Tribulation House: Reloaded

Chapter 35

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- 35 -

Cleaver and Lamb had a meeting with the boss. As Cleaver pulled the car in front of the restaurant, The Palm, he wasn’t sure what to expect. When the request had come for their presence, he’d been too nervous to ask.

All the way from the front door to the private dining room in the back, Cleaver kept a running tab of everyone he passed. Every person who had to be packing a gun. A knife. Something sharp, blunt, or otherwise murderous.

Cleaver was ushered into the presence of Mr. Massey in the back dining room, where he was having lunch with a couple of other guys. Bosses from other territories? Was this a sit-down? Muscle on loan from somewhere else?

At the table, Massey offered a plastic smile. Nodding for the others to leave the table, he motioned Cleaver and Lamb to sit in the vacated chairs. “Gentlemen. Glad you were able to make it.”

Cleaver felt the velvet fabric beneath him. Fancy.

“So,” Mr. Massey said in an even voice, “tell me how things are going in your district.”

“Going very well, boss.” Cleaver gulped. “Going great.”

“Could you be a little more specific?”

Cleaver nodded. “We are making friends. Like you asked.”

“I hear you’ve been taking time to do personal business.”

Cleaver tried not to shoot an accusing stare at his partner. “I been faithful, sir. Faithful.”

Massey nodded lightly. Maybe in agreement, maybe just to acknowledge that the other man had stopped talking. “We have a busy schedule. A lot of changes are coming.”

“We are doing what you told us to do.”

“Are you?” Massey flashed a wicked smile.

Cleaver felt the earth might open up beneath him any second. “We’re doing everything you said. We’re making it uncomfortable for the church there.”

Massey sighed. “There are two parts to getting that property. We need to remove the current holders, and we need the city council to rezone it for our needs.”

“Yes, Mr. Massey. We been workin’ the church.”

“Have you visited the candidates for city council?”

“We have been visiting them. Like you said.”

Massey looked away, rubbing his eyes. “How many?”

“Um—a few.”

Massey pounded on the table. “There are thirteen different candidates running for that open seat! You go out, and you get all thirteen of them in our pocket.”

Cleaver frowned. “But we can’t promise support to all of them. I mean—they are running against each other, right?”

“You go to each one of them and you get them in our pocket. And when somebody wins, I don’t care what happens to the others.”

“Yes, sir.” Cleaver was not quite sure how to implement these new orders, but he was afraid to ask. “We’ll get right on it.”

“See that you do.”

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There are 70 chapters for Tribulation House. You can purchase the whole eBook from Amazon, Apple, Kobo, B&N, and more! 

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