Page 178 of Devil’s Disciples

His eyes narrowed. “Is she built for this shit?”

“You find out who the tough guy in the bar is when someone comes in with a gun,” I said. “Time will tell, I guess.”

He patted me on the shoulder. “I suppose you’ll find out. Sooner or later.”

I tossed my empty beer bottle and grabbed another from the ice bin. When I returned to the deck, Reno and Baker were gone. I searched the yard and spotted Reno talking to Kimberly and Baker talking to Andy.

Fifteen minutes earlier, it would have bothered me to see Reno with Kimberly. After Baker’s determination that she was my Ol’ Lady, I knew he’d be respectful of her, and of me.

“Been trading off with Tito listening to that guy in Encino,” Ghost said. “He’s an interesting fucker.”

“How so?”

“He finances a pot farm in Colorado, owns a car dealership in Kansas, and runs a card game in LA. Game costs five hundred grand to get a seat. Sounds like he has everyone from ball players to politicians playing poker. Then, he sells smack on the side. No wonder he beats the drug charges. Prick’s probably got the cops on his payroll. Prick only leaves his home about once a year, and that time is coming up in about a week.”

I glanced toward Kimberly, and then looked at Ghost. “We going to hit him?”

“Baker’s gonna decide after Tito gives him the transcripts. If so, it’ll be while he’s out of town. Next week, late, is what it sounds like.”

“Gonna be big?” I asked.

“Not as big as that diamond dealer, but it’ll be close.”

I sipped my beer and gazed out into the yard. Kimberly stood beside a deck positioned in the middle of Goose’s yard. She admired potted flowers while Reno babbled at her side.

Every now and again, she’d look up and smile.

“He’ll be fine,” Ghost said. “Don’t worry. He’s probably telling her about the money he lost.”

“Just afraid he’s going to say something stupid. He always says dumb shit when he’s drunk.”

He looked at him and chuckled. “He says some dumb shit, doesn’t he?”

I trusted Reno but viewed him differently than the rest of the fellas. He was an outsider that we’d allowed into the club. Although he’d been with us for a decade, I still felt he was earning his stripes. As the five of us had been together since childhood, I suspected Reno would always be playing catch up.

“Yeah,” I said. “He’s good at blowing shit up, but he’s bad at being subtle.”

“He doesn’t have a subtle bone in his body.”

I raised my beer bottle in mock toast. “Agreed.”

I was relieved to see Reno walk away from Kimberly, leaving her to talk to Baker and Andy. While she laughed at something Baker said, Reno meandered to where we stood.

After getting a beer, he stepped between us and took a drink. Then, he took another. Wearing a shitty smirk, he looked right at me and held my gaze the best his drunken eyes would allow.

“What?” I asked.

He twisted his mouth to the side and took another drink. “Can’t decide if I wanna tell ya.”

“Tell me what?”

He shrugged.

When everyone was drunk, it was always a good time. When one person was drunk and everyone else was sober, it made me wonder why any of us ever got drunk.

“Got good news and I got bad news,” he said. “Which you want first?”

Ghost chuckled. “Give him the bad news.”