“Yep. When Demon’s done, he stashes his stuff and goes home, whether you come or not. Joanie thinks the dimensional rift he came through is somewhere around here and Demon checks it out once in a while.” Mike walked after Demon with Gail falling in at his side.
“You don’t really think he’s from another dimension… do you?”
“With Demon I don’t believe or disbelieve any theory. I’m just glad he’s around. I didn’t have much of an appetite after the fight, but I’m hungry now.”
“That makes two of us. I also brought a signed note from my Dad so I can get my two beer limit.”
Mike nodded. “Oh yeah. That’s probably the reason D cut his ball playing time down. I think he has a drinking problem.”
Demon stopped abruptly, growled, and then walked on, eliciting another bout of hilarity from his teen companions.
When the trio turned onto the street toward the Rawlins’ home Demon growled again for real. A black Mercedes parked in front of Mike’s house disgorged four men in suits. Demon looked back at Mike questioningly before speeding up his pace. Demon’s appearance on the Rawlins’ walkway between the men and the door startled the visitors.
“Hi,” Mike called out from behind them as Demon sat down blocking their way. “Can I help you?”
The men looked at Demon and back at Mike in the light from the Rawlins’ entrance way with equal annoyance. Mike could see they were all Middle Eastern in appearance, their heights ranging from just under six feet to just over six feet tall. The two in the back appeared powerfully built. The tallest man, who led the group, gestured at Demon with a dismissive wave.
“No, you cannot help me. Please remove your dog. I wish to speak with an acquaintance inside. Are you not supposed to have canines on a leash?”
Mike grinned as Gail moved up next to him with her arms crossed in that body language action he recognized signaling her displeasure. “Demon lives here as do I, Sir. I’m Mike Rawlins. Who is it you want to talk with?”
The man’s mouth tightened with a petulant arch of his eyebrows upon hearing Mike’s name. “Please have Laura Fahrenbach come out here. I wish to take her with us for a private meeting.”
Demon shook his head, issuing a low warning growl. He lay down in a hunched forward stance. The man furthest in the rear started to reach inside his jacket.
“Don’t put that hand inside your jacket, Sir!” Mike warned. He saw Demon’s body tensing. Suddenly, the situation lost all aspect of humor.
The man in the lead and the one in the rear exchanged glances. The one who had been reaching inside his suit coat dropped his hand down at his side. “Who are you to give orders when this creature threatens us?”
“He’s the one who just saved your buddy from having his hand taken off at the wrist,” Gail replied. “D knows which one of you is good or bad so be good for goodness sake.”
Mike chuckled appreciatively. “She’s right, Sir.”
“Grrumph…” Demon added for emphasis.
“Please stop interfering and bring Ms. Fahrenbach out here. I am her fiancé, Mahmoud Jamil.”
“How many are armed, D?” Mike ignored Jamil’s order.
Demon immediately angled around Jamil and the older man next to him, pointing at the two men at the rear.
“You two go have a seat in your car,” Mike said. “I’ll ask Laura if she wants to speak with Mr. Jamil.”
Mahmoud began an angry retort but the older man next to him held up his hand. “Enough of this. Do as he says.”
The older man faced Mike after the armed men left to sit in the Mercedes. “I am Mahmoud’s Father, Farris Jamil. We have traveled a long way to see, Ms. Fahrenbach.”
“I’ll go in and ask Laura,” Mike acknowledged, moving toward the front door with Gail behind him. “Stay here and keep our guests company, D.”
“Arf!” Demon sat again in the first position he had taken up when they arrived.
Chapter 13
Mike Schools Two Ex-Boyfriends
Laura met them at the door after Mike closed it behind Gail. “Where have you two been? We were thinking of sending out a-”
“There are four guys outside waiting for you,” Gail cut her off. “One’s your boyfriend Moomoo. He brought his Dad and two armed bodyguards. D sent the two armed ones packing back to their car but they want to take you somewhere for a meeting. D growled when they mentioned you going with them.”
“That ain’t happenin’,” Janis stated as everyone had drifted in around Laura while Gail explained the situation. “You go against the Demonator and I’ll bitch slap your preggo butt into next week.”
Janis’s declaration generated laughter from the group and affirmation from the two parents in attendance.
“I won’t pretend to know what this is about, Laura,” Dan said, “but that damn dog is never wrong. Besides, who comes to meet with someone they care about with armed guards?”
“I can’t just ignore them,” Laura replied. “Could I talk to them in here, Mr. Rawlins?”
“Sure. We’ll give you the living room to yourselves. I owe all these rabid teens beers before the pizza gets here. We’ll go have one in the kitchen while you talk with your guests.”
“Thank you. Can you all kind of hang by the door with it open while I see if Mahmoud and his Father will come inside to talk?”
“Mike and I will go out with you,” Dan said. “With the Demonator out there I doubt we’ll need much more backup than that, although it won’t hurt to have the crowd at the door.”
“And the film crew,” Janis added as she and Connie held up their new iPads in the air.
Dan smiled and opened the door. Mike went out first with Laura right behind him and Dan bringing up the rear. “Hi, I’m Dan Rawlins. Laura is staying at our house for the time being. If you’d like to speak with her, you and your Father can come inside to speak privately in our living room.”
“Unacceptable!” Mahmoud reached out to grab Laura’s arm only to have the business end of Demon’s growling maw arched up between him and his target. His Father pulled him away, although Mahmoud needed little encouragement to step back.
Farris Jamil held out his hand to Dan. “I am Mahmoud’s Father, Farris Jamil. Thank you for your hospitality, but we would rather take Laura to a restaurant or other more private place. We cannot intrude into your home, Mr. Rawlins.”
Dan shook the man’s hand, but shook his head in the negative. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jamil, but Demon here is our warning alarm. He’s already made it plain Laura should not go with you and your son. You won’t be intruding in the least. We’ll all be in the kitchen while you and Mahmoud speak with Laura privately in our living room, right gang?”
Dan’s backwards gesture at the door received a chorus of affirmations, making Farris Jamil cognizant of the video recording devices held up to record the scene. It was then the first signs of irritation became apparent in the older Jamil’s voice. “I did not give permission for video taking or pictures!”
“You’re on our property, Mr. Jamil. We can take movies of anyone we wish to here without your consent. We may not be able to use them for public consumption, but we can use them for evidence if something unfortunate happens.”
“Like what?” Mahmoud jutted forward, causing Laura to slip behind Mike. Demon didn’t bother to move. He was watching the car where the only armed humans were located.
“Like Demon having to escort you and your Father to the car,” Dan replied with a cautioning tone. “Believe me, you don’t want that.”
“I will not go with you, Mahmoud,” Laura stated. “Don’t make this into a confrontation. Come inside and talk to me. No one cares about our conversation. In reality, I doubt we’ll have much to talk about.”
Farris put a restraining hand on his son, nodding his head. “Very well, young lady, we will speak inside.”
“One other thing,” Laura said. “Demon will be with me too.”
“Arf!” Demon agreed as Mahmoud began an angry retort,
and the crowd at the door suppressed laughter with varying degrees of success.
“Young lady, why would you need this dog with you?”
“I’ll take that one, Mr. Jamil,” Janis spoke up before Laura could answer. “D is a canine lie detector. If he reacts any other way to the stuff you tell Laura with anything besides an ‘Arf’ she’ll know you two are lying… not that you would of course. Ain’t that right, D?”
“Arf!”
“This is outrageous!” Mahmoud gestured pleadingly at Laura. “Why are you treating me like this? You are pregnant with my child. We are engaged!”
“We are not engaged! Quit saying that. The moment you left the country after I told you about the pregnancy… oh never mind, no more discussion out here on my friends’ front sidewalk. Come inside if you want to talk.”
Farris Jamil put a restraining hand on his son’s shoulder. “Come, let us go inside and discuss this.”
After escorting Farris, Mahmoud, and Laura into their living room with Demon in attendance, Jenny Rawlins offered refreshments but was politely refused. She left them alone and went into the kitchen where a debate went on in whispered frenzy about what the Jamils were there for.
“Once a terrorist, always a terrorist,” Janis insisted. “Moomoo’s trying to kidnap her. You all heard the Demonator. He knows they’re up to no good.”
“I don’t like them at all,” Gail agreed. “It’s hard to understand what Laura saw in Moomoo. They sounded like she needed to obey them when Mike and I talked to them at first. It was if they’d come to collect her.”
“Boy, am I dry.” Stan made dry coughing noises.
Jerry immediately mimicked his friend.
“Yeah, let’s sip one,” Dan agreed going over to the refrigerator. “How long before the pizzas get here, Hon?”
“They said thirty minutes when I ordered just now. That’ll be a good time to interrupt the negotiations.” Jenny accepted a glass of wine from Dan who had already passed out the beers.
Mike took a sip from his, listening intently as the voices became louder in the living room. He knew there wasn’t any cause for concern with Demon in there, especially if no growls made it to his ears. He returned his attention to the Rawlins’ huge kitchen table. Dan had added table inserts for the celebration. Mike’s friends and family watched him with amusement.
“Thoughts, Dempsey?” Gail asked.
“Sorry… I don’t want Demon in trouble for tearing into the Jamils. We can’t stop Laura if she leaves. She knows the score. Mahmoud is the Father and I’m betting as little as he wants to actually be with Laura, Farris Jamil has other ideas.”
“She did tell him the baby’s a boy,” Janis said. “Saudis can have multiple wives. Moomoo’s sizing her up for the harem at his Father’s urging.”
Connie nodded. “If he gets her on a plane to the Kingdom, that’ll be the last we see of her. I hope she has enough sense to see how dangerous that would be.”
“It still comes down to what Mikey said,” Jerry pointed out. “We can’t have some kind of forced intervention if Laura decides to go. We’ll have to trust D to pounce on any lie they tell her. She was smart enough to take him in with her.”
“They sure rained on your celebration, Mikey,” Stan said.
“Says who?” Mike held his bottle out over the table. “Thanks for sticking with me. I’m sorry the fight got a little brutal.”
The group clinked their glasses and bottles in a toast before drinking together. It was then they heard Demon growl and voices escalating in decibels.
“I guess D let the Moomoos know he wasn’t in there for show,” Janis said, getting out her iPad. “We better go film the end of the meeting or we’ll never get any pizza.”
“Or our other beer,” Stan added.
As the group left the kitchen, Laura rushed out of the living room with tears streaming down her cheeks. The Jamils did not follow due to the Demon barrier, hackles raised, and fangs bared between them and Laura. Seeing her friends gathering outside the kitchen she hurried her last few steps to be in the midst of them. Mike didn’t wait to find out the details of her meeting with the Jamils. He jogged to Demon’s side, his hands in a calming motion to the Jamils. Both father and son seemed on the verge of hysterical anger, shouting and gesturing at Demon. Mike put a hand on Demon’s head and the dog relaxed into a sitting position.
“Thanks, D. Please, gentlemen, it doesn’t appear your meeting went very well. Leave a card with where Laura can contact you. If she wants to make contact again, she’ll know where to reach you.”
“That bitch will not…” Mahmoud began again, only to have Mike instantly an inch from his face.
“Don’t begin another sentence like that,” Mike whispered menacingly. “I won’t warn you again. You and your Father are guests in our house. If you do not wish to leave a card then just leave. This way, gentlemen.”
Mike gestured at his door in a guiding motion. He took the proffered business card handed to him by Farris Jamil, who nudged his son toward the door in tight lipped rage.
“This is not finished! We will see her in court,” Mahmoud warned, ignoring his Father’s urging to stay silent.
“Good luck with that Moomoo,” Janis called out, still filming the entire scene.
Mike escorted the Jamils to their car. One of the armed men jumped out to open the door for the older Jamil first and then his son. No one spoke. Demon padded up next to him. Mike looked down as the Jamils drove off.
“Did it get as rough in there as it sounded?”
“Arf!”
Mike knelt down in front of Demon. The dog looked at him with an eerie brightness in his eyes. “Any chance that’s the last we’ll see of them, D?”
Demon shook his head.
Mike sighed and stood up. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Let’s go get a beer. You deserve a couple tonight if you want. Will sausage pizza mess you up?”
Demon shook his head while trotting by him to the open door. Mike watched, grinning appreciatively. He knew Demon was a one of a kind blessing like nothing on earth. All problems and complications seemed smaller with Demon around. Inside the house, Stan handed him his unfinished beer. Dan had already poured for the Demon. The group was still gathered in the kitchen with Laura at the table. Mike drank his beer down, wishing he had a shot to go with it. As if reading his mind, Dan handed him a shot glass filled with amber liquid.
“Want a little extra pain killer, kid?”
Mike nodded. “Thanks. You creep me out when you read my mind, you know that, right Dad?”
“Yeah, well I already gave Stan and Jerry one without your Mom going ballistic. The girls have wisely switched to a little wine cooler which even Laura can have. We have some time before the pizza gets here. Laura was just explaining what went wrong in the meeting.”
Mike sipped his shot. “Should we go in the living room?”
“Yeah,” Dan agreed. “It won’t seem like an interrogation that way. The Demonator has already chugged his beer, so I’ll pour him another and bring his dish along.”
“Arf!” Demon led the way into the living room.
With everyone seated, Laura took a deep breath and began recapping the meeting.
“Mahmoud and his Father want me to fly back to Saudi Arabia with them. He wants to marry me now.”
“Jan already figured that line,” Jerry said. “We’re all hoping you’re smart enough not to get on a plane to Saudi Arabia with those characters.”
Laura shook her head. “No way, no how, am I going with them. They began outlining how wonderful I would have it in their homeland and D started growling. When the father heard D, he changed his tone to an appeal, urging me to think of my parents and the shame they would face. He mentioned having already discussed the situation with them and Demon didn’t growl. Would my parents just okay my being taken to Saudi Arabia?”
“Remember Laura, they don’t have the Demonator lie detector,” Jenny said. “I’m sure they want what’s best
for you. They only know how serious your relationship with Mahmoud was prior to the pregnancy. Have you told them how much you’ve changed regarding him yet?”
“No… I haven’t talked more than a couple of times with them since coming back to the Bay area,” Laura admitted. “I’ve let all of you act as a buffer zone with them regarding college. I’ll go see them in person so they don’t have any doubt about my not wanting anything to do with Mahmoud. My not wanting an abortion right from the beginning is what’s really upsetting them. They know it’s far too late for that now even if I had changed my mind, which I haven’t.”
“I think you have the best solution in mind,” Dan replied. “Making sure they know how you feel so they know the truth is the way to go. No matter how much you think this whole situation has alienated them, they’re still your Dad and Mom. Nothing changes that… ever.”
“Now that we have the Moomoo situation talked out, I want to know all the fight details,” Janis stated, turning to stare directly at Mike.
“I won, he lost, Jan.” Mike finished off his shot and took a sip of his beer. “There’s not much more to add about the outcome.”
“The end gave me goose bumps,” Connie said. “With Santana rolling around crying out in pain, I forgot what he’d done to you for a moment.”
“I’m never going to another match,” Laura stated.
“I’m never missing one after that match,” Gail retorted.
“Snap!” Janis giggled, the wine cooler obviously arousing her more playful side. “Back to you, Dempsey.”
Mike shrugged. “I’m not quitting the sport, but I need my corner crew. Whether I have an audience or not doesn’t much matter to me. I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to be at the fights.”
“I’m in, Mikey,” Stan said, holding up his beer in a salute. “That fight may have been rough, but damn, it was hell a good.”
“That goes double for me,” Jerry agreed. “I don’t want to see you on the mat like Terry though, and we all know that can happen.”
“Jerry has it right,” Dan added. “I know MMA isn’t baseball. Getting ready for the downside of it will be the hardest.”
Demon (The Mike Rawlins Series Book 1) Page 18
