“Shouldn’t be much further.”
After ten or so more miles, we came up to a secured gate, and Creed announced, “This must be the place.”
We looked around for a guard or some kind of monitoring device to let them know we’d arrived, but there was nothing to be found. But after several seconds, the gate eased open, and we were able to continue down the road.
It wasn’t long before we pulled up to an old school surrounded by several smaller one-bedroom houses, which made the place look like some kind of religious compound. Grim parked, and we all got out and stretched our legs. It wasn’t long before two guys came out to greet us.
One was clean-cut and wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The other had long, dark hair and was wearing a Ruthless Sinners cut. The man in jeans walked over to the group, and after a quick scan of our cuts, he extended his hand to our VP and said, “Welcome to the Manor. You must be Creed.”
“I am.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you and your brothers.” He shook Creed’s hand as he added, “I’m Braylon, and this is Country.”
Country walked over and shook Creed’s hand, then moved to Seven, our sergeant-at-arms, and shook his as well. “Gus speaks very highly of you all.”
“Same for your brothers and this place.”
“Glad to hear that.” Country motioned his head towards the front door. “Why don’t you guys follow me inside, and I’ll introduce you to Kiersten? She’s the one who runs the show.”
“Sounds good.”
As we followed Country and his friend towards the main building, I kept expecting to see armed guards or more Sinners lurking around, but it was just them—at least it appeared that way. But once we were inside, I saw the security screens along the back wall—each showing a different location on the manor. It was then that I realized that every inch of the place was being carefully watched. Nothing was going down without them knowing it.
Ghost, Seven, and I followed Grim and Creed into the foyer, and it was done up in a way that reminded me of a hotel lobby. There were marble floors and seating over in the corner with a sectional and various lamps. It wasn’t what you’d expect to find at a marijuana distribution site. We were checking it all out when a young woman walked in.
Her long, wavy hair was down around her shoulders, and she wore a long, colorful skirt with boots and a t-shirt. Her wrists were covered with bracelets, making her look like a gypsy. She gave us all a bright smile as she walked over and said, “Hi, I’m Kiersten.”
“I’m Creed.” He turned and motioned his hand over to us. “And this is Memphis, Seven, Ghost, and Grim.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Gus has told me all about you and your needs and expectations, and after today, you will see that we’ll have no problem meeting those.”
“We shall see.”
“Okay, then. Let’s get this party started.”
She motioned us to follow as she started down the hall. When she reached two doors, she opened one wide to reveal row after row of cannabis plants. After we’d gathered inside, she said,“Our greenhouse is state-of-the-art. We have the best lighting on the market and a top-of-the-line filtration system. Over the past few years, we’ve developed the perfect blend of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus for optimal growth of our plants.”
“Holy hell. More goes into this shit than I thought,” Ghost grumbled.
“It’s a lot, but it’s worth it. You’ll see.”
I had to give it to her.
This Kiersten chick was on it. She knew her shit and was clearly proud of what she’d accomplished, and rightly so. This place was incredible. “This is just one of our many start-up rooms. We use this and a hydroponics room to start the process. After a couple of weeks, they are developed enough to be moved to the gymnasium, where they will complete the process. Come with me, and I’ll show you.”
Grim nodded, and we all followed her out of the room. When we walked into the gymnasium, I was blown away by the number of fucking marijuana plants lining the floor. It was insane. I had no doubt that they could meet our needs and more. Much more.
I could hear the pride in her voice as Kiersten announced, “Each startup room offers a different harvest time, so we are able to keep up with our demand. And our demand is substantial and growing all the time.”
“I can see why.” Creed sounded impressed as he told her, “You have quite a setup here.”
“It’s taken a lot to get it where it is, but I think we have a good thing.”
“You certainly do.”
“Well, there’s only one way to know just how good our stuff really is. You want to try it?” A knowing smile marked her face as she added, “Why don’t you guys go out to the fire pit, and I’ll gather up some samples for you?”
“The one out front when we walked in?”