by K. J. Dahlen
Gage swung his legs over the side of the bed and grabbed his phone. He called Stone to let him know what they were doing and why. When Stone answered, Gage informed him, “Hey Willow and I are in Massachusetts.”
“Why?” Stone asked. “I thought you were with Michael in DC.”
“Willow’s grandfather had dealings with the Vipers almost twenty years ago. Michael had no idea they’d been here on American soil that long. Willow’s grandfather was Dogwood Connors. Does that name mean anything to you?”
“Fuck me,” Stone swore softly.
“Yeah, exactly.”
“So why are you guys in Massachusetts?”
“Willow thinks her grandfather had more info on the Vipers. I told her after so long it would be gone but she says he knew how to hide stuff and whatever he had would still be here. We came to find out what, if anything, he had.”
“Shay and the ATF would be interested in whatever else you might find. You do know that don’t you?” Stone reminded him.
Gage ran his fingers through his hair. “Yeah, I know. I might not have a choice but to call him in if there is anything there to find.”
“We can be there in a couple hours if you want us there,” Stone offered.
“I don’t even know what we’ll find.”
“I know but we can’t just sit here and do nothing,” Stone grumbled.
“We’re gonna be just outside a town called Marlborough. Old man Connors owned a cabin sitting on a few acers of land.”
“We’re on our way,” Stone assured him.
“We might need Trudy’s help with this,” Gage warned him.
“We can’t get her close to Washington without giving her away. That’s one thing I won’t do. I won’t put her in that kind of danger. She’s better working in the background.”
Gage had heard how Trudy could made sense of the evidence no one else could. He didn’t understand it but he knew Stone and Dewey would do anything to protect her. “I would never put her at risk but a second set of eyes can’t hurt. Maybe she can find something Michael has missed or overlooked. No one else needs to know she’s even involved.”
“As long as she’s safe, I don’t think she’ll mind helping.” Stone agreed. “In fact we might have a hard time keeping her out of this. The copy of the book you’ve already sent us has her intrigued.”
“Yeah well, after all this time, I doubt Willow will be able to find anything else. She was just a kid when her family was killed.”
“But this is exactly the reason Shay wanted the network set up. To stop shit like this from becoming a problem.”
Gage turned and watched as she came out of the bathroom. “Call me when you get here. I’ll let you know what we find.” He hung up the phone and slipped it into his pocket. “Are you ready to go and see what we can find?”
Willow nodded. She began wringing her hands together. “I know you don’t think we’ll find anything but you, like the rest of the world, just don’t know where to look.”
Gage nodded at her. “That may very well be possible but I think you should know, Stone is on his way and if there is anything there, he’s going to call in a friend. Shay and possibly the ATF.”
She shrugged. “That’s ok. That was never my world anyway. My grandfather did what he did a very long time ago and what he did cost him his family and his life. I can’t change that but if I can change what’s coming, then I will do that. The time for secrets is long gone and the truth needs to be told. Most people thought my grandpa was a bad man but I didn’t. To me, he was a good man and I loved him very much. He loved and protected his family the best he could and I will not find fault in him for that. I was just a child back then and I loved him as a child would. You will never take that away from me.”
Gage took her in his arms and hugged her to him. “I would never want to change that. Each man has to do what he has to do for family.”
“Come on, let’s get this over with. I just want this done.”
About a half an hour later, they pulled up to a burnt out cabin. There was an old barn not far away and several out buildings. Everything looked neglected and the weeds had overgrown what was once a lawn. When Gage shut down the bike and looked around, he had to shake his head.
Willow grimaced. “It didn’t always look this bad.”
“I know.” Gazing around he stated, “I image that when you were growing up it was a nice place.”
“It was,” Willow agreed as she flipped back in time. “It looked like this when we first came here. It wasn’t long before he made us a home for however short a time we had together. My uncles Pony and Declan and the rest of the guys worked hard to make this a place we could all call home.”
“The club your grandpa had back then was nothing more than gun running operation, you do know that.” Gage tried to tell her. “They bought and sold guns to whoever had the money for them and they weren’t picky about who they sold to.”
“So you say.” She sneered. “All I knew was the man protected me all my life. He refused to go through with the deal his MC made with this group. That shows he was honorable about hurting his own country. He and the rest of the men you call criminals cared for me, they loved me and each and every one of them protected me. They would have given their lives to keep me from harm and that day—that last day they were alive—they did just that.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.
Her tears broke Gage’s heart. He grabbed her close and whispered in her ear, “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
“The truth will come out and I’ll live with the outcome but know this…” She poked his chest. “Up until the day he died, he was the one constant I had in my life. You can say whatever you want about him but that’s who he was to me and you won’t change my mind.”
“I’ll remember that.” Gage grinned at her tenacity. He gazed around again. “Where do we even start?”
Willow smiled. “I suggest we start in the barn.”
He turned to stare at the run down building. “Are you sure? It doesn’t look all that safe.”
She rolled her eyes. “That barn will be around long after we’re dust. Come on. Let’s go and find what grandpa left for us to find.”
Gage followed her to the big doors of the barn.
She pushed one of the doors open and they could see dust floating in the air. Without pause, she walked into the building.
He followed but kept his eyes on the structure. “It doesn’t look as if there’s much here.”
Willow chuckled. “That’s what you think.” Walking over to the first stall, she pulled back a tarp that covered a small generator. Glancing over at him she asked, “Can you go get the gas we bought this morning?”
Gage shook his head. “That’s why we stopped for gas? Why didn’t you just say so?”
“You wouldn’t have believed me, not until you saw for yourself. Just get the damn gas.”
He shook his head as he smiled at her sassy attitude. Her petite form and vulnerable look would fool people, until she spoke. He returned a few minutes later with the one gallon gas can they bought this morning on their way out here.
Willow put the gas in the generator and started it up. Clouds of fumes choked the air for a moment then began to clear out. She let it run a few minutes then walked over to a light switch near the door. Turning the switch to the side, she hit a hidden button and the whole barn shook. Dust and debris swirled in the air and before long, the floor began to open. She walked over to the side walls and pulled out a heavy chain. Fastening first one side then the other, the chains helped open the floor.
Gage was surprised. “What’s down there?”
“This is just one of Grandpa’s hiding places.” Motioning for him to lead the way, she followed him down the ramp. Once below ground level, the lights came on.
Gage just looked around. There were crates of guns stacked up in the room they were in. On a quick count, he could see about twenty cases. Along the wall, he counted forty smaller boxes fil
led with ammo.
But the guns didn’t seem to be what Willow was here for. She walked over to another door and pushed it open. The door was swollen from being in the damp underground the hinges looked rusted and didn’t want to open. She had to forcefully push it open enough to slip through the portal. Beyond that was a small room filled with shelves. Inside was a safe that was taller than she was. She dragged the door open and began looking at the items on the shelves.
Gage joined her and looked inside the safe. His eyes widened at the sight of what he found. One shelf was filled with cash. The other shelves held stacks of papers, books and other items.
Willow brought down a small box. She set it down on the floor and opened it. Inside were several small bags. Dumping the box out on the floor, she began opening the bags.
One bag held jewelry but that was not important at the moment. She opened a second bag and a book spilled out. A book filled with loose papers. On the cover of the book was the symbol of the Bleu Vipers. Willow looked up at Gage and handed him the book.
Gage stared at her for a moment then turned his attention to the book. At first, the words didn’t mean anything to him but then something caught his eye. It was a list of names and he knew some of them.
Willow wasn’t paying attention to Gage. She was caught up searching through the small bag of jewelry she first opened. At second glance, she recognized some of the pieces. She reached out and took up a pendant she’d seen her grandmother wear.
Before she could say anything, Gage’s phone rang. He spoke on it for a few minutes then ended the call. “That was Stone. He’ll be here in about fifteen minutes.”
Willow shrugged. “That’s fine.”
Gage looked around the safe. “Is there anything you don’t want to turn over to the authorities? Cuz I can guarantee Stone will call in the ATF.”
“I’ll keep the jewelry if that’s ok. Some of it was my grandmother’s.”
Gage nodded then glanced back at the safe. “What about the cash?”
Willow gazed over her shoulder and her eyes widened at the sight of so much cash. “Wow, that is a lot of money isn’t it?”
He nodded. “Yeah, it is. It’s just sitting there and has been for some time. I’m sure no one would miss it.”
Willow got up and went over to the safe. Reaching out, she touched the stacks of cash. Glancing over at him, she whispered, “This would keep us for a long time, me and Phoebe. Maybe it would be enough to put us through school and give us a better chance at life.”
“Take it,” he urged. “But you’d better do it now, so no one else knows it’s there. Stone won’t care but ATF might.”
“Why would they care?”
Gage motioned at the room. “Because all this is evidence.”
“Evidence against whom?” Willow asked. “My grandfather and uncles are no longer alive to be prosecuted. Even his MC is gone. I’m the only one left and I was a child when my grandfather was killed.”
“They’ll want the guns and the paperwork for the sales of the guns.”
Willow waved off his concerns. “They can have the guns and all that crap. I would like the personal stuff though. That belongs to my family.”
“Gather up what you want and we’ll load it on the bike,” he offered.
Willow went through the rest of the safe and gathered what she wanted. Storing it in the saddlebags on the bike, they went back to the rooms under the floor.
Gage nodded toward the safe. “You aren’t taking the money?”
Willow shrugged. “I’ve done without most of my life. The money would be great if it belonged to me but I’m not sure that it does.”
“If your grandpa would have lived, he would have used it to keep you alive,” Gage pointed out. “Maybe even used it to future your education. I think you should use it too.”
“You don’t think its dirty money?”
Gage shrugged. “I don’t know. It was a different time back then. I may not like what he did for a living but he was raising a family the best way he knew how. I wouldn’t have made the same choices he did but hey, that’s just me. I think I would have liked your grandpa even if I didn’t agree with him. He gave his life, so you would live. You were right about that.” He then went over to the safe and began putting the stacks of cash into a bag. He got almost all of it in and tied the bag off. Then he went out to his bike and loaded the bag in the saddlebags. Just as he did, some bikes pulled into the yard.
Gage saw Stone and Sam dismount from their bikes.
Stone walked over to him. “Did your lady find anything?”
Gage nodded. “Oh yeah, she found something. We found one of his secrets. She says there are more but I think you need to call Shay. She found another book and it’s got names and dates in the damn thing.”
“Damn it.” Stone growled.
Gage just grinned. “Come take a look.” Leading the way a few minutes later, they all stood in the basement.
Shock was written on the faces of the two men.
“Fuck me,” Sam whispered as he looked around. “All this has been just sitting here all these years?”
“Yup, Dogwood died here sixteen years ago and no one knew this stuff was here. Willow says this is only one of her grandfather’s hiding places.”
Willow joined them in the main room.
Gage drew her to his side. “Guys, this is Willow.”
Willow nodded to each of the men standing there.
“I understand you found something that might help us stop the insanity that the Vipers have planned,” Stone stated.
“I hope it does. Gage took it.” Willow nodded.
“I want to copy it and send it to Trudy before we give it over to Michael,” Stone said. “She’s very good at what she does and if there is something there, she’ll find it.” Then he stared at Willow and Gage. “The government can’t find out about Trudy. They would take her away, lock her up and throw away the key.”
Willow shook her head. “I wouldn’t say anything. Never did care for government offices anyway. They never looked out for me anyhow.”
Stone nodded then looked around. “I will have to call in the ATF though. These guns need somewhere to go.”
“You do whatever you have to do. This business isn’t mine and I want nothing to do with it. If they come across anything personal though, I would like it back.”
Stone left the room briefly and when he came back he asked, “Gage says this is only one of your grandfather’s hiding places?”
Willow nodded. There are a couple more but I don’t know if there is anything in the other places.”
Stone smiled. “We’ll let them sort that out. Shay said he’d be here in a little while. He’s coming himself to sort this out.” He gazed at Willow for a time and then spoke again, “He wants to talk to you about the shooting that happened here when your grandfather died.”
Willow shook her head. “I’m not sure I can talk about that day.”
Gage wrapped his arms around her. “No one here will hurt you or make you do anything you don’t want.”
Stone tipped his head back and stared at her for a moment then suggested, “Why don’t you wait until Shay gets here, so we can all hear your story. Can you show us the other places your grandfather hid guns? That way we get everything at once.”
“I can try. I know of at least two more places to look but like I said, there might not be anything else here.” She turned and headed toward the woods.
Gage and Stone walked behind her until they got just inside the tree line.
Willow seemed to be heading toward a small hill. The brush was overgrown and thick to get through but when they finally got there, she glanced back at Gage. “What do you see?”
He frowned while searching the area in front of him. “I see a hill.”
She shook her head. “When we moved here, this hill wasn’t here. My grandpa made it. He buried a semi-trailer and covered it with dirt and plants. Two years later, if you didn’t know it was he
re, you would walk right past it.”
Stone frowned. “So how do we get in?”
Willow smiled slightly. Walking around the side, she began brushing away the debris. Before long, she uncovered a pair of metal rings. Backing away, she motioned for them to pull the ring.
Stone grabbed one ring and Gage grabbed the other one. It took all their strength to open the doors. The hillside had taken over the buried container. They moved dirt and plants along with the doors but when they got the doors open, they found more crates of guns and ammo.
“Fuck a duck!” Stone swore as he ran his hands over his head. He looked over at Willow. “What was your grandfather planning with all these guns? Starting his own war?”
Willow clenched her hands into fists. “I don’t know. I was only a kid back then.”
“Are there any more places we can check?” Gage broke the tension in the air.
Willow glared at Stone for a moment then turned to Gage. “There is one more place.” She turned and walked back to the dooryard. Making her way over to the small building at back of the cabin, she went inside.
Stone, Gage and several of the others joined her. Once inside, they could all see several bunks covered in dirt and debris but no sign of guns or anything else.
Willow moved over to the outside wall and pushed the table sitting there out of the way. Kicking the rug to one side, they all saw the trap door.
Stone moved over and pulled on the ring, opening the door. He peeked down and saw a hole in the ground. He glanced over at Willow. “What’s down there?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know if there is anything down there. I do know there’s a large room and a tunnel that goes away from the room, deeper underground.”
Stone nodded. “Let me get a light and I’ll check it out.” He disappeared but came back with a flashlight in his hand. Then he made his way down the hole in the ground.
Sam, Gage and Willow stood and waited.
Stone was gone for twenty minutes and when he came back, his face held a grim expression. “Everybody needs to get out of here and stay away. This building is off limits until ATF has been through here.”
“What did you find?” Gage asked.
