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“What do I look like to you? A fuckin’ bartender? You know where the stash is.” He pointed to an arched doorway, and Rob made a beeline straight for it.
Beer…That was another source of pride for Jude. He kept his hands busy, always finding legit, and not so legit, ways of bringing in more money. His beer business was definitely legit. If one empire crashed and burned, he’d already laid the foundation for another. His mother had taught him to always have a plan on top of a plan. Her problem was that she was an adrenaline junky, and had fallen in love with a wild, unruly, unstable man. Johnny.Daddy… Now they are both gone.
He slipped back in his chair and sipped on his beer while Rob set about picking up various beer and wine bottles out of a specially calibrated chiller and cellar, and then made his way over to the beer and wine storage, which consisted of three large glass refrigerators sitting side by side.
That was another of his businesses, the one he perhaps loved the most—his own small craft beer distillery. It had begun as a ruse, one of his many covers for his true dealings, but then, he fell in love with it. The factory was located right there in Nashville and gave honest employment to twenty-three people, Monday to Friday, including health benefits. This brought in more income than his fake real estate ventures—hence his prior racketeering charges and time in the pen—and it was far more fun to boot. His brewery, Cooper & Sons, provided numerous bars all over the state of Tennessee with one-of-a-kind ale, and had won several local contests for taste and packaging. He and Cain had been shown how to make beer in barrels as boys using malt and waiting a few weeks for it to get just right from an old man who had hired his father for odd jobs on a regular basis. The guy had also paid them a few dollars to help make that beer and get it bottled up.
Old Man Griffin had owned a run-down tavern with some of the best homemade whiskey, bourbon, and beer in town. When someone took time to show Jude how to do something, he retained a good portion of that information, figuring something in the lesson might be useful to him later. He’d also learned how to play chess in prison—another stress reliever. He’d learned many things, but no matter how much he tried, he hadn’t quite learned how to love with no strings attached. Not until Eli had become his teacher.
“Judge! Got ’em!” Rob paraded back into the main room with a big smile on his face. Jude nodded, gave a little wave, then felt his phone buzzing once again. When he looked at the Caller-ID, he couldn’t help a smile.
“Well, hello, beautiful stranger from the Kroger down yonder who tried to pawn me off on the blonde, like I’m some cheap gold chain worth no more than a buck.” He was met with sweet, lazy laughter as he leaned back in his seat, put his feet up on the table, and crossed his legs.
“Hi, Jude. Clearly I don’t need to tell you that this is Iris. I was just—”
“Hold on a minute, honey, it’s too loud in here. I’ve got a few friends over. Let me take this call in another room.”
“All right.”
He made his way up the steps to the first floor and entered his study. Closing the door behind him, he sat down at his desk.
“That’s better. I want to make sure I don’t miss a single word that comes out of your mouth. Now, what can I do for you?” he asked, cradling the phone to his ear.
“I wanted to know first if the job offer still stands? I know it’s been a few days since we last spoke about it, but I—”
“Yeah. It still stands. Are you ready to be interviewed first though? We can do it right here, right now, on the phone.” He could hear music playing in the background—‘Over,’ by Lucky Dave.
“Yes, that’s fine. You can ask me questions now. I’ve got some time.”
“All right,” He lit a cigarette, leaned back to relax, and took a drag. “You ever been to prison? I’m going to run a background check, so don’t lie. It wouldn’t disqualify you. I just want to know these things in advance.”
“No. Never been arrested, period. I’ve gotten some parkin’ and speeding tickets. That’s it, and I don’t have a reason to lie.”
He reached over to tap his cigarette ash into the ashtray, then continued. “What’s your schedule like right now? Got any family obligations that tie ya up?”
“In the mornings, after work, I get my niece off to school.”
“It’s just you and your niece livin’ in your home?”
“Yes, I have custody of her.”Iris takes care of people, picks up the broken pieces, but she won’t let someone break her. She’s too strong-willed for that.“I sleep, then run some errands, clean up ’round the apartment, and pick her up from school. Then, she does her homework and I get a bit more rest. After that, I cook for her and we spend a little time together. I have free time during different parts of the day, so there’s a little flexibility, but school is out at three and I have to be there. I go get her since it’s too far of a walk.”
“Who takes care of the kid when you’re at work?”
“My niece is almost fifteen, so she’s pretty self-sufficient as far as not needin’ eyes on her all day. She can cook for herself, too, and things like that, plus I’ve got a Ring doorbell at my apartment, and a security system. I’m not about to leave my baby with no protection.”
“That sounds good. Just remember though, the police could take twenty damn minutes to get to a house. A lot can be done in five minutes, let alone that long of a time, so she might need a little somethin’ extra. My daddy taught me and my brother how to shoot a shotgun and a pistol when we were only eight. By the time I was ten, I was damn good. You should teach her how to shoot.”
“How do you know I haven’t?”
He smiled at that.
“Now this question really doesn’t have anything to do with spending time with Eli, Iris, but do you and your niece spend time together outside of the whole school travel and dinnertime thing? I’m just tryna get a feel for something, if you don’t mind.”
“I don’t mind. I reckon you’re trying to understand if I’m nurturing or not, and not treating her like some burden, doing the bare minimum.” And she was right. “Ayanna is real smart, Jude. Like, wicked smart, the kinda smart that gets her honors, prizes, and special recognition. She gets straight As. She plays soccer, and is funny, too. She’s been through a lot… I love her with all my heart. I ain’t got any children of my own yet, so she’s more like my daughter than my niece. I’ve had her a while now.”
“That’s a nice story, Iris, but what the hell does that have to do with the time y’all spend together?”
“Well, you didn’t let me finish. She was gettin’ D’s and F’s, cussin’ out the teachers, acting a fool ’fore I came on the scene. Now she’s on the honor roll and getting letters from the governor. Says yes ma’am, and no sir, and thinks highly of herself. So, if that ain’t proof somebody workin’ with her, and lovin’ on her hard, that being me, then I don’t know what it is. I’d say that’s spendin’ quality time and cultivating her, wouldn’t you say? I think that should answer your question just fine. Movin’ on…”
