by K. J. Dahlen
Peaches, Paige and Peggy huddled in fear and they didn’t move. As soon as Cassie and Victor left the house they rushed over to Deke and Lance. Lance was just waking up and Deke was trying to get to a sitting position. Peggy pushed him back on the floor and told him to lay still.
Blood stained his shirt and a few minutes later, they all heard pounding footsteps coming toward them. Gator, Deacon and Iceman joined the group.
“What the fuck happened here?” Iceman growled taking in the scene.
Peggy was pressing a cloth to his wound and Paige was wiping the blood from Lance’s face. Peggy turned to them and said, “Victor Shroder shot him and took Cassie.”
Deke grimaced as he told them, “The sonofabitch took Cassie at gunpoint. He’s involved with Janelle Walden’s group. His uncle is one of the men involved and he’s been covering for his sorry ass all these years.”
“Where did he go?” Gator asked.
“I have no fucking clue.” Deke growled. “But I’m gonna find that little fuckhead and I’m gonna kill him if he hurts her.” He glared at Lance, “Hell, I might kill him just for the fun of it.”
Lance nodded as he took the bloody towel away from his nose. “I might help you do it.”
Deacon turned to Lance, “Where would he go?”
Lance looked unsure of anything anymore and he didn’t give an answer.
Then Iceman knelt down and picked up the photo of Elliot Handlin. He turned to Lance and asked, “Does he have anything to do with this man?”
Lance shrugged. “Cassie seems to think he’s family, why?”
Iceman snarled, “Because this man is a disease on humanity…that’s why.”
“You know him?” Lance asked.
“Yeah, I know him.” Iceman nodded. “I don’t know what name he goes by these days but I knew him as Seymour Dent. He’s a lowlife from Boston. Thinks he’s a big shot. He moved to New York about twelve, fifteen years ago.”
Lance shook his head. “Do you know Victor Shroder?”
Iceman shook his head. “Never met him but Seymour has a couple of nephews. One is named Victor the other one is in my MC. His name is Tommy.”
Gator knelt down beside Deke to check his wound. It was a clean wound, high on his chest, just under his clavicle. It was painful but not lethal.
Peggy cleaned him up and was bandaging the wound.
Deke got to his feet. “Let’s try Boston then.”
“You shouldn’t be going anywhere,” Gator told him. “You’ve lost too much blood.”
Deke glared at the older man. “If you think I’m staying behind you’re fucking nuts. That’s my woman he took and my babies.”
“All the more reason to stay put,” Sam called from the doorway.
“Where the hell did you come from?” Deke asked with a hateful expression on his face.
“Never mind that.” Sam glared back at him. He, Raine and Sabbath were standing there watching the rest of them. “He knows you but he don’t know me or my guys. If this creep sees you, he might shoot first and ask questions later. He sees us and he won’t think anything is wrong until it’s too late.”
Deke stared at his father for a few minutes then asked, “And why should I trust you to bring her back here?”
Sam just stared at his son for a moment then turned his back and walked away.
Raine shook his head and growled, “Dumbass.” Then he too, turned and walked away. Sabbath glared at Deke but didn’t say anything, and he left as well.
“I’d better call and let my guys know there’s a shit storm coming their way,” Iceman announced to no one directly.
Deke looked over at the other man and grimaced. “Iceman, she was wearing the locket I gave her.”
Iceman frowned. “So what? How is that gonna help us find her?”
“There’s a tracking device in the locket. After my father kidnapped her, I wanted a way to keep track of her, so she wouldn’t be in that position again. I wasn’t gonna take any more chances with losing her.” Deke sat down in the nearest chair. “We should be able to track where he takes her.”
“Do you have the tracking program?”
“Zipper does.” Deke nodded.
~* * * *~
Cassie watched the road and the man behind the wheel. Before they hit the highway, she thought she’d seen motorcycles parked just inside the wood line outside the compound. With their lights off, she didn’t think Victor had seen them yet. He was driving like a crazy man weaving in and out of traffic and going well over the speed limit. She knew they were going toward Boston but she didn’t know where they would end up once they got there. She prayed whoever was on the bikes would follow and get her back to Deke. She prayed the bullet that hit him hadn’t taken his life. She wouldn’t allow herself to think Deke was gone from her life, she couldn’t. He had promised her she would never be alone again.
Victor stopped along the highway long enough to tie her hands together once they got away from Troy and up until now, she had been quiet but that was about to change. “So what are you going to do now?”
“Shut up bitch!” Victor barked as he maneuvered through traffic. He had a look in his eyes that didn’t bode well for Cassie.
He kept checking the rear view mirror and when he didn’t see anyone following them, he began to relax a bit. “So how long were you watching us that night?” he finally asked.
Cassie could plainly see how nervous he was and she noticed the slight sheen of sweat on his forehead. “From the moment you came down the stairs until you left.”
“Janelle said you wouldn’t remember a thing,” he grumbled.
Cassie scoffed. “Yeah, she used to say a lot of things that only a fool would believe. She only learned at the very end, how strong I was.” She glanced at the side mirror and saw the lights of motorcycles following them. She prayed they belonged to someone she knew. They were far enough back not to draw attention to themselves, yet close enough to keep the car in their sights.
“So did Calderone Vincinti really kill her?” Victor wanted to know. “That was the rumor we heard anyway.”
Cassie shrugged. “Don’t know, don’t care how the bitch died.”
“That’s cold, really cold. And your father, Flynn Rearden?” he asked. “Do you care about how he died?”
“Not really,” Cassie admitted. “His brother might but I don’t.”
“His brother?” Victor asked.
“Flynn has an older brother named Donavan. He wanted to kill me, so don’t think you are the only one.”
He grunted. “Maybe I’ll let him know where you are and let him have the pleasure.”
“The dumbass is probably dead by now.” Cassie rolled her eyes. “He thinks he’s going after Calderone and going to live through it?” She waited for a moment then asked, “So why did you become a cop?”
Victor barked out a laugh. “Seymour thought I would be his inside man. If the kiddy ring ever came to light, he thought I could steer the investigation away from him.”
“And isn’t that what you’ve been doing all these years?”
Victor turned his head to stare at her for a moment. When he turned back to watch the road, he nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been doing. Watching his fucking back and he doesn’t even appreciate it.”
“Do you do know what he dropped into the crypt that night?” Cassie asked.
Victor frowned. “What are you talking about?”
“Your uncle.”
“What about him?”
“While you and Janelle were mixing up the cement he reached inside your jacket pocket and took something out. Just before you both turned around, he slipped it inside Michelle’s small hand. He made it look like she grabbed it before she died.”
Victor hissed. “The lousy bastard.” He glanced at her quickly. “Did you see what it was?”
Cassie shook her head. “It was too dark down there. All I could see was that he had something from your jacket.”
Victor thought for a moment then sw
ore. “Damn, so that’s what happened to it. My uncle gave me a harmonica a couple of days before that night. He wanted me to play it often.” He groaned. “He wanted my DNA on the mouthpiece, so I would be blamed if the kids were ever found. That bastard!” he yelled as his hands gripped the steering wheel tightly. “I’m gonna kill him.”
Cassie didn’t say anything as she turned her head and watched the landscape changing. They were getting close to Boston now and she had no idea what was going to happen next.
CHAPTER NINE
When they came into Boston, the traffic was congested. It was late afternoon and because of the time of year, it was already getting dark outside. Victor drove deep into the city, then making several turns he came to an abandoned neighborhood filled with empty warehouses and old shops. After a few minutes, he pulled into a parking lot. He made his way as close to the building as possible and once they got there he shut off the engine. Turning in his seat, he stared at her for the longest time. Before he said anything, he reached inside his jacket and grabbed his weapon. “The question I have to think about now is what to do with you before I deal with Seymour.”
“Why do you have to do anything to me at all?” Cassie wanted to know.
“What do you suppose the odds are of anyone remembering a nervous habit? A habit of finger tapping after almost twelve years?” he asked. His fingers tightened on his weapon. “You were what? All of eight years old. How the hell did you even remember that?”
Cassie shrugged. Her babies rolled around inside her at that moment and she tried not to gasp as her belly tightened.
“Why were you even in that basement?” He wanted to know.
“Janelle thought she was punishing me. She had beaten me earlier that day for something asinine and she liked to drag me down there and leave me tied up for days without food or water. She expected me to break or something stupid like that.”
“But you never did, did you?” he asked quietly. “You were stronger than she realized weren’t you? I’ll just bet you knew all her secrets and she never knew it.” He chuckled.
Cassie smiled but didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to.
“So what else did you know about Janelle Walden?” he wondered aloud.
“I know where she hid her ill-gotten gains,” Cassie whispered.
“The gold?” He shrugged. “The Feds found that a long time ago.”
“Did they?” she asked softly. “Or did they only find a small part of it?”
He shifted in his seat. “They found almost three million dollars’ worth of gold bullion in a false wall in the basement.” He paused then asked, “Are you saying there’s more gold?”
Cassie shrugged. “She was known to have over eight million is liquid assets. She liked to brag about it.”
Victor narrowed his eyes and stared at her. “How do I know you’re telling me the truth and not just planning something to get away from me?”
Cassie gave him a glare. “Do I look like I can run very far or very fast to you?”
“So tell me where the rest of her money is.”
Cassie shook her head. “I can’t. Even if I did tell you, you’d never find it. That house has too many secrets and I left a long time ago. She might have changed things after I left.”
Victor stared at her for a long time. “Why do I think you’re telling me nothing but lies to try and save your own skin?”
“Because you’re as dumb as everyone else?” she sneered.
Victor reached out and backhanded her in the mouth.
Cassie gasped and tasted blood but didn’t cry out. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. The warm sticky fluid ran down her chin and dripped on her shirt but all she did was glare at him.
“Now…let’s start again,” Victor stated coldly. “You said something about more money being in the house?”
Cassie shook her head. “I said she was worth a lot more than what the police found. I never said it was in the house.” She shrugged. “Of course, I didn’t say it wasn’t either.”
“Are you looking to get slapped again?” he asked.
Cassie glared at him. “I knew where it was eleven years ago.” She shrugged. “Where it is now is anybody’s guess.”
Victor narrowed his eyes at her. “And where was it eleven years ago?”
Cassie shrugged. “When I lived there that old house had many hidden rooms. She was forever having someone come in and make changes. Who the hell knows what she’s done since then?”
Victor looked away from her contemplating her words. Dropping his head down onto his hands, he closed his eyes for a moment. Then he sat back and turned his head to stare at her. “You would say anything right now to keep on living wouldn’t you?”
His words were softly spoken but Cassie could hear the menacing undertone. She turned to him and without flinching, she told him, “Yeah I would. I want to live, but I’m not lying. I don’t lie. That’s what used to piss Janelle off the most. I hate liars and cheaters. She was both. My mother always told me to be truthful and that lying was the worst thing you could do because once you started a lie, it would never stop and lies were harder to remember than the truth.” She paused then said, “It’s up to you what you believe. Janelle always had a backup plan in case things went south. She was always prepared for the worst. Do you think she only had one place to hide the gold?”
Victor thought about that for a moment then shook his head. “No I don’t. But then I didn’t know her very well either. When my uncle suggested I change my name and become a cop to watch his back, he warned me to stay away from Janelle and her racket. He told me he didn’t want me to get corrupted by her.” He shifted in his seat. “He also told me I couldn’t contact him again except through a middle man.”
Cassie snorted. “Yeah, I’ll bet he didn’t.”
“What is that supposed to mean?” he frowned.
“He wanted no link between the two of you,” Cassie explained. “Your uncle made sure your DNA would be found along with three murdered children, do you really think he wasn’t watching his own back that night? Do you really think for one moment, he gave a damn what happened to you at all?” She jeered. “He was setting you up all along to take the fall if those children were ever found.”
“Yeah, I realize that now but there is something you and he don’t know.”
“And what would that be?”
Victor gave her a cold smile. “I recorded him that night. That was my insurance and I’ve kept it all these years, just in case I needed it.” He shrugged. “I guess I need it now.”
Cassie slowly shook her head. “The law isn’t gonna care which one of you did the deed. You were there with him when it happened. You did nothing to stop him from killing her. In the eyes of the law, you are just as guilty as he is. Don’t you realize that?”
“If the law ever catches me they’ll have to prove it beyond a shadow of a doubt. I can give them that doubt and still give them my uncle on a silver platter. I have more evidence than just a recording to make my deal with.”
After a few minutes of complete silence Cassie asked, “So what are you going to do with me?”
“Does Janelle really have more money hidden in that house?”
Cassie shrugged. “I have no idea anymore. It was there at one time, that’s all I know. I took some of it when I left only because it would keep me alive. That’s blood money and I really don’t care.”
“Money is money.” Victor growled. “I need it to get away from here and I don’t care whose blood is on it.”
“You can’t hide forever.” Cassie scoffed. “By now, the FBI and everyone involved with this case knows who and what you are.”
Victor grinned in the darkness. “But they don’t know where I am and as soon as I get the money, I’ll get the hell away from this town. I can hide long enough to figure out a way to bring my uncle down then I can simply disappear.”
“What happens to me?” Cassie wanted to know.
“As long as I have
you as my hostage…nothing. Your man won’t do anything to hurt you, so the longer you cooperate the safer you’ll be.”
Cassie grunted. She didn’t believe that for a moment.
Victor leaned forward and started the car. Leaving the parking lot, he circled the city and began making his way to the house Cassie grew up in.
When they parked not far from the house, yet still hidden from sight, Cassie felt a chill seep into her skin. Staring at the old house, she felt a flood of unresolved hatred come to her mind. She shivered in the darkness.
Victor got out of the vehicle, came over to her side and opened the door. Reaching in, he grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out. She stumbled and would have fallen to the ground but he jerked her up to a standing position. She felt the hard pull on her belly and gasped.
“Come on, let’s not waste any time out here. You don’t know who’s watching this place,” he muttered.
Cassie fought him the closer they got to the house. “I don’t want to go in there!” She cried out.
“Tough luck, you’re going anyway.”
Cassie struggled. “No!”
Victor hauled her close to him. “I don’t have time for this shit, bitch. Now get your ass in gear and get up to the house.” He roared then slammed her into the handrail.
The blow was to her side and she cried out in pain. Cassie winced, then swore and still held back. “No! I’m not going back into that hellhole.”
Victor snarled and grabbed her shoulders then dragged her kicking and screaming up to the front door. He tried the handle of the house but found it locked. His only saving grace was the fact the house didn’t have any close neighbors. He kicked the door in and hauled her into the darkened kitchen.
Cassie breathed in the house’s stale air and froze in her tracks. The house smelled the same as it had all those years ago. The faint scent of hot frying grease and cigarette smoke filled her lungs. Her heart began pounding as old feelings pushed their way forward in her mind. She felt her babies moving inside her and she knew for their sakes, she needed to calm down. Her belly was sore from where it had hit the railing and she didn’t want her babies to suffer.
