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“I can set the C-4 so that it will blow the houses, simultaneously. Anyone inside will not walk away. We need to watch the houses to make sure that no women or children are inside the houses first. I won’t have that on any of our consciences. The houses are far enough away from anyone else that no innocent bystanders will be an issue,” Black Web says with his fingers flying over his keyboard.
“Are you sure we have enough C-4 to do all four houses simultaneously and they will be completely demolished?” I ask Black Web.
“We’ll do the first three and then wait for one hour for everyone to try and regroup and then do the last one. We’ll deploy to the fourth destination on the southern part of the county where they hold meetings outside the quarry. We’ll have three scouts to make sure we’re not caught with our pants down. This is the best plan we’ve come up with that is solid, and we hope to have no civilian casualties. The sheriff and his deputy are still gone fishing and will remain gone until we give them the all clear unless they hear something from any other authorities. I have my ears open for that occurrence.” Black Web goes over the same things we’ve been going over for weeks.
“If anyone has anything to add to this plan or if you want to stand down on this job, then say so now. No one is under any pressure from anyone and we will all understand. This is a big step to take and we’ll be on the other side of the law on this one. Think of your family and yourself before we vote. I can’t promise this won’t backfire on us. I can’t give any reassurances because there are none. I can’t and won’t make the decision for each of you. You’re the ones to know if you can live with our decisions. I can and I will.” I look around at my brothers and friends. “If no one has anything else to say, the vote is easy. Yay or nay. We’ll take the vote and the majority rules as stated in our bylaws.” I take a breath. I know how serious this vote is. It’s where our club steps over on the wrong side of the law but it’s a step that is necessary to keep our community safe. “Does anyone wish to abstain from the vote?” I look at my brothers and no one speaks up. “Alright then, anyone that wishes to vote nay, raise your hands so it can be recorded in our records.” Not a single person raises their hand. “Record it.” I look to Smooth to let him know to record the vote so far. “Anyone wishing to vote yay, raise your hands.” It’s a unanimous vote. “Record it, Smooth. The yays have it.” I give Smooth plenty of time to have it written in the books. He’s not using the laptop today for privacy reasons.
“What’s the timeline and what are we doing with the families?” Trap, our treasurer, asks.
“We’re not putting everyone in the clubhouse. That will be where the Brotherhood hits first, trying to get payback,” I say before anyone suggests it.
“I think that bunker that we bought from the veteran’s auxiliary would be a good place to put everyone. We already have it set up with cots from when we had the tornadoes and floods last fall. We also have the pantries full. The electric, water, phone, and gas services are all still on. The few brothers that have families can have them all meet there with their clothes and medicine. They need enough of everything for two weeks tops. The day we plan everything, a few of us can stock up on meat, cold cuts, and other staples that need to be fresh and stock the place. We need to arm whoever is left there just in case someone gets by us.” Buzz, our enforcer and my best friend, has a promising idea.
“Immediate family only. That keeps the numbers down. We need to transport them so no vehicles give away the location,” Gator, our SAA, follows.
“The only question left is when?” Key, our road captain asks. Everyone looks at me.
“Saturday, May twentieth. Early morning, at the crack of dawn. I want this finished by noon. My mom will be out of town that weekend. She has a signing event in Conroe, down close to Houston. That way I don’t have to argue with her over staying on lockdown. It’s two weeks from now.” Buzz clears his throat loudly and looks at me.
“I thought that was this weekend,” Buzz says loudly and gives me the eyes. I know what he’s getting at but with the things the way they are with Billie, I don’t know if I should say anything. I know that it’s only my doubt keeping me from claiming my woman. I can’t think of not having Billie in my life so I know it’s time.
“Frannie and I got the dates mixed up. I should have known the weekend my mom would be out of town was the same date Billie would be too.” I see Buzz relax a little. “I have another announcement to make. I have claimed my woman. Billie Nesbit is mine. I am claiming her in front of my brothers today. Write it in the books, Smooth. I have claimed my woman.” The more times I say it, the truer it seems. I know I love Billie but claiming her in front of my club makes me feel like a damn king.
“Damn, Raider, I just wanted you to confess it to the club, not write the damn woman poetry,” Buzz says with a smirk on his face.
“Congrats, Prez,” Lit says like it was no secret.
“We figured you out weeks ago, Raider,” Gator tells me. The rest of the brothers give me congrats and let me know that everyone in the clubhouse already knew I was a taken man.
“I’ll have Frannie and the rest of Billie’s family here to stay with everyone else, or I’ll try anyway. Frannie, Billie, and my mom have stubbornness in common and in abundance,” I tell everyone. I didn’t know how to handle one woman—my mom—let alone the other two.
“When should we expect to meet your woman officially?” Black Web asks.
“As soon as this is over, then we’ll celebrate with a family day. Every one of you has met Billie at one time or another. We’ve all done pickups at their farm. Just know she is hands-off and Buzz, stop your flirting.” Buzz throws a pen at me and I duck and miss it. I know Buzz is happy for me. He just wanted me to claim Billie the right way. I know we need to get back to business. “All joking aside, I want all the families in the bunker by two in the morning. Anyone not there by that time won’t be allowed in. One a.m. we start surveillance on all the places marked for bombs. Midnight, we will have eyes on all the players of the Brotherhood. I have heard a few of the top guys were taken out down in Houston. I want that confirmed or denied this week. The three gang members who have been in charge have been Antonio, David and Phoenix. I want all three accounted for. It will do us no good at all to cut the middle of the snake out. We need the head and they are the head. They send anymore this way, then we’ll take care of that later. Kill the poison we know and take care of the rest in the second wave in a more personal way.”
“Do we need to send prospects to be with your mom and woman?” I think about it for a minute. I look at Buzz and he is waiting for my answer.
“Not currently. We’ll revisit that issue in our final meeting before the action.” This goes against everything in my gut but I need to show Billie and Mom that I trust them. “Any more questions or details that need to be gone over? I know it seems like we’ve gone over this time and time again. We have no room for mistakes. This plan must go off without any hiccups along the way. We will go over it every time we meet until the time to put everything in motion.” No one says anything. I bang the gavel to dismiss. Everyone is up and out of the room. Buzz and Gator wait for me to get up to go. I feel a sudden feel of dread that I don’t know what is up with me. Buzz and Gator sit down in chairs on either side of me.
“What’s up, bossman? You look like you could throw up. Are you having regrets on claiming Billie?” Buzz razzes me.
“I don’t know what it is. I just have this feeling of dread in my gut,” I tell them.
“You think this is going to go sideways?” Gator asks me.
“That’s not it. I feel we have come up with the best plan that we can. I am dreading Mom and Billie being in Conroe by themselves. I know we have no dealings with the Rival Sons MC, but there is something that just doesn’t settle right about the club.” I keep racking my brain about what I know about the club itself. Besides the point that they call themselves an outlaw club but act like a one-percent club, I don’t know what it is. I know Black Web is Law’s cousin removed or something like that. There’s something there nagging at the back of my mind.
“Black Web has checked into the club and so have I. There’s nothing there. They have no dealings in Northeast Texas. Everything for them is by each club chapter. They even have nomads and they stay out of our territory. Isn’t that where your mom once lived before you were born?” Buzz asks me.
“Yes, and that is one reason I don’t want her around that club. I know my father was a president of one of the clubs around Houston. My mom has been hung up on my so-called dad since she left there. She won’t tell me the club’s name or the man’s name. She’s afraid I will hunt him down and confront him. She swears he’s still alive so I know she’s keeping tabs on him,” I answer Buzz without even thinking about it.
“You think this gut of dread has to do with the Rival Sons?” Gator asks me.
“I think my mom keeps avoiding the issue and she won’t promise to stay away from the club while she’s in Houston. She says she’s a grown woman and will do what she wants. If this man didn’t have something to do with this club, why wouldn’t she just tell me the reason? I know she’s stubborn but there’s something about how her eyes light up when she talks about the club or her lack of voicing her reason,” I answer Gator.
“Her eyes did light up when you started in about her staying away from that one club. If you get caught spying on her, then she’s going to light up like a fucking Christmas tree. Besides, we’re going to have our hands full here taking care of the Brotherhood. You need to stay focused and on point.” I shake my head out of a fog. I know Buzz is right.
“I’m seeing Billie tonight for dinner at her house, so maybe I can at least talk some sense into her. If not, when we’re done with our deeds here, then I’ll make the trip to Conroe and say I’m spending the rest of the afternoon with my girlfriend. Mom can’t get mad about that since it’s going to be the first time she meets Billie.” That is logic, and no one can argue with logic.
