“When I become your Prez, I expect your respect.”
“If you become our Prez, we’ll give you the respect deserved,” Austin promised. “I’m stepping out for a smoke.” He got up and walked out. I got some more coffee and snagged the last raspberry jelly donut in the box. It was so sweet but so messy. I grabbed a napkin after stuffing the rest of it in my mouth and wiped off my hands after licking the delicious jelly off my fingers. “We’re out of donuts!”
“We’ll cook burgers and dogs for lunch,” Mom said. “There will be plenty of food, always.”
“What are we waiting for,” one of the older men asked. “We’re all gathered here.”
“Waiting for Tony. He had an important call to make,” Seth explained. “Just sit tight everyone.”
People were starting to get restless. Bikers didn’t like to be cooped up unless they were in a bar throwing back beers.
Tony came back out. “Sorry about that. I just feel like Sophie has a claim too, so we’ll hold off on the vote till tomorrow, so meeting adjourned. I believe we’re having a cookout. I need four guys at the end of the road at all times and all men must be armed. We must be ready at all times for a fucking attack. We know it’s coming, we just don’t know when.”
“I think you and Kara should talk,” Austin said. “Notice I didn’t say fuck, I said talk. Get on the same page, because everyone knows it’ll be you or her or both of you, so get on the same damn page.”
“Yeah, why are we waiting for Sophie? Everyone knows she’s not going to take the role of Prez. You’re just using her to fuck with Kara’s head, and that’s not okay,” Mom spoke up. “Now, Austin is right, you two need to sit down and talk.”
“Fine.” Tony and I gave in and agreed. We took a seat at the table.
“Ladies first,” Austin said. “Speak your grievances about Tony.”
“Tony is an asshole.”
“Kara is a bitch,” Tony shot back.
“That’s not productive, and it’s not talking to each other,” Mom scolded us both.
“Okay, I’ll go first,” Tony said. “I’m pissed because when I came to you and fucking offered you this exact position, you fucking turned us down and flipped us the bird.” He flipped me both his middle fingers to remind me.
“Yes, I did. I thought I could stay out of all this shit. That’s all I wanted, to live my life in peace, but then my shit ass father decided to pull me in when he broke into my house, so I figure I have nowhere else to go but here, so I might as well step up and take my place. My rightful place,” I emphasized.
“I hate my father, I wouldn’t care if he died. If you or any of your men actually manage to kill him, I would be grateful. I grew up here, whether I wanted to or not, so I have every right to be here and to claim my place. I got plans, Tony, and if you’d just get that stick out of your ass and give me some time to tell you about them, I think you’d be impressed. Hell, I’m the one who got the Crypt Keepers to do more than you did. To actually have our backs. To join us as allies. God knows we need an ally to survive this bloody fucking war. I got us one. I did.”
“Yeah, you did, and we’re grateful for that,” Tony said. “Alright, you got plans? Let’s hear them.”
“Not yet.” I crossed my arms stubbornly. “If I give you my plans now, and you win as Prez, you’ll take credit for them, so I’m going to hold on to my plans for leverage. I may be a bitch, but I’m no stupid cunt.”
“Fine!” Tony’s cell phone began to ring and he excused himself to answer it.
“Now you two are talking,” Mom said. “Good for you, Kara, hold your ground.”
Tony came back. “This will have to wait. Austin, Seth, we got to go.”
“What’s going on, Tony?” I pressed.
“Until you’re voted in as Prez, you can stay out of MY business.” Tony got out three guns, loaded them, and passed them out. With that, the three of them took off on their bikes.
“We must have trouble again. He’ll fill us in when they get back,” Mom said.
Hours passed, the barbecue was lit, and soon the smell of meat grilling filled the air. Salads and all kinds of side dishes were prepared and set out on a long table in the yard. A watermelon was sliced with a machete, and sprinklers were turned on for the kids. Someone brought out a boombox and we all tried to relax and enjoy the afternoon.
It was almost dark when Tony rolled back into camp. He had a guy at gunpoint on Seth’s bike. They lead him off to the interrogation room and vanished for hours.
Seth’s hand and shirt were bloody when they came back out. They didn’t say a word as they helped themselves to the food.
“Who was that?” I dared to ask them.
“Some thief who broke into the warehouse.”
“Again?”
“Yeah. We’re betting your fucking father sent him. There is something in there he is desperate to get his hands on. He keeps sending these fucking idiots to get it for him.”
“So, empty the warehouse, move whatever the fuck it is he wants,” I suggested. “Did he tell you what he’s after?”
“Nope” was all Tony offered.
“It was drugs last time, but we cleared that shit out. Austin suspects he hid some cash there. He and the boys are at the warehouse hunting for it now.”
“This fucker is dead. I told him if I saw his face again, I’d kill him. We’ll beat the shit out of him for information, then he’s a dead man. Then I’m going to fucking pack his skull with dynamite, put it in a box, and blow it up on your father’s fucking doorstep. Maybe that will
