Seven

Chapter 55

"Mr Seven?" A voice interrupts me from studying the clouds.

"Hmm." I lift my head to find one of the wives of the farmers. Her colourful dress is dusty and long down to her boots despite it being sweltering hot.

"One of the men has fainted. I am wondering if I could bring him back to the house, he needs shade and some water." Her dark eyes never look to my face and instead are trained to the floor.

"Yeah, okay. Tell him he needs to drink more water during the day so he doesn't faint again." I look at her over my black sunglasses. She nods sheepishly.

"Forgive me Mr Seven but they are not given any water to drink during the day. The only water is at the house so they don't leave the fields." She holds her hands nervously in front of her and I notice her glance to my gun sitting on the floor by my chair.

"Is that so?" I frown.

"Yes Mr Seven. I'm sorry I did not mean any disrespect." She's bugging out if she thinks I'd be offended by this in anyway. But I guess they're use to members from our gang being harsh. The memory of hearing about a worker being tortured in front of his daughter reminds me of this very fact and the behaviour people out here are use to from members.

"Raf!" I yell out for the local guy who's been the go between for us and the farmers since we took it over from Sergey.

Rafael comes out the house in an instant, his singlet and shorts are dirty from the dust but his dark hair is perfectly slicked back.

"Yes Mr Seven?" I hate how everyone calls me Mr Seven here. But no matter how many times I correct them they still say it.

"How many water cans do we have in there?" I ask him and take a puff on my cigarette.

"Twelve sir." He replies confidently. Twelve will do.

"Good, that's what? A hundred and twenty litres?" I ask and Raf nods.

"Cool. Load those in the back of the Ute and help ..." I look to the woman who's name I don't know.

"Ana." She says, now with the courage to look me in the face.

"Help Ana deliver them to the men working in the fields after you help her pick up one of the men who fainted. Ana is going to be looking after him back at the workers house for the rest of day. They'll need a lift." I run my hand over my hair, feeling uncomfortable by the grateful smile the woman is now sending my way.

"Yes Mr Seven." Rafael nods and gestures for the woman to follow him.

"Thank you Mr Seven, bless you. Bless you." She tries to reach for me as she walks past but I lean away. I don't like people touching me. She doesn't seem to care about my awkward dismissal of her touch as she follows Raf into the house for the water.

I'm left once again to my own thoughts and stub out the cigarette. I should probably put a shirt on or I will start burning soon but it's so fucking hot I'd prefer a burn over wearing a t-shirt in this heat. In the far distance I can hear a car approaching the house, its tyres making that awful scraping noise against the dusty flats of the long makeshift driveway. I stand up from my lawn chair and walk around to the front of the house to greet whoever the fuck has turned up.

When I see the black pick up truck I know it's one of our men. But even knowing that doesn't prepare me for the sight of Curby jumping out the drivers side. His face is still bruised to fuck but it's nice to see him conscious and walking around.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" I smile at him as he walks over to me. He's wearing a white t-shirt and shorts. I move my sunglasses to my hair to get a better look at him. I can't remember a time I've ever seen Curby wear shorts and the oddity of it makes me laugh. He smiles a "shut the fuck up" smile at me and embraces me in a hug.