Robert Lawson
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Posts: 27
(10/15/04 8:47 pm)
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Texas Cross Roads
The rough, rocky and almost desert terrain between Midland and Odessa Texas was relativly quiet on this friday night, an
occasional car zipping by down the highway going one way or the other. But located somewhat in between of the two West
Texas towns was a well known bar that'd been around for half a century under various owners and different names. Now
known as the Stardust Tavern and owned by a West Texan by the Name of Robert Lawson it'd served the community for
sometime with a nice bar selection and a area for dancing and even some private area's in back, though some preferred when it was a strip club some 20 years ago, Lawson didn't go for that sort of thing. As one neared the old establishment the near silence would drop off quickly as the Music from within leaked out..
((Opening Music: Stevie Ray Vaughan - The House Is Rockin'))
And there was a bit of irony in the music being pumped out from the speakers as the House was rocking tonight, It was pretty busy for a friday night. The Dance floor was packed with young and old, the bar was mostly full of people, drinking, BSing, flirting and looking to get lucky on this warm Texas Night. The tables were mostly all occupied and everyone was having a good time and the owner was enjoying himself as well as this would be a profitable night indeed.
Jimmy was working the bar as usual and for once he was in a pretty good mood, enjoying the music and not dealing with to
many drunkards who usually started some sort of crap. The owner though was taking a break having spent most of the night working side by side with Jimmy and some of the other employees. Lawson was in his private booth alone watching the customers enjoy themselves and he was just enjoying a cola, he never drank during business hours, after all someone had to be sober.
The evening rolled on and as the night grew later the crowd thinned out more and more, especially after the bar closed and the flow of booze stopped, but a few people hung around as last call approached shortly after midnight. Around 12:45 the bar was left to Jimmy, Lawson and a few others who would be on cleanup detail. "Pretty good night boss." Jimmy Remarked as Lawson came behind the bar.
((New Music: Stevie Ray Vaughan - Little Wing ))
"No @#%$, Haven't seen it this alive in ages." he grinned a little as the soft blues tune played. Pausing behind the bar he reaches under and takes out a special bottle for himself, Shaped like an artillery shell it was none other then Red Army Vodka which was a nice little treat he enjoyed after hours sometimes. "And we didn't have to bounce anyone.. its a miracle." Jimmy said with a faint laugh.
"Yeah, wont have to replace any chairs or stock thank god." Lawson replied with a faint chuckle of his own as he poured
himself a small glass. "Well, If you'll excuse me, I want to finish up and get out of here early tonight." Jimmy remarked. "Have
things to do tomorrow."
Lawson didn't say anything he just nodded and took a sip of his drink as Jimmy wandered off to clean up and take care of
other things. For a time it was only the sound of the music and the random stacking of chairs that could be heard in the old Bar as Lawson counted up the money they'd made tonight and nursing his drink, but even the music came to an end as Jimmy shut off the audio system in the back.
But another sound soon started emanating from the back offices, The phone was ringing and it was.. the Special line. "Jimmy could you get that?" Lawson called back to him. "Sure Boss" Jimmy Replied.
Jimmy soon answered the phone. "Hello? Oh.. I'll get him." he covers the mouthpiece and calls to Lawson. "Lawson It's Jack!"
"Jack? Which Jack?"
"Halden."
"Oh thank god, its not the @#%$." Lawson muttered quietly. "I'll be there in a second." Lawson takes his glass and moves into the back, eventually finding his way into his office. The office was decorated with different objects he collected through his life including many items from vietnam, his award plagues on one walls with a case with his various medals during his service with The Green Berets and later MACV-SOG. There were also pictures of different people, old army buddies, friends from his years in Vegas, Asia, South America and everywhere in between.
His desk was cluttered with paperwork, books and all sorts of other things, Jimmy was standing to one side with the phone.
"here you go." he offers the phone to Lawson. "Now I'll be off into the night."
Lawson takes the phone and nods. "Well, Drive safetly." he tells Jimmy as he leaves the office and Lawson puts the phone to his ear. "Jack?" It'd been a few months since he'd last seen and talked to Halden, Usually He'd drop in if he was operating in the area or call once in a blue moon to just BS a little like in the old days but that was pretty rare.
"Hey Robert.." his tone was a little more serious then usual, which stuck Lawson as a bit odd but he quickly dismisses it.
"Whats up old man?"
"Personally? Not a whole lot.. But I was wondering if you'd heard the news off the grapevine..."
There was only one grapevine as far as both men were concenred, that of the world they used to work, even though Halden and Lawson both were basiclly out of the life, Halden more so then Lawson, they both heard things from time to time from friends. "uhm.. What news?"
"Remember O'Ren Ishii?"
"Uhhuh." of course he did recall the woman, he never cared for her much.. though he never cared much for most of the DiVAS.
"You know.. that cute Chinese girl that worked for Bill in the DiVAS?"
Cute.. bah. "Cute? mhmm.. Well yes of course I remember her, As I recall Ol Bill set her up as the overlord of the Yakuza in
Tokyo."
Jack chuckles a bit. "Yeah that's her.. well she Isn't anything now.."
"Oh?" Lawsons brow arched slightly at that remark, he really hadn't kept track of those players after.. the El Paso incident.
"Yeah.. she's dead."
"What? Oh that's a shame.." a bit dryly Lawson remarked. "Another piece of crap that outlived there usefulness as far as I'm concerned, Why is that bit important? I mean.. christ Jack its after midnight."
Haldens tone became even more a bit serious. "well.. considering how she died? It might interest you.. and might have repercussions along the line for you.. well I think anyway."
He coughs a bit. "Erm, Why me?"
"Well.. As I heard it this woman came down to some club that O'ren and her gang frequented.. Somehow got that french
lawyer bitch that worked for Bill, Sliced both arms off, killed O'rens Body guards, then.. confronted some kid called Go Go
Yubari."
"Go Go Yubari? What kind of stupid ass name is that?" Lawson laughed a bit, really.. it was kinda.. a odd name.
"Don't ask me, I'm just telling you what I heard.. but anyway, she killed this Go Go brat and.. then hacked her way through
O'rens army who showed up, you know.. The Crazy 88."
"Crazy 88? If 88 of them fell to one woman, They weren't crazy they were abunch of stupid bastards." Lawson laughs a bit.
"well.. There wasn't really 88 of them more like 60 I heard but the point is, she ended the night with chopping part of O'rens
Head off..."
"Wow.." Lawson was at a loss for words, that was amazing, one woman against all of that? "This bitch must've been one tough
bird."
Haldens tone turns a bit grim. "Bob... It was Beatrix Kiddo.."
Lawson chokes on his vodka that he'd been nursing, Bea was back? The last he'd known she was in a coma still in El Paso
after the wedding rehearsal massacre. "What? I thought she was in a coma?"
"Well.. apparently she woke up and she's pissed.. not that I can blame her really.."
"Me neither.." Lawsons own tone was turning grim as yes he felt partly responsible.
"But the fact is.. she's up again and pissed, I also heard she tracked down Vernita Green and killed her too."
"I thought she was retired, a house wife or some crap."
"She was.. but it didn't matter, It seems Miss Kiddo is out for revenge for everyone responsible."
Swallowing a bit Lawson sat the glass on the desk. "..I see now why you called me.."
"Yeah, I remembered you saying you use to supply weapons to them before El Paso, I'm generally warning those I like and
were involved with them during that time to watch there backs."
"Good idea, If I was going out for vengeance, I'd lay it down upon everyone.. involved directly or not, just ot be safe.." Lawson sighs faintly. "It's a shame really, I always thought well of Bea.. Never understood what she saw in Bill though."
Halden chuckles a bit. "You always had a thing for blondes didn't you?"
"Uhm.. no, Just thought she was alright.."
"Oh.. well..Scratch that then."
"Any idea where she is or might be?"
"Not really." Halden clears his throat. "The only thing that can be certain is that she's probably heading for Bill, and well Budd
Light probably and patches."
Chuckling a bit as Halden called off the old nicknames they had for them. "Where is Bill anyway?"
"Last I heard? somewhere down in Mexico, Buddlight is off in the Peoples Republic of California, strip club bouncer of all
things.
"yuck, shitty job.. well, I can't say I blame her.. If I was her I'd want revenge too.. but I'm not going to hesitate to defend myself either..I'm not sure what she thought of me, but I thought of her as a semi friend.. but I'll do what I have to do."
"Right ,well be careful Lawson, and I'll talk to you later."
"Thanks Jack, Have a good night."
"You too." And with that the line went dead and Lawson was left totally alone. Hanging the phone up, a slight hint of paranoia crept over Lawson as he realized he was now alone in this big old bar. Moving over to a hard plastic case on the floor he picks it up and comes back to his desk, setting it down he opens it.
Inside rested a PGS-10 12 Ga. Shotgun, It was a compact little sucker with 3 shots plus one in the chamber. it was a very compact shotgun that could be conceled under a coat or well behind a bar and it might come in handy now. Lawson worked silently as he loaded the gun and attached a strap on it so he could carry it under his coat, all the while thinking back on the
situation.
His fear was that Beatrix could hold him responsible if she knew that he'd supplied the rifles to DiVAS a short time before the El Paso incident, though he didn't pull the trigger he gave them the means to slaughter those at the chapel and almost kill the woman of course he'd had no knowledge that Bill had located her in El Paso and he only knew it was her after they showed some pictures on the local news, after that incident he never supplied another piece of hardware to Bill or his minions. Before that during the times that Lawson had worked with the Deadly Vipers, he'd gotten to know Kiddo and maybe even became friends, he'd never really been sure what she thought of him though, which was the real shame of it all that he'd been indirectly but partly responsible for what happened to someone he'd actually cared a bit for, something that was rare in that line of work.
After awhile he has the shotgun loaded and fitted under his coat for easy access in the event he needs it, of course he also has a pistol on him, he'd found you could never go too lightly armed.. He doesn't linger for long as he locks the bar up and then leaves for the night, all of this new information weighing heavily on his mind..
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