Forgotten Forbidden America:: Patriots Reborn (10 page)

Michelle nodded. “Yeah, that’s when Nelson started belting them to the chair. You can’t pull your hand off unless you can stand using your body weight,” she said with a small grin as Nelson picked up the next nail, rolling it around in the palm of his hand. “Like I said, the next time, he learned he had to have the chair secured to the floor.”

Turning away as Nelson drove in the next nail, Matt looked at Michelle. “You’re not kidding; a man pulled his hand off?”

“Yes, Matt,” she sighed. “It didn’t help much; his other hand was still nailed to the table. Luckily, Nelson already had the blow torch going and cauterized the stump. Nelson had everyone hold the man down and used five-inch wood screws he had and drove them through the man’s stump, screwing his arm to the table. Let me tell you, you aren’t ripping your arm off when it’s screwed to a table.”

Nelson reached over and patted the postman’s face. “You’re not being brave for your friends.”

Behind him, Gerald turned to Michelle. “You mean he’s used this several times in Iraq?” Gerald asked.

“Yes, and once in Afghanistan when a soldier was kidnapped.”

“He let an interpreter watch this?” Gerald gasped.

“Hell no,” Michelle snapped. “Nelson used to be able to speak Arabic, Farsi, Armenian, Pashto, Dari, and Kurdish. I’m sure he could only manage a few words now. Nelson said it was rude going to someone’s country and not speak their language.”

“Shit, I’m surprised the Special Forces didn’t try to snatch him up,” Gerald said, watching Nelson lay out more nails from hell.

“Oh, they tried when he went to Ranger school, but Nelson told them he was getting out after his five years,” Michelle said as Nelson picked up a nail and drove it in Palmer’s right hand.

Moving down the line, Nelson drove a nail in the right hand of the other four. Then he walked around the table, setting down his hammer and wiping sweat off his forehead with the back of his arm. “Those things take some work driving,” he said, rolling a nail across the table. “If you hit them too hard, they bend, and you have to pull it out and start over, and that sucks for everyone.”

The five were rocking back and forth, screaming under their duct tape. He noticed Ivan looking at him. “You want to say something, Ivan?” Stonavitch nodded rapidly. Nelson reached over and pulled the tape off his mouth.

“I tell you what you want, you don’t need to do this. I’m a soldier, let me have my dignity,” Ivan said.

“Ivan, I haven’t shown you the bad part yet,” Nelson said, shaking his head. “Let me show you what happens if you lie. If your friends tell me something different from you, I have to show you what is in store,” Nelson said, walking over to the side of the barn then came back with the end of an extension cord.

He unwound two cables connected to two large, copper clamps: one red, the other black. The wires led to a box with a huge dial on it. “This is my new box. The one I made in the sand box, I had to set up using two forty volts. Here in the U.S., we have one twenty,” Nelson said, clamping the red clamp on the nail in postman’s right hand. He held up the large, black clamp, squeezing the handles to make the jaws open and close.

“I’m sure you see where this is going, but the large dial is a rheostat. It lets me control the voltage that hits you,” Nelson said, clamping the black one on the nail stuck out of the back of the postman’s left hand.

Nelson plugged up his box and looked at the postman. “Be brave pecker wrangler,” he smiled and turned the dial halfway. The postman’s body locked up and vibrated in his chair and foam poured out around the duct tape. “See, I can make sure you don’t pass out. Isn’t that cool?” Nelson said, walking around the table and staring in the postman’s eyes. “See, he’s wide awake.”

The others started bouncing with muffled screams, trying to make their chairs move, but Ivan screamed without duct tape. Nelson walked over, picking a roll of duct tape off the table. “You aren’t being brave for your friends,” Nelson said, covering Ivan’s mouth and wrapping the tape around his head.

Tossing the tape on the table, Nelson looked down at the postman still vibrating in his chair. “Oh, I’m sorry. Your friend was trying to wake the kids,” Nelson said, reaching over and turning the dial down to zero. The postman’s head hit the table between his hands as he panted through his nose.

Reaching over, Nelson unwrapped the tape from postman’s head, uncovering his mouth. “Would you like to tell them what you felt?”

“Please,” postman begged, whimpering. “I was just doing what they told me or my family would be sent to the camps.”

“That’s my cue.” Michelle smiled at Matt and Gerald. “Hey baby,” she said, walking over and kissing him. “Can I play?” she asked, reaching over and turning the dial back halfway. With the postman still bent over the table, his body vibrated, banging his head into the table like a jackhammer.

“Damn you’re sexy,” Nelson said, wrapping his arms around her.

Matt shook his head. “I swear if they have sex on that table with that guy beating his head, I’m going to puke.”

“Shit, I don’t know what I want to do right now,” Gerald said, watching the two kiss. “Part of me wants to go grab a camera.”

Michelle broke the kiss and reached over, turning the knob down. “If they’re bad, call me so we can get nasty on the table as they make it vibrate.”

“Can I just say they are being bad and get to the nasty part?”

Michelle laughed and kissed him. “No, find out what they know, and if they tell the truth, we won’t hurt them anymore.”

The other four gawked at her as she walked back to Gerald and Matt. “She loves me,” Nelson said, grinning.

“Like I said, Nelson learned it’s all about theatrics,” Michelle said, stopping beside Matt and Gerald.

“So this is just show?” Matt asked.

“A little, but Nelson’s mad,” Michelle said. “When he jokes like this, it’s to keep from blowing up.”

“Now gentlemen, the games begin, and just to let you know, my good friend the calf is right outside in case your day doesn’t suck enough now,” Nelson said, putting headphones on everyone but Palmer.

“This is the boring part; I’ll be inside,” Michelle said, leaving.

As she left, Matt shook his head. “If the military would’ve kept those two in, everyone in Iraq would’ve surrendered.”

“I always thought I would be the one doing this with a bucket of water and a towel,” Gerald sighed. “Nelson comes in making me feel bad.”

Nelson brought over a chair and sat across from Palmer. He picked up the small, digital music players on the others and pressed play, blaring music in their headphones. “Now, Mr. Federal Agent Palmer, let’s talk.”

***

Nellie had called over the radio telling everyone supper was ready. Matt and Gerald came in the front door arguing. “Damn it, Gerald, she’s your sister,” Matt snapped. “You need to say something about her hitting their toes with a hammer.”

“It’s not my fault they weren’t answering her questions fast enough,” Gerald said, walking into the kitchen.

Nellie stood up. “Little ones are here, so watch your mouth.”

“Yes ma’am,” they said, moving to their chairs.

Bernard laughed as he held Olivia in his lap. “They still talking?”

“Bernard, Nelson got Palmer to admit he cheated on his SATs,” Matt laughed. “It’s crude but effective.”

“What’s Nancy doing there then?” Bernard asked as Olivia picked up her glass.

“Fighting Nelson for question and answer time,” Gerald said. “I had to stop them from throwing punches. I really didn’t want to see Nancy get spanked.”

“What’s she asking about?” Ashley asked, feeding Mike his bottle with a smile since Nancy wasn’t there.

Gerald shrugged. “Sh…stuff about computers,” he said, looking over at Nellie, who was narrowing her eyes.

“Like what?” Gavin asked.

“Gavin, it’s about computers is all I can say, and she seems to only want to talk mostly to Palmer. Every once in a while, she wants to talk to Ivan,” Gerald said, looking over at Michelle feeding Devin. “Michelle, you want me to take over?”

Michelle laughed, setting Devin’s spoon down on his highchair. “Go ahead,” she said, and Gerald jumped up and picked up Devin’s highchair, making him laugh. Setting it beside his chair, Gerald sat down and grabbed Devin’s spoon.

“Did you tell Nelson he had a time limit?” Gerald asked, loading Devin’s spoon.

“Yep, sunset,” Michelle said, looking out the window, and saw it was getting close.

Matt nodded. “That makes sense now why Nelson threatened to tie up Nancy if she didn’t quit asking so many questions.”

Michelle sighed and reached behind her, grabbing the radio off the counter. Bringing it to her mouth, she pressed the button. “Nelson, let Nancy ask questions.”

“Are you fucking kidding!” Nelson shouted over the radio. “I’m almost out of time, and Jakowski won’t tell me what animal he fucked as a kid because Nancy wants to talk to Palmer about some network parameter bullshit!”

“It’s not bullshit, butthead! I am…” they heard Nancy shout as Nelson let go of the transmit key.

“Baby, I’m sitting at the table with the kids,” Michelle said over the radio.

“Hey damn it, there was no way I knew that kids were near, so you can’t hold that against me! Damn it, Nancy, I told you I wanted to screw his feet to the floor. Give…” The radio went silent, and everyone looked at the radio in Michelle’s hand.

“Think I should go out there?” Bernard asked.

“I’m not sure it would be safe,” Michelle stuttered, staring at the radio and jumping when Nancy’s voice shouted over it.

“Damn it, Michelle, your husband just spanked me with a belt!”

Gerald shook his head as they heard the radio cut off like Nelson ripped it from Nancy’s hand. “I knew that was going to happen,” Gerald sighed. “Hate to say it, but that spanking was long overdue.”

Nelson’s voice erupted out of the radio. “Michelle, she asked for that spanking. She’s messing up my technique. Damn it, Nancy, the blow torch is for later!” they heard Nelson’s voice fade as he dropped the radio.

Matt picked up his fork. “Be damned if I go out there.”

“Michelle, he wouldn’t really hurt Nancy, would he?” Gerald asked, and Gavin laughed with Michelle.

“No, Nelson loves her just as he loves everyone here, but he will spank her as…butt,” Michelle said.

Nodding, Gerald fed Devin another spoonful. “Call Nelson, and tell him I have a leather belt hanging on my bedroom closet.”

“Nelson, are you still there?” Michelle asked, keying the radio.

“Hell yes, but I’m about to tie up Nancy. I’m not done with Palmer, and she won’t quit!” Nelson shouted, and Nancy yelled in the background.

“It’s my turn, damn it. You used your turn on the sack of shit Jakowski!”

“Baby, let her talk to him. I’m sure I’ll be happy with what you have,” Michelle said.

“Are you sure because I want to get my Solo outfit out again,” Nelson said in a low voice as a scream sounded in the background. “For fuck’s sake, Nancy! If Bernard sees you pulling that calf back like that, he’s going to spank your ass!”

“It seems to hurt more when I yank the calf’s mouth off, shithead! I’ll buy Bernard a new baby cow!” Nancy yelled as a scream erupted in the background, and the radio went dead.

“I’m never watching
The Cowboy Way
again,” Matt said, grimacing as he shifted in his chair.

“I think I want to see this movie,” Bernard said, chuckling.

“Baby, I hope you’re not spanking Nancy,” Michelle said in the radio, laughing.

Everyone heard noise coming over the radio like someone was fumbling the transmit key. Then a blood-curdling scream sounded over it, startling everyone, then suddenly cut off. “Was that a man?” Gavin asked.

“I don’t know,” Michelle mumbled, looking at the radio. “I wonder if they got hurt fighting over the blow torch.”

Bernard stood up. “I’m going to check on them,” he said, about to put Olivia down in his chair when the radio went off.

“Michelle,” Nelson whispered with a blood-curdling scream in the background. “Are you there?”

“Yes, Nelson, is everything alright?”

“Michelle, what is an ‘otaku carpet muncher?’” Nelson asked in a whisper as Nancy ranted in the background over the scream, and the sound cut off.

“Uh oh,” Gerald said.

“What is that he said?” Michelle asked.

“Otaku is Japanese slang for a super nerd, and you can guess what a carpet muncher is,” Gerald said, shaking his head.

“Nelson,” Michelle said, keying the radio.

“Damn it, Nancy, you can’t screw his nut to a metal chair using a wood screw!” Nelson’s voice bellowed over the radio then went silent.

Bernard sat back in his chair. “On second thought, I’m just going to wait on them.”

“Why is Nancy trying to screw nuts to a metal chair?” Olivia asked in a hoarse, weak voice.

Michelle yanked her head up. “Uh, I don’t know, baby. Maybe she can’t crack them,” Michelle said, keying the radio. “Nelson, I’m turning the radio off. You and Nancy need to come and eat.” Turning the radio off, Michelle put it back on the counter.