The Only Witness: The Center City Series: Book One

by Shannon Flagg

  “A patch over? To what?”

  “The Grievers,” Houdini replied.

  “The Grievers?” Deacon rose to his feet. “They did this?”

  “This was all our guys, Deke,” Houdini's voice cracked. “Even Bug and Jake went with the vote, it was just me and Whiskey who went against it.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “After the vote, there were fireworks. Everyone was screaming and yelling, Whiskey was the loudest. He was reading Master the riot act and then... then he just collapsed. I tried to get to him but they grabbed me.”

  Vera stepped forward, laid her hand on his back. “Tell me what you need, Deke.”

  He remained stiff at her touch but then relaxed some. “I need a minute. Houdini, take Vera with you and get everything that we've got here. Are those their cuts?”

  “Yeah, Boss.”

  “Burn 'em.”

  “Got it. Come on, Vera.”

  She looked over when Houdini touched her arm. One look at Deacon told her he didn't realize anyone was in the room. Vera stroked her hand over his back anyway before she followed Houdini out of the room.

  “Alright, they probably took some shit with them. Go into the first room on the left, there's a duffel bag under the bed and a foot locker inside the closet. Open the locker and empty it into the bag. Keep one for you.”

  It dawned on Vera that he was talking about a gun. “Whoa, hold on. I don't know how to use a gun.”

  “Not really that much different from a video game,” he told her. “After you fill the bag, leave it in the hall and move on to the next room.”

  Vera watched as he walked past her. She knew what she had to do, but it was still an effort to get her legs to move. Deacon's emotions, his pain was coming through so clearly that she wasn't sure how much longer she'd be able to function. It was all so vivid and heavy and she couldn't tell if it was grief for what had happened to the club or what had happened to his friend. She wasn't well versed in the whole MC world but it went to figure a club would need to have more than two breathing members to be a club.

  She finally reached the room, opened the door not sure what to expect. The room was pretty neat, a little bare. Vera realized that it was Houdini's room when she saw the drawing of his bike on the nightstand. No one else would draw his bike. His talent made her smile for a moment before she got back to her task.

  There were four long guns, rifles of some sort and half a dozen handguns. Vera handled the three grenades she found gently and swallowed hard at the length of some of the knives she found. Maybe swords would be a better description. Either way she was filled with dread as she set the bag down in the hall.

  “Hey,” she turned at the sound of Deacon's voice. “You okay?”

  “I'm fine. Don't worry about me. I'm so sorry about your friend and the club stuff, I wish there was something that I could do to make it better.”

  “You do make it better.” He closed the distance between them, put his hand on her face. “I don't know what's about to happen but it's going to be rough. It might be better if you just left town right now.”

  “I'm not leaving you, Deke. It is not an option. Whatever comes next, we're in it together.”

  For a long moment he said nothing, just staring down at her like he'd either never seen her before or would never see again. Vera was about to break the silence when an almost smile crossed his face. “You need a gun.”

  Vera knew it wasn't a suggestion. It was a statement. “You need to show me.”

  “I will.”

  “I made the calls, Boss.” Houdini walked over. “Got Charlie and Ed on their way over, they'll take Whiskey over to the funeral home, handle the death certificate and all.”

  “Good. Thank you.”

  “Did Susan answer?”

  Houdini shook his head. “Nah, I left a message for her to call me back.”

  “We need to get out there quickly. Get the truck ready. I'm going to take Vera out back, let her get used to the gun and then we'll go.”

  Vera wasn't exactly sure that a few minutes of instruction was going to be enough to get her used to the gun. Hell, she wasn't sure she'd ever get used to it, but she was going to try and she would learn. She was surrounded by violence, it was stupid to think that it wouldn't touch her, and she wasn't stupid. If the gun could keep her safe and help her keep everyone around her safe, she'd sleep with it.

  “You're only using it as a last resort,” Deacon moved over to the bag that she'd brought out of Houdini's room and selected one of the handguns. “You ever shot a gun before?”

  “Video games don't count, right?”

  “No, but that might help you some with your aim,” he smiled at her. “I didn't see a game system in your apartment.”

  “You didn't look in the dresser drawer beneath the television,” Vera smiled back. “I keep everything in there, plenty of room for everything.”

  “We're going to play whatever your favorite game is and I'm going to kick your ass.”

  Vera laughed, she knew that he was trying to lighten the mood and she appreciated it more than she could say. This connection they had, empathy or whatever Susan had called it, really had some advantages to it. They were closer than they would have been otherwise, and it was nice that he could feel her apprehension and try to make her more comfortable. “We'll see about that.”

  Chapter EIGHTEEN

  Deacon stiffened as he passed the spot where Finn had died; he pressed on without a second look. Houdini rode next to him and Vera was behind them in the SUV, which was loaded down with all the weapons they'd taken from the warehouse.

  Whiskey was dead. It still hadn't really registered, even though he'd seen him, touched his cooling skin and knew that the man who had been very much a father to him all of his life was gone. Not taking anything away from Anthony Hawke, he'd been a great and caring father. Deacon loved him even though he knew that his father had loved his brother more. His mother had, too, but they'd loved him too.

  It had been enough for him, or so he'd thought. Deacon hadn't realized there was something empty inside of him until he'd started as a hang-around with The Vikings. Being a Brother had filled a big space inside of him.

  Even when Finn was gone, when his parents died in a single car accident on the mountain road and he was the last left in his family, the club and the brotherhood had brought him through. He'd known all of these guys for years and couldn't wrap his head around the fact that they'd betrayed him.

  He was angry at all of them, though he understood that Bug and Jake essentially had no choice with their connection to the club. He was furious at Master. Deacon was going to rip out his friend’s throat with a smile on his face. After everything they'd been through together, the sheer level of trust that Deacon had bestowed on him only to be stabbed in the back. He would not let that go unanswered.

  This was going to be a cluster fuck, he knew it. Before they'd left the warehouse he'd taken Houdini on the sign and been very clear that if shit got bad he was to get Vera out by any means necessary. Deacon didn't know what they were walking into, but he knew it wouldn't be good.

  There were numerous cars in front of The Old Man's house, parked on the gravel and on the grass around. It looked like the whole pack had shown up. Deacon looked back to where Vera was getting out of the truck.

  Why hadn't she let him send her away? Movement from the tree line broke Deacon out of his thoughts. Seconds later, Lina emerged dressed in a pair of jeans and flannel shirt mostly covered by a down jacket. She held her finger over her lips, motioned for them to approach her.

  “I'm not sure I trust her, Deke,” Vera spoke in a soft voice as she came up next to him.

  “Depends what she's really here to offer. It's a lot to explain. I'm going to need you to trust me, Vera. To go along with whatever I decide, trust me.” Deacon knew that he was asking for a lot from her, he was asking for trust he hadn't earned, even with the empathy that had bound them together.

 
“I do trust you, Deke, I thought you realized. I'm all in. As crazy as that might make me, it's what I know I want. No, wait, what I need. I feel like I just need you.”

  Deacon felt his heart swell; he'd heard the expression before and never really understood it. Now he did. It was like everything he was had expanded, grown, and the love he felt for Vera had been the catalyst to change everything he ever knew.

  “It looks like I'm interrupting a touching moment, my apologies.” Lina approached them. “We don't have much time, and you shouldn't have humans. No offense,” she shot a small smile towards Houdini and Vera. “Come with me.”

  “I need to settle a few things,” Deacon chose his words carefully, not wanting to lose his temper, though he was close, really close.

  “You need to come with me first. You need to hear what I've heard. Look, you've got no real reason to trust me, I get that. But do you trust this?” Lina reached into her jacket pocket, removed something and tossed it to Deacon.

  He grabbed it, out of reflex, looked down at the object resting on his palm. He recognized it, how could he not? It was what should have been Finn's wedding band. Piper wore it around a leather cord on her neck. “Where did you get that?”

  “She said that it would convince you to come with me. Please hurry, Deacon, there's not much time. She's hurt pretty badly. You need to hear what she has to say. Please.”

  Deacon wondered if Lina used the word please often; he highly doubted it. She looked like she'd rather chew glass than say it again. “Lead the way.” He reached out for Vera's hand. “Hold up,” Houdini spoke up. “What about Susan?”

  “She's fine.” Lina replied. “I have a few friends, they're keeping an eye on her. She's in The Old Man's bedroom; Adelaide is with her. He's on the way out. It was poison. Smart money says it was in his tea. Tea that Piper prepared. Now, we're just really wasting time.”

  Deacon looked over at Houdini, knew that his friend would want proof Susan was okay, but he also knew that Piper was hurt, on the verge of death somewhere, they'd have to take Lina at her word. They couldn't wait. “She's going to be alright, Brother, she's tough. She doesn't need you riding to the rescue.”

  “What? Riding to the rescue? I am not a white hat, Prez. Why are we standing here talking? Let's get our asses moving.” Houdini started towards off in the direction that Lina had emerged from. “Where are we going?”

  Deacon knew where they were going. Generations back someone had built a small cabin, deep in the woods and near a lake. As kids, he, Piper and Finn had found it. They'd thought it was the coolest thing ever. They'd go there to swim, spend hours exploring the woods around it. As they got older it became Piper and Finn's favorite spot. Deacon had jokingly called it their first home.

  It would make sense that she would go there but how had she been injured? Deacon felt like his brain was going to simply implode, until Vera squeezed his hand hard and tugged him forward.

  He fell into step with her, following Houdini and Lina, who both moved through the forest with ease. Deacon could do it blindfolded, but he noticed that Vera was having trouble keeping up. “Babe,” he stopped. “Get on my back.”

  “What?”

  “It'll keep you from breaking something,” Deacon moved in front of her, crouched down. “I won't drop you, if that's what you're worried about. You've been on a piggyback ride before, right?”

  “When I was a child,” she replied. “This will definitely be my first wolf back ride, though.”

  “Wolf back?” Deacon looked over his shoulder at her, surprised that she could find any humor in the situation they were in.

  “Is that like a politically incorrect to say?” She grinned and then her face went somber. “I'm sorry, I'm all joking and...”

  Deacon spun around, cut her words off with his mouth. He didn't want to hear an apology from her, not now or ever. The slightly lightened mood had been just what he needed to keep moving. Later, when this hellish day was done he was going to show her just how much he appreciated it.

  “You two good?” Houdini's voice broke them apart.

  “Be right there,” Deacon turned back around, felt Vera get on his back. She wrapped her legs around him, he held on to her thighs. She rested her head against his. “I don't know what we're about to see.”

  “I'll deal,” she replied grimly. “We'll deal.”

  One way or another, it was the truth. They continued to walk in silence. Deacon heard Vera gasp when they stepped into the clearing. It was an impressive sight, the large clearing, lake and the cabin. It had been rundown when they found it, now it looked livable.

  Deacon lowered Vera down to her feet. “Pretty, isn't it?”

  “It's gorgeous,” she replied. Her hand found his, linked their fingers together. “We should get inside.”

  Piper was in the largest room of the cabin; there was no separate bedroom, just a small, closed-off bathroom. “Deke,” her eyes opened at the sight of him. “It's bad, Deke, it's really bad.”

  Deacon moved to her, knelt down at her side. “Tell me.”

  “It was something in The Old Man's tea, I had a cup with him. He called me to the house. Said that it was important I come see him. He wanted to talk to me.” Piper's voice was low, her eyes barely open. Her skin had a yellowish tint to it. Her body was shutting down.

  Everything inside Deacon was frantic. They needed Susan, they needed a hospital. “We're going to get you out of here, Piper. Going to get you a doctor, you're going to be alright. I promise, you're going to be alright.”

  “No, I'm not. And I know that. It's okay. You have to listen, he told me a story. I thought he was crazy at first. At the end I believed him. Finn. They killed Finn. He made a mistake. Chose wrong.” She stopped speaking, started to cough.

  Lina moved forward, offered her a tissue and a trash can. “Whatever she ingested, it's moving through her system quickly.”

  “Was quick with him, too... with my father. He was sorry, Deke. Sorry for so many reasons.” Piper's voice was raspier than it had been, even lower. “It should have been you. Not Josiah.”

  “Save your strength,” Deacon ran his hand over her arm. “We're going to get you out of here. Get you a doctor.”

  “No,” she shook her head. “And that's okay. I'll be with him soon, with Finn. Nothing has been right without him. “Left my shit at your house, journals. You should read them. I need you to read them.”

  Deacon didn't give a flying fuck about journals. He wasn't ready to watch someone else he loved die. He'd already lost so much, and that was just in the past twelve hours. “Finn's going to have to wait for you, Piper. You can't die. You can't!” His voice broke as her eyes shut. “No! God damn it, Piper!”

  She was gone. Deacon knew that she was gone, but he couldn't stop trying to wake her; he shook her even as tears streamed down his face and his throat felt raw from his sobs. He lifted her from the couch, cradled her to him so lost in grief that he forgot anyone else was in the room. He forgot everything.

  Deacon had no conception of how much time had passed when Vera came over and laid her hand on his back. “Deke?”

  The first instinct was to snarl at her but he bit it back, drew in a deep breath. “I can't leave her here like this, I won't.”

  “I'll see that she's taken care of,” Lina spoke up. “Treated with the respect she deserves, I give you my word.”

  “Your word?” Deacon set Piper down gently, rose to his feet. He walked towards the blonde, towered over her. “Why should you word mean a thing to me?”

  “Because I'm here to help. When The Old Man called me and asked me to come, I knew that I had to. There's really not time to explain. I'll make the arrangements for Piper, have my people pick Vera up from here. It's safest that she and the other human stay here.” Lina braided her long hair as she spoke.

  “Fuck that,” Houdini spoke up. “No way in hell I'm staying here. I've got your back, Prez.”

  “I'll stay here,” Vera spoke softly. “I'll stay wit
h Piper, make sure that she's taken care of.”

  Deacon nearly sighed with relief, he'd been standing there attempting to figure out how to tell Vera he needed her to stay behind. He knew that he needed all his concentration, all his focus, and he wouldn't have it if she went with them. He'd known that it was going to be bad when they arrived but now he knew it was going to be worse than he'd imagined. He wasn't just going to kill Master. He was going to challenge Josiah as well. He was going to take back the town and rebuild his club if it killed him.

  “Thank you,” Deacon moved forward, cupped her face in his hands. “Stay with her and I'll be back for you, I promise. I will be back for you.” There was no way that he would leave her behind.

  “I know,” she pressed her hands to his chest, “stay safe, please stay safe.” Her voice cracked but she held back her tears. Deacon could see them in her eyes.

  “I can leave Houdini here with you,” he offered, wanting to somehow soothe and calm her.

  “No, I want him with you. I'll be fine. I've got my gun and a knife. Just like a video game, a piece of cake.” Except it wasn't like any video game and they both knew it. Deacon had so much that he wanted to say, but he held back. There was no time to waste, he felt his rage building inside of him. This time he intended to release it, let the wolf run wild and whatever happened, he'd deal with the consequences. “Go.” She stretched up, kissed his lips.

  Deacon didn't need to be told twice. Houdini and Lina were with him as he left. They didn't speak, there was no need to say anything. A glance at Lina made Deacon wonder if she knew more than she was letting on. Her expression was one of calm, not one of someone heading into an unknown battle.

  Just a few steps into the woods, Deacon changed. He couldn't fight it any longer. The pain was all consuming yet followed by a high he didn't have the words for. When four paws hit the slightly damp ground and the dark scent of earth filled his nostrils he was free.