As they approached the table where Jewel and Joseph sat, the recently married couple stood to greet them. Benny introduced them to Fiona and Cookie and he could see after they were all seated that Cookie thought Joseph was a good man, one who would fit right in with their crowd. He was good people.
“Well, I ordered wine for the ladies and beers for the guys,” Joseph announced just as waiter began to deposit said drinks down. “Let’s get this party started right. I want to toast the winner of The Cook Off, and to new friends.”
Benny nodded and accepted the congratulations and repeated the words Joseph had just muttered, “To new friends.” It was still unreal to him that he actually won the grand prize. Even when the confetti rained down upon him after the big reveal, he hadn’t quite believed it. Cathy had graciously taken the second place prize and wished him well. He hugged the slightly older woman and congratulated her on her second place win and overcoming her stomach bug, or whatever had hampered her judgment and cost her the win. He had sampled her cake, and felt she easily could have beat him with her recipe had she not burnt those edges causing the flavor to be subtly affected.
He’d invited her to come out and celebrate with them that evening, but she had declined saying that she and her husband wanted to rest up before their flight the next day. They were anxious to get home to their son, Matty. He got that. Heck, he missed his three little ones, and was anxious to see them on Sunday.
Since he won, he now had a day in New York, first filming with Good Morning America, and then a day of sightseeing if he wanted it. The casino had given them a limo for the day. They would return in the evening. Have one last night at the hotel, and then take their aunt’s borrowed SUV back to her in Massachusetts with their guests in tow to celebrate with the family on Thursday. Cam and Cord would be in town by Tuesday and they would have a few days together before everyone headed out on Friday back to their respective homes.
It was truly a whirlwind, but he was relieved to have most of the working part of this vacation done with. The rest could be spent enjoying family and friends.
* * *
The meal was winding down and The Oyster Bar was just about to close. The managers knew Joseph and Jewel well so they allowed their crew to clean up while the group of six enjoyed the last of their wine. They decided to stay and enjoy one another’s company instead of checking out the other casino though Jessyka really felt like playing a little.
“It’s better to keep it in your own pocket,” Cookie teased her.
“I agree with Cookie. Just think of all you are going to be able to do with the farmhouse back home. I am so thrilled for you,” Fiona added.
Joseph interrupted. “Your nicknames have me perplexed. When Jewel introduced me to Kason, she introduced him as Kason, but everyone calls him Benny. And, I’m curious as to how you got those names. s as to how a grown man, a Navy SEAL nonetheless, gets a nickname like Cookie.”
He smiled, and Cookie returned the laughter he heard around the table. “Well, I’ll tell you how I got mine, but Benny’s nickname is one of the best kept secrets the military has, so you’ll have to ask him about that.”
“You don’t know?” asked Jewel, curious herself.
“Oh, I know, but Benny has vowed us all to secrecy,” Cookie informed her with all seriousness.
Jewel’s eyes widened. “What about his wife? She doesn’t know.”
Jessyka was shaking her head. “Nope, not even me. He swears it’s nothing important, just embarrassing, but the guys wont spill, and believe me all of us ladies have tried in one way or another to get them to talk.”
“Well, if the men aren’t spilling then it must be pretty embarrassing,” Jewel stated matter-of-factly, looking quizzically across the table at her friend.
“All I can say is that sometimes we need to have our own secrets amongst the guys.” Joseph stated knowingly.
Benny nodded and winked across the table. Men knew.
“Mm, hmm, been there, done that,” Joseph replied, knowing how a man could get a nickname like that. He’d been to college and had been around the block a time or two. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure that out. He knew he had hit the mark when both Cookie and Benny’s eyes widened in surprise but in silent acknowledgment as well.
The men smiled and laughed, and then Cookie launched into his story. “Well, my name isn’t as fun as some of the others,” he glared across the table at Benny before he continued. “I was the last guy to be assigned to my team. The newbie. They had a nickname for newbies. We were called the nuggets, FNGs, or cookies. Cookie was the one that stuck.”
“Makes sense,” Joseph commented after a brief laugh. “My Uncle Steven was a Navy SEAL. He mentioned that to me before he passed.”
“I did see a picture of him when I was with your mom a few nights ago,” Benny commented. He and his buddies from Lantern Hill had served together. But it was Joseph’s uncle who passed on from cancer. “Did they have nicknames for each other?” he asked, wanting to know if this tradition had been going on awhile.
Joseph nodded. “My Uncle Steven was called Bull. Apparently he took a shot meant for Tom and other than setting him back a foot he continued forward and was able to get to a cover position during a sniper attack.”
“Wow, impressive,” Cookie muttered, meaning it. He’d been shot by a rifle once, and that was some serious pain and serious impact. The man must have been as sure footed as they came.
“And Tom’s nickname was the ferret. They wouldn’t exactly say, but he apparently had a way about getting information from people. They don’t like to talk too much to anyone but each other and they liked to keep it simple when we were kids.”
“I get that,” Jessyka replied. Benny didn’t talk much about his missions. Just the social aspect of it with the guys, the camaraderie. “But what about Chief Daniels? How did he get his nickname and what is it?”
“Now, his name was the most creative of the group. They called him Trip. They would never explain that one either.”
“Oh my God,” Cookie roared. “That is a horrible nickname for a guy in the military. It could be taken in so many ways.”
“I know. And Uncle Robbie hates it too. They call him chief now, but he and Tom once got in a huge fight over the nickname. They never did explain it, and Chief Daniels threatened to cut out my brother’s tongue once when he heard him whisper it behind his back. Apparently it used to be something cool, then it kind of started to grate on him after a while. Really, after my uncle died, they all just stopped using the nicknames.”
The group got quiet with that explanation until Jessyka lightened the mood with idle chatter. “The crew is eyeballing us. They probably want to close up, and I would like to try my luck at the slots.”
Benny shook his head. “Well, if you are determined; I think it’s best we make it quick, as we have an early day tomorrow.”
“Gosh, wouldn’t it be something if I won. I mean we’re on a roll, right. And I saw that woman who works in the lobby win 2,000 dollars this morning, so it could happen, right?”
“What woman from the lobby?” Joseph asked, interrupting her almost immediately. How had she seen an employee gambling on their facility? It was strictly prohibited.
Jessyka was taken aback by Joseph’s tone. “Oh, I don’t know who it was specifically. I just caught a glimpse of her really. I saw the scar on her face and assumed it was the same woman who works at the check in.”
“Sorry, Jessyka. I didn’t mean to snap. One of the biggest issues we have at the casino is addiction, gambling addiction, amongst the employees. We can’t stop them from gambling, but we can try to prevent it by not allowing them to gamble where they work. It serves as a deterrent for them by making them drive clear across town to go to one of the other casinos if they want to gamble. It is surprising how well that works. By the time they get in their car to head out, they change their mind and just go home.”
“Oh goodness, I hope I didn’t get the poor thing
in trouble.”
“Not at all. We’ll check into it. It’s our policy. We’ll just issue a warning and then of course offer counseling if it’s considered problematic. It’s not about punishment, it’s about taking care of our people and our employees.”
“Well, then that sounds okay.” Jessyka still felt bad. The woman seemed unhappy in the brief moment when they exchanged glances. She hoped this didn’t make life more difficult for her. Her nice little windfall might be tarnished because of her. But she also understood Joseph’s point of view. They were looking after their employees, and knew the temptation the casino being just a few feet away from your job could be to someone with an addictive personality. It’s why there were so many issues in the medical field and addiction to prescription meds. The easier the access, the greater the problem seemed to be.
“Okay, let’s call it night. I’m cutting you off after that twenty, Jess. I need my beauty sleep for my big interview tomorrow,” Benny stated to lighten the mood.
Cookie helped by adding, “If you need beauty help, I hear there is a good make-up artist we can call.” He flipped open his phone and showed everyone a picture of the make-up artist who had rushed into the staging area on the first day of The Cook Off to take care of Benny’s glow in a break in filming. It was the picture Jesssyka snapped and must have sent to someone who then sent it to the rest.
Benny groaned. “I’ll never live that one down, will I?”
Cookie snickered and looked at the picture. “Nope. It’s my screen saver for life, buddy.” He laughed as he pocketed his cell.
And everyone was laughing by the time they left the restaurant. All thoughts of any danger that still lurked were long forgotten after a night spent with good friends and good food.
CHAPTER 18
Heidi contemplated her life. She was holding on by a mere thread and thought about going to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting. She had done the whole ten steps. Well, nine of them. There had been no one left to whom she felt the need to apologize. Jessyka had never deserved that. She and her brother had given her a leg up so to speak when she was down. It was Jessyka who screwed up and owed them. She was just getting what was coming to her, but why was it so hard to make that happen.
Just days ago it seemed like the fates were on her side, and now they seemed to be back on the side of the gimp.
But not for long, she thought wryly, as she smiled to herself and crushed the small tablet with the mortar and pestle she picked up at a flea market just a few weeks ago. She hadn’t known what possessed her, and even now, knew it was not a good choice. But she was so wired, and she needed to sleep at least a few hours if tomorrow was going to go off without a hitch. Her brain just would not shut off.
It was crucial that tomorrow go perfectly. It could be her very last chance. Hell, it was her last chance. For all she knew, Benny and Jessyka and that other couple may head right for the airport after the Good Morning America interview.
She stared at the fine powder inside the bowl. Instead of reaching for it, she picked up the glass sitting next to it. She took a sip and continued to nurse the whiskey she poured an hour ago. Three drinks later, she still couldn’t rest her frazzled brain. It was near midnight and she had to get up at four to drive to New York. She had googled the studio where it was filmed. The show was taped on 44th Street and Broadway and they recommended guests arrive by 6:00 AM. That’s why she needed to leave earlier. She needed to park around the corner so she could have a view of the exit for the show’s on air guests, but didn’t want to be seen by the audience. In this day and age everyone was more alert and liked to report suspicious behavior. Her plan was to park, go have coffee somewhere, and return to her car after the studio doors opened at 7:00 AM. Then just wait—until Benny walked out. She would run him down in the street as he crossed 44th to his waiting limousine. A thrill ran through her. There was no queue allowed directly behind the guest and host exit. Even the hosts had to cross the street to be picked up or go to the parking garage which was a half a block down on the other side of the street. Either way, everyone—including Benny, had to cross 44th. It was a perfect set up.
Her brain went over the plan again and again. Benny would walk out thinking he was going home to his wife and kids, but he wasn’t going home in anything but a box. And Jessyka, the imbecile! God, that woman was dumber than dirt. She would finally know real pain. She would mourn like she had when her brother had been murdered. Killing Benny would even the score. Benny for Brian.
Jessyka’s kids would come next. Someday. She’d take care of them too, and then and only then would Jessyka know the pain of losing it all. The cunt deserved no mercy. Her kids had to go too, for Tabitha.
Fuck! She threw the glass of whiskey against the wall of her trailer. The stupid thing did not even break against the paneling, and then fell onto the old shag carpet. She realized the clear plastic glass was one she had picked up from the dollar store and only looked like glass. She couldn’t even get the satisfaction of hearing it shatter.
Ugh! Her brain just would not shut off. She looked at the drug sitting so prettily in the basin. So white, so pure. Beckoning to her and promising relief from her thoughts. She really didn’t want to. She was truly afraid of getting addicted once more. No, she didn’t want to do it, but the oxy was beckoning. It wasn’t giving her a choice. Her eyes were grainy and bloodshot from the whiskey. The oxy was three pills she had siphoned out of Chuck’s mother’s prescription bottle. She’d nabbed them when she had been over at his house a few weeks ago. It had been habit to her to check the old lady’s medicine cabinet, and that had driven her to take the three pills. Old habits died hard.
She looked away and scanned her shabby living room in disgust through her bleary and tired eyes. Fuck it! Her will collapsed, and she reached for the already tightly rolled dollar bill she put on the coffee table earlier when she was contemplating taking the drugs. She lifted up the basin that contained the fine powder. She didn’t need the lines. She just needed the relief.
Holding one end of the rolled bill to her left nostril, she stooped forward on her sofa and snorted the fine substance up her nose, not once but twice in rapid succession, inhaling long on the second time, and felt the slight sting of the chemical against the recovered lining in her septum. It was sweet, bittersweet pain, and then bliss. She knew what was coming next, and leaned back onto her frumpy and lumpy old sofa, tilted her head back on the backrest and closed her eyes. Euphoria took over. Before long the darkness enveloped her like a glove as she sank into sweet slumber.
Her last thoughts before drifting off were that Jessyka’s luck was about to run out. Benny may have won The Cook Off, but she wasn’t betting on him surviving what was coming the next day. Nope, betting on Benny was something Jessyka shouldn’t do.
Jessyka was shit out of luck.
CHAPTER 19
Wolf hung up the phone and smiled across the table at all his friends. They had congregated at their favorite hangout, Aces Bar & Grill, to watch the airing of the finale of The Cook Off. It had been filmed earlier in the day, and although Jessyka let it slip when she called that they had indeed won, they all still wanted to hang out and see it together like they had been doing all week. The whole bar was excited. Wolf kept the secret from everyone else at the bar, not wanting to ruin the surprise. All of the patrons waited with baited breath as the judges and host examined the final dessert and tasted each. Jessyka was part owner of the place and everyone loved her and was rooting for her and Benny.
When the winner was announced and as the confetti fell on an ecstatic looking Benny, the crowd erupted and there was back-slapping and tears all across the bar. When the crowd saw Jessyka run onto the stage from the audience and throw herself into Benny’s arms, the crowd was glued to the television screens mounted on the walls, and quietly watched in awe as Benny kissed his wife long and hard in front of the millions of viewers who were watching across the country.
“We need to get t-shirts made up with that r
ight on them,” Mozart hooted. “Can you imagine?”
His wife, Summer, angled her phone at the screen. “I’m on it.” She snapped several pictures hoping the high quality images from the HD screen would translate into good pictures. If not, she was sure she could find something posted on the internet that could work in a few hours. Benny and Jessyka would be back with Cookie and Fiona next week, and it would be a great surprise if she could pull this off. She’d get shirts made for all of them, including the kids, and the employees at Aces. She’d even thought of a caption for the shirt. “What’s cooking, good looking?”
Wolf tucked Caroline in under his arm and drew her closer. His group was finishing their beers, and he knew many of them would begin to wander off and head back home to relieve babysitters and such. He couldn’t wait to get Caroline home too. She was his. And even after all of this time together, he was still in awe of this woman who he was happy to claim as his own. He looked down at her as she continued to chat with Alabama who was sitting on her right. He heard her say to Alabama, “I’m so happy for them.”
“Me too, but we got to get home. I think it’s time to call it a night,” Alabama chimed in and stifled a yawn. It was getting late and four late nights practically in a row was getting to them all. Alabama and Abe had three kids and three cats at home. The kids were all preteen, all adopted, but loved just as hard, if not more, than children of their own would have been. He could tell Alabama was ready to go. Tommy, their newest adopted child, was still adjusting and Abe knew she didn’t like to be gone for too long. He reached over and kissed her on the cheek as Caroline sat back to give him room.
Special Forces: Operation Alpha: Betting on Benny (Kindle Worlds) (Mystic Nights Book 6) Page 12
