by K. J. Dahlen
Zipper handed one vest to Peaches and carried the other vest over to Cassie. “Please wear these with pride and make sure you don’t lose them.”
Cassie stared at the man for a moment then his fingers lingered on hers for a moment after he handed her the vest. She narrowed her eyes and nodded. “Thank you. I’ll wear this with pride and always remember the men behind the patch.”
Zipper grinned while Deke helped her don the garment.
Peaches and Lance joined them by the door.
Lance looked over at Deke. “I’m sorry things worked out this way. I know you’re mad about this but think of the bigger picture. With their help, we can do so much more than anyone knew.”
Deke growled low in his throat. “Watch your back, one day I’ll be there to return the favor of stabbing you in it.”
Cassie wrapped her arms around Deke’s neck. “One last kiss, please.”
Deke’s mouth covered hers and when her lips parted his tongue delved into her mouth. Their kiss was hot, wet and heavy. Cassie felt the tingle of his possession all the way to her toes. When she pulled back, she had tears in her eyes. “That is what I’m going to miss the most,” she whispered.
Deke watched as she turned to follow Peaches and Lance to the fence.
Gator was there to punch in the code that opened the gate. He waited until the three of them were outside the gate, then he punched in another code that closed the door.
Everyone watched as the soldiers backed away and began loading into the vans. When the doors closed behind Cassie, Peaches and Lance as well as the three men in suits, the vans backed out of the driveway.
Deke and the others stood and watched until the vans disappeared. Deke turned and slammed his fist into the wall, splitting the wood. “I’m gonna fucking kill that man. When I find the girls I will kill him!”
“You don’t have to even search for her boss,” Zipper told him.
Deke snapped his head around and glared at the other man. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“I know where the girls are going.” Zipper smiled.
“What are you talking about fool?” Gator growled as he joined Deke.
Zipper shrugged his shoulders. “I had those vests made with a very special reason in mind.”
“Cut to the chase Zipper,” Deke ordered.
“I placed a tracking device in the collar of each vest,” Zipper announced. “We can track where the girls are taken.”
“And if we can track them, we can retrieve them and bring them back here,” Deke whispered.
Gator placed his hand on Deke’s shoulder. “We can’t just ride into Boston and take the girls back. It’s too dangerous.”
Deke nodded. “I know. The Sinners aren’t going to be happy we’re there.”
“Unless we can make it worth their while,” Gator said.
Deke looked over at his friend and vice president. “What are you suggesting?”
Gator shrugged. “Hell…I don’t know. There has to be something that fucker wants that we got.”
Deke scoffed. “If there is, I don’t know about it.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “Iceman hasn’t gotten his rep by being a man who’s easy to talk to.”
“No.” Gator laughed. “The bastard is after his own name painted with fortune and glory.”
“Maybe you can appeal to his better side?” Zipper suggested.
“He doesn’t have a better side,” Deke snapped. Even as he reached for his phone, his mind was racing with empty ideas. He dialed a number he rarely used.
“Who the fuck is this?” Iceman growled into the phone.
“Iceman, its Deke Tory, President of Satan’s Spawn in New York.”
There was silence for a moment then Iceman spoke, “What the fuck does Satan’s Spawn want with me?”
“I’m calling to ask if my men and I can come through your town on a rescue mission,” Deke spoke with the upmost respect in his voice.
“Now, why would you and your men need to visit my city? Who are you gonna rescue?”
“The Feds and one Lance Sullivan who took my girlfriend from me,” Deke informed him. “They claimed she was the only person who could bring Mrs. Eleonore Pierce down.” He paused then asked, “Have you heard that name before?”
“Fuck yeah!” Iceman growled. “Been watching her for years. Do you know what she’s mixed up in?”
“Yeah, I know what the bitch is doing.”
“Can this girl bring her down?” Iceman sounded very interested in Deke’s answer.
“Yeah…She can bring the bitch down.”
“Then maybe, she’s where she needs to be right now.”
Deke took a deep breath and let it out. “I can’t lose her.” He admitted. “The Feds are putting them in witsec as soon as the Pierce woman is taken down.”
“Brother, I hate to help the Feds do any fucking thing but this would be a good happening. This Pierce woman is bad news. She peddles kids for Christ’s sake.”
“I know what she does,” Deke growled. “You and I peddle pussy, so we could be considered just as bad.”
“No, brother,” Iceman corrected. “The pussy we peddle is of legal age. Kids under the age of ten are not.”
Deke exhaled. “I just need passage through the city. I want to find my girl and get the fuck out.”
Iceman hesitated then admitted, “Now, is not really a great time.”
“Why is that?”
“The ruling family is not happy.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” Deke asked.
“The Vincinti family,” Iceman explained. “Cal Vincinti left last week to run down a clue to the whereabouts of his kid. He got back today and he’s not happy. The city is on lockdown until he gets over his disappointment. Believe me brother, you don’t want to be here right now.”
“I have to be there,” Deke replied. “I have to get my girl back.” He ran his fingers through his hair again in frustration. “What’s the story with this Vincinti anyway? He can’t find his kid, so he holds an entire city hostage?”
“No my friend, it’s deeper than that,” Iceman explained. “Sixteen years ago Louisa Vincinti was killed in a car accident, young Peaches disappeared and Cal can’t find any sign of her. It’s driving him crazy.”
“What did you call the girl?” Deke demanded.
“Her name was Peaches. Well, I guess it would be her nickname. I don’t really know what her real name is.”
“What is her father’s name?” Deke asked, remembering something Cassie had once told him.
“Calderone Luca Vincinti.”
“Fuck me!” Deke whispered. After a moment he asked, “Do you know how to contact this guy?”
Iceman was silent for about thirty seconds then he blurted out, “What the fuck do you want to contact him for? Are you fucking nuts?”
“No, I’m not.” Deke chuckled. “What does his daughter look like?”
“Hell, I don’t know.”
Deke heard him move around for a moment then he came back on the phone. “I had an old info wanted poster hanging on the wall. It came out about the time the girl disappeared. It’s got a color photo on it. The girl is blonde with long curly hair.”
“Are her eyes gray?” Deke asked.
“How the hell did you know that?”
“I’ll tell you when I get there,” Deke stated. “Just call this guy and set up a meet. I promise you he won’t be sorry and you can take the glory. I just want my girl back.”
“If you’re wrong, he’ll hang us both.”
“I hope to hell I’m not wrong then.” Deke ended the call and glanced at his men. “I found us a way in and maybe, just maybe found an answer to whom Peaches has been searching for.”
“Do you really think she belongs to the Vincinti’s?” Gator asked.
“I guess we’ll find out when we get to Boston.”
“Let’s hope you know what you’re doing,” Gator muttered.
Deke motioned to his men.
“I want twenty five of you guys to ride with me. Gator will choose. The rest of you stay and protect home base. We ride in twenty minutes.”
~* * * *~
Three hours and twenty minutes later, Deke and his men slowed and pulled in to the wayside just outside the city. When he came to a stop, he faced Iceman and his men. He took off his sunglasses and reached out his hand to Iceman.
Iceman grasped it and they shook. “He wants to see us as soon as you get here.”
Deke nodded.
“Is your info true?” he asked. “Do you know where his daughter is?”
“I think I do.” Deke stared at him.
“Let’s hope you do brother, otherwise he’s gonna kill us both.” Iceman started his engine and led the way.
Deke rode side by side with him and his men followed. When they reached the warehouse district, Iceman raised his hand and curled his fingers into a fist. Deke did the same.
The Satan’s Spawn and Sinner bikers sat on their rides and watched as their leaders rode up to the warehouse alone. Everyone watched intensely as their bikes stopped beside the open door, they dismounted and walked inside.
As Iceman and Deke walked inside, they could see several armed men standing around. Their footsteps echoed as they made their way to the table where a single man sat.
Deke kept his eyes on the man and he hoped this man was the one. As they got closer to the table, Deke caught his eyes.
The man had a cool but intense gaze. Like someone who was used to wielding power and taking charge.
Deke held out his hand. Calderone hesitated then reached out. As their hands met, Deke smiled. Hearing several ominous metallic clicks all around him, Deke let go of the other man’s hand and sat down. “I didn’t come here to hurt you.”
Calderone and Iceman sat down. “Why exactly are you here Mr. Tory?”
“I’m going to reach into my pocket and bring out my phone,” Deke informed him. “I’m telling you this, so your men don’t shoot me.”
Calderone nodded.
Deke brought out his phone and searched for a photo. As he slid the phone toward the other man, he spoke, “She has your eyes.”
Calderone froze for a moment, staring at Deke, then reached for the phone. He picked it up with shaky hands and stared at the image on the small screen. When he saw her, his face paled by at least two shades. After all these years, he found himself staring into the eyes he thought he’d never see again. “When was this photo taken?” he finally asked Deke.
“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 Pierce.”
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. Pierce 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. Pierce’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 tha
t 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 Pierce 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 Pierce 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.
