Beneath the Mask

Beneath the Mask 60

Written by: J.P.G.

{"Beneath the Mask" is pure fiction. As I am writing this story, I am above the age of 21. If you want a story with lots of sex, look elsewhere. This is a love story. Seeing, as it is a love story, sex is in there, but it is in realistic balance in the characters' lives.

Any similarity to any real events, names, or life events is purely accidental. If you are underage, (according to your state laws, a minor), if this literature is offensive to you or to anyone around your viewing area, or it is illegal for you to view such content where you are reading it, stop reading the story.

This story cannot be distributed in any way, shape or form without authors' express written consent.}

Story Written by: J.P.G.

Editor: Daddy Rick

I have a home page for you to see what the characters look like or what the places look like. If you want to walk in their shoes, please go to: http://jacobmillertex.com/

{RECAP: It has been a while since a chapter of `Beneath the Mask' has been posted, so I figured I'd recap what has been going on in this saga, which is a lot. Alex has gotten back to the hotel from the hospital from the car accident, but still is not going to school yet. Matt has to go to school because he didn't get hurt and already has missed way too much school. Franseca talked with Alex and told him that she and Principal Michaels are going to go out. Stefano, the new gang leader in El Paso, taking Mr. Flores spot, was figured out and Alex knows about him. He is keeping it from Matt, which has created a whole new set of problems. Matt's grandparents are at the hotel talking with Matt about his brother and sister. Matt's grandparents threatened to throw their own parents in jail if they don't get their kids back. Alex and Matt got the money from Ron and it is safely tucked away in their bank right now. Alex was asked to mentor Aaron, the son of the principal of Austin High School, who is in `Regrets and Heartaches'. Patricia won her hearing with the school board and is back at El Paso High. There is the relationship developing between Chase and Marco as well as the close platonic relationship between Alex and Jeremy. There is a lot more, so kick off your shoes, grab something to eat and drink, and sit back and enjoy this next installment of `Beneath the Mask'.}

Chapter 60

Matt and his grandparents didn't find Sally in her office at first when they got downstairs. They went looking for her in the restaurant and then the kitchen. When they didn't find her in either of the two places, they were about to go upstairs to the probation floor when Matt decided to try her office once again, which was a good move because she was there.

He doesn't like the probationers and doesn't like going up in their floor. Every time he sees one of them, it feels to him like all they want to do is kick his butt. He knows he could be wrong, but the looks on their faces speak volumes, and what he hears is that they would like to rid this world of everyone like him; gay. When he found Sally in her office, he couldn't be more relieved that he didn't have to go up to the floor.

Out of instinct, Matt raised his hand to knock on the door, but before he could, Sally saw him and asked him to come in. He waved his grandparents to follow him, which surprised Sally. She stood up, introduced herself as she presented her hand. That brought Matt out of his thoughts and he introduced his grandparents to her.

Once the introductions were made, Matt and his grandparents got right down to the reason they were there. Sally sat down and hung onto every word they said. The only time she wasn't making eye contact with the one talking was when she was taking notes. She wanted to make sure she had her facts straight before she spoke a word on the issue.

When they were done, Sally went over what she had written down most of which she got right. Once she clarified everything with Matt and his grandparents, she started to ask questions to fill in some blanks she had. It took a few questions to get that done, but once she got all the information she felt she needed to give her opinion on what was going on in their lives, she stopped asking questions and was ready to go.

"Look, I'm going to be completely honest with you Matt and you Mr. and Mrs. Robinson. There is no easy way out of this situation. The way the laws stand today, your children..." Sally looked at Matt. "...and your parents Matt have the law on their side. If they do get the police involved, they will get their children back immediately. No matter what you or you..."

"What a minute, just wait a dog gone minute there missy!" Maxwell interrupted Sally. "You are telling me, my wife, and my grandson here that the police would actually put those kids back into a home with parents that hurt them? Maybe not physically all the time, but they still hurt them none the less. Being armed with that information, the police would actually put them back into that kind of home? Come on now, that can't be right."

"I agree it isn't right, but that is how the law stands today. The police can't pull kids, or any one for that matter, out of a home unless they are in immediate danger. By what you have told me, they are not. The physical abuse that was going on doesn't show any more on them, which means they can't use that to pull those kids out of that house. I wish they could, but they just can't."

Sally scratched her head as she stood up. "The only one that can pull those kids out of that house is a judge, and you don't want that to happen." At the same time, Matt and his grandparents asked why. "Because if a judge orders the state to remove the kids from that house, they will be put in the system, not with you like you want. They will go into foster care, where they will more than likely get lost for years."

"Okay let's say they get put into foster care, can't we see them." Eleanor asked in a shaky, worried voice. "I mean after all we are their grandparents. The judge should at least let us see them so they don't feel like they are abandoned by their family."

"No, the judge won't let anyone from the family see them. In fact, the judge won't even let any of you know where they are at until the investigation is finished." All three of the Robinsons looked at Sally with confused looks on their faces. "What, you guys thought that they were not going to investigate all of you? Before a judge allows any of the family members get near these two minor children, he wants to be sure the people he lets around them are not a threat."

"That should be obvious to the judge that we are not a threat since we are the ones that are asking for our grand kids to be removed from the house of our children." Maxwell spoke with frustration in his voice. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"In a perfect world you would be right, but we are not living in a perfect world. We live in a world where judges are more worried about looking tough for the voters so they keep their jobs in their next election and one of the things that takes a judge out of their seat in a split second are cases of minor kids that got in front of them and the minor child isn't protected. They take each of those cases more seriously than any other case that goes before them.

With that said, it isn't a lost cause for you guys to get custody of the minor children if they are taken out of that house. After the investigation is done and you guys are cleared, you can go before the court and ask for custody of the minor children. However, they won't happen for at least a year after the kids are taken out of the home of their parents because that is how long investigations take dealing with the kind of claims you guys are making."

Sally looked at Matt's grandparents and saw that she wasn't helping. By the looks on their faces, she could see that she was making them worry more than putting their worries to rest. However she had no idea what to say or how to say what the law is on the situation they came in asking her advice on. She knew no matter how she put it, it was going to hurt.

She walked around the desk and kneeled in front of Maxwell and Eleanor. "I'm really sorry if I'm coming off hurtful with what I'm saying here. One thing I have recently been reminded of is not telling the truth is more hurtful than trying to say or do what you think the person wants to hear. Eventually you would learn the truth and not trust me for not having been completely honest with you.

With that said, let me try and see what I can find out and do for you guys." Sally stood up and walked back around her desk. "There is a district judge that lives in this hotel that I can talk with about this situation. If he and I come up with something that we can use, then I will tell Matt to let you guys know, okay." That put a smile on Matt's grandparents' faces.

"Now, in the mean time, you two will have to return your grandkids to their parents." That quickly removed the smiles on Maxwell and Eleanor's faces. "I know, I know, that is something you really don't want to do, but you have to. If you want to even have a chance to get custody of those two minors, you can't have a record of kidnapping them. No matter that you are doing it for all the right reasons, the courts will not see it that way. Return your grandkids to your kids, and do it as soon as you leave me here today."

Not liking what they were hearing, but not wanting to lose their chances to get their grandkids out of the house of their kids, they agreed. With that, they made a little small talk for a couple of minutes before getting up and leaving. As Sally watched the older couple leave her office, she felt she has done some good, but now she needs to follow up with what she promised them and get those kids out of that house.

Back in the hallway, Matt and his grandparents were making their way to the elevator in silence. They didn't like what they heard, most of all the last part, the returning of the kids. Neither of them wanted to do that, but saw no other way out of it if they wanted to permanently have custody over Matt's younger brother and sister. So reluctantly they were all swallowing the bitter pill of returning them to their parents.

That was until bells started to go off in Matt's head on the ride up to his floor. He reached over and pulled the emergency stop button, but quickly pushed it back in when the alarm started to go off. His grandparents looked at him as he was going out of his mind, but didn't care. He put his hand out signing to wait and then put his finger over his lips signing to be quiet.

No one said a word the rest of the way up. Once the elevator door opened, they stepped out and made their way to Matt and Alex's room. The whole way no one said a word. Every few steps, one or both of Matt's grandparents would look in Matt's direction, but didn't ask what was on both of their minds. They knew he figured something out and wanted to know what. However, they respected him and reluctantly held their tongues until Matt felt he could tell them whatever he figured out to help them with his brother and sister.

The silence was broken the minute they walked into Matt and Alex's room and the door was shut. At first Matt was talking so fast, his grandparents couldn't understand a word he was saying. They tried to tell him that, but once again he was talking so fast, he didn't notice them trying to get his attention. At least until the Maxwell got up from his chair and placed his hand on his grandson's shoulder to get his attention. After his grandfather explained that neither he nor his grandmother got a word Matt was saying, Matt started over.

"I'm sorry it's just I would never think about doing something like this, but I feel, and I know once I'm done, you guys will feel this is the only solution." His grandfather shook his head and asked Matt to go on. "Well what I was thinking is very simple really! Since my mother and father don't come around here at all or want anything to do with me, why not let my little brother and sister stay here while you guys file for custody."

Maxwell didn't like the idea because he didn't want to put his grandson in a spot that he will be breaking the law. "It's a good idea, but your grandmother and I will never ask that of you. If your parents ever find out that your brother and sister are here, they will have no problem calling the police on you and having you arrested. You know that as well as well as we do." Maxwell pointed back and forth from him and his wife. "No, we are going to have to do what that young lady recommended and that is let your parents have your brother and sister for now."

That wasn't the response Matt thought he was going to get from his grandfather. A man that all his life has shown him that he will always stand up against those that are doing wrong and help those that need help, if he could. Now when it really counts, with his own family, Matt couldn't understand why his grandfather was so willing to surrender to his parents of all people.

"Look grandpa and grandma I understand your concern about what my parents will do to me if they find out I have my brother and sister. Hell, I know they would throw me in jail in a blink of an eye, but for the safety of my brother and sister I don't care. You taught me grandpa to always stand up for those that need you to stand up for them. My brother and sister need me, and I need you guys..." Matt pointed to his grandparents. "...to stand up for them and you guys to stand up for me and be there if things do go badly.

But to tell you the truth I don't even think my parents will put one and one together and figure out my brother and sister are with me. One thing I have seen with them is when they are angry at someone, which is you guys right at the moment they have a one-track mind and will only be thinking of you guys. What I mean is they will be so busy trying to prove you have my brother and sister, they won't be looking elsewhere for them."

Maxwell couldn't believe how right Matt was. He looked over at his wife to see if she was going to object and when he saw that she was calm and nodding her head, he knew that she was thinking the same thing. Their grandson was right about their son and daughter-in-law. When they get angry, they use all their energy and strength to either get that person back or prove the person they are angry with is in the wrong and they are in the right.

"Okay Matt let's say your grandmother and I are willing to go along with this, what will happen if your parents get smart and start looking elsewhere for their kids?" Matt looked at his grandfather as if the question was in a different language. "Come on, don't look at me like that Matt, you know it could happen. If it does, what will you do? They do know where you live and they will come after you with all their strength to throw you in jail and get their kids back.

Don't get me wrong, if that happens, your grandmother and I, and more than likely the entire family, will do everything we can to stop them, but there is only so much we can do. Your parents will have the law on their side. Even though they are the criminals here, you will be the one treated like the criminal, so really think long and hard on what you are offering."

Matt didn't respond right away to his grandparents worried. He stood there at the door thinking of what he just offered as his grandfather asked him to. Weighing all the pros and cons of the offer, at the end, he knew following through was the right thing to do. It's not just for his brother and sister, but to let his parents know the way they discipline is wrong. It does more harm to their kids than teach them any lesson.

"First let me start off by saying what I'm about to say is in no way meant for you guys." Matt looked straight into his grandparents eyes as he continued talking. "No one was there for me when I needed someone. I mean everyone believed my parents when they went around spreading their lies. This time they can't spread lies about my brother and sister, so they are doing the only other thing they know how to do and that is close off everyone that doesn't take their side.

My brother and sister need someone to stand up for them right now, and I'm more than willing to be that person." Matt's grandparents were stunned on how much their eldest grandson has grown up. All they could do is sit there in awe of him. "If helping my brother and sister out means I have a court battle with my parents, I say bring it on. When the dust settles, I will not be the only one seeing the inside of those ugly walls of that tall building downtown, they will as well."

At first Maxwell didn't understand what Matt was saying, but it didn't take long for him to figure it out. His grandson was talking about how his parents gave up on him because he was gay and threw him out of the house. No matter what their personal feelings or beliefs about gays are, he is their son and they are responsible for him until he turns eighteen.

"Oh by the way..." Matt smiled as he itched his head. "My parents may know where I live right now, but that is going to change in the next week." Matt's grandparents looked at him with confused looks on their faces. "Jacob, the guy that owned the home that we were living in before it was burned down has decided to move us to a house. He doesn't like living in a hotel and was able to get a hold of a house to fit all of us till the new house is ready to be moved into."

Maxwell liked what he was hearing. Even if his son and daughter-in-law do turn their attention to their son Matt, they won't know where he is living. They will know where he is going to school, but that place is guarded like Fort Knox. There is no way they will be able to set foot on that school property. As far as their other two grandchildren and the school they are attending, it is an easy fix, they will transfer them to new schools.

Matt and his grandparents talked a little longer about what Matt proposed. Still at first, Maxwell tried to talk his grandson out of it, but when he saw there was no talking him out of it, he gave up. Instead, he, Eleanor and Matt went into detail how they were going to implement Matt's plan. Anyone that didn't know Matt would think it would fail, but not anyone in that room at that very moment.

One by one, they knocked out each issue that came up. No one wanted to leave that room until they had everything out on the table and a solution to any contingency that might come up. Once they all felt they covered everything, they called it a night. As they walked to the elevator, they discussed the last thing on agenda that hadn't been discussed, the timing.

They knew if they brought them to Matt too soon there is a chance his parents might catch onto what they were doing. If they took them too late, they risk the chance of losing Crystal and Reginald for good. By the time the elevator door opened on the lobby floor, they had set a date when Matt will hide his brother and sister.

The only thing that worried them at that point was Franseca. After what she had done in the past by going to them, they worried she might do it again and in return accidently give their plan away. Matt was as worried as his grandparents were on that issue, but felt he could sit and talk with his mother-in-law and explain to her what was going on.

With that, the grandparents dropped the subject, said their goodbyes to Matt as they made their way out to the parking lot. Matt followed his grandparents and his siblings to their car, said his final goodbyes before stepping aside to let them get into their car. He stood there watching them drive away questioning himself if he was doing the right thing. The minute the memories of how he was treated by his parents came flooding back, he knew right there and then that he was doing the right thing and headed back into the hotel.

The rest of the evening was quiet for all those in the hotel. No problems or issues arose on any of the floors, which was a comfortable feeling. Alex and Matt fell asleep a little after ten and didn't wake again until the alarm went off the next morning. Since Alex was still unable to go to school yet, Matt was the only one that got up, got ready and headed down stairs.

Alex stayed in bed and stole another couple hours of sleep. He was awakened with a knock on his door. Little by little he came out of his dream state, and once he was fully awake, he told whoever was at the door to go away. Just as the last word left his mouth, he heard the voice of Jacob's nurse come through the door, which completely woke him up.

After sliding himself up into a sitting position, Alex yelled out for her to come in. The door slowly opened and she walked in with a big smile across her face. Sitting her bag down, she asked how Alex was doing, which he answered good now she was there. That got even a bigger smile from her than the one she had on when she walked in.

She did a quick exam confirming what Alex had said was right, he was doing well. "Look Dr. Whitmore asked me to stop in and see you after I saw Jacob. He wanted to make sure you were not doing something that he didn't want you to be doing." The nurse winked at Alex as she put her stuff back into her bag. "I know you and Jacob hate being tied down. Hell, from what I hear about you two, it has to be driving you up the wall. But if you don't take it easy now, you will regret it in the future, if you know what I mean."

Alex was puzzled by the last part of what the nurse said. "I think I know what you mean. If I don't listen to what the doctor has ordered me to do, I might not ever get to play sports again. I might not be able to run and do all the things I have been doing again." That got a chuckle from Jacob's nurse, which puzzled Alex even more.

"You have it half right. If you try and rush your rehab on this, you could be stuck in that seat for the rest of your life." The nurse pointed to Alex's wheel chair. "Hearing what I have heard about you, if that happens, you will wheel yourself off Transmountain Pass one night. I don't want to get up the next morning and hear that you did that. So please do what Dr. Whitmore is asking and stay off your feet at least until the casts comes off."

"Well that might be a problem." The nurse was walking out when Alex responded. She quickly turned around and shot Alex a look as if he was out of his mind. "Jacob has been planning a trip to Disneyland for a while now that is going to take place during Spring Break. Put that aside, this Saturday we have Jacob's mother and father's wedding. I need to be there for that event. Who knows, I might have to stand and try and dance with my gorgeous boyfriend."

The facial expression the nurse had when she walked into the room came back. "I'm sure your gorgeous boyfriend will understand that you can't dance with him this weekend. There will be plenty of time in the future that you two can dance together. As far as your Disney trip, keep your butt in your seat as much as you can. If you choose to not follow these instructions, I'm sure as I'm standing here you will have a lot of problems in the future."

Alex knew the nurse was right and didn't give her any more problems. He thanked her for coming in checking on him as they said their goodbyes. Once the door was shut, Alex reached over and grabbed his wheel chair. He got it as close as he could to the bed, and then started to move slowly to the chair when the door flew open.

Franseca walked in with an angry look on her face. "How many times do I have to tell you not to be doing that by yourself?" Alex tried to object, but Franseca didn't let him get a word in edgewise. "No, I don't want to hear it mijo, I have told you so many times to call out for assistance before moving yourself to your chair. All it takes is one wrong move. Forget one wrong move, you could slip, and where will you be then?"

"Then I will be calling out for help!" Alex started to chuckle, but his mother didn't find it as funny. She slapped him across the head playfully as she finished helping him to the wheelchair. Alex couldn't believe his mother slapped him, but knew she was playing. "Why did you go and do that for mom? I was only playing for crying out loud."

Franseca didn't answer her son as they made their way down the hallway to the bathroom. As soon they were in there, she helped her son wrap his legs in plastic. Once they were done, she helped him into the tub and then left him alone to take a shower. He waited for the door to the bathroom to close before stripping off his clothes.

Due to the schedule Alex set up for himself, he knew he didn't have that much time to shower, get ready and go down and get something to eat before his day took off. Quickly he did his business in the bathroom before calling out for his mother to help him get to the chair. He didn't want another speech or smack from her because he got to his chair all by himself.

When Franseca walked into the restroom, her son had already gotten dressed, brushed and combed his hair. The only thing that was left was getting something to cover his feet and then head down to the restaurant. They ate together before Alex took his leave and made his way to the lobby where his first meeting of the day was waiting.

Since he couldn't go downtown to his office to do his share of the work, he had his work come to him. However, the meeting he was walking into had nothing to do with the everyday running of the print shop. It was dealing with the business, but nothing with his management, orders or where they were at that time to fill the orders.

He and Matt had been talking about getting their own building for their print shop since they got Ron's money. They have been looking at old buildings downtown, but found the buildings that were for sale were too expensive. They didn't want to rent, so they were left with no other choice than to leave downtown and get a building either on the west side or eastside of town.

They prefer west side, but once again, they were running into a problem, expense. Just like downtown, the buildings on the west side that were up for sale were too rich for their blood. If they were to buy a building downtown or the west side of town, not only would they wipe out all their money, but they would be borrowing from the bank, something neither of the two wanted.

So they set up the meeting that Alex was going into. He really wanted Matt with him because he had a calmer head on his shoulders, but Matt had missed way too much school already. Matt decided to save the remainder of his allowed excused absences for a time he might really need those days. It really made Alex uneasy, but Matt was able to calm him down by the confidence he had in him that only a few people in this world has shown him.

Keeping that in mind, Alex wheeled himself into the lobby ready to do business. The three gentlemen that showed up to talk with him about property around town quickly stood up when they saw him come in. Alex didn't waste any time on the introductions. He wheeled himself across the lobby, shaking each of the guys' hand. Once he got where he wanted to be, he put the brake on his wheel chair and waited for his mother to join them.

"Okay now that all parties are here let me say this from the git-go, I have all say in what gets decided here. So if any of you turn to that lovely woman over there and ask her for her opinion or try to override my opinion by asking hers, you will be asked to leave." Alex pointed at his mother. "She is here as my witness since my business partner couldn't be here today."

No one objected to Franseca being there, they got right down to business. The three men took turns showing Alex buildings on their current portfolio. The first man kept on Alex to buy one of the vacant buildings downtown by telling him that he could get him a better price. However, each time Alex asked what the better price would be when he saw a building he liked, either the guy couldn't give him a solid figure or when he did, it wasn't much off the original price.

By the fifth building the guy couldn't give Alex a price he liked, he moved on to the second real estate agent. He specialized in west side vacant buildings. Unlike the one that had the downtown area, he was able to give Alex prices when he asked for them. The only problem there was the prices that he gave Alex were prices Alex couldn't live with. Some of them were lower than the downtown buildings and what were in the book, but still not low enough.

The third agent, the one specialized in the eastside, watched as the two that went before him got questioned on the prices of their buildings and figured out what price range Alex was looking at. He also saw what kind of building Alex wanted. He took notes as the other two were drilled so when it was his turn he knew where to go exactly in his portfolio of buildings.

It wasn't long before it was his turn. When Alex turned his attention to the eastside salesman, he pulled his book of buildings off the table and put it on the ground. "Mr. Garcia I'm not going to waste your time or mine going through my full listings of vacant buildings and let me tell you why. Inside that book, there isn't a building you want or fits your price range."

Alex liked what he was hearing and seeing. "You have a new business that has gotten off the ground, but is not stable enough to really be on its own. I know you feel it is, but really, it isn't. You really don't have the customer base built yet that you can depend on if times get hard. You don't have full ownership of the business. It is under the umbrella of the Angel Corp., and there is nothing wrong with that. If I was you and your partner, I would let the owner of that large corporation keep at least ten percent ownership of your business. Later on I will explain.

For now let me continue with why we are all here; you want your own building. So this is what I propose for you to do." The third salesman pulled out a small binder from his bag. "This company came in a couple of years ago and started to swallow up all the mom and pop vending companies here in El Paso. Along the way, they purchased two of the large vending companies, making them the largest one in town! Seeing that, they felt they needed to buy a bigger building to run that vending company." The salesman opened the binder with pictures of the building.

"I know what you are asking yourself, why I am talking to you about a vending company when I'm here to talk to you about a building. That is very simple really. This company bit off more than it could chew. They bought one of the largest factories in El Paso. It used to be one of the Hasbro toy factories here before they closed up shop and moved their operations to Mexico. This company bought the building with the assets of their vending company, which was a big mistake on their part. They mortgaged everything they had to high heaven without a second thought, which came back to screw them.

They were unable to pay their monthly payments to the bank, so the bank foreclosed on them. However, the amount that is owed to the bank is so huge, the bank kept the vending part of the company running under new management in hopes to make up some of their money. That hasn't panned out at all for them. The ones they put in charge have no idea how to run a vending company, so now they want out. They will do anything to come out of this breaking even."

Alex liked the building. It was exactly what he and Matt were looking for, but there were a couple of problems. The first was the size. It was a lot bigger than they needed. And the second problem was the vending company that is currently in the building. Neither he nor Matt has the slightest idea how to run a vending company and he doesn't care to learn at this point.

"Mr. Nelson everything you are saying is all fine and good if I was in the market for a vending company, which I'm not. All I want is a building that can house my printing company that my customers won't have a problem finding and won't bankrupt me and my partner. We are not willing to mortgage everything we have to get a building. If that is what is what it is going to take, then we simply won't move from where we currently are located right now."

"I understand your concern Mr. Garcia and if I was in your shoes I would have those concerns and probably a lot more. But let me tell you the deal for this building is out of this world. It is way below what the building is worth. Plus you will get the vending company that is currently in it with the purchase. The bank just wants to get this toxic asset off of their books. It is debt that is just killing them right now and making them lose money every day they have it."

"How many square feet is this building?" Mr. Nelson gave the square feet right to the last inch to Alex. "Wow that is one big building. Let me ask you out of those square feet, how much of it is being taken up by the vending company?" Mr. Nelson had to do some math, but he came up with the number and gave it to Alex. "That is quite a bit of building don't you think so sir?"

"Mr. Garcia a lot of the space the vending company using it is using it because they have the space to use. I have had a tour of that factory and I know by seeing it for myself they could be squeezed into about half of the building and still have room to spare. That will not only leave you enough space to put what you have with your print shop, but plenty left over so you can expand your print shop if you want."

That perked Alex right up. "That is one of the reasons we are looking for our own building. We want to add more machines to our operation, but where we are right now, we don't have any more room to expand. In fact, we are crowded to the point it is hard to walk around the floor without running into something. That isn't safe for anyone."

"I agree Mr. Garcia and that is why I am recommending this building to you. Not only it has the space you are looking for, but room to expand like you want. On top of that, you get a few more pluses with this purchase. The building is a steal for one. You get another company to help you become more independent. And most importantly the location, the building is right off the Gateway, easy access for you, your employees and most importantly your customers. I don't know about you, I hate not being able to easily find and access a business that I'm looking for. If I can't find it right away, I always give up and go to a business I can find no matter the price."

Everyone in the room were nodding their heads with what Mr. Nelson said, but in their minds they were all thinking the same thing. Everything Mr. Nelson was saying sounded good, except one thing, the thing he hasn't said yet, the price of the building. The other two salesmen in the room knew this technique all too well. Butter up the customer, give the client all the pros, get him or her in love with what is being sold and then hit them with the price.

Finally after a few more minutes of going back and forth on the pros of the building, one of the agents had enough, he wanted to know the price. He was tired of looking bad. So he interrupted the exchange that was going between Alex and Mr. Nelson and threw out the question. By the look on Mr. Nelson's face, the agent knew he destroyed his flow.

"That is a very good question sir. If I was sitting there hearing all this I would want to get down to the meat of it and know what it is going to cost me." Mr. Nelson opened up another book, a book that isn't shown to the buyer that has all the prices from the lowest they could get to the highest. After a few seconds looking at the book, he looked up and threw out a price that stunned everyone in the room, most of all the two other agents.

"Are you sure you are giving me the right price for that building?" Alex asked with a puzzled look on his face. Mr. Nelson looked quickly at his book and then back to Alex confirming that is the price. "Okay let me ask you are there any wiggle room on the price." Alex looked at his mother, winked and looked back at Mr. Nelson. "After all over and over again you have been pressing the issue that this, um how did you say it?..." Alex scratched his head. "...that this building is a toxic debt on the banks books and they want to get rid of it."

Mr. Nelson's own words came back to bite him. His sales technique may now cost him some money on this sale. He looked back down at his book and relooked at the numbers. The number he threw at Alex was the one the bank would like to get, but it isn't the lowest they would accept. He wanted to try and get the building off their books at the price they wanted not only for his commission, but as well he will get all the bank's foreclosures in the future.

"I wish I could play with the number here, but that is the rock bottom the bank can go." Trying one last shot to get the highest he could for the building. "If you ask the other two agents in this room they will tell you that you are legally robbing the bank here with this purchase." The other agents nodded their heads in agreement. "Plus not only are you getting the building, but you are getting another company that is already established in the community."

Alex released his brakes and started to make his way past the salesmen. "In a way you are right, if I would to buy this building I will get a business with it that is established in the community. The only problem is on that is how bad is their reputation since the company is still having problems making a profit. With an entire bank backing it up, they are still having a problem making a profit. In my book, that is a negative, not a positive. Who knows how much work needs to be done to save this company, if this vending company can even be saved."

Alex turned his chair around when he reached the edge of the lobby. "If you gentlemen will leave me all the information we went over this morning I can go over it with my partner, I would appreciate it. If we decide to buy one of your buildings we will give you a call. If you don't get a call from either me or my partner that means we decided not to go with any of your buildings. It's not that your buildings are not suited for us, it's the price, that's all."

The first two agents had no problem with what Alex said, but Mr. Nelson did. He started to kick himself in the butt on trying to get the highest price when it was obvious he wasn't going to get it. There was no doubt in anyone's mind that he had Alex on the hook and all he had to do is reel him in, which he didn't. He pulled too hard, and the line broke.

One by one as the agents walked out, they thanked Alex for giving them a chance to talk with him and handed him the information on the buildings they were trying to sell to him. When it was Mr. Nelson's turn to leave, his folder was slimmer since it was only one building he put all his eggs in. After thanking Alex for the chance to talk with him, he promised to get with the bank and see if they would go any lower on the building if the price was still an issue.

"I won't lie to you Mr. Nelson, the price is still a problem with me. You kept up selling the fact that there is business already in the building that will come with the purchase of that said building, but the business is in trouble. I don't know how much money we will need to sink into that business so it can get to the point it will start making a profit. So yes, if you think you can get the bank to go lower on their price, it might get my partner and me to look more into buying this building from you. After all, like you said, the location is great."

With that, Mr. Nelson knew where he stood. He thanked Alex once again and made his way out. As he made his way to his car, he decided to wait a couple of hours before calling Alex up and telling him he was able to move the bank to the middle number he has. The only thing he didn't know is at the same time Alex decided to play hard ball as well. Alex knew after talking to Al that the first prices he got weren't the lowest. He would have to wait them out. If he does it all right, ultimately he will get the building he wants at the lowest price possible.

While Alex was going in and out of meetings and Matt and the guys were at school, down at the prison where Alex's grandfather is currently being held things were turning for the worse. Not for Alex's grandfather, but for the guards and staff there at the prison. They are missing the days of the strictness of their old captain of the guards.

Now under their new warden and the changes he has put into place, things have gotten worse. Conditions are even worse than the days before their captain of the guards temporally took over the position of warden of the troubled prison. The gangs and inmates have more power than ever before. As a result, they feel they have the run of the place, which in a sense they do.

The guards started to feel comfortable walking into the walls of the prison. Even though they were outnumbered by the prisoners, like any prison in this country, they felt safe because their former boss was one of them and was doing everything to protect them. Now their new boss was a paper pusher, who never stood guard on a tier, which is why he is making the changes he is doing. He has no idea how these changes are affecting the way they are able to do their job. The safety of each guard on staff and the ability to control the prison, the changes have put it all in jeopardy.

Warden Guerrero enforced his changes over the objections of his complete staff. Just weeks after putting the changes into effect, the power of the prison as far as who is in charge has switched hands. Señior Garcia and his gang are now running things as they did, but with one slight change, even more. Before the guards were able to at least look like they had control, but now, the Señior Garcia isn't even trying to put on that show.

The minute Warden Guerrero announced that he was moving the gangs back into population, together, Garcia started to put his plan together. He put out the order to his captains to choose members of their gang that have life sentences to take out all the leadership of the other gangs. By them doing the dirty work, there isn't much more that can happen to them. They might get another life sentence, but death row, he knew that wouldn't happen, at least not under this warden.

The moment they were put back into population, the killing spree started. Within the first twenty four to forty eight hours, the sirens in the prison were going off nonstop, with guards going out on the tiers in riot gear, pulling out several dead bodies at a time. Once the killing stopped, and the dust settled, there were forty-two dead leaders from the other gangs piled up in the prison morgue, which didn't faze the new warden.

Somehow, he was able to keep the killing spree under wraps. The news never got wind of it, so he only had his bosses to answer to. They slapped him on the hand because it wasn't in the public view. However, the slap on the hand included a warning to him that if the killings don't stop and he doesn't bring inmates up on charges for those killings, he can kiss his job goodbye.

Not wanting to lose his cushy job, he called in the only person that could help him look good in front of his bosses, Señior Garcia. When Garcia walked into the warden's office and saw the look on his face, he knew right there and then he had complete control of the prison. The guard was ordered to take off the handcuffs and leave them. At first the guard was hesitant, but complied after the warden ordered him to do it or be suspended.

Before the office door even shut, Garcia sat down and put his feet on the warden's desk. "I know what you are thinking and let me make it clear right here and right now, you better remove that smirk off your face and your feet off my desk!" Warden Guerrero pushed Garcia's feet off his desk. "You have the power today that you have because of me. As quickly I gave it to you, I can take it back. Things can return to the way they were before I got here and I know you and the rest of your gang don't want to be locked up like animals again."

Garcia didn't give away what he was thinking or feeling by showing emotion in his face. "I want to be able to look around my prison and see it running smoothly. But I knew before I was able to do that, I had to let the dominate gang take over and no surprise to me that gang was yours. Now that you have shown that you are the strongest, the KILLINGS WILL STOP!"

This time Garcia did showed emotion in his face, anger. "What, are you planning to jump over that desk and kill me with a make shift blade. Go for it, and you will be joining me in hell very soon because the killing of a warden or an officer of this prison is a one-way ticket to death row. I can say without a doubt that everyone that has met you would love to see you fry, including close friends and of course your family.

So let me tell you how things are going to run from here on out. You and your gang will run all that petty shit down there in the tiers. The drugs, the trade, and anything else you are doing can continue because I don't give a shit. I don't give shit if all that scum..." The warden pointed towards the tiers. "...want to get high on whatever you and your gang are selling. In fact, I hope they get so high they end up killing themselves. What I care about is looking good as far as running this fucked-up-hell and that is where you come in."

That perked the elder Garcia's interest. "As I stated already you can do what the hell you want to do as far as selling drugs or anything else you want to sell. Hell, the more drugged up the inmates are, the easier they are to handle. They will be so far out of this world, they will be just there, not really causing or costing the prison any trouble.

Now what you can't do is kill anymore. The outstanding order you have out there, rescind it and make it clear to your members that there is to be no more killing. If any of your members kill another inmate, they will be brought down and taken straight to death row." The elder Garcia looked as the warden as if he was out of his mind. "If you don't believe I have the balls to do that, just test me and find out how big my balls are. THE KILLING WILL STOP NOW!"

The warden yelling got the attention of the guards outside his office. They came in ready for anything, but when they saw the warden over the elder Garcia talking down at him, they turned and walked out of the office. They couldn't believe that the warden was actually showing some kind of leadership. Every guard in the prison thought the warden was an empty suit.

Back in the office, the warden was getting to the nitty- gritty of what he had to make clear to the elder Garcia. Each time the elder Garcia tried to interrupt the warden; the warden would shut him down and continue on what he was saying. In less than thirty minutes, Warden Guerrero laid down the law with no wiggle room for the elder Garcia and his gang.

"If you can live with what I have just said, you can do your business. If you can't, I'm sure one of the other gangs that you think you have taken out will step up to the plate." This time the elder Garcia looked at the warden with a confused look on his face. "Don't give me a look like that. You may have taken out the leadership of the rest of the gangs, but I can call up to the other prisons and bring in stronger leaders of the gang that will be more than happy to run things under the conditions I set out."

The elder Garcia cleared his throat and started speaking, but was stopped because he was speaking Spanish. "Stop being the stupid spic that you are and speak English you stupid fuck. Are you willing to run things under the conditions I set out or should I be looking at one of the other gangs to take your place?"

Garcia not only hated the tone in which he was being spoken to, but he hated how the warden talked to him and what he called him. It took everything ounce of energy he had not to jump over the desk and slash the wardens throat where he stood. Taking a deep breath, keeping control of his temper by biting his tongue, the elder Garcia started all over again, but in English.

"I can live with the conditions that you set, but there is a problem with one of them." The warden angrily snapped back at the elder Garcia what the problem was. "The gangs that have had some bad luck these last couple of days are going to be looking for payback. If they approach one of my guys for that payback, they have to be able to do whatever it takes to fend off those that want to hurt them. So there might be a few more untimely deaths."

"NO! I see I haven't made myself clear enough here! If there are any more deaths in this prison, I will go after you and your gang, even if you guys are not responsible. I will not have any more deaths at the hands of any prisoner under my charge. Do you understand?" Garcia nodded his head reluctantly.

"If any member of one of the other gangs or other inmates steps up to one of your members and start trouble, they can defend themselves. They can get into a fist fight and win that fist fight to the point they send that other inmate to the clinic. But once again they cannot, let me make sure you understand, they CANNOT kill any other inmate."

Having to swallow more of his pride, the elder Garcia agreed with all the conditions that were set for him by the warden. When he didn't question the warden anymore on anything he said, the warden called in the guards that were standing outside his office to take the elder Garcia back to his tier. When the elder Garcia got up and left, neither of the two men said any kind of goodbye.

As he walked back to his tier, he devised a plan to take out the warden, but decided it wasn't a good idea, at least at that moment. Even though he doesn't like the conditions that were set out for him to follow, he knew he risked a chance of getting a warden that would lock him and his gang back up and throw away the key. No, for now he will deal with who he has since he is running things. In the future if things look like it would be better that the warden was out of the picture, he will get the okay to put the green light on him.

Meanwhile back in El Paso, Dominic had just finished dinner when he was called that he had a visitor. Not being visitation day, he knew it could only be one person, his lawyer. Quickly he put on his shoes, brushed, and combed his hair so he would be ready when the guard showed up to get him. Just as he walked up to the gate, it opened up.

He walked into the cage and waited for the gate behind him to close and then the door leading into the hall to open up. Once it completely opened up, he walked out and took his position against the wall to let the guard do his thing. It didn't take long for the guard to pat him down and once he did, they were on their way to the attorney visitation rooms.

Dominic didn't have to wait too long once he was in there for his attorney to walk in. He had a smile on his face, giving Dominic hope that whatever reason for the late visit has to be some kind of good news, or why wouldn't he have that smile on his face.

"Mr. Alvarez I don't know if you have nine lives or what, but you must be close to using them all up." Dominic's attorney said with a chuckle as he pulled out a folder from his briefcase before sitting down. "It was hard to get Judge Garcia to review his judgment he already made on your bail, but I got him to by pulling in several favors.

At the end of the day, all judges in our country are poor saps that have to rerun for their seat. If they want their seat back, they have to make sure they don't piss off the wrong people, people that fund campaigns. Since I'm really good drinking friends with many of them, I was able to get them to twist the judge's arm to review his ruling as far as bail for you."

"Okay what does that mean for me?" Dominic's attorney looked up from his file with a look on his face that only meant one thing, the question was stupid. "I'm sorry if you think my question is stupid, but I think the question needs to be asked because of everything that has happened recently. You know, Beth and me running to Mexico and hiding out there, almost causing the relationship between Mexico and US to go down the drain."

"Your right, you are very right, but that really doesn't matter here. What matters is the fact Judge Garcia wants to retain his seat in the next election, and in order to do that he has to keep his donors. The very donors that I'm very good friends with. They owe me a few favors, favors I'm collecting. He knows if they support another candidate, he is out."

Not really understanding the politics that Mr. Marker was talking about, Dominic didn't care. All he cared about was the part that he got the judge to review his decision. The only question that is lingering out there is when the hearing is going to be and what the chances he will get bail are. It is all fine and good to get a hearing, but a waste of time if he doesn't get bail.

"Look this is how it will work. Friday morning you are going to be called down to go to court where Judge Garcia will rehear our motion for bail. Between now and then, I'm going have sweet nothings being whispered into his ear. So come Friday he will understand that if he doesn't give you bail, he will not get to retain his seat." Dominic had a grin from ear to ear.

"Okay I like everything you had said so far, but I have one other question, what about..." Mr. Marker stopped Dominic before he was able to ask his question.

"Mr. Alvarez I know what your question is going to be, so let me save us time, I don't know anything about Mrs. Alvarez's case. I'm not her attorney, I'm yours, and I will do everything I can to make sure you come out on top. In order for me to do that, I need you to stop thinking about her, and start thinking about yourself. I'm sure her attorney has told her the same thing."

"I thought you were her attorney as well?"

"I'm just your attorney, not hers. The reason for that is so both of you gets a fair trial. And in order for that to happen, you must both get fair and dedicated representation. That can't happen if there is one attorney for the both of you because if that is allowed, the attorney might sell one of his clients short in order for the other to get off scott free. So I'm not involved in her case, my law firm has it, but I'm nowhere near it or even talking to the attorney that is taking care of her."

Dominic didn't like what he was hearing. "Wait a minute, I understand what you are saying, but let me tell you a few things about all this. I don't know if you have read the case, or what is in that file of yours..." Dominic pointed to the file Mr. Marker keeps looking at, "...but whatever is there isn't the complete truth.

All this got started by her son, my fucking gay nephew who just couldn't get it through his thick skull that he was wrong with what he was thinking and feeling. We tried to set him back on the right track, and when we couldn't, we turned to other means, means that we had the right to turn to. I know to some it looks bad, but we are not the only ones that did it.

When that place was raided and the goings-on there came to light, Beth and I were as surprised as everyone else about it all. We tried to clear ourselves of any wrong doing, but when we saw we were guilty no matter what we said, we did the only thing we thought we could do. We ran to Mexico hoping that when things settled down, calmer minds would prevail. It didn't take too long to show how wrong we were on thinking that.

What I'm getting at is that Beth and I are victims here as well. Just like me, she shouldn't have to spend another minute in this place. So I'm begging you to go back to those friends of yours and do whatever you can to help out my Beth. Get her a hearing on Friday as well and just like me, get her bail so we can walk out of this place together."

Mr. Marker felt for Dominic, but he has read the file. On top of that, he was glued to the T.V., like so many others, when the whole thing went down with the camp and the standoff between their governor and the president of Mexico. He was rooting for his governor to prevail. He never thought he would be where he is now, defending one of those that he was rooting against.

"Mr. Alvarez as I stated, she isn't my client. She has her own attorney, yes one in my law firm, but her own attorney. It is up to him to get her whatever hearings she needs." After shutting the file and putting it in his briefcase, Mr. Marker continued. "With that said, I will talk with her attorney and see if he wants me to pull the same strings for his client. If he does, we will get both of you in court on Friday in front of Judge Garcia.

In the meantime, get yourself ready to go home and don't count on leaving this place with Mrs. Alvarez. That will be good for both of you, but again at the end of the day you are my client, not her. I will do whatever it takes to get you freed. Even if that means I have to destroy her in court to make that happen." Dominic didn't like at all the last few things his attorney said. Before he could say anything, Mr. Marker knocked on the door to be let out. When the guard opened the door, he turned around.

"I know you don't like me right now, but in a couple of years when you are free looking back at this, you will see I was right and be thankful I stood my ground. Get yourself mentally and physically ready to leave here on Friday, because I promise you that will happen." Mr. Marker turned back around and stepped out of the room without saying another word.

Dominic had to wait for the guard to come and get him, which gave him time to think about everything he was just told. His mind was going around in circles, but the only thing that stayed constant was the thought of getting to Joey. He figured if his nephew was out of the way, everything that he and Beth are going through right now will be dropped and go away.

While Dominic was devising a plan to get rid of Joey once and for all as he waited for the guard to take him back to his cell, Alex and Matt were up in their room talking about the meetings Alex had throughout the day. Alex showed Matt the pictures of the buildings that were shown to him, but he kept going back to the building with the vending company. He liked that deal even more after he got a call from Mr. Nelson informing him the bank lowered their asking price.

"I like everything about this building that you do, but at the same time I have the same bad feelings about this building you do. It has a company in it already that we don't know how to run and is failing with those that do know how to run it. If we take on this failing business and don't get it to work, we could lose everything we have right now. Maybe we should just stay where we are at and just save up to get one of the buildings downtown near Jacob's."

"Matt don't you think I want to be near Jacob as well? Hell if it wasn't for him, we wouldn't have the print shop. But the buildings downtown come with their own problems and huge expenses. They are considered historical buildings, which means that we can't change a thing. If we need to knock out a wall, we won't be able to and by judging of these pictures of the buildings in downtown, we will have to do that in order to get our machines placed right."

Matt took another look at the pictures and saw what Alex saw. "It's just I'm so afraid that if we buy the building you want so bad, we might be biting off more than we can chew." Matt looked up at Alex with a concerned look on his face. "Jacob got us started by fronting us the startup capital and all the things we needed, but we, you, me, and Ron were the ones that got it to work. I don't want to lose it all because we want to venture into other things."

Alex wrapped his arms around Matt's shoulders from behind and pulled him in closer. "I agree with everything you have said here and that is why I think by letting Jacob keep ownership in the print shop is a good idea. That way the print shop is protected and will not go down if we can't get the vending company to work. If it fails, Jacob will own the print shop, but it won't be taken by the bank and shut down. Who knows, Jacob might let us still run it if that happens." Alex started to laugh, which got Matt to laugh.

There were a few minutes of silence in the room before Matt spoke. "Okay I will follow your lead on this, but before we do anything, you need to promise me one thing." Alex asked what the promise was. "Go back to Mr. Nelson before we do anything else and tell him that the price is still too high. I'm sure he is still not at the lowest he can go with that building." Alex chuckled and promised Matt that he would go back to Mr. Nelson.

"Once you do that, we will go to the bank and get a business loan, the bank, not Jacob." Alex turned Matt around and looked at him with a confused look on his face. "Jacob has already done way too much for us. It isn't right that we go back to him again with our hands out. We have to this on our own, agreed?"

Alex had no problem agreeing with Matt's request. They talked a few more minutes about the building before putting the paperwork away and cuddling up into each other's arms. They fell to sleep talking about how awesome it would be to own a vending company. They would have all the free potato chips, candy bars and Cokes they wanted.

TO BE CONTINUED...

WRITER'S CORNER:

{Welcome back, one and all, to a filled chapter of `Beneath the Mask'. I hope you enjoyed this installment of this saga as much as I did writing it. A lot happened in this chapter in just one day, but I couldn't let it get ahead of `Jacob Finding His Way'. If you are keeping up with the time line, this chapter ended up on Wednesday night, three days away from Jacob's mother and father's wedding. The next chapters of all four of my stories are going to be centered around the wedding, just from different points of view and different things happening with the characters on that day. I hope you guys read all four sagas, you won't regret it.

Now let's get to what this corner is all about, the summation of the chapter that you just read. It started out as always where the last one ended with Matt and his grandparents looking for Sally. At first they couldn't find her, but once they did, they let her into what was bothering them. They didn't like what they heard, but took it and went on their way.

Sally talked from the point of view of the law. She knows the rights of parents and where the law stands with what Matt and his grandparents went to talk to her about. Now I know she isn't a stupid women and knows after speaking with them, they aren't going to do what she is recommending. However, she didn't ask so she could say she had no idea.

I like Matt's idea and hope that is doesn't blow up in his face. We can't forget where he and Alex met and don't want either Matt, Alex or any of the other guys to go back there. If Matt gets caught doing what he plans to do, he can go back. Do you guys think he will get caught? If he does, do you guys think he will be locked up again?

Alex also had a productive day looking at buildings. It looks by the end of this chapter that Alex and Matt are leaning towards buying the building with the vending company if they get the right price. Do you guys think they will be successful? If they do go that way, do you guys think they will bring the guys from the house into the vending company to work and run?

You haven't heard much about the elder Garcia in a while. The last we heard of him that he and his gang were put back into population. He really wanted to make it clear that he is the one running things now. Over forty inmates dead in two days, what is up with that? What is up with the warden having no problem with that? He isn't judge, jury and executioner. I really think there is going to be a power struggle between the elder Garcia and the warden. The only thing I'm wondering is when it does happen, who will come out on top.

I know the Dominic plot doesn't belong in this story, but last week you read the newest installment of `Regrets and Heartaches', where I didn't have room to put it. It will go back to that story, but we needed to know what was going on there with him. This story has plenty of plots that is doesn't need to borrow from one of the other stories.

With that said, do you actually think Dominic and Beth are going to get bail? What worried me is that they probably will because politics has gotten so dirty those that go for offices that need us to vote for them are bought and paid for before they even get out to us. Poor Judge Garcia, if he wants to keep his seat, he will have to do something that will most likely haunt him for the rest of his life.

There are a lot of open plots still dangling out there in the air that will come back and as well a whole lot of new ones. So please stick around as I have said and keep on reading. I hope that you all enjoyed what you have read and will keep coming back week after week to this saga and the other three I write.

I do not want to say too much more and spoil the future chapters to come, so I will not. I warn you though! Do not skip a chapter, or you will be lost. There is a so much to answer in the chapters to come. Keep reading the future chapters, and enjoy! Please email me and let me know how I am doing at jacobmillertex@aol.com, Thanks!}

EDITOR'S CORNER:

Hello everyone! This was a busy chapter for sure.

Matt and his grandparents meeting with Sally was a good idea. I like that Sally laid out the facts clearly for them yet realizing that they might well not take her advice. She did what a good professional in any arena should do. She laid out the facts and didn't ask questions to the point that she couldn't retain plausible deniability should things not go smoothly.

It's regrettable that Sally doesn't have friends among the child welfare social workers.  I have observed that those social workers are a band of "caped crusaders" and they are tenacious about protecting children. It's sad that her history with the social services left her without a good network of connections.

I am really concerned that Matt and his grandparents might run afoul of the law and that could mean big trouble, particularly for Matt seeing as he has a record. I really hope that this situation is worked somehow through the system rather than attempting to circumvent it. It seems the system always balks when the rules are not followed.

Alex handled the real estate agents very well. He systematically rejected the proposed buildings with good solid reasoning. When Mr. Nelson made his pitch, Alex liked that this agent cut right to the chase and had a solid offering that was in tune with his business' best interests and goals.

The vending company could be a real asset if it was taken over by competent management. Now, there's the rub. There has to be expert and experienced management to turn that company around. Looking back, had Alex and Matt not had Ron's mentoring, would the print shop have become successful? Certainly not in the short time it did. This shows that proper, experienced management is the key.

Although Alex and Matt aren't going to ask Jacob and/or Al for help financially, they would be so wrong not to enlist their advice! If they move forward with taking the building and the vending company, I hope that they will do a talent search and find the right person to manage the vending company. It would be fine to enlist some of the guys in operating the company, but not to manage it.

I like the idea that Alex and Matt will be looking toward the bank rather than Jacob for their financial needs. The bank will be interested right off with the opportunity to get a bad loan off their books. The bank will probably find creative ways to work with Alex and Matt to turn this lemon into lemonade for both parties. The first thing that comes to my mind is an SBA guaranteed loan. That would grease the way for Alex and Matt and protect the bank with the loan being guaranteed against loss.

Alex and Matt have the right ideas, now they need to surround themselves with competent and talented people.

Things are the prison are taking interesting and dramatic turns minute by minute. I wonder how this will affect those we know outside the prison?

I hope that Dominic is denied bail in the upcoming hearing. Joey has his hands full and sure doesn't need to be trying to run his life with a target on his back. It seems that Joey getting his own security is more imperative than he realizes.

Do you have thoughts or ideas on the plots in this or any of the other Jacob Stories? Let us hear from you. Your input is always welcome and often times results in a change in plots. Your opinion does matter!

Until Next Time,

"Daddy" Rick