CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
Xander watched fear leech into his daughter’s eyes. He had waited so long to see that look again. A ribbon of dark lust snaked through his body. He could have seen this look so many times over the years, if her whore-of-a-mother hadn’t taken her away and turned her against him. Unbuckling his belt, he slid it free and folded it in half, setting it on the small tray in front of the bed.
When his hands went to unbutton his pants, Ellie slid as far back on the bed as she could. This wasn’t happening. It couldn’t be happening. Something clicked in her mind and she saw this scene replaying in her head, only she was much younger and the room was filled with junk.
He had been spanking her with his belt for going to the ditch with Rex. She hadn’t understood then what it meant when his breathing turned harsh and he lovingly stroked the skin he hit with the belt.
Her mom had come in the room, screaming at him. Crying. Holding her chest like it was going to explode. She understood everything now. The way she had fought to keep Xander away, how she had warned her to never, ever be alone with him. She understood and it made her head pound with sickness.
When she came back to herself and opened her eyes, he had his left hand inside of his jeans. He stroked himself while holding the belt in his right. Her stomach revolted and she leaned over the side of the bed, vomiting on the floor. In return, he let out a harsh, nasty laugh.
She wiped her mouth out with the corner of the sheet, spitting a couple of times to try and clear the taste from her mouth. There was no way that he was going to do this to her and she would never let him touch her that way. She had to find a way out.
“I can see what you’re thinking, Ellie girl. There’s no way out of here. No mommy to save you.” He slapped the belt on the mattress, cackling when she jumped and scooted back against the wall again. “You’ve been bad and you need to be punished.”
“You sick fuck! You monster!” Ellie screamed the words. She might not win this fight, but she was going to give him one.
Xander leaned forward, close enough that she could feel his breath. “You don’t know what a monster is yet, Ellie girl.”
***
Rex had a hard time finding the entrance to the cellar in the dark. He knew he was close. Then, he heard the scream.
It was off to his left. He ran faster than he ever had. While he was trying to listen for the sound of another scream over the sound of his own breathing, he nearly tripped over the entrance.
He took the crowbar and started beating the door with it, as he screamed Ellie’s name over and over. The lock began to give way and he shoved the end under the hinge. He pushed against it with everything he had in him.
It gave way. He yanked the doors open just as the sound of a gunshot rang out.
***
Xander grabbed her legs and pulled, yanking until she was at the edge of the bed. The belt sang as it sliced the air, hitting her cheek with a nasty slap. Her ear rang, making her stomach lurch again. The shock of it made her muscles go limp.
He was on top of her before her next breath. The hand that was not holding the belt squeezed her breast painfully. Trying to push his weight off of her, she lifted her head. Over his shoulder, a glint of silver caught her attention.
Xander raised his arm again. Then, he brought the belt down and let it glance off her thigh. The quick sting made her gasp and he felt himself hardening even more. The more she fought the more he liked it. Her breast was soft under his hand, so he slapped it hard, laughing when she screamed.
Ellie had no choice left. It was him or her. He was so distracted by his attempts to hurt her that he had raised his upper body to get more leverage. She moved, snatched the gun from the holster at his lower back, clicked off the safety, and pulled it between them. She could see the amusement in his eyes. He didn’t think she could do it. He put his hand around her neck and squeezed as hard as he could. She pulled the trigger.
His hand went slack and she started coughing. The sound of banging and yelling reached her ears. She pulled the gun out from between their bodies and pointed it at the doorway.
***
Leaping down the steps, Rex rushed into the room and immediately stumbled to a halt. Ellie was pointing a gun right at him. “Ellie, honey. It’s me.” He put his hands up non-threateningly.
It was such a relief to see Rex that Ellie immediately started crying and couldn’t stop. She put the gun on the bed above her head and started pushing at Xander’s weight, her hands slick with his blood. The weight lifted and she heard his body hit the floor with a sickening thud. She heard Rex exclaim, his voice filled with disgust, when he realized what Xander tried to do.
Rex gathered her up in his arms and carried her out of the cellar. He moved quickly, in case someone heard the gunshot and decided to come after them. He rushed across the wooded lot with her hands clenched tightly on his shirt, as she sobbed uncontrollably.
He heard sirens ,as the bust on the club started. He came out into the clearing and saw cops already bringing people out of the club in handcuffs. The sound of men shouting and doors breaking could be heard from inside. There were several ambulances lined up at the edge of the road and Rex headed towards the closest one.
Manny, Flattop, and the two Homeland Security suits were huddled up about twenty feet from where he was headed. Manny saw them first, shouted, and raced towards them. One of the EMTs and all the cops were hot on his heels.
The EMT was trying to take her from his arms, but he wasn’t ready to let her go. “It’s not her blood. She’s alright. It’s not her blood.” Rex turned to Manny who was gently stroking the hair off of Ellie’s temple. “He was…he was trying to…she shot him.”
He knew he wasn’t making much sense, but his dad seemed to understand him perfectly. Rex saw guilt in his father’s eyes. It was the same guilt that he felt and along with the guilt, he saw tears.
“Give her to the EMT, son. Let him take her to the hospital. You can go with her, I’m sure. Right?” Manny shot a look at the young man in question and he nodded enthusiastically.
Ellie picked that moment to try and shake off the shock. “Put me down!” She lifted her head and pushed against Rex’s chest. She had to ignore the look of hurt on his face for the moment. There were things that she needed to say.
He put her down and she held onto his hand, not just to steady herself, but because he was the only human she could trust at that moment. She looked at Flattop and addressed him, deciding he was in charge. “The entrance to the tunnel is in the small closet next to Xander’s office. It’s a false panel in the wall. You have to press the left hand corner to get it to open. Follow it down to the cellar. I shot him. His body is down there.
“Xander has a drug lab down there, too. It’s behind a door on the right side of the tunnel halfway down. It’s active, so everyone needs to be careful. There are two guards right inside the door.” The pain in her side was becoming overwhelming. She wrapped her free arm around her body and tried to hold on until she was done. She looked at Manny and tried to smile. “You told them about the storage buildings, right?”
Manny smiled back and reached out to touch her cheek, startled but not offended when she pulled back. She had been through a lot. “I got ‘em here didn’t I?”
“And the bodies? Have they found them yet?” Manny shook his head no and looked away. She nodded and looked at Flattop again. “I heard them talking about Parson’s Pond. They said George and the others are safe at Parson’s. I’m sure that’s where you’ll find the bodies.”
Manny looked at Flattop. “George was my guy. The one I told you about.”
Flattop nodded and gave her a look that was filled with concern. “Ellie, you need to go get checked out. We can talk later.” He tried to touch her shoulder, but again, she jerked away. This time the pain that shot through her was too much and her vision faded to black.
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
Ellie woke up to the sound of a beeping monitor. For a mom
ent, she couldn’t remember where she was. The beeping got faster and faster. A soothing hand brushed over her forehead and she remembered. Everything. Tears ran from behind her closed lids.
Rex took her hand and sat back down in the chair. It was the first time she had woken up since they had sedated her. The relief that he felt when her eyes fluttered open was overwhelming. They had told him to be patient and that she would wake up when she was ready, but that had been two days ago.
Ellie was injured much worse than they had first thought. Two cracked ribs on the right side, bruised ribs on the left, a bruised kidney on the right and lots of deep bruising on her back and legs. The bruise on her face from the belt lashing was swollen and dark. There were finger shaped bruises on her neck and breasts, too. Seeing her so battered brought an anger that Rex had never felt before to the surface.
He couldn’t erase the image of her underneath Xander. It made him violently sick to think of what had nearly happened. To try to rape your own daughter? The man had been beyond insane.
Flattop, whose real name was Captain Joe Carmody, had come and gone a couple of times. Rex had given his statement as to what he had seen and heard. He would be back when Ellie was better to get her statement; but, there wasn’t any rush on that.
The raid on all the sites had gone well. The drug lab was dismantled and the stolen military weapons were seized. Thanks to Ellie, the bodies of everyone Xander had killed were found in the pond. Many people were arrested and most spilled their guts for the past two day in hopes of getting lighter sentences. The Karthadossian Motorcycle Club was no more. Ellie, Xander’s only living relative, would have to decide what to do with the properties.
Xander’s body still hadn’t been found, but Captain Carmody assured him it was just a matter of time. He couldn’t have gotten far, judging the amount of blood on the floor of the cellar.
Already, members of the Karthadossian Motorcycle Club were lined up at Manny’s door. They wanted to know what it would take to be invited in. The old Manny would have told them all to take a hike, but this new man he’d become was considering several for admission. Others were told that under no circumstances would they ever be welcome at his club.
Some left town completely. Neither he nor Manny were heartbroken over those who had fled. The police had warrants out for a few of them. Eventually they would get picked up someplace else and brought back here to stand trial for their crimes.
After the rumor had gotten around that Xander had tried to rape his own daughter, several women had stepped forward and accused him of rape, as well. They had all been very young when he’d attacked them. Most of those women had been allowed to join the Siouxan Motorcycle Club. The ones that hadn’t joined were planning to move on and get out of the lifestyle all together.
Rex’s only concern was Ellie. Manny had taken on a lot of responsibilities the past couple of months and even more the past two days. He understood that Rex wanted to be by Ellie’s side twenty-four hours a day. It meant a lot to Rex and he intended to tell him so, as soon as he got a chance.
The tears had finally stopped flowing from Ellie’s eyes. Now she simply watched Rex, while he was lost in thought. When he adjusted his focus to her, he smiled and said, “Hey, you.”
Ellie nodded, unsure of her voice. She tried to sit up so she could drink some water. He was up immediately, helping her pour cold water from the pitcher into a glass. She took several deep drinks, pausing when her ribs gave a twinge. “How long have I been here?”
“Nearly forty-eight hours.”
Her eyes widened in shock. It didn’t seem like she’d been out for so long. Everything that had happened was still far too fresh in her mind. “Did everything get taken care of?” she asked in a flat, unemotional voice.
“Mostly. There’s still a lot of loose ends to tie up, but it’s being worked on.” He brought her hand to his lips, pressing them to the cool flesh on the back. “I should have never let you go home alone that night.”
“Please don’t. Please. If you had been there he would have killed you.” She shook her head hard, not wanting to cry again. It felt like she had cried enough for eighty people in the past couple of months.
He felt lost, unable to help. “Tell me what you need me to do, Ellie.”
She didn’t have to think about her answer. “Get me out of here. I want to be at home, where I feel safe. I want to be in my bed and I want you to hold me until this pain in my chest goes away.”
That was something he could do.
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
It had been a couple of weeks since that night. Every night, Rex kept his promise. He held her until she fell asleep and woke her when the dreams came. They hadn’t been together physically, of course. Her body and her mind were still healing.
Ellie was sitting at her desk, finally starting to feel like she could write again, when the doorbell rang. Rex was home and he went to answer it. Captain Joe Carmody, was on the other side, his face was grim. “Rex.” He held out his hand for the younger man to shake. Rex motioned for him to come inside.
Ellie had gotten up and was standing just inside the living room. She didn’t like the look on the captain’s face.
“Ellie, it’s good to see you looking so well.” Captain Carmody took one of her hands in both of his. He was good at his job and was used to making people feel at ease in difficult situations. In this case, however, he really was glad to see her healed up and smiling.
“Thank you, I’m feeling much better.” She motioned for him to have a seat in the living room.
The captain settled his large frame on the couch and took a deep breath, not at all happy about some of the news he needed to deliver. “The DA is not charging you for shooting Xander. That’s the good news and it’s exactly what we expected. I wish I could keep the bad news from you, but that wouldn’t be doing you any favors.”
“What bad news?” Rex asked, instantly at attention.
“As you know, when we got to the cellar, Xander’s body was gone. There was a lot of blood on the floor, but no body. We searched a five mile radius around the area, but we didn’t find anything. No trace of blood, no tracks, no body, nothing.”
For a moment, Ellie thought she might pass out. So many horrible things ran through her mind. She let her thoughts spiral for a minute, maybe two, then she stopped herself. “I shot him in the stomach. It was the easiest place. He passed out, but I can’t be sure that he was dead or that the wound was even fatal. I wanted him to be dead.” Rex had moved to her side and was holding her tightly. His comfort meant more than she could express.
“We’re not going to stop looking for him, Ellie. I can make that promise to you. He has a lot to answer for, so if he’s alive, I’m going to find him.” He said the words with conviction because he meant them.
Ellie nodded, acknowledging his promise. “I know you’ll do your best, Captain Carmody. I’ll be cautious and aware, but I’m not going to live in fear. I won’t let him take anything more from me.”
Pride filled Rex at her words. She said them calmly, steadily, and with conviction. He knew this was a turning point for her. For both of them.
The captain nodded and rose, a smile splitting his wide, weathered face. “It’s good to hear you say that.”
Ellie smiled back. She liked Captain Carmody and believed that if he said something, he meant it. She stood and turned to say goodbye, shaking the man’s hand tightly. “I’d show you out, but I have a doctor’s appointment I have to get ready for.”
Rex walked the captain to the door, but he stopped before he stepped out and measured Rex with those sharp cop eyes. “She’s going to need protecting again at some point. Are you going to be up to it when the time comes?”
“Without a single doubt,” Rex replied, his eyes steady.
“Good.” Captain Carmody gave him a half-salute and headed for his car. “I’ll keep you up-to-date on things. Invite me to the wedding, won’t you?”
Rex’s mouth opened in
surprise. How could the captain have known what he was planning? He chuckled and shook his head at the man. Yeah, he was definitely on the list.
***
Ellie knew the dream would come, as it had every night. Every night she woke up, sweating and gasping for air. In response, Rex would wake up and turn to her. He’d gather her close and hold her until she could breathe normally again. He had sacrificed so much for her over the past couple of weeks. There was no way she could repay him for his understanding and patience.
The news that Xander might still be alive shocked her deeply. She wished that she could be sure that he had just crawled off somewhere to die and they hadn’t found him yet. She couldn’t be sure though, especially since two of his top guys were also missing.
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