#pdmc

Chapter 3

In the two months since the behind closed doors meeting about Sanada, it seemed like the club had gotten on more sure footing. When Naito had revealed to the rest of the founding members Sanada’s feelings of isolation and how long they had allowed that feeling to persist it had been met with shock followed quickly by realization.  As he sat at the head of the table Naito watched as one by one they replayed the past year and a half and came to the same conclusions he had.  That they had neglected one of their own and it did had not set well with any one of them.   It was never intentional by any of them, but they had gotten into habits over the years that they hadn’t made the adjustment when Evil had gone away. By this point they were probably annoying the shit out of Sanada with the attention they were focusing on him.  

Now it was crunch time.   They were five months out from the deadline imposed by Naito for their move.  Four months out from Evil’s release from prison. Naito wanted a choice sooner than later so they could get finalize the details.  

The only good part of this process as far as Shingo was concerned was getting a lot of time on his bike where he was happiest.   At the moment they were on their way to a little town called Watford the fourth town on their three day tour.   The first three towns had been vetoed, either lacking the appropriate resources or Shingo finding something he didn’t care for.  They were due to arrive in Watford in about fifteen minutes and they were both hoping the fourth time was the charm.  

Naito was optimistic. Watford was a small town; with a population around 10,000 people, but not so miniscule that his boys would be miserable.  There was still the small town vibe, with a main street filled with mom and pop shops, while still having some of the amenities of a bigger city.  The biggest factor on its side was the small police force, at least in Naito’s eyes.    Another bonus was the city of Ecrin which was about twenty minutes south of Watford, close enough the boys could ride up for a taste of the big city life.  

In the distance the outskirts of Watford came into view, a peppering of houses spread throughout the forest trees, sharp contrasts of vibrant colors against the green landscape.   As they continued along the road the ranches and farm houses came into sharper focus, sprawling ranch lands, barbed wire fences holding the cattle in, the smell of manure strong in the air.  As they got closer to the main houses, goats and sheep began appearing with regularity, along with horses and chickens around the barns.  

Pulled out of his thoughts by Shingo motioning for him to pull over, Naito followed him off the road, pulling to a stop on the dirt lining the blacktop.  Naito raised his eyebrow as he pulled off his helmet, looking over the abandoned junkyard they were stopped in front of.  Long abandoned by the looks of it.  The sign proclaiming the location “John’s Junkyard” was half hanging, the paint faded and rust around the edges as it dangled over the broken wooden gate.  

“Not very secure. A strong wind could break in.” Naito called out to Shingo who had climbed off his bike and was examining the perimeter.  

“That can be fixed.”  Shingo responded pulling one of the dilapidated boards to the side to peer into the yard.   “It’s a good size.  Good location. Could work well as a headquarters. A couple of months could have it in shape.”

Naito looked doubtfully at the weed infested land with scattered hulls of junk cars long picked over interspersed throughout. He didn’t see it, but if Shingo saw something he would cede to the other man’s opinion.  This was his specialty.  

“Turn these shitty wood fences into concrete, reinforce it with rebar, and top it with barbwire, secure gate.”  Shingo thought aloud, speaking half to himself, half to Naito.  “Put a laydown in the middle, gym, garage, and a couple other buildings.  It’ll all fit.”  

“You know it’s your call.”  Naito said. “If you give the say so, we’re in.”  

“Let’s check out the rest of this place before we decide.”  Shingo said coming back to his bike.  Grabbing his helmet from the seat Shingo strapped it on before slipping his sunglasses back on.  Slinging his leg over the seat Shingo fired up his engine and followed Naito’s path back onto the street.    

The two continued on their tour of Watford, driving through the residential areas and along the main street pulling to the side occasionally to confer before ending up parked across the street from the police station.  The two men were cognizant of the stares they were getting as they sat on their bikes, Shingo smirking as he stared challengingly at the police officers walking into the building giving them wary glances.   Naito got a kick out of the people who shied away from them on the sidewalks, not knowing who they were, but instinctually reading the danger implied by their leather vests proudly proclaiming their status in the Phantom Dragons Motorcycle Club.  

“Let’s grab some lunch.”  Naito suggested after Shingo indicated he was satisfied with what they saw.   Climbing off their bikes the two men walked down the sidewalk towards the little corner café they had seen on their way through town; Mary’s Cafe.   “See if small town food is good as they say.”  

After they settled into a corner booth the men perused the menus handed to them by the teenage waitress, sending her on her way with their drink orders.  

“Anything catch your eye?”  Shingo asked as he considered his options.  

“Everything. I’m starving” Naito said with a grin. “But I think I’m going to try the meatloaf special.  What about you?”  

“Burger.”  Shingo said.

The waitress returned, setting their sodas down in front of them before cheerily taking their order, her wide eyes roaming over their leather vests and handsome faces with clear interest.

“You’re jailbait sweetheart.”  Naito said catching her looks.  “Not happening.  Ever. Move along.”  

Embarrassment flushed her cheeks and she scurried away, darting back into the kitchen.

“Nice to know things are the same even in small towns.”  Shingo said with a sardonic chuckle.   “Teenage girls still lusting after the bad boys.”  

“I hope you boys aren’t scaring off my wait staff.”  

Naito looked up, seeing an older woman approaching the table with a stern look on her face.   He glanced down at the menu still sitting on the table, recognizing her picture as the owner of the café.  

“You must be Mary.”  Naito said flashing a megawatt smile.  “I am Naito.  This is my friend Shingo.”

“It’s nice to meet you both.  Care to explain why Jenny is crying in my kitchen?”   Mary asked with sharp focus that made Naito want to squirm in his seat.  

“You’ve got that momma look down.”  Naito said with a laugh, grinning wider as he saw the slight softening around her eyes.  He liked her; and it never hurt to have a friend on your side.  

“We meant no disrespect ma’am.”  Shingo interjected.  “We were just trying to warn Ms. Jenny away.  We’re not the kind of men she should be flirting with. She’s underage and impressionable. We’re not good men.  She doesn’t need to think we are.”  

Mary stared at him shrewdly then turned the same look on Naito before nodding in satisfaction at what she saw and smiling kindly at the two men.

“I think you’re better men than you give yourself credit for.” Mary said.  “Bad men wouldn’t care that Jenny is only sixteen.  They would have taken advantage of her.”  

Naito’s grin turned into a frown as a police officer appeared at Mary’s shoulders interrupting their conversation.  

“Are these men bothering you Mary?”   The officer asked placing a protective arm around her shoulder.

“What?  Of course not.”  Mary said turning to frown at him as she shrugged off his arm.  “I hope you’re not going to harass my customers Officer Prembley. They’re just sitting here having a meal.”  

“Just making sure they aren’t causing any trouble on their way out of town.”  He said meaningfully.  

“Actually we were just about to ask sweet Mary if she could direct us to a realtor.  We’re going to be sticking around for a while.”  Naito said with a smirk as Shingo nodded in agreement.  He was glad Shingo was on board, because Naito would move here just to spite the asshole police officer.    

Officer Prembley frowned while Mary smiled in delight.

“Oh, it’s been so long since we had new residents. This is so exciting.”  She exclaimed.  “I know just the person to help you. Let me go get your meal and I’ll get her information for you.”  

“You aren’t wanted here.”  Officer Prembley said as soon as she was out of earshot. “We don’t want your kind in our town.”

“Our kind?” Naito retorted sharply.  “You mean foreigners?  Do we not fit your perfect mold?  Not white enough for you?”  

“You know what I’m talking about.  Mary may be naïve, but I know exactly what those patches on your vests stand for. My feelings have nothing to do with the color of your skin.”  He snapped. “Stay out of our town. We don’t need your kind of filth.”  

“Aren’t we the popular ones?”  Shingo snorted as they watched Officer Prembley storm out of the diner.  

“He’s not exactly wrong. We do have nefarious intentions.”  Naito chuckled the conversation dropping off as Mary reappeared with their meals, sliding into the booth next to Naito and fussing over them as she apologized for Officer Prembley’s rude behavior.  

By the time the meal was done, the two men were firmly under Mary’s wing, as she ate up their flowery compliments of her restaurant’s food and heard all about their makeshift family.  Mary filled them in on the story of the old junkyard Shingo had been interested in, as well as the available real estate that she was positive would make good homes for her new friends, and an appointment with her friend the real estate agent.  

“What about vacant lots Mary?” Shingo asked as the conversation wound down.  “Any empty lots for sale?   One of our friends is rather particular about his tastes.  I’m sure he would prefer to build his own home.”  

Mary pursed her lips as she thought of the land available in and around town before she brightened.  

“There’s a beautiful lot out by the lake that just came up for sale.  Death in the family.  I think they want to get rid of it quickly. Absolutely beautiful. I’m sure it would meet the most discerning standards.”   Mary said making Shingo snort.

“She doesn’t know Sanada.”  He laughed making Naito chuckle in agreement.   “I’m sure there’s nothing in this town that will meet his standards.”  

“Oh hush now,” Mary scolded.   “That’s no way to talk about your friend.  Especially when he’s not here to defend himself. You boys better be nice.”  

“Well Sanada will certainly appreciate your vehement defense of him.”  Naito said. “You may just win him over.”  

“I look forward to meeting him.  Now you boys better get going if you want to make your appointment with Lisa.”  Mary said sliding out of the booth to let Naito out as Shingo left a stack of cash in the middle to cover their meal and a tip for their long vanished waitress.  

“Mary, you have been an invaluable help.” Naito said lifting her hand and pressing a kiss to the top of it making Mary blush like a school girl.   “It won’t be forgotten.”  

As they walked out of the diner Shingo nudged Naito and nodded up the street where Officer Prembley was standing next to their bikes, glaring in their direction.  Naito grinned as they walked in his direction, watching him gear himself up for the confrontation; he could practically see the conversation the officer was having with himself.  Three doors down from their bikes Naito stopped and opened the door to the realtor’s office, waving cheerfully at the officer as they stepped inside.  

Naito’s eyes lit up as they were greeted by the real estate agent, Lisa Bloom.  He had been expecting an older woman like Mary, given she had talked about Lisa like they were old friends, but was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful woman who ushered them in.  She could be an entertaining way to pass the time while he was away from his old lady.

“Focus.”  Shingo teased in a whisper as Naito’s eyes were glued to her shapely behind as she led them towards her office.  “You can fuck her after our dealings are done.  Don’t need to piss off the only realtor in town.”  

Naito rolled his eyes but complied with Shingo’s demand.  He made sense. Would be hard to work with her if he pulled a fuck and run.  

“Unless I fuck her first.”  Shingo said with a wide grin as he turned his charm onto Lisa.

Two hours and a lot of flirting later, the two men left her office with folders full of the available offerings in Watford and an appointment for the next day to check out some properties.  During the meeting they had also extended an offer on the abandoned junkyard that had caught their eye on the way into town.   A few phone calls, faxed contracts and wired funds and the plot of land was on its way to being Phantom Dragons property.  

The two men found themselves back at Mary’s, taking up residence in the same booth from their earlier visit and spreading the listings out in front of them.  

“You becoming regulars already?”  Mary asked as she approached the table with a smile.

“Great food.  Better hostess. How can we stay away?”  Naito said.

“Oh stop it,” Mary fluttered.  “Is he always such a charmer?”  

“Yep.  That’s our Naito, the little charmer.”  Shingo said rolling his eyes as Naito ate up Mary’s praise with a smug smirk.  

Despite their insistence that they weren’t hungry and just wanted a milkshake while they borrowed her table, Mary brought them out a plate of corn fritters and hush puppies to nibble on carrying on about them being too skinny and needing some good food.    

As he flicked through the pile of papers Naito was surprised at the amount of properties available, mentioning such to Mary as she dropped plates at their table.

“Small towns are dying Naito.”  She said softly.  “People moving on to big cities.  Better jobs.  Better lives. At least according to them.”   Mary harrumphed; her opinion on that clear.  

Shingo pursed his lips, considering Mary as she walked away.

“There’s no jobs here.”  Shingo said.  “That’s why they’re leaving. No future.”

“And what does that have to do with us?” Naito asked taking a bite from a fritter.  

“Small towns aren’t very friendly to outsiders. Mary being the exception thus far.” Shingo said.   “Some goodwill on our part would go a long way in getting the townspeople on our side.”  

“What are you thinking?”  

“We have a lot of construction work that will need to be done.  I bet a lot of these out of work men are in that field.  They could make a lot of money helping us out.  I say we hire them instead.  A big company coming in for months at a time isn’t going to do anything but remind them we thought they weren’t good enough to handle our business. That’s just going to make us pariahs.”

“So you’re suggesting we play Robin Hood?” Naito asked skeptically.  

“Pay em good and get em on our side.”  Shingo said seriously.  “Given the reception we’ve gotten from the police so far we’re going to need it. We need allies; who better than the people who live here. Money goes a long way towards that.”  

Naito sat back, slinging his arm along the back of the booth and musing over Shingo’s idea.

“We can’t support the whole town indefinitely.” Naito said after a moment.  “We’re not a charity.”

“I know.”  Shingo acknowledged.  “But all they’re going to remember is their benefactors coming into town and saving them from poverty.   We need to open some legitimate fronts.   Hire townspeople to work them, money in their pockets and ours.”    

“Guess we better have Lisa get us some commercial lots together too. We can look at those when I come back in a few weeks. Just in case that’s the road we decide to take.” Naito said in resignation pulling out his phone to shoot a text to the agent.  Shingo’s plan was sound.  It wouldn’t hurt them to have some legitimate businesses running to cover the illicit activities.  It’s what they did now, no reason why they shouldn’t continue it just because it was a smaller base of operations.    Problem was the profit margin in a small town was much smaller than a big city.   “We’re going to need to sit down before you move up here and figure out exactly what the fuck we’re going to do. As a board.”  

Shingo nodded in agreement with Naito’s assessment. The club was planning their final move in about three months; however Shingo had volunteered to move immediately to oversee construction of their operations.  The others would make visits throughout, but Shingo would be the only permanent resident for the next couple of months.   They had a lot of details to hammer out before Shingo returned to Watford the following week.  

While Mary cleared their plates, Naito picked her brain for the names of some local contractors who she felt would be suitable for the construction work the club would need.  With some thought Mary came up with a few names, promising Shingo and Naito to have the men get in contact with them if they were interested in the jobs.  

As he had on their previous visits Shingo threw a stack of cash on the table, ignoring Mary’s protests as she chased after them complaining about leaving too much money.  Protests which fell on deaf ears as Naito waved her off with a lazy gesture.  

Stepping into the quickly cooling night air the two men made their way back to their long parked bikes, climbing on and making the short drive up the street to the town’s only motel which was located about half a block down from Mary’s.   It was a dilapidated building in desperate need of a fresh coat of paint and some TLC.   Along with a good deep cleaning.   They would probably be better off sleeping in the dirt at their newly acquired junkyard if the outside was any indication.  

“This wouldn’t be a bad business to step into.” Shingo commented noticing the for sale sign in the front window as Naito walked into the small lobby to secure them a room.   As Naito handled the registration Shingo ran a discerning eye over the property wondering just how much money they would have to sink into the place to make it half-way decent.  

“A motel?  Really? You gonna play maid Shingo?”  Naito asked as he came back out with their key a few moments later, picking up the conversation where it had been left off.  

“Hell no.  But I’m sure there’s plenty of women around here who would jump at the chance.”

“That’s a big expense Shingo.”  Naito said.  “Not a lot of upside.  This place is a piece of shit.  You’re going to have to convince the boys.  I’m not seeing it.”  

Shingo nodded.  He understood where Naito was coming from.  They had never undertaken a business like a motel before.  But as soon as he had seen that for sale sign, things had started running through his mind and he was pretty sure the club would see the benefit once he outlined it.  If they didn’t he would forget it and they would go for something else.  

“Here we are.”  Naito said stopping outside room 124.   “You better not snore.”  

“Not my fault you’re too cheap to get us two rooms. Please tell me there’s at least two beds.”  

--

The following morning found them back at Mary’s for a quick breakfast, quickly commandeering what they were now proclaiming their booth.  Mary wasn’t around this morning, a new waitress severely lacking in personality compared to Mary getting dismissed by a grumpy Naito who was the farthest thing from a morning person you could get.  

“I don’t like her.”  Naito grumbled into his coffee.  

“She’s fine.”  Shingo waved off his complaints. “Just cause she’s not falling all over your dick doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with her.  Long as she gets my food right and keeps my coffee filled she’s alright in my books.”  

Finishing up their meal the two men left what was quickly becoming their regular haunt walking down to Lisa Bloom’s office to meet her for their viewing appointment.  

“I’ve got a few new properties I came across last night that I think will be what you two are looking for.” Lisa said as she led them into her office, gesturing for them to take a seat.  “If you want to take a quick look and see if any jump out as immediate no’s or must sees in addition to the ones I gave you last night.”

Shingo flipped through the stack Lisa handed them one-by-one, examining the pictures and specs of each listing and creating two piles while Naito did the same with his own stack.  Lisa arched an eyebrow as she looked through the final stacks of their selected homes.

“These are exactly the same.”  She said in disbelief waving the two piles.  “How did you two manage that?”  

“Jesus, I knew I’ve been hanging around you too much Shingo.” Naito groaned. “I’m turning into you.”

Shingo laughed and slapped Naito on the back, telling him it was only an improvement before passing over the properties from the previous listings they wanted to check out to Lisa.  

“Well, hopefully we can find something for each of you.  So long as you don’t both want the same house.”  Lisa interjected.

“That won’t happen.” Naito reassured her. “Shingo will be the easiest client you’ll ever have.  He ain’t picky.”  

Grabbing her jacket Lisa led the two out of her office towards her silver Honda Accord parked behind the building.  

“The first place is just up the street.”  Lisa said making small talk as she navigated through the streets before pulling into the driveway of a small white cottage style home with colorful flowers surrounding the porch.  

“I’ll take it.”  Shingo said before she even had the car in park.  He was sitting in the passenger’s seat of Lisa’s vehicle, the stack of home they were looking at sitting across his thigh.  A quick glance around the neighborhood satisfied him and he wasn’t going to waste time.  

The house was nice from the outside.  Enough space between the neighbor’s houses that he wouldn’t feel claustrophobic and it was close where he envisioned the compound.

“Excuse me?”  Lisa laughed in disbelief. “You haven’t even seen it.  What do you mean you’ll take it?”  

“Told ya in the office, Shingo will be the easiest client you’ll ever have.”  Naito chimed in from the back seat.  

“I don’t really care.  I need a place.  This will work.”  Shingo said with a shrug.  “Anything that needs to be done, I can do after I move in.”  

“Are you sure you don’t want to look at it?” Lisa asked skeptically.   “Buying a house is a big decision to make sight unseen.”  

“No I don’t need to. Neighborhood is fine.” Shingo said.  “If I can move in when I return next week I’ll take it. Otherwise I need whatever place can do that.”  

“It takes time to buy a house Shingo.” Lisa objected.  “There’s escrow.  We have to secure a mortgage for you. Inspections. Paperwork.”  

“I’m paying cash. Don’t want inspections.” Shingo said. “I just want it done. Now.”  

“Okay then.”   Lisa said huffing out a breath.  “What about you Naito? Are you picking from the driveway too?”  

“Nope.  I’m not as easy as Shingo. You’re going to have to put some effort into me.”  Naito teased.   “Though I will give you longer than a week to finalize everything.”

“And what about a mortgage for you?”

“Cash.” Naito said.  “Everything will be done in cash. For all of us.”  

“How on earth can do you have that much cash just lying around?”  Lisa asked in shock, paling as the smiles dropped from both Naito and Shingo’s faces.

“Don’t ask too many questions Lisa.”  Shingo said shortly.

Lisa swallowed hard, wondering what she was stepping into with these men coming into her town throwing around hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash like it was nothing.   Pasting on a fake smile Lisa backed out of the driveway and headed for the next property.   All she was doing was selling some houses.  She couldn’t possibly get into any trouble for that.