After the Fall (The Fallen Men 4)

Ignoring the men in blue, I swung off my Harley and ambled over to Zeus talkin’ to Walter Townsend, the local we’d hired as the front man for the Christmas tree farm that ostensibly owned and operated the property.

“Told them they wouldn’t find nothin’,” he was sayin’, wringing a ballcap between his hands. “Just disruptin’ my day for nothin’.”

“Sorry about the trouble,” I said, offerin’ my hand so we could exchange a shake and back slap. “You know how it is.”

“Fuckin’ joke is what it is,” he grumbled, glaring at the cops as they hauled shit out of the little storehouse and ripped it apart in their search. “Gonna have a massive clean-up on my hands.”

“Ransom will help ya,” Zeus promised. “Now, I’d suggest takin’ a seat and settlin’ in for some fireworks when they find fuck all that they’re searchin’ for.”

So we did. The six of us there leaned up against our bikes, smokin’ and talkin’ like we didn’t have a care in the world, because we didn’t, while the cops did their work.

Was obvious two hours later that they’d reached the end of their search because the air went hot with frustration.

“Good lads, those Porter boys,” Buck muttered around his cigar, tippin’ his chin to me in deference of my strategy even though he’d been one of the ones to protest it.

“The best,” I agreed with a wink.

“’Bout done, boys?” Zeus called as they started filing back into their cars. “Can we check out the damage now you’ve come up with shit all?”

“Fuck you, Garro,” Officer McDougal said, his left eye still purple and yellow, lip scabbin’ over.

We’d found him after he’d pulled over Cress and tried to fuckin’ assault her, and we’d dealt with him accordingly. Funny how a simple ski mask could hide your identity well enough to jump a man and get away with it in the dark of night.

Unconsciously, I flexed my fists, eager for the ache in them again if it meant clockin’ the motherfucker out cold.

Sensin’ my aggression, McDougal frowned, then skittered farther away.

Nova laughed at his fear and clapped me on the back as we walked up the hill to the building. “He’s not gonna forget you in his lifetime, that’s for damned sure.”

“Good. Wanna be his only nightmare after how he scared Cress and Ares,” I grumbled, then stopped and whistled long and low at the devastation the cops had wrecked on the place.

Wallpaper was ripped off the walls, some places the drywall was cut off to check behind the paneling for hidden compartments. The furniture was trashed, desk broke up, chair cushions torn out, and even the (newly) poured cement floor had been hammered into a bit at either end.

“Thorough motherfuckers,” Zeus grunted, kickin’ over a piece of wood.

“Still found fuck all.” I picked up a cracked photo of Townsend’s wife and kids and carefully righted it on the only surface still standin’. “They want us bad.”

“No shit.” Zeus stared at the floor under foot, the exact place a hatch had been a week ago leadin’ down to two acres of greenhouses filled with Mary Jane. He stomped on it with a heavy boot and grinned at me. “Gotta smart kid.”

“You’re just gettin’ that? Knew you were gettin’ old but…” I whistled and rocked back on my heels.

Zeus laughed over the sudden swell of noise outside, and moments later, Staff Sergeant Danner appeared in the doorway, backlit like a villain makin’ his first appearance in a country western.

“You’re laughing.”

Zeus chuckled again and crossed his massive arms. “Good ears, Danner.”

“You know we got a tip-off of illegal activity tied to The Fallen goin’ on here,” Harold snarled as he stalked farther inside. There was an ugly curl to his lip like plastic warped from the heat. “You got anythin’ to say about that serious allegation?”

“Yeah.” He stroked his beard and cocked an eyebrow. “That’s why I was laughin’.”

Danner snarled. “You think you’re so above the law, you can’t be caught? Don’t know how the hell you covered this shit up, but I’m comin’ for you and yours. I won’t stop until I’m dead in the ground.”

“That could be arranged,” Priest muttered from the corner where he leaned against the wall in the shadows of the door.

Danner whipped around to glare at him, clearly startled and a little afraid. Priest was like an animal; he could smell the fear, and it turned his crank. A red slash of lips across his face that was meant to be a grin but was really only a threat.

Danner stepped away from him and closer to Zeus, not noticin’ when Priest adjusted his position to be at the cop’s back.

We surrounded him.

Even though there were officers outside, it was just Danner and us alone in the small office.

I moved, closin’ in.

“You threaten me all ya want,” Zeus drawled. “Been doin’ it all our lives, don’t think you get it doesn’t scare me.”