Prologue

Boomer

5 years earlier

I dust off my pants after getting out of my work truck. Don’t know why because I’m about to get a lot messier. I suppose it’s because normally I have to meet with clients. This time, I am the client.

“Boomer, this looks like a fucking ghost town. Bro, we have our work cut out for us,” my younger brother, Jackson says, tipping his sunglasses down to examine the spread of Main Street.

“Think of it this way, next week it’ll be a blank canvas.” I plan to demo the whole small town. According to the appraisers, this place wasn’t worth the ten grand I paid for it unless I wanted to turn it into a huge farmland or factory. I want this to be a place that’s perfect for us old retired soldiers to live. I might be exaggerating since I’m just twenty-five, but I’ve lived a lot in the past eight years. It’s been a roller coaster so far and now it’s time to plant some roots.

“I guess you’ve got a point there. Let’s check it out so I can draw up some blueprints for you to approve.” My brother is now a hotshot architect with his own firm in Dallas. At twenty-three he’s making a name for himself and doing it with a smile.

Last week, I purchased this land for investment. Initially, I’d been looking to start building a home, but this peaked my interest. In the long run, it would cost quite a bit more than the ten stacks I paid for it, but then again, it could be a lot more profitable. Either way, it’s all mine. I built my construction company with my Special Forces money, now I’m reinvesting it into my town.

“Now that I’m looking at it, bro, there’s a lot of potential.” He brought a legal pad on a leather-bound clipboard, all fancy like, to take notes. I don’t know what he’s thinking up in that brilliant head of his, but I’m sure it will be fantastic.

“I want it to have that old town feel with all the modern upgrades.”

“Gotcha.” He lowers his head and jots down a few more notes. The Texas heat is testing us this morning. We both decided jeans and tees with our flannels would be the best today, but it was getting hot quick. I watch him make notes wondering if he’s been lifting more lately. My brother doesn’t seem like an architect when he’s not in his three-piece suits, but instead as if he’s the one jackhammering the concrete. It’s what I do for a living, so my build is pretty standard.

“Jackson, have you been lifting more?”

“Yep, it helps me think.”

“Don’t think too much or your brain will be your weakest muscle soon. I was starting to wonder if you put yourself up for the Strongman competition.”

“Fuck off. I’m not a gym rat,” he exclaims, returning to his notes. He isn’t that big, but more than I remember him being. Maybe those suit slim you down. I walk to the buildings, each already inspected and marked. We have a storm coming in tomorrow and I’ve decided to hold off on the demoing until next week. I’ve cleared most of my crew to work on this project and I’m hoping to have the first businesses up and running come spring. We’re about sixty miles south of Dallas and after we get established, I expect to find a growing population.

“Have you talked with any city project managers? There’s an integral amount of planning involved.”

“Yes. Once you give me your blueprints, I’ll contact the company for the electrical grid and get the ball rolling. It’s going to cost a fortune to get the basics running, but I’m sure once we get that set, the other plans will fall into place.”

“Okay, I’m just saying you’re under the county guidelines until everything else can be implemented. You might as well get some help from them. They would love to have a greater tax generating place filling their coffers.”

“I bet. I know we’re going to need a set of houses built, a five-floor apartment building, a grocery store, and gas station to start. I want everything up and running before we populate it.”

“What are the odds on the name, Boomer?” he asks, looking at the old general store sign. Steeleville General Store.

“That’s why I picked it. No need for a name change.”

“Since this used to be an old steel mill town, there’s a large factory building I had inspected. It’s on the edge of the land and sound. I was thinking that’s where our club will be.”

“Fuck yeah, let’s check it out. I’ll question you on the way there about the rest.”

“Sure thing, bro,” I answer, walking back to my air-conditioned truck. The drive is short since the land is just under ten square miles, so he won’t get to ask many questions.

“Do you know how much is going to be used for farming?”

“That’s still up in the air. I can start with two hundred acres and if they need more, I’m sure that’ll be no problem.”

“Most of this area was never really developed. There are a couple dozen rowhouses I’m assuming for the steelworkers, but that’s about it. So, what happened to the town? Why are you sure it’s financially viable?”

“The steel mill went out of business due to some shady dealings.  Then a small fire was set but didn’t develop because the person didn’t take all the factors into account. It, of course, was later ruled as suspicious. The town’s sole focus was the mill. Now we’ll have several ways to make this place boom.”

“If anyone can make something from nothing then turn it to gold, it’s you.”

“Same to you, Jackson. We’re here,” I say, pulling into a large gated parking lot that’s seen better days. The lot wasn’t paved, just a shitload of gravel, so there were patches of weeds growing through it. And to the very back stands the old factory. It’s two floors of fortified steel. This makes it the perfect place to have our motorcycle club.

“The guys are going to flip when they see it all done. You did good, bro.” Jackson and I unofficially started a club with some of my boys from Special Forces. We called it the Steele Riders. Whenever we’d have a leave, we’d head out on our bikes. Although Jackson had never been in the service, he rode with us all the time. The nine of us became like brothers. Most were still in the service. Having received a non-life-threatening injury, I retired.

We take a quick look around, letting Jackson get a feel for my ideas. I think this place has so much potential and from the constant smile on his face, I know he’s seeing it.

"I can't wait to get started,” he cheers, smiling at me like a little boy.

I nod because we’re going to make our dreams of more come true. "Me either. Let's head out and grab a bite back in Dallas so we get some of those plans underway."

"Good deal, Boomer."