Professor X

by Kiki Leach

  X whipped his head around to him and arched his brow; his heart began to thump so wildly inside his chest that the sound nearly pummeled his eardrums. "You sayin' you got proof on my ass bein' the reason behind this shit?"

  He dragged his eyes across the lot and sighed heavily. "T was recordin' his conversation with Rocka to use against him later."

  "Jesus. Christ. My voice is on that goddamn tape along with Mariah's?" he asked. LapDog bobbed his head. "Where the fuck is it?"

  "I know it ain't with Flex or at the clubhouse 'cause T wanted to use it as some 'just in case' shit. The actual location, I don't fuckin' know but that Pugh motherfucker might."

  "Why the fuck would his ass know some shit like that?"

  "He's the tape man..." He trailed off and chuckled. "If him and T weren't shittin' you about tapes bein' in that classroom to throw at your ass later, there's a reason he had the shit set up in that way and with that motherfucker in particular."

  "You think any shit that could be used against me or the club would be with that asshole?"

  "T's got no other place to store the shit he's wanted to keep away from the rest of the brothers. Havin' a motherfucker with no other connection outside of always lookin' to get his cock sucked by young pussy helps."

  X smoked more of his cigarette and flicked his ashes to the ground. "What the fuck do you know about Scooter's girl, Gabi? Puerto Rican lookin' thing with high tits and a low ass that kept him in the back on the same night you assholes showed up out here. She ever make it through the front doors?"

  His eyes lowered, then lifted as his mind searched for her face. "Think so, maybe -- way back when. Used to offer herself up as free pussy to a few of us just to hang around the compound."

  "You ever take a free spin?"

  "Not my thing when a bitch looks like she don't take a warm shower between fucks. You know some of us like to keep our cocks clean for the next welcome pussy."

  "Yeah. Listen, I need to know if she's somehow connected to this Pugh asshole beyond Wexley. You ever remember her fuckin' around with him out there back then?"

  "No, but I can't be sure on that shit. Why?"

  He peeked over his shoulder as Cheddar moved near the door with Kyla and shook his head. "Just need to figure some shit out." He turned back to the lot and dropped more ashes to the ground, then took another hit from his cigarette and curled the smoke from the corner of his mouth. "Why do you think Flex and the rest have yet to show up in knowin' by now that T's dead? You think it's pussy keepin' 'em back?"

  "What do you mean by 'pussy'?"

  "Some knowin' all bitch who's maybe helpin' to take our asses down along with 'em. T said we needed to start lookin' inside on that shit."

  "You think this Gabi bitch might be involved with this shit somehow? That's why you're askin' about her?"

  "I don't fuckin' know is why I'm askin' about her. We can't get shit anywhere else."

  "Well I can guaran-fuckin'-tee you that of all people, Flex ain't ever gonna let pussy call the shots on his shit. Him and the Kings holdin' back from comin' out here means they needed some time to process shit with T and maybe gain some proof on who took him out."

  "What the fuck is he gonna do, have some forensic motherfuckers out there gatherin' fingerprints and shit?"

  He snickered. "At this rate brother, I don't fuckin' know -- he might. T had a goddamn Dean on the payroll and we've always gotten a high-end collection of motherfuckers comin' in from the city lookin' to get their cocks wet with some tight pussy."

  "Shit." He spit to the ground and tossed his cigarette beneath his foot, smashing the lit tip with his heel and dusting residue from the tips of his fingers. "Tractor was right on that shit, they're gonna come straight here when they get their hands on whatever the fuck it is they need to have us jacked up."

  "You maybe shoulda been makin' sure they ain't already in Pink and bidin' time."

  Xavier stared into his face, then rolled his eyes until they closed and groaned. "Fuck."

  "What's goin' on?" Cheddar moved beside LapDog and opened his hand. "You give my brother a goddamn headache with your bullshit?" he snapped.

  "I'm good, brother, I'm good." X shook his head again and chortled. "Motherfucker has just been givin' me some shit to think about."

  "What the fuck could he give your ass that ain't contagious, X?"

  "Info, prick." LapDog looked at Cheddar from the corner of his eye and sneered. "Doin' alot more for this club than some of you numbfucks."

  Cheddar clamped his hand around his throat and straightened his back. "I know that tongue of yours is only flappin' the way it is 'cause you missin' out on some fire ass pussy in there, but don't forget that beyond this info you can get snapped like a fuckin' twig and clearly not be missed by even your own goddamn club."

  "They're gonna need to start missin' his ass right about now," mumbled X.

  Cheddar snatched his hand from around LapDog's throat as he began to cough and turn blue, and stood back. "What the fuck are you talkin' about here, X?"

  "We need to know where the Kings are right goddamn now."

  "We know they ain't right goddamn here."

  "No we don't and that's the point," he snapped. "We need to start workin' on a current motherfuckin' location."

  "You think they bolted from Bartlesville and are doin' what?" He shrugged. "Just waitin' somewhere out here for us to fuck up durin' lockdown?"

  "If they know we're locked down, then yeah, they're waitin' for a fuck up. We need to give it to 'em."

  "How?"

  "Take this fucker back down into the basement and come back to chapel for church."

  After moving back inside the club, Xavier found each of his brothers from the mother charter and explained the need for a quick session at church. Before heading into chapel for himself, he saw Mariah returning from Prez's office with Tech and stepped over to them.

  "Hey, darlin'." His eyes lowered to her face and narrowed as she took in a breath and gulped. "What's goin' on?"

  "Still no luck on Gabi, brother," said Tech. "Bitch's shit sounds like it's been disconnected, which means she might have her own goddamn burner right now."

  He lifted his hands to his waist and grinded his teeth. "Christ."

  "Sorry."

  "This shit ain't on you, Tech. Listen, we got church in a bit, head inside while I talk to Mariah for a second, yeah?"

  "Okay, brother, yeah." Tech turned to Mariah and squeezed her arm. "Sorry on this shit, darlin'." He kissed her cheek and stepped around his brother, patting his back before joining the others around the table.

  Mariah reached for Xavier's cut and dragged him into a quiet corner, making sure they were alone before she spoke. "I'm scared for her, Xavier." She pinched her mouth to stop her jaw from trembling and deeply exhaled. "It's not like Gabi to disappear like this no matter what she might've done; maybe bolting from lockdown was because of being spooked, but to go completely MIA without a trace doesn't make sense."

  "It does if she's involved with some shit; more so if she got Scooter clinked on it too."

  "Do you really think that Scooter of all people would turn on you or the others for someone like her?"

  "I don't fuckin' know, which is the problem, 'cause he still ain't talkin' and we ain't been privy to any of their private conversations."

  "Maybe the boys are right and you need to push him harder for answers. If he's going to tell anyone the truth about her, it won't be to anyone else but you."

  "Yeah... I'll try to get him alone sometime tonight. Need to take care of some other shit first."

  "Okay. What were you talking about with LapDog outside?"

  "Somethin' that might help us start diggin' our way outta this shit; let you know later what it's all about, yeah?"

  She nodded as he kissed her forehead and lowered his mouth to her lips, then quickly turned on his heel and headed for chapel.

  As the brothers piled inside and took their seats, Prez closed the door and reached for hi
s gavel. He shuffled to the head of the table and leaned over the head of his chair, then turned to X and pointed. "You got the goddamn floor right now, brother."

  He sat up and eyed the room, then tapped his fingers and bobbed his head. "I was outside talkin' to LapDog 'bout some shit, which led me to wonderin' if the Kings in fact know the Devils are responsible for T and are out here somewhere bidin' time. If they know we're on lockdown, they're gonna calculate how to strike 'fore actually makin' themselves known."

  "You don't think they'd have just blown our asses to Texas by now with some homemade bombs like they tried to do the first goddamn time?" asked Chopper.

  "That shit is too goddamn predictable," said Cheddar. "Too goddamn easy and we'd see it comin' after the first time."

  "Right, and they can't get another truck through here or outside unless they just threw shit at the goddamn gate and blew up a few of our prospects," said Shadow. "Another somethin' that's too goddamn obvious and doesn't actually get 'em what the fuck they're lookin' for."

  "Correct." Xavier sighed. "What they're lookin' for is a fuck up. They need us to do somethin' mindless in order to throw a wrench into our shit."

  "How the fuck can we manage to fuck up with all of us locked down in here, brother?" asked Strap.

  Xavier looked to Boone before dragging his eyes to Tractor and Coco. "LapDog," he replied.

  A range of murmurs instantly filled the room.

  "Why the fuck is this asshole gettin' involved with our shit?" asked Poke.

  "'Cause we need his goddamn voice on the phone."

  "For what?" Sniper leaned forward and peered. "I ain't followin' any of this shit now, brother."

  "We need LapDog to call up one of their prospects; let him know that we've been havin' this asshole held down out here since the shooting but that he managed to get out and hitch a ride to Chickasha or some shit. A prospect can't go against a brother, which means he'd have no choice but to let him know the Kings current whereabouts, along with where the fuck they're currently standin' on this shit with T and everything else."

  Coco bobbed his head. "Sounds like some good shit. Not to mention their prospect would spill about us bein' watched in some capacity by anybody within their crew -- if we are."

  "Correct. He might also have more info on Pugh and maybe Gabi." X looked to Scooter as his eyes remained focused on the table. "Big Tech and Mariah still can't get her ass on the phone, brother. The bitch goin' MIA 'fore lockdown, now havin' her shit disconnected... If you fuckin' know somethin', you need to speak the fuck up on it right goddamn now."

  "I don't know shit," spat Scooter.

  Tractor slammed his hand on top of the table and pointed. "Bull fuckin' SHIT, ASSHOLE!" he hollered. "We been givin' your ass more passes than should've been allowed on this bitch for weeks now! I ain't stuck my foot up that narrow fuckin' ass to get my goddamn answers like I could've, but that shit is fuckin' done. That bitch told you somethin' and you keepin' zipped about it is liable to get those patches and that CUT snatched in a hot ass fuckin' second. Start talkin' or we start throwin' hands and motherfucker, mine are gonna be the only ones swingin' at that lopsided head."

  Xavier kept his eyes on Scooter's face and peered. "If she knows somethin' 'bout the Kings--"

  "She don't know shit like you've been thinkin' about the goddamn Kings," said Scooter.

  "But she knows somethin'."

  He lifted his eyes from the table and stared across the room; he balled his fists and crossed his arms, shaking his head as he gnashed the back of his teeth. "After Cheddar kicked her out back then, she went to the Kings for comfort. Said she'd seen a few around here durin' parties and started fuckin' T and Flex right off the bat -- sometimes at the same fuckin' time if they paid her well enough."

  "She was hookin' for 'em?" asked Cheddar.

  "No." He took in a breath and swallowed hard. "Shit only lasted for a goddamn year 'til she got enrolled in Wexley."

  "Did they tell her 'bout Mariah?"

  He shut his eyes and nodded. "LapDog wasn't the one Rocka was usin' to look after your girl; it was Gabi, brother... I'm sorry."

  "Jesus." Prez dropped his gavel on top of the table and crossed the room.

  "T got her hooked up with Rocka after that asshole found out Mariah had bolted from here and enrolled out there; he was payin' her enough for it to keep her in school, get that car..."

  "And on and fuckin' on, yeah?" Prez turned back to him and snarled. "What the fuck was she off tellin' these pricks beyond the goddamn size of your COCK, MOTHERFUCKER?!"

  "She claimed she wasn't givin' 'em info about us."

  "And you believe that shit?!"

  "She gave 'em more than some pussy, brother," said Rugger. "That bitch is how X got hooked up with Pugh in the first place, yeah? It ain't a goddamn coincidence that T rolled into that room as soon as the asshole took off and came back only after X damn near killed him in the middle of the fuckin' floor."

  Xavier massaged his forehead and pinched his brows. "Gabi is the connect between Pugh and T-Bone," he said. "She knew 'bout his thing for young pussy 'fore Tech even looked up his shit to confirm."

  Cheddar pointed. "I remember that shit; she gave you the info to use against his ass in case he tried pushin' you off for the interview. Why'd she do that shit if she was workin' with him?"

  "Throw us off her scent, maybe?" Poke shrugged. "She'd have to know if X brought it up, Pugh would back down."

  "But the shit wouldn't have mattered if Pugh was gonna allow X on campus in the first fuckin' place."

  "I don't think he was plannin' to let me on anything 'til I brought the shit out against him that he knew was legit," said X. "Motherfucker maybe went into panic mode right after and called T. That's where the attempt to bomb us up and the shootout came in; shit flipped when they realized I wasn't backin' down from bein' on that campus."

  "Where the fuck would Gabi get the info on Pugh's love for young pussy?" asked Rugger.

  "Gotta be from T-Bone in passin' or some shit," replied Strap. "He wouldn't have given it up freely with tryin' to stop you from goin' out there to begin with. Unless the bitch managed to wiggle that info straight from Pugh's cock herself."

  The room became quiet until Red cleared his throat.

  "When the fuck do we need to start gettin' on this shit with LapDog?" he asked.

  "Right goddamn now." Prez latched onto his chair and sank his fingers into the leather. "Me, Trac, Cheddar, Scooter and X are gonna head down there to see if we can get this asshole to lie to his club for info. We'll make our moves dependin' on what's said."

  "What about breakfast?" asked Coco. "Ain't they almost done?"

  "I think." Prez made a face and shook his head. "Go in there and fix a goddamn plate already, asshole. Fix up the tables, get everybody gathered. We'll be back up once we're done with this prick."

  After storming from chapel, the brothers moved into Prez's office and followed each other through a steel door behind his desk that led into the basement.

  "HEY!" Tractor called once they reached the floor. "NUMBFUCK."

  LapDog jackknifed to a sitting position on the small mattress he had been given to sleep and rubbed his eyes.

  Cheddar stepped forward and crossed his arms. "We need you makin' a phone call to the Kings on behalf of yourself."

  LapDog soured and brushed his hand across his face. "What the fuck--?"

  "We need you lightin' up the cell of a prospect," said X. "Need you throwin' some shit into his fan in order to get some info for us in return."

  "What the fuck are you wantin' me to say--? What the fuck kinda info am I throwin' at 'em?"

  "You need to let 'em know that we've been havin' your ass held down here since the shootout but that you managed to take off at some point without bein' traced," said Prez. "Tell 'em you've been too fuckin' scared to make it back before leanin' into askin' where the fuck they are right goddamn now and if they're aware who killed T-Bone, choosin' to remain at bay 'cause they'r
e bidin' time."

  "And no funny shit," replied Tractor. "Be straight and solid with this motherfucker or we will gut your ass like a goddamn fish and let you bleed out 'til the blood dries up down here and your whole body starts to rot, you fuckin' get it?"

  "Yeah, asshole, I fuckin' get it." He dropped his head and lowered his shoulders, then gradually nodded and showed his hand. "I know the motherfucker to call -- newbie named Prefix; asshole has been on my cock since comin' through the front doors a few months ago; he'll let me know some shit."

  Prez turned to Cheddar and nodded. "Give him the goddamn phone."

  Cheddar reached into his back pocket for a burner and dropped it into LapDog's hand.

  After a quick dial and two rings, Prefix answered.

  "Yo brother, what's goin' on?" asked LapDog. A few seconds passed before an answer was returned. "Yeah, motherfucker, practically back from the goddamn dead. ... Nah, nah, you don't need to hit up Flex just yet -- Listen, my ass needs a favor. You know when a few of us shot up the Devils for T, those other two pricks took off but the Devils caught my ass and dragged me someplace to keep my legs from movin' any further. ... Yeah brother, the shit sucked, but I managed to get away from 'em for the time bein' a few days ago; hitched a few rides out to Medicine Park. ... Yeah, yeah, I'll need a ride back to Bartlesville, but not just yet. Don't want those assholes makin' their first stop out there to try and find me again, yeah? ... Oh, so the Devils are on lockdown?" His eyes lifted to the brothers as he nodded. "How do you know that shit? ... Scooter's pussy ran her mouth that goddamn much?" Scooter spun away from his brothers and crossed the room. Tractor eyed him with a snarl and shook his head. "Listen, what's the plan for retaliation right now? ... Hm, alright... Alright. Let Flex know I called and tell him I'll be back to the compound when it's clear, yeah? If he needs me, contact this number."

  He snapped his phone shut and handed it back to Cheddar.

  Xavier grimaced. "What the hell was all this asshole sayin' to you?"

  "The gist? The Kings are still takin' up space in Bartlesville while workin' out different ways to make their next move against your club."