Page 65 of Sprog
Church is called for ten the next morning and we're all in our seats by five past.
Prez stands at the head of the table, looks at us and nobody speaks. When Razor has the look, he has right now, the room knows to wait for him.
"Our friend downstairs has been very helpful," he says. "Thanks to Knuckles' particular skill set."
Knuckles cracks his knuckles. Nobody laughs this time. The context is different this morning.
"What did we get?" Braxton asks.
Prez looks at his VP. "They're regrouping. The hotel raid cost them six men and their VP, because he’s with us, obviously. They don't have the numbers to come at us hard right now. But..." He pauses and looks around the table. "Their Prez is still out there. We don't know where he went after the hotel. And the VP confirmed they're not walking away from this town. They want what we run through here. The routes. The distribution. They've had eyes on us for months."
"How many months?" Shadow asks.
"Six, at least. Maybe more."
The room absorbs this. Six months of being watched and not knowing it. That's not a comfortable thing for any man in this room to sit with.
"So, they went quiet, built themselves up, came at us through the kids, lost their VP, and now they're going quiet again," Cash says. He's leaning back with his arms folded, and I know that look, he's already running through the next move. "We need to hit them before they've finished rebuilding. Go now while they're weak, not in three months when they've brought in new men."
"We don't know where they are," Shadow says. "We hit them at the hotel and they scattered. For all we know the Prez is two towns over setting up somewhere new. We go in blind and we hand them the initiative."
"So, we find them first," Cash says. "Braxton and Meg have already pulled CCTV. We've got their bikes on record. Give me forty-eight hours."
"I'll get on the digital side today," Braxton says. "There'll be a trail. There's always a trail."
"What about the town?" Pops says. He says it quietly and it cuts through everything else. "While we're talking about going after them, they're still out there. Jules is at the bakery. Rosie's on shift. Shadow's old lady opened the florist this morning. We're sitting here and our people are exposed."
He's right and everyone knows it.
Knuckles leans forward. "I can go downstairs and ask our friend for more information."
"He's given us what he has," Prez says.
"People always have more," Knuckles says, in a tone that doesn't invite argument.
Prez looks at him for a moment. "Give it an hour."
Knuckles nods and settles back.
"Here's what we're doing." Prez puts his hands flat on the table. "No full lockdown. Last time we locked the women down it caused more disruption than it prevented and we tipped our hand. What we do instead is this. Every brother in this room carries everywhere, all the time, until this is resolved. No brother rides solo outside the compound. The old ladies know not to be out alone. Nothing gets flagged as an emergency, we don't want to panic, but everyone is switched on."
"And the kids?" I ask.
"Kids stay on the compound after school until we've got eyes on the Prez." He looks at me. "I know. It's an ask. It's necessary."
"EJ's not going to argue," I say. "Not after what happened to him the last time he went out."
"No," Prez says. "I imagine he won't."
Pops is still looking at the table. "The bakery."
"Jules knows. I spoke to her this morning." Prez holds his eyes. "She's not happy about it. But she knows. The rule is she doesn't open before nine and she doesn't close after five and she doesn't walk between the bakery and the car alone. We've got a prospect doing the main street rotation from today."
Pops nods. That's enough for now.
"Cash. Ramsey. Town this afternoon, eyes open. Anything that doesn't belong, you call it in."
Cash uncrosses his arms. "And if we find them while we're out?"
