“Like a fungus I can’t quite get rid of,” I joke, though the guy hasn’t been too bad lately. Honestly, he was a big help the other night with the whole baking debacle. Pretty sure he’s a pro at washing dishes now.
“Well, fungus or not, that guy’s been your right hand lately. So, if you want to take him with you, I guess it means you trust him. Which says a lot, since we both know you don’t trust people easily.”
That too was true. Trusting people has always been hard for me, mainly because every time I have trusted someone, they’ve done something to break it. The only two constants in my life have been Voorhees and Drac.
“Anyway, I’ll grab Voorhees and Gremlin and head out. Any idea where to start?”
Drac nods, handing me a slip of paper. “If shit’s going down, it will be at this address.”
Nodding, I slip the address into my pocket. “Got it, Prez.”
He stands there for a second, looking lost.
“Everything okay?”
He shrugs. “I just feel like I’m always delegating tasks to people instead of getting dirty with you guys.”
“You got a family to take care of. Besides, Voorhees and I don’t mind.”
“I know. But as Prez of the club, I should be riding beside you, not barking orders from the sidelines.”
My hand slaps down on his shoulder, forcing him to look me in the eye. “No one in the club thinks you’re any less of a man just because you stay back. Someone’s gotta run shit behind the scenes. That’s you, Brother.”
“You’re right, but that still doesn’t change how I’m feeling. Maybe I should go with you guys?”
“Amber would kill me if I let you.”
He sighs. “Damn it, you’re right.”
“She’d filet my balls and serve them over pasta if I let you put yourself in danger again. Face it, Brother, you wifed it up and traded your gun for a baby carrier,” I inform him, smirking.
Drac rolls his eyes but doesn’t deny it. “I hate how right you are.”
“Yeah, well, someone’s gotta be the responsible one in this club. Thank God it’s you and not me.”
He flips me off, but it’s all in jest. “Just check in when you get there. And don’t be a hero. We’re not looking for a fight tonight, just intel.”
“When am I ever the hero? But you know damn well if shit goes sideways, we’ll pull out. I’m not about to walk into a possible Misfits’ den blind.”
Drac still looks uneasy, but nods. “Good. Be safe.”
I give him a swift chin lift and head out into the hallway. As soon as I hit the common room, I can already hear Voorhees bitching at Gremlin about something.
“What in the dollar-store MacGyver shit is that?” I ask, coming up behind them just as Gremlin wraps some duct tape around a tiny flashlight, attached to his pistol with a strangely familiar rubber casing.
Gremlin straightens from where he’s perched on the arm of the couch, and beams. “I overheard Drac telling you to take me and Voorhees with you tonight. You know how dark Silver Springs can be, so I’m making us some modified bang-bang flashlights. It’s gonna be our tactical advantage tonight.”
Voorhees slaps it out of his hand. “Dude, you just put a condom over a flashlight and duct taped it to your gun. When are you gonna learn to stop touching shit?”
“It’s not a condom. It’s a modified thermal buffer. I read online that thermal rubber buffers help absorb shock and vibration. I’m basically making my own LED silencer. Jealous?”
“It’s a condom,” Voorhees repeats flatly. “A Magnum Trojan, to be exact. The gold wrapper near your knee is a dead giveaway.”
Gremlin shrugs. “It needed to be ribbed for my tactical pleasure.”
I look over at Voorhees, who’s standing there shaking his head in shame. “Why do we bring him places?”
Voorhees deadpans, “Community service?”
