“Three weeks ago, when the redhead came to my clubhouse looking for her friend. I met the blonde for the first time seven weeks ago, when she came to work for me as a dancer. I had no idea who she was and neither did she.”
Calderone frowned. “What do you mean?” He turned in his chair and stared into the shadows.
An older man with gray eyes joined him. He took the phone and stared at the young woman in the photo. Turning his gaze to Deke, he introduced himself, “My name is Leon Vincinti, I’m Calderone’s father and this young woman’s grandfather.”
Deke nodded to the older man.
“Tell us what you know,” Leon ordered as he sat down beside his son.
“When I met Peaches—” he began.
“Her name is Kalliegh Paige Vincinti!” Leon snarled.
“Father, please, let the man tell his story,” Calderone insisted.
“I do apologize.” Deke held up his hands. “But she’s only been called Peaches since she was five years old.”
Leon looked over at Calderone and they both stared at Deke.
“How is that possible?” Leon asked.
“She was injured at that time. My girl Cassie thinks she was in a car accident. She was covered in small cuts and had a bump on her head. Anyway, she didn’t speak for several months and when she started talking again, she called herself Peaches.”
Calderone shook his head. “That fits. Her mother was killed in a car accident when Kalleigh was five. We never found any trace of my daughter…it was as if she just disappeared.”
Deke’s face tightened in anger. “No…she just didn’t disappear. Your daughter was taken to a holding house, where she lived in fear for the next five years.”
“What sort of holding house?” Calderone asked.
Deke leaned forward. “Gentlemen, I have a story to tell you. It ain’t a very nice story but you need to hear it. It’s about two little girls. Their names are Peaches and Cassie.”
It took Deke a while to tell the story. As he spoke, he noticed a change come over every man standing in that room. His words shook them all.
When he finished, Calderone’s hands were fisted with rage. “How did you know to call me?”
Deke stared at him. “Cassie told me of the day you came to visit. The girls were about eight years old when you knocked on the door.”
Calderone frowned. “Whose door did I knock on?”
“Mrs. Eleonore Peirce.”
Calderone frowned as he thought about the name. Then he shook his head. “I have no idea who that is.”
“I believe Cassie said you called her Janie.”
Calderone and Leon froze. Calderone paled and he slowly turned to stare at his father. When he turned back to Deke, he asked, “Kalliegh was there, in that house that day?”
Deke nodded. “Mrs. Peirce paid a beat cop who brought her there a couple of years before. Cassie told me that when someone came to the door, all the children had orders to hide.”
Caldreone looked enraged. “I can’t believe she would do this to me!”
Deke swallowed hard and spoke quietly, “The bitch was peddling kids at the time, she still is. Back then and now, she has people on her payroll that hid her activities. Cops, judges, social workers, they all were bought and paid for. She earned her money then and now, by selling somebody else’s babies.”
“Where is my daughter now?” Calderone demanded.
“She’s with my girl. I called earlier to ask Iceman if I could come and get them. He told me I couldn’t, that you had the city locked down, so I asked him to set up this meeting.”
Calderone glanced at Iceman for a moment then turned to Deke. “Is she here in Boston?”
Deke nodded. “She and Cassie are in federal custody waiting Mrs. Peirce’s arrest. Cassie made Detective Sullivan promise to find Peaches’ family. He made that promise knowing he would never keep it. After they testify, the Feds are placing both girls in witness protection. They probably won’t see each other or family ever again.”
Calderone tightened his fingers into fists. “That isn’t going to happen. Can you find the girls and bring my daughter back to me?”
“Yes I can,” Deke assured him.
Leon leaned forward and stared into Deke’s face. “Name your price.”
Deke’s eyes narrowed and he stared back at the man. Then his lips curled into a sneer. “I want nothing from you or your son. Cassie made me promise if Sullivan didn’t see through with his promise that I would.”
“And you want nothing for your troubles?” Leon frowned.
“No I do not,” Deke assured him. “I’m here for Cassie and her friendship with Peaches.”
Leon turned to Iceman. “What about you? What do you expect to get out of this?”
“I expect to get respect,” Iceman said quietly. “Respect for me and my club.”
Leon stared at the two men then looked over at his son. “What is your wish?”
“I want her back with us,” Calderone said. “I want my baby daughter back where she belongs.”
Deke straightened in his chair. “Will you allow Iceman and I to go get her and bring her back here?”
Calderone stared at him for a moment, then nodded.
“We don’t need or want your men with us,” Deke warned. “In fact, I’ll go with only two of my men and so will he. Please, I’m asking you and your men to stay behind.”
“My daughter has been missing for sixteen years!” Calderone growled. “I want to see that she’s safely home at last.”
“I can understand that,” Deke agreed. “Right now, she’s completely safe. She has Cassie with her and believe me, when I tell you, Cassie will protect her. She’s been doing a good job of it for sixteen years.”
“What is going to happen to this Peirce woman?” Leon asked.
Deke’s lips thinned. “She’ll probably make a deal and not spend one day where she belongs. The Feds want information on the kiddie ring she’s mixed up in.” He shrugged, “They won’t protect her for long and when I find her again, she’ll pay for her mistakes.”
“Is there evidence to convict her?” Leon asked.
Deke nodded. “Yeah, Cassie told me of a hidden room in the house. She claimed the evidence is there. I don’t know if the Feds know about it yet.”
Leon raised his hand to Calderone’s shoulder and squeezed. “Let us worry about this Peirce woman. It will be our pleasure to teach her about right and wrong.”
“Go get your woman and bring back my daughter,” Calderone ordered.
Deke got to his feet along with Iceman. He nodded at Leon and Calderone, then he turned and walked back to his bike.
As he swung his leg over the tank Iceman growled, “You’d better know where they are or our lives are forfeit. “
Deke nodded. “Then we’d better go get them shouldn’t we?”
They rode back to where their men were waiting. Deke looked over at Zipper and Zipper gave him a location. Deke took Wiley and Gator with him.
Iceman took two of his men along as he announced, “The rest of you have to stay here. We’ll be back.
Zipper walked over to where Deke was and handed him an earpiece. “I can let you know what’s going on with this. I have satellite vision on them as well as night vision. Right now, I see four men, two inside two outside. This is a middle income residence, nice and quiet. When you get close, let me know and I’ll lead you in.”
Deke fit the earpiece into his ear before he turned his stare on Iceman. “We don’t kill tonight, wound maybe but no one dies.”
Iceman nodded and passed the info to his men.
Then all six men took off, disappearing into the night.
CHAPTER TEN
Iceman led them to a fairly nice neighborhood. He pulled over in a parking lot of a church. When the others shut off their engines, he looked over at Deke. “The house your girls are in is about a block away. I didn’t think you’d want to announce our arrival.”
Deke nodded. He
got off his bike and stretched his legs. He grabbed his weapon from the small of his back and checked the magazine. Glancing over at Gator and Wiley, he reminded them, “No killing. We don’t want to go to jail. We go in, get the girls and get the hell out of there.”
Gator, Wiley and the rest of the men nodded.
Deke turned to Iceman.
He smiled at Deke and shrugged. “It’s your show.”
Using the cover of darkness, they made their way to the house where Cassie and Peaches were being held. When he could see the house, he tapped the earpiece. “We’re here Zipper.”
Deke heard Zipper’s voice, “The girls are in the back bedroom. There is one man on the southeast corner of the building. The other man is in the shadows of the garage. The two men inside are in the living room.”
“Okay, we’ll take care of it.” Deke turned and whispered the info to the men standing there. “Iceman and I will go around the back and get the girls. You guys take care of the men inside and outside.”
The men nodded and melted into the night.
Deke and Iceman waited for a few minutes then went around to the back of the house. When they got to the room the girls were in, Zipper let them know. Deke went to the window and peeked inside. Cassie was resting on one of the beds in the room. Peaches was on the other bed. Deke could see Peaches had been crying. He knocked softly on the glass.
Cassie’s head popped up and she turned to stare at the glass. She got up and moved over to the window. When she saw Deke standing there, tears rolled down her face. Her hand reached for the lock then the window slid open. Peaches had joined her and Cassie whispered, “What are you doing here?”
Deke grinned. “I came to get you back.”
Cassie slid her foot out the open window. Deke grabbed her and pulled her through. A moment later, Peaches followed her and together, all four of them headed for the neighbor’s back yard. Deke pulled Cassie into his arms and hugged her close. Then his lips came down on hers and for a moment, that’s all that mattered to either of them.
Iceman broke the silence with a cough and Deke turned his eyes to Peaches. He smiled. She grinned back.
By then Gator, Wiley and Iceman’s two men joined them. “Let’s get the fuck out of here before those boys wake up,” Gator grumbled.
When they got back to the bikes, Cassie got on the back of Deke’s bike and Iceman invited Peaches on his. When they roared off into the night, Deke could feel Cassie’s arms tighten around his waist. Nothing ever felt this right, this good. He’d never invited a woman to ride bitch, never found one worthy of it. Now, he had his Spitfire and he wasn’t going to let her go—ever.
When they arrived back at the warehouse, Gator, Wiley and the two Sinner’s broke off and waited while Deke and Iceman went to the door. When they dismounted their bikes, Deke grabbed Cassie’s hand and Cassie grabbed Peaches’ hand. All four of them walked into the warehouse.
Calderone and Leon were standing there waiting for them.
Peaches stopped and stared at the two men.
Cassie noticed her friend’s actions and stopped herself. Looking from Peaches to the two men, she narrowed her eyes at them. “Peaches, do you know them?”
Peaches looked a little lost. “I don’t know. They seem familiar to me but not from anything recent, more of a memory.”
“Kalleiegh, baby, is it really you?” Calderone whispered. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
Peaches stared at him then took a step forward. “Do I know you?”
“Oh baby girl, I hope so. Peaches, baby, please say you remember me.”
Peaches paled and sweat beaded on her forehead. She raised her fingers to her temples as if to rub away a sudden pain. She stared at Calderone for a moment longer before her eyes went wide. “Daddy…?” she called out.
Calderone opened his arms and Peaches ran toward him.
He pulled her into an embrace and held her to him. “Oh baby, I thought you were lost to me forever. I have missed you so much.”
Peaches rubbed her nose into his chest and tightened her arms around him. “Is this for real?” she whispered as she stared at him. “Are you really here?”
“I’m here baby girl,” Calderone assured her.
“Do you remember me as well?” Leon begged gruffly.
Peaches turned her head and stared at him for a moment, then grinned. “Oh Poppy, how could I forget you?” She left the comfort of her father’s arms and snuggled into Leon’s embrace. He hugged her close.
Calderone’s arms wrapped around both of them.
Cassie looked up at Deke and smiled. “This…my friend, has made the hell of our childhood worth every fucking minute,” she whispered as she wrapped her arms around his waist.
“Josette,” a voice in the shadows whispered urgently.
Cassie leaned around Deke and frowned. When the voice called to her a second time and she saw a hand gesture, she stepped away from Deke and closer to the shadow. “Do I know you?”
When she got closer, she could see his face and it was one she never thought she would see again. She sneered. “What the fuck do you want?”
“Please, you can’t tell them who I am,” he whispered to her.
Cassie turned her head to see Peaches talking softly with her father and grandfather. Before she could turn back, the man beside her had grabbed her upper arm and was pulling her further into the shadows. Cassie turned to him, “Take your hands off me. I don’t like to be touched.”
“I’ll do more than touch you if you give me away.” He hissed as he brushed his hair away from his head. It was worn a little on the longer side and the color had toned down from the bright red it was twenty years ago. Now, there was gray mixed into the red.
“Get your fucking hands off me,” she called out a little louder.
“Shut the hell up, you stupid twit,” he whispered.
He went to shake her but Cassie had had enough. “Let me go you slimy bastard!” she yelled as she stepped away.
He went to grab hold of her again and Cassie leaned to one side. Her foot struck out and the man crumpled to the floor. He gasped and held his chest. He grabbed at her ankle but Cassie stomped on his hand. Then her foot struck again and she kicked him in the face.
He groaned and his mouth began to bleed. He curled into a ball and closed his eyes. He felt more than saw Cassie lean closer. “I told you I don’t like to be touched, you bastard.”
Deke, Iceman and Calderone came up behind her. Deke reached out and stopped Calderone just when he would have pulled Cassie behind him. Calderone turned to glare but Deke shook his head. “She really hates to be touched.”
When Cassie turned to them, Calderone asked, “How do you know my man Theo?”
Cassie snorted. “Is that what he calls himself now days? Theo?”
Calderone looked from Cassie to Theo then back to Cassie. “His name is Theo Bellini.”
Cassie shook her head and turned her head to stare at the man on the floor. “His name is Flynn Reardon.”
Deke gasped.
“How do you know this?” Calderone demanded.
Cassie turned to look at him. “Because this is the bastard that sold me to Mrs. Peirce. She gave him a couple hundred dollars and he turned his three year old daughter over to her. He walked away and didn’t even look back.”
Calderone snapped his fingers and two other men suddenly appeared. They dragged Flynn up from the floor.
When they had him on his feet, he raised his head to stare at his daughter. His eyes were filled with hate and he spat blood on the floor at her feet.
Calderone backhanded him.
Cassie narrowed her eyes at her father. “How many times did you visit that house, old man? How many kids did you supply her with?”
Flynn just shook his head. “Shut your fucking mouth girl. You don’t know anything.” Turning to Calderone, he wailed, “She’s a fucking liar. I was never there!”
“Cassie?” a bewildered Peaches called out.
&nb
sp; She stepped around her father and stared at her friend. Cassie shook her head and said, “Oh Peaches, I’m so sorry.”
Peaches frowned and shook her head. “What are you sorry about?”
Cassie raised her hand and waved at her father.
Peaches turned her head and stared at the man in question. Her eyes went wide and she backed away.
“Peaches,” Calderone asked, ‘How do you know him?”
Peaches turned and stared at her father as tears ran down her face. She raised her hands to her temples and began to sob. “I remember now,” she whispered. “It’s like a bad dream but it must be true.” She turned and stared at Flynn. “I remember his face, but he was dressed differently. He was wearing a dark uniform. I think.”
Cassie nodded. “This is the piece of shit that carried Peaches up to the house. He pretended to be a cop. I couldn’t see his face that day, he was turned away from me but I saw the back of his head. I saw his hair. It was the same color as my hair. I didn’t know who he was at the time but I remember my father had the same color hair I did.”
Calderone snapped his head back around and searched Flynn’s face. He read the truth of her words. He reached out, grabbed the other man’s throat and tightened his grip. “I should kill you nice and slow.”
Leon stepped up behind his son and grabbed his shoulders. “Cal, don’t kill him yet. We need the information he has.”
A muscle is Calderone’s jaw twitched. He glanced at the men holding Flynn. “Take him to the playroom.”
Flynn eye’s got huge and he began to beg, “Please don’t do this.”
Cassie moved to Deke and felt his arms wrap around her. She cried silently.
“Oh Cassie,” Peaches whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Cassie turned her head. She broke away from Deke and the two girls came together. “I’m so sorry Peaches. I knew he was a bastard for what he did to me but to do this to you?”
Peaches leaned back and frowned. “What do you mean? Why should you be sorry?”
Spawn & Spitfire (Satan's Spawn MC Book 1) Page 14
