Page 105 of Five Mountain Daddies

“Fine,” he grunts. “Boone’s fine. The others are too. Looks like Boone got the worst ofit.”

I nod. “Good.”

“That’s not the problem,though.”

“What’s theproblem?”

He looks away. “It’s that CEO. People heard about what happened yesterday.” He meets my gaze after a second. “Did you really get in a fight with three of Ingram’s goons right out front of the damnoffice?”

I nod. “They wouldn’t let mein.”

He sighs. “That’s reckless, Samuel. Even foryou.”

“Worked out fine forme.”

“They had agun.”

“They didn’t kill me.” I lean up against the wall and spit on the ground. “What the fuck do you want me to say, Roy, that I’m sorry? Because I’mnot.”

“I know you aren’t,” he says softly. “But the fight ain’t the problem. It’s what happenedafter.”

I make a face. “What do youmean?”

“You left with her, that CEO girl. AmeliaEvans.”

I sigh, and I know where this is going. “It’s not aproblem.”

“It is a problem. They don’t fucking trust you inthere.”

“Too bad,” I say, standing up straight. “I took a fucking beating for them. Nearly got a second one. They think I’m not on theirside?”

“All they see is you leaving with that fucking Evans girl. Come on, Samuel. Use your fucking brain, not your dick, you know how thislooks.”

I’m pissed off but I know he’s right. It looks fucking bad, and I’d think the same thing if I were them. I give him a look and move past him. He doesn’t try and stop me as I push back into the bar. I walk into the middle of the room and I can feel everyone slowly look at me, conversations stopping mid-sentence, a quiet coming over theroom.

It’s a weird feeling, walking into the middle of a room and somehow silencing it with nothing but your presence. I push past that and cross myarms.

“Who here thinks I’m a fucking traitor?” I callout.

Nobody responds, but I can see people shiftinguncomfortably.

“The strike was my idea,” I say. “I took a beating for you fuckers. I nearly took a bullet yesterday. And you bastards think I’m some kind oftraitor?”

More silence, but I can see a few angryfaces.

“Amelia Evans isn’t our fucking problem,” I say to them, softer this time. “I know, her last name is Evans, but she’s not the one we’re fighting here. It’s the other fucking suits we need to worryabout.”

“How can we trust you?” Vernon calls out, standing suddenly. It feels like a knife in the gut. “You been fucking her this wholetime.”

I stare at him and for a second, I know what real betrayal feels like. The whole room grumbles at that, reacting to it. Everyone knows Vernon’s a friend, and he’d know better than anyone who I’ve beenfucking.

“I have been,” I say, and the grumbling gets louder, threatening to spill over into a full-on riot. “But she’s still on our fucking side,” I shout. “You all met her, and you all know who she’s working with. But more than that, you all know me. If you fucking cunts think I can’t be trusted, then fucking replace me. I won’t take a bullet for a bunch of cunts that don’t believe in what I’m doinganymore.”

Without another word, I storm off back outside. I can feel the room start talking as I leave, but fuck them. Roy shoots me a look, half annoyed and half pitying, but fuck himtoo.

I’ve had their best interests in mind this whole time, but now they’re ready to turn on me. They’re a bunch of cunts and bastards, as far as I’mconcerned.

I don’t get too far when someone shouts my name. I turn and spot Sarah, Vernon’s wife, coming up towardme.

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