Redwood Nine: Season 03 Ch. 06

The doctor came out and asked them if they were there for Mr. Winston and said they were. At that moment, the doors swung open and Stan and Lorelei were coming through.

"JT, how's Piermont?"

"This is the doctor, Mr. and Mrs. Winston. He was just going to tell us how Piney is."

Eyes focused on the doctor and waited to hear what he had to say.

"Your son is going to be okay, the bullet didn't hit anything vital, but nicked a vein. We sewed it up and closed the wound, so he'll need a few days rest here and then he'll be okay to go home after that."

The relief swept over all their faces, knowing Piney would be fine.

"When can we see him?"

"He just came out of surgery and they'll be taking him to his room. He's still under sedation, so in about half an hour, check with the desk nurse and she'll let you know what room he's in."

"Thank you, Doctor, thank you so much."

"My pleasure, Mrs. Winston, Mr. Winston."

Stan shook his hand heartily and sighed in relief, as the doctor went through the swinging doors again and disappeared. The relieved parental faces quickly turned to ones of accusal, as they sat and looked at JT and Lenny.

"What happened, JT? How did Piney get shot?"

"I guess in a way, it's our own fault."

The reply stunned them with the admission and they wanted to know more details.

"We talked with D.C. Unser about it and the only thing we can figure started it, was because of us helping the police arrest those bikers selling heroin. This must be some kind of retaliation for that."

"Oh JT, no. I pray no one else gets hurt."

Lorelei was in full motherly mode, worrying and fretting about what might be. Stan was still calm and collected about it.

"You think this was it, or do you expect more blow back?"

"Honestly, this is only the beginning, in my opinion."

Lorelei's face was pure worry at the thought of losing another son and began crying.

"Oh no, JT."

"Lei, Lei, calm down, that's not going to help, getting all out of sorts over it."

Stan put his arm around her to calm her, as he looked at JT and Lenny.

"What do you think is the outcome?"

JT looked at Lenny and sighed deeply, before looking at the distraught parents.

"These guys want us all dead."

"Oh shit."

Lorelei didn't chastise her husband for foul language, feeling her answer might have been the same.

"Do the police know about it? That they want to kill you guys?"

"Oh yeah. I was telling Wayne, Deputy Chief Unser, all about everything. The chief came to the shop and I told him and they're calling San Joaquin sheriffs to help out. The bikers are in their jurisdiction, so they're pressing the sheriffs to make sure it doesn't spill into Charming."

"Are they going to watch out for you boys?"

"I think that's the plan, Mrs. Winston."

"They better. I don't want to see anything happen to you boys, it would break my heart."

"It would break mine too, Mrs. Winston. I don't know what I'd do if I lost one of my brothers."

"I know what I'd be doing. I'd hunt the bastards down and kill every last one of them."

"Stan, don't talk like that."

"I would, Lei. If Piney was killed, instead of wounded, I'd be looking for blood right now."

JT and Lenny looked at the seriousness in Stan's eyes and knew the mild mannered parent could easily become a raging killer on the streets.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that. Look, it's been about enough time, let's go see if Piney is awake yet."

"Yes, JT, I need to see my boy and make sure he's alright."

Stan and Lorelei followed Lenny and JT down the hall to the nurse's station and asked which room Piney was in. They rode up to the third floor, then went down the hall and stopped at the door.

"You guys go see him first, Lenny and I will wait out here, till you're done."

Lorelei caressed JT's cheek and kissed it, then did the same to Lenny, making them blush slightly, while Stan patted their shoulders and opened the door for Lorelei to go in. Once the door closed, Lenny turned to JT.

"You think we'll be getting into more gunfights with these guys?"

"I don't see anything else, Lenny. These guys want us dead and unless we have some help from the cops, that's all we're going to be doing. I'm starting to worry about everyone at the farm and if they're safe or not. They wouldn't hurt innocents, would they?"

"Fucked if I know, JT. These assholes just opened fire on us in broad daylight in public. I don't think they care about innocents getting hurt."

"Shit! I'm going to have to tell Moon and the others about this. I can't have them being in danger and something happening to any of them."

"You think they know where we live?"

"They knew where the shop was. These guys have been tailing us for a while it seems. No way they would just know about the shop and stuff. They knew we'd be coming back to it and they were waiting for us."

"Yeah, this isn't good, JT. We have some serious shit on our hands."

"Yes we do, Lenny and the last thing I want, is to be wiping it everywhere. We need to get on top of this and find a way to end it."

"I don't see them shaking hands and calling it even. We fucked up their drug trade and got four guys busted, then we wiped out a shitload of them on the 580.I don't see these guys as the type to back off, or let something go."

"I don't either, Lenny. I see these assholes coming at us with every gun blazing and trying to kill us all. Jake was right about clubs. What it used to be, isn't any more. These guys are looking to control the area and who knows how much more. I know one thing I'm going to do after leaving here."

"What's that, JT?"

"I'm putting a call out to some people who might be able to help us."

"Who do you have in mind?"

"Jimmy and I want him to talk to La Roca and see if they're willing to help us. If we can get some more muscle and increase numbers, we might stand a chance of holding these guys off and saving our asses."

"Sounds good. Both of them are happy with our business arrangements, so I doubt they want to see their money dry up."

"I want to call Stockton and talk to Benny and Lamont and Gus as well. They have their sources to know what's going on. If we look more connected than we appear, they might not want to go to war with us."

"Makes sense, so how do we get around, without being spotted?"

"We have to drive and leave the bikes in the shop, or at the farm. From here on in, no one goes out without another guy and we all pack iron and extra clips, always."

"No arguments there, JT. I just hope it doesn't come to that."

"Me either, Lenny, me either. Hey, Piney's parents are coming out, we can go see him now."

The pair went over and talked to Stan and Lorelei and saw they were relieved to see their son was going to be okay. They said they were going to stay for a while and check in on him throughout the rest of the day. JT knew there was little or nothing they could do, but it appeased Lorelei's instincts to look after her son. JT and Lenny hugged them both and went in to see the fallen brother. Piney was lying quietly, his eyes closed and looked at peace, but his eyes darted open the moment he heard the door.

"Hey man, it's cool, just us."

"Fuck JT, I keep expecting those assholes to come and finish me off. Dad was saying you know why they did it. You didn't say anything about us, did you?"

"No way. I said the same to them, that I did to Unser. This was because we helped get those bikers busted. I told Wayne about running pot, but he didn't care about that. He figures the same as us, that it had to be over the bust. Brother, we're in some deep shit, man. I'll have Unser looking in to posting a cop outside your room, just to make sure, so you'll be okay while you're here. After we leave, we're going to the farm and talking to Moon and the others, let them know what's happened and be prepared for trouble."

"You don't think they'd go after them, or the girls, do you?"

"Piney, I don't know what these fuckers are capable of doing. They followed us down south and back, they know where our clubhouse is and they know we live somewhere, so I'm not taking any chances."

"Good idea. I don't know what I'd do if Mary was injured, or any of the others. This didn't work out as well as we hoped, did it?"

"No shit. I had no idea they were with the Disciples. I wouldn't have suggested what I did to Wayne, if I did. I thought they were just a bunch of bikers trying to set up shop here."

"It doesn't matter now, JT. Fucking Disciples are out for our asses and they won't stop till we're all dead. The pile up on 580 made sure of that. That's why they probably rolled up on us that day. We are in some seriously deep shit, JT. Seriously deep."

"I know, that's why I was telling Lenny, that I'm calling Jimmy, as well as Benny and Lamont and Gus too. I want as many people looking out for us as we can."

"You think they'll be able to help us?"

"I sure as shit hope so. If we end up on our own, we're as good as dead."

"Maybe the club wasn't such a good idea after all?"

"No Piney, the club is a good thing. What's not good, is having trouble land on our doorstep. We have the town, the police and all our connections happy with us. that says we're good."

"Yeah, true, but how much shit are they willing to put up with, before they don't like us again?"

"If people start complaining about us and blaming us, Unser will straighten them out and let them know why this is happening."

"You know, you were so right about getting Wayne on board with us. I doubt we'd be getting their help, if he wasn't."

"Maybe, maybe not."

Piney winced in pain as he tried to take a deeper breath.

"Look, you rest up, Buddy. Lenny is going to hang around and keep an eye on things, until Unser posts a cop outside. I'm heading back to the shop and start making those calls. The sooner we get some people on board and watching our asses, the better."

"Alright Brother, sounds good."

JT gently hugged Piney and shook his hand, holding the connection between them a moment longer, then JT and Lenny left the room.

"Don't let anyone near this room without a badge or you know them. These guys could pretend to be anyone."

"You got it, JT. No one will make it in that room, trust me."

"I do, Lenny. That's why I feel safe knowing you're here."

The two hugged hard, then JT left the hospital and drove back to the shop. All the way back, JT's fear level was piqued, eyeing everyone that looked strange to him. There was no trusting anyone unknown in town. For all that they were looked at as protectors of their town, they now needed the town to protect them. He found it hard to believe that he had to put his trust in people who not long ago, thought of him and his club as undesirables. He began hoping that what they had accomplished so far, was enough to sway support for them.

Pulling into the lot, JT saw the club beginning the clean up and the cops still collecting evidence. The members stopped and came to him, anxious to know Piney's condition.

"He'll be alright. They took out the bullet and patched him up. The doc says he'll okay and can leave the hospital in a couple of days."

"Where's Lenny, JT?"

"I have him standing guard outside Piney's room, Otto, just in case."

Heads nodded in agreement, knowing Piney was the most vulnerable. JT looked around the compound, taking note of any weak areas that could be breached.

"Let's get some chains and locks on the back gate, make sure that's secure and when we're here, let's get that old pickup of Piney's and block the entrance, so no one can bust through the gate. Otto, go up on the roof and see what it looks like from up there, see if we have some vantage points we can use. We can stash a rifle and some ammo up there and pick off anyone who comes even close to the clubhouse. I am not going to just sit back and let Unser and the cops handle this. Okay, you guys take care of those things and get us locked down tight, I'm going to make some calls to people we know and see about getting some muscle to back us up."

The guys immediately went about carrying out the instructions. Otto was on the roof and scoping out the perimeter, looking for spots to snipe from and still have cover from return fire. His time in the Army as a marksman, had served him well in becoming very proficient with a rifle. In his hands, anyone who dared make an attempt to come at them, would find that a kill zone existed within five hundred yards in all directions. Otto had received several commendations from his commanding officer for taking out enemy troops, mostly commanding officers left exposed to him.

JT finished talking to Gus, as well as Benny, both of them now aware of the situation and both prepared to do what was needed to protect them. He called Jimmy and began explaining what had happened and didn't need to ask for help. Jimmy's response was quick and to the point.

"I will have my guys move to Lodi and if those scumbags so much as ride past there to Charming, they'll be dead before they hit the border. I will talk to our Mexican friend and let him know about this. He will make sure his meal ticket stays intact. I know they don't make much money and losing what they get from you could hurt them, so I don't see them saying no."

"Jimmy, I can't thank you enough for this."

"JT, we are in your debt, remember?"

"I thought that was paid back?"

"That was for taking care of that thing. We are very happy with our new business arrangements and wish to keep that going. This is not a good thing for us, to have that interrupting our arrangement."

"No, it's not a good thing, this is a very bad thing, Jimmy."

"That it is, JT, that it is, a very bad thing. Calls will be made and things will be put in place immediately. Do you feel our thing is in trouble as we speak?"

"Oh yeah. No way we can do what we do, when they're all over our territory."

"This, is definitely not a good thing. We have expectations of a delivery soon."

"Not going to happen Jimmy. No way we can be on the road with no protection right now."

"Consider your protection in place. I will talk to my father and let him know what's happening. He will not be pleased about this and want it taken care of."

"Jimmy, these guys are armed and won't hesitate to shoot at you."

"JT, trust me, when I say my father will take care of things, they will be taken care of."

"I'll hold you to it then, Jimmy. Let me know what your dad wants us to do and we'll get together and put things in place."

"Just sit tight, JT. I'm sure my father will be calling you soon."

"Okay, Jimmy, will do. Hey, debt or not, thanks my friend."

"My pleasure. Too bad you're not Italian, you would make a good capo."

"Capo?"

"Captain. You would make a good captain in our organization."

"Well, no Italian in me that I know of. Irish all the way here."

"Hey Irish or not, You have our respect."

"And you have ours, Jimmy."

"A good thing, JT."

"Yes, a good thing, Jimmy. I'll sit tight and wait for your dad's call. Talk to you soon."

"Yes, talk to you soon, ciao."

"Ciao, Jimmy."

The call ended and JT took a deep breath and sighed loudly, the intense pressure lessening, being lifted from his shoulders. He walked to the door and looked at the guys doing whatever they could to defend the compound, turning it into a fortress, instead of a place of business. The phone rang and he was surprised the call came so soon. He rushed in and grabbed the phone.

"Gianni, didn't expect you to call so soon."

"It's Art Lowen, JT. I just heard the news about the shooting and Piney getting shot. Is he okay?"

"Hi Art, sorry, thought you were someone else. Yeah, the Disciples didn't like us killing their drug trade in town and are pissed off. Piney will be okay, no real damage. He'll be out in a couple of days."

"This is not good, JT. All I could think of, was Jake and the trouble we had. I take it Gianni, is Gianni Cacuzza."

"Yes. I'm expecting a call from him."

"JT, I'm real worried about your association with them."

"Art, we need help and our association with them is going to keep our asses out of a pine box."

"Maybe, but you should let the police handle this. It's what they're there for."

"Art, they're on the program already and are trying to get county involved. I'm just making sure that we don't get hit again. Look, I can't really talk right now, I'm waiting for that call. I'll call you soon and we can talk more later."

"JT, be careful. I'll cover you legally as best I can, but there's only so much I can do."

"I know Art. I know. If the shit hits the fan, I'm not waiting until the cops show up to do something about it, we'll cover our asses and deal with the fallout after we're safe."

"Guns are not good, JT. I can't stress how much trouble they'll cause."

"I know. It only takes a little bit of lead and bodies drop. I just don't want them to be my brothers, or anyone we care about."

"Call me soon, okay?"

"I will, gotta go, Art."

"Alright, JT. Be careful."

"We will."

Before Art could say another word, JT hung up and thought on his words. Art was right and guns had brought nothing but trouble since they picked them up. He countered that with his own thoughts on them and knew they would have been cut down already without them. The phone rang and JT answered hello, unsure who it might be.

"I wish to talk to JT Teller."

"Hi Gianni, it's me."

"JT, I just had a call from Jimmy. I am not happy with the events that have happened."

"Neither are we, Gianni."

"These scumbags are causing us more trouble than I like. It's not just you, but other business we do is being affected by them. I have discussed this with those above me and they agree, this situation must be resolved immediately. I have their blessing to do what I feel is necessary to conclude the disruptions to our business. I have people who are heading your way as we speak and will take care of this problem."

"That's great, Gianni, but how are they taking care of this?"

"They will let you know, when they get there. Tell them all you know about the guys and they will begin erasing the problem from the page."

"Okay, Gianni, will do. Anything you can think of that we should be doing right now?"

"Yeah. Keep your heads down and your asses covered."

"We're doing that."

"Continue to do so. I'll be in touch."

"Okay Gianni, talk to you soon."

JT hung up and pondered what Gianni had told him. Whatever he had planned, he would know soon enough, once the people he was sending showed up. Whatever the plan was, his only hope was that it brought an end to the violence surrounding them. He thought of all the killing and misery he had encountered in 'Nam and suddenly felt like he was back there again, except now it was in his home town. He looked out the window and saw the guys congregating and talking, so he went out to let them know the score.

The guys were overjoyed to know they had help on the way. Otto said he had all he needed on the roof and needed a rifle with a scope and he was set. JT explained the phone calls to them and that brought some much needed relief to them. It brought a greater sense of calm to his own state of mind, knowing his brothers were ready to accept whatever outcome arose.

"Okay, I need to get out to the farm and let them know what's going on. Keith, you're with me on this, the rest, lock this place down tight once we're gone and keep those sidearms ready for trouble, if anyone shows up again. I don't know who's coming from Vegas, or wherever they're from, but they'll be arriving soon."

"Aye, JT. You want me to drive or ride shotgun?"

"You drive Keith, I'll keep watch. Let's just get there in one piece, okay."

"Aye, I'll make sure of it."

JT and Keith took off in the pick up and the gate was barred securely and the old pick up parked in front of it. The ride through town was easy enough, but once past the borders, the worry levels increased with each passing mile. Pulling into the lane way, the commune was surprised to see them back.