Page 17 of Inglorious
Vortex nodded.
“As for now, I’ve picked out colours for décor and furniture. Delivery will happen in a couple of weeks. Which means you’ve got a fortnight to paint the common rooms and offices. Get ready to get dirty, boys.
“Inglorious remains under Doc Paul’s care, and he’s nasty at the moment. I’m ordering you to stay away from him… no, Chill, I mean it. Inglorious needs to sober up and receive therapy. He isn’t fit to run the club. When he is, I’ll hand the presidency back.
“In the meantime, we’re going to be tracking down Legacies and offering them a place here. But before we give them a position, I want a deep dive done on them. If nobody here has the skills, I’ll hire Hawthorne’s.”
King gazed at Vortex.
“What is your link to the club?” he asked.
“I was a former member who quit. I’d had enough of the shit happening and left,” Vortex said honestly.
“How do we know you won’t do that again?” King challenged.
“Because Nanci is here and I wouldn’t leave her to deal with this crap alone,” Vortex shot back.
“And I looked you up. You’re a headliner in Vegas. What’s stopping you from leaving?” King asked me.
I held King’s gaze. “My word and my duty to Psych. Until Inglorious is able to lead, I’m president.”
“And if Inglorious is never fit? Inglorious is broken, losing everyone damaged him,” King pushed.
“Then you’re stuck with me, and that, King, is final.”
He stared at me, and I let my emotions show and the strength of my conviction. King nodded and sat back, satisfied. “Thank you,” he finally said. “You’re giving up a lot.”
“You’ve no idea what this has cost me,” I replied, and King nodded in agreement.
Vortex caught my gaze and shook his head, but he didn’t mean it negatively. He grasped the implications.
Such was my history with the Unwanted Bastards.
Chapter Four.
Nanci – Monday.
As construction crews arrived, Doc Paul headed towards me. Inglorious was being released today. He still had the shakes, but was sober. Doc Paul had stayed for the entire process, and now it was time for him to see what we could offer. King was showing the crew where the kitchen was. The appliances were due within a week. Hopefully, everything would be completed.
“Doc,” I said in greeting.
“Nanci. Moon said you wanted me.”
“Yeah, come with me. You’ve not seen much of Merritt since you arrived. There’s more to it than the sheriff’s office and cells.” I began leading Doc down Main Street, which held the saloons and shops. The final building was a squat, square one with an extension at the rear. Above it was a wooden sign saying Doctor.
“Ah. I see,” Doc stated, amused.
“Would it hurt to see?” I asked, and Doc laughed before shaking his head. I unlocked the door and disarmed the alarm.“High-tech alarm systems and cameras are in place for security.” I pointed to the one covering the reception area.
The building was wood-built and had been restored beautifully. It appeared as well as when it was initially built. The front featured a large combined waiting room and reception. A wooden barrier, similar to a bank teller’s counter, screened the reception area, occupying one corner. There was a wall blocking the offices from public view. To enter them, you needed to be admitted through a door, which was now controlled by a release button that the receptionist or doctor could press.
Behind the wall were two large doctor’s offices and a small pharmacy. And behind that was the clinic with the X-ray machine, ECG monitoring machine, and several other pieces of very expensive equipment.
“Shit, this is decked out,” Doc Paul said as he entered the small operating theatre.
“The nearest hospital is easily thirty minutes away in Miller. That means it’s an hour journey by ambulance, half an hour here and then back again. That’s life or death. The idea is you could save someone’s life here if you needed to,” I replied.
“Seems Inglorious thought of everything,” Doc said as he ran a hand over a packaged defibrillator.
