Dante

by KJ Dahlen

  “That is a very good question,” came a voice from behind them. “Anybody got any ideas?”

  They all turned to find a cop behind them with his arms folded over his chest. It was Mike Ramos, a friend of the MC. “Deke is on his way. He called me last night and asked me to watch over the Strokers. They are still at home but they could have called someone to do this.”

  Dante shook his head. “Andi and Bass only left our warehouse maybe fifteen minutes before we left to bring them back. Whoever did this was waiting for them inside the house.”

  “Well, fuck a duck,” Mike swore. “What the hell kind of trouble do we have here?”

  “That’s what I’d like to know.” Deke’s voice growled from behind Mike.

  Mike stepped aside, revealing a trio you didn’t mess with. Deke, Sam and Gator. Behind them more of the MC brothers were standing. It was beginning to look like trouble was brewing in Troy and somebody was going to have his ass handed to him.

  Chapter Eight

  Andi woke up and groaned. Her head hurt something fierce. She remembered they had used some kind of needle in her arm just before things went black. She gazed up at her arms. She was disorientated as she could swear they didn’t belong up there.

  “So, you are finally awake?”

  Batting her eyes, she swung her unfocused gaze up to see Abby. “Why have you done this?”

  Abby shrugged as she smiled. “Oh, I didn’t do a thing. I just came to visit you.”

  “Well, assault and kidnapping carry a federal sentence Abigail,” Andi coughed as her throat felt like the Sahara desert.

  Abby shook her head. “I did not do any of that.”

  “Well, you are assisting and you are a part of it if you don’t call the cops right this second.”

  Abby laughed and stepped closer. “I just wanted to see you like this. You fat cow! How could Dante choose you over me?”

  Andi was sick to death of this bitch. She didn’t care anymore. “He wanted a REAL woman he said. Just last night, in fact.”

  Abby stormed over and slapped her hard across the jaw.

  Andi’s head snapped to the side as tears came to her eyes it hurt so much. But she wasn’t going to cry. No, she wouldn’t give this demented witch the satisfaction.

  “You ruined my life!” Abby yelled.

  “What?” Andi exclaimed. “How could I do that?”

  “Just by existing! When we moved here I was happy until I found out about you!” Abby screamed.

  “And that ruined your life?” Andi asked doubtfully.

  “Yes! I thought I was the only daughter my dad had. How could he have had another kid with some slut?”

  “I never knew about this. But I don’t care now. I lived my life without a father. You at least had one!”

  “You and that slut of a mother,” Abby ranted on as if she hadn’t heard her.

  “My mom was no slut, but you wouldn’t know decency, you crazy whore,” Andi spat out.

  Abby again, slapped her.

  Andi’s head again snapped to the side, but she laughed, as she tasted blood from a busted lip.

  Abby hit her again.

  Andi kept laughing. She must have still been a bit high from whatever they’d shot into her, so she just didn’t give a flip about any of it.

  Abby grabbed a board and raised it up.

  “Murder? Abigail?” Andi told her. “They will give you a lethal injection. Well, maybe if Dante leaves them anything to kill.”

  Abby slowly lowered the wood. “Well, it won’t be me, but one of the men said they would have you first then kill you. Why they would want to have you, I wouldn’t know. So enjoy your last hour while some man is raping you.” Abby turned on her high heels and headed to the door.

  “I’ll just pretend its Dante!” Andi called out.

  Abby slowed and turned around. “I never wanted him you know? I was told to get him under my influence. He was just a rube. Mr. A wanted him to ensure that my brother won all the races.”

  “Oh, really? So why do you care what Mr. A wants?”

  Abby paused and she actually shivered. “We never cross that man.” Without another word, she left the room.

  Abby’s jaw hurt, her head hurt and she could feel blood running from her nose and lip. Now she had rape and death to look forward to. At least, she had a taste of heaven with Dante for one night. “Maybe I shoulda let her kill me...” She closed her eyes as her body slumped.

  After the cops got through with taking their statements, they returned to the Morgan’s shop warehouse to talk to Deke and his crew about a search party and what to do next.

  Dante was fit to be tied.

  Deke watched him pacing and muttering to himself. He turned to look at Mountain. “So I gather, it’s more than a date now.”

  Mountain nodded. “Yeah, for him. Not so sure about her. She walked out on him this morning and that was how all this happened.”

  Sam grunted. “Well, it can happen that way. Want a woman finally and she walks away.”

  “Dammit!” Dante swore and came up to the men. “How can we find her?”

  “I got Wiley and a whole crew out searching. We also got a hold of Amos. He knows what moves and where in Troy. I’m sorry my men hadn’t gotten there yet, before this happened.”

  “So what do we do now?” Dante raised his arms in the air.

  “We can go to see Bass,” Mountain suggested.

  Sam nodded. “When he wakes up he may know something we don’t?”

  Dante huffed out air. “Maybe, if he ever wakes up.”

  They all headed out to their bikes.

  A man stepped in front of the row of cycles. Wiley had a hold of his arm.

  Mountain stopped and stared at him.

  Deke nodded at Wiley. “What’s going on?”

  Wiley shrugged. “Caught him trying to find a way inside. Then he said he knew where Andi is.”

  Dante stepped closer as he almost held his breath. “Is this true?”

  The bum nodded. He had worn dirty clothes and looked like he hadn’t bathed in a week.

  “Well, where is she and who are you?” Deke asked.

  “My name ain’t important. But see, I saw what happened to Bass and Andi.”

  “And how did you know who they were in the first place?” Dante was getting anxious.

  “I been watching Andi since she got out of high school. “

  They all stared at him with glares.

  “No, no.” He raised his hands. “She was a friend to my boy...” His eyes filled with tears. “See he was killed by a hit and run driver before he even got to graduate. I then found out who did it. I just don’t have any proof.”

  “Let me guess, Jed Stroker,” Sam said.

  “Yeah!” The man got animated now. “Killed him before he even had a chance at life. Killed all my hopes and dreams that day. I became...” He looked down at himself. “...This.” He raised his head up. “But I’ve been following him ever since I knew it was him. And this morning, I followed him to Andi’s Chocolates. I saw them drag her out to a van.”

  Amos suddenly appeared out of nowhere and smiled at a surprised looking Deke. “I gave Blue here a ride as he flagged me down. My car ain’t the greatest but you all better follow it now.” He turned and went to the corner and got into an old rusted Rambler.

  The men all hopped on their bikes.

  Dante stared at Blue. “Listen old man. We are going to make him pay. You will get justice for your boy.” He then started his roaring Harley and they all followed Amos.

  The place where Amos led them was on the bad end of town.

  Dante was a ball of nerves and rage by the time he kicked his stand down.

  Amos got out of his car and signaled to them as he pointed at a house, 3 house up. It looked like it should have been demolished a year ago.

  The men all looked around. The neighborhood had no tenants really, as this part of the block seemed to be intend for demolishing. They all seemed vacant with bro
ken windows and half caved in front porches.

  Deke stood close to Mountain and Dante. “Me and my dad will go around back.”

  Dante checked his weapon. “I swear to god if they have hurt her...”

  Mountain grabbed his shoulder. “Look. Just be strong for her. We’ll get these fuckers here or later. Their ball is unraveling.” He patted his back and said, “I’ll go in the front with you.”

  Both men stepped forward.

  The front door was barely there hanging on its hinges.

  They peeked through and didn’t see anyone.

  Then they heard a squeal. It was a woman’s voice.

  They moved forward, guns drawn.

  “Oh, my god! I hate rats!” Abby yelled as she walked toward the door and halted.

  “Fucking Abby!” Dante sneered at her.

  “I-I....” she stammered. “W-what are you doing here?”

  Mountain stepped closer.

  Abby looked way up at this angry looking giant of a man who was a good foot taller than her and three times as wide.

  Mountain growled down at her. “See. I ain’t kind hearted like my brother here.” He reached out and grasped her neck with one large hand.

  Her eyes rounded.

  “I can snap your scrawny neck with a blink of my eye. Tell us where she is.”

  Abby’s eyes almost popped out of her head as she began to panic. Her feet went up on tippy toes as she tried to keep from being strangled. “In—the b-back.”

  Dante moved forward.

  “Is there anyone with her?” Mountain growled the question at her.

  She nodded. Then her eyes rolled up and she passed out from pure fear.

  Deke showed up from the other room. “I hear voices in the last room.” He motioned his gun the same direction Dante was headed.

  Dante moved forward and stopped at a door that was ajar. He saw movement inside and leaned in. The cracked floorboard creaked loudly under his boot. “Damn,” he whispered under his breath. He then heard shuffling and a crash.

  He busted in and saw a man climb out the window.

  He stepped forward and took a shot at him. The bullet missed. He looked around the room.

  Andi was weeping as she hung by her arms against a filthy wall.

  He sucked in a breath and his hands actually trembled at the sight of her. “God baby, what did they do...?” He rushed over and shoved his gun in his back waistband. Then he took out his knife and cut the ropes that her wrists were hung by.

  She fell into his arms.

  He tucked her close. “Oh, fuck... Are you okay?” He pulled her an inch away to see her bruised face and swollen lip.

  She looked up at him. “Oh, thank god!” Andi wrapped her arms around his neck.

  Dante scooped her up and carried her out.

  When they came out to what must have been a living room at one time, but was now caving in on one side as boards littered the dusty floor, they could see the police cars through the front door.

  Deke nodded at Dante as he went by. “Gotta make sure this criminal goes to jail.”

  When they got out front, the officers were cuffing a screaming Abby.

  “He tried to strangle me!” she shouted.

  Dante stopped on the walk when Officer Mike came over.

  “I didn’t do anything! You can’t take me to jail!” Abby ranted on as they all watched.

  “D-Dante...” Andi whispered in his ear. “P-put me down.”

  Dante looked at her swollen face with concern. “You can’t walk right now, Andi.”

  “C-carry me over to her,” she replied.

  Dante looked up as the cops got Abby near the car. He realized she needed to do this, whatever it was. He carried Andi over and set her down.

  Andi wobbled a bit, and he steadied her.

  Abby was still yelling. Then she halted when she saw Andi. “YOU! This is all your fault.”

  Swaying a bit on her feet Andi said, “I sure as hell hope so.” She took a step closer. “I hope you are happy in jail.”

  “Oh, you fucking fat ass heif—”

  SMACK!

  Andi slapped the words right out of her mouth.

  Abby’s head snapped to the side from the blow then started crying and blubbering nonsense.

  Dante steadied Andi.

  “Ok, we can go now.” Andi clung to him as again, her body had slumped.

  “I have some questions,” Mike spoke up.

  “Well, I have most of the answers,” Andi replied breathlessly.

  “We need to get her to the ER first,” Dante interjected as he again, scooped her up into his arms.

  The cops put a weeping Abby in the back of the squad car now.

  Andi nodded at her sister from the carrying height of Dante’s sweet hold. Then she smiled with her busted lip bleeding again, as she gave a little ‘toodles’ wave to her crazy-angry-half sister.

  Abby started screaming and kicking at the seat with her feet.

  Dante leaned in close and whispered, “Feel better now, babe?”

  Andi kept grinning. “I sure do.”

  Chapter Nine

  When they arrived at the hospital, they were told that Bass had indeed woken up and had been making a fuss asking for Dante.

  Dante didn’t want to leave Abby. She still hadn’t told him about the man he caught in that room with her or if she’d been...He couldn’t complete the thought, as it was too horrible to contemplate.

  “Dante.” Andi squeezed his hand as the doctor came up to the table she was lying on in the ER unit. “I can’t be with my grandpa, so you go and see him.”

  “I don’t want to leave you.” He shook his head.

  “Please Dante? For me?”

  He let out a sigh and nodded. “Anything for you, sweet girl.” Then he reluctantly let go of her hand and went with the men to see Bass.

  They went up in the elevator then down a hall. When they went in, he was asleep.

  Dante didn’t know what to do, so he waved at the men to go back out to the hall. He intended to head straight back to Andi.

  “Hey....” Bass called from the bed.

  Dante turned around to see him awake and looking upset, so he walked over as Deke and Mountain followed him.

  “I saw them,” he whispered hoarsely. “Well, I saw one of them. It wasn’t Jed. I don’t know who he was. An older man.”

  “So, you’ve never seen him before now?” Sam asked.

  Bass shook his head then winced. “Where’s my Andi?”

  “In the ER,” Dante replied.

  Bass tried to sit up. “Oh, no...”

  Dante held him back to the pillows. “Take it easy old man...She seems okay. Just bruises.”

  Bass laid back as his face was red with rage. “Mother fuckers. I’m going to blow them all to hell. I know Jed had this done. He is behind it.”

  “Yes, he is and guess who we found there, when we rescued Andi?” Sam spoke up.

  Bass looked up at him.

  “Abby,” Deke filled him in, “She’s on her way to county now, to join Luke and Brady.”

  “Good.” Bass nodded. “That leaves just Jed and his other thug, Jace. Oh, and the mystery man.”

  “We still can’t link Jed,” Officer Mike said as he came into the room. “He was in his house all night as we had him cased the whole time. So far, Luke and Brady aren’t talking. They said they would rather be alive for a while longer. Seems to me they aren’t afraid of Jedidiah. They are afraid of this mystery man.”

  “Yeah, Mr. A,” Bass replied.

  Deke looked over at Mike. “Look, we got a name, but we only want you to know it. We don’t know who this man has on his payroll.”

  Mike slowly nodded. “I will use my own resources and keep the name off my paperwork for now.”

  “Gianni Antonelli is the name,” Deke explained. “But we already checked into it and it seems to be a false name or he’s some kind of ghost. But we got word that he’s been making moves against... well, t
he Italian mob.”

  Mike raised his brows. “How come I don’t want to know how you know that?”

  “You don’t,” Sam replied. “Is best left to them what to do with this guy, if you ask me. They will keep it in house, so to speak.”

  “Well, I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.” Mike looked to the door to see an officer outside.

  “Ok, Bass. I’m getting back to Andi,” Dante said as he moved away from the bed.

  Bass nodded. “So the dating goes on?” He raised a grey brow at him.

  Dante stepped closer to his bed again, and looked directly into the old man’s eyes. “It’s way past that. I meant what I said this morning. She’s mine and I will protect her better from now on...” He paused and got choked up. “I should have stopped her from leaving this morning. I won’t make that same mistake again.”

  Bass stared at him and tears formed in his eyes. “You really mean this, don’t you?”

  “I really do. I will treat her like the princess she is, old man. You never have to worry again.” He patted his hand and went out to the hall.

  Dante moved swiftly and didn’t even wait for the elevator, he just headed down the stairs, taking them two at a time. He wasn’t wasting anytime now. He found his future. He just worried about what had actually happened to her. It could ruin everything. He didn’t care, as he would get her through whatever it was. His chest had felt like someone had caved it in when he saw her hanging there, beaten up.

  He never cared about another human being like this before. Oh yes, his family and brothers, but that was f different.

  He rushed back to the ER and pulled the curtain open to the unit.

  It was empty. His heartbeat sped up. Don’t panic, he told himself. He spotted a nurse and grabbed her arm as she went by. “Where’s Andi Reed?”

  “Who?” the nurse asked.

  “Andi Reed!” he found himself yelling. “She was on that table just ten minutes ago!”

  “Sir, you need to calm down. I’m sure she’s—“

  He grabbed both her arms.” She had been kidnapped and the man is still on the loose!”

  “Dante!” Mountain shouted.” Let the woman go.”

  Dante stared down at her paling face, then realized he was hurting her. He dropped her arms and stepped back. “I-I’m sorry.”