Page 29 of Size Queen
“Wethinkthat’s what happened,” says Kace. “I couldn’t tell jack shit of what was going on.”
“Who the hell else could have done it?”
“Could have been another enemy of theirs,” he suggests. “They’ve made a lot of enemies in the state.”
“Somehow, I doubt that two separate gangs just so happened to be heading to the Hell-Snake lounge on the same morning at the same time,” I say dismissively. “Besides, why was the place empty? They were waiting for us.”
“It could have been one of our guys that started the fire,” he says. “I only noticed the fire after it had been going a few seconds. Did you see who started it?”
“No,” I say. “I highly doubtwestarted the fire—why would no one admit to it?”
Kace shrugs before replying with “All I know is two of our guys were carrying Molotovs and were itching for a reason to use them.”
“Who?”
“I don’t think one of our guys really did it,” he says. “For the record. I’m just playing devil’s advocate. Why would Tom burn down his own place like that? It just doesn’t make sense. All his shit was still there. What, would he really go for the ‘burn the place down for the insurance’ scam?”
“I think that he saw an opportunity to kill off his entire rival gang here in Miami in one swift maneuver,” I say. “Unless I hear otherwise, it was them that started the fire. They were hoping we’d burn alive, and those that wouldn’t die inside would get shot trying to escape.”
“In the chaos, I couldn’t make heads or tails at all of what the fuck was going on,” he says. “I don’t think any of us were able to know for sure who exactly was shooting at us.”
“The Hell-Snakes were shooting at us. They are all to blame, and they will all pay.”
“How so?”
“I’m not sure yet,” I say slowly. “Right now, I only care about getting my bike back in working order. I want my chariot back up and running strong for when I mow down all of these pieces of shit. Hope you’re ready to make our dads look like Boy Scouts. Our names will be the ones you hear over the waves.”
Kace looks at his watch before informing me, “We need to head back to the clubhouse. They’ll be waiting.”
I decide to drive us both in my classic Camaro that I had parked over in this garage. We coast quietly for a while before Kace finally breaks the silence.
“How are we going to approach the guys?” he asks. “There’s a lot of anger. They want the Hell-Snakes to pay now.”
“They will pay soon,” I say. “That fire was bound to attract a lot of attention. We don’t want more eyes on us as we go forward. We let things cool down—no pun intended—and when we don’t have eyes on us, we’ll move on them.”
“Do you think anyone else other than us or the Snakes saw anything that happened?” Kace wonders nervously. “I didn’t notice anyone else around—did you? Shit, come to think of it, if no one saw it, it really would be their word against ours, wouldn’t it?”
“What are you talking about?” I ask. “You’re getting too antsy.”
“Couldn’t Wright or any of his guys just claim that you or one of us committed arson and burned their place down?” Kace ponders. “I didn’t notice any cameras…”
“There were cameras in there,” I inform him. “I got a look around when I went to talk to Wright alone. Who knows if they were on or even working.”
“We’re fucked,” he laughs. “They’ll see the video of all of us going into their place, guns and blades out, and see the fire… We’re going to jail.”
“Kace—”
“I thought I’d go to jail for something big like robbery or… maybe murder of some degree,” he continues. “I can’t believe this. We’re so fucked.”
“We are not fucked,” I say without real certainty. “You need to chill the fuck out before we get back to the clubhouse, dude. The guys can’t see you like this. We can’t build paranoia right now. Things are already bad enough as they are. No one’s going to jail. We’re fine.”
“I’ll ask the whole group separately whether they know who started the fire,” says Kace. “I’m with you. I think it was them, but we need to know for certain.”
When we get back to the clubhouse, I have Kace go in ahead of me, telling him I have to make a call. Really, I just want a moment alone.
Truthfully, I’m as worried as Kace is. But I know that I have to wear a much braver face than the one I’m wearing right now. I just can’t get over the idea of Tom or any of his gang going to the police. Gangs never typically involve the police at all, but then again, gangs don’t typically burn down their own clubhouses with all their shit still in them.
I decide to go through with what I said I was actually going to do. I find Noelle’s number, realizing that her voice would actually be quite the antidote to the poison I can feel coursing through my veins.
Unfortunately for me, she doesn’t pick up. This is unusual for her—she usually answers before the second ring concludes—so I take this as a sign. I can’t detain myself any longer, and I would be doing my longtime friends and companions a disservice by keeping them waiting any longer. I’m hoping in the time it takes for me to walk from the parking lot to the entrance, I can come up with a plan.