“So just pretend we never had the trial. Okay?”
“All right. I’m listening.”
“You like law,” Axel said. “You told me.”
“I do.”
“CJ can use attorneys for different stuffs, too.”
“It won’t bring in money for the club.”
“You’re being stupid just to be stupid,” Axel told him. “If you want the club to make money that bad, just pay a big dues.”
“It wouldn’t be the same.”
“Not for you, but for the club. We’d still get money,” Axel said.
“You don’t understand.”
“I tried that line on Axel, Grant,” Cash muttered. “It didn’t work.”
“I don’t want to get boring, so I got to think of another way to answer. Anyway, you just want to run a meth lab ‘cause that’s what you want to do. Ifyoubuild a fucking lab andyoupay motherfuckers enough money not to fuck over CJ, it would still be your fucking lab. You’d still run it cuz you’d be paying for it. The managers would answer to you.”
“It isn’t the same.”
“I see what you mean, Uncle Knox,” Axel said with a long-suffering sigh. “I can’t believe I’m about to use this motherfucker. Here goes.” He pointed to Johnnie. “Uncle Johnnie runs Dad’s lab. But it’sDad’s. He got to approve everything. He’s just a mouse partner.”
Diesel squinted, and Christopher saw his wheels turning. That was good because Christopher didn’t know what the fuck Axel meant.
“A silent partner, Ax,” Diesel finally said. “Silent as a mouse isn’t the same.”
“It’s also another stupid fucking saying. Those motherfuckers aren’t quiet, especially when they are trying to get away.” Axel looked at Grant again. “Anyway, can you cook?”
“Basic things.”
“Only because Roxanne taught you,” Knox said tightly. “You’ve had servants most of your fucking life.”
“I can boil and fry eggs. I can fry bacon and prepare sandwiches.”
“Yeah, you’d blow the fuck up,” Ransom told him. “Meth has simple ingredients but it’s not simple to cook. You need experience for that.”
“Andyoudon’t have it,” Axel said.
“I can learn.”
“I’m done with this fucking conversation,” Knox spat. “You’re changing your fucking mind or I’m fucking disowning you. I’m kicking you out of the fucking house. I’ll see you live on the fucking street before I allow you to waste billions of fucking dollars for nonsense.”
“You’re calling the club nonsense, Dad?” Grant demanded.
That’s what it sounded like, although Christopher suspected Knox referred to Grant’s intentions.
“Fuck you, Grant!” Knox snarled, dropping more ‘f’ bombs than Christopher had ever heard him say. “You know I’m not. I’m calling your dumb plans nonsense.”
“You pretend you understand me and then I tell you the truth and you turn against me, Dad.” Grant looked at CJ. “Talk to him. You know this is for you—”
“Don’t talk to CJ,” Axel said. “Talk to me. CJ would say okay because he wants motherfuckers to like him. He won’tcall you a stupid fuckhead who don’t know what the fuck to do with his money. Even I fucking know outrunning a lab to a motherfucker who know about it is smarter.”
“It’s outsourcing, and how would that do anything except make me look like a fat cat throwing money around?” Grant asked irritably.
