Obsessed (3 page)

The meeting was called because of a little dope head named Ronnie Dennis. Ronnie was caught selling pills on E.G. turf by a couple of brothers who were riding out on a bid. When they snatched him off the corner, he confessed to selling for the HOHers. The move is known as fishing. When a club decides to encroach on another club’s territory, they’ll sometimes throw out bait in the form of a low-level street junkie. If the turf owners don’t respond immediately, it’s seen as a weakness and an invitation to take what you want.

Unbeknownst to the HOHers, The Executioner’s Guard was more than ready to escalate the war. With an increasing cache of weapons and a fresh group of “young blood” members, the club was in better shape than it had been in years.

***

At a quarter past seven, Hayes Granger took to addressing the brothers. Granger was born of E.G. blood and assumed the position as president upon the death of his older brother Mack. Several years of leadership had added money to his wallet and inches to his waistline, but it hadn’t sapped his hatred for the Hands of Hades.

“Brothers, we’re in the midst of a war we will not lose! The reason we have what we have is because of respect. And the reason we have respect, is because of our allegiance to our colors. There is not a man who on earth who will encroach on us and not pay for it with his life!”

The men cheered and hollered, but James remained focused. It was the E.G. who took him in when he had nothing. It was the E.G. who gave him life when he was broken. For his brothers and for his colors he would remain quiet and attentive to the task at hand.

“As you know, the riders from HOH have been bold enough to dip their slimy toes into our territory. For years, they knew their place. They knew they weren’t good enough to lick the scum from our boots. But in recent years, the motherfuckers have tried to rise up, and in recent days, even more so. But this is where we spank them for their crimes.”

The audience roared with laughter.

“Men of the Guard...tell me...what is the most disgusting crime you can imagine?”

The group grumbled. Someone yelled, “Treason!” Another Brother yelled, “Disrespecting the colors!” Someone else said “being a coward!”

“You’re all right!” said Granger. “If we don’t take care of each other, no one else will.” He paced back and forth in front of the group, his brow furrowing. “If you go against The Guard,” he said, tugging on his vest, “then The Guard will deal with you!”

The President rolled his shoulders, first forward, and then back. A sinister look crossed his face. He let out a long, slow breath and surveyed the room. “Tonight, Brothers, we have a traitor among us.” Saying the words seemed to cause him physical pain. A soft murmur crossed the room as the men gave each other worried looks.

The President nodded in the direction of Barksdale. James looked on in confusion as the VP crossed the room and grabbed Keith Dalton by the arm.

“Get over here, motherfucker!” Barksdale growled.

Dalton squirmed. “What? What the hell is going on?”

Barksdale gave him a rough shove. Dalton stumbled out before the rest of the men.

“Go on, tell them what you did,” Granger said. The disappointment in his tone matched his anger.

“What are you talking about, Prez?” The panicked look on his face told James everything he needed to know. He was guilty of whatever they were accusing him.

From his post by the door, Vaughn shouted. “Keith? No! What is this?”

“Tell ‘em, you little prick,” ordered Barksdale.

“Nothing. Nothing! This is a mistake,” he pleaded. Tears welled in his eyes.

“You coward!” said Granger. “You betrayed us!”

The men were being worked into a fever pitch.

“No, I...I didn’t do shit man. I-”

“Shut the fuck up,” said Granger in a low gruff voice. “He’s lying to you all. This piece of shit has been supplying The Hands of Hades with information on our dealings for weeks. Roads and I tailed him ourselves.”

Everyone started yelling at once. Keith Dalton looked like a scared kitten trying to find his way.

“You know what has to be done!” said Granger over the crowd.

“Wait!” Yelled Vaughn, but there was nothing he could do. The E.G. would have their vengeance.

In sea of angry words and balled fists, someone shoved Keith Dalton. Heavy hands rained down on him from all angles. He stumbled to his left then tried to make a break for the door. Dusty Hughes smashed him across the temple with a beer bottle, leaving a bright red line of blood down the side of his face. Keith fell to his knees and one of the Brothers kicked him hard in the stomach. The group was frenzied. They stomped and spit on the broken man. James watched intently. He hadn’t moved since the commotion started.

“Enough!” said Granger. “We won’t waste our boots on him anymore.” The President looked from man to man until his eyes landed on James. “Ice! Grab him. Let this piece of garbage be an example. Put him out of his misery.”

Everyone looked on, expectantly. From the corner of his eye James could see Vaughn bow his head. This would be a hard lesson, but there was no man more suited to deliver the justice.

With steely eyes, James came forward to stand before Keith. “Do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Keith could only whimper and look at the floor. In one fierce motion, James ripped the chain from his back pocket and wrapped it around Keith’s neck. He struggled at first, kicking his feet and making desperate grabs for the chain, but that soon subsided. James calmly squeezed the life from the traitor, watching, businesslike, as the final gurgles and gasps escaped his lips.

***

“What are we doing tonight?” Jenn asked.

It was a common question amongst the three of us on a Friday night. No one had a good suggestion.

“We could go to a movie.” I said.

“Seriously, Katie?” said Brooke. “That's all we ever do. You guys never want to do anything exciting.”

I watched the overworked old ceiling fan struggle through its rotations. It squeaked with each revolution. “What do you mean exciting?” Like what?”

“What about a party?” asked Brooke. “Who could we call that knows where a party is?”

“Party? C'mon, really? We're all done with school now; let's go to a bar!” said Jenn. She was sitting on the corner of my bed, thumbing through some trashy tabloid magazine. Only now was she beginning to take interest in the conversation. “We could have a few drinks, maybe meet some guys...”

Jenn had always been the most adventurous of our little group. Whenever we found ourselves in a tough situation, it was usually after following one of her suggestions.

“Not even gonna happen, you guys,” I said. “I'm supposed to hear tonight whether or not I got the job with Carter and Hughes.” I had worked as an intern for the firm for the previous two years and when a paid position finally opened up, I jumped at the chance for an interview.

“What if they call and want me to come in tomorrow? Or take a drug test or something? I can't go in there all hung-over.”

“Oh my God, Katie. You're still such a goody two shoes,” Brooke said. “You never want to do anything fun.”

“I do, it's just, this job is really, really important. I don't want to do anything that could mess it up.”

“You're not gonna mess it up, Katie. It's not like we are asking you to go rob a bank or something. Just come out with us. We'll find you a hot guy...after a while you won't even be thinking about the job, I promise.”

Admittedly, the idea of meeting a new guy made me think twice. “I really would, you guys, but, I've been working so hard to get a job there. What if they try to call and I don't hear it because it's too loud, or I'm too drunk, or something?” I said.

“Katie, it's eight o'clock on a Friday night. Nobody is going to call you.” Jenn said. “Do you really think someone is still sitting up in that building, going over your paperwork, and trying to decide whether or not to hire you? Of course not, because everyone else that works there is probably out getting all fucked up and having fun.”

It was true, I guess. If they were going to call me today, they would have done it by now. “I guess you're right. I don't know-”

“You don't know what?” You already did the hard part. The interview is over; you've already done everything you can. Now you should be going out to unwind, like a normal person.”

I was torn inside. Part of me really wanted to go, but something felt different tonight. They were right, since college the three of us hadn't had any real fun. Occasionally, there was a shopping trip, or a drunken movie night, but nothing with any real excitement. In my heart, I knew I was hiding behind the job as an excuse not to go. I didn't want to disappoint them again, but I just had a bad feeling about going out.

“I know,” I said. “We could go to Johnny's Place to have dinner. See where the night takes us?” Johnny's always had a laid back crowd; we'd been going there for years.

“We're not going to that fucking steakhouse again, Katie,” said Jenn. “I'm more likely to run into my grandma down there than any fuckable guys.”

“Yeah, don't you ever want to do anything different?” said Brooke.

Normally, Brooke would side with me, but I could tell she was getting annoyed.

Jenn jumped from the bed and picked her jacket up off the floor. “Sorry, Katie, but life is too short. I don't wanna waste another night wondering what could have been. Good luck with the job, and let me know how it turns out tomorrow.” She looked across the room at Brooke.

“Katie, I don't wanna leave you behind. We'll be fine, I promise. Nothing is going to stop you from hearing from the firm. Just go with us...please?”

I almost said yes, but the look of pity in Brooke's eyes made me too self-conscious. I forced my best smile and said, “No, I'll be fine, guys. Go have fun and be safe. I'm tired, anyway.”

“Are you sure? We always do things together.”

“I'm totally fine,” I said. “Just stay out of trouble and call me tomorrow.”

“Okay, bye!” said Jenn. She was out the door and down the hallway in a heartbeat.

Brooke lingered for a second as she pulled on her sweater. “Well...we'll talk tomorrow, I guess. I know you'll get the job.” She offered a weak smile as she closed the apartment door behind her.

***

The second hand on the walk clock crashed into each new slot. Why did it seem so loud sometimes, but so quiet others? I regretted my decision to stay home more and more with each passing minute. The girls were probably out having a great time, laughing about what a prude I am.

Almost ten o'clock, now. Of course there wasn't going to be a call. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't going to come tonight. I made it my excuse not to go out, but what was I really afraid of? Maybe it came from my sheltered upbringing. For the longest time, it was just me and my mom. My brother left for the military when I was still in middle school. My dad hadn't been around since long before that. I think that's what had made my mom so overprotective of me. It gave me trust issues with just about everyone.

She was constantly feeding me statistics about violent crimes and the dangers of alcohol and drugs. It had scared me then, and I guess it stuck with me still.

“Call me when you get there,” she would say, even if I was only going to the store.

“Drive slow and wear your seat belt,” she would warn.

My friends would all make fun of me for the constant babying. She even had to approve of my boyfriends. One time, in high school, she forbade me from dating a boy in my Algebra class because he had earrings. It didn't matter that he was an honor student and a member of the chess club. According to my mom, “All young men with earrings are destined to be bad seeds.”