“Listen up,” Saul said to quiet the group down. They’d had only eleven no-shows, which gave them a packed house. It wasn’t often all the members were in the clubhouse at the same time, but when they were, like tonight, it was a tight squeeze, so he wanted to wrap this up quickly and get on the road.
The Pagans’ clubhouse was a small house in the poorer part of Laredo. The property backed up to the Rio Grande, with a television transmitter across the street. Nobody wanted the place because of its lousy location and they’d bought it, along with the house one either side, for sixty grand, cash. All three houses were dilapidated pieces of shit that had been sitting empty for years when the Pagans bought them ten years ago, but after they had gutted and renovated the center house and razed the other two, it was the nicest property on the block. After the clubhouse was finished, they’d had a little trouble with theft, but after a few severe ass-kickings put more than one person in the hospital, the locals realized the Pagans clubhouse was better left alone, and they’d had no more problems.
Over the years, they had fenced in the yards, paved over a section of one of the lots for parking, and built a small shop with a bike lift and air conditioning, where members could come to work on their hogs in comfort, but there was still plenty of room for grass, a barbecue pit and a large covered area with a mister system where they could gather and enjoy each other’s company.
“We’re going to meet at the Plaza at ten. The production crew will already be there, or will be arriving shortly after. When they get there, if they give you direction on crowd control, listen to them and try to accommodate them. If, for some reason, you can’t accommodate them, send them to me. If they ask you to do anything that isn’t related to crowd control, send them to me. If, for some reason, I’m not there, Jacob will be, so send them to him.” He paused a moment. “Any questions?”
There were none. “Okay. A couple more things. I want everyone on their best behavior for this job, but I don’t want you taking any shit from the crowd. We will control the crowd, but if you are going to have to get physical, again call me, or Jacob, if I’m not around. If someone is going to bring in the thunder, I want it to be one of the officers, okay?”
“What if someone gets in our face?” Pat asked.
“If someone puts their hands on you, then you stomp them into a greasy spot. Got it?” The brothers chuckled. “I don’t want one of us starting anything, but we are the fucking Pagans, and if someone wants the hammer, we’ll give it to them. Tonight will be the first night and I expect we’ll be tested. Keep it clean, but if they want to go, you fuck ‘em up. Clear enough?”
When nobody had anything else to say he continued. “We have full access to the food, water, and bathrooms. Feel free to use them, but make sure someone is covering you. The other thing: they asked we not talk to the cast unless they speak to us first.” He waited while the brothers groaned and muttered. “Trust me, I met Angela Moncrief today and she’s one stuck up bitch. You don’t want to talk to her. They didn’t say anything about the crew, so I assume that’s okay. To be honest, we’re going be well away from the action, so it probably won’t come up. Any questions?”
Nobody had any. “Okay, standard cut on this, just like always,” Jacob said. “They’re paying fifteen hundred a day.” That got a couple of whistles, but with so many brothers working, the cuts would still be small.
“Right,” Saul confirmed. “For the next couple of days we’re going to make a big push to establish our control, then we’ll probably cut back. I’ll let everyone know when and where we’re supposed to be. If you can make the times, be sure to let me know so Jacob and I can schedule.” He paused to give someone time to speak up. “Let’s motor!” he said as he slapped his hands together and rubbed them vigorously, calling an end to the meeting.
***
The Pagans were waiting as the first production trucks begin to arrive. They quickly establish a parameter around the production crew, taking charge of setting up the barricades. Ten minutes after the first production truck arrived, a ’86 Monte Carlo arrived with a blasting stereo. Saul smiled as he crossed the barricade and approached the kid propped on the Chevy. They might as well start asserting their authority now.
“You’re going to have to turn that down when they begin to film.”
The kid looked him over with bored eyes. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the guy who’s going to fuck you up if you don’t do what I say.”
“Fuck you, man. This is a free—”
The kid didn’t even have time to complete his sentence until he had his face pressed into the hood of his car, Saul’s hand on the back of his neck. “The only words I want to hear out of your mouth are ‘Yes, sir.’ Got it?”
“Let go of me, you—”
Saul pulled the kid up by the neck and slammed his face hard into the hood of his car. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“You fu—” the kid said as he began as he struggled. Saul again jerked his head off the car and slammed it down again, even harder, making the kid cry out in pain. “Okay! Fuck! Sorry! Jesus! Let me go!”
Saul let him up. “Now, let’s try this again. You’re going to turn your stereo down, now.”
The kid looked at him and wiped his bleeding nose. “Yes, sir.” Saul waited until the kid reached in and switched the car off. “Happy?”
“Very. Don’t make me come back over here. Next time I won’t be so nice. Pass the word to any of your friends who show up.”
“Fuck you. I’m leaving.”
Saul made a lunge at him, as if he were going to attack him, causing the kid to flinch and backpedal so fast he almost fell. Saul gave him a smile that didn’t touch his eyes, then turned on his toe and walked away without a backward glance, grinning to himself as the kid left with a squeal of tires. That’s one, he thought as Andy grinned and slapped him on the back as he passed through the barricade.
***
It was almost midnight and there was a thin line of people crowding the barricade. So long as they kept their voices to normal conversation levels, and didn’t show their ass, the Pagans left them alone. Saul, with a few other brothers, had pushed their way through the crowd a couple of times to deal with trouble makers. Most backed down and left, but a few wanted to prove how big their dick was. So far, all of those who had wanted to rumble had left with little more than bruised pride and a few scrapes and bumps, but this latest one was about to get his ass kicked.
“You don’t want to do that,” Saul said calmly as the guy jumped up from the pavement and pulled the knife, holding it in front him.
“Knife!” Caleb cried, starting to move in to help but Saul held up his hand, never taking his eyes off the man in front of him.
“Get everyone back!” Saul ordered as ten more Pagans ran up in support as the man’s friends began shouting for him to stop.
The Pagans began to push the rest of the man’s friends back, checking them for more weapons and watching for trouble.
“Pedro! Don’t!” one of the women screamed as she was pushed back. There were six men and women there, three of each, who had arrived in three cars, but Pedro was clearly the leader of the group.
“You better listen to her, Pedro, before you get hurt.”
“Yeah? The Pagans think they’re so fucking tough! Come on! Let’s see how tough you really are!”
Saul kept his eyes on the man. Pedro looked to be a little younger than him, perhaps twenty, but his eyes were cold and dangerous. Saul was armed, and could legitimately shoot the asshole now, but killing him would fuck up everything. He gave Pedro a cold smile and motioned him forward with the flick of his first two fingers.
Pedro lunged in but Saul sidestepped, grabbed Pedro’s arm to prevent him from bringing the knife around, and drove his elbow hard back into Pedro’s face. He staggered from the blow as Saul grabbed his knife hand and twisted it hard.
The entire crowd heard the snap of the bone as Saul broke Pedro’s wrist, pulling the knife from his numb hand as Pedro cried out in pain. He drove the knife hard into the hood of the Camaro, not stopping until it hit the hilt. Saul then pivoted Pedro around, grabbed him behind the head, and jerked Pedro’s head down to meet his fast rising knee.
Pedro’s face exploded in blood and he went to the ground like a sack of potatoes. From the moment Pedro lunged in until he was on the ground, barely more than five seconds had passed. Saul stood over him a moment, then spat on him.
“Tough enough for you, asshole?” He looked around at Pedro’s stunned friends. “Anyone else?” When nobody said anything he nodded. “Pick this piece of shit up and get out of here,” he said calmly as he stepped back. Andy held out a pair of knives and Saul nodded at the car. Moments later there were two more knives sticking out of the hood. “The next time a Pagan tells you to do something, I suggest you do it. If you think about going to cops, I’ll remind you he pulled the knife in front of all these witnesses. That’ll get him a minimum of two years in prison. Think about it. Now get out of here.”
The Pagans stepped back and watched as Pedro’s friends got him up. He was already coming around, but was woozy as shit with his face covered in blood as they stuffed him into passenger seat of his Camaro. Saul saw Andy take a step toward one of the guys, as if he was going to give him a dose of what Pedro got, but the kid backed off and got into his own car.
The three cars left, one of the men hurling a defiant “Fuck you!” out of his window before racing away, the three knives still sticking out of the hood of Pedro’s car.
The Pagans turned back to the crowd, the men and woman clapping politely as they parted to make a path for them.
***
“Looks like there was some excitement tonight,” Bradley said as he stepped up behind Saul two hours later.
“Nah, not much.”
“Bradley Hoffman,” he said, extending his hand.
He took his hand and gave it a firm shake. “Saul Houston. You’re one of the cast, right?”
“That’s right,” Bradley said, stepping past Saul toward the barricade. “I’m playing Andre Cowen, Tanya’s love interest.” He began to shake hands and talk with the crowd, signing slips of paper as they were handed to him. “I can’t thank you enough for the difference you’ve made in production. Not one stop because of the crowd. Are you going to be in charge of crowd control for the rest of the shoot?”
“Unless they fire me.”
Bradley chuckled and handed a book back to the woman before taking a DVD box with his face and a roaring forest fire on the cover, and scrawled his name on it. “I don’t see that happening. Not after tonight.”
Saul shrugged. “Just doing my job.”
“Modest, too. I like that,” Bradley said before handing the DVD back and shaking the man’s hand.
“You just have to know how to talk to people.”
Bradley chuckled as he signed. “Yeah. Like breaking some dude’s nose and sticking his knife into his car.”
Saul grinned. “That was to make sure I had his attention.”
Bradley chuckled again. “Oh, I see.” He handed a scrap of paper back to someone in the crowd. “Kind of like my mother. First the slap on the head, then the discussion about what I did wrong.”
Saul nodded with a grin. “Yeah, something like that.”
They moved down the line together, Bradley signing and shaking hands, murmuring his thanks for the fans turning out to watch. Saul couldn’t believe the difference between him and Angela. Bradley seemed to actually enjoy talking with the crowd and shaking their hands.
Saul smiled as the women ogled Bradley. He was no expert in male beauty, but judging by their reactions, he was making their panties wet. Whether it was because he was a big movie star or the way he looked, he didn’t know.
They continued down the line until a PA arrived. “Bradley, you’re needed on set,” the man said.
Bradley nodded, signed a few more items, then stepped back. “Thank you, everyone,” he said, then faced Saul. “And thank you for getting this entire messed up production back on track.” He gave Saul a slap on the shoulder then turned and followed the PA back to the crew area.