by Bella Knight
Wraith broke protocol and called in her sisters for help. Rota and Skuld took turns watching over her as Wraith interviewed the traumatized women. She went home to shower, and then went back to the office in full Valkyrie regalia. She looked like a Martian around all the suits; the “dirty FBI” were all at their desks doing after-action paperwork when not running down leads on the rest of the network.
Wraith alternately did paperwork and bounced in, to torment Vassily, who was waiting on his Russian mob, mouthpiece-lawyer.
“I’ll just talk,” she said, ignoring the clean, polished agents in the room.
She leaned back, put her steel-toed boots on the table, and used Stankovic’s tiny knife to clean out dirt from under her fingernails.
She talked in a conversational tone. “I know, American prisons aren’t as bad as Russian ones. But, human trafficking has attached to it, you; falling in a Supermax hole for the rest of your life, in solitary. No TV, no phone, possibly a book or two. Nothing else.”
“Fuck you,” he said. “I want lawyer.”
“Your lawyer is coming,” said Wraith, cleaning under another fingernail. “But he won’t get you off, or out on bail. You can’t run away under another rock. Those chains you’re wearing, and that orange jumpsuit, get used to them. It’s your new look.”
“I say nothing, bitch,” said Vassily.
“What’s wrong? The big bad Vassily taken down by an itty-bitty woman? How’s the head, Vassily? Can’t get it up unless a woman is drugged, being raped?”
Vassily lunged. Wraith just kicked away his hand. An agent forced him back into his chair. “The kiss you forced on me is the last you’ll ever get, Vassily boy,” she said. “Unless it’s a guy named Bruno in the shower.”
He lunged again, and she caught his hand, twisted it back. He howled, and she released him.
“So easy, Vassily,” she said. “So easy. I knew about this case six hours ago. Never heard your name before tonight. And, now, you’re going down. So fast, so easy.”
Vassily started screaming in Russian. She continued to clean out her nails as he called her disgusting names, described what his people would do to her when they caught her. Unfortunately for him, he used actual names, and there were two Russian speakers listening to every word he said.
Vassily lunged again. Bored, Wraith switched legs, bringing a steel-toed boot to bear on the wrist aimed at her. It didn’t break the wrist because she deliberately hit the manacle. It rang. He sat down, fruitlessly trying to stop the pain in his wrist.
“So easy,” she said. “We raided seven of these little container farms of yours,” she said. “I’m sure we’ll get a few more before dawn. Seventeen women rescued so far. Angry women. They will testify to everything.”
Vassily screamed at her, “I will be out by dawn!”
“You bought me for five hundred dollars. Your fingerprints are on every bill. The only place you’re going is where you’ll never see the sky again.”
“I will be at my dacha in Russia, hearing how my Ivan cut your head from your body. He will send pictures.”
“Here’s a picture for you,” said Wraith, opening up her cell phone. “Ivan looks remarkably like you, doesn’t he?” She turned a photo of a man against a wall, bleeding from several wounds, all of them fatal.
“Your little boy is dead. He shot at two agents. Sadly, for him, they were in full Kevlar, so not a scratch on them.”
Vassily stared at the photo. “Is not real,” he said.
“Chicago,” said Wraith. “Bet you regret sending your little boy into a life of crime, don’t you?”
Vassily pounded the table, again and again. Wraith stood. “Paperwork, you know,” she said. “Think I’ll head out, grab some late-night tacos, enjoy the fresh air,” she said. She leaned in toward him. “You might want to think about telling us about your bosses. The one there? Boris Nachenko? He hid under a desk, after he ordered your son to defend him. Your son died at age twenty for a low-life, even lower than you.”
Vassily stared right through her. “Alrighty then,” said Wraith, standing up and taking her phone back. “Have fun. I’ll be outside, someplace you’ll only be as you’re moved between facilities.” She walked out, humming a little tune, as Vassily pounded the table.
She strode down the hall. “I’ll be at Taco Bell if anyone needs me.”
Special Agent in Charge, named Costas stared at her. “I’ll call you if we need any more suspects hammered,” he said. She waved at him as she strode down the hall, and around a corner.
In the end, the phones talked the most. The data was coded, but relatively easy to crack. The phones led to member after member. As they were captured, more phones led to more phones. They were cute with texting codes, mostly buys and orders. For human beings.
Wraith and Herja escorted a terrified Ajai out of the hospital where she had been treated for post-traumatic stress disorder and her injuries nearly two weeks later.
“What if the judge doesn’t give it?” asked Ajai.
“Remember, your stepfather is in prison, and your two, other sisters have been removed from the house. Your word has been substantiated. Also, you’re a federal witness, and a victim of sex trafficking. That puts you in the position of being able to ask for what you want,” said Wraith.
“Why can’t I live with you?” she asked Rota and Herja, yet again.
“One, long word, sister, ‘hydroponics,’” said Herja. “Finish off high school and get all the knowledge you can while you’re at Henry’s farm. We’ll be here when you ‘graduate’ from Henry’s program. You can’t separate us that easily.”
“Besides,” said Rota, “we’re still getting our adoption classes finished. Your mother doesn’t seem to want to get out of her abuse cycle. The Navajo are on board with us adopting you and your little sisters.” She sighed. “I just got our apartment the way I like it.”
Herja laughed. “You’ve got a whole townhome to fix the way you like it.” Rota laughed.
Judge Regina Rajiin was quick and efficient; Wraith had laid out the case well, and had hired a lawyer named Gina Alvogado, another Dine, to represent her. Gina showed proof that the tribe would release Ajai and, eventually, her sister, as they had failed to protect the children adequately. Herja and Rota had agreed to teach the children Navajo. They knew and approved of Henry, so that helped.
They went out for tacos to celebrate, then they rode to Henry’s farm. Inola, now hugely pregnant, met them. “Your pod is this way,” she said.
“Am I a pod person, now?” asked Ajai.
Inola laughed. “I feel like one today. Ryder won’t stop kicking.”
Both Gregory and Nantan, who had been talking at the fence line and watching the horses, ran over when liquid hit the ground.
“Well, there goes my water,” said Inola, grabbing her back. She pulled out her phone. “Calling the midwife,” she explained. Henry walked her back toward the main house as she talked on the phone.
“While Inola has Ryder,” said Nantan, “Life goes on at the farm.”
Jeffrey pounded up on Casper, a gray rescue. “She havin’ the baby?” he asked.
“Yep,” said Nantan. “If I were you, I’d stay on top of the chores, and stay out of the main house. Some things you can’t unsee.”
“I’ll keep the barn and horses as if Inola were doing it herself.”
“Good,” said Nantan. “This here’s Ajai. She’s Dine. She’s new.”
“Cool,” said Jeffrey. “I’m Jeffrey. Stable hand.”
Nantan snorted. “Horse whisperer. We adopt them.”
Herja and Rota saw her pod, and pronounced it perfect. They gave her a brand-new tablet, and Valkyrie clothes —jeans, tees with designs embossed in silver, gold, or red, and her own pair of steel-toed boots. She hugged them, cried, and ran off with Nantan to check out the hydroponics house.
“They grow up so fast,” said Rota, tears in her eyes. Herja hugged her, and Wraith led them back to their bikes. “Meet here on
Saturday for the ride?” asked Wraith.
“Abso-fukin-lutely,” said Herja.
The baby tom-tom network worked perfectly fine. Bella, who had just filled out her bar cart, was unceremoniously kicked out of Dirty Vegas for at least two weeks. Ace reminded her to keep her speed down and her eyes open on the way home. The midwife, Yela Racan, was from the res. She kept Inola walking, talking, and breathing deeply.
Bella did the worst Harley parking job ever, and ran into the house. Jake and Numa sang sacred songs as Bella and Inola walked the halls. Henry walked around wild-eyed, until David had him pulled away urgently on tribal business for an hour or two. Vu read a book on how to nurse the baby to Inola as she walked; both Inola and Bella asked questions. The panting got louder, they slow-walked into the bedroom. Sister was ready with a rubber sheet under the regular one, and two sets of bedding in case of accidents.
Gregory and Katya came over with the twins, adding to the noise. The babies were passed around like footballs. Simultaneous games of Frisbee and soccer broke out, teens versus older people. Nantan came and rounded up teens for evening chores, and they came back, sweaty, to play again. Gregory made his signature ribs, Katya her potato soup. Sister Vi baked up biscuits, and Nantan made green salad and a corn salsa that was amazing.
The teens mowed down bags of chips and salsa as if they weren’t having dinner later. The pies went in; apple, blueberry, blackberry, and plum, and a sinful, peanut butter, silk pie. The chefs rotated in and out, not wanting to miss the fun. The board and card games came out, popcorn was popped, and the sodas and snacks kept flowing.
Ryder Bella came into the world squalling; six pounds, two ounces, demanding to be fed. The party went from the kitchen to the entire wraparound patio. The baby was shown off as Inola showered, then sent back to Mom, squalling because she was as hungry as a hippo.
Inola slept as Bella held the baby, tears streaming down her cheeks. “Ryder,” she said, “you had a tough start, but you’re loved, by so many people they are still coming to the house. You’ll ride horses and Harleys, and braid your hair on one side like the Valkyries, and Henry will be way too overprotective. You will never, ever, have to wonder if you are loved.”
Henry, David, and Numa were standing right outside the door, coming to sing over the baby. All three of them stood there in the hallway, with tears streaming down their faces. Numa recovered first, and went in to sing over the baby. Henry and David eventually followed.
Henry and David waved goodbye to the last guest. The teens had moved quickly to help clean up the living room, and had stolen the card games to play in the dorm.
“They will not work tomorrow,” said Henry.
“Neither will we,” said David, taking the clip out of the base of his hair and putting it on the counter. “Except for cooking and feeding the animals, I declare a holiday.”
Both men kicked off their boots. Henry glared at David. “You sent me off to help the council decide where to put the new senior center,” he said. “That could have waited.”
David laughed. “You were about to make Inola crazy,” he said. “Your worry would have pissed her off.” He took off his shirt and threw it into the laundry hamper.
Henry threw his own shirt in. “You try my patience,” he said.
David laughed again. “Even Sister was trying to get you to calm down.”
“Vi,” said Henry. “But, I forget and call her Sister as well.” He took the work gloves out of his jeans and hung them on a hook. “We did not do well there, I think. We should have sought her family.”
“She was running from something,” said David. “We agreed that to keep her safe, following her back to her source may not be wise.” He took off his belt, hung it up. Henry did as well, rolling it up and putting it in a drawer with his other ones.
“I am terrified,” said Henry, “To lose all that we have built here.”
David took off his jeans put them in the hamper, pulling on the shorts he wore to bed. “Then you are a fool,” he said. “Inola and Numa will carry on what you have started, and Nantan, and Gregory. We’re not old men,” he said, embracing Henry. “We’re only in our fifties. We work harder than ten city men, not fat and lazy like them. We have strong arms,” he said, flexing his bicep.
Henry barked out a laugh. “Showoff.” He turned around and kissed David. “I have loved you for thirty years. I am so glad you found me.”
Two Paiute men had wanted to be medicine men, one an Arizona transplant who had studied under a medicine man there. He knew all the songs, and how to use his hands to heal. The other was learning rapidly.
“Just in time, too,’ David said. “I could give up my hogan to the younger men and move here.” He touched Henry’s head. “You terrified me, love.”
Henry had been bashed on the head and had been unable to protect Inola from the rape that had impregnated her. All the perpetrators were dead, courtesy of Ivy and a very angry Inola.
“You went inside yourself for so long that I was afraid I could not sing you back.”
“I came back to apologize to Inola, to give her whatever she needed.” He looked deep into David’s soft brown eyes. “Love,” he said, “You were icing on the cake.”
They kissed then, gentle leading to insistent. David stripped off Henry’s jeans, and Henry took off David’s shorts. They took it slow, easy, their hands knowing each other’s bodies. They had grown up together as boys, running all over the res together, working with horses on the farm Henry now owned, and working in the store all summer long that Numa eventually bought.
“I thought you were handsome,” said Henry, remembering the boy on a bike, pedaling into the wind. He kissed David’s lips. “You still are.”
David laughed. “Says the man with rock-hard abs.” He traced Henry’s stomach. “I love you,” he said.
Henry stroked David’s stomach. “You too,” he said. “Living on a farm is agreeing with you.” He smiled. “Let’s go out tomorrow on a long ride with the horses.”
“Not that new skittish one,” said David.
“No,” said Henry. “Not the skittish one.”
They took off their boxers and stood there, smiling, looking into each other’s eyes. David threw the clothes in the hamper, and Henry led him to the shower.
They took their time washing each other’s hair. They washed each other; slowly, reveling in touch they couldn’t have had if Henry had died in a closet, his head bashed in. They soaped each other, stroking, groaning, kissing. The hot water pounded their backs. David caressed Henry’s balls, found the spot just behind them that made him clasp his hand in David’s hair, pulling his head back, so he could kiss his neck. Henry let go to reach down and do the same to David, then rolled his fingers up over the balls to cup David’s cock in his hands. David rolled his eyes, and barely held onto himself in order to do the same to Henry.
David came first, in Henry’s hand, and Henry came next. They washed each other again, and Henry led them out of the shower. They dried each other off, then Henry braided David’s hair. They pulled on shorts, climbed into bed, and held each other close. Just as they were slipping into sleep, the baby cried, and was soon quieted.
“No more quiet nights for us,” said David.
“Is it not wonderful?” Henry asked, stroking David’s face. “Goodnight, love,” he said, kissing him. David kissed him back. “If you keep that up, we will have another reason for not sleeping tonight,” said Henry.
“Really?” asked David, and they kissed again, not hearing the baby squall one more time, angered at changing breasts. They definitely heard the crying at three am.
Rally
The rally to Lake Havasu started in Los Angeles. Ivy left the club in Cougar’s capable hands, moved the bar backs up to full servers, and hired some temp bar backs for the run.
“Be good for ‘em,” said Cougar. “You and Ace gonna have your hands full with babies. You’ll both be part time. They may as well step up.”
“I’ve g
ot a better idea. Nina’s graduating soon. Find out which temp we hire works out, and move up Bella’s bar back to full bartender. We gotta have fast bartenders, you know that.”
“Shake it or move on,” said Cougar. “Abso-fuckin’-lutely.”
“Sure you don’t want to close the bar to go to the rally?”
“Nope,” said Cougar. “Be great to run things without you all in my business.”
“Honey,” said Ivy, “I only want to be up in Callie’s business.” Both women laughed.
Bao took on Hu and Grace. Gregory left the twins in the capable hands of his wife and the babushkas. He slept in Henry’s house the night before the rally, getting his first full night’s sleep since the babies had been born. Katya had accused him of being a too-hands-on papa. Elena doted on her siblings, and the babushkas were over nearly every day, waiting on Katya hand and foot.
Ace had moved back in with Lily. The time apart had given both of them enough time to grieve more deeply than they would have if they had been trying to prop each other up. Or even feeling the guilt they both felt when they looked at one another. It also saved them from having said stupid things to each other in their grief, or worrying about each other when Lily couldn’t get out of bed with grief.
They picked up Keiran and Pavel the day before. The boys were so excited for the ride that they didn’t get much sleep, talking well into the night.
There were so many of them making the four-hour ride to Venice Beach that they had to go in stages. The Valkyries met before first light, and Wraith was with them, hair spilling out behind them, with Lita Ford’s Kiss Me Deadly, blaring in their earbuds. Wraith was long over moving from the Nighthawks to the Valkyries. Her sisters made her stronger, wilder, and all the better for her to go deep undercover and retain more of herself when she resurfaced. Saber changed to the Iron Knights with Ace, Henry, and Ivy’s blessing. He exalted in the open road, laughing into the wind.
Herja led, Rota with Ajai on the back. The girl took to bikes like a duck to water. Herja suspected they had a Harley mechanic on their hands, not a hydroponics specialist, but time would tell. Their last class was on Tuesday, and then they could move six-year-old Awee and four-year-old Doba into their house in stages, starting with visits and lots of Navajo language lessons.
