Page 8 of Filthy Savage
I shake my head, and he just stares at me for a minute.
“Ask me something else,” I say.
“All right, moving along. Have you or anyone you associate with ever been a member of a cult, a secret society, or a group-awareness program?”
“I’d say the fact that I’m an executive member of Satan’s Saints MC biker gang is a pretty fucking secret society. Tell me, how do I answer that?”
“I’d check thenobox if I were you.”
“I was going to checkyesand add‘Can’t tell you or it won’t be secret anymore, dumbass’in the explanation section.”
Vincent rubs his temples. I can tell that I’m testing his patience, but he knows this clearance bullshit is a pain point for me. “How about this one? Have you ever been treated for alcohol, drug, gambling, or sex addiction?”
I hold up my glass of whiskey. “As you can see from my third glass, it’s anoto the first question. Ditto for drugs, which you would know as we’ve pretty much tried every drug that’s out there. Those were some good times, huh?”
“Real good, from what I can remember,” he agrees.
“Gambling is a straight no, but the last one sounds like a trick question.”
“So it’s a no. Next question. Have you ever been delinquent on alimony or child support payments?” Vincent continues.
“I’ve got no kids, so that should be a not applicable, unless there are kids out there I don’t know about.”
“Let’s just answerno.” He flips a few pages. A look of discomfort registers on Vincent’s face. “We’ll skip this one.”
“Hang on. Ask me.”
“I know the answer to this question.”
“Oh.” I look away. “It’s about my parents, isn’t it?”
“Yes. It asks whether any of your immediate family members are deceased. I checkedyes.” Vincent folds the form and places the pen he’s using on top. “That’s enough for now.”
“Agreed,” I say, and force the gripping and agonizing images of my parents’ deaths to the back of my mind again. I’ve had enough. Finishing my drink, I get to my feet. “We got a lot more done than I thought. I gotta go now, but if you’re free tomorrow, I can come by to finish up the rest.”
Vincent nods. “No problem at all. I’ll see you out.”
“Thanks.” I pick up the half-finished application. “I’ll have Sabrina send you the service contract for the grounds security work too.”
“Perfect,” Vincent answers, moving ahead to lead me through the familiar maze of wide, bright arched corridors. “Thanks for coming by today, and for convincing your associates to take on the work. You know how cautious I am about protecting our privacy.”
“I do.” I shake Vincent’s hand at the front door. “You’ll be safe with us, brother.”
