by K. J. Dahlen
Cricket shrugged. “He was this morning. She was supposed to go to work but changed her mind at the last minute. She said she was going to take the boy with her to run errands. When they left in the truck, I got the hell out of the house. I planned to walk all the way here to return your daughter but then a friend gave me a ride. He said he was coming to Troy anyway.”
Deke ran his hands over his face in worry. “Would she go back to the house if she thought you would betray her?”
Cricket shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think she thought I would ever do it.”
Cassie walked over with Jemmia still in her arms. “Why did you? Why did you betray her?”
“You don’t know my sister,” Cricket told her. “She is beyond insane. She doesn’t feel emotions like a normal person would and when the world gets to be too much for her, she cuts herself just to feel something.”
Cassie gasped in horror. “Would she hurt my son?”
Cricket shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think so, but I’ve never betrayed her before. She’s treated me like shit all my life. She’s as nice as pie when there are people around but when we’re alone, she’s evil incarnate.”
“Has she ever hurt you?” Cassie asked.
Cricket closed her eyes. Hanging her head, she felt Dusty turn in her lap. She felt his hands cup the side of her face. Only he knew her shame, only his eyes had seen what Cordy had done to her. Tapping her face with his tiny hands, she opened her eyes to see him staring back at her. “You need to show them. Show them what she’s done to you and what she will do to both of us if she ever finds us. They need to know. Maybe they can help us finally get away from her.”
Cricket shook her head as tears rolled down her face. “I can’t do it, baby. I can’t.”
“Yes you can.” He smiled. “I’ll hold your hand if you’re scared. It always makes me feel better when you hold my hand.” He leaned closer and kissed her cheek. “You always tell me the truth is better than a lie. They need to know the truth.”
Cricket closed her eyes against the pain. Then she set Dusty off her lap and gathered her courage to do what she knew she had to do. She got to her feet and grabbed the bottom of her shirt. Pulling it up over her head, she stood there letting every man jack of them see her back.
Cassie moved slowly around her to see what Cricket had been hiding all these years. She gasped as she saw the scars not unlike her own. Scars crisscrossed her back all the way from the base of her neck to her waist. Some of her scars wrapped around her side.
“How the fuck long was she doing this to you?” Sam whispered in shock as he viewed her back. He could see some of the marks were very old.
“The first time she lost her temper was a year after Mom died,” Cricket explained quietly. “The older I got, the worse the whippings were.”
“Why didn’t Captain stop her?” Sam wanted to know.
“Dad never knew,” she whispered. “He was never there and when he was, he was more interested in the club than he was his daughters.”
“I think I should apologize for that,” Sam stated. “Back then, the club meant more to me than family. I didn’t understand what family meant. I know better now but back then, I had no fucking clue.”
Cricket shook her head. “Orrin knew, at least I think he did, but after he lost my mom, he closed off that part of himself, so he wouldn’t have to deal with the pain of losing her again. When she died, he almost lost his mind with grief. That’s one of the reasons we moved from New York to Maine. So he didn’t have to remember her.”
Cassie searched her back again, then looked at Deke. “You need to get Sammy away from this witch before she hurts him. If she could do this to her own sister, she won’t be worried about hurting a toddler.”
Raine grabbed up a blanket and wrapped it around Cricket’s shoulders. He helped her back to the chair and assisted her into it.
Dusty crawled back into her lap and held her. She held him close and snuggled into his neck.
“I don’t think she’ll hurt him until she talks to Deke. She still thinks she can make a deal with him,” Cricket spoke up.
“Where would she go?” Deke asked. “If she comes back to the house in Albany and finds you and the kids gone, where would she go to feel safe?”
“She has to know you’d come after her,” Mountain told him.
“Yes, she knows,” Cricket agreed. “That’s what she’s counting on.”
“What do you mean?” Sam asked.
“She wants Deke to come to her. I’m not sure where she’ll go. She always said she has no real home.”
“There has to be somewhere she’d go if she didn’t want to be found,” Deke surmised.
Cricket began shaking her head, then stopped. Something from the past just popped in her head. The longer she thought about it the more it made sense. “Maybe.”
“What?” Deke asked. “What are you thinking?”
“Before my mom died, we had a cabin on Lake Placid. We lived there all year long because that’s where my mom grew up. She said the lake was her home. My dad used to belong to an MC out of Saranac Lake called the Devil’s Triangle. It was a group from Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and Lake Placid area.” She looked at Deke and Cassie. “She might have gone back to where her life made sense.”
“Lake Placid is a good two hours away,” Sam informed them.
Deke nodded. “And we don’t know if she’s been back to the house in Albany yet.”
The main door opened. Amos and three other men came into the club.
Deke looked up and frowned. “What are you guys doing here?”
Amos nodded at him then glanced over at Cricket and Dusty. He motioned back at Joshua. “Well, I had an idea this morning and made a few phone calls. I thought I would reach out to the cities nearby and help spread the word about the missing twins. I called a good friend of mine in Albany and he came over. What I didn’t know was that Joshua had given someone a ride here this morning. She was a young woman with a couple of young kids. I see you already met her.” He turned to see Jemmia in her mother’s arms. He smiled at the little girl. “And I see you got young Jemmia back too.”
“We’ve set up a network to watch her house in Albany,” Joshua told them. “I’ve got some friends in Albany that alerted us about two hours ago, she came back to the house. My friends said she wasn’t happy about Cricket and the kids being gone. They said she tore the house apart then she packed a bag, took the kid and left town. One of the guys followed her all the way to Long Lake before he lost her.”
“Then I guess we’re going to Lake Placid.” Deke nodded. He turned to Cricket. “And you’re coming with us.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Cricket scrambled to her feet and backed away. The chair tipped over and she kicked it out of the way. “Are you fucking nuts?” she shouted. “I’m not going anywhere near that bitch. She will kill me now and I don’t want to die at the age of twenty three.” She shook her head. “I haven’t even lived yet, and I’m not going to put myself in her path now. You guys have no idea what she’s like when she’s in a rage. There is no fucking way I’m going to Lake Placid. She will kill me without a second thought.”
Deke motioned to one of his men and they grabbed Dusty and hauled him away.
When the boy screamed for her, Cricket turned and tried to snatch him back but to no avail. She watched as Dusty struggled against the bigger man and crying out begging for her to help him but soon, he was quiet. When only his sniffling could be heard, she groaned and wrapped her arms around her waist. Turning to Deke she cried out, “You’re a real bastard aren’t you?”
“In this I am.” Deke growled. “I want my son back and I don’t care what I have to do to get that.”
She crumbled to her knees and rocked back and forth for a moment. She looked over at Dusty, still struggling in the bigger man’s arms. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she got to her feet and walked over to Dusty. Reachin
g up, she cradled his face in her trembling hands. Looking into his eyes she told him, “I love you baby boy. I love you so much. Please remember that. If I don’t come back, please be strong.” She leaned forward and kissed his cheek. Touching her forehead to his, she whispered, “Remember me with love.”
Then she turned and marched over to where Deke was sitting. Raising her hand, she slapped his face hard. Then she went to where her shirt lay. Bending over to pick it up, she flung off the blanket and pulled her shirt down over her torso. Then she turned and glared at him. “God, I hate you. Let’s go.” Then she looked over at Cassie. “If something happens to me, will you take care of Dusty? I need to know he’ll be okay.”
Cassie had tears running down her own cheeks but she nodded. Cradling her daughter, she watched as Deke got up and led the way out of the clubhouse.
When Cricket began to follow him, she heard Dusty screaming her name. She couldn’t help it, his cries tore her heart out but she put one foot in front of the other and let the tears fall. When she went through the door and she knew he could no longer see her, she stopped long enough to sob.
Someone wrapped his arms around her and that brought her to her senses. She jerked away from whoever was trying to hold her and she took steps toward the parking lot.
“Do you want to ride with one of us or in the truck?” Deke growled.
“In the truck. I’m not sure I could stomach riding on the back with one of you.”
Deke clenched his jaw and stared straight ahead. “Raine you drive the truck.” Then as soon as they were settled, Deke started up his bike. Leading the way, they came to the highway that would lead them north.
Raine was the man who had tried to hold her when she was weeping at leaving Dusty. He didn’t speak to her for the longest time as he drove.
Torn up over this whole thing and terrified, she just stared out the window. She couldn’t even say what she was looking at but it was anything except the man behind the wheel.
The late afternoon sun faded into early evening by the time they reached Lake Placid. Deke and the other stopped just outside of the town and when Raine pulled the truck up to where Deke was waiting, she knew they needed directions from her.
Without turning her head, she told him where the cabin was.
Raine pulled out of the parking lot and drove to where Cricket told him.
She motioned for him to pull over a ways away from the cabin. The others pulled up close to the truck and Cricket showed them their old cabin in the distance.
The lights were on and everyone standing there could see shadows moving around the inside of the medium sized log cabin. It was a one story structure with a red front door and three windows facing the front. Cordy’s old truck was parked along the left side of the cabin, so they were right in thinking she was here.
Deke came up to the passenger side of the truck and pulled the door open. Cricket wouldn’t look at him, so he grabbed her chin and pulled her face around to his. “I don’t give a fuck about you being pissed about being here. I don’t give a fuck about you at all but I do give a fuck about my son being in that cabin with your sister. I want him back before she hurts him and I don’t care what I have to do to get him back. Is that clear?”
“You treat me like shit when all I did was return your baby girl. Yeah, that’s fucking clear.” Cricket growled.
“Good, now give me the layout of the cabin,” he ordered.
Cricket turned and studied the cabin. In her mind, she could see the inside as it had been all those years ago. “Inside the front door is an open layout. Straight ahead is the living room, In the middle of the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room is a big fireplace. There is a cabinet next to that and off to the right, is a small kitchen and a storeroom. Off to the left, is the bathroom and two bedrooms. Straight ahead of the front door is the patio door leading to the back deck.”
When she stopped talking Deke stared at her for a moment. “Is there anything else we need to know before we go in there?”
Cricket shrugged. “I have no idea if they are still there or not but my dad had a gun cabinet built across from the fireplace. It looks like a solid wall but it isn’t. He always kept it locked but Cordy might have the keys. When he died, she went through his bedroom and what she didn’t throw away, she kept. I don’t know what she kept.”
“What else would she have for weapons?” Sam asked.
She turned and glared at him. “She always keeps a knife in her boot and a dagger in the back of her pants. She can’t help it, she likes knifes and she knows how to use them.”
“Where do you think she would put Sammy, if he isn’t with her?” Deke asked.
Cricket shrugged. “The first bedroom was Mom and Dad’s, the smaller bedroom belonged to me and Cordy. Inside our bedroom was a small closet. There was a hidey hole inside the closet dad had built for us. He claimed it was our little getaway but he had it built in case we needed to hide from people coming after him. He wanted us to be safe from his job. He told Mom what he did for a living wasn’t always a good thing but that he did it to provide for his family. She didn’t like his job much but it was all he knew.”
“Your dad was a smart man,” Sam commented.
She glared at him. “He was a fool. He trusted the wrong person and it got him dead.”
Deke glared at her. “You two can argue this later. I want to find my son.” He turned and began walking away.
Cricket called out one last warning, “Don’t fall for her tears. She cries on cue and she’ll stab you in the heart if you’re not careful. She’s very good with a blade. She’s got the heart of a killer and she loves the scent of fresh blood. She says the scent of blood is better than a love potion. She claims she has a stronger orgasm when she smells fresh blood. She cuts herself for a reason. She cuts herself to feel anything. She welcomes the pain she inflicts on herself.”
Sam looked troubled at her words. “That’s so sad. What happened to her that she never felt she was loved?”
“She has no soul,” Cricket told him in a flat tone. “She lost it a long time ago. She told me when Mom died, she gave it to mom to take along with her on her way to hell.”
“She thinks your mom went to hell?” Sam asked.
“I keep telling you Cordy is bat shit crazy.” Cricket shook her head. “When Mom died, Cordy lost any feelings she once had. It was like she just didn’t care about anything or anybody anymore.” She turned to Deke. “That’s why when she said she was in love with you at the age of twelve, Orrin was worried about her. He knew she was building you up into something only she could see and he tried to warn her that you wouldn’t ever see her the same way she saw you.” She just shrugged. “She never listened to anything she didn’t want to hear.”
Suddenly the lights in the cabin went out.
Deke and the others spread out and slowly made their way up to the perimeter of the cabin. In the darkness of the evening, they simply disappeared into the shadows.
Raine pulled his weapon and told her, “Stay in the truck. I’ll be around in the shadows watching.”
Cricket nodded and shivered when he blended into the night. She couldn’t help but be afraid. Cordy might be out there right now watching her. Minutes stretched into what felt like hours but Cricket knew not much time had passed. Fear always did that to her. Her heart was pounding in her chest as she closed her eyes and tried to calm down but she found she couldn’t.
Then she felt her sister’s eyes on her. She knew it was Cordy out there watching her. She could always feel it whenever she looked at her. Cordy had a certain way of staring at her that raised the hairs of the back of her neck. That stare had always freaked Cricket out and Cordy had laughed at her on more than one occasion for her fears.
Now her fears were greater than they had ever been before. She knew Cordy was waiting for her to make a mistake. Her betrayal was something Cordy would never forgive her for. This time, she would kill her
and there was nothing Cricket could do to stop her. No one could stop her and Cordy knew it.
Swallowing hard, Cricket opened the door of the truck and prayed the man Raine was close by. He was the only one that could stop Cordy now. The others were too far away. They were surrounding the cabin but Cordy wasn’t there anymore.
“I know you’re out there just waiting for the right time to strike,” Cricket called out as she searched the shadows for her sister.
“You’re right dear sister. I’m here,” Cordy called back. “This time, I will kill you.”
“I know.” Cricket nodded. “I think I’ve been waiting for this day to come since Mom died.”
“I know I have,” Cordy called out as she moved in closer. “What I want to know is why you betrayed me? Why did you take his daughter back to him? Didn’t you have faith that I could get him on my own?”
Cricket shook her head. “You shouldn’t have taken his kids. If you wanted him to love you, why did you have to hurt him that way?”
Cordy finally came out of the shadows and stood in front of her sister. “I needed an edge and taking his kids gave me that edge. Holding his son will still give me the edge to get to him.” She moved closer.
Cricket could see the knife in her other hand. The gleam of the moon shone bright on the blade.
“Is he here with you? Did Deke come after his boy?”
Cricket nodded. “Yeah, he’s here. Him and four other guys.”
Cordy smiled wickedly. “I wasn’t sure you would remember this cabin. I thought maybe I’d be stuck here for a few days before you thought of this place.”
“Is Sammy okay?” Cricket asked.
“Who?”
“The boy.”
Cordy laughed out loud. The sound wasn’t joyous nor was the look on her face. “Oh yeah, naming his son after his father. And here I thought he hated his old man.” Then she turned her hate toward Cricket. “We can’t put this off any longer. If Deke is here, then I have to get away but I’m not leaving you breathing.”
