Page 12 of Inglorious
“Do that, Doc. The town requires a doctor, the club needs a medic, and I need you. Will you be staying tonight?”
“Looks like it, if I’m on forced leave. Plus, shit will hit the fan shortly, and Inglorious will start feeling the effects.”
“I’ll get a room made up—”
“No. Get a prospect to bring a cot across, and I’ll sleep here. If someone can scrounge up some food, it would be welcome. I’ve not eaten today,” Doc Paul said, sounding slightly surprised.
“I wouldn’t allow a dog to eat in the clubhouse’s kitchen. We’ll be ordering takeout. A prospect can nip over and take your order. In the meantime, I’ll see if we’ve got some chips and some cans of pop.”
“Thanks, Nanci.” Doc turned to face his two patients.
With my task done, I headed out and back to the clubhouse.
As I approached, I checked out the building. It had been one of the two hotels the town had boasted. Inglorious had taken it over and made it into the Unwanted Bastards’ base. The outside looked great, the restoration was amazing, but the inside needed refreshing and a thorough clean.
The ground level had the common room, formerly a saloon with a bar. There were toilets off to one side and a kitchen at therear. There were several offices that the president, VP, SAA, and chaplain used. The cellar below had been split in half, creating further offices and the Unwanted Bastards’ church.
In the common room, the stairs were set against a wall and led to four floors of rooms. There were sixteen bedrooms on each level. During the remodelling, bathrooms were added to the rooms, which were all relatively large. Somewhat surprising for the era, they were built in. I remembered Seth telling me about the construction work as it happened. Our clubhouse was the first building completed in Merritt.
The doctor’s clinic, which had also been extended at the rear, and the sheriff’s office were also finished. Sadly, the remainder of Merritt was derelict and in dire need of repairs and restoration. The club had bought Merritt at a steal, and the plan had been to restore it to its former glory and open it to tourists. The town’s other buildings included the second hotel, two saloons, a school, a post office, and a restaurant. Shops offered a handyman, grocers, a liquor store, a cigar store, and a few other things that Seth had planned to reopen.
There was also a coaching inn, a stable, and a few other buildings. Over three hundred houses stood behind both sides of Main Street. Inglorious had considered renting them out for employees who’d work in the town.
It was a grand and bold plan, and had been feasible. But the war had caused the forward momentum to stagnate and die. It was up to me to get the ball rolling. It was a task I relished and also feared. Because deep down, it was dawning on me what I’d bitten off. No way would Inglorious be ready to resume leadership in a month.
A tiny part of me was steadily growing resigned…
I was back for at least a year, if not for good. Despite what it might cost me, I’d never let Seth’s memory fade. My brotherdeserved to be honoured and remembered. And God help me, Seth would be—alongside the rest of them.
Chapter Three.
Nanci – Two days later.
Finally, the clubhouse was spotless. The trash and everything had been taken outside and dumped in a construction dumpster I’d ordered. The kitchen had been tackled with gloves, masks and hair nets to protect us from bacteria. Actually, I was certain the CDC would love to investigate the shit that I’d binned. Pots, pans, appliances. If it wasn’t nailed down, I threw it out. No way would I allow anyone to use them, not even after they’d been cleaned. Moon was with me while Vortex was out checking the businesses.
Right now, I was looking at kitchenware and ordering them for the refit.
King was with Vortex as he got a grip on everything. The club owned stables, a moving company for homes and companies, a HVAC service, and a vending machine business. All of those brought in plenty of money to keep the brothers happy. But Merritt had been the grand plan. It would be again.
I jumped as the door banged open and Chill stumbled in. Chill gazed at me with reddened eyes and licked his lips nervously.
“Razor has cancer.”
I nodded. “I know. Razor’s resting on my order.”
“Your orders, Nanci?” Chill asked as he leaned against the doorframe.
“Yup. Now, my instructions to you are simple. Ask Moon to order you some food, then go and shower. Simply put, Chill, you stink. Once you’ve freshened up, get your ass down here and start acting like a brother in the Unwanted Bastards. You and Inglorious let the dead down. The absence of a memorial really fucks me off.”
“Don’t wanna see that,” Chill muttered, eyeing me warily.
“No, I bet. No reminder is good. Honestly, I’m unimpressed, and there’ll be repercussions later. As of now, do what I said, or I’ll make Moon take you out front and dunk you in a horse trough.”
Chill held my gaze for a few seconds before his eyes dropped. “Will do, Pres,” he replied, and I nodded.
“Remember that, Chill. Be aware I’ve no obligations here. I’m here because of Seth and what this club meant to him. Seth doesn’t deserve the dishonour you and Inglorious have shown. That means I say jump and you ask how fuckin’ high!”
Chill jerked his chin and stumbled over to Moon.
