Snakes and Angels

by Nikki Pink

  “Do you like poetry, Mr. Jase?”

  “I like music. And it’s just Jase.”

  Mr. Lee nodded his head, before issuing a command. The girl who’d poured the tea offered a bow before beginning to speak in a measured voice that seemed to carry meaning Jase couldn’t understand.

  Talk about shit going over your head. Jase looked on politely, nodding as the girl spoke in her incomprehensible language, pausing at the end of every line of her poem. Jase smiled at her when she finally finished, and she appeared to blush.

  “Beautiful.”

  Mr. Lee nodded and issued another command. The tea service and the girl quickly disappeared. It seemed to be time for business.

  “So. Why did you come? I trust your club is still happy with our arrangement?”

  Jase smiled. “When my associate came to you last, you came to an agreement.”

  Mr. Lee frowned. “Indeed. As you know, it is fixed. I very much hope you are not here to change it. It is too late.”

  Jase nodded. “Right. But—” the Korean man’s face grew stern, “we have been unexpectedly successful in finding distributors.”

  Mr. Lee raised his eyebrows as his face relaxed “Oh?”

  Jase nodded. “Would you be able to increase the next shipment? With possible further increases?”

  Jase’s Korean counterpart offered a smile. It turned out that Mr. Lee was not averse to changing agreements when it would mean more profit for him.

  “It’s good doing business with you, Mr. Jase. I trust this is the last new face I’ll be seeing?”

  Jase nodded. “Yes. Our club has been in transition lately. You’ll only be dealing with me from now on.”

  “And your doctor friend?”

  Nope. “Ah yes. Of course.” He didn’t particularly want to be dishonest to their new business partner, but he couldn’t risk word getting back to the Doctor.

  “Mr. Lee here will lead you to our anma - massage house.”

  “That’s very kind.” Jase offered his hand and they again exchanged a gentle shake.

  When he was taken downstairs and led into the massage room he was not surprised. He’d heard all about it from the Doctor after all. When the manageress arrived with eight women trailing her Jase let out a low whistle.

  “Choice.”

  “I’m looking for Yumi.”

  The manageress frowned. “She no here.”

  “Are you sure?”

  Jase looked at her intently. She was hiding something. He didn’t need to say anything more though, the bodyguard yelled something at her, and she yelled back in return. He saw a couple of the girls grimacing as they heard the heated exchange. The manageress did not look happy at the end of it.

  The women all headed out together, along with the bodyguard. A few minutes later there was a knock at the door and she came in, quivering.

  Jase looked at her and shook his head. For fucks sake, what did he do to her. When she saw his head shake she went wide-eyed.

  “Hey. It’s okay. I just want to talk to you. Nothing else. I promise.”

  She just stared.

  “Come sit down. Don’t be scared. I’m not like the other guy.”

  Tentatively she removed her shoes and stepped inside. Pretty little thing. Not my type though.

  They spoke in broken English, and by the end of it Jase was muttering and shaking his head, his earlier fears confirmed. The Doctor’s a fucking psycho.

  Jase left Yumi behind and went to see if someone could find Eag for him. He assumed he’d been offered the same entertainment and was no doubt making the most of what would be his last chance in this establishment.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  The Doctor

  He’d called them all in, even sending a prospect out to Gauge’s remote trailer to make sure he was at the meeting. It was early in the afternoon and Jase was probably meeting the Koreans right at this very moment. It had worked out very conveniently - Jase wanting to take charge at that moment had been a good excuse to send him out of town.

  He sat in his old chair. He wouldn’t sit at the head of the table for this meeting. But after today? Then it would be his. Forever. When everyone was assembled he ran his eyes slowly around the room, his gaze making eye contact with every member.

  “It is with great regret that I called this meeting today.” Great fucking rejoicing more like it.

  He tried to keep a smile from playing across his lips. “As we all know, we have been fucked with greatly the last few weeks.”

  There were nods and murmurs around the table.

  “Can’t it wait until Jase gets back?” asked Bottle.

  The Doctor shook his head. “No. Unfortunately not. You see it—” he paused and sighed, as if he couldn’t bear to say it. “Just. Listen, please.”

  The Doctor pulled out his audio recorder and pressed play. The first part was the two drug addicts at the warehouse. They dutifully spouted out exactly what he’d ordered them to at gunpoint. They explained how they’d been hired by Jase to fake an attack on him, and then how he had betrayed them by leaving them tied up at the warehouse.

  T-Bone sat shaking his head. “I can’t believe it.”

  The Doctor raised a hand to his eye as if wiping away a tear. “Me too. I’m sorry.”

  He pressed play again and there was more. Undeniable evidence that Jase and Eag had plotted together to force out Bigfella. It had taken days of work to make this recording. Jase in particular had been difficult to get right. But in the end, it had come together perfectly.

  “But… Brodie,” said Lonnie.

  The Doctor offered yet another sigh and shook his head. “They didn’t plan for that. That’s what happens when you start a backstabbing plan like this, things just spiral out of control. Jase didn’t want Brodie to die.”

  Bottle spat on the floor in disgust. “But he did. Fuckers.”

  T-Bone coughed and cleared his throat. “I knew something was up, but this— Fuck me.”

  Gauge spoke next. “I may be new here, but I feel just as betrayed as any of you. I thought Jase was a good guy, someone I could trust. But fuck…”

  “Why?” asked Lonnie.

  “Eag wanted money, everyone knows that,” said Bottle.

  “But Jase?”

  “He doesn’t care about money. But what it can bring. You know he always wanted more from this club. He wanted it bigger, he wanted it to grow, and I guess he got sick of Bigfella not letting that happen.” Bottle shook his head as he spoke, as if amazed by his own revelation.

  This is going even better than expected. “You saw what he was like yesterday. He sat there, and told us about starting new charters. That’s only possible because of our new income, which was only possible once Bigfella was out of the way. He even hired a Mexican to try and whack him in jail once he knew I’d found the witness that could get him out.”

  “Fuck.”

  “Sneaky motherfuckers.”

  The air in the room felt chilly as the news sunk in. It was like a morgue in there. Beautiful. Perfect.

  Gauge spoke again. “What are we going to do?”

  Bottle sighed. “There’s only one thing we can do.”

  T-Bone nodded and gave a sigh of agreement.

  “Are we sure we want to do this?” asked Lonnie.

  “No choice.”

  “Got to be done.”

  “Sorry it has to be this way.”

  Perfect. Dare I do more? Should I? Of course I should. I’m invincible. “It’s not just those two.”

  Bottle looked genuinely shocked. “What?” he blurted out.

  The Doctor sighed. “I wasn’t able to get any recording of course, but that college girl he’s been with, she was part of it to. She was the one who tried to scare off the girl that could have saved Bigfella, before Jase tried to have him whacked of course.”

  T-Bone looked incredulous. “No shit?”

  Lonnie shook his head to himself. “Fucking bitch.”

  The Doctor tried t
o keep his face looking sad as elation soared through him. Who else? Who else?

  Gauge spoke up again. “We can use my land. No neighbors.”

  The Doctor nodded and there were sad murmurs of agreement around the table. “Alright. Here’s what I propose. First, clear the fucking clubhouse. I want no one here when they get back from LA. We’ll put them in the pickup truck under a tarp and drive ‘em out there.”

  There were nods around the table. “And Lonnie, you’re pretty, you go sweet talk that college bitch. Tell her Jase wants her or some shit. Put her in the panel van.”

  “I can do that,” volunteered T-Bone.

  “Yeah, I don’t mind either,” said Bottle.

  The Doctor looked them up and down. “No offence guys, but you’re going to draw a lot of fucking attention at the college.” With T-Bone’s hair and beard he’d stick out like a sore thumb anywhere, as would Bottle with his teardrop tattoos.

  “Lonnie, lose the jacket. Prep yourself up. Try and look forgettable. And check for cameras.”

  The Englishman nodded, his face grim. “Will do, boss. I’ll blend in.”

  “Well, shit boys.” The Doctor ran his eyes up and down the room, doing his best to look distressed. “I’m sorry it’s come to this. But let’s get ready for them. They’ll be back around six.”

  There were nods and murmurs of agreement around the table. There was no chatter or good-natured ribaldry today. Why so serious? This is the greatest day of my life.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  Jase

  Eag looked broken. He knew he had no logical choice but to do as Jase said, but he apparently also still felt he should put up some kind of resistance, no matter how ineffectual or pathetic. “How can I know you won’t kill me?”

  Jase just shook his head slowly. “We trusted you, fuckhead. We all trusted each other. I have never betrayed that trust. What makes you think I’m going to start now? I gave you my word that if you helped me I wouldn’t kill you. And I also gave you my word what would happen if you ran off. Trust me or not, it’s your choice. I’m not going to make you come now. But you know what the consequences will be if you don’t.”

  The other man - Jase would never think of him as a brother, or a friend, again - looked like he was about to cry. Like a man condemned he climbed onto his motorcycle, perhaps, for the last time.

  With a crush of his fist Jase destroyed the disposable coffee cup and tossed it into the trash can. With almost as much apprehension as Eag he climbed onto his motorcycle and started her up. Even she sounded a little reluctant.

  They glided out back onto the highway for the last twenty mile stretch back home.

  ***

  They pulled into the compound and parked next to the line of bikes. It was quiet. Jase scanned the yard; apart from the motorcycles of the club leaders, the panel van and the pickup truck there were no other vehicles. No one else was there.

  Jase and Eag climbed off their motorcycles. Jase looked over at the former lawyer — he looked like a ghost. That won’t do. Jase smacked him on the arm like old times. “I need a drink bitch.”

  Eag smartened up. “Me too, brother.” He wrapped his arm around Jase’s neck and yanked it into him, rubbing his fist on his head, as they headed to the front door. His touch brought a sick feeling to Jase’s stomach.

  “Don’t fucking move.” T-Bone and Gauge had stepped out from behind the panel van. Their expressions were unreadable as the two recent arrivals found a shotgun and a rifle pointed right at them.

  “What the fuck, boys?” asked Jase, his eyes wide.

  “Not a fucking word assholes.” Gauge’s voice carried the quiet menace of a mile-deep ocean current.

  “Hey, come on—” Eag’s words were interrupted by the stock of T-Bone’s gun smacking him solidly in the head. As the blood began to flow from the newly-created gash he clutched at his bleeding scalp. He shut up.

  “Get in the back.” T-Bone gestured toward the pickup truck.

  Jase started to walk toward the pickup ahead of Eag. “Where’s the Doc? What’s going on?”

  T-Bone made to swing at Jase as Gauge covered him. Not wanting a gash of his own Jase took a rapid two steps and jumped into the bed of the pickup.

  The big man wheezed. “I said,” he paused for breath after the exertion, “not a word.”

  A moment later Eag was lying beside Jase, two hands clutched against his bleeding scalp as Gauge pulled out the guns that had been tucked into the two men’s jeans. A moment later a heavy blue tarp was thrown over them.

  Jase and Eag lay next to each other under the tarp breathing heavily, not speaking. They could hear the rope being threaded through the eyelets and wrapped around the hitch-points on the sides and back of the truck. There was no way they were getting out without a sharp knife or someone letting them out and they didn’t have a knife.

  In the darkness Jase could see nothing. He could smell the plastic of the tarp and years of oil, dirt and whatever else had been covered by it over the years. He heard steps outside as someone else approached.

  There was the sound of a shotgun being pumped and then the Doctor spoke. It was a voice that had once been familiar, but now seemed so foreign. He sounded like a lunatic. How had he never noticed before?

  “Why don’t we just blast them now?” The Doctor chuckled.

  Jase heard a quiet chuckle from Gauge. He imagined the smile that was on his lips. “Could do. But we don’t want holes in the bed of the truck, do we? Best to do it outside.”

  The sound of T-Bone’s familiar before-speaking-cough came next. “And I ain’t scrubbing it out either.”

  The Doctor laughed. It was the kind of joyful laugh one would expect a party or a wedding, not at the execution of traitorous club members. Surely someone else can hear how crazy he is?

  “Guess so. He should be with his bitch anyway.”

  A chill ran through Jase. ‘My bitch?’ Nicole? That’s not part of the plan.

  “Oh shit…” Jase whispered to himself as his mind raced.

  Eag whimpered.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Nicole

  Lucy leaned in conspiratorially. It was the first real chance we’d had to speak since Saturday night. “Was it good?”

  “What?” I asked.

  “You know. The makeup sex!”

  One track mind. I smacked her on the arm. “No, we—” That was a weird night. Finding out about Eag, and the Doctor. And Lucy doesn’t know anything. Should I tell her?

  “Bullshit! I know he came over.” She raised her eyebrows at me. “I told him to.” She giggled.

  “Thanks.” I was thankful, of course, but not exactly for the reasons she thought. I guess my appreciation didn’t seem heartfelt enough though.

  She frowned at me. “What’s the matter with you? Has the sheriff been bothering you again?” She sounded exasperated.

  “No it’s not that. It’s just… I’m still going through some stuff. Look, I’ve really got to hit the books.”

  She sighed. “Yeah, I should be in the library anyway. You coming?”

  “No. I’ll study here.” Whenever we studied in the same place we never ended up getting much done. It was best if one of us stayed in the library and the other in the room. She knew that, but she always asked anyway.

  “Later.”

  “Later.”

  ***

  Just as I sat down I was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  “Who is it?”

  “Lonnie.”

  What is he doing here? Did Jase send him?

  I banged my head on the desk and sighed. “Come in.”

  The door handle twisted and in a moment he was inside. He smiled at me, his face beaming. I barely recognized him. He was wearing khakis and a buttoned shirt, and his hair was neatly combed and parted. He could have passed for a student, and a preppy one at that. “You busy?”

  What does he want? I gestured at the stack of books on my desk. “Yep. Finals are coming…”


  “Can you come down to the clubhouse?”

  Uhoh. This doesn’t sound good. “Why? What’s going on?”

  A look of consternation flashed across Lonnie’s face before rapidly being replaced with his good-natured grin.

  “Jase needs you.”

  I raised my eyebrows at him. “Yeah? Why?”

  He leaned in to me, as if someone could be listening. “I don’t know, but he said it’s important.”

  “Does it have to do with the Doctor?”

  Lonnie gave me a quizzical look. “I think so.”

  Maybe he needs me to explain what Eag said. Testify. A shiver of excitement ran through me. What’s wrong with me?

  Alright, “Give me a couple of minutes to get ready,” I said, sighing as I looked at my books on the desk. This better be important, Jase.

  He frowned. “Five minutes. Let’s go go go!” He stood there looking at me expectantly.

  I raised my eyebrows at him. “Do you mind? I’m going to get changed…”

  He grinned back at me. “I don’t mind at all.”

  My eyes flared and he reconsidered. “I’ll be in the hallway.”

  After he’d left the room I quickly began to get dressed into something less collegy and more bikery. Off came the sweats, and on with the tight jeans and slashed t-shirt.

  Moments later we were scampering down the stairs. I hope this doesn’t take too long. I’ve got a paper to write. Thoughts were running through my mind a mile a minute. Had they ‘arrested’ the Doctor, or whatever it is outlaws do? Would I have to swear an oath on a bible? I giggled at the possibility. You’ve lost it Nicole.

  Outside was a run-down looking panel van. I wrinkled my nose at it. Four-wheeled vehicles had lost a lot of their charm lately, and a rusty-looking van that looked to be older than me was most definitely not the kind of vehicle I wanted to be rocking these days.

  Lonnie pulled open the back doors. “Get in.”

  “Can’t I sit in the front?” I asked.

  “It’s full of shit. Sorry.”