Chapter 13
*~* Whack *~*
Sitting in church, we’re just waiting for a few stragglers. I’m not worried, as there’s still five minutes before it’s time to begin. There’s a good vibe to everyone this morning, and I don’t expect to be in here for long.
Ghost came in and walked right up to Fury. I thought there was going to be trouble with the determined way Ghost headed straight for him, and I think Fury thought the same. He wasted no time getting his ass out of the chair when he saw Ghost coming for him.
Ghost stopped in front of him and thrust his hand out for a shake. Fury took it but looked as confused as all hell. Ghost held the shake and turned to the rest of us.
“You all need to know that thanks to this man, my son, Thorn, got in touch with me and said he was willing to sit down at a table and rehash everything that had gone on in the past. This time, he said, he was willing to listen and take in what I was saying rather than dismiss me without a thought. We had that meeting, and we got further in that one hour than in all the time I’ve been back.
When I asked what had prompted the change in him, he said we both had Fury to thank.
Apparently, they had a chat over a haircut, and Thorn decided to take some advice from someone who seemed to have his interests at heart.
So, I thank Fury for whatever he said.” Turning to Fury, Ghost thanked him in front of us all, loud and clear.
Fury, for his part, just looked as embarrassed as all hell.
We did some clapping, backslapping for those close enough, and not a little boot-stomping.
As we were finishing up, Bandit walked into the room.
He looked directly at Fury and stormed over to him.
This was definitely not going to be a handshake.
Everyone parted the way and waited for the show to begin.
Standing in front of Fury, nose-to-nose, Bandit spoke quietly, “Stay the fuck away from Jamie. I told you once, I’m not telling you again.”
Fury looked calmly at Bandit for a few seconds before replying. “I don’t know what’s got you so riled up, but first of all, I haven’t spoken to Jamie. Second, I take orders from my President, not some jumped-up little asshole with an axe to grind.”
“I saw you,” Bandit snarled.
“I don’t care what you think you saw. I haven’t had contact with Jamie since before she was in the hospital. Now get out of my face.”
“Liar.” Bandit then went for Fury, but he never got to touch him. One minute he was standing there, the next he was down on the floor and Ghost was holding him there. Bandit isn’t a small guy, and he’s just as fit as the rest of us, but whatever Ghost was doing, he had Bandit immobilized.
“You need to stand down, Bandit. If the man says he hasn’t been near her, I believe him. What is it you think you saw?” Ghost doesn’t let him up, he just waits for an answer as calm as you like.
“He was trailing Jamie. I saw him following her. He was told to stay away. I fucking saw it with my own eyes,” Bandit snarls.
Looking at me, Fury nods. “I was on my way from the pet crematorium back into the center of town. I was at a junction when Jamie crossed it. I thought that I’d seen someone in a junker following her, so I diverted to a couple of cars behind them.
The junker peeled off after two junctions, and I turned off to get my haircut.
That is the only time I’ve seen Jamie, and that’s not what I would call seeing her or breaking your non-contact order, either, Pres. ”
“Okay, Ghost. Let him up.” Waiting for Bandit to stand, I give him my hardest stare.
“I know why you are so protective of the Doc. I know and I get it, but this is not how we conduct ourselves in my church meeting. If you think a brother, officer, or prospect has gone against my orders, you come to me with it, and I’ll sort it.
Do I make myself perfectly clear?” Bandit gives me a slight nod.
“Not good enough, Bandit. Do I make myself crystal clear on this matter?”
“Yes, Pres, crystal clear.” He looks at me defiantly, but I can live with that. None of the guys are pussies, and I wouldn’t respect them if they were. Hell, even the old ladies of the club aren’t pussies.
It’s now past my start time, so I call everyone to order and get started.
The businesses are the first things put to bed.
They are all giving us nice profits and no hassles.
Bank, Pens, and Bull all say the pet crem is good to go.
Cannon is happy that it’s had a fresh coat of paint, inside and out, all the machinery has been checked and serviced, and that everyone associated with the crem has a solid understanding of their responsibilities.
“Training is underway for everyone who needs it, and the qualifications should soon follow. In the meantime, Mr. Bentley, from the funeral home, has graciously agreed for us to put him on our payroll so we are legally compliant until everyone is properly certified.” Cannon gives me a chin lift, confirming he has finished.
I change the topic at this point. “Next up, the Senator and his son. What do we know? Ghost, you can report on this.”
“We didn’t see any movement, and there have been no reports of any local women going missing.
None of the comms we heard suggested that they were actively trafficking at this time.
In fact, the son, Stephan, seems to be on a spending spree of all their ill-gotten gains.
He’s buying exotic cars, a new ranch to keep them at, pretty much whatever takes his fancy.
The father has been very quiet of late. Too quiet for my liking.
” Ghost looks thoughtful at his last statement.
“What are you thinking, Ghost? I see wheels turning in that head of yours.” I know he’s got an idea of what might be going on.
“Well, Pres, if I didn’t know better, I’d say the old boy is distancing himself from the family business.”
“You think the son is muscling the old bull out?” I could see that happening.
“No. I think the old man is too smart for that. Too ruthless as well. I don’t think he’d think twice about having his son removed, or even doing it himself, come to that.
No, I think he’s seeing his son spending so much money that he’s going to bring himself and the family into the spotlight.
I’m sure the father sees the writing on the wall, and knows that the Feds are going to come knocking sooner rather than later, and he wants to show them a clean pair of hands and clean bank statements.
” Ghost's theory is plausible and could be true, but walking away from the kind of money the Senator would have been making is a hard thing to do. Especially when he’s used to having what he wants, when he wants it.
“Okay, we’ll put them on our back burner for now then.
If our town's folk, our women in particular, aren’t in any danger, let’s leave it to the Feds to figure out.
If we get a whiff of anything starting up again, though, we jump in with both feet and shut them down.
Anything else anyone wants to bring to the table? ”
Bank speaks up. “Just that the offer we made on the bar was turned down again. I think it’s time we walked away from that place.
I’ve been looking around to see what else is available at the moment, and I don’t see anything that would be good for us.
There was one place that looked promising, but it was across the state line and just on the border of being too far away to be practical.
Tech and I have our feelers out to see if anything else comes up. ”
“I forgot about the bar. Yeah, let’s cut loose from that. We’ve been holding out far too long, and the seller is too stupid to see that no one else but us would take that place on. Screw ‘em. Anything else?”
Closing the meeting, I watch closely as Bandit leaves. I saw him wait until Fury had left before he made a move, and I don’t think we’ve heard the last of this.
“Cannon, Breaker, Griller. Hang back a second.” I’ll give these three a heads-up to be on their guard where Bandit is concerned.
As the last of the brothers leaves, Cannon closes the door.
“We’ve already discussed it, Pres. Construction has more than enough work to keep another brother busy, and if they don’t, the storage facility always needs units cleaned and prepped for the next customer.
We’ll get Bandit out of harm's way for a while and see if that cools him down,” Griller tells me.
He and Breaker would be the ones to tackle any discipline issues, so I’m not surprised that they’ve had their heads together already, and come up with something to defuse the bomb that is Bandit.
As they turn to leave there’s a commotion from the rec room, and they may have been too late.
*~* Fury *~*
Leaving church, I know Bandit is watching me. I can feel his eyes burning into my back. I know he isn’t going to accept my explanation and let this drop. Well, that’s his problem, not mine, unless he wants to push it, and then I’ll be more than happy to oblige.
When I lay claim to Jamie, he’s going to have to suck it up, because I’m not going to have him sticking his nose into our business every five minutes.
She saved his life once. I get it, I really do. That’s not something you forget. I don’t see him doing much in return right now about the problem of seeing she stays safe, except being blinded by his fixation with keeping me away from her.
Walking across the rec room, I‘m torn between a cold beer or a hot coffee, when I can almost feel his hot breath on my neck.
“Stay away from her, Fury. She doesn’t need an asshole like you in her life.” I think he was trying to say that quietly as a threat, but just about everyone in the room heard it.
Turning to face him, I feel my blood start to boil, and I know he’s pushed me too far.
“You need to walk away right now, Bandit. You’ve had your say once too often now, and I’m done listening to your shit.
You’re not her father, her brother, her lover, or her keeper.
Right now, you’re not even lifting a finger to protect her.
What the fuck are you going to do when I claim her and she’s my old lady?
” Knowing full well that this will tip him over the edge, I’m prepared for it when he throws down on me.
His punch misses by a hair's breadth as I dodge it, and the second one is only a glancing blow. Laughing at him and pushing him in the chest has the desired effect of him getting angrier and angrier. He’s lost all sense now, and it’s easy for me to land a crashing blow to his chin.
I put every bit of frustration and anger into that punch, and he drops to the floor as if he had a glass jaw.
Stepping away from him, I go to the kitchen and get a coffee.
As I walk back, heading for Pres’s office, I see Saddle and Vortex lifting Bandit, still unconscious.
Breaker, Cannon, and Griddle appear from church and as I walk past them I state, “It was self-defense. Plenty of witnesses. I’ll be in Pres’s office giving him my statement if you want me. ”
As I step into the corridor where all the offices are, Pres steps out of church. He looks at me questioningly, and I just nod towards his office. I’m confident that he knows what just went down, and if he’s not? Bite me!