“He’s under a lot of pressure,” I stated as Tommy approached, squatted close and pressed a clean towel to Green’s leg.
“Yeah, Liv, he is. That is not lost on me. That isn’t lost on any of the fuckin’ minions he treats like minions even though nearly two fuckin’ decades ago, Leon Jackson cut off his balls and served them up. Vincent Shade ate his own balls and he did not grow those balls back. Leon bit it, his wife ruled his roost and dug your dad’s hole deeper. She got outta the game, Valenzuela stepped in. He never got his shit together to win his patch back.”
He shook his head impatiently but gave me no chance to reply. He kept talking.
“I am not tellin’ you shit you don’t know. Shit like the fact that Denver’s only got two real players left. Marcus Sloan, who acts like your dad doesn’t even exist, and Benito Valenzuela, who doesn’t bother fuckin’ with your dad because he knows he’s a fuckin’ joke. Hell, Seth Townsend’s still in prison and he’s got more pull on the street than your dad.”
“You are, of course, telling me something I know,” I confirmed, about to go on, but Green continued explaining a situation I knew all too well considering the fact I lived and breathed it.
“Sloan’s got the guns because he wants to control who’s usin’ ’em on the streets. Other than that, he’s gone legit. Valenzuela has the rest, Liv, and there’s no gettin’ it back from him. Only outfit who might have the power to see that through is that crazy MC and only because the brothers of the Chaos Motorcycle Club are fuckin’ crazy and they got bigger balls than practically anybody.”
“Green—” I tried but got no further.
“Pot went legal, we got even more fucked, ’cause that’s all Valenzuela let us have. He’s got the rest of the dope. He’s got the whores. He’s got the film sets. He’s got the protection racket. He’s got state senators eatin’ at his table. He’s got that prosecutor bitch lubed and beggin’ to take more of him up her ass. He’s got it all. Your soldiers been existing on dregs for you, whatever Georgia can drum up for us to put on the street, which isn’t much and it sure as fuck ain’t quality, and I’m not the only one who’s done.”
This didn’t surprise me.
It concerned me, but it didn’t surprise me.
I was, of course, their team leader, as it were. They were all my soldiers. They answered to me. They also communicated with me. So I knew this all too well.
“Eli, Georgia has had a series of meetings with Valenzuela in an effort to—”
“He wants her to suck his cock,” Green declared. “After she gets on her knees, he wants her bent over his desk. He does not take her seriously, Liv, and please God, tell me one of you Shades are smart enough to know that’s the motherfuckin’ truth.”
I made no reply because I was the one Shade who did know that.
“You know,” Green whispered, eyeing me closely. “Only one with a goddamned brain in your head, you fuckin’ know. Your dad is done, Liv. He’s so fucked in the head, it’s not fuckin’ funny. Livin’ in the past, thinkin’ he’s still coastin’ on the legacy his father left him. This shit…” He indicated his leg. “Him still thinkin’ he’s king of the scene when no player acknowledges him, suppliers from here to Colombia to fuckin’ Afghanistan knowin’ he’s a joke, that shit he pulled four—”
All of a sudden his eyes jerked to Tommy’s hands on his wound then to Tommy’s face.
“Fuck, man, what the fuck?” he clipped.
“We need to get you to Baldy,” Tommy stated.
“Yeah, only reason Baldy will look at me is ’cause he’s sweet on Liv, but you get that, don’t you, Tom?” Green asked.
Tommy’s eyes flashed.
I quickly shifted closer to Green.
“How about we focus on sorting out your injury?” I suggested.
Green turned his attention back to me and the look in his eyes held pain but also intensity.
“Get out, Liv,” he urged, his tone intense too. “Get the fuck out, gorgeous. He will drag you down. Georgia’s blinded by bullshit, thinkin’ she can resurrect her legacy. She’ll go down with him and she don’t fuckin’ care, so loyal to a whackjob, she’s totally fuckin’ lost. But you know better. So get…the fuck…out.”
I held his gaze before I rolled back to my feet and straightened to standing.
I looked to Tommy. “Let’s get those towels tied tight and then get him up. I’ll find something to use as ties and call Gill to bring a car around.”
Tommy nodded.
I moved to my father’s desk.
“Man, you give even a minuscule shit about her, and I know you do, you get her out and far away from him.” I heard Green advise Tommy as I moved.
It didn’t come as a surprise that Tommy didn’t answer.
I found nothing at Dad’s desk that we could use for Green’s wound and was headed to the bathroom as Tommy called, “Bring another coupla towels, Liv. I’ll rip one, use the strips. But need another clean one. This one’s soaked.”
I nodded to him, got the towels and brought them to Tommy.