Chapter Two-Hundred and Fifty

Chapter Two-Hundred and Fifty
Hawkins explained it to London, “We won’t wear our cuts when we’re around your dad and he doesn't know any of us from Adam. He’ll wake up in a cell and he won’t be able to tell where he’s at, so don't worry.”

“We’ll keep you and Chris away from him,” Boots assured her. “There’s no reason for you to see him.”

London knew she needed to trust them. That they had to do this to protect Hondo, his family and their city. No one wanted an all-out war and shooting in the streets. “Ok, do what you have to do. Just do not take everything he says as gospel, cuz he’ll lie to you just because he can.”

Hawkins nodded. “Now, all we need to know is when is the best time to take him.”

London snorted. “Well, if he went to work this morning, he should be home by two this afternoon.  He does short days on Tuesday.”

“And when does he start drinking?” Cash asked.

London shook her head. “If he’s sober from the night before, then he’s been drinking all day, knowing him.”

“Maybe we should go in through the back door and wait for him to show up,” Titan suggested. “That way, we can carry him out the back door in case someone is watching the front door.” 

Kota nodded then said, “I’ll take you and Brute with me and we’ll have Wanderer watch our backs.”

Hawkins nodded. “You make sure you all watch your backs, we don’t want any trouble following you home.”

Kota nodded. “Don’t worry Dad, we’ll be careful but we also need answers.”

“Damn right, we do.” Cash growled. “If Ronnie wants to bring a war here to hide whatever he’s doing, then we have to stop him. Let’s hope Nathan Jenson Dalton can give us those answers.”

“Good luck with that,” London muttered under her breath.

Hawkins stared at her. “We have to start somewhere, honey. We can’t afford to let this opportunity go. We have to try to save lives here.”

“I know and I hope you can do this. This madness has to stop.” London shook her head.

Kota and the others got ready to go. 

London gave them directions and her keys to get into the house. She went over the layout of the house and then told them, “Be careful, my father has a weapon and he might decide to draw it. I don’t know if he’ll actually use it but he might.”

Kota nodded. “Where does he usually hide it?”

“In the coffee table drawer in the living room. I get so mad at him because it's always loaded and I’m afraid that Chris will get hurt if he gets really pissed.”

“If we find it first, he won’t hurt anyone with it,” Kota told her.

“Good luck.” London nodded as she wrapped her arm around Chris’ shoulder.

The four men walked out the front door and got into a truck then went down the hill. 

When they lost vision of the truck, London heard someone come up beside her. It was the man they called Boots. Chris said Boots protected him and took care of him the night before. She wanted to thank him for that. Chris also seemed to trust Boots and that was a rare thing. She turned her head and looked into Boots’ eyes. “I wanted to thank you for what you did for Chris last night. He told me you made him feel safe.” Shaking her head she added, “Living at home, that was something Chris hasn’t felt since my mom died. She was his link to the world and she’s the one who taught him to sign. She helped him just get along in a hearing world. He lives in silence but it's not by choice. My dad has a lot to answer for and I hope your group can make him face those consequences.”

Boots smiled. “I have a feeling your father won’t be the same man he’s always been by the time Hawkins gets through with him.”

London nodded. “Well, maybe that's a good thing, he hasn’t been a father since before my mom died. So I’m ready for that to happen. He needs to pay for it all.”

Boots snorted. “You know it might be a sin to admit that sort of thing.”

London shook her head. “I’ve been waiting for this day for all my life. I sat back and watched my dad hurt so many people in my lifetime. Friends and strangers alike, he just bulldozed his way through them, but the one that hurt the most was when he hurt my mom. Physically and emotionally he hurt her until the love she once had for him was gone. When she died, he proved he never loved her because he never stood up for her, he never held anyone responsible for her death. He just picked up another can of beer and drank himself into oblivion.” She shrugged. “But that’s my dad, isn’t it? As much as I don’t want to claim him, I have to. His blood runs through my veins, but just once I want to see his eyes when the hammer of justice comes down.”

Boots didn’t say a word, he just looked saddened as he slowly shook his head.

Across Town...
Wanderer parked the truck behind the house London shared with her father.

They all looked around. It appeared to be a typical neighborhood where most people worked during the day, so the area seemed quiet and still. 
Titan checked the watch on his wrist and found it was twenty after one. 

If London was right, Jenson would be home in about an hour. That would give them just enough time to search the house for any weapons and get ready to 'greet' the man who lived there.

Titan looked over at Kota and Brute. “You guys ready?”

Kota nodded. “Let’s dance.” 

“I’ll be here,” Wanderer said. "I'll text if anyone comes, besides this jerk."

The three very large men all got out of the truck, leaving Wanderer behind to watch their backs. Heading over to the back door, Titan used London’s keys to unlock it. Then the three of them slipped into the house. 

They walked quietly through the home as they noted the mess. They went from room to room. Dirty dishes lined the counters, filthy clothes and empty beer cans laid everywhere the eye could see. 

Brute walked over to the fridge and opened it up. There were three shelves of beer and one small shelf of foodstuff. Talk about fucked up priorties. Shaking his head, he shut the door.

They went into the living room. The whole are smelled of stale beer. 

Kota went to the coffee table and opened the drawer. He shook his head at the sight of the weapon London warned them about. He picked it up, took the bullets out, and released the one in the chamber onto the table. Putting all of the bullets into his pocket, he returned the gun to the drawer. If the stupid man decided to FAFO, he would find himself up shit creek with…no fucking bullets.