“We have four new clients this morning,” Jack announced, holding up file folders that contained the basic information for each case, a huge smile on his face. “Despite all the setbacks, things are progressing well for this office of Stone Security!”
A smattering of applause sounded around the table, mostly from Crispin and Patrick. I glanced at Matthew. He sat at the far side of the conference table, removed from everyone else, quietly observing. I’d known Matthew most of my life. We’d started kindergarten together, spent most of elementary school in the same class. He’d always been weird, but he’d become more so since coming to work at Stone Security. I thought it was probably because of his time with the Guardians. Joining a militant group like that had a way of changing a person.
It also, probably, had something to do with the fact that no one here trusted him because of the Guardians, and the only reason he had the job was because Jack was married to his sister.
Jack handed his file folders to Patrick. “We’ll assign these cases as soon as the meeting’s over.”
Patrick carefully ordered the files, moving his casted arm carefully. He was in training to be in charge of assigning the cases and running them with the rest of us—all ten operatives that were currently working here—rather than being in the trenches as he’d been before. But, I supposed, killing the leader of the Guardians and getting his arm broken for the cause was work done well enough. No one should have to prove themselves after that.
“We’ve been monitoring the activities of the Guardians continuously, as most of you know,” Jack continued. “After our raid on their compound and the arrest of most of their leadership, it looked like they were done. And then with the arrival of a new leader this summer and his quick demise last month”—he offered a nod to Patrick—“we hoped that their organization was done harassing the good people of this town. However, we’ve continued to be cautious where they are concerned because of the violence they perpetrated on this town over the past eighteen months or so.”
He paused, his eyes bouncing off Matthew very briefly, but clearly enough that most of us caught it. At least, those of us who knew his history. I saw Crispin glance at him, too. Crispin’s wife was the owner of Alli’s Little Shop of Pleasure, one of the Guardians’ primary targets back before our little raid took most of them out. She was apparently what brought Jack Stone and his satellite office of Stone Security to the area, the reason one of his good friends was killed in a car accident out on the highway, and the motivation for the raid in the first place. Jack Stone had declared war on the Guardians, and he wasn’t quite ready to call it over.
I understood that sentiment. We were two peas in a pod; we just had different agendas.
He wanted the Guardians gone. I wanted to recover what was mine.
“Crispin and I visited with an expert on religion not long ago. He had a few interesting things to share with us that I thought I’d discuss with you, with the hope that it might help you understand better why I’m not letting this issue drop.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest. “He gave us a detailed history of the church, which I’m sure a lot of you are already aware of. The most important part of it, in my opinion, was the fact that the church is based on a revision of the Scriptures that is supposed to be closer to God’s intentions for mankind. As part of that, there is a discussion about heretics, people who don’t believe in God or behave in the ways in which God instructs his children to be. It is the belief of this church that it is their duty to correct those behaviors, to spread His word, and to rid the world of those heretics through education or violence whenever necessary. This religious scholar we spoke to suggested that it is this discussion that the church is using as an excuse for the Guardians. They believe they are doing God’s work, ridding the world, and this town in particular, of heretics.”
Crispin was nodding. “He suggested that the plan is to create a sort of utopia here for the church, a safe place where the church members can live free of those who do not live a proper, pious lifestyle.”
“A sort of paradise on earth,” Jack agreed.
“But who gives the Guardians the right to decide who’s pious enough and who isn’t?” Tony, one of the guys new to the Stone team, asked. He was Baptist, and he wasn’t shy about sharing his opinions regarding the local church and his own church’s beliefs. He was deeply offended by any suggestion, no matter how subtle, that he wasn’t a God-fearing man, or pious enough.
Crispin sat up a little straighter. “These people believe that their church is the only church that gets it right. They are, in essence, trying to rid the area of anyone who doesn’t believe in their way of thinking.”
“In other words, they’re creating a commune here in town.”
Jack nodded. “They think they have that right.”
“Then they’ll go after anyone who isn’t a member of the church?” another of the guys asked, just to clarify.
“Yes.” Jack crossed his arms over his chest, looking around the room at each of us. “And it’s our job to make sure that doesn’t happen. The Guardians are pretty beaten at the moment. But we’ve heard rumors that there is another person, someone who’s been running things from outside of town.” He shrugged. “We might see more activity from them if this is true. We might not. But I’d like every one of you to keep your ears to the ground and your eyes open, to let me know about anything regarding the Guardians you think might be important. I don’t want them to re-form and catch us off guard.”
There was no argument from any of the men sitting around that table, but I saw looks of impatience and confusion on the faces of the men who had come here from Memphis, the men who had no idea what had been happening here over the past eighteen months. A part of me wanted to take them aside and give them an education. The more dominant part of me wasn’t terribly worried because I was pretty sure the Guardians were beaten. They’d be insane to rise up against us a third time after everything that had gone down since Jack had come to town.
The meeting broke up a few minutes later, after Jack gave a brief review of the construction going on at the office site. He’d bought a warehouse on the outskirts of town when he first came to town, but the Guardians had blown it up a month ago. Construction had begun again and was progressing well, but we’d probably be in our rented office space until Christmas, at least. Possibly longer.
It didn’t matter to me. I didn’t plan to be working for Stone much longer. I was going to be too busy with the ranch.
“Quentin,” Patrick called to me as I made my way out of the conference room at the end of the meeting, my thoughts on the email I was preparing to send to Truesdale’s friends and coworkers, “can I see you in my office?”
I turned around and slipped into the teeny space down the hall, watching as he maneuvered around his narrow desk.
“I have a case for you.”
“I was headed out to Alli’s.”
“I asked Matthew to take your place.”
I shrugged. That was fine. Sitting on a stool at Alli’s, watching perverts study the collection of dildos on her shelf, fending off the flirtations of the middle-aged clerk, was boring anyway.
“A group of businessmen from Albuquerque are coming to town this evening. They’ve heard about the trouble that’s transpired here over the past few months and have requested an operative to drive them around, just be present in case they run into trouble.” Patrick glanced through the file folder containing the information he was summarizing to me. “Should be a fairly simple job.” He closed the file and held it out to me. “You up for it?”
“No problem.”
Patrick nodded. “They’re arriving at nine this evening at that little private airstrip on the north side of town. These are the keys to an SUV parked out back and a credit card for gas and any other necessities you might require.” He handed me the items. “You’ll be on call twenty-four seven for the next week or so. Daily emails keeping me informed on your progress should be sufficient. If you run into any issues you feel require attention, give me or Jack a call. Okay?”
“I got it.”
“Good. You’re free to go until tonight. The details are in the folder.”
I walked out, glad to have the afternoon off to deal with my personal issues. But when I glanced inside the file and saw that the men coming to town worked at the corporate offices of Sunshine Bank, the only bank in town, the bank Truesdale managed, I laughed.
I was going to have a front row seat to his professional humiliation. Talk about karma and all that bullshit!
This was going to be a good week!