And you know what?
After what Butch had said to me, I was a little bit more willing to see him.
* * *
“I have to admit, this is a pleasant surprise,” Jerome said as he met me outside his house, shaking my hand. “I ask that you keep it quiet, though. The lady is upstairs and trying to sleep.”
“Of course,” I said. “It’ll be nice to be around someone who is married and mature.”
Jerome chuckled, but I could see confusion starting to take form on his face. It was like he thought something might be up.
“So what the hell happened in Springsville, man?” he said. “I just looked up from the news and saw the bar got attacked.”
“Shit, if I knew, I wouldn’t be here right now, I’d be down the throat of the Fallen Saints,” I said. “We know they did it, but I don’t know the details. Nor, for that matter, do I particularly care. I’m much more invested in killing all of them with my bare hands.”
“Well, you know we’re here to help if you need it,” he said. “We got riled up from the attack last time, and we want to keep contributing, you know what I’m saying?”
I nodded.
“But that doesn’t explain why you wanted to meet up,” he said. “I know you ain’t come down here to deliver me news that I can read on my phone. So, what’s up?”
Just say it out loud.
“You were right,” I said. “You were right. The Reapers aren’t really my people. You guys are.”
Jerome looked at me wide-eyed.
“What the hell happened?”
“Not important,” I said. “What is important is I want to go to a club that values me and isn’t going to say shit like ‘your kind.’”
“Bro, the fuck…” Jerome said, his voice trailing off.
“I know that I was allowed to leave the Hovas before on the condition that we became allies,” I said. “And maybe we can stay allies. I don’t know. But I do know that I’m not interested in sticking around there.”
“You’re hot right now, aren’t you?”
“Hell yeah, I’m fucking hot!” I said.
I probably wasn’t making a great case for myself. But then again, I didn’t really think I needed to. I was being recruited, not asking to join.But do you really think Jerome will just take you on blind like this?
“Look, man, you’ve recruited me for a while now. I don’t understand what the huge deal is. Just bring me on.”
“Okay, hold up, man,” Jerome said. “First of all, I know you’re hot, and just like you don’t need a reason to strike the Saints, I don’t need a reason to see why. But, with that said, I ain’t asking you to come work the fast-food line at Wendy’s. I’m asking you to join a club that you already left once. You’re my friend, and that’s a big reason why it worked before. But, man... how bad you want in?”
Finally.
“I want to get the fuck in, man,” I said. “Let me join.”
But at that, Jerome did something unexpected.
“It ain’t that easy,” he said. “Of course, I’ve recruited you. I recruit everyone I can. I wanna make us as strong as possible. But that doesn’t mean anyone can just walk in.”
The fuck is this?
“Axle—or LeCharles, if we’re not using your club name—you did a lot of good shit for us back then. But if you’re going to join us, I need to know you’re really in. I need you to quit the Reapers for a month.”
“Okay, and?”
