Page 38 of Last Mile

“It’s too late for all that. I ain’t gonna sit by and let this pass. I don’t care what Rambo and the others think.”

Standing toe-to-toe with Eddy, Rev towered over him. “Are you threatening me?”

Eddy’s lips curled into a smirk. “And what if I am? You gonna sic your cartel boys on me?”

“Take your threats, and get out of my fucking face before I hunt down Rambo and have him drag your ass in to take your patch.”

“Pussy,” Eddy taunted.

Rev shook his head. “I won’t fight you, old man. No matter what bullshit you throw at me.” After giving Eddy one final “fuck you” look, he sidestepped away from him and started down the hall.

“What a prick,” Deacon muttered as we entered the dining room.

“Has he always been that way at meetings?” I asked as I grabbed a tray.

Rev shrugged. “I’m not sure, since I’ve only been president at the last two. I can’t remember if Preacher Man or Case ever mentioned him.”

“He probably had someone proxy for him at the meetings when he was in jail,” Deacon said.

“They should have voted his ass out a long time ago,” Mac remarked.

Deacon grinned. “Amen to that one.”

Rev exhaled a long, somewhat troubled breath. “All right. Enough about that fucker. Let’s focus on the positives.”

“Yes, sir,” Deacon replied, with a mock salute.

“Ass,” Rev grumbled.

After lunch, we headed down the hill to where the party was gearing up around a towering bonfire. Now that the business aspect was over, the rest of the day would be another free- for-all into the early- morning hours. Then after breakfast on Sunday, everyone would pack up to head home.

I was hoping that Eddy and his assholes would leave early so they didn’t kill anyone else’s buzz. Although Rev had tried changing the subject off Eddy, it was all anyone could talk about in the dining room. Apparently, all the others had heard about Eddy’s threat, and no one seemed to be taking it as lightly as we had initially. We soon learned from some of the older men that Eddy always carried through on a threat. It left a dark cloud hanging over us.

While I’d managed to avoid Samantha for the better part of the weekend, I couldn’t help searching her out now. She and Kim were working the kegs and getting beer for a long line of thirsty Raiders.

When she looked up to see me staring, she waved. After I waved back, she grabbed a cup and headed over to me.

“Need a beer?” Samantha asked.

“While I’d prefer some Jack or Patrón, it’ll have to do.”

She smiled as she handed me the red Solo cup. “Did your meeting not go so well?”

“Meeting went good. It’s more about the bullshit that happened afterward,” I replied as I gulped down some of the foamy liquid.

“The mood must be catching, because the other guys seem a little edgy.”

“Edgy is a good way to put it.” I looked up from my cup to find

her staring intently at me. “Look, it’s nothing you need to worry

about.”

“That might be true, but if you’re upset, I want you to have

someone to talk to. Especially since it doesn’t seem like you can with

the rest of your brothers. You know, since they’re feeling the same