored sedan that was parked underneath the cool shaded veranda, where her personal car was collecting heated sunrays that bleached more of the blue finish into dull tan. There was an empty space in front of three separate garage doors but Nutelo could not park there per the wordy instructions from Nurse Bossy also.

Nutelo didn't understand why she had to park her compact car outside in the weather elements of heat and rain when there was available room underneath the covered veranda and an empty set of three of four garage spaces which only held a tiny two-seater sports car that belonged to Austin. He was a billionaire that only drove one vehicle. When she and Austin were married, Nutelo would own numerous expensive fun and luxury vehicles to drive around Miami.

The mansion was three stories tall and colored in bright pink hue. The external design was fashioned as a salt house. There were not any decorations on the front façade of the house, only a set of tall and long individual windows of three floors. The set of double doors stood in the middle of the two windows.

She stopped and stood underneath the attached veranda, reaching out and lightly knocking on the closed door and entered the Florida room in a pair of dark blue hospital scrubs and a pair of white nursing shoes with happiness, staring with a smile at the black colored hair roots on Austin. "Good evening, Austin! I came back. I'm here to assist you with anything. How are you doing? I am fine. Thanks for asking?"

He continued to work on top of the pink and white stripped sofa, wearing a five o'clock shadow, a pair of beige walking shorts, a pair of bare feet, and a white T-shirt, looking up with a smile and a nod to see the new nurse. Then he looked down with a stern face and continued to read in silence.

Nurse Wormley stood upright in front of the middle space of staircase with a set of fat crossed arms over the big breasts, gently tapping a foot with some make-believe song and stared a pair of angry eyeballs at the petite Nutelo. "Please come here. I must see you immediately, nurse!"

Nutelo slowly moved across the floor and continued to stare with a smile at the black hair roots on Austin. "In a moment, nurse..."

Wormley exhaled on top of the steps. "I am saying immediately, nurse."

She slowly strolled and stared with a grin down at the black hair roots on Austin. "If you need anything at all, call me, Austin."

He looked up with a smile to see the new nurse who was defiance with her supervisor like him. "Thank you, nurse."

She smiled, "Nutelo. You can call me..."

"Nurse, please advance up the staircase immediately, right now, this moment." Wormley yelled in a louder tone.

Nutelo gave a wink and a giggle to Austin and slowly moved ahead, climbing the staircase and stared at the lump of fat on the steps.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Nutelo slowly moved up the staircase and stared down at the Florida room, running into the wall of fat muscle with a gasp, back stepping with a sneer. "What?"

Nurse Wormley continued to stand upright in the middle space of staircase with a set of fat crossed arms over the big breasts, gently tapping a foot with some make-believe song and stared a pair of angry eyeballs at the petite Nutelo. "Good evening, Nurse Wormley. That is your response. You must practice your good manners at all times," she swung around with a sneer and entered the second bedroom in silence.

She gasped in shock. "I was told..."

"You are late again for your second day of work." Wormley climbed the steps and moved across the second level. Nutelo marched up the steps and followed behind the big fat fanny that wiggled side to side in a pair of ugly white thick soled nursing shoes.

"If you are late again, then I will report you to the agency tomorrow. I give only two chances under my supervision." Wormley stopped a few feet into the bedroom and stood to face the glass coffin with a sneer. "It is time to review the monitors on Miss Ruff."

Nutelo stopped and stood beside the nose profile on Wormley with a pout of defeat. "Sorry! There was...a..."

Wormley exhaled with a sneer. "This is my only warning, Nurse Nutelo. You have the night shift which allows you plenty of time to maneuver through and around and away from all the crowded streets of Miami. I recalled that you live in the city of Doral. That is a far distance to travel to Coral Beach, I must add. My house is in Coral Springs, which is north of here. Now, the time is after seven at night, so the traffic is not that difficult. In the future, you are to arrive at precisely a few minutes before seven o'clock. Do you understand me, Nurse Nutelo?"

She frowned. "My hourly pay starts at seven...."

Wormley exhaled. "Nurse Nutelo, you are getting a very good paycheck for your dedicated time at his new job. The monies are an added bonus from Dr. Berrington for our nursing experience and service. Nursing is not the money. It is a calling to help people. In this house, Miss Ruff is the patient who is required for our nursing services. Or are you not devoted to our profession, Nurse Nutelo?" She could lecture like the Mistress when Nutelo messed up something.

Nutelo had messed up bad, coming in late. Wormley was correct. Nutelo had all the daylight hours to drive through the crowded streets from the city of Doral toward the beach paradise of Coral Gables with a soft timber. "Ok."

Wormley snapped. "Yes, Nurse Wormley."

"Yes, Nurse Wormley," she exhaled with a puff with annoyance and watched the mechanical equipment inside the glass coffin with a stern face.

"You will enter through the kitchen door which is located inside the garage door. The garage door will lift up six o'clock and fifty-six minutes and will be closed down at seven o'clock and one minute. If you are not here at seven o'clock two, you will be outside the garage doors and then unemployed. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Nurse Wormley."

"Now, it is time to review the monitors on Miss Ruff."

She smiled at the glass coffin and saw Rosebud on top of the functional mechanical machine like a zombie patient. "Is she dead?"

"No. She is doing very well. Today, you will sit down and stay her inside this room. I will attend to Dr. Berrington.

She huffed. "I can see that too."

"I provide the hot yummy meals and snacks than you can clean the kitchen after I retire to bed."

She smiled "I can back a batch of homemade cookies and provide a cup of hot tea."

"Dr. Berrington does not drink tea or coffee, only milk."

She nodded with a stern face, "Yeah right! I keep forgetting that, since every other person in the world drinks a hot cup of flavored coffee. So, I can prepare him a cup of hot chocolate."

"Now, it is not the time."

She whispered for her eardrums only. "She sounds like the Mistress."

Wormley cleared a throat and pointed to each wall. "You will stay in here inside this room and watch and wait on Miss Ruff.

She exhaled. "I do not ever leave here from this room with Miss Ruff."

Wormley smiled at the glass coffin. "There is a new monitor log at the request of Dr. Jackson. You must monitor, chart, and write down all the clinical information about Miss Ruff inside this clip board," she lifted and wiggled the purpled colored clip board to Nutelo. "I will continue monitoring the clinical screens while you will go down and clean up the kitchen from the evening dinner meal with Austin."

She gasped. "You..."

"No, you will go down and clean up the kitchen right now," Wormley turned with a growl to face the day bed.

Nutelo back stepped and swung around from Wormley with a stern face, exiting the room and moved down the staircase in silence, entering into the kitchen and stopped with a gasp. There was an assortment of dirty pots, pans, dishes, and utensils like Austin had a wild ass party this morning. She moved ahead with a set of soft curses and stopped in front of the countertop, reaching out and grabbed the first dirty dish, cleaning up the mess.

8:19 p.m.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

An hour later, Nutelo finished making the kitchen spotless with a pair of dishpan hands and a sour frown two hours later, exiting the kitchen and stopped, staring at the rear hairy skull of Austin with a smile. She slowly turned and climbed up the staircase and entered the second bedroom in silence.

Wormley stood upright from the day bed cushion with an ugly yawn and a whisper, holding with a sweaty hand the purple colored clip board with a set of abused papers of medical information. "Today, Dr. Jackson requested all the clinical information on Miss Ruff..."

She frowned. "Why doesn't he come and collect the information in person?"

Wormley smiled with a nod. "We are the nurses that collect all the requested medical information. I have been filling out the information. Now, you must collect all the medical information. Then Dr. Jackson will analyze it the way that he sees fit. Here the clip board! You will record and chart down all the medical information in regard to the vital signs from Miss Ruff every thirty minutes..."

She gasped in shock. "Every thirty minutes?"

"Yes, every thirty minutes, each wiggling line and associated math number on every screen..."

She looked down with a gasp and flipped through the papers inside the clip board. "Every single screen? There are twenty different screens of monitors. There is a single sheet of paper for each screen inside the clip board. This is going to take me every thirty minutes to record each screen math number on a single sheet of paper. I will be doing this all night long."

Wormley smirked at the glass coffin. "Yes, you are very smart, nurse. It requires a constant eyeball on each monitor and Miss Ruff. You need to start immediately, right now. I last updated all the charts at seven thirty. Yes, it will take every five to ten to maybe fifteen minutes within a thirty-minute time period. You will be busy tonight. "So far, there is not any medical issue with Miss Ruff to note for the evening shift. Now, I am retiring to bed. It has been a long, long day for me. I will not see you until tomorrow night before seven o'clock. Or I will not be seeing you again."

She nodded with a stern face down to see the clip board of papers between both hands. "Yes, Nurse Wormley!"

"I am behind for the eight pm recording, because I was waiting for you to arrive back up into the private hospital room. Can you handle the workload tonight?"

She nodded with a stern face down to see the clip board of papers between both hands. "Yeah..."

"Yes, Nurse Wormley!"

"Yes, Nurse Wormley!"

"Good night," Wormley back stepped and swung around with a smirk, exiting the modified hospital room for her private bedroom on a pair of creaking nursing shoes as she moved over the floor.

Nutelo exhaled with a puff of frustration with the new work nursing assignment. This was going to eat into her precious free time and her fun time with Austin for the evening. And she couldn't tour around the mansion during the lonely evening hours for more fun snooping, since the nursing job had gotten complicated. At her old job, the screens were monitored by a set of computers, not a pair of eyeballs and an ink pen. She flipped the page to see a blood pressure measurement maker. There was an ink pen attached to the purpled colored plastic clip board. She moved ahead and stopped with a sneer in front of the wall of softly beeping screen monitors, staring with a sour frown at the blood pressure screen. The green colored line was steady. If Nutelo didn't fill out the paperwork, the she would be terminated tomorrow morning by Nurse Bossy instead. She whispered for her eardrums only. "I will do this today, so I can keep my job. Then I will marry Austin tomorrow in a private ceremony here at our new home. Then Wormley will be gone from my life foreverly." She exhaled with a puff of annoyance and wrote down the math number in blue ink, flipping the page to see the next medical marker.

9:58 p.m.

She stood in front of the wall of television screens that acted like a clinical monitor, waiting each line move, starting to jolt down the heart rate math number like Wormley instructed with a gasp. She heard the noise of shifting of books and loud grunts of sound that had echoed up from the Florida room into the ceiling, where Austin was moving around and preparing for bed.

She gasped with alarm and must fed the love potion powder to Austin before midnight, leaning down with a sneer, slapping the plastic purple colored clip board over the top of the control panel with a worried brow and spun around to face the doorway, dashing through the archway and stopped a little bit away before the wooden railing out of eyeball range. Austin was still there on top of the sofa working in silence. Good! He had not retired to bed. She could entertain him before she needed to record the nine-thirty medical information on Rosebud.

She side stepped and moved down the staircase in silence with a soft giggle, entering the kitchen.

10:01 p.m.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

She moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the upper and lower cabinet, opening the cabinet to see the row of expensive clear crystal water goblet and reached up with a hand and halted with a gasp. "No. The Mistress said that Austin would notice everything. I need a common looking cup for his milk," she gently closed the cabinet and scooted over to a new set of cabinets, opening the door to see a row of common coffee cups in pink tinted with a giggle which could hide any evidence of the white powder inside the liquid. She whispered for her eardrums only, "Yeah, this is normal for Austin," she reached up and grabbed one pink tinted coffee cup, gently placing on top of the granite counter with a smile. She reached down inside one of the front pockets of her scrubs, pulling out the small plastic bag of white powder. She poured the entire bag of powder down into the bottom of the pink tinted coffee cup and turned, dashing tot eh refrigerator, stopping and opened the door. She pulled out the carton of milk and ran back to the cup, slowly mixing the cold chocolate milk and then stirred the two mixtures with a smile. Mistress was correct. The white powder was fully absorbed down into the liquid.

Nutelo reached down and grabbed, curving both palms around the cold ceramic with a smile, slowly spinning to face the open archway, moving ahead with a giggle. She was going to administrate the love potion to Austin. Then Austin would love her tomorrow morning and get married tomorrow afternoon.

She exited the kitchen and moved through the archway toward the rear of the sofa with a smile.

Florida room setting

On top of the sofa, Austin leaned down and dropped the single book over the low table with an ugly yawn, sitting back against the soft cushions with a sigh, rubbing both eyelids from the excessive reading of each medical textbook. He discovered more arguments for a coma rather than a method to awaken a sleeping comatose patient back into the reality of the real world.

"Austin..." the alto voice sounded next to his nose profile.

He dropped both arms down into a lap with a stern face and turned to see a set of tiny breasts inside the scrubs on the new overweight young nurse, looking up to see her smile. "Yes," he sat inside the sofa and stared at her with a deep sigh. He had tattled to Nurse Wormley about reprimanding the young ugly and overweight nurse this morning when she had purposefully wandered away from the attending care of Rosebud.

Now, the new nurse was wandering around the house again. He was the chief executive officer of a business company. Each employee had a job and a purpose like the new nurse. Her job was to monitor the glass coffin with Rosebud, even though Jace said that the machine was the real watchdog. The nurses were there to ease the distress of Austin's mental mind. He continued to stare with a stern face at the book. This was the second night and the second time that Nutelo had left Rosebud alone and came downstairs to chat with Austin. He continued to work on the new information.

She extended out the pink tinted coffee cup to his nose bridge with a smile. "I prepared this for you like my mother would do for me before bedtime. I have a nightcap for you. I know that you retire about this time. Here you go! I prepared it myself."

Austin stood upright and scooted backward from her and the cup with a fake smile and a nod. "Thank you. That is very gracious of you, nurse," he extended both hands and touched her hands. She gasped with a giggle and released the cup. He drew the cup closer to a fake smile with a gasp. "It is..."

"Chocolate milk!" She nodded with a smile. "I read that you liked to drink a cup of cold chocolate milk. I have brought you another cup of hot chocolate before you retire to bed."

"No thank you, nurse," he continued to stare down at the cup of hot chocolate.

She gasped. "I thought that you will enjoy the cup of hot chocolate, Austin."

He reached down and shifted the books on top of the table with a stern face. "You are very gracious. But I do not want to consume any coco late at night." She gasped with alarm. The Mistress had given the plastic bag of love potion to Nutelo for Austin to consume the white powder in a beverage to control his mind while he slept. He stood upright with any ugly yawn and stared with a smile and a nod at her. "Thank you for the offer!"

Nutelo gasped with alarm. He was not going to accept the hot cup of chocolate in the pink tinted coffee cup. She bounced the cup up and down with a smile. "This is my mom's special blend. It will warm your heart and your toes while you sleep in bed." Austin was denying the love powder potion inside the prepared beverage. The Mistress would not be able to control his mind. Then Austin would not love and marry Nutelo.

He exhaled with a huff of annoyance. The young nurse was in puppy love with him. He received that a lot from a set of young, mature, and older females, since he was a rich single bastard and was not surprised at her presence. He didn't want to hurt the girl's emotions. He reached out and accepted the cup, exhaling with a huff of frustration at the naive young nurse and stared down at the milk. "Yes, I like chocolate milk but not at night. The caffeine..."

She gasped. "I am so sorry. I can exchange it for a cup of cold sweet milk."

The nurse was trying to be nice to him. He nodded with a fake smile to her. "That is okay. I will drink this up before bedtime, nurse..."

"Nutelo, my name is Nutelo. I am here to wait on your needs during the evening."

He sipped a few gulps of the sweet chocolate milk, hoping that he didn't stay awake through the night. He really needed to sleep in case of an emergency with Rosebud. He dropped the cup down from a face with a fake smile and licked the sweet liquid from the sticky lips with a nod to her. "Thank you, nurse!" He back stepped from her and scooted around the table, moving toward the staircase with the cup of warm chocolate milk.

She watched him with a giggle and a grin, spinning around to see his back spine with a smile and a yell. "You are welcome, Austin. If you need me for anything, please call, my name. My name is Nutelo."

"Good night, Nurse Nutelo!" He swiftly climbed the staircase to work off the effects of the caffeine from the chocolate milk with a stern face, exiting onto the third floor, disappearing into his master bedroom.

On the ground floor, Nutelo lifted and tucked both hands into her neck with a smile and a whisper into her eardrums only, "He loves me." She moved ahead with a smile of happiness and slowly strolled up the staircase in love, entering the middle room and stopped, staring at the glass coffin with the moving mechanical equipment device, since it was her new job to watch over Rosebud. She was supposed write down all the math numbers from the screens for Dr. Jackson which showed any deviation of her breathing or any movement of a limb.

She moseyed ahead to one of the two bedroom windows to see the nighttime and the ocean waves with a sigh of a romantic beach walk with Austin, maybe tomorrow night after the effects of the love potion from the Mistress.

She decided not to explore the castle again and couldn't do much investigating this evening with the new assignment from Nurse Wormley except for a quick peek-a-boo at Austin on the third floor of the master suite before she started the new work assignment.

She scooted out the room and dashed up the staircase, stopping and stood in front of the cracked space of the door and the wall with one eyeballs. The third floor of the house was still boring with only the big gigantic master bedroom without tall posers and a wall of built-in chest of drawers for his personal clothing. The closet had both clothes and shoes. The walls were bare except for the notable weird design of red marks staining the pale yellow walls on the north side. She stared with a gasp. These are blood stains.

Nutelo had re-read all the older and newly set of purchased gossip magazines about Austin. Berrington had been attacked inside his estate one night by the formal and dead girlfriend named Liz Harris. There wasn't much to the details and another girl had saved his life. Austin didn't die here but someone inside his bedroom did. So, these were real marks of red colored blood stains of two dead bodies.

She back stepped the crack between the door frame and the wall, spinning around to see the hallway with a smile.

Her stomach growled for food. She moved down the staircase and entered the kitchen for her dinner time.

Sunday September 19th

2:02 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

Home of Austin

Last guest bedroom setting of Nurse Nutelo

Day bed location

**S** he awoke from the refreshed nap with a loud grunt since midnight with a tongue of mouth drool and a set of sleepy crumbs inside each eyeball, wiping both dirty body fluids from a face, rolling off the bed and stood upright with a wobble and a gasp. "My job!" She slowly moved across the floor and dashed out the door, turning the wall corner, running over the new floor. She swung into the second bedroom and stopped a few feet from the glass coffin with a sigh of relief. Rosebud was safe and alive.

She entered through the archway and stopped a few feet from the doorway, staring at the glass coffin with a sour frown, ignoring the monitor screens, sliding down on top of the soft cushion and wrapped the blanket around a body, resting over the cushion with an ugly yawn.

2:31 a.m.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Inside the third floor master bedroom, "Rosebud," he sat upright with a whisper on top of the bed mattress of pink colored satin sheet with a worried brow and reached up, wiping off the sweat from a wet forehead, staring ahead at the same pink colored forward wall. He rolled to the side and out from the bed, quickly shuffling ahead in a pair of green pajama pants, a naked chest, and a pair of naked feet through the open archway of the master bedroom. He scooted around the wall corner and quickly dashed down the staircase, sliding around the staircase banister, running into the middle door on the wall and stopped, standing inside the open archway with a worried brow. His worry turned into a sigh of relief.

He slowed entered the room and stopped, standing in front of the glass coffin with a worried brow and as, his pair of eyeballs darted and studied each electronic monitor screen, examining her medical condition and then her sleeping body. The princess was there. The coffin was closed. The air was working. The lights were illuminated. The machine was rotating all her limbs up, down and sideways as she continued to sleep in the coma from the accidentally cliff fall four days ago. The monitors were beeping with a soft musical tone of sweet tings like a tiny belle.

He exhaled with a smile and reached out, gently patting the smooth glass with a nod. "You are fine. I am just checking, baby," he stared her underneath the glass as she looked peacefully asleep like a princess-charmed while waiting for her prince-charmed." He was the prince-charmed in the fairy tale story without the charming part or the proper fairy spell to awoken his sleeping princess-charmed.

He lifted up a sweaty hand into the air and exhaled with a huff of relief, back stepping from Rosebud, stopped and stood inside the quiet and cool hallway with a worried brow, slowly turning to the side and moved back into his master bedroom, pondering the deep thoughts of an uncertain future happiness with her and eventually returned back into the cool bed mattress without sleep.

Nutelo continued to rest sideways underneath the piles of soft blankets inside the day bed with a set of parted lips at Austin. He was sleep waking again on a new day to see Rosebud inside the glass coffin. Nutelo was stunned and pleased. Austin spun around from the glass coffin and totally ignored the presence of Nutelo inside the day bed after from drinking the love potion last night.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with bright moonlight and stars

House of the Mistress

She slowly drove the older model blue colored compact car with an ugly yawn and rubbed one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She was employed as a nurse at the Berrington castle working the graveyard shift of seven pm to three-thirty am.

On the roadway, Nutelo turned the car and slowed the speed over the ratty driveway toward a two-story private home within the city of Doral which was empty without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard. She killed the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood silence in the night air, wearing a pair of hospital blue colored scrubs which was highlighted with red and green food stains from the numerous food meals at the Berrington house. She gently closed the door without awaking the dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard also.

She moved ahead and reached out toward the knob, opening the unlocked side weather beaten red colored wooden door of a two-story green colored cider block house, strolling directly up a set of creaking wooden steps.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of naked creaking wooden steps toward a single dull tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood of the closed door as tan colored sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. She entered the dull peach colored tiny room within the semi-darkness of the white rays of moonlight and stopped, sliding down into the brown colored ratty oversized chair with a stern face of angry with the same tone "He didn't look at me again. He only reads those books. What's wrong with Austin?"

The bright moon beams danced down on the opposite side of Nutelo over each armrest of the second ratty blue colored cloth oversized chair. "I have mentioned before that you are to attend to your nursing duties and perform all your nursing duties. And you are not to interfere in the usually daily and nightly routine. You are an observer of my work. And you are to watch, to learn and to listen for me. Tell, child?" The Mistress sat inside the second ratty blue colored cloth oversized chair with a pair of closed eyelashes and whispered with a low scratchy voice in a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of thick fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around diameter of the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet, and a matching ring which were made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in an array of flashing tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone on top of a set of white ankle length dress with a high collar and long sleeves.

She smiled with a nod. "I gave him the pouch of white colored powder inside his milk in the late evening before midnight like you had instructed."

"You give Berrington a cup of warm milk at night. Can you give him the cup of milk during the early evening when you arrive tonight?"

She nodded with a smile, "Yeah."

"That is excellent, child." The Mistress leaned over and handed a new plastic bag of white powder with a yellow colored smile of teeth. "This is a second pouch of white powder. You must place inside his beverage again."

She didn't touch the plastic bag with a sour frown. "What? How long do I have to do this? I could get caught."

"Shush, child! You will not. I have seen it. You must follow my instructions exactly for your future husband," the Mistress leaned over and handed a second item, a tea bag of yellow hue.

She smiled with a nod and practiced her good lady manners to the Mistress. "No thanks! I don't like tea, only milk like my future husband Austin."

"You are to prepare and give a cup of tea with this tea bag to the older and wise nurse who is named Wormley."

She frowned, "What for?"

"You must prepare a cup of tea for yourself also."

She gasped. "I can't do that. Why am I doing this and that anyways? I don't know."

"I do know. You are to prepare a cup of tea for yourself with this tea bag. It will smell wonderful to your nostrils. The older nurse will smell the scent and want a cup too."

"I don't know."

"I do know."

"When you prepare her cup of yellow colored tea, but do not get the two steaming teacups confused."

She nodded with a stern face. "Yeah, okay, I can do that, Mistress. When am I going to marry Austin?"

"It is not the time. Please leave. I must mediate."

She continued to sit down inside the ratty chair with a sour frown at the Mistress. "What about the other nurse named Nurse Bossy?"

The Mistress nodded with a set of closed eyelashes. "I am working on a solution with her right now."

"Yes, Mistress!" Nutelo stood upright with a puff of frustration.

"When must Berrington drink the powder inside a beverage?"

She exhaled. "Austin needs to drink the powder in a liquid before midnight."

The Mistress slowly rocked side to side with a stern face in a low voice, "Good, child! You understand. Please go and leave me now. I must finish my meditation."

Nutelo side stepped from the chair, spinning around and moved to the closed door, gently opening the door. She moved down the staircase and exited the mint green cider block house, strolling toward her rusty blue colored compact car with a sour frown to drive home and sleep.

4:49 a.m.

Interior of car ride of Nutelo

Nutelo slid down into the seat and tossed the new paper bag into the passenger seat with a sour frown, closing the door with a sour frown out of range of the Mistress. "Bitch, I'm doing my own planning without the silly meditation and rocking back and forth. I'm going to be Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, very soon," she started the engine and drove back home to sleep and rest for her new shift while watching over her future husband.

She only worked inside the house of billionaire Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth while Nurse Wormley lived inside the house. "Well, that will change too, very soon," she sped down the highway with a laugh and an evil grin. Now, she had met the man of my dreams and that man was Austin and would eliminate the nightmares of Rosebud inside the glass coffin.

6:55 p.m.

Hot temperatures and windy with sunset

City of Coral Beach

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo sped over the city street and squeaked the set of four tires, stopping in front of the first closed sentry gate that identified the property line of Coral Beach, the paradise homes of four billionaires. Soon, it would be the home of Nutelo, also. She didn't roll the driver's car window down as the Quartet Associate guard moved away from the sentry post with a sneer and stopped, reaching down, knocking on the glass window with a sour frown. She rolled the window down with a sneer.

The guard nosy guard leaned down into the window. "I do not like your drive, your attitude, or your arrogance here inside Coral Beach. Change it! Or I will tattle to Austin. He will not like it either."

She nodded in silence and rolled up the window with a stern face, slowly driving ahead and stopped at the second sentry gate while waiting to be cleared to ride down the single street of Coral Lane toward one of the four individual billionaire mansions. There were too many rules here inside Coral Beach. After she was married to Austin, Nutelo would fire all the nosy guards at each sentry posts.

The second sentry guard waved with a hand and a nod. She slowly drove down the city and stopped, parking her car along the street lane in front of the pink tinted salt house, slamming an elbow into the closed door, opening the door. She stumbled out and stood upright with a sneer at the orange car that was parked underneath the cool veranda like yesterday evening and stomped through the manicured lawn, kicking some of the pretty tiny colorful flowers with a sneer, moving over the yellow colored brick driveway and cut over into the open garage door, dashing through the door and into kitchen before the garage door closed on a timer. Nurse Bossy had told her that secret.

6:59 p.m.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

Nutelo could hear lots of a set of loud voices inside the Florida room and stopped, standing inside the open archway with a stern face.

Nurse Wormley and Nurse Bossner stood next to Justin Jace Jackson, Junior. He was another rich physician who worked for the Quartet and operated his own private physician office in Miami. He wasn't being served a cup of hot tea and a plate of dull tea biscuits either.

There were two nurses around him when Jace spun around and stared down at purple colored clip board with a stern face. The two nurses followed behind his ass. Wormley turned with a stern face and motioned a hand to Nutelo in silence.

Nutelo followed behind the back spines of Wormley and Bossner, moving up the staircase and stood inside the second room of Rosebud.

Jace examined the glass coffin and all the monitors in silence for the weekly medical examination of Rosebud. Nutelo stood over against the wall while fetching and running around the room and the staircase like a gopher handing the nurses pieces of equipment, instruments and readouts as they shuffled back and forth from each monitor to the patient, from patient to the control panel. During her slow physical fitness run, Nutelo ran downstairs to the kitchen and prepared plate of food for each person.

8:08 p.m.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

After one hour, Nurse Bossner had retired to home. Nutelo had finished cleaning up the food mess inside the kitchen from the numerous food trays that both the nurses required without leaving the bedside of Rosebud and listening to the medical orders of Jace. She moved up the staircase and stopped inside the archway with a hiss.

Wormley nodded with a smile to Jace, "Very good, Dr. Jackson! I will continue with the medical monitoring. I am so pleased with your wonderful decision. Nurse Nutelo, she will continue right now with all the screen monitors of Miss Ruff while we continue to chat. Do you require a plate of food? I usually feed Dr. Berrington at this time also."

Nutelo gasped with shock. Wormley had not fed Austin at seven pm instead eight pm.

"No thank you, Nurse Wormley! I'm leaving for the evening." Jace spun leaned over and reached out, gently patting the glass coffin with a smile and a nod, "Rosebud is doing great." Nutelo gasped in alarm. Rosebud was healthy inside the glass coffin. The Mistress had warned Nutelo that Rosebud would eventually awaken and be health again. Jace spun around and dashed ahead through the archway with a silence nod to Nutelo, leaving the mansion for the evening.

Wormley spun and advanced ahead, stopping and handed the clip board with set of new papers to Nutelo. "Please continue the medical monitoring. I'm going down for a plate of food. It has been a long time with Dr. Jackson. Thank you, Nurse Nutelo!" She moved ahead and dashed down the staircase, disappearing into the kitchen.

Nutelo stood alone inside the second bedroom and stared with a soft sneer at Rosebud inside the glass coffin. Jace had been pleased with the collection of medical information which was used to analyze the coma condition of Rosebud. She whispered for her eardrums only, "A coma patient never recovers."

8:18 p.m.

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Nutelo finished jolting down the last scribble of math numbers inside a new observation log that had been dictated by Jace and moved ahead, placing the purple colored clip board on top of the control panel with a sour frown. She spun around from the glass coffin and moseyed ahead from the modified hospital room and swiftly climbed down the staircase for the dinner meal. She might be eating with Austin, since Wormley did not leave the bedside of Rosebud and the back side of Jackson to prepare a hot meal for Austin this evening. He was probably hungry, since it was after eight pm.

She stopped and stood in the middle of the staircase with a gasp.

The Florida room was empty. Austin wasn't there on top of the long sofa reading inside the numerous stacks of medical books. The medical books were closed. The long sofa was empty. She spun around on top of the step and dashed back up the staircase to the third floor, moving off the stairs, stopping and stood in front of the master bedroom with a gasp.

The master bedroom door was open. The room was empty. Austin wasn't there sleeping either.

She spun around and searched the open archway of each bedroom, moving back down the staircase, finally standing on the ground floor and moved to the side, stopping and stood in front of the one of the four French doors into the golden sands with a heavy heart without finding Austin.

She spun around and stared with worry at the set of double doors. Berrington was gone from the home and had dinner with the three nosy brothers this evening that was the only logical explanation. Then, she suddenly realized that Austin would not drink the love potion powder before the midnight hour. Her heart dropped down into the set of unpainted toenails. He had to drink the potion for the love spell to work and to marry Nutelo.

She turned with a worried brow and slowly entered the kitchen from the Florida room.

8:08 p.m.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

Nutelo advanced inside the kitchen with a gasp and stopped a few feet from the archway to see the ass of Wormley with a confused frown. "Nurse Wormley..."

Wormley was preparing a sandwich with a smile and danced her ass side to side with a giggle at the clean counter top that Nutelo had cleaned an hour away. "Dr. Jackson was so pleased with the new forms that I had developed."

She gasped with shock. "You developed all those old forms inside the clip board."

Wormley wiggled side to side at the clean counter top with a smile and a nod. "Yes, I wanted to monitor all the information for him. I thought of the idea. He was so pleased that he wants me to work for him, after this assignment is finished," she licked her fingers with the thick mayonnaise and spun around, holding the plate of food, moving ahead to the breakfast nook in the bay window with a smile. She slid down and placed the plate of food in front the chest, leaning down and ate, chewing with a grin.

Nutelo moved ahead to the counter top and stopped, reaching up and opened the cabinet, grabbing, and gently rested a pink tinted coffee cup underneath the water faucet and slapped the water on. She prepared a cup of cold water and slip down the yellow colored tea bag from the Mistress into the water.

Nutelo didn't have another tea bag but the one. She had decided to give Wormley the tea before leaving the table for more nursing work.

She side stepped and stood in front of the microwave, opening the door, placing the cold cup inside the bottom tray and closed the door. She pressed the button. The beep sounded with a tiny ting. She opened the door and grabbed out a steaming cup of tea. The room smelled like honey, vanilla, and cinnamon species. Nutelo didn't know all the numerous ingredients of the tea bag but it smelled good.

She spun around and moved ahead, sliding down into the bench seat of the breakfast nook right across from Wormley, placing and tapped on the cup of tea in front of the breasts with a smile, turning to stare out the window at the nighttime and the almost full moon of another romantic heated evening.

Wormley continued to eat the food meal with a set of good manners and sniffed the air waves with the pleasure odor, swallowing the food with a smile. "I do not mean to be intrusive. But I am curious with your tea blend selection. It smells delightful. What is the spice favor?"

She turned with a smile to see Wormley and tapped on the cup of tea. "O. Thank you! This is a special leaf blend from my mom. My mom loved to grind and mix the tea leaves, creating a special fragrance."

Wormley sniffed the air waves with a smile. "Your tea blend smells like cinnamon to me."

She smiled. "Yes."

"Your tea blend smells like vanilla to me."

"Yes."

"Your tea blend smells like sweet honey to me."

She tapped on the cup of warm water with a nod and a smile to Wormley, "Yeah, Nurse Wormley! There are many, many favors in the tea," Nutelo turned and stared into the nighttime.

Wormley smiled. "I was wondering if you are willing to share the tea blend formula."

She turned with a sour frown to see Wormley. "O no! I could not do that! My mom would roll over inside her grave."

Wormley smiled. "I was wondering what the tea blend tasted like."

She smiled. "There is a touch of vanilla, honey, and cinnamon. I was wondering if you would like a hot cup of my tea."

Wormley stared at the yellow colored tea with a smile. "Yes, yes, please, I would enjoy a cup of your good smelling homemade brew."

She nodded with a grin, "All right! I happen to have another tea bag with me. Yes, Nurse Wormley," she stood upright from the chair and side stepped from the table, spinning around to face the counter top, moving ahead and stopped, standing at the messy counter top. She reached up and opened the door of the cabinet, grabbing the same pink tinted new cup and reached down, pouring water out from the faucet filling the cup. She side stepped and stood in front of the microwave, opening the door, placing the cold cup of plain water inside the bottom of the microwave and closed the door. She pressed the button. The beep sounded with a tiny ting. She opened the door and grabbed out a steaming cup of plain hot tea.

The room still smelled like honey, vanilla, and cinnamon spices. Wormley didn't know that Nutelo had cooked a plain cup of hot water for the second pink tinted teacup.

She spun around with two mugs of steaming hot tea and moved ahead, sliding back down into the bench seat of the breakfast nook right across from Wormley with a grin, placing the steaming cup of yellow colored tea in front of the breasts of Wormley. "Here you go!" She tapped on the cup of plain hot water. "Enjoy!" Nutelo turned and stared out the window at the nighttime and the almost full moon of another romantic heated evening with a grin, continuing to tap on the cup of plain hot water.

Wormley reached out and grabbed the heated cup, slowly sipping and swallowed the heated yellow colored tea with a smile, "So delightful! It tickles my throat with an aftertaste of sweet honey."

She turned with a smile to see Wormley and tapped on the cup of hot water with a nod, "Yeah, tea is good for the soul as they said."

Wormley sipped and swallowed another small gulp of the hot tea with a grin and a nod. "This is delicious. Thank you, Nurse Nutelo!"

"You are welcome, Nurse Wormley!" She stood upright and smiled down to her supervisor. "Well, it is time for me to finish my nursing job," she side stepped from the chair and spun around. "Enjoy your sleep, Nurse Wormley!"

"Thank you!" Wormley sipped and swallowed the large cup of tea that came from the Mistress.

Nutelo moved out the kitchen, up the stairs and back into the second bedroom of Rosebud, moving to the control panel, picking up the purple clip board and wrote down a wrong math number on each form with a sneer. "See? If this information helps you, Dr. Asshole Jackson?" she replaced the clip board back don over the control panel and spun around, moving to the day bed, swinging around and sat down with a sour frown, staring at the far wall. "My time is coming. Then, no one will be here but me and Austin. I am getting rid of all the nosy people including Rosebud, Jackson, Wormley and the three nosy brothers," she leaned a rear skull back into the soft cushions and closed the eyelashes for a catnap.

9:09 p.m.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Wormley eventually moved from the kitchen after eating the meal, consuming the tea without cleaning up the counter tops while leaving the task to Nutelo.

Nutelo stirred awake from the catnap hearing the soft creaking of a pair of nursing shoes that headed to the first bedroom on the second floor and stood upright, stretching all her limbs into the air with an ugly yawn. Now, she could go and chat with Austin during the night.

The sleeping potion inside Wormley will dizzy her mind for hours, maybe giving her nightmares too.

Nutelo spun around to face the open archway and dashed out the room, stopping in the middle of the floor. Austin was still gone. He was not on the sofa either working on the medical books. She moved ahead and placed the cup of hot chocolate on top of the low table, standing upright and spun around, climbing swiftly up the steps to the third bedroom with a set of loud footfalls.

She arrived to find. The bedroom door was open. Austin was not in there either. She spun back around with a gasp and dashed back down the steps, moving ahead and sat down inside one of the oversized chairs while waiting for Austin. He was still occupied with his three nosy brothers having a fun date and a fun time without Nutelo.

She whispered for her eardrums only with a soft sneer. "He is mine. I will stop all that tomorrow. I'm going to be Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. Then we will move from Coral Beach and the three asshole brothers," she sat down inside the oversized white leather chair and watched the door with a soft growl of fury and angry.

11:11 p.m.

1st floor level

Florida room setting

One side of the double entrance doors opened and did not slam against the wall. Nutelo stood upright from the chair and reached over, grabbing the teacup and rushed ahead to see Austin. He entered the archway with a gasp almost running a cheat into the short nurse. "Good evening! I am sorry to disturb you, nurse."

"Nutelo," she stood in place and extended the warm cup of hot chocolate with a smile and a nod. "I got a nightcap for you, a cup of hot chocolate milk."

Tom entered through the archway and smashed into the back spine on Austin with a whine while pulling and yanked on the arm of Berrington with a smile. "Man, come and stay with me and Jane for the night, Austin."

Austin exhaled with a huff of exhaustion and stared with a fake smile at the new young nurse. "Tom, I'm home. Thanks for the nice dinner!" He wanted to go to bed and sleep from the active day with his three caring and loving brothers. They were overly concern about the well-being of Austin while offering a set of wishful good thoughts for Rosebud. Austin was exhausted both physically and mentally requiring sleep.

Tom tried to shove and scoot around Austin through the archway with a sissy whine and a big smile to investigate the new nurse, "Naw, man! You can come and stay with me and Jane. We can stay up all night and eat snacks or talk shit or watch all my science fiction movies in my theater or do whatever, Austin. We can stay up all night until sunrise like when we are little kids and have some fun."

Austin was happy that Tom was concerned about the welfare of a brother, since baby brother Tom was a soulless asshole lawyer the rest the rest of the time. His three brothers were more overprotective and much nicer which was very different at the moment. Austin exhaled and stared at billiards table with an ugly yawn from the day of playing golf with the Quartet brothers and socializing with the three caring and loving Quartet sisters. "No, Tom! Thanks for the invite and the car ride. Please be careful driving back home and give all my love to Janey!"

Tom nodded with a smile and slapped the back spine on Austin with a nod, staring at the new nurse with curiosity. "Okay, man! But if you get bored just a little bit or a lot of loneliness, come to my house immediately. I keep my front door unlocked like you. Okay, Austin?"

"Okay, Tom! I will do that."

Tom back stepped with a worried brow and waved a hand at the back spine on Berrington, "So long, Austin!" He and Jane, they were worried about Austin, thinking that Berrington should stay with his Quartet family for a couple of days to spy and socialize on the physical and mental health of Berrington. Sawyer back stepped into the driveway and shook a skull with worry, spinning around and entered the sports car, driving back to talk with his wife Jane about their brother Austin. She was worried too. Then Tom would call Frank and talk with the caring physician about Austin. Then Frank would call Stu and then the three brothers would talk and worry about their leader Berrington all night long.

Inside the foyer, he called out, "Good night, Tom!" Austin moved ahead inside the house as Nutelo back stepped from him and still held out the cup of hot chocolate milk in the air. The entrance door swiftly closed. Berrington stopped in place and looked down with a gasp at a second nightly cup of hot coca with a fake smile at the liquid. "That is a nice very gesture, nurse..."

"Nutelo..."

He looked up with a fake smile to see the young nurse. "Nurse Nutelo, you are very gracious. But the hot coco kept me awake for a little while last night. I do not want to consume any coco very late at night." She gasped with alarm. The Mistress had given the plastic bag of love potion to Nutelo for Austin to consume the white powder in a beverage to control his mind while he slept. He performed an ugly yawn and covered the mouth like a South Florida gentleman with a soft timber. "Thank you very much for the kind offer!"

Nutelo gasped with alarm. He was not going to accept the hot cup of chocolate in the pink tinted coffee cup. She bounced the cup up and down with a smile, spilling the liquid over both knuckles. "This is my mom's special blend. It will warm your heart and your toes while you sleep in bed." Austin was denying the love powder potion inside the prepared beverage. The Mistress would not be able to control his mind. Then Austin would not love and marry Nutelo. She smiled. "O. You're welcome," she spun around and ran back into the kitchen, fiddling with the dishes with a sound of tiny tings, preparing a cup of warm milk. She dropped the hot chocolate liquid down into the large glass of white milk and heated the mixed contents inside the microwave. The bell sounded with a ding. She opened the door and lifted out the glass, spinning around from the kitchen counter.

She rushed through the open archway and stopped, standing and stared at the back spine on Austin with a smile. "Here you go! I have prepared of cup of warm milk for you, Austin."

"No thank you!" Austin continued to move toward the staircase with an ugly yawn, rubbing both tired eyeballs from a day of fun with his Quartet brothers and sisters.

She gasped with a smile. "But this is my....mo...my special blend. You will sleep like a baby. I promise, Austin. You should try it."

"No thank you."

"They say that warm milk puts you to sleep quicker."

"No thank you."

"I will be insulted."

He spun around with a confused brow. "I beg your pardon!"

She dashed ahead and spilled the large glass of milk over all knuckles, extending the warm milk to him with a smile, "Here you go! Just a sip!" She extended the cup up and underneath his two nostrils. "It is sweet milk which will warm for your tummy. I promise."

Austin exhaled, "All right." He reached out and grabbed the cup, lifting and sipping a single gulp and scooted around her. "Thank you! I am retiring to my room. Good night!"

She spun around with a smile. "Good night, Austin!" Nutelo had read inside one of the unofficial biographies that Austin liked to reference to him person as an earth god. The title fit him so well, tan, muscled, and good looking. She continued to watch his ass with a smile. Then he disappeared from eye view.

Her stomach growled for food. She spun around and moved ahead to the kitchen for a midnight snack with a giggle and a grin. Nutelo was going to be Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth tomorrow afternoon, since Austin drunk the love potion powder.

Monday September 20th

2:22 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

Home of Austin

2nd floor level

Last guest bedroom interior setting of Nutelo

**S** he awoke from the refresh nap with a loud grunt sleeping since midnight with a tongue of mouth drool and a set of sleepy crumbs inside each eyeball, wiping both dirty body fluids from a face, sitting upright inside the day bed in the dirty blue colored hospital scrubs with an ugly yawn and watched for a sleeping walking Austin.

Nutelo was not going to miss another opportunity to talk with him.

2:31 a.m.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Inside the master bedroom, "Rosebud," he sat upright with a whisper on top of the bed mattress of pink colored satin sheet with a worried brow, staring ahead at the same pink colored forward wall and rolled to the side, standing in a pair of black colored pajama pants, a naked chest, and a pair of naked feet through the open archway of the master bedroom. He scooted around the wall corner and quickly dashed down the staircase, sliding around the staircase banister, running into the middle door on the wall and stopped, standing inside the open archway with a worried brow. His worry turned into a sigh of relief.

He slowed entered the room and stopped, standing in front of the glass coffin with a worried brow and as, his pair of eyeballs darted and studied each electronic monitor screen, examining her medical condition and then her sleeping body. The princess was there. The coffin was closed. The air was working. The lights were illuminated. The machine was rotating all her limbs up, down and sideways as she continued to sleep in the coma from the accidentally cliff fall four days ago. The monitors were beeping with a soft musical tone of sweet tings like a tiny belle.

He exhaled with a smile and reached out, gently patting the smooth glass with a nod. "You are fine. I am just checking, baby," he stared her underneath the glass as she looked peacefully asleep like a princess-charmed while waiting for her prince-charmed." He was the prince-charmed in the fairy tale story without the charming part or the proper fairy spell to awoken his sleeping princess-charmed.

He lifted up a sweaty hand into the air and exhaled with a huff of relief, back stepping from Rosebud, stopped and stood inside the quiet and cool hallway with a worried brow, slowly turning to the side and moved back into his master bedroom, pondering the deep thoughts of an uncertain future happiness with her and eventually returned back into the cool bed mattress without sleep.

On top the day bed, Nutelo tossed off the set of blankets down onto the floor and rolled off the bed, standing upright with a smile, slowly moving across the floor, ignoring the monitor screens. His chest gleamed in body sweat around a set of sculptured muscles. He wore a pair of long pajama pants in dark blue with a pair of naked feet, standing upright and stared with worry at Rosebud. She stopped and stood beside his nose profile with a giggle and a gasp, "Austin, good morning!"

He slowly turned a stern face to see the new nurse, "Morning! I did not mean to startle you awake. I was checking on Rosebud."

She flipped up a hand into the air near a grin. "O. She's fine and dandy. The machine works perfectly. Do you require anything like a meal or me? I can provide you with anything, Austin?"

He back stepped from the new nurse with a stern face and an alert mind, swiftly moving into the cool hallway of semi-darkness and away from the room. "That is very nice. I'm returning back to my room. Thank you, nurse..."

"Nutelo, my name is Nutelo." She slowly moved ahead with a smile toward Austin.

He spun around and dashed toward the steps and scoot over, climbing the staircase to the third floor and moved over the floor. Nurse Bossner slowly climbed the staircase with a grin coming from the kitchen door, since she had also eye witnessed the mysterious morning medical visit for Austin to Rosebud before Bossner had been reassigned the day shift of nursing duties. Nutelo stopped inside the hallway and spun around with a puzzled brow to see Austin. She was going to marry the man.

However, Austin seemed to be occupied with set of the mental thoughts only of Rosebud instead of Nutelo even after consuming a second cup of the love potion last night. He did not recognize the face or the name of Nutelo, only Rosebud. She could see his body movements and har his foot falls over the wooden floor, swiftly moving back into the second bedroom, stopping and stood in front of the glass coffin with a sour frown and a whisper for her eardrums only. "I don't like you. You are occupying his thinking thoughts. So, it is time..." she reached over the control panel toward the wrong button. A strange hand reached over and touched, snatching up the clip board of purple from the hard surface as the attached ink pen hit and slapped the knuckles of Nutelo. "Ouch!" She frowned and cuddled the injured hand.

Bossner stood behind the back spine on Nutelo with a smirk. "How is the patient doing?"

Nutelo stared at Rosebud with a sour frown, "Fine and dandy!"

"Good! I need to review all the charts. Please go downstairs and start the coffee pot for me and Nurse Wormley. We enjoy a fresh cup during our working shift. And then you can start preparing all the breakfast items for Dr. Berrington's morning meal. You can also eat your breakfast too. But remember to clean up after your mess?"

Nutelo side stepped away from the control panel and the front of Bossner and spun around from the glass coffin, turning with a soft sneer and a sour frown to see the nose profile on Bossner, moving ahead toward the open archway and exited the room for her maid cleaning duty.

Bossner stood in place and continued to read all the medical charts, reviewing all the monitors for any change in the medical presentation of Rosebud that her physician doctor Jackson needed to know.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with bright moonlight and stars

House of the Mistress

She swiftly drove the older model car with sneer of loud curse words away from Coral Beach after receiving a long-winded verbal reprimand from Nurse Bossner or Nurse Bossy, rubbing one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She had been gainfully employed at the Berrington manor working indirectly for Austin through a medical nursing personal agency. Her eight and one-half hour work shift started at seven in the evening until three-thirty in the morning of the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN.

On the roadway, Nutelo turned the car and slowed the speed over the ratty driveway toward a two-story private home within the city of Doral which was empty without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard. She killed the engine and cracked open the door, sliding out and stood silence in the night air, wearing a pair of hospital yellow colored scrubs which was highlighted with red colored food stains from a messy meal at the manor. She gently closed the door without awaking the dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard also.

She moved ahead and reached out toward the knob, opening the unlocked side weather beaten red colored wooden door of a two-story green colored cider block house, strolling into the semi-darkness.

2nd floor level

Den room interior setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of naked creaking wooden steps toward a single dull tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood of the closed door as tan colored sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. She entered the dull peach colored tiny den room within the semi-darkness of the white rays of moonlight and stopped, sliding down into the brown colored ratty oversized chair with a sad face. "Things are not going well for me with Austin. I almost had a problem but I fixed it good."

"Explain, child!" The Mistress sat inside the second ratty blue colored cloth oversized chair with a frown and a low scratchy voice in a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of thick fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around diameter of the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet, and a matching ring which were made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in an array of flashing tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone on top of a set of white ankle length dress with a high collar and long sleeves. "Did Berrington drink my potion in the warm milk?"

She exhaled with a worried brow. "Austin left the house. He was gone when I had arrived from the late afternoon through the late, late evening with those three nosy and rude brothers of his and then came back to the house at night..."

The Mistress gasped. "Berrington was gone from his house and his Rosebud until nightfall. Why did he leave Rosebud and the house? This is very odd behavior."

She nodded. "Yeah, he played golf all day and night with his nosy and rude brothers."

"This is an issue."

"Why is this, an issue? What does that mean, an issue? You can just gimme me some more three teabags of yellow powder for each one of the three nosy and rude brothers."

"I mentioned before that the bond of love is very strong. The band of the four brothers possesses a bond of love for the past one hundred and seventy years. My magic cannot break, bend, bash...

"...or bother me." She frowned. "Austin almost didn't drink the powder inside the liquid." The Mistress gasped and stared at Nutelo. This was the first time that Nutelo was working toward her own personal goal to marry the handsome and rich Austin, so she wanted the Mistress to experience a fine taste of the drama and the excitement too. She nodded with a smile. "Well, I arrived for my new job as usual. And that doctor was there..."

"Jace Justin Jackson, MD, his spirit is strong around Berrington too," the Mistress hissed. "You must be very cautious of him."

"Duh!" She flipped a hand into the air near a frown. "You had already warned me to be cautious of everyone and see everything. So, I am doing that. Back to my story, Jackson had to examine Rosebud and I had to help and do things for him like a real nurse too. I was a big help. And I was up there with him and her for three hours..."

"The medical condition of Rosebud is progressing excellently."

She gasped with shock and then smiled with a nod. "Yeah, that was what Jackson finally concluded after two hours of medical work also. Anyways, he left the house. I was all alone. Austin was gone. He went to dinner with his three nosy brothers. He was gone all night. I almost panicked. I didn't see him before hand to give him the powder..."

"Did you give him the powder?"

She nodded with a smile. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'm getting to the good part. I heard him arrive back at home with one of his brothers around eleven o'clock at night. I had prepared a cup of warm milk for a late night snack, so he would consume the milk."

"Good plan, child!"

"Well, when he entered the manor, he wasn't alone. That nosy lawyer was with him, pulling and yanking his arm whining for him to sleep the evening at his house, like Sawyer was having a sleep-over for the boy-kids." I laughed. "Sawyer is a nut case..."

"Brilliance is packaged in different forms. Do not forget that. Sawyer is a very cunning, crafty and clever man who uses his brains to solve problems and his heart to help people."

"Tom gets a heart. The way he acts, he so, so arrogant to everyone, treats people like...different."

"Sawyer possesses multiple personalities it would seem but he is a very deep caring person."

"Whatever! Austin finally tossed the man out of his house to go home and sleep. When Austin approached me as I was standing on the steps, I presented the small trays of delights, cookies and milk. At first, Austin didn't want any more food. But I mentioned how relaxing warm milk is to the mind, he relented."

"Clever, child."

"Austin drank his milk before my eyes and wants to sleep inside his room without that girl. He does sleep in a great big beautiful master bedroom alone. You should see the room..."

"Did the black hair nurse drink the cup of yellow colored tea? Was she happy?"

She nodded with a smile, "O yeah. Wormley enjoyed and wanted a second cup."

The Mistress leaned over and handed a paper bag with a smile. "Here is another powder mixture for...."

She gasped and accepted the paper bag with a sour frown. "Another one, when does this end? I can't keep coming up with excuses for him to drink his milk. The man's not a child."

The Mistress nodded. "There are two pouches of two different colored powders. The white one is for Berrington and the yellow one is for the nurse. It is very important that the nurse receives another teabag of my potion. The nurse could spoil everything. And you have made a valid point, child. We must concentrate on a new angle."

"Wormley, can't you just kill her?" She frowned.

The Mistress gasped with alarm. "Murder is a heavenly sin. Do you murder anything, child!"

She exhaled, "All right! I'm thinking out loud. What angle are you talking about?"

"Do you cook or bake or food creations?"

"I don't really cook anything special but noodles. I don't bake stuff like brownies or cookies. Do you want me to bake the powder in a batch of homemade cookies?"

Mistress reached out and grabbed an old book from the side table, drawing into her old eyeballs, slowly turning the page to the text and ripped out the page, handing to Nutelo. "This is a very old recipe for a batch of very simple drop chocolate cookies in which you can make."

"Do I place the powder into the mixture?"

"No, you are to place the powder in the coffee. Then you can serve him both the cup of hot coffee and the plate of cookies on a pretty tray with a vase of tiny roses?"

"He only likes milk."

The Mistress frowned. "Tsk! Coffee is so commonly consumed. You can make a batch of cookies for tonight and offer him one for a simple taste, after he tastes the cookies rich with heavy chocolate and dough, he will need to drink. You can present another cup of milk with the powder."

She nodded with a smile. "Great plan! I can do that. I can bake something for my future husband."

The Mistress exhaled with a nod. "I have another task for you, tonight, as well. You will bake the plates of cookies and place the white powder in the warm milk and then leave him alone for the night. There will be no talking and no hanging around his physical body and his spiritual essence. I need to access his aura."

She gasped. "Why? What are you doing to him? Why are getting into his head? Why do you need to do that? I want to access his essence."

"Shush, child! I am preparing him for your upcoming wedding as your future husband."

She giggled with a nod. "Okay. Well, it's about time."

"Now, I also need a sample from his physical body, such like, a tore off finger nail or a few pieces of hair strands."

She gasped. "Why? What for? You need for me to get hair from his body. That's not easy to do."

"The best method would be to access his toiletry kit and remove hairs from his comb or pluck them from the bathroom floor."

She frowned, "Yucky move on the second way! I'll get some from his comb in the bathroom. Is that it? Are we almost close to finishing your love brew?"

"Listen, child. This is not love that I am dealing with. You give him the mixture of powder in a cup of milk along with a new batch of three homemade cookies, no more. Then you will bring me the body item tomorrow at the same time."

"Yes, Mistress," she stood upright with a nod and a grin finally learning to obey the Mistress, since Nutelo was getting closer to becoming Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. She side stepped from the chair, spinning around with a giggle and moved to the closed door, gently opening the door and rushed down the staircase, exiting the mint green cider block house, dashing ahead toward her rusty blue colored compact car with a smile. Nutelo needed to find a grocery store and purchase all the food items for a plate of homemade cookies while working her chef magic inside the old kitchenette with a giggle.

6:54 p.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with bright sunset of greens and oranges

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo slowly drove ahead under the posted speed limit of ten miles-per-hour directly from the second sentry gate and stopped, parking the old blue rusty colored car far away from the edge of the property line near the grove of palm trees and arrived on time for her nursing work. The covered veranda was crowded with a set of colorful glittering limousines. The street was lined with vans. She bounced up and down inside the driver's seat with a clap and a cheer, "Bitch-monster has died," she slammed an elbow into the door, opening it and slid out in the set of yellow nursing scrubs and a pair of white nursing shoes, spinning around and ran as fast as her short fat legs could carry and halted with a set of deep breathes. She continued to speed walk and turned, entering through and open garage portal as required slamming the kitchen door to see a nice surprise and halted with a giggle.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

The kitchen had people preparing, cooking, cleaning and fixing meals for supper. The numerous kitchen workers were well-dressed working personal that wear a white shirt and a pair of dark blue pants. Some people worked at the counter tops. Some people toted around trays of food above the hair roots, moving in and out of the archway into the Florida room. She bounced up and down with wicked joy and a whisper. "It was a wake for the dead..."

"Nutelo..."

She spun around with a smile to see Nurse Wormley in silence.

Wormley nodded with a smile. "Dr. Berrington has guests who are only his family members. They eat together once a week at one of the mansions. Today, the brothers have selected Dr. Berrington's home. You are to stay away from the kitchen, the dining room, the bedrooms, and the house. Your nursing duties are not needed tonight..."

She gasped. "But I get paid when I work. I need to..."

"You get paid for play too like me. I am dismissed from my nursing duties also.

She frowned. "Why? I'm fired."

Wormley exhaled with a smirk. "Not yet!"

She gasped. "What?"

Wormley pointed through the open archway of the dining room with a smile and a nod, where there were sets of loud laughter and voices, particularly from Sawyer. "The brothers are entertaining tonight. Thus, our nursing services are not needed for the nighttime. Dr. Jackson is always an invited guest of the Band of Brothers. He is here. He is physician, which is her attending doctor of Miss Ruff. Thus, we are not needed tonight. Tomorrow morning, I will return back here to the Berrington manor very, very early to monitor Miss Ruff. Thus, you receive a night off of work with paid."

She gasped. "But..."

"There is no need for your work. You will be paid."

"Yes Nurse Wormley," Nutelo faked a smile, since she needed to think swiftly. Austin needed to drink the love potion powder tonight to marry Nutelo. "Yeah, I'm happy to have a night off. Can I have cold beverage outta frig for my drive back home?"

Wormley nodded with a smile. "Of course, you may. Please, prepare a plate of food while on your way out from the estate also."

"Thanks, Nurse Wormley!" Nutelo spun around with a giggle and swung back around with a grin. "O. I forget."

Wormley sneered. "What did you forget?"

She lifted and wiggled the clear colored plastic bag of two tea bags of yellow in the air with a giggle. "I brought you some more of my mom's special blended tea bags, if you want it."

Wormley reached out and snatched the plastic bag, staring with a smile down at the tea bags. "Thank you, Nurse Nutelo! This treasure is very thoughtful. I will be leaving now. Please prepare you plat of food and quickly depart from the manor. I will see you tomorrow in the evening of seven as usual for the start of your nursing work shift," she moved ahead with a smile and cuddled the plastic bag of tea, exiting the kitchen door into the night air. The door silently closed.

Nutelo spun around and dashed to the refrigerator, opening the door, reaching out and snatched the carton of sweet milk, back stepping to see each worker and side stepped toward an array of food trays like she was going to prepare a plate of food. She slowly shuffled around between the workers and stopped in front of the rows coffee cups, grabbing and poured out the cold milk down into the cup. She spun around and breathed down on the cup like she was sipping and watched each worker.

Then her chance materialized.

All the workers were inside the dining room waiting a hand and a foot on the Quartet.

Nutelo swiftly shuffled toward open archway that led into the Florida room without any company and slowly sipped the beverage, moving ahead without stopping. If she encountered one of the nasty Quartet brothers, she would explain that she needed a potty break, since that excuse had worked since the beginning of time. The loud noise was coming out from the dining room, not the Florida room. The entire Quartet and the wives plus Jackson were inside the dining room which jaunted off the side of the kitchen.

7:10 p.m.

2nd floor level

First guest bedroom interior setting of Nurse Wormley

She exited the kitchen and turned, dashing up the staircase with a pounding heart and a racing pulse, not seeing any strange or familiar faces. Austin must drink the love potion powder tonight before midnight. Or she would not ever marry him. She continued up the steps and didn't encounter an obstacle on any floor, scooting off the staircase, running over the second level floor directly into the bedroom of Wormley. No face would look for her there, since Wormley had gone home. She entered the room and scooted around the bed, squatting down into the wall corner like she was still shitting out a set of nasty turds, listening with the eardrums, closing the eyelashes.

The voice on Tom shouted with the usual loud, rude, and obnoxious tenor timber.

Nutelo whispered for her eardrums only. "That man was an annoying ant at the annual company picnic table. His brothers must love Tom while allowing Sawyer to act so rude and crude all the damn time."

The conversation was becoming louder throughout the house as the party of eight was moving out from the dining room into the Florida room. Each voice sound echoed off the sky lights and bounced around the high cathedral ceiling and finally into the eardrums of Nutelo. She stood upright and dashed to the cracked door, leaning an eyeball between the cracks of the partially closed bedroom door to see Tom. Sawyer was moving around the open floor with a smile, waving a hand, holding a bourbon beverage in the other.

She whispered for her eardrums only. "I will change all of this and that when I'm Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. First, we are moving from Coral Beach and the three nosy brothers. Second, we are flying away from the State of Florida. Third, we are eloping with marriage tomorrow. Fourth, we are exiling the rest of the Quartet brothers and sisters."

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Tom moved around the floor and stopped, standing in the middle of the Florida room with a smile, lifting up the tumbler of brown liquid near a smile with a nod, "A toast to the..."

"Stop saying that!" Frank sat and hugged his wife Misty Marie inside a pink and white alternative vertical stripped long sofa with a sneer.

Tom turned and smiled at Frank "Why not? No one can hear me."

"Gawd, Tom!" Stu sat and hugged his wife Gracie inside the pink and white colored square print design long sofa with a smile and a laugh. "The working evil dead can hear your loud and obnoxious timber voice all the way down to hell."

Frank continued to hug Misty Marie with a sneer. "Tom's drunk, Stu. Arrest his ass!"

Stu continued to hug Gracie with a laugh and a grin. "I'm not a police officer. But I'm a going to be retired soonest."

Tom motioned with hand and a smile. "Say it! Say the word out loud..."

"Does this mean I get a pay raise, Austin?" Jace sat and hugged his partner Arnold on top of a pink and white alternative horizontal stripped loveseat slapping a chest with a smile.

Austin sat alone inside the pink tinted leather oversized chair and turned with a gasp and a nod. "Well, Jace, I haven't thought about it. If you want a pay raise..."

"I am only joshing with you, Austin. Enjoy your new life to come when you finally retire!" Jace lifted the beverage with a nod.

Austin exhaled with a smile, "I apology too. I am deep in thought with a very different reason."

Misty Marie stood upright from the sofa and moved away from Frank, approaching and leaned down, touching the arms of Austin. Berrington stood upright with a smile. She leaned down and hugged him, pulling back with a smile and a nod. "We all think and pray for Rosebud every morning and every night, Austin."

Austin hugged her and pulled back with a smile. "You are very kind-hearted, Misty. Thank you very much. I really appreciate all the prayers and the good thoughts."

Tom stood in place and lifted up the bourbon beverage into the air with a cheer and a smile. "I propose a wonderful toast to Rosebud and Austin, who will be together soonest and foreverly. Have faith, my brother! Cheers!"

Inside the first guest bedroom, Nutelo gasped in alarm. The brothers knew that the health of Rosebud was getting better like the Mistress had foretold also. This was a very bad progression sign for Nutelo.

The other brothers and sisters stood upright in silence and then slipped one gulp of a beverage while pausing and praying for Rosebud. Then, each one sat back down with a smile and enjoyed the rest of the evening while loud sounds of chats, giggles, and laughs about all the good, bad, and future times as the Quartet.

Nutelo wondered if they were taking an individual cot into the second floor for the weekly slumber party with the comatose patient which was a sick idea. She had never seen people who were so close to each spending so much time together. To think, each brother had a bank account with billions and billions of dollars to go anywhere, for anytime and do anyhow to see the world. But here, they stayed while laughing and insulting each other like a bundle of stupid monkeys eating fleas off the other's one head.

She whispered for her eardrums only. "I will change all of this and that when I'm Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth," Nutelo back stepped from the cracked space between the door and the wall, bumping into the wall and slid back down onto the floor near the cup of milk. She reached down and pulled out the bag of three cookies with a sigh. Austin will not be hungry for a rich cookie snack after eating a full plate of food. She opened the bag and reached inside the clear plastic, jerking out and crumbled up part of one sugar cookie into a powder of white tinted fine dust, sprinkling the dust over the milk while stirring with a finger. She dared not lick that wet finger with the love potion and reached over, wiping a finger into the clean bed linens with a growl. She leaned back into the wall and continued to crumble, sprinkling over half the cookie down into the cup of cold milk that turned into a yellow consistence and slightly thick like a cup of holiday eggnog. Austin might refuse to drink it if it was too thick and yellow colored.

Her eardrums heard the constant laughter coming up the staircase and hitting the rafters at the fun-time social party of the Quartet and as she leaned back into the wall and closed the eyelids, resting onto the floor, taking a short catnap. The night was young and she was tired of the silly drama.

11:49 p.m.

First guest bedroom interior setting of Nurse Nutelo

Her eardrums heard the loud noise down stairs inside the Florida room and as her eyelashes opened to view the yellow painted forward wall. Nutelo gasped in alarm. The voice on Tom shouted up to the rafters, _"A good night to all and to all a goodnight!"_

Nutelo gasped in alarm while forgetting about a stray of hair from the comb of Austin for the Mistress. The Mistress needed the DNA specimen for something special, so Austin would fall in love and marry Nutelo. Nutelo reached over and grabbed the cup of warm milk, standing upright and spilled cold liquid over both knuckles dashing toward the partially closed door while still spilling more cold liquid over her knuckles and stopped, staring into the crack between the door and the wall frame.

The Quartet, the wives, and the guests stood upright and slowly moved ahead and stopped, standing on the front porch with Austin. The door was opened.

The voice of Stu laughed. _"Copyrighted by Santa Clause, asshole! You need to use your brains and come up with a more original farewell line for the night with the Quartet, Tom."_

" _I agree with my brother Stuart. The Quartet is very original and unique."_ The voice of Frank laughed.

The voice on Tom laughed. _"Okay. Here goes my new and original farewell! A great night to all, but asshole Stu! And to all, but asshole Stu, a great night!"_ Each brother and sister laughed out loud but the sneer of Gage.

The voice of Jace laughed. _"Typical silly humor from a brotherly and unfriendly Tom!"_

The voice of Jane frowned. _"That's not funny to all, Tom."_

The voice of Frank laughed _. "That's nice to all, but Stu."_

" _Get out and good night to all now! I'm tired and wanna go to bed."_ The voice of Austin laughed.

Inside the first guest bedroom on the second floor, Nutelo slammed through the wooden door in pain and dashed ahead toward the staircase, scooting up the steps and dashed onto the third floor, entering the master bedroom of Austin, hearing the voices outside on the front porch.

" _Good night Austin!"_

" _Night, Austin!"_

" _Be well, Austin!"_

" _Nighty-nite, Austin!"_

" _Later, Austin!"_

" _Sweet dreams, Austin!"_

" _Sleep well, bro!_

" _Love ya, Austin!"_

Inside the master bedroom, Nutelo dashed ahead and entered the bathroom, stopping and scanned the cleanest bathroom in the world, seeking a piece of stray hair and found it. She reached out with the other hand and snatched up the comb that contained a few stray black colored hairs of Austin, slipping the personal comb into the front pocket of her nursing top with a smile. She spun around and spilled more liquid over the knuckles and the clean floor, dashing ahead, exiting the master bedroom with a smile. She moved down the staircase with a smile without hearing the other loud voices but the roaring of engines. It was too close to midnight, so all the nosy Band of nosy three Brothers and three Sisters finally had left the mansion and Austin for the evening.

11:55 p.m.

Hot temperatures with bright stars and moonlight

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Both the set of front doors closed shut in silence.

Austin back stepped with a smile from a nice evening with all his family members, rubbing the dull aching headache at the template while burping out loud from the good food. He had not been eating a daily and nightly proper meal as usual. His stomach was full and tight from the food meal. His mind was deeply worried. His body was a few pounds lighter. He slowly spun around with a worried brow for Rosebud and slowly moved toward the stairs for bedtime, pondering Rosebud.

Inside the first guest bedroom, Nutelo slammed open the bedroom door that didn't hit into the yellow wall of paint and reached down, grabbing the cup of milk, standing upright and dashed from room, running down the steps and leaped in front of Austin while spilling some of the milk out of the coffee cup over her hands and the staircase with a smile.

"Damn it to hell!" He halted and back stepped down to the lower step with a gasp and a startled look at her.

"Hi Austin," Nutelo held the cup of cold milk with the love potion powder and swayed side to side with a smile.

He exhaled. "Nurse, I didn't know you were here upstairs in my house. I thought you were told..."

She nodded with a smile. "Nurse Wormley told me to stay inside the bedroom and not to interfere with your fun. It sounded like a great fun party...."

I would have invited you down to join us at the dinner table. I'm sorry that I wasn't aware of your presence in the house."

She smiled. "No prob! I brought you a cup of warm milk..."

"No thank you!" He reached down and gently rubbed the stomach with a smile. "I am absolutely filled with food from that delicious dinner."

"Have about a cup of warm milk...?"

"No thanks. I really tired. I'm going to bed. Good night!"

She pouted. "One little nightcap to ensure happy dreams."

He exhaled. "No thank you, nurse..."

"Nutelo," she snapped and then smiled with a soft tone. "Please, Austin! I waited up for you all night. It is almost midnight. Should you hold a house party so late at night?"

He exhaled with a huff of annoyance and reached out, grabbing the cup of cold milk, lifting to the lips and sipped a tiny amount of the cold milk without a sour frown to satisfy the young girl who didn't like act like a nurse. He dropped down the cup with a fake smile and a nod, holding the teacup in both hands. "Thank you, nurse..."

"Nutelo," she snapped and then smiled with a soft tone. "You're welcome, Austin! I am here to wait on you."

He smiled. "Nurse Nutelo! I am preparing to retire. Please watch over Rosebud for me," nodding.

She gasped and then nodded with a wicked grin. "Sure. Of course, I will, Austin."

"Excellent! Good night, again," Austin scooted around her and climbed the rest of the steps with a deep sigh and a sour frown, carrying the cup of room temperature milk hoping he didn't get sick. He would tattle to Jace, tomorrow, instead of Nurse Wormley, who was clearly not able to handle the young rebel nurse. Austin found that all the younger females could not resist his manly charms while softly chuckling and scooted off the staircase, entering his master suit. Interestingly enough, his headache was subsiding. He guessed that the sweet milk helped even when it was drunk at semi-warm air temperature. He closed the door and burped loud with a chuckle.

Nutelo slowly spun around to see his back spine with a smile and had already stolen the personal hair comb during the fun time party to give to the Mistress. The master bedroom door closed shut. She had wished for a personal invitation from him to share a plate of food but next time. She spun around and dashed down the staircase with an ugly yawn, entering the kitchen. Some of the workers were cleaning and packing up the gear.

She prepared three plates of good food and moved inside, eating inside the dining room like a princess, consuming all the food and stood upright from the dining room chair and stretched out the cramping toes inside a pair of thickly padded nursing shoes with a series of musical loud burps that was followed with an individual loud obnoxious laughter. She back stepped from the chair and the table, moving toward the open archway while making a great big mess. Some of the workers mumbled a light complaint in the waves which exited both eardrums of Nutelo. She didn't care, since Nutelo was about to Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth tomorrow.

She exited the dining room and the kitchen, slowly strolling up the staircase with more musical out loud burps, looking down in to the Florida room. The room was shiny and pretty. All the medical textbooks were missing which made the room looked polished and comfortable. She would enjoy more fun activities with Austin tomorrow night.

She scooted off the staircase and moved over the second floor to check on Rosebud.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Nutelo stopped and stood inside the archway with a loud burp, rubbing a bloated and full tummy of good food, staring with a growl at the double rows of fresh cut flowers that surrounded the two side walls of yellow paint. "Shit!" Each thoughtful Quartet family member had visited the self-contained glass morgue paying a respect promise to the zombie dead girl Rosebud. Now, Nutelo must get rid of Rosebud immediately. The dramatic morgue parlor continued to remind the Quartet that Ruff was alive and well, not dead and buried from each pair of eyeballs.

Austin was still too physically and mentally connected to her almost dead body that rotated up and down inside the glass coffin by a cold machine. So, Nutelo needed to get rid of the comatose body tonight.

Now, there won't be any more visitors during the nighttime. The Quartet and their wives had a full belly and were gone from the Berrington manor. The catering company workers were slowly exiting through the kitchen doors and would leave in a few more minutes from the Berrington manor. Wormley was gone also.

However, Nutelo wasn't gone but needed to get control of the mind and the body of Austin. The Mistress had been feeding connecting to Austin through the love potion powder in the numerous beverages, so she could control his mind, but it didn't seem to be working to Nutelo.

So, Nutelo could do it through her love touch while staring tomorrow.

Now, she pondered deep thoughts of a single exactly killing method to rid the manor of Ruff. The best killing method was a mixture of oxygen and hydrogen like Rosebud had really suffocated and died, except the machine would record the death and her hand motions. She whispered for her eardrums only, "Not tonight, darling! But I will get you tomorrow night."

Tuesday September 21st

2:18 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

Home of Austin

2nd floor level

Last guest bedroom interior setting of Nutelo

**S** he awoke from the refresh nap with a loud grunt sleeping since midnight with a tongue of mouth drool and a set of sleepy crumbs inside each eyeball, wiping both dirty body fluids from a face, sitting upright inside the day bed with an ugly yawn and watched for a sleeping walking Austin to flirt and giggle with him.

2:31 a.m.

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

Inside the master bedroom, "Rosebud," he sat upright with a whisper on top of the bed mattress of pink colored satin sheet with a worried brow, staring ahead at the same pink colored forward wall and rolled to the side, standing and dashed out the bedroom.

He scooted around the wall corner and dashed down the staircase, sliding around the banister, running into the second door on the left and stopped, standing inside the archway with a worried bro while his worry turned into a sigh of relief.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom of Rosebud

He slowed entered the room and stopped, standing in front of the glass coffin with a worried brow and as, his pair of eyeballs darted and studied each electronic monitor screen, examining her medical condition and then her sleeping body. The princess was there. The coffin was closed. The air was working. The lights were illuminated. The machine was rotating all her limbs up, down and sideways as she continued to sleep in the coma from the accidentally cliff fall four days ago. The monitors were beeping with a soft musical tone of sweet tings like a tiny belle.

He exhaled with a smile and reached out, gently patting the smooth glass with a nod. "You are fine. I am just checking, baby," he stared her underneath the glass as she looked peacefully asleep like a princess-charmed while waiting for her prince-charmed." He was the prince-charmed in the fairy tale story without the charming part or the proper fairy spell to awoken his sleeping princess-charmed.

He lifted up a sweaty hand into the air and exhaled with a huff of relief, back stepping from Rosebud, stopped and stood inside the quiet and cool hallway with a worried brow, slowly turning to the side and moved back into his master bedroom, pondering the deep thoughts of an uncertain future happiness with her and eventually returned back into the cool bed mattress without sleep.

On top the short day bed, Nutelo reached down and tossed off all the blankets onto the floor, rolling off the bed, standing upright with a smile, slowly moving across the floor, ignoring all the active medical monitor screens on Ruff. His chest gleamed in body sweat around a set of sculptured muscles. He wore a pair of long pajama pants in dark blue with a pair of naked feet, standing upright and stared with worry at Rosebud. She stopped and stood beside his nose profile with a giggle and a gasp, "Austin, good morning!"

He slowly turned a stern face to see the new nurse, "Good morning! I was checking on Rosebud."

She flipped up a hand with a grin. "She's okay. Do you require anything like a meal or me? I can provide you with anything at anytime and anywhere like now or later this morning."

He back stepped from the new nurse with a stern face and an alert mind, swiftly moving into the cool hallway of semi-darkness and away from the room. "I am returning back to my room. Thank you, nurse..."

"Nutelo, my name is Nutelo." She slowly moved ahead with a smile toward Austin.

He spun around and dashed toward the steps and scoot over, climbing the staircase to the third floor and moved over the floor. Nurse Bossner slowly climbed the staircase with a grin coming from the kitchen door, since she had also eye witnessed the mysterious morning medical visit for Austin to Rosebud before Bossner had been reassigned the day shift of nursing duties. Nutelo stopped inside the hallway and spun around with a puzzled brow to see Austin. She was going to marry the man.

However, Austin seemed to be occupied with set of the mental thoughts only of Rosebud instead of Nutelo even after consuming a second cup of the love potion last night. He did not recognize the face or the name of Nutelo, only Rosebud. She could see his body movements and har his foot falls over the wooden floor, swiftly moving back into the second bedroom, stopping and stood in front of the glass coffin with a sour frown and a whisper for her eardrums only. "You are still inside his mind. Well, can you read my mind? It is time..." she reached over the control panel toward the wrong button. A strange hand reached over and touched, snatching up the clip board of purple hue from the hard surface as the attached ink pen hit and slapped the knuckles of Nutelo. "Ouch!" She frowned and cuddled the injured hand into her breasts with a confused brow.

Bossner stood behind the back spine on Nutelo with a smirk. "How is the patient doing?"

Nutelo stared at Rosebud with a sour frown, "The same!"

"Good! You can leave..."

Nutelo spun around with a gasp to see Nurse Bossner with a stunned face. "What?"

She looked down and reviewed the clip board with a smirk. "Your work shift has been cut in half. There is no need for the early morning shift. Rosebud is doing fine and dandy. And the machine equipment possesses with an array of sensors and monitors for an emergency. I am your replacement. You are discharge right now. You need to gather your personal possessions and leave the manor for the morning. You will return at ten pm to start the graveyard shift where you will work from seven pm to midnight. So you may leave for the morning. Enjoy your sleep! You are to report back at seven pm in the evening to start your new working shift. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Nurse Bossner!"

"I need to review all the charts. Please go downstairs and start the coffee pot for me and Nurse Wormley. We enjoy a fresh cup during our working shift. And then you can start preparing all the breakfast items for Dr. Berrington's morning meal. You can also eat your breakfast meal here too. But remember to clean up after your mess?"

Nutelo spun around from the glass coffin with a soft sneer and a sour frown to see the nose profile on Bossner, moving ahead toward the open archway and moved ahead toward the staircase to start the new tasks of the modified job with a sad face.

Bossner stood in place inside the second bedroom and continued to read all the medical charts, reviewing all the monitors for any change in the medical presentation of Rosebud that her physician Doctor Jackson needed to know.

4:31 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Light rain and warm temperatures with no moonlight

House of the Mistress

She swiftly drove the older blue colored model car with sneer of loud curse words from Coral Beach after receiving a long-winded verbal reprimand from Nurse Bossner or Nurse Bossy, rubbing one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She had been gainfully employed at the Berrington manor working indirectly for Austin through a medical nursing personal agency. Her eight and one-half hour work shift started at seven in the evening until three thirty in the morning on the graveyard shift, where she was employed as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN.

On the roadway, she turned off the city street and sped over the ratty driveway bumping into each pothole with a force along with an out loud curse word out of sync, steering toward the familiar two-story private home within the city of Doral which was empty without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and sat inside the interior of the car, wiping off the tears of worry and slammed the closed door. The poor door cried in metal pain and swiftly opened up. She slid out and stood with a wobble side to side and wiped off the tears of worry, exhaling all of her frustration with the new job that prevented her from marrying Austin. Her money-making work shift had been cut in half along with the new paycheck on the first week of employment.

She would be leaving the job at midnight, so Nurse Bossy could take over the new duties. She didn't want to inform the Mistress. The Mistress would be really mad and angry at Nutelo for screwing up the grand opportunity.

Nutelo slammed both hands down over the wrinkled nursing scrubs with a gasp, feeling the personal comb of Berrington, reaching down into the pocket and jerked out the comb near a face as the moonlight rays gleamed into the dull tan colored hair tool. She gasped with a new worry. The comb was empty of hair strands that represented the freely gathered hair follicles from Austin. The tiny hair strands must have dropped down and hidden inside the lining of the naked pocket inside her nursing jacket. She placed a hand back down into the same pocket and touched the lint, the sand grains, the food crumbs, not feeling a single tiny hair strand.

The Mistress would be very upset and mad at Nutelo for interfering with the witchy magic. Nutelo started crying with worry and fear. Dropping down a skull and shook her dark brown hair over the naked comb, a few hair strands dropped down and landed on top of the teeth in silence. Nutelo jerked an upper body upright to see the comb with a smile and a whisper, "Hair is hair!"

She carefully placed the comb with the two hair strands from Nutelo on top of the metal rooftop and reached down, touching the floor trash inside the floor board on her car. She found one of the empty tiny clear plastic bags that came from the Mistress, where it had been sealed with a single teabag for Nurse Wormley.

Nutelo stood upright in the seat and opened the lip of plastic bag, gently moving the comb from the rooftop and down into the pouch with a smile. "Yeah, the hair strand of Austin, we are both dark haired. The Mistress has never met Austin before in her life. And she will never meet him either," she zipped the lip of the plastic bag with a giggle.

She moved ahead and scooted around the car, leaving the door open, so the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the rusty old car. She moved ahead and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked side red colored door of the mint green cider block two-story house.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps toward a single tan colored door and gently opened the ratty wood as a set of tan sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. Nutelo slowly entered the small room of dull peach tone with a stern face and hid a set of deep worries of future unemployment of the new nursing job and losing all the true hair strands of Austin and stopped, sliding down into the ratty brown colored chair with a soft timber. She wiped off the sad tears with a worried heart, "Mistress..."

"Tell, child!" The Mistress said in a low scratchy voice to Nutelo, sitting inside an old ratty blue colored chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone in an ankle-length white dress.

"I did it."

"Did you give Berrington the plate of cookies and the potion in the cup of milk?"

"Yes, Mistress! I did it like you asked."

"Excellent, child!" The Mistress closed the eyelashes with a stern face, "Hmm! I sense something else."

She gasped. "What do you sense?"

"I still cannot connect directly into the mind of Berrington. I don't understand. The potion should have given me access by now. Thus, I have much work to do and so do you."

She exhaled with worry about the shorter hours of the new job, but Nutelo didn't want to tattle to the Mistress. "Yeah, I have my work to do too. My work shift starts at seven the evening and then it will end."

The Mistress opened the eyelashes and smiled with a set of yellow stained teeth. "You will be working all alone and staying all alone within the Berrington castle with him."

She gasped, "Really? Why is that? I don't understand."

"The nurse named Wormley will not be there today and either will the nurse named Bonner."

She gasped with a smile, "Really? Are you certain?"

"I am always correct and certain."

"But Nurse Bossy will be there instead. She is a bigger and uglier monster. She told me..."

"The brown headed nurse is also a thief of items."

She gasped. "How did you figure that one out? Did all your angels tattle into your mind?"

The Mistress smiled. "I did not need the heavenly angels. I called and tattled to the proper nursing medical personal agency. So, the agency has suspense her license and her employment immediately. The black hair woman will not be there at the Berrington mansion, today, either."

She clapped with a smile, "Yay!"

"Did you retrieve a few of the hair strands from Berrington?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did like you asked." Nutelo reached down into the front pocket of the blue nursing scrubs and pulled out the plastic bag that contained the comb with her true dark hair strands near a smile, "Yeah, I retrieved it from Austin's master bathroom. Here's the hair strands on a comb."

The eyeballs of the Mistress widen in shock. "Why did you steal his comb from his person?"

She flipped a hand into the air with a laugh. "He has plenty of them inside his personal bathroom. I had trouble finding this one with some hair on it. The bathroom floor and counter were cleaned. I guess there is a cleaning crew during the day when I'm asleep at my apartment."

The Mistress reached out and snatched up the plastic bag with the comb with a sour frown, pocketing it into the deep sleeve of the white dress. "Do not steal any more items, personal or otherwise! This is called thievery. You could be arrested by Berrington or one of his trustworthy brothers."

"Yes, Mistress!" She nodded with a wicked grin. "I got it. No one will notice."

"I would ask you to put it back, but someone might notice it was missing. Do not thief anymore!"

She nodded with a giggle. "Okay."

The Mistress leaned over and handed a new plastic bag to Nutelo with a stern face. "You must give Berrington a new mixture of white powder."

She gasped with alarm. "Are we also done here with this white powder stuff?"

The Mistress wiggled the plastic bag with the white powder. "I am almost done. Berrington will be into the finally adjustment phrase. This phrase will allow me to take over..."

She reached out and snatched the plastic bag of white power and placed it inside a pocket with soft sneer. "But Austin is mine to take over..."

"Hush, child!" The Mistress leaned over and handed a new clear plastic bag of yellow tinted teabags to Nutelo. "You are to give a set of new teabags to the nurse. Do as I say!"

Nutelo accepted the second bag and placed down into the front pocket of the scrubs with a stern face. "Yes, Mistress!"

The Mistress smiled with a set of yellow teeth. "Now, the black haired nurse must leave today.

She gaped. "How is that possible?"

"She is dizzy from my potion. You will return back to the Berrington manor immediately this morning and you must assume all the medical responsibilities for both Berrington and Rosebud, child."

"Okay. I can wait on my love Austin. But I wanna kill Rosebud this morning."

"Hush, child! Murder is a heavenly sin. Do not repeat that ever in front of me!"

She frowned, "Yes, Mistress!"

"You must return immediately back to the manor and shoo away the nurse and then you are to personal watch over and give the white powder to Berrington again and leave the comatose woman alone for now. I will deal with her when the time is right."

She exhaled, "Yeah! What about giving me a set of three teabags of yellow powder for the three nosy and rude brothers?"

"I mentioned before that the bond of love is strong. The band of the four brothers possesses a bond of love for the past one hundred and seventy years. My magic cannot break, bend, bash..."

Nutelo stood upright from the chair with sneer. "I know that. I will do as you ask. Bye!" She side stepped from the chair, spinning around with a giggle and moved to the closed door, gently opening the door and rushed down the staircase, exiting the mint green cider block house, dashing ahead toward her rusty blue colored compact car with a smile. She was keeping her job to see Austin, since the Mistress had taken care of the two nurses, especially nosy Nurse Bossner. Now, Nutelo needed to figure out how to rid the dead body of Rosebud without Austin becoming suspicious. Then they will be married and honeymoon in the Caribbean islands for six months. Then the three nosy brothers will be out of Austin's private life forever.

8:18 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Home location of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo had returned back to her tiny apartment to wash a dirt body and change out the set of dirty scrubs into a new set of yellow colored scrubs. She had to present the appearance of a working nurse even if she wasn't doing the job anymore. The Mistress could not control the three nosy brothers, since they existed on brotherly love or something magical. And Nutelo could get into trouble if Dr. Jackson appeared to inspect Rosebud.

On the Coral Lane city street within Coral Beach, she slowly drove down the avenue from the second sentry gate and stopped, parking the blue colored rusty older compact car behind the orange colored sedan vehicle of Wormley with a giggle, sliding out the car and entered through the unlocked set of entrance doors with a smile, turning to stare at Austin.

Inside the Florida room, Austin sat on top of the same spot and studied the piles of open medical textbooks while searching for a cure of a coma to revive Rosebud.

Nutelo moved ahead with a smile. "Good morning, Austin!"

He looked up with a smile and a nod. "Good morning, nurse..."

"Nutelo!" She snapped with fury and dashed ahead with a sour frown toward the staircase with a single purpose.

2nd floor level

First guest bedroom setting of Nurse Alice Wormley

Nutelo slammed open the partially closed bedroom door of the first guest room and stood inside the open archway with a smile, advancing ahead and stopped, standing over the sleeping fat woman with a giggle. "You are too tired to work. Get outta bed and go back to your personal home, Wormley!" Wormley wiggled side to side with a face of sweat, rolling off the side of the bed, standing upright with a wobble of dizziness, blinking both eyelashes open and shut to focus on Nutelo. Nutelo leaned down and mouth spat into the fat cheeks of Wormley. "Go home! You are tired. I will take over here." She back stepped with a smile at the tall nurse with a hiss. "Go home!"

"Yes, I will go home," Wormley slowly scooted around Nutelo, through the archway, over the floor and stopped, reaching out and touched the banister of the tall staircase with worry.

Nutelo spun around with a giggle and followed behind the ass of Wormley with a grin over the floor and down the staircase, stopping in front of the wooden railing with a smile, staring down at the hair roots on Wormley.

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Wormley landed on the ground floor and moved ahead toward the set of closed entrance doors with a confused brow, a tongue of mouth drool, rubbing both red colored eyeballs with puzzlement.

Nutelo giggled. "Stop, Wormley!" Wormley stopped and stood in place inside the middle of the room in front of the living room setting without talking to Austin. Nutelo giggled with a grin. "Turn around, Wormley!" Wormley slowly twirled around and stared at the far wall. Nutelo back stepped from the second floor wooden railing with a soft clap and a bright smile, running down the staircase and landed on the ground floor with a soft plop, dashed ahead and stopped in front of Wormley with a smile. She lifted up a clear bag of tea with a giggle and a grin. "Here you go! This is more of my mom's tea. Please place the tea leaves inside a teacup of warm water and drink to delightfulness. Nighty night, Wormley!" The older nurse did not move but blinked both eyelashes open and shut in confusion. Nutelo giggled with a grin. "Go home, Wormley!"

Wormley slowly swung around and moved toward the closed front door, opening the door and slowly moved toward her personal orange colored sedan. She slid down into the car and drove away from the mansion of Berrington and Coral Beach in silence.

Nutelo slammed the door with a wicked laugh and spun around to see Austin. He looked up with a confused brow to see the young nurse. "What has happened?"

She smiled with a nod. "It is nothing, darling! Wormley was sick with a bad cold and coughing. She does not need to treat Rosebud. Do you agree with me, Austin?"

He gasped. "I concur. I need to check on Rosebud," Austin slid the book to the side and stood upright, side stepping with a worried brow.

She growled. "Stay put, Austin! That's my nursing job now. Why are you doing with the stacks of medical books, Austin?"

He spun around and dashed ahead, moving up the staircase with worried brow and a shout. "I am busy...."

She stared and smiled at his back spine. "Would you like a plate of food, Austin?"

"No," his singular word echoed throughout the house and as Austin scooted onto the second floor and entered the modified hospital room with a worried mind, disappearing from the eyesight of Nutelo.

She nodded with a smile and a whisper. "Yes, you are hungry, my Austin. I will prepare you a breakfast plate of food, my darling. Then you can continue to work on the homework assignment until the Mistress occupies your mind sometime time today after you had drunk more of her love potion," she moved ahead with a smile and a soft laugh and entered the kitchen, preparing a plate of food for two people.

Kitchen setting

Nutelo first opened the food pantry doors and found a set of new boxes of freshly baked cookies, quickly preparing a few chocolate chip cookies onto one of the pretty fine china plates of pink tinted solid color with silver tinting from the upper cabinet with a soft hum of happiness. Then she mixed the white love potion powder inside a matching fine china teacup of fresh cold milk and placed the teacup without the sauce in the center of the plate. She surrounded the chocolate chip cookies with a circle of red ginger cookies on the same plate for beauty. Nutelo placed a small vase of cut flowers of pink roses and purple carnations that she had purchased at the grocery store before coming back to the house this morning inside a serving tray of light wood and placed the cookie plate next to the flower arrangement with a smile. She lifted the tray and slowly spun around, moving ahead out the kitchen and into the Florida room.

Florida room setting

Austin was absent from the sofa and inside the modified hospital room with Rosebud.

She sat the try of cookies and milk on top of one of the empty low tables in front of the loveseat, since the middle tables held piles of tall and short stacks of medical manuals. Nutelo back stepped and sat down inside the white leather chair, bouncing both feet with excitement. She was alone with Austin for the entire day and night without Nurse Bossy or Nurse Wormley. She didn't know what to do first during the morning and turned to see the second floor.

Austin was still there talking to the zombie girl Rosebud.

Nutelo stood upright with a smile and patted an empty stomach, needing a plate of food, spinning around and entered back into the kitchen to prepare a plate of breakfast food as she was hunger with Austin.

Kitchen setting

She stopped at the oven and reached out, feeling a dirty counter top. Wormley had done a terrible job of cleaning the dirty kitchen before she left for the day with the yellow tinted teabags.

Nutelo didn't see a plate of prepared breakfast food and didn't know how to cook a piece of raw meat either. Her father had prepared and cooked all the food for his daughter when alive. After his timely death with the gators in the Everglades, Nutelo ate all the meals at the hospital, cleaning off the plates of food from the leftovers inside the department refrigerator.

She stood at the counter and extended by arms touching the ugly granite of white and red marks with annoyance. There was not a plate of food.

She spun around and moved ahead to the refrigerator, stopping and opened the door with a gasp. The refrigerator contained shelves of food. Well, she could decorate a plate of various items like cheese, crackers, and a sandwich.

The Mistress had warned not to amend or interfere with the daily routine of Austin.

She exhaled with a sneer and a whisper. "Fuck!" She slammed the door and spun around, moving the food pantry, stopping and standing in place, surveying and shelves of food again with a furious whisper again. "That bitch! There is a plate of food for Austin." He could prepare another plate of food when the words of the Mistress echoed inside her head. She slammed the door shut with a loud cruse and swung around, scanning the space.

There was one more plate of food. She moved ahead toward the microwave and stopped, reaching up and stretched up all her tippy toes with a hum, opening the microwave door. There was not plat of food inside the microwave oven. She dropped down both hands over the stove oven and the toes over the floor. "Where is the food plate?" She stood there with a hiss and then a gasp, leaning down and grabbed the handle of the backing oven, dropping the lid down toward the floor. There was a plate of cold food of breakfast items on top of the oven rake. She reached inside with a sneer and grabbed the plate of food, lifting and landing the plate on top of the stove oven with a hiss, reaching out and touched the plate with a grunt. The food was cold. Wormley had not prepared anything but a heated plate.

She lifted and placed the heavy plate of food inside the oven. The bell sounded with a soft ting. She reached up and grabbed the door handle, lifting out the plate of food with a smile and a whisper. "I should eat with my future husband too this nice hot morning."

She rested the plate on top of the stove oven and spun around, moving ahead to the refrigerator and stopped with a giggle, opening the door and reached inside, grabbing a set of food items into both arms. She spun around with a grin, moving to the counter top and stopped, standing at the counter, quickly preparing her plate of food that consisted of a turkey sandwich, pickles, rice, black beans, carrot sticks, and sliced apples. She grabbed a large bag of potato chips and three sofas from the food pantry.

She wiped both dirty hands over the hospital scrubs uniform and side stepped, stopping and reached up, rummaging through all the cabinets inside the kitchen and found again the set of fine china plates and the row of delicate crystal goblets with a smile, decorating a pretty dining room table for two individuals, placing all the heated food on top of the plate. She fiddled and adjusted each plate, utensil, cloth napkin, goblet and finally the flower arrangement of blooming red roses making the table more pretty with a soft clap and a giggle.

She back stepped from the dining room table and stood inside the archway with a nod and a smile back pedaling through the kitchen archway and moving deeper into the Florida room. She had learned the layout of the Berrington mansion very quickly. Her legs hit the rear of the pink and white alternative vertical stripped long sofa which had not disturbed or perturbed Austin. He had returned from visiting Rosebud with more determination to work and to read about a come inside each medical textbook while jolting down more medical notes to find a cure for slumbering Rosebud.

9:09 a.m.

Florida room setting

The set of double doors opened and slammed to the side while creating more tiny dents into the pink tinted walls again. Tom entered inside and moved ahead into the Florida room first with a smile and waved both arms into the air with a laugh. "Austin! Get up, man! We got an answer. Austin, it's time to celebrate, not study. What are you studying for? Why are you studying for?" He rushed ahead with a giggle and stumbled over the low table, knocking over the tall stacks of books and landed right beside the body of Austin inside the sofa, wiggling both leathers into the air over the floor with a giggle.

"Tom!" Austin reached over with a sour frown and shifted the books to the opposite side from Sawyer.

"The Japs have accepted, Austin." Tom whispered with a smile into the face of Austin. "They have accepted our offer, man. Great news to me! Get up and get dressed, man!"

Nutelo spun around with a fake smile and a soft growl behind the long sofa to stare at the three nosy brothers that had invaded the Berrington manor again, scooting around the sofa and stopped, standing in front of the last low table in the row that held the tray of cookies, crossing both arms in silent fury at the love scene of the four brothers. Austin needed to consume the love potion powder inside the cup of cold milk. Milk would spoil very easily, if not refrigerator. But Nutelo didn't know if Austin would return before midnight to the manor again.

Stu dashed ahead with a smile from the front door second and stopped, standing at the sofa with Tom and Frank with a sour frown, "Back off, Tom! Let the man stand upright on his own two feet," he reached out and grabbed by the shirt collar on Tom with a sneer, standing Sawyer upright next to Gage with a soft growl as the peacemaker of the Quartet.

Tom bounced up and down in place next to Stu with joy, waving both arms in the air with a smile. "I'm excited. I'm elated. We're going to be..."

"Frank," Mangrove moved ahead from the front door and advanced toward the nurse, extending a hand to her with a smile. "I am so sorry for Tom's rudeness. I am Frank. You are..."

Tom back stepped and body slammed and collided with Frank with a giggle. They stopped. Sawyer pointed all the digits at Berrington with a grin. "She's the nurse. And Austin is the man," he swirled around in a completed circle with silliness and a giggle. "Go and get dressed, Austin! We all need to go to my office and sign tons of legal paperwork," he couldn't contain his happiness. Austin looked down at the casual attire and a pair of naked feet with a puzzled brow.

Frank turned and smiled at Berrington. "Your appearance is acceptable, Austin. However, Thomas in his silly exaggerating enthusiasm is correct. We all must sign tons of legal document including all the financial ones that is located inside my office before we move on," he turned with a smile to see the new nurse without telling the secret.

"Put some shoes on, man!" Tom laughed.

Austin nodded with a smile and a nod, slipping the naked feet into a pair of leathers near the sofa, "All right! I am finally ready for this also."

Tom escaped from Stu and dashed ahead to the low table, stopping and leaned down with a smile. "I spy a tray of sweet cookies. When did you establish a sweet tooth, Austin? A tray of ginger spiced cookies, I love these things," he reached out and scooped up four cookies into a slender pale spidery hand, eating the first cookie with an open mouth and a laugh.

"Austin, I have prepared a cup of cold milk for you." Nutelo reached down and snatched up the teacup before Sawyer attacked the beverage, standing upright and moved ahead, extending the teacup of milk with the love potion powder with a smile to Austin.

"The tangy ginger in the cookie makes me thirsty too. Thanks! I'll take it." Tom side stepped and reached down, snatching the teacup from her hands with a smile, standing upright and lifted the cup to the lips. Austin reached over and grabbed the teacup, shoving the other hand into the flat chest on Tom with a sneer. Tom flew backward with a gasp from Austin and dropped down the rest of the cookies over the clean floor, halting in the air waves with a giggle of silliness. He was so happy about the selling deal of sixteen trillion dollars with the Japanese company to be upset with a little love tap from his angry and meaner brother Austin.

"Rob and steal your own food, bro!" Stu reached over and grabbed the collar bone on Tom with a sneer, swiftly twirling them around and quickly advanced toward the open set of double doors with a yell. "Roll out! I got a date with my wife for pumping iron in ninety minutes. I want to get this done and home before lunchtime." Austin and Frank laughed. Austin lifted up and sipped a small gulp from the teacup, dropping the cup down from the lips and handed it back with a smile to Nutelo. "Thank you, nurse. That was refreshing."

She accepted the teacup and bounced side to side, batting both eyelashes with a sweet timber. "You are most welcome, Austin."

Berrington scooted around the low table and didn't hear the sweet comment from Nutelo as he swiftly advanced out the open front door with his brother Frank. The loud cheers of celebrating from the obnoxious voice on Tom drowned out any type of noise or voice. Frank was reprimanding Tom with another loud timber while Stu was issuing travel directions toward his personal vehicle for the Quartet with a third loud voice.

Inside the Florida room, Nutelo stood in place with a deep sigh with worry in silence. That was too close. The Mistress would not have been pleased, if Austin had not consumed the love potion powder in the cup of milk. But he did. And everything was fine. Nutelo spun around and advanced ahead into the kitchen to the two plates of breakfast food while waiting for Austin to return back home into her loving arms.

Wednesday September 22nd

2:22 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

Home of Austin

2nd floor level

Last guest bedroom interior setting of Nurse Nutelo

**S** he awoke from the sleep since midnight with a loud grunt and a tongue of mouth drool, a set of sleepy crumbs inside each eyeball, wiping both dirty body fluids from a face, sitting upright inside the day bed with an ugly yawn and watched for a sleeping walking Austin.

Nutelo was not going to miss another opportunity to talk with him this morning, since both the nurses were gone from the manor. And maybe, there could be more than talking also.

She stood upright with a giggle and moved ahead with a grin, stopping and stood in front of the glass coffin with an evil smile and as a pair of eyeballs darted and studied each electronic monitor screen, examining her medical condition and then her sleeping body. The princess was there. The coffin was closed. The air was working. The lights were illuminated. The machine was rotating all her limbs up, down and sideways as she continued to wear the same pink tinted loose set of satin pajamas and slept in the permanent coma from the accidental cliff fall several days ago. Each medical monitor beeped with a soft musical tone of a sweet ting like a tiny belle.

She exhaled with a smile and reached out, gently patting the smooth glass with a nod. "You are dead today," Nutelo continued to stare at Rosebud through the glass as she looked peacefully asleep like a princess-charmed while waiting for her prince-charmed. Austin was the prince-charmed in the fairy tale story without the charming part or the proper fairy spell to awoken his sleeping princess-charmed.

She lifted up a sweaty hand into the air and exhaled with a puff of worry, back stepping from Rosebud, spinning around with a smile to see the empty and quiet hallway with a worried brow. Her eyeballs darted to one of the medical monitor screens. The time read 2:31 am. But the room was absence without the presence of warm and tall body of Austin.

She dashed out from the modified hospital room of Rosebud running up the staircase and scooted off the steps, sliding into the open archway and stared with a gasp of alarm.

Austin was gone. The bed was neatly made, since the paid maid service cleaned up the house while Berrington was away for the day.

She continued to stare into the neat bedroom and slowly pondered the deep thoughts of an uncertain future happiness without Austin and spun around to see the far wall and the open ceiling with an angry face.

Nutelo was supposed to marry Austin. However, his mind was occupied with a set of the mental thoughts of Rosebud, instead of Nutelo, even after consuming four teacups of the love potion powder on the past four nights. He still did not recognize the face or the name of Nutelo, only Rosebud.

She advanced ahead and soared down the staircase, swiftly moving back into the modified hospital room on the second floor and stopped, standing in front of the glass coffin with a sour frown and a whisper for her eardrums only. "I don't like you. You are occupying his thinking thoughts. So, it is time," she reached over the control panel toward the wrong button and halted. "No! I can't murder. Rosebud and Austin are still spiritual or mentally or something magically connected. The Mistress has reminded me too often. I can't do anything until the Mistress possesses his mind totally. Yes, you are spared today. But, tomorrow, you are dead, Ruff," she spun around with a sneer and advanced out the door with a sour frown, dashing down the staircase for a plate of cookies inside the kitchen.

A plate of sweet desserts would always ease her terrible distress symptoms of any stressful event.

4:21 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Light rain and warm temperatures with no moonlight

House of the Mistress

She swiftly drove the blue colored older model car with a set of burps from the tray of sweet desserts after missing the presence of Austin with worry, rubbing one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She had removed the two nurses from the household but had not gain the full attention of Berrington while working indirectly for Austin through a medical nursing personal agency. Her nursing work shift had ended as she continued to live inside the Berrington manor and wait on Austin.

On the roadway, she swiftly turned off the city street and sped over the ratty driveway bumping into each pothole with a force along with an out loud curse word out of sync, steering toward the familiar mint green cider block two-story private home within the city of Doral which was empty without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and slammed the closed door. The poor door cried in metal pain and swiftly opened up. She slid out and stood upright in heaves of fury with a set of curled white tinted fists of angry within the silence of the night air, exhaling all of her frustration with the new job that prevented her from marrying Austin. She slid out and stood upright with a wobble, wiping off sweat of fury. She was mad at the Mistress for missing something with the silly magic potions and screwing up the grand opportunity.

She scooted around the car and left the door open, so the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the rusty old model car. She moved ahead and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked weather beaten red colored side door of a mint green cider block two-story house.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps toward a single tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood open as a pile of tan sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. Nutelo slowly entered the small room of dull peach with an angry face sliding down into the same brown colored ratty chair with an angry timber. "Austin was gone throughout the night. He didn't sleep in his bed. He didn't come back home to me. He still is not there at four o'clock this morning. Austin left the manor yesterday and didn't bother to return back home." She yawned with a sneer. "I gave him the love potion powder in a cup of milk in the early morning on yesterday. Then Austin left for the rest of the day and the entire evening with those three nosy and rude brothers going back to work in the office."

"This is excellent." the Mistress smiled at Nutelo in a low scratchy voice, sitting inside an old ratty blue colored rocking chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone in an ankle-length white dress.

She gasped. "Austin left his residence during the morning for a work day at his office. This is indeed strange. Since Saturday night, I have been giving a teacup of milk to Austin. What is wrong here? What is wrong with Austin?"

"This is excellent." the Mistress smiled at Nutelo in a low scratchy voice, sitting inside an old ratty blue colored rocking chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone in an ankle-length white dress.

She gasped. "What does that mean? This is bad for me. Didn't you hear me? Austin did not come back home to me."

"Berrington did not come back to his home to see Rosebud either."

She gasped. "What does that mean to me? I don't understand."

The Mistress smiled. "The mind of Berrington is cleared out with the memories of Rosebud. He is not occupied with set of the mental thoughts only of Rosebud."

"But he still doesn't recognize my face or my name. He still calls me, nurse."

"His mind is empty. He will forgetful for a little while as I enter into his mind and place your image inside his brain cells for a few days. But he will still be able to talk and to eat and perform routine activities like his regular self which will transparent to his three brothers."

She gasped. "You can really do that to his mind or any other mind of a human being."

The Mistress nodded with a grin. "I can do anything with my potions and my magic," she closed the eyelashes and rocked side to side inside the chair with a hum.

Nutelo exhaled with a nod. "Austin left the house for some business work with a prince from Japan. That was the only word that I recognized. I guess it was a new business deal. Austin rushed out the house leaving me for the evening, alone with her. He didn't return ever. He didn't check on Ruff. He didn't talk to me. He didn't go to bed." The Mistress did not speak. Nutelo sat with impatience inside the chair and stared at the closed eyelashes of the Mistress with worry.

The Mistress softly chanted in a low hum which was annoying and boring to Nutelo. The Mistress sometimes acted like this when she was getting an answer or thinking about a new subject. She opened the eyelashes with a smile of yellow, "Something wonderful is happening."

She gasped with a smile. "Something wonderful is going to happen to me. When is it? What is it? I'm getting married today. Yeah, I knew it. I can feel that something wonderful is going to happen with me and Austin too."

The Mistress smiled. "It is not a marriage yet."

She growled. "Then what is something wonderful?"

"Each brother will become a tr..."

"Truly dead, compliments of you!" Nutelo clapped with a smile. "When will that happen? And it is about time."

The Mistress smiled. "The four brothers are very blessed and very clever, especially the one named Mangrove."

She frowned. "Frank, he's the doctor. All docs are smart and nosy. I shook his hand. He noticed me like the other ignore me. I just the nurse..."

"Mangrove comes from a long line of healers, since the dark ages."

"Do you mean from the ancient medieval times with King Arthur. Wow! He doesn't seem that old. He looks young, not middle aged like that."

"The name Mangrove is represented by a tropical tree bearing fruit on the tree for food and possessing numerous prop roots to form the foundation of body," the Mistress always rambled with a weird idea and a funny phrase that veered her crazy mind into the other world. Nutelo zoned out thinking about Austin and her marriage today. They would walk underneath the moonlight on the beach today. Or they could go someplace to dance. Or they could go out to dinner. The Mistress exhaled. "You must watch Mangrove. He can sense any type of tiny discrepancy within the metaphysical form of Berrington as I apply the magic through my powder. Mangrove will be asking you about it."

"What do I say if I'm asked?"

"Nothing! You do not notice any change. Your job is to watch Rosebud, not Austin."

"Mangrove might want Austin to go to the doctor or something. This is not good."

"I will hide all the tiny variations." The Mistress held up a new clear plastic bag with a white powder. "You must place the powder into any beverage again."

She reached out and snatched u the bag with a sour frown, tucking down into the front pocket of the nursing scrubs for safekeeping. "How many of these do I get? I can't bring him drinks all the time. Austin will get suspicious."

"That is not your concern at the moment. Do as you are told, child!"

She frowned, "Yes, Mistress! I took the opportunity to explore my new princess palace last night since Austin was gone. The castle is really dull. I think that I should add some fun rooms like a movie theater and a..."

"Berrington is a very reserve person for someone with great power, great presence, and great command."

"He is a little boy in my heart," she giggled.

"In some ways, that silly analogy is very apt. Austin is a true romantic within his heart. He desires a wife, a baby, and his own family to bond, love, protect, and spoil."

She tossed both arms into the air with a smile. "That's me, baby! I wanna be spoiled like a little kid with lots of money and lots of toys and lots of new party dresses..."

"Quiet, child! Your thinking is not wise. You must be humble, meek, not arrogant and selfish."

She grinned. "He's rich. I can be a little selfish. Austin likes me. I bet if I asked he would buy me anything..."

"The word reserve means careful, cautious, waste-less, not wasteful, reckless or careless."

She pouted. "That's not me."

"He is very different from the other three brothers, especially the lawyer."

"Sawyer, the lawyer, I met him yesterday. He's a loud, rude, overbearing man that acts like a little child. I don't like him. I do like Frank. He shook my hand."

"Listen, child! Sawyer is all these things, but he has great instincts. He is very protective of his loved ones, especially his three brothers..."

"The brothers ain't really a set of biological brothers more like a set of fake family members. If they weren't billionaires..."

"The young four males were bonded together into a brotherhood which began in the year 1838 which was many, many moons ago before my birth. You should not speak of things that you do know nothing about, child."

"Then you can simply un-bond the four young males."

"I cannot. A bond is strong. A love bond is stronger. And the love bond between the four non-biological brothers is much stronger than blood, which is really rare and unique."

"Then what else is to be done?"

The Mistress frowned. "I have more work to do. There is a full moon..."

"Wow! There is a full moon for a romance evening with Austin tonight. We can walk the beach during the late evening."

"This is a very special full moon, the Corn Moon. Have you heard that term?"

"No."

"You should read more often to enhance the brain, child. This is the brightest full moon of the entire year tomorrow evening. Today, you will go outside any time after sunset in the darkness and collect six stones and then press them into one or both palms of Berrington. Then you will give Austin another mixture of the white powder. Do this all before midnight! It is very important during the Corn Moon to administer the powder. You will bring the paper bag with his essence on the six stones to me at the same time tomorrow morning. Then I will finally have control of his mind. Then you will become Mrs. Berrington."

"How am I supposed to get Austin to touch the six stones? It sounds whacky to me," she frowned. "What do you mean by stones?"

"You can use a set of shoreline seashells by the ocean water that can be substituted for a set of smooth rock stones." Mistress said. "You must figure out a way, your way. Or you will not become Mrs. Berrington, my way."

"Yeah, I will figure out my way like always." She frowned with annoyance. "If you would give me all the paper bags and all at the same time with all your voodoo drugs now, then it would save me the trouble of getting out of my bed at four in the morning."

"You must attend your duty one step at a time. You are a small toddler learning to walk..."

"I can walk. What about zombie Ruff inside the glass coffin?"

The Mistress smiled with a nod. "Beware to all! The woman is merely asleep and will awaken soon."

She gasped. "When is she rising up like the dead? I need to know and then I need to put her out of commission before she opens her eyelashes. I can stop her breathing by blocking the ventilation system..."

The Mistress sneered. "Do not! I repeat do not act on those threatening and murderous words. Murder is a heavenly sin which reserves a hot spot in hell. I will take care of her when the time is right."

She exhaled, "Yeah! What about giving me a set of three teabags of yellow powder for each nosy and rude brother?"

"I mentioned before that the bond of love is strong. The band of the four brothers possesses a bond of love for the past one hundred and seventy years. My magic cannot break, bend, bash..."

"Or buy..." Nutelo stood upright from the chair with sneer and side stepped from the chair, spinning around with a growl and moved to the closed door, slamming open the door and rushed down the staircase, exiting the mint green cider block house, dashing ahead toward her rusty blue colored compact car with a smile. Nutelo was tired of the Mistress keeping Austin away from her dreams and wishes of marriage and family. Now, it was time to rid Rosebud of her life and take Austin away his three nosy brothers from Coral Beach for a fun trip somewhere else before their wedding and the honeymoon plans.

6:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Heavy rain and dark clouds

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo drove over the speed limit in the shitty compact car through the busy roads in the heart of Miami in the rain and the thunder and slowly traveled over the Coral Lane to the home of Austin, stopping and parking underneath the veranda behind a set of empty air molecules. The orange sedan of Wormley was missing. She slid out the car and dashed to the door, slamming open the unlocked door and stopped, standing inside an empty room of heated bodies.

The Mistress was correct. Wormley didn't show up for her work shift. At few minute later, the telephone rang. Nutelo dashed ahead to the side table and stopped, lifting up and answering the telephone with a smile, "Hello! This is the Berrington Castle! I am Nurse Nutelo."

She paused and listened to the voice of the medical nursing agency on other end of the telephone connection.

She smiled. "Yes ma'am."

Pause.

"Yeah, I can do that."

Pause.

"Yeah."

Pause.

"Good bye."

She slammed the phone down onto the hook and jumped up and down with joy. The medical nursing agency told Nutelo to stay put inside the Berrington manor, because both Nurses Wormley and Bossner had been fired for work job incompetence. The nursing medical agency were hustling around to find a replacement for Wormley which would take two or three more days because of all the in-depth criminal and background checks that had been required by the three other billionaire brothers.

However, Austin wasn't sitting on the sofa studying the medical books as usual.

Nutelo dashed ahead and climbed up the stairs to the third floor, dashing inside and stopped with a gasp inside the master bedroom. Austin was not there either which seemed strange to the neurons of Nutelo.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Nutelo back stepped from the master bedroom and spun around dashing back down the stairs to the second floor and stopped inside the modified hospital room. She checked on Rosebud and jolted down the required medical numbers before Jace became suspicious and concerned about the missing information coming from a lowly LPN without the supervision of a registered nurse.

A door slammed shut downstairs which echoed throughout the house into the eardrums of Nutelo.

She dropped the clip board onto the wooden floor with a gasp and spun around with a smile. "Austin," she exited out the room, dashing down the stairs and halted on the ground floor, hearing a set of loud tings and louder voices inside the kitchen.

Kitchen interior setting

She moved ahead and stopped, standing inside the archway with a yell and a growl, waving both arms in the air. "Get out! Go and get out now!"

The head male wore a brown uniform from the daily servant cleaning crew and spun around from the dirty kitchen counter with a smile and a nod to see Nutelo. "Hello! We are..."

She slapped the chest with a sneer. "You are finished here. I am in charge now."

He frowned. "Where is Nurse Wormley?"

She yelled. "She quit her job. So I am in charge. So leave! Go! Get outta of here now!"

"Where is Austin? I am to report to him then."

She yelled with fury. "He is gone also. I told you that I am in charge here."

He frowned. "What is your name, miss? I am reporting you to my supervisor."

She moved ahead and waved both arms into the air with fury. "Do it to it! But, get out now! Go! Everyone leave from here and from me, right now!" She strolled around the dirty kitchen with a sneer. Each member of the cleaning crew gathered the gear and exited the kitchen through the open garage door, loading back into a row of shiny white tinted vehicles. Then each cleaning crew vehicle left the mansion, exiting the city of Coral Beach, reporting back to the office about Nutelo.

Nutelo exhaled and inhaled with fury, moving ahead through the open door of the kitchen, exiting through the open garage door and halted. She turned and smiled at beach sands and ocean water behind the rear of the mansion with a whisper. "It is time for my daily walk," she reached down and slapped the fat on the stomach with a giggle. "I need to slim down before ordering my new wedding dress," she spun around and slowly moved over the manicured green lawn, strolling ahead toward the golden sand and stopped. She slipped off each nursing shoes and felt the sand between the naked toes, removing all her clothing one at a time, dropping over the soil too with a giggle. No one could see her naked body unless a person spied on Nutelo. Then she didn't care. She needed to suntan her body and slender down the weight for her upcoming wedding to Austin.

Nutelo slowly strolled up and down the shallow cool water of the Atlantic Ocean in the heated sunshine while selecting the best six seashells for Austin. The Mistress had told Nutelo to find six seashells and then have Austin touch each one for some weird reason.

She squatted down and dug a hand down into the golden sand inside the shallow water, finding the first shell. It was designed like a scallop in the color of bright orange hue but slightly broken on the edge. "No! I want the most perfect seashell for my love Austin." She frowned down at the seashell and tossed back down into the wet sand scooting ahead over the water and stopped, digging a hand down into the wet sand, lifting up a new shell. "A keyhole shell with a hole in the middle of the tan and white oval shape. Yeah, this one is perfect like my love Austin," she reached over and placed the perfect shell on top of the naked sand with care, scooting ahead and stopped, digging a hand down into the sands for the next shell.

11:48 p.m.

Hot temperatures with moonlight rays and bright stars

Florida room setting

Nutelo had spent the entire day hunting for a set of six perfect seashells for Austin, washing a dirty body, laundering her dirty nursing scrubs, and waiting for Berrington to arrive back home. The current time was 11:48 pm which was too close to midnight.

The Mistress had warned Nutelo numerous times that Austin had to drink the love potion powder. Or Austin would not fall in love and marry Nutelo.

"Where is he? I hope that he comes home tonight. I didn't ask her if Austin would be home. I don't know what to do if he doesn't come back home. I am so worried." She bounced up and down with nervousness inside the white tinted leather oversized chair in front of low table that held a single fine china teacup in the color of pink tint with the matching sauce which continued a cup of cold milk mixed with love potion white powder.

One of the four garage doors opened with a loud growl. The sports car revved the engine for fun and slowly moved inside, stopping and parked inside the space.

Inside the Florida room, Nutelo stood upright from the chair with a smile and reached down, grabbing the teacup with the matching sauce and the bag of seashells. "Finally, Austin is home. He must drink the milk and touch all six seashells before midnight," she side stepped between the chair and the low table, advancing ahead to the kitchen space and stopped, standing in front of the garage door that led out to the space and Austin, hearing the noise.

Inside the garage, the car door opened. Austin slid out and stood upright from the seat next to the door, spinning around to see Frank with a stern face.

Outside on top of the yellow tinted bricked driveway, the red tinted luxury sedan followed behind Austin and stopped, parking behind the open garage at Austin's house. The car door opened. Frank slid out and stood in front of the open car door with a stern face to see Berrington. "You don't look pleased, Austin."

He exhaled with a sour frown. "I am not pleased, Frank. Why is the procedure taking so long?"

Inside the kitchen near the garage door, Nutelo frowned with a whisper. "Who is he talking too? Who else is out there inside the driveway with Austin?" She didn't leave the door without missing the secret conversation."

Outside on top of the driveway, Frank exhaled with a nod. "We want to proceed very carefully and do it right, this time. I don't any more screws up like the last time. This is all going to be finished by tomorrow afternoon or late evening. I promise."

Inside the kitchen door, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "What is going to be finished by tomorrow evening? What is he talking about? Rosebud, she is going to die and be finished by tomorrow evening."

Inside the garage, Austin nodded with a stern face to Frank. "I understand. I just feel really bad. She is experiencing puppy love..."

Inside the kitchen door, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Who is feeling puppy love?"

"Look!" Outside on top of the driveway, Frank frowned. "All the girls do. Don't worry about it! Tomorrow, it will be all finished for everyone. Then, you will feel better, Austin."

Inside the kitchen door, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Rosebud was experiencing puppy love with Austin. Now, all the brothers have figured out that she is not his real but fake girlfriend. She and the glass coffin are being moved outta Austin's manor. This is good, great. I'm so happy, joyous, glad..."

Outside on the driveway, Frank waved a hand with a smile. "Come back with me! We will drive to my house for a nightcap, Austin! I'm still awake."

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "No. No. Go away, Mangrove! Austin needs to drink the love potion powder into the cup of milk and touch the seashells."

Austin smiled. "No thanks, Frank! I'm a little tired. My brothers keep me much too occupied during the days and the nights."

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Come inside, Austin! Drink the love potion powder inside the cup of milk and touch the seashells."

Outside on the driveway, Frank smiled. "You can come and stay with Misty and I, tonight, Austin."

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Die, Mangrove. Come inside, Austin! Drink the love potion powder inside the cup of milk and touch the seashells."

Inside the garage, Austin waved a hand with a chuckle. "No thanks! I miss the decorative red wiggling smears on my master bedroom wall," laughing.

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Austin is talking about the series of bright red colored blood stains on the two walls which came from a set of dead people that were killed inside his bedroom of the house. The man is a vicious wild animal."

Outside on the driveway, Frank laughed. "Paint doesn't cover that."

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "He tried to paint over human blood. Human blood cannot be painted over. It was made by Almighty God. And Almighty God is smart. Human blood does not come out any clothing or any earth or man-man surface, if stay forever and lasts permanently."

Inside the garage, Austin laughed. "And either does my insurance."

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Austin had tried to get cash money from his house insurance company for killing a couple of people in cold blood that marked his bedroom walls. Geez! He truly is a vile madman killer like the trash celebrity magazines tell."

Outside on the driveway, Frank laughed. "Did you try?"

Inside the garage, Austin smiled. "Tom tried for me."

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Tom had tried to collect the cash money for Austin instead. He is also a vicious wild killer like the same trash celebrity magazines tattle too."

Outside on the driveway, Frank laughed. "Thomas, the soulless lawyer, he does try to help, sometimes."

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Tom collects cash money for all the dead people that Austin kills. Sawyer is a dangerous male. I hate him. I wanna move from here."

Inside the garage, Austin waved a hand and a smile, "All the time! Go home to Misty, Frank! Give her a hug and a kiss from me!"

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "No. No. You can give me a hug and a kiss, Austin. I am going to be your wife tomorrow afternoon."

Outside on the driveway, Frank smiled. "I will. Good night, Austin!"

Inside the garage, Austin waved a hand and a smile "Night, Frank!" He slammed the door and scooted around the car, moving ahead toward the door, opening the door. "Damn it to hell!"

Kitchen setting

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo stood and blocked the open archway of the garage, lifting a single seashell into the nostrils of Austin with a smile. "Look! I went scouting on the beach this morning and found lots of sea treasures. This one is a pink colored scallop seashell. Look! It is shaped like a real scallop which you eat. Take it! Hold it!" Austin back stepped from her and did not extend a hand with a fake smile. The young nurse was not performing her paying nursing duties that required her to watch over Rosebud, not babysit his person. Thus, Austin was going to replace the young nurse on next Monday morning, when the hired medical nursing agency would inform the young infatuated girl on Monday morning about her nurse unemployment inside the office suite. She lifted up and showed the second seashell with a smile. "This is a rounded white colored sand dollar. Touch it! Hold it." Austin did not extend a hand with a fake smile. She giggled and lifted the third seashell underneath the nostrils of Austin with a grin. "This is a couch shell in bright purple and white. This is one is called a keyhole shell. It has hole in the middle of the oval shape of white and tan curved lines."

Austin faked a smile. "The shells are nice looking."

She lifted the fourth shell with a smile underneath his nostrils with the other three with a smile. "This is one is called banded tulip. Isn't it cute? It doesn't like a like the real flower tulip but it is vertical shaped with a set of horizontal bands of tiny brown and white squares. I had to look that up inside the big shell book."

"Yes, all the seashells are really nice."

"This one is a horn shell in the colors of swirling red and white around the tiny shell. It is vertical and shaped like a..."

He slid to the side with a fake smile, "Very nice!"

She slid to the same side in front of him with a giggle and continued to block, holding the six shells underneath his two nose holes with a smile. "I have a teacup of milk for you again, tonight, Austin."

He exhaled with a huff of frustration with the young nurse. "No thanks. It is too late."

She pouted and held all six shells in his face. "Please! I made the warm milk for you to sleep," She lowered the seashells and reached up with a giggle to the side counter top at the teacup. "O. I'm so silly. I can't hold a teacup and a palm of shells. Hold these for me!" Austin reached out and extended both palms, collecting the six seashells with a fake smile. She leaned over and touched, grabbing the teacup, spilling the milk over the counter top and the floor. She stood upright and lifted the teacup of warm milk into his face with a smile. "O. I'm so silly," she used a free hand and whipped out the plastic bag open from the pocket of her scrubs with a smile. "Place those shells in here," Austin dropped all six seashells down into the bag with a fake smile in silence. "Thank you. Here is your warm cup of milk."

He extended the hands and grabbed the teacup, slowly lifting the cup up the lips of the cup and pretended to drink the cold milk, slowly pulling back with a grin. "Thanks!"

She back stepped with a smile and a giggle from the doorway. "You are welcome, Austin!"

Austin moved ahead and held the teacup with a fake smile, dashing through the archway and rolled the eyeballs back into the forehead with too much puppy love from the young nurse. He planned to dump the shitty milk product in the toilet of the master bedroom.

She spun around with a grin and stared at his ass with a giggle. Nutelo had conned Austin into touching the six seashells for the Mistress. Then she and he would marry tomorrow afternoon and sail on a boat away from the three nosy brothers on a six-month honeymoon.

He exited through the archway of the kitchen and immediately would have disciplined an employee of his company without mercy, but he couldn't reprimand the young nurse that felt puppy love for his person inside his own private house. He turned to the side and swiftly climbed the staircase and scooted into the second floor to check on Rosebud before retiring to bed.

Thursday September 23rd

2:22 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

Home of Austin

Last guest bedroom interior setting of Nurse Nutelo

**S** he awoke from a deep sleep with a loud grunt and a tongue of mouth drool, a set of sleepy crumbs inside each eyeball, wiping both dirty body fluids from a face, sitting upright inside the day bed with an ugly yawn and watched the open archway for a sleeping walking Austin to enter into the modified hospital room of Rosebud.

Nutelo was not going to miss the opportunity to talk with him this morning, since both the two unemployed nurses and the band of three nosy brothers were not present inside the manor. And maybe, she and Austin could cozy during the rest of the early morning hours.

She stood upright with a giggle and moved ahead with a grin, stopping and stood in front of the glass coffin with an evil smile and as a pair of eyeballs darted and studied each electronic monitor screen, examining the medical condition and then the sleeping body of Rosebud. The princess was there. The coffin was closed. The air was working. The lights were illuminated. The machine was rotating all the limbs up, down, and sideways as Ruff continued to wear the same pink tinted loose set of satin pajamas and slept in a permanent coma that came from an accidental cliff fall several days ago. Each medical monitor beeped with a soft musical tone of a sweet ting like a tiny belle.

She exhaled with a smile and reached out, gently patting the smooth glass with a nod. "You are dead, today," Nutelo continued to softly growl and stare at Rosebud through the glass as Ruff continued to appear peacefully asleep like a princess-charmed while waiting for the handsome prince-charmed. Austin was the prince-charmed in this fairy tale story without the charming part or the proper fairy spell to awoken his sleeping princess-charmed.

She lifted up a sweaty hand into the air and exhaled with a puff of worry, back stepping from Rosebud, spinning around with a smile to see an empty and quiet hallway with a worried brow. Her eyeballs darted to one of the medical monitor screens. The time read 2:31 am. But the room was absence without the presence of a warm and tall semi-naked glistening sweaty body of Austin. She rocked side to side with a giggle and a grin, glancing at the open archway and then one of the computer screens. The time read 2:32 a.m.

She frowned with puzzlement and slowly moved ahead toward the doorway, stopping inside the archway, seeing an empty hallway with a sigh. She dashed out ahead from the modified hospital room of Rosebud, turning and ran up the staircase and scooted off the steps, scanning and strolling across the third floor without the presence of Austin, sliding into the open archway and stopped, staring with a gasp of alarm.

2:34 a.m.

3rd floor level

Master bedroom interior setting of Austin

Austin slept peacefully through time of 2:31 am without interruption this morning.

Nutelo stood inside the open archway with a smile and stared at Berrington with love and the messy bedcovers with annoyance while pondering mentally deep thoughts of her future happiness with Austin.

Austin did not awake this morning to visually check the medical condition of his girl Rosebud. That meant, his mind was occupied with set of new mental thoughts of Nutelo, instead Rosebud like the Mistress had told after Austin had consumed four teacups of the love potion powder in the last four nights.

Later today, her prince-charmed would awaken and drop down on one knee and ask Nutelo to marry him. Nutelo had read that Austin was referenced by that royal title, prince-charmed.

Now, Nutelo would allow her future husband Austin to sleep through the early morning hours. Tomorrow, they would be traveling to the islands of Caribbean after marrying this afternoon and then walking along the sands and the beaches of a foreign country but Coral Beach, where the three other rude and nosy non-biological brothers existed and annoyed.

She back stepped with a smile and a soft clap, spinning around to see the far wall, advancing ahead over the third floor and soared down the staircase, swiftly moving down toward the ground floor before retiring back into the guest bedroom for some sleep. She was going to avoid checking on Rosebud forever, since the coffin machine worked too perfectly while saving the life of Rosebud which was annoying to the butthole of Nutelo.

She stepped down the staircase onto the ground floor and advanced into the kitchen for a plate of cookies to fill a growling stomach which would make Nutelo sleep very well during the early morning hours.

5:05 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Light rain and warm temperatures with no moonlight

House of the Mistress

She opened both eyelashes with a grunt, since Nutelo had been ordered by the Mistress this early morning and to come and report all the new and old information like the previous six days at the house in the city of Doral. Nutelo rolled off the bed and stood upright with an ugly yawn, exiting the guest bedroom, moving down the staircase and entered her car that was parked underneath the veranda wearing the newly food stained blue colored nursing scrubs from the plate of chocolate cookies and vanilla ice cream box. She had to appear like a true nurse. Or one of the nosy brothers would get suspicious.

Nutelo swiftly drove the rusty blue colored car with a set of mouth burps from the full stomach of tray of sweet desserts, rubbing one tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball. She had removed the two nurses from the household and then gained the full attention of Berrington while living like a princess inside the Berrington manor and watched over the comatose Rosebud.

On the roadway, she swiftly turned off the city street and sped over the ratty driveway bumping into each pothole with a hum of happiness, steering toward the familiar mint green cider block two-story private home within the city of Doral without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and slammed the closed door. The poor door cried in metal pain and swiftly opened up. She slid out and stood upright with a smile within the silence of the night air, dreaming about her marriage to Austin that had been predicted by the Mistress with the grand opportunity.

She scooted around the car and left the door open, so the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the rusty old model car. She moved ahead and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked weather beaten red colored side door of a mint green cider block two-story house.

4:31 a.m.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps toward a single tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood open as a pile of tan sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. Nutelo slowly entered into the small room of dull peach sliding down into the same old brown colored ratty chair, resting the bag of six perfect seashells of Austin's essence with a smile. "Austin is finally getting rid..."

The Mistress displayed a set of closed eyelashes without staring at Nutelo or whispering in a low scratchy voice while sitting and continued to rock side to side in the blue colored ratty chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone in an ankle-length white dress.

Nutelo lifted and wiggled the plastic bag of six colored seashells with a smile, "Austin is finally getting ride..." She gasped. "What is wrong?"

The Mistress opened the eyelashes and shook her curls with a puzzled brow. "I don't know. I have been mediating to pinpoint the issue. Are you giving him the powder? Does he consume the entire cup of liquid with the white powder?" She reached out and snatched the bag of seashells, placing the shells down into the lap of the long dress with a stern face.

"Yeah!" She nodded with a worried brow. "I gave Austin the love potion powder in a cup of milk, every night. So, gimme some more powder and then..."

The Mistress shook her curls with a sour frown. "The powder is not needed anymore. The time has come for me to concentrate and control the free will of Berrington."

She gasped. "There is no more love potion powder. Why not? What for? What does that mean? I don't understand."

"The bond of the four brothers is much, much stronger than I have ever imaged possible. Listen to me! You must observe and watch the actions and reactions of Berrington. I must know about his behavior and his actions to my current magic. Usually, my powder magic works. However, it is not working on the strong mind of Berrington. How interesting to my soul! Berrington is a freak of nature, but the six hand-touched seashells with his essence will always work perfectly. I am assured," the Mistress closed her eyelashes and rocked side to side with a low croaky voice and a stern face "Leave me! I must mediate. Come back tomorrow morning at the usual time. I will have an answer for you."

Nutelo stood upright from the chair with a fake smile. "Yes, Mistress," she side stepped and spun around, moving ahead and slammed the door open, rushing down the creaking staircase of creepy and exited the house, moving to her car with a worried brow. There were a couple of nights that Austin had not consumed the entire cup of milk with the love potion powder which was worrisome. The Mistress said that the love potion powder would make Austin instantly fall in love with Nutelo. If the love potion power was not working, then the mistress could not control the mind of Austin. Then, Austin would not love Nutelo. Then, Austin would not marry Nutelo.

8:08 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo drove slowly in the shitty compact car through the busy traffic cars and roads in the heart of Miami in the hot weather and carefully traveled over the Coral Lane within the eyeballs of the posted QA guards toward the home of Austin, stopping and parking underneath the veranda behind a set of empty air molecules. There were not any other vehicles around the driveway. She slid out the car and dashed to the door, slamming open the unlocked door and stopped, standing inside an empty living room without one single heated body. Austin wasn't sitting on the sofa while studying each medical book as usual.

Nutelo dashed ahead and climbed up the stairs to the third floor, dashing inside and stopped with a gasp inside the master bedroom. The bed linens and the cover were messed up, but Austin was not there either asleep which also seemed odd to the neurons of Nutelo. "Where is he? O yeah! He is arranging to remove the sleeping princess and her nifty glass coffin from his house," she back stepped and spun around with a smile and a giggle. "The princess is dead and gone from Austin's house." She dashed ahead over the floor and turned, racing down the staircase, scooting off the steps and ran across the second floor and stopped inside the middle bedroom archway with a gasp.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Nutelo stared at the glass coffin and the sleeping Ruff with a sour frown. "She is still here. Why is she still here? Well, it is only eight in the morning. These big trucks move really slowly from the junk yard," she back stepped and spun around with a smile, dashing across the floor and down the stairs, halting on the ground floor, hearing quiet but sniffing up a set of foul odors.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

She moved ahead and stopped, standing inside the archway of the kitchen with a gasp of shock. "The kitchen is dirty and smelly too. Someone really needs to clean it, but that someone ain't going to be me," she moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the refrigerator, opening the door and pulled out an armful of frigid food items with a smile. She spun around and moved ahead to the breakfast table inside the bay window seal, halting with a sour frown. "The breakfast is really dirty and stinky too. I can't eat my breakfast meal here. It contains all my used and abused dirty breakfast dishes from the previous mornings. I know. I will eat inside the great big dining table in the dining room," she swung around and toted the armful of cold food items into the dining room.

Dining room setting

She stopped and stood on the end of the table that held twelve chairs, sliding all the food items over the smooth surface with a sour frown. "Well, half of the long table is clean enough for a meal. The other half contains all my dinner plates from previous nights," she reached down and pulled out a chair, sitting down, prepping the food items over the polished wood with a plate while spilling all crumbs all over the surface. She ate some of the raw food item with an open mouth and her mental thoughts of joy and happiness. Nutelo would be getting married tomorrow. The Mistress was connecting to the mind Austin and then will force him to marry Nutelo tomorrow afternoon. Then Nutelo would be living as an American princess for the rest of her life. She swallowed the last lump of food and burped out loud with a giggle, standing upright from the chair and back stepped, swinging around and advanced out the dining room while leaving a sight of messy food and crumbs plus all the cold and refrigerated food grocery items on top of the hard surface, where the water destroyed the wood and the cold food items would spoil, rot, and smell later within the heated day.

Nutelo exhaled and inhaled with a set loud out mouth burps while feeling boredom of the new day without the sexy baritone voice of Austin to entertain her mind, moving ahead through the open door of the kitchen, exiting through the open garage door and halted with a smile. She turned to face the beach sands and the ocean water that was located behind the rear of his beach mansion with a smile. "Yeah, it is time for my daily walk. I wanna be slim and trim for my wedding event, tomorrow afternoon," she reached down with a sour frown and slapped the jiggling fat tissue on the coffee tinted stomach, slowly moving ahead while ripping off the rest of the dirty nursing scrubs, slowly strolling over the golden sands in the nude among the hot sunshine with a hum and a giggle.

10:10 a.m.

Kitchen setting

Nutelo had started the washer machine to clean her set of dirty nursing scrubs while hoping to find Austin inside the master bedroom. Then they could start the honeymoon early. She entered into the house in full nudity with a handful of dirty clothes from the garage space and moved through the kitchen, holding a nostril with a sour frown. "The stench is awful. It smells like a dead rat in here," she gasped with the evil thought and dashed ahead through the open archway, turning to face the staircase climbing up the steps and scooted onto the second floor, halting inside the archway with a gasp. "She is still here inside his house. Why is she still here inside his house? Austin told Frank that she was going to be gone today. What is taking so long?" She back stepped with a sour frown and spun around, slowly moving ahead through the open archway, across the floor, and climbed the staircase.

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

She scooted onto the third floor with a smile and moved ahead, stopping and stood inside the archway of the master bedroom, slowly strolling inside the private bedroom of Austin. The bed mattress was messy with rumpled bed linens and three pillows. She stopped and reached out, touching the pillow with a gasp. "The pillow case is made of pink tinted satin. I love living here with my future husband Austin," she back stepped with a giggle and strolled around the room, stopping and squatted in front of the wall, where it was marked with a wiggling long line of red stains. She reached out and touched the wall with a smile. "That is soiled blood stain in the plaster. Blood protein comes out of nothing only the human skin for some reason. So, Austin killed several people inside his bedroom. How is in the world does he sleep at night inside a room full of ghosts?" She stood upright with a smile. "I am tough like Austin. I could sleep here too. The people are all dead. The ghosts are all dead too," she back stepped with a laugh and spun around to scan the room. "The room is painted in bright pink hues. Why is it colored in pink? Austin will tell me. There is not a marble Greek statue or a single piece of original art work or a famous painting or a head sculpture or a laptop computer or a gigantic television plasma screen or a radio player or a musical stereo. The bedroom is completely devoid of character while Austin lives like a hermit of a sissy pink room. Well, it is up to me to make him into a man," she moved ahead with a laugh and entered directly into the walk-in closet with a smile and stopped and stood in the middle of the room.

"Wow! His closet is almost the same width and length of the living space of my studio apartment with the lack of fancy clothing also. Austin needs to update his old fashioned manly wardrobe. Black jacket. White jacket. Black jacket. White jacket. Black pants. White pants. Black pants. White pants. Black shoes. White shoes. He is really an old man at heart which is his nickname of the Quartet," she spun around with a laugh and then a gasp. "What is that?"

Nutelo dashed ahead and stood in front of the wall corner inside the closet, where a short silver tinted door stood in silence which had been embedded into the pink tinted wall. "I discovered the money safe that is hiding inside the wardrobe closet of the master bedroom. I wonder if I can crack open the safe. I used to could do that," she squatted down and leaned an eardrum into the circular dial with a stern face, reaching out and touched the dial with two fingers. She slowly clicked around each number. The correct math number would sound with a dong sound, not a soft pink sound when the right numeric sequence hit been clicked. She continued to click to each math number and finally tapped out the correct three-digit combination number. The door cracked open with a soft ping. She pulled back with a giggle and a grin. "I'm still great. I learned to do that trick when I was bored at home for fun and adventure, stealing whatever I could sometimes cash money or illegal drugs," she reached out and opened the door, seeing stack of money with a gasp. "Look at that! The real money safe does really contain numerous stacks of real money bills," she reached inside and grabbed, snatching the stack of non-wrapped bills.

"This stack holds a denomination of ten dollar bills. This is great. I really do need the money. My invoices are below with my payments," she reached inside the darkness and grabbed numerous stacks of different denominations of twenties, fifties, and hundreds, lifting up the single stack into a smile. "This is a real stack of real one hundred dollar bills. I have never seen or touched a single one-hundred-dollar bill. I will take the entire stack of hundreds. I can break the one-hundred-dollar bill at the bank when I need the extra cash to buy more cookies or gas or flowers for Austin. I eat all the cookies this afternoon."

She gathered the armful of stacks of bills and stood upright with a giggle, back stepping and side stepped, dashing ahead through the open archway from the closet, running out the bedroom, over the third floor, descending down the staircase, across the ground floor and stopped in front of the closed and unlocked front doors while juggling the numerous stacks of money between her arms. She slowly reached down while dropping down some of the stacks of Austin's cash money, flicking open the door knob as one of the parted doors, kicking it with a foot, dashing outside in the nude with the stacks of money inside and between her arms and stopped, standing in the rear of back door of her personal car.

She slowly reached down while dropping some of the stacks of money, grabbing, lifting up the rear door handle. The car door slowly swung open. Nutelo leaned inside with a giggle and slipped down over the rear coat seat all the stacks of cash money with a grin while emptying both arms, reaching down onto the driveway and grabbed, tossing up each fallen stack of money onto the rear seat also with a giggle. She left the car door open and back stepped with a grin, scooting around the rear bumper of the car, dashing ahead to the front doors, stopping and leaned down, snatching up the fallen stack of cash money also with a giggle. She stood upright with a grin and ran backward while jigging the naked body fat, spinning around and stopped, standing in front of the other rear car door. She opened the door and tossed inside the other stacks of cash money from the hidden wall money safe that belonged to Austin with a laugh and a song. "I'm in the money, honey. I'm in the money, honey. I'm in the money, honey," she spun around and danced ahead with a giggle, jiggling all the fat body parts with a smile back into the home of Austin.

11:45 p.m.

Moonlight rays with bright stars and hot temperatures

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo had spent the entire day walking over the beach, sun tanning a naked body, looking at all the perfect seashells, washing a dirty body, laundering her dirty nursing scrubs, and stealing all the stacks of cash money that came from the money safe inside the private bedroom closet of Austin. She had hidden all the money stacks underneath each car seat from a pair of wondering eyeballs that would see all the physical green colored evidence. She had finished eating the dinner meal inside the dining room on the last clean spot on top of the hard surface, leaving the messy food crumbs and the dishes behind her wigging ass with a giggle of fun.

Now, Nutelo was waiting for Berrington to arrive back home.

The current time was 11:45 pm which was too close to midnight again. The Mistress had not instructed for Austin to drink the love potion powder tonight. But the Mistress must connect into the mind of Austin, so Austin would fall in love and marry Nutelo, tomorrow morning.

Inside the Florida room, Nutelo bounced up and down with nervousness and a worried brow in silence inside the white tinted leather oversized chair in front of low table that held a single fine china teacup in the color of pink tint with the matching sauce which continued a cup of cold milk. On the third night of her working job, Nutelo had met Austin and presented a cup of milk which he didn't finish. So, she saved the mixture of love potion white powder in the milk and hid the teacup inside the refrigerator for such an emergency.

One of the four garage doors opened with a loud growl. The sports car revved the engine for fun and slowly moved inside, stopping and parked inside the space.

Inside the Florida room, Nutelo stood upright from the chair with a smile and reached down, grabbing the teacup with the matching sauce with a whisper. "Austin, he must drink the milk before midnight. Thank goodness! There isn't any more touching these sandy and nasty seashells. So Austin can come and touch me anywhere nasty, tonight," she side stepped between the chair and the low table with a giggle, advancing ahead to the kitchen space and stopped, standing in front of the garage door that led out to the space and Austin, hearing the noise with a puzzled brow.

Inside the garage, the sports car door opened. Austin slid out and stood next to the car door, spinning around to see Frank in silence with a hand wave.

Outside on top of the yellow bricked driveway, the red tinted four door luxury sedan followed behind the taillights on the sports car and stopped, parking behind the open garage. The car door opened. Frank slid out and stood in front of the open car door with a stern face to see Berrington. "I like our selection. What do you think, Austin?"

He nodded with a smile. "Yes, I approve, also. When will the set of new nurses start working here and take care of Rosebud for me?"

Inside the kitchen near the garage door, Nutelo frowned with a whisper while ease dropping over the private conversation. "Who is he talking too? Who else is here with Austin?" She didn't leave the door without missing the secret conversation.

Outside on top of the driveway, Frank exhaled with a nod. "We spent all day and night interviewing each nurse and then selected the ones that were highly qualified. Jace and I highly approve too. Now, the medical nursing personnel agency must test the nurses for any type of illegal drug, nicotine, and any other biologic related nasty germs. The clinical testing process will take a couple of days. So, the new set of three nurses will start here on Friday morning."

Inside the kitchen door, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "Three new nurses, I am really being replaced by Austin. Today is almost gone. It is Wednesday night at midnight. No, I am being replaced by Frank. I hate that man. I plan to kill him next, right after I kill Rosebud when the stream of non-breathable oxygen inside an enclosed coffin. She will die quickly. Then Austin and I will run away together and get married tomorrow morning. Yeah, he will be wanted for cold blooded murder like me, too. We can run away together from the law and travel the world."

Outside on the driveway, Frank waved a hand with a smile. "Come over to my house for a nightcap, Austin! I'm still awake."

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo gasped with a whisper. "No. No. I am being replaced by the three nosy brothers. I wanna kill them all, right now," she reached over and placed the teacup and the saucer on top of the counter top with an angry growl, back stepping from the garage door, spinning around to face the open archway with a worried brow.

Inside the garage, Austin shook a skull with a smile. "No thanks, Frank!"

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo swiftly moved ahead through the open archway and turned to face the steps, swiftly climbing up the stairs with sobs and tears of a whisper. "I am being replaced on Friday morning. I love Austin. How can he do this to me? Austin loves me, not her."

Outside in the driveway, Frank smiled. "Do you care to stay with Misty and me, tonight, Austin?"

Inside the manor, Nutelo rapidly moved ahead and entered the last guest bedroom on the second floor, slamming the door with angry and worry. "I am going to be replaced on Friday. That means that Austin needs to marry me tomorrow morning or afternoon or evening. I must tell the Mistress immediately all the newest information, tomorrow morning. I love Austin. Austin loves me, not her," she dashed ahead and leaped into the air, landing on top of the bed covers with sobs and tears of worry, unhappiness, and fury.

Inside the garage, Austin waved a hand with a chuckle. "No thanks! Go home to Misty, Frank! Give her a hug and a kiss from me!"

Outside on top of the yellow tinted driveway, Frank smiled with a hand wave. "I will. Good night, Austin!"

Inside the garage, Austin waved a hand and a smile, "Night, Frank!" He slammed the car door and scooted around the vehicle, moving ahead toward the garage door, opening the door with a smile. "Damn it to hell!" He lifted up and touched the nostrils with a sour frown. "Where did all this food mess come from? Where was the cleaning crew, this morning? I have been gone too long away from my own dirty house. I'll contact them at sunlight tomorrow morning to come and clean up the dirty room," he swiftly dashed through the archway with a smile and turned to face the steps, releasing the nostrils with a laugh, swiftly climbing up the staircase, scooting off and into the second floor to check on Rosebud with a smile and a silent pray, before retiring to bed.

Friday September 24th

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

Home of Austin

2nd floor level

Last guest bedroom interior setting of Nurse Nutelo

**B** oth Nutelo and Austin continued to sleep through the time of 2:31 am without either party arising to check and monitor the medical condition of Rosebud inside the second floor the modified hospital room.

5:15 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Light rain and warm temperatures with no moonlight

House of the Mistress

She opened both eyelashes with a loud grunt and rolled off the bed, standing upright with an ugly yawn, rubbing off the numerous rough feeling crust particles of dried tears. She was going to be fired on Friday morning by Austin. She slowly moved ahead without straightening up the messy guest bedcovers and opened the door, peeking around the door without seeing a person like Austin. He wasn't up and visiting with his zombie girl Rosebud.

She opened the door and exited out the second floor guest bedroom in silence, slowly descending down the steps and strolling onto the ground floor, wearing the food stains blue colored nursing scrubs, reaching out and opened the door without any noise, exiting from the house, entering her car that was parked underneath the veranda.

Nutelo slowly drove away from the house with a red and swollen stained face of dried tears over Coral Lane, since she was going to be replaced tomorrow morning on Friday while rubbing one red and swollen eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball.

On the roadway, she swiftly turned off the city street and sped over the ratty driveway bumping into each pothole with a sob of sadness, steering toward the familiar mint green cider block two-story private home within the city of Doral without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and slammed the closed door. The poor door cried in metal pain and swiftly opened up. She slid out and stood upright with a deep sigh of worry within the silence of the night air, dreading to mention the truth event to the Mistress with the defeated opportunity.

She scooted around the car and left the door open, so the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the rusty old model car. She moved ahead and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked weather beaten red colored side door of a mint green cider block two-story house.

6:06 a.m.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps toward a single tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood open as a pile of tan sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. Nutelo slowly entered the small room of dull peach sliding down into the same brown colored ratty chair with a sad face. "I am..."

"Is the bride getting nervous?" The Mistress held a set of closed eyelashes without staring at Nutelo and grinned with a chuckle while sitting and rocked side to side in the blue colored ratty chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone in an ankle-length white dress.

She gasped, "The bride? Is Austin going to..."

"I am slowly connecting directly into the mind of Berrington. He is a very strong spirit. However, I am the stronger mind. He will be your wedding groom soon..."

"Finally!" She stood upright from the chair with an angry face of worry and relief without tattling the new information from ease dropping last night in the garage door, snapping the fingers. "Well, hurry up! I'm tired of waiting for the date of my marriage to Austin. I've been watching and waiting for three long years and seven long days and nights. This is Friday morning. I've been working for Austin since last Friday morning. I can read his mind too. Austin loves and thinks only of me, not Ruff. When am I getting married tomorrow or the next day?" Nutelo continued to stand with a sour frown in silence.

The Mistress continued to rock side to side with a set of closed eyelashes and did not speak. Nutelo stood with impatience and stared down at the closed eyelashes of the Mistress with fury. The Mistress softly chanted in a low. "You are to observe all the actions and the reactions of Berrington and report me to me at the same time tomorrow morning. I need to know how my magic is working."

"Do I get more love potion powder, too?"

"No, I am finished with the powder. I am traveling into the edge of his strong mind during his early morning slumbering unconsciousness. This is going to take a little more time. You must leave, so I can mediate."

"Sure," she side stepped from the chair, spinning around with a smile and moved toward the closed door, slamming open the door and rushed down the staircase, exiting the mint green cider block house, dashing ahead toward her rusty blue colored compact car with a smile. She slid into the seat through the open door and cranked the car, swiftly driving back to Austin and Coral Beach with a giggle and a grin of her happy thoughts.

Finally, Nutelo was getting married, not fired from the lousy nursing job of caring for Ruff. Then, Nutelo and Austin would be getting married tomorrow morning and moving away from Coral Beach, the three nosey brothers, Rosebud, and the Mistress foreverly.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

8:13 a.m.

Nutelo slowly drove through the morning rush hour traffic that occupied every roadway in Miami in the hot weather and eventually arrived after carefully traveling over Coral Lane with the spying eyeballs of the sentry guards toward the home of Austin, stopping and parking her rusty car underneath the veranda behind a set of empty air molecules. There were not any other vehicles around the driveway. She reached over and slammed an elbow into the door. The door opened. She slid out the car and dashed ahead to the front doors, slamming open one of the unlocked doors and stopped with a gasp, standing inside the archway.

On top of the pink and white vertical stripped long sofa, Austin was resting lengthwise. Nutelo dashed ahead and stopped, standing over Austin with a worried brow. He sounded in slumber, not snoring, but his breathe was both deep and rhythmic.

Nutelo reached down and touched his forehead with a worried brow. Cold. She moved down and touched his arm. Cool. She moved up and touched his chest. Chilled. His pulse was normal for a man of his age. His behavior was very odd. The Mistress had told Nutelo to observe all actions and reactions of Berrington, so the Mistress expecting this reaction, not Nutelo.

Nutelo back stepped with a worried brow and spun around, strolling into the kitchen to prepare plates of food for breakfast.

3:03 p.m.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunshine

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo finished preparing a plate of cookies with a nasty sneeze coming from the shitty odor of smelly stacked dirty dishes, dirty tumblers, and food stained pans that came from her numerous prepared and eaten meals in the kitchen, placing a small vase of cut flowers of red roses on top of the portable lap tray, where she had purchased the box of cookies and the bouquet of flowers from the grocery store in the early afternoon. She placed a pair of two crystal goblets with fresh milk on the top of the lap tray also and reached down, lifting up the tray with another sneeze coming from the foul odor, slowly spinning around to face the open archway of the kitchen, slowly strolling ahead with a hum into the Florida room.

1st floor level

Florida room setting

She moved ahead with a hum and stopped, leaning down while resting the tray of food items on top of the low table away from the stack of tall books with a smile, scooting around the rear of the long sofa with a grin, leaning over the back rest to see the peaceful face of Austin.

The set of double doors slammed open and hit each side wall with a nice indentation like always as each brother entered into the manor with a set of smiles and laughs.

"I won again. I am the greatest amateur golfer of two centuries," Tom moved ahead with a smile leading a set of sweaty and smelly two brothers.

"You are the second greatest, Thomas," Stu followed behind the ass of Sawyer and waved both arms into the air. "I'm the greatest by virtue of my playing time and my low handicap score on the golf course. Your handicap looks like you had aced your college entrance examination," laughing.

Tom stopped with a laugh and stood in front of the low table with stack of books with a grin. "I did ace my college entrance examination for your 411 information and received a higher mark than you, dumbass. And my handicap is two points higher than yours, Big Man." He knelt down on the floor, reaching out and touched the naked arm of Austin with a smile. "Austin, wake up? You're not smirking into my cute face," he continued to shake Austin with a worried brow.

"Tom means eighteen squared which is thirty-six. That is your handicap, right, Tom?" Stu stopped and stood behind one of the solid chairs with a chuckle.

"Stu, you are both sorry and mad at me, because you lost and are mean to boot. I won fair and square, man." Tom shook the arm of Austin with a stern face.

Frank enjoyed the revenge against the lawyer who had received very good scores on the last two golf holes while he had triple boogied each hold. "If I squared my score and then reduced it by Tom's handicap, then I would have won. Let's do that!"

"Fuck you, Stu! And fuck you more, Frank! I win and won fair and squared here." Tom laughed.

Nutelo continued to stand in silence behind the rear of the sofa while watching the entertaining Quartet. These four young men were bold, bright, beautiful, and billionaires who enjoyed horsing around and cat fighting with each other like a set of true biological brothers. She could not help but giggle silly Thomas, serious Franklin, peacekeeper Stu, and stoic Austin, since Nutelo was going to be a part of this family, tomorrow after the wedding.

Frank moved ahead with a gasp and knelt down onto the floor, reaching out and probed the body of Berrington with a worried brow. "Austin, are you feeling All right?"

Austin stirred awake and slowly sat upright against the cushion with a pale face, "Ugh..."

Frank frowned. "I'm checking for a pulse. You look very pale? Are you hot, Austin?"

"How about a good stiff drink, man?" Tom stood upright and back stepped from the sofa, spinning around with a smile and dashed ahead toward the beverage bar in the wall corner of the Florida room.

"I do not recommend any type of alcoholic drink for Austin, right now, Tom." Frank reached out and touched the head, the face, the arm, and finally the wrist bone for the pulse of Berrington with a worried brow. "Austin, how are you feeling, today? I am feeling chill with coldness on your body parts."

Tom prepared a drink and swung around with a smile, dashing back to the Austin. "He's fine. He has overslept for reading too many medical books. You're not a doctor like Jace. You're not an asshole like me. Go and get dressed, Austin! We'll go and do something fun for the day," he stopped and stood with a grin beside Stu.

"Do you have a dizzy headache or trouble with your sinuses?" Frank continued to touch more the body parts on Austin with a set of physician worry and concern.

Austin exhaled with a whisper and stared at the far wall. "Ugh..."

Tom lifted and sipped, swallowing the sweet red colored fruit juice with a grin and a nod, "Hey, Austin! There's a charity gala tonight somewhere that my driver will take me with dancing and food. It makes me hungry right now."

Austin exhaled with a whisper and continued to stare at the far wall. "Ugh..."

"Have you eaten today, Austin?" Frank looked up with a stern face to see Nutelo. "Did Austin eat a plate of breakfast?"

"Yes," Nutelo nodded with the lie and a fake smile.

"Hey! I see a tray of cookies. You shouldn't eat so much sugar, Austin. It makes you fat like Stu and lazy like Frank," Tom moved ahead with a giggle and stopped, standing in front of the low table with a grin, reaching out and snatched a cookie, eating the sweet treat.

"The cookies are a special recipe that was handed down from my great grandmother." Nutelo lied again with a smile.

Tom ate the cookie with a smile and a nod, "Gawd! Those things are awesome, nurse."

She smiled with a nod. "My name is Nutelo."

"That is an interesting name! Is your name from an African ancestry?" Stu smiled with a nod.

"No, it is an Italian sur-name." Nutelo smiled.

Tom mouth spat a series of used cookie crumbs on the clean tile floor, "Jeezus! You're an illegal alien." Sawyer frowned at the rear skull of Frank. "Fuck, Frank! You hired someone that the US federal government's looking for..."

Frank continued to probe the cold body of Austin with a worried brow. "Tom, there is a better venue to ask that particular personal question."

Tom frowned at Nutelo. "Are you illegally living here in the great USA?"

Frank shook a skull of red curly hair. "That is not the venue I was speaking of ..."

"Shut up, Frank." Tom frowned at Nutelo. "Are you illegally living here in the USA, nurse?"

Frank exhaled. "Tom, I have assured you that Nurse Nutelo possesses a green card or a foreign visa or is a citizen of the USA. Else, the reputable nursing agency would not have sent her here to Austin's house."

Stu frowned. "And I agree with Frank. Shut up, Tom!"

Tom exhaled with a distorted face at Nutelo, "Lookie! I'm keeping our noses straight and clean, because I'm the fucking law for the Quartet. I don't want any screw-ups with the Japs. Else, we don't get our tr..."

"Tom!" Frank turned around with a yell and a sour frown to see Sawyer.

"Quit yelling out loud at my given name, Frank! I got good hearing in both eardrums." Tom ate a second cookie and chewed with an open mouth of disgusting food particles.

"Apparently, you do not good sense within the two surviving brain cells." Frank exhaled with a sour frown. "Stop eating the cookies, Tom! We need to go and get ready for the gala tonight."

Tom mouth spat more abused crumbs over the dirty floor. "They're really good."

Frank swung around to see the plate of cookies and stood upright over the low table with a sour frown. "We're going to dinner in..."

"This is just a little snack from my empty tummy. And, now, I'm thirsty." He leaned over and grabbed one of the goblets of milk, gulping down the liquid down like a heathen, removing the cup and then burped out with a laugh, "It is good going down!"

"Stop eating and drinking! You will ruin your dinner at the gala, Thomas." Frank leaned down and stood upright, dashing ahead with the food tray into the kitchen with a sour frown.

Tom mouth spat more food particles into the air with a laugh. "Naw, I got plenty of room for more food. I've worked up a man sized appetite winning the golf game," he leaned down and placed the used goblet over the surface of the low table, chewing the cookie with a grin.

Stu nodded with a sour frown at the rear skull of Sawyer. "You eat like a pig, Tom, all the time."

"I'm always hungry." Tom mouth spat more food particles through the air with a smile and patted the stomach with a nod.

Frank returned back into the Florida room with a chuckle. "He eats like a skinny pig all the time."

"He looks more like a skinny giraffe," chuckled Stu.

Frank smiled. "A giraffe eats twenty pounds of trees leaves a day to stay skinny."

Tom laughed. "Who doesn't have a touch of good sense now? I don't eat tree leaves, Stu."

"You stay skinny," chuckled Gage.

Frank chuckled. "And old age will catch up with skinny ass Tom, one day."

Tom sipped and swallowed the juice with a smile. "Austin, you can ride with me and Jane to the gala tonight. I'll spit and polish the limo just for my best bro," laughing.

"I'm your best bro." Stu slapped a chest with a nod and a grin at Austin.

"Best bozo, ya mean. Austin is my 'bestest' brother," Tom nodded with a smile.

Austin exhaled with a whisper and stared at the far wall. "Ugh..."

Tom frowned. "Ugh! You don't or you do wanna go with me and Jane to the gala, tonight? We'll have fun. Come on, man! You need some fresh air. You need to see some hot chicks. None of your formal flames are here, since they're dead or married..."

"Thomas?" Stu frowned.

Tom smiled with a nod. "You need to hear some loud rock and roll music. The house is too quiet. You need to drink tons of bourbon. A bottle of whiskey cures or kills anything."

Stu laughed. "A bottle of consumed southern whiskey would kill a dinosaur."

"Dinosaur are dead too. You need to go back to the elementary school, Stu." Tom laughed.

Frank continued to probe Austin with a worried brow. "I do not recommend a girl of beauty or a glass of bourbon for Austin. And I do not recommend that Austin be around a group of nasty people at a social function until I can figure out his current mental condition. He will be staying home tonight. He is chilled from a possible developing head cold virus."

Nutelo stood upright with a smile and nod to each brother. "Austin can attend the charity social gala for fun. I can accompany him as his date to the grand ball," giggling.

Stu nodded with a smile at the pale face of Austin. "We can get one of the female QA guards to be your personal escort and secret bodyguard for the evening, Austin. I don't want all these bitching vultures after Austin in his mental state of mind either."

"Right-o, Stu!" Tom sipped and swallowed the red colored juice with a smile to Austin, "Lookie! Jane and I will come by and pick you up at six sharp. Be ready and look good, man! Better yet, I'll come over..."

"I am the nurse here. I only can take care of Austin here," Nutelo nodded with a smile.

Frank stopped and stood in front of his two brothers, shaking a skull with a stern face, spinning around to see Berrington. "No. Austin stays home to rest for the night. He has a slight chill to his body."

Austin exhaled and stared at the far wall. "Ugh..."

"All right, Frank. Stay cool, bro!" Stu back stepped with a worried brow and spun around, leaving the manor first.

"Stay chilled, man!" Tom back stepped with a fake smile and spun around, following behind the ass of Stu with a worried brow.

"If you need me, Austin, ring me! I will come back to you, immediately," Frank slowly back stepped with a stern face away from sleepy Austin and stared with suspicion at the young nurse, slowly spinning around and moved ahead through the open doorway, leaving the mansion in a set of worries and mumbles, strolling into the bright Florida sunlight.

The entrance door closed in silence.

5:05 p.m.

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of dull sunlight

Inside the Florida room, Nutelo sat on top of the pink and white squared pattern loveseat that was diagonally from Austin, leaning over and sucked down every morsel of food on top of the plate with an open mouth of bad manners while staring with a worried brow at Berrington. He continued to rest lengthwise and peacefully slept over the soft cushions of the sofa with a body of chills and pale skin of coldness.

The set of double doors slowly opened without hitting each side way and revealed a set of an empty air molecules. Then she entered first with a smile.

Nutelo stood upright from the loveseat with an open mouth, dropping out some of the chewed food particles that fell over the nursing clothes and then the floor.

The elegant ankle-length ball gown displayed a fluffy and wide skirt in candy pink tone that was covered in scattered assortment of tiny silver tinted star shapes that twinkled underneath the artificial overhead lamps inside the Florida room. She slowly moved ahead and held a tiny vase of flowers of purple roses and white carnations, strolling over the floor toward the long sofa with Austin. Berrington continued to sleep on top the soft cushions inside the pink and white vertical stripped sofa without attention.

Frank followed behind the dress hemline of the elegant ball gown on his wife Misty Marie and pushed inside a rolling cart of food items, moving ahead while slowly strolling toward the sofa with Austin. He said with a worried brow. "Austin, wake up! Misty and I are here," he stopped and stood a few feet from the low table, scooting around the furniture and leaned down, gently grabbing and lifting Austin upright with a worried brow. "Austin, please sit upright! We brought you a tray of good nutritious food stuffs for your body chills consisting of hot soaps with spices, hot chocolate cup, steamed vegetables and roasted heated meats." He back stepped with a smile and scooted behind the food cart rolling it in front of Austin, who continued to sit upright on top of the sofa.

Nutelo smiled at the pretty fairy tale princess dress on the wife of Mangrove with a whisper for her eardrums only. The gown was sleeveless with a thin waistband of crystals. "No, the stones are real diamonds." She had read inside one of the unofficial biographies that the wife of Misty Marie only wore a set of real gems on a body.

Her long blonde colored hair was folded and flipped into a rounded bun on top of the hair roots on Misty that rose up and behind a triangular shaped crown tiara of glittering diamonds. The rows of diamonds twinkled underneath the overhead lights of the ceiling. Her two earlobes wore a set of dangling long diamond triangle shape at the end of the jewelry line which glittered underneath the overhead lamps also. Her naked neck was covered in a single diamond triangle shaped necklace over the suntanned skin.

In front of Austin, Frank leaned down and spread each food items into the perfect arrangement. "You need to try to finish all the food items, Austin. Your stomach needs all the natural minerals, enzymes, and nutrients. We must leave now. Misty and I are going to the Tiara Ball tonight, but you call me for anything."

"Ugh..." Austin exhaled with a whisper and stared at the far wall.

Frank stood upright and stared with a worried brow at the pale face of Austin. "I will return tomorrow to check on you after a meeting in my office, Austin."

Misty moved ahead and scooted around the row of low tables, strolling to the opposite side of Austin, stopping and reached over, placing the tiny vase of two flowers of purple on top of the food tray with a smile. She sat down and leaned over, reaching out, rubbing his naked arm with a gloved hand. Both arms were covered in a pair of elbow length satin gloves as each wrist bone wore a set of three diamond bracelets underneath the artificial overhead lamps. "Please eat all your food, Austin. It is yummy for your tummy. If you need me, I will call running back with Frank. Or if you need any brother or sister, we will all come back for you."

Frank nodded. "Austin, we would stay, but we are fulfilling the pledged commitments to the hospital for children. Children need over our help too. Are you going to be All right here, Austin?"

"Ugh..." Austin exhaled with a whisper and stared at the far wall.

Frank nodded with a smile. "Good! We love you and care about your welfare, Austin," he leaned over and patted the collar bone of Berrington with a nod, standing upright with a grin. "After you eat, please go to bed and sleep. Sleep is the best medicine, Austin." He back stepped from the food cart and pale looking Austin.

"Have sweet dreams, Austin!" Misty Marie stood upright from the sofa and gathered the sides of the gown, slowly back stepping from Austin with a smile also, turning and moved toward Frank with a smile, stopping and stood, cuddling with her husband with a worried brow.

They slowly back stepped with a stern face from the sofa that held pale looking Austin.

Frank smiled. "We are leaving. Please eat all your food. You will feel much better, Austin."

"We love you, Austin. Call us tonight for anything," Misty Marie turned and smiled at Nutelo in silence. Nutelo smiled back at Misty Marie in silence also.

Frank slowly spun and cuddled his wife to face the open archway and slowly moved toward the open door, whispering into her eardrum with a set of secret words. Misty led and exited the house first, moving back into the limousine. Frank followed behind her dress until the dress had cleared the archway and then he spun around, reaching out and closed the both doors with a fake smile. "Eat your food. Have a good sleep. We love you, Austin," he slowly shut the doors.

The Florida room was silence.

Nutelo bounced up and down, wiping off a dirty mouth with her arm and a whisper for her eardrums only. "That is going to be me, tomorrow night! I loved her fairy tale pink tinted princess dress," she leaned down and gathered the empty plates of her dinner and dashed toward the food cart with a confused brow, stopping and stood next to Austin, leaning down and dropping the used dirty dishes and grabbed the provided spoon of hot soup, eating the food item. She gagged with disgust and mouth spat out the foul soup, dropping the spoon back down into the bowl with a sour frown. "Yuck! This stuff is awful. You have finished eating for the night, Austin," she leaned down and shoved, rolling the cart away from Austin and the sofa, scooting around the furniture and shuffled it toward the kitchen to discard with a yell and a sour frown at Berrington. "Go back to sleep, Austin! You need rest, not food. The Mistress is entering your mind and creating a set of beautiful pictures of me in there," she turned and rolled the food cart of items into the kitchen and stopped, standing in front of the pile of dirty dishes, lifting and placing the foul food into the mess with a sour frown. Austin slowly leaned down and rested a skull on top of the satin pillow, closing the eyelids into sleep in silence.

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo finished dumping the nasty food contents over on top of the tall pile of used and abused dirty dishes with a sour frown and spun around, dashing ahead through the archway, stopping and stood with a gasp in the rear of the sofa with a puzzled brow. Austin was there and curled over the sofa, still wearing the T-shirt, the pair of walking shorts, and a pair of bare feet. She smiled, "Awe! Austin is so cute when asleep. I'll sleep down here with my future husband also. Don't worry, Austin! We will be married tomorrow. Then, we will sail far, far away from here without the three stupid triplets, who are not your real brothers," she spun around and dashed ahead, climbing the steps and scooted off the second floor, entering the guest bedroom. She stopped and reached down, jerking all the bed linens and the bed spread from the bed mattress, back stepping and gathered all the dragging and loose items into a large ball of fabric and spun around with a smile. She dashed through the archway and ran down the steps, stomping over the ground level toward an empty sofa. She stopped and stood in front of the sofa, spreading out all the bed items over the top of the long sofa which was posed across from Austin, stretching both arms into the air a giggle, slapping down both arms onto the legs with a loud smack and turned, sitting down and then curled up over the sofa, staring with a smile at the sleeping pale colored face of Austin.

Saturday September 25th

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

**B** oth Nutelo and Austin continued to sleep on top of an individual living room sofa through the time of 2:31 am without either party arising to check and monitor the medical condition of Rosebud inside the second floor the modified hospital room.

4:48 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures and bright moonlight with stars

House of the Mistress

She opened both eyelashes with a grunt and rolled off the sofa, landing on top of the hard tile with a thump and a gasp of shock, slowly standing upright with a confused brow. She scanned the room and saw Austin on top of the opposite sofa with a smile. "My prince-charmed still sleeps. I will be back, my prince-charmed. I gotta go and see the wicked witch of South Florida. She will tell me that we will be married today," she back stepped and spun around, dashing through one of the unlocked doors. She entered her car that was parked underneath the veranda wearing a set of dirty blue colored nursing scrubs. She had to appear like a true nurse. Or one of the nosy brothers would get suspicious.

Nutelo swiftly drove the blue colored older model car with a puff of fury while rubbing one red and swollen eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball.

On the roadway, she swiftly turned off the city street and sped over the ratty driveway bumping into each pothole with a grunt of angry while steering toward the familiar mint green cider block two-story private home within the city of Doral without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and slammed the closed door. The poor door cried in metal pain and swiftly opened up. She slid out and stood upright with a deep sigh of worry within the silence of the night air, dragging to tell the Mistress with the defeated opportunity.

She scooted around the car and left the door open, so the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the rusty old model car. She moved ahead and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked weather beaten red colored side door of a mint green cider block two-story house.

5:09 a.m.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps toward a single tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood open as a pile of tan sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. Nutelo slowly entered the small room of dull peach sliding down into the same brown colored ratty chair with an angry face, "I missed the dance and the dinner and the tiara gala, last night, because you..."

The Mistress rocked side to side inside the blue colored ratty chair in a folded body with a stern face and a sigh. "Did anything else happen?" She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone in an ankle-length white dress.

Nutelo nodded with a sour frown. "Yeah, something is wrong. I found Austin asleep on the sofa yesterday morning when I came home from your visit. His body temperature was very cold with a set of chills. He didn't want to do anything. Why is he sick? He never gets sick."

The Mistress smiled. "Good. I have successfully connected into his mind."

"How is that possible for you to control the mind of Austin?"

"I am not in total control of the mind of Berrington. For some strange reason, the physical body of Berrington is resisting my magic. I find that very surprising. He has a strong mind. This is why his body is coldly chilled. But I will eventually win. What else has happened?"

She frowned. "These three nosy brothers, they all came from a round of golfing to visit with Austin. Do they not work for a living like me? Well, Sawyer started eating the entire plate of cookies that I had baked with my own two hands for my future husband Austin. I hate that man. Can you get rid of him and the rest of his brother?"

"I have mentioned before the four brothers are bonded with the strength of love. There is no other force stronger than love."

"Can't you kill all of them with your powerful magic at the same time with a big ocean tidal wave or a big strike of a lightning bolt, Mistress?"

"Berrington is being control by me."

She exhaled with a sour frown. "Finally, you were right."

"I am never wrong."

"Do you see my future wedding, maybe today, this evening?"

The Mistress sighed. "The future vision is very fussy. I expected some of this. The bond between the four brothers is very, very strong."

She sneered. "You keep saying that. Can you bust and break a bond with a hug, a kiss, or a...?"

"There is not a force powerful enough to break a bond of love. Space and time and distance are immune to the power..."

She smiled. "Love is an emotion."

"Love is more than an emotion. It is a state of mind and body and spirit. Love is supreme to any other emotion, act, or behavior. Love can outshine depression, sadness, and weakness. Love is also very, very powerful for either side of good or evil."

"I love Austin. He knows it, also. He loves me, too."

The Mistress frowned. "You will observe and watch his actions again throughout the day and the night. I need to know his behavior and his reactions to my magic."

She gasped. "Is anything wrong here?"

The Mistress closed both eyelashes with a stern face. "The bond is stronger than I imaged possible."

"Gimme more love potion powder, I will..."

The Mistress opened by eyelashes to see Nutelo. "It is not a love potion powder. There is no such thing as a love potion powder or liquid. However, my powder is not needed anymore. The time is for me to concentrate and control the free will of Berrington."

She laughed. "I've heard that one before and before and before. So what else do I do here to get married today?"

"You must wait on me. I need to do my thing as they say. You are to come back tomorrow at the same time. You may go now. I need to mediate."

Nutelo stood upright with a grin and a giggle, staring down at the old woman. The bond of love was stronger than any type of individual power. Nutelo believed in her mind that she could control Austin with her unlimited love, so she was going back to Coral Beach and concentrate on loving Austin that should control his free will also.

8:18 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo slowly drove through the morning rush hour traffic that occupied every roadway in Miami in the hot weather and eventually arrived after carefully traveling over Coral Lane with the spying set of sentry guards to the home of Austin, stopping and parking her blue colored compact car underneath the veranda behind a set of empty air molecules. There were not any other vehicles around the driveway. She reached over and slammed an elbow into the door. The door opened. She slid out the car and dashed ahead to the door, slamming open the unlocked door and stopped with a gasp, standing inside the archway.

On top of the pink and white vertical stripped long sofa, Austin was resting lengthwise for a second day. Nutelo dashed ahead and stopped, standing over Austin with a worried brow. He sounded in slumber, not snoring, but his breathe was swallow and rhythmic for a second day.

Nutelo reached down and touched his naked forehead with a worried brow. Hot. She moved down and touched his naked arm. Heated. She moved up and touched his naked chest. Sweaty. She reached up and touched his lips. Chapped His pulse was normal for a man of his age. His behavior was very odd.

The Mistress had told Nutelo to observe all actions and reactions of Berrington. She was expecting this reaction, not Nutelo.

Nutelo back stepped with a worried brow and spun around, strolling into the kitchen to prepare a delicious plate of food for breakfast. When she worried, Nutelo needed to eat and calm down her stomach and her mind.

9:08 a.m.

Florida room setting

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo slowly back stepped from the disgusting and dirty counter top while eating the last cookie form the torn open old box with happiness and spun around, moving ahead through the archway into the Florida room, chewing the food. She stopped and stood over the rear of the long sofa, leaning down to touch the red tinted face of Austin with a wet hand of cold water. Austin didn't flinch. She frowned, "This ain't good. He is heated and hot. He has a high fever. His body is slightly red tinted. This ain't great. When are all of his body malfunctions going to stop? They are coming from the mind connection with the Mistress. I can't talk or touch or tickle Austin like a boyfriend for fun," she crossed the arms with a puzzled brow. "The Mistress said that she was replacing my face with the face of Ruff. That's it! Ruff still lives inside the second floor of the manor. So she needs to get out of Austin's mind. The only way to get out of someone's head is to be dead. I should know. My father has been dead for years. I never think about him anymore," she clapped with an evil grin. "It's finally time for Rosebud to go far, far away from here and Austin. Then Austin will be strong and healthy to marry me, this afternoon. And I wanna go to the next gala ball. It's Saturday night. There are lots of fancy wealthy society dances, tonight," she spun around and dashed ahead, climbing the staircase with an evil laugh, scooting off and glided across the smooth second floor level with a wicked smile.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Nutelo stopped and stood inside the archway with a sneer, moving ahead, halting and stood in front of the glass coffin, leaning over and bad breathed onto the glass with a soft sneer. "This is your fault, Ruff. If you were not here and still alive, then me and Austin would be married right now. Austin would be healthy and happy, not sweaty and heated. He has a fever from the cold body chills from yesterday when the Mistress accessed his mind. She wouldn't need to do that, if she didn't need to get your face outta his mind. This is your all your fault," she reached over and touched the button that controlled the oxygen flow with a growl. "Now, it is your time to die..." The set of double front doors slammed against each side wall with a loud boom down inside the Florida room. Nutelo spun around from the glass coffin with a gasp, "The three rude and nosy brothers are here right now." She swiftly dashed ahead through the open archway, ran across the room, descending down the staircase, seeing and hearing the action.

9:13 a.m.

Florida room setting

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunrays

Inside the Florida room, Jace slowly approached from the front door with Frank and stopped, standing in front of the sofa, staring down at Austin in silence.

Nutelo stomped down onto the ground floor with a gasp and a whisper, moving toward the rear of the sofa with Austin. "No! Get away! Go away! The mind of Austin is being controlled by the Mistress. She needs to stay inside there," she stopped and stood behind the rear sofa.

Stu and Tom followed behind the two asses of Jace and Frank and then they stopped, standing a few feet from the two physicians, the sofa, and Austin. Stu crossed both arms with a growl "Where in the hell have you been, Jace? Since, it has not been here with our brother Austin."

Jace continued to stand over Austin and used a pair of medical eyeballs to study the medical condition Berrington with a stern face. "My professional and private life has been crazy, Stu."

Stu stared down at Austin on top of the sofa with deep worry. Austin was semi-naked and wore a red tinted sweat over the body. "Help, Austin, now!"

Jace leaned over and touched the hot forehead, the heated cheekbone and the sweaty naked chest of Austin. "He has a high fever. You said that Austin had a set of chills yesterday, Frank. A fever is a good sign. You should know the same clinical information as a medical physician, Frank. Austin has the perfect symptoms of a common cold. That's all, Stu. I need to go and get back to my patients who are very ill and dying."

Tom jabbed a finger with a sneer at the back spine on Jace and then the chest of Austin, "Hell no! You keep your ass right here and help our brother Austin. We fuckingly pay you millions which means that you help Austin first to get well, right fucking now, Jackson."

Jace stood upright with a sour frown. "I have a set of very sick patients, who are dying of rare diseases. Austin is not dying. He has a bad common cold or worse a mild flu. Give me liquids. Keep him in the bed. He will live and breathe, tomorrow. I promise. I am sorry. I must leave," he spun around with a stern face and slammed a shoulder into one brother, breaking the line of three worried brothers with a loud growl. Stu shoved a shoulder back with a sneer into Jace. Jace was tall and overweight, scooting around Stu with ease, exiting through the open doors of the living room, leaving the house for his private physician office to work on the really sick patients.

Stu spun around with a loud sneer to see the wiggling fat ass on Jace. "Jackson?"

"Forget him, Stu! Jace is correct." Frank moved ahead with a worried brow and stopped, squatting down onto the floor, gently shaking at Austin. "Austin, can you hear me?"

Austin stirred awake and exhaled with a huff of sweat. "Ugh..."

"Did you eat all the food that I prepared last night, Austin?" Frank looked up with a stern face to see Nutelo. "Did Austin eat my plate of nutritious food items? Did he eat anymore plates of food today, nurse..."?

"Nutelo," Nutelo softly growled and continued to stand behind the rear of the sofa and nodded with a grin of the lie. "Yes, he eats really well at breakfast time and at lunch time and at snack time and at the second..."

Frank reached down and opened the medical bag, pulling out the medical gear with a stern face to Nutelo. "Keep feeding him cold liquids. Keep him here on top of the long sofa. All the upper rooms are too heated with the blistering afternoon sunset. Go and get him a fresh pair of underwear and a new set of clean bed linens, nurse," he reached up and placed the stethoscope over the naked and sweaty chest of Austin while listening to the heart rate.

She gasped with fury. "What did you say to me?"

Frank continued to hear the heart beat and sneered at the young nurse. "Get going and bring back the clothing and the linens items, right now, nurse!"

She faked a smile. "Yes sir!" Nutelo spun around with a wicked grin and dashed toward the staircase, climbing up the stairs for the new clothing items. Then she would touch and change the underwear briefs on Austin while rubbing and caressing his fine body.

Stu exhaled with a worried brow and stared at Austin. "What is wrong with him, Frank? I'm worried. Do we need to contact another physician? Hell. We know hundreds of physicians at the two of closest Charity Hospitals near our homes."

Frank reached out and probed all the body parts of Austin, shaking a skull, replacing the stethoscope back down into the medical bag and pulled out a tube of ointment. He squeezed the tube and produced white ointment over a finger, reaching out and placed on top of the chapped lips of Austin, spreading the thickness with a worried brow. "Each physician will say the same damn thing. Austin has a high fever, only. A fever is a good sign. His body is fighting some type of nasty internal infection. He doesn't have a loud wheezing cough or a trapped fluid inside either lung. He is very healthy, except for the damn high fever. I just checked all his internal organs which Jace didn't do for some damn reason. I will have a pow-wow with Jace and his ill-bred bedside manner tomorrow. However, Austin is going to be All right. His body just needs to run through the course of a high fever like a sick toddler."

Stu frowned with worry at Austin. "I didn't mean to question your medical skills, Frank."

Frank continued to stare with a worried brow at Austin. "Stu, you have that right as Austin's big brother and protector. I am a physician too. I would be more concerned, if Austin didn't present with a high fever and still wasn't able to move up and walk away from the sofa without a set of flu-like symptoms. Jace was an asshole this afternoon but he was correct. Austin is experiencing a mild clinical case of the flu. Once his fever breaks, he will be fine and up walking around the room, eating full meals. I promise."

Stu exhaled with worry. "That sorta makes logic sense to me, Frank. But I still feel worried."

Frank exhaled with worry. "If Austin is still red colored and sweaty on tomorrow morning, we will take and tote him to one of the shitty emergency rooms at Charity Hospital and demand the VIP treatment. Our billions will buy that much for Austin's immediate medical treatment. Then we will call in Jace. Then you can beat his ass in the emergency room parking lot, since Jackson will be really close to the pair of sliding glass doors of the emergency department to treat all his bloody body party and bleeding injuries. How's that plot, Stu?" He laughed with Tom.

Stu nodded with a chuckle. "Now, I love that plan and that decision, Frank."

Tom looked down with a worried brow to see the designer wrist waist. "Fuck! We need to go and get back to the office, Frank. The important conference call is too close. We can't miss it."

"I understand," Frank reached out and started ripping off the sweaty clothing from Austin with a worried brow. Nutelo had found the linen closet and pulled out a set of two freshly laundered clean pink tinted bed linens, a sleeping pillow, and the used bedcover from Austin's master bedroom, slowly moving down the staircase and toted all the items between two arms. Frank dropped the dirty clothes onto the floor and stood upright, looking up with a stern face to see the nurse. "Go and help the damn nurse, Stu. She's too fucking slow."

Stu and Tom dashed ahead in silence and scooted around the living room furniture, soaring up the staircase, stopping and reached out, snatching up the clothing items and the bed linens from Nutelo in silence. They cuddled all the items into a chest and spun around, dashing down the steps and returned back to Frank and Austin. Frank started removing the set of sweaty bed lines away from Austin too. Tom and Stu stopped with a worried brow and stood in front of the sofa with their brother sick Austin. Frank dropped a pile of sweaty bed linens down onto the floor and away from the sofa. "Please go and prepare some bags of ice cubes and a glass pitcher of cold juice with tons of ice cubes for Austin, Tom!"

"Right!" Tom reached down and placed the items over the nearest chair, standing upright, back stepping from the sofa with a nod and spun around, dashing ahead toward the beverage bar in the wall corner of the Florida room.

Stu reached over and placed the items next to the first pile of bed linens in silence, waiting on the next instruction from Mangrove. Frank was a physician and knew what to do to help Austin. Frank side stepped and sorted through the bed linens, collecting what he wanted with a stern face. "Stu, if you can lift Austin into the air and off of the sofa, then I will spread out the new bed linen underneath his body." Stu moved ahead with a nod in silence and stopped, standing in front of Austin. He squatted at the kneecaps and slid a pair of arms underneath Berrington, feeling the heated body of Austin with deep concern, gently lifting his brother from the sofa. Frank quickly popped open and spread two cotton bed linens over the sofa, back stepping with a nod in silence. Then Stu slowly lowered Austin back down over the cool bed linens in silence. Frank reached out and placed a single bed linen over eh sweaty body of Berrington in silence.

Inside the wall corner at the beverage bar, Tom prepared a tall glass pitcher of red colored juice with tons of ice cubes with a smile and swung around, swiftly dashing back to his three brothers. "Here! I got three cloth bags that can hold ice cubes for Austin. And I made the coldest beverage in the world for my brother," he stopped and stood with a grin beside Stu and Frank.

"Thanks, Tom!" Frank smiled down at Austin.

Stu leaned down and shoved to the side the piles of medical textbooks over the edge and down onto the floor, shifting the books away from Austin while clearing a spot on the low table for the glass pitcher of juice with a tall empty tumbler. "Here, Tom! Place the tray with the pitcher of juice here! Austin can reach for it during the night." Tom leaned down and placed the heavy tray of items on top of the low table in front of Austin, standing upright and stared with a worried brow at Austin.

Frank reached down and grabbed each bag, placing one at the naked feet of Austin, underneath the resting armpit of Austin, and on the side of the pillow near the cheekbone of Austin with a worried brow in silence, out and touched the head, the face, the arm, and finally the wrist bone for the pulse of Berrington with a worried brow. "Austin, are you feeling cooler now? You have a fresh set of bed linens underneath your heated body. Tom made the coldest beverage in the world for you. You drink the cold juice as much as possible. It was keep you hydrated through the night..."

Stu exhaled with worry. "Should we dump Austin down into a tub of cold water, Frank? The hospital does that to little children all the time."

"That's great idea, Stu." Tom stared with a nod of worry at Austin.

"That is not necessary for an adult. Austin is fighting with a nasty infection. The fever is aiding his body. Inside a child, a fever is good upwards to a certain hot temperature range. Then the child is submerged down into a tub of cold water to quickly reduce a high fever, so the brain doesn't fry. Austin has a very bad virus and his body is working overtime to rid the nasty bug. I am concerned about our brother too. But Austin is healthy. Once the fever breaks, Austin will be his old asshole self again."

"I feel better that you are telling us this, Frank." Tom exhaled with worry.

Nutelo slowly moved down the staircase with an evil giggle and lifted up, twirling the pair of clean white colored underwear briefs near a smile, stopping and stood in the rear of the long sofa, staring down with a wicked grin at the Austin. "I also hold..."

Frank reached over and snatched the briefs with a stern face. "Thanks, nurse! I will take those from you. Go and prepared an array of numerous cold pitchers of ice cubed water and different types of juices for Austin and leave inside the refrigerator for fast access. You will apply the lip ointment as generous as needed. And Austin must drink plenty of cold liquids throughout the night," he stared with a stern face at Nutelo.

Stu moved ahead and stopped, turning and touched the side table, patting the single sheet of paper with a stern face. "Here! There is a listing of each one of mobile telephone numbers if we need to come to see Austin. The first mobile telephone number belongs to Joe. He is the personal driver for Austin. He can be here within seconds of a single telephone call. You are a medical number. If the medical situation is bad, you call Joe to come here. Then you and Joe will take Austin to the closest emergency room which is Charity South Miami Hospital, two miles due west down the city street of Coral Gables. Do you understand my instructions, nurse?"

"My name is Nutelo," she snapped with a sour frown at Frank.

"Yeah, she does." Tom sneered.

Frank sneered. "Get going, now, nurse!"

"Nutelo," she back stepped with a sour frown and dashed ahead into the kitchen, stopping and slid over in the side wall while hearing the set of faint voices from the three brothers of Austin.

Frank tossed back the pink tinted bed linen that revealed a naked and semi-conscious Austin. "Please lift his legs, Tom. I will dress Austin." Tom moved ahead and stopped, standing at the end of the sofa, leaning down and grabbed, gently lifting up both the legs of Austin. Frank leaned over and placed the freshly laundered underwear briefs over the legs and covered the naked penis of Austin with a stern face. Tom gently lowered both the legs of Austin and replaced the bag of ice cubes at the heels of Austin with a worried brow in silence. Frank shuffled the pink tinted bed linen up from the naked toes to the waistline, exposing the red tinted chest, kneeling down with a worried brow and a whisper. "Tom, Stu and I have to leave and go back to the office, right now, Austin. We have an important meeting in the office. But, don't worry! We all will return later, this evening, Austin," he stood upright with a deep sigh of worry.

He moved ahead and stopped, standing beside Frank. "Hang in there, bro!" Stu leaned over and gently patted the red tinted naked skin of Austin with worry.

"Stay cool, man!" Tom leaned over and gently patted the red tinted naked arm of Austin with worry.

Then, each brother slowly spun around to face the doorway and slowly moved ahead through the open archway while leaving behind their sick brother Austin on top of the sofa inside the mansion with a set of worries and mumbles, strolling back into the bright Florida sunlight. Then the front doors slowly closed shut in silence.

5:01 p.m.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunshine

Inside the kitchen, Nutelo stood in front of the counter top and ate from the fresh box of cookies from the terrible distress and heavy stress of a shitty morning and afternoon. The three rude and nosy brothers had invaded the manor at around nine o'clock this morning while bothering Austin, ordering around Nutelo, and leaving numerous instructions that Nutelo totally ignored until the first telephone call on the landline phone.

She couldn't leave the manor for a fun sunny beach walk either. The damn telephone landline had rung each precise hour at ten, eleven, twelve, one, two, three, and then four o'clock with one of the three brothers on the other end inquiring about Austin and asking dozens of questions about the medical condition of Berrington.

After slamming the receiver back down over the hook, each hour, Nutelo moved ahead and gently poured a hand sprinkle of cold water over the red tinted face of Austin and then applied a generous amount of lip ointment before she received trouble from one of the three nasty rude brothers.

She chewed the food and then produced a big sneeze while smelling the shitty odor of smelly stacked dirty dishes, dirty tumblers, and food stained pans that came from her numerous prepared and eaten meals in the kitchen. Early in the afternoon, she had left Austin and driven to the grocery store, purchasing numerous boxes of fresh cookies with the stolen money from the money safe that belonged to Austin at the grocery store. She placed a pair of two crystal goblets with fresh milk on the top of the lap tray along the new box of cookies for the afternoon snack with a smile. The fever on Austin prevented the consumption of a glass of cold milk or a plate of fresh cookies. He could vomit up all the contents from a sour stomach while really messing up the clean floor in which Nutelo was not going to clean.

She grabbed and lifted the tray of food items with a hum, slowly back steeping and slowly spun around, shuffling ahead toward the open archway with a smile, moving ahead into the Florida room, stopping and stood in front of an empty low table near the long sofa with all her messy bed linens and bed cover, where she had spent the night in the Florida room to be near Austin, who had received a set of cold body chills from the mind control of the Mistress.

She leaned down and placed the tray of goodies on top of the hard surface, sitting down with a smile, reaching out and snatched another fresh cookie, chewing with a giggle and watched Austin. He was rolled onto a side asleep and wore a slightly pink tinted skin tone, instead of the bright red tone from this morning at nine o'clock. The Mistress must be inside the mind of Austin and regulated the body temperatures.

5:05 p.m.

Florida room setting

The set of double doors slowly opened without hitting the side wall with a nice indentation like always as each female entered one at a time through the archway into the manor with a smile and stopped, standing in a row, posing between the individual living room furniture pieces, where Austin continued to sleep on the top of the sofa in sweaty peace.

Nutelo slowly stood upright with a gasp as the chewed cookie crumbs fell out, dropping down onto her hands and then the floor.

Stu entered backward next through the open archway while rolling a food tray with Frank on the other end. Tom moved inside with a smile last in the line while doing nothing, as usual.

Gracie stood upright with a smile and stared at Austin on top of the long sofa. He was covered in a pink tinted bed linen with a red tinted naked chest and a sweaty face. Frank had told each wife not to touch or stand close to Austin, since Berrington probably wasn't contagious but could affect a healthy person with his set of nasty infectious germs. Gracie wore an ankle-length evening gown in vivid emerald green colors. The evening dress was naked at her neckline with a pair of drop sleeves that started at each bicep and then ran straight across the top of her breasts. The skirt cascaded down into a one-foot train in the rear and a high slit up the one leg and ended at the hip thigh, exposing a muscular athletic leg for all eyeballs. Her naked throat was covered in an array of emerald green gems in the shape of a pointy fan that covered most of the chest. Her two earlobes were draped with a pair of emerald green dangling earrings in the shape of an upside letter V. Her two wrist bones contained three separate emerald green bracelets. Her long black colored hair was slicked back the face and wore a tiara in the fashion of a two pointy upright cat ears which were covered in the matching green fabric of her gown with a set of tiny stones of emeralds and diamonds. The tiara was shaped as a hand band that curved behind the rear of each earlobe. The waistline was thick and made in the same matching green fabric of her dress which was covered in numerous tiny gem stones of emerald and diamonds also that was attached to a single upright curvy and posed tail that resemble a cat which swayed side to side when she moved.

Jane stood between Gracie and Misty Marie with a smile and stared at Austin on top of the long sofa. He was covered in a pink tinted bed linen with a red tinted naked chest and a sweaty face. Jane wore an ankle-length evening gown in vivid sapphire blue color. The evening dress possessed a V-shaped neckline without sleeves. The skirt cascaded down into a one-foot train in the rear and a high slit up the one leg and ended at the hip thigh, exposing a thick muscular leg meat for all eyeballs. Her naked throat was covered in an array of sapphire blue gems in the shape of a square blocks. Her two earlobes were draped with a pair of sapphire blue dangling earrings in the shape of a thick square block. Her two wrist bones contained three separate sapphire blue bracelets. Her curly shoulder length hair was slicked back from the face and wore a tiara in the fashion of a two pointy upright cat ears which were covered in the matching blue fabric of her gown with a set of tiny stones of sapphires and diamonds. The tiara was shaped as a hand band that curved behind the rear of each earlobe. The waistline was thick and made in the same matching blue fabric of her dress which was covered in numerous tiny gem stones of sapphires and diamonds also that was attached to a single upright curvy and posed tail that resemble a cat which swayed side to side when she moved.

Misty Marie posed upright closest to the open front doors with a smile and stared at Austin on top of the long sofa. He was covered in a pink tinted bed linen with a red tinted naked chest and a sweaty face. Misty wore an ankle-length evening gown in vivid ruby red color. The evening dress was strapless and sleeveless. The flowing skirt cascaded down into a one-foot train in the rear and a high slit up the one leg and ended at the hip thigh, exposing a dark slender leg meat for all eyeballs. Her naked throat was covered in an array of ruby red gems in the shape of circles. Her two earlobes were draped with a pair of ruby red earrings that dangled down into the shape of a circle. Her two wrist bones contained three separate ruby red bracelets. Her long blonde colored hair was slicked back from the face and wore a tiara in the fashion of a two pointy upright cat ears which were covered in the matching red fabric of her gown with a set of tiny stones of rubies and diamonds. The tiara was shaped as a hand band that curved behind the rear of each earlobe. The waistline was thick and made in the same matching blue fabric of her dress which was covered in numerous tiny gem stones of rubies and diamonds also that was attached to a single upright curvy and posed tail that resemble a cat which swayed side to side when she moved.

Nutelo stared with a smile and a whisper. "Wow! Those fancy ball dresses are beautiful. I want one. I wanna go the ball tonight too."

Stu continued to shuffle backward and held the rolling tray with Frank and stopped, standing near the edge of the low tables and in front of the long sofa with Austin. Tom moved ahead and scooted around the rear of the sofa and stopped, standing over Austin with a worried brow.

Each brother wore a traditional black colored tuxedo with a matching colored bowtie that coordinated with the colored evening gown of the appropriate wife. On top of the earlobes, each brother had glued down a pair of individual pointy cat ears that matched the cat tiara of each wife also. On the rear of the trousers, each brother wore a curvy and pointy cat tail that swayed side to side with movement in the matching color tone of each wife too.

Stu leaned down and arranged all the food items inside each pocket on top of the short rolling tray. Tom leaned down with Frank working together to upright Austin into a sitting pose for consuming the new cold nutritious meal in the evening.

Frank squatted down and touched the arm of Austin with a soft timber and a worried brow. "Stu has created a new rolling lap tray for your evening mealtime, Austin. There are numerous pockets with a variety of selected good cold foods that will keep your fever at bay. There is an individual pocket for cold fruits of ripe watermelon and a bunch of frozen grapes that you can suck on. The cold juices will please your hunger stomach. There is an individual slot for a tray of cold gelatins in various cute and ugly colors. I really don't like green colored gelatin, but Tom swears it tastes shitty, so Stu had to add it for fun," he laughed with his two brothers and then exhaled with worry. "This is a pocket of flavored ice pops which are frozen cubes of flavored colored water and sugar. So, suck on several until your heart's content which is good for your high fever. There is a pocket of individual juice packs for consumption too. And there is a pocket with stack of ice frozen washcloths for your face and your chest. Use them all tonight! We are all leaving you and attending the Kitty Kat Ball that will benefit every stray animal within South Florida. Gracie will not allow anyone of the participating attendees to leave the boring ball until every single stray and abandoned animal has a good home life, tonight, Austin."

"Damn right and proud of it, too!" Gracie reached out with a smile and slapped the naked bicep on Jane with a nod, tossing both arms into the air with a laugh, dropping them down over the pretty gown as the cat tail wiggled side to side with movement. Jane and Misty nodded with a smile in silence as each cat tail wiggled side to side with movement, too.

"Good news! We will bring back home a kitten or a puppy for Badass Berrington to kiss and hug to death," he laughed with his two brothers, since Austin hated with a passion all four legged furry things. "We must go and finish our charity obligations before the 'you know.' You are looking much better, Austin. You feel slightly warm to my medical touch. The cold juices are working beautifully. Please eat all the cold food items and use all the cold compression on your body. I promise. You will feel much better tomorrow morning," he reached out and extended an open palm. Stu reached inside the correct pocket on the rolling tray and withdrew a cold compress, placing inside the open palm of Frank. Frank leaned over and placed the cold compress on the chest of Austin.

They worked together until Austin was covered in an assortment of various colored body cloths on the chest, the neck, each forearm and foreleg, and finally the top of the hair roots.

Frank extended an open palm when Stu place a cold juice box inside. The worked together with the food items as Tom held the shoulders of Austin on the back rest of the sofa in an upright pose, so the food would travel down the esophagus into the lining of the stomach, not back up the throat and out the lips in the form of mouth vomit.

Frank continued to feed Austin each item until Berrington had sucked or chewed a tiny volume of each cold food items with satisfaction, standing upright and stared down with a worried brow at Austin. Austin sat upright with a set of closed eyeballs and wore an assorted of colored wash cloths and food stains from each cold dripping juice. Frank wasn't worried about the silly food stains on the chest of Austin. Austin could bathe into cleanliness in the morning after his fever had broken.

Frank looked up with a stern face and a nod to each brother, slowly back stepping from Austin. "We are leaving now, Austin. We will see you later on Sunday afternoon after church picnic that Quartet Associates is sponsoring for all the little children."

Tom slowly back stepped and stared down with a worried brow at the hair roots on Austin. "We should cancel the damn show, Frank."

Stu slowly back stepped and stared down with a worried brow at Austin. "This is not an entertainment show. We can't cancel the charity event, Tom. This is the last opportunity to aid our community for the last time before the 'you know.'"

Tom scooted around the sofa and continued to stare with a worried brow at Austin. "This is fuckingly shitty and not right. Our brother is sick and needs us to be right here with him, not over there without him. I wanna volunteer to stay right here for tonight and tomorrow and the next day after tomorrow until Austin feels better. Hell. Our brother is sick and unconscious. We can do all the shitty community functions another starry night or sunny day."

"We can't, Tom! We have numerous other obligated commitments before..."

"Know fuckingly that!" Tom slowly spun around and moved backward while staring with a worried at Austin. "This is not right and not fair. We're fucking four billionaires for Christ's sake. We can come and go and do any fuckingly thing we want."

Stu exhaled with a nod. "We are four billionaires. But we are about to engage into another fun and more sporting activity. Once that activity starts, there is no turning back or going backward in time. And the time clock is tock-ticking forward. We can't stop it. So we must go and finish up all our obligations for the last time. Austin, he's lucky. He isn't required to be here or there or any place at any time either. We have been providing the excuse that he is only vacation with another beautiful babe on-board the QA yacht. No one knows where Austin really is located at his home. Or that he is sicker than a damn dog."

"We shouldn't leave our brother. He needs us, here, right now," he scooted around the long dress train and the back spine on Misty and stopped, standing and hugging his wife Jane with a worried brow at Austin.

Frank slowly back stepped and stared with a worried brow at Austin. "Tom, Austin has a virus which could infect other healthy humans. He would definitely object to that situation regarding all the pretty maidens. Roll out!"

Stu slowly back stepped and stopped, standing and hugging his wife Gracie with a gasp at Austin. "That's Austin's line, Mangrove!"

Frank moved backwards and stopped, standing and hugged his wife Misty Marie with a smile at Austin. "I borrowed it for the night. He can use it tomorrow again after his fever breaks and he feels back to his asshole self."

Then each Quartet couple slowly spun around and moved ahead through the open doorway, leaving Austin, the mansion, and Nurse Nutelo with a set of worries and mumbles, strolling into the bright starry night and entered an individual Quartet limousine for the new gala ball to aid all stray and abandoned animals which didn't include Berrington. Austin was not stray or abandoned but sick with a high fever. Then the set of entrance door closed shut in silence.

Nutelo stomped a foot in angry with a yell. "I wanna wore a pretty fancy gown and wanna go to the fancy ball, right now, tonight, too," she reached down and grabbed, shaking the lap tray while spilling the milk inside the enclosed tray and moved ahead with a sour frown, stopping in front of the sofa, standing over the hair roots on Austin, leaning over with a free hand and shoved him down onto the wet and dirty bed linens over the sofa cushions with a puff. "You are useless to me and the fancy grand gala ball, tonight. When is the Mistress going to release you to me? Then we can go out and attend all the fancy balls tomorrow night. I wanna wear the diamond tiara and matching jewelry and the pretty gowns too," she leaned down with a smile and placed the lap tray over mostly of the open pockets while snatching up one of the flavored ice pops from the open pocket of the new rolling tray, placing it onto a tongue with a hum, licking the yummy melting cherry flavored juice. She shoved the rolling tray ahead and moved far away from Austin and the sofa, scooting the tray into the kitchen with a set of heavy grunts while eating the melting ice pop.

Nutelo didn't want anything interfering with the mind control magic of the Mistress. Frank had dumped tons of frozen and cold melting colored liquids over the naked body of Austin without consulting with Nutelo first. She was in charge of welfare of Austin while ignoring the medical monitoring of Ruff. The three brothers had not mentioned the name of Rosebud either, so they didn't care about Rosebud either.

Nutelo was fearful that all the cold food items could convert the heated body of Austin back into the regular body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. She entered the kitchen and shoved the new rolling cart into the far corner with a sneer as it hit the set of lower cabinets and stopped with a jolt and a loud boom. She moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the cart, reaching inside and selected a second ice pop in the flavor of grape jelly, sucking down the yummy treat with a giggle.

Nutelo spun around and moved back into the Florida room to watch Austin, since Berrington didn't own a television plasma screen to watch the entertainment programs or Hollywood movie films. He didn't own a radio play or a musical stereo player either. The man was a hermit and a most boring person in the entire world. She thought about leaving the manor and traveling to the one of the local retail shops for a radio unit with the stolen mony from the money safe that belonged to Austin but the set of spying sentry asshole guards would see her blue colored compact car leave from the paradise of Coral Beach and would tattle to Stu.

She could drive the sports car of Austin either, since he was unconscious. And she couldn't call the chauffeur to tarry her ass anywhere within the city of Miami either, since Joe was devoted like a puppy and worshipped his master Austin like a peasant also.

So, Nutelo danced side to side and whirled around the naked floor without hitting the numerous pieces of living room furniture with a smile, pretending to attend her first gala dance in a pretend black long dress with a set of diamonds in the form of a hair tiara, a pair of earrings, a necklace, and a set of two bracelets with a hum and a giggle until the new hour of the early evening.

11:58 p.m.

Warm temperatures with moonlight of parted clouds and windy

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo stood by the side table that housed the landline telephone and waited. One of the nosy and rude brothers was about to call at midnight. Each Quartet brother had taken a turn inside the dance hall of the fancy gala and called every hour at the home of Berrington to ask numerous short questions about the medical condition of Austin.

She actually slapped a melting ice pop onto the tongue of Austin, a wash cloth on the pink tinted chest of Austin, and generous dibbed the oily ointment onto the lips of Austin, since Frank had threatened to come back to the manor and check on Berrington himself with a physical reprimand also. Mangrove had mentally threatened to harm Nutelo, but Gage had purposefully said the words with a sharp acidic tongue.

However, after the continuous tiny splashes of cold liquid, Austin did look better and looked funny while still becoming slowly covered in a set of colorful ice pop juice.

Nutelo had been late a few times in reaching out and grabbing the damn telephone on the other side of the room near the front doors when Frank had sneered and shouted at the young nurse while threatening to terminate her nursing services tonight. So Nutelo stood upright with a sour frown and a set of soft curses, holding a hand over the receiver while waiting by the telephone for the first ring.

The landline rang on the first musical tone.

She dropped down and snatched the telephone, shouting out loud the words before the equipment hit the eardrum. "Berrington manor..."

She paused and listened to asshole Mangrove on the other end of the telephone connection.

She rolled both eyeballs and stared down at the dirty tile with a sour frown. "Yes sir! Mr. Berrington looks much better. His skin tone is barely glowing in a pink tint. I have splashed him in more cold wash clothes and he ate all the ice pops. He liked these best..."

Pause.

"Yes sir! I understand. I will contact you if something changes on..."

Pause.

"Yes sir! Good night to you, too..."

Pause.

She waited until Mangrove had disconnected and the line sounded with static, slamming down the receiver with a fury, "Asshole! I hate you, Mangrove and Sawyer and Gage and all your pretty wives. You are a bunch of bossy billionaires," she sobbed with tears of worry and fright while hating her job and her journey. This wasn't the slave life that she desired. She wiped off the tear and spun around, moving ahead to Austin. "When is my time coming to marry Austin?" She stopped and stood in front of the sofa with a sneer. "You are looking better but still unconscious," she reached out and grabbed the nostrils of Austin, squeezing them shut with a grin. He gagged and gasped for breath. She released the nostrils with a giggle. "I have concluded that you are healthy and recovering well from the fever. So the Mistress finally has control of your mind. Then she is implanting my face into your mind. Then we will get married tomorrow morning at sunrise and leave from Coral Beach foreverly. I promise. We will not ever return back to here. I hate it here."

Sunday September 26th

12:02 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with bright stars and moonlight

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Sofa location

**N** utelo back stepped with a yawn and hit the edge of the long sofa, sitting down with a sigh, curving into a ball and wrapped the guest bedroom bed linens and bed covers over the body, closing the eyeballs with a whisper and a grin. "Tomorrow will be much better for me and Austin," she snorted into a deep exhaustive slumber on the early morning hours.

2:31 a.m.

Sofa location

Nutelo stirred side to side inside the sofa and opened both eyelashes at the object in the distance with a gasp, rolling upright, standing upright with a puzzled brow. On the opposite sofa, Austin was awake and sat upright with the back spine against the back rest of the cushions. Nutelo moved ahead toward the wall and flipped on the overhead lamps which illuminated the room and Austin. She moved ahead with a smile and stopped, standing at the edge of the sofa. "Austin, can you hear me?"

He stared ahead into the far glass window pane which showed an array of sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees inside the picnic area, "Yes..."

She clapped with a smile and bounced up and down. "Austin, can you see me?"

He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees, "Yes..."

She frowned with puzzlement, since he didn't turn to see her smile. She spun around with a puzzled brow to see the same window that showed the night skyline of bright stars and bits of golden sands underneath the downwards beams of white moonlight and then she swung around with a smile to see him. "Austin, stand up!"

He slowly stood upright in silence and stared through the far glass window pane without a facial expression. She giggled with a grin and a soft clap. "He is under my direct voice control now. Austin, sit down!" He slowly sat back down in silence without a facial expression. She smiled with a soft clap. "Austin, are you hunger?"

He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees with a stern face, "Yes..."

"Good! You have lost weight on your fine body. I want you healthy and ready for the first night of our wedded honeymoon," she spun around to face the kitchen and skipped ahead with a hum, entering into the kitchen and stopped, standing in front of the refrigerator. She opened the door and leaned inside, grabbing numerous items for a mealtime, spinning around with a smile. She was preparing the first mealtime for her future husband. She moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of a clean spot on top of the dirty counter top. The counter top was covered in food stains, dried food crumbs, and numerous dirty plates, tumblers, pots, and pans from her previous daily and nightly meal preparations and consumption. Nutelo had fired the cleaning crew five days ago, so no one had come to clean the kitchen or the bathrooms or the Florida room. She reached up and opened the upper cabinets, grabbing the nice pink tinted fine china plates, since all the other dishes were dirty inside the nasty sink or on top of the counter top or inside the dining room, where no one had bothered to clean and wash the dishes or the hard surfaces.

She quickly prepared two individual plates with a thick and tall sandwich of different types of fresh meats and fresh assortment of raw vegetables, arranging and decorating each plate with her love and her smile and then wiped the dirty hands on top of the dirtier nursing scrubs, reaching out and grabbed the two plates of food, lifting and toted both into the dining room and stopped, flipping on the overhead lamps, moved ahead and stood in front of the nasty and dirty dining table. She exhaled with a puff of annoyance and reached out, sitting one plate on one side and the other plate on the opposite end of the table with a sour frown. "We're sitting apart for now. Well, it can't be helped. There are not any clean spots together at the dirty table. I will contact the cleaning crew at sunrise to come and clean the stupid table for our nice brunch this late morning," she back stepped from the table and spun around with a smile, skipping through the archway, across the floor of the kitchen, and into the Florida room.

Florida room setting

Sofa location of Austin

Nutelo stopped and stood behind the rear skull of Austin and the rear sofa with a smile and a nod, wringing both hands with girly nervousness. "I prepared us an extremely early morning meal. See? I am very handy inside any kitchen. I cooked you a delicious extremely early morning meal. Today at eleven o'clock, we can eat a nice brunch that I will prepare also for you, darling Austin. Are you pleased?"

He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees with a stern face, "Yes..."

She nodded with a smile. "Good! I am a little nervous, darling Austin. I have never cooked for a male before. I mean, I didn't even cook for my father. Are you hungry for a plate of food, Austin?"

He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees with a stern face, "Yes..."

She rubbed both hands with a smile. "That's good. I am both hunger and nervous, but I can eat anytime. Let's me and you go and eat my cooked meal!" He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees with a stern face in silence. She cleared a throat. "Let's me and you go and eat together!" He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees with a stern face in silence. She frowned. "Are you hunger, Austin?"

He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees with a stern face, "Yes..."

She smiled. "Excellent! Let's me and you go and eat together right now." He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees with a stern face in silence. She back stepped from the rear of the furniture and scooted around the sofa, stopping and stood at his nose profile with a smile. "Are you hunger?"

He stared ahead at the widow of the sparking golden sands, the bright heavenly stars, and the dark shadows of the trees with a stern face, "Yes..."

She moved ahead with a sour frown and stood in front of his face. "Are you hunger, Austin?"

He stared ahead into her stomach with a stern face, "Yes..."

She lifted and shook both her curls and her hands with a loud shout of angry. "Your breakfast is all prepared. Stop staring at me and go and eat your food!" He continued to stare at the nursing scrubs of the young nurse. She exhaled with a puff of annoyance and a sour frown. The Mistress was influencing the mind of Austin for the previous nine days and nine nights when Austin had consumed the love potion powder in each cup of milk. However, the Mistress seemed to be controlling too much of Berrington. Nutelo yelled. "Stand up and go and eat your breakfast. It is going cold." He continued to stare at the nursing scrubs of the young nurse. She exhaled with a puff of frustration. "What am I doing wrong?" She snapped the fingers. "Be nice, not mean! Austin, stand up!" He slowly stood upright and stared at the far glass window again, since Nutelo was short compared to Berrington.

She exhaled with a puff of frustration and scooted around the sofa, stopping and stood next to the nose profile on Berrington and the long sofa, she smiled. "Austin, go into the dining room, now. Your hot meal is ready." He side stepped from the table and the sofa, spinning around to face the open archway of the kitchen in silence. He moved ahead with a confused brow and entered the kitchen and moved and slid down into the assigned dining room chair, looking down at the plate of food. She turned to the side and followed behind his ass with a giggle. Austin was a handsome male and a fine species of a man.

Dining room setting

She stopped and stood inside the archway of the dining room. Austin had entered the dining room and sat down inside an empty chair, staring down at the plate of food in silence. She moved inside and stopped, standing and sat down inside the other chair with a sour frown. "Eat the plate of food, Austin!"

He reached out and snatched, grabbing up the clean and folded cloth napkin, placing down inside a lap in silence with a stern face, reaching out and touched, sorting through scattered utensils, finding a clean fork and knife, slowly cutting up the streaming food, eating in silence.

She reached down and grabbed the sandwich, eating and chewed in silence also. Austin slowly cut up the sandwich in a set of small bites and then ate, chewing in silence. "Austin, what are you reading inside teach medical textbook?"

He looked up with a confused brow and chewed, swallowing the food to see her. "Who are you?"

She gasped with alarm and slapped a chest in panic. "I am Nutelo. I am the nurse who cares for Rosebud..."

"Rosebud..." He dropped down the eating utensils and stood upright from the chair with a worried brow.

She continued to sit inside the chair and yelled in fury. "Sit down, Austin! Rosebud is fine. Eat your food now, Austin!" He sat back down and reached out, grabbing the used utensils, consuming the food in silence. She was pissed at the Mistress for drugging Austin with the love potion powder. Austin was nothing but a trained jungle monkey at the moment. He could obey verbal commands but was not thinking with his own brilliant brain cells.

She would demand that the Mistress release and alter the mind of Austin back to his own self today at 4:30 a.m.

She stared at him with a sour frown and finished all the food much quicker than Berrington. He ate like an elderly male without emotion and a set of good manners. She stood upright from the chair. Austin did not stir from his chair or the plate of food. She side stepped from the table and spun around to face the archway, leaving the dining room with a sour frown. "Austin, you are finished with the food. Leave the plate! Go to your room! Change your clothes! Get into bed! I will be up later," giggling.

She entered the kitchen and moved into the Florida room, climbing up the stairs, hearing a noise, swinging around and slammed into a wall of muscles with a gasp. He scooted around Nutelo and finished climbing the staircase like a zombie, sliding off the third floor, disappearing into his room. She gasped with alarm and dashed down the staircase, after forgetting the cup of warm milk with the love potion and entered the kitchen.

Kitchen setting

She dashed ahead and slammed into the stove top, reaching out, grabbing the tea kettle, leaning over the wash sink and slapped the water on. Nutelo filled the tea kettle and slid it on top of the stove top, slapping the power on. The tea eventually steamed with hot water. She reached down into the pocket and pulled out the pouch of white tinted love power potion and opened the lips of the pouch, pouring down into the hot water and stopped with a gasp. "He doesn't like tea. He drinks only milk. What is wrong with me? I am in love," giggling. She lifted the cup of hot water and dumped out the water down the wash sink and spun around, dashing toward the refrigerator and stopped, reaching out, opening the door. She grabbed the carton of milk and spun back to the counter top, stopping and poured the cold milk own into the wet cup. She side stepped and stood in front of the microwave, opening the door, placing the cold milk into the platter, closing the door and zapped it warm. She opened the door and pulled out the cup of warm milk, placing it on the tray with the vase of one single red rose of love for Austin with a smile. She lifted the tray and spun to face the archway with a giggle and exited the kitchen.

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

She turned to the side and slowly moved up the staircase with a smile and a hum, stopping onto the third floor, moving toward his bedroom and stopped inside the open archway with a grin.

Austin was sitting upright inside the pink tinted bed linens. His upper chest was naked and showed off a set of scrupled muscles with the rest of his body underneath the pink tinted bed linens. She entered the room with a giggle and stopped, standing beside the bed and near his nose profile. "Austin, sit up! Drink the warm milk!" He sat upright without hesitation and reached out, grabbing and drank the cup of milk with a loud slurp, replacing the used cup back onto the tray. She smiled, "Yes, Austin. You're a good boy. Who do you love?"

He reached out and gently touched the red rose inside the tiny vase. "Rose..."

"Yeah!" She frowned. "That's a flower of a rose. Who do you love?"

He stared at the pretty red colored rose inside the glass vase. "Rose..."

"Me!" She snapped with a sour frown and slapped the chest with a loud thump. "It is me. Say my name! Princess Nutelo..."

He stared at her with a confused brow. "Princess..."

"Good enough for now!" She spun around and moved to the chest of drawers, placing the tray over the hard surface, swinging around with a gasp. Austin had dropped down into the bed linens with a set of closed eyelids in sleep. "Okay. Today is not right. But tomorrow morning is right," she spun around and touched, lifting the tray of evidence, exiting his room. She had to keep his master bedroom clean without dirty dishes in case one of his nosy brothers invaded the mansion this morning.

"Maybe, tonight is the night!" she spun around with a giggle and advanced ahead into the master bedroom and leaned down over the side of the bed mattress into his lips with a smile. "Austin, lean down and kiss me!" He continued to sit upright against the pink tinted and blood stained painted rear wall with a confused brow in silence. She stood upright with a puff of annoyance. "I bet you would kiss Rosebud..."

"Rosebud..." He reached out and shoved Nutelo in the chest. She tumbled backward from the bed mattress and landed down over the hard floor with a soft thump and a sissy whine of pain. He rolled off the bed and stood upright with a gasp, dashing from the bed, out the room, and over the floor, sailing down the staircase and onto the second floor, entering the room of Rosebud.

Inside the master bedroom, Nutelo stood upright with a gasp and turned, dashing out the door, out the room, and over the floor, soaring down the staircase and entered the second room of Rosebud.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Austin stood upright and reached out patting the glass coffin with a hand, staring down at Rosebud with a smile. Nutelo stopped and stood inside the archway with a sneer at his naked back spine. "Go to bed!" He continued to pat the glass in silence with a smile. She yelled. "Now, Austin, return back to your bedroom and go to sleep!"

Austin back stepped and spun around, moving ahead and scooted around Nutelo with a confused brow, disappearing from the bedroom of Rosebud.

Nutelo stomped inside a few feet and stood in front of the glass coffin, leaning down, bad breathing over the glass with a sneer and a whisper. "He is mine. You are not. He is alive. You are dead," she stood upright with a growl and back stepped, exiting the room and dashed up the stairs and scooted over the third floor.

Inside the master bedroom, Austin rested and slept in peace on top of the bed mattress. She moved ahead and climbed up into the tall bed, resting beside him, covering a body with the shared bed cover without a goodnight kiss and a sour pout. "I hate this."

4:48 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures and bright moonlight with stars

House of the Mistress

She opened both eyelashes with a grunt and rolled off the bed with a gasp of shock, slowly standing upright with a confused brow. She turned and scanned the new bedroom of pink walls through the moon rays of the glass window panes, seeing him. Austin was curled into a ball on top of the bed asleep. She smiled. "My prince-charmed still sleeps. I will be back, my prince-charmed. I gotta go and see the wicked witch of South Florida, so she can undo your zombie spell first. Second, we will be married today at the court house and then we will leave Coral Beach foreverly," she back stepped from the bed and spun around with a smile, dashing through the archway, descending down the staircase and hit the ground floor.

She dashed ahead and slammed into the one of the unlocked doors, scooting around and entered her car that was parked underneath the veranda while continuing to wear the set of dirty blue colored nursing scrubs. She had to continue to appear like a true nurse. Or one of the nosy brothers would get suspicious of her non-nursing behavior.

Nutelo swiftly drove the car with a puff of fury while rubbing one red and tired eyeball at a time, watching the dark roadway with the other eyeball.

On the roadway, she swiftly turned off the city street and sped over the ratty driveway bumping into each pothole with a grunt of angry while steering toward the familiar mint green cider block two-story private home within the city of Doral without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and slammed the closed door. The poor door cried in metal pain and swiftly opened up. She slid out and stood upright with a deep sigh of fury and a pair of folded fists of angry within the silence of the night air controlling the evil urge to kill the Mistress for controlling the mind of Austin.

She scooted around the car and left the door open, so the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the rusty old model car. She moved ahead and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked weather beaten red colored side door of a mint green cider block two-story house.

5:09 a.m.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps toward a single tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood open as a pile of tan sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. Nutelo swiftly entered the small room of dull peach standing behind the same brown colored ratty chair with an angry face, "You..."

"I have successfully invaded the mind of Berrington." The Mistress bounced up and down with happiness with a smile of yellow stained teeth inside the blue colored ratty chair with a stern face and a sigh. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone in an ankle-length white dress.

Nutelo gasped. "Turn him loose, now!"

"You found Berrington asleep in a puddle of his own heated sweaty of a high fever yesterday morning after leaving from me and my house. That was the last stage before I went into the mind of Berrington."

She gasped. You have control to implant my face into the mind of Austin. Then do it right now!"

The Mistress exhaled. "No, I am not in total control of the mind of Berrington. He has a strong mind."

She frowned. "Then you get out of his mind right now! These three nosy brothers, they all came to the manor and examined the sweaty medical conditions on Austin and questioned my nursing skills..."

"They are not of any concern to me."

She gasped. "They are a highly concern to me. They wanna fire me. Get rid of them right now!"

"I have mentioned numerous times before to you, Nutelo. The four brothers are bonded with the strength of love. There is no other force stronger than love. I expected all of this to occur as planned and plotted three years ago. The bond between the four brothers is very, very strong. There is not a force powerful enough to break a bond of love. Space and time and distance are immune to the power of the greater love of ..."

She frowned. "Can all the goo-goo da-da love stuff with the four brothers! Release him to me, right now!"

The Mistress whispered. "I will not. I have much work to do with Berrington to connect you and him, so you can marry Berrington in a few more days. This is going to take me some time. You must leave me to mediate."

She continues to stand with a sour frown and snapped the fingers. "Well, hurry up! I'm tired of waiting. I've been watching and waiting for three long years, one week, and two long days and longer nights. This is Sunday morning. I have been working for Austin over one week since starting my new nursing job inside the Berrington castle. I can read his mind too. Austin loves and thinks only of me, not Ruff. When am I getting married, tomorrow or the next day?"

The Mistress stopped the bounce and stared to rock while closing both closed eyelashes without speaking. Nutelo stood with impatience and stared down at the closed eyelashes of the Mistress with worry. The Mistress softly chanted in a low hum which was annoying and boring to Nutelo. The Mistress sometimes acted like this when she was getting an answer or thinking about a new subject and then whispered with a stern face, "Hmm! Take leave now! I need to stay connected during the early morning hours for my magic to work. Come back at the same time, tomorrow morning."

Nutelo exhaled with a puff of annoyance and a sour frown, "Fine! I'm going now, but I'll return tomorrow morning like instructed," she side stepped away from the chair, spinning around with a growl and moved ahead toward the closed door, slamming open the door and rushed down the staircase, exiting the house, dashing ahead toward her car with a sour frown.

The Mistress had implanting the image of her own person, not the face of Nutelo inside the mind of Austin. That had to be the only explanation of Austin's zombie mental and physical mind state of consciousness inside his own house. Berrington didn't recognized either Nutelo or Rosebud, thus he would not able to marry this afternoon and finally sailing away from paradise Coral Beach, the three nosey brothers, his girl Rosebud, and the Mistress forever for a fun honeymoon trip.

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures with bright stars and moonlight

Home of Austin

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

5:44 a.m.

She swiftly drove through the silent streets of a weekend in record time while slowly moving through Coral Lane within Coral Beach with the eyeballs of spying the sentry guards and then stopped, parking her car underneath the veranda without any other vehicle and killed the engine. She slammed an elbow in the car door with a loud grunt. The door opened. She slid out and stood upright with a sour frown, back stepping and spun around, slowly moving ahead and lifted a hand, slamming into the door. The front door opened. She moved ahead with a sour frown and turned to scan an empty room without Austin.

Nutelo slowly strolled ahead over the floor and climbed up the staircase with a sour frown, scooting onto the third floor, moving toward the open archway and stopped, standing inside the archway with a gasp.

Inside the room, the moonlight shone through the uncovered glass panes while twinkling onto the golden sands and greenish-blue ocean waves. Austin was awake from the deep slumber but seemed different within her eyeballs. He wasn't withdrawal, impolite, unhappy, melancholy, depressed, or sad just lifeless like a zombie creature that Nutelo had seen in a Hollywood movie film. Inside the bed frame, Austin sat upright on top of the mattress and stared ahead at the far wall, blinking both eyelids at the far wall in silence. She reached over and flipped on the panel that illuminated the overhead lamps, turning to stare at the side wall with a confused brow with a gasp. It was a solid wall of pink tinted paint. She whipped around a distorted face back to see Austin and moved ahead into the room stopping and stood next to the bed and the nose profile on Austin. She reached and touched his forehead with a grin. Warm. She touched his arm with a smile. Warm. She touched his chest with a grin. Warm. She reached and touched his lips with a smile. Warm. She whipped back a hand with grin and slapped the arm down to the leg with a puff. His pulse was normal for a man of his age. His behavior was still odd through which is explained. The Mistress had control of his mind in which Nutelo was not pleased.

Nutelo stood in place with a worried brow and stared at him. Austin breathed normally and stared at the solid wall of pink paint. She reached over and grabbed his arm, jerking Austin out from the bed but he didn't move. She released the gripe with a yell of fury. "Stand up!" He continued to stare at the solid wall of pink paint in silence. She exhaled with a puff of annoyance. "Stand up, Austin!" He rolled off the bed and stood upright in silence staring at the solid wall.

She exhaled. "Follow me down to the stairs," she spun around and moved ahead a few inches, halting when Austin slammed into her back spine. She gasped with alarm and swung around with fury into his naked chest with a yell. "Stop! Halt, Austin!" He stopped in place in silence with a confused brow and stared above her hair roots at the pink paint on the solid wall.

"You need some regular clothing instead of the blue colored pajamas. Or your three nosy brothers will take and tote you to nearest hospital crazy ward for admittance. You must look sane and healthy. Go and get dressed, Austin!"

He back stepped and spun around, moving ahead into the walk-in closet, changing the pajamas pants into a clean pair of blue colored walking shorts and a clean white T-shirt with a pair of naked feet. Nutelo stood in place and tapped a shoe with annoyance in silence. A few minutes later, the room was quiet. Austin did not come out of the walk-in closet.

She moved ahead and stopped, standing in the archway of the closet with a gasp. Austin stood in place in silence and stared at the side wall inside the bedroom. She tossed both arms into the air with a grunt. "Ugh! Come out of the closet and follow me down to the Florida room," she spun around and moved ahead, not feeling a heated body or hearing a pair of shuffling feet and then twirled around with a confused brow to see empty air molecules, exhaling with a yell. "Fuck! He can't do anything without my personal vocal order. He can't think for himself. Your hair is messy. Go and brush your hair and your teeth, Austin." He slowly moved ahead and turned, gliding into the next open archway next to the closet, flipping on the lights and fiddling with the bathroom items. She could hear the noise inside the bathroom with the mouth spitting, mouth gargling, and the hair strokes. "He needs to be released from her, so I can control him with my body. The Mistress has too much control over him like Ruff did." The room was silent. She exhaled with a whisper of annoyance. "He is like a little child. I must tell him each verbal command one at a time. This must stop. I will stop it. I must be in control of him, not her," she yelled with fury. "Follow me, Austin." He slowly moved ahead out from the wardrobe closest and turned, strolling behind her in silence, staring ahead at each wall.

Nutelo rushed through the archway with a sour frown, over the floor, descending down the steps with Austin hot on her ass and hit the ground floor, dashing to the long sofa.

6:59 a.m.

Pink, green, red, blue sunrise over the ocean waves

Slight wind with warm temperatures

1st floor level

Florida room setting

She stopped and stood in front of the famous pink and white vertical stripped long sofa, leaning down and ripped off the set of dirty pink tinted bed linens. She didn't want the three nosy brothers to think that Austin was still ill, since he was really healthy species who was controlled by the thoughts of the mistress. She wrapped the used bed linens into a ball and tossed them over the back rest onto the floor for hiding, leaning down and straightened up all the messy sofa cushions, standing upright and pointed down at the sofa with a stern face. "Sit down, Austin!" he moved ahead and turned to face her, slowly sitting down in the middle of the long sofa with a stern face, staring at the glass window on the far wall in silence. "You have to look normal, not zombie. Lie down over the sofa, Austin!" He slowly leaned down and placed a skull onto of the side cushion, staring at the same glass window in silence. She frowned. "No. That looks funny and weird. Sit up, Austin!" He slowly sat back into the original position and stared ahead at the window in silence. She reached down and grabbed the medical book, handing to him, "Take the book, Austin!" He reached out and accepted the book, placing it down into a lap and stared at the glass window. "No. No. No," she stomped both shoes in fury shaking her curls and her hands. "Stop staring at the damn window on the far wall and read the damn book, Austin." He looked down, opened the book, and read silently. She exhaled with a puff of annoyance that the Mistress was influencing the mind of Austin. She whispered with a smile down at the black hair roots on Berrington. "I am taking care of it once and for all. Austin, stand up!" He reached over and slid the book down onto the sofa and slowly stood upright with a stern face, staring at the sunlight on the sands and the trees in silence. She back stepped and moved backwards from Austin. "Follow me, Austin!" He scooted ahead and away from the sofa, following Nutelo in silence. She stopped and stood beside the side table, pointing down at the landline telephone with a smile. "Pick up the telephone and call Joe, Austin! Tell Joe that Nurse Nutelo needs to go someplace inside your limo, immediately, right now, Austin!" He reached over and picked up the telephone, dialing the familiar telephone number and whispered the command, hanging up the telephone with a stern face.

Nutelo jabbed a finger and a smile at the long sofa. "Go and sit back down at the same sofa and read the book, Austin!" He back stepped and spun around, slowly moving ahead toward the long sofa, turning around and sat down with a stern face, reaching out, snatching up the book and down into a lap, looking down and read the book in silence. She clapped with a smile and a laugh. "You are mine, after I end her control," she back stepped from Austin and spun around to face the double doors, dashing ahead and opened one of the doors, racing ahead toward her car while waiting for the limousine to arrive at the house of Austin with a laugh.

The front door slowly closed shut and did not lock.

7:48 a.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Warm temperatures with bright sunlight

House of the Mistress

She sat in the rear of the silver tinted limousine, after she had ordered Austin to call his personal chauffeur and pick up Nutelo next to her personal shitty blue colored compact car underneath the veranda at the Berrington mansion. She rubbed one tired eyeball at a time, watching the bright sunny roadway with the other eyeball. She was the girlfriend of Austin living the princess life now within the Berrington manor in Coral Beach.

On the roadway, the driver followed her direction as limousine turned off the city street and slowly drive over the ratty driveway without bumping into each pothole toward a mint green cider block two-story private home in the city of Doral without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown dark green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence in the night air without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

Joe stopped and parked the vehicle, killing the engine, sliding out from the driver's seat and stood upright and reaching over and opened the rear door for the mysterious bitch nurse in silence.

Nutelo slid out from the rear bench seat and stood upright with a smile within the silence of the night air, without thanking the chauffeur. She moved ahead and ignored him. She was going to be Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth and needed to practice the snobby and snotty rich bitch wife. She scooted around the rear bumper of the limousine, leaving a stunned Joe and an open limousine door, where the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the man and the limousine. She stopped and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked weather beaten red colored side door of a familiar mint green cider block two-story house.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps toward a single tan colored closed door and slammed the ratty wood of the closed door as tan tinted sawdust drifted down and fell over the hard surface. She entered the small room of dull peach tones within the semi-darkness of the white moonlight and stopped, standing behind the brown colored ratty chair and tossed a bundled wad of cash down into her lap with a giggle and a grin. "Here is your payment for much needed advice over the years, ma'am."

The Mistress looked down and gasped at the wad of cash and then up to see Nutelo, "Child?" She sat inside an old ratty blue colored chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the yellow sunray hit each gem stone in a white ankle-length dress.

She tossed a skull back with an evil laugh and looked back down with a smirk to see the old woman. "I robbed the money safe inside my new house at Coral Beach." Nutelo was done doing business with the ancient and wrinkled Mistress. Then Nutelo would leave and return back home to her future husband. Austin and Nutelo were planning a happy marriage union this afternoon in the city of Las Vegas, since it was Sunday morning and the Miami-Dade courthouse was closed. So she guessed that everyone will be delightfully surprised.

The Mistress rocked side to side and grabbed the arm rests of the chair with a deep sigh and a whisper. "Child, we are not finished. I do not want the money. I repair souls. I am working very hard to do that with your soul without the money."

"I have everything I need for the rest of my life."

"You do not without my help. I must complete the task in which I have begun," the Mistress frowned.

Nutelo spun around with a smile and moved toward the door. "I have completed all the tasks including the man, the money and the manner," laughing. She exited the room with a smile

"Child, there is a great storm coming," the Mistress shook her curls at the closing door.

Nutelo left the familiar mint green cider block house for the last time and stopping, sliding down into the rear bench seat, flipping a hand to the driver to go back to Coral Beach, where she would be Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth.

8:11 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

The limousine traveled away from the city of Doral and back in the beach paradise of Coral Beach through the quiet weekend city streets, parking and stopped behind the shitty blue colored rusty car that belonged to the young nurse. Joe opened the door and slid out, reaching over and grabbed the handle, opening the rear door. Nutelo scooted out with a sour frown and stood upright with a sneer. "Go!" Joe stood in place and held the door with a stern face. She growled. "Go, now!" Nutelo moved ahead and scooted around the bumper of the limousine, stopping and yelled the closed double doors with a sour frown. "Leave, now!"

Joe slammed the door shut with a sour frown and slid back down into the seat, reaching out and closed the door, slowly driving away from the bitch nurse, the locked down mansion, and his friend Austin with a worried brow. Joe wanted to contact Stu and tattle about the nasty nurse, but Frank had informed Joe that Austin was truly ill with some type of nasty virus that a healthy person could actually acquire with ease. That was the mysterious absence and the mystical reason why Austin had missed all the fancy galas while the three brothers told a white fib to protect the rough reputation of Badass Berrington. The Quartet was about to sell their private company Quartet Associates for sixteen trillion dollars making the four men, the first set of trillionaires in the world.

The buyer, the clients, and the enemies of the Quartet didn't need to learn that tough and bossy Badass Berrington could catch and acquire a common cold like a common person. Else, the tough reputation of the four Quartet Assholes would be tainted, taunted, and tickled into a red-faced embarrassment or worse a bold challenge of both guns and guts.

Since everyone liked to take down the number one sporting team each week in blood, guts, and glory.

Florida room setting

Nutelo slammed the door open and moved inside the room with a smile. The deed was done with the Mistress. Now, the stage must be set with a fake appearance for the three nosy brothers. She stopped and stood in front of the single row of low tables, staring down at the black colored hair roots on Austin. He still appeared like a lifeless zombie creature. Nutelo reached over and touched his arm with a worried brow. Austin didn't flinch or react. This was not good. The mind control of the witch probably needed twenty-four hours to withdraw out from his mental mind before his regular tough guy personality would return back into normal.

However, Austin appeared normal in the white colored T-shirt, the pair of blue colored walking shorts, and a pair of naked feet when Nurse Nutelo had met Berrington on her first working day at the Berrington manor. He had sat on top of the same pink and white vertical stripped long sofa surrounded by stacks of medical books. Thus, everyone and everything had to be normal within the pair of eyeballs from each nosy non-biological brother like that first day also.

But, Austin continued to sit upright on top of the sofa and stared at the far wall like a zombie, without drinking a beverage or eating a plate of food.

Nutelo exhaled with a puff of frustration and swung around, moving ahead toward the side table, stopping and stood in front of the telephone, lifting the receiver. She was going to arrange a commercial flight to Las Vegas from Miami for the afternoon to escape from paradise before the three rude and nosy brothers showed up. Frank said that they were attending church until the late afternoon, so Nutelo had plenty of time to leave by the early afternoon. Then tomorrow morning, Austin would be of sound mind and lively body for their upcoming wedding.

Nutelo worked on the landline telephone making a set of calls regarding a marriage license using the stolen...correction...borrowed credit card of Austin that she found inside the money safe. She used the credit card to order and delivery a fancy wedding dress, a bouquet of red colored roses, and a wedding band of gold for her. He could pick a wedding band out later for himself. She spun around with a gasp to see Austin.

On top of the long sofa, Austin had fallen asleep in an upright pose against the cushions. She was getting worried and hoped that he didn't act like this during our marriage. Or the judge might get suspicious of the young couple.

The set of double doors opened and slammed against the pink tinted walls with a set of loud individual booms.

"Surprise, Austin!" Tom entered first with a smile and a shout, wearing a new blue colored knit shirt, a pair of beige trousers, and a pair of beige leathers. The rest of the Quartet entered and moved ahead, stopping and stood in front of the low table and Austin, working an active mind and a pair of eyeballs.

Nutelo slammed the received down over the telephone with a gasp and back stepped with a fake smile, stopping and stood behind the rear skull of Austin, leaning down with a whisper into his eardrum as Austin awake from the short nap and stared at the far wall, saying the repeated word. "Welcome!" The mind control of the Mistress was working better than the cup of milk with the love potion powder. He was the sex slave of Nutelo without the sex.

"How are you feeling this morning, Austin?" Tom parked both hands on the hips with a smile and stared at Austin on the long sofa.

She whispered into his eardrum as Austin stared and spoke to the far wall between Stu and Tom, "Fine."

Tom danced side to side and waved both arms in the air, dropping the arms with a clap and grin. "Good! Great! That's good to hear to my eardrums. You look healthy with a weathered tan like your old self. Get up and get dressed, man! You can come with us to the church and have a fun day with all the different activities. There are all types of fun events. There's a go-cart race, a pony race, a wheel barrel race..."

Austin didn't answer but stared at the far wall and into the space between Stu and Tom.

Stu followed behind Tom and stopped in a bright yellow business suit with a white shirt, a yellow diamond tie pin and matching cuff links, and a pair of white and yellow leathers, standing next to Tom and frowned at Austin. "Can't you see that the man is still tired from that nasty bout of bugs, Tom? You should call Jace to come and care for Austin, Frank. We need to go in a bit. We can't be late for the start of church. I have to read the quotes from the bible this morning," he thumbed back over a collar bone with a smile.

Frank followed behind Stu and moved ahead in a dark blue sports coat, a pair of white trousers and a white shirt without a tie, and a pair of blue leathers, stopping in front of Austin with a stern face. "I do not recommend heated sunlight for Austin, today, Tom," he leaned down and reached out, touching the head, the face, the arm, and finally the wrist bone for the pulse of Berrington with a stern face. "Austin, how are you feeling, today? Do you have a fever with hotness? Do you feel chilled with coldness? Are you experiencing any type of new symptoms of the lingering virus, this morning?"

Tom danced side to side with a smile. "He is fine and dandy, since Austin got a good night's sleep, last night. You're not a doctor like Jace. You're not an asshole like me. Go and get dressed up, Austin! Come with us to the church! There is a gun shooting booth to kill all the little yellow ducks, all the big black wolves, all the ugly cowboys..."

"Are you feeling a dizzy headache or an upset stomach from yesterday, Austin?" Frank continued to touch more the body parts on Austin with a set of physician worry and concern.

Tom grinned, "Hey, Austin! There's a kissing booth," laughing. "There is a kissing booth to kiss on a baby kitten, the furry things that you don't like. Do you wanna kiss a cat?"

She whispered into his eardrum as Austin stared at the far wall. "No."

"Have you eaten today, Austin?" Frank looked up with a stern face to see Nutelo.

She whispered the half-truth into his eardrum as Austin stared at the far wall. "Yes." He ate three bites of a sandwich this morning at two am.

Tom nodded with a smile. "I spit shined my limo for you. Come and ride with me and Jane to the church!"

She whispered into his eardrum as Austin reacted late to the question and stared at the far wall. "No."

Tom frowned. "No! We will all have fun like brothers. Come on, man!"

Stu nodded with a smile at Austin. "Come with us, bro!"

"I am the nurse here. I only can take care of Austin here," Nutelo kneeled down with a sneer into the eardrum on Austin while looking at each brother.

Stu frowned. "Austin, do you us to come back and bring you some lunch?"

She whispered into his eardrum as Austin stared at the far wall. "No."

"Why don't you come with us for lunch, bro?" Stu nodded with a smile at Austin.

She whispered into his eardrum as Austin spoke and stared at the far wall. "No."

"No. I recommend no physical activities or bright sunrays for Austin. His body is still recovering. He needs to eat and relax without activity for the rest of the day, nurse," Frank back stepped with a stern face from Austin to see the nurse and stood in line with his three brothers.

"Austin has spoken." Tom laughed. "If you wanna come to the church, call my cell number. Do you remember the number? It is listed on the table near the landline?"

"Frank has spoken." Stu laughed. "Austin dictates in silence like usual."

She whispered into his eardrum as Austin stared at the far wall. "Yes."

Tom nodded with a smile. "Good! Call me for anything at any time!"

Stu exhaled with a huff of worry, "You can call me for anything at any time too. Bye, bro!"

"Have a nice afternoon, Austin! Stu had mentioned before, please contact any one of us at any time for anything, if Austin needs something, nurse." Frank stood upright with a stern face and stared with suspicion at the nurse.

"Nutelo," she faked a smile.

Then each brother slowly spun around and moved ahead through the doorway, leaving the mansion in a set of worries and mumbles, strolling into the bright Florida sunlight.

The entrance door closed in silence.

Nutelo leaned over with a smile and a whisper. "Don't worry! Mama will take care of you, big boy." Austin stared at the far wall in silence. She frowned with a whisper into his eardrum. "Yes."

"Yes," he spoke with one word and continued to stare at the far wall.

The telephone landline rang on top of the side table inside the foyer in a series of sharp musical tone.

Nutelo stood upright with a deep puff of annoyance and moved ahead with a frown, stopping and stood in front of the side table, reaching out and picked up the receiver into an eardrum in silence. She listened with a sour frown and say. "Yeah, I'll be there in one hour or less." She slammed the phone back down over the hook with a growl. The Mistress had called the Berrington house on the landline and demanded that Nutelo return back to the house in Doral which was a matter of life and death. The old witch was interfering with Nutelo's fun again. She spun around with a grin and entered the kitchen for a quick snack before seeing the Mistress in the city of Doral for the final time.

8:36 p.m.

City of Doral within the US State of Florida

(18 miles west of Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with parted cloud of bright sunlight

House of the Mistress

Nutelo swiftly drove the borrowed sports car that belonged to Austin with a sneer of loud curse words, after wasting fifteen minutes trying to ignite the cold engine of the vehicle which worked on a keyless system. There was a silver squared object inside the side cup holder that powered up the sports car with an electronic signal that worked like a physical black tinted car key. Nutelo had reached out and touched a single button by experimentation on the console dashboard of the vehicle. Then, the car had started like magic.

She had been sleeping beside Berrington at his manor, without any fun fucking action, since Austin was a possessed zombie boy with a set of cold and numb love emotions for Nutelo or Ruff. Her new job was attending to zombie Austin, not comatose Rosebud. The two medical nurses were gone from Austin and his manor, but the glass coffin machine still worked perfectly while entombing his girl Ruff foreverly, if needed.

8:47 a.m.

Sports car ride of Nutelo

The Mistress had told the good news to Nutelo on the first visit which over three years and several days ago. Nutelo's destiny was to marry a wealthy man and attend numerous social gala dances with a closet of fancy ball gowns for the rest of her living and breathing days and nights. That vision was going over three years now.

The Mistress had a set of secret and powerful talents that could change a person's life. She could make a girl or a guy pretty, rich, famous, and everything else that she or he desired, using a set of strong herbs and minerals to make your body and mind change or a set of whispered spells and incantations to make the other ones disappear.

Nutelo had received numerous plastic bags of white colored love potion powder, so Austin would fall in love and marry Nutelo, living happily ever after.

Nutelo desired to marry Austin right now, feeling impatience for her fairy tale life dream of wealth and luxury and leisure. However, the Mistress had control of Austin's mind. Nutelo couldn't attend all the fun and social galas, because Austin was acting like a zombie.

Well, things had to change more quickly in the world of Nutelo and Austin. Tonight, Nutelo was going to a gala ball with a tiara and a fancy gown like when she was six years old with her mother, the royal queen of the region of Nutelo within the country of Italy.

On the main expressway, Nutelo continued to drive over the posted speed limit coming from the paradise town of Coral Beach, after receiving a short and sweet call from the Mistress in the city of Doral. Then she slammed down on the brake pedal inside the sports car while avoiding the flared red colored tails lights of the car in front of the grill, cramping a head out the open window with a sour frown and a yell. I'm rich here. Get outta my way, asshole!" There was a pile of burning metal and screaming people indicating a new car wreck on the interstate in the early morning hours. She exhaled with a puff of annoyance. Now, Nutelo was going to be tardy for the final meeting with the Mistress while slowly maneuvering the car onto a side city street from the main expressway like the rest of the restless drivers in Miami.

City of Doral

House of the Mistress

On the city street, Nutelo turned the car and sped over the ratty driveway bumping into each pothole with a force with a curse word, steering toward the familiar mint green tinted two-story private home within the city of Doral without a parked vehicle in front of the thick row of overgrown green tinted plant shrubs as the house stood silence of the bright sunlight without a set of walking dead souls who slumbered near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard.

She killed the engine and slammed the door open, sliding out and stood upright with a distorted face of fury. She left the door open and scooted around the rear bumper of the car so the walking dead that lived near the spooky cemetery of the local church graveyard could play around the cool looking sports car. She dashed ahead toward the side of the building and reached out for the knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the unlocked weather beaten red tinted side door of a two-story house.

2nd floor level

Den room setting of the Mistress

Inside the interior of the private house, she swiftly climbed up the set of creaking wooden steps toward a single closed tan colored door where she had spent three years of her young life while coming and going from the Mistress with the hope of meeting and marrying her prince-charmed. Finally, Nutelo will. And that old witch wasn't going to stop Nutelo either. As a matter of fact, Nutelo thought that the old bat was done with her spells, her charms, and her karma.

She slammed a hand into the ratty wood of the closed door as tan tinted sawdust drifted down over the hard surface. She entered the den room of dull peach within the bright rays of sunlight and stopped behind the familiar brown colored ratty chair with a sneer, crossing both arms. "What?"

"Rosebud is in my dreams. She is your past." the Mistress said in a low scratchy voice, sitting inside an old ratty blue colored rocking chair with a folded body. She appeared very old and ancient with numerous wrinkles on a pale face. Her body was lined with layers of fat like an old tired elephant at the circus with a head of blackish gray hair that was wrapped in single braid around the skull. She wore a thick necklace, a pair of matching earrings, a matching bracelet and a matching ring made of blue colored sapphires that twinkled in tiny lights when the moon ray hit each gem stone, wearing an ankle-length old fashioned white dress with a high collar and long sleeves.

She gasped, "No way!"

The Mistress griped the arm rests of the chair and rocked side to side with a deep sigh and a whisper. "Yes, it is so. Rosebud is from your childhood. Try to think back? You were a young child princess living in the castle with your queen mother. Did you have a child guest or a teen visitor from one of faraway countries or foreign territories to come into your country of Nutelo?"

She slid down into the ratty chair with a nod and a stern face to see the Mistress. "Yeah, I recalled a few child guests. So what? What does have to do with me now? I am twenty-one years old. Back then, I was only five years old and younger."

"Rosebud was one of your princess guests at your castle home in your home country of Nutelo which is your given named too. Can you try and think back, child?" Nutelo frowned with a set of hard thoughts and a sour frown. She was a young girl with a set of terrible nightmares after she had escaped with her father and had eye witnessed the murder of her mother inside the dining room of her royal castle inside her home country of Nutelo. She really didn't want to dig down deeper into the scary past life as a young child. The Mistress frowned. "You were visited by children. Do you remember the children?"

She exhaled with a nod. "Well, I remembered the royals of Counts, Dukes and a couple of Countesses. Wait! I did meet a little girl once. My gawd! She had a head of light colored hair. Her name was princess, princess..."

"Princess what? What is her real name?"

She nodded with a stern face, "Right! It was princess-something. I don't remember. I don't understand. What is this all about?"

"She is that princess. Her grandfather is a prince from the country of Saudi Arabia."

She shook her curls with a gasp, "No."

"Her father was a prince but chose to live with his family unit. He had an American wife who had lived somewhere in the southern region of the USA. Her father was a simple farmer but her grandfather insisted on supplying his granddaughter with a title of privilege and all the benefits of a royal princess."

She gasped, "She is royal."

"She is very royal."

She frowned, "She is an actress."

"She is very, very rich and a billionaire with a set of oil wells in the country of Saudi Arabia. Her grandfather is dead, but she is still a princess of his house and all his estates."

She frowned. "She is American."

"She is also an Arabian. She uses her money for all good deeds."

She gasped. "Does Austin know who she is?"

"Austin does not know. No one knows, only you."

She gasped. "Me?"

"That is our advantage."

"Austin loves her, not as a princess, but as a good person."

Nutelo pouted with sadness. "My Austin loves her."

"Your Austin loves her very, very deeply, thus we cannot change that emotion. Love is...."

She slapped a chest with a stern face. "Me! I can change that emotion inside my Austin."

"You cannot one or many emotions inside Austin."

She gasped with a whine. "You set up me up to fail. I did all the work. I get the night job. I drugged the old nurse. I give him the potion. I get rid of the brothers..."

The Mistress exhaled. "You interfered with the eternal blood bond of the boys. You cannot get rid of the four brothers. You have..."

"I made everything better for me."

"You were the instrument of work. But you must be cautious. There is more work to do, child."

She shook her curls with a smile. "I have him now. Austin is mine to keep and to control."

The Mistress gasped. "I forbid that. You cannot change Austin ever. He right now is still very strong in both body and mind. I must do more of my magic."

She laughed with an evil grin. "Wrong, old witch! He is changed. He is different. He is mine."

The Mistress shook her curls. "Austin is sad and depressed. He laments over her..."

She laughed. "Rosebud is a dead person inside that glass coffin. Austin doesn't need her, but me. Austin doesn't need those three nosy brothers, but me. And the four Quartet Assholes are selling the company for money."

The Mistress nodded with a stern face. "Yes, I know that also. I have seen it too."

She nodded with a grin. "Money makes the world go round and round, with me, in it, too. The four brothers of the infamous Quartet will become the first four trillionaires of the world."

The Mistress gasped. "Austin will become a trillionaire."

She laughed. "Ah! You didn't see that one coming. I saw it. I am the future Mrs. Austin Berrington, the fourth. I am going to be the first trillionaire of the world. I will be..."

The Mistress laughed with a set of yellow teeth at Nutelo. "Austin can read your mind, Nutelo. He is a strong telepath with a set of deep emotions for his family members. He can see what you are trying to do to him, to his brothers, to Rosebud."

Nutelo stood upright with a sneer and dropped a hand down into the pocket of the pair of red and green food stained blue colored hospital scrubs. "You're sick and weak, old witch. I'm in control of Austin and my life now," she pulled out the butcher knife that had been dipped into a dish of sheep's blood like she had read on the internet for killing an evil spirit. Nutelo had purchased the blood of the sweet dead sheep at the local livestock farm in the middle of Redlands countryside, after the first visit to the witch for body and spirit protection. Nutelo smiled. "It is too late for you," she leaned over and penetrated the chest cavity of soft skin while aiming directly into the biological aorta of the Mistress. The old witch would die in two minutes as soon as the blood stopped flowing up and down the stem and into her brain cells. Nutelo's limited nursing experience had diagnosed the brain dead presentation which would be followed by a cardiac arrest of the heart. There were not a set of medical personnel around the old two story house when the Mistress needed the help.

The knife hit and stayed inside the outer muscle of the heart of the Mistress which was soft, smooth, and silent. Nutelo held onto the handle of the thick butcher knife when the old woman breathed a last breath. The Mistress was very old, almost ancient.

Now, the ancient witch was chatting with Almighty God, Brother Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and the devil around the heavenly eating table while drinking a cup of hot coffee for a few thousand years while Nutelo would be ruling the world with her future husband and trillionaire Austin. Nutelo and Austin would be the newest pair of trillionaires after the sale of the company called Quartet Associates in a couple of weeks. She would be rich and powerful and the wife of one of the four most powerful men in the world, maybe the universe.

Nutelo jerked out the physical evidence of a bloody knife with an evil roar of laughter. Now, she would get rid of the other three non-biological brothers, after bashing in a set of three separate rear skulls with a great big nail hammer in surprise and then set the entire manor on fire in explosive gasoline flames, since she had siphoned out six gallons of nasty petrol gasoline for the nine-gallon tank of the two-seater sports car inside the garage over the set of lonely nights. The nine tin can containers lined the side wall of the garage, where Austin never noticed or questions, since Austin rarely traveled in the sports car while relaying on his personal limousine or the limousine of another brother. While the couple Nutelo and Austin would be in flight over the Atlantic Ocean living on the one of the Caribbean islands.

Inside the den room of the Mistress, Nutelo replaced the bloody knife back down inside the same plastic bag inside the pocket of the scrub jacket while hiding a series of dripping blood proteins on the floor in case of a police officer visit which was unlikely. The Mistress didn't have a friend or a family member or another client, only Nutelo.

Nutelo spun around with a laugh and left the Mistress, the second floor, the tiny den space, and the mint green two-story house for the finally time while the hidden nest of palmetto bugs scurried out from the darkness and cleaned up the bloody evidence and shitty dead body in a couple of weeks.

10:10 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Home of Austin

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Nutelo traveled back to the mansion in Coral Beach while waving and smiling as she passed the first and second sentry gate entry inside Austin's sports car. Each guard waved and smiled back to her like she was the true Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth.

Today, she had learned some interesting information.

Austin could read her mental mind as he was a telepath which was good.

Nutelo was going to give him lots of pleasure tonight while making him think that was cheating on Rosebud but Austin was not.

Rosebud was still unconscious inside the modified hospital room in a coma next to his bedroom. Rosebud was unconscious but breathing and alive and asleep like a newborn baby as that magical machine worked all the joints, the muscles, tanning the skin, emptying the bladder of shit and urine on Ruff.

So, her future husband Austin needed a hug, a kiss, and a nasty sex act from his future wife Nutelo. There was nothing personal or private for her to think about today but relax and unwind for the day of tortures of an old bat, a weak kitten, and my new puppy.

Then she would be Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington and be very rich.

From the single avenue, she stopped and parked the sports car underneath the covered veranda out of the hot sunshine and opening the door, sliding out and stood upright with a smile at her new home. She moved ahead and scooted around the rear bumper of car, dashing toward the front doors, slamming open one of the doors as it hit the side wall of pink. She entered the mansion with happiness to see her future husband. Austin continued to sit on the long sofa and slowly flipped each page, staring down with a confused brow at the photograph in silence. She stopped and stood in front of the low table with a sneer and a sour frown of annoyance, "Austin..." He stopped the page flip and looked up with a confused brow to see Nutelo. Go to sleep right now!" He leaned over and dropped the book on top of the low table, sitting back and leaned down, resting on the arm rest, closing the eyelids.

She exhaled with a puff of annoyance and shook her curls with a worried brow. The Mistress was dead right now and didn't have her magic inside the mind of Austin anymore, but Austin was still a zombie person with zero personality. She snapped the fingers with a nod and a sneer. "Rosebud is the real influence inside his mind, not the old witch. The old witch was the tool that smashed the nail down into my coffin. Well, I can fix that," she back steppe from the low table and Austin with a growl, dashing ahead and climbed the steps to second.

2nd floor level

Middle modified guest bedroom setting of Rosebud

Nutelo dashed into the room and stopped a few feet from the glass coffin, reaching out with a hand to the control panel of colorful buttons and switches with a sneer at Rosebud. "My plans are almost complete," she pressed the green button that activated the glass coffin. The lid slowly raised half-way into the air with a sound of a creep creak of metal and a hiss of air pressure. Nutelo continued to stare with an evil grin down at the comatose body of sleeping Rosebud with a whisper. "Princess Rosetta." Her mind swiftly flooded with past memories of her as a little young child. Rosebud was a year younger than Nutelo. The royal child had visited the royal palace at the country of Nutelo. The two child princesses had played on a set of swinging butthole swings. Then Princess Rosetta had dressed up for the evening ceremony in a silver tiara and silver dress complete with a long royal robe. Her biological father and her biological grandfather had beamed with delight as their daughter had looked so royalty.

The queen of Nutelo, her biological mother had not allowed a giddy gemstone within the hair roots or a fancy dress of lace and bows. The providence of Nutelo when the queen ruled very poor was poor. She insisted on a set of cotton clothes that were clean and free from the dirt with no other royal ornamentations that would do for her royal daughter.

So, this was the eternal reward for Princess Nutelo where she had waited for twenty-one years.

Nutelo reached out and swiftly jerked the lid completed upright with both hands. The glass top on the coffin was heavier than she had realized with a heavy pant of a fat body.

The cool air conditioning unit inside the glass coffin cooled on her heated face. Nutelo had to kill Austin's kitten. Or everything would be ruined for the new girlfriend Nutelo. Austin loved her, not Nutelo. He had been so sad and depressed while Nutelo couldn't help him.

However, Nutelo could rescue him by placing the bloody knife with the blood sheep into the heart of Rosebud. She exhaled with a puff of fear and determination and slowly climbed up and over the mechanic bed, where Rosebud peacefully and permanently rested in a coma. She crawled on both palms and kneecaps, straddling between the body of Rosebud and wobbled side to side, sitting upright on both kneecaps, keeping her upright balance.

She reached down into the pocket and touched the handle of the bloody knife, since Nutelo was trained to handle any emergency with a body, alive or dead. So, Nutelo could do this.

This was an act of cold-blooded murder. Nutelo was going to kill an innocent life, since Rosebud was in the way of the eternal love of Austin. If Rosebud ever would awake from the coma, then she would take Austin away from Nutelo, since Austin was starting to love Nutelo.

Nutelo loved him dearly.

This was the only terrible and horrible method to save Austin and Nutelo as a future newly married couple. She lifted up in the air and held the large handle with both cupped hands, aiming the tip at the heart organ. A damaged heart organ was dead immediately when the blood stopped pumping into the brain. Rosebud would have a mild heart attack and then die into heaven inside the glass coffin.

Nutelo stalled with a set of deep breaths of fear and fright at the peaceful face of Ruff. Rosebud popped open both of her eyelashes. Nutelo could see the face of violet intense hot flashes driving into her mental mind. Rosebud had looked up into the brown eyes of Princess Nutelo.

Nutelo screamed out loud and slammed the butcher knife down toward the heart of Ruff. Rosebud lifted both arms from the side of machine table and as both her hands reached out and caught the bloody handle of the butcher knife, stopping the motion with a sneer.

Nutelo screamed out loud and couldn't budge the butcher knife.

Rosebud was strong in strength which was impossible. She should have been weak, tired, and fragile. She had been in a coma for two weeks. Instead, she was powerful, strong, and swift. The bloody butcher knife swung away from the distorted face of Rosebud and as Nutelo leaped upright with a gasp on top of the mechanical table inside the glass coffin, busting a skull through the delicate glass at the high angle without injury only a slight headache of fury. The glass lid jerked upright into the air and twisted sideways, jerking out of the slots and swiftly dropped down, landing on top of the nicely polished wooden floor with a loud thump. Nutelo spread both feet apart and anchored both legs in balance on top of the wide metal mechanic table inside the coffin frame while holding the hands and the knife with her enemy Rosebud. Rosebud stood upright and taller with a sneer into the hair roots on Nutelo.

Nutelo looked up with a gasp to see the angry in the face of Rosebud and a pair of red cheekbones of fury. "I can't believe our fight or your person. The Mistress said that you had healing your body."

Ruff leaned over the hair roots and sneered into the frightened face of Nutelo. "Yeah, the concept of telemetabolics works both ways, sister."

"Huh!" Nutelo gasped.

Ruff laughed with a wink. "You didn't read my awesome science fiction book entitled _Unknown Me_ with Starra Starbuck, where I wrote the novel under the pen name of Ela Barlow."

"Huh?" She gasped.

Ruff growled. "She lives. You die."

She gasped. "No..."

Rosebud swiftly jerked to the open side of the coffin and shifted the heavy body of weak, overweight, and petite Nutelo off balance on top of the mechanic table. The butcher knife slipped out of both pairs of a sweaty grasp and launched through the air, hitting the entrance wall inside the bedroom of yellow tinted paint with force, sticking into the plaster. Rosebud reached up with a growl and slapped the face of Nutelo with a hand, causing intense pain in the mind, the forehead, and the face of Nutelo while leaving a red imprint of four finger pads of Ruff. The Ruff kicked a naked foot into the shin of Nutelo with a growl.

Nutelo danced side to side and reached up, grabbing the pair of swinging arms of Ruff, holding them in place, hearing the foot falls on the top of each step with a loud thump. Someone was climbing up the staircase to the second level. She screamed out loud. "No!"

"Yes!" Rosebud yelled out loud with fury and continued to dance with Nutelo while kicking a naked foot at the legs of Nutelo, spitting into the face of Nutelo, and jerking both arms into the nose of Nutelo.

Nutelo danced side to side and continued to swing both arms of Rosebud from a body and a face while blocking anymore fist shots to a bruised face, a bloody nose, and an aching shinbone.

" _Yes,"_ the baritone voice of Austin rang inside the cool hallway. He had heard the loud noise of the crashing glass lid and had come upstairs to investigate the manner. He was approaching the closed door of the second bedroom without realizing that Rosebud had been awoken from her princess slumber.

The door opened and revealed Austin. He stood inside the archway with a pair of bulging eyeballs of alarm and an open mouth of shock, shouting out loud with a flash of renewed high energy and self-consciousness, "Rosebud..."

"Austin." Rosebud turned with a smile to see Austin while dancing side to side with Nutelo on top of the metal table as she was the stronger of the two female species.

Nutelo quickly took advantage of the precious tender heartfelt moment with a grin and released the arm of Rosebud with a sneer, rearing back and slammed a fist into the nose bridge of Rosebud. Princess Rosetta stumbled backward from Nutelo on top of the metal table. Nutelo reared back an arm and shoved a palm directly into the chest of Rosebud.

Ruff tumbled backward of the end of the coffin and dropped over the edge, flying down into the air and hit the side wall on the rear skull with a loud grunt. Her parted lips and both eardrums poured and spilled out with hot flowing set of red colored blood proteins over a face, both arms, and the floor. She slowly slumped down an ass over the floor while silently slumbering for a moment.

A single moment of precious time was all that Nutelo needed to finish the killing job on Ruff. She side stepped and jumped down out from the metal table onto the clean part of the wooden floor, dashing ahead with a set of pants of heavy breathes while turning with a smile and a wink to see Austin. He stood inside the archway in silence and awe at the catfight of Rosebud and Nutelo.

Nutelo leaned over and jerked out the protruded butcher knife with smeared blood of the dead sheep and the dead Mistress swinging around from the wall and Austin, running ahead back toward the coffin table and stopped, rearing back an arm, pitching the tip of the heavy knife at Rosebud with an evil laugh.

Austin gasped in alarm and stood inside the archway in silence without moving or shooting.

The knife tumbled end over end through the air and as the sharp bloody tip flew freely toward the side wall and then directly hit, stabbing into the healthy heart of Rosebud. Then, her heart stopped beating. Rosebud screamed out loud in pain and slumped backward, landing over the floor into the puddles of zigzagged wiggling lines of fresh red colored blood proteins.

Nutelo turned with a wink and a smile to see Austin.

"Rosebud!" Austin stared at Rosebud in shock and reached down into the side pocket of the walking shorts, swiftly pulling out, quickly turned, posing the cool barrel of his Ghost into two fists, aimed and fired the clip of sharp razors and as, each discharge blade hit the stomach, the chest, the face while chopping up the tender flesh of Nutelo into a set of shredded bloody ribbons. Numerous new zigzagged wiggling lines of red colored blood proteins that came from the ripped and torn up body of Nutelo dropped down and landed on the upright body of Nutelo, the floor, the ceiling, the four walls, the coffin, the ground body of Rosebud, and the upright body of Austin.

Nutelo wobbled side to side with a goofy smile at Austin and dropped down, collapsing down over the floor in front of the coffin in death.

Austin lifted up his Ghost into the air with a gasp of worry and dashed ahead, scooting around the rear of the coffin, since he could not get passed the wall of equipment monitors to Rosebud. He stopped with a gaps right before the field of millions of sharp glass shards in a pair of naked feet, turning and leaped up a body into the air and climbed over the flat metal table, crawling over the edge of the table, falling down onto the floor of numerous tiny blood puddles and crawled toward Rosebud with a worried brow. Ruff had rolled into a curved ball over the wet floor while crying in sobs and tears of pain. Austin slammed into her curved body and unfolded her skull and upper chest, resting her body into his lap with a smile of hope. "Rosebud, help is on the way right now. I love you, Rosebud. I'll take care of you for the rest of my life. I promise..."

"Austin..." Rosebud stared into his pair of gray eyeballs with a soft whispered and a sweet smile.

He exhaled with worry. "Don't talk, Rosebud? Save your strength for the medical operation. You are going to be fine. I love you, Rosebud," he leaned down and gently kissed her bloody lips, pulling back with a smile of hope.

The bedroom opened and revealed a tall man. Jace gasped in alarm. "Austin..."

Austin smiled down at Rosebud, "Jace, come over here to me near the side wall! It is a miracle. Rosebud, she is alive. Come and patch up her tiny wounds. She is bleeding..."

"Austin, are you okay?" Jace ran ahead from the archway toward the metal table and climbed between the wall of monitors and edge of the coffin, stomping through the numerous puddles of fresh blood with a gasp of alarm and squatted down beside Austin with a worried brow. He reached out and touched her arm with a gasp and shifted to the side, touching an assortment of different body parts which was covering in set of hot boiling blood over the whitish pale body. Her red blood was spurting from an opening inside her chest that came from a knife wound in the heart while the blood spilled out everywhere. He reached out and patted the bloody arm of Berrington with a sad face and a whisper, "Austin..."

Austin smiled through the set of rolling tears from both eye sockets with happiness, "Rosebud, she is alive."

Rosebud continued to whisper into the face of Austin with sweet smile. Austin leaned down into her face with a smile of happy tears. She said. "I love you..." Then, she slumped down into unconsciousness and then exhaled a last breath into death.

He gasped and shook her body with alarm and a set of rolling tears of sadness. "Rosebud, I love you. Wake up, baby! Don't leave me here alone! Please wake up! I love you. Open your eyes to see me. Jace, he is here. Jace, help her!"

The bedroom door slammed open and revealed a line of three males in a set of business clothing who stood inside the wide archway while holding an individual Ghost. They were ready to kill and breathed with a set of hard pants for air.

Jace stood upright over the hair roots on Austin and turned with a sad face to stare at the three brothers, shaking a skull with the bad news. "Rosebud has passed into heaven, Austin." Austin was crying and lifted her up into his chest, rocking back and forth over the kneecaps, holding her bloody dead body while whispering into her peaceful face.

Tom stood inside the archway and yelled out loud with a sour frown. "Holy fucking shit."

Frank advanced ahead from the line of brothers and stored his Ghost back inside the pocket of the jacket, crawling over the metal table, dropping an upper body and a face down over the bloody floor, crawling to his brother. He stopped in a squat and sat back on both kneecaps, reaching out and patted the collar bone of Austin while trying to show some kind of comfort in his sorrow and loss like Austin did for him when Misty had been kidnapped by the evil and dead physician named Hera which was six months ago. That was a long time ago and a different journey. Lately, the Band of Brothers had been moving forward onto an intense dark and evil journey that led into more evil and dark events.

Now, the famous Hollywood movie film starlet and billionaire Rosetta Ruth Ruff was dead at the age of thirty-one years old inside the second bedroom of Austin's house in Coral Beach from a murder.

Austin held the dead body of Rosebud closer into his chest and cried between the tears and sobs. "Frank, treat her. She loves me. She told me that she loves me. Help save Rosebud, Frank..."

Frank continued to pat the collar bone of Austin, staring down with a stern face at the dead girl again inside the house of Berrington with a whisper. "I know."

Austin growled. "Frank, do something! Work your magic. I love her. She needs medical help right now. You're a medical physician."

Frank nodded with a sad face. "I know."

Stu moved ahead with a stern face from the archway with Tom and stopped, standing at the twisted pair of nursing shoes of dead nurse Nutelo with a sour frown in silence, studying the dead girl with a soft sneer.

In front of the side wall and the front of the damaged coffin, Jace advanced ahead and crawled back through the wall of monitor screens and the edge of the coffin, moving ahead and stopped, standing in front of Stu and Tom and leaned over with a stern face and a whisper. "We need to move the dead body. I can hear..."

Stu nodded with astern face. "I'll do it."

Jace whispered again. "And go and get Austin away from her, Stu!" He stood upright with a nod and a stern face.

Stu scooted around Jace with a stern face in silence and moved ahead, stopping and crawled over the flat metal table of the damaged coffin with a set of heavy grunts, slipping both tuxedos shoes down onto the floor and slowly moved through the puddle of blood, stopping and stood over the set of hair roots on Frank and Austin on the floor with a stern face. "The ambulance is coming."

Frank exhaled and continued to pat on the collar bone of Berrington with a stern face, "Austin..."

Austin continued to rock back and forth, hugging onto the dead body of Rosebud with a set of sobs and tears of sadness. "Frank, save her! Do something! Rosebud is bleeding. She is losing a massive amount of blood on her and on me and on the floor..."

"Austin," Frank exhaled with a firm voice. "Rosebud is dead. She is in heaven now. Let go of her body, Austin. The rolling ambulance is coming with a team of law enforcement authorities to investigate the murder here inside the house."

Austin sneered down at her peaceful face with a set of tears. "Fuck all them! Save her, Frank, right now!"

Frank frowned with a stern face at the body of Rosebud. "Austin, Rosebud is dead and lives in heaven, now. I am so sorry. Stand up! We need to move out of the bedroom and down into the Florida room to greet the law enforcement authorities," he reached down and shoved the cold dead body of Rosebud with disrespect from the chest and the two folded arms of Berrington. The dead body landed over the floor with a loud thump. Austin stood upright with Frank and turned with a growl, shoving Frank away from him and toward the wall of monitors.

Stu was prepared for the superhuman strength from Berrington, after seeing the familiar action a thousand and one times before. Somehow, during a crisis, the species of men could become supernaturally powerful. The team of medical scientists claimed that it was the surge of a chemical reaction that forced a male into a strong and powerful human being. Stu reached over and cuddled the ass and the back spine on Austin from behind while holding Berrington in place sorta as Austin violently twisted, jerked, grunted, and tested Gage with all the superman might.

Frank dashed ahead and blocked the pair of swinging arms from Austin, stopping and reached out, touching and tapped the little tap needle into the neck muscle of Austin that he had received from Jace. Frank had a small pouch of first aid medical supplies inside a breast pocket too but Berrington would have suspicious of the hand motion. Jace carried around the black medical bag of medications and medical supplies for such a medical emergency while slipping out the tap needle and secretly handed it to Frank, before Jace had moved away from the dead body of Rosebud for the sedation trick.

Berrington jerked side to side with a growl and wrestled within the wrapped stronger arms of Stu with a sneer. Within two point one seconds, Austin stilled with a deep sigh and collapsed down into the open arms of super tall Gage, closing the eyelids with a peaceful face.

"Fuck." Tom shook his bangs with a soft moan at the action of his three brothers.

Jace nodded with a stern face at the action of the three brothers too, "Austin will be fine. He needs some time."

Outside the two windows of the second bedroom, an array of loud bells, blue and white colored sirens, and obnoxious whistles rang in a set of high pitched musical tones, where the team of law enforcement authorities were advancing through the second sentry gate into the paradise city of Coral Beach. The team of authorities consisted of firefighters, paramedics, and police officers who would invade the mansion with peeking pair of eyeballs and numerous mental legal questions, where the internal alarm system inside the special designed medical glass coffin had triggered an emergency response and all the needed medical and law enforcement personnel for the new crisis within the house of Austin.

Frank crawled first away from the dead body of Rosebud and moved ahead out from the nasty smelling second bedroom with a stern face toward Jace and tom. Jace spun around with a stern face and moved out the destroyed room first with Tom following behind an ass.

They swiftly moved across the room and down the stairs into the Florida to meet the team of law enforcement authorities.

11:31 a.m.

3rd floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

Hot temperatures with slight breeze and parted clouds of sun

Stu lifted up with a huff and carried unconscious Austin over a collar bone with a series of loud grunts, slowly climbing over the damaged coffin, moving out from the destroyed second bedroom and slowly strolled into the master bedroom while Austin peacefully slept form the tiny drops of medication that came from wicked physician Jace. Stu entered the master bedroom and stopped, gently placing an unconscious Austin on top of the messy bedroom covers, back stepping with a stern face from the bed frame and Austin. His brother Berrington had been hurt emotional again, but Austin was a tough asshole first and foremost, recovering again from another new pile of dog shit. He spun around and shook a bald skull, exiting out the room, over the hallway, and down the staircase while hearing the whistles. He whipped the mobile telephone and called his wife Gracie who picked up on the first rang. The wives had gathered at his house and waited for the good or bad news.

Gage whispered the delicate situation to Gracie and then quickly disconnected the telephone call to chat with the police team, since Austin was safe and sleeping. Rosebud was dead on planet Earth and as her soul was in heaven. And finally, Nutelo was dead on planet Earth and as her evil murderous soul was serving Satan in hell.

1st floor level

Florida room setting

Tom dashed ahead with a stern face and slammed into the double set of doors with a giggle, backing up and slammed each door open as each wood hit the pink tinted wall with new set of dents of angry. He stood upright on top of the front porch in front of the open door with a stern face and motioned with a waving arm at rolling parade of law enforcement vehicles that was being escorted by the two cars of the team of sentry guards. Sawyer was the lawyer of the Quartet but he didn't want to give the impression of a cover-up murder to the police inside the home of Austin, since Austin was the only surviving party of the two deaths.

Each vehicle stopped one at a time and parked, burning up the nicely manicured lawn on Austin's property. Each person exited from the vehicle and marched over the lawn and then the driveway toward Tom.

Tom back stepped with a nod back into the Florida room and spun around, leading the team of law enforcement authorities.

Gage stomped down the staircase and turned to the side, moving ahead toward the wall corner near the billiards table while the team of police stopped and gathered around Stu. Gage handled all the police teams and pointed down to the spilled blood over his yellow trousers with a stern face and told the medical story.

Jace stood in front of the absent fire inside the fake fireplace right beside Frank and motioned to the medical personal telling the medical story. After completing the medical story, they both turned to face the staircase and escorted the team up to the second floor while spelling out all the medical information to each medical professional.

Tom stood beside Gage and listened with alert and studious skills. This situation was serious, delicate and unpredictable. Austin was a basket case after Rosebud had hit down into the deep blue ocean water in the beach town of Ruby Beach a week ago. Then Berrington had become a recluse hermit due to that bitch called Nutelo. Tom wished that she was alive. Then he would have pumped a cartridge of razors from his Ghost into her beating heart just to see her bleed, suffer, and die. But Tom had noticed that Austin had done that to the bitch first.

Austin would always remember and felt better for that while revenging the dead of Rosebud.

Rosetta Ruth Ruff was dead while another female was gone from the life of Berrington.

Playboy billionaire Austin always had a bad reputation with women before but they were always alive and breathing after he had fucked them. Now, a girl kept dying one after another in front of Austin.

Berrington had fallen in love with two of them, Skye and Rosebud. The man really deserved a break in true love and in absent death.

The last words of the speaking Coral Gables police detective with a smile had broken up the daydream inside Tom's mind. "Well, I can see that everything seems in order, Stu. When can Austin be interviewed by the police department?"

Tom answered immediately without thinking, "Tomorrow. We will all come down and visit you at the Coral Gables police station."

The officer smiled with a nod to Stu. "We can come back here to the house in Coral Beach tomorrow."

"No. Austin will do the interview on tomorrow. We will all come to the police station. What is the best time for you, sir?" Tom continued without emotion as the soulless lawyer of the Quartet.

The officer turned and nodded with a smile to Tom, "Anytime. I'll be at the station all day long."

"Excellent." Tom extended a hand for shaking while signaling the end of this insane murder conversation, the pretend cold blooded murder investigation, and the fucking ass nonsense of too many dead girls inside the house of Berrington.

The officer shook the hand on Tom and Stu with a nod and a smile and spun around, pointing to the open archway to leave the estate of Austin and the city of Coral Beach.

Frank and Jace returned back from the second bedroom and shook the hands of each medical personnel with a stern face and a nod after explaining the purpose of the modified hospital room inside the home of Austin. Two individual morgue stretchers moved down the staircase and carried the two dead bodies of Rosebud and Nutelo following behind the asses of the medical personnel. The team of medical personnel moved ahead and followed behind the asses of the police team, leaving the house.

Tom, Stu, Frank, and Jace followed behind the last ass of the medical personnel and stood in a row on top of the front porch while watching the parade. A line of vehicles steered a turn and drove off Austin's property and back onto the avenue of Coral Beach, heading back into the metro city of Miami.

Tom, Stu, Frank, and Jace back stepped from the porch and shuffled back inside the middle of the room, forming a loose huddle. Frank whined with a sour frown at Jace. "He isn't strong..."

"Fuck you, Mangrove!" Tom turned and sneered into the cheekbone of Frank. "Austin will testify tomorrow. He is strong, stronger than all of us. That's why he is the leader, the boss. Berrington is the head of the Band of Brothers. That's his fate. Is Austin tucked away in bed?" Tom turned and nodded to Stu.

Stu nodded with a stern face, "Yes, he is sleeping."

"Does he need anything else?" Tom turned and nodded to Jace.

Jace said. "No."

Tom turned and nodded with a stern face to each face. "Good! Our wives are waiting at home for each one of us. I'm going home back home and explain all this to Jane. Are you staying here with Austin, Frank?"

"I am." Jace said.

Tom turned and nodded with a stern brow to see each face. "Good. We are all going to visit the police station tomorrow, except for Jace. This is a family affair. We are the family all of us, brothers."

Stu exhaled. "What about the Quartet wives? They can come with us to the police station."

Tom shook his bangs with a stern face. "No. They stay here at home in Coral Beach. It is us, brothers for unity, support and love of our oldest brother Austin. Got it!"

Stu nodded with a stern face. "Yes, Tom."

Tom turned and frowned at Mangrove. "Frank?"

Frank exhaled with a nod. "I'll be here tomorrow early."

Tom nodded with a stern brow to each face. "Good! Good day and afternoon and night to all!" He spun around with a stern face and moved through the open front door, disappearing into the bright sunshine.

Jace turned and smiled at the open archway with a nod. "That boy can be a real leader when he wants."

Stu turned and nodded to the open archway with a nod. "Thomas might be a blood sucking lawyer but he takes action when needed."

Frank whined to the cheekbone of Jace, "By barking a set of commands at me."

Stu exhaled at the open archway with a smile. "Tom still is an unemotional blood sucking leech."

Jace smiled at the open archway. "But he shows his love and support in his own way."

Stu turned and nodded to Jace. "Yes, he does."

Jace turned and smiled to each face. "Go home both of you. I will stay and watch over Austin until tomorrow morning. He is resting and sleeping quietly."

Frank turned and nodded to Jace. "Please call me if anything changes with Austin, Jace!"

Jace nodded with a stern face. "Yes, I know the routine with you, guys. Please try and get a little rest before the drama show tomorrow."

Stu nodded with a smile. "I will. Later, Jace!" He spun around and moved through the open archway, rubbing a tired face, exiting the house and drove back to his wife Gracie to tattle the bad news.

Frank nodded with a smile and slapped the bicep on Jace, "I will also. Thank you, Jace!" He spun around and followed behind the ass of Stu and entered his personal sedan with a worried brow, traveling back to his home to tell Misty Marie the bad news also.

"Night, guys." Jace followed behind the ass of Frank and stopped inside the archway, seeing each car disappear from the estate of Austin, back stepping and closed and locked the front doors. He spun around and moved ahead slowly climbing the steps, dashing off the staircase onto the third floor to check on Austin, who was still asleep. He eased the bedroom door partial closed with a deep sigh of sadness. Austin had been experiencing some very bad luck with girls that usually ended up dead. A marriage divorce was easier.

He back stepped from the archway of the master bedroom and spun around with a stern face, moving across the hallway and down the staircase, strolling over the ground floor and scouted out the awful vile odor. Jace wondered if the evil murderess Nutelo had killed and eaten the entire cleaning staff as well, since the house was horribly dirty and terribly smelly.

Monday September 27th

Warm temperatures with windy and bright sunshine

City of Coral Gables

Home of Austin

2nd floor level

First guest bedroom setting of Jace Jackson MD

8:12 a.m.

**I** nside the comfortable bed frame in the first guest bedroom of dull yellow colors, Jace wobbled side to side and sat upright on both elbows, rolling off the bed, standing upright in a pair of naked feet and a set of wrinkled clothes of tan and stretched all the limbs into the air with an ugly yawn, reaching down and rubbed a growing pot belly of rich food. His married partner was an excellent amateur chef. "It is time for a diet."

He moved ahead in a set of the wrinkled clothes out from the bedroom, slowly strolling over the hallway floor and up the stairs, moved over the hallway and stopped, standing in front of the open archway of the master bedroom with a gasp of alarm. "He's gone. Fuck!" Jace spun around and dashed ahead over the hallway floor and down the steps while scanning the second and first floor bedrooms, the gigantic Florida room, and sandy beach shoreline that did not contain any movement of Austin. He stomped down onto the ground floor and moved ahead with a worried brow, entering the kitchen with a sigh of relief and a smell of fresh woody pine odors and then sneezed from the nice scent.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

Austin sat inside the newly cleaned off breakfast nook between the tri-fold bay window panes and was dressed in solid black colored clothes while feeling depressed and looking ready for a funeral, eating a meal of three scrambled eggs, three pieces of dry toast, drinking two glasses of sweet milk that the old dependable cleaning crew had provided for its work staff and the pitiful leader of the Quartet. A working team of people moved and scurried around inside the smelly kitchen and the dirty dining room bagging up all the moldy and destroyed food items plus all the destroyed pots, pans, and dishes inside a series of numerous trash bags while Austin enjoyed the home cooked breakfast.

Jace had contacted the same cleaning crew that cleaned his manor to come back and sanitize the entire damn house while Austin slept underneath a drugged slumber. The loud noise of bangs and dinks was the least of the problem. A nest of nasty bugs was starting to hatch babies and fly around the wash sink and all the dirty plates, creating a health hazard for Austin when Nurse Nutelo had quit cleaning up after each mealtime.

Jace stopped and slid down into the opposite bench seat with a smile to Berrington, "Austin, are you feeling better today?"

Austin stirred the eggs with a stern face, "No."

Jace exhaled with a nod. "It does go away."

He frowned down at the eggs. "Wonder if, I don't want it to go away."

"I'm sorry to say but it dulls and sometimes is replaced with a set of happier emotions."

"I'm hopeful," he ate the toast and chewed.

"Austin, you must have hope, faith, and love."

"Toast to that!" Austin lifted and held up the glass of sweet milk in the air.

Jace reached over with a smile and grabbed, snatching up the full glass of orange juice where Austin had not drunk the beverage. "Amen to that!" He lifted and sipped, swallowing the juice with a smile.

He stared with a stern face at Jace. "Are you a warlock?"

Jace mouth spat some of the juice spit from the nostrils with a laugh. "I don't think so."

"Was I dreaming last night? Did I see you within seconds of finding...?"

"I had implanted an internal alarm inside the coffin in case the lid was opened without the pass code. You knew about the pass code and used it one time which I knew about when the machine recorded the episode that relayed to my cell phone. So, the alarm worked perfectly. I received a coded message on my cell and then flew over to your house to see the problem."

"The problem was Nutelo. She had drugged me and then mur..."

"Yes," Jace nodded with a stern face. "While you were deeply slumbering, I took the opportunity of not getting punched in the face and then measured your internal blood proteins which had revealed a high concentration of the plant arrowroot inside your biological system."

"I took the opportunity to surmise that plant arrowroot is not good for my biological system."

"Actually, the organic plant arrowroot is grown and harvested here in Florida."

"I guess that is not good."

"Arrowroot is an obedience plant..."

Austin laughed. "And I obeyed willingly."

"The plant is an edible starch that comes from the West Indian plant rootstock."

"She didn't poison me."

"Good thing! I would have been very upset, since you hired me to be your biological doctor."

"Me, too," Austin chuckled with a smile.

"Florida arrowroot is a commercial starch which is derived from the plant _Chronic Zamia pumila_ that is harvested within the wild dirt fields of Florida."

Austin smiled. "I guess that is not good."

"Most handpicked arrowroot plants are sold as tapioca."

"Talk about tapioca on the brain!"

"Tapioca is a light white tinted powder that is used in cooking foods. Did you eat any type of pudding, jelly, cake, hot sauce, veal broth, noodles sauce, potatoes, or boiled chicken?"

"No."

"Nurse Wormley had..."

"Is Nurse Wormley okay from the illegal drug?"

"Yes, she is fine now after she had been detoxified from the drug scopolamine that came from a cup of tea by Nurse Nutelo."

Austin frowned. "Nurse Wormley was drugged too."

"You were not the only victim to live here. Yes, it is a common drug that is used by the space agency for motion sickness with a dosage use of .33 milligrams. Nurse Wormley received a high dosage of five milligrams which would render a victim into a zombie state. We are very lucky that Nutelo didn't use ten milligrams on Nurse Wormley which produces a coma and then death."

He growled. "I wished that I had razor-shot the bitch."

Jace laughed with a nod. "You did."

Austin exhaled. "I meant I wished that I hadn't shot her so fast with my Ghost. I would have liked to see her inside the Lab."

He frowned. "I didn't hear you say that, Austin."

Austin gasped. "Do you know about the Lab?"

"Frank showed me around and then Stu and then Tom..."

"Ah! You received the luxury tour. I can..."

Jace cleared a throat and changed the subject. Austin smiled in silence and stabbed the eggs with the fork. Jackson said. "Nutelo used the plant Jing yellow root tea to cover the scopolamine drug that was given to Nurse Wormley. The green tea has a grassy taste while the yellow tea has a flowery taste and smells good which is why people consumed it."

"Did you drink a cup of the yellow flavor flowery tea too?"

"You have a way with sweet words when Tom has the same way with nasty words. Yes, Austin! The yellow root tea is used as an alternative medicine to treat a variety of ailments by American Indians for hundreds of years. I'm not a tea person by any means. Inside the kitchen of Nurse Wormley, I tested the strange yellow colored tea bag. I have never seen a yellow colored tea bag. The aroma was nice. I downed the cup and noted that it tasted funny."

"Do you get sick or something from the yellow flavor flowery tea, also?"

He laughed. "I definitely got something."

Austin nodded with a grin. "I know the strange feeling without the flowery taste."

"Do you need a stomach pumping to expel the flowery taste? We can leave and visit one of Charity's shitty emergency rooms? I will even pay the outrageous medical bill as your personal physician."

Austin smiled. "I think that I feel fine now."

"If you are still sick in the afternoon, I'll give you something but your body needs to expel the toxin."

"My guts were hurting this morning but then I quickly expelled it out of my system."

He nodded with a smile. "Good to hear! The body is a very efficient and effective organic machine which works like magic just look at Rosebud's recovery process."

Austin exhaled with a nod and a stern face. "Rosebud saved me. I would have been a slave to Nutelo without her divine intervention."

"That young nurse was a gifted but mean evil soul. Nutelo had been raised in a royal palace as a young child princess."

"Really? Nutelo was a real live princess."

"Her mother was a princess in the country of Italy and her father was a commoner. Her blood uncle stole the princess throne and killed her biological mother before Nutelo could take control of the reign. The father and the child had abandoned their home land and came to America for a new life. Her mother was a princess but died at the hands of her blood uncle who had taken over the palace and the small territory as the current ruler as well. The child and the father had fled the country and then traveled to America, landing specifically in the State of Florida on the shoreline of South Florida for a new life, a new start."

"What happened?"

"What always happens? It is America, the home of brave and land of the free. But they came into American without any money for a new life. They didn't have money from the will of the queen mother. The biological father worked two, maybe three day and night time hourly jobs. Nutelo started school and didn't work but somehow got a nursing degree and worked as a licensed practiced nurse or LPN."

"Is that a register nurse also?"

"No. There is a great big pay and duty difference. LPN is a licensed practical nurse with two years of training in anatomy, physiology, patho-physiology, pharmacology, and practical patient care. The person passes a test but must be supervised by a registered nurse."

"Is that a problem for a LPN?"

"Nutelo claimed to be a registered nurse to attend to Rosebud's care."

"She was not."

"She can administer most medications with a nurse overseeing the clinical process."

Austin gasped. "Shit!"

He nodded. "Yeah shit! She can administer all IV push medications, monitor patient response to medications, implement wound care, perform vital sign measurements, such as, blood pressure, heart rate, temperature checks, oxygen saturation, maintain patient's records, help the patient after surgery, perform life support, use sterile and isolation procedures, collect samples for laboratory testing, and finally provide a standard level of care. They are often found in a home setting under physician supervision."

Austin gasped. "She was supposed to have been supervised by a physician. But Nutelo worked alone." Jace did not comment. "Then, she received the opportunity of a lifetime to work as a nurse for Austin Berrington."

"Yeah! Nutelo was mentally sick or ill or something. I am so sorry Austin that I didn't realize it until it was too late."

"I don't understand."

He nodded. "You were assigned to her by chance, by luck, or maybe just fate."

"How do you know so much about Nutelo and her royal family?"

He smiled. "It is a side hobby."

"So, it is a people hobby."

"It is a royal people hobby."

Austin frowned. "I don't understand."

"I enjoy genealogy for fun, especially researching a set of royal connections to an American citizen or a family."

"That must be time consuming. You are newly married. What does your wedded partner think?"

"It is easier than you realize with the establishment of the internet."

"Is the data accurate inside the internet?"

"The internet data is accurate, quick and instantaneous. I always can communicate directly with a relative that came from a descendant to get the real royal story."

Austin laughed. "You have too many hobbies. You need to spend time with your partner."

Jace laughed. "You sound like Frank. And you need a woman to take care of you for the rest of your life."

Austin laughed. "I listen to closely to his complaints and his advice."

"It's good advice."

The set of entrance doors opened and slammed against the pink tinted wall with more dented marks inside the Florida room. A loud tenor voice echoed through the house, "Austin, are you up? Ready or not? Here, I come!"

Inside the kitchen in the breakfast nook, Jace turned with a grin and yelled out loud through the open archway for Austin, since Berrington was chewing the food, "Kitchen."

Tom rushed ahead and entered the kitchen in a solid black colored business suit with a white dress shirt, a pink bowtie, and a smile, stopping and stood in front of the breakfast nook with a nod, reaching out and patted the collar bone of Austin. "You look great, man. We have to go the station this morning. Sorry! But I..."

Austin exhaled with a nod. "That is not a problem, Tom. I am ready to go. When do we leave for the police station?"

Tom continued to pat the collar bone of Austin with a smile. "When Frank and Stu get here?"

The voice of Frank echoed throughout the house coming from the front entrance doors of the Florida room. _"Austin?"_

Tom turned and yelled out loud for his two brothers, "Kitchen!"

The two brothers rushed ahead from the front door and entered the kitchen, stopped and stood beside Tom. Frank wore a solid black jacket, a pair of matching trousers, a pink dress shirt, a matching pink necktie, and a face of concern. Stu reached out and slapped the collar bone of Austin in a solid black business suit with a bright pink thirteen carat tie pin and a smile. "Bro, you are alive."

Austin nodded with a smile, "Barely. But I'm breathing now, Stu," he stood upright from the bench and slide out to the side, standing in a loose circle with his brothers, saying with a stern brow to each face. "The funeral..."

Frank reached out and touched the collar bone of Austin with a stern face and a nod. "I covered it all last night. There will be a small private memorial today at one o'clock."

Stu gasped. "We can really do that."

Tom chewed and swallowed the second dry piece of toast with a cough. "I can answer that," he coughed. "Rosebud made a new will. We are her legal representatives."

Stu gasped. "We are?"

Tom coughed and slapped a chest with a nod. "We have been her legal financial and law representative for the past six years. Rosebud was in the second group of investors of our services."

Frank turned and sneered at the cheekbone on Tom. "Why didn't you tell us, Tom?"

Tom shook his bangs with a sneer. "It is called client-privilege, smart ass physician. You should know that, since you're a physician, Frank. But, of course, you ain't got no medical clients," he laughed with Stu.

Frank frowned. "They are called medical patients, smart ass lawyer."

Austin stared with a stern face at Tom. "What does her new Last Will and Testimony entail, Tom?"

Tom smiled. "She changed her property, estate, and asset Last Will and Testimony and left it all to Austin."

Austin gasped. "When did Rosebud sign that new Last Will and Testimony, Tom?"

Tom nodded. "Before, she went to the California for the playboy shoot."

"She suspected foul play back then," Frank nodded.

Stu nodded. "She suspected her manager. That must be why she went to Tom."

Austin gasped with a sour frown. "Damn it to hell! She should have told me. I could have protected her."

Frank exhaled. "Don't look back at the past, Austin!"

Stu nodded with a stern face, "Right, Austin! I agree with Frank. The past is not the future."

Tom nodded. "We live in the present. So, we all need to go to the police station. Is everyone ready?"

Austin exhaled. "I am as ready as I will ever be."

Each brother moved ahead and exited the house, entering and rode inside Austin's silver tined limousine to the police station.

12:56 p.m.

City of Coral Gables

Hot temperatures with bright sunlight

Coral Gable Church location

Gravesite setting

The police station interview had been short and sweet for Berrington. Innocent Austin didn't tell about the drugging of his person by the new young nurse named Nutelo, who had been employed through one of the local medical agencies, instead he told his personal story which was partial truthful.

Nutelo had come over and worked during the night shift as a nurse when everyone was asleep. Berrington had awaken and found Nutelo inside the modified hospital room, after she had opened up the lid of glass coffin of Rosebud's medical bed inside his second floor guest bedroom. Then Nutelo had murdered Rosebud with a butcher knife that had come from a counter drawer inside Austin's kitchen, since Nutelo ate all dinner in there, every night.

Dr. Mangrove again described the significant of the glass coffin in medical terms, since Jace wasn't allow to come to the police station with the Band of Brothers, since it was the investigate job of the police detective to uncover a type of foul play in a murder of a former Hollywood movie starlet Rosetta Ruth Ruff.

Lawyer Tom produced a copied set of the current and legitimate Last Will and Testimony of Ruff when the discussion of her unconscious body was mentioned living inside the second bedroom of Austin's mansion was mentioned. The intent, one day, Rosebud and Austin would marry and live happily ever after.

Austin had been strong like Tom had told his brothers.

After the police had finished with the set of questions, the Quartet left the police station without any criminal police charges on the skull of Austin and then had driven to a tiny church within the city of Coral Gables and met the Quartet wives at the private exclusive grave site behind the church manicured lawn.

Frank didn't know Rosebud's religious denomination. In the eyes of Almighty God, Frank didn't think the heavenly Entity was worried. Mangrove had persuaded a small group of devoted priests to allow Rosebud to be buried here in peace and with security. The tiny church did not sale a grave plot to a citizen of Florida, since the land and soil within South Florida was very expensive. The tiny church had a set of grave plots that were reserved for an elder priest. Frank had paid an arm and leg for a small six feet by nine-foot rectangular shaped square that went six feet deep into the tan sandy soil of Coral Gable when he offered to acquire the site.

The money didn't matter. Almighty God had given Frank the money. Almighty God always had provided for the needs of Mangrove, so Frank had given some of the money back to the church of Almighty God.

Frank and Stu had discussed where to rest deceased Rosebud, since she was a big Hollywood starlet celebrity. Frank didn't want her grave symbolized or trashed which was mostly for the sanity of Austin's mind and sake of Austin's soul. So, this had been a wonderful arrangement.

The priests pampered, protected, and patrolled the beautiful floral flower gardens in the back year of the tiny church. No other attendants or folks would be allowed to wonder or view the gardens.

1:01 p.m.

Church parking lot setting

The sky was clear. The sun was warm. The breeze was refreshing. The day was too fine of an afternoon for such a depressing thing as a memorial service that honored a caring angel of mercy.

Austin had allowed Joe to act like a real chauffeur. Joe opened and closed the heavy ass limousine door in silence. Berrington felt weak again. He didn't think that he would have the strength to press the electronic button on the limousine door panel. Berrington had attended his share of death funerals. However, this funeral hurt his emotions deep down.

Austin slid out the bench seat and stood upright with a deep sigh of sorrow, slowly advancing ahead toward the set of short church steps, following behind the back spine on each Quartet couples. He climbed the short stairs and as each click of the leather heel on top of every polished stone stimulated the pain inside a chest of sorrow, morrow, and loss.

Once the brothers and sisters assembled inside a small chapel of the tiny church, where one of the white collared priests stood upright with a Bible in hand and motioned with the other hand at the side door that led into the courtyard.

1:11 p.m.

Outdoor courtyard setting

Austin turned and followed a pair of back spines of each Quartet couple toward the edge of the yard that was filled with an assortment of overflowing colorful flowers of pinks, oranges, reds, and yellows and a row of colorful flowering green tinted bushes. The floral gardens were beautiful like Rosetta. She would have loved to have ventured around the flowers while sniffing and touching the delicate flowers.

The Quartet stopped and stood over the manicured grass, staring down at the casket which rested down inside the soil. Austin realized that his brother Frank had spent the night preparing this reserve and dignified ceremony for the spirit of Rosebud and for the soul of Berrington.

The priest stood in a traditional electric blue satin robe with the yellow sashes and quickly mumbled something in both Latin and English with a proper ending, "Amen."

The quiet and short funeral ceremony of Rosette Ruth Ruff had ended.

All the Quartet brothers and sisters back stepped and turned, slowly shuffling back through the flower garden, over the tiny chapel floor, and finally back into the parking lot, where each limousine stood in silence. Austin stood in silence while staring down at the gray shiny casket inside the dirt grave. The metal was shiny beautiful like the girl inside.

"Austin, I know that you receive lots of advice from your family members about Rosetta. But remember? Almighty God knows what He is doing whether we, punkie earthlings like it or not."

Austin looked up with a smirk to see the priest. "Do you happen to be a science fiction fan, too, Father?"

The pair of eyeballs and the smile of the priest widen in shock." Yes, I am. Are you a science fiction fan, also?"

Austin nodded with a smile. "Sorta! Father, I have been receiving kind words from numerous people but I find yours are the most stirring and smoothing to my heart and my ears."

"Good! That's why I am here." He reached out with a chuckle and patted the collar bone of Austin.

"Thank you, Father! I am very glad that you are here on Earth for us, punkie earthlings." Austin nodded with a smile. The priest laughed with a nod. Austin turned and looked down with a fake smile and a heavy heart at casket again with a whisper. "You would have been a great wife. I am so sorry. Good bye, Rosebud!" He back stepped with a stern face and spun around, slowly strolling beside the priest as the priest led Austin through the flower garden, over the chapel floor, and finally back into the black colored hardtop parking lot. The priest stopped and stood inside the archway in silence.

Austin continued forward and moved toward the three Quartet couples including Tom and Jane, Misty and Frank, Gracie and Stu. Jace stood between Frank and Stu in a solid black business suite and was present to medically observe the sanity of Berrington. Austin stopped and stood in a circle of his family members, exhaling with a fake smile. "Thank you, Frank. The ceremony was beautiful. She is very pleased."

Frank continued to hug his wife Misty Marie, who wore a short black colored dress, a pair of matching sandal and wiped off the tears with a lady white handkerchief. He nodded with a smile. "Thanks, Austin."

Austin exhaled with a stern face to each face. "Look! I need some time..."

"O no!" Tom released the cuddle of his wife Jane and back stepped with a worried brow, waving both arms in the air over his bangs at Austin. Jane wore a solid black business skirt and jacket with a pink blouse and pair black heels.

Austin lifted up and held both palms with a smile. "Please allow me to finish! I need a vacation. I'm going to go..."

"No." Tom shook his bangs and his arms side to side.

Stu cuddled with his wife Gracie as Gracie. She wore a solid black blouse, a pair of matching pants, and a pair of black sandals while listening with worry. Gage frowned. "Where are you going to vacation without us, Austin?"

"Why do you want to go on a vacation trip without us, Austin?" Frank frowned.

"No." Tom danced side to side and waved both arms and bangs side to side with a worried brow like his brother Austin didn't hear Tom the first and second times.

Stu frowned. "Shut up, Tom."

Austin dropped the arms with a sigh and a nod. "It is All right. I am All right. I need...want my mansion replaced."

Stu frowned. "Replaced? You want a new mansion."

Austin turned and winked to Gage. "Stu, can you build me a new house?"

Frank turned and smiled at Sawyer. "There is a plot of sandy soil beside Tom. You can have a new mansion next to asshole Tom."

Tom turned and sneered at Mangrove. "I heard that, Frank."

Austin exhaled with a huff of sorrow. "I want you to tear down the old one. There are too many memories between the floors and the walls."

Stu nodded with a smile. "What kind of house do you want, Austin?"

Austin smiled. "Use your imagination, Stu. Don't make it like the one is now. I want something different."

Stu nodded with a grin, "Got it!"

"You can stay with us, man." Tom stomped forward back into the huddle with a nod and reached out, grabbing and holding the arm of Jane with a worried brow. Jane nodded in silence while listening to Austin with worry. Tom didn't want Austin to mention traveling without the brothers again.

Austin shook a head with a smile. "Thanks, Tom! I want to travel and get out of Miami for a while."

"No! No! You cannot leave without us. We are your brothers." Tom frowned as the rest of the Quartet brothers and sisters patiently listened to the retort of Austin and Tom.

Frank exhaled. "How long will you be away from our home in Coral Beach, Austin?"

Austin turned and winked to Stu. "How long will it take to build a mansion with six rooms, Stu?"

Stu laughed with a nod. "For you, I will do it in one month."

"Don't fib, Stuart? Your nose might grow longer. Then you'll need plastic surgery." Tom shook an index finger with a frown at his brother Stu.

Austin smiled. "Could the mansion be built and finished within six months?"

Stu nodded with a smile. "I will complete your new mansion in three months, Austin."

Austin nodded with a nod. "Good enough to me, Stu!"

"Don't go solo on us!" Tom frowned and quoted the number one rule for the Quartet. No solo performances were allowed as the Band of Brothers continued to break too many times, too often, and too late.

Austin whipped out from the breast pocket and lifted up the new toy near a smile. "No solo performances. I have Frank's mobile phone, my wallet, and my money. I got a titanium credit card. How much is my titanium credit card worth, Frank?"

Frank nodded with a smile. "Each one of our titanium credit cards is worth five million dollars." Austin smiled. "There! I have five million dollars which might take me at least three weeks to spend."

Tom frowned. "Where will you go without us, Austin?"

Austin smiled. "Well, I was thinking of seeing a satellite outer space launch in Coco Beach. There is one tomorrow, correct, Tom?"

Tom bounced up and down with a nod and a smile next to Jane, shaking her arm up and down, "Hell yeah! Jane and I will come with you, man. Right, sweetheart?" Jane nodded with a smile in silence. She respected the rights of her brothers and her husband but she wanted to accompany Austin, if she was invite to observe his mental condition.

Austin shook a skull with a smile. "Nice try, buddy! I'm going to head north and stay on I-95 and see some of the pretty sights of Florida by myself."

Frank whined with worry. "No solo performances, Austin!"

Austin wiggled the mobile telephone with a smile. "I'll call every day. I promise. You can call me once a day. I might be busy and don't want a lot of interruptions," he winked to each brother.

"Okay. I give my permission." Stu turned and winked to Austin with a worried heart and a worried mind.

Frank exhaled with a nod, "All right! I second the motion, only if Stu approves again."

"I approve." Tom released the arm of Jane and lifted both palms with a smile.

"Tom's opinion doesn't count for naught or nothing or zero or negative eighty." Stu laughed with a nod and hugged his wife Gracie. She laughed.

"Stow it, asshole." Tom turned and growled at Gage. Jane leaned over and hugged her husband with a smile of the fighting pups.

Stu frowned. "We are all standing on top of the holy soil at the church. Hold your damn tongue, Thomas!"

Tom frowned. "I'll try only if you quit fuckingly teasing me."

"There ain't no such word as fucklingly, Tom." Stu shook a skull with a chuckle.

Austin smiled with a nod. "Well, it is settled. I will see each one of you in three months."

Misty Marie released the arm of her husband Frank and moved ahead, stopping and hugged the neck of Austin first, pulling back with a sad face. "I'll miss you, Austin. Please don't stay too long from your family!"

Austin nodded. "I promise, Misty. I'll take care of myself. This is for fun and adventure. Remember?"

Stu laughed with a nod, "Gawd! I've had too much fun and adventure for the rest of the year. It is time to rest and relax and enjoy a simple billionaire's life."

Frank nodded with a smile. "Please include me and Misty on your Christmas wish list, Stu!"

Jane moved ahead and shoved Misty Marie to the side with a smile and hugged Austin pulling back with a wink. "We can't bribe, seduce, or influenced you, Austin."

"Seduce him? You can seduce me, sweetheart." Tom moved ahead with a giggle and leaned over, grabbing the arm of his wife with a smile. Jane back stepped and hugged her husband Tom. He leaned over and kissed the cheekbone of Jane, pulling back with a wink.

"Two women are asking me to stay at home. I don't get this much attention from my mom when I'm sick." Austin laughed.

"This will be the only time." Gracie moved ahead with a smile and shoved Misty Marie aside toward Frank, stopping and gave a rib crushing bear hug to Austin, pulling back with a wink. "Take care of yourself, Old Man! Or Stu will get really pissed at you."

Austin smiled with a wink to Gracie. "I swear to that. I'll stay in touch and be back soon. A short vacation while my new house is being constructed."

Gracie back stepped and stood, hugging onto Stu with a smile at Austin. "Janey, Misty, and I will decorate the interior of your new house for you with a real surprise."

Stu leaned over with a grin face into the cheekbone of Austin. "Don't worry? We will hire a professional interior designer to aid Janey, Misty, and Gracie." Gracie reached over and punched the tough stomach muscles of Stu with a gasp while feeling the emotional ego hurt from her big giant.

"Ugh! Watch it, babe!" Stu leaned over with a smile and kissed her cheekbone, pulling back with a chuckle.

Frank leaned over and cuddled with Misty Marie, who was sobbing and wiping off the wet tears. He flipped a hand into the air with a grin. "Here, here! I have had enough with the rows of final farewells. It is time to leave, Old Man."

Austin nodded with a stern face as each brother performed a hug, a back slap and a hand shake. Each sister performed a hug and a cheek kiss, wiping off the wet tears from a smeared and sad face, "Yeah, later!" Austin back stepped from the tight huddle with a fake smile and slammed into the closed metal door of his sports cars with a nervous laugh.

The most trusted Quartet Associate guard Zack had found the six tin container of gallon and filled up the gasoline tank and then had driven the sports car behind the line of four Quartet limousines, steering into the parking lot of the church, staying with the car and the four chauffeurs during the quick funeral ceremony of Rosebud. Zack would ride back with Joe inside Austin's limousine while Berrington was traveling on vacation inside the sports car away from Coral Beach.

Austin side stepped with a hand wave beside the door and opened the door, sliding down into the seat, waving a hand to the Quartet family through the open window. He reached down and cranked the engine with a nod to his family members, shifting the stick and the both pedals, slowly speeding forward and steered down a lonely road, leaving behind the casket of Rosebud, the flower gardens, the tiny church, and the three brothers with a set of mixed emotions.

On top of the black tinted parking lot, "I am worried about him." Gracie watched the rear end of the sports car over the lonely road with a worried heart and a worried brow.

Stu watched the rear end of the sports care over the lonely road with a worried brow and a heavy heart. "Austin is fine. He just needs some time alone for a little while."

Tom and Jane moved ahead and stood beside Stu with worry. Tom stared at the rear end of the sports car over the lonely road with a worried brow and a worried mind. "I don't like that he is alone."

Frank and Misty Marie moved ahead and stood beside Tom and Jane, staring at the rear end of the sports car over the lonely road with a worried brow and a worried mind. Then the rear end of the sports car disappeared from an eye sight as each Quartet sister and brother sighed with worry, love, and sadness regarding their brother Austin.

Stu turned and started a tight huddle of brother with a stern face at the line of limousines. "I'll send in the A-team..."

"Hell no!" Tom and Jane turned to the side and stared at Gracie and Stu. Tom frowned, "Austin will shoot them, if he finds them tailing his ass, Stu. Then I'll charge your ass for cold-blood murder, Gage."

Frank and Misty Marie turned to the side and stared at his other family members with a nod and a sour frown. "I agree with Tom."

Stu reached down with a chuckle and patted down the business jacket for the mobile telephone with a smile. "Wait! Mangrove and Sawyer both agree on the same topic at the same time in the same place. Where's my fucking ass mobile phone? I got to record this pic moment."

Tom sneered. "Shut up, Stu!"

Frank nodded with a stern face. "Austin needs some time but not very much."

Stu nodded with a stern face. "We go looking for him in two weeks."

Misty Marie smiled with a giggle. "You're giving Austin two weeks before bringing him back home to Coral Beach."

Stu nodded. "Or we go looking for Austin in less than two weeks."

Frank nodded with a grin. "Damn right!"

Tom nodded with a smile. "Let Austin have some fucking fun! Then we search and rescue later. Do you agree, Franklin?"

Frank nodded with a smile. "Copy that, Thomas."

Jane exhaled with a sad face. "I like your short term impromptu plan but for the time being I feel that Austin is alone."

Stu shook a skull with a smile and pointed a finger up to the sky with a nod. "Austin is never alone. He has Almighty God, Brother Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and all his and Tom's heavenly angels with him."

Frank nodded with a smile. "Damn right!"

Tom turned and sneered at Gage. "Bull shit, Stu! I have my heavenly angels with me right here."

Stu frowned. "Tom, this is holy ground at the church."

Tom frowned, "Holy fucking hell!"

Stu frowned. "Thomas, please cease with your ugly words on top of the holy soil!"

"Almighty God knows what I mean." Tom smiled with a nod. The other brothers and sisters laughed.

"Only Almighty God knows what you mean by anything, Tom," Frank nodded with a grin.

Tom slapped a chest with a smile and a nod. "Hey! Almighty God created me."

Stu laughed with a nod. "We know."

"And we sometimes wonder why," Frank laughed.

Tom growled, "Hey, asswipe!"

Gracie turned and frowned at each brother. "Austin is the subject here, brothers."

Tom turned and nodded with a smile to each face, "Lookie! Almighty God is with him twenty-four hours and seven days per week. Don't worry about Austin!"

Stu nodded with a smile. "And may Almighty God, Brother Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all his holy heavenly angels protect him..."

"...and the Quartet," Tom clapped with a laugh.

Frank nodded with a smile. "Amen!"

1:41 p.m.

City of Miami

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Sports car ride of Austin

Interstate 95 north

Inside the driver's seat of the sports car, Austin wanted to scream out loud or cry tears or kill someone. The urge of revenge was powerful. He was feeling mad, sad, depressed, angry, weak, and finally drained. He needed a vacation for a long period of time from everything and everyone.

Jace had communicated hope, because he had saw hope.

Austin saw only the raw sores of a festering, degenerating humanity of men in particular women, one woman. Easing the sports car onto the interstate in the geographic direction north, he wasn't lying about witnessing a satellite outer space launch. Tom and Jane had been to see the event.

Tom had enjoyed his space sighting. He talked about the noise, the stream, the rumbling, water and sight all the time. Jane was quiet as usual during the conversation. She followed Tom anywhere that he went whether she liked the event or not. That was true unconditional love. Tom and Jane were so lucky to have each other.

Austin wanted that type of love with Rosebud. She was so different, unique, adventurous, kind, generous, loco, fun, and beautiful. Austin had found her. He laughed. Rosebud had found him. The first night, he had seen and fallen head over heels in love with Ruff while following her acting career, since he was a teenage in college.

Inside the sports car, Austin steered over the interstate with a sour frown. "Stop it! Stop thinking about her! She's dead. She's in heaven. You're here on Earth," he reached over and pushed the button on the radio, sitting back with both hands over the steering wheel. A song of loud rock and roll music invaded both ears. He accelerated the gasoline pedal flying up the interstate ramp, passing the football stadium and the tall skyscrapers of downtown Miami.

"The eastern beach town of Coco Beach is about two hours of driving time. I should be there around four or four thirty, if I break the speed limit." Austin laughed and focused on a new adventure while leaving behind the metro cities of Miami, Coral Beach, and Coral Gables for a while. Then he slammed down on the brakes as the car stopped. "Damn it to hell! What's this?" His car stopped with the other halted cars without an accident, where each car had stalled on the interstate, "It must be a car accident most likely," he twisted the steering wheel to the side and turned the grill of the car, slowly driving toward, easing to the side of the sandy road while staring at a long line of stalled cars ahead of him, "Damn it to hell! Well, there will not be an outer space satellite launch for me today."

Austin slowly veered the car to the road strip and slowly crawled by inches while trying to get off the interstate along with the hundreds of other Florida drivers. He could see some distance between the ramp exit and the interstate media strip. A set of cars zoomed in both directions by-passing the mess while looking for exit points to other side streets and back roads trying to get to their destinations. He really doesn't have a destination. He was out driving in the hot day

2:44 p.m.

Sid city street setting

Austin stopped at the traffic light while deciding which direction to run. He turned to the left onto the street which he didn't notice the name following the flow of traffic and turned at the next traffic light to the left again. He followed the line of cars while getting onto the entrance ramp of the interstate while heading in the southern direction, driving back to the metro city of Miami. And his three brothers were worried about Austin being solo.

He laughed with a smile. The solo vacation trip had lasted. His eyeballs glanced at the clock on the dash board about twenty-nine long minutes. He roared with laughter. It was good to laugh at himself and his silly antics.

Austin slowly paced up the entrance ramp of the interstate and let the rushed drivers pass his slow moving car. He wasn't in a rush but taking his time. Finally, he was enjoying life.

Austin stayed inside the right lane while accelerating to less than the speed limit of seventy miles-per-hour. He floated down the Interstate like a bird swiftly approaching the Golden Glades expressway exchange. Once through the exchange pass, Austin was heading back into the city limits of Miami.

He felt depressed, sad, and frustrated, desiring a big change of scenery.

The Golden Glades exchange intersected with numerous expressway of Interstate 595, the Turnpike toward the west side of the state. He could drive the Turnpike heading northwest. That was a thought!

Austin maneuvered the car into the lane for the Turnpike. The Turnpike was a toll road which required a deposit of coins at the toll road station for entering and driving the expressway. He stopped and dropped the correct amount of silver coins into the green slot. The gate opened. He slowly putted onto the road in an expensive sports car. The faster drivers were passing his car

Austin exhaled with a huff of frustration while wondering where the other people inside each fast car was going.

He slowly accelerated to less than the speed limit and set the cruise control to steer the car, reaching down and turned the volume on the radio louder while enjoying the new rock and roll song. He hummed with a voice and tapped with the music with all fingers as the other cars were whizzing by in the left lane.

Another exchange to consider was coming up.

Austin had reached the by-pass exchange road for Ft. Lauderdale. He had the choice of heading further northeast to the cities of Ft. Lauderdale, Boynton Beach, or West Palm Beach, where his parents lived and dwelled. His parents enjoyed the people and restaurants there in West Palm Beach. Austin had visited once in a while. His parents were very content dwelling on the island, playing cards, gossiping and attending all the fun social galas on the weekends, living a very quiet and pleasant life.

His brothers talked about leading a quieter life and Austin agreed.

The past six months had been too much, too fast, and too dangerous for the brothers and the sisters of the Quartet.

Austin felt like he had been trying to save the world and was not succeeding very well. He decided the world is too vast, too big, and too crowded, so Austin was going to concentrate on saving Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. He steered the car with a loud laugh and sounded like Tom.

Tom believed in number one, him. Well, Tom believed him and his wife Jane.

Austin reached down and depressed the cruise button allowing the sports car to decrease the speed, exiting off the ramp and onto the expressway that was called Alligator Alley. The expressway was looming and heading toward Interstate 10 which veered toward the beach cities of Tampa or Naples on the west coast of Florida. He had been to the west coast three previous times before, but not for fun.

This solo road trip was for fun.

However, Austin felt broken and split from his unexplained mystical bad luck karma. Now, he was really thinking like outer space man Tom using the range of science fiction words of karma, fate, and destiny.

Tom believed that everything happened for a reason. You were supposed to be in a certain place at a certain time for a certain purpose.

Austin steered the car with a sneer, "Bull shit!" He had no reason for turning onto Alligator Alley, except his other road trip to Coco Beach had gotten axed from the terrible car accident that blocked the interstate. So, he didn't feel like returning to back Miami and turned to the right instead of the left at the Golden Glades interchange. There had been no reason or fate or destiny to go and drive on Alligator Alley. He had paid the correct amount of quarters for the toll road and eased into the right lane while driving the speed limit.

Now, Austin had a new decision to visit one of the beach towns in Naples, Tampa, Sarasota, Bonita Springs, or Ruby Beach. He had approximately one hour and fifteen minutes to make that judgment call with a sane mind and a pair of steady hands and two feet. He reached down and turned the radio louder while letting the new music song bombard his active mind, his tight muscles, his deep emotions, and his dreams. Well, his early mornings beautiful dreams with a series of real life pretty females had completely stopped for some weird ass reason. He had peacefully slept through the 2:31 am awakenings for the past three mornings from another weird ass reason.

The last early morning dream had been of Rosebud. Then, she had swiftly appeared and then quickly disappeared from his life like a misty daydream of beauty. So, his mind was really healing. Now, his soul was seeking a little peace, also.

Saturday October 2nd

2:02 p.m.

City of Ruby Beach

(132 miles due west of Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures and windy with bright sunrays

Gulf of Mexico waters and beach sands location

New beach house of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

Patio setting

**H** e was outstretched over a cheap lounge chair beside the swimming pool of his new beach house by the Gulf of Mexico in the beach town of Ruby Beach with a set of closed eyelids while the heated burning rays of the Gulf of Mexico sun sizzled away all his bad mind memories of his shitty life over almost four months starting on June first with the death of his godson and going forward until today.

The Quartet suddenly and infamously had become a set of red, white, and blue American private dicks solving any and all odd strange bizarre crime spree that hit metro city Miami. Tom had relented over and over again saying that he wasn't a crime fighter, since Sawyer was a lawyer for Quartet Associates.

Austin enjoyed the shiny sun and his selfish freedom. Tom could be so damn right about so damn much and still acting out in the fucking wrong way selfishly of course, until he gets his ass kicked by Austin.

Austin purged the old memories of the lovely angel, the beautiful goddess, the evil temptress, the mysterious babe, the malicious sorceress, the good fairy, the bad witch, the sweet enchantress, and the nasty princess.

Austin wished that the nasty princess had lived a little bit longer too with a smirk while thinking of a different nasty princess who had been entertaining along with her vicious prince inside the Lab.

Two years ago

City of Coral Beach

Quartet auditorium building location

Underground basement setting

The Lab

The Lab space was located two levels that had been deeply dug underneath the solid flat slab of the beautiful Coral Beach auditorium like a basement. The state of Florida is too shallow for basements and ground storage rooms. So, the Quartet had the special space built with six tons of concrete, before the construction of an empty auditorium.

The Lab space possessed a set of three meat hooks like the ones used for a row of individual upright slaughtered dead cows inside a food preparation meat-house evenly spaced. The three hooks were slightly curved upward while keeping the captured prisoner from leaping out from the hanger and a body of the Quartet purposefully. Note: The hooks had never held more than two prisoners.

The underground Lab was a perfectly square shaped with a set of four equal walls. One-fourth of the space was a very nice posh resting observation lounge with a wall of parallel viewing windows and an array of six comfortable chairs with a lap tray for the entertainment. More chairs could be added, if needed. However, there had never been more than four guests inside the nice and isolated lounge room. The box of audio speakers could be turned down in volume or completely off, if needed.

Three-fourths of the Lab space was open, smooth, and re-painted in dull white on each wall. Note: The Lab space must be scrubbed and re-painted after each visitation of a capture and tormented prisoner.

In front of the viewing window of the enclosed nice lounge room, there was a stack of freshly wooden shelves below the window pane that held an array of various accouterments, such like, knives, needles, scissors, and sharp tools. Note: The wooden shelves were re-placed after each visitation too, since human blood proteins would nicely absorb into tree wood product.

The open Lab space sloped downward into a center drainage grid as the flowing liquid blood proteins and the tiny particles of pieces of guts, skin, tissues, and organs dropped down into the same drainage grid. The bloody trash flowed down into a hidden storage container underneath the floor which dumped into the Atlantic Ocean for the pods of hungry sharks. Note: The ocean Bay of Biscayne possessed over two hundred different species of swimming and feeding sharks that was created by Almighty God on the fourth day of creation.

The open Lab space ceiling held an array of individual sprinklers with warm water for washing down the spilling blood from each prisoners and each Quartet. The Quartet exchanged a set of business suits into a rubber suit, a pair of rubber shoes, and a pair of rubber gloves that protected all the flying blood splatters and the easy of cleaning.

Frank preferred his personal array of medical surgical instruments, consisting of set of sharp silver-bladed straight and hooked scalpels, a pair of clawed forceps, and a set of serrated knives.

Stu used a set of rusty and bloody veterinary surgical instruments, consisting of a pair of dental claw-shaped forceps, a hoof hooked picker, and a castration knife. Yeah! The tool was used for making a tough stallion into a gently gelding and the tool had been used on a couple of stallions too. He also used a switch blade and a pair of horse pocket scissors.

Tom utilized his personal combination of a set of simple carpentry and home tools, comprising a flat-head, screwdriver, a round head screwdriver, a nail hammer, a bucket of rusty nails, a pair of pliers, a set of three steak knives, and a pair of sharp scissors. You could use your vivid imagination with Sawyer's tool selection and his fun cutting procedures on each prisoner.

No chain saws were allowed, since Austin had to establish that special rule on day one when Tom showed up with one that had not been powered for death and harm to his brothers.

Frank enjoyed punching the tissue or slicing the bone while causing a series of deep bloody lacerations on the naked skin of each prisoner. Then, Dr. Frank used his silk thread and a sharp silver tipped needle to elegantly stitch up the open bloody wound before the on-set of bacterial infection without anesthesia like fictitious fucking Dr. Frankenstein.

When the prisoner was hanging upon each meat hook, Frank always went first, since Stu violently ripped the skin tissue or the pink organ with his big ass horse instruments into shredded pieces of bloody flesh. Frank, sometimes, could not sew up the organ or put back the ripped delicate pink tissue into place on the prisoner while frustrating the shit of Mangrove.

Tom went next, after Stu, touching the other body parts which had not been totally destroyed or ripped off by a vicious and violent Stu and a malicious and meticulous Frank.

Austin went dead last, excuse the dangerous pun. He did not like for any of the vicious beasts of Almighty God to suffer in both throbbing pain and dripping blood. So, Austin shot the bastard or the bitch in the eyeball or the empty eye socket while the whistling array of sharp razors from his Ghost deeply penetrated the brain and ended the suffering life force permanently for a ride down into hell. Then, the dead bastard or bitch only lived in hell with their new buddy Satan.

After the set of prisoner deaths, the Quartet striped off the rubber suit into nakedness. Then, the sprinklers washed a dirty and bloody body into cleanliness along with the floors, the ceiling, and four walls.

The Quartet entered into a side dressing room and took a second shower before going to home to a wife.

Then, Stu called in the Quartet Associates clean up team. The team sawed and chopped the rest of the dead body into numerous parts and pieces for the pod of hungry sharks in the Atlantic Ocean, because a human body surfaced upon the water after drowning down in the depths of the ocean floor, even if it was tied down with a ton of heavy concrete blocks due to the exploding internal gases of oxygen and hydrogen inside the stomach guts, after numerous weeks kissing the ocean sand as Frank taught with his medical knowledge and a sneer to the Quartet.

Three years ago

City of Coral Gables

Quartet Associates headquarters building

Hot temperatures with light rain and dull sunrays

Throne room setting of Austin

10:10 a.m.

Inside the throne room of Austin, he worked on a new QA problem on the desk landline telephone when Gracie freely entered his private office at Quartet Associates in the city of Coral Gables which was highly unusual. She stopped and stood in front of the office desk of Austin while sobbing with a set of wet hot tears.

Austin reached over and slammed down the telephone, cutting off the person, standing upright with a worried brow, scooting around the desk and hugged Gracie with in silence brotherly love.

Gracie cuddled into the chest of Austin and swallowed back down the tears with a whisper. "Austin, I need a meeting with the Quartet, please."

Austin moved ahead without speaking and continued to cuddle Gracie into his chest, moving ahead and into the lobby reception, stopping and stood at the office desk of Madeline, turning with a stern face and a firm tone. "Please, you could call the Quartet into small conference room for an urgent meeting, Madeline." She nodded in silence at the nose profile on Gracie and reached down, lifting up the telephone receiver, dialing the numbers and said with a whisper to each Quartet member. Austin moved ahead down the hallway and hugged Gracie with in brotherly love. Gracie sobbed with tears and wiped off a red swollen face without further explanation.

10:16 a.m.

Conference room setting

Austin slowly turned and entered an empty conference room when Gracie shifted from both his arms and moved ahead, pacing side to side, wiping off the tears in front of the conference table. Austin moved ahead and pulled out the chair, sitting down on the left side of Gracie, since she had had an important announcement.

Stu entered the conference room next with a smile and halted with a worried brow to see his wife, extending his arms and moved forward to her in love, "Gracie, babe!"

Gracie halted and held a palm into the air, pointing down to an empty chair. Stu nodded in silence and completely understood. This was a business meeting with a business message to the Quartet, not a personal announcement. Since Gracie and Stu were a happily married couple, who lived in Coral Beach. He moved ahead with a stern face and scooted around the conference table, stopping and pulled out the chair, sitting on the opposite side of Austin and closer to his wife with a worried brow.

Tom appeared and stopped, standing inside the archway with a gasp of shock. "Gracie, what are you doing here at our office building? What's happened? Is Jane okay? What is wrong?"

Austin shoved the chair from the table and reached down, patting the empty chair with a firm voice, staring at Gracie. "Please sit down next to me, Tom!" Tom moved ahead with a nod in silence and sat down next to Berrington, staring at Gracie also.

Frank entered inside and moved around the rear of the conference table, staring at the red colored swollen face of Gracie and sat next to Stu in silence with a worried brow.

Gracie resumed to pace side to side in nervousness and halted to face the Quartet with a deep sigh. The Quartet was going to let her speak on her own time. She softly said. "This is a Quartet business, a Quartet discussion, and a Quartet decision," she wiped off the tears and cleared a throat. "I just came from Janey's house..."

Tom gasped with worry. "Is Jane hurt or injury? Is she in the hospital, Gracie? Why are you here with us? Please, tell me!"

Gracie raised a palm into the air while wiping the tears with the other hand, saying with a firm voice to each quartet. "No. Janey is okay, at least physically. And Janey is involved, only indirectly. Please let me explain, completely," she exhaled and looked down to see the table surface and returned back to see the Quartet with an angry face. "I don't know how to say this."

Austin nodded with a stern face. "Tell us straight, Gracie! We are concerned too."

Gracie looked up with an angry face to see each face. "One of your Quartet clients is a child molester..."

"Holy fucking shit!" Tom stood upright from the chair and punched both arms into the air with a sneer.

Stu nodded with a stern face to his wife. "Who is it, Gracie? Please, can you tell us?"

Gracie exhaled and looked down at the table surface and then to see each Quartet. "Janey met with your QA client today. She was very suspicious about the Coral Rock Children's Orphanage."

Frank exhaled with a huff of angry and shook a skull. "I know exactly the QA client that Gracie references."

Tom nodded with a sour frown and a matching tone to Mangrove. "I, too, Frank! The fucking ass bastard is a child molester. He's fucking dead."

Stu nodded with a stern face to Gracie. "Fucking dead, after his fucking ass torment all compliment of the Quartet, Tom."

Tom turned and exhaled with worry to Gracie. "And exactly what is Jane's involvement here? Did he hurt her or something, Gracie?"

Gracie exhaled with a puff of angry and shook her curls. "No. Janey was working to find a loving homey atmosphere for each orphaned children. She did for one child, a girl..."

"A little baby girl..." Tom gasped with shock, "Holy fucking shit, Austin!" He shook his bangs with disbelief.

Austin nodded with a stern face to Gracie. "The Quartet will take care of this evil vile beast. Please continue, Gracie."

She nodded. "Janey found a wonderful family and the child received a nice home last week. Then yesterday, the family returned the child back into the Orphanage. Janey was beyond pissed with the adoptive family, until she interviewed them. Now, she's fuckingly pissed at your QA client. Janey knows the truth..."

"Jane trusts me. Why didn't she call me?" Tom slapped a chest with a worried brow.

Gracie shook her curls. "Tom, Janey doesn't know that I have come here for assistance. Janey, she doesn't really actually approve of the Lab but accepts that it exists for a purpose. I...I want your QA client punished beyond the legal law. And Janey does not need to know ever. She is at the house working to find a legal technicality for punishing and imprisoning your QA client..."

"No." Frank shook a skull. "I respect Janey's legal mind but that will fuckingly never happen in a million years."

Gracie smirked. "I know that, definitely. She knows that, probably. This is why I have come to the Quartet, permanently."

Austin smirked with a nod. "You have made the very best decision, Gracie. The Quartet will assist. Is that not correct, Quartet?"

Frank stood upright with a smile and a cheer, "Hell, yeah!"

Tom tossed an arm into the air with a smile and a nod. "Fuck, yes!"

Stu stood upright from the chair and dashed ahead, stopping and hugging his wife with a stern face. "Yes, Gracie! We will take care of this immediately."

Gracie sobbed with tears and continued to hug her husband. "Thank you! I love you, Stu."

Austin stood upright from the chair with a nod and a stern face. "We are going to visit their mansion in Coral Gables with a cold call," chuckling.

Frank frowned. "I don't know. The bastard child molester will become suspicious of our cold call visit out of the blue sky to his personal mansion, Austin. Then, the bastard will run away to the island of the Bahamas. We can secretly track his ass to any one of the islands of Bahamas but it is much easier to secretly kill inside the USA," chuckling.

Tom shook his bangs and his hands. "No! Frank found a fucking mistake on the bastard's US federal income taxes today. He's gotta paid a gawd damn two-million-dollar invoice in past due federal income taxes. Exception, the Quartet will do it for him while coming over for a personal apology from the lips, a personal signature on the papers, and then have an alcoholic drink to celebrate the shitty findings. Then, we all kidnap his ass and take him down into the Lab for my shitty fun tonight right before supper. I wanna be home for dinner, ya'll," chuckling.

Frank nodded with a smile. "Tom, you're one slick cool bastard. You should've been a professional criminal, sir."

Tom back stepped from the table with a laugh and a nod. "I wonder, if I could have been richer, if I were a professional criminal, man."

Stu moved ahead with his wife and exited the conference room without his brothers, turning and dashed down an empty hallway while hugging onto Gracie with a stern face and a whisper into her cheekbone. "Go home, Gracie! We will not talk about any of this ever. Janey will never know from us or you. You have done the moral thing, babe. Children are innocent and should be protected by every good human from every evil one," he leaned over and kissed her lips, pulling back with a stern face and a whisper. "I will be home as soon as possible. I love you, Gracie babe."

"I love you," she sobbed with tears.

They stopped and stood in front of the elevators. The door opened. He hugged and kissed her lips for the last time, pulling back with a stern face and a nod. She released his warm hug and entered the elevator, spinning around without a wave and a smile but a nod in silence understanding.

The doors closed shut.

City of Coral Beach

Cool temperatures and windy with moonlight beams

Auditorium building location

Underground setting

The Lab

6:16 p.m.

Two people hung down from a set of two individual meat hooks. The female wiggled side to side with a smile. The male was very heavy, just hanging like a piece of raw meat. They both were naked for their torment from the Quartet.

Tom stood in the baby blue colored rubber suit between the two hooks of prisoners and wiggled the sharp hunting knife in a naked hand near a smile. "You molested seven little kids. Well, I will molest seven body parts, each. I call that an equal exchange rate. Do you agree, Stu?" He turned and winked with a grin to Stu.

Stu stood next to Tom in the red colored rubber suit and stared at each prisoner with a sour frown. "I concur. And have you heard this one? Your sin will be multiplied by the number three for one single sin. Well, seven times three equals twenty-one individual body procedures. Do you agree, Tom?"

"Excellent analogy, Stuart!" Frank leaned against the tall glass window in front of the lounge room with a smile wearing a green colored rubber suit and wiggled a scalpel near a smile while waiting for Tom's silly torture method. This was rush job tonight. The Quartet wanted to be home for dinner with their wives.

Tom chuckled with a nod at the prisoners, "Right, man!"

"Janey will..." the male child molester laughed.

Tom tossed the knife down onto the floor and swiftly advance to the male, reaching up and punched the jaw of the male in angry with a sneer. "Don't fuckingly say my wife's name, asshole! She's the saint. You're the sinner. Fuck!" he bent down at a fit waist and hugged an aching naked hand.

Frank tossed the scalpel down onto the floor and dashed ahead to Tom with a worried brow. "Shit! Don't ever hit the boney jaw line, Tom. Let me see your hand! Did you break a bone? There are twenty-seven bones to break in hand," he leaned down and gently grabbed, examining the red colored hand on Tom with a pair of physician eyeballs.

The male child molester chuckled again. Stu slipped on the punching glove and reached up, slapping the face of the male child molester. The set of dripping blood proteins of the male child molester spurted into the air and down on the floor and on Stu. Stu sneered, "Shut up, asshole!"

The female child molester giggled with a smile at each brother. "You can act like a choir of fucking saints. But, we had our wicked fun. We win. You lose, Quartet Assholes. And those seven innocent children are stained forever," Stu side stepped and slapped her smiling face with the punching glove and as her set of blood proteins spurted in the air, on her, on the floor, and on Stu.

Gage sneered at the child molester bitch. "Fuck you, assholette! Is Tom All right, Frank?"

Frank moved backward from the two child molesters and stopped, standing in front of the wall beside the first aid shelf, tenderly wrapping a set of the clean bandages over the bruised hand on Tom with a stern face. "He's fine. No broken bones. He will not be participating tonight. I'm fucking tired too. Kill them right now, Stu!"

The male child molester grinned with a set of bloody teeth from a pair of busted lips and a broken two nose holes with a sneer. "I got the ultimate revenge, Quartet Assholes. My children will all be made as a set of permanent wards of the State of Florida. They will live their young and teen life inside one foster home after another which is worse than me. I win. You lose."

Austin leaned against the wall in a pink colored rubber suit, watching and waiting with a set of crossed arms and dropped both arms down to a side moving ahead from the wall with a smirk, stopping and stood between the two child molesters. "You needed to read the fine print inside your Quartet Associates legal contract, before you signed the dotted line. You and she did not select a benefactor for your personal multi-million-dollar property and land assets including the Children Orphanage. Therefore, within any legal QA contract, when our client doesn't provide a benefactor after death, thus the Quartet becomes the legal benefactor of our client's estate including all assets, land, and financial bank accounts. Therefore, you and she have nicely donated all your land and personal property and the orphanage to Frank, Tom, Stu, and me for being a pair of dumb shits on planet Earth. I am quite certain Satan will take advantage of your stupidity with your new working tasks inside your new home."

Frank reached up and patted Tom on the collar bone, gently pushing Sawyer into the wall for brotherly love and safety, moving ahead to see the male child molester with a smile and a nod. "And all the children are going to be placed into a new atmosphere of very good homes by the end of the week. Each one of us is hosting a fun-time furry teddy bear party with the children tonight, until all the proper legal paperwork can be signed. Janey's fast, slick!" He stopped and stood with a wink and a smile in front of the female child molester.

Stu side stepped with a sneer and stopped, reaching down and sliced off the extended dick of the male child molester with the horse castration knife. The male screamed in pain.

Frank reached out and slashed off each nipple tip plus some of the breast fat of the female child molester with a rusty surgical scalpel while Tom and Austin stood against the wall and watched with a smirk. She screamed out loud and wiggled back and forth in pain with a set of tears.

Stu reached down and cut off each hairy ball of the male child molester, lifting the nasty and rusty clawed hook, taking out the right eyeball of the male also with a vicious swoop. The eyeball dropped out and down from the clawed hook, landing on top of the floor with a soft thud.

Tom leaned against the wood shelving and watched his brother with a giggle and a grin. "Cool move, Stu!"

Stu grinned at the male child molester. "Thank you!"

Frank lifted and curved both wrist bones while brilliantly stroking two sets of tiny knife tip marks into her numerous body parts consisting of the chest, the two pelvis thighs, the two arms, and two sides of the collar bone while exposing the blood and the bone as she screamed out loud in sobs of pain and suffering.

Tom giggled with a grin, "That's not bad, Mangrove! I could have done better, thou."

Frank continued to curve into the tender flesh of the female child molester with chuckle over her loud screams. "I take that as a compliment from the smartass lawyer."

Frank and Stu back stepped from each child molester wearing a rubber suit in dripping red colored blood proteins. Stu nodded at the two child molesters with a smile. "Austin."

Austin moved ahead from the wall with a stern face and stopped, standing between two moaning child molesters with a smile to see each swollen face. "I am so sorry that we couldn't have some more fun tonight. But my brothers and I have a set of wonderful dinner arrangements, this evening. I hope you can understand our rush," he raised and tilted to the side, aiming the cold barrel of his Ghost at the male child molester, firing the entire clip of sharp razors into the right eye socket. The skull of the male flung backward and then dropped down forward in face of dripping blood and as his chest expressed a final breath of death.

Austin held out a pink tinted gloved palm with the used Ghost. Frank retrieved the empty Ghost and back stepped from Berrington and the female child molester, who continued to scream out loud and kick at Berrington. Austin extended an empty pink tinted gloved palm. Stu reached over and slapped a loaded Ghost inside the gloved hand of Berrington and then quickly back stepped from Austin and the male child molester. The female child molester screamed and cried out loud, kicking both legs at Austin while missing, of course. "I hate you. You are going to hell too. I am a life form with a life. You can't take..." Austin lifted and tilted to the side, aiming, emptying the entire clip of sharp razors into her left eyeball. Her body flung side to side and as she died screaming a last breath.

Frank bowed a chin down into the chest with a silent pray of mercy to Almighty God as Stu displayed the same emotion. Tom bowed a chin and softly cursed all the evil people of the world in silence to Almighty God for more help. Then, Frank looked up to see the black colored hairy rear skull of Austin with a stern face. "It is finally done. Let's go home, gentlemen! I have an appointment for some fun with a cake and two children now."

Tom moved ahead with a smile and stopped, turning to see the nose profile on Austin with a chuckle. "Are you coming to spend the night with us, Austin? I could use the help with a couple of kids, since I am an only child." Austin turned and smile to Tom in silence. Tom spun around with a giggle and dashed ahead, following behind the ass of Frank into the shower room, cleaning off all the nasty germs from a body of the two evil child molesters and then going home to his wife Jane for a fun night of cake, ice cream, and balloons with the young children for the rest of the week until the children were legally adopted by an individual Christian family unit.

Austin didn't move from the bloody spot and as the pink tinted rubbed suit drained and ripped in the blood of two dead child molesters. His three brothers exited the Lab into the shower room. He looked up with astern face and a whisper to see the bloody ceiling. "They are your problem, now, Almighty God. Do your divine heavenly thing! Amen," he advanced ahead and stopped, standing a few inches from each child molester, mouth spitting on a naked foot of each sex with nauseating disgust of two dead child molester and spun around, strolling toward the shower room to clean off the blood.

"Austin," someone called his name. He stopped and spun around to see no one inside the Lab with him.

Present day and place

City of Ruby Beach

Hot temperature and windy with dull sunlight

New beach house of Austin

Outdoor patio setting

5:05 p.m.

"Austin," someone called out his name. He blinked both eyelids open to see the lady realtor. She stood over his naked body with a wicked grin and a sexy alto. "I was going to suggest a nicely conservative well-dressed restaurant for our dinner plans tonight. But, I can see that you're naked and ready for me, so we can order our dinner meal to the house instead. How's that, sweetie?" Austin grunted with a smile.

Saturday October 9th

8:08 a.m.

City of Ruby Beach

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of bright sunshine

Gulf of Mexico ocean water location

White tinted beach sands setting

**A** ustin jogged over the white colored sand and bluish-green tinted ocean water enjoying the bright sunrays and the light breeze, spotting the resting object over the sand with a gasp, stopping and squatted down over the body with a grin. "Excuse me! Pardon me! Hello! My name is A... B. I would very much like to meet you..."

"Ugh!" She rested flat on a back spine in a spread eagle pose trying to achieve an overall suntan without the set of ugly and annoying tiny white lines and popped open the eyelashes into the blinking rays of sunlight, sitting upright but tilted a naked body toward the side and away from the strange male. She landed upright in a doggy style position over the soft white sands and warm ocean waves. She was tanning a precious naked body on the beach sands. Her two breasts hung down like a set of two tits for milking a baby calf on her skinny bean pole frame. "I..." stood upright from the sands which was a wrong move again.

"Allow me." Austin stood beside her and stared at her nakedness with a chuckle and pulled off a wet and sweaty folded T-shirt from around his neck and handed the shirt to her.

She accepted the wet T-shirt and flung it down into full length, slamming the wet sweaty cloth over two exposed breasts, dashing ahead with a sour frown toward the white concrete open rear patio of her rental beach house. "Thank you. I should dress."

Austin turned and followed her nicely solid suntanned naked ass with an evil laugh and a wicked grin of lust. "You look fine to me. Please don't dress on my account."

She jogged ahead and slammed into the patio door, opening the door and entered the room. "This way! Do you want a beverage?" She was raised to be social and hospitability, even if she was naked. Her dead biological father was rolling over inside the grave regarding her innocent indecency. Her biological mother would do such naughty things like this, not her as she was her own person now.

The guy was really cute while sweating in the sun over a muscular and tanned sculpted body. She was a virgin and had never been touched by a male but completely understood a flash of sudden nasty sexy lust urges. This man was getting her heated and it wasn't due to the Florida sunrays either.

"Thank you! I would enjoy a beverage of cool liquid, please." He followed her naked ass into the air conditioned first level open room that was housed inside a two story small beach rental with an awesome view of the blue-greenish Gulf of Mexico ocean waters, a flock of flying seagulls, the rows of white sand dunes as he continued to smile at her exposed ass.

She exhaled with a puff of embarrassment as she was slightly sunburned over both cheekbones. Or he had seen the red colored embarrassed face on her skull that shined like a red tinted beacon.

She rapidly paced while ignoring the need to wash off a pair of sandy feet with the clumped wet sand grains. He stopped and stood in front of the tall table with two high chairs and slid down into the stool watching her naked ass move around the open range kitchen.

She reached out and grabbed a wet beach towel from the kitchen counter, tying it around a naked body in front of the tall refrigerator, reaching over and opened the door, feeling the cold fridge air, reaching inside and grabbed a set of two cool refreshing bottles of water. "Here you go!" She spun around with a fake smile and sunburned face of relief, wearing the beach towel, dashing back to the tall table, stopping and slid into the other tall stool. She scooted the bottle of cold water toward the cute guy.

He accepted the bottle of water and lifted, gulping down the cold water like a man. She fiddled with the bottle of water and the cup. He was a real man while not placing the liquid inside a cup like a sissy guy. She poured the water down into the coffee cup using it like a lady, extending a hand to him with a smile. "Please allow me to introduce myself again, A.B. Hi, A.B. I'm Bambi."

He dropped the bottle over the hard surface with a chuckle and a smile, "Hello, Bambi. A herd of young baby deer instantly run away from danger. I hope you feel comfortable with me," laughing.

She looked down with a smile at the bottle of water and the cup after hearing the cute but sexy statement and looked up with a grin to see Austin, lifting and sipped, swallowing the cup of cool water. She never thought of her nickname in that manner before while leaving his sexual connation in the air. She dropped the cup with a smile and a nod to Austin. "My mother's name is Fawn. So, my father called me Bambi. My real name is Babylonia," giggling with embarrassment.

"I might say that is a wonderful endearing story for an endearing person with an endearing pet name, Bambi." Austin smiled as she giggled. This guy was really flirting, since she was half way dressed in a beach towel while sipping water at the tall eating table inside the two-bedroom rental beach house.

"Do you live around here, A.B.?" She asked while not knowing what to say next, since she was a shy girl with good eyesight. She could see all the way down the road to the street stop at the road intersection. She possessed a set of long legs which came from her father with a short waistline and a flat chest with no breasts. She was made of lean muscle that covered all her bones with a tone of very dark tinted skin when she was compared to the physical features of Austin.

He was handsome with a strong jaw line with a set of dark whiskers from the lack of razor blade shaving as he was on vacation for fun and adventure. That explained his swift presence on the ocean beach as a morning jogger of fitness exercise. He had a triangular face with a pair of sparking silver eyes, a pair of two chiseled cheekbones, and a tone of deep suntanned dark tinted complexion.

Very nice! Bambi wondered if he was married.

Inside the rental beach house, he pointed to the solid wall in the direction of his newly purchased beach house and stared at her with a smile. "I have purchased the beach house at the end of the street corner, over there."

She nodded with a grin. The guy had purchased a twenty-six-million-dollar beach mansion and he was handsome and rich to boot. She acted cool with a smile. "The house's very nice. I toured the interior while they were building it."

He gasped. "I don't take your treasure, did I?"

She shook her wet curls of long brown hair with a smile. "No! Not at all! I like to admire from afar. I'm very comfortable here."

He turned and scanned the room with a smile. "The floor plan looks like it would accommodate one or maybe two people with comfort."

Very fascinating! This handsome guy was inquiring, if she was single or married. She cleared a throat with a smile. "Well, I find one person is very comfortable but two might be very cozy, too. There are two separate bedrooms and baths for more than one person. But, one needs to occupy one bedroom. I turned the other one into a weight room while keeping fit and pumping the iron," she winked with a giggle. She was impressed with the new assertive personality. Living out in the rocks for the past three months had made her both lonely and horny. She liked this naughty sexy feeling too and lifted the cup, sipping the water and watched his reaction.

Austin turned and smiled at her while usually more assertive with a woman and acted shy this morning. Meeting her for the first time, he saw the young girl as shy, open, honest, bold, intense, funny, cute, and nude. The nudity immediately had appealed and appeased his penis, but her personality was endearing like her pet name. He immediately liked the young girl, since he had been living alone for two weeks on a new solo adventure away from the bright lights of Miami without a body guard, a female escort, or a set of three nosy brothers.

Tom, Frank, and Stu had been a set of good brothers while not calling every hour, but every nightly evening to ensure that older brother Austin was both happy and safe. Stu provided brief updates on the process of the new mansion. Frank provided rounded and through updates on the old and new office business. Tom provided a sickly and sissy whine about when Austin was coming back home to Coral Beach. Then Berrington could live with him and Jane.

However, Austin routinely performed an eye and a foot survey around his new beach house and the isolated beach city street, and the miles of white sands every morning and evening for both fitness exercise and body security. He was one-fourth owner of the largest international security company in the damn world. It would be very red-faced embarrassing, if Badass Berrington had become involved in a security breach of his own home from stupidity in front of the eyeballs and the eardrums of each Quartet Associate client and the rest of the fucking world.

So, no one was stalking, trailing, or spying on Austin. Good damn thing! Berrington would blow a fucking head or heads off first. Stu was smart, not wanting one of his QA guards getting accidentally killed. Frank was compassionate, not letting any employee or a local police officer get harmed by the Ghost or the pair of bare hands of Austin.

Tom was worried deep down inside a soulless blood leeching moral earth-bound body. Sawyer worried about Austin in his own way, but Tom was respectful of Austin's privacy more than the other two nosy asshole brothers. Even if, Frank and Stu had issued a command to spy on Berrington, Tom would stop them immediately. Sawyer would be a true leader, if something every happened to Old Man while making Austin's heart warm a little bit like a tiny tea leaf.

Austin halted all those dangerous and depressing range of mental thoughts since that would never happen which was based on some recent information from a pretty good dead source, the dead young fortune teller, who had lived and died in the city of Sunrise by the Quartet way.

Frank and Tom didn't believe that bitch and killed her in cold-blood with one of the newest enemies of the Quartet. However, her future vision from someone or somewhere had seen a set of four baby sons who were destined to be the next and newest generation of Band of Brothers.

Berrington would be getting a good fuck from the young girl tonight, if not maybe married to the cute young female tomorrow afternoon. He was finally ready for the 'family thing' with a nice wife and a cute kid rather than each nice possible wife material girl became a dead piece of meat after a personal encounter with Berrington for some strange damn reason. And he was tired of existing as a mostest single and richest bachelor of the entire fucking world. Of course, his future wife and the future mother of his birthed baby son wouldn't live outside the paradise beach town of Coral Beach without the protection, the luxury, the limousine, and the love of all his Quartet family members.

He sipped and swallowed the cold water while feeling relaxed, happy, and satisfied with his person and his life for the past three long weeks.

His solo vacation had been great so far with a brief escape from Coral Beach, the numerous dead victims, and the associated dead killers. He did miss his family, his brothers, and his sisters, so he won't be gone forever.

Misty Marie was crying when Austin entered the sports car while leaving the Band of Brothers and Sisters behind at the church parking lot. Austin hadn't thought of the church, the funeral, and the metro city Miami for twenty-six days, nine hours, twenty minutes, thirteen seconds, two milliseconds. He needed the body rest and peace of mind for a short while.

The short while had turned into almost a month but his brothers stilled called to stay that they cared and whined for Austin to return home. Maybe, he would be returning home married and a future father.

Inside the rental beach house of Bambi, he finished drinking the cool water and then slammed down the empty bottle over the hard surface with a smile, shifting side to side inside the chair at the small table which could sit four people.

Bambi gasped with alarm. He was ready to leave the house and her company. She cleared a throat with a smile, "How long have you lived here in Ruby Beach?"

"Twenty-six days, eight hours, twenty minutes, thirteen seconds, and eighteen milliseconds," he laughed with ease while not missing his brothers as his conscious mind was active and sharp.

"Precise measures, you must be a perfectionist." she chuckled with a nod.

Austin noted a nice proper female laugh, not too loud, not too soft. Perfect! She wasn't just nice looking but gorgeous with a uniqueness of exotic tone. Perfect, also! "Just an observer," He smiled.

His sports car at the cross roads on Alligator Alley driving away from metro city Miami made the decision to travel north or south or straight into the Gulf of Mexico when he released the steering wheel at seventy miles-per-hour. Austin wasn't suicidal where Frank might have thought that. The steering wheel held steady and as the car drove straight toward the Gulf of Mexico.

Austin was just tired of the death, dying, and loss in his personal life since June first while desiring peace and completion.

Therefore, the sports car had chosen to visit the tiny beach town of Ruby Beach again while completing the cycle of death and then start the cycle of life, a new fairy tale life.

Everything started here. Everything ended here. The cycle had been completed.

Austin had revisited the same real estate company which was located on the city street of Ruby Boulevard. The same middle-age suntanned and bejeweled woman had remembered him too, since she had not recognized the scruffy and wind-blown adult male businessman as Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth on that day, when he had been desperately searching for his little brother Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

The lady realtor had apologized to Austin and then presented him with a lovely option, a row of beautiful beach mansions along the shoreline of white sands for immediate purchase. Austin had toured the first mansion and found it appealing to the beauty of the white sugar colored beaches, the isolation of the location, and the grand big house which happened to have three more completely construction projects at the same time that represented each brother Stu, Frank, and Tom. The Quartet and wives would fly over in the helicopter for a nice vacation and quick trip out from city life of Miami, since Stu had established a security branch of Quartet Associate guard team here inside the beach town of Ruby Beach also.

Austin had decided and grinned with a smirk. Old Man had purchased all four beach houses together and at the same time from the nice lady realtor. She had been overjoyed, thrilled, and eluded. She had called the bank and arranged for the electronic monetary payment transfer immediately to her office without bothering Frank, who usually served as the Money Man on all financial transactions for Austin.

Austin had rented and slept that night in a room at Ruby Inn, since he had been on vacation and felt better about a new solo trip to Ruby Beach. He had finished facing the witches, the demons, and the ghosts of his past while finally winning the mental mind battle, since he had not experienced a new early morning dream of a cute or ugly dream babe female at 2:31 am while sleeping peacefully through the night.

Thus, it was done!

He had moved into the beach mansion on the third day in Ruby Beach, since the furnishings, the furniture, the house cleaning service, and food and house supplies needed to be arranged first, since Austin didn't shop for one single item. A team of paid professional housekeepers had fixed up his beach mansion for immediate occupancy while Austin had enjoyed the beach running, boating, walking, watching, observing, sleeping, resting, and praying. The nice lady realtor called and provided all the necessary living items for his new beach house and then Austin loaned out his titanium credit card to her with the five million dollars to complete the job within two days.

Money talked. Bullshit walked.

And he discovered that the nice lady realtor was talented in more ways than one.

She ran a sideline business of interior decorating for profit and fun. So, Austin continued to loan out his titanium credit card to her with the five-million-dollar credit limit, decorating the interior rooms within the three other beach mansions. He had provided her ideas on each personality of a brother plus she had a book of illegal and legal photographs from a set of various unofficial sources that highlighted some of the main features of each Coral Beach billionaire mansion, so she ran off and did her wild thing with the furniture while leaving Austin and his dick in the sand grains.

So far, his solo vacation wasn't just a physical trip but a spiritual trip. He needed his soul cleansed of all the bad vibes and the bad people that had been currently presented within his thirty-one years of life, since June first.

Inside the rental beach house, Bambi smiled. "I have lived here for three months."

"Awe! You're a newbie too," he nodded with a smile and fiddled with the empty bottle in nervousness.

She giggled with a nod. "I guess."

"We should explore the town of Ruby Beach together, sometimes."

She nodded with a grin, "That's a great idea! Do you know about the annual Ritual War?"

He chuckled. "There is a war inside the tiny beach town of Ruby Beach among the divided native citizens. Would it be with the United States army or a small foreign government from the Mexico border?"

She frowned. "You think on a very deep level, A.B."

"I'm sorry. It is old instincts. I guess."

"It's not a real war. It's a historical war or a recreation activity celebrating the beach town's birthday."

"That does sound with excitement and adventure to me. When does the war begin? I'm always armed for a battle," he winked with a smile.

She didn't laugh at the joke, since she didn't approve of war, battles, and violence as her neurons kicked into action.

The man who had finished drinking water of bottle while sitting at the eating table inside her beach house looked and talked and acted exactly the billionaire playboy Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth.

He clearly announced the purchase of an expensive beach mansion here in Ruby Beach, thus the real Berrington could purchase a twenty-six million beach mansion or the other three available beach mansions without blinking an eyelid.

And then he had laughed about war party with the deadly weapons, thus the real Berrington was part of the infamous Quartet who didn't become set of four rich billionaires by stealing all the holiday presents from St. Nicholas, instead they became rich by protecting your ass with an array of bullets, knives, and hand gun, thus, his verbal reference to the hand gun and war activity. However, Austin had called his person by a set of initials of A.B. Clearly, the initials of A.B. represented his first two names, Austin Bartholomew.

Visually, he looked exactly like the true Austin Berrington, so he was secretly traveling in incognito and away from his home town and his three brothers for some reason.

After he left the house, Bambi would travel immediately to all the local grocery stores and purchase all the trash magazines and the newspapers to read about the juicy story.

She smiled at his joke and her naïve while thinking quickly. "It's a battle between the tribes of the descendants of Ruby Beach warring over a girl."

"Is the girl a war princess?"

"No, she was a peasant."

"Can you tell me more? This is very fascinating."

"The pretty peasant led a group of rebels, so to speak, who were really a town of fishermen by skill. But the fishermen happened to own a few horses and carried a spear..."

"Spears! This is indeed a war over a girl."

"The fisherman used the spears to fish for food."

He laughed with a nod. "Ah! A fishy town, a fishy story, I finally get it the fishy tail."

She laughed. "Good one! Anyways, the peasant commander and the army of bold and brave fishermen with a spear fought and won the battle."

"So, the peasant girl became the fishy queen of the fishy village."

"She died instead."

He gasped. "She died. That's not a very nice ritual to celebrate each year."

She smiled. "I believe it's more the value of the living tradition rather than a death ceremony."

He winked with a grin. "Good point again!"

"Are you interested in attending the Ritual War?" She looked down with a smile to see the table surface in case of a rejection. She was the peasant beach girl bum in the city of Ruby Beach while he was the rich and single billionaire with a pick of any local socialite for the lovely evening event.

He nodded at her brown colored hair roots with a smile. "Yes, I would enjoy that very much to attend the Ritual War with you. It sounds very entertaining."

She looked up with a smile and a soft clap of happiness at him. "Good point again!"

He nodded with a smile. "What time do I pick you up for the ritual of warfare?"

"Hmm! You can come at four pm in the afternoon next week. We must acquire our proper sea gear and then get it inspected and approved by the war council before the actual fun evening of the war ceremony which starts next Friday night."

He chuckled. "I must acquire the sea gear. What is the sea gear?"

"Part of participating in the war ritual is the gear. You're going to need a long weapon, not a short hand gun." She nodded with a grin, since she had read about the infamous Quartet and all the unusual weapons and military type toys, fast private jets, faster cars, and an army of guard to protect each brother.

He pouted. "I can't bring my personal deadly handgun. How do I defend my person or your person or any other persons that needs to be defended without my deadly handgun?"

She smiled. "I can defend my person and your person and any other person that needs to be defended with a sea spear too."

He frowned. "Why does a warrior princess need to use a real long and straight sea spear?"

"The army of ancient fishermen ghosts isn't going to attack each live guest, A.B. But you'll need a spear for killing them for the pretend fun, not the real danger," she frowned.

He laughed. "I think you should inform me some more about this Ritual War, before I commit an illegal act and start an actual war here in the coastal Ruby Beach."

"The spear is for the meat on the grilled fish," she giggled. "It is used as an eating utensil which is part of the war ritual. You can eat with your hands like a coastal heathen or use the long spear like an ancient sea warrior," she nodded with a smile.

He smiled with a nod, "Understood, precious! I select and use a sea spear to stab and kill my meal instead of my handgun. The clip of bullets is not edible inside your fishy meal," laughing.

She frowned with the terrible joke. "Okay. And I happen to possess two of them."

He turned and scanned the room with a confused brow, looking back to her. "Why do you keep a pair of killing long sea spears on hand in case of what may I ask?"

She winked with a grin. "For a jogger or two on the beach that happens to see my birthday suit..."

He nodded with a smile. "Yes, I am a swift and smart learner, too."

"Actually I saw the pair inside one of the pawn shop during a shopping spree around town and then purchased them for the beach house wall as a decoration. They're located upstairs inside the guest bedroom and safely mounted on the wall."

"Hmm! You don't keep a pair of killing sea spears inside the master bedroom for your personal protection."

She winked. "My baseball bat does that inside the master bedroom, slick."

Austin lifted both palms with a nod and a chuckle. "Wow! I'm impressed with your spear, your baseball bat, and your in-depth knowledge of the tiny beach town of Ruby Beach," he dropped down both hands and slapped the hard surface with a grin.

"I enjoy reading. The advertisements clued me into the War Ritual. Then I researched it at the local library."

He turned and scanned the room again with a confused brow, looking back to see her. "Do you watch a plasma television screen?"

"Not really! I don't enjoy seeing the constant horror and death on the real and pretend television shows."

He exhaled with a nod. "I do not either. But I do like enjoy listening to music."

She stood upright form the chair and shook a body side to side for fun, still wearing the beach town with a wink and smile at him. "It's rock and roll for my eardrums, my dancing feet, and my shaking fanny."

He laughed. "I also enjoy reading any particular type of books."

"Science fiction is some of my favorite reads."

"Ah! You are science fiction nut."

"Are you too?" She frowned with confusion. He had mentioned a reference to the Quartet brother Tom, who was the science fiction reader within the Quartet.

He shook a skull with a sour frown, "Afraid not! But my brother could exchange some reading material with you."

There! A.B. had mentioned a reference to the Quartet brother Tom, who was the science fiction reader within the Quartet.

Yes, this handsome and rich man acted truly like one of the Quartet members. His Quartet brother Tom was the devoted science fiction fan within the band. Bambi had seen the news flash when Tom and his wife Jane would attend each annual science fiction convention all over the world. Tom was dressed in a green colored alien suit that matched his wife Jane.

Bambi smiled. "I also enjoy reading about international history, world nature, and actually science reference books also."

"I concur." He smiled, "How about a little science trip for the day?"

She frowned. "Where would we go for a science trip? Is there a science park for children here in Ruby Beach?"

He looked down at the wrist watch and up to see her with a smile. "We could walk around the sandy beach and get our feet wet for the day, starting at ten o'clock. But first, I need to head back for a quick appointment at my house. I didn't realize it was so late into the morning," he stood upright from the chair with a nod.

She stood upright with a smile and a soft clap of adventure. "It sounds so wonderful to me, too. I will meet and greet you back there at your house."

"Yes, an excellent idea, Bambi! Please come up and onto the deck entrance! It's open."

She slowly moved ahead from the table toward the patio door without Austin. He turned and moved behind her naked ass inside the beach towel with a smile. She stopped and opened the door, holding it for him with a smile to his face, "Bye, A.B."

"Later, Bambi," Austin moved through the archway with a smile a nod to the young girl and over the patio, jogging back toward his beach house with a smile. Bambi was bold, intense, funny, cute, and nude which was appealing and appeasing to his senses like no other female had done.

And she didn't seem to recognize that he was the playboy billionaire in which added to her innocence and charm while melting his heart with joy. He didn't understand all the mixed emotions, since sometimes, they were jumbled but clearly he was feeling relaxed, happy, carefree, and satisfied living here in Ruby Bach for a while and around the new girl that was full of heated flame.

10:10 a.m.

New beach home of Austin

Hot temperatures and windy with bright sunshine

Living room setting

Bambi wore a pair of sunglasses, a bikini, and a pair of naked feet while not wanting to seem too eager to flirt with billionaire playboy Austin again with a set of heavy mental thoughts about Berrington. He had been living here in Ruby Beach all alone for three weeks without his three brothers. Maybe, Austin had parted from the four brothers and then disbanded the Quartet that information had not been announced on the television news channels. She didn't own a television but had purchased every single popular and sleazy celebrity newspapers and magazine in the town while not finding any juicy gossip about Austin aka A.B.

The international and national media outlets plus the local gossip there in the city of Naples would pay seriously for a hot and juicy story about the break up the infamous four non-brother billionaires of the Quartet.

That made sense to her smart neurons. The four men were not blood related brothers but each one was a billionaire who lived, worked, and played together, since birth, if the unofficial biography novel was correct. Bambi was an only child without a sibling. However, she would not have shared her toys or her wealth with a step-sister or blood related sibling either.

So the four non-brothers must have parted ways which worked to her advantage, giving her a solo opportunity for both love and wealth.

She had a healthy bank account of monies which allowed her not to work ever again but the dream or the thought to become the wife of billionaire was inconceivable.

Bambi slowly walked over the hot sands then finally viewed the gigantic pink tinted beach mansion with a giggle. "Why does he live in a pink tinted mansion? The hue of pink is for a little girl," she slowly climbed the deck steps while arriving late for their first and hopefully many dates.

Inside the house, the living room was split into two distinct levels. The bottom level was used to entertain people. The upper level contained a set of three bedrooms for sleeping or fucking.

Austin had set up an array of cold beverages on top of the kitchen counter when Bambi entered the house through a set of open deck doors with a smile of happiness, "Hi, Austin!" she moved ahead and flung off the sunglasses toward the long kitchen counter that separated the kitchen space from a room of living room furniture and stopped, sliding down into one of four tall stool on the opposite side of Austin.

He stood in front of the kitchen counter and wore a naked chest of suntan with a face of dark whiskers, holding a dry object in each hand in the air with a smile and a nod. "Welcome, Bambi! I have been collecting and gathering a pile of pretty colored seashells and white colored sand dollars from my walks, since I don't jog anymore," laughing. "This reference book shows all the different types of shells and the ecological purpose to fishes and womankind," he leaned over and handed them to her two shells.

"Hi, A.B.," She accepted the yellow tinted seashell and the white colored sand dollar in one palm while pointing down to the pink seashell in the tall pile of numerous colorful ocean shells with a smile. "These pink tinted seashells are used for cosmetics."

He slapped down both hands and opened the thick reference textbook, flipping through the pages with a confused brow. "How did you know that?"

"I have the same reference seashell book in my house, too," she reached out and replaced the two item nears the separate pile of seashells and sand dollars with a smile.

He looked up with a smile and a nod "So, I challenge thee to the win."

"All right, I accept the academic challenge." She winked with a smile. "So what do I win after I beat you without the array of ugly blue colored bruises and red tinted cuts?" Bambi enjoyed referencing the tough guy image of Badass Berrington while flirting with the handsome male. And he seemed to enjoy the fun vision of her tough girl image as well.

He gasped. "Excuse me, precious! You win. I believe that you have meant to imply when I win."

"I have been living here in Ruby Beach for three months. I got lots and lots of pretty big and small seashells inside my bedroom."

"The loser pays for dinner for the rest of the week."

She clapped with a nod. "That is a fabulous reward! Since, I'm getting really hungry now. I hope your pocketbook is handy."

He pointed down to the folded wallet between the two piles of sea items with a grin. "There is my pocketbook. So where is yours?"

She stood upright from the tall bar stool and slapped down both hands over a skinny body that displayed the tiniest string bikini in the world for his eyeballs only with a grin and a giggle. "I'm going to win, so I don't need it." He tossed back a skull with a roaring laugh and a nod at her sexy dance and her sexual flirtation.

The landline telephone sounded with a deep musical rang tone and stood lonely on top of a single side table that was located on the opposite wall of the kitchen counter top. He had powered down the borrowed mobile telephone from Stu, since it dinged with a silly musical scale of instrumental clarinet tones when Tom continued to annoy his brother Austin with a set of sillier message texts. Austin turned with a sour frown to see the ringing telephone and back stepped from the kitchen counter, slowly strolled ahead in a pair of swim briefs and a pair of naked feet toward the ringing telephone on the side wall and stopped with a huff, reaching out and picked up the receiver, lifting into a face with a curt tone, "Berrington."

He paused and listened to a three-way conversation between his three nosy brothers that briefly tattled one at a time into the eardrum on Berrington.

"Fine."

Pause.

"Yes."

Pause.

"No."

Pause.

"Bye."

He jerked the phone down from a distorted face and reached down, gently replaced the telephone receiver down on top of the hook with a smile and spun around, dashing ahead to her with a clap and a nod. "You're a most interesting high-spirited female, Bambi, accepting my most interesting academic challenge. Let's start on the north side of the sandy beach! Shall we?" Austin stopped beside her and reached out with a hand, grabbing the two net bags from the empty stool which could hold numerous shells and switched the two bags to the other hand, reaching out again toward her body with a smile.

She stood upright from the chair and grabbed his hand with a grin, "Yes, let's start!"

10:15 a.m.

Hot temperatures and slight wind with bright sunrays

White sandy beach and shoreline of Gulf of Mexico

They moved ahead and held hands with a set of smiles and chuckles, exiting through the pair of open deck doors, slowly strolling down the steps and over the hot sand of Ruby Beach.

He swung the two handles of the net bags back and forth and wore a pair of skimpy swimming briefs that barely covered a raising penis while holding the hand of the hot young babe, moving ahead and splashed a pair of naked feet in the cool shallow water, stopping in place with a smile and release her hand. He hoped to trick his dick back down asleep. Or Bambi will be getting the wrong idea on their first date. He slowly spun around in the swallow water to face the house and looked around the beach, the skyline, and down into the water to see more aquatic sea life to fill up the two net bags for the academic challenge. "The sky is bright blue with a set of parted white clouds of bright sun. The white sand glows underneath the darker skyline. The shallow water appears translucent glistening that reaches out to the deeper shade of green colored waters. This Gulf of Mexico water is crystal clear and beautiful. My eyeballs think they are looking at a still picture. I found a sea star," he reached down and grabbed the sea life, lifting it up and near a smile. "A sea star has eight tentacles of rich black with a star-shaped body that is outlined in sparking tan. It is a beauty, "he bent down and gently lowered the living creature that belonged to Almighty God back down into its home the water, side stepping away from her.

Bambi slowly spun around to see the first beach mansion in the color of bright orange with a smirk. She wanted to hear more about his missing brothers. "I love living here. I find Ruby Beach to be paradise on Earth."

He side stepped away from her and folded down at a fit waistline, hunting for more sea life with a smile. "Actually, I do live in..."

She spun around to see the black hair roots on the true Austin with a smile. "What do you say, A.B.?" Bambi purposefully worded the statement for a swift reaction from A.B. and as he also had figuratively fallen down into her trap. If A.B. would shout out a familiar buzz word that referenced the Quartet, then she would secretly store it and then contact the media for a great big money award.

He reached down for the seashell with a huff. "I like it here too," Austin almost commented on his permanently home island of Coral Beach, so he must practice restraint if he had a chance with his young girl without revealing his true identify. She might know who he was but Bambi had not commented which was a good sign of an even handled relationship that might lead into marriage.

Bambi slowly spun around to see the first beach mansion in the color of bright orange again with a smirk while intrigued with A.B. and his lonely story. "Yeah, I agree. This place is truly paradise with the bright blue skyline, the white sands, and greenish waters. In the northern direction, there is a thick nasty dark green colored cluster of medium sized trees that look like a nest of extremely large plant spiders," she laughed. "What are they called again? I can't remember."

He stood upright and stored the seashell inside the bag with a laugh. "Mangrove, I know..."

She spun around to see his smile. "What do you say?" He had made a reference one of the Quartet brothers named Frank Mangrove. Frank was the smart physician and the smarter accountant that helped grow the privately owned company into a trillion-dollar profit-making business company. A.B. had to be the true Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, in disguise.

He looked over to see her with a stern face. "I know the name. The cluster of trees is a mangrove grove," laughing.

Bambi slowly spun around to see the first beach mansion in the color of bright orange again with a smirk. "Yeah, it is a cluster of mangrove trees that looks like a pile of green legged spiders but on the other side," she swung around with a smile and viewed the southern direction over the shoreline. "It is buck naked with miles of sand. Why is that?"

He spun around and followed her cute ass with a smile. "This is a barrier island of naked sand that jots out from the mainland of Florida. There are only gently ocean waves in front of the house and sparkling white sands behind the house. Then, there is the single avenue without traffic lights and annoying cars."

She shielded the eyeballs and viewed the far end of the beach. "Where are the other big houses, large hotel buildings, nosily boaters, and naked sunbathers?"

"I didn't allow..."

She spun around to see his smile. "What do you say?" He had almost referenced the permanent home of Coral Beach which belonged exclusively to the Quartet. No other foot prints were allowed on the beaches. She had read that statement inside one of the unofficial biographies about the Quartet. So his man who called his person A.B. had to be the true Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, in disguise.

He frowned. "I don't know."

She performed a circle and stared at the orange colored mansion with the smile. "There's nothing down south. Let's move toward the northern direction of the beach. There much more to see."

He spun around and followed her ass with a smile. "Okay."

She swiftly moved over the sands toward the cluster of trees and stopped, standing in place with a confused brow, "Hmm! This is interesting. The one cluster of trees nicely blocks off the property sands of the next house. Mother Nature is very intriguing."

He pulled up beside her with a smile. "I thought that the sea belonged to Poseidon."

"No. Poseidon is a Greek god, who is a mythological creation from the mind of a man. Mother Nature created this lovely line of mangrove trees to separate the long beach shoreline."

"I guess so. We can go around the line of trees to continue our walk over the sands and collect more seashells by the sea shore. I jog behind the houses when I exercise down that way. That was how I found you, I run passed each house and line of trees."

She nodded. "Yeah, we could do that. However, beyond the three lines of short trees, I can see three more beach mansions in plain view that rise above the white sands," she laughed. "Each one is getting a fresh new paint job. It looks like the last mansion is being painted in the brightest color on the planet of orange. Who would own an orange house in Florida?"

He smiled. "I br..."

She turned with a smile to his nose profile. "What do you say?" A.B. almost confessed something new for her eardrums.

The unofficial biography had mentioned and showed a set of colored glossy photographs of one ugly billionaire mansion of orange tint that belonged to Tom. It was obvious that A.B. aka Austin had purchased all four mansions at the same time with a whooping money total of one hundred million dollars in one daily financial transaction. And he was getting a new paint job on each house that matched the specific volatile dynamic personality of each brother. So Austin wasn't mad or pissed off at his three brothers. He was just on vacation all alone for some weird ass reason.

However, Bambi was determined to find out if he was the true Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, in disguise.

He nodded with a stern face to the orange mansion in the distance. "I bet someone did." Austin had purchased the row of four mansions plus the associated miles of naked shoreline on each side of the structures within the beautiful isolated region of Ruby Beach for him and his three brothers to spend vacation here from time to time. The location paradise spot was a quicker trip than Dog Island which stood in the middle of the damn Atlantic Ocean that was miles from the USA. However, he kept accidentally including his three brothers directly into the casual conversation with Bambi without any thought or purpose, since he really felt like an older brother to Tom, Stu, and Frank while missing his family greatly also. His new mansion was nearing completion. The "engineering god" Stu had done an excellent job of supervising the building construction. The "cultural god" Frank had overseen all the work of the interior room decorations with the aid of the three Quartet wives. And the "asshole god" Tom had done jack shit as usual.

Austin was not surprise. Stu did any excellent job on any assignment, especially keeping his three brothers alive and well while specifically keeping Berrington from beating Tom's ass or breaking Tom's neck from time to time, barely.

So maybe, it was time to think about going back home to Coral Beach. Austin would not live any other place on planet Earth but near his three brothers like a true extended biological family unit. He cleared a throat. "There looks to be numerous teams of workers over there on each house. How's about we scout the sands on the southern end of the shoreline? I have not been down there yet."

She spun around and slowly strolled over the sands with a giggle and a grin. "Okay," Bambi had the rest of the day to figure out if this handsome and rich male was Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, in disguise.

Austin spun around with stern face and followed behind her ass with a set of heavy thoughts. He had a set of major decisions to contemplate, comprehend, and complete before the end of the day.

11:50 a.m.

New beach house of Austin

Hot temperatures and slight wind with bright sunrays

Living room setting

They slowly moved down toward the direction of the southern white colored beach sands and then turned around, slowly strolling, holding hands, collecting shells, laughing at jokes, lightly chatting, and finally returning back to the Austin's beach mansion for lunch.

Inside the kitchen, Bambi assisted him in preparing two plates of cold seafood right before lunchtime, spending the hour eating and chatting at the kitchen counter top, consuming dishes of cold baby shrimp and shells oysters.

She sat at the kitchen counter top and wiped a mouth with the napkin and a grin. "I love oysters. You can feed them to me all day long. And this crop is very fresh. An oyster isn't really tasty but slimy and also is very good for the body. Did you go and trawler your own oyster shells in the ocean waters this morning?"

He looked up with a smile. "No, I fl..."

She frowned. "What did you say?" The man named A.B. almost confessed to something, since the real Berrington was a billionaire with billions of dollars. He could have flown a fresh box of oysters directly to his mansion without blinking an eyelid, since any crop of oysters was poorly cultivated in Ruby Beach due to overgrowth of buildings and sewer dumps into the shoreline.

He lifted and wiped a mouth with the napkin with a fake smile. "I found them in the grocery store. I am a sea lover more than a land lover," Austin didn't realize how convenience the money was to his pampered billionaire life style. The lady realtor had mentioned the depletion of the oyster beds here in Ruby Beach, so he had flown in a tube of fresh oysters from the islands of Key West without blinking an eyelid. The delivery crew on the helicopter had rented a car and drove the individual tub of oysters to his house this morning, since Austin was having a craving and paid with his five-million-dollar titanium credit card. He really was an asshole billionaire like his brother Tom.

She nodded. "I wonder where the grocery store had purchased the oysters. The oyster beds around here are eighty percent destroyed from overdevelopment of the shoreline sands with too many buildings. An oyster bed protects the mangrove trees. I also read that."

"Yeah," he didn't want to linger on the fresh crop of oysters that came from Key West and dropped the napkin down into the empty plate with a smile, "The afternoon is bright and young. I feel like going on a boat ride. Would you like to join me?"

"Are you going on a boat ride? Where is your boat ride going to A.B.?"

"I feel like traveling in a boat over the placid ocean for the afternoon without a set of stormy weather clouds today."

She gasped. "Do you really possess a boat here in Ruby Beach for sailing?"

He slid off the stool and stood with a wink and a smile at her. "Yes, a sailor always travels on a ship."

She slid off the stool and bounced up and down with a smile and a nod in silence. This was the moment of truth. Bambi was going to find out about the real Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth and then sail inside his million-dollar yacht underneath the bright stars through the nighttime and hopefully the rest of the week with the handsome playboy billionaire who was single and gentlemanly. Then she would leave after the sea adventure and tattle to a set of greedy media reports for a large money settlement. She lifted and saluted a hand to the forehead with a grin and a giggle. "Well, I do believe that a captain always needs a first mate. Aye, sir!" She dropped both arms and slapped her naked legs with a smile.

"I, hereby, promote you from the seashell collector to the on-board first mate," he moved ahead and extended an arm to her.

She reached out and spun around, grabbing his arm with a giggle while anticipating the sea adventure in his million-dollar yacht for the rest of the week.

1:11 p.m.

Hot temperatures and slight wind with bright sunrays

White sandy beach and shoreline of Gulf of Mexico

They moved ahead and strolled through the open deck doors, down the steps, and onto the sands.

She looked back over a collar bone with a frown to see the set of open patio doors and returned back to see his nose profile. "Why do you leave all three sets of patio doors wide open? Aren't you worried about your security or a set of burglaries taking all your personal possessions inside an open and unlocked house? Didn't you just purchase the house last week?"

He laughed with a grin, since Bambi had been spying on his person from a distance. He did purchase the house on last week but didn't move inside until the fourth day after the furniture had arrived. And he didn't care about the house and personal possessions. No one could rob the house. Then he would purchase more house and personal possessions. "No, I possess a G..."

She gasped. "What did you say?"

He exhaled with a huff of annoyance while continuing to reference more items that was associated with his badass personality. His Ghost was kept and carried always which would detour any burglar. Anyhow, the set of Quartet Associates guards would ride by inside the QA vehicle during the early evening to check on the safety of Berrington, since his three brothers had sent the QA team on the first day of Austin's vacation. And Austin had been a great host too.

Berrington encountered them during the early evening in the sands beside the house with a choke hold on the first one, a right hook in the eye socket on the second one, and a cold barrel in the left nostril on the three guard as each guard understood to spy on Badass Berrington far, far away from the house and parked on the roadway with a pair of spying binoculars.

Austin smiled, "I possess good home owner's insurance. My house is insured for everything including a dead body or two," laughing.

She gasped. "What did you say?" Bambi heard the evil laughter echoing from his lips which was a true confession of a killer plus a vocal confirmation of a badass man. She was holding the arm of Badass Berrington who would be the only person in the world that would talk about killing a person with a set of bare hands.

He chuckled. "That's my sea humor talking when I'm experience and drown in too many land locked symptoms. I'm a sailer at heart."

She turned with a smile to scan the ocean waters for the boat. "Okay. Where is your boat? I don't see a boat. I never noticed any type of boat floating in the deep ocean waters along the sandy shoreline. I must've missed it."

He turned to the side with a grin and veered toward a patch of tall and wide grove of trees with her. "Yes, I hide it in-between the mangrove groves for protection."

She turned and paced beside Austin and narrowed a pair of eyelashes at the tall and wide grove of trees which could possibility hid a smaller sailing yacht on the opposite side, not seeing a boat. Austin released her hand and strolled ahead, moving around the tall grove of trees, disappearing from her eyesight while splashing a pair of naked feet into the shallow salty water. Bambi stopped in place and bounced up and down with grin at the thrill of riding inside his million-dollar yacht with Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. Yes, he was the true Austin of the Quartet, in disguise.

The tall grove of trees violently shook side to side as the boat shook the trees. Bambi twirled around and around with delight about a new ocean adventure with excitement. She was most certain that he was Austin and that he would lavish her with wonderful gifts.

They were having too much fun in the sun.

Austin steered the boat around the edge of the tall and wide grove of trees which separated the water and the land property from the second beach mansion that was currently being painted in the color of green for his brother Frank.

Frank lived beside Austin in Coral Beach. So it was the same here in Ruby Beach. Stu wanted to be closer to Tom while spying and then beating the ass on Tom, when Sawyer did something illegal or not nice to the local citizens or the local landscape of Mother Nature.

Inside the Gulf of Mexico, the boat slowly sailed into the view along the golden sparkling shoreline. Austin sat in the seat and stared with a smile at Bambi. She was facing the beach mansion and looked very pretty while dancing side to side in joy and happiness. He liked her and her easy going personality. She had not commented about the silly two initials which represented the first two letters of his name. She might not know who she was socializing with which pleased Austin, the best. He continued to steer the boat directly into the shallow waters and then hit the sands, stopping the boat. He stood upright with a smile climbing up and over the lip of the boat, splashing through the water and stopped behind her back spine with an extended hand. "Bambi, do you like my boat?"

She danced side to side at the beautiful beach mansion with a giggle while not hearing the roar of the engine of the yacht, spinning around with a gasp of shock at the sea craft. "It...it is the tiniest row boat in the world." She slapped both hands down to the side with a fake smile, so A.B. wasn't really the true Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth in disguise. But he was a handsome and rich man.

He reached out with a chuckle and grabbed her arm, shifting them toward the row boat with a smile. "Yes, I had to purchase something quickly before the boat salesman run away from me to wait on the elderly millionaire that wanted to buy a great big luxury yacht."

She gasped. "So, do you wanna to own a yacht one day?"

"No," he leaned down and shoved the row boat with a pair of ripping muscles through the wet sand and out into the shallow water until the boat floated alone over the deeper waves. Bambi followed behind his ass with a giggle at his brute man strength. He stood upright in the knee deep water and spun around, reaching out and grabbed, lifting her up by the waistline out from the water and turned around, placing her with a smile inside the bottom of the boat and crawled over the side, slowly standing and moved toward the front of the boat, where a set of the oars were anchored. He spun around and sat down, reaching out and grabbed each oar, facing the house, rowing through the calm water with a set of grunts.

Austin had never desired an individual sea yacht for his pleasure. He enjoyed living on the beach shoreline of Coral Beach and always had sailed the ocean waters in a catamaran or a small sailboat which held one person, not a group party of wild naked females. Instead the Quartet owned one luxury mid-sized yacht for pleasure cruising that was anchored in Miami Beach sea dock while collecting a set of brown colored sea barnacles which was constantly being cleaned off the hull by the paid sea staff and then the boat was occasionally used for a short vacation hop to the Dog Isle, where the four brothers traveled together. The Quartet also owned one private jet plane in which they could afford a fleet of fast jets, if so desired.

As a matter of fact, an outside observer would classify the Quartet as a set of four dull and boring grown men.

Frank possessed the external spirit of a medieval Renaissance man who enjoyed the historical art, literature, poetry, music, castles, gem stones, food, wine, and culture of past and present atmosphere within his mansion and his manners. He busied the free time with his wife Misty Marie who also shared the same hobbies and interests, making them the perfect Quartet couple.

Stu obsessed with exercise and sweat of each sports fitness activity that he also shared with his wife Gracie inside an environmental friendly house and property line within Coral Beach, thus another perfect Quartet couple.

Tom opined as a secret lover of his books, his house, his food, his wife, and his string of famous curse words, providing everything for his sweetheart wife Jane and clearly exhibiting another perfect Quartet couple.

Austin didn't really give a shit about anything including the boat, the car, the limousine, the jet, the house, and the company, since he was only interested in dating numerous females. Now, he was seeking a girl with the wife material stuff that his mom talked about and his Quartet Gracie teased about all the time. Austin needed to find a nice wife and began a family unit like his parents, creating the last Quartet perfect couple.

So far, Austin found Bambi to be impressive with her smarts, responsive with her humor, and agreeable with her participation while meeting all the necessary wife material variables. So far, she was here and alive to boot. His deadly case of wicked bad luck with a girl had seemed to end in the east coast of Miami, since Bambi was still alive and breathing in the west coast of Ruby Beach.

Finally, Bambi didn't know his true identity that brought about the series of whining, requesting, asking, seeking, begging, and sometimes demanding of a set of particularly selected expensive personal gifts that came with his billions of dollars as an international playboy billionaire lover.

1:28 p.m.

Gulf of Mexico ocean water

(one mile, west, from shoreline and beach)

Rowboat setting of Austin and Bambi

Inside the tiny row boat, Austin worked both biceps back and forth on the two individual paddle oars that were attached to the side of the row boat with a sweaty brow from the bright sunlight, slowly stroking away from the sandy shoreline of his beach house through the shallow water.

Bambi sat on the opposite side of the boat facing the open water, leaning down over the lip of the tiniest row boat in the world, reaching down and dragged one object at a time up from the water near a smile.

Austin occasionally leaned over to see and to name some of the swimming marine animals down in the clear blue water. The water sparkled. The sun sizzled. She shined. He twinkled. The sea atmosphere made for a perfect afternoon of fun and games. Austin stroked the waves with a smile. "The shallow coastal waters promote and feed a growth of tall seaweeds which nicely hides all the aqua mammals from people too. People, who move above the sandy floor, are exposed to predators while the many creatures protect themselves by burrowing down in the soft sea beds right here."

She reached down into the shallow water and grabbed, lifting up the wet object near her smile, sharing her aquatic knowledge. "The Roman goddess Venus rises up from the ocean water in housing of pretty colored gigantic scallop shell. In real life, a true ocean scallop shell of pretty pink or other color would be too heavy to float above the ocean wave."

He looked over the side of the boat with a smile. "The pile of neon green colored sea grasses is not a type of seaweed but a pile of flowering plants which are food for both animals and manatees."

She pointed down at the object in the water with a smile. "The wiggling sea creature is an elegant pen. It looks like an old-fashioned quill pen which is related to a sea anemone. Rows of tiny buds on each side of its body are used to capture small animals drifting by for food. Sea pens can glow in the dark, if not disturbed by predators or man."

He continued to row the boat backwards and worked both biceps with sweat until his eyeballs viewed down underwater a long stretch of brightly colored pink tinted coral reef that rested ten feet below the boat which was surrounded by a set of brown sea weeds and yellow sea grasses stopping the boat and slipped down a small anchor to secure the water craft. He didn't want to lose the sea transport, since the boat was one mile from the shoreline. He could swim back to the shoreline with great difficult with a girl on the top of his back spine.

He withdrew both oars from the water and back down into the floor board of boat also which was needed for the trip back home to the beach house and leaned over, dipping a hand down into the water with a smile. "I would say that the surface water temperature is low eighty degrees Fahrenheit this time of year. The eye visibility is about fifty-foot range in the water. There is a land bottom reef with a series of soft pink tinted colored coral reefs that runs parallel along the beach shore in ten feet of water which is perfect for a gang of scuba divers or shore snorkelers," he withdrew the hand up from the water with a nod.

She sat upright on top of the opposite bench seat with a smile to Austin. "I love to shore snorkeling."

He lifted a finger near a smile. "My only rule is that you can touch a sea life but not capture it. This is their home, not ours. I respect all sea life even the dangerous white shark and killer whale. They are the predators and the parents of all the other sea families. I am not. I will surrender my watery space in their water world."

"Touché," she nodded.

He scooted off the bench seat and spun around, squatting down, reaching inside underneath the bench seat, pulling out a large cloth bag over the planks, unzipping it. He pulled out a set of numerous items and handed each one to Bambi. He pulled out the same items for his person and stood upright, standing back down on the bench seat with a smile. "He raised the first item near a smile. "Here is a mask and a pair of swimming fins. We will swim out to the snorkeling site and then back to the row boat. Then we...."

She lifted both items into the air near a frown. "Wait! Where is my snorkel tube? I gotta breathe oxygen air, not salt water."

He smiled. "There is so much variety of subtropical and tropical sea lift that we will encounter lobsters and crabs in the cracks and crevasses of the reefs and the rocks. There are schools of barracuda, grouper, and spadefish is there in the water too. I wished that we had brought your sea spears. Then we catch fresh fish for dinner," he lifted the object near a smile. "We don't need a snorkel tube. This is a scuba helmet which is very similar to a sea diver helmet. It possesses an exterior clear face mask to see and an interior breathing apparatus inside the enclosed skull plate of the helmet to air. Place the helmet over the entire skull and clip it down shut. Then you can breathe and talk with me at the same time."

She twirled the helmet around and around both hands with a grin. "This scuba helmet is so cool, A.B. It looks like an actually alien skull with an egg shaped elongated head but in the color of electric blue, not green. Where did you buy this nifty apparatus breathing and talking face machine?"

"St..."

She looked up with a gasp. "What did you say?" He had almost mentioned the name of one of his Quartet brothers again. Bambi knew that she was sailing the true Austin Berrington. She just needed to get him to confess a name, a face or an action. Then she could tattle to the world. She wondered if the world was curiosity about the whereabouts of Austin. And Austin had not clearly identified his true person to Bambi for some strange reason either.

"Store in Miami, the metro city keeps the latest and greatest sea gear. People come from all over the world to shore snorkel in the Miami ocean waters," he covered the lie again. He didn't want Bambi to guess his true identity yet. Then she would fall madly in love with his money, not his person. He liked her a lot. She was young in her twenties with a sweet and innocent personality like Kattleen that also appeased his dick and appealed to his heart. Each Quartet wife was the same age as a husband. Austin wasn't picking about the age of the wife, only the beauty of the girl, since he was a vain and shallow kind of male. He would enjoy a younger wife who would be able to produce a child without any type of medical issues. He wanted to enjoy a little more time with Bambi while his emotions continued to sort out all the confused feelings of love or lust with the young hot girl.

Austin placed the scrub helmet over a worried brow and clipped it in place in silence. She duplicated his movement in silence. Then he raised a cupped hand and grabbed the tiny blue tinted handler on the side in front of the eardrum, jerking out the item, lifting in front of his face mask and spoke through the microphone of the scrub helmet. "This is a tiny scrub knife for cutting your own out of trouble."

She gasped through the face mask at the tiny knife in his hand. "What trouble? Is there trouble down there right now?"

"Maybe not, today!" He slid the knife up near the eardrum and clipped it back into the slot with a laugh, standing upright, climbing over the lip of the tiny row boat down into the water. He swam sideways and floated in front of her, swishing the flippers back and forth in the water, lifting both biceps into the air and said with a smile via the microphone inside the helmet to her. "Climb down! I'll capture you as my sea bounty."

She stood upright and spun around, climbing down into the water backward with a loud grunt and as his arms grabbed her waist. They sunk down and dove underwater together slowly swimming toward a row of pink tinted coral.

Bambi gasped through the face mask at the object. "No. No."

"What do you see?" He turned and stared at the dull gray object with a smile. "Ah! That's nurse shark. It wouldn't harm a newborn baby at Charity's nursery hospital."

She smiled at the shark through the face mask, "Hmm! I think the local hospital is called Ruby Beach Medical Center but they might offer charity to really sick patients."

He flipped the fins beside her and cleared a dry throat. "A nurse shark is docile and nice. Let's go over and pat hits nose." Austin had referenced the local hospital in Miami, not Ruby Beach If he didn't quit think before speaking, then she would figure out his true identity.

She waved both arms with a worried brow, "No. No."

"Yes. Yes," he reached over and grabbed her arm with a smile, tucking Bambi into his chest.

She frowned at the shark. "The nurse shark looks like it is injured or maybe dead. It is just resting there in stillness on the sea floor."

He smiled. "It's a ruse. It is really resting on the floor to lure crustaceans that are looking for a home shelter into becoming the dinner meal for the evening."

She laughed into the microphone of the scuba helmet. "O. It's like the opossum of the ocean."

He laughed. "The shark breaths by pumping water through the mouth and the gills. They dine on spiny lobsters, crabs, shrimp, sea urchins, marine snails, and other seafood kinda like us. The shark is ovoviviparous meaning all her eggs develop and hatch inside the body of the female where all the baby hatchlings grow until the live birth. Gestation is six months with a typical litter pup of twenty-one to twenty-eight. The nurse shark rests and sleeps and eats on the sea floor in the warm shallow water. You can pet one, but don't pull its tail!"

They slowly swam around the pod of brown grayish colored sleeping nurse sharks without touching it.

Austin said. "The shark has a set of strong jaws that are filled with thousands of small, serrated teeth. This particular species of shark is among the most docile creature in the sea. But a nurse shark or two has been known to bit a finger or two off when provoked. They are nocturnal while hunting alone at night and resting during the day in large groups. When it moves, the body is very slow and sluggish. They are non-migratory and adapt to colder temperatures by decreasing their activity level. The scientific name is _Ginglymostoma cirratum_ which means 'curled, hinged mouth.' They grow to fourteen feet and a weight up to 330 pounds. They are gray-brown colored with a set of distinctive tail fins that account for up to a quarter of the length.

She reached out with a naked hand and lightly stroked the brown-grayish skin with a smile. "It is so soft and smooth."

He reached out and touched the mammal with a smile. "Yes, a real shark has rough exterior skin until it eats your hand."

She frowned. You don't know that."

He withdrew the hand with a smile and wiggled all fingers near the side of the helmet. "I might not but I still have my hands. It reaches maturity at fifteen years with a life span up to twenty-five years old. But don't get it confused with its cousin the gray colored shark which is known as the sand tiger shark. There's one over there..."

"Where?" She swam into the chest of Austin with a gasp of fear.

He cuddled her with a chuckle with the clever love moment, dropping them down into a horizontal pose, flipping the flappers toward the next sea creature. "It turned to attack the pod of dolphins that are swimming deeper inside the bay. It won't hurt us. The dolphins will protect us."

She turned to see the open waters and narrowed both eyelashes for the shark and the dolphins. Where?"

"Over there!" Austin swam with a smile toward the next sea creature. "Look down below us!"

She looked down with a gasp into the microphone of the scuba helmet, "How beautiful? That is a blue and yellow tinted eagle ray."

He smiled. "That eagle ray is about sixty inches at least."

She smiled. "The gentle giant doesn't stir up the waves but glides gently underneath object like our light wooden craft. The pectoral fin or wing beats up or down, when the ray swims in a flying motion. They are also called a flying eagle ray. They feed on seabed prey searching shellfish with its snout. The fish are crushed between bands of flattened teeth."

He reached out and grabbed the object, holding with a hand and a smile, "An orange starfish for you!"

She reached out and grabbed the starfish with a giggle, gently dropping it back down onto the bottom of the sea. "It can lose an arm, if being attacked and will grow it back in the same spot."

He waved the object away from the face mask with a smile, "A group of blue and white sea slugs."

She reached over with a giggle and tickled his naked chest. "A sea slug stabs their mate between their eyes to get them into the mood for love."

Austin reached out with a chuckle inside the helmet and waved a hand at the sea slug. "And the sea slug feeds on sea plants. It is able to detach, re-grow, and then reuse its penis for sex and non-sex."

"Naw!"

"Yeah! Scientists have documented all the sexy events. A sea slug has a disposable penis. The species is both the male and female with both sexual organs and can use them both at the same time. The first ever transgender fishy," chuckling.

"That's not nice, A.B."

"But it is so true.

She jabbed a finger at the sea creature, "Awe! Look, there's a cute little red and white striped clown fish. Ha, ha, ha..."

Austin reached out with both hands and tried to catch the fish, "It's a quick little thing!"

She smiled through the face mask. "A clown fish can live from six to ten years while growing four inches long, if some arrogant selfish kid doesn't dump it down into a home aquarium. It dances around the coral reef for protection of its new home. However, I don't see a bright colorful bowtie or a great big red nose anywhere on its tiny fishy skull," she reached out and touched the passing school of fish, "Awe! A school of blue and yellow angelfish, angelfishes are the most beautiful of reef creatures. Their colors are deep and rich feeding on coral rock."

"And each one is named after you, precious angel," Austin flapped the fins and swam beside her with a smile.

"Look! I see a swift moving tan colored seahorse," she jabbed a finger in the water at the object.

He laughed. "The tiny sea creature is high tailing for home within the thick green colored sea plants that protrude and jaunt off the long pink tinted coral reef. Each tiny horse hangs onto plants with a curled tail. They swim with the body upright in the water and move by a set of waves passing down through their dorsal fins. They eat smaller animals sucked into their mouth holes," he halted and stood upright in the water with a smile, pointing at the object with a smile. "Ah! Our mission has been completed, a coral rock of mussels for dinner, tonight," he released her hand and stood upright in the water in front of the coral reef, raising the arm and touched, jerking down the scrub knife down in front of a chest with a smile.

She stood upright with a sour frown and looked down at his diver knife. "Austin, individual date shells or mussels are bore into the coral and they are illegal to capture."

He stared at the abundant of mussels inside the rock and opened the net bag wide for the true bounty of the night. "Do you see an underwater sea patrol of police divers? No, I didn't either. Anyways, we are all alone off my personal shoreline. I own the sandy white shoreline to ten miles out into the Gulf of Mexico," Austin used the knife to pull out each mussel from the coral reef and dropped each one down into the net bag.

She floated upright and hovered beside his nose profile with a frown. "How can you own part of the ocean? No one owns the ocean. It belongs to everyone."

"I am..."

She smiled. "What did you say?"

He exhaled with a huff of another lie and a sour frown, continuing to work at plucking out each mussel. "I am quoting the sea law, since I am a lawyer..."

She floated in the water near his bicep without interfering with the work. "Is that your work occupation, Austin? You never mentioned your professional work. I am retired from my working professional career while spending my hot day and heated nights on the beach."

"I, sorta, am. I'm on vacation. I can toss our stolen bag of mussels down into a pot of hot water and then serve with brother..."

"Brother?" She frowned with a smirk. Austin continues to keep referencing each one of his brothers. Maybe, he had a fight with one or all of the arrogant men, after all each one was a billionaire with a set of brass, balls, and billions.

He gasped at the spoken tender word of love while actually thinking about his three brothers. He had been away for almost four weeks. Stu had mentioned on the telephone call a few hours ago that the new mansion under construction was almost completely very swiftly, since money talked and bull shit walked. He swam sideways and stopped, floating upright in front of the low pink tinted coral reef and reached out, plucking out each gray colored mussel from the rock, clearing a throat. "I will serve our bag of stolen mussels with a broth of white wine, garlic, and parsley, where I happen to have all the ingredients but the mussels. I do not cook but F...my friend has taught me a couple of easy recipes for a single bachelor with precious you and the shining stars," he slipped the last stolen mussel into the diver bag. "There! I believe that we will feast like a king and a queen tonight," he reached up and stored, clipping the baby knife back up into the slot on the face mask. "I'll race you back to the boat. The first one inside the boat wins."

She spun around and swam alongside Austin with a smile. "What do I win? Once I reach the row boat first."

He smiled. "The winner doesn't clean the fishy smelly dishes tonight."

She frowned. "No fair! I won the academic challenge."

"It was a tie."

She frowned, "How so? I presented more academic and scientific facts than you."

Austin smiled. "That's why we are racing again, since it was a tie," he started flipping the two fins up and down while pumping a set of arm biceps side to side with a chuckle inside the face mask, swimming ahead of her.

She gasped. "No, I will win," Bambi kicked the fins up and down while parting the water with both arms like a breast stroke.

They continued to race in puffs of heavy breathes inside the audible face mask sailing smoothly through the underwater world of fish and coral reefs toward the tiny row boat, running almost neck to neck. Austin had done all the arm work with the rolling out the tiny boat and plucking out each mussel, since he was the man and older than the young adult female.

She slowly edged passed his helmet toward the anchor of the boat, slapping a hand on the chain first, swimming upward and broke the water surface first also with a cheer and a laugh. "I win. I win. I don't do the dishes tonight."

"O shark teeth! I don't like to lose," he swam upward and broke the water, floating behind her back spine with a smile and reached, lifting her up and into the boat. She crawled into the floor and spun around, leaning over the edge and assisted Austin into the tiny boat. Then they collided into each other and fell backwards down onto the floor together with a set of laughs and smiles. He leaned down and banged the helmet into her face plate with a gasp of worry, pulling back, sitting back on the kneecaps. "I am sorry about that. I lost my head," he laughed and assisted her to stand upright on both kneecaps too.

2:42 p.m.

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Gulf of Mexico ocean water location

Row boat setting

They faced each other with a smile. He reached up and clipped off the helmet, reaching over, clipping off her helmet next. Each one removed the scrub helmet as he reached out and grabbed, storing each helmet and a pair of flapper fins back down into the chest that was underneath the bench seat for the next fun snorkeling trip with Bambi. He stood upright and spun around, reaching down and hauled up the anchor to row by toward the shore, storing it inside the floor of the boat.

She looked up with a smile to see the skyline. "Look up at the pretty sky! It is a yellow, pink, purple, blue sunset. The evening is so pretty here. I could live here for the rest of my days. Do you wanna live here for the rest of your life, A.B.?"

He spun around and sat down on the bench seat, reaching out and lifting up each oar with a stern face. Austin enjoyed his free and wasted time here in Ruby Beach, but he was missing his brothers, his business, and his old life of babes. The long vacation had restored his sanity, his smile, and his simplicity. The 2:31 am 'babe dreams' had completely stopped inside a sleepy mind while Austin slumbered from midnight until the early dawn in peace and happiness. He exhaled with a huff of regret. "I..."

She spun around and sat down beside Austin, scooting into his naked body with a smile. "I can help row too, since you are cleaning all the dirty dishes by yourself."

He worked both biceps with the two oars with a chuckle and a smile. "I have a ma..."

"What did you say?" Bambi turned and laughed into his nose profile at the visual sight of Austin washing a dirty plate. She had read inside the unofficial biography that Austin had a houseful of servants that performed all the domestic chores.

He slowly flipped the pair of oars up and down, slowly sailing the row boat with a loud grunt. "I have a mind to toss all the dirty dishes into the dishwasher to clean," he slowly steered and twisted the boat back toward the shoreline with a smile.

"The day has been fun. What are you doing tonight?"

"After a scrupulous dinner of illegal mussels..."

She reached over and slapped his bicep with a smile, dropping the hand back over his bicep with a laugh, "You!"

He continued to paddle the row boat with a chuckle. "We will make a baby..."

She gaped. "What did you say?"

This girl made him hot and heated. He cleared a throat with a grin. "We will meet a baby turtle. I read that there is a nesting site of turtle eggs nearby. Are you familiar with the hot spot perhaps?"

She slowly rowed the oar with his rhythm with a smile. "Yeah, I know the spot."

Thirty minutes later, the row boat crashed into the shallow water and the shoreline with a soft thump. Austin pulled in both the two oars into the floor board of the tiny row boat and stood upright, climbing over the lip, splashing down into the water with smile. He reached out with both arms to Bambi. She stood upright with a smile and moved into Austin. He lifted her up into the air and landed her in front a chest with a grin, twisting them and moved ahead toward the beach house.

5:05 p.m.

New beach house of Austin

Hot temperatures and windy with bright sunshine

Beach sandy shoreline setting

Bambi looked down to the sand and pointed at the object with a smile. "Look at the group of the walking crabs!"

Austin looked down with a grin to see a set of walking crab that slowly moved over the sand back into the water to eat and sleep, "Ah! It is the side dish for our main course for dinner, too."

She laughed. "The species is called a mashed crap. See? It has a mashed and smashed face-like markings like on the seashell, hence the name. It reburies itself in the sand, if you don't capture and cook it for out dinner tonight."

He laughed. "Okay! You have twisted my arm. We will eat a pot of walking crap tomorrow night."

She exhaled. "We can eat inside the restaurant like maybe consuming a burger tomorrow night, Bambi pointed at the moving crab. "The colors of bright yellow legs plus gold-brownish rounded body properly hides under the sand which is camouflaged during the day only its two antennae sticking out."

He grinned. "Ouch!"

She smiled. "These feelers have bristles linking them together forming a breathing tube, when the crab is buried deep down in the white sands of Ruby Beach which is on your property. Water passes down the breathing tube and over the gills of the crab. At night, the animal eats small shrimp."

He dashed ahead with a grin and stopped, leaning down, plucking six of the army of walking crabs up from the sands and quickly stored them down into the net bag with the illegal mussels for their shared dinner without a word but a chuckle. Then he stood upright with an evil laugh and swiftly ran ahead toward the house with his sea bootie, entering the living room, moving toward the kitchen.

She gasped in alarm. "A.B., you come back here and release these poor crabs!" Bambi ran ahead with a sour frown and entered the house also. "A.B., are you hearing me?"

9:24 p.m.

Moonlight and slight wind and warm temperatures

Barefoot Cove location

White sandy beach setting

After dining on fresh assortment of mussels, crab legs, shrimp, glasses of white wine and cheesecake, they walked holding hands down to the isolated part of beach for a sea turtle birthday party. Austin had refused to honor the losing pose by washing one dirty plate and whisked Bambi away from the beach mansion inside the sports car.

They traveled to the hot spot to watch the baby turtles.

Austin had forgotten the borrowed mobile telephone from Stu on purpose, not disturbing the silence of the moment with the run of baby turtles and his new babe Bambi, because he enjoyed her company more that listening to the whines of three nosy brothers.

On top of the wet sands, Austin and Bambi rested together on top of the soft blanket while cuddling with her, pointing at the sands with a smile and a whisper into her eardrum, "Baby sea turtles."

"The species is scientific named _Chelonioidea_. A turtle inhabits all of the world's oceans, except the fridge Arctic."

He smiled. "Do tell!"

"Some species of turtle travel between the oceans like the flat back turtle. The flat back turtle is found solely on the northern coast of Australia."

He watched the sand. "Do tell!"

"They are almost always submerged down into water and have developed an anaerobic system of breathing surfacing quickly and then refilling its lung with a single explosive exhalation and rapid inhalation while avoiding trapped gases during deep dives, unlike humans."

"The average life span of the turtle is eighty years."

She forcefully punched two of his naked ribs with a giggle. "You read too." He liked her laugh which was nice sweet girly sound. She whispered. "After mating at sea, the adult female sea turtle returns to land to nest at night. In extreme case, the female returns to the beach, where her little babies hatch which takes place every two to four years within turtle's mama-hood."

He continued to watch the flipping turtles underneath the soft lightning. "The mommy makes one to eight nests per season."

"The female hauls herself onto the beach sand, creating a nest. Using her hind flippers, she digs a hole of sixteen inches deep down into the soft sand. Then, she starts to lay her eggs one by one."

"She can deposit around fifty to two hundred baby eggs."

"Some species have been reported to lay two hundred and fifty eggs such as the Hawksbill turtle."

"After laying the eggs, she refills the nest with sand, re-sculpturing, and re-smoothing the surface, until it is relatively undetectable visually. The whole process takes thirty to sixty minutes. She then returns back into the ocean, leaving the eggs untended."

"The sex gender of hatchling depends on the sand temperature. Lighter sands maintain higher temperatures which decreases incubation time and results in more female hatchlings."

He chuckled with a grin into her eardrum. "Are you interested in a hatchling also?"

She smiled. "Incubation time of each egg takes two months. The eggs in one nest hatch all together. When ready, the hatchlings tear their shells apart with their snout and dig through the sand. Once they reach the surface, they instinctively head towards the sea. Only zero point one percent succeeds, because of their enemy the seagull that enjoys gorging on the new baby turtles. And progressive city beach development threatens both the babies and adult sea turtles."

"That is not an issue here in Ruby Beach ever."

"In some areas of the State of Florida, a team of conservationists will dig up all the eggs and then relocate them into a safely fenced off nursery to protect them from beach combers like this one."

He fingers the flood light on the tall pole. "The hatchlings crawl towards the brightest horizon and can become disoriented easily. See the amber soft bulbs! The soft light is invisible to the babies. The lighting restrictions can prevent artificial lamps from shining onto the beach and confuse the hatchlings."

She smiled. "Bravo for the hatchlings! Sea turtles play a key role in the ecosystem of oceans and beaches, land, and seas. They eat the pile of ugly sea grass that grows on bottom of the sea floor which aid in the development of numerous species of fish and other marine life. A decline in the sea grass beds would trigger a chain reaction impacting all aquatic marine and human life."

He whispered. "Also the other hatchlings that fail to make it into the ocean become a batch of nutrient sources for the dune vegetation. Every year, each sea turtle lays countless eggs on down into the sandy ocean beaches. Along one twenty-mile strip of beach in Florida, it is estimated that more than 150,000 pounds of eggs are laid each year."

"Wow! I didn't know that particular research item."

"Look! They are emerging," his eyeballs had a hard to see through the soft amber light disguising a tiny green shell. "Squint your eyelids! You can catch a blurry glance of a fast moving set of tiny flippers hitting the white reflective sand from the overhead illumination.

She smiled with a whisper, "So tiny and cute!"

He whispered into her eardrum, "And so are you..." he leaned over and kissed her cheekbone, sliding over her body with a smile underneath the dull amber lightning and the ray of bright moonlight. They kissed on the lips and didn't bother to follow the rest of the baby turtles that left the sand and into the ocean water.

Sunday October 24th

City of Memphis within the US State of Tennessee

(1,055 miles northwest of Coral Beach, Florida)

Warm temperatures with parted clouds of dull sunshine

**M** emphis is located within the southwest corner of the United States with a population of 670,000 making it the largest city in the state. People are called Memphians and the region is known as the mid-south.

The land spot had been first settled by the Chickasaw Indians and then explored by the Spaniard Hernando de Soto and Frenchman Rene Robert Cavalier. The city of Memphis was founded by John Overton, James Winchester, and Andrew Jackson in the year 1819 and was named after the ancient capital of Egypt on the Nile River, because of the substantial bluff rising high above the Mississippi River bank. The cotton economy forced labor of large number of slaves made Memphis one of the major slave markets during the antebellum era.

During the civil war, the city of Memphis was captured by the Union Army serving as a supply base while prospering throughout the war. In the year 1878, the worst outbreak of yellow fever killed seventy-five percent of the population.

The city is composed of 313.8 square miles with 15.4 miles of fresh water. The city of Memphis rises from a bluff along the Mississippi River outward and over southwest Tennessee and down into northern Mississippi and east toward Arkansas with the notably Overton Park in Midtown. There are four natural aquifers with pure soft water which is located 1,100 feet underground which is estimated to contain more than 110 trillion gallons of water.

The climate temperatures are 49 degrees in the cold month of wintertime January to 92 degrees in hottest month of summertime July for the population consisting of 62.4 percent African Americans, 29.5 percent whites and the rest mixed of Asian, Native American and Pacific Islander. Memphis is home of American music genres including blues, gospel, rock and country music songs with the great musicians including Elvis, Johnny Cash, and BB King. Memphis is known for music and is ranked as the fourth most dangerous city within the US with a total of 52.5 percent robbery and homicide crimes on individuals, keeping the police department busy.

Tourism includes the house of Graceland which is the home of Elvis; the National Civil Rights Museum, and the Memphis Wall of Fame for musicians, numerous parks, a zoo, a set of nature trails and botanical gardens.

7:22 a.m. (Central Time Zone)

House of Dent Daniel Dingo

Interior master bedroom setting

The mobile telephone rang with a southern march of rolling drums and tooting trumpets. The arm reached over and grabbed the telephone, lifting the devise into a smile of the male. "Good morning, darling!" Dingo chuckled into the tiny speaker and enjoyed being difficult to his contacts while resting on a back spine inside the bed mattress, talking with the contact, who were a set of people that searched, scouted, and found the Mark for arrest and then payment of money into his privately owned investigation firm.

His honey bun, a short and slender girl with blonde pixie hair and a pair of bright green eyes was named Dia Daisy Diamond. She sat on top of his dick, bouncing up and down with a smile, listening to the one-sided conversation in beautiful nakedness. He was a short and squat male with weathered skin and a head of long shaggy black-grayish hair.

They lived and worked in Memphis, finding people that liked to hide out from the law. They used a hand gun to arrest and place the people back inside a jail cell for a payment of money, earning an honest living.

Bounty hunter Dia started out her young life as a student in high school, returning back home to discover her biological parents in a set of two separate puddles of red colored blood coming from a set of twin cold-blood murders. Then she went hunting for the set of two teenage boys, who had robbed her house also. After she shot the brain cells out the other side of a hairy skull, the sheriff showed up and pinned Dia as a junior deputy for the good job of justice, the Tennessee way. Then, the sheriff hired Dia as a deputy, tracking down druggies and drug pushers in the black hills of Tennessee at the age of sixteen years old.

At the age of eighteen years, the young teen Dia met an older and mature fifty-year-old Dingo while falling head over heels in love with the man while living and hunting alone as a full time bounty hunter, too. She didn't like to hang out at teen social parties, on the water with boaters, or stoned in a room with silly druggies. Dingo was kind, tender, and understanding, a widow, overweight, and grunted with pleasure with his love-compassion tickling his penis into explosion of lust.

Dingo was the private owner of Dingo's Dogs, a private bounty hunter agency in the metro city of Memphis. Normally, the dogs picked up a murderer, a thief, a robber, a wife beater, or overall a dumb ass who was stupid enough to hold a hot smoking gun or a folded fist around the region of the South. He found the missing or runaway or hiding out person of any race, any gender, any size, any kind, man, woman, child, and even lost pets for money as long as the price was right. He averaged finding one lost person or pet per week, providing good money, good benefits, and a good job.

Dingo paused and listened to the contact on the other end of the telephone connection.

"Is that entire story?"

Pause.

"Find out more, if you can, even if it's hot juicy gossip."

Pause.

"Then call me back as soon as you can."

Pause.

"Yeah," on top of the bed linens, Dingo swished the mobile telephone off and dropped it down on top of the bed with a chuckle. "We got a job of new work to do, honey bee. Today's assignment is out of state. Our new Mark is Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth."

She gasped. "Hell naw!"

He grinned. "Hell yeah!"

"How much money for a hot Mark on Badass Berrington?"

"Five million cool ones!"

"That's a lot of hot sizzling money, five million dollars. Who offered up a heated Mark on Berrington?"

"This bold bitch has a keen interest on his ass."

"Why does she have a keen interest in a heated Mark on Berrington in what way?"

"A money way..."

She parted the lips with a gasp. "This bitch is marking him for a something, the boss of the Quartet. Is she sucking dog shit for breakfast?"

"Naw. She only wants his current and present location. Berrington has been missing in fucking action lately. So we go down and do some spying for this bitch woman. Then we come back and report our spying back to her for some fast cash."

Dia shook her curls with a worried brow. "Honey bear, I do not like this. Please do not get involved with this bitch, her money of five million dollars, and her Mark on Berrington. The Quartet is way worser than any single nasty mobster. They do not ask questions, ever. They do not accept apologies, never. They kill you deader with a loud bang, gone. Then, you are gone traveling up to the great beyond into the stars and heaven. I would never..."

"Me and you will work separately this time."

She slowly bounced up and down on top of his dick with a puzzled brow. "Why are we working separately on the money Mark of Berrington?"

He grunted with pleasure. "I want you to go to down Miami but change your physical appearance, so you can't be remembered by a pair of smart neurons while visiting down there and then search for Berrington."

She reached up and touched the hair with a smile and a nod. "Yeah, I can do that for you, not her. So what do I do if I do find him? I did that before. I altered my appearance on a job."

"Call me!"

He reached over and slapped her naked butt with a grunt and a smile. "I want you to get up and on a plane out of here of Memphis and down into Miami in South Florida. Go and check out some of the hotels and beach scenes with the other Quartet brothers. Berrington has been in hiding for some reason lately, but he still spends his money and lives the good life on the beach in Miami. Just spot and spy on the brothers. One of them will locate and take straight to Berrington and then call me. I will relay the spying information directly to the bitch and then I collect the cool five million dollars in cash and in person. Then we will split away from cold Memphis and move to a hot island for you and me, honey bee," he grunted with pleasure.

Dia bounded up and down and gained speed, creating friction between her vagina and his penis with a set of giggles and smiles. Then his dick popped out an array of hot sperm into her pussy with a smile of pleasure and as he smiled with lust.

Dia was twenty-six years old who was ready and able to become a wife, a mother, and a lover to her man Dingo. He was fifty-six, who was really disabled and ready to retire onto a sizzling heated Caribbean island for the rest of his life, marrying Dia, becoming a father for the first time.

She exhaled with a smile of pleasure and a giggle. "Remember, Dingo? Kitties only possess extra lives, not doggies, honey bear. And I like your doggie, Dingo," she leaned over and kissed his lips, pulling back with a wink and a grin.

"I like your titties, kitty," he smiled with pleasure.

She slid off a red and swallow elongated penis with a giggle and stood upright with a wink, twirling around and prissed a naked ass into the bathroom, closing the door to shower and ready for the flight to Miami.

The mobile telephone rang with a southern march of rolling drums and tooting trumpets for a second time. The arm reached over and grabbed the telephone, lifting the devise into a smile of the male. "Good morning, darling!" Dingo chuckled with a smile into the tiny speaker.

Dingo paused and listened to the contact on the other end of the telephone connection.

"I thought as much. So, this bold bitch has seen her runaway adult daughter hanging around and kissing on Badass Berrington. And the daughter gave away to Berrington all the monies from her private bank account in the cow town of Pulleese which is near the Alabama and Tennessee state lines. That's a major embezzlement crime which usually involves the FBI or IRS or another US federal government agency, not small potatoes Dingo's Dogs."

Pause.

He frowned. "Except, this motherfucker bitch mama wants all the money back from her empty personal bank account which I suspect was acquired illegally, since it was taken illegally by the flesh and blood daughter. What about the hot Mark on Berrington?"

Pause.

"I thought as much. The motherfucker bitch mama knows someone who knows someone, who wants Berrington taken alive, not dead."

Pause.

"The daughter is nicknamed Bambi, who happens to be running around loose and free footed somewhere in Miami, Florida with Berrington. He lives and works there. So that makes sense! If I were Berrington, I would be fucking an eighteen-year-old girl named Bambi too."

Pause.

"How am I going to locate Berrington, who has disappeared off planet Earth?"

Pause.

He laughed. "First, I find her and then I find him for a fast cool five million dollars."

Pause.

"Bye, forever! The next time, you hear from me. I will be calling you from my grass hut among the golden sand of a Caribbean isle," Dingo dropped the mobile telephone from an eardrum with a smile, reaching down and massaging a sore penis with a grunt of pain.

East Coast of US State of Florida

5:05 p.m.

City of Coral Gables

(7.8 miles west from Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Miami City Hotel room setting

South Dixie Highway location

5:05 p.m.

Miami is a major city on the Atlantic coast in South Florida within Miami-Dade County with a census total of 5,914,712 ranking as the seventh largest city within the USA. It is a well-known global city for finance, commerce, culture, media, fashion, education, film, print media, entertainment, the arts, international trade, and home to the largest concentration of international banking in the US. The Port of Miami is the number one cruise port in the world. Historically, the city was first inhabited more than 1,000 years by the Tequesta Indian Tribe and then claimed by the foreign country of Spain in the year 1566.

The nickname, the Magic City was remarked when the winter visitors grew so much from year to the next that it was like magic. The city of Miami contains more than fifty skyscrapers rising over four hundred feet making the skyline ranked third among the other metro cities of New York City and Chicago. Tourism is an important industry to the Magic City with beaches, conventions, festivals, and events drawing in twelve million visitors per year to the Art Deco district of South Beach. Miami has the smallest land area of any city with only 35.68 square miles of land in a metro area of 2.5 million people. The suburbs and the city exist between the Florida Everglades to the west and Biscayne Bay to the east extending from Florida Bay north to Lake Okeechobee. The land elevation is forty feet above sea level. The main portion of the city lies on the shores of Biscayne Bay, which contains several hundred natural and artificially created barrier islands; the largest is Miami Beach and South Beach. The Gulf Stream, a warm ocean current runs northward fifteen miles off the shore, allowing warm and mild climate all year around with hot and humid summers and short, warm winters marked by a dry season in wintertime. The average time is sixty-eight degrees in the winter month of January to ninety degrees in the summer month of July.

Inside the parking lot of the Miami City Hotel, Dia slid out and stood upright in a pair of walking red colored shorts, a white T-shirt, and a pair of black sneakers from the driver's seat of the rental car, turning to scan the landscape with a sour frown, wiping the sweat from a pale face. "It is as hot as hell here in Miami," she reached down and grabbed the small bag, standing upright and slammed the door, spinning around and dashed ahead to the rental room with a stern face.

She had flown from the city of Memphis and landed here in Miami, driving a rental car from the Miami International Airport down the city street of Bird Road turning south onto South Dixie Highway following the directional computer device on the dashboard of the rental car. She had easily located the Miami City Hotel and then confirmed the reservation for the night and forth coming nights, if she did not find both the missing female named Bambi and the missing male named Berrington or her code name of B and B.

Dia had been hired by a client to find Berrington and the lost daughter named Bambi and stood about five miles east from the famous and inaccessible beach town of Coral Beach within the US State of Florida which are four private estate manors of the Quartet. The Quartet was a set of four non-biological brothers who are named Frank, Tom, Stu, and Austin.

Dia stopped and stood in front of the locked hotel room. "Out of my limit," she giggled and jiggled the hotel keys into the locked door with a grin with a small bag over the other arm with a whisper for her eardrums only. "If I can't beat them, then I will join them which is part of my charm along with my beauty is my brains," laughing.

She will scout and spy with the Quartet moving out and about the city during each social function, cultural event, and high society gala ball. Dia liked dancing, dining, and doing fun stuff too. There were numerous unlimited resources advertising all the upcoming parties for the Quartet through the numerous newspapers, magazines, television, and internet services. She had purchased every single physical media item inside the airport before driving to the hotel.

Inside the parking lot, the hotel door swung open.

Dia moved ahead inside with a smile at the nice and clean looking hotel room and moved ahead, stopping and slipped the bag and her body over the soft bed covers. She jerked the lump of newspapers and spread them over the fabric while reading the new information.

Dia found the needed information for today. It was the "Save the Everglades" social event. She had read that the Quartet donated millions of dollars for the noble cause. And the local committee was giving the Quartet a special award tonight at seven pm.

She slipped backward from the messy bedcovers and stood upright, unzipping the bag with a smile and a hum, reaching in and unpacked each the clothing item. She lifted and dropped the dress reaching down and smoothed out the simple black gown over the bed covers with a smile. The color of black was always an elegant style of fashion everywhere around the globe. She was here for a bounty job finding the lost daughter of a bitch in Memphis named Bambi and then dragging a fat ass of the daughter out the door of the hotel, into the rental car while tied and bound, if need be.

Then Dia and Bambi would return back home to Tennessee and then collect the five million bounty dollars from the biological mother for the lost daughter named Bambi. Then she and Dingo would move away from great US State of Tennessee and start a small family with a single child.

City of Coconut Grove

(2.5 miles east from the hotel)

Moonlight rays and bright stars

Dance and Dinner Gala

Housekeepers Club setting

South Bayshore Drive location

Hot temperatures with dull sunrays

7:22 p.m.

The Housekeepers Club was really the Women's Club of Coconut Grove which was located on South Bayshore Drive that had been founded in the year 1891 by Flora McFarlane. It was originally a meeting place of the first public elementary school for children. The clubhouse was built in the year 1921 and designed by renowned architect Walter de Garmo. The structure was added to the US National Register of Historic Places on March 26, 1975.

Dia drove from the Miami City Hotel room and stopped, parking the rental car inside an empty flat gray colored parking lot with the other vehicles at the Housekeepers Club building. She opened the door and slid out from the seat, standing and pressed down the black dress with a giggle, slamming the car door shut, strolling ahead with a smile along with the rest of the socialites into the two story building of bright orange and white tones.

Inside the pretty air conditioned lobby reception room, the social and recreational theme of the gala was a Hawaiian Luau as Dia moved ahead and entered directly into the large glittering and colorful auditorium of tables and chairs without a male escort or a golden invitation or a security guard without stopping her. She didn't need to present a driver's license either. She had colored her head of glittering bright blonde hair roots with a semi-permanent mixture of light brown while appearing a little ordinary with a pair of brown eyes on a tone of pale tinted skin.

She had removed the facial piercing from the upper lip and the left nostril as long as she didn't go any longer than a week of seven days then she could place each silver ball and silver tinted nose ring back into the open slot. There weren't many rays of sunshine between the thick tree branches of the wild forestland on the peak mountain in Tennessee, only snow, ice, and her boyfriend Dingo. And Dian wasn't an outdoor girl either.

Dia slowly strolled around the tables, the chairs while fitting into the common crowd where the elegant rich people were dressed in rich black ankle-length ball gowns and white tuxedoes with a colorful bowtie.

Each one of a younger male jerk wore an actually true version of a hazard material containment body suit for fun and giggles. A hazmat suit was a garment that was worn as body protection from any type of hazardous materials that came from nuclear radiation fallout, not the paper multi-colored floral leis. Each male jerk wore a self-contained breathing mouthpiece which was attached to an oxygen tank on the back spine with a yellow helmet over a hairy skull of the one-piece yellow tinted denim coveralls.

Dia smiled at the sinister scene which was funny but did show the importance of a clean environment for animals, humans, and any unborn babies.

After shaking the weird sight from her brain cells, Dia stopped and scanned the auditorium room. On the side wall, there a green tinted grass-covered rooftop and tan colored hut which was surrounded by an array of colorful flower lei garlands, a pair of fake flaming yellow tinted torches, and a pair of individual inflatable tall tan colored palm tree without the real or fake brown colored coconuts. There were a set of sand boxes that contained actually golden sand from Miami Beach which held an array of pretty colorful seashells, white sand dollars, plastic brown colored starfishes, blue colored fake sea horses, red colored fake lobsters, and red colored crabs that were tagged on the bottom with an individual money prize for fun. Each dinner table was dressed up in a green colored grass beach skirt, numerous clear bowls of purple colored orchid with a floating lighted candle, and a set of individual hurricane glasses that was filled with ice cubes and plain water.

Dia stopped and stood in front of the refreshment table, looking down at a tray of yellow colored butter mint, reaching out and ate one. She looked up with a smile to the ceiling. An assortment of smiling paper sun designs, swinging colorful tropical fishes, and a herd of large paper jumbo parrots rained down from the ceiling toward the floor hovering right above the giant inflatable blue and white dolphin and two pink flamingos center piece on each table.

A gigantic red, blue, yellow stripped beach ball rolled across the dance floor as each paired couple boogied side to side and bounced up and down to the rock and roll music, slamming a foot into the beach ball on the next dancer. Each guest wore a hula green colored grass skirt, a red colored fake flower lei, a beach tan colored straw hat, a pair of dark sunglasses, and a pink colored flower bracelet.

Dia strolled around and stopped, standing in front of the gift table, reaching out with a smile, selecting one of the empty tote bags of yellow hue that held a pair of blue flip flops while filling the bag with a set of silver key chains, red tag necklaces, brown hair clips, pink seashells, and white sand dollars as a gift to her boyfriend Dingo, after returning back home to Tennessee with her bounty named Bambi. However, Dia was having fun while missing Dingo. She spun around at the end of the gift table and moved ahead while reaching out and snatched up the numerous tiny bits of food that came from the roaring waiters while searching for the bounty Bambi. Dia held the mobile telephone in the palm of the hand looking down to see the digital face of Bambi. Bambi possessed a head of short brown colored hair, a tone of dark tinted skin, a small nose, a wide mouth, a round face, a pair of brown eyes and did not look similar to her biological father.

The mother of Bambi did not give a hint into the source of information about Berrington or Bambi. Dia wasn't going to ask as she was only the bounty huntress.

On top of the elevated platform, the older hostess in the long red colored gown of the gala called out for all the attendees to stroll elegantly toward the assigned dining room table for dinner. Dia found one inside a wall corner with only a single couple who completed to eye each while ignoring her. She reached out and munched on a shrimp cocktail, a green garden salad, and a small cup of green mint sherbet that cleaned a mouth freshly before the main entrée of roasted dark pig meat and juicy white lobster meat. Dian was a healthy girl wanting to have a baby with her boyfriend Dingo and then move to a Caribbean island for the rest of her life, leaving the cold and damp mountains of Tennessee.

The tall nice waiter appeared and stood beside the nose profile on Dia in silence and served a small plate of pretty green colored key lime pie for the evening dessert.

Dia looked down at the key lime pie with a smile, slicing off a piece, devouring the tart flavor while overhearing at the table next to her eardrum.

The award part had been completed and presented to the members of the Quartet. The Quartet had arrived for the festival in their honor and then had left the gala for another social engagement during the early evening.

It was just her bad luck to miss the Quartet and Berrington who was tattle to be escorting Bambi around the city of Miami.

So Dia reached over and lifted up the glass to the lips, draining the sweet dessert wine with a smack and lowered the empty glass. She stood upright with a smile and back stepped from the table with a full stomach of good food, spinning around and slowly left the building and the social event and drove back to the hotel to report back to Dingo the bad news.

Monday October 25th

City of Coral Gables

Warm temperatures with dull sunlight and parted clouds

Miami City Hotel

(7.8 miles west of Coral Beach)

South Dixie Highway location

6:56 a.m.

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunshine

**I** nside the hotel room, Dia awoke with a smile from numerous beams of bright warm sunrays coming from the open window panes and rolled off the mattress, standing upright and reached high, stretching out all the limbs with an ugly yawn and a set of sleepy crumbs in both eye sockets. She rubbed the face and reached down, snatching the remote control devise from the night stand, clicking on the television screen for viewing the South Florida weather. The prediction of South Florida was sunny, sandy, and sunburn. She continued to surf each channels on the television station with a giggle and then a gasp.

The early morning media television blonde haired and dark skinned reporter was standing and interviewing Stuart Thant Gage, the third. Gage was a tall man with a tone of dark tinted skin, a muscular body frame, a clean shaven face on a bald head and hugged his wife Gracie.

Dia turned and read the time clock: 7:01 a.m.

On the television screen, Gage and Gracie posed with smile at the flashing light bulbs of camera and the recording television lenses at a local dog show in the city of Miami.

Inside the hotel room, Dia turned and dashed ahead, stopping and stood in front of the wardrobe closet, reaching out and tossed on a white tinted sundress. It was summertime in Miami, ya'll! Everyone wore the colors of white on the television screen. So she would easily bland with the in-crowd.

Dia back stepped and dashed back to the dressing table, packing a small bag for the go with a few possessions including a hand gun, a pair of wrist cuffs, three bottled waters, a box of salty crackers, a clip of cash money, two whole apples, the black dress, and a pair of black tinted sandals. She did not have time to purchase and peruse a new set of newspapers for the printed social agenda of the Quartet. So she would follow and track Stu Gage from the Quartet first thing this morning who might lead her straight to Berrington.

Dia spun around with the bag and left the hotel room, dashing to the rental car, opening the locked door and slid inside the seat and cranked the cold engine. She quickly sped the car down to 152nd Street and turned off the South Dixie Highway which made traveling around the metro city of Miami very easy. All the city streets flowed east to west. All the avenues flowed north towards south, where all the roads were either parallel or perpendicular to the main expressway of South Dixie Highway. If she became really lost, then Dia could turn and travel east toward the Atlantic Ocean water and then get back on track.

City of Miami

(23.1 miles south from hotel)

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunshine

Florida East Coast Railway Locomotive Number 153

Dog Show setting

152nd Street location

8:03 a.m.

She slowly drove and stopped, parking inside an empty spot after paying twenty-five dollars.

Inside the building, Gracie and Gage, they were a pair of honorary guest judges for the main event. Gracie was the hostess with the mostess for all abused, neglected, stray, injured, and abandoned animals throughout the southern region of the USA, since her personal charity collected monies for all animals from apes to zebras.

Inside the museum, the air was cool for the damn dogs while outside weather was hot for the damn unlucky humans who had to eat on top of the manicured lawns and piss inside a stinky portal bathroom. Dia slowly strolled through the crowds while eyeing the Quartet, seeing everyone present except for Berrington again.

She had talked with Dingo last night and adjusted her huntress strategy, since she couldn't find Berrington, who was escorting a misplaced Bambi around the metro city of Miami. Dia continued to stroll around each quiet dogs and every noisy human until the end of the dog show.

A little tiny cute tan colored Yorkshire teacup dog won the grand prize.

Then the Gracie and Gage quickly left the museum with a set of armed Quartet Associate guards, moving into a white colored limousine.

Dia swiftly moved sideways through the dogs and the people and as her eyeballs followed the couple, exiting the same front door, running in a pair of high heels to the rental car, opening an unlocked door, sliding into the driver's seat and cranked the cold engine. She pressed the gasoline pedal and roared out the parking, down the city street, following behind the limousine that sped down Interstate 95 to the north.

City of Fort Lauderdale

(55.4 miles, northeast, from southern Miami)

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Ft. Lauderdale Science Center setting

11:09 a.m.

Fort Lauderdale is frequently abbreviated as Ft. Lauderdale within the US State of Florida which is twenty-eight miles north of Miami and the county seat of Broward County on the southeastern shoreline of beaches and boating canals. Ft. Lauderdale had population of 185,521 and it is a principal city of the South Miami region which is home to 5,564,635 people. The city is a popular tourist destination with an average year-round temperature of 75.5 degrees Fahrenheit and 3,000 hours of sunshine per year. Twelve million USA citizens visit the city and 2.8 million international visitors the Strip while selecting from one of 561 hotels that comprise nearly 35,000 rooms. Forty-six cruise ships sail from Port Everglades. There are 4,000 restaurants, 63 golf courses, 12 shopping malls, 16 museums, 132 nightclubs, 278 parkland campsites, and 100 marinas housing 45,000 resident yachts.

Fort Lauderdale was named after a series of forts built by the US during the Second Seminole War with the Indians. The series of forts took the name from Major William Lauderdale who was the younger brother of Lieutenant Colonel James Lauderdale. William Lauderdale was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort.

The land of Fort Lauderdale was founded and inhabited for more than two thousand years by the Tequesta Indians when the ships of Spanish explorers invaded the sands in the sixteenth century, the Tequesta died of diseases, such as smallpox.

The city has a total area of 34.7 square miles of land and 3.8 square miles of water.

Fort Lauderdale is adjacent to the Atlantic Ocean which includes seven miles of beaches

The transit population of Ft. Lauderdale is seasonal when the migrating flock of snowbirds (people) come down from the northern United States, Canada, and Europe north and spends the winter and early spring in Florida.

Other city attractions include the International Swimming Hall of Fame and Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, featuring trails and a lagoon and Stranahan House which is the oldest building in Fort Lauderdale that was originally built in the year 1901 as a trading post.

Dia turned and parked the car after paying thirty-five dollars for a tiny spot in the bright heated Florida sunshine, jumping out from the car and stood upright while eyeing a column of parked colorful limousines underneath the cool veranda of the building.

The welcoming committee stood underneath the covered veranda in a business suit which represented the numerous board members of the Ft. Lauderdale Science Center while slapping a back, kissing a cheekbone, and shaking a hand of each Quartet brother and sister.

Dia bet these little guys and gals got tired of the pomp and circumstance of their obligated wealth. She had read that the Quartet served on three different directorships of business companies within the greater Miami area.

If Dia had that kind of money, she would be planted inside a resort off the coast of France enjoying her freedom without money invoices, not standing around on a muggy afternoon in the hottest state of the USA, touching sweaty palms from a group of strangers. However, she was not the Quartet or rich with money yet.

Berrington must be inside the building, since she did not see his face with his brothers Tom, Frank, and Stu.

She moved ahead after the huge crowd had entered into the cool air conditioned lobby and stopped, standing at the glass window and was robbed of forty-five dollars for a single ticket to enter the posh art center while searching for Berrington inside the massive building, moving through the archway and into the air condition lobby. She followed the crowd and slowly tailed behind the brothers of Quartet and would occasionally stopped, pretending to play on the science program that included electricity, gravity, atoms, and a live reptile exhibition while chocking down an eleven dollar plus a few cents very dry hotdog for a snack.

The Quartet moved ahead among the rolling crowd and entered into a large banquet room at high noon when row of door closed.

Dia stopped with a sneer and hung around the science exhibitions for another hour and a few minutes as the row of double doors parted open. Each Quartet couple emerged with a smile and arm and arm with a loving spouse. It was so nice to view.

Dingo wasn't a public person while enjoying his privacy, hence his talk of moving out of the United States into a foreign country for peace, isolation, and privacy.

Dia liked the idea while watching the Quartet. Each coupled slowly moved down crowded corridor minus Berrington again. She watched and whispered for her ears only. "I cannot find Austin Berrington. Where is he at? Where is he hiding? I can't find the shit ass. Is he in hiding inside his mansion from the boogie man or Santa Clause? I didn't think Berrington a chicken shit," she spun around and swiftly moved with the huddle of people while elegantly leaving the art center for the rental car, running across the pavement again.

Each Quartet limousine was not hard to spot as the vehicle was parked illegal along the walking sidewalk when a chauffeur stood with an open rear door for each Quartet couple.

Dia had read that the three brothers of Quartet valued their wife more than their life which was a stupid concept. But Dingo would protect Dia also, since he loved her too. They were getting married and living on an island for the rest of their lives. So nice!

The three couples entered the rear bench seat of the limousine and left the building, riding in three separate different colored limousines, traveling south on the Interstate 95.

Dia had been smart renting a cheap compact car that held a forty-gallon gasoline tank for tagging and tailing the Quartet without worrying about a gas pump.

City of Homestead

(64.3 miles, northeast, from Ft. Lauderdale)

Hot temperatures with sunshine

Homestead Art Show event

Fuchs Bakery setting

Krome Avenue location

1:26 p.m.

Fuchs Bakery is a historical shop of baked goods within the city of Homestead. On November 15, 1996, it was added to the US National Register of Historic Places. The retail business was located on State Road 997 or city street Krome Avenue.

Krome Avenue is a north-south highway that runs from US Route One southward toward the beach city of Florida City which was composed of tons of Florida farmland, plant nurseries, woodlands, and the Everglades land property and waterways.

Homestead is 14.4 square miles and .01 square miles of water which is nestled between Biscayne National Park to the east and Everglades National Park to the west. It is primarily a Miami suburb and a major agricultural area. It was incorporated in the year 1913. It is the second oldest city within Miami-Dade County that is located thirty-five miles southwest from Miami and twenty-five miles, northeast, from island of Key Largo. The name originated from the construction materials and supplies that were hauled into the homestead country by the Florida East Coast Railway for opening up the homesteading camp. The name was shortened to Homestead by the engineers, who mapped out the land area.

The current population of Homestead is 31,909. The Homestead Air Reserve Base resides here along with fun places of interest like the Fruit and Spice Park, the Coral Castle, the Everglades Alligator Farm, the Homestead-Miami Speedway, the Monkey Jungle, and the Turkey Point Nuclear station which provides electricity for five million people throughout South Florida.

Dia drove the rental car and followed behind the parade of Quartet limousines, turning and parked inside the lot, sliding out the car and stood upright with a deep sigh of annoyance, slamming the door. She turned and moved ahead toward the front entrance of a four-story building while smelling the numerous trays of delicious pastries as the good aroma drifted from the bakery kitchen and into the air waves.

Inside the air conditioned auditorium of people, she slowly moseyed around each table, collecting an item of food while trying to settle an upset stomach after eating the dry hotdog at the Ft. Lauderdale Art Center. Every guest was eating and drinking while admiring all the different and colorful oil and water paintings, art works, metal and concrete sculptures, and models of clay works.

Mr. and Mrs. Franklin Mangrove were the two guest judges, sitting in front of the room for this special event. The first row held the other Quartet couples on Tom and Jane, Stu and Gracie in silence.

Frank stood from the chair and slowly moved from the table, slowly strolled around the open floor with a paper pad inside a hand while marking and ticking off the columns, examining each art piece for an hour. Then, he returned back to the long table with the set of judges that consisted of three men and two women. One of the women was his wife Misty Marie. The five judges bumped heads and tallied the pencil math scores and then presented an array of numerous colorful ribbons and an associated pile of money checks for additional thirty minutes while the crowd lightly applauded.

With great grace and elegance, the three Quartet couples quickly stood and swiftly shuffled from center stage, out the front door, and then back into the rear bench of each limousine as Dia slowly stood and elegantly dashed out the same front door, running toward the rental car with a set of panic pants. Her eyeballs watched each limousine steer out from the parking lot.

She slammed into the car door and back stepped, opening the door, sliding down into the seat and closed the door while cranking the engine. She slowly moved ahead and turned onto city street, speeding behind the last limousine while following the train of transports south on the Interstate 95.

City of Hialeah

(38.4 miles northwest from Homestead)

Hialeah Race Track location

Outdoor park picnic setting

4:04 p.m.

Hialeah Race Track is also known as the Miami Jockey Club, a historic landmark in Hialeah, Florida on East Fourth Avenue which is part of the US Historical Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1979. The park is the oldest existing recreational facilities within South Florida. Opening in the year 1921 by aviation pioneer Glenn Curtis, it launched the first horse race on January 25, 1925. Over the years, the Miami Jockey Club has been designed with completely new grandstand and a Renaissance Revival clubhouse with a set of landscape gardens of native flora and fauna, and an artificial lake in the infield that was stocked with non-flying pink colored live flamingos. It is hailed as the most beautiful racetrack in the world. The Garden Park is famous for the local birds, a sanctuary for the American Flamingo by the Audubon Society.

Hialeah is a city within Miami-Dade County with a population of 226,669. It is the sixth largest city in the US State of Florida.

Dia slowly drove and parked the rental car down the long city street since all the other parking spaces were filled with an assortment of cars, vans, trucks, campers, and motorcycle. She exited the car and slowly moved with a crowd of people that wore a pair of walking shorts and a T-shirt with a pair of sandals. She entered through a set of open gates and strolled onto an open flat lawn of grass and sand, hearing the vocal explanation.

The social event wasn't a gala affair, but the annual Quartet Associates picnic for all the charity employees that came from all the different Charity hospitals and clinics from the northern city of Ft. Lauderdale and down to the southern Key West main island. The outdoor park area held numerous long tables of food and beverages which were free of charge for everyone. A song of loud rock and roll music roared out from a set of four gigantic vertical speakers for the enjoyment of the employees while drowning out the shouts of children playing in the grass. The fun time games included tag, dodge ball, volleyball, potato sack races, and other sporting events for big kids and little kids.

Dia strolled among the happy and amusing people.

There were set of covered tents for the older employees who enjoyed watching television, eating the food plates, and drinking a cold beverage within the hot sun. Other covered tents held rows of cots that contained tired and sleeping toddlers and elementary children with a babysitter or a parent in attendance. There was an assortment of kiddy rides, where each child won a small token, such like, a key chain, a pair of sunglasses, a stuff animal, a colorful sticker, or another small merchandise item.

The employees were dressed as a cowboy or cowgirl with a white tinted straw cowboy hat, a red colored bandanna around a neck or both arms. A wrist bone held a blue colored tote bag with an American flag. The food, beverage, and eating tables were decked out in red, blue, and white checkered cloths with an American flag.

Dia moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the gift table, reaching out and grabbed a new tote bag and filled it with assortment of merchandise stuff while hearing the live band near the corner of the open gates.

Underneath a large tent on top of the elevated platform of people, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Edison Sawyer stood with a smile and cuddled together in front of rows of people while waving to the gang of employees. Tom tossed an arm into the air when the band halted the song. He and Jane wore a cowboy hat and a neck bandanna. Tom yelled with a smile into the hand-held microphone. "This is for you, not me." All the employees jumped up and down, raising an arm fist with a loud cheer. He smiled into the microphone. "This is for your hard valuable work at each and every Charity hospital and beyond," he released Jane and reached down, lifting up the beer mug, sipping and swallowed the cold beer with a smile. "And this is for your upcoming gigantic Christmas bonus check from your super president of Charity Health System." All the employees bounced up and down, cheering with claps and hoots.

The super president Donald Poland stood upright from the row of rear chairs slightly behind the back spine on Tom with a gasp and a sour frown. "Tom?"

Tom and Jane back stepped from the cheering crowd of employees as Tom turned and pointed to Frank and Misty and then Stu and Gracie while all the employees clapped and cheered. Then, the Quartet spun around and faced the rows of executives from the hospital administration while shaking a hand, kissing a cheekbone, and slapping a back spine.

Each Quartet couple slowly scooted down the long line of hospital executives and friendly employees, finally exiting out from the open gates, invading a row of guarded limousines which had been parked in the middle of the street for a swift and fast escape from the fun and social annual picnic.

Dia ran sideways and around the crowd of employees, shuffling ahead, rushing out the set of open gates and toward the rental car as the line of Quartet limousines slowly steered down the same city street and drove onto the expressway in a northern direction to another social affair.

City of North Miami Beach

(13.4 miles, northeast, from Hialeah)

North Miami Beach Flower Show event

Alton Road location

Interior auditorium setting

Hot temperatures and slightly winds

and parted clouds of sunlight

5:05 p.m.

Dia drove the rental car swiftly while following the line of Quartet limousine on roadway of Interstate 95 and then turned, traveling across the McArthur Causeway of water into the city of town of Miami Beach. Each limousine stopped and parked in front of the entrance way as each couple exited out from the open vehicle and moved ahead into the shaded cool veranda.

Dia turned and pulled onto the side street, sitting inside the interior of the car with the air conditioning vent blowing on a sweaty face as she was too tired, hot and full of food.

She had chased the three Quarter couples around the entire city of Miami, not for fun or show, but to track and trace her mark Bambi, who was in company Austin that was an invisible ghost. She had seen pictures of Berrington on the television screen and inside the newspaper except he wasn't inside the city of Miami.

She watched and waited inside the cool interior of the car until the massive crowd entered into a busy lobby, opening the door and stood upright with a deep sign. She moved across the street to the bank machine for more money while spending it fast and furious on all the parking fees, the food items, and the paid tickets into each social event. The Quartet had been dined and dined with free food and free stuff. Dia stopped and stood in front of the bank machine, typing in the secret codes when the slot opened and revealed a stack of money. She reached in and pulled it out wishing that she was rich and received free stuff too.

Dia back stepped and pocketed the money inside the pocket of the sundress, spinning around, watching the active city street for a nasty robbery and dashed ahead back to the rental car and stopped. She opened the door and slid inside the seat, watching and waiting sixty minutes, eleven minutes, and fourteen seconds.

Then each Quartet couple exited the building arm-in-arm with a set of smiles and entered the appropriate vehicle. The first golden tinted limousine led the parade and made a beeline in the southern direction which went back home to Coral Beach.

Dia cranked the engine and followed the last limousine feeling tired and wanting sleep, since she had awoken at seven this morning. Then she gasped in alarm behind the steering wheel of the rental car. The parade of limousine was not pathing south down Interstate 95 but turned, driving into downtown Miami. She turned and glanced at the car clock: 6:32 p.m.

Dia exhaled with a puff of annoyance. The Quartet was attending another social event after six o'clock. She didn't envy these people who awoke at the crack of dawn while doing shitty stupid stuff for other people. Each brother was a billionaire with tons of George Washington's dollars in every bank throughout the world. She didn't understand the rich people.

City of Miami

(10.2 miles southeast from Miami Beach)

Freedom Tower

Dance and Dinner Gala event

Biscayne Boulevard location

6:39 p.m.

The Freedom Tower is a historical 1925 landmark building in Miami as a standing memorial to all the Cuban immigrants that came to the USA which was located on Biscayne Boulevard on the Miami College. It was added on September 10, 1979 to the US Historical Landmark Register. The structure was a replicate of a Mediterranean revival style building with elements that were borrowed from a tower in the city of Seville, Spain. The cupola on the 225 feet building housed a decorative beacon. The US Federal Government had used the facility to process all the fleeing refugees that came from the foreign country of Cuba under a communist regime. The tower housed a museum, a library, a meeting hall, and levels of administrative offices that housed the Cuban American Foundation.

Car garage setting

Charity Healthcare System was hosting the annual dance and dinner for all the medical physicians from all the hospitals that stood in each northern Miami city and all the way down to the southern Key West main island.

Dia stopped and parked the rental car inside the nice garage for twenty-six dollars, opening the door and slid out, standing with a deep sigh. She rushed ahead and ran down the steps on the side of the building to see the Quartet, hitting the sidewalk and halted with a gasp.

Each Quartet couple had exited out from the limousine and slowly moved toward the entrance way of the new building wearing a formal black colored tuxedo and a long elegant glittering gown. They had quickly changed inside the individual limousine for the new dinner gala.

Dia spun around and climbed the concrete steps, exiting onto the floor, jogging to the rental car and stopped. She pressed the car key devise and popped open the rear trunk, moving around and stopped, reaching inside and grabbed the small bag and back stepped. She scooted around and stopped in front of the side car door, opening and entered the rear bench seat, crouching down into the rear seat, ripping off the white and dirty sundress and then struggled into the long black tinted gown dress with a loud grunt. Then she placed on the pair of black tinted sandals with a deep sigh.

Finally, she was elegantly dressed too with a deep sigh of annoyance and sat upright, flinging open the side car door with a grunt, sliding out and stood upright, shaking the hips side to side as the dress dropped down and touched the tips of the sandals. She elegantly moved ahead into the night air and sniffed the air waves, smelling the long day of events from outside to inside and then outside to inside without bathing a soiled body or the sweaty garments. She desired a hot bath and a long catnap while trying to locate the mysterious Bambi with the missing Berrington. Then Bambi and Dia could get the hell out of Miami tonight.

She moved ahead and slowly marched down the set of concrete steps for a second time, stopping on the flat vanilla colored sidewalk while straightening and smoothing the long dress down over a pair of meaty legs which her boyfriend Dingo complimented with a smile all the time. She missed him when calling during the limousine car chases and detailing her new city street location plus the bad news that B and B was still misplace and missing.

She crossed the street and climbed the steps, entered the dance hall watching and listening to the low voices of people who were chit chatting about past, present, and future events of their individual lives. The social event was crowded as each attendee examined the numerous showcase displayed art works from the great painter masters of Dali, Goya, and Da Vinci.

Auditorium building

Ballroom interior setting

Dia slowly strolled around the auditorium and blended with the beautiful people. Each table was covered in a white cloth which was surrounded by a set of ten golden tinted covered chairs. Each plate was golden tinted and matching the fork, spoon, and knife. There was an identification card on each table that announced the medical specialty of each physician group, such like, cardiology, surgery, gastroenterology, dermatology, internal medicine, neonatology, and the others.

She was going to be discovered very quickly, since Dia was not a legal licensed physician. She was a bounty huntress while looking and stalking for her mark. She slowly strolled toward the beverage bar for a glass of water and stopped, slipping up and onto the tall stool. She had been following the Quartet all morning and afternoon without the presence of their leader Badass Berrington.

Then Dia heard the loud obnoxious tenor voice and turned with a smile to see the nose profile and one cornflower blue eyeball on Tom. Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third stood at the end of the beverage bar and in front of two males with a smile. "Hi! I'm Tom."

Dia had been trained in negotiation technique while working with people and messaging data out of them without suspecting it. She had been taught to use her body language ensuring confidence and acceptance. She sat upright without slouching or leaning to close to the bar counter or toward Sawyer. She placed both sandals on top of the stool bar without crossing a leg or tucking both legs for some sexy attention. She leaned forward exuding energy without crossing both arms around the chest while gently sipping on the glass of water. She did not touch a face or cover the mouth, keeping both hands present in the open and not behind a back spine or on the edge of the beverage bar counter while ensuring security. And she did not clasp both hands into victory or a prayer triangle only a soft giggle of good luck.

She did not make direct eye contact with everyone while allowing them to think that she was one of the other physicians or one of the wives of the physicians. She smiled with her eyes and her mouth for joy, watching sideways each pair of pupils for the true of the vocal conversation that came from Tom and the two unknown males. She did not stare or glare toward Tom while shifting a face around the crowded room of dancers, eaters, and roamers. She did not roll or rapidly dart the pair of eyeballs as a successful infiltrator into Tom's party.

She slightly wiggled side to side inside the tall stool while looking down with a smile at the mobile telephone like one of her girlfriends had send a text message while finding out where Austin was hiding inside the big bad metro city of Miami.

The unknown physician turned and smiled at the tall male and then Sawyer. "Tom, do you remember meeting Dr. Greenberg? Andy Greenberg, this is Tom Sawyer." The three men engaged in a set of small talk while Dia slightly turned a body while pretending to be part of the spoken conversation.

Andy extended a hand with a smile and a nod to Sawyer. "It is very nice to meet you, Tom."

Tom slammed a palm into the hand with a nod and a smile while holding the bourbon beverage with a set of three red strawberries in the other hand. "It is my pleasure, man."

The unknown physician smiled. "Andy, he is head of our pediatric oncology group. I'll be quite honest. He is looking for funding, Tom."

Andy smiled. "I am looking and needing monies for babies, infants with cancer..."

"Gawd, man!" Tom shook his bangs and looked to see the rear skull of Misty Marie who cuddled with Frank, returning back to see Andy with a worried brow. "Don't let Misty hear you. Jeezus! She'll cry for the rest of the evening here at the party, in the limo, and in her bed..."

"I'm very sorry if the information is disturbing to Mrs. Mangrove."

Tom waved a hand with a grin. "Don't sweat ants! Misty Marie has a soft spot for two and four legged furry things."

Andy frowned. "Tom, children aren't furry."

"You know what I mean. A set of cute little things like kittens that are warm and soft," Sawyer laughed with the two males.

The unknown physician smiled at Tom and then Andy. "Tom is trying to say that he wants to help fund your project, Andy."

Tom sipped and swallowed the bourbon with a grin. "Yeah, man! How much do you need?"

Andy frowned. "Are you asking me how much money would I need to provide my specialty research oncology treatment for the newborn infants?"

Tom nodded with a smile. "Yeah, man! How much you do want?"

Andy looked down at the floor and up to see Tom. "I was hoping to receive a grant of ten million dollars, Tom."

Tom grinned with a nod. "No sweat! I'll make it cool twenty-five million for you. I'll get Frank to write a check tomorrow and hand delivery to your private physician office. Do you have a business card for me?"

Andy reached inside the jacket pocket and whipped out, handing the business card to Tom with a smile. Tom accepted and placed the business card inside his new tailor made black tinted tuxedo jacket with the red and black poker dotted tie that matched Jane's gala gown. Andy extended a hand and a smile to Sawyer. "Tom, I am most grateful for your funding donation of my research program."

Tom turned and stared at the rear skull of Misty Marie and back to Andy with a nod and a smile, "Anytime! Don't mention the sick furry things around Misty! Okay?"

His eyeballs turned and stared at the blonde hairy rear skull of Misty Marie and the red curly hairy skull of her husband Frank, returning back to see Tom and as Andy smiled with a nod to Sawyer. "I will ever do that. Thanks again for the funding, Tom!" Dia sipped and swallowed the glass of water while listening and scanning the crowded room. Andy reached over with a nod and slapped the unknown physician on the back spine in silence, back stepping and spun around with a smile, leaving the huddle with Tom.

The unknown physician smiled at Tom. "I will see you at our table in a bit, Andy! How is Austin doing, Tom?" Dia sat upright and looked down with a grin to see the blank mobile telephone while listening with her eardrums. This was the needed information. She had not found his location, his hideout, and his babe Bambi.

Tom waved a hand in the air with a smile and a nod. "Great! The man's great."

The unknown physician turned and scanned the room, returning back to see Tom. "I noticed that he has been missing all the fun parties around town."

Tom burped with a giggle. "Shit, man! Austin, don't give a fucking shit about parties, only panties," he laughed with a loud obnoxious tone like always.

The unknown physician nodded with a smile. "I understand, Tom. Where has he been hiding out lately? My co-workers have been missing his interesting and entertaining eye candy girls. Is he here tonight? I wanted to introduce him to my new cardiology group."

Tom sipped and swallowed the bourbon, shaking his bangs with a smile, "Naw! He's around town."

"I almost forget. You offered Mrs. Wilson..."

"My maid."

"Janey told Sherry..."

"About that fucking party, I'll remind Mrs. Wilson the date which on October nineteenth. Is that correct?"

"Amazing! You never seem to forget. Do you, Tom?"

He laughed. "Not a damn fucking thing!"

"Thanks for the huge donation for Dr. Andy Greenberg. He is truly a genius physician and very good with children and also for allowing us the use of Mrs. Wilson's talents."

Tom nodded with a grin. "Jace mentioned Greenberg to me. So, I got the guts on him first. You are quite welcome to use and abuse my house staff. But don't tell Jane that I said that," he winked with a smile.

"Our secret." the unknown physician nodded and extended a hand to Tom. Sawyer shifted backward and spun around, moving to stand in the huddle with the other Quartet members while laughing and chatting.

At the beverage counter, Dia spun around in the stool and placed a five-dollar tip on the counter for the cute male bartender, since her time was done in hot sizzling Miami. Berrington wasn't here at the charity gala either. But she had collected some new information that she could abuse tomorrow.

She slid off the stool and slowly moved through the crowd with a grin and a giggle exiting the building for the rental car, driving back to the hotel for the next plan tomorrow morning.

Tuesday October 26th

8:08 a.m.

City of Ruby Beach

(321 miles west of Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures and light breeze with parted clouds of sunrays

Gulf of Mexico location

Beach shoreline setting

New beach house of Austin

New speed boat setting

**I** n front of his beach mansion, the tiny row boat waddled side to side about five hundred feet from the shoreline while slamming the wooden side into the metal the speed boat. Austin stood upright and balanced over the floor board a set of parted legs inside the row boat, lifting her by the waistline high into the air as she crawled over the lip of the green colored speed boat.

She stood upright and slowly moved toward the steering wheel with a smile. "I like your new boat. It's perfect day for sailing over the placid waves. Where are we going this morning, A.B.?" she wanted to test to see if the real Austin Berrington would confess about the new purchase of the expensive speed boat.

He lifted up and crawled over the lip of the new boat, standing upright and waddled over the floor to the steering column and stood in place. He reached down and fiddled with the different gears and shiny switches with a smile. "We are going to a place with an aura of mystery and fun and fascination."

She stood beside his nose profile and stared down at the steering column with a smile. "I think the boat describes those adjectives too."

"This is a new day of our new water adventure," he pointed down at the built-in radar screen monitor on top of the console. "Please, tell me when we are at about 27-degrees of latitude and 82-degrees with longitude, first mate," he reached over and stared the engines, hearing the roar of the power, backing the boat deeper into the depths of the ocean and away from the anchored row boat and the shoreline. He didn't own another sea craft that could sail them directly into the shoreline without dragging and then trapping the speed boat down into the shallow sands.

Austin had contacted the lady realtor who held his titanium credit card of five million dollars and asked her to purchase and delivery a new speed boat into the lagoon in front of his beach house. It had been delivery while Austin and Bambi were walking and eating lunch on pier yesterday.

She stood beside him and stared down at the radar screen with a smile, "Aye, aye, Captain!"

Austin slowly throttled the boat forward with a smile and couldn't remember if his three brothers had called him or not this morning. However, he didn't really care at the moment. He would dial them tomorrow night.

Gulf of Mexico waters

(15 miles west from the beach house)

Hot temperatures and windy with blinking sunrays

Austin drove the speed boat fast creating wind burn on each naked cheekbone which prevented a set of talking words as she reached over and tapped onto his collar bone with a grin. He slowed the speed and pointed down to the radar screen with a smile, "We are approaching the coordinators." The boats slowed into a pacing speed. He reached over and grabbed, handing her the book with a smile. "Take the book. Look on page 145 at the bottom," he halted the boat and pointed down at the black object on the radar screen with a smile. "There! Do you see it on the radar, a big mass of shadow?"

She looked down with a smile to see the picture inside the book and then down into the radar screen, "Yeah. It's cool!"

He nodded with a smile. "Yeah, it's really cool!" Austin back stepped from the steering column toward the rear of the boat wiggling the tall metal pole and lifted the level, raising the red colored flag that indicated a diver underneath the ocean waters for safety. He bent down onto the floor and reached underneath the bench seat, pulling out a long box, lifting the lid, handing out the scuba gear into the air. "Are you ready for our day water adventure?"

She spun around with a smile to see the scuba gear and moved ahead, stopping and bent down while helping with the scuba inventory. "Yeah, I'm ready."

He nodded at the ocean water and held the scrub gear, spinning around with a smile, marching to her. "Our shipwreck adventure, the Madison is a river steamboat. It sank off the Florida coast about twenty-six nautical miles during the Civil War. The river steamboat does not carry much war history, but it is definitely a big black present underneath the deep blue sea while teaming with sea life to touch and cuddle." He stood upright with the gear and assisted her with the diving vest and single diving tank of air and finished her scuba gear and then dressed his body.

She spun around in scrub gear and leaned over the lip of the boat with a sour frown seeing the dark blue water. "What else is down there?"

"The fishies, the seahorses, the rays, the eels..."

She stood upright and turned, scanning the ocean waters in the bright sunshine, feeling the light breezy wind on both exposed cheekbones with a smile. "Will we see one or two gentle moving manatees?"

He stood beside her with a smile, "Not this far out! They love to swim a lagoon or the shallow waters of a beach. An individual sunken shipwreck is an important complement to the natural coral reefs and favorite sports for divers."

She gasped with shock. "Are you a professional diver, A.B.?"

He looked down and tapped on each regulator for the amount of oxygen with a smile. "No, I can handle myself as long as didn't have to fight underwater."

She gasped. "Why would you need to fist fight underwater, A.B.?"

He looked up with a wink to see her, "I, only, fight with a tiger shark or two encounters."

She gasped, "Sharks?"

He reached over and adjusted the oxygen tank on her back spine with a smile. "We're about twenty-six miles out from the shoreline. There are numerous big and small species of sharks. So don't bleed on me! Okay?" He gently slapped her collar bone with a chuckle for readiness of the new day adventure.

She shook her curls and continued to hold the scuba mask and the air regulator with a sour frown. "I don't know about this dangerous adventure, A.B."

He leaned over and cuddled her, pointing with a smile at the distant objects. "In the far distance, do you see the pod of dolphins having fun and playing in the water?"

"Yes," she narrowed her eyelashes at them with a worried brow.

He smiled. "They're our friends and our protectors for the fun day."

"How do you know that the dolphins will protect us?"

He chuckled into her eardrum. "I know them personally. They have accepted my titanium credit card as protection..."

She gasped. "You possess what kind of credit card. Did you say titanium credit card? Is that expensive? I have never heard of one. Why would you need such an expensive credit card?"

He laughed. "I needed it to pay for all the expensive sea gear," Austin spun her around and tapped on the gear with a smile. "Let us do a quick inventory of your scuba gear! You don't need a wet suit. The water is low eighties. The yellow oxygen regulator is for breathing air, not water. The regulator is attached to the silver tank on your back spine. We are not snorkeling, since we are diving down over thirty-five feet underneath the calm waves."

She gasped. "I'm going thirty-five feet under the water."

He chuckled. "I forget to ask. Have you ever been scuba diving before?"

"I can dive. I just haven't been over ten feet."

"That is not a problem. I am your lead. You hold my hand. We just swim around the shipwreck, chasing after the school of cute and colorful fishes. We're going inside the vessel. This is an electronic fully closed circuit re-breather, so you can't stop breathing. It forces puffs of air into your mouth like kissing me," he chuckled as she giggled. He moved backward and sat down on the edge of the boat, reaching over, patting the frame. She moved backward and sat down away from Austin. Both of them placed an air regulator into open mouth and adjusted the face mask, holding up a thumbs signal and then fell backwards into the ocean.

9:09 a.m.

East coast of US State Florida

City of Coral Beach

(7.8 miles southeast from the hotel)

Home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third

Four Coral Lane location

Front door setting

Dia slowly drove the rental car through the second yellow colored cider block sentry gate with a set of two armed guards. The two armed guards possessed a gun on the collar bone, a knife on the waistline, and a wrist watch on the arm. She stopped the car at the first sentry gate and told the fake story which was a planned visitation to Mrs. Wilson, the house maid on Tom. Then one of the guards picked up the landline and called, verifying the true story with the house maid, opening up the closed gate, allowing Dia to enter the tiny beach city.

She slowly traveled down a yellow bricked road toward the end of the street which almost touched the ocean waters and turned to the right into the Sawyer estate manor. The set of four individual gray colored concrete gargles were uglier in person rather than the set of colorful glossy photographs that came from the home gallery magazine. The Sawyer mansion of blue tiled rooftop and walls of orange paint was a beautiful setting alongside the pale green and deep blue Atlantic Ocean waters. She could live here for the rest of her life without wanting anything but Dingo and a child.

She stopped and parked the rental car underneath the shaded veranda, opening the car door and slide out, standing in a pair of red walking shorts, a white T-shirt, and a pair of black sneakers while pretending to be a worker for Mrs. Wilson. She scooted around the car and moved onto the orange brick covered front porch, stopping and stood in place, reaching out to ring the doorbell on the blue colored wooden front door and waited. Tom and Jane were not home along with the other Band of Brothers and Sisters. Dia saw each limousine leave the first sentry gate at 8:40 am for another business affair, not following any one of the Quartet limousines.

Dia didn't wait long when the door cracked open with a short girl.

The young female with dark skin and hair nodded with a smile. "You must be Dia. Mrs. Wilson is expecting you. Please come inside. I will seek Mrs. Wilson for you. You can wait inside the foyer, Miss."

Dia nodded with a smile. "Thank you," she slowly entered into the mansion and scanned the room with a smile.

Foyer setting

Dia stopped and stood a few feet over a marble floor of gold and white inside the large foyer with awe of the pretty mansion, scanning an open living room, the central grand staircase, the set of third upper floors with a smile. "Wow!"

Mrs. Wilson approached from the side door with a plump body of an elderly female with a head of gray hair and a sweet smile, stopping and stood in front of Dia. "Welcome, Dia!"

Dia looked at her tired eyeballs and swayed back and forth like a young girl with a sad pout. "Mrs. Wilson, I must confess."

"Confess what?" She raised both eyebrows with a set of parted lips.

Dia shook her curls with a frown. "I don't work for Miss Sherry. I'm one of her maid's daughters. I'm begging for a working job. I've betrayed and lied to you to get access to your person."

She nodded with a smile. "You are an honest one and very young."

Dia nodded with a grin. "Yes ma'am! Don't wanna go to school. I wanna work for money. My momma says that I can't work for Miss Sherry. So, I'm going to work on my own and get my own apartment away from her."

"You have an independent streak."

Dia lifted both hands into a prayer triangle with a sad pout. "I can do a good job, if someone would give me the chance. Could you, Mrs. Wilson, give me a chance? I can provide all my documents to you, now, if you want. I can take a test any test you want me to take for a job, here inside this big mansion."

"I have to discuss with my supervisors for your proper placement, here at the Sawyer manor."

Dia nodded with a grin. "Yes ma'am! I understand."

"You have very good manners and show respect to your elders. You want to make a living on your own. I think maybe I can fit you into this household."

Dia smiled with a nod. "I can do anything. I do good jobs."

She pressed both hands in front the black colored uniform with a nod and a smile. "I would like for you to contact me in three weeks, since I must seek approval from the mistress of the house Janey. You have my contact information."

Dia nodded with a grin. "Yes ma'am! In three weeks, I will do what you request."

Mrs. Wilson pointed to the front door in silence. Dia back stepped and spun around, reaching out and opened the door in silence with a grin.

Front porch setting

Dia moved ahead from the foyer and approached the rental car, halting and turned to north side of the manor, pointing at the skyline with a puzzled brow. "I was curious, Mrs. Wilson. What is that the new looking tall structure on the long street at the end of this roadway? I thought that there were four different colored castles for the four different Quartet brothers."

Mrs. Wilson pointed to the rental car with a stern face to Dia. "Austin is building a new home here in Coral Beach. Please, you must drive very slow back toward the sentry gate at once. There will be no loitering around Coral Beach."

Dia spun around with a smile and scooted around the car. "Yes ma'am. I'll do that also. Thank you, Mrs. Wilson. Goodbye Mrs. Wilson!" She stopped and opened the door, sliding down into the seat with a smile and cranked the engine.

She did not wave but smiled. "It was nice to meet you. Goodbye, Dia!"

Dia stopped and opened the door, sliding down into the seat with a smile and cranked the engine slowly driving away from the Sawyer manor at the non-posted speed limit of ten miles-per-hour while slowing the speed and passed a new building, the new mansion of Austin. "Well, there is the complete explanation. Austin doesn't have a home in Miami." She reached over and grabbed, swishing the icon on the mobile telephone, lifting it into a smile. The ring connected. She giggled, "Honey bear," she slowly steered over the Coral Lane street and stopped at the second sentry gate. The guard waved her through.

Dia paused and listened to her boyfriend Dingo on the other end of the telephone connection.

She smiled. "Berrington and his house are both gone from Miami. He is building a new mansion within Coral Beach."

Pause.

"You want me to drive to the city of Ruby Beach within the State of Florida. Where is that place, honey bear?"

Pause.

"O! The photo-copied picture was white colored sand in the background which was a distortion. I understand. B and B are located on the west coast of Florida around the city of Naples. Where is that?"

Pause.

"I am to drive west on the expressway of Alligator Alley. Okay. What about the rental car? I rented it at the Miami airport, not the Naples airport. It will cost a lot of money to drive that far to Naples and then back to Miami. How far is the beach town of Naples?"

Pause.

"The car drive is straight across the state which takes two hours or so from Miami. O! You are leaving Memphis and flying directly into the Naples airport. I will come and get you there. Then I can exchange this rental car for a new one. That's smart idea, honey bear. I don't want us to be followed."

Pause.

"Okay! I will use my cell phone for the car driving directions. Got it? See you there at the Naples airport, honey bear."

Pause.

"I love you, too, honey bear. Later, gator!" she giggled with the smile of love and stopped, waiting and passed through the first sentry gate without a hand wave, driving directly to the hotel to pack and checkout. She was leaving east coast of Miami for a car trip to west coast of Naples.

10:33 a.m.

West coast of US State of Florida

Dark clouds and windy without sunshine

Gulf of Mexico location

Interior boat of Austin

Austin emerged up from the rough waves first into the scene of dark purple clouds of an approaching thunderstorm in the far distance. The air was humid with high winds and vertical rain hitting the boat, the water, and the hair roots on Austin.

Bambi surfaced upon the water with worry.

He swam over to the ladder and climbed up and into the floor first, spinning around, assisting her up the climb and down into the boat. He spun around and started to remove each piece of the scrub gear, gently dropping down over the floor and quickly dashed toward the steering column with a stern face and stopped.

Bambi spun around and reached down, grabbing and lifting up the ladder and plopped and locked it against the side of the boat, so Austin could sail away from the approaching thunderstorm. She stood upright and started stripping off all of the scrub gear, storing each item back into the storage compartment underneath the bench seat for Austin.

Austin leaned over and cranked the boat, speeding ahead and turned swiftly sailing toward the shoreline near his beach mansion. She stood upright with a wobble and spun around with a smile, dashing over the floor and slammed into the ass of Austin with a giggle, scooting around and cuddled into his rib cage with a set of soft sexy breathes on his cheekbone.

He continued to race the speed boat over the rough waves with a laugh at her set of sexy sentences and then slowed the speed, advancing toward the shallow water, halting the boat over the rough waves.

He back stepped from her and the steering column and spun around racing over the floor of the boat, leaping into the air, tucking both kneecaps into a chest and jumped over the side the boat with a laugh. She slowly turned around from the steering column with a gasp. Austin landed on the side of the tiny row boat in the water and lifted up, climbing over the lip, falling onto the floor of the row boat, standing upright with a wobble and a laugh and extended by both arms into the air to catch her. She raced ahead and leaped into the air, tucking the kneecaps into her breasts, jumping over the edge of the boat and fell down on top of Austin inside the row boat with a grunt. They both landed on the floor with a set of grins and laughs.

The rain started pouring down from the skyline into the boat and on top of their skulls.

Austin struggled to stand upright and moved ahead from Bambi sliding down over the bench seat, lifting and paddled the oars and rowed back through the light rain storm toward the shoreline where his beach mansion stood.

11:03 a.m.

New beach house of Austin

Beach shoreline setting

Austin steered the tiny rowboat into the shallow water at the edge of the sand with a soft thump, dropping the oars, reaching over and kissed her lips, pulling back with a smile, standing upright with her. He released her and leaned over, climbed out from the boat and stood upright in the water, extending both arms with a smile.

She looked up with a smile to taste the rain on a long tongue. "I love rain. I feel so refreshed afterward. I'm reminded of how nature really is the ruler on planet Earth," Bambi dropped a chin to see Austin and leaned over, climbing out from the boat into his arms, leaning over and kissed his lips, pulling back with a wink and a giggle of happiness.

They turned to face the beach mansion and splashed through the shallow water, over the wet sands, up the deck steps, over the flat deck, and into the house with a set of laughter and smiles.

Bambi saw everything in a simple and elegant point of view. He liked that about her. She was very simple, nice, friendly, and beautiful. And he was actually having fun from a stable but boring busy life without all the work business, numerous telephone calls, the annoying Japanese princes, and Tom, Dick and Harry. He had almost forgetting about the names of his three brothers, who were Tom, Frank, and Stu.

They dashed ahead over the floor and straight up the staircase into the master bedroom for a fucking fun time before the lunch meal.

12:01 p.m.

Interior master bedroom setting of Austin

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Inside the master bedroom at his house on top of the bed mattress, Bambi awoke naked with a gasp next to a slumbering Austin, turning with a smile to see his nose profile. He did not snore either. Bambi wasn't a virgin anymore. Sex was great again. The day was great again. This town was great. Everything was great again, since their first sex act three weeks ago on October the ninth in the same bedroom.

His reputation preceded him, an international playboy with a beach house in the small town of Ruby Beach.

She didn't love Austin but she liked him a lot. Maybe, she had chosen her life time mate, since they enjoyed each other wonderfully. Also he seemed to a little lonely or isolated at the moment.

The Band of Brothers had always traveled together everything, anytime, and anywhere. But the Band of Brothers was not here in Ruby Beach today, yesterday, the day before yesterday or maybe not tomorrow either. She had suspected that daily mysterious short-lived telephone call was one of them checking on their brother Austin.

He didn't speak a complete sentence but a soft grunt of a single word and then hung up the landline telephone, spinning around with a smile while spending the day and night with her.

Bambi might decide and select Austin as the perfect mate for marriage, one day, not today. He possessed all her male attributes, such as, tall, muscular, intelligent, handsome, educated, and rich.

Her female attributes seemed to parallel his traits, such as, tall, smartie, cutie and rich, since Bambi possessed a bank account of millions of dollars, not billions of dollars, but she could dream big with her secret hidden talents.

The rest of the Quartet members would accept her, once they learned that she didn't need the billions from Austin. Bambi had a foreign Switzerland bank account like the rich people for accessing money at any time. She had been very conservation with her money for the past three months withdrawing out small amounts of cash in the first week for the beach rental and a new car that could be traced back into her personal bank account transactions.

She had splurged on a new fast sports car. Austin had been driving her around town inside his sports car. On her second day of beach shore living, Bambi had needed transportation instead of calling a taxi cab service moving around the town of Ruby Beach for food and fun.

Then yesterday early morning, Bambi made a big decision and a bigger personal purchase for fun.

She softly giggled without awaking Austin. He was so cute in that baby state with the slight smile on a handsome face. She was very excited about contemplating to become Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, one day, not today.

And Bambi could foot her own million-dollar wedding, not needing his money either. He would be very impressed too.

She softly giggled when he stirred side to side with a loud yawn. She leaned over and gently kissed his cheekbone, pulling back with a smile, "Hey, prince-charmed!" Bambi had read in one of the trash celebrity magazines that Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth was often known with that cute nickname. She giggled. "The rain has finally stopped. I'm ready to provide your new day time adventure."

He reached up and rubbed the sleepy crumbs from both eyelids. "What is my new day time adventure?"

She leaned over and kissed his cheekbone, pulling back with a grin. "I got a surprise for you."

He turned and smiled at her. "You have a surprise for me."

She reached over and shoved his chest of Austin, scooting him off the bed linens with a smile, back sliding and stood upright in the nude with a smile and a grin. She reached over and grabbed her clothes from the upright clothing stand, slapping on the two-piece bikini which didn't take long with a giggle. "Get up, lazy bones! I have to drive you to my surprise.

He slid off the bed in the nude and reached over and grabbed his clothes from the other upright clothing stand, stepping into the swimming briefs which didn't take long with a smile. "I am dressed. Where is my surprise? Is it downstairs?"

"Close your eyes!" She whipped out a dark colored blindfold from behind her back spine and into the air near a smile and scooted around the bed mattress, stopping and stood in front of him. She reached out and gently pushed his pair of eyelids down with her soft fingers and a giggle. Then she lifted up and placed the blindfold over both his eyelids with a smile.

He lifted up and touched the blindfold, not seeing her but felt the rays of heated bright sun inside the bedroom from the side windows with a stern face and a nervous mind, "All right! I allowed you to decorate my eyeballs. Where are we going, Bambi?"

"I am taking you someplace very special, A.B." She slipped around and leaned over, cuddling Austin into her breasts of bikini slowly moving ahead through the open archway of the master bedroom, down the staircase, over the living room floor, into the car garage space and stopped.

She leaned over and opened the door of her sports car, gently shuffling Austin down into the passenger seat with a giggle.

He slid down inside soft seat and sniffed the new leather a smile, facing the wind shield with a pair of blinded eyeballs and a nervous mind. "Can I talk now? Are we escaping from Ruby Beach?"

She slammed the car door and back stepped from the door, scooting around the convertible sports car with a grin and a giggle. "No! We are not escaping from paradise ever. I wanna show you something, A.B." Bambi opened the driver's door and slid down into the new leather with a smile, leaning over and cranked the car. She backed out of the garage space beside his sports car and turned, steering the car a very short distance down the city street and around the corner from his beach mansion and stopped with the bright sunlight on both face.

She slid out and scooted around the front bumper of the car, stopping, assisting him out the car, standing upright together and removed the blindfold.

12:18 p.m.

New beach house of Bambi

(two miles west of his beach house)

Beach shoreline

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunshine

He stared and smiled at the big tan colored object. "What's this?"

"My new beach house, I purchased the home yesterday for thirteen million dollars and so. Here's the deed," she lifted and wiggled the paperwork near a grin and a nod. "I'm rich too. Money is not a problem for me."

Austin leaned over and hugged kissing her lips, pulling back with a goofy grin. "Please marry me!"

"No," she side stepped with shock and shook her curls with sour frown at him.

He continued to hold one of her hands with a smile and a nod. "Let me try this again! Marry me, please!"

"No."

He frowned, "Bambi, why not?"

"This is all too soon, too fast, and too much," she exhaled with a puff of frustration and jerked the free arm from his hands with a sour frown, lifting both palms into the air with the paperwork of the house. "Look! I need some more breathing room here." Bambi said with a pained heart and a tortured soul. She was both scared and loved at the same time. And she hid a secret or two that Austin could never find out about. She was a thief who had committed a crime which was not stealing the loving heart of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. He had stolen her heart, not her soul. She greatly desired his love for eternity, maybe. But she needed more time to figure out everything the money, the man, and the marriage.

Austin was born into a privileged family, the noble class in the USA. Bambi was born into common class, working persons. Her biological father came from the foreign country of Saudi Arabia like a lot of illegal immigrants coming here to live in the USA too.

Bambi wanted to discover the family roots of her biological father first starting in the country of Saudi Arabia. So she needed time to discover her biological father and grandfather, not believing the lying and cheating biological mother who was a tramp.

Austin could easier find out all the precious background data for Bambi, maybe he had already with the vast resources at his business Quartet Associates. But she had doubted that action, since she had secretly covered all the mysterious facts and rumors.

Her biological father had received, stored and possessed cash money that came from the foreign country of Saudi Arabia and her biological grandfather. She had a set of vivid memories visiting her grandfather when she was very young at the age of four years old while learning to ride a white colored horse at his house. She had searched the internet while working at one of the Charity hospitals as a lowly admission clerk during the dull and boring night time hours of an hourly job. She had trained herself to hack into the computer mainframe and then into a local bank where she found a set of bank account numbers. Then, she had retrieved all of the bank account number from her father which were still active with his name but controlled by her biological mother.

Then she had taught herself a set of slick programming computer languages and then entered the back door of the local bank. Over the time period of months, Bambi had downloaded millions and millions of dollars that came from each bank account that belonged to her father and then swiftly transferred all the money into a personal Switzerland bank account, since no one knew or suspected or traced her illegal money encounters.

She hid out among the white sands of Ruby Beach as a low key millionaire by purchasing the new sports car on the second day of retirement with the cash from her lousy hospital pension payout. Then, she rented the beach house from a rental company paying for the entire year in cash, so no questions were asked of her person.

She had found the name of her biological grandfather and part of his vast money empire too. He was very rich in the foreign country of Saudi Arabia. She had vivid memories riding an airplane when she was only a small child, playing in the flora courtyard, seeing men with hand guns. Her childhood memory pictures were vivid and true inside her active and sane mental mind.

Her biological grandfather was part of the crime inside the country of Saudi Arabia, where he lived inside a grand palace within the hot dry desert sands. Her biological father posed as a dirt farmer in America while he continued to receive and transmit secret messages from the country of Saudi Arabia to the US State of Mississippi which explained the paranoid, crazy, possessed, and obsessed mother of Bambi.

Leaving the State of Mississippi was the best decision for an eighteen-year-old Bambi, since she needed time to figure out the facts from the fiction and then resolve and issue on her own measure.

Now, Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, a member of the infamous Quartet, had stepped into her life. If he truly loved her, the Austin would wait for Bambi to accept him. She would hold him off for another week while using her personal bank account funds for the first time since stealing and downloading all the monies from a terrorist biological father and grandfather like before.

She had paid the beach mansion with an electronic cash transfer twenty-four hours ago from the Switzerland bank account, since it was so nice to be rich and access her money anytime, anywhere, and anyhow for buying anything or anyone.

Tomorrow, Bambi had secretly planned a trip to the foreign country of Saudi Arabia seeking out the grave site and the palace property of her dead grandfather, before she would accept a diamond ring from Austin. She needed peace of mind before the wedding of the century. She needed her past buried in the sands of Arabia, if it needed to be done with her illegal acquired millions of dollars. Then, she could happily marry Austin and have a child, completing the happiness of a life dream. She was young at the age of eighteen years old and ready for a happy ending from a sorry-ass misery childhood and teenage years.

Within the beach town of Ruby Beach, in front of the tan colored beach house, Austin stared at Bambi with a smile. "Love can spark in one second."

She tossed back a skull with a vicious laugh and dropped down a chin to see Austin. "I have heard that one before. Let go and fuck inside my new bedroom! I purchased a bed mattress also for us."

"Bambi!" Austin gasped in alarm.

She shook her curls with a smile. "I need some time, Austin."

"Austin!" he gasped in alarm.

She smiled with a nod. "Yeah, I know who you are, A.B. Your two initials gave it away which represented Austin Berrington. And then your face is very familiar to me which shines on every television and computer screen in the world."

He nodded with a smile. "Excellent! You know me. I know you. So I don't have time to waste."

She smiled with a nod. "We both have time to waste."

He frowned. "I didn't."

"We do."

"I didn't."

She exhaled. "You didn't have a time for what. I don't understand, Austin."

He exhaled. "My brothers and I have all agreed to get married together and have a child together. I'm running out of time for the wedding plans."

She gasped. "You have been developing a set of wedding plans, without me."

He smiled. "I am developing the wedding plan with you."

She turned and stared at the empty road with a stern face and then back to Austin. "O! You wanna marry me, because I can pay for our wedding. Is that your logic reasoning?"

He shook a skull with a smile. "Love and hot passion are my reasons. I love you and a child."

She frowned. "You want a set of children."

He smiled. "A child, I would like to have one child. The Band of Brothers has only one child that has been a son for the past one hundred and seventy..."

"So I am to be married and then mothered on the same day, our wedding day."

"I will be the father our child since you will be..."

"No."

He frowned. "No."

She raised both arms and wiggled the hands with the house papers. "We had fun and have known each other for three weeks, eight days, 145 hours. You want us to get married, because..."

He smiled with a nod. "I love you, Bambi."

She gasped with shock, "Love! What is love? Is it a ring?"

He nodded with a smile, "A commitment."

"A dress."

"An obligation."

"A cake."

"A responsibility."

"A husband."

He nodded with a smile, "A family."

She shook her curls with a sour frown. "I don't know if I really love you. I like you, Austin. I lust after you. But is there love and chemistry between us? I think not. Should we return back to your home town of Miami and discuss this like one of your Quartet committee? I don't know if I'm ready for a marriage, a child, and a husband, yet, Austin."

He exhaled. "You would become a good wife. You would become a loving mom."

"I would maybe, but I don't really know if I'm able to handle all of this newness of you," she frowned. "You didn't even trust me with your real name when we meet on the first day on the beach. Hell! I will naked too. Or did you have a brain fart?"

Austin back stepped from Bambi in silence. His words were coming out right from him and wrong from her. Bambi was both confused and surprised. Berrington desired a nice proper proposal for his future wife, not standing in the middle of a gravel road whispering his intent of love. No wonder she was upset with his ill-breed social manners. He understood the desires of a female better than any other male. He should have remembered that a female liked a pretty atmosphere, a set of dim lights, lace, ruffles, flowers, perfume, candy, sweets, not sand, gravel, and the smell of newly paved driveway. Austin reached out and extended both hands to her with a nod and a sweet smile. "I will come back here tomorrow. We can talk some more."

She jabbed a finger the sands with an angry face and a matching tone, shaking her curls. "No! Leave me! Austin, just leave from my place."

Berrington gasped feeling both stunned and bedazzled with a bag of mixed emotions and hurt sensitive sissy feelings. Every girl loved him. Every woman chased, pursued, and desired marriage to him. He received written, verbal, and electronically marriage proposals from females all the time from all over the globe.

Katt was impregnated with his sperm while carrying the unhealthy embryo for seven days. They decided that they needed separate time covering the old wounds and new feelings of love and lust. Berrington silently agreed and then left Ruby Beach the first time.

Athena had been murdered before he had found out about his unborn child. She had left all of the unopened letters which had been addressed to Austin and not mailed wanting more time to tell him, before his former flame Liz Harris murdered Athena inside her home in Ruby Beach. He arranged and attended her funeral alone the second time.

Skye had fallen directly from down from heaven as a strawberry blonde angel into both the hands of Austin. Then they both fell in love while chatting about marriage, children, traveling, and common hobbies. Then, she had been accidently taken by her guardian angel back into heaven again.

Rosebud had played hard to get during the chase, pursue, and capture. In the end, Ruff told Austin that she loved him as she passed back into heaven also. The love relationship couldn't have been a wonderful union of man and wife. Then, he had escaped from the metro city of Miami with a heart of sadness looking only for peace of mind, when he had stumbled quite literally into the naked arms of Bambi as she rested naked on top of the sands while body tanning within Ruby Beach the third time.

Austin always though the third time was charmed. He stood on top of the heated pavement. His groins ached. His mind clicked with energy while his heart felt love. And he had told Bambi these three precious words, I love you. Those three words were sensitive, precious, and profound.

Frank, Stu, and Tom secretly whispered these three precious words into an eardrum on a wife all hours of the day at work, at play, at party, at picnic, and at dinner. Tom was known best for shouting, praising, and worshipping his beautiful, smart, devoted, and loving wife. If you wrinkled your nose in her space, he would shoot off your damn toes.

Now, Austin had used those three precious words for the first time within his thirty-one years of life saying them to Bambi.

He wasn't able to tell Skye that precious sentence from a happy heart. He was waiting for the right moment of life while becoming the wrong moment of her life.

A life was too short. A life was here and now. A life was a family and a future.

Berrington desired starting a family like Frank, Tom and Stu. His brothers had been nagging since the first of the year for the creation of the baby Band of Brothers: the next generation.

So Austin popped the obvious marry question to Bambi. Then she said no, not once, but twice. Talk about rejection in duplicate when he exhaled while concluding that Bambi did not want to marry Badass Berrington, the boss of the infamous Quartet and billionaire playboy of the world.

His mom was right that every girl would go after her little boy. She whispered over and over into the eardrum on Austin on a daily basis at night during both the prayers and chats. She was warning, hinting, and advising her only child of how life acts and reacts between males and females. His mom said to weed out the flower garden on a daily basis. A true budding rose possessed a set of sharp thorns that pricked the finger for bleeding which was a sign of developing and growing biological love relationship. However, Bambi did not possess a set of thorns or a mouth of fangs to bleed out his soul.

Austin wished that Frank was here in Ruby Beach. Mangrove would know the correct answer. He wished that Tom was here too. Sawyer had great instincts about people. He judged foe or friend immediately based on a personality, a smile, a laugh, a sneer, not a physical appearance. Then Tom would hug her or hurt her for rousing and ruining the mind, the heart, and the soul of his older Quartet brother Austin.

Austin slowly spun around with a sad face and slowly moved ahead down the heated road pavement with confusion, frustration, puzzlement within a mind and sadness, hurt, and pity within a heart, walking over the heated white sugary sands back toward his beach mansion and away from Bambi.

1:01 p.m.

City of Ruby Beach

(132 miles due west from Coral Beach)

Ruby Beach Gas Station location

Gas pump setting of Dia

Hot temperatures and slight breeze

with parted clouds of sunshine

Outside the gas station, Dia pressed the gas pump handle feeling the cool liquid flow down the pipe and then drained down into the empty gasoline tank while listening to Dingo mumble and grumble on her mobile telephone. The gas station door opened and revealed a tall female with a head of short brown hair and a tone dark tinted skin. The female marched ahead and entered her new sports car in silence. "Her!" Dia gasped on the phone and stopped the gas flow. "I see her. I find her, Dingo. Gawd! I've been hunting Bambi for almost three days and she has been living on the other side of the world." She pumped the gas handle and exhausted the lingering drops of petrol into the tank, lifting up and replacing into the gas pump back into the slot, closing the gasoline cap with a soft click. Dia slid down into the seat and cranked the engine, driving away, leaving the paper receipt inside the gas pump machine with a grin and a laugh. "Show me your hideout, Bambi!"

The new car sports car of Bambi sped down the highway moving south, passing rows of office buildings, merchandise shops, playground parks, and residential houses. The west coast did not have a set of commercialized traffic and tall office structures like the east coast of Florida. Once Bambi had passed the last pastel colored cider block squat office building within the city limits of Ruby Beach, she hit open miles of white tinted sand and blue tinted ocean waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Dia continued to speed and follow the sports car with Bambi over the same highway. Bambi slowed and turned onto an isolated city street that curved to the right along the sandy beach. Dia slowed and stopped, pulling the rental car onto the sandy shoulder of the paved highway. Bambi slowed and entered the garage space of an expensive beach house, a two-story building with a platform desk to see the ocean waters.

B and B were together on the same side of the peninsula. There was a rumor flying around in Miami that Berrington was a happy and rich gay male. Dia had proven that rumor false, since Bambi could not afford an expensive house on the sandy beach, only a playboy billionaire could. So Berrington was in there.

The bastard deserved pain and punishment as a son of bitch treated lots of people that way too. Dia had found Berrington's new babe again and was going to grab Bambi while making five million dollars. Then Dingo and Dia would retire to one of the islands of Caribbean and start a family.

Dia reached over and grabbed, swishing the icon on the mobile telephone, lifting it into a smile and watched the beach house. "Honey bear, I found her locate at a beach house in Ruby Beach which is five miles south of Ruby Boulevard. The road is isolated and very private. Yesterday, I was a poor a bounty huntress. Today, I'm a rich kidnapper. I can go and grab..."

Dia paused and listened to her boyfriend Dingo on the other end of the telephone connection.

"Why not?"

Pause.

"I followed her here at the secret location of a beach house on the water."

Pause.

"Yeah, I can do that. What other plan for entrapping Berrington, too, honey bear? I don't wanna involve him in our Bambi kidnapping, honey bear."

Pause.

"You're not coming here at to the beach house. Why not?"

Pause.

"I'll stay and monitor her at the beach house then."

Pause.

"You want me to come back to the hotel and wait for further instructions. Why, Dingo?"

Pause.

"If I come back, then you first fuck me, and then second grab Bambi, all in that order, Dingo."

Pause.

"I love you, too, honey bear," she reached down and swished off the mobile telephone, spinning the car around and driving back to the Ruby Beach Motel where Dingo was staying.

2:02 p.m.

East coast of Florida

City of Redlands

(120 miles east of Ruby Beach)

Grove of shaggy pine trees and golden sandy landscape

(21 miles, west, from Coral Beach)

The truck slowly drove over a lonely two-way roadway with four doors in the color of white and carried inside a set of three males, slowly pulling over and onto the side of the road, stopping and parked in the scattered golden sands and spare of green grass. The rear door behind the driver's door opened and revealed a male. Tom wiped the sweat from a wet face with the handkerchief, sliding out from the pickup truck, standing upright over the dry grass and drier sand with a sour frown. "Where in the holy fucking shit are we located? I don't see no shitty smelly public bathrooms for pissing, some vending machines for eating, numerous picnic tables for reading, a dog walk trail for walking, one single gawd damn free orange juice stand for OJ, one single fucking Florida highway security guard, no welcome center, a motorist-aid call box for telephone for help or a shitty gasoline station for tire or engine repairs," chuckling.

The truck driver's door opened. "We are in the Redlands which is the last agricultural region within the county of Miami-Dade that consists of family owned crop farms," Stu slid out and stood upright from the driver's seat, leaving the truck door open, spinning around and moved ahead toward the tailgate of the pickup truck with a stern face.

The passenger door opened. Frank slid out and stood in place, scanning the landscape with a smile. "We have traveled twenty-five roadway miles due west from our home Coral Beach, Tom, over the flat topography of Miami hard rock which is barely above sea level while pointing out that South Florida is composed of palm trees and sands, not mountain peaks and snowflakes."

Tom looked up with a smile to see the skyline and then back down to see the landscape. "Where in the fucking ass are we located?"

Stu stopped and turned to the side, standing in front of the tailgate, reaching out and dropped down the vertical metal, leaning into the bed of the truck with a stern face. "The pickup truck is parked between the Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park."

Tom wiped the sweat with the handkerchief from a wet face with a smile. "Okay. We're near the fun place of Monkey Jungle and all the cute little gang of monkeys who live and eat and fuck behind a set of ugly iron bars which lies somewhere between the Everglades National Park and Biscayne National Park. Awe! Thanks, guys, for the fucking new surprise adventure!"

Frank spun around and moved ahead toward the rear of the truck with a laugh. "You are as wrong as usual, Tom. We are here for a delightful afternoon adventure trek through the groves of shaggy pine trees, a plot of scattered grasslets, a pile of rocks within the golden sands of Florida while discovering forest wildlife and exploring a real underground cave," he turned to the side and stopped, leaning over the open tailgate of the truck, reaching inside and lifted up an individual weapon out from the truck bed with a smile.

Tom scanned the landscape with a sour frown. "Are there wild gators here?"

Frank draped each weapon around a body with a smile for the new weapon training with Sawyer. "No, Tom!"

Tom pointed to the different types of nature items over the low landscape with a worried brow. "I don't believe you, Frank. I see a lovely and colorful assortment and an ample abundant amount of wild growing tropical fruit trees and blooming flowers and scattered wild vegetation and insects and..."

"Actually, it is a sink hole within a rock pit, not an underground cave, Frank. And there is not one single water hole in a rock pit here, Tom," Stu loaded and toted an armful of gun weapons, back stepping from the rear of the truck, slowly spinning around from the tailgate of the truck, scouting for a perfect shooting lesson with a stern face. "Tom, you are completing your weapon training, here, right now." Tom stood in place with a distorted brow and reached over, whipping out the mobile telephone from a business suit jacket. Stu continue to move ahead over the sand with a grin toward the perfect shooting spot. "Do not call Austin! Austin approved your weapons training, here, right now. Put away that cell! Before, I put a bullet in it," he continued to move ahead with a stern face toward an open clearing near a grove of shaggy pine trees.

Tom exhaled with a huff of annoyance and stowed the mobile telephone back into the breast pocket on his new and stinky business jacket with a smile, slowing moving behind the back spine on both Frank and Stu. "You don't own one single bullet, Stu. You and I and Frank carry a Ghost. Each Ghost fires a set of sharp razors from a single clip in both silence and sheath. No bang, banging, banger, bangest," he wiped more sweat from a wet face with a handkerchief and a laugh.

Stu stopped and stood upright, leaning down, gently dropping each weapon onto the sandy and rocky landscape with a stern face in silence. Frank stopped and stood beside Stu while wearing each weapon with a smile in silence. Tom stopped with a sour frown and stood in the back of Gage in silence.

Stu lifted up one weapon from the tall pile into a chest and spun around to see Tom, nodding the white colored QA monogrammed cap with a stern face at Sawyer. "This is a shotgun. A shotgun sounds like a big loud boom with a deep crackle like a set of Fourth of July fireworks being launched into the skyline."

Frank spun around and wore his business suit from the office consisting of a blue sport jacket, a pair of tan trousers, and a yellow shirt without the necktie, shaking the same white colored QA monogrammed cap, reaching out and snatched the shotgun from Gage with a sour frown. "No, Stu. A shotgun sounds much more like a semi-tractor truck trailer blowing out a rolling tire when coming down a steep hill that accompanies with a very loud popping sound. A cherry bomb or fire cracker is the sound of a long rifle, Gage."

Stu turned and frowned at Frank. "A twelve-gauge shotgun is a loud one-time explosion. Use your mine and think a big rocket!"

Frank frowned at Stu. "A twelve-gauge shotgun launch sounds like a sizzling from a wicked bolt of lightning."

Stu turned and said to Tom. "You will hear a distinct sequence or a steady pattern depending on how fast the shooter pulls the trigger."

Franks turned and said to Tom. "A car backfiring is a hand gun. A cherry bomb or fire cracker is a rifle."

Stu said. "A gun shot is deep like two wooden boards being slapped together."

Franks shook the baseball cap. "No, it is a more deep and resonant..."

Stu turned and frowned at the nose profile on Frank. "A popping sound and loud, not firecrackers as lied by dumb shit Franklin."

Frank turned and smiled at Gage. "A twelve-gauge goes ba-woom."

Stu smiled. "Bap, bap is a high speed .22."

Frank smiled. "Bam, bam is the sound of a .380 auto."

Stu smiled. "A firecracker sound is a 9mm or a .22 sound signature of a small arm fire."

Frank smiled. "A 9mm semi-automatic is a set of fiery sky high fireworks, more rapid and random," he chuckled as Stu reached over and snatched the shotgun with a smile from the hands of Frank.

Frank gasped. "Fuck you, asshole!"

Tom giggled with a grin at his brother. "I'd tattle to Austin, Frank."

Stu frowned down at the shotgun. "Austin isn't answering my borrowed cell phone."

Tom purposeful caused the minor discord between his two brothers while halting the weapon training for the day and maybe a couple of day with a wicked smile, "Call Austin, again, Stu!"

Frank exhaled with a huff of annoyance at Tom. "I have personal called ten times in a row. Austin is not, cannot, or will not answer that damn mobile telephone that he borrowed from Stu. He is away from the house. So we go and get him. I don't like his absence."

Tom nodded with a wink at Frank. "I agree totally, Frank. Let's go and get Austin! Bring his ass back home to Coral beach."

Stu looked up with a puzzled brow to see Tom and then Frank with a chuckle. "Shit! Thomas and Franklin are agreeing on the same topic at the same time."

Tom grinned with more brotherly fun. "Shut up, Stu!" He back stepped with a worried brow from Gage.

Frank lifted an arm with a nod and a stern face to Stu. "We go and get Austin. Go and prep the copter and the A-team, Stu."

Stu shook a bald skull with a smile. "Hold your pony tail, Mangrove! Stop pacing, Sawyer! I just texted the Ruby Beach QA security team before we left our air conditioned cool individual business offices in Coral Gables. They can swing by and say 'hi' to Austin. Then, they can visually see what's happening with Old Man, reporting back in about thirty minutes. So, both of you calm down, sit down and chill out."

Frank reached up and tapped the cap with a sour frown. "I possess a head of cropped short curly red hair. And at least, I own a set of hair follicles unlike Baldie over there."

Tom shook his bangs at Gage. "Austin will kill them."

Frank chuckled with a nod. "That's why we give great benefits including life insurance for purposeful accidents," Tom shook his bangs in silence.

Stu moved ahead and swung around, standing behind Tom, posing the gun under the sweaty armpit of Sawyer. "The twelve-gauge shotgun reacts with lousy recoil. So it hurts right here underneath your armpit for a little while," he tickled the armpit on Sawyer.

Tom giggled with a sissy whine and cuddled into the chest of Stu without escape from the heated sweat. "I wanna body vest."

Stu said. "You are right-handed. Use your right eyeball and fire with your right finger. And don't grip your fingers onto the cylinder ever. No fingers!" he stood behind Tom. "Proper grip is critical in any hand gun shooting, since improper grip lands you a loose tooth, Thomas. Me and you are going to shoot the shit out of that tall shaggy pine tree which is about sixteen paces from here."

"I wanna call Austin for approval," Tom held the gun with both hands with a sissy whine inside the chest of tall Stu.

Stu leaned down with a smile into the eardrum on Tom. "Shooting a round of hot ammo also will also heat your hands..."

"...and heat your groins." Frank back stepped from his two brothers and crossed both arms with a smile. "Be very careful, Tom! Men become aroused and get an erection from shooting a gun, even women experience a clitoral erection," He chuckled with Stu. Tom reared back and elbowed the rib cage of Stu with a sour frown and moved ahead with a worried brow, "Back off my ass, man!"

Stu back stepped from Tom with a smile and a chuckle. "Stow it, Frank! I can't concentrate and do an erection at the same time," laughing. Tom stepped forward from Gage with a sour frown. Stu reached out and grabbed, jerking the collar bone on Tom backward in place with a stern face. "Stay put, pup! Fire the weapon, Tom! Then, we all will leave the sands and go back to the office to finish our working day at QA."

Frank chuckled. "You have a lot of power between your two hands like putting the pedal down on a good V8 or splitting wood with a heavy maul or dropping a twelve-pound maul dead center onto a log..."

"Shut the fuck up, Mangrove!" Stu exhaled with a huff of annoyance. "Tom, concentrate! Sight your target at one of the wide fucking grove of big ass trees! Look through the peek hole! Press but do not pull the trigger! Squeeze the trigger toward the rear until the gun fires..."

Frank grinned at the nose profile on Stu and Frank. "Small shooters like small penises similar to Gage's dick all have a very rough time with a .357 Magnum and upwards mathematical fire power," he laughed with Tom.

Stu sneered at the grove of tall trees. "Don't worry about the bite!"

"I didn't know that a gun gives you a vampire bite of blood. Is it on my neck or my arm?" Tom giggled with a grin.

Stu frowned at the grove of tall trees. "No science fiction dumbass, it is a hand gun bite with the shooting of a real hand gun, here, right now."

Frank grinned. "A few years ago, a famous orthopedic surgery wrote a medical article about hand injures from the repetitive shooting of a gun."

Stu frowned at the grove of tall trees. "That was a set of certain specialized large-bore handguns that used a rifle caliber, not the gun itself, Frank. Stop making excuses for your sorry-ass shooting and Tom's incompee-dent marksman's skills!"

Frank snarled at the nose profile on Gage. "O! Are you calling me, a chicken shit, Gage?"

"Yeah, Frank's a chicken shit! Right, Stu?" Tom stared and laughed at the grove of trees, continuing to hold the shotgun with a pair of loose hands.

Stu sneered at the grove of trees. "I call what I see, Frank. A heavy gun will have less kick back than a lightweight gun. So, I use a twelve-gauge..."

"Tom, you should stay away from a .44 mag which might cause a synthetic grip shatter..."

Stu shifted the shotgun and shoved it back underneath the armpit on Tom with a sneer. "Tom, your whole body will flinch at the sound of a 160 decibels standing right next to the gun. And do not hit one of the sleeping South Florida owls on the tall tree branch!"

Frank laughed at the nose profile on Tom. "He will. Tom likes to kill in cold blood"

Tom whined with a sour pout at the grove of trees. "I wanna wear a bullet proof body vest."

Frank grinned with a chuckle. "An upper or a lower or a set of full body armor would not protect you from an array of close range bullets, Thomas."

Stu said. "A gun shot is resonant because of the gun power and great power behind the trigger making for a big boom as far as your eardrums can here."

"And it is not like a fucking firecracker that is focused and weak like our bro, Gage," Frank smiled.

Stu said. "It goes pop and off into the distance which is a shotgun sound. When you're holding the gun, you don't hear the sound as much. When you hold a shotgun or a long power rifle, you hear a boom noise."

Frank frowned. "A rifle is a pop noise from a far distance, stupid Gage."

Stu turned and growled at Frank. "The gun sound varies from a clack to a pow or even a boom, depending on how close you are to the shooter downwind." The still air waves carried a new sound into both eardrums of the three brothers as the wildlife continued to sleep during the daylight hours.

Tom looked down at the gun and slapped a chest with a sissy whine and a puzzled brow. "That wasn't me. I didn't discharge the bullet from the shotgun, Stu."

Stu turned and gasped at Frank. "Did you hear it, too, Frank?"

"The racking sound of a shotgun!" Frank turned and scanned the row of tall shaggy pine trees with a gasp at the shadow, "Yes, I did. Stu!"

Stu turned and stared at the single dark shadow behind the grove of tight shaggy pine trees with a worried brow and a soft timber, "Back slowly away from the sands and move back toward the truck," he reached out and grabbed the shotgun and then the collar bone on Tom, dragging them out from the danger. Frank spun around with a worried brow and back stepped while continuing to observe a set of two tall shadows inside the darkness of the pine trees in silence.

The Quartet slowly paced backward from the dark shadows and the grove of trees moving toward the pickup truck on the side of the road, climbing back into each open door. Stu slid into the driver's seat and slammed the door. The other two doors slammed shut also. Gage leaned over and cranked engine without warming the pistols, peeling all four tires from the sands, driving quickly away from the landscape of rocks, trees, and flowers.

On the road, Tom spun around in the rear seat with a worried brow to see the tall grove of shaggy pine trees. "Did we find some drug runners?"

Frank sat inside the passenger seat and held the upper door handle from the rough ride inside the speeding pickup truck with a nod and a sneer. "Yes, Tom. It was a gang of meth cookers who like to mix and bake up the illegal chemicals in-between the darkness of the trees which is off the road and out of the police jurisdiction of the Miami city limits"

Stu swiftly drove the truck down the roadway with a sneer, "Yeah, we found a pair or more of drug pushers, drug lords, and druggies. Bros, we come back in about an hour and clean out these public lands of pretty pine trees, fruit trees, and exotic flowers that only belong to Mother Nature, not them assholes. Then, we take our new set of bruised bootie back into the Lab for some bloody damn fun."

Tom returned back to see the windshield and bounced up and down in the rear bench seat with a clap and a giggle, "Yay! Today is a good day in the office."

3:03 p.m.

West coast of Florida

City of Ruby Beach

Ruby Beach Diner

(1.1 miles from the gas station)

Parking lot setting

Hot temperatures and windy with parted clouds of sunlight

One white colored four door sedan stood inside the crowded parking lot without a driver. The first male was tall and slender with a head of cropped dark hair and a tone of dark skin with a smile, standing beside the car door next to a second male, saying in a foreign accent. "We found him. He is located on the outer rim of the beach shoreline living with a pretty girl."

The second male was tall and slender with a head of long dark hair and a full beard with a frown, saying in a foreign accent. "What girl?"

The first male smiled, "The pretty girl, who is soon to be a pretty dead girl."

The second male laughed with a nod. "That is pretty nice if you like an American whore."

"No. We will take and should sell her to someone in the Bahamas isles. My resource, he purchases all girls for all slaves. He provides good American monies from the black market," the first male grinned with a nod.

"I approve of that plan. It is better than this camel shit hole," the second male chuckled.

"Are you pondering leaving America and joining our brothers in the Middle East?"

The second male frowned. "No pay, only die. No pay, only slave. I like here to do work business for me, which is the American way."

"The Quartet way, me and you will eliminate Badass Berrington. Then the Japs are happy. The Saudias are happy. And all the Americans are sad with tears."

"Then, we go in business venture of selling all type of girls. We grab them, tie them, and sell them in the Bahamas isles." He reached over with a smile and slapped the chest of the first male. "He's coming. Get into the car!" They scooted around and opened the door, sliding down into the seats while talking and watching the Berrington.

Interior of the car, the two males spied on Austin with a confused brow. Berrington slowly strolled out from the door and entered the sports car, driving away from the diner toward his new beach house in silence.

The first male frowned at the diner and then the rear bumper of the sports car. "Berrington eats here. We should surprise and capture him alive, not dead here at this American dinner. Then, I can beat him for some fun at his bitch's castle on Ruby Boulevard after sunset tomorrow evening. Are there a set of Quartet Associates security guards at her palace?"

The second male shook a skull with a smile. "No, I have not seen no three brotherly Quartet Assholes or a set of posted armed guard for miles and miles from Miami."

The second male smiled. "Privacy gets you captured and beat and raped tonight. I fuck her first and then sell her last," chuckling.

The first male reached down and cranked the cold engine with a smile. "Yeah, I fuck her second and then beat him and sell him to our resource in the Bahamas isles for large lump sum money. There are numerous Quartet enemies that desire Badass Berrington alive and well for his suffering torture and eventual death."

"Good plan, my brother! Leave this place! We need to plan the attack at ten o'clock tonight when all the noisy seagulls are sleep and the turtle babies run toward the water."

The white colored four door sedan slowly moved away from the diner.

9:52 p.m.

Moonlight with bright stars, windy, hot temperatures

Beach house of Bambi

Ruby Beach Boulevard location

Interior living room setting

The beach house was three stories high with a three car garage. The second floor served as the entertainment room with an open kitchen and dining room. The third floor held three bedrooms. Bambi had purchased a bedroom mattress set for her, not to be alone tonight.

Austin was inside his beach house probably not alone either with a new sleazy female whore which was not Bambi, since Bambi had rejected his tart proposal of engagement for an upcoming wedding and then following up with an infant baby.

She felt sad and love while crying during the afternoon. The hot tears had finally stopped. Her eyes were swollen and red. Austin needed some time to think about rushing into the marriage thing with a young wife of eighteen years old. So Berrington would be back later tonight to see Bambi.

She turned and frowned at the new wall clock, seeing 9:52 pm. So Austin would come back tomorrow morning. Bambi started crying again while desiring to leave Ruby Beach, since he was not coming back to see her tonight, because Badass Berrington had received his sweet treat, her virgin sex.

Bambi was really a dumb bunny for believing all his suave words of love and started crying while sitting on top of the new aqua and white stripped sofa with a whisper. "He will call me," giggling with a hiccup. "I don't own a mobile telephone. Geez! He can't call me," she reached up and slammed the sofa, spilling the bowl of fresh candies over the new fabric with a sour frown.

She vividly remembered visiting the sandy property within the foreign country of Saudi Arabia where her biological grandfather had lived. So, she could still have a life without Austin. She always had a life without Austin. And she was going to live her life without Austin. She did not want to marry now. There were too many new fun adventures ahead in her long, long life.

She lifted and slapped both hands over the swollen and red face, feeling the wet tears and the tender cheekbones.

Austin had already forgotten about her this morning since he was a Quartet Asshole and true to form while desiring to marry Bambi after two whole days and three full moons.

She was so stupid and naïve at the same time and great big life lesson has been learned, today.

Austin was with the witchy middle aged suntanned lady realtor, who loved Austin. They were eating dinner together inside his beach mansion and then fucking inside his bed tonight.

Bambi remembered visiting the local hospital and removing a set of swollen and infected tonsils at age of six years old. Her biological father was worried. Back then, it was nice to see him worried and concerned. She wished that her father was alive and here also while worrying about her, telling her what to do. That was the hardest part of being alone. All the good and bad or right and wrong decisions were determined by her mind or her emotions.

She exhaled with a puff of frustration and a whisper. "Austin was a big bad decision," then she started crying again with a set of pants. "I am going loco. I have millions and millions of dollars in a bank account which is ready to spend on me. Let's spend some money that always make a girl happy," she reached over and grabbed the piece of junk mail, flipping through the pages of the catalog of pretty colorful clothing with a smile. "Clothes make a girl happier," she reached over and grabbed the chocolate candy on top of the sofa. "And chocolate makes a girl happy, too." She looked down at the spilled chocolate from an afternoon impromptu shopping spree for candy and a set of fresh flowers inside the glass vases which are scattered around her new house while looking nicely cozy, without Austin.

Bambi closed the eyelashes, dropping a rear skull, tossing the candy into the air and opened the mouth. The candy landed into the tongue. She spat out her salvia and the candy piece down on the tile floor, staring at the item with a giggle. "The aluminum is cursed tonight," she reached down and grabbed a new piece of naked candy, popping it inside an open mouth, chewing with a grin.

The front door swung open in silence and revealed a short older male. Dingo stood in the archway of the living room, entering from an unlocked front door and motioned a hand near a smile. "Come to me, cupcake!"

Bambi chewed the candy with a frown and turned to see the strange man inside the thirteen-million-dollar mansion, yelling in fury. "No! Get the fuck out of my house, bastard!"

Dingo moved inside with a smile and a hand motion toward Bambi. "I'm not going to hurt you. You are very valuable to me in the form of five million dollars valuable."

Bambi continued to sit on top of the new long tan colored sofa and shook her curls with a fury. "No! Get the fuck out of here, bitch."

Dia appeared and stood beside Dingo with a stern face, shaking her curls. "Don't hurt her, honey bear!"

Bambi jabbed a finger at the front door behind each ass with fury. "You may leave me and my house. Both of you, dumb shits leave here me and my house. Before, you get hurt by me. I have..."

Outside the white sands, Austin was crouched at the fit waistline and sneaking around the rear patio while quietly observing the city street. There were too many parked cars along the side street outside the residential property line.

Bambi liked her privacy.

Austin cherished his more which pissed Berrington off when the interior of his new beach mansion had been disturbed and stormed by three unknown men in a blue electric colored ski mask with a matching turtleneck, and a pair of matching trousers that was tucked down into a pair of polished black military boots, holding a machine gun. He was the Old Man of the Quartet with a set of acute eardrums and eyeballs. The three bastards didn't have a chance for heaven, only down in hell, where they were nicely serving their new master Satan now.

Stu had taught the Quartet very well during his survival training sessions.

The small clues, such as, the direction of the blowing sands, shifting winds, and the irritated sounds from the aquatic creatures, had signaled the secret asshole-invasion of his new beach house. Austin had lived too long on the beach, not recognizing a man-made noise.

Austin, now, carried his Ghost on a body everywhere he walked, talked, ate, sat, and shitted, since his formal flame Liz Harris had stolen the Ghost from his bedroom night stand as he soundly slumbered which was a valuable lesson for her.

In the Coral Beach inside the manor of Austin, the master bedroom four walls and the entire floor had been re-painted three times but truly needed to be removed, hence the request for a new house. The smell of blood could not be covered, only the color, sometimes.

In Ruby Beach, inside the house of Bambi, something was up and happening with his formal flame Bambi. She seemed to possess a set of dangerous secrets which explained her vocal outburst when Austin had proposed marriage this afternoon. So she really did need his help but was too proud to ask. Or there was something more here which was about to be revealed.

Austin did not care about her secrets, only her person and then he would protect her person right here in Ruby Beach. He moved ahead in silence over the sugar white sands while leaving a trail of dead bodies among the bright moonlight for the missing police force.

The moonlight clearly illuminated five individuals through the set of clear glass patio doors including Bambi on top of the sofa inside the living room. Austin reached down and touched, twisting the wrist bone on the knob as the unlocked patio door cracked open. He held his Ghost behind a back spine with a fake smile.

Berrington quickly assessed the dangerous situation inside the interior of the house.

The old man with a head of graying brown hair was harmless along with his side kick, was a young browned headed doe. The pair of Saudi twins was the main threat while wanting Bambi and carrying a sub-machine gun to kidnap her. The old man and the young female stood in front of the open front door and each one possessed a hand gun which was not very good protection against a pair of semiautomatic machine guns. This was not a typical home invasion robbery. The four individual were all semi-professionals or true professional assassins.

Austin whispered with a grin outside the glass patio door. "Let us figure out who is good and who is bad." He didn't really need a weapon or protection on the short vacation adventure, since his business company was being sold to a wealthy Japanese business firm.

Back home in Coral Gables, his brother Frank at the office desk working hard and wrapping up the last of the financial paperwork, so Austin could return back home to Coral Beach as an unemployed, unyielding, and un-something else beach bun. Berrington had lived and prepared his short life to kill first, to negotiate second, and to fuck third as a final reward of both efficiency and effectiveness business without error.

In Ruby Beach, inside the beach house, Austin had activated an emergency flag inside the borrowed mobile telephone from Stu to his three brothers, so they could load up into the Quartet helicopter and rescue Bambi, before he had left the beach house and after he had killed the three attackers. So, the three attackers had wanted her, not him this heated evening.

Therefore, the rest of the Quartet was on the way, sorta.

And the newly formed Quartet Associate guard team here in Ruby Beach that had been formed from a gang of building construction workers where Austin had met the men and the female during the manhunt for the angel of death were pulling up inside an assigned Quartet Associate pickup truck onto the paved city street across the white sands. He had noticed the pair of headlight on the vehicle before he stomped over the deck patio of her house.

The new QA guard unit was a set of real amateurs, not wanting them to become injured or dead, especially from a gang of professional assassins. So, this was his personal battle war.

On top of the deck, Austin slid the door to the side with a smile and a yell into the living room like a Quartet Asshole in disguise, "Hey, Bambi! Are you home tonight?" The two shadows behind the older male and the young doe were fast, lithe, and quick with the pair of knives and then attacked the odd couple from the rear. "Damn it to hell!" Austin was on a security training mission, not a pleasure vacation.

The set of new QA guards barged through a side door of the mansion and stood in a row, pointing a hand gun at each at Bambi in silence. The lead guard yelled. "Halt."

Austin dashed inside with slightly tilt to the side and stopped, nailing the first foreign bastard with three razors above the eyeball which hurt like hell. He tilted to the other side and fired. The next three razors punched into the chest of the second foreign bastard while sizzling intense pain into the heart which took six point four seconds to reach the brain and the signal initiated all the pain sensors.

The twin Saudi soldiers stumbled sideways and dropped down, falling face first over the clean floor while holding onto a hearts literally at the time of dead.

Austin stood upright and motioned to each of his QA guards to stand down. Some individuals were dead. Some individuals were alive. Bambi continued to sit on top of the new sofa and sobbed with tears of fear and fright. Austin dashed ahead and scooted onto the sofa, cuddling Bambi into his arms and stored the Ghost back into the walking shorts with a smile.

The old man dropped down to the floor and reached over, cuddling the young girl inside a pair of bloody arms, staring at the blood flowing out from her open mouth when one of the foreign bastards silently stabbed into her left kidney with the knife.

10:02 p.m.

Outside patio setting

A set of three new tall and short figures appeared and stood inside the open front door.

"Fucking hell! I see Badass Berrington standing before my eyeballs in the tanned flesh and no leaking blood. What the hell happened in here now, Badass?" Sheriff Willis Keystone stomped through the open front door of the mansion with a smile and stopped a few feet into the living room while surveying the bloody site with a sour frown.

Austin sat and cuddled Bambi on top of the new aqua and white colored sofa with a frown at Keystone. "How did you find us here?"

Keystone thumbed back over a collar bone with a smile and a nod at the dead bodies over the sands. "Your team of QA guards called and reported a thief at your beach house down the street from this beach house. And then, we followed all the dead bodies that were bleeding red blood within the white sugary sands," he turned and scanned each dead body on the floor with a grunt. "This is one hell of mess, Berrington."

Austin nodded with a smile. "I was attacked by these dead men," he laughed with the others.

Keystone turned and laughed at Austin. "So are you hurting and bleeding, too, Berrington?"

He rubbed the arm of Bambi with a smile. "I was not harmed, sheriff." She continued to sob and cry with loud sniffing.

"Damn! If you don't possess a set of nine lives like a stray cat, too?" Keystone moved ahead with a laugh and stopped, squatting down over the first foreign male of dark skin with a sour frown. "Hmm! That clip of razors kill good. Can you identify them, Berrington?"

Outside on top of the white sands, a pair of two helicopters loudly settled over the beach while shining a pair of two bright spot lights over the sand, the street, the ocean, the house, and into eyeballs of each person through the windows of the living room.

Then each open doorway showed an individual among the moonlight rays.

FBI Special Agent Phil Magnum bolted through the rear set of open patio door. An unknown man came from the side door and an unknown woman came from the front door. Each wore a white shirt, a pair of dark trousers, and a federal badge necklace, scooting around the room, surrounding Keystone, the two deputies, and Dingo and his dead girlfriend Dia. Phil stopped and stood in front of Keystone with a stern face and a nod. "We will take it from here, sheriff. Thanks for your cooperation."

Keystone stood in the middle of the room with a puzzled brow at the man, "Huh, what? Who are you? Magnum, is that you over there. Hell! I didn't recognize the full facial beard of brown." He lifted and touched his own clean shaven face with a smile.

Phil pointed to the shadows in the two separate doorways. "This is FBI Agents Block and Decker."

Keystone turned and chuckled at each doorway and individual, "Black and Decker, it is not nice to meet you here in my little ole beach town of Ruby Beach. Why are you here to annoy me, Magnum? This is my beach town."

The tall male smiled with a nod. "We get that a lot."

The tall female did not smile at the nose profile on Keystone. "Actually, the other name is known as Black and Decker, while we are known as Block and Decker. I don't find it funny in regard to our proper names."

"You must be, Agent Block." Keystone turned and winked at the female and then to see Phil. "Magnum, what is up with you paired with them dead boys?"

Phil ignored the blood, the guts, the other witnesses, and Keystone moved ahead and lifted a piece of brown paper near the nose profile with a stern face, stopping. "You are under arrest by the United States of America, Miss Babylonia Bolivia Bolt."

She sat next to Austin and stared with a confused brow of fury at Phil. "Arrest? What arrest? Why am I being arrested? What the hell for?"

Phil lifted a pair of silver tinted handcuff near the side of the nose profile with a stern face. "Please stand, Miss Bolt! We need to board the copter and leave from Ruby Beach immediately," he jiggled the metal hand cuffs with a stern face. Bambi did not move.

"What's her crime, Phil?" Austin continued to cuddle Bambi with a puzzled brow at Phil.

Phil exhaled with a huff of annoyance that Berrington was here and involved and jiggled the handcuffs again. "Miss Bolt is a traitor to the United States of America. She has been watched for the past four weeks. Finally, she revealed her secret connections to a team of terrorists in the country of Saudi Arabia while living here in Ruby Beach on US America soil."

Austin turned and hissed at her nose profile. "She is a traitor to the United States of America."

Bambi shook her curls and stood upright from soft, tossing both arms into the air with a worried brow to Phil and Austin. "Not true! That is not true. I'm born an American citizen from the US State of Tennessee. No, I am not a traitor to my country, the US of A. Austin, can you help me here please?"

Austin turned and frowned at the FBI Agent, "Phil, can you provide me anymore details of the arrest?"

Phil reached over and cuffed her wrist bones with a stern face, shaking a skull. "No, Austin! I cannot. She is being escorted to the US Federal Building in Miami tonight. You can visit her in about two or three days, if the US Federal Government grants permission, of course, for a traitor of the United States of America."

"Understood," Austin continued to sit and watch the action feeling shock, hurt, and confusion. His heart was broken. His mind was numb. His body was still. His future wife was a traitor to the United States of America.

Phil reached out and grabbed her arm, shoving Bambi away from the sofa and Austin toward the set of open patio doors with a stern face. "Let's go and load onto the helicopter, Miss Bolt."

Bambi yelled with sobs and tears of fear. "Austin, please help me! I'm not a traitor. I swear to you. I'm an American girl from America from Tennessee. I am an American citizen."

Keystone strolled around the dead bodies and spilled blood, leaning over the bald head Dingo with a stern face, writing down all the names and descriptions. "Who is the dead girl? And who are you, sir?"

Dingo hugged the dead body of Dia and sobbed with sad tears. "They killed my honey bun. They wanted the other girl named Bambi."

Bambi moved toward the open patio doors with a yell of worry. "Please believe me, Austin! I am not a traitor of the United States of America." Austin continued to sit in awe of the new situation.

Phil shoved the back spine on Bambi through the open archway with a stern face. "Miss Bolt, you are coming with us both for your protection and your arrest. You can have a lawyer visit you tonight at the local jail house." Austin continued to sit in frustration.

Phil and Bambi exited the house and entered the helicopter. The helicopter lifted up from the sands and flew in the night among the bright stars. Austin continued to sit in confusion.

Keystone stood upright and stared down at the sad man named Dingo with a deep sign, turning with a stern face to see Berrington. "You can tell me your personal eyewitness account of the situation, Berrington. Then you can leave for the night and go back to your beach house."

Austin continued to sit in puzzlement.

Wednesday October 27th

6:51 a.m.

City of Ruby Beach

(132 miles west of Coral Beach)

New beach house of Austin

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

2nd floor level

Master bedroom setting

**T** he master bedroom door slammed open against the wall with a loud boom. Tom dashed through the open archway and leaped into the air from the floor, landing on top of a slumbering body inside the bed mattress, shaking the shit outta of Austin with a grin and a giggle and yelled into the eardrum on Berrington also. "Get up, man!" Austin grunted and rolled side to side with the heavy body over a torso blinking open and shut both eyelids. Tom yelled. "Wake up, Austin! Get up, man!"

"Why?" Austin moaned softly with sleep.

Tom continued to shake Austin and yell into the eardrum on Berrington. "Get up now! You gotta leave from here, now, man. Now, you are going to the foreign country of Japan."

Stu entered through the open archway and stopped, standing at the footboard of the bed with a smile and a nod, staring at Berrington and Tom. "The jet is gassed up and ready for departure, Austin."

Austin rolled over on the side and away from the sweet mint breath on Tom, closing the eyelids with a soft moan. "Why?"

Tom crawled over the messy bed linens and touched, shaking the body of Austin again while yelling into the eardrum on Berrington with a sad pout. "The Japanese deal fell through for some damn reason. We don't know why or what for. Lookie! You gotta go and get on the QA jet like right now, Austin."

Austin exhaled with a huff of annoyance without moving from the warm bed with a soft moan, "Maybe."

Frank entered through the archway and stopped, standing beside Stu at the footboard of the bed also while shaking his red curly skull with a stern face, "Austin?"

Tom reached over and yanked out the medical IV needle and the associated IV tubing from the arm of Austin, where Frank had inserted the medication last night, after finding Austin both sad and depressed inside the living room of another beach house. One of the deputies of Keystone had escorted the Quartet to the beach house of someone named Bambi, who had been arrested as a traitor to the USA. Austin flipped over with a sneer and rolled off the bed, standing upright and growled at Sawyer, reaching over and patted the bruised arm with sneer. "Fuck, Tom!"

Tom quickly shuffled off the bed and away from Austin with a worried brow, slamming an ass into the wall with a giggle and a grin, dropping the IV needle and IV tubing on the floor. "Get up, man! You gotta go and leave from Ruby Beach right now. And get dressed!"

Stu stared with a chuckle at the wrinkled clothes of Austin. "Austin is dressed."

Tom leaned down and stood upright, lifting the item near the waistline with a smile. "Here, a black travel bag with your black colored trouser, your black colored jacket, your black colored turtleneck, and your black colored clean underwear. Frank pressed and folded your freshly laundered undies, since you and he are the guy boys of the Quartet," he turned and winked at Stu, dropping the bag back down onto the floor with a loud thump. Gage laughed.

Frank exhaled. "Shut the fuck up, Tom!"

Austin yawned and stared with a confused brow at each brother. "I am very confused about everything."

"And you're very slow and tired and..." Tom reached out and grabbing, pulling on the arm of Austin with a smile. "Move out, Austin!"

Austin did not move but smiled. "I don't need to move. I'm already here."

"The command is roll out, Tom." Stu laughed.

Frank frowned. "Do you remember sending a text to us on the borrowed mobile telephone from Stu, Austin?"

Tom released the arm of Austin and back stepping near the wall, stopping and bounced up and down with excitement with a giggle and a grin. "Remember, man? You called us for help with your SOS on the mobile telephone. I can't believe that you even remembered how to text on the mobile telephone. I was impressed with your social skills on the tiny computers."

Frank frowned. "Shut the fuck up, Tom!"

Tom continued to bounce up and down with excitement in front of the wall with a giggle and a grin. "We got your damn text and then we came running all the way from fucking ass Coral Beach. We're so shitting glad that you called us, your brothers. We were damn worried about you, Austin."

Frank exhaled. "Shut the fuck up, Tom!"

Stu smiled with a nod. "Tom is most pleased to see his big brother."

Frank exhaled. "Shut the fuck up, Stu!"

Tom continued to bounce up and down near the wall with excitement with a giggle and a grin. "We actually flew over on the damn QA jet. The jet is here at the Ruby Beach airport. But, you were shitting out of it, man! Then, Frank got really pissed off and then stabbed you with one of those vicious little tiny tap needles right into your damn neck. Fucking flying red colored blood went everywhere on the fucking sofa, the shitty wall, the damn..."

Frank exhaled. "Shut the fuck up, Tom!"

Tom continued to bounce up and down near the side wall with excitement with a giggle and a grin. "Whose fucking new beach house is that? What damn whore was your dick fucking, when you went zombie leader, again, Austin?"

Frank frowned. "Shut the fuck up, Tom!"

Tom continued to bounce up and down with excitement with a giggle and a grin. "Then you passed out onto the fucking dirty floor. But Stu caught your blooding and unconscious body before you busted your two nose holes, bleeding more over the dirty floor," he swirled around in a circle with a smile and a nod, stopping and stood in front of Austin again. "I like your beach house. Can I have one too?"

Frank nodded with a smile. "I used an IV line to counteract your depression with a slight sedative for a good night's sleep. That is all, Austin," he turned and frowned at Tom. "Tom lies too much. One day, the nose will grow longer than his dick," laughing with Stu.

He sneered at his brother. "Fuck off, Mangrove!" Tom stared bouncing up and down with a smile to see Austin. "Austin, you were shell-shocked, traumatized, battle fatigue, pms-ing," giggling.

Stu turned and frowned at Tom. "What is pms-ing, Tom?"

Frank exhaled. "Tom means to use the term post menstruation pain which is utilized by a female."

Stu frowned. "He is a guy, not a girl, Tom."

Tom jumped up and down with excitement and a smile. "I was using it as a reference for a quick shitty reflex. See? I got his attention really well."

Stu frowned. "You're a dumbass, Tom."

Austin exhaled with a huff of frustration of a new morning as all the bad memories flooded back into his brain cells, including the naked girl, the turtles, the rowboat, the shipwreck, the attack, the assassins, the dead girl, the gun, the arrest. Austin moaned with a soft timber, "Bambi?"

Tom moved ahead and grabbed the arm of Austin, strolling toward the archway, over the hallway, and down the staircase with a stern face and a nod. "Bambi is in a locked and secured prison jail cell, man. Do you remember her arrest? You fucked a traitor, man. You can do better than a treasonous traitor tramp to the United States of America. Keystone told us the entire sick fairy tale. Bambi got her ass arrested as a spying traitor to the good old US of A by Agent Phil from the FBI. The FBI had been hunting down this chick for weeks and weeks and then they found her with you. Thank Almighty God, Brother Jesus, the Holy Spirit and all your heavenly angels, Austin! The FBI found her. She could have kidnapped you and then ransomed you off to the highest fucking ass money bidder among our assortment of shitty and sleazy ass enemies, Austin. Everyone wants to get and keep and eventually kill Badass Berrington first."

Frank marched behind the ass on Tom and Austin next to Stu with a nod and a smile. "We're the nice guys."

Stu frowned at the rear skull of Austin. "I usually don't agree with Tom. But I do here. We are not the nice guys. We have many, many enemies."

Living room setting

Tom and Austin stomped down the last step from the staircase and swiftly moved across the room toward a set of open patio doors, where the QA helicopter stood on top of the sands with a pair of rotating wings. Austin said. "We should help her..."

Tom stopped and stood, spinning around with a sneer to Berrington, "Hell no! I forbid it, Austin. The Quartet does not help, but kills all traitors, one at a time, inside the Lab for guts, gory, and glory."

Austin stopped and stood with a nod and a stern face to see Tom. "I believe in my heart that Bambi is innocent."

Tom slapped a chest with a smile. "We help thyself first like the Holy Bible says..."

"The Holy Bible states that you are to help others first and worship God, too, Thomas." Stu reached over and slapped the collar bone on Tom, shaking a bald skull.

Tom giggled with a nod. "I'm close enough."

Stu moved ahead and shoved the back spine on Austin toward the open archway with a sour frown. "Get going, Austin! How in the fuck is that close enough, Thomas?"

Tom spun around and moved beside Stu with a smile, slapping the chest. "Almighty God gave me money to help thyself and not others, since it is almost gone..."

Frank moved behind the asses of Stu and Tom while frowning at the rear skull on Tom. "You're a filthy rich pompous shit turd, Tom."

Tom followed behind the ass of Austin and moved ahead with Stu with a smile. "And Almighty God wants me to be more filth richer, only if the Japanese money deal is well done, Austin. The Japs wanna bow out from our perfect money-making arrangement for some damn reason, man."

Frank grinned with a nod. "Maybe, they should bow out, too. And we should continue to keep working at QA, foreverly, while not making Thomas a trillionaire, neverly," he laughed with Stu. "Do you like my new word, Tom?" He laughed again.

Tom spun around with gasp and shook his bang with a sneer, "Naw! No! Nope! Nada! We all voted. We all agreed. We all wanna be the first four trillionaires of the world."

Outside patio deck setting

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine and windy

Austin slowly moved through the open archway, over the wooden deck, and down the deck steps toward the helicopter with a soft moan. "Damn it to hell!" This visit was about money. Money made the world go around and around. Now, the Quartet was selling their business company Quartet Associates for sixteen trillion dollars, if the business deal didn't die. Austin didn't give a damn about his business company anymore. He wanted to find a nice woman, get married, and start a family with a child like the rest of his brothers. Once the company was sold, his three brothers were starting and creating the family unit of three, a mom, a dad, and a baby. Then Austin would be left behind in both pity and loneliness.

Austin had been actively finding a set of nice women that were tagged as the "wife material" where Janey had created and pegged the clever term. Then one by one, each nice woman died of some weird ass strange set of circumstances, right in front of Austin's eyeballs and inside his own house. For the first time in his life, Austin was scared to death.

Tom swung around and followed behind the ass of Austin through the archway, over the deck floor, down the steps, and jogged over the sands, pulling up beside Austin with a smile and advanced toward the stationary helicopter. "No choice. No option. Not now! They want you, man. They need your body in the foreign country of Japan. You, not me, it is a culture thing within the foreign country of Japan. They recognize only the highest asshole-ness authority which is you who is the CEO, the president, the highest asshole of Quartet. You are the number one asshole in the world," giggling.

"Asshole-ness authority is the greatest word that describes Austin, Tom," Stu moved behind the asses on Tom and Austin with a laugh.

Austin slowly wobbled side to side over the sands and advanced toward the door of the helicopter, exhaling with a huff of annoyance, "Understood."

Tom slapped a chest with a grin and reached out, grabbing the arm of Austin. "I'm the number two asshole in the world."

Stu moved ahead and reached out, grabbing the arm on Tom, stopping and tucking slender tall Sawyer into a chest with a chuckle. "No, you are not. I am."

Tom punched both arms into the wall of muscle with a sour frown. "Shut up, Stu! Get the fuck off my body, asshole!"

Frank pulled up beside Berrington with a stern face and moved toward the helicopter. "Austin, you must attend this highly diplomatically requested business meeting or..."

"No deal!" Tom yelled and shoved Stu from his person, standing in the white sands of a bright heated day with a sour frown at the ass of Austin.

Stu stood beside Tom on top of the white sands in the bright sunshine with a smile at the ass of Austin. "No deal."

Tom nodded, "No eight trillion dollars to us, assholes! Go and get on the helicopter! And don't come back to Coral Beach without the money, honey," giggling.

Frank moved with Austin toward the helicopter. "Tom means a signed contract."

Tom bounced up and down with a smile and a yell at the ass of Austin. "It is called money, Old Man!"

Stu yelled at the back spine on Berrington and Frank. "Good luck, Austin!"

Frank stopped in the sand and reached over, handing the black bag to Austin with a smile. "I pray for a safe return back to us and Coral Beach, Austin."

"Thanks, Frank." Austin accepted the black bag of fresh clothing and slowly wobbled ahead over the sand, boarding the helicopter for a new trip of a new day without a new love.

On top of the white sand, Tom jumped up and down and waved both arms with a smile. "Get the money! Don't forget the money, Austin! See you later, gator!"

Helicopter interior second row setting

Inside the helicopter on the second row near the window, Austin stumbled down into the chair with a stern face and a worried mind, staring at the clean floor while pondering the love, the marriage proposal, the marriage rejection, the deadly attack, the deaths, the arrest, the traitor. This was a bad timing for leaving Bambi to hang, maybe he should contact her. But Berrington did not call a fucking traitor of the USA. The Quartet hated all and any traitors of the US of A.

He loved her, maybe. He liked the deal, definitely. Austin would return back to Miami with the sixteen trillion-dollar business deal, but not to Bambi with a diamond ring.

His forehead leaned over into the heated glass pane and as he whispered with a stern face. "Life sucks!" The Quartet helicopter lifted up from the white sands of Ruby Beach and flew forward toward the Ruby Beach airport for the QA jet to travel into the foreign country of Japan. He continued to stare through the window down at the sands.

On top of the white sand in the bright sunshine, Frank and Stu stood in place and waved with a single head nod. Tom bounced up and down waving both arms like a happy man.

Austin slightly grinned at his three loving and caring non-biological brothers that made up four men of a quartet.

Sunday October 31st

12:12 a.m.

City of Miami

Warm temperatures with moonlight and bright stars

Limousine ride with Tom, Austin, Stu, and Frank

Red Road city street location

**T** he Quartet private jet had landed a few minutes before midnight on Sunday after flying out from the country of Japan, where Austin had visited for two whole days and then successfully saved the business deal that would sell their company Quartet Associates to the Japanese business firm.

The airport door opened. The airport crew slid up a short ladder underneath the opening of semi-darkness. Then the three brothers run up the ladder and attacked Austin inside the cabin chair with a set of smiles and laughs.

Each brother back stepped from a sleepy Austin. Stu reached out and grabbed, lifting the arm of Austin from the chair as Frank cuddled Austin and escorted them off the airplane with the excitement of the successful sell.

Tom and Stu bumped into each other, sailing down the steps one at a time.

Frank and Austin carefully moved down the steps and eventually landed down top of the soil ground, slowing moving toward the golden tinted limousine that belonged to Tom.

Stu and Tom advanced ahead, still playfully bumping into each body for fun and stopped, standing beside the open door with excitement of smiles and laughter.

Frank slowly wobbled with Austin and stopped down, stumping Austin into the rear seat of the bench seat.

The other brothers crawled around Austin and sat inside one of two bench seats. Tom pressed the button and closed the set of automatic doors and then signaled the chauffeur to leave the airport. The limousine slowly drove away from the air field, where the private jet had landed.

Inside the rear bench seat across from Frank and Stu, Austin sat next to Frank. Berrington leaned a skull against the leather head rest and wore the black attire, consisting of a sports coat, a turtleneck, a pair of trousers, and a pair of leathers, closing both eyelids from a bout of exhaustive jet lag flying from the airport of the foreign country of Japan.

Tom bounced up and down, rubbing both hands with a grin and a giggle, staring at Frank and then Stu in the semi-darkness of the rear cabin. "I can't believe we're going to be the world's first four trillionaires. This is so awesome, ya'll!"

"Yes," Austin did not move and softly moaned.

Stu frowned. "You have been saying that for three miles now, Tom!"

Tom bounced up and down, rubbing both hands with a grin and a giggle. "I can't believe we're going to be the world's first four trillionaires. This is so incredible, ya'll!"

"Yes," Austin moaned softly.

Frank frowned. "Stop saying that, Tom!"

Tom bounced up and down, rubbing both hands with a grin and a giggle. "I can't believe we're going to be the world's first four trillionaires. This is so unbelievable, ya'll!"

"Yes," Austin moaned softly.

Stu frowned. "Stop acting weird ass, Tom!"

Tom bounced up and down, rubbing both hands with a grin and a giggle. "I can't believe we're going to be the world's first four trillionaires. This is so delightful, ya'll!"

"Yes," Austin moaned softly.

Frank exhaled. "We should have left Tom at home."

Tom bounced up and down, rubbing both hands with a grin and a giggle. "I can't believe we're going to be the world's first four trillionaires. This is so great, ya'll!"

"Yes," Austin moaned softly.

Stu frowned. "Why are you not in the bed right now, Tom?"

Frank frowned. "Isn't it passed your bedtime, Thomas?"

Tom bounced up and down, rubbing both hands with a grin and a giggle. "No. I stay up after midnight all the time. I'm usually watching one of my science fiction movies inside my private theater. It is so nice being rich. I can watch my movie anytime I fuckingly wanna with my gigantic bag of hot buttered popcorn and my large glass of cold beer. I gotta watch the entire trilogy from the beginning to the end. Or I can't go to sleep at night."

"Yes," Austin moaned softly.

Stu exhaled. "Tom really is a true fucking freak of nature."

Tom bounced up and down, rubbing both hands with a grin and a giggle. "I can't believe we're going to be the world's first four trillionaires. This is so fabulous, ya'll!"

"Yes," Austin moaned softly.

Frank laughed. "But Tom is also cute and rich as Stu just proves his silly point."

Tom bounced up and down, rubbing both hands with a grin and a giggle. "I can't believe we're going to be the world's first four trillionaires. This is so cool, ya'll!"

"Yes," Austin moaned softly.

Frank smiled. "How did all the negotiations with the Japanese executives go?"

Tom stopped the bounce with a sour frown. "The business negotiations were successfully, asshole, because we are going to be the world's first four trillionaires. This is so fantastic, ya'll!"

"Yes," Austin moaned softly.

Frank frowned. "Why are so tired, Austin? Were the Japanese executives really that tough on your ass with each modifying amendment? You didn't contact us for advice, Austin. Did any of legal clauses change?"

Austin exhaled with a huff of exhaustion. "I didn't see one Japanese executive or attend a meeting."

Tom turned and frowned at the nose profile on Austin. "Then, who did you fuck over during the business negotiations?"

Austin did not move with a slight smile and set of closed eyelids. "I fucked all the beautiful Japanese geisha girls. They have this geisha dance with their hands," chuckling.

Tom gasped with a fury. "Holy fucking shit! A geisha girl is an international whore."

Frank exhaled. "Austin, did you meet with one or two of Japanese executives who is going to buy our company? Did they modify the legal contact at all?"

"No and no," Austin did not move but smiled.

"No and no!" Tom gasped with fury. "Then, what the fuck did you do for three whole days and nights in Japan?"

Austin did not move but smiled. "I fucked every pretty geisha girl. They have this geisha dance with their hands..."

"Holy fucking shit!" Tom gasped with a fury. "You fucked a group of international whores for three whole days and nights in the country of Japan."

Stu frowned. "Austin didn't fuck during the day..."

"I did." Austin smirked.

Tom gasped with a fury. "Holy fucking shit! You fucked a group of international whores for your lusty fun pleasure while I sweated out a colony of red colored fire ants with worry for three whole days and nights for nothing."

Stu smiled. "You should have faith..."

"In Almighty God..." Tom gasped.

Frank smiled, "In our fearless and apparently tireless leader of the Quartet, Tom, who can fuck a full room of international whores for three whole days and associated nights! I bet your dick is still swollen and sore, Austin," he laughed with Stu.

Austin did not move but frowned. "Why are you, three here with me? I can find my way back home all by myself."

Frank nodded with a smile. "We all are escorting Austin to see his new home, since he has been missing within Coral Beach for almost a month."

Tom stopped the bounce and looked down with a smile to check the designer wrist watch. "Austin left out on a Wednesday on September the twenty seventh from the parking lot of the church in Coral Gables. He has been gone exactly one month, four days, fifteen minutes, thirty seconds, and four milliseconds," he bounced up and down with a smile. "We're here to escort you around your new mansion. Remember? You own a new mansion that you have not never ever seen before. Stu did a helluva of job building you a new house in four fucking weeks, man."

Austin dropped a chin down into a chest with a smile to Gage. "Thanks, Stu!" He rubbed a set of tired eyeballs with an ugly yawn, feeling exhaustion, wanting sleep. He didn't really feel like a tour of the new house. He was so tired. Austin could sleep on the dirty floor right now.

Stu nodded with a smile. "You are welcome, Austin. It was a joy to construct something without limits and boundaries."

Frank nodded with a grin. "And I promise. We hired a team of interior designers that assisted each wife. I love Misty Marie, but I trust the professionals. The interior of your new mansion is lush and comfortable that you like."

"And your fucking house is not pink, again, Austin. Shit! A tough guy doesn't live in pink hues, man!" Tom reached over with a laugh and fist-bumped with Stu. Gage nodded in silence with a grin. Tom turned and grinned at the nose profile on Berrington. "How much did your new mansion cost, Austin?"

Austin continued to lean back into the leather head rest with a set of closed eyelids with a soft moan. "Don't know."

Tom gasped. "You don't know the number of wasted millions that you have spent on your new ugly mansion."

Frank frowned. "His new house is nice looking, Tom."

Tom turned with a smile and slapped a chest with a nod. "My house is lovely looking. His new house has no character, only the colors..."

"Don't, Tom! Do not tell Austin about his new house, Tom! It is surprise for him, not you. Shut the fuck up, Tom!" Stu growled.

Tom frowned. "Whatever! My house has character and color like me."

Frank laughed. "Brother Tom has both clash and conflict like his brightly colored Greek villa."

Tom turned and laughed into the nose profile on Berrington. "How do you not know that Stu ripped off your ass and your assets, Austin?"

Austin continued to lean into the head rest with a pair of closed eyelids and a soft moan, "He is my brother."

Tom slapped a chest with a sour frown. "Well, fuck it! Gage is my brother too. But I don't trust the tall asshole with my money or my person."

Stu sneered. "Then, the next time your skinny ass is in the pathway of deadly danger like a vicious killing knife welding assault or a flying discharged bullet, do not look to me for aiding to save your fucking ass life, Thomas."

Tom slapped a chest with a smile. "Our dangerous days and nightly trips are done here at Quartet Associates. We are selling our business company in three weeks. I'm going to be a true daddy of a baby boy in nine months and a couple of days. Jane and I are fucking..."

"No graphic information, please, Tom!" Frank lifted and covered the pair of eyeballs with a smile. Stu laughed at silly Frank.

Tom frowned. "We are fuckingly traveling away from Coral Beach to New Zealand for a second honeymoon, Frank. Think with your neurons, not your dick, asshole! How much did you pay for your new mansion, Austin?"

He dropped both hands with a sour frown. "Tom needs to listen with his deaf eardrums." Frank laughed.

Tom turned and smiled at the nose profile on Austin. "How much did you paid for your new mansion, Austin? How do you not know that Stu ripped off your ass and your assets, Austin? Don't you monitor all your personal bank account for missing monies that Frank could have stolen, Austin?"

"Is it Tom's bedtime, yet?" Stu laughed.

Austin continued to lean back into the leather head rest with a set of closed eyelids with a soft moan. "Frank does not steal."

Frank sneered. "I do not monitor yours or Stu's or Austin's personal bank account of billions, asshole. I reconcile all the monthly paper copies of his financial statements which are really easy. It takes me four seconds and fourteen milliseconds."

Tom gasped. "What in the fuck does that mean, Frank?"

Frank smirked. "I mean that Austin barely spend money like another brother that I personally know and couldn't give a shit about."

Tom laughed. "You should not insult his feelings within the two eardrums of Stu. He might beat you up, Mangrove."

Frank laughed. "I am insulting your pair of deaf eardrums on Tom."

Tom gasped. "I give a shit about you, Frank. That's mean and hurtful to my eardrums and my heart. We are all brothers."

Stu frowned. "I wish that were so true. You are a numb-less toad, Tom. Nothing harms you, but when I see you eat with a set of your barbarian table manners. He eats all the damn time."

"I'm a skinny giraffe," Tom laughed. "Did Stu rip off the ass and the assets of Austin, Frank? Since, you monitor his billions on a daily basis like I do. How much did that new mansion cost? You do know that correct money answer, right, Money Man?"

Frank gasped in alarm. "I..."

"Stu paid."

Tom turned and gasped at the nose profile on Austin. "What the fuck does that mean: Stu paid?"

Stu smiled. "Austin did not pay for his new mansion."

Tom turned and gasped. "Did Stu pay for your new mansion, Austin?"

Stu smiled, "Yeah!"

Frank leaned over with a laugh and fist-bumped with Gage. "Good show, brother!"

Tom gasped in alarm. "Why in the fuck did you pay for Austin's new mansion?"

Stu smiled. "He is my brother."

Tom shook his bangs. "Bull shit! I'm a brother, your brother, too. You have never offered to pay for anything that I fuckingly own, ever."

"Because, you buy it first thing, before it hits the market," Stu laughed.

Tom gasped. "Well, staring right now, this millisecond, I am not buying nothing first again, so my sweet ass brother Gage can buy it for me," he smiled with a nod. "How much did Austin's new mansion cost, Stu?"

Frank exhaled. "That is privileged financial information, Tom. Since, you are a sleazy-bag lawyer that means that there is a client-contractor privilege clause in effect, dumb shit."

Tom shook his bangs. "Horse shit! Stu is not licensed as a building contractor. He is our brother and one-fourth owner of Quartet Associates and the chief operating officer of our company. Why did you pay for Austin's new fucking mansion, Stu?"

Frank turned and smiled at Stu. "Why did you paid for Austin's mansion, Stu?"

Tom gasped. "I asked that gawd dawn question first, Frank."

Frank laughed. "And Stuart will answer for me, not Tom."

Stu exhaled. "It was easier for me to access and paid all the outstanding money invoices from my personal bank account rather than bother Austin on his solo vacation, without his brothers, because I love my oldest and meanest and dearest brother of the Quartet." Austin chuckled out loud with Frank.

Tom gasped. "I love all my three brothers too. How much did that that new gawd damn mansion cost, Stu?"

Stu smiled. "The new mansion expensed at one hundred million dollars."

Tom gasped in alarm. "You paid one hundred million dollars for that piece..."

"Shut up, Tom!" Frank growled.

Stu frowned. "Tom, the new mansion holds state of the technology machines and all the current building supplies are more expensive today from when we, four built our individual mansions seven years ago."

Tom laughed. "Are you going to make Austin pay back all the millions of dollar for the mansion before you break his face or his arm or his dick, Stu?"

Stu smiled. "No reimbursement! It is my gift to Austin."

"Thanks!" Austin moaned with a sleepy smile.

Tom gasped. "Cow shit! You gave Austin a gift of one hundred million dollars."

Stu smiled. "Frank freely gave you one billion for that silly looking painting..."

"A Picasso, a priceless piece of magnificent art work that lives inside my personal study den under the guard of twenty British dead knights with a sword," Frank laughed with Stu and Austin.

Tom slapped a chest with a sour frown. "I demand a gift of one hundred million dollars from my brother Stu, too, like you gave my brother Austin."

Frank gasped, "What in the hell for, Tom? You are a rich bastard turd with more billions than any..."

Tom turned and gasped with alarm at Mangrove. "Frank!"

"No," Stu smirked at Tom.

The limousine slowed and stopped, parking underneath the veranda of the new mansion inside Coral Beach and as the driver said via the box speaker. _"Tom, we have arrived at Austin's new house."_

1:01 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with slight wind

with moonlight and bright stars

New mansion of Austin

One Coral Lane

Front porch setting

Tom reached over and pressed a set of two buttons. Each rear door automatically opened. Tom slid out first and dashed to the unlocked door on the new front porch of the new mansion in silence. Frank and Stu slid out and stood upright. Then Stu reached inside the limousine and assisted Austin out from the bench seat, standing Berrington upright over the new driveway.

Inside the driveway of the new mansion, Austin blinked both eyelids open and shut while welcoming each arm of a brother without really seeing the details of his new mansion. He would tour the house tomorrow afternoon after a good sleep. Stu and Frank scooted around the rear of the limousine and dragged Austin in silence.

Tom stood in front the closed door and reached up, knocking on the door with a grin and a giggle. "Knock! Knock! Who the fuck is there? That's your new welcoming warm greeting, Austin."

Stu moved ahead with a sour frown and held the arm of tired Austin with Frank. "That ain't a welcoming warn greeting, Tom. It's a threat to end your life. Open the damn door!"

Tom touched the door with a smile. "Lookie here, Austin! It's your new door inside your new mansion but it ain't as pretty as mine. Anyways, it is colored in cool..."

"Get out of fucking way, Tom! Before, I bust down the damn new front door that I constructed. Austin is nothing but dead weight." Stu moved ahead with a growl and held the arm of Austin with Frank.

"Then you need to lose all your fatty tissue and work out more, fatty Stu," Tom reached down and held both twin knobs of crystal on the double set of doors, twisting both wrist bones with a chuckle and opened both doors with a smile as each door swung open and stuck in the tiny upright floor track without slamming against the side walls like usual. He ran ahead a few feet from the open archway and stopped, standing upright with a gasp. "O shit! The front door knobs were unlocked," he ran ahead into the open layout of the Florida room and twirled around with a sour frown, stopping in place with a gasp to see Stu, Austin, and Frank. Stu and Frank were dragging Austin by a set of arms with a series of heavy grunts toward the staircase. Tom shouted. "All the fuckingly overhead lamps are illuminated inside your new mansion, Austin. O fuck! Someone is in here, right now. Someone is trying to steal all your new stuff, right now," he swirled around and whipped out his Ghost, stopping in place, aiming at each new furniture piece with a giggle. "Don't worry, Austin! I will protect me and you from the team of nasty boggiers. Stu can defend his own ass with Frank."

Stu slowly moved toward the staircase with a growl and held the underarm of Austin with Frank on the other side. "Stow your Ghost, Tom, now! Before, I come over there and beat you silly while holding Austin with one bicep."

Tom stood upright and stuck out a tongue, wiggling at the ass of Stu, flicking it backward into a sour frown and swirled a body around in the middle of the room inside a ring of new furniture, extending both arms even with the floor and stopped, lifting both arms into the air with a grin. "Lookie here, Austin! This is your new Florida room inside your new mansion but it ain't as large as mine. Anyways, the width of Florida is too small for this damn big great room. So it is called a grandiose Florida room with the colors of..."

"Shut up, Tom!" Frank entered through the archway with Stu, slowly moving ahead over the new floor, holding onto the other arm of Austin with a heavy grunt. "Let Austin tour his own home tomorrow!"

Tom stuck a tongue at Frank and flicked it back into a pair of distorted lips, spinning around, running to the side, stopping and spun around, standing in front of the new room with a smile, extending both arms even with the new floor. "Lookie here, Austin! This is your new kitchen inside your new house but it ain't as pretty as mine. But it is decorated in the colors of..."

"Shut up, Tom!" Stu moved ahead across the new floor and around the new furniture with a sour frown.

Tom stuck a tongue at each nose profile on Frank and Stu, flicking it back into a lip frown, veering to the side and ran toward the forward wall, stopping and stood in front of the patio doors, opening the door to see the wooden desk, the stars, and ocean waves. "Lookie here, Austin! This is your new wall of new doors that leads out to a stupid naked deck of nothing but wood. Stu don't buy you any new patio furniture but one cheap ass white patio lounge chair for three dollars and zero cents at the local flee market. I guess that Stu didn't get you a new deck either. It looks like the same old damn light colored wooden deck with all those whitish gray seagull bird shit stains. Stu cheated you out of your hard working cash money, Austin. We can sue the contractor, which is asshole Stu for one billion dollars in civil court of law, next week. I personally guarantee a legal win, but I got half of the one billion as my personal lawyer fee. How does that sound, Austin?"

Stu moved ahead over the new floor and continued to hold the arm of Austin with Frank on the other side of Berrington. "Shut the damn patio door, Tom! Go upstairs and open the bedroom door for us!"

Tom slammed the door with a sour frown and back stepped from the forward wall, spinning around and dashed ahead, turning to the side and climbed up to the fourth step of the new staircase and about faced and stopped in place with a smile. He extended both arms even with the steps with a nod. "Lookie here, Austin! This is your new straight walking up and down staircase inside your new mansion but it ain't as elegant as mine. It is sorta cool which is colored in..."

"Shut up, Tom!" Frank sneered. "Get out of the fucking way of our pathway on the staircase, Tom!"

Tom stuck a tongue out at Frank and flicked it back into a set of distorted lips with a grunt, spinning around and stomped up the staircase in a new pair of blue leathers, a new red colored knit shirt, and a pair of blue walking shorts with a set of loud noises, scooting off into the second floor level, running and slid into the middle of the hallway with a smile. He spun around in a circle with a giggle and stopped to stare down at the moving line of Stu, Austin, and Frank with a grin. "Lookie here, Austin! This is your new second level of the three floors inside your new mansion but it ain't as high as mine. But the hallway is colored in..."

"Shut up, Tom!" Stu climbed up the staircase with a grunt and held the arm of tired Austin with Frank. "Get off that second floor and go up the master bedroom right now!"

Tom moved ahead and stuck a tongue at the bald skull of Stu, sliding over the floor and scooted back onto the staircase in front of the line of his three brothers, stomping up the steps with more loud footfalls with a giggle. He turned the side banister and ran ahead, stopping and spinning around and stood in front of the middle room with a smile. "Lookie here, Austin! This is the new third floor inside your new mansion but my mansion is bestest. Anyways, this is a nanny room in the middle of the master bedroom and the nursery room on the third room too. Do you know why there is a nanny room? The nanny will take care of your baby son after you fuck a new girl and produce a kid, eventually, one day, maybe this week. You know accidents do happen. Remember? That pretty fortune teller told us..."

Frank and Stu continued to climb up the staircase and passed silly Tom and the new third floor level, stomping onto the top floor while toting the heavy body of Austin up from the floor, who was sound asleep. Frank sneered. "Shut the fuck up, Tom! Go and open the master bedroom!"

Tom spun around with a smile and moved ahead, scooting onto the staircase and slowly climbing the staircase while scanning the walls and the ceiling. "Holy fucking shit! There is another floor level. There is a fourth floor for the first time inside Austin's mansion. Well, my castle is till taller and wider and prettiest and greatest..."

Stu continued to drag Austin with Frank on the other arm and shouted with fury ahead on Tom. "Get your ass up here, Tom! Open the bedroom door!"

Tom swiftly climbed the steps and scooted onto the fourth floor, turning to scan the walls and the ceiling, "There ain't not much..."

Frank continued to drag Austin with Stu on the other arm and yelled. "Open the bedroom door, Tom!"

Tom scooted around his three brothers in a walking huddle and sliding over the new floor with a giggle, stopping in front of the master bedroom with a sour frown. "The fucking bedroom door is opened."

Stu and Frank slowly moved ahead across the new fourth floor while almost dragging the dead weight of Austin toward the new master bedroom. Stu sneered. "Go and turn down the bed linens for Austin, Tom!"

Tom spun around with a sour frown to see Frank and Stu with a huff, "Lookie! I ain't the gawd damn maid or the fucking ass butler like I got at my house."

Frank frowned with a grunt at Tom. "You are his brother. Do it, Tom!"

Tom swung around with a sour frown and entered through the open archway, "Fine! I am entering the master bedroom. I am walking toward the bed. I am stopping and standing in front of the bed. Hey! The new bed frame is colored..."

Stu and Frank followed the ass on Tom with a series of loud grunts, dragging dead weight Austin through the archway. Stu sneered. "Turn down the bed cover and the bed linens, now, Tom! Before, I beat your ass and bleed your blood proteins over the new floor next. I'm not sleep or tired from fucking a room full of whores."

Tom reached over with a sour frown and lifted each item, tossing into the air, ripping it off the bed, "Fine. I am reaching for the bed cover and ripping it off the bed mattress. I don't turn down my own bedspread, asshole." The bed cover flew into the air and landed on the edge of the bed mattress. "I am ripping off the top bed linen for my brother Austin."

Frank and Stu advanced ahead with dead weight Austin toward the bed and the back spine on Tom. Stu growled. "Move outta the way, Tom!"

Tom side stepped to the side wall and stood in place with a set of crossed arms and a sour frown. "Hey! Don't fuckingly tell me what to do!"

Frank frowned. "Go and get into the limo, Tom! We are almost ready to leave. We will leave Austin alone for the night. Strip him down, Stu! Austin will suffocate in this suit during sleep. You hold him upright. I'll remove all his clothing," Mangrove released Austin as Stu held Berrington upright in place with both arms and hands. Austin was sound asleep. Frank started removing each piece of clothing, starting with the jacket.

Tom frowned. "Hey! Don't strip him naked. That's disgusting."

Frank continued to remove each piece of clothing with a stern face. "We all bathed in the same bathtub when we were six years old, Tom. This is no different. We are four brothers that grew up together, since birth."

"Go and get into the limo, Tom!" Stu held Austin upright with a set of loud grunts as Frank continued to remove the clothing and readied Austin for bed.

Tom moved ahead toward the open archway with a smile. "No, I'm not tired. I wanna go and play..."

Stu held Austin with a growl. "Do not go there tonight! We are all tired. Go and get into the limo, right now, Tom!"

Tom stopped and spun around with a sour frown. Frank had stripped Austin down to the underwear briefs. "Hey! Don't fuckingly tell me what to do!" Stu and Frank reached over and lifted up Berrington, moving all them to the side of the mattress, gently placing a sleeping Austin on top of the bottom bed linen with a set of loud grunts.

Stu spun around with a sour frown and swiftly advanced ahead toward Tom with a loud growl, flexing both fists for an upcoming blue colored bruise on the body on Tom, somewhere.

Tom yelped with fear and spun around with a worried brow, running toward the archway with a yell. "Frank, I'm moving out and heading down to the limo. Come with me right now!" He exited the room and ran down the staircase while still yelling. "Come on, Frank! I'm going down to the limo, right now."

Stu stopped with a sneer and shook a bald head at chicken shit Tom. "Is Tom really a member of the Quartet?"

Frank draped the top bed linen over the slumbering Austin while double checking some of the clinical vital signs on the body of Berrington. Austin was in excellent health just tired from the fun activities with whores and the long airplane trip from the foreign country of Japan. He spun around with a smile and pulled up beside Stu. They moved through the archway, over the floor, and down the staircase. Frank smiled. "Austin is doing fine. He will feel much better tomorrow afternoon after a good sleep. Let's go home. I'm tired."

Stu smiled. "What about Tom?"

Frank frowned. "What about Tom?"

Stu laughed. "This is our last chance to beat him up before we sell the company like when we did when we were younger and funnier."

Frank yawned. "You take Tom into your house and beat him up. I'm too tired. I'm not young anymore."

Stu laughed. "You're getting to be an old man, Frank.

Frank nodded. "I am an older and wiser man, Stu. I'm so ready to retire from the fucking shit of QA and all the fucking ass QA clients that want everything but love. I look forward to my new family unit of a mom, a dad, and a baby."

"What about Austin?"

"What about Austin?"

Stu exhaled. "I feel guilty that Austin doesn't have a married wife, so he can start a family with us too."

Frank nodded. "I do, also. He is trying really hard. I thought that he had good potential with a wife in Skye. I really like that girl. She was tough and sweet, at the same time, like Austin."

Stu smiled. "Austin ain't sweet but he does need a sweet wife. And Skye saved his life. Yeah, she would have been a great wife for Badass Berrington."

Frank smiled. "We should recruit and find him a nice wife, tonight, at the party. Or we should give a social society party and invite some nice woman for Austin. The man can't seem to figure out the difference between a selfish slut and a supporting spouse."

Stu stomped down and landed onto the new floor with Frank, shaking a bald skull. "No, Frank. I don't interfere with his or anyone else's life."

They moved toward the open set of front doors. Tom was inside the limo sweating if Stu or Frank would arrive first. Frank frowned. "Then, how are we supposed to produce the next band of brotherly young baby boys, if Austin is not married to a nice wife?"

Stu nodded with a smile. "We will have faith in Almighty God, Frank. He has planned each one of our lives here on planet Earth. And He has saved each one of us from imminent danger on numerous occasions as we owned and operated a billion-dollar international security company for the past seven years. I dearly believe that He has the perfect woman in His mind for Austin. And our bro Austin has been tested and finally has passed out of that shallow and selfish, arrogant and audacious teen-ass stage and into a mature and responsible and humble adult male. Almighty God is finally pleased with Austin also. So we will sell the company in a few more weeks ending our reign as the infamous Quartet, once and for all. I dearly believe that Almighty God will deliver a nice and sweet girl to Austin at that time. Then we will instantly become the next older generation of the Band of Brothers like our current band of elderly fathers before us. That is part of life, Frank. No one can change or stop it."

"Amen to that, brother!" Frank lifted up and fist-bumped with Stu with a smile.

Each brother stopped and stood in front of one of the parted front doors, reaching out and lifted up a door from the built-in embedded floor track that had prevented a set of new indentations into each side wall like usual. They freed the doors and moved outside, letting each front door gently close shut and lock Austin inside his new house.

Tomorrow, Austin could decide if he wanted to leave the front door unlocked again. For now, Austin was asleep and alone. Frank and Stu didn't want an emergency during the early morning hours.

Underneath the new veranda of the new mansion for Austin, one of the limousine rear doors on Tom's vehicle was opened for entrance. The limousine would take each brother back home. Stu stopped and slid down into the bench seat first with a growl and a sour frown at Tom.

Inside the limousine, Tom slid over with a gasp and bumped into the opposite door, moving away from Stu with a yell of worry. "Frank! Is Frank with you, Stu?" Frank continued to stand outside the open door with a wicked grin in silence without entering the rear bench of the limousine for his damn fun at chicken shit Tom.

Tom slammed into the opposite door again with a yelp of worry. "Hey, Frank! Where are you Frank? Is Frank dead? Did you kill him, Stu?"

Frank bent down into the opening of the door with a smile to see Tom who cowered inside the corner of the cabin. "Yes, I am here, Tom. Don't piss and stain inside new your set of underwear panties," he slid down and scooted next to Stu with a laugh and a smile.

Tom exhaled with a puff of fury and jabbed a finger at Frank. "You're an asshole, Frank. You did that on purpose to scare me, since Austin is dead asleep and not inside the limo with me. Hardy, hardy, har, har! It ain't funny, man."

Frank lifted and fist-bumped an arm with Stu. "Yes, we did."

Stu dropped down the fist with a laugh to see Tom. "Yes, it is."

The chauffeur pressed the button and closed the rear door, since Tom was too traumatized inside the rear seat, staring at his two meaner brothers. The limousine slowly moved ahead from the new mansion and then rapidly traveled over the single city street Coral Lane. The speaker box sounded with a tiny squeal as the driver said via the speaker box into the rear cabin. "I will drive swiftly and deliver you back home to your mansion first, Tom. Janey is waiting at the front door."

Tom curled a body into the opposite door with a worried brow away from Stu. "Thanks, man!"

Stu, Frank, and the chauffeur laughed their asses off as Tom cowered and frowned in the corner of the door in silence.

2:02 p.m.

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

4th floor level

New master bedroom setting of Austin

Austin awoke from the good night's sleep as the rays of bright sunshine invaded his eyeballs. He rolled side to side inside the new bed mattress with an ugly yawn, rubbing both eyelids, stopping flat on a naked back spine and opened the eyeballs, seeing a white colored ceiling and as he gasped with alarm and sat upright on both elbows. "Shit! Where am I?" He turned and scanned the new master bedroom with another gasp. "What is this place?" He looked down to see the new set of bed lines. "There is a set of new white satin bed linens on top of me too," he flipped the bed linens off a body with a gasp. "I am undressed also. I did come home from the foreign country of Japan, last night, didn't I? I remembered riding in the rear seat of somebody's limo." He rolled off the bed and stumbled forward with a gasp, spinning around to see the new bed frame. "Fuck! The white colored bed frame is shorty size. It looks like it was made for a toddler, not an adult male. The bed frame is one unit of solid white that holds only a mattress without the bed springs. The bed frame, the bed linens, the three bed pillow cases, and the bed cover are all white tinted without a touch of color. What is this place?" He slowly spun around and dashed to one of the glass windows, stopping and stood against the heated window pane of bright sunlight with a gasp. "I see the greenish blue of the Atlantic Ocean. I see the sparkling golden colored sands. I see my lonely white tinted sea craft catamaran that is docked in the wet sands. I see my lonely cheap ass colored patio lounge chair on top of a naked wooden patio deck that leads down into the golden sands with my foot prints and then the ocean waters where the fishes live. I see no balconies. I hate balconies. Stu remembered. I'm home. This is my new house. This is the rear of my new house that faces the eastern sunrise," he spun around with a gasp to see each wall. "This is my new master bedroom. The room is incredible."

He danced side to side in a pair of black underwear briefs with a hum and a smile over the smooth floor and stopped, staring at the room. "The floor is made of solid black bamboo wood and very smooth to my naked toes. The four walls are painted in solid and smooth white hues. The ceiling is upward sloping vaulted that is shaped into a cathedral height of an extra ten foot or so with an array of clear glass skylights that beams down tons of light and eight rotating ceiling fans with a light fixture. But the air conditioner is working very well that keeps my new bedroom cool and comfortable. I bet my next monthly electricity invoice will be heavenly. Shit! It's a good thing that I'm a billionaire, son. The ceiling is solid material of pour concrete and smeared with white paint. On each wall, there is a repeating pattern, one six foot of white wall that blocks the sun and then one six-foot solid window pane that emits the sunlight. The window pane comes down straight down from the ceiling and flows directly down into the floor. The entire window pane exposes the entire world to my eyeballs. And my naked dick is exposed to the world also. I hope that I don't have a peeking Tom," he moved ahead with a laugh and stopped, touching the bed. "The bed is short and made of solid white hard material with the tiniest headboard in the world. There isn't a footboard, only a head board that doesn't touch the rear wall of white cider blocks. And the bed frame doesn't have a set of poles for decoration and stands perpendicular to the door which is smart. I can hear and see an invader, if that fuckingly happens again."

He slowly scooted around the new master bedroom and stared at each new furniture item with a smile. "There are two individual night stands that are slightly curved than square which match the white colored bed frame, but the two night stands are standing next to each other on one side of the bed frame, not split on each side of the bed frame. I guess that is some type of new fashion statement for a set of bedroom furniture. I would guess this is Misty's idea. She is the true artist among the Quartet sisters. Nothing sits on top of the one of the night stands. The other night stand displays a small clock with a very set of large math numbers in the color of blistering yellow hues. That is Frank's idea. No, I do not need a pair of seeing glasses, Frank. I can see the math numbers clearly. It is 2:10 in the afternoon. There is a third piece of bedroom furniture, a curvy and low and long chest of twelve individual drawers for my individual underwear briefs and the three pairs of cotton socks on the forward wall that faces the entrance door without a reflection mirror above the smooth surface. Wait! There is something on top of the smooth white surface," he advanced ahead and stopped, standing over the low piece of furniture, squatting down.

"Damn! All this furniture is made for a midget. I am the shortest of my brothers at five feet and ten inches but I need to kneel down to open the damn drawer. What is this here? It is a stack of papers which have been typed on a computer and printed out on a computer printer in rich black ink. O. It is the new road map of my new mansion," he reached down and snatched up the papers. "It is a stapled and neatly stacked group of papers. This is Janey's bright idea. She is both smart and well-organized. She also provides a road map on Tom's life too," laughing. He read out loud from the stapled papers. "Welcome home, Austin! This is a narrative of each new room inside your new house. Gracie, Misty Marie and I were delighted to work with our husbands and the team of interior designers to make a special new home for you. We missed you so much, Austin. And we are all glad that you have come back home. Enjoy your new house! Each page describes the construction work and the interior design of a specific room which was made with our love and care for you, Austin who is the oldest and wisest and meanest bastard brother of the Quartet. With all my love and sisterly hugs and kisses, Janey!" He laughed with a smile, "Awe! Janey really understands me and my badass personality. And I missed all my Quartet family, the sands, the sun, and the water of Coral Beach, too. I'm so happy and glad to be back home now with them."

He slowly spun around and moved to each wall, stopping and touched the solid wall and then the window pane, reading out parts of the letter. "Janey said in the letter. The solid wall is composed of numerous concrete blocks that are painted in solid white hues. Yeah, my new master bedroom is incredible. Each directional wall has the same pattern. There is a six feet white solid wall and then a six feet solid window pane and then a six feet solid wall that goes completely around the square shaped bedroom on the north, south, and east walls, where the sunlight is blinding eyeballs. Yeah, I am currently facing the north side of my new house. Yes, I can see the grove of green colored banyan trees, the fun rope swings, the tan colored sleeping hammocks, and the shaded picnic tables where we like to sit and talk during the cooler months of the year. Yes, my new house is incredible," he scooted down and touched the wall with a smile, reading out loud more parts of the printed letter. "There is a huge piece of painted art work in oils on the northern wall. The art work is about three feet wide and six feet tall that shows something in the color of red," he laughed.

"This was Stu's shitty idea. He didn't want me to forget that a couple of people had died inside my old bedroom of my house that got demolished and destroyed. I'll beat his ass for this. Hmm! Each wall is eighteen feet high from the floor up to the ceiling. Yeah, my master bedroom is incredible." He reached up and touched the art work with a gasp. "Wait! The art work is really painted onto the white paint of the wall that looks like a piece of art work in red colors." He looked down and read out loud the letter. "The art work is really drawn and paint on oil on the white wall which is a real piece of art work in red hues. It is a gigantic imprint of a set of five finger pads from a fake giant male that is smeared onto the wall. The red imprint of an individual set of five fingers is about six feet tall and three feet wide. The female young artist is brilliant. We commissioned a team of young new budding artists to draw on your white walls like a little kid. The artists had fun and were handsomely paid with your dollars while becoming a little more famous, since they had decorated Badass Berrington's whore house," he gasped.

"Fuck! No more fuck! I need to change that sexy and naughty visual image. I'm going to get a phone call from my pissed-off mom today, if that shit hits in print inside the local newspaper," he read out loud the letter and looked up with a smile to the art work of red hues. "The art work is framed by a simple thick wire in the shape of a perfect square like it had a real picture frame of black for a real piece of art. Yeah, this is really Frank and Misty's clever idea. They are the creative ones in the Quartet." He swung around with a smile to see the new short bed frame. "Okay. Every morning, I will wake up to see a gigantic outline of a red tinted set of fingers on a hand that doesn't slap my face, since it is art work. The bed and the two night stands stand next to the lowest bed frame in the world on the south wall. The art work stands only on one of the solid wall on the north side of my new room. The east wall holds a repeating pattern of glass window, solid wall, glass window, solid wall with a single white tinted chest of drawers on one of the solid walls. The west wall holds the entrance door and a row of solid white walls. Where the fuck is the master bathroom? I need to pee."

Master bedroom setting

He moved ahead to the west wall with the stack of papers and stopped, reaching out, touching the solid white wall with a free hand of wiggling fingers and a puzzled brow. "Of course, there must be a secret code or a special hidden seam to pen the damn door. Or I'm going to piss on top of the new black solid wooden floor like a new puppy," he touched the new solid metal white door with a finger and a smile. The door slid open to the side. "Cool! The door opens automatic from my body heat. I like this," he moved down a set of white colored tile steps with a gasp and entered the floor of the master bedroom, reading out loud from Janey's papers. "Wow! There is set of white wooden steps that go down into the bathroom, so that means that the bathroom is below the master bedroom. What the fuck is this for? The room is a rectangular shape and made of solid black tiles on the floor. The walls are all made of solid white tiles. The ceiling is solid white tiles also. The wall that faces the east into the sunlight is a glass enclosed shower stall with a black tinted tile floor. The entire wall is one big glass wall with a shower stall which is made of entire of shiny glass that faces the ocean waves. Now, all the fishermen can see my naked dick while I shower. This is Tom's nasty idea. I'll get that asshole later for this pretty good creation. The opposite wall across from the glass shower stall has a half mirror that come down from the ceiling and stops on top of the black tinted tile bathroom counter top. The mirror and the counter top takes up almost the entire wall with a set of four separate black ceramic wash sinks. Like, I have three whores come over and in my bed at the same time, Tom. This is his naughty idea too. I'm going to beat his ass this afternoon during golf," laughing.

He spun around to see each side walls with a smile. "One of the side walls holds a solid wall of numerous white colored closets and cabinets for the bathroom towels and items. The other wall across from the wall of cabinets, there is a black colored john, my buddy, right now," he moved ahead and dropped the underwear briefs down to the ankles, spinning around, sitting down on top of the new toilet seat with a sigh, pissing inside the new toilet bowl of fresh pine scent water with a smile. "Where the hell did Stu find a black colored toilet? I don't know but it is really cool. It will make my shit turds look more yellow tinted in the toilet bowl water. Then I'm going to snap a pic of my yellow shit turds inside my new black toilet and send it all to asshole Tom, when I buy a mobile telephone. The bathroom door is electric also which is a set of delicate computer chips and a pair of sliding mechanics. I don't wanna harm the door and get locked inside like a dumb shit. However, I can break out the glass inside the shower stall and jump down to my death from the third floor of my new house. I gotta ask Stu how I escape from my own bathroom."

He finished peeing and stood upright, wiping off a wet dick with the soft toilet paper, dropping down into the toilet and reached over to flash the body waste. He spun around and moved, lifting up the briefs and covered the penis with a smile. He turned to face the wash sink and moved ahead, stopping and stood in place with a confused brow. "Where is the handle for the hot water on the faucet? O. The water comes on with more automation again," he reached up and tapped the curved neck of the black tinted arched faucet. The water gently poured down into the black tinted ceramic wash sink. He reached up and grabbed the single bar of soap on top of the wash sink with a smile. "Stu remembered that I like a bar of soap, not a container of liquid shit either," he lathered both hands and killed the germs, washing off the dirt and germs underneath the warm water. Then he washed off a dirty face with the water and the soap reaching out for the single towel on top of the counter top, wiping the wet face with a smile. "I feel much better today."

Austin dropped down the towel with a nod and stared into the mirror with a stern face. He wore a face of lightly dusted whiskers that needed shaving off, since he usually displayed a clean look. However, he liked the new look and decided to keep the rouge appearance which made him look different from his person of yesterday.

He spun around to see each bright sunny wall of the new master bedroom for a second time with a smile. "I like my new master bedroom. It is both slick and chic like someone that I don't know. I didn't feel like exposing my dick to the fishermen now. I will wash my dirty body during the starry dark nighttime then all the pretty sea mermaids can see it too," laughing.

He spun around to face the wooden steps of tile and climbed back up and moved through the open archway, stopping and standing inside the middle of the bedroom with a smile. "I like my new bedroom suite too. I don't feel one single she-ghost from my turbulent past either. But sunlight kills all the nasty germs and lingering naughty she-ghosts. That's good too! She-ghosts didn't like to see the light. The bedroom appearance is so dramatically slick and chic that I feel extremely giddy and happy. I actually feel happy today," he spun around and stared at the entrance wall of the new bedroom.

Master walk-in closet setting

"The entrance door is located in the far wall corner for efficiency. This is Stu's ingenious idea. So that means the rest of the solid wall is the bathroom which is located on the other end of the wall exposing my ass for public view. Then the closet is in the middle," he moved ahead and stopping, reaching out and gently tapped on the wall. Finally, the hidden door into the closet slid open with a soft swish. "Damn it to hell! There is another set of steps that lead down into the dungeon or something," he climbed down the steps of white wood and entered into the new walk-in closet with a sour frown and scanned each wall and every built-in shelf. "Where in the fuck are all my personal clothes? The shelves are empty of my white and black turtlenecks and all my colored running shorts. The racks are empty of my black and white sporting jackets and trousers. The floor is empty of black colored shoes and running sneakers. Tom, that bastard gave away all my clothing plus the shoes and the belts. Fuck! I'm going to kill Tom," he looked down and flipped through the papers, stopping at the correct page and read out loud the paper. "I am so sorry, Austin. Tom was in charge of removing all your clothing from the wardrobe closet and then somehow all the clothing boxes accidentally left with the rest of your old pink colored furniture. The furniture items, the kitchen items, and your clothing, all have been donated for a good cause. All the large and small boxes landed in South America last week to be used inside a couple of children orphanages which was Jace's idea," he laughed with a nod. "Good ole, Jace! Now, a young boy or a young girl can dream of becoming the world's next badass when I retire in a few more weeks," laughing.

Austin dropped the papers near a leg and back stepped with a chuckle, spinning around, climbing back up the white wooden steps and left the wardrobe closet with a sour frown and stopped, standing in the middle of the room with a laugh. The electronic door of the closet slid closed. "Well, I will not be wearing a sports coat to the office before, during, and after the final sale of my company Quartet Associates in a few weeks. Then I will be unemployed and a lonely beach bun. So I'll run around naked today. It's my house and my body and my property."

4th floor level

Master hallway setting

Austin moved ahead with a smile in the underwear briefs and exited out from the master bedroom, strolling over the smooth hallway floor and stopped, looking around the new third floor level and then read out loud part of the letter. "The hallway floor is solid black colored bamboo wood also. The exterior wall is made of naked concrete block without paint. Yeah, that is original and strange. The side walls are both sloped with a set of individual glass pane windows between the sets of naked concrete blocks. And there is a sloped ceiling. Yeah, I really like this simple motif. This is Gracie's idea. She is the conservative female among the three Quartet sisters. All the bright and clean window panes rain down a set of numerous heated sunrays which will burn the delicate black wood. I might need to a place a long and low row of thick green plants which would absorb all the bright sunlight that could damage the black tinted wooden floor. Yeah, that's an Austin idea," laughing.

He moved down the smooth and polished staircase of black bamboo wood and spun around to see the forward wall on the master wing with a confused brow with a gasp. "This is really a fourth floor inside my new house. The master suite is located all alone on the fourth floor. I never had fourth floor before. And the entire floor is the master bedroom suite. That's why I have three viewing walls of glass windows, not only two like a usual bedroom suite. I like my new master bedroom, the fourth floor creation, and my new house," he spun around with a smile and descended down the solid black wooden staircase.

3rd floor level

Hallway setting

Austin slid down and scooted off into the third floor, stopping and stared with a puzzled brow at the long wall that held two open archways, looking down to read out the letter. "The exposed wall is made of rows of naked concrete blocks that kinda glow in a silver-white tone against the black bamboo wooden floor. The ceiling is also poured naked concrete that shimmies in white with the sunlight beams." He looked up with a smile to see the walls and the ceiling. "Yeah, my new house is so cool. Now, there are two open archways which represent two separate bedrooms. What a waste of space? There should be four bedrooms on this floor. I only had two bedrooms before on the third floor. One was the master bedroom," he turned with a confused brow to see the end of the hallway. "The end point of the hallway and the staircase mesh ugly into a big block of silver tinted cider blocks. Wait! My master bedroom is behind that wall block of silver tinted cider blocks. The shower stall of all window glass is parallel to the ocean waters and the opposite wall of four wash sinks. So that means the opposite wall of the wash sinks is protruded out on this side of the house on the third floor. That's intriguing ugly design. Why did Stu do that? Well, he didn't want to mess up the beauty of the three walls of glass on the master penthouse suite. So he built the bathroom below the master penthouse suite. However, if there was an emergency, then the fourth floor master penthouse of solid concrete would ever be blown away by the next upcoming hurricane. But I do live on the seashore line of Miami. There are numerous hurricanes during the hurricane season from the summertime June the first until the end of November thirty. I would want a safe place to live and survive an incoming hurricane from the Atlantic Ocean, if I couldn't board the QA helicopter and high tail it down to the Key West main island," he looked down at the letter and flipped through the pages, stopping and read out loud with a stern face. "The master bedroom is located on the third level, since Stu didn't want to interfere with the flowing lines of radiant yellow sunshine that comes down from the heavens. Thus, the master bedroom has been built underneath the floor board of the master bedroom. However, there is a secret passage door to enter the master bedroom on the third floor when you need to shit really swiftly," he laughed. "The secret passage door is flesh into the silver tinted wall and painted up like a wall of silver tinted cider blocks on front of a wooden door in disguise for any seeking eyeballs," he laughed. "Janey should be a science fiction writer, not a civil service lawyer. She could make a billion dollars from set of fancy and funny book novels. The secret door is located in-between the individual edges of the first bedroom and the visible edge of the hidden bathroom wall of sinks behind the silver tinted wall. Your mission: find and open the secret and hidden bathroom door, if you dare, brother," he laughed. "I dare to seek and find, Janey!" He looked up with a smile to see the forward wall and side stepped toward the end of the hallway, stopping and stood between the edge of the first bedroom and the hidden bathroom. He dropped the letter down to the floor with a chuckle and reached up with a smile while gently pressing all digits onto the rough wall of painted cider block. "This wall is not nice on my delicate finger pads. If I slammed an upright body into this wall, then I could really cut a pretty face into ugliness quickly and quietly while painting some more red onto the dull silver wall" he chuckled. "I gotta remember that impromptu life-saving plan, if I am attacked never inside my new house again," he slid both hands up and down the rough wall while searching for a hidden seam that would be triggered his body heat from a finger pad. Then a hand hit a smooth surface of painted silver metal that resembled a set of numerous horizontal lines of cider blocks. The door slide open to the side with a soft swish.

Austin lifted up both hands from the moving metal wall into the air with a chuckle and stood inside the bathroom archway with a smile. The eight-foot open secret doorway stood between the end of the line of four wash sinks and the solid wall of white wooden closets and cabinets that held all the bathroom supplies and towels. He nodded to the bathroom for a second time in silliness and back stepped from the archway in silence. The door slid shut with a soft swish and hid the bathroom from eyeball view. He continued to back step and leaned down, picking up the letter with the narrative of each room, staring with a smile at solid wall of real and fake silver tinted cider blocks. "That's really cool!"

3rd floor level

First guest bedroom setting

Austin moved ahead and stopped, standing inside the archway of the first bedroom, scanning the new first guest room of the third floor with a smile. "Wow! No furniture in here. I can decorate it myself. The floor space is big with the same black tinted bamboo floor and the same white painted cider block walls and a matching ceiling. The forward wall overlooks the sands, the ocean waves, and the bright eastern sunrise tomorrow morning with the same pattern a six-foot glass window, a six-foot white solid wall, and then a six-foot glass window that repeats twice. The room has a cathedral ceiling of an additional ten feet also with a set of glass sky lights and several rotating ceiling fans with a light lamp also," he moved inside with a puzzled brow. The door slid closed behind an ass with a loud swish. He laughed. "The door has an automatic closure from the side of the door frame. That's nice!" He moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the forward wall of solid white cider blocks, reaching out and touched the wall with a smile. "There is new piece of art work that has been directly painted into the white wall. It looks like a...a pair of two tall swiggly wiggly thingies that is surrounded by thin wire frame in the shape of a tall oval. One swiggly wiggly thingie is colored in bright aqua and the other swiggly wiggly thingie is colored in blinding happy yellow," he looked down and read out loud the part of the paper. "The art work comes from an older new unknown artist. He has developed in colored oil paint, the painting named as The Mates. It is an abstract of a male and a female...from the planet of Zifart," he laughed, "Sorry, Janey! I can't resist the pun and the fun. I made the last part up for fun," he looked up and stared with a sour frown at the funny art work. "Yeah, the Zifart couple is fucking inside a black tinted wire oval frame on the wall in my guest bedroom. I bet that Tom had a shit fit when he couldn't have the unknown artist paint him a matching Zifart couple fucking on his naked wall either," he back stepped from the wired art piece and studied the wall with a chuckle. "Each side wall is a solid white painted cider blocks also like my bedroom," he veered towards the side one and touched the wall corner.

The door slid open and revealed the space. He frowned. "The secret door is located on the end of the side wall near the window. That's smart. So the entire side wall that faces another empty side wall can hold a queen or king sized bed frame plus other pieces of sitting or clothing furniture items. There is the hidden and dark walk-in closet. This is very nice with lots of space for clothes and stuff!" He back stepped and spun around, veered to the entrance door, stopping and stood, tapping on the wall with a confused brow. "I don't feel a cut seam here for a second hidden doorway. O. The entrance wall with the electronic door holds all the electric parts of delicate computer chips and sliding mechanics. I don't wanna harm the door and get locked inside like a dumb shit. I gotta ask Stu how I escape from this third floor bedroom in case of a fire," he spun around to face the side wall with a smile and advanced ahead, stopping and touched the wall. The hidden door slid open.

First guest bathroom setting

He entered and stopped a few feet inside the guest bathroom with a smile. "I found the guest bathroom. It is very nice too. The design is in the shape of a very narrow rectangular shape with that is covered in a black tinted tile floor. The black tinted counter top is located on one side with a half mirror below a set of three black colored sinks like my master bedroom but smaller. All the exposed walls are covered in white tiles. I get it now. The bathroom is half black and half white in color like it sorta is split. I like this. This is Tom's idea. He did a good job.

"On the opposite side wall from the wash sinks, there is a solid wall of closed white closets and upper and lower cabinets of white wood. Finally, there is a black tinted bathtub with a set of clear glass walls where it can serve as a shower stall too which is built into the forward wall of solid windows that overlooks the sands, the ocean waves, and the sunshine like inside my master bedroom but on a much smaller scale. Where is the john?" He moved ahead and stopped, turning the opening each cabinet and closet door. The last closet door opened and revealed a single object. "Here, in the center of the wall of closets and cabinet, there stands the john in white porcelain. Jeezus! This little room will smell for days if someone dumps a bowl of nasty shits in here," laughing. Austin back stepped and closed the closet door with a smile, staring at a wall of cabinets and closets of white wood with a confused brow. "This wall is so strange looking. There are built-in drawers, built-in upper and lower cabinets, and a closet in-between each cabinet set on the wall. Why are there four individual closet doors? The closed closet door on the edge of the wall holds the john. What is inside the closet number three out of four?" He reached out and touched, jerking the door into a nose bridge with a laugh, peeking inside the interior. "It is a tiny room for something. Is this a broom closet? I have never heard of a broom and mop closet inside a bathroom." He entered and stopped a few feet inside the tiny room with a huff. "There isn't one single shelf to hold an item or a hook to hold the handle of the broom. But there is an exit door. This is very curious and strange. The builder fucked up here with an empty space of nothing. O. Tom can run and hid here when I threatened to beat his ass inside my new house. So it does have a purpose of fear. What is behind that rear door?" He moved ahead and stopped, examining the door. "This door looks like the closet door in the guest bedroom. Let's find out what is behind door number two!" He reached out and touched the crystal door knob, pulling the white metal frame into a nose bridge with a stern face. The door opened and revealed a new room.

3rd floor level

First guest bedroom setting

Austin entered and stopped a few feet inside a new room with a smile. "It is tunnel door that leads to the second guest bedroom. This is really strange. Well, this room is exactly like the first bedroom with a solid black bamboo floor and a repeating pattern of an exposed ceiling to floor glass window and then a solid wall of white painted cider blocks and a cathedral ceiling of sky lights and rotating ceiling fans. The second guest room sits on the edge of my new house, so the forward wall across from the entrance door overlooks the sands and the ocean waters of an eastern sunrise. One of the side walls is alternating windows and solid walls that overlook more sands of the beach in the direction of Frank's house on the southern side of the Coral Beach," he spun around with a confused brow to see the other side wall of white wood. "The other side wall is composed numerous tiny closets and tiny drawers, and tiny upper and lower cabinets. What in the fuck is this wall used for? This entire wall is built-in cabinets and closets with a secret closet door of empty space that leads into the first guest bedroom," he spun around to face the entrance wall. "The door is opened and made of white wood without sliding to the side," he studied the entrance wall of solid white paint with a gasp. "What is that specific oversized art work? There is a baby blue thingie on the white painted wall. The baby blue thingie is big and wide and long," he moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the baby blue art work. "What in the fuck is that thing? It has one single eyeball in color of bright happy yellow. And it has a plume of mint green colored shooting streams of flying water on the top of a long, long oval shaped baby blue body which is surrounded a thin black oblong wire frame. I can't figure it out," he back stepped with a puzzled brow and slammed into the rear wall with a gasp. "That is. That looks like a giant big outline of a baby blue whale thingie on the wall with one yellow eyeball as it sprays a mist of green ocean water from its spout. Why is there an outline of a silly baby blue kiddie looking whale on the damn white wall? This is a guest bedroom. The art work looks so childish and silly," he looked own and read out the papers. "The second guest room is made of the black solid wood floors. I know that," he scanned the rest of the letter with a gasp and turned to the side, dashing ahead, reaching out and grabbed the crystal door knob.

First guest bathroom setting

He ran through the tunnel and stopped inside the first guest bedroom, turning to scan the walls and all the objects with a smile. "This is the nanny's private bedroom and bathroom. The bathroom fixtures are all adult size for a mature adult like a nanny. And there is secret passage to check on the baby without opening the bedroom door. Or yet, if there is an invader inside my house, then I can hide my young son here. Well, no fucking invader is invading my new house again without a shitty razor in the brain cells that will cause instantaneous death. No one is touching my future boy. No fucking one!

"Yeah, this is the place and the space for the new live-in nanny to stay and take care of my unborn son. That pretty and young and now dead fortune teller said that each brother would have a son," he smiled and then frowned with sadness. "How can I have a newborn son without a married wife? Well, I will figure that out later," he back stepped with a smile and moved back through the door and the tunnel, stopping and stood in the middle of the second bedroom with a smile and a happy heart.

Second guest bedroom setting

"This is the baby's room. That painting is huge," he advanced ahead and stopped, standing above the art work. "This wall is forty feet in width. That painting is a little less than half the length of the side wall and posed in the middle of the wall. So the painting must be about fifteen foot. The artist is talented," he back stepped and stopped, standing in the middle of the empty room, staring at the cute whale and looked down and flipped the pages and stopped, reading out loud the contents of the letter. "The second bedroom is the baby's room with a nanny's room beside the space. There is a secret door that connects the two rooms for both safety and privacy. On the wall of the baby's room, there is a cute oversized faint outline of whale in brightly colored baby blue hues as not to overwhelm the room or the baby. The painting is thirteen feet in width which nicely covers the empty wall. Your Quartet brothers and sisters have also taken the opportunity and painted the exact same cute baby blue whale inside the baby's room in each house also. The baby blue whale in the baby room for Frank and Stu is fourteen feet in width. Tom's painting is eighteen feet in length," Austin laughed. "Asshole Tom, he has to outperform his brothers all the damn time," he gasped and looked to see the whale. "Wait. My whale is thirteen feet in length. Frank and Stu's whale is fourteen feet in length. I understand. The measurement width is based on the date of our birthdays in the month of August. Frank and Stu are born on the same day of August fourteenth. Tom is born on August eighteenth. I was born on August thirteen. So, the whale pic honors my birth, sorta. That is so nice! This is Gracie's idea. She works hard to get the brothers and sisters together like her husband Stu," he looked down and read out loud the letter. "We are all excited about starting a family unit really soonest after the company is sold. We all pray that you find a nice woman and began your family unit, next," he dropped the letter onto the floor with a sad face, "My brothers are starting their family unit, without me. I don't have a wife. I don't have a girlfriend. I can't keep a girlfriend alive, lately. I feel so sad and depressed. I am trying so hard to find a nice woman for a wife. I am one guy. I only need one girl within a nation of three hundred million American citizens. In the country of Saudi Arabia, a royal prince marries hundreds of women for hundreds of wives. I am not a Saudi prince. I am a lonely man that secretly requests one nice female for a wife," he slowly kneel down over the smooth wooden floor with a set of sobs and tears of loneliness and sadness after seeing the baby blue whale inside the baby's room.

He folded both hands in a prayer triangle and closed both eyelids, softly said to the floor with a heavy heart and a worried mind. "Please Almighty God, help me! I am trying to be a faithful servant. You have given me so much here on planet Earth. I am very grateful. And I share with others without question. I don't mean to nag here. But I do have a single prayer request, if You don't mind listening to me. I would like to meet and marry a nice female as a future and loving wife. I can provide for a wife and any child that You could grant to us. I don't care if the child is a girl or a boy. I would like to have a family unit to take care and protect as a mommy, a daddy, and a baby," he exhaled with a huff of worry and doubt," Thank you so much for listening to me," he continued to kneel in silence for a few minutes.

A few minutes later, he wiped off the dried tears and coughed up the sissy sobs with a joyful heart and a smile. "I must have...feel deep faith in all of Your good works that are coming to me. Thank you, again!" Austin stood upright with a deep sigh and stared at the cute blue whale on the white wall. "Get going now! Get outta of this room. The baby room will be used later. Go and explore the rest of your house! You can't sit around and wait for Almighty God. He sees and knows and hears everything. And His schedule doesn't work like that either," he moved ahead with a joyful feeling of a positive moment and exited the second bedroom

3rd floor

Hallway wooden railing setting

Austin strolled toward the wooden railing and stopped with a gasp and then sniffed the air waves. "Wow! This is the third floor of my new house. It got that new house smell," laughing. "The wooden railing overlooks way, way down into the new living room space," he spun around with a smile to see the wall of naked concrete blocks that glittered in silver tones when the color is mixed with the lovely individual yellow sunrays that bounced over the solid black wooden floor. "That wall is eighteen feet high from floor up to the ceiling," he swung around to see the ground floor with a gasp again. "That means each floor level is also eighteen feet in total height. That means there are three levels of eighteen feet which is fifty-four feet in total height up from the floor. I am standing over five stories high inside my own house on top of the third floor level. Don't trip and fall over the hallway tier railing! Or you will die. Usually, a single floor level has a ten-foot wall. Wow! My house is magnification. I wonder if my house is now taller than Tom's. Naw! Tom would have a shit fit as his house is the biggest, the grandest, and the tallest, and the ugliest of the land. I am so happy," he spun around to see the staircase of black wood and ran ahead with a smile, sliding over the floor, scooting back onto the steps, descending down with a chuckle, and stepped off onto the second floor level and stopped in place.

2nd level hallway setting

Austin turned to the side and scooted onto the second floor, stopping and stared with a smile at the forward wall. "The exposed long wall is also composed of rows and rows of naked concrete blocks that glow in the same silver-white tone against the dark black bamboo wooden floor. The ceiling is more naked cider block that shimmies in silver tones with the sunlight beams. Yeah, my new house is so cool. There are three archways which represent three separate bedrooms," he swung around and advanced ahead, stopping and stood in front of the black wooden railing on the second floor, leaning down with a smile. "I am still only way up here from the bottom level of the new living room space. Eighteen feet high walls times two equals thirty-six feet up into the air. I am still about four stories above the first floor. Don't trip and fall over the railing, Austin!" He spun around with a laugh to see the wall of naked concrete blocks that glittered in silver tones coming from a set of individual sunrays that bounced over the black floor. "Three archways and three bedrooms, let's see what each bedroom looks like," he moved ahead with a smile and stopped in place, standing in the middle of the hallway. "I spy a black wooden floor and a long wall of naked concrete blocks of white again. Okay. The simple motif is running all through my new house. All the open doors must be automatic again as the real door is stored inside a horizontal slot that is built into the tiny doorway. That is really cool! Stu did a wonderful job of constructing my new house within four weeks. It felt like I had been gone for an eternity from Coral Beach," he turned with a confused brow to see the end of the hallway. "The wall and the staircase mesh ugly into a block of wall here to. But I don't think there is another hidden secret passage door," he looked down to the letter and flipped the pages, stopping and read out loud with a smile. "The second floor level in the wall corner underneath the steps is made of solid concrete to keep the elegant black tinted wooden staircase from falling down on top of your skull, Austin," he laughed. "Thanks, Janey! I was wondering about the concept of gravity inside my new house."

He moved ahead and stopped, standing inside the archway, scanning the new first guest room of the second floor with a sour frown. "No furniture is here, again! Is that a hint that I need to learn to decorate a fucking bedroom? Shit! I paid the interior designer team a shit load of money and they could not decorate each room for me. I might sue. Or I might make Tom sue the interior designer teams and then not paid his legal fee. Tom would have a shit fit," laughing. "The room looks the same as a nanny room with only one exposed window that overlooks the sands and the ocean waters. The floor is black bamboo wood which is rich and pretty. The walls are made of naked silver tinted concrete blocks. The ceiling is poured naked concrete in dull gray too, but overall, each room looks very nice. The side walls probably contain the same two hidden rooms, a bathroom with a glass shower stall, so the fisherman can see my naked guest's tits. And there is walk-in closet on the other side. I am not going to bother to look. But what in the fuck is that object of colored midnight blue art on the solid wall?" he moved inside when the bedroom door slid shut with a soft hiss of the operational mechanics. He stopped and stood in place, examining the art work on the wall with a puzzled brow. "A triangle shaped black wire frame surrounds a set of thirteen dark blue colored rounded rock-like objects that are stacked like an Egyptian pyramid from one dark blue rock to five on the bottom on the white wall. And they say that you can't fit a round object into a square peg. There is living proof that you can, mathematical science community. Boom!" He lifted both arms with the letter with a smile and chuckle, back stepping and dropped both arms with a laugh, spinning around and advanced ahead toward the door.

The door slid open and hid inside the side vertical slot when it registered his body heat. "I like that door," he moved ahead and turned to the side, advancing down the hallway of black wood and stood in front of the second guest bedroom.

Middle guest bedroom setting

"Hmm! The door is still closed," he stepped forward with a smile and bumped into the metal door and stopped with a puzzled brow. "The door didn't open with my body signature either. Okay. This is not good. I don't wanna be trapped inside one of the new electronic bedroom suites without a mobile telephone or a landline telephone to communicate to my brothers for another fucking rescue which would be two times in a row. I'll tell Stu about the malfunction on the door, this evening at dinner," he back stepped from the closed door and turned to the second, advancing to the last open archway with a smile.

Last guest bedroom setting

Austin turned to face the open archway and advanced ahead, stopping and stood inside the archway, scanning the third and last guest room of the second floor with a smile. "There are no furniture pieces in here either. Two walls of part ceiling to floor windows and solid walls overlook both the sands and the ocean waters. The floor is black bamboo wood. Each wall is made of naked silver tinted concrete blocks. The ceiling is poured naked concrete in dull gray too. The side walls probably contain the same two hidden rooms, a bathroom with a glass shower stall and a walk-in closet on the other side. The art work is something really weird-ass. O. The art work is an individual abstract painting, except for the cute whale pic. There is a star shaped black tinted wire frame that surrounds two colorful rounded objects, sorta. The wall painting looks like a set of two separate bombs are coming together, colliding, and exploding with a set of rings. Or a purple star and an orange star are flying separately through outer space as each is surrounded by a set of fainted rings of fire and are about to collide. It is brilliant art piece. I like abstract art better than a face and a body of people that I don't know. I didn't see any piece of art work with a set of pink girly flowers or a pair of evil staring eyeballs or numerous pink and red ice cream cones or a furniture item or a fake litter of kittens or puppies or vicious bears covered in red blood or separate bloody mammal parts. O fucking mine not!" He laughed. "O. I finally get it. Each black wire frame is a mathematical shape also. There has been a square, an oval and an oblong on the third floor and a triangle point and a star point on the second floor. What is left in the math symbols? One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight and nine, this is a nine-point star. Geez! I hope Frank didn't hire a satanic Satan worshipping artist that painted a fucking octagon on my new floor in his own pierced and spilled blood protein stains somewhere inside my new house. Then I might have to burn my new house down into the sands tonight," he back stepped from the archway with a laugh. "Now, who can write good horror novels? I guess I will be doing that if I can't a nice girl to marry me within three weeks. Once I sell my company Quartet Associates, I won't have nothing to do but watch the sands turn," laughing.

He spun around to face the staircase and moved ahead, stopping abruptly. "The letter that I received from Janey," he looked down and flipped through each page to the end with a puzzled brow. "Hmm! There is not a narrative of the second bedroom on the second floor by Janey inside her narrative notes. I wonder why," he turned with a gasp and frowned at the closed door. "I know why. Well, Stu tried. How can you build a four story house with the second floor? The second bedroom on the second floor was where sweet Rosebud had lived for a couple of weeks before her untimely murder by that bitch princess Nutelo. They both died inside the second bedroom on the second floor. Well, that old house is gone and buried but the memory is etched and burned with that scene inside my mind. So Stu closed off that room to keep my sane. Stu is a very thoughtful giant," he exhaled with a huff of fear. "I have to face the room like when a rider falls off the horse from a bad injury. Like when a car driver wrecks at that street intersection and then avoids that piece of roadway from a bad memory. I can't spend the rest of my life avoiding a fucking room that isn't even occupied with a person, just a ghost memory," he exhaled with a huff of fright. "I do not feel afraid. I feel something. Do it to it!"

He moved ahead with a stern face and stopped, standing in front of the door. "The entrance bedroom door is made of painted silver metal and camouflaged like rows of silver tinted cider blocks similar to the wall. Stu, you did a good job here. I really appreciate it. But I must enter and confront my fears. Or the point of constructing a new house was useless," he exhaled with a huff of worry and reached down, missing the door knob with a gasp. "There isn't a door knob to enter the room. How do I get into the bedroom? I see. Or I don't see. I feel. I use my finger pad," he reached up and touched the door with the index finger with a smile. "The door didn't open again. Okay. I use two fingers, instead of one," he pressed the index finger and the middle finger into the metal door. "Damn! The door is still closed. Okay. That means I must use all five DNA finger pads," he pressed all digits on the right hand into the metal door. The door slid open to the side with a soft hiss.

Austin gasped with alarm. "The interior of the room is completely pitch black dark. Where is the lightning panel?" He reached over and shuffled a hand over the side wall without touching a manual control panel, dropping the hand back down to a leg with a stern face. "Okay. The room is activated by body heat like the door," he moved inside a few feet and stopped. The lights illuminated inside the dark room. He gasped in shock. "The room is completely absent of a viewing window to see the outside golden tinted sands or the greenish-blue ocean waves or the yellow tinted sunlight. And my tall and wide steel encased gun safe that house all my deadly weapons stands on the forward wall next to the smaller stele encased money safe with numerous stacks of cash for an emergency also. The other black colored wooden walls contain a set of numerous black wooden wall shelves in various lengths, numerous upper and lower black wooden cabinets, and numerous black colored wooden closet for all storage of any item. So Stu created a huge storage room for me. Thank you, Stu! This is great idea! I actually feel comfortable in here. Yeah, I feel great and like my new storage room," he back stepped with smile and stopped, standing in the hallway. The storage room door automatically closed shut for privacy and protection with a soft hiss.

Austin nodded with a smile. "I understand. The camouflaged metal door is activated by my finger prints and probably Tom's, Frank's, and Stu's, in case of war battle here on Coral Beach. I like that storage room," he spun around to face the staircase with a smile and a clap. "Let's go and see the rest of my house."

3rd floor staircase setting

He scooted onto the staircase and slowly moved down each step with a gasp. "Wow! Cool! Awesome! I sound like silly Tom. The staircase is located on the opposite side from my old house, on the northern end of my new house. The side wall on the northern side of the house beside the staircase is composed of four horizontal rows of an individual tall and long window that overlooks the sandy park and eating picnic area. This is so beautiful. The double set of front doors is parallel or in front of the staircase. The door is made of black metal which is really cool.

Above the double doors, there is a straight up single vertical viewing window that shows off the blue skyline and the white clouds, the bright sunlight, and some flock of flying red colored birds. The vertical window goes all the way up to the ceiling. This is so amazing. The front entrance wall is composed of four horizontal rows of individual tall and long windows that overlook the new flat front porch in gray tinted brick, the covered veranda of white cider blocks, and the part of the green manicured golf course mostly the damn trees across the lonely gray colored street, the blue sky, the white clouds, the bright sunlight, and more flying flock of birds."

1st floor level

Front door setting

He slowly moved down the staircase and stopped, standing on the first floor, turning to see the living room with smile. "The floor base is completely made of black bamboo wood that covers every square inch of the room. The room floor space is gigantic compared to my old house. There is no furniture in front of the entrance wall with the entrance doors and entrance windows. Let's start and scan the forward wall in the back of the big room," he turned to the side and moved ahead while touching and paralleling the staircase with a smile. "The staircase sharply slopes upward which fills up the rear end of the side wall without a window," he stopped and stood next to another door that was made of painted silver metal and camouflaged like rows of silver tinted cider blocks similar to the wall. He reached out and tapped the metal door. The door slid open with a soft hiss. He peeked inside with a laugh. "I found the cleaning equipment for when Tom eats and leaves a set of shitty food crumbs all over my new furniture, so he doesn't have to lick up the mess on the floor with his pink colored tongue, after I bleed his nostrils. That man is spoiled rotten bastard." He back stepped with a chuckle. The door slid shut with a soft hiss. "I like those sliding metal doors that registered my body heat."

1st floor level

Patio doors setting

He moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the forward wall, reaching out, touching the wall with a smile and a nod. "The forward wall is composed of the same set of naked concrete blocks with the silver shimmy in color. There are six pairs of solid glass doors that lead out onto the naked wooden deck. The poor deck looks as lonely as I feel. Don't worry! I will purchase some more patio furniture for the lonely patio lounge chair. The rest of my backyard is composed of solid golden tinted sands and scattered group of matching sand dunes. I love the way Mother Nature landscapes her world," laughing. He reached down and touched the crystal door knob on the patio door, twisting the wrist bone with a smile. The door jerked open with ease. "Unlocked and unsecured as usual, the way I like it. Stu remembered. There are no locks on none of the door knobs." He scooted sideways to each patio door and admired the ocean waves in silence, spinning around to see the middle of the room with smile.

Florida room floor space setting

He slowly advanced ahead with a smile. "The social place of my life, the center of the grand room holds three separate living room settings in the colors of light gray to bright silver tones which are scattered and arranged in a circle of three rows for conversation. Where in the world did the team of interior designers find all gray tinted furniture pieces? I see a gray and light plaid love seat and a matching long sofa, several solid leather oversized leather chairs between the numerous assorted textured loveseats and long sofa. There is a matching family of light gray and white vertical stripped sectional unit, loveseat, chair, and matching sofa. There are a few solid leather gray sofas and loveseat. What is that?"

He moved ahead and stopped, sitting down into the chair with a smile, "It is a curvy lounge chair that looks like a sideways letter S that curls my back spine nicely. I like the soft gray leather. This is my new chair, Tom," he reached and touched the side table with a gasp. "The side table is made of metal which really is a smooth piece of metalwork in the tone of brushed silver that compliments and matches each piece of silver tinged or gray toned furniture piece," he stood upright from the chair with a laugh and slowly moved around more of the furniture. "Each console table, end table, low sofa table, side table is a simple standard four-legged metalwork table of brushed silver. My new living room is incredible. Tom decorated the bathroom. Frank decorated the painted art walls. Stu decorated the camouflaged doors. Janey decorated my master bedroom. So Misty decorated my new living room. She has good tastes like her husband Frank. I decorated nothing. This was a great plan," he moved ahead with a chuckle through the jungle of gray tinted sofas and loveseats toward the other side wall which was an open wall that held the kitchen and stopped with a gasp. He spun around with a sour frown to see the side wall. "Where in the fuck is my billiards table? It used to be located where the staircase is now. So they moved my billiard table and replaced it with a staircase to access the upper floors. And where is the beverage bar of cold beer bottles and whiskey liquid for Tom that used to be in front of my billiard table. O no! Janey wrote inside the letter that all my old furniture had been sent away and arrived last week inside a children's orphanage in foreign country of South America, so damn young boy is hustling a little girl out of her taco dinner on that billiards table. I am going to tattle to Jace."

1st floor level

Dining room setting

Austin spun around with a laugh and then a gasp. "What is this monstrosity? The long gleaming object stands in open space between the last row of furniture pieces and the open entrance into the kitchen space." He looked down and flipped the pages, stopping and read out loud for the letter with a smile. "When you walk through the living room space which contains three living suites of gray furniture, don't stump a naked toe on the leg of a metal side table. All the living room low and high tables have been forged of metal silver. I found a lovely family for a couple of orphanage who owned a metal shop in Birmingham, Alabama. Stu and I flew there with the children for protection and security. Their beautiful residential house was crafted in numerous metalwork pieces in various sized and neon colors. So I commissioned them to design all the side tables in the living room and the monster piece between the non-kitchen wall and the non-living room wall. Giggle! Giggle!" He laughed. "Janey is so funny. The silver piece of metal is your new dining room table that compliments your gray tinted furniture. Stu decided to remove the unused dining room space, since you use the dining room to eat at your brother's house. The kitchen was enlarged and took up the dining room space. Now, the dining room table will hold twenty-two to twenty-eight persons, since the corner ends are rounded shapes, not squared points. I thought the piece represented your right and might as the baddest brother of the Quartet. But don't tell my husband Tom that I said that," he laughed.

"My lips are sealed, Janey! The metal table is composed of melted down numerous car parts, discarded food cans, parts of railroad tracks, and pieces of old computer desktops, and whatever else the business owner found around the junk yards. This dining room table truly was forged with love to save the planet and the clean up the woodlands environment which I know in my heart that you believe in also, Austin. Enjoy the table! We will come and eat dinner inside your new house sometime the next week after you return back from Japan with the pretty geisha girls. I know you, too well, Old Man," he chuckled with a nod.

"Janey does at that. I wished I had met her first before Tom. Then Janey would have been Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. I hope to meet a girl similar with smarts and toughness and strong-minded like Janey Sawyer," he looked up with a smile and advanced ahead to the table, stopping and stood near the edge, reaching out to feel the smooth metal with a smile and stood upright. "It is a table fit a king, most definitely. I bet that King Arthur and all his merry men donated all their used and torn sword shards, after the bloody battle, of course, to forge my new metalwork dining room table for my new house. I wonder if Frank is jealous. He loves to possess all kinds of historical shit. I gotta tease him, without mercy, when I host my first dinner party here next week," laughing. He reached out and touched the dining room chair, "Hmm! This is very clever. The set of four rounded ends holds an individual curvy solid metal bench seat with a solid metal back rest and a pair of two armrests which could easily seat one to two to four persons. In-between the curvy bench seat, there are seven individual metal chairs made of solid light gray steel with a butt-seat of light gray padded leather," he slid out the chair and sat down with a smile.

"Ah! This is well padded for my ass. I like the table and the chairs. What is that?" he leaned down and dropped down onto the new black wooden floor, reaching out and touched with a hand and a smile. "Look at this! Each thick solid metal leg on the table has been crafted with an ugly beast figure head. This is clearly a dragon's head with fangs. The next one is clearly a lion's head with fangs. The next one is clearly an elephant's head with fangs too. There are twelve legs underneath the table," he continued to crawl around over the floor and examine each leg with a chuckle, moving away from the underbelly of the table and stood upright in the air with a smile. "Frank is going to shit out a new turd inside his pressed and ironed undies when he sees my set of new ugly beasties on the new metalwork dining room table legs," laughing. "I like my new house. I like my new furniture and other stuff too."

1st floor level

New kitchen setting

Austin moved toward the open wall with a smile and stopped, standing inside the archway of the new kitchen. "Wow! Stu removed all the fucking walls between the old living room, the old kitchen space, and the old dining room. My new kitchen is wide open and beautiful. I don't know if I wanna eat here and mess it up now. It is a wide rectangular shape with one long side wall without a viewing window that would normally view the roadway and the golf course tree line. Now, the entire wall is comprised of new appliances in the color of rich black. The counter top is made of solid black tile that blends in with the black tinted appliances. All the bottom kitchen cabinets are made of black bamboo wood that blend and match the solid black tile counter top and the appliances.

"Above the solid black counter top, all the tile plates are colored in solid white and all the upper kitchen cabinets are enclosed and made of solid white wood. Wow! This is so pretty. Half of the wall is black and the other wall is white. On the forward shorter length wall, half the wall is made of solid black tile plates. The other half of short wall is a tall and long window that views Frank's house. However, the beach property of Frank is one mile from my house. I really can't really view his house unless I use a pair of binoculars. In front of the solid half wall of black tiles, there is a black colored square table with a set of seven black tinted wooden chairs that blends into the black wall. This is so cool! On the other long side wall, it is a crazy room design. The long wall repeats my bedroom the six feet glass wall, the six feet solid white wall, and then six feet glass window. In front of the corner wall of glass, there is a tall glass table which is built into the glass wall and it holds only two glass stools that glitter in the sunlight. Wow! This is so cool!

"On each portion of the solid wall, it repeats the kitchen theme. All the bottom kitchen cabinets are made of black bamboo wood that blend and match the black solid tile counter top with a wash sink and a dishwasher. Above the solid black counter top, all the tile plates are colored in solid white and all the upper kitchen cabinets are enclosed and made of solid white wood. Wow! There are two baking ovens, two stove tops, and two refrigerators all on the same long side wall with a set of black tinted counter top between each black tinted appliance. There are two islands of black wooden cabinet space with a hard counter top of solid black tiles that hold a set of six short stools each for eating at the island also. Now, everyone can eat inside my kitchen for dinner time. The last glass six-foot glass wall on the other long wall has a built-in tall table unit that hold only one single glass stool for one person. That is Tom's new designated eating table, since he makes a big mess in the kitchen when he visits my home," laughing.

Austin entered the kitchen space and stopped a few feet inside, spinning around to see the entrance wall. "Where is old the beverage bar? O. It is not here inside the kitchen. Well, I guess if each brother is going to have a baby. A beverage bar of beer and alcohol products do not need to be inside the living room area with a puppy pack of roaming mischievous children. That makes sense to me also. I guess the tour has ended inside my new house. I'm really pleased and happy with the new atmosphere. Wait! Where is the interior door for the exterior garage? It used to be inside the old kitchen. A garage is usually located off the kitchen, but my new kitchen does have a door, only walls of solid glass that sees the outside skyline and sands and sun," he slowly spun around to see each enclosed wall with a puzzled brow. "The garage door is not inside the kitchen," he moved ahead with a confused brow and stopped, standing in front of the dining room table of metalwork polished silver, scanning the room with a huff.

1st floor new tandem garage setting

"I don't see another exit door. But the two front doors and the set of rear patio doors that could lead outside to the new garage. Where is the fucking garage? But wait, all the damn doors are camouflaged in the pretend silver tinted cider block paint design. I could get lost inside my own house," he looked down to see the letter and flipped through the pages, stopping at the correct page with a laugh. "There is a page devoted to the new garage. The four car garage has been built on the opposite side of the house this time and away from the kitchen. Okay. That is weird, Stu! To find the hidden garage door passage, you must tap on the corner wall between the set of front doors and the end of the staircase," he looked up with a puzzled brow to see the black tinted metal set of front doors, then the black colored wooden staircase, moving ahead with a confused brow. "This is really weird, Stu. I hope there is a good explanation for this one," he stopped and stood in front of the long side wall that didn't have a window glass and reached up, tapping with a finger on the white rough white colored cider block wall, feeling the smooth metal of a hidden door with a smile. "I found the damn door. It is five finger pads again for shore," he spread out the hand and touched the metal with five finger pads. The door slid open with a soft hiss from the mechanics and revealed a new room. "This is indeed really weird ass," he entered ahead and stopped a few feet inside the garage space with a puzzled brow as the lights illuminated into blinding brightness without a viewing window of sunlight.

He exhaled with a huff of annoyance and stood almost naked in a pair of black colored underwear briefs, a pair of ankle feet, and a naked chest on top of the cool concrete floor. "My new garage is a narrow and long and rectangular shape, not a square and short and wide formation. Someone really fucked this up. No wonder Stu hid it on the opposite side of the house. A garage is composed only of hundreds and hundreds of solid cider blocks which is displayed here. What a waste of my good space and Stu's money and all those useless concrete blocks? My sports car stands lonely and unafraid in the middle of a silly looking rectangular garage space. Each side of the garage wall is made of row of naked concrete blocks without a single long shelf or a single cabinet. It is four plain ugly walls. I don't really perform any type of yard work. I allow the yard crew to use their mowers and yard equipment on my lawn which I own anyways. The yard crew is all employed and supplied by the Quartet and has a lawn building which is located on the side road close to the auditorium that doesn't get used much either," he looked down to see the letter and read out loud with a smile.

"Wait, Austin! Before you get pissed off with the new design of the garage, you need to learn something new," he laughed with a smile at the letter. "Yeah, I'm pissed off about the new garage, Stu, because you have drafted this part of the typed letter, not Janey. The new something that you need to learn is this. You entered from the living room and into the new garage which is the only entrance and exit doorway into set of new garages for your security, privacy, and safety. Turn around!" He spun around with a confused brow.

"You will see the new single garage door inside the first garage. The single garage door faces in the southern direction, not the westerly direction like the set of the old four garage doors on your old house, because this new garage holds two cars that parked a bumper behind each other. Yes, that is correct. It is a vertical formation garage where two cars park behind each bumper, not the old standard horizontal side by side of two cars. This is the newest and the coolest design of garage space which is called a tandem garage design." he gasped with shock and looked up to see the single garaged door. "I see clearly now after reading the narrative. The garage door opens and faces south. The garage space is both narrow and rectangular. Yes, two full sized cars would be able to fit behind a bumper like parking a car on a parallel spot on the side of the city street," he spun around with a smile. "My car is occupying the first individual parking spot inside the two car garage. I could move the car forward and ahead toward the end of the solid wall. Then there would be plenty of space for a second car inside the rectangular space. This is really ingenious," he looked down with a smile at the letter and read out loud. "The other surprise, the tandem garage has the physical dimensions of forty feet deep by thirty feet wide with plenty of room for your single sports car. The tandem garage is only accessed by driving in a northern direction underneath the new veranda after curving around from the Coral Lane. Look up, Austin!" He looked up with a puzzled brow and a whisper for his eardrums only.

"The end of the garage is more than forty feet deep which is measured from the entrance door," he looked down to see the letter and read out loud the contents. "The end of the garage is more than forty feet deep. Yeah, I just concluded that, Stu. At the end of the invisible forty feet deep marker, you have more physical and empty garage space. You need to buy another car, bro," Austin laughed. "No thanks, Stu! There is attached a standard three-car garage with an individual garage door that faces the woodlands of the golf course like your old house with the dimensions of forty feet wide and forty feet deep also to hold three more cars, but you possess three more cars. So the space is there for more cars, Austin. Now, for fun, you can drive your tiny sports car forward ahead through the remaining empty space of the long, long garage and turn toward the golf course at the second car door and then exit that way directly onto Coral Lane without backing the car out of the tandem garage. Yeah, I can do that."

Austin dashed ahead with a chuckle and stopped, opening the unlocked door, sliding down into the smooth leather in his underwear and a pair of bare feet. He reached over and grabbed, pulling over, clicking the safety belt over a naked chest in case of injury. He had been taught to buckle up since a child while riding in the vehicle with his parents and each non-biological aunt and uncle. He reached up and pressed the first button on the extended garage door devise for four different garage doors. The rear garage door broke open with a loud growl and slowly moved upward over the garage ceiling exposing the bright sunlight and heat of the new day. He continued to press the other three buttons on the same devise that was attached to the tan tinted sun visor as the other three garage doors broke open in front of the long garage space and slowly lifted upward and crawled over the ceiling of the new garage.

He reached down and pressed the button on the keyless ignition system which cranked the engine. The loud music invaded both eardrums. He frowned. "Damn it to hell! I can't believe that I play my radio music that loud to burst the eardrums and eventually go deaf in my old age. Well, I was feeling depressed and lonely and all that," he reached over and killed the radio, pressing down both the clutch pedal and the brake pedal, shifting the stick into first gear, swiftly revving the engine and slowly driving forward through the long tandem garage another twenty feet.

The car slowly moved ahead and entered the second portion of new garage which was clearly a standard three-car garage set up that measured at forty feet wide and forty feet deep which was empty also, since Austin owned only on one vehicle. There were a series of three separate openings which all faced the roadway of Coral Lane within Coral Beach. He slowly moved ahead and slowly angled the car, turning into the middle of the first opening of the new garage space, slowly driving ahead through the open archway and over a new gray colored bricked driveway that ended at the gray paved city street of Coral Beach.

New semi-circle entrance driveway setting

He slowly turned onto the city street and stomped the gasoline pedal, speeding in front of the newly manicured green tinted lawn on his new house with a chuckle, slamming a pair of naked feet on the both clutch pedal and the brake pedal at the same time while slowing the high speed of the sports car. Then Austin turned to the side and slowly rolled up the new entrance driveway that led toward the covered veranda of his new house. The entrance driveway was made in gray colored brick that created a semi-circle underneath the new veranda which was designed with two rows of white painted cider blocks underneath a rooftop of tan tinted tiles. Austin slowly drove ahead while admiring the new driveway, the exterior of the house, and the new manicured front yard on the façade of his new house.

The driveway and the front porch were designed with the same light gray and sparkled whit dotted colored brick pattern that went flush against the lowest row of cider blocks where the sunlight didn't shine and a poor weed couldn't grow up along the paint job. There was not a single flower bed or a potted plant of greenery. Austin didn't give a shit. A set of potted plants or flowers would attract an army of nasty bugs which eventually made its hungry stomach and a pair of wiggling antennas inside the floor of the house.

The new driveway followed a semi-circle pathway from Coral Lane into a straightway and then offered to two different options. One option was directly straight into the new tandem garage to stop and to park the car for the evening. Or the car could turn to the side and follow the curvy driveway, moving back onto Coral Lane to visit one of his brothers or go to work. He liked the optional roadway which was similar to a racecar track and a railroad train track concept with a laugh.

Austin continued to follow the circular driveway with a smile and veered to the side, swiftly moving over the main street of Coral Lane. The four billionaires only lived in Coral Beach, thus there was never any other traveling traffic cars, except when all the servants at Tom's house went house for the day and used the same main roadway, so Austin could speed around his new driveway like a race car driver in his underwear like a fool for fun.

New front porch setting

It was hard to get a good view of the front porch of his new house from the windows of the car and underneath the new covered veranda, since that portion was cleverly hidden underneath the long veranda, where a long front porch with the set of solid black double doors existed the far end which was next to a row of individual long and tall solid black tinted windows that actually blocked the items and images inside each interior room of the house. Austin went around the driveway for fun again and viewed more of the front house, since he was having fun and lazy at the same time.

He veered down and drove onto the street of Coral Lane again, completing a new circle, slowly speeding to study the two separate ends of the new house.

New three standard garage door setting

On each side of the main house of three stories, there was a single wing that showed two black tinted solid glass window panes. The tandem garage did not have an outside viewing window into the yard but Stu had slapped a pair of long and tall black tinted undivided windows without a decorative frame or a bug screen on the outside white cider blocks for show like it was part of the main house for some strange reason. Beside the tandem garage of two exterior fake black tinted windows, there were a set of true and functional black tinted metal garage doors that completed one side of his new house.

1st floor level

External kitchen non-view setting

On the opposite side of the main house of three stories plus the fourth level of his master bedroom, there was a single long length wing of white colored cider blocks where Stu had again slapped a set of two black tinted glass window panes that matched the opposite wall of the tandem garage which nicely decorated the solid wall inside the interior kitchen space. Austin slowly drove around the entrance driveway for the fourth time, examining the exterior wall with a puzzled brow and mental thought it was strange but pretty as the twin black tinted window design nicely balanced the exterior façade of the house.

Front yard of main house setting

Austin slowly drove around the entrance driveway for the fourth time and veered down onto the city street of Coral Lane and stopped, parking the car on the opposite side of the street, killing the engine with a smile. He opened the door and slid out, standing in the doorway, examining the front yard setting. There was a row that contained three individual pods which contained a set of three individual tall royal palm trees in a triangle formation which was surrounded by a set of tiny colorful flowers within a manicured yard of green grass. There were three separate pods.

The new main house was three stories high on the exterior which displayed as a perfect square with three rows of very large individual black tinted solid glass window panes that did not show the interior rooms and also nicely contrasted with the stark white.

On the rooftop on the far side, there was a fourth tier of white cider blocks of concrete over the top of the third floor of black windows that showed part of a vertical piece of glass pane that was tinted in black like the rest of the exterior glass window panes.

The single piece of vertical glass started a few feet from the edge of the tan colored tile rooftop and descended straight down to the top of the front doors as the design was really slick which did not reflect the interior room of the house, only the rays of bright sunlight.

The fourth tier of concrete and black window glass was the master penthouse bedroom suite that faces the sands, the ocean, and the eastern skyline during the morning.

Austin back stepped from the car and into the manicured grass of the golf course to view the façade of house. "The horizontal and vertical shape of the house looks like. It looks like...like an old fashion top hat when a man wore to a fancy gala evening in the 1920s in white, not black. Yeah, I live in top hat style-looking house. Frank resides in a castle with rounded towers of gray stone. Tom lives in a replicate of a Roman senator building. Stu lives in a pile of green pressed wood like a farmer. I miss the pink tone of my old house. I found the pale pink hue smoothing. I could re-paint next year, if I desire," he slid down into the seat and cranked the engine without the seat belt, slamming the car shut, slowly driving onto the, entering the driveway, stopping inside the new tandem vertical garage space alone, parking the car and killed the engine. He opened the door and slid out, standing with a smile and a nod. "I like my new house."

New front porch setting

Austin spun around and moved ahead to face the front porch with a smile, slowly strolling over the new gray color brick with a strut and a nod of approval. He turned and stopped standing in front of the double doors of black metal, reaching out and touched, twisting the crystal knobs of glittering crystal with a gap. "Shit! The front door is locked. Shit! And I'm standing outside during the heated day in my underwear," he turned with a sigh. The garage door was open for entrance into the house. "I can enter back inside going through the garage door," he back stepped and slowly moved ahead, stopping and turning in front of first long and tall window with a smile, leaning in to the black tinted glass, "Nothing! I can't see anyone or anything inside the interior of the house. This is very good. No one can spy on me during the day or the nighttime!" He scooted sideways and leaned into each glass window of black tint with a smile without seeing the interior, sliding across the gray brick front porch without stomping onto a pretty bed of flowers or an ugly green color weed, since the gray brick covered the entire sandy soil underneath the veranda.

Austin continued to scoot sideway and touched the cider blocks, stopping and stood in front of the fake window pane, leaning into the black glass with a chuckle. "Nothing is there. Why would Stu place a fake window over the white cider block? It didn't make any sense my neurons. I'll ask him the logic this evening at dinner time," he continued to scoot across the gray colored brick driveway until he ran out of both brick and building with a chuckle.

Austin moved straight ahead and slowly strolled through the side yard that consisted of only golden sands and sand dunes from Mother Nature without a batch of expensive and maintenance manicured grass like he had explained to Stu on the second day of the vacation away from his brothers and his town of Coral Beach. Berrington didn't mind the sand inside the house, since the maid service cleaned the floors and the house very well.

Back yard lawn setting

Golden sands and light colored wooden deck

He slowly strolled among the soil and kicked the sand with a naked foot and a smile. "I like the natural lawn of sand and sand weeds," he moved down the side of the house where a row of black tinted window glass panes was displayed over the white colored cider blocks. Then he slowly turned the building corner, seeing the great big pieces of individual glass window panes in the color of black tint that showed in three different rows over the rear of the house. He stopped and stood in the center of the rear of the house, looking up at the home building from the light colored wooden patio up to the tan colored roof tiles with a smile. "Wow! The exterior back yard of sand and sun is awesome. The entire rear façade of my new house displays a set of three separate horizontal rows of windows, but each window is tinted in rich black that nicely contrasts with the white paint on all the cider blocks. I own a Spanish villa. Tom has the Italian villa. Frank has the British castle. Stu has the American farm house. Yeah, I own a new Spanish villa. I like my new house. I should call one of these house magazines and tell them to come and snap pictures of my new mansion," he looked up with stern face to see the blue sky. "No. No. I am sorry, Sir! I don't want glory or drama or fame or exposure. I wanna share my new home with a nice girl who will become my wife and eventually we can produce a baby with Your heavenly blessings, of course. That is all I want and need, Sir. Yes. Yes. Thank you, Sir!" He dropped down a chin and stared at the rear of the house, moving ahead, climbing up the light colored exterior patio deck with a smile. "The new house tour had finally ended." He stopped and stood in front the middle door of five glass doors. "Yeah, I really like my new house," he reached out and touched the crystal door knob, twisting the wrist bone, opening the door. He scooted inside the new floor bringing inside a pair of dirty feet and a swirls of golden sand grains that twinkled like night stars over the black wood. The patio door slowly closed shut and unlocked behind his ass.

1st floor level

New Florida room setting

He stopped and stood in front of the semi-circle of the first set of living room furniture with a frown again. "I do miss my billiards table. I played when I was bored," he moved ahead and veered to the kitchen, scooting sideways and stopped, standing in front of the solid wall, reaching out and touched the wall with a frown. My cubby hole with all my books was located right here. Now, there is a rough wall of cider blocks of white. So what happened to my reading room? What happened to all my books? The letter mentioned that all my old items went to a children's orphanage. That is nice. All the children can enjoy my books. Some were old and new that I had read before. I never forgot a plot of any read book. Tom has a library full of science fiction books. I bet if someone ever steal and then run off with his collection of shitty science fiction books, he would kill himself over the innocent thief. The grown man is a nut job. I should mention that nifty crime to Stu tonight at dinner also, in secret, of course. Frank would not participate but Stu and I would do the crime without the time," he back stepped with a laugh and scooted sideways, standing inside the opening that used to a wall between the living room and the kitchen. He moved ahead and turned, standing in front of the new refrigerator of solid black metal reaching out, grabbing and jerked open the door with a smile. "Ah! I have the two essentials of life, a cold case of beer and a gallon of sweet milk. Janey remembered. She's a sweetheart," he reached inside and grabbed the milk, back stepping and spun around with a confused brow. "Which closed door white colored wooden cabinet holds all the drinking tumbles, the eating plates and finger bowls? Don't know!" He laughed. "But I am a man," he twisted open the top and reached up, sipping the cold milk from the plastic carton, swallowing with a smile and then burped with a set of parted lips, "Ah! Good stuff!" He spun around with the jug of milk, stopping and sipped, swallowing the milk while scratching a dirty chest, thinking about a plate of food.

1st floor level

Dining table setting

He moved ahead and stopped, standing in front of the metalwork dining table with a frown. "I am bored to tears. I don't have a book to read or a television plasma screen to surf or a laptop to type or a billiard table to play. Yeah! I could call a brother. One must be bored too," he exhaled with a huff of boredom and turned, slowly scanning the interior of the grand living room house with a smile. "I really like my new house. Stu did an excellent job. I plan to boast and brag with his greatest accomplishment of a new constructed mansion in a month this evening at dinner," he scooted sideways and stared at the different types of furniture pieces in gray tones with a smile, slamming a bicep and a shoulder into the entrance wall of glass with a chuckle. "The wall bit me, Tom," he back stepped with a grin and sipped, swallowing the cold milk from the plastic gallon jug with a soft burp, still studying the three circular rows of living room furniture that appeared like a gray maze, slamming a naked back spine into the rear wall with a gasp. He spun around and stared with a confused brow at the wall corner.

"My ass hit a rear wall of smooth metal, not rough cider block," he narrowed both eyelids and reached out with a free hand, rubbing the wall which was smooth, not rough cider blocks. "Why is that? What is this, maybe another secret hidden door? What could be behind there? The garage space is on the other side of the house. The kitchen is directly blocking it. What could be in there? Well, my five DNA finger pads will tell me so," he reached up with a chuckle and pressed all finger pads onto the smooth metal with a puzzled brow. The door slid open with a soft hiss. The room was very dark without a viewing window of sunlight.

"What is this place?" He entered inside and stopped a few inches with a puzzled brow. All the overhead lights illuminated into a blinding brightness as his eyeballs adjusted to the bright light with a chuckle. The loud rock and roll song bombarded both eardrums.

"The hidden door hides a game room. This is awesome. Stu built me a game room inside my house. This is so cool!" He moved ahead with a grin, turning to scan each sports playing fun object. "My game room had one side wall with tons of fun playing game machines. I see two side by side separate blue colored skiing stations with a set of ski poles to ski down the electronic mountain peak. There is a pair of gigantic table-sized neon green colored helicopter flying machines to soar into the digital skyline with a set of deadly weapons. This is so cool! There are two independent red colored motorcycle riding machines that can race over the digital roads and an ocean surfing yellow tinted board to sail over the digital waves," he turned to the side and strolled over the wooden floor of black bamboo and stopped. "I got an enclosed laser tag arena with the laser guns and the white colored laser uniforms with numerous red colored bull eyeballs for a direct hit like zapping the ass on Tom," laughing. "We can play a game of laser tag game tonight after dinner. In front of the laser tag arena, there are two parallel billiard tables where a pair of brothers can compete in dog fight pool," he moved to the far side of the room and stopped with a gasp. "I have a completed circular race track with a four sets of tiny race cars in the colors of green, yellow, orange, and black. I want the black one for our first race around the world," he moved ahead with a smile and stopped in the middle of the room with a smile.

Beverage bar setting

He entered inside the booth and scooted the space, stopping and stood in front of the long counter top that faced the entrance wall with a laugh, "I found the misplaced bar, Tom. There is a full sized beverage and eating bar for food and snacks with a small refrigerator of no food, a cabinet of short and tall tumbles, a stack of clean eating plates, and a shelf of cool beer," he reached out and placed the empty milk jug on top of the counter, reaching down and snatched a cold bottle of beer with a smile, "My lunch and dinner," he scooted out the booth and moved ahead, stopping and stood a few feet away from the entrance wall with a gasp. "I have a set of two climbing fake rock stations for some more dog fights between the brothers in the air. This place is great. I love my new house. I don't know which electronic machine to play on first. I know. I wanna race the motorcycle through a landscape earthquake," he spun around with a smile and dashed ahead with sipping the beer over the smooth black wooden floor on a pair of naked feet in a pair of underwear to have some fun.

6:06 p.m.

New game room setting

Inside the game room of his new house, Austin crouched at both kneecaps, extending both arms even with the floor, soaring up and down with the electronic mechanics on top of the yellow tinted surf board game machine with a yell of panic. "No. No," his body tilted to the side. The electronic surfing board lifted upright onto the opposite side. He tumbled over to the side with a laugh and ran ahead over the flat floor toward the empty air without damaging a face, a skull, or another body party, stopping with a grunt, standing upright with a deep sigh and a smile, "Wipeout! Duh. Nu. Duh. Nuh. Nuh," he danced side to side with the hum and a laugh, "That was fun was surfing over rolling gigantic ocean waves inside a hurricane! Woo! That was fun. And I am sweaty and stinky," he moved ahead with a smile. Each piece of electronic game machine performed a quiet mode when there wasn't a user working on the numbers gears and buttons and levers. Austin has played on each game machine once and then returned to ride or drive or fly a second time on some of the same game equipment. He moved ahead with a smile toward the closed door in solid black painted metal that matched four panel walls of rich black bamboo. Each game machine glowed against the solid dark color with bright lights, soft whistles, soft horns, and roll and roll music.

The metal door acknowledged his heated body signature and slid open with a soft hiss.

He strolled through the living room and hit the staircase with a smile. "This had been a fun day since two in the afternoon. I wonder where my brothers are located, not here with me. Usually, Tom is here first drinking my whiskey or eating my food," he laughed. "O. There isn't any stick of frozen or stale or fresh food, thus an absence on Tom," he climbed the stairs with a sigh. "I might need for Stu to install an elevator. Damn! I am actually six stories high from the ground floor inside my own house. If I had a parachute, I could jump down and land on the floor faster. Yeah, that's an idea," he laughed.

4th floor

New master bedroom setting

He entered the master bedroom open archway and turned to the side, stopping in front of the white painted wall of cider blocks with a sour frown, "Where is the damn door that opens into the bathroom?" He reached out with both hands and scooted sideways, carefully caressing the rough wall with a pair of finger pads and found the smooth metal door. The door slid open with a soft hiss. "I need to paint a great big red colored X on that damn door," he descended down the steps into the below level master bedroom with a whistle and turned to face the interior bathroom, strolling toward a wall of glass that overlooked the sands, the oceans, and the dark of the night with a smile. "Listen up ugly fishermen and pretty mermaids! I am stripping off my undies and going nude on the natives and the fishes tonight. Ready or not? I'm stepping into the first ever totally enclosed glass shower staff, where the bathroom and moonlight beams will shine on my naked body. So close your eyeballs! Or enjoy the eyesight," he laughed.

Austin stepped over the tiny lip of the shower staff and stood in front of the twin handles, reaching out and selected the cold water. The water swiftly dropped down from the spicket and drowned his body as he sung with a smile for fun like always. He lathered in soap and quickly bathed the skull and the body within a few minutes, rinsing off and clicked off the water, stepping back out of the glass shower staff. "I'm done. The peek-show has finished until tomorrow night at the same time with the same body, fishermen and mermaids," he turned to face the wall of wash sinks and moved ahead, stopping and stood in front of the middle sink with a confused brow. "Where are my toothbrush and my toothpaste?" He reached out and touched the counter top and the front of the cabinet. "No hidden drawers here," he turned to face the wall of white cabinets with a sour frown.

"I guess there is a new toothbrush inside a cabinet. Which one?" He moved ahead and stopped, standing in the middle of the wall of white cabinets, reaching out, slamming and opening each cabinet for the treasure with a smile. "There, a new package of toothbrushes. Nice! My maid service is fantastic. I'm giving them a pay raise tomorrow. Well, I will inform Frank to give them a pay raise tonight at dinner," he selected a new green colored toothbrush and a new tube of white toothpaste, dancing side to side backward from the wall of cabinets with a hum until he stood sideways in front of the nearest wash sink with a chuckle, spinning around to face the mirror with a smile. He painted the toothbrush with the toothpaste, "I need to pipe some loud music into the bathroom and the bedroom during the night. I wonder if Stu could hook up the music selection inside the game room and channel it into my bedroom. I bet he could. That man is a genius with electronics and machines," he leaned over the wash sink and brushed the teeth, standing upright with a glittering smile of fresh breath.

Berrington dropped the tooth brush over the counter top and spun around, reaching out and lifted up a white colored bath towel from the wall rack, where the nicely paid maid service had cleaned the house and supplied the usual items for bathing, sleeping, and eating for Austin, "I'm clean. I'm hunger. I'm thirsty. I have fresh minty breath. I'm alone. And I'm bored. Where are my three nosy and rude brothers?" He wiped out the remaining water droplets from a wet body and moved ahead over the floor in fine body nudity, climbing up the steps with a puzzled brow in silence and stopped a few feet into the bedroom space. He dropped the towel and wrapped it around his hips and his penis with a sour frown. "I'm not sleepy or tired. I received a good night's sleep this morning. And I slept through the morning and until the early afternoon. I won't be tired until closer to midnight," he moved ahead toward the single chest with twelve separate drawers and leaned down to open the middle drawer with a smile. "Strike one!"

He slammed it shut and reached over to open a second drawer with a puzzled brow. "Strike two!" He slammed the second drawer shut and reached over to open a third. "Strike three!" He slammed it shut and reached over to open a fourth drawer with a sour frown. "Strike four! Where in the hell are my pairs of clean underwear briefs? Damn! Did Tom give all my undergarments away to the orphanage also, son of a bitch? Good thing! He isn't present right now. Bad thing! Stu will be present at dinner tonight," he opened and shut each drawer with a nasty sneer while finding only empty space. "Damn it to hell! I do not possess one set of undergarments or a pair of socks or a pair of running shorts or a single T-shirt, because I do not possess any single piece of my own clothing. I wonder if I could wear a set of Frank's clothes. Naw! That would be really creepy. We did that shit at the age of eight, not thirty-one," he snapped the fingers with a smile.

"My overnight bag, I have a set of clothes in there," he spun around and dashed across the floor, leaning down and snatched up the bag, placing it on top of the empty night stand with a smile. He unzipped the bag and stared down at the clothing. "I have a dirty pair of running shorts, a dirty pair of socks, and a three dirty pairs of underwear. Shit! My black jacket has died next to the pair of black trousers on the floor while looking ugly and wrinkled," he lifted up the jacket and slapped it in the air, "....and dirty. I could go to the retail store and purchase a new pair of trousers and a new shirt. This is Sunday evening. The stores close earlier than normal. And I can't rush out to the stores in a naked body. All right! I have a five-million-dollar credit card. I will call a local store owner and order a package of new underwear and a pair of trousers and a shirt. Yeah," he leaned down and collected the pile of wrinkled clothing, standing upright and then cranked all the items inside the clothing bag with the stinky running outfit that he wore three days ago.

Four days ago

Ruby Beach airport location

QA private jet cabin setting

The helicopter had flown Austin and landed directly at the Ruby Beach airport. Then he boarded the private QA jet which left the airfield at seven thirty in the morning, traveling directly to the city of Los Angeles within state of California on the west coast of USA which was 1,978 miles due west from the sunny east coast of Florida. Austin had sat in the chair and stared down at the floor in a zombie state of mind feeling and thinking about his sorry-ass life and then arrived at the Los Angeles International airport in three hours and thirty minutes, making the current American time seven thirty in the morning in the city of Los Angeles.

The smart ass pilot inside the pilot cockpit had laughed via the speaker into the eardrums of Austin, who sat inside the cabin. "The current time is seven thirty and two seconds in the morning here in Los Angeles on the other side of the USA with parted clouds of sun and a slight breeze. We left Ruby Beach with a set of parted clouds of sun and a slight breeze at seven thirty and one second in the morning. Did you enjoy our awesome new future time travel feat in the jet, Austin? In the blink of an eye and one second later in time, we have arrived on the west coast of America. Yeehaw!" Silence invaded the air waves. Austin had continued to sit and stared down the floor. The smart ass pilot laughed via the speaker box into the eardrums of Austin. "Tom would have been thrilled."

Austin continued to sit in the seat and stared down at the floor in a zombie state of mind, still wearing the set of stinky and dirty pair of running shorts, a dirty T-shirt, and a pair of flip flops, after leaving behind his three brothers and his new beach house in Ruby Beach on the east coast of the USA.

The private QA business jet had coasted off the runway road and then refueled with petrol at the airport refueling station and finally departed from the Los Angeles International airport for the city of Tokyo within the foreign country of Japan within twenty minutes.

A privately owned or a corporate business jet plane is the world's faster piece of flying metal for a normal person, excluding a military air force. The private jet can fly 5,950 miles without stopping and landing to refuel at the airport, not only is it the fastest but it can climb above the set of puffy white clouds higher than any commercial airplane while traveling at a cruising speed of 604 miles-per-hour.

Austin had continued to sit and stared down at the floor in a zombie state of mind during the entire air trip in silence and pity. The QA pilot buzzed the interior cabin when the jet was thirty minutes from the international airport of Japan, so Austin could change into a set of descent clothing beside the running attire.

He stood upright and went to piss, returning with a bottle of water, stripping down into nakedness, and unzipped the black travel bag on top of the next chair and dressed in the provided and packed business suit by his thoughtful brother Frank, including a black sports jacket, a black pair of trousers, a black turtleneck, a black pair of socks, and a black pair of leathers. He felt like a desperado of the eighteenth century, instead of a business man of the modern society, shifting back into the lonely chair and stared down at the floor a zombie state of mind of failure and pity.

Now, he did not really want to sell the company for sixteen trillion dollars. Now, he desired to keep working, since he didn't have any other activity within his boring and dull life.

Yesterday in the beach town of Ruby Beach, he had asked a woman to marry him, who refused. Then he found out that the woman was a traitor to his beloved country.

"Life sucks," he continued to stare down at the floor with a whisper for his eardrums only.

The private jet had flown under the speed of sound at 604 cruising speed over the air distance of 5,445 miles mostly over the North Pacific Ocean and descended down, landing on the ground at the international airfield in the foreign country of Japan, coasting and stopped, parking near the airport terminal.

The smart ass pilot inside the pilot cockpit laughed via the box speaker into the eardrums of Austin again, who sat inside the cabin. "We made the air trip from LA to Tokyo in precisely nine hours flat with zero seconds when the first wheel hit the airstrip. That's quite an air transportation feat, Austin. We flew at 604 miles-per-hour over 5,445 miles which is nine hours and seven seconds. We shaved out the seven seconds by pushing the engines over the red line but we didn't explode." Silence in the airwave. Austin continued to sit and stared down at the floor. The pilot frowned. "Stu would have been impressed. The city of Tokyo is sixteen hours ahead of LA. So, the current time is a little after eleven thirty at night. And there's a golden tinted limousine rolling up from the Japs and has stopped on the side of our plane, waiting for you, Austin. Good luck with your QA mission!"

Silence invaded the cabin. The entrance door automatically opened from a single button inside the cockpit by the co-pilot. Both pilots stayed inside the cockpit to check and double-check the proper landing checklist with the airport tower and the computer on the private jet for a safe trip back home to America.

He stood upright with a heavy sigh and a worried mine, leaving the plane and rode inside the rear bench seat in silence without an executive representative from the business firm of the Japanese company that desired to purchase Quartet Associates for sixteen trillion dollars.

Then the limousine left the airport and drove over the unfamiliar city streets, stopping and arrived in front of a large private building that glittered like a golden palace of an ancient emperor of Japan from yesteryears.

Austin slid out the limo and moved ahead, entering through the open archway of the gleaming palace, seeing the two lines of geisha girls and smiled for the first time in twenty-four hours.

He was escorted to a private room on the fourth floor and removed the black tinted business suit immediately.

Three days later, he had dressed back in the black tinted business suit for a happy trip on the private jet plane back to Los Angeles within the US State of California of the great USA paired the same smartass crew of pilots. The air trip took nine hours and fourteen second due to violent weather storms. Thus, the pilots were not boasting and bragging about the extra trans-airtime.

Present day and place

City of Coral Beach

New home of Austin

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting

6:23 p.m.

"The maid service can wash all the clothes while I'm at work tomorrow," he spun around and slowly descended down the smooth black wooden staircase with a springy step and a smile. "I really do like my new house. I feel like the old axiom. I have ended a chapter of an old life and I am beginning a new chapter in the same damn book of my new life. I feel so comfortable and happy in a long, long time."

1st floor level

Florida room setting

He slid around the staircase banister with a smile, slowly moving down the side wall of the extra-large living room space, scanning the room and the furniture with a puzzled brow. "Not here! Maybe, it is inside the kitchen, now," he moved ahead and stopped, standing inside the opening into the kitchen, scanning the entire room and all four walls with a confused brow, "Nope! It is not in here either," he spun around and scanned each side and console metal silver metalwork table inside the new living room setting which was empty with a sneer. "Where in the hell is the fucking telephone?" The rows of overhead of wide sky lights illuminated the big room nicely with the set of dull rays of sunlight coming from a falling sunset on Coral Beach. He veered to the entrance wall and marched ahead, still scanning the room with a sour frown, stopping and stood between the first window and the side of the staircase with a growl, staring down at an empty spot on the new floor. "The side table with the landline telephone used to stand right here. Where in the fuck is the new landline telephone? Damn! Tom stole that too. Well, I forgot to remind Stu that I wanted another landline telephone in the same damn spot. I really don't like the newer portable mobile telephones but I could use one now. What are my new options? Get dress in a set of dirty stinky laundry items and go to the retail store for new set of clothing. Yes, I can do that very quickly. I do possess cash money inside the safe. My money safe is closed and safe," he turned to face the staircase with a laugh and slowly climbed up the steps with a smile. "I love my new house. This is the new me."

2nd floor level

Middle room aka storage room aka gun room setting

Austin scooted off the staircase with a whistle of happiness and moved ahead toward the second archway on the second floor which was dubbed storage room that was disguised like a wall with a hidden door. He stopped and stood in front of the cider blocks, reaching out to touch the rough cider, sliding a hand over to the side and felt the smooth metal which was cleverly painted in silver tones like a naked cider block. He pressed five finger pads into the smooth metal. The door slid to the side with a soft hiss. He entered the room with a smile and a hum as the overhead embedded lamps illuminated the dark room of black bamboo wooden paneling. He moved ahead with a whistle toward the small silver tinted money safe, stopping, squatting down, reaching out and touched the olf fashioned circular dial, spinning it around to the three numeric numbers: 13. 13. 13.

No fool would dare to rob Badass Berrington inside his own home. And no idiot could figure out the unlucky numeric combination on the money safe without a touch of bad luck, since the math number thirteen was concerned bad luck. The math number of thirteen was good luck for Austin, since it was his day of birth directly from Almighty God and in the great USA.

The door cracked open. Austin whipped open the metal door with a gasp. The interior of the money safe was empty. The internal guts of his personal money safe were cleaned out not leaving a speck of dust, since dust particles could not really penetrate a steel encased cabinet. He leaned down even with the floor and as his eyeballs examined the flat interior of the money safe for verification. The top, the bottom, the rear wall, and two side walls were polished steel without a scuffed mark or a metal scratch of damage while presenting nothing inside.

"Damn it to hell! That young nurse cracked open my money safe and stole all my stacks of cash money for an emergency, there was one million dollars in small bills in here. Fuck that bitch! I wished that she were alive, so I could kill her a third time. Shit!" He slammed the door shut and as the locking mechanics didn't reset. He stood upright with a gasp and lost the bath towel over the floor exposing his dick and naked buttocks. "Damn it to hell! I don't have any cash money on my naked dick. I am penniless like Tom would say on silly occasions when distressed or stressed or stupid. And I'm a fucking billionaire with billions of dollar inside a bank, not inside my house. Wait! I possess the titanium credit card with five million dollars. Yes, I can drive to the bank and rip out a stack of money. Then I can go shopping for a set of clean clothing. I need the new clothing attire for work tomorrow. Then I will beat Tom's ass for my fun and his stupidity. Then I will go clothing and grocery shopping for the first time in my life. Good plan," he leaned down with a laugh and snatched up the semi-wet bath towel from the floor, standing upright and back stepped from the money safe with a stern face and spun around, dashing ahead toward the open archway, moving through the archway, over the new hallway, and onto the staircase.

1st floor level

Florida room setting

He descended down the staircase with a stern face and a nod with a growling stomach, rubbing the naked skin. "Now, I have a new plan. I will travel to the bank for money first. Then I can quickly go shopping for some clothes second. Then I can run to a restaurant for food third. Or maybe, the food plate will come second," he stepped off the staircase and stopped, standing upright between the staircase and front doors, dropping down the cloth bag and the bath towel, standing in the nude. He squatted and unzipped the bag with a cough and pulling out the dirty pair of walking shorts, the dirty T-shirt, and pair of nasty flip flops, "Poo-wee! I must bath for a second time after driving around in these nasty clothes," he stood upright and quickly dressed, moving ahead with a cough of the constant stench, feeling dirty again and stopped, standing in front of the smooth metal that hid the garage door with a smile. "I like the garage entrance doorway. It is so cool!" He reached up and pressed a single finger pad into the metal. The door slid open with a soft hiss and as all the embedded ceiling lamps illuminated for brightness.

1st floor northern wing

Tandem garage interior setting

He moved inside toward the sports car and stopped, standing in front of the car door, reaching out and lifted the handle, opening the door. He slid inside and wiggled around the leather seat with a smile, reaching over and pressed the button that ignited the engine, since the car offered a keyless device.

The engine cranked up when a set of talking words invaded his eardrums and a set of flashing red lights bombarded his eyeballs. He turned and scanned the dashboard of the car with a gasp. "Damn it to hell! I'm outta of gasoline. The gasoline tank holds, maybe, gasoline fumes for three more miles which will barely get me out of the first sentry gate of Coral Beach. Who in the shit has been driving my personal sports car?" He laughed.

"O. That was me! Wait! I drove my car from Coral Beach to Ruby Beach four weeks ago, after her funeral. Then I drove around Ruby Beach while driving around the other girl. But I filled the tank completely all the time. If you don't fill the tank, the car does not run. Wait! I didn't drive my car back from Ruby Beach to Coral Beach. I took a private jet to the foreign country of Japan first and then came back home to Miami on the private jet next. Who drove my fucking car? Zack did. No. Zack drove my car from my house on the day of her funeral. My car was shiny clean and full of gasoline. When I flew off the white sands of my beach house in Ruby Beach, I left behind my brothers, the angry female, and my five-million-dollar credit card. I gotta tell that one to Money Man, tonight, during dinner. Back to business! So, one of my three brothers drove my car. Which one of my brothers drove my sports car and left it parked here at my new house, without a tank of gasoline? It was not Frank. He only enjoys driving a luxury sports car with an automatic transmission engine. I don't think Frank can operate a manual transmission. It was not Stu. Stu is too big and can't fit his giant body into the small cockpit of a two-seater sports car even though he can drive a manual transmission. Damn it to hell! Tom..." he exhaled with a puff of fury.

"Tom did. He drove my sports car all the way back home to Coral Beach, alone, coming from Ruby Beach. He can fit a body inside and operate a manual transmission and the three pedals, since his sports car is a stick too. Fuck, him! Tom drove back and coasted my sports car back into the new garage and parked the car on a tank of gasoline fumes. Tom is dead. Shit! Now, I have an adjusted plan. I will drive and get gas first at the mechanic shop here in Coral Beach," he glanced at the clock that read 6:33 pm on the car dash. "No. The mechanic shop is closed now. Today is Sunday. The mechanic crew does not work on Sunday per Almighty God and Stu. Since the rest of the smart drivers fill up the gasoline tank before it hits empty unlike me. Now, I have a revised great plan. I go and get gas first. Then I go and get stacks of money. Then I go and get a plate of food. Then I go and get some clothing. Then I come and back and eat. Then I will bath for a second time. Then I am doing nothing for the evening hours. Where are my three rude and nosy brothers? I can't believe that no one has come and checked on my person. Back to business! I use the credit card to buy a tank of gas," he reached down and searched the pockets of the running shorts with a puzzled brow and a sneer.

"Where in the fuck is my credit card? Where is my personal wallet?" He snapped the fingers with a smile. "My personal wallet is located on top of the night stand like normal," he pressed the button and killed the engine with a sour frown and slid out the seat, standing upright with a huff of annoyance, moving toward the open garage door with a sour tone and a nod. "I truly am a spoiled bastard like my baby brother Tom. I don't carry around cash to buy food. And I can't remember to gas up on stupid car for a single trip to the retail store." He entered through the open garage archway and moved ahead, leaning down, snatching up the small bag of dirty clothing, climbing up the staircase in silence fury and embarrassment with a chuckle. "I'm glad that my brothers are not present here. They would be laughing so hard that a shitty long turd would drop from an ass from with my delicate dilemma for the rest of the year," laughing.

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

He climbed up to the fourth floor and slid off the steps, moving ahead and entered the new bedroom suite, stopping and stood in front of the two short white colored night stands with a confused brow. He leaned down and caressed the smooth hard surface. "What in the shit is going on here? Where in the fuck is my personal wallet? Did that bitch nurse steal that too? No. I had my wallet with me..." he lifted up the small bag and placed it on top of the naked night stand with a huff. "My wallet is inside my black jacket of the outfit that wore to Japan. You are really losing it, Berrington. Get with the program! Sorry, Austin! I am kinda hunger and smelly and lonely and disoriented after finding my body in a different place and space, this afternoon," he unzipped the cloth bag with a laugh and reached inside the darkness, fiddling with the jacket pocket, pulling out the worn wallet that he had received at the age of eighteen from his father with love. He flipped open the flap and stared down at the empty slot. "Shit! Where in the fuck is the real titanium-coated credit card of five million dollars? I lost it. Shit! Frank will not be happy. Frank is never happy when money is wasted or stolen. Good thing! I'm the badass boss. This is why I never carry around cash money or a credit card for this fucking reason. Wait! No! I didn't lose the credit card. I remembered. I gave it to the nice lady realtor in Ruby Beach, who was a good fuck.

"Then her eyeballs saw the money was more important than my dick. She needed all the money funds to update the three other beach houses in the beach town of Ruby Beach. Damn it to hell! She has my credit card in Ruby Beach. I bet that she doesn't even know that I'm gone from the beach town. Fuck! Frank is going to shit out a live kitten from his butthole when I tell him this new perturbing money information. Someone has to call her and get that credit card back for me which will be Frank. I guess I have to spoil the surprise of the new three beach houses in Ruby Beach. Wow! I'm really penniless. I don't have cash money to buy a pint carton of milk. I don't have the credit card to buy a newspaper. Damn it to hell! This sucks. Now, I have a modified plan. I can wash all my personal possessions inside the washer machine. Yes. That's a good decision," he spun around from the bed frame and moved ahead to the doorway with a smile, slowly strolling through the archway, over the hallway, scooting own the staircase with a hum.

1st floor level

Kitchen setting

Austin stomped down the staircase and turned to face the kitchen wall, strolling down the side of the room, turning to scan the Florida room with a hum and entered into the kitchen. He stopped and stood upright between the invisible air molecules of the two black colored islands in the middle of an extremely large kitchen, scanning the walls and the floor with a chuckle. "Where in the fuck is the laundry room? Where are my brothers? I really could use some ass-sissy-ance here," laughing. "I'm useless as a domestic man. I need some man lessons from my mom. Geez! I need a personal secretary to take care of my personal life. No. I need a wife to take care of me. Then maybe, I would not become lost inside my own new house," laughing. "Where is the laundry room located? It used to be inside a room off the kitchen in my old house," he stood in frustration and silence, snapping the fingers with a smile. "The letter from Janey might offer a clue to where the fucking laundry room is located, because I cannot find it inside my new house," he dashed ahead from the kitchen, over the living room floor, and stopped, standing sideways in front of the front doors, reaching up with a smile and caressed the rough wall for the smooth painted metal. He pressed a set of five finger digits onto the disguised metal door again.

The hidden garage door slid opened with a soft hiss and revealed the parked sports car inside an illuminated garage space.

He entered into the new garage space with a smile. "The overhead lights illuminate when the door opens. I love my cool new house," he dashed ahead and leaned down, grabbing the handle, slamming open the door and leaned down over the driver's seat, grabbing the letter with a smile. He stood upright and draped the travel bag over a collar bone, flipping through pages and stopped at the correct page with a chuckle. "Janey is thorough. There is a typed page which is dedicated to the laundry room," he back stepped and spun around, slowly moving back through the garage archway. The door slid shut with a soft hiss.

Florida room setting

He read out loud from the letter with a stern face. "I know that you are not concerned about the location of the laundry room, since Tom doesn't know where the laundry room is located inside our shared home either. But, in case, you need to perform a domestic woman chore for the first time in your life, Austin, the laundry room is located behind another hidden door that will slide open with a soft hiss like all the other hidden doors inside your new house," he entered through the archway into the kitchen with a smile and stopped, standing in front of the kitchen island with a laugh, "Yes, you're correct. I'm not overly concerned about the location of the laundry room. Yes, you're correct. I do need to perform a domestic woman chore for the first time in my life. Yes, I like all the new sliding doors with a quiet hiss," he looked up with a smile and turned, scanning each wall. "In the wall corner, which wall corner? O. The wall corner," he turned to face the solid wall of black tinted appliances and moved ahead with a smile, stopping, standing in inside the wall corner and reached up and touched the rough wall of white cider blocks with a stern face. "Where is the smooth door?"

He looked up and down the vertical wall with a confused brow, caressing the rough wall and turned to see the other side wall. "O. It is the other wall corner," he back stepped from the wall and slowly scooted along in front of the new counter top and all the new kitchen appliances, touching each item with a chuckle. He stopped and stood in front of the opposite end inside the wall corner with a smile, reaching up and touched, feeling the smooth wall and pressed an index finger pad into the metal. The door slid open with a soft hiss as the light illuminated inside the dark square shaped room of black wooden paneling with a matching black wooden floor.

1st floor level

New laundry room setting

He entered inside the laundry room with a hum and stopped, standing in front of a pair of new shiny black tinted side by side appliances, a full sized washing machine and a full sized dryer. "I can learn to operate a washer machine for the first time ever in my thirty years of life. It can't be that hard. I can call my mom. She would know how to work a washer. Ugh! I don't have a fucking ass landline telephone or a mobile telephone or a laptop or an old fashioned beeper or a communication devise," he stared down at the closed lid of the washer with a sour frown, reaching out and touched the lid with a sigh. He lifted the lid and dumped the entire bag of dirty black colored clothing down into the washer barrel, dropping the cloth bag back down to the floor and then touched and ripped off all the dirty clothes on a body, dumping each item into the barrel of the washer machine too. He reached up and touched the detergent box with a smile. "I can do this. I hold several college educations. Lid the lid. Check! Place all the dirty clothes into the round barrel of the machine. Check! Pour in the lots of cleaning detergent for brightness. It is a box of cute little round pods of blue and white. Hmm! It doesn't have a smell. I hope my clothes smell good. Check! And pour in the large splashes of bleach to kill all the nasty germs. Check! The bleach splashes smells shitty from the bottle, but I want my clothes to be clean and shiny for tomorrow. O. I should wash the dirty bath towel too and save the cleaning crew one job, tomorrow morning," he had placed all dirty clothes of black clothing, white towel, sweaty running outfit down into the barrel of the washer machine, dumping down five of the detergent pods, pouring bleach directly from the bottle onto the pile of dry clothing and slammed down the lid with a chuckle, feeling the cool air conditioning on his nakedness. "My mom will be impressed with my first domestic woman chore. Close the lid. Spin the dial to wash," he smiled.

The washer machine sounded with a female automatic voice. "Washing..."

He looked down with a laugh at the closed lid of the washer machine. "Nice! It talked back to me. I did it right. You are welcome, honey," he reached out and patted the closed lip with a grin, back stepping and spun around to face the open archway, moving ahead in clean nakedness into the kitchen. The washer machine sounded with a set of swishing noises. The door slid closed with a soft hiss as the overhead lights clicked off. "Good! I'll have a clean suit for the work day tomorrow," he moved ahead from the kitchen and strolled back into the living room, stopping and stood in front of the dining table with the individual twenty-two seats with a puzzled brow. "Where are my brothers? When is dinner? Where is the food? I only possess bottles of cold beer only. I could drink all the cold beer and then become drunk, not remembering to eat or to dress or my brothers," laughing.

Florida room setting

Austin scooted around the long dining table and moved ahead to the rear row of furniture, stopping and stood behind the sectional unit of vertical alternating gray and white strips, patting the soft cloth material with a smile. "It feels comfortable. It looks nice inside the big room. Too bad, I don't have any family members to entertain during the lonely night. Where are my three Quartet brothers and my three Quartet sisters?" He scooted around the sectional unit and moved ahead, dropping down and missed the first step, tumbling over the second step on the new black wooden floor, standing upright on place and stared down at the floor with a puzzled brow. "What the fuck is this? The floor moved," laughing. He scanned the floor in front of a face and looked over behind an ass with a gasp. "No, the floor didn't move. I moved ahead without stomping onto the next lower step. The solid floor drops down by two steps. On the lower step of two, the third ring of furniture stood in a completed circle," he extended by arms and slowly ran around the completed circle with a chuckle and dropped down to the next step which surrounded the second circle of new gray tinted furniture between a side table with a smile. Then he dropped down to the last of two steps and slowly ran around the circle with a chuckle, halting with a gasp in front of the long leather gray tinted sofa.

"Look at this! I didn't notice this before. There is a series of silly looking clothes that are spread over the entire length of sofa. A pair of black colored flip flips, a sissy girly white skirt, and a funny looking hat of vertical and horizontal blue and gold strips," he leaned over and grabbed, lifting the hat into the air with a smile, "Hmm! I have seen this unique design before in my history book during my college. It is a replicate of a headdress crown for an Egyptian pharaoh with the head of an arched cobra symbol," he gasped. "This is a costume for Halloween. Stu's annual Halloween party, when is Halloween? It is very close. What is today?" He smiled down at the headdress. "I left Ruby Beach in the morning on Wednesday and arrived in Tokyo close to midnight. The next day was Thursday. Then I stayed two long days and nights of Thursday and Friday leaving out early morning on Saturday and arrived back in Miami at midnight again and drove home during the early, early morning of Sunday. Today is Sunday. I slept until two o'clock in the afternoon. Now, it is close to seven at night on the same day. So, I left Ruby Beach on October the twenty-six plus three days plus today which makes the new day, October the thirty first. Woo-hoo! Today is Halloween. Stu is hosting his annual company Halloween party today and right now. His annual party is so much fun with all kinds of funny guest. So that is mysterious location of my three nosy brothers and my lovely sisters. And Stu left me a costume without a written note of new instructions. But we always coordinate our party costumes, since we are brothers," he lifted and placed the headdress over the hair roots with a smile, fiddling and adjusted the set of plastic strips over the rear of the skull with a grunt. "The headdress feels weird and kinda heavy on top of my skull, so it shouldn't fall off. And I bet it looks cool," he shook the skull with a smile and dropped both hands onto the legs, scooting over to the next item, reaching down, grabbing and lifted the skirt up into the air with a sour frown.

"Yeah, the true Egyptian males and females wore a set of short or long white linen dresses from the heated desert air which actually barely veiled all their naked body parts. No wonder there were four million people living in Egypt during the first dynasty. A pair of naked tits gets me my dick pumped for sex every time," he dropped the skirt down toward the floor with a smile. "Good! The girly skirt has a built-in jock strip, since I don't have a pair of clean underwear," he lifted one leg at a time up and over into the opening of the girly skirt, slipping it up and over the hips with a sour frown, wiggling side to side, fiddling with the fabric over the penis with a huff. "Stu, why did you pick out a sissy girly skirt for me at the party? You and Frank betta be wearing one of these sissy things too. Or I'll rip off your manly costume in front of all the invited guests and exchange it for mine," laughing.

"Tom isn't wearing a sissy girly skirt. He is probably dressed like a visiting green tinted alien that came down from the heavens and provided all the mathematical formulas for constructing each Egyptian pyramids to Imhotep, who was the real father architect of geometry, since all the Earth scientists can't figure out the engineering concept and all the silly science fiction nuts believe that an alien ship beamed a set of user friendly construction directions down from the mother ship like silly Tom," laughing. He scooted over to the side and stopped, staring at the naked leather sofa. "That's it for my Halloween costume. A sissy girly skirt and a pair of flip flops with a silly hat," he exhaled with a huff of annoyance, reaching out and slipped a pair of naked feet into the set of black tinted leather flip flops with a smile, "Awe! The cool leather feels nice on my feet," he reached down and grabbed, lifting up the heavy necklace.

"This is real gold bands and turquoise stones, and blue gems, and orange diamonds. Damn! Stu cut off and sold a hand and a foot on my real gem stoned pharaoh Halloween costume." The first band was golden then a row of bright turquoise stones, then a band solid gold, then row of blue stones, then a band of solid gold and finally a row of orange diamonds. He reached over and clipped the necklace around a naked chest with a smile, reaching down and touched the smooth gold with a nod. He reached down and grabbed, lifting up the hand mirror and a thick pencil of black tinted crayon which was a tube of black eyeliner to look like an ancient dead pharaoh with a huff. "I guess I must. Then I must," he reached over and outlined both upper and lower eyelids in an individual straight line of rich black, pulling back the hand and admired the face design with a smile. "Now, I'm ready. I guess," he leaned down and placed the hand mirror and the tube of black eyeliner on the low table with a smile.

7:07 p.m.

Austin finished dressing in the silly and skimpy Halloween costume and beat both fists on a naked chest with a laugh. "Now, I know what a sexy gigolo feels like right before fucking that old woman of seventy-eight years old. I look like Tarzan of the Coral Beach without the monkey, the girl, and the trees," laughing.

Underneath the new veranda, the loud roar of an engine sounded and stopped, parking in front of the twin black metal front doors as the car horn sounded with a loud honk. A set of footfalls stomped toward the front door.

Inside the Florida room of his new house, one of the front doors opened without slamming into the side wall and stopped inside the floor track, revealing a tall male inside the archway. Joe wore the hat that covered his hairy skull and a pair of two hairy eyebrows of red colored dog face, a red sleeved short T-shirt, a golden necklace around the chest, a white sissy knee-length straight linen shirt, a pair of stained flip flop, and a pair of black tinted eye sockets in black eyeliner like Austin with a smile.

Austin spun around to the open door with a gasp at Joe. "The door was locked and bolted. Now, it's opened. How did you get inside the house without my assistance?"

He lifted and wiggled an orange painted door key near a smile. "Frank gave me a pretty neon orange colored front door key, in case of an emergency. I also had one to enter into your old house, but you always kept the doors open. Frank said that he and Stu left you almost dead on top of the bed mattress and then closed and locked the pair of new front doors on your new house, since you couldn't defend our ass last night."

Austin nodded with a laugh, "So true! Why didn't the new door hit the wall like always?"

A nasty looking flip flop reached out and tapped on top of the embedded door track over the floor and as he smiled at Austin. "Stu, he built a set of embedded tracks to stop each door before Tom smashed the new wall into a set of new dents."

Austin laughed with a nod "Tom would. I like your matching pair of black eyeliner eye sockets, Joe."

He sneered. "What black eyeliner, Austin?"

Austin laughed. "Let me guess! You are the Egyptian god Seth for the annual Halloween party tonight."

He bowed at the waistline and stood upright with a laugh, "Yes, Pharaoh!"

Austin frowned. "Let me guess again! Everyone at the Halloween party comes from Quartet Associates."

He bowed at the waistline and stood upright with a laugh, "Yeah, Pharaoh."

"Let me guess again! You will be calling me that damn name all night long."

He didn't bow but smiled. "No, Austin."

Austin nodded with a smile. "Good! I'm ready. I guess."

"I'm supposed to drive you to the auditorium."

Austin frowned. "Why? Is my house going to blow up or something as soon as the door slams and locks? What else is supposed to happen to me tonight? Is there a team of assassins-lying-in-wait or in-water? Because, I beat some and then killed the others, last week."

He laughed. "I promise there no more team of killing assassins. Frank beat them black and blue first. Then Stu killed them all with his Ghost. And Tom did nothing as usual."

Austin moved ahead with a laugh. "Tom would."

"There will be a set of bright and loud fireworks over the skyline at midnight, Tom's idea. Food and drink tables served all night, Stu's idea. And a fleet of service car of designed drivers will carry the stupid ass drunkards to someone's home, Frank's idea.

Austin laughed. "My brothers are resourceful."

"That, they are." Joe spun around and scooted around the bumper, sliding into the open door of the vehicle, cranking the engine. Austin moved ahead and stopped, opening the passenger door, sliding inside the seat with a smile in silence. Joe steered the vehicle forward with a smile. "I like your new driveway."

"I like my new house. It has cool features, hissing doors and glass showers. Now, all the dancing dolphins and the flying whales can whistle at my naked ass, too," Austin laughed.

Joe laughed. "Yeah, I saw the flying whales, too! Stu took me on a tour to see the window show of bathing stalls. Did you really take a shower in front of that glass window at night?"

He laughed. "Yeah, I wanted to be clean."

"You got guts, man!"

Austin growled. "Damn! I thought I was the first guest inside my house."

He laughed, "No, Tom and Frank and all the ladies toured the completed manor, before you, Austin. And if you count all the counted contractors, who snapped an array of colored digital pics, by the way, with a hidden cell home, that is probably on the internet right now."

"Stu didn't kill all the invaders into my manor."

He laughed. "That is your deadly command, Austin. And if you count up all the numerous hands and feet of each cleaning crew member that stomped around each room, you are about number two hundred and seven eight..."

"Damn! I should have commanded a presidential order that each observer be hung, drawn, quartered, and dried at sunrise the next day on my new tan colored tiled rooftop."

"You are losing your vicious touch."

"Yeah, I'm turning into soft vanilla pudding."

Joe drove with a smile. "I like vanilla pudding." Austin laughed.

The Street setting

There was one single long and curvy side road that jaunted off from the first sentry gate which housed a set of buildings as well as some of the lovely homes of the servants. The Quartet could not agree on the name of the street, since Tom wanted it named after himself. Frank would not tolerate a street with the name, The Tom. Stu didn't give a shit. So, Austin firmly suggested, which finally ended the vicious catfight, the common name, The Street. Thus, the street name was accepted and printed on a lovely white sign: The Street.

The limousine slowly drove down Coral Lane and then turned onto The Street that ran behind the golf course. The Street contained an array of numerous tall and squat buildings such like, the mechanics shop, the garden shop, the fire station, the post office, the homes of some servants, and finally the tall and wide dance auditorium.

Underneath the floor of the auditorium, the Lab existed which was a secret hidden structure where only the Quartet possessed the deadly killing knowledge literally.

Austin sat in the passenger seat beside Joe with a smile and stared at the moonlight beams among the dark sky of a heated night. "Seth was the Egyptian god of chaos, darkness, the desert and drought. He was the enemy to everything that gave life. The Egyptians also saw him as a storm and war god. The god was accused of creating plenty of mayhem and havoc with the popular Egyptian mythology. Apparently, his cult was one of the oldest in Egypt. It is told that Seth was a warrior on the sun boat of god Ra and protected the boat against a chaos sea serpent. Each pharaoh really respected Seth and his god power that gave the king both power and authority. Pharaoh Seta, the first were named after the god Seth. Seth was a man with the head of an animal that they called the Seth animal. It had a pointed snout, tall, rectangular ears and a thin body like a dog with a long forked tail."

"I am the wolf-dog."

"I did not say that."

"I did. It's a cool name for tonight, only."

"Seth was linked to many different animals, the boar, the antelope, the crocodile, the donkey, and the poisonous snakes and scorpions. One of the larger god festivals associated with Seth was called the Intercalary days, which celebrated his birth that came five days right before the beginning of the Egyptian New Year. The other god festival was rather strange, where a pharaoh would spear a cake model of a fat pink colored hippopotamus. Then all the idiots cut up and ate a cake that was shaped like the speared hippopotamus for some weird ass reason."

"Weird ass!"

"Do you have a craving for pink coated cake, Seth?"

"No."

Austin smiled. "And finally, all the dead Egyptians associated the color red with god Seth. They hated people with red skin and sometimes killed animals with red fur."

He gasped, "Red?"

Austin dropped open a mouth, seeing the object through the wind shield. "Look at that!"

"So that was why Stu told me to wear a red shirt," Joe drove ahead with a smile toward the auditorium. "Stu has outperformed his brain cells, this year."

"The entire auditorium is an exact duplication of the Great Sphinx of Giza in the country of Egypt. It is painted tons of gold and yellow."

"This is why I was asked to bring you in the limo, so you would not miss the beautiful image, since you drive too fast and furious."

"It is truly incredible magnificent. Stu is the man."

"The auditorium sphinx is actually made of foam rubber and colored up with gallons of glittering gold paint. Stu came up with the concept in February and started all the details of the work on the Halloween party in March of this year.

"Wow! This is fabulous."

Auditorium entrance setting

The limousine stopped and parked in front of the sideway that covered in scattered golden tinted sands grains and cut off pieces of royal large palm leaves.

Inside the cockpit, Joe turned with a smile to see the rear of the silly pharaoh hat on top of black haired skull of Austin. "You're the last person to enter the party, Austin. Tom, Frank, and Stu are waiting inside. They said for you to go inside."

"All right!" Austin cracked open the door and slid out of the door, standing upright with a smile, moving ahead with a chuckle. The façade was a gigantic foam-like sphinx. The two front lion paws with a set of fake claws showed a set of bloody fake body parts where each lion paw had mauled and mutated several human beings, since it was a Halloween party with bloody and guts and spiders. Each lion paws expanded ahead several hundred feet from the side of the building toward the city street.

On top of the flat concrete rooftop, there was an upright golden head with a pair of two black colored eyebrows, a set of two eye sockets with a pair of blue colored eyeballs that was covered in black eyeliner, a sharp nose, a set of two chiseled cheekbones, and a pair of bright red colored closed lips, where the hair roots on the skull was covered with a vertically striped head cloth in the colors dark blue and gold tones only worn by a pharaoh.

On each side of the double set of open entrance doors into the auditorium, a pair of Quartet Associate guards stood upright and wore a mummy costume of white vertical made bandaged which was stained in scattered spots of either red food particles or red blood proteins as a joke or a threat to each attendee of the annual Halloween party. Each mummy was covered starting at the top of hair roots, going down to the toe nails while smoking a lighted cigar between the bandages of the parts lips.

Austin slowly approached the open doors with a smile and halted in place in silence. Each guard scooted sideways and stopped in place to hear Berrington. Austin reached out and slapped the loose bandages underneath their naked chest, turning with a smile to see the bandaged eyeballs of each guard. "You should not play with fire, mummies," he entered ahead with a laugh through the square shaped archway of fake spider webs and moved down an enclosed entrance hall which had been used to exhibit all precious and expensive art work which pissed off Mangrove and pleased both Stu and Tom.

The long enclosed entrance hallway was lighted by a set of fake altars of numerous naked modern day light bulbs to walk and had been transformed into an array of twin columns of pillars against the naked wall to imagine. Each pillar was painted up into a set of fake hieroglyphics in the colors of yellow, turquoise, orange, and tan. Between each tall pillar, there was a twelve-foot free standing golden glittering painted god or goddess statues in foam-rubber for beauty.

Austin slowly moved down the enclosed entrance hall with a smile, side stepping to read the fascinating hieroglyphics art work on some of the pillars. The symbols made no sense to his neurons but his eyeballs were happy with the nice Halloween decoration.

He slowly continued down with a smile and side stepped to touch the statute feeling the soft foam of the Egyptian god Horus that wore the head of a brown and white falcon bird and the body of a naked male with the correct biological body parts in the right place that glittered in gold paint. Austin laughed with a smile, "Tom's idea, without a doubt. I hope children are not present here tonight."

He continued down the entrance hallway alone and turned to stare at each naked god and goddess statue in glittering gold paint with a smile, stopping and stood inside the open double doors with a gasp.

Inside the auditorium space, the entire rear wall was painted staring from ceiling down to the floor with a scene of the three famous tan colored Egyptian pyramids.

The center of the room was divided by a long and thin and shallow puddle of blue tinted water like the Nile River that crossed from the open doors to the rear wall. Between the divided water, the floor shifted side to side in real golden sand grains that held an assortment of mechanic wiggling side to side white tinted cobra rubber snakes, yellow tinted plastic coated swiftly running scorpions with red blinking part, and numerous slow waddling aqua tinted beetle bugs. He smiled, "Stu's idea, without a doubt."

One of the side walls wiggled down in white tinted dry ice highlighting rows of open coffins which showed an array of trays of steaming food and cold beverages. In front the food table, there were individual tiny blue colored Egyptian fishing curvy fishing boats that held a set of chairs from two to twelve people to eat and talk.

The other side wall displayed more dry ice on the wall and a flat open floor full of dancing couples.

A group of young adult girls with giggles of smiles and jiggles of naked breasts with a tiny throng around the pussy, not covering the asshole stopped in front of Austin. He smiled at each pair of naked tits with a whisper for his eardrums only. "There is definitely no little children presence here tonight. Frank's idea, without a doubt." The girls reached down and scattered a handful of numerous free flowing white tinted rose petals down over his naked feet and then onto the floor, slowly moving backwards while continuing to mark the floor with flower petals toward the rear wall. Austin moved ahead and followed the semi-naked girls with a wicked grin, strolling beside the long contained puddle of shallow water that ended in front of a tall pyramid of wood in bright red paint, turning to see some of the party attendees on each side of the fake Nile River.

Each male wore a hat that depicted a face of one of the ancient Egyptians gods, such like, red colored jackal head of Anubis, the brown and white colored falcon head of Ra, the yellow bird head of Thoth, blue colored dog head of Seth, the black wig and fake pointy chin beard of Ptah, or another mythological god. Some of the males were a white linen shirt even with the kneecaps or down to the top of the ankles with a pair of dark to light colored flip flops. The other males were a pair of white colored linen walking shorts and a pair of naked feet. All the women wore a golden plastic colored crown of a curved snake with an extended hood of a striking cobra and a long white linen skirt with a pair of naked feet or a pair of sandals. Everyone had painted a pair of two eye sockets like Austin with the black eyeliner like a real dead Egyptian queen or pharaoh. And each neckline wore a rounded plastic necklace with bands of gold, turquoise, gold, and orange tints.

He continued to move across the scattered golden sand and around the wiggling rubber snakes, scorpions, and beetles while following the group of naked girls, looking up with a smile to see eight people on each side wall of the gigantic red wooden built pyramid that contained a tall staircase which led up to a single golden glittering throne chair on the top platform. The eight people comprised his family and friends. He slowly stomped up the first steps and stopped, standing next to the ancient Egyptian gods of Thoth and Ra.

The two males approached from the wall and stopped, standing in place, bowing at the waistline, standing upright with a smile.

Austin laughed with a smile. His friend and family physician Jace wore a set of black colored eye sockets on a face like Austin, and a round necklace of six individual rows of gems like Austin also. The first band was golden then a row of bright turquoise stones, then a band solid gold, then row of blue stones, then a band of solid gold, and finally a row of orange diamonds. Jace also wore a blue T-shirt with a white long skirt, a pair of nasty looking brown flip flops, and a hat in the shape of a brown and red colored falcon head with a golden plastic round disc on top of his black colored curly hair roots with a smile. Berrington grinned. "Hello, father of all ancient gods. Hail to the sun god Ra!"

Jace laughed. "Welcome back to the USA, Pharaoh! How was your oversea trip?"

"Fun."

"Is your penis still sore and stiff?"

Austin gasped. "Uh..."

Jace dressed as the Egyptian sun god Ra nodded with a smile and a laughed. "Fucking too much, did we on vacation, Austin?"

"It was business trip, Jace."

Jace nodded with a smile. "You probably have shaft soreness and tenderness.

"My arms, neck, and abs are not sore."

"During a body thrusting, the dick pressure goes up like rushing water pushing through a pipe for bathing. Zero blood does not flow into the penis during that thrusting time. To absorb oxygen, the muscle tissue of your penis must become relaxed and cringely again..."

"Is cringely even a proper vocabulary word?"

"You never listen to me."

Austin smiled. "Are you talking to me, Jace?"

"During one to too many erections, blood does not flow through the penis. If you do not allow your penis to rest, then the muscle tissue does not get enough oxygen. Thus the penis stays very erect and very tall and very high and very sore..."

The ancient god Ra had been depicted in human form with a brown and red and white colored falcon head. On top of skull, he had been crowned with the sun disk that was encircled by the sacred cobra. The sun itself was taken to be either his body or his eye. Ra had traveled the sky each day in a solar and then passed through the realms of the underworld each night to reappear in the east every morning. Ra was also considered to be an underworld god like Osiris. Sun god Ra had resurrected Osiris to rule over the dead. The sun god Ra had been mentioned by name as far back as 2686 BC, where each Egyptian pharaoh had a special pyramid, obelisk, and sun temples built in his honor to worship far and wide throughout the lands. The walls of each tomb had shown the death journey of the dead pharaoh with the sun god Ra traveling through the underworld while carrying the prayers and blessings of the living people with the souls of the dead on a sun boat.

Austin smiled. "Do you know that you're wearing black girly mascara around both of your eye sockets, Jace?"

"You are, too, Austin!"

Austin grinned. "The Egyptian peoples used the black colored eye makeup that came from grounded up earth mineral malachite. It not only made them look really weird, but it also was believed to fight eye infections."

Jace frowned. "It didn't work, Austin. Come and see me tomorrow afternoon in my office! I will be sleeping through the morning after this party. I can give you something for the pain."

Austin turned and smiled at Arnold, "Hail to the moon god, too!"

Arnold was a little shorter than his wedded partner Jace with a tone of dark tinted skin on a plump body, a pair of brown eyeballs, and a head of curly brown hair. Tonight, he wore a set of black colored eye sockets on a face like Austin and a round necklace of six individual rows of gems like Austin also. The first band was golden then a row of bright turquoise stones, then a band solid gold, then row of blue stones, then a band of solid gold, and finally a row of orange diamonds. Arnold was dressed in a white knee-length linen skirt with a naked chest, a pair of golden bracelets on each lean bicep, a hat with a face of a black colored bird with a curved beak in yellow tint, and a pair of naked feet.

Ancient Egyptian moon god Thoth had been depicted as a human with the head of an ibis. An ibis was a long and slim bird with a curved beak. The curved beak had symbolized curve of the moon. Thoth had been the god of knowledge, wisdom, and hieroglyphs, who had also he created himself but no one knew how. He had to maintain the universe, settle arguments among the other Egyptian gods, and judge those who would die. He was linked with the mind, science, logic, intelligence, knowledge, writing, and reason. Thus, he was responsible for the creation of the heavens and Earth and all that are in them and he wrote a lot. All his writing had been put into the book that was called the Book of Troth which held all the secrets of the universe that was shown through hieroglyphic writing. In Egyptian mythology, moon god Thoth was the secretary and counselor of the sun god Ra. Thoth stood next to Ra on the sun boat and recorded the nightly trip across the sky.

Arnold smiled with a nod. "I'm impressed with your knowledge of ancient Egyptian mythological, Austin."

Austin smiled. "Thank my tutor!"

Arnold frowned. "Who is your tutor?"

Austin grinned. "Tom, he tutors me, daily." They laughed with a head nod.

Jace smiled. "Yes, Tom is the 'bestest' mythological science fiction freak on the planet Earth."

Austin frowned. "Shush, Jace! Tom will hear your set of freaky words and then start to dance around the room with the fake snakes, scorpions, and beetles trying to produce a rain storm."

Arnold frowned. "The only real rain gods are the tribes of Native American Indians that could make it rain."

Austin frowned. "Sh! Do not burst his single gigantic pink tinted bubble here at the fun time party tonight, god Thoth!"

"I won't. I promise, pharaoh," Arnold laughed with a nod.

Austin nodded with a smile and turned to face the wall, moving up the staircase as both the god Thoth and Ra followed behind the white linen skirt of Austin.

Tom swiftly scooted away from the side wall and stopped near the nose profile on Berrington bouncing up and down with a giggle and a grin, "Hey, Austin! Welcome back from Japan!"

Jane followed behind Tom and stopped, standing beside her husband, leaning over with a smile and hugged Austin, pulling back with a smile, "Welcome back home, Austin! We missed you. Did you get to see and tour your new house before the big scary Halloween party?"

"Hello, Jane." Austin turned and growled. "Tom..."

Tom slapped the blue and gold tinted items of a bejeweled crook and flail over a chest of white linen with a giggle and a grin. "O. Your clothes are missing. I guess you figured that out when the closet was empty. Don't worry, man! The new wardrobe is coming soonest."

He frowned. "Tom, why is your skin green? Are you a..."

Tom wore a set of black colored eye sockets on a face like Austin, and a round necklace of six individual rows of gems like Austin also. The first band was golden then a row of bright turquoise stones, then a band solid gold, then row of blue stones, then a band of solid gold and finally a row of orange diamonds. The exposed skin on the face and both hands was colored in neon puke colored green paint. Tom was dressed in a tight fitting white dress like a mummy with a white colored cone-like hat crown. One green colored hand held a flail which was made of alternating two bands of a row of blue diamonds and then a band of solid gold with a golden fringe pom-pom thing at the top. The other hand held a crook staff was made of alternating two bands of a row of blue diamonds and then a band of solid gold too. Tom nodded with a smile. "I'm Osiris, the Egyptian god of the death. Os was painted in green colors for the dying bodies and the decaying fruits inside the tomb of a king..."

Osiris was the Egyptian god of death, the Underworld and Rebirth and was also the sister of Isis. One of his famous sons was Horus by his wife Isis. Osiris had been one of the most famous and easily recognized of all the ancient Egyptian gods with a human face without the head of an animal. He had a false beard on the chin that was curved.

He had been well-known for his green colored skin which was the symbol of rebirth and regeneration. He had white clothing which was a sign of mummification and a tall white conical headdress called the Atef crown. He had been very closely linked to the pharaoh kings and queens of Egypt and carried a blue and gold stripped flail with a golden fringe pom-pom and a blue and gold stripped crook which were the symbols of power and kingship. In Egyptian mythology, Osiris had been captured by god Seth and then imprisoned in the Tree of Life which was connected to abundance of grain, making sure it grows and produced fruit. He had been associated with the growth and the decay of vegetation by taking all the dead crops in the wintertime down into the Underworld. His green face was connected to the life that he provided to the ancient Egyptian people and culture.

"Or a queen," Jane flipped a hand with a golden bracelet of turquoise and orange diamonds on the wrist bone into the air with a smile. "I am Isis, the goddess of something."

She was the goddess of protection, healing, motherhood, children and nature. The ancient Egyptian people built numerous worship temples to honor her, since she was also the protector and the mother of each pharaoh. Isis had been married her brother Osiris and together they had a son named Horus. Isis had possessed supernatural powers of healing. In Egyptian mythology, Isis had healed her son Horus from a nasty scorpion sting. Another legend her husband and brother, Osiris had been killed by their other brother Seth in the act of jealousy. But Isis had revived Osiris back to life with her healing powers, since she had loved him very much. The ancient Romans had also worshipped the goddess Isis throughout the Roman Empire too which had been shown on numerous temples and engravings in the countries of Italy, Spain, Pannonia, Britain, Germany, Asia Minor, and Portugal.

Jane wore an ankle-length dark purple colored linen sleeveless dress, a pair of bare naked arms with a bicep on two golden bracelets, and a pair of gold tinted sandals while wiggling a set of orange painted toe nails, a set of black colored eye sockets on a face like Austin, and a round necklace of three individual rows of gems like Austin also. The first band was golden then a row of bright turquoise stones, then a band solid gold, then row of blue stones, then a band of solid gold and finally a row of orange diamonds. Her naked red curly colored skull was decorated with a golden symbol of a plastic throne chair which was the official crown of the Egyptian goddess Isis. Both the wrist bones on Jane contained a set of golden bracelets that was decorated in real turquoise and orange diamond stones.

Austin leaned into her black painted eye sockets and her smile. "You are the goddess of motherhood and children, Janey."

She giggled with a nod. "I somehow intuitively knew that I liked this costume with the silly throne chair for some girly reason."

Austin smiled. "If my ancient Egyptian class in college was correct, Osiris and Isis were married and birthed a baby. But I don't see baby Horus."

"We're working on our newborn son right after the party." Tom leaned back with a laugh and leaned to the side with a grin, hugging his wife, kissing her cheekbone, pulling back with a wink and a laugh to Austin.

Austin smiled with a nod in silence and turned to face the wall, slowly moving up the staircase. The party gods Thoth, Ra, Osiris, and pretty goddess Isis followed behind the white linen skirt of Berrington. Austin stopped and stood in place with a smile.

Misty and Frank moved ahead from the side of the wall of dry ice, stopping and stood next the nose profile on Austin.

Frank smiled. "Hello, Austin! How was your trip?"

Austin smiled. "It was both fun and fast! I expected Tom to look ridicule and silly in green body paint at the annual Halloween party. But why are you painted in blue hues over a naked chest, arms, and face, Frank?"

"Are you impressed, Austin?" He slapped a naked chest with a smile and a laugh. "I am Amun, the Egyptian god of the air, the sun, and the sky." He wore a face of blue unlike Austin which was outlined in a pair of black colored eye sockets like Austin and a round necklace of six individual rows of gems like Austin also. The first band was golden then a row of bright turquoise stones, then a band solid gold, then row of blue stones, then a band of solid gold and finally a row of orange diamonds. Frank was dressed in a white knee-length linen skirt with a naked blue tinted chest, a pair of blue tinted biceps with a golden bracelet, a tall hat with two long yellow colored feathers of some poor dead bird.

The Egyptian god Amus represented the air, the sun and the sky and was painted with blue skin to symbol the air and the creation. The Amun crown was a set of double-plumed crown of tall ostrich feathers. The ostrich was a symbol of creation and light. During the period known as the New Kingdom in the years 1570 BC through 1070 BC, Amun became the national god of Egypt and head of the state pantheon.

Then, the new Pharaoh Akhenaten established the sun god Aten as the only god of Egypt. Aten had been worshipped for sixteen years from the years 1349 to 1333 BC until the death of Akhenaten.

Then, the son of Akhenaten Tutankhamen became the next pharaoh. The boy king became the pharaoh and was forced by the powerful priests of Amun to leave his birth home in the city of Armana. The new young pharaoh changed his name from Tutankhaten to Tutankhamun and then returned back to the city of Thebes and the old religion with Amun as the chief god.

Austin laughed. "Did you kill, pluck, and eat that extra-large funky bird set of two feathers on your red curly head, Frank?"

Frank smiled. "Ah! The petite Japanese men were all nasty and rude with Badass Berrington. No, pharaoh! My two feathers are faked like your true kingship reign of Egypt."

Austin laughed. "I'm relieved on numerous accounts. I am happy that I don't have to wear body paint, Frank. Is Stu colored in red by chance?"

He laughed, "No, asshole! Stu is colored in beautiful shiny black skin. He is an African-American boy with a tone of dark skin, by birth. I think that you need a pair of seeing glasses, Old Man."

Austin turned and smiled at Frank and then Misty. "I walked into that one. Misty is as beautiful as ever."

Misty Marie leaned over and hugged Austin, pulling back with a smile, "Hey, Austin! Welcome back home to Coral Beach. We missed you," she wore a tight fitting turquoise colored sleeveless dress that hung below a pair of orange painted toe lines. Her neck, both wrists, both biceps, both earlobes, and both ankles were dressed in true gold jewelry that was banded with six rows of gold, turquoise, blue diamonds, and orange diamonds unlike any of the other attendees or her sisters. "I am goddess Hathor," she wore a set of black colored eye sockets on a face like Austin and a curvy hooded cobra head on top of her blonde hair, instead of the golden disc on the true goddess Hathor.

In ancient Egyptian, goddess Hathor had been the goddess of love, fertility, beauty, music, and laughter and fun. She was very nice and nurturing while looking after people all the time with her kindness. The goddess had been very popular with children. Her celebration of birth had been filled with dancing and happiness.

The goddess Hathor had been depicted as woman with naked head of black hair with a crown headdress that held a golden disc which was surrounded by a set of cow horns.

In ancient Egyptian mythology, Hathor also had been represented as a real mooing cow. Her four legs had become a set of pillars holding up the sky. Her belly had formed part of the sky.

In the underworld, Hathor had looked after the souls of the dead providing them with a plate of food. Anyone who carried around a piece of her turquoise clothing would be safe in the underworld, the place of the dead. Hathor had been linked to earth minerals of turquoise, gold, and copper and had been known as the 'Mistress of Turquoise,' since she had looked after all the miners inside the hills to keep them safe.

Austin nodded with a smile. "The Mistress of Turquoise, you look very gorgeous, Misty."

"I'm impressed with Austin's ancient world history lesson." She giggled with a smile.

Frank reached up with a smile and slapped the back spine on Austin with a nod. "Move along and get this party started, pharaoh!"

"Yeah, yeah, I see the light, twice," Austin turned to face the wall with a laugh and moved ahead over the staircase. The party gods of Thoth, Ra, Osiris, Amun, and pretty goddesses Hathor and Isis followed behind the white linen skirt of Berrington. He stopped and stood in place with a smile.

Gracie and Stu advanced from the wall with smile and stood next to the nose profile on Austin.

Gracie wore a set of black colored eye sockets on a face like Austin and a round necklace of six individual rows of gems like Austin also. The first band was golden then a row of bright turquoise stones, then a band solid gold, then row of blue stones, then a band of solid gold and finally a row of orange diamonds. She was dressed in a tight fitting red colored sleeveless linen tinted dress with a pair of golden tinted heeled sandals, a pair of biceps with a set of ruby red gems on each bracelet, a hat with the head of a tan colored lioness with a headpiece of a golden curved cobra head with a pair of green emerald eyeballs.

The goddess Sekhmet dressed in red as a female body with the head of a brown colored lioness with a headpiece of the curved cobra head on top of the brown fur like Gracie.

In Egyptian mythology within the Book of the Dead, it told of her heated sun power that was connected to the hot winds of the desert, since her Greek name Sekhmet translated into the word, flame. Sekhmet was the Egyptian goddess of war and went with the pharaoh king and his men into battle. She had used weapons, such like, long arrows, swift darts, and the fiery heat of the sun creating might, violent, and death. She had also been nicknamed as the 'Scarlet Lady' as she had loved blood so much, thus numerous celebrations and sacrifices were presented and offered to goddess Sekhmet making her happy after each war battle.

Her father was the sun god Ra. In Egyptian writings, the sun god Ra had sent Sekhmet in the form of the lioness to seek revenge on the nasty human beings for teasing him and to eat them all.

Pharaoh Amenhotep III had placed several hundred statues of Sekhmet in his temple for goddess power.

So, if you were a friend with Sekhmet, then you would live and be healed from your battle wounds by her ankh, a jewel of life which dubbed her as the "lady of life." But, if you were not her friend, the goddess would kill you dead which made her known as the "lady of terror."

"Hey, Austin!" Stu hugged his wife Gracie with a smile. "I am god Anubis. And this is goddess Sekhmet, the lady of my life," he wore a naked chest, a pair of white linen walking shorts, a pair of black colored flip flops, and a golden rounded necklace with a hat in the face of a black jackal with a pair of yellow diamonds for each eyeball. Gage did not display a set of black tinted eyeliner over each eye socket or a piece of jewelry on a bicep, since he was a manly male, not a fucking female.

Anubis was the Greek name for Anubis was the 'man with a jackal head." He was depicted with the solid black colored head of a jackal, the yellow tail of a lion, and the body of a dark black male. No one was quite certain which goddess produced Anubis.

His very dark black flesh represented the earthy energies of rich fertile black soil of the Nile River. The black colored jackal head represented the death of a soul, where the tombs and graves of the dead bodies were often hunted by a pack of live wild jackals.

In the Book of the Dead, Anubis would weigh the human heart against the feather of truth and justice. If the heart was heavier than the feather, the soul was guilty and bad. The soul would be sent down to a lady demon and she would eat them.

Anubis invented the process of embalming, where each body was preserved. Within the Egyptian mummification procedure, the head embalmer who took care of the dead wore an Anubis costume with a long golden necklace.

Austin laughed, "Good evening, Gracie and Stu. I like your naked chest and gold necklace, Anubis."

Stu leaned over with a wicked grin. "Do you like my little Halloween party, pharaoh?"

Austin smiled. "I love your little Halloween party, nasty god Anubis."

Stu whispered into the smile of Austin. "All the semi-naked girls are a set of strippers from..."

"Big Man," Gracie reached over with a sneer and slapped the naked chest of Stu with a sour frown. "That's enough information exchange for the night, Stu. This is our annual Halloween party for fun. Austin can create his own fun, after the party."

Austin laughed. "Here is my fun for the evening. First, the organs are removed, except the heart. The dead asshole is covered in salt and left to dry for about forty day and nights. After washing, the dried asshole is stuffed to keep its shape. Finally, the dead asshole is oiled and wrapped in layers of white linen bandages and then is placed inside the basement of my new house."

Gracie frowned. "Stu didn't build you a basement, pharaoh."

Austin laughed, "O. You are correct, cat woman!"

Gracie smiled, "Grrr!"

Austin turned to face the wall with a smile and slowly climbed the rest of the steps with a chuckle. The party gods Thoth, Ra, Osiris, Amun, Anubis and the three pretty goddesses Hathor, Sekhmet, and Isis followed behind the white linen skirt of Berrington and then the married couple veered to the rear wall and split into two separate groups, stopping in front of the painted wall of three pyramids and spun around to face the audience, standing parallel to the single golden throne chair.

Austin stopped and stared down at the golden wooden chair, spinning around and sitting down inside the single golden tinted throne chair of solid wood in silence.

Stu stood in place and faced all the guests, lifting up and dropped down both arms with a smile in silence.

Each guest in the audience dropped down and kneeled onto the floor with a loud shout to Austin. "Welcome home, pharaoh!"

Tom leaned over with a smile and a whisper into the stripped blue and gold colored headdress crown of Austin. "Did you really get the sixteen tri..."

Austin stared at each pair of naked tits of each girl in the front row with a smile, "Yes, Tom."

Monday November 1st

2:31 a.m.

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and warm temperatures with cloudy night sky

New home of Austin

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting

**O** n the fourth floor of the new master bedroom, inside the new bed frame, he sat upright with a pair of elbows on top of the new set of white colored satin sheet, staring with a puzzled brow at the gigantic red tinted hand imprint that had been finger painted on the forward white wall of cider blocks inside his new house. He had awoken from a nasty teenage dream of pretty former flame dark skinned Bambi in the nude with a bright smile on top of the white sandy beach.

He reached down with a grunt, gently touching a slowly growing and spitting plume of hot sperm from an elongated and tall penis that was sore and slightly stiff from the sex marathon ride of two days on too many geisha girls in the foreign country of Japan. He whispered with a groan. "My penis is so fuckingly sore. I'll go and see Jace, tomorrow, maybe," he settled back down onto the satin pillow with a grin of pain, closing both eyelids. "But I still get it, pain or not!"

And then he dove into a deep slumber.

9:09 a.m.

City of Coral Gables

Warm temperatures with parted clouds of dull sun

Quartet Associates headquarters building

(six miles west of Coral Beach)

33rd floor business office of Chief Executive Officer

Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

Throne office setting

Last night, every attendee had a fun time at the Halloween party in Coral Beach that lasted until one in the, this morning.

Austin had left the party and night alone as one of the last guests without a semi-naked girl. The young adult and consenting semi-naked girls were cute wearing an individual thin throng of white fabric across the pussy with a pair of naked tits, but he didn't feel like love-making at the moment. He wanted to retire during the morning to sleep and visit the office with a clear head.

Now, inside the throne room, Austin sat inside the throne chair in front of an empty office desk as usual, wiggling side to side inside the newly ironed and pressed black sports coat and a pair of black colored trousers with nervousness, not usual. He reached out and caressed the clean shiny white marble office desk with a smile as a free hand held a cold cup of sweet milk. The throne desk was empty and polished like always. It was good to be back at home in Coral Gables too.

Last night, at the Halloween party, while eating a plate of food with Austin, Frank had tattled into the eardrum on Berrington that the cleaning crew had polished off the food crumbs, the spilled coffee stains, the ripped off shreds of paper for some weird ass reason, and then removed the individual stacks of science fiction books and money magazines while replacing the stack of items back onto Tom's side table, every night.

Each brother had taken a turn as the chief executive officer of Quartet Associates while Austin was resting, recovering, and engaging in sun and fun, not recreating on the west coast of Florida.

On the first day and through lunchtime of the second work day of Austin's vacation, Stu had volunteered and assumed the substitute CEO title of Quartet Associates first, sitting inside the throne chair of the throne room of Austin. Each time the telephone rung, he reached out and answered, listening to the crime or the complaint or the issue or the matter of the current QA sissy whining client. Then Gage yelled at the client through the telephone receiver with a nasty tone of the multiple choice judgment to pick one: a beating, a whipping, a whomping, a beheading, or another bodily threat. The last client, Gage told the male that he was going to tattle to his mommy regarding the stupid ass incident.

A few milliseconds later, the QA client slammed the telephone on Gage and then called and tattled to Tom. Then, they both laughed their asses off on the phone and hung up. Tom left his office and ran into Frank's office tattling the same tale as both of them laughed their asses off with the true story.

Then, both Tom and Frank left Frank's office and moved down the hallway to the throne room, invading the throne desk and shook a skull and a finger while dethroning Stu.

Stu stood upright from the throne chair with a growl and a sneer at Tom and Frank stomping with fury away from the throne room, exiting into the empty hallway with a smile. He didn't have to deal with another shitty, sissy, whining and arrogant QA client, wondering how in the hell Austin had done it for seven years.

After lunch time on the second day of Austin's vacation, Frank had volunteered and then assumed the substitute CEO title of Quartet Associates second, sitting inside the throne chair of the throne room. Each time the telephone rung, he reached out and greeted with a smile, listening to each crime, complaint, issue, and matter of the current QA sissy whining client while writing down every detail on a sheet of notebook paper with a number pencil which took time over an hour of tock tick time.

Then Frank assigned a written financial numeric value to each illegal crime or every legal complaint, issue, and matter coming from the current QA sissy and whiny client while explaining each numeric penalty money fee that will be added to the next monthly financial invoice for wasting his precious time and perturbing his statue on throne chair as the substitute CEO for the month at Quartet Associates.

A few milliseconds later, the last QA client slammed the receiver down on voice of Frank and called to inform Tom that he was suing Frank and the business company Quartet Associates for defamatory slander and blackmail for one billion dollars. Tom dropped the telephone receiver on the desk top with the client on the other end and ran into Stu's office. They didn't laugh but ran down the hallway where Big Man tossed Frank out from the throne chair with a sneer.

Then Frank and Stu exited from the throne room and moved down an empty hallway, elbowing each other with a set of grins and chuckles, without dealing with another shitty, sissy, whining and arrogant QA client, wondering how in the hell Austin had done it for seven years.

Tom stood in front of the throne desk with a huff of frustration and reached down, tapping on the telephone console, picking up the telephone line with the sissy whiny QA client, listening to the true complaint with a nod and a smile, finally saying after the client's wimpy temper tamper that Berrington had informed Sawyer to take a detail message of the delicate matter and wait for the return of Austin, who would personally handle it swiftly and deadly, his way.

Then, the QA client rapidly hung up the receiver with worried fright of an upcoming face-to-face meeting with Badass Berrington.

Tom dropped down the telephone receiver with a giggle and a grin, scooting around the clean office desk, sitting inside the throne chair with a smile. He became the new substitute CEO of Quartet Associates for the next three and half weeks while Austin was on a vacation.

Tom had been a very good substitute for Austin. He had handled all the daily telephone calls while ordering all the staff lawyers to attend each court room appearance and then he performed all the legal office work, since the experience law staff would be getting a new boss, not Tom, very soon.

Sawyer made his person at home inside Austin's office as the acting chief executive officer of Quartet Associates. He lifted up and dropped down both long legs onto the top of the empty office desk while on sipping numerous cups of hot steaming coffee, reading all the new and old science fiction and money magazines, listening to the piped in rock and roll music from his office into Austin's throne room for the next three weeks, five days.

Several weeks from today, in the month of November on third week, the Quartet will finally retire from the working world to produce the next band of brothers: a set of newborn sons. Each one-fourth member of the Quartet had produced a baby boy, since the year 1838, maybe the blessed charm would continue for the current Band of Brothers also.

This morning, Austin had awoken refreshed and hunger at eight o'clock after the fun evening at the annual Halloween party to see an assortment of bright sunrays resting beside the bed linens with him, instead of a new female inside the new bed mattress. He rolled out of bed in the nude and dashed down to the laundry room dryer machine, pulling out a wrinkled jacket and a matching pair of trousers with a loud shit. Then he figured out how to use the damn steam iron, the flat long dining room metalwork table, and a clean bath towel to press out almost all the wrinkles in his clothes, sorta.

The black jacket and black colored trousers were clean but the direct generous splashes from the bottle of harsh stinky bleach acid had marked the solid black fabric with an array of funny looking sideways and vertical thick individual and scattered white streaks and strips like a set of new Art Deco painting. Some of the individual vertical and horizontal streaks looked like a set of individual long puffy white clouds. Austin was very frustrated in the conclusion of his first domestic woman chore and almost called in sick to work at Quartet Associates for the first time in his professional work life.

However, his three nosy and rude brothers would not have understood the emergency and then would have invaded the new house of Austin with a set of hammers and rocks, if the doors had been non-traditionally locked to find out why Austin was absent from a work day, since Berrington had never missed a work day over the past seven years. Austin currently was a healthy male without sickness or virus head colds.

He wasn't worried about his clothing presence during the work day and had arrived at nine o'clock, without seeing a brother or the secretary Madeline.

Today in the office, he would plan to stay an hour at work, because each retail clothing store did not open until ten o'clock, and then he would declare all his business transactions finished for the day, leaving the office to shop for a set of new clothing or to kidnap Tom for an ass beating. So far, Berrington had not decided which of the two fun actions to engage in for the rest of the morning.

Last night, in the laundry room, the hot water setting on the washing machine had cleaned the set of black clothing items for Austin to appear at work, this morning, without shrinking the cloth. But now, the dark color had faded into an ugly light black, if that was even a proper hue on the wheel chart of colors. The black was not rich or dark, but light and dull, not light or dark gray either.

So, the only conclusion, Austin had invented a new color hue which was his secret only.

In addition, the mixture of a pair of cotton white socks and a white cotton bath towel inside the same washer machine barrel of hot water and suds had separated into a set of tiny little round cotton balls which all had fossilized onto the cotton pressed black jacket, the cotton pressed black trousers, the pair of wool black socks, and the cotton black turtleneck clothing that hung off the body of Austin. The tiny little round cotton balls had modified and morphed into a set of tea tiny dots of stark white all over the light black sports jacket and the light black pair of trousers which would appear funky ass weird to a pair of eyeballs.

Inside the throne room, the office door opened without slamming into a wall, since Stu made the office door with a set of bumper stops with Tom in mind.

Stu entered first with a smile and a cup of steaming green tea, strolling inside toward the southeastern wall corner, where his assigned white leather oversized chair stood. He turned and sat down with a nod to Austin. "Hello, Austin! How did you sleep inside your new house?" He wore a business jacket and a pair of matching trousers of electric blue hues with a yellow dress shirt, a fourteen carat blue topaz gem stone on a tie pin at the throat, and a pair of cuff links with a pair of blue and yellow oxford leathers.

"Fine!" Austin faked a smile and wiggled side to side in the throne chair wearing an obviously damaged sports jacket and pair of semi-destroyed trousers.

Frank entered next with a grin and a cup of steaming tea, not green colored, strolling inside. "Good morning, Austin! How are you feeling, today? I am fine. Thank you. How was the business part of your overseas three-day trip to the Japanese company? Please enlighten us with all the business details, of course!" He swung around and sat down inside the southwester white leather chair which was across from Stu with a puzzled brow at Austin. Mangrove wore a navy blue sports coat, a mint green dress shirt with a long silk necktie with a flower colored pattern of pink, light green, yellow, and orange with a matching pocket handkerchief, a pair of light tan trousers and a pair of tan leathers with a tassel.

" _Hold the fucking door for me, Frank!"_ Tom ran ahead with a shout and kicked the office door open with a new leather, dashing inside last with a sour frown and a cup of steaming coffee in yellow hue with tons of sugar and sweet milk, toting a stack of new magazines in the other arm that he had received in the mail yesterday. He stopped and stood in place in a new navy blue pin stripped business suit, a new white dress shirt with a set of diamond cuff links, a neck bowtie of aqua tinted background with numerous tiny white symbols of royal king crowns with a matching pocket handkerchief and a pair of new leathers with a set of tassels, sneering at Mangrove. "Didn't you hear me and my fucking words, Frank?"

Frank turned and smiled at Tom. "One, you were pacing slower than I. Two, you talk in vile and rude statements. Third, you are an..."

Gage turned and sneered at each nose profile on Tom and then Frank. "Sit the fuck down, Tom! Shut the fuck up, Frank! Don't either of you start a new cat fight here in the morning. One, I am not in the mood. Two, I will beat both of your fucking asses within the next three seconds. Go and sit down, right now, Tom," he turned and smiled at the nose profile on Austin. "How was your trip to Japan? We all wanna here the gory and glory details, Austin."

Tom back stepped and spun around with a soft whisper and a sneer, "Fuck both of you, Mangrove and Gage!" He moved ahead and stopped, sliding down on top of the white lounge chaise in the northwest wall corner, shoving the old stack of magazines down to the floor with a loud swish and then gently placed the new stack of magazines and the cup of coffee over the hard surface. He reached over and grabbed the first magazine with a smile, drawing it to a face with a giggle, staring at the cover page. He liked to study all the new external colorful glossy photographs and boxed colored writings on each magazine before he opened the internal pages with the new information.

Austin cleared a throat with a fake smile, not pleased with narrating the two-day Japanese business trip to his brothers at the moment, so he will make up an excuse and leave within a next few seconds. "I am..."

Frank turned and stared at the damaged but neatly pressed black tinted sports jacket on Austin with a confused brow, "Austin, I can't help but notice that your..."

The throne door opened for a second time and revealed a short female inside the archway of the office, knocking on the door frame with a smile. "Good morning! I am a Miami-Dade County legal courier. I am dropping off a court summons to the Quartet. That is all of you, right?" The female police officer extended a hand with a vanilla colored envelope in the air.

Tom rolled off the lounge chaise and stood upright with a sneer, moving ahead, extending a hand for the sealed envelope. He could see an official legal law address as he was the official legal eagle for Quartet Associates. He sneered. "What the fuck is this?" He wasn't expecting an arrest warrant on one of the other QA guards this morning. Usually, his talented legal staff would inform Tom of the legal matter, before the paperwork arrived at the office desk of Sawyer.

"Sign here," the female police officer extended an ink pen and the clip board with a smile

Tom stared at the two objects with a puzzled brow. "Me!"

The female police officer smirked. "Isn't your name, Sawyer, Thomas Edison, the third?"

"What do you say, assholette?" Tom sneered.

The female police officer grinned with a nod. "Congratulations, Sawyer, Thomas Edison, the third! You have been served."

Stu quickly stood upright from his assigned chair in the wall corner with a worried brow and swiftly advanced ahead, reaching out, grabbing the clip board and the ink pen from the police officer and signed the legal document, before Tom was arrested for being an asshole. Then Gage would have to bail the skinny ass of Sawyer out from jail house in Coral Gables this afternoon. Stu handed the items back to the police officer with a smile and a nod. "Good day to you, officer. And I would like to thank you for your continuous service in our community and saving my ass on a daily basis."

The police laughed with a nod. "Enjoy your day, Mr. Gage and gentlemen!" She accepted the items and looked down to see the signature of Stu for the delivery sealed envelope in silence, spinning around with a smile, moving toward the closed elevator doors, exiting the lobby and finally the building.

Stu back stepped and sat back down inside his assigned chair with a smile.

The office door closed shut.

He stared at the closed door with a sneer, "Yeah! You, too, assholette," Tom looked down and ripped open the envelope, turning to stare with a sneer at Gage. "And which Quartet Asshole is in trouble this time? Or is this you, again, Gage?"

Frank turned and smiled at the nose profile on Gage. "Which QA guard is in trouble this time? Are you experiencing a few personnel problems here at Quartet Associates, Stuart?"

Stu looked down at the empty teacup and then up to see Mangrove, "Ha, ha, Franklin! You can't fathom the shit load of personnel problems that I encounter..."

"On an hourly basis..." Tom read the first page of the summons in silence.

Austin stared with a confused brow at the ass on Tom and then at the face of Gage. "Stu, do you use Tom's services often?"

Tom flipped and read the next page in silence, "Three times, last week, for one fucking guy! He decided to imitate you, Old Man, and started a fight and then ended a fight by beating up three other fucking alcohol-wasted dudes in three rounds of folded fist fight action..."

"Tom!" Stu turned and frowned at the ass of Sawyer.

Tom flipped and read the next page. "I had to haul his ass out from South Miami Jail at two am, last Wednesday morning..."

"Thomas!" Stu continued to frown at the ass of Sawyer.

Tom flipped and read the next page. "Shit, Stu! Jane was pissed at you..."

"Thomas Edison!" Stu continued to stare and yell at the ass on Tom.

Tom flipped and read the next page. "You owe Jane a bottle of wine, her favorite. She told me that you finally get it right, after you forgot the last time..."

"The last time?" Frank turned and chuckled at the nose profile on Gage, hearing the newly surprised remark from Tom. This was truly new information to share among the four brothers.

Tom flipped and read the next page. "And you owe me two thousand bucks for the bail and the fines, buddy. I ain't your fucking bank..."

Stu stood upright with a worried brow and yelled at the ass of Sawyer. "Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third!"

Tom spun around with a smile to see Gage. "What, man?"

Stu exhaled. "What happened to client privileged information, Tom? You're a fucking lawyer."

"He is a blood sucking low life lawyer," Frank turned and winked at the nose profile on Austin, who was not happy at the shared new information.

"Shut up, Mangrove!" Stu stared at Tom who had revealed a new set of old events in front of Austin.

Tom jabbed a finger and a sour frown at Stu. "Hey! Quartet Assholes aren't privileged information. They fuck up. I fix it. That's part of my job. Their newly created arrest record isn't a secret to you..." he turned and frowned at Berrington and then back to Gage. "Stu, don't you tell Austin about all the troublemakers within the Quartet Associates guard units?"

"No." Austin frowned at Stu.

Stu turned and tossed both palms near a stern face to see Berrington. "Austin, I handle them, my way, the Quartet way."

Austin grinned with a nod. "I trust you, Big Man. But, if you need an attorney for any future issue like a bail out of another QA guard, then you can call me, next time," he turned and nodded to Tom.

Tom wiggled side to side with a smile. "Wow! Thanks, Austin! That's great, man! Jane might give you a big bear hug for that brilliant solution. But I don't allow my wife to kiss anyone, except on me."

Stu exhaled with a nod and a stern face. "I was trying to avoid disturbing you, since you're always entertaining."

Frank chuckled. "I believe that you mean to say: to avoid informing him," laughing.

"Shut up, Mangrove!" Stu turned and frowned at Frank.

Austin turned and nodded with a smile to Gage. "Stu, my entertainment can always be interrupted."

Frank reached over and slapped the bicep on Stu with a laugh. "You got caught, Big Man. Admit it, Stuart?"

"You screwed up, Gage." Tom laughed with a smile.

Stu was more embarrassed rather than mad, sitting down with a nod and a stern face, "No matter to me or the QA guards! In a few more weeks, we are selling our business company. The assholes all belong to the Japanese, not QA." He grinned with a nod.

Frank exhaled with a stern face. "Yes, we have a few more weeks. The final days of Quartet Associates are counting down."

Tom flipped the page and read the last sentence with a gasp. "Holy fucking shit!" He looked up with a sour frown to see Frank. "This summons is for a court hearing on Babylonia Bolivia Bolt. Who the fuck is that, Frank? Is this our gawd damn employee, Stu? What the shit did she do? Did she rob a fucking ass bank with my billions? I don't recognize the name." He shook the legal paper side to side in a pale spidery hand.

Austin leaned over the clean office desk and extended a palm with a stern face. "May I see the summons please?" Tom scooted over and leaned over the clean desk, handing the papers, staring at Gage.

Stu shook his baldness in confusion at Tom. "I don't recognize the name, Tom," he tapped on the empty teacup.

Frank shook a skull. "Neither, do I?"

Tom turned and jabbed a finger at Mangrove. "Did I ask Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third a question? No, I didn't. Shut up, Frank! You don't know her, Frank. She is one of Stu's lousy shit ass guard employees at Quartet Associates. Gawd! I am so glad that we're selling QA..."

Frank slapped the chest with a smile. "I could know her indirectly. I am responsible for the QA payroll. I pay all the employees including your salary, his salary, my salary..."

Tom spun around with a sour frown and moved back toward the lounge chair in the wall corner. "Gawd! Don't start, Frank! I didn't wanna hear how you paid for everything that I possess in my entire life, since fucking birth," he stopped and slid down into the soft leather, reaching out onto the side table and grabbed one of the old science fiction magazines, bringing into a face, flipping through the pages with a stern face.

Frank nodded with a smile to each brother. "I can query the paystubs for the name and find her faster than Stu on his precious laptop," chuckling.

Stu reached down and lifted up the laptop case, placing it on both kneecaps, unzipping the bag and removed the laptop with a smile. "Cannot?" He slid the case back down to the floor and posed the laptop on both kneecaps, lifting up the lid and typed on the keyboard for the new information with a smile.

"Can so?" Frank stood upright from his assigned chair with a smile and veered toward the closed office door.

Tom dropped the magazine down over the floor and reached over, lifting up, sipping and swallowed the cup of steaming hot coffee with a smile. "Go, Stu!" He enjoyed cheering the victory for goody Stu over asshole Frank as Gage continued to type on the laptop with a stern face. Tom slid off the lounge chair and stood upright with the coffee cup, watching Frank.

Frank stopped and reached out, opening the door, leaving it open.

Inside the reception lobby, Mangrove rapidly paced toward the office desk inside the lobby and stopped, sliding out and sat down inside an empty reception chair in front of the desktop computer with a smile. Madeline was gone for the day. Frank reached out with a nod and calmly punched each key stroke on the console with a smile while uploading all the data for each payroll record and then sorting through each files for the name Babylonia as the unique qualifier. If she was employed, then she was paid by a payroll check. Mangrove was the chief financial officer of Quartet Associates and had access to all payroll records for all employee positions, employee addresses, employed employment dates, and employee pay rates.

Inside the throne room, Tom moved ahead from the wall corner and stopped in the middle of the throne room, standing between an open archway, diagonally from the chair of Stu, and slightly sideways from the desk of Austin. Austin continued to sit in the throne chair with a smirk, since he also enjoyed the silly and sometimes unfriendly competition among his two brothers too. "Hurry, Stu!" Tom sipped and swallowed the cup, staring at the back spine on Frank inside the receptionist desk of the lobby. "Frank is printing something from the computer on Madeline's office desk."

"Fuck!" Stu continued to type with a sour frown.

"What are you fucking over there?" Tom turned and laughed at Gage, sipping and swallowing the coffee with a smile.

"Try this pathway," Stu continued to type with a whisper for his ears only. Tom heard the grunts and curses from Gage while turning to see the back spine on Frank.

Inside the reception lobby, Mangrove reached out and snatched the single typed piece of paper from the desktop printer and stood upright from the office chair with a smile, back stepping and spun around, advancing ahead back into the throne room with Austin, Stu, and Tom.

Inside the throne room, Tom stared with a grin and a giggle at Mangrove, "Go faster, Stu! Frank has finished his inquiry into the payroll records. He's coming. He's approaching me. Frank is walking through the door. I'll stop him for you, buddy. Keep typing! Keep going to the finish line, Stu." Tom moved ahead and stopped, blocking a lanky six feet frame inside the open archway with a grin and a giggle, holding the cup of coffee to the side.

Frank stopped before the archway with a sour frown and held the single sheet of paper with both hands, leaning over and sweet breathed in mint into the face of Sawyer. "Move out the way, asshole! Before, I beat your butthole black and blue," he reached up and gently shoved the chest on Tom to the side, entering the throne room with a smile and stood in the middle of the room, reading the paper.

Tom spun around with a smile to see each brother in silence.

"Who won?" Austin reached over and lifted, sipping and swallowing the cup of milk. He was always intrigued with the newest swift and sometimes deadly Quartet competition among the three brothers.

Stu continued to sit in the chair and reached up, slapping the lid of the laptop shut, looking up with a sour frown to see Frank. "Fuck! She's not here."

Frank jabbed a finger at the single sheet of paper with a nod and a stern face. "She is not employed here at Quartet Associates. I concur with your vulgar and accurate comment, Stu."

Tom moved ahead and stood beside Frank with a laugh and a grin. "Holy fucking shit! It is a fucking tie between two stupid-o assholes. Both of you are a pair of shitty losers. Fuck! If she ain't our gawd damn employee, then who the fucking hell is she?"

Austin cleared a throat as all the other eyeballs darted to see the smirk on Berrington. He lifted the legal document near a smile. "I can answer that question. She is Bambi."

Stu frowned at the nose profile on Austin. "Bambi, she was the babe who almost got you killed..."

"No," Austin turned and frowned at Gage. "Bambi did not try to kill me."

Frank frowned at the eardrum on Austin. "What about the twin assassins who were really a pair of Saudi terrorists and their money connection..."

All eyeballs turned to stare at Frank. Tom frowned at the nose profile on Frank. "What money connection, Money Man?"

Frank grinned with the secret information to each brother. "Babylonia Bolt or Bambi is worth millions of dollars. She stole the millions from the numerous bank accounts of the numerous Saudi terrorists within the Middle East and then transferred all the millions of dollars into a Switzerland bank account in her name, of course. I would have used an alias if I..."

"Shit!" Stu shook a bald skull with a sour frown. "Money Man is kidding."

Frank smiled. "No! I do not kid about money. She is or was one of the personal accountants to a group or a team or an army of Saudi terrorists which clearly explained the tart visitation of a pair of assassins on her pretty ass in Ruby Beach."

Stu frowned. "How did you find this out, Frank?"

Frank smiled. "Magnum told me."

Tom jabbed a finger and a sneer at the legal document in the hand of Austin. "Magnum did not tell you enough of the true factual information, Frank. What is up with that summons then? We are all required to appear in a court of law at the Miami-Dade court house within the hour at ten thirty sharp this morning on a set of fucking charges of something or as a set of shitty witnesses of something..."

"No," Stu tossed both palms into the air and shook a bald skull with a sour frown. "I ain't no eye witness here, Austin. I have never seen her ass before in my life, not even on the night that we flew over from Coral Beach on our QA jet to rescue your ass, not her ass in the beach town of Ruby Beach," he nodded with Tom and Frank.

Austin looked down with a puzzled brow and a worried mind to read the summons in silence.

Frank stood upright with a smile and a nod, repeating the famous words of Austin with his personal touch of flair and style. "Roll out, gentlemen!"

The telephone landline rang within the quiet throne room. Austin leaned over and grabbed the receiver, lifting into a stern face, "Berrington."

He paused and listened to the other party on the end connection of the telephone.

He smiled, "All right!" Austin jerked the receiver down from an eardrum and gently replaced onto the hook with a chuckle.

Tom turned and jabbed a finger at the telephone with a sour frown. "Who was on asshole on the phone, Austin?"

Austin stood upright from the office chair with a smile and side stepped from the table, moving ahead first with a chuckle. "Frank gave the order," he led to the closed door.

The other members of the Quartet followed behind the ass of Austin with a set of mumbles and frowns of confusion.

10:22 a.m.

Downtown Miami

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Miami-Dade court house building

Outside gray tinted street and vanilla tinted sidewalk setting

The silver tinted limousine stopped and parked beside the vanilla colored sideway among the busy street of parked cars and numerous individuals that moved into the court room for business. A set of two opposite doors automatically slid open.

Austin slid out first and stood upright from the bench seat, turning to scan the landscape and the court room building where he had been too many times this year in his short life. He moved ahead with a stern face.

His brothers slid out and pulled up on each side of Austin in silence as they advanced and entered the lobby of the court room with a hidden Ghost.

Court room setting

The set of double doors into the assigned court room was wide open like a social garden party. Two separate pairs of Quartet stomped through the unguarded archway and stopped a few feet inside the aisle of the court gallery, where usually all the audience sat and watched the final judgment. Today, the court gallery was empty without a row of eyewitnesses and an audience of attendees.

Tom stood with a stern face beside Austin as the criminal lawyer. Stu and Frank stood behind the asses on Tom and Austin.

The court square was crowded with an assortment of numerous upright and heated bodies including the young female named Bambi.

"What the fuck?" Tom scanned the back spines of the unfamiliar crowd of heated bodies inside the court square, not the court gallery.

Austin leaned over with a whisper of puzzlement too, "Quiet, Tom! We'll figure it out later."

Frank scanned the court square with a smile. "Our four seats at the defendant table are occupied, if my eyesight is accurate."

The bailiff stood upright in the middle of the court room with a stern face and motioned to the Quarter, pointing at an empty jury box. Silently and quickly, the Quartet strolled ahead down the aisle, through the swing door, passing a set of numerous tables of heated bodies in silence.

The Quartet passed both the defendant and prosecution tables and stopped beside the entrance door for the jury box. One by one, each Quartet member crawled into a chair inside the jury box with intrigue and curiosity of the upcoming legal trial.

The prosecution table held two individual. FBI agent Phil Magnum with a full beard on a pale face and an unfamiliar woman, she wore a dull brown business suit, a dull brown colored bun hair, a tone of pale tinted face without makeup and a ting of red bright lipstick.

Inside the jury box, Tom scanned the court square and leaned sideways with a grin and a whisper into the cheekbone of Stu. "On the prosecution table, Miss Outer Space Beauty Queen could have used her big shiny tiara to smooth out her ugly appearance while sitting upright with a corn cob shoved up her ass." The mobile telephone sounded with a musical song of loud piccolo and cymbal scales. He reached down and whipped the mobile telephone, reading the new text message in silence.

Stu leaned sideways with a smile and a whisper into the cheekbone on Tom. "And her royal cape to cover her ugly face, not just the forehead," chuckling.

Frank leaned over with a sour frown and elbowed the bicep on Stu. "Shut up, Stu!"

Stu turned with a sour frown and pointed a finger with a nod at Sawyer. "Tom started it."

Austin leaned down and across Frank to see Stu and Tom with a stern face. "I'm ending it. Quiet, pups! Or all you go back into the pen," he sat back into the hard chair with a stern face. Stu chuckled. Tom laughed. Frank grinned.

The defendant table held two males, who were tall and slender with a tone of dark tinted skin, wearing a traditional Saudi Arabian garb of a white sheet over a dull gray business suit, a white shirt, a black necktie, and a blue towel over a head of black colored hair.

Frank turned and frowned at the two strange gentlemen with a whisper to his brothers. "If I am not mistaken and I don't think I am, these are a pair of Saudis visitors."

Stu nodded at the pair of Saudis males. "I agree. So, why is a pair of Saudi representatives sitting with us inside an American court room, Tom? Since the US arrests all land-lock terrorists. I'm not aware of any visiting terrorists. We should call someone during the break time. Do we get a break time for lunch or break out from jail?" He elbowed Frank with a loud chuckle.

Austin leaned over and across the chest of Frank and Stu to see his little brother. "Tom, what's going on here?"

Tom stared down with a smile at the mobile telephone. "Fuck! Don't ask me! I just read the summons that summed us here. Ask Cutter? He's the US federal judge over the US federal legal case inside his US federal court room on top of the US federal judge's bench?"

Stu turned and frowned at the nose profile on Cutter. "Can we do really do that, Austin?"

Tom fiddled with a smile on the mobile telephone, "Hell yeah! Or go and ask Magnum? What this kangaroo court is about?"

Frank frowned at Sawyer. "Tom, are you paying attention to the beginning of this weird-ass legal trial? Why are you playing a game of solitaire on your mobile telephone right now at this important legal moment?"

"Jace is texting me," Tom tapped with a smile on the mobile telephone.

Frank leaned over and across the chest of Stu with a sour frown to see the screen of the mobile telephone. "Why is Jace contacting you?"

Tom slid to the side and away from Stu and Frank with a smile. "I wanted to know until I read the text. Back the fuck off, Frank!"

Frank extended an arm with an open palm to Tom with a huff. "Jace has more medical information for us. What does it say? Forget that statement. Please hand over your cell phone to me, Tom."

Tom giggled at the text, "Private text, man! Fuck you, Frank! And quit breathing your stinky breath down my tailored made white cotton starched dress shirt collar also. Back to business, Frank!"

Frank exhaled with a huff of frustration. "I sit on the other side of Stuart, not near your tailor-made white cotton starched dress shirt, Thomas!"

Austin continued to scan the court square of a group of unfamiliar people but Bambi with a stern face. "Enough, pups!"

The court room setup appeared like a business conference meeting with Cutter as the president who sat inside the high bench while a gravel in one hand waiting to call the meeting into order. The defendant table held the twin Saudis in a set of white sheets and blue towels. The Quartet occupied the front row of the jury box. Inside the court galley pews behind the two tables, there were numerous uniformed law enforcement officers. On the prosecutor table, Phil Magnum, Block and Decker, and a woman sat across the chair in a matching brown colored business suits.

Bambi and another woman were seated in the middle of the court square in front of the bench Cutter.

Austin felt his broken heart again. His mind was jumbled again while feeling love for Bambi when they both had lived within the same beach town of Ruby Beach. Then he discovered that Bambi had stolen money from a Switzerland bank while hiding out within Ruby Beach and spending the rest of her life as a beach bum. He did not blame her for the thief. The money had belonged to an army of terrorists in one of the many countries of the Middle East.

Bambi had been a very clever computer programmer, planting a virus inside the bank computer system, emulating a bank teller, and then transferred all the money into a second Switzerland bank account in her proper name. The US federal government eventually found her when she accessed the stolen money using her real name for purchasing the thirteen million beach mansion inside Ruby Beach.

The mother of Bambi, Fawn scanned the court square seeing the Quartet inside the courtroom with a smile. She was going to finally receive her just rewards for all the years of debt, poverty, and neglect from her immediately kin her daughter along with suing the Quartet for a huge money ransom. Or the Quartet could face a court of law for kidnapping her daughter Bambi.

Fawn felt fury, jealous, pride, anger, fear, and evil which were all rolled into one mental emotion, after seeing the colored photograph inside one of the many celebrity tabloids that she had purchased at the local grocery store in Memphis which showed Bambi, who was the new babe of Berrington.

Three months, five days, fourteen hours, two minutes, and fifty-seven seconds ago, her daughter Bambi had walked out away from her mother Fawn, the crop farm, the ratty house, and all the money debts. Her biological daughter had walked out the front door at the stroke of midnight and never returned back home during the daylight or the next day or the day after that. Her mother, Fawn Faith Faldan had found the bed empty, the missing clothes, and the upright plank of wood that held a special secret, money. The little tramp had hidden a stack of cash money from her biological father right underneath the two crooked nose holes of her biological mother.

Now, Bambi was worth millions of dollars. Her dead biological father had been very rich using his money getting rid his wife Fawn after their baby girl was born. The money had kept her biological mom away from her only infant until the death of the biological father. Then the truth spilled over the dirty carpet as they said.

Today, there truly was a supreme entity in heaven that would pay back the hate and the heartache of Fawn when she lost her husband, her daughter, and her monies.

Ten years ago

City of Pulleese within the US State of Tennessee

Month of sizzling hot weather in August

Fawn had come back home to the farm and the farm house, taking care of her little girl when her formal husband and the biological father had died with the nice bank account. The lawyer-lover of Fawn at the time had uncovered the inheritance clause within the Last Will and Testimony and then used all his legal skills to get the money draw opened with tons of money bags. Then, Fawn and her lawyer-lover had taken a wild ride with five million dollars until the account was empty.

Then, the lawyer left Fawn high and dry literally without any additional funds to pay the outstanding money invoices on the farm. Fawn pulled the Last Will and Testimony reading all the contents.

However, Fawn had been smarter than the lawyer-lover. He missed the tiny printed clause regarding the land property, the animal inventory, the house abstract, the furniture receipts, and a handful of letters from someone that was named Prince Abdul bin Khal Al Jizan from the country of Saudi Arabia.

Fawn always had thought of her dead formal husband as a spy for his foreign government. Then she discovered from some smart students at the local university that the stack of handwritten letters came from a prince who was the biological grandfather and the biological father of the prince. They were royalty in the country of Saudi Arabia which made Bambi a princess. Thus, a princess came with lots of money.
Present day and place

Downtown Miami

Court room setting of Bambi

10:37 a.m.

Fawn turned and smirked at the cheekbone of her daughter Bambi while sitting nervously beside the young girl. Bambi still didn't know about this new information. Her daughter was worth millions of dollars. So, Fawn had only needed to find and capture her daughter Bambi, holding her ransom or sell her to a set of royal Arabians, easy or fast.

After Bambi had left the farm, the living conditions got worse for her mother. Fawn had sold everything cows, horses, farm equipment, furniture, electronics, cars, and land. She had needed a place to live and refused to sell the house with the electricity turned off along with the heating and lights, unless she had found a man. And she did.

He brought food, her only requirement for a social date along with a fuck that turned out to be okay. But the food was the great. Eventually, all the men quit coming around for both food and sex.

Fawn had been forced to sell the termite infested, rat ridden, old paint chipped faded antebellum house for one hundred thousand dollars after the bitch realtor fees, the city inspections, the house damages for five thousand dollars, getting rid and out the old smelly house. Then, she had rented a single one room apartment in the guts of the city and worked as a smiling hostess at a local restaurant.

Fawn had started back dating and fucking men while having some fun but often pondered her millions that her daughter possessed. Then, Fawn would be lying in the sunshine, tanning in the nude on top of a sailboat or in her mansion or anywhere in the world. She would be awarded for birthing that rotten spoiled kid one way or her way.

At the long table a few feet in front of the judge's bench, Fawn continued to sit and turned with a smirk to see the Quartet, especially the boss Austin. He had accidentally found Bambi for her, easy and fast also.

Inside the jury box, Austin continued to scan the court room with a clueless cause.

On top of the high bench, Cutter continued to sit inside the padded chair without the grand entrance of a true legal trial from the side door that came from his office and reached down, lifting and slammed the gravel on top of the bench while getting everyone's attention immediately. He cleared a throat to see each face or each rear skull of hair. "This is a very unique legal case. I am going to dispense with formality, charges, and protocols. This is a crazy legal case involving fraud, blackmail, murder, attempted murder, kidnapping, and traitor," he shook a skull. "Let us work out who and what the criminal charges are cited in this court room! Then we can start arresting individuals," he laughed with some of the people and then exhaled with a huff of confusion. "Let us begin, ladies and gentlemen!"

At the defendant table with the pair of Saudi males, the first chair with one of two tall and dark skin males stood upright with a smile, saying in a foreign accent to Bambi. "Your Honor, I am here to escort Her Highness back to her native home." The audience mumbled inside the court room.

Cutter frowned at male, "Her Highness?"

The second male at the defendant table stood up next to the first male and turned with a smile and a foreign accent to face Bambi. "Her biological father was named Prince Khal bin Abdullah Al Jizan and her biological grandfather is Prince Abdul bin Khal Al Jizan."

Bambi gasped and continued to sit down inside the chair. "My father was a prince."

Cutter frowned. "She is royalty."

The first chair male nodded with a smile to Bambi. "Your biological father is named Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud. Bambi owns her own country. Jizan is a small village, mostly farmland and thirteen petroleum oil wells."

Bambi clapped with a grin, "I'm a princess."

Cutter exhaled. "What in blue blazers is going on here? Does anyone care to take a guess?"

Fawn stood upright with a smile in a new gray business suit and turned with a nod to see Cutter. "I am her mama. She is a princess. I married her prince-father in the US State of Tennessee. We all lived happily on a cow farm. He passed away into heaven when she was twelve years old. Bambi left home when she was eighteen years old. I hired Mr. Dingo to find and locate her."

Cutter looked up with a confused brow to see bounty hunter. Dingo was a short and muscular male that sat alone in front row of the court gallery. "Mr. Dingo, how long did it take you to identify and locate Miss Bolt?"

Dingo stood upright from the chair inside court gallery and shook a bald skull with a sour frown, "Naw! It took me two days to find Berrington. He was with the girl on the west coast of Florida."

Cutter nodded with a stern face. "Thank you, Mr. Dingo! I understand."

Fawn smiled with a nod. "I found my baby. Things are very good now. I suggest that we all leave this court room," she reached down and patted the black colored hair roots on Bambi. Bambi slid away from her biological mother with a sneer, since her mother wanted only money without love and concern.

On the prosecution table with two individuals, FBI agent Phil stood upright from the chair in a dull brown colored business suit and jabbed a finger with a sour frown at Bambi. "Your Honor, I am Phil Magnum of the FBI. Miss Bolt is under arrest by the US Justice Department. We have been hunting for her for months. We uncovered her when Mr. Berrington was attacked by a group of Saudi terrorists in the beach town of Ruby Beach on the west coast of Florida."

Fawn smiled with a nod. "I ordered Dingo to find my girl Bambi, not Mr. Berrington."

Dingo stared at the nose profile on Fawn and jabbed a finger at her body, shaking a bald skull. "No, bitch! You filled out a request to kidnap Berrington which led to us finding your daughter. You don't give a shit about his life, only the money that the girl was worth in millions. My honey bun girlfriend got killed because of you, bitch."

A set of Ghosts flew out from a pocket jacket and into eye view and as four men slowly stood upright together from a hard chair inside the jury box. Tom was first holding his Ghost at the left earlobe of Fawn. "I'll take care of this execution, brothers."

Cutter chuckled with a laugh. "Mr. Sawyer, please drop the weapon!"

Tom turned to see Cutter and blinked both eyelids with a giggle at the object. "Cutter, are you armed, sir?"

Cutter aimed a newly registered and purchased hand gun at the left side of a gray haired hairy skull of Fawn, "Damn right and proud of it too!" Fawn slowly twisted around to see Cutter and dropped open a mouth while rising both palms into the air for self-protection in silence.

Tom dropped his Ghost from a face down to a leg and jabbed a finger with a chuckle at Cutter. "He got it right, ya'll," he laughed with the Quartet. They sat back down into the individual hard seat and dropped down a Ghost into a lap in case of trouble.

Cutter exhaled with a huff of confusion and continued to hold the cold barrel at her face. "Miss Faldan, you seemed to have pissed off the wrong people inside my court room. Now, would you like to clarify your vocal statement for me? Before, I blew your fucking head off your fucking body, my dear."

Fawn still in silence and waved both arms in the air with fright. Bambi stood upright and slid sideways, blocking the body of her mother with a stern face. "Please everyone! Stop! I think everyone is confused. I am under arrest here, because I stole the money from a Switzerland bank account when I transferred all the millions of dollars into my name. The US Federal Government has caught me. I am guilty here, not my mama." cutter dropped down the hand gun over the bench wood with a stern face, listening to the side conversation.

One of the twin Saudis males nodded with a smile to the back spine on Bambi. "That is impossible even for a crack jack computer hacker like you, Miss Bolt. You accidentally accessed your own bank account inside Switzerland bank which is one the largest banks in the country. The accessed bank account contained all yours. Or I should say the bank account of your biological grandfather's money. The bank account number must have been imposed into your mind at a young age. When you entered the number, the computer system recognized the identification and allowed you to assign a username and a pass code, so you and only you can perform private banking functions in confidence."

Bambi spun around and dropped open on a mouth to the Saudi male. "I am really rich."

The Saudi male smiled, "You are very wealthy."

She nodded with a smile, "Really? I don't steal all that money from the Swiss bank."

The Saudi male shook the blue towel with a smile, "You did not."

Bambi pointed with a smile to Phil. "What is the US Treasury Department doing here inside this court room then?"

The first Saudi turned with a confused brow to see Phil inside the prosecution table. "Why are you chasing after Princess Bambi, sir?"

Phil nodded with a smirk at Bambi. "She is under arrest and inside a court of law for the crime of US Federal tax evasion on all her millions of dollars that she transferred from the Swiss bank."

Bambi shook her curls with a sour frown, "I am under arrest for a charge of US Federal tax evasion. How is possible, sir? I just found out about all my money about three months ago. I didn't know it even existed inside a bank account in Switzerland until I accidentally accessed the account via the computer program. My biological father never told me about the bank account or the monies either."

Phil nodded. "Once you accessed all your money funds while on American soil, you were required to file a US tax form with the US Internal Revenue Service for past and future interest income quarterly assessments. You did not. Thus, you are under arrest for US Federal tax evasion which carries a penalty of both long jail time and massive money fines."

Bambi shook her curls with a puzzled brow. "I didn't know about my money or the US tax forms..."

"Princess Bambi," the same Saudi male frowned at Phil. "She did not know about the monies, sir. This matter with the US federal government will be resolved momentarily and very easily."

Phil frowned. "Why is that? How will it be resolved so easily? This is not a trial but a hearing."

The same Saudi male smiled. "Princess Bambi will be going home..."

"Home?"

The same Saudi male nodded with a smile. "Princess Bambi will be leaving America and returning back to her home town of Jizan, her native home. She is the ruler of the entire country."

Bambi smiled with a nod and a clap. "I hadn't thought of that wise decision."

The second Saudi male turned and bowed at the waistline, standing upright with a smile to Bambi. "We have, Princess Bambi. We were paid by your granddaddy for that wise decision also."

Phil jabbed a finger and a sneer at Bambi. "Wait! No way! Bambi owes the US federal government tons of hard cold cash money for her millions."

The same Saudi shook a blue towel on the skull with a smirk at Phil. "Princess Bambi does not. You are welcome to file all your legal papers with the Royal Office of Litigation in the village of Jizan within the country of Saudi Arabia."

Tom continued to play on the mobile telephone at the silly court trial with a laugh and a smile. "Good fucking luck, ya'll!"

Phil turned and frowned at the blonde hair roots on Tom. "Sawyer, this is your legal law international domain. You can assist us here at the US IRS."

Tom looked up with a smile and shook his bangs at Phil. "Tough shit, FBI man! I'm retiring soonest. I won't be working on any more legal papers or legal action or legal situation."

Phil jabbed a finger and a sneer at Sawyer. "I will get an injunction on your ass Sawyer and force you to assist the US federal government and the US IRS Office..."

"Go for it, man," Tom turned and winked at Stu. Austin, Frank, and Stu shook a skull in silence at Phil. The Quartet was not assisting the US federal government and US IRS Office with this nasty foreign money task ever.

On top of the judge's bench, Cutter slid the hand gun back down and stored it underneath the bench for safety in case of the next weird ass court case and exhaled with a huff of confusion, staring down at the hair roots on Fawn, "Miss Faldan!" She turned and frowned at Cutter. He said. "I would suspect, without any type of physical legal evidence, that you had hired Mr. Dingo to find Badass Berrington, instead of your wayward daughter. Now, your biological daughter is worth millions of dollar, after you saw her photograph inside an entertainment tabloid along with Mr. Berrington. I would know. My wife enjoys reading the same celebrity trash magazines too which was a very brilliant move for you. However, your clever plan has backfired. I feel sorry for you, not telling your biological child the real truth from the beginning of her adolescent life. Maybe, you and she would have had a nice life together. Nevertheless, based on this brief verbal testimony from Mr. Dingo, I am charging Miss Fadden with attempted kidnapping of her daughter Babylonia Bolt and attempted murder of Austin Berrington. I hope you receive a very good lawyer for your upcoming legal trial here in Miami, Florida," chuckling. Cutter was not an idiot while seeing a bright twinkle in each eyeball of the Quartet and then the bounty hunter exits the court room also.

Inside the jury box, the Quartet had been quietly calculating an evil revenge inside his court room, even if Cutter did approve or not. However, if a brother was caught with a crime of murder inside or outside the court room of Judge Cutter, the brother would be facing a first degree murder charge.

Fawn spun around to see her daughter, sobbing with tears. "I have loved you from my womb when you were an infant. Bambi, help me please now."

Bambi leaned over and hugged her mother, pulling back with a smile. "Mama, I will provide you a very good legal lawyer. You are my biological mother even if guilty of your alleged dirty crimes. Don't worry! You and I will win. Let's get some lunch and talk about our options. I love you, Mama."

In the judge's bench, Cutter cleared a throat and stared with a smile at the two women. "Princess Bambi, I wish you the best in your new kingdom of a foreign country," he dropped down the gravel with a loud pop over the hard wood. "You are free to leave this court room, the State of Florida, the United States of America, and the North American continent, in this case."

Phil turned and jabbed a finger and a sneer at Bambi. "You cannot do that, Cutter. She is under arrest by me," he shook a skull with a sour frown.

Cutter grinned at Phil. "You have all my sympathies, Mr. Magnum. I was instructed to hear each eye witness. I have heard all the eye witnesses. There is no murder, no crime, and no criminals here in this court of law or this court case or inside my court room. You must go and ask to your US federal government superiors for another criminal charge to toss on the sparkling tiara of Princess Bambi. Do I make myself clear here inside my court room, Mr. Magnum?"

Phil nodded with a soft timber. "Yes Your Honor!"

Bambi reached down and held the hand of her mother with a smile, scooting out the table, turning to face the open archway and moved out the court square as a free woman. They moved through the swing door, down the aisle when a set of Saudi body guards stood and surrounded, following the two women toward the archway. The pair of Saudi lawyers left the defendant table and behind the team of body guards. Bambi leaned down with a whisper and a smile into the eardrum on her mother. "Let's leave America and go to our new home in the foreign country of Saudi Arabia, Mama. Then you will not need a lawyer here in the States." Fawn nodded with a smile in silence. They moved through the archway and strolled across the floor toward the glass exit doors of the court room in Miami, Florida.

On top of the judge's bench, Cutter turned with a smile to see each face. "This legal criminal case is closed. You are dismissed, ladies and gentlemen. Have a nice day too!" He stood upright and turned, slowly shuffling down the bench, over the floor, through the side door and into his hidden chambers that rested behind the panel with the bailiff for protection and then a tiny nip of liquor from the silly ass fake court trail.

The side door closed.

Inside the jury box, Tom, Frank, and Stu stood upright from the hard chair and stretched into the air each limb, dropping down each arm, sliding out from the jury box, moving around the court square with a set of soft mumbles while Austin continued to sit and watched the action inside the court square in silence.

The new princess of Saudi Arabia left the court room with her biological mother, a set of new body guards, and a pair of bold lawyers, after the discovery of her true heritage. She was born an American of a prince who had ruled a town village within the country of Saudi Arabia. Her biological mother was a farm girl from the US State of Tennessee in the USA. Now, Princess Bambi would be traveling in style on her private jet, flying back into her country with her money fortune in oil.

Inside the jury box, Austin continued to sit alone while pondering the legal case, the princess, the body guards, the witnesses, and the FBI agents. All the other individuals were slowly leaving one by one and two by twos out from the court room.

In the middle of the court room floor of the court square, the two IRS agents had moved out from the prosecution table and stopped, blocking the movement on Tom, Frank, and Stu. Phil was shouting out loud a string of harsh words, flinging both arms into the air to Tom and Frank about their US Federal Government role and their American duty in the assistance in the collection of all the American US Federal income taxes on the million-dollar estate of Princess Bambi inside a foreign country.

Tom and Frank shook a skull with a smile in silence. Stu stood behind the asses on Tom and Frank for love and protection in silence, shaking a bald skull with a set of crossed arms, staring down at the US FBI, the US IRS, and the US Federal Government representatives.

Inside the jury box, Austin continued to sit and felt numb like normal but happy for Bambi, who was not a thief of monies. However, he did feel something emotional for her which was lust from the excitement of the chase, the pursuit, and the conquest of another innocent virgin female, as usual.

Three months ago, Bambi had been hiding out inside the beach town of Ruby Beach from the US federal government while thinking that she had robbed the bank account of a Middle East terrorist when the FBI agency had targeted and tracked the ass of Bambi in secret. She did not rob the bank but accessed her own personal bank account which had been left by her wealthy royal father.

Four weeks ago, in Ruby Beach, the intertwined pathway of spiritual and sexually relationship between Austin and Bambi had begun and ended fast and furious. They both were running way from something, a cruel moment of life. Austin could relate and share that escape and the secret with Bambi for a brief period of time which was only a common denominator between the couple.

Yesterday, on the top of hot city street pavement in front of her beach house, Austin had asked Bambi to marry him, since he never had popped that question to any woman, not even Skye. He hadn't thought of sweet red haired Skye for weeks which seemed like a lifetime ago when she had completely vanished from his life.

Then Rosebud had entered and exited from his life within a blink of an eyelid.

Yesterday, on top of the hot road pavement in front of her new beach house, Bambi had rejected his offer of marriage as a smart and beautiful female full of moral character. He didn't really love but lusted for Bambi. He didn't love her, not like he had truly loved both Skye and Rosebud. His emotion feelings were different while living in Ruby Beach for four weeks this time, since Austin had been experiencing a run of bad luck with the entire female race lately. One by one, each female date had disappeared from his life foreverly.

Inside the jury box, Austin exhaled with a huff of numbness, not knowing what to do, to say, and to act as his next boring step as a billionaire playboy.

A set of gun shots sounded like a loud boom inside the court room that had echoed with a set of tiny tings against the double glass entrance panes on the Miami-Dade court house.

Inside the jury box, Austin leaped up from the chair and slid out the jury box, chasing in a line behind the wiggling asses of Stu, Frank, and Tom while drawing out a Ghost, running through the court room, over the lobby hallway with curiosity and danger toward the shattered set of entrance doors.

02:41 p.m.

Hot temperatures and bright sunshine

Outside sidewalk setting

The Quartet exited the court house building following behind a set of court house guards, a group of police officers, an assortment of lawyers, jury people, employees, other visits of the court, and a pair of two FBI agents, not all the criminals. All parties slowly jogged toward a gray colored paved city street in front of the court house without a set of rolling vehicles.

The colorful picture was quiet, gross, and disturbing.

The young adult female named Bambi rested over the vanilla colored sidewalk on a back spine with a pair of open eyelashes that was covered in her own red colored blood. She rested beside her dead mother Fawn, who rested on a back spine also with a pair of open eyelashes that was covered in her own red colored blood too. Each female displayed a single bullet shot entrance point through the frontal lobe of the brain coming out above the right ear. The group of law enforcement personnel and a set of curious street walkers stopped and encircled the pair of two dead females while all eardrums heard a set of blasting sirens, horns, and whistles that came from an assortment of rolling emergency vehicles that flew up the city streets coming toward the court house.

"Holy fucking shit!" Tom stopped with a yell and stood beside one of the police officers, staring down at the disturbing sight on top of the sidewalk as the excited birds soared again and took to the skyline, flying away from the noisy crowds of people.

Stu moved ahead and stopped, standing behind the ass on Tom. Frank stopped and pulled up beside Stu. Austin stopped and stood on the other side of Stu with a gasp of shock. Stu stared down at the two dead bodies on top the sidewalk, leaning over with a whisper to Berrington. "It was an assassin shot, twice."

He stared down the two dead bodies with a stern face, "Agreed." Austin looked up to scan each tall skyscraper that lined the baby blue skyline, replacing his Ghost back into the damaged sports jacket.

Frank stared down with a stern face at the two bodies and then looked up to scan each ledge on every tall building across the street from the court house with a pair of narrowed eyelids and a soft timber for the eardrums of his brothers. "They won't find him," he replaced his Ghost back into the pocket jacket also.

Tom looked up to scan the row of tall buildings across from the court house, narrowing the eyelids with a confused brow and a loud timber, "Who will they not find?"

Stu leaned over with a soft whisper and a nasty sneer into the eardrum on Sawyer. "Shut the fuck up, Tom!" He stood upright and grabbed out, gripping the collar bone on Tom for silence of the situation, replacing his Ghost back into the jacket pocket with a stern face.

He whispered for his eardrums only, "O!" Tom looked down with a sigh to see the dripping blood coming out from of two dead females with a sad face.

"Roll out!" Austin spun around with a sneer and pressed down the damaged sports jacket, moving ahead with a sour frown toward his silver tinted limousine that posed at the end of the city street for an easy escape from the newest dead bodies and the familiar court house as Joe stood upright with a stern face beside the rear door of the limousine, holding the door for the Quartet to enter and leave the crime scene.

03:33 p.m.

City of Coral Gables

(one mile, west, from Coral Beach)

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of bright sunshine

House of Prancie Precious Purr

Front porch setting

The baby blue tinted cider block house was one story with a set of two bedrooms and a set of two bathrooms inside. The entrance wall held a single metal door of hot pink hues in front of a flat slab of naked vanilla colored concrete, where the owner had planned to paint it, one day. The open door and the two viewing windows presented an open layout of three separate rooms inside the interior of the house as one flowing open single unit featured the den, the dining room, and the Florida room. In the US State of Florida, the old fashioned living room was called a Florida room, because each wall housed a viewing window to see the lush green landscape, the numerous tall fruit trees, and the unlimited baby blue skyline. The entrance wall looked straight directly through all three rooms without a single wall partition to block the sunrays between a set of open parallel walls, where two of the three rooms exhibited only a set of air molecules, since the owner planned to purchase more furniture, one day.

The single entrance door led through three empty rooms and stopped in front of a wall of windows and two separate patio doors. The two patio doors on each side of the wall corner led onto a small patio with a manicured green grass back yard, without a swimming pool.

Most of the neighbors of South Florida possessed a swimming pool in the back ground, not the owner of this house. The owner of this house had found and purchased the house from an elderly lady, who was moving into the home of her biological daughter for healthy welfare. The elderly lady wanted to rid the house very swiftly. Each potential buyer snubbed a nostril into the air after viewing the house where seven adult cats had living with the elderly lady also. The odor of cat urine was overwhelming to a pair of sensitive nose holes. The twirling colored sets of hair balls was disgustingly ugly to a pair of sharp eyeballs. Thus each potential buyer turned tail and ran away like a scared cat.

The current owner didn't see the set of rolling hair balls on top of the floor or smell the cat urine inside each wall corner. She saw a diamond within the dirt field that needed to be pulled out and polished with a tongue of mouth spit. Once the owner cleaned and sanitized the dirty and smelly interior rooms of the house, the home was magnificently beautiful to behold with a pair of eyeballs.

The flat slab of naked concrete on the front porch encompassed the entire façade from end to end of the house, without a single decoration item or a sitting chair or a decorative potted plant to greet a friend or a neighbor or a visitor, where the owner had planned to purchase these items, one day.

A set of four occupants occupied the naked concrete in front of the open front door, where another female stood. The four were five members of the musical band bringing a set of new information to the owner of the baby blue colored house.

Inside the open archway of the front door, thirty-one years old Kitten leaned a tall and slender body frame against the panel, possessing a head of wavy waist length silver tinted hair, a tone of dark skin, and a pair of silver colored eyeballs, wearing a pair of ripped and torn blue jeans shorts that exposed some other body parts in the rear, a pink tinted T-shirt, and a pair of naked feet. She stood in the middle of the archway and blocked all four females from entering into the house with a sour and a whiny tone, "Tonight? I just came home from work." She didn't want to disappoint the other four band members on a Monday evening, except Kitten had worked all day long in the office of her employer inside the department of radiation oncology, where she was the junior physicist for Charity South Miami Hospital which was technically located in the small town of South Miami. This hospital was one of the several "children" companies of the huge parent company which was called Charity Healthcare System where the headquarter building was located in the city of Kendall.

The four other members of the musical band included. Americus Marroquin, the lead singer was a petite and curvy young adult with a head of dark hair and a tone of coffee tinted skin. Steebeth Choffard, the lead guitarist possessed a head of short blond hair with an array of purple and green colored dyed hair strands on an average sized body frame with a pair of magical musical hands. Vestavia Marroquin, the sister of Americus and the piano player possessed a petite and curvy frame with a head of short dark hair and a tone of coffee tinted skin also. CaCa Yoon, the string bass musician displayed a head of shoulder length red colored hair on an average sized body with average weight and a pair of brown eyeballs.

Each adult female yelled and cheered in front of the open door and Kitten, who lived on a quiet and respected neighborhood of Coral Gables. The female quartet had verbally attacked Kitten with the good news of a new gig for the early evening at the new flashy popular hip-hop Green Lizard Club which was located in the city of Coconut Grove. The musical band needed all five players for the repertoire of music accompaniment, where the songs included the classical seventies to the modern day rock and roll musical tones.

On the front porch in front of Kitten, Americus exhaled with a sour frown and a shout out of annoyance. "Kitten, don't debate with me now! I'm boss. We don't have time for all your conflicting comments here at this late hour. Now, let's leave and get and go and setup the instruments on the stage!"

Steebeth smiled with a nod to Kitten. "Great happenings are occurring right now tonight for us. We are some of the luckiest five bitches in the world."

Vestavia nodded with a smile to Kitten and popped the bubble gum. "Our band manager Kenail sealed the deal about thirty minutes ago and then called for us to move an ass and get dressed, go and set up the band musical equipment within the hour, before our call signal."

Caca looked up and down with a confused brow at the body of Kitten. "Kitten is already dressed."

Steebeth frowned at the skimpy outfit on Kitten. "You can dress like that for work, Kitten."

Kitten was a nickname from her mother and possessed the true name of Prancie Precious Purr, exhaling with a nod. "Yes, I usually wear a white laboratory coat over all my clothes, so it doesn't matter what I wear as long as I have clean girly panties on," giggling.

Americus frowned. "Not funny, Kitten! Grab your sticks and the hot silver outfit."

"The silver one, it's too itchy." Kitten frowned.

Vestavia exhaled. "The silver metal sequins itch, not the material."

Caca smiled with a nod. "It's the only sexy suit that we own. You know a good impression counts for a lot."

"I thought the music was supposed to impress the lot," Kitten frowned.

"Great oldie musical song and good old-fashioned sex appeal is what impresses everyone." Americus tossed both arms into the air with a loud shout that echoed from the front porch of Kitten and onto each other nosy neighbor to hear with a pair of open eardrums.

Kitten crossed both arms over a flat chest with fury. "I am not flirting with anyone."

"A big surprise there for my eardrums! You clam up so tight my car jack couldn't open your mouth." Shelly howled with a laugh, since she enjoyed flirting with all the cute young and old males after the bank performance.

Americus sneered, "Chill out, Kitten! You got a day job to live in this house and pay your invoices. The rest of us all are looking for our first big break in the roll and rock world," she flipped a hand of curvy fake manicured orange tinted fingernails in the air with a smile.

"All right!" Kitten tossed both palms into the air in defeat and spun around with a sour frown, swiftly dashing ahead back into the master bedroom for her band gear. She did not bother to bath in hopes of annoying the nose holes of her band mates.

The four band members talked endlessly and dreamed constantly about becoming the number one band in the United States of America which was going to take a life time, maybe a few more life times. The four musical females were pretty good, not pretty great. All the singing tunes were okay, not a set of original songs. Each gig paid a chest of small pennies, not a treasure of solid dollars.

Kitten didn't mind the tiny compensation of funds, since she enjoyed the musical experience of the gig, which included the music, the beat, the noise, and the excitement. Kitten played the set of drums. She had learned to read and perform music in the elementary school band within the US State of Alabama. She started out playing the saxophone instruction and then discovered that the instrument was too big, too heavy, and too much for her lips and hands. After two weeks of blowing air and honking noise from the saxophone, Purr reached up and picked different musical instrument which had suited her musical personality. It was a percussion piece called the cymbals.

Kitten added more musical instruments to the pair of silver tinted cymbals while learning to play the snare drum, the bass drum, the tenor drum, the tambourine, the bells, and the rest of the percussion devises, doing very well also. She had a natural ear for music, a good memory for learning musical notes, and a steady hand for rhythm and beat, which aided a drummer in the band.

Kitten practiced every day on the drum set and extended percussion pieces from the age of nine years old in the beginning band at Ivy Elementary School in the cow town of Ivy, where she was born, raised, and then removed. Kitten became a very good drummer. At the high school level, she performed in the marching band, the concert band, and the jazz band, winning a set of individual gold, silver, and bronze tinted medals from all her musical performances in solo competition at county and state finals in Montgomery.

However, her life dream wasn't to become a professional musician in a band, much less in an all-female band while living in Miami. When she moved from her home state of Alabama to a different region of the country, South Florida she didn't befriend many females considering the type of employment she had chosen as a career path for herself. Her career was mostly fate, rather than choice.

In Coral Gables, on top of the naked concrete of the front porch that belonged to Kitten, CaCa shouted out loud for Kitten through the open archway and then some three houses down the block to hear her loud scream. "Jorge is setting up the music stage. Kenail is nervous and called again telling us, girls to go and get going to the Club, right now, without delay, bitches."

"Tell him that we are our way, CaCa! Kitten is coming too. We're at her house. She's coming with us." Americus yelled with fury inside the open front door to Caca, who held a mobile telephone inside an eardrum while talking back to the band manager Jack.

Kitten returned back to the open door and held a pair of drum sticks in one hand, carrying the silver band bathing suit type uniform over an arm and a pink tinted briefcase in the same hand with a smile, "I'll drive my car and follow ya'll to the Club."

"Let's get and go to the Club right now!" Americus back stepped with a smile and spun around, dashing back to a faded and weather green tinted full van as Steebeth, CaCa, and Vestavia turned and trailed behind the wiggling fanny of Americus.

Kitten watched the four females leave her front porch with a deep sigh and slowly moved ahead, allowing the door to shut and lock automatically, scooting over the concrete and entered the open car garage. She stopped and stood in front of the door, lifting the handle of a two seater sports car and slid down inside the leather seat, cranking the engine and dropped down the convertible top. The weather was warm and sunny which was a perfect day for driver through the city streets of Miami.

She reached back and tied up the long hair into a rear pony tail, leaning forward with a smile, slamming one hand on the steering column, the other hand on the floor gear, one foot on the clutch pedal, and one foot on the gasoline pedal, jerking the stick into the first gear and slowly moving forward out form the single garage into the sunshine of the late afternoon in Coral Gable. She followed behind the faded dull green full van that contained the rest of the band members while mentally pondering her thoughts.

The lead singer and the owner of the musical band Americus was too bossy, too flirty, and too demanding with the band members. Kitten had joined the girl band, because it was fun at first. Each musical song was familiar and easy to perform. Since, the band had played the same thirteen roll and roll tunes over and over again, until almost perfection. However, between musical breaks, Americus would wheel and deal with all the club managers and assortment of customers for attention, recognition, and encouragement. However, the female musical band needed more encouragement and more practice.

Kitten was mental thinking of quitting. Now, that mental thought seemed most logical. Kitten had played with the four girls on Tuesday and Thursday nights for a couple of hours from six to eight pm at night, after her regular working day at the hospital.

On Wednesday night, Kitten attended the church chorus practice and could miss the rehearsal of singing, once in a while. When the choir started to learn a new gospel song, Kitten needed to be there and practice the new words and the musical notes.

Kitten also worked a second job on every weekend.

Finally, Monday night rolled around which was her night of rest, at least Kitten thought so. Instead, she had been drafted into performing an impromptu musical gig against her will, her interest, and her heart. The musical gigs were supposed to be fun and entertaining, not a chore of work.

Americus was seeking fame, fortune, and foreplay, since she flirted with everything with a hairy chest and a pair of long ape arms. The assumed sexual atmosphere made Kitten very uncomfortable, because during a break from the drum stool, the hairy thing with the pair of long ape arms would try to assault Kitten at the eating table while sucking down a cold beverage. The male species of the planet thought if one female was precocious, then they of them were.

That was not the case with the little proper girl that came from US State of Alabama who was nicknamed Kitten. Prancie Precious Purr was patiently waiting and not seeking for Mr. Right, since he would come in due time, his time.

City of Coconut Grove

(two miles, northeast, from Kitten's house)

Green Lizard Club

Outside parking lot setting

Hot sizzling air temperatures with bright sunshine

04:04 p.m.

Kitten followed behind the van and parked, stopping next to the faded green colored full van, opening the door and slid out from the seat, surveying the lush forest and the landscape of Coconut Grove which was located within the city limits of metro city Miami.

This tiny area of Miami was located on the southeastern grid of US Highway One. The city was nicknamed The Grove, a charming walking village with tall tree lined streets that led down to a beautiful sailing port for boats, yachts, and millionaires. Kitten didn't own a boat on the coasted water. But she did enjoy the view of water bay, the big ships, and the assortment of cute hunky guys within a pair of silver eyeballs as she glanced at the dull sunshine falling down over the Intercoastal waterway of the sea port, seeing the lines of people. Tonight, there was an outdoor art festival, where the musical club would overflow with the roaming new crowd of new visitors and old patrons.

Inside the well-lighted parking lot, Kitten slammed the car door and back stepped with a deep sigh, swinging around to follow her band mates into the back entrance of the sleek and stylish nightclub. This club was pretty and secured with an array of tall outside lighting poles that protected all the cars of the working staff, including the working musician.

Some of the previous musical jazz joints which had been selected by the band manager were highly questionable, suspicious, and downright sleazy. The local nightclub had a pair of big muscular bodybuilder bouncers that were parked inside the entrance door who protected all paying customers and the band members with a couple of posted guards outside the entrance doors to protect all the awaiting new customers, the parked valet vehicles, and the parked employee cars.

Inside the dressing room of open space with an unlocked door, Kitten undressed from the cut off blue jeans shorts and T-shirt, slipping on the itchy silver tinted swim-suit-type uniform over a tanned and fit body. She was tall at five feet and eight inches within the world of an average height for a girl at five feet and five inches. Kitten couldn't be a fashion model, but she could wear any height of heels on a pair of naked feet and still not be taller than her date, if she had a date.

Her granddaddy Purr was a curious man. He feared Almighty God, loved his granddaughter, and worked hard on his cow and cotton farm while keeping food, shelter, and a set of few luxury accessories for him and his granddaughter Kitten.

The two were all alone.

Granddaddy Purr was the only blood kinfolk that Kitten had in the world, until her granddaddy had died and passed into heaven some years back to join his married wife and his biological daughter. He was possessive and protective of his granddaughter and didn't allow her to date or socialize or party with the other kids in high school, only to study the textbooks for a good career and eventually make a good living for her person. So, Purr entered college and graduated keeping the promise to her dying granddaddy.

During the college days, Kitten became too busy, too studious, and too occupied with books, notes, research papers to look for a fun or steady boyfriend for a weekend date. She wasn't a dummy or a genius. Purr had to read, study, and learn all the textbook lessons and homework to make a set of good grades in college. She did well and finally graduated college. These were the good old days from her past life.

Inside the Green Lizard Club behind the musical stage, inside the open female dressing room, Americus spun around from the gigantic reflection mirror and the tall chair, yelling with a sour frown at each girl. "Finish your makeup job, get on stage, and start warming up your assigned musical instrument, right now," her makeup was finished and as she moved ahead first and slammed open the unlocked door with a smile.

Kitten didn't wear a touch of makeup but a shade of pink lipstick that complimented her tanned glow and a pair of fake eyelashes for fun which were made from horse hair, checking a face for any dangling dried nose booger and the front teeth for a single cemented food particle. She dropped the smile with a nod. Her nostrils and her teeth were cleaned and cleared for the musical performance today. She slid off the tall stool and spun around with a smile, following behind the back spines of each band member while picking at the chaffing spots on the legs.

Americus led the band onto the stage and stopped as each one band member stopped and stood in the assigned pose and the position before the cue of the first song.

Kitten moved ahead to see the familiar musical stage at each gig. A free standing microphone in front of the heated lights on the floor, an electric organ on the left side of the stage, a bass string guitar on the right side of the stage, an electric guitar in the middle which was slightly behind the singer, and finally a drum set, it was positioned against the back wall.

Kitten stopped and slid down onto a hard metal seat, adjusting the stool to accommodate her height, her leg length, and her arm span while reaching out and positioning all the different pieces of percussion for quick movement with the fingers, both hands, and both wrist bones. She shuffled and shifted each drum to the left and to the right until she was satisfied with the formation on the floor to aid in her execution of the flow of beats, rhythm and rock of the music.

Purr was excited. The thrill of live playing always got her electrified for the upcoming rip-roaring mind blowing musical jam tonight from five to eleven at night, since a person couldn't beat back the sound of a good old rock and roll song.

Kitten finished the drum set assessment and held both silver platinum tinted drum sticks in the air while signaling to the stage manager of the club that the band was ready to "rock and roll."

On the stage in the shadows on the side, "Drum roll, please!" the Green Lizard host pointed to the drummer and shouted into the microphone while standing beside Americus, who was smiling, waving, and wiggling her hips like she was a dancer, instead of a singer for a girl band. Kitten tapped the snare drum for five seconds. Then the host shouted into microphone to the audience. "Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome for the first time to our club, The Girl Group." A set of clapping applause and vocal cheering blasted in the air waves.

Kitten was very impressed. The audience didn't whistle, hoot, yell, or toss a set of nasty objects. This must be some vibrant, upbeat, and sophisticated classical musical theater tonight. Kitten hoped they enjoyed rock and roll and then placed a pair of cheap dark shaded sunglasses over her silver eyes which protected her sensitive and keen sight from the set of blaring heated lamps burning her retinas on the music stage. Kitten had cultivated this "cool" image when she was in high school as a sophomore. The Ivy High School band director didn't approve but couldn't stop the contagious maneuver, after all the band percussionists followed the lead of Purr.

Americus held the microphone with one hand and tossed the arm into the air with a smile and a yell, "One. Two. Three." The cue vocalized the start of the first song.

Kitten reached over and down, banging loud with the pair of drum sticks over the drum set like a cute monkey in the Amazon jungles with both delight and mischievousness.

Pink Flamingo Club (across the street)

Hot temperatures with moonlight and cloudy stars

Restaurant table setting

08:08 p.m.

Inside the corner wall booth within the semi-dark atmosphere, two elderly men sat on the opposite side of a short table. One fiddled with a stack of papers with a smile. One chewed and swallowed the last morsel of good food with a sour frown at his friend. "Tally, I'm too tired. I want to go home in a few second." Soy moaned.

The friend of Soy, Tally was average height, overweight, and sixty something years of age with a balding head of gray, a full beard of grayish-blonde, a pair of eye glasses over a pair of tired brown eyes, and a tone of weathered dark skin, dressing in a pair of white colored trousers, a short sleeved dress shirt with green and red alligators, and a pair of white leathers. He continued to fiddle with the stack of papers and cranked them back down into an old worn leather briefcase with a smile. "I have one more legal document for you to sign, Soy. I promise. Then let's me and you head over to the new club next door, Green Lizard Club. They play great rock and roll music."

Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior was a tall and slender male with a head of grayish-blond cropped hair, a pair of glasses over a pair of blue cornflower eyeballs, and a tone of pale skin, dressing in a dark blue tinted sports coat, a knit shirt of yellow, and a pair of white trousers, a pair of dark blue colored leathers. He was sixty plus years old with a pair of bad eyeballs and a slow ticking heart with a sharp tone of nasty humor. "Rock music! You are fucking older than the rocks the cavemen tapped on with a pair of damn dinosaur bones. You should be listening to the swing bands and their sweet tunes."

Tally flipped a hand with a laugh. "No, that old slow poke music makes me sleepy, Soy. I'll a rock and roller from way back..."

"Back in the stone age!" Soy laughed. "Know that, Tally! We're the same age, old man."

He smiled. "Soy, don't insult me and my old bones. I'm hard of hearing now. It sounded like you asked me to get stoned," Tally stood upright from the chair with a smile of good humor from the silly insult of his ancient friend Soy, back stepping and turned to face the exit doors, moving ahead with a laugh.

"Good, gawd!" Sawyer stood upright from the chair with a laugh and placed the cloth napkin on top of the table surface while following behind the wiggling ass of Tally.

They slowly exited from the dining room of the Pink Flamingo Club and crossed the busy street while jaywalking with the other patrons, entering a brightly painted yellow tall building without windows with a large red tinted forked tongue on a neon green tinted lizard that had been painted over the two entrance doors introducing the Green Lizard Club in The Grove.

He and Tally had become a pair of good friends and a pair of business associates during the creation of his business in the 1950s which was named **Quartet Company**. The Quartet consisted of four brothers, who were not really biological brothers. The four brothers were named Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the third, Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, Junior, Stuart Thant Gage, Junior, and Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior. His three brothers and his devoted wife had started to call Sawyer, Junior the nickname of Soy for fun. Then, the nickname stuck for real with all the brothers within the elderly Quarter, who were also his four permanent friends, his four long time retired business associates, and his four non-blood related family members for the rest of his days.

These four old guys were the only family members that Soy had known and needed for decades. The Quartet family began on a dirt farm by a set of four biological grandfathers, who had forged and bonded with a set of dripping blood molecules coming from an index finger which became known as the "Blood Pact." The ancient pact had served to honor, cherish, and bind the four young teen males and their offspring together, since the year 1838 until present day.

Tally was one of the former tax accountants that had been employed by family business. Once the "old" business had been dissolved and then re-structured by each biological son, the "old" parts of the Quartet Company built up together into the "new" parts which were named the new business Quartet Associates.

Tally had retired rich and happy, living in Coconut Grove but insisted in remaining the personal tax accountant to Soy as well as the financial guardian regarding each US federal income tax form, estate wills, and family trusts to the elderly Quartet. Each year, the old swinger bugged Soy with a set of new papers for signature, since the Florida estate and will laws were constantly challenged over and over again within the US State of Florida court of law. Soy had read and signed all the legal documents but one, since Tally had insisted that they meet and greet over a dinner meal without Bartholomew Berrington, the third, Franklin Mangrove, Junior, and Stuart Gage, Junior. In his hay day, Soy had been crowned the "party boy" within the entire company.

Tally had been labeled the "second party boy" within the business company. And he liked to continue the party tradition, even though the ancient tradition was gone, dead, and buried for the last twelve plus years.

The son of Soy, the young and wild Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third, had inherited the royal title coming from his biological dad. And Tom was no exception when it came to the fucking numerous girls, the limitless bottles of booze, and the set of wild feats of wasted money gambling activities. Young Tom enjoyed the party life, until he had tripped and landed on top of Jane Seymour, who was a smart and beautiful lawyer that worked for one of the lowest paying state Florida agencies. Then, Jane had lassoed the heart, the soul, and the spirit on Tom.

Soy was very appreciative and grateful for a lovely, smart, and sassy girl like Jane. She smoothed that savage beast of his biological son Tom. Soy had offered wondered what life would have been like with a sweet, well-mannered daughter, instead of a rough and tumble boy but he would never know. Since the time of his true biological great grandfather, the Quartet had been blessed with a male, one son each. The biological system worked well and flawlessly for four generations.

Wall corner booth setting of Soy and Tally

Hot temperatures with moonlight and cloudy stars

08:45 p.m.

Inside the lounge room, Soy had reluctantly followed the ass of Tally into the air waves of the new nightclub lounge while hearing the loud and blaring music that bombarded a set of old eardrums.

Tally was slapping at the trouser leg with a smile while keeping time of the beat and moved to a dark wall corner in the back room and away from the numerous swaying hips and arms of each young couple which was composed of twenty somethings, thirty somethings, and a few pairs of forty somethings in chronology age years.

Soy slid down into the chair at the two-seat table and turned with a sour frown to see the younger audience while feeling like he was the father, the father-in-law, the uncle, and the grandpa of each young person with a sour frown, "Gimme the last legal document, Tally! So we can finish. I wanna go home to my wife."

He shifted the worn leather briefcase around the floor with a smile, opening up the flap, pulling out the last document into the air. "Here it is, old friend." Tally sat back upright in the chair and leaned over the table, shuffling the single paper across the small table to Soy as the waitress appeared and stood, placing a set of two complimentary alcoholic drinks on top of the polished wood with a smile. Tally turned to see the waitress and reached up, placing a one-hundred-dollar bill onto of the tray with a smile and a nod in silence.

She back stepped with a smile and a wink. "Thank you, sir! Enjoy your drinks and our music!" The waitress spun around and slowly maneuvered around the upright dancing and roaming patrons of the club, gliding toward the beverage bar.

On the eating table, Soy accepted the legal document and looked down with a stern face, reading the familiar document. His official Last Will and Testimony document stated his wife first, and then second, his son second and his daughter-in-law would inherit everything, if something bad happened to him tomorrow. The old lawyer wasn't superstitious either. Life so far was very good for him. His wife Martha and he were in excellent health of early sixties. Martha insisted on walking each morning and feeding Soy with less cholesterol and sugary food products, each night. Soy still consumed his favorite alcoholic drink of bourbon with one ripe strawberry. He would quit drinking on the day that he died and ascended into heaven.

Soy pulled the ink pen out from the breast pocket and reached down, scribbling his name on the last line with a stern face. "I am done with the document, Tally."

"What's that old song a playing, Soy?" Tally turned with a smile and fingered the band with a nod.

Soy flipped through the legal document from old lawyering habits and strained a pair of old ears while listening to the familiar beats of the music with a smile. " _Turn the Beat Around_ by Vickie Sue Robinson from the year 1976. It ranked number ten on the national Billboard chart."

He nodded with a smile at the female band. "You still got a good ear, Soy. That musical title was on the tip of tongue."

"Uh huh!" Soy flipped through the pages with a soft moan.

The guitar player ceased. Then, the drummer vaulted into a solo tapping of simultaneous drums of rhythm using the snare rolls, the bass lows, the tenor depths, and the cymbal crashing. "Fantasy playing!" Tally stood upright from the chair with the rest of the crowd while clapping the hands and whipping the old set of elderly hips side to side along with the cut-time music.

"Very good!" Soy looked up and turned with a smile, focusing with a pair of old eyeballs inside a pair of eye glasses on the solo drummer for the first time during the short visit into the new club.

"Is that a girl who is playing the drums sets? Can you see the girl on the drum set, Soy? It looks like a girl. My eyes are getting bad. I think that I need a pair of new specs," Tally reached up and removed the old pair of eye glasses, wiping the glass lenses clean with a handkerchief and then replaced the glasses back onto the face. Soy continued to stare at the female drummer in silence.

Tally narrowed both eyeballs at the drummer with a smile. "It looks like a girl to me who is wearing a pair of shades. Is she wearing a pair of cheap black sunglasses? Right, Soy? Kids, these days, what they do for attention?" He wiggled both the hips and the hands side to side with the solo drumming cascade. The drumming stopped. The guitar plunked a single high pitched chord while signaling the continuation of the musical song. The singer belted more words into the air waves through the microphone. Then the musical song stopped. A set of cheering and clapping blasted within the air waves for the female band.

"Thank you! Thank you! Please, could you kindly give another round of applause for our musical guests, The Girl Group? Thank you, ladies!" The host said via the microphone and pointed at the center to the female band members. The bright yellow stage lights flickered off the platform. Then a recorded song version of musical song played over the set of loud speakers into the club. A group of people shifted up and down out from the chair and approaching the bathrooms, the bars, and went outside for the heated evening in Miami.

"The musical group was a good band." Soy nodded with a smile at the yellow curtain that hid the band members while they scooted off the set of musical instrument.

Tally continued to clap with a nod with some of the sitting audience. "The musical group was a great band. I like the drummer best."

Soy nodded with a grin at the yellow curtain that hid the band members. "Yes, I seem to have acquired an interest in her, as well."

Tally turned to face Soy and leaned over, lifting up and downed the alcoholic drink in two whole gulps, wiping off a wet chin with a hand and a smile to Sawyer. "The drummer was cute, to boot. Are you calling it a night, Soy? Are you coming along with me to the car? We parked at the Green Lizard Club parking lot, valet. So be nice and generous tip the young man, even if there is a dent in the car door. I'm calling it a night," he dropped down the tumbler with a burp and a giggle.

"I will leave a little later. I...I want to finish my free drink that you actually paid for." Soy continued to stare with a grin at the yellow curtain that hid the female band.

"All right! Suite yourself! The legal papers will be filed on Monday morning, so don't croak into death until then," Tally reached over with a laugh and grabbed, stuffing the signed legal documents by Soy, leaning down with a grunt and placed them down into the worn briefcase on the floor. He stood upright with another burp and a smile, holding the briefcase and waving with a free hand, leaving his longtime friend Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior alone in the club while finishing the free alcohol.

Soy turned and scanned the interior lounge room for the female band members and could not believe his old eyeballs, so maybe he needed a new pair of reading glasses also. The image was too perfect, too right, and too positive of her. Soy was very certain. He had to be mistaken. It could not have been her, since she didn't live here in metro city Miami within the US State of Florida.

Sawyer exhaled and then inhaled while trying to relax an active mind, a happy soul, and an old body. "Ask her?" He whispered for his eardrums only with a nod. Soy stood upright from the padded chair with a smile and pressed the trousers down the crease with nervousness. He side stepped and scooted a pair of stiffed legs toward a tall lounge table, where all the female band members of _The Girl Group_ were sitting, talking, and eating. He was feeling nervous. As Soy approached the table of young pretty girls, he was abruptly stopped by a taller, younger, and slender male with a head of balding hair, a set of bad teeth, and a tongue of bad breath.

"Hey fellow! What's up with your forward footpath? This is a restricted area for the band members only," the male smiled and then turned to see each female with a stern face, returning back to see Soy with a confused brow.

Soy surmised that the young male was the band manager or the hired protection for the female musicians. He smiled with a nod to the young male. "Sir, I am much interested in hiring the female band for a musical performance at my residence for this week. My name is...Soy." Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior had used his nickname, instead of his formal name for a reason, since the band manager would have probably recognized his face, except for the dull lighting within the dark atmosphere of the nightclub which hid some of his facial features. The band manager soon would learn quickly who Soy was, once the female band had accepted the large money offer for a musical performance at a special event this week.

The band manager crossed both arms with a smirk at Soy. "Okay. Kenail Travieso, I'm the manager for the band. Did you say that you wanted the girls this week? I'll have to check the schedule book. The fee is..." he quickly assessed assessing the financial net worth of the elderly gentleman with a smile. "Twenty-five thousand dollars to rent the girls in the band," he spoke with an assured nasty timber to detour or rob the once infamous Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior.

Soy smiled with a light chuckle. The young band manager Kenail Travieso was clueless with the high society social and million-dollar financial status of Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior. Soy nodded with a smile. "Twenty-five thousand dollars seems a reasonable fee for renting the musicians to me. I would like to provide nightly accommodations for all the band members at my private estate."

Kenail gasped and then smiled. "Well, we got all the money squared away. But what do you mean by the word, nightly accommodations. Why? What for?"

"The occasion in which I am interested in acquiring the band and the music happens to be my birthday party."

Kenail laughed with an evil tone. "You still have birthdays, old fellow."

Normally, Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior would attack with a vicious verbal cursing retort about his private personal character but not tonight. The young man was both crass and crude coming from the lack of education or a difficult childhood or both components. With a musical manager of this caliber, The Girl Group musical band would not be seeing the "Big Time Show." The musical group of girls needed a new negotiator for an improved private business venture, but Soy wasn't volunteering for that job either.

Soy had a personal and a private motive for engaging the five members of The Girl Group. He grinned with a nod at the band manager. "Sir, I will continue to celebrate my annual birthday until God Almighty ceases one of them. So, do you accept my offer of twenty-five thousand dollars for the next musical gig for _The Girl Group_ at my private estate of my birthday party annual event?"

He nodded with a smile. "Yes, we have a deal with the money and the girls. Where do you live, old fellow?"

"I reside in West Palm Beach within the community that is called Palm Estates, sir." Soy smiled.

"Nice area! So, you said the word, nightly accommodations. Does that mean that all the girls would stay in a hotel until the next day? Where will the girls stay? Will they be housed at one of the local hotels near your private estate in West Palm Beach?"

"The girls and you would stay directly at my estate. I have a small sleeping lodge that can hold up to ten guests which would include all the meals and a group of helpers who could assist you and the girls with such like functions, setting up of all the band instruments and musical equipment. Does that seem satisfactory for you, sir?" Soy smirked.

He clapped with a smile and a nod. "That's sounds terrific, old fellow! What day do you want all the girls to play at your annual birthday party?"

"The night of my personal birthday is November the third." Soy smiled.

He reached down and whipped out the mobile telephone from the pocket of the casual trousers of dull beige, bringing the phone into a face and swished through the electronic calendar while examining the date with a stern face, "November the third is this Wednesday night, old fellow."

Soy gasped but calmly said with a set of trained lawyering skill. "Would that be a problem, Kenail?"

He looked up with a worried brow. "Well, the girls work some of the weekdays a couple of hours, at most. I gotta ask them. Some of the girls have a daylight job but might could get off for your 'special birthday occasion, old fellow,'" laughing.

"I really enjoyed their musical performance very much. My friends are old rock and rollers from way back. They would enjoy the classical music also. How about I compensate the girls with more money, so they can arrange some vacation time off from a busy position at their employment?" Soy exhaled with concern while starting to lose ground with the crass manager of _The Girl Group._

Soy was being truthful. His birthday was going to be celebrated on Wednesday, the real day of his birth. His wife Martha and all his family members were currently planning a quiet, inactive evening with the children, the other Quartet wives, and maybe some very old, dear friends, who had transferred to live in the city of West Palm Beach after retirement of a working job also.

Now, a new set of surprising circumstances had materialized significantly.

Soy wanted the female band to perform at his boring party, since this Wednesday was his true birthday when every person received what they wanted on their birthday. Thus, Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior was no exception this week.

So, Soy had to think of a quick fast solution to seal the deal for the female band.

Kenail reached up and scratched the forehead head with a smile, "How much more money are you thinking about which would compensate the working girls?"

Soy smiled. That new idea was receptive to the crass and rude band manager. He cleared a throat with a nod. "I was thinking of fifty thousand dollars to rent the band and perform the night of my actual birthday, which is this Wednesday night on November the third. I will house and feed the entire band of five girls, you, and your musical crew staff at the small lodge, that afternoon. Then you can depart from the lodge at any time you want, the next day. What do you think all the girls would say to that musical and money offer? Does it sound appealing, Jack?"

Kenail nodded with a smile, "Yip! It is very appealing to me and the girls."

Soy nodded with a smile. "May we speak with the girls now about the gig? Or I might have to opt out and select another rock and roll band for my birthday party this Wednesday on November the third. That would be a terribly unfortunate event for the girls." Soy thought quickly while placing the negative idea inside the mind of Kenail. The large sum of money would be attractive to the young musicians to get them at the estate for his party, but Soy really wanted the female drummer to come along for a private chat with his old lawyer skills. And Soy had always gotten what he wanted his way for years.

"And, me, too! Sure! I go and talk to the girls about the musical gig on Wednesday, November the third." Kenail nodded with a smile to Soy and swung around with a smirk, swiftly moving ahead towards the occupied single refreshment table, where each female musician stared with a smile at Kenail and then the elderly man with keen interest and a pair of big wide eyeballs. Kenail stopped and stood in front of the table while scanning the face of each girl in silence.

"Hi, honey," Americus stood upright from the tall stool and side stepped, sliding and hugged the chest of Jack, reaching out and patted his chest with a wink and a smile while ignoring the old man.

Soy stared at the love couple. There must be something else there between the singer female and the manager male. However, the singer female was not his concern or his interest. The internal lounge space was slightly dark, so his pair of old cornflower blue eyes could have been betrayed with the vision on the musical stage as he continued to focus eyesight on the female drummer.

Kenail swiftly repeated the shared information of a new musical gig which was financed by the older man who stood next to the band manager. The rest of the girls stood upright from a stool. Then all the girls bounced up and down with a set of giggles and claps of happy glee, except for the sitting female drummer.

The drummer was silent and pondered her mental thoughts still sitting at the refreshment table, tapping on the bottle of water. The drummer appeared as a tall slim female with a head of waist length long silver colored hair, a tone of suntanned skin, a triangle shaped face with a set of rounded cheekbones, a pair of small lips, a sharp aristocratic nose, a wide forehead with a cute tiny cliff in the chin.

Soy was amazed and overjoyed, since he had seen this female before. The pretty drummer appeared to be older rather than younger. He had hoped that as well. The drummer was still silent and quiet about the new proposed musical gig with _The Girl Group_."

"What's the verdict?" Soy stood beside Kenail and actually laughed out loud from the humorous pun. If anyone of the present company had recognized Thomas, then they would have snickered also, since Sawyer was the former head attorney of a multi-million-dollar business which ended in the 1990s. Now, he was retired and enjoyed a simply life. But his life suddenly was about to get much better and more interesting.

"I'm there." Americus nodded with a smile and continued to clap and bounce up and down with the new musical gag beside Kenail.

"I'm there, too." Her younger sister Vestavia continued to bounce up and down with a smile and a clap of happiness about the new musical gag.

Both Steebeth and Caca continued to bounce up and down with a shout of excitement at the same time, "Yeah!"

Kenail worried with concern, not all the musicians answered the single question. The elder man had stated all the members of the band. For a large gathering of old rock and roll hippies, the musical band needed every person to do the classical music justice. Kenail was concerned about the fifty-thousand-dollar fee that he had negotiated with the old senior citizen.

The drummer, who was name Prancie Precious Purr and nicknamed Kitten by the girls, was a unique individual. Kenail had learned that Kitten held a very good day job, working at the local hospital. Purr didn't really need the musician money or the musical gig either. Kitten simply enjoyed playing the music, a true "rock and roller."

Kenail had to be sensitive with Kitten. She didn't hiss or spit like the namesake feline. However, if she didn't want to join the party, Kitten usually bowed out. Kenail swiftly moved ahead and stopped, standing at the nose profile on Kitten, leaning down and softly whispered with a stern face into her eardrum. "Can you come with me, honey? I do need you. I need a drummer like you for the new gig."

Kitten continued to sit and stare at the elderly senior citizen in silence. She didn't become nervous from playing in front of a live audience while enjoying the music as part of a little roll and rock small time band. However, this current situation was very uncomfortable for her. This was another reason for quitting this little tiresome regiment along with too much impromptu musical gigs without much money compensation, the instant pressure, and finally the crass and crude band manager Kenail Travieso. Kitten softly moaned.

Kenail ruled with an iron hand. He never had threatened Kitten, but he was very ambitious with a first time success along with his obnoxious girlfriend Americus. They both wanted fame and fortune that usually came with talent and skill. For the Girl Group band members, a touch of good luck would help greatly as well.

Kitten still didn't answer the second question coming from Kenail while pondering within the mind, the heart, and the soul for the right choice. She didn't want to let the musical band down with so much money at stake for the new gig. At the same time, Purr really didn't want to drive all the way to the beach town of West Palm Beach on a Wednesday night which was a church night while missing her choir practice. Then she would have to spend the night inside a strange motel then come back home the next morning feeling exhaustive and tired. Her daily job work wasn't an issue. She had zillions of hours of paid vacation. As a matter of fact, her supervisor was yelling this morning for Kitten to take time off work, so the hospital wouldn't be liable for all her accrued vacation paid dollars.

Behind the refreshment table and beside the singer Americus, Soy was becoming terribly worried with his mind while developing a set of invisible but fluttering butterflies inside an aching stomach. The drummer had ignored the open question from Kenail or she didn't want to participate in the new gig. Actually, Sawyer was quite pleased with her proper lady behavior. This young rude man and the other four crafty silly girls were not the correct type of social characters that she should be socializing with anyways. Soy smiled at the drummer with a nod. "I was thrilled beyond imagination with your interpretation of the famous 'oldies but goodies,'" he laughed with the others.

Steebeth frowned. "Oldies but goodies, what's that term mean?"

"Quiet, Steebeth!" Kenail stared at the nose profile on Kitten with a stern face.

Soy nodded with a grin, "My goodness! You possess a set of exceptional drumming skills, young lady. Your solo piece of drumming could raise the dead from the graves." Soy nervously chuckled to Purr as the other musicians followed the cue with a set of silly giggles and loud chuckles like a rehearsed marching band on top of the football field during the halftime performance.

Kenail continued to lean down with a tongue of sour breath into her eardrum. "You receive a great compliment from me, too. So, can we do it again on Wednesday night, November the third for the old man? I might be a good hoot and laugh for all."

Kitten exhaled with a puff of annoyance with the pushy band manager, but her heart didn't want to disappoint the other band members, since they needed both the money and the musical gig. She turned with a smile to see Soy. "I don't really like ghosts, but I do like drumming. I accept the new gig for Wednesday, November, the third." Each band member performed a set of numerous excited movements of claps, smiles, hugs, kisses of happiness, except for Kitten. She nodded to Soy in silence.

Soy caught himself clapping and almost jumping up into the ceiling with both delight and joy. "This card details my home address within the community of Palms Estate," he reached down and whipped out a personal card from the jacket pocket, handing to Kenail. "Do not bother to call me before coming! Please come to my resident at any time. I will have a table of lunch available also, before you are required to setup the musical instruments and equipment for my birthday party. I will repeat to all of you the information that I shared with Kenail earlier. My estate has a small lodge for entertainers like your selves. Bring your suitcase and stay the night with my sweet treat. All the expenses paid." The other female musicians continued to bounce up and down with glee, except for Kitten who continued to sit at the table with a smile and a nod to Soy.

"The last detail of our musical transaction would be the final payment among to rent and lodge the members of the Girl Group," Kenail smiled with a nod.

"Yes, of course, sir!" Soy reached over and whipped out a checkbook from the same pocket jacket, leaning down over the hard surface and wrote out the money amount, ripping off the old fashioned paper check, handing the legal tender to the band manager of _The Girl Group._ Kenail accepted the large money check with a smile and stared down at the numbers with a soft chuckle.

Soy shook and withdrew a hand and a smile with Kenail, Americus, Vestavia, Steebeth, and Caca, because they were standing around his body at the refreshment table, since he could not touch or talk to the female drummer. She was still sitting and nodding on the other side of the table. Sawyer would speak with her in private inside his private estate house tomorrow morning.

Soy back stepped with an old fashioned salute and spun around with a smirk while getting his way again at sixty something years old, slowly shuffling ahead toward the door of the nightclub, whipping the mobile telephone. The mobile telephone was one of the greatest inventions of the current century.

He exited through the open doors with a chuckle while conning the dense band manager with the puny money fee for the musicians and capturing the female drummer inside his private estate on Wednesday afternoon, so he still possessed his sleazy set of lawyering skills. Soy moved passed two walls of muscular security guards and pressed the familiar icon that showed the lovely face of his wife Martha of forty plus years with a smile. He was excited to share with Martha his new discovery and prayed that she would be just as pleased too.

The mobile telephone rang and then connected with the lovely voice of his wife Martha. "Hello, sweetheart..."

09:24 p.m.

City of Coral Beach

(three miles from Coconut Grove)

Hot temperatures with moonlight beams and bright stars

Home of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third

Four Coral Lane address

1st floor level

Dining room setting

"Dad, he did the fuck what?" Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third yelled into the mobile phone that was attached to an eardrum while gathered a mountain of hot, steamy food onto a large plate in the formal dining room of his mansion in the town Coral Beach, the home of the Quartet.

He paused and listened to the voice on the other end of the telephone connection.

He exhaled. "Slow down, Mom! Please repeat all that gawd damn information again, very slowly."

Pause.

"Know that. His birthday is on Wednesday. We'll be there. I promise. I am not working at the company that fucking day, so Jane and I will drive up in the early gawd damn morning."

Pause.

"Fine! We'll come Tuesday fucking night and spend the night with the both of you. How does that suit you, Mom?"

Pause.

"Good fucking plan! Love to you, both. Kiss. Kiss. We will see you and Dad on Tuesday night for a hot meal at dinnertime. No, Mom. We are not coming until in the fucking afternoon."

Pause.

"Why the fuck not? We just want through that gawd damn conversation, Mom. Jane and I will see both of you on Tuesday fucking night for a hot meal at dinnertime."

Pause.

"We will come gawd damn early, not fucking late. Yeah, yeah! Got it! Love to you and Dad, Mom." Tom reached up and slammed the button off which disconnected the telephone call from his mom with a puzzled brow, slowly spinning around with a pile of hot food, moving ahead to dining table and placed the plate of food first. Then he scooted down and sat down in the usual chair at the head of the table beside his wife Jane, reaching out and grabbed the fork and knife with a stern face.

Jane cut up the meat and asked with concern and surprise. "What's going on, Tom?"

"Can you fucking believe him? He has really lost his fucking mind this time." Tom leaned down into the tall plate of food while shoving large bites into open mouth without chewing. He was hungry and tired, after a fourteen day at his company Quartet Associates.

She frowned with annoyance. "Tom, don't reference your father with that nasty tone of voice!"

He swallowed the lump of food with a smile. "Why the fuck not? He can't fucklingly hear me here in Coral Beach," Tom shoved up another large bit of food.

She giggled with a grin. "I'll tell him, sweetheart."

He swallowed the lump of food with a frown. "Jane, sweetheart, don't fucking nag! That nasty girly behavior doesn't become you as my princess wife of the Quartet."

Mrs. Sawyer frowned at her husband while defending herself against the nasty insult. "Now, I'm a nag like an old mare."

Tom leaned over and touched the cheekbone, kissing his wife, pulling back with a smile. "No, sweetheart! That's not what I meant. You are my intelligent and beautiful princess wife of the Quartet."

She nodded with a smile. "I'll accept that compliment. So, what did your mom say?"

"My dad fuckingly wants. No. My dad has hired a gawd damn rock and roll band for his annual birthday elderly senior citizen party."

"There is a rock and roll birthday bash for your father at his age."

"Right! My dad insisted that he wanted a fucking ass 'real' party with fucking ass 'real' entertainment, and a gigantic fucking ass 'real' birthday cake. I think that he is really fucking ass losing it." Tom poked and gathered another forkful of food with a laugh and a smile and then gobbled it down a hungry throat.

She wiped the mouth. "What does your mom think about of all this?"

He swallowed the lump of food with a nod. "She's working out all the shitty details with Aunt Betty, Aunt Barbara, and Aunt Mary. The birthday occasion is going to be held inside some old shitty smelly small auditorium within Palm Estates," Tom shoved another large bit of food.

"How many people are coming to his birthday party? Last night, it was only family members and a few close friends."

He swallowed the lump of food with a sour frown. "Who in the fuck knows? Gawd! I was expecting a quiet dinner with our family. I wonder if Frank and Stu know also."

She gathered the food with a smile. "So, will there be a pin the tail on the donkey game at the birthday party, too?" Jane ate and chewed the food.

He swallowed the lump of food with a worried brow. "Don't joke, sweetheart! There might be a fucking ass 'real' game for the fucking ass 'real' old folks to fucking ass 'really' play. Can they even see the gawd damn tail on the tiny damn donkey?" Tom shook his bangs and shoved another bit of food into open mouth, stuffing a hungry stomach and a tired mind from all the mental and physician stress at the office today, yesterday, the day before yesterday.

Jane laughed and stared with a worried brow at Tom. She noticed that her husband was uptight and was usually honest with her but not lately. "What is really wrong with you, Tom?"

"There is nothing fuckingly wrong, sweetheart." He shoved a large bit of food in the mouth. Stress always made him eat more of food.

"O no! Don't start with the 'nothing is wrong, sweetheart!' This is me, your wife, your queen bee. You're tense and uptight. You're coming home late and later. What is going on here, Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third? The sale of the company is progressing at the same pace, correct?"

He swallowed the lump of food with a worried brow. "It is not the fucking ass sale. It is the fucking ass Saudis."

She exhaled. "It is them, again! What did the Saudis do to you, Tom?"

He shoved a large bit of food in the mouth and chewed. "It is not just fuckingly again! It is the same fucking ass problems, the same fucking ass people, the same fucking ass country..."

"What has happened now?"

"New shitty leaders, new shitty princes, new shitty princesses, new shitty contracts, that's the fucking bottom line."

"I understand. That's what you meant when you told your mom that you would not be working on Wednesday."

He swallowed the lump of food with a sour frown, "Fucking work! I can't wait to retire from the fucking ass work. Then, there will be no more fucking ass Saudis."

She exhaled. "You should give all your lawyering work to one the more experienced attorneys at Quartet Associates. Everyone should have tons of legal law experience, since the company has been operating for seven years."

He swallowed the lump of food with a worried brow. "I don't want to toss shit at my people. Anyways, my experienced and inexperienced lawyers are working on building their own gawd dawn great business company."

She gasped. "During office hours..."

"Don't fucking care? The lawyers can't do it, after we vacate the office space."

"What does Austin say about this?"

"Fuck, Austin!"

"He's the boss."

Tom chuckled. "He is a soon-out-of-work fucking ass boss. Anyways, Austin is preoccupied."

"What occupies Austin these days?"

"One of the many beautiful young fucking Japanese girls."

"There are a set of Japanese girls here in Miami."

"Yeah!"

"Why are the Japanese here in Miami?"

"A few of shitty Japanese princes traveled over to stay here to Miami while keeping an eye on their capital investment, their new personnel, and their money assets."

She frowned. "They don't trust you."

"They haven't trusted fucking anyone, since the damn atomic bomb, honey." Tom laughed out loud.

Jane smiled with a nod. "I understand their mental mentality. So, what are your concerns?"

Tom smiled. "A team of fucking ass Saudis wanna come and visit our business headquarters and finish up all the modified legal contract negotiations with the Quartet in person but only the gang of pretty princes is invited."

She gasped, "Good, gawd! There will be both Japanese and Saudi royalty in one building."

"One planet, one continent, one city, one building, one floor, two rooms apart, and four brothers, yeah!"

"Whoa! Is Austin concerned?"

"Fucking asses of Berrington, the third and the fourth; Gage, the second and the third, Mangrove..."

"Yeah, everyone is worried."

"Yeah! Now, you understand my fucking ass long day at work."

"It sounds more like a diplomacy situation to me."

"Diplomacy is handled by a foreign ambassador of the US Federal government. This is our terrain, our clients, our foes, and our problem, the Quartet way."

"Have you got extra protection for the set of visiting dignitaries?"

"What fuckingly for?"

"O. I don't know. Maybe, just in case, they happen to try to kill each other."

He stirred the last food particles together with a smile. "I do believe that killing each other is a wonderful solution to my fucking problem. The protection is for our employees, our staff, our building, our assets, and our asses," laughing.

She nodded with a stern face. "Now, I'm getting nervous. When is the final sale of Quartet Associates?"

Tom glanced down at the designer wrist watch with a smile, "It occurs in two weeks, four days, five hours, twenty-two minutes, fourteen seconds, and eighteen milliseconds," laughing.

She smiled. "Counting down to the zero point zero, I see."

He exhaled with a nod. "Time is not moving fucking quick enough for me to retire from my gawd damn work job and Quartet Associates, sweetheart." Tom leaned down and shoveled more food into an open mouth with a tired mind, and a hungry stomach, chewing.

Jane smiled. "Then allow me to swiftly entertain you for the next two weeks, four days, five hours, twenty-two minutes, fifteen seconds, and three milliseconds!" She reached over and grabbed the collar of his dress shirt, pulling his face closer to her face with a smile. "I guess that you have finished eating, Tom, sweetheart."

Tom wiped off the mouth and then dropped the napkin into the dirty plate with a grin and a wink. "Eat, later! Fuck, now!"

They performed a body collision with a set of chuckles and then gently dropped down, falling and rolling onto the dining room floor together and kissed with passionate love of the perfect Quartet couple.
Tuesday November 2nd

Moonlight and cool temperatures with cloudy night sky of stars

Interstate 95 north

Sports car ride on Tom and Jane

11:11 p.m.

Away from the tiny city of Coral Beach within Miami-Dade County, the baby blue tinted sports car soared down the highway over the speed limit, flying in a northern direction.

The tiny city of Coral Beach boasted a mayor, a sheriff, a physician, and a lawyer underneath a fake domed city hall; the gated community into the tiny city of Coral Beach provided a set of additional unique facility structures, such as, a couple of jail cells, an interrogation room, a weapons room, a firing hole, a library, and an art museum.

The beachside city also housed a fire department, a grounded helicopter pad, a vehicle and boat garage work shop, a gardener atrium, a mechanic machine and equipment shop, and a postal station. There were numerous house servant residential houses that had been surrounded by a state-of-the-art security alarm system too.

The alarm system was hidden inside a set of two distinct iron and concrete decorative sentry security gates.

The unique landscape entrance into the lovely and lush beachside city of Coral Beach traveling from the eastern roadside on US Highway 1 nicely intersected at the first sentry gate, where a pair of armed and smiling Quartet Associate guards blocked and inspected a warmly welcomed visitor or a coldly un-welcomed stranger.

If the lucky party passed through the first sentry, then a second sentry gate blocked and then inspected you and your vehicle for a second round of non-fun time.

Once fully accepted and approved by the double sentry gatekeepers, the lucky party ventured down a magnificent majestic avenue of mansions to one of four formal addresses on the city street that was named Coral Lane. The four estates on Coral Lane were surrounded by an eighteen-hole golf course on the western side, a shade tree and grassy walking park on the northern side, and finally the bluish-green Atlantic Ocean waters, where both a southern and an eastern sun horizon occurred every dawn and dusk.

The yellow cobblestone road decorated the city street Coral Lane paralleling a continuous pink colored bricked walkway while introducing a long row of pastel colored mansions that consisted of either neon orange or dark green or bright yellow or a light gray hue.

Currently, every citizen and every sea mouse was asleep at eleven pm in the evening, except inside the racing baby blue sports car that belonged to one-fourth Quartet brother billionaire Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

He raced behind the wheel running over the speed limit late at night with a smile into the clean windshield. "I, Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third have had the distinctive pleasure to be the baby of the Quartet. I was born last in the litter of pups on the eighteenth day in the month of August, thirty-one years ago at Charity Coral Gables Hospital and then I was proudly given to my wonderful and loving biological parents, Mr. Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior and Mrs Martha Mae Sawyer. I enjoyed growing up as a young, mischievous, good little boy on the shores of Miami Beach, Biscayne Bay, and the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, not that I stayed long in the hot Florida sunshine or the warm salt waters. But, still, I enjoyed the fast paced city life of Miami, Florida. Man!" He wore a pair of new blue jeans and a new red tinted knit shirt while driving northern down the dark interstate toward the home of his parents in West Palm Beach to start the celebration his biological father's birthday party on November the third. "Do you like my speech, sweetheart?"

Red-haired and pink-tinted skin, tall and slightly curvy body frame, his wife thirty-year-old Jane Seymour Sawyer wore a pair of clean and faded blue jeans and a yellow blouse, resting inside the passenger seat inside the fast moving sports car with a smile and a pair of shut eyelashes, after a day of saving another child from a terrible set of biological parents. She exhaled. "Tom, you should learn more about your three brothers and then share all the accolades with them, not only yourself."

Tom continued to drive very fast with a laugh. "Why? What the fucking fart for?"

Jane opened the eyelashes and turned with a sour frown to see the nose profile on her husband. "Where did you learn that expression?"

"I learned that nifty gawd damn phrase from my favorite fictional author Ela." He continued to drive with a smile. "And I know too much about my asshole brothers, and my asshole fathers, and my asshole grandfathers..."

She faced the windshield and then closed her eyelashes, laying the rear skull back down onto the head rest with a sour frown. "Tom, do not talk that vile way about your Quartet relatives!"

He continued to drive very fast with a giggle and a grin. "Why? They can't fuckingly hear me inside my speeding ass car, sweetheart. Anyways, I learned more about my great-grandfather Sawyer that wasn't detailed inside my gawd damn American history book in high school."

She did not bother to open the eyes and smiled at the windshield, without seeing moonlight rays on the lonely roadway of Interstate 95 among the dark skyline with bright stars. "The dirt of Miami was inhabited thousands of years by Native Americans. The Native American tribe was named Tequesta which occupied the landscape for one thousand years before encountering the white man. The Tequesta village contains hundreds of true native Americans which had been established around 600 BC and was located at the mouth of the Miami River."

He smiled, "Yeah! Then, that sailor Pedro Many-Something claimed it for his country of Spain in the year 1566. A Spanish mission building was constructed in the year 1567. The two foreign countries of Spain and Great Britain controlled the wild, wild wilderness territories of Florida for years and years until the country of Spain ceded all the swamp and gator lands to the great United States of America in the year 1821."

"You do know your American history, Tom."

He continued to drive with a smile. "Yeah, I do. In the year 1836, the US built Fort Dallas as part of its development within the Florida Territory and attempted to suppress and then remove the dominated Indian tribe, the Seminole Indians, which resulted in the Second Seminole War, where they lost and US won. Then, a woman came along named Julia Tuttle, a local citrus grower and a wealthy Yankee native, who was known as the 'Mother of Miami.' Miami is the only major city in the United States that had been birthed and conceived by a woman. The swamp lands and the gators were known as 'Biscayne Bay Country' in the early pioneer years of the thick, thicker, thickest wild, wild wilderness. Then, in the year 1896, in the month of July, the day of the twenty-eighth, four hundred males voted, where a female could not vote, making golden sandy dirt of Miami a true city. My great-grandfather Sawyer along with Austin's, Frank's, and Stu's were right there making out with American history," laughing. "Our fucking ass great-great grandfathers were all single and..."

Jane opened her eyelashes with a gasp and turned with a smile to see his nose profile. "How do you know that historical information about your great-great grandfather, Tom? I did not know that. I have never heard this story."

He laughed. "Frank, he's got this shitty, smelly, wrinkled old book under lock and key inside his smelly old library room with more old and smelly stuff. The ancient book has tons of yellow tinted and wrinkled loose pages of words in black chalk or crayon or something, where his great-grandfather Mangrove wrote down the first adventure of the first ever Quartet. My great-grandfather Sawyer, who was named like me, was the leader and the hero back then and like now, present day," he giggled with a smile.

Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth was the true badass hero of the current Quartet and everyone knew that information, including his baby brother Tom.

Sawyer continued to drive with a sour frown. "And I find out that in the original Quartet great-great grandfather Austin had been the first Quartet brother to marry, before the rest of the blood-brothers. Thomas, the original and the name of my great-great grandfather was the last. However, each Quartet had a son in the same month, of the same year, producing the second generation of Quartet brothers. Then, I found out that Grandpa Austin was the first gawd damn Quartet brother to marry within the second generation Quartet too. My grandfather Thomas married second. Among the elderly and living third generation of the Quartet, Uncle Bartholomew was married a few weeks before Uncle's Stuart's wedding to Aunt Barbara. However, now, within the fourth generation of the Quarter, Frank, Stu, and I are happily married, but we can't find a one single, available, not married nice, pretty, gawd dawn female for Austin. Geez! At this rate, Austin will never become a father or a grandfather or a husband or a son-in-law. I guess Frank, Stu, and I'll just leave..."

"Tom, how did you discover all of these pieces of ancient treasure?"

"Stu, he knew the location of the shitty, smelly old book inside Frank's shitty, smelly old room. One day, he and I went in there and then read a set of numerous ugly shitty wrinkled pages. Stu was typing all the wordy information down into his computer laptop, since the shitty, smelly old book is too old to copy or ever touch with human blood or sweat per asshole Frank. I had to wear a pair of special type of latex gloves to handle the set of loose papers that still were covered in some special type of plastic per Frank's asshole orders."

She smiled. "Stu's great-grandfather came from the country of Africa along with Gracie's. Africa is the second-largest continent in the world which covers 11.7 million square miles. That's six percent of total surface area on Earth, where 20.4 percent of the total surface is land. Africa is the second largest population in the world also with 1.2 billion people which is sixteen percent of the human population on the planet, without a set of hidden aliens," she laughed with Tom. "The entire continent is surrounded by ocean water. The Mediterranean Sea lives on the northern side. Both the Suez Canal and the Red Sea flow on the northeastern side of the massive continent. The Indian Ocean lies to the southeast, and the Atlantic Ocean is located to the west."

"Know that!"

She smiled. "Frank's great-grandfather lived and left the country of Portugal. Portugal is located on the Iberian Peninsula in southwestern Europe. The Atlantic Ocean lies on the western and southern borders. The eastern and northern direction points occupy the landmass of Spain. Portugal has been settled, invaded, and conquered by the Pre-Celts, Celts, Carthaginians, the Romans, the Germanic people, the Moors, and finally the Christians, where at the Battle of Ourique in the year 1139 AD, Afonso Henriques declared himself King of Portugal."

"Frank told me."

She smiled. "During the 15th and 16th centuries, the tiny country of Portugal was the first global empire, becoming the world's leader in economics, politics, and military powers, which had been known as the Age of Discovery, where all the Portuguese sailors explored the world, including the cape of Africa, numerous routes to the country of India, and finally the discovery of the landmass of Brazil."

"Frank told me that."

She grinned. "The tiny country of Portugal monopolized the spice trade during this period within World History, and the Empire expanded with numerous military strikes inside the continent of Asia. Then, in the year 1755, an earthquake struck the city of Lisbon with mass people and property destruction. The tiny country became embroiled with Emperor Napoleon during the Napoleonic Wars, the rebellious fighters for independence of Brazil in the year 1822, and the Liberal Wars in the years 1828, which left tiny Portugal poor and crippled from numerous wars and bad economies, thus ending its world power."

He drove the car with a frown. "Yeah, Frank told me that, also. That was about the same time in ancient World History, when his great-great grandfather Mangrove fled his home country of Portugal for the New World and a better home life, which worked out for Mangrove and his great-great grandson Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third."

She smiled. "Your family ancestor came from the country..."

"Everyone knows that, sweetheart," he continued to speed over the highway with a smile.

"Austin's great-great grandfather came from the country of England. England is part of the United Kingdom."

He drove the car with a frown. "Everyone knows that, too, sweetheart."

She grinned, "All right! The first known human presence within the landmass of England was _Homo antecessor_ which was about 780,000 years ago. The oldest proto-human bones were discovered in England come from 500,000 years ago. Modern human settlements inhabited the England landscape during the Upper Paleolithic period. After the last ice age, only a set of large ancient mammals, such as, the woolly mammoth, bison, and woolly rhinoceros lived and thrived there. About 11,000 years ago, when the ice melted away, the humans repopulated the England lands, stated by genetics research testing, where the humans walked over the dry grounds from the northern part of the Iberian Peninsula, which is modern day Portugal and Spain. The sea level had existed at a lower level back then rather than now days within our modern times, when the country of England had been connected by a people-walking land bridge into modern day Ireland. As the sea rose again from the melted ice sheets, the cold waters separated the country of Ireland from the land mass of England about 10,000 years ago.

"Around the year 2,500 BC, the Beaker culture arrived and brought drinking tumblers and eating plates that were constructed from clay dirt, as well as, cooking pots of smelted copper ores. The people learned to heat together the mineral rocks of tin and copper, which was abundant within the dirt of England, making an assortment of bronze and iron items. The smelted iron ore produced better farm ploughs for advancing the agriculture of food as well as the production of more effective fighting weapons."

"Fuck!" He drove the car with a laugh. "No wonder Berrington, the first came to New World as a talented blacksmith of horses and mules and asses. His great-to-the-millionth-power grandfather probably came from the Beaker culture too, where a native liked to eat with a sharp steak knife and kill the bear with a bejeweled dagger. Jeezus! Austin was born and bred to kill his fellow man or woman or mammal, when he became greatly pissed off," laughing.

She laughed with Tom. "Austin does tend to show that nasty side of his badass personality, way too often. Misty Marie's family came from the country of Italy. The country lies within the heart of the Mediterranean Sea and covers an area of 116,347 square miles with the famous warm Mediterranean weather climate. The country has a population of 62 million people. Throughout history, the country of Italy had been settled by the ancient Phoenicians, Carthaginians, the Greeks, and the Celts.

"The Italic tribe known as 'the Latins' formed the Roman Kingdom, where the Romans became a republic and then a super power empire of the ancient world within the areas of culture, politics, and religion. The legacy of the Roman Empire is spilled, spent, and seen everywhere within the modern world through their civil law, their republican government concept, their Christianity, and their Latin language. During the 11th century, shipping, commerce, and banking provided the basis of modern day capitalism and free trade with the continent of Asia. The Renaissance movement started in the country of Italy and then spread to the rest of Europe with renewed intrigue and interest in the subjects of humanities, science, exploration, and art with the names of famous scholars and artists, such as, Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo, and Machiavelli. The Italian sailors were Marco Polo, Christopher Columbus, Amerigo Vespucci, and Giovanni da Verrazano that provided a wet pathway of new sea routes to the Far East and the New World."

He drove with a laugh, "Italy, the country of food and fashion. Renaissance asshole Frank, in heart, married the Italian fashion queen beauty Misty Marie, in body. Yup! That was a match made in heaven."

She smiled. "Frank and Misty Marie, they're the perfectly matched and wonderfully married couple of the Quartet."

He drove the car with a smile. "Hell! Forget about asshole Ferdinand and bella Misty Marie! We're the greatest married couple of the Quartet."

She smiled with a nod. "Amen to that! I came from..."

"You're my Irish lassie."

She smiled. "Actually, my ancestral family hailed from the countryside of Picts."

He drove the car with a gasp. "What? What's that? I have never heard of that word, Picts."

She chuckled. "The Picts were a tribe of common people that lived in modern day northern Scotland during the Iron Age and Medieval period. Their life and culture is inferred and still depicted coming from the geographical distribution of jewelry brooches, Brittonic place-name elements, and sets of large Pictish stones. Each stone contains lots of circles with a series of curly rows which are still confusing and undecipherable to all minds of the brilliant modern archeologists. The Picts civilization lived north from the rivers Forth and Clyde and spoke a language close to Celt Brittonic language, where the Britannia people lived inside the lands south of the rivers Forth and Clyde.

"The first settlers began building the first known permanent houses on top of the Scottish soil around 9,500 years ago. Today, you can see visit and see the ancient village of Skara Brae, which is located on the mainland of Orkney. Skara Brae had been established around 9,500 years ago and showed Neolithic habitations, burial plots, and ritual sites, since most of the social structures were built from the local rock stone, due to the lack of tall tree bark. A 4000-year-old tomb with its burial treasures had been built in white quartz pebbles and birch bark, including a set of fossilized flowers inside the grave tomb of the local princess," laughing.

"Wow! Your ancient people were smart and romantic. No wonder, I love you so!"

She laughed. "Ancient history wrote, when the Romans invaded and then occupied all the land, which is now known as the countries of England and Wales, the province was called Britannia, where the people spoke the language of Britton. The Kingdom of the Picts had been written and recorded on a gigantic world map within the Roman Kingdom also. Then, the stupid Romans decided to seek and conquer more land moving ahead into the southern portions of Scotland."

"O boy!"

"O girl!" She chuckled. "Recorded by Roman historian Tacitus, the Picts armed and then attacked all the Roman living forts while fighting and killing most of the Romans. The Picts very nearly wiped out the 9th Legion of Romans until a group of soldiers from the Roman cavalry saved the day. Boo! The live and breathing Romans soldiers withdrew their troops far, far away from the Picts Kingdom and then built a large and tall stone wall while keeping the Picts out of the Roman forts and houses."

He drove the car with a laugh. "I have a good feeling about your v...v...vroom virility, sweetheart."

She laughed. "Around 10th century AD, the Kingdom of the Picts merged with the Kingdom of the Gaels while foreverly lost the beauty of Picts civilization. Then, the two kingdoms become the Kingdom of Scotland in which then emerged and became an independent sovereign state in the Early Middle Ages, until nasty England came along and conquered, controlling all the Scottish lands. There is a picture of the Picts king with a head of red hair and a pair of green eyeballs, like me."

He drove with a chuckle. "So, I got a deadly Picts princess, instead of fiery Scottish lassie."

She laughed, "Damn right and proud of it, too!"

He drove the car with a smile. "How did you find out all the ancestral information, sweetheart?"

She smiled. "My salvia did."

He laughed. "What?"

"I spat out my tongue salvia twenty-six times into a small cup and then I had a genetic test performed on my tongue spit DNA genes at one of those genetics companies..."

He gasped in worry. "Jane, sweetheart, that's very dangerous for you and me. We're about to become one of four existing trillionaires in the world. One of these stupid low-paying lab techniques could find you and then you. And then..."

"No, sweetheart! I carry around my lady Ghost too." She laughed. "It's daring, darling! My genes were analyzed and found each other inside the test tube that I came from the country of Scotland, specifically related to some dead relative within the Picts civilization."

He drove the car with a smile. "Wow! I'm impressed with your genes and your body, sweetheart."

She grinned. "Do you wanna tongue spat out your salvia twenty-six times into a small cup and find out about your dead relatives?"

He drove the car with a laugh, "Naw! I know too much about my asshole brothers, now. After we sell our gawd damn company, then it's me and you, and then a tiny newborn baby, making the three of us for the rest of our days and nights here on planet Earth."

Jane smiled at his nose profile. "Now, I like that vanity speech, Tom."

He continued to steer and shift the gears behind the steering column racing over the speed limit late at night with his wife Jane and a smile into the dark roadway. "I, Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third have had the distinctive pleasure to be the baby brother of the Quartet. I was born last within the litter of four pups on the eighteenth day in the month of August, thirty-one years ago at Charity Coral Gables Hospital and then I was proudly given over into the hands of my wonderful and loving biological parents, Mr Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior and Mrs Martha Mae Sawyer. I enjoyed growing up as a young, mischievous, good little boy on the golden sandy shores of Miami Beach, Biscayne Bay, and the edge of the bluish-green tinted Atlantic Ocean, not that I stayed long in the hot Florida sunshine or the warm salt waters. But, still, I enjoyed the fast paced city life of Miami, Florida," he drove with a grin passing the row of big semi-tractor trailers. "That's my goodbye speech at the close of the business transaction, after selling off our baby, Quartet Associates. Each one of the Quartet brothers has to sign-off by hand, and say so-long by voice, and then perform a finale bow and curtsey like in a Hollywood royal starlet in a movie film to the Japs, like in a Hollywood movie, too," he drove with sigh and a nod. "The Quartet journey has ended, baby!" He giggled with a grin.

She smiled at his nose profile. "I can't believe that the Quartet journey has finished ended, also, baby."

He continued to drive with a sigh and a nod, "Yeah, baby! The Quartet has written the last chapter and now has slapped the last crime drama novel shut, which featured Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, Stuart Thant Gage, the third, Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third, and Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third, who are really four non-biological billionaire brothers. We're the Quartet."

She laughed. "The Quartet has never been or will never become a red, white, and blue colored set of crime fighters, Tom. You're only a set of four brothers, who are four successful business men, not four super-duper crime fighters."

He continued to drive with a frown. "I don't know, sweetheart. The Quartet as a set of four red, white, and blue colored crime fighters have been saving the day and the damsel, since the first of June. Remember, the angel..."

"Yes, Tom!" She sighed and then giggled. "I vividly remember that non-Quartet business transaction. But, your criminal days are done and gone, now, sweetheart. Will the four non-related brothers of the Quartet still function and operate after the sale of your business venture Quartet Associates, Tom?"

He continued to drive the car through the night with a smile, "Of course, sweetheart, it's our permanent name plate like a royal title without the prince part. My dad and all my Quartet uncles are stilled referenced as the elderly Quartet brothers. As I grew older with my three Quartet brothers, then we will eventually become the elderly Quartet like my dad."

She smiled. "That is a long, long, long ways off, sweetheart."

He continued to drive and then laughed, "Yeah, a long, long time from now, baby!"
Monday November 3rd

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and cool temperatures with cloudy night sky of stars

New home location of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting

02:30 a.m.

On the fourth floor of the new master bedroom, inside the new bed mattress, he sat upright with a pair of elbows on top of the new set of white colored satin sheet, staring with a puzzled brow at the gigantic red tinted hand imprint that had been finger painted on the forward white wall of cider blocks inside his new house by a budding new artist. He slightly shook the head and blinked open and shut both eyelids with a gasp. "I thought all of my early mornings mind-dreams of beautiful woman had completely stopped, since the two deaths of Rosebud and Bambi, for some weird ass reason. Now, the early two-thirty in the morning dreams of a pretty girl has come back and invaded my subconscious mind for some weird ass reason. Why more night time dreams? The image was a beautiful tall blonde haired female with a face of pale skin standing in front of a car. Why her? What is a beautiful female wanting from me?" He gasped with a stern face. "The dream, it is a warning me of something dangerous that is going to happen to me," he frowned. "No. None of my early morning dreams ever harmed my body or resulted in my body injury. However, the unknown dream girl is in trouble again. Yeah! The early morning dream is a warning for _that_ girl. Hell no! I'm not doing this damn damsel rescue thing for a second round again. Anyways, each pretty girl inside my head within my colored dream always died from some kind of weird ass death. So, this chick and I will meet today or tomorrow or soonest within the week. Then, she'll die in some kinda weird ass way," he exhaled with a huff of depression. "Why is this happening to me? I can't save this girl's life like I couldn't save the life of Skye or Rosebud," he rested back down over top of the heated bed linens inside the soft mattress and stared up into the white painted wooden ceiling with a stern face and a whisper. "I don't want this curse or talent or vision or whatever. Make it go away please!" He closed the eyelids as and his active brain cells envisioned the face, an unknown blond-haired woman female again. He continued to struggle side to side with restlessness, without a peaceful slumber at a 2:31 am awakening for the first time in weeks with another weird ass reason.

Now, his soul was seeking no peace, again.

Garage room setting

Sports car ride of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

7:12 a.m.

Hot temperatures with night sky and bright stars

The sun rose up above the Atlantic Ocean on Coral Beach the new morning at 7:31 am. Next week, the time started the beginning of daylight saving time. Then, the sunrise would come up at 6:30 a.m.

Austin couldn't rest properly inside the new mattress within his new house from the new early morning dream and then rose from his bed mattress at six am this morning, dressing casual for the new day.

The ordered new clothing box or boxes from his asshole baby Quartet brother Tom had not arrived or had not been ordered or had not been paid with money coming from his asshole baby brother Sawyer.

Austin intended to corner Tom within a dark wall corner inside one of the parents' house while not kindly inquiring about that particular new clothing shipment, since Tom did not have access to Austin's financial bank account, either. Thus, Tom had been too greedy and too selfish to use some of his own fucking billions of dollars to purchase a set of new clothing for his big brother Berrington. It had been three days and nights, since the wild ass Halloween party and Austin's welcome back home to Coral Beach. However, there had not been a delivery shipment of one or numerous boxes of new personal clothing items for Austin.

On the first day back at work within Quartet Associates on November the first, Austin had worn an accidentally damaged black tinted jacket and a pair of non-matching set of trousers which contained numerous white tinted bleach stains and then he had encountered again seeing the final death of another formal flame, Bambi Bolt, when an assassin had assassinated her ass along with her biological mother's ass on top of vanilla tinted courthouse sidewalk.

Currently, inside the private fourth floor bedroom, Austin dressed in a white colored short sleeved cotton shirt and a set of tan colored walking shorts with a pair of tan colored boat shoes, without a pair of socks. The weather in South Florida was always hot and sizzling while craving a naked look to fight off the numerous balls of sweat, like Adam and Eve, the first couple of humans.

He dashed out the fourth floor bedroom suite with a wallet of cash after learning a hard lesson of home thievery and foolish carelessness on his part, bouncing down the black bamboo staircase with an ugly yawn, stopping in front of the cool-looking and well-hidden single garage door that was hidden behind a can of sliver tinted paint on the wall. He reached up and slapped five finger pads onto the smooth metal.

The door slowly cracked open in silence and revealed a single sports car within the narrow guts of the multi-car garage space.

Austin swiftly strolled toward the single parked sports car with another ugly yawn coming from a bad night's sleep, not a caffeine fix either. He didn't enjoy drinking a cup of tea like Frank or numerous mugs of coffee like Tom, consuming only a glass of sweet milk or chocolate milk. He also didn't need a cup of milk to awoken into the morning either. Once Austin was awake, he started the day, pronto.

Inside the garage, he stopped and leaned down, opening the car door, sliding down into the smooth leather seat and then visually checked over the instrument panel of the car for any malfunctions. He reached up and tapped on the garage door devise. All three garages opened almost all at the same time. He reached over and pressed the silver tinted button on the console. The car engine ignited with a loud roar of power. He performed another ugly yawn and stared at the lighted dashboard, without a warning light of danger. His eyeballs doubled checked the gas tank needle that extended beyond the letter of F for a full tank of gasoline.

Austin was not going to be careless again and allow the gas tank to carry a set of gassy fumes of non-existence petrol for a pleasure ride or a vital escape with his healthy body.

He reached over and belted a body into the driver's seat for safety, another rule of protection, which had been instilled into his young mind by both his loving parents and his wise brother Stu. Also, Austin enjoyed driving his sports car during excessive speed limits, where his body belted inside the driver's seat would not protect his ass from a direct collision with another hard or soft object at one hundred miles-per-hours, but his mother would be relieved that Austin obeyed her strict traffic rule.

The outside weather displayed pitch blackness and heated moisture along with a set of tiny starburst colors of reds, pinks, greens, blues, and yellows announcing an awaking sun.

Austin lived on the peninsular edge of Coral Beach, which was a piece of unique beach landscape within the US State of Florida.

From a different perspective, Berrington and his three brothers lived on the edge of the North American continent, since there was nothing between the rear balcony of his new house but tan colored sand grains, the greenish-blue ocean waves, and the bright sunrise each morning. The only roaming neighbors were the pods of sharks, herds of dolphins, and schools of fishes, unless you counted the entire continent of Europe as the closest human neighborhood across thousands of sea miles across the Atlantic Ocean.

He reached over and pressed the green tinted button, dropping the metal rooftop back down into the rear slot on the car, seeing more of the pitch blackness of the new morning with a smile. That was the purpose of a convertible sports car blistering both cheekbones and enjoying the nice sunny weather of South Florida. He slowly drove forward and then angled out from the garage space, without tearing up one side of the new garage, slowly steering down the city street of Coral Lane, the only roadway within Coral Beach that identified a row of four individual pastel colored mansions that belonged to the Quartet.

He slowly drove ahead toward the second sentry gate and lifted a hand and a smile at the nighttime watch station personnel, without stopping, slowly driving ahead, and steered through the first sentry gate. Austin wasn't an asshole like his baby brother Tom, who drove in hype-speed all hours of the day and the night on a single city street and on the private roadway of Coral Lane, like a pretend an outer space captain, who flew a pretend outer space ship. Austin slowly drove away from the set of concrete walls, a pair of irons gates, and the newly filled holes of sand that surrounded all the estate houses in Coral Beach.

He carefully steered down the city street of Sunset Drive that housed a set of nice overstory shade trees which blocked out the rising sunrays, where some of the early morning workers turned onto the same city street and followed behind the car bumper of Berrington while creating a small parade toward the main roadway of US Highway 1. Austin stopped in front at the traffic intersection with the bright red light and carefully surveyed US Highway 1. A steady stream of vehicles zoomed down the main roadway while each driver driving ahead to start the working job.

Austin had closed the business office for the day and planned to spend the rest of the week with his parents and his Quartet family in the beach town of West Palm Beach. His business company Quartet Associates was going to be sold within two weeks, one day, five hours, forty-three minutes, eighteen seconds, and three milliseconds. Austin laughed out loud as he had guessed on the milliseconds, since Tom enjoyed using the time measurement term with each breath of silliness.

However, Austin was involuntarily counting down the days and hours and minutes with no employment job of a future soon-out-of-work badass boss-man.

The traffic light turned green for go.

Inside the sports car, Austin slowly pulled out and carefully drove onto the US Highway 1 blending with the other vehicles for the new work day.

A few days ago, a gang of nicely suit-and-bowtie Japanese princes and a herd of pretty Japanese girls had invaded the tan colored sands in the city of Miami on November, the second to sign the final business purchase agreement inside the big conference room at Quartet Associates. Tom had crafted a business purchase agreement which was a legal and binding contract between a seller and a purchaser that documents the sale of a business.

On the same day of November, the second, inside the 33rd floor level of the Quartet executive suites, Austin sat around the big conference table between Stu and Gage and stared down with a stern face at the legal business purchase agreement, since he had built Quartet Associates with his hands, his heart, and his blood.

The white sheet of piece contained a set of sentences which started out: Agreement made this twenty-three day of November by and between the Quartet which were listed below. Whereas, the Seller desires to sell and the Buyer desires to buy the business of Quartet Associates.

And the business purchase agreement ended with: Closing with the completion of the purchase and sale of all the assets of Quartet Associates at the cash value of sixteen trillion dollars ($16,000,000,000,000).

To proceed with the final Quartet business transaction, Austin needed to sign the sales agreement. This was the key document for the Japanese company of princes and princesses to buy each business asset from the stacked books inside the legal library to the washroom executive door key down the hallway on the 33rd floor. Austin continued to wiggle the blue colored ink pen in the air and stared down at the piece of white paper with a heavy heart and an angry mind. He didn't want to sell the company. He didn't have anything to do after the sale of his company. His three brothers were starting a new chapter of their individual life, creating a new fetus that would produce the fifth generation of babies for the Quartet. Austin didn't have a wife or a girlfriend or a live female friend to fuck.

Still driving on US Highway 1, inside his sports car, in the early morning hour, Austin quickly excelled the gasoline pedal for more speed with a set of angry thoughts at each Quartet brother while swiftly steering around each slow-moving vehicle, losing the set of depressing mental thoughts on his business Quartet Associates. He desired to see the beams of bright sun rays hit each window on each skyscraper in downtown Miami, this morning, since he was not going into the office for a normal working day.

This day was the birth date and the upcoming annual birthday party for Soy or Uncle Soy, who was the biological asshole father to his duplicate asshole son Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

Yeah, two asshole peas within the same shitty pod of pookie!

Last year, the birthday party of Soy had been a quiet dinner with his Quartet brothers, Quartet sisters, and all their related Quartet children and spouses. This year, Soy demanded a 'real' party with 'real' entertainment and a 'real' birthday cake. Austin had been entertaining an array of lovely ladies from the county of Japan, when Frank had called the occupied and busy hotel room landline with the good news. Berrington had actually cracked open a pair of lips with a roaring laugh of silliness.

Frank had discussed the mental condition with his biological father Franklin Mangrove, Junior, where both physicians thought the mental mind of Soy had dipped down into a medical case of adult dementia. So, Soy might have to be hospitalized the day after his grand birthday party by the current family Quartet physician Jace Jackson, MD, who happened to be attending the 'family' affair, also.

However, his Quartet aunts Martha, Barbara, and Mary with his mom Betty had planned the elaborate birthday party celebration items as requested by the mental unstable birthday boy Soy, which was going to be held inside the damp and musky auditorium at the West Palm estates.

Austin had suspected that something else was coming out from the ass of Soy, a new surprise for all eardrums and all eyeballs within the Quartet family. Soy always enjoyed presenting a wicked gift or two for each Quartet elderly brother for his fun and their annoyance.

7:28 am

Interstate 95 northern location

(9 miles away from Coral Beach)

Sports car ride of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

Warm temperatures with colored rays of sunrise

Austin sped down US Highway One with a set of angry mental thoughts while watching for a police car plus a blaring siren that might try to sit behind his ass, daring to stop Berrington with an illegal traffic violation. Berrington was not in the mood for an expensive traffic ticket or a pleasure trip to West Palm Beach this morning which was eighty-three fucking traveling miles from his home in Coral Beach that ended at a yellow bricked driveway of his parents' house.

If Austin drove safely at the speed limit of 70 miles-per-hour, he would arrive alive in one hour and 38 minutes.

If Austin drove excessively the over speed limit at 80 miles per house, he would arrive alive in one hour and eighteen minutes.

If Austin drove dangerously over the speed limit at 90 miles per house, he would arrive alive at ninety-two minutes.

He wanted to break the sound barrier, this morning, with a laugh.

Berrington had spent the past two days inside a hotel room with a set of numerous Japanese women again, but he remembered another valuable lesson regarding an important part of his precious body. Instead of the pleasuring each Japanese female, he sent each female away from the hotel room and on a shopping spree.

The female species loved to shop, until they ran out of money.

Austin needed a new wardrobe of clothing items, since the set of misplaced box of new clothes had not materialized on the top of the new front porch of his new house, when Stu had torn down the old mansion and then rebuilt Austin's new mansion and then Tom had mailed all of Austin's old clothes to a South American orphanage, without replacing the hangers with a set of new clothing.

So, each Japanese female happily returned back to the hotel room and Austin with a rolling cart of colorful short and tall shopping bags that represented presents for their individual self and a single bag for Austin. He didn't mind spending the money, since he did mind performing the boring event of clothes shopping. So, over the two-day period, he had replenished an empty wardrobe closet, but he still was going to punch a bruise on Sawyer somewhere that Janey could not see on the golf course, maybe.

Yeah, his two brothers would hold Tom upright by the arms.

Inside the sports car, Austin raced around the slow stream of vehicles and steered onto Interstate 95 heading toward the residential home of parents within the city limits of West Palm Beach for the annual birthday party of Uncle Soy and slapped on a pair of sunglasses over a pair of naked eyeballs with a smile. The uprising new sun rays hit the familiar landmarks of downtown Miami piecing the skyline, painting in long crooked streaks of golds, silvers, and pinks through the pair of sunglasses inside the moving convertible. It was dangerous drive inside a ragtop over the interstate road, mostly from the array of air-drifting and flying trash debris that could hit the cheekbone of your face, but at the ninety miles-per-hour, the debris would hit the front of the windshield and blow up toward the heavens, instead at the face of Austin.

He flew by the tall fixed columns of sparkling skyscraper metal and window panes on Brickell Avenue within an eye blink while swiftly veering toward a northwesterly direction on Interstate 95 passing over SW 8th Street. He sped over the river bridge that displayed the City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department structure, if his pair of eyeballs had left the roadway pavement. At ninety miles-per-hour, a driver should not turn and sightsee at downtown Miami for fun.

He passed over the downtown city street of West Flagler Street that housed the Miami-Dade County court house. Austin had been visited that building too many time within his short life span of thirty-one years. He possessed a law degree and never had attended to use the legal service. But over the past five months, since June the first, his law degree and his lack of law knowledge had done nothing to save the single life of the Quartet client.

Tom was the action hero on each red, white, and blue crime fighting episode within the Quartet, since the first day of June, this year. Sawyer had used his smart neurons and saved the life of his Quartet sister Misty Marie from the evil ten red tinted fingernails on the "Evil Temptress," using one of Tom's creative nicknames. Then, Tom had indirectly saved the entire Quartet from the "Golden Goddess" in the boat during a hurricane. Then, Tom had saved the ass of Austin from the "Texter Bitch" that day inside the Coral Beach auditorium. Then, Tom had saved the ass of his Quartet brother Stu in a court of law from the vile face of the "Bad Witch" also.

Tom should have become the leader of the Quartet, where not one of past crime fighting battles would have occurred within the life of Austin. Baby brother Sawyer always whined that the Quartet was a set of business men, not a carload of private dicks.

Yeah, Tom was always right.

Stu was always posing _that_ annoying question to his other two brothers: Was Tom Sawyer really a member of the Quartet?

The answer was a definite hell, yes. Tom had shown and showered all of his love, his talents, and his skills in numerous places, ways, and situations along with his selfish and arrogant first person selfie. The next time, Stu asked _that_ particular annoying question, again. Austin was going to punch Gage in the stomach for being an asshole, which was finally end the verbal debate.

At 7:30 am in the morning and 14 miles away from Coral Beach, inside the speeding sports car, Austin passed over the city street of NW 5th Street, without seeing the metal rooftop of the Miami Police Station. Austin knew the location of the police station facility, since he lived within the outskirts of Miami. However, he had not visited that particular police station. Instead, Berrington had visited too many times the Coral Gables police station during a set of individual unpleasant events.

One such unpleasant event, when his baby brother Tom had been arrested for drinking under the influence of alcohol and then his car had killed an old woman at the steering wheel. When the legal truth had been discovered, Tom had been drugged by an incompetent lawyer who had worked inside the South Miami District Attorney office during a friendly evening dinner arrangement. Then Tom had run his sports car into a stationary automobile that happened to be underneath a traffic light in the middle of night on a lonely city road. Tom had not killed anyone that deadly night, but a dead corpse that had been trapped inside an abandoned car. Then, the billions of dollars and the brains of their dear friend Jace had figured out the puzzle which saved the life on Tom from a chair inside the gas chamber at Tallahassee.

The fake car accident had been set up by the assistant district attorney Keith Newman, who was now dead and buried somewhere inside a Miami gravesite. Newman had been quickly trialed in a court of law and found guilty as a criminal of numerous illegal crimes. When he entered the state prison system as a former district attorney, his life wasn't worth a turd shit log inside the overflowing toilet bowl among the "real" criminals of the world. He died within three days coming from a mysterious blew to the rear of the skull.

Austin had not read about the tragic death, since he didn't enjoy reading about terrible news coming from a printed newspaper or on the screen of the electronic internet or from a speaker of a car radio or seeing the visual new casts on the television plasma screen or on the screen of a computer laptop. But his alert and nosy brother Frank Mangrove had informed Austin of the terrible information. So, Austin had secretly arranged for the family members of Keith Newman to receive a wealth of gifts coming from an anonymous benefactor, of course. Frank had disagreed with the array of Austin's financial gifts, since Keith Newman had tried to frame their Quartet brother Tom as a cold-blooded murderer, who would have been executed inside the gas chamber without a life of parole. However, Austin had pointed out that the family members of Keith Newman were not a fault and some of Austin's billions of dollars had to be used for some good coming from a bad situation and the Quartet had again had saved the life on Tom.

At 7:33 am in the morning and 16.5 miles away from Coral Beach, inside the speeding sports car, Austin cleared his mind and continued to steer on Interstate 95 flying over NW 10th Street within the community of Overtown, where Austin had never or will never conduct a business transaction.

The current business transaction of the month was the sale of his business and his baby Quartet Associates, which was progressing at the steady pace with the set of happy and yappy royal princes and princess from the international Japanese company.

The royal of Saudi Arab had become upset that the Quartet was selling off the business venture and enjoyed creating a massive amount of immediate legal work for head attorney Tom Sawyer with an array of numerous changes that consisted of new princes, old princes, new princesses, and old princesses on each new and old legal contract while the staff of QA lawyers continued to work and build their own law firm, during working job hours.

Tom wasn't upset about the new lawyer building business venture, but Austin was very concerned. Tom had explained that the QA lawyers dreamed of owning their own law firm which would continue to handle some of the existing Quartet clients and Sawyer had given his verbal and hand gesture blessings. Thus, the team of hard working lawyers was not performing one single legal brief for the Quartet.

And a party of preppy princes and princesses from the Japanese international company had come here Miami to keep a pair of eyeballs and a set of two nostrils on their property, personnel, and precious assets.

Before the fleet of Japanese private business airplane had hit the gray tarmac at Opa-Locka airport, a bigger fleet of newer business private airplane jets had landed first, where a group of Saudis had visited the business company Quartet Associates to finish all the contract negotiations in person, only the princes were invited to the headquarters conference room. Thus, a set of royal assholes coming from both the countries of Japan and Saudi Arabia were housed inside one building, on one floor, in one city, on one continent, of one planet, who were two conference rooms apart.

The young and smarter Quartet had called in a set of reinforcements, their biological fathers. The biological fathers of Austin, Stu, Tom, and Frank had been split into two groups with one set of fathers spying on the Japanese princes during the long daylight hours. The other pair of fathers surveyed the group of Saudi royals.

Until the first incident of non-blood, one of the brave and smart-ass young Saudi princes had somehow brought onto the penthouse floor a live and growling young tiger that was a teenager, not an adult. Then, the tiger and the prince had entered inside the conference room with the royal Japanese princes for some deadly fun.

Uncle Stuart had been monitoring the busy hallway for trouble, smelling the trouble, before seeing the trouble. He quickly ducked into the office of Frank and spilled his cup of coffee over the clean floor, immediately calling Stu on the mobile telephone to bring up the dogs.

A set of dogs lived during the day inside the Quartet Associates headquarter building coming from a newly created K-9 unit of devoted dog handlers, who owned and trained each dog with love and care. Stu would not tolerate a dog handler that used and abused an animal. And one time, Gage had gladly beaten the shit out of two human handlers of their dogs with his personal vile punishment. Then, the two dogs came to live with his father Stuart, where his mother Barbara took care of them and found them a new home of two different loving families.

The new unit of K-9 dogs was located inside the building for safety of the personal and then went home each night to sleep in a bed with their dog handler. The headquarters of Quartet Associates used state-of-the-art computer monitors to guard the campus at night.

Once the pack of dogs had entered onto the penthouse floor and sniffed the new wild pretty, they stood and blocked the entrance door for about fifteen minutes teaching everyone a valuable lesson about their sorry-ass life. Inside the conference room, each royal was yelling or screaming or crying with fear, until finally Stu unlocked the outside latched on the trapped door.

The tiger and the young Saudi prince continued to stand at the far wall inside a messy conference room of broken furniture pieces and puddles of stinky yellow tinted piss on top of the clean floor with a laugh and a smile. Each Japanese royalty rushed out from the room and ran toward the bathroom.

The second incident of blood occurred late one afternoon, after a series of busy business meetings, both the young and the older Quartet had been exhausted and hunger, not alert. One the young royal Japanese princes had hidden a bejewel dagger down inside his underwear and in front of his penis. When the line of Saudi princes was slowly marching down the hallway, the clever prince stood inside the open archway of the conference room and nodded to each prince with a fake smile reaching down, grabbing the dagger out from the trousers and tossed it into the huddle. The dagger hit the leg on an elderly Saudi prince and as the prince screamed and dropped down to the floor in both pain and blood. The wounded prince had been rushed to the emergency room at Charity Hospital and then lived.

The next morning, a row of QA guards lined an empty hallway with a hand gun and a golden tinted face mask that showed only a pair of eyeballs. Inside each conference room, a row of padded chairs against each four walls held an individual QA guard with a loaded hand gun and a golden face mask that showed only the eyeballs.

Thus, the Quartet had enough of the silly rivalry inside their building.

Then, the rest of the days with the important business meeting had been successful and the two set of royal assholes had left the Quartet Associates headquarters building, without a death or another bloody incident.

On top of the interstate, at 7:34 am in the morning and 18.1 miles away from Coral Beach, inside the speeding car, Austin continued driving above the posted traffic limit while speeding through the complicated Dolphin Expressway. He glanced down at the slow moving cars on top of the grounded city street which was named NW 17th Street while he continued to steer around the slower Interstate traffic, heading in a northern direction.

The traffic of workers and work trucks flowed lightly away from the inner guts of metro city Miami as opposed to the southbound lane showing a fluid motion of in-coming vehicles of daily workers for a work day.

On top of the interstate roadway, at 7:36 am in the morning and 23 miles away from Coral Beach, inside the speeding car, Austin soared over the dry roadway and above the posted speed limit below the city street of NW 36th Street while maneuvering around the slower traffic, heading in a northern direction toward the community of Miami Springs. He cringed with the set of new metal thoughts.

In the hot and sizzling month of June, the Quartet, somehow, had switched from a group of nicely dressed business men into a gang of red, white, and blue crime fighters, without the long satin cape. He and his three Quartet brothers had chased after an unknown "Angel of Death" criminal, when it had been discovered that the Berrington's only godson had been brutally murdered inside the private hospital bed at Charity Hospital from a mysterious medical condition by a mysterious person, who was dubbed an "Angel of Death." Inside one of the abandoned and purchased warehouse at Miami Springs, the Quartet had set up a medical laboratory for their friend and the Quartet physician Jace Justin Jackson, Junior to perform a series of madman experience on a dead body.

Austin still housed a set of deeply mixed feelings from the first red, white, and blue American criminal case, where the Quartet had been solved the case with numerous dead bodies and billions of money dollars that led into additional red, white, and blue criminal cases which had also escalated down into a set of deeper mixed emotions within the mental mind and heavy heart of Berrington.

At 7:40 am in the morning and 28 miles away from Coral Beach, inside the speeding car, Austin soared down Interstate 95 and passed below the city street which was named NW 103rd Street while maneuvering around the slower traffic, still heading in a northern direction toward to the community of Miami Shores.

Once the Angel of Death had been caught and captured, the Quartet had become the legal team that represented the villain and had visited the villain who was locked inside an enclosed containment field within the Miami Shores prison building for a few weeks, until the court trial had ended.

At 7:41 am in the morning and 30 miles away from Coral Beach, inside the speeding car, Austin soared down Interstate 95 and passed below the city street which was named NW 119th Street as a matching silver sports car with the rooftop down also zoomed onto the interstate roadway and then followed behind his tail. Austin glanced into the rear view mirror with a chuckle. The driver of the sports car was a female, who was having fun while weaving side to side through the slower traffic like Austin in the early morning hours too.

At 7:42 am in the morning and 31 miles away from Coral Beach, inside the speeding car, the female driver swiftly passed Austin running at ninety-five miles-per-hour with a wicked smile of danger.

At 7:43 in the morning and 33 miles away from Coral Beach, Austin laughed out loud with dangerous fun and swiftly down shifted the clutch pedal for more speed to the roaring engine with a grin. "No. No. I'm the speed demon of the roadway, this morning, honey," he soared over the dry roadway of I-95 at one hundred miles-per-hour and passed her sports car over the below city street that was named NW 125th city street and crossed the interstate bridge.

She was not perturbed with dangerous speed or dangerous Austin and as she soared her matching silver tinted sport cars over the dry roadway passing Austin at one hundred and five miles-per-hours above the grounded city street which was named NW 135th.

At 7:47 in the morning and 40 miles from Coral Gables, Austin and the female driver playfully chased each other on top of the Interstate 95 traveling over each ground city street from NW 135th city street toward 205th Street for stretch of seven straight miles between slow moving vehicles. She slapped on a right hand signal light and stomped onto her set of brakes, slowing her car on top of interstate like she wanted to entertain Austin for a couple of minutes.

He laughed out loud and stomped his set of brakes, also, slowing his speed and then veered toward the exit ramp, following behind her set of red colored tail lights. He veered off the exit ramp in an eastern direction and then driving onto the city street that was named Ives Diary Road.

The driver of the silver sports car tossed up an arm into the air to follow her. She led down the busy roadway and then swiftly turned into an empty parking lot of pizza restaurant that was closed during the morning rush hours of workers, parking a few feet in front of the dark green tinted garage trash receptacle.

Austin followed also, slowed the car, and then stopped a few feet slightly diagonally behind her rear bumper with the wicked grin for a morning of fun while still running the engine with a laugh.

During one of the red, white, and blue crime battles with another she-villain, Quartet brother Frank had been kidnapped by a wicked girl, who had been named the "Demon Doll," as Frank had tossed out his personal mobile telephone near a free-standing dark green tinted garage trash receptacle, like this one, where the other three brothers had torn metro city Miami apart looking for a misplaced Mangrove.

Currently, in front of the nasty trash dumpster, the female driver stopped the engine and then opened the door, sliding out from the leather seat, standing tall and slender with a head of blonde hair and a face of pale skin.

"Damn it to hell!" Austin whispered for his eardrums only with a grin at the unnamed female. "She looks like my dream doll from my mental image at 2:31 am, this morning. So, I'm to help her for some weird ass reason. Well, this a good start of a lousy morning." He didn't have to arrive at the home of his parents until the late, late afternoon. Berrington deserved some fun, before the boring, snoring birthday party of an old man with a set of boring friends and a tall cake of sugary white frosting.

The unknown female turned with a smile to face Austin and whipped out a hand gun from the side pocket of the yellow tinted designer jacket, pointing the cold barrel at the sour frown on Berrington with a loud giggle.

"Damn it to hell!" Austin shouted out loud with a sneer and then released the steering wheel with a growl, quickly lifting the right forearm up into the air without getting murdered by the deceptive bitch. The right hand was his shooting hand for his Ghost and also his driving hand inside the sports cars that guided the manual transmission gear on the right side of his body which was positioned down on the floor board. Austin could slap the floor stick into each gear with a left cupped hand, but it was very difficult as his body was severely stripped down and cross-ways into the captain chair inside the tiny sports car for safety.

Behind the trash receptacle, a split group of two pairs of tall and bulky females dashed around the green metal with a sour sneer, swiftly advancing toward Austin also.

Austin glanced at the army of more blonde-haired bitches and then reached over with a left hand, pulling out his Ghost out from the shoulder hostler, lifting a hand even with her vagina inside a matching pair of yellow tinted trousers. He pressed the trigger on the Ghost with a steady left index finger, since he had been trained to shoot with either hand, killing her pussy through the bright fabric. She gasped in shock and swiftly looked down to see the pain and the damage on her tall and slender body.

The blonde bitch had viewed a set of crisscrossed safety belts over the chest of Austin which had entrapped his body down into the driver's seat without recognizing that one of the matching shoulder hostler that carried his Ghost per wiser and smarter Quartet brother Stu.

Austin continued to discharge an individual sharp razor while titling the barrel of his Ghost up toward the middle of her folded body and as each razor punched into her stomach and then her belly button. He laughed out loud with a smile. "Bingo! I mean, belly button!" He continued to pump a single razor into the middle of her rib cage, her esophagus, and finally her hair roots on top of her skull, since she was looking down at the array of spilling blood proteins that covered her pair of yellow matching designer shoes. Her folded body tumbled forward and then landed down on top of the hard pavement in a cold hard silence death.

Austin swiftly twisted the Ghost toward the row of advancing blonde-haired and bulky female bitches, without firing a razor, and then slapped down on both the foot clutch and the gas pedal at the same time, twirling the car around with one hand, speeding away from the parking lot, the dead girl, and the row of sneering ugly female bitches. He heard a set of multiple whamping sounds coming from numerous hand guns and then heard a single light ting sound that hit onto the left side of the tail light, where the single flying bullet had pierced the red tinted plastic.

He left the parking lot of the pizza restaurant and then pulled out in front of a line slow-moving car onto the city street named Ives Dairy Road, swiftly racing ahead around the slow-moving traffic, speeding back toward Interstate 95 with a low sneer for his eardrums only. "Damn it to hell! Buy another car, Berrington!" Inside the speeding sports car, Austin pitched the smoking Ghost down into the passenger seat and then switched both the clutch and the gasoline pedals, flying away from the city street named Ives Dairy Road and turned into the entrance ramp of Interstate 95. He swiftly sailed inside the interstate traffic and headed north toward West Palm Beach inside the Express Lane.

On the interstate, the Express Lane had been designated for a shared car pool transportation taking a carload of two or more co-workers toward the same work place, not for a solo driver with an arrogant attitude like Badass Berrington.

Austin continued to speed over the posted limit with a sour attitude at 7:54 am in the morning and 42 miles away from Coral Gables.

It was obvious within his brain cells. One of the construction workers at building site of his new house had been spying on Austin's return visit back into the small beach town of Coral Beach. Austin had been absent from all the social parties and away from all the fun galas within metro city Miami and then he had distanced his person away from his three Quartet brothers. So, some smartass construction worker had gotten the impression that Austin had went solo rouge, without an armed escort of QA guards, which was not far from the truth. When Austin had returned back home to his newly constructed house, the smartass worker had spied on Berrington's movements while following around the city street the silver tinted sports car plus the solo behavior of Austin.

Austin had only been home for four days.

"Damn it to hell! I'll never date or trust a natural blonde or a bottled colored bleached blonde again in my life. Every one of these fucking ass females had a head of blonde hair roots," he slid out the Express Lane into the General Purpose Lane.

The General Purpose Lane was four wide lanes that stretched toward the west and away from the Express Land which had been designated for a solo driver or a big rig truck driver or a driver with family members or passengers to steer toward work or play.

Austin sped ahead inside the General Purpose Lane and then swiftly passed the line of slow-moving vehicles in the Express Lane, sliding ahead back into the Express Lane, moving faster with an ugly sneer of past memories.

His old former flame Liz Harris had been a blonde-headed bitch also and she had tried to murder Austin inside his private bedroom of his own house, without success. Then, that unnamed mobile telephone texter chick had been another blonde-haired bitch that had tried to blackmail the Quartet for billions of dollars without success.

Austin had dated an array of women in different sizes, skin tones, and hair colors including brunette, auburn, fiery red, rich black, sandy brown, strawberry blonde, and blonde. Now, he wondered if there was a head of colored hair that he had never dated and could maybe try for fun with his silly mental thought while speeding over the dry roadway towards his parents' house.

Well, that smartass construction worker had a pretty girlfriend, who wanted to live a luxury lifestyle on a Caribbean island, after both of them had planned and executed a successful kidnapping with Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth.

Austin had promised to shoot first and never ask questions, if his life had been threatened again. He had fulfilled that promise quickly and silently prayed, not doing that again.

He slid back into the General Purpose Lane passing another line of slow-moving vehicles, speeding down the interstate with a hardy laugh of amusement, since Berrington had lectured to Tom time and time again on the dangerous mission of running solo, within the Quartet. Here, in the early morning hours on a work day, in the middle of the work week, Austin was racing down the busy interstate, without a travel bodyguard escort.

At 7:55 am in the morning and 45 miles away from Coral Gables, at the interstate entrance ramp of Hallandale Beach Boulevard, a set of three matching silver-tinted sports cars with a metal rooftop stored down into the closed slot of the rear trunk swiftly entered onto the interstate road speeding fast ahead and then started tailing behind the rear bumper of Austin's sports car.

His eyeballs swiftly darted toward the rear view mirror at the new scene and as his low growl echoed throughout the air waves. "Well, that's really original, my new three dumb asses. So, the dead and not buried blonde haired bitch female had not only purchased an army of ugly she-villains that looked like her blonde hair, but a set of matching silver tinted sports cars that looked like mine for the kidnapping of Badass Berrington, this early morning. They say that imitation is a form of flattery. I am not flattered. I am furious," his eyeballs returned back to the road and as he downshifted the clutch for more engine power, speeding ahead and then quickly slid down into the Express Lane.

The Express Lane was one stretch of roadway that had been designated a driver with numerous family members or passengers, not a solo driver. And the dry interstate roadway had collected a few more slow-moving vehicles heading to work in the northern Miami.

The row of three sports cars split into a set of individual vehicles.

One of the sports cars shifted sideways and moved down into the Express Lane, riding the ass of Austin for her annoying fun. The second sports car sailed ahead and slowed, pulling up beside the passenger door next to Austin inside the closest General Purpose Lane.

The General Purpose Lane was four wide lanes and had been designated for a solo driver or a big rig truck driver or a driver with family members or passengers to steer toward work or play.

The third sports car flew forward and then slid sideways leading Austin inside the Express Lane, slamming down on the brakes with a set of red tinted tail lights that glowed into the face of Berrington.

Riding inside the Express Lane, Austin swiftly slammed down on the brake pads with a sneer without hitting the rear bumper of the lead silver tinted sports cars in front of his car grill. "Fuck! That's the oldest trick in the driver's manual, sweetie. Boxing in your prey on the single stretch of roadway and then forcing the prey to stop and surrender! Well, I'm the boss of the Quartet. And I do not surrender to any one bitch or bastard ever," he rapidly angled the front bumper of his car into empty air space between two of the upright short poles that warned another car of his lane diving or lane changing, which was an illegal crossing maneuver for a driver coming from the Express Lane and then gliding inside the closest General Purpose Lane.

However, Austin didn't give a shit.

The left side front bumper of his sports car slapped into the flexible upright pole as the rest of the car scooted almost sideways at an angle and then straightened up, driving inside the clear General purpose lane.

The right side front bumper on Austin's car gently smashed into the left rear bumper on the lead silver tinted sports car that continued to ride in front of his engine grill during that slick maneuver. The lead sports car executed an out of control spin toward the right side, spinning sideways away from the other sports car that had been riding Austin's ass, and then violently slammed its front grill into a twenty-foot tall continuous solid vanilla colored concrete Sound Barrier Wall.

The Sound Barrier Wall was 22-foot in height and was exhibited as a continuous piece of solid vanilla tinted concrete on the east side of the roadway surface stretching northward up to 99 miles, coming from the interstate entrance point at metro city Miami through Ft. Lauderdale and finally into the beach town of Jupiter in Palm Beach County. The wall had been constructed between the edge on the hard pavement surface inside the Express Lane on the interstate and each row of green colored manicured lawn in every home community behind the concrete wall that resided near the busy interstate. The object was called a sound wall, because it could reduce the sound or noise of each moving vehicle away from the nearest homes that lived beside the busy interstate roadway.

The continuous 99 miles of interstate roadway consisting of a colorful concrete sound wall that had been expensed by the US Federal taxpayers at 218 million dollars and the wall could not be built any taller than 22 feet as it could not withstand hurricane gusts of 140 miles-per-hour.

Then the lead silver tinted sports car exploded into a red, blue, yellow, and pink tinted fiery lumpy fireball.

Inside the General Purpose Lane, his peripheral vision picked up the fire ball behind his rear bumper and as Austin laughed loud out while speeding excessive at eighty-miles-per-hour down a busy interstate, without a police car in sight, "Damn it to hell, girl! You shouldn't carry around a full box of TNT dynamite inside the dark trunk of your tiny sports car. In case, you hit the sound barrier wall by mistake," laughing.

The two other silver tinted sports cars performed the same driving maneuver similar to Berrington, illegally steering between two upright poles and then safety scooted inside the General Purpose Lane among the flowing morning work traffic. Each car split apart and sped ahead inside a separate General Purpose Lane while chasing after the ass of Austin.

Inside the General Purpose Lane, Austin quickly thought about exiting off the interstate and escaping down a side roadway but axed that lousy idea. If one of sports car rear-ended his vehicle, then he could be injured or his vehicle could be permanently damaged. Then, the nasty pair of matching she-villains would beat his body into subconscious and then complete the kidnapping plot for billions and billions of dollars.

Yeah, Money Man Frank would pay the billion-dollar ransom to retrieve his Quartet brother Austin while Tom would rather attend the funeral of Berrington with a mess-up bloody face coming from angry Quarter brother Stu, since Austin had designated his billion-dollar bank account to be split among his three Quartet brothers, in case of sudden death.

Inside the General Purpose Lane on Interstate 95, Berrington still didn't see a single roaring police officer car and only had five open lanes of the interstate roadway for his body protection. He swiftly veered sideways and angled the car, maneuvering the front bumper back into the Express Lane for a second time while quickly sliding between the two pole delineators and then right side front bumper slapped the concrete on the Sound Barrier Wall. The sports car ricocheted back into the Express Lane with force as Austin reduced the wind speed and controlled the car with a gasp, sliding back into the General Purpose Lane without crashing with another vehicle.

The two remaining drives of the matching silver tinted sports car didn't understand. His expensive custom-made vehicle had been composed of some type of special metal, compliments of Stu, where his front or rear bumper could bounce off the concrete wall and become slammed into the solid wall of hard concrete blocks. Austin could bounce off the sound barrier wall and back into the express lane roadway all day long without wrecking his body or killing his person, only the expensive sports car.

The morning traffic was swiftly collected sets of new drivers sailing down the numerous lanes on the fixed roadway, where an innocent driver might be hurt or worse killed by one or both of the nasty she-villain drivers.

Austin had to dispense the other two sports cars, immediately.

His eyeballs darted back and forth into the rear view mirrors and then back onto the fixed roadway, traveling around the slower cars inside the middle General Purpose Lane. The second matching silver tinted sports car followed Austin and maneuvered around each slower car, sticking to his tail, too closely. He slammed down on the brake pads with a gasp. The lead driver of the other matching silver tinted sports car in front of Austin had slowed down the wind speed with caution while reacting to the slower drivers inside the same General Purpose Lane.

The drivers of the second matching silver tinted sports car quickly slammed down on the brake pads behind the rear bumper of Austin, also, without killing Berrington.

Inside the General Purpose Lane, Austin shifted the gear stick into reverse with a sneer and as the gear box shrieked in metal pain, slamming his rear bumper into the front bumper on the second matching silver tinted sports car.

The second sports car quickly slid sideways and as the tiny collision at ninety-miles-per-hour spun out of control and then rotated in a clockwise direction while sliding across the three northbound interstate lanes, without luckily hitting another innocent driver.

Austin jammed the transmission stick into drive with a sneer and slapped it into first gear, speeding ahead, gently tapping into the rear bumper on the lead sports car.

The second matching silver tinted sports car hit the sandy medium strip and then flipped upright, landing on the passenger seat door and then exploded into a pretty fireball of green, gold, yellow, pink, and red hue.

The lead sports car swiftly spun out of control also and then rotated in a counter clockwise direction striking into the tall and thick concrete Sound Barrier Wall at the front bumper bouncing side to side against the hard wall. Then the car exploded into a fireball of pink, green, and yellow hue.

At 8:02 am in the morning and 47 miles away from Coral Beach, Austin angled the car back toward the farthest General Purpose Lane while avoiding the individual small and large flying pieces of heated metal coming from the body parts of the dead female bitch and her damaged sports care. He swiftly steered around each slow-moving vehicle that almost stopped in the road avoiding the flying debris or watching the two sets of burning fireballs which drifted over the gray pavement.

This would have never happened to his baby brother Tom Sawyer. Tom had hired away ten of the twelve elite fighters from the QA guards that Stu had personally trained for combat. When Tom casually drove around the city inside a personal sports car, his personal vehicle was safely blocked by one of the elite fighters, who drove inside a black tinted sports car. When his wife Jane drove around the city of Miami also, her personal sports car was always escorted in front by a black tinted sports car and in the rear by a second black tinted sports car.

Frank had been the billionaire brother in the past that had expensed millions and millions of dollars on his precious wife Misty Marie and her rare collection of fine gem stones and jewelry pieces, where Misty worn on a daily and nightly basis. However, Austin wondered about the extra dollar amounts that Sawyer had used to acquire and maintain a tiny army of ten elite QA fighters.

Tom had to supply each QA fighter an annual salary plus a package of expensive fringe benefits, such like, sick pay, vacation days, and health insurance premium, paying all the payroll taxes, and expensing each eaten meal and used tank of gasoline, a few costly items for maintaining a small army of private bodyguards that covered both Tom and his wife Jane. Austin also pondered who had paid for the ten expensive sports cars for each QA elite guard that Tom had employed through his personal payroll system.

If Austin secretly uncovered that Tom was bankrolling his private army through the operating funds of Quartet Associates, then Berrington would not only bust a nose bridge, he would break Tom's arm, both. So, Austin would inquire with his two other brothers Frank and Stu about that intriguing financial issue.

This unsuccessful attempted kidnapping incident would have never happened to Stu. Stu and Gracie rode inside their personal limousine, since Gracie liked to stop at every small retail shop during the long trip and then purchase tons of new merchandise for their family home.

And this kidnapping attempt would have never happened to Frank either. He and his wife Misty Marie rode inside his luxury sedan, where Frank drove very fast toward the final destination without stopping for anyone.

Inside the speeding sports car, Austin slapped the steering wheel with a nod and a stern face. "I'm not mentioning this asinine incident to Frank, since he would humorously tattle to Stu. Then, Stu would purposefully tattle to Tom. Then, Tom would tell the entire fucking world with a loud obnoxious tenor coming out of a pair of soft pink tinted lips." His eyeballs viewed the time clock and then the road. He had left his house at 7:15 am and had been driving for 47 miles covering 47 miles which was traveling his car one mile per minute.

He could do better than that.

Currently, at 8:04 am in the morning, 50 miles from Coral Beach crossing above the city street name Pembroke Road on the interstate, Austin was still 54 miles away from his parent's house. He down shifted and gained more speed, driving at ninety-five miles-per-hour with an angry attitude and sour frown, forgetting about the lost lives of the seven idiots and breaking the time limit of thirty-six minutes.

Austin continued to perch like a bronze statue in the driver's seat within his damaged sports car and observed with both eyeballs and his smart neurons the front windshield, the two side windows and finally each rear view window for another nasty surprise, without playing the radio with music. He did not travel with a briefcase, a notepad, a tape recorder, a laptop or a mobile telephone, because Berrington did not take notes, record voices, or type key strokes on a console.

He observed, watched, listened, and learned continuously with working, playing, or driving. A nifty trick taught to him by his dad who had been the true leader and future visionary of the elder Quartet, which made all of them both rich and famous.

His dad said that you could tell a man of guilt, happiness, or angry by his body language, his voice patterns, his eye movements, his finger shifts, and the cups of beverages consumed.

Austin studied, watched, listened, and heeded his dad's advice on every worldly subject. This precious knowledge was not acquired in an academic room, a Sunday school class, an office board room, or a master bedroom, only by observation, time, attentiveness, and experience.

His dad was always right, of course, along with the three golden rules for his biological son and three non-biological brothers.

No solo performance was the number one rule for his son and Austin's brothers, growing from a gang of young mischievous boys to a bunch of wild pimpled-faced teenagers, and then a team of eagerly bright college men.

Today, the Quartet, four mature adults in early thirties was always surrounded by either their biological family members and his blood brothers and their wives.

Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV was the chief executive officer of Quartet Associates, both the leader and boss.

Franklin Mangrove, III was the chief financial officer of Quartet Associates as the talented CPA and talented physician.

Stuart Thant Gage, III was the chief operating officer of Quartet Associate both the engineer and the muscle.

Thomas Edison Sawyer, III was the head attorney of Quartet Associates both the legal eagle and the vile jokester of the brothers.

As CEO of Quartet Associates, Austin had established three rules for his brothers.

No solo performance was the number one rule.

The Quartet was the sole owners and operators of a multibillion dollar international security company, which was selfishly named, Quartet Associates. Some wise-cracking observant people (media types, fools, and enemies) enjoyed referencing them as Quartet Assholes.

Austin found that honorific title fit, occasionally.

No brother traveled alone not even to the boring and mundane Saudi Arabia legal cases which Tom had to preside, when a Quartet client broke a national or international legal law.

Rule number two was no dynamic duos like the pair of super hero antics like Batman and Robin of the 1960s fantasy television program.

Rule number three, no trio performance, like the three stooges, an old black and white comedy Hollywood program played in 1950s. The three stooge brothers caused trouble, made trouble, and stayed in trouble from the beginning to the end of the old television show.

The current Band of Brothers attended all events, social, professional, and public together, unless they were at their private house or on a private vacation with a set of subtlety hidden bodyguards. After all, Quartet Associates was a security company, where the brothers and their families came first and foremost and were guarded with the highest protection available during any type of social event.

However, Austin and his brothers could take care of themselves also, without the detailed and secret bodyguards, especially after Stu's well-trained and well-practiced lessons in a series of tough and rough martial arts, weapon training, self-defense, and hand to hand combat classes, sessions, and clashes.

Stu did not make the body workouts fun or dainty more like daunting and exhausting. Austin ached for days afterwards within his bones that he did not know ever existed, after Stu's tosses, throws, and punches. The Band of Brothers was trained hard, long, and often to maintain their reputations of a highly profitable security company with more high unprofitable enemies.

Austin was five feet and eleven inches tall or in this case short compared to his three brothers. He was the shortest, oldest, and leader of the Quartet.

His dad, Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the third still held that very same position within the old band like his grandfather and his great grandfather years before.

Austin possessed a set of multiple college degrees including a BS, a MBA, and a JD from Miami-Dade University.

The official dress code of hot sizzling South Florida was casual. Austin had found a wool suit both hot and constricting on his muscular body as he favored his dad's physical frame with a pair of long things, a short waist, and a well-rounded chest which were filled with his muscles bulging down to his hand wrists. He weighed in at one hundred ninety pounds with black wavy hair which was parted on a left side, and a pair of silver almond shaped eyeballs on a triangular golden suntan brown face with a set of high cheekbones.

A cute cliff chin cut across all his cotton turtleneck shirts as Austin liked the turtleneck style and fit with no display of a neck tie or a tie pin or a shirt collar. He wore a turtleneck during the seasonal winter, summer, spring, and autumn, except outside when playing for fun. He replaced the turtleneck with a casual shirt or a T-shirt. He paired a dark or white turtleneck with a pair of an alternating dark or white pair of trousers with a matching or contrasting dark or white jacket. Since, the casual sports jacket possesses his Ghost, the official hand pistol of Quartet Associates for shooting an enemy or any other person daring to piss him off at the moment.

Now, the Quartet was selling their home grown international business company Quartet Associates as each individual male at the age of thirty-one continued forward onto a separate footpath into the family life surrounded by their individual biological family unit, except for Austin.

Berrington recognized the set of business philosophical rules of the Quartet didn't matter anymore. Quartet Associates was going to be sold for sixteen trillion dollars and then split four ways between his three other business partners, who were not a set of biological brothers. Austin was going to become one of the world's first ever trillionaires feeling not happy or sad, just numb and dumb.

He was a billionaire now with more money to spend within three life times, if that were even possible. Now, he was going to receive more money to spend on something. Austin had come up with a lovely idea that used some of his vast money fortune, this year.

Within the established Quartet Foundation, at the first of the year, before the set of crazy red, white and blue crime sprees, Austin had established a separate division for the growing elderly population. The new division provided a fleet of working full-sized travel vans that chauffeured any elderly senior citizen anywhere around the city of Miami, such like, to the dentist office for a dental appointment, to the physician office for a general physical, to the hospital floor for an operation, to the library center for a book, or to the grocery store for a shopping kart of food. The Quartet Foundation also paid for each dental visit, physician visit, hospital room, and kart of food for the elderly senior citizen.

Austin had developed the idea while worrying about his older parents, when his mom had traveled alone down Coral Beach to visit her only child in Coral Beach. His mom Betty didn't drive her personal sedan on the long trip anymore. She rode inside the limousine, because of her health, where Austin had thought of all the other set of elderly senior citizens like his parents, who needed the same kind of social assistance. So, Berrington explained the new concept to his three brothers.

Each brother agreed with a nod and offered to donate a personal check of 100 million dollars toward the new elderly care division, within Quartet Foundation. Each brother wrote out a personal check and handed the item to Frank, who handled all the money matters for the Quartet, except for greedy baby brother Tom.

Tom swiftly stood up from the chaise lounge chair with a sneer and quickly left the throne of Austin, dashing down the empty hallway for his private business office with a sour frown in silence.

Austin rapidly left the throne room and chased Tom down the empty hallway, cornering the bastard inside the lawyer's office. Of course, Frank and Stu enjoyed assisting big brother Austin while abusing baby brother Thomas. Austin penned Tom against the pretty painted wall of bright yellow hue inside Tom's personal lawyer office.

Frank stole Tom's personal checkbook from Tom's new leather briefcase that matched his set of new leathers also, since Tom enjoyed writing out a personal check while admiring his personal name signature with a wide smile.

Stu leaned over with a chuckle and grabbed the wiggling writing hand on Tom, after securing a blue tinted ink pen into the set of twisted fingers on Sawyer also.

Tom wiggled side to side against the solid wall and between the two biceps of Austin with a series of loud yells of fear and screams of annoyance using his elegant string of curse words into each cheekbone of each brother. "Keep off of me, asshole! Get away from me, asswipe! I'm calling Jane, shit ass. Fucking ass no! You're gawd damn blackmailing my person. No! You're kidnapping my fucking ass person. Hell no! You're threatening my person..."

Austin leaned down and sneered into the cheekbone on Tom. "Tom, I do not threat. I do harm. There is a distinct different between the two sentence structures. Now, sign your check for 100 million dollars! Or I'll break your arm in three places, which will definitely hurt. Then, you'll sign a new personal check for double my pleasure and double your greediness for 200 million dollars..."

"Break his arm, now, Austin!" Frank held the checkbook underneath the twisted hand of Sawyer with a vicious laugh. "Tom has a second arm for that very purpose to sign a new check or eat a new plate of food or hold his pissing penis. Then, you can get double your money and my pleasure, too!" Stu and Austin laughed out loud with the perfect excuse.

Tom gagged out loud and then coughed out loud and yelped out loud and then burped out loud and then farted out loud coming from the butthole and his tongue performed with a long deep sigh, scribbling his signature onto his blank personal check with a sour pout. "There! Take my check! Get the fuck away from me! I'm going to my shitty ass home to lovely whore wife Jane. I'm fuckingly leaving the work for the day and go home to my queen bee Jane. I'm had it with all three of you, asswipes. Take me fucking money! I'll get it back one way or another." He swiftly moved away from his three evil brothers with a sissy sneer and a new string of curse words, collecting his briefcase with a sour frown, leaving the office for his car downstairs.

Stu continued to stare with a puzzled brow at the back spine on Tom. "What does Tom mean by that statement: I will get it back one way or another? How can Tom make more money, without us first or last, or splitting the profits of cash?" The office door closed with a soft swish.

Frank continued to laugh out loud with a smile at the closed office door and the annoying brother, "Nothing! Tom's mad and ranting like always. That's all!"

Austin waved the check in the air with a smile. "I got his money and I got his check. I can't believe this worked. Why did Tom sign over his money to me? What did I do right, this time?"

Stu nodded at the closed door. "The threat of permanent death works very well on Tom. We should all remember that one."

Austin frowned down at the check and then looked up with a worried brow to see each face of his brother. "Tom's going home to tell Janey."

Stu turned with a sour frown to see each brother. "Yes, Janey is going to call and tattle to my wife Gracie."

Frank turned with an annoyed brow to see each brother. "Yes, Gracie is going to call and tattle to my wife Misty."

Stu exhaled with a stern face. "Yes, the threat of no sex works very well, with all of us, also."

Austin frowned. "Sorry, guys!"

"Don't worry about it, bro! We'll get over it and then we'll get Tom for something else nastier, next week." Stu laughed out loud with his brothers.

Inside the sports car, on the interstate, Austin continued to weave in and out of heavy traffic at the high rate of speed and as pair of eyeballs spotted the advertisement sign which showed a little girl with a single darkened black eye socket. The advertisement offered a telephone number to donate monies to help all abused children in South Florida. "Damn it to hell!" He remembered that he would not become a lazy-ass beach bum after all while sleeping his body away within the heated sun rays of the day on the back patio of his new house.

His three other Quartet brothers had decided to travel and see the world with a married spouse while making a viable fetus, which would become the new Quartet infant. Austin didn't have a girlfriend or a girly date for Saturday night either and then he had offered to babysit all of the Quartet Foundation activities.

Frank and Stu were worried that some of the paid employees within the Quartet Foundation would abandon some of their paid duties, if one-fourth of the Quartet was missing in action. Currently, each brother took turns attending the weekly meeting. Tom really was not concerned with anything but with his own selfish and selfie interests, as usual. So, Austin had volunteered to attend the weekly foundation meeting with the Quartet presence.

In the future, he will be overseeing each charity from Misty Marie, Janey, and Gracie for the rest of his life, if he didn't find a wife. He also agreed to provide one billion dollars of his personally wealth to each of the three charities with his brothers, except for Tom. But once, Stu had threatened to break both walking legs on Sawyer's lean and tall body, Tom had changed his mind.

Inside the speeding sports car, on the interstate, the mind of Austin returned back to the roadway with a sour frown. "Why did I do that?" He continued to shuffle the wheel through the heavy traffic with a stern face inside the sport car and check each rear view mirror for a new she-villain automobile, speeding down the dry interstate and around each slower vehicle with a heavy lead foot. He would never set the cruise control for automatic driving at such a high speed, where his eye and his hand motion could not react fast enough before a deadly incident with his life. He tapped on the steering wheel with a set of deep thoughts wondering if this was his future, driving back and forth to visit his parents, since his business would be gone from his life.

His three brothers had already divided the other Quartet toys, including the single yacht and the one business private jet airplane. Frank and Misty had claimed the sailing yacht and wanted to travel on top the world's oceans and then stop at every port of call while creating a new embryo.

Tom and Janey had claimed the business private airplane jet to start flying from coast to coast while traveling the world, also, creating their own embryo.

Stu and Gracie had planned to head out from their house in Coral Beach inside their long limousine with Stu as the driver, so Gracie could stop at every single small retail shop and buy new and unique merchandise items.

Austin had not received any of the QA toys. His silver tinted limousine vehicle was the oldest personal asset among the fleet of luxury vehicles at Coral Beach and it had been promised as a donation item to one of the local high schools for some fun time partying by a group of luckier teenagers. He didn't mind the sacrifice.

His friend and excellent chauffeur Joe was going to retire from his working job and spend more time with his wife and his grandchildren, maybe travel, also.

At 8:32 am in the morning and 100 miles away from Coral Beach, inside the speeding car, Austin continued to tap on the steering wheel and view each rear view window without listening to music or hearing the talk babble on the radio. He continued to speed around each slower driver and as he weaved in and out of each lane with a set of light hearted thoughts of pure boredom and wavering contentment, passing the Okeechobee Boulevard city street below the interstate bridge. He leaned over with a stern face and touched, switching on the radio dial.

The voice of the announcer cracked through each car speaker. _"A crash involving three vehicles shut down all five Interstate 95 northbound lanes coming out from Miami-Dade County, early this morning. Lane diving is to blame here. There was a driver attempting to perform a lane dive coming from the Express Lane of Interstate 95, going into the General Purpose Lane which may have sparked a fiery three automobile crash. The crash has caused six individual deaths. The police investigation so far has revealed at this point per the spoke woman for Florida Highway Patrol. The massive three automobile crash collision, which happened very early this morning a little after eight o'clock and has shut down all but one northbound lane, just south of Pembroke Road, right now. The news station informs each traveler to take an alternative route down into metro city Miami. The police investigators are trying to piece together the crash. So far, this is how the crash erupted._

" _A silver tinted sports car was headed north on Interstate 95 inside the general purpose driving lane, when the driver slowed down for traffic. Then, a second driver inside a second silver tinted sports car hit the right front bumper of the first sports car. The impact caused the first sports car to rotate in a clockwise direction sliding across each northbound lane toward the sandy medium, flipped onto the side, and then exploded into a fireball._

" _The second sports car rotated in a counter clockwise direction and struck the sound barrier wall on its right side. Then the second sports car overturned and landed down inside the express lane catching fire, exploding into a fireball of pink, green, and yellow also. There was a third silver tinted sports car that hit the sound barrier wall at a high rate of speed and then exploded into a three fireball._

" _This statement comes from a few eye witness drivers that saw some of the road accident which was told to the Florida Highway Patrol officer._

" _All three drivers with a single passenger has died at the crash site in an individual fireball coming from the multiply collision near the Pembroke Road exit ramp._

" _However, the cause of the crash is still under investigation, but there may be a fourth vehicle involved that traveled from the express lane through the two of the pole delineators and sailed into the general purpose lane which might have caused the entire sequence which involved three automobile crashes. The practice of lane diving is both dangerous to the driver and to the other cars. Currently, the highway transportation department is doubling their effort to install more poles between the two traveling lanes. Anyone with new information about the deadly car crashes, please contact your local police department. Thank you!"_

Austin reached over with a laugh and flipped off the radio with a smile. "Shit!" He slammed the brake pads almost missing the exit ramp that led toward his parents' house. He slowed the speed and veered toward the eastern side of the interstate with a smile. "Well, my early morning started out shitty, but it has slowly improved into greatness. Nothing can beat this event!" He weaved in and out each car on the side road and then slowed his speed, finally turning to face a single sentry gate house in dull beige tones and then stopped his car.

Elderly Band of Brother estate setting

Warm temperatures with parted clouds of sun

with four miles-per-hour westerly winds

The sentry gate slowed opened. The single professional, nice sentry guard performed a hand wave and a smile in the guard house to Austin.

Austin tossed back a hand wave and a smile, slowly driving through the private neighborhood of his Quartet family members, without speeding inside the car. His father could not beat the ass on his tall and mature child, but his father would yell loudly instead in his mid-sixties.

West Palm Estates was a private community on the edge of the private city street named Flagler Drive within West Palm Beach County that consisted of four individual mansions which was owned and occupied exclusively by the older Quartet that set on top of a flat sandy plot of 500 acres.

Each rear patio window viewed miles and miles of the bluish-gray placid estuary waters.

An estuary is a partially enclosed body of water along a coastline, where the fresh water and the salt water meet and mate as Tom would describe with his choice of vile vocal language skills. The estuary acts as a transition zone between an ocean and the land continent. An estuary has a free connection with the ocean. Fresh water input coming from a land source of a river dilutes the salt content inside the estuary. An estuary is also known as a bay, a sound, an inlet, or a harbor.

Numerous estuaries are found throughout the world, with more than one hundred along the United States coasts alone.

Inside Palm Beach County, the estuary water spans for twenty miles coming down from North Palm Beach to Ocean Ridge. Salty oceanic water enters the lagoon through the Lake Worth Inlet and the South Lake Worth Inlet, mixing with the freshwater inside the Lake Worth Lagoon coming from all the water canals.

Within the twenty mile stretch of the estuary, South Cove is one of three natural areas, where a Floridian can walk a 556-foot boardwalk that leads out toward the largest South Cove islands. Each island is covered with plot of tall tree mangroves and white tinted sea grass. Smooth limestone rocks line the outer edge of each island looking like a sugar white tinted sand dune.

Each island becomes a magnet for the flock of shore birds as the mangroves mature with fruit. A person can spot numerous snowy egrets, little blue herons, grackles, and cormorants. A flock of brown tinted pelicans flew overhead along with other sea marine mammals, such as, manatees and sea turtles.

An estuary is a habitat for thousands of marine species which is also called the "nursery of the sea," because the protected environment and abundant food provides an ideal location for both fish and shellfish to reproduce. Flocks of shore birds depend on an estuary for food and nesting areas. Migratory birds use an estuary as a stopover point for resting and feeding before continuing on their journey. Marine mammals also use an estuary as a feeding ground and a baby mammal nursery.

An estuary can filter out sediment and pollutants from the water, before it flows down into an ocean, where the excess nutrients are removed within the bordering salt marshes, resulting in cleaner water for both people and marine organisms, where all the world, people have lived and used an estuary as a food source and a water transportation route.

Within the single private estate community of the elderly Quarter, a single private roadway had been designated as a one-way street now, when Stu had visited and then discovered that his mother Mary had accidental driven in the wrong lane while trying to find the gate house during her grocery shopping run.

Each set of biological parents within the younger Quartet was slowly advancing and aging in years and was also slowly forgetting about a set of little tasks, such like, driving on the correct side of the road. Thus, Stu had the single roadway, that run in front of each mansion, repaved and steered in one direction with a set non-moving pole delineators, so his mother would not become harmed or hit another vehicle on accident.

The single roadway barely curved around the plot of sandy soil in one direction coming from the gate house, veering around the private entrance driveway next to the ancient auditorium facility and nice empty parking lot. However, today was Soy's date of birth. Austin could see several rows of full sized-vans inside the parking lot. Hopefully, the crew members were clearing out all the crawling bugs, cleaning up the numerous spider webs, and fumigating all the squeaking rats that lived for decades and decades inside that musky smelling old building, before the nightly birthday celebration.

The auditorium interior had been used the first few years ago, after his parents had retired from Miami and then settled down in the city limits of West Palm Beach. There were numerous small parties, such like, an anniversary dinner or a wedding reception or a birthday event almost every month. Then, the auditorium became too big for the small group of family members and finally abandoned to dust mice and palmetto bugs.

The single roadway straightened up and curved around towards the first estate, the Sawyer mansion. Mr and Mrs Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior lived in a lavender tinted house of concrete blocks during the day. During the dark nighttime hours, the two-story squat building on the front porch displayed a line of glowing yellow light inside each lower level undivided glass door that led into a rectangular foyer, where a guest would wait for Soy or his wife Martha. The line of glowing glass sorta exhibited a long human smile of yellow tinted teeth.

The second story displayed a line of glowing yellow lights inside each upper level undivided glass window that led into a set of empty air waves. Each undivided window sorta formed a line distinct pattern in the shape of three individual square-shaped eyeballs. Thus, the Sawyer mansion had been dubbed as the "purple-tinted people eater building" with a set of three eyeballs by the local nasty teenagers.

The front yard of the mansion showed a parallel set of yellow bricked walkways that led toward a flat slab of concrete on each side of the middle doorway. The three of the middle five archways did not open.

Austin had to enter into one of the two side front doors on the front porch into the Sawyer mansion.

At night, the illuminated yellow tinted brick walkways sorta appeared like a pair of yellow glowing fangs coming out from a wicked smile on the dubbed "purple-tinted people eater building."

Soy thought his house design was amusing. Tom thought his daddy's home was funny. Martha loved her husband and her son, without comment but a girly giggle. And the rest of the younger or elderly Quartet didn't bother commenting or visiting with Soy or Martha.

One side on the Sawyer house held a six-car garage, where a set of two paid and parked automobiles rested during the day and the night hours. The opposite side view on the mansion displayed an open patio area of tan colored sand grains, without a row of pretty colorful flowers or a set of short plant bushes, where each Quartet family member could cook food, drink beer, and watch the stars and ocean tides with Quartet family members brother Soy and sister Martha.

Inside the sports car, Austin slowly drove by the entrance driveway with a chuckle and stared at the lavender tinted house. "Soy always thought my simple A-frame two-story pink painted house lacked a touch of moral character or a manly personality. Who, with a sane mind, would purposefully paint a house in the tint of soft sissy lavender monster design?" He laughed. "An elderly man, who continues to fib about his true age, since Soy is really sixty-five years old today, not sixty-one years old. Soy continued to tell one white lie after another white lie, just like his son Tom, to everyone that he is younger than the rest of the elderly Band of Brothers, which didn't make any sense, since the four non-blood related brothers were born in the same month, of the same year." He continued down the single roadway with a chuckle and slowly steered ahead toward the home of Mr and Mrs Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, Junior.

The Mangrove mansion was a really weird-ass design that was composed of protruded horizontal layers individual pieces of jagged rocks. Yeah, layers on top of layers on top of layers of rock that made up a three-story horizontal shaped jagged rock house. Each jagged rock came in various of colors ranging from black to white to brown to tan tint which formed the unique exterior shape on the mansion, because each single rock was an ugly and wicked jagged sideways pointy design, like a damaged razor blade, not a smooth round stone of beauty.

The exterior of the Mangrove mansion appeared like a towering tan tinted cookie monster that had emerged coming from the ocean waters and stomping over the tan colored sandy shoreline, within the set of imaginative neurons on Austin.

The front lawn on the Mangrove mansion was composed only of both tan colored sand and matching rocks. There was a great big rock garden also that contained a set of huge tan colored boulders between the numerous circular row of the tiny colorful impatient flowers which was mounted between sand. Then, there were numerous smaller rock gardens that contained a set of smaller tan colored boulders, without any flowers or plant bushes.

Yeah, the Mangrove mansion was scarier and more bizarre than Soy's.

Uncle Franklin liked to maintain a set of hard rocks and soft sand, so he could visually watch the pack of white tinted fiddler crabs emerge out from the ocean waters, stomp over the sand, and then lay inside the rock garden, performing their fucking sex acts on top of each heated rock.

Yeah, Uncle Franklin was more sexually perverted for his old age rather than dirty-minded Uncle Soy.

Inside the driver's seat of the sports car, Austin laughed out loud and seriously wondered what happened when a person became old in years and mental older within their gray mind. Their individual brain cells must fry like a pan of burnt scrambled eggs.

One side of the Mangrove house hid the entrance front door for some weird ass reason, which was composed of solid glass for entering the house. The opposite side wall housed the four-door garage space which lied straight across from Stu's mansion, where Uncle Stuart had built a four-door garage space, also, protecting his two paid and parked automobiles during the day and the night.

The rear of the Mangrove manor appeared like Soy's with an open patio platform of tan colored brick, enjoying the beach activities with his Quartet brothers and sisters, such as, cooking dishes of good food, drinking tons of cold beverages, watching the nightly bright stars, walking the beach sands, or playing in the warm ocean waves.

Inside the slightly damaged sports car of silver tint, Austin slowly steered passed the driveway of the Mangrove mansion and moved ahead narrowing the eyelids through the sunglasses to see a tall and shiny home manor.

Mr and Mrs Stuart Thant Gage, Junior lived inside a building structure that resembled a triangle, literally. The front of the house was shaped like a very large one-dimensional geometry triangle which was made of solid glass windows. When a bright sun beam hit one of the clean windows, it reflected back off the glass pane and then slammed into any object below that stood on top of the ground, where an array of reflected beams was hitting into the pair of sensitive eyeballs on Austin while driving his sports car.

The rear of the Gage manor carried the same type of architectural design throughout the interior and back toward the rear of the manor. In the rear view of the manor, the five separate exterior balconies of solid concrete allowed each guest to see across miles and miles of open deep blue tinted ocean waters. Sometimes, a person could see a pod of swimming whales or a pod of playful dolphins within the calm sea waters also.

The height of the house was five stories with a ten-foot ceiling one each floor which measured a total of fifty feet up into the white fluffy cloud coverage. Sometimes, a nasty flying seagull would toss its half-eaten fish guts at your standing upright or sitting body on the fifth level for its fun and your shitty annoyance.

Austin enjoyed visiting with Uncle Stuart and Aunt Barbara when he came to see his own biological parents. Uncle Stuart would toss a fancy electric fishing line off the fourth level balcony and down into the ocean while catching a variety of small fish for their supper meal that night, without the use of a rowing boat.

The interior of the house was really cool looking also.

In the middle of the triangular-shaped side walls, there was a free-standing solid white tinted wooden staircase that zigged and then zagged side to side as you climbed up from the ground floor toward a tiny fifth level ceiling space, so the gang of rescued dogs could exercise up and down the steps, during the heated and rainy days in South Florida. Uncle Stuart and Aunt Betty run a dog rescue charity organization and would adopt some of the dogs into their private home, until they could find a proper home for each new loving family pet.

On each upper floor level, a single room had been built off to the side of the center staircase. The second floor contained a guest bedroom. The third floor contained an entertainment room. The fourth floor contained an exercise room. The fifth floor contained a little tiny enclosed third bedroom that locked with an outside door latch, where the space was both hot and heated which had been used once by Tom, when Sawyer had been misbehaving inside Uncle Stuart's house.

Yeah, even the older gang of Quartet brothers hated Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

The ground floor was split before and behind the tall and five-story wooden staircase. The kitchen space and a breakfast room overlooked the ocean view while a guest or Uncle Stu enjoyed eating platters of good food, drinking tons of cold beer, and watching the bright stars. The front window view housed a living room setting with three sets of living room furniture for all the invited guests into the Gage manor, but Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

The master bedroom was located off the side of the living room inside a dark corner, without a single viewing window for both coolness and privacy, where no other brother or sister or child ever entered.

One exterior side building wall on the Gage manor displayed a four-car garage space that faced the set of garage doors on the Mangrove's house. The opposite side wall exhibited the front entrance door that consisted of double glass doors which faced the side wall on Bartholomew's house. And the rear patio floor platform of tan brick also faced the tan colored sand and blue tinted ocean waters like the Mangrove and Sawyer mansions.

Inside the sports car, Austin slowly steered toward his second home with a smile. It was nice to visit his family, after coming back from a whirlwind trip around the world, a few days ago.

The home of Mr and Mrs Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the third was a two-story squat building made of baby blue painted concrete blocks with a metal tin rooftop. His mother adored the color baby blue. The front porch was a flat slab of smooth vanilla concrete that led into a set of double doors of glass, where the living room resided. The line of low windows was not illuminated with an individual yellow bulb like Soy's, but a set of regular bulbs.

The second story held two guest bedrooms, where one bedroom had been devoted and designated for their only child Austin and their future unborn and unnamed grandchild.

He turned into the yellow tinted bricked driveway and then stopped parking behind an open garage door with a wider smile.

Austin had returned back home while feeling both warm and happy.

His father Bartholomew, Junior spun around from the forward wall inside the open garage and slowly padded ahead toward the damaged sports car and his son Austin, stopping and looked down with a puzzled brow at the set of deep indentation on the exterior silver tinted front bumper on the sports car.

Inside the damaged sports car, Austin opened the door with a smile and slid out from the seat, standing upright with a chuckle of immediate understanding. The damage on the front bumper of his car came from the nasty death race with one or all three female asshole drivers, who were all dead and lived in hell now with their new friend Satan.

On top of the driveway, his father reached down with a fake smile and then touched a series of deep indentations on the front bumper. "What happened to your car, Austin? You're supposed to see the long and ugly ninety-nine miles of Sound Barrier Wall, not test the strength at one of the section grids between Miami and here, son. You did some heavy damage to the front bumper. It might need to be replaced."

Austin laughed out loud with a nod at the grayish hair roots on his father, "Yeah, I forget to only see the barrier wall, not ram it for fun. Thanks for the reminder, Dad!"

His father looked up with a gasp and a worried brow. His son had been involved in a car chase this morning coming from Coral Beach to West Palm Beach. He didn't know if Austin was chasing the villain or the villain was chasing after Austin. Either way, his son was here and alive in Palm Beach. Thus, the villain was dead and gone.

His father would secretly confer with both Stu and Frank about the new Quartet mission that only involved Austin, this early morning. Berrington, Junior would not ask Tom. Baby brother Tom would have no claim, no knowledge, and couldn't give a fuck about the rest of his three Quartet brothers.

Austin scooted around the car with a chuckle, slammed the door shut with a leather shoe and stopped with a smile leaning down and firmly hugged his elderly father with all his love.

Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the third was sixty-five years old with a head of gray hair, a pair of eyeglasses, and three days of grayish black tinted chin whiskers, wearing a torn and dirty white colored shirt with a pair of tan colored walking shorts, and a set of dull tan colored sandals. His father displayed a pot belly from drinking too many cold beer bottles and lacking too much body exercise during his long day of retirement. His father had displayed the same type of upper chest and bicep arm muscles during his youth like his son Austin. However, old age and an older body had turned all these set of taunt strong muscles into layers of fat that now was sagging around the middle.

Austin pulled back with a smile to see his father in silence.

His father smiled. "I heard that you have been traveling around the globe, without your brothers. Tell me about it at suppertime, right before Soy's silly birthday party! I'm leaving right now in my golf kart. My other brothers and I are going to give Soy a hard time during lunch, since I just get out of bed. Now days, I sleep in the bed later in the morning and then get up and get my day going. Your mother is anxious to see you, Austin. She's inside the kitchen with a hot plate of breakfast for you. Since, she knows that you didn't cook your daily meals. Go inside! I'll be back in a few hours and we can chat away the afternoon. Bye, Austin!" He spun around from Austin and then moved ahead, sliding down into the smooth tan colored bench seat on top of a white colored doorless golf kart with a smile and a hand wave toward his son.

Austin continued to stare with a smile at the back spine on his father. "Bye, Dad! Enjoy your lunch with my uncles! Say 'hi' to all my uncles and the birthday boy, too!"

"All right!" He started the golf kart and slowly steered ahead performing a slow putt-putt on the single roadway with a smile, slowly moving toward Soy's mansion.

In front of his sports car, Austin watched with a smile. His father soared ahead inside the golf kart side to side and then a semi-straight line, steering down the smooth pavement toward the residence of his Quartet brother Franklin first.

Austin spun around and stared down at the front bumper damage on his sports car, reaching down to touch the warped metal with a laugh. "Not too bad! I didn't see any blood proteins between the smooth indentations," he stood upright with a laugh and swung around slowly moving ahead into the open garage with a grin and a sneer. "Maybe, next time, I'll just ram some of the body parts of the bastard or the bastardette into the upright Sound Barrier Wall while permanently decorating the front bumper of my new sports car. Manly Stu would enjoy that new art form. Sissy Frank would softly moan and baby brother asshole Tom would laugh his ass off." He stood in place in front of his sports car in the heated sunlight switching his mental thoughts, worrying about his father's health.

Austin recalled a different red, white, and blue criminal case from a few months ago and the startling new information.

The young and now dead foreteller had forecasted information to Tom about his biological father. Soy had been experiencing a set of short pains within the chest. Soy went to see a new physician and then discovered that he possessed a heart murmur which only required prescription medication, but it was a real scare for the entire Quartet family, especially for both Tom and Austin.

Austin's biological dad, Austin Bartholomew, Junior was overweight from eating too much good food with boredom, lacking too much body exercise with laziness, drinking bottles too many cold bottles of beer with fun. He had lost numerous individual hair strands and looked more bald than hairy and also wore a pair of eyeglasses for his current visual eyesight.

In front of the damaged front bumper of the sports car, Austin lifted a hand and ran the fingers through a sweaty but healthy hairline with a smile. One day, he would look like his biological father, but the physical image would be in the far distance future, some thirty plus year later. Currently, Austin was only thirty-one years old. Maybe, in the future, a laboratory room full of smart scientists could implant a head of hair roots better than modern science presently. Or Austin will trend the bald bone skull look, when he turned sixty years old.

He chuckled with the new old man image.

Once his private company Quartet Associates had been sold, Austin would come out here to West Palm Beach and stay with his parents, every Thursday afternoon. Then, every Friday morning, he and his overweight father would start a routine of slowly walking on top of the golden sandy beach for both fun and exercise. Austin would not have anything to do after his boss job ended but exercise his body while helping get his dad back into a healthier body form shape.

Austin turned with a smile to see fleeing golf kart. The golf kart had safely arrived inside Uncle Franklin's open garage floor. Berrington spun around to face the garage space with a deep sigh of worry about his own set of elderly parents and then moved ahead into the one of the six open garages while deciding what portions to tell his mother, regarding his latest dangerous adventure while leaving out all the "dangerous" parts.

Inside the garage space, he stopped with a smile and reached down, touching the door knob. The door opened. He entered into the mud room, where a pair of sandy feet was always cleaned or a set of sandy sandals was always parked on top of the tiles. He slipped off each boat shoe, resting it on top of the floor, wiggling a pair of sweaty toes with a smile and a shout out toward the kitchen space. "Mom, I'm home. Mom, your little boy has arrived back home. Mom, where are you?" He slowly moved through a room of pale blue tinted tile that could be washed with a garden hose or a pail of warm water, ripping off his wet shirt from a sweaty body. He enjoyed driving the sports car, but the Florida sun made his body sweat in buckets of water.

His mom dashed away from the kitchen space and entered the mud room with a smile, running into the naked wall of hard muscle on her son with a giggle, wrapping both her naked arms around her only child with her touch of motherly love, not letting go, either. She enjoyed the motherly time when Austin visited her home and constantly worried about his safety as he continued to work and toil at his private company Quartet Associates.

She was relieved that Austin and his brothers were finally selling the company, enjoying the leisure life of middle age. Then Austin could find a nice girl, get married, and produce a grandchild for his mom Betty.

Austin tossed down the dirty shirt down onto the floor and leaned over, hugging his mom with all his love and a smile with the idea of discussing a new exercise routine for his dad.

His mother was named Betty Frisian. She was a native born Miamian and had graduated high school and college there also. She and his father had literally bump bodies into each other at the downtown art museum in Miami.

His father, Austin Bartholomew, Junior had enjoyed staring at each Egyptian and Roman art piece while mouth drooling onto the glass display case. His mother Betty had been completing a history paper for her college course work, writing down the name of each ancient artifact inside the glass display case, when she literally bumped into the rib cage of the young male by accident.

Then, Betty and Bartholomew started laughing, talking, and finally ate lunch together, which eventually led to a wedding ceremony, after their individual college graduations. And the rest was past history for the Berrington newlyweds.

At the home of his parents, inside the mud room, around the body of Austin, his mom Betty was a tall and slightly plump woman with a head of grayish black hair that had been cut into a short bob. She wore a pair of eyeglasses with a tone of wrinkled and suntanned skin. She was sixty-four years old, wearing a happy smile of joy every day.

"Mom." He closed the eyelids with a grin and leaned over a chin, protecting the fragile body of his mom from all harm.

She whispered into his chest. "Austin, honey, I'm so glad that you're here." Betty released Austin and back stepped with a smile still holding his arms with all her love. "We...we have company this morning for the breakfast meal, Austin. I would like for you to meet Vannette."

"Hello, Austin! I have heard and read and seem everything about you from your mother."

His eyeballs darted up from the happy smile of his mom to see a slender and beautiful blonde haired young adult female inside the archway and as he whispered for his eardrums with a growl. "Blonde." He faked a smile to the blonde female bitch, "Hi!"

Vannette back stepped with a wink from the mud room archway and then spun around, prissing back the breakfast table in silence.

Betty released his arm and reached up slapping the naked chest her son with a smile. "I'm sorry, honey. I was too late, before you finished your strip tease act."

He looked down at the wet shirt on the floor and then up to see his mom. "Should I retrieve the shirt?"

She laughed with a smile. "Forget it, honey! You look fine. Come and eat. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day." She back stepped from Austin and then spun around slowly moving back into the kitchen, turning the wall corner, and then stopped, standing in front of the kitchen counter and prepared a plate of hot food for Austin.

Austin stood in place and exhaled with a huff of annoyance while watching his mom leave the mud room, disappearing into the kitchen space. He had driven up here to visit with his parents, not to entertain a new female whore. Austin moved ahead and reached out, grabbing a shirt with a picture of blue whale off the work shelf, tossing it over a naked chest, strolling into the red and white kitchen space with a fake smile of frustration.

Inside the kitchen setting, the breakfast table displayed two lovely placemats for Austin and Vannette, including a glass pitcher of ice water and two crystal water goblets.

Austin stopped and then slid down into an empty chair next to a smiling Vannette. She scooted closer and then reached out, rubbing his naked arm with a giggle. He placed the cloth napkin down into his lap and watched the far yellow painted wall with a stern face, smelling the cooked breakfast food items. His stomach growled in hunger for the food, not the whore.

Betty scooted inside the cubby of the kitchen and grabbed the food tray, moving back toward breakfast table with both Austin and Vannette. She leaned over and then placed a small tumbler of orange juice in front of Austin with a smile. "Austin, enjoy your cup of vitamin C! Vannette, would you like a cup of orange juice?"

Vannette stared at the cheekbone of Austin with a smile. "No ma'ma."

Betty smiled at Vannette and then spun around, moving back into the cubby for the plate of food "All right, dear! Austin, Vannette, she set the breakfast table this morning."

At the breakfast table, Vannette smiled down at the tumbler of orange juice. "O good! I'm so glad that you don't drink a cup of nasty smelling coffee. I hate coffee. It's bad for the tongue to entwine with another tongue. Do you think so, too, Austin?" She returned back and then stared at his cheekbone with a smirk.

Austin lifted and sipped the orange juice, enjoying the tart taste in silence.

Betty returned back and then stopped, standing in front of the breakfast table, sitting an empty plate in front of Austin with a smile. "Austin, I have a counter of numerous food items for breakfast. What would you like to eat, honey?"

He smiled at his mother. "The usual plate of breakfast items, please, Mom."

"All right, Austin! Vannette, what would you like to eat a plate of breakfast items?"

Vannette continued to stare with a smile at the cheekbone. "No ma'am!"

Betty spun around with a smile. "All right, Vannette," she moved back into the kitchen cubby, preparing a plate of food for her son.

Austin stared at the side wall. A framed picture hung with a drawing of three silly colorful clowns that had been hand-drawn by Austin at the age of six years old. His mom had placed all of his childhood drawings around her home while making her day both bright and thankful for her little boy. He smiled at the framed drawing. "My mom tells me that breakfast is the most important meal of the day."

Vannette gasped in shock and then looked ahead at the center display of shiny fruit, reaching out, plunking a piece of fruit from the center arrangement, placing the pear on top of the serving dish. She quickly cut a single slice of pear with the provided utensils, lifting up the piece into an open mouth and chewed, gagging and then coughed out loud.

Austin continued to smirk at the framed picture on the forward wall and as his peripheral vision eye witnessed the choking session on Vannette, without attempting a rescue either.

The center piece fruit bowl was not true edible fruit pieces but some fossilized art piece that his mom had purchased from a local artist. Her mom believed in purchasing goods, services, and merchandise around her adopted hometown. This art piece was one of her many purchases. She would later in the year donate that art piece to the church to help raise money for the church and their charity cause.

At the breakfast table, Vannette gagged with a set of gross and disturbing sounds and finally lifted up the cloth napkin, spitting out the piece of fossilized pear parts down into the fabric while continuing to gag and cough with annoyance and embarrassment.

Betty returned back and then stood at the breakfast table, placing two platters of food in front of Austin with a worried brow. "Mercy, Vannette! Are you all right, dear? Drink some water, please!"

Austin reached out and dumped a set of steaming eggs and a single piece of dry toast on his empty plate, eating and chewed the delicious food items with a grin in silence.

Vannette reached over and grabbed the water goblet, spilling some of the water over the tablecloth, gulping down the water like a heathen cave woman with a set of loud grunts.

"Enjoy your breakfast, Austin!" Betty spun around with a puzzled brow and shook her curls, moving back into the cubby hold of the kitchen space, cleaning up the counter space.

At the breakfast table, Vannette wiped off the messy mouth drool and then dropped the napkin down into her lap, smiling at the platters of food and then stared at his plate of food. "O good! I'm so glad that you don't eat red meat. Meat clogs the arties of a healthy heart. You would die at a young age. But, after we're married..."

Austin reached over and then grabbed the three pieces of greasy bacon from the second platter with a chuckle, opening the lips, chewing with an open mouth of bad manners and a slight smirk.

She gasped in shock. "I thought you didn't cooked meat."

He performed a tongue spat forward as a set of used meat particles flew across through the air, down onto his plate and then onto the pretty white colored tablecloth. He spoke with an open mouth of food. "I'm suddenly craving a piece of heart clogging fatty meat," then he chewed with an open mouth for his fun and her annoyance, stirring the eggs on the plate.

Betty returned back and stood in front of the breakfast table, placing a glass of milk near Austin with a smile. Vannette gasped at the cup of milk. "You should not drink a cup of sweet milk. It'll give you a chest of ugly belly fat. You like good now, but later you will live to regret it."

Austin reached over and grabbed, swiftly chugging the milk, swallowing with a smile and then a loud burp. "More milk, please, Mom!" He extended the empty glass tumbler to his mom with a milk mustache.

Betty reached out with a chuckle and grabbed the empty tumbler with nod. "I met Vannette during some of the afternoon and evening church activates," she spun around and entered back into the kitchen cubby with a smile.

Vannette frowned at the back spine of Betty and then leaned over with a pair of dancing eyeballs and a smile into his cheekbone, patting his naked cheat with a soft hand. "You're very entertaining at the breakfast table, Austin. Does that mean you are more entertaining on the bed mattress also?"

Inside the kitchen cubby, Betty spoke out loud for all eardrums. _"Vannette was helping me inside the playroom with the children, instructing them to color with the crayons."_

He scooped up the eggs with a smile. "Are you a professional artist?" He bit and then chewed the food.

She leaned closer into his face. "No. But I would love to paint on your naked body, sometimes."

Inside the kitchen cubby, Betty spoke out loud for all eardrums again. _"Vannette was teaching the children to sing also."_

At the breakfast table, he swallowed the food and then lifted up the piece of dry toast near his open lips. "Are you a professional singer?" He bit and chewed the item.

She smiled with a whisper into his eardrum while tickling his cheekbone with sour breath. "No. But I love to sing in your ear, sometimes."

Inside the cubby of the kitchen space, Betty spoke out loud for all eardrums again. _"Vannette was teaching the little girls to dance inside the playroom too."_

He swallowed the food and then scooped up more of the eggs with a stern face. "Are you a dancer?" He bit and then chewed the food.

"No. But I love to dance over your naked chest."

Inside the kitchen cubby, Betty slammed down the frozen piece of meat with fury on top the clean kitchen counter. She didn't hire a paid chef within the Berrington household, because she and her husband would eat out every night with one of the other Quartet couples. And she enjoyed cooking during her elderly years, especially, when Austin came home to visit, so she could spend more time with her busy son.

At the breakfast table, Austin chewed the dry toast with a soft chuckle and stared at the far wall with his childhood drawings inside each frame.

His mother Betty had heard the set of sexy words coming from the parted red tinted lips on Vannette, because the pretty set of white tinted ceramic mushroom-designed salt and pepper shakers in front of the center arrangement fossilized fruit held a pair of old electronic transmitters that continued to work and then had transmitted the set of sexy words into the modern day ear-bug inside the right eardrum of his mother Betty.

A pair of loving parents was always very protection of their loving children. The parents of Austin were extremely overprotective, when their only child possessed numerous electronic toys, a fast sports car, a bank account of billions, and a set of good looks.

***

Growing up, the four young Quartet brothers ate the food meal inside the kitchen space at the breakfast table, unless they all dined inside the dining room as each set of individual parents was the invited guests within the Berrington family. Some period of time, between the birth of each son and their entrance into the third grade at the private elementary school, Uncle Stuart had invented a pair of salt and pepper shakers that contained a functional transmitter which had been used to overhear each private conversation coming the set of four mischievous elementary children, and then four wild-ass teenagers, and finally four young college age students.

One early morning, at Austin's house, eleven-year-old Stu had been chewing on the food item becoming curious at a set of pretty white tinted ceramic mushroom salt and pepper shakers on top of the breakfast table during the breakfast meal as his eyeballs had seen a set of red flashes through each tiny slot within the hard ceramic.

That night, the three brothers stayed with Austin for the new Quartet mission.

Sixth grader Stu went down into the kitchen for a tray of food as usual for a growing child and then fiddled around the pair of matching mushroom shakers on top of the breakfast table while discovering a power pack electronic devise inside each tower.

Then he went back home to his house and researched while figuring out the power pack was a vocal transmitter that lead into a speaker box.

Smart and resourceful eleven-year-old Stu had discovered the same pair of white ceramic mushroom-shaped salt and pepper shakers on top of his own breakfast table. He concluded that his parents and the other set of Quartet parents had bugged every family breakfast room while listening to their son and the other three Quartet brothers.

The next day, at the elementary school building, Stu had secretly told the new information to Austin and Frank, but not Tom.

Tom could eat food and talk all at the same time during each food meal which was a set of the good qualities for an outer space alien. Anyhow, Tom had been the bad puppy among the pack of growing litter of four canines, who enjoyed creating, causing, and capturing bouts of trouble, almost every day.

The trouble never realized materialized, since the spying pair of mushrooms would capture the stinging words coming out from the greasy food lips on Tom as a child, and then as a wild-ass teen, and finally as a young college student.

Yeah, it had been fun to hear the new sleazy idea from Tom.

Yeah, it had been fun to see sleazy Tom get into major trouble with his parents.

Yeah, the other three brothers hated Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

***

Currently in the home of his parents, at the breakfast table, Austin continued to chew and then swallowed the food with a grin, cleaning his breakfast items. He wanted to leave and find his three brothers while removing his person from the vile vicious vamp Vannette.

And he didn't like the sequential letter V sounds within his brain cells.

The garage door silently opened without slamming shut, but the loud voice of Tom echoed throughout the Berrington home. _"Austin, where're you at in here, man? Come out from the bathroom! It's time to play golf,"_ he entered through the mud room and then stopped, standing near the breakfast table inside the kitchen with a smile at Austin, ignoring the new whore beside the naked elbow on Berrington.

Stu and Frank followed behind and then encircled Tom with a silent smile at Austin.

om waved both hands in the air with a grin. "Come out and play golf..."

Betty spun around with a smile from the kitchen counter, slowly moving ahead with a gasp and then stopped, standing a few feet from Tom, pointing down with a sour frown at the floor. "Thomas, you are just like your father, wearing a new set of golf shoes with those sharp cleats, that's scratching up my old tile floor."

Tom looked down with a grin to see his new pair of leathers. "O!"

Stu reached over and then lifted the body of Tom off the floor with a loud grunt, holding the tall slender body of Sawyer in the air with a frown, "Sorry, Aunt Betty!"

In the air, between the strong muscles on his Quartet brother Stu, Tom giggled and waved both palms near a giggle. "We need to get moving, right now, before the old farts grab the first tee on the golf course..."

"Thomas, do not talk that way about your father and all of your uncles." Betty frowned.

Frank reached up with a chuckle and slapped the rear skull of Tom with a smile, "Sorry, Aunt Betty!"

"Stop it, Frank!" Tom wiggled side to side against the chest of Stu and waved both hands near his sneer.

Stu exhaled with the heavy object with a sour frown. "Let's go and play golf, Austin! Thomas is too heavy for both of my arms," he slowly spun around with Sawyer in the air and then moved ahead, exiting the kitchen through the mud room again. Frank swung around with a chuckle and followed behind Stu. Sawyer continued to perch against the chest on Stu until they moved outside.

Austin scooted out from the breakfast table and then wiped off the food stains with a smile, tossing the napkin on top of the table, dashing behind the back spine of his brother Frank with a laugh, "Bye, sweetie!"

Betty laughed out loud with a grin and then spun around, moving back into the kitchen counter, cleaning up each breakfast item.

Austin had not bothered to tattle about his newest set of dangerous Quartet missions to his mom, but he did explain that pretty whore Liz Harris, one night, had tried to murder him, without success. Now, Austin called every pretty and vicious vamp, sweetie, instead of their real name.

At the breakfast table, Vannette swiftly scooted out from the chair with a gasp and lost one of her designer heeled sandal, swiftly limping forward and then stopped with a puzzled brow inside the open archway in the kitchen. She shouted out loud through the garage door, missing the butthole of Austin. "Austin, where are you going? I'm right here. Remember? What are you doing? What going on? I can come also. Will I see you, this afternoon?"

The garage door closed shut blocking out the bright sunshine and the whiny voice of Vannette.

City of Coral Gables

(one mile west of Coral Beach)

12:58 pm

Hot sizzling temperatures with bright sunshine

Home of Prancie Precious Purr

The baby blue tinted cider block house was one-story with two separate bedrooms and two individual bathrooms. The entrance wall held a single metal door of hot pink hues in front of a flat slab of naked vanilla colored concrete, where the owner had planned to paint it, one day.

The open door and the two viewing windows presented an open layout displaying three separate rooms inside the interior of the house as one room that featured the den, the dining room, and the Florida room. In the US State of Florida, the old fashioned living room was called a Florida room, because each wall housed a viewing window to see the lush green landscape, the numerous tall fruit trees, and the unlimited baby blue skyline.

The entrance wall viewed all three rooms without a single wall partition that didn't block out all the sunrays between a set of open parallel lavender painted walls, where two of the three rooms exhibited only a set of air molecules, since the owner had planned to purchase more furniture, one day.

The single entrance door view lead through the three empty rooms without a single piece of furniture and two parallel lavender colored painted walls and then stopped in front of a wall of glass windows between two separate white tinted metal patio doors. The two patio doors on each side of the wall corner lead out into a small gray bricked rear patio with a manicured green grass back yard, without a swimming pool.

In front of the house, the flat slab of naked vanilla colored concrete displayed the front porch without a single decoration item or a sitting chair or a decorative potted plant to greet a friend or a neighbor or a visitor or an unfriendly, where the owner had planned to purchase one of these items, one day.

Inside the master bedroom, in front of the messy pale blue and light green checkered bedcovers that lounged ugly on top of the soft bed mattress, she slapped down each drum stick down over the soft fabric, singing with a soft hum and a giggle of silliness while making up a new musical song inside her head, standing inside her master bedroom.

Thirty-one years old Prancie Precious Purr displayed a tall and slender body frame, a head of long wavy silver tinted hair that trailed down to the tiny waistline, a tone of dark colored skin, and a pair of silver colored eyeballs, wearing a pair of ripped and torn blue jeans that exposed other body parts at the kneecaps, a mint green tinted T-shirt, and a pair of soft foot sandals.

Kitten, the preferred cute nickname for Prancie Precious Purr had worked part of the early morning inside her office for her employer in the radiation oncology department as a junior physicist for Charity South Miami Hospital. Charity South Miami Hospital was technically located in the small town of South Miami. This hospital was one of the several "children" companies coming from the parent company which was called Charity Healthcare System, where the headquarters building was located within the city of Kendall.

Kitten had gotten off her work job for the rest of the week including today Wednesday, and tomorrow on Thursday, and the next day of Friday, without an argument from her numerous supervisors. In fact, each supervisor had wished her a good time while praising her wise decision to vacay.

Kitten hadn't taken a long vacation in about eight years, since her first arrival here within the US State of Florida coming from her birth home, the US State of Alabama, after she had graduated from college and then had accepted a new permanent job within the beach town of Miami.

After serious pondering the upcoming birthday musical show which was located in West Palm Beach, Kitten was getting a little excited about the usual event. This was kinda like the "big" time rock and roll performance minus all the glitter and glam coming from a news reporter and a single media photographer, of course. Or maybe, Kitten was looking forward to some rest and relaxation, since she seemed to work all the time, including her charity work at the church and then her volunteer work at the YYCA Recreational Center.

Inside the master bedroom, Kitten stopped the pretend drum roll and then tossed each drum stick down beside her open suitcase, pitching a fresh set of girly underwear down into the suitcase next to another pair of ripped and faded skinny blue jeans and a clean pink tinted T-shirt, placing her set of drum sticks inside a pink tinted carrying case. She closed and then locked the suitcase, lifting both pieces of luggage from the bedspread and beside her legs, scooting out the bedroom, moving through the living room, and then toward the front door inside the tiny foyer.

She was extremely lucky that lead singer of the band Americus possessed a full set of drums for use as the drummer within _The Girl Group._ Kitten had her own "used and abused" percussion set, since high school, that was laid out inside the second bedroom to practice her tapping and rolling moves when she wanted to bang something too fast, too hard, and too loud. She sounded insane, but she was a true rock and roller.

Americus had dropped by the house yesterday afternoon, rudely informing Kitten to be ready to travel precisely at eleven am.

Now, the current time on the wall clock displayed noon which was lunch time. The musician van had been delayed due to a flat tire, the pickup procedure of each helper for the new musical gig, and then finally a long boring drive towards the beach town of West Palm Beach, which would take about ninety minutes driving time. The lead singer of the band, Americus had insisted that all the musicians ride together as a musical group inside the same rental van, where Kitten could sit in the rear back with the instrument crew.

Inside the house, Kitten advanced toward the closed front door, when a car horn sounded with a loud racket inside the private driveway. She frowned at the loud noise.

Kitten had repeatedly informed Americus on numerous occasions to stop the blaring racket with the car horn while visiting her private homestead. Her Coral Gables neighborhood was a set of nice, sweet, and quiet folks of elderly people or group of happy families of young children, who enjoyed playing in the yard or on the empty street, especially near the sand pit and grassy playground park. Kitten really did not like the rude singer visiting her homestead, if that was the old-fashioned word she was searching for.

Purr didn't own a home landline telephone or a mobile telephone, so Americus had insisted upon driving to the house informing the drummer of the sudden schedule change, which wasn't the case today.

Kitten sighed with annoyance. The drummer truly felt within her heart, her mind, and her tormented soul this would be the last performance with musical group, _The Girl Group_. The four middle-aged females were too mean, unkind, and flighty.

Kitten received an excellent stream of money income coming from her three jobs and she had too much to do with her three work jobs. So, that would be her verbal excuse, when she finally informed _The Girl Group_ about her wise decision to quit the musical band.

Last night, after the musical performance plus after that properly mannered elderly gentleman left the Pink Flamingo lounge, the band manager Kenail and the lead singer Americus started scheming or worse than scheming. They started plotting their next move against the older senior citizen.

Inside her house, Kitten stopped with a puzzled brow and stood in front of the living room hallway mirror, where the original owner had left a horizontal mirror piece, pondering last night. Like that old-fashioned maneuver would work on that elderly man. Purr felt that the elderly man was plotting some else for himself. Maybe, the older distinguished man liked one of the young girls in the musical band. Hopefully, Kitten was wrong.

This morning, the lead singer Americus had contacted Kitten on the business telephone at Purr's work office with the latest gossip item. The elderly man was very rich and very powerful. His full name was Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior, who was a retired millionaire from the ancient Miami social scene, after giving his business company away to his son.

Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third lived with his wife Jane inside an independent tiny beach town of Coral Beach, which could not be found on any world map either. The tiny town of Coral Beach was an exclusively private, heavily guarded, and completely fenced inland of four majestic mansions that were located off the Atlantic coastline at Coral Gables. Tom Sawyer was one-fourth of the infamous and famous Quartet.

The Quarter was a group of four men, who called themselves, the "Band of Brothers." They weren't biologically related but bonded by some type of ancient tradition, like a blood bond or something weird.

Kitten had read about the four men inside one of these trashy media magazines when she had landed here in Miami while waiting inside the reception lobby for her first day of work at the hospital.

"We're practical neighbors." Kitten whispered with a giggle into the reflection mirror and then applied a shade of pink tinted lipstick onto her lips that complimented her tanned glow and a pair of fake eyelashes for fun, which were made from horse hair. She checked a face for any dangling dried nose boogers and the front teeth for a single cemented food particle from the lunch meal. Her nostrils and her teeth were both cleaned and cleared for the travel day to West Palm Beach.

She back stepped from the hallway mirror and then moved ahead toward the closed front door while pondering an encounter with a real billionaire for the first time within her short life tonight at the home of Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior.

Her little house set back from the city street running perpendicular toward the roadway which was named Sunset Drive. She had remembered that one of the famous Quartet fourths had been involved in a nasty car accident at that very street intersection, which was near her residential neighborhood. Purr believed it to be billionaire Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third. That was a few months ago, she recalled.

Sunset Drive, the Gables name led directly toward the first sentinel gate and then into the private beach city of Coral Beach. There was also a second sentry gate, like in the Roman days of Italy, to protect each resident and each mansion property with a set of electric fences and two iron gates surrounding the western, northern, and southern side of private landscape. The eastern side was comprised of tan colored beach sand grains and the waves of pale blue ocean waters which offered a magnificent view of the Atlantic Ocean as a person could see the sun and ocean meet every morning.

Wow! That would be a grand sight for a pair of naked eyeballs each sunrise.

If Purr could live on the sandy ocean, she would walk the beach scene every morning, when the temperature was cooler in the evening and at the midnight while hearing the set of crushing ocean waves onto the golden colored sanded beaches.

Great daydream!

Purr would never see that particular city section of Miami-Dade County within the US State of Florida.

Kitten had seen a set of glossy pictures of Tom Sawyer, who was very handsome, very billionaire, and very flamboyant. She did not buy any of the expensive trash magazines that were sold inside the aisles of grocery store while purchasing a shopping kart of food items, when hungry.

The photographs of his wife Jane showed off her beautiful and elegant gala sequined gowns while holding the hand of her husband, who stood beside a row of his other non-biological brother.

Kitten had flipped through one of the entertainment tabloids at her work desk during lunch time. One of the workers in her office space had placed a set of used entertainment magazines inside the lobby for each visitor and family member of a patient, who was seeking radiation treatment inside the oncology department at South Miami Charity Hospital. There were additional trashy media tabloids inside the break room which was designed more like a small kitchen for eating and socializing with her fellow employees.

The kitchen area of the radiation therapy department at the hospital housed a food refrigerator, a microwave, a coffee maker, a teapot, and rows of closed wooden cabinets that were filled with stacks of plastic cups, eating utensils, paper napkins, boxes of coffee and tea bags, bags of snack foods, such like, crackers, popcorn, peanut butter, cookies, hard candies, bagels, stale and fresh pastries both American and Cuban, where any employee could enjoy and feed.

Kitten brought a tray of food in the cafeteria which opened at six am. She was there at her work job at six am each morning while trapped inside a six-foot wide by eight-foot long by ten-foot high enclosed office space of dull white hue without a single viewing window or an ugly art painting or a tiny plant flower. She powered up the computer equipment for a day of fast mathematical calculations.

The second part of her daily routine was eating. The breakfast meal consisted of eggs, oatmeal, fruit, and toast and then a plate of steaming meat, rice, fruit, and a dessert for lunch meal around ten o'clock. She left work at one pm, when her work shift completed.

She was employed as a part-time junior physicist. There was a lead physicist in charge of all radiation equipment and particle usage that provided Kitten's work assignments throughout the day. Her primary job was to calculate the daily physic equations and enter the computer mainframe for each pediatric patient coming for a daily radiation treatment with a child, who was less than five feet and four inches in height. There was a set of standard formats for a group of short adults, but it usually did not include a tall child.

The secondary function of her work job included programming all the math equations into the hospital mainframe in computer Assemble Language, because the old radiation equipment required a new set of configuration when a new upgrade had been applied to the ancient equipment software. The current manufacturing company did not provide a conversion package for the complex mathematical formula on each piece of ancient equipment. So, Kitten had to write a piece of computer programming code in Assemble Language which maintained all the medical laser software that kept each machine operating at maximum parameters.

Within a world filled with a set of medical marvels, radiation laser procedure was still in its infancy, especially for a sick child. Each sick child was still zapped, zinged, and zanged with a set of short bursts of poisonous radiation the size of a pinprick directly at the cancer cell on the exterior skin of their tiny body. Kitten ensured each radiation calculation consisted of all the valid date elements, such like, height, weight, heart rate, skin temperature, bone density, blood flow, and vein contraction, and then each radiation zing of a beam was appropriate for the little tike.

Inside her home, Kitten stopped and then reached over, opening the front door with a sigh and a fake smile, exiting from her house.

The front door on the house closed shut and then automatically locked her outside in the bright sunshine.

She moved ahead over the front porch and waved to the front cab on the rental white tinted van, where lead singer Americus continued to sit and stare at Kitten in the passenger, stuffing a face with a piece of stale Cuban pastry.

Inside the cab of the van, a tall and slender body frame, a tone of pale skin, and a head of balding hair, band manager Kenail swiftly opened the door and then scooted out the driver's seat, racing ahead down the side of the van and then stopped, opening one rear doors for Kitten with a smile in silence. Purr jumped inside an overcrowded rear space in a crouched pose and then slowly weaved back and forth between a set of musical instruments, stacks of big feet, and numerous pair of long legs, finally finding a tiny spot on top of the left tire hub, where a small fanny could painfully sit for ninety minutes.

The rear door slammed shut.

In the cab of the passenger seat, Americus returned to face the clean windshield as Kenail re-entered the cab and then backed the van away from the private driveway, driving ahead over the city street, steering toward the main roadway of US Highway One.

Inside the rear cabin, the metal was a rounded piece of iron steel that caused Kitten's folded body to bounce up and down like a trotting horse, when the van dipped down into an uneven strip on top of the roadway. Kitten sighed with annoyance and reached down, placing both hands on top of the metal to cushion her fanny.

Inside the passenger seat of the van, the lead singer Americus Marroquin was a petite and curvy young adult with a head of dark hair and a tone of coffee tinted skin, spinning around from the clean windshield with a wicked smile, staring at each face within the rear section on the moving van. "I searched the internet and found the home of that old fart inside the Palm Estates. The place is huge and big and..."

"Did you recognize that old rich fart?" Caca Yoon, the string bass musician smiled and displayed a head of shoulder length red colored hair on an average sized body with average weight and a pair of brown eyeballs.

"His full name is Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior." Kenail continued to drove the van and steered onto the interstate with a smile. "Do you think the son might be there at the estate house also?"

"Sure do, stupid! It's the old man's birthday party and him and his old fart friends." Americus frowned.

One of the helpers shouted out loud from the rear section with a sneer. "I don't care about Sawyer. What about drinks of free alcohol?"

Kenail continued to drive and frowned at the road and traffic. "Your free beverages of alcohol come after all the musical instruments have been set up and then wired correctly together. If someone gets plastered on alcohol during this important gig, then I will be subtracting numerous dollar bills out of your payment of liquid cash. Do ya compendia me?"

A set of low mumblings sounded within the air waves.

Americus smiled. "This gig is important. This is my..."

"...our..." Vestavia Marroquin frowned. The sister of Americus and the piano player in the musical band possessed a petite and curvy frame with a head of short dark hair and a tone of coffee tinted skin also.

Americus grinned. "This is our chance to impress that old fart."

Kitten continued to bounce up and down on top of the tire hub with a moan while hearing the nasty vocal language and ugly mind set on Americus. This elderly man was celebrating his birthday party, not much more than that. Mr. Sawyer was rich enough to have dozens of bands brought in for his private special affair tonight. Purr wouldn't be surprised if there were several rock and roll bands performing before or after their musical "gig" presentation.

Kitten had read in a magazine article that the Quartet enjoyed helping the "little" people of the world. Mr. Sawyer had seen the need to help the band along its way, because this girl band was going no way. And this would be the last and final gig performance with the drum sticks of Kitten within _The Girl Group_ musical band too. Purr would inform Americus tomorrow afternoon once she was all back home in Miami.

From the front seat, Americus shouted out loud with a grin. "Now, everyone will be on your best behavior..."

"We act good." Steebeth Choffard, the lead guitarist possessed a head of short blond hair with an array of purple and green colored dyed hair strands on top of an average sized body frame with a pair of magical musical hands as Steebeth giggled with a nod.

Americus frowned. "No, you don't. You act like a bunch of monkeys inside the barrel. Act more like...like Kitten!"

"Why am I supposed to act like Kitten?" Caca turned and stared at Purr on top of the tire hub with a stern face.

"Kitten doesn't talk about no one or to no one," Vestavia giggled.

"Kitten is a good model to follow." Americus nodded.

Jorge was a slender young male with a bald head, a tone of dark skin color, and a pair of brown eyeballs, turning with a smile and a wink to see Kitten. "I'd follow Kitten anywhere."

Americus exhaled with a sour frown. "Jorge, that's the type of mouth vomit punk I'll telling you about. No more smart-ass comments. No smart-ass attitudes. No smart-ass performances. The show is the band here. The music is the star here."

"Maybe, there's a music producer floating around the audience tonight." Caca turned and then nodded with a smile to Americus.

Kenail continued to drive the van with a smile. "Yeah! There could be one. These old cats know lots and lots of rich people that come into their house for alcohol and fun."

"Did you discover any more of the invited guest names like a Hollywood movie star or two coming to visit the old fart?" Steebeth smiled.

Americus exhaled. "No. I didn't find any more invited guests, if one would be a rich movie star or another famous celebrity. But I do have a set of new rules."

Vestavia frowned. "What set of new rules?"

Americus shook a single piece of paper near her sour frown. "The rules came in an email from the old fart. First, park the vehicle at the auditorium. Second, stay inside the lodge. Three, helpers..."

"We're the helpers here." Jorge frowned at Americus.

Kenail continued to drive with a sour frown on the interstate without passing the vehicles. "The old man is providing a gang of free helpers for each piece of luggage to tote up into each private bedroom and each piece of musical equipment to tote on top of the performance stage. Don't fight with the other helpers. Just tell them where each piece of musical equipment goes. When we arrive, we eat some food..."

"Good! I'm hungry, right now." Steebeth smiled.

"I could eat a bear." Jorge performed an ugly yawn and then scratched the pot belly with a sour frown.

"I will request a shotgun and a big bib for you, Jorge." Americus giggled.

"Why didn't we leave at ten o'clock like planned? Then we'd be there already." Steebeth frowned.

Kenail continued to drive with a sour frown at the road. "The van had a flat tire and Jorge was really late."

"I worked the grave yard shift last night." Jorge performed an ugly yawn.

Americus shouted out loud over the vocal noise inside the full size van. "I have more rules. Everyone, pipe down and listen to me. We eat a plate of food and then we set up the musical equipment. And then we run through our ten musical rock and roll songs, testing the acoustics inside the new auditorium atmosphere. And then we're set to go for the birthday boy and his birthday party."

"Then, what?" Vestavia frowned at her sister Americus.

"Then, what? We finish our musical practice, change our clothes and then dress in the silver suit for our brilliant and entertaining show time tonight in front of the old fart and the famous other rich people." Americus turned and winked at the nose profile of her boyfriend Kenail.

"Right on, chica!" Kenail continued to drive and yell with happiness.

"What about the swimming pool?" Caca said with a puzzled brow to Americus.

"What about the swimming pool?" Americus turned with a puzzled brow to see Caca.

"The internet showed a large swimming pool next to the lodge building. We can lounge by the pool and flirt with the billionaires. I bet Austin Berrington will be there with his Quartet family members. He's single and available and rich and handsome and everything, that I wanna marry in a man." Steebeth pointed down with a smile at the tiny screen on her mobile telephone.

Americus shouted with fury at each face. "Forget about the pool and swimming and Berrington this moment! We practice all ten musical songs and then change into our show clothes for the birthday show and the birthday boy."

"Poo on you, Americus!" Steebeth looked up with a sour frown to see Americus.

Americus shouted again with fury. "Steebeth, we are paid money for playing music, not bathing a body or flirting with Austin."

"What's my money share here?" Jorge sat on the floor and then leaned against the van wall, shouting out loud with closed eyelids from the rear section on the moving vehicle.

Kenail continued to drive the van with a grin. "The usual spread is calculated with a range of bigger numbers. But, all the rental equipment is paid first, and then we spread around the rest of the love."

"As long as, my love is big, then I'm happy." Steebeth giggled.

"Everyone will be happy, girlfriend." Caca clapped with a giggle as the other faces nodded with a grin and then she heard inside the rear of the van.

"Si."

"Okay!"

"Sure!"

"Yipe!"

Americus looked down at the piece of paper and then shouted out loud over the vocal noise. "Now, I have more rules..."

"No more rules, Americus!" Vestavia frowned.

Americus looked up with a sigh. "I have more instructions for the band members."

Steebeth frowned. "She means the golden rule of criticism with our music playing."

Americus frowned. "Steebeth, in the song..."

Kitten zoned out the words coming from the open lips of Americus. Her musical playing was fine and dandy. She was the drummer within the female band. If she lost the musical beat, then she was worthless as a percussionist mistress. Kitten did note some of other musicians enjoyed scratching the chord tone longer or higher than normal while overlapping or overwhelming the star of the show, singer Americus.

Kitten sat back and leaned, as much as possible, against the hard cold metal wall on the weaving van that swiftly steered over the smooth interstate while passing more vehicle. She closed her eyelashes with a deep sigh and rested up for the nighttime action.

The birthday party was going to be a fast-paced, active, thrilling, and exhausting true event.

She was always tired after a musical gig from the intensity of the moment and the physical abuse to her hands, arms, legs, and feet from banging against the hard plastic and the sharp metal objects on the drum set.

Estate manor of Mr and Mrs Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior

City of West Palm Beach within the US State of Florida

(92 miles north of Miami)

Hot sizzling air temperatures with six miles-per-hour winds

and parted clouds of heated bright sunlight

Dining room setting

12:12 p.m.

Soy slowly strolled down the light colored wooden staircase, holding the railing with one hand for safety. His old body was pale colored and thin with no muscle, a head of grayish-blonde hair strands, a clean shaven face, and a pair of eyeglasses. He was sixty-five years old today, not a young male of his youth, but he enjoyed lying about his true age for shitty amusement.

After working on the personal computer upstairs inside the den room, he had talked with the band manager of _The Girl Group_ on his personal mobile telephone. The band was leaving the city limits of Coral Gables right now, which meant that they would arrive here within the city of West Palm Beach around two in the afternoon.

Then he had stood in front the second floor window and spied on Austin, who had slowly drove the silver tinted sports car around the one-directional pavement without breaking the speed limit. Austin was staying with his biological parents for the nightly birthday party.

Inside the foyer, Soy landed down on top of the light tinted wooden floor with a deep sigh and then turned to face one of the yellow painted front doors, slowly moving ahead and then stopped, opening the end entranceway door with a smile. He peeked outside into the heated weather at the progression of his elderly Quartet brother Bartholomew, who was gliding around the community inside a golden tinted golf kart.

Bartholomew had been assigned to collect the other two elderly Quartet brothers for the lunch meal. However, Bartholomew always enjoyed riding around the golf kart alone a few hours for some personal fun, before collecting one single Quartet brother. Bartholomew had arrived and was visiting with his Quartet brother Stuart while capturing all the latest and hottest gossip information which would be shared at the lunch meal.

Inside the foyer, Soy continued to scan the manicured landscape finding the estate property quiet, except for the occasional individual vocal shout out coming from the old lodge, where his devoted manager Baldomero guarded and controlled the estate property for the elderly Quartet.

Baldomero had landed on the shoreline of Miami in the year 1980, when the massive influx of escaping Cubans had come looking for freedom and independent from a communist country of Cuba. He was two years old in age as a young toddler back then. However, he had devoted his life to work and worked his way into the beach town of West Palm Beach, running across Soy.

Soy hired the young and ambitious Baldomero to manage the new community of Palm Estates. Baldomero did an excellent job and continued to oversee any major or minor production inside the private community that housed the elderly Band of Brothers and Sisters, who were the biological parents of the last generation Band of Brothers.

Inside the foyer, Soy back stepped from the open archway with a sigh and then closed the side front door, stopping with a smile, staring at each colorful wall inside the foyer. Each wall had been painted in a series of vertical alternating columns in rich black and then bright orange hue while giving the enclosed space both goofy and scary feeling.

That was Soy's goal.

When an uninvited person entered the foyer, Soy wanted the person to know that he, she, or it was not invited first.

He slowly spun around and then halted in place with an evil chuckle.

Inside the foyer, the entrance wall displayed a series of low undivided glass windows and a three sets of yellow tinted double entrance doors. The forward wall was split and exhibited an oval archway that held an individual built-in sitting wooden bench on each side of the curved open archway made of extremely hard wood materials. The hard wooden bench was uncomfortable for sitting and staying inside the private residence of Sawyer, Junior.

That was Soy's other purpose.

He moved ahead through the oval-shaped foyer archway with a smile and reached out, patting the back rest on the hard wooden bench while strolling through the shotgun-designed house, which was a nickname for a long narrow hallway that veered out into an individual room on each side of the two solid walls.

The single hallway was painted in dark brown hue on the two side walls and the high ceiling with a matching dark wooden floor while marking the enclosed corridor scary at night and omnibus to any new guest, except for his three other Quartet brothers. The hallway led straight outside onto a yellow tinted patio with a covered veranda that viewed the ocean water, the blue sky, and the yellow sunshine.

On each side wall, there was an oval shaped archway that led into a specific room with both perfect purpose and pretty presentation, where Soy and his son Tom seemed to possess either bad taste in furniture pieces or color blindness in both eyeballs.

The first oval archway contained the dining room, where Soy and his wife enjoyed each meal every day. One side wall was painted in mint green hue that held a long buffet counter with a set of tall wooden cabinets inside each wall corner to store cold food trays and beverages without leaving the room.

The opposite side wall contained an array of tall and short glass cabinets that displayed the bone china plates, platters, teacups, bowls, and other eating and serving dishes. The eating ware was hidden inside a short light colored wooden cabinet with a yellow tinted ceramic tea set on top of the hard surface.

On the long wall, which was the opposite side of the entrance wall, a row of glass windows exhibited the manicured green lawn and numerous rays of bright sunshine. A light colored wooden square-shaped dining room and a set of matching set of wooden chairs for twenty-four individuals stood in front of the row of glass windows and was posed in the middle of the room.

The entrance wall featured two oval shaped archways, where a visiting guest or a Quartet brother could enter into either side of the dining room. Between the two oval archways, an empty space of mint green paint displayed three massive individual oil paintings of forty-year-old young and handsome Soy, his pretty and slender forty-year-old wife Martha, and eight-year-old Tom in living colors, where the annoyed guest could stare at the Sawyer family during mealtime.

Inside the brown tinted and non-scary hallway, the second oval-shaped archway displayed the kitchen setting, where the paid house servants prepared each meal for Mr. and Mrs. Sawyer, Junior.

The entire room lacked a single glass window as the forward wall stood behind a six-car garage space. On the forward wall, a long pink tinted granite counter held an assortment of small kitchen appliances for food preparation, including the three wash sinks. An array of tall red cider wooden cabinets was mounted above the pink tinted granite counters that held the stoneware, cups, tumblers, and other dishes.

The rest of the pink painted walls held an assortment of shorter granite counters between all the large kitchen appliances, such like, three refrigerators, two built-in ovens, two stove tops, four microwaves, and three dishwashers, all in cranberry tinted metal.

Inside the brown tinted and non-scary hallway, the third oval-shaped archway contained the entertainment room which displayed an assortment of new state of the art electronic equipment pieces used for dancing or singing or watching a television program. The room faced the southern direction and built in front of the remaining six-car garage and then painted in dull gray hue without color or imagination.

In the center of the forward gray painted solid wall, three gigantic television screens had been mounted against the paint and displayed three different active entertainment programs, without the loud noise volume. Each side wall displayed an array of short and tall black tinted wooden cabinets that held numerous entertainment media for music, movies, and messing around with the fun electronic game programs. The entertainment room did not show a painting or a poster or a portrait of young Tom either which held great delight from the other three elderly Quartet brothers. Except, the gray tinted corner wall across from the oval entrance archway, there was a single gray tinted wooden door that led into the six-car garage space.

Inside the brown tinted hallway, the fourth oval-shaped archway contained a small and dark den setting, where Soy privately read numerous books and pondered his long life of sixty-four years. The room was painted in dark brown tint with a bronze tint that reflected each illuminated lamp light. Each wall held a built-in shelf that touched the ceiling and contained numerous new and ancient books. Soy enjoyed this room best while tuning out an angry world of violence, greed, and hate.

A ratty living room set in the background color of dull beige with a crawling pattern of green tinted vines and red colored fat raspberries offered a homey and cozy environment including three long sofas, six oversized sitting chairs, and four gliding chairs which was not meant for any guest or nosy Quartet brother. There were dark brown short wooden side tables for a drinking beverage or a midnight snack of cookies also without Martha's knowledge.

This was Soy's private man cave.

Inside the brown tinted hallway, the fifth oval-shaped archway exhibited a guest bedroom that was decorated in the colors of bright orange and faced the northern side within the estate, showing off the blue sky, the white clouds, and the golden sands, not the green sea water. Tom and his wife Jane stayed here during a social visit.

A sixth oval-shaped archway exhibited a second guest bedroom that was decorated in the colors of pale blue and faced the northern side, showing the blue sky and the golden sands, where eventually the future child of Tom and his wife Jane would stay during a social visit also.

A seventh oval-shaped archway displayed the master bedroom on the northern side also that was decorated in the color of purple.

Passed the last oval archway inside the house, the brown tinted hallway led directly into an open living room space that was shaped like a semi-round circle displaying the blue sky, the white clouds, the golden sands, and the green sea water. The row of glass windows curved on three sides creating an open room which displayed eight sets of patio doors that led directly onto a flat yellow bricked covered patio. The patio extended a few feet and then ended inside the golden sands, where the golden sands led directly into the blue tinted estuary waters or the Intercoastal waterway that fed the waters down into the Atlantic Ocean.

The entrance wall was painted in bright lavender hue that displayed rows of open shelves within the wall. Each open shelf displayed numerous individual picture frames consisting of dead relatives and live kinfolks.

On the southern side on Soy's house, six closed garage doors of six faced six open garage doors on the exterior section of Uncle Stuart's house, where the side view did not destroy the pretty rear view of a pale blue sky, the white tinted clouds, the golden tinted sands, and the dark blue colored ocean waters.

Inside the brown tinted hallway, Soy moved ahead and then turned to face the dining room archway, strolling ahead with a smile, stopping at the edge of the buffet counter, where a line of hot trays and cold trays held an assortment of food items for all of his family members. He reached over and pinched her flappy butt cheek with a chuckle, acting like a dirty old man. Soy only practiced this frisky behavior when alone with his wife of thirty-four years, not in front of his three Quartet brothers.

Mangrove, Junior had selected a beauty queen as a married wife, who still maintained her pretty face and her slender figure for a gal of sixty years old. His son Mangrove, the third had duplicated the wise decision of his father and married his college girlfriend Misty Marie, who was another model wife with a pair of long legs, a chest of big breasts, and a pretty face. She will grow gracefully old like her biological mother also.

Mangrove, the first had actually kidnapped and then raped a beautiful young female, who ended up marrying him, producing a healthy son. They had stayed married until their death.

Well, that was one way to acquire a pretty wife.

Maybe, Austin should try that approach, since he seemed to be having a rough time dating an ugly or pretty female lately.

Inside Soy's house, in the dining room in front of the long buffet table, she frowned down at the food tray. "Soy!"

He leaned over and hugged her thick waistline, kissing the cheekbone on his wife Martha, pulling back with a smile. "I'm so excited, Martha."

She continued to stand in front of the buffet table, filling a small plate for her lunch meal. She wore a short-sleeved white blouse, a pair of beige colored walking shorts, a set of matching flat sandals displaying a tone of pale skin, a shoulder length blondish-gray hair, and a pair of eyeglasses, looking up with a smile to see her husband. "Soy, try to calm down your nerves and your grin. Do you remember the advice of your medical physician? He said that your old heart..."

"Know that, sweetheart. That old fucking medical physician is wrong like always. And my old heart is fine and dandy. I'm just excited about this evening. It's my birthday party, sweetheart."

"And you are also thinking and speculating and guessing and hypothesizing too much. Your heart is fine. But your mind is clicking. I know you, honey. The young female could be just another pretty girl, who appears like her." Mrs Martha Mae Sawyer, the wife of Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior had been married to her husband Soy for thirty-four happy and wonderful years with a few terrible days.

"Know that!" Soy used his famous phrase that he had taught to his son Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third, also.

She held the plate of food and continued to smile at her loving husband, the birthday boy, who was one of two special males in her long life, her husband and her son, who were similar and alike in physical appearance, manners, personality and speech. DNA was a funny biological process, "Soy," she exhaled.

"It's her. I feel it..."

"...like a set of Tele powers," she chuckled with amusement as she lovingly thought of her son Tom.

Tom enjoyed reading science fiction novels that he would leave after visiting their house by his favorite author Ela.

Martha didn't particularly like to read a science fiction book, preferring a romance novel. But her only child Tom was a science fiction nut, since the age of eight years old. Young Tom would gallop around the house with an old painted up shoe box that represented a flying outer space ship zooming as the captain of the starship through the universe using his vivid imagination and the long term memory of her little rough and tumble boy.

She often wondered what it would have been like to have a little sweet natured girl. Her Quartet elderly sisters Mary, Betty, and Barbara also had talked in depth about the novice concept, since each Quartet brother, since the year 1838, had produced only a boy as a single male heir without a daughter.

Soy reached down and grabbed a small plate, saying with a puzzled brow. "I wished that I possessed a set of Tele powers too. Then I wouldn't be so nervous and doubting."

"You're not a doubting Thomas, Thomas," she chuckled.

He laughed with his loving wife and then leaned down, providing a light peck on her cheekbone, pulling back with a grin. "I love you, Martha."

"Ditto!"

"Where are Tom and Jane?" He turned to see an empty dining room table with confusion.

"Let's see! The younger Band of Brothers are playing a game of golf. The Band of Sisters as Gracie likes to term them..."

"That's clever!"

"Those girls are both cute and clever. We got lucky with this lot."

"This lot! This is the only lot for us. No divorces are allowed," he shook a skull and slowly shuffled down the buffet table, picking out each food item.

She shifted down the buffet table and selected her food items also. "If a marriage fails, we'll handle it. But I count my blessings every day. Our four boys did very well in God's eyes and in our hands."

"I do, also, Martha," he leaned over and kissed her cheekbone, pulling with a wink.

"The Band of Sisters is shopping. The girls are like a set of real sisters. They possess so many great qualities in common. We have a real family, which we don't see too often. I like these small get-to-gathers. We need more, Soy," she reached the end of the buffet table, grabbing a tumbler of cold water from the side table, slowly spinning around and moved ahead to the end of the dining room table.

"We will," he reached the end of the buffet table with a plate of food, grabbing a tumbler of cold water from the same side table also. He spun around and joined Martha at the dining room table, sitting at the head. "Once the business company is finally sold, the kids will be hanging around us more often when not touring the world and bringing us home a bag of gifts."

She held up the sandwich near her smile. "The only gift I want is a bundle of joy that cries, wets, and mews."

He laughed with a nod. "A grandchild! Jane was talking non-stop last night about babies, nurseries, and changing diapers."

"Tom eagerly jumped right into the baby conversation too. I know a baby is a lot of work, but the two kids seem ready, eager, and willing."

He held up the spoonful of rice with a smile, "Martha, thank you for being so understanding while I pursue this childish whim. And I want to say also thanks for not beating the hell out of me for my forecasted presumption and stupid asshole mistake."

She exhaled. "Soy, we talked long and hard about that incident many, many moons ago. I forgive you. I love you to the depths of my heart and my soul. I'm your number one girl," she ate and then chewed the food.

He ate and swallowed the food with a smile. "You'll always be my number one girl. But how would you feel...?"

She swallowed the lump of food and frowned at him. "Don't go there yet. Let's see the girl and talk with her first. She has all the answers to your questions," she ate and then chewed the food.

He swallowed the lump of food with a worried brow. "What about our son Tom?" He reached out and grabbed the water, sipping and swallowing the cold liquid,

She swallowed the chewed food and then drunk the water, saying with a worried brow. "Tom, his immediate reaction will be, of course, crass, suspicion, and obnoxiously loud along with his famous string of curse words," she laughed out loud.

He laughed. "You know our little boy, too well, as do I."

She held the cold beverage. "Maybe, you should mention this 'notion' to our little boy, before the gang of musicians arrive here at the house. Your son might need to be forewarned about his deadly swift reactions, before he kills someone."

He dropped down the tumbler of water, nodding with a smile. "I have twirled that notion over and over inside my active mind. The answer is 'no.' We will collect all of the data first."

She dropped the tumbler onto the table and then picked up the sandwich with a smile. "All right, Soy! Since, we don't have a plan that sounds okay with me. What does Franklin think about your girl band? I noticed his facial expression when you mentioned the musicians, the girls, the rock and roll music, and the young man birthday party that you had planned all by yourself. Franklin's not hard to read. He was puzzled, confused, and ready to write you a prescription for madness."

He chuckled with a nod. "Franklin wants to commit me, before I start to attack the young beautiful things."

She hooted out loud holding the sandwich. "Franklin thinks you're nothing but a dirty minded old man."

He smiled. "Pretty much so! Dr. Mangrove explained to the Quartet that there are numerous chemical changes at my age which are playing with my hormones, hence, my dirty mind," he ate and chewed the food with a grin.

She exhaled with annoyance. "You and your son both have a dirty mind," she ate and chewed the food.

He swallowed the lump of food with a smile. "Tom gets that crown."

She swallowed the lump of food with a sour frown. "Tom needs to be crowned. If my boy talks like that around our friends, I'm plowing my fist into his handsome face. Tom never learned his table manners. Believe me! I lectured, yelled, and shouted at that kid."
"Know that, Martha. You're a wonderful loving mother. Tom's just a rotten kid."

She exhaled with a grin. "We're so blessed, Soy."

"Tom has toned it down, since marrying Janey. She's a great partner for him and us," he ate and chewed the food.

She smiled. "Janey has a heart of golden nuggets and a soul of diamonds. Tom is lucky to have her," she ate and chewed the food.

He swallowed the food with a smile. "And she keeps coming back with him to visit. How about that, sweetheart?" He chuckled.

She nodded and swallowed the lump of food, saying with a smile. "Tom treats Janey with the highest respect and the highest regard for any female within his little private world that I have witnessed."

He smiled. "Tom treats you with the highest respect, as well, Martha. Tom loves you. He would commit first degree murder for both you and Janey."

"Know that!" She repeated the famous quote with a smile.

He laughed. "He's a pretty good kid, except for that bad mouth and that badder attitude."

"The badder attitude belongs to Austin," she shook her curls with a sour frown.

He exhaled with a nod. "Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, he gets the crown, the scepter, and the golden fleeced robe for that shitty honor."

"Ditto!" She frowned and then ate the food, chewing.

_The Girl Group_ musical band had called to inform Soy that they were running late and also apologized. Soy should have offered vehicle transportation also. He wasn't thinking of the band or the members or the musical instruments, only the drummer. If he had planned appropriately, then the drummer would be here in West Palm Beach already.

However, the band and the drummer would be here soon. Then the drummer could meet the Quartet and the other numerous cartoon characters within his family, especially one that played within his active brain cells.

Martha had finished preparing her plate and then moved ahead, sitting down at the dining room table without waiting on Soy. She had a few more activities to wrap up before the start of the birthday party bash for her husband. She consumed the food and enjoyed the window view of flying birds, tall trees, and blue sky.

He laughed. "Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth is the true 'Titan god.'"

She swallowed the food with a chuckle. "No. Austin is a true 'Earth god,'" she consumed the food, chewing.

"Who is the named 'Earth god?'" He ate and then chewed the food.

She swallowed the food with a frown. "Don't you remember, honey? Janey told us about Austin's interference with the legal procedures within her court case that involved that young pilot, who was cleared of murdering Austin's former girlfriends," she ate and then chewed the food.

He swallowed the food with a sour frown. "Yes, I recall vividly. That was some more intense, maddening, vicious and revealing stunt. I'm just referring to Janey's legal role."

She swallowed the food and then sipped, swallowing the cold beverage. "Well, Janey called Austin an 'Earth god.' He actually acknowledged the divine compliment."

He swallowed the food and then sipped, swallowing the cold beverage. "Janey should have arrested Austin for obstruction of justice. I would have," he ate and then chewed the food.

"And your son was heavily involved in that legal charge of obstruction of justice along with his two brothers Frank and Stu. You mean to tell me that you approve of your son going to jail for a second time," she frowned.

He swallowed the food with a sour frown. "The legal wheels can't work if the law proceedings are steered off course. Austin interfered on purpose. He made a terrible mistake that would have cost that girl her life at the gas chamber in the caption city of Tallahassee. Janey saved the fucking day," he ate and then chewed the food.

She sipped and then swallowed the cold beverage. "I have spoken this over and over again. Austin holds too much power in his hands."

He swallowed the food and then wiped his mouth with the napkin. "Looky! His power days are over for him and his three demi-god brothers," chuckling.

She wiped her mouth with a nod. "The Quartet did well, very well. I'm impressed with our offspring. They are billionaires living the fast paced life around the world, exhibiting a set of great accomplishments for four men, who are barely in their thirties."

"I'd debate with you, sweetheart, but your point is well taken. Our sons are a mere thirty-one-years old. What's next for the four guys with everything? Do they build another private company? Do you fly and then conquer another planet to conquer?" He chewed the food with a smile.

She sipped and then swallowed the cold beverage. "Let us concentrate on the current business today. Quartet Associates is being sold. When is the sell date final?" She wiped her mouth with the cloth napkin.

He wiped the mouth with the napkin. "The final sell date of Quartet Associates will occur a little over two weeks from now," he tapped the chest with a folded fist, after eating the good food.

"The business company will be sold. Bossy Austin will be dethroned. And Tom and Janey will finally have a baby," she clapped with a smile of love as a future grandmother.

He chuckled. "Is that all women think about a little human being that cries, wets, and mews?"

"I can't speak for all the women on the planet. But this old woman wants to be a grandmother to a little tiny being that cries, wets, and mews for constant attention."

"Hey! I require constant attention," he leaned over and hugged his wife, pulling back with a smile.

She reached over and slapped his chest with a chuckle. "You're a constant pain, Soy. I want to hold my grandchild, before I see the bottom of the coffin."

"Now! Now! We are still young in both age and spirit. We are barely sixty years old, Martha," he leaned over and kissed the cheekbone on his wife, pulling back with a smile. "There is plenty and lots more time for us and our unborn but yet upcoming grandchildren."

She gasped in alarm. "You said grandchildren, not grandchild."

"Did not!"

"Did so!"

"I did!"

She nodded with a smile, "You did. I repeat, grandchildren."

"It's a slip of the tongue. Forget it!"

"You're thinking of the girl, aren't you?"

"Today is my birthday. I am sixty-five years old. I can think and talk about anything I wanna for the rest of the day until midnight of tomorrow."

"You won't last until midnight, ye old fart."

"You're too correct about that fact, sweetheart."

She looked up and stared through the glass windows with a puzzled brow. "When is the band group arriving here? You said that they would be here for lunch."

He exhaled. "I got a telephone call a few minutes ago. The band or the van is running late, more like around two pm for a bunch of lunch."

She smiled. "Looky! She is coming. She will be here within two hours. Can you hold on that long, Soy?"

He nodded with a smile. "Of course, I'm just excited. That's all, Martha!"

"I'm very excited for you, too, sweetheart. Happy birthday, Soy! I love you," she leaned over and hugged him, kissing his lips, pulling back with a smile.

Outside in the single brown tinted hallway, the sound of a loud noisy rumble moved down the empty corridor and then rattled into the dining room archway as other three aging Quartet brothers emerged one at a time through oval-shaped frame.

"Where's the party, the people, the presents? This is one pretty lame bash, Soy. Gawd! Did you run outta money or friends or both?" Big, tall, and overweight Stuart Thant Gage, Junior slowly moved inside a few feet from the oval archway and then stopped, standing in place, laughing out loud as his big belly shook up and down. His facial features matched his son Stu and as his body was almost the same height with Stu, but his old age had shrink down the bones but kept on the extra pounds of weight.

At the dining room table, Martha stood upright from her chair and smiled at Stuart. "Stuart, the birthday party is going to be held inside the auditorium later tonight. Soy, I'm going to check with the food caterer at the restaurant and meet up with the girls for a quick spree of last minute birthday shopping."

Soy stood upright from the chair and then leaned over, kissing her lips, pulling with a smile. "Bye, sweetheart!"

"Tonight, we will celebrate privately." She whispered into his ear.

"Yes, we will." Soy whispered back with a grin and watched his "favorite" girl leave the dining room. He turned his attention to see his other family members, the old generation "Band of Brothers."

Each brother was hungry, steering sideways along the buffet table, diving down into each food tray.

At the front of the buffet table, the first Quartet brother grabbed and held an empty oversized plate, slightly balding gray-headed and overweight Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the third frowned down at the next food tray through a pair of eye glasses. His beer gut gently tapped into the trays of food. He laughed. "That 'ole' thing. I didn't know we used that auditorium for anything but storage of old smelly tubs, boxes, containers, and stuff. What other events did we use it before?" He mounted piles of good food on top of his empty plate, shaking his beer belly with a laugh.

Next in line, Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, Junior exhibited a tall body frame and a tone of smooth dark colored skin from the bright sun, a head of curly whitish-red hair, a pair of eyeglasses with a set of slender muscles, where his old body still exercised every morning. He answered the implied question but couldn't complete his sentence. "This is actually the first event since the re-modeling of..."

"I want my birthday party there next." Bartholomew shifted down the table with a smile and stood in front of a new set of food trays, collecting more food items on top of his food plate.

"Too late, it was late week, Bartholomew." Franklin shuffled down the table with a chuckle and then stopped in front of the next food tray, selecting another food item for his oversized empty plate.

"It was. Did we celebrate my birthday party last week?" Berrington frowned down at the food tray.

"We went to the one of the Caribbean islands, Bartholomew." Franklin shook his skull and shifted down the table and stopped at the next food tray.

"We did." Bartholomew frowned.

"On the yacht, you caught a huge blue and white colored sailfish." Frank smiled.

"That was Stuart, who caught that huge blue and white colored sailfish on our yacht." Soy frowned.

"Hey! I caught the damn fish. Don't give my credits away!" Stuart continued to pile food on top of the large plate with a sour frown.

Franklin turned and frowned at the plate in Gage's hand. "Watch your protein level, Gage," he returned back and studied the next food tray with intrigue.

"Smart ass physician, this is both my lunch and dinner meal for the day, doctor." Stuart filled his platter with more food items.

"Uh, huh! I'm weighing you tomorrow." Franklin reached over and gently punched the hanging stomach on Stuart with a laugh.

"Hell, man! Ya ain't." Stuart continues to fill up the plate.

"Hell, yeah, I will. After you faint from the mild heart attack, you won't have a choice, Gage." Franklin laughed with Soy and Bartholomew.

Stuart frowned down at the next food tray. "Shut up, Mangrove."

Franklin smiled. "If I recall clearly, the tour guide assisted you with that fishing credit, Stuart."

"Don't matter! I caught one and you guys didn't." Stuart huffed out of breath and then coughed out loud, clearing a throat, shuffling down to the next food tray with a smile.

"He's competitive until the end." Franklin continued to move down the buffet table and piled different food items onto his plate.

"The end of what, Franklin?" Soy stood beside his dining room chair and sipped, swallowing the cold beverage while staring at the back spine on Franklin.

"The end of time, Soy!" Stuart continued to shuffle down the table and filled food onto his plate.

"The time of what, now?" Bartholomew reached the end of the buffet table and grabbed a cold beverage from the beverage table, slowly spinning around with a smile, scooting around the dining room table and sat down on the opposite side from Soy. He selected the food item with his fingers, holding near his mouth with a smile.

"Stop it, Bartholomew. You're being an ass." Franklin reached the end of the buffet tabbed and grabbed a cold beverage also, spinning around and scooted around the dining room table. He sat beside Bartholomew, placing a napkin inside his lap and lifted up the utensils, selecting a food item. He ate with a smirk.

"I thought I was being funny." Bartholomew chuckled and then ate, chewing the food.

"Hardy, har-har! Now, I'm being funny." Stuart reached the end of the buffet table and grabbed a cold beverage, slowly spinning around and moved ahead to the dining room table, sitting with Soy and on the opposite side of Bartholomew and Franklin. He started eating and chewed the good food.

Franklin swallowed the food with a smile. "You're being an ass, too, Stuart," he ate and chewed with a grin.

Bartholomew swallowed the food with a smile. "If I can't be funny, then I vote to have birthday party there for next year," he ate and chewed the food.

Soy slid back down into his dining room chair without preparing another plate of food. he was going to wait for the band members to arrive at his home and then eat the lunch meal with them. He frowned at balding spot on Bartholomew's skull, "Where do you wanna have your birthday party, Bartholomew?"

"I vote to have my birthday party there at the auditorium for next year." Bartholomew chewed, nodding.

"You're repeating your sentences, Bartholomew." Soy chuckled.

"It's old age." Stuart chewed and chuckled at the same time.

Franklin smiled with a wink at Bartholomew. "As a physician, I diagnosis memory failure."

"Shut up, Mangrove!" Stu chewed and frowned at Franklin.

"So, be it to old age and memory failure." Soy laughed.

"When is the musical band coming here to the estate, Soy?" Franklin wiped the used food particles off his mouth.

Bartholomew chewed and frowned. "What musical band?"

Soy nodded with a grin to each brother. "I have invited a rock and roll band of musicians, who are only girls, for my birthday party."

Stu swallowed the food with a frown. "A female rock and roll band, you have a group of young pretty girls coming to your old man's birthday bash, Soy. Is that was my clogged eardrums heard from your mumbling lips?"

Soy winked to each brother. "That's why we're using the old smelly auditorium for the group of pretty young girls to dance and sing and perform at my old man's birthday party."

"You're a dirty old man, Soy." Stu chuckled and chewed the food.

"How did you come across all-girl band, Soy?" Franklin frowned at Soy.

Soy nodded with a chuckle. "Tally insisted that I sign his new Last Will and Testimony."

Franklin laughed. "That's your new Last Will and Testimony document, Soy," he ate and chewed the food, shaking his skull.

Soy smiled. "Close enough! I met him in the Grove for dinner. Gawd! Tally is still an old time swinger."

Stuart swallowed the food with a frown. "Is Tally single now?"

"No. Tally is still married to that little ugly witch who is named Ella." Soy told.

"That's not nice, Stuart." Franklin frowned.

"Well, it might not be nice, but it's damn true." Stuart laughed.

Bartholomew aimed the loaded fork of food at Stuart. "I concur with Stuart about Tally's old woman."

"Shut up, Bartholomew." Franklin frowned.

"Franklin, do you have a surly comment about Tally's old woman?" Stuart smiled.

"The physician is too proper and too gentlemanly to disc anyone." Soy smiled.

Stu swallowed the food with a smile. "Back to the girl band, Soy! I wanna know more information about the set of young pretty girls coming here for your birthday party," he ate and chewed with a grin.

"They are a set of young, beautiful girls." Soy smiled.

"Pretty and primed." Bartholomew grinned and then ate the food, chewing.

"Is Austin coming tonight to your old man's birthday party, Soy?" Franklin smiled.

Bartholomew swallowed the food with a puzzled brow. "Yes, of course, Austin is family. He will be there tonight. Why do you ask, Franklin?"

"Does he need a hot young date?" Franklin chuckled.

"Forget it! Forget that! This is my birthday, not a garden party. Let Austin get his own damn hot date for his own birthday party." Soy frowned.

"Well! Austin needs to find a nice girl." Franklin nodded with a stern face and then ate the food, chewing.

Bartholomew swallowed the food with a sour frown. "Do not start that same old debate with me, here, Franklin! Austin is a big boy over the age of eighteen. He can find his own damn date for any party," he ate the food, chewing.

"Tramp!" Stu grinned.

"Vamp!" Soy smiled.

"I am seriously referring a young female for him as a future wife." Franklin exhaled with annoyance.

Bartholomew swallowed the food with a sour frown. "I know exactly what you are seriously referring, too, Franklin," he ate and chewed the food.

Franklin reached down and touched the beverage with a stern face. "Yes, I am referring the topics of marriage, wedding vows, children, and grandchildren."

Bartholomew swallowed the food with a sour frown. "Don't start with me, here, Franklin!" He reached and grabbed the beverage, sipping and swallowed the cold liquid.

Franklin nodded with a stern face. "I sound like a broken 45-record. The other three brothers are moving along with their lives, wives, and wishes. Austin is falling behind the modern times, Bartholomew."

"Then they can leave Austin behind. He can catch up in about two or three years." Bartholomew chewed the food with a nod.

"What's his problem?" Stu ate the food and chewed.

"Austin doesn't have a problem." Soy laughed with a nod.

"He does." Franklin frowned and then ate the food, chewing.

"He does not." Bartholomew sneered.

"Austin seems to appear withdrawal. Do I dare say it? He is shy now." Soy nodded with a stern face.

"Give the man a break! His love life has been shitty, since these two deaths," Bartholomew frowned.

"Three damn shitty deaths of three damn females." Stuart nodded with a stern face and then ate the food, chewing.

Franklin swallowed the food with a stern face. "That's right." He ate the food and chewed.

"Looky! I'm telling all of you here. Austin might need some assistance with a nice girl to ease him out of his shitty shy rut." Soy nodded with a stern face.

Franklin swallowed the food with a stern face. "Austin needs a nice girl to ease him into a nice simple marriage," he ate and chewed the food.

"How about a fucking whore?" Stu chuckled and chewed the food.

Franklin swallowed the food with a stern face. "Austin gets his daily fill of whores. He needs a nice girl, who is a proper woman for a proper marriage," he wiped the mouth with the cloth napkin.

Stuart swallowed the food with a smile. "Austin needs a nice church girl, who likes to sing in the choir and teach little kids in the Sunday school class."

"You just described the appropriate qualities of a future wife. So, let's take Austin with us to church on Sunday morning. A chorus of choir girls are a dime a dozen at the church." Franklin nodded with a smile and then sipped, swallowing the cold beverage.

Soy frowned. "Not really! All the good choir girls are married. The ugly ones are available, thou," laughing.

"Gawd!" Franklin wiped the tears from each eye socket. "Austin would never date below his standard physical requirements of cute or beautiful or pretty."

Stuart chewed the food and chuckled. "Are there any cute girls in the musical band, Soy?"

"A musical band girl is not the type of woman that Austin needs." Bartholomew ate and chewed the food.

Soy gasped. "Why not?" He sounded defensive after the discovery of the drummer in the musical band.

Bartholomew swallowed the food with a nod. "Bands, music, groupies, they don't mix well with the regular folks like us. A group of artists is a batch of mixed up buggers with an abstract mind and a free spirit."

"Gracie is an artist." Franklin nodded with a smile to Bartholomew.

Stuart smiled with colorful food particles between his teeth. "Gracie Jean is a down-to-earth artist. I would classify her more as an environmentalist rather than creative artist, who is also a fitness nut too. And Gracie and Stu are perfect for each other."

Franklin grinned. "Damn straight!"

Stuart swallowed the food and then grinned with a set of nice teeth. "I'm the luckiest damn dad in the world. Stu found his perfect mate in life. Stu and Gracie mashed together wonderfully with her love of the outdoors and his ability to cook each meal."

Franklin nodded with a grin. "Austin needs to find his perfect fit in a mate."

"What are Austin's qualities for a perfect mate, Bartholomew?" Soy smiled.

"He dates." Stu laughed.

"He dances." Franklin chuckled.

"He's the boss." Bartholomew smiled.

"A position, that's disappearing in the next three weeks, Bartholomew." Soy frowned.

"What are some of Austin's personal hobbies?" Franklin smiled.

"Girls." Stuart grinned.

"Does Austin possess any other interests?" Franklin asked.

"Girls." Soy grinned.

"Does Austin enjoy any other sporting events?" Franklin asked.

"Girls." Stuart grinned.

"This is too easy." Franklin grinned.

"What is too easy?" Stuart frowned.

"I guess 'girls' are his only thing." Franklin nodded.

Soy laughed. "Jeezus! The man has dated the equivalent of the US Naval Reserve. Yet, he can't find a fucking wife."

"Austin is a unique character." Bartholomew chewed and then swallowed the food. "He's a leader, who is hard but soft, strong but firm, fierce but..."

"Vicious." Stu winked at Franklin.

Bartholomew exhaled with worry. "I'm afraid that we know Austin, too well. He's got a tough manly image that requires him to attain a tough lady."

Franklin frowned, "What or who is a tough lady, Bartholomew?"

"You need to get him a female pit bull." Stu chuckled.

Soy frowned. "What's the definition of a tough lady, Bartholomew?"

"A lady is defined as a woman, who can act proper." Franklin grinned.

"Please, do not give me Mangrove's definition of a tough lady." Stu rolled the eyes and then looked down at the cold beverage, sipping and swallowed the cold liquid.

"Shut up, Stuart!" Soy frowned.

"A lady should act properly while defending herself verbally, psychologically and physically." Franklin grinned.

"That's the tough part." Bartholomew ate and chewed the food.

"Austin doesn't like the wimpy damsel in distress type." Stuart ate and chewed the food.

"That's Frank's bag." Soy laughed.

Franklin gasped. "Be careful there, Soy! Don't insult my daughter Misty Marie! I'll get pissed and..."

"And, then what will you do, ye old fart?" Soy laughed.

"I'll run and tell my son Frank." Franklin chuckled.

Soy nodded with a grin. "Shit! You were always the tattle tale within the Quartet, Franklin."

Franklin smiled. "Damn right and proud of it too!"

"Are you afraid of Frank, Soy?" Bartholomew grinned.

"Hell no! I'm afraid of Stu, the muscle." Soy grinned.

"What!" Bartholomew frowned at Soy.

Soy nodded. "Frank would tell Stu. And Stu would beat me up."

"Good point!" Stu chewed the food with a nod.

"Team effort!" Franklin nodded with a smile.

"Touchdown!" Bartholomew nodded with a grin.

Stuart swallowed the food with a smile. "The Band of Brothers, they stick together through hell and high water," he ate and then chewed the food.

Franklin nodded. "What other characteristics would describe Austin's would-be-wife?"

"Don't know!" Bartholomew ate and then chewed the food.

"Somebody, call out some adjectives!" Stuart chewed and chuckled.

Soy nodded with a smile. "Calm, beautiful, smart, talented, mean..."

"No, not mean!" Bartholomew chewed and frowned. "Dogs are mean, not girls. Charming, sweet, kind, nice..."

"Define the word, talented!" Stuart frowned.

"I was thinking that she should be able to defend herself." Bartholomew ate and chewed the food.

Stuart swallowed the food with a sour frown. "What for? Who from? You're reaching for the wrong tree limb, Bartholomew," he sipped and then swallowed the cold beverage.

Bartholomew wiped his mouth with the napkin, after finishing the plate of food. "Listen up! Austin is the head of the young Band of Brothers. Even after retirement from their private business, the four boys are still going to be called and known as the Band of Brothers, until the day they die."

"Which will be all together just like us, ain't that right, Mangrove?" Stuart laughed.

"That is very true and accurate statement, Gage." Franklin nodded with a smile.

"So, his wife will need to be able to protect herself and her husband Austin." Bartholomew nodded with a stern face.

"That's a tall damn order to fulfill, Bartholomew." Soy frowned.

"Especially for a girl." Stuart nodded with a stern face.

Bartholomew gasped. "What you are saying there, Gage? A young or middle aged female can't defend her person from a bad guy. She's not tough enough. Is that your silly meaning, Gage?"

Stuart winked with a smile. "Only if, I train them up good enough."

"Shut up, Stuart!" Franklin frowned.

Franklin frowned. "Look! Austin doesn't need protection."

"None of our sons do." Soy nodded with a smile.

"I disagree." Bartholomew frowned. "Each one of our sons is going to be a trillionaire."

"Say that three times really slow trillionaire." Stuart laughed.

Franklin frowned. "You are blowing their importance off the map on the little planet called Earth, Bartholomew."

Stuart nodded. "I disagree with Franklin and I agree with Bartholomew. Each one of our sons is going to become a prime target within this nasty shitty world, once that hot news story breaks."

"We can help and aid each one of our sons." Soy nodded with a grin.

"Hell, yeah! We're going to help and aide each one of our sons." Stuart nodded with a smile.

"Look. Austin has been taught to handle anything." Franklin nodded.

"O! Like he handled the Angel of Death person." Soy frowned.

"The Angel of Death was innocent." Franklin nodded.

Soy frowned. "And the other badass girl who was named Mouse, who almost killed Austin and Tom in cold blood with their own Ghosts. Yeah, Austin handled that well also."

"I agree with Soy. Each one of our sons had been prying around in police work, when they should have been home making a baby." Stuart nodded with a stern face.

"What about the other police department murder cases? That proved to end with the same deadly consequences." Soy nodded with a worried brow.

"Frank got kidnapped twice. I should have tanned his hind with my leather belt for that silly screw up." Franklin nodded with a sour frown.

Soy shook his skull with a sour frown. "Yes, Frank went beyond the number one rule without the other Quartet brother that was not good."

"And not very smart of Frank, either." Stu nodded with a stern face.

Franklin nodded with worry. "Austin, Tom, and Stu were pissed."

"...and worried." Bartholomew frowned.

"Frank learned his lesson." Franklin grinned.

"They all did." Stu nodded.

"It just seems unfair that God Almighty is punishing on Austin." Bartholomew looked down with a worried brow to see the empty plate.

"How is that unfair, Bartholomew? Austin has not been harmed by Almighty God." Franklin frowned.

Soy nodded with a stern face. "Gawd! Don't you remember the last three cases the boys were involved in? That actress named Rosebud. She died inside Austin's house. Then, that cute and young lawyer also died, who dated Austin. And finally, that pretty woman, who was really a princess from where, she died after dating Austin also. Austin is having a run of bad shitty luck with females. Everyone just keeps dying for some weird reason."

Bartholomew exhaled with worry. "That's what I am talking about here. Almighty God is punishing my son Austin for some holy reason."

Stuart nodded with a stern face. "Saudi Arabia, the princess didn't find out tha she was a princess until that court trial. Her American mother told the judge the entire truth."

Soy nodded with a stern face. "Cutter should have shot that fucking bitch mother in the heart."

"Wait! Didn't the renegade bounty hunter do that for Cutter?" Franklin frowned.

Stu nodded with a stern face. "O yeah! The pissed off man shot both the daughter and her mother as they stood unarmed and exposed with a pair of Saudi body guards while waiting on royal limousine to drive them back to the Miami airport."

Soy shook his skull with a stern face. "Stupid Saudis."

"Sad tragedy." Franklin nodded.

"Sick world." Bartholomew nodded.

"But the planet continues to rotate around the sun." Stuart grinned.

"Only Gage would state a scientific fact during a crisis." Franklin smiled.

"And there was more rotation around the sun for Austin too. He got emotional wrapped up the dead princess." Bartholomew exhaled with worry.

"Yeah." Stu exhaled with worry.

"You are correct about that sad and terrible fact." Soy exhaled with worry.

"Austin will find a nice girl to marry." Franklin smiled.

"How is Austin supposed to do that, Franklin?" Bartholomew frowned.

Stuart winked with a chuckle. "You mean to say. How are we supposed to do that? Ain't that right, Franklin?"

"Right, Gage." Franklin smiled.

"All right! Let's bump heads and think this through, guys." Bartholomew grinned.

"Gawd! You must know hundreds of girls, Franklin." Soy winked with a smile.

"No. I personally do not but I believe we should recruit Martha, Betty, Barbara and Mary for the good cause, as well as, Janey, Gracie and Misty." Franklin nodded with a smile.

Bartholomew clapped with a grin, "All right, I agree. Our goal is to find Austin a wife, preferable a nice choir girl."

"We all go to the same church." Franklin nodded.

Bartholomew nodded. "No problem. This Sunday morning, keep your eyes peeled for a set of beautiful young girls."

Soy stared at the open archway with a worried brow. "I do believe we should tell our wives our impromptu plan, before I have to sleep outside with the smelly dogs," laughing.

"We should and we will. Or I will be sleeping with all the smelly dogs on the ground floor," Stuart nodded with a smile.

"Project: Austin is operational right now." Bartholomew smiled with a nod.

A loud knock echoed throughout the dining room. The middle aged male stood inside the archway with a smile in silence.

Soy looked up and smiled at the male, "Yes, Baldomero."

Baldomero nodded with a smile. "Soy, the van has arrived with the band musicians and has parked beside the garage doors."

"Thank you, Baldomero. I am on my way to greet the band members. Please make the band musicians comfortable," Soy smiled. Baldomero back stepped with a nod and then disappeared back down the hallway. Soy smiled at each Quartet brother. "The girl band is here, my brothers."

Bartholomew swiftly stood upright from chair and wiped his mouth and hands, saying with a silly giggle of excitement. "Let's go and see all the beautiful young girls," he dropped the dirty napkin down into the dirty place and grabbed the plate, spinning around from the table, moving ahead. He dropped the dirty place on top of the empty table, where a collection of dirty dishes was piled on top of a cleaning tray.

Stuart swiftly copied Bartholomew's movement and followed his quartet brother out from the dining room with a set of giggles and smiles, meeting the all-girl musicians.

Inside the dining room, Frank slowly stood upright from the chair and wiped his mouth and hands with the cloth napkin, tossing the napkin down into his dirty plate. He reached down and grabbed the dirty plate and empty glass tumbler. "Does Betty know about the girl band that will perform at your birthday party tonight?"

"Yes." Soy stood upright from the chair and pressed down the wrinkles in his clothing with a smile.

Frank spun around with a worried brow and moved ahead, stopping beside the empty table, placing his dirty dishes there also. "Are you certain, Soy?"

"Yes, I am very certain. Why are you asking, Franklin?" Soy scooted around the table and moved ahead, stopping beside the nose profile on his brother Franklin.

Franklin reached over and wiped his hands into the new clean cloth, wearing a puzzled brow. "Bartholomew, he is acting really weird," he removed both clean hands from the cloth and then moved ahead, exiting the dining room, moving down the hallway. He entered into the kitchen, where the garage door was opened.

Soy moved beside Franklin with a smile. "It is only old age. Let the old fart have his wet dream," he could hear the loud voices on Bartholomew and Stuart greeting the musicians outside the open garage doors and then stopped beside the open archway. "Franklin."

"Yes." Franklin stopped and stood beside Soy.

Soy exhaled with excitement. "Franklin, I trust you as my Quartet brother, but mostly importantly as my medical physician."

"Are you ill, Soy?" Franklin frowned with worry.

"Thrilled is the proper term," he giggled with a grin.

"I don't understand your emotional word." Franklin frowned.

Soy handed the item to Franklin.

Franklin accepted the item with a puzzled brow. "This is a very old photograph of a very handsome young blonde-headed you and a very beautiful young girl. The young girl appears to be a teenager."

"She was."

"She was a teenager." Franklin flipped to the back of the photograph.

The hand print read: Soy and me. November, 18th

He gasped in alarm. "My gawd! Did this woman have your biological child, Soy?"

"Maybe!"

Franklin nodded. "That would mean the child would have been born in the month of August which was thirty-one years ago."

"You were always the smartest brother in the band, Franklin."

"Shit fire, Soy! Does your loving wife Martha know about this photographer, this girl, and this child?"

"She knows. She approves. She wants to find out also."

Franklin exhaled with worry. "You possess a good and loving wife there. I won't think my wife Mary would've been as kind hearted and supportive."

"She would have. She loves you."

"Now, I understand the interest in the girl band. You saw the child."

Soy smiled. "I would like your professional opinion, not just my old eyes playing tricks on me, old friend."

"Do not worry here! You will be getting my official and unofficial professional opinion, viewpoint, and observation about this little girl."

"Thanks, old friend!" Soy nodded.

"Based on this old picture and older date, the child would be thirty-one years of age. Do you agree with that assessment?"

"Yes."

Franklin handed the photograph back to Soy with a nod. "Good. Let's go and meet this girl. Gawd! I thought you were just a dirty old man."

"I still am," Soy laughed.

Outdoors location

Private driveway setting

2:18 pm

The white rental van from Miami had arrived and parked in front of the six garage doors at the Sawyer mansion as Kenail had followed the email instructions.

Each musician had exited from the open door and stood upright against the dirty van. Each helper was unloading on the side of the dirty van with a fake smile.

Beside the open side door on the white slightly dirty rental van, "Finally, we're arrived after getting lost three times." Guitar player Caca exhaled with annoyance and stood upright against the dirty van with a sour frown in the sunshine, studying the new landscape of golden tinted beach sands and green tinted ocean waters.

"Fault the navigator over there!" Kenail appeared with a sour frown and stood in front of the three musicians, turning with a sneer at Americus.

Americus turned and sneered back at her boyfriend. "You were driving the old van, dipshit."

"Following your turns to the left here and to the right there..." Kenail moved the equipment in the rear of the van.

"Unpack everything!" Americus yelled out loud while interrupting each whine from Kenail.

The other three singers stood in front of the van with a fake smile.

Inside the interior of the van, Kitten slowly jumped out from the floor and stood upright, spinning around, grabbing her items, a pink with white poker-dotted purse and a matching piece of luggage. She planned to stay with _The Girl Group_ tonight. She had packed her silver uniform, the one she hated some much. It itched. The top was cut too low for her taste with a set of sleeveless arms without a neckline and tight around the breasts. It was the official sexy uniform for _The Girl Group_. She moaned.

Purr had selected for the ride a soft pink cotton dress fitted around the bust line with a matching band tied in a short bow that matched the pink bow in her long silver hair. The shirt tapered into a long sleek slip dress above her knees to show off her long tanned legs. The design was sleeveless and comfortable for the ride in the hot van and the warm air in the hot auditorium. She had matching cute bowed tied high heel sandals with pink painted toes. She thought she looked cute. Kitten hoped there would be some younger nice single men at the party tonight. That was wishful thinking on her part. She was here to work, the story of her life. She seemed to go to the events where she was directly participating in, not a spectator. Just once, it would be nice to be flirted with a good-looking guy when she wasn't expecting it. She giggled.

In front of the side open door on the van, leader singer and boss of _The Girl Group_ , Americus continued to yell at Jorge and all of his friends. "Get moving now! Go and set up the musical equipment for acoustic testing."

Kitten appears from the rear door and stopped, standing in a semi-crooked line with the rest of musicians. She really didn't have to do anything with the equipment setup. The drum set belonged to Americus as she had tried to be the drummer, but couldn't keep the beat.

Americus had dreams of becoming a famous drummer, but her dreams had failed. So, Americus became the singer but she won't allow Kitten to handle the drum setup alone.

Kitten stood beside the van and watched the people sweat in the hot sun. On the first day in the month of November, the weather is beautiful in South Florida with a high of eighty-degrees, pretty much, where the hot sunshine was located. She loved living here. She would never move any place else.

Kitten turned with a smile and viewed the elder man that had visited the _Green Lizard Club_ musical restaurant last night pacing in a rushed step with a group of three other elderly men. Each one wore gray on top of a skull, a pair of eye glasses covered each eye socket and a bloated belly hurrying toward the van and band members.

Americus spun around with a smile and viewed Soy as well as Kenail. She reached out and extended her hand, shaking her skull and her hips at the same. "Hi, again! I'm Americus! It's good to meet you again, Mr. Sawyer." She greeted and smiled. Kenail was standing beside her, grinning also.

"Mr. Sawyer, I'm sorry for the delay. We had difficulties." Kenail extended his hand, shaking his cap.

Soy shook and then released each hand shake, nodding with a smile, slapping his trousers. "That is not an issue here. You are all here now. I'm very delighted that you have arrived safely. How about a bite to eat, before you start the musical practice session? What do you say?"

"Food!" Jorge smiled at the house.

"Let's eat." Caca nodded, viewing Soy.

"I'm starving." Steebeth grinned with a nod at Bartholomew.

"Don't forget me!" Vestavia smiled, giggling.

"Baldomero, please, ask your workers to come and here and unpack all the gear from the van and move it inside the auditorium for the kids. We get some nutrition subsistence for our tummies." Sawyer nodded with a smile.

"Yes sir," Baldomero nodded with a smile and motioned for the extra staff members to assist him with the order.

"This way!" Soy pointed.

"I'm Bartholomew." He greeted with a wide smile of pearly white teeth as he held his arm for escorting the pretty member of all girl band, Caca, to the dining room.

"Stuart, I am at your service." He pointed toward the garage space to Steebeth. They slowly moved ahead together toward the structure, talking while pointing out the sights of the estates.

"Ladies!" Soy smiled, standing between Americus and Vestavia, her sister. Jorge, his crew and Kenail trailed behind Soy.

The elderly man smiled with a nod. "My name's Franklin Mangrove. I'm very pleased to make your acquaintance, young lady."

"Hello. My name is Kitten." She stated with a shy southern accent, not mentioning any more information about herself. This event is different from the other performances.

Normally, the musical band entered through a hidden back door stage, dressed and then sat on top of performance elevated stage until the club announcer cued the name. Then they played for a couple of hours, finished, and then left the club for the night. This was a real musical occasion which was a real birthday party for an elderly wealthy gentleman.

Today, Kitten felt like a little princess rather than an entertainer. The older man had very kind emerald green eyes and a wonderful smile. Kitten recognized him, not from magazines, but from his son's exact photographic image.

He was Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, Junior, the father of Mangrove, the third. Kitten was rubbing elbows with a real billionaire today. Too bad, the young ones were all married, engaged, or taken.

Dining room setting

2:30 pm

Franklin held her arm like a proper gentleman while escorting Kitten into the dining room, where a buffet table had been filled with delicious goodies, consisting of hot and cold meats, breads, fruits, vegetables, crackers, salad, and desserts which was a foodie lover's paradise.

Kitten loved to eat. She was so lucky that she had inherited a fast working metabolism. She guessed from my mother.

The food smelled terrific. She was hungry from the rough van ride that had jolted her guts up and down on the top of the hard metal tire rim.

Kitten selected two hot steaming hamburgers on a bun with a side salad covered in dressing, a large stack of French fries, vegetable sticks, and sliced fruit with a large glass of milk. Yummy!

Kitten was escorted to sit beside her host, again, Dr. Mangrove. She didn't bother with chit chatting. She dove into the hot food. She didn't cook. So, getting a real home cooked meal was heavenly for her. She wasn't going to waste time, or food. There was plenty of food for a second helping also. Kitten liked to eat and cooks liked to be complimented for their food, a great combination.

At the dining room table, Soy had prepared a garden salad and cleared a throat for attention. He wanted to bombard the drummer with numerous questions while not drawing attention to his nosy inquiries. He would wait patiently for her to be alone. Soy was interested in Mangrove's assessment as well.

Franklin was sitting beside the girl, who was ready and willing to ask those nosy questions for him. He was a very good friend, ally, and brother.

Soy tried to waste time unless he could speak with the drummer alone. "So, how did you get the name _The Girl Group_?"

Americus started talking from the beginning about her dream of become a famous female singer with her genius musical playing abilities and the creation of the all-girl band. She could tap on a piano, bang on drums, and toot a flute. She preferred singing with her natural three-tiered octave voice. She sung in the choir as a child and did little shows throughout Miami-Dade country, since she was three years old.

Kitten tuned out most of the irrelevant rapping, concentrating on eating and admiring the well decorated dining room which could hold thirty people with a plate of food.

The wood was teak which formed a rectangle table occupying the entire floor space of the room which held twenty-four chairs, an impressive set up. The head of the table held four chairs positioned together across, the same for the end of the table with ten chairs on each side, empty except for the four band members, the three crew workers, the elderly Quartet member, and Kitten.

"Is the food to your liking, Kitten?" Franklin asked.

Kitten chewed fast and then swallowed hard while clearing a throat for talking to Mangrove. She nodded in silence, since her mouth was stuffed with the cooked and delicious hamburger meat.

"Kitten eats all the time, anything." Americus commented for Kitten while insulting the nice host and then launched into one of her monologues about her career, hopes and dreams.

Kitten didn't enjoy hearing Americus monolog. However, Americus was the lead singer of the band and the boss.

Vestavia finally interrupted Americus' monologue with a brief historical account of her short life since Americus was born singing from the womb as the others chuckled. Vestavia could be really funny and entertaining more than her boring older sister Americus.

Caca and Steebeth spoke for one minute each, telling about their individual singing careers also.

Kenail thanked Mr. Sawyer for the invitation while hoping the band could provide more entertainment for his family and friends.

Kitten guessed it was her turn to speak which didn't happen, since her mouth was occupied with the delicious second hamburger. Purr had decided she was ending her musical career starting tomorrow after the band returned back to the city of Miami.

These nice people didn't need to know her or her playing abilities. Kitten had plenty of work to do without the band performances. She missed her extra time to pamper herself. She decided to use her extra time and find a boyfriend or boy pal or boy toy or whatever a guy called himself these days.

As Kitten sat comfortable at the large dinner table which provided a warm feeling of family, she realized that she wanted a family of her own. She was thirty-one years old and never been married and never been on a real date and never realized how lonely her life was.

At the dining room table, "Kitten, that is a cute name. How did you acquire it, Kitten?" Soy stared at the drummer while rushing the new question, before the band leader Americus continued speaking about herself and dominating the table conversation.

Kitten placed another huge piece of delicious meat inside her mouth. She was trying to chew as fast as she could without breaking the rules of proper table etiquette which she learned as a Southern lady within Alabama.

Americus answered for the chewing drummer. "Kitten won't answer. She's too proper with her too goody-good manners. I can do it. Her grandfather named her that nickname of Kitten. Now, I get a nickname too. Do you wanna guess? Well, I'll tell you. My nickname is Mer. It is shortened for the word, America, since I was born here in the States. My parents are from the country of Cuba."

Soy posed a second question to the drummer, "Interesting, Mer! Kitten, you have a quite a fabulous appetite for a girl with your small size. You simply enjoy eating. Does your father exhibit that behavior also?"

Kitten shook her curls in silence, because she was chewing the next piece of meat.

Americus smiled. "Kitten's shy."

"Shy is a very good quality for a lady." Franklin turned and smiled at Soy.

"What else do you want to know about me or my band, Mr. Sawyer?" Americus nodded and chewed with an open mouth at the same time.

Franklin turned and smiled at the nose profile on Kitten. "Do you sing any of the songs, also, Kitten?"

"No. She's only the drummer." Americus answered again while Kitten chewed.

Bartholomew frowned. "She's the drummer. I thought Kenail played one of the musical instruments."

Soy smiled at Kitten. "I told you earlier, Bartholomew. They are a female musical band."

Kenail smiled. "I'm the manager for the girls, but I can sing and dance, if need be."

Soy viewed Kitten with a smile. "That's wonderful! The drummer doesn't usually get the spot light time within a band. How did you learn to play the drums, Kitten?"

Americus answered the question for Kitten again, saying with a smile. "I can play the drums also. Actually, I started the band as the drummer, but I wanted more of the vocal action. So I became the lead singer, since I formed _The Girl Group_."

Franklin looked down at his designer wrist watch, tapping on the face with a stern brow. "Well, look at the time. I guess you need to finish the setting up and testing all of the equipment and audio speakers, before the birthday party begins, Kenail."

Kenail looked down with a gasp at his wrist watch and then looked up to see Franklin with a nod. "Yes sir. Let's get moving, girls! Thanks for the grub, Mr. Sawyer," he stood upright from the chair and then stared at each girl.

Soy stared with a smile at Kitten. "You are most welcome, Kenail and girls. Dinner will be served around six pm inside the auditorium. I'm paying you to play, but not all night. Stop frequently and chat with all of my birthday party guests. Please, enjoy the buffet and drinks, also."

Kenail nodded with a smile, "We will do, Mr. Sawyer. Thank you, sir. Girls, we need to go and tune up the musical equipment. See you later this evening, Mr. Sawyer."

"Kenail, I hope you don't mind, if I ask Kitten about her drumming techniques. It's been a while for me. I'd enjoy rapping with a fellow percussionist." Franklin turned and smiled at Kitten.

Kenail nodded to Franklin, "Well, of course, sure thing, Dr. Mangrove. Go ahead and stay, Kitten. Come back for dress rehearsal, when you get finished with your conversation with Dr. mangrove."

"I will, Kenail." Kitten nodded with a smile. She had finished the food, wiped the lips, and then stood upright from the chair with a smile.

The other three musicians swiftly stood upright from the chair with band manger Kenail, leaving the dining room for the stage presentation and band rehearsal.

Franklin wiped his mouth and then slowly stood upright also, reaching out, touching her arm with a smile. "I bet you like to eat two desserts. Don't you, Kitten?"

Kitten smiles with a nod. "I cannot tell a lie. I'd like a piece of pecan pie and a larger slice of chocolate."

Franklin chuckled. "I can read your mind, young lady." He cut both desserts and placed them together on the large china plate used for dinner, rather than the tiny dessert plate.

"In here, Franklin," Soy called, moving ahead to the smaller room in the mansion.

Kitten followed behind with another glass of milk for eating with her desserts. The room was enclosed with three walls and a large set of bay windows showed the Atlantic Ocean view. She guessed a family den like the type in Alabama for the men to drink alcohol and smoke pipes. The older gentlemen surrounded the room sitting in various odd shaped chairs of medium to dark brown leather. Kitten picked the small loveseat next to the side table so she could place her tall glass of cold milk on the surface. Dr. Mangrove sat next to her and smiled. The room became filled with more bodies. Women with graying hair, eye glasses and heavy bodies, she guessed these were the wives of the Quartet. Kitten giggled.

"Hello. My name is Martha, Soy's wife." She pointed to the woman next to her introducing. "Betty, she is Bartholomew's wife. Barbara is Stuart's mate and Mary is Franklin's girl."

Kitten finished woofing down the pecan pie. The food item was excellent. She'd save the chocolate cake for later. She introduced herself like she was taught as a small child at the home of her Granddaddy's house on the farm in Alabama. "Hello. My name is Kitten."

"Kitten is the drummer in the girl band. Isn't that amazing? She was going to tell us how she learned to play the drums." Franklin smiled with a nod.

Mary wore a peach colored dress with a set of matching earrings on pale skin of a thin body with a pair of eyeglasses. She was warm and attentive as her husband introduced the topic of discussion. "Franklin played the drums, too."

Stuart snorted. "Like shit on a stick, man! Ya can't bang anything, but a head," he laughed with the others. Kitten was rocked and shocked with the crass language, but the joke was funny. She roared with laughter. She was an adult engaged in an adult conversation with adults.

Franklin frowned. "Shut up, Stuart! You're upsetting Kitten with your raw language."

Stuart sipped and swallowed the beer. "The girl's over eighteen. I'm just acting naturally."

Franklin frowned at Gage, "Natural for a monkey in the jungle of South America! Quiet, Gage!"

Mary asked. "How did you get the nickname, love? A very endearing term."

Kitten was shocked again. Those people had gathered in the room to observe her, which seemed to be the focus of their attention. Okay! Kitten never gets much attention, just work. She guessed it was okay to talk about her person.

Americus was correct. She had to admit.

Kitten was shy around people that she really didn't know. She found people rude and insensitive sometimes. She had learned to be insensitive living in a fast paced metropolitan city in South Florida. Kitten would enjoy the little side show for a little while. She would be leaving in another thirty minutes to check the final test of the drums at dress rehearsal. Kitten spoke. "Well, there's a story behind it."

"Don't ask her nosy questions, Soy! She's shy and private." Barbara wore a pair of blue jeans and a blue shirt and was a tall and heavy set dark skinned African American female with a short black colored short hair and a pair of eyeballs, smiling at Kitten.

Kitten grinned. "Well, I don't mind telling you. My mama was nicknamed Kitten by her daddy. She loved to chase after baby cats on the farm in Alabama as a small child. She was very unsuccessful," she giggled with the others.

"Continue, love." Mary grinned with a nod and holding Franklin's hand.

"One day, her daddy brought into the house a very tiny kitten. My mama loved the animal. The animal loved my mama. She called the animal, Kitty. Her daddy called her, Kitten, for her love of her pet. When my mama passed to Heaven..."

Soy turned ashen white, asking with a sorrow and sad tone to his tenor voice, "Mercy, sweetheart. Your mother has died. She was so young."

Kitten nodded. "Yes sir. She died."

"How long ago? Recently? Soy frowned.

"My mama died while I was in her womb." Kitten frowned.

"My word!" Betty frowned.

"Tragic!" Stuart nodded.

"Explain, love!" Mary frowned.

Kitten nodded. "My mama had a brain tumor that couldn't be cured."

Soy frowned, asking. "Good gawd! When did she find out?"

Kitten told. "My granddaddy told me that my mama found out when she returned from her trip. She was experiencing headaches and dizziness."

Franklin asked. "Did she see an oncologist?"

Kitten told. "My granddaddy told me that she had visited the physician in the city but they couldn't help her. The tumor was too big, covering most of her brain matter."

Martha stood, placing her arms around the girl's shoulders. "I'm so sorry for the loss of your mother, Kitten."

"Thank you, Mrs. Sawyer." Kitten greeted softly. If she kept talking, Kitten was going to start to cry. It had been a long time, since she had thought about her mother, even though she didn't know her mother. As a small child, she missed knowing, seeing and touching her the face of her mother very much.

Martha smiled. "Please continue, Kitten."

She smiled. "My mama went into a coma at eight months pregnant. I was born the next month by cesarean. My granddaddy told me that, since his 'Kitten' was in heaven then I would become his 'Kitten' on Earth. Therefore, he always called me, 'Kitten,' and not my given Christian name."

"Very sweet, love." Mary grinned with a nod.

"A very loving grandparent." Martha grinned with a nod.

"Yes ma'am." Kitten nodded noting some of the women were forming tears.

"What month were your born, Kitten?" Soy asked.

She grinned. "My birthday month is August."

"How long ago?" Franklin smiled.

"Thirty-one years ago." Kitten nodded. "But, sometimes, I feel older," giggling.

Martha nodded. "Just wait, sweetie."

Soy asked. "So, Kitten is a nickname. What's your Christian name?"

Kitten smiled. "My real name is Prancie Precious Purr."

Soy turned white. "You are named after your mother."

She grinned. "Yes, I am. My granddaddy wanted me to have her name since I didn't get to see me. My granddaddy told me that I also happen to look just like my Mother."

"Yes. I noticed that immediately." Soy whispered.

"So touching, love." Franklin grinned with a nod.

Martha stated. "Let us move along to happier topics, shall we? Drumming talents, sweetheart?"

"I became a drummer when I started elementary school. I didn't like the saxophone. The sticks were lighter. I could store them in my blue jeans." Kitten giggled.

Martha asked. "How did you come to Miami?"

"You do live in Miami, dear?" Betty smiled.

"Yes ma'am. I live in Coral Gables. Well, do you have an hour, or two? That's a long story of how I moved from Alabama to here." Kitten frowned.

"We have all day." Soy nodded.

Kitten frowned then smiled. "Gracious. Okay. I mentioned my birth. I lived with my granddaddy..."

"Your grandmother?" Franklin nodded.

Kitten told. "She passed into heaven when my mama was a teenager."

"Jeezus! What from, love?" Franklin frowned.

"Brain tumor, also." Kitten told.

Soy viewed Mangrove. "Gawd! Is that an inherited genetic trait, Franklin?"

Kitten nodded. "Yes sir! Know that! But I don't share any symptoms that my mom or my grandma did, sir."

Soy frowned at Franklin. "She needs to see a doctor for a through checkup, immediately. Right, Franklin?"

Franklin nodded. "I agree most assuredly, as soon as possible young lady."

Kitten crossed her heart, smiling. "I'm a very healthy and strong girl, sir. Honest."

"Good to hear. Please continue, love." Franklin nodded.

"My granddaddy took care of me. I attended the local high school near my house. I participated in the band as a drummer and a majorette twirling a baton. I can play a little of the piano. I made good grades and won a few science fairs. I lived on a cotton and cow farm which was fun and rewarding." smiled Kitten.

"Was it difficult being raised by a male, not a female?" Mary asked.

Kitten giggled. "Well, it's funny, but I think my granddaddy wanted a little boy, he got a girl."

Betty smiled. "A very lovely granddaughter, he was very fortune."

"So, I had no problem playing the part of a girl," giggled Kitten.

"You're a very fine specimen of a female." Stuart grinned.

Bartholomew slapped his arm, frowning. "Stuart, stop interrupting her story and flirting with the child!" Kitten turned strawberry red. He laughed. "You're making her blush, Mr. Gage."

Franklin smiled. "She's so innocent, love."

"...and cute." Stuart chuckled.

"Thank you." Kitten nodded.

"Back to your story, sweetheart." Soy frowned at Gage and Franklin.

"To please my granddaddy I also learned to shoot, saddle and spit." Kitten giggled.

"Repeat that, love!" Mary frowned.

"What's she saying, Soy?" Betty asked.

"I guess it's an old Southern term." Kitten frowned.

Franklin frowns. "Are you telling us? You can shoot a gun, saddle a horse and spit saliva..."

"... since three years old," giggled Kitten.

"Gawd! She's both entertaining and witty." Soy giggled.

"You can shoot a weapon, love." Franklin frowned.

Kitten nodded with a smile. "My favorite's a Beretta automatic pistol with added handgrip creating a short-barreled rifle as declared under the US National Firearms Act, of course."

"Shit man, she's knows guns." Stuart slapped his kneecap with a chuckle at Kitten.

"Why did you learn to shoot a dangerous weapon?" Bartholomew grinned with a nod.

Kitten exhaled, giggling, "Bored on the farm and plenty of coke cans."

Stuart laughed, slapping his body parts, "Gawd! I'm going to pop open and spill my inners."

"Great, I get to operation in the den on Gage." Franklin frowned, slapping Stuart's arm.

Bartholomew frowned. "Stop hyperventilating, Stuart."

"Breath, Gage?" Soy laughed.

"Call 911, Mangrove." Bartholomew laughed.

"Shut up, Bartholomew." Stuart frowned.

"Stuart, ya okay?" Franklin frowned.

"Fine! Keep going, Kitten?" Stuart breathed in and out from laughing and too much food this afternoon. "Next topic?"

"Did you learn to ride a horses also?" Bartholomew smiled.

Kitten told. "I owned a Quarter horse and raced in the local rodeo around steel barrels for fun. I didn't win each time but it was very fun and very fast."

"Rodeo! What rodeo?" Mary frowned.

Franklin nodded. "Ya know, cowboys, cowgirls, roping the cattle, the mud, the smell."

"The smell of cow shit." Soy nodded.

Kitten grinned with a nod. "Yes sir! There's lot of smells on the Rodeo grounds and on farm lands. Granddaddy raised cotton, cows as profit and owned horses and goats for pleasure. We adopted all types of stray animals including dogs and cats along with some wild animals that roamed the countryside consisting of rabbits, deer and coyotes."

"A real ranch!?" Franklin frowned.

Kitten nodded with a smile, "The farm is pretty much country. I missed it sometimes but I do enjoy the city life. The stores don't smell like cotton seed."

Mary asked. "What else did you do for fun, Kitten?"

"Well, Granddaddy was very busy spending lots of time with the crops, animals, crews, chores and stuff. Farmers tend to hang at the cotton gin discussing the new crops, future crops, weather, soil, temperature and prices. Topics like that. I stayed home. Granddaddy had neighbor ladies clean, cook and take care of the house. I enjoyed watching television, only local stations. I spent time reading, studying my books, practicing my drums...other activities." Kitten smiled. She wondered if they might want to hear the "other" activities.

Bartholomew nodded. "Farm life is horses, cotton and crops. Anything else?"

"Well, farming involves growing crops free from pests that destroy the bolls. The boll weevil is a tiny one fourth inch insect that pierce the leaves of the cotton and lay billons of eggs. Once hatched, the little buggers cause millions of dollars of damage to the plants. I helped eliminated the worms by spraying pesticides and weed-killing chemicals of herbicides on the cotton bolls in Granddaddy's fields." Kitten nodded, missing.

Mary frowned, slapping his arm. "My word, you were required to handle poisons as a child. Isn't that against the law, Soy?"

"Very much so, Martha." Soy nodded.

Kitten shook her curls. "No ma'am. You don't understand. I piloted a helicopter with the poisonous chemicals laying the liquid on the plants from the air."

"Pilot?" Stu snorted with excitement and a tummy ache.

"Helicopter?" Franklin frowned.

"Whirly bird?" Bartholomew frowned.

"Yes sir. A funny story, that is. When I was around thirteen years old, I was allowed to sit with my granddaddy inside the gin office. During the day, we played card games." Kitten giggled. "The local pilot flew a tiny two-seater copter around the crop fields. That was his livelihood using the chopper to spray the crop fields killing insects. His son was learning the pilot lingo and terms for the upcoming pilot's test as we played cards around the tables, eating food. The pilot test was close. The boy was testing verbally by some of the farmers assisting him with the questions as he answered. Well, I admit sometimes I like to show-off as my granddaddy described. As the boy missed each question, I answered it for him. Correctly, of course," she laughed with the others.

Soy smiled with a nod. "Of course. Kitten's smart."

"...and pretty." Bartholomew winked at her.

"...and a proper Southern lady." Franklin winked at Soy.

Kitten giggled. "Thank you so much. I answered correctly all twenty-questions in which my class mate could not attain. Mr. Penski was disappointed in his son, but impressed with me. He offered to pay for my pilot's helicopter test. I accepted with Granddaddy's approval, of course. I passed the written and verbal with ease. I studied for six weeks and soloed in the bird, receiving an A-1 pilot license in which I could fly the Bell copter around the field crops for Mr. Penski's insectide spraying business."

Stuart frowned. "You were only thirteen years old."

"I had a restricted license only for farm land, not rescue, or police duties. I was very proud of my accomplishment." Kitten nodded.

Bartholomew nodded with a smile. "I should say so. Excellent skills!"

"Excellent show." Franklin smiled with a nod at Soy.

Mary grinned with a nod. "Farming is more interesting than I thought."

"Who runs the copter now?" Stuart asked.

Kitten smiled. "Well, eventually, the boy got his pilot's license and has taken over his Father's company."

Soy asked. "Do you miss flying?"

Kitten smiled. "Well, after I completed 1,000 hours of flying time. I qualified to test and train as a rescue and search pilot for the county I lived in Alabama."

Stuart nodded. "Impressive, search and rescue pilots are top professionals in the field of aviation."

Franklin asked. "Do you continue to fly?"

Kitten nodded. "Yes sir! I flew throughout my high school days, only weekends and some nights, throughout college. Finally, after I graduated from college, I accepted a job for the Miami-Dade Search and Rescue Squad, here in Miami. I have been flying since."

Bartholomew frowned. "Do you continue to work as a rescue pilot now?"

"I thought you had a day job." Soy frowned.

Kitten smiled. "I actually work on the weekends as a helicopter pilot."

"Do you work every weekend?" Stuart frowned.

Kitten nodded. "Yes sir! I'm not married. So, I'm available and more flexible than my married counterparts to work the entire weekend shift. I start on Friday night at 6:00 pm to 6 am and then on each Saturday and Sunday evening."

Mary smiled. "What do you do Monday through Friday for your day job, Kitten?"

Kitten smiled. "Piloting is my second job. I work during the day as a physicist for Charity South Miami Hospital in the Radiation Oncology department."

"Are you a real physicist?" Franklin frowned.

"I hold several degrees in the field of physics." Kitten nodded.

"Do you mean that you possess a Master's degree in physics also?" Stuart smiled.

"I possess a doctoral in physics." Kitten smiled.

"Dr. Kitten! Now, that's cute." Soy giggled with a nod.

Kitten shook her curls with a stern face. "No sir! I don't call myself, Doctor Kitten. I'm just Kitten, plain old Kitten."

Soy grinned with a nod. "You're not just plain anything."

Stuart nodded with a smile. "So, you have a doctoral in physics and are a rescue helicopter pilot..."

"And don't forget that she is a solo drummer in a musical band." Franklin grinned.

Kitten giggled. "The drumming routine is for fun. I don't really want a musical career."

Soy nodded. "Are you not interested in fame and fortune?"

Kitten shook her curls with a stern face. "No sir! I enjoy participating in the band, playing the great rock and roll songs, but not the actually competition and greed. I guess you could say."

"Good for you!" Mary nodded with a smile.

Soy asked. "Would you be disappointed, if you left the band?"

Kitten shook her curls. "Actually, I'm going to do just that. This is my last 'gig' as they say. I'm terribly busy with my current job and flying on the weekends. My band members are looking for their first break. I am not. It's not fair for me to give them that impression, so I'm going to resign my drumming position, tomorrow," giggling.

Franklin smiled with a nod. "You have wonderful and talented skills, young lady. I see a bright future for you filled with lots of new adventures."

Kitten nodded. "I hope so. Thank you for saying that, sir."

Franklin grinned with a nod. "Well, young lady. I'm thoroughly impressed."

Bartholomew nodded. "Coming from Franklin, that's a great compliment, young lady."

Kitten grinned. "Thank you, sir."

Mary smiled. "What do you do for fun, Kitten?"

"Well, I'm really busy. The musical band is fun. But I also have a third job, kinda. I guess you could say." Kitten nodded.

"You work three different paid jobs." Martha turned and frowned at Soy. "Isn't that against the law, Soy? They're working her to death."

Soy grinned at his wife and then at Kitten. "No, Martha. It's not against the law. It's Kitten choice. Is that not correct, Kitten?"

"Correct, sir! My real job is hospital work. I work Monday through Friday from five o'clock in the morning to one o'clock in the afternoon. Then I work on the weekends while piloting the helicopter for Miami-Dade Fire and Rescue. I learned to shoot a gun at the age of twelve years old and won a local shooting match at a county gun show."

Stuart chuckled. "Shit! Don't tell me that you're a sharp shooter?"

"Watch your language, Stuart!" Mary turned and frowned at Gage.

Kitten smiled, "Quite correct, sir! I am employed by Miami-Dade police as a sharp shooter."

"My word! You kill people." Mary turned and touched her blouse in shock, staring at Kitten.

Franklin reached over and patted her hand, smiling with a nod. "It's alright, Mary. She is a police officer, not a mercenary," he laughed with the others.

"Tough lady!" Bartholomew turned winked at Soy.

"Stow it, Bartholomew." Soy turned and sneered at Bartholomew.

Kitten nodded. "Yes sir! You're correct. I tested and trained as a police officer. I have a badge. I don't carry a weapon. My specialty is high powered rifles, which are owned by the police. I'm called to perform the duty when the situation is too unusual."

"What does that mean: when the situation is too unusual?" Franklin frowned.

Kitten nodded. "Sometimes, the situation is very difficult. I'm accurate within three point five inches of my target."

Stuart chuckled with a nod. "Shit, girl! That's a damn bull eye."

"Stuart, watch your vile language, again." Mary turned and frowned at Gage.

"Thank you, sir." Kitten smiled.

"What are your gun stats?" Stuart asked.

Kitten exhaled with a sigh. "Actually, I'm fifty-six marks for fifty-six with two kills. The rest of the criminals are sitting prettily somewhere in a prison cell throughout Florida."

Bartholomew frowned. "Wait a second! You don't kill your targets."

Kitten frowned. "No sir! I pop a knee or shoulder on point. The target is alive and then sentenced for their crime."

"Damn painful!" Stuart nodded with a grin.

Kitten nodded with a stern face. "So, I've been told. But, I don't really like a facility on my record."

"Unusual! I get it." Bartholomew nodded with a chuckle.

"How long have you been working as a shooter?" Stuart nodded.

"I started working for the police department, when I started flying the bird. Once I was hired, the police commander found out about my background and then requisitioned me." Kitten smiled.

"Your police captain must have been toasted." Stuart nodded.

"I'm too much of a lady to repeat his strong string of ugly words." Kitten smiled. "Captain Henderson wasn't pleased when he discovered that I could both shoot and fly."

"Are you restricted from flying or shooting?" Stuart nodded.

Kitten said. "I'm on standby with the police department. But I can be called out anytime and anywhere, but the current sharpshooter team is very competent. As far as flying a helicopter, I have a set work schedule. But I fill in as a backup, sometimes, also."

Mary turned and frowned at Franklin. "My word, love. She never gets to have any social fun."

Bartholomew chuckled with his Quartet brother. "I don't think you understand, Mary. This is fun for Kitten."

Stuart smiled. "It would be for me..."

"For you, Stuart!" Franklin turned and sneered at Gage. "You are too damn old and too damn fat to protect your own body. You would definitely have a heart attack and then die inside the police van, Gage."

Stuart turned and frowned at Mangrove. "Fucking old fart doctor, stop diagnosing me."

Kitten nodded with a smile to Mary. "Yes ma'am! Flying a machine at 160 miles-per-hour, saving a person's life or sending a criminal to jail, I experience a set of thrills that other folks just dream about."

"Amen!" Stuart nodded with a grin.

"What a girl, Soy?" Franklin turned and winked at Soy.

"Thank you, sir." Kitten smiled at Franklin.

"You really are an action girl." Bartholomew grinned.

"I guess so, sir." Kitten grinned.

"Well, I would guess that tonight is going to be very boring for you." Franklin nodded.

Kitten shook her curls with a smile. "No sir! I'm the drummer. We'll play some great rock and roll songs this evening."

"She's a fantastic drummer. She plays a solo rap on every song." Soy nodded with a grin.

Kitten grinned. "I only play a drum solo on a couple of songs, sir. It seemed to fit the music. Americus created the drumming session to get the attention."

Franklin chuckled. "I guess she couldn't get the beat."

Kitten nodded. "She is a much better singer in my opinion."

Soy nodded with a grin. "I'm excited about the drumming, the music, the singing, and the dancing."

Bartholomew turned and frowned at Soy. "Dancing! You're an older fart than me, Soy. You dance with one left foot like me too."

"Not tonight, I'm the birthday boy here." Soy laughed.

Kitten smiled. "Well, Mr. Sawyer, this rap session has been fun. But, I really need to get back with the band for a quick song rehearsal."

Soy slowly stood upright from the chair, saying with a grin and a nod. "Yes. Yes, of course, I'm sorry to keep you away so long."

"I'll escort you back to the auditorium. It is this way, young lady." Bartholomew slowly stood upright from the sofa with his wife Betty and moved ahead with a smile, extending a wrinkled naked arm for Kitten. "Did I hear correctly? You are not married, but a single young girl."

The rest of the occupants slowly stood upright and watched Kitten also without leaving the den.

"Stow it, Berrington!" Soy turned and sneered at the nose profile on Bartholomew.

"I am just inquiring, Soy. Did you say that you are single, dear?" Bartholomew stopped and stood in front of Kitten.

Kitten turned and winked at Soy. "Should I answer that question, sir?"

"She's quick." Soy turned and winked with a laugh at Kitten.

Betty smiled at the nose profile on her husband. "No, dear. I won't answer that question. You need to keep the old fart guessing," laughing.

"Yes ma'am." Kitten nodded with a smile to Betty and accepted his arm.

Bartholomew reached out and patted her arm as they moved ahead and exited the den, moving inside the hallway. "You're single! Isn't that statement true, Kitten?"

Betty pointed toward the archway with a smile. "Go with him, Stuart. Make sure Bartholomew escorts her to the correct building."

"Sure thing!" Stuart slowly stood upright with a smile and turned to face the open archway, moving toward the hallway.

Soy frowned at the rear bald mound on Stuart. "Stuart, bop him on the head, if he flirts too much with Kitten."

Stuart stopped and then slowly spun around with a grin, "Sure thing, Soy! Can I draw blood too?"

"No, you cannot draw one ounce of blood, Stuart. Or I'll bop your nose instead." Barbara frowned at her husband.

"It doesn't hurt to ask." Stuart spun around with a chuckle and exited the den, following behind the back spine on Bartholomew and Kitten. Each wife exited the den room also, slowly following behind the back spine on Stuart, moving back home to get ready for the birthday party.

Soy moved ahead and then stopped, standing beside Franklin, saying with a worried brow. "What's the verdict, Franklin?"

Franklin nodded with a smile. "If that girl isn't your daughter, you need to adopt her fast. She's wonderful."

He frowned. "What is your medical answer, Franklin?"

"Without a DNA test result, based on a visual picture and the accumulated data from your question, my answer is affirmative."

"Can you arrange the DNA test tomorrow morning?"

"Yes, I have already contacted Jace and invited him to your birthday party tonight. He is driving as we speak. He and his medical gear will be present here tomorrow morning."

"How did Jace taking the good news?"

"Jace is a true scientist, professional, and curious, as hell, too."

"Was I too obvious?"

Franklin shook his skull. "Not to me."

"Was I too obvious to her?"

"You did a fine job, Soy."

Soy clapped with a smile. "Goody!"

"By the way, we can't allow her to leave with that band of un-coup renegades tomorrow morning."

Soy nodded with a wicked grin. "Don't you worry! She is going to quit that musical band. And I plan to have them out of the house by nine o'clock in the morning."

"How are you going to keep her here with you?" Franklin frowned.

"I have my ways."

Franklin shook his skull, "Jeezus! You sound like Berrington."

"Don't knock it. I learned a thing or two from out Quartet boss Bartholomew."

"Bartholomew always was a wicked bastard." Franklin chuckled.

"Bartholomew is just like you." Soy chuckled.

"No. I was a mild dumb ass," he nodded.

Soy smiled. "My daughter is staying. Don't you worry."

He chuckled. "You have discovered a long lost daughter. Gawd! Your birthday parties always were loaded with fun and fireworks, Soy."

"Fireworks, that'll be tomorrow." Soy moved ahead with Franklin, laughing out loud, preparing for the birthday party.
Thursday November 4th

City of West Palm Beach

Moonlight and cool temperatures with cloudy night sky of stars

Home location of Mr & Mrs Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the third

2nd floor level

Guest bedroom setting of Austin

2:30 a.m.

On the second floor, in the guest bedroom, inside the home of his parents, Austin sat upright with both elbows on top of the pale blue bed linens with a gasp and stared into the moonlight beams that danced over the light tinted wooden floor while blinking both of his eyelids open and shut with confusion.

He turned with a gasp and surveyed the strange room.

The patio door was closed leading onto an exterior balcony over the ocean water in-between a row of windows with the blue tinted curtains open. The forward wall contained a set of short and tall furniture pieces in light wood for clothes storage. One side wall contained a shut entrance door in-between a solid wall of painted baby blue square shapes that was displayed in the wide and height of a sitting chair. Each square was outlined in white paint.

There was a sitting chair with a small side table with a lamp inside the wall corner beside the bed frame.

He smiled from his swiftly memory recall. He was visiting the home of his parents and slept inside the guest bedroom on the second floor of their happy home.

He returned back to see the forward wall.

Each piece of clothing furniture measured in exact height against one of the horizontal white painted line surrounding an individual pale blue square.

The design was his dad's idea making the room conform to each painted squares. His mom's idea was to paint each wall with an array of pale blue squares inside the guest room, where her son would be reminded of his duty to get married and produce a grandchild.

He returned back to see the side wall on the opposite side of the entrance wall. A long row of galls windows and a closed patio door were surrounded by more pale blue squares. An array of moonlight rays beamed down onto the dark ocean waves and the golden sands in heavenly beauty.

His eyeballs darted back to the wall corner that intersected with the window corner and the forward wall, where a hidden door slid open to reveal a parallel room.

The parallel room was an unnamed nursery for an unknown newborn grandbaby.

His parents had designed the entire second floor for Austin, his unknown wife, and unknown and unborn child. One day, when Austin and his family would visit, they would stay on the second floor. His parents were too old to up climb the staircase and had built a ground level bedroom for comfort and safety.

On top of the clothed bed mattress, Austin exhaled with a huff of worry, staring at the hidden door that his mom pointed out each visit to West Palm Beach. However, Austin didn't have an unnamed or a named girlfriend. His love life had been sucking on a carton of rotten eggs for the past month. He didn't know if another female wanted to date his personality for conversation or his person for fun, only his billions to have and to hold, literally.

The parallel room was empty and ready to be filled with baby nursery furniture, when Austin finally produced a son for his mom. The sliding door would open for ease while Austin dashed in and out from the baby nursery. It was a clever idea that would hopefully one day be utilized by Austin.

He slid off the bed mattress in the nude and moved ahead, entering the private bathroom without closing the door. Austin was the only guest on the second floor. He stopped and stood in front of the wash sink, leaning down, washing off the sweat from the neck and the face. He looked up with a stern face to see the reflection mirror. He was missing the gigantic red tinted hand imprint on the forward white wall of cider blocks inside his new house by a budding new Miami artist.

He slightly shook the face and sent an array of tiny water drops around the room, blinking open and shut both eyelids with a whisper and a sour frown. "Forget it, Austin! Don't give in, Berrington! Go back to bed, man! Yeah! Go back to sleep," he reached over and grabbed the hand towel, wiping off the residue of water, dropping the towel down into the wet wash sink. He back stepped and sat down on top of the toilet seat, pissing inside the pine-scented water with a smile. He was too tired to piss standing upright and might miss the toilet bowl of water. Then his mom would be mad, but his dad would laugh at the silly incident from his grown son.

If life was fair, one day, Austin might birth a son also. Then, Austin could teach his son to piss on the clean tile like his father Bartholomew had taught Austin. It was a funny lecture for a four-year-old Austin, where his father Bartholomew had gotten into trouble for the pissing action with his wife Betty.

Inside the guest bathroom, Austin stood upright from the toilet and cleaned up his dick and his ass, moving back into the bed, crawling on top of the cool cotton sheets, and rested on the back spine. He stared into the wooden ceiling of white with a sour frown and an active mind.

The early morning dream of a new beautiful dream woman had occurred again for some weird ass reason. At two-thirty am in the morning, he had dreamed of a familiar pretty girl. The image was a beautiful, tall, and lighted-haired female with a face of dark skin, sitting behind something.

He laughed out loud and then snorted with amusement.

The early morning dream babe was the colorful image of female drummer in the musical band that was paid to play at Soy's birthday party last night. The drummer was the shy one, who only played the set of drums during each musical song or fiddled with the drum equipment when the only musicians took a break for the bathroom or the refreshment table or to chat with each invited guest.

The musical band took a potty or food break often while a set of three ugly middle-age females continued to find and then annoy the shit out of Austin's butthole during the rest of the heated evening.

After singing the traditional Happy Birthday song and then cutting into the bottom layer of a gigantic white colored frosted three-tiered birthday cake, Austin sucked down one bite of the sweet dessert and then dashed for the exit inside the auditorium with the three ugly females in tow.

His Quartet brother Stu was prompt and then intercepted the trio of ugly females, kindly asking for a new musical song, so Austin could escape with his life form and his peace of mind.

For Austin, the party evening was a bust without a cute date or a quiet evening with his parents during the short visit to West Palm Beach.

Inside the guest bedroom on top of the bed mattress, he rubbed a semi-wet face and then slapped both hands down on the soft mattress with a soft growl speaking to each white tinted ceiling planks. "No. I am not doing it again. The morning dream is a warning or a prediction or a premonition, sorta. That pretty female is in trouble for some damn reason. I don't know her name, but that is way each early morning daydream begins. The rude singer in the musical group didn't even introduce the other band members. The musical group sounded okay. The drummer seemed to be the more talented musician. No! Do not justify an excuse to meet and then save that pretty girl," he moaned.

"It never works out like that either. I save the dream girl and then she gets murdered or killed or dies from some stupid ass reason. Last morning, the dream girl was a tall and pretty blonde haired beauty, who tried to kidnap me during my fun car ride from Miami to see my parents here in West Palm Beach. That dream girl is dead along with the other dream girls of Kathleen, Athena, Hera, Liz, Zena, Skye, and Rosebud. No! I am not getting involved in the next red, white, and blue crime fighters murder-the-girl police case. Tom or Frank or Stu can do the saving and then the suffering. I am finished with an innocent girl dying over something that I cannot control. No! That female drummer is going to die one way, without me, soonest. Yes, say it isn't so. However, I didn't dream of her image before the birthday party tonight. No! It doesn't matter, Austin. You have a life that need jump starting again like a painful heart attack. You must meet and find a nice girl and get married. Pronto, man! My business company of seven years is being sold to the Japanese company within three more weeks. Then, I'm an unemployed and unmarried and alone dude for the first time in my life. I hate this fucking ass feeling. No! The female drummer is going to get into trouble and then get saved and then swiftly die. The end!" He turned to see the small alarm clock beside the short reading lamp on the side table with a sigh. "Why in the hell does a side table inside the bedroom hold a short reading lamp and a small alarm clock?" The red tinted gigantic number of 2:39 am glowed within the darkness, teasing his soul and his mind with the morning dream.

He slid off the bed with a sneer and stood upright on top of the floor stomping ahead toward the side table, snatching up the alarm clock, rearing back an arm behind the skull with a soft snarl and halted mid-air.

His mom would immediately notice that the alarm clock had been damaged against the blue paint on the side wall and then she would contact Uncle Franklin for a psychological evaluation with her son.

Austin spun around with the alarm clock to face the furniture piece, slowly moving ahead with a soft growl and then stopped, opening the top drawer, hiding the alarm clock. He gently closed the drawer with a smile.

Out of sight and out of mind!

He spun around and then leaped into the air and landed top of the soft bed mattress with a chuckle, crawling on his naked stomach over the soft bed linen and then stopped, pounding the pillow into a new shape, settling back down on top of the soft fabrics with a deep sigh.

He closed the eyelids with a grin and a whisper. "Yes, this is much better. I start my new life, tomorrow morning."

Now, his sleepy soul found peace.

Home location of Mr & Mrs Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

9:01 a.m.

Foyer room setting

"Are the other guests gone from the estate?" Soy said with a stern face to his devoted head staffer.

His Quartet brother Franklin Mangrove, Junior entered through the open archway and moved ahead into the foyer and stopped, standing beside Soy in silence.

"Yes sir." Baldomero nodded with a smile to Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior.

"Thanks, Baldomero!" Soy nodded with a smile. Baldomero spun around and left the house through the entrance door, gently closing it shut, getting back to work for the day.

"Soy, I noticed that Kitten was very shy and reserve last night at your old fashion birthday bash." Franklin stared at the closed door.

"She is a lady. All Southern ladies are like that." Soy turned and smiled at Franklin.

"Was her mother shy and quiet?" Franklin back stepped and then sat down on the hard bench.

Soy back stepped also and then sat beside Franklin on the same hard bench. "Hell no. Her mother was a pistol, a wild, gorgeous, carefree creature," he laughed recalling the intense affair.

He exhaled. "That's explains the sex."

Soy sneered. "Watch it, Mangrove! That's the mother of my daughter."

"What I mean is that Kitten is quite different in personality? She's not used to the public, publicity, limelight, and us."

"She'll take to that like duck in water. Looky at her! She's gorgeous, well mannered, smart, talent, my daughter."

"I'm very concerned how Kitten will react when she discovers the ploy you arranged to keep her here at the estate for her genetic testing."

"What ploy, Franklin?"

"The fake air conditioning sham you pulled to transfer her and her luggage to the estate house for the night while the other band members sleep inside the lodge."

Soy nodded with a grin, "Gawd! She's a trooper. She was going to sleep in the dusty, dirty, and heated room just to be polite." He laughed. "She doesn't complaint or whine. Kitten is a real angel."

He exhaled. "Soy, I believe Kitten to be a very sensitive and complicated woman. She might not feel the same way. She might feel betrayed and deceived about your helpless ploy with the room exchange."

Soy extended his palms with a worried brow. "I had to do something quickly. I couldn't like her leave those other turd balls, could I?"

"No."

Soy lifted both palms near his smile and then dropped them down, slapping his legs. "I told the other band members that Kitten had left for the morning. She had an emergency."

"Aw! You lied to your guests, also."

Soy frowned. "So, what? I wanted my daughter to stay."

"We still have to prove that working theory."

"Fuck your working theory! That girl is my daughter, the only one I got. I'm not letting her out of his house for any reason."

"You have lied numerous times to numerous individual, Soy."

"Yes. And I'm going to lie again, when she emerges out from her private bedroom on the second floor."

"What?" Franklin frowned.

"I have to tell her something. The musical band left for an emergency the morning also."

"That is another lie. Soy, you must be very careful here. Kitten is going to distrust you for the rest of your life, if she really is your daughter. I know I would."

Soy sneered. "Fuck you, Mangrove! I only asked for your medical opinion, not a smart ass personal view point."

"You got both. In my personal viewpoint, you should inform her that you conceived this little plot to keep her right here inside your house. Or she might get really mad and leave you for the rest of her life."

Soy gasped. "Leave! She can't leave. She won't leave me She!"

"Soy, you need to be honest with her."

"I will."

Franklin nodded. "I'm going to be here to keep you honest."

Soy reached over and patted the collar bone on Franklin. "Thanks, Franklin. What else do I need to do?"

"Stay calm! She is going to be stunned and surprised. You have to be in control of this new and exciting situation."

"I'm so excited."

He frowned. "I can see that."

"Does anyone else suspect?"

He nodded. "The Band of Brothers and Sisters are clueless."

Soy smiled. "What about the younger Band of Brothers and Sisters?"

"They are more clueless. I noted the kids were still in shock with your presentation of a real birthday party."

"Goody. I like shocking people." Soy laughed.

"And you enjoy shocking your family members also."

"It is more fun that way." Soy laughed harder.

"They're going to piss in their pants today."

"Don't say that. I don't want piss on the rug. It's new."

"It's a joke, Soy."

"If you say so, Franklin. You're the doctor."

"I did notice one other observation."

Soy frowned. "What's that?"

"Kitten didn't care to associate with the younger Band of Brothers and Sisters, last night."

"I noted that also. What do you think?"

"She's unaccustomed to the fast-paced life."

"I disagree. You heard her stories. She is a helicopter pilot and a police department sharp shooter."

Franklin raised his finger near a smile. "Ah! But she gets paid for those jobs. She has no social life. She has elected to eliminate all and every fun activity from her life or..."

"Looky! She is a shy, quiet, and reserve person. She's a choir girl. She is a good and nice female. That's why she's my daughter."

"She does not seem to be like her mother."

Soy smiled. "She is talented, smart, and beautiful. Everyone fucking wolf would be after her, if she's wasn't careful."

"I think I just made that point."

Soy laughed. "O! What's your point, again, Franklin?"

"Yes, Soy, I made that point also. Kitten is very careful with the choice of careers and social values in her life."

Soy frowned. "We aren't."

"Tom, Austin, Stu, and Frank run with a different and dangerous crowd."

"They're not dangerous people."

"Money makes people dangerous, Soy. You know better than that. So if Kitten is your biological daughter, then her life will be in immediate danger."

Soy looked down with a worried brow to see the floor and then returned back to see Mangrove. "Gawd! Franklin, that concept didn't cross my mind."

"It hit mine like a lightning bolt. Kitten must quit her job, all her paying jobs. We can't allow your daughter flying a dangerous machine that can be shot of the sky."

Soy nodded. "Shit! You're correct."

"She can't be a police officer either. Actually, I'm a little concerned if she's personally sent bad guys to jail and they got bad kin."

Soy moaned. "Fucking right!"

"She'll be a new target. The media will dig up all her past in this case..."

"Only her virtues and accomplishments."

"What about her list of vices, Soy?"

Soy frowned. "Shit! My daughter does not have one single vice, Franklin."

"Then, Kitten probably will have a shit load of new enemies."

"Once the shit hits the fan about a Quartet daughter."

Franklin nodded with a grin. "You mean to shout out loud, a Quartet baby sister."

Soy laughed. "The baby sister of the Quartet, that has a nice ring to it."

"Speaking of enemies, what about our sons?" Franklin exhaled with worry.

"Holy crap! You don't think I haven't pondered and wondered about our sons, the current Band of Brothers." Soy said with a serious tone.

"What about the emotional discharge from my son Frank?"

Soy nodded with a smile. "Frank accepts all people first. Once you screw him, then you are his enemy for life."

He nodded. "Correct."

"What about the emotional discharge from Stu?"

He smiled. "Stu is one dimensional and bases all his opinions on a set of facts. Once Jace proves the blood test is legitimate, Stu will become her new Quartet brother for life."

"Agreed."

"What about the emotional discharge coming from Badass Austin?"

"Austin, he is very difficult to read. He hides his true feelings. I admit I can never tell what Austin is thinking, feeling, or pondering, until he acts, legally or illegally."

"Correct!" Franklin laughed.

"So, we wait and see about Austin's first reaction! And what about the emotional discharge from my son Tom?" Soy frowned.

"Gawd! Your son!" He exhaled with worry.

"I'm so very worried also." Soy frowned.

"Did you take away his Ghost yet?"

Soy gasped. "I didn't think about doing it that action."

"Call Janey right now! No, wait! Better yet, go and tell Martha to hug and steal away his Ghost."

"Right!"

Franklin frowned. "Tom is going to blast off a ballistic intercontinental missile with the good news, whether true blue blood or not."

"Agreed."

"Thomas is one spoiled brat, Soy."

Soy nodded. "Know that fact, too well, Franklin."

"We get Stuart to stand guard on Tom."

"Then we put Bartholomew on Austin."

Franklin gasped. "Austin is very young and strong."

"Austin would never, ever harm his own dad."

Franklin nodded. "Good point!"

"We place Gage on top of Thomas, the third."

Franklin smiled. "Each third on guards a fourth."

He smiled. "Good plan!"

Franklin frowned. "Where is Kitten located?"

"She's up rummaging around in her room."

"You have been spying. I see, Soy."

"No, I am just excited and curious."

Franklin asked. "Where are our sons and daughters located?"

"Everyone is inside the kitchen eating up the good breakfast meal."

Franklin asked. "Where is Jace?"

"In the kitchen, too, he is eating his breakfast meal also, but his laboratory is set up in the den."

Franklin nodded. "What is the new plan, Soy?"

"I plan to test the blood on Kitten first and then view the medical results with her and Jace."

Franklin frowned. "You are not mentioning the idea to our sons first."

He smiled. "Nope! I don't want World War Three inside my house."

"Good point!"

Soy smiled. "How long for Jace to compute the medical results from her blood prick?"

"Jace said less than five minutes flat. He can get verified medical results instantly, now days."

"Thank goodness for the advanced state-of-the-art medical technology!" Soy smiled.

Franklin and Soy heard a set of light footballs on top of the wooden staircase and then spun around to stare at Kitten.

She was slowly moving down each step holding a pink poked-dot suitcase in one hand, the matching purse on her shoulder, and her other hand guided down the banister coming from the second floor of the mansion. She was dressed in a pink dress with a pair of matching pink heeled sandals.

"She looks so cute." Soy smiled at this daughter. "I like pink hue on little girls."

Franklin smiled at Kitten also. "She is not a little girl, Soy."

"She's my little girl, Franklin."

"We shall see."

Soy elbowed Franklin and continues to stare at Kitten with a smile. "Go and get Jace, right now, Franklin. Tell him that we are ready for his medical magic."

"Right." Franklin spun around with a smile and dashed away from Soy, moving down the hallway, entering into the kitchen with the new Quartet mission and a smirk of excitement.

Soy moved ahead and stopped at the edge of the staircase, extending a hand to Kitten.

Kitten refused the hand and landed on top of the floor, standing and staring at Soy. "Thank you!"

"How did you sleep, sweetheart?" He smiled.

"I enjoyed the comforts of the room, sir. Thank you so much for allowing me to transfer my sleeping arrangements in here. I'm sorry for the trouble, sir."

"Trouble! You're no trouble, sweetheart."

She smiled. "Thank you for saying that, sir."

"Kitten, I have some important information to relay."

She nodded. "Yes sir."

He pointed down at the hard bench seat inside the foyer. "Come over here and sit down inside the foyer, Kitten."

Kitten moved ahead and then sat down in silence.

Soy sat down next to her.

She posed both of her delicate manicured hands inside her lap and as her alert silver eyeballs stared at him.

Soy chuckled that his daughter was a lady-like proper female. "Kitten, the band, the band," he exhaled. O! Forget this!"

She frowned, "Gracious me! What's wrong? Is there a problem, Mr. Sawyer?"

"No sweetheart! Everything is wonderful. I'd like for you to view this photograph." Soy asked.

"Of course, if you would like, sir." She smiled. Soy handed her the item. Kitten studied the picture and then gasped in shock. "This is a very old photograph of my mom and a man." She flipped to the back reading the hand printed information on the old picture. "The print reads: Soy and me on the month of November, the eighteen in the year..." she looked up with a smile to see Soy. "I was born on the eighteenth of August that same year."

He smiled." That's correct."

"Soy! Who is this Soy in this picture?"

"I am." He smiled with a nod.

She gasped at Soy. "Gracious me! You are this Soy. Then, this is your photo as a young man."

"A very young man, I was thirty years old back then. Last night, I celebrated my sixty-fifth birthday."

"My mama was eighteen years old in this picture."

"Kitten, your mother and I met in the city of Miami on November, the eighteenth, in that year..."

"Gracious me! You have met my mama, sir."

"You are the exact image of your beautiful mother."

"My granddaddy told me that my mother took a road trip down to the US State of Florida for her eighteenth birthday."

"I was the surprise gift. You could say."

"You were the surprise gift. What does that statement mean?" She handed the picture back to Soy and then swiftly stood upright from the hard bench with a sour frown. "Sir, I don't understand any of this."

Soy slowly stood upright from the hard bench with a frown and waved a hand. "Please, sit back down, sweetheart. I don't mean to frighten you."

"I believe I should leave. I would like to go. Where are Americus and the other band members, sir?"

"Kitten, the band has left the estate."

"Gracious me! I don't understand, sir. Please, I...I would like to leave from here now, sir. May I borrow a telephone to arrange transportation, sir? Or could you call me a taxi cab to here please? I'll leave the estate, immediately, sir."

"This isn't going well. Please, sit down, Kitten. I can explain." Soy sat back down without threatening Kitten with his good intent.

"Soy!" Mrs Sawyer slowly moseyed into the foyer to see what was happening between the two adults.

Soy slowly stood upright with a worried brow. "Thank gawd! Martha, please, come here! I need your help."

Martha moved ahead with a smile and then stopped, standing inside the foyer, staring at Kitten. "Sweetheart, what is it?"

Soy answered with alarming news. "Martha, I've upset Kitten, terribly. She wants to leave the estate."

Martha spoke with a calm and motherly tone to Kitten. "O. Let us go into the den and talk. Is that alright, Kitten?" She reached out and touched the forearm on Kitten, pulling the young female from the foyer.

"Ma'am, please. I would like to leave your estate immediately." Kitten felt a set of tears inside each eye socket. She was upset, worried, and nervous standing around these strange people.

Inside the den setting, Martha spun around from the foyer and slowly led them down the hallway and then entered back into the den space from yesterday. She stopped in front of the long sofa and spun around to see Kitten. "Sweetheart, don't you worry. We don't bite. Soy, he has no elegance. I am so sorry to state."

"Martha!" Soy stopped and stood beside Kitten inside the den while frowning at his wife.

Martha nodded with a smile at Soy. "It is so true, Soy. Kitten, my husband is trying to tell you that he met your mother about thirty-two years ago. You told us that you are thirty-one years of age."

"Yes ma'am." Kitten continued to stand and nodded with a stern face.

Martha back stepped with a smile and then sat down on top of a long sofa. "You are a smart young lady. I think you understand math problems."

Kitten continued to stand and stared at Martha. "Ma'am, I don't know my daddy."

Martha nodded with a smile. "Kitten, you might find this hard to believe. But we can solve this mysterious math problem."

"Ma'am!" Kitten gasped.

Soy entered the den room and the spun around, closing the door. He didn't want any of his family members to see Kitten, yet. He swung back around and moved ahead, stopping by Kitten with a smile. "We can solve the mysterious math problem with a blood test."

"What blood test?" Kitten turned and frowned at Soy.

Soy pointed at Jace in the shadow of the wall corner hiding behind the long sofa. Jace wore a white lab coat over a pair of blue jeans. Soy smiled at Jace. "Jace is my personal physician. He will prick at your finger meat for a small sample of blood and then check the results against my stored DNA. What do you say, Kitten?"

Martha continued to sit and nodded with a smile at Kitten. "We're not going to force you, sweetheart. We're simply very intrigued too. You must be a little curious, maybe puzzled, yourself."

Kitten nodded. "Gracious me. I'm totally confused, befuddled, frightened, enthralled and stupefied."

Martha chuckled. "She has quite a word vocabulary."

"That's because she's smart just like her daddy." Soy laughed.

Martha grinned. "What's your answer, Kitten?"

"Sit down on top of the sofa which is near my equipment." Jace reached out and patted the edge of the sofa which was opposite from Martha's sofa. Kitten stood in place while deciding what to do. Jace nodded. "Should I precede with the medical test, Kitten?"

Kitten nodded. "Gracious me! I don't see the harm in solving a little mystery."

"Good. I told you that she would be cooperative." Soy reached over and gently shoved Kitten toward the sofa.

Martha giggled. "Only if you had used your Ghost, Soy."

"I did bad, Martha." Soy turned and frowned at his wife.

Martha smiled. "You should have called me, sweetheart. I can handle children better."

"Yes, you can." Soy moved ahead and sat beside his wife, leaning over, pecking her cheekbone and pulled back with a smile in silence.

Kitten moved ahead and then stopped, standing on the edge of the sofa. Jace leaned down and held a needle in the air, reaching out and grabbed, squeezing her finger. He swiftly pricked the middle finger skin, bursting the epidemic, plucking the blood with the small section into the test tube. "Ouch." She moaned with pain.

"It does slightly sting." Jace spoke.

"Okay." She exhaled with the minor pain.

"All done." Jace stood upright and lifted a filled test tube of red blood into his smile.

"Okay." She exhaled with confusion.

"How long to read and produce the medical results, Jace?" Martha slowly stood upright from the sofa with Soy.

Jace turned and smiled at her. "I need five minutes, Aunt Martha. I want to be absolutely certain with the medical procedure."

Martha nodded with a smile. "Yes, of course, Jace, please take your time. Kitten, could you come this way please? We will leave Jace to his medical work."

"Yes ma'am." Kitten stood upright from the sofa, patting the bandage on her middle finger.

Martha moved ahead and opened the door.

She and Kitten exited the den room and strolled down the hallway, turning into the empty entertainment room with three mounted televisions that were powered down. She moved ahead and sat down on top of the sofa, patting an empty spot on the fabric. "Please, come and have a seat beside me, sweetheart."

"Yes ma'am." Kitten moved ahead and sat down with Martha.

"Kitten, I want you to know I truly believe you're my daughter." Soy paced side to side around the floor, since he was too excited to stand still for one second.

"Gracious me! I don't know what to say. This is so new to me also," she slightly bounced up and down on the soft sofa with a stern face.

"This is new for all of us, sweetheart." Martha smiled. "You must have thousands of questions."

"Yes ma'am." Kitten nodded.

Soy stopped and stood in front of Kitten. "First, I didn't know your mother was sick. I'm so sorry."

"Thank you! Her illness was very sudden, even for my granddaddy. It was her time to leave the planet and ascend up into heaven. I believe in my heart." Kitten held back the sobs of sadness.

Soy nodded. "Second, I didn't know about you, child. I would've come to Alabama and fetched you home with me."

Kitten gasped. "Uh! My granddaddy was very overprotective of me, all the time. He might have thought you would have come and done that with me. Looking back, I understand more of his overprotective nature. He might not have known about you, Mr Sawyer, but he was aware of your person."

Soy nodded, "Agreed. Thirdly, I saw you playing at the Flamingo Club Monday night. I was with a dear friend, who dragged my ass..."

"Soy!" Martha frowned.

Soy smiled. "I'm sorry. My friend liked to listen to roll and rock music. You did an outstanding performance on drum set. Your solo drumming caught my attention. But, your image activated my old memory banks," laughing. "I recognized the features of your mother in you. She was a very unique and beautiful person, Kitten."

Kitten nodded. "Thank you, sir. That compliment is very nice to hear, especially from you."

Soy nodded. "Fourly, I knew instantly you were my daughter. I arranged for the musical band to play here at my birthday party. But I was really interested in speaking with you. I'm sorry for being deceitful."

Kitten gasped. "You arranged the air-conditioning malfunction in my assigned room at the lodge."

"Touché!" Soy chuckled.

"She's smart." Martha nodded.

Soy extended by palms with a stern face. "I admit to more deceit. I had to know, Kitten. After I spotted you at the club, I ran home to tell Martha. She and I agreed together. We wanted to find out the truth. We wanted to answer the question."

Kitten nodded. "I understand your reasons, sir. But I might not be your daughter, sir."

Soy nodded. "Don't worry about that, Jace'll be finished in a few more minutes."

Kitten looked down at her finger wound and then returned back to see Soy. "Gracious me! I just don't know what to say or do."

Soy nodded. "You're in shock. That's understandable. You're a very special child, Kitten."

"Thank you, sir." Kitten smiled.

Jace entered into the room with a smile and stopped a few feet from Soy without speaking. Soy spun around with a sneer. "Shit, Jace. Spit it out now!"

Jace smiled. "Congratulations, Uncle Edison! You have a baby girl."

Martha and Kitten slowly stood upright from the sofa with a gasp.

"Yipe!" Soy spun around and moved ahead, hugging Kitten, pulling back with a smile. "I have a daughter."

"I have a daughter." Martha held both hands near her smile of happiness.

Soy released Kitten. Martha turned and hugged Kitten, wearing a set of happy tears also, pulling back with a smile in silence. Soy laughed. "Speak, Kitten."

Kitten smiled. "Shock. Stun. Happy. Glad. Wow. I have a daddy."

"And you have a mommy too." Martha continued to stand and pat on Kitten's arm.

Kitten hugged Martha again and pulled back with a set of soft tears of happiness and shock. "I'm so blessed. I have a mommy and a daddy. I've never had a mommy or a daddy before. I have a family. I have a real family."

Soy grinned. "Kitten, you might be eating all those words later, when you meet the real family."

"What real family?" Kitten frowned.

"Our family is very large." Soy nodded.

"I don't understand." Kitten frowned with puzzlement.

Soy grinned. "You will. Let's go and tell the kids."

"Wait! I don't think we should tell anyone." Kitten shook her curls with worry.

Soy smiled. "Hell, yes. You're my daughter."

Kitten nodded. "Gracious me! I'm not ready for this. I'm so happy to have a mommy and a daddy. But, I'm not ready for more family members, not yet."

"Too late, sweetheart. We come as a package." Soy chuckled.

She exhaled. "Gracious me. Everyone is going to be upset. I think we should wait for..."

"Hell no! There will be no waiting, only announcing," Soy tossed both palms near his smile.

Kitten frowned. "Daddy!"

Soy giggled with a nod. "She called me, Daddy. Did you hear her, Martha? So sweet, the sound of my little girl. So precious!" He hugged Kitten and leaned over, pecking her cheekbone, pulling back with a love of a newly discovered daughter.

Kitten tossed both of her hands in the air. "Maybe, we should wait until after Christmas to break the news to the other family members. What do ya'll think?"

Soy shook his skull. "No. No. No. We announce you right now. You're here. They're here. We're going to celebrate the good news the rest of the night, the week, and the entire year."

"Daddy!" Kitten sung with perfect musical tone.

Soy chuckled. "Daddy! She said it again. Her words make my heart melt."

"Mommy!" Kitten turned to face Martha.

Martha reached out and held Kitten's hands with a smile. "Kitten, it's okay. We will be holding your hands. This is an exciting event for all of us. We want to share with the rest of our family."

Soy grinned with humor. "I am so happy to find out about his new daughter, the baby girl of the Quartet. No one is going to bite or sting at you."

"Who is going to bite me or sting me?" Kitten frowned with fear.

"Soy's joking." Martha patted Kitten's hands with a smile.

Jace approached Kitten with an extended hand. "Kitten, allow me to introduce myself first, since Uncle Edison is a rude ill-mannered rant of a pig." Kitten shook and released Jace's hand in silence.

Soy frowned at the physician. "Jace!"

He smiled. "I'm Dr. Jace Justin Jackson, Junior, the physician for the Quartet. You do know who the Quartet is."

"Yes." Kitten exhaled with worry. She read about those people but didn't want to meet them ever. She was not like them. She was not rich. She didn't attend a fancy gala ball. She didn't live in a big mansion.

Jace smiled. "I, personally, take great pride and honor, if you allow me to safeguard your person as a guide."

"What type of guide?" Kitten frowned.

Jace nodded. "Like a narrator of a story, I can answer questions, explain facts, tell stories..."

"Excellent idea, Jace!" Soy nodded with a smile.

Jace nodded. "I'm also a medical researcher. I'm quite familiar with Charity South Miami Hospital, your current place of employment. I perform research cases there. Some of my patients are oncology studies."

She nodded. "Yes, I've seen your name on the spec sheets."

Jace smiled. "Good. You know that I am a real person, not fake."

"I believe you."

Jace smiled. "Very good! The Quartet has a certain reputation known to the public eye."

"I have heard."

Jace smiled. "Tom, Austin, Stu, and Frank are great guys and their wives are named Gracie, Misty, and Janey. They are wonderful women. Now, they are your new family."

Kitten nodded. "Okay."

Martha smiled. "Kitten, Soy is your biological father. I'm your adoptive mother. But I hope you think of me as your mommy."

Kitten nodded with happiness. "Yes, Mommy, I do."

Martha grinned with a nod. "Good. Thomas, our son is your biological brother."

Kitten gasped with happiness. "I have a brother. I've never have a brother or a sibling before."

Soy nodded. "Well, you got seven of them, but Thomas is the 'real' deal."

Kitten smiled. "Wow! The news is going to be quite shocking for everyone."

Soy said with an evil undertone. "That makes it so much fun."

"Soy, stop teasing her. She's frightened enough." Martha chuckled.

Soy hugged his new child and pulled back with a smile. "I'm sorry, Kitten. This is great news. I excited. I have a daughter."

Kitten smiled. "I feel the same way about you being my daddy..."

"She said it again. She called me, Daddy. So sweet coming from my child." Soy grinned.

Kitten nodded, "But!"

"What, sweetheart?" Soy smiled.

Kitten looked down at the wooden floor and then returned back to see Soy. "Wonder if, they don't like me..."

"Nonsense!" Martha shook her curls.

"I'll beat the shit of them." Soy grinned.

Kitten gasped. "What, Daddy?"

Martha reached over and slapped his arm. "Soy is joshing."

"Yes, I am. Dr. Jackson will beat the shit of them. Is that not correct, Jace?" Soy turned and winked at Jace.

Jace smiled in silence.

"Soy, stop it!" Martha exhaled with annoyance.

"Let's go and meet the family." Soy grinned.

Kitten parted her lips, "Gracious me," she felt nervous, worried, happy, shocked, stunned, and other emotions which were rolled all into one great something. She was going to meet the Quartet.

Kitten had avoided them last night like the plague, which was easy, since she had needed to adjust the drum set, after each song. She had not moved from the drum seat, except for a few bathroom breaks. She had done that on purpose to avoid meeting the Quartet.

Kitten was not like them. Now, she was meeting them.

Now, Kitten was kin to them. Now, her situation was both very confusing and very puzzling. She had a new daddy and a new brother.

Kitten wished that she had brought along her hand gun inside the purse.

Inside the hallway setting, Soy led her first to the door and stopped, hugging her, pulling back with a smile. "Stay here! I'm going to announce you as my youngest but newest child, Kitten."

"What are you doing, Soy?" Martha frowned.

Soy grinned, "The shock of the century."

Martha slapped his arm, giggling. "Soy, you're one devious man."

"I learned that from Franklin. He's the devious son of the bitch within the Quartet." Soy laughed, hugging Martha and then turned speaking in a sweet tone. "Stay right there, Kitten!"

Kitten nodded. "Yes, Daddy."

"Daddy! So, precious, I can't hear my new name enough times." Soy chuckled.

Jace nodded, "Kitten."

Kitten smiled, "Yes, Jace."

Jace smiled, hugging her. "Everyone's going to be happy to welcome you to the new family."

Kitten nodded. "Thank you, Jace!"

Inside the Florida room setting at 09:36 am, Jace moved through the open archway into the Florida room first and slid down into an isolate chair of solid coral next to the archway with a player face, while nervous Kitten stayed hidden behind the wall inside the hallway. Soy and Martha entered the Florida room next as planned by Sawyer, Junior, where Franklin had herded the Quartet brothers and sisters, sitting around the room.

The Quartet family members were sitting in various sofas and chairs chatting, drinking, and wasting the nice Florida day away.

Uncle Stuart was positioned next to Tom on top of an oversized love seat. The appearance liked funny with the large white hair big old man sitting next to the skinny tall young blonde buck.

Soy was gravely concerned that "his" Thomas would overreact to the good news while electing to eliminate quickly with deadly lethal force his new biological sibling, instead of embracing the good news of joy of a baby sister.

Austin was a concern as well. However, he wasn't the type to attack directly, more indirectly. Soy would watch Austin, very carefully.

Soy was happy about discovering a baby girl and so was his wife Martha. She was grinning and humming with the wonderful news while sitting beside her loving husband on top of a second loveseat of aqua and gray colors beside Jace and near the open archway, where Kitten remained hidden and nervous.

At the far end of the Florida room, Uncle Stuart and Tom shared a loveseat of coral, white and aqua strips. In the next furniture piece, Jane, Stu, and Gracie all sat in a row on top of a long sofa of coral and white as Gracie and Stu bumped heads while whispering about the new day activities.

Beside the elbow of Gracie, Frank and Misty Marie sat on top of a long sofa of white and aqua colors between his parents Mary and Franklin with a set of whispers and smiles, discussing the new day activities also.

Aunt Barbara, Bartholomew, and Betty shared a long sofa of solid coral while chatting with each other.

And finally, at the end of the room, Austin sat inside a sitting chair of solid aqua hue alone next to his mom while staring with a faint smirk at Soy. Berrington assumed that Soy had invited all the Quartet family members to the house for a new surprise. And the fucking surprise was about to pop out of a second gigantic birthday cake.

On the far side of the room, Soy reached over and grabbed the old wooden gravel, hitting it on top of the low light colored wooden table as each family member sat upright and at attention in silence for the new meeting.

"Gawd! Not a Powwow meeting, this morning in here, right now," Tom stood upright from the shared loveseat with a loud moan and a set of outstretched arms. "Dad, I need to go back to work, right now."

"No work, today, Thomas! Enjoy the sun and your parents! Please sit down, sweetheart." Martha smiled holding Soy's hand tighter, warning her husband of her son's irrational behavior.

Tom continued to stand with both arms crossed at the chest like an ill-mannered runt. Soy had exhibited the same behavior on every occasion over the years to the Band of Brothers when pissed about events that he didn't want to hear.

Uncle Stuart reached up and grabbed the arm of Tom, jerking the butthole of younger Sawyer violently down onto the sofa with a growl. "Sit, boy! Your father is speaking."

"Fuck!" Tom yelled as Jane reached over and patted his arm trying to calm her loving over wrath anxiously tense husband.

"My loving and caring Quartet brothers and sisters," Soy smiled and then paused while scanning each face. "I have a great big wonderful surprise for the entire family." He laughed, holding his arms out in a curved half circle with Martha's hand attached.

Tom leaped from the sofa again with a yell, "Surprise! What fucking ass surprise? Your birthday was last night. Gawd! The man got the wrong damn day!" Tom laughed at the top of his lungs along with his family.

"Boy, hush up and sit down!" Uncle Stuart jerked Tom back down onto the sofa fabric of the loveseat with a sneer.

"Uncle Stuart," Tom moaned, holding his arm from the forced and painful movement. "That hurt!"

"Quiet, Thomas!" Martha nodded to her son with a smile.

Soy leaned over and wrapped his arm around Martha, smiling. "I'm a father...again."

Tom stopped moaning and stood upright from the loveseat parking both palms on the hips, staring at his father with a sour frown, announcing with clarity. "What in the shitty fuck is happening here, Dad?"

Misty Marie and Frank gasped in shock, bumping heads in whispers.

Jane leaned over and bumped heads with stunned Stu and Gracie.

Each elderly Quarter brother and sister had received the good news from Soy, early this morning, before the breakfast meal while carefully watching a son for any sign of trouble inside the Florida room today.

Uncle Franklin smiled at Soy. "Listen to Soy, Tom!"

"Down, boy! Before, you piss me off." Uncle Stuart jerked Tom's arm as he landed hard on the sofa while in shock.

"Dad!" Tom yelled.

"Quiet, Thomas! Your father will explain." Martha frowned.

Austin leaned over with a smile and a whisper into the face of his mom. "I assume that you and Dad knew about the good news coming from Soy."

Betty stared with a smile at Soy. "Soy has always enjoyed surprising his Quartet brothers and sisters over the many years of our life time. Today is not an exception. So, do not pull out your Ghost and start shooting, Austin, if you do not like the announcement of the good news. Remember? This is Soy's...thing. We are not involved here."

"But Soy had broken the rule."

She smiled. "He has. And your father and I do not mind at this stage of our long lives. However, you must promise me that you will not get mad or start shooting, if you do mind."

Austin chuckled. "Okay, Mom."

She exhaled. "Promise to me, Austin!"

Austin grinned. "Okay, Mom. I promise to be a good little boy."

"Excellent! Now, Soy might need the immediately services of your muscles to help in restraining Tom from first degree murder or other violent acts, once the good news has been revealed."

Austin hadn't thought the good news as another son for Soy. "It's a that bad, Mom!"

She smiled. "Actually, it is that good, son."

"What?" Austin gasped.

Soy banged the wooden gravel on the table for attention. Then, silence resulted in the air waves. He motioned to the doorway with his hand. "Presenting, my beautiful and intelligent daughter, Kitten. Sweetheart, come out!" Out of the corner of the room, a silver haired tall, slim girl appeared. She wasn't smiling. The girl moved quickly to Soy. He embraced her close to his chest.

Kitten stared at the room full of people and familiar faces from the television screen, the newspapers, the magazine articles, the internet blogs, and the birthday party last night. She exhaled with worry while a set of loud mumbles, mutters, curses, and other odd sounds bombarded in the air waves from a pair of lips.

Jace swiftly stood upright from his oversized chair and turned with a stern face to each face. "Calm down!" Silence immediately resulted. He smiled. "Thank you! Kitten had passed the medical blood test. She is the biological daughter of Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior and the biological brother of Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third," he watched each facial reaction with worry within the room.

Tom jerked forward swiftly, before Uncle Stuart could grab a shirt tail, tapping his leathers on top of the expensive rug. He smiled with a giggle at Kitten. "Sister. A sister. A sibling. A Sawyer."

"Tom!" Jane stood upright from the sofa and called out to her husband. She was suddenly concerned about Tom's behavior, now, that the Sawyer family produced another sibling, alive and breathing and unarmed.

Frank swiftly stood upright from the sofa and his wife Misty Marie with a gasp of shock. Tom had a true biological sister within the Sawyer family tree that was not part of the original four brothers that made up the Quartet.

Stu swiftly stood upright from the soft and his wife Gracie Jean with a chuckle and a nod. Tom had a true biological sister within the Sawyer family tree who was under a deadly threat of danger from her older brother Tom.

Austin slowly stood upright from the chair with a smirk at the young female and a whisper for his eardrums only. "Son of a bitch Soy, he was the party boy of his generation and has proven the earned title. I told Tom a few months back that Soy had enjoyed many more women than he or I. Now, I am seeing living proof of Soy's wandering dick. Tom really does have a biological sister within the Sawyer family. Soy has broken all the rules."

Betty smiled at Kitten and slowly stood upright from the sofa, leaning into the nose profile of Austin. "Austin, go over and introduce your person to the new Quartet member."

Austin nodded with a smile. "Yes, I have numerous questions for the new Quartet member. But I don't think that the five of us would be known as a quartet anymore, Mom."

"Yes, you will always be known as the boss of the Quartet, honey. Go on and meet her and be nice, Austin!"

"Yes ma'am," he moved ahead with a chuckle of amusement and shock. Tom had a biological sister. His company was almost sold. Now, the Quartet had been invaded by an outsider for the first time, since the year 1838. He exhaled with a huff of puzzlement. Life was moving too fast in the left lane.

Tom passed Jace heading directly to Kitten with a smile and a chuckle, "Ah, sister! I have a sister. My sister. My blood," he slapped the chest with a giggle of happiness and excitement.

Jace smiled watching the advancing biological brother, who was heading toward the young adult female.

Soy moved backwards and allowed Tom near his sister Kitten.

Tom stopped and then wrapped both of his long slender arms around the female while embracing and gently pecked her cheek with a kiss, pulling back with a grin and a giggle. "Gawd! Baby sister, welcome to my home and my family and my life."

"Thank you." Kitten smiled.

"Tom. I'm Tom. Your brother. Your biological brother. Your family sibling. Your same red tinted blood proteins." Tom slapped a chest, hugging her for a second time, pecking her forehead with a slight kiss, pulling back with a smile. "Looky, everyone, I have sister." He cuddled his sister.

Stu, Frank, and Austin moved ahead with a smile and then stopped, surrounding Tom and Kitten as Sawyer continued to tuck her into his arm for safekeeping, out of arm span from the three other brothers.

"Tom." Frank frowned at Tom.

"Gawd. Looky here. I have a baby sister. Isn't she cute and so real?" Tom reached over and pinched her cheekbone with a silly giggle.

"Thank you, Tom." Kitten continued to smile at the Quartet, who possessed a real face and a real body.

"How do you know that she is the baby, Tom? You might be born last, again." Frank grinned.

Austin stood inside the huddle with a smirk at Tom's biological sister without asking a set of annoying questions like Mangrove.

"Know that! Stop spoiling the moment, for me, Mangrove. She's my sister, not yours." Tom frowned at Frank.

"She's our baby sister, bro." Stu leaned over with a smile and tried to hug his new Quartet sister, pulling on tom's arm.

"What time were your born, Kitten?" Frank asked desiring more data with this medical miracle.

"Stop annoying her, Frank! I'm not going to warn you again." Tom cuddles Kitten closer with a sour frown.

Frank smiled. "When is your birthday, Kitten? She might be older than you, Tom."

Stu grinned. "Which means that you are still the baby of the Quartet?"

"I was born on the eighteenth of August at 1:08 pm, thirty-one years ago." Kitten told all of her new curious family members.

"Tom was born at 9:06 am. She's younger." Frank laughed.

"She's the baby." Tom chuckled.

"She is, now, the new baby of the Quartet." Stu laughed.

"The month of August and the day of the eighteenth, that's my birth day, too. We're born on the same day. Hey! We're twins." Tom chuckled.

"No. You are not, asshole. Twins come from the same egg," Frank frowned at Tom.

Tom frowned. "Shut the fuck up, Frank! The point, we're the same blood, same kin, same father..."

"She doesn't like a thing like you, bro." Stu laughed. "She's pretty. You're ugly. She's smart. You're dumb," he laughed with the other brothers.

"Dumb ass is the more proper term." Frank grinned.

"Shut up, Frank. Quit insulting my baby sister." Tom frowned.

Stu smiled. "He is insulting her big brother, Tom."

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Stu."

"Hey, Tom. Share Kitten with us." Stu frowned.

Tom shook the bangs with a sour frown. "No! She's mine. Get your own baby sister, Stu."

Stu reached over and slapped Tom's collar bone, "Hey, bro! Introduce her to us correctly."

"Fine." Tom groaned with a sour frown.

On the opposites side of the living room, the elder Band of Brothers had gathered out of the way near the bar counter while observing their individual offspring. Uncle Franklin smiled. "I think our sons are impressed with their new Quartet sister."

Uncle Bartholomew nodded with a smile. "I'm impressed. Thomas is truly a freak of nature, Soy."

Soy nodded with a smile. "That he is. Looky over there and see how overprotective he is with his new sister. He won't let his other brothers near her."

Uncle Stuart grinned, "Gawd! I'm so happy. I was worried that Tom would shoot her."

Uncle Franklin nodded. "You weren't the only one thinking that deadly concept."

Uncle Bartholomew smiled. "Whew! What a relief to all!"

Uncle Franklin smiled. "I hope our sons do realize that Kitten is not a new toy."

Uncle Bartholomew said. "They do."

Soy laughed. "They will."

Uncle Franklin chuckled. "Kitten will remind them..."

"...with her Beretta," Uncle Stuart laughed with his Quartet brothers.

Foyer setting

7:11 p.m.

Tom raced from the living room and stopped, standing in front of the side door as soon as the limo pulled under the veranda, yelling. "They're back." He slammed opened the door, before the servant could do his job. Tom was so excited to have a sister, another Sawyer. Her last name wasn't Sawyer, but he was a lawyer. She can petition to change into Kitten Sawyer.

So cute!

Tom giggled as he helped grabbed the numerous bags from the girls as they approached through the entrance way into the crowded foyar.

Frank commented with curiosity noting all the various bags stuffed to the gills in colored paper. "Where have you been?"

"Shopping, sweetheart." Jane smiled and tattled for the Band of Sisters, she's the smartest.

"Girls like to shop..." Misty Marie smiled.

"...until they drop." Gracie giggled.

"Kitten looks tired." Gage nodded.

Tom walked to Kitten, placing his arm around her waist, guarding her again from the bombardment of his brothers. He was jealous.

After the announcement of a new baby in the Quartet, the women cooed, cried and carried on until Soy shoved them all out the door for shopping to celebrate the arrival of the newborn. The girls were gone for hours, almost the end of the day.

The men sit around bullshitting and drinking beer. Soy talked about his new daughter in great fucking detail. He mentioned the fucking process with her mother, her namesake.

Tom left the room. He wasn't interested in visualizing his dad fucking another woman, but his mom. That image was gross also. As a child, you don't think of your parents, sexually. When Soy got too graphic, Tom cursed him out. Soy stopped talking. Tom was like his dirty minded Father. Sawyer might need to work on his social skills around people, especially around his newly discovered baby sister.

Tom frowned. "She is. I'm taking care of her. Get back! Are you hungry for food, baby sister?"

Kitten smiled with relieve. "Yes! I am."

Gracie dropped her mouth in shock. "You are?"

Jane frowned. "She eats all the time."

Kitten smiled. "All the walking and fast-paced activity made me hungry, fast metabolism, I guess."

Tom nodded with a frown. "Of course, my baby sister's hungry. Ya'll females had her running the equivalent of the heated and hot and long Sahara Desert range for shopping and shit," exhaling. "How many pairs of black leathers do you need anyways?"

Jane giggled. "You couldn't possible buy more than my husband. He only owns twenty-seven pairs of black shoes, one style."

Frank laughed. "Shit, Tom! You possess twenty-seven pairs of black leathers."

Jane tattled. "Let's see. There are twenty-six brown tinted, twenty-two dark blue colored, and thirty pairs of dark gray."

Gage dropped his mouth. "Only thirty pairs of grey tinted leathers, I'm shocked, Tom."

Tom parted his lips. "Are you really, Stu?"

Gracie laughed. "He's joshing with your mind, Tom."

Frank chuckled, slapping Stu's collar bone. "Gage is lying through his pearly white teeth, dumb ass. He's insulting you."

Jane giggled "Tom doesn't really like the color grey."

Tom frowned at his wife. "Jane, sweetheart, you are insulting and embarrassing your loving and caring husband."

Stu nodded, chuckling, "No, bro! She's exploiting your greedy demeanor. You should practice tolerance, Tom."

"I do." Tom nodded.

"Do not." Stu shook his baldness.

"Do so." Tom smiled.

Frank smiled. "How many pairs of leathers does he really own, Janey?"

"Plead the fifth!" Tom frowned at her.

"How many navy tinted pin-striped suits?" Frank asked, smiling.

"How many starched button-down white tailor made cuffed cotton shirts?" Stu grinned.

Frank nodded, chuckling. "Ow! That's a much better question, Stu."

Stu smiled with a nod. "How many, Janey?"

Jane grinned with a nod. "I might have to count that tally."

"Jane!" Tom frowned at her, cuddling Kitten when Kitten giggled, too.

Jane pursed her lips. "What, Tom?"

"Please, Jane, sweetheart." Tom frowned, shaking his skull.

Jane giggled. "Why, Tom?"

"Because I'm asking nice and kindly like." Tom pouted, kissing his wife's cheek. Then, Tom took Kitten by the hand, turning towards the Kitchen, ignoring his rude and mean brothers regarding his tasteful expensive hand-made wardrobe in his closet. Everyone can dress the way they want. This is America, the land of the free and home of the brave.

Jane stood still, giggling, watched Tom arm in arm with Kitten leave the Foyer. She said. "You should be more interested in Tom's bubble bath collection."

Stu laughed, staring at Tom's hair roots. "Bubble..."

"...bath," Frank chuckled, winking at Tom.

Tom stopped, turned with a red face holding his arms outstretched in the air. "Jane, sweetheart."

Frank laughed. "Bubble bath collection?"

Jane giggled. "An assortment of odors..."

Tom frowned. "Jane, my girl."

Stu chuckled. "Don't interrupt her, Tom!"

Frank smiled with a nod. "Tell us more, Janey."

Jane smiled. "Tom slinks in a full size roman tub for his lanky six-foot body like a little boy in the red bathroom."

Tom frowned. "Jane, my queen bee."

"More! More!" Frank grinned.

"Don't stop!" Stu laughed.

Jane smiled with a nod. "There are different fragrances for every day of the week, peach for Monday, cucumber, Tuesday..."

Tom frowned. "Jane, sweetheart."

Jane winked at Kitten when Kitten giggled. "Kiwi on Wednesday, vanilla on Thursday, banana, and coconut mix on Friday..."

Tom exhaled, frowning. "Are ya finished humiliating your loving and devoted husband, Jane, my love?"

Stu slapped Tom's collar bone, saying. "Chill out, bro!"

Frank winked at Stu, grinning. "Gawd! We can blackmail Tom."

"What for?" Tom frowned.

Frank grinned with a nod. "Money? Billions? The man would pay to keep his bubbles secret. Can you imagine what else he would pay for?" The Quartet turned to stare at Kitten, Tom's newly discovered biological baby sister, clinging to her brother's arm.

"Gracious, me." Kitten responded with surprise.

Tom tossed his hand, frowning. "Fuck all of ya'll. Don't think about touching, harming her! Better yet! Do not think one evil shitty thought of my baby sister. If I find out, I'll shoot your damn toes off." Tom hugged Kitten, lecturing to her mean brothers.

Stu chuckled. "Listen to him! He's adopted a Southern accent like his baby sis from Bama. Tom's been practicing," winked Stu at Kitten when Kitten giggled then covered her mouth from Tom's expression.

Frank frowned. "Practicing?"

Stu smiled with a nod. "He has been rehearsing in the mirror to exaggerate his pronunciation to sound more like Kitten."

Frank frowned at Sawyer. "Tom, you should practice replacing your curse words with proper verbs."

Tom exhaled. "Fine! Is fuck, a noun or verb, Franklin?" He laughed with others.

Frank shook his skull, hugging his wife. "That's not what I mean, Thomas."

"The lawyer has a point." Austin chuckled.

Stu wiped his face, laughing. "Gawd! That was really funny, Frank."

Frank frowned at Tom. "Sounds like an insult to me, Stu."

"To you..." Stu chuckled.

"To Kitten! Be very careful, asswipes!" Tom moved with Kitten in the direction of the kitchen, ignoring the huddle of un-coup heathens.

After grabbing a beverage, Austin seated himself next to Kitten, on purpose, since Frank and Tom were involved in a heated debate about curse words used as nouns versus verbs. He has got to separate those pups before they grew canine incisors and attack fresh meat. Austin chuckled, turning to Kitten, saying. "Frisky. Playful. Mischievous."

Kitten turned bright red then gulped another sip of her beverage. She dropped eyelashes to the cup, realizing her nickname could be interpreted as a sexual connotation of lust. Austin continued to smile at Kitten. Her biological brother didn't hear the shocking comment. He was busy verbally fighting with Frank. Frank was winning. Kitten cleared her throat. "My Mama was called that particularly nickname by my Granddaddy. After she died, I adopted it in honor of her memory."

Austin exhaled "I'm sorry. I didn't know your Mother passed. Soy told..."

Tom viewed Austin, yelling. "Hey, man! Fucking respect! That's my...I mean our damn dear Daddy."

Frank laughed, tapping the teacup. "Tom did it, again."

Sawyer frowned at Mangrove. "Fucking what, again, Frank?"

"He imitated Kitten's Southern accent, again, when he called Uncle Edison's new name, Daddy." Frank laughed.

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Frank."

Kitten's new brother was entertaining as well as her new siblings, all seven of them. They were seated for an afternoon snack after the quick introduction and long trip into town for presents. Her new aunts and new sisters couldn't wait to shower her with "baby" Quartet gifts. Her female siblings were very nice, well-mannered and enjoy gossiping. She learned lots of interesting tales about her brothers. Kitten giggled.

Frank remarked, ignoring Tom and his verbal retort about the curse words he uses, speaking directly to Kitten. "You'll learn to ignore Tom when he swears. He can't help it. His brains are mashed and demented."

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Mangrove."

Austin had heard the collected, tested and gathered information from his family members, but he wanted to assess the girl for myself. She passed the blood test. That was the first examination question asked to Jace this morning. He produced the blood results and explained the entire medical procedure while the elder and younger Band of Brothers listened. Tom was very fascinating to watch during the interrogation process. Sawyer, III stood with annoyance at his brothers, announced Kitten his sister and didn't bother to look back. He left two, or three times during Jace's lecture saying that he believed his Dad and Kitten. The end of the story. Austin wanted more of the story. He wanted to know this girl inside and outside. Austin inquired to Kitten. "Did you know, Daddy?"

"No." Kitten sipped.

Austin asked. "Your granddaddy never mentioned him."

Kitten told. "No! My granddaddy didn't mention him. I asked. My granddaddy wouldn't tell me."

"Forget the past. Concentrate on the present." Tom frowned.

Austin asked with curiosity. "Tell us about Kitten."

Stu grinned with a nod. "Uncle Edison told us some stuff. You tell us the rest."

"What you want to know?" Kitten asked.

"The beginning..." Frank nodded.

Stu nodded. "Just a general summary, so we can inform the media."

"The media!" Kitten frowned.

"Didn't Uncle Edison mention the press?" Stu asked, frowning.

"No! Daddy didn't." Kitten shook her curls, viewing Stu.

Jane grinned with a nod. "Kitten, you're a true Quartet member. The public will find out, quickly."

"Find out what?" Kitten frowned.

"You did quit your job." Frank asked.

Kitten nodded. "I promised my daddy that I would but not until tomorrow, when we all return to Miami."

Stu grinned with a nod. "Very good! That's important for you to understand..."

"Understand? Why?" Kitten frowned with curiosity.

"You're a princess, now." Tom smiled with delight, hugging his baby sister, pawing back Frank's hands.

"How ironic cause Tom's not a prince?" Frank chuckled.

"...or a princess?" Stu snorted.

Tom frowned at Frank then Stu. "Ignore the assholes. We're better than they are."

Frank laughed. "Kitten is. But, I don't know about Sawyer, the third. He never measured or mustered it up."

Tom frowned with fury. "What the fuck does that mean, Frank?"

Frank asked. "Stu, is fuck used a verb or noun in Tom's insulting question?"

Stu shook his baldness, laughing. "Shit! Don't ask me, Frank! I majored in mathematics. Ask me a complex math question?"

"How much is one plus one, Thant?" Tom laughed.

Stu grinned. "It depends."

"Depends on what, asswipe?" Tom frowned.

Stu smiled with a nod. "If you calculate the sum by your shit poo brain cells, Tom. Or if you use a smart sleek computer."

"What the fuck?" Tom frowned at Stu.

Frank frowned. "Is that a noun or verb? Anyone? Open for debate..."

"Fuck you, Frank!" Tom frowned.

"A verb, action." Austin said then sipped on the cup of milk.

Stu exhaled. "Tom, the sum of one plus one is two but on a computer the amount's calculated, rounded and truncated to 1.9 or 2.1."

Tom frowned at Stu. "Fuck that! Ya made that up, Gage. He actually passed his math courses. I'm calling Miami-Dade U seeing if the man really got a fucking college degree."

Stu grinned, fingering Tom. "I'll inquire about your fucking degrees as well, Sawyer."

"Do it, man?" Tom jabbed his finger at Stu.

"I believe you should inquire about Kitten's degrees." Austin smiled, viewing her.

"Hell, no." Tom shook his skull, cuddling her.

"I understand you possess multiply licenses." Austin smiled with a nod at her. He had contacted people to gather, collect, and inform on who and what Kitten really was. He believed the blood test. That can't be faked. However, he was more curious than Frank, more cautious than Stu, and more gullible than Tom.

Kitten grinned with a nod. "Yes! I do."

"Name one?" Stu nodded.

Tom tossed his hand, frowning. "Don't pester her with one-at-a-time questions? Tell us the entire story, so we can get this over with."

"The physician has a point." Austin grinned with a nod then sips his milk.

Kitten exhaled. "My full name is Prancie Precious Purr. I am five feet and eight inches tall. I have silver long hair like my grandma and my mom as seen from my family photographs. I have silver almond shaped eyes, dark tanned skin from my granddad and I weigh about 121 pounds. I love to eat. I love to play the drums. I am..."

"Was," told Tom.

"I was working as a pilot for the Miami-Dade Search and Rescue Service and a sharp shooter as a member of the Miami-Dade Police Department, only part time. My real job is...was a physicist with Charity South Miami Hospital in the Radiation Oncology Department. I transplanted to Miami, Florida when I was twenty years old after graduating from the University of West Alabama in the farm town of Ivy which is near the Mississippi line with numerous degrees. My college degrees include a bachelor's in physics, a master's in physics, a doctoral in physics, and a law degree..."

"Law?" Stu frowned at her.

Tom smiled and patted Kitten's arm. "Let her finish!"

"I passed the accounting CPA courses in the states of Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia as well as the legal bar for the same five states," Kitten nodded, giggling.

Tom parted his lips. "Shit! Do you really have five separate legal law licenses?"

"She beats up on Tom both physically and academically." Stu reached over with a laugh and fist bumped with Frank.

Kitten grinned with a nod. "Yes! I also have five CPA licenses from the same southern states..."

"Why did you do this?" Franklin grinned and sipped his tea.

"Fun!" Kitten smiled, nodded.

Stu asked. "Are you a lawyer, too?"

Kitten smiled. "I do not practice law but dance, teaching the little tiny girls the first five positions of ballet at the local YYCA Center in Coral Gables.," The other Band of Brothers and Sisters stood, laughed, clapped, hooted, whistled, and shouted with joy and reorganization of their new baby sister of the Quartet.

Tom clapped, smiling and nodding, "Gawd!"

Austin stood clapping and smiling, "No, goddess!"

Tom winked at her, smiling "That, too," then the brothers and sisters sat down, enjoying their beverages, again.

Gracie giggled. "I think she beat Austin."

"Can she beat Austin with a stick? I do not think so," frowned Stu with confusion.

Gracie giggled. "I meant to explain that Austin holds the most degrees, a bachelor's, a master's, a doctoral, a law degree, but Kitten has more academic degrees. She's smarter," nodding.

Stu chuckled. "She has lots more smarts than her big bro."

Tom frowned at Gage. "Shut up, Stu! And it runs in the family," nodding and smiling.

Frank laughed. "What, hair lice?"

Tom frowned, shaking his skull, "Fucking asshole, Frank!"

Frank elbowed Gage, laughing. "Tom got that, hair lice, when was six years old in the first grade. Remember, Stu?"

Stu laughed, shaking his baldness. "No! I do not recall that socially unacceptable incident of hair lice bugs."

Tom frowned, shaking his skull at Mangrove. "Gawd, Frank. You're sick, a mentally sick bastard, today."

Frank grinned the sipped his tea. "It runs in the family with Tom!"

Tom exhaled. "Genius. Brains. Neurons. All them traits run in the Sawyer-family like me and my sister."

Stu grinned with a nod at Kitten. "I will not argue that point."

"I will." Frank frowned, tapping his teacup.

"Quiet, Frank!" Austin commanded. The pups are hyper, today.

Tom stood, pointing towards the kitchen door. "Kitten told her life story. Is everyone satisfied? Good! Now! Ya'll all fucking leave."

Stu frowned. "Why do you want us to leave, Tom?"

Tom nodded, patting her hair roots like a feline, giggling. "Kitten and I need to talk about her plans, her dreams, and her wishes."

Frank grinned. "She wished you would disappear, totally, Tom."

Tom fingered the archway with a sneer. "Shut up, Mangrove and now leave! You're an annoying son of bitch, today."

Frank smiled with a nod at the faces. "Just like my baby brother."

Tom whined, being teased all his life, when he popped out last in the litter of pups. "I ain't the baby, now."

Frank smiled with a nod. "You are no longer the baby of the Quarter, but you are still the baby male of the Quartet brothers."

Stu smiled with a nod. "Right, baby bro! Kitten's the baby sister. Tom's the baby brother. The babies of the Quarter."

Tom frowned, tossing his hands. "Fucking out! Get out! Leave. Shoo! Scoot! Scat..."

Stu frowned, shaking his baldness. "This ain't your house, Thomas."

Tom fingered the door. "I'll call Dad! Tell him ya threatened his daughter, then we'll see who's house it is."

"Stand down, Tom." Austin commanded, exhaling at Tom's silly behavior when Tom obeyed, smirking at the Old Man. The Quartet followed orders even outside the office. The point, a leader, leads.

"We're starting the meeting." Frank nodded.

"No." Tom cuddled Kitten.

"Yes." Frank viewed Tom, nodded.

"Fuck, why?" Tom frowned and cuddled Kitten.

"Tom, your earlier analogy of Kitten being a princess is pretty accuracy." Stu smiled with a nod.

"Told ya." Tom smiled and pecked her cheek for both love and protection.

"What Tom is not mentioning here, Kitten?" Frank paused. "You have entered a new pretty world filled with danger."

"I'm used to danger." Kitten smiled with a nod.

"Flying 160-miles-per-hour, would be concerned a dangerous adventure," Stu smiled with a nod.

Frank grinned. "Especially for Tom, the man's uncoordinated. He still spills his sweet milk," laughing with the others.

"I don't." Tom frowned, shaking his skull.

Frank smiled, "Yeah! He did grow out that phrase. But, be careful! Tom tilts to the side as he walks upright..."

"Shut up, Frank." Tom frowned.

"Kitten, the Quartet understands your great accomplishments as we also have been trained in combat for many years." Austin spoke.

Stu said, nodding. "We also appreciate your skills, too. You have trained and succeeded in a man's field with great feats, a sharp shooter for the local police department. How many women can boast about that? the answer is about thirty-five in the entire USA."

"I didn't boast." Kitten pouted.

Stu smiled with a nod "A very good point, you are an exceptional girl with exceptional skills..."

"Superhuman." Tom smiled.

"...and have lead a very simple existence up to now." Frank nodded, viewing Tom. Sawyer was silent. Tom and the brothers had discussed the dangers and perils facing Kitten this morning with the elder Band of Brothers. Tom didn't want to believe which didn't matter, because Frank believed. Stu believed. Austin believed.

Kitten said. "I like my life. I did well."

Tom held her hand, saying softly. "Yes, sweetheart! The point, you will be announced as the new Quartet in the family."

Kitten smiled. "I'm proud of that fact, also."

"The Quartet has reputations...," Stu nodded.

"Rewards...," nodded Frank.

"Repercussions," told Austin.

"Repercussions. I'm getting confused." Kitten frowned.

"Your life will be in danger, sweetheart." Tom exhaled with worry.

"No!" Kitten shook her curls.

"Kitten, the Quartet isn't wealthy because we robbed Santa Claus." Stu chuckled.

Frank laughed. "Actually, lots of people think we tied, robbed, and replaced Saint Nicolaus."

Austin told. "Making the Quartet notorious..."

Kitten frowned. "You're not bandits or outlaws."

Tom nodded. "Some of our QA clients are sleazy bastards. As long as they're our clients. We honor their lazy reputations. And they honor our legal contracts."

Kitten nodded. "I can understand as an academic lawyer. Legal binding documents are contracts and must be upheld. But, if they commit wrongdoings..."

"Then, we get involve and eliminate them," Austin chuckled, grinning.

Kitten gasped. "You kill your own Quartet clients."

Stu shook his baldness. "No, Kitten! Only the assholes that violate any of our Quartet legal contracts."

Frank nodded, smirking. "Let's just say, here! We upheld our side as well as their side. Or the contract is terminated one way or our way," laughing with the Quartet.

Kitten viewed her hands. "I'm beginning to understand reputations, rewards, and repercussions."

"Enough, pups!" Gracie frowned, slapping Stu's arm.

"More cookies?" Jane held the tray.

Tom smiled with a nod. "Looky, Kitten. We're selling our company."

Kitten gasped. "That's news to me."

Frank nodded. "A little secret from you and the world, too."

Kitten gasped. "You aren't telling the world."

Stu nodded. "The seller can announce it."

"We're retiring," Frank smiled.

Kitten said. "Retiring!?"

"Enjoying life as trillionaires," Tom grinned with a nod.

Kitten parted her lips. "Trillionaire! Do you mean to express with twelve zeros behind the whole number."

Frank laughed, nodding. "She earned her five certified public accounting licenses," chuckling with the others.

Kitten dropped her mouth. "Wow! I'm speechless."

Frank laughed, "...and, so is Tom."

Tom frowned. "Hell, I'm not."

Frank winked at Gage. "Gawd! I wished he were, sometimes. Don't ya, Stu?"

Stu winked at Gracie, chuckling. "Hell, all the time! I get sick of him talking, yelping, yakking..."

"Shut the fuck up, Stu!" Tom frowned.

Frank fingered Tom, chuckling. "He's doing it, again."

Austin smiled. "The final point, welcome to the Quartet-family, baby sister."

Stu nodded. "Don't worry, either!"

"Worry?" Kitten frowned.

"We protect, love, and support each other..."

"Band of Brothers..."

"And sisters..."

"Hell or heaven..."

"Life and the afterlife..."

"One for all..."

"All for one..." Tom cheered when the Quartet cheered their new baby sister.
Friday November 5th

City of West Palm Beach

Moonlight and cool temperatures with cloudy night sky of stars

Home location of Mr. & Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the third

2nd floor level

Guest bedroom setting of Austin

2:30 a.m.

On the second floor in the guest bedroom, inside the home of his parents, Austin popped open the eyelids with a gasp. He had vividly dreamed of Tom's biological sister again this morning.

He slid off the bed mattress with concern and strolled around the room, staring down at bright rays of the moonlight beams over the light wooden floor while clicking a sleep mind into activation. He turned and stopped, standing in front of the closed glass patio door that led onto the exterior balcony over the ocean water in-between a row of windows with the curtains open.

He frowned at the swiftly memory recall. He had dreamed of Tom's biological sister yesterday morning which meant that he was going to meet her in person. His early morning dream always introduced the person to Austin, even if it was a family member like Frank.

He gasped in alarm. "Wait! I dreamed that my high school and college friend Clifford was going to die and he died in a house fire by suicide. Then I dreamed that Frank was to be harmed way and he was mentally harmed by the Voodoo Doll and her toys, but I killed her. Then I dreamed each one of the females and then I met each one of the females, and now each one of the females is dead. O no!" He spun around to face the opposite wall that contained a shut entrance door in-between a solid wall of painted baby blue square shapes that wide and height of a sitting chair. Each square was outlined in white paint. There was a sitting chair with a small side table with a lamp and an alarm clock.

The red glowing numbers on the alarm clock read 2:31 a.m.

He was dreaming during the early morning hours of Tom's biological sister, because she was destined to die next.

"No! No! No!" He strolled around the room and reached up, shifting all fingers through the messy hair with deep concern and fear. "No! Tom is so happy to find out that he has a baby sister. Soy is happy too. Everyone is happy. She is not my biological sister. I'm indifferent to Tom's biological sister. But she is in danger. My new early morning is a warning of her impending doom of death," Austin stopped with a gasp and stared at the hidden door that his mom pointed out each visit to West Palm Beach, clicking an active mind. "I know. I understand now. I had been receiving each early morning dream as a premonition or a prediction of death. Now, I know. Now, I can stop it. It was disguised as the death of Tom's biological sister. Yes, I can do that. She is at Soy's house. Well, she is safe there. Soy was so happy to have a daughter that he won't release her hand. So, she is protected by both Soy and Tom and their Ghosts." He laughed out loud with a nod.

Each elderly Quartet had been intrigued with Stu's invention of the Ghost, a pocket size hand gun that was cylinder-sized, not straight where an array of sharp razor came out the rounded barrel with an easy death into any human row of bleeding blood vessels. Thus, each elderly Quartet toted around a Ghost also.

Austin exhaled with a huff of worry and started strolling around the floor. "Today, she is safe. We are all staying here in West Palm Beach with our set of parents until this afternoon when we all will return back home to Coral Beach. We have one of the last galas to attend before the company is sold. She will ride back with Tom. No! Tom only drives a two-seater car. He loves his wife more than a sister. She will ride back with Stu inside his luxury sedan with Gracie. That is a much better and safer ride for Tom's biological sister. Nothing will happen to her with Stu. Then, we all will go to the gala. There, I can watch over her and prevent anything from nothing." He exhaled with a huff of frustration. "I wish that I could tattle my dreams to Frank or Stu or Tom. Tom would believe me, wholeheartedly. But Stu would laugh, hysterical. Frank would call Jace to commit my body into one of the overcrowded psyche rooms at Charity Hospital, immediately. No! This is my deep dark death secret. I am trained to save people. I have saved countless lives when I was younger and stupider. Now, I am older and wiser from old age and life experience. Yes, I can do this."

He stopped and stood next to the bed with a smile. "Go back to bed, man! Yeah, I got this covered, dude. I can save her life with my brains and my Ghost. I know that someone is trying to kill her which makes me mad and angry all at the same time. So, I become a mama tiger who protects her young kitten within the world of the jungle," he tossed both arms into the air with a whisper, slapping back down to the naked legs with a growl. "Come and kill me, ya fucking bastard! I got superpowers now from someone. I will be watching and waiting, ya fucking bastard. I'm quick with the draw and you're dead with my kill shot," he slid down into the bed with a smile and wiggled side to side inside the cool bed linens with a chuckle, closing the eyelids. "Yeah, I got this."

Now, his sleepy soul found peace, again.

City of Coral Beach

(92 miles south of West Palm Beach)

Home of Mrs. and Mr. Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third

Grand room setting

Warm temperatures of moonlight and bright stars

6:03 p.m.

Kitten slowly strolled down the staircase holding the banister, since she didn't want to fall and break her nose on the clean tile floor, ruining her new evening dress and miss the grand affair for tonight. She was so excited. She was attending her first official glittering and glamour gala as Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior's biological daughter plus Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third's biological sister.

Kitten stepped off the pine wooden plank with relief in her super high heeled shoes. She had to purchase four-inched heels for the two-foot dress train attached to her hip hugging and sleeveless evening gown.

Jane smiled, moving from the sofa of the living room, "Kitten."

Kitten smiled, fidgeting in her new gown, "Hi, Jane! Where's Tom? Are we ready to leave for the gala?"

Jane fingered the up the stairs, giggling "He's primping, still."

Kitten laughed. "He's a man."

Jane grinned with a nod. "Tom's more female than man. He has been advertised on the globe's best dressed men's list for twenty-years, now. My handsome husband loves the attention and the honor."

Kitten snorted. "Ah! This is too good to use and abuse."

Jane gasped in shock and then laughed out loud while shaking her curls. "Abuse! You can't abuse him."

Kitten viewed the floor then Jane, pouting. "Sorry! I didn't mean to step on your blue baby painted toe nails, Jane."

Jane laughed, patting her arm, shaking her curls. "You don't understand, Kitten. Your brother relishes being quote the 'best dressed guy' unquote anywhere and anytime in the world. No one can out dress my husband."

Kitten giggled. "You?"

"Ladies, they don't count." Jane shook her curls, giggling.

Kitten frowned. "Why's that?"

Jane grinned with a nod. "Tom says they have too many accessories that hide their true bad taste."

Kitten gasped. "My brother said that."

"Quote it to your face, if you ask him." Jane giggled.

Kitten shook her curls. "I won't go there. I promise."

Jane winked, nodding. "Good decision! Because, we'd be discussing this old concept all evening, until Stu finally gets fed up and then smacks Tom across the stomach."

Kitten smiled with a nod. "I get the impression that Thomas gets beaten up a lot by his brothers."

Jane wiggled her finger. "Only, when I give permission!"

Kitten tossed her arms. "I am not touching that topic, either."

Jane nodded, giggling. "Another brilliant decision for the evening, girl," when Jane and Kitten turned to view the stomping stallion on the steps. Tom was galloping down like a race horse. He stared at Kitten as he approached, shaking his blonde head back and forth, without words.

Tom stopped in front of Kitten, gently touching her exposed arm and then pointing at the upstairs. "No! No! And no! Go upstairs! Change your gown, young lady!"

Kitten gasped. "Young lady? We're the same age, Thomas, born on the same day. Technically, we're twins. Therefore, I'm not older but definitely prettier," winking and giggling with Jane.

Tom stood quiet with his arms folded across his tuxedo. "Lawyers! They argue everything," not smiling and shaking his skull.

"You can't tell her what to do, Tom." Jane giggled.

Tom fingered the upstairs, again. "I'm not telling. I'm advising. I'm her big brother. I know best."

"Dictating is a better term." Jane giggled.

Kitten frowned. "Hitler?"

Tom ordered, again. "Watch your mouth, young lady! Go upstairs! And, change your gown, Kitten."

Kitten patted her gown, frowning. "This is my only evening gown for the gala." Tom was behaving like a real big brother over protective and dominating, his only two good qualities. Kitten thought she looked cute. Buts she guessed she looked sexy. She hoped Austin thought she looked sexy, also. Kitten smirked.

Jane frowned, moving to her purse. "Stop it, Tom! Kitten looks gorgeous and quit bossy her around. She might get mad and leave."

Tom gasped, touching her naked biceps. "Leave!? You wouldn't leave me, Kitten! Would ya?"

Kitten smiled, shaking her curls. "No, Tom! I'd never leave you. You're my big brother."

Tom nodded, hugging her. "Good thing! I'll be really upset. Now! Be a good girl, go and change your evening gown for the gala, tonight, sweetheart, please," when the door whisked opened as Stu, Gracie, Frank, and Misty entered dressed nicely in their elegant and shimmering evening attire.

Stu grinned with a nod and cuddling Gracie. "Whoa, little sis," winking at Kitten. Kitten giggled.

Tom faced Kitten, saying. "See! Too damn sexy! You look to damn sexy for my baby sister. Every fucking wolf's going to be stalking you for the chase at the gala, tonight."

"She's Stu's baby sis, too. Kitten looks cute. Stu'll protect his sibling to the death. Right, babe?" Gracie giggled.

Stu smiled, hugging his wife, "Right, Gracie, babe!"

Jane frowned. "Tom, please, watch the tone of your voice."

"Not his voice, his fucking words." Stu chuckled, grinning.

Gracie shoved her strong fist into Gage's iron clad stomach muscles. "Look who needs to adjust their language, babe."

"Sorry! Tom's a very bad influence on me." Stu pouted with silliness at Gracie.

Tom fingered Gage. "Fuck you, Stu!"

"See bad language, bad attitude, bad everything." Stu smiled with a nod.

"Babe." Gracie punched his inners, again.

Stu chuckled. "It tickles, Gracie, babe," pecking her cheekbone.

Jane frowned. "Tom, sweetheart! Please, cease with the curse words! And explain to me, what you're doing with your Ghost," when the door gently opened admitting the cool night air of the beautiful evening in Coral Beach, Florida.

Frank greeted the lone figure, nodding and smiling. "Good evening, Austin!"

Tom turned from his Ghost, seeing. Austin smiled and strutted towards the sofa. Sawyer frowned. "Man! What the fuck are you doing here, Berrington?"

"The limos have arrived." Austin smiled sitting on the edge of the sofa arm and staring at Kitten.

Tom watched Austin, frowning. "Limos? Where's your fucking...?"

"Thomas?" Jane gasped.

"Tom's cranky, tonight." Frank grinned.

"...and obnoxious to boot," nodded Stu.

Frank frowned, shaking his skull. "That's not new! He is obnoxious 24/7/365."

"And day 366 for a leap year." Stu grinned.

"This isn't leap year, Stu." Frank frowned.

Stu nodded to Frank. "I stand corrected, Franklin. Tom is obnoxious 24/7/365."

Tom shouted. "Shut up, Stu, Frank."

Jane inquired. "Tom, why are your loading your Ghost?"

"Kitten needs protection. I need the protector." Tom laughed, slapping the cartridge with a new set of sharp pointy deadly razors in the hold, checking the barrel for debris.

Stu trotted over, grabbing the lethal weapon, before Tom shoved the piece inside his new tuxedo. Then, Gage would have to tear the fabric apart as he tickled and found the weapon on Tom's tall bony frame. "We have posted nicely dressed and well mannered guards for all our protection, not just Kitten's debut." Stu chuckled, sliding Tom's Ghost inside his jacket pocket.

"Thank you." Kitten nodded and smiled to her new brother Stu.

Tom tossed his hands. "Keep it! I need something bigger and better." Tom walked to the side closet slamming open the door and searching for another weapon. He asked. "Where's your fucking tramp, vamp, whore tonight, Berrington?"

Austin smiled, sitting on the chair waiting for the Quartet to move to the limos. "I'll stag."

"Stag?" Tom looked back at Austin with cornflower blue eyes and then at Kitten, his innocent sister in her damn too sexy dress. He shook his head of blonde hair as bangs moved back and forth in the wind. "Forget it, Berrington!"

Austin smiled at Kitten. "Beg your pardon, Tom."

Tom scooted items inside the closet, shouting. "Kitten doesn't have a date, either. That's on purpose. Dad and I are showing her off tonight."

"I can be her official escort." Austin smiled at Kitten. Kitten viewed the floor, grinning.

"No way!" Tom shouted, squatting on the floor inside the closet.

"Dance partner!" Austin nodded at Kitten. Kitten grinned with a nod.

"She's with me." Tom shouted, weighted the object in his right shooting hand then tossed it.

"Jane, your wife?" Austin frowned at Janey.

"Jane understands. Don't ya, sweetheart?" Tom weighted a new object in his right shooting hand then stood.

Jane giggled, shaking her curls. "Actually, I admit I never do understand Tom's internal motives. But, I agree. This is Kitten's first gala. She does need protection from the vultures that flight out of the caves."

Tom said, spinning to face the Quartet, smiling and carrying an object. "See! My plan works brilliantly. You have my gawd damn permission to leave my place, Berrington."

Stu frowned at Tom. "Berrington, why so formal?"

Frank shook his skull, hugging Misty. "He's being rude. What's your fucking problem, Tom?"

"He's nervous." Jane giggled.

"Gawd! I'm nervous." Stu chuckled.

"Shut up, Stu." Tom yelled.

"Nothing makes you nervous, Big Man." Frank grinned at Stu.

"Only Tom holding a lethal weapon." Stu fingered, chuckling.

"Now, I'm nervous." Frank tosses his arms and laughed.

"Shut up, Frank." Tom frowned, carrying the object.

"Give me the baseball bat, Thomas? Before, I'm required to take it from you by force and it won't be pretty, either." Stu stood, extending his palm when Tom back stepped from Big Man.

"Calm down, Tom! Give Stu the bat." Frank frowned.

"Tom, sweetheart! We must be going to the gala ball." Jane touched his arm with the base ball bat.

Tom placed the bat over his shoulder, hollering for deaf ears, fingering the door. "Get out of my fucking house!"

"Our house, sweetheart!" Jane giggled walking to her husband.

"Get out!" Tom fingered the door and commanded in fury when Frank and Misty walked out the door, first which was followed by Stu and Gracie. Tom approached Austin.

Austin stood, ordering. "Leave the bat, Tom!"

Tom shook his hand and skull. "No! I need it. Kitten's too damn sexy in that dress. She's need protection."

"Tom, sweetheart. You're her protector, tonight. Please, leave the bat behind." Jane maneuvered around Austin, gently pulling the baseball bat from his hands, laying the object on the table. She walked to her man, hugging Tom tight and whispered. "Kitten, guard her with your life." Jane winked at Kitten. Kitten giggled.

"Yes, my queen!" Tom kissed her lips, hugging her tight. "Thanks for understanding, sweetheart!"

"That's what sisters and wives are for." Jane giggled then kissed his mouth, whispering into Tom's ear. "But you're mine later."

"Damn right about that." Tom nodded and hugged Jane, then released her.

"Milady Jane!" Austin held his arm out for Jane. She accepted strolling with him to the gold colored limo which would carry both couples to the gala.

"Ready, Kitten?" Tom smiled extending his arm to accompany his gorgeous sexy baby sister to the limo, the dance, the dinner, and the gala.

Kitten grabbed his arm tight. Her hands were sweating. Her feet were sweating. Her mind raced. She giggled and smiled. "I'm excited. I'm a little nervous, too."

Tom patted her arm, walking out the door. "Gawd! You should be in that damn dress."

Jane yelled at her husband, "Tom!"

"Sorry, baby sister, you look gorgeous, too gorgeous. I'm so proud to show you off and guard your person." Tom cuddled Kitten into his jacket, pecking her cheekbone like a good big brother.

"If I was ugly?" Kitten nodded.

Tom shouted out loud into every pair of eardrums within the world and then some alien eardrums within the Milky Way Galaxy. "Not the Sawyers, honey! We're the beautiful people of the world, babe," he laughed with the others.
Saturday November 6th

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and cool temperatures with cloudy night sky of stars

Home location of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

2:30 a.m.

On the fourth floor in the master bedroom within the new home of Austin, he popped open the eyelids with a gasp. He had vividly dreamed of Tom's biological sister again on this new day at 2:30 am in the morning. He didn't need to see the alarm clock. As a matter of fact, Austin had tossed the alarm clock into the trashcan downstairs in the kitchen as his mind didn't want to be reminded of the current time like now.

He slid off the bed mattress with concern and strolled ahead, staring down at the dark wooden floor while clicking a sleepy mind into activation. He stopped with a worried brow and stood in front of the glass window, exposing a nude body to the swimming dolphins, seeing the moonlight beams on top of the ocean waters.

He exhaled with swift memory recall. He had dreamed of Tom's biological sister three early mornings in a row on November the fourth, the fifth, and the sixth. The number three was always brought out a bad omen for his dream girl. Now, the new Quartet-sister Kitten was truly in danger for her life, maybe the victim of an attack or an assassination.

Austin growled down at the beach sands and then the smooth ocean waters. "No! I'm not allowing anything or anyone terrible to come near me, my Quartet family and my new Quartet baby sister Kitten, ya'll. Fuck! We all accepted her first and now love her more. No way in fucking hell!"

He spun around with a sneer and slid back into the bed mattress, slapping both fists onto the satin sheets with a whisper. "No!" He shouted up the ceiling. "Whoever is out there and not listening to me, the answer is no. I carry a Ghost and I will shoot you dead. Now, whoever or whatever or whenever this deadly event happens, I will be there, armed and ready. So, watch out, world! Badass Berrington is primed, pumped, and pissed. Good night, Kitten! Sleep the night away! Nothing is going to happen to you," he continued to stare at the ceiling with a set of deep breathes while calming down his fury.

Home location of Tom and Jane

Kitchen setting

7:17 a.m.

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

Kitten and Austin emerged from the beach wet with a set of smiles and was covered with golden tinted sand, slowly strolling through the patio doors, leading into the kitchen for breakfast. Kitten smiled. "Morning, everyone!"

"Are we going to work?" Austin frowned, viewing business-suited and neck-tied brothers. They sat around the table stuffing faces with breakfast food.

Jane frowned and inquired, again. "Why are you all going to work, Tom? It's Saturday."

"All of us." Tom viewed Berrington.

"Austin!" Stu viewed Berrington.

"...and boys," Frank finished his tea, viewing Berrington.

"Work!" Austin nodded, exhaling. He didn't wanna go to work, but the company was being sold. There were hundred of little details to be settled, only inside the office environment. Berrington really wanted to stay home and play with Kitten, today.

"Roll out!" Stu stood and commanded with Austin's famous phrase. Frank stood and turned toward the door. Austin started to follow when each wife stood also giving a loving hug and a wet kiss to their fellow.

Tom hugged Jane then pulled back, nodding and smiling. "Looky! I took the liberty of finding Kitten's new dress for the new gala, tonight." He held the colored slick glossy stacks of photographs in one hand, while his new black leather briefcase rattled in the other.

Jane frowned at the colored glossy photographs in Tom's hand, giggling. "Where did you get those, sweetheart?"

Tom smiled with a nod. "I butchered the girly magazines for a good cause. Is that okay, Jane?"

"Yes, Tom." Jane nodded, viewing the photos inside Tom's hand.

Tom started to give the pictures of glamour models to Kitten, shaking his curls, "Nope." He moved down the row of lovely ladies, who were kissing their husbands leaving for the office.

He reached out to give the torn pictures of models to his wife then changed his mind. "No." He moved to Misty. "Definitely not," he shifted to Gracie with a smile. "I trust you." He presented the colored photos.

Gracie smiled. "Thank you, Tom!"

"Here's the picture of Kitten's new dress for the evening gala." Tom handed her the ripped and tore pages from the popular fashion magazines.

Gracie glanced at the papers, giggling. "These are colorful maternity clothes, Tom."

Kitten gasped with embarrassment. "Thomas!"

Tom cringed, shaking his skull. "Sorry, Kitten! I didn't know. I'm trying to describe her new gown, visually. Looky! Use parts and pieces from the picture magazines. Okay. Got it?" Tom explained slightly embarrassed covering his male error.

Gracie shook her curls with confusion. "I don't understand, Tom."

Tom pointed at the object. "This picture, use the high collar up to the throat. And, inside this picture, you can see the pair of long sleeves down that goes down to both wrist bones. And, this photo shows the gown down to and covering the toes..."

Jane giggled. "Anything else you want to visually add to that matronly description, Tom."

"Yeah! O! Find Kitten a dress that's pink with little bows." Tom smiled with pride for selecting the proper gown for his little sister's next gala ball.

"Pink with bows." Frank chuckled.

"Shut up, Frank." Tom nodded at Gracie, being mean to Mangrove.

"Kitten's an adult, Tom." Stu frowned.

"Shut up, Stu." Tom nodded at Gracie, being mean to Gage.

Gracie grinned with a nod. "I get the completed picture, Tom. Kitten's dress is to be pink, floor length with bows."

Tom smiled with a nod. "Damn straight! Gracie's the genius in the Band of Sisters. She got it, correct."

"Thanks for the compliment, Tom." Gracie giggled and winked at Jane.

"You're most welcome, the smartest sister of the band." Tom kissed her cheek, smiling with satisfaction knowing Kitten will be well dressed for tonight's gala event. Since, Sawyer didn't have time to accompany his sister shopping to the clothing shop, because of the massive legal changes in the Saudi Arabia Quartet Associates legal contracts.

"Come on, Tom!" Frank slapped on Tom's arm while frowning and moving towards the door.

Tom nodded smiling. "Thanks, Gracie!" He shifted to his wife. "See ya this evening, Jane, sweetheart," kissing her lips.

"You're not coming home for lunch." Jane inquired with disappointment.

"Phone call at eleven! I'll see you later, when I change for the gala." Tom exhaled, tense and overworked.

"I love you, Tom." Jane hugged and kissed her man, pulling back with a fake smile. She was trying to give him the strength and endurance for the marathon work day. She could see Tom was uptight and tired. She wanted him to stay home, enjoying the weekend day like the rest of America. The sell of Quartet Associates was taking a toll on her husband. Jane would be glad, when the business company was sold. Then she would have her man back. They'd spend the free time, together, making a baby.

"I love you, Jane sweetheart." Tom hugged and kissed her a second time with all his love, pulling back with a fake smile and a deep sigh. He didn't want to work, today. But the legal contracts had to be finished. Or the sell was finished. Tom moved back down the row and stood in front of Kitten, hugging and pecking her cheekbone, pulling back with a smile and a sweet timber. "Love you, Kitten! Be a very good girl for Gracie."

"She's not three years old, Tom." Stu slapped Tom's back, frowning and moving toward the door. "Roll out, Thomas!"

Tom turned and viewed Gage's ass. "I'm giving instructions..."

"...from another three-year-old..." Frank laughed with the others.

Tom viewed Frank. "Smart ass doctors! Does the world really need ya? No! And, stay out of my business, Mangrove." Tom turned back to face Kitten with a soft voice. "Please, be a very good lady and follow Gracie's advice. She's going to select the proper attire for the dance, tonight."

Kitten smiled. "I will. Don't worry, Tom! I'll follow Gracie's lead. I promise."

"Good, baby sister." Tom hugged her then pulled back.

Frank yelled from the open door. "Roll out, Thomas Edison!"

Grand room setting

6:12 p.m.

Warm temperatures of moonlight and bright stars

Tom shouted toward up the rafters of his four story mansion. "Kitten, come down! We're going to be late for the gala."

Kitten yelled from the second floor strolling calmly down the banister. "Coming, Thomas." She slinked down in her new dress, compliments of the Band of Sisters from today's shopping adventure at the Miracle Mile bouquets. The gown had two pieces of fabric. One piece was tightly wrapped around Kitten's breasts, only the breasts, shimmering pink with a bow at the corner of the left top. The other piece was the split skirt, slit on both side from waist to ankle held by tape around her belly button and buttocks. The gown shimmered with the pink delicate fabric, gliding open as she walked down the steps revealing long tanned legs on top of plain pink high heeled shoes and a matching pink clutch in her hands. She waved to Tom as she stopped at the next to last step, giggling.

Tom moaned and groaned with shock and surprise at his baby sister's new gown. The flock didn't cover her neck, arms, hands, rib cage, stomach, belly button, thighs, ankles, or toes.

This newly purchased outfit proved to be the complete opposite of Sawyer's colorful dress description and his detailed instructions that he had given to Gracie as he left for the office to finish the legal monster contracts. The only requirements that met the current dress design were pink, floor length and bows. The gown didn't have enough material to cover a small furry cat. Tom yelled with fury. "Fucking Jeezus Christ!" Kitten didn't advance down the steps but continued to stand like a beauty queen for invisible photographers. Tom was sneering with disgust, turning in angry to face the Quartet that was lounging around the room waiting to enter the limos.

"Pink with bows..." Stu chuckled at her new sexy gown.

"...and floor length as requested," Frank laughed, hugging Misty.

"Our baby sister looks too..." Austin smirked with approval.

"Gracie!" Tom viewed her, yelling in fury when Stu attacked in a vicious visible blur.

"Don't!" Gage lifted Tom from the floor, snorting and sneering into Tom's chest. "You'll be drinking your damn bourbon through a fucking straw in Charity's shitty ER."

"Stu!" Austin commanded, immediately.

"Apologize, swiftly, Tom!" Frank ordered with alarm, thinking Big Man might just kill their baby brother for almost, nearly, maybe, possibility, insulting Gracie, Stu's life time mate and loving, beautiful wife.

"Fuck!" Tom whispered, being held airborne inside Stu's hands. Big Man was mad, upset and ready to stomp his butt.

Jane instructed in a sweet manner observing Stu. Gage wasn't going to hurt her husband, but she understood why Big Man was upset with her guy. "Tom, sweetheart, apologize to Gracie."

"...and to mighty big Stuart Thant Gage, the third," Frank frowned, no smiling at the serious adverse event of insulting Mrs. Stuart Thant Gage, the third.

"Tom!" Austin commanded with authority. He was the boss. Everyone obeyed the boss of the Quartet, even Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

"Sorry," Tom softly said, staring into Stu's angry eyes and deformed distorted face.

"Thank you, Sawyer! I accept your apology, as long as, you don't come near Gracie, tonight. Dance on the other side of the room. As a matter of fact, you sit, eat, talk, drink, and shit on the other side of the banquet room. Out of my eyesight! Do you get that, boy?" Stu shook Tom reassurance of the deadly threat to his wife.

"Stu!" Austin watched the non-funny behavior between men. The Quartet members are four guys of equal strengths, but varied skills. However, Austin was the leader of the Quartet.

"Tom's an asshole." Frank frowned, quickly trying to subdue the intense hostile moment, not laughing at his own joke. He was very concerned Stu might punch Tom's nose or some other vital biological organ, and then Sawyer along with Mangrove would be spending the night in the emergency room.

"Know that." Stu snorted then dropped Sawyer to the floor with a dull thump. Tom shifted the bow tie and the jacket suit, without jabbing a nasty cursing comment or retaliating a physical counter with Big Man, who was the tallest and strongest of the Quartet.

Austin smiled while standing and extending his arm. "I'll be Kitten's official escort, dance partner, and social date for the entire evening," viewing her new gown, too damn sexy and provocative, tonight.

Frank nodded, hugging Misty. "Tom's too rattled to disagree."

Stu nodded, hugging Gracie. "Austin is the escort for baby sis."

Frank shook his finger at Tom. "Don't cross Austin!"

"Why not?" Jane frowned.

Stu smiled. "Austin shoots first then asks questions, never."

"Damn right and proud of it too!" Austin cuddled into Kitten, smirking when she giggled at his sweet breath on her cheekbone.

Stu smiled with a nod and moving towards the door and the limos. "Austin doesn't give a damn just like Rhett Butler."

Tom exhaled, frowning with sadness. "I give a damn," I shifted both hands into his trouser pockets, bowing holding a head down to his chin.

Kitten approached her brother, hugging his shoulders. "Thank you for so much caring about me, Thomas. I appreciate it, deeply. And I love you very much to the bottom of my heart and soul." Kitten whispered into his ear, then hugged, kissed his cheek and smiled.

"Thanks, Kitten." Tom kissed her cheek, smiling back at her. He wanted to protect her from all the beasts in the world, which at this moment included Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV. Don't matter! He will be watching Kitten from across the room like Stu suggested.

"The gala awaits, Kitten." Austin held his arm for Kitten as her official escort to the ball, smiling with mischievous.
Sunday November 7th

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and cool temperatures with clear sky of bright stars

Home location of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

2:30 a.m.

On the fourth floor in the master bedroom within the new home of Austin, he popped open the eyelids with a gasp. He had vividly dreamed of Tom's biological sister again on this new day at 2:30 am in the morning without seeing an alarm clock. He remained inside the cool bed linens and laughed up at the ceiling planks. "Excellent! The universe wants to challenge me. There! I accept your challenge. Now, go away and leave Kitten alone. I am her watcher, her protector, and her oldest Quartet brother. So, you come and take me on, asshole or assholette. I am ready to kill something today," he flipped over and rested onto the stomach with a laugh, closing the eyelids back into a deep slumber of peace and amusement.

City of Miami

Hot temperatures with baby blue skies and bright sunshine

Limousine trip of Austin, Jane, Tom, and Kitten

US Highway 1 location

12:42 pm

The limo slowed, rumbled, and then stopped. "What's wrong now?" Tom whined to his driver.

"Car accident is up ahead." Jack explained talking into the intercom.

"Go around, driver." Tom ordered viewing the paper folder inside the bench seat.

"Not in the limo, Tom. Don't try it, Jack!" Austin frowned at Tom sitting with Kitten inside the opposite rear bench from Tom and Jane. They had attended church services to see Kitten sing in the choir and to pray to God. Austin prayed long and hard to God Almighty, too.

"Yes, sir!" Jack said via the speaker telephone.

"Don't give commands to my staff, Austin. That's my job," Tom said, viewing the folder.

"Don't try it, Jack!" Jane smirked at Austin.

"Yes, Jane!" The driver said via speaker telephone, smiling in the front seat. Mrs. Sawyer is the boss, also.

Tom frowned, viewing his wife, "Jane, sweetheart! Don't mandate my orders."

"Your orders are stupid, Tom, sweetheart." Jane patted his arm, giggling.

"Sit tight! The wreck will clear." Austin shared the song book with Kitten. She was pointing out the beats per measure of the song the chorus sing this morning to Austin.

Kitten pitched the song book to the side, grabbing the door handle of the limo. "I'll go help."

Tom viewed the paper folder, shaking his skull, "Hell, no! You're rich, now."

Kitten frowned at Tom's hair roots, not seeing his face. "What does that mean, Thomas?"

"Other people do the dirty shitty work. We watch." Tom viewed the mobile telephone, not making eye contact with Kitten.

Kitten frowned at her big brother, nodding. "I'm a trained paramedic. I can help. The victims might need my help, Thomas."

"No, Kitten!" Tom ordered, without looking at Kitten. Sawyer was texting on his mobile telephone, again. He did all morning during preaching services in church to the working lawyers at the office, regarding the directions and instruction about the legal contracts for the sell of Quartet Associates.

Kitten ignored the poor advice and rude orders from her brother, opening the wide door with slight difficult, since a limousine door was three feet long and weighed 125 pounds more than her entire body mass. Purr jumped into the bright light, jogging as fast as she could toward the first of automobile wreck with the intention of helping the wounded.

"Fuck." Tom yelled, slamming the mobile telephone onto the bench seat.

"Retrieve her, Tom!" Austin watched the door slammed then viewed Tom. He wanted him to assume the proper role of big brother as well Kitten's current protector for staying out of trouble.

"No! Kitten's a big girl." Tom said, lifting the pinging mobile telephone from the seat to his face, answering the inquiry.

"Bring her back into the limo, Tom. She shouldn't be out there, alone." Austin watched out the front windshield.

"She ain't alone. Gawd! Looky!" He viewed out the window. "There're hundreds of people stopping, staring, and drooling over the death scene. People love terror, horror, violence," turning and viewing his pinging mobile telephone.

"Noted. Retrieve her, Tom!" Austin frowned at Tom.

"No!" Tom read his text message.

Kitten walked pass the parked cars, surveying the accident. A pickup truck had rammed into a compact car. The wreck scene was horrible as each bloody victim's body was being covered with a white sheet by a team of fire fighters. Survivors were huddled and crying in the back of the ambulance. Kitten studied the crowd, the wreck, and the victims. She noticed the little girl was yelling as her Father hugged and kissed her face. Kitten heard the words of the little girl, "Mom! Mom! Mom!" The paramedic walked beside Kitten. The paramedic fingered the bloody sheet. "The mother of the crying female, she took the brunt of the hit from the pickup truck's forward bumper. The car totaled. The other two was lucky."

Kitten stopped and sobbed with a yell. "Get help! I'm a pilot. I can fly the injured Mom to the trauma center."

The paramedic shook a skull, "Too late! Her mother is dead. She died on impact. Nobody could survive heated steel and iron."

Kitten shook the curls, tossing her arms. "I can help. You have to try to save her for the child's sake."

The paramedic shook a skull. "The mother died instantly. No one could save her."

Kitten sobbed. "You should've tried. You should've tried for the little girl's sake," sobbing as tears streaked down her cheeks.

"The chopper was late." The paramedic fingered the noise of the soaring helicopter in the sky.

Kitten turned and viewed the chopper landing over hundred feet away from the stretches and gear. She frowned. "Late? Didn't you call?"

"Yeah! SOP!" The paramedic told and moved to greet the pilot with the bad news.

Kitten stared at the tragedy scene as the pilot walked back to the helicopter for the next rescue call. She was fuming with angry, which quickly turned to sadness. She was on duty, today. She should have been flying instead of having fun riding in a limo with her new brothers, wearing her new clothes from her new sisters. Kitten started to cry from the jumbled emotions of angry, sad, pity, unhappiness and regret. She moved away from the awful scene. She couldn't help the victim in while she had trained to help, long hard years of training. Kitten walked slowly back to the limo which was wedged between hundreds of cars onto Highway One in Miami, Florida, fifteen minutes from her new home, a great big mansion in Coral Beach, Florida with her new brother, Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third. Kitten didn't want to go home. She wasn't happy, anymore. She wanted to go to the work and fly a helicopter for the rest of the day and night like she used to do.

Helping people! Saving lives! Kitten walked one step at time in the pair of cute pink heeled shoes which had been purchased in the city West Palm Beach by her three Quartet sisters during a joyous occasion for Kitten to share with her new family members. But, she wasn't feeling joy, now. She was feeling sad, very sad.

The little girl's mom was killed in the terrible car accident. The little girl was crying in her daddy's arms. Kitten never had a mommy or a daddy until four days ago. She missed her granddad terribly, after he died. She didn't have any family for many moons. Then, suddenly, she's someone's daughter. A daughter of a father, who is famous and rich, multi-millionaire, she could buy anything she wanted in her life. Except, her mommy was in heaven with Kitten's mommy. Money does not get to you into heaven or bring people back from the dead. Kitten felt sad, numb and dead.

Jack opened the heavy door as a very good worker for Tom, who didn't seem to appreciate his services. He saw Tom's sister slowly walking and drying the tears from her eyes. He stood silence by the door. He liked Kitten, Tom's sister. Kitten squatted placing her pink shoes inside the open door in silence. Tom shouted with irritation in his tenor voice. "Told ya, not to go. Gawd! I hope all the shitty bastards died in the car crash, blocking the fucking road. I'm starving to death."

"Her mommy died." Kitten told softly and then burst into tears, covering her face with her hands.

"O, gawd! Tom!" Jane smashed her husband's shoulder with her hand.

"Kitten," Tom immediately moved up from the bench seat as Austin slid beside Jane. He drew his sister close to him. She had been crying before. Her face was red and turning puffy. He hates when girls cry. This is his baby sister. He doesn't want her to cry, ever. He wants her to be happy, forever.

"Her mommy died. My chopper was late. I fly, today. I could have saved her mommy." Kitten mumbled, shifting inside Tom's arms. He held her tighter. Her tears flowing like a kitchen faucet down her pretty face.

"Kitten," Tom softly spoke into her ear.

"I'm a pilot, a rescue pilot. I was on duty. It's Sunday. I was on duty. I could've saved her Mommy."

"Kitten."

"I should've been at work, not here. I could've saved her Mommy. Now, her Mommy is dead. It's my fault."

"Kitten."

"I should've been working, not playing. I should've been the pilot. I should've landed the chopper. I should've done it. I could've saved her Mommy's life."

Tom explained. "Kitten, you weren't on duty, because we all were at church, remember. You told me that I needed to go to church with you and watch you sing in the choir, right?"

"Right." Kitten sobbed.

"You were so pretty in your blue choir robes. I could hear you singing in the front row. You're so talented. Almighty God gives you lots of talents, right?"

"Right." Kitten sobbed.

"I was glad to be at church with you. Ya know. Almighty God knows, too. He takes care of us. Right?"

"Right!" Kitten sobbed, again.

Austin was numb watching her. Kitten possesses great deep emotions. He actually believed she could've saved the mother in the car wreck. Berrington had inquired about her piloting skills with Captain Henderson, her formal commander at Fire and Rescue Department. Kitten was one of the top pilots. She had excellent instinctive pilot skills and worked long and hard hours without complain. Henderson wasn't happy that she resigned her position as a pilot. Helping people, saving lives! Kitten just witnessed a terrible ordeal only if her asshole brother had stopped her and leaped out the limo to drag her away from the death scene. She wouldn't have ever known. The point, she will remember this for the rest of her life. She was not like the Quartet.

The Quartet lived in a rough and tumble world of deceit, deals, and death.

Kitten lived in a wonderful world of giving, more giving, and the most giving of herself and her time without the greed or the purpose.

Austin respected Kitten for that sacrifice. He didn't think any of the Quartet wives would sacrifice that much of their world or their time.

Kitten was crying inside Tom's arms, because she couldn't save one person.

Tom continued to pat her hair and held her close with a worried brow to Austin. Jane was quiet. All three faces looked back and forth at each other.

"Her mommy has died. She is all alone." Kitten sobbed with her wet hot tears.

Tom asked with a stern face. "Does she have a father?"

"Yes." Kitten whispered.

Tom exhaled. "Looky! I'll find the family and then buy her pony and a swing set and anything the kid wants. How's that?"

Kitten sniffed up the runny clear snot and viewed Tom. "You will?"

Tom hugged her and then pulled back, smiling and nodding. "Of course, our foundation helps people. We help thousands of people very day."

"We do."

"We do, baby sister."

"You'll help the little girl, who lost her Mommy."

"Yes, baby sister!" Tom smiled as Kitten sniffed and hugged her brother. She didn't want to let go of him. He was her brother, her only family member that she had left in the world, just like the little girl who lost her mother.

"Shh! There. There. Calm. Okay. Close your eyes. I'll help the little girl today. I promise." Tom spoke softly as the limo moved around the death scene.
Monday November 8th

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and cool temperatures with clear sky of bright stars

Home location of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

2:30 a.m.

On the fourth floor inside the master bedroom in Austin's new home, he popped open both eyelids with a gasp. He had vividly dreamed of Tom's biological sister again on this new day at 2:30 am in the morning without seeing an alarm clock.

He remained inside the cool bed linens and stared with a confused brow at the white painted ceiling planks. "Hmm! How intriguing for me! Kitten had seen the automobile accident yesterday, but she had not been involved or directly harmed. I thought maybe that physical encounter would count towards her dangerous moment as the warning from my newest morning dream. But I was wrong. I am still dreaming about Kitten. Well, the danger is coming for her. And I'm ready for he or she or them or it. Come on down, dangerous motherfucker! I dare you. I double-dog dare you to piss me off. And I warn you here. I carry not concealed my Ghost," he flipped over with a laugh and rested on the stomach with a smile, closing the eyelids back into a deep slumber of peace and amusement.

Limousine ride of Tom, Austin, and Kitten

Old Cutler Road location

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

4:28 p.m.

"Shit! This is not happening again!" Tom yelled out loud in fury as his black tinted limousine slowed and stopped with a braking sound at the new delay on the traffic highway.

"I'll go see." Kitten jumped from her seat, swiftly opening the heavy door, barging out into the sunlight.

Tom yelled as she moved quickly out of view of his cornflower blue eyesight. "Kitten, wait!"

"Kitten, don't?" Austin yelled also. But, she was long gone as the heavy limo door slammed shut.

Tom yelled in frustration, tossing his arm while his other hand held his mobile telephone. "Fuck."

Austin viewed her out the front wind shield. "Kitten wants to help, Tom. She's a good person."

"We should move." Tom tossed the legal file onto the seat.

"Where, Tom?" Austin frowned at Tom.

"Anywhere with no more car accidents." Tom nodded, exhaling.

"I'll bring her back." Austin slid towards the door holding the handle.

Tom exhaled, grabbing the legal paper file. "Thanks, man!"

Austin squatted looking at Sawyer, exhaling. "You really are tense, uptight, and sensitive, today, Tom."

"Too much Kitten!" Tom exhaled and viewed the thick legal file.

Austin grinned with a nod. "Don't worry! I'll guard her with my life."

"Ya shitting betta!" Tom winked grabbing the loose papers sliding out from the file.

Austin stepped into the bright Florida light, donning the sunglasses. He could see Kitten ahead pacing fast toward the wreck, a simple fender bender.

Tom told the Quartet Kitten was upset all night long on Sunday in his arms, crying about the motherless child. He was overtaxed with raw deep emotions of Kitten's innocent behavior as well as coupled with the extra legal work required to be completed for the closing of the company, Quartet Associates. Austin felt Tom was about to go loco nuts, if he didn't get relief. Berrington was schooled as lawyer but his legal skills were useless to assist Tom with his heavy work load. The gifted lawyer had acquired bits of the Arabic language which meant only he could correct, review, edit, modify, change, add and delete all the Saudi legal text.

Austin shook his head at the entire difficult and complex situation. He didn't want to sell the business. In the past two weeks, he completely understood all the work and toll his brothers endured as high powered executives of a day-to-day trillion-dollar operation. His brothers deserve their lives of freedom, excitement and glory. They earned every penny as a billionaire at Quartet Associates. Since, Austin had the easiest job. He was the boss with a great big deadly reputation. Nobody messed with him, his decisions, his orders, his brothers, his sisters, his parents, his aunts and uncles, his staff, or his company. He snickered. The true reason the Japanese wanted the company, Quartet Associates. They wanted power. Austin didn't crave power, money, or freedom. He did crave a companion, a female who loved him for him, not all the billions housed in the bank. Austin watched Kitten, intensively. He wasn't taking his eyes off her.

The Quartet baby sister had stopped and scanned the accident scene. There was a luxury four-door Lexus sedan slammed in the back by a two-seater arrogant screaming Nissan driver. Obviously, the sports car was at fault since the Miami-Dade traffic officer was yelling and pointing at the damage to the sedan.

Austin chuckled. The guy's car insurance rates are going to hit Heaven by causing the accident, disrupting traffic flow and ticking off one of Miami-Dade finest.

Kitten turned away from the annoying people and dented cars in the distance.

Austin was twenty feet from her, scanning the area, noting the older blue Mazda mini-van with the duel side sliding doors for easy entrance and exit of persons, small and large merchandise items was driving toward him on the two-way road called Old Cutler, which was snuggled between the Atlantic Ocean and wild native scrub trees. The houses sat beyond the ten-foot high concrete gates. Lined vehicles impatiently sounded with a set of honking horns. People continued to yell into cell phones. Drivers were yelling at each other. Other passengers and brave home owners enjoying the show of comedic actors in the front of the wreck which stopped and stalled a long line of cars heading home from the day's work in Miami, Florida.

Kitten had elected to walk inside the inner lane of the hard gray road, instead of the outer media composed of gold sand, green grass, and weeds in her pink high heeled sandals. She didn't see Austin. She didn't notice the people, since her head was down. She wasn't crying. She wasn't smiling. She wasn't sad. She was okay and relieved it was only a fender bender between the two cars and not between any victims.

The door of the unfamiliar van was open. Austin noticed with his acute silver eyes. He walked faster to Kitten feeling funny that she was alone on the open road as people watched his baby sister pass by in her cute pink sandals, short pink skirt, and matching top. Her long silver hair flowed back and forth in the wind. She didn't have a purse or bag or her sunglasses. She was prepared to help the victims. Austin was nervous thinking the car passengers might have noted Kitten emerged from the gold limousine behind him.

A person hanging at his waist with an extended long tanned monkey arm grabbed Kitten from the road. Kitten didn't scream, yell or shout. The long arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her into the air, flinging her into the interior of the beaten up blue van.

Austin raced toward the van using his strong legs and cursing between heavy breathes. As the full-sized van passed with a set of open doors, he saw the occupants, consisting of two young fellows with long brown hair, thin forms, laughing and hooting. He couldn't see Kitten. Austin jumped into the side door still opened from the kidnapping of his baby sister. He hugged the seat with his muscular arms and strong hands as his forehead tapped on a metal object in the middle of the chair.

A large set of paws seized his jacket and shirt, pulling him deeper into the hole of the moving transport. His vision was failing with light than dark shades of colors. Then, Austin was dumped onto the smelly dirty hairy blue floor on his back. Another set of hands searched his jacket pockets and pants, stealing his Ghost, his belt and his wallet, containing his Florida driver's license, family pictures and ten-dollars cash. Austin didn't carry a mobile telephone, car keys or mobile telephone. He was being transported by limousine from the office with Tom for the dinner appointment with the Quartet at one of their favorite restaurants off the street of Old Cutler Ridge Road.

Kitten and Austin worked yesterday and today at Quartet Associates assisting Tom with the voluminous legal documents. Kitten wanted to help and didn't need to be reminded of the tragedy of Sunday. "Austin." Kitten yelled from the back of the van.

Austin couldn't see her face while resting flat on the back spine. He didn't move his head since the dizziness prevented any slick movement. Two pairs of hands shuffled his heavy body toward the back of the smelly heated van. Small warm soft hands touched his face, gently. Austin opened his eyes to see Kitten hovering and smiling over him. He was lying on her folded legs on the floor.

She placed her hand on his cheek, lightly stroking his face. "Austin," smiling.

"Kitten." Austin spoke very soft, not wanting to upset his brain cells anymore.

"Don't move! Your head's blooding. You might have a concession." Kitten whispered into his face as she tore her skirt, placing the fabric over the nicked wound, licking up the wet blood.

Austin was experiencing different sensations of pain, dizziness, numbness, angry, hatred, happiness, relief, lust and love. He was so glad to see an alive and breathing Kitten, but the situation was grave. They were captured as hostages. Tom was probably having a heart attack as he witnessed the incident, calling the remaining Quartet for the immediately rescue mission.

"Okay," He moaned, closing his eyes.

"Don't worry! I'm not going to let them hurt you." Kitten changed her girly tone to a beastly growl.

"Okay."

Kitten was trained as a police officer. She could handle pressure and stress. Austin was concerned about her physically defending herself against young men, who were nervous, anxious, excited, and stupid. One of the young men spoke, staring at Berrington. "Dude!"

"Berrington, dude!" The other young man smiled, driving the van, repeating the words.

"Dude, Austin Berrington!"

"Badass, dude!"

"Quartet, dude!"

"Babe?"

"What?" Kitten frowned at the young man when he tossed the mobile telephone in the air. She caught it.

"Plead, babe!" the young man fingered the mobile telephone.

Kitten didn't snap at smart rebuke. She didn't want them to hurt Austin, anymore. She was alert, strong, and mad. She would've killed them with any object she could find in the van, then attack the stupid jerk driving the transport, causing the driver to wreck the van, if she were alone. Kitten wasn't alone.

Austin leaped into the open hatch of the van looking for her. His impromptu plan was to fight her attackers, and then stop the van, only if his head hadn't connected with the iron object sitting in the outer chair seat.

Kitten dialed Tom's phone number. The lawyer always carried around his mobile telephone, probably sleeping with it. She handed the ringing phone to the young man. He grabbed the phone, saying. "Dude! Busy, dude!" They laughed, elbowing each other. He viewed Kitten, grinning. "Number, babe."

Kitten exhaled, saying. "Tom is calling his brothers. They're going to be very unhappy."

He tossed the phone, again, ordering. "Again, babe!" Kitten caught the phone, dialing the same number. The phone started ringing as she handed it to the guy, again. He held the phone to his ear.

The drivers laughed. "Dude!"

"Ringing."

"Busy, dude?" the driver laughed.

The young man spoke in the mobile telephone, nodding and smiling. "Dude! Got Badass and Babe!"

Pause.

He nodded. "Right, dude!"

Pause.

"Yeah, dude!" He snickered and then swished the mobile telephone off.

The driver laughed, grinning. "Dirt, dude?"

"100 million, dude."

"Right on, dude!"

"Two tomorrow, dude."

"No talk, dude!"

He smiled with a nod. "Dude talked, a lot."

"Yelled, a lot. Dude cusses like my old man."

"Yeah, dude."

"Hammock Park, dude."

"Where, dude?" the driver grinned with a nod.

Kitten cleared a throat and wiped Austin's face with her skirt. "I can give you directions to Hammock Park. I assume the ransom is one hundred million dollars for both Austin and me. We will be meeting my brothers at two in the afternoon tomorrow. Am I not correct?"

"Yeah, babe!" The young man nodded, laughing.

"Excellent." Kitten grinned with a nod at Austin. She touched his face.

"Him, dude?" The young man fingered Austin, snickering.

Kitten reacted with intensity, angry and protection, viewing Austin. "Don't think about touching Austin! I'll be very unhappy." The young dudes laughed, punched each other, leaning back smoking on the cigarettes, filling the cabin with smoke. Kitten ordered with irritation. "Please, roll down the window." The young man moved to the small window and pushed the handle open.

"Thank you." Kitten nodded then stared at Austin with deep worry. He was resting comfortable in her lap as the driver continued to turn left, then right, rolling down the highway. The van stopped.

Home of the kidnappers

City of Miami

Warm temperatures at sunset of pinks, reds, blues and yellows

5:16 p.m.

Private bedroom setting of Kitten and Austin

The van door opened showing the driver with a horse's face, wearing a pair of ripped jeans. Kitten ordered. "Please help me move Austin!" She wanted out of the smelly old van. Austin needed to lie down undisturbed from his injuries.

The driver smiled, fingering Berrington. "Dude?"

"Austin Berrington, dude," the other young man laughed, elbowing the driver.

"Dude jumped."

"Babe!"

"Right, dude!" The young man grabbed Austin's legs as Kitten lifted his shoulders for the short dude to take over with his strength. The other tall dude jerked Kitten through the van door.

She sneered but didn't counter his force, following them.

They shuffled Austin into the small unkempt weather beaten old house as the party walked out in the open bright Florida sun. The interior house was decorated with mismatched furniture and numerous electronics. The west floor held a long sofa painted in green and purple stripes, a red sleeper lounge chair and two smaller blue chairs. The north wall possessed a set of open shelf cabins stuffed with junk consisting of electronics, books, magazines, plates, napkins, towels, clothes, CDs, DVDs, and other miscellaneous items. The east side was the location of the front door with two front windows over short long tables covered with messy, gooey, smelly, slimy gummy junk.

Kitten walked calmly behind, surveying her environment. There was only one exit, the front door.

The two young males carried a semi-conscious Austin into the second bedroom. The room was lighted using a fan with a light bulb. There weren't any windows in the room but a small twin mattress on iron railings covered in white plain sheets and white bedspread. On the side wall was a short couch the color of rose. A closed folded steel closet and an open door bathroom occupied the west wall.

The men laid Austin on top of a small bed. They laughed and elbowed each other, snickering, leaving the room, closing the door and disappeared from Kitten's eyesight.

Kitten removed Austin's jacket, loosening the tail of his turtle neck around his waist and quickly invaded the bathroom for a cool cloth for his bleeding head.

Austin opened and closed his eyes, moaning. He had the feeling he was going to hurl, leaning over the bed, vomiting on the rug.

Kitten returned seeing him coughing with his head over the bed, vomiting contents on the floor. She helped Austin shuffle to the small sofa. "You're fine, Austin. Don't talk, just walk. Don't worry. I'm doing that for the both of us." Austin grunted. "Quiet, Austin! That's a direct order. I'm the boss lady, today." Kitten giggled, trying to lighten the mood or her mood.

She was scared for Austin. He needed a doctor. He needed Frank. He needed a hospital.

Kitten wished Tom would rescue them, now. She needed help. She had been trained to help care for victims, not hostages. She could use and perform the same medical procedures. She thought of her advanced life medical training.

Keep the victim calm, warm, stable and alert.

Austin grunted. She smiled. "Well, I'm not a nurse but that cut looks really nasty. You're going to have a funny zigzag mark on your forehead just like a sissy Frankenstein monster." Kitten giggled, tearing the dirty shirt and cleaning the vomit off his chest with another wet rag. Austin grunted. She brushed his hair from his eyes, covering him with the bedspread.

Austin grunted without words.

Kitten smiled. "A bad idea! Huh? Well, we're lucky you hired an expensive world renowned research doctor on staff. He can fix you right up with new skin. I wonder if Jace would grow it in his lab or zap it from your ass." Austin grunted. "I read that's where docs get the skin grafts for repairs, the ass. I wonder if your forehead would smell like your butthole." Austin grunted, louder. "I hope not. You won't be a babe magnet, anymore. That would be really tragic, Austin." Kitten giggled, patting his arm and stroking his face. Austin garbled. "Quiet, Austin! I'm boss lady. Or I tell Stu. He'll beat your butt for not obeying me." Kitten giggled, stroking his arm. Austin garbled, again.

The bedroom door swung open.

The three young guys entered, snickering, and elbowing each other.

"I'll be back. Yeah. I know that's Arnold's line, but I'm under pressure." Kitten kissed his lips, gently. She stood, turning to face the three men, alone. She grabbed with her right fighting hand the plastic bottle filled with the mouthwash she found in the bathroom as she prepared the cool wash cloth for Austin's wound.

Austin was lying on the old smelly sofa. He had vomited about thirty minutes before from the concession to his brain, feeling sick.

The young men moved into the room standing side by side next to each other, grinning, chuckling, snickering and shuffling their feet. Then, Kitten jumped forward.

The first dude, even with her stance, attacked her body, first, as the others watched and snickered. She hit the dude with the heavy bottle of mouthwash over his head. He was able to punch his large fist into her rib cage. She hit the floor, holding her gut in pain.

The dude fell to the floor, holding his ears.

Kitten sucked in and out air, pacing her heart and breathing from the awful painful assault. The two other dudes laughed, shouting at Kitten with vile slurs and sexual remarks.

A dark blur swirled passed Kitten as she leaned over breathing oxygen from her belly wound. Kitten looked up high with her silver eyes to see the alive and breathing dudes simultaneously hanging in the air by Austin's powerful deadly gripe of his hands which were wrapped tightly around their throats.

The airborne dudes were squirming, kicking and punching with their arms at Austin. He didn't move at muscle. He sneered and snorted with fury, killing fury.

" _Austin,"_ Stu yelled from the outer room then they appeared inside the doorway, running into the second bedroom with Ghosts' drawn, dressed in suits and ties, surveying the dangerous and deadly situation.

"Fuck, man! Why do we even bother?" Tom tossed his Ghost towards the ceiling, frowning and shaking his skull.

"Thank, Almighty God! Austin has the situation under control." Frank nodded, smirking and scanning the room.

"Release them, bro!" Stu jogged from the door, jerking the first guy from the wall out of Austin's hand. Austin dropped the second guy to the floor. They were semi-conscious.

Frank moved behind Austin, shoving and ordering. "Wash your hands, Austin!" Frank pushed him into the bathroom. They entered and closed the door. The cool water would calm Austin's intense mood and angry killing tone.

"Kitten!" Tom pulled her from the floor, wrapping his arms tightly around her body. She was sobbing and happy to see her brothers. He whispered. "Are you hurt, sweetheart?"

"Austin. Concession. Vomit." Kitten breathed in and out from the blow to her rib cage, fighting back tears and sniffing.

Tom cuddled her, whispering. "Frank's here. Frank'll treat him. Did they hurt you, Kitten?"

"Austin. Save. Me." Kitten sobbed inside Tom's arms.

"Austin to the rescue," Stu smiled with a nod and watching over the kidnappers.

Tom pulled back, whispering to her. "Are you okay?" He viewed Gage. "Stu, call Frank to treat Kitten, first!"

Kitten wiped tears from her red face with her hands. "No. Austin. Concession."

"Frank's doing just that, sweetheart. Don't worry! Hold on to me." Tom nodded, cuddling her when the downed man at his feet moaned. Sawyer frowned at the young man. "Shit! He's alive."

"Hit. Bottle." Kitten fingered the floor.

Stu reached for the object, laughing. "You used a bottle of mouthwash."

Kitten nodded at him, "Yeah."

"You did well, sweetheart. Allow me to finish the job." Tom snickered, gently moving Kitten from him near the door. Then, Sawyer turned and aimed the Ghost at the man's organ and shot. The razors easier sawed through the thin brown cotton shirt, slicing into flesh and bone, penetrating the heart cavity. The dude grabbed with both hands the bloody hole in his chest, puckered with air, and then died, falling back on the floor with open brown eyes.

"Thomas!" Stu yelled, witnessing the gruesome sight.

Tom smiled with a nod and back walking to Kitten. "What?"

Stu frowned viewing the dead man. "Austin's supposed to get the kill."

Tom frowned, cuddling Kitten and viewing the dead man. "He's occupied. That asshole hurt Kitten. I'll seeking revenge for my baby sister."

Stu shook his baldness. "Hell, bro! She's my baby sis, too."

Tom nodded, smiled. "Know that. I got him, first. Too late! He's dead."

Stu shook his baldness, viewing Sawyer. "Too swift, Tom!"

"Fuck ya, Stu! He attacked Kitten, our baby sister. We should drag his ass to the lab and torture him for three days. But, Kitten's tired. I'm tired. I want to go home, eat and fuck my wife." Tom nodded, hugging her. "You're safe, sweetheart. It's dead."

Frank emerged from the bathroom. "Thomas, shit! Ya murdered him," seeing the dead body on the floor, bleeding on the smelly carpet. "Austin gets the..."

"He hurt Kitten. Brotherly revenge. One kill," Tom giggled, raising his index finger.

Frank placed a hand on his chin, singing. "Hmm! I like your logic, Tom."

Stu fired his Ghost into the other one alive unconscious dude slumped on the floor from Austin's throat hug. "Two kills, brotherly revenge."

"Shit, Gage." Frank frowned at Stu.

"You can shoot a hairy ball, Frank. I'll count that as four kills." Stu fingered and laughed.

Tom tosses his hand with the Ghost toward the ceiling. "Hell, no. No. No. That's not fair! The fucking balls don't count as targets. Shit, man. Get it right!"

Frank jerked his Ghost from his jacket, shooting the dead men in the dicks. "Two kills, even on the brotherly revenge thing."

Tom yelled, fingering Frank then Stu. "Fuck, ya cheat! Cheat me out of kills all the time. Fucking assholes."

"Thomas?" Kitten whispered into Tom's ear.

"Sorry, sweetheart! Do you wanna use my Ghost?" Tom smiled at her, presenting his weapons.

Kitten shook her curls. "No."

Stu smiled with a nod. "Kitten doesn't kill for fun, only for justice."

Tom cuddled his baby sister and patted her collar bone. "Kitten needs to go to bed and rest."

Austin emerged from the bathroom, holding a washcloth over his forehead, surveying the bloody mess. He didn't comment but smiled. "Found your Ghost." Stu handed the weapon to Berrington.

"Thanks." Austin whispered while closing and opening his eyes. He held a hand to his skull. His head hurt. Frank helped him stand upright as Austin placed the weapon in his folded jacket pocket.

"Roll out!" Stu twisted towards the archway, shouting. He housed his Ghost into his jacket, nodding.

Tom frowned with annoyance, cuddling and walking behind Stu with Kitten. "That's Austin command."

Stu chuckled. "I can read his mind, Thomas."

"Are you a telepath, Stu?" Tom parted his lips walking behind Stu.

Stu moved ahead with a smile toward the front door. "Yes, Thomas! I have telepathy."

Tom grinned with a nod and cuddled Kitten. They slowly moved ahead towards the front door with Frank and Austin behind them. Tom shouted out loud. "Cool, man! Read my mind! Tell me! What I'm thinking?"

Stu stopped in the middle of the room. The Quartet stared at Stu. He closed his eyelids and reached up, holding one palm on his temple, saying with a serious tone. "Tom's an asshole."

Sawyer gasped in shock and shook his bone skull. "No! Not right! You got it wrong, man. You're lying. You're not a telepath."

"Tom's an asshole." Stu said, twisting to face the open front door, where the dead kidnappers lived.

Tom shook his bangs frowning and walking with Kitten. "That's not what I was thinking, Big Man," when Frank and Stu laughed. The Quartet exited the house.

Stu held the door open, yelling. "Get in the limo, Tom." Frank led Austin to the other side, gently sliding into the bench seating.

Tom slid down into the rear bench seat inside Austin's silver colored limousine after Kitten, saying with puzzlement. "I wasn't thinking that either. Ya still got it wrong, Big Man," when the others laughed out loud.
Tuesday November 9th

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and cool temperatures with clear sky of bright stars

Home location of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

2:30 a.m.

On the fourth floor in the master bedroom within the new home of Austin, he popped open the eyelids with a gasp. "No!" He had vividly dreamed of Tom's biological sister again on this new day at 2:30 am in the morning without seeing an alarm clock.

He remained inside the cool bed linens and stared with a smirk at white painted ceiling planks. "So, this is the game that the universe has elected to play with my mental mind. I saved Kitten yesterday afternoon. Well, Kitten saved me from the brutal, rude, and smart kidnappers. So, we both saved each other. We do make a nice pair of red, white, and blue crime fighters. Anyways, I dreamed of her again. So, Kitten will have another dangerous moment today. And I am ready for them or they or he or she. Come and try to slap my ass again, universe!" He flipped over and rested onto the stomach with a smirk, closing the eyelids back into a deep slumber of peace and amusement.

Home of Jane and Tom

7:07 a.m.

Warm temperatures of sunrise of pinks, greens, and reds

Kitten climbed out of bed early. The sun was shining. The day was going to be lovely again in Coral Beach.

She changed into her swim suit, slowly climbing down the staircase and opened the door into the garage as she had done the pass four days since learning she was the baby sister of the Quartet.

She was living with her biological brother Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third until her small mansion was built by Stu, her other non-biological brother. Kitten giggled. She liked to walk in the cool waters of the Atlantic Ocean before breakfast. She enjoyed collecting an array of pretty colorful seashells and then tossing them into the ocean for little sea creatures to inhibit.

Kitten strolled slowly by Frank's house seeing the cloth shades drawn and quiet. She padded passed Stu's house viewing the hard shades were open and figures were moving about the windows. Kitten continued her morning commute passed Austin's house to the erected play ground with four tree swings, two sleeping hammocks, and a tire swing. She stopped and then turned back for daily exercise routine to Tom's house building up her appetite for breakfast. She wasn't hungry.

Kitten stopped, staring at Austin's house. She wondered if he was up and about inside the house. She wanted to talk to him. Well, she wanted to thank him for saving her life.

The young men would have eventually overpowered her, and then raped her after beating Austin into a coma, or killing him in front of her silver eyes. The vile thought made her sick to her stomach. She didn't rest to well thinking about what could have happened if Austin hadn't been there for her.

Kitten wiped the extra gold sand from her feet and entered the open patio door. Austin didn't lock his doors front, back, patio, balcony, or garage. He didn't trust people. He trusted his Ghost.

She giggled. Austin stopped in the middle of the Florida room when he saw Kitten enter through the open patio doors unannounced. She smiled with a nod. "Good morning! Am I intruding, Austin?"

Austin gasped and then smiled, "Kitten, come inside, please!"

"Thank you." Kitten moved slowly into the middle of the room.

Austin didn't stir, staring at her. "Would you like a cup of chocolate milk?"

She cleared a throat, nervously. "No thank you! I'll wait for breakfast."

"All right!" Austin slipped on the glass, finishing the beverage as she stared into Kitten's pretty face. He was delighted and pleased to see her after the ordeal of last night.

"Austin, thank you for..."

Austin back pedaled from Kitten with a stern face, turning to face the kitchen, speaking in a mild tone. "I'm sorry you saw..."

Kitten ran and posed in front of him. She spoke, cutting off his statement. "Austin, you saved my life. You saved me. I was so scared. I tried to hide my feelings. I didn't do a good job. I'm so glad you attacked them. I hit one but he punched my ribs. I couldn't defend..." she stopped and started to sob. "Sorry."

Austin wrapped his protective arms around Kitten's shaking and half naked body in the small tiny bikini. "Kitten, I'll always protect you, baby." Austin squeezed her body while wanting to purge the bad memories of their capture out of her mind. Kitten didn't deserve the treatment, yesterday. She's the baby sister of Quartet. She should be treated like a princess, not a slave.

"Thank you." Kitten whispered against his naked chest.

Austin had emerged from the bedroom with running shorts with the intent of formal dressing later for breakfast at Tom's house. He cleared his throat. "You saved my life."

Kitten sobbed. "Well, I..."

"You doctored me with the concession then threatened the stupid idiots. You're very brave to do that, Kitten. I knew you were scared. I was scared, also."

"I was but I was more scared for you, Austin. They wouldn't harm you. I'd fight them to the death...for you."

"Thank you, baby." Austin pulled her closer to his chest and held her tighter. No one woman told him truths like that. No one woman had before defended his honor or his life. Kitten was a very special female. His set of internal feelings was swiftly roaming back and forth with a single deep emotion for her his Quartet Kitten.

"I'm not sorry about their...their fate. They deserved it."

"And I deserve you." Austin chuckled.

"I deserve you." Kitten giggled, smiling. She slid away from his chest, staring into his silver eyes, just like her, diamonds in the sunlight. She smiled.

"At this moment, Kitten, I'm very happy your Tom's biologically sister."

Kitten smiled, winking. "So, am I, Austin."

The landline telephone sounded with a thrilling ring when Berrington viewed the noise. He released Kitten and then marched to the landline, answering the instrument that disrupted the intense dramatic passionate moment. "Yes."

Pause.

"She's here."

Pause.

"We're coming." He dropped the receiver on the hook.

Kitten smiled, "Is it the breakfast roll call?"

"Yes."

"I'm not really hunger. But I'd enjoy your company at the table," winking.

"I would also," Austin smiled and then turned, running upstairs to add more clothes. Kitten giggled waiting for him.

Warm temperatures with light rain and parted clouds of sun

Limousine ride of the Quartet

City street Red Road location

8:08 a.m.

The ride was quiet.

Another ten working days, the company would be sold to the Japanese.

Finalizing the tenuous details was boring and time consuming for the Quartet, Tom was busier than ever with legal documents of petitions, torts, contracts, pleadings, judgments, real property, insurance, wills, trusts, and estates.

Frank worked the bank accounts, taxes, budgets, audit, financial statements, inventory, reselling assets, government forms and payroll records.

Stu was the peacemaker, calming, controlling, checking, curbing, and conducting serenity among the troops, the real men and women who made up the bulk of Quartet Associates.

The new employees were nervous, anxious, and eager to meet their new master.

Austin, Stu, Frank, and Tom went beyond the normal purchase of a billion-dollar company. The executives give bonuses to keep the employees from leaving Quartet Associates and finding other jobs. Austin, Stu, Frank, and Tom created and maintained very good employees and outstanding friendly family atmosphere with all people at the firm. The brothers were moving ahead with their private and independent lives. They wanted to start families of their own, sons, just like their fathers, their grandfathers, and their great grandfathers. The time had come. Their fathers worked and built the company called Quartet Company, spending most of their biological years since graduating college when the babies were born as new Daddies, working their inherited business of seaport and transportation management from their fathers, who were the grandfathers of Austin, Tom, Frank, and Stu. The older men were multi-millionaires but continued to work building the future for their children and their generation.

Austin appreciated the sacrifice his father and uncles made for him and his brothers. But his brothers, the next generation of Quartet, wanted more from life than working and running another successful and profitable business. The boys were billionaires, rich beyond rich which meant places to go, things to do and people to command, especially Tom.

Tom had toned down his acidic tongue and heavy handed methods of his staff members from the good 'ole' days. But, he still enjoyed being, more than the rest of the brothers, treated like a king, no, an emperor. Tom cleared a throat and said out loud without emotion just like a soulless lawyer. "Kitten is getting married."

His dad had been concentrating on finding his newly discovered daughter a right mate, for life, not just for dating and fun entertaining. The successful kidnapping jaunt was too much, too fast and way too scary even for dear old Dad. Sawyer, Junior almost had a stroke when his biological son informed him that Kitten was abducted at a car accident on a populated Miami road in front of hundreds of people, roaming police officers and rescue personnel.

Austin saved Kitten's life.

Tom fumed each time he remembered the story. He couldn't believe his bad luck. Tom was responsible for his little sister's protection. He failed. She would have been raped for certain and tortured for sure. The entire incident's his fault. Austin jumped into the van as it passed, grabbing Kitten on its way down the opposite side of the highway. He saved Kitten's life, keeping the kidnappers from harming her. Tom's brain would never forget the story.

"Double fuck," Stu snorted with angry.

"Holy crap!" Frank snapped with fury.

"Damn it to hell!" Austin growled with fury, too.

Frank jabbed his finger into Sawyer's face. "Who made that executive decision, Thomas?"

Austin frowned. "Use your brain, Frank! Soy."

Tom jabbed his finger into Berrington's face, frowning. "Hey, respect, man! That's my Dad."

Stu exhaled, growling. "Who's the lucky guy, Sawyer?"

Tom smiled with a nod and wiping lint from his new business suit. "Captain Chip."

Stu frowned. "Who?"

Tom nodded at Berrington, grinning. "Captain Chip! He's a space shuttle pilot, famous."

Stu frowned. "Who?"

Tom nodded at Mangrove, grinning. "Captain Chip is a great guy."

"Who?" Stu frowned.

Tom frowned at Gage. "Stop it, Stu! Ya sound like an owl."

Frank viewed Gage. "The turd we met on Thursday, golfing."

Stu shook his skull, frowning. "Soy's caddy is marrying Kitten."

Tom frowned at Gage. "Respect man! I don't call your father by his first name."

Frank shook his skull, viewing Sawyer. "Captain Chip wasn't the caddy."

"He didn't play golf. Then, what was he?" Stu chuckled.

"The gopher," Frank smiled with a nod.

"No," Tom frowned, shaking his skull at Mangrove.

"The chipmunk," Frank smiled, laughing.

"No," Tom frowned, shaking his skull at Frank.

"Ah! Chip the chipmunk," Stu chuckled, nodding.

Frank nodded, laughing. "Right, Stu."

"Captain Chip was Dad's guest." Tom frowned, nodding.

Austin frowned at Sawyer. "Which guest? Uncle Edison brings a shit load of people to the club, every damn day."

Stu grinned with a nod. "The pale turd that crunched Tom's sunglasses with his skinny butt."

Frank nodded, laughing. "You got the right turd, Stu."

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Frank."

Stu smiled with a nod. "Remember? I called him 'Captain Crunch,' since he did a good crunch job your shades. Tom, did ya get new ones?" Austin wiped the tears, laughing. The pups were hot, today.

"Yeah, I did. Back to Captain Chip!" Tom fingered his leathers, nodding and smiling at Frank.

"Are we supposed to call him, Captain Chip, also?" Stu frowned.

Tom shook his skull. "Hell no! Just plain ole Chip!"

Frank frowned. "Why Chip?"

"Why not, Chip?" Tom grinned with a nod.

Stu shook his skull, exhaling. "I feel very strongly that you and Uncle Edison are rushing my baby sis into 'the marriage thing.'"

Tom nodded with a frown. "My baby sister needs protection after the kidnapping..."

"An accident," Stu frowned.

"An accident that almost got her..." Tom shook the bangs, viewing his new hand manicure.

Frank exhaled, nodding. "Tom, Kitten was naïve. She learned her lesson."

Stu exhaled, nodding at Austin. "We all learned her lesson."

Frank nodded. "She's not going to wander, again. You should trust Kitten."

Tom nodded with a frown. "I love her. She's my baby sister. Fuck! I don't want a gawd damn thing to happen to her."

Frank exhaled, nodding. "We all feel the same way, Tom."

Stu exhaled, nodding. "She's our baby sis, too, Thomas."

"Know that." Tom viewed the window, whispering. But, he is her biological brother and her protective, before his non-biological brothers.

Frank frowned at Tom. "So, you're going to marry her off."

Tom nodded to Mangrove, smiling. "She needs a big strong male protector."

Frank nodded, laughing. "She beat him up, first."

"Get her mean pit bull." Stu nodded, laughing with Frank and Austin.

Frank grinned with a nod. "She'll protect the damn dog, second."

Stu smiled with a nod. "Give her a gun."

Frank smiled with a nod. "She'll shoot them up, third."

Austin frowned. "Where's her Ghost?"

Stu nodded. "One's being made for her."

Austin frowned. "Give her a pair of bodyguards!"

"She'll beat up the bodyguards, next." Stu laughed with Austin and Frank.

"Not fucking funny, Stu." Tom frowned.

Stu said with fury. "Damn straight! It's fucking criminal to Kitten," when silence filled the air waves.

"Did you give Chip the key to the hotel room...?" Frank frowned at Tom.

Tom lurked from the oversized seat, catching Frank in the throat with his long pale fingers, sneering. "I'll kill you, Mangrove." Quickly, Austin grabbed Tom around the waist, hauling his lanky body toward him in the corner of the limo, wrapping his strong muscular arms around Tom's chest.

"Thomas," Stu frowned, ordering.

Tom struggled side to side inside Berrington's chest muscles. "Let go, Austin!"

"After your heart rate stabilizes..." Austin chuckled.

Stu jabbed his finger at Tom. "We all understand Frank's connotation of the question. You need to think about how you and Daddy are presenting Kitten to the world."

Frank nodded, crossing his arms. "Stu's correct. You're telling the world, she's incapacity of taking care of her. She's a weak female. It makes me wanna vomit on your new leathers, Tom. Kitten's brilliant, gorgeous, and a role model to all young girls."

"Get off, asshole!" Tom struggled and yelled inside Austin's chest when Austin released Tom. Sawyer straightened his bow tie and jacket, saying. "Kitten needs a strong man to make decisions, the proper decisions for her. Captain Chip's going to do that," nodding and smiling.

Stu frowned. "Who's this Chip dip person?"

Tom grinned with a nod, puffing his silk handkerchief. "He's a great guy, a former outer space shuttle pilot. Ya know, NOSA."

Stu frowned, shaking his baldness. "I don't give a shit about capital letters of the alphabet, Tom."

"And neither do I. We can complete the final search this afternoon in the office and rip dipshit apart before dinner, boys." Frank nodded to Stu and Austin, smirking.

"I'll get process started." Stu pulled his laptop from the bag at his feet.

"He's clean." Tom smiled with a nod.

"I'm questioning all his credentials, not just the NOSA background checks, Tom," Stu typed on the laptop.

Tom nodded, still smiling. "My dad checked his credentials and testicles. Chip's body and background is both clean, squeaky ass clean."

Frank asked. "Who checked his testicles for Uncle Edison?"

Tom nodded. "We did."

Frank parted the lips, viewing Tom. "We did."

"Last week."

Frank frowned. "We did."

Tom smiled. "Search and seek request stat, a.s.a.p."

Frank frowned. "We did."

Tom frowned. "Stop repeating that, Frank."

Frank frowned then laughed. "We did."

Tom soured, raising his finger. "Looky! One more fucking time. Chip's clean. The wedding's proceeding as planned."

Frank frowned at Sawyer. "When's the shot gun wedding, Tom?"

Austin frowned at Sawyer. "Who's holding the gun? Soy!?"

"Or Chip?" Stu frowned at Tom, too.

"Or Tom?" Frank grinned at Tom.

"Shut up, Frank!" Tom frowned at Mangrove.

"I'm giving Kitten a gun." Stu nodded and typed on the laptop for more information on Chip.

"She can use my Ghost." Frank pulled his weapon from his pocket, handing it to Tom.

Tom smashed the gun away from his face. "Next Saturday."

"Holy crap." Stu exhaled, shaking his baldness.

"Fourteen days of pre-wedding engagement, that's stupid and silly, Tom." Frank frowned at Austin when Berrington viewed his hands.

Tom said with seriousness, jabbing at Frank, "Yeah! If you continue to piss Dad off, they'll elope. So, calm down! Dad and I know exactly what we're doing."

Frank crossed his arms, shaking his skull. "I disagree."

"Disagree someplace else, Frank." Tom brushed pretend lint from his trousers, smiling.

"I..." Frank said.

Tom nodded to each brother. "A done deal."

Frank shook his skull. "No deal, Tom."

Tom said. "Looky! Captain Chip and Kitten are getting married. The invitations are going out today for the elite of society. You can't stop progress, Frank."

"We want Kitten safe, too." Frank frowned at Tom.

"All of us, Tom." Stu typed on the laptop.

"You're not her father." Frank frowned.

"...or her guardian." Stu said.

"...or her savior." Austin nodded at Tom.

Stu said. "She's a grown girl over the age of eighteen. Kitten can make decisions all by herself."

Tom raises his single then the next one. "Let's see, like jumping out of an armed limo into a crowd of strangers, and getting snatched before my baby blue eyes."

Frank raised his finger. "Ah! Now, I understand."

"You understand, what, Frank?" Tom frowned.

Frank grinned. "You're both mad and embarrassed."

Tom yelled, jabbing his finger at Mangrove. "I'm not."

" _Quartet Associates, Austin!"_ Joe stopped the transport and said via the limo speaker.

Quartet Associates headquarters

9:14 a.m.

Office of Stu

Stu motioned with his finger to follow him. Austin treaded down the long quiet corridor with Frank into Stu's lush oversized executive office. Stu looked both directions side to side inside the hallway, and then shut the door, quietly. Frank and Austin sat inside two chairs in front of Stu's office desk. Stuart Thant Gage, the third served more as a true executive in their company named Quartet Associates. He was technically named the chief operating officer of the business. His duties required him to maintain working relationships with all the employees of the company, both national and international.

"Where's Tom?" Frank frowned and scanned the room usually a meeting of the Quartet involved four people. That's the number of a quartet. Tom was missing. The lawyer never misses a meeting, since he's always interested in the accompanying gossip or sharing juicy nasty stories about someone. On the opposite end, Austin was sitting quietly in the chair, without comment. Berrington never made off-the-wall verbal comments, only swift reactions usually physical and deadly to Tom's nasty retorts unless Austin defaulted to Stu for that particular task. Frank, as the role of the physician, was concerned about his brother Austin, particularly at this moment of his leader's mental condition since the announcement of Kitten's marriage to Chip.

Austin was exhibiting more reserve and possible shy qualities this morning, which wasn't within his normal cheery personality, since the introduction of Kitten, Sawyer Junior's legitimate daughter. Frank wondered about biological internal feelings Austin had for Kitten, their non-biological baby sister. Austin and Kitten had been through hell together from the successful dangerous kidnapping plot. Psychologically, Kitten and Austin shared intense and intimate moments that no other person on the planet could understand. Frank was recalling the academic medical text book reference which makes both parties dependent and protective of each other in any situation, anytime, anywhere, and anyhow. Time would tell us each truth.

Stu ignored Frank's question, because he didn't want Sawyer present. Gage was mad at his brother and uncle for the stupid asinine decision regarding Kitten's fate as a member of the Quartet. Stu sneered, nodding. "I disagree with Soy and Soy, Junior's match making techniques with our baby sis."

"So do I." Austin growled a violent undertone response immediately without pondering, thinking or hesitating. Frank was correct. Austin was upset about Kitten's marriage. He might mention this problem to Jace. Jace was a world renowned medical surgeon and research scientist. He lived for solving medical mysteries and puzzles. Austin would be another puzzle to fit together for Jace as well as a true good friend for Austin to talk things out regarding the kidnapping, Kitten, and karma.

Tom was missing in action, so Frank took the Devil's Advocate role. Mangrove frowned, tossing his hand. "We can't do a damn thing about it."

Austin exhaled with a sour expression. "Frank's correct, we can't..."

"But, data can." Stu nodded, raising an eyebrow.

Austin smiled with excitement. "Explain!"

"Now's the time to call all favors, marks, and snitches on, above, under, and over the fucking ginormous pine conference table located in the super big meeting room." Stu nodded. He meant the unused room they had unknown Jack had built when the brothers purchased the old building, forming, and starting the beginning of the new company in Florida, Quartet Associates. The grand conference room had been used one time when Misty Marie was kidnapped by the evil witch doctor, Hera on Big Pine Key. Misty lost the baby. Frank lost his mind, killing the witch by slicing and dicing her inners searching for the hidden ID radar tag that controlled a duplicate I.D. radar tag in his wife's biological body which linked the two females together like electronic Siamese twins. The super sized room was a representation of hidden information contained by employees, friends, street people, liars, baggers, and snitches. Austin had almost killed one of the snitches in that very room when the guy provided repeating statements, not new data regarding Misty's secret hidden location. Stu had to shove Austin into a coma against the wall before he committed cold-blood murder, again. Stu's message for his brothers, today, was emphasizing that the time has come to find Chip's deep dark hidden secrets, then and only then, Kitten would be free. Tom and Uncle Edison would be embarrassed, shitless.

Austin swiftly said, nodding. "Soy conducted a through search of Captain Crunch," when Frank snickered hearing Stu's newly christened nickname for Captain Chip Chadwick Chippendale.

Austin smirked, glancing over to Frank, noting he was smiling, also. The nickname, again. It suited the turd, so well.

Stu nodded. "Today's Friday. We got seven days until the wedding. Search. Tap. Prod. Poke..."

"Beat!" Frank smiled with a nod.

Stu shook his baldness. "No! I get to beat Tom, after we find the dirt on Chip."

"I want to be a part of that." Frank whined, nodding.

"No! I'm going to instruct Kitten how to beat her big brother slightly shy of a coma." Stu grinned, chuckling.

"I still want a piece of him." Frank whined, again, nodding.

"No! I'll the 'Master of Pain.' You get to watch and shout out each bodily hurting instruction. How about that, Frank?" Stu winked, laughing.

"That works for me. Austin, do you shout some bodily hurting instructions, too?" Frank nodded, smirking.

"Find the dirt." Austin frowned at Stu.

"Any hints? I'm flat out of suggestions and ideas, since we did the initial rotor rooter on Captain Crunch's shit tank." Frank exhaled, shaking his skull.

"I have plenty of ideas. I made lists." Stu stood and walked around to his desk placing the briefcase on top of messy desk. He shifted the locks to the right sequencing of numbers and popped the leather top, pulling two separate colored coded sheets of paper with hand written topics. Gage handed the papers to both Mangrove and Berrington. "Frank, hit all financial records, files, institutions, etc. You know your domain. Inquire three times using three different angles? That would force the computer to re-direct the same data in a different format. Hopefully, we hit pay dirt."

"I understand. You're good at this, Big Man. You shouldn't have been a spy for the U.S. government." Frank winked, grinning.

"Vengeance always pisses me off, making me work harder, not smarter." Stu laughed with Frank and Austin.

"The expression is work smarter, not harder, Stu." Frank grinned with amusement, viewing the paper.

"That, too!" Stu laughed with Austin and Frank, again.

"Keep it, down! The boy might hear us." Stu frowned, viewing the closed office door.

Frank shook his skull, viewing the paper. "Doubt it! He's on an international call with the Saudias."

"Again!" Stu shook his baldness, sitting.

Frank viewed Stu, nodding. "They have numerous changes to the contracts. Of course, the translators get it wrong, each and every time."

"Why doesn't he leave the paperwork for the Japs?" Stu frowned.

Frank exhaled. "Part of the deal! We finish all the negotiations with their known enemies. Then, we're free and clear of this entire mess. I'm looking forward to retirement," nodding.

"Amen to that." Stu looked at his messy desk, and then viewed Frank and Austin. "Tom looks more stressed than I." He raked a hand over his bald head.

Austin frowned. "Do you need help, Stu?"

Stu was pondering his work load and his baby bro's legal work load, laughing. "How many times do you write 'left to the wife' on a legal document, Austin?"

Frank answered, smiling. "Well, Stu! A Saudi prince has thirty to forty wives ranked by height, weight, sexual acts..."

Stu frowned. "You're shitting me, Frank."

Frank nodded. "These are Tom's sworn statements about his sleazy QA clients."

Stu laughed. "Gawd! I don't believe that asswipe. He just makes things up like Dr. Frankenstein did with his man servant."

Frank nodded. "That's a science fiction novel written by a woman, Stu."

"So?" Stu said.

Frank exhaled. "Frankenstein was both, the physician and the monster."

"Your point, Frank!" Stu grinned.

"My point, you cannot reference fiction regarding Tom. He's a real person who is both, insane and dangerous. That's my professional medical diagnosis, since I'm a doctor," Frank nodded.

"Fine! Shoot him." Stu laughed.

"Just wound him." Austin frowned at his silly brothers with the seriousness of the Kitten's life.

"I strongly suggest tranquilizers in his bourbon, tonight." Frank winked, grinning.

"...include Sawyer, Junior's glass, too." Stu laughed.

"Hand me the glass!" Austin smirked.

"Back to your tasks, boys...," Stu soured and tapped the paper.

Frank grinned with amusement. "A virgin ranks the highest. She gets to be first princess..."

"...until the next virgin shows up." Austin smirked when Frank laughed. Stu frowned.

"I guess." Frank chuckled.

Stu frowned. "Thanks for the useless data, Frank. The offer of assistance, Austin. But, I delegate to my trusted employees. So, back to the business! Austin, you get to be the lawyer, now."

Austin nodded. "I take it Tom's excluded from our newly formed clubhouse."

"Tom's lucky I didn't beat the shit out of him in the limo, this morning. This is top secret stuff." Stu soured, tapping the papers.

"Tom might find out." Frank nodded.

"Don't worry! If he does, I'll handle it, personally." Stu grinned, chuckling.

"I want to play." Frank whined, nodding.

Stu soured. "Don't start again, Frank! Dirt, shit, turds, urine, wee-wee, pee-pee, doo-doo. Find it." He fingered the papers.

"Roger will co!" Frank saluted while standing and moving towards the closed office door while Austin sat reading the paper in silence.

City of Miami

Hot temperatures and moonlight with bright stars

Cuban Museum location

Dining table setting of the Quartet

7:11 p.m.

"Captain Chip Chippendale, outer space ship co-pilot astronaut, may I introduce Prancie Precious Purr who is affectionately known with the cute little nickname, Kitten, my intensely beautiful and highly intelligent baby sister!" Tom cuddled Kitten when she frowned at Chip.

"Uh! Hi, sugar!" Chip smiled at Kitten.

"Sugar!" Kitten whispered near Tom's ear, elbowing her brother in the chest.

Tom chuckled, addressing the screw up by Chip for his baby sister, "Sugar and spice and everything nice! That's what little girls are made of," he leaned over, pecking her cheek. Kitten didn't respond to the rude pet name or Tom's nursery rhyme. She didn't bother to acknowledge Chip's present, either. She continued to smile on the outside while fuming with disgust on the inside, holding Tom's arm, tight for defense and for offense maneuvers. Tom elbowed her side. "Say hello, Kitten!"

"Hello, Kitten." She giggled and winked at Tom.

He chuckled at her cute remark, "Cute, smart and witty, my baby sister," kissing her cheek, again.

Chip rudely grabbed her wrist with a little too much strength. "Uh...you sure are an affectionate sibling, Sawyer. Allow me the honor of pecking her pink cheek, Sawyer."

Tom released Kitten as she fell into his shoulders from his brute horse pull. "I hope that you are man enough to handle my baby sis. She's a real tigress!" Stu chuckled standing left of Kitten. Purr wanted to stomp his big foot with her high heeled sandal, but the big oaf wouldn't have felt it. She snorted with fury at her big bro and the big loser on the side of her dress, standing on the hemline. She jerked her long dress of his way, sneering.

Chip turned bright red and gurgled something incoherent. "Uh! I..."

"Are the children behaving?" Soy came from behind and smiled, slapping Chip on the collar bone. Sawyer, Junior quickly moved beside his daughter, giving her kiss on the cheek and great big bear hug on her slim frame. His little girl's going to get married to a big strong protector. She'll finally be safe.

Kitten smiled, hugging him. "Daddy."

Tom smiled. "Dad."

"Uncle Edison." Stu smiled.

"Uh! Mr. Sawyer, good evening!" Chip smiled with a nod.

"Time you called me, Dad, son." Soy smiled hugging his daughter for love and protection. Kitten almost vomited, but didn't. She's getting married to him, the former space shuttle co-pilot. Co-pilot, not pilot. Captain, not commander. Second, not first. Kitten grunted, not being picky. She wanted the very best, being part of the Quartet. She performed an eye glance at Austin.

Austin was the very best. He was the man for Kitten. Berrington didn't look happy and seemed to appear more concerned than curious regarding the new guy on the block, Chip.

Kitten wondered if any of her family members truly know how she felt about Austin. He knew. She hinted to him while they were holding each other at his house the day after the kidnapping and rescue by her man. He rescued her. He saved her.

Berrington turned with a smile to see Kitten, immediately recalling the smelly tiny bedroom which they had occupied, when trapped by the two young male kidnappers. Austin was hurt, a slight jolt to the forehead as he leaped into the fleeing old van. Kitten's voice screaming over the whining of the old engines as she protected his wounded, almost unconscious body, laying on the dirty floor in the van from the abductors. She repeated the same protective behavior at their capture's house.

The pair of kidnappers wanted to have some fun. Austin understood what fun they wanted with Kitten, who was a virgin, the second act. The first act, they wanted to hurt him more than the slight headache from a mild concession. The pair of rude and mean dudes had captured Badass Berrington, an incident which had occurred for the second in his life. Austin promised that act would be the last time. If someone every threatened him or his loved ones again, he will shoot first and questioned never.

His thoughts floated to Wednesday evening with Kitten, who was fun for the pair of kidnappers, making him and her hostages. The young stupid boys wanted money, a cash ransom of one hundred million dollars in exchange for both Kitten and Austin. His brothers were going to pay the ransom the next day, only money to them. These vile and mental sick guys wanted more. Kitten was courageous, bold and brave. She faced the three men, alone. Her only weapons were her body, her brains and the unopened bottle of mouthwash collected from the bathroom. Austin was lying, helpless, on the old smelly sofa. He had vomited about fifteen-minutes, before from the concession to his brain. He felt dizzy, sick, nausea, scared, frightened, mad, and angry and worried all at the same time. Kitten was cool, comforting, caring, cautious, and cocky toward Austin.

Petting his head with a cool washcloth, removing his dirty jacket, cleaning his shirt from the smelly and stinky vomit, making him comfortable and secured within a deadly, dangerous environment, Kitten had nursed and pampered him during a very dangerous and frightful crisis. Austin thought of his past flames, dating many women from different cultures, backgrounds, careers, and life styles. He immediately thought of a couple of the physicians, three ski instructors, and a single tennis player. These women understood pain, sacrifice, and endurance. Kitten was controlled, calm and charming. She joked and giggled lightly, teasing Austin about his ugly cut. He might need plastic surgery and hoped Jace could do the work for free. He grinned. Austin always smiled at her funny and acidic wit. Damn it to hell! If Kitten wouldn't a true Quartet member like her brother, Tom.

During Austin's life of dating the opposite sex, he was the mover, the leader, the boss, not the one being cradled and cuddled like a baby. Austin liked the spoiled indulging treatment similar to a far off memory of his mother coddling him as a small child in her lap. His mom still spoiled him when he visited her home in West Palm Beach or she visits his mansion in Coral Beach. His mom waited on him hand and feet, massaging his neck, talking softly about sensitive subjects. It was only her and him together sharing intimate thoughts about girls, manners and sex. He chuckled.

Austin got the basics from his dad, but his mom provided the subtle hints and suggestions for treating women with respect, kindness and devotion. He appreciated her deeply and would never ever forget that.

Kitten didn't grow up with a mother or a father present in her life, only an old grandpa who had aged around fifty years old set in his old ways, eking out a living in an Alabama cow and cotton farm. Her modest upbringing and environment didn't affect her kind and strong personality. She remained feminine, sweet, caring, prissy, prim, and proper young lady of the Southern tradition which a right hook of a fearless demeanor while flying 160 miles-per-hour as a pilot and a sharpshooter on the police force.

Chip should be worshiping her feet, instead of acting like a jackass. Kitten deserved a real man, not the glue and paste cardboard form. That's all Chip was a cardboard cut-out of his father General Curzon Curtis Chippendale. He was a four-star general in the military. Brass. Brains. Bold.

Austin smiled, recalling Uncle Franklin's sideline football story. He got the distinct impression Uncle Franklin, General Chippendale, and Uncle Edison had shared a turbulent past which contained deep secrets, hidden from the Quartet.

However, a secret or a string of secrets always had a way of spilling out into reality, usually at the wrong time. Austin watched, observed, noted with attentiveness and slight deep emotions as Chip tried in hopeless vanity to flirt with Kitten. Kitten countered his advances using her hands, arms, legs, feet, and Tom's body. Chip couldn't tell that she wasn't very happy with Uncle Edison's selective mating process. Austin's deep emotions had to be hidden towards this drama unfolding before his silver eyes regarding Kitten and her fast track pre-arranged shot gun marriage to Chip. He wasn't happy about the plan which Tom announced in the limo ride to the gala to Kitten.

Kitten was silent. She had accepted her role with honor and grace in the Quartet. After the fateful unbelievable successfully kidnapping of Kitten, the older Quartet had gathered and decided her fate. Kitten needed a husband to protect and rule over her. She was too independent, too strong and too high spirited. She created the dangerous situation, accelerating the kidnapping plot when she left the safety of the limo to attend to the injured people in the car accident. By the way, she did for a second time. The van was waiting and tailing both, the limo and her. Since, the announcement of a baby sister of the Quartet, the death threats quadrupled focusing exclusive on a slender and elegant young lady named Prancie Precious Purr, who was also known by her nickname, Kitten.

People like news, especially, bad news on television and in the newspapers. Terrorists, kidnappers, and abductors find females more vulnerable than males. They are smaller, weaker, and more delicate than a man. Kitten was no exception to that edit. She weighed on a heavy day 105 pounds. She was tall carrying her statute at five feet and eight inches, small tiny bones, and slender lean frame just like her biological brother and father. Her mother was short and stout. Austin noticed immediately in the picture that Soy had kept for years after the affair with a young woman, an eighteen-year-old girl visiting Miami for the first time. Kitten was strong, not compared to any average, or below average man.

A male possessed upper strength in chest and arms which a woman could not match, or fight.

Austin understood Tom's overprotective nature regarding his newly discovered biological baby sister, immediately. He was trained to recognize weakness from strength, vulnerable from invincible and protection from danger. Tonight, Kitten was gorgeous in the fashionable silver gown cut down to her navel. She's a goddess with her long wavy silver locks to her fanny, dark skin glowing against silver eyes with slightly pink cheekbones and pink lips. Austin turned to observe the rest of the guests, quickly instead of staring at Kitten for the rest of the night. He wanted to dance only with her. That was wishful thinking on his part, now.

Austin turned back watching Kitten and Captain Crunch grooving on the dance floor.

"Uh! Sugar, if you want my body. Uh! Touch. Uh! Honey, let me know..." Chip sung into her ear during the slow moving musical piece, which wasn't rock and roll dance.

"The musician is Rod Stewart in the year 1983 which charted at number eight within the USA." Kitten smirked with amusement.

"Uh! What?" Chip frowned.

"The song you're humming, very badly."

"Uh! Can sing another one if you wish."

"Just dance with me please!" Kitten swung out when he swung out. She swung in, frowning. "Stepping on my toes. Please be careful!"

"Uh! Sorry, not coordinated."

"You're a pilot."

"Uh! An uncoordinated pilot," he laughed.

She frowned. "That's interesting. Refreshments?"

They shuffled to the bar. Chip ordered the beverage with a smile. "Uh! Champagne."

Kitten leaned onto the beverage counter. "No! I don't drink alcohol. Water, please."

Chip viewed her, frowning. "Uh! This is our engagement announcement. You got to have champagne to celebrate us."

She shook her curls. "No, thank you! Water, please."

"Uh! Champagne for the lady and gent." Chip raised his finger.

"Water, please." Kitten ordered, nodding when the bartender handed her a small glass filled with water and two full glasses of champagne to Chip. The new couple shifted back and forth through the air waves and occupied dining tables toward the Quartet.

Chip was downing his glass of fermented grapes, as he tripped and stumbled in the dark room around table legs and people legs, holding the other full glass in his free hand. They arrived at the Quartet table.

Jane and Misty were talking. Tom and Frank were talking and laughing. Stu and Gracie flirting lightly with their hands and their eyes at each other. Kitten wanted that kind of love, affectionate, happy, cute, sweet, sensitive to cherish. She turned upward to see Chip standing over her like a bird ready to poo its meal, waving the glass in his hand. "Please, sit down, Chip!" Kitten ordered with authority. Chip was correct. He was an uncoordinated jerk. He was slinging the glass similar to a golf club in the hand while free falling liquid flying left and right onto the table, the floor and empty dishes. Suddenly, the full glass tilted forward. Chip tilted the opposite direction. The fluted crystal dropped, landing perfectly inside Kitten's lap. Great catch! The cold wet drink flooded her dress, her legs, her chair and the floor. Kitten yelled. "Gracious, me!" She stood while the remaining yellow liquid contents dropped to tiled floor.

Tom reacted with pained angry, coming to Kitten's rescue, verbally reprimanding the enemy. "Chip, ya fucking asshole!"

"Uh! Sorry! An accident." Chip stared down at the wet spot on his clothes.

Kitten moaned tossing both wet hands over the wet gown with a stern face. "Alright! I'm fine."

"Gawd! Kitten." Tom wrapped both hands around her dry arm. He didn't want to get his new tux wet with smelly alcohol.

"Alright! No harm! I'm going home." Kitten whined holding her sobbing and crying. Chip was so embarrassing and clumsy.

"Uh! We can leave together." Chip smiled with a nod to the Quartet, aiming his hand at her arm.

"Chip, where in the fuck are you going?" Stu slapped Chip's hand down to the side away from Kitten, his baby sis.

"Uh! Take her home." Chip viewed the Quartet.

"My limo takes my baby sister home to my estate." Tom huffed with angry at Chip.

"Uh! Drive her." Chip fingered the exit.

"Not through our gates, the sentries will shoot first." Stu shook his baldness, pulling his mobile telephone from his jacket. He wanted to ensure Captain Crunch stayed away from Coral Beach.

"Let's go, Kitten!" Tom pulled her arm gently.

"Tom!" Frank frowned, grabbing Tom's arm.

"What?" Tom viewed sneered with angry at Mangrove, which he wanted to apply directed to Chip's skull.

"You can't leave." Frank held Tom's arm as Kitten lounged to the side.

"Fuck you, Mangrove! I can go anywhere I want. This is America." Tom exhaled. The night's ruined for his baby sister and him. Sawyer was going home to fuck his wife and sleep. He was tired from working all day at the office on the legal contracts, anyways. Tom didn't want to be at this stupid dance and ball. He had food at home. A good night's rest was in order for everyone in the Sawyer's household, this evening.

Frank laughed. "I happen to agree about the location of our party. But..."

"What fucking but?" Tom frowned.

"You're getting the award, remember." Frank smiled with a nod while releasing Tom's arm.

"What fucking award?" Tom frowned and soured, holding Kitten's hand.

"Tom, your language?" Jane patted Tom's arm, frowning.

"What fucking language?" Tom viewed Jane, grinning.

"The citizenship award!" Frank smiled with a nod.

Chip laughed, fingering at Tom. "Uh...Sawyer has good citizenship."

Jane nodded, patting Tom's arm. "All his volunteer time for charities. He's seen more than heard."

"Thank goodness for that." Stu chuckled, grinning.

Frank grinned with a nod. "If the charities heard his foul language, they've shoot rather than honor him," chuckling with the brothers and sisters.

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Frank!"

Frank ordered, shaking his skull. "Tom, you can't leave. The rest of us can, not you."

Tom viewed the flooring, pondering his escape. "Holy fucking shit."

Jane patted his arm, frowning. "Tom, sweetheart, please, stop with the foul language. Or I'll divorce you."

"You tried that remember. It didn't work." Tom giggled, hugging his smart and beautiful wife.

Stu said. "This gala was set up nine months ago for you, Thomas."

Frank said. "You're speaking. Did you bring your prepared speech?"

Tom viewed the ceiling, pondering his escape. "Holy fucking shit."

Austin frowned. "Calm down, Tom!"

Tom smiled with a nod at Frank. "Damn! Then, I'll leave after the award."

Frank grinned. "Pictures, photos, reporters..."

"Holy fucking shit." Tom viewed the tables, pondering his escape.

Stu grinned. "You love the limelight. Remember, Thomas?"

"We can take Kitten home." Gracie smiled with a nod and patting on Stu's arm.

Stu viewed her. "No, babe! We can't."

"I'll take Kitten in my limo." Berrington winked at Kitten when she smiled.

"Fine! Austin, fine!" Tom tossed his hand, pondering his escaped.

"We can leave and keep Kitten company." Gracie smiled at Kitten.

"Grace babe, we can't." Stu shook his baldness, cuddling her.

Gracie frowned at Gage. "Stu, I don't understand. Austin has Tom's permission to leave."

"These circumstances are bad enough with Kitten missing." Frank moaned, viewing the tables.

Gracie frowned. "Why?"

Stu nodded, "The reporters, babe."

Gracie said, "The media?"

Frank nodded. "Stu's right. This is one of our final galas. We all have to stay to show support for Miami."

Misty Marie pointed out to the Band of Brothers and Sisters. "Stu's right for a second reason, our Dads and Moms are here."

Frank nodded, "The embarrassment of no kids?"

"Holy fucking shit." Tom viewed his parents at their table.

Stu nodded. "Correct."

Gracie viewed Berrington. "What about Austin?"

Stu nodded, smirking. "Austin's got an excuse."

Gracie frowned. "What's that?"

Stu smiled. "He's a playboy. Comes and goes when he wants. No questions to his disappearance."

Frank grinned with a nod. "Good idea, Stu!"

Stu said. "The media will be wondering all night where Berrington is at."

Gracie nodded. "Good point."

Jane frowned to Stu. "And, Kitten's whereabouts?"

Stu smiled. "She just recuperated from a kidnapping. Let the media guess she's safe out of sight."

Jane frowned. "They saw us come in together."

Stu slapped Tom's back. "Didn't matter! Tom'll fill in. Right, bro?"

"Holy fucking shit." Tom viewed Kitten, pondering his escape.

Frank punched Tom's shoulder. "Right, Tom!"

Stu laughed. "This is your thing, bro. You and your pretty smile get to pose with media, executives and committee members, all fucking night," grinning with the others.

Tm viewed his new leathers. "Holy fucking shit."

"Tom, watch your mouth, please." Jane smiled, grinning.

"I'm so sorry, Thomas! I wanna stay, but...," Kitten frowned, nodding.

"You're wet. Go home, Kitten! Get warm and cozy. I'll be home later, sweetheart." Tom grinned with a nod.

"Very later," grinned Stu.

"Midnight later," nodded Frank, smirking.

"If he's damn lucky!" smirked Stu with the others.

Chip fingered his shirt. "Uh! What about me?"

"Chip?" Stu frowned at Chip.

"Captain Crunch?" Frank frowned at Chip. "Stu, as a police officer, can you arrest him for drunk and disorderly conduct?"

"Hell, no." Tom frowned at Frank.

Austin commanded. "Then, find his daddy."

Stu frowned. "The General?"

Frank nodded. "Tell him Chip peed in his pants!"

Tom shook a skull, frowning at Chip. "You can't say that, Frank."

"Well, I fuckingly can." Stu grabbed Chip by the ear. "Hey, boy!"

"Uh! Sir." Chip shifted sideway, frowning at the ear pull and pain.

"Time to go back to daddy." Stu shoved Chip away from him, grinning.

"Uh! Whose daddy?" Chip frowned, shaking his skull.

"Your fucking dad, where is he?" Stu frowned.

"Uh! Somewhere?" Chip frowned in confusion.

"He's here?" Stu asked.

"Uh! Yeah!" Chip nodded.

"Call him?" Stu handed him the mobile telephone.

"Uh! The phone!" Chip viewed the mobile telephone.

"Yeah, asswipe! Use the phone and locate his ass." Stu offered the mobile telephone.

"Uh! Kitten?" Chip viewed Kitten, smirking.

"She is going home to bed asleep. She's tired." Tom hugged and kissed her cheek.

"Uh! She's not a baby." Chip frowned at Tom.

"She's the baby of the Quartet." Stu nodded, winking at Kitten when she giggled.

"Uh! She follows your orders." Chip frowned at Stu.

"No! She respects our opinions. Big difference!" Frank nodded, winking at Kitten when she giggled.

"Kitten, I love you. Sleep tight! Don't like the bed bugs bite." Tom kissed her cheek, hugging her good night. Austin grabbed her hand, walking to the exit. Tom watched her and Austin leave together out of his cornflower blue eyesight.

"Uh! Dad, where are you?" Chip talked into the mobile telephone.

Pause.

"Uh! The bar."

Pause.

"Uh! Coming back."

Pause.

"Uh! Bye."

Chip's father disconnected the mobile telephone on his end of the conversation. Chip handed the phone back to Stu and spun around, moving ahead, searching for his father at the bar.

Veranda hotel setting

Limousine ride of Austin and Kitten

Warm temperatures with moonlight

and bright stars

07:51 p.m.

Austin removed the jacket, placing it around Kitten's cold wet body as they walked outside to the transport. Kitten exhaled. "The alcohol will ruin your jacket, Austin."

He whispered into her ear. "I'll purchase a new one."

"I'll buy it."

Austin smiled. "If you insist..."

"I insist."

"Alright." Austin smiled. He liked Kitten. She was down-to-earth. No practiced speakers. No fake smiles. No secret agendas. No greedy gifts. Austin walked her to the front of the building. The kid noticed Mr. Berrington, immediately, jogging to the awaiting silver limo, opening the door. Austin tipped the kid a fistful of hundred dollar bills.

"I'm going to smell the inside of the vehicle." Kitten stopped at the door, not entering. "I should take a taxi. I brought money."

"I have an idea." Austin moved to the trunk, rapping on the back. Joe popped the electric hatch.

Austin pulled the thick white blanket from the bag. He had supplies stored in the truck for such emergencies. He returned showing Kitten the blanket. "Why don't you change out of the wet gown, inside? The windows are tinted as well as armed plated. I'll stand guard. Joe has the partition up. There are no cameras."

"Good plan! I'll be swift." Kitten entered the opened door.

Austin slammed it shut, standing outside, watching and surveying the crowd. He smiled.

He was thrilled to escort Kitten home, not to Tom's house. He was taking Kitten to his house.

Austin was home with nothing to do. Kitten was home with nothing to do. Tom wouldn't be home for hours, not until midnight, or so. He smiled, being alone with Kitten for the rest of the night.

Kitten pushed on the door. He opened the door. She handed him the wet gown inside the partial dried jacket. "I'll two for two, gown and jacket, tonight." Austin took the wet items, walking back to the young kid, giving him more money to handle the disposal. He returned to the limo getting inside as Kitten was sitting on the other side with the blanket wrapped twice around her body. Her neck, shoulders exposed naked. Her hair flung over her body. She was so gorgeous.

Austin moved to the middle. "Are you cold?"

"A little."

Austin adjusted the overhead controls allowing some heat to permeate the back seat. He wanted to please Kitten. "Better."

She moved closer to Austin to feel the overhead heater with her hands. "Warm."

"Tell me if you're still cold."

She said. "I will."

He pressed the speaker. "Joe, home."

Joe responded through the intercom. "Yes, sir."

Austin didn't speak but stared at Kitten. She turned her head down in a shy cute way. He commented. "Chip's not a complete ass."

Kitten laughed, both, the relief of the moment and the embarrassment of the past. "So, he's only a partial one."

"Good observation but you know what?"

She asked. "What?"

He smiled. "Tom, Stu, Frank and I can train him..."

"...to be a complete ass."

Austin laughed catching his breathe between the snorting. "No, Kitten! We can train him to become a South Florida gentleman."

"You promise?"

He nodded. "I promise."

"Do you cross your heart and hope to die?" She giggled.

"I won't die trying, but Chip might." He chuckled.

She grinned. "I feel a little better."

"...about Chip dying..."

She giggled. "No, silly boy! I feel better about him trying to become a proper guy."

"You don't seem thrilled about your upcoming future marriage deal."

She frowned. "I shouldn't discuss that."

"Why not?"

She nodded. "I shouldn't."

"Closed topic!"

Silence filled the air waves. She tilted a face at him. "You're different from the media profile, Austin."

"How so?"

"The media calls you, Prince Charmed with a warrior attitude."

He exhaled, "So, I have heard the gossip too."

"You're not a true warrior."

"You think not."

"You're definitely not a Prince Charmed."

He smiled. "That's a very odd and bold remark to me, Prince Charmed."

"Does my opinion bother you?"

"I believe that I'll be very intrigued with your acute observation."

"Well, here goes. Prince Charmed is depicted as a sugary coated pasty guy, who can't speak his mind or wand a Ghost. You're not sugar coated, Austin. I would say that you're hard coated, speak your mind to control and can banish every weapon known to mankind, including your hot physical body."

He laughed. "That is a very good analogy of my body!"

"Thank you!"

"You surmised that assessment in the two days, since we have met. I'm impressed."

Kitten giggled. "Actually, I have only known you in person for ten days. But I studied your celebrity profile for the past nine days."

"I have a celebrity profile."

"It is located inside Tom's library in his mansion."

"Tom's library holds my celebrity files."

"Kinda! Tom's shelves are filled with magazines, tabloids, books, novels, paperbacks about him, personally, but almost all of the articles, by default, include every member of the Quartet, young and old."

"I'll have to peruse these articles, myself."

"You should. On my first evening, after our arrival to the house, I started my research."

"Do tell!"

"I started reading about my brother first."

"What did you discover about 'our' brother? I'm very curious in another professional opinion."

"I'm not a medical clinician, but I feel 'our' brother." Kitten giggled. "Thomas, he is a very complicated and sensitive man. He enjoys slap stick fun, childish games, wicked humor, nasty jokes, and selfish activities. On the flip side, he's a brilliant book worm, deeply wise old soul and possesses an eternal good heart."

"I believe you did an excellent job identifying Tom's many faceted split personalities."

Kitten giggled. "Tom could be an attractive research project."

Austin laughed. "I would agree."

"Has Jace ever mentioned that before?"

Austin laughed again. "I would be too afraid to mention that statement to Jace. Tom might end up under someone's microscope."

"I would never allow that to happen, not to my big brother."

"Neither, would I."

"Tom's too much fun to observe from afar."

Austin laughed. "I concur. Does Tom possess anymore odd or intriguing traits?"

Kitten exhaled. "Lots! I see sociability, generosity, hostility, aggressiveness, sense of humor, shyness, sadness, happiness, outgoing, warm and charming which is rolled into one package. I would label Tom as a full-blown-off-this-planet extrovert."

"Did you major in psychology, also?"

"No."

He smiled. "Extroverts, they are a group of people whose interests are directed toward the world around them and toward other people."

"Touché!" she nodded with a smile.

"Home." Joe spoke over the speaker phone as the limo stopped. Kitten exited into Austin's hand, wrapped in the blanket. Joe drove off without speaking. He was the chauffer. He has his own family and family duties. Joe and Austin didn't need to end the day or night with a conversation.

Home of Austin

(12 miles, south, from the hotel)

Warm temperatures with bright moonlight and stars

08:56 p.m.

Austin walked Kitten into the ground room, fingering the staircase with a smile. "Go upstairs on the second floor and enter into the first bedroom. There is a built-in cabinet that holds plenty of extra shirts and shorts. No pink! I'm afraid."

"No problem! I look great in blue." She winked.

Austin chuckled that Kitten looked great in anything. And he bet nothing also. He was possessed with raw feelings for his newly discovered baby sister, not sisterly emotions, either. But, she was Tom's biological sister, not his.

Kitten was engaged to Captain Chip Chadwick Chippendale, a former space shuttle pilot. The wedding was set for next Saturday at ten in the morning. Austin was going to one of the groomsmen, not the groom.

Kitten changed into a white long T-shirt and a pair of blue tinted walking short, bouncing down the steps back into the ground floor.

Austin dropped new telephone receiver on top of the metal side table with a smile. "I ordered a couple of pizzas. I have a bottle of sweet milk in the kitchen. Is that okay?" He shifted toward the sofa with Kitten following him.

Kitten sat down and patted the gray sofa fabric of the new couch. "Thank you."

"We were discussing the Band of Brothers." Austin leaned into the sofa, smiling.

"We were."

"We were discussing each one of their true personality traits." Austin nodded.

The odd subject was very intriguing to Austin. Kitten was a true outside observer who happened to invade the Quartet, ten days ago. She offered insight into the mental mind on each brother as well and her insight into herself. Austin enjoyed studying people. So far, Kitten has proved to joy and mystery, more mystery than Tom, more joy to him.

She smiled, "O yeah!"

"Stu."

Kitten giggled. "Stu, he is a one-dimensional character in love or hate or win or lose or night or day or sun or moon or off or on or stop or go or friend or foe. Stu wants peace in the world, not war. He's fascinated with toys that cause both destruction and annihilation. Yet, Big Man uses them sparingly only for monitoring, tracking, tracing and protecting, not direct murder."

Austin chuckled. Kitten had pegged Gage on target. He smiled. "Frank."

"Cold, calculating, calm, controlled, cunning, crafty, contriving, conceited." Kitten frowned. "Frank, he is the 'real' warrior of the Quartet."

He winked with a nod. "I agree. that is the 'real' warrior Frank."

"I would never ever want to cross Dr. Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, the third in my life."

Austin snorted. Kitten had targeted Frank on the money. "Neither would I."

"The mystery man, Tom. The devious warrior, Frank. The straight arrow, Stu."

He frowned. "You stopped short."

"I did."

"You forget a brother."

"I did."

He looked down at the metal table and then returned back with a smile to see Kitten. "Me!"

She frowned and then grinned. "You!"

He exhaled with a nod. "I feel your insight into the Band of Brothers' psyche is very exact. Do you have an insight for me also?"

"The pure heart, Austin."

Austin chuckled. "That is a very interesting observation. What is a pure heart?"

"A pure heart is an interior instinct which is coupled with your true inner selfie."

He smiled. "I do believe that I need a dictionary."

"You have a constant struggle within your inner self and your external essence."

He frowned. "I have a struggle. What is the inner self versus external essence? Would you care to elaborate? So I can fix it."

She laughed. "Fix it! You sound like a southern guy."

He smiled. "I believe that to be a famous southern expression."

"In the South, people fix everything including supper, cars, people, hearts."

He exhaled. "Does your heart need fixing, Kitten?"

"Only adjusting, and time will do that for me."

"It sounds like your inner self is struggling with your external essence."

She looked down with a sad face and soft whisper to see the floor. "Touché."

He exhaled. "So, what is the inner selfie? Since we both are struggling for something also."

She looked up with a smile to see him. "The inner self is a perception, thought, feeling, decision, imagination, and memory elements which are both essential and active within the mind, the heart, and the soul."

Austin smiled. "I agree."

"The external selfie is an inactive, passive, numb, insensitivity, uncertainty, dull, and boring set of elements."

He laughed. "Yes, very."

"You learn by repetition."

"You do not?"

"I mean Austin does."

He frowned. "O! I am slowly learning like that tiny rodent that was caught inside the big glass maze."

"I didn't mean that psychological conditioning. You learn and then reward yourself with a bigger goal which in turn, you solve more complicated problems using your instinctive senses that leads to success and then more rewards. The cycle continues."

"Instinctive senses, what are they?"

"To solve a simple or complex problem, you may see images in your mind to aid your solution."

He smiled. "My mind has an eye."

"Yeah! Something like that! You may hear images in your mind."

"My mind has ears."

"You feel others with your mind."

"My mind has tastes and smells."

"You seem to understand instinctively what I am saying to you, Austin." Kitten laughed.

He asked. "Can you elaborate more on that statement?"

"Once I read that some people have the ability to hear their sound, without speaking the word aloud, to feel their words on lips, tongue, and throat, without pronouncing them. It is like you can voice a feeling without a sound and see a word with only a sensation."

He gasped. "How is that possible?"

"A feeling could be shown as an image like a physical shovel that means cold, hard, heavy."

"I understand."

"Your mind will experience an event and your brain will work out the solution like seeing with your eyes shut and talking with your mouth closed."

Austin gasped in shock. Kitten had hit him right on the mark like a sharpshooter. He grunted. "Uh!"

She smiled. "I find you are like a ray of bright sunlight as it passes through clear glass. Light beam takes up no room inside the clear glass and then leaves no hole, after it has gone."

"Captivating perception."

"Thank you. Is it true? Am I closer to the mark?"

"Bull's eye!" Austin smiled. Kitten giggled.

The front door sounded with a loud knock. He looked at the door. "Dinner has arrived," he swiftly stood upright from the sofa and moved ahead while pondering her information.

Kitten's examination of pure heart, Austin's truly hidden secret personality. She was so accurate, acute and arrogant. He smiled. Austin answered the door, cautiously and carefully as the Quartet security delivered the pizza boxes from the first gate to the house. Since, Kitten's introduction to the Quartet lineup, the deadly threats, paper notes, menacing warnings, dangerous perils hadn't stop. In fact, the situation had gotten worse since that announcement of a Quartet wedding.

Austin realized like his brothers, most of the risks were fake, but it only took one nut case to grab Kitten for a second time. He personally was reviewing and investigating every nutty claim. If the volume increased, Austin would ensure Kitten's safety with his own Ghost. Seek, find and destroy the nut! That's wasn't a Band of Brothers rule, only Austin's.

"Pizzas." Berrington smiled carrying the boxes toward the center low table inside the circle of furniture.

Kitten slid down and sat on top of naked floor with a smile. "Yes, please! I'm starving."

Austin opened each boxes on the top of the chrome low table. Kitten plowed into the first piece gobbling it down in three bites.

He laughed, holding the pizza. "You have a wonderful appetite."

"Food! I love food. One day, I'll pay, not tonight."

Austin chuckled, again. Kitten was delightful to be with. She's was funny, silly and genuine not fake or practiced. Austin had his fill of practiced women, who thought they could say the right thing for Austin to pamper, love or marry. He enjoyed entertaining women, not pampering them.

"Pamper" was a term used by Austin's mother to spoil, cuddle, and show affection with someone you truly love, respect and admire. Austin didn't remember admiring any one of his former girl pals, not even Liz Harris, who currently is serving time in hell for murdering a slew of his former flames. "Flame" was another of Austin's funny term for women. That actually fit Berrington's current definition of one of his dates, not Kitten. Kitten was very special, very different and very unique lady. Tom had recognized these precious qualities, immediately. Tom and Kitten were biological brother and sister. They were so much alike in some many ways, yet they didn't grow in the same household with dear old Dad, Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior.

Austin wondered if Kitten would have been more like her brother in that respect, being raised like a pup in the litter. Kitten came from another world of kind, genteel, prim, courteous, and apposite society. The new South was still known for suitable charm, proper behaviors and ultimate hospitality. Austin came from a similar world as craved by his mom, who taught him to be a kind and social gentleman.

Frank was known as the proper gent among the Quartet. Austin liked to watch Frank and annotated his reactions or proper gentleman actions in given social situations. The man was well-mannered and proper just like his father, Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, Junior.

Austin instantly thought of Chip, who was either kind or proper. He almost laughed out loud. The dumb ass started the evening off with a tidal wave, splashing his cold drink into Kitten's new ball gown.

Tom was pissed. Frank was very angry and embarrassed for Kitten. Stu wanted to deck the guy for being a turd.

Austin desired to strangle Chip. Mistakes happened. Chip was nervous. Austin might've been nervous, if he had been thrust into an arranged marriage situation which will be held within six days. Kitten would be ideal to marry. She's beauty outside and inside, strong, happy, smart, bold, witty, charming and elegant. Austin could continue listing lovely and wonderful adjectives about her until the sun rose, tomorrow.

Kitten continued eating with lady like manners. She chewed and then, spoke something funny. She finished her pizza slice, giggled and asked. "May we play later?"

"Play!" Austin said with nervousness. Those words carried a different definition from the unabridged dictionary for him. Kitten was going to be married in six days, technically, she was engaged. But, Tom didn't want to assign the three carat diamond engagement ring until the turd passed the Quartet tests.

Kitten fingered the object. "I heard that you possessed a billiards table. Tom talks about it all the time. Where is it? I'm not tired. I'd like to do something physical."

Austin chuckled. "Physical, it should be. Are you any good at the game of billiards?"

She swallowed with a smile. "Well, I can hold my own but don't make me bet the farm."

"No betting, only playing."

"Great! You're mansion is really cool and hot. All glass, so tall and airy. I like the floor plan, tall and elegant..."

"Thank you. It's new..."

"I'm sorry."

"Why is that, Kitten?"

"You suddenly appeared distance and withdrawal, almost sad. Did I say something to upset you, Austin?"

"No."

"Alright."

"Do you read the newspapers, Kitten?"

"Not really! There is too much bad news in a good world. The media should focus on good stuff, good people and good acts, not the evil ones."

"I whole hearted agree with your feelings about that."

"I'm kinda busy. Well, I was busy."

"You used to work at three jobs."

"I enjoyed my work, my jobs. I trained a long time and accomplished wonderful things, helping people."

"Do you miss it?"

"Not yet! There's so much to do. So far, being part of the Quartet is quite exciting almost thrilling in fact. Does it get anymore scary?"

"No."

"That's good to know."

"You like to help people."

"Yes, very much so! I do what I can do for people and animals."

"Animals? Do you like pets?

"On the farm, dub...kittens."

Austin laughed. "Yes, of course! Please, forgive me! I'm not the farm boy."

Kitten giggled. "Tom told me about your experience at eight."

"He did."

"I can teach you how to ride."

"You can."

"Of course, I'm an expert."

"When the occasion arises, I'll call you."

"It will."

"Will not."

"Will so? I'll teach you."

"The truth is that I am very afraid of the animals."

"You just need the right animal instructor."

Austin exhaled, not smiling. "Tom talks too much."

"All the time about everything." She giggled.

"Tom seems to never forget." He frowned.

"...anything."

"I don't, either." He nodded.

"He talked about your house from flat concrete slab up toward the ceiling wooden planks."

"The construction was swift." He viewed the closed door.

"Really! How long did it take to construct?"

"The house was constructed within three months. Stu..."

"Ah! The engineering god came through." Kitten giggled.

Austin laughed. "Who told you that nickname?"

"Thomas. He has spent the last four evenings talking and talking and talking. He's very talented. He can talk, suck down food, drink tons of bourbon and kiss on Jane, all at once."

Austin laughed. "Tom's something, alright. Maybe we, together, should recommend him to Jace for a research project."

She shook her curls and displayed food particles between her teeth with a chuckle, "Naw! Tom would get bored. Jace would get bored. You re more the interesting person at the moment, in the room."

He swallowed and then coughed back up his chewed pizza particles, swallowing them again, saying with a whisper of intrigue. "How am I the more interesting party, at the moment, in the room?"

"I am interested in watching your reaction when I beat ya at pool. Tom's so sweet. He hugs me and tells me I'm great even, when I burp in his face." Kitten laughed.

Austin laughed. Kitten's far too witty. "Tom's the mystery man."

"Not to me."

"Well! You can watch my big wide grin after I finish embarrassing you at pool. Then, I'll whomp your fanny in a racing kart."

"Racing karts? Are the karts outside on the sand? Does the billionaire own a track?"

"No, baby! The racing karts are inside the game room." Austin stood, walking around the corner and motioned with his hand. Kitten pranced to his side. She was so adorable in the long T-shirt covering her naked body and his blue running short. She was barefoot. Austin opened the door for her to see. The large rectangular room had been used one time for the breaking in-ceremony when Tom, Stu, Frank and he had played on each piece of equipment one time. Tom whined that he didn't win a game, running home to his mommy Jane. Stu dominated. Frank entertained. Austin enjoyed.

"Wow! Awesome! Look at all the different electronic games. We can play all night, Austin if I didn't wear you out, first." Kitten giggled, scanning the room.

Austin smirked with arrogance, viewing her. "I'm an Earth-god! Didn't you know that, baby?"

"Can an Earth-god beat a heavenly angel?" She viewed the room, giggling.

"Uh!" Austin frowned then smiled at her natural beauty and supernatural talents. She's a Sawyer. "Every time!"

"We shall see." She giggled.

"I gotta warn ya. I'm, not good. I'm great."

"Tony the Tiger's great."

Austin laughed. "I'm divine."

She smiled, "No, babe! I'm the diva. You'll be just plain ole second place, after I'm chewed your assets," laughing.

Austin laughed, "A challenge."

She posed with an evil smirk on her pretty face, "A promise."

He moved and motioned her into the game-room. "Bring it on, baby!" Kitten sat inside the newest state-of-the toys, setting the control for a finger touch, adjusting the seat and stick. The new games were fashioned like real life helicopters. "Set, Kitten!"

"Ready, Old Man!" she held the controls, viewing the monitor. Austin snickered. He might win or lose but seeing Kitten giggle and smile playing with him was priceless.
Wednesday November 10th

City of Coral Beach

Moonlight and cool temperatures with clear sky of bright stars

Home location of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

4th floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

2:30 a.m.

On the fourth floor in the master bedroom within the new home of Austin, he popped open the eyelids with a sneer. He had vividly dreamed of Tom's biological sister again on this new day at 2:30 am in the morning without seeing an alarm clock.

He remained inside the cool bed linens in silence and stared with a stern face and a whisper at white colored ceiling planks. "I have found a ding-dong, not a creepy creep. Chip is really weird-ass. Okay! I got up, Universe. My 2:30 am morning dream is a warning me that Kitten is about to marry an idiot. I can't do anything about the upcoming marriage unless she kindly asks me to eliminate her fiancé which I will gladly do, if Stu doesn't beat me to the draw," he flipped over and rested on his naked stomach with a muffled laugh of amusement as he and Stu were liked mind about killing evil people and dumbo Chip. He closed the eyelids and exhaled with deep breathes, slipping back into a deep slumber of peace and amusement.

City of Opa-Locka Airport station location

Warm temperatures with parted clouds of sun

Private business jet cabin setting

09:09 a.m.

Five men strutted up the metal steps into the cabin of the private white jet, selecting seats throughout the empty room including Chip Chadwick Chippendale. Chip noted Tom headed to the bar making a quick beverage for the thirty-minute flight to the Bahamas. He tagged behind him. Austin, Frank, and Stu split, sitting in seats near the windows.

"Uh...this is the life." Chip sat, scanning the cabin of the Quartet's private jet.

Tom smiled, mixing the beverages at the bar. "Enjoy it man! Rich is great. I don't care what people think, say, or pee."

"Uh...last night, I was dancing. Today, I am prancing." Chip smiled, bouncing inside the chair. Tom laughed with his new future brother-in-law. He had forgiven the guy. He was nervous in a crowd full of billionaires and the billionaire's only precious baby sister. Tom would've been nervous also... maybe.

Sawyer delivered the beverage to Chip, holding his drink, "...to prancing ponies."

"Uh...all prancing ponies." Chip held the bourbon high in the air, tapping the tumblers.

"Here. Here." Tom cheered, smiling.

"Say down, Tom! We're taxiing." Stu frowned at Sawyer.

"Fine! Sit here, Chip." Tom scooted into the middle of the cabin at the window as Chip dropped beside him.

"Uh...where's Kitten?" Chip scanned the cabin with puzzlement.

"The girls take the second jet." Frank nodded, viewing Chip.

"Uh...the second jet." Chip frowned at Frank.

"Too much stuff in the cargo hold for their heavy luggage. I want to arrive alive in the Bahamas." Tom laughed with the others.

"Uh...you're joking." Chip viewed the floor then Tom.

"Tom is quite serious." Stu nodding, reading his mobile telephone.

"Uh...two jets?" Chip viewed Tom.

"They touch down fifteen-minutes after we land. We secure the limos and escorts for our lovely ladies for their whooping grand entrances." Frank smiled.

Tom toasted with his bourbon, "You are part of the Quartet..."

"Not yet!" Austin smiled at Chip.

"Almost, part of the Quartet. The number one rule for our lovely ladies is they always get what they want." Tom grinned with a nod then sipped.

Frank nodded at Chip. "Second rule, they arrive in fine style with flair and..."

"Third rule, the highest security. No one touches our lovely ladies or..." Stu grinned with a nod.

Tom smiled with a nod. "You die..."

Frank nodded. "...swiftly.

"...and quickly." Stu laughed.

"Not too quickly." Austin laughed with the others.

Chip parted his lips. "Uh...remember that."

"Remember it, boy! Ya learn it, son." Stu nodded at Chip.

"Uh...learned it." Chip nodded then sipped.

"Good man." Stu snorted shaking his baldness.

The speaker said from the pilot. "Landing, gentlemen."

"Uh...quick trip." Chip viewed the window, seeing land.

"Fast paced life of a billionaire." Tom chuckled then sipped.

"Here. Here." Frank smiled without a beverage when the Quartet cheered. The jet slowed then paced then halted. The Quartet exited the jet.

Standing at the limo, Chip watched the hired employees ran around the plane gathering suitcases, luggage pieces, and boxes, placing packages in the trunk of transports. The second jet landed with precise accuracy and taxied to the second runway. Frank, Stu, and Tom watched and patiently waited one by one as each Quartet wife slowly descended down each metal step reaching out with an extended elegant hand as she was within touching distance, being led off the plane by her husband.

Chip copied Tom's movements as Kitten exited the hatchway with a pair of black tinted sunglasses wrapped around her face while smiling and waving to her new billionaire family members.

She didn't descend slowly from the plane archway but galloped down each metal rims in her pair of high heeled sandals with grace and ease of a professional dancer. She jumped into Chip's open arms, giggling with amusement.

He kissed her cheek, when she had turned her face away from him. She needed more time.

They had been thrust together last night at the society charity dance. Kitten was told by her newly discovered father. She was getting married in seven days, next Saturday.

The Quartet decided to vacation for the next two days, Sunday and Monday while their aunts and uncles prepared the tiny, numerous, minute details of a quickie wedding.

The groom selected. The tucks measured. The gown fitted. The church rented. The flowers purchased. The cake was baking. The rings ordered. The photographer hired. The guests were awaiting with anticipation the formally engraved invitations for the wedding of the century.

No one's going to miss this wedding. People were holding baited breathes that they get the stark plain standard white with black lettering simply elegant invitation from Mr and Mrs Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior announcing the marriage of Prancie Precious Purr to Captain Chip Chadwick Chippendale.

Except for a few hand full of people, Chip noted that Austin seemed the most doubtful of the Quartet about the wedding announcement. He would get over it over time. The man was a monster with women but overprotective with his sister, maybe more than Sawyer, her biological brother.

Chip had to be very careful with Kitten. The Band of Brothers didn't give a second chance, only a death opportunity.

Island of the Bahamas

Limousine ride, the Quartet and Chip

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sun

and four miles-per-hour westerly winds

10:01 a.m.

Chip slid down into the limousine behind Tom and Jane, sitting next to Kitten. She was quiet, looking out the window. Jane rambled around in her purse. Tom was texting on his mobile telephone. "No work, Tom." Jane studied Tom and the mobile telephone, frowning.

"Sorry! They keep texting." Tom thumbed the words, frowning.

Jane extended her hand, smiling. "Hand me the thing! I'll take care of it."

Tom thumbed the words, saying. "Jane, sweetheart, I love you. I trust you. But, I have to answer this."

"You have staff." Jane frowned at the mobile telephone.

Tom nodded. "I have very good staff who are working very hard on other matters not related to their paying QA job. I'm personally responsible for this matter. I handle my own problems."

Jane frowned at the mobile telephone. "You do that very well. But, you need rest, sweetheart. I'm very worried about you."

"I'll take care of it." Kitten smiled, holding her hand.

Tom laughed, reading the text. "Don't give me ideas, Kitten."

"Let Austin handle it. He's solo this week." Jane frowned at Tom.

"Austin has his own problems." Tom viewed the new text.

"Austin's a lawyer." Jane exhaled.

"So am I?" Kitten smiled with a nod.

Tom viewed Jane, frowning. "He's not trained in law. Austin's the boss. You know that, Jane. Kitten, you haven't practiced in law, either. I only do, what I need to do and then turn it off. I promise."

"Just turn it off, now!" Jane frowned.

"Don't start Jane!" Tom exhaled.

"Uh...can I help?" Chip said.

Kitten smirked, shaking her curls. "They won't let you. Quartet Associates are conducting secret business while on vacation."

"Uh...what secret?" Chip frowned at her.

Tom frowned. "Stop it, Kitten!"

Kitten giggled. "Just teasing! Thomas really is a workaholic."

Chip frowned at Tom. "Uh...you're a billionaire."

Jane nodded smiling and patting his arm. "A working billionaire."

"Uh...work! Ya do what you wanna do being a billionaire." Chip frowned at Tom then Jane.

Tom nodded, thumbing his mobile telephone. "I do."

Jane shook her curls. "You don't."

"Please, Jane." Tom exhaled, viewing his mobile telephone.

Kitten smiled with a nod. "Thomas is trying not to say that the Quartet has big plans for the future."

"Uh...what, future plans?" Chip frowned at Tom.

"Babies." Jane grinned, giggling.

Tom exhaled, reading his mobile telephone. "Gawd! Not that subject, again."

"Uh...are you pregnant, Jane?" Chip smiled at her.

Jane shook her curls. "Not yet."

"Don't start, Jane! Let's do one thing at a time. Kitten married. The company sold," Tom exhaled, reading the text.

"Baby on the way." Kitten winked at Jane, giggling.

"Right, babe!" Jane winked at Kitten, giggling.

"Uh...baby! What baby?" Chip frowned at Kitten then Jane.

Jane giggled. "Baby!"

Chip frowned at Kitten. "Uh...is that a joke?" Kitten and Jane giggled while Tom thumbed his mobile telephone. Chip frowned at Jane. "Uh...don't get the joke." The females giggled, again. The limo stopped. They exited.

Bahamas Marina location

Private yacht of the Quartet

Atlantic Ocean setting with parted clouds of sun

10:10 a.m.

The Quartet and Chip slowly strutted up the ramp and entered the ship. The group lounged inside the sporting den with a parallel view of the deep blue ocean waves.

Tom attended the bar, handing out beverages.

Chip was handed a new bourbon, sitting next to Frank on the sofa. "Uh, girls?" Chip scanned the room with classical music subtly playing on the overhead speakers.

"Unpacking, plotting, dictating, gossiping, pick one?" Tom grinned then sipped his bourbon.

"If you remember one simple edit, Chip, your wife is the real boss, not you. You'll be fine and dandy." Stu winked at Chip, chuckling with the others.

Chip frowned at Gage. "Uh...you really believe that?"

"Hell, yeah! I do." Tom nodded, sipping.

"I, too." Frank nodded, sipping the tea.

"Austin!?" Stu grinned, typing on his laptop.

"Haven't decided." Austin lounged inside the chaise with his eyelids closed listening with his ears.

Tom chuckled, smiling. "Haven't decided, man? You live and die by a woman..."

Stu frowned at Sawyer. "Gawd! Not lately! Bite your tongue, Tom."

"Sorry." Tom exhaled, sipping. Austin opened his eyelids observing the actions of Chip and reactions of his brothers on the cruise to the Cat Island.

Chip viewed the ocean. "Uh...this is great. Where are we at?"

Tom said, nodding. "Freeport landing. We'll take this ship to the island."

"Uh...island? We're in the Bahamas." Chip viewed Tom with confusion.

Frank grinned with a nod. "We own a private island southeast of here called Cat Island."

Chip smiled with a nod. "Uh...your own island? Billionaires! When I do get to buy my island?"

"I beg your pardon." Frank frowned at Chip.

"Uh...when do I get to claim my billions?" Chip smiled, bouncing in the chair.

Stu frowned at Chip, shaking his skull. "I think you misunderstand. Your future wife isn't rich."

Frank nodded with a frown at Chip. "She doesn't have any money. She's technically, not a billionaire."

"Kitten's a tiny millionaire. She's worth two million, or so." Tom smiled with a nod.

"Uh...two million? I can't buy much with that." Chip frowned at Tom.

"What do you desire to buy, Chip?" Frank asked, grinning.

Chip chuckled. "Uh...well...our mansion, our limos, our jets, our toys."

Stu laughed. "Daddy's going to buy you the mansion and limos."

Tom grinned with a nod. "Ya'll live right next to me in Coral Beach."

"Uh...Sawyer, where?" Chip frowned at Tom.

Stu winked at Chip. "In Coral Beach, the only place for the Quartet, one of our privately guarded estate manors on the island."

Tom nodded. "Stu is constructing a fancy mansion with modern electronics and shit north of my castle, just for you and Kitten as a wedding present."

Stu smiled with a nod, "Right, bro."

Tom nodded. "Frank is financing the furniture and shit for ya to pick."

"No shit!" He smiled with a nod. "Some very nice antique furnishings."

Tom smiled with a nod. "Dad and Mom are hosting the rehearsal dinners and numerous boring girly parties."

Stu whined to Tom. "Do we have to go?"

Tom shook his skull. "Hell, no! I'm not going to anything but the wedding."

Stu raised his fist, chuckling. "Here! Here!"

Tom smiled at Berrington. "Austin, what are you doing for the newlyweds?"

Austin closed his eyelids, saying. "Haven't decided."

"What are you doing for the new Quartet couple, Tom?" Frank smiled.

Tom nodded. "It's a surprise, asshole."

Stu grinned, winking at Frank. "That means nothing."

Tom shook his skull, parting his lips. "Hey! It doesn't. It's a big surprise," nodding at Chip.

Frank smiled, winking at Stu. "A big fat zero nothing."

Tom frowned at Frank. "Shut up, asshole!"

Frank grinned, winking at Stu. "Daddy Edison is paying for it. That's why, because Tom is cheap."

"Cheap. Cheap." Stu sung, snickering and typing on his laptop.

Tom frowned, shaking his skull. "Naw. My gift is unique...different."

Stu grinned at Tom. "Well then, tell us! So, Austin doesn't duplicate it by mistake."

Tom frowned at Austin, pouting. "No."

Frank laughed. "I told you. Nothing. Nada. Zappo. Thomas is getting them nothing. Cheap. Cheap."

He viewed Chip, frowning and shaking his skull. "Chip, you'll learn very fast to ignore the assholes I do it all the time." Tom stuck his tongue out of his mouth at Frank and Stu. Stu laughed. Chip stared in amusement. Austin continued to relax closing his eyes.

Frank snorted, grinning. "You will get used to Tom. He grows on you."

Stu snorted. "But, ya got to be careful, thou. He bleeds on you sometimes, after I beat his ass."

Tom frowned, yelling. "As I was saying before I was rudely interpreted, as a Quartet member, you have access to the limos, jets, boats, cars, drivers, guards, and staff, anytime ya want."

"Uh, guards?" Chip frowned at Tom.

Tom nodded then sipped. "Shit load of guards. We're going to be trill..."

"Tom!" Frank frowned.

Tom viewed Frank, frowning. "What?"

Stu viewed Tom, frowning. "Secret."

Tom smiled, shaking his skull. "That's no secret."

Frank frowned. "Tom, it is speculation and gossip for the media to guess. That kind of news doesn't need to be broadcasted in the air waves."

Tom smiled. "We're on a damn boat."

Stu frowned, "Our secret."

Tom fingered Chip, nodding and smiling. "Chip is family."

Frank frowned at Tom. "Our announcement."

Stu frowned at Frank. "I thought we weren't going to announce it."

"We are not." Austin closed his eyelids, saying.

Tom parted his lips, whining. "What about the media party?"

Frank frowned. "What media party, Tom?"

Tom smiled with a nod. "The one I'm arranging at...."

Frank shook his skull. "Holy crap!"

"Damn it to hell!" Austin sat upright, staring at Tom.

Stu frowned, shaking his baldness. "You betta be lying here, Tom."

Tom grinned with a nod. "I'm not. I'm going to be the world's first trillionaire."

Stu fingered Frank, Austin, and his shirt. "There'll four of us, Sawyer. You seen to forget we share everything...just like brothers."

Tom tossed his hand, laughing. "Whatever! I want the damn world to know."

Frank said. "I do not."

Austin said. "Neither, do I."

Stu frowned at Tom. "Vetoed, man! Get with the damn program, Thomas."

Chip laughed. "Uh, heard, you ran a democracy."

Stu nodded. "Damn straight! A democracy! You're overruled and overrun, Thomas the Bad," chuckling with the others.

"Stu's correct. If I find out you leaked one tiny ounce of gossip to the media, Tom, your butt is mind." Austin laid down closing his eyelids.

Tom pouted and whined. "Ya assholes are no fun."

Frank fingered him. "We want our privacy, Tom."

"But..." Tom tossed his hand.

Stu fingered Tom. "Privacy, Thomas."

"But..." Tom tossed his hand, again.

Austin ordered. "No buts, Tom."

"Uh...know I'm new, but I don't understand the privacy issue. The world will be intrigued with the first trillionaire." Chip smiled with a nod.

"The babies." Frank frowned at Chip.

"Uh, what babies?" Chip frowned at Frank.

Frank smiled. "The big secret, we're selling Quartet Associates to the Japan for trillions of dollars."

Stu smiled. "The bigger secret, the Quartet is starting a family."

"The babies." Tom giggled.

"Sons." Stu chuckled.

"Band of Brothers: the next generation." Tom laughed and clapped with joy.

Chip frowned at Tom. "Uh...when are the babies arriving?"

"We don't know." Tom shrugged then sipped.

"Uh, completely confused." Chip shook his skull from the weird-ass conversation.

Tom giggled. "Looky! Our wives aren't pregnant, yet. But, once, you and Kitten get married..."

Chip nodded, smirking. "Uh, this Saturday."

Tom fingered Chip, laughing. "That's right. We can start the fucking process."

"Shit, Tom! No graphics!" Stu frowned, chuckling then returned to the laptop.

"You know what I mean. The baby-making process," giggled Tom then sipped the drink.

Chip frowned at Tom. "Uh...I don't understand."

Tom nodded. "Chip! Kitten is getting married to you for her safety, security and protection..."

"Uh, protection." Chip frowned.

"From kidnappers, locos, crazies, nut cases..." grinned Stu.

"But, more importantly, the Quartet wives are going to have babies, this summer," grinned Frank.

Chip frowned, shaking his skull. "Uh, baby? I'm to be a father."

Tom fingered Chip, smiling and nodding. "He finally gets it."

"Yes! You'll be a father." Frank grinned with a nod.

Chip frowned at Tom. "Uh...does Kitten know this?"

"Know it. She's praying for it." Tom chuckled along with the others. "Kitten, Misty, Gracie, Janey, Mom, Aunt Mary..."

"Enough, pups." Austin commanded, not happy about still being a bachelor.

"Uh, but what about the trips, the parties?" Chip frowned at Tom.

Frank frowned at Chip. "What parties?"

"Uh, you're billionaires. Didn't all you attend galas like last night?" Chip nodded.

Tom grinned with a nod. "Last one."

Frank nodded, "Almost! We have a couple of more. Once, the wives are carrying our children they will be undercover for the rest of their pregnancy."

Stu winked at Chip. "See, bro! We can't allow crazies to find out they're expecting."

"Too risky." Tom nodded.

"Too dangerous." Frank nodded.

"Too deadly." Stu nodded.

"Uh...so, you're quitting life?" Chip frowned at Tom.

Tom shook his skull, smiling. "Hell, no! We're going to enjoy life."

"We're going to be fathers." Frank grinned with a nod.

Stu smiled at Chip. "That's all that matters being fathers, sons, wives, and families."

"We're spending more time with our folks." Tom smiled with a nod.

"More time golfing, sailing, fishing, reading...," Frank smiled with a nod.

"No partying. No galas. No functions." Stu grinned with a nod.

"Uh...charity work?" Chip frowned at Tom.

"The Quartet will run the charity foundation behind the scenes." Frank nodded.

"Protecting our wives and our babies is the most important priority in our lives." Stu winked at Tom.

"Uh, Kitten accepts this." Chip frowned.

"Sure does." Tom grinned with a nod.

"Jeezus Christ." Frank stood, sloshing the beer in his hand. He placed the bottle on the table, slamming the bar hatchway open, exiting into the bright Florida sun.

Austin opened his eyes, stood, walking to the opened window which overlooked the port bow of the Quartet yacht next to Gage.

Stu was cooing under his breath. Tom was grinning wide staring at the same picture.

Chip finally realized what was happening. Frank's wife, Misty Marie, a tall skinny model body type was wearing a bikini but the material covered half of her large breasts and almost none of her tanned, firm round buttocks with the small string throng colored all black. He smiled.

She was one of the beautiful wives of the Quartet in that tiny suit. She was a gorgeous woman. The Quartet was thinking the same thoughts.

Frank was standing beside his almost naked wife. He draped a purple large towel around her tight fit body as she continued to shift the fabric from her shoulder. His mouth was moving. She was talking back. You couldn't hear the conversation. Misty and Frank were located near the bow railing where the tanning lounge chairs were located.

In one of the occupied chairs, Chip spotted Kitten. She stood. Kitten was wearing the exact same tea tiny bikini colored baby pink barely covering her tanned and aerobic fit body. She looked great.

Chip could only think evil thoughts, fuck her over and over, again. Maybe tonight, when the police force's asleep, he could sneak into her bedroom. Surprise her! Chip chuckled. The Quartet didn't verbal comment about the scene happening on deck.

Misty yanked the towel in angry from Frank's hands and tossed it in the chair. Frank dropped both arms down to the side, bowing a chin down into the chest. He was defeated. The Quartet was right. The wives were the real bosses.

Chip snickered.

Austin, Stu and Tom moved back to the furniture.

Frank frowned and re-entered the room again. He slammed open the door yelling. "Tom, tell your sister..."

"Our sister..." Tom smiled with a nod and sipping his beverage at Frank.

Frank thumbed the deck. "Go and tell your biological sister, daughter to Sawyer, Junior to change her bathing outfit, immediately!"

"Good fucking luck, Tom!" Stu snickered, typing on the laptop.

"No." Tom smiled.

"Tom, she is your sister. Tell her to change clothes, now!" Frank exhaled, frowning.

Tom tossed his hand. "You go back and tell her, Frank. She's the Quartet baby sister."

Stu grinned at his laptop. "I didn't know Misty had an all over tan, Franklin."

Austin spoke, without opening his eyes. "Calm down, Frank! Misty's fine."

"Chill out, Money Man! We'll pay the ransom." Tom leaned into his chair, laughing.

"That's not funny, asshole!" Frank moaned, turning to stare out the window, again at his nude wife bathing on the chaise lounge chair.

"Relax, Frank! No wandering eyes are going to see Misty. We're alone on hundreds of miles of ocean." Stu grinned, typing on his laptop.

"Uh, the staff?" Chip viewed the deck, grinning.

"They are loyal to the Quartet." Frank said.

"Or they're no longer with the Quartet." Tom nodded.

"Uh, did anyone notice Kitten's wearing the same outfit?" Chip smiled with a nod.

"Of course, we did." Tom nodded and sipped.

"Certainly." Stu nodded, typing.

"Uh, why aren't you dissing her?" Chip viewed the deck.

"Don't talk that way about my baby sister! I'll get really upset, man." Tom viewed Chip with fury.

"Kitten's not married, yet. She can dress..." Stu said.

"Uh, dangerously..." Chip grinned.

"You said that, Chip." Stu viewed him, frowning.

"Misty is my wife. She cannot dress like that around the staff." Frank exhaled, crossing his arms, viewing the deck.

Stu exhaled, typing. "Kitten's a bad influence on the girls, Tom."

"Kitten's young. She'll change, once married." Tom tossed his hand, viewing the television without volume of the football game.

"Uh...really?" Chip frowned at Tom.

"Everyone changes when they get married." Tom nodded.

"The rite of passage." Stu said.

"Uh...what rite?" Chip frowned at his beverage.

"You'll understand when the change happens." Stu laughed at Chip.

"In the meantime, Tom, go and talk to Kitten! Tell her the rules." Frank exhaled, thumbing the deck.

"What fucking rules, Frank?" Tom frowned at Frank.

"There are no fucking rules, Franklin. Sit down! Relax! Have another beer?" Stu chuckled, typing on the laptop.

Frank viewed Stu's baldness, smirking. "O really, Stu! Let's see how you feel when Gracie struts on sun deck in her new bathing outfit, compliments of Kitten."

"Fuck!" Stu stood, slamming the beer bottle on the counter as it spilled onto the floor. He pitched the laptop into the chair and then stormed out the hatchway, calling. "Grace, babe! Gracie! Gracie, babe..." Tom and Chip laughed.

"Uh, is there going to a war?" Chip grinned at Tom.

"Might be!" Tom chuckled then sipped. "Hold onto your beer. It might get a little rough."

Frank stood, staring at the window as Misty tanned on the lounge chair. He sighed. He breathed deeply. "Janey?"

Tom tossed his hand, chuckling. "Forget it! Jane is the smartest of the Band of Sisters."

"Kitten has a powerful influence on the girls, Tom." Frank crossed his arms, exhaling.

Tom laughed. "Hell, no! Jane is like the hen mother. She's the Old Lady in the group, just like Austin's the Old Man."

"And Kitten..." Frank exhaled, viewing his wife.

"Looky! Kitten's been single her entire life. She comes and goes as she pleases. She doesn't know any better. Don't sweat it, Frank? Jane, Gracie, and Misty will show her the ropes. And then Kitten will change." Tom smiled then sipped the bourbon.

"In the meantime..." Frank exhaled.

"Enjoy the fucking view, Frank." Tom giggled, flipping the science fiction magazine.

"Uh, Misty's a beautiful woman. Let her hang loose for a little while." Chip viewed the sun deck.

"You're a stuffy old gentleman, Frank." Tom stood, grinning. "Have a bourbon with strawberries, my favorite drink!" Tom dashed to the counter quickly mixing the fruit and alcohol together. He turned and walked to Frank, handing him the colorful tumbler. Mangrove didn't move from the open window, observing his wife as she tanned. He tossed his head, opened his mouth and downed the beverage in one gulp. "Shit, Frank! At all at once? Go slow, man!" Tom immediately grabbed the wet glass from his Frank's hand with worry and concern. He jabbed a finger at Mangrove. "As a matter of fact, that's it for you, man. No more alcohol, not even beer, or wine tonight at dinner."

"Uh, why not?" Chip frowned at Tom with confusion.

Tom viewed Chip, frowning. "Gawd, man!" He jabbed his finger at the water. "We're on the gawd damn ocean. Shit! Frank could fall off and drown. Then, Misty would be really sad and lonely," nodding.

"Uh, O right!" Chip blinked in confusion.

"Tom's always thinking about the safety of the Quartet." Austin stretched out, chuckling.

Tom tapped on Frank's collar bone, saying. "Think about that, Frank. Misty with another m..." when Frank grabbed Tom's throat. "Grunt," Tom sounded.

"Back off, Frank!" Austin commanded, without opening his eyelids. Tom used his foul mouth and foul thoughts all the time, without thinking about the consequences. Frank released his gripe as ordered by Austin, quickly without saying a word, continuing to view his wife on deck.

Tom coughed, gagged, and then swallowed air. He softly spoke. "Sorry, bad joke!"

"Bad joke." Frank repeated with deadly fury.

Stu returned, slamming the hatchway open. "Thomas!"

Tom tossed his arm, shaking his skull. He moved to his chair. "Shit, man! I can't do fucking thing about it. Don't yell at me!"

Stu frowned at Tom, fingering the deck. "Kitten's your sister."

"Our sister...," Tom sat, sipping and smiling.

"Austin, go and talk to Kitten!" Stu stood at the archway, crossing his arms.

"Why?" Austin didn't open his eyelids.

"She's respect you, bro." Stu advanced, nodding and frowning.

"Does she?" Austin commented, without stirring.

"She does." Stu stood over Austin, nodding and frowning.

Tom smiled with a nod. "Pretty please with sugar on top." when Austin didn't move. Sawyer smiled. "Pretty please with sugar on top along with yellow bright starry sprinkles," chuckling with Chip.

Austin opened his eyes then rose, smirking at Stu. "If you insist!"

Tom smiled with a nod. "We insist, man."

"Tell her, bro!" Stu nodded, not smiling.

"Fine." Austin slowly exited the hatchway into the bright light. Stu, Tom, Frank, and Chip watched as he sauntered to Kitten on the other side of the boat. Austin touched her shoulder leaned down and whispered into her ear. She sat folded upright at the waist and smiled at him. She continued to smile, shaking her curls. Austin pulled the chair over to her chaise. He talked. She smiled and nodded her head. Then, Kitten stood. Austin helped her wrap the towel around her body closing out the naked view of her innocence. Kitten pranced along the bow and down to the cabins. Austin walked to Misty, touched her shoulder. She opened her eyes and talked with Austin. Then, she stood, wrapped the towel around her body and left the deck. also. Berrington did the same thing with Gracie who was wearing a bright purple throng on her muscular athletic body. She obeyed, heading to the state rooms, trailing after Misty. Austin moved down the deck, entering the bar again. Stu, Tom and Frank clapped and hooted. Chip joined the celebration.

Tom smiled with a nod. "Damn, man! You did it."

"Earth god!" Stu extended his arms, smiling and nodding.

"Austin has a way with women." frank winked at Chip, smiling and nodding.

Tom smiled with a nod. "What did you say to Kitten?"

"That's a private conservation, Tom." Austin smirked.

"Right." Tom nodded.

"What did you say to my wife?" Stu frowned at Austin.

"That is also a private conversation, but Gracie probably will tell you." Austin nodded.

Stu nodded. "Damn, right, she will."

Austin grinned with a nod. "Excuse me for the afternoon! I'm taking Kitten surfing on the water craft..."

"Uh, in open water," Chip frowned at Austin.

Austin grinned with a nod. "The best time."

"Uh...don't know?" Chip frowned at Austin.

"Why not, Chip?" Tom viewed Chip, frowning.

"Uh...she's my damn fiancée." Chip frowned at Tom.

"I offered to sail on the water as a part of the agreement that she change her bathing suit. You are most welcome to take her for a ride. I'll bow out." Austin nodded.

Chip shook his hand, saying. "Uh...not a water freak, I prefer land."

"I thought you preferred mile high sky, Captain Chip." Tom laughed at his lame joke.

"Uh...space humor! I get sick of it." Chip sneered at Tom.

"Sorry, Chip!" Tom frowned then sipped his drink.

"Then, you are refusing my invitation to entertain Kitten, this afternoon in the open waters." Austin nodded.

"Uh, don't like water." Chip nodded.

"Very well! Enjoy the afternoon, guys. Kitten and I have an appointment with the dolphins." Austin chuckled, swinging towards the archway.
Thursday November 11th

Cat Island within the Atlantic Ocean

Private ocean island of the Quartet

Moonlight and cool temperatures with clear sky of bright stars

2nd floor level

Master bedroom setting of Austin

2:30 a.m.

On the second floor level inside one of the four master bedrooms in the island house, Austin popped open the eyelids with a sigh. He had vividly dreamed of Tom's biological sister again on this new day at 2:30 am in the morning without seeing an alarm clock.

He remained inside the cool bed linens in silence and stared with a stern face and a whisper at ceiling planks. "All right! I am the babysitter of Kitten today. But these dreams cannot continue. I will watch Chip and correct his ding-dong donkey jackass social and civil manners," he flipped over and rested on his naked stomach with a deep sigh, closing the eyelids back into a deep slumber of peace and annoyance.

Cat Island within the Atlantic Ocean

Private ocean island of the Quartet

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sun

And three miles-per-hour easterly winds

06:46 a.m.

Chip yawned, rubbing his tired red eyes from drinking too much last night on the island after they exited the boat. He fell asleep and didn't get to visit with Kitten inside her private room which was on the third floor. And her room was also surrounded by Tom and Austin. He exited from the second floor and entered into the common room, a combined dining room for eating and a living room for talking while starting at her four brothers, where each one was refreshed. Chip soured. "Uh, early this morning!"

"Golfing on the eight." Tom nodded, chewing.

"Uh...after breakfast?" chip yawned.

"Playing?" Stu nodded, chewing.

"Betting?" Frank nodded, viewing Stu and smiling.

"How much, asshole?" Stu grinned at Frank.

"Hundred." Frank smiled.

"Make it two, I'm in." Tom smiled.

"Uh...you play for two-hundred dollars." Chip laughed at the cheap-ass billionaires.

"Two hundred thousand dollars, US! Please, add three more zeros to the whole number, Chip," Frank smiled, then whispered for his and Stu's ears only. "If you can," he winked at Stu.

"Uh...O!" Chip frowned.

"Frank?" Tom smiled.

"Three!" Frank smiled.

"Are we fucking rich, today, Mangrove?" Tom giggled, chewing.

"And we are fucking overconfident, too, Sawyer. Four!" Stu winked at Tom.

"Do you really wanna play and be five thousand dollars with me, man?" Tom giggled, chuckling with his brothers.

"Uh...I wanna play." Chip smiled with a nod. He can't play but how can hard can it be to hit a little ball in the hole. Anyways, he was going to be a part of the Quartet and should engage in all the male activities.

"Ah!" Tom frowned with surprise.

"Let the man play." Stu winked at Frank, grinning.

Frank smiled. "Do you understand the rules of golf, Chip?"

"Uh, sure." Chip smiled.

"Fine with me." Frank nodded.

"Okay." Stu nodded.

"I'll bow out." Austin viewed Kitten.

"I wanna play, also." Kitten smiled, chewing and listening to the arrogant island demi-gods.

"Uh, she's a girl!" Chip whined, frowning at Kitten.

"Good eyesight, Chip! You passed your biology test in High School." Stu winked at Kitten, smiling.

"Can you really play the sport, Kitten?" Tom exhaled.

Kitten grinned with a nod. "I brought my pink glove and putter to play for fun."

"Uh, ya mean for money," Chip smiled with a nod.

"Money?" Kitten frowned at Chip.

"Tom's got money for Kitten. Right, big bro?" Stu slapped Tom's collar bone, laughing with his brothers.

"Baby sister!" Tom frowned at her. She was going to lose his money. She didn't have billions of dollars, only about two million in a small bank account in Miami, Florida. Tom would foot the bill for her, anytime, anywhere, anything. Sawyer didn't mind giving her the money, but he didn't want to lose, the golf game. Tom hated losing. He won. Sawyer won everything, every time and everywhere.

"Free hugs and kisses, but no advances on the wedding gift. Is that correct, Thomas?" Frank grinned.

Tom shook his skull, fingering Gage. "Hell no! I'm not a cheap skate like Gage."

"Cheap. Cheap." Stu chuckled and winked at Frank.

"Shut up, Stu!" Tom frowned then sipped his coffee.

"Tom is trying, not to say in his un-elegant words, the wager is $500,000 per man, and then the winner will take all."

"Fine with me." Kitten smiled, giggling between bites of her food wit her brothers.

"Kitten!" Tom whined again. He didn't want her to play. He wanted her to attend the spa with the other wives. Kitten had too many interests related to the brothers, not sisters. She doesn't shop, but eats. She doesn't ride, but drives. She doesn't whine, but fights.

"I'll pay Kitten's entrance fee." Austin grinned with a nod at Kitten.

"Ya bowed out." Tom frowned at Austin.

"I'll be the referee, Tom." Austin viewed Kitten, smiling.

"Excellent idea." Frank grinned with a nod.

"No, way." Tom frowned.

"Yes, way." Stu grinned with a nod.

"Uh, who'll pay my fee?" Chip frowned at Tom.

"Tom." Frank viewed Chip, grinning and chuckling.

"...Sawyer." Stu viewed Chip, sipping.

"Got ya covered, man. Fuck!" Tom hated losing money, especially, losing all of his money on Chip.

Austin smiled, thinking a boring day in paradise. Yesterday, Austin had too much fun with Kitten riding beside him on the water craft. And, today was going to be really fun. Austin stood and ordered. "Roll out." Stu had loaded the golf carts with golfing bags. Austin moved to the second cart.

Kitten jumped in beside him, smiling. "Thanks for the loan."

Austin frowned, "Loan?"

She winked at him. "I pay all my debts."

He nodded, driving the golf kart. "Excellent, I look forward to getting compensated."

Golf course location

(one mile, west, from the huts)

Driving range setting

Hot temperatures with cloudy skies

and two miles-per-hour easterly winds

07:07 a.m.

Austin halted at the driving range which allowed the players to warm their arms and legs, before the actually Quartet cutthroat, hard core, ruthless, bloodthirsty, non-friendly golf competition. Winner wins. Loser loses. He stopped, turning to Kitten. "My fee includes free golf instructions. Are you interested in lessons?"

She parted her lips, "Really! You'd give me lessons."

He nodded, winking. "Of course, I'm rooting for you to win, not just the money, but bragging rights for the rest of the vacation. I'd like to offer tips on swings as well as putting to ensure our success."

She grinned with a nod, "Bragging rights! Good point! I accept. May we start, now?" Kitten jumped out of the cart, moving behind looking for her driver. She pulled a four.

"Over there!" Austin smiled, lifting her golf bag. Kitten pranced over to the tee in her cute pink shorts and matching sleeveless pink top with her pink and white golf shoes as she wore her pink golfing glove on her right hand.

She posed, smiling. "I'm ready."

Austin smiled. "Let me examine your stance, first." Kitten placed the pink ball on the pink tee. She stood, aiming the driver at the ball, not hitting the target. Austin observed her with his keen eyesight. He smiled and walked around behind her, reaching behind and placed his paws on her small hands and rubbed his legs against her tanned firm butt. Kitten giggled. Austin talked. "Relax your arms. Loosen your gripe. The swing should be natural. Let gravity help you."

"Okay." Kitten giggled.

He whispered into her ear. "Try your swing, slowly."

"Watch this."

"I'm watching. I'll never take my eye off of you, baby."

"Here goes." She giggled. Kitten swing the club back with Austin's arms shadowing her parallel movements. He chuckled with delight. She giggled, again.

Chip hit the ball which landed two feet from his swing. Tom yelled at the groom. "Not focusing, man. Shit. The range's that way."

"Uh, what's he showing her?" Chip looked ahead watching Berrington hugging close to his future wife.

Tom explained. "Austin, man! He's a great golfer. I'll glad he bowed out. I might have a chance to win the two million dollars."

"Uh, but, you're rich." Chip viewed Tom, frowning.

"Competition never ever dies, man." Tom giggled, fingering the ball.

"Uh, half's your money."

"The other half is Austin's, Frank's and Stu's."

"Uh, don't understand?"

"The hunt. The thrill. The chase."

"Uh, understand the chase!"

Tom fingered the netting. "Good, man! Hit the damn ball, again in the right fucking direction."

Chip viewed Austin and Kitten, frowning. "Uh...he's all over her."

Tom viewed the netting. "Shit, man! Austin's her brother. Concentrate. Ball. Focus."

"Uh, ya sound like a wizard."

"Yeah, I wished that I possessed Tele-powers. I'd toss Frank's ball into the ocean." Tom snorted with evil.

Chip frowned at Tom. "Uh, you're bloodthirsty."

"Gung ho." Tom smiled with a nod.

"Uh...cutthroat."

"Aggressive."

"Uh...ruthless."

Tom fingered the netting. "Whatever! Hit the damn ball into the netting?"

"Uh!" Chip viewed the netting.

Stu moved behind Tom, saying. "Let's move, before the heat melts my balls."

"Uh...that's a joke." Chip laughed.

Tom laughed. "Right, man! Golf ball not..." Kitten walked up beside Tom, smiling. Tom stopped talking, patting her arm. "Kitten, baby sister. Are you ready?"

"I'm going to win." Kitten smiled with a nod.

"Of course, you are!" Tom hugged and patted her shoulder.

Frank fingered the object. "Chip and Kitten take this cart."

"Austin?" Tom frowned.

"He's the referee." Stu nodded.

"He should ride with Kitten. Chip with us." Frank ordered, nodding.

"Uh...ride with Kitten." Chip shoved Kitten into the second cart.

"What if, he cheats?" Stu frowned at Chip.

"Chip, doesn't cheat. Do you, man?" Tom smiled with a nod at Chip.

Chip smiled to the Quartet. "Uh...honest and straight!"

Golf course location

First tee setting

7:31 a.m.

The brothers rode off onto the path followed by Kitten and Chip inside the second golf cart.

Tom teed off on the first hole in the private golf course constructed on Cat Island. "Wham! Look at that ball roll, roll, roll...almost into the hold. Beat that, asshole!" Sawyer stopped, fingering Frank and shaking his skull. Wait! Ya can't, Mangrove!" Tom laughed and moving away from the green for Stu to bat.

"Almost isn't the same as the hole, Tom." Frank smiled with a nod.

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Frank."

Stu measured the ball, grinning. "Watch, Franklin! I'm going to wham Tom's ball into the ocean, then he'll have to take a boogie," chuckling.

Tom fingered Stu, frowning and yelling. "Fuck you, Stu! This is golf, not pool."

"Same rules!" Stu grinned.

"What same fucking rules?" Tom yelled.

"The ball in a hole." Stu grinned.

"You're just jealous and ya cheat. I'm going to win by default." Tom fingered Stu, frowning.

"Thanks for reminding us, Tom." Stu grinned.

"Austin, he's?" Tom said.

"Just watch, Tom." Austin exhaled. Stu's hit land near Tom's ball, but didn't slam it into the ocean.

"Stu's a very good golfer." Kitten grinned with a nod.

"Austin's better." Tom smiled with a nod.

"Uh...feel like an amateur." Chip exhaled, frowning.

Kitten smiled. "This is for fun and adventure." The Quartet moved to the second golf tee with Tom's obnoxious voice cheering and yelling his pre-victory claim. Kitten laughed. Her brother was very entertaining. Chip rudely took the green, first. Kitten was from a world where ladies went first, not jackasses. He hit. The ball landed four feet from the tee. Kitten laughed.

"Uh...shut up." Chip yelled at her.

Kitten fingered the grass, frowning. "Chip, this is for fun. Looky! Carry the ball to the edge of the green, if you'd like and try your chance at putting."

"Uh...sure." He walked to the ball, bent at the waistline, and gently laid the white ball inside the circular green.

Kitten smiled to herself thinking about proper Austin trying to teach the Space-man social manners. She set the pink ball onto the pink golf-tee. Her Daddy had selected all the accouterments for her golfing adventure. He told her to play, just to annoy Tom, her brother. Daddy was a very deceptive person. Kitten positioned her golf club at the golf ball. She drew back and swung like Austin taught her. He praised her for being a fast learner. She had learned to play when she was small girl but didn't care to practice the sport as a hobby. She preferred shooting, rather than slicing. Kitten giggled. Her pink ball landed on the green beyond Chip's white one inside the circle. She clapped and jumped up and down. She was very excited. She performed well.

Chip sneered at her. "Uh...how did ya do that?"

She squatted and picked up the pink tee, nodding and grinning. "Austin gave me tips."

Chip stood over her hair roots. "Uh...Berrington, ya know, you're marrying me."

She stood, elbowing Chip. "Know that." She wasn't getting out the wedding, but if Chip acted this rude during the marriage. Then, Kitten would tattle tale to Tom. He would have no problem eliminating an unwanted husband for Kitten, and then she could marry Austin. She giggled.

Chip stood over his white ball, sneering at her. "Uh...he's not allowed to touch you, again."

She frowned, shaking her curls. "Touch me! He's my brother along with Tom, my biological sibling. I have seven."

He sneered at her. "Uh...affectionate brother, he gets too close, also. I don't like it."

She smiled with a nod. "I love it. I never had a brother before, Chip. Tom's very caring and loves me very much."

He sneered at her. "Uh...don't care for Tom."

She jabbed her golf club at him, grinning. "Ya better. He's going to be your brother-in-law along with all my brothers. When you marry me, you marry my large family."

He sneered at her. "Uh...what family?"

"My family consists of all my new brothers and sisters."

He sneered at her. "Uh...we'll be moving once we're married away from your new brothers and sisters."

She parted her lips. "Moving, to where?"

He smirked at her. "Uh...Coco Beach."

"What for?" She frowned.

He snickered at her. "Uh...pilot, space shuttle. Remember?"

"Did you inform Tom of this data?" she fingered Tom at the third hole.

He shook his cap. "Uh...hell, no."

"Then, I'll tell Tom."

He frowned at her. "Uh...you're a tattle tale, also."

"What does that mean, Chip?"

"Uh...fun and games for the princess, while the servants work." Chip hit the ball with his putter, too hard. The white golf ball rolled too fast through the length of the green, passed the cup, passed the outer rim circle, and then dropped off into the sandy beach below the golf hole which surrounded the entire eight holed golf course, built on top of the black hilly terrain. "Uh...shit!"

Kitten giggled. "A game for fun," then pranced to her ball. She stopped, measured, and then measured again to be certain. She hit it gently. The ball rolled fast, then slow, falling into the cup on her first stroke. She giggled and jumped with excitement. She looked at the Quartet ahead of her on the third hole. No one was watching her. Correction, there! Chip was staring at her, being too competitive and not a good sports man. She fingered the hole. "Looky! I qualify for a birdie."

He followed her, viewing the hole. "Uh...bird?"

"Birdie! When you hit the ball less than the number required, a birdie," smiling and writing down her golf score on the paper.

Chip grabbed the scorecard from her fingers. "Uh...you figured it wrong."

"I did it correctly."

"Uh...think Tom should calculate it for you."

"I can count my strokes."

"Uh...write down your strokes next to the number so Tom can verify it that you didn't cheat."

"I didn't cheat, Chip."

"Uh...two million bucks on the stake. Mine, if I win."

"If I win, you mean to say." She giggled.

"Uh...you win. You can't win."

"If I have the best score on the card, I will win."

"Uh...who told you that?"

"Austin did. He's the referee. He set the rules."

"Uh...well damn! Then, you'll win."

"What does that mean, Chip?" She fumed with angry at the jackass. Austin was nice to her along with all her brothers and sisters. She loved them more than anything else in the world.  
He fingered the Quarter at the next hole. "Uh...Austin, again! I don't want that man around you." Chip drove the golf kart. They exited. He puffed moving ahead of Kitten to the next hole, which was another par three on the edge of the sandy hill. The cup located on the tip of the hill. If your ball didn't stop, overboard.

Kitten lined her tee and ball, started her swing to hit the tee. "Uh...stop." Chip yelled, hurting her ears with the loud sound.

"What is it?" She stopped, placing her driver up in the air with her other hand on her hip looking at the jackass.

"Uh...you're standing in the wrong place."

"I am correct."

"Uh...you're supposed to stand, here, since I let you go first."

"I am correct." Kitten swung her club, watched the flying ball land on the inside of the cup, not into the ocean. She giggled, jumping with excitement. She was doing a good job playing golf. Tom would be pride of his baby sister.

"Uh...you're a con woman."

"I learned when I was very young. But I don't play on regular basis."

"Uh...how come so good?"

"Austin's instructions were very through." Kitten giggled, walking to the side.

Chip placed the tee on the green and aimed without really concentrating. "Uh...damn," swinging the club, missing the target completely. Kitten laughed. "Uh...damn!" He swung, hitting grass and dirt. Kitten giggled, also. "Uh...damn." His swing connected with the ball, the tee, the dirt, and the sand. All the weird contents flying into the air forming a nice firework of colors. The ocean breeze caused the golden sand to cover his red face while the ball landed three feet from his body with clump of green manicured grass on beside it. Kitten died laughing. She couldn't control her action, being so funny. "Uh...damn." Chip yelled wiping the sand from his face and clothes.

Kitten could see Stu, Tom, Frank, and Austin on the fourth tee green. Tom was shouting and waving his arms and hands up and down like the American flag but she couldn't hear his words.

Tom had boogied. He was mad. Tom competed at a cutthroat, bloodthirsty level, just for a simple sporting affair.

Kitten would never want to battle him in a court room. She read he never lost a case, winning everything. Still, Kitten was proud to be his sister.

Chip glided closer to Kitten, interfering in her putt move after he had picked the diced ball from the fairway and carried it the edge of the green, again for his putt maneuver. Kitten said. "Elbow room."

"Uh...giving you instructions, sugar."

"Not the way your drive, sit or stand with a ball, you're dangerous."

"Uh...dangerous, wait until tonight." Chip hugged her waist with his arms, trying to peck her cheek with a kiss.

"Tonight?" She shouted, moving out of his arm spam.

"Uh...we can rendezvous for a short faire l'amour."

"No." She told, moving to the other side of the ball for her putting.

"Uh...you didn't understand French."

"I speak English understanding your foreign intentions. No, Chip!" She moved back to stand behind her ball, preparing for the swing.

"Uh...what intentions, sugar?"

"No." Kitten swung the club almost hitting his ankle. She watched it roll into the cup.

He fingered the cup, yelling. "Uh...damn. You cheated. You're a pro."

She giggled, walking to the grass. "The greens are small and fun to play. I'm relaxed and enjoying the game." Chip shuffled to his ball, hitting with speed force it bounced like a basket ball on the soft grass, and then rolled with racing speed off the cliff into the water. Kitten laughed at his performance, saying. "I got a birdie. You got quadrupled boogie." She marked on the score card with the pencil.

He sneered at her. "Uh...I quit. So, do you."

She grinned. "I'm not quitting. I'm winning. I'm going to win the two-million dollars. I'll be rich," giggling. She found this event was fun, playing a game that didn't matter if you won or lost. It was the spirit and the bragging rights. Tom was going to be so proud of his baby sister. Kitten giggled, also. Chip grabbed the putter from her hands, stinging her fingers with the man pull and tossed it into the Atlantic Ocean in front of her silver eyesight.

Fourth Golf Hole setting

Tom, Austin, Stu, and Frank

Hot temperatures with bright sunlight

8:18 a.m.

Tom posed, studied the ball and re-positioned his feet. He froze. He aimed the driver lining up the club with the ball for the hole-in-one shot of the anticipated announcement of new prize money of the last minute bet for $10 million par three-hole. Then, Tom saw the flash of a large silver bird in the air from his acute vision on his left side. He stopped his forward swing. He turned to look to his left. There was another split second of bright silver light, and then it hit the water.

Frank yelled, narrowing his eyelids at the object over the water. "Bird."

Stu shouted, looking back behind his shoulder at the commotion on the second hole. "No."

Tom asked, staring at the water, where the object landed trying to figure it out with his gray matter. "What was that?"

Stu answered curtly with a deadly voice. "Ass...hole."

Frank asked while tapping on Sawyer's ball. The lawyer was winning. Frank was going to piss Tom off, so he wouldn't be able to concentrate on this hole giving the evil doctor the chance to win the two-million dollars. It's only money, but the bragging rights are priceless. Frank snickered. "What's an asshole? Is that a new species of bird, Stu?"

Stu growled with danger. "Chip, the asshole."

Tom turned back, noticing the action on the second hole. Chip and Kitten were not dancing or kissing or hugging. Chip was the one tossing objects into the air while Kitten was tossing her arms and hands up and down. He exhaled. "What's he doing?"

"Pissing me off!" Stu sneered ready for the kill. Gage didn't like Captain Crunch, anyways. The guy wasn't good enough for a rat in the downtown Miami-Dade sewer system.

To witness with his big brown eyes, Chip yelling and acting like a turd in front of him was bad manners, but in front of his baby sis was instantaneously death.

The brothers snorted, cursed, and piled into the two golf carts, turning around and speeding down the sand path back to the second hole. They could see Chip tossing more golf clubs from his bag one by one like pitching javelins into the ocean, standing beside Kitten as she was yelling at him.

Second Golf Hole setting

Kitten and Chip

8:19 a.m.

"Please stop! You're acting like a child." Kitten parked her hands on hip, yelling in fury and embarrassment.

"Uh...damn!" Chip yelled, tossing another golf club into the air as it flew to the water.

Stu leaped three feet from the speedy buggy, since Frank was driving at light speed, before it stopped violently. He grabbed Chip's arm holding the five-iron-golf club. "Don't pollute the waters? Don't yell at Kitten? Don't piss me off?"

"Que pasa, Chip?" Austin advanced to Chip, saying in Spanish: 'Tell me! What's happening, Chip?' He chuckled, standing beside Kitten, smiling. Secrets had a way of revealing themselves. Chip was a complete ass, acting, talking, and behaving in true form.

Tom was frustrated with Chip's ass and his antics. Austin grabbed Tom's club. He thought Tom might possibility just swing it at Chip's head instead of using his strong punching hand for the final attack. He chuckled.

Kitten crossed her arms. "I'm winning." She displayed the score card to the closest brother when Frank scanned the score card.

"Uh...she cheats." Chip fingered her, sneering.

Tom exhaled, fingering the grass. "That's called a handicap, Chip. Girls get to hit the golf ball from the Ladies tee platform, man."

"Uh...she gets better shots." Chip fingered her, sneering.

"Just a game...," Austin smiled, cuddling Kitten. He was the official referee for today. He wasn't playing and would feel differently with a club in his hands and his money on the line. At this moment, Austin didn't mind giving his money for Kitten. He didn't mind giving anything to Kitten. She could ask for the moon from him. Austin would lasso it for her.

Kitten nodded. "I told him that. This is a game for fun and adventure." Tom moved closer to Kitten and placed his arm around her shoulder realizing Chip screwed up, again.

"Go to the clubhouse, Chip!" Stu fingered the golf kart, without cursing being madder than a hornet.

Chip frowned at Gage. "Uh...why?"

"Game over, Chip!" Frank nodded, not smiling and fingering the golf kart.

"Get some rest! We're going on the boat today to hunt for dinner." Stu exhaled, saying.

"Uh...dinner? There's food in the kitchen." Chip frowned at Stu.

"Another game for fun and adventure." Austin grinned, tickling Kitten's waist line. she giggled.

"Go to your hut and wait for us." Frank ordered, fingering the golf kart.

"Uh...she...," Chip fingered Kitten, frowning.

"I gave you direct order, boy." Stu said in fury.

"Uh...are you always this bossy?" Chip frowned at Gage.

"All the damn time." Stu nodded.

"Big Man maintains the peace in the Quartet. When he orders, you fuckingly jump in the air. Doesn't matter how high, just jump! Got it?" Tom shoved Austin from Kitten then hugged her.

"Uh...thought Austin was the boss, giving orders." Chip viewed Austin, frowning.

"Think of it this way, Chip! Austin makes the decisions, then Stu enforces them." Frank grinned with a nod.

"Uh...but, Austin didn't say a word." Chip frowned at Frank.

"Stu can read his fucking mind. We're gawd damn brothers. We can tell what each other's thinking," Tom nodded, giggling and hugging Kitten.

"Uh...some kind of extra sensory perception." Chip laughed.

"...more a Tele power," Austin grinned when the brothers laughed.

Stu shoved on Chip. "Get going, now! We'll finish our golf game, then head towards the fishin boat."

"I'll leave and get the gear prepped for the trip." Austin nodded.

Stu frowned to Austin. "I can do it."

Austin fingered the golf course. "Stay, Stu! Enjoy the game. You're winning."

Tom tossed his arm, whining with disagreement. "Hell, no! I'm winning."

"Actually, based on Kitten's score card, she's winning." Frank tapped on the paper, smiling with the Quartet.

Kitten viewed Tom, nodding and smiling. "I still wanna play. Is that okay, Tom?"

Tom smiled with a nod and hugging her. "Of course, baby sister, you can do whatever you feel like?"

"I'm doing well." Kitten nodded and received her scorecard back from Frank.

"Roll out." Austin punched Chip in the arm. Chip reluctantly followed him to the car, since he couldn't play anymore. Stu moved her bag and clubs to Tom's cart.

Kitten fingered her scorecard, nodding and smiling. "I didn't cheat, Tom. Did I? See! I got two strokes on the first hole for a birdie."

Tom studied the score card, smiling and nodding. "You did. A birdie on each hole."

"I didn't play a lot, but I didn't cheat. I did it, correctly," Kitten nodded and smiled.

Tom giggled, smiling. "Baby sister, you do everything, perfectly."

Stu chuckled, winking at Kitten. "She's going to beat ya, Tom."

Tom shook his skull, smiling. "I don't know about that prediction, Stu. We have a few more holes to play. But, I'm up for the intense challenge."

Frank smiled with a nod at his sister. "Let Kitten catch up play on the third hole, then we can attack the fourth, together."

"Let's see how good she is against 'real' men." Stu winked at Frank. Frank winked at Tom. They didn't need to speak verbally. They, collectively her loving and caring brothers, decided that their little sister would win, because they would fake the shots left or right, so she could. They laughed together walking to the golf carts.

"I'll going to win the money, the title, and the bragging rights." Kitten sung and marched to the kart, when the brothers chuckled and nodded.

Campfire beach setting

Sunset of purple, green, and pinks with heated temperatures

6:35 p.m.

Gathered around the campfire of top of padded benches with wives and husbands cuddled together, except for Chip, he was sitting alone while sniffing and moaning. "Uh...what's that smell?"

"Captured shrimp, crab, and swordfish for our dinner...," Frank smiled, hugging on Misty.

Tom nodded, sipping on the beer. "Compliments of Stu."

"Stu, the water-god," Frank smiled, toasting with his wine glass.

"Franklin, too." Tom winked at Mangrove, smiling and toasting with his beer bottle. "Stu and Frank, the twin Water-gods," chuckling with the brothers and sisters. "Excellent! I'm starving."

"You're always hunger, Tom." Stu exhaled, grinning at Tom.

"Where's Kitten?" Misty scanned the beach, grinning.

"Where's Austin?" Frank scanned the beach, smiling and winking at Stu when the brothers and sisters chuckled.

"Uh...what's so funny?" Chip scanned the empty beach, frowning.

"Yo! You, man," Tom chuckled at Chip, sipping his beer. "Your skin's inflamed, man."

"Uh...I don't take to water." Chip tapped his red skin, frowning.

"...water, golf, dances...," Stu snickered, sipping his beer.

"Where's Kitten?" Misty smiled.

"Where's Austin?" Frank winked at her, grinning.

"Looky! They are together on a horse." Tom stood, fingering the object. "Hey, man! Austin's on a horse with Kitten."

"Uh...what the hell...?" Chip stood, frowning. The gang moved from the grilling flames of cooking food as the horse halted near the steward. The handler grabbed the horse's halter.

Austin was smiling, proudly holding the reins in the air with Kitten's arms and hands wrapped around his fit waist. Chip moved to the front, pointed and shouted at Kitten. "Uh...get down, now."

Tom stood, smiling and slapping on Chip's collar bone. "Hey, man! Calm down! Don't scare the horse..."

"...or Austin," Frank chuckled, nodding and hugging Misty.

Chip fingered the horse. "Uh...she's been with him, this afternoon."

"I taught Austin to ride a horse," Kitten smiled, nodded, not moving from Austin's back.

"You did?" Tom grinned with a nod.

"I did." Kitten nodded, giggling.

"She did." Austin smiled, still holding the horn of the saddle. He was still a novice rider.

"Catch me." Kitten slid towards the side of her. Her body was free falling through the air. Stu dropped his beer then ran swiftly up to the animal being held by the handler, grabbing her before she hit the gold sands. "Little sis," nodding and hugging her, laughing.

"Good save." Tom laughed.

"Dare devil." Austin smiled.

"Kitten." Frank grinning, shaking his skull. Kitten giggled. Stu landed her safely in the sand.

She stripped off her jeans keeping sticky horse hair off her body, giggling. "Fun way to exit a horse."

Chip fingered her jeans in the sand. "Uh...what the hell are you doing?"

"Striping." Kitten grinned with a nod.

"Uh...put these back on." Chip approached her, grabbing the wet and dirty jeans.

"Horse hair! Austin, you should stripe, also," Kitten brushed her semi-naked body, grinning.

"Very well." Austin shifted from the saddle onto the little steps held by the steward. He wasn't an accomplished horse man and accepted the assistance gratefully.

"Uh...wearing that bathing suit." Chip fingered her body, sneering.

Kitten was wearing the one she purchased for herself and her sisters at the shopping mall which caused a ruckus on the yacht. She giggled. "Yes! I like my bathing suit. I use it for swimming," giggling.

Misty pranced to Kitten with smiles and eagerness. "Teach me to ride, Kitten! Please, pretty please!"

Kitten grinned with a nod. "Of course, Misty! We will start tomorrow morn, before it gets hot. The afternoon weather is not healthy for the horses."

Misty smiled with a nod. "I understand. I'll be here as early as you dictate."

"Misty, I'll make you the outstanding horse mistress of the Quartet." Kitten hugged her new sister.

Misty bounced back into Frank's arms, smiling. "Frankie! O Frankie! Kitten's going to teach me to ride a horse, then we can ride together on Misty Farms," bouncing inside her husband's arms.

Frank loved his wife. When she's happy, his world is happier. "You are so brave. Kitten knows everything about farms and horses. You'll be the best horse woman ever, love." Frank kissed his wife.

"I want to be the best for you. Thanks for your love and support, Frankie," Misty hugged and kissed him.

"You're my one and only girl. I love you, Misty." Frank whispered into her ear.

Misty smiled. "I love you, too, Frankie."

"Wash up, Austin!" Kitten dropped the riding garments, fingering the outside facet.

"Lead the way, baby!" Austin nodded, hugging her. They walked and talked towards the side building, washing the horse hair off their bodies, before dinner.

Chip held his nose and sneezed, when Tom moved three paces and yelled, frowning. "Ya sick, man."

"Uh...not sick, but allergies." Chip wiped his nose with his hands.

Frank frowned with concern. "Do you actually possess true sinus allergies, Chip?"

"Uh...yeah," Chip sneezed, wiping his nose with his hands, again.

Frank frowned at Chip. "Trees, plants, grass, animals?"

"Uh...all." Another sneeze, Chip blew his nose on his shirt tail.

Frank frowned. "Have you ever been around a horse, before?"

"No." He sneezed. His eyes were watering and turning red.

"Chip, go shower, immediately, before you have a full-blown reaction. Don't eat any shellfish or fish, tonight! Eat only crackers and some water. Gawd! Let me see you in about an hour. Don't leave your island hut, either under any circumstances?" Frank fingered Chip's hut, frowning.

"Uh...okay." Chip turned and sneezed walking towards his island hut.

"Now! I know why he became an astronaut." Tom exhaled, watching Chip disappear into the hut.

"The asshole is allergic to Earth." Frank moaned, shaking his skull.

"Jeezus! That man really does belong in outer space," Tom frowned, shaking his skull.

Stu viewed Sawyer, chuckling. "How far is the ice belt of Pluto, Tom?" The Quartet laughed then turned to the fire for their seafood dinner.
Saturday November 13th

Common room setting

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

08:13 a.m.

Sawyer ran into the common space and stopped next to the dining room table with a worried brow. "Frank, help me!" Tom whined, touching then rubbing his red skin back and forth.

Frank frowned with concern at the red skin, standing from the table. "What's wrong Thomas?"

Tom pointed to his arm. "Itchy red dots?"

Frank mused, smiling. "Hmm! _Toxicodendron radican_."

Austin stood with concern. "Is he going to die, Frank?"

Stu stood and backed stepped three paces from his brother, waving his hands. "Who cares? Is it contagious, Frank?"

"What happened to all for one, Stu?" Austin viewed Gage, chuckling.

"Not all, only one, me." Stu fingered his chest, sneering.

Austin laughed. "Survival of the fittest, Stu."

"Something like that." Stu nodded, studying Tom's red skin.

Frank didn't touch Tom, studying the red skin. "No and no are the answers to both your questions."

"Smart-ass doctor, just fix it." Tom rubbed his skin. The red dots were hurting his sensitive skin mixed with the hot air temperature of the island.

Frank grinned, shaking his skull, not touching Tom. "I don't fix stuff, Tom. I treat real diseases and ailments."

Tom whined, extending his red arm. "Treat it, asshole! It scratches."

Stu frowned with worry. "What's he got, Frank?"

Frank grinned, fingering the red limb, not touching it. "Poison ivy rash. See the reddish colored inflamed bumps. He's lucky that his skin isn't highly sensitized to the urushiol oil from the plant. I'd be flying his ass to Freeport into the emergency room."

Stu wiggled his fingers and hands. "That means. We stay away from baby bro. Do we still have to keep him for the rest of our trip?"

Frank nodded, laughing, crossing his arms over his chest. "Afraid so."

Tom whined, again, rubbing his arm. "Shut up, Stu! Fix it, Frank."

Frank laughed, knowing the answer but wanted confirmation. "Where did you get it, Tom?"

Tom frowned, whined and then itched the arm. "Outside, asshole!"

Stu laughed. "He means to ask. How did ya get it, bro? Who were you spying on, Sawyer?"

Tom frowned. "I wasn't spying."

"Thomas, your arm came into direct contact with an ivy plant which can only be gotten by spreading open the leaves exposing the poison directly onto your pale skin while peeping through the vines at someone. You were spying." Frank grinned and shifted bottles inside his medical kit. He grabbed an ointment, opening the top and spreading a small amount on Tom's red rash.

Stu jabbed a finger at Tom, laughing. "You're caught, dumb ass. So, tattle-tail?"

Austin crossed his arms, staring at Tom. "Confess, Tom!"

Kitten barged into the room, yelling. "Frank, please, come quickly."

Tom viewed her, frowning. "What's wrong, Kitten?"

She parted her lips, frowning. "Chip!"

Stu laughed. "He's dead."

"He's dying." Frank laughed.

Tom laughed. "He's an asshole."

She expressed with concern. "No! He is...puffy."

Tom hooted with delight, rubbing his red skin. "Puffy! I gotta see this."

Frank asked with another concern. "What do ya mean, puffy?" Kitten twisted around, leading.

Second floor private bedroom

Suite with Chip

8:23 a.m.

The Quartet followed Kitten into Chip's open door of his private suite on the fourth floor of the mansion. She pointed into the room, standing in the door way. "There!" Chip was sitting in the chair upright pawing at his swollen face, arms, neck, and chest, not wearing a shirt. His exposed skin contained open blistered sores oozing with flowing clear fluid.

Stu shuffled her into the room, standing at the wall, laughing. "He's a dying puffy asshole."

"Fuck. He's almost dead." Tom stood on the other side of the wall, laughing.

Austin stood beside Kitten, wrapping an arm around her. "Are you in pain, Chip?"

"Is he contagious, Frank?" Stu frowned, studying Chip.

Chip moaned and scratched his chest. "Uh...yeah!"

"Poison ivy, again." Frank exhaled, snickering.

"Where were you, Chip?" Stu frowned at Chip.

"How did ya get it, man?" Tom laughed and scratched, too.

Kitten said. "We were on the patio sitting in the furniture near the imported potted plants."

"Fuck! We imported that shit, here." Stu viewed Austin, frowning.

Austin nodded, viewing Gage. "Clean it out, Stu."

"On it," Stu stomped forward.

"Burn it," Tom ordered, scratching his arm.

Kitten dropped her arm, stopping Gage. She shook her curls. "No, Stu! The inhaled smoke can affect the lining of the lungs causing permanent respiratory problems. Move the plants into the bright sun! Its shade tolerant and can withstand heavy amounts of water. The dry heat and intensity of the ultraviolet light will destroy the roots, and then get rid of the plants," nodding when Austin cuddled her.

"Do as Kitten said. She knows her stuff." Austin winked at Kitten, smiling.

"Right, Austin!" Stu advanced out the door then lounged outside the door, giving instructions on his mobile telephone for the poison ivy potted plants.

"Austin, Chip needs a doctor." Frank kneeled, studying the skin.

"You're the doctor, Frank." Tom nodded, scratching his arm.

Frank shook his skull. "He needs a hospital. He's exhibiting anaphylaxis. His reaction's dangerously life threatening to the urushiol oil."

"I told him. Leaves of three, let it be. Leaves of four, eat some more." Kitten said, fingering the flooring on the patio.

Tom laughed. "What did ya say, sweetheart?"

Frank nodded, standing. "The chemical mnemonic riddle is quite true. The vine leaves resemble three almond-shaped leaflets with grayish-white berries ranging in color from light green into dark green with a shiny coating. The plant is winter food for birds. Poison ivy spreads both vegetational and sexually."

Tom jabbed a finger at Chip, frowning. "Man! You ain't touching Kitten. I'm calling the wedding off," two-stepping closer to his baby sister.

Stu back stepped, holding his palm, sneering. "Back off, Tom! You got _Toxicodendron radican_ , remember? You might accidentally give it to Kitten. Get back, asshole!"

Tom stopped, covering his arm behind his back spine. "O yeah!"

Kitten looked at her brother. "What does Tom have?"

"Don't worry, Kitten! Its not contiguous, only dumb shits catch it." Frank laughed.

Kitten giggled. "I didn't understand your medical statement Frank, but it's very funny."

"Hardy har-har, smart-ass doctor." Tom tucked his arms under his armpits.

"Get back, Tom! I don't wanna catch _Toxicodendron radican_ , either." Stu shoved Tom back towards the wall and away from him.

"Get out of the suite, all of you." Frank waved his arm. "Chip is highly contagious and has a serious case of urushiol poisoning."

Austin pulled her arm towards the archway. "Fine! Let's go, Kitten! We can play on the boat. I want out the huts for a couple of hours. Call the copter, Stu!"

"I will." Kitten nodded, stretching for the mobile telephone with pity. "I'll fly."

Austin pulled her into his chest, shaking his skull. "No! You will not. We're on vacation. Let the Bahamas emergency personnel handle this island emergency."

Kitten looked at pitiful Chip. "I should go to the hospital with Chip."

Frank shook his skull, searching inside his medical bag. "No, Kitten! I know Dr. Whonet, personally. He'll accompany Chip to the hospital and on the flight."

Austin grabbed Kitten's hand moving into the corridor. "He's fine. Let's go riding on the boat."

She frowned with sadness. "Frank, is he going to be okay?"

Frank smiled with a nod. "Yes, Kitten! He's just a dumb shit, like I say before."

She fingered Mangrove. "That's not nice, Frank. He's really sick and suffering."

Frank didn't want to pity the bastard. He wasn't impressing the good doctor or the rest of the Quartet." He laughed. "Chip deserved it."

Austin pulled her hand toward the staircase. "You warned him, baby."

Frank frowned at her. "Did he eat the berries?"

She shook her curls. "No! He smashed them with his bare feet."

Frank nodded. "Same effect! Do you touch them?"

She shook her curls. "No sir! I'm not stupid."

"You're smart, baby!" Austin pulled her down the stairs for riding on the water craft, again. "Let's go and play, Kitten."

Stu smashed the mobile telephone almost into Frank's nose. "Copter on the way. Someone named Whonot."

Frank frowned. "Whonet! He is named Doctor Whonet, stupid Stu."

Stu wiggled the mobile telephone, not smiling. "He's on the cell. Here!"

"Thanks, Stu." Frank grabbed the mobile telephone. "Hello. This is Frank Mangrove..."
Saturday November 19th

City of Coral Gables

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

Church of Coral Gables location

Wedding day of Chip and Kitten

Groom's Anteroom setting

9:43 a.m.

"Thomas!" Kitten entered the outer room, the Groom's Anteroom. This particular unique church location housed three areas for the males of the church to gather and meet for any formal or informal occasion. The space connected three separate units of the church floor plan. The west door led to the rectangular foyer where the wedding director was patiently waiting for the smoothing church musical to cease and then she would signal the organist to start the bridesmaid's song. The north door led to the Groomsmen billet, where the groom and his groomsmen exited into the chapel of the auditorium onto the wedding podium.

Presently, the wedding podium was occupied by two preachers from the church, who were officiating the wedding of Kitten, the lovely precious baby sister of the Quartet and Captain Crunch, the designated nickname for the soon-to-be brother-in-law for Tom Sawyer.

The south door was an enclosed lounge for entertaining complete with tables, sofas, videos games, stereo units, computer Internet, food and beverage bar for the nervous groom and eager groomsmen. On this day, the room was currently holding Uncle Bartholomew, Uncle Stuart, Uncle Franklin, and Tom and Kitten's Daddy, Edison.

Tom was inside the open space, alone, dressed in his gray morning coat, playing on his mobile telephone, sitting in a chair. He was stand-by body guard in case Kitten needed assistance in the bridal suite, where Jane, Gracie, Misty, his mother, and his aunts were gathered waiting on the signal to march down the aisle for the blessed affair of the marriage union between his baby sister and Captain Crunch. Tom exhaled and stared at the phone.

The entire Quartet, old and young, was uptight, intense and worried about another kidnapping attempt of Kitten on her wedding day. Security was tight and close.

Tom picked this access point, because he could hear her tiny voice in the hallway or her tiny feet patting on the tile floor if she needed him. Tom instructed her to call him, find him or meet him here if she needed her big brother for any reason.

Tom almost had a heart attack when he saw her sweep into the anteroom. He slapped his leathers on the tile and hustled to his sister as she waddled in her long wedding gown into the middle of the anteroom as his long arms closed around her shoulders. "Kitten, what's wrong? You're crying."

She sniffed out loud and wiped the rolling tears from each eye socket and the running clear mucus from her wet nose with the cotton handkerchief, strutting her words with her mixed emotions, "I...I..."

He gasped in worry. "Gawd! What is it? Are you sick? Are you injured?" He growled. "Did he hurt you? Kitten, tell me! What's wrong? I'll make it better. I promised, baby sister."

"...not...love...him." Kitten sobbed with tears on her puffy red, swollen face.

He tossed both arms in the air with a smile and tossed back his skull. "Thank you, Almighty God!" He returned back and hugged her, pulling back with a smile. "That's all. Is that all?"

"...not...marry...him." She sobbed with more rolling tears of fear and disappointment.

"That's okay. You don't have to marry Chip."

"...ok ..." she hiccupped.

"Ah, baby sister," Tom hugged her best he could in that fluffy and puffy bridal gown around her thin skinny frame. "If you don't love the man, I don't you to spend your life miserable, especially with that stupid bastard."

"... like...him?"

"Only if, you do?"

"...not...like...him."

"Good enough for me! I don't like him, either." Tom smiled and hugged as her tears fell down her wet red face.

"Wedding...now...do."

"What damn wedding! There's no wedding today. No one I know is getting married today." Tom hugged her tight and whispered into her eardrum. "It's okay, princess. I'll get rid of his ass and the annoying damn guests, to boot." He pulled back with a smile and a nod. "Hey! We'll host a party to celebrate butthole's exodus from our lives."

She giggled and hiccupped. "You...mad?"

"I would never ever be mad at you, Kitten. I love my baby sister, foreverly."

"Daddy?"

"Dad, he is more of a pussycat then I am with you. He loves his baby daughter, foreverly, too."

"... sorry."

He shakes his skull with a smile. "O no! This is your life. You make your own executive decisions. No one else can do that."

"... not...marry...Chip," she exhaled with a nod. "I...go...tell."

Tom released her with a smile and slapped his dress shirt with a chuckle. "No. No. No. I'm your big brother. That's my job. I'll inform Captain Crunch that the party's been terminated."

"Thank...wonderful...kind...brother...love...you."

"Your words melt my heart. I love you, Kitten, my very own little baby sister." Tom kissed her forehead reassuring her that her decision is final. Tom really didn't like Chip, anyways. The jerk was a complete embarrassment to the Quartet. This deal saved Tom the trouble of eliminating an unwanted brother-in-law. He snickered.

Inside the Groomsmen billet setting with Stu, Frank, and Austin at 09:50 a.m., the mobile telephone sounded with roll and rock music when Stu answered with angry. "No interruptions, asshole! My little sis's getting married in ten minutes. What the hell!"

Pause.

"Fuck!" Stu shouted, tossing the mobile telephone into the wall, separating the battery from the titanium viewing screen. Then, he turned and assaulted the door, next, by swinging it wide open as it hit the wall with a noise, leaving an embedded knob print with a loud boom. "Fuck! Fuck!"

Gage marched across the hallway, cursing. Frank and Austin stood staring in astonishment and puzzlement at each other, rushing forward trailing Stu into the Groom's Anteroom.

Inside the Groom's Anteroom setting at 09:51 a.m., Stu entered with Austin and Frank following while Chip simultaneously ventured through the doorway from the west.

Chip stopped, fingering Tom and Kitten. "Uh! I told you before, Sawyer. You're too affectionate with your sister, who is about to be my wife in a few more minutes."

"Over my damn dead body, ass-wipe." Stu stood behind the hugging Tom and Kitten, embracing both of them.

"Uh! What did you say to me?" Chip narrowed his eyelids at Gage in fury.

The outer noise triggered movement from the south door as Quartet-uncles dressed in gray morning coats appeared out of thin air like magic holding champagne glasses and cigars, a tradition from their younger days in the 1950s. "What's up, Stu?" Stu's father asked, noting his son was present inside the Groom's Anteroom.

"Kitten's here, too." Uncle Franklin frowned with surprise.

"That's bad luck to see the groom before..." Uncle Bartholomew stood beside Franklin, smiling and nodding.

"It's bride, Bartholomew! No. It's bad luck to see the bride, before the wedding." Uncle Franklin smiled with a nod.

"Why is Kitten crying?" Uncle Bartholomew fingered her surrounded by Stu and hugged by Tom. This is not good.

Soy stepped out into the anteroom, viewing Chip with angry. "Ya fucking..."

Tom frowned. "Calm down, Dad!"

Stu hugged Tom and Kitten, saying. "Captain Crunch lied."

Uncle Stuart frowned at his son. "Lied about what topic, son?"

General Curzon Chippendale dressed in his ironed and pressed white uniform appeared behind the nervous groom, looking quite anxious and worried. "Damn! You found out. Sorry about the surprise, gents."

Soy frowned in angry. "Found what out, Curzon."

Uncles Stuart frowned "What's going on here, Stu?"

Stu nodded. "Captain Crunch is not his son."

Uncle Franklin laughed, viewing Chip. "Captain Crunch?"

"Stu's nickname for Captain Chip Chadwick Chippendale." Frank mused with delight, laughing along with his family members while stumbling through the complicated Christian name.

Uncle Bartholomew laughed. "Could be worse like Chip the Chipmunk."

Soy frowned. "Explain Curzon! What's the meaning of that statement?"

Curzon smiled, extending his hands. "Gents, it's a simple mistake. Chip's my adoptive son."

Soy frowned with fury. This is not good. Curzon lied but that wasn't the first time. "You felt the medical fact insignificant to tell me, Curzon."

Curzon grinned with a nod. "Soy, my biological son died along with his mother and Chip's parents in a car accident a very long ago. It's personal."

Stu said. "Top secret! I uncovered the information from a classified file at the Pentagon."

Uncle Franklin frowned at Curzon. "Why need a secret clearance on a car wreck?"

Stu answered. "The military suspected a bomb."

Uncle Bartholomew asked. "On the US Military Base?"

Stu said. "Off the US Military Base, five miles out."

"Not good," Uncle Bartholomew frowned, shaking his skull at Curzon.

"Sounds suspicious to me." Uncle Franklin frowned, shaking his skull at Curzon, too.

Curzon grinned with a nod. "I was engaged in heavy and high espionage missions. I was not well liked by foreign governments, gents."

Frank said. "We deal with those same foreign governments. now at Quartet Associates."

"Past history, gents!" Curzon grinned with a nod.

Uncle Bartholomew waved his hand. "This is the 21st-Century. The past is dead. Let the kids live for the future."

Soy frowned. "We should delay the wedding and consider this matter."

Uncle Franklin frowned. "The wedding's today. The music has started."

Uncle Stuart frowned. "I can hear. I'm not deaf, ya fool."

"Stop!" Tom yelled, shaking his skull. "Kitten doesn't want to marry Chip. She doesn't love him. That's it. Done. Final. Finis. Everyone go home. Farewell, Captain Crunch," smirking at Chip.

Chip was shocked, hurt, and puzzled. "Uh...Kitten, is this true?" Instead of answering, she was sobbing into Tom's morning coat as her relatives debated the details of wed or not to wed. Her face red and swollen from crying. Kitten buried her body deeply into her brother's chest.

Tom was holding and guarding his baby sister with a protective hug from Chip's emotional outburst. He yelled. "I will repeat this statement only one more fucking time for deaf ears. Kitten is not going to marry It. Everyone! Get the hell out of the church!"

Chip whipped the weapon from his groom's jacket so fast that you could only see the flash of a barrel. He targeted his sight Kitten, his future bride.

"Royal shit!" Uncle Franklin frowned at Chip.

"Damn." Uncle Bartholomew frowned at Chip.

"Jeezus Christ." Soy shook his skull at Chip.

"Put the piece down, son." Uncle Stuart jabbed his finger at Chip.

Chip's calm demeanor had turned nervous, wired, and mad. "Uh...so, this is how the Quartet operates. Suck your balls dry! Fuck ya swiftly, then toss your ass out the window. Good riddance!"

Uncle Stuart jabbed his finger at Chip. "There's no excuse for that language, son. Clean your mouth! Or I'll do it for you."

Soy shook his skull. "Stow the weapon, Chip! I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I must."

"Uh...threats, insults, humor. You people are more arrogant than God Almighty. You don't have any weapons to defend yourself but foolish conceit. I should shoot you all, take the girl, fuck her...."

"Young man, stop your insane babbling." Uncle Bartholomew jabbed his finger at Chip.

"There's eight against one, not very good odds, son." Uncle Stuart shook his skull, saying, when the leathers shifted on the tile floor.

"Everyone sit down! Stay calm!" Uncle Franklin ordered.

"Uh...don't need odds. Got the gun. Come here, Kitten," Chip motioned with his free hand, smiling.

Soy frowned at Chip. "What are you planning to do, son?"

"Uh...you need a graphic old man?" Chip laughed, motioning to Kitten. "Come, here, girl!"

"Curzon, do something? He's your son?" Soy frowned at the general.

Curzon exhaled, nodding. "Chip," pulling his hand gun from his jacket and pointing a second weapon at Kitten, the intended bride of Chip. Stu tightened his arms around her and Tom, hugging both of them tighter. Curzon frowned. "All you had to do was fuck her, get her pregnant. She's a virgin. Bang! A baby instantly. So simple, boy," shaking his skull at Kitten.

"Uh! Fuck her! The double pairs of Hardy boys wouldn't let me near her. I got five minutes with her still Berrington was breathing down my neck. What do you think, now, Badass? I got your sister. I'm having some fun, tonight," chuckling and nodding. He waved the gun side to side. Austin didn't react to the vile comment. He was very worried that Chip might discharge the weapon hitting Kitten. Tom was embracing her body. Stu covering both of them. Tom and Stu would take a bullet for their baby sister but the chamber housed six rounds. Austin wasn't close enough to stop the blast. This situation called for calmness and patience.

Curzon viewed his son. "Chip, ya messed up. The wedding cancelled. The truth told. Your luck has run out. Well, I'll take over now."

"Holy shit!" Soy frowned at Curzon.

"Damn! There are two assholes located inside the church." Uncle Bartholomew fingered each male.

"We have been duped, boys." Uncle Franklin shook his skull.

"Now! We shall do this in order. Step one, quiet. Step two, sit down. Step three, move to Chip, Kitten!" Curzon motioned with his free hand at her. Kitten didn't move. Kitten could move. Tom was holding her body. Stu was blocking Tom's body.

"You need a new plan, General." Uncle Stuart sneered, fingering Curzon.

Curzon commanded. "Shut up! Step three, move Kitten!"

"She's not going, anywhere." Uncle Bartholomew shook his skull.

Soy laughed, slapping his chest. "If you want a hostage, take me! You and I have had bad ties from way back. Mangrove, he'll pay you a huge ransom for my return, so I can beat him at chess, tomorrow afternoon."

Uncle Franklin laughed, waving his hand. "Keep him, General! I'll find a new mate for chess."

"I'm not amused with your jokes, your antics or your delays, gents. Move, Kitten!" Curzon motioned with his free hand while Chip bowed his arms, smiling in fake love and protection.

"Take any one of us you want, General! Then, name your price tag." Uncle Stuart nodded, sneering.

Uncle Franklin grinned with a nod. "Forget a hostage, name your price! I'll have the money delivered to the church in hours."

"Hours?" Curzon frowned at Uncle Franklin.

"How long, Franklin?" Soy grinned with a nod.

"Two hours." Uncle Franklin showed two fingers, nodding and smiling.

"Impressive! You got that much clout on a Saturday morning." Curzon smiled with a nod.

"We got power to move mountains." Uncle Bartholomew grinned with a nod.

"I don't want a mountain, only a large anthill." Curzon smiled with a nod.

Uncle Franklin nodded. "Fine! Whatever you want?"

"Uh...no deal." Chip shook his skull, aiming the hand gun at Kitten and Tom. "Uh...hostages are so much more fun and entertaining. And, she's so cute, too boot."

"God Almighty! Take me, General!" Tom frowned. "I'm her blood! Same principle, different package."

Curzon frowned, pondering. "Intriguing suggestion, lawyer."

Chip shook his skull. "Uh no! He's too smart. The young ones are too strong. The others are too old." He two-stepped closer to his Father and raised his weapon at the Band of Brothers. "Enough of this shitting game! I pick! Which asshole gets to die? Who would the world mourn the most? Of course? Mr. Badass of the Universe, himself, Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV. I pick you to die." Chip snapped the trigger with Austin calmly sat upright, not moving.

"No!" Kitten yelled and slipped from her brothers, standing alone in front of Tom, nearer to Chip. Her face was swollen. Her hair messy, looking awful in the wrinkled yellow stained white bridal gown. Stu quickly grabbed Tom's entire body with super human strength as she moved from my big brother's protective hold.

"Kitten! No!" Tom yelled and bucked inside Gage's arms. "Gawd! Take me! Take me! Let go, Stu. Let me go! Kitten?"

Stu almost kissed his cheek. "Tom."

"Kitten! No!" Tom yelled and struggled side to side. Stu was strong with a high dose of adrenaline flowing from his brain cells into his muscles. He wasn't letting Tom free. Tom was attack Curzon. Curzon would kill both, Tom and Austin in cold blood.

Stu whispered into Tom's ear. "She knows what to do." Kitten moved slowly and cautiously in the long wedding gown complete with twenty-foot dress train towards Chip. She stood in front of him as he shifted the gun out of her body range to his left hand, still aiming the pistol at Austin in the chair when silence filled the air waves.

"Cuff her before she performs one of her girly karate tricks on you." Curzon nodded tossing the metal military issued hand cuffs at his son. Chip twisted her around to face her brothers and Daddy. Kitten spat at Curzon, missing her target, since she was too far from his fat deformed face. Curzon laughed. "Damn! If she's not a true Quartet with her fancy flying and sharpshooting and bad manners, the baby of the Quartet."

Chip snapped the cuffs behind her back making her harmless, smiling. "Done, Dad!" He leaned into her ear, saying. "Darling, we're going to have fun, tonight," when the leathers shuffled on the tile floor.

Curzon frowned at Chip. "Stay calm, gents! Shut up, boy! She'll not be harmed. I promise."

Chip brushed her hair, grinning. "That's not my plan, Father."

"Boy!" Curzon sneered. "I have lectured and instructed you with proper manners all my life and still you resist and rebuke my orders."

"Time for fun, princess." Chip grinned.

"Strip her." Curzon nodded.

"Fuck you!" Soy stomped forward.

"You don't have to do that."

"We believe you."

"Take her! You'll get your money as promised."

Quiet filled the air waves.

Chip placed the hand gun back in the military vest pocket and then pulled his switch blade from his pants, flipping the blade out. He ran the blunt edge of the knife against her neck. She sobbed with tears of worry.

He traced a straight line down to the middle of her breasts and around her waist, then using the sharp knife cut the back of the gown, slicing the simple ties of fabric.

Frank moved from his chair, grabbing a blanket from the closet. He walked to the front of Kitten holding the material before her innocence.

Chip hatched at the thin pieces of fabric as the long wedding dress slowly fell off her chest to her waist, then down to her knees and onto the tile floor. She was wearing only her panty thongs and garter belt.

Frank whispered. "Stay strong."

"Okay." Kitten mouthed very softly.

Frank didn't talk anymore to her. He didn't want to upset Chip or Curzon. They're crazy. They might hurt Kitten or kill one of his brothers, his uncles or his Dad.

"Leave, Mangrove." Chip ordered, motioning with the gun to move back to the line of Quartet members.

Frank gently pulled Kitten from Chip's armed hands, wrapped the soft blanket around her naked body twice and tied the ends so the material wouldn't fall off.

Without warning, Curzon shot the gun in his hand, targeting his adoptive son, hitting him right between the eyes with one bullet from the silencer.

Frank jerked Kitten close to his body, protecting her, wrapping his arms around her. She cried from the sudden movement.

Chip blinked twice, stumbled backward, falling onto the floor in a puddle of blood from his head wound.

" _My Gawd."_

" _Fuck."_

" _Hell damn."_

" _Shit."_

"Hand her to me, Mangrove!" Curzon ordered as Frank shifted the bundled Kitten to the General. Curzon held her tight around the waist close to his body, exhibiting the gun in the air. "I say this again. She'll not be harmed. My money?"

"How much?" Soy frowned.

"100 million." Curzon smiled.

"No problem!" Uncle Franklin grinned.

"I'm amazed, gents." Curzon chuckled.

Uncle Franklin nodded with a smile to Curzon. "Give us four hours. We will meet you anywhere in the city for the both the body and money exchange. Then, all of the one hundred million will be yours to keep and to hold foreverly," he chucked with his elderly Quartet brothers.

Curzon smiled with a grin. "Four hours, really amazing! Such, power. But, I'm tired. Kitten will be joyous company for me, today since I just lost my son, my only child. Shit happens! And I want all of you to suffer a lot more than four hours. Let's say. Two days, two in the afternoon, tea time at Hammock Park in the Gables. You bring the booty. I'll bring the babe."

Uncle Stuart frowned. "Fuck this!"

Bartholomew nodded. "We're suffering now."

Frank nodded. "Give us more time!"

Curzon smiled. "You're out of time. The deal's done."

"Curzon!" Soy growled as pairs of leathers shuffled on top of the tile.

General Curzon aired the tiny pin needle in his free hand holding Kitten's neck.

She couldn't move. The wrapping was too tight. The handcuffs were too hard. The defeat was too revealing.

Curzon revealed. "Don't...don't anyone move! This isn't a game."

"Shit! Don't move!" Frank ordered. If he guessed correctly, the General was holding death.

Curzon stated. "No tricks, gents! I just want the money."

Uncle Stuart laughed. "Heard that one before!"

"Shut up, Stuart!" Soy frowned.

"Allow me to demonstrate, gents!" Curzon wiggled the tap needle near a smile.

"No!" Frank stepped forward and then stopped. Curzon pierced Kitten's throat with the tiny needle. Within three seconds, her eyes drooped. Her head performed a lobe to the right. Her arms dropped. Her body shifted back against the General. He laid her on the floor since she was nothing but dead weight. Frank moved from his spot, "Give her the antidote, now." He was a physician. Chippendale wouldn't have administered a poison unless he had the antidote to awoken Kitten.

Kitten was the key to his fortune and escape of freedom from the United States.

Curzon had to flee the country, the Quartet would find him in time, tear his body limb by limb. Frank would doctor him up to let his brothers rip his body apart, again. The General could live with injuries for at least three days. Frank had already calculated with his physician's skills and accounting number's mind. Then, his brothers would torture him little by little until nothing was left but shark bait. Frank stumbled to the floor, nervous. His usual calm demeanor fried like French fries inside his brain. Kitten could die within seconds if Curzon had the wrong medicine. He touched her throat, low heart rate and non-existence pulse. "Now!" Mangrove growled. Curzon smiled, dropped to one knee, pressing another tiny tap needle to Kitten's neck on her throat. Frank continued to monitor her vital signs. Heart beat increasing. Pulse thumps were three times faster. He exhaled. "Thank God."

"Actually, you should thank me." Curzon smiled with a nod.

Frank reacted with his voice. "I should..."

"Frank!" Soy yelled while stopping Frank's insult.

Frank stood, moving from Kitten concerned the insane elder man might carry out another threat to her biological life form.

Curzon grabbed Kitten lifting her from the floor. She was unconscious.

Soy noted. "She's out."

Uncle Franklin informed the confused Quartet. "The combination of an injected poison and antidote caused her brain cells to shut down, allowing the body to recuperate. Kitten's fine, just sleeping. She'll be full conscious in about 45 minutes to an hour that would be my educated guess."

Curzon smiled. "Excellent diagnosis, Mangrove!"

Soy warned. "If she's doesn't awaken..."

Curzon grinned. "Sleeping beauty will, just like the fairy tale. Now, gents, don't try to follow, tail or maneuver me into another game. You'll not like the consequences."

Uncle Bartholomew nodded. "We heard your demands. We'll follow your instructions to the letter."

Uncle Franklin nodded. "The money will be at the park on Monday at two sharp."

"Good! You do listen. Bye, gents." Curzon shifted Kitten to his arms like he was cradling a baby, wrapping the soft white blanket over her head. He left through the billet which trailed off into another side door to the back of the church used by the chorus for entering the chapel auditorium.

The Quartet stood quiet, shifting feet, slapping hands and cursing softly. They waited until the General had backed out the door, then the door closed before they reacted.

Tom had been subdued by Stu, wrestling his lean lanky body against Gage's heavy muscular form and long strong legs the entire time Kitten was being held hostage by Curzon.

Stu was tired and exhausted from the struggle of holding Tom at bay.

Tom easily popped his long arms out and up causing the bone weary Stu to step backward and fold outward, allowing Sawyer to escape the secure tight gripe.

Sawyer jumped forward toward the church's billet door after Kitten with the hard intent of killing Curzon with his bare hands for harming his baby sister.

Frank reacted swiftly, leaping three feet from his parked position, tackling Tom in a side maneuver like a Dolphin defensive end.

Tom and Frank hit the floor, together.

Tom screamed out loud while kicking on each body part, beating Frank with a pair of flinging legs and arms, without success. "Damn you, Mangrove! Get off of me! Go and save Kitten, ya fucking..."

Uncle Stuart moved ahead and assisted Frank, reaching out, grabbing Tom by the grey morning suit collar. He lifted Tom up from the floor while interrupting the famous string of loud curse words coming from Tom's parted lips, "Stay! Sit, Thomas."

"No one's going or doing anything. Curzon's crazy." Uncle Franklin ordered to both the old and young Quartet. "The poison's real. Kitten could die within minutes if he pulls that trick again."

"Franklin's correct. We stay here. We cancel the wedding. We wait for Monday at 2 p.m." Soy added to Uncle Franklin's sensible command.

"Dad." Tom yelled with angry, worry and disappointment, dancing in Uncle Stuart's arms.

"Thomas, I'll beat the shit out of Curzon if I could. I can't. Kitten could die. I couldn't live with that, son." Soy explained with pained regret and deep emotional worry for his daughter, the new love of life.

Tom panted breathes in and out with fury, shifting his leathers on the tile floor.

Uncle Stuart continued to hold Tom by the collar, shirt and neck, in case, young Sawyer tried to flee and then rescue his baby sister. "Thomas!" Gage, Junior growled into the ear of Tom.

"What?" Tom exhaled with worry.

"You must abide with our decision, Thomas." Uncle Stuart shook Tom in the air as he continued to hold Tom by the collar like a puppy dog.

Tom stopped fidgeting, crossing both of his arms, speaking with a defiant air. "Fine! Monday at two! but the asshole's mine. I kill him. Got it."

Uncle Bartholomew injected. "We'll have to draw sticks on that task, Thomas."

"Nope! I got the bastard first." Uncle Edison spoke with revenge as each skull nodded up and down in silence.

Uncle Bartholomew nodded. "Soy, he gets first blood."

Uncle Franklin growled. "Only if, you promise not to kill him, Soy, just wound him gently, so we can each get a strike."

"Agreed!" Soy accepted the compromise.

Uncle Bartholomew nodded. "Who's going to tell the wedding director?"

Soy gasped. "Shit fire. Who's going to tell Martha?"

"Holy crap!" Uncle Bartholomew frowned.

Soy smiled. "Thomas, go and tell your mother what happened to Kitten! I'll go and cancel the wedding with the guests."

Uncle Franklin frowned. "What are you going to say to the crowded church, Soy?"

Uncle Stuart laughed. "The bastard ran off. We can't find him."

Uncle Bartholomew pointed down to the bloody dead body. "The asswipe is bleeding all over the clean floor, Stuart."

"Not for long, I called in 'clean-up crew.' Stu laughed with a nod.

"What are you going to do with the body, Stu?" Uncle Franklin frowned down at the bleeding body.

"Shark bait." Stu nodded with a grin

"Someone might be looking for him." Uncle Bartholomew laughed.

"What for?" Uncle Stuart frowned.

"He's a star." Franklin laughed.

Soy laughed. "He's a falling star, a washed up military pilot. His own father..."

"...shot him for money to flee the USA. He ain't calling nobody here in Miami." Stu pointed to the door with a sour frown.

"Right, Stu!" Bartholomew nodded.

Soy addressed. "Our people will clean this mess up. For now, let's go home. I need a drink."

Tom asked with earnest permission since the elder Band of Brothers didn't like their orders questioned or disobeyed even from a worried and frustrated young Sawyer, who was still held in the air by the collar from the strong arm of Uncle Stuart. "Can't we try to locate Curzon, rescue Kitten, Dad?"

Soy explained with a tender timber to his son, motioning for Gage to release his calm son, patting his shoulder. "Thomas, this is a very dangerous plan. Curzon will be expecting us to pull off some type of rescue."

Tom commented with deep painful emotions of worry and revenge, crossing his arms over his chest like he was pouting. "I don't wanna disappoint the asshole."

"I know how you feel. If there was a sure fire way, I'll attempt a rescue plan, myself, Thomas." Soy relayed his painful emotions of worry and revenge to Tom and the Quartet, hugging his son for reassurance of the Quartet decision.

Tom voiced with worry. "I don't like him being alone with Kitten, even for a few hours."

"Kitten is completely unconscious from the administrated antidote. She won't cause Curzon trouble. He will not harm her." Uncle Franklin nodded and repeated her medical condition.

"The bastard isn't sick. He's greedy." Uncle Stuart nodded while reassuring the brothers of Kitten's safety.

Uncle Bartholomew nodded. "I concur. He shot his adopted son Chip, because the man had nasty intentions. Curzon couldn't control his son."

"You can't control a rabid dog, Bartholomew." Soy commented.

"Yeah! Ya shoot it. Problem solved." Uncle Stuart summarized.

Stu announced the older Band of Brothers. "We got guns, guards and guts to find Kitten. We can do stealth and silent like."

"You too, Stu!" Uncle Stuart turned to view his son, Stuart Thant Gage, III.

Stu expressed. "I can't sit here, Dad. I can't stand by and wait..."

Frank explained. "Two damn fucking days. That's an eternity, Father."

"Frank, you're a physician. You better than anyone in this room understands poisons and its affects on the human body. Kitten will die." Uncle Franklin lectured his physician trained son and the other young members of the Quartet who wanted to do some asinine rescue attempt.

Tom remarked creating a simple plan. "Curzon wants the money. Bring a sack full of 100's just like Santa Claus in exchange for Kitten."

"Are you certain?" Uncle Bartholomew asked.

"If that bastard hurts her...?" Tom continued.

"Already did." Stu noted.

"If she's touched, again, he's dead. He'll be hunted until the end of the Earth." Frank stated with fury and revenge..."

To the end of time," Stu growled.

Uncle Stuart countered. "Boys, we got time."

"Time and patience. We got him. But we have got to follow his instructions." Soy ordered.

"Dad?" Tom whined.

Soy frowned. "Thomas, follow my orders!"

"Dad?" Stu sneered.

Uncle Franklin laughed. "Talk about a generation gap!"

Uncle Stuart laughed. "The old Quartet, stay and pray."

"The new Quartet, pain and more pain." Stu laughed with revenge while placing both bare hands around Curzon's pale neck, choking the air from his esophagus.

"I'll glad ya'll asswipes find this amusing and entertaining. I don't. If you're afraid to fight, stay here at the church and pray for Kitten because I'm trailing this asshole, getting my baby sister back, now." Tom placed one foot toward the billet door, again.

Uncle Stuart grabbed Tom by the collar, quickly before he bolted out of the church. "I told ya sit and stay, boy. Don't make me mad?"

Frank and Stu encircled their baby brother, Tom. Stu spoke for his pissed off brothers. "Tom's correct. We got money which buys lots of insight, information and irritation."

Soy instructed. "Sons, the answer is, no. I want all of you home, now."

Uncle Franklin added. "We're going have to baby sit the youngsters, Soy."

Uncle Bartholomew continued. "Tell their mothers, they won't leave the house for a week."

Uncle Franklin complimented. "Great idea, Bartholomew."

Uncle Stuart quoted. "Moms know best."

Tom pointed his finger at his father, announcing to the Quartet. "When Mom finds out you chicken shitted on this assignment, she's going to beat your ass, Dad."

"Quiet, Thomas!" Uncle Franklin threatened the young pup.

Soy countered, fingering his son. "When Martha finds out Kitten could die in three seconds, she's going to lock you in your room, Thomas."

"Dad!" Tom whined.

"No." Soy frowned.

"Tom?" Uncle Bartholomew nodded with a smile.

Tom grinned. "Yes."

"Dad!" Stu frowned.

"No." Uncle Stuart frowned.

"Stu?" Uncle Bartholomew nodded with a smile.

"Yes." Stu grinned.

"Father?" Frank exhaled.

"No." Uncle Franklin frowned.

"Frank?" Uncle Bartholomew nodded with a smile.

Frank smiled. "Yes sir."

"What's your decision, Austin?" His father, Austin Bartholomew Berrington, III calmly asked the opinion of his son, the leader of the young, bold and daring Quartet.

Austin stood from the chair like a king, straightening his morning coat, clearing his throat, smirking. The bickering brothers turned to stare at him, "Gentlemen."

Tom moaned, whining with stunned surprise. "Shit. Austin's done something."

"Why do you say that, Thomas?" Uncle Franklin asked.

"The self-imposed fuckingly grin on his stupid face." Tom stared at his brother with both, envy and pride.

Austin was the leader of the Quartet for one reason. He was always prepared.

"Austin!" Soy inquired.

"Stu, may I borrow your laptop?" Austin requested.

Stu jogged and retrieved the computer bag from the billet room, lifting the light weight machine onto the table. He booted the program while brothers and uncles gathered around the table to observe the screen.

"Set." Stu acknowledged.

"Please punch in the numbers 8. 13. 18. 60. 90." Austin ordered, watching Stu work the keyboard.

"Done!" Stu finished the numerical sequence.

The computer program, originally designed by Stu, automatically accessed a virtual map on the screen displaying the city of Miami and outlining small township shown as parallel and perpendicular lines and crosses for intersections. Located on the upper screen, which represented by the northeastern side of the city map, there was a bright red pin prick light blinking on and off.

"Kitten." Austin pointed, smirking in amusement. He moved away from the tables as his family crowded around the small computer in silent, staring at the circle of light, flicking off and on.

"Explain?" Soy ordered.

"Kitten enjoys wearing bows in her hair." Austin started the story.

"Know that." Tom remarked with anxiety. He wanted Austin to get to the point where Kitten was located and how he accomplished that feat.

"In weddings, a bride receives tradition gifts to ward off superstition. Something old. Something blue. Something borrowed...." Austin expanded his story.

"Something new." Tom completed the rhyme, feeling impatient and more anxious.

"I gave Kitten a new, tiny, girly hair bow for my wedding present. She is wearing the precious gift in her hair at this moment." Austin elaborated with a stern face.

"Her bow is made of diamonds." Frank, the gemologist noted with a stern face.

"Actually, a finely cut single crafted thirteen-carat diamond shaped similar to a little girl's barrette."

"You added a navigational system inside the diamond." Stu frowned. "No. That's impossible."

Austin smiled. "The devise is encased inside the steel clip which is attached to the great big diamond."

"Brilliant, Austin!" Frank complimented.

"So we're actually tracking her movement along with Curzon's route." Uncle Stuart pointed, monitoring the computer screen of the blinking dot.

"Yes, the blip represents Kitten's hair bow." Austin told with a calmed, controlled fatherly tone to baritone timber.

"Will Curzon remove it?" Uncle Bartholomew asked.

Soy remarked. "I personally doubt it. That's why he made her strip just in case there was a homing device sewn into her dress."

"There was." Uncle Stuart told.

Soy added. "Know that. We placed one for an attempted kidnap plot."

Uncle Bartholomew remarked. "There was?"

"Her shoes!" Soy nodded. "A bug bot was there also."

Uncle Stuart frowned. "He pulled her shoes off when he lifted her to leave the room. Son of a bitch, he knew the plan."

Uncle Franklin laughed. "She was to be her future father-in-law."

"Her bra?" Uncle Bartholomew frowned.

Soy frowned. "She wasn't wearing one."

"Her...?" Uncle Bartholomew frowned.

Tom growled. "You're getting a little personal there, man."

Uncle Bartholomew frowned. "Sorry! Forget it!"

Stu pointed down at the laptop with a smile. "Austin's bow is functioning along with his brain cells."

Tom clapped with a smile as he moved towards the billet door. "Great. We can get her before lunch."

Austin growled. "No."

Tom whined. "Fuck you, Austin."

Austin explained to the Band of Brothers in detail his stalled reasoning. "Curzon's expecting us. He'll be waiting and watching for the Quartet to attack him. Kitten's unconscious like Uncle Franklin told. She's safe and sound. I believe Curzon. He'll not harm Kitten. He wants only the money. So, we patiently watch and wait."

"Watch and wait for what?" Uncle Bartholomew frowned.

Austin growled. "Night, the still of the night."

Tom laughed. "We attack."

Stu laughed. "We kill."

"Kill him," Austin sneered.

Frank nodded. "Before Curzon retaliates on us like the crazed killer that he is. The man killed his own son, his own adopted son, a live human being in cold blood. So, Curzon will kill Kitten, if you decide to ruse or abuse or use him."

Soy nodded "I agree with Frank."

Tom smiled. "Sorry, Dad. You don't get the final blow."

Soy expressed with eagerness and excitement. "I'm coming!"

"Forget it, Soy. We're not tagging along. This is the next generation thing. We will be backup. Do you have another van for us?" Uncle Stuart inquired.

Stu nodded with a smile. "Yes, Dad. You're always welcome to play backup for the youngsters."

"Fine! I'm in, too." Uncle Bartholomew expressed.

"Don't forget my services." Uncle Franklin volunteered.

Uncle Bartholomew ordered as the leader of the old Quartet. "Soy, go tell the guests dipshit's M.I.A."

Soy smiled. "Right, Bartholomew." He said to his son. "Thomas, go tell the women."

"Why me?" Tom asked.

Soy laughed, "Because, your mom likes you best."

"She does." Tom grinned.

"He's lying, Tom." Stu teased.

Soy explained. "She's your baby sister."

Tom left the anteroom with a smile to relay the news to his mom and his Quartet aunts, "Damn right and proud of it too!"

City of North Miami Beach

Retail shop property owner General Curzon Chippendale

Heated night of bright stars and four miles-per-hour winds

9:09 p.m.

The two service vans painted white with red blurring letters read South Florida Mobile Telephone Company.

The full size vehicle exhibited exposed ladders, tool boxes, fire extinguishers and sealed and locked working cabinets on the outside of the truck, appearing to be out around the town, repairing any type of electrical equipment for a house, shop, or office. The business transport could've been used by electricians, plumbers, carpenters, utility workers or painters.

For the show case tonight, the vehicle was a telecommunications repair truck parked two blocks from Curzon's privately rented small business retail shop located in a small corner of North Miami Beach, away from the hustle and bustle of South Beach, hotels and restaurants.

Inside one of the twin vans, the Quartet wore black clothes consisting of high turtlenecks, noiseless trousers tucked into black government military boots. Utility belts around the waist lines housed the Ghost, one knife, a taser, rope and a small first aid kit for an emergency medical patch to human skin.

"Here. She's here. See the thermo guide." Stu pointed, studying the rotating computer radar equipped in the van, the antenna aimed at the small retail store, bouncing back the microwaves from the G.P.S. device Austin had installed in Kitten's diamond hair bow.

Soy frowned at the screen. "Asshole's in the other room, probably sleeping."

"He's drunk." Uncle Bartholomew nodded.

"Doubt it." Uncle Franklin frowned. "He is dreaming about his 100 mill."

Uncle Stuart laughed. "Which he won't ever get?"

Soy nodded. "Agreed. Curzon is relaxed. We haven't disturbed his peace. He's comfortable, secured which is the right time to attack when unaware."

Austin exhaled. "What about the condition of Kitten?"

Uncle Franklin explained her current medical condition based on his vast clinical experience. "She's sleeping. The antidote would have made her tired, maybe a little nausea. So, be careful with her."

Austin ordered the only one command to the Quartet. "Only kill him."

Frank clarified with blood thirsty tone. "Don't ya mean, only wound him."

Austin re-stated, calmly, clarifying the single command. "No, only kill, quick and swiftly," he laughed with the others. Austin explained the single command to his brothers. "I don't want a mess, or cops."

"Got it, boss!" Stu snorted with anticipation.

Tom laughed, holding the Ghost in the air, waving it like the American flag. "Hold up! I get that fucking honor."

Frank noted with insult. "You're the worst shooter in the Quartet."

"I'm not." Tom countered.

Stu added to the insult. "Ya might shoot me by mistake, Tom."

"Gawd! I couldn't miss your big black ass with a long range cannon, Stu."

Frank snatched the Ghost from Tom's hand while Stu distracted his attention. "Then, you'll hit me by mistake. I don't possess a big black ass," he laughed with the others.

"Hey! Give it back, Mangrove." Tom reached around Frank's muscular body, trying unsuccessfully to grab his Ghost.

"Here." Stu handed a different weapon to Tom. "Taser. Zap his balls!"

Tom took the new weapon, complaining. "I get the kill. Dad?" Sawyer whined with an irritating baby tone.

"No, Thomas! Stu's correct. I have noted you're the worse marksman of the both Quartets. I'm more concerned you hitting your own brothers, not Curzon." Soy concluded, chuckling, patting his distraught son on the shoulders.

"Dad?" Tom whined like a whipped pup.

Austin announced, smirking. "I'll get Kitten. You, three, take care of business. Don't zap anyone, Tom."

"Dad?" Tom whined, again.

Soy pulled Tom out the door of the van. "Go boys. Hurry!" He ordered, checking the outside area for policemen, witnesses or by-passers.

The black wraiths trotted by tippy toes, out of the side door of the van into the still of evening as the older Band of brothers waited patiently and watched on the radar and out the tiny port windows of the service truck.

"She's fine." Uncle Franklin comforted his deeply concerned brother, Soy.

"Know that. Just worried." Soy answered, viewing the boys breaking the lock of the sealed door in the small shop.

"It's almost over. Thank God, Austin's brilliant." Uncle Franklin mentioned with relieve.

Kitten will be in safe arms in a few more minutes. Austin, Tom, Stu and Frank won't let anyone harm their baby sister.

"Thank you." Uncle Bartholomew greeted.

"What for Bartholomew?" Uncle Franklin chimed.

"I raised him that way." Uncle Bartholomew addressed with pride and joy of a father for his son, Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV.

"Austin's brilliant on his own by Almighty God's hand, not yours, Bartholomew." Uncle Franklin explained, chuckling.

"He's my blood. My genes. My flesh," Uncle Bartholomew countered.

"Enough, pups!" Uncle Stuart yelled at the old brothers. "They're in. See the blue dots on the screen."

Inside the interior walls of the identified retail shop setting, the open space was set up for an office environment housing with closed doors for two private workplaces in the rear of the 1,100 square foot empty building. The shop was wedged between an alley and a dance studio.

_Very ingenious,_ Austin thought to himself.

The dance company provided music and distraction from Curzon's private business affairs.

Austin wondered if the old man still was a spy for the U.S. government, another government, or maybe for his own pleasure.

Didn't matter! The elder guy had messed with the wrong Americans.

The Quartet hated traitors to the American people, worse than they hated drug peddles. Both deserved death, instantaneously death.

The row of large windows held a set of thick old clothed styled blinds for keeping out the heat and nosy visitors. The access point by the front door was easy to pick and open since there wasn't an active alarm system. The only furniture in the combined lobby, reception, and shop area was an old ratty chair, a beat up side metal table with a wood lamp minus the lamp shade, and a stack of reading magazines scattered on the floor with a portable cell phone laying on top.

The wraiths floated inside the dark room.

Austin ignored the commotion in the far corner while Frank, Stu and Tom attacked the sleeping ball of blubber in the red lounge chair. Berrington snorted too softly for his eardrums only. "Didn't your mama teach you, not to mess with the Quartet? Too bad! Too late! Too dumb!" He laughed quietly again as he jogged silently to the first door, twisted the knob open.

Empty!

Kitten was in the second office.

Austin leaped to the door, jerking the knob off the handle.

The small office was decorated white with no windows. The outer street occupied the west side of the building, not a good selling view for a business. The room was dark and quiet.

Austin flipped the single light switch on the wall. The illusion shown the only piece of furniture was a single twin bed mattress without a bed frame, bed railings, a bedspread. He saw pink flat sheet stretched over the mattress with a pink curved blanket on top.

"Kitten!" Austin whispered, galloping to the ball of pink, gently pulled the twisted cover away from the back of her head.

"Go away!" Kitten called with angry, not turning to face him.

"Kitten, Austin." He softly whispered bending down into her ear.

"Austin." She turned, speaking at the same time. Kitten's face was red and swollen but she was alert, awoke. Her smile twinkled with her silver eyes at him.

Austin's heart melted with joy and relief. Kitten was safe, alive, and unharmed. Austin wrapped his strong arms around her curved body, kissed her lips, then spoke, quickly. "It's alright, baby. No one's going to harm you, precious. I promise."

"Austin." She purred, kissed him back, quickly, hugging his neck, not wanting to leave his warm touch.

"Allow me to cover you, baby, I don't want you to see the mess in the next room. Okay?"

"Okay?" Kitten agreed.

"Good girl." Austin re-wrapped the blanket around Kitten, draping the pink over her pretty head. He realized she had seen death before but this was different.

Curzon wanted to harm her by hurting the entire Quartet. He almost succeeded.

Austin didn't want her to be reminded of the ugly scene outside.

Tom, Frank and Stu had viciously torn Curzon's body apart, ripping limbs, guts, organs and anything else they could tear apart with their bare hands, sharp knives leaving the hanging exposed bone eaten up by the sharp razor blades from their Ghosts.

Austin didn't have to see the picture with his mind to understand. He could smell the blood, burned flesh and death riding the air waves of the shop. He snickered.

Austin lifted Kitten into his arms, carrying her body into the open darken space. He didn't have to issue retreat orders.

The pups were finished with the slawder, wiping down the weapons with rags from the floor, laughing and snorting at the productive task.

Tom stowed his gear, quickly, galloping to Austin, calling. "Give her to me."

Austin surrendered his precious package.

Tom wasn't relenting the command until he was holding and protecting his baby sister in his arms. "Kitten, are you alright?"

"Yes, Tom." Kitten answered hidden in the pink fluff.

"Roll out." Austin quoted his famous line.

Frank and Stu chuckled, grunted and slapped each other as they moved to the awaiting limos, exiting the retail shop.

Uncle Franklin and Soy were standing beside the white limousine, motioning for Tom and Frank to enter.

Austin realized Uncle Franklin wanted to perform a quick medical check on Kitten for cuts, or bruises.

Tom rushed to his Dad with the pink wrapped Kitten.

Edison smiled, lifted the tent to see Kitten's face. Soy talked to her as he held her in his arms while Tom entered the back of the limo along with Frank.

"How do you feel Kitten?" Uncle Franklin asked.

She whispered and touched her aching face from sleep and worry. "My head hurts, Uncle Franklin."

"That is an antidote effect. Your aches and pains will diminish and then leave your body by tomorrow morning." Uncle Franklin explained.

"Okay." Kitten stated.

"Kitten, did he hurt you?" Soy asked.

"No, Daddy."

"Thank you, God Almighty!" Soy exhaled with worry and slid down into seat of the limo, sitting next to his daughter.
Sunday November 14th

Home of Tom and Jane

City of Coral Beach

Hot temperatures with parted clouds of sunlight

and two miles-per-hour westerly winds

Kitchen setting

9:09 a.m.

Kitten had slept peacefully through the night. Her tummy had flopped and flipped but she didn't vomit. Uncle Franklin had told her as the antidote was wearing off she might experience some nausea. She had awakened to the bright sunny day, missing her morning stroll on the beach. She opted for additional rest and relaxation after the ordeal of yesterday morning, afternoon, and night.

Kitten bathed and dressed, meandering down the steps to the kitchen. She was hungry, also.

She was too excited about getting married and then she was too excited about getting kidnapped, again. She couldn't eat from too much excitement.

When Kitten entered the kitchen, big brother, Thomas Edison Sawyer, III immediately leaped from the breakfast dining chair into her open arms. "Kitten, how are you feeling, baby sister? Are you injured? Do you need me to get Frank? He called this morning asking if you were up. Are feeling sick? Do you want to go the emergency room?"

"Everyone called this morning." Jane relayed to Kitten, standing next to her at the breakfast table.

"That's so nice. I'm fine. I feel better. I'm not sick. My head stopped hurting. I didn't vomit. I didn't need to go to the emergency room. I just want to stay and rest."

"Frank's instructions to the letter. Rest, relax and try to eat something." Tom explained in detail.

He was going to contact Frank and move his ass to examine Kitten this morning before they want to work at the office to finish the legal contracts.

"Are you hungry?" Jane asked, pointing to the counter filled with a breakfast buffet.

"Very much so." Kitten told, smiling.

"That's a good sign. Kitten's back to her old self." Jane complimented, grabbing a plate for her sister.

"Almost." Kitten mentioned.

Tom stopped her from moving forward toward the buffet, hugging Kitten so tight with his strong arms she couldn't breathe. "I'm so sorry, baby sister. I was an asshole, please try to forgive me, Kitten."

"Thomas, you're not. There's nothing to forgive. You're very loving and kind to me. You were protecting me like a big brother should do. I appreciate that. I love you more deeply than yesterday."

"God! Thank you. I was so worried you would be mad at me for the rest of my life for interfering with your life." Tom proclaimed, smiling and kissing her cheek with love and relief.

"Never. I could never be that way with you. You show me love and support every second of the day like a true brother. You're my family. You're my big brother. I love you, Thomas, always and forever. Thank you for saving me."

"Saving you..." Tom let the words linger in the air, hugging her again, then, releasing, guiding her to the breakfast table.

Kitten noted the sour expression on Tom's face. He wasn't happy with that statement. "What's wrong, Thomas?"

Jane suggested. "You need to eat Kitten to build up your strength from the antidote. How about eggs, toast?" She placed the food items on a plate at her seat on the table.

"Yes, please." Kitten agreed.

Tom escorted her arm and arm to table pulling the chair out for his baby sister, asking in a soft tenor. "Do you want to talk to Jace about the...incident?"

"No, not really. I was unharmed. I fell asleep from the drug in the tap needle. I didn't really awake until later in the night. If I had to guess, it might've been around nine or so."

"Curzon?"

"He was quiet. The room was quiet. Maybe, he was asleep. I wasn't going to bother him. I had a slight headache which I figured was from the drug in the needle. What was that?"

"He gave you a poison."

"A poison?"

"Don't worry? Frank recognized it. Curzon administered the antidote the next second under Frank's watchful eye. Frank monitored your recovery at the church."

"I understand why the rescue took so long, later in the evening. You were afraid he might poke my neck with the needle, again."

"Damn straight. We were scared to death for your safety. The man was crazy, Kitten."

"That's an understatement."

"Chip?"

"Don't ask! Don't tell!"

"Roger will co." Kitten acknowledged, giggling.

Tom and Jane laughed, together.

"I like her thinking just a like a man." Jane commented.

"Just like her big strong brave brother." Kitten complimented, punching Tom's arm with a silly grin.

Tom punched his baby sister back, gently thumping her arm, chuckling. He was so happy to have his sibling home safe and sound. She wouldn't attend any future event without his escort and protection, especially with men.

Kitten ate as Jane and Tom entertained her with some of the funny jokes and silly antics the Quartet told at the cancelled wedding reception. The biggest joke tattled to each of the naïve and unsuspecting guests was that Captain Crunch was M.I.A., missing in action.

The Quartet said Captain Chip skipped town with another girl since Daddy threatened to kill him in cold blood.

People laughed. People eat and drink. People want home.

Tom continued the fairy tale explaining the rescue mission in detail.

Austin, Stu, Tom and Frank used one of the service vans as a ploy sitting in front of the small office building to monitor and scout Kitten's hidden position with General Curzon Chippindale sleeping inside.

Austin implanted a tiny G.P.S. device inside the silver clasp of Kitten's bridal hair bow without anyone's knowledge. The bow blipped her position onto the satellite dish, identifying her at Curzon's private office space in uptown North Miami Beach.

Austin had lead and ordered the rescue at night, since Curzon had secured with honor of the Quartet gentlemen that she would be ransomed on Monday afternoon as planned at two in the afternoon in Hammonds Park of Coral Gables.

Austin saved Kitten's life for a second time. He was a force of nature.

Kitten noted Austin has saved her life, two times, already.

Kitten guessed that was why she loves him so much. They mash together, so fine.

Kitten got captured and then Austin saved her.

Kitten hinted to Austin earlier about her desire for him. She thought it was time the Quartet both, new and old, knew how she really felt about Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth.

Great room setting

11:46 a.m.

Jane and Kitten sat quietly in the great room as servants whisked around with trays of food, drinks, and plates.

"Are we having a party, Jane?" Kitten asked with amusement.

"This is a family Powwow." Jane answered, sipping on her cool drink.

"Powwow? That's Indian talk for a meeting." Kitten recognized the informal meeting.

"Right." Jane acknowledged but not giving any more details of the future gathering.

Tom was occupied, talking on the landline phone near the pool table, then yelling, then talking. "No...yes...not that file...yes...no..." he exhaled. "Looky! I can't leave now. I'll there after lunch...don't touch anything." He slammed the receiver shut. "Damn."

Jane crossed the room, comforting her distraught husband, "Tom, sit down, relax, sweetheart."

Tom exhaled. "I'm leaving after the meeting. I got to finish the contracts for the Saudis, or the deal will die with the Japs."

"Recruit Austin, Stu and Frank to help you. I insist." Jane ordered with authority.

He nodded. "We're all are going to the office. I need everyone."

Kitten smiled. "I'll help too."

He exhaled. "Kitten!"

Kitten frowned. "Please, Thomas! I need something to do. I can copy, type, write, print, spit, burp, fart..."

Tom roared a hardy laugh, "Kitten!" He walked over and hugged her. "You're a joy to me. Fine! But don't fart in my office, it smells bad enough with the shitty piles of Saudi turds."

She giggled. "I promise. I'll only fart outside your office, Tom."

Tom laughed out loud. "She's got the Sawyer wit."

"Like brother, like sister!" Jane nodded with a smile.

The set of double doors burst open admitting people, two by twos, and one by ones. The great room inside Tom's mansion quickly filled with the biological family clans coming from the Berringtons, the Sawyers, the Gages and the Mangroves.

"Sit down!" Soy announced with a loud voice as the crowd settled into an empty spot somewhere on the furniture.

"Does our daddy run the family Powwow?" Kitten asked sitting next to Tom as her official protector.

"Not usually, but this is his meeting." Tom informed.

"This meeting is about me, isn't it?" Kitten guessed.

"No."

"Yes."

Tom faked a smile. "No."

"Yes, it is." She frowned.

"Looky, Kitten! This family meeting is really an apology to you. Our dad is going to humble himself to you and the Quartet." Tom exhaled with a set of short-term painful memories of murder, kidnapping and death that almost happened to his baby sister, instead it happened to her kidnapper.

"Why?"

"He was wrong for interfering in your life." Tom whispered.

"You did also." Kitten reminded.

"I thought you weren't going to forget that bad mistake, baby sister." Tom whined.

"Just joshing you a little." Kitten teased, smiling, punching her brother's arm like two siblings having fun during dinner.

"This is good meeting." Tom expressed and smiled.

"Do we have these often?" Kitten inquired with curiosity.

"In the good ole days, we did. When we each got married, get the business running, get into trouble, incidents like that..." Tom explained.

"I see. The older Band of Brothers is similar to a council." Kitten concluded.

"Yeah! Good analogy. They are similar to an elite council of talented Teles." Tom laughed.

Kitten laughed, pronouncing the funny word, "What is a Tele?"

"Are you not a science fiction fan?" Tom laughed.

"Afraid not." Kitten informed.

"Then, I'll have to teach you something new."

"I'm always open to learning something new." She nodded and punched his arm.

"Good!" He smiled.

Soy yelled. "Attention! May I have your attention to me, please?" The room went silent. He smiled. "Thank you. My dearest and beloved brothers and sisters, I want to take this short moment in my long years of life to apology to someone who is very special and dearly deeply loved in my old heart ..."

Uncle Franklin frowned. "Get to the point, Soy!"

Soy exhaled with disappointment. "I was wrong..."

"An asshole, that is the more appropriate term to use, Soy." Uncle Franklin nodded.

"Shut up, Franklin!" Uncle Bartholomew laughed.

Soy corrected. "I was an asshole. Are you happy now, Franklin?"

Uncle Stuart nodded with a grin. "A fucking asshole..."

"Shut up, Stuart!" Uncle Bartholomew laughed.

"Kitten, sweetheart." Soy walked over and hugged his daughter with all his strength and love. His face was wet with tears. "I am so deeply sorry for my recklessness..."

"Daddy!" Kitten touched his shoulders, comforting her new loving Father.

"Can you ever forgive me?" Soy asked in sweet tone.

"Forgiven, Daddy!" Kitten announced to the Quartet, smiling and hugging her Daddy.

"Thank God! Let's eat." Uncle Stuart announced, standing for the chow line to start.

"Wait, we're not finished." Uncle Franklin informed.

"Kitten, it's your turn." Uncle Bartholomew told.

"I don't understand. My turn?" Kitten expressed with puzzlement.

"In our Powwow, the villain gets redeemed. The victim gets even." Uncle Bartholomew announced.

Uncle Stuart frowned. "That's not right, Bartholomew."

"Yes, it is." Uncle Bartholomew disagreed.

"Shut up, Stuart!" Soy frowned.

"No, it's not." Uncle Franklin argued.

"Shut up, Franklin!" Soy exhaled.

Uncle Franklin smiled. "Yes, it is."

"Shut the fuck up, everyone one." Tom rose, yelling at the top of healthy lungs.

"Manners, Thomas!" His mother Martha corrected.

"Not with this fucking group!" Stu laughed.

"A new learned behavior, Stu?" Aunt Barbara, Stu's mother frowned.

"Yeah, I learneth from Tom." Stu laughed and pointed at Sawyer, the third.

"Listen up! Kitten has something to say to all of us." Tom announced, turning to his baby sister.

"I do." Kitten spoke.

"You do. Say it!" Tom encouraged her.

"Do you, sweetheart?" Her new mother Martha asked sweetly.

"Well, I have been doing some thinking." Kitten exhaled.

"Good ahead, princess! This is your family. Don't keep any secrets!" Soy encouraged.

"What secrets?" Uncle Bartholomew asked.

"She's does have any secrets?" Uncle Franklin commented.

"She's too young for secrets." Uncle Stuart added.

"Good on, Kitten." Soy motioned with his hand.

"Well, I do have a secret that I want to share." Kitten smiled.

"You do?" Soy questioned.

"Damn! This is going to be a great family Powwow. We have them once per week." Uncle Bartholomew spoke.

"Lemme guess!" Uncle Stuart commented.

"Shut up, Stuart!" Soy frowned.

"I want to guess." Uncle Stuart commented, again in a louder voice.

"Shut up, Stuart!" Soy yelled. "Go ahead, Kitten!" He encouraged his daughter to talk to her new family with her new secrets.

"First, I'll pick my own husband." Kitten instructed.

"Agreed." Soy answered.

"Second, I'll pick my own wedding day." Kitten dictated.

"Agreed." Soy repeated.

"Third, I'm in love." Kitten announced, smiling, holding her arms around her body, pretending to hug her man.

"What the fuck?" Tom jumped off sofa. "No! No! No!" Sawyer seemed to know exactly what his sister was going to say like he was a Tele that could read her mind.

"Who, Kitten?" Soy asked.

"No! It is not possible, ya'll!" Tom shook his head back and forth, lecturing and holding her arm wanting Kitten to stop talking and sit down for the next topic of discussion for the Pow Wow, the selling of Quartet Associates.

"Sit down, Tom!" Frank ordered. The physician was guessing he knew the person Kitten was going to tell them about.

"Who are you in love with, Kitten?" Soy, her concerned father asked with a tense voice.

Tom continued to shake his head in a negative manner "No. Don't say it."

"Quiet, Tom." Stu ordered.

"Say it, Kitten!" Frank cheered her on, smiling with good news.

"Who is it, love?" Her new Mommy asked.

"Tell us, sweetheart." Soy was eager to hear the announcement, also.

Kitten walked from Tom to Austin.

Austin was standing lonely in the single chair, looking so seldom and tender.

Kitten loves him more than a brother. She knows Austin loves her more than a sister. She didn't have to guess how Austin would react to her announcement as she continued to smile just for him.

Austin smiled back, scooting forward in the chair, anticipating her arrival.

Kitten didn't bother to tell the family. She leaned down and kissed his lips, lightly sending hot and passionate waves down her spine.

She gently sat in his lap and giggled, telling him first. "I love you, Austin."

"Hell, no!" Tom yelled. "Pick anyone...anyone, but Austin?" He yelled and then moaned, "Holy fucking shit."

"Thomas, manners?" Martha yelled.

"Why not, Tom?" Soy asked with puzzlement and surprise.

"Shit! Austin's a babe magnet." Tom commented with envy.

"Thank you, Tom." Austin greeted.

Tom continued his rude remarks. "Shut up, Austin. I'm not finished. He attracts girls like fleas on a damn dog."

Austin threatened. "You're getting a little personal, Tom."

Tom explained to his baby sister. "Kitten, sweetheart, you are only infatuated or make-believe in love with him. That's all. Believe me! It will pass."

Frank mentioned on the side line of the active conversation. "I don't think so, Tom."

"Shut up, Frank!" Tom growled.

Frank smiled. "Austin has saved Kitten's life twice. They deserve each other."

Tom sneered. "Hell no! That's Austin damn job, he's the leader."

"Calm down, son." Soy frowned.

Tom frowned. "Dad?"

Soy smiled. "We all just agreed not to interfere in Kitten's life, anymore. She has picked. That's it. End of story."

Uncle Stuart stood upright from the sofa and clapped with a smile, moving toward kitchen. "Done! Let's eat."

Uncle Franklin stood from the sofa with his wife and moved behind Stuart toward the kitchen with laugh. "It is always food with your stomach, Gage. You're going to get fat and die of heart attack."

"Not with your little green pills, Franklin. I won't." Uncle Stuart laughed.

Uncle Franklin laughed. "Then, I just let you die, black man."

Uncle Stuart smiled and entered the kitchen archway. "Doubt it! Mary would beat the shit out of you along with Betty, your wife, and then, Martha, Barbara, Bartholomew..."

"O! I got it the team play." Uncle Franklin followed behind Stuart into the kitchen.

The voice of Uncle Stuart echoed inside the kitchen. _"Damn right and proud of it too."_

"Fuck!" Tom stood upright from the soft with Jane, looking down at the floor.

Kitten stood upright from Austin's lap. They walked and stood in front of Tom. She smiled. "Please be happy for me, Thomas."

Tom exhaled at Austin. "Kitten, I'm more than happy. I'm worried. Austin...is."

"What is it, Tom?" Kitten frowned.

Tom waved a hand with a sour frown. "Nothing!"

"I really do love Austin."

"Know that. But you haven't seen the real Austin. I have. He's different."

"I love him. He loves me. Austin will protect and take care of me."

"Just give you and him time. Okay? Don't get married on tomorrow."

She smiled. "I won't, Tom."

"Promise me?"

She nodded. "I promise."

"No elopement."

She grinned. "No, Tom. I would never lie to you, you're my big brother."

"All right, baby sister, I believe you. I trust and I love you."

Kitten smiled. "Thank you for being a little understanding."

Tom exhaled with a nod. "Hell, I don't understand, but I can be patient at least for a little while."

Jane hugged Kitten, and then spoke to Austin. "Good choice, sweetheart."

"Thanks, Jane!" Austin smiled at Jane and then softly sneered at Tom.

Jane turned to stare at her husband, then Austin, Frank and Stu. "Tom is needed at the office, now. Get moving, all of you! I don't want my husband stress, stained and struggling with the sell. Get your asses in the office and help him, or you'll be worrying more about me than Tom."

Stu shouted with a smile. "Yes ma'am." Stu and Gracie pulled up and stood beside Austin with grins.

"Congratulations, Kitten and Austin! When is the wedding date?" Frank smiled as he and Misty Marie stopped and stood beside Gracie giving out bear hugs and kisses on the cheeks.

"Later! Much, much later." Kitten nodded with a smile.

12:59 p.m.

Great room location

Front door setting

After the hugs, the kisses, the sermons, and food plates, everyone had finished eating, standing around the table and talking, except Tom.

"Fuck!" Tom dashed away from the kitchen with worry and moved ahead toward the front door where his personal limousine was gassed and ready for another working day at the office.

Jane dashed beside her husband with worry toward the front door. "What's the problem, Tom?"

"Austin," he frowned.

"Tom! What is the office problem?"

He stopped and stood in front of the shut but unlocked door with a sour frown. "O! A new baby prince just arrived. I got to change about 8,888 places in the contracts."

Stu moved ahead with Gracie and stopped at the shut front door. "Shit! Who is inside the office, Tom?"

Tom exhaled. "The second shift legal law crew is getting off. They were there all night."

"What happened to the first shift?" Stu frowned.

Tom nodded. "They are sleeping."

"What about the third shift, Tom?" Frank frowned.

Tom slapped a chest with a fake smile. "You're looking at it."

"Holy fucking shit!" Stu gasped.

Frank laughed. "That's Tom's line."

"Holy fucking shit as created by Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third." Gage laughed.

Tom exhaled. "You got it, Stu."

Stu smiled. "Call Dad!"

"Why?" Tom frowned.

Stu nodded. "The old timers are now third shift."

"They're too old." Tom frowned. "And they'll mess everything up."

Stu smiled, "Hell no. They've love to help us," he turned and stared at his new baby sister. "Kitten, are you're coming too?"

Kitten smiled with a nod. "I promised not to fart in the office."

Frank laughed. "What did you say?"

"Do you fart often, Kitten?" He sniffed the clean air inside the room with a confused brow.

Kitten laughed. "It's a private joke between Tom and me. When is day of the sell?"

Frank smiled. "It is Tuesday afternoon at three o'clock."

Stu asked. "When are the princes of Saudi coming?"

Frank nodded. "Tonight!"

Tom exhaled. "Then, we work all night..."

Frank smiled. "The band of brothers... _"_

"And one sister," Kitten smiled.

Stu grinned. "Together in hell and high water..."

Kitten smiled. "Always and forever...."

Frank grinned. "Life and afterlife..."

Tom smiled. "All for one..."

Austin smiled "...and one for all."
Monday, November 15th

Home of Tom and Jane

Kitchen setting

10:12 a.m.

Late last night, Kitten had fallen asleep inside Tom's car. When she had awoken, Kitten had been inside her private bedroom, resting on top of the bed mattress. Tom had carried his sister up and placed her inside her room from the exhausting day of work.

She had been too exhausted to walk and think. She had not farted but copied, stamped, printed, walked, yelled, screamed, proofed, and finally typed words and words, which seemed like a hundred years had passed inside the office at Quartet Associates last night.

She had rose and then bathed, changed into a pair of pink tinted sundress and a pair of bare feet.

Her long hair slowly dried within the humid weather as she slowly walked down each wooden step, yawning, entering the kitchen space.

Jane sat at the breakfast table with a plate of food and looked up from reading the information on her mobile telephone screen. "Good morning, Kitten!"

She moved ahead and slid down into an empty chair, "Hi, Jane!"

Jane told. "Tom is at the office."

She nodded. "I should be there."

"He left specific instructions for you to stay home and rest."

"I really respect and admire Tom, Stu, Frank and Austin. They work for their paychecks. They might be billionaires, who actually do all the crunch work."

"They do indeed. I hear and read the 'Quartet Assholes.' Jane used her finger for the quotes around the insulting name. "But our boys work for every penny they get.

"It was incredible, Jane. Tom dictating orders. Austin following commands. Frank proofing. Stu marching their daddies around like little soldiers."

"For a trillion dollars."

"I don't mean the money. I believe it pride of their business. They created, developed, built and sold. I hope the new owner's as consciousness as well."

"I, too."

"I hope I can live up to being a Quartet member, Jane. Tom, Frank, Stu and Austin maintain high standards for themselves."

"Sweetheart, you have already."

"What do you mean?"

"Kidnapped twice by bad men and in one scene, you saved Austin's life."

"I just reacted."

"Without fear or panic."

"I was too afraid for Austin's well-being to be scared. I didn't want these dudes to hurt him. I would've killed one or maybe all of them if they had tried, again."

"You really love Austin."

"I do. I wasn't the type to watch T.V. programs or see celebrity shows for entertainment. I was aware of the Quartet and their wives. I just never thought I would rub shoulders with ya."

"The little farm girl finds out your one of us."

"I am. The feeling's still a little strange. But you and Tom are so kind, tender and loving people to me. I don't feel like a stranger."

"I agree with your comment. My husband, whom I love, can be an ass sometimes. You should have seen Soy, when he was in his prime. He was a double Grade A asshole. He has chilled out some. Now, they both are pair of mature and mellow fellow. Both of those men love you very much."

"Know that."

Jane laughed. "Do you realize that's a famous expression quoted by Sawyer, Junior, first?"

She gasped. "No, I didn't."

"How did you learn to say it?"

"I don't remember. I just started quoting it to people when I know something was right."

"Blood is thicker than water. An old proverb that someone started a long time ago."

"I guess."

"So, when is the wedding date?"

Kitten smiled. "Well, Austin and I didn't get to chat about the happy upcoming event yesterday in the office. Everyone was too busy. Austin was too intense. Tom was too bossy. I was too tired. We'll talk later tonight about the wedding affair."

"Don't count on it."

"Why not?"

"The Saudi dinner is being held tonight at Christie's. They aren't leaving until tomorrow morning."

"I thought they signed the contracts today."

"Yes, the legal contracts will be signed today. But, tonight, there is the feat of the gods or something bizarre ritual like that."

"Tradition."

"Superstitions. A set of silly superstitions."

"Man, poor Tom, Austin, Frank and Stu!"

"Poor us, wives! I'll be so happy when the business is sold. I got Tom back one hundred percent of the time now."

"What about his hobbies? Your hobbies?"

"My only hobby is to get pregnant."

Kitten nodded with a smile. "I concur."

"Do you really want a child, Kitten?"

"O, yes, please! I'm thirty-one years old and not getting any younger. I'm going to get married to right guy. Then we're having a baby. End of story."

"Beginning of story."

"You're right."

"Tom will be a different person, tonight. We're going to travel to New Zealand tomorrow morning for a well deserved vacation, creating a baby."

"Wonderful news."

"What about you and Austin?"

"I promised Tom not to elope."

"That's a very wise idea. Daddy, Mommy, aunts and uncles are expecting a huge wedding since the last one get cancelled."

"I don't understand. I would think everyone would be miffed and bored with the antics of the Quartet."

"Sweetheart, no one gets bored with money."

"I guess I get to plan another wedding."

"Don't sweat it? Austin can do it."

"Austin?"

"He has a flair for style and elegance. Let him handle the boring details, I bet you won't have to lift a pinky finger."

"I didn't last time. Daddy and Mommy did everything."

"That's the beauty of it. They can do it again."

"I feel that I am using them, Jane."

"Use and abuse them, that's what family's for."

Kitten giggled, proclaiming. "Princess Kitten rises again."

Jane laughed. "We really are princesses. Not many girls can boast married to trillionaires."

"I guess."

"Enjoy life, Kitten."

"I plan, too."

"What wrong?"

"Tom mentioned Austin's different in reality. What did he mean by that statement?"

"Austin possesses a rough personality. He can very unemotional regarding all social and professional events. But I have noted the change in him."

"Change? Tom mentioned that too. He hinted that Austin was faking his feelings."

"Oh no. Austin loves you, deeply. The change I'm referring the way he treats, stares, admires, watches and protects you. I've never ever seen Austin treat a female like that way, except for his mom."

"What about his mother?"

"Austin loves his mother. Well, they all do, but Austin doesn't love his mother Betty. He respects her mother. That's very important to him."

"Austin respects you."

"I'm Tom's sister."

"I'm Tom's wife. Austin respects each one of us, also. He would kill in cold blood for Misty, Gracie and me."

"I see."

"That's the change I'm talking about."

"Tom saw that change in Austin's mannerism."

"Tom recognized it immediately actually before anyone of us figured it out."

"Why didn't Tom say something to you or me?"

"He thought it was a phase. Pass over. You were going to marry dipshit."

Kitten laughed. "What an appropriate name?"

"Why didn't you stand up to Tom with the marriage?"

"I..."

"I am sorry. Please do not answer my silly question. I understand."

Kitten frowned. "I seem to cause trouble, Jane."

She laughed. "Trouble! No, sweetheart! You are not the trouble. The trouble comes from the single crazy person or the group of insane people that live with us inside this world. They cause the trouble for all of us."

"Does that mean trouble will follow me the rest of my life?"

"You are beautiful girl, Kitten. One of the reasons for Tom's overprotective nature and Austin's lust."

Kitten giggled. "Thanks for both compliments which creates attention for me."

"Mega doses of attention from the world watchers of us."

"You're starting to scare me, Jane. I'm being watched."

"Part of the billionaire's life. Austin will never ever let anything happen to you."

"Stuff keeps happening to me, Jane."

"I didn't mean to scare you, Kitten."

"I wish for it to stop. Period."

"Sweetheart, Austin will stop it."

"Aren't you worried about getting kidnapped?"

"No, I'm not but Misty was."

"She was."

"Tom saved her. He figured out her hidden place from secret notes."

"Gracious, me. Was she scared?"

"Misty lost the baby. She was scared, then mad, then calm, now cautious."

"The baby?"

"There are lots of stories from each one of us. You'll hear them all. We're alike, Kitten. We share tragedy and happiness together that's part of being the Quartet."

"We're truly a family."

"More than you know."

"Does it bother you? I mean holding and hiding and guarding all the family secrets and danger from the world."

"At first, it was odd and strange to be part of this Quartet family with the money, the danger, the secrets. But, Misty, Gracie and I all get married at the same time. Through each happy and sad event, we became the three Quartet sisters and the true four sisters, if you wanna use that term."

"I believe it. You, four are a pack of real sisters."

"When each husband went on a dangerous Quartet mission for their working job, we prayed, cried, and laughed together like sisters."

"Am I a sister, too?"

"Part of the Band of Sisters, as we, females, like to call ourselves."

"I like that phrase."

"And the Band of Brothers do also." Jane giggled.

"Are you worried about having a baby?" Kitten asked, honestly.

"No."

"I mean. Don't worry about the baby getting you know..."

"No. Tom would kill anyone that comes within 1,000 feet of his newborn son."

"Son?"

"Since 1838, the Quartet males have produced one heir, a baby boy."

"Will the tradition continue?"

"Only Almighty God can answer that question."

"What about my baby boy?"

"You're soon to be Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth. That's a tough role for any girl of Austin. But you can handle it, firstly."

"The pressure is on."

"Secondly, Austin will protect you and the baby with his life. Thirdly, this is the reason for selling the company. This is our private secret life from the nut cases. No one'll need never know we're pregnant until the babies arrive on Earth, and then the world will still be guessing about the medical fact."

Kitten giggled and spoke. "No Hollywood movie show case, I take it."

"Hell, no. We're trillionaires. We don't need the money, or the publicity, just our loving families."

"I agree with that. I like my privacy."

"Good."

"I thought Tom liked the limelight."

"Not this trip, if he blabs, I'll beat him up."

Kitten laughed. "Poor Thomas, he's going to be just another average Joe."

"Average trillionaire Joe person, you mean!"

Kitten laughed. Jane laughed. They laughed together.

"Thanks, Jane. I feel so much better."

She laughed. "What are sisters for?"

"To share moments like this."

"I have any excellent idea."

Kitten smiled. "What?"

"Let's go shopping."

"Shopping?"

"For baby clothes."

"Yeah!"

Florida room

Heated night with bright stars and moonlight

7:02 p.m.

The Quartet and their fathers had been gone all day.

The baby store was so much fun for Kitten to see and explore during the day and afternoon.

Jane purchased a few items.

Misty and Gracie did the same.

Kitten studied and admired the little delicate baby things. They're so small, tiny and precious.

Kitten was getting so excited. She wished she could talk to Austin about the wedding, the baby and the future. He was gone all day and afternoon with the Saudi royalty regarding legal contracts and legal agreements.

Kitten found a book in the library Tom owned, entitled _Unknown Me_ , a sci-fi book. Tom had read the novel numerous times. The pages were turned and bent. She dove into the outer space plot and unique characters with interest.

The front door flew open as Kitten turned with a smile to view the newcomer.

"Kitten!" Austin entered with a smile.

Kitten jumped from the sofa and ran into his open arms, kissing his pink lips." Austin, are you finished?"

"Not yet, baby! Do you want to come to dinner with me?"

"Yes! But the prince..."

"We can invite him, too, but only if he behaves." Austin joked, kissing her mouth, again. She giggled.

"Who cares about a smelly desert prince? I got my South Florida gentleman."

"Damn right and proud of it too!" Austin quoted and then kissed her again.

"Do I need to change my clothes?"

"You like gorgeous, baby. Ready?"

"Yes. What about Thomas?"

"Tom's entertaining the smelly prince. He won't notice you."

"He'll notice you, Austin. Is this okay with Tom, Stu, and Frank?"

"I'm boss."

"Technically, you are not the boss anymore."

"I'm boss of the Quartet."

"That's good enough for me."

Austin hugged her with a smile. "Let's go, baby!"

They slipped into his limo and then kissed, talked, kissed more and then talked about the wedding plans. Jane was correct. Austin has planned everything. He had called all the vendors including the cater, the decorator, the director, the church office, the florist, and the dress designer. He was a man of action.

Private dining room

07:23 p.m.

Kitten and Austin entered the private dining banquet facility arm in arm, giggling and laughing like silly young teens in love which they were.

Kitten spotted Tom. Tom spotted Kitten. He snorted, and turned his face downward and plowed his fork into his food plate.

Austin and Kitten sat on the far side of the round table, continuing to giggle, talk, and eat like only they existed in the world, which they did.

"I presume that girl is your sister, Thomost." Prince Boo Boo smiled. It was Tom's nickname for one of the many princes from the country of Saudi Arabia.

Tom chuckled between the bites of food. The foreign prince had a funny accent and couldn't pronounce his American name correctly, the closest the royal got was expanding the last syllable of Thomas to Thomost. Everyone time Tom heard the silly sound, he giggled.

"Kitten, _my_ baby sister." Tom frowned.

"I would like to meet her."

"What for?" Tom spit out the food particles over the plate and the table with a sour frown. He wasn't in a very good mood from the afternoon negotiation. The official Quartet legal contracts were signed but the entire affair was raw to Tom's exposed nerves.

So much fast-paced activity had taken place over the past week, the kidnapping, Captain Crunch, the poison ivy, the wedding, the second kidnapping, the new prince, the love, Austin and now, the old wrinkled fart wants to meet his baby sister.

Tom had enough with outsiders invading the Quartet. He wanted all of them to go away. Jane had reminded they were leaving Coral Beach tomorrow for vacation. Tom wanted to leave, now, forgetting Miami for a week or so, relaxing and chilling in the air-conditioned hut on the Pacific Ocean. Everyone was safe. Everyone was relaxed. Everyone was rich.

The business would be sold tomorrow as the Saudias are departing and Japanese are arriving to sign the final, final papers and the final signal of ending, the handshake.

"You sound upset, Thomost." Prince Boo Boo frowned.

"Looky, man! It's be a rough week. Lots of stuff happening." Tom exclaimed with raw emotion.

He smiled. "Good events are coming, the upcoming marriage of Austin to your sister."

Tom swallowed the food with a sour frown. "Uh huh!"

He nodded. "You don't approve of Berrington."

"My sister deserves a king, no, an emperor."

"You are not royalty. Why would you make that royal statement? You are American, Thomost."

"I meant that she deserves the best of the best. Royals are best, aren't they?"

He smiled. "We are the gods of the earth."

Tom snorted. He knew of one Earth-god that would challenge that rule probably with fists and guns. "Caesar, isn't that the highest royal position?"

"Pharaohs occupied vast land masses and great wealth during the Egyptians days."

"Pharaoh, huh? Do you know any?" Tom chuckled, continuing to shovel the food into his throat.

Sawyer wasn't going to be satisfied until he could de-throne Austin, the Earth-god. There are other men on the little round ball called Earth. Tom only had to locate one, before the announcement of Austin and Kitten's official wedding engagement.

And Tom had time.

Their father Soy was stunned, stung, and still in shock with the destruction and demise of the Captain Crunch. Soy wasn't going to interfere again with Kitten's life.

Tom had plenty of time to find her a more appropriate mate who would protect and guard Kitten, his sister, for the rest of her days.

Prince Boo Boo nodded with a smile. "In these times, society bestows the honor and title to a prince. That's probably the best you can get."

Tom exhaled with a nod, "Fine! I'll take a prince."

He gasped. "You would approve of an arranged marriage for your sister."

"Yes. I approve and arrange everything for my sister, now." Tom emphasized the "my" again.

He smiled. "Your sister is a very beautiful and independent spirit."

Tom exhaled. "You have no idea. That's why I'll personally approve her mate for life. I have experience and can relate to stuff."

"Murder, killings, death..."

"Other stuff," Tom frowned with annoyance. This prince was starting to fire the raw nerves inside his tired achy head.

He smiled. "May I ask what stuff?"

"You know, such like, honor, wealth, security, privacy, and other stuff." Tom let the nouns linger in the air.

He smiled. "I understand. You want the 'ultimate' protection for your sister."

"Ultimate! Yeah, that's the word I was looking for ultimate."

He smiled. "Then you have not approved of Austin."

"No. I don't approve of Austin Berrington. He's a passing fancy."

He frowned. "What is a passing fancy?"

Tom laughed, "Interim boyfriend."

"For protection, he is an excellent body guard."

"Yeah! He is her body guard. That's his role in Kitten's life for the time."

"Your beautiful sister definitely needs protection."

Tom chewed and swallowed the food with a worried brow. "She needs lots, mega lots of protection."

He smiled. "A prince provides the ultimate protection for his princess. In some cultures, it is forbidden to touch a princess or you will die instantly."

Tom smiled. "I like that rule. I'm going to adopt it, immediately, today, right now," he crammed another roll into the mouth. Stress made him hungry coming from the sell, Kitten, and Austin.

"I have that edit in my kingdom, Thomost."

"Good for you, you're a smart Prince, Boo Boo." Tom laughed as Sawyer couldn't remember the guy's funny official royal name and was irritated with him creating all the changes that caused heart ache upon heart ache over the last two weeks. Prince Boo Boo possessed too many wives and too many children. Tom wondered what a prince did with seventeen wives and twenty-four children. Tom wanted one child, a son. Since he met his baby sister, the idea of being a father had quadrupled. He was ready for a baby.

Prince Boo Boo smiled. "Then, I accept. Do you approve, Thomost?"

"Fine. I approve."

"Excellent!" Prince Boo Boo clapped with a smile. One of his many servants moved from the wall to his chair, he dictated orders in his native tongue.

Tom ignored the display. He was used to the exaggerated show performance by foreign countries which are different from the good 'ole' United States.

Prince Boo Boo shifted within the multi-colored silk robes on his fat body, trying to stand at the crowded table where Frank, Stu sat beside Tom with the rest of Saudi advisors in a white tinted bed sheet. Kitten and Austin sat on the far side next to more advisors of the prince. The prince was seated with Tom for the honor or something like that.

Tom had known the man for a long time, eight years. He was one other Quartet's first clients and the most active, who paid his fees on time with cash transfers. The guy was a billionaire, maybe a trillionaire, if the truth was known. No one on Earth knew how rich, the rich Saudis were. And Tom didn't care. This was the last hurray for Tom with Prince Boo Boo, once the company was sold.

The next step, Tom and Jane were starting a family while he was looking for a nice husband for his baby sister. The process was not hard, just time consuming. But Tom had time plenty of time now.

The final sell of Quartet Associates had been planned for tomorrow afternoon with the rows of Japanese royalty at three o'clock over the tea ritual thing. Tom really doesn't have to be present.

No other Quartet member had to be there, either. This was the official "handing off" of the keys to the executive bathroom on the thirty-three floor penthouse.

Since the first wedding of Kitten to dumb ass was a bomb, Tom felt bad for his father. The entire Quartet did. So, Tom and his brothers convinced the "old" Band of Brothers to do the presenting while the young and retired Band of Brothers watched, which made the entire procedure too quick, too easy, and too done.

His father Soy and his three uncles gladly accepted the job immediately. So, Tom was happy. Soy was happy. Kitten was happy. Well, she also pretended to appear to be happy to him.

The prince stood. Tom stood. Frank and Stu followed suite. Austin and Kitten ignored them, giggling, talking and eating.

"I invite my American friends for the Ash-shay gathering." Prince Boo Boo outstretched both arms and open palms.

Tom snorted. He didn't like tea, preferring a cup of rich hot sugary brown coffee instead. The Ash-shay was a black Middle Eastern specialty tea for social gatherings in celebration of the new child, signing of the contracts, or departing America. Tom wanted to go home, drink a cold American beer, and fuck his wife. He stared at Kitten and Austin. Sawyer prayed Kitten would come home with him, tonight. Tom wasn't going to interfere but she wasn't married, yet.

Tom hoped she remembered that.

Sawyer knew his brother Austin, all to well. Tom would ask his other brother Frank to remind Berrington of his "so-called" gentle man-manners. Frank would.

Tom had to attend the shitty Ash-shay party, not Kitten. He would insist Kitten go home. Austin stay.

That was the plan.

Folks stood upright from the chair, chatting about various subjects.

Tom moved around the prince, walking to Austin as he wrapped his arm around Kitten. She was smiling and giggling staring at Austin with her silver eyes.

"Austin." Tom addressed.

"Thomas, good evening!" Kitten smiled and stood with Austin at her side, holding his hand.

Tom moved around to hug Kitten tight and close, pecking her cheek with a light kiss, "Baby sister, time to go back home!"

"Tom!" Austin growled with love.

Tom exhaled. "Ash-shay thing, we all have to attend, or insult the guy. He might get mad and whack off your nose, Austin," laughing. The Saudis customs were old and weird compared to the good old American ways of direct torture, shooting people with the Ghost.

Austin snorted. "I like my nose."

"So, do I." Kitten purred again and giggled.

Tom was going to be sick at the behavior of two love birds cooing. "You can't come, Kitten. Saudias don't respect females like..."

"You do." She finished.

"Like your big brother, that's right." Tom finished.

"I understand. How long does the party last?" Kitten asked.

"I'll be back within the hour." Austin replied quickly.

"We will see, Austin." Tom warned.

Sawyer wasn't trying to stop the reunion of the love birds but Austin couldn't sail in and out like a seagull.

Berrington was the leader as the Saudias saw it. He had to accompany Prince Boo Boo in the limo and to the party and then, Austin had to be the last to leave the party with the prince. That will keep Kitten and Austin apart for the night, until Tom went on vacation.

Sawyer will invite Kitten to come along with them. She had never seen the country of New Zealand. There was a lot for her to do, without Austin in tow.

"Go on, party boy. I'll be waiting patiently for your arrival." Kitten boasted as Austin smiled at her, kissing her lips.

Tom pulled her away. "I'll walk you to the limo."

"That's my job, Tom. Thanks for the offer!" Austin tugged Kitten into his chest with a smile

Kitten quickly hugged her brother and kissed his cheek. "Thanks, Thomas for being my guardian. I didn't want you to ever stop."

Tom snickered. "That's a deal. I love you. Good night, Kitten."

"I love you, too. Night, Thomas." Kitten spoke as Austin walked out the door of the diner into the lobby, then the night air of Florida.

Tom followed the group out a few minutes later into one of the awaiting limos. He climbed inside sitting with three Saudi advisors wrapped in white sheets.

They didn't speak.

Tom didn't talk. He was tired. He wanted the night to end, the sell to end and the vacation to begin. He closed his eyes relaxing as the car rolled to the next party at the prince's hotel.
Tuesday November 16th

City of Coral Beach

Warm temperatures and bright sunshine

Home of Austin

Florida room setting

8:10 a.m.

"Damn it to hell!" Austin shouted in angry, standing still, looking out the window for the hundredth time. He moved to sit down on the sofa while nervously fidgeting the feet, the arms, the legs, and both hands. He stood upright again walking to the bay window overlooking the Atlantic Ocean's endless golden beach, where Kitten strolled each morning in the bright Florida sunshine.

Austin didn't see her. She always walks wearing her little tiny bikini which makes her look so damn sexy and so provocative. He sighed.

"Damn it to hell!" Austin yelled, alone in the second story mansion.

The time was 8:11 a.m.

Austin promenaded back to the sofa. He sat. He stood. He hollered to the rafters. "Damn it to Hell!" Kitten wasn't coming to the house today and Austin knew the reason, Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

When Austin had arrived at his mansion last night, it was very late, after midnight late. Kitten had not been here. She had mentioned she would be waiting up for his arrival.

The conclusion was obvious. The limo took her to Tom's house, instead. Kitten was at Tom's house.

Austin noted Sawyer had vanished like a wizard from the ash-shay tea party while Austin had to stay for the entire boring, dull, and unbearable gathering as the prince had to be honored, toasted, and roasted. Berrington wished that he couldn't have pulled his Ghost and burned his hind, so he could leave the hotel room to meet Kitten at his mansion in Coral Beach as planned. That was not an old Saudi custom; it's a new American one.

Austin was glad the business was being sold today at three o'clock. Then he would be free of work, responsibilities, and Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

Berrington realized that Tom hated his guts, because Austin loved Kitten, Tom's only alive and breathing biological sister.

Tom had always been self-centered, arrogant, and over protective asshole to his loved ones.

People did not understand Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third. Tom was a very sensitive and complicated man. He loved his wife, his parents, his brothers, his family, his country, his heavenly angels, Holy Spirit, Jesus, God Almighty, and his new sister Kitten.

Kitten had become a part of the Quartet a little over two weeks ago. Sawyer accepted her with open arms and a warm heart, instead of blowing her brains out.

Austin didn't think his brother Tom, so sharing and caring. The entire Quartet family was stunned and surprised with Tom's irrational behavior.

Austin had learned Uncle Stuart was guarding Tom as the happy family news was announced, so Sawyer wouldn't be charged for cold-blooded murder.

Growing up with the pups, Tom was the most pampered, most spoiled and most troublemaker. He got punished while still getting his way over and over, again. That edit didn't stop when he grew from a mean kid, rude teenager to wild young man. The smart and beautiful Jane Seymour finally calmed his butt down. Thank goodness! Tom would've been worse than his father. Austin heard some of the rumors about Sawyer, Junior.

Kitten was a product of one of those rumors. Sawyer, Junior fucked an eighteen years old teenager, one night at a party in Miami, getting her pregnant while married to his loving and devoted wife, living happily in the city of Coral Gables, Florida.

No one knew about it.

Austin suspected Soy might have some hints about a baby but he didn't bother to see the girl again until fate intervened on a hot night in Coconut Grove. Soy entered the musical club spotting the child conceived thirty-one years before.

Austin didn't give a shit what happened thirty-one years ago with Uncle Edison. All Austin cared about the present.

Kitten was his. She was the most beautiful creature on Earth, a goddess.

Only a goddess was equal to a god. And the goddess was an innocent virgin living with her overprotective asshole brother. Kitten couldn't change that.

Soy couldn't change that.

God Almighty couldn't change that.

Sawyer wouldn't change that.

Austin was going to change it.

Now, Tom had gone too far and locked the princess in her bedroom last night. That was the reason Kitten wasn't at his house.

Austin kept his front door open. Kitten should have been here but she wasn't.

Austin growled. "Damn it to hell!" He jogged upstairs to change his clothes.

The Exchange of the Keys ceremony started at three o'clock sharp. He would attend, smile, and shake hands, and then he and Kitten leave Miami, jetting to the Bahamas.

Austin had purchased a small ocean island just for her last week. No one knew the location, but the pilot. Then Austin and Kitten would stay for a couple of weeks, the month, maybe the rest of the year. No work. No phones. No brothers. No Tom.

Austin had the wheels rolling for the gigantic wedding that was expected from the world. He couldn't get out of that affair, either. The last Quartet brother was getting married. Austin's head spun with dizziness of the parties, the events, the photos, the security...the danger.

Austin wanted a quiet and simple marriage ceremony, so did Kitten, but he was overruled. Well, Austin had been over thrown by the Quartet council and then had been dictated by Uncle Edison, Uncle Franklin, Uncle Stuart, and his dad, including his mom and all his aunts for another big spectacle occasion, the last one.

Kitten shared Austin same feelings and passions about various subjects regarding public events, parties, weddings, and children.

She wanted a child that was a first priority for Kitten.

Fuck, if Tom hadn't interfered last night, Austin would have made Kitten's dreams come true as well as his.

Berrington wanted to be a father more than anything else in the world with Kitten, his future perfect mate, his future perfect wife and his future perfect mother of his future perfect son.

Austin slammed opened the front door, strutting to the Porsche, cranking the engine and gunning the pedal. He rolled to Tom's house.

Berrington would beat the living daylights out of Tom, and then kidnap Kitten from her imprisoned room. That would be the last night Kitten spent there under Tom's reign.

Home of Tom and Jane

Great room setting

8:24 a.m.

Austin slammed open the wooden crafted pine door as it hit the wall and bounced back slapping shut. "Tom!" He roared with angry into the great room.

"Fucking-ass Austin Berrington is here." Tom yelled back, standing from the breakfast table where the other members of the Quartet sat enjoying eggs, bacon, pancakes, muffins, toast, fruit, and coffee, discussing the event for today, the selling of Quartet Associates.

Stu and Frank stood immediately while the wives remained sitting. Tom had shared the highlight of last night's event over and over, again.

Tom was madder than a hornet with Austin for violating his baby sister without the benefit of a preacher. He planned to draw blood, first, then a few body parts, second.

Stu wouldn't like that happen to either brother. Kitten was an adult and had the right to her own life. Tom still didn't get it, but he would.

Tom strutted within twelve feet of Austin. They both stopped and stared while snoring at each other.

"Kitten!" Austin growled.

Tom sneered. "Jesus H. Christ, Austin! You got some fucking nerve, man, coming here to my house. I'm going to beat you beyond black and blue." He threatened with folded fists beside his legs.

"Let her go!" Austin snarled.

Tom sneered. "You ain't going nowhere with my sister."

"Let her out!"

Tom snarled. "Bring her back, Austin."

"Open the damn door, Tom!"

Tom gasped. "She's in the car!"

Austin gasped. "She drove away."

Tom exhaled. "No, asshole! She is in your car."

"No, Tom! She is in her room."

Frank tried to follow the weird translation of the "out of order" words and held his hands in the air with a frown. "Hold up! This conversation is confusing."

"Shut up, Frank!" Tom growled at Frank but stared at Austin.

"Where's Kitten, Austin?" Frank turned to ask Austin the mystery question.

"Locked in her room..." Austin replied.

"...at your fucking house..." Tom accused.

"Where's Kitten, Tom?" Frank turned to ask Tom the same question.

"Locked in Austin's house."

Austin countered. "Locked in Tom's house."

"Kitten's not with me, Austin."

Austin sneered. "Kitten's not with me, Tom."

Stu interrupted the shouting and held his hands in the air in a T-shape, "Time out! What are you saying, Austin?"

Austin sneered. "Kitten's here, Stu."

Tom shook his bangs. "Kitten's not here, Austin."

Austin said. "Kitten's not there, Tom."

"Did you check her bedroom?" Stu asked.

"Tom locked her in the room, go and look, Stu." Austin growled.

"Kitten is not locked in her room, but a room in your house, Austin. Go and look, Stu." Tom sneered.

"I will." Frank moved and run upstairs as the Quartet watched from the Great room. He banged on the bedroom door with his fist. "Kitten, love, open the door!" He paused. He didn't hear any sound. "Kitten, love, it's Frank, open the door. I protect you from Tom. I promise."

Tom yelled. "Fuck you, Frank."

Frank didn't hear any noise from the bedroom. "Kitten, love, I'm coming in. Are you alright?" Mangrove cracked the closed door and re-emerged two second later, shouting. "Empty! The bed's made."

"Not possible!" Austin gasped.

Stu asked. "What?"

"Where's Kitten, Austin?" Tom yelled.

"Kitten isn't with me. I came home last night. She wasn't there. Kitten told me she would wait for me at the house. She's not there. I swear to God. Tom locked her in her bedroom. That's why I here to beat the shit of Sawyer." Austin explained, still threatening harm to his brother.

"Tom!" Stu yelled.

"Gawd! I came home last night. No one was up. The lights were off. It was quiet. I thought...I thought..." Tom remarked with surprise.

Frank shouted from the steps, pulling Tom to the sofa with his large paw with force. "Yeah! We know what you thought, asshole."

Stu lectured. "Kitten is an adult. Let her live her own life, Thomas!"

Tom whined. "I care. I'm her big brother."

Stu frowned. "She's the baby sister of the Quartet. We all care." He turned to see Janey. "Janey, did you see Kitten anytime last night?"

Jane shook her curls. "I didn't see or hear Kitten. I went to bed. Tom came home late."

"Gawd! She ran away." Tom cried with sadness, holding his head in his hands.

"I would've with you as my biological brother, also." Frank laughed.

"Shut up, Frank." Tom shouted looking at Gage with a sad face.

"Kitten didn't run away." Austin frowned.

"She's not here. She ran away. She left me." Tom whined like a puppy again.

"She's at her house." Stu addressed.

"We sold that house." Frank said.

"We did." Stu gasped.

Frank nodded. "We sold that house with Kitten's permission. She can't be out on her way. She..."

Stu ordered. "We know. Don't wish for trouble, Frank."

"Fuck! Where's Kitten?" Tom moaned.

Stu turned and frowned at Berrington. "Think, Austin! What did she tell you?"

Austin said. "Kitten told me she would be at my house waiting for me no matter how late."

"Austin, you keep your open unlocked." Stu frowned.

"Gawd! She was kidnapped, again from Austin's house." Tom whined.

"Shut up, Tom!" Frank sneered.

"Did anyone receive any evil communications messages?" Tom asked with a panicked voice.

Stu said. "None!"

"Evil communication messages coming from whom, Tom?" Frank laughed.

"I don't know. My baby sister's gone. She ran away from Austin." Tom whined again.

"Shut up, Tom!" Frank frowned.

Stu frowned. "Austin, what else did she say leaving? Moving? Shopping?"

Austin nodded. "She was meeting me last night at my house."

"Tom, think! What did Kitten say to you?" Stu nodded.

Tom tapped his brain with his index finger, concentrating with his eyes closed, sitting down on the top of the sofa. "She told me she loved me."

"Tom!" Austin growled.

"I'm relaying her exact words. Okay. It helps me think. I'm so emotional. She ran away." Tom told.

Stu frowned. "Her remarks, Tom!"

"She loved me. She was happy I was her body guard protecting me." Tom expressed.

Stu frowned. "What else?"

"Did she mention Austin?" Frank nodded.

"Way too much!" Tom frowned.

"Tom!" Frank growled.

"Alright! Alright! She told Austin she would wait up for him to arrive but I assumed at my house, not Austin's." Tom sobered.

"Same story." Stu exhaled.

"That's good." Frank smiled.

"That's bad." Stu frowned.

"That's odd." Austin exhaled.

"Fucking odd." Stu nodded.

"Fuck! No!" Tom stood, dipping his head back and slapping his hands against his face.

"What is it, Tom?" Frank gasped.

"Holy fucking shit!" Tom moved from the chair, rushing to the landline on the foyer table, dialing numbers, waiting for a person to answer. "Sawyer, what time did the jet leave last night?"

He paused and listened on the telephone landline to the controller at the airport.

"Yeah, the gang of smelly, damn Saudias."

Pause.

Tom repeated. "The log states 8:42 p.m. Passenger count?"

Pause.

"Six. What's the count on arrival?"

Pause.

"Five."

Stu grabbed the phone from Tom, barking orders to controller. "Patch the video feed from 8:30 p.m. forward to IP address. 125.685.358."

"Fucking shitting fire! Gawd, I'm stupid, stupid. Jesus H. Christ, shoot me." Tom yelled.

Austin gasped in worry. "Tom!"

Frank gasped in worry, too. "Thomas!"

"The prince took her." Tom announced.

"What fucking prince, Tom?" Frank asked with deep concern if he was reading his brother's claim correctly.

Austin ordered. "Slow down, Tom!"

"Took who, whom?" Frank asked.

"Kitten!" Tom announced with a pained voice.

"Tom, start from the beginning." Austin ordered.

Stu called out at the desk. "Look at this!"

The brothers and sisters huddled around the exposed laptop computer screen. Stu spoke. "The video shows the assholes getting onto the jet."

The little computer screen displayed white sheets getting out of one side of the limo which was facing the security camera on the airport building. One of the sheets handed a curved white blanket to a standing sheet, the body contained a pair of bare feet inside pink sandals with cute pink tinted glittery bows.

All the people entered into the interior of the private jet plane and then shut the hatch door. The plane taxied toward the runway and then flew away from Miami airport.

"Fuck!" Tom screamed in worry.

"Kitten!" Stu pointed down at the television screen.

"Kitten? How is that Kitten inside the interior of that private jet?" Frank asked, again.

"Fucking hell." Stu remarked.

"Damn it to hell!" Austin spoke.

"Can't be?" Frank remarked. "This can't be happening."

Stu growled. "Tom, explain your statement in a set of clearer details!"

Tom exhaled. "I was bitching about Austin being an asshole..."

"Tom!" Austin growled.

"Continue, Tom!" Stu nodded.

"I was bitching about Austin to Prince Boo-Boo. Austin wasn't good enough for my baby sister. She deserved a King or an Emperor or a Caesar or a Pharaoh."

Stu growled, "I wanna here the part of your story with Kitten, Tom."

Tom waved both hands in the air with a worried brow. "Boo Boo saids now days, a royal prince is a god on Earth. A royal prince offers a girl protection, security, and privacy. He took her. He took my baby sister..."

"Finish, Tom!" Stu frowned.

Tom exhaled. "I joked. I say that Kitten was a princess. She deserved no less."

Frank gasped. "The asswipe assumed that you were arranging a royal marriage with him and Kitten."

"Precisely!" Tom nodded.

Austin gasped. "Holy fucking shit!"

Stu frowned. "Doesn't matter the translation! The royal dipshit stole Kitten from us, taking her against her will."

Frank nodded. "Kitten would've never ever have left with him."

Frank nodded. "Wait! Prince Boo Boo was with us at midnight."

Stu nodded. "That's what I mean. He planned this entire jaunt. He didn't give a shit about the legal contracts or the billions of dollars. He is a rich bastard anyways. He came to America to steal Kitten."

Austin gasped. "Holy fucking shit!"

Stu exhaled. "Gawd! We had been duped, my brothers."

Tom sneered, "Holy crap! I'm going to kill that asshole."

Jane frowned. "Kitten would fight him or his men to the death, before boarding his private jet, Tom."

"Good point, Janey!" Stu nodded. "So, how did Kitten get into the jet?"

Frank nodded. "They drugged her."

Stu said. "No! She was inside the white blanket before the jet and rode inside the limo."

"Is one of our limos missing?" Tom asked.

Stu answered. "No!"

"Is one of our drivers missing?" Tom asked.

"No!"

Tom asked. "Is anyone missing, but Kitten?"

"No!"

Frank asked. "How did she get into the limo?"

Tom nodded. "Prince Boo Boo and his warriors followed her here to the house."

Stu frowned. "Hell no! Security is tight here on Coral Beach."

Tom nodded. "If no cars or drivers are missing here in Miami, then she must have been taken at the restaurant. That's my guess."

Frank nodded. "Good guess!"

Stu nodded. "Great guess."

Frank asked. "Who saw her last?"

"Austin." Tom said.

"Austin!" Frank frowned.

Stu nodded. "Austin, you saw her last."

Austin nodded. "I escorted Kitten to the limo."

"Which limo, Austin?" Tom gasped.

Austin nodded. "My limo."

"Your limo! What your limo?" Tom gasped.

Austin nodded again. "My silver limo."

Tom gasped. "I was inside your silver limo with some of the White Sheets."

Austin shook a skull. "No! My silver limo was parked in the front of the parade of vehicles."

Tom gasped. "No! Your silver limo was in the back of the line."

Austin believed Tom and then gasped in worry. "Damn it to hell!"

Tom slapped his chest with worry. "I was inside silver limo. Stu was inside the white one. You were inside the gold one. Frank was inside the black."

Stu frowned. "The first limo..."

"...belonged to the Saudias. Shit!" Tom gasped.

Austin gasped. "Damn it to hell!"

"Gawd, Austin! You handed Kitten to them. Shit, man! I'm going to murder you with my bare hands." Tom jumped toward Austin with killing fury. Stu reached out and then grabbed Tom's leaping lean body in mid-air holding him at bay.

"You arranged the marriage, Tom." Frank turned and shouted at Tom.

Austin wasn't to blame for the mix up. The entire Quartet was to blame for Kitten's kidnapping. They were her four brothers. They were here to protect her. They had failed both epically and royally.

"No! I didn't. No!" Tom yelled at Frank, dancing inside Stu's arms, trying to pull free for the cat fight that was coming to Austin for his abducted baby sister.

"Calm down, Tom!" Frank yelled.

Austin dropped down to the chair, holding a face down into his hands speaking in a low baritone timber with shock and worry. "No! No! No! This can't be happening. I walked her to the limo. Kitten was smiling, happy, and laughing." He looked up with a puzzled brow to see Frank. "They were no guards. No guards!"

"They were hiding, Austin." Frank informed the Quartet.

"This was a set up. They wanted Kitten. They stole her from us." Stu nodded.

"Damn it to hell!" Austin stood upright from the chair and spun around to face the closed door passing by Stu, who was busy fighting against Tom's pull.

Frank dashed ahead and then reached out, grabbing Austin's arm with a worried brow, stopping both of them with worry. "Calm down, Austin!"

"Damn it to hell!" Austin stopped and spun around, reaching over, jerking the mobile telephone from Frank's hand. He jerked his body from Frank's gripe. Austin twisted around and faced the front door again while punching the numbers down into the mobile telephone for the airport terminal. He lifted the phone into his worried brow, saying to the crew chief for the private jet. "Berrington, gas the jet, pronto. I'll leaving from Miami, right now." He discounted the call on the stolen mobile telephone and pocketed the item down into his jacket, moving toward the closed front door.

Gage watched the back spine on Austin and gasped in worry, shoving Sawyer away from his chest, racing ahead. He scooted around and blocked both the door and Austin's exit from the house in silence.

"Stop, Austin!" Frank followed behind with a worried brow and the stopped behind Austin.

Stu shook his bald mound with a worried brow to Austin. "Where are you going, bro?"

Austin stopped and stood in front of Stu. "I am going to take care of him personally." Austin growled with fury.

"No solo performances." Frank frowned.

"Quartet Associates is gone." Austin declared.

"We're the Quartet. It lives, breathes, and dies with us." Stu reminded.

"What are you doing, Austin?" Frank demanded to know like he couldn't guess.

"You're not leaving, bro." Stu held Austin on the upper arms and shook his bald mound. He would use brute force, if need be to stop his brother from leaving Tom's mansion, the Coral Beach estates, the city of Miami, the State of Florida and the great USA.

"Austin!" Frank scooted around Austin and then stood beside Stu, yelling at Berrington. Mangrove was not allowing Berrington to exit the room.

Austin exhaled and then said in a controlled growl to Stu and Frank. "I am flying into the country of Saudi. I am negotiating for her freedom or paying the money ransom or killing the fucking prince. but I am getting her back from that son of bitch. She is mine. Kitten is my girl."

Tom raced ahead and then stopped at the nose profile on Austin. Stu released Austin and reached ou, grabbing Tom's arm in case of a brotherly surprise attack on Berrington.

Tom gasped in alarm. "Gawd! You really do love Kitten." He spoke with a soft tone to his tenor voice.

"Yes, Tom! I really do love your baby sister. She's going to be my wife. I'm going to take care of Kitten for the rest of my days."

"Well then, I got a brilliant plan, my brothers." Tom smiled with a full set of white teeth.

City of Opa-Locka

Airport runaway location

Private business jet of the Quartet

Cabin setting

Hot temperatures with bright sunlight

12:51 p.m.

Tom stepped into the cabin first with a smile, "Austin, man!"

"Que pasa?" Austin still wore the black jacket and white pants from this morning resting both bare feet comfortably on top of the soft sofa, holding a sweaty tumbler of bourbon in his left hand.

Stu entered next with a smile. "Bro, are you the first to arrive? How long have you been here, Austin?" Gage leaned down and gently removed the wet glass, consisting of melted ice and brown liquid from Austin's wet and cupped hand. He knew it was an alcoholic beverage that numbed Austin's nerve endings up toward the brain.

"A while..." Austin exhaled.

Frank emerged next without a smile while looking beat and stressed. "Are we ready to leave from the USA?"

"Yes." Austin exhaled.

Stu pointed into the next room with a stern face. "We do it in the conference room. I'm set up there."

The three brothers moved away from the large cabin and followed Stu into a smaller cabin room that displayed a round table which held a set of individual computer laptops, a fax machine, a ham radio, business telephones. The round chair contained a set of bolted down chairs. One wall held built-in filing cabinets. The other wall presented an alcoholic bar, where Tom strolled up to the counter, bending over helping himself to a glass, ice and the bottle of whiskey.

"does anyone want something over here?" Tom asked.

"No." Frank replied.

"Get me a beer," Stu ordered. Tom returned to the table with drinks, sitting quietly.

"Gawd! What a fucking ass day! I'm been talking on the phone for hours." Tom moaned.

Frank sat down with a deep sigh. "I'm been paying the bills for hours."

Gage moved ahead and sat down with a deep sigh. "I'm been gathering gear for hours."

"What have you been doing Austin?" Frank asked.

Austin mumbled with worry. "I've been worrying for hours."

Frank smiled. "Stop worrying, Old Man!"

"This time tomorrow, you'll be..." Tom frowned. "Well, I don't what to know where you'll be..."

"As soon as Kitten is safe and sound, Gracie and I are flying to Spain." Stu leaned back into the chair with a smile. "We will be horse backing riding, mountains, my girl, we're making a baby."

Frank nodded with a smile. "Misty, I and future embryo makes three going to Hawaii."

Tom smiled. "Jane and I are going to back to New Zealand. We got lucky the first time."

Stu smiled. "Austin?"

Austin leaned forward with a sneer. "What can we expect on this mission, Tom?"

"Gage, please, present to us all of your magical toys." Tom commanded as he was leader on the rescue. He understood the Saudias, people, culture, laws, ways, traditions and Prince Boo Boo. Tom possessed the knowledge and connections.

Austin was just plain worried and emotional. His Kitten was kidnapped. If they failed, Austin might never see Kitten, again.

The Quartet doesn't fail. They succeed always.

Stu projected the image of the small country of Saudi Arabia on the mounted solid plastic wall of the jet in the tiny conference room.

" _Gentlemen, please, prepare for take off."_ Jon, the pilot announced from the overhead speakers.

The brothers didn't need to buckle into safety belts for the lift to the Heavens. They were pre-occupied. If the jet had crashed, Kitten's fate would be sealed. She would be a princess for the rest of her life in the royal palace in a foreign country.

Stu started as the engines whined down to a steady hum. "Saudi Arabia's about one third as large as the U.S. mostly desert and small remote cities containing majority of the Muslim population. The four distinct geographical regions are the western coastal plain, crop cultivation, the western mountains, oil, the central plateau, sand dunes, and the eastern coastal region, cities. The Bedouin, or nomads make up less than ten percent of the Arabians. The rest are city dwellers. The traditional Arab culture has strong family ties and unity which is important in forming political factions."

"I hate politics." Tom proclaimed.

"Shut up, Tom!" Frank frowned.

Stu nodded. "Except for oil wells, there are no other natural resources. Good farm land's scarce due to the limited water supply. The modern cities have superhighways, port facilities, high-rise buildings made of chrome, glass, concrete and brick. Riyadh's the capital. Jidda's a port city. Mecca's the birthplace of the prophet Mohammed."

"Looky! We are going here. Abha, a small town located in the southern part of the Tihama." Tom pointed on the large computer screen for the Quartet to see with their eye balls.

"Is there ponds of fresh water?" Frank asked.

Tom said "No. The town is more inland, near the mountains. Prince Boo Boo..."

Stu frowned. "What is the man's real name?"

Frank smiled. "Abbasid Mohammed Abdullah bin Abha."

"Good job, Frank!" Stu laughed.

Frank smiled. "You are quite welcome, Stu."

Tom said. "Boo Boo is immensely wealthy dominating the trade between the cities of Mecca and Medina which are the holy cities of Islam. These two cities are visited by two hundred million people each year."

"Shit fire!" Frank frowned.

Tom said. "Prince Boo Boo produces various crops of dates, wheat, rice, alfalfa, vegetables and owns herds of camels, flocks of goats and sheep along with three oases in Abha."

Frank frowned. "What is an oasis?"

Tom said. "A patch of fertile land supplies drinkable water holes, palm, date trees and wild grass for animals."

Stu laughed. "O! He is a true agricultural-king."

Frank laughed. "Good nickname, Stu!"

Tom said. "His mode of transportation is the nomads who travel through the desert and visit his town, settling in tents near the oasis, selling their live stock, acquiring family members and buying supplies to sell in Mecca and Medina."

Frank laughed. "Boo Boo's got himself a little conglomeration or a little empire of slave trade. I do believe."

Stu laughed. "Don't ask, Frank! Don't tell, Frank!"

Austin sneered. "We don't give a damn about his private business, just Kitten."

"She is his private business." Frank exhaled.

Stu smiled. "Not for long!"

"What is your plan, Tom?" Austin growled.

"The jet lands in Khamis Mushayt at..." Tom checked the wrist watch. "It is one pm now..."

"Landing at ten in the morning, bro." Stu announced.

Austin asked with concern and dread. "Will we be in time, before the wedding, Tom?"

Tom grinned. "We will have plenty of time, Austin. The fucking action does happen until noon at lunch, so everyone can eat, just eat. Saudias like to celebrate the rest of the day and night."

"Will there be an airport and security?" Frank frowned.

Tom laughed. "Dirt runaway between the peaks of the mountain, I hope you like heights and eagles."

Frank frowned. "Holy crap! Can we make it? We're a little heavier than usual."

"Jon's a good pilot. He can land on the moon, if I ordered him." Stu clarified.

Tom nodded. "Shitting right!"

"Continue, Tom!" Austin exhaled.

Tom said. "It is a small village town, no police, no traffic lights, dirt roads, mud houses, nice people..."

Stu exhaled. "Will we be doing some 'dirty laundry cleanup' before taking off from our unplanned escape?"

Tom shook his bangs. "Looky! Planes land all over Saudi on dirt, sand, pavement with dignities getting kickbacks, executives getting kickbacks, government getting kickbacks..."

Frank nodded, "Shitty money!"

Tom said. "I've arranged our jet for docking in a small weather covered portal with guards, local residents. Nothing'll happen to the plane."

Frank smiled, "Money talks."

Stu laughed. "Bullshit dies."

Tom said. "Stealing dies, also. This is the prophet Mohammed people. No stealing. No lying. No adultery. No alcohol. No smoking. No pig, fowl, or shit. You pretty much got executed on sight by your father, if you commit a heavenly sin."

Frank nodded. "So, the jet is protected for a fast getaway..."

"...better than we will be," Tom laughed. "Secondly, I have paid for a caravan to take the boxes to Abha which is about eighteen miles west, but we have to unload the gear."

Frank asked. "Are the boxes locked, Stu?"

Stu nodded. "The boxes are locked and secured, since money ensures secured security."

Frank frowned. "Eighteen miles is not short trip."

Tom laughed. "I wanted a really quick swift fast getaway."

Frank gasped. "Fly the plane into the small town of mud house within Abha!"

Stu frowned. "No! Bullets damage metal and ignite engines."

Austin nodded. "Tom is the boss."

Tom smiled. "Thanks, Austin! Thirdly, we leave the jet one hour after the caravan, not sooner. I don't want someone seeing us and the crates putting two plus two, together. Fourth, I acquired a mud house in Abha."

"Picture time!" Stu handed the photos of the compound.

Tom said. "This farm village consists of cluster single mud houses on the west for the farm hands, mountains containing the crops on the eastern slopes, corralled animals around oases in the south and sands in the north. Market day serves as the village social center and Wal-Mart from goats to guns."

"You're shitting me, guns?" Frank frowned.

Stu nodded. "Tom's correct. Guns are purchased legally anywhere in the country."

Tom said. "Six days of market for the villages, nomads and farmers to walk around, sell and purchase the items from the vendors, solve any disputes with the prince about legal, personal and financial matters. Sunday's the day of rest."

Frank laughed. "So, we wander around into the crowds and invade the castle of Prince Boo Boo during the social hour."

Tom grinned. "It is a simple plan that gets complicated."

Frank frowned, "Figures!"

Tom said. "On the outdoor, we will be carefree customers with no problems. Inside the castle, we will encounter guards, guns and guts. These people don't like strangers or villagers wandering through the royal hallways leaving shit."

Austin exhaled. "How do you find Kitten, Tom?"

Tom smiled. "She'll come to us."

Frank frowned. "Why is that, Tom?"

Austin frowned. "How's that possible, Tom?"

Stu gasped. "Does Kitten know that we're coming?"

Tom grinned. "Of course, she does and knows that her quartet brothers are coming for the rescue."

Frank smiled. "Austin, does she have another navigational device stored inside her hair bow again?"

Austin exhaled. "No."

Frank frowned. "How will she come to us, Tom?"

Stu frowned. "Quit grinning, Tom! Layout the rest of the QA mission."

Tom grinned. "I found out the big secret. Kitten is marrying Boo Boo."

Frank frowned. "That's new good fucking news, Tom."

Stu frowned. "This isn't a secret either. That's why he wants her, since she is the Quartet baby and a virgin..."

Austin frowned. "What is the rescue plan, Tom?"

Tom grinned. "As a princess, she'll be under heavy guard inside, hidden within the castle walls until the announcement of the wedding, then, bang, when she emerges on the hand of Boo Boo, we attack..."

Frank sneered. "Kill..."

Austin said. "Grab Kitten and leave..."

"Leave how?" Stu frowned.

Tom smiled. "There a secret passage under the palace..."

"Are you absolutely positively certain, Tom?" Stu frowned.

"We could shoot ourselves out of the palace." Frank nodded.

Stu frowned. "Too dangerous."

Tom frowned. "Too deadly."

Austin frowned. "Kitten could get hurt."

Tom slapped a chest with a smile. "Hell, I could get hurt."

Frank growled. "Thomas!"

Tom smiled. "I could. Listen up! This is a full proof plan, safe for Kitten and us, part of the wedding announcement she appears with Boo Boo..."

"Then we take him out, take her, take off." Stu nodded.

Frank nodded. "Agreed."

Austin smiled. "Approved. Good work, Tom!"

Tom grinned. "Thanks."

Frank pointed at the wall with a frown. "What are the items inside each one of the locked and security boxes Stu?"

Stu said. "Our locked and secured boxes contain weapons, gear, money and sheets for our disguises."

Frank exhaled. "Are we missing anything?"

Tom smiled. "Nothing, at all!"

"Let me ponder that!"

"Re-analyze."

"Do that? Any missed steps, tell Tom. He's the boss."

"Right, Austin."

"Who is your set of contacts in Abha, Tom?"

Tom smiled. "I have connections."

"Who?" Frank frowned.

Tom frowned. "Forget it!"

"Why?" Frank gasped.

Tom nodded. "My set of connections is dead by now."

Frank frowned. "What do you mean: dead by now? I don't like that term, Tom."

Tom sighed and breathed deeply, saying in stern, serious, and straight monotone. "I don't think ya'll realize the seriousness of this rescue."

Stu nodded. "Why didn't you give us the rest of the details, so we learn faster?"

Tom exhaled. "The bad news..."

Frank frowned. "What bad news?"

"The bad news is tribal warfare." Tom nodded.

Stu frowned. "That is in the ancient history books."

Tom shook his bangs. "I'm afraid not, Stu."

Frank laughed. "You read too much, Big Man."

"Explain, Tom!" Austin frowned.

Tom said. "Quick history lesson here! Abha is the royal family name of his father. Before the man named Abha, the land was ruled by another royal family named Alireza."

Stu frowned at the map. "That's not a city."

Tom nodded. "Correct, Stu! The rival factions started a civil war over the crops and date trees in both power and money. After the bloodshed, Alireza was forced to flee, exiled to the eastern mountains. Abha ruled the date trees, crops and orange sand from the coast to the eastern mountains tops for almost hundred years or so."

Frank frowned. "Who is the true heir of Abha?"

Tom said. "A royal pissed off revenging family cousin is the true heir of Abha. Under the laws of Islam, Abha is an absolute monarchy over his farm village controlling the crops, the date trees, the nomads, the lands, the palace, the slaves and whatever happened to live there at the time. Petroleum, the oil fields were discovered in the seventies like the rest of the country."

Frank gasped. "How many oil wells?"

Tom smiled. "Two."

Frank smiled. "How much oil revenue?"

"Who gives a shit!" Austin growled.

Tom said "Since the year 2003, there have been major and deadly clashes between Abha and Alireza for claims on the oil fields."

Frank frowned. "Why is that so, Tom?"

"Don't give a shit, either!" Austin growled.

Stu nodded. "Oil rules the money and then money rules the world."

Tom smiled "Right, Stu! The struggle for political power is Abha's problem, not the current monarchy."

Stu grinned. "So be it, if they kill each other. Who cares?"

Tom nodded. "Right, again, my brother Stu! Another faction will take over. The entire royal family consists of thousands of persons, holding powerful positions in government who creates the political laws, as well as, the social ones. The king is selected by the royal family collectively. To stay in power, the king must have the support of the thousands of kinfolks or he can be booted or..."

"Tooted." Stu smiled.

"Tooted?" Frank frowned.

"Be-throned! Be-headed! Be-goned!" Stu laughed with his three non-biological brothers.

"Correct analogy, War god." Tom laughed. "Ahab has an army of soldiers, body guards, weapons, gear, equipment, wives, and children. Past history, King Faisal was nailed dead by a royal relative, who declared himself royal king and prime minister."

Frank gasped. "You're shitting me, Tom."

Tom nodded. "It is inside the world history, Frank. The people, the government..."

"...is just like another worldly dictator who was named Hitler, to me." Frank frowned.

"We don't give a shit, either." Austin exhaled.

Tom nodded. "The royals only care about money and oil."

Frank frowned. "Who protects the small town of Abha and the man named Aha?"

Tom grinned "We do."

Frank gasped. "We don't."

Tom smiled. "We do."

"Explain, Tom!" Frank frowned.

Tom smiled. "Looky! Abha pays his money bills on time. If there's a ruckus, Stu ends it."

Frank turned and stared at Gage. "Stuart?"

Stu slapped a chest with a nod. "I have been doing that for years."

Tom nodded. "It is part of our legal protection coverage..."

"...and our muscle..." Stu stood upright from the chair and posed like the Greek god, Vulcan. Frank, Tom and Austin laughed.

Tom exhaled. "We were an international security protection company."

Frank nodded. "Were, it is the operative word here."

Tom nodded. "Right, Frank!"

Austin exhaled. "What else, Tom?"

Tom shook his bangs with a smile. "That's the end of my history lesson."

Stu frowned. "Is Boo Boo expecting us, Tom? You know him more than we do."

Tom frowned. "He thinks that I gave away my permission for the marriage of him and my sister. And I will honor the deal as a gentleman."

Frank laughed. "He doesn't understand South Florida gentlemen."

"...or pissed off American warriors." Stu laughed.

"...or the Quartet." Austin growled.

"Boo-Boo is a doo-doo." Stu joked.

"Kitten might signal us." Frank smiled.

Tom nodded. "No way! She's under heavy guard."

Frank smiled. "Kitten might fight him."

Tom smiled. "She can try, but she's not dumb. Kitten's trained as police officer. She understands odds and disadvantages."

Stu nodded. "Kitten knows that we're coming to get her, hell or high water."

Frank nodded. "Boo Boo would have told her your deal, Tom."

Tom exhaled. "Fuck! Kitten would never believe that asswipe. And Kitten won't honor any deal from that asswipe either."

"If he hurts her...?" Austin started.

Tom grinned. "Austin, Boo Boo's not going to harm her. He wants her to be happy with him in the royal palace."

Stu nodded. "Shit yeah! He flew over to the Atlantic Ocean to Florida just to nab her."

Frank nodded. "Boo Boo got himself a..."

"...goddess," Austin nodded.

Tom smiled. "Damn straight, Austin!"

Stu smiled. "Good plan and background, Tom."

"Thanks, man." Tom acknowledged.

Frank nodded. "The physician is ordering everyone to get some rest."

"Tomorrow is going to be a long intense day." Tom ordered.

Stu exhaled with a yawn. "I'm tired and stressed."

"Don't drink anymore, Tom!" Frank frowned.

Tom smiled. "I don't get drunk."

Stu frowned. "You have all the logistic markers stored in your brain cells. Don't go loco on us."

Tom nodded. "I won't."

Stu passed out a paper folder to each brother. "Here! Study the old layouts of the castle, courtyard and surrounding terrain via photos, internet, and other unreliable sources," he laughed with the others but Austin.

Frank looked at the papers. "Are we occupying our minds, until the jet lands on the dirt in Abha, Stu?"

Stu said. "Think logically here! What steps we need to do first, second, third...?"

Frank exhaled. "I can answer the first step: stay calm."
Wednesday, November 17th

Country of Saudi Arabia

(7,404 miles, northeast, from Coral Beach, Florida, USA)

Oasis palace location

Interior mud house setting

01:01 p.m. (Saudi afternoon time)

06:01 a.m. (USA Florida morning time)

Tom jerked the thobe, a thin blue cotton sheet down over a pale chest letting the light fabric fall to his ankles and then attached the double cross hostler in front, loading the loaded guns in the empty pouches. He belted the thick leather around his thin waist, slipping more weapons around his body. He slipped the aba, a dark brown cloak over the blue thobe over his shoulders, concealing the weapons. Then he moved over to his brother and pointed, instructing. "Stu, place the knife, here. I can't reach it, man."

Stu scanned Tom's lanky body up and down with his keen brown eyes, twisted him around and back surveying the weapons collection, chuckling. "How in the Hell did ya fit all that metal on your tall skinny ass?"

Frank commented. "You say it best, Big Man. He's a tall and skinny asshole."

Tom ordered with a whiny baby tone. "Shut up, asshole Frank and stow the weapons, asswipe Stu."

"You look like Rambo minus the robust muscles, black hair, dark suntan and nasty sneer." Frank kidded, snickering. Austin chuckled and Stu laughed.

"Shut up, asshole Frank!" Tom frowned.

Stu grabbed and pulled Tom close to the body. "You're going to rattle like a ghost, Thomas."

"Ghosts don't make any noise, Stu." Tom noted.

"Casper does." Frank noted.

"Does not?" Tom remarked.

"Does so?" Frank argued.

"What noise, Frank?" Tom asked.

"He saids prince goes boo-boo." Frank laughed. Austin chuckled. Stu snorted.

Tom frowned, "Gawd! The man's drunk on his tap needles, Austin. Relief the good doctor of duty."

"Too many weapons, Tom." Stu scanned Tom's loaded and dangerous armament.

"I need protection to rescue my baby sister." Tom whined, again in a baby tone.

"We're all going to rescue Kitten, not just you." Frank reminded.

"Frank, I think Tom robbed your weapon's stores." Stu pulled the first weapon from Tom's belt across his flat chest. "Smith and Wesson 629."

"Hey!" Tom voiced with surprise. "That's mine."

"Manually cocked revolver with long trigger pulls." Stu characterized.

Frank spoke. "Tom, where did ya get these weapons?"

"Stores." Tom reported.

"Whose stores?" Stu asked with interest.

"Office." Tom told.

"Shit!" Frank moaned.

"Tom robbed the Japs." Stu accused. Austin chuckled. Frank laughed.

"Shut up, Stu!" Tom frowned.

"Do you have permits for these?" Frank asked.

"This country allows one handgun with fifty cartridges per licensee. You're breaking the law, Tom." Stu reported.

"How do you know that, Stu?" Tom asked.

"I read, Law Man." Stu smiled.

"I'm the expert here, Big Man." Tom commanded.

"Yeah, an expert for getting us into trouble." Stu growled.

"Where are your USA permits, Tom." Frank asked again.

"Permits, what for?" Tom moaned.

"Gun handling, asshole!" Frank asked.

"We're in a foreign country, Frank." Tom reminded the Quartet.

"Illegally, I might add." Frank noted.

"Killing in cold blood requires no permits, Frank." Tom commented. Stu and Austin laughed.

"The lawyer has a point." Austin chuckled.

"Fuck! The man's insane, Austin." Frank exhaled.

"We want through that already, Frank." Austin smiled.

"Glock 18." Stu pulled out the fourth loaded weapon from Tom's hostler on his flat chest.

"Light, small and fast." Tom smiled.

"Difficult to control rapid rates of fire." Stu clarified.

"Translation, I get shot." Frank laughed with his other brothers.

"Shut up, Frank!" Tom frowned.

Stu held the next weapon from Tom's harness in the air. Frank announced pridely the name. "HK VP70."

"Heckler and Kock VP70, single fire rounds, no stock attached." Stu detailed.

"Cocked first shot, then re-cock." Frank explained.

"Know that!" Tom rolled the eyeballs.

"Single-action Browning Hi-power 9 by 19 mm." Stu named.

"Automatic racking of the slide." Tom smiled.

"Drop the pre-cocked hammer for the first shot, and then auto..." Stu clarified.

"Too many steps, Tom!" Frank exhaled.

"Shut up, Frank!" Tom frowned.

"Beretta 92 auto pistol." Austin joined the weapon party as Stu handed him the weapon for placing back into the trunk.

"Heavy trigger pull, then light crisp manually cocking." Stu expounded.

"Too slow, Tom," Frank joshed.

"Shut up, Frank!" Tom frowned.

"Double-action Taurus Millennium." Stu called.

"No cocking required." Tom laughed.

"De-cock function, no hammer spur, but may strike a dud cartridge." Stu reported.

"Jericho 941, 9mm magazine." Stu termed.

"Robust design that bulges under clothes, Tom." Frank described.

"Jesus Christ, Stu. Does every handgun carry a flaw?" Tom asked.

"Yes, Thomas! All weapons do." Stu relayed.

"Why do you think Stu created the Ghost?" Frank asked.

"Shit! I give up, asshole." Tom moaned.

Gage smiled, holding his Ghost in the air, announcing. "Semi-automatic hand pistol fires 24 razors, eight ounces, slim, quiet, swift, de-cocked, no hammer, safe and finally invisible."

"Invisible?" Tom frowned.

"The Ghost." Stu remarked, laughing.

"Jesus H. Christ here! Let's go save Kitten and get the hell out of the desert." Tom carped.

"The point of a machine pistol is one hand control with automatic firing and a free hand for fighting, attacking and defending your ass. I thought I taught you that simple number one defense rule, Tom." Stu lectured.

"Maybe, tomorrow." Frank laughed.

"Maybe, now." Stu threatened.

"Stu!" Austin cautioned with a deep baritone rumble.

Gage had disarmed Sawyer with all the hand guns, removing the double leather bands across his chest and the horizontal one around his waist. "Hey, man!" Tom shouted.

"You aren't dressed appropriately, Tom." Stu smiled.

"There's no dress code for cold-blooded murdering." Tom growled.

"Thomas is in the county." Frank laughed.

"Thomas is inside a foreign country." Stu smiled and finished tugging the thobe from his skinny body. Tom was standing with only briefs, proclaiming. "Blue." Austin and Tom laughed.

"They match the thobe." Tom smiled. "I need my clothes, asshole."

"First, the body vest that holds off a dagger or a knife or a sword or a hand gun." Stu wrapped the hard covered light metal around his flat chest, pulling the stripes tight.

"Forgot!" Tom moaned in a low tone.

Frank laughed. "The genius lawyer."

Stu shook the bottle, spreading the contents in his hands, wiping the brown substance on Tom's lower arms and hands. Tom frowned. "It smells like shit."

Stu smiled. "You're getting a suntan, bro."

Tom frowned. "Why is this Halloween decoration necessary, Stu?"

Stu continued to rub the body of Tom with a smile. "Muslims ain't pale, Thomas."

"I have sensitive skin. I'll get a rash." Tom frowned.

Stu laughed. "That's why Frank's here."

Frank laughed. "I'm not playing doctor."

Stu finished his finger painting, applying gentle strokes to the two cheeks, mouth, and jaw line on Tom's face.

"Gawd! Tom is a black man." Frank laughed.

"What?" Tom gasped.

"Stay put, pup!" Stu ordered.

"Tom is black. Now, Stu and Tom are really biological brothers." Frank laughed with Austin while enjoying the clown show, before the upcoming killing deaths of the people that touched Kitten.

Tom whined. "Shut up, Frank!"

Stu pushed the blue thobe over Tom's head, and then wrapped the leather utility belt around his thin waist, securing the weapons into the pouches. "Your ghost, a dagger and a club...that's all you need."

"I need more." Tom whined in a baby tone.

"That's all for you and us, Tom." Stu explained.

"I'm the worst shooter of the Quartet." Tom acknowledged.

"Now, he admits it." Austin chuckled.

"I need more weapons to protect myself." Tom whined with a baby tone.

"We're not starting a war, Tom."

"...just saving the princess." Austin commented and smiled.

"That one." Tom picked the weapon from the table, trying to find a spot on the leather belt.

"No." Stu replied.

"The princess can fight as well." Tom argued.

Austin smiled. "Good point, Tom!"

"We should bring her a weapon too." Tom smiled

Austin smiled. "Very good point, Sawyer." He took the revolver from Tom's hands.

Tom gasped. "Hey, man!"

Austin stored the weapon inside the hidden weapons utility belt underneath the robe with a smile. "For Kitten, she needs it."

"For Kitten, I don't want to see you shooting it, Austin. Use your Ghost!" Tom commanded.

Stu smiled. "Look! We use everything available, including your brain cells, Tom."

"I do." Tom smiled.

"When do you use your demented and sexually oriented brain cells, Tom?" Frank frowned.

Tom reached up and itched the dye on the face with a sour frown. "I use all of those brain cells and more all the time, asshole. Go bother Austin!"

Stu proceeded to place the checkered red and white covering over Tom's head. Sawyer flung his half brown and half pale long slender arms with a sneer while blocking both of Stu's hands. "I can dress myself, Stu. I'm being doing, since I was three."

"Comb!" Stu extended an open palm. Frank moved ahead to the bag with a smile and then pitched one to Stu.

Tom continued to wave both arms with a sour frown. "Back off, asshole! I brushed my hair. It's perfect. I'm perfect. Go away, Stu!"

Stu spit down with his saliva on the comb and then raked back Tom's wispy blonde bangs to the back of the skull head. Tom gasped. "Shit, man! I need a bath. I got Stu coodies on me."

Frank smiled. "Shut up, Tom!"

Stu worked with a frown. "Be still, Thomas!"

Tom continued to wave and wiggle side to side while trying to escape. "Gawd, I smell like Stu, like Stu shit."

Stu ignored the nasty comment, dropping the comb onto the cot and re-positioned the long cloth, covering the material to Tom's eyes. Sawyer gasped with worry. "I'm blind, man."

Frank laughed. "We knew him to be deaf. Two out of three is quite shocking, Thomas."

"Shut up, Frank! Stu, go spit on Frank. Let me be!" Tom yelled while fighting Stu with the cloth adjusting the material higher on his wet forehead.

Stu smiled. "Muslims ain't blonde, Tom."

Tom continued to fight with big and tall Stuart. "Go annoy, Mangrove! He's got bright red carrot top hair."

"His carrot tinted hair is properly covered with the ghurra." Stu finished the decorating job and admired his handy work with a smile.

Austin smiled. "Good job, Stu."

Frank grinned. "Thomas looks just like a Muslim."

Stu chuckled. "No, not yet!"

Tom growled. "Not yet? What in the hell does that mean?"

Stu removed the brown plants from the moist pouch, crunching them together. He started to spit into his folded hands, "Spit, Tom!"

"Gladly," Tom rolled the tongue around inside the mouth and then slurped, puckering his pink lips, throwing a big wet ball of saliva kissing Stu's large hands.

Austin moaned from the disgusting smelly sight. "Gross."

"What are you doing, Big Man?" Frank smiled.

"Muslims ain't got white pearly teeth, Tom." Stu smiled.

"No! Fuck you! Don't come near me with that shit!" Tom reached down for his Ghost from the pouch.

Frank leaped ahead and then tackled Tom from the side, both falling to the soft sand covered by canvas of the tent. Frank anchored both of Tom's lanky arms to the body with a smile. "Go, Stu!"

Tom wiggled with a sissy whine. "Get off of me, asshole! Don't do it, man! I'll shot your damn toes, Gage."

Stu squatted down and targeted the wet tobacco leaves into Tom's open mouth, since Sawyer was whining as usual and crying foul like always. Stu rubbed the smelly product up and down staining Tom's pearly white teeth.

Tom yelled and cried. "Ugh! F..."

"Tom, it's part of the disguise. We don't want to give our advantage away." Austin instructed as Tom cursed and struggled within Frank's gripe. Stu continued to rub the stain inside his mouth. Austin exhaled. "This is for Kitten. Remember that? We're rescuing Kitten. Do it for her, not me, not you, not anyone!" Austin bent down while talking in Tom's face.

Sawyer stilled with a whisper. "Kitten!" He grunted with stained tobacco on his once perfect smiled and growled.

"Good, pup!" Austin stood with a grin.

Frank helped Tom to stand as Tom mouth spat down onto the wooden floor with a sour frown. "Shit! It tastes like shit. But I'm doing this for Kitten, only Kitten, none of you asswipes count."

"I'm so glad Tom's her biological brother and that he loves Kitten so much." Stu remarked. Tom gave Stu the evil eye.

"Compliment, Tom!" Austin voiced.

"I'm done." Stu back stepped and spun around, gathering more gear with a smile.

"Remind me to beat the shit out of you later, Stu!" Tom growled with fury.

Frank raised a palm with a smile. "I'll remind you, Tom."

Tom nodded. "You always were the true devious son of the bitch on the floor, Frank."

"Damn right and proud of it too!" Frank nodded with a smile.

"What does the anticipated weather forecast state for here in Saudi, for the day, Stu?" Austin turned and viewed the sand covered window panes.

"Please, say rain. I'm burning up in our costumes." Tom whined.

"Tropical desert climate with dry, hot scorching bright 101 degreed heat." Stu reported as he passed out the presents.

"Sunglasses." Tom giggled, smiling with stained teeth.

"Can we really use those?" Frank asked.

Stu nodded. "I strongly suggest to use them. Our eyes aren't accustomed to the glare of orange desert. I didn't want us hurting our retinas."

Frank nodded with a smile. "Excellent idea, Stu!"

Tom smiled. "Thanks!"

Frank smiled. "Do you have a last second Quartet instruction, Austin?"

Austin nodded. "We go home, alive and breathing."

Frank rattled the weapons around the waistline with a smile. "How much blood shed?"

Tom laughed. "Maximum, Mangrove! If you can..."

"Minimal is the order." Austin exhaled. "This is a rescue, not a slaughter. Is that not correct, Tom?"

Tom fiddled with the outfit with a smile, "Yeah! Shore thing! Whatever! As long as, I get to rescue Kitten."

Austin frowned. "There are no verbal claims within the final QA mission, Tom."

Tom looked up with a gasp. "I claim."

Austin frowned. "No claims! Once we're revealed, all hell is going to break loose. Watch and listen to each other. The one who is nearest to Kitten then grabs her and then goes down the steps into the underground passage first. Her safety is most important."

Stu frowned. "Tom, does that palace underground passage still exist?"

Tom smiled. "Yeah! The passage is there. The last time I was here, Boo Boo walked me through it."

Frank frowned. "Why would Boo Boo do that?"

Tom shrugged a shoulder with a smile. "It was used for some type of execution of rebellious slaves, whores, enemies. Gawd! The walls stained with blood, millions of years old, old brittle bones, wads of cloths, rats..."

Frank gasped "Rats! You don't mention rodents that could carry diseases before, Tom."

"Forgot!" Tom giggled.

Stu laughed. "The genius lawyer."

"Shut up, Stu!" Tom frowned.

Austin nodded. "Kill or beat anything that gets in our way, princes, farmers or rats..."

Frank frowned. "Children?"

Austin paused and then sighed. "Anything in the footpath to Kitten!"

Each Quartet member turned with a stern face and moved ahead to the closed door in silence with the final and most important QA mission.

The door opened revealing the heated rays of bright sunlight.

Open market setting of dirt

01:39 p.m. (Saudi Arab afternoon time)

06:39 a.m. (USA morning time)

Tom and Stu, wearing sunglasses, moved from the fawn-bricked house into the sunlight walking in a steady pace in front while Austin and Frank followed behind. The dry humid heat attacking flesh and bone between the leather and steel.

"Gawd, I thought Miami was hot." Tom shaded both eyeballs inside the sunglasses.

"Hush, Tom! Put your hands down. You're a Muslin." Stu moved ahead with a stern face.

Tom dropped the arms and squirted through the sunglasses. "Sorry."

The palace castle sat on top of a plain of flat brown sand standing three story high of sun-dried white stone. A set of fawn-colored bricks composed of an open courtyard which encircled the palace lawn and the house complex that exhibited a traditional village life within Abha.

The open dirt marketplace encompassed the outskirts of the courtyard with rows of parked old cars from the seventies, jeeps with a set of patched cloth roofs, numerous sitting camels, three white tinted limousines, and a couple of foreign sports cars.

Beside the palace castle sat inside miles and miles of geometric shaped dunes, hills, and ridges of heated inhospitable orange sand leading toward the eastern mountain range that guarded flat fields of crops and rows of date trees.

The Quartet were dressed like the native in the traditional ankle-length light colored cotton thobe over a dark colored aba cloak with a white square cotton head covering which was called a ghurra. The ghurra was held in place by a black tinted rope-like hoop or agal. Each woman wore a long black tinted ankle-length dress coming her body from the hair roots down to the toe lines. A black veil hid her face.

The Quartet moved in pair. Frank surveyed the new landscape and aske. "What is that black colored square shape building in the distance?"

"That is the Muslim house of worship which called a mosque." Stu said.

"What is the white tinted arched shaped open structure with people?" Frank asked.

"That is the Muslin coffeehouse." Stu smiled.

"You're shitting me." Tom gasped.

"Tom, I thought you were the expert of Saudi culture." Frank smiled.

"I am the law expert on Saudi legal culture." Tom smiled.

Stu continued to move with Tom and survey the landscape. "Only men are allowed by legal law to gather, talk, and drink a heavy cup of strong black coffee."

"I like coffee." Tom smiled at the coffee house.

"Forget it, Tom!" Frank frowned.

"Fine!" Tom moaned.

Frank said. "I see more cloth tents in the north and in the south directions."

Stu said. "The mobile tents represent nomads, visitors, guests, mommies, daddies, sisters, brothers, aunts, uncles..."

Frank frowned. "We get the picture, Stu."

"Where is Kitten located at here within the palace, Tom?" Austin asked.

"Uh!" Tom didn't know.

"Stu!" Austin commanded.

Stu exhaled. "No, Austin. I am not using the electronics to find Kitten."

Frank frowned. "Why not?"

Stu said. "It is too risky..."

Tom laughed. "O! It is too risky for the nomads."

Stu exhaled. "No, stupid shit ass, lawyer Tom! There is radar equipment and scanners which is inside the palace. Do you see the numerous radio and satellite antennas which is not just for the sports channel in the USA? These are enemy tracking stations."

Frank gasped. "What about our portal ear bugs that provide voice translation, Stu?"

Stu said. "The ear bug has a low battery discharge which is less than an implanted heart pacemaker for grandpa."

Tom frowned. "Would people wear a pacemaker here, Frank?"

Frank exhaled. "Could be? If the prince was a generous man."

Tom smiled. "Good point, smart medical doctor!"

Stu veered to the side of the crowd and stopped over the dirt, pointing toward one of the vendor ahead. "Go and barter several pairs of sunglasses for two boxes of fresh fruit dates, Tom."

Frank veered to the side and stopped, standing slightly behind Stu and Tom next to Austin. "What do we want a boxes of fruit dates?"

Stu stared at each vendor and group of natives. "We are a quartet of nomads selling our wares here within the market place."

"What ware are we selling?" Tom chuckled.

Stu handed Tom a box with a smile. "This box contained several rows of cheap black tined plastic sunglasses. Go exchange this some dates, Tom!"

Frank smiled. "Good thinking, Stu!"

Stu continued to survey the people and the place. "We can't walk around without pedaling something. We won't fit in." He shoved Sawyer with a smile. "Go, Tom."

"Fuck!" Tom moved ahead a few inches and moved toward the fruit stand.

"Watch for snakes, too!" Stu chuckled.

Tom halted and jerked around with a gasp to see his three brothers. "Snakes!"

Frank frowned. "Quiet, Tom!"

Stu smiled. "Queen Cleopatra from the Egyptian history..."

Tom frowned. "I read."

"The coiled cobra was found inside the date fruit bag coming from the Egyptian grocery store." Stu snorted as Frank and Austin laughed.

"Cobra!" Tom gasped in alarm.

Stu smiled. "Go on, Tom! Get the fruit!"

Tom spun around and them stumble forward in the ankle-length outfit while looking back to see his three brothers, cautiously approaching the farmer, who was surrounded by bags of fresh dates in silence.

Frank frowned at the back spine of Tom. "Do not scare more, Tom! He's jumpy enough without his cup of fructose coco beans."

Stu smiled at the back spine of Tom, who was negotiating for one bag of dates. "Tom drank four cups of coffee, this morning, black Middle Eastern coffee, this morning. That shit is hundred percent pure."

Frank gasped. "Did he enter into the coffeehouse with a disguise?"

Stu continued to watch Tom with a smile. "No. Our Arabic gopher purchased the food and the drinks. Tom ordered cup after cup after cup..."

"Shit, Austin! Let me sedate, Tom. He's going to expose us, get Kitten hurt, and one of us killed." Frank turned and frowned at Austin.

Stu smiled. "Where were you, Mangrove, during the breakfast meal?"

Frank exhaled. "I was showering. I agree with Tom. This place is hotter than hell. The fucking devil wouldn't reside here." Stu and Austin laughed.

Austin nodded. "I'm sweating buckets of water. Does the Ghost work, when it is wet, Stu?"

Stu was stupefied. "Uh! Don't really know, bro!"

Frank hissed. "This is one hell of a time to tell us that new information, Big Man. Do we need to go back to the mud house for supplements?"

Stu smiled. "That's why I gave you a dagger and a club, our new backup procedures."

"Fuck! I'm going to die." Frank moaned.

"Shut up, Frank!" Stu sneered.

Austin smiled. "Be a little more positive, Frank! We're standing on Holy Ground."

"How's that, Austin?" Frank looked down with a frown to see the dirt.

Austin grinned. "You said so yourself. The fucking devil won't reside here. It's too damn hot," he chuckled with his brothers

Tom rushed away from the vendor holding one bag of dates near a smile and stopped in front of Mangrove. "Here! You hold the damn bag, Frank."

"Not, I, sir." Frank back stepped with a frown.

Tom laughed. "You're the fucking smart ass physician with the set of tap needles. You can antidote yourself, after the cobra bites your ass."

Stu exchanged a new bag for Tom's. "Here! Take this bag, scary cat!"

Tom accepted the new bag with a smile. "Thanks!" He opened, searching the bag with a gasp. "There are dates, more dates inside the new bag here."

"Yeah. I exchanged my pair of sunglasses earlier." Stu laughed with Frank and Austin.

Tom growled. "Fuck!"

Stu chuckled. "Don't worry! There are not any anaroids or snakes."

Frank frowned. "What an anaroid, Stu?"

"A stinging scorpion." Stu laughed with Frank.

"Stu!" Austin exhaled with a grin, but Tom wasn't half as scared as Berrington right now. Austin was the boss of the Quartet, who had to remind unruffled and calm. But he was very worried, concerned, frightened, and scared for Kitten, his love, his girl, and finally his future wife.

"Fuck!" Tom looked down with a sissy whine at the open bag of fresh brown tinted dates.

Stu smiled. "You can use them as an excellent weapon!"

Frank smiled. "Good point, Big Man!"

A tower bell sound with a loud bong on top of the palace castle. "Showtime, folks!" Tom spun around and dropped down the bag of fresh dates onto the dirt, moving ahead with the crowd of natives into the princely palace.

Palace house of Prince Boo Boo

Throne room setting

02:02 p.m. (Saudi Arab afternoon time)

07:02 a.m. (USA morning time)

On the floor of the throne room, the men were talking in low tone telling stories, reciting poems coming from the Koran to each other, discussing vendor items, the weather, and other varied topics.

The group of women in a black tinted dress sat on the floor on the right of the king throne while the men gathered on the left side.

Placed on the second row, a pillow with Stu and Austin in front of the pillow of Frank and Tom behind them plugged into the shared Quartet ear translators which doubled a transmitter and receiver for sharing data in English and Arabic inside the head covering.

The throne room was a plain square room aired by open arched windows from ceiling to floor on sides devoid of curtains or drapes. At the back of the room was wall covering painted in bright red, blue, white, yellow, black depicting a medieval caravan of Arab pilgrims inside a wooden wagon pulled by six white horses on the path to the holy city of Mecca. The city was represented by a large square shaped cube surrounded by tiny white dots. The painting was old which faded colors, chipped stone and dull figures. Almost at the end of the wall was another arch way leading to colorful geometric figured tiles on the floor and walls, a modern design.

Frank smiled and appraised the art. "I do believe that is a twelfth century mural."

"Stop admiring the art work, Frank, and look for Kitten." Austin surveyed the room with a stern face.

"Just like Coral Gables Prep, good girls on the right, bad boys on the left. Does nothing every change twenty years later on the other side of the world?" Stu chuckled through his ear bug which was stuffed into the eardrum, translating the sound to each eardrum of a Quartet brother.

Austin whispered through the ear bug to each eardrum of a Quartet brother. "All the women are dressed skull to toes in black, which one would she be? Where would she sit in the rows in the front seats?"

Tom whispered into the ear bug to each eardrum of a Quartet brother. "She's not there."

Austin gasped with a whisper, "Why isn't Kitten present, in here, with us, Tom?"

"I mean. Kitten is a princess-in-waiting. She's not a nomad, or villager. Our baby sister is in the palace under heavy guards." Tom said.

"Guarded?" Stu inquired.

Tom told again. "No one can see or touch her as decreed by Prince Boo Boo or instantaneously death."

Frank chuckled, "Instantaneously death."

"No one has harmed her." Austin exhaled and desired to se Kitten for certain rather than relying on Tom's imagination or imagery data.

"Hell no! Instantaneously death! I should've implemented that statute myself, when I found out about my baby sister Kitten." Tom frowned.

"Chip died anyways." Stu said.

"...not by my hand," Tom growled.

"You wanted to kill him, Tom." Frank said.

"Hell, yeah!" Tom huffed.

"What for?" Frank asked.

Tom laughed, "For being a stupid ass idiot."

"I agree with Tom." Austin smiled.

Frank ordered. "If she's not here, do we implement 'Plan B,' search the castle?"

"There's no 'Plan B,' Frank." Tom issued.

"She's not here." Frank noted, again.

"Too dangerous to search any part of this palace with a tour guide and a semi-automatic rifle even with permission of Prince Boo Boo. We wait." Tom ordered.

"Wait?" Frank repeated.

Tom explained. "The ringing of the bell in the tower was the signal for the main event, the engagement announcement of the upcoming wedding."

Austin asked. "Are you certain?"

Tom told. "Hell, yeah! I saw this before."

Stu asked. "When, Tom?"

Tom informed. "Last year, I had to bail another sub-prince out of jail for killing his lover in Jidda."

Stu asked. "Did you win?"

Tom replied. "Hell, yeah, Stu. I have never lost a case. Don't you remember?"

"Not really, I enjoy the beer, water, sun, sights..." Stu laughed.

Tom moaned. "Fucking asshole, I'll be glad to retire."

"We are retired." Frank reminded.

"We missed the smelly green tea ritual." Stu informed.

"The old Band of Brothers took care of it for us."

"How did Sawyer, Junior, react to the bad news?" Austin asked.

"After Uncle Stuart handcuffed his arms and legs together, Dad was fine." Tom remarked with an easy tone.

Stu snorted really loud. Tom reacted to the noise in the transmitter. "Quiet, Stu!"

"Dad didn't tell that part." Stu commented, snickering.

"And what happened at the tea ceremony, yesterday afternoon?" Austin smiled.

"Father tranquilized Soy." Frank smiled.

"...just like a damn dog." Stu snorted, again.

"Snort outside, Stu! You're making too much noise." Tom frowned.

"Where did you get your information, Tom?" Frank frowned.

Tom smiled. "Mom."

"How?" Austin frowned.

Stu smiled. "It is called modern communications, Austin. They are called portable mobile telephones."

"Right!" Austin exhaled.

Stu frowned. "Austin, you need to get a phone."

Austin frowned. "Back to the rescue! What's going to happen next?"

Tom frowned. "I covered it last night and this morning."

"Cover it again, Tom!" Austin growled.

Tom exhaled, "Fine! The villagers are seated like now. The royal children gather and enter like a flock of sheep, soonest, and then Prince Boo Boo appears solo, sits on his throne, soonest."

Austin said. "Where is Kitten located within the seating arrangement, Tom?"

"She is announced later." Tom said.

Frank asked. "What about the other royal princesses?"

Tom laughed. "Not invited."

"Why not?" Frank frowned.

Tom exhaled. "Don't know. Jealousy, envy, murderous intent, pick one, Frank?"

Frank frowned. "Why is that?"

Tom grinned. "Because, Kitten is going to be the first princess. She is numero uno, the American first, the best gal, the greatest goddess ..."

Stu frowned. "Where did you get all of this data, Tom?"

Tom nodded. "From the kid, who lined up our house, food, supplies..."

Frank frowned. "Did you pay him with our US currency of monies, Tom? That is very, very danger for us, Sawyer!"

Tom smiled. "I paid very well. Money and money make the world go round and round and round and round ..."

Frank snarled. "More money makes people talk too much to others, too, Thomas."

Tom grinned. "The kid needed money. I needed information."

Stu laughed. "You didn't want to share."

Tom exhaled. "Looky! I told all of ya'll of this information, this morning."

Austin growled. "Continue with the ceremony, Tom!"

Tom nodded. "Kitten enters last, sitting next to Prince Boo Boo on top of the pink satin pillow next to his golden throne chair. Do you see it? Then Boo Boo announces the upcoming wedding. The crowd will jump into immediately celebrate, noisy instruments, paper shit, slapping, kicking, punching and hitting, each other for fun."

Frank frowned. "No kissing or hugging here!"

Tom laughed. "You got the wrong foreign country, Mangrove."

Stu laughed. "Right!"

Tom said. "That's our cue! Then we get up and attack her body guard, grab Kitten, and flee down the steps..."

Stu frowned. "Where are the steps? I don't wanna miss our chance to go back home to the USA."

Tom said. "Looky! On east end of this room, passing the throng of sitting children near the throne chair, there is a hidden trap door of parted wood underneath the Persian rug."

Frank frowned. "Where are the rows of royal guards, Tom? I don't see a single row of royal guards in here."

Tom smiled. "Do you see a royal guard with a hand gun? No, you don't. The hidden trap door of ancient wood is underneath the ancient rug. The tunnel is dark and musty, but clear for an easy escape leading out into miles of crop fields."

"O! You didn't select the escape tunnel into the gardens of roses and flora," Frank laughed.

Tom smiled. "Crops generate money, not shitting flowers, Frank."

Austin smiled. "Boo Boo is a good businessman."

Stu frowned. "Yeah, he ain't no dumb shit."

Frank sneered. "You got that right. He initiated, planned, and executed Kitten's kidnap underneath the Quartet's noses."

Tom growled. "Well, that bastard is dead, soonest."

Austin sneered. "No, Tom."

"Yes. Austin." Tom growled.

"No, Tom." Austin snarled.

"Yes, Austin." Tom sneered.

Austin exhaled. "Only Kitten matters here! Let the bastard cry over losing her, that's much more painful."

Stu laughed. "That's our lasting revenge."

Frank laughed. "That's our last hurrah, my brothers."

Tom growled. "No, my other brothers!"

Austin growled. "Say only Kitten matters, not the others, Tom!"

Tom sneered. "Fine! Only Kitten matters here, not the prince, Tom."

"Good, pup," Austin smiled.

The gong chimed with a loud tone. The captured audience hushed. On the entrance wall, at the wall intersection, from the archway on the mural wall, two vertical rows of little princes and princesses entered into the throne room while smiling and singing a soft song. They stopped and stood against the mural wall lining from the tallest to the smallest child while holding a single colorful flower.

Inside the audience of sitting pillows on the second row, Quartet brother Frank smiled at the children and spoke into the ear bug, "So cute!"

Tom growled. "Shut up, Frank!"

The gong sounded again with a longer ringing tone. The children stopped the singing song and the audience stilled with a quiet hush again.

Dressed in fat body frame and covered in a flowing white tinted princely robe, a white turban over his black hair roots and a matching facial goatee, Prince Boo-Boo slowly sauntered out from the hidden hallway without a smile or a dance or a prance or a hand wave. He did not make eye contact with the wall of children, the audience of men and women, the royal guards, or the varied assortment of small dogs and cats that continued to lounge over the cool tile in peace. He slowly approached the gold throne chair alone in a steady pace.

The audience did not clap, hoot, shout, move, or breathe.

Two servants rushed behind and then stopped, fluffing out his long cloak to the side for him to sit down on top of the padded seat. He sat and then posed like a bird on top of a telephone wire, unemotional and still.

Frank smiled, "Fascinating."

Tom sneered. "Shut up, Frank!"

The gong rang for a third time with the tone lingering in the air waves while the sound of silence filled the air waves.

Stu counted into the ear bug, "Three, two, one, now."

Tom sneered. "Shut up, Stu!"

All eardrums could hear the girly soprano voice coming from the behind the painted mural wall, marching along a hidden hallway without her physical body which was attached to her loud, mad and angry timber. "Back off, Jack! You're hogging the oxygen ..."

Inside the audience, on the second row, Quartet brother Stu snorted and stared at the entrance door on the mural wall. "Kitten is in the palace."

"Shut up, Stu!" Tom sneered into the transmitter, intensely concentrating on watching for his baby sister to arrive. He was worried that she was hurt or injured but since hearing her angry, insulting tone. Kitten was fine and dandy, fighting, teasing, biting and stinging getting her way.

Frank commented through the tiny microphone. "Thank God!"

Austin praised. "She's okay."

Kitten and a large muscular bodyguard emerged as one moving figure, since he was holding her arm while shoving her slender body frame forward ahead into the throne room.

Prince Boo Boo continued to sit and stared straight ahead while ignoring Kitten and her loud bursts of vocal disagreement.

Inside the audience, on the second row, staring at his sister, whispering through his ear bug, "He's dead." Tom noted.

"Only Kitten, Tom!" Austin smiled when the royal guard flung Kitten forcefully in the air from his body.

Stu gasped. "Royal shit! He's fucking dead."

Austin smiled. "Only Kitten, Stu!"

Kitten swiftly landed down on top of the tile floor on the side of her legs and then snorted with frustration, slowly standing upright from the floor, immediately turning around with her long silver hair swinging back and forth in the air. She faced her nasty tall and ugly bodyguard, jabbing a finger into his uglier face, "Do it again, LeRoy! Then I'll beat the tar of your butthole."

Tom laughed. "That's my baby sister."

"Gawd! What is she wearing?" Stu gasped.

"She is wearing diamonds." Frank gasped.

Austin gasped. "Tom, you said that all and every single Saudi woman dresses in a long, long gown and a head veil of rich black color."

"She's a princess, Austin."

Frank smiled. "Not yet!"

"Not ever!" Austin sneered.

Tom smiled. "No one can touch her."

Stu gasped. "She has got rows of diamonds covering her chest, only rows of diamonds."

Frank frowned. "I got twenty/fifteen vision, too, Stu."

Tom smiled. "We all have excellent eyesight, Stu."

Stu gasped. "What is her princess skirt composed of?"

Frank frowned. "Don't, Stu!"

Tom smiled. "It is called a throng underneath the skirt of silver netting. She has on a bathing suit."

Stu nodded. "She is wearing fifty percent of a bathing suit."

Frank smiled. "I think we can say she hasn't been harmed."

Austin growled. "Shut up, Frank!"

As Kitten moved from the body guard toward the prince, the children encircled her.

"Chaton." Prince Boo Boo called out with a loud voice into the throne room. The sound carried ahead and then echoed off the floor and the ceiling into each eardrum.

"Hold your Arabian horses, Roy!" Kitten shouted in angry and kneeled down while continuing to hug and then kiss, receiving the single stem rose coming from each child. She pulled back and then patted her hair with a smile.

Stu snorted. "Kitten ain't taking shit from Roy it seems."

Tom laughed. "Just like her brother."

Frank frowned. "Who is Roy? Where is Roy?"

Tom smiled. "I would be shortened for the word: Roy-alty."

Frank nodded. "Kitten knows that we are here and not in Austin's arms."

Tom smiled. "She'll be soonest."

Austin grinned. "Damn straight, Tom!"

Frank smiled. "So cute! Kitten is going to be a great mom, soonest, also."

Rows of female servants appeared and ushered all the little princes and princesses away from Kitten, out of the auditorium, and then back into the hidden hallway.

Prince Boo Boo stood upright from the throne chair and turned to see his new bride. Kitten slowly stood upright from the floor and more slowly paced toward him. He frowned. "You have kept me waiting for your presence, Chaton."

Kitten stopped in front of the pink satin pillow with both hands on the waistline, mouth spitting in the air with a sour frown. "I don't really give a damn, Scarlett." She tossed the head backwards with roaring laughter.

Tom snorted. "She possesses that charming Sawyer wit."

Stu laughed. "Half wit, she's a pistol."

Frank smiled. "She is a loaded gun."

Austin frowned. "She's going to cause trouble. When do we charge for the rescue, Tom?"

"Later! Wait a sec!" Tom ordered.

Prince Boo Boo reached out and grabbed the elbow of Kitten, jerking her down forcible onto the soft gigantic floor pillow. She sat down with a sour frown and reached down, picking up the tiny kitten that was roaming by her feet, petting the purring animal into her neck. She giggled and smiled down at the innocent pet.

Tom sneered. "He's dead."

"Only Kitten, Tom!" Austin smiled.

"He is my personal kill." Stu growled.

"Only Kitten, Stu." Austin smiled.

"He is dead meat." Frank snarled.

"Only Kitten, Frank." Austin smiled and shook a head. His three Quartet brothers were primed and pumped for the kill act, but Austin would attack Boo Boo first and then save his Kitten from danger.

Stu frowned. "What is he calling out loud? Is Boo Boo calling her something?"

Frank nodded. "Chaton, it is the French word for 'kitten.'"

Prince Boo Boo pointed at the advisor next to the throne chair. The male spoke in the Arabic language to each native inside the throne room.

Stu reached up and pressed the ear bug translator inside the second eardrum while hearing the language translation into English words, saying into the ear bug to each brother. "Kitten and Prince Boo Boo is getting married today..."

Frank gasped. "Did he say the marriage is today, right now, Tom?"

Austin growled. "Tom, your resource said this was only an announcement of the wedding for next week."

Stu continued to repeat into the ear bug for each brother. "Join the bride and groom in the traditional royal tea ceremony..."

Frank frowned. "What is this royal tea ceremony, Tom?"

Tom smiled. "They drink some shitty tasting tea, instead of speaking verbal love vows."

Frank frowned. "In case, the bride is nervous."

Stu laughed. "In case, the bride is gagged and bound."

"Not funny, Stu!" Tom frowned.

Frank asked. "Does Kitten understand the Arabic message coming from the advisor?"

Tom smiled. "She's clueless."

Austin smiled. "This works better to our advantage."

"How does it work better to our advantage, Austin?" Stu frowned.

Austin smiled. "Kitten doesn't know what is happening to her today either."

Stu smiled. "If she did, she would rebel, fight, attack. She's got an attitude already. She thinks she got time to stall with Roy, before the big event."

Tom smiled. "Ya mean before the Calvary arrives."

Stu laughed. "Hell, yeah! The Calvary's here."

Tom smiled. "Good point, Stu!"

Frank grinned. "Let's attack right now!"

Tom gasped. "No, wait!"

Frank frowned. "Why not, Tom?"

Tom exhaled. "No! Not now! It's too dangerous. We wait."

Stu frowned. "When do we attack, Tom?"

Tom exhaled. "Stop! Looky! And listen up! The moment will present itself."

Austin huffed into the ear bug. "Ugh!"

Tom exhaled. "Stay calm, Austin! I'm sweating blood and tears, also."

Austin exhaled. "Thanks, Tom!"

The prince stood upright from the throne chair and dropped a hand down to the floor pillow, where Kitten sat. She sneered at the hand and then into his stern face. He reached down with a sneer and latched onto her upper arm, jerking Kitten from the floor to stand.

Stu growled. "He's dead."

Tom frowned. "Quiet, Stu!"

Kitten stood beside the prince. The prince raised a palm toward her beautiful face while indicating for her not to speak another insulting jab at him. She laughed out loud with a smile.

Kitten and Prince Boo Boo moved ahead from the throne chair and then turned to face a solid wall, where a tiny table stood with a tiny teapot and a pair of two teacups in the color of blue tint. The pair stumbled and tumbled forward as Kitten continued to halt with a sneer, twist with a grunt and then hesitate with a loud American unladylike curse word in the air waves, where only the Quartet understood the meaning. They finally arrived in front of the side wall and split apart. Kitten was assisted with one of the royal guards with a hand gun. She sat down in front of a tiny table with the tea set on top of an individual soft white floor pillows, staring at the colorful painted ancient wall mural with a sour frown.

The royal wedding advisor dashed a few feet behind the prince and stopped, standing in front of the tea table in-between Kitten and Boo Boo with a stern face.

The prince lifted up an obese index finger with a glittering red ruby ring. The advisor reached down and grabbed the forearm of Kitten, quickly binding a white ribbon around her wrist bone which was attached to the same wrist bone of the prince.

On the second row of the audience, Stu laughed. "I was joking about the gag." The Quartet quietly watched the royal tea ceremony progress.

The advisor turned and viewed the natives while shouting out the word in his native tongue.

Kitten reached up and pulled on the satin ribbon with a free hand. The fabric was very strong. The prince allowed her to test the device with a smirk. She jerked the ribbon forward that held one of his wrist bones through the air waves. The cloth stretched ahead without tearing apart toward her nose bridge as Kitten studied the ribbon with intrigue.

In the audience, on the second row, Stu frowned and said into the ear bug to each brother. "Well, this is problem!"

Tom laughed into the ear bug. "No, you slice it off like a tub of fresh cheese."

Frank frowned. "O! So, I will slice off the ribbon to release Kitten."

Tom smiled. "No, Frank! I will slice off his fucking hand."

Stu snorted. "Right, Thomas!"

Tom grinned. "And then the little problem is solved."

"I'll do it first!" Frank laughed.

Kitten released the ribbon as his hand dropped back down into the lap. She frowned in silence down at the ribbon and then the mural wall again.

The advisor stopped speaking and reached down, gently lifting the teapot, pouring a cup of tea for the prince first and then Kitten. He spoke more Arabic words and then motioned for the couple to lift the tea for drinking. Prince Boo-Boo held the tiny cup in the air and nodded to his new future bride.

Kitten didn't bother saluting or toasting or cursing or tossing the liquid into his face. She pressed the tiny white tea cup into her pink lips, sipping a small taste of the liquid. She coughed and then gagged on the tea. "Dang, Roy! You don't know shit about tea. I'm from Bama. I'll send you a couple of gallons of sweet tea when I get back home into the good ole USA," she gently placed the teacup on top of the hard surface table with a laugh.

Tom gasped. "Her home is in Florida, not Alabama. She's going to leave me and moved away from Coral Beach."

Stu huffed. "Calm down, Tom!"

Frank smiled. "No. She is rousing, joking, teasing, taunting him. Kitten is playing a mental psychological game with Boo Boo."

Tom frowned. "Well then, she doesn't know that she just gets married."

Frank frowned. "What are you talking about married or marriage, to the prince?"

Austin gasped. "Hell, no! You're wrong, Tom."

Tom laughed. "Hell, right! She drank that teacup of shitty brown tea. That is the official acknowledgement that Kitten accepts the role of the princess. I've seen it all the time. But Kitten doesn't know that she has accepted the prince as her lawful wedded husband. So, all of this doesn't matter now. The prince wants her as a princess. Now, he's got her."

Austin sneered. "Tom is right. Doesn't matter now! Asshole's dead."

Stu laughed. "Yeah, he is her dead husband."

Frank smiled. "Poor Kitten! We can all comfort Kitten on the jet ride back home to Florida."

The Quartet snickered in each ear bug as the natives didn't clap for the wedding celebration.

Austin growled, "Now! We attack and grab Kitten."

Tom gasped. "No! Wait!"

"It the tea thing and the wedding ceremony has been finished, Tom. So, I can kill Prince Boo Boo."

"Wait!" Tom ordered.

Prince Boo Boo leaned a fat body over the far side while trying to steal a kiss from the cheekbone of Kitten. She scooted backwards and then fell off the pillow, landing on top of the floor. The audience laughed, clapped, and hooted, again. The wedding advisor smiled and then joked in the Arabic language.

The ear bug translator emitted into the eardrum of each brother as Stu smiled. "The jerk said that shyness and fertility go hand and hand. And that hand belongs to our prince tonight."

Austin growled. "Fuck! It is his time to die making him deader."

Tom gasped. No! Wait for the signal, Austin!"

Austin sneered. "Tom!"

Rows of new Muslims appeared and dressed in bright red thobes with a red matching turban covering half a faces as each one jumped and then soared through one of the open windows inside the throne room landing on top of the clean tile. Each red colored bed sheet held a small dagger and a long curved sword. Some held a piece of rope with a fitted club in a hand. Each one attacked a native as and screams of pain and horror ensured.

Stu frowned. "Is that a new gory of wedding dance, Tom?"

Frank laughed. "O. I got it. It is a new wedding celebration of blood and guts."

"Chaton! Chaton!" The ear bug translator buzzed inside the eardrum of Tom and the other brothers and as Tom continued to watch with a confused brow.

Stu frowned. "There are lots of new red colored bed sheets on the floor, bro. Tom, who are all of these people? What is happening out there? Is this part of the wedding ceremony or wedding celebration or wedding dance?"

Tom gasped, "Hell no! It's the other royal named Alireza. He and his paid army of males in the red tinted bed sheets are attacking the wedding celebration and the wedding party!"

Stu gasped. "Shit!"

Frank gasped. "Fuck!"

Austin shouted. "Damn it to hell!"

"Go! Go! Go!" Tom yelled into the ear bug and stood upright from the pillow, sliding into the natives in the front row, falling into the turban with a curse.

Frank stood upright from the pillow and plowed over the natives in front of his leathers with a sneer. "Attack, now!" He slowly slipped free in-between the natives onto the floor in the direction of Kitten.

"Die, now! Stu stood upright from the pillow and slammed a fist into each native face, slowly moving ahead through the front row crowd with a growl toward Kitten.

"Kitten!" Austin stood upright from the pillow and halted with a gasp.

The Quartet pulled out a Ghost and a small dagger joining the fighting with the gang of mysterious red tinted sheets while chopping and hacking a foot path toward Kitten for the rescue and the final step, exiting down a secret underground passage to an awaiting vehicle for a short ride back to the farm town of Abha and then onto the Quartet private jet plane, flying back home to the US State Florida within the USA.

Berrington jumped into the air and soared over the low shoulders of each person in the front of his leathers while slicing the small dagger in the air at turban working in the direction of Kitten, staring at her fancy dance movements.

A red tinted sheet dashed ahead with a hidden face while revealing the eyeballs to play with Prince Boo Boo. The royal prince stood upright from the pillow and held a sword in both cupped hands while doing a good job of defending himself against three red tinted sheets.

The royal wedding advisor was dancing with two individual swords with a pair of two red tinted sheets.

Kitten was still attached to the wrist bone of Prince Boo Boo while fending off two red tinted sheets with the heavy white pillow, protecting her precious semi-naked body.

Austin fumed with angry and fright at the deadly scene, where Kitten was performing a deadly dance. He raced ahead faster with a sneer and shoved individual red tinted sheets away from his steady foot path toward Kitten while whacking with the dagger into an eyeball and shooting an array of razors from his Ghost.

The newly married royal couple stood apart in front of the side wall facing an opponent while outstretching the white ribbon between them.

The royal wedding advisor tumbled down and then landed on top of the tile, bleeding through the chest coming from the surviving red tinted sheet.

Austin plowed forward toward the side wall and hit, flinging the small tea table and tea set into the forward wall and away from Kitten. He held the dagger high and then dropped the blade slicing the outstretched white ribbon neatly in half with a loud grunt.

Prince Boo Boo launched forward like a torpedo into a group of three red tinted sheets. One of the curved swords neatly embedded into the fat belly of Prince Boo Boo. His red tinted blood proteins immediately stained and then soaked the layers of white satin robe in pretty bright ruby hue.

Austin titled sideways maintaining balance on the floor, charging ahead the back spine of the red tinted sheet that had been fighting with Kitten. The red tinted sheet spun around to see another white tinted sheet. Austin turned his Ghost and shot the face of male. The red tinted sheet on the male stumbled backward and fell down, landing on a back spine on the floor in death.

Berrington turned to find his love. She was too far to grab.

After the tension of the ribbon broke in half, Kitten flew ahead into the forward wall mural tripping on the pair of high heeled shoes, hitting down onto the floor on the forehead. She felt dizzy and scared.

One of the red sheets stopped and hovered over the back spine of Kitten, reaching down, grabbing her forearm. She flipped over onto the back spine sliding away from the red tinted sheet and fought him, kicking with heel taps and one free folded fist, cursing with the tongue. The second red tinted sheet reached down and clutched her free arm as she was pulled upright and stood while kicking and screaming in fury.

The two red tinted sheets swiftly dashed ahead as Kitten bit and yelled. They dashed ahead back towards one of the open windows leading out into the courtyard and then up into the mountain range of Abha.

Austin swiftly jogged with a growl after all three of them.

"Don't..." Stu fought two tinted sheet while shouting into the ear bug.

"Where's Kitten?" Tom raced ahead and then halted, surveying the busy floor of blood, fighters, and natives.

"Wanna..." Stu continued to fight and shout into the ear bug.

"Where's Austin?" Tom shouted into the ear bug and continued to survey the thick wall of fighters. "Frank?"

"Busy!" Frank fought off two red tinted sheets.

"To..." Stu continued to slice a sword and then fire a razor into each red colored sheet.

"Austin has her. I can see." Tom smiled.

"Go!" Frank huffed and puffed the word as he continued to fight with two hard-to-kill red tinted sheets.

Tom gasped in alarm. "Wait! Austin doesn't have her. Kitten is not with Austin. Move out of the way, red sheet. I can't see. Can you see, Frank?"

"No!" Frank continued to fight with his Ghost each red tinted bed sheet.

"Do you see Austin, Stu?" Tom gasped in worry. Austin was not near Kitten.

"Play..." Stu continued to fight and yell into the ear bug.

"Chaton! Chaton!" The translator buzzed again with the English word into Tom's ear bug and Sawyer recognized the dead body of the bloody Prince Boo Boo, "Gawd! They want Kitten alive, not dead."

"Why?" Frank continued to fight and yell into the ear bug.

"She is the first princess." Tom slowly moved ahead toward Kitten with a worry.

"So?" Frank continued to fight and yell into the ear bug.

"Boo Boo's dead." Tom yelled into the ear bug.

"Explain!" Frank shouted and fought with one red tinted sheet.

Tom continued to move ahead with a worried brow. "She is next in line..."

"...for the tiara." Frank laughed out loud and stabbed the dagger into the left eyeball of the red tinted sheet.

"Something like that, Frank." Tom continued to slowly move ahead with a laugh.

"Go and grab her, Tom! I'm still busy over here." Frank sneered and killed the red tinted sheet.

Tom stopped and then looked back over a collar bone. Frank worked out with two red tinted sheets killing one at time while two more red tinted sheets attacked his personal space again.

Stu was hacking, whacking, and mutilating one red tinted sheet after another with the fright, might and force of a true War god.

Tom smiled. His two other brothers were too busy to save the princess, so Tom had to do. That was his original plan anyway. Tom ducked down and then stood upright, spinning to face a soaring dagger near his blonde colored bangs, shooting a single razor between the black hairy uni-brow creating a dead red tinted sheet.

Austin was chasing after Kitten as she fought with her two abductors while heading toward the open curved archway of the window. If they made the open sky, then Kitten would disappear forever.

Tom looked down and pulled up the shirt sleeve, viewing his designer wrist watch, seeing the bright glowing face. The USA time was 8:08 a.m. in the US State of Florida. He didn't have an alphabetic guard team, who was posted outdoors in the bright sunlight which was standard operating procedure for any Quartet mission.

This was not a planned Quartet Associate mission, since the international trillion-dollar business venture Quartet Associates was defunked, disengaged and dead now. The company had been sold a few minutes ago inside the largest conference room in the city of Coral Gables within the US State of Florida.

Tom dropped the arm with a curse and looked up with a sneer. He was going to get his baby sister one way or another, and then he's going to build her a large tower and house her for the rest of her life.

Strike that mental thought!

Austin would protect and care for Kitten. Tom was happy that Austin loved his sister. They would become a very happy couple.

Austin was going kill these two assholes that were hurting each one of her naked arms. Tom would be too late as usual. But it didn't matter. Tom was her brother, not her guardian, not her savior as Frank mentioned before inside the shared limousine ride during a work day, last week.

Sawyer was married to his lovely wife Jane, who was deeply worried and patiently waiting for his return home to the United States of America. He was coming home and then they would be making a baby together, finally staring the Sawyer family. So, the fairy tale began.

"Asshole..." Stu shouted on top of a bloody floor in the palace while fighting between the strikes of limbs and body parts with a dagger in one hand and his Ghost firing while trying to reach Kitten also.

"Chaton!" Austin halted with a sneer and shouted out loud with a nature baritone voice at the running trio, who almost had reached the open archway of the window.

The two red tinted sheets stopped with puzzlement and spun around wit Kitten, hearing the loud voice and stared at the white tinted sheet, who was Berrington.

Austin hit one red tinted sheet in the right eye, the other in the mouth with accuracy, the power of razors flinging the bodies away from Kitten.

Kitten was free of her two abductors and stood in place while staring at the mysterious blue-robed hit man. He reached up and removed the red and white checkered turban, wearing a smile.

Tom had seen the slick kill with a giggle and a whisper, "Slick, trick! Austin could out think the devil, himself."

"Austin!" Kitten dashed ahead with a smile for love and safety. A pair of red tinted sheets sailed into the back spine of Austin. Berrington lost control of his Ghost, because he was concentrating on viewing his girl Kitten. His other hand lost the gripe on the dagger from another hit. He was hit in the face and bowed low from the impact.

"Pitch her the gun!" Tom screamed into the ear bug to Austin and as he ran to assist but was too far away to help. The razors of the Ghost couldn't hit a red tinted sheet from this distance that was attacking Berrington. Well, the razors could with accuracy. Tom wasn't lying and neither were his three brothers. He was worse marksman within the Quartet. He was frightened to death that he might hit Austin in the back rather than one of the assailants fighting with Berrington as he watched in horror and pain. The two tinted red sheets beat upon Austin, without a weapon.

"Right!" Austin heard the words from Tom and reached down, slipping a free hand between the long cloak and draw out the gun from the utility belt. He tossed the light small revolver into the air.

Kitten stood still in horror as each red tinted sheet bombarded the body of Austin. Then she saw the flying metal in the air and lifted both hands in front of her chest, catching the light object with a smile. She cocked back the hammer and fired the weapon into the air with a sneer. An array of bullets punched vertically straight up and down one of the red tinted sheet on the left side of Austin, flinging blood, bone, and flesh into the air. Kitten duplicated the firing pattern on bullets on the second red tinted sheet with gritted teeth.

Austin stood upright with a laugh of foreign blood on a handsome face, staring down at the two dead and blooding red tinted sheets.

Tom raced ahead toward Austin and Kitten while shouting in the ear bug to Frank and Stu and the love birds. "We got Kitten! Roll out, now! Pronto! Hurry! Get to the trap door, now."

"Coming!" Frank shot the razor with a grin into the head of the red tinted sheet.

"Don't have to tell me twice." Stu sliced a long sword into the neck of the red tinted sheet with a sneer.

Tom ran ahead as Kitten and Austin dashed together in an embrace of love. Tom ignored the giggling of the love couple. He stopped at the hidden spot and leaned down, tossing the rug to the side with a sneer. "The damn door betta be here." He saw the wood cut inlay with a smile and reached down, flinging the horizontal heavy door upright with one manicured hand like a super hero character, saying into the ear bug to each brother, "Jackpot! Frank, Stu, move ass. We're leaving from here right now."

"I see your ass, Tom. Go!" Frank swiftly shifted around fighting and the floor of dead red tinted sheets, rapidly hustling toward the escape door.

"Don't wait on me! I'll got your back, Frank. Go! Go! Go!" Stu moved ahead and then spun around backwards while running, covering the butthole of Frank, who was moving beside Stu. Stu glanced over a collar bone to see the back spine of Tom. Sawyer swiftly moved down the steps. Austin stopped and lifted Kitten into his chest, slowly moving down the steps next.

Frank stopped and looked back over a collar bone to see his brother Stu. He spun around and dropped down on one kneecap, firing an array of free flowing razors from his Ghost, buzzing through the free air waves and hit numerous white and red tinted sheets.

Stu spun around and dashed ahead toward the open trap door passing Frank with a smile and wink. "Thanks, bro!"

"Anytime, sir!" Frank was calm and controlling during any crisis. He swiftly stood upright from the floor with a smile and quickly spun around, racing ahead down the steps, catching up with Stu. He reached out with a chuckle and slapped Stu on the back muscles.

They swiftly moved down the stone covered steps within the semi-dark, catching a slow moving shadow of Austin and Kitten. Tom swiftly jogged ahead while shooing off each squeaky rat, kicking the set of dried human bones, and pushing an array of ancient trash away from the escape path.

Stu removed and then pocketed the ear bug with the hottest technology. "You were correct about the underground passage, bro." His voice echoed off each stone wall inside the underground passage.

"Damn straight!" Tom led the way with a loud laugh.

"Is Kitten okay?" Frank shouted out loud and watched the head bob on Austin.

"Ask her later, Frank!" Stu smiled.

Austin was toting Kitten in the chest and down the steps.

"Is anyone hurt or bleeding or shot or scared in the moment?" Frank moved down each stone step with a worried brow on a caring physician.

"Hold my hand, Frank!" Stu moved ahead of Frank and reached back, wiggling an arm in the air with a chuckle of a successful mission.

"I see daylight. The exit's close." Tom continued to lead with a smile toward the orange colored sand and the sky of blue.

"Where are we located, Tom?" Frank continued to move down the stairs and surveyed the entrance opening with a pair of intense mint green eyes.

"I see groves of date trees." Stu frowned.

"Dates?" Tom gasped in shock.

"Don't step on a snake!" Stu laughed.

"Snakes!" Tom slowed his foot pace with a gasp of worry.

"Stu is just shitting on your neurons, Tom." Frank reached down with a laugh and slapped the back muscles of Stu.

"Hell no! The snakes are lounging on each tree branch, not on the soil, Thomas." Stu continued to move down each steps with a laugh.

"Fuck! Run this way from the snakes and the trees and the..." Tom led, cursing in the air waves, leading the Quartet toward the hidden vehicle to finish the escape.

Austin stopped a few feet from the exit hole and then reached down, lifting Kitten into his arms with a smile into her face. "This is much faster for me and you."

"More romantic." She smiled.

He smiled. "That's later today."

She giggled. "Really!"

"I purchased you an island."

She gasped. "An island?"

"Kitten Island."

She smiled. "My own island."

"Just for you, baby!"

"Where?"

"Bahamas. We're leaving today after we return home."

"To Florida."

Kitten kissed his lips quickly. "Thank you, you saved me."

"Actually, you saved Austin's ass." Stu pulled beside Austin with a smile.

"Second time." Frank noted.

"Thank you, Kitten. You saved me." Austin smiled.

"That makes you, my slave for life." Kitten chuckled.

"Yes, princess." Austin smiled.

"I love you, Austin." Kitten kissed him again.

"Stop smooching right now. Run faster, Austin!" Frank slowed his pace with a sour frown.

"Sorry, Frank!" Austin dashed ahead at a faster pace while caring Kitten, his only love.

"The Old Man needs some help. He's huffing and puffing for O2." Stu sprinted backward with a laugh while watching Austin carry his girl, after the physical exert exertion of a dramatic rescue of the princess, a real princess.

"No." Austin puffed out each breath. He was in excellent physical as a thirty-one-year-old male but the last twenty-four hours was taking its toll on his muscles, his mind and his mentality.

"I'll hold our baby sister." Tom dashed away toward the vehicle with a smile.

"Kitten's mine. Don't touch her!" Austin growled with a threat.

"...or instantaneously death." Frank laughed with Tom and Stu.

"That's not funny." Kitten purred softly.

"Instantaneously death." Frank repeated loudly.

"Death is not funny, Frank." Kitten lectured with a soft voice.

"Instantaneously death." Stu joined the musical chant.

Austin whispered into her eardrum. "I'll tell you the story later, baby."

Airplane runaway of orange dirt

Town of Abha within the country Saudi Arabia

03:26 p.m. (Saudi time)

08:26 p.m. (USA State of Florida time)

Stu, Frank, and Tom sat inside the roomy cabin on the QA private business jet while relaxing with a cold beverage, after eating a plate of warm food.

Stu sat inside an oversized chair with a smile. "Gawd! I can't wait to get back home."

"You can't. I need a bath." Tom was rubbing a wet cloth the suntan oil over from pale skin.

"The lotion does not wash off. It wears off, Tom." Stu sipped the cold beverage.

Tom reached down and touched the wet arm that was still colored in dark brown hue. "How long am I going to look like..."

"...a zebra," chuckled Frank.

"Shut up, Frank!" Tom frowned.

"A day or two." Stu sipped the beverage.

"Two whole days, I will appear like a zebra." Tom frowned.

"You stink, asshole! Go and wash the smell off in the bathroom, Tom." Stu sipped the beverage.

"Occupied." Tom viewed the room.

"By whom?" Frank frowned.

Tom stated. "Austin and Kitten are in the bedroom."

"Alone!" Frank frowned.

"Together?" Stu smiled.

"Not touching that one!" Frank chuckled. "Are you touching that one, Tom?"

Tom smiled. "Looky! Kitten found her perfect mate in Austin. They deserve, care, and want each other. Who am I to stop true love?"

"You're a nobody, Tom." Frank laughed.

"You're a wise man, Thomas." Stu smiled.

"Wise ass?" Frank countered. Stu laughed.

Tom smiled but didn't rebuke. He had truly been. He has truly changed. His entire life has changed for the better. He's going to be a father, very soon. That's the only other new change he wants to see in his happy life. Tom simply spoke. "I miss Jane."

"Home in eight hours or less, I told Jon to break the fucking sound barrier." Stu smiled.

Frank smiled. "Good job, Big Man."

"I'm tired. I'm sleeping the entire trip." Tom yawned.

Stu raised his bottle of beer in the air with a grin. "Here's a toast to Austin and Kitten, the first royal Quartet couple."

Tom held the beer high in the air, smiling

Frank frowned. "Is Kitten really a princess?"

"Yep! She is." Tom smiled.

Frank frowned. "Europe is the only nation with princesses and princes. America doesn't recognize princesses or royalty."

"That's our little secret, Frank." Tom grinned.

Frank frowned. "What secret, Tom?"

Tom smiled. "Looky! Her life was in danger before as plain 'ole' Quartet. Now, she's a royal with royalty ties."

Stu frowned. "No."

Tom laughed. "Yes."

Frank frowned. "Explain, Tom!"

Tom smiled. "With the collapse of the Abha dynasty and the end of the Prince Boo Boo..."

"The old bastard deserved it." Stu sneered.

Tom smiled. "The new ruler of the physical land belongs to Alireza. But all the oil wells, they belong to Kitten now."

Frank gasped. "No!"

Tom smiled. "Yes."

"No."

Tom giggled. "Yes, Frank."

"How do you figure that, Law Man?" Stu frowned.

Tom exhaled. "Prince Boo Boo married and made Kitten, the First Princess of his kingdom. She owns the palace, the lands, the date trees, the snakes, the crops, the mountains, the people and the oil wells..."

"...and the string of her new enemies." Stu nodded.

Tom frowned. "No! She doesn't," he grinned. "Looky! Under Islam rule, the lands will be taken from Kitten and awarded to Alizer to foster the development of the crops and governing the nomads. He's a family member that is directly related to the live king."

Stu frowned. "Can't we stop the stealing of her lands, Tom?"

Frank frowned. "We don't and do not and care not to give a shit, Stu."

"Damn straight!" Stu nodded.

Frank smiled. "Then, she is a princess in title only. That's not too dangerous..."

Tom smiled. "I'm not referring to her princess title."

Stu frowned. "I'm not following you, Tom."

Tom grinned. "Kitten owns all the bank accounts with real cash, not a set of paper bonds and all royalties for two separate oil wells in the farm town of Abha."

Stu gasped. "Shit! She does?"

Frank frowned. "Shit! She doesn't, Tom. You're making up this fairy tale just to get attention, since you didn't save your baby sister."

Tom frowned. "I am not, Frank."

Stu exhaled. "How do you know all this data, Tom?"

Tom grinned. "Jeezus, I'm been the legal attorney for this sleazy assholes my entire life. I understand the legal and financial stuff."

Frank slapped a chest. "That's my job."

Tom smiled. "Frank, you count the money in the bank."

Frank nodded. "Yes!"

Tom nodded. "I know where all the money is hidden."

Frank gasped. "Do you have a listing of bank account numbers?"

Tom waved a hand. "No. No. It is much better. I got the connections to Swiss tellers who control the bank account numbers."

Stu frowned. "Why may I ask, Tom?"

Tom gasped. "Uh...I..."

Stu sneered. "Thomas, why do you know a row of Swiss tellers who know of Saudi money accounts? The Saudias are billionaires, long before us."

"Tell him, Tom!" Frank grinned.

"I'm afraid, too." Tom shook his bangs.

Stu frowned. "Tell me! What are you supposed to say to me, Tom?"

Frank smiled. "Tom..."

Tom sneered at Frank. "You're the fucking tattle tale of the Quartet, Frank."

Frank smiled. "You are fucking right as always, Thomas. Sawyer, the third collects victory fees when he wins a case for the sleazy asshole Saudias, guilty or not."

"What type of victory fees?" Stu frowned.

Frank smiled. "It is victory fees in terms of cash money, Gage!"

Stu frowned. "What cash money?"

Tom frowned. "You're a fucking trillionaire, Stu. How many Andrew Jackson's do you want?"

"Still, I want my cut, if there is a cut of fresh green cash." Stu smiled.

Tom sneered. "Didn't you hear that, Frank? The bastard is much more greedier and much more selfish than I. Stu is a greedy asshole selfie. I told you that Stu wasn't a preacher's pet."

Stu exhaled. "I'm a deacon."

Tom exhaled. "Church people don't want money, only poverty or something like that."

Stu snarled. "Fucking hell, Tom! I give my money to the church and the church people. If you have money that I should have, I'll give more."

Tom smiled. "We have a foundation for that charitable act."

Stu sneered. "You should donate all of your personal victory fees to the foundation, Tom. So, other people can have money."

Frank laughed. "Only his personal pocketbook gets donated into."

"Shut up, Frank!" Tom sneered.

Stu frowned. "How much in money victory fees are we talking about, Sawyer?"

Frank laughed. "Tell him, Tom!"

Tom pouted. "No! Stu'll beat the shit of me."

Stu exhaled. "Millions? Did you receive millions, Tom?"

Frank smiled. "Billions. He got billions."

Stu gasped. "Billions! Ya fucking asshole, you didn't share with our brothers, Tom."

Tom smiled. "I'm..."

"...greedy, arrogant, conceited and selfish," Stu frowned.

Tom nodded. "I was..."

Stu frowned. "You still are."

Tom grinned. "I am not."

"Enough, pups!" Frank interrupted. "What's done is done? Quartet Associates is sold. Tom gets no more extra billions. I know for a fact that he used his personal accounts to pay for all the extra expenses for Kattleen's defense during her trial."

Tom stuck out a tongue. "That's right! Tell him, smart medical doctor!"

Stu frowned. "All the expenses!"

Frank smiled. "Yes, Stu. Tom footed a ginormous bill, billions of dollars, which didn't come from our business accounts."

Stu frowned. "Austin would have fired you with the Ghost, not his fists."

"That, too." Tom laughed. "So, the game's tied and even, almost."

"Good enough, Stu!" Frank smiled.

Stu pouted. "I guess."

Tom laughed. "Chill out, man. It's just money."

Stu exhaled. "Okay. Just money, but the next time you get fees..."

Frank frowned. "Stop it, Stu. We're retired. The business sold. The employees gone. We're going to be fathers. That's our next conquest."

Stu laughed. "Conquest!"

Tom smiled, "Fucking right. Gawd, I want a child. I want my wife pregnant. That plan hasn't succeeded."

Stu nodded, "Shitting right about that!"

Frank raised the beer bottle with a smile. "That's all that's left, children. The next generation: Band of Brothers. Toast my brothers, to the band of baby sons."

"...that cries, wets, and mews," Tom smiled.

Frank smiled. "Fathers..."

Tom smiled. "Daddies..."

Stu smiled. "Here! Here!" Each bottle clanked together with a set of tiny tings. Gage smiled. Tom dropped the bottle with a smile. "Do you think that we all will have a son again?"

Frank smiled. "The biological chain has existed for over two hundred years. Yes, I do not see why not."

Tom laughed. "The odds are fifty-fifty."

Stu snorted. "Thanks for calculating the long shot mathematical stats, Tom."

"Your most welcome, Stu!" Tom chuckled, drinking the beer.

"I believe the question is: do we care?" Stu smiled.

Frank smiled. "I don't care whether I have baby girl or boy. I pray for a healthy child."

"I do." Stu gasped.

Frank smiled. "Why, Stu?"

Stu exhaled. "Fucking hell! Kitten! She's been trouble, since we found her."

Tom smiled. "Kitten's no trouble. Not any trouble, at all. She's sweet, cute, smart..."

Stu frowned. "That's what I'm referring, Tom, her beauty, brains and brass. Girls, like Kitten, are so beautiful. Every fucking wolf wants one, whether good intent or evil. We just have been through the ultimate ringer with a female sibling."

Frank smiled. "Can you image an infant Quartet daughter?"

"Gawd! Don't wish that on any of us, Frank!" Stu frowned.

Frank frowned. "Why not?"

Tom laughed. "Boys."

Stu sneered. "Men."

Tom growled. "A prince kidnaps by a fucking prince for her innocence and her reputation of a Quartet."

Stu frowned. "Will it ever stop?"

Tom nodded with a smile. "It is stopped, now, foreverly!"

Frank grinned, "Damn right and proud of it too!"

Tom laughed. "Austin will stop any further intention."

"...with his Ghost." Frank nodded.

Stu laughed. "Right between their fucking eyes..."

Tom laughed. "I bet he starts locking his front door."

Stu smiled. "The side door, the limo door, the bathroom door, the bedroom door..."

Tom grinned. "I want a son named Thomas Edison Sawyer, the fourth."

Stu nodded. "Right on, man! Duplicates of us! Only way to go, each son will be young billionaire by the age of one-year-old."

Tom frowned. "The age of one-year-old? Shit fire! My son will be a billionaire the moment he leaves the birth canal. Frank, can you arrange the bank accounts?"

Frank laughed. "I am working on it as we speak."

The machine sounded with a tiny set of beeps. Stu turned and stared at the "What's that noise?"

"Fax machine." Tom smiled.

Stu turned and stared at the fax machine with a smile. "Gawd, Frank! You're a true workaholic, counting the money during a mission. I admire you."

"Shut up, Stu!" Tom frowned.

Frank stood upright and moved from the sofa entering the small conference room, holding up the stack of papers and read the contents in silence. "I didn't request this data."

Tom lifted the free arm with a smile. "It's mine."

Frank looked up with a puzzled brow. "Tom?"

Tom reached out with the free arm to Frank. "Hand it to me, Frank!"

"I'll read it to you." Frank read in silence.

Tom laughed. "What does it say, Dr. CPA?" He knew the data on the form.

"The stack of paper appears as a set of personal bank account statements with the name Prance Precious Purr. This is Kitten's Christian name with a set of large numbers, lots of zeros..."

"Let's see!" Stu extended a hand.

Tom smiled. "It's mine. Give me, Frank."

Frank frowned. "You can't read a financial statement, Tom. That's my job."

Tom grinned. "That's your old job. You're retired Dr. C.P.A. Give me the damn paper, Mangrove."

"No." Frank frowned and continued to read.

Stu smiled. "What does it say, bro?"

"If I read this correctly, Princess Kitten, our baby sister, is rich, very wealthy. She has her own bank accounts in Switzerland." Frank read the small printout from the fax machine.

After the Quartet was safe and sound on the private jet in the air flying home to America, the smart lawyer had ordered the documents from the banks since he knew the tellers. Tom was curious about Kitten's first princess role and what that translated into regarding money for his baby sister. He didn't get to save her life but he can be the first to announce her new international social status to the guys. "Kitten is richer than us now." Tom snickered.

Stu frowned. "Hell, no."

"Hell, yes." Tom laughed.

Frank exhaled. "There are lots and lots of zeros and zeros here on the individual bank statements, Stu."

Stu grinned. "Count them up for us, bro!"

"She is her own trillionaire, too." Tom stated without reading the statement.

Stu gasped. "No, way!"

"Yes, way! It is right here." Frank announced with puzzlement.

"Gawd! The two will be..." Tom frowned. "What math number comes after a trillion?"

Stu laughed. "Jillion."

Frank frowned down at the papers. "That's not right, Stu."

"Look up, man!" Tom laughed and reached over, slapping the fist of Stu.
Friday November 26th

Thanksgiving Holiday week

Wedding Day

Austin and Kitten

City of Coral Gables

(7,404 miles southwest, from Saudi Arabic)

Coral Gables Church

(eight miles, northwest, from Coral Beach)

Groomsmen billet setting

9:26 a.m.

Tom walked into the groomsmen billet room, nodding and smiling.

"How was New Zealand?" Stu asked, smiling and drinking a beverage.

"Wonderful, man. Peaceful. Serenity. Quiet." Tom responded.

"Janey's look great."

Tom grinned with a nod. "Thanks! I tell her and kiss her for you."

Stu laughed. "I can do."

Tom sat down in the chair with a sneer, "Over my damn dead body."

Frank said, walking into the room. "Say that fast three times, Tom."

Stu smiled. "Good to see ya, Franklin!"

Frank nodded. "Thanks, Stu. I'm sorry I missed the rehearsal dinner."

Stu frowned. "What rehearsal dinner?"

Frank frowned. "Wasn't there a dinner?"

"Naw." Tom shook his skull.

Frank frowned. "Why not?"

"Austin and Kitten didn't return in time." Stu stated.

Frank frowned. "There was no dinner. Were all of our Quartet uncles and aunts upset?"

Tom shook his skull. "Hell, no! One less public event for a kidnapping is enough for my nerve endings."

Frank parted his lips. "Holy crap! There's been another attempt."

Stu frowned. "Hell, no! Caution. Care. Concern."

"The invitations sent out, but no bridal parties for the princess." Stu snickered.

Tom frowned. "Stop calling her that, Stu! Gawd! Someone's going to overhear you."

"A pet name, my new pet name for Kitten is Princess Kitten." Stu grinned with a nod.

Tom shook his skull. "Be careful, there! If Austin hears your witty cute pet name he's going to blacken your eye and bloody your nose, during the ceremony, Stu. Austin isn't happy that Kitten really is a real princess."

Frank frowned. "Is Kitten alright with her new status?"

Tom grinned with a nod. "Kitten's okay. She's safe with Austin."

"Is she really for certain from other...," nodded Frank.

Tom frowned. "Don't wish that Frank! Gawd, man. Wishes really do come true!"

"So, I should dump the Princess Kitten-thing." Stu chewed, grinning.

Tom sipped then nodded. "Fast. Speed of light fast."

"Actually, there have been threats?" Stu stated.

"Regarding the princess." Frank frowned.

"Stu?" Tom frowned.

"Sorry, who?" Frank frowned.

"News, media talk, communications messages." Stu chewed, nodded.

"At the house, at the office," Tom nodded.

Frank frowned. "What office?"

"The new security company which the Japanese brought from ..." Stu chewed, nodded.

"They lie. Sons of bitches, I should take my Ghost and blew their fucking thirty-third story executive windows out." Tom frowned, nodding.

Frank nodded. "I'll join ya."

"Stow it, Tom!" Stu frowned.

Frank smiled. "So, tell the truth, Tom! Are there really death threats on Austin or Kitten or both?"

"Yes." Tom laughed.

Frank gasped. "Fucking shit! Austin must be..."

"Hiding." Tom laughed.

Frank asked. "Was there a bachelor's party for Austin?"

"No." Tom slipped the coffee.

Frank frowned. "Why not?"

Tom smiled. "Austin and Kitten flew back this morning around six from their island."

Stu asked. "Where is that damn island anyways?"

"Don't know!" Tom smiled.

Stu frowned. "Well, did ya ask?"

Tom nodded. "Hell, yeah! I threatened physical violence on Jon to reveal the location."

"And?" Frank smiled.

Tom pouted. "Jon told me that Austin told him that he would kill him by strangulation with his bare hands if he leaked a single digit coordinator to anyone, including one or all his three brothers."

Frank nodded. "O!"

Stu laughed. "Shitting hell! That's no fun."

Tom smiled. "Austin isn't in a fun mood, if you know what I mean."

Frank frowned. "Yes, I do."

Stu exhaled. "He didn't want the supersized ordered mega million-dollar wedding."

Frank smiled, "Too bad! The last Quartet brother is getting married. The entire world is watching as well as some aliens from space."

Stu laughed. "You're the only alien from space, Tom."

"Thanks, man!" Tom greeted. Frank laughed.

Stu stared at Tom in puzzlement. "Is Austin nervous?"

"Is Tom, weird or what?" Frank smiled.

Tom smiled. "Anxious."

"Tom, are you feeling anxious?" Stu asked.

Frank frowned. "Not Tom! Is Austin nervously scare-to-death anxious."

"He's not." Tom smiled.

"He is so." Stu exhaled. "Shut up, Tom!"

Frank said. "How is Kitten doing?"

Tom smiled. "She's a trooper. She's calm."

Frank said. "Where is Austin?"

Tom laughed. "Austin is not here."

Stu smiled. "Kitten and Austin are hiding behind door number one which is behind the baptism booth that is behind the preacher waiting for the music to begin."

"Are they together?" Frank frowned.

"Yup!" Tom laughed.

Frank gasped. "They're not..."

Tom sneered. "Get your mind of the gutter, Frank!"

Stu smiled. "Austin doesn't want Kitten alone. She's not alone with our wives and our moms. I don't want anyone hurt."

Frank frowned. "What does that mean, Tom?"

Tom smiled. "Looky! Stu, uncles, and I decided the groomsmen in the groom's room and the bridesmaids in the bride's room and finally the loving couple are hidden. No one knows where they are hidden, but us."

Frank smiled. "Can we go see?"

Tom sneered. "Forget it, Mangrove!"

Frank frowned. "Why not, Tom?"

Stu exhaled. "They're hiding. You can see them at the wedding."

Frank whined. "I missed the church rehearsal. What do I do?"

Tom laughed. "Fuck, man! Do you not remember when you were a groomsman at my wedding?"

Frank whined ago. "That was eons ago."

"Gawd! Frank retired his brain. Stu, ya betta go and find out the bank account numbers quickly." Tom whined with annoyance.

Stu snorted. "Tell the man! Or he's bug us the rest of the hour."

"Shit fire! Listen up, Frank! Austin emerges from the door when the music starts, then us for his protection." Tom fingered the wall like the church.

Frank frowned. "Austin has not been threatened, has he?"

"Fucking shit, Frank! Listen first, questions last. Our wives walk down the hallway one at a time. Ya know, like a real wedding." Tom frowned, fingering the wall.

"Has Austin been threatened, because we should walk ahead of Austin and guard his body?" Frank frowned.

"Fuck, Frank! Forget about Austin. He has his Ghost." Tom frowned, fingering the wall.

"So, do I." Frank pulled the gun from his gray morning coat, waving in the air and then, replaced it, smiling.

Tom exhaled. "I'm not repeating, this again, Frank. So, listen up! Dad's standing in the lobby waiting for Kitten to walk around the corner. He'll escort her down the aisle to Austin and hand her off..."

"This isn't a football game, Tom. You don't hand the bride off." Frank frowned.

Tom nodded. "Yes! Ya do. That's the term the cute wedding director used, yesterday."

Frank shook his skull. "It's not the proper wedding term."

Tom smiled. "Yes."

"No." Frank frowned.

Stu frowned. "Shut up, Frank!"

Frank asked. "Does Soy have his Ghost?"

Stu exhaled. "We're all armed and ready for anything."

Tom smiled. "We have a plan."

Frank smiled. "Where do I stand? I know. I stand beside Austin."

Tom laughed. "Hell, no."

"Hell, yes! I'm the best man."

Tom laughed. "Hell, no."

Frank nodded, "Hell, yes."

Stu cleared a throat as Frank exhaled with fury. He was the 'real' best man for Austin. He would've voiced that statement, if he had been present yesterday at the Quartet pow-wow. But, Misty Marie, his lovely wife was sick and couldn't fly, and then the storm overtook the airport runaway. He had to wait for the clearing. He would've been here for Austin. He's best brother to Austin, sneering. "What, asshole?"

"We drew sticks, bro." Stu chewed, nodded.

"Fuck! Why did you draw sticks? For what, Stu?" Frank frowned at Stu.

"To see who stands beside Austin at the wedding." Stu chewed, nodding.

"You lost, Frank." Tom nodded, giggling.

Frank frowned at Tom then Stu. "I lost. I'm Austin's best brother."

Tom laughed. "Hell, no."

Frank smiled. "Hell, yes."

Stu cleared a throat as Frank sneered. "What, now, asshole?"

"Austin solved the delicate dilemma." Stu chewed, nodding.

Frank frowned. "How?"

Stu smiled. "I'll walk behind Austin."

Frank frowned. "Stu...Stu gets to stand beside Austin."

Tom sneered. "Damn you, Frank! Listen to me! I walk first to the bench and sit."

"What bench?" Frank gasped.

Tom smiled. "There are two benches on the wedding platform. We're going to sit, not stand during the ceremony."

Frank whined. "I am to sit and not stand by Austin. I didn't understand. I'm really confused. Where do I sit or stand? When do I stand besides Austin for the ring?"

Tom laughed. "Calm down, smart ass doctor!"

Stu smiled. "You should've been here last night when we wrote the office memo."

Frank gasped. "What office memo, asswipe?"

Stu winked at Tom. "The rehearsal office memo, that I wrote on my laptop."

Frank exhaled. "Bad weather in Spain, I couldn't leave. I would've been here. Misty was sick. I was upset. She was upset."

Tom nodded. "Gawd! Calm down! We believe you, Frank."

Stu smiled. "You follow behind me, Frank, and then do what I do."

"But don't fart in the pew, again, Stu." Tom laughed.

Frank burst out laughing. "Fart!"

Tom nodded. "During your wedding, Stu released a whooping bad smelly last time."

"What?" Frank frowned.

Stu laughed. "That was Thomas, not I."

Frank gasped. "What you farted at my wedding?"

Tom flipped a hand with a smile. "You didn't notice, Frank. I'm surprise and shocked. Gawd! It smelled so bad like shit burning Tom was behind Austin. He was your best man. He protected you, Frank, for everything."

"You just didn't know the half of it, bro." Stu grunted, laughing. Tom roared with laughter and tears formed in his eyes, wiping them his handkerchief.

Frank gasped. "You farted my wedding, asswipe."

Stu pointed at Sawyer. "Not I, Tom did."

Frank gasped. "You farted my wedding, asswipe."

Tom laughed. "He farted at his own wedding, also. It's a Quartet tradition."

Frank gasped. "You farted at Stu's wedding, also."

"Yeah! The farts ward off superstition." Tom told. Stu hooted. Frank looked both, befuddled and mad.

"Superstition!" Stu nodded his head.

Tom slapped a chest with a smile. "Hell, looky! We're all three happily married. The fart wards off bad spirits and shit."

Frank back stepped from Tom with a grin. "Fuck! Don't sit near me. I want to exchange seats. I'll walk out first and sit on the end away from Tom."

Tom grinned. "It worked, Stu. Frank doesn't want to be best man, anymore."

"Good thinking, Tom!" Stu laughed.

Frank whined. "You tricked me, ya fucking double shit asses. I'm telling Austin."

"Tattle tale to the end, huh, Frank?" Tom laughed.

"The end of what?" Stu laughed.

"Relax, Frank! Have a beer, peanuts or go take a leak!" Tom slid the bottle to Frank, grinning.

"Where's Austin?" Frank frowned.

Tom smiled. "No way, man! He's protected and guarded. A team of paid big and mean body guards, who are dubbed 'X' and 'Y' teams are post at the door with a gun and ready to shoot a right eyeball, if you don't have the password."

"What's the password?" Frank gasped.

"The secret password!" Tom smiled.

"What's the password, Stu?" Frank frowned.

"Not telling!" Stu grinned.

"Fucking dumb ass, give me the password." Frank whined. He knew his brother, Austin, very well. If Austin required a password to access the door, then ya betta have a password. Austin doesn't take shit from anyone, not enough his 'real' best man, Frank.

"No!" Stu grinned.

Frank sneered. "Shit, Tom! Give me the password! Or I'll break your arm..."

"Mangrove is a tough little boy, today, and ready for fight to the death, Stu." Tom stood with his fists in the air.

"Sh!" Stu gasped. "Do I hear bridal music playing into the auditorium?"

Tom smiled. "I believe you do at that, Stuart."

The brothers exited the groomsmen billet and entered the hidden door leading down the semi-dark hall to the baptism booth while talking, laughing, and joking. Austin and Kitten were safe and finally getting married.

The rows and rows of invited wedding guests would party without the married couple, since the young newlyweds would rush from the city of Miami and return back, landing by jet on "Kitten Island" for the honeymoon.

The Quartet family would celebrate together for one hour. Then, each Quartet brother and wife would fly or sail toward a separate vacation while working on creating a Quartet newborn baby.

Tom moved down the hallway with his two brothers and clapped with a smile. "Showtime! Let's get the kids hitched, so I can go back to my fucking fun."

Frank frowned. "No fucking graphics, Tom!"

"Where are you and Jane traveling too?"

"We're taking a trip to Africa. Yeah, I'm a trillionaire, living the trillionaire life, jetting here and there and there and here."

Frank frowned. "We only own one plane, Tom."

Tom smiled. "Know that."

Frank sneered. "You're the reason that I was late and missed the rehearsal dinner, Thomas."

Stu laughed. "There wasn't a rehearsal dinner or a rehearsal practice or a rehearsal anything, Frank."

Tom growled. "Why in the fuck are you blaming me, Mangrove?"

Frank exhaled. "I was waiting for your plane to take off in New York when a thunderstorm hit Madrid."

Stu said. "I thought you were in Hawaii."

Frank exhaled. "I was in Hawaii. Then I was in Spain."

Stu smiled. "I was in Spain too but I didn't see you, Frank. You should have dropped by..."

"I didn't have time to drop by, Stu." Frank frowned.

"That ain't my doing, blame God Almighty. He controls the weather." Tom relayed with a whining voice.

Frank growled. "The point, asswipe! You left New Zealand later than original scheduled."

Tom frowned, "So, what? The big accountant is correct. I did. Jane was sick. I love my wife. I didn't want her to be sick or upset, after our great fucking vacation."

Frank exhaled. "Therefore, I have to wait."

Tom exhaled. "Well, you're here. The wedding is beginning. Face it man! You didn't miss a gawd damn thing. Shut up, Frank!"

"Enough, fighting, pups." Stu frowned.

Frank sneered. "You need to buy your own fucking jet, Tom."

"Fine! I'll do that. Then I won't have to listen to your pity fucking whining." Tom chuckled.

"Sir!" Zak appeared and stood at attention like the loyal body guard of the Quartet. He had been with the brothers, since the creation of Quartet Associates. He felt loyal to the brothers and their wives. He was paid very handsomely by the Quartet for his honor and his commitment over the past eight years. This was his last duty detail, escorting the bride to her father Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior, who patiently sweated inside the cool air-conditioned church lobby with the cute wedding director.

Every individual was up tight, tense and alert.

There has been a series of nasty and evil rumors on the city streets about another attempt to kidnap Kitten, who was rumored to be a 'real' royal princess.

Zak knew the 'real' truth. The gossip was true but that would be his secret for the rest of his life. He was one of four other people in the world that Austin, Tom, Stu, and Frank trusted.

Stu smiled. "How's the couple?"

"Quiet!" Zak grinned. Tom, Frank, and Stu snorted and laughed.

"Go stand outside in the hallway, searching for the enemies." Stu commanded.

"Yes sir!" Zak moved ahead and motioned for the rest of his three men team to follow him down the semi-dark hallway to the exit door in the corridor for Sunday school classes and church meetings.

Two knocks on the hard doors sounded into the tiny room.

" _I'm armed."_ Austin shouted with a threatening baritone timber. Frank, Stu and Tom laughed out loud.

"Austin, open the damn door! The fucking music has started." Tom called, giggling with amusement over his 'real' soon-to-be brother-in-law's tough attitude.

Frank ordered. "Quiet, Tom. The outer walls have ears. They could hear your loud obnoxious voice."

"I don't give a fucking damn, Scarlette." Tom told, laughing with a really loud and obnoxious voice. Stu laughed with Tom.

"Let's get this done and over with before bad stuff happens..." Frank whined.

"Nothing is going to happen." Stu replied.

"Stop saying that, Frank! Geez!" Tom warned.

The door creaked open. Austin stood tall, smiling at his brothers, dressed in his pressed gray morning suit holding Kitten's hand but you couldn't see Kitten. She peeped around his shoulder, scanning the new visitors to the semi-dark room.

"Thomas." Kitten called, smiling really big for her biological brother. Austin still didn't release her hand but moved over so she could hug Tom.

"Baby sister, come here," Tom greeted with a grin, snickering. Tom was so relieved of how Austin was over protective and over worried about his baby sister.

"She's mine. Just peck her cheek, Tom." Austin warned. He wasn't letting go of his Kitten for any reason, not ever. Only if he were dead, that would be the only reason, then, Tom, her brother, might have something to say about that also.

Tom smiled. "Relax, Old Man. The music started."

"Damn it to hell!" Austin moaned. He was to be parted from Kitten as she needed to walk down the aisle from the opposite side of him at the front of the church. He felt nervous releasing her hand for a few seconds. He didn't want anything bad to happen.

Happy, sad and evil rumors and gossip had been flying since they arrived into Miami this morning.

Bad, curious and innocent people were hunting for them, reporters, media, photographers, police, security, friends, family and enemies.

Austin and Kitten didn't leave the private island until five this morning as the private jet with the pilot carrying the secret location of Kitten Island left arriving at five thirty at Ferguson airport with his trusted driver Joe at the wheel. Then, the couple was greeted by a gang of anxiously worried Quartet members at Austin' new mansion. They talked, rested, and changed her clothes for the big fancy ceremony at the church which would begin at 10:01 a.m. and end at precisely 10:06 a.m. No fancy singing. No fancy praying. No fancy dancing.

There would be only the exchange of two sets of love vows and two golden rings for the traditional ceremony of "I do" and then "I do" and then a kiss and an announcement of marriage. The end! Austin and Kitten would gallop down the aisle out the door into the limo and jet back to Kitten Island and then the big event would be done and final and finis and complete.

Inside the archway, Austin sighed and then breathed deeply. He still didn't release Kitten's hand.

"A team is located at the end of the hall." Stu informed, staring at Austin. Stu noted he was cool but anxious about the entire affair.

The grow-ups wanted the formal wedding, the last one for the last member of the legendary Quartet, who was now going into seclusion with a wife while enjoying the life of trillionaire.

"One minute and twenty seconds, we timed it yesterday." Tom told, helping to cool the heated and jumbled emotions of all four guys, the number of a Quartet.

The Quartet stated when an individual great grandfather around the 1838, where four young teenagers bonded with a prick of human blood to protect, defend, support, and love each other. No matter the circumstances. "The blood pact" had endured for four generations. With God Almighty's help, there would be a new generation for the current Band of Brothers.

"One minute and twenty seconds." Frank gasped.

Mangrove and Misty Marie had been trapped in the city of Madrid within the country of Spain this morning. He had missed all the planned instructions regarding the wedding, the ceremony and the escape. Frank wasn't mad, since Misty had been sick the entire trip. He was worried about her health and welfare every hour of the day.

Within the five months, the life for the Band of Brothers had been fast, swift, horror, terror, danger, intrigue, hate, sad, mad, revenge, destruction, and devastation.

Frank didn't want to think about the last five months. He wanted his wife to think about the present, the happy occasion, Austin's wedding and then the new embryo creation of a Mangrove baby.

Frank was relieved, as well as, his two brothers that Austin was finally getting married after eight years of tramps, vamps, and whores. Out of all girls in the USA for Austin to find and marry a "real" Quartet member.

When the girl had been discovered Thomas Edison Sawyer Junior fucked and conceived a baby thirty-one years ago, God Almighty presented the child to Soy during a roll and rock performance in the city of Coconut Grove. Soy had acted like his son Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third for years. But a wiser and older Soy had mellowed out over the years from his wild times and wilder friends. Uncle Edison had grown a compassionate heart when he gave it to an unknown girl who turned out to be his 'biological' daughter, where she had lived in the US State of Alabama and then had been transplanted to the US State Florida within the city of Coral Gables.

Kitten had lived down the city street within one mile from the Quartet. She was smart with her multiply college degrees. She was bold with her pilot skills and gun control techniques. She was beautiful possessing good nice lady like qualities that grabbed Austin's attention.

Frank always believed Austin wasn't that shallow of a fellow.

Kitten was special, very special. She was, now, the baby of the Quartet. She and Tom had been born on the same day at different times.

Tom accepted her baby sister without compromise or lots of sacrifice. He loved his baby sister.

"One minute and two second for Kitten to walk around to rear of the church and into the lobby to be with Dad," Tom smiled.

"You are letting Kitten walk by herself from here the back room of the baptism booth to over there inside the lobby of the church. Not good! Not wise! Whose stupid ass idea was that?" Frank frowned.

"Mine." Tom barked. "I'm her big brother. I'm smart."

Frank laughed, "Smart ass brother!"

Tom laughed. "I thought that was your earned title, Frank."

"Enough, pups." Stu spit and laughed, grabbing Tom by the collar of his gray morning coat.

"Scary cats, I'm a big girl." Kitten announced with pride. She moved out the room still attached to Austin's strong hand.

Austin followed like a puppy dog, moving in front of Kitten and her big white fluffy dress. He wrapped long arms around her skinny frame encompassing her body hidden inside his jacket and chest. He kissed her deeply, re-emerged and stared into her silver eyes. "I love you, Kitten."

She hugged and pulled with a smile and a whisper into his grin. "I love you, Austin."

Tom commanded like a general in the army. "Almost over! Get moving, Kitten, the team's waiting down the hallway with guns drawn or we'll be here all fucking night."

"Yes, Daddy." Kitten spoke with a smart mouth, giggling. Tom smiled, grabbing her hand as she looked back at Austin with love, smiling.

Stu moved Austin to the entrance of the vestibule while he continued to stare at her and Tom running down the hall passage to the front of the church for the trip down the aisle for their marriage.

Tom rushed Kitten to the side door, handing her to Zak and ordered with seriousness. "Guard her with your life, boys and girls!"

"Yes sir." Zak replied.

Kitten trailed behind Zak and the privately hired body guards into the lighted but empty hallway.

The planned path was to travel down the classrooms, out the glass doors leading to the gardens, which was enclosed with veins and plants, not tables and photographs, rounding the bend into the side parking lot which was never used on a regular church day.

But, on this day, three different parking lots were filled with cars, vans, trucks, and limousines. The devoted church members preferred the street parking or the larger lot near the overhang of the large Methodist church where Kitten was member of the choir.

At the end of the hallway of the church, Zak held the door for her as a pair of keen eyes and a set of swift reflexes on each paid and hired body guard with a loaded and unlocked weapon continued to scan an empty street, the full parking lots, and the manicured lawn of grass and flowers.

Zak moved beside Kitten as best he could in that wedding dress.

Kitten didn't get to pick her wedding dress. She wasn't really upset.

She didn't want the fancy ball gown wedding dress. She didn't want the fancy flowered ribboned decorated church gathered with thousands of people in the pews, balconies, and walls.

It seemed like millions of people were present but she knew big church held 2,087 people within the lower and upper pews. The sides against the wall were lined with chairs for extra people to attend what was dubbed the "Wedding of the Century."

A native Miamian would have thought a royal empress and emperor were getting married, not Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth and his love, Prancie Precious Purr.

Purr was simply known as the nickname of Kitten to her family and no close friends.

Her brother Tom tattled into her eardrum with a giggle and a grin, this morning. She was a true royal princess, after Kitten had drunk that teacup of shitty tea with the groom Prince Boo Boo. Purr had been kidnapped by a set of royal bodyguards as she had slid down inside the wrong limousine on the night of the Saudi and Quarter dinner banquet. That night, inside the wrong limousine, as soon as, the heavy door shut, the royal body guards had tied her arms and her legs without movement or shouting or escaping from Prince Boo Boo.

Kitten had known that to be trouble and had realized. Austin had not known her dangerous situation either.

The wrong limousine quickly had steered toward the small private airport within the Dade County community of Opa Locka, where her and the royal set of body guards had entered the private business jet cabin, flying away from the USA and towards the country of Saudi Arabia. She had been mad, not sad. Austin would come for her rescue.

Kitten had known that her three brothers would rescue her person. They were smart and wise and would figure out what had happened, when she was not home at Tom's house or in Austin's arms.

So, inside the princely palace grounds, Kitten had given Prince Boo-Boo and all his princely staff the most worse and impossible time that they could bare and endure, including her sassy remarks, her mouth food spits, and finally her accuracy dish tossing skills that had come in handy at the royal castle.

However, Boo Boo had not reacted but simply smiled. The prince had thought Kitten was going to be his royal princess. Boo Boo had not known the personality of Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth

Kitten was his girl, always and forever in life and afterlife.

Austin had whispered that sentence into her eardrum all the time. Kitten had giggled when he had said it but she had understood. He had meant every single word of that statement coming from his generous heart, his smart mind, and his sweet soul.

Inside the royal palace, Kitten had been treated as a royal princess and had been bathed like a little kid, and then dressed by the slaves and pampered by servants. But Austin could have done all that for her and more.

Anytime, she asked. Anything, she asked. Anywhere, she asked.

On the day of the royal wedding ceremony, Kitten had known what was really happening. Few of the nice and polite servants spoke in a set of English words. And ones that did speak English had not been talking to her in English, only in smiles, laughs and giggles.

Based on all the visual signs and her deductive reasoning, Kitten had concluded that she was staying there at the palace and probably going to get married to that jolly fat prince, since she was the famous baby sister of the Quartet.

Austin had known these same facts and was searching for her and he would find her.

Kitten had needed to stall for time, so Austin would come for her rescue.

On the market day, Kitten had been dressed in a very special outfit, if a girl could have called it any outfit. She had worn a set of loose diamonds that had been glued onto her breasts. Actually, the touch sensation had been really sexy and provocative on her naked skin.

She didn't have a big chest of breasts like her Quartet sister Misty Marie, so the glued gems had been comfortable, also. She had been embarrassed with the rounds of diamonds and the tiny string dark tinted throng underneath a silver hue of light weight lace thingie which had shown every detail of her naked buttocks and thighs.

Kitten had not a choice as she had been literally stripped down into nudity by the set of girl slaves and then dressed in two pieces of fabric on a naked body. She had been a little petrified of walking around in total nudity as Kitten had read about that girly behavior which was exhibited inside each Middle Eastern country. Therefore, Kitten had been pleased with the skimpy costume that covered most of her private parts.

Kitten had insulted Prince Boo Boo as much as she had dared in front of his villagers. During the royal tea ceremony, she had drunk the teacup of awful liquid, but Kitten had not understood the Arabic words coming from the royal wedding advisor or the importance of the afternoon social event.

After Austin had rescued her, well, after Kitten had rescued Austin with the hand-tossed revolver, she had killed the attackers, swarming his body. Then, the Quartet had fled down a hidden stone-covered staircase and then landed down inside a grove of date fruit trees with some dangling snakes, dashing toward an awaiting vehicle for a short twenty-minute drive on top of rough dirt roadway to the secured private business jet underneath an orange tinted cloth tarp. The pilot lounged in a chair with water bottles and handful of food as the vehicle slid over the dirt to a halt in front of the tarp. Then the Quartet and their Quartet sister had flown back home within a long seven-hour flight.

Austin and Kitten had re-acquainted and made the very best time on the plane inside the single private room for a long journey back home to the States.

Tom, her big brother had explained to Kitten and the Quartet that she was a royal princess with a set of royal monies to match coming from the royal bank accounts plus the royal royalties coming from two royal oil wells that Prince Boo-Boo had owned. The prince had switched to her name to save all of his assets from a gang of outlaw bandits, in case of kidnapping. The Saudi prince was dead first and overconfident second that his plan was full proof and secure from the Quartet, especially Austin.

Kitten has been both thrilled and shocked with the terrific news. Tom has been both excited and very happy for her baby sister. Austin had been both worried and gravely concerned for her well-being and protection as a true royal princess.

Berrington was a trillionaire, after building and then selling his first baby girl, Quartet Associates which become a trillion-dollar company with his three non-biological brothers.

He didn't need money. He didn't want attention. He wanted a wife and a baby. After he met Kitten, Berrington found his perfect mate in life and the afterlife.

Kitten was never a fan of celebrities. She did her own thing for years. Then fate had occurred on a hot evening in the Coconut Grove, she had met her biological father for the first time. After the blood test proved true, the Quartet had accepted, supported, loved, and honored her from that moment to present.

Her new Quartet family members were loving, kind, generous, protective, especially her brother, Thomas Edison Sawyer, the third.

On top of the sidewalk in the rear of the church, Kitten moved with Zak. She was going to marry Austin in a big huge wedding ceremony in front of numerous live and breathing television reporters, photographers, and her Quartet family. They were waiting patiently for her to emerge on the arm of her biological daddy Thomas Edison Sawyer, Junior while slowly walking down the church aisle to be presented to her future husband.

Kitten was so happy and thrilled she could think straight.

Soy had tried to marry her a week ago to a jerk, who was nicknamed by Stu as Captain Crunch. But fortunately, Stu, her Quartet brother, had discovered a deep dark secret. Chip had been adopted when the car bomb killed his set of biological parents along with Curzon's wife and his young child. The newly uncovered mysterious information had troubled her Quartet uncles and her father, so they had called off the wedding immediately inside the groomsmen billet room.

Tom had told Chip in the famous elegant form of curse words to leave Kitten alone.

Then, the greedy General Curzon Chippendale had kidnapped Kitten for one hundred million dollars which was to be paid by the Quarter. After being successful taken by Curzon to North Miami Beach, Austin had saved Kitten, after giving a present of a true diamond hair burette that had been embedded with a navigational device on the silver tinted clip.

Austin had saved her.

Austin had loved her.

Kitten had loved him.

That was the end of the old book and then the beginning of the new novel.

Kitten saw the silver limousine move from the parked spot. It was supposed too. The wedding ceremony was to be short and sweet.

Basically, Kitten said "I do." Austin said "I do." Then, they were married.

Kitten and Austin would run out of the church, jumping into the limo and flying back to her secret place, Kitten Island, for the honeymoon and the rest of the year.

They had been hiding there, since Wednesday, all this week, alone, together in paradise.

The silver limo moved ahead of her and away from Zak. He was supposed too, also.

Kitten wasn't a scary cat. She was twenty feet from the entrance door of the church. She could see Soy, who waving a hand at her as she approached. She paced slowly.

The waddling layers of fabric consisting of rows of ruffled satin over a pair of four-inched heeled summer sandals which made walking, turning, twisting, and strolling impossible.

Misty selected the cute high heeled shoes with the single stripe over her toes displaying a diamond bow on the edges. Kitten was very happy with the selection since Kitten and Misty enjoy sharing the latest fashion tops and dresses.

Gracie designed the dress which was part bathing suit bra on top covering her tanned breasts made of pressed white satin tiny row of ruffles with a bow sitting on the left edge. The round, long circular skirt consisted of twelve layers of pressed white satin formed in big wide fluffy, puffy ruffles.

Jane created the small bouquet of white rosebuds that fit inside Kitten's tiny hands with long satin ribbons tied in bows at the end of the strip.

Kitten wore the new eighteen carat diamond hair bow within her long silver curly hair on the side without no other hat, veil, or flowery wreathe. She was honored with hair bow since it had come from Austin as another loving gift.

After Kitten searched her heart, she truly loved Austin and wanted to marry him, immediately. She had hoped for a small private ceremony in the church's chapel with Austin, Tom, Jane, Gracie, Stu, Frank, Misty and her father and her adopted mother, and her Quartet uncles and aunts and then a private dance party with tables of great tasting food.

But her wish didn't come true. Kitten received a grand package of problems, including the

flowers, the church, the music, the reporters, the photographers, the guests, the guards, and finally the threats of bodily harm, danger, and death.

Dressed and well-mannered set of bodyguards lined the wall and also sat quietly within the audience while watching the guests, not Kitten. They were paid to stop a vocal outburst, physical altercation, or both. If one person dropped down a single piece of chewing gum wrapper on top of the clean wooden floor, then the bodyguard would haul the ass of the person out the entrance door with no subtlety, of course.

After an individual had been closely eyeballed inspected, machine X-rayed, and then man-handled by a paid bodyguard, the side walls had been quickly decorated with rows and rows of local, state, national, and some international reporters and photographers. Austin had allowed the outside media, since he and Kitten weren't stopping for a single photograph.

The news media could use, print, and sell every single pre-wedding and post-wedding photograph for billions and billions of dollars, if received.

Once Austin and Kitten were married, the it was goodbye media limelight.

The news media was guarded and watched but within the wedding program, the reporters were kinda like a second set of watchdogs whispering the action, good or evil.

On top of the sidewalk with Zak, Kitten waved a hand with a smile at the open archway to Soy. Then Soy disappeared from the archway. She stopped and adjusted the long wedding dress with one hand running toward the lobby.

Something was wrong.

Kitten couldn't see with her sharp acute eyesight pass the Florida sunlight into the dark mouth of the lobby. Then, a warm large hand grabbed her left arm with force causing pain.

Kitten turned to see the door of the limo opened with two other men inside whom she did not recognize. Instantly, she realized they were not friends, but foes.

The lean tall strong dark skinned male jerked Kitten to the side wrapping the dress around her body. She hit him over the head with the small delicate bouquet of rosebuds and then tossed the flowers into his face while beating his chest with her folded fists.

Kitten tried to scream but he covered her mouth with his smelly large paw, lifting her light body with ease off the pink sidewalk into the air as she was carried to the limo. She noted he was tall, strong and smelled like cigar smoke.

Kitten entered feet first, kicking, punching with her shoes. They dropped off her feet landing in the limo, or grass.

She screamed loud as he removed his hand to close the door behind them.

Kitten had ridden in the limo enough times to know the sound proofing of the large transport was impossible to hear from the outside with the armed windows. A bomb could explode inside the car with no person on the outside hearing it just seeing the results. She was trapped, maybe.

Austin had given her a very special wedding present, not a baby, yet. He gave her a silver diamond covered hilt five-inched dagger for her very own. She attached the dagger to the special garter belt that Austin had made for her, also. Austin was worried about her safety. He didn't want the wedding. The ceremony. The crowds. the music. The flowers. The danger.

Kitten kicked again, pulling out the light knife from the tiny white belt fitted around her right leg. She was right-landed. Her right arm muscles stronger. She jerked the weapon loose, driving it into the man's arm as he held her right leg, tearing her gown and massaging her skin.

The kidnapper screamed with pain. Kitten withdrew the sharp object that caused his harm. The other guy torn at her skirt, ripping the side to her panties. She was wearing a throng which means they planned to rape her in the limo. She shifted the knife to her left hand. She trained using both hands and arms with weapons. She could shoot a gun with her left hand, if need be. She wished had a Dillinger palm gun with her.

That will be the next gift from Austin.

Kitten stuck his neck, the soft flesh cutting from contact with the baby weapon. She didn't need to pierce veins or slice bone only annoy, pester and distract the men for her escape out of the limo.

The kidnapper screamed, grabbing her knife from her hand. She didn't fight back electing to use the moment to flee.

The first guy, who captured her, hit her side with his serrated knife pulled from the side of the seat along her exposed tanned rib cage.

The skin cut sting from pain. Kitten screamed, "Shit." The neck wound hit her pink soft cheek with his fist. Kitten ricocheted back onto the bench a little dizzy but her adrenaline was pumping in overdrive to her sharp mind, conscious and alert.

Suddenly the limousine stopped. Kitten thought she heard the distant sound of a gun.

Kitten shook her head, leaping toward the door using superhuman strength peeling it open wide. She jumped and rolled head first onto the grass between the sidewalk and pavement. She stood. "Shit!" Kitten cried.

Quartet guards swiftly moved and then surrounded the limo with guns drawn for the kill.

Kitten could see Zak, the best friend of the Quartet, bleeding from his head as one of the devoted guards held him upright. She realized some of the guards had been paid off and betrayed Zak and "A" team members.

She felt sorry for them. The kidnappers were going to die when Stu, Tom and Frank found out. She wanted to kill them, too, but the Quartet liked to have all the fun.

Instead, Kitten didn't want that kind of fun. She wanted to hide on her island with Austin for the rest of her life.

No guards. No guns. No glamour.

Kitten stepped forward, stopped. Pain rescinded from her head to her toes. She was barefooted.

No shoes. No flowers. No bow. No dagger.

Kitten's wedding skirt was hanging open and dragging along the sidewalk. Her fleshy side was burning and stinging with blood drops. She pulled her top up over her breasts.

She lumped toward the side door.

Kitten was getting married today, despite kidnappers, blood, and pain to become Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV.

Inside the church lobby, Soy sat upright on the floor with a back spine against the wall, holding his side watching cornflower blue eyes over the dead wedding director. Her head cocked to a funny position on the tile floor. Daddy killed her with the Ghost.

"Daddy!" Kitten cried lumping toward her father.

"Get Austin, sweetheart! I'm fine." Soy ordered, grinning silly from pain.

"Yes, Daddy." She replied.

Kitten stood, alone, at the high wooden doors, jerking the big handles forward on the closed heavy church doors with all her strength.

They parted slowly and outward toward her.

Kitten stood between the open doors without Soy, revealing her skin dirty, her hair messy, her flowers missing, her gown ripped. She wobbled slightly forward for supporting aid with a set of grunts and gasp of terror and pain. The audience sounded in gasps and mumbles.

Austin saw Kitten immediately, leaping down three steps, landing gracefully on the wooden floor and ran towards lobby, "Kitten!" The audience sounded in gasps, mutters, and mumbles, pointing fingers, not toes.

Reporters babbled into the microphones. Photographers snapped impromptu pictures. The Quartet security guards moved swiftly from walls and assigned seats, lining the aisle for Kitten's protection, not allowing any guest to stray from the open auditorium.

"Fuck!" Tom stood up from the bench and ran ahead towards Kitten. Jace moved off the first pew trailing behind Tom. He was the Quartet physician.

"Code Pink!" Stu yelled into the cell phone. He and Frank ran to Jane, Misty and Gracie parked on the opposite bench, hugging and protecting their Quartet sisters and wives.

Austin reached Kitten, first, lifting her into his arms, "Kitten." He whispered softly into her ear.

Tom stopped quickly scanning Kitten she was alert and conscious. She was safe in Austin's hands. He viewed the lobby for more intruders, "Dad."

"Thomas." Soy whispered.

"Jace," Tom screamed. Jace patted the back spine of Austin, moving to the location of Tom. He started poking on Uncle Edison. Soy coughed.

"Help me up!" Soy ordered to his son.

"You're injured. You're going to the hospital." Tom insisted, holding him back to the floor.

"I want to see Kitten and Austin married." Soy told, breathing heavy and hard from the head injury.

Tom announced with fury, worry and concern. "The wedding cancelled."

"Hell, no!" Soy faintly cursed. "Roll out!"

Jace and Tom shouldered the elder man between them, walking through the doors down the aisle as Tom sit his injured and mad Father beside his concerned and crying Mother. Jace sat with Uncle Edison, probing with his hands.

Austin carried Kitten to the vestibule of the church podium, hugging and protecting his girl.

Frank moved with Misty in arms to Austin, stating, "Hospital."

"Doctor." Stu spoke, holding Gracie with Jane beside her.

Tom leaped onto the platform watching and listening to the conversation, grabbing his wife, pulling her to him for protection and love.

The Quartet surrounded the young couple protecting their brother and sister as the audience watched in gasps and mumbles. Photographers snapped hundreds of pictures per second while the media reporters mumbled slightly louder into cell phones.

The older Band of Brothers sat in an assigned seat while patiently waiting for the next step from Austin.

"Marry me, Austin!" Kitten spoke softly.

"Kitten!" Austin spoke with concern and worry.

"Marry me, now!" Kitten yelled and jerked, pulling back and forth within Austin's loving secured arms. Austin placed her gently on the step, holding her close and tight to his chest. She was dazed and still wobbling like a young filly from birth.

The preacher lectured. "The young lady..."

Kitten spoke with a firm tone. "I take Austin..."

"Father, please marry us right now!" Austin asked with tender and kind voice to the preacher.

"Hurry up! She's needs a hospital." Frank interrupted.

"Very well!" The preacher nodded, exhaling. Frank used his switchblade knife and cut off pieces of white pieces of fabric from Misty's under crinoline of the bridesmaid dress. He draped the satin material around Kitten's blooding rib cage and tugged. She grunted with pain.

Kitten faced Austin, smiling with happiness, speaking first of their wedding vows with a soft tone, since the intense pain was overtaking her brain cells and nerve endings. "I take Austin to be my husband, always and forever."

"I take Kitten to be my wife, always and forever." Austin immediately repeated the precious words that would bind them together in life and afterlife.

The preacher cleared a throat. "I pronounce you as husband and wife by the city of Miami and the state by Florida. God bless you!" The audience clapped, cheered, stood and hooted with happiness and joy for them. Kitten kissed Austin. They emerged.

Austin smiled. "I love you, Kitten."

She softly whispered. "I love you, Austin." Then, she fainted in his arms. Austin lifted her to his chest.

"This way, the limo's in the back." Stu pointed as he held Gracie close.

"I'm coming." Frank insisted holding Misty's hand tight, leading behind Austin and Kitten.

"I'll start the party. Go on." Tom spoke, grabbing Jane's hand. He moved to the front of the steps, the Quarter leave out the side door of the baptism booth.

The elder Band of Brothers was heading the same direction. Uncle Franklin touched Tom's arm and spoke. "Soy needs a doctor. We're going to South Miami."

"Be there soonest." Tom remarked. He continued to watch his Father, Mother, aunts, and uncles move along the same path as his brothers. Tom held Jane's hand tight, squelching with love and relief. Then, he shouted with his loud obnoxious voice for the reporters, photographers and guests. "They're fucking married. Jeezus Christ! Finally, that's all I can say." The audience laughed, cheered, hooted, and shouted with celebration. Tom loved the limelight. He's going to miss it but his future baby and fatherly duties are too important to share with strangers. "Listen up! Tons of great food, expensive alcohol at the overpriced plaza. Fucking enjoy yourselves. It's costing billions..." the audience laughed, cheered, hooted, and shouted with celebration. Tom is so entertaining. Jane was smiling and staring at her husband, whom she loved so much. Concerning how the brothers had been through Hell over the pass six months. It's over. Austin and Kitten were married. Tom and she were going to make a baby, a little Tommy to cry, mew and wet all over the mansion in Coral Beach. Tom shouted again without the use of a microphone in the large auditorium of the church galley. "Compliments of the newly married Quartet couple, Austin and Kitten. They won't be there due to the fucking kidnappers." The audience roared with laughter.

"Settle down! Glad ya'll understand. Have a great fucking party! Good bye, Miami!" Tom waved with a laugh as he pulled his wife off the vestibule, heading down the guarded hallway to his limo. They were going to Charity South Miami Hospital, next, spending the night watching over his Father and his baby sister. "Fucking shit! Wishes do come true." Tom moaned getting into the limo as Jack held the door the loving couple.

Jane hugged Tom with a worried brow. "What wishes, sweetheart?"

"Fucking asshole, Frank! He wished something wouldn't have to Kitten. Damn, if it did come to pass."

She smiled. "Tom, sweetheart, Frank didn't cause this."

He frowned. "Know that! I'm upset, mad, ready to kill breathing flesh and bone."

"Do you mean the kidnappers."

Tom roared with laughter. "They are a set of stupid sons of fucking bitches. They messed with the Quartet."

"The set of kidnappers messed with both the new and the old Quartet members."

"Damn straight! Dad is pissed. All he could mumble was 'die, die, die' as Jace was assessing his bodily injuries." Tom chuckled.

"Soy was caught off guard."

"It was the fucking director, a nice pretty girl but, greedy for money like the rest of the fucking world."

"Is she is dead?"

"She's dead as a door nail. Dad got her with the Ghost."

"We're lucky."

"Kitten attacked her own assailants and escaped."

"We are luckier."

"She's part of the Quartet. What do you expect? That's girl got guts and glamour, my baby sister." Tom snickered.

"Where were her guards?"

"Zach is in the hospital also."

"O dear! Someone had bribed our people."

"Hell yeah!"

"Money makes the world go around and around, Tom."

"Fucking damn shitting lucky." Tom was ignoring Jane's comments and thinking to himself.

"Kitten and Austin are married."

"There is Almighty God, Brother Jesus, and all my heavenly angels. Amen!"

"Where are we going?"

"The hospital."

"Not the laboratory?"

"Dad's problem."

She gasped. "Wait! You're not seeking revenge for Kitten."

"Austin's job, not mine."

"You have changed Tom."

He smiled. "Do you like it?"

"Damn straight."

Tom kissed his wife. "It's you and me, sweetheart, and baby will make three."

Jane giggled. "You want to be father."

"Really soonest!"

"Afraid for a week starting tomorrow."

"Damn straight! We're fucking trillionaires. Anything, we fuckingly want. Anytime, we fuckingly want. Anywhere, we fuckingly want."

"Anywhere?"

"Here in the limo, sweetheart."

"Not here, Tom."

"What not? We might get lucky." Tom smiled as Jane giggled. Tom kissed her face.

City of South Miami

(4 miles, south, from the church)

Charity South Miami Hospital

Inpatient hospital room

Mrs Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV

10:26 a.m.

Austin arrived with Kitten, who had been admitted for observation and a contusion on her forehead and her bruised body into the hospital room on the ninth floor here at Charity South Miami Hospital which was located in South Miami, Florida.

Soy was located in the next private room on the corridor.

Austin was lying beside his new married wife inside her hospital bed watching her sleep peacefully.

Mrs Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth had a mild concession that had been sustained from the slap across her cheekbone coming from one of the kidnappers. Kitten was cut on side wrapped and healing with no infection. The men didn't rape her. She possessed little bruises and cuts from fighting, kicking, punching and striking each one of her nasty assailants.

Austin had also noticed that she was missing her wedding gift, a diamond encrusted dagger.

Kitten had fainted during the wedding ceremony into Austin's two arms from her slight head injury and the excitement of the marriage ceremony.

Austin had suspected. Kitten had used her little gift for self-defense which had saved her life. The kidnappers would have asked for a big money ransom, but Kitten would have been viciously violated as she was a virgin bride.

The Band of Brothers and Sisters invaded the hospital room like an army of ants on a Sunday picnic basket. The assigned room nurse became mad and then kicked everyone out the both rooms belonging to Kitten and Soy, except for the spouses.

Austin was a spouse, a mate, and now an old married man. He loved the feeling.

All the Quartet brothers protested with a set of loud shouts and strong curse words until Jace Jackson MD intervened and then sent everyone home. Jace was a member of the hospital board and could order a security team with a hand gun to boot out each brothers off the hospital campus. Instead, each brother had elected to leave voluntarily.

Austin knew where the three of brothers were going, the Lab.

Housed underneath the Coral Beach auditorium, there was a secret room which contained an array of painful toys for extracting or not extracting information from a human in a not-so-nice way. The chamber was two stories under the concrete and sand.

You can scream, yell, and cry. But no one will hear you, foreverly.

The deeply stoned embedded steps dropped down into the open lobby where all the torture equipment and weapons were displayed. That was the first item the prisoner saw.

The next room was really an open space of individual shower stalls for cleaning up the blood, urine, shit and sweat off a dirty body from the mutilation of the prisoners. The enclosed viewing room was an observation lounge with a large glass window to observe the actually torture room.

If you can't take the smell, the odor, the screams, you can lounge outside with a drink and watch just like a fucking movie without or with sound.

Austin did not use the lounge room. Dad, Soy, Stuart, and Franklin were the only guests to actually use the Lounge-room. The Quartet had allowed their most trusted body guards to perform executions when the boys didn't want the job. Today, the job was going to be performed, administrated, and executed by the old Band of Brothers in the last room, the Torture-space. Three evenly spaced hooks, lifts, ropes hang from the ceiling with open pits of railing that drain blood, small body parts and fluids into the underground tanks. You hang the prisoner like a fucking dead cow by a part body, preferable the neck or wrists like he was in a hangman's noose, then do what you please, over and over gain. Frank is a physician, a caring medical doctor. He could fix, repair, patch, sew, and stitch you up over and over, again with his clean sterile tools, expensive medications and bits of food and water. You could live down there for days, maybe weeks if you're a strong willed bitch or bastard as the Quartet plays, dances and tickles your ass to the point of death.

The Quartet is an equal opportunity torture-company. They don't discrimination against sex, age, weight, height, color, race, religion or social status. Rich bitch or poor bastard! If you piss the Quartet off, you're pretty much dead. Then, God can deal with your pained, tormented soul in Heaven after the final breath of your living, beaten fleshy and bloody body. Frank, Stu and Tom are there for the pure enjoyment, today. Soy was pissed beyond the outer limits of the Milky Way Galaxy. He stayed one hour in his hospital room, then left in a wheelchair for the action in the laboratory. Austin could hear his loud voice through the wall yelling and cursing at his Dad not to kill the bastards until he was there because he was doing the dirty deed. Frank almost zapped Soy with a tap needle himself but Jace beat him to it. Austin laughed.

Kitten had missed all the fun but she really did not like the death scene.

The Quartet wives had tolerated the talk, discussion, and actions but they were not part of the torment procedures.

Austin truly felt Gracie would have liked to witness the torment, if Stu would be very upset. The wives supported their husbands hundred and ten percent.

He wasn't going to play or watch. He didn't want to leave his wife ever again.

Kitten stirred from her nap. Austin closed his eyelids to rest for a few second. Then she screamed out loud. "Austin!"

"Here, baby!" He opened the eyelids and then leaned over, gently kissing her forehead, aware of her medical concession, pulling back with a smile.

"Are we really married, Austin?" She whispered with worry.

He whispered. "Yes, baby! We're really married. Don't you remember?"

"I remember. I just wanna hear it again and again and again..."

"Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth, greetings from your husband. I love you, baby." He leaned over and gently kissed her lips without disturbing her headache from the medical concession and pulled back with a smile.

"Hmm! It sounds so nice to my eardrums, Mr. Berrington. Thank you for marrying me," she softly told and smiled lightly.

"Thanks for what?"

"Marrying me."

"Baby, that was my plan from the beginning of our introduction."

She giggled. She didn't move. She was sore and tired from the fight. She moved her left hand to her face. "Ring."

Austin reached inside his shirt which was his morning suite. He didn't bother to change his clothes. He didn't want to leave his wife for anything. "Kitten, I love you." He reached down and placed the diamond encrusted platinum wedding band on her left ring finger.

She smiled down at her new wedding band from her new husband. "Married! We're really married. Austin, I'm so happy."

"Baby, I'm happier."

"We're happiest."

"Yes, baby. We are the happiest couple on the planet." Austin shifted upright while Kitten was moving her head, arms and body upright.

She posed staring into his silver eyes. "Time to go."

"Go where, baby?" Austin asked, cuddling next to her, rubbing gently her arm.

"Kitten Island for our honeymoon."

"We flew from there today for the wedding ceremony."

"We succeeded and finally got married. So, let's leave the hospital and then go back to my island. I wanna stay for two months or six months or all next year."

Austin chuckled. "I obey you with my heart and my mind, but you can't leave the hospital today."

"Of course, I can. I'm alive. I'm awake. I'm fine."

"Baby, you have medical concession in your head and a nasty cut on your ninth rib."

"Poo-poo! That's minor stuff on me. I'm a healthy action girl. The sun will heal me fast. Roll out!"

Austin chuckled. "That's my line, baby."

"Know that! I enjoy using it. Is that okay, baby?"

"You can use and abuse anything I got, Kitten."

"I have some abusive methods I wanna use on you, tonight, my new husband."

Austin chuckled again. "Sex! I have never met a girl who loves sex so much."

"I'm a newbie. It's fun. I just want it 24/7/365."

"Your wish is my command." Austin leaned down and then gently kissed her lips while remembering her medical concession.

The hospital door swung open.

Tom and Jane led the way with Frank and Misty, then Gracie and Stu coming inside. Tom stopped and then pointed at wagon that was pulling the true wedding cake of white frost and pink flowers.

Austin pulled back from the kiss and turned with a frown to see the people, "Cake!"

Stu smiled. "We brought you, your wedding cake."

Frank nodded. "It's not really official, until you eat a piece of cake."

"You mean shove it into her face." Tom laughed.

Frank frowned at Tom. "I'll shove it into your face, Sawyer."

"Bring it on, Mangrove!" Tom held up both folded fists with a sour frown.

Frank smiled. "Kitten is awake."

"I found something. I think you lost." Stu remarked, handing the sliver dagger to Kitten. She smiled.

"My gift!" Kitten smiled.

Tom frowned. "Gift? Who give you a weapon as a gift?"

"That's Kitten's wedding gift from me. I don't expect her to need it." Austin exhaled with worry.

Stu nodded. "None of us did."

Frank nodded. "It's over."

"Finished." Tom smiled. "Kitten and Austin are happily married."

Austin smiled. "Damn right! No one will harm her ever."

"But someone will only squash her," giggled Tom.

"Austin, get off the damn bed! You're going to make Kitten seasick." Frank stepped closer to examine Kitten with a medical eye.

Austin sneered. "Back away from my wife, Frank!"

"He is possessive, obsession, and irritable. Have you eaten some food, bro?" Stu fingered the food table.

Austin whispered. "Not really!"

Tom snapped his fingers with a grin. He liked being rich and exhibiting his regal powers. From the sound, the set of awaiting waiters rolled a line of food trays into the hospital room.

"Thanks, Thomas!" Gage moved ahead toward the food table.

Tom shoved the massive arm from the food tray, which didn't really budge. "That food is not for your black ass, Gage."

"It's food." Stu stopped and stood in front of the table, filling an empty platter.

"That I paid for! Get your own fucking food trays, Gage!" Tom moved ahead and then shoved on Stu's big body, which didn't really budge either.

Austin enjoyed the physical interaction and the verbal exchange with a laugh. The pups will never share.

"Mr. Berrington," the nurse stood inside the open archway with a yell and a sour frown at Austin. "Remove yourself from that bed, before I call secure to perform that function for you!"

"Gawd! This woman doesn't know, who she's messy with," Tom filled an empty plate with food and a giggle of amusement.

"Fine!" Austin moaned and then surrendered to the nurse, slipping off her hospital bed mattress, sitting down in the chair.

"Looky! She still lives." Tom spun around with the food plate and shared a laugh at the moment.

"Austin didn't draw his Ghost either." Frank noted.

"Here! His Ghost is located inside his morning coat." Stu held the coat and weapon in the air near his smile.

"Hide it, quickly, Stu." Tom teased.

Austin slowly lifted from the bed, not shaking the mattress, pulling the hard metal chair next to the dropped railing staring into Kitten's silver eyes. The Nurse pivoted and left the room probably calling Jace too complain about the guests, food, trays, and guards on the floor.

"Kitten, how do you feel, love?" Frank frowned at her.

"Fine! I feel fine. I wanna leave, right now, this moment," she continued to sway upright and balanced inside Austin's strong arms, folding down at the waist, touching her temple. She would grunt occasionally, when the Quartet chuckled.

"No!" Tom chewed.

"Yes!" Kitten softly said.

"No, Kitten! I'm a physician. You have a level one concession and a scraped laceration...," nodded Frank.

"Drop the medical babble talk! Just release me, Frank!" Kitten sneered in soft.

"Who's the master here?" Tom laughed and spit out food particles over the floor.

"Who's the doctor here?" Stu teased both Kitten and Frank.

"Kitten...," Tom giggled.

"Frank, release me," whined Kitten.

Frank smiled. "You're not jailed, Kitten. I'm not your physician. Jace can release you. Where's Jace?"

Stu chewed. "Don't know!"

"Well, find him! Pronto!" Kitten frowned.

Tom chewed with a giggle. "Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth has issued a command."

"Tom!" Kitten frowned.

"What?" Tom smiled.

Stu chewed, chuckling. "Jump!"

"How high?" Tom laughed, enjoying his sister issuing her cute orders. But, she's not leaving the room. Jace will not release her. Tom is not going to let his baby sister wonder around hurt. She needed to rest at least for another night.

Stu chewed. "Austin, do you have an opinion?"

Austin hugged her. "Yes! Don't argue with your new bride, ever."

"That's right. I want to leave. It's my honeymoon. I want to go to my island." Kitten frowned.

Tom chewed, chuckling. "Hey, Kitten. Where's your island?"

"Not if you want to live to see tomorrow, Tom." Austin sneered.

Frank winked, "Top secret."

"I'll find it on my own." Tom exhaled.

Frank winked. "You can try. Kitten?"

She winked, "Secret."

Stu frowned. "Does Kitten know the secret location of the secret island?"

"Of course, she knows. Kitten is an airplane pilot." Tom winked at her. "Will you fly me there to your private island, baby sister?"

Kitten turned and winked at Austin, returning with a smirk to see her brother, "Never!"

"She's married." Tom giggled.

"She's devoted." Frank smiled.

"She's in love." Stu grinned.

"...with me," Austin leaned over and kissed her cheekbone, pulling back with a soft chuckle of happiness.

"But, baby sister, I love you, too. I protected you, also. You can tattle to me. We're twins." Tom giggled.

Frank turned and frowned into the nose profile of Sawyer, "No, asshole! Twins come from one egg..."

Tom frowned. "Shut up, Mangrove."

"Do you really love me, Thomas?" Kitten stated with sad eyes, staring at her brother. Tom moved from Frank, touching and patting her arm lightly. She had a concession, open wound on her rib cage and lightly sedated with pain medication. Tom didn't want her sister to move, stir or burp from her spot. She needed rest and relaxation after the terrifying and unsuccessfully kidnapping event. She was safe. Tom was relieved. He didn't feel guilty, either. The Quartet both old and young did everything to foil an attempt but evil is evil. Kitten is a very special lady with God given talents that she uses and abuses on a daily basis. He would indulge her for today. Tomorrow, she will be healthy. Austin is her protector, her husband and her body guard for the rest of their days.

Tom smiled. "Baby sister, I loved you from our first day together."

"Good! Will you do a great big gigantic favor for me, Thomas?" Kitten smiled.

Tom turned with a gasp see Austin. "Gawd! I'll do anything for my baby sister. What is it? Wait! What did Austin do to you?"

Kitten shook the curls with a sour frown. "No, Thomas! Austin and I are perfect together. This is a tiny favor only you as my big brother can perform for me."

Tom wiped a dry forehead with a smile and a snigger to her. "Woo! I thought that I would have to eliminate a brother-in-law, soonest. What is it, baby sister?"

Kitten smiled. "Would you ask the kind nurse at the station for Form 321-9 and bring me an ink pen along with the paper."

Tom nodded with a grin. "Of course, I'll do anything for my baby sister. I'll be right back," he spun around with a smile to face the closed door, pointing at the portal food tray. "Have some food?"

"I will." Kitten smiled.

Tom stopped with a sneer and stood beside the food table, reaching out, slapping the hand on Stu. "Not you, asswipe! I saw you stuffing your face at the party this afternoon. Don't eat all of Kitten's food, Big Man!" He moved ahead with a smile towards the closed door.

Frank smiled. "Kitten cannot have food, drink, or water right now. She has a medical concession. She can't leave the hospital room for any reason, even if the building was on fire. She is under physician..."

Tom halted inside the archway. "Shut the fuck up, Frank! Gawd! All the smart ass physicians stop yelling at my baby sister, before I go and tell our daddy. Then, ya'll all with sorry."

Stu smiled. "Frank cares."

"...way to damn much" Tom frowned, then exited the room.

Stu ordered. "Eat, Austin!"

Kitten kissed her lips. "Eat something. I'll felt better knowing you're stronger. When I got healed, you're mine.

Austin chuckled. "I'm eating. I want to be stronger, since I need the energy with a kitten, sex kitten like you." He whispered into her ear. She giggled.

Tom returned holding a pen and reading the paper in silence as he stopped short at the foot of the hospital bed. Kitten reached out with her hands as best she could without fainting again for the paper. "Thomas." she spoke.

Frank padded beside Tom, looking his nose at the document. "What's that?"

"Private, man. Mind your own bee's wax." Tom continued reading the fine instructions.

Frank jerked the paper from Tom's fingers. "No! Kitten didn't abuse Tom. He loves you too much." He walked to her as the snoopy doctor tore the paper in half in front of her eyes, placing the pieces into his side jacket for safe keeping.

Tom marched behind him. "Shit, Mangrove! I was reading that. Hey, man! You destroyed it."

Frank frowned, fingering the paper. "Tom, this is patient discharge form. Kitten used you to try to discharge herself out of the hospital, which is legal but not allowed right now. She has a medical concession and cannot leave without Jace's permission."

Tom frowned. "No way."

"Yes way." Frank smiled.

"Kitten, little sister! You are very naughty to me. I love you." Tom walked to the edge of the railing, patting her arm, frowning with her deceit, and stroked her face. He wanted to laugh. Kitten and he are siblings. She's smart, slick and silence with her tricks just like her big bro.

"I am so sorry, Thomas. I want to leave for my island. This is my wedding. My honeymoon." Kitten said, frustrating and disappointment. Austin moved over to her bed on the opposite side, placing the food on the side table.

Austin, her husband, smiled, embraced her and spoke, "No, baby," chuckled with the Quartet brothers and sisters.

Stu smiled. "The first dispute."

"A slight disagreement." Frank smiled.

Tom giggled. "More to come, just wait."

"Thomas?" Kitten frowned.

"An innocent observation." Tom laughed with the Quartet.

"How's my patient doing?" Jace burst into the laughing room and shouted. He was smiling and jolly as usual.

"Release me. I'm healed." Kitten placed her arms across her chest. Her head hurt every time she spoke but she could fake it for Jace, the real physician who could sign her release form. Only if frank wasn't so smart. Tom called him a smartass. That title fits him so well. He's nosy and discreet with his side tricks. Kitten told Austin that Frank is the true devious warrior of the Quartet.

"Healed? You must be a Tele from one of Tom's science fiction comic books." Jace laughed, approaching and stopped beside Kitten, holding his stethoscope, and then examined her heart and lungs.

"Not a Tele like Starra Starbuck. Kitten is only a baby sister." Tom laughed. "She is the baby of the Quartet."

"Stop teasing me!" Kitten huffed with annoyance and touched the forehead with the dizziness. "I'm Mrs Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth."

"Damn right, stop teasing Mrs. Austin Bartholomew Berrington, the fourth." Austin relayed between bits of food and chewed. He was enjoying the fun also. His wife was not leaving the bed, the hospital, the state, the country. She was going to stay and heal fro another day or so, then Austin would take her home for another week, then they could make a baby on the island.

"Heart...Good. Lungs...Breathe." Jace informed. Kitten puffed. "Good. Pulse. Good. Heart rate. Rapid. You need to calm down," chuckled with the Quartet.

Kitten frowned. "That's a funny joke, Jace."

"That was not a joke, Kitten. Your heart is racing." Jace turned to her brothers and sisters. "Whose been teasing her?"

"Uh!" Tom admitted, first then spoke to cover his guilt. "Frank, the fucking asshole. He won't let her do a thing she wants to do."

Jace frowned. "What are you referring too, Tom?"

Frank tattled, smiling. "Kitten tried to discharge herself out of the hospital."

Jace frowned at Kitten. "She did?"

Frank grinned with a nod. "Form 321-9, Tom retrieved one from the Nurses' Station."

Jace frowned. "Kitten, you shouldn't do naughty things like that, especially in your condition."

Kitten touched her curls. "I'm healed. I'm fine. I'm going without your permission, Dr. Jackson."

"Young lady, I can be a real pit bull if enticed." Jace frowned.

"Don't threaten my baby sister, Jace? I'll get Stu to beat ya up." Tom chewed, smiling.

"Austin!" Kitten whined.

"No, baby." Austin whispered to her, shook his head so he won't embarrass her.

Jace clapped. "That's settled. Kitten is staying in the hospital along with Austin.

She whined. "Discharge me, please?"

Jace smiled. "Later in the week, Kitten it's very important for your recovery."

"Tell her smart medical doctor," Tom complimented.

Jace nodded. "I'm so pleased that the Quartet is together. I have presents."

Tom clapped. "Goody...I love getting presents."

Frank frowned. "Presents. Is it Christmas time?"

Stu frowned. "In two more weeks."

Tom clapped again. "Do we got a set of Christmas presents early? I love surprises."

"This is a surprise gift." Jace had returned, doling out small squared satin boxes wrapped in a single satin tied box to the girls and a rectangular stain box with a fixed white box on top. "The Mangroves. The Gages. The Sawyers. Finally, the Berringtons." The Quartet stood and sat holding their little tiny boxes in their hands. "Go ahead, open them." Jace ordered and smiled.

Misty opened her gift first and held the contents in the air. "White baby booties."

"I'm not a shopper but each gal has one." Jace chuckled.

Misty giggled. The females opened their boxes showing the same baby shoes which were tiny satin slipper embossed by a white strip for a newborn.

Frank opened his box out of curiosity, "A cigar?" The brothers revealed the same items when the tops were pitched onto the floor.

"I don't understand the riddle, Jace." Frank asked.

Jace smiled and nodded. "Only Almighty God holds the secret to that riddle, Frank. But as a physician I am happy with a great pride to announce with undying joy, fondness and love, the Quartet wives are pregnant, all at the same time. The babies are due in August."

Frank frowned. "Pregnant!"

"Little tiny embryos grew up to be big Quartet babies." Jace chuckled.

"Gawd! We're pregnant, Jane. I'm going to be a daddy. You're going to a mommy. Gawd! We're going to have a little Tommy Boy." Tom hugged and twirled his wife around in a circle and then stopped, leaning over, kissing her lips over and over again.

Stu leaned over with a smile and hugged Gracie. "Or Tommy Girl?"

Jace frowned. "Careful, Tom! Be gently with your wife. She's need rest and relaxation, not excitement."

Tom un-hugged her, patting her arm. "Right, man. Good point. I forgot. Jane, are you alright? Is the baby okay? Did I hurt you? Gawd! I'm so sorry. Sit down, sweetheart. What do you need blankets, pillow, water, food?"

Jane smiled with a nod. "Tom, sweetheart. I'm fine. Just continue to pamper me, all the time."

Tom kissed her lips. "As you wish, Mommy-to-be. I love you, Jane, sweetheart."

Frank was still in shock, fingering the cigar. "Did you confirm this, Jace?"

Jace nodded. "Last night and this morning, when I pulled Kitten's blood test."

Frank frowned at her. "Kitten's pregnant, too."

"Austin!" Kitten smiled.

"Baby, I got another baby. I'm so happy." Austin hugged and kissed her.

"Each wife is pregnant about two and a half weeks." Jace clarified.

"Two and a half weeks." Frank repeated.

"What happened two and half weeks ago?" Stu asked.

"The rescue of a princess." Tom announced and smiled.

"Stop calling me that word, Tom!" Kitten frowned with fury.

"That was some day, wasn't it, Tom?" Stu laughed with his brothers.

Tom chuckled. "That was some night, remember, Jane?"

Jane hugged her husband with a grin, "Very well."

"The next generation: Band of the Brothers...," Jace smiled.

"Through hell and high waters..." Stuart Thant Gage, III yelled.

"Life and the afterlife..." Austin Bartholomew Berrington, IV said.

"All for one..." Franklin Ferdinand Mangrove, III said.

"And one for all..." Thomas Edison Sawyer, III yelled.

"For my two and only..." Jane smiled.

"Band of Brothers and Sisters always and forever..." Gracie smiled.

"Band of daddies, mommies, and Babies always and forever." Misty smiled.

"The baby of the Quartet." Kitten giggled.

"I'm wondering." Jace informed.

"What are you wondering, Jace?" Frank frowned.

Kitten spoke. "I know, what Jace is wondering."

"Wondering what, Jace?" Frank frowned.

"Tell us, Jace!" Stu frowned.

"Kitten, do tell them!" Jace fingered with a smile.

"Who is going be the next baby of the Quartet?" Kitten hugged on Austin and then kissed his face with eternal happiness for her husband, her fetus, and her life.

The happy ending for the Quartet...
