Chapter Seven
Before dawn the next morning Lilly gasped and sat up in bed.
Ironman woke up and embraced as she began to shake. “What’s wrong?”
Lily shook even harder. “They’re here. I can feel them. They are going to attack soon.”
Ironman looked over at the window and saw the darkness outside. He knew dawn would be here soon enough and the clubhouse might get caught unprepared. He let go of her and tossed the covers back. “Get dressed. We have to warn everyone.”
Lily grabbed her clothes and got dressed. Then he grabbed her hand. When they left the room they began pounding on doors.
Soon everyone was dressed and they all gathered in the main room.
When everyone was there Bouncer glared at Ironman and gritted through his teeth. “Ironman, what’s going on?”
Lily stood and she shivered as she spoke, “My family is outside and they’re getting in the best position, even as we speak.”
Boomer stared at her for a minute. “How do you know?”
Lily shivered. “Because ever since I was a kid, every time I was around Estaban, I got a creepy cold spot in my belly. It was like I could sense his evil deep in my soul. I suddenly got that feeling again and it woke me up.” She slowly turned her head toward the front door.
“He’s here waiting for you guys. I could not ignore that feeling.
I had to warn you before he kicked the door down. ”
Titus turned his head to look at Jep. “Check the cameras. See if there are heat signatures outside the compound.”
Jep was already on his laptop. He scanned the monitors and when he looked up his face was pale. “She’s right, there are a lot of men outside, but they haven’t made it through the woods yet. And boss... they have us surrounded.”
Titus turned his head and just stared at Lily for a long moment, then he growled.
“Everybody get ready. Grab your guns and get up on the roof. Don’t let them see you and pinpoint their locations first.” He turned to look at Boomer.
“Ok Uncle, tell me you got your bombs planted and ready last night.”
Boomer smiled at him. “You bet we did. We even got the arrows ready to go. We’re good on our end.”
Titus nodded. “Good, they didn’t catch us asleep, they just arrived a bit earlier than what is polite. Talk about rude.” He shook his head. “Are we all ready to go to war?”
The men nodded and silently raised their weapons. Some had bows instead of guns. They all got busy gathering what they would need.
One by one most of the club went to the roof.
Jep stayed at his station with Areille right beside him. Before Titus left the room Jep handed him an ear piece. He could communicate and tell them where everyone was standing.
Titus left his father and his uncle with Jep and the ones who stayed on the ground floor were already at the windows alert to incoming danger. Canto was also there, ready to fight.
Even Lily had a gun in her hands.
Ironman held her beside him.” There are enough men on the roof. Please stay with me.”
Pausing, she then gave him a slow nod.
Mollie, Nita, Reno, and Ursala were all standing at a window as well, waiting for the showdown. Not one of Marauders would start this fight but not one of them would back down either. This was their home and they would defend it.
The silence grew tense as they waited.
Just then, Jep looked up from his laptop and said, “They just got to the far edge of the woods. I can see their heat signatures now.”
“How many are coming in?” Boomer wanted to know.
“So far, there are twenty-five signatures,” Jep warned them. “I see five going off to the east and the rest are still coming.”
“Those five would be Milo and his boys. They are going east to distract you guys,” Lily told them. “Look for some kind of fire.”
But instead of a fire they all heard an explosion and men yelling.
Jep smiled faintly but kept his eyes on the monitors. “Some are looking a bit funny like they are waving their arms and walking off in all directions. I think some of the soldiers are singing? And they are leaving as they do it.”
Areille pointed to the left and another explosion was heard.
This time Jep counted six figures on the ground and five of them remained standing. The signatures to the right and the ones moving to the backyard paused for a moment at the sounds, then colored smoke blew up over them.
“They are running wildly all over,” Jep said. “Running into trees and shit. Wow!” He laughed. “One just planted himself into a tree trunk! No, make that three.”
Boomer nodded. “It is all good and there are still more surprises out there.”
Another round of explosions rocked the clubhouse and Jep could see more men scattering. “Damn, I think they lost their thirty soldiers today? Only eleven figures are still moving ahead as it missed them.”
Just then, there were three more explosions and more men were down. Some were covered in paint and some began wandering in a daze as the smoke took them over.
“Down to eight men still moving,” Jep announced.
Lily’s phone began buzzing. She looked down at the caller ID and announced, “It’s my Uncle Estaban.” She looked up at Titus and asked, “Should I answer?”
He nodded. “Put it on speaker.”
Lily answered and put it on speaker. “Hello Estaban.”
“You puta,” Estaban growled. “What the hell kind of fun house is this place? They are somehow drugging my men and your cousins are dying out here.”
“Si, I guess that sort of thing happens when you are not invited and you come in anyway,” Lily told him.
Estaban swore in Spanish, “Chingar bitch. Que paseo? I came because my father called and sent out an SOS. What in Santo inferno is going on here?”
“Tomas followed my father here when he came looking for Ricco. But Ricco was already dead by his own hand. Eduardo didn’t get here in time.
He was here to kill Ricco for blowing Gabriel up in his bar.
He came here ready for a war he couldn’t win.
They all died for nada. They didn’t even think about that before they started shooting, then Tomas came here as well.
He saw the bodies covered with sheets and grew enraged.
He should have stepped back and found out what happened but of course he didn’t do the reasonable thing.
Not Tomas Sanchez, not he didn’t do that, the vato just started shooting.
He died for his own stupid thinking that he couldn’t be touched.
The men inside this clubhouse didn’t do a damn thing wrong.
They were defending their home. Now you are here as well.
You have men down, probably dying, even as we speak.
The real question is will your bodies be joining the dead today? ”
“órale! We are your familia, you wouldn’t raise your weapons against us!” Estaban almost screamed in rage.
Lily went on, “If you or your men start shooting at these men, be warned, they will shoot back and they will not stop until all of you are dead. They did not want this war but by God they will not be shot down without defending their own lives either. They will fight back and they have the ability to use whatever means they can against you as well.”
“Why are you still inside the house when your padre and hermanos are dead?” Estaban demanded. “I was told that both you and Canto were inside when the fighting started. And you are still inside today?”
“I’m still alive because I’m smarter than my father, my brothers and apparently you,” Lily told him. “Why should I die because Ricco was an idiot?”
“They are your family, and you should stand with us. Familia is all you have in real life,” Estaban shouted through the speaker.
“So just because my father and my hermanos had a death wish means I should as well?” Lily asked him calmly.
“I am not my padre, he chose to keep one son as his favorite and pit the rest of his children against the others. Then I have to die with him? No. I do have my own mind. And the loco gene missed me I guess. Now you have one of two choices here. You can gather what few men you have that are alive and walk away or you can stay here and do battle. But I warn you, these men are not afraid of you. This is their home and they have every right to defend it. If you start shooting, they will shoot back.”
Estaban went silent for a moment then he growled into the phone, “Tell them to give up or we are coming for them. I will not be disrespected like this.”
“Then be prepared to die for nothing and after you are dead, your sacrifice will be forgotten. No one will pray for your souls and no one will remember you on the holidays. You will lose this fight and no one will remember your name or your deeds.” Lily ended the call and hung her head.
Ironman joined her as he wrapped his big arms around her and held her tightly.
After a moment, she shrugged him off then she looked at Bouncer and whispered, “He’s coming in anyway. He didn’t listen to anything I said about why my father was even here.”
Bouncer nodded. “We will wait for them to take the first shot. Then we kill them all.”
“Don’t take a shot until you see the whites of their eyes,” Boomer suggested. “We got more than just paint bombs out there, you know.”
“Yes, tell me about it,” Jep added. “It's like watching the crazies escaping the funny farm.”
Arielle giggled as she nodded in agreement.
Just then they all heard another round of explosions go off in the woods. Three separate blasts and the clubhouse shook as dust fell from the ceiling. More shoots and yells broke the silence after the blasts.
Jep checked his monitors and shook his head. “Ok that got about eight and they are running in liberal circles while...” he paused. “Laughing? Oh, man. They dropped their guns and a few sat down on the grass and are crying like babies. Wow.”
Lily’s phone rang again and when she answered the call, it was put on speaker.
“What the hell kind of fun house is this, chica?” Milo exclaimed.
“You guys all came here when you should have stayed home,” she told him calmly.
“We came here looking for our father.” Milo snarled. “Where the hell is he?”
“He’s dead along with every man he brought with him,” she answered him without emotion.
“He is dead?” Milo snapped. “How can he be dead?”
Lily sighed into the phone. “He tried to fight and when his gun fired, he missed his target and someone on this side fired back, his bullet didn’t miss.
Your father stepped out of the trees and he got smoked.
He died the same way he lived his entire life, by the violence he thought couldn’t touch him.
I gave Estaban one chance, walk away and live or stay and fight.
I’m giving you the same option. You boys are down to maybe ten men standing.
The choice is yours, but of course you probably won’t take it and soon you’ll be down to no man standing. ”
Milo ended the call.