Be Silent: Epilouge

The valet driver took possession of Gary’s keys after returning with Cheyenne’s car. He then sprinted past the front of the hotel entrance and in between their newer model shuttle vans towards the parking lot. Cheyenne, who was holding Gary’s hand, turned to kiss him before indicating that she would be waiting for him in her car so that they could leave together when his vehicle was ready. He agreed and watched as she walked away and entered her midsize sedan. The second Cheyenne was secure in the driver’s seat, a livery driver pulled up behind her in an all black luxury XL SUV, directly in front of Gary. The ceramic tinted window on the back passenger side rolls down, producing the face of a white male appearing to be in his early 40’s.

”Mr Gary Thornton, Jr., how are you doing today?” the man asked with a bright white smile on his face.

Gary scoffs, “Do I know you?”

“No, you don’t, sir. However, our families have a long rich history together. Why don’t you tell your girlfriend you’ll be a minute and get in the truck so we can talk.”

Gary rolls his eyes and pauses before saying, “I ain’t getting in shit until you tell me who you are.”

“I’m Thomas Boys the third, executor of your grandfather’s estate.”

“That’s impossible, my grandmother already appointed an executor to handle the affairs of his estate.”

“I’m not talking about your father, Gary. I’m talking about your grandfather, Gary Thornton of Maumelle, Arkansas.”

Surprised and nervous, Gary replies, “Who told you Howard was my father?”

“Gary, Boys Global is one of the richest companies in the world, with one of the best security details in the world, we know a lot,” he said as Gary went silent with beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “I don’t mean no harm, I promise. I actually came to present you with a gift for your 21st birthday.”

“If you knew so much, my birthday was yesterday!” Gary exclaimed angrily.

“Yeah, but you had a pretty full schedule yesterday. And by the time I ran into you at the bar last night, you were in no condition to have this conversation.”

Gary begins to scan his brain for whatever memories he can about the previous night before blurting out, “Oh shit, that was you with the cowboy hat on last night.”

“Yes, sir. Now come on and get in, this’ll only take a minute.”

Gary walks to Cheyenne’s car and tells her he has to take a quick meeting before they leave. He then walks to the vehicle Mr. Boys pulled up in and enters through the rear driver side. Gary begins to hurriedly ask, “Ok, what’s up Mr. Boys? What business do we have together?”

“First and foremost, happy belated birthday! Secondly, as the executor of your grandfather’s estate, I am obligated to give you this in person,” Thomas says as he hands Gary an envelope.

Gary opens the envelope revealing a bank check for $500,000. “Hold up, what the fuck is this?”

“That’s the first installment of your inheritance from your grandfather. Now, there’s some milestones you have to meet before you receive the rest, but that’s a great start.”

“Milestones? What milestones?”

“We’ll get to that later. For now, focus on depositing that check and spending some quality time with your girlfriend. She’s a keeper, Gary,” Thomas said, extending his closed fist towards Gary.

Gary extends his fist towards Thomas and as they connect he says, “Will do.”

The car gets quiet for a few dozen seconds before Thomas says, “Oh yea, the only other thing you get free and clear are your grandfather’s shares in Rebel Catfish. They’re currently worth about a cool $2,000,000. You can do whatever you want with them once you acquire them.”

“Are you serious?” Gary asks with a look of bewilderment on his face.

Thomas smiles and says, “I am, but that’s a topic for another day. Otherwise, this meeting is over. I will be in contact with you shortly.”

“Okay, I’ll look forward to hearing from you.”

“Likewise, and don’t worry, you didn’t violate the terms of the NDA you signed yesterday. We gathered that intel on our own. However, do be careful out here, Gary. Although the estate is providing round the clock security for you, we may not be able to protect you if you decide to make any rash decisions.”

Gary processed what Thomas had just said and remained silent. Without saying a word, he exited the vehicle. The SUV pulled off and the valet driver pulled in with Gary’s car like clockwork. Gary began to turn his head in every direction possible, seeing if he could spot his security detail. Nothing stood out immediately, so he entered his automobile and honked the horn signaling to Cheyenne that he was ready to go.