Rock slammed back his double shot, tilting his chin at Hawk when he approached. “This is some crazy shit, huh?”
Hawk nodded. “Yeah, and the worst fucking timing. Cara’s not gonna understand this at all. We got our wedding coming up. How do I tell her and her parents that their society friends are gonna have to be cool with the brothers surrounding the country club during the reception?”
“I wouldn’t put it past the fuckers to strike at your wedding,” Rock said.
“Me neither. Fuck. What a mess.” Hawk threw back his shot. “I think it’s time for Puck, Blade, and Johnnie to wear the full patch. We got three more prospects who’re coming in, and we could use a few more full patches to deal with the shit we got going all around us.”
“I agree. They’ve earned their patches. At the next church we should put it to a vote.” Rock popped a couple pretzels in his mouth.
“How do you like the guard job? The truth.” Hawk grinned.
Rock shrugged. “It’s okay.”
“You’re fucking outside on Saturday and I’m in the house,” Rags said as he scooped up a handful of pretzels.
Rock stiffened and his eyes turned to slits. “I’ll decide what’s going down for Saturday.”
Hawk and Rags exchanged puzzled glances, and then Rags laughed. “Just joking, man. I know you’re in charge.”
“Yeah.”There’s no way I’m leaving without talking to her. If I have to beat the shit outta the pansy-ass rich guy to get to her, I’ll do it.
“I gotta go.” Hawk placed his empty shot glass on the table.
“I’ll walk out with you. I gotta make a phone call and it’s too damn loud in here.” Rock followed the vice president outside. Threads of blackberry-colored clouds striped the sky as twilight approached. He waited until Hawk drove away, and then he pulled out his phone and called his sister. After he’d exchanged pleasantries with her, he asked, “Did you send me a mojo bag?”
“A mojo bag? No. Why would I do that? Do you need one? I can get one made for you from Madame Vincennes.”
“No, I don’t need one, but someone sent me one. You don’t know anything about that?”
Her gasp filled his ear. “What color is it?”
“I don’t know. It looks like blue but it has some purple in it too.”
A louder gasp. “Have you pissed someone off in a big way?”
He chuckled. “I’m always pissing people off.”
“Roche, this is serious. You have a mojo to ward off curses or evil.”
“I know what it means. I was just wondering if you sent it.”
“Why would I do that?”
“To mess with me so I’d come home for a visit.”
“You don’t joke around with mojos orgris-gris.”
“So who do you think would do it? Lille? I don’t know that many people anymore back home. It came from Lafayette.”
“Lille would never do that. Anyway, she’s been in the Hamptons with her new boyfriend, the old, rich guy. Thatisstrange. Any note with it?”
“Yeah, some shit about someone putting agris-grison me. It’s no big deal. I was just asking because I found it strange, that’s all.”
“I’ll see if I can find something out. I’ll pay a visit to Madame Vincennes and have her do your cards. I’ll let you know what she says.”
“Isn’t she like a hundred years old? When we were kids she looked about eighty.”
Isa laughed softly. “She’s not as old as she looks. She’s had a hard life. When her husband was killed in the coal mines in Tennessee she had to raise all her young children by herself.Mamanused to go to her for amulets, mojos, and card reading. You knew that, right?”
