by L. Ann Marie
He understands and sits. “You’re changing fast. This is good. Mucimi has a chance at a normal life?”
I laugh. “There isn’t anything normal about any of the kids Prez. He’ll make it to happy though and it won’t take as long as I did.”
He’s surprised then smiles. “You made her yours. I’m happy for you Brother. You deserve happy after the fuckin’ nightmare you’ve lived.”
I throw him chin not knowing what to say to that.
“Do you have anything else on Brandon?” he asks and I’m glad to be off Dean. I shake my head no. “Let’s get to the list.”
He’s got two old houses that can be used for the readers when they get here. There’s a storefront by our PD that can be used for processing and he’s got Shilah ready for the influx of people needing jobs. Nothing jumps out at me so he moves to the pipeline. José has spots going on all major networks and Mitch has social media spots all due to start today. A donation has been made for legal aid and food for the protestors. RVs are being delivered along with insulated tents and generators. Jamie has men with equipment to clear the trucks blocking the road so everything can get through and Ben has media already there recording the progress and stories from the protestors. Since jammers are off, everyone is putting up the stories and people are noticing.
I’d say I’m surprised by all he’s done and it’s not even nine, but he’s Prez and this is what he does.
“If there’s nothing else, Dakota is waiting for you to show. You need to see if this reader can be helpful and the MC needs direction on what to do with him.”
I stand. “I need to see Jeremy and Aubrey first. I’ll let you know when I can.”
He throws chin and I’m out the door. I get Nekanis in my truck so we can make the trip to the hangar. I call Dean to let her know I’m out of the yard. The whole yard conversation has me laughing when we board the chopper. Uncle Danny is not amused. “He didn’t tell us we were waiting for you. I could have gotten breakfast while you took your sweet time getting here.”
I sit and Nekanis leans against me. “He didn’t tell me until five minutes ago that I was leaving.” I hold my smile thinking Prez is making a point.
I connect to Aiyana letting her know all that’s happening. She’s excited and drops me to go see the Elders and check out the Facebook feeds.
Security is at the hangar and takes me to MC-Baxter. Jesus the whole front corner is black with soot going a good fifty feet high and new plywood is covering the damage.
Walking in I’m stopped and have to show ID. I’m told Jeremy is working with Geek. Something is wrong, but he’s not sharing so I hunt him down. Coming down the hall I hear Pres. Fuck someone is in trouble. I see it and move faster.
“Stop! What the fuck?”
Pres actually growls at me. “He should already have this. I’m not explaining myself to an Officer from another fuckin’ Club!”
I look at Jeremy. He’s shutting down. Fuckin’ Brothers. “Maybe you should. He’s not a fuckin’ geek. He’s HS, trained and working to keep you and your whole fuckin’ Club safe. Why is he even here?”
Uncle Steve and Danny walk in and sit down. Pres looks like he wants to rip my head off. I don’t move and wait for an answer. He looks at them. “Glad you decided to show up. Why does this kid think he deserves answers from me?”
“Saved your life. Deserves answers,” Uncle Steve says and Pres looks shocked.
“We have a fuckin’ list of injured and lost a Brother and BS. You two take off and don’t answer a fuckin’ call. Kids that don’t take orders when they’re given. Our building has a fuckin’ hole in it and now fuckin’ kids demanding answers showing no respect.” His hands go in his hair.
I touch Jeremy’s arm. “Go to the KC and wait for me.”
“Do you see this?” He looks at me. “He is a member in the MC. He takes his orders directly from me until I see he follows them!”
“No. He’s the Brother that got here in time to stop a truck from blowing your fuckin’ ass up. This whole building went with everyone in it. He saved your Club and this is the thanks he gets for it? You want to know what he saw?” I throw him the pictures as I’m talking. “Devan took off. Brenna drank herself to death. Elizabeth commits suicide. Kate falls into depression and never climbs out. The Club doesn’t make it. The PD falls apart. Drugs run rampant here, which is a source of comfort for the kids trying to find peace with the loss of so many members. For Jeremy, all that loss loses him Aubrey because there’s no Security to have his back. What was going through his head as he was getting them here, against your orders, was he needed to make sure you survived. With you, the vision and drive. With you, we have hope. He is not an MC member that refused to follow orders. He is an MC member with more vision than you’ll ever understand and knew what he had to do to make sure you lived.”
Pres sits down stunned. I look at Jeremy. “Go to KC and wait for me.”
He looks at Pres, but Pres’s mind is spinning with all I said and showed him. He throws me chin and walks out.
“I get that we are just the kids to you. You don’t know about visions because you don’t get them. Your kids do. Your kids have all that Wall did and more. You can keep holding them back and punishing them for what you don’t understand, but Wall thought you were the man with the vision needed to make a difference in the world. He was Mohegan. Did you know that?” He shakes his head no and looks like he’s going to pass out. “Wall is with our ancestors and gives us the peace and strength we need to keep going. Life is fuckin’ hard as a reader. Visions are worse. That’s why Wall stayed in his rooms. The visions were too fuckin’ hard. We get to see what happens after too. Seeing everyone you love die time and again is bad enough. We don’t need to fight you every step of the way just to keep that from happening. What happened to Aubrey before is nothing compared to what happens to her in the new visions. Jeremy can’t handle much more Pres. We need him to keep us all safe. Since he was six years old he’s proven himself over and over to you. He’s an adult now. I think he’s earned a little more respect than he’s shown. Wall would have given him that. He gave it to you.”
I look at Uncle Danny and Uncle Steve and throw them chin then look back at Pres. “I’ll be in KC when you want to shoot me. I got people to see and shit to do.” I hear Uncle Danny laughing as I’m walking down the hall. I suspend down the stairs stopping people in their tracks, but I just keep going. I’m fuckin’ pissed that no one told me all that’s been going on.
Nekanis jumps in the SUV and Security takes me to KC. Jeremy is sitting on the couch looking at the wall in front of him. Ricky comes out pissed. “He showed here like that. He shut down Brother. I haven’t been able to talk to him because he was chained to Security. I got all the kids working on Diego’s new program. I didn’t know what else to do with them.”
I look and pull what I can. “They walked out?”
“Yeah. Jeremy helped them shield so you had some time to get back on your feet. Since you’re here you can talk to them. Pres is pissed.”
Fuck. No wonder he’s so fuckin’ mad. “I think I just made that worse Brother.”
“Fuckin’ great. Princes taking apps?”
I smile, but see he’s serious. Jesus. “Let me try and fix this.”
He doesn’t think there’s a fix here. He walks back to his office and I call Prez. “I need help. Pres had Jeremy working as a geek and I came in on him yelling at Jeremy for not getting something fast enough. I stopped him and told him the vision then what happened after. It wasn’t a pretty picture. The kids walked out on him and Jeremy is shut down in the KC. Ricky’s asking if you’re taking apps and he’s completely serious. He wants out—feeling like a babysitter and not a part of the Club. I haven’t seen or heard a thing about the reader yet.” I take a breath and wait.
“I have Dakota meeting with Jeremy. He’ll be there in a couple of minutes. Abel is flying me up, I’m twenty out.”
I hear him moving and see him on the stairs.
“Thanks, Prez.” Now that I’ve fucked everyone’s day up I look for Devan to find out about my reader.
He’s in with Diego and I pull him out. The reader is too sick for anyone to get much from him. Devan thinks we need to give him time to recuperate in order to get anything helpful. That works just fine for me. I ask about the kids walking out.
He sits. “This whole thing is a fuckin’ mess. We have Ricky, but he can’t do shit for anyone. He tried to get to Jeremy and got dismissed right in the middle of Ops. It was bad. Ally walked then all the kids did. Even Victor is here. Pres is wrong Brother. Ricky is President of the Little Brothers. That used to mean something. We used to mean something.” He walks back to the meeting room. Jesus. He wants out too.
I stand against the wall and look in on all of them. They all feel like they don’t matter here. I see Prez on the chopper and throw him all of them one by one. ‘Get them all at the KC. I’m less than ten out.’
I call to all the Protectors and tell them to get all the kids here. Mase and Colt walk through the family door hall and Mase stops short seeing Dakota with Jeremy.
“What the fuck did he do to him now?” he yells and everyone starts coming out of the offices.
Dakota stands and looks at me. I throw Prez is ten out. He nods and focuses on Jeremy. I wave Mase over. “It would be good if you don’t incite a riot. Abel is dropping Prez in less than ten.”
“He bringing apps?” Mase asks and Colt laughs thinking he’ll fill one out.
I tell everyone to find seats and Ricky has Blake and Victor bring a table up from the back. Everyone is moving chairs from the offices and meeting room. Tiny and Bob come in. Then Patches and Tess. When Kate and my mom come in I look at Dakota. “Oh fuck.”
He throws Prez just landed. Amanda and Penny come in with Marty and Geek. What the fuck? I start looking for why they’re all here and see it’s the same as the kids, but from the parents’ point of view. This is fuckin’ bad. I throw to Prez so he’s prepared. Nancy comes in with Judy and Sandy. I’m surprised to see them, they don’t have much to do with KC. I look and see why. There’s a whole area that I never looked at before. Seeing everyone’s concern, I should have.
Dakota stands when the elevator door opens and Prez comes in. ‘He is not responding Prez. Perhaps Aubrey can help,’ he throws.
I look for her. She’s sitting in her room, but disconnected. Prez looks at me and I throw it to him. He puts a tie in his hair and pulls Ricky to the side.
Uncle Danny and Uncle Steve come in with Pres following. He doesn’t want to be here and is bitching them out in his head. I look the other way. No one is saying a word.
Prez and Ricky walk to the middle of everyone and Uncle Steve pushes a chair out at the first table. “Sit.” Pres glares at him, but sits down.
“We seem to have a bigger problem than I thought was happening when I left Princes. If it is not resolved today my answer is yes to you all. We have the resources to cover you and would not turn you away.” Pres is glaring at him and stands up pissed.
“Sit and listen,” Uncle Danny says and Pres sits.
Prez looks around. “I think what you’re looking for will be easy to accomplish if Pres understands the concern. Remember, he is not a reader and does not fully understand what impact or support that implies.”
“That’s the problem. Our abilities are great when it helps him get what he wants, but he doesn’t get that we can’t shut them off when he doesn’t need us,” Colt says.
“Sitting around waiting to be called nurses. We’re not even working part time. We only work when they need a reader or help because someone is off. At Princes, everyone has a real job. Billy said he works five days a week. José said you need help too. We have readers here that can help Christian. You understand what we go through,” Blake says.
“And you’re not afraid of the girls,” Elizabeth says and everyone snickers.
Prez holds his hand up. “You’re wrong. I don’t get visions, so I didn’t understand. Christian taught me a hard lesson. It’s not a mistake I’ll make again, but it was a lesson I had to learn.”
Kate steps forward. “You learned it though and fixed it. The problem here is our kids are undervalued, unappreciated and want to move. If they leave, we lose their parents too. I know Tiny and Nancy looked at houses down there. Geek and Marty are considering it if Jeremy leaves. Cloud and CJ won’t stay if this isn’t fixed. Amanda and Bob won’t let the kids go alone. Rich, Tess and Patches want someone that not only understands readers, but sees the kids as the capable men and women they have grown into. Everyone is looking for the same thing here. You’re right Little Ben, there is an easy solution, it isn’t that it hasn’t been talked about, it’s that it’s been brushed aside for years.”
Prez nods and turns to Pres. “Years is a long fuckin’ time Pres. Are you ready yet?” Uncle Steve laughs.
Pres stands up. “You’d all leave?”
Judy suspends and moves toward Pres. “I’m Judy. You don’t really know much about me. You think I’m just a kid and I have nothing to offer you. I didn’t grow up with you, but I have visions and read. I saw you die in the explosion Jeremy stopped. Then I saw you treat him like he did something wrong. I never wanted to work for you, but I don’t want you to die. You will. The next one is worse and you die.” I step forward and Prez puts his hand up stopping me. “Your family too. The kids move and so do the Officers. You get so mad that you don’t let Little Ben help. Then you die. I don’t want you to die.” Pres sits down, looking a little older.
Brenna stands and looks at Pres. “I don’t either Dad, but you don’t leave us much of a choice here. We have more readers here than the Princes and the reservation, but you put Protector Ops with them. We can all read you. You did that so it wouldn’t get in the way of what you think of as ‘real Ops’.” Prez’s head swings back to Pres. He’s pissed. “When you need a reader, you find us, but the rest of the time we’re stuck here without much to do. You don’t think much of us.”
Elizabeth walks to Prez. “Every one of us made HS before we hit seventeen. I’m twenty-six Pres. You think I’m at the Bakery because I like it?” She laughs. “I rank higher than you do and I bake fuckin’ cinnamon rolls waiting for you to see that I can do the job. I’m tired of waiting. I know Little Ben wanted me to stay close to our mom, but Jesus, at least at Princes I can work at a job I’d like. You get to.” She hugs Prez and moves back to the wall.
Geek walks up. “You, Steve and Tiny are my family. I grew up watching you make the world better for everyone. Everyone, but our kids. Everything they said is true. The first kids out; Little Ben, Brantley, Jessie, Darren, Taylor, Joey and Sheila. They worked, the little ones even worked through Little Ben. I was so proud that they not only learned, but taught us what they were worth. Something got lost when they left Ben. My boys are readers, I don’t even know what the hell Half Pint is, but she needs direction and guidance. She’s floating through life like Brenna said. That’s not a life for them. What’s going to happen to my boys? They’re better on the computer than Jeremy was at their age, but they want HS. I don’t want to see them used like Colt. Harley doesn’t even have a chance at HS, but Colt is only called when it’s convenient for us. Poor Aaron had to prove himself, then ended up running to the Princes just to have something to do. He sat down here day after day waiting for the call that he was needed. He’s your son. What happens to mine?”
“You know I’d give my life for you,” Tiny adds, “I’ve been telling you about Judy and Sandy for years. You saw Judy. She needs a job doing good like the Princes do. None of the kids have purpose here. Geek is right. With direction and guidance, they can make a difference just like you did. We’ve always been happy Pres, but they aren’t. It’s like watching the life being sucked out of them. We were supposed to make it better for our kids and we aren’t doing that.” Tiny doesn’t move until Pres nods. Thank fuck. He sees there’s a problem and he may be the reason.
Prez looks around. No
one steps forward. “We need a minute or twenty.” Everyone is throwing chin. Prez walks toward Ricky’s office and throws for me and Dakota to follow. I fall in behind Uncle Danny. I think Uncle Steve is pushing Pres. Ricky is in his chair and Prez is behind him. Dakota stands behind Prez and I stand on his other side. Pres is sitting in front of Ricky with his head in his hands and I think it’s symbolic.
“I was in this position not that long ago. You helped me see where I’d gone wrong. Teaching Christian and seeing Christian were two different things. This is your crossroad Pres. What do you want to do here?”
Pres looks up and I’m shocked at the pain in his eyes. “I fucked up their lives. I need to fix it, but I have no fuckin’ clue what I need to do here. How do I give them what they need when I don’t even know what it is?”
Prez takes a minute to answer him. “You have the people and the knowledge, you’re just not using them. Ricky understands the kids better than anyone here and he’s still stuck in the KC. Pulling him for meetings and ignoring his advice isn’t working for anyone. Half your Club is ready to walk. Your solution is sitting in front of you.”
Pres looks from Prez to Ricky. “Will you move to Security and help keep the kids happy?”
“No,” Ricky says and Pres sits back. “I’m not going to be used like they are. If you’re not serious about real change I’m done. I’ve spent years watching them be turned away by you. I’ve tried to tell you, but I’m dismissed as if I’m a Prospect. I’ve worked like everyone else and deserve more than a token office with a bone thrown to me whenever the mood strikes you. Jeremy is out there completely shut down. I can guarantee Aubrey is hiding somewhere the same way.” I nod and Pres sees it. “You can’t fake this one. That room is full of readers that see what you’re thinking. If you really want change, you need something that shows them you mean it.”
“Office connected to yours empty. Was Little Ben’s, but he left,” Uncle Steve says.
