Page 10 of Ulysses

Titus nodded. “Good, they didn’t catch us asleep, they just arrived a bit earlier than what is polite. Talk about rude.” He shook his head. “Are we all ready to go to war?”

The men nodded and silently raised their weapons. Some had bows instead of guns. They all got busy gathering what they would need.

One by one most of the club went to the roof.

Jep stayed at his station with Areille right beside him. Before Titus left the room Jep handed him an ear piece. He could communicate and tell them where everyone was standing.

Titus left his father and his uncle with Jep and the ones who stayed on the ground floor were already at the windows alert to incoming danger. Canto was also there, ready to fight.

Even Lily had a gun in her hands.

Ironman held her beside him.” There are enough men on the roof. Please stay with me.”

Pausing, she then gave him a slow nod.

Mollie, Nita, Reno, and Ursala were all standing at a window as well, waiting for the showdown. Not one of Marauders would start this fight but not one of them would back down either. This was their home and they would defend it.

The silence grew tense as they waited.

Just then, Jep looked up from his laptop and said, “They just got to the far edge of the woods. I can see their heat signatures now.”

“How many are coming in?” Boomer wanted to know.

“So far, there are twenty-five signatures,” Jep warned them. “I see five going off to the east and the rest are still coming.”

“Those five would be Milo and his boys. They are going east to distract you guys,” Lily told them. “Look for some kind of fire.”

But instead of a fire they all heard an explosion and men yelling.

Jep smiled faintly but kept his eyes on the monitors. “Some are looking a bit funny like they are waving their arms and walking off in all directions. I think some of the soldiers are singing? And they are leaving as they do it.”

Areille pointed to the left and another explosion was heard.

This time Jep counted six figures on the ground and five of them remained standing. The signatures to the right and the ones moving to the backyard paused for a moment at the sounds, then colored smoke blew up over them.

“They are running wildly all over,” Jep said. “Running into trees and shit. Wow!” He laughed. “One just planted himself into a tree trunk! No, make that three.”

Boomer nodded. “It is all good and there are still more surprises out there.”

Another round of explosions rocked the clubhouse and Jep could see more men scattering. “Damn, I think they lost their thirty soldiers today? Only eleven figures are still moving ahead as it missed them.”

Just then, there were three more explosions and more men were down. Some were covered in paint and some began wandering in a daze as the smoke took them over.

“Down to eight men still moving,” Jep announced.

Lily’s phone began buzzing. She looked down at the caller ID and announced, “It’s my Uncle Estaban.” She looked up at Titus and asked, “Should I answer?”

He nodded. “Put it on speaker.”

Lily answered and put it on speaker. “Hello Estaban.”

“You puta,” Estaban growled. “What the hell kind of fun house is this place? They are somehow drugging my men and your cousins are dying out here.”

“Si, I guess that sort of thing happens when you are not invited and you come in anyway,” Lily told him.

Estaban swore in Spanish, “Chingar bitch. Que paseo? I came because my father called and sent out an SOS. What in Santo inferno is going on here?”

“Tomas followed my father here when he came looking for Ricco. But Ricco was already dead by his own hand. Eduardo didn’t get here in time. He was here to kill Ricco for blowing Gabriel up in his bar. He came here ready for a war he couldn’t win. They all died for nada. They didn’t even think about that before they started shooting, then Tomas came here as well. He saw the bodies covered with sheets and grew enraged. He should have stepped back and found out what happened but of course he didn’t do the reasonable thing. Not Tomas Sanchez, not he didn’t do that, the vato just started shooting. He died for his own stupid thinking that he couldn’t be touched. The men inside this clubhouse didn’t do a damn thing wrong. They were defending their home. Now you are here as well. You have men down, probably dying, even as we speak. The real question is will your bodies be joining the dead today?”