by K. J. Dahlen
“Do you even know your dad?’ Raine shook his head. “Not as a dad but as a man?”
“That would be a no and I don’t want to either. He’s an asshole.” Deke crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the other man.
Raine nodded. “Yup, he is, but you have to understand something. You were half grown when he found out about you. He was alone one day and the next he has a twelve year old son. You weren’t that great either at first, if I remember right. Your mom really did a number on you before Sam found you. You had your mind already made up about him and the rest of the world before you even got there.”
Deke thought about what he said for a minute then looked back on his life. “Okay, you might have a point. But just to be fair, my mother never told me who my father was. I had no clue Sam Tory was the man who got her pregnant.”
“You see the problem is you and Sam are too much alike to see it. You think the same way, you act the same way and you both can be assholes when you want to be,” Raine told him. “I’ve met men like your dad before, it’s always his way or the highway. I’ve been taking orders from men like him most of my adult life and yeah, it pisses me off because sometimes instead of listening, all they can do is give orders…” Raine paused, “But I’m guessing you’re the same way.”
Deke just stared at the other man. “Okay, you made your point but right now Cassie is in a fragile state and I don’t want anyone to upset her.”
“I can try to tell him that. Maybe he’ll even believe it for a while.” Raine shrugged. “Eventually, however he will see her and the longer you make him wait, the harsher he’s gonna be. He don’t like waiting on anything or anybody.”
“Tell him to come and see me. I’ll answer his fucking questions.” Deke growled.
Raine hesitated then nodded. “That might work for now, but he’s gonna want to talk to her himself and you know it.”
“He can either talk to me or go home without his answers at all.”
Raine reached for his phone and placed the call. When he hung up, he looked Deke in the eye and said, “He’s on his way but he’s not happy.”
“That’s too fucking bad.” Deke sneered
“Do you want me to leave?” Iceman asked.
“No you might as well hear this too. I know you probably know most of it anyway.”
A few minutes later Sam “Bones” Tory entered his son’s office. He glared at Raines then turned his head to Iceman. “Get out, this doesn’t concern you.”
Deke got to his feet slowly and glared at him. “It does concern him and I asked him to stay. Get over it.”
Sam scowled at his son.
Deke matched his steely stare and asked, “Why exactly did you come here the other day Sam?”
“I heard you were getting married and I thought I would check out the woman who was taking your name.”
“Why?” Deke asked. “You’ve never been interested in my life before.”
Sam shrugged. “Maybe I thought it was time I was. Be interested in your life, I mean.”
Deke sat down behind his desk and watched as Sam and Raine took the other two chairs in the room. “Fine then, I’ll tell you what you want to know but you aren’t getting near her, not now, maybe not ever, if you continue to be an ass about things.” He reached inside his desk and pulled out a bottle of whiskey and four glasses. After he poured the drinks, he picked up one and brought it to his lips.
The men all waited for him to speak.
“Her name is Josette Ryan but she goes by Cassie. She became my woman when she came here looking for her friend Peaches about eight months ago. She hates to be touched and she warned my men a number of times but they, like you, thought they could grab her anyway. She laid them out on the floor like nobody’s business. She learned how to protect herself and Peaches when they were living on the streets of Boston. They were barely more than kids when they ran away from the house of horrors they lived in.”
“How old were they?’ Sam frowned.
“They were both ten years old when they finally got away. She met Peaches when they were five and has protected her most of her life. Cassie is a strong woman. She’s had to be to endure things most people will never face for their entire life. She also doesn’t trust very easily.” Deke paused and looked at his father. “Does the name Janelle Walden mean anything to you?”
Raine gasped as Sam nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been reading about her in the papers. She ran a kiddy ring didn’t she?”
Deke nodded. “Yeah she did and she was a cruel woman. Cassie grew up in that house. She was there from the age of three, until they both left at the age of ten. She was beaten, tied up and thrown into the basement for days at a time. Janelle wanted to break her but she never could. Cassie was stronger than that.”
“How the hell did they get out?” Sam asked.
“Two days after Janelle’s son Robbie carved the word you saw on her back, he was going to rape Peaches. The little bastard was fourteen at the time and Peaches was ten. When Cassie heard her friend scream, she broke the rope around her wrists and she found them. She was bloody, beaten and could barely hold the knife she found, but she showed the boy some manners. She cut him bad that night and then got Peaches out of that house. That’s when they began living on the streets. Cassie protected them both, she also made sure they got their GED’s. Then a little less than a year ago, Peaches was kidnapped off the streets. A pimp by the name of Big Jimmy took her, hooked her on dope and then used her in his stable. When Cassie came looking for her friend, Jimmy made the mistake of thinking Cassie would work for him as well.”
“How did that work out for him?” Sam snorted.
“Let’s just say she got hold of a knife and cut off his reason for being a man and leave it at that. We have no proof she did the deed, but we think it was her. What happened to Jimmy was what happened to Robbie eleven years ago. Then Cassie heard we had a dancer here named Peaches. After she laid out three of my guys for the second time in one day, I got the upper hand and told her she was Club property. She understood the rules enough to come with me but I’m the only one she’s ever been with. No one else has touched her and she was a virgin the first time we slept together.”
“How did the Feds get what they needed to break the kiddy ring?” Raine asked.
“Cassie took the evidence she needed to protect herself when she left Janelle’s. She kept it safe for eleven years. Then a Boston badge named Sullivan came looking for her on attempted murder charges for what she did to Robbie Pierce. When he heard the story about what really happened that day, he asked her if she could prove it. When she handed the evidence over to him, he took it to the Feds and they busted the ring.”
“How the hell did she get to Janelle’s in the first place?” Sam asked.
“Her piece of shit father sold her for enough money to get high.”
“What her father’s name?” Sam growled.
“Flynn Rearden and don’t worry, Peaches’ father took him out.”
“And just who is Peaches’ father?”
“I’m sure you’ve heard of him too.” Deke smirked. “Calderone Vincinti. Her grandfather is Leon Vincinti.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Sam looked stunned. “Why would Calderone Vincinti take out a lowlife like Flynn?”
“Flynn kidnapped Peaches after he caused the accident that finally killed her mother. While her mother lay there bleeding and broken, she had to watch Flynn walk away with her daughter. Then he took her to Janelle’s. Calderone was a not a happy man after that, in fact he spent the next sixteen years looking for his kid. I’m sure he never thought he’d see her again but the man is stubborn and kept looking for her. Cassie made sure they got back together. He was very grateful.”
“And you’re sure Flynn Rearden is dead?” Sam looked like he wanted to commit murder.
Deke caught something in his father’s question that he didn’t understand. “Yeah, he’s dead. Why did you know him?”
Sam got u
p and began pacing. “Yeah, I knew the fucking loser. You may not know this but I grew up in Quincy as a kid. I left to go into the army and then when I got out of the army, I moved to Maine. I wanted to get as far away, from where I grew up as I could. I hated that town.”
Deke stared at his dad for a moment then asked, “Then you might know Cassie’s mother as well. Jemmia Ryan.”
Sam looked stunned. “She’s Jemmia’s daughter?”
“She’s one of Jemmia’s daughters. She has a twin sister Paige,” Iceman told him.
“Was that Jethro Ryan I saw in the clubhouse the other day?” Sam asked.
“Yeah, Deacon is a member of the club,” Deke admitted.
“Are Cassie and the babies going to be okay?” Raine finally asked.
“Like I said before, she’s on bed rest for the next two weeks but I’m hoping they will be. Your little stunt the other day set her back to the point I thought we were going to lose her but Peaches talked to her and brought her back. I’m hoping she’s strong enough to get through it but I’m not taking any more chances with her.” Deke turned to glare at his father. “That’s the only reason I agreed to speak with you today. My kids are in danger and I will do what I have to do to give them a chance to be born.”
Sam nodded. “I can’t believe she’s Jemmia’s child.” Then he looked at his son. “What happened to her mother?”
Deke raised his glass to his lips again and took a swallow. The whiskey burned down his throat. “Flynn beat her to death about the time he sold his daughter to Janelle.”
“Damn, that’s just wrong any way you slice it,” Sam muttered after a moment. “You said Calderone made sure he was dead?”
Deke nodded.
“What about Donny?” Sam asked.
Deke frowned. “Who the hell is Donny?”
“Flynn’s older brother.”
“I didn’t know Flynn had a brother.”
“Oh, yeah he does,” Sam shrugged. “I barely remember him but Flynn and Donnie used to come to school with bruises all the time that is when they showed up at school at all. Their dad used to beat the crap out of both of them. Their mom left home one day when Flynn was about thirteen and never came back. People used to talk about how she couldn’t take the abuse anymore and simply walked out, leaving her boys behind.” Sam picked up his glass and took a swallow of the liquor. “The last time Flynn got beat up was about a year after their mom left, Donny went wild and killed his old man. I mean he beat the ever-loving shit out of him with a baseball bat. He went to prison for it too. Donny didn’t even try to run either, he just gave himself up to the law. I know he got twenty years, so he’d be out by this time.” He hesitated then said, “If he’s out he’d be looking for Flynn or Jemmia or the baby. I’m sure Flynn would have told his brother about the baby. They were still close when Donny went to prison.” He shrugged. “I don’t know how close they remained over the years but then I couldn’t see Donny allowing Flynn to do what he did either.”
“What would he do to Flynn’s daughters?” Deke wanted to know.
“What about the daughter of the man that killed his brother?” Iceman asked. “Is Peaches in any kind of danger?”
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. Prison changes a man. It didn’t help Donny was a psycho before he killed his old man but after spending twenty years inside the joint, who the fuck knows what he’s capable of. He might go after Peaches but he’ll for sure go after Calderone.”
Iceman glanced at Deke. “Do you think we should tell the girls?”
Deke shook his head. “Not yet. Let’s have Zipper run a check and see what he turns up first. If Donny is out of prison, we need to know where he is and what he knows. I don’t think Cassie can take much more bad news right now. I have to prevent her from worrying about anything if I can. She worried about Redemption House passing city regs and getting that off the ground.”
“Yeah, I don’t want Peaches worried right now either. Especially about her dad. She’d want to be there for him and if Donny’s coming after him, she would just be in the way. She’s carrying my kid and I’ll be damned, if I’ll put her in harm’s way.”
“But you should warn Calderone anyway,” Deke suggested. “He has resources he can use to track this threat down.”
Iceman nodded and left the room.
Sam reached for his drink and asked, “What is this Redemption House you’re talking about? I’ve heard it mentioned before but never got an explanation. What is it?”
Deke sat back in his chair and stared at his old man for a moment. “Redemption House is Cassie dream. It’s a place anyone can go to for a helping hand or a second chance. When she was living on the streets of Boston she dreamed of a safe place she could go and get a hot meal.” He shrugged. “When she got here, she worked hard to make her dream come true. She named the place Redemption House. Right now, she has about seventy homeless vets working for her trying to make her dream a reality.” Sitting up, he shrugged. “And it’s working. She turned an old school house into a housing project and she got the money together to run the place. People are taking notice of it.”
Sam glanced over at Raine and then back to Deke. “Is it part of the MC?”
Deke narrowed his eyes and glared at his father. “No it’s not and never will be, unless she wants it that way.”
When Iceman returned, he noted the tension but chose to ignore it and said, “Calderone appreciates the warning. He has his men looking into Donny’s whereabouts. He said to thank you for thinking about him.”
Deke grinned. “His daughter is my old lady’s best friend. Cassie would kill me if I didn’t protect her.” He held up his hands. “Even if I know that’s your job.”
Iceman frowned. “Damn right it is, but I do appreciate it too. I told him we didn’t want the girls to know and he agreed. If he finds anything, he’ll call either you or me first.”
Deke nodded. “And if we hear anything, we’ll pass the information on to him. I’d rather not have Peaches or Cassie even know there could be someone out there hunting for them.”
“I’ll stay with Peaches and you can protect Cassie.” Iceman agreed.
“So, do I get to meet this woman of yours?” Sam asked his son.
Deke glared at his father. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon. I told you she’s on bed rest at the moment.”
“Then I’ll wait.” Sam looked resolute. “I’m not going back until I can talk to her in person.”
“You had your chance and blew it old man.” Deke scoffed. “I’m not giving you another one.”
“So I made a mistake, I had no idea she was so damaged.” Sam growled. “Didn’t you ever fuck up even once? Give me a break boy.”
Deke got to his feet and his hands curled into fists. “Cassie is not damaged. She’s warm and funny and so full of life despite what she’s been through and believe me… she’s strong. She would have to be in order to still be alive.”
“I didn’t mean anything by that.” Sam frowned.
“She’s my woman Sam, whether you like her or not.” Deke snarled. “She should have become my wife by now. I promised her those babies will carry my name before they come into this world and by god…I meant it. She’s mine whether you approve or not.”
Sam got to his feet and glared at his son. “I never said I didn’t approve of her. All I said was I wanted to get to know her first, that’s all.”
“Just give it up old man and go back to Maine.” Deke gestured to him. “Get on with your life and allow me to get on with mine. I don’t want you here, and I sure as hell don’t want you to fuck up the only good thing I’ve ever had in my life. You’ve fucked up enough of my life already.”
Sam turned and walked out of Deke’s office slamming the door behind him.
Raine got to his feet slowly. Shaking his head, he told Deke, “Now you’ve done it.”
“What the hell does that mean?’ Deke frowned.
“You had to go and bring the stubborn out i
n him,” Raine explained. “Now he thinks he has something to prove if only to himself.”
“What does he think he has to prove?”
“Now, he’s gonna drive himself to prove to you he’s a good man.” Raine shook his head. “You got your own stubbornness from him, don’t you know that?”
“How the hell does he think he can prove to me that he’s a good man?” Deke wanted to know. “He doesn’t know the first thing about me, or what I think or want.”
“I’ve known that man for thirty some odd years. I met him in the army and we went through a hell of war together. I know him as well as I know my own self. When he found out about you, it was you that never once gave him a chance. All you ever thought about was the fact that he took you away from your mother. You never let him in and that just about killed him. You were his kid and you never let him get close to you.”
“All he ever did was tell me what to do, he never listened to what I wanted,” Deke argued.
“You were twelve years old and he was the grown up. What did you expect?”
“I was grown up enough to know what I wanted,” Deke countered. “I didn’t want him to shove his ideas down my throat. I had a brain. I could think for myself.”
“You were a dumb kid who thought picking up a gun was more important than going to school,” Raine reminded him. “I was there remember? He wanted more for you than prison or having someone else tell you what to do, even if that person was him. He wanted you to have a chance he never got until he joined the service. The military taught that man more about life than he ever got from his own parents. They were too damned stoned all the time to worry about him or his little brother. Sam did all the worrying about Benny. It was Sam that worried about feeding the two of them and Sam that took him to school every day. It was Sam that protected Benny the best way he could but it wasn’t enough.”
