Warriors (Gutter Dogs Book 5)

by Carey Lewis

  “Why don’t you come on down and you can tell him.”

  “The gun he’s got, has the look like he wants to be offended.”

  “That’s all for show. He knew how to use that thing, there’d be two of them waiting on you.”

  “That doesn’t give me confidence. Think I might just go back inside, call some of my friends.”

  “Yeah, wouldn’t get you then. Max ain’t the chasing type. I told him go up there and meet you when you come out. He gets up about five steps and he’s already out of breath. Turns around says he can’t do it. Says he’ll wait by the car, it’ll have a better effect.”

  “Has the effect of me not wanting to come down.”

  “I figured that would happen that’s why I wanted him up there so you wouldn’t have a choice. What’s your name again?”

  “Jamal.”

  “Jamal. See, that’s why I’m glad there’s more than one way to get in the station. You just said you haven’t called your buddies yet. That’s too bad. You think they’ll get here before Asteria’s buddies do? And you think you can hide out in the station where anyone can be inside hiding? Waiting?”

  “Figured you were in the car over there.”

  “Yeah, has an effect huh? So why don’t you throw your gun over the side so fat man can see it and then come on down so we can all talk.”

  “Doesn’t sound like there’s too much in it for me.”

  “There’s a pizza delivery boy in it for you. Also the kid that owns that car in the lot you see.”

  “You got two hostages in the radio station?”

  “You make me Jamal, I’ll have more.”

  “What if I come down and keep my gun. You’re going to kill me, I’d like to have a fighting chance.”

  “Jamal, I can kill you anytime I want but I don’t want to do that. I want a trade. Dax for the two kids I got. Now I’m running out of patience.”

  Jamal hung up the phone and turned to Dax, saw the fear in his eyes.

  “He wants to trade you for the two kids he’s got.”

  “He’s just going to kill us all. You know that right?”

  “There’s a chance.” Jamal took out his gun and trained it on Dax. “The other thing we’re worrying about is who might show up from Asteria’s call to arms. Think we should go take our chances with the two guys with guns, the devil you know and all that.” Jamal motioned with the gun for Dax to lead the way. “Sun’s coming up,” Jamal said to no one in particular, looking at the faint glow coming from behind the city beyond the river.

  Slowly, they made their way down the staircase and crossed the lot to Max.

  “You mind getting off the car? You see the dent you’re putting in it?”

  Max smiled and moved his body further onto the hood, hearing it crack underneath him.

  A skinny blond kid got out of the car at the end of the lot, then Lex got out of the drivers side, the .45 aimed at the kid from the hip. They made their way over to Jamal.

  “You didn’t toss the gun,” Lex said.

  “You said you were up there.”

  “I lied. Toss the gun.”

  “Where’s the other kid?”

  “He’s in the trunk. Didn’t want to babysit two ya know? Guy’s all wound up on E, found him trying to pick up a trick. Didn’t have any money on him so I don’t know how he thought that was going to work.”

  “This one’s Kevin?”

  “It is.”

  “Kevin, is he telling the truth?”

  “He didn’t have any money on him, it’s true,” Kevin said.

  “You understand I had to ask. You and I don’t have a good track record for trust right now.”

  “I get it.”

  “So you wanted a trade. Dax for Kevin?”

  “What I wanted was to explain to you how I was set up. Wanted Dax here to confirm it so we can all go home happy and alive. How some people can see me doing shit, not seeing the gun at my back which is the reason it’s looking like me.”

  “I only see you holding a gun Lex. And the guy turning my car into a canoe.”

  “That’s just his way.”

  “That’s why you’re looking at turning yourself in?”

  “Got Kev’s number from your buddy huh?”

  Jamal nodded.

  “Was thinking about it but what I really wanted was to talk to Dax. Make sure we were on the same page about everything that happened.”

  “About the guy setting you up.”

  “That’s right.”

  “Forgive me Lex if this doesn’t sound made up to me.”

  “You calling me a liar?”

  “You already did it once and we’ve known each other all of five minutes.”

  “Seems far fetched don’t it?” Lex smiled.

  “Why don’t I bring all three of you in and we can see how plausible your stories are there?”

  “Thing is Jamal, that’s not going to work for me. I can’t be going in while the man still has the gun on my back.”

  “I’ll have your back.”

  “We’re not doing good on trust remember?”

  “Puts us in a pickle.”

  “So, Jamal, you think I’m this big, bad killer huh? Maybe I’m not but my hand’s been forced, kind of like you’re forcing it now. What if I just call Mr. Learner and see what he has to say? See if you’re any use to me anymore.”

  “He’ll want to take you in too.”

  “Yeah, probably. You guys got your ways. Thing is, he brings me in, there won’t be anyone to argue with my side of the story.”

  “There’s one, so you might not want to pull that trigger too quick.”

  “Yeah? Who’s that?”

  “Kenzie.”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX

  “It’s something, isn’t it?” Cleon said as they all stared at the flames rising into the night sky, the sun starting to show it’s light from behind the tree line.

  “Can’t help but feel there’s something wrong here. Watching a church go up in flames,” Cochise said.

  “Were there clowns?” Ajax asked.

  They started walking again. When they heard the sirens, they hid in the bushes at the side of the road as the firetrucks drove by. Cochise noticed Cleon holding Ajax, the only one still wearing a plaid shirt, as ripped and dirty as it was.

  They came out, found themselves on a road that led to more city lights, not far from home now.

  Cochise wanted to tell Cleon that he quit. He was done with the Boppers and gang life in general, that he had a new life now. He wondered if he told Cleon that Catharine was his gang, if he’d find it sweet. Wondered how he’d react if he told Cleon he still wanted to be friends, shit, making it sound like they were breaking up.

  It was the longest night of their lives, they joked. The Summit seemed like forever ago. When they talked about the start of it all, the stories started with ‘remember when?’ When Cyrus was brought up, they all went quiet because they knew the night had changed their lives forever.

  “Were there clowns?” Ajax asked again.

  “How did you not see them?” Cochise asked.

  “He’s high,” Cleon said, and then filled Cochise and Catharine in on their night, Gravy Train, the attack at the old Fort, the Pelham 1-2-3’s.

  “You jumped off a train?” Cochise couldn’t believe it, said “those are some balls.”

  Then Cochise told them about the clowns, how they followed them around all night, told them about the tunnel that gave you visions, was about to tell him he was leaving the gang but Cleon seemed too happy. Happy they were all together again, happy about his plan. He was so depressed before, Cochise didn’t want to take it away from him.

  “We get to The Boss and get him to protect us,” he said, very excited about it, his first decision as leader.

  Cochise didn’t say anything, just took Catharine’s hand in his, letting her know he was still with her. The look he gave her said he was waiting for the right time.

  “We’re not in
the clear yet,” Catharine reminded them they were still being hunted. “We need to find a radio, find out what’s going on.”

  “There’s a donut shop over there,” Cleon said, pointing out the only building with lights on. “Maybe they got a radio.”

  So they walked toward the donut shop, Cleon saying “I held him because I thought he would chase the firetrucks.”

  “I was going to. Thought I was stuck on a branch,” Ajax said.

  “He smoked most of it. Guy put it in and handed it to Ajax, got most of the bowl.”

  “What were you going to do with the truck if you caught it?” Catharine asked.

  “I wanted to play with the hose. You see those videos of guys riding it like a rodeo?”

  “Shit, I want to see that. Think we should go back,” Catharine said.

  They walked across the grass, cutting into the parking lot of the donut shop where something caught Cochise’s eye. The others started walking into the shop when Cochise bent over and picked up two cell phones.

  “You think Cyrus will like…” and he trailed off, so used to scavenging anything for Cyrus, realizing there wasn’t a need for it anymore. “Sorry,” he said as he looked up to Cleon. It wasn’t Cleon’s reaction that startled him, it was the gang of cowboys that were standing behind him. Cochise slid the phones into his pocket as he stood up, watching Cleon, Ajax, and Catharine turn.

  “Well, howdy partners,” the one in front said, the blond hair hanging out of his stetson.

  “Looky, looky, looky, what we got here. Howdy Miss Catharine,” the short one said, the one they called The Kid, tipped his hat. “Didn’t I tell y’all this go’n be a fine day? Didn’t I say that?”

  “Oh, you did Kid, you did,” the other said, practically laughing, the one they called Dirty Steve, his cheeks puffed with chewing tobacco.

  “I reckon we go on for a ride. Figure what we gonna do with these here varmints. The most wanted men in these parts.”

  Boon wasn’t sure about the voice on the other end of the line. It sounded like a man, not some geeked out teenager. What Oriental kid had a southern drawl like that? He supposed it was possible, thought he saw one once in a movie but thought it was for comedic effect. Was it Orientals or Asians? Noah had him confused.

  Either way, he was sure it wasn’t going to be a teenager he was going to see. But still, he had to check it out, see what was going on. Maybe it was one of their daddies, thinking he was going to meet a young punk in a wannabe gang he could scare off. A white man from the south getting a piece of exotic, making a Chinese baby grow up to be a goth. Well, white man going to be surprised when he saw the hard ass gangster that don’t play.

  He pulled the plumbing van to the side of the road, a block away from the bus station. People were starting to rise with the day, some even making their way to the early morning start times of their jobs, the losers. Decided on meeting at the bus station when he heard the man’s voice, thinking he could just walk away if it was a trap. He’d take a look, see what was what.

  Boon put the AK on the front seat, took off his bullet sash and put a jacket over top of them. He wanted it hidden on first glance, but nothing that would stop him from getting it if he had to run back here in a hurry.

  “You can’t park there,” a voice called after him, an old eye-talian man opening up his dry cleaning business.

  “You the one I’m seeing about the sink?” Boon asked.

  “Sink is fine.”

  He remembered the video game about the two plumber brothers, had to go save a princess from a dragon. And you want to say people making those games ain’t high.

  Walking down the street, feeling the weight of the Colt .45 in the back of his pants, scanning the area, seeing the travel place still not open, an empty hot dog stand chained up to a street sign, thought that was illegal. Got to the empty platform, looked around, hearing nothing but the buzzing of the lights above. Seeing the terminal completely dark, saw the skinny girl dressed in black sleeping against the door, using her tiny backpack as a pillow. No one else around.

  He kicked her leg, startling her awake, called her baby girl.

  “You see anyone around wearing that sex shit?” he asked. She was cute, wore all that black shit around her eyes but he didn’t mind. Thought what it would look like when she got some tears, seeing that black shit stain down her cheeks.

  She looked at him, waking up still.

  “They Oriental. Wear that shit like Catwoman.”

  “I’ve been asleep,” she said.

  “What’s your name baby girl?”

  “You don’t need to know.”

  “Got a mouth on you. I like a girl with a mouth. Where you heading baby girl?”

  “Lady said you don’t need to know.”

  Boon looked up, saw a real life cowboy walking toward him.

  “Shit. You look like the real deal. Just the phone in your hand making it off putting.”

  “People hated the telegraph at first too.”

  “You imagine that? You beep that shit out to someone then got to wait for the beeps come back then wait while the man sit there tell you what the beeps mean?”

  “Think you called me,” Cowboy said.

  “Yeah, but you ain’t the one I was expecting. Baby girl, why don’t you go on out there look for that plumbing truck I got. I’ll be just a minute.”

  Kenzie looked over at Cowboy who didn’t break his gaze from Boon. She got up, grabbed her bag, and left.

  “What’re you thinking the chances are she goes and finds your truck?”

  “Worth a shot. Sometimes the shit works on the naive ones thinking they ain’t got a choice.”

  “Like you phoning up a couple kids tell them to meet you somewhere.”

  “Worked last time.”

  “What was the plan? You take them someplace, put a bullet in them? You don’t seem dumb enough to do it here. You see the cameras around right?”

  “Man, I’m trying to figure out you insulting me or complimenting me.”

  “How long’s that going to take?”

  Boon smiled. He didn’t think about the cameras before, didn’t want to break the stare down they were having to look, but it made sense. The cameras were the only thing that was stopping him from taking out his .45 and wiping that attitude off the cowboy.

  “The other ones run around, you can tell it’s a costume, the way they wear it. Like they in disguise, but this really you huh?”

  “Had the unfortunate pleasure tonight of two people mistaking me for them. Lincoln Regulators from what I gather they’re called.”

  “They playing make believe. You the real deal, it’s the confidence. Like that shit deserves to be on you. What I’m wondering is why you think you should have that confidence.”

  “You sound like a man dying to find out.”

  “You have no idea cowboy,” Boon smiled his big toothy grin, “but like you said - cameras.”

  “No cameras on me.”

  “Is that right?”

  “Plus I got the hat. That’s all the cameras are seeing. I take it off, I disappear.”

  “You starting to get me hard now. Can’t say I’m the type likes the voyeuristic setting.”

  “You picked the place.”

  “Didn’t know what I was getting. Thought maybe I’d find a daddy thinking he was going to warn off a kid.”

  “Same message.”

  “Yeah, you much better. We’ll talk again soon.”

  Boon backed up, smiling. He liked the idea of squaring off against this one. Show this hotshot cowboy what he was dealing with. See the look on his face when he saw the AK, saw the Huey Newton Colt .45.

  “Wanted to ask you, how’s your friend doing? Think he got hit by a car.”

  “Man don’t look up when traffic’s coming,” Boon said.

  “Make sure you do.”

  It took forever to get up the nerve to leave her house. All those tears leaving the note telling her parents she was leaving but didn’
t say where. Left the note in case someone came looking for her, her mom could just show it as proof they didn’t know where she was. Hopefully it would keep them safe.

  But Kenzie didn’t know where she was going anyway, figuring she’d get to the bus station and take the first one that left. It took her a long time to come up with the plan, or maybe it was the nerve to actually go through with it.

  Got to the bus station and the terminal was closed, couldn’t believe it. Walked all the way down and she couldn’t go through with it anyway. She was ready to leave her life behind just to be locked out of her future.

  So she waited. Waited with all the belongings she would have for the rest of her life, stuffed in her tiny bag, thinking how unfair all this was. She thought about turning around and going home, thinking maybe it was fate telling her it wasn’t time yet or wasn’t the right thing to do. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to leave. There wasn’t much for her and the unknown was exciting.

  She watched a bus come in, pull into Platform B and watched people get off, most of them staying on, going to another destination. Watched the driver come out and start handing people their bags from the luggage compartment underneath. That’s when she tried to sneak on. Got in a seat and lowered herself.

  Kenzie thought it might actually work too, no one seemed to notice or care. But the bus driver came back and did a head count, didn’t like the number, so he started to walk down the aisle, taking a close look at everyone. She sunk in her seat more but there was nowhere to hide. He asked for her ticket and she rifled through her pockets, hoping he would lose interest and think she just misplaced it. No, he kicked her off instead, told her to buy a ticket when the terminal opened. She asked what time that would be and he told her he wasn’t waiting.

  So she sat at the door, making sure whoever opened the damn place would have to move her to get inside. Then she could buy the ticket and get the fuck out of here. But her nerves were acting up and she couldn’t stop shaking. Decided to take a couple of Ambien she stole from her mom because they didn’t put her to sleep but calmed her nerves some.

  Then she was being kicked awake by a Black Knight. He didn’t have the AK or the bullet sash that was part of their look, but had the sunglasses and black beret. Used the opportunity the cowboy gave her and left. But she didn’t know where to go.