Leo
“Show time,” JJ grins, flicking his cigarette butt across the gravel.
Mom drives dad in and it takes him a few minutes to get himself out of the car because he won’t accept help.
It’s why I didn’t drag my ass to the hospital this morning, his mood has been souring for the last two days, I’m surprised my mom hasn’t told him to fuck off yet.
I run my fingers over the scabs forming on my knuckles and wonder when my skin became so fragile that it breaks open after a couple of punches. I’ve had my fair share of fights, most of them I won, the ones I didn’t, JJ and I went back for more till I did, but none of them caused me injuries after two hits.
“This is it, I heard my dad tell my mom that your dad is going to deal with him as soon as he gets here.”
JJ is too hyped for what’s about to go down. I mean, I’m intrigued, who wouldn’t be. The stories we’ve all heard are about to become action, but like I said, JJ is too hyped.
“Everyone in the basement, now,” Dad hollers, as he limps his way into the bar.
The sun is dipping behind a cloud as we walk in and it seems to be matching the mood threading itself through the brothers.
Brothers file into the basement and our guest wakes himself up. He freezes when he sees my dad and it confirms the guy knows him. Not that we didn’t know that already. Sweat speckles his forehead and I grab a front row seat on an old crate.
“Ahh, you recognise me then?” Dad smirks and takes a seat on the chair Zach pulls out for him.
The guy doesn’t say a word, he doesn’t take his eyes off him and he doesn’t move.
“I heard my son gave you a warm welcome to the Lost Souls clubhouse. Do you feel welcome?”
He keeps his mouth firmly closed, and his eye on dad. One eye is swollen shut and his lip is crusted with blood. Dad drags a chair across the space and sits in front of him.
“Why did you shoot me?”
His leg begins to shake, and I sit forward, sensing my dad is losing his patience very quickly. “Are you going to shoot me?”
“If I weren’t weak from your attempt on my life, I would beat your ass until there was nothing left of your head but bone and mush. As it is, yes, I’m going to shoot you, in the knees, in the stomach, and then between the eyes. First, you’re going to tell me why? I don’t know you, I sure as shit know you don’t know me, so why the fuck was I on your radar?”
The guy still doesn’t open his mouth, and dad stands showing no sign of discomfort, even though we all know he’s in pain.
‘What everyone sees isn’t necessarily what is true.’
I remember him telling me that many times growing up, and he’s implementing it now, all for one man’s benefit.
“Someone said they’d give me a thousand bucks to ride out and shoot up a gas station. No one was meant to get hurt.”
“Who paid you?” Sparky asks, jumping in.
“He didn’t give me a name, and I didn’t ask.”
“I don’t know anyone stupid enough to shoot up around gas,” Pope grunts.
“He looked like you lot, had a bike, the leather…”
“Our patch?” Dad growls.
“No, Black Crows or something.”
The Black Crows.
The Lost Souls haven’t had any run ins with the Crows before. They stick to their territory and we stick to ours. We’ve never had a reason to cross paths, but apparently we do now.
Dad and Sparky frown.
“Did you get your cash?” I ask him myself.
He nods and hangs his head.
“Was it worth it?”
“No, but like I said, man, no one was meant to get hurt.”
“That’s what happens when you play with guns, people get hurt, moron,” Pope scolds him.
“I’m sorry, I really am.”
“I hear you, but unfortunately for you, you put a bullet in me and I can’t stand for that. Funnily enough, I take it as an insult when someone tries to kill me.”
He pulls himself up to his feet, and if you know him, you’ll know the slight narrowing of his eyes and the set of his lips mashed tight together means he is in pain. If not, it looks like he’s just getting older, and he’s pissed.
“Perhaps we’ve spent too many years living in peace, it’s made the need for prolonged revenge not so important. My revenge with you will be knowing you’re dead, buried and will never be able to come for me again.”
He holds out his hand and Dex is quick to lay a shooter across his palm and step back.
“If I’m honest, I thought I was going to die a long time ago. I got married, brought a house, had a family, all the while knowing that a punk like you could take me away from them. Some have tried over the years and we’ve always managed to get to them first. It’s made me complacent. Thank you for reminding me that peace never lasts.”
He raises the gun and aims it at the prick. The prick in question starts to shake in fear and dad closes the space between them.
I expect him to beg for his life, but I don’t think he can speak now. His fear has paralyzed him.
“I’d say I’m sorry, but you’ve brought this on yourself.”
I zero in on dad’s finger putting pressure on the trigger, and before you know it, the prick is dead, and blood is trickling down his nose from the hole between his eyes.
One shot didn’t kill my dad.
One shot did kill this guy.
I can’t take my eyes away from them, dad stands there, unmoving and no one says a word to disturb the moment. Even JJ is keeping his mouth shut for once.
“We hoped our sons wouldn’t have to see this violence, but like fuck if we’re not going to take our revenge and show them what we’ve been telling them for years. Anyone comes for us, we take them out. We don’t take prisoners, it could cost us more than we’re prepared to pay.”
He hands the gun back to Dex and searches the basement until his eyes land on me. Adrenaline and pain is bouncing in his eyes, it fades quickly when I nod and grin. If he’s worrying that I’ll see him differently now, he can think again. We’re Lost Souls and we will defend ourselves if you come for us.
“Pope, Rick, watch over as Tal and Curt get rid of the body. I don’t want anything of him to be recognisable. Everyone else, fuck off and do whatever you were doing before I got back.”
The basement becomes a moving picture, but I stay where I am on the crate. The prospects busy themselves with the body and dad takes a seat, easing himself down slowly.
“You okay?” I call over.
“All good here, son,” he grins, and I half believe him.
“Go on, get yourself a drink. I’ll be up soon.”
Nodding once, I do as I’m told and leave him to his privacy before he comes up to the bar and hides his real feelings of pain in front of the brothers.