B.B.U.S.A. (Buying Back the United States of America)

by Lessil Richards

  “Did Sarah tell you about Florin and your business and that they are coming for you tomorrow? Oh Leo, I’m so sorry about Natasha.”

  “I know. I am so sorry that all this SHIT happened to all of us. Enough! Get packing and quit talking. Don’t worry about Doug and me, we’re big boys. Tomorrow this all ends on my terms. My location, my way! By the end of tomorrow the threat will be eliminated. Never again will they threaten my family and friends.”

  “Stop it. You are sounding somewhat deranged. I don’t like this line of talk. I’ll say some protection prayers for all of us.”

  “Prayers are fine, but you don’t have time now. Say them once you are in the air. Give my love to my family and tell Traykie I said for him to go into protection mode and be vigilant and alert to any and all danger. Go now, love you.”

  “I will, please be careful. You are so dear to all of us and there is no point coming home if you aren’t going to be there.”

  “I will, Mom; now get to work.”

  Leo hung up the receiver before Joyce could respond and moved to the couch under the bay windows.

  Doug followed him and sat in the big blue chair opposite the sofa. “What’s up?”

  “The whole world has just turned upside down. Shit. They killed our office manager, and burned down our business. They bombed Mom’s business and tried to kill my family all the way in Africa.”

  “How do you know all this?” he asked; his face deadly serious.

  “These guys aren’t playing any more. Do you remember Florin? He was the Romanian guy that lived with us for about a year?”

  “Yes, he used to go paint gunning with us all the time. What about him?”

  “He apparently has been working for the B.B.U.S.A. He called Mom to warn her that a man had been sent to blow them up. Furthermore, he told them to warn us that five men will be coming to kill us here in Challis tomorrow. He is one of them but does not agree with what they are doing and is on our side.”

  “Can we trust him?”

  “I believe so. Funny, when Mom told the Job Corps Center Director that she wanted Florin to live with us he said the same thing. He asked her if she could trust him with her life, because when you take someone into your house to live with you when you are sleeping, that is exactly what you are doing, trusting them with your life. We both decided then and there that we could trust Florin with our lives, I guess we’ve been doing that from the first night he stayed at our house, and here we are, doing it again. While he lived with us, his word was always good as gold. If he wasn’t on our side, I don’t think he would have bothered to call us at all. That had to be a risk to him as well.”

  “So, what do we do about the guys coming tomorrow?”

  “I’m not sure, you ready for a little war?”

  “How in the hell did you get me into this mess?”

  “What’s the matter, are you a little green? Has it been that long since your Army Airborne days in Desert Storm, or Operation Iraqi Freedom and your other tours to Iraq and Afghanistan? You’re supposed to be the warrior. I’m just a business man.”

  “Hey, don’t knock it, man. You know I saw a lot of corpses on that highway leading back to Iraq, but I never had to pull the trigger once. I was not responsible for one death during my ten-month tour in Desert Storm. In subsequent tours, I manned the 60 mm on the Humvees a couple of times in active combat, but didn’t go inspecting the damages. I served my country proudly, followed orders, and did my tours with honor and respect for the people living there.

  “I’m not entirely sure you know what we are in for. I listened to your headstrong determination on the phone. You used powerful words and I know you are pissed off right now, but what you are proposing is a little war of our own. I know you didn’t ask for it, but you seem too damn eager to accept it. I really suggest you think this one over a bit, bro. Either way buddy, I’ve got your back, and you know that. Just don’t knock my tours of duty because I’ve seen shit no one should ever have to see. This won’t be like paint gunning either. If the shit hits the fan on this one there will be corpses lying on the ground. Even if we survive unscathed, how do you think it will affect you in the future?”

  Silence…

  Finally, Leo spoke. “Sorry, Doug. Please don’t take my light-hearted sense of humor so personal. I certainly wasn’t dissing your tours. I’m extremely proud of you and your military career and what a true patriot you are. Your country owes you a large debt of gratitude. I was trying to add a little humor and I’m sorry if it offended you.

  “I feel overwhelmed knowing that Natasha has been murdered, my business burned to the ground and my family narrowly escaped an assassination attempt. My Mom’s business is devastated, and the organization is still coming after us tomorrow whether we like it or not, intent on killing us. I feel responsible for it all.”

  “How do you figure?”

  “I’m sure Natasha was at the office making the copies of the files that I requested when she was murdered. They must have found out our location from her, too. Damn it. She didn’t have anything to do with this organization. She didn’t know a thing! Why did they have to kill her?” Leo put his hands over his face and let out a guttural howl of despair. “Why did I ever get involved with the B.B.U.S.A.? Dang it. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. I knew better.”

  Doug sat down next to his friend and tried to comfort him by patting him on the shoulder. “I’ll be ready for whatever happens tomorrow. You can count on me all the way.”

  “I know I can, buddy. Thanks, it’s extremely comforting. You really are a remarkable friend, you know? Instead of wanting to kick my ass for getting you involved in all of this crap, you’re over here trying to comfort me. Because of my wanting to make some quick bucks, we have practically lost everything, including human life. How are my sons coping? Will they be scarred and traumatized for years after that bombing, perhaps even have flashbacks? What would you have me do, Doug? Run away, continue looking over my shoulder? Don’t you see, I am pissed, and I can’t live like this forever. I really don’t see any other options. We have to take a stand, once and for all, end this thing, don’t you agree?”

  Doug considered Leo’s words and slowly nodded. “Let’s plan this thing right then. With five men coming, we are outnumbered. We will need a superior strategy. Most battles are won with good intelligence, better weaponry, advantageous position, and an element of surprise. Let’s start formulating a winning plan.”

  There wasn’t time to mourn; that would have to come later. Leo forced himself off the couch and walked back to the phone, picked up the receiver and dialed his home number.

  “Who are you calling, 911?” Doug tried a half-hearted attempt at humor.

  “No, I’m calling my home to see if David is still house-sitting and alive.”

  David answered the phone on the third ring. “David, this is Leo, are you all right?”

  “Yeah, I’m okay now.”

  “What do you mean by ‘now?’” asked Leo.

  “Some dudes broke into the house a couple of nights ago and beat me up, but I’m all right now.”

  “Oh David, I’m so sorry. This mess has gotten out of hand.”

  “I just watched the late edition of the news and it looked like your office just burned down earlier this evening.”

  “Yes, I know already. Listen up; these guys have killed two more innocent people. You may be next on their list. Go to our closet in the master bedroom by the gun safe. There is a file next to the safe. Grab all the files in the two lower drawers, grab a couple of guns, load them, and jump into my Bravada. The keys should be hanging on the key ring in the kitchen.”

  “What about the cat?”

  “Just leave Bart in the house with a couple of big bowls of water and dry cat food. Leave the lid up on the toilets; he’ll manage for a few days. Take off as soon as you can. Meet me at the old stone cabin as quickly as possible. You know what I’m talking about? The one you
’ve wanted to rebuild forever.”

  “Oh yes! I know exactly.”

  “Do it all as fast as possible. I am sure this line is tapped, so they can hear our plans. I reckon you will have less than thirty minutes to get out. Take the scenic route.”

  “Let me get a pen. You know me, I have to write all this down or I’ll forget something important.”

  Leo paced the floor for the few paces the phone line would let him move. His frustration was reaching enormous levels while he waited for David to get a pen and paper, even though he did realize that with David, it was necessary. David had Attention Deficit Disorder and had learned to live with it by being careful. Everything was too important for him to get something wrong at this point.

  “I’m ready now,” David’s voice came through the line loud and strong.

  “One, put food and water out for Bart, and leave him inside and leave the toilet lids up. Two, get all files in the lower drawers of the file cabinet next to the gun safe.” Leo needed to be accurate and quick but paced himself so David could keep up. “Three, bring some guns and ammunition. Four, get keys for Bravada from the kitchen and get out fast. Did you get everything, David?”

  “Yes, got it.”

  “I doubt if you even have thirty minutes left now. If you are caught, you’re probably dead and we don’t have a chance in hell of ever breaking that code. What you don’t have we’ll get – don’t waste time packing clothes. Get the guns, files, put food out for Bart and get out of there. Okay?”

  “I’m on my way,” David hung up the phone with a loud clang before Leo could even say goodbye.

  “I suppose you already have a plan?” Doug asked.

  “Well, just the start of one, Doug. We’ll meet David at the old stone cabin in Custer tomorrow, shortly after sunrise. He will have the files, so we’ll hopefully be able to break the password. David will be removed from the greatest danger, and if they find us it will be on our turf. Custer was the only place I could think of that David would know about, without saying it out loud so everyone listening would know as well. When he worked one summer at the Custer Museum up Yankee Fork, he always wanted to rebuild the old stone cabin that Old Lady Lou lived in, but could never get permission without extensive historical research. As a stone mason, he felt there was enough left he could just rebuild it like it was, but they wouldn’t let him. No one should be around this late in the season; they usually close after Labor Day.”

  “We’ll take them in our old hunting grounds,” Leo continued. “Their pistols will be pretty ineffective up there. You have your .30-06 with a scope; I still have two rifles here at Grandmas and your shotgun and pistol you sold me. I have an old .30-30 here and Traykie’s semi-auto .22 with a scope that holds a banana clip with thirty rounds. We used it for target practice the last time we came up to check on Grandma and then forgot it here. If they ever find us, I don’t think that they will stand much of a chance against our fire power. If they don’t show, we will hopefully break the password and be able to have the necessary evidence to go to the press and the authorities and blow it all up over the media where they cannot touch us. What do you think?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Let’s get the guns ready, and everything we need and get out of here. Too bad we can’t get into a gun store tonight. You never know, these guys could show up with their own little arsenal of weapons. What if they bust out MAC-10’s or even worse, AR-15’s? A couple of hunting rifles wouldn’t stand a chance.” Doug was ready for action, but still wanted to discuss strategies and explore different scenarios.

  “You bring up valid concerns, my friend, yet I don’t know logically what we could do differently this late at night to prepare for better weaponry. I can tell you the only weapons I saw on the coast were 9mm side arms. I’d bet they show up here expecting to bust in the front door of my grandmother’s house and take us out with silencers. I truly would be surprised if they had anything bigger than hand guns. Why don’t you see to the guns and what grub you can find and I’ll grab sleeping bags and a tent from Grandma’s attic. Once we’re packed and on the road I’ll pull over out of sight and we can catch a few Z’s in the truck. It will take David at least five hours depending on which scenic route he picks.”

  “I hope to hell you are right on that assumption, but even that word ‘assume’ can be broken down to make an ‘ass’ out of ‘u’ and ‘me.’ I guess we’d have the height advantage on the side of the mountain and thick stone walls that even AR-15’s won’t penetrate. We’d also have the surprise factor too. This might work. Okay, I’ll get on it.”

  Leo realized they had crossed the line now and were preparing for real, possibly lethal, action.

  Chapter 34

  Joyce, Sarah, and the boys, with the help of the remaining staff, boarded up and secured J.J.’s Restaurant within an hour and a half. The boarders that were on the premises were moved and set up at a nearby hotel. Other boarders were contacted at work. Within two hours everyone had been accounted for, moved, and money refunded or awaiting them at their new hotel. The representative from the insurance company arrived to officially record the damage. Two police detectives stayed the entire time. One went with Joyce to the bank and to the small airport as she had to withdraw funds for employee salaries and the necessary refunds. She managed to charter a small plane that would fly the family to Windhoek where they could hook up with international flights in order to leave the country.

  At the insurance company’s request, two loyal employees moved into one of the now vacant apartments to keep an eye on the premises. The company agreed to pay their salaries as groundskeepers until the claim was fully settled, and they also wrote Joyce out a check for fifty thousand rand to take care of her expenses and lodging. By midafternoon Joyce, Sarah, and the boys were in a small Cessna aircraft flying over some extraordinary terrain on their way to the capital city where they would make further arrangements to depart the country.

  Joyce had packed up her most prized possessions into a small carry-on case. She always spent her extra money on fine jewelry. She knew she was wearing jewelry that far exceeded the amount of valuables permitted to leave the country, but did not care, as she didn’t expect to ever return. She had Sarah decked out in expensive jewelry pieces too. Joyce withdrew the most money allowable and had it converted into traveler’s checks, and left the remaining thirty-five thousand in her savings account.

  If she never returned she would instruct Ursula to retrieve the money, as her name was also on the account. She figured that Ursula could divide fifteen thousand among the employees and keep the other twenty thousand for herself. It would pay for her doctor bills and give her some money to survive on until she was once again gainfully employed. Joyce told the insurance representative that she would be in contact to have a settlement check sent to her and that as far as she was concerned they could keep the buildings and the land.

  At that point she did not want to have anything further to do with J.J.’s. After all, how could she go back and re-establish a thriving business in a small community when a man had just died there kicking a hand grenade around in the dining room. The other eighteen injured would not be likely to return either. She was convinced that her days of running a business in Swakopmund had just come to a screeching halt.

  Joyce was an optimist. She believed in what the Baha’i religion called “radiant acquiescence.” Undoubtedly it was for the best anyway. She wasn’t getting any younger, and in that decisive moment, she realized how precious time really was. She knew she wanted to spend her remaining time near her family. She wanted to be close to her grandsons and be a bigger part of their lives. She felt compelled to be closer to keep an eye on her mother as well. It could have all been over in one moment. She knew now what was most important to her. She loved Africa and she enjoyed the people. It would forever pulse in her veins, but it was time to go home. Traykie was nearly full grown already. Soon Chris, too, would be looking directly in her eyes. Perhaps the entire event was just a blessing i
n disguise. She had enough money in jewelry that she would not be a burden on society, with or without any insurance settlement check.

  Frankly, money was no longer important. Living was important. She worried about Leo and Doug. She could not remember when last she heard him use such vulgarity, if ever. He was such a stubborn boy growing up. Now she preferred to call it strong-willed. She hoped that he would not do anything foolish. Something clearly had to be done, but would he think it through and not just act angrily and bull-headed? They couldn’t all be on the run for the rest of their lives, but she would certainly have felt better about the whole thing if Sarah and Leo and she could have sat down and discussed it. Perhaps together they could have come up with a workable plan that didn’t involve cowboy heroics.

  She looked over at Sarah in the seat across from her and wondered what she was thinking. She was probably equally concerned about Leo and their own safety. Traykie was staring out the window, taking in the landscape from the aerial view. Perhaps he would see some animals, which might take his mind away from the grim thoughts they were all most likely sharing. In the little plane, all four passenger seats were window seats, so Chris seemed happy. Joyce peered over the back of the seat in front of her to see how he was doing. He was curled up in a little ball and fast asleep. She let out a little sigh and was actually glad, as she didn’t think she nor Sarah had the energy to deal with him at the moment. Hopefully, everything would be back to normal by the time they returned to Boise.

  The two men raided Leo’s grandmother’s cupboards for food and utensils. Leo was glad she was a bit of a hoarder and not one to ever have empty cupboards. They loaded up the truck with guns, grub, and camping materials for three and left a message taped to the front door that read: “Dear Grandma, sorry we missed you. We will be camping at Custer for a few days. Hope to see you soon. Love, Leo and Doug.” He wanted the B.B.U.S.A. to follow them to their own turf, but wanted to do it in such a way that no one would get suspicious that they had been tipped off by Florin.