“Get some suspenders,” he suggested.
“I’ll look funny,” she said.
Nathan shook his head. “I wear them. I think I would look more funny with my pants falling down. You two are pretty enough that no one would say anything.”
“You’re not wearing suspenders,” Renee said.
Setting his Coke down, Nathan pulled his shirt out of his pants and lifted it up. Moving his bulletproof vest, he showed them the suspenders he was wearing to hold up his pants.
Renee spun around. “I’m doing that,” she said, heading to the camping aisle.
“Get me some too,” Connie called after her.
Nathan smiled, tucking in his shirt. “You two could’ve let your pants fall down once,” he said, grabbing his drink and waggling his eyebrows.
“Shame on you,” Connie said, giggling.
Nathan drank in her smile, noticing she was a very sexy woman. She had dark brown hair and was just a little taller than Renee, and not much younger than he was. “I’m a bad boy,” Nathan said as Ares came over, butting his leg with his head. “You’re not getting any pop,” Nathan told him sternly.
Ares whined at him and Nathan sighed. He walked over to the counter and grabbed a cup and poured some pop in it, then held it in front of Ares. “Here, tiddy baby,” he said, and Ares started lapping up the soda. When he finished the cup, Ares raised his head, his tongue lapping in the air. Connie started laughing. “He does that with fizzy drinks,” Nathan explained.
Renee came back over carrying the suspenders and started laughing at Ares. “Your dog is so cool,” she said.
“He takes after me,” Nathan said proudly. “Come on, let’s gather up one last time,” he said, heading to the diner.
They followed him and Nathan called everyone over. “Now the people that come in today will have the shock wearing off, and many will be angry. Their world is turned upside down and they will want to take it out on someone,” Nathan said.
“That’s just mean,” Billy said, and his brothers agreed with him.
“The power’s off and it’s freaking them out,” Nathan explained.
“We didn’t have power till I was in high school,” Fred told him.
Nathan fought the urge to laugh and continued. “Like I said, some will be mean. Don’t get into an argument with them. Remain calm and ask them to calm down. If they refuse, ask them to leave, and if they don’t, help them leave. Once they’re outside they can’t come back in. Now a lot of people will be armed, so keep your weapons visible. An armed society is a polite society.
“If a person that comes in goes for a weapon, shoot them and don’t think about it first. Just do it,” he said, looking at everyone to make sure they understood. “If you think something is getting out of hand, motion to me or the brothers and we will take care of it,” he continued. “Fred, Billy, and Andy, don’t be scared to throw someone out, okay,” he said, looking at them.
The three looked at each other, furrowing their brows. Allie stepped over to them. “He means it’s okay. Use muscle to throw them out and don’t worry about hurting them as long as we are okay,” she told them.
Nathan was fixing to clarify what he meant but decided not to. If someone was stupid enough to fight the Oakridge boys from hell then that was on them. “Our first concern is to keep everyone safe, and I want you to take some breaks, okay,” he said, and they all nodded in agreement. “Now some people will be coming in and will only have a little cash. Some of those people I want to help,” he told them. “And I want you to help me do it,” he added.
“How can we do that? We don’t make good money here,” Monica said.
“If I see any of you giving your money or supplies to anyone but family, I will bend you over my knee. Then I’ll take my belt to your ass. If your house and your neighbor’s house is on fire, you don’t give your neighbor your water hose. You use it, then help them. Take care of you and yours first,” Nathan said, pulling out a wad of cash. “I’m giving each of you two hundred dollars to help people today. Don’t give any money to them, just help them on purchases. Nobody getting beer gets anything,” he told them.
“You really need to be savin’ yo money,” Monica said as he handed her the money.
“I already told him that, Monica,” Connie said.
“We had this talk, Connie,” Nathan said, handing Jessie and Lenore money. “If you guys help me do this, I will give each of you two hundred tonight when we close, and you can spend it on extra supplies.” He moved over to Connie. “What’s my total now?” he asked.
“Right at two grand,” she told him, and the brothers whistled in unison.
Reaching into his pocket, Nathan pulled out another wad and counted out two thousand dollars. “Here's for my tab,” he said, holding it out.
“This will clean you out after you give us money tonight,” she said, taking the money.
He winked at her and pulled out another wad of cash. “I found some more,” he told her.
“You could get in trouble,” she said.
“I saw that man pick it up from the parking lot when he walked in. I knew I had lost some money and couldn’t find it. I won it at a casino. Read my report,” he said, grinning.
“I saw him with that money before hand,” Jessie said, looking at Connie. Connie’s eyes became wide when she heard that. “He showed it to me to prove you could win at a casino,” he told her.
Connie laughed. “Yeah, I think I remember him saying something about that,” she agreed.
“Okay, let’s take our places and stay safe. I’m going to lock the side door and every other door into this place,” Nathan said, then looked at the brothers. “I want you guys to help me make sure they stay that way unless we unlock them. I don’t want someone sneaking in to get the drop on us,” he told them, and they nodded.
The three brothers looked at the money in their hands, then each other. As one, they stepped over to Allie and handed it to her. “Allie, you, Connie and Renee give ours out,” Fred told her and stepped back, joined by his brothers.
Allie passed the money to the others, then walked over and hugged the three brother. “Y’all be careful and don’t get hurt,” she told them. Nathan wanted to tell her if someone could hurt those three they were all screwed and dead, in that order.
Fred picked her up, hugging her gently. “Don’t be worryin’ bout us. We’re big boys,” he said. “Andy, you take the door to the diner and Billy, take the door to the store first. We can switch when y’all get tired,” he told them.
“Get tired doin’ what?” Andy asked.
Fred exhaled a long breath. “Makin’ people be good and only lettin’ people in when we have tickets in the box,” he told him.
Connie took off running. “I’m getting the tickets and boxes now!” she hollered out.
“We’re goin’ to get tired doin’ this?” Andy asked.
“No, but we can switch up anyway,” Fred said.
Nathan stepped over to Andy. “Andy, he means if you need to go to the bathroom you can switch up,” he told him.
Andy looked at Fred. “Why didn’t you just say that?” he asked.
“You should’ve figured it out,” Fred barked at him.
Nathan was fixing to say something when a knock at the door stopped him. Turning around, he saw two people standing at the door and several more coming across the parking lot. “It’s game time, people,” he said as everyone moved to their area.
Billy moved to the front door as Connie set a box down beside him, handed him a bundle of tickets, and carried another to Andy. Billy turned the bolt and opened the door as two men in their twenties walked in. He held out a massive arm, stopping them. “Take a ticket and put it back in the box before you leave. Only fifty people at a time in the store,” he told them. The two men looked at the giant with a rifle across his back, grabbed a ticket and moved inside.
Nathan left the front and walked around the building, making sure the doors were locked. When he wa
lked inside the shop, he saw the two lawn mowers with trailers full of gas cans and a drum. Leaned against the wall was the moped. He walked over and patted the little scooter. “You are one tough machine,” he said, looking around to make sure the doors were locked and admiring the equipment.
When he was done, he headed back to the store to find about twenty people in it and about that many in the diner. He looked at his watch and saw he had only been gone fifteen minutes. Shaking his head, he went behind the counter to stand beside Renee, who had Ares on the other side of her. “Ares is protecting you,” he told her as she was ringing up a customer.
“Yeah, Fred was going to walk back here and Ares growled at him,” she said with a laugh.
“I’ll bring him back,” he told her. “Ares, follow,” he said, and Ares fell in behind him. Nathan walked around and introduced him to everyone. Fred just about refused till Allie came over and started hugging Ares. “Fred, I have to tell him your name and you have to pet him before he knows that you’re a friend,” Nathan explained.
“Shoot fire, that dog is smart,” Fred said, petting Ares. Ares licked his hand and looked up at him, panting.
“Yes he is,” Nathan said, walking back over to Renee with Ares following. Ares sat down beside her as Nathan started pulling boxes of ammunition out and carried them to the office. Grabbing a pen off the desk, he wrote names on the boxes and put the ammo in order by what caliber everyone had.
By ten, Nathan was glad Connie and the others had restocked the store the night before. They were averaging ten people in the store and twenty in the diner at all times. Everyone was paying cash. He continued his walk around and let the brothers trade out, even though Andy yelled at Fred he wasn’t tired and didn’t have to pee.
It was just before noon and Nathan was sitting behind the counter with Renee. Connie and Allie were helping in the diner when Nathan saw a family walk in. They were dressed identically, all wearing polo shirts, khaki shorts, and loafers, but that was not what caught his attention. They were all textbook attractive. The man was tall with an athletic build; the wife was knock out gorgeous. As for the kids, one was an older girl around ten and the spitting image of her mother; the boy was around six and just like his dad. They all had golden blonde hair and perfect skin.
He looked at Renee and was glad she was gawking at them as well. “Glad I’m not the only one staring at them,” he whispered to her.
“Shit, you can’t help but stare at them. I look at the woman and want to crawl under the counter. Even the brothers are staring at them,” she whispered back.
Nathan laughed and looked at Fred at the door and Billy walking around. Both were looking at the family. Two men walked in after the family, both wearing backpacks, and Fred told them to set them against the wall before shopping. The men complied, each taking a ticket and putting their packs on the wall, then walked into the store.
Turning back to look around, Nathan saw most everyone was staring at the perfect family shopping. He stood up and stretched, then walked around the counter, telling Ares to stay beside Renee. He watched the two men that followed the perfect family in his peripheral vision. He could tell both were armed and studied them closer. One was black, about five foot ten and one hundred and seventy pounds, and the other was white, close to six foot and two hundred pounds. Both were filthy.
Moving back to the front of the store, he continued to watch the family and the two until he heard yelling at the counter. “You have to take a credit card!” a short man yelled at Renee.
“No I don’t, sir,” Renee said as Ares stood up, putting his front paws on the counter and growling at the man. Nathan fought not to laugh seeing as Ares was almost as tall as Renee. The man backed away from the counter.
“That’s a health violation!” he shouted.
“Ares goes where he wants to. If you try to stop him he bites your arm off. Since I have both of mine, you see I haven’t tried to stop him,” Renee said with a gentle smile.
“I don’t have that much money,” the short man told her.
“I’m sorry sir, cash only,” she said as Nathan moved over to the counter.
The man saw Nathan and turned to him. “Make her take my credit card!” he shouted.
“Sir, don’t yell, please,” Nathan said calmly. “It’s cash only, and if you need something else there is an aid station at the high school. They are serving food and water there,” he told the man in a calm voice.
“Well I want to buy something here,” he popped off.
“Of course sir, but it’s cash only,” Nathan told him.
“You can’t do that!” the short man yelled. Billy came up behind him and grabbed the man by the back of the neck. Then Billy just lifted him up off the floor, holding the man in the air like a doll, with one arm.
“You heard Nathan say don’t be hollerin’, why you have to be rude? Then you yellin’ at Renee. She just a little bitty thang and you being mean,” Billy grumbled, holding the man out at arm’s length two feet off the floor. The man couldn’t see Billy since he was behind him, but he could sure feel the grip of steel on his neck.
Billy looked at Nathan who was just staring in awe at the sight. “Yeah, what he said,” Nathan mumbled.
Billy started moving toward the door when Renee hollered for him to stop and came around the counter followed by Ares. She held out a bottle of water to the man. “Here,” she said.
“You’re giving me some water?” he asked.
She pointed at Nathan. “The officer bought several cases and asked us to give one to each person till they’re gone,” she said, walking back behind the counter. “Have a nice day,” she said, and Billy carried him to the door and Fred took his ticket.
Billy walked back Nathan. “That was just being rude, Nathan,” he said.
“I’m not going to be rude, Billy, I promise. If I am, let me get a running start first,” he said, still in awe and praying the massive giant wouldn’t get mad at him.
“I know you ain’t goin’ to be rude, Nathan,” Billy said, walking down an aisle.
Nathan turned and saw the perfect family at the counter. They were all holding an armful of stuff and were putting it on the counter. The dad stepped up to the counter, holding a gold wristwatch out. “Can you take this in trade?” he asked Renee.
Renee looked at the perfect looking man with a pleading look. She had used up all her helping money already. “Sir, I’m sorry,” she finally got out.
“It’s a Rolex, a real one I swear,” he told her.
“I can’t, sir,” she told the perfect looking man.
The man smiled at her and she wanted to melt. “That’s okay, I have a little money,” he told her. “Will you add up till I get to thirty-nine dollars?” he asked.
She nodded, wanting to cry as Nathan walked over. “Renee, will you get me a roll of Skoal long cut please?” he asked her and she turned around and grabbed one, handing it to him. “Ring up their stuff and add it to this,” he said. Renee smiled at Nathan and mouthed ‘Thank you’ at him.
Nathan turned to the family, smiling as the dad held out the watch. “Here, sir,” he said, trying to hand it over.
“Nah, you keep it. You might need it later,” Nathan told him.
“Sir, please,” he persisted, holding out the watch and shaking it.
“I got one so I don’t need another one,” Nathan said, smiling at him. He turned to the little girl. “I think you’re as pretty as the morning sunrise, little one,” Nathan told her, making her giggle and smile. “Hold on baby, you have something behind your ear,” he said, reaching out and popping his wrist. “Told you something was there!” He held up a folded hundred dollar bill.
The girl gasped.
“You just heard your dad say he needed some money and you could’ve given it to him,” Nathan told her.
“I didn’t know it was there,” she said, holding her ear. Her brother pulled her hand away, grabbed a handful of his sister’s hair and pulled her head down to him so he
could look to see if there was more.
The little girl screamed and his mom popped his hand. “Raymond, stop that,” she told him.
Nathan looked at Raymond and grinned. “You too,” he said, holding out his hands, then reached over behind Raymond’s ear and popped his wrist and held another hundred dollar bill up.
The man turned to his wife. “Honey, check their ears. I was watching his hands that time,” he told her and turned back to Nathan.
“Your kids were holding out on you,” Nathan said, holding out the two bills.
“Sir, I can’t,” he said, looking at the two hundred dollar bills with longing.
“Sir, please take ‘em before Billy comes over here thinking we are being rude to each other,” Nathan whispered.
The man cut his eyes toward Billy without moving his head, then looked at Nathan. “Okay,” he said, taking the money. “At least let me buy this stuff then,” he said.
Nathan smiled. “Renee will do what I ask before what you ask,” he said in a teasing voice.
“I already rung it up and bagged it, Nathan,” she chimed in, smiling.
“See, told ya,” Nathan said, then kneeled down, looking at the two kids. “Do you guys like hamburgers?” he asked, and their eyes got wide as smiles filled their faces. They both nodded together and stepped up to Nathan wanting more information.
“I have a friend in the diner over there that makes the best hamburgers in the world. You go over there with your mom and dad and ask for Lenore and tell her you’re my friends. Then tell her what you want, okay?”
They both looked up at their mom and dad with pleading smiles. “Kids, Nathan has done too much to help us already. We can’t take more from him or he won’t have enough for himself and his family,” the dad told them.
The kids looked at Nathan with sad faces and Nathan smiled. “Kids, tell Daddy to be quiet before Billy thinks someone is being rude,” he said.
“Rude, who’s being rude?” Billy asked, walking up to them.
The kids moved behind a kneeling Nathan as he looked up at Billy, still smiling. “Nobody is being rude, Billy, I swear. I was just telling the kids I wanted them and their parents to eat and it was my treat,” Nathan said, looking up at Billy. “Please don’t pick me up by my neck?” Nathan begged.
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