“Thank you, Em,” Maestro interrupts us. “The brothers will be happy and we’ll all pitch in to help you get the park ready. Out of interest, who were you thinking of getting to run it?”
Deck releases me, and I turn my attention to Maestro. “I’m going to offer it to Jessie. I think she’ll do well. She’s sensible and she can take the baby with her. She’s been worrying about money even though we’ve all assured her she doesn’t have to. She’s young but she’s smart. I think she’ll be perfect, especially once we get rid of the riff raff and set some security up around the park. I want it to be a five-star trailer park with all the security that’s usually missing from them. I’ve lived in a few so I know what’s needed.”
“Whatever you need Em,” Cash nods. “You make a list and I’ll sort out a budget.”
“Sounds like we have a plan. Let me know when you’ve got the votes in and when you need me to sign the papers. Once that’s all done we’ll head out there to speak to people and give notice to the troublemakers,” I tell them as I stand up. “I’m going to leave you men to it and go find the girls.” I gave Deck a kiss before I left the office so they could discuss whatever they needed to without me being in the way and went to find the girls to let them know that once the club had the votes we were going to be busy as hell.
CHAPTER 12
MAESTRO
We’re silent as Emily leaves the office. I know she’s probably going to find Stacey, Lizzie, and Jenny to fill them in. I’m fucking thrilled for my dad that he found her to spend his last years with. She’s one quality lady.
“You’re a lucky man, Pops,” I tell him.
Dad looks at me, and I can see that he’s happy. The shadows and grief that had seemed etched in his face forever were gone. He looked younger now than he had in years. Oh, don’t get me wrong. Dad kept himself fit. He was probably fitter than men half his age, but until recently it was almost like he’d been bidinghis time. Since he’d met Emily, it was like he had a new lease on life.
“I am,” he agrees. “To have a love like this twice in my life makes me blessed. Once this is all sorted and the businesses are ours, I’m going to marry that woman.”
I chuckle, and Cash snickers. “First you’ve got to get rid of the fucker in the Shack,” I remind him.
“Fuck yeah,” Red mutters, wiping a hand over his face. “Let’s go do that now. I’ve got better shit to be doing than messing with a fuckhead.”
Pushing up from my chair, I stand. “Come on then, old man, let’s go see what Duke and Roar left for us. Then, I want to spend some time with Stacey and the kids. I feel like I haven’t been home for days.”
“I hear you, son,” Red says, standing up with Cash following.
The three of us walk into the common room, and I motion to Duke and Roar to follow us.
We don’t make a big fuss; there’s no need. We’ll do this quietly, so that Dad and Emily can enjoy the rest of their lives in peace.
Chad’s hanging on by a thread when we walk into the Shack. We’d all been taking turns over the last week to visit with him and show him the error of his ways.
“No more, please,” he begs curling up in the corner when we walk in. “Just kill me.”
He’s naked, covered in bruises and cuts. That would be Roar. The man does like his knives. He’s nothing more than a squirming wreck. Very different to the arrogant asshole we’d picked up.
Red tilts his head and assesses Chad with a cold look before squatting a few feet from him. Turning to look at me over his shoulder he asks, “What do you think, Pres. He done?”
“Up to you, Red. It’s your woman he touched. If you think we should work him over more, we can do that.”
“I’ve got a new knife I’m dying to try out,” Roar offers pulling a huge fucking knife from under his shirt and brandishes it about. The stench of urine fills our noses as Chad loses control of his bladder.
“Fuck’s sake,” Red wrinkles his nose as he stands walking over to the cupboard we keep supplies in and he presses a combination of hidden buttons. Only a select few in the club know the sequence and where the buttons are hidden. The cupboards swing out revealing a hidden safe filled with weapons. Red takes his time as he selects a handgun. Just because we’re clean doesn’t mean we don’t still have some of our stock. These are untraceable; once used it will be disposed of.
He loads it with a single bullet, closing the hidden safe behind him. Waiting until it all clicks back in place before he walks back to Chad and puts a bullet in his head.
I’m glad it’s done. It was time.
An hour later we’re watching as Roar uses a backhoe to dig a hole in the farthest point of the property. Once it’s deep enough, we throw Chad’s body in, along with the cleaned and stripped gun that Red had used. Covering the body with lime and then backfilling it with soil and a mixed top layer of compost. Once he’s covered, we plant five hackberry trees. The lime won’t bother them. And at least one of them is likely to make it.
We’re quiet as we walk back to the clubhouse, Roar having gone ahead with the backhoe that he’ll clean and put back in the shed we specifically built to house it. Why dig holes with a shovel when you can use a backhoe in half the time?
“I’ll see you boys later,” Red waves at us and walks towards his house.
Cash and I split up, going to our own homes.
I smile as I walk into my house and hear the chatter and laughter of Stacey and the kids. So different from what it had been a few months ago.
