“Vogue beats the crap out of me every time we get in the ring.” Priest chuckled. “That woman is hardcore.”
“You fight a woman?” Bryony asked, sounding appalled.
“No. We try to fight a woman and end up defending our manhood within ten seconds of getting in the ring with her. Vogue seriously packs a punch and woe betide anyone who underestimates her.” I laughed.
Vogue had given me several beatdowns in the past. I wouldn’t be messing with her anytime soon.
“I’ve got a lot to consider,” Bryony said.
“And we’ll let you get on with that. There’s much to consider before you sentence those kids to a life on the run,” Blue stated.
Bryony didn’t like the truth of Blue’s statement. The look she sent him was sharp, but she couldn’t deny it.
???
Two days later, on Saturday early afternoon, I entered the clubhouse and avoided Kiki and Silk, both heading towards me. Tonight was the cookout forCécile and Etienne’s ‘welcome to the club’. Warden would be awarding them both their road names.
“Fuck off,” I snapped as Lolli drew close. She backed away instantly. At least one whore did as they were told.
“You okay?” Griffin asked as I passed him.
“Yeah.”
“Liar,” Griffin teased and, got up, and followed me. “Talk, Soul.”
“My skin is on fire. I feel like someone is scraping a cheese grater all over me and rubbing me raw. It was just a day of fuckin’ lies.”
“At the cemetery?” Griffin questioned.
“Yeah.”
“But you don’t do funerals,” Griffin said, confused.
“Nope, but I was around several lying families today, as there were some issues with them being at war. They were fighting over the poor fucker’s belongings, and Trevor needed back up. The lies and fake grief set me on edge.”
“Next time, get Trevor to separate problem funerals,” Griffin replied.
“He had. Which is why this afternoon’s battle royale was a shock. It came out of the blue. It wasn’t pretty.”
“I can’t even trade with you because I deal with the public, and I can’t think of anyone else you could swap with,” Griffin said thoughtfully.
“I will be okay, just raw today,” I admitted.
“Talk to Warden. Maybe Romeo or Slasher—”
“No, brother. They’re both supporting Katie and Dynamo. I’m not asking for them to put themselves under more pressure. I’ll be fine, heading to the cabin soon to chill out.”
“Soul, I know you are thinking you don’t wanna be a burden because you’re new. You ain’t. If you need help, ask. Do not suffer alone. Not like… and shit!” Griffin exclaimed.
Oracle had got to his feet, his face a pasty white, and his eyes rolled up. Blood streamed from his nose.
“Get the whores out!” Warden yelled. He leapt over a table and caught Oracle as he began to go down.
“What do you see?” Undertaker demanded as he took Oracle’s other side.
“It’s a fishing ship. Twelve crew. She is going down even though the seas are calm. A repair has failed, and she’s taking on water quickly. The crew’s trying to hit the lifeboats,” Oracle answered.
“Name? How soon?” Warden asked.
