The Search for Scorpio - Ch. 12

The Search for Scorpio

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

This is the continuing adventure of Hannah Todd. I would strongly recommend you read at least some of "The Bridge," "Badass," "The Auction," "Simon," "Doyle," "Todd's Odds," and, "The Agents," which provide the backstory for most of the characters in this story. And if you've been reading me, thank you for your continued support. Your comments are priceless, so please leave your wisdom so I might improve my writing and your reading experience.

The Search for Scorpio - Part Twelve

The meeting at the Red Lion Inn had gone as planned. Scorpio was desperate and we were going to take advantage of that. Anthony and Alec followed the main car, but very loosely. They didn't have to stay up their asses because of the GPS bug Hoagie had laid on Scorpio.

You shouldn't be surprised that he headed straight back to Limeport to seek the only refuge he had. It was easy to tell he was out of his comfort zone at the restaurant and he expressed it on the way home. We knew this because of the bug in his lapel talking to us as he talked to his men in the car.

Duane called his brother and told him that Monday the 17th would be the day of the F. B. I.'s operation. The feds would catch Scorpio on the road, holding millions in gold, bearer bonds, and the keys to a cash account in Switzerland. He would also have copies of the memory sticks that would just bury him in incriminating data.

Once Scorpio was in Davante's custody, the F. B. I. would serve a warrant upon the property and just tear the place apart and arrest his remaining forces. It was a good plan. It was my plan. But it was the F. B. I.'s to fuck up.

In the meantime, Simon was back at the ranch, shtupping Frankie and having a good old time. Relatively speaking. He was still my prisoner, after all. But I was not finished with Simon. There was still more for him to do. But that would be for tomorrow. Today, Simon would fuck Francois like a man who just walked away from death's door.

Also, for tomorrow, it would be time to circle the wagons. Time for the A Team to meet so that I may gain counsel from my best advisors and most loyal friends.

I called Herman at the office because Duane was not around. I asked him to round up the squad for a meeting in the Greenhouse tomorrow morning at ten.

"What's cookin'," he said. "Are we coming around on Scorpio. Is that what this is?"

"Exactly what it is. I have the plan all mapped out in my head, but I need to run it past you guys. We need to get it right the first time. And we can't forget that ultimately it's the F. B. I.'s gig, not ours. But, as usual, Uncle needs a nudge every now and again."

"Gotcha, sister. I'll get the word out ASAP and everyone will be there in the morning. They know how important this is to you."

"It's important to all of us, Herm. With any luck, this could be our last mission for some time. At least I hope it is. I want to spend some time just being Mom. I've been slacking on that, and I'm ashamed."

"Please. You are a very big cog in this machine and sometimes I can't imagine how you carry the load you do. But the time will come when you can devote more time to the little ones. Let's just get Scorpio behind bars and out of our lives, once and for all. They're great kids and I don't think you have missed a step with them."

"You are such a dear, Herman Krass. Why, if I didn't meet Duane first I just may have fallen for you."

"Please don't let Peggy hear you say that. She's one jealous woman."

"With good reason, my friend. Alright. Let me go. Lots to do."

*Click*

Time to call Rhee Spanner. I want her in on this meeting too. So I raised my wrist to my mouth and said, "Call Rhee Spanner.."

"Hannah Todd. How are you, dearie? And to what do I owe this honor?"

"It's time for us to entrap Scorpio, Rhee, and the F. B. I. is involved in this as well. I'm holding a meeting with my best people tomorrow morning at ten and I'd love it if you could be there either live or by videoconference."

"I could phone that in. That would be no problem for me. What's up. Give me the skinny."

"Well, we're going to entrap Scorpio and let the F. B. I. take it from there. That's it in a nutshell. The plan involves getting him on the road and at a particular place at a particular time. Then all the feds have to do is jump out and grab him. Sounds easy, doesn't it?"

"Simplistic, maybe. Easy, no. Hell no. working with the feds is always tough. They always want to be the boss. I'd be very interested in seeing how this pans out."

"You're invited. I'll shoot you an invite before the meeting gets going. Expect it a little before ten. See you then."

*Click*

Next call is to my brother-in-law to invite him over before our powwow tomorrow. Davante is an early riser who works long days. I'll just have an eight o'clock meeting with him, here, and he'll be out of my place before nine. Well before my crew shows up for our meeting.

"F. B. I. This is Trisha speaking. How may I direct your call please?"

"Special Agent in Charge Royce. Davante Royce."

"Let me put you through."

"Special Agent Royce's office, this is Angela. How may I help you?"

"This is Hannah Todd. I'd like to speak with Special Agent Royce."

"I'm sorry Miss Todd, but he cannot come to the phone right now."

"Tell him it's Hannah Todd, Angela. He'll be very angry with you if you don't."

"Yes, Miss Todd. Right away. Please hold."

"Hannah, what are you doing harassing my people. You..."

"You sound just like my husband."

"Yeah, and I look like him too. So what? It's nuts around here right now. What's so important?"

"I've got him in my sights, Davante. Scorpio. Come to my house tomorrow before you go into work and Bertha will make you a breakfast fit for a king and I will lay out my plan of action. If you want this guy... and you do... you'll come have breakfast with me tomorrow. Eight a. m. sound good?"

"How about seven-thirty?"

"I can do that. In the meantime, I hope you are putting together that task force. 'Cause you're gonna need 'em."

"I'll see you tomorrow, Hannah."

"Kiss Harley and the kids for me."

"And you give my best to that brother of mine."

"Tomorrow."

*Click*

My phone calls finished, I decided to spend some time with my crew in The Closet. Heath, my newest operator, has found a real home in The Closet and is more than familiar with its functions and capabilities. Danny and Herb were both in as the shift was changing and they were catching each other up and I told them about tomorrow morning's meeting.

"Already got the group text from Herman," Heath said. "Word travels fast around here. Am I invited to this meeting?"

I looked at Herb and he looked right back at me. "Yes, Heath. You'll be there. We hold the meetings at the Greenhouse and we will get you there. It might be a rough ride, but we shall make it happen."

"Thank you, ma'am. I've never felt so welcome anywhere in my life. I already love my job."

"Well, keep your focus on it and it will love you back."

Danny played the video of Scorpio's return to his home after the meeting at the Red Lion Inn. It had been caught by a hawk drone we have been using to follow him when he is around the homestead. Now that drone would be flying around near the local drone highway but close to Scorpio's home.

The home had a multicar garage and a large paved parking area on which sat half a dozen vehicles, mostly big SUVs. There were people doing a perimeter watch, but there was no visible gate or gate house. There was, however, fencing, which, according to our instrumentation, is electrified.

If the mission is to take Scorpio prisoner, this was not the place to do it. He would have his people make a stand and he would find a way out of there. No. The open road is a better option. Once we have him then we can come in and clean up the trash. They will be without leadership nor cause. They would fall like so many dominoes.

And the kids will be home from school soon, so I'm going to shut this day down until tomorrow, or at least until Duane gets home when I will ply him with sex to get on his good side then talk his ear off during pillow talk about my busy day.

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

After the workout Duane gave me last night I'm lucky I could walk, let alone get up at six a. m. But I did and I showered and got the kids ready for school. I threw on jeans and a Blue and White Penn State Nursing long sleeve tee shirt and ran downstairs to get ready for my visitor.

Bertha, of course, had the coffee brewing and was looking to me for my order.

"Davante is coming over for breakfast. We have a little business meeting and I promised him one of your world class breakfasts. You know how much he likes bacon. I'd get that cooking. And home fries. He's gonna hit and run, so..."

"You gonna tell me how to run my kitchen, missy? C'mon, Hannah. I got this."

"I know. And make my eggs over easy. You know how I like them."

"Where's Domingo?" Bertha asked as she handed me my first cup of coffee.

"Oh, he won't get here until eight or so. He's punctual, but rarely early."

At seven-twenty-five, Davante was escorted into the kitchen. I got up from my high top and gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. I can't get over how this man resembles my husband. Even though they are twins, it's uncanny how close they are in every way.

Davante was abrupt. "Don't you think that your office would be a more appropriate place for our meeting, Hannah? This is..."

"Oh, Davante. My kitchen is my office. And if you are worried about Bertha, don't be. She is my biggest confidant and dearest friend. She is also one of my best advisors, so leave it. Bertha runs this kitchen and we are just guests. So be a guest while we do our meeting."

Bertha called out, Big Breakfast all around?"

"Just what I had in mind," I said.

Davante pointed at me and nodded his agreement. Big Breakfasts all around. That's four slices of bacon, three large eggs, hash browns, sausage and toast. Bertha makes all her own bread and it makes the best toast. The Big Breakfast is famous at our house because it is made by the best cook in the county.

Bertha got to cooking and I opened my meeting with the other Mr. Royce. As my husband calls him, the man in the cheap suit.

"Davante, I am just about ready to give you this guy, Scorpio, but my people are currently shining up the plate we are going to hand him to you on. "

"Don't be a wiseguy, Hannah. If you are withholding evidence in an ongoing case I will lock you up."

"Oh no, No evidence. Nothing here. Meeting over. Nothing to talk about."

"Hannah, I have thrown an entire task force together pending confidential information leading to the arrest of the man you call Scorpio, who you also identify as Amherst Phybian. I am not going back to my office with nothing but my dick in my hand."

"And a handsome one it is, I'll bet."

"Hannah!"

"Lighten up, Davante. I bring good news. Monday is definitely a go. We control the road and we control the car Scorpio will be traveling in. The area will be around Limeport, not far from his home. Nice and secluded. You just have to show up, in force, ready to pounce. We don't expect any more than eight people, and three of them are ours. All I ask is that you be careful who you shoot at."

"My people are the best and will not hesitate to defend themselves. There is no reason anyone should be hurt during this operation. I expect my people to be taken into custody, separated from the herd and released. Catch and release, if you will. They are instrumental to the success of this mission. It would take you months to infiltrate as deeply as we have."

"But, Hannah..."

"As far as we have come, Davante. Do you really think I'm obstructing an investigation? C'mon. Get with it. I am the investigation. Without my word none of this exists. And the guy who has spearheaded kidnapping after kidnapping gets off Scott free. Where's the justice, Vante? I was on their fucking hit list. This is personal to me. We can make this easy or we can make it hard. If this guy gets a whiff of what's going on he will just vaporize and appear as someone else, somewhere else. Then we will never see him again."

"So what is your plan, Hannah?"

Bertha brought the breakfast over to us on the kitchen island table. We were into our second cup of coffee by then. "You folks take a break and eat your breakfast. I guarantee your meal will go that much better."

"See, Davante," I said. "Trusted advisor."

"Trusted advisor, indeed. The eggs are perfect and the bacon is crispy, just the way I like it."

Betha chuckled. "Just like your brother."

"Isn't he though. In more ways than one."

"Okay, Hannah. What's the bottom line here. I've got a hundred men and women at my command ready to move on actionable intel. Give it to me."

"Okay, We'll need a heavy concentration of your people and the state police in the Limeport area. That morning I will direct you to an intersection and that is where you will capture this guy. Then you should pursue that warrant on the house. Although he will have plenty of evidence on him when he's caught. Just be there, Davante. I don't want my people involved at all. Except for the three in the car."

"I get the message. Accommodations will be made for the three CIs. Where does this Scorpio think he's going when we catch him?"

"He thinks we are taking him to a small airfield where he will fly off to parts unknown. We have him believing that at some point a seagoing yacht will be involved. Maybe he thinks he is going to the Indian Ocean or up to Europe. The important thing is that he is on board."

"I've got to run, Hannah. If I'm going to have this task force together by Monday there is no time to waste."

Davante gave me a hug and almost got bowled over when he nearly walked into Domingo, as he headed out the door. Kind of hard to miss big Dom. And he doesn't bowl over.

Dom and I shared some coffee time with Bertha, and the three of us talked briefly about this next operation. Bertha didn't like it at all and let me know it.

"Why do you have to get involved at all, Missy? Just let the F. B. I. handle it and you can watch the results on the news. Give yourself a break, young lady."

"No, Bertha, I have too much invested in putting this man behind bars. And not my own bars this time. Let Phybian suffer on Uncle Sam's dime. I've got enough mouths to feed. And kept shut."

"You got that right." Dom said. "The last thing we need is another bad guy with Miss Todd's name on the tip of his tongue."

"Well put, my friend. And just why we will oversee this operation, but not fully partake in it. I'm hoping to pull a little trick on my F. B. I. friends and have my three operators gone by the time they descend upon the caravan transporting Phybian."

Dom and I departed the kitchen for the second floor, where we visited Danny and Heath and Lizzie, who was closely monitoring the hawk drone taking passes over the property in question. Although there was movement around the property, nothing significant appeared to be happening.

We hung out in The Closet until it was almost time for our team meeting. Then Dom, Lizzie, Danny and I went down to the Greenhouse to meet with the crew.

Everyone on the team was there, including Fred Elwell, my former F. B. I. agent, who has proven to be a trusted member of the team. This would be Fred's first mission with us, and it would be a test of his mettle. He would be part of the team that would pick up Scorpio from his lair.

Once we were all together and Rhee Spanner was on the monitor, having been videoconferenced in, Duane started the meeting.

"Alright, people. You all know about Scorpio and what he has done in our area as well as the entire eastern seaboard. Well the stupid son of a bitch came after us and it's time to put him to bed. This operation is going to be a little different as it will be sponsored by the F. B. I."

"Boo," rang out from the crew to the shock of Fred Elwell.

"Now, now," Duane said. "This is their operation, but we need to give them a little nudge to make sure they don't fuck it up. Queen Bee."

"Yes," I said. "The feds think they know our plan, but they don't know all of it. They think we are sending in three operators to act as confidential informants, and that they will arrest them on the spot and let them go at my behest. No offense to you, Fred, but we all know the F. B. I. can't be trusted and that they will find a way to arrest and keep our three operators. Not going to happen."

Rhee Spanner spoke up from the monitor. "What do you have in mind, Hannah? You know the feds can't be trusted."

"That's why I have already told them I'm sending three operators in and that they should be arrested and released."

"What they don't know is that I plan to send in an extra car. Seven operators, all under our control, to face an equal force of their mercenaries. I'll take that matchup eight days a week.

"Hoorah!" Came out of the crowd. Oh yeah, they're on board.

"Yes. We will send two cars, one with Simon and one giving them room to fit Scorpio."

"How do we know they will go along with this scenario?" Avi asked. "Don't you think Scorpio will want to be going with his own people?"

"Not necessarily, Av. This is a hand off. This guy is fleeing and is quite desperate at this point. And when he sees Simon, it will put him at ease. He'll let down his guard if he thinks Simon is coming to save his ass."

"And what is going to keep Simon from blowing this whole thing up?" Hoagie asked.

"We'll be fitting him with that same explosive condom we used on him during the first meeting. Worked like a charm that time."

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out," Herman said. "Why the meeting?"

"I need volunteers for the mission."

Every hand in the Greenhouse went up. Now it's time to pick the best people for the job.

"Alright then. Juicy is definitely in. She is our escape hatch in the Bell chopper. There is a field adjacent to the intersection where we will be dumping these guys and she will land and pick up our team from there."

"I'm in!" Juicy exclaimed.

"Escorting Simon I want Ronnie, Juan and Archer. Gentlemen, you are not to let Simon go under any circumstances. Even though he will be constrained by a strong explosive wrapped around his nuts, you never can tell with that one."

The three men acknowledged the positions they now held in this mission.

"When we pick up Scorpio, I want Avi, Hoagie and Fred in the car. That will make seven bodies Juicy will have to retrieve from the site where we stop the motorcade to make the exchange to the chopper. That will mean waylaying Scorpio's people and getting the hell out of there. And that's the plan. We will leave Scorpio's bodyguards knocked out and cuffed in the vehicles with Scorpio there to take the heat. The car or cars are loaded with riches and evidence that will put our arch enemy into a Supermax for the rest of his days. Are you with me?"

"Hoorah!" rang out from the crew.

"But how do you know the F. B. I. isn't going to step in and fuck it all up?"

"Because I am not going to notify them of the drop location until we have already departed the scene. We'll keep an eye on those we leave behind using a drone from five hundred feet up."

"Brilliant!" Duane said. "Does anyone have any doubts or concerns about the plan? Speak now."

Nobody said a word, accepting the plan at face value. I was gratified at my team's respect for my leadership.

"Alright then. All named team members will meet at the ranch at 07:00 hours and we will get things moving from there when we pick up and prepare Simon for this meeting. Rhee, do you have anything to add?"

"Do you need additional drone support? I can free up Stella or even Gonzo if need be."

"I think we're good. Herb?"

"Well," Herb said. "This is not really a drone intensive exercise and there is nothing here we can't handle."

"Then I am off to tend to my own flock. Good luck with your mission."