Peter Jackery sat in his tub, phone in hand, rereading the text that had arrived that morning. All it contained was a link to an Instagram account. Some ridiculous kids driving around the country in their stupid van. He couldn’t believe their follower count. It only reaffirmed for him how stupid and sheeplike the great mass of people were.
But that wasn’t important. What mattered was that these “influencers” had been placed in Dixon to interfere with his plans. His strategy had always been to move fast and bring overwhelming force to bear on any resistance that cropped up. It had been working exactly as he designed—until the arrival of this “Barb” figure. The timing could hardly be worse. These first stages of his project required him to stay under the radar. It was like the initial phase of a hostile takeover when you bought up as many shares of your target as possible, using proxies to keep them from knowing they were under attack. If you slipped and the target caught on to your plan, they could stymie you by adopting poison pills or finding a white knight. But Jackery was engaged in no mere hostile takeover. This was his personal dream. The vision that animated him. The reshaping of society along rational lines. The acknowledgement that exceptional individuals not only existed but that they provided untold benefits to society as a whole. Thus, these makers and creators deserved to be unshackled from the tiresome rules and regulations that held them back.
The rules were necessary for the masses of people, of course. Like sheep, they were driven by irrational passions. It wasn’t their fault any more than it was the fault of actual sheep who panicked at the slightest sound. That’s why there were shepherds. Jackery liked to think of himself as a shepherd. The shepherd takes care of his flock. He sees and understands things they never can. He has a wisdom far beyond their comprehension. He’s also ready to sacrifice some of them to serve the greater good. And he always keeps an eye out for the wolf.
The wolf poses two dangers. First, it can directly attack the flock. That’s the easier danger for the shepherd to counteract. The wolf makes itself visible and vulnerable. There’s a second danger, however, in which the crafty wolf remains out of sight, circling the flock at a distance, howling and standing upwind. Eventually, the flock panics, and the shepherd loses control.
Which kind of wolf was this Barb? Jackery was getting the uncomfortable feeling that he was facing a crafty enemy. Maybe even one of his old rivals. Someone who had the resources and savvy to pose a legitimate threat to his plans. Jackery set down his phone and climbed out of the tub. He toweled off, letting his mind free-associate. He often did his best thinking at times like this. To his surprise, he found he was feeling an unexpected sense of excitement. It had been some time since he’d gone up against a worthy adversary. He’d almost forgotten the thrill of crushing an enemy. He had no doubt he would soon crush Barb.
But he had to move quickly while the flock was still under his control.
#
“David,” said Jackery into the phone. “How are you?”
“Good, thanks, Peter,” said the Sheriff.
Jackery felt his guts clinch at the man’s use of his given name, implying a relationship between them of equality. It was another example of the arrogance of politicians. Let a man get a few thousand votes in his podunk county, and he starts thinking of himself as someone important. He was necessary for Jackery’s plans, however, so Jackery let the implied disrespect slide. For now.
“Any news?” he said.
“I assume you already know Ramon Sanchez flew out of here in a helicopter,” said the Sheriff.
“Yes. That was most unexpected.”
“Now, the lawyer who sprung the Walker girl is parked in an RV outside the Sanchez house. And outside the Walker house is a van. It’s a complication, but it won’t stop my guy. He can still hit the Walker house. I just need to give the order.”
“Do not do that,” said Jackery. “The people in the van have a large Internet presence, and we can’t afford the scrutiny that would come if anything happened to them or the Walkers.”
“Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. Do nothing until I tell you otherwise. There’s a new player on the board, and that complicates things.”
“You mean this Barb character.”
“Exactly.”
“What do we do next?”
“This intrusion has turned up the heat. We need to move faster. Push up the date of the auction. In fact, hold it tomorrow.”
“That’s not possible,” said the Sheriff. “The law specifies a statutory waiting period between the public announcement and the actual auction.”
“David, the law is you. Have some balls, man. If it makes you feel better, cover your ass by backdating the original announcement.”
“I can do that, but there’s that lawyer on site. Won’t he be a problem?”
“He’s a trial lawyer. A showboat. He knows nothing about real estate and governmental law. If he tries anything, I’ve got a shitload of lawyers who’ll bury him in paper. By the time he digs out from under the motions and other filings, it will all be moot. The property will be mine.
“If you say so.”
“I do.”
Jackery ended the call. He walked naked to his closet. Tonight, he was attending an award ceremony for one of his old rivals, a man he couldn’t personally stand but who had proven his worth by founding a series of startups and selling each one for more than the last, until he cracked the billion dollar threshold. That meant he was a prime candidate for membership in Jackery’s exclusive club. Thus it was necessary to make an appearance tonight.
All that would make the evening tolerable was having Mae Lin on his arm. She was an escort, the only kind of woman Jackery spent time with. There were a number of reasons for that, but the primary one was his fortune. It made him an attractive target for women looking to breed with an alpha male. California was a community property state which brought with it the messy business of prenups, alimony, and child support. In other words: lawyers. Not to mention the ever-present danger a woman would take her story public, portraying herself and her brats as the victims of a heartless man with more money than he deserved. All because a man wanted to get laid. He’d seen too many of his peers succumb to lust, leading to attachment and then to marriage. Once the vows were said, the woman’s true nature came out. She was no longer the pliant and adoring creature who’d suckered him in. She became demanding and critical, leaving her poor victim with two unpalatable options: suffer in silence or call in the lawyers.
Jackery avoided the problem by negotiating the fee for intimacy up front. Mae Lin was only the latest in a series of escorts he’d signed to exclusive agreements. He paid them a retainer, and they turned away all other clients, keeping themselves on call for him. If he ever found himself getting too attached to any one of them, he severed the deal, sending them on their way with a generous bonus and a nondisclosure agreement.
She didn’t know it, but Mae Lin was about to fall into that category. He genuinely liked her. She was beautiful, of course. They all were. But, in addition, she was smart and funny as well. He could count on her to liven the most boring social occasion with nasty little whispered observations. She was also an avid and adventurous lover. He felt his body respond as he imagined their time together after the award ceremony. He shook his head. The very intensity of his feelings was a warning sign. He was in danger of becoming attached. He vowed to himself tonight would be her last.
With that settled, he considered his newfound enemy. ‘Barb’ was not a name he recognized among the exclusive club of men powerful enough to risk challenging him. It was obviously a pseudonym, a nom de guerre chosen to throw him off the scent. He would not be distracted. As he dressed in his third-best tux, he took a moment to text his executive assistant Marcy. She was a good little researcher, tenacious, with no life outside of work. Once he put her on the job, she wouldn’t rest until she’d put her finger on the culprit.
That done, he went back to dressing himself. His limo would soon be back after a trip to pick up Mae Lin, and when he walked downstairs, he would find her in the backseat waiting for him. Maybe he’d let her spend the night, as it would be her last, and see just how adventurous she really was.
After all, the complications to his plans left him with unexpected stress to work off.