Chapter 1 – Bones Body Shop
"What
you do
No one can decide it's up to you
And who you are is what
you choose
These times when the world falls apart
Make us who
we are"
"The End has Only Begun" – Lifehouse
"This must be it," Jules thought. She drove her pickup truck closer and took a look at the address and the location. The supposed car shop was literally a large junkyard. It completely looked like a car cemetery that happened to be enclosed by chain link fencing. There was one main building in the center. It had a sign with black letters that read "Bones Body Shop."
Since there was no clear parking area, Jules parked her truck close to the front gates. She got out of the car guardedly. The place was eerily quiet. As a security measure, she had brought a small gun with her. She concealed it by carrying it in a holster around her ankle.
Jules opened the gate to get in. She then began examining the place and started walking to the main building. Jules thought the place was a dump. It was obvious that the shop was really a cover for illegal activities.
She heard a dog barking somewhere. As she spotted the entrance to the actual building, a brown pit bull jumped at her. Luckily for her, the dog was well-chained. Jules had instinctively sought out her gun but seeing that it was just an animal, she put it away.
She walked inside the building with caution. It was a little dark inside. As she entered, there were some huge ventilation fans to her left. They gave the place an industrial feel to it. Although the place seemed to be deserted, it's was not empty. There were clear signs of activity. She saw flying sparks here and there which meant that there was some actual shop work going on after all. Jules could see that that Darleys weren't as stupid as she had thought. They were covering their tracks with some actual vehicle work.
Jules saw a long hallway that led to an arch doorway and a very messy back office. As she walked through the hall, she heard some of the men whistling at her. Jules was unfazed by them. She was there on a mission.
The shop was filled with a terrible scent of sweat, dirt and filth. Ever since she was a little girl, she had a strong sensitivity to scents and smells. Unfortunately, she was most sensitive to foul smells. They sickened her. She was feeling quite disgusted to be in this shop.
Jules had made it a point to come well prepared today. Just as her contact had instructed her to do, she had brought cash with her and had prepared a detailed list of the guns she needed to buy. It was ironic that her contact, Big Jim, had set her up with a dealer named Bones Darley. She already knew all about Darley and his crew but didn't say a thing to Big Jim. He had explained to her that Bones was quite accommodating with "cash-paying" customers. This is exactly what she needed; she needed weapons fast and painlessly without a lot questions being asked.
Jules actually knew most everything she needed to know about Bones Darley and his crew. From her dealings with the police, she was pretty familiar with all the metro area gangs. The Darleys were a recurrent interest because Bones Darley was a well-known fixture in the criminal and underground communities. Everyone knew his primary interests where drug and weapons dealings. Although his oldest son was considered to be the leader of the Darley gang, a crew of tattooed drug dealers and thugs, she understood that Bones was really the puppet master behind the operation. Apparently, he liked to keep a tight leash on his men, especially his two sons: Billy and Joe. Billy, the oldest, had a reputation for being a cold blooded killer. He was also well-known for having a short "fuse" and being a womanizer. Bones' youngest son, Joe, was the weak link in the chain. Joe was basically considered the family "fuck up." The car shop was central command in terms how orders where handed in and out regarding their two main "business interests."
A male voice extracted Jules from her thoughts.
"Lookee, what we got here. Good-for-nothing Billy is not here woman so go back to do shopping, whoring around, or whatever it is that you do. Get the fuck out!"
She turned around and saw him. Jules wanted to asses him before responding. She was surprised to find him looking the way he did. He looked like a wreck and as if business had not been booming as much as he expected it to be.
"I'm Jules and I'm actually looking for another Darley, Bones Darley."
"Ain't my lucky day? What do you want?"
"I need your help with this," she said. She stretched out her hand and gave him the list that she had thoughtfully crafted.
Bones began examining the list. "That's a pretty long and specific list for someone like you," he pointed out to her.
"Let's just say I have a lot of problems," she answered calmly.
"Well, it looks like you are going to have to take your fucking problems elsewhere."
"Your friend, Big Jim, pointed me in your direction. He said you were the man and that you like transactions paid in cash. I'm good and ready Bones."
"Sweet pea, I see that you did your homework but that ain't going to get you in with me. I don't know you and nobody told me to fucking expect you in here. Since my opinion is the one that fucking counts, you can go back the same way you came from."
Jules was fuming and decided that she was not going to take no for an answer from Bones
"Bones, you and Big Jim go way back. You know he wouldn't have sent over just anyone."
"I don't deal with people I don't know and even less if they are a woman like you."
"Do you think that I'm a cop? Is that it? She lifted the front of her shirt. I'm not wired, see? You can check me. Come on Bones, let's do business."
Bones laughed again.
"That was a nice peep-show darling! Some of my boys would have probably fallen for it but you got a thing about you that rubs me the wrong fucking way. Go away to do your nails or hair or whatever it is that you like doing to make yourself feel better sweetheart."
"You don't have to like me Bones. I get the goods, you get the money. We both win, it's that simple."
"No can do. You can leave my fucking sight now! I have an appointment coming up and I don't want you in here. Buh-bye"
"Fuck you!" she said angrily.
Jules stormed out of Bones' Shop in a fury. She had to think of something fast. His refusal put a dent on her plans especially regarding the timeline she had set forth. Time was ticking. Jules was annoyed that nowshe would have to spend more time finding another dealer in the black market.
Big Jim had also failed her big time. He was supposed to have this set up and ready for her. He obviously hadn't bothered to do jack shit. He had also told her that this transaction was going to be an easy and painless one. Big Jim had been wrong in both counts. She had been a little skeptical of what he had said to her given Bones' reputation. The only thing that she wasn't surprised about was the fact that Bones had been a first degree asshole to her.
Now, she was heading straight out to see Big Jim. He was going to have to explain to her why she had wasted her time that morning. Big Jim was about to get a hell of a bitching session from her.
As she walked out of the shop and headed to her car, she saw a man coming in with a backpack. He looked like a neo-Nazi with the shaved head, goatee and tattoos snaking down all around his neck. He was wearing a long brown leather coat and was smoking.
He spotted her and was slightly startled to see her walking out of the shop. Jules knew exactly who he was and now he was walking towards her.