Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
For a man like Vicious, having down time didn’t tend to lead to happy times. Being idle allowed his mind to work overtime, which sent his thoughts in a downward spiral. Sometimes, he needed a quiet place to stop the chaos in his head.
Tonight, his demons were climbing all over him and had been since he walked out of the clubhouse. Player had kept him in the loop but suggested Vicious keep his distance until Teller cooled off. Turned out the Prez took a long time to cool down.
Walking up the aisle, Vicious looked at the deep blue vaults decorated with gold stars. The sanctuary was a mix of blues, reds, purples, silver, and gold. The cathedral filled with hundreds of intricate wooden carvings and religious statues gave him pause.
After everything that had happened to him at the hands of priests when he was a child, Vicious still turned to his beliefs to quiet his demons. He made the sign of the cross before sliding into one of the many wooden pews. Taking off the rosary he wore, Vicious knelt on the little leather-padded kneeler and prayed. He prayed for those he’d lost and those he still had. Mostly, he prayed for his own peace.
In the quiet cathedral, the sound of footsteps caused him pause. Movement behind him had him easing off his knees and taking a seat on the pew. He didn’t have to look behind him to know who sat there. The two brothers were like bad pennies—he couldn’t get rid of them if he tried.
“Player, Joker, what are you two doing here?”
“Same as you, brother. Looking for some salvation,” Player said quietly. He felt like God might come down from heaven and smite him personally. If nothing else, lightning might strike him dead as he left. He knew Joker was uneasy by the way the man fidgeted in the pew. “Be still.”
Vicious glared over his shoulder at Player. “What?”
“Not you. Joker. He’s squirming like a whore in church.” Player fought the urge to laugh.
“I’ll be out front,” Joker growled as he shoved out of the pew.
“Why are you bothering me here, Player?”
“I need you to leave your phone on so I can get in touch with you,” Player told Vicious.
Glancing over his shoulder, Vicious saw the serious expression on Player’s face. It couldn’t be about being in the church as Player didn’t believe in organized religion of any kind. At least, that’s what he preached. “It’s been on. Has something happened I should know about? ”
Player scratched at the scruff covering his chin. “Jerome Michel’s been seen around Roussin’s auto shop.”
“When?”
“Two days ago. He was on the street. We’ve got eyes on him, no worries.”
Vicious didn’t like it, not one fucking bit. If Jerome was lurking around the auto shop, that meant he was looking for Sway. “We need to find out if any of the businesses are still being harassed for protection money.”
“I brought up the fact that good people in our backyard were being extorted to Teller. The brother went ballistic.”
“Did he not know this information?”
“Nope.”
Something else was bugging the brother. Unlike Player, Vicious wouldn’t pry. He would, however, make sure his phone was on in case he was needed.
“Let me know if we need to put someone at the shop.”
“Will do. By the way, our Provo brothers called. Croon said he found a ‘69 Road Runner.”
“Did they now?” Player knew the news would make Joker happy.
“Zombie said they’d be bringing it up on a flatbed. They’ll call when they have it in their possession and bring it up when weather permits.”
“I’ll let Joker know. Thanks.” Player knew something was bugging Joker, but the brother wouldn’t budge on spilling his guts. Moving from the pew, he glanced around one more time .
“I see why you come here. It’s peaceful,” Player said before the brother left.
Turning his attention back to the front of the church, Vicious stared at the holy depiction of Christ. He didn’t have to look at the stained-glass windows to know they did not depict biblical scenes. Instead, they held scenes of the history of Montreal. He found that unusual for a Catholic church to break from tradition.
Realizing church was not what he needed, Vicious shifted his weight from his ass to his feet and strolled out of the church, heading to the auto shop. He wanted to check on Sabine, even if he did it from the cab of his truck.
After that, he’d have to have a sit-down with Teller. It was looking more and more like Jerome was behind some of the problems they were dealing with. With that thought, Vicious knew they needed to find a way to put their egos aside.
Vicious sat in his truck a block down from the auto shop. Something about the place nagged at him. After driving by a few times, Vicious decided to park in his usual spot. He was sure his behaviour was becoming close to stalking.
With the weather turning to shit and no sign of anyone lurking around the auto shop, Vicious was about to leave when his phone rang. “Yeah?”
“Are you at home?”
“I’m close. Why?”
“Teller’s on a tear about you being MIA. ”
“He told me not to come back.”
“Yeah, but that was four days ago. You’re the VP, brother. It’s noticed when you aren’t around.”
“Teller needs to either meet me at the farm or the dungeon and deal with me. Or he needs to get over it.” Vicious was done with the pissing contest.
“Joker and I are on our way to your place.”
“I’ll see you there.” So much for not being babysat. Starting the truck, Vicious pulled into light traffic and coasted past the shop. As he passed by, he caught sight of Sabine walking through the shop. Slowing down to a crawl, he took a minute to appreciate the view. When she disappeared, he moved the truck along. Picking up his phone from the seat, he called Player back.
“Vicious.”
“Pick something up for dinner. I’ve got dick at the house,” he told the brother.
“We already ordered pizza.”
“Meatlovers, extra meat?”
“Yeah, and extra cheese.”
“Good man.” Hanging up, Vicious set the phone aside so he could focus on the road. Weather that was said to be moving in during the early morning hours had moved in early.
Leaving Old Montreal, he headed toward the marina and home. Tomorrow, he’d decide how to approach Sabine about Jerome Michel. Tonight, he’d figure out how to deal with Teller.