by K. J. Dahlen
Bastian lifted a lighter out of the outside pocket of his bag and flicked it on. The flame burned bright for a moment then with the alcohol heavy in the air it began to burn. The entire room ignited. There was enough booze and oil on the floor for the wood to take the flames and within a short amount of time, the entire boat was burning.
He turned and snapped off his gloves and threw them into the flames as he stepped off the Sea Serpent onto the boat Jim was piloting. He could barely hear the two brothers screaming over the roar of the fire as the flames took them. It did not affect him. He did his job, only this time he felt rage as he did it. That was a first.
As Jim turned the boat toward the land, he didn’t say a word. Neither man spoke as they found the river again and made their way back to Sabine Pass.
They found the park just as the dawn was beginning to show its first light. By this time, he’d changed his clothes and washed the blood from his hands. Despite the plastic gloves he wore, some blood still stained his hands. When they left the boat behind, there was no trace either man had been aboard. He dropped his bloody clothing in a trash bin on the way out of the park and Jim set the bin on fire. They watched it long enough to make sure there was no danger of anything else in the park burning before they went to Jim’s car.
Glancing in the rear view mirror, Bastian could see the smoke barely coming from the bin anymore and he nodded to Jim it was safe enough to leave.
Jim drove away slowly.
Half an hour later, Jim dropped him off at his own car still parked in the woods just outside the compound. As he got out of the car Jim said, “Call me later when it’s time to go over the evidence. I think I’d like to know how this all comes out and what these guys plan to do to stop whoever is behind this.”
“I will,” Bastian replied. “Go get some sleep. It will probably be a while before they know anything.”
Then he watched as Jim pulled away. Bastian put the bag in his trunk. Before he left, he took a smaller bag from his carryon and closed his trunk. He turned and made his way to the window he’d used the night before. Opening it carefully, he made his way down the hall. At the door to the room across the hall from where he’d found Calico and Jolene, he paused then opened the door. There on the bed was Sawyer. Slipping into the room, he shut the door behind him, locking it. Then he made his way over to the bed.
For a moment, all he could do was stare at her. She looked so peaceful there lost in slumber. Then he noticed her tears. They were dry now but he could see the tracks they’d made on her pale skin. He could also see the bruises left from the accident and the rough handling by Tomas and Enrique.
He quickly undressed and slipped into her bed. Hauling her warm body to his, he held her close to him for a moment. She fit right into his side. He turned on his back and when he looked down at her face, he saw her eyes were open. “Shhh…” he whispered. “I’m here now and nothing will ever hurt you again. I’ll keep you safe.”
Sawyer smiled and snuggled into his embrace.
Sunlight shone through the room darkening curtains and drove the dim interior shadows into the corners of the room. Sawyer opened her eyes and smiled when she heard his heartbeat under her right ear. She was safe in the knowledge that he’d come back here for her, and that was good enough for her. She was back in his embrace and she would never have to leave them again.
His arms were around her and she inched closer to him. She felt him tighten his hold on her arms as he tugged her even closer.
“Good morning,” he whispered as his lips brushed the top of her head.
“It sure is.” She giggled. Tipping her head back, she stared at him in amazement. “You came back for me.”
Bastian smiled. “I got nowhere else I’d rather be than right here beside you.”
Sawyer’s mood grew solemn. “My father isn’t going to like that.”
Bastian closed his eyes for a moment. “I know but I can’t walk away, not from you, never from you.”
“I’m pregnant,” she finally whispered her secret.
“I know. I will admit the baby is a shock but I’m not here for just the baby. I want you, all of you and the baby is part of you.”
“He’s part of you too.” The words were softly spoken.
Bastian nodded. “I want you both.” He admitted.
“And we want you too,” She paused then asked, “What about my family?”
Bastian sighed heavily. “That is something we have to talk about.”
“Are you saying I have to give up my family?” Her heart was breaking.
Bastian sat up and swung his legs over the side of the bed. Bracing his arms on either side of him, he stared at the wall. “No I cannot ask you to give up your family.”
Sawyer sat up and stared at his bare back. “So what are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. All I do know is that as long as you are here, I’m not going anywhere.”
“This mess isn’t over yet is it?”
Bastian glanced over his shoulder. “No it isn’t. Not by a long shot. I need to talk to your father and the rest of the men that live here. This is so much more than getting revenge on your father.”
Sawyer stared at him for a moment then nodded. “Then we’d better get everyone together huh?”
Bastian got to his feet and turned to face her. “Before we go anywhere, there is still something we need to talk about.”
Sawyer caught her breath in her throat. “What would that be?”
“Before we can go forward in this relationship, we have to have a truth between us.”
“What does that mean?” she whispered as fear rolled through her.
He knelt on the bed and leaned toward her. “You need to know who I am. I am more than just a man known to one and all as the Priest.”
Sawyer nodded. “Okay. You always told me you kept your real life a secret for a reason.”
Bastian nodded. “Yes I did and that reason was to protect you from my past. I can’t and won’t put you or our baby in danger from my enemies.”
Sawyer cocked her head to one side. “And that has changed?”
Bastian shrugged. “Perhaps. That depends on what happens when I talk to your father and the others.”
“I don’t understand.”
Bastian grasped her hands. “Jim did some research into this group your father is with after one of them tried hacking into my computer. No one had ever done that before. I have and maintain top notch security. In my line of work, I have to be able to keep my own secrets. What he found astounded him. The people here have set themselves up to protect this country from people who would bring chaos and death to our streets.” He shook his head. “Most people in this country serve only themselves. We have become a nation of fools, thinking the kind of terrorism prevalent in the other countries could never happen here.” He sat back on his heels. “He was explaining all the good these people hope to do here on the way back from the gulf last night. Both he and I want to see this situation to the end. Maybe it would be possible for us to contribute our expertise to this effort. We’d like to try at any rate, if they would allow it.”
“But what does that have to do with us?” She frowned.
“As I said before if we are going to make this relationship work there has to be a truth between us. I want you to know the real me.”
Sawyer gulped. Her fear of the unknown made her tremble inside. “Okay, who are you?”
“I’m not the man you see in front of you.” He announced. Then he began to strip off his disguise. He peeled off the fake beard and dark wig. Then he leaned forward and took out his colored contacts. Running his fingers through his silvery hair, he gazed at her through his pale blue eyes. Holding out his arms he let her look on his real self. “This is the real me. My name is Sebastian Castil but most people who know me by that name call me Bastian. I am an only child. My parents are gone and I have no other family still alive.”
Sawyer stilled and stared at him.
“Jim Branken is the only other person who knows who I really am. I met him fifteen years ago right after he came back from the war on terror. He has a set of skills that enables him to protect us both. He’s been my friend for a long time and he accepts me for who and what I am and for who I have become.”
“Bastian,” she whispered his name. Then she smiled. “Your name is Bastian.” Raising her hand to cup his jaw she said, “I love you Bastian.”
Bastian smiled. “And I love you Sawyer Moon.”
There was a knock on her door and Jolene called out, “Sawyer, are you awake yet?”
“Yeah Mom, we’re awake.”
Jolene paused then asked, “We?”
Sawyer smiled at Bastian. “We’ll be out in a moment ok?”
“Ok baby.” Jolene said.
Then they listened to her footsteps fade away.
“I suppose we should get dressed and face the music huh?” She shrugged. “I’m sure Pappy and the others will want you to answer their questions on what you found out from Tomas and Enrique.”
Bastian nodded. “Jim would like to be here for that as well. Maybe we could contribute to the operation.” He reached for his phone and placed the call to Jim.
When he finished, he turned to Sawyer.
“Better get dressed then.” Sawyer suggested. “Are you prepared to share your secrets with everyone here?”
Bastian nodded. “I hate to, but I guess I’ll have to if I want to stay.”
“Are you sure you really want this?” she asked. “You’ve stayed hidden for so long for good reason.”
Bastian shook his head. “I can’t protect you and the baby from the shadows. I need to be right next to you. You and this baby are my life now. I would die to protect you and I would kill to do the same thing. It may take me some time to get used to the new way of things but I’m not walking away from you. I love you too much for that.” He reached down and picked up the small bag he’d brought with him.
Sawyer took a deep breath and when she exhaled, she smiled. “Then let’s go face the good guys.”
Chapter Eight
When they reached the main room, Bastian paused and watched everyone for a moment. He knew what he carried in the bag would be important to this mission. The men and women fighting this battle would need what he’d found.
Calico was the first to see him. Instantly, he got to his feet and growled as he walked toward his daughter.
Bastian watched as the other man came closer then held his hand up to stop him. “I’m not looking for trouble here.”
“Dad, please don’t force this,” Sawyer begged her father.
Everyone else stopped what they were doing and watched to see what Calico might do next.
Jolene joined him and laid her hand on his arm. Without saying anything,
Calico just glared at Bastian. He took a deep breath and caught Bastian’s eyes. “What the fuck are you doing here?” he finally asked.
“I came to be with my woman and claim my child,” Bastian answered simply.
“Are you going to take her away with you?” Jolene asked worriedly.
“I don’t want to. I think I can help and if it’s possible, maybe I could offer my services to you and your people.”
“What services?” Calico sneered. “You’re nothing more than a thug who likes to play with knives.”
“Dad, please don’t be this way,” Sawyer begged. “If he doesn’t stay, then I don’t stay. He won’t have to kidnap me this time. I will go with him of my own free will.”
Calico took a step toward her but Jolene pulled him to a stop.
Pappy seemed to decide this would be the best moment to get things started. He stepped forward and held out his hand to Bastian. “My name is Stone Masterson but everyone calls me Pappy. Everyone here is a member of the Hell’s Fire Riders MC. We are mostly ex-military but we also swore to protect this country against terrorists, both foreign and domistic.”
Bastian nodded as he shook Pappy’s hand. “So my man Jim tells me. My name is Bastian Castil. My friend, Jim Branken tells me nothing but good things about this group.”
“Would that be Captain James Quinlan Branken?” Dewey asked as he stepped up to the group.
Bastian raised his eyebrow. “It would. Do you know him?”
“I did sixteen years ago in the desert of Syria.” Dewey nodded as he smiled. “He was a hell of a good man back then.”
“Still is today,” Bastian admitted.
“Were you able to get any more information from Tomas and his brother last night?” Pappy asked.
Bastian nodded. “Were you able to find anything in the papers you took from the boat?”
Pappy nodded. “We did indeed. We’ve been working on that information all night.”
Bastian held up his hand. “Before we swap information, Jim wanted to be here. Like I said, we hope you will allow us to help you figure this out and try to stop it. The info I got leads me to believe this is a much bigger operation than anyone realized. It won’t be easy to put a stop to it.”
Pappy ran his fingers through his long white hair. “Damn.” He looked over at Bastian. “Are you positive?”
Bastian nodded. “Oh, yeah.”
“We do have people across the nation willing to stand beside us,” Dewey said.
“That would be a good thing,” Bastian agreed.
Just then, Jim came through the front door and paused, searching for Bastian. He bypassed Dewey then snapped his head back. “Sargent Mann?”
“Captain Branken,” Dewey called out as he came toward Jim holding out his hand. “Great to see you again.”
“You too man, you too.” Jim smiled.
Dewey turned to Pappy. “Pappy, come meet an old friend.”
Pappy stepped up to him and shook his hand. “Glad to meet you.”
Jim looked at Pappy for a moment then looked over to Bastian. “My friend and I would like to join you if that’s possible. We want to offer our skills.”
“Yes,” Pappy turned his head to stare at Bastian. “He’s told us that already.”
“Yeah well…” Jim nodded. “After we got back last night, I began researching the meaning behind the group responsible. I didn’t have much to go on and maybe your own hacker person found the same material I did but I brought what I found along to share. Maybe it could be a starting point.”
Pappy nodded. “We were waiting on you to get started but as long as you’re here, we can begin.”
“Don’t forget Michael and Gage are coming in today,” Dewey reminded the other man.
“That will be a good thing. Michael is ex Special Forces,” Pappy said.
“We may need him before this is over,” Bastian agreed.
“Ok this is what we found on the boat.” Pappy led them over to the timeline established during the night. “All this started many years ago through trial and error. We don’t know the name of the main player but his symbol of power is a big black snake. Right now we don’t know why he chose this symbol either but it’s what we have to work with.”
Dewey moved over to a bigger map of the US. On this map were several heavy blue lines. “Their main course of travel is water. We found a smaller map tucked away in one of the books we took from the boat. What we don’t know at the moment is where they are going to strike. Which targets they hope to hit or how many. The waterways cover a lot of ground. We do know they plan to move weapons and explosives by boat.”
“Enrique more than Tomas knew about the plot,” Bastian explained. “He’s been working under the man behind the Black Snake, even though he didn’t know who the man was by name. He calls himself Asp. What the name means nobody knows.”
“More than likely, it’s what this man sees as his power symbol.” Jim suggested.
Bastian nodded. “Sounds about right.” He glanced over at Pappy. “Both Tomas and Enrique had the symbol tattooed on their wrists. As did the other men on the boat. I checked their bodies. They all wore the tattoo.”
“There are ten bodies resting for the rest of eternity at the bottom of the gulf,” was all Bastian said.
Calico grabbed his shirt and pulled Bastian around to face him. He glared at the younger man and asked, “He’s dead? You’re sure he’s dead?”
Bastian nodded. “He’ll never come for Sawyer again, not in this lifetime or the next. I’ll keep her safe.”
Calico fisted Bastian’s shirt in his hands and stared at the younger man for a moment then pushed him away. He stomped away going over to where Sawyer was standing with her mother. Wrapping an arm around both women, he glared at Bastian.
Dewey shook his head and sighed. “Now that the Barrone brothers are gone, maybe Calico can relax a bit. He’s been crazy the last little while.”
Reaper joined the group. “Then let’s hope their father and older brother stay in Mexico where they belong.”
Bastian twirled around to ask, “Father and older brother?”
“Clancy told me about the whole family years ago after the trial where he sent Tomas to prison. Tomas was supposed to spend the rest of his life behind bars. When he was sentenced, the father and oldest brother vowed they’d get revenge, then they were escorted back to Mexico by members of our military and told to stay on their side of the border.”
Bastian ran his fingers through his hair. He glanced over at Jim and nodded wordlessly.
Jim acknowledged what Bastian was asking him to do and moved over to one of the tables. Taking his laptop out of the pack he carried, he got online and began searching for the elder Barrones.
Dewey walked over and watched over his shoulder.
Jim was searching foreign security for the information. He found what he was looking for and began printing out the information.
“Are you completely safe and hidden from prying eyes?” He asked Jim. “We don’t want anyone coming here because you hacked into government site that is supposed to be protected.”
Jim looked over his shoulder. “Yes, I am. I would never revel our location to anyone. This is a program Bastian and I created. It’s secure.”
