Copyright© 2023

Absence of Living Book #1 (3)

Spyder's Web Carter Davis Book Three

by Rottweiler

Description: Sam (a.k.a. 'Spyder') is compromised and nearly captured by mobsters who want her dead for stealing their money. Forced to shut down her intricate and vast cyber web, she flees for her life and goes 'dark'. As if Carter hadn't enough on his plate, with Trinity moving out, Rachel close to Labor, and Jenny and Suzy seeking help for an entirely different issue. And his enemies? They were just getting started. The answer to these distractions is both explosive and revealing when he, Trinity, and Gil

Tags: Much Sex, Ma/Fa, Ma/ft, Fa/Fa, Mult, Blackmail, Coercion, Consensual, Drunk/Drugged, NonConsensual, Rape, Romantic, Lesbian, Fiction, Crime, Rags To Riches, Cheating, Sharing, BTB, DomSub, Sadistic, Torture, Polygamy/Polyamory, Nudism, Revenge, Violence

Published: 2024-03-28

Size: 73,338 Words

Chapter 1: Compromised

I woke to the urgent buzzing on my phone that lay on the bedside table. I had to reach over Jenny’s sleeping body to grab it and pause the buzzing. It wasn’t a call, just a continuously flashing icon with a spinning asterisk. Well, that was new. I sat up and had to move Suzy’s arm from around my waist as I crawled out of the huge bed. Trinity snored like a lumberjack on the other side of the older woman. I swung my feet over the foot of the bed and found Travis sprawled out on the cool laminate floor beneath me.

The message wasn’t a text or email, rather it was a simple icon that brought up an image with words pasted all over it in nearly random sequences. They were animated and seemed to swell and shrink before my eyes in a particular order that I found myself following subconsciously.

I felt a chill creep up my back as I read the moving text again. What the fuck? I began reading it over once more when it abruptly dissolved and vanished from my screen. Once it was gone a popup window appeared with the message: CNTCTS ERSD. BRWS HX PURGED, Y/N to reboot? The Y flashed three times and then my phone went blank.

I bolted to my feet, disturbing Travis, and strode into the kitchen to open my laptop. As soon as it booted up it went through a similar data wipe and restart. I felt something akin to panic as I regarded her message and what it meant. Sam was in trouble! And I had no way of helping her. I felt sick to my stomach as I watched the computer boot up and settle onto its usual home screen. I scrolled through my files and emails ... nothing. There was no trace of her to be found. I rubbed my face with my hands as I tried to calm myself and come to terms with it. For the first time since I could remember I was too unsettled to find my Being automatically. I had to close my eyes and conduct several breathing exercises before I felt my awareness begin to expand and take stock of everything in and around me. Filtering out distractions I tried to analyze what I had to work with. It wasn’t much.

Sam was gone. She said she was going dark, which could mean they found her, and she was now on the run. And she said that I was right. Right about what? I remembered our last conversation and it came to me like a thunderbolt. She had tricked the heads of the Cuban mafia in SW Florida into thinking that MS13 stole six and a half million dollars from them, causing a blood feud that essentially decimated the ranks of both sides. She stole the money and placed it into several offshore accounts somewhere in Grand Cayman. My last words to her were: I hope you covered your tracks well—to which she scoffed.

YOU WERE RIGHT.

FUCK!

Later that morning Jenny and Suzy came out to the kitchen with troubled expressions. Jenny was holding a pregnancy tester and revealed the big red (-) to me. I tucked away my concern for Sam to focus on them. “Does this mean we missed her window?” I asked.

Suzy shrugged her shoulders. “It should have been perfectly timed,” she replied quietly.

“Maybe we need a better fertility test,” Jenny suggested, “if we monitor your hormone levels along with your temps...”

“I have the second part of my GED test today,” Trinity piped up stepping out of the master bathroom with a towel about her waist and one wrapped around her head. She seemed completely oblivious that her naked breasts were on full display as she wandered into the kitchen and opened the large fridge to inspect its contents. When no one replied she turned back to us. “What?”

“Nice titties,” Jenny smirked grabbing them and giving each a squeeze.

Trinity jumped and swatted her hand away. “Damn woman! Warm those mitts up before you go grabbing the tatas ... What test are y’all studying for anyway?”

Suzy held up the pregnancy test.

“Oh,” the precocious teenager said awkwardly, “so that’s a no-go right there, huh?”

The older woman nodded.

“Well, you’ll just have to try again next month, right?” She selected a gallon of milk and grabbed a glass from the rack nearby. “Maybe you two should practice a bit more, just in case.” She winked at us as she replaced the jug in the fridge and took her glass to the bedroom.

Jenny sighed, “She’s right you know. Better luck next time,” she hugged her dejected mate and kissed her cheek, “c’mon let’s get showered and changed and get to work.”

Thirty minutes later Trinity revved up her green dune buggy and flew up the ravine road like her tail was on fire. Suzy asked for a tape measure and began measuring everything in the house, taking meticulous notes on a pad. Jenny took my basic deck design and began enhancing it with rounded curves and corners and adding features like large planter boxes and a sunken hot tub right off the master suite. At first, I thought she was being ostentatious, but when she showed me her concept drawings I was impressed.

I stepped away to call Kevin to see how Rachel was doing and to advise him of Sam’s final message to me.

“At this point, there is nothing we can do for her,” he surmised, “I hope she has her head on a swivel.”

“So, all we can do is wait?” I asked, “What about going down and squeezing a few of those MS13 fuckers or a Cuban crime lord?”

“How would we know where to start?” he asked.

There was that. Sam had provided me with a pretty extensive portfolio of all of the players involved but that was before she dumped a virtual tank of gas on everything and tossed a match. I sighed, “So, we wait.”

“I’m certain she will be okay,” he replied casually, “she is a genius you know.”

His words did little to ease my mind so I resorted to what I knew would distract me from all the negative possibilities that tend to flood my overactive brain. I grabbed a case of dynamite and headed for the soon-to-be tunnel entrance. I intended to blast a mine into the wall of the cliff overshadowing my clearing. The main entrance was less than 100 yards from my new home and I placed an un-modified ISO shipping container before the marked doorway. I kept the metal container back from the cliff face until I began the initial blasting. All the holes were drilled and I marked my sequences and detonator locations.

Because the holes were so close in proximity, I could set a few detonators and blow all the charges. I spent the morning carefully placing my charges and connecting the wires. By noon I was ready and I sent a text to Gil warning him of the imminent blast.

‘Copy,’ he replied.

I stepped over to the house and called Suzy and Jenny who were measuring the interior windows. They came out to watch the show.

“Fire in the Hole!” I yelled then flipped back the cover on my detonator remote, exposing a red button. I stabbed it and was instantly rewarded with a very loud explosion from next to the cliff face. Dust and debris showered the clearing and ISO container for several seconds before settling. Maybe I should’ve used a couple of blast pads to contain the fallout.

“Wow!” Jenny exclaimed, this morning she was wearing cut-off shorts and a vintage-looking Rolling Stones tour shirt. Suzy wore a floral print sun dress.

We heard a bark from further down in the valley and Travis came running up onto the clearing to see what all the fuss was about. He began sniffing excitedly around the blast area and sneezing.

I was surprised by the amount of quartz I found as I inspected the rubble. Gil told me that quartz formations were a favorable indicator of gold, so I called him and asked him to come by and check it out. While I waited, I used a shovel, pick, and wheelbarrow to gather the tailings from the cavity in the cliff face. I was impressed at how close to my original lines I was. The entryway would ultimately measure 6 feet wide and 8 feet high. So far it was just under a yard deep.

An hour later Gil was holding up a fist-sized chunk of dirty red quartz to the light. He inspected it closely and then began pointing out several spots on the surface. “This un here’s got some little spots of free gold right along the surface heh,” he said pointing to several tiny gold spots. Both of the girls leaned in close to try and see, ignoring his discomfort at their violation of his personal space. I grinned as he tried not to glance at both pairs of breasts.

“So how do you get the gold out,” Jenny asked, curiously. She picked up another piece of broken rock and began looking it over intently.

“Ya gotta break it down with a rock crusher which will reduce these big chunks into small gravel. Then you can put it in a ball or hammer mill.” He replied sagely, she nodded agreeably even though she had no idea what he was talking about.

“I think I’m gonna do some research online,” I said off-handed and I began piling all of the leavings to the side.

“You gonna wanna set up a sluice line too,” Gil replied sweeping his arm toward the nearby creek. “Plenty a water right thar. Just set up a process from a crusher to the mill and then into the sluice.”

“What’s a sluice?” Suzy asked. She was squatted down picking through the smaller pieces on the ground around them.

“It’s like a chute that washes away the dirt and rocks and leaves the gold dust behind,” Gil explained, “then you can pan out the rest.”

“I want to pan for gold!” Jenny said excitedly.

Suzy held up a golf ball-sized piece of clear quartz. “Hey, check this out,” she said squinting as she held it up to the sun, “there’s gold inside this one.” She handed it to me and I saw a nugget about the size of a pea, locked within the crystalline structure. I handed it to Gil and he whistled.

“Yup, that’s pretty!” he exclaimed, “It’s rare to find a nugget like this, which makes it even more valuable.” He handed it back to me and I set it back in Suzy’s astonished hand.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

I shrugged. “You found it, keep it.”

Gil reluctantly stayed for lunch once both girls began pleading and pulling on him. I was happy to see Suzy starting to come out of her shell a bit. They teamed up in the kitchen to make tuna sandwiches and I took Gil aside to relate to him Sam’s last message before she went dark.

“Sounds like she got herself in a pickle up there,” he said as I opened my web browser and began checking out rock crushers. “That one’ll do the job,” he pointed at a unit that was mounted on a trailer, “gas-powered too.” I saved the page for later when the girls brought us two sandwiches each and a jug of sweet tea.

“Can I use your computer to organize and itemize my notes for the inside furnishings?” Suzy asked as we ate.

I took a moment to log it off and reopen it in guest mode as Sam had instructed, to prevent anyone from finding the hidden camera feeds and perimeter alarms. I slid it over to her and continued eating.

“I’ve been working through all the runoff from around that pool,” Gil remarked as he finished his lunch, “and I got to exploring the face of that cliff.” He poured another glass of tea. “Right behind that fall, there is an impressive quartz formation that has me piqued.”

I pictured the pool and fall in my mind. It wasn’t a big fall by most standards but it was substantial enough to make standing beneath it awkward. “You think we could blast it?”

He grabbed a handful of chips and munched on them. “I dunno about that,” he shrugged, “I know it can be done, I just don’t know how. That falls into underwater demolition stuff.”

I considered his comment and frowned as I tried to imagine drilling and packing the charges in those conditions. “Maybe we could redirect the waterfall?”

He nodded, “That’s what I was thinking about too. It’s not nearly as high up as that one over yonder,” he indicated the NE ravine where the water fell over 700 feet and was substantially larger.

I helped clear off the table and then fetched my laminated map of the canyon. I unrolled it and set it on the table. Suzy took the laptop and sat on the floor next to Travis and the fireplace. Jenny washed up the dishes and then joined her.

Gil pointed to where the waterfall originated as a creek that wandered away from the Madison reservoir several miles north of my canyon. I pointed to the run-down FS road that meandered around the southwest side of the giant rift. “We could probably get there with the ATV if we followed this trail past where those fools tried to spy on us from,” I was referring to the Mafia stooges who tried to assassinate us with a hit squad a month prior. I dumped them and their truck over the ravine edge and then blasted several tons of rock to bury them forever.

The hermit nodded in agreement. “When you wanna go check it out?”

“I will walk back down there with you today and look it over from below,” I said, “then maybe tomorrow morning we can drive around and inspect it from the top.”

---

Suzy begged out of going with us down to Gil’s, citing all of the work she had to do deciding on the interior furnishings and decorations. She mumbled about valances and curtains, and such as she entered her measurements into the laptop. So, Jenny and I decided to leave her to it and joined Travis and Gil for a leisurely stroll across the valley and up to the hot springs, to the trail that descended to his claim site.

At the terminus of the NW end of the ravine was a small clearing surrounded by sheer cliffs. A modest waterfall poured over the lip of the ravine and spilled into a large pool that emptied into a creek. On the west side of the pool was a gravel bank that was leveled out enough to place a small cabin where Gil lived year-round. His sluice was set up along the shallow edge of the pool where it narrowed into the tributary that would eventually join the east fork creek that ran below my clearing.

Gil stood along the edge of the pool and pointed up the cliff face to where the fall emitted from the right side of a rocky outcropping. “See that rocky column at the edge of the rim?”

I nodded. It looked like the water was trying to carve it out of the rock like a hoodoo.

“I reckon if we could divert the water flow to the other side of that column, we would be able to get to the rock face right behind where it comes down now.”

A rainbow shimmered in the air where the spray from the waterfall coalesced above the pool. I shivered as the dewy film settled on my skin. There was only one way to check out the quartz formation and with a grunt of resignation, I kicked off my shoes and stripped down to my skin. The water was beyond cold and as I stepped in up to my calves, I had second thoughts about the whole thing. Then Jenny appeared beside me just as naked and squealed with delight as she began wading deeper and deeper until the water came up to her hips. With a sigh, I stepped after her and together we entered the frigid curtain of spray. I felt like my heart was going to stop as the extreme cold smashed down on my face and shoulders. There was just enough space beyond the curtain that we could stand side by side and peer at the wet rock face. The light was subdued but adequate and as my eyes adjusted, I began to notice the smooth freckled surface where the water had worn the surface. I ran my hands across the rock and felt the hard jagged nodules of quartz where it stuck out.

“Wow! Check that out!” Jenny shouted over the noise of the waterfall. She was pointing to a glittering bulge of crystal that protruded from the wall at about chest level. It was the size of a beach ball and stuck out over six inches.

I ran my hands around it and could feel where Gill had scratched away at the surface along the border.

Moments later we were back on the bank shivering violently as we wrestled our dry clothes back onto our freezing bodies.

“Do you think it’s a vein or just a big chunk of quartz?” I asked through chattering teeth.

“I reckon it could be either,” he replied, “I knocked a few of the other ones out and they were all small pockets, but there is a horizontal vein of quartz about 8 feet above it.”

“Come by in the morning and we’ll climb on over there in the ATV and see what we can see,” I shivered and we turned for the trail to make our way back up.

We shivered up to the hot spring and by silent agreement, stripped back down and climbed into the heated pool. I lay back and closed my eyes with my head resting against the rim. I felt Jenny sidle up against me and rest her damp head on my shoulder.

“Mmm, this is nice,” she said softly. I felt her leg slide up onto mine and then her delicate fingers touched my chest before slowly tracing their way down my belly to my pubis. My cold shocked dick began warming to her teasing touches and eventually, it reached up and touched her hand, prompting a thrilled giggle. She wrapped her hand around my shaft and began stroking me until I was hard enough to chip rock. “God, I love this cock!” she exclaimed as she climbed onto me and straddled it with her hips. I felt her slippery vagina slide up and down its length until she was lubricated enough to mount me and impale herself completely. “Ugh!”

I grabbed her hips and helped support her as she began moving her pelvis rhythmically, I timed my thrusts against hers and sent her bouncing upwards every time we collided. She grunted and groaned with every impact as I drove the tip of my cock up against her cervix. I lifted my hands to her ribs and pulled her down until I could kiss each of her breasts and suck on her firm nipples, causing her to shudder and moan. She struggled to maintain her frantic rhythm but it was futile as my passion gave way to frenzy and I began grunting, shoving myself up into her harder and harder. With a cry of release, she collapsed atop me and trembled as her orgasm shook her. I was only seconds behind as I gave in to my climax and began shooting my seed into her in great pulsing bursts. It lasted a full minute before I settled back and held her panting body against mine.

After she caught her breath, she raised her face and kissed me passionately. I squeezed her ass cheeks together trying to trap my withering member inside her for just a few seconds longer. She moaned when it finally slipped out, lifting off me to rinse herself in the heated water. I stood and stepped out of the pool, my body steaming as it dried. Jenny stepped out and joined me and we gathered our clothes before making the final journey to the house, in nothing but our shoes.

Travis joined us as we climbed up to the clearing and made our way to the double-wide. Upon entering we found Suzy still at work on the computer. She regarded us both briefly with a raised eyebrow before returning to her work. I fed Travis while Jenny went to the master bath and climbed into the shower. When I entered the shower to join her, she was rinsing shampoo from her hair looking up into the water stream with her back arched and her lovely breasts jutting out. I bent over and sucked one of her nipples into my mouth while reaching down and cupping her crotch with my hand. She moaned as my finger slipped inside her and began probing her vaginal walls. My cock was getting hard and she found it easily with both her hands as her mouth sought mine hungrily.

Seconds later I lifted her and buried myself inside her, pinning her against the shower surround with my hips, while I adjusted my grip on her ass. Her arms flew around my neck and clung to me tightly as I began pounding her up and down on my rigid pole. She grunted and moaned as I asserted total control over her body, impaling her repeatedly and with increased urgency after every thrust. She began emitting a long keening whine as I fucked her helpless pussy with forceful thrusts. She came with a cry and buried her face in my neck as I pounded into her. With a cry of my own, I slammed her against the wall and held her even higher as I ejaculated four full busts of cum into her. I held her there for several minutes as I recovered and then set her back to her feet. She went down on shaky knees and took my shrinking dick into her mouth to suck me dry and clean me with her tongue.

Later when we rejoined Suzy in the empty living room, she tsked and rose to refill her iced tea. “If y’all are gonna fuck that hard, you may want to reinforce the foundation a bit,” she chortled. Jenny went up and smacked her ass before pulling her into a tight hug and scandalous kiss.

“I’ll remember that when he pins your pussy against the wall and hammers a load of cum into you,” the younger girl replied, “but right now I want nothing more than to eat your cunt til you squirt your nasty juices down my throat.” She rang her tongue along Suzy’s neck and I watched the older woman close her eyes and shudder with desire.

“Carter, you need to go over each of the room ideas I worked up on the computer,” she said to me as she gasped, “let me know if you want to change anything, or add something.” She grabbed Jenny by the hair and began pulling her towards the bedroom. “I’ll be right back.”

I smiled and took the laptop over to the kitchen table to review what she had done. I was impressed with her graphic design skills. She was able to render a 3D image of each area with all of the furniture and decorations she had in mind for each. I heard them romping and crying out as they attacked each other on my bed.

My phone rang, it was an unlisted number. I answered it after the first ring.

“Carter, I’m in trouble!” Sam’s voice sounded muffled in my ear. The was a high-pitched whine in the background, “I am not even sure how the fuck they found me but they blew my mainframe and tracked me down.”

“Slow down Sam,” I replied calmly even though my heart was in my throat, “who are ‘they’?”

“Kramer’s posse, who else?” she growled, “I can’t figure out...” she paused and the whining changed, “maybe I used an outdated scrubber to wipe my tracks...”

“Kramer is the Cuban boss guy?” I asked, “What is that noise?”

“One of them,” she replied, “and I’m on my Kawasaki, running for the hills.”

“Where are you?”

“You know better than that!” she snapped in my ear, “I can’t talk any longer, don’t call this number back, it’s going into the river as soon as I hang up.”

“Wait!” I exclaimed, “Where are you going? What is your plan? How can I help?” I nearly begged. “Please Sam, let me help you...”

“I’ll be in touch later. Remember Bianca. Ciao.” The line went dead.

I bolted to my feet cursing in frustration.

“Carter, what is wrong?” It was Suzy. She and Jenny were standing at the door of the bedroom looking at me with concern on their faces.

I sighed and sat back down. “A friend of mine is in trouble,” I replied, “and I have no way of helping her at the moment.”

“I know it goes without saying,” Suzy said as she stepped up and touched my shoulder, “but if we can help in any way, please let us know.”

I nodded and noticed that they both had shoes on. “Are you heading out?”

Jenny nodded. “Prom is just around the corner and I am going to be busier than a one-legged man in a three-legged race,” She retrieved her keys and cell phone and went to spoil Travis with a hug and kiss. “Oh, and Trinity is coming by the salon after class. I am going to finally get my hands on that gorgeous head of hair.”

I frowned. “How much will she need to pay you? I give her cash but I don’t know what...”

“Carter, darling, stop,” she smiled and came over to kiss me. “I love you for offering and she has already tried to do the same, but I want to do this.” She winked at me. “Wait until you see how she turns out!” She shivered with excitement, “God I can’t wait to get started!”

I turned to Suzy and indicated the laptop on the table. “What about you Suzy, this can’t be cheap and I’m not about to put you in any financial hardship.” She blushed and took a breath to collect herself.

“It’s weird because I have no problem dealing with prices and haggling with other customers,” she said shyly. “But you do have to pay for it all upfront before I can place the order.” She glanced over at the computer on the table, “did you have a chance to look it all over?”

I nodded and pulled my wallet from my back pocket. “I did and I think you have an amazing talent for this sort of thing.”

“Told ya so,” Jenny smirked.

I handed the black card to her. “This will be more than sufficient to cover all your expenses,” when she tentatively reached for it, I held it back. She glanced at my stern face curiously. “I mean ALL your expenses Suzy, none of this ‘I want to do this’ bullshit!”

“Hey!” Jenny protested.

“How much do you usually charge a customer for a job like this?” I asked and she swallowed nervously.

“My commission is normally ten percent of the total,” she replied, “that doesn’t include any hourly labor charges or gratuities — which I don’t expect from you Carter!” she finished adamantly.

I got up and handed her the card, kissing her forehead. “Make it twenty-five percent and I will be very happy,” I told her and then indicated for them to wait while I went to my safe and retrieved a stack of bills. I returned to the living room and handed the cash to Jenny. She started to back away in defiance but I grabbed her and shoved it down the front of her tight leggings. “Listen, it’s more than just payment for ... whatever you are doing to her,” I said firmly, “her birthday is coming up and I know you will both want to do something nice for her.” I sighed and turned back to my chair at the table. Suzy put my card on the surface and snapped a picture of it front and back with her camera before handing it back to me.

“Once she is 18 Trinity is free to pretty much do as she likes and, no matter what she chooses, I want to do my best to support her. I expect being in school full time will push her to move close to the college and I would feel much better knowing you two were helping me to look after her.” I could tell by their expressions that they were committed to her well-being as much as I was. “Maybe she will need ‘feminine’ advice or help with a sensitive issue — I don’t care what it is and I don’t need to know all about her secrets,” I said, “if she needs treatment for an STD or God forbid, an abortion — I want to know she has someone besides Rachel she can turn to. Money is NOT an issue.”

As if on cue they stepped forward and hugged me. “You are such an amazing father to her,” Jenny mumbled softly while Suzy kissed my cheek.

Then we broke apart and they headed for the door.

“We will see you in a couple of days,” Jenny said cheerfully. “Trin will probably be home late. Micro braids take a shit ton of time.” I watched them climb into the worn-out Civic and heard the engine protest as it came to life. I snorted as they drove away and told myself that, when the time came, they would not be relying on that old clunker to transport a kid around. Not my kid anyway. Besides, I couldn’t wait to see the look on E G McCalkin’s face when I walked back into his dealership.

Chapter 2: Shake Yo Dreads!

When Trinity entered the house, I was gobsmacked. The transformation from plain Jane straight-haired brunette to an Egyptian goddess was profound. Her head was now adorned with countless thick strands of intricately braided locks. They fell past her shoulders and framed her tanned face like a celebrity. She walked into the main room tentatively as if daring me not to notice her extreme makeover. Like that was even possible. I think my jaw dropped when I first saw her and my eyes must’ve reflected my astonishment because I was speechless. I couldn’t even find my feet to stand from the table where I sat.

Emboldened by my wide-eyed expression she approached me and knelt at my feet. Her inquisitive gaze bore holes through my brain as I tried to come to terms with her transformation. “Well,” she said finally, “what do you think?”

I opened and closed my mouth several times as I tried to form words and sounds to answer her. “I ... um. Holy shit, Trin...” I faltered, “You gotta give me a minute...” I reached out and touched her braids, feeling how fine but sturdy they were as they hung from her scalp. I had never envisioned her as Cleopatra until that moment. Or maybe Katy Perry in one of her music videos.

“Do you like it?” she asked with an anxious tone in her voice.

“Like it?” I breathed, “Wow, sweetheart I always thought you were beautiful, but this ... this is incredible!” I met her gaze and smiled reassuringly. “You are stunning! Beyond stunning even...”

Her smile brightened and she wrapped her arms around my neck lovingly. “I am glad you think so,” she said softly against my ear, “I really like it too.”

“I wish I could be at the college tomorrow when you show up,” I grinned. “You are gonna knock ‘em dead!”

She giggled excitedly and bounced back to her feet. “I didn’t think I could sit for even a second longer, but Jenny kept talking me down and making me relax as she worked. Can you believe she did this?” She spun her head about causing the braids to fly out in a sweeping motion, before settling back around her face. “God, she is so good!” she exclaimed with delight. “And she wouldn’t even let me pay her!” She frowned at that. “I’m gonna make her a sword or something!”

Suddenly her eyes lit up and she clapped her hands excitedly. “Oh! I’ll be right back!” And with that, she dashed out the door with Travis on her tail. When she returned, she had her backpack and an oily piece of canvas that was wrapped around something heavy. She dropped her bag absently and set the canvas package on the table before me. “Check it out!” she squealed excitedly.

Curious, I unwrapped the cloth and found a piece of metal roughly 2 feet long 3 inches wide, and nearly half an inch thick. It was deep blue with wavering shades of sheen upon its multiple layers. I recognized the pattern of interwoven layers of steel. “Damascus?” I asked.

She bobbed her head. “Tamahagane, to be precise. Alfred helped me make it,” she rapped on it with her knuckle and it made a distinct metallic ring that I didn’t expect. Alfred was a retired farrier and amateur blacksmith who enrolled in the Welding/Fabrication program as a way to keep busy. Trinity took to him as she did to Gil, respecting his old-school knowledge and absorbing everything he had to share in the art of metallurgy. “It is nearly the same process that the ancient Japanese smiths used to forge the steel they made Katanas from. We took high carbon steel with manganese and chromium and folded it with lower carbon steel blended with tungsten, then we folded it ten times to achieve over two thousand layers.”

I picked up the piece of metal and looked at it closer. “Okay ... that’s actually, incredible,” I stated, impressed with the idea, “dare I ask what you intend to do with this?”

She bounced excitedly a few more times and then whirled to grab her bag off the floor. Digging inside she pulled out a ragged notebook and flipped through the pages until she found what she wanted. It was a concept drawing of a Japanese-style knife, but with a unique blade that appeared longer than a traditional Tanto. “I have a full-scale pattern here somewhere...” she muttered as she rummaged through her bag some more. The drawing she produced was of the blade itself with a full-length tang, nearly two feet in length.

“Whoa,” I said as I held up the drawing.

“Tip to tang is 50 centimeters or nearly 20 inches,” she said excitedly, “I already scored a piece of ebony that I’m going to make the grip and scabbard from.” She set the piece of steel on the drawing and pushed it towards me. “I need your help cutting it down to shape. We can’t use oxy/acetylene because it will temper the steel too much. I got Randy to help me blend some special carbon-sparing oil to quench it, but I think the plasma cutter is the best way to cut it out. I didn’t want to use Randy’s because it’s pretty beat up.” Randy was the guy who occasionally delivered the oversized items like the ISO containers, to my isolated little clearing in the bottom of a canyon. He used Trinity on occasion for various welding chores and odds and ends around his wrecking/recycling yard. In the process, she was learning to operate heavy equipment and practice for her CDL license one day.

“For the tang sure,” I countered, “but the edge...”

“I kept it thicker than 10 millimeters, which will be its final thickness. I will grind it down once we get it shaped and retemper the edge before honing,” she added.

I just nodded my head while I came to terms with the fact that this striking young woman who looked back at me like an Egyptian goddess, was suddenly more knowledgeable about the properties of metal than I was.

I sat back and stared at her with amazement. She returned my look with a worried frown.

“What?” she asked defensively.

I felt like I was choking as I stammered to reply. “Nothing, it’s just ... you,” I replied harshly, “I can’t believe how far you have come in so short a time.” I swallowed. “Trinity you are such an amazing young woman and I am so happy that you came into my life when you did...” I was cut off when she suddenly flew into my arms and hugged me tightly. “ ... you are so beautiful and smart!” I whispered in her ear.

I felt her shaking in my arms and tried to get a grip on my own emotions as I held her.

“Thank you,” she mumbled against my shoulder, “I love you so much!”

I waited until she stopped shaking and sniffed loudly. “Um ... has Rachel seen your new look yet?”

She unlatched her arms from me and wiped her eyes as she regained her composure. “No,” she shook her head, “why don’t you take a pic and we can send it to her.”

“Maybe that’s not such a good idea,” I replied cautiously, “she is due any second, and seeing you now might just send her into labor.”

For her part, Trinity grinned and blushed at the same time. I took several pictures of her while she posed around the living room. It was one of her hugging Travis, with his sloppy grin, that I adopted for the background on my phone, and sent to Kevin to share with his wife. Less than a minute went by before it buzzed in my hand.

“Hey there Kev, you’re on speaker. What’s up?” I asked with a grin.

“Oh, my Gawd!” Rachel shrieked from the other end, causing Trinity to grimace hesitantly.

“She’s something else, eh?” I asked tentatively.

“Oh, sweet Jesus! She looks incredible!” the pregnant woman gasped, “Trinity darling, please come and see me tomorrow! I have to see you with my own eyes!” Her thick Texan accent belied her tiny little Asian body.

“Yes Ma’am,” she replied with flushed cheeks. I could see the tears forming in her eyes again as she regarded the words of her favorite ‘mom’ figure.

“Oh sweetheart, I can’t believe how gorgeous you look! Who did your braids so well?”

“My BFF Jenny French, she runs the Pelican Salon on Tremont Street near the college,” she picked up my phone and walked towards the bedroom as she talked.

“Oh, she is so hired!” Rachel replied, “I can’t wait to lose this little person inside me so that I can go and get my hair done again...” her voice faded as the door closed on their conversation.

I chuckled and turned to pick up the Damascus blank on the table. I could almost see the final blade in my mind’s eyes as I rubbed my fingers along the uneven surface.

---

“Carter,” Trinity whispered in my ear as we lay together under the covers, “you know that I love you more than anything in the galaxy, right?”

I felt a cold weight in my gut as I sensed the direction of her message. “Of course,” I replied.

“I...” she suddenly cut off and I felt her sudden gasp as she began sobbing. I put a finger to her lips and shushed her.

“I know Trin,” I said quietly, “I’ve known for some time now that it would come to this.” I hugged her and she gripped me tightly, wrapping her arms and legs around me and clingily to me desperately. “You are about to turn 18 and I know you need to move closer to town, to be closer to school and your friends ... I get it.”

She wept as she pressed her face into my neck. “I just feel so bad!” she cried, “I love you so much and I can’t even begin to think of how I can do this without you...”

“You won’t have to baby girl,” I assured her with a kiss on her head, “I will always be here for you and you know this.”

“I will always visit!” she declared with a sniff.

“I know.”

“And when school is out, I will come back.”

“I know.”

“It’s gonna be so hard!” she sobbed.

“It’s okay sweetheart,” I replied softly, “You can do this, and I’ve always got your back!”

“I know.”

I traced my fingers softly down her back and cupped her firm ass cheeks in my hands. “It’s nothing that can’t wait for a day or two.”

She responded by shifting herself so that she lay atop me with her legs spread invitingly over my crotch. “Or three,” she murmured as she pressed her lips against mine.

My dick began swelling and she adjusted herself over me until it straightened and pushed into her well-lubricated core. I felt her body arch as she pushed herself up until her hips straddled mine. She began moving her pelvis forward and back as she rode me. She moaned softly and began twitching her Kegels as she worked herself up and down my shaft.

It was our second lovemaking of the evening and we both wanted to make it last for as long as possible, so we took it slow and just savored each other’s bodies and warm loving embrace. She slowly relaxed and lowered herself back down upon me, letting me control our coupling. I slid myself in and out of her, pressing my dick gently against her cervix. She gasped in my ear, shuddering every time I buried myself to the hilt inside her. Soon her shudders became frenzied spasms and she started panting harshly as an orgasm began sweeping through her. I timed my thrusts with her increasing tremors until she peaked with a cry of passion. Then I forced myself tightly inside her and felt her ride the frenzied wave of her climax, gripping and milking me for all she was worth until she collapsed back down upon me exhausted.

I remained buried inside her as she recovered, my only motion was the involuntary twitching of my penis as it eagerly tried to press even further within her. Suddenly my climax erupted and I pumped in and out of her frantically until I began ejaculating large spurts of cum inside her, for the second time that night.

“Oh God!” she gasped as she lay limp atop me breathing hard, “one day I’m going to settle down with a man like you.” She kissed me deeply and settled herself more comfortably. “He’s gonna have a lot to live up to.”

I chuckled and gave her tight ass a swat as I rolled her off of me. “Don’t settle for second best,” I teased her as I got up to use the toilet.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she called after me, “I should just stick with girls.”

---

I followed her into town the next morning and we stopped by Kevin and Rachel’s home before she went to her first class. Rachel was so pregnant that she could barely walk. I couldn’t imagine a full-term baby inside her tiny little body as she waddled over to us for hugs and kisses. She was beside herself over Trinity’s transformation. She handled her micro braids with delicate fingers and marveled at how they flowed like burnished bronze down her face. “Wow!” was all she could say as we joined them in their living room.

Kevin looked rather gaunt to me as if he were losing weight and not getting enough sleep. I pulled him aside and we went into his office.

“What is wrong?” I asked directly as he went and sat behind his desk.

He tried to appear stoic but I was far more observant than most people reckoned, and he knew it.

“I’ve been run down lately and taking care of Rachel hasn’t been easy for me,” he replied. “I will be all right in time. This has happened before and I bounce back eventually.”

“What has happened before?” I wasn’t about to let him off the hook so easily. I could tell something wasn’t right with my friend.

He sighed and nodded with resignation. “I have a condition called Lupus,” he confessed. I had heard of it but knew next to nothing about it. “It is an autoimmune disease that affects various systems in my body. It’s like my ability to fight off diseases, will sometimes turn against me and I become sick for a while. I get fatigued easily and feel achy and sore. Sometimes I get confused and I have to rest a lot. Rachel understands and tries not to burden me with her pregnancy when it flares up.”

“Jesus Kevin,” I whispered, “and you called me a stupid ass hole for not relying on you guys more!” I stood and paced around the room nervously. “What can I do to help? I mean starting now! I can move into a spare room, or have Trinity stay here until she gets a place of her own ... yeah, that is what we will do first off...”

He raised his hand and stopped my tirade before I could get the momentum to really let him have it. “Carter, I appreciate your concern, but I am fine now.”

“Bullshit!” I said, “Go look in the mirror you fool!” I strode over to the office door and called for my fosterling, “Trinity!” She appeared in a second with concern on her face. Rachel waddled up behind her.

“What’s wrong Carter?” she asked.

“These two dimwits are what’s wrong!” I retorted, taking Rachel’s arm and guiding her to one of the office chairs. I explained Kevin’s condition to her and how I planned on intervening. I turned to them as I stood beside her. “Trinity is getting ready to move into town anyway, because it will be a lot less driving for her while she is in school and working over at the wrecking yard.” I put my arm on her shoulder. “It would be ideal if she were to stay here for the meantime until we find her a place of her own,” I shrugged, “honestly we haven’t even begun looking yet.”

“Trinity is always welcome to stay here,” Rachel smiled. I could see she was already liking the idea, if for no other reason than to have another female around to talk to. Kevin nodded his agreement as well.

“I would be more than happy to help her look for a suitable apartment or townhouse,” he added. I nodded my appreciation.

“Trin and I will try to be here most of the time, we will work in shifts,” I declared. “I will come by most days when she is in school and be here to help out until the baby is born and things ... um, do things settle down once a baby is born?”

Kevin laughed and seemed like his old self for a moment. “Not hardly, I think.”

“All right then,” I said patting Trinity on the back, “You, go to school,” I kicked off my shoes and looked at my best friend, “and you, go make some coffee. I’m gonna make a move on this little Vietnamese bombshell.”

---

Getting Rachel up and into my truck was out of the question. Going stir-crazy, she decided that she was going to take full advantage of my presence and demanded that I take her to the salon where Jenny worked. Kevin opted to stay home and work in his office, so I poured her into his Jaguar F-Pace and took her out on the town. I had no idea where the Pelican Salon was, but I knew Tremont Street and it wasn’t hard to locate the bustling studio from there. I parked illegally right in front of the business and went around to help her climb out of the passenger seat. When we entered the salon, it was packed with customers. My nose was overwhelmed by the powerful scents of burnt hair, chemicals, and mass amounts of ‘product’.

“Hi, Carter!” I heard Jenny cry out excitedly and she appeared from the back where she was washing a girl’s hair. She was wearing a worn Rolling Stones Tour shirt and a ragged denim skirt over her flip-flops and wore her hair tied back. She wiped her hands on her apron and came up to hug me.

“Hi Jenny,” I replied, I placed my hand on Rachel’s shoulder, drawing her attention to the very pregnant Asian girl, “This...”

“Oh my God! You must be Rachel!” she squealed excitedly as her face lit up. She reached forward and wrapped her arms gently around the shorter woman. “Trinity has told me so much about you! Oh God, it’s so good to finally meet you!” She held the astonished woman at arm’s length and scrutinized her. “Wow! You are getting ready to pop girl! Come over here and sit in this empty station,” she led her over to a styling station with a comfortable chair and helped her sit back. “Tara, would you finish Miranda’s wash please?” She called to another employee as she began playing with Rachel’s cropped hair. “I have to admit — after hearing the way Trin talks about you — I didn’t expect to find you so ... tiny!” She bubbled as she fawned all over the only woman Trinity would refer to as ‘mom’.

I snorted, “Don’t let her size fool you,” I received a sharp look for that and swallowed nervously. “I think I’ll just go sit over here and read this ... yeah, this Elle magazine right here.” I chose a seat by the window between two very young teenagers who were scrolling through their phones, as they waited their turn. Several of the waiting customers smirked at me and I chose to ignore them as I avoided further eye contact from Madam Sinclair.

She ended up staying for nearly an hour and Jenny spoiled her with attention by washing her hair and styling it. She even cut away a lot of the bulk, thinning it down so that she appeared like a baby-faced Pixie. When she was done Rachel tried to pay her and took an affront when her gesture was refused.

“Unh uh, no way sister!” Jenny replied with steel in her voice. “Your money ain’t no good round heh,” I nearly choked at her fake Texas drawl and shook my head. “You just ask that strappin’ Honyocker over yonder what happens when folks try ta cross me!” she chortled and gestured to me.

I just cleared my throat and held my arm out to Rachel, “I suppose it’s lunchtime for the little guy, wouldn’t you say?” This was a safe bet because Rachel was always hungry.

“Pussy!” Jenny said under her breath with a smirk. This caused Rachel to burst out laughing and grab my arm agreeably. “See you guys around,” she called after us as we left the Salon.

---

“You will never guess who I just got off the phone with,” Kevin greeted us as we returned. Rachel handed him a carryout meal from the Mongolian grill she was craving. He smelled it appreciatively and kissed her tenderly.

I took Rachel’s coat and hung it on the rack by the front door. “Who?”

“The counsel for none other than Taylor Costas!” he grinned. I had to admit that in just a few short hours he appeared to have more color in his face and a look of purpose in his eyes.

“That bitch that faked her death with her mom?” I exclaimed. I served 17 fucking years in prison for those two cunts.

“The same,” he replied as he set his food on the kitchen counter, while Rachel headed up the stairs. “They are seeking a clemency appeal on behalf of the daughter because she was an innocent bystander during the whole thing,” he laughed. “They asked me if you would be willing to appear at the hearing and put in a favorable word for her...”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I asked astonished. “I wouldn’t piss on her if she were on fire!”

He opened the container and peered at the contents eagerly. “That is pretty much what I told them,” he replied as he broke apart his chopsticks. “It is interesting though that the clemency board is even considering the appeal. I expect we will find her released earlier than her mother at the very least.”

“Carter!” Rachel called from upstairs, “I need you to come and help me get into the bath!”

My eyes bulged and Kevin smirked as he set down his eating utensils. “Don’t worry, I got this,” he murmured.

“I want Carter to help me, baby,” she added a second later, “you eat.” I stared at him wide-eyed and he just shrugged and tucked into his lunch.

With a resigned sigh I mounted the stairs and followed the sounds of running water. I found Rachel seated on the toilet naked. I swallowed uncomfortably and she gave me a stern look. “Don’t be an idiot,” she growled, “I’m naked, and I’m pregnant. It’s not like there’s anything desirable about me right now.” She reached up with her hands and I went to help her to her feet. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pulled me down into a passionate kiss that lasted for nearly a minute, sending all of my blood straight to my crotch. She reached down and grabbed my rigid erection through my pants. “Hmm, maybe I’m still a little desirable after all,” she mused.

“God, you have no idea,” I whispered as I helped her step into the tub and lower herself into the steaming water. She didn’t let go of me once she was settled. Instead, she pulled my hand in and placed it against her enormous breast. Her nipple hardened as I caressed it involuntarily. She moaned softly and pulled my arm further down until my fingers were pressed against her smooth vagina. Her eyes closed and her mouth opened as she pushed my fingers inside her under the water.

“So, Jenny and Suzy are close friends of yours,” she breathed softly. I felt her clitoris swelling under my touch. She began rubbing herself against my fingers and panting quietly.

“Yes, they are,” I replied hesitantly, uncomfortable with where this conversation was going.

“They are engaged to be married this Fall,” she added as her pelvis suddenly seized against my ministrations.

“Um ... yep.”

“And Suzy wants to have a baby,” she moaned harshly, I could feel her climax rushing over her as she began squeezing my hand between her legs and pumping her crotch against me. “Oh God! Right there...” she cried softly and held herself still against me as she came. A moment later she relaxed against the back of the tub. “Specifically, ‘your’ baby.”

“Jenny told you all that?” I asked feeling more than a little betrayed.

“Please,” she scoffed as she held my hand and licked my fingers, “You think I got all the way up to JSD, and became a world-renowned publicist by not being able to read people?”

“Uh, what’s a DJ whatever?” I mumbled, taking my hand back.

She rolled her eyes at me. “Let’s just say, in legal circles, they call me ‘doctor’, now stay on task.” she ordered, “you are fucking them both aren’t you?”

I blinked at her bluntness. “Uh ... can I plead the fifth here?”

“No, you may not,” she rebuked. “Doesn’t matter anyway, I know you are. And for what it’s worth—I approve.”

“Erm ... okay then.”

She rose to her knees and turned to face me in the oversized tub. I found myself gaping at her huge tits. “Nice, aren’t they?” she grinned back at me. Then her face seemed to fall and she appeared somber and taciturn. “Carter ... I can’t tell you certain things because they aren’t for me to tell,” she said quietly, “but there will come a time when all will be explained and you will understand why I’m being this way.”

I wasn’t sure what this was about so I fell back on my tried-and-true tactic of just keeping my mouth shut.

“Kevin has a lot more going on than just Lupus,” she almost whispered, “I pray that things will be okay but even so we are left with...” her tragic eyes met mine and she blinked back tears. “It will all be clear soon, I promise.” She rested her arms on the edge of the tub and reached for me. “Right now, I need you to give me that rock-hard cock so that I can relieve the pressure I’ve caused.”

And there she did it again, leaving me stunned and flummoxed by her words. “Uh ... No. Rachel, Kevin is my very best friend in the entire world and...”

“And if you love him ... us, you will do this,” she reached forward, grabbed my pants by the fly, and pulled me toward her. “Someday,” she added, “I don’t know when, but eventually you will bed me and it will be both mine and Kevin’s wish that you do so. Now give me that dick!” she wrenched at my zipper and unsnapped my fly. I couldn’t believe this was happening and my erection didn’t give a fuck either. She pulled it from my pants and stared at it hungrily as she gripped and stroked it with her little hands. “Oh, my goodness!” she cooed, “Trinity was right!” Say what? “No wonder she can’t see being with another man.”

I started to protest but lost my voice when she stuck my entire head into her mouth and began sucking on it. Oh, fuck I was going to explode in less than a second! Then her other hand reached beneath me and began massaging my balls, her short nails gently caressing the skin of my scrotum. That was it! I lurched forward and began cumming hard straight into her mouth. She moaned and choked while her hand gripped my shaft tightly. She pressed her thumb tightly up against my urethra restricting my ejaculation and sending my euphoric pleasure through the roof as she tried to keep up with the surge of my spewing seed.

“Oh God!” I gasped as she continued milking me with her stroking thumb. My knees began to shake as I continued trying to force my stream past her grip. It was mind-blowing how good it felt as she swallowed every drop, I gave her. Eventually, she relented on her sucking and licked my tip clean before letting it go.

“That was everything I dreamed it would be,” she admitted triumphantly, “now help me out of this cold bathtub.”

---

Later that afternoon I was sitting out on the porch with a cup of coffee contemplating all of the things I had experienced today. I heard the telling sound of an air-cooled engine as the subdued metallic green dune buggy appeared at the end of the street. She had removed the hard top during the warm weather and a raucous bee-bop rhythm poured out of her speakers polluting the quiet of the neighborhood. I cringed as Sexy Red blared out, “Shake Yo Dreads, Shake Yo Dreads, Shake Yo Dreads!” for the whole planet to hear. Trinity was bouncing and shaking to the beat as she accompanied the lyrics with her own voice. She wore a stained white T-shirt that would have done little to hide her perky breasts if she hadn’t covered them with the bib of her worn-out overalls. Her eyes were hidden behind a pair of tinted sunglasses with white rims. Her mini braids were weaving about her face as she nodded and bobbed her head to the beat.

Finally, she pulled into the drive next to my truck and killed the engine, as well as the off-putting rap crap she loved. She sprang out of the driver’s cockpit and skipped over to me waving a plastic Mall bag. “Sup, Yo,” she called out with a lame attempt at a gang sign. I snorted and shook my head as she bounced up the steps to the porch and kissed the top of my head. Just then the door opened and Kevin peered out.

“What in Heaven’s name was that God-awful racket?” he asked.

“Yo, Uncle Kev, don’t be so hateful to the muse man,” she retorted and caught him up in a loving hug. “We need to culture you up, son.”

“If that’s ‘culture’, it got left out overnight and turned sour,” he grumbled as he hugged her back.

“Whatever, you two are dead to me!” She put out the flat of her hand as she slipped past him, “Where’s my Mama? I got something for her!”

Rachel was in the kitchen slowly working on a delicious smelling entrée called Shaking Beef, which we all loved. She turned and smiled brightly as Hurricane Trinity blew into the room. They hugged and Rachel wrinkled her nose. “Good Lord, you smell like a Stevedore!” she balked.

Trinity assumed a tragic pose. “Damn! What’s with all the Hate’n goin’ on ‘round here?” she cried dramatically. Then she snatched back the bag she was holding out. “You know what? Fine! I’ll just give this to my little niece or nephew whenever they decide to crawl out of your jay-jay and join us!”

Kevin nearly choked as he came into the kitchen while I just stood back and enjoyed the Clash of the Titans.

Rachel tried to grab the bag but Trinity was far too experienced at recognizing tells, to let her have it that easily. “No! It’s for the baby anyways,” she snipped derisively, “and you’re just being a mean old grumpy troglodyte!”

I lost it and fell back on the couch wailing hysterically while Rachel’s husband decided to walk the long way around the kitchen for his coffee.

“Trinity!” Rachel growled like a feral lynx, “Give me that fucking bag!”

“Say pretty please,” the brave teenager mocked, “and kiss my greasy cheek.” She turned and presented her dirty cheek to the chef and got the bag ripped out of her hands for the effort.

Rachel triumphantly opened the bag and looked perplexed, “It’s a ... teddy bear?” she asked.

Trinity gasped exasperatedly and reached inside to pull out the stuffed animal. “It’s not just any bear,” she lamented, “it’s a Ninja bear!” she held up the plush doll for all to see. It was a brown teddy bear with black pajamas and a black mask over its face. “I went to Build-A-Bear in the Mall and made it! See, I even made him a little sword and a pair of nun-chucks.” She demonstrated each of the toy weapons, “and check out this adorable little throwing star!”

“A killer, assassin bear ... for my baby,” Rachel murmured as she held the toy in her hands.

“He (or she) is gonna love it!” Trinity declared with her typical bounce. Kevin stepped over and gave the bear an appraising look. “And I’m gonna teach him (or her) how to murder all the Barbies and dismember their corpses.” she finished with a grin. “That smells good! When can we eat?”

“After you go take a shower!” Rachel declared firmly.

“Fine!” she retorted as she headed for the stairs. “Haters!” she muttered under her breath.

Rachel turned to me with an incredulous expression, “Carter! Look what you have done to her! In less than a year even!”

I was still wiping my eyes and grinned back at her. “Hey, I can’t take all the credit,” I replied, “the beast was always there, lying dormant—I just helped coax it out of her.”

Chapter 3: Getting Real

I was able to escape the Sinclair clutches after dinner and made it home in record time. It was dark when I got there and Travis was waiting for me at the door with his insanely happy expression and body shake. We enjoyed a Bro moment and then I fed him his dinner and went through my emails. I received a quote for the rock crusher that included delivery to Randy’s wrecking yard and paid the invoice to set the ball rolling. I also ordered a ball mill that Gil recommended. For the sluice box, I downloaded the CAD for a custom-built unit that I fancied. I just needed to collect the material and weld it up.

Trinity had left her Damascus blank and drawing behind so I took it to the shop and transferred the image onto the steel with a piece of blue transfer paper. I redrew the lines with chalk and cut it out as carefully as I could with my plasma cutter. After grinding it smooth, I was pretty impressed with how it turned out. It was going to be a heavy weapon to be certain, especially if she was going to construct the sheath and handle from ebony. I was tempted to begin shaping the edge but it was her project and I didn’t want to overstep. So, I let it cool down and put it in the truck console for when I returned to town.

Suzy texted me as I was eating a quick snack before crashing.

Hey Carter, I hope I didn’t wake you; she wrote. I just wanted to let you know that all your furniture and furnishings have been ordered. I expect them to begin arriving here in 2-3 days. I contacted Randy as you requested, and he will pick it up and deliver it this weekend. Then we can get busy making your house a perfect retreat. I’m so happy you are letting me do this for you. It means a lot. Take care.

She ended with a red heart icon.

I looked around the empty room and tried to imagine the transformation she envisioned. The next day, I needed to begin purchasing the treated lumber and posts, for the deck frame. I pulled out Jenny’s drawing and measurements and began compiling a bill of materials to shop for. After writing out my list I retired to the bedroom and found the California King particularly empty. Travis decided to sleep in front of the gas furnace so I found myself lying awake in the dark and thinking about Sam. She had told me to remember Bianca and I assumed that was a clue as to how she planned to elude her pursuers. Hondo’s granddaughter had managed to travel incognito across half of Europe and into the US by using multiple travel papers and different transportation modes. But I had Sam to help me find her in time to save her from the contract Killer, who was sent to take her out. How do you track down a hacker who didn’t want to be found?

---

Rachel looked twice as miserable yet nowhere closer to labor when I returned the following morning. I brought Travis with me and he found her lying back in my usual recliner under several blankets. Kevin indicated that she was no longer able to climb the stairs on her own and chose to sleep in the recliner the last night. She went through cycles of overheating—when she would toss all of her covers off—and freezing, demanding that her feet be covered and a hot water bottle be placed behind her back. She was currently in her frozen stage and appeared delighted to see her favorite pooch when he barged into the living room. For his part, Travis whined and shook excitedly as he delicately sniffed her over and rested his ginormous head on her swollen tummy. Once he was certain that his wife was comfortable for the next few minutes, Kevin gestured for me to follow him into the office.

“Trinity left a vapor trail out the door this morning,” he laughed. “Rachel was particularly waspish about only getting 6 baths yesterday and couldn’t stand the sound of our chewing in the other room, or something.”

“Let’s get her up in the tub in a bit and maybe that will put her in a better mood,” I suggested.

Kevin pursed his lips, “Hmm maybe. But not likely. She is 100% convinced that it’s a boy now because there is no way a girl would cause her this much anguish and torment.”

“Wow! What a difference a day makes,” I replied, “yesterday she was getting her hair washed and styled ... today she...”

“I can hear everything you’re saying about me, fuckers!” her voice yelled from the other room, “and it is a boy! And I’m gonna name him Carter after his asshole Godfather!”

Kevin tried not to smile too loud for fear of her hearing it, while I winced. “So, a bath is out of the question?” I called back, from a safe distance.

“Don’t be an even bigger asshole! Kevin, go start the water and then help him carry my beluga butt up the stairs!”

“Yes dear,” he replied contritely despite his grin.

Fifteen minutes later she was several degrees nicer as she savored the heated buoyancy of her tub.

“I wanted to show you a couple of places I discovered, while I was house hunting with Trin last night,” Kevin stated after we returned to the office. “I was wondering how you felt about another investment idea I have.”

Kevin handled all of my finances and managed several lucrative investment portfolios in my name, protecting my money from the evils of taxation and such. I shrugged as I typically did whenever he started talking about investments, venture capital, bonds, annuities, etc. “What kind of investment?”

He had printed several listings for apartments and townhouses and laid them on the desk before me. “She could rent a place easily enough but since you had me start that trust fund for her, I wondered if it might be more prudent to just purchase her a place like a condominium apartment or something.”

I saw the sheet in his hand that he was holding back and nodded toward it, “Why don’t you just lead with what’s really on your mind?” I suggested.

He grinned sheepishly and handed me the listing for a duplex townhouse that was just recently built. It looked like one of the units was occupied.

“Is it for sale or rent?” I asked.

“Well, both technically,” he replied. “The entire unit is for sale, but it is a rental property. If you bought the unit, Trin could live in the empty one while you collect rent from the tenants next door. If you mortgage it the rental income would pay the mortgage fee for you.”

“Or if I bought it outright and gave it to her, she would have a steady monthly income from it,” I replied.

He nodded. “That is a hell of a birthday present, but I support your idea fully. In fact, I have already anticipated that you would probably lean that way and hired a friend to inspect it for us.”

“Can I afford it?” I asked. I did just purchase a double-wide manufactured home last month and I had no clue just where I stood financially. I figured Kevin wouldn’t have suggested it if I were not able to do it.

“Easily,” he replied without looking up from his computer. “That reminds me ... I pulled us out of our entire BitCoin holding after we tripled our money. I have been concerned by all the regulatory kerfuffle getting bandied around with Congress. So, I wanted to get out before the mass exodus, if it occurs.”

I shrugged. Tripling an investment sounded like a pretty solid win to me. “So, we made out, okay?”

He paused what he was doing and picked up a remote control to turn on a flat screen on the wall beside his desk. He pressed another button and it displayed his computer screen. He began by opening a folder and selecting a spreadsheet. My head already started throbbing as I anticipated another presentation on stocks, investments, and portfolio performance. He regarded me with a smirk and double-clicked on a small box that produced a graph. “Don’t worry Einstein, I dummied it down for you.”

Oh good. I leaned forward and noted that four different colored lines started at the bottom of the left side and climbed jaggedly toward the right top corner. He moved the mouse over each of the colors and text blocks appeared.

“We have treasuries and bonds, metals and gold, real estate and venture capital, and stocks which include options, stocks, REITs, and IPOs.” And this was dummied down? I crossed my eyes at him. “See how all the lines are going up?” he blew out exasperated.

I nodded. “Going up, yep, that’s good...”

He rolled his eyes. “Indeed. I liquidated most of that ‘gift’ bag you brought back from ... wherever, and invested it equally among all the portfolios here. I also took the capital proceeds from liquidating your BitCoin holdings and similarly dispersed it, putting aside a portion to cover long and short-term capital gains taxes.” The ‘gift’ he referred to was what Bianca gave me after I took care of the crime family that wanted to end her so badly. It was a black bag full of cash, gold coins, bearer bonds, and diamonds worth over two million dollars. I nodded when it felt appropriate to do so and made a few affirmative hums and hahs. “Now this does not reflect any of your quarterly dividend revenue because, so long as it is reinvested under specific rules it can be left untaxed until you sell ... sort of like Roth versus traditional IRAs,” he continued but I quit listening sometime after the word ‘liquidated’.

My phone buzzed and I jumped for it excitedly while Kevin frowned. It was Rachel.

“Come and get me out of this tub before I shrivel up!” she ordered.

“Yes Ma’am,” I replied, jumping to my feet, “Kevin was just going over money stuff,” I glanced briefly at his astonished face and he rose, “ ... and things. Be right there!”

“You are so whipped!” he grumbled as he moved around the desk to join me.

“You married her,” I retorted, just glad to be done with the money lecture. “So those graph thingies are gonna be enough to buy that Duplex? How much was it anyways?”

“Seriously dude,” he growled. “What are you gonna do when I keel over and die?”

“CPR, I suppose.”

Ten minutes later we had her out of the tub, dried off, and tucked into their bed for a nap.

“I need to go grab some treated lumber for my deck,” I said after we returned to the kitchen. “Do you think you will be okay for a couple of hours? Trin will be getting out of class early but she got this maniacal gleam in her eye when I handed her that Damascus blank this morning. So, I expect she will be heading over to that old boyfriend of hers to work on her knife.”

Kevin just shook his head. “You know, we were doing just fine without y’all,” He opened the fridge and pointed to the interior. “Do you have any idea how much that girl can eat?”

“Do you have any idea how difficult she gets, when she doesn’t eat?” I replied smiling sublimely.

“Touche,” he grunted. “You gonna take your dog or do I have to feed him too?”

As if on cue Travis came sauntering down the steps followed by the largest cat in three counties, their Maine Coon, Charlotte. Travis stretched at the bottom of the stairs and his feline BFF mimicked his move.

“I just need to get my truck loaded up and I’ll be back, in an hour or so.” I grabbed my keys. “You need me to pick anything up beside a load of groceries?”

He bent down to keep the cat from bolting out the front door as we left. “Just make sure you grab another gallon or three of milk!”

---

I was only gone an hour and a half. Loading the lumber took the longest and shopping for Trinity and a pregnant woman didn’t sound so hard. Milk, bread, frozen dinners, and ice cream. Just to be sure I covered every flavor they had. The dune buggy was still missing from their parking lot so I figured I would have a longer shift this time. Rachel was back downstairs and reclining in ‘my’ chair. Kevin came out and helped me unload the groceries. We had the bags all laid out on the table when my phone rang with another unlisted number. Kevin regarded me with a frown when I placed it on the table and answered it.

“Hey Sam, I’m at Kevin and Rachel’s, you are on speaker. How are you doing?”

“Better now,” her voice was broken up and staticky, with a loud droning noise in the background. “I think I lost them good, this time,” she giggled.

“Um, where are you, and what is all the noise?” I asked. Kevin gave me a ‘look’ as he regarded a dozen containers of ice cream that he pulled from a bag. Rachel waddled past me and picked up a couple, scrutinizing the labels.

“I’m in an airplane and I’m about to blow across your border,” she replied.

“What kind of plane?” Rachel asked as she grabbed herself a spoon and began testing several containers.

“Is that Rachel?”

“Mmmhmm. Oh, this is yummy,” she mumbled as she took a half pint of Cherry Garcia and wandered around to the other side of the table. She patted my arm as she passed me. “Good boy.”

“It’s a Cessna something... 150, I think. 2-seater. I wasn’t being very selective when I stole it.”

I dropped a slab of bacon on the floor. “You stole a Cessna? You can fly a Cessna?”

“Can’t you?” she replied, “And how else can I cross the border without a lot of fuss? They are watching every crossing for me, I’m sure.”

“But ... what ... about, how did you learn to fly?” I had so many thoughts in my head right then.

“I got a (or had a) flight simulator program,” she replied confidently, “I’m rated up to a 737. A Cessna is way easier by the way.”

My mouth dropped open and I gazed at Kevin’s expression which probably matched mine.

“So, you’ve never actually flown a plane?” he asked incredulously.

“That must be Kevin,” she said cheerfully. “Congratulations by the way! And just for the record taking off was almost exactly like the simulator ... except for all the bumps and yawing.”

I placed my face in my hands and groaned. “Wha ... Sam ... how are you going to land that thing?”

“How hard can it be?” she replied flippantly. “Not any time soon though I hope ... not a piece of land in sight at the moment.”

“Where the fuck are you right now? Where did you steal the plane?” I blurted.

“My bike broke down in London ... that’s Middlesex Ontario for you Yanks. And I am currently flying over Lake Erie, I suppose.”

I drew a blank as I tried to picture the geography in my head.

“So, you are headed for Cleveland?” Rachel mumbled with a mouth full of ice cream.

“Not sure yet, hopefully. I think I see America down there ahead of me.”

“Oh man, there is this restaurant not a block away from House of Blues called Mabel’s! Sister I am telling you they have the best Barbeque on the Planet!” I gaped at Rachel as she licked her spoon with a dreamy look in her eye. Then she started snapping her fingers at Kevin as he was trying to pack the last container into the fridge. He looked at her exasperated as she tossed him the Cherry Garcia while pointing at the peanut butter something in his hand.

“That’s good to know,” Sam’s voice sounded from my phone, “I’ll try to keep that in mind once I get back down to said planet.”

“Sam!” I interrupted. “What are you planning to do next? Are you coming this way?”

“First, I’m gonna chuck this overpriced, piece of crap Satellite phone out the window when I hang up, and then I’m gonna try and find this little airfield I marked on my map. I will contact you again as soon as I can. But don’t hold your breath. I’m not about to underestimate this punk-ass who caught me.”

“Sam please be careful,” I pleaded. “And let me know when and how I can help.”

“He’s really good at killing things!” Rachel sounded off with another mouthful.

“Ah, how sweet. Ciao!” The line went dead.

I grabbed my phone and pulled up the map app to figure out where she was and how far she still had to go.

“Well, that was lively,” Rachel said with a healthy belch. Travis was helping her clean the spoon she had used. She put the lid back on the ice cream and waddled over to the freezer to find room for it. “At least she is headed in the right direction.”

“Yeah, but how long before you think she can get to us?” Killing things was a lot less stressful than trying to figure this shit out.

She yawned and grabbed her husband for a kiss. “I doubt she will head straight here,” she replied as she slowly made her way back to the living room. “If she’s half as clever as Bianca was, she will try to lead her pursuers in the opposite direction for a while.”

Again, not helpful.

---

Trinity finally made it home as it was getting dark. She was even dirtier than the last time but energetic enough to make all the required greetings, hugs, pats, and scratches before racing upstairs to shower and change. Only then did she approach Rachel and join her in my recliner for a few moments of love and kisses. “God mamma you get bigger every time I see you!” she breathed as she ran her hand across the baby belly. “He’s gonna be a linebacker for sure.”

“It feels like he’s already in training,” Rachel replied tiredly. “What kept you so long?”

Trinity’s eyes lit up and she carefully climbed off the recliner to grab her ratty canvas backpack. “I’ll show you!” She removed the oilcloth wrapped tanto blank and unwrapped it. The transformation was amazing. It looked complete and gleamed iridescently in the subdued lighting. She handed it to Rachel who took it and traced her fingers along the blade.

“Wow, it’s so wavy and pretty!” She was truly engrossed with the layered lines as she turned it about in the light. “Is it sharp enough to cut this thing out of me?”

Trinity snatched it from her grasp. “Don’t be silly,” she replied as she handed it to me. “I haven’t even put the edge on it yet ... but it will be.” She pulled out a long, black oval-shaped rod and handed it to her instead. “This is going to be the scabbard and grip,” she replied. “Evan is going to cut it here and then split the long part in half, like so.” She traced invisible lines on the gleaming wood. “Then I’m gonna use a tiny router to carve out each side to fit the blade in and then glue it back together ... see?” She beamed at Rachel’s lost expression. “And then I’m gonna do the same for the grip, and Evan said we can put this brass nut thing right where they join so that it locks the blade in unless you twist here ... hey, Mama you okay?” I looked up from the flawless Damascus blade and saw Rachel’s distant troubled expression.

The color had drained from her face and she looked as if she had just seen a ghost.

“Uh, Kev?” I said uncertainly as I rose to my feet. Trinity took the piece of ebony from her weak grip and stepped back. Kevin looked up from his tablet and frowned. Then his expression went pale as well.

“Honey?” he asked worriedly as he stepped up and dropped the tablet onto the floor. Even Travis noticed the change and rose to his feet excitedly. “Are you okay?”

She remained silent as her face became more and more expressive. “Ohh!” was all she managed to say as she moved her feet and tried to sit up. All three of us rushed her and managed to get the leg of the recliner folded back so her feet came to the ground.

“What is it?” I asked near panic. Trinity backed away from the chair while Kevin knelt before his wife worriedly.

“Rach, are you okay baby? Is something wrong?” he asked as he held her hand. “Are you having contractions again?”

“Ohh!” she gasped again and then focused on his face. “My ... um. My water just broke, honey!” she stammered, “and I’m sitting in a ... ew!” her face grimaced as she tried to pull herself forward.

He grabbed her arm to support her.

“Her water what?” I exclaimed nervously. “Is she having the baby? Should she be getting up right now?” My questions came out as fast as I thought them.

“I’ll get some towels!” Trinity cried out and raced up the stairs.

Travis barked.

“Would you all shut up?” Rachel yelled, “Help me get up!”

Kevin and I each took an arm and lifted her out of the recliner and onto her feet. I saw the dark wet stain that covered the entire seat and part of the back. “You peed in my recliner?” I gasped.

She snarled at me and jerked her hand out of my grip. “I didn’t pee!” she snapped. “And it’s not ‘your’ recliner — it’s not even pee you idiot!”

That was a preview of Spyder's Web. To read the rest purchase the book.

Add «Spyder's Web» to Cart