Chapter 17: The Meeting

The Legion hall on Troost smelled of floor wax and old coffee.

There was one long folding table in the middle of the room, and one chair on each side.

I took the chair facing the door.

Boone and Hank stood behind me against the wall with their hands in plain sight.

On the other side, the president of the Gallow Kings sat down slowly.

Carl stood behind the president's chair in a black cut that was a size too big.

He did not look at me.

I laid my father's deed on the table.

I had gotten a certified copy from the county office on Friday morning.

Hank had stood beside me while the clerk stared at my sling.

"Miss Dorsett," the president said. "Shall we?"

"Go ahead."

"I'll be direct. The lot is worth four hundred thousand to anyone else and a great deal more to me."

"Is that so?"

"I'll pay you six hundred for it today. Cash, no questions."

"No."

"Eight."

"No."

"You're a nurse. You make what, sixty a year?"

"Sixty-four," I said. "And I like my job."

Behind me, Hank made a small noise that might have been a cough.

The president folded his hands.

"Then I'll tell you what happens if you refuse," he said. "Your friends in the black vests lose their roof."

"How?"

"I buy the neighboring lots and put a fence around yours. No road, no water, no power. Your rent comes from a field of gravel."

"That sounds expensive."

"I'm a patient man."

"So am I," I said.