He barked a laugh. Look at Ms. Mouth, coming into her own. He couldn't help but feel he had something to do with how far she'd come. He looked at himself as her mentor in a way. She had some support, but they were looking for the woman she'd once been, not understanding that person would never exist again. Misfortune left a mark on you. It split your soul into pieces, and once you put yourself back together, you found yourself permanently altered.
"Look at this guy. Did he finally get a girlfriend or what?"
Snake looked up at the loud mouthed nomad who'd hit the clubhouse late last night. The dark-haired man with cold coal black eyes, and reputation for starting fights rose red flags. Men could get squirrelly on the road.
"You mean you don't have female friends, Duke?" Snake asked.
"Don't need a bitch to hold my hand and make me giggle like a little girl. They make you soft."
Snake arched an eyebrow. Duke was baiting him. You don't want any, motherfucker. I'd break your road worn ass.
"Maybe you," Snake said, returning to his phone.
You got jokes, cute. ~ Snake
"No, motherfucker, I'm talking about you. How can you be my V.P when you're love struck and giggling-"
Snake stood. "You've been on the road too long. You come in here talking that shit out of your ass. I could fuck you up. But it's Valentine's Day and I have other plans so I'm going to give you a chance to apologize, and get your shit together before your mouth cashes a check your ass can't cover."
Snake's muscles flexed as he stared down the man who stood with pursed lips.
"Yeah, sorry about that, Veep."
"Next time, I'm putting you on your ass. Go have some drinks, get laid, and chill the fuck out."
Duke nodded, and slinked off like a wounded animal licking its wound. He watched his retreat, never taking his eyes off his back until he disappeared into the crowd.
"The fuck?" a member mumbled beside him.
Snake shook his head. "Brother got his brain scrambled driving in the hot sun. I'd hate to welcome a man home with an ass whopping."
Laughter rang out, breaking the tension. Snake smirked. He'd be watching him while he was here. Sometimes nomads went off the reservation. They had a tough job, they spent a lot of time alone, and had a lot of blood on their hands. Sometimes they needed a reprieve.
"You got a minute?" Data asked.
"Yeah, brother, what's up?" Snake shifted gears as he glanced down at the lanky blond who didn't look like he belonged to the club, sans his cut. The white-blond streaks covered half his round baby face, making his green eyes seem even larger. He looked sixteen instead of his twenty-six.
"I think it's better if I show you."
The tone made his hackles rise. Is this the moment I've been waiting years for?
"All right, brother, lead the way," Snake said.
He followed him through the club to a table away from the noise. Data sat down in front of the laptop.
"Okay, so I've been following the KKK Facebook pages, and websites, and groups with a dummy account since you put me on the case. Nothing's stood out during my weekly sweeps, until now." He tapped a post.
Snake skimmed over the words. It was from his old town.
You have to get serious about cleansing. Burn homes to the ground. Raise a ruckus. Show them why they're inferior. Passivity has led to the ruination of our country.
"What the fuck?" Snake said.
"Sounds like more than the angry rantings of a coward. This man has done some extreme things in the name of his beliefs. I don't think where he's from is a coincidence. There's a slight chance he could be alluding to what happened to make himself look like a big shot."
"Then he fucked up. Can you get his personal information?" Snake asked.
"Already did it. I wasn't sure what you wanted to do," Data replied.
"I want to have a Q &A session with our friend."
Data glanced back at him. "I can track him down."
"Do it." Snake balled his fists, relishing the crackle of bones. He'd been waiting years to find those bastards, and get his revenge. He could only imagine Jade and Jocelyn were stuck in some fucked up limbo waiting for him to avenge them. A warrior always got even. He'd been a sheep before his life with the Wild Ones-quiet, docile, and ready to go with the flow in most things. Now he was a beast who stood up for what he believed and took when others would never give. The world was a dark pace. The strong survived and thrived. The weak were overrun. He'd never be the one on the bottom again. His phone buzzed in his cut pocket, and he thought of Es. Right now she was out there vulnerable, hurting, and alone. He needed to soothe his anger before he exploded. She did that without trying, eased the burning rage he kept buried deep below the surface.
He pulled out his phone.
How's my support doing? ~Es
Not good. Time to meet up? ~ Snake
He'd punched in the words before he could take them back. She'd slipped beneath his barriers and become a part of his circle.
Yes, could use your opinion on a few things. ~ Es
Game play? ~Snake
The video arcade? ~ Es
Yeah, games, food, and non-romantic patrons? ~ Snake
Lol! Did you really just say patron? ~Es
I know words, woman. ~ Snake
I'm in. What time? ~ Es
30 minutes. ~ Snake
Done. See you there, be ready to get trumped. ;) ~ Es
He needed to proceed with care and methodical thinking. Rushing in would make the waiting for nothing.
"Data, I'll get with you tomorrow on this, and we'll rough out a plan."
"Got it, VP."
Snake pounded his fist lightly on Data's shoulder, and left the clubhouse.
§
As he made his way into the small arcade, he felt like he was returning to his youth. The older video games were lined up in the center and around the outside walls were pinball. A concession stand was open, and the prices were right for the continuous play. The place was crowded with teenagers engrossed in their epic battles with the games. It made him smile. He'd been them once. Out of habit, he walked the perimeter after paying for two entries. There was no danger here. He could take any of these people with his eyes closed. His phone buzzed. He moved out the front door. She stepped out of her car and waved.
"I've never been here before."
"Then you don't know what you're missing, Es. It's my goal to broaden your horizons."
"Oh yeah?" she said with a small laugh.
"I take this support gig very seriously," he said as she rolled her eyes.
"And I'm chopped liver?"
Snake wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I wouldn't say that. You play a mean game of darts and pool."
She shoved him away playfully. "Sore loser. Let's go in so I can continue to dominate you."
"Oh, is that the way you like to do things?" he asked.
She gasped. "What? No." Her cheeks turned pink.
He liked the look. Despite everything she'd been through a pureness remained.
"Don't worry, Es, your secret is safe with me. I already paid for your ticket by the way." He gave her a wink as they walked inside.
"Thanks." She paused once she entered and a huge smile spread across her lips. "I would've lived here when I was a teen."
"Right?" he agreed. "Did you see the giant gumball machine in the corner? I can't remember the last time I saw anything like that."
Es grinned. "Ha, the mall in the eighties."
"Since I invited you here, the first game is your pick."
"Pac-Man," she said without hesitation.
"Game on, then," he replied.
Thirty minutes later with scores too tight to declare anyone the winner, they broke for a refreshment break.
"I'll spring for the eats, since you bought the ticket."
"Look at you being so sweet to me on Valentine's Day," Snake teased.
She laughed. The sound was a form of therapy.
"You know me, big spender who loves to lavish," she said, grabbing a pack of Twizzlers and adding it to their stash. "I needed that more than I realized."
"You said you had a rough day?" he asked cautiously.
She nodded. "Yeah, had a come to Jesus meeting not of my own making. He and I have been on the outs since this whole thing happened."
"I can imagine," he said.
"I went to the park where we used to run a lot. I was proud of myself. I've been avoiding that place for two years now."
"You should be. That's a huge deal," he said.
"Hmm." She smiled at the cashier as she paid for their things and they took a seat in the tables and chairs set up. He studied her face; her lips were turned down at the corners, and her eyes had lost a bit of their sparkle. "I was doing fine until I saw her. She couldn't have been more than three or four with giant blonde spiral curls and rosy cheeks. She was everything my daughter might've been. But I was holding it together. Then I heard her name … Emma." She shook her head and focused all of her attention on opening the yellow packet of chocolate covered peanut goodness.