Chapter Twenty

I popped a couple of Vicodin and one of the antibiotic horse pills. I had learned long ago about not taking the antibiotics when told to do so. A severe infection I hadn't cared for correctly nearly cost me my arm, and I wasn't about to risk my leg. We were both hungry and hit a drive-thru on the way back to the hotel. We needed to stay out of sight a little longer until things calmed down.

Back at the hotel, we kept an eye on the news. Our little venture was the talk of most major stations and even some of the cable news channels. They still hadn't mentioned the name BelyyaPrava, but we knew who they were talking about. I was sure the BelyyaPrava leadership was pissed because of this, but it appeared, from what Nataliy said they were clueless as to where it came from.

I was bored that day but concerned about Viktor. We hadn't heard anything from Harper and didn't know where Viktor had been taken, or the state of his condition. That made me nervous, so I decided to call Harper.

"Agent Harper."

"Phil, how goes it and how's Viktor?"

"Hi, honey. I'm doing fine. That package you were worried about was delivered and getting taken care of. I hope you like what I got you."

He wasn't able to talk, hence the code. He had let me know Viktor was ok.

"Well, honey, I love you too," I said with extreme sarcasm and hung up the phone.

"Who the fuck was that?" Diego asked.

"That was Harper. He couldn't talk and called me honey. Viktor is ok."

"Glad to hear it, honey," he said, as he mocked me and laughed.

A few minutes later, I received a text from Harper.

Sorry, couldn't talk. Big shit going down. Keep an eye on the news.

I showed it to Diego who held up his hand, palms up, with an inquisitive expression on his face.

"I don't know either, bro," I said, "but I guess we'll wait and see."

I extended our stay for a couple of days, waiting for word from Harper. I called Mary and let her know we'd be there a few more days, to hold tight, and then spent the next twenty-four hours doing a whole lot of nothing. Diego popped out and picked up food, more beer, some cards, some dominoes, which was his favorite game, which meant he kicked my ass every damned time. We enjoyed the beer a lot, and although we didn't get drunk, I hadn't drunk that much in a long time. We had re-forged those bonds, and it was if no time had passed. We were back in it, neck deep, balls to the wall, and running hot.

Our conversations covered a myriad of topics, gossiping like a couple of old women who had nothing better to do. Some idiot celebrity did something stupid against POTUS and was crucified in the news. Even though neither one of us liked the current POTUS, we had a few good laughs over the comedian's predicament. She had stepped in it and wasn't coming out with her career intact. Then there was the subject of Diego finding a wife and settling down, at which he balked. He had had his fill of women in his life and was content to be a member of the permanent bachelor ranks. He had his cars, albeit burned out husks, and the occasional fling kept him satisfied on many levels.

We talked about what we were going to do next and what he planned on doing about his farm. The farm had been his retreat, his sanctity from the world, but now it was unsafe, and most of his prized cars had been destroyed. He had put a lot of work and money into that farm, and I felt guilty for causing him to lose it. "Amigo, it's not your fault." He protested when I tried to apologize.

"But it's your home, Diego, and all those cars. You had a lot of money tied up in everything."

"Yeah, and I chose to help and would do it again. Sure, losing all my babies sucked, but they were just cars."

I reached over and put the back of my hand against his forehead, which he brushed away, "What the fuck are you doing?"

"Checking to see if you're ill. Just cars? Really asshole? You were like that kid from the movie Christine, " and I laughed, "You toucha my cars, I breaka you face."

Then his face turned somber, "I know, amigo. I've been doing a lot of thinking and really, it was ... Well, I spent more than I should have on those cars, and what do I have to show for it. A bunch of burned out husks. I had nothing else in my life and then you, Mary, and the boys came along, and I felt like I was a part of a family again. I felt included. You know? Important again."

"You are important, brother. You are more than my best friend. You mean the world to Mary and to me. If it weren't for you, we'd probably all be dead. You saved our lives, and I could never repay you for what you did. You are family, Diego."

I could see the tears well in his eyes. I had never seen Diego like this, and the emotions hit me too. He wiped his eyes, and fake-laughed. "What? Are you going soft on me now, amigo?" It was his way of avoiding those touchy topics.

"It's true, bro. The boys look up to you. Mary loves you to death, and even her parents like you, which is more than I can say for myself, and I could get used to you being around more, in small doses, that is. I can only take so much of you."

"Fuck you, asshole," he said, laughing.

It wasn't long before the levity ended. It had been over thirty-six hours, and we were restless. Being cooped up in a motel wasn't the best thing for two people like us. A case of beer, two pizzas, a bunch of burgers, and a lot of bullshitting later, the phone rang. It was Phil Harper.

"John, I don't have long, but I want you to keep a close eye on the news. I can't say thank you enough, not only for saving my career but also for helping with a bunch of bad guys. I owe you. Viktor is ok and recovering. We got in touch with his wife and daughter and flew them to him. He will be fine with follow-up care. He asked about you, and I let him know you and Diego are good. I have to run now, but I'll be in touch."

"Thanks for taking care of him, Phil. Catch you then."

I was relieved about Viktor and his family and shared the information with Diego who expressed relief. Even though he and Viktor had a sometimes-volatile friendship because of their stubborn personalities, they cared for one another, and would never want any harm to come to the other, unless they inflicted it themselves.

Now, all we had to do was sit and wait some more. Diego said he wanted to get a few more cigars and would grab me some smokes from the corner convenience store. After he left, I called Mary and the boys to wish them a good night. Mary answered, happy but concerned.

"John, is everything ok?" I had been getting that question a lot from her. I didn't want her to stop caring enough to ask and couldn't ask her to stop asking that question without pissing her off.

"Things are fine. I spoke with Harper, and it won't be long now. Viktor is doing well, and his family is with him. We haven't spoken in a couple of days, and I wanted to call and say goodnight to you and the boys. I also wanted to talk to you about something that is important to me, and to us."

"What is it?"

"You know Diego has been there for us through everything, right?"

"Of course, without Diego, who, by the way, I adore and respect, we probably wouldn't have done so well. He saved our lives, John."

"Yes, and that's why I wanted to talk to you before he gets back. He hasn't had a family in a long time, both of his parents have been dead for years, and he doesn't talk to his only sister. They haven't spoken in quite a while. We are his only family, and I think we need to make it official somehow."

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"I'm good with that, John, but official?"

"Yea, I want him to be the boys' godfather and for them to call him Uncle Diego if you're ok with that?"

"That is probably one of the sweetest things you've ever said, and yes, I'm ok with that."

"I need to talk to the boys now to explain what this is."

"Let me get them. They were getting ready for bed. Hold on."

She put me on speakerphone and then the boys' voices echoed in the room, "Daddy" they yelled.

"Ok, boys, calm down now. I know you're excited, but Daddy has something important to say."

"Boys, I need you to listen very closely, ok?"

"Yes, Daddy," they said, in unison.

"You know how I don't have any brothers."

"Yes, Sir"

"Well, Diego is like my brother, actually better than a brother. He and I are like you two. We are brothers, but we have different parents. Do you understand?"

Matthew said "yes," but Jacob didn't respond. Jacob questioned, "You have different mommies and daddies, but you are brothers?"

"Yes, Jacob, just like you and Matthew. We are brothers of the heart and love each other very much."

"Does that make him our uncle?" Matthew asked.

"That's right, Matthew. He's your uncle, and it would make me, Mommy, and Uncle Diego very happy if you were to call him that."

Both got excited, and both started yelling, "We have an uncle, we have an uncle."

Mary told them to calm down, and Matthew asked, "When will we see you and Uncle Diego again, Daddy?"

"Very soon, buddy. Very soon."

At that moment, Diego walked into the door with cigars, cigarettes and a six-pack in hand and saw I was on the phone. He put the stuff on the chair and motioned he would be outside.

I waived him in and asked him to sit down. He looked at me, a curious expression on his face, but took a seat.

"Boys, I need to talk to Mommy now, can you put her on the phone?"

Mary came back on the phone, and I put her on speakerphone, "Diego, I have Mary on the phone, and we wanted to talk to you about something."

"Um--sure, amigo. What's up?"

"We've been thinking about this, and you don't have to answer right away, but we were wondering if you'd do us the honor of being our boys' godfather? We really don't have anyone we would want to have that role, and in case something was to happen to Mary and me, I'd want to know they were well taken care of."

He didn't respond at first, appearing dumbfounded. "I don't know what to say. Say you'll stay alive so that I don't have to fulfill that role, but hell yeah, amigo. I'm honored you would ask me. I know how much the boys mean to you. Hell, I like the little fuckers, too."

"Diego!" Mary exclaimed, and Diego and I laughed.

"Ok, Cool. It's settled. We'll handle the paperwork later. We'll name you as their legal guardian in the event something happens to us. By the way, Mary, your parents are not going to like this at all."

"Yeah, I know, but they'll get over themselves. The boys are getting ready to go to bed and want to say goodnight."

Mary put us back on speakerphone, the boys yelled in unison, "Goodnight Daddy, Goodnight Uncle Diego!" and they scampered off.

"Uncle Diego? I'm not sure if I'm ready to be an uncle yet," and smiled.

"I don't remember asking if you were ready, bro." I smiled back at him.

"I'll let you two finish up your mushy shit. I'm going to step outside and enjoy this piece-of-shit cigar. Goodnight, Mary."

"Goodnight, Uncle Diego," she said and chuckled. He shook his head and walked out the door.

"That was nice, John. I know you have to go but let me know what's going on. I'm going to put the boys to bed, and we'll talk soon. I love you, and please be safe."

"I will, Mary, as much as I can be. I love you too. Goodnight."

A few hours went by, and we finished the six-pack, talked about the guardianship, what it meant, and Diego was onboard. He was excited about the prospect of being involved more with the boys, talked about teaching them about cars, farm work, and how to beat me at dominoes. We talked until it was late and then we crashed, both happy, but the ominous cloud still loomed over our heads. There was nothing on the news that stood out, and we weren't looking forward to spending another day at this hotel.

Diego burst through the door, and I could see the sunlight peeking through the curtains. He ran to the bed and held the newspaper in front of me,

"Bro, wake the fuck up. You gotta see this. Some serious fucking shit went down while we were sleeping. Check this out." He handed me a cup of coffee and then turned on the TV.

It was all over the news.

" In the early hours of the morning, a multi-agency task force issued warrants and performed raids on seventeen different locations around the U.S on compounds, offices, and businesses associated with a well-known Russian white supremacist group called BelyyaPrava. Federal agencies, in conjunction with local authorities, raided the locations and were met with stiff armed resistance, resulting in the death of twelve F BI agents, four ATF agents, one DEA agent and over one hundred members of the BelyyaPrava organization with three times as many arrests. Sources stated the top leadership of BelyyaPrava has either been arrested or killed and all financial assets for the organization have been frozen by the federal government. The President commented on this long-running secretive operation and said he was proud of all the work the multiple agencies put into such a successful operation. District attorneys for twelve different states are cooperating with the U.S. Attorney General to ensure all charges are filed to put this threat, which has been growing in the past few years, in the grave. Watch our special on white supremacy in America airing tonight at 9:00 pm. "

Either Harper had pulled a rabbit out of the hat, or there was something bigger happening than what we knew. There was no way they could have coordinated this type of operation in a little under three days with multiple agencies involved. Something of this magnitude would've taken months to put together. Diego and I looked at each and shook our heads. This was bigger than what we initially thought. Someone had used us as a catalyst to kick this off, and it didn't leave me with a comfortable feeling.

It wasn't long before the phone rang. It was Jones.

"Mr. Hunter, I'm going to assume you have heard the news. Now with BelyyaPrava out of the picture, there is some business we need to attend to."

"Before anything happens, I'm going to get my family settled where I want them, make sure all other arrangements are handled, and I need to heal up. I will contact you when I'm finished, and then we can continue our business. Those were our terms."

"Very well, please don't deviate from our arrangement. Otherwise, we may have to renegotiate the terms."

I didn't like open-ended threats, but I knew Global had a lot of pull. I would handle this situation delicately even though I had the advantage for the moment. I knew if I lost value to them, things would change. I told Diego what he said.

"We need to be careful, amigo. They're big players, and we're small fish in a big pond."

I wasn't sure who the biggest problem would be, the Russian mafia or Global, but I didn't want to piss either one off. My family's future was at stake.

I called Mary and told her we would be heading their way as soon as we got packed up. She was happy, and I knew the boys would be satisfied, as well. With all the money we had built up, we had enough to find a place safe enough for everyone, including her parents, which I didn't look forward to, but they were part of her family.

I called Nataliy on the way and informed him I would be getting my family settled and needed a little time with them following all the events that transpired. Even though he was a hardcore criminal, he was still a family man and understood, and told me to take my time.

Three weeks went by. We found a place not far from Diego's old farm that was gated and walled. It was more than I wanted to spend, but with Diego's help, we installed a good security system and a safe room. It even had a small house on the property for guests who wanted to stay over. Mary was happy with the living situation, and with Diego close by, she felt even better with the threat of BelyyaPrava close to being gone. Diego returned to his farm and was able to rebuild his warehouse. The boys would be able to spend time with Uncle Diego, and Mary's parents returned to their home, and we were now a lot closer than we had been. Overall, things started to return to normal for them, but not for me. Viktor and his family came to visit, and his wife Ilyana had changed. The possible loss of her husband gave her a deeper appreciation for him, and they seemed better.

It was a Sunday night. I sat on the porch, looking at the nighttime sky, the wisps of the smoke from my cigarette curling about in the light breeze. This was the calm before the storm, and I knew the time was coming for me to walk into a world where I would need every skill, every ability, and every practical sense to keep me alive. This wasn't the end of anything. Today marked the beginning of something whose dread and anticipation weighed equally on my scales.

Things were going to get a lot harder before they got easier.

I was no longer an Average Joe.