Page 91 of Brother In Arms

Chapter 31

Rush

“How’s she doing?” Dragon asked when I dropped into the chair opposite his in the taproom.

I shook my head, “Asleep, for now, but pretty much as you’d expect, otherwise. Fuckin’ heartbroken but she’s tough. She’s got some ideas, but that’s not what I’m here about. This ain’t a social call.”

“Oh?” He looked at me over his glasses and set down his paper.

“I asked her what she wanted today, her response wasn’t unreasonable. I’d like your blessing and the backing of the club to go get it.”

Dragon set down the paper he was reading with a rustle. “Developer?” he asked.

I nodded, “We both know he ain’t going to give us what we want.”

“Still has until tomorrow to do it.” He stared at me for several long heartbeats across the table and asked me, “What’d you have in mind?”

“An eye for an eye.”

He raised an eyebrow, “Let me guess, you want Duracell’s help with this one.”

“I could tap Lucky, but this is more sophisticated than the kind of shit Lucky is used to pulling off. Lucky blows shit up, its country style and gets messy. Cell does it, it’s more controlled.”

“Good point, what kind of shenanigans you wanting to get up to?”

“Like I said, eye for an eye. He took Bailey’s home from her, her livelihood…”

“Data!” Dragon called out.

“Yeah, P.?” Data rolled into view, looking back over his desk chair from inside the fishbowl.

“Find all of the GDG’s holdings and projects.” He said. Then addressed me when he said, “I think we’d all like to be involved in this one.”

“What ‘cha thinkin’?” I asked.

“Burn down the house, maybe blow up the car, but there are a lot of other ways to cost the man money that won’t cause too much collateral damage to any innocents.”

“What, like petty acts of vandalism to other properties?”

“Why not? Some sugar in the gas tank, some smashed windows and spray paint… make it look like kids did it… yeah, not bad. Could be some fun, too. Not a bad idea.”

“No one would think a bunch of grown ass men pulled that shit off.”

“Heat’s already on from that stunt at his office. No sense in crankin’ it any higher.”

“Work smarter, not harder.” I nodded.

“Go see who’s around and might want in. Keep it off the airwaves.”

“Thanks, D.”

“She’s my family by blood,” he said with a shrug. “Tilly’d have my balls if I didn’t do somethin’.”

There was no fuckin’ way I was going to tell Dragon that Tilly was gone, that she wasn’t here anymore and it’d been so many fuckin’ years that he needed to let it go. There were just some things that were better left alone and this was one of them. So, I did the only thing I could do. I nodded and got up from the table. I put my hand on his shoulder and gave it a squeeze before I left. A silent I know and I’m here if ever…

I went out back to where a few of the guys had a fire goin’ and were chillin’ around it, knocking back some beers after a long day. It was my luck that in addition to Trig and Reave, that Ghost, Rev, Thirteen, Blue, and Cell, were all out there.

I dropped onto one of the vacant swinging benches and Trig pulled a fresh bottle out of a cooler, handing it over wordlessly. I twisted off the top and took a drink, it was pretty good. The guys were all quiet, looking at me, and I finally grinned and said, “Who’s up for a little mayhem?”

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