Page 12 of Ulysses

Lily nodded her head. “I hate to say this but Todd got what he deserved but not for the reason Ricco shot him. That was Ricco’s own fault and he knew it the whole time. Ricco didn’t love Stella. He didn’t know the first thing about how a man is supposed to love a woman. He just loved having Stella under his thumb. He controlled her and she was a beautiful woman. Known in all the right circles as a beauty. She knew it and she used that against Ricco all the time. Todd wasn’t the first man she kept on the side, maybe the fourth or fifth but not the first. When a man and woman take their vows before God they should honor each other, not control the other person. Ricco wanted a beautiful woman so men would envy him but he never loved anyone but himself. That was his mistake but Stella didn’t keep her vows either to be with just one man. They both lost in the end and it was all for lust and ego, but that was Ricco wasn’t it? When he blew up that bar and killed Gabriel, he knew he crossed a line he couldn’t ever make right again. He also knew our father always favored Gabe and his actions would harm my father. But Ricco just didn’t give a damn. This war isn’t your fault, it rests on Ricco’s and my father’s shoulders.” She shrugged. “But Ricco just didn’t give a damn. He took the coward’s way out. But that’s something Ricco has always done. He always was a coward. Now he’s killed damn near all of his family.” She stopped speaking then her fingers curled into fists as she said, “I hope you rot in hell Ricco.” She growled. “But not to worry, you’ll drag the whole damn family to hell with you.”

Suddenly, an alarm chirped on Jep’s monitor. Jep quickly typed in commands and then he looked up at Bouncer and said, “There was a breach on the south end boundary. They got through the fence and are now inside the compound. No clue as to how many.”

Bouncer texted the roof, ‘Unknown count of unauthorized persons inside the compound. Be alert brothers. Again, unknown number of unauthorized persons inside the fence.’

Time stood still as the men up on the roof kept watch. Tension rose as they waited.

Then there was finally movement as Sanchez men rushed the clubhouse.

Instantly and from out of nowhere, arrows were launched. The arrows hit the ground around the men. Pink, blue, green and yellow smoke rose up like a rainbow of cloudy joy.

Inside watching all of this, Boomer grinned. “There’s the smoke!”

Then men outside all stopped in mid-step. Then they shook their heads as if to clear their fog.

“Are you sure about this?” Titus asked Boomer.

“As the Beatles said...Let it be...Let it be,” he sang.

Suddenly, the men in the yard smiled and looked at each other.

“Wait for it,” Boomer announced.

One man outside peered down at the gun in his hand then he looked at the arrows lining the ground. Finally breaking the strange silence, he exclaimed with glee, “Cowboys and Indians!”

“Si!” another called out.

“Hombres, we play Vaqueros and Indios!” one of them added with a huge smile on his face.

They all turned their guns on each other as they laughed and even giggled.

“Holy shit,” Ulysses swore while they all watched this on the monitor.

And that was what the group of supposed vaqueros and Indios did––They fired their weapons at each other.

Bodies dropped as blood ran along the ground.

“Well fuck! Of all the suicidal tricks...” Bouncer exclaimed in surprise.

“Like candy from babies,” Jep muttered in disbelief.

Lily shook her head. “Those men weren’t babies no matter what they breathed in. They were cartel soldiers who followed arrogant losers and they all died for it.”

A half an hour later...

They all had something to drink, some coffee and some with sodas. When this war was over, Bouncer said they would all tie one on with some cases of beer. Many of the men nodded their heads.

Most were still watching the screens and looking out from the small spaces of the boarded up windows. Some were still on the roof.

Suddenly, someone in one of the rooms down the hall screamed and a gunshot rang out. Heavy steps ran toward the Infirmary, the room where the scream came from. They threw the door open and men poured inside.

Aisha lay on the floor and there wasn’t anyone else inside the room. But when Aisha noticed them she pointed toward the window.

Bouncer looked over and noticed the pane had been shattered and glass had been scattered around inside the room.

“Ulysses came in and went after the man,” Aisah whispered.

“Are you hurt?” Pyrite asked as he knelt beside her.