George Walker was dead? Although I still held a gun in my hand, icy tentacles squeezed my insides. Michael Bruno had just confessed to hiring the killings of multiple people, on top of the murders committed in the Amish community by his family long ago. He must be confident that he had the situation under control.
A gunshot blast boomed and then another. Shouts joined the gunfire.
Before I could make my move, Blondie grabbed a knife that I hadn’t noticed resting on the bookshelves. In an efficient and quick movement, she closed the distance and sliced Michael’s neck.
His eyes bulged as he tried to hold in the spurting blood, and then the door burst open behind me.
20
Toby was the first one through the door, but Ronnie was only a few steps behind, guns drawn. Melinda and Jared stopped in the doorway. I didn’t know what to make of the scene, but when I turned back to Michael Bruno, his head lolled to the side and his eyes were empty. The man was dead.
Blondie clutched the bloody knife in her hands, still as a statue. The rise of the corner of her mouth when she spotted Melinda was her only movement. “It’s over,” she said in a calm voice.
“Amen,” Melinda muttered from behind me.
“What the hell is going on, Toby?” I kept my gun raised, still not sure what was happening.
Another gunshot rang out, but it was stifled by more shouting voices coming from somewhere down the hallway.
Toby craned his neck until he saw Michael. “Dammit, Miss Melinda. I wanted him alive.”
Melinda winked at Blondie. “He attacked you, right dear?”
Blondie nodded. Her mouth spread into a coy smile.
I felt like my head would explode as I faced Melinda. “The man was a douche bag, no doubt, but you can’t take the law into your hands and have him killed.”
Melinda stepped into the room. She wore another power suit, only this one was orange. She flicked her hand and Blondie came forward. She handed off the knife to Melinda and left the room without a glance in my direction. When Melinda’s hand closed over the handle, I took a deep breath. Seeing the prints on the murder weapon compromised before my very eyes was disconcerting. For all the chaos, I was still hoping to maintain some semblance of order.
Toby’s face was flushed and his posture, coiled. Our eyes met. He flashed me a warning look and shook his head lightly.
A voice came through Ronnie’s walkie-talkie. “Clear. We’re all clear. Six men down.”
“Roger that,” Ronnie responded.
The brothel workers had taken out all of Michael’s guards. Unbelievable. It felt like I was trapped in a Martin Scorsese movie. Toby’s calm presence was the only thing that kept me from losing it. Wasn’t he concerned that we were next? I couldn’t see any way Melinda and her henchmen and women would let us walk out of this scene alive.
Melinda’s mood was unexpectedly tranquil for the amount of death and commotion that had transpired.
“I’m not going to make you give me your guns—”
I barked out a laugh. “Like you think you could.”
She cleared her throat and continued. “But I’d like to talk somewhere” —her eyes flicked over to Michael— “less distracting.”
I only thought I’d realized how dangerous Melinda King was. Now I fully grasped it.
As if on cue, two more of her men appeared in the doorway. They were huffing and obviously pumped up on adrenaline. The one guy had blood spatter on his shirt. Although Toby and I had our guns raised, we were still outnumbered. If bullets flew, we’d surely be hit in such close confines.
“We should at least listen to her, Serenity,” Toby said.
He had his eyes on the new arrivals and not me. The fact that he’d come through the door with Ronnie meant they were already working together. If I thought too hard on it, I’d have a headache.
The adrenaline was fading. I felt numb. This was one of those rare moments when I had to put all my faith and trust in another person’s instincts and it was hard to do. Drawing in a long breath, I made up my mind. At least seven criminals had just been murdered, and our situation within the brothel was still precarious. It had been over forty-eight hours since I’d arrived in Nevada. Daniel would be all over Todd by now. I had no doubt that help was on the way. If Toby and I could hang on a while longer, we could close the case and see the sun come up in the morning.
“Lead the way.”
21
Back in Melinda’s office, Toby and I were seated across from the madam. Beyond the single window, it was dark except for the shining moon. Melinda was in her chair behind the desk and Jared stood beside her. Lynette sat in a chair next to the door while Clara leaned against a file cabinet. The painting of a cowboy on a horse in rugged desert terrain was more fitting for a dude ranch instead of a brothel. But the gun in my lap was straight out of an old western, so the choice of décor was fitting.
“What do you want to talk about?” I asked, not even bothering to keep the smirk off my face.
Melinda snorted and her mouth dipped into a frown. “The plan was for you to end Michael’s life, not for Blondie to do it. That’s what I want to talk about.”
I prided myself on being one step ahead of my adversaries most of the time, but it was difficult to get one up on this woman. She consistently put me off balance with her reactions.
I shrugged. “It took a while for Michael to tell the entire story.” I glanced at Toby and noted that his head was turned my way. “It’s terrible what happened to Marie Bruno. She was innocent, doing a little rebelling, and unfortunately ended up with the wrong group of people—your people.”
“He finally admitted it, huh? That’s surprising. It further proves my point that he would have had you and your partner killed. There was no way Michael would have let you walk out of here with that information,” Melinda said.
“Did you really think Serenity would kill Michael Bruno in cold blood just because you threatened our lives?” Toby said.
Melinda leaned back, nonplussed. “By your actions and since the law didn’t come down on us immediately, I guessed the two of you were working rogue. Which means you don’t do things by the book. It was a gamble. One I had an ulterior plan for.”
“Blondie?” I asked.
Melinda nodded. “Did Michael tell you how the Bruno thugs murdered four of our men, and threatened to burn down the entire community if our elders didn’t agree to the blood pact?”
“He did.” I glanced at Lynette and Clara. They were young, too young to feel any connection at all to what had happened back in the 60s. Other than stories, the past was nothing to them. And yet it had drastically altered their futures. My gaze returned to Melinda. “How do you feel about it?”
“What our men did to Maria was heinous, I admit that. But the Bruno’s took that tragedy and turned it into a sick business proposition. My people weren’t equipped to deal with that kind of threat and they caved to the demands, fearing for their lives.” Melinda’s voice rose a notch and for the first time since I’d met her, she showed some emotion.
“They could have called the police. The Bruno family were from Nevada. Your community was local. The Mt. Carmel Amish would have gotten all the support they needed,” I argued.
“That may or may not be true. It was before my time.” She turned her head and blew out a sigh. “My parents and my Mamaw Fannie tried to spirit me away from my obligation. They hoped I wouldn’t be found in Blood Rock, but too many people knew where I was. The fear ran deep and someone talked. Over time, my community got used to it. After all, it was only one girl every four years. The King family is vast. A single girl wouldn’t be missed too much.” Her gaze shifted between Lynette to Clara. “None of us were missed. And our community was saved. It was our cross to bear, so to say.”
“That’s absurd. You didn’t do anything wrong” —I tilted my chin toward
Lynette and Clara— “and neither did they.” I threw my hands up in frustration. “You were pawned off into the sex trade as payment for other people’s sins. It’s archaic. That sort of thing shouldn’t be happening in the twenty-first century.”
Melinda’s eyes blazed. “You’re right, and your dedication to end the blood debt paid off—we’re almost free.”
“Almost?” I glanced at Toby. His gaze dropped and I braced for whatever Melinda would say next.
“Tommy Bruno is still alive. The pact between his family and my community will not end until he is out of the picture,” Melinda said softly.
“That’s where we come in,” Toby said.
I snorted under my breath. “You don’t think we’re already in?”
“Obviously, we’re neck deep in the muck here. I’m talking about as we move forward.” Toby eyed me and I gave him a curt nod to continue. “Michael Bruno came here with his crew to kill us, plain and simple. We were inching closer and closer to the real causes of death for Star Miller and my two fugitives. He had to protect his backside. We had to be silenced.”
“He wouldn’t have known about us if Melinda hadn’t given him the information with the purpose of enticing him here and then massacring them all,” I accused.
“Yes, that’s true.” Toby stared at Melinda for a long second before returning his attention to me. “All of that is beyond us now. We’re alive and well. None of the brothel’s employees or customers were injured. The Bruno brothers are as dirty as they come, and the men who work for them are no better. You of all people should understand that sometimes we have to side with the lesser of two evils to make the world a better place.”
I leaned forward in my seat. “I’m not going to lie about what happened here.”
“Whoa, settle down.” He raised his hands. “I don’t expect you to, Serenity, but you don’t have to give more information than asked for, you know what I mean?”
Of course, I knew what he meant. I slumped a little. It would never end. I was accumulating too many skeletons in my closet, and I didn’t like the icky, tarnished feeling one bit. I’d set out to be a good cop, to do things on the up and up. Yet, here I was, once again having to compromise my principals to get the job done or for damage control. It was getting old. I was tired.
A glance at Clara’s wide-eyed hopeful expression gave me pause. She was a teenager and she’d been passed off from her community to become a prostitute. In four years, another girl would be in her shoes. I had a chance to end it now.
“What do we need to do?” I said out loud. I didn’t really care who answered me at this point.
Toby spoke up. “We have what we need to arrest Tommy and put him away for a long time. That will end the blood pact.” He glanced at Melinda. “We’ve found ourselves caught up in a collision of our investigation into the deaths of my fugitives, your missing Amish women, and an organized criminal organization that attacked the inhabitants of one of their businesses. The witness list is long and the forensics are going to be a nightmare. My bosses will be happy to end the reign of the Bruno family’s criminal organization. You’re working solo, and don’t have to answer to anyone.”
“I always have myself to answer to,” I pointed out. I tilted my head in Melinda’s direction. She returned my gaze with a serene face, not a blonde hair out of place. “Girls being recruited from Mt. Carmel is over, right?”
“Of course. That was my objective all along. It was something I had to wait to achieve though. There’s a season for suffering and one for rebirth. I was patient and it paid off.”
“Now that it’s finished, what will you do?” I asked.
A smile tugged at her lips. “I have some money saved up. This place will be on the market soon, and after the blood bath, it will be cheap. I should be able to easily afford it.” Her eyes shifted to Jared, who had been silent this entire time. “Jared and Ronnie are going to be my partners. We’ll be okay.” She must have seen the disapproval on my face. “It’s not so bad, Sheriff. Some of the women enjoy their job. They make very good money. They have freedom to pick their clients and we even provide benefits, such as health insurance and paid vacation, which a lot of small companies lack. Don’t judge.”
I exhaled a long, heavy breath. Who knew brothel workers got health care benefits? I had to accept that Melinda didn’t want to be rescued from brothel life. And there were other women who weren’t forced into this life. They chose it. Melinda was right. I shouldn’t judge, but damn, it was hard not to.
“I’ll try to keep an open mind,” I said in a tight voice.
“There is one more thing.” Melinda crossed her arms on the desk.
I could hear the sound of sirens blaring in the distance and my heart skipped a beat. They’d be here in less than two minutes.
“Better hurry. Backup has finally arrived.”
“Blondie and Tessa have chosen to stay on here at the ranch, but Lynette and Clara want to return to Indiana with you. Will you assist them on their journey east?”
My gaze skimmed over the two young women. Clara’s expression was unhidden excitement, but Lynette’s was more subdued. It wouldn’t be easy to return to the Amish after their experiences. “Do you plan to go Amish again?” I directed the question at both of them.
Clara swallowed hard. “I do.”
Lynette rolled her eyes. “I don’t think I can ever go back fully. I want to see my family and friends again. Hopefully, they’ll be open to a visit.” She grunted. “I miss the change of seasons. Even if I remain English, I want to be in a place where it rains and snows. I hate the desert.”
I turned back to Melinda. “I’ll make sure they get what they need—on one condition.”
“Name it,” Melinda said.
“I have to make a phone call.”
She stared at me as the sound of sirens grew louder. There was a knock on the door, and it popped open. One of the older women peeked in with questioning eyes. “You’re in complete agreement with Marshal Bryant, then?”
I hated being put on the spot, but I understood that Melinda needed me on her side. I really wasn’t. It was something I had to do. “The important parts.”
Melinda’s mouth pinched. “Guess that will have to do.”
I let Toby meet law enforcement at the door. The ruse was his idea, so he could take care of the aftermath.
The sky began to lighten to a dull gray, and through the window, I could see the faint outline of the sunrise on the horizon.
“Hello? Is that you, Serenity?”
I got a little choked up when I heard Daniel’s anxious voice, but I forced the words out, not wanting to keep the poor guy in suspense.
“You’re never going to believe how this case went down,” I said.
“I’ve been worried sick.” His voice was thick with emotion. “You can tell me all the details when I see you in person. When are you coming home?”
“I have ends to tie up here, and then I’m catching the first flight out.”
“Thank God. I love you.”
“I love you too, Daniel.”
22
I glanced in the rearview mirror. Clara’s face was pressed against the window as she watched the farms pass by. She’d been rather talkative since leaving the brothel. Her choice of clothes was modest, and as close to Amish dress as she could manage shopping at the superstore in Blood Rock. The blue dress looked like something a grandma would wear and she had her hair pulled up in a tight bun. She wasn’t trying too hard to hold back her giddiness at returning home.
Lynette was quieter. She wore denim jeans, a t-shirt, and had left her long, red hair down. She hadn’t ruled out returning to the Amish, but by the looks of the twenty-two-year old’s outfit, I was betting that she remained English.
In the week that I’d been gone, the countryside had exploded in autumn splendor. Red, orange, and yellow lea
ves swayed on branches in the chilly wind. Puddles dotted the landscape from the rain the night before, but the sun was brightly shining now, making everything glisten. There was a wholesomeness in the air that reinvigorated my senses and helped wash away the dirty feeling I’d left Nevada with. This had been a difficult case on many levels. Toby had handled the aftermath of the brothel massacre with efficiency. The other federal agents respected him and somehow, in the short time he had, he’d put together a believable story to fit Melinda’s narrative. The madam directed the agents to where Michael Bruno had said George Walker’s body was, and an hour later, it was discovered in a shallow grave in the desert. Toby didn’t get to bring home his fugitives alive, but he was instrumental in taking down a major crime syndicate in Las Vegas, and the exhilaration for that among law enforcement seemed to keep everyone from a desire to delve deeper into the brothel workers, especially Melinda King.
My feelings about the madam were torn. She’d used Toby and myself to further her own agenda. She’d also arranged the killings of seven men—and she’d gotten away with everything. The ex-Amish woman was dangerous, although not to the people I wanted to protect. She’d given me her word that she’d clean up the brothel and always treat the prostitutes with respect. She’d even raised the age of the women she hired to twenty-one, and said she’d pay a therapist to visit the brothel on a monthly basis to talk to the employees and do regular emotional checkups. Melinda was making improvements to the business that would help the women, and kudos to her for that. But it was still surprising that a woman brought up in a strict religious society would want to run a brothel.
It made me feel a little better that Lynette and Clara had gotten out of the business. Even though their futures were still wide open, they’d taken the first step to taking back control of their lives. Elayne Weaver, Blood Rock’s assistant district attorney, and previously an Amish girl herself, had been the first one to aid the women upon our return. Lynette and Clara were temporarily sharing Elayne’s guest room, and the lawyer had also arranged counseling for them.
Wicked Legacy (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 10) Page 14
