Emma

Jasper has been in Church from moments after we woke up the second time. No one outside the room knows anything.

This is bullshit.

Betsy

I’m trying to reign in Jasper’s Ol’ Lady but that’s clearly impossible.

“Emma?” I try again. “Can you come help me start some casseroles? The guys’ll be hungry when they get out.”

“What?” She looks like she’s forgotten I’m here. “I’m sorry, Betsy, of course.”

Emma follows me back to the kitchen and I start pulling things from the fridge.

“Can you just start dicing the celery and open some Cream of Mushroom cans?” I instruct.

“Betsy?” She starts. “Jasper made it sound like everyone would be here for lockdown. Why are we the only two women?”

“The probies are going through the bathrooms upstairs, sterilizing everything. No women or children until we’re bleached top to bottom. The families are in, well, they’re grouped together and being watched over.” I let her know.

“I heard about, well, about what Gunner thought about the other women?” She looks at me.

“It actually made a weird kind of sense, once he said it out loud.” I can’t stop my eyes from filling with tears. “I won’t get my test results for another few days, but I’m only using the bathroom off the room I have here, so please don’t worry…”

“Betsy! I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think…” She looks at me horrified, then crosses the kitchen and enfolds me in her arms. “You sit down, just tell me what I need to do. I can only imagine the stress you’re under. And really, how much different could this be than cooking for a church social?”

Her last comment gets me giggling, then she shoots me a wicked grin and the two of us really start laughing.

I was so certain that any woman Jasper took as an Ol’ Lady would despise me. Emma’s not what I expected at all.

Jasper

We emerge from Church and the smell coming from the kitchen draws us all that way rather than the bar. Anticipating our needs, Betsy has ice cold beers off to the side of the buffet line. Emma quickly maneuvers me to sit and eat, plying me with water and fussing over me like mad. Roy joins us, more to calm her than to tend to me.

“Pres,” Betsy grabs my arm when I try to hit the john, I don’t miss that she uses my title and not my name. “It was Emma, she really did all the cooking. She’s been real nice to me, also.”

“No reason she wouldn’t be, Betsy.” I squeeze her hand before removing it from my arm. “I told her what you mean to all of us around here, that she had nothing to worry about with you. Vice said your tests should be back in a day or two?”

“I just never thought, well, I’m sure it’s not a good time, but, well…” She’s stuttering. “Um, does she want to take over my duties or am I still…”

“No, Betsy!” Once I finally figure out why she can’t form sentences, I cut in. “Emma’s probably gonna work at the school, we haven’t talked it through much but don’t worry about the pay you get for running the clubhouse. You have a place here as long as you want it. That hasn’t changed.”

“Thank you,” She looks like she’s about to cry and I feel like shit for not clarifying this earlier. “You all are the closest thing to family for me, I just didn’t know what my place would be with her here.”

“We take care of our own here, Betsy,” I reinforce what I just said but see that the worry has eased from her face.

“Betsy,” Russian calls to her from down the hall. “Got some time?”

She flashes a smile to me before following him upstairs.

Gunner

While everyone’s getting settled for the night, Wrench, Jake and I head out to play with our new toys. Takes a while to get the hang of piloting the drones but before an hour goes by, I know these’ll do the trick and we can stay far enough back that we won’t have to worry about being made.

“Ok,” Wrench says. “Let’s get these recharged. What time do we head out, Gunner?”

“0030,” I reply, getting a nod from Jake. “Couple hours drive then the three of us will man the drones from locations I’ll pick, we’ll bring Hawk, Connal, and Vice to watch our backs. We’ll crash near the stateline and wait on the reinforcements. Attack will be tomorrow night, Wrench – you transport the drones.”

I’m back in military mode now so Jake and Wrench act accordingly. Wrench pats me on the back as he heads upstairs for some shuteye, it’ll be a rare night for him; without his Ol’ Lady or kids around.

“Get Connal,” I tell Jake. “We’re leaving now, in a cage, President and Flint want us to set a little surprise for the Spiders tonight.”

Jake, being Jake, doesn’t say a word, just sets off to find Connal while I head to the armory to pack up three bags of explosives.

Earlier, Flint and Jake called in multiple IOUs to get the location of the Spider’s safehouses and storage depots. Hours later, Connal, Jake and I have checked and rigged those four locations plus their businesses. Those will detonate right around dawn, guaran- fucking - teeing that the Spiders will all be at their clubhouse when we attack tomorrow night. Leaving one extra surprise for them at one of their strip clubs; getting all our loose ends tied up.

With any luck, that MC will be all but extinct after tomorrow.