Redwood Nine: Season 02 Ch. 06

Unser smiled broader hearing JT call him buddy.

"Hey, no problem, JT. I know things are shitty right now, for you and the club. Whenever you can, there might be a thing or two I might need you to do for me."

"You got it, no questions asked."

"Thanks, JT. I'm really glad you and the rest of the guys stayed in Charming, it's good seeing the gang still together. Like the old days, 'cept me wearing a badge now."

"Forget the badge, Wayne. You're alright. Look, gotta catch up with the guys, they're waiting for me, but, hey, we'll hook up and have a couple beers and shoot the shit again, as soon as life gives me a chance."

"Sure, no problem, man. You take care."

"Always, you take it easy too."

JT left to a happy smile and an assurance he had a connection with the police and that was good to have, considering the business they were in and the crime being planned. He went out and fired up Jake's Harley, now his, but the feeling wasn't there yet, that it was truly his. He rode it the way Jake had done and enjoyed the feel of the bike, compared to his old Army bike. He cruised through town and out to the clubhouse, enjoying the looks he got from people, especially a lot of the young, excitable women of town.

He walked in and joined the others, listening to what was being discussed. They finished up and gave JT the floor to relay the news from Marlene.

"We're in. Mar talked to the boss and he's arranging a meet with his son. Seems his son is very pissed at Clive, so we have him to talk to, when it happens."

"Any idea when that is?"

"Mar will let me know when they want to talk again and then I talk to the son, Jimmy. I think we're looking at one or two days tops for the call, no idea about the meet yet. One thing Mar did warn me about, was that, even if they agree to no guns, make sure my ass is covered and everyone else's too. She doesn't think they'll try to ambush us or anything, but she said Jimmy is hot-headed and doesn't think sometimes, before he does shit."

"So, we carry, or we don't carry?"

"I was thinking on the way over, how we should make this happen, so we are protected and we still look like we're going by the rules."

"How you figure on doing that, JT?"

"Lenny, it's time we paid a visit to our brothers of another colour in Stockton. I think we need Benny and Lamont to help us with back up."

"How are they going to help us?"

"If everyone is unarmed and they pull a fast one on us, we'll have our friends come out and they'll have guns trained on them. We'll know how many they're bringing, so we'll just make sure we have more guys."

"Sounds good, JT. I can live with that."

"Great Piney, everyone? Yeah, or nay?"

A unanimous yea went up, making JT smile in triumph.

"Okay, the other thing. Tomorrow, we have to be at Mar's hotel at nine and pick her up, then Wayne will lead us to Dubrowski's and then the cemetery from there. He wants us to follow his orders to the letter and I assured him we would. It's all for Mar's safety, after all, so just do whatever he says and don't question, okay?"

Everyone agreed to his request and JT saw the moment go somber.

"Hey, do that tomorrow. Right now, we got some planning to do and how we're going to pull this off. We don't get this right and we're joining Jake for a long rest."

JT's words hit home and they snapped out of remorse and concentrated on putting a plan together, where they looked like they were abiding by the rules set out, but guaranteeing them safety, just in case Marlene's suspicions about Jimmy were real. Tom knew how to get a hold of Benny and his brother, who would agree to backing them without question for two reasons. One, it was their meal ticket that was being put at risk and secondly, it was happening on their turf that they controlled. Both reasons guaranteed them an assurance of co-operating with them, on this plan. Tom left to make the call, while JT pondered with the rest, on how to set Clive up.

JT remembered something that Marlene had said to Gianni, that gave him an idea.

"I think I might have something, check this out. When Mar was speaking to Gianni, she mentioned something about giving Clive's car to Jimmy in exchange for his Caddy. Jimmy hasn't decided on a new car, I'm sure, so what if we do something like this. We get Jimmy to send Clive to look at a car he's interested in. We give him an address that takes him out in the country somewhere, someplace quiet and no one will hear, or see us. When he comes down the road, we'll find a spot where we'll be waiting in an ambush and stop him there. We have guys come up from behind and block off any escape. We pull him out and one guy drives the car away, while the rest of us haul the guy way into the woods and we take care of him there. No one sees us, no one hears us and our friend meets the mayhem he deserves and we ditch him out there. No one goes up there and hey, once the animals get a sniff of him, they'll dispose of him."

Faces spoke everything that needed to be said, but JT called a vote on the idea and it passed unanimously. Now it was up to Jimmy and if he would co-operate, instead of screwing things up even more. Tom came back in, holding both his thumbs up.

"We're a go with Benny. He's rounding up his brother and a couple other guys and they'll meet us whenever we want. I said to stay by the phone, because it could be very shortly. I wasn't sure how soon you wanted to meet."

"That's cool, Tom. I think we know what we need to do and they'll know the area and the best way to cover us. Go tell them we'll be there in half an hour. Okay guys, let's get this show on the road."

The guys left the clubhouse and locked up. They started the bikes and waited for JT to lock the office after Tom finished and they headed out of town to Stockton. They pulled off 99 and headed into the Kennedy area of Stockton, the area clearly not noted for being upscale in any way. They turned on to 13th Street and the houses were in a poor state of repair, as they slowly cruised past the black population that lived there. Two houses down from the abandoned and stripped Pontiac, they pulled into Benny's place and shut the engines down. Benny, Lamont and several others came out to greet them and the suspicious eyes of the neighbourhood were eased, to know that trouble hadn't come with them.

The meet didn't take more than half an hour, the plan simple enough to understand and a plan of action needed, something that would have to wait until the exact location was decided. JT said he would push for Stockton as the meeting area and hoped Jimmy would pick the actual location and give Benny time to put something together to stay out of sight, but be ready to act in a second. With nothing more to discuss, they shook and got back on the bikes and headed out of the Kennedy area, north to another person that JT needed to get in contact with.

The rumble of bikes brought the old man's head out of a barrel to see who it was. The happy, toothless face was pleased to see his guests, as JT went up and greeted him.

"Hi Gus, how's it going?"

"Good days, bad days. How's by you, JT?"

"Doing the best I can, Gus. You still coming tomorrow?"

"Yep. I'll be paying my last to Jake. Damn shame to hear about that. Knocked me off my chair when I saw it on the news. Thanks for that call, by the way, really appreciate you doing that for me."

"The least I could do, Gus."

"I'm gonna miss that old bugger, I really am. I just knew messing around with that woman would land him in a heap of trouble, I just knew it. I told him so a couple of times and I think that's why he wouldn't talk to me anymore after that."

"Yeah, he loved her to the end and I know she did as well. So, the reason I wanted to talk to you now Gus, is that we need information on someone you might know."

"Who's that?"

"The Cacuzza's. Gianni and Jimmy. More Jimmy than Gianni."

Gus looked at JT with surprise, the kind that came from mentioning trouble by name.

"You talking about the guys Clive Brock worked for, ain't ya?"

"That's right."

"You just like kicking the hornet's nest, don't ya? You know those guys are the mob, right?"

"We know who they are, we just want to know more about Jimmy and what he's like."

"Why the hell you want to know about him for? He's just as likely to shoot you, as much as shake your hand. Bad seed there, boys."

"So, you would agree that he can't be trusted to keep to the agreement, if he makes one."

"Nope. Only agreement he'll keep, is one that he decides to make. You might think everything is on the up and up, but Jimmy doesn't play that way. No sir."

"That's good to know. Makes things easier for us to know what to do then."

"What's your plan?"

"We're setting up a meet with him, to discuss some arrangements for a mutual friend."

"Your talking about Brock and doing something to him, ain't ya?"

"Can't get one past you, can I?"

"Nope, been around too much, to know what's written between the lines. You have any idea what's going to happen, you go and take care of Brock, like you're talking?"

"Actually, yeah, we do know. I know from a very reliable source, that Gianni Cacuzza is for our idea, but he's leaving things to his son. We're just trying to get a better idea of what to expect, if we meet him."

"Jimmy, huh? Told you he was a bad seed, right? Well, that's just part of it. As much as the boy's got a temper, he got himself a thirst for blood, too. I know from people I know, that he won't think twice about pulling the trigger, before saying something. You try talking and he'll start shooting."

"We said no guns at the meet, or we'd bring them too."

"Even if there are no guns allowed, he'll try and keep things in his favour."

"Yeah, we thought he might, so we have a plan in play to stop him from doing that."

"If you have something already, why do you need me?"

"My ace up the sleeve, Gus. No one will suspect you, if you're in the area. You can blend into the neighbourhood and watch what's happening and stop something, before it happens."

"I gotcha, boy. I think I know what you're jabbering about. I'm the cavalry and rush in to save the day."

"Yeah, that's it. You're my John Wayne and come to save the fucking day."

"I got you now, too, JT. I was trying to figure what you wanted Gus to do and now I got it."

"Okay, fill me in, because I don't get it."

"Sure, Otto. Lenny knows that we need as much back up as we can get, because we don't know squat about Jimmy and everything is pointing to a bad meet. We have Benny and his guys staking out the area that gets picked, but they might not be close enough to stop something from going down, until it's too late. If we have Gus stationed close by, where he can rush in, we stand a better chance of staying alive and keeping control, until Benny and the boys make it to us. We're talking about less than a minute of time here, but that amount can find us alive, or dead."

"Shit. Now I got where you're going."

"Anyone not up to speed on all of this? Speak up and let's make sure everyone knows what we're talking about here."

No one was unsure of what was at stake anymore, or what part each player had in it. Heads nodded in agreement, some in part to JT's brilliance at looking ahead and planning.

Arrangements were made to talk again after the funeral and a call from Jimmy, to where the meet would be, giving them a day or so at best, to set their plan up. The ride back wasn't spent enjoying the wind, but focusing on who they were becoming and coming to terms with it. No one had joined with the intent of killing people, or committing crimes, but it had come to that out of necessity, the circumstances life kept putting them in, forcing them to act that way.

Jake's last day started well, eyes opening to a cool, clear day. The late, summer morning was crisp with the hoar frost that had settled overnight. The ground glittered like tiny jewels, as the sun rose and danced its rays over it. Moon stood there naked, feeling the coolness on his skin, as the small sedge bush was given his morning dose of urine. One by one, every guy did the same, the small bush apparently happy with the amount of acids it was given. Some stood naked, while others still wore pants, as stretching and squinting eyes welcomed them to the day.

"Tomorrow will be a harvest day for us. Many of the crops need picking, or the frost will ruin them. We have done well, for what we could save of the old crops and have fields ready for next year, so we will do even better."

"We get those animals you want and maybe even a tractor and this will be Green Acres on acid, man"

"What tractor, Lenny?"

"Oh yeah, we didn't tell you guys that last night. We were talking about this place and what we needed to do and Piney started going on about it being like that show and then we were joking about you sitting on the tractor naked and the girls walking around you. Then we figured, hey, they should have a tractor, it's a fucking farm and they need a tractor to do farm shit. So, we decided to look around for a decent used tractor and buy it. Maybe get some of things you pull behind it, to plough and cut and stuff."

"Seriously? You wish to buy us that?"

"Well, we thought it was more like for all of us. The girls and some of the guys will be here, so, it's like a shared thing."

"That is how a commune works, Lenny. Nothing is owned, it belongs to all. We don't do things for the self, only for the good of everyone."

"I guess that's like our club, too. What belongs to the club, belongs to every member."

"More or less. You all have your own bikes and as far as I know, no one else gets to ride them. I can't see you letting that happen, actually. You have great personal possession to them, I see it when you talk about them and how you care for them. Even Jake left his bike to you JT and not the club. Would you share that bike with every member?"

JT looked at the guys standing there beside him, each one looking to see if he would let him. JT looked at them with pride, letting them know how he was thinking of them, then turned to Moon.

"No way. Not a chance in hell, I'd do that. I'd shoot the first motherfucker who put his ass on the seat."

Laughter broke out among them and hugs were given to the guys, to show it was all in fun. Despite the joking around, every guy knew that JT had every right to do what he said. No man touched another man's bike, ever. That bike was his connection to freedom, where his spirit was freed and became one with everything. Touching that bike, was worse than touching his woman and people would get seriously hurt or die doing that. Those feelings stayed amongst the club and were never expressed, but sensitive intuition, picked up the vibes between them and wondered what kind of brotherhood they had formed.

The girls were wrapped in sheets, as they stood in the kitchen and dining room, making coffee with scrambled eggs and toast to eat. When it was ready, Poppy came out and called them in. When Clay walked in, she grabbed him by his package and pulled him to the side.

"You, were awesome last night. I love how you learned to go down on me. You know what I want to do tonight, if you feel like it?"

Clay was smiling proudly and excited to imagine what was coming.

"What's that, Sweetheart?"

"I want to do a sixty nine with you in front of everybody and show them how good we are together."

Clay looked at the tiny, young woman, smiling happier than anything about it, her eyes sparkling.

"Baby, I'll lick you till you scream for me to stop."

"Oh, Clay, I can't wait. Okay, let's get some breakfast and then get ready. I can't wait to see you all dressed up in your suit."

"I'm top of the line, Baby, top, of, the, line."

Clay gave her a soft kiss and they walked in to join the others already eating. The food was finished, along with second cups of coffee, before they all started getting ready. The air was warming, as the hours passed, until twenty two young adults came back together, looking as well dressed, as they'd ever presented themselves. They squeezed into the three vehicles and slowly left the lane, each car loaded to its capacity and more. They made it to Dubrowski's at eight thirty, with almost a half hour to spare, leaving plenty of time for JT and Piney, to pick up Marlene at the hotel. They happily climbed out and straightened themselves out, some of the others attending watching them with a bit of amusement. JT and Piney left and drove the short distance across town to the Holiday Inn. True to plan, Wayne Unser's cruiser was parked out front and he was waiting outside the door. The door was open and Marlene was dressed and ready, slowly pacing the floor. The pair looked at her and were stunned by how beautiful she looked in her tight black dress, the hat and veil nestled atop her red hair set in an elaborate style. The shawl helped hide the bared cleavage and fresh scars, but otherwise, she was stunning and radiant.

"Hi guys, come on in. Tell me, do I look okay?"

Marlene slowly turned, giving them ample time to take her in from head to toe. She finished rotating and stopped, looking at them for their opinion. She smiled, as she saw the stares and knew she had it still. Both of them nodded, unsure if they should say something and blow their cool.

"You boys look fabulous in your suits. I like the hair tied back like that, very chic. Nice shoes, too. Goodwin's obviously."

"Yeah, Harry says hi, by the way and thanks you for the referral. He heard about everything and offered his condolences."

"He's a great guy. I bought Jake a suit there for his birthday and a pair of shoes at George's. He looked so good in that outfit. I wonder if he still has it? I haven't seen him wear it in years and never asked if he kept it."

"What did it look like? I have to meet up with Mr. Lowen and go to Jake's place. Clay has to come too, because of the cars, so maybe I can ask if you can come, seeing as you were about the closest thing to family he had. Maybe there's a few things that you should have."

"Oh, JT, please. Ask if I can, I know Jake was a sentimental, old fool deep down and saved some stuff, I'm sure. I'd love to see if any of it is still there."

"You've never been at Jake's place before?"

"No, it was always off limits. He wanted to have a place where my husband wouldn't catch us, so I never got to see inside it. I drove by once, just to see it, but never the inside. I was too scared to stop and peek inside, in case someone saw me and told him."

"It'll be a trip to the unknown then, for all of us. I don't think even Art has been inside yet."

The door to the bedroom opened and Suzy and Azure came out. JT caught his breath and Piney had to close his mouth, as they looked at them. Both were transformed into absolute beauties, their hair and make up, done so well. Their dresses were new and fit them perfectly, making them look at Marlene again.

"I figured they deserved them and the hair and make up too. I called my hairdresser and his make up artist and had them come to do this for us. I think they're worth every penny I spent, don't you?"

They were both speechless, as the girls showed off their new look. Heads nodded again, dumbfounded to speak once more. Francois and Alfonso came out from the bedroom, holding hands and that dropped both of the guys mouths. Seeing homosexual behaviour so openly displayed, just took things past anything they had tried to accept. JT backed up and into the hallway and looked at Wayne, nodding his head towards the gay men and giving him an estranged look. Wayne shrugged his shoulders and whispered.

"She said they were here to do hair and make up. They were clean and they don't really look the type to be doing a hit, do you?"

JT shrugged his shoulders and took a few steps back in and stood beside Piney again. Suzy gracefully walked to him and let him take a closer look. She was pleased to see him enthralled with what she had chose and watched his admiring stare.