Page 23 of Minus

“What the fuck are you talking about? Zaius sent me to Duke.”

“Oh, did he? Really?” Cutter raised an eyebrow.

“And, what do you mean he had me pegged? When the fuck did you talk to Duke about me?”

“Minus, as usual, what you don’t know could fill a fuckin’ dump truck.”

I hated to admit it, but Cutter had once again thrown me a curve ball that I was wholly unprepared for. As if I hadn’t already been confused enough, my two lives, the one here, and the one in Savannah had suddenly collided.

“You know why I gave you the name Minus when I patched you in?” Cutter’s eyes softened.

“You told me it was because I was dependable. That Iwas good at making problems go away.”

“That’s all true, but it’s horse shit. Has nothing to do with why I gave you that handle.”

“Then, why?” I asked.

“When I found you and Nicky on the streets you looked like a pair of drowned cats. The both of you were skin and bones and headed for the pound to be put down. Right away, I could tell you were both tough and loyal, and those are probably the most important qualities I look for in a soldier, but in you I saw something even more valuable.”

“What’s that?”

“You’re teachable. I could tell that almost immediately.”

“What about Clutch?”

“Clutch is the kind of man you go to in a pinch, thushisname, but his instinct is to fight his way out of trouble. That’s why he’ll be a great Sergeant at Arms. You’re smart. You use your mind. You read all those big ol’ books and you actually understand them.”

“So why call me Minus?”

“Because for a smart guy, you’re a fuckin’ moron. Within moments of realizing how smart you were, I thought to myself, ‘this guy isminusa few in the wisdom department.’ For a guy that’s ‘off the charts’ intelligent, you can be fuckin’ oblivious to what’s going on right in front of you. I told Zaius to send you to the old man. To see if you had in you, what I thought you might.”

“What’s that?”

“Leadership potential. I see a leader inside of you, Minus. I always have. But I also see a fool. You see, it’s not good enough to be smart. To lead, you also must be wise. You’ve always been loyal, brave, and a good earner, but sending you to Duke was the beginning of your education.”

About one month after I’d arrived in Georgia, Zaius, the Savannah chapter president, sent me to a horse ranch run by a man named Duke and his wife, Pearl. I lived and worked on that ranch for six months, in which I remained completely isolated from everyone and everything I’d ever known. It was the most difficult thing I’d ever done, and it changedme. Duke was my mentor, and like Cutter, had become a father figure. Over the years, I’d grown even closer with him and Pearl, and worked the ranch whenever possible.

“Duke has never once mentioned that he knew you,” I said.

“That’s the way I wanted it. I knew if you knew it was my idea that you were at the ranch, you’d never listen to a word Duke said.”

Cutter was right, but I said nothing.

“Look, Minus, you and I were never gonna see eye-to-eye back then, and as much as I liked you and some of your ideas, you were both a thorn in my side and a pain in my ass. You know how our business works. It’s all based on the balance of power and the display of strength. If we don’t show a united front, the Saints will appear weak, and the moment we appear weak, we’re done for.”

The Burning Saints were in the protection business. The largest portion of the club’s income was collected from businesses and private citizens who hired us for security purposes. Not all these businesses and individuals were exactly on the up-and-up, and/or had security needs that extended the scope of the law, so they’d call us. We were the big scary guys that chased other big scary guys away, and if they couldn’t be chased, we were prepared to take things to the next level. Sometimes that meant payoffs, and sometimes that meant beat-downs. As much as I loved my club, and would lay my life down for my brothers, I was never thrilled about the way we earned, and from the day I was patched in I started making my thoughts and feelings known. Being just a pup, this was not a smart move on my part, and Cutter yanked my leash relentlessly, so I was both surprised, and intrigued at what he’d just said.

“What do you mean? Are you saying you liked some of my ideas? All you did was shoot me down back then.”

“Times have changed,” Cutter said. “Look, you were right when you’d spout off about our way of doing things ending, but how the fuck did you expect me to respond? C’mon man. You can’t yellmeteorto a bunch of dinosaursand expect much of a reaction.”

“I understand that now,” I said.

“I bet you do. In fact, I’m betting everything on it,” he replied. “I sent you to Savannah to become your own man, and I sent you to Duke because I knew he’d be able to teach you all the shit you couldn’t learn from me. You’ve got a good heart, Minus, and I know you’ve always cared about this club.”

“You and the Saints saved my life and I never forgot that, even when I hated you.”

“Boy, I figured you’d be pissed when I sent you away, but if I’d known that a girl was involved…” He let out a low slow whistle. “Now I get why you came in white-hot last night. I’m sorry, Minus. I honestly didn’t know she meant that much to you back then.”

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