Contested Ransom
By Jack Kregas
()
About this ebook
Corruption, greed, torture, and murder behind a hotel/marina project have triggered a kidnapping.
With no certainty that payment will end the conflict, Joey and Mira become reluctantly involved. Aided by the most unlikely allies, they formulate a clever strategy to resolve the dangerous situation.
Readers met Joey Moretti in Mystical Glasses and Innocent Retribution discovering he is a man with distinctive talents and the ability to deal with unpleasant tasks.
Contested Ransom, we see more of Joey Moretti being tested to the limit.
Jack Kregas
Jack Kregas was born in New England in the north east of the United States. After a stint in the US Army, he was discharged in Europe and the next forty years were spent skiing and living life to the max as well as creating several successful businesses.Winters in the Alps and summers windsurfing on Maui, Jack departed Switzerland for Maui full time with his Australian wife and small daughter. After five years he moved the family to Australia and became an Australian citizen.Jack now lives in Brisbane and plays golf and tournament poker. After having published his first book in 2015, an autobiography, It's All About Me and a few others of his adventurous life, he has written another thirteen books the latest being THE VEGAS TRANSACTIONS published in July 2021 and How to lose at Texas Holdem in September 2121.
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Contested Ransom - Jack Kregas
Jack Kregas was born in New England in the north east of the United States. After a stint in the US Army, he was discharged in Europe and the next forty years were spent skiing and living life to the max as well as creating several successful businesses.
After many winters in the Alps and summers windsurfing on Maui, Jack departed Switzerland for Maui full-time with his Australian wife and small daughter. Five years later, he moved to Australia with his family and became an Australian citizen.
Jack now lives in Brisbane and plays golf and tournament poker. After publishing his first book in 2015, an autobiography of his adventurous life, he has written another five books and is currently working on his seventh.
OTHER BOOKS BY THE SAME AUTHOR
Fiction
Choice Cruise Lines
Mystical Glasses
Innocent Retribution
Non-fiction
It’s All About Me and a few others
It’s Not Only About Me
CONTESTED
RANSOM
by
JACK KREGAS
––––––––
The third novel
in the Joey Moretti Series
Publishing Details
Contested Ransom by Jack Kregas
© Jack Kregas
The moral right of the author has been asserted. All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright restrictions above, no part of the production may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book.
1st Edition 2017
Copyright: Jack Kregas 2017
This book is copyright
Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study, research, criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright Act, no part may be reproduced by any process without written permission.
This is a work of fiction. The events and characters in this book are fabricated from the imagination of the author. Some places and locations maybe real, others are not. Any similarity to any person living or dead is purely coincidental.
This book is dedicated to
Maude Vallie,
my grandmother and so much more
Thanks to Susan and Megan – After six books, I have not made their editing job any easier.
––––––––
Thanks also to Robbie at Afterglow Media for again bringing my ideas to life in maybe the best cover yet.
Chapter 1
Mira loved their new house. She had decorated it according to her tastes. Joey had agreed with her and felt equally at home. It was a single-story building containing a large kitchen with breakfast bar, three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a spacious living area, TV room, and study. There were exposed beams in some rooms and the exterior was covered in a burnt orange stucco. An outside covered deck was resplendent with a bar-b-que, dining table for eight and three easy chairs facing a TV screen mounted on the wall. It was positioned so the breezes cooled the house and the view was to the open ocean.
A path with stairs led to the beach below the house. It was a surfer’s beach. This meant there were waves in front of the house and Mira could surf without having to move the car. Joey could watch her as he drank a coffee on the deck.
It was the second time in his life that Joey felt stable and content. This was far removed from the last time he felt this way. He seldom allowed his mind to drift back to the time he had been Joey Teach, living as a Native American among close friends and his adopted family. Those days were like another lifetime in his mind. He admitted he missed the closeness of his relationship with Coyote. He missed the expressions on the faces of his students when he taught them something that amazed them. He had developed an understanding of animals he had never known while growing up in New York. He wondered what had happened to his horse Patch after he had set him free. There was no way he could control his emotions if thoughts of his wife and children came to mind. At that point, he did whatever possible to think of something else. Some memories were too raw for time to heal.
Joey had learned at an early age how to compartmentalize his mind. Acts or memories he no longer wished to remember were stored away, forgotten, and buried. He had mastered the technique, almost. Some events in his past were so devastating he was unable to bury them. Thus, on occasion he had to struggle to keep himself sane.
Joey Moretti was born into an Italian family in New York City. His Uncle Rico had been the last of the old-time mobsters who controlled a portion of the city. After his father died in suspicious circumstances, Joey was raised by his mother. His cousin Stefano, who was five years older, always looked out for him. Stefano and his father had a serious falling out over the future direction of the family business. Rico wanted to continue in the ‘old ways’ while Stefano’s vision was to go completely legitimate and branch out into areas where he felt there was a future. Rico was assassinated by an unknown person or persons who were never caught. Stefano was free to forge ahead with his ideas.
When Joey was a university student, studying law and working part-time for Stefano, his first serious girlfriend died. This loss had Joey asking questions about who he was and what he wanted to do with his life. While Stefano was reluctant to see Joey leave his employment, he assured Joey he would make a deposit into an account for him every month, increasing it as the Moretti Group became more successful. Joey left New York to wander Europe and then the Western United States.
It was during these years of aimless roaming that while hitchhiking, he was picked up by a Native American, Coyote. Coyote invited him to stay with him on a reservation he and a few others had created high on a plateau well away from the pollution of society. The years he spent on the plateau were the happiest and the most rewarding of his life until tragedy struck.
He again went back to his ambling ways, until he settled in Redondo Beach and met Mira. They were attracted to each other, easily becoming part of each other’s life. They had spent a vacation in Europe where Joey played poker; they did the tourist things, and had fallen in love. Upon returning, events turned ugly when they were confronted with Mira’s revengeful, stalking ex-husband.
Joey was determined to protect Mira and in the process, was compelled to ask Stefano for help. This was the first contact they had had in years. With Joey’s ability to think ahead, Stefano’s help, Mira’s courage, and some luck, they managed to diffuse this life-threatening situation. It brought them closer together. They were a couple with complete trust in each other. It was love and more.
Mira gave him stability. She had never pushed him to find out about his past. She was aware he had not been an angel or even had a life one would consider normal. She judged him on how he treated her. He had been there for her when she had problems and was in danger. Joey was her man. She could not imagine life without him, as he could not without her.
They were a couple who liked each other’s company. They had long conversations, enjoyed the same foods and agreed to disagree on films and theater. Surfing was important to her and Joey supported this and travelled with her if she chose to participate in competitions. Joey played tournament poker usually within an hour’s drive of where they lived. Sometimes they went together to Vegas or Europe, where Joey played while Mira explored the museums or the local attractions. Then there was the sex. When Mira came in wet from surfing, Joey could not resist her. Just thinking of the salty taste on her body, mixed with her scent, had him removing her wetsuit on the deck. Many times, they did not get to a bedroom. Sex was important. Life was good.
Mira was in her early forties with a body as if she was ten years younger. She was of Mexican descent, had a college degree in business and was a legal secretary in a law firm when she met Joey in a coffee shop. He was immediately attracted to her. The dark eyes and dark hair with the outgoing personality would have been enough. He liked the way her mind worked and their ability to relate to each other. Surfing and yoga kept her mind and body sharp. Joey had tried surfing finding it too slow waiting for waves. He disliked the paddling back out to catch the next wave. He disliked running or jogging and avoided gyms. Approaching fifty-seven, six feet tall with a full head of grey-streaked hair, he knew he would have to find an enjoyable way to keep his body tuned and in-shape. He gave it some thought without hitting on anything he felt he would start with and continue. He recalled that years ago riding his horse four or five days a week kept him fit. That thought also brought back images he did not want to see. He saw an ad in the paper and had an idea.
Mira, did you ever ride a bike?
Yes, a long time ago. Why do you ask?
I’ve been thinking that I need a fitness program. Something I’d enjoy doing. Mountain bikes came to mind. We could buy a couple of bikes and ride them on the bike route along the beach or even go out to the desert and ride there. What do you think?
Could be fun depending where we ride. If we do that, there is another thing I would like to do. You taught me how to shoot. I’d like to continue that. Maybe join a range and shoot targets. I am not interested in any kind of hunting.
Okay, let’s go to a bike shop and take a look at the bikes and then sort out a shooting range or a club where we can practice. Surfing, poker, biking, shooting, cooking, and sex. I am not interested in any activity that takes the time away we have for sex.
Mira put her arms around Joey’s neck as she looked at him. Have no fear. Some things are far more important than others.
They selected top-of-the-line mountain bikes with all the bells and whistles. They also bought tires for sandy conditions agreeing that if they spent the money, the chances of using the gear would increase. During the next week, they discovered routes where they could bike to a coffee shop, and along the beach. There were some hills near the house on the residential streets so they rode there too. Mira wore a helmet. Joey refused.
Joey studied a map. He located an area within a thirty-minute drive that appeared to be what he was looking for. It was scrub desert providing miles of terrain for bike riding. They loaded the bikes into the back of the SUV and set off. After leaving the paved road, they made their way along a dirt track for a couple of miles before parking the SUV. Sunglasses on, backpacks with extra water bottles, and they were into the sand on their bikes. Staying on the track was easy. Going off into the sand required much more effort because of the texture and irregularity of the grain. Mira was amazed how the gearing made the hard going so much easier. They rode and chatted, stopping often to drink and rest. Two hours later, they were back at the SUV pleased with the bikes and the off-road experience.
That will keep me in shape. I like the idea of no cars or people. You can almost go wherever you want.
And we can do it together,
chimed in Mira.
Mira took the lead in locating a shooting range. She and Joey visited the Sands Shooting Club. It was a club offering instruction, competitions, gun rentals, and an inside and outdoor range. A clubhouse with a café added a welcome feel. It was a weekday afternoon and both were surprised at the mix of members they encountered. Many females, some looking like housewives, while others appeared to be business types. Males were in the minority, at least on this particular day. The manager, a well-spoken man named Miles, gave them a tour of the facilities