Fight 4 Us (Book 9): Settlement

by Grenda, Brian

  FIGHT 4 US

  SETTLEMENT

  Copyright © 2019 by Brian Grenda

  All rights reserved.

  This book or any portion of this book or the FIGHT 4 US book series may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the author and publisher.

  THIS IS A WORK OF FICTION.

  NAMES, CHARACTERS, BUSINESSES, PLACES, PRODUCTS, COMPANIES, EVENTS, SYMBOLS, LOCALS, AND INCIDENTS ARE EITHER THE PRODUCTS OF THE AUTHOR’S IMAGINATION OR USED IN A FICTITIOUS MANNER.

  ANY RESEMBLANCE OF ACTUAL PERSONS, BUSINESSES, LOGOS, SYMBOLS, OR ANYTHING STATED IN THIS BOOK OR THE FIGHT 4 US SERIES IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL.

  FIGHT 4 US

  SETTLEMENT

  CHAPTER 1 - I DON’T KNOW

  CHAPTER 2 - WHAT TO DO

  CHAPTER 3 - WITH YOU

  CHAPTER 4 - CAN WE

  CHAPTER 5 - HELP YOU

  CHAPTER 6 - WHAT A DEAL

  CHAPTER 7 - YOU REALLY THINK SO?

  CHAPTER 8 - SPLASH

  CHAPTER 9 - RIDE OR DIE

  CHAPTER 10 - NEED MY GUNS

  CHAPTER 11 - I GET IT

  CHAPTER 12 - ON THREE

  CHAPTER 13 - WE HAVE OUR WAYS

  CHAPTER 14 - I’M AFRAID

  CHAPTER 15 - DO NO HARM

  CHAPTER 16 - NOT GOOD ENOUGH

  CHAPTER 17 - WHAT IT’S ALL ABOUT

  CHAPTER 18 - IT’S MY TIME

  CHAPTER 1

  I DON’T KNOW

  Matt and Kylie sit down in chairs next to Phil and Lisa in my garage.

  It’s a cool and breezy night.

  I see that everyone is at the meeting now, and I gather my thoughts as I stand inside my garage.

  As I look at the map of Tampa Bay inside my garage, Matt looks at me and asks, “What’s going on Ryan?”

  I turn around, look at Matt, and answer, “I got some big news about Jacob and the military drone.”

  Everyone looks at me with a look of anticipation.

  I face everyone, as they sit in their chairs, and say, “Jacob is at The Grove.”

  “How do you know?” asks Phil.

  “Kat told us over the radio,” answers Shaun as he leans against the side wall inside my garage.

  I look at Shaun and ask, “Any word from Kat or Deb?”

  Shaun answers, “Nothing since Kat’s radio went out. I tried to reach Kat over the radio several times.”

  I look at Shaun and say, “Let’s go radio silent for a while. We have to assume Kat is compromised and talking over the radio isn’t secure.”

  “Are we going to The Grove?” asks Phil.

  I take a deep breath and think about Phil’s question.

  Phil sees me hesitate to answer his question and looks at Shaun for an answer.

  Shaun sees Phil look at him and says, “I’m down to go and wipe those assholes out.”

  Phil stands up and asks, “Then what are we waiting for?”

  I look at Lauren, who is sitting next to me inside our garage, and Lauren looks back at me with a worried expression on her face.

  Bobby G shouts, “We can’t just go attack The Grove! We don’t know what is going on there and if Jacob is even there!”

  “We need to do this the right way! We need to know what is going on!” I shout.

  “We need the Haven,” says Shaun.

  “Our best option is to meet with William and get a plan together. Hector and his group know St. Pete very well. We need to gain intel about The Grove before we just attack them,” I say as I look at Phil.

  “I agree!” shouts Bobby G.

  “Jacob and the Conquerors need to go. We all know why, but we also know why we can’t afford to lose any of us,” I say as I glance at everyone who is at the meeting.

  “We need to attack them,” responds Phil.

  I look at Phil and say, “We will Phil, but we have a lot to lose here. If we rush into a fight without a solid plan, then we could have casualties.”

  I look at Lauren, Bobby G, Shaun, Jon, Kelly, Lisa, Phil, Matt, Fran, Ann, and Kylie.

  I say, “We will meet with William at the Haven tomorrow and get a plan for The Grove. Stay off the radio and get prepared for anything. We need to be prepared for a fight, either here or at The Grove.”

  “We will end Jacob,” says Shaun.

  I try to change the subject and say, “Also, I think we all should make supply bags in case we need to leave this place in a hurry. Your bags should have enough supplies in them to last two weeks or more.”

  “Good idea. We all need bug out bags,” says Phil.

  Lisa looks at Shaun with a concerned look.

  Shaun looks back at Lisa and says, “It will be okay.”

  Matt looks at me and asks, “What’s up with the military drone Ry?”

  I answer Matt, “I saw it fly over the neighborhood.”

  “When?” asks Phil.

  I answer Phil, “Right before this meeting, about an hour ago.”

  “Was it the same one from the beach?” asks Matt.

  “One from the beach?” shouts Lauren.

  I look at Lauren, and then look at the group, and answer, “I don’t know, but I think so. It could have been a scout drone or an attack drone but after what happened at the resort... I don’t want to take any chances.”

  “What happened at the resort?” asks Lauren.

  I answer Lauren, “I’ll tell you about it later sweetie.”

  Lauren replies, “Damn right you will.”

  I look at everyone and say, “For the time being we need to be mindful of anything flying over our neighborhood. Take cover if you hear or see anything in the sky. It’s usually quiet, so it should be pretty easy to hear something flying.”

  “Do we need to worry now?” asks Kelly.

  I answer Kelly, “We don’t need to panic, but we need to be aware of things.”

  I sense a feeling of uneasiness and worry among everyone at the meeting now.

  I say with a confident tone, “I will protect this place... We will protect this place… We are a family, and no one is going to hurt us.”

  “We don’t know anything specific about the drone, we are just being cautious,” says Shaun.

  “Did you see any guns or rockets on the drone?” asks Phil.

  I answer Phil, “It was hard to see, but I did not see any guns or rockets on the drone.”

  “Did it look like the drone from the resort?” asks Phil.

  I answer Phil, “Yeah, it looked pretty similar, but I hid under a tree as it got closer to me. I was shocked to see something flying over our neighborhood.”

  “I think we will be okay with the drone. If you see anything from now on, you need to let us know,” says Shaun.

  I address the group, “The reason for this meeting is to keep everyone in the loop. We don’t want anyone feeling like they don’t know what’s going on. But we also can’t be freaking out with this information. We have enough reasons to worry now. We will make it right and keep our neighborhood safe. We have a good thing going here, and I want to keep it that way.”

  I take a drink from my water bottle and look at everyone in the meeting.

  “Does anyone have any questions or anything to say?” I ask.

  “What time are we leaving tomorrow for the Haven?” asks Phil.

  “Early,” I answer Phil.

  “Sounds good. I will be ready to go bright and early,” replies Phil.

  “Me too,” says Shaun.

  “So much for sleeping in tomorrow,” says Lisa.

  I say, “Okay, everyone go home and get some rest. Tomorrow is a big day.”

  Everyone stands up from their chairs. Lisa walks over to Sh
aun. Matt talks with Kylie and Ann. Fran walks over to Lauren, and Bobby G walks over to me.

  “Can we eat dinner now?” asks Bobby G.

  I answer Bobby G, “Yeah, go ahead. I’ll be right in.”

  Bobby G and Fran walk inside my house through the laundry room door.

  Matt and Kylie start walking back to their home with Ann.

  “You coming tomorrow Matt?” asks Shaun from inside my garage as Matt walks with Kylie and Ann down my driveway.

  “What time?” asks Matt.

  “Early,” answers Shaun.

  “Just come get me tomorrow morning,” replies Matt as he crosses the street.

  “I wish he would care more about this place,” says Shaun as he looks at me.

  Phil replies to Shaun, “He does… I think Kylie and Ann were just worried about attacking The Grove.”

  “I am too. I don’t like the idea of you guys attacking that big of a place,” says Lisa to Shaun and Phil.

  Shaun replies, “We can handle it.”

  I say to Shaun, “We need the numbers though. Weapons are one thing, but people are another.”

  Lauren walks over to me and says, “I’m going inside to eat dinner now. We will talk about the drone and the resort when you come in for the night.”

  “Yes ma’am,” I respond to Lauren.

  Lisa excuses herself from my garage and walks over to Kelly.

  Jon starts folding up the chairs that everyone used during the meeting.

  I see Jon folding the chairs up and I go help Jon.

  Phil comes over to me and says, “I gotta get back home to Nicole and the babies. I’ll see you guys tomorrow morning. I’ll be here early in the morning Ry.”

  Phil walks away from my house and heads towards his house.

  “So, what’s the plan Ry?” asks Jon.

  I answer Jon, “I don’t know. I really don’t know.”

  Shaun puts two folding chairs against the wall of my garage and says, “We can’t just let Jacob take over The Grove and what about Kat?”

  I answer Shaun, “I know. I am worried about Kat, but I don’t know what’s going on at The Grove. Kat’s radio could have died, and everything is fine over there.”

  “What if she isn’t okay though and Jacob is running The Grove like some tyrannical dictator?” asks Jon.

  “So basically, like Joseph?” I ask.

  “Yeah, they are brothers right,” answers Shaun.

  I put the last folding chair next to the other chairs in my garage.

  I look at Shaun and Jon and say, “We will iron out the plan tomorrow. I want you all with me for the meeting with William tomorrow morning.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll see you tomorrow,” says Shaun.

  I exchange handshakes with Shaun and Jon before I shut my garage door and go inside for the night.

  I walk into my kitchen and wash my hands.

  Lauren, Fran, and Bobby G are just finishing up putting our dinner back onto our dining table.

  I walk into my dining room and join Bobby G, Lauren, and Fran for dinner.

  Bobby G pours me a glass of wine and says, “You look like you could use a glass of wine.”

  I reply, “I definitely could. Thank you.”

  I grab my wine glass and take a sip of wine.

  Lauren looks at me and asks, “Now, what happened at the resort with the drone?”

  I answer Lauren, “I was going to tell you sweetie, but it’s been so crazy around here. We met with Brad and his group at the resort on Clearwater Beach. We went on to Clearwater Beach in our electric trucks.”

  “Okay, yeah I remember you going there with the guys,” replies Lauren.

  “The drone that was around Jacob’s house, or a similar drone, flew down the beach and shot at us. We got away, but my truck got stuck in the sand as the drone was shooting at us,” I say to Lauren.

  Lauren shakes her head and stares at me.

  “What?” I ask Lauren as I see her shaking her head at me.

  “You can’t keep taking all these risks Ryan. You and Lauren are all I have now. We need you alive,” says Fran.

  “You are right Fran. I just wanted to talk with Brad about Channelside and set things up for us,” I say to Fran.

  “Maybe you are doing too much Ryan,” says Bobby G to me.

  “I’m trying my best and I don’t know how else to lead, but by example. I always hated it when bosses barked out orders, but they never got their hands dirty. I’m a practice what I preach kind of person,” I say to Bobby G.

  “I know you are son and you are doing a great job, but it’s a dangerous world out there now. We just want you to be safe,” replies Bobby G.

  I look at Fran, Bobby G, and Lauren and say, “Can we just enjoy our dinner and our time together? It’s been a crazy day and I just want to relax.”

  “That sounds like a good idea,” says Bobby G.

  “What’s a bug out bag?” asks Lauren.

  I laugh at the facial expression that Lauren makes when asking about a bug out bag.

  Lauren smiles and asks, “What is so funny?”

  “Nothing. You are just so cute sweetie,” I answer Lauren.

  I look at Lauren and say, “It’s a term for a pre-made bag of supplies that can be loaded and taken away with you when you are leaving in a hurry.”

  “Bug out… As in leave in a hurry,” says Bobby G.

  “Oh, I get it. Like a disaster bag. I think we have a bag of supplies we made for hurricane season last year,” replies Lauren.

  “Yeah, we do. I think it’s in the coat closet,” I say.

  “I’ll have to make my own bug out bag,” says Bobby G.

  “Yeah, try to pack something besides cigarettes and million-dollar chocolate bars,” I joke to Bobby G.

  Bobby G smiles and laughs at my joke.

  “Always the smart ass,” jokes Bobby G with a big smile on his face.

  “Yeah, he’s fresh,” jokes Lauren.

  “Fresh to the end,” I joke before I take a big sip from my wine glass.

  Lauren, Fran, Bobby G, and I finish eating our dinner and then we call it a night.

  Nicole exits from the nursery in Phil’s house after putting Mason and Mia to bed.

  Phil is sitting in his living room and drinking a beer.

  Nicole walks into the living room and sits next to Phil.

  “How was the meeting?” asks Nicole to Phil.

  Phil answers, “It was okay. Jacob is at The Grove, and we might have a problem with a military drone around here.”

  “What kind of a problem?” asks Nicole.

  “I don’t know but Ryan saw a drone fly over the neighborhood a couple hours ago, and he seemed concerned about it,” answers Phil.

  “What do you think about it?” asks Nicole.

  “I think we need to be aware of things around here and if we see anything in the sky, immediately get indoors or at least take cover,” answers Phil.

  “It is kind of weird that we don’t really see airplanes in the sky anymore,” says Nicole.

  “I used to live near an airport, and I saw them all the time around my house,” replies Phil.

  “Back in North Carolina?” asks Nicole.

  “Yeah,” answers Phil.

  Nicole thinks about North Carolina and her home back in Orlando.

  “We would occasionally see airplanes around our house in Orlando,” says Nicole.

  “Do you miss Orlando?” asks Phil.

  “Yeah, a little bit. I miss my life there,” answers Nicole.

  Phil isn’t sure how to take Nicole’s response.

  Nicole notices the look on Phil’s face and feels bad.

  “Not like that... I miss my job and my routines. I miss working out and eating at this nice Italian restaurant. They had the best lasagna,” says Nicole.

  “I’ll have to get some weights and some other workout equipment for ya. There is a gym close by that we can get some equipment from. I’m sure they don’t need it now,” says Phil.


  “That would be great. I need to get rid of this belly,” says Nicole.

  Phil and Nicole lock eyes and Phil says, “I think you are beautiful, and you have a great body.”

  “You are sweet,” replies Nicole.

  Nicole kisses Phil passionately on their sofa.

  Nicole and Phil enjoy their night together.

  “Do you really think Jacob could attack this place?” asks Lisa to Shaun as Shaun and Lisa stand in their kitchen.

  “It could happen, I think it’s only a matter of time until they come back here,” answers Shaun.

  “I don’t like the sound of that. I don’t want to lose this house,” says Lisa.

  “We won’t lose this place. We have a good thing here,” says Shaun.

  “How do you know for certain?” asks Lisa.

  “I don’t know for certain. I don’t know anything for certain except a couple things. I know that I love you, I love this place, and I love everyone here,” answers Shaun.

  “I’m starting to like this place more and more, but I miss our home in North Carolina. I wish we never left North Carolina,” says Lisa.

  “Me too, but we had to leave. It wasn’t safe there,” replies Shaun.

  “It’s not safe here. It’s not safe anywhere” replies Lisa.

  “We will make this place safe. You are getting better with your shooting and you are getting better at protecting yourself,” says Shaun.

  “I definitely am. I only missed one target shooting yesterday,” replies Lisa.

  Chewie falls asleep in his dog bed that is in the corner of Shaun’s living room.

  Shaun looks into Lisa’s eyes and says, “I love you, and I will do anything for you.”

  “I love you too,” replies Lisa.

  Lisa and Shaun walk into their bedroom.

  “Do you think it’s the right move to attack The Grove?” asks Lisa as she enters the master bathroom.

  Shaun sits down on his bed and takes off his shoes.

  “I do. I think we need to get rid of Jacob, but I’m not sure of how to do it. Should it be a stealth kill or public display?” answers Shaun.

  “Listen to you. I bet you have this all pictured out in your head of you killing Jacob,” says Lisa as she enters her bedroom closet.

  Shaun smiles and replies, “You know me too well.”

  Lisa and Shaun enjoy their night together.