Chapter Fourteen #2
“His calls would be nonstop. I gave the SUV to the new trainer. His wife is pregnant with their third kid.”
“It’s going to be good not to be the only woman here.”
I nod. “Find me women qualified to train and I’ll hire them.”
She pushes the door open and steps in smiling. “Vapor and Sarah are at SOAR; I didn’t work with many women that were American. I didn’t work with many Canadian women either to tell you the truth.”
She wasn’t straight Army. “Your position was a select few from the little I know.”
“There weren’t many deployed, there are more but they work out of Canada.”
I nod and walk back to the door while she gets us a drink. “Pres, Gunnar.”
“He wanted to thank you for the SUV and we’re crashing dinner.” I look back and see my girl frozen with water overflowing the glass.
“Gunnar?” She’s shocked.
I step back so she sees him. “Sophie. Did you tell Echo you were here?”
“No one. There wasn’t anyone to tell. How is she, it’s been years?”
He gives her a bear hug. “Someone is picking her up from her parents in Idaho. She’s going to be shocked to find you here.”
“I’m shocked you are.”
Pres laughs. “What are the chances?” He looks at me. “They sponsored Sophie at his uncle’s Christmas dinner in Canada.”
My girl nods. “They did, I was so excited because they’re American. His handle was Spook. It cracked me up.”
I smile glad she has people. “This is perfect. Sit. I’m going to order. Let me ask Havoc and the Bits.”
Pres stops me. “I got it. Harky and Piper are on their way with K9’s for the Bits.” He’s typing faster than I am so I let it go. He smiles. “I wasn’t a crazy…”
We all turn for the pound on the side door then it opens. “Brothers. Logan, order for us.” Danny walks in with Steve Knight, Jessie and Dakota following.
I smile at Pres’ face. “The party is here tonight.”
He gives me a look. My hands go up. “I just got here and didn’t invite anyone but maybe the Bits.” He looks down and breathes. He does that quite a bit here.
“Who else is coming and why me?”
I laugh getting another look. My hands go up again. “I just met them; you’ve known them forever.”
Steve sits by Sophia. “True. Was at the hospital day you were born.”
Pres throws his hands up and walks out. Danny laughs. “His dad is out there.”
Everyone is laughing now.
I’m never eating tonight if we don’t get food ordered. “Where’d he order from?” I watch as Jessie gets a drink. “How’s everyone know where the glasses are?”
“All the same place in every house.” Knight says.
I shake my head. “I thought it was funny because it’s the same as I had them at the house in Virginia.”
“It’s logical. Basically, the same everywhere for us.” Danny gets water in glasses and hands them out.
I should have asked.
Dakota takes one and lifts it up to me. “They help themselves because most are shocked they walked in. It is just easier, Brother. Jessie ordered for twenty.”
Danny smiles. “We got clam cakes and fish dinners for twenty.”
I can see the helping themselves comes in handy or that they just told President to order for them because they’re fuckin’ nuts like Stella says.
I lean against the back counter and watch.
Sophia is still surprised that Gunnar Anderson showed up here.
I wonder when his wife is coming. Echo is a cool name and we probably won’t forget it since it’s the same as the AI voice thing at SOAR is named.
Ben Knight and Cort come in then go right back out.
I laugh and get a case of water from the pantry and cut the plastic on three sides at the halfway point then flip the two halves and carry it out by the bottom plastic that isn’t cut.
I go out the slider seeing a shit load of Brothers and ol’ ladies out here.
I drop the water on the table and freeze. “You’re the girl who said you smelled like a Billy goat.”
Everyone close laughs. The giant by her isn’t laughing. “Yeah, you’re from Hemy’s Club or Virginia but you came to Hemy’s every once in a while.”
I nod. “I was military. You got tall.”
She laughs. “I was like fourteen when Kane left me to find my way out of the swamp. I had to kill a damn wild boar that thought he was a wildebeest.”
I laugh, I have to know and ask. “Kane. Is he still with the senator?” I ask. Someone said he’s in Virginia.
She nods. This is insane. “Why are you here?”
“Hemy is my dad. I was raised Badass in Liberty.”
“Is it odd that everyone knows everyone?” My girl asks.
I put my arm out and she moves to my side. “This is my ol’ lady Sophia.”
Hemy’s girl nods. “We met at a meet with Asa, Marks and Web.”
“What’s your name?”
“Ginny Marks.” She points to the giant. “He’s Marks.”
I throw him chin. “Brother. I’m Hud. I was military and furloughed at the Club. Kane dropped me at the Airbase and I saw him once in a while at Hemy’s. I never would have guessed she was fourteen.”
He nods with a smile. “She’s worked longer than I have.”
I nod thinking I’m in that boat. “Food is coming, I think I need tables and shit but a party never erupted at my house. Help yourself while I figure all that out.”
My back gets slapped and knee buckles. “Jesus.” Turning with my hand holding me up from face planting on the table, I nod. “Boss.”
The Brothers laugh. Cort ignores them. “I got tables and chairs going up.” He points and I nod.
“That’s what that’s for. It’s a good use for it.”
He laughs. “Kids are in the pool but it’s not big enough for everyone to eat in there.”
Keylan said I’d love it, this is why. “Got it.” I see more than five Bits here but don’t ask. Looking at my girl I ask, “When is Echo coming?”
“She’ll be here tomorrow. She has kids. I can’t believe it. She has two and the one on the way.”
“Who sponsored you out?”
“I didn’t have family and the base put out a campaign for us to spend Christmas in the province we were stationed at. I was just out of my first training. Too young to be jaded.”
I smile. “You’re still too young but you’re not jaded.”
She pulls my shirt and I go with it. “Ol’ ladies teach each other these moves. I swear I see them all do this one. I like where it leads.” I kiss her hearing Brothers laugh.
“Food!” Someone is loud enough to get people moving.”
I start walking then stop. “When the hell did a stage go up? I wasn’t gone that long.”
She laughs. “You should see how fast they put up a tent city. Asa has drone shots of it.”
I don’t ask. I walk, I see kids, Brothers, Bits and the stage that apparently is getting audio set up.
I keep looking until I see tables of food.
Pres looks like he’s in shock. I nod to Falcon carrying two huge square hot bags from the big white box truck that has three pigs on it. I thought it was pizza. “Logan?”
He turns fast. “I didn’t order all this.”
I nod. “They did, apparently they do it all the time.”
“Thank fuck. You think they got drinks?”
I shrug. “If they didn’t, we have a dining room and we all have phones.” I point. “Forget it.” A big guy for the three pig place is wearing the pink shirt and logo pushing an ice machine that must have ice in it over the walkway. The stage has electricity so it must be by the table he left it at.
Pres looks at me and we laugh. “They’re fuckin’ crazy.”
I nod. “But you knew that. Where’s your dad?”
He points to an older version of him. I walk that way pointing my destination out for Sophia who got snagged by Seren.
§*§*§
Liminal Rising
Sophie
Alder stands in front of me. “You help talk for me.”
I nod. “Sure.” Hud watches me with a smile. “Who are we talking to?”
“Drone. This go to all Badass Club. Robot cheap, more Clubs buy, Dreng say we make service announcement.” He’s serious?
He goes up the stairs and Tyson comes from the back.
“Barney explain service announcement. Boss Sophie from Canada. USA weird.” Alder walks away annoyed at weird US public service announcements.
I crack up with Tyson. “He thinks the siren announcements are logical and anything explaining new products or warning of them is just weird. Asa already put it on the maintenance tutorial.”
I nod. “I was on the camera that day.” The little no-nonsense VP was nothing short of himself.
He was straight forward, sounded like he was reading it from a prompt and looked pissed while ordering the thumbprint signature.
When I played it back, he loved it. Someone added example clips breaking up his shots so it did work out and got added to the tutorial the next morning.
Because of that, I wonder why we’re doing another but don’t ask.
I’ll find out soon enough and it’s a few minutes to make the little President happy. He needs more happy.
Tyson shows me to the stage manager otherwise known as Dreng. He checks appearance so the kids seeing this will take it seriously.
“What kids?”
Tyson touches Dreng’s shoulder. “I need to get the Brothers in place to say their parts. We should have made a clip to show them all because they’re all going to ask.” He never looks back.
I smile at Dreng. “He’s right. Alder asked if I’d talk for him then had Tyson explain why but not what I’m doing. Do I get a script?”
He laughs. “I’ll get him to do that. He didn’t give me what we’re doing just that he needs us to organize and record the Brothers for a service announcement but not what the announcement is or why we need like ten people to give it.”
I nod slowly. “I need food. You set up whatever you’re setting up and let me know when the parts are ready so I can read it before you point a camera at me.”
He’s distracted but nods as he’s scanning the crowd.
I go look for Gunnar, or Spook, as I called him.
I smile seeing Hud and Spook sitting at a table with Pres and the trainer from Rescue that Pres Stan sent over.
The Presidents take care of each other here.
I weave around people smiling because they’re all happy and I bet only a few of them know why they’re here.
I don’t know why they’re here, so smiling feels like the thing to do.
When he sees me, Hud is up. “You’re hungry?”