True Grit

by Bella Knight

  The ladies changed into less destroyed clothes, and Runner removed her makeup and wig. They practiced hand-to-hand combat, getting sweaty in the field near the paddock, despite the icy wind. The non-Valkyrie teens came out to watch, cheer, and sometimes participate. They set up camp chairs, a portable heater, and thermoses of hot chocolate.

  All the moms were waited on hand and foot. The babies were passed around, sometimes stolen for hours while moms and dads slept. Keiran and Pavel waited on Katya hand and foot. They stole the babies, and trained their dogs as the other kids watched or helped. They participated in the hand-to-hand combat training, and were on opposite teams in a viciously-contested soccer game. Henry asked them to tone it down after there was a black eye, a bloody nose, some arguing, and a pulled muscle. They ignored him, and Pavel and Keiran's team won, to no one's surprise.

  First Nation people came by all day and into the evening, to talk, sing, cook, eat, ride the horses, play with the children, talk to the teens, and run off with the babies. Henry heard Ute, but also Hopi, Dine, Apache, and more. Many people wanted to duplicate the success of his farm. Including horse and pony rescue, greenhouse, Wolfpack program, the Owl Pack with their stories and crafts, and the numerous businesses, both on and off the farm. Ghost proudly showed off her miniature Harleys, Bonnie and Killa showed off the dog boxes, and the Goat Girls came to the ranch with cheeses and more alpaca wool for Numa. Phone calls and emails were shot out, to many reservations. From Florida to California, and to Huron and into Canada. David spoke to many people, both the ones present, and on Skype, and they all went for a sweat to the lodge at the edge of Henry's property.

  The entire contingent of Valkyries and Iron Knights took turns with Saber so Wraith could sleep, eat, rest, and continue to testify in cases. It was the last round before court closed for the holidays. Her absolute icy calm was disturbing. She used the evil grin on a defense attorney, and he stumbled twice while questioning her for a deposition in an old case. Mouse got her a tape of the psychiatric session with McCann. McCann opened up about his sister, but he didn't put any of the blame on Sheila McCann. He blamed her boyfriend for everything, but also denied having any prejudicial feelings about anyone.

  "What's with the partner?" asked Mouse.

  "His partner, Officer Jude Lohn, kept a teenage victim of an assault handcuffed to a bed."

  Mouse looked at Wraith. "He pleads thinking McCann was right.” She looked to Wraith. “Lohn had four years to McCann's two, and felt he needed to listen. IAB has him jammed up on not following proper procedure. He's on desk duty. He'll get suspended, desk duty, moved to night shift. I hear your Nighthawks lawyer got a deposition from him already for her lawsuit against the city."

  "That will be settled out of court," said Wraith. "I talked to Pocero. He says McCann is nuttier than a fruitcake, his words not mine, and the kids will get their college funded."

  "The words of his psychiatrist are, 'Officer McCann is unable to tell right from wrong, and is unable to admit his fault,'" said Mouse. "Doubt he'll stand trial."

  "No bet," said Wraith, and rubbed her eyes. "The lawsuit on our side is a little murky. Saber is a government employee, so technically McCann shot another officer in the line of duty. He intended to kill Ace, who is not a government employee. It's a little sketchy, but I think Saber will get every dime of his hospital stay recovered, along with rehab. His condition is intensely painful and there's a risk of pneumonia, so the hospital is gonna keep him for now." She rubbed her eyes again.

  "When was the last time you slept?" asked Mouse.

  "Not important," said Wraith. "What if McCann's faking? He knows he's wrong, but is pretending to stand by everything he did in order to keep from going to prison?"

  "A padded cell is no picnic," said Mouse. "Besides, how are you going to find out? You're not allowed anywhere near him, because you might kill him."

  "If he's out of his mind, then no killing," said Wraith. "If he's faking..."

  "Then boom," said Mouse.

  "Boom," said Wraith.

  "How we gonna find out?" asked Mouse.

  "I have an idea," said Wraith.

  "I'm all mouse ears," said Mouse. They laughed.

  Mouse interviewed the union rep, his partner, his commanding officer, and anyone else that had contact with McCann. All with Pocero in tow. No one saw any evidence of psychiatric distress, or even knew about his sister and the biker gang. His commanding officer, a highly intelligent woman named Gina Laski, showed proof that he had attended training concerning, among other things, motorcycle clubs in Las Vegas. They built an airtight case, and presented it to the district attorney. Since he was in federal custody, Wraith was able to see the transcripts of these interviews.

  "Either he snapped," said Mouse.

  "Or he's savvy," said Wraith.

  "Give him some stew time," suggested Runner, back at the Dirty FBI shop, off of Harmon.

  They were in a business office in the back of a slowly decaying office building, one used by several federal agencies for undercover meets and ops. A porn studio had the entire bottom floor, and the jokes were continual and never-ending about what was going on below them in the building.

  Runner rolled her eyes. "Besides, we've got a military heist to plan, drugs and guns to deliver, and a food chain to work ourselves up. And, I need to buy my mom a Christmas present."

  "Good luck with that," said Mouse. "Mine's in Heaven with my papi. My little brother's in college; I just send him Amazon coupons so he can buy whatever the hell he wants online and have it delivered."

  "Not a personal touch, but doable," said Runner. "Back it with some flowers, or a potted plant. That could work."

  "Add cooking dinner," said Wraith. "Take her out on the town."

  "I knew I liked you ladies for something," said Runner.

  Wraith stopped rubbing her eyes and sat up. "Girl has an idea," said Mouse.

  "Got a nefarious plan?" asked Runner.

  Wraith grabbed her cell phone and dialed. "Major, you busy? No? Well, we've got some bad guys who want us to hijack an imaginary delivery of military weapons, including rocket launchers, two of them. Trying to take down El Tigre. Yes. Yes. No. I think so. Between the holidays is too dangerous, too many people on the road. Yeah, I know that road. Three am? Doable. Yes, that'll work. Just make sure the RFID tags don't sing until we trigger them. Yes, I know, but El Tigre is nasty work. Yes, ATF will supply the rest of the weapons, DEA the drugs. Hell, yeah, you can drive the truck. Want me to shoot you? Got some spliffs? Okay, we're set. I'll have Mouse record on her cell. Three women. Gotta shoot you all to make it look good. Okay, thanks. Bye."

  "He's in, I assume," said Runner.

  "And raring to go. He wants to do this tomorrow night."

  "Fuck me," said Mouse.

  "No, you too skinny," said Runner. Mouse punched her in the arm.

  "Practice is tomorrow morning," said Wraith. "I've got to call ATF and my boss. They already have the list."

  "Let's do this," said Runner.

  Wraith hit up the hospital and told Saber what was going down. "Sounds like fun," whispered Saber. "You should wait and take me with you."

  "And ruin Girl's Night Out? Screw that." She kissed him, and left him to sleep.

  He was out of the ICU and breathing well, but in a lot of pain, even still. Wraith didn't want to take him home until she was sure he was farther along in his healing.

  They all hit the showers at Wraith's place, and crashed there. At “oh god thirty,” they went down to the remote Bellchambers Road, and practiced the fake heist. Wraith brought sodas, coffees and donuts. Everyone was laughing, completely decked out in military gear except for the three women.

  Major blocked it out, step by step. From the two-truck convoy, Wraith setting caltrops to blow out the tires, the women coming up on their bikes and shooting all the drivers and support staff, and Runner getting to drive the getaway truck. The Iron Knights greatly enjoyed pretending to be active military, ribbing Ma
jor about having to wear an Air Force BDU. They went through it in slow-m0, then faster, then full speed; twice to be sure.

  "You know we'd have people inside the trucks that would come out shooting, right?" asked the Major. "There's about six things wrong with this scenario."

  "Drug dealers," said Wraith. "Not US military experts."

  They moved to a service road just behind Nellis, and warned the military of their nefarious plan, and went for it. They used two cell cameras, and both burner phones were used by Runner and Wraith. They only needed to act it out once, the fake parts out of the cameras' fields of view. The girls acted out the assault, broke into the trucks, stole the weapons, and got away.

  Wraith stopped the video, pulled over, shot pics of the booty, and sent the heist video and the pictures of the guns to Rodrigo. He sent a time for the drop-off, two hours later. They stopped off for breakfast, and drove the rental truck to the meet.

  "Return the truck within twenty-four hours," said Wraith, watching as Runner hopped out of the truck.

  Runner was mimicking someone on amphetamines, jumping up and down, twitching, and blinking her eyes rapidly. A Mexican man in a blue watch cap, dressed from head to toe in black leather, took the keys. Runner gave them to him, and stumbled toward Wraith.

  Wraith and Mouse each had hidden cameras as Rodrigo opened boxes, counted weapons, and found the stash of drugs. He was especially careful with the ketamine. He handed over a tube, the kind you use to mail posters. Inside were rolls of money. Wraith counted stacks, and then returned them to the box. Wraith gave each woman packets of pills to sell.

  Wraith dragged Runner close, by her ear. "You gotta sell these, not eat them." Runner nodded her head like a bobblehead. "You'll get one pack for yourself for free when you bring the money for these." Runner nodded again.

  "We want in," said Rodrigo. "In on your contacts, your distribution network. Add it to ours."

  "I'm nobody's fucking employee," said Wraith. "You want product moved, I get it moved. Give you back your investment."

  "Can give you a meet with someone who can get you what you want. Hear your man 's been moved."

  "Not a fucking lot they can do for him. Kind of hospice stuff. They wanna move him there. I said no. Not walking by a bunch of bitches with their hair all falling out to get to him." Wraith's eyes flared bright, making Rodrigo take a half step back.

  "I can get you into see someone. Someone big. He's looking for a new woman." Rodrigo looked Wraith up and down and leered at her.

  "I don't share," said Wraith.

  Rodrigo laughed. "No one asked you to. But, he can help you with a pipeline you've never even dreamed up. Keys of coke. Primo hash."

  "Get that legal here," she said. "Price is falling fast."

  "Other stuff, too. Not that black tar, the best heroin. The absolute best."

  "I got pharmaceuticals," said Wraith. "Got those skinny bitches in the clubs partying hearty. What I need coke for?"

  "Them skinny bitches need more and more," said Rodrigo. "More pills, higher highs. Lower lows. They graduate to nose candy and China white in no time. Be good money coming in fast and hard. We take our cut, you charge as much as you want. Sky's the limit."

  "I can do a lot. Give you some of this back, get the stuff." She took out two bricks of money. "But I wanna move up. Live big. And, I don't share."

  "I've got me a man for you," said Rodrigo. "Love a feisty woman like you. The man I got in mind, he hangs around other women, does blow with them. They hang on him, but he ignores them. He'll have his eyes on only you. I swear it."

  Wraith thought of El Tigre's eyes on her, and she wondered if she wanted to shower or vomit. "I'm worth fifty of those coke whores. They're replaceable. I'm not."

  "Can see that," said Rodrigo.

  His eyes said something entirely different. He had the eyes of a reptile. They'd pump her full of drugs, use her girls to get to her network, take it from her, then El Tigre would wrap his hands around her throat. After that, he’d have a man throw her body in a dumpster. She could see it all in those reptilian eyes.

  "Sounds good," said Wraith. "All Trucks on Harmon. Get it back intact, and no one knows nothing."

  "Done," said Rodrigo. "What about the China white?"

  Wraith put the two bricks back in the tube. "I'm interested in the guy you want me to meet. I'll hand it over, then I’ll discuss distribution."

  "One. To be sure you're serious." Wraith sighed and handed Rodrigo a brick. "Be seeing you soon, chica," said Rodrigo.

  "Very soon," said Wraith. "Mama wants to start the new year off right." She turned. "Let's go, amigas. We got to par-tay!"

  They moved out and took the video into the office. They typed up the reports, and each woman stumbled off to bed. Wraith went to the hospital, and a cot, the others to their homes.

  The New Year bash started early, with what was called a Day of Contemplation. The alphabet-agency and military Valkyries had their phones with them as they chanted, danced, and sang before sitting down with notebooks to write their pain and suffering from the old year. They also made clear their hopes for the new year. They burned their pain papers in the fire, and several relationships were ended that night as Valkyries decided who and what to bring with them in the coming year. The Wolfpack and the various visiting tribes had a similar process, with a sweat followed by singing, dancing, and welcoming the new dawn. They blazed a new trail through Henry's land, to symbolize the opening of new possibilities. The Old Ones left, and they sat around the fire.

  "It's been a terrible fucking year," said Ace. "Shot, lost the baby, the kids attacked, a cop shot Saber."

  "Good thing he's off the police force," said Helaku, waving his right wrist in its blue cast. "And the guys who jumped Ruby and I are gonna see prison time."

  "They had to plead. Their story made no sense," said Ivy, relaxing under a pile of blankets, the babies asleep in her arms under baby blankets. "Hear they're charged with a hate crime."

  "They will do serious time," said Henry. "Let this be an example to show that hate has no purpose but to harm the one doing the hating."

  "I don't hate those guys," said Ruby. "Five years in a federal prison is no joke. They're violent offenders, so no white-collar prison for them."

  "I'm not happy about it," said Nantan, under a blanket with Chayton. "But, I accept it as what happened. We must all move forward."

  "Is the universe attacking us?" asked Inola. "I mean, what the fuck? Hospitals, shootings, all sorts of crazy stuff. The only good that came out of all of that is the babies."

  "Yeah," said Bella. "Lots of them." She took a drink of her cola. "I saw a sperm donor." There were several loud indrawn breaths. "For next year, maybe the year after that, for me."

  Nantan looked at Chayton. Chayton nodded. "I will donate. Then, the child will be Apache as well." Bella and Inola stared at Nantan, jaws open.

  Lily laughed. "I donated an egg and Ace donated sperm, and now we're getting one from Katya a few months before the other one. We're going to have a little trouble explaining twins two months apart."

  "It will be good to have multiple First Nation people in this house," said Henry.

  David nodded. "We realize we will give up sleep for many moons, but it is good."

  Ace laughed. "We sleep in on Sundays, knowing that will be a thing of the past soon."

  "Sunday mornings with the paper," said Gregory. "The distant past. Now, I read my news on the computer in between checking emails while changing diapers. I've been spit-up, peed, and pooped on more times than I can remember. My dry cleaner can send her own kids to college with the money I've paid her."

  "Yeah," said Inola. "How do they get it all into their tiny bodies?"

  Ivy laughed. "I have no idea."

  Callie nodded. "Try teaching them. Sneezing and coughing on you. I make the sick ones wear a mask. Cut down on everyone getting sick."

  "And I thank you," said Tito. "My youngest has stopped making the rest of us sick. Even
wears the mask home in the house."

  "How the fuck did we go from Hell Year to Heaven Year?" asked Ace.

  "New life," said Henry. "Turns all hell into heaven."

  "No sneering at what we've been through," said Inola. "It was terrible for all of us." She reached over and squeezed Henry's hand. He squeezed back. "But, Nighthawks are strong."

  "We are," said Henry.

  "Fuckin' A," said Ace. "I just wonder, will it ever stop coming?"

  "Doubt it," said Tito. "We wear skulls on our jackets. It stands for death and life, to seize the day. What we've accomplished is to raise our profile. Being shot at isn't a good way, but it happened. We're targets. Most people misunderstand us, like this idiot that shot Saber. People who react with fear, seldom react sanely."

  "We sure got the death/life thing right," said Gregory. He glanced through the patio doors at his wife. Katya was inside, asleep; the babies in portable cribs. "We keep toward the light."

  "I miss my brother," said Lily. "I wish he were here to see these babies, become the uncle I feel he could have been." Ace held her close, kissed the top of her head.

  "Saber should be here, telling stories," said Gregory. "The man can tell stories. And, he's helped us so much this year."

  "The man literally took a bullet for me," said Ace. "I would not be sitting here, awaiting the births of my children, without him." He took a drink of his hot cider. "How the fuck do I repay him?"

  "Pay it forward," said Gregory, putting a marshmallow on a stick to roast it.

  "Yeah," said Inola. "What charities does Saber like?"

  "He's putting two kids through school in Thailand," said Bella. Everyone swiveled their heads to look at her. "I wanted to donate on Kiva, the website where you donate twenty-five dollars, and everyone pools their money to make loans. I'm sending a Cambodian kid to college. Anyway, there's some sort of Thai agency that kind of does the same thing. Keeps poor kids in school. He donates to that. Have no idea what the name is."

  "Save the Children is kind of close," said Ivy. "Kiva is great. Or donate for refugees. Stuff like that. He'd love that."