That was another nice thing about having a good income stream, in the UK you need to be quite wealthy and have a few friendly (i.e. paid off) council connections to get permission for owning a single round rifle or an over/under shotgun. Getting a license for owning a handgun or a semi-automatic rifle is a feat that most Coppers can't pull off outside of N.I.s RUC if you're not assigned to a Force Firearms Unit or a Specialist Operations squad. I, on the other hand, had a collection that most Americans would drool over. I was also one of the few civilians in the U.K. that could legally carry a firearm most places, if it was concealed, thanks to my ongoing concerns with the government.
Amazingly though, I was prohibited from having my trusty Emerson QCQ-7 Tonto-tip clipped in an ready-to-hand but exposed position in my pocket if I was anywhere near London thanks to the current political Socialists policy of disarming all citizenry, save the criminal element and politicians guards. I am firmly convinced that the Lib Dems are working to force a societal collapse so that they may impose martial law and accomplish a coup for permanent power. I can see no other reason for the constant decrease of police protections while simultaneously legislating removal any possibility of self-defence from the common man or woman. Remember what I said about Socialism before?
I had been considering recently about driving out to Pahrump, Nevada, a small town an hour West of Las Vegas, and seeing an old USMC SOCOM buddy who worked at Front Sight teaching long distance rifle tactics, rope and rappel, and fully automatic weapons classes. (If you are ever serious about learning how to safely and effectively use a firearm, master a 'ropes' course, or just defend yourself using your hands and whatever is close-to-hand, look them up. For unarmed defence, blade weapons defence, handgun defence, long range rifle employment, and even fully automatic Uzi's and M-16 employment, this is the place to get real training, short of joining the SOCOM world.)
He had offered me the opportunity to join him on a private range and shoot a few full auto weapons I no longer generally have access to. I kept putting the trip off because I knew I would want to try talking him into selling me one to take home. But I also knew that no matter who I knew, or how much I donated to some political hack in the U.K., I'd never be able to get a license for something like an Heckler & Koch MP-5 or Sig Sauer MPX in the anti-gun Realm. For some reason the Queen Mum does not want her subjects to have a SAW in the cupboard. Buggered if I know why, it would seriously cut down on home invasions. Or at least the number of Dodgers that make it to the Dock.
I feel genuine pity at the plight of the poor English Bobby's. The Lords that New Scotland Yard calls senior leadership are stuck so far in the past they think Dodo's still exist and Pete Best is still the drummer for The Beatles. These blokes are forever dreaming the 'good ol'days' still exist where crime amounted to some petty sloth pinching a loaf off a shop and the copper need only blow his whistle at the crook for the 'great crime' to end. The miscreant was expected to stop and walk slowly back to the copper, his hands out in front of him for the cuffs to go, the paddy wagon to arrive, and have his day in the dock. Unfortunately, as I know all too well, criminals nowadays are as apt to fight, stab, or if they can get one, shoot a copper before they get hauled in.
Much of the problem is drug related, dodgers trying to get a few quid for the next fix and such but a fair amount is directly related to the uncontrolled influx of refugees who have simply ignored any attempts to integrate with what was once the 'Greater United Kingdom'. I've been to far too many bars where there is one more drink on the bar than there are patrons. 'That drink' is never going to be drunk. Perhaps worse, the political types and 'royals' will never discuss it and the liber-press is more than willing to turn a blind eye to the plight of the beat Coppers, and general public that is under siege in their own flats. Especially when some new Page 3 girl is spreading her charms for the cameras or an illegal alien border invader... oh, I'm sorry Madam Prime Minister, I meant 'undocumented asylum seeker'...is having their 'rights' trampled on by 'yet another out of control mob of radical right wingers' who's only fault and folly is the demand for 'Rule-of-law'.
Although gun crime in the UK is mostly unheard of, this is not the same as 'does not exist'. Gun crime is simply not acknowledged by the Lords or liberal political class, nor it it typically published in the liberal press lest they inadvertently admit the gun laws don't work. London, like most of the metro areas in the U.K., are in the midst of a crime wave not seen since that chaotic period before the Tories ran the zero tolerance campaigns. Assaults and knife crimes is off the charts. London is on par with New York City for murders and rapidly gaining on the crime blighted U.S. cities of Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland . Whats worse is there is no sign that the current Left-wing Socialist progressive '5-a-day' mayor is going to do much about it.
(Thus endith thy sermon. For now. Where was I before my train of thought went off the siding... Ah, yes. As you were, dear reader.)
The 99 year term-lease of flats on the upper floors had more than paid for the building and renovations. I had kept the others on the first and second floors as flexible lease and the ground floor flats as month-to-month rentals for the income stream and to pay for all the utilities, upkeep, Community Infrastructure Levy, and all the various taxes on the rest of the building. A solicitor friend was able to write an ironclad lease contract that made sure the current owner of the flat, or their estate, was on hook for the maintenance fees until a new owner took up the cost, no matter what. So far, I had never had more than one flat empty at a time and the rental rates continued to rise each year so I was in no hurry to sell the place off.
To be honest, I was making over 65 thousand pounds a month off just my real estate investments, so I really did not need the job. But being an engineer in two difficult disciplines kept my mind sharp and gave me a great reason to get up in the morning. Of course the over 400 thousand pounds I got in compensation per annum was a reason, too. I was always someone who went after that hard target. I usually got what I wanted through hard work and being a bit more (OK, a bloody lot more) determined than the competition.
Part 1 -- Car Trouble
It was a fantastic day to get some work in on a hobby short wave radio aerial I was building and get some meat smoked for a Sunday dinner at a mates place this evening with a few other blokes and their significant others. As Monday was a Bank Holiday (Yanks calls them federal holiday) I could have a few pints and not worry about having to wake at 0400. As I age, I find I can still party like a legend; I just don't recover quite so well, or as quickly.
Going down to the store to pick up a few things for dinner with some mates was my only intention. What I ended picking up was entirely different, and significantly more enjoyable. I rode in to the Save Mart parking lot on my old Harley Classic when I saw her. She was standing outside of a silver BMW X6 at the end of a parking row glancing between car and her mobile phone with a mild frown.
Pulling into the empty parking space next to her I killed the motor and pulled my helmet off my head as I gave more than a glance at her slim and youthful body. She was not tall, perhaps five foot and few inches, but her body was nicely and slimly proportioned for her height. Her light olive complexion and European features reminded me of the women from Italy. Her face was strikingly beautiful, a face that can linger in a man's mind for weeks. She had a small red nose stud in the centre of her right nostril that glimmered brightly in the sun, I guessed it was a real ruby from the sparkle. Her long black hair was pulled into a tail at the base of her long slim neck with a wide pink elastic and fabric band, it gave off a light iridescence as it fanned out from there to her lower back, just above her hips. Her stunning blue-green eyes that are best described as opal like. Her nose and mouth were the smaller facial features, but she had slightly puffy lips that looked nice for snogging.
Her outfit was simple, but it was the simple you can only get with some serious cash mated to the right body. The thin strap-halter V-top was loose at the top then went snug under her breasts and showed off the nice round and firm shape of a C-cup mound. The tops V plunge and flair of the gap gave an attractive view of a fair bit of her cleavage. I noticed there was not any hint of a bra, her nipples were just noticeable through the fabric of her top. I could not help but think that if there was no silicone, these might be the nicest pair tits I had ever seen. Her snug leather and denim jeans were very low cut on her hips but had a 60's flair that reminded me of an old sailor's bell bottoms. She had several rings on her fingers, but a large wedding set with a triple setting of big diamonds on her ring finger told me she was married and likely quite wealthy, or deeply in debt.
