Jimmy looked surprised for a moment, but then he got serious again. “Yeah.”
“How many Skulls are there out there?” he asked, trying to figure out how this would all go.
“Just one. He’s here to check everything’s ready, but more might show up.”
“I don’t know what to do here,” Quinn admitted, because he could see the same sentiment in Jimmy’s expression. “I’m supposed to be leaving town at seven thirty.”
When Jimmy didn’t seem to have anything to say right then, Quinn asked, “How long have you had the sheriff in your pocket?”
Jimmy chuckled at the question. “Technically it’s mostly been Dad’s pocket until now. How do you think we’re dealing so easily here? Yet things still stay calm?”
It did make sense, really. A small-town cop gone corrupt could easily get a nice nest egg for retirement while still doing his job. Looking away was easy.
“Does he know about the Skulls?”
He knew the answer before Jimmy spoke. “It was partially his idea. More money for all of us.”
So it was greed, more than anything.
“It surprises me that Ian went that way, bribing the sheriff’s department, I mean.”
Jimmy shook his head. “It was Robert at first, hell, probably grandpa before him. But I know Robert had a deal already.”
“Wait, but Aaron’s dad wasn’t dirty?” Quinn frowned at the mere thought of Sheriff Larsen having been a dirty cop.
“No, the deal wasn’t with him.”
It made sense now. It had been with Henderson, even back then. Quinn closed his eyes for a few seconds. Fuck he hated this fucking legacy.
“So, what do you want to do?” he asked Jimmy. He just wanted tonight to be over, whether he survived it or not.
“You said you’re here for them?” At Quinn’s nod, Jimmy hummed thoughtfully. “So that means bigger guns are coming, because no doubt you’ve reported back that Dad’s dead and I’ve made a deal with the Skulls.”
Again, Quinn nodded. “I don’t know when they’re coming, though.”
Jimmy let out an incredulous snort.
“No, really, I’ve no clue. I know it’s gonna be big, they want to get the Skulls for this so they can get them in Vegas, so they’re taking this very seriously. It’s just that I haven’t been able to get hold of my handler and they didn’t tell him that it was about the gang, either. They sent me here blind and they didn’t tell him either, so he wouldn’t warn me.”
Jimmy looked disgusted. “That’s fucked up, even on cop standards.”
“Tell me about it. Where are your guys anyway?”
“Originally, the shipment was supposed to arrive tomorrow night, so I’d given them the evening off. I didn’t have time to call them before you got here and now, here we are.”
Quinn sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, tugging a bit. “Do you want my professional opinion?”
His cousin chuckled, and the sound turned into a belly laugh for a moment. Quinn had to smile, too. He wasn’t sure how this would end, but whoa boy was it tragicomical as fuck.
“Sure, let’s get your ‘professional opinion,’” Jimmy wheezed before wiping his eyes.
“Let me go, then make sure the Skulls, as many as possible, stay here when they arrive. Tell them your mom needs you and that trumps everything else, especially because you’re the reason she’s leaving town anyway.” Jimmy looked pissed off, then deflated, at the statement. “Once the cavalry arrives, and you’ll know when it does, give yourself up. Let them handle the Skulls. Keep your own guys alive and bear responsibility of your fucking stupid deal.”
Jimmy bared his teeth in an unconscious expression, then huffed loudly. “Yeah, because it’s that easy, is it?”
“Well that, or you leave them here, take Caroline and fucking try to run, but I don’t think you’ll get that far. Unless you have a backup plan in place.” Quinn was pretty sure that Jimmy wouldn’t have one, not like Karen and Arthur’s family. Jimmy had thought this would be his kingdom to run, and when did kings need backup plans?
They both tensed when another rumble of a motorcycle sounded from the front of the warehouse.
