by L. Ann Marie
“Geek’s got them at a motel, two per room. Not tryin’ to be quiet, don’t give a fuck they hear us comin’. Tiny and Danny, Bob and I. Kick the door, Driscoll’s payin’ when we go in. Need ‘em to know why they got the fuck kicked out of ‘em.” He looks at all of us. I nod and turn back to the road.
“They left Racks under a fuckin’ truck; we need to torment them like they did him. Fuckin’ four against one, he’s lucky he didn’t die or go into a coma under that truck,” Danny says. I look back. He’s pissed. When I look at VP and Bob they’re pissed too. VP has the dead eyes, he’s red.
At the motel we go to the doors; they’re side by side. VP stands at one. I’m at the other. On his one we kick them in. The pussies are still in bed. One reaches for the nightstand. “Please pick it up so I can shoot your fuckin’ ass right off the bed,” Danny says, aiming for the guy’s ass.
I grab the other and drag him out of bed, putting him up against the wall by his neck.
“Four pussies put hands on one of ours. Let’s see how you do one on one. Get out of the fuckin’ bed.” Danny is still pointing his gun at him.
The pussy rolls out of bed and looks at Danny. “Awful big talk when you have a gun on me,” he says, sounding like he’s still drunk. I loosen my hold on the pussy against the wall and watch Danny. He unloads his gun and puts it back in his holster, dropping the bullets into his side pocket. The pussy I’m holding tries to move, so I put more pressure on his throat so I can watch Danny beat the fuck out of the moron thinking he’s got a shot.
“No gun now, hot shot, now what?” The guy moves to tackle him. Danny flips around and watches the guy hit the desk and chair. “That looked painful.” The guy growls standing slow. He’s got blood dripping from his head. Danny pulls gloves out of his pocket like he has all the time in the world. I’m smiling until my pussy against the wall starts moving. I look at him and loosen my grip. He sags in relief. I didn’t realize he was ready to pass out. I look back at Danny and laugh when the pussy charges him again just to hit the wall.
I look at my pussy. “Tell me he’s not the fuckin’ brains of your operation.” He just looks at me.
I go back to watching Danny. His guy is making a fuckin’ racket, growling and banging into shit. Danny hasn’t touched him yet, the pussy’s got blood dripping down his face from a cut on his head. He’s breathing heavy and moving slow. Danny’s just watching him. “You ready yet?” he asks the moron. The guy charges him. With his feet planted Danny starts throwing punches. The guy is only standing because he’s hitting him in a way that keeps him standing.
Without the guy beating the fuck out of himself I lose interest and hit the pussy on the wall. He slumps down, so I drag him into the bathroom to keep him awake long enough to get the message. “Can’t have you passing out from one hit.” I lift him and dunk his head in the toilet. “Need you to understand, ‘we take care of our own’. You fuck with one, you’ll get all of us.” I lift him out. “Fuck, don’t you fuckin’ flush? Nasty motherfuckers.” I put him back in and flush, fuckin’ fishermen are nasty bastards. When the water goes down I pull him up. “That’s better, but I ain’t hitting you with piss running down your face.” I drop him head first on the floor so I can put my gloves on. “Fuckin’ Brothers are clean for the most part; we know how to live like civilized people.” I drag him out by his arm. He’s begging me ‘no more.’ “Fuckin’ pussy, you never heard our Prospect begging and four pussies jumped him. You got more to give.” I lift him and throw him head first into the closet. He doesn’t move.
“I think that’s all he’s got, Tiny, they don’t make them like they used to. Fuckin’ bikers are a better match for us,” Danny says. He pulls a paint can from his side pocket. “I thought we could give them a reminder to stay the fuck away from our Brothers.” He pulls the pussy from the closet and starts painting him from the head down. “It’s Rustoleum. They’ll have to take a bath in paint thinner to get it off. This shit is great, it’s got great coverage and its thick, not like the generic shit that you need two coats of.” He’s right, the guy’s black hair is a day glow yellow except for the water drips and his face looks even. I wonder if his eyelids will open? I laugh. Danny’s making sure he gets behind his ears, neck and stomach. When he sprays his cock I crack up. Lonely nights coming up for our pussy friends. He moves over to the other pussy and sprays him down. When he’s done he empties their wallets and walks out, pulling his gloves off. I follow him, seeing Bob and VP at the SUV. Bob has a paint can too.
Driscoll comes around and collects the cans and gloves in a Walmart bag. “All set, clerk says they’re assholes, gladly took the money and a tip.”
“Everythin’ okay, lot of noise?” VP asks Danny.
He nods. “Guy beat the shit out of himself with the room. I got maybe four hits and he was out cold. Left him some broken ribs, though, for Racks.”
VP nods and we pile in. “Seems anticlimactic,” he says when we get out of the parking lot.
“We’re used to fighting on the bikes, all out wars. This was easy shit. Should send regular Security next time. If it wasn’t for Racks I would’ve considered it a waste of time,” Danny tells him like he’s giving a weather report.
We’re all quiet for a while until Bob breaks the silence. “You think Pres is right, the violence changed us?”
VP grunts. I think so but it’s Danny that answers. “Yeah, we’ve learned to fight and react like soldiers in battle. We’ve had to hone our skill level to keep up with the larger threat, a threat that uses anything it can to kill us. We’ve had to change, to protect what needs to be protected. Now we have kids that can take down grown men. We didn’t make us, the threats against us made us. That same threat is making the kids into different people too.”
I watch VP. “Fuckin’ right. Watched little Ben put a pussy down, didn’t even think to step in. Everybody comin’ at us made us better than fist fights with a bully.”
We all think about that for a minute. We’ve changed from when we ran drugs and women. We still fight opponents to the death but now our reasons are different. Instead of wars for territory and money our wars are for people and freedoms. I guess if you’re going to fight for something, a better safer world is a good reason.
“How did little Ben like riding to dinner with the Officers?” Bob asks Danny.
VP smiles. Danny looks back at him. “He’s always been a little man, now he’s growing into a man’s body. He didn’t say a fuckin’ word but his eyes were shining. I played it cool, as if we did it every day. I need to take him, Darren, and Jessie out for a ride; I need some Brothers to go with us.”
“I’ll go, felt good watchin’ him ride away. Bought himself a good bike,” VP says. We all agree. All three boys bought good used bikes from the garage. Dave made sure they fit the bikes.
“I’ll go, just let me know when,” Bob says.
I don’t offer because I have kids to watch out for now. I can’t just jump on shit when I might be needed at home. “I need to get the boys in the riding class, the old parents held them back.”
VP looks at me confused. “Thought all the kids went?”
“No, they lost their son, thought riding was too dangerous and kept them from all things MC. Only went to the Brothers and Sisters because CJ put it in the contract,” I tell him.
He grunts, “Glad they’re with you.”
“I think that’s part of the reason they left. When Ricky switched houses he fought to go to Little Brothers meetings with Evelyn’s kids from the other house. CJ stepped in on Ricky’s side, even Evelyn tried to talk to them; wasn’t a month later they were leaving,” Danny says, surprising me. I had no clue.
Back in the yard Pres is waiting. Danny tells him we’re all good and walks to his bike. I follow because really there’s nothing to tell. “Where you going?” I ask as I’m throwing my leg over.
“I have to drop some money to Racks and see how he’s getting along then I’m working at the construction office; I got a pil
e of shit to deal with because I took so many days off.”
I nod. “Heading to the office too, fuckin’ paperwork.” He throws chin and rides away.
Chapter Five
Two weeks later...
“How come the school didn’t call?” I ask Billy. He shrugs, making me irate. They should have called. What the hell are they thinking? I get a bag of corn from the freezer and hold it to his face. “What happened?”
“It was the bullies from my grade again, they got him at lunch. By the time the Little Brothers saw them he was already on the floor,” José says. “I wish I had their lunch, I could sit with them so they’re not alone.”
Jason raises his hand as if he’s still in school. I nod to him. “They said they’ll be back tomorrow. Can we bring our lunch?”
I look at him. “You sit alone at lunch? I thought all the Little Brothers and Sisters sat together?”
Billy fist pumps, drawing my attention. “We can sit with them?” He’s smiling, which looks pathetic with his bruised cheek and eye.
I push his hand up, putting the corn back on his face. “Of course, you should be sticking together. The Little Brothers will make sure you’re taken care of. Why weren’t you sitting with them?”
José looks down. “I always sit with them, but Claire thought they were a bad influence.” That freakin’ woman!
“You sit with them every damn day from now on, no excuses! You got me? You are not punching bags for bullies!” All three of them nod, smiling like they just got a birthday present.
I pull granola bars out for snack and hand them one each. I’m thinking I need to go to the office tomorrow and find out why I wasn’t called.
Sheila and Ricky come in and see Billy on the counter. Sheila rushes over and hugs him. Ricky throws his book bag down. “Same kids?” He’s pissed. Tiny walks in behind him. “This is getting worse every f—freakin’ time!” He looks at me. “Can I go talk to little Ben?” I look at Tiny. He nods.
“Yeah. I want them sitting with the Little Brothers every day.” He throws chin, walks around Tiny, and is out the door.
Sheila gets her backpack. “I need to get my homework done. I’ll be out back.” I nod and hand her a granola bar and an apple.
Tiny lifts Billy’s chin and looks at his face. “You have lessons starting tomorrow with CJ for martial arts. Saturday you start riding lessons. Tomorrow morning I’m taking you to school.” Billy jumps off the counter, dropping the corn and starts jumping around. José and Jason follow his lead. All I can do is smile as José lands on the bag and corn flies. They all freeze and look at Tiny. “It’s corn, costs like a dollar.” He shrugs. I smile, getting the broom and dustpan. He’s so easy going at the best of times. I hand the broom to José and the dustpan to Billy. “Who hit you, Billy?” he asks while they clean up.
“Kids from José’s grade, it’s always the same three.” He dumps the corn and puts the broom and dustpan away.
Tiny looks at José. “Where were you?”
“I have the next lunch. Nancy said they have to sit with the Little Brothers from now on. They won’t be getting picked on anymore, everyone is afraid of Jeremy and Jacob.”
Tiny looks at me pissed, schools his face, and looks down to the boys. “Stick with your Brothers, there’s safety in numbers. Once you learn how to defend yourselves the bullies will leave you alone.” The boys nod with big smiles again.
“This happened at lunch, no one called me,” I tell him.
“They never called Claire,” Jason says.
Tiny looks at him then me. “I’ll sort it out tomorrow.” He looks back at them. “Anything else I need to take care of while I’m there?”
José looks down embarrassed. “We get free lunch but it’s not always good. Sometimes we just get a cheese sandwich if we don’t like what they have.”
“You need money for lunch?” he growls out.
José looks up fast. “No, we can just eat what they give us,” he says, scared.
Tiny wipes his hand down his face. “No, you’ll eat what you need. How does the lunch money work?”
“You pay online and we get to use it when they have the gross stuff,” Billy says.
“You need something, you tell us so we can get it. We don’t know just because we’re big. Yeah?”
The boys look relieved. “We need PE clothes and shirts for Spirit days,” Billy says. I laugh. The other boys are nodding.
“Let’s make a list so we don’t forget anything.” I grab the magnetic pad from the fridge and a pen.
Ricky comes in. “The Little Brothers will watch out for you. If you have a problem you go to Aaron or Jacob, they’ll get help from little Ben.” He looks at me and Tiny. “They always sit alone on the other side of the cafeteria, the other kids leave them alone, but they don’t bother with them.” He takes a breath, he’s pissed again. “At all.” Damn.
Tiny nods at him. “Come take a walk with me.” He walks out the door with Ricky following.
“Okay, what else do you need, guys?” I ask, getting their attention away from Ricky and Tiny. They actually need a lot. Once the list is done they go out to play. Some of CJ’s kids come over and keep them busy.
When Sheila comes in I ask her if she needs any of the things on the list. We decide to go shopping after dinner and I tell her about the lunch money. She thanks me over and over with tears in her eyes. I’m pissed but try and hide it. They were treated like second class citizens. I bet that’s why the school didn’t call, no one cared. We’ll be fixing this tomorrow!
I decide we should go out for dinner, they’ve probably never been anywhere but the Diner. We can go shopping after we eat. I hear a horn and go to the door. Patches is dropping off Sandy. She comes running around the truck as I’m walking toward the driveway. I wave at Patches and the kids just before Sandy jumps on me, making me laugh. Every day it has been the same, she’s happy with the new routine.
Tiny and Ricky come in an hour later. “I decided to go out for dinner, then we can get what we need from the mall; there is quite a list on the fridge.”
Ricky smiles. “They deserve it, Nancy.” I nod, I’m not going to bad mouth the old parents, but we’re going to fix this and fix it quickly.
“Brothers are taking all the kids to school tomorrow. Danny will show me the lunch thing and Cloud will talk with the office about calling for a fuckin’ paper cut or dealing with the MC. Jason has cans of food under his bed in case he gets hungry. Don’t know what to do about that?” He’s still pissed.
I think for a minute. “I do.” I go to the back and call Jason in. “I heard you have cans of food under your bed.” He looks nervous. “If you’re hungry, you get a snack or fruit. If you’re starving and need to eat from your stash you’ll be in trouble,” I tell him, walking him into the kitchen with me. I open a cabinet and pull the electric can opener out. “You’ll need a way to open them.” I open the silverware drawer and hand him a fork. “And something to eat with. We don’t normally allow eating in the bedrooms, but if you’re starving you got to do what you got to do.” His eyes are huge. I clamp my teeth together to stop from smiling.
Ricky cracks up. “Go put your stuff away; I’m starving and we’re going out.” Jason nods and runs up the back stairs.
Tiny laughs. “Fuckin’ woman.”
We eat at a mall restaurant and Tiny takes the boys for sneakers and PE clothes. I have Sandy and Sheila shopping as quickly as possible. Tiny isn’t a patient man when it comes to shopping. I call him as we’re leaving our last stop; he’s got the boys at the arcade, so we meet up there. I laugh when I see him at a table watching the kids play. There are bags everywhere. “Did you leave anything in the store?”
“No, bought every color shirt and shorts and three pairs of shoes. They need boots for riding so we got them while we were there.” He pulls out twenty dollars and gives it to Sheila. “Drop your stuff and go play.” He gives Sandy ten and a kiss. “Stay where someone can see you.” She nods and runs to catch
up to Sheila. “Fuckin’ parents didn’t treat them good, Tiny Dancer. CJ gives more than enough for them to get clothes and lunch. She’s pissed that she didn’t know. Everyone is fuckin’ pissed.”
“We’ll make it better.” I don’t know what else to say. He smiles and throws me chin.
Chapter Six
Every kid is on the back of a bike. Brothers with no kids are here. There has to be thirty of us. Love the fuckin’ Brotherhood. All the bikes are pulled to the side. Brothers are leaning on them and a Prospect is delivering a round of coffees. Little Ben, Jessie, and Darren are waiting at the drop off with the Little Brothers. Aaron points out a kid as the parent pulls away. Little Ben goes over to him then calls my boys over. He talks to the kid then points at me and the Brothers. Two boys go over to him and I can see they’re spoiling for a fight. The Little Brothers stand behind little Ben, making the big Brothers proud. I walk over to them. “Problem, little Ben?”
He looks at me with a smile. “Nah, Uncle Tiny, I was just telling these boys they don’t want to mess with our Little Brothers anymore. It seems that your boys don’t wear their cuts to school so they didn’t know they were protected; now they know.”
The smart ass boys back down when they look up at him then me. “He’s your uncle?” one of the boys asks.
Little Ben smiles down at him. “More importantly he’s their new father. Those are his Brothers over there. They came to show him support while he dealt with the school this morning; they’re just waiting for the principal.” The boys step back. I notice my boys stand tall and I smile.
Danny slaps my back. “Let little Ben deal with the kids, we got adult shit to do.” Cloud follows us into the building. “Lunch room is just past the Office.” I follow him, trying to maneuver around little tiny bodies.
“Kids got new clothes and shoes on,” Cloud says from my side.
“Yeah, took them last night. Nothing against used clothes but they need some of their own too.” They shouldn’t have only hand me downs.