The McKays Box Set - To Kill For, Blood Sport, Hard Time & Gang Land

by A. J. Carella

  There was blood on the wooden floor of the hall and, tracking it with his eyes, Sam saw that it came from the direction of the kitchen. Gesturing with his chin, Sam told Steve to clear the rest of the downstairs while he waited, gun trained on the kitchen door. Steve quickly returned, indicating that it was clear and, trying to remain as quiet as they could, they both made their way up the hall, being careful to avoid stepping on the blood smears. The door to the kitchen was open and Sam saw Maria’s feet first. As he stepped closer, the rest of her was revealed.

  Putting a hand to his mouth, Sam had to lean on the doorframe for support. She’d been badly beaten and left lying face down in a pool of her own blood.

  “The girls, we’ve got to get the girls.” His voice broke as he spoke and turned to go and find them.

  “I’ll call it in.” Steve pulled his cell out of his pocket and called dispatch.

  Sam had told Eva to get her sister, go and lock themselves in the bathroom and not come out until he got there. Now, he had to fight the urge to run up the stairs. He could hear his babies crying as he reached the second floor. He knew he had to focus, so he did his best to shut the sound out. One by one, he checked all the rooms until he was satisfied that there was no one upstairs before allowing himself to rush to the bathroom.

  “Girls? It’s Daddy.” He knocked on the bathroom door. “It’s okay, you can come out now.”

  He breathed a sigh of relief as he heard the lock slide back and the door opened. Crouching down, he held his arms wide as they both ran to him and he grabbed them, holding them as if his life depended on it.

  “Daddy, you’re squishing us!”

  “I’m sorry, I’m just so happy to see you guys.” He tried to keep his voice light.

  “Is Maria awake now? Can we go and see her?” they asked simultaneously.

  “Maria’s not feeling very well. That’s why she wouldn’t wake up. I’ll tell you what, why don’t you come to Daddy’s office for a bit and play?” it would have to do for now until he could make other plans. Until he found out what had happened here, there was no way his children would be coming back to this house.

  Taking them by the hand, he led them downstairs and straight out the front door, keeping them talking so they didn’t see all the activity in the kitchen. Several cruisers had arrived by now, along with an ambulance, and the front of his house was a swarm of activity. Spotting a familiar face, he led the girls over to a cruiser that had just arrived.

  “Kate,” he addressed the female officer that had just stepped out of the car. “I need you to take the girls back to the station and stay with them until I get there.”

  He knew they’d be fine with Kate. They’d had a very brief thing a couple of years ago, and though it hadn’t worked out they’d stayed friends. She was one of the nicest people he’d ever met.

  “Sure thing.” She smiled down at the girls. “I’d love to spend some girly time with you two. How do you feel about getting your nails done?”

  Both girls immediately started jumping up and down. “Yes, please!”

  “You go and do what you need to do.” Kate’s face was somber as she addressed him. “I won’t let them out of my sight.”

  Satisfied that his girls were safe, he turned and went back to the house. Making his way to the kitchen, he was shocked to see two paramedics on their knees next to Maria, working on her.

  “She’s still alive, Sam. Just barely, but she’s hanging on.” Steve appeared next to him.

  Sam watched as they loaded her onto a gurney, and he stayed with her as they quickly wheeled her out of the house and into the waiting ambulance.

  “You know who did this, don’t you?” he asked Steve, who had followed him out of the house and stood with him as he watched the paramedics close the doors and drive off.

  “You don’t know that, Sam.”

  Sam whirled to face him. “Oh, come on. You know as well as I do that this has to be the work of MS-13.”

  “I admit it’s likely, but you’ve got to let the investigation run its course, Sam. Don’t even think about doing anything silly.”

  Sam changed the subject, ignoring the obvious question in Steve’s voice. “Right now, I need to concentrate on the girls, on getting them to a safe place. Will you stay here if I head to the station?”

  “Of course, don’t worry. I’m on it and the brass will be here soon.”

  “Okay, keep me updated.” With one last look at the house, Sam grabbed the car keys from Steve and left.

  Twenty-Three

  She was stable, for now. The paramedics that had treated her at the scene had kept her alive until they arrived at the hospital, where the surgeons had taken over. Rushing her straight into surgery, they’d operated to relieve the pressure on her brain caused by a haemorrhage in her skull. There were other injuries that would require treatment--a broken jaw, two shattered eye sockets and a broken right arm—but, for now, the main focus was the head injury.

  As soon as he’d gotten to the station, Sam had called his sister, Toni, and told her what happened. She lived in Arizona and, though they didn’t speak as often as they should, they were close. She’d agreed to jump on the next plane to LA to come get the kids and take them back with her until Sam thought it was safe for them to come home again. It was a difficult decision to make; he hated being separated from his girls, but he had no choice. The soonest she could get here was the next morning, so the girls had spent the rest of that afternoon playing with Kate and would spend the night there tonight. There was a room that officers used when they needed to rest but couldn’t get home, and it had a couple of bunks. It wasn’t the most comfortable room in the world, but they would be safe. He’d stayed with them until they’d fallen asleep and then had come straight here.

  “Anything from the house?” He was sitting by the side of Maria’s bed, holding her hand, and he spoke without taking his eyes off her.

  “Nothing yet, Sam, but they’re still in there.” Steve put his hand on his shoulder. “How are the girls holding up?”

  “They’re okay, or at least they will be once I catch this bastard and I can tell them that he’s locked up and will never see the light of day again.”

  “It’s out of your hands, Sam, you know that. The boss told you to keep your distance.”

  He had. As soon as he’d gotten back to the station from the scene, the boss had made it very clear that he was to stay out of the way. He was too close.

  “At least tell me they’re looking for Angel?”

  “Uniforms are looking for him, don’t worry. And as soon as he’s picked up, I’ll let you know.”

  Twenty-Four

  That would teach him a lesson he wouldn’t forget in a hurry. He’d thought about hurting one of the little girls after he’d finished with the woman, but Juan had a thing about hurting kids and if he found out, he wouldn’t be happy. No, the woman was enough to send the message he wanted and the beating he’d dished out had had the added bonus of relieving some of his pent-up anger.

  He hadn’t hung around and had headed straight back to the main house. He couldn’t wait to tell Juan what he had done. No one disrespected the gang and got away with it. He was sure he would be pleased and would forget about Drake, if only for a little while.

  Angel was surprised to find the house almost completely deserted when he arrived. It was usually a hive of activity, no matter what time of the day or night it was, and to see it so quiet was unnerving.

  “Have you seen him?”

  The voice made him jump. He hadn’t seen Juan standing on the stairs as he’d walked in. “Seen who?”

  Juan frowned. “Drake, of course. I assume that’s where you’ve been all this time?”

  Angel shook his head. “No, I figured there were enough people looking for him.” He lied. He couldn’t care less. “I had some business to take care of. Gang business.”

  Juan walked down the stairs, into his office, and Angel followed.

  “What kind of gang
business?” Juan took a seat behind his desk.

  Angel proudly told him what had happened.

  “You did what?” Juan hissed, standing up and coming round the desk to stand in front of him.

  “It’s all good.” Angel grinned. “They’ll think twice before messing with an MS-13 member again.”

  The backhand spun him round and sent him crashing to his knees. “What the fuck was that for?” he cried, holding the side of his face.

  “How dare you.” Juan was breathing heavily, standing over him. “How dare you take it upon yourself to do something like this? Have you any idea what you’ve done? He’s a cop. You’ve just gone after a cop’s family because he pissed you off.”

  “I did it because he disrespected the gang. No one does that and gets away with it.”

  “This has nothing to do with the gang. This is because he made you feel stupid. This was personal, Angel. Don’t you dare hide behind the gang. You’re on your own on this one.”

  Angel got back on his feet, letting his hand drop to his side. “If Drake had done this, you’d be patting him on the back.”

  Juan sneered. “Drake would never be this stupid.”

  “Drake would never have the balls, you mean.”

  “He was right about you. He warned me that you were a loose cannon, that you’d hurt the gang, and I didn’t listen. You killed that girl, didn’t you?”

  Angel smiled. “Yeah, I did. And you want to know why? Because she was Drake’s woman, that’s why.”

  Juan frowned. “What are you talking about?”

  “You really think he tells you everything?” Angel laughed. “Yeah, they were really tight, so tight he was thinking about leaving the gang, she told me.”

  “No, you’re lying.”

  “It’s the truth. She told me as she was begging for her life. Quite pathetic, really.”

  “And you hate him so much that you did that just to hurt him?” Juan turned and opened the office door, holding it open. “Get out. Get out and don’t come back.”

  “You’ll regret this.” Angel spat at him as he brushed past Juan and through the open door.

  Twenty-Five

  Although he’d only been gone a day, as Drake looked at the house that he’d considered home since the day he’d met Juan, it felt as if everything had changed. All he saw there now was violence and betrayal and it surprised him that he’d never seen it before. It was as if a veil of ignorance had been lifted from his eyes and he could finally see clearly. As the only family he’d really ever known, certainly the only one who had ever cared for him, he’d chosen to be blind to the reality of what they were. Shelby’s murder had changed all that.

  “Are you sure about this?”

  “I’m sure Finn. This is the place I need to be if I want to find Angel. And I need to talk to Juan, explain.” He owed him that much.

  “I still think you should go to the police, let them deal with it.”

  “The police aren’t interested in listening to someone like me. No, this is my only chance to get justice for Shelby.”

  “Okay. Well, you’re not going in there on your own. I’m coming with you.”

  “You can come, but because I want you to. I won’t be in any danger in there, Finn.”

  Stepping out of the car, they crossed the street and walked up the walk to the house. There were a couple of members lounging around on chairs in the front yard and as he said hi, Drake tried to read them, trying to gauge their reaction to seeing him. From what he could tell, it was as it usually was. Indifferent.

  “The boss in?” he asked one member sitting on the porch steps and was rewarded with nod and a head jerk towards the house. His stomach was in knots and his fists were clenched as he stepped inside.

  “Let me do the talking.” Juan wasn’t going to be happy seeing a stranger there as it was.

  ***

  “Drake, where have you been? I’ve been looking for everywhere!” Juan cried out as soon as he spotted him. Walking up to him, he gave him a bear hug before holding him at arm’s length and looking into his face.

  “I think I know what this is about.” He looked over at Finn “Who are you?” he asked, seeming to have only just noticed he was there.

  “I’m a friend of Drake’s. He’s staying with me.”

  Juan waved his hand at him, dismissing him. “Well, you can go now. We have private business discuss.”

  “No, Juan,” Drake spoke up. “He stays.” I trust him more than I trust a lot of people around here.

  There was a pause as Juan looked him over before nodding his agreement. Turning, he walked into his office and gestured at them to follow.

  “You said you thought you knew what this was about?” Drake asked as soon as the door was closed.

  “Yes.” Juan nodded before looking over at Finn again, pointedly. “Are you sure you want to discuss this in front of strangers?”

  “I told you, he’s not a stranger.”

  Juan nodded and continued, reluctantly. “Angel has been in to see me.” Drake stiffened at the mention of his name. “I’m sorry, Drake. I never realized how much he hated you.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “He told me that you were planning on leaving the gang and that you’d found a woman you were planning on starting a new life with.”

  Drake nodded. “I was going to tell you when the time was right.”

  “That’s not how it works, Drake. You don’t get to just walk away from this life, you know that.”

  “That’s not important now. Did he tell you what he did?”

  Juan nodded sadly. “Yes, he did, and I threw him out.”

  “You know I have to find him, don’t you?”

  “I do, and I won’t stand in your way. He’s got it coming.”

  “Drake, if Angel told Juan what he did, we can go to the police now. It won’t be just your word against his anymore.”

  Drake and Juan both turned to look at Finn as he spoke.

  “You’re not from around here, are you?” Juan sneered.

  Finn shook his head. “No, but what difference does that make?”

  “If you were, you’d understand. We have our own way of doing things here and it’s not just a matter of justice. It’s a matter of honor.”

  “I’m just trying to look out for Drake. If he goes after this guy, he could end up in prison. Or worse.”

  “And if he doesn’t deal with him, he’ll never be able to show his face on the street again.”

  “Are you serious? That’s more important to you than him being alive?”

  Drake could see that they were both getting agitated and stepped in before it came to blows. “Right now, I just need to find him. Do you know where he’s gone?”

  Juan shook his head. “No. I know he took his car because it’s not outside.”

  “Look, he’s not here and if he’s in his car he could be anywhere.” Finn spoke up again. “Please, Drake, let the police deal with this.”

  “Is he for real?” Juan smirked. “We don’t talk to the police. Ever.”

  “Not even to save Drake’s skin? Some friend you are.”

  Drake had to move fast to get between them as Juan lunged for Finn. “Why don’t you go outside and wait in the car,” he told him. “You’re not helping.” As thankful as he was for all his help, Finn didn’t understand how things worked here and he was only making things worse.

  Drake waited until Finn had left and the door had closed behind him before speaking again. “You and I both know what has to happen here.”

  “Yes, and as I said, I won’t try and stop you but I don’t know where he is.” Juan frowned. “But, I might know of one place where he could have gone.”

  “Tell me.”

  “There’s an abandoned house a few blocks over. He’s sort of claimed it as his own and it’s where he takes his girlfriends, if you know what I mean.” Juan winked. “It’s the only place I know of that he has to himself and where he would feel safe.

/>   “Give me the address.”

  “No.” Juan shook his head. “I’m the boss here and if something needs fixing, I need to make sure it gets fixed, one way or another. I’m coming with you.”

  Drake knew there was no point arguing; it’s how things worked. “Okay, you’d better jump in with us, then. We’re in Finn’s car and Angel won’t recognize it.”

  “Well, your friend better keep his mouth shut, then. Where did you find that guy, anyway?”

  “It’s just someone I know and you may not like him, but he’s really helped me out the past couple of days, so you need to get over it.” He didn’t have room in his head right now to worry about either of them. He had far more important things to worry about. Angel, I’m coming for you.

  Twenty-Six

  The silence in the car on the way over had been thick with tension. Finn had bristled when he saw Drake come out of the house with Juan in tow, and he’d felt the daggers aimed at his back the whole time he was giving him directions from the back seat.

  “There, it’s that one over there.” Juan shoved his arm between the two front seats, pointing at a dilapidated old house sitting on a corner lot. Despite the state of it, it blended quite well with its neighbors, all the other houses on the street being in much the same condition.

  “There! There’s his car.” Juan’s arm appeared again.

  “Will you get your arm out of my face before I move it for you?” Finn knew he was being rude to Juan but he couldn’t help it. This was the man who had practically been a father to his son from when he was fourteen years old. He had gotten to see a lot of stuff that Finn had missed out on and, despite what he’d said back at the house, it was clear that the two of them had a close bond.

  “I’d like to see you try,” Juan growled back, pulling his arm back.

  “You’re right. That’s his car, so he must be inside.” Drake was staring at the house.