by K. J. Dahlen
“Or Melora,” Sam added.
“I hope not, but Janelle’s partner is still out there and we don’t know who he is or if still he’s waiting to find it,” Leon suggested.
“He’s been waiting a long time,” Peaches pointed out. “We were nine years old when she got that book.”
“True, but if he’s been researching this whole time, maybe he’s closer than we realize,” Leon pointed out.
“But would Janelle have shared the secret of the symbol with him or anyone?” Cassie wondered out loud. “She might not have shared this at all. She did tell him if she found anything she would share her find with him.”
“Anything is possible but with Janelle, its best not to assume anything.” Leon said. Turning to Cassie he asked, “Can you remember anything else from the phone conversation? A name perhaps?”
Cassie started to shake her head then remembered something. “I think she called him Mike or Michael but I didn’t hear a last name and I’m not really sure about the first name. It was so long ago and I was just a kid.”
“You might have been just a child but you paid attention to more than most children would,” Calderone said.
“My life usually depended on it.” Cassie assured him. “My life or someone else’s life. I had to pay attention.”
“No child should ever have to do what you did,” Leon stated quietly.
Deke got to his feet. Extending his hand to Leon and Calderone he asked, “Would you like to join us for supper tonight? We’re celebrating several new additions to our family at the clubhouse. Three new babies and I found a new sister and her brother.”
Leon and Calderone stood and agreed to be there. “Of course we will.”
“Good, Charlie has agreed to come too,” Deke stated. “Quinn is still in the hospital but she’ll be joining our group soon enough.”
“It sounds like your family is expanding as well.” Calderone smiled.
“Yes, it is.” Deke agreed. “I have a feeling it will again when Melora’s father comes back here to help with the baby.”
Melora chuckled. “That might be a day or two away.”
“Don’t you bet on that,” Sam grumbled. “He’ll be here soon enough, too soon to suit me.”
“That’s your own fault Bones.” Raine chuckled.
Sam’s fist shot out and slugged Raine’s shoulder.
Raine stumbled away and glared at the other man but didn’t say anything.
“Not here…not now,” Deke warned. “There are kids here that don’t need to see this shit.” Picking up his son he motioned for the others, “Come on, let’s celebrate new beginnings.”
~* * * *~
An hour later, a well dressed young man entered the Redemption House common area. Amos and Frankie were standing in the lobby and Amos asked, “Can I help you?”
The young man smiled and held out a card. “My name is Eli Duggen. I work with the FBI out of Boston and I’m looking for Cassie Ryan. Would she be around? I understand she owns this place.”
Amos frowned as he watched the other man. He seemed legit but there was something about him Amos didn’t care for. “Cassie Tory operates this House and she isn’t here at the moment. Can I take a message?”
“Maybe you could tell me where I can find her?” Eli asked as he passed Amos a business card.
Amos glanced at the card but didn’t say anything. Even Frankie was quiet. “I can let her know you stopped by but she’ll have to call you back when she’s free.”
“That’s fine,” Eli replied. “This is just a follow up on the baby ring case we broke last year. We just want to tie everything up once and for all. We just need to know we got everyone involved.” He motioned toward the card in Amos’s hand. “Please have her give me a call.”
“Yeah, I’ll do that.” Amos nodded. Both men watched as Eli turned and walked out of the building.
Frankie was quiet for a moment then asked, “What do you suppose that was all about?”
“I don’t know.” Amos rubbed his jaw. “But I don’t think I like it.”
“I know what you mean,” Frankie replied. “He gave me the willies.”
“Yeah, he did me too.”
CHAPTER SIX
Later that same evening, everyone was sitting around the clubhouse. Most of them were relaxing when Zipper came in.
Deke glanced up and when Zipper nodded at him, he got up and joined the other man. Zipper handed him something and Deke went back to the table. “Ladies,” He sat down.
Iceman, Sam, Leon, Calderone, Gator, Reva, Cassie, Peaches and Melora were sitting there. Raine, Sabbath and several other members were sitting close by but Deke was looking at the women sitting at the main table. In his hands were three pendants. He gave one to his wife, one to Peaches and the last one to Melora. “I know none of us wants to admit it but I want you three to wear these pendants. Please don’t take them off for any reason until we no longer have to worry about Janelle and her shit coming back.”
“What is this?” Peaches asked as she held the pendant.
“When Leon asked about the symbol this afternoon I had Zipper make these up. They’re tracking beacons. I know I may be overstepping my bounds here, but I’d rather be safe than sorry. You girls might not be in danger anymore, but I’m not willing to take that chance. If this does go south, we have a way to find you.”
“Why would this go south?” Melora asked. She tried to hand the pendant back to Deke but he wouldn’t take it back. “I didn’t even know this Janelle.”
“I know but you saw the symbol on a doorway. If anyone finds out you could be in as much danger as Cassie or Peaches. I’m not going to put your life at risk.”
Melora paled. “But no one but you guys know that.”
“We were talking in a public building. Redemption House is that. It’s not like the clubhouse,” Deke reminded her. “Anyone could have overheard us talking about it and they might talk about it unknowingly. I know we’re safe but someone else might not be. I just don’t want to risk it. Please wear the pendant. Hopefully, we’ll never need it.”
“Put it on,” Sam told her. “I want you and the baby to be safe.”
Leon glanced over at Peaches. “I’m very happy they’re thinking of your safety.”
She put the pendant around her neck. “I just wish this wasn’t necessary. This should have been over with a long time ago. Even from the grave, Janelle is messing with our lives. It isn’t fair.”
“No baby.” Iceman pressed a kiss to her temple. “It isn’t fair but then life rarely is and this is a small price to pay for your safety.” He reached out his hand to Deke. “Thank you for thinking of her.”
Deke grinned. “She may be your woman but she’s part of this family too and we take care of our own.”
“It’s getting late,” Calderone stated. “I think we should all get some rest. Tomorrow is another day.’ He jiggled the baby on his chest. Baby Jesse stretched and settled down again on his grandfather’s chest. “Some of us needs to find their own beds.” He chuckled.
“You and Leon are welcome to stay with us, if you like.” Iceman offered as he got to his feet.
“We’ll take you up on that.” Calderone told the other man. “We’d like to stay a few days if possible.”
“That’s doable.” Peaches grinned as she took her son from Calderone. She turned to Cassie and gave her a hug. “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Cassie nodded and got her own children ready to go home. Deke had little Sam and she had Jemmia as they started out toward the back door.
Soon Sam, Melora, Raine and Sabbath along with Gator and Reva were the only ones sitting there. Charlie had gone to bed a while ago.
“I think you need to tell Deke about Adriana,” Melora said quietly.
Sam sighed heavily. “I know. I just don’t know how to tell him he has another sister out there.”
“Well, you’d better let him know soon, Bones,” Gat
or urged. “If he finds out from someone else, he’s gonna be pissed.”
Melora got to her feet. “Well, I’m going to bed. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
~* * * *~
Eli Jerroe tossed his fake FBI badge with the name of Eli Duggen onto the bed. He then sat in his hotel room and fired up his laptop. He began typing then waiting and typing some more. Frowning, he continued. A half an hour later, he threw the laptop on the bed, got up and began pacing. After a few minutes, he took a deep breath and reached for the laptop again. Typing in key phrases, he waited and finally he connected with where he wanted to be.
Moving around the system, he latched on to the security system at Redemption House. Clicking on the camera feeds, he watched the day’s activity and when he came to the nursery feed, he watched as Leon Vincinti brought the book out of his pocket.
When Cassie opened the book, he zoomed in and gave a soft yell. He snapped a picture of the symbol on the page and saved the image. Then he reached for his cellphone and called his father. “I found it.”
“What is it?” Michael Jerroe asked his son.
“Janelle found a book and in that book is a symbol. I don’t know what it means yet, but Cassie Ryan does and it looks like there might be someone else that does too.”
“Who is the second person?”
“I’m not sure but Leon and Calderone Vincinti came to Troy, New York today. I followed them to a place called Redemption House. I think they came to see Calderone’s daughter, Peaches. She was there according to the cameras. Cassie found the symbol but the other woman motioned toward it. Damn, I wish this had audio.”
“Doesn’t matter. We’ll take both of them, Cassie and the other woman,” Michael told him. “I’ll send you a couple of guys to help with the extraction. Get them back to Boston and we’ll take it from there.”
“You might be interested in knowing Cassie is married to the President of the local MC,” Eli warned his father.
“I don’t care who she’s married to.” Michael dismissed his son’s concern.
“You might be if you hope to get her out of there unmolested,” Eli said. “Or haven’t you had enough trouble with the police?”
Michael scoffed. “You think the police are going to worry about a couple of missing women?”
“The police might not be worried but the MC? They’re another kettle of fish altogether. I’ve been watching this town all day and the MC is big here. They are everywhere and people respect them. You mess with them and you’re bringing down a whole other level of hurting. Not only that, but Cassie has a bunch of people looking out for her at the Redemption House. They might not be cops but they could be dangerous to us. You didn’t really want anyone knowing about this did you?”
“What are you suggesting?” Michael finally asked.
“Let me talk to this Cassie and see what she knows. I can do this without anyone getting hurt.”
“I’ll give you two days, then I’m sending Butch in.” Michael ended the call.
Eli sneered at the phone. He stared at the computer screen memorizing the faces of the two women he was interested in. Both were beautiful women and while he knew Cassie was married, he wondered about the other woman.
~* * * *~
Deke woke to a knock on his front door.
Cassie groaned as she rolled over. “Whoever that is better not wake up the kids or you’re on baby duty,” she warned him.
Deke walked through his house without turning any lights on. When he snapped on the light out in the front, he saw Zipper standing outside. Opening the door, he frowned. “What the hell are you doing out there at this time of night?”
“I thought you’d want to know we had a breach at Redemption House.”
“What kind of breach?” Deke asked.
“Somebody hacked the security and watched the feed in the nursery today.”
“Fuck,” Deke swore softly. Running his fingers through his hair, he felt more than saw Cassie join him.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“Someone hacked into Redemption House security and watched the feed from the nursery.”
Cassie began to tremble. “Oh God, it’s starting again, isn’t it?” she whispered. “We’re never going to be free of her are we? And now she’s got Melora into it.”
“We don’t know that.” Deke wrapped his arms around her. “We got you baby. No one is going to get to you without going through me first.”
“Without going through all of us first,” Zipper stated. “You guys aren’t alone now.”
Deke turned Cassie away from the door. Before he stepped away, he told Zipper, “Make some calls and get everyone here. We’ll parley in an hour.”
Zipper nodded and faded into the night.
Deke led Cassie back to the bedroom. He threw some clothes on.
She sat on the edge of the bed. “Now what?”
“Now we find out how they knew,” Deke replied. “The others are on their way to the clubhouse. We’ll work from there. You and the kids should be safe here.”
“Oh no, you don’t.” Cassie scolded him. “I’m going where you are. Me and the kids are going wherever you are.”
“But this is where you belong, safe in our home.”
“Yeah, we thought we were safe here before and Donny still got in,” Cassie reminded him. “Nope, not going to happen again. The kids and I will go to the clubhouse with you.”
“Ok, get some clothes together for the kids and you can go with me.” Deke relented. He went over to her and fingered the pendant. “Make sure you keep this on at all times, all three of you.”
Cassie wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck and pulled him to her. As their lips met, she kissed him deeply. The kiss lasted for a couple of minutes. Then she pulled her lips from his. “Never let me go. I don’t want to lose my battle with this darkness. I can’t go back to the way things used to be. Not again.”
“You won’t, I promise,” he whispered. “I’ll never let you go. You and the kids are my whole world. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she whispered.
Deke’s hands slipped down to her ass and he slapped it gently. “Come on woman, let’s get over to the clubhouse. I want this threat gone.”
Cassie chuckled. She broke away from him and stripped off her nightgown. Pulling on her jeans and a shirt, she went to the room down the hall. She packed a bag quickly and quietly. When she was done, she went to one of the cribs and picked up her daughter. Deke was there to get Sam and together, they walked across the yard to the back door of the club.
When they came in, they saw people were starting to arrive. Peaches and Iceman were already there along with Leon and Calderone.
Peaches came over. “I put Jesse in Melora’s room. I set up the extra playpens for Sammy and Jemmia.”
“Ok, thanks.” Cassie went to the bedroom and without turning on the light, she found one of the playpens. Laying Jemmia down, she turned to take Sam from Deke and laid him down. Then she set up a monitor and joined the others in the main room.
“Someone must have followed us here,” Leon suggested.
“I called Amos and he said there was a visitor this afternoon after you guys left,” Zipper informed them. “I searched the feed from the lobby and found this guy.” He showed them the laptop monitor and everyone could see the well dressed young man talking to Amos and Frankie.
Just then, the door opened.
Frankie and Amos walked in. Both men came over to where Cassie and Deke were standing.
Amos noticed the monitor and nodded at it. “That’s the guy. He showed up shortly after you all left this afternoon. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the card he gave them. “Said he was an FBI man and gave me his card.”
“Did he say anything else?” Deke asked.
“Yeah, he asked if Cassie Ryan was around. Said he wanted to check with her on the case they were wrapping up,” Frankie
answered.
“He asked for her by the name Cassie Ryan?” Leon asked.
“Yeah, he did.” Amos stared at the other man. “There was something about the guy that just wasn’t kosher, you know.”
Sam came over. “Who is this guy?”
“We don’t know yet,” Deke replied.
“I’m running his face through recognition programs and police and FBI files,” Zipper spoke up.
“Send me his picture and I’ll get my men working on his identity as well,” Leon suggested. “I have other sources I can use.”
Zipper nodded and sent him the man’s picture.
“Do you want us to try and find him?” Amos asked.
Deke nodded. “Yeah, the sooner we find him, the quicker we get some answers.”
Raine tapped Deke’s shoulder and took him to one side. “I can take a couple of guys over to the hospital and keep an eye on Quinn if you like. We don’t know who this guy is and I know you want to cover all the bases.”
Deke nodded. “Thanks man. I’m not sure this guy knows about her but I’m not taking any chances either.” He paused then added, “If Dr. Bright releases her today bring her straight here, both her and Charlie. Don’t tell them anything is wrong just get them here safely.”
Raine nodded. “You got it.”
Deke watched as Raine grabbed Sabbath and Wiley. They left a few minutes later and he heard their bikes start up. Sam joined his son and Deke told him, “They’re watching over Quinn and Charlie.”
“Good. Whoever this guy is, he knows too much.” Sam growled.
“And we don’t know enough,” Deke stated in a low tone.
Iceman joined them. “Maybe we should call in the badges on this one?”
“What are you talking about?” Deke glared at him.
“The guy came from Boston, chances are he lives there. Who better to be in the know than the Boston PD?”
“Lance Sullivan?” Deke wondered out loud. “You might have something there. Let me give him a call.”
~* * * *~
