Page 30 of Property of Baffle
“Of course.”
“He’s Sammy’s uncle.Together, with her other uncle, Josh, they each have equal ownership of the Morton Compound.They have a mechanic shop for mostly motorcycles, UTVs, and ATVs, but I’m pretty sure Brady also works on some older model cars that don’t require a bunch of fancy equipment.Then they have a huge RV shop which is basically a large warehouse that was converted into a multi-bay garage that can handle motorhomes and RVs that are less than fifty feet in length.They also have a campground, cabins, some sort of co-op farm thing that Josh runs, and then private family housing and a bunch of land in between the businesses and homes.”
“Wow, so, they’re kind of like the family version of the Kings of Anarchy’s compound across the highway.”
“Basically, yeah.There land has been in the private family for several generations and you have to be blood and work so many hours in one of the family businesses to maintain residency on the land.Their grandfather set the rule in the trust to make sure everyone pulled their weight and helped keep the family’s legacy alive.”
“That’s really cool, but why are we headed there?”
“I worked something out with Brady.They have the campground and RV shop closed to the public right now because of some shit that went down recently with Sammy.Her stepmom being involved with the Mojave Devils and Rivera Cartel was a whole fucking mess.That’s what put the Devils on our radar to begin with.They wanted the Morton land for themselves.Anyway, I can fill you in on the details of that shit later.The point is, they had to close their businesses for a bit because it’s hard to book people in when assholes are showing up trying to kill the family.They decided to take the time to overhaul a bunch of things that had been neglected in the meantime.”I glanced back at the dust cloud we were kicking up behind us.“Hopefully, one of those things is repaving the fucking road.”
Nell giggled.“I was wondering about that.You’re dodging a lot of potholes, I can’t imagine how that must impact people towing travel trailers and fifth wheels.”
“Yeah, exactly.There’s a reason I drove the UTV over.”
“Is that what this thing is called?All I could think was dune buggy or tricked out golf cart.”
“What the hell, woman?We’re going to have a class on all motorcycle, UTV, and ATV identification so you never say anything like that again at the clubhouse.Fucking golf cart,” I groaned.I could hear Knuckles giving me shit over that one if he’d heard it.
Nell snickered and turned her head so I wouldn’t see which led me to believe she was pulling my leg.Two could play at that game and I’d get even eventually.
“So they’re overhauling the business here, what does that have to do with me again?”It was like a lightbulb clicked on in that moment, though it was the wrong one.“Oh!Is it because I know how to weld?Do they need help?I don’t mind pitching in.”
“That’s really sweet of you, but no.Since they’re closed for business right now, I made a deal with Brady to use a bay in his RV shop for you.”
“For me?”
“Yeah, where did you think we put Classic Sin and all your stuff?”
“Oh my God!It’s this close?”We pulled into the overlarge parking area in front of the RV shop and saw Brady there talking to a woman I’d never seen around town before.As I parked, Nell started to bounce up and down excitedly in her seat.
“Remember that same enthusiasm for later, sweetheart.”
Nell stopped bouncing and turned heated eyes my way.“Oh, don’t worry, hubby.You are going to be rewarded later.”She pushed her door open and hopped out so I followed suit and we both ended up closing in on the tail-end of a conversation we weren’t meant to be a part of.
“But I had a reservation,” the woman whined, obviously frustrated.
“And like I already told you, we sent out messages letting everyone know their reservations were canceled.We’re closed to make repairs and renovations on the property and it’s too dangerous for people to be here with all the equipment that will be in and out.”
“There’s nowhere else to stay that is close enough to Violence, though.I need a place to park my trailer while I look for my brother.”
Brady’s body immediately stiffened and his visible, physical interest in the woman closed off for the first time since we walked up.Immediately, I knew what he was thinking.By “brother” this woman might be trying to put a claim on Ryan through his father’s side of the family - the same side that belonged to the Mojave Devils MC.
“What did you say your name was again?I need to check and see if anyone sent you out that cancelation e-mail.”
Her shoulders dropped when she thought she might finally be getting somewhere.“Sure, it’s Angel.Well, Angelica Mendoza.”
“Come again?”I questioned immediately, since she shared my last name.
As the woman turned at the sound of my voice, I finally got a good look at her and I fucking almost forgot how to breathe.She looked just like the grandmother I’d only known from pictures.The one who held onto a toddler version of my father in those images.It couldn’t be a coincidence that she was looking for a brother, had my last name, and was the spitting image of my grandmother.
I stepped closer and held out my hand for her to shake.She did so with a curious look on her face.I didn’t miss the way her eyes welled up with tears.“I’m Patrick Mendoza,” I said to her and those tears immediately traveled down her face and splashed onto the gray metal band t-shirt she wore.
“Um,” Nell started and then I watched from the corner of my eye as she made her way over to Brady.“How about you show me where my stuff is and we’ll give these two a few minutes to catch up.”
“Who are you?”Angel asked Nell.
“That’s my wife,” I answered.My fucking brain hadn’t come fully back online since discovering I had a little sister that I never knew about.
