Authors: Carly White
Chapter 1
“In local news, the Hell Sons Motorcycle Gang was at it again, protesting the new Sheriff with thousands of bikers coming in from all over Texas. The streets were filled, clogged and they have once again, shut down Waterton township. When reporter Civ Louise moved in to ask some questions, leader Andre said they want him gone.
Police are on standby and tensions are rising. The city leaders say that even a day shutdown could cost the town thousands of dollars in lost revenue and will not be able to see how much the city will suffer financially, until the protest ends.
Until then, the small town of Waterton is getting ready for another day of protests, as the residents wait for a conclusion to this rapidly changing saga. The gang’s leader has said there will be no violence unless they are forced. They do not plan to leave until the newly elected Sheriff Thompson steps down. There is speculation to why the city is in uproar over the election, but we are hoping to find out what has sparked this as we go into day 3 of the town’s occupation.”
“Why did you talk about yourself as 3
rd
person?”
“Because they usually cut the last bit of the byte, so now they can’t cut my name out.”
Namadi shook her head and turned the television off. It was the third update she had watched and as she waited it all out in the small hotel with her mother, Namadi was getting restless.
“So what do you think dear?”
She looked at her mother. “It’s good, but a bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
“A gang of burly men on bikes has taken over a small town in America. This is an occupation!”
Her daughter laughed. “You are loving this. There are names for people like you.”
Civ tried to look upset, but she couldn’t, the large smile cracking her tanned face. “Do you know what this will do to my career?”
“So you want this to last?”
“Of course! I have been waiting for my break and this is it. I have had more face time since this all started. No one else can get in now, so we are the only ones that are onsite. I can’t believe it is all because you wanted to stop and see that stupid hill.”
“It is an ancient mound made thousands of years ago.”
Civ just waved her off. She had only gone because her daughter wanted to go so bad. Ever since she had graduated, Namadi was spending time with her mother, but there were vast differences that had made their short road trip even more daunting. Now Civ was thinking that their little excursion was the best thing that she could have done for her career.
Civ had been with News channel 6 for ten years and she was still covering small town puff pieces. But now she was getting the biggest story in the area and it was hers exclusively. From the small hotel room that they were staying in, she got to see her small few minute blurbs getting picked up from all of the other station. All the other reporters and news anchors could do is wonder about it and give their take on it. Civ was the only one actually there though.
“Yeah whatever the hills are. I am so glad that you wanted to see them. Without your boring hobby Namadi, I would have never had this chance.”
Namadi wasn’t going to argue with her. She was happy for her and it would be easier to say congratulations to Civ, isn’t she wasn’t so cocky about it all. People’s lives were being affected and all she seemed to care about was herself. Her mother had always had a tendency to be a bit self-involved, but even she was going over the line.
“I am happy for you mom, really I am. I just think that you could have a little less glee over a town being taken over by bikers is all. And if you can’t feel it, you can at least not show how happy you are.”
She didn’t hear her daughter, her mind already on what she was going to tape next. Civ was trying to get the leader Andre to give her more information, namely why he was doing it. There had been a flare up when the Sheriff had ran to begin with, but nothing like that. What was it that was so bad about the man that so many were willing to give up their time to protest him? It didn’t make sense and Civ was determined to get to the bottom of it all.
“So tomorrow we will try to get in and talk to the leader of the gang. I think you should stay here though. It could be dangerous.”
Namadi would have been more than happy to stay where she was, but her mom wasn’t thinking it all th
e
way through. “Who is going to record you then mom?”
She paused and then pushed her dark hair back from her face. “That’s right. Well we will just have to be careful.”
Her daughter sighed again, letting her know that she was already over the whole situation. A minute ago it was too dangerous and just like that, she was signed up to go with her to kick the hornet’s nest. Unlike her mom, she could care less why the people were doing what they were doing. Namadi just wanted to get back home and away from the small town that was causing her so much grief.
***
The next morning, Namadi woke up and her mother was already up watching the videos of herself on CNN. She was practically vibrating with excitement and Namadi had to admit, that she was a little proud of her. Civ looked good. The videos that she had recorded actually looked professional. Too bad she had no desire to work that kind of job, she thought to herself.
“Look Namadi! They put your name in the credits for the video!”
She closed her eyes to the loud voice, not wanting to be seen awake, but she had caught her and the day was going to begin one way or another.
“That’s awesome mom.” Too bad she was more interested in history though.
“You never know Namadi, you might get another career out of all of this. It could be good for both of us.”
Namadi wanted to believe her, but all she wanted to do was get back to Houston and her friends. It wasn’t a trip that she had really wanted to come on in the first place and now that they were trapped there, it seemed far too long to be stuck with her. Namadi was starting to wish that she had gone with her friends to Myrtle Beach. She would be soaking in the sun, drinking something that had an umbrella in it, instead of being stuck in some crummy motel.
She pushed the cover off of her and slowly got up, squinting her eyes to the sun coming through the blinds. “Do we really have to go there? Why don’t we just let them figure it out?”
Civ just looked at her as if she had lost her mind. “It is my duty to get the news out. It is the public’s right to know the truth of what is going on here.”
“So it doesn’t have anything to do with getting your face out there, huh?”
She shrugged. “You have to take opportunity as it comes Namadi. If I have taught you nothing else, listen to this. Always go for it.”
The young woman got up and headed towards the bathroom. She was sure that it was going to be a bad day. Namadi had a bad feeling, but she had since she got to Waterton, it had been a dull ache in the bottom of her gut.
Chapter 2
Andre was across the same town, but he was waking up to different plans for the day. The small town was crammed full of bikers everywhere, many of them sleeping in tents in his yard. Everyone was starting to rouse after a long night of protesting that turned into an impromptu party. Andre was knackered and couldn’t be bothered with it all.
He personally had wanted to just take the man out. It would have been easier, but his father had pushed against it. Maxwell wanted there to be no violence and though he listened to no one else, he listened when his father spoke. The gang was founded by Maxwell twenty years before and even though Andre ran it now, he still looked to his father for advice.
“I see you are finally up son. Are you ready for another day?”
Andre shrugged. He didn’t have a choice. His father had pushed the whole thing into action. Maxwell was always pulling the strings. He couldn’t help himself since he had been the boss for so long. Andre knew why they were there and while he agreed, he would have handled it differently and he wouldn’t have used the press and television. It was the one thing that he had talked out against, but he was to give their side.
Maxwell knew in his old age that the best way was always the way that gave them closure. If the Sheriff was killed, the cops would keep snooping around until they found something incriminating. Though the cops were everywhere, the sheer number gave them some protection and having the country hear about it changed the rules with so many eyes now watching everyone. There were not the normal number of reporters, he would have liked more, but even one was enough with technology and sharing capacity nowadays.
Andre got it. He just didn’t want to be a part of it, but he was bound, so there he was. The hometown that he knew and love was under siege from his own people. But there was to be no violence, he wouldn’t let it happen. So far, no one had been hurt and Andre wanted to keep it that way.
What he didn’t want to do was go talk to some thirsty reporter, looking to make a name for herself like the one that was nosing around. He had already talked to her once and Andre would have wanted anyone else but her. But she was the only one.
“I’m ready. Not happy about it, but I will do what must be done.”
Maxwell put a hand on his shoulder. “I knew that you would son. That is why you are the leader now. You will do it better than me.”
“But I still don’t quite know why. You want me to go give my reasons, explain why we have taken over the town. I don’t know why we are here. I know that you found something out recently, but said nothing about what it was.”
Maxwell shook his head. It wasn’t time for that now. If he told his son the truth, there was no way that he was going to go through with it. Maxwell knew his son’s temper well, so he kept most of it to himself. “I can tell you that David was part of a rival motorcycle gang before he went the cop route. You need to tell that reporter that we want that exposed and what he did while he was in it. That man shouldn’t be walking around and I will not have him running my home town. He has to pay for his crimes and doing it in the public eye is a way for us to get it done without going to jail.”
Andre sighed. It was as cryptic as before. There was something his father wasn’t telling him, but he was used to secrets, lived with secrets his whole life.
“I will do as you ask. You need to stay out of it today though. The guys that came in from Denver are getting rowdy and it isn’t even ten in the morning.”
Maxwell scowled at the news. It was the last thing that he wanted to hear. “I will be out there to make sure that nothing happens. We can’t have this falling apart yet. If there is any violence, we won’t have the time to see it to fruition and that is what must happen.”
He saw the hard look in his father’s eyes and Andre wondered why he was so upset. Why wouldn’t he just tell him what was really going on? Why they were really there.
Andre left the house that they were staying in. It was the first house he remembered from his childhood and Andre would never understand why his father wanted it all to happen there. They had moved for a reason, the memories too painful. It also brought them all into the spotlight and that didn’t make any sense to him. They shouldn’t be naming themselves so easily.
“Andre, that reporter lady is here again for an interview. Do you want me to send her away or?”
“Tell her to come here. Max wants the interview to be in front of the house.”
Jason gave him a look, but Andre wasn’t going to answer it. There was no reason to have it there, but his dad had been clear. “Alright boss.”
The tall, redheaded man started to walk away, but Andre stopped him. “Keep the Colorado guys in line. Tell AJ to keep their eyes on em. I don’t want any trouble. They are here to hold the line, that’s it. Anyone can’t understand that needs to go.”
Jason nodded and went off where he was first going. The man was Andre’s second and he wanted to tell him the why that even he himself didn’t know. He felt like a pawn in it all. When he had taken over, Andree had thought that he would actually be taking over for good, but that was not the case. At the moment, he seemed to be the figurehead of it all with no power of any consequence.
As Andre saw the dark-haired loud woman from before walking up through the gate, he groaned inwardly. She was one of those women that grated his nerves with every word she said and he just wanted to get it over with. “Will you please tell you cronies that I need to have my daughter here to hold the camera? They won’t let her past.”
“Let her in Jason.” Andre hollered from where he stood. “I guess this is to be a family affair then?”
Civ didn’t answer, waiting for Namadi to come in behind her. “For someone who requested the interview, your guys aren’t very friendly.”
“They are not used to having to deal with your type.”
Civ tried not to let her nerves show. They had frisked her, though she was wearing a suit that left nothing to the imagination anyways. It had left her a little riled up and the smooth man in front of her was just ruffling more feathers.
Andre’s attention turned to the daughter and he stopped, his mouth open to say something that he had suddenly forgotten. She was dark-skinned and haired like her mother, though her smile seemed warmer. Civ noticed the look and moved into his line of vision. “So where would you like to have the interview?”
He seemed to realize what he was doing and what he wasn’t supposed to be doing. “Right here is fine.”