Nothing did, and less than an hour later, a sedated Leon was being escorted out of camp by men who had orders to kill him and piss on the body, a request from one of the victims.
Adrian wandered the camp, mind worrying over the order. He walked in the darkest shadows around the flapping tents, occasionally listening in, eyes hard and mind full of guilt. Leon wouldn't be missed, had contributed almost nothing, and the loss of life still made him feel like a failure, as a leader.
Not that he'd change his mind. He could still call Kyle, but he knew the Mobster didn't want the biker to get a stay of execution after what they'd heard him admit to, and he wouldn't. The entire world was better off without Leon. Right or wrong, he'd made a leader's choice, based on what was best for everyone here. It was how he made all of his decisions now. It was the only way his people would survive.
Adrian's feet carried him to the medical tent, but he hesitated to go in despite knowing he needed to officially invite the smart healer onto the payroll. Doctors were notoriously temperamental, and this one, having been here only a short time, would not be pleased with this night's work. It had taken nearly a dozen men to hold Leon down and though John had done what was asked without protest, the hypocrisy of it had to be fresh in his mind.
Headlights flashed, and Adrian moved farther back into the tent's shadows, seeing it was Tonya rolling into camp in a very red, very new convertible that was clearly not easy on gas like they had voted for at the last meeting.
She parked in front of her tent, making him frown at the second rule violation. As she disappeared inside the deluxe vinyl structure, he scribbled a note in his book, wondering which sucker had helped her put it up. She would gas her own car all this week and maybe the doctor's idea about a mandatory quarantine zone would work. She could be the first… "… new place, Anne, a hard new world, where everything has an uglier price."
Adrian didn't budge as the husband and wife talked about what had happened, unknowingly moving closer to his hiding place while they cleaned up the large, two-sided tent.
"But, it's barbaric, Johnnie! Branding him like an animal! It's...it's barbaric!"
"What else is there? No jails, no drugs, no mental help, and really, those things never worked on men like that anyway."
Adrian heard her frustrated sigh and understood that criminal justice was an old discussion between them.