In the conference room, Christopher pressed a few buttons to allow a monitor to rise from a console at the center of the cluster of tables. He pulled up Google Earth and a large available area. It was an abandoned municipality not far from Hortensia, but empty, safer from prying eyes of civilians. Or it was a place to move his family to and have it as an unincorporated area of Hortensia.
“McKay,” he said, pressing the remote control to show different images, switching from topography to live feeds. “What do you think about moving the club there?”
Val gaped at him.
“Hortensia got too many motherfuckers, Val. Sooner or later, we going to do something in front of a motherfucker Kendall can’t pay off.”
“There’s nothing there. No infrastructure. Very few buildings. We’d have to build everything from the ground up. Even the fucking clubhouse.”
Yeah, they would. “A new beginning. Those motherfuckers wanted peace. They got their fuckin’ way.”
“What about the houses? Ridge Moore? Hortensia General? Mutt, Jeff, and the young cops in our pockets? The city councilmen? Kendall’s law office? The medical lab? Bailey’s practice? We moving that shit, too?”
“I ain’t told nobody else but you, Val. With Megan gone, I ain’t got nothin’ to do but fuckin’ think.”
“And you think abandoning everything we’ve built,she’sfunded, a good fucking idea?” Val didn’t have to sound so fucking appalled. “You know Johnnie’ll vote against it just because he’s become a fucking fuckhead.”
“That motherfucker been that and Rory turning just like him.”
Val grunted.
Christopher shoved his hand through his hair and massaged his neck. “I might just buy a tract of land for us. Build a house for us, one for Diesel, and have a couple waitin’ in the wings.”
“But…fuck, why? We a family, Outlaw, and we got a nice little private enclave for us. Why you want to fuck that up?”
“Megan want fuckin’ windows. I have an appointment tomorrow with a contractor to talk about a fourth floor. Or…”
“How adding windows turning into you buying a fucking tract of land in the fucking wilderness?”
“A bunch of reasons, Val.”
“Meggie know?”
“Didn’t I just fuckin’ say only you?”
“Puff’ll never fuck me up if I give you my fucking blessings before you talk to your wife. Don’t you know your fucking wife at all? What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“I can build a private facility there just for Rule. Bring him home.”
“You can do that now. Here. In Hortensia.”
“Every time Megan walk in this motherfucker, which ain’t a fuckin’ lot recently, she get flashbacks of what the fuck they did.”
“She told you that?”
“In so many words. She ain’t fuckin’ happy.”
“Outlaw, I’m talking to you as your brother-in-law and hers, too. You underestimate her. She forgave your motherfucking ass. Let the woman process everything. Give her a chance tosee that she safe here. Let Jo come home. Unless you not happy and projecting that shit onto Meggie?”
“Megan not here. I’m jumpin’ for fuckin’ joy.”
“That would be better than you losin’ your fuckin’ mind. If you move away, that’ll crush Puff. She love livin’ close to you.”
Christopher gnashed his teeth together. “Ima talk to Megan, but, Val, if she say, yeah, I’m fuckin’ doin’ it.”
“Fuck, I know nobody more important than Meggie,” Val said heavily. “But…fuck!”
“How’s Molly?” Christopher asked, changing the subject because there was nothing more to say.
