Page 63 of Inglorious
My horror grew as my gaze found a new level of destruction. What the fuck had happened here?
Chapter Fourteen.
Inglorious
“Who… why—shit,” I ground out as my gaze swept the grounds. Nothing had been left undamaged.
“Found this a few minutes ago and came straight to fetch you,” Gravey replied.
“Inside the church?” I whispered, thinking of the stained-glass window and the mural.
“The protective screens did their job, although they cracked and were damaged. Someone really tried to destroy them to get at the window and paintings.”
Relief swept through me.
“These motherfuckers have thrown paint and shit everywhere, and I mean literal horse manure. They must have raided a farm somewhere,” Gravey continued, and I winced.
Anxious and with my stomach tied in a knot, I shoved open the church doors, and the stench hit. Gagging, I moved back and heaved. Holding my tee over my nose, I stepped in and gazed around before the smell got too much. Similar words had beenpainted on the walls inside, and shit had been smeared over the protective glass covering the mural. I could see dents in it where rocks had been thrown, which remained on the floor.
“Fuck! Did you spot anyone?” I asked.
“No. This must have happened last night. And my house is pretty far from here,” Gravey replied. I nodded. That was true, and nobody could blame Gravey for not hearing anything.
“I’ll speak to Apache about a cleanup crew to scrub this paint off,” I muttered finally.
I was badly hurt. Why anyone would do this, I didn’t know, but they had certainly done this to strike at us. They’d succeeded in their efforts. This was a brutal attack with bad intentions behind it. The words screamed at me, burrowing into my brain. Murderers. Killers. Liars. There was only one conclusion I could draw. This was about an incident that had happened during the war. I searched my mind for connections. Something we’d done had rubbed someone the wrong way.
Were the Unwanted Bastards the only target? Or had other memorials been hit too?
“I can clean the inside,” Gravey stated.
“Get protective clothing and a face mask. That stench is foul,” I said. “And Gravey, you’ll take payment for this.”
Gravey scowled. “They’re my brothers, too.”
Bless that fuckin’ asshole. Surly as fuck but kind-hearted. “And I’d have paid any of the brothers for cleaning this up. Might need some specialist cleaning equipment to remove the paint from the walls and gravestones. Speak to Apache or Rock, who are in charge of construction. I bet they have something,” I said.
Gracey frowned.
“Never mind. I’ll do that and ensure things are delivered. Call me if you need anything extra.”
Gravey nodded and walked away, and I stared at the devastation. Who was behind this? Because one thing was forsure, this wasn’t kids messing around. This was targeted at the Unwanted Bastards.
With one last pained glance at the desecrated building and cemetery, I headed back to town. Nanci was waiting as I approached.
“What happened? Is Gravey okay?”
This would upset her, but as acting president, Nanci needed to know. I took a breath and informed her of what had occurred. Nanci paled and began walking in the church’s direction, and I reached out and snagged her arm.
“Don’t. Just stop, Nanci. You don’t want that image in your head. Let Gravey and Apache clean it up and then visit.”
Nanci regarded me with tears in her eyes before nodding. She clearly felt this was an attack on Psych’s memory, and I couldn’t blame her. Concerned, I hauled Nanci into my arms as tears leaked down her cheeks. Nanci wasn’t full-on crying, but I knew she wouldn’t want people witnessing her distress. I made a mental note to inform Hercules to get cameras up and also put some hidden ones on the grounds. We might catch the culprits if they returned.
Nanci
A week later, I looked up as a guy approached. He screamedcop, and I sat up straight. A smile crossed his face as he stopped in front of me.
“Hey, I’m looking for Inglorious. My name is Drew Lemon,” he stated.
