Page 48 of Claymore
We watched as he walked across the empty lot over to one of the rooms. He knocked on the door twice before it opened to reveal an elderly woman with her glasses on a pearl chain and a tight, knitted ivory blouse.
“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
“He didn’t bring us here for back-up to protect him from her, did he?” Wrench teased.
“Who knows? They can be real violent with those heavy-ass purses.”
Wrench and Arch shared a few laughs, but I was too lost in thought to join them. My mind wandered off to Ella, to all she’d seen, to all she’d have to endure. I’d been so out of it that I didn’t even hear Arch call my name the first time.
“Claymore? Claymore?!”
“Yeah?”
“You good, man?”
“I really don’t know how to answer that.”
“Tank’s still on your ass about Ella, I know. Look, we’ve all come around, especially after the last run-in you guys had. Tank’s only struggling because he wants Ray dead and because he blew too many opportunities to kill him over the years. This ain’t about Ella. He’s just taking it out on her,” said Wrench.
“Glad to see some of you understand.”
“I didn’t at first. I really thought she’d know something, but to see him destroy Crystal’s, to open fire at her, I know this ain’t her fault. Whether they wanted to kill her or not, Ray still wanted her to know he’s in control. That’s fucked up.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“Crazy fucking world we live in. One where Ray manages to find someone to partner up with and one where Claymore’s hopelessly in love,” Archer said.
“Shut up. Ray and that Fang bitch both need to be dealt with. It’s the only way to keep Ella safe.”
“See, he ain’t denying it,” said Arch.
“Nope. He’s in love.”
I rolled my eyes at them both, shaking my head.
“Don’t worry, Claymore. We’ll make sure you get your happily ever after.”
Tank finished up with the elderly woman and she snuck a glance at us before she handed him a small, folded piece of paper. He approached with such seriousness behind his eyes, I knew he got something good.
“What did grandma have to say?”
“Agnes may be old, but she’s been around a lot longer than we have. She’s the one that found us the warehouses we use. For generations, Agnes and her husband moved every kind of contraband imaginable. Ever since he died, she isn’t exactly in the game anymore, but she keeps tabs on her old properties,” Tank explained.
“One of them compromised?” I asked, and he nodded.
“She’s been having a squatter problem lately. At first, she just had her men there scoping things out, hoping to shoo them away, but eventually, she realized she had to let go of the property.”
“How come?” asked Wrench.
“Because every time she sent a patrol, they ended up dead. Last thing reported were those fucking Lion sigils. We struck a deal. She gives me the address and I clear the place for her.”
“Sounds like an easy deal to me.”
“Not exactly, Arch. She warned me that these guys aren’t just ordinary bikers. They’re stronger, they’ve got muscle, and from what she says, they’re military trained.”
“That’s why you needed back-up.”
“You’ve all been asking for a fight, begging me to let you pummel the shit out of every Lion or King you find. Now’s your chance,” Tank muttered.
