Page 67 of Ghost

“We haven’t had any luck either,” Prez replied. “But that’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“I doubt it’s all that good either. We know what he did, and we all know he’s gonna pay for that shit—one way or another.”

“Yeah, but Carmine’s a smart guy. He got himself into this mess. I got a feeling he can get himself out.”

“I guess time will tell.”

“Speaking of time.” I walked over to the table and said, “We best get going.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

When Memphis stood, Prez looked up at him and said, “I want you boys to get the full rundown of things while you’re there. Check out the grounds and see their production line. I want to know if this is really worth our time.”

“You sure about this?” Memphis grumbled. “We’re doing good with what we got going.”

“Yeah, but it’s only a matter of time before marijuana is legalized everywhere, and then, where will we be?” Prez’s tone turned firm. “Just go and check it out. If it’s as good as they say it is, we’ll move forward. If not, we’ll pass. Simple as that.”

Memphis nodded, then followed me and Goose out to the garage. We gathered our weapons and extra ammo and stowed them in the back. I checked the storage compartment beneath my backseats, making sure it was clear. I gave everything one last scan, then announced, “Looks like we’re all set.”

“Then, let’s get moving. I’m ready to get this thing done.”

We piled up in my SUV and started our trek to the Manor. It was a drive I’d taken many times before, but this morning felt different. This morning, I was leaving someone behind—someone that I’d grown to care about, and it made leaving much harder. It was a feeling that caught me by surprise. I’d watched Memphis and Grim fall for their ol’ ladies, and I saw the way they moved mountains to love and protect them. Back then, I didn’t get it. I thought they were crazy to get tied down to just one woman, but now, I was finally starting to get it.

I was thinking about the past few days with her when Memphis cleared his throat and asked, “You think there’s any chance Carmine’s gonna weasel out of this mess?”

Memphis wasn’t one to talk about things, especially things that were worrying him—not unless he had a couple of drinks in him. He usually sorted shit out on his own. We typically joked about shit like this, but I didn’t want to make light of his concerns. He needed an honest answer, so I gave him one, “I wouldn’t put it past him. There’s no telling the kind of connections he’s made with his line of work. He could’ve struck some kind of deal with these guys, and all is well.”

“Or they slit his throat and hung him from a tree.”

“That’s certainly a possibility.”

“He made a real mess of things.”

“Yeah, he did, but there’s still a chance. There’s always a chance.”

Memphis didn’t say anything more, but then again, there wasn’t anything else to say. We had no idea how things were going to go, and there was no sense in making guesses. We turned our focus back to the road. We’d hoped to be at the Manor by noon, but that plan got shot to hell when my back tire blew out.

The spare wasn’t exactly in good shape, so we had to get into town to get it fixed, and that put us a few hours behind. And needless to say, none of us were all that happy about it. Thankfully, we made it to Manor just before dark, and Kiersten and Braylon, her right hand, were there waiting for us. As soonas we got out of the truck, Braylon came over to me and extended his hand as he said, “Welcome back.”

“Thanks, man.” I shook his hand as I said, “We’re looking forward to checking out this new line of yours.”

“Good. We’re looking forward to you seeing it. I think you’ll be impressed.”

“Well then, let’s get to it.”

Braylon nodded, and then he and Kiersten led us around back to one of the older buildings. The outside looked plain enough—just brick and metal siding—but the inside was anything but plain. It was one big, sterile, climate-controlled room that was sectioned off with thick, clear panels.

Each was lined with tall metal racks, and the shelves were filled with trays of mushrooms in various stages of growth. The air was cool, and there was a faint, earthy smell. And there was specialized lighting overhead that reminded me of the lighting she used to grow the marijuana plants. Just like the other, this wasn’t some half-assed operation.

Kiersten had gone all-in on this project of hers. There wasn’t a single thing she hadn’t thought of, and she sounded quite pleased with herself as she announced, “This is it... The next big thing.”

“Damn.” Memphis glanced around, nodding appreciatively. “You’ve been busy.”

“You have no idea.”

Kiersten went on to explain how she and her team had been testing and refining everything from the moisture content to soil nutrients, and like Viper had mentioned, she’d been able to create a new strain that was more potent and had fewer side effects. She talked about their process for cultivation and processing, and I had to admit, it was impressive. "You put a lot into this.”

"We did, but I really think it’s worth it.” A smirk crossed her face as she asked, “Are you ready to give it a try?”

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