Page 97 of Goose

Goose

We were called to Baker’s office for an impromptu Monday morning meeting. While Reno, Tito, Cash and I were gathered around Baker’s desk, Ally admired the view from the third-floor window.

“I’ve cut each of you a check through the LLC.” Baker said as he began passing out envelopes. “I know the holidays are a few months past, but I called it a Holiday Bonus. Just keeping everything legit.”

Cash snatched his pocket knife from his jeans and cut the envelope open before Baker passed out the last one.

“Fifty g’s,” Cash said, slapping the check against his open palm. “That’s what I’m fucking talking about.”

I folded my envelope and put it in my back pocket.

“What’d you get?” Cash asked.

“I’m sure it’s the same as yours?”

“You ain’t gonna look at it?”

“I’ll see it when I take it to the bank.”

Dressed in jeans, sneakers and a tee shirt, Ally was seated along the window’s ledge, just taking it all in. With her hair in a ponytail and wearing her new choice of attire, she looked much different than she did in the dresses and sneakers that I ‘d become accustomed to.

Hell, she could wear anything and look good in it. As I watched her watching us, I felt that she was being ostracized. Sadly, the only person in the room that hadn’t accepted her was Cash.

He noticed me looking at her and glanced in her direction. “She better not get the same amount we did.”

I balled my fists. “What the fuck is wrong with you?”

He looked me up and down quickly before giving me a dismissive wave of his hand. “You better grow up before you bow up, motherfucker.”

I puffed my chest and put my nose mere inches from his. “I mean it, Cash,” I said through my teeth. “I’m done with your bullshit.”

“Really, motherfucker? You’re going to let a bitch get between us?” he asked. “After all we’ve been—”

I swung my right fist into his chin with all my might. I followed with a left hook to his temple that I’d been wanting to swing for fifteen years. The first punch obviously caught him unprepared. The second took every bit of remaining wind from his sails.

He fell to the floor like a sack of shit.

“What in the fuck is going on?” Baker howled. “Jesus fucking Christ.”

Fuming with anger and brimming with adrenaline, I loomed over Cash, waiting for him to stir.

“Holy shit,” Reno gasped.

I glared down at his motionless body. “He needed it.”

“Been needing it for a while,” Tito whispered.

Baker bent down and removed Cash’s pistol from his waistband. “Sure as fuck don’t need him pulling this out.” He handed Tito the gun. “Put this somewhere.” He unclipped Cash’s knife from his pocket and held it in the air. “This too.”

Tito took the knife and gun to the other side of the office.

Baker looked at me and shook his head. “Want to tell me what happened?”

“He got what he deserved.”

“Is there something I need to know about?” Baker asked.

I shrugged. “If you don’t know about it by now, I guess not.”