Prophet: Book One (Princes of Prophecy 1)

by L. Ann Marie

  “I do not know? We have not asked her.” I am trying not to smile while he is staring at me with that one eye.

  “Fuckin’ kids.” He goes back to eating then takes the plate from my tray.

  I am thinking about what would make them both happy. “I have it. You play by our rules this time and we will split the profits. I will guarantee you a year’s salary if you keep everyone following our rules.”

  He looks at me before answering. “You know how much a year’s salary is for me?”

  I smile. “Almost as much as me. I could tell you your bank balance, but that is too easy. You moved Axe’s trunk back to your house and put it in the basement. There is a vault like room that is behind the entrance to the Training Center. Would you like me to tell you how much is in the trunk?”

  He sits back. “You’re fuckin’ good. Okay what’s the deal?”

  “It is ironic that you use that term.” I smile and lean over explaining what I want, making sure to use the right words. Now I just need to get Jessie and Jessica to go for it.

  ***

  Jessie

  I’m so fuckin’ glad when everyone leaves. My dad and Uncle Danny stay while Mom takes Jess to get some food in her. Dakota shows me the ring. “I’m not asking her from a fuckin’ hospital bed Brother. We need tracking on it anyway. Get it to Brantley and we can ask her when I get home.”

  He nods, but doesn’t look happy about it. I’m not having this out with him while my dad and Uncle Danny watch. I know they already took bets on it.

  Dad looks at Prez. “We need to talk about who did this. I know Darren isn’t here, but we need to plan for it.”

  “I know who did it. We’ll deal with it Pres.” He isn’t letting it go.

  Dad’s hand is in his hair. “The reality is my son, your SAA, was fuckin’ shot. This is not about the Princes anymore, Little Ben. You know what family means. There is no fuckin’ way we’re walking away.”

  I roll my eyes. “At some point you have to let us grow up Dad.”

  “Maybe that would be easier to take without the hospital bed and machines pumping fuckin’ blood into your body Jessie. He’s right and you both know it. The only reason VP isn’t here is because we hid the other chopper. I can guarantee he is on his way right now,” Uncle Danny says.

  I look at Prez. He looks at the floor breathing slow. When he looks at my dad I’m a little nervous. He’s not backing down. “I will plan with you, I will work with my father, but this town is not turning into a fuckin’ war zone. We plan and we do it right. Jessie is right we are grown men. He’s planning to get married. We are not kids anymore.” He puts his hand up stopping my dad from talking. Fuck he’s brave. “I understand family and what you’re feeling right now. I saw him fall. That fuckin’ picture will haunt me for the rest of my life. I agree you need to stand beside us. You need to understand that means beside us not in front of us. We need to do this Pres, Uncle Danny. I don’t say this out of disrespect. Just the opposite. You taught us to be the men we are today. Everything we do and do right was a lesson from you. We keep going, fighting for right and doing it through a Brotherhood taught by you. We spend every day showing everyone we meet the respect we have for our fathers through our actions. We would not be the men you taught us to be if we allowed you to fight for us.”

  “Fuckin’ kids.” Fuck, when the fuck did he appear?

  Prez looks at VP. “Dad. I didn’t see you come in.”

  “Good thing Dakota is here, only one payin’ attention,” he says making me laugh. I hold my throat. Dakota comes to the other side of the bed and holds my arm. He’s better than the fuckin’ med button.

  “You’re right Little Ben. Anyone else we’d work alongside them. You should get that same respect. You’ve earned it. Tomorrow we plan,” my dad says surprising the fuck out of me.

  “Has his Moments.” VP says making me laugh again. Dakota’s hand tightens on my arm.

  Prez nods and takes a breath. “DeMarco is responsible. We just hit his pushers in the next town. He’s paying off the coastal towns’ officials getting easy access by water. Drugs are floating right up the coast, no one and nothing is stopping them.”

  “Fuckin’ drugs,” Uncle Danny says.

  “Brantley has the information you’ll need to get up to speed. I’ll have him get it to my house for you.”

  “Prez, they can stay at my house it is empty,” Dakota says. “It will keep them close and you can sleep in your own bed.”

  Prez smiles. “Stay at Dakota’s house. It’s got four bedrooms. We have three empty houses just outside the gate you can use for Brothers. The bunkhouse at the Club is empty I’ll have Chris move some Brothers there if you need Officer rooms. Uncle Danny when you have a chance can you look around and find me a place for a patio?” They both nod and throw chin. Mom comes in and kisses me telling me Jared is with Jess then takes them out.

  Uncle Steve is still against the wall. He’s looking at Prez. “So many times, thought I didn’t do enough for you. You see in my head, know what I don’t have words for. Proud of who you are son. Good you don’t lay down for Pres. Needs to see that now.” His speech is broken, he’s stressed and looking toward a plan.

  Prez hugs him. I look at Dakota. He’s smiling at them. I wonder about his dad again. The man has never been here. Uncle Steve comes over and puts his hand on my head. “Different’s just different. Good to see you alive.” He throws me chin and walks out. We laugh.

  ***

  Eagle Eye

  Jessica comes in and I know she’s upset. “What is it Jessica?”

  She looks at me then away. Shit. “I’m okay. Just too much on my mind and I’m exhausted.”

  She kisses Jessie then my cheek and goes to the other bed and lies down. ‘She is upset.’

  He nods. ‘We should tell her about the ring. Talk about our intentions.’

  ‘I am not doing that from this fuckin’ bed Brother. She needs a strong man by her side and she knows it. I can’t be that from here.’

  I nod. He will not agree with me and I cannot betray him by telling her, neither would ever trust me again. This will be hard, but not impossible. I will just have to wait it out. I walk out and give the ring box to a Prospect to get to Brantley for tracking. I tell him I need it right away. He runs and I smile. Some of them take things so literally.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Eagle Eye

  Jessica is pissed he is leaving the hospital. Her mother comes in and takes her home. Jessie is dressing slowly, but refused help so I let him. HS is waiting and Baxters left an SUV to get us to Security. Prez meets us at the door and Brothers move aside for him allowing us to pass. The meeting room is full, Tiny stands giving his seat to Jessie and Danny gets him some water. They are happy to serve him and I smile. I love the Brotherhood.

  Prez looks at his father and VP tells us the plan. It will take more than a week, but it is well thought out and very thorough. We are split and partnered with MC. There are two pages that will be posted, but we see ours now. I am with Rayne then Danny. Geek comes in and we get assignments and schedules. I am relieved I am not with Tiny. Rayne and Danny do not seem to say more than you need. I fly my last two days and am not partnered with anyone. I look at Prez, ‘I need a flight crew.’

  “Yours is incomplete, we’re waiting on Zack’s schedule. He’s a gunner and Officer for the Baxters, HS background.” I nod. The men look from him to me and I look away. I did not talk when I should have. ‘It’s okay, they are all trusted Officers.’ I nod and listen to Pres then Prez. This is going to get confusing with them side by side.

  Before we leave Pres tells the men what happened to Jessie. I am surprised when people hit my back. Danny tells them to just tell me and they give thanks as they walk out the door. “He doesn’t like the attention Dad. That’s why Prez told the Princes before we got here.”

  Shit, everyone knows? Prez laughs. “Give it five minutes then the answer is yes Dakota. They’ll make sure no one touches you so y
ou can relax.”

  “Thank you. Jessie do you want to go home before I leave?” He laughs holding his neck. I step closer and hold his arm. “You would be more comfortable.” I want to tell him to be with Jessica, but I am nervous about changing what should be.

  “There is no fuckin’ way I’m leaving here right now.” He is determined.

  I nod and turn. Rayne is watching, I throw him chin and he follows me out. “We are at the waterfront, but our first stop is the Mayor.” He nods, but does not speak. “Did you get our assignments?”

  “Just that we’re partnered and you’re lead. I’m HS and your Security. I don’t know the details of the town so I’ll follow your lead and make sure you come back to fly with Cloud’s Op.”

  They played this smart and he is comfortable with the plan. “We are going to the PD where the Mayor should show and announce Driscoll as Chief for his town. If he does not show my assignment for today changes.” He looks surprised, but hides it quickly.

  We ride and park away from the news van. The announcement is made outside and Driscoll does well accepting and pledging to keep every citizen safe through the transition. He does not answer questions referring the media to me. Fuck. Just what I need. The Mayor notices me and pales.

  With him noticing my presence I move back into the police and town’s people and get back to my bike. Rayne follows to the waterfront and we sit by the industrial buildings. Security is sent, but leaves when they realize we are not leaving. This area has cameras, but our presence needs to be seen and the two MC’s need to be noticed. It is here that I ask about his name.

  “The cut is borrowed. I am Baxter, but volunteered here. Rich is my partner, but is recuperating. Since he gets a new cut I am using his old for advertising purposes.” He turns and shows me the hole low on the back side.

  “Jessie is my partner. Thank you for coming to support us.”

  He nods. “I’ve worked with him. He is a good man, I’m glad he’s alright.”

  We stay silent and my mind wanders to Jessica. Our relief shows and I am no closer to knowing what to do about her. On the ride back I decide to just keep my day as it would normally be and get to training with the PD. Why we are training today is a mystery to me, but I do not voice it out loud.

  Rayne follows me in and throws chin at Driscoll. I see an officer that is a stickler from the last PD and dismiss him telling him I will be sure he is paid and I will find him a new home. He does not look thrilled, but leaves.

  “Before we start.” I look at Driscoll. “I am not on display and will not perform for you.” He nods smiling. “We will quickly go through the two main areas of training– pop ups and target. Before you judge or make comments that will get you shot let us do that. You will get your explanation after we see how well you perform.”

  An officer bitches about them performing for us. “Shut the fuck up and follow like he asks. When they say you’ll be shot they actually mean it. Move!” Rayne says and they move. I walk out the door smiling. He is a handy partner to have.

  They all run the pop up and think they are pretty good. I ask Rayne to run it and he scores considerably higher. They are quieter when he comes back in. I run it and they do not say another word. We get to target and I call Jason down, he comes with Jeremy and they stand side by side running moving targets. The officers are quiet going back to the meeting room. Jason brings the video in and plays it. Driscoll talks and everyone listens without complaints. He looks at me smiling. He is happy with his new officers not bitching at him.

  “Showing you the skill level we are looking for and will train you for worked better than telling you. Now that you know let us get to the questions.” They do not have many and Driscoll answers them. I give them pay information and let them know they will get raises to bring them equal to this town’s PD. We have two that are by the book and I tell them to leave their information with the Desk Sergeant as they collect their belongings. They leave without problems. Strapper collects them for training and I am done.

  This was so much quicker and easier and I am happy with the outcome and smile leaving. “You’re good at keeping the peace,” Rayne says.

  I laugh. “It is my new job. I enjoy it, but it is new to me. The last class had some issues and a man was shot.”

  “Happens with us all the time.” He laughs.

  At Ops people are busy at every station. I ask Prez if I am needed. “Get Jessie home. I need you early tomorrow, Rayne is with you again and I’ll have someone bring Jessie in.” I throw chin to Rayne thanking him for showing today and Prez laughs. “Out loud Dakota.” Fuck. I say it out loud and he smiles throwing me chin.

  At home Jessica is quiet and Jessie is tired. He said Jeremy was with him earlier, but I still hold his arm until he falls asleep.

  I go to start dinner and Jessica says she ate and is going to work out something on her computer. She ate fruit and will work, but she is hurt and I cannot fix it if she does not tell me. I change and work out on the back porch. Danny comes up and works out with me. His presence calms me and I get my mind to focus on the movements.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Three days

  Jessie

  Something is wrong. Dakota isn’t saying and Jess won’t talk to me. I need to get to Security and don’t have time to figure it out. Uncle Danny picks me up in Prez’s truck. “You didn’t give her the ring yet,” he says as I open the door. How the fuck does he know? “You’d have a smile on your face if you did.” I guess he’s right. We need to give her the ring, but she’s been so quiet I think something is wrong. What if she changed her mind? I didn’t even know about Darren and that was six months that no one said a word about. We need to talk tonight.

  At Security I am running Uncle Danny, Dakota, Rayne and Chevy until they split and Dakota flies with Cloud for the first Air Ops.

  My dad comes over to see I’m okay. He’s a pain in the ass, but it feels good. When I tell him he hugs me and goes back to his control. I have Jason, Prez has Brantley and my dad has Geek. Kevin and Jared are on controls, but I don’t know what they’re doing. Since Kevin gave me a look I’m not asking him a fuckin’ thing. He’s usually pretty cool with me, but that’s not today.

  Jason asks for check-in and puts me on with my team.

  Jason: “Ops three Team One you’re on with Ghost and Jason at control.”

  Me: “Team One LP1 is your lead roll on my one.” I watch them pull to the exit. “Three, two, one.”

  They roll out together, Dakota beside Uncle Danny because of rank. I think about him being young while his skill level is so high and he holds a position that puts him higher than Rayne and Chevy. He never says a word about it. It just is. They get to the warehouse and I know something is off.

  Me: “LP1 we’ve tracked four going in, but see no activity.”

  LP1: “Roger Ghost, I like hide and seek.”

  Dakota looks at the camera on the side of the building and I know he’s wondering about following a crazy assed Brother.

  “We got you in Ghost!” Jared says and my screen splits with the inside of the warehouse. It’s not great, but it’s something.

  Me: “LP1 I have video inside, it’s not complete, but two pussies are at exits.” Jason flips it so I have the direction. “One north the other east.” Their bikes are in between the two doors right at the corner of the building. I hold my mic. “Is their feed switched?”

  Jason looks back at me surprised. “Yeah we control it.” I nod. It doesn’t seem like a stupid question to me.

  Me: “Rayne and Eagle Eye take south and west.”

  Dakota: “Roger.”

  Rayne: “Roger Ghost.”

  We watch Uncle Danny kick the door open and move away from the shots being fired. He walks in shooting and I hold my breath. He’s fuckin’ fearless.

  LP1: “North clear.” He’s talking soft and moves out of my view.

  Me: “LP1 you’re out of view. Chevy eight o’clock behind the pickle barrel. He turns and waits,
the pussy stands up and falls down taking a shot to the head.

  Chevy: “East clear.”

  Me: “Rayne and Eagle Eye your doors are clear.” Dakota walks right in like it was unlocked. Rayne picks it and walks in. Not one of them waited or paused. No fear. Dakota moves out of my view. “Eagle Eye you’re out of my view.” He clicks. I hear a shot and scan my boards. “No view Brothers.” They’re quiet then a shot and Uncle Danny’s laughing. Fuck.

  Dakota: “Clear.”

  Me: “What the fuck is happening Team One?”

  Rayne: “Warehouse clear.” I turn and call for Cleanup at the warehouse and let my dad know Team Two can roll.

  LP1: “I love this fuckin’ kid.” He’s laughing again. Fuckin’ LaPontes laughing.

  Me: “What is going on?”

  Rayne: “Eagle Eye flipped from the top of shelving and shot the pussy under the second shelf as he was going down.” Jesus! I wish we had fuckin’ feeds there.

  Me: “cleanup is on the way.” I hear shots fired and wait three fuckin’ seconds before they clear. Fuck.

  LP1: “Team One clear.”

  Me: “Roger LP1. Team Two is outside.”

  LP1: “Hold them out while we go through. This is six pussies when you had four in.”

  Me: “Roger LP1.” I hold my mic. “Pres, hold Team Two out until I get a clear.” He nods. Eight minutes and I get a clear. I tell my dad to send Two in.

  “Eagle Eye you’re at the hangar. Zack is on his way with Blackhawk. LP1 we’re on the dock twenty north from you.”

  “Requesting a transfer to Air Ops. Pres isn’t on Air is he?” I have no fuckin’ clue what to say. I look at my dad then Prez.

  “Give me a minute LP1.” I pull my headset off holding the mic. “Dad are you on Air?” He shakes his head no. “Prez, LP1 wants Air.”

  He looks surprised. “Brantley get me on with LP1.”