Page 79 of Ranger's Rise
Amal looks proud and sits with a nod as the boys throw ‘happy’ at him. I smile and put Roman’s little truck in his hand. When Allen is done eating, he takes Roman so I can eat.
Amos is a good cook. When I tell him, he surprises me. “I supervised. Allen, Amal, Marco and José made lunch with the virtual program Web and the As made.”
“How fucking cool. Good job, Little Brothers. You already cook better than I do.”
They laugh at me, but I take it. Before I leave, I make sure to talk to every one of them. They’re cute and Jacques reminds me about swimming tomorrow before I leave.
The meeting with Major is enlightening but boring. Cort read the handbook and answers them with looks to me to make sure he got it right. Everyone is impressed with the choppers. Maverick wants one, but he’s covering a satellite. Cort looks at Major and gets a nod.
“I’ll have a Flight Crew and Aerial Ops Lead trained and Major will help Phoenix with the cost of a chopper. I’ll have them to you at the end of the month. This is for surveillance and cover of ground Teams unless Aerial from here is on Control.”
Maverick is shocked. “Thanks, Brothers. Once the satellite is finished, we can cover the cost.”
Major tells him no. The satellite is important to all of them. Jordan and Cort agree and Maverick thanks them. It’s done and I’m wondering about the chopper. We have two going to the new Club, providing Falcon takes it, then one to Maverick. That leaves us short on choppers for training, surveillance and Ops.When the Presidents log-off, Brinks gets to training. I tell Cort and VP my thoughts.
Cort smiles. “Banks is getting six more choppers. Web was a start-up right out of college, so he made a shit load. When he took the As, he liquidated and gave it to the Brothers that helped him out of the state. They gave it to the Masons who held it for him. The Masons gave it back to him when he found out they were a safe haven. He gave it to the Club when Paul started on their house to keep him and the kids covered. He said he didn’t need it. They all make money and live here free. So I gave it to Banks. He’s got it making more money and covered choppers, buildings for Brothers, the new Club and all kinds of other shit.”
I nod. “That’s how you gave a billion to Flight Training.”
VP laughs. “No, that was personal. Web gave the money to Cort, but Cort gave it to the Club. He doesn’t need it either. Banks said Web would have given Bill Gates a run for his money if he would have kept his businesses. He gave the Club eight billion and felt bad because he liquidated and didn’t get close to what anything was worth. Cort has a little less than half that, but he keeps funding shit for us so it’s mostly tied up. Maybe he’ll stop buying shit for a while. Lorelei is still playing catch-up.”
Cort laughs. “I got Club money to spend, Brother. Don’t count on that stopping me. Banks is buying me out too, so my money won’t be tied up with the chains. I’ll only have the dealerships, gun shops, market and hardware. I’m thinking of selling the Club the gun chain.”
“Fuck. Lorelei is going to fucking kill me if you buy more shit. Give her a chance to get all this shit straight.”
Cort laughs. I’m sitting here shocked. “You think Banks will handle my money?”
They both look at me weird. “He handles the Officers money. Even Amos. He’s got a knack for investing. He hasn’t talked to you?”
I swing my head. “Thanks, Boss. It would be good to let someone else worry about it. The fucking statements are crazy.”
He nods. His must have been way worse than my shit. “So the handbook is cool. I’m glad you gave it to me. I pulled SEAL then Delta. I’ll do the rest tonight when Seren is sleeping.”
VP stands up. “Fucking great. You’re going to change procedures again. You know we’re the only ones that have to change. I’m not training with Mounty again. Get it right out of your head.” He’s bitching Cort out as we walk out of the meeting room and down the hall. They’re fucking funny. Money means nothing to them as long as they’re spreading Badass. I’m good with that and smile when VP yells at Cort about changing the Officers schedules so they can train for Flight Crews.
“I’d love to see where this goes, but need to get to the chopper. The As are going up in Phoenix Two.”
Cort smiles. “We haven’t gone up in Two. I’m not training today, Raid. Let’s go up with the As.”
“I need to clear my desk.” VP wants no part of it.
Cort pulls him down the hall. “I ordered you gear. You wouldn’t have been in your office anyway if we were training.”
“Fucking Brother. I have to tell Lorelei about the gun shops and get her on the schedule since I won’t have time to do it.”
“Banks will tell her when he tells her about the chains. You can tell her about the schedule after the simulator training tonight.”
“Fuck. We were going to the market.”
Cort swings his head. “‘The only difference between success and failure is the ability to take action.’Alexander Graham Bell said that. It’s time for action, Brother. We’re flying with the As.”
I’m laughing as they keep going back and forth all the way to the locker room. VP is quiet as we change. I’m glad he is, they’re so fucking funny, but I’m training the boys and need to get my head in the right place for it.
“These are cool. They’re Kevlar?” VP likes his gear.
“Yeah, with a fireproof lining. Cort had them made with the angled zipper to match the Enforcer gear. The Flight Crews love them. The helmets are better than what they’re used to, too.”
We walk out and the As are walking in front of us in their gear. It’s just like ours. They’re cute with the Phoenix logo on their back carrying their little helmets and bags with them. “You look good in your gear, Brothers,” VP says and they turn.
