The Beast in Him
Page 84
But first he had to find that little bitch. Hed try nice first. If that didnt work... well, best not think on that right now.
He stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him to block the smell, and stopped dead when he saw Bobby Ray Smith leaning back against the worn dresser.
Bobby Ray.
Walt.
What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Navy.
I was. Been out for a while. Id heard you were in town. The big bastard shrugged. And that dont work for me.
Walt didnt know if Bobby Rays words pissed him off or the fact that the bastard seemed to still have a full head of hair. Wilson males went bald pretty early, but those damn Smiths seemed to go to their graves grizzled, mean, and with full heads of hair.
It dont work for you?
Uptown, Fifth Avenue, and Park Avenue belong to the Van Holtzs. The Bronx and Harlem are split up between the Vega Pride and the Armstrong bears. But Downtown belongs to the Smiths now.
And?
And I dont want you here. I dont want you on my territory. I dont want you near my territory. And I can assure you the Van Holtzs, the Vegas, and the Armstrongs aint gonna want you on theirs.
They dont know
They do now.
Walt took a step back in shock. You son of a bitch.
Now, now. Lets not get nasty.
Were family.
Bobby Ray stood to his full height, a good four inches over Walts, and casually walked over to him.
I wouldnt let my brothers come here either. Only them Id hurt. So youre getting off lucky.
Ill need some time to
No. Tickets are bought. Sissy took care of all that. Think of it as my Packs gift to yours. All you gotta do is head on over to JFK and youll be back in Birmingham before the stores close.
He wouldnt let the bastard push him around. No way. He wasnt nine years old anymore.
Look, Bobby Ray, were taking care of some other business first and
That big hand wrapped around his neck, shoving him back into the wall. His teeth rattled and his spine ached. Walt felt claws dig into the skin of his throat, and they kept digging until blood trickled down to Walts collarbone.
Since youve never been known as a bright boy, Ill say this one more time. You get your ass and your Packs ass to JFK airport within the next hour or Ill hunt you down again and then I wont be so nice. Do you understand me, boy?
Walt stared at him, trying to think of any way out of this. He needed that money. He needed it more than anyone realized.
Bobby Ray didnt say another word. He let his claws do the talking for him. When Walt felt one claw get dangerously close to a major artery, he turned his eyes awaysince he couldnt move his neckand relaxed back. Submissive.
Good. Bobby Ray wiped his blood-covered hands on Walts yellow sweatshirt. Now you tell your momma I said hi.
Bobby Ray Smith turned and walked out the door. He didnt even feel threatened enough not to turn his back on Walt. The ultimate insult.
Two minutes later, while he was trying to wipe the blood off his neck and chest, Polly June stormed in.
Why did I see Bobby Ray Smith leaving here?
That bastard came here to push me out.
What?
Telling me he didnt want our Pack on his territory.
Really?
It was the tone his mate had. Not fearsomething else. What?
Im just wondering why I saw that dog sitting up in his truck like she owned the damn thing.
Which dog?
Jessica Ann Ward. I figured youd convinced her to come here and bring us the money.
She hung up on me. I was going to call back later after she let it all sink in. Are you sure it was her?
Yeah, it was her. I wondered why shed parked three blocks away. And I wouldnt have seen her if I hadnt gone up the block to that little store on the corner.
Walt slammed down the blood-stained cloth in his hands. Wheres the rest of the Pack?
Theyre still at the store getting some junk food and tequila.
Did you find the kid?
Yup, found all of em. Theyre at this real fancy hotel in the city.
Good. Now get my momma on the phone.
I dont understand. Why dont we need to pay them any money?
Because yall be paying them until Kristan turns eighteen. This was a better way to go.
The ol get out of my territory move?
Yeah. You forget. Theres a hierarchy among the Smiths. I have the Smith name. Walt doesnt. And if he messes with me, hell not only be messing with all the Smiths, hell be messing with all the Packs connected to us. The Reeds. The Lewis Pack out of Smithville. The Evans. He shrugged. Marty.
Jess laughed. God, we dont want that.
Trust me. You dont. Leaving you and your Pack out of this altogether was the best thing.
Okay. She had no problem with that logic. The less involved her Pack, the better for Kristan in the long run.
He stepped out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him to block the smell, and stopped dead when he saw Bobby Ray Smith leaning back against the worn dresser.
Bobby Ray.
Walt.
What are you doing here? I thought you were in the Navy.
I was. Been out for a while. Id heard you were in town. The big bastard shrugged. And that dont work for me.
Walt didnt know if Bobby Rays words pissed him off or the fact that the bastard seemed to still have a full head of hair. Wilson males went bald pretty early, but those damn Smiths seemed to go to their graves grizzled, mean, and with full heads of hair.
It dont work for you?
Uptown, Fifth Avenue, and Park Avenue belong to the Van Holtzs. The Bronx and Harlem are split up between the Vega Pride and the Armstrong bears. But Downtown belongs to the Smiths now.
And?
And I dont want you here. I dont want you on my territory. I dont want you near my territory. And I can assure you the Van Holtzs, the Vegas, and the Armstrongs aint gonna want you on theirs.
They dont know
They do now.
Walt took a step back in shock. You son of a bitch.
Now, now. Lets not get nasty.
Were family.
Bobby Ray stood to his full height, a good four inches over Walts, and casually walked over to him.
I wouldnt let my brothers come here either. Only them Id hurt. So youre getting off lucky.
Ill need some time to
No. Tickets are bought. Sissy took care of all that. Think of it as my Packs gift to yours. All you gotta do is head on over to JFK and youll be back in Birmingham before the stores close.
He wouldnt let the bastard push him around. No way. He wasnt nine years old anymore.
Look, Bobby Ray, were taking care of some other business first and
That big hand wrapped around his neck, shoving him back into the wall. His teeth rattled and his spine ached. Walt felt claws dig into the skin of his throat, and they kept digging until blood trickled down to Walts collarbone.
Since youve never been known as a bright boy, Ill say this one more time. You get your ass and your Packs ass to JFK airport within the next hour or Ill hunt you down again and then I wont be so nice. Do you understand me, boy?
Walt stared at him, trying to think of any way out of this. He needed that money. He needed it more than anyone realized.
Bobby Ray didnt say another word. He let his claws do the talking for him. When Walt felt one claw get dangerously close to a major artery, he turned his eyes awaysince he couldnt move his neckand relaxed back. Submissive.
Good. Bobby Ray wiped his blood-covered hands on Walts yellow sweatshirt. Now you tell your momma I said hi.
Bobby Ray Smith turned and walked out the door. He didnt even feel threatened enough not to turn his back on Walt. The ultimate insult.
Two minutes later, while he was trying to wipe the blood off his neck and chest, Polly June stormed in.
Why did I see Bobby Ray Smith leaving here?
That bastard came here to push me out.
What?
Telling me he didnt want our Pack on his territory.
Really?
It was the tone his mate had. Not fearsomething else. What?
Im just wondering why I saw that dog sitting up in his truck like she owned the damn thing.
Which dog?
Jessica Ann Ward. I figured youd convinced her to come here and bring us the money.
She hung up on me. I was going to call back later after she let it all sink in. Are you sure it was her?
Yeah, it was her. I wondered why shed parked three blocks away. And I wouldnt have seen her if I hadnt gone up the block to that little store on the corner.
Walt slammed down the blood-stained cloth in his hands. Wheres the rest of the Pack?
Theyre still at the store getting some junk food and tequila.
Did you find the kid?
Yup, found all of em. Theyre at this real fancy hotel in the city.
Good. Now get my momma on the phone.
I dont understand. Why dont we need to pay them any money?
Because yall be paying them until Kristan turns eighteen. This was a better way to go.
The ol get out of my territory move?
Yeah. You forget. Theres a hierarchy among the Smiths. I have the Smith name. Walt doesnt. And if he messes with me, hell not only be messing with all the Smiths, hell be messing with all the Packs connected to us. The Reeds. The Lewis Pack out of Smithville. The Evans. He shrugged. Marty.
Jess laughed. God, we dont want that.
Trust me. You dont. Leaving you and your Pack out of this altogether was the best thing.
Okay. She had no problem with that logic. The less involved her Pack, the better for Kristan in the long run.
