Always Crew

I even found myself lightening up, and as soon as he saw that, it was ‘Bren this,’ ‘Bren that.’ He was firing off lame, pick-up-line jokes and they were too ridiculous not to laugh at.

“Bren, is that a mirror in your pocket?” He leaned in, not giving me time to shoot him down. “Because if so, I can see myself in your pants.”

“Shet, stop talking.” Brock walked past, not breaking stride, and his palm came up the backside of Shetland’s head. He continued to their truck, checking his gun. “Channing Monroe is her brother.”

Shetland drew up at the mention of my brother.

The pick-up jokes stopped after that.

They had two other guys on their team, but both were big and quiet. They looked like Samoan enforcers. I was never introduced to them, but I heard one was called Big. The other was called Burly. Go figure.

Bonnie told me in the truck on the way to their first ‘round-up’ that they had another member of their team I hadn’t met. Bonbon—Bonnie’s daughter—and it was later when Hawk pulled me aside, saying, “Don’t ever be alone with Bonbon. She’s insane. Trust me.”

And that’s when I asked my request.

Hawk stared at me, long and hard.

We’d just come back from grabbing the first bond jump. It’d been anticlimactic, but I didn’t know what I had been expecting. I was told to stay in the truck, so I did. They went into a house. I heard shouting, but a second later, Big and Burly came out, pushing a guy in handcuffs. He was loaded into one of the other trucks. Paperwork was filled out, and Brock walked the guy to the jail thirty minutes later.

I’d remained in the truck the whole time.

We were now at a gas station. Everyone was filling up with snacks and coffee. I was grabbing my own when Hawk told me about Bonbon.

I replied, “I have to do something. I need a female to help out, and I only know one other girl here, and she’s not a fighter type. She’d more likely ask to read all their books than know how to back me up if things got dicey.”

Hawk’s mouth turned down, thinning. “I do not waste my time with sorority catfights.”

“How’d you know?”

Her eyes got big. “I was joking. Are you kidding me?”

I shook my head. “Are you sure?”

She swore. “No.”

“Okay, then.” Looks like I’d be going in alone.

Maybe I’d have Zellman sit in the vehicle, just in case.

Brock walked over, filling his own coffee. “Let’s go. We have a full day ahead of us.”

Hawk seared me with another look before turning and taking her items to the register. Brock was there, waiting, as everyone got their items rang up. When I waited, he had the clerk tally up what I was holding.

When they were done, he motioned for me. “Head on outside.”

I was learning that even though Gramps and Bonnie owned the business, Brock was the unofficial leader. When he said move, everyone moved. When he said breathe, everyone took in air. When he said to stand outside a door, no one moved an inch.

They weren’t scared of him. There was no argument. There was no flash of where someone wanted to protest. Everyone fell in line, listening to him with ease. They respected him. Even Shetland, who winked at me as I headed outside and veered toward Bonnie and Gramps’ truck.

The bell above the door rang behind me, and I heard Brock’s voice a second later. “No, Bren. You’re with me this time.”

I stopped, skimming over the group.

That’s when I saw Hawk already heading for Gramps’ truck as she gave me a big grin and a wave.

I faltered.

That wasn’t a good big grin.

Brock walked past me, nodding to the side of his truck.

Shetland was in the back, and as I got in, he was rifling through some paper.

Brock got in behind the wheel, putting his coffee in the middle compartment. He plucked out another emptied cup and tossed it into the trash. “There you go.”

I glanced at Shetland’s coffee, which he was holding in one hand.

Brock spoke, “He’s got a thing back there to put his coffee in.”

Alrighty then.

I climbed in, shutting my door and grabbing my seatbelt.

We took off and Brock said after we traveled a block, “So…Bren.”

Uh-oh.

The realization settled in my chest.

Hawk gave me an initial grill and everything had gone smoothly after that. Until this. Until I learned that Brock was the real leader of this group and so, of course, they’d all been waiting for his moment.

I prepared myself, having a faint assumption what was coming my way.

He started with, “I read your file last night.”

Lovely.

His voice was smooth, too smooth. “Your mother died when you were young. Your dad went to prison. Your brother is fast making a reputation for himself in our circles. Saw the first episode of that documentary, too.” He was turning right, but glanced at me from the corner of his eye. See. Smooth. He knew exactly what he was doing. “I reached out to a friend of mine. Know her from school. She teaches in Roussou now.”