7
Flanders is overseeing the last of the minute changes I’ve made to the defense system of the large barn we’ve made our head quarters. One of Lister’s better ideas, the 20 had pooled money somewhat grudgingly and purchased this land less than a year ago rather quietly from a widow who had been in her last years.
It serves its purpose, we are definitely squared away.
“Flanders, time!”
“Four minutes shy of noon, Boss!” comes Flanders voice muffled by the stalls on the north side of the barn.
11.56a.m.
I wink conspiratorially at Amm, “Keeps him on his toes.” She chuckles softly, her features back in alignment with her daytime persona. I want to ask her what happened at 3a.m. last night but haven’t the heart to break our good mood.
My shoulder is still tight when I move but I’m feeling better than I have in days, what with loss of blood and police shooting at me.
Flanders strolls back into the main area in the barn, an open space of about fifteen hundred square feet.
“You about ready, Boss?”
He turns and whistles keenly in answer to my nod and tired people groan and roll over in whatever corner or stool or stall they’ve managed to fall asleep in. Partum joins us almost immediately, sometimes I wonder if he actually sleeps.
Partum is a tower that everyone is crouching or standing about, most bleary eyed and grumbling.
“First things first,” I say and feeling idiotic. I know I’m the Boss but I feel like I talk to my closest friends and so I rush on, “We need visibility all over the city. Johnston, set up shop somewhere in the first quarter, near north gate. Lister, you’ll watch his back.” Both nodded and waited for him to go on. “I mean now.”
Lister blinked rapidly and opened his mouth to spew a bile retort but Johnston caught his attention and nodded toward the large doors. I watch them depart with their few belongings and turn my focus back to the gathered 20.
“Partum and Shank, find some grunt work in the third quarter, west side. Stay visible and ask few questions, chum up with anyone you can. Anyone you can stomach, Shank. We’ll be checking in.” With a quick incline of his head, Partum turned and lumbered out the door and Shank followed not a minute later, secreting daggers and knives around her person.
“Nod,” I begin.
“The usual, rent a penthouse on in the second quarter, high side? Room service and a budget to make a Judge cry, am I right?” There was a sparkle in Nod’s eye; there always is when he is elbowing me. His weasel-like, pointed face is split in an easy smile.
I smile back at him, “Stables, second quarter, south side, and try not to spend up that budget too fast.”
He chuckles and heads out the doors.
“Beebee, Alton,” I shift to my left to look at them both, scarred and constantly angry looking, whether they actually were or it was just the effect of broken noses and missing bits of ear, it was hard to tell. “I need you two to get to north of the city and make an area look as if it was home to the 20. Here’s some money, set up tents, watch stands, anything you can come up with to look as if we’re there.”
“Reckon we can match that, Boss. This considerin mine an’ Alton’s R&R?” Beebee chuckles like a cheese grater and limps off toward the doors, her husband Alton tucking away the gold for their efforts.
Shaking my head with a smile, “Twitch, you…”
“Shucks, Boss,” Twitch interrupts with a slur though I’m sure he’s sober, “just gimme some pocket moneys and I’ll have you right up informationed as you can get. I know my specialty and it’s at the bottom of a tankard.”
Amm giggles softly; she has a soft spot for Twitch because he tells lewd and disgusting stories with less than moral endings.
“Yes, Twitch, just keep switching bars and pubs. We’ll find you. And watch out for the others as they may need to make contact with you if we move.”
“Course,” he says and accepts the gold from my hand with no greed and lumbers off, looking four sheets to the wind already.
“Vern, pick one of your associates in the fourth quarter, north gate and make it as obvious as you can that you aren’t with the 20.” The pretty girl stands up and smiles at me wickedly, her hand on her well shaped waist and I feel Amm tense. “And let’s remember what we’re out there for, Vern, keep in contact with Twitch.”
Vern winks at me lazily and holds out her hand, “What, Hank, no money for me?”
I put a reassuring hand on Amm’s knee and I can almost hear a growl in her throat, “We both know you’ll have more than enough money where ever you choose to go.”
Laughing musically, Vern flutters her eyelashes and leaves the barn, swaying her hips.
Amm trembles and puts her hand over mine where it rests on her knee, “That cheap little piece of…” and trails off.
“Blitz. Blitz! BLITZ!” he turns, prying his eyes off the swaying form of Vern disappearing in the distance.
“Yar, Boss.”
“Second quarter, east gate, try to find something out of the way and contact Twitch as soon as possible. Keep your head down.”
Blitz nods and huffs his way out the door and I have a feeling he’s well on his way to catching up to Vern. No matter how much I try to separate infatuations and the job, 20 people in close contact breed feelings.
I look at Amm and she smiles sweetly. This is exactly what I mean.
“And then there were 10.” I say thoughtfully, taking stock of those left in the huddle. “Just one more thing and we can get on with the defense plans of head quarters.”
I look to my second in command.
“Flanders.”
“Sir.” He answers dutifully, the reason he is second in command. His death sentence had been questioned often by the 20 and yet no one, including myself, knows the truth about the crime he had purportedly committed.
“You’re going to turn yourself in, Flanders.”
Amm gasped and Flanders turned stiffly to look at me, his eyes wide in surprise. Flanders opened his mouth and shut it several times.
Finally he reached his conclusion, “But Boss, the…”
“You will enter through the North gate, lay low and take lodging at the sleaziest inn you can find, I suggest fourth quarter slum. Wait-“
“Boss, seriously, there are..” Flanders cuts in.
I continue, “For three days! Then you will hand yourself in to the High Judge, he already knows you. I believe you know him as well.”
He is quiet now, his eyes narrowed at me.
“Simms, you will join Flanders into the city and take a room at the same inn. When Flanders turncoats, he is going to give up your location, please don’t go quietly but don’t get yourself killed. That clear, Simms?”
The short man, his face red and his shaggy yellow mane spiked in every direction huffs, “Sure, Boss. But why-“
“Damn it. I need information from everywhere and some of the best places are from criminals. The Sanctum is down, you won’t be put there but hopefully you can get inside and get some word of what’s happening in a holding cell and Flanders, being a turncoat and informer, can relay that information via Twitch.”
Simms nods without further argument and gathers his vest from a stall in the corner and stands at the doors. Flanders hasn’t moved and still looks at me through the slits that are his eyes.
“No arguments, Flanders. If the time comes when you have to reveal a location of camp, confess the northern encampment that Beebee and Alton will be faking. I will get more word to you as soon as possible. Now go.” I keep my eyes fastened on his and for several minutes I hope he will suggest another tactic but in the end he averts his eyes and slouches out of the barn without a look back or to acknowledge Simms.
A beckon to the remaining 20 and the ragged circle closes ranks around me and I begin, “Now…”