She smiles. “Yeah and no way.”
I smile and pull her to me. “She okay without Drake?”
“Yeah, someone brought a picture of him. It's by her crib.”
I lift her chin. “You okay?”
“Yeah. It was a shock, but I'm good.”
I think of every fuckin’ response that I don't need to say to that and nod. “We still haven't found the kid that's missing. It's like he vanished.” I finish my plate and look at her.
She has a faraway look in her eyes. “Do they have tunnels here? We used to vanish regularly.”
I stand her up. “Sonofabitch. I need to go. I'll be back.” I pull my phone walking toward the door then walk back to her. “Sorry, Watson.” I kiss her then walk toward the door.
“Watson's a guy. Ain't working,” she yells. I smile, hitting Brantley.
Chapter Eight
Sheila
I open my eyes and smile. He showed and came right to bed. I slept again. He's like a magic potion. I hear noise from the monitor. I didn't think it would be useful, but now I do. Who the fuck is here? I make Stella's room in less than ten seconds. She's alone but her back is to me. I step closer without making a sound. Like she'd hear it. I smile at my thoughts. She's touching her chest making noise. I watch as she puts her hand on the picture. How the fuck did she get the picture? It was on the dresser but not where she could reach from the crib. She makes the noise again and I feel my eyes burning. Fuck.
“I'm behind you. She's okay?”
I look up at him and nod. “Jason taught her how to make noise. She's doing it.”
He moves to my side and pulls me close. I lay my head against his chest loving this moment right here, right now. I turn leaning against him so I can watch her. She looks up smiling at us making her noise. I sign, 'yes'. She stomps her feet and Jax cracks up. He goes around me. “Go make coffee I got Tiny Tyke.”
I laugh going to make coffee. I can hear him talking to her. He's telling her what he's doing as he's doing it. He's good with her. I get some eggs scrambled and just put them in the pan as he carries her out. “How old is she, Betty?”
I laugh, “I don't know and never in a million fuckin’ years.”
“You don't know?”
“Drake said she was born in the summer. It was at that house they were in. A guy came in and helped her mother.”
“Jesus, that's fuckin’ sad. She has no birth certificate or social.” He kisses her head and sits her in her seat. “I can get Brantley on papers for her. We found a tunnel at the school. He got the truck driving off the school property, once we narrowed down an area. The kid is fuckin’ good on the computer.”
“Yeah. Since I met him he has always been on the computer. He can do everything the other Brothers can, but he's a techie.”
“He can run HS?”
Not all the Club Kids can run HS, but they all trained for it. We don't advertise who can and I don't know about telling him all that so I just answer his question. “No, he didn't train for everything in HS, but he's got a dead eye and can ride. He's best on HS Ops. He can read, talk and type completely different things all at once.”
He nods putting a sippy cup of milk in front of Stella. He sets the table and starts making toast. I turn when he stomps his foot and smile. He holds bread up and Stella signs, ‘yes’. I shake my head and put the eggs on plates then bring them to the table. I gave him the ham that was left from last night. When he sits, he asks if I want any. I think it's sweet, but shake my head no. It's a little heavier than I normally eat for breakfast.
“Where are you today?”
“Eliza texted me, we're HS. I need to be in at eight-thirty. Then I have the Vets training later.” They changed the Saturday for a weekday and I like it better.
He nods. “I don't know where I'll be later. Chris will get a Prospect to cover Alex with the dogs. Call or text me if you can't get Stella.”
“If I'm late Lily or Jess will get her with their boys. I'll leave the extra seat at the daycare.”
He laughs. “It's like the MC all over again.” I nod. I don't know how many times Patches picked us up. It always worked out.
He stands and I look at his plate. Shit he ate that fast. He kisses me and puts his plate in the dishwasher then comes back kissing Stella on the head. He signs, 'be good'. She signs, 'yes'. I laugh and he pulls me up kissing me so I remember it. Shit. “Be good, Two Shoes.”
I nod and watch him walk away. “Not on your fuckin’ life.” I sit smiling when I hear him laugh. It's actually kind of cute. His road name is Holmes. I asked him why and he told me he didn't like Sherlock. I never got more from him, but I know the MC sent him to school and he would be a detective at the PD, but went with HS for a short time then Family for them.
***
Jax
Sheila wasn't wrong about Brantley and the computer. He’s got us in the tunnels and he's pulling old building plans as we’re walking. “Hold up Holmes.” We stop. “To the left is a room or what used to be a root cellar or cold storage.”
We point our lights to the left. There's no door so I move closer looking for a way in or a place that was covered up. That would be newer like cement, the rest is rock and dirt. Taylor moves up some looking at the wall. I run my hands along it moving back. “Here.” The dirt is rock or made to look like it. “What's above us?”
“The Temp Agency. It doesn't look like they have a way down or it isn't shown here. The restaurant is back some then the furniture store is on the next block.”
“What's our closest way out?” Taylor asks him.
“Go back Brothers; there's a small passage to the restaurant. It looks like a small doorway at the top of the stairs.”
We backtrack and look at what he's calling a passage. It's maybe a foot and a half wide. I pull my holster off and turn the head cam backwards. Taylor does the same and we slide down the passage sideways.
“Brantley this isn't a fuckin’ passage. It's eighteen inches in the good places.” There are places it's tighter and places we can breathe.
“Sorry Sniper. The plan shows a good three-foot walkway.”
Taylor grunts. “They were fuckin’ high.”
I hit a step and shine my light. “They're wood. Wait until I'm up so we're both not buried under them.” I take a tentative step, relieved it's solid. I walk on the outside of the treads. When I make the top I laugh. “It's a fuckin’ dumbwaiter.” Taylor is saying all the fucks in all different languages making me smile. I turn the hat cam back and show Brantley what I'm looking at. “These worked with a door on each side. Let me see if I can turn enough to lift it up. Did they have locks on them?”
“Let me look.” Thirty seconds pass. “It doesn't show locks on any model I have here. Most were custom made so they could have added anything to them.”
“Fuckin’ great.” I turn pulling the door as hard as I can. The step creaks but the door moves a couple of inches then stops. I need to move both sides together but can't turn enough to do that. I take two steps down and try turning. My shoulders are against the walls but I'm closer to head on than I was. I push up and the door flies open then the two stairs I'm on collapse, taking a few more on the way down. “Fuck!” I grab the frame and hope it holds me. I'm glad my holster is caught on my arm. It’s a long fuckin’ way down.
“Jesus! The stringer is still in place. Move your foot onto the side, you'll feel the wood, it looks like pegs are holding it to the wall. It's maybe six inches on each side of you and two feet up,” Taylor says from a good thirty feet below me.
“Fuckin’ hell!” Brantley says. He must see me from Taylor's hat cam.
I turn to the side and catch one. I can't turn to the other side so I try reaching my foot back. My heel catches and I put some weight on the wood. It holds me and I stand with my weight on one side then the other. “Thank fuck!” I wring my hands out. “Brantley, Taylor is a good thirty feet below me. If I climb through this dumbwaiter how far can it fall?”
“
I want to tell you it won't, but it looks like there's a basement room about ten feet below you Holmes. The passage goes further than that. I have a call in to get someone in there to open the other side of the dumbwaiter.”
“We need a good hundred foot of rope,” Taylor tells him.
I look down and see a window under where the stairs were. I back down the stringer boards and it feels secure. “There's a window here to the room he was talking about.”
I hear Taylor behind me, he's walking up the sides of the stairs then the stringers. “We go, we go together Brother,” he says smiling.
“I liked it better when we weren't going anywhere.”
Brantley is laughing. The door opens above us. “Heard you need some help Brothers,” Sheila says from above me and I can hear her smile. I hear chain and see the ladder drop. “It's all I could think of on short notice.”
I laugh grabbing the chain and stepping on the ladder step. “Where the fuck did you get a chain ladder?”
“A fireman gave it to me?”
Brantley laughs. “She stole it at gunpoint.”
“Or that.”
Taylor laughs. I step down to the window then kick it in. Someone yells from inside. “What the fuck?” Taylor climbs on the ladder and moves lower. “Go a little lower so I can get through. I'll fit in there better than you will.” I move lower and he slides down then leans his head in. “Jesus. Brantley, find a fuckin’ door. There's three kids in here.”
“Sniper the only opening is the dumbwaiter passage. That’s the only door showing to that room.”
“Did you get here by the dumbwaiter?” Taylor asks.
“By a box. It was small.”
“They don't know what a dumbwaiter is. I bet it felt like a moving box,” I tell him.
“We can't move the dumbwaiter with the ladder in place. You have to come through so we can get them out,” Sheila says.
“Don't leave us down here mister!” one of the kids yells.
“I'll get them out,” Eliza says.
Taylor tells them help is on the way and gets to the top of the ladder. He makes it through laughing. When I see the opening I'm thinking it ain't happening. I hand Sheila my holster and climb in angled diagonal, Taylor pulls me through. “Thanks Brother.”
Sheila kisses my cheek and pulls the ladder in. I put my holster on and fold the ladder while Taylor does something with the rope. He's making sure she can get back up. Smart Brother. He hooks the rope through the trolley and ties it off on a pipe above us.
“Go ahead Eliza.”
She climbs in and he lowers her. “I'm in!”
She tells Brantley she needs Doc then sends a kid up. When we get the dumbwaiter back down she sends the next. This one is our missing kid.
Sheila takes them to a set of stairs and sits them down. She goes through the door and comes back with water. We hear a crash and yell for Eliza. “Sniper, I had to drop the dumbwaiter for you to get him out. This one is coming up in a harness. There's no way he's making it in the box. His legs are broken. I'll hold him steady until he's in. I'll tell you when I'm ready.”
“Roger Kicker.”
I look at Sheila. “Can you get a board from the Fire Station?” She smiles and runs up the stairs.
“I hope to Christ she doesn't shoot anyone for it,” Eliza says making us laugh. The kids on the stairs are talking softly. They look scared shit. “I'm set Sniper. He's on a swing and asks that you go slow.”
“Roger Kicker. Slow and steady is our new motto.”
I shake my head and help him pull the rope. Sheila comes down with a board just as we're seeing the top of the swing. Nick is yelling and Sheila sends a kid to find him and bring him down. This kid was beat like Drake. “Hold him steady. I'll get under his arms. Nick, he's got two broken legs.” Nick runs down the stairs and moves to us helping me pull him through.
“Thanks. I thought we were gonna fuckin’ die down there.” He closes his eyes as we get him on the board.
Nick checks him quickly. “He passed out. I need transport to the hospital.”
I call it in and Brantley rogers saying they're waiting outside. Taylor tells Nick the kid's name is Ralphy. Sheila nods.
Her head swings to Taylor. “The rapist!” they say at the same time.
“What rapist?” I feel like I'm out of the loop here.
“From the Connecticut house they all stayed at. He raped Judy and Drake beat the fuck out of him,” Taylor says. “He would be the right build.
“Guys go, but don't forget me down here,” Eliza says.
“I'm not leaving you Eliza. Brantley where's Jason?” Sheila asks.
“He took off about a half hour ago. Said he had shit to do.”
Taylor growls, “Find him.” He starts for the door.
“Get the Fire Department to get Eliza out and get the kids to Security. Find out how they got in there,” I tell Sheila, walking to the stairs. The kids say the rapist. I'm getting to hate that fuckin’ word.
“Brantley I need transport for these kids. We'll be right behind you,” Sheila says and I shake my head following Taylor out. I hear her tell the kids to help bring her partner up.
“He went back to the Compound, but his tracking is off,” Brantley tells us.
“He's IT. Pull the MC's tracking,” I tell him. Starting my bike, I look at Taylor. “The Connecticut house?”
“Yeah. Brantley get us in there and have She Dog and Kicker meet us.” I follow him out. We're five minutes in when Brantley switches to Ops.
Brantley: “Sniper and Holmes, She Dog and Kicker are being patched back in. They're coming up behind you.”
Taylor: “Roger Ops.”
Brantley: “Prez is your lead Team One and Two.” I let Taylor answer wondering how the fuck Sheila and Eliza are behind us so fast.
Prez: “Jason's closing in on the house Teams One and Two. You're seven out.” Fuck. Taylor speeds up to 110.
Prez: “Four out at your current speed and you're cleared to the house with no interference from the Connecticut Club.”
Taylor: “Roger Prez.” Four minutes crawls by, but we make it. We park the bikes at the lot on the side of a huge abandoned house.
Prez: “We have no visual. Hat cams and mics on. Team One to the front. Team Two the back.
Sheila. “Roger, Prez.”
Taylor: “Roger, Prez.”
We make the front and I hit Taylor's arm pointing up. He nods and I climb. On the second floor balcony I listen and move from the door to the windows.
At the last one I hear crying. “Get off her!” Fuck, that's Jason.
Me: “Second floor east room.”
Sheila: “On it Holmes,” she whispers back.
Taylor is telling Eliza to get the kids out quietly.
“Get off her or I'll shoot you on her!”
I move back to the door and open it slowly. Sheila is coming through the hallway door staying against the wall. “I got it J.” The kid starts laughing and Sheila fires. Fuck. She moves closer to Jason and pushes his arm down then takes his gun. I pull the kid off the girl. Shit she's young.
Sheila: “She Dog, clear.”
“Get Jason out of here I got her,” she says so calm. Jesus.
Taylor comes in and drags the pussy off the bed as I'm walking Jason out. “He was raping another girl.”
“Yeah. You stopped it Brother.”
“Sheila shot him. She just fired.” He's in shock.
That's why she shot him so fast. He wouldn't have been able to handle it. Fuckin’ women. “Yeah Brother. That's her job. You do computers and she does HS.”
I walk him down to Eliza. Taylor calls for Clean-up and Transport for the girl to the hospital. When I make it back to the room, Sheila is holding the girl against her. She's talking soft and I'm hit with how soft she can be. She just shot the fucker and now she's holding this girl telling her she can do this. Taylor signs for me to wait downstairs. He follows me out. “They don't want to see men right now Brother.�
��
“Yeah.”
Prez is talking to Eliza about the girl. She passes us going up. Jason is sitting on the stairs. Taylor stands in front of him. “What the fuck were you thinking?”
Jason looks at him. “Judy said he was going to rape another girl. She was crying. I didn't think, I just jumped and got here as fast as I could. Sheila shot him.”
“That's her fuckin’ job Brother. Sheila does the HS job and can deal. Your job is to run the computer and deal. We all bring something different and it makes us an effective team. You don't ever leave your fuckin’ team at home Brother.”
“I won't, I won't do it again. I can't do what she does.” He's got tears in his eyes and I look away. I squeeze his shoulder and tell him to come outside with me.
“I'll get the kids back in,” Taylor says heading for the back.
Transport shows and Sheila walks the girl to the SUV with another girl following. She tells Security to bring them to the kids' house after the hospital.
She looks at me then Jason. Prez tells us to get back to Security. Transport is two out.
Taylor: “Roger Prez. We have six wanting out of here, plus the two girls on their way to the hospital.”
Prez: “Connecticut set a safe house for them. They are Clean-up and have Transport heading there now.”
Taylor: “Roger Prez.”
I look at Jason. “Can you ride?” He nods. When Sheila moves closer I hear him thank her.
Taylor comes out with a smiling Eliza. “Another rapist down.” She hits Sheila's hand and they start walking away.
Taylor laughs following. I pull Jason up and put my arm on his shoulder. “It's a good day Brother.”
“Maybe for you, but Prez is going to kill me.”
I laugh. “Nah he's pissed and has a right to be. We flew here doing 110. Anything could have happened. He'll tell you all the things you didn't think of and chain you to the yard, but he'll leave you breathing.”
“Fuck. I'd rather him just punch me.”
“That's why he'll do it his way, it will hurt more and you'll remember it.”
Enforcer: Book Four (Princes of Prophecy) Page 9
