Seeds of the Bitter Harvest. John Sheppard

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      Kelly finished his report, and Ramos gave his. Craig indicated that others from the team would be stopping by for an informal meeting shortly. He seemed to be processing something in his mind.

      “It’s worse than we thought.” Craig said just blurting out the words, his forehead furrowed, and his jaws tense.”KML has more officials in various governments on the take than we ever imagined. Not only are there key members of the American President’s Cabinet in on it, but a couple of Senators and Congressmen too. The heads of several US government departments are taking money and other favors. Add them to the others we know about in the USA, and its ugly.”

      Ramos was also aware that most of the Russian government was not only being paid off by KML, but some were even actively part of the KML operation. Whole South American governments had been subverted, along with some European Union states, chunks of China’s ruling party, a host of Asian and much of Africa. It was Craig’s next comment that floored Ramos.

      “We have known for some time most of the Port City officials from the police to the courts are controlled be KML. What has been surprising is the level to which the GIE (Government in Exile) has been compromised. If this war hadn’t brought this country to the point of near extinction, the level of corruption would have sooner rather than later.”

      Kelly questioned how one company could afford to bribe so many people in so many countries. The simple answer to a complex question was they had almost a monopoly on money laundering for the vast majority of the world’s drug cartels. They were the middlemen for sex trade internationally, and were pretty much the go-to professionals for all things illegal. They had taken the mingling of legitimate legal transactions with the illegal to an art form.

      Craig continued, “The team has more than enough to make things uncomfortable for KML, but it will only lead to chopping off a couple heads of this Medusa. It will pain KML for a while, but then just they will just grow the heads back. In the meantime, the company will continue to function. We need something or someone who can take us to the very heart of the operation.”

      CHAPTER 5

      Andy had been on a drinking binge for most of the last month, or was it two, maybe three? The days, weeks, and months, had mentally merged into one single alcoholic event. The excessive use of drink had been an attempt on his part, to deal with the pain of losing his home and family to the Enemy three months earlier.

      It was very early morning as Andy stumbled his way back to his apartment. The air was fresh, and cold. He hoped it would clear his head a bit. He plans were to sleep his current inebriation off so he could start the cycle all over again in the evening. His friends were still at the bar, and he knew it was foolish, if not dangerous to be on the streets of this section of the Port City by oneself while it was still dark. But, the booze had impaired his judgment, and he was willing to take the risk.

      As Andy passed one of the alleys between the bar and his apartment, he heard a soft voice call-out in broken English.

      “I am a pleasure to be with, young sir. Please consider me. I have much to offer.”

      A young woman, a little over five foot tall, and of a slender build emerged from the shadows. She appeared to be oriental with long, silky black hair. Her walk was suggestive, and her scant clothing was very tight. Heavy make-up almost hid beautiful large almond shaped eyes.

      There was no question in Andy’s mind what she was offering, and his guard was down enough to seriously consider the offer. The two negotiated a price and a place. His friends would be returning to the apartment soon, so they chose hers.

      On the way, he discovered that her name was Daiyu and that she was Chinese. The laughter and conversation to her place was forced. Andy was uncomfortable with the situation, and he judged from her behavior that Daiyu felt the same way. They were each trying to pretend that this was just a normal part of life, like it was just a date or something. For Daiyu it was just business, nothing more; for Andy it was his first time, and it was not how he had thought it would be.

      Andy couldn’t help but wonder if Daiyu wasn’t putting on some sort of act; if she was being made to do something she really didn’t want to do. Was she a drug addict needing money to support a habit? Did she have a family to support? He wondered why she was here in the Port City to begin with; as far as he knew, it never had much Chinese population.

      The route to Daiyu’s place was through trash filled alleys, with little exterior lighting, deep shadows; reeking of rotting food, and stale booze. When they reached a colorless back door, which looked like a dozen of other doors they had just passed, she stopped found her key, and looked around like she was afraid that someone was watching, and inserted the key into the lock.

      Once she and Andy were inside, Daiyu turned on a small table light. The room was almost as faintly lit as the alleys and looked just about as bad. The place was untidy, and because of a couple of un-cleared place settings on the kitchen table, it appeared to Andy that she must have roommates or family living with her.

      Before Andy could protest that maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, Daiyu pressed her body close to his and kissed him hard. She forcefully moved him towards what turned-out to be a bedroom, undressing him as they went. He was now fully caught up in the moment, and found himself giving in to his lust. His needs were going to be met, no matter what alarm bells were being set-off in his mind.

      He woke in the morning, with daylight streaming through old, worn curtains, and grimy windows. There was the sound of muffled female voices coming from the other room. He was completely undressed, and the bed sheets were in disarray. Andy waited, trying to decide what to do. He saw his clothes scattered about the floor, quickly gathered them, and dressed.

      When he opened the bedroom door, three sets of eyes turned to see him. Andy could feel his face turning beet red. Embarrassment piled upon embarrassment, and the hues of red on his face deepened. He felt like the entire world knew what he had done, and he was ashamed of himself. If his mother was alive, what would she think? Yet, also coursing through him was a strange sense of having attained ‘manhood’, he had experienced sex for the first time, and he wanted more.

      Andy’s clothes were wrinkled, he hadn’t shaved, and his hair was uncombed. His breath stank and he was fairly certain his body odor wasn’t much better. To top it off, he was dealing with a major hang-over.

      “These my friends, Li and Lanfen.” Daiyu said in broken English, introducing the other two women.

      He guessed the two other women were both about Daiyu’s age, weight, and height. Andy noticed that none of them really made eye contact, and all three appeared to have numerous bruises about their bodies. The two gave Andy a disingenuous smile, made some comment that they were glad to meet him, then made an excuse that they had somewhere to be. The rapid exit of Li and Lanfen left Andy and Daiyu awkwardly alone.

      “You want, maybe, some green tea?” inquired Daiyu.

      “Yes, please”.

      Daiyu motioned for Andy to take a seat at the cluttered little table, and he sat down. She placed the tea in an old chipped cup in front of him, along with some sort of cookies on a mismatched plate.

      “Sorry, I cannot offer more.” Daiyu said softly.

      “Thank you…. why didn’t you kick me out last night?”Andy asked as Daiyu took a seat opposite him. Her gaze met his.

      “You very drunk, not safe to be on street, you sleep very heavy.”

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