“Soon,” Danny said, shrugging a shoulder as he stood up from the desk. “Nancy said she’d contact soon, didn’t she?”
“Yeah, but…” I started, but then shook my head, there was no time for the pessimistic Jace to come back now. “No, she’ll contact. It’s just a matter of time. She can’t risk being caught, so I’m sure she’s just waiting for the right moment.”
“Huh?” Danny looked up, looking suddenly confused.
“What?” I asked, looking back. “I say something wrong?”
“Are ya… did somethin’ happen? Somethin’… somethin’s changed in you,” Danny said, leaning closer to my face.
“Watch it, or I’ll think you’re trying to kiss me,” I said even as I smirked at him.
“Sorry, but ye’re not my type. Too fuckin’ skinny, for one,” Danny replied, grinning broadly at me. “All the same, I like this new Jace. Better on the ears, at least. Good ta have ya with us.”
“Good to be back,” I offered, grinning at that.
Of course he’d see the changed I stayed quiet, appreciating just how much Danny had helped me all this time. I opened my mouth, ready to tell him just how thankful I was for all he’d put up with when my phone rang. I quickly pulled it out of my pocket and in one swift motion, I turned the phone to my face, looking down at the screen.
Candy calling…
I smirked up at Danny, who only smiled back knowingly. The fact that she was calling could only mean good news. It was showtime and I could feel my body begin to thrum in anticipation.
I would take down these fuckers once and for all.
I tapped the answer call button and put the phone up to my ear. My heart thrummed with both excitement and terror. The shredded remains of who I’d used to be—“old Jace”?—still screamed at me that nothing was right, that Mia was already dead. It told me to lose hope, to not even bother holding on to any semblance of hope that Mia was still out there for me. I shook it off. It was a trial in self-control, but at that moment it wasn’t one that was about to get the better of me. Refusing to its slimy grip of distracting pessimism take hold of me, I staved it off and forced myself to keep moving forward. I was back and dammit, I planned to stay back.
For Mia.
For myself.
“Hello?” I asked, testing the call first, just in case someone had gotten ahold of Candy’s phone.
“Oh sweet Christ, I’m glad you answered,” she replied, chuckling softly.
“Did you think I wouldn’t?” I asked, genuinely curious.
“Well, a part of me thought that you couldn’t wait out, honestly,” she said, sighing softly. “Thought you decided to run off and try and take matter into your own hands.”
“Ya wouldn’t be wrong normally,” Danny said, laughing softly.
“Danny? That you?” she said. “Good to hear your voice, faggot.”
“Love ya too, Whore,” Danny replied.
“When did…?” I glanced over at Danny, wondering just when Candy and him had become BFFs. I decided I’d figure it out later. I needed to know what she’d found out. “So, can you tell us what’s going on? Did you find out where they are keeping Mia?”
“Hell yeah, I did! I struck gold, I tell ya! Suck the right cock and you know,” she began, chuckling softly to herself. “Anyway, they got Mia holed up in the basement of this fancy-ass house in the suburbs. It’s in a cul-de-sac, right? But get this: they own all the houses. Can you believe that? An entire cul-de-sac—like, what you’d normally see little old married couples and creepy church-goers—and it’s owned by the goddam Carrion Crew! But that’s the problem, too; they got all those houses and such, and that probably means they’re all filled. That entire street could be one giant military base, Jace. There’s no knowing what they got going on there.”
“Shit,” I groaned, running my hand over my face. “If you had to say, how many people do you think they have?”
“I don’t know. About ten-or-so houses—I didn’t really know to count them all when I had the chance; didn’t find out the truth about the neighborhood ‘til after—but that sounds about right. If each one’s got, what, half-a-dozen, give-or-take… hmm, probably over fifty men. I’d bet more than that. Hundred’s probably pushing it, though. Maybe a bit more, I didn’t see them all, obviously,” she said, sounding worried. “But that’s not all, Jace. I mean, I hate to put it this way, but that part’s practically the good news!”
“What the… how is that the good news?” I demanded.
“I talked with Mia, and—”
“Oh fuck! Is she okay?” I blurted, panicking.
“Well… uh, sure?” she answered, not sounding positive. “She’s not hurt, if that’s what you’re asking, but… well, she says they’re planning to sell her off. Like some kinda fuckin’ whore-auction or something. And from the sounds of things, they are planning this soon.”
“Fuck,” I said, glancing over at Danny. “This happens tonight then. Candy, can you get somewhere safe?”
“Fuck that,” she said, practically yelling through the phone. “These bastards have my best friend, I’m not just gonna hide away while you and your guys all get to play hero. Bring me a few extra pieces and I’ll rock those fuckers sideways—gangsta-style—and pop caps ‘til I’m flooding my panties!”
I blinked at that. “Do you even know how to use a gun?” I asked, deciding not even to try and fight Candy’s choice. She wouldn’t take no for an answer, judging from how emotional she’d gotten from me even suggesting she hide during the chaos. While a part of me worried about what kind of danger I was putting Mia’s best friend in, the other part of me was impressed at just how devoted she was to Mia.
“Damn right I do,” she said, sounding almost boastful. “Used to go hunting with my dad all the time. I’m a damn good shot, too! Put a bullet right between the eyes of a ten-point buck from nearly two-hundred yards.”
I was certain at least a part of that story was an exaggeration, but I wasn’t prepared to guess and, quite frankly, I didn’t care. We wouldn’t be hunting deer—ten-pointers or otherwise—and, provided she didn’t shoot one of mine, I couldn’t care less where she put the bullets.
“Good,” I said. “I’ll get Danny to make sure to pack you something that won’t be too different from the hunting rifle you used. Where are you right now?”
“I just left the area; told them I’d gotten a call to go out and handle a John—playing the whole ‘gotta make that money, honey’-routine,” she said, sighing. “The two running the scene made like they didn’t trust me, so they told me I wasn’t going anywhere ‘til I sucked ‘em both off.”
“Jeez,” I grumbled. “So what’d you do?”
“Well, I just said I left, didn’t I?” she said with an impatient sigh. “So I guess that means I sucked ‘em both off.”
“Oh my…” I gasped, suddenly worried for her. “Are you okay?”
“Why wouldn’t I be?” she asked with an audible sigh. “You think I got this far ‘cause I couldn’t handle a couple of shots in the mouth? Fuck, Jace, grow up! We’re doing this for Mia, aren’t we?”
“Well… yeah, I guess that’s—”
“So that’s that,” she declared. “I bet if you had to suck a dick to get to her right now you’d be on your knees doing the whole Brokeback Mountain scene, so quit the virginal routine, put on your gunnin’ trousers, and get your asses out here! I’m sending you the address to a nearby neighborhood. We can meet there and then move in.”
“That’s…” I blinked, “That’s actually a really good plan.”
“Yeah, not such a dumb whore, right?” she said with a laugh.
“Never said you were, Candy. We’ll be there soon. We shouldn’t be too long, but stay hidden at least until I get there. Don’t get into any unnecessary trouble.”
“Look who’s talking there,” she laughed.
“Yeah, I guess I deserved that,” I laughed, rubbing my neck.
I knew what she was referencing. How fa
st I’d went out to where T-Built had been. I’d nearly lost everything in going there. I’d even gone so far as to lock Mia away, knowing she’d have either tried to stop me or, worse, gone with me. Even still, she’d ended up getting there and she’d been the one to save my life. I squeezed my eyes shut, thinking about Mia made me that much more impatient. I needed to prepare, needing to get to Mia as soon as I could.
“Alright, see you soon,” Candy said.
“See you,” I replied.
With that, the phone went silent as Candy hung up. Not even a few seconds later, she’d texted me an address. I turned to tell Danny what the plan was and saw that he’d left the room. I headed out to where the others had been preparing and saw that he’d joined them. He’d begun to load guns into his own duffle bag and I raised my eyebrow.
“Seems kind of a pain in the ass to pack them that way,” I said, heading down the stairs as I watched the others continue to arm themselves.
“This is just so I don’t gotta ride with a gun strapped to my back,” Danny said, rolling his eyes. “I ain’t no dummy.”
“No, no you’re not,” I agreed, glancing around at the others and took a deep breath, knowing I needed to give them some kind of speech.
I stopped halfway down the stairs and cleared my throat. I wanted them all to know just appreciative I was, but I didn’t want to sugarcoat the dangers of just what we had planned. They deserved to know everything up front.
“Listen up, folks!” Danny called out for me.
All at once all their eyes were on me.
I froze for a moment, suddenly feeling unsure about everything. Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I remembered my father. Remembered just how sure he’d been about everything. A memory of him telling me that I would be a fine leader, that he knew I had it in me to run the Crows how they needed to before he had passed away. Even though my brother had been meant to run the gang, it seemed that my father had already known what was going to happen. All at once, I had become in charge and yet, I hadn’t been a good leader.
Now that was going to change.
Starting today, I would show them—show everyone—that I was meant to be a leader; that the cruel turn of fate that took my brother out of the game wasn’t going to represent the moment the Crows were doomed to fall. And while I couldn’t say that I’d ever come to replace my father or my brother, I’d make damn sure to do their memories proud. I wouldn’t hide anymore, wouldn’t let Danny do everything for me any longer.
I took a deep breath, staring up at the crowd and saw the look they were giving me. Respect and pride mingled in all of their expressions, a look, I imagined, that they’d worn when looking to my father or my brother.
And now it’s mine, I thought.
And then I spoke:
“I know I’ve been a shit leader up until now,” I confessed, running my hand over my neck nervously for a moment. “And I just wanted to say just how much I appreciate those of you who are left. Given everything that’s happened—everything that’s happening—it’s not the easiest thing in the world to stay loyal. I understand that. But that means that all of you are the best of the best; the… fuck, the cream of the crop and all that jazz!” I paused as a small splattering of laughter passed from that. “I am, frankly, honored that all of you have continued to stay, and I’m thankful that you’ve all continued to have my back even through it all. We lost a lot of good men when my father…” my voice cracked. I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to lose them. I needed to do this. If not just for them, I needed to prove it to myself. I needed to show them that I could be a strong leader. I cleared my throat and nodded. “Well, you all know what happened,” I said finally, taking a deep breath. “And, despite what you know, you’re here with me now—here with us now. Now, I’m not going to sugarcoat the situation. The Carrion crew have numbers. Let’s not even dodge the reality of the situation: they have a lot more than we do, especially since they’re taking the ones who don’t have the balls to stay with us. But I think there’s something to be said of that, don’t you? I think we stand a damn good chance if the best they’ve got are the ones who weren’t good enough to stand with us! I’ll tell you true, guys, I’d sooner take one of you than ten of them!”
This earned a cheer from the crowd.
Smiling at this, feeling motivated by their approval, I went on: “They may have numbers, but we have loyalty and courage to stay together. And I think that alone will give us a fighting chance. Now, we have their location and, Candy—”
“The whore?” somebody shouted out.
A low murmuring passed at that.
I frowned and looked up, already knowing I’d never identify the speaker but also knowing I wouldn’t have to. “And so what if she is?” I demanded of the crowd. “She’s still out there risking her neck all the same; still gonna take arms against those Carrion-fucks! When I was a kid, my dad held business meetings with whores at our dinner table—my mother served them the same food we all ate—and that was how some of the best business this city has seen was done! So who among you thinks you’re above my old man? Hmm? Who out there thinks they’re too good to fight with the same sort of people my mother was willing to feed?”
Nobody said a word.
“Fucking-A right,” I said with a nod. “Now,” I cleared my throat, daring another interruption, “Candy—some of you may know her as Nancy—has been collecting some intel for us on the inside. We know their location, we know how we can bring them down. Like I said though, it’s going to be dangerous and I can’t guarantee we’ll all make it. And I’d understand if some of you decided to change your minds. I won’t blame you if you do.”
I looked up at the crowd, giving them the chance then to leave. I didn’t realize I was holding my breath until I saw the steely look the crew gave me. No one even made the slightest move to leave. A well of pride and appreciation grew inside me and I gave them a single nod.
“Thank you for this,” I said. “I’ll make an effort to be a better leader. You all have my gratitude.”
With that, the guys all began to cheer and I felt my face grow warm with a flush. I hadn’t expected this kind of response. My shoulders sagged in relief and I finally found my way down to where Danny stood. His eyes shown pride as he moved his hand to my shoulder.
“Yer dad would be proud,” he said.
“Thanks,” I said, feeling the wetness grow in my eyes.
I didn’t stop the tears. They weren’t sad tears and as I let them flow, an entire new strength had formed inside me. I wiped my face finally and glanced up at Danny, grinning up at him as I did.
“LET’S GO KICK SOME CARRION ASS!” I roared into the room.
The crowd erupted in agreement and I went to the wall of weapons, beginning to arm myself. When I felt ready (as ready as I could be), I turned towards the exit, making my way to my bike. The rev of engines behind me was like music to my ears and by the time I made it to my bike, the other men were waiting, sitting on their bikes as they watched their leader.
Watched me.
I smirked, hitting the ignition and roared over my engine, “Let’s go, boys!”
With that, I hit the accelerator, heading towards the direction of the Carrion Crew. The direction of Mia. I smirked, glancing in my rear view mirror at the sight of all the guys behind me. Several dozen bikes followed me and I looked up proudly. The sight made me tear up but I stopped myself. There’d be time to cry later, if it needed to be done. I looked ahead at the dark streets, speeding forward, a renewed sense of confidence filling me at the sound of our motorcycles speeding along.
I couldn’t explain just how amazing it suddenly felt.
I would get to Mia.
I would take out her shit-for-nothing brother.
I would end the Carrion crew finally.
Then I would take my rightful place as leader and do things right.
With Mia by my side.
Hang in there, Mia. We’ll be there soon!
****
Fuck, I thought with a wave of disgust, I rode out further just to stare at a Denny’s!
I pushed that away, knowing that it wouldn’t do any good to think about that right now. I looked ahead, seeing Candy standing outside a local pizza shop. She began to head over, whistling at us, looking around the group.
“Wow, you got quite the numbers yourself,” she said, looking around once more. “You think we stand a chance?”
“I know we do,” I said, feeling confident in the answer.
“Where’d this new Jace come from?” she smirked, raising an eyebrow.
“He was always in there,” Danny said, smacking a large palm on my shoulder. “Just took ‘im a bit, that’s all.”
I winced at Danny’s smack, rubbing my shoulder. I shook my head, mumbling that he still didn’t know his own strength. Danny ignored the comment and looked around, raising an eyebrow.
“So, where to, sister?” he asked.
“This way,” she said. “I don’t really think there’s a chance we’re going to sneak in, though.”
“We don’t plan to,” I said, tossing her a bulletproof vest. “Throw this on and get on the bike.
“You plan to what? Just drive right in?” she blinked, slipping the vest on under her jacket.
“Yeah, that’s exactly what we plan to do,” Danny said, grinning widely. “Like you said, we lost the element of surprise already. Might as well come in with a bang.”
“Alright then,” she said, slipping onto the bike behind me.
“This place gated or anything?” I asked.
“Yeah, it is actually,” she said, frowning. “Is that gonna be an issue?”
“Not with this puppy,” Danny said, slapping the side of his Harley Fat Boy he was seated on. “I’m gonna miss the girl.”
“Who knows? Maybe she’ll make it out alive,” I laughed. “She’s taken a ton of your beatings before, after all.”
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