The Perilous Confrontation

Crouching, Jack Steed peered around the out-of-place machinery in the abandoned garment warehouse. Decades ago, this warehouse by the docks had been the central hub of the Radant family's textile empire. Where once would've sat rows of boxes and clothes racks had now been replaced by giant vats of chemicals. The address book I found on Captain Ratchet's body has proven invaluable. The only address under the letter X is the clue I needed.

A moan from his left caused Jack to glance around quickly before he slipped over in that direction. Knowing that his suspect had a corrupt cop killed made Jack approach the old garment company offices even more cautiously. Slinking over to the dirty window, he leaned over to study the scene inside. Three men and two women were inside. The men he didn't recognize. Jack assumed them to be henchmen enjoying the dastardly work of their boss. Bastards.

A wanton redhead currently rocked back and forth over the desk with one cock in her pussy and the other in her mouth. Her pendulous breasts, large and magnificent with youth, swung wildly from the forceful thrusts. Marigold Radant. Jack knew her name and face from the society pages. The heiress to the Radant fortune, the snooty socialite would never associate with the meatheads sexually servicing her at the moment. Without a doubt, Jack knew that she'd been sprayed with the aphrodisiac that he'd personally experienced days earlier. He'd witnessed the animalistic need for orgasms from women that never acted like that before.

The third henchman sat on a rickety chair as a prim and proper blonde bounced up and down on his member. Perky, tasty-looking tits had rough hands mauling them. Phoebe Webbley. Another socialite living off the money from past generations. Jack had gone up against her father in court before and found himself feeling sympathy for the righteous prick for the first time.

Suddenly, a large, looming shadow appeared against the grimy windows. Bracing himself, Jack slowly turned around. There stood a giant of a man in Drago Drodd, the feared enforcer for The Syndicate. A colossal fist lashed out, sending Jack to meet the Sandman.

---

A piercing headache and blinding light hit Jack as he struggled back to consciousness. Blinking his eyes repeatedly, the lawyer's frazzled brain worked to ascertain his situation. A bright, white light stared down at him, while off somewhere else, blinking red, blue, and green lights worked in concert with chirps and beeps.

"I really need to hire a PI from now on," Jack groaned softly to himself. Rubbing his cheek, he attempted to lift his heavy head. "How many times have I been knocked out this week?"

"Ah, I see that you are awake, Mr. Steed."

The nasally-sounding voice came from Jack's left, causing him to tilt his head toward that direction. A man in a white lab coat stood with his head also tilted to the side as he peered down at his foe. Dr. Carlson Nova. One of the most brilliant chemists in all of Corral City and the man behind this insidious plot.

"Help him sit up, Drodd."

The huge man-beast followed the doctor's order, propping Jack up into a sitting position against a metal railing. Hurriedly, the prisoner took stock of his surroundings. The three men were on a second-story platform overlooking the chemical vats. Behind the evil doctor stood a bank of computers and monitors. At least I'm not tied up, but there isn't much room to maneuver up here. Not with Drodd taking up so much space. I need to buy time.

"What's the plan, Nova?"

"That's Dr. Nova," the fifty-ish-year-old man hissed. "Do you see, Mr. Drodd? This is the lack of respect that I've dealt with for decades. Well, that's ends now, Mr. Steed. I will no longer be overlooked. I will be glorified for what I've created!"

"Turning women into sex slaves isn't what people get remembered for in a positive light," Jack replied.

"The women are not turned into sex slaves. Their sexual needs and urges are merely heightened," Dr. Nova explained until he couldn't hold back a round of snickers. "Although my formula does replicate an animal in heat. Men will never forget my greatness!"

"Yes, I'm sure the good doctor selling his sex **** to The Syndicate will be remembered fondly."

"I'm not expecting to be a hero. I know I'll be a wealthy, powerful man with beautiful women at my feet, begging for my seed. I'll truly become the modern-day Casanova as has been my destiny since birth," Dr. Carlson Nova cackled.

"Seriously? You think because your name is similar to Casanova that makes you a great lover," Jack laughed before turning toward Drodd. "Drago, I think you better check back in with your bosses. Your new scientist is mad."

"I'm not mad!" screamed Dr. Nova. "I've had enough of you, Mr. Steed. Your little fly in my ointment act has grown stale." Then, looking over his shoulder, he bellowed, "Miss Keen!"

Jack's head turned to where he heard a sharp voice, followed by the clanging of footsteps on the catwalk. The first person to appear was his liar of a client, Mona Mouser. A lovely, shapely brunette with pleading brown eyes. Next came a surprise in Kitty Kipp, a reporter for The Daily Whistle. An athletic, dark-haired beauty with alabaster skin, Jack knew her well. Finally, at the back appeared Charm Keen, Mona's evil identical twin. The femme fatale held a revolver in her hand.

"Kitty?" Jack asked in surprise.

"Yes, you weren't the only nosy fly buzzing around my operation. I found your girlfriend breaking into my clinic," Dr. Nova revealed.

"Ex-girlfriend," Kitty clarified.

"Ah, I'm sorry, Miss Kipp. I should've realized that two headstrong individuals, such as you two, wouldn't last long. I assume both your egos took up too much space in bed," Dr. Nova joked with an evil grin.

"I think your ego dwarfs anyone else's in Corral City!" Kitty snapped. She started to move forward to slap Dr. Nova but halted as she felt the nose of the gun poke her lower back.

"Easy there, muckraker," Charm warned.

"Don't worry, Miss Kipp, I'll show you just how large my pride and joy is soon enough," Dr. Nova chuckled. "My Farussi-47 makes any woman succumb to their body's needs. You'll be begging for me to fill all your holes in minutes."

"I'll never beg for you!" Kitty vowed.

"You named your sex potion after the real Casanova's mother? You are one sick fuck, Nova," Jack commented.

"I named it after one of his aliases!" screamed the unstable doctor. "I've had enough of you. I gave you plenty of opportunities to drop your meddling and keep your life. I even gave you a taste of Farussi-47's effects," Dr. Nova remarked, glancing at both Mona and Charm. "But rather than show gratitude for my gifts, you still meddle. Well, that ends now. I'm going to give you enough to drown in!"

Jack ignored the maniacal laughter. He needed to know if he had to buy more time or not. Unfortunately, the gun in Charm's grip complicated his options greatly.

"Drodd, throw him into one of my vats."

"Do you honestly think The Syndicate won't betray you? Once they analyze your formula and decide your cut is too high, you'll be in inside one of your vats, too," Jack hurriedly said as the giant reached down to pick him up like a sack of potatoes.

"Once again, you underestimate me, Mr. Steed. I fully expect Sinclair Seraph to become my Benedict Arnold. I've added a special additive to my formula that ensures my concubines remain loyal to me."

"You hear that, Drago?" Steed whispered from his position on the enforcer's shoulder. "The doctor plans to betray your boss."

"What are you whispering?" Dr. Nova demanded. He didn't like the way the lumbering brute slowed his approach to the edge of the railing.

"Ahh!" Charm cried as she tumbled to the floor of the control platform. Another painful shriek came from the villainess as a heel slammed down onto the back of her hand, releasing its grip on the firearm.

A dainty hand belonging to a petite blonde picked it up. A heeled-foot delivered a blow to the vamp's head, knocking her cold.

"Hold it right there, Frankenstein," Pixie Wing ordered.

"Your damn cursed secretary! Don't listen to her; throw him in, you idiot!" Dr. Nova screeched. "This, I command!"

Drago Drodd followed the order. Only inside of throwing Jack Steed down into the chemical vat, the brute threw the lawyer across at the doctor. The impact sent both men into an electronic monitor, causing it to short-circuit and spark.

"No, no, no!" Dr. Nova screeched as he rolled onto his side and saw the bank of computers malfunction. "The temperature controls!"

"Pixie, get Kitty and Mona out of here!" Jack yelled as he slowly pushed himself off the floor of the platform.

"I'm on it, boss! Come on, girls," the perky secretary told the two.

"Wait, I can't leave my sister, no matter what she's done," Mona stated, reaching down to pull up Charm.

"You've ruined everything!" Dr. Nova screamed as he grabbed a flask of chemicals and whipped it across the platform at Drodd.

"Aargh!" the giant screamed as the glass vial struck the side of his head, shattering and spilling its contents. Dropping to one knee, Drodd howled in agony.

The man's pain drew Jack's attention only for him to realize his mistake as Dr. Nova whipped another flask into his back. This sent the heroic lawyer staggering forward. Fortunately, his suit coat took the brunt of the spilled chemicals. Ripping the sizzling, smoking jacket off, Jack's position caused a thrown glass vial to zing past his face. Out of items to toss, Dr. Nova lunged forward with his body. The impact sent both men precariously close to the metal railing.

"Pay...make you pay," Dr. Nova gasped, unused to the level of physical effort it took to rain down punches on Jack.

A sharp elbow sent the mad scientist staggering back. Jack followed it up with two jabs, but his uppercut missed, allowing Dr. Nova's mouth to clamp down on his shoulder.

"Motherfucker!" Jack screamed as the bite drew blood. Acting on instinct, he unleashed several kidney punches that ended the mouth biting.

As the two men traded blows, most of the doctor's were closer to slaps and scratches; Jack finally landed a combination that sent the other man reeling back on his heels. Feeling like a prizefighter, Jack unleashed a jumping uppercut that connected, sending the mad scientist over the railing. A blood-curdling scream rang out as Dr. Nova plummeted downward until a splash ceased it.

Leaning against the railing, Jack Steed watched as his evil foe's feet disappeared into the green, bubbling liquid. A high-pitched whistle reminded the heroic lawyer of the damaged temperature controls. Glancing over, he saw Drodd still on one knee sobbing in pain. Ripping off his dress shirt with its buttons flying off, Jack raced over to the crime enforcer and held to the other man's face.

"Take this, and wipe as much off as you can." The brute opted to hold the shirt against his face. "Can you walk? We need to get the hell out of here before this place blows."

Drago Drodd nodded and took Jack's hand for help. It was mostly a symbolic gesture as the smaller man could never lift the other up. Together they made their way to a circular stairway that Drodd knew of. Once at the bottom, the feared enforced nodded and offered a rare "thank you." Then he went right, while Jack went left to take care of unfinished business.

Kicking in the old office door, Jack took stock of the scene. Phoebe was on all fours with one cock pounding her ass from behind while she ate out her friend. Marigold moaned at her friend's tongue-work while alternating sucking off the two cocks she held in each hand. All three men looked up in shock at the intrusion, while the women never noticed.

"Your boss is dead. And this place is about to turn into a fireworks factory," Jack announced as loud pops sounded behind him.

The three men didn't argue. Instead, they immediately pulled up their pants and fled. Jack attempted to memorize their faces for the police later. A hand grabbed his waist, pulling at his belt.

"I need to cum," Phoebe moaned while she clawed at his belt.

"Yes, need cock," Marigold hissed as she slithered across the floor to reach him.

"Fuck," Jack shuddered before muttering. "We don't have time for this."

"Need to cum. Need cocks."

"Ladies, do you know where there will soon be rows of cocks?" Jack challenged, their eyes widening. "Outside."

"Outside?" Marigold questioned, looking over her shoulder at the outside window.

"And those dicks will belong to studly firefighters."

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Sean looked up from his borrowed copy of The Compulsive Lying Client as Clive Stratton peeked his head inside the door. Seeing Sean, he smiled. "Alright, if I come in?"

"Sure."

Mr. Stratton walked inside, taking note of the novel that Sean read and the sleeping Newt, sitting awkwardly in his chair. Shaking his head, Clive walked over and gently shook the sleeping boy's shoulder.

"Huh?"

"I think it's time for you to head to bed," the older man said with a smile. "We don't need another teenager hero hurting himself."

"I'm fine," Newt responded, rubbing his eyes.

"If you sleep all night in that position, you won't be. Your back will be in kinks for a week. Trust me, I know," Clive recalled from personal experience.

Newt sleepily nodded. Standing up, he yawned and apologized to Sean for falling asleep.

"Don't be. I wasn't great company anyway. I got into the final chapters and forgot about you," Sean admitted.

Newt waved as he left the room. When the door closed, the grin on Sean's face vanished.

"Did something happen, Mr. Stratton?"

Clive gave a start at the concerned tone the teen used. Shaking his head, he immediately denied that anything was wrong.

"Whitney's okay?"

"Yes, Whitney is fine. We last talked to Harvey about ninety minutes ago."

"What about Mr. Singer?"

"I just got off the phone with Larry before coming in here. Fred's passed out. It sounds like that's a good thing. Larry revealed he got pretty nasty to him and Finn," Clive relayed with a sigh. "Finn didn't tell us that when he arrived. Poor kid doesn't need any more issues with his dad of all the days."

"That sucks. I know how dads can get, but I also know that Peyton and Lana will be there for him," Sean commented, forcing a smile.

"Yes, they took him down to the hot tub to do that. Honestly, I don't want to know what my daughter has planned," Clive remarked, rolling his eyes.

They shared a laugh at what Lana's plan to cheer Finn up might entail.

"Is anything on your mind, Sean? Maybe about your dad?" Clive inquired, feeling worried about the teenager. "Your mom mentioned an argument..."

"Did she? I don't remember much from the hospital. It comes and goes, but so do my dreams. I think my dad yelled at me, but I might have dreamed about it. He's always saying how disappointing I am," Sean tried to keep the sadness out of his voice but failed.

"Leonard can sometimes have a stick up his ass, but he does love you. The problem is that he wants you to be a mini-version of him, but we both know that's never going to happen, right?" Clive's voice held a warmth and humor that Sean wished his dad's held.

"Right," Sean nodded.

"I mean it, buddy. You're turning into a fine young man. I worry about you risking your life yesterday, but I'm also proud of you. You didn't panic; you didn't hesitate. If you had, then Whitney wouldn't be in the hospital on her way to a full recovery."

"I...I started to panic, Mr. Stratton," Sean revealed softly. "When I was underwater, I couldn't find Whitney. It was my second time going under, and I knew I didn't have many more chances. I could feel the cold sapping my energy."

"But you did find her, and that's all that matters," Clive soothed him. He pulled a chair close to the foldout couch to sit on.

"Only because I saw the light glimmering off her necklace. It was nothing but pure luck."

"Luck is what we make. If you hadn't done everything right, then you would've never been in the position to see her necklace," Clive stated. "And we should also thank Harvey for buying his little girl such a gaudy diamond necklace."

"That we should," Sean chuckled.

"So, you're almost done with the novel?" Clive nodded at the book in the teen's hand.

"Yeah, I just finished the final confrontation. All I have left is the epilogue."

"Not too cheesy and trashy for you? I prefer them that way. I see the real thing every day at work."

"Not at all. I really like it. I keep imagining that my grandpa could be Jack if he became a lawyer instead," Sean admitted.

"Old Seamus as a lawyer? That would've been something," Clive snorted. "Although instead of getting fired from the police ****, he would've been disbarred."

"He probably would have been based on the stories I've heard," Sean grinned.

"Your grandpa wouldn't be Perry Mason in the story; he'd be Paul Drake, Perry's investigator. Seamus wouldn't have the patience for a courtroom. Not like you or Peyton," Clive remarked, his eyes sparkling at the idea. "Now, Sean Tarver, I could see as Jack Steed."

"Me? No way! I'm not like that."

"Why not? You're intelligent, love solving mysteries, and proved yesterday that you could save the damsel in distress. I think you'd be perfect as a lawyer willing to tightrope the line of what's acceptable to prove your client's innocence."

"Lawyers like Perry Mason and Jack Steed don't exist in real life," Sean attempted to brush away the praise.

"They're not supposed to," Clive started, glancing around to emphasize what came next. "Frankly, my dad and uncle did some crazy Perry Mason type of shit when they were young lawyers, but you never heard that from me."

"Heard what?" Sean grinned broadly.

"That's my boy. So, what did you like from the novel besides Jack and all the sex," Clive chuckled.

"Pixie Wing."

"Jack's perky, petite blonde girl Friday? Yeah, I had a feeling you would," Clive nodded with a sly smile. "And the plot?"

"Full of cool and unexpected twists. You said this is part of a series?"

"Yep. I think the fifth one is coming out this summer. And I heard the author is planning on having a future story told from Pixie's point-of-view."

"Really? That sounds like a cool idea."

"I thought so too. I've always been partial to the sweet but sassy type," Clive chucked, rising up from the chair.

"I guess I am too."

"The epilogue sets up part of the plot for the next book. Once we get back to town, I'll drop off the next couple for you. I suspect you'll be reading a lot this January with that foot," Clive said, nodding to his cast.

"Thanks, Mr. Stratton. It's nice to have a person that shares my love of mysteries."

"Same for me, buddy. It's great to have you and Finn to pass on entertaining novels to. Rachel only laughs at them. As if her romance novels are any better." Clive yawned loudly. "Well, that's a sign, if any. I'm off to bed."

"Is everyone else in bed too?" Sean inquired.

"Jeff went when I came in here. The ladies are doing their usual. Drinking wine and--"

"Gossiping," Sean finished. "Is my mom with them?"

"I don't think so unless she came down while I was in here. I think she wanted to take a bath."

"She's supposed to stop back in and give me my new pain reliever."

"I'm sure she'll be down soon. Enjoy the epilogue, and then you can start the other novel I brought for you," Clive said, winking.

"Yeah, **** at Lusty Lake sounds intriguing."