Unsurprisingly, the girls were up early and taking turns at the racing sim rig first thing in the morning. Lainey and Mom had to practically drag them out of there for breakfast, which they wolfed down with amazing speed before heading back to my office tower.
“You’ve created a monster, Lee,” Mom said when the two girls vanished down that long hallway.
“I didn’t create it,” I protested. “I merely unleashed it.”
Lainey chuckled at that. “You know Maddie has been talking about the possibility of racing professionally, right? Finishing second in the CVRA’s T2 class series last season really boosted her confidence like crazy. This upcoming season she’ll be running the full series at Buttonwillow and Willow Springs, too. Having Reggie and the crew there for support at all the events is going to be massive for her. James was absolutely right when he said that support is necessary to move up to the next level. It’s given her an advantage, when it used to be her Achilles heel.”
“Don’t sell yourself short,” I chided. “You were the one who got her to where she was before we came in and gave her the next boost. You’re the one getting her to the events and giving her the family support she still needs.”
“I guess,” Lainey admitted.
“No ‘I guess’,” I said. “Maddie wanted to race, and you gave her the space to do it. Do you know how rare that is? You’ve invested so much time and energy into helping her realize her dreams it’s amazing!”
“Lee’s right, Lane,” Mom said. “You’ve done an amazing job raising Mads right. She’s a great kid with more drive- pardon the pun- than most her age.”
“She’s… Mads is a great kid, that’s true,” Lainey admitted. “I was so worried when Mack died, you know? When she said she wanted to keep racing and wanted to learn to drive his car…” she said with a shrug, not knowing how to express what she was feeling. “It turned out to be really healing for both of us. And then we met you, and then James,” Lainey said, turning to face me. “And now she’s doing better than Mack ever did in that car he was so proud of. She’s become a better driver than he ever was, even if she still doesn’t believe it. In her mind he was a great racer, but her trophy shelf is way more loaded than his ever was.”
“Lainey,” I said, my voice soft. “James and I have talked about getting her another car- something current. You know I just bought Hollywood Porsche, right? We could sponsor Maddie to race the Porsche Cup series. We haven’t been sure how to approach you guys, since we both know how much Maddie loves that Evo.”
“She does love that car, but if you handed her the key to a Porsche race car she wouldn’t think twice,” Lainey said with a laugh.
“The Porsche Cup is eight races across four weekends, pretty much all on the East Coast,” I said. “We’d fly you guys out for the races, plus track days to learn the track,” I said.
“We’re in,” Lainey said. “Will Mads be able to drive the Porsche locally?”
“Of course,” I said, surprised at how willing Lainey was to throw her daughter into the deep end of the pool. “She’s going to need to learn the car.”
“Um, how much will this all cost?” Mom asked.
“Lots,” I said. “Would you be cool with Tiff going along? I know she goes to all of Maddie’s races here in SoCal.”
Mom looked at Lainey, who just shrugged. “If Lane is O.K. with babysitting,” Mom said.
“If you could go, I’d get you tickets, too,” I said. “Like I said, it’s only four weekends out of town, plus probably another four for track days to learn the tracks and get data. I think two weekends are in Florida, one in Montreal, and one in New York State. The season is short- March through June. So, yeah, Lainey- if Madison can commit, I’ll order the car now so she has the winter to learn it.”
“I know I keep asking you and James, but what do you guys get out of this?” Lainey asked.
“Advertising,” I said. “Hollywood Porsche hasn’t been doing really well, and a big part of that is that it has nothing to set it apart from the other regional dealers. If I can display a sponsored race car in the showroom, it’ll generate interest. Porsche fanboys will see the car in the results and be attracted to a local dealer that is track-oriented, even if they never intend to track their own cars. Also, for James, he gets to use images of the car in his promotional literature for his private equity company.”
“It’s a heck of a lot of money for just that,” Lainey protested.
“James’ company has nearly twenty billion dollars under management,” I said. “They sneeze more money on a mild hay fever day than Madison’s program could ever cost. And for me? It’s a write-off expense.”
“I guess…” Lainey grudgingly agreed.
With perfect timing, Madison and Tiffany came rushing into the kitchen to grab snacks and drinks.
“Madison,” I said, getting her attention. “When you go back the sim rig, you should change the settings to a Porsche GT3 Cup car. And maybe the Sebring track.”
“I like using the EVO, since it’s good practice for my actual race car,” she protested.
“Yeah, well, about that… You’re gonna have to get used to a new car,” I replied.
It took her a moment, then her jaw dropped. “You’re gonna give me a Porsche to race?”
“Are you O.K. with that?” I asked. “I know how much you love that little Mitsubishi…”
“Are you kidding?” Madison demanded. “I’d love a Porsche even more!”
“Mads,” Lainey said, indicating that she should come over to where we were all sitting. “Lee wants to sponsor you to drive a Porsche in the Porsche Cup series. The races are all on the East Coast, and the season runs from March to June. She’ll have the car for you to drive soon, but you’re going to have to really buckle down and focus. This is a really big deal- this could be your stepping stone to a full professional ride if you do well.”
“How soon will the car come?” Madison asked, suddenly very serious. “It’s rear wheel drive, right? It’s going to take some time to learn.”
“I’ll order it tomorrow,” I said. “But I doubt delivery will be before the new year.”
“Lee,” Madison said, more serious than her sixteen years would indicate, “Thank you. Thank you, and thank James. You guys have had so much confidence in me, I can’t even begin to thank you enough.”
“Thank us by kicking ass,” I said. “Now go and learn the car virtually. The tracks for next season are Sebring, Miami, Montreal and Watkins Glen. Get them memorized.”
“Um, how often can I come and practice on the sim?” she asked.
“Your mom and I will talk about that,” I said. “Now go and learn the tracks.”
Once the girls were gone, I asked Lainey about the possibility of setting up a simulator at their house. “The money is a fraction of what the car and the program will cost,” I pointed out.
“Yeah, I get that,” Lainey said. “I’m just worried that she’ll spend all her time racing virtually.”
“I am one hundred per cent O.K. with tying the whole thing to her grades,” I said. “Neither James nor I want the rest of her daily life to suffer for her racing. Make it clear that our support is contingent on her doing well in school.”
“I can do that,” Lainey said.
“Awesome!” I said. “Let’s level Madison up. I’ll tell James that you guys are onboard.”
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“Lainey agreed, too?” James asked when I called later to tell him that Madison would race a Porsche next season.
“She agreed before I even told Madison about it,” I said with a laugh. “I guess they’re going to de-track the EVO. It’ll become Madison’s daily driver once the Porsche arrives.”
“Win-win,” James said with a laugh.
“Exactly,” I agreed.
“The obvious answer is that we need to schedule more days for the three of us,” James said.
“You thinking you want to race, too?” I asked.
“The Porsche Cup is only a few months, right? It might be fun,” James admitted.
“Should I order two Cup cars?” I teased.
Sighing, James said, “No. As much fun as it might be, I should just stick to track days for now.”
“I know the right people to get you a new GT-R,” I said. “That car you got from me is six years old now. You’re due for an update.”
After another sigh, James said in a broken voice, “Do it. It’s only, what, four hundred K, right?”
“About that, yeah,” I agreed. “I’ll call tomorrow. Delivery should be in January.” Thinking about it for a moment, I said, “I guess I’m gonna need to order myself a new BMW so I can keep up with you and Maddie."
“I don’t think that’s a real problem for you,” James said with a laugh.
I spent most of the next morning talking to the right folks in Munich, Stuttgart and Yokohama, agreeing to buy three cars and spares. Two of the cars were just toys for rich assholes like me and James, but the third would actually go racing. I called Reggie at The Track Club and had a long talk with him about contracting them to be our official race team support, with him as the team manager, flying under the Hollywood Porsche banner. We discussed money and logistics and eventually worked through all of his misgivings. Of course, part of the package involved sending his entire crew to Germany for intensive training at the factory, but going into winter meant his main business was slowing down anyhow, so they had the time. When all was said and done I’d committed to spending a serious chunk of change, but thankfully only half was my money.
Somewhere in between all the car stuff I found time to do some actual Royal Holdings work, making it clear to my Heads that I would be working remotely for the near to medium-term future. I didn’t tell any of them where Emmy and I were going, but said I’d be on East Coast time. I figured they’d assume New York, and I was fine with that.
It was a bit strange watching my Aston Martin out on the road for Wednesday afternoon’s drive, but Teddy Bear needed a ride and I trusted him to take care of my car while I was out of town. Besides, I had good insurance on the thing, right?
I casually mentioned the Athertons’ private island in Connecticut when Stein asked where Emmy and I were going, but was otherwise very vague on the details. I wasn’t worried that my friends would let it slip where we were to the press, but the fewer who knew the better. Of course word would get out once we were spotted in public in Colombia, but hopefully that would take a while. We would happily take all the peace and quiet we could in the meantime.
“It looks like it’s time,” came Mia’s text. “Things have gone back to normal”.
“Babe,” I said to Emmy. “Do you think you’d be O.K. with going to Cartagena without me?I’ll head down there as soon as I’ve taken care of things in New York.”
“I… I can do that,” Emmy said, her voice expressing her misgivings despite her words.
“I want you well away from the action,” I told her. “I want to know you’re safe and with family.”
“I hate that you have to do this,” Emmy said, taking my hand.
“I wish I didn’t,” I agreed. “But this was forced upon us, and I’m not going to let Angela’s killers escape retribution. They need to be put down.”
“I know, I do,” Emmy admitted. “But I am concerned.”
“Em,” I said. “Don’t worry. I’ll be down to join you in just a few days, I promise. Our guys are well prepared and our plans are solid. This’ll go smoothly. For us, anyhow.”
“Promise me that you will be O.K.?”
“I’ll be O.K.,” I said. “Save my place and tell everyone that I love them, alright?”
“I can do that,” Emmy said, but I could tell she was still worried.
Once I saw her off to Colombia in the Lascaux jet I flew out to New York’s Teterboro Airport. The entire five hour flight saw me mentally running through all our plans from start to finish and trying to map out any contingencies that might arise. Of course there was always the possibility that something would happen that we couldn’t foresee, but outside of that I was convinced our action plan was as ironclad as it was possible to make it.
“Thanks, Wally,” I said as he handed me the keys to the X5 at a gas station just off Interstate 80. “I’m sorry you have to find your own way home.”
“Not a problem, Miss Leah,” he assured me. “My cousin will be here to pick me up in a few minutes.” Then, turning serious, he said, “Be careful. I don’t know what you and Miss Mia are up to, but I can tell it is dangerous. Please, be careful.”
“Wally, we’re getting away for a nice little vacation in the Finger Lakes region. If anybody asks you, that’s all you know.”
“That is all I know,” he agreed solemnly.
The seven hour drive to Cleveland was uneventful, thankfully, and I got to the old, run-down industrial area near the river just about an hour after sunset.
The chain-link gate rolled aside when I pulled up, allowing me to bring the BMW inside the fenced-off area behind the old building with ‘Iron City Fasteners’ painted in flaking letters on the side. Once in back, Grant waved me in, so I drove into the open roll-up door, which closed behind the car.
“Welcome to Camp Stabalot,” Grant said, opening my door.
“Is that really what you’re calling it?” I asked, amused.
“I can’t say I came up with the name,” he said with a smirk, “But it does seem to have stuck.”
“Oh, Jeeze,” I groaned. “You guys have too much time on your hands.”
“Hey, boss lady,” Jody said. “Ready to do some judicious murdering?”
“I prefer to think of it as preemptive self defense,” I said with a laugh. “But yeah, it’s about that time.”
That night we really didn’t talk about our plans. It was just a time for me to get reacquainted with my heavies and to have dinner with them, reassuring all of the Night Children that we were all going to make our enemies pay for what they had done.
That night I slept in a bunk bed just like all the rest of the death squad, emphasizing that we were all in this together.
At our planning meeting the next morning I made it clear that neither Grant, Jody, or Ted or Ron (the two ex-Marines we’d brought on) would be involved in the actual assault of the enemy building. They would only act as support- their roles as trainers having been their primary jobs in all this.
“This is going to be an operation by us Night Children,” I said.
Of course I’d already explained to Grant and Jody the politics of the situation, and when Jody had asked what difference it would make if there weren’t going to be any enemy survivors, I said, “It’s not them reporting back that I care about. It’s our guys. Word will spread eventually, and I don’t want anybody to say anything about needing you guys to do our dirty work for us.”
“So what are we going to do, then?” Jody asked.
“Perimeter control is good,” I told him. “We need to keep the arena sanitary.”
“We can do that,” he said, nodding.
“So, in your assessment, are we ready?” I asked the two of them.
“Yes,” Grant said. “The guys have been training their asses off. Getting Mr Han was really a huge deal- how did you even talk him into agreeing to train our guys?”
“I asked nicely,” I said.
“That dude is seriously dangerous,” Jody said. “When me and him did our mock fights he took me out every time.”
“Leah, he said that you are one of the very few people he’s ever come up against who actually scares him,” Grant said.
“Yeah, what was that about?” Jody demanded. “When I asked what he meant, he just said that he would never, ever want to fight you. He said the only way that would work for him is at long range with a sniper rifle.”
I shrugged and said, “I guess I made an impression on him.”
“Yeah, no shit,” Jody agreed.
The next two days we drilled on our breaching and entrance techniques until I was absolutely convinced we could be in the front door of Thomas Bros in under thirty seconds from the moment we spilled out of the box truck. We practiced over and over, from exiting the just-stopped truck, to ramming the door open and entering in a controlled but rapid fashion.
Stun grenades had been discussed, but the simple truth is that they’re just too loud for a covert urban operation so that idea was shelved. We needed everything to happen quickly and quietly. There was a low but non-zero probability of any non-combatants in the area after dark, so we needed to keep things as silent as possible. We had even discussed ways to ram the door open that wouldn’t be so loud, but eventually came to the conclusion that a simple twenty-five kilo two-man breacher would do the job more quickly and easily than any other approach. Yeah, it would be as loud as a front door getting smashed in tends to be, but at least the sound would be difficult to identify for anybody that might hear it from a block away.
Finally satisfied with our methodology and where I fit in it, we loaded up our various cars and two box trucks and rolled out east to New York City. We were going to hit the New York cell at two in the morning on a Thursday, a time between late-night and early morning activity in the area around the target building. It was also, probably not coincidentally, a time when the greatest number of local Night Children tended to be at their headquarters. We wanted to catch as many as we could on-site, after all.
We had plans in place to find any stragglers, too. Immediately after securing Thomas Bros we were going to take a survey of who we’d neutralized and who was missing. We knew the hiding places of most of the cell’s regulars, some of them very very accurately and the rest in more general terms, but we were ready to hunt them down as needed.
Our planning was meticulous and covered a wide range of contingencies- everything that our assembled team could think of. I didn’t like to use the word ‘massacre’, but that’s what I was expecting. My team was well trained, well equipped, and motivated. We had surprise on our side, and our preparation was complete.
As Grant had pointed out, the hit squad in Atlanta was probably their A team, and they really weren’t all that impressive. The only reason they’d succeeded as well as they had was that they’d caught us completely by surprise, after all. Any fighters left at the headquarters were likely to be less formidable than the nine we’d killed in short order.
Although this thinking was comforting, it still bothered me that Andrej’s investigations had seemed to lead to dead ends on identifying the guy who’d visited the New York cell. The name used to rent the car wasn’t used on any flight that day into or out of Newark Airport, which meant any number of things, but none of them were helpful.