Shay nodded as he smiled.“Kelly is all of that.”He looked around.“I will see if I can bring her after this is over.”
Everyone nodded and smiled at him.
“This here is your real family,” King told him.“We’ve all decided that already.”
Shay looked touched by their words.“I...well, Ok...”He looked over at Maudie.
She smirked.“Not too good at sentiments.Weh, no surprise dere, Mr.Shay.”
More chuckles could be heard around the room.
Chapter Three
Shay shook his headand changed the subject, “Let’s hope your call tree to the neighbor comes through.”He gazed down at the book sitting on the table.“At least we might be able to use this to form some sort of map, maybe even figure out Soleman’s plan of action.”He turned back to Mindy.“What else do you know about this son of his?Is Salvador as insane as Soleman is?”
Mindy nodded her head.“I think he bought into his dad’s ideals but since he hooked up with Louise, he’s gotten more than just crazy.”She glanced at Maudie.“You called it beta come tout?Well, Soleman tried to keep his son under his thumb but I don’t think beating a guy is the right way to do that?Do you?”
King paused at this and asked, “What do you mean, beating a guy?”
Mindy shook her head and explained it, “Back home, Soleman ruled that compound with an iron fist.You didn’t dare even speak up or you took the risk of his security team stepping in.They would drag you to the shed and by the time you came back out of that shed they were dragging your beaten bloody body out and just drop you in the dirt.You usually stayed there in the dirt for an hour or until you could wake up on your own.No one would come to help you or they risked the same beating.Salvador visited that shed many times.I think Soleman even forbade him from seeing Louise but she put an end to that.I don’t know how but the whole compound heard them arguing later the same day he gave Salvador his last beating.After that, Salvador and Louise began living in their own wing of the main house.That was three years ago.Soleman then acted even more paranoid.Will Salvador come looking for his father?”She shrugged.“I don’t know.I don’t know if he even cares if Soleman is alive or not.But if he does come here, he might just want to know if he’s really dead but for his own reasons.He never had a chance to become a decent person under that man’s rule.”
“What are the odds that Salvador will take over his dad’s compound?”Teige asked.
Mindy looked over at him and replied, “That might be what he’s really after.Louise has the knowledge to build her own bombs.She learned how to from Lester Diamond.We never really knew what Soleman was up to, only his council knew that.But I have a feeling Salvador knew.Is he going to follow his father’s exact plans?”She shrugged.“I don’t know.”
“But those three bombs mean something, don’t they?”Shay surmised.
They all went quiet at this summation.The one thing they all did fear was for someone to come along and plant bombs in the swamps.
Boomer had just sat listening to everyone but now he leaned forward and rested his arms on the table.“You could ask Trudy to look into this sonofabitch.You know this is something right up her alley, right?”
Shay turned his head to look at him.Then he nodded.“Yeah, I know and I also know she would be more than happy to do just that, but something feels off about this whole thing.I can’t explain it but something isn’t right here.”
Maudie gasped and her hand flew to her chest as she had to sit down quickly and quietly.Now her face looked ashen.
King stared at her, his concern very apparent.“What’s wrong bae?Are you feeling poorly?”
