I’m finally starting to believe it.
20
PHANTOM
My personal lifemay be in great shape right now, but the business has gone to shit. Turns out that fucking tweaker Dylan stole a shit-ton in product during the job we did for Elliott. Savage caught him and recovered almost all of it, and that was the leverage we needed to get him to turn himself in for the break-ins, the rats, everything. I told him if he didn’t go away for a while, I’d let Viper make sure he went someplace he’d never come back from.
While the situation is under control with Elliott, I’m feeling less sure about my brothers.
“We need to diversify.” I’m in my office at the compound, not able to believe I sound more like a CEO than a fucking club president.
Shadow is pacing the room, while Savage drums his boot so hard against the floor, I can hardly hear myself think. I grunt at him and bark at Shadow to sit the fuck down.
“Look,” Shadow says. “I got noproblem moving drugs, collecting debt, running games, but I agree with you. I got an old lady at home now. We need more ways to bring in clean money.”
“Cash businesses.” Savage shrugs. “We got a few, but we need capital to buy into them.”
Shadow looks at me. “You thinking about your old lady? Salons? Nail tech? What?”
I shake my head. The last damn thing I need is to involve Poppy in anything that could be remotely less than legal. I’m not washing money through her shop or doing anything that can come back on her business.
We’ve got to get creative and tighter. I look to Savage. “I want all the prospects gone. Every one of ’em. Anyone who was friends with Dylan or came to us through him, gone.”
Shadow doesn’t look surprised. “Been waiting for you to say it.”
“We’ll need fresh blood,” Savage says. “New recruits.”
“No more kids,” I say. “Not for a while. I want ex-military, guys with records. Anybody willing to work for what they want.”
It goes without saying that they need to be loyal. I can’t worry that some crackhead kid is going to decide to fuck my ex, steal from my clients, or just not fucking understand the code. We’re brothers. Closer than family blood. We’re blood by choice. I’d die for my kids, for Poppy, but if push came to shove, I’d also give my life for any of the men in this room. There was a time I thought I could say that about every man in thisbuilding. I know better now. And I don’t like learning lessons the hard way.
“Put the word out,” I say.
Shadow gets up and starts pacing again. “We run a couple more jobs for Elliott, a few more games through football season…”
I know what he’s thinking. We can earn start-up capital in a matter of months. What would take a legit business years to create, we can get fully operational in a fraction of the time.
I nod. “Talk to Blade. Find out where we’re flush and where we can scrounge cash fast.” I put Shadow, my VP, on intel and Savage, our Sergeant at Arms, on recruitment. Between the two of them, I’ve got two out of three of my plans in motion. Now, all that’s left is Viper.
I find him in the garage polishing a vintage Corvette.
I walk in and lean against a wall and don’t say anything.
Viper keeps waxing the bumper, but he nods at me. “What do ya need, Prez?”
I walk over, considering how to phrase this. “Looking to expand.”
“Business or membership?” he asks.
“Both,” I confirm. “Looking to you for ideas.”
Of all the guys, Viper is the only one I’d say would shoot first and ask questions later.
“Seems to me we need some housecleaning, with all due respect.” Viper’s polishing cloth slows as he says what could be a confrontational statement.
“That’s why I’m fucking here,” I tell him. “Prospects are gone. All of ’em. No more kids.”
Viper nods.
