“Your little plan failed, John.”
“What plan?” Spring popes in. “What’s he talking about, Dad?”
Riff laughs sarcastically. “You didn’t tell your precious twins why they ended up separated? Cause I worked it out, John.”
I don’t think my legs can hold me much longer. I don’t know what Riff did to me, but my whole body feels weak. Maybe it’s fear rushing through me that’s making me feel like this?
“The reason Spring is still alive is because you didn’t want her dead. You knew I was the one eradicating your bastards, and you knew I was coming for those two next,” Riff points to Spring and me again. “So you shot that one and her mother, knowing there was a damn good chance they’d live. All to make me believe they were gone, so I wouldn’t come looking for them.”
“You’re right,” John nods his head. “Seeing Julian was all part of the plan. I’d watched him for weeks, I knew his routine, and I knew where he’d be that day. That’s why I took Julianne to the store when I did.”
I think my mouth is hanging so far open; the flies are about to settle in!
“I know once Julianne saw her brother, she’d try to make a run for it with the girls. That’s exactly what I wanted her to do. It was bad luck that Wynter snuck out of the house when she did. However, the plan had to go ahead that day, regardless. I knew I’d find another way to keep Wynter safe.” I narrow my eyes. Keep me safe? What the hell? “Once the cops arrived, the plan was in full swing.”
My eyes seem to be dancing in my head. I look at Spring, and her eyes are wide with shock.
“How the hell did you get the cops to go along with your plan?”
“Riff,” John laughs loudly. “I thought you were smart?” Riff grinds his teeth in anger, but John doesn’t even acknowledge Riff’s annoyance.
“I agreed to hand myself in and plead guilty to all charges if they did what I asked of them. Of course, they were reluctant at first. Even when I agreed to give them details of every crime I’d committed, they were hesitant.
“Shooting my little girl was the last thing I wanted, but it worked. I had to make it look real, and that I wanted Julianne and the twins dead for trying to leave me. But do you really think they’d be standing over there if I wanted them dead?”
I wrap my arm around Spring, trying to hold her up. Her energy seems to be waining, and I know that she’s as confused as I am right now. It can’t be true that John fabricated things to save our lives from Riff.
“Do you honestly think I’d have stayed around for the police to find me if I didn’t want to be caught? Give me some credit.”
“Bullshit!” Riff screams.
“I handed myself in, in exchange for protection for Spring and Wynter. I had to come up with something plausible then and there about Wynter, but I’ve always been good at that shit. I knew reporters would be outside the house, and they’d know only two bodies were inside. So, the story was told that I’d killed Wynter and buried her in the mountains.”
I swallow past the lump in my throat. That can’t be true, can it?
“The girls were separated to keep them safe. The world was told Spring and Wynter were dead because I knew it would reach you, and you’d stop looking for them.”
Everything Spring and I were ever told about that day was a lie. Why did John have to shoot my mother and sister when he could have pretended to kill the three of us? Christ, nothing makes sense anymore!
Why are you questioning things, Wynter? Whatever John’s reasons for doing things the way he did, it all boils down to the one thing; he wanted to win.
“But you failed, John. All your efforts to keep them safe, and I still found them.”
“You may have found them, but you are the one who failed, Riff.”
“I didn’t fail,” Riff counters back, childishly.
Spring slumps against me while trying to hold herself up. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.” She whispers with a slight smile. She’s not okay, and we need to get out of here. I don’t care what Riff and John are arguing about. I don’t give a damn which one outsmarted the other and how. I just want to get my sister out of here.
From what I’ve gathered so far, John knew Riff was taking out his kids in order of age. He planned to shoot Spring, Mom, and me, and have the police fake our deaths. I snuck out and put a spoke in the works, but John didn’t wait for me to come home, he carried out his plan regardless.
The cops arrested John, and he admitted to all his crimes in exchange for police protection for my sister and me. They kept us apart because the press instantly reported that John had killed Julianne and Spring. They also said that John had killed me and buried my body in a shallow, unmarked grave. The lie kept Riff away from Spring and me, but it didn’t save my younger siblings.
Why would John save Spring, and I yet not give a damn about his other children?
“I need to get you out of here.”
Spring shakes her head. “We wouldn’t get out the front door before one or both of them caught up with us.”
I open my mouth to tell Spring that we have to try, but yelling cuts me off. Yelling so loud even I can hear it.
“What the hell was so special about those two?” Riff points at my sister and me. “Why were you a father to them when the rest of us were nothing?”
John laughs, and it’s such a mocking laugh that I know this isn’t going to end well. Someone is going to die here today, and it seems John doesn’t care who. “You stupid boy. Your mother was a whore, and I treated her like one – same with the others. Their mother,” This time, John points to Spring and me. “Was the light of my life, and she gave me two beautiful little girl’s.”
I try not to scoff. The light of his life? Who the hell is John trying to kid? You don’t beat, rape, and belittle the light of your life. Also, since when was I John’s beautiful little girl? He told me that I was defective, and he wished Julianne had miscarried me plenty of times in my life.
The man is delusional. Either that or he’s saying this stuff just to hurt Riff.
“My mother was right about you,” Riff stands taller. “She knew you were a monster, and I should have known you wouldn’t care if your kids were dead or alive. The only thing you’ve ever given a shit about is those two whores over there!”
John pushes his hands into his pants pockets and rolls his shoulders. “Oh, I care. You killed my children and grandchildren. Not only that, but you also kidnapped my baby girls intending to kill them. You should never have done that, Riff, and now, I’m going to kill you!” John pulls a gun from the back of his pants and points it at Riff.
Riff’s eyes widen. He moves his hand back, searching for something. My heart is in my throat, and Spring is begging for John not to do this. Riff realizes he no longer has what I’m assuming is his gun, and finally brings his hands up in defeat. John must have taken Riff’s gun somehow, but I didn’t see him do it.
“Spring, be quiet!” John yells without taking his eyes off of Riff. Spring instantly stops yelling and whimpers. “Were you looking for this?” John mocks. “You should have known it would end like this, Riff.”
“Just tell me one thing...”
“No,” John shakes his head while cutting Riff off. “I’ll tell you, nothing. You’ve had your fun, and now I’m bored.” Both Spring and I scream involuntarily when John pulls the trigger, and the bullet hits Riff straight between the eyes.
Riff’s body hits the floor with a thud, eyes wide open and looking at me. I think I’m going to throw up! John killed his own son in front of Spring and me, and he doesn’t even care. The smirk on his face is evidence of that.
John never cared about any of his children. They’re dead, and I doubt he shed one tear for them. He’s angry only because Riff took what John believes belonged to him. My heart aches for those people. They lost their lives for simply sharing the same DNA as John Anderson.
John leans over Riff’s body, moving his head from side to side with a sm
ile on his face. “I always knew I should have drowned you at birth.” John sneers. He stands his full height and tucks the gun into the back of his pants.
He turns to look at Spring and me, and he smiles. I’m not used to John smiling at me for any reason, and it makes me uneasy. “I think it’s time we talked. Don’t you?”
The last thing I want to do is talk to this man. I want to run and never stop. I want Spring and I to leave this place alive. I want Havoc to hold me, and I want to start our family, and never think about John Anderson again. However, as he stalks toward us, I don’t think any of those things will ever come true.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Havoc
It didn’t take Trace long to gather all the information surrounding John Anderson’s breakout from prison. Someone working at the prison tipped John off about Wynter and Spring finding each other. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his lunatic son found out. So, John, with the help of his prison guard friend, made his escape.
John is obviously looking for Riff, and Riff has the girls. If we don’t find them before John does, we may never see Wynter and Spring again.
Riff is pretty much a ghost. Trace couldn’t find much on the man himself; there’s no driver’s license, no cell number, no home address. In other words, no way of finding the cunt!
There has to be something we’ve missed; some place Riff would take the girls – somewhere others wouldn’t think to look.
I’m going out of my mind with worry. There are two psycho’s out there, and one of them has my wife, and the other is no doubt looking for her. If Wynter escapes Riff, she won’t be so lucky when it comes to John.
I’ve never felt this sick in my life. I should be out there searching for my wife, not pacing a hole in the concrete. The clubhouse yard has never seemed so small.
I look at my cell for the umpteenth time, but I have no missed calls or messages. It’s frustrating because that means there’s still no news. I bang my fist against my head in frustration. I have the urge to scream my lungs out! I just want Wynter back, and I’m terrified that I’ll never see her again.
“Don’t do that,” My mother grabs my hand and stops me from hitting myself again. “I know how afraid you are for Wynter right now,” Mom holds my hand in hers, the way she did when I was a child. “But, you have to stay strong, Havoc.”
“I am staying strong, Mom. I’m frustrated that no one has a clue where Riff could have taken them. I’m even more frustrated that no matter where I’ve looked, she isn’t there.”
Mom nods her head. “I know you are, but we will find both Wynter and Spring, Havoc. Wynter is an incredibly strong woman, and she will fight to survive that man, no matter what.”
Mom’s right, I know she is. That won’t stop me wondering if I’ll ever see the woman I love again.
I look at my beautiful mother, standing in front of me in her jeans and leather jacket. I’m so grateful for this woman and all that she’s taught me in life. I realize as I look at her, that the only other woman I’ll ever love as much is Wynter.
“What if she can’t, Mom? What if Riff hurts Wynter so badly that I lose her?”
“A wise young man once told me, ‘No matter the injury, the pain, the suffering, never let anyone break you because you’re stronger than you think. After the storm there will be calm. With love comes healing. I love you, and I will never let anyone hurt you.’ Those words have stayed with me always.”
“I was thirteen, Mom,” A child in pain seeing his mother hurting so much.
“A strong, brave, and caring thirteen-year-old.” Mom puts her hand to my face. “All I’m saying is that you saved me at a time when I didn’t see any way out of my misery.” I blink twice. Mom has never said anything like that to me before. “My beautiful, kind, protective son. When Wynter comes home, no matter what, you’ll be there to make things better. Just as your dad was there to make things better for me, with a little help from you.” She winks with a smile. I wrap my arms around my mother and kiss her head. I hope she’s right about Wynter coming home.
Mom and I make our way inside. Everyone is talking loudly, and the noise is deafening. As soon as Cormack and Cassie set off for their honeymoon, everyone headed back to the clubhouse. Jett filled them all in on what happened, and now everyone is up to date.
“Anything?” I ask Trace.
“Shut up!” Jett yells, and instant silence befalls the room.
Trace tips his head in thanks. “I’ve done a search spanning twenty miles, looking for anything...” My cell rings, cutting Trace off. I grit my teeth because there’s no caller I.D. I fucking hate that!
“Answer it,” Tank tells me. “It could be Riff or John.”
“Put it on speaker.”
I nod at Jett, take a deep breath, and answer the call. I’m praying so hard that Wynter is okay, and neither Riff nor John has hurt her. “Hello?”
“Havoc,”
“Wynter,” My heart slams against my chest. “Are you all right? Where are you?”
“Is BlackJack there?”
I narrow my eyes and look at BlackJack. Why won’t Wynter answer my questions? Why not talk to me while she can?
A look flashes across BlackJack’s face. He knows as well as I do that this isn’t going to be good.
“Yeah, he’s here.”
“Can you ask him to come to the phone, please?” I know my wife and I can hear the fear in her voice, even though she’s trying to hide it.
“Yeah,” I nod even though I know she can’t see me.
I tip my head at BlackJack, and he comes closer. I hand him my phone and run my hand through my hair. I’ve never heard Wynter like that before, scared and unsure.
“Wynter?”
“Wrong,” Comes a deep voice through the phone. My head shoots round. I don’t yet know which asshole it is, but something tells me it’s not Riff. “It’s been a long time, little brother.”
I knew it. John fucking Anderson has Wynter!
“Find out where he is,” Jett mumbles. BlackJack puts his finger to his lips. No one knows John better than Jack, though he doesn’t know him well.
“What do you want, John?”
“Straight to the point, Jacky.” John chuckles. That cackling laugh has me wanting to strangle the cunt with my bare hands.
“What have you done with the girls, John? If you’ve hurt them, I’ll rip your spine out!”
“Now, why would you say something like that, Jacky?” If I had fingernails, I’d be biting them right now. “I wouldn’t hurt my little girls for the world.”
Says the man who shot one daughter, and would have killed the other if he had the chance.
“Don’t make me laugh, John. You and I both know those girls mean as much to you as your other kids – nothing!” Jack’s face is suddenly red with rage. He can’t lose his temper right now; it could put the girls in real danger.
“That’s where you’re wrong. I want to see you, Jack.”
“No,” Comes BlackJack’s instant answer.
No one could blame BlackJack for not wanting to see his old brother. However, I hope his decision doesn’t put my wife in terrible peril.
John sighs. “That’s a shame. It looks like your uncle doesn’t care about you, after all, girls.”
There’s a whimper on the line, but I can’t tell if Wynter or Spring made the sound. My gut drops. If BlackJack doesn’t meet with John, I could lose Wynter!
“John, stop!” BlackJack yells before I can say one word. “Don’t hurt them.”
“I haven’t hurt them, Jack.”
“How can I be sure of that?”
My palms are sweating with anger. I’m an inch away from snapping, and Red knows it. That’s why he clasps my shoulder. “Keep your cool, Havoc. Now isn’t the time, son.”
I snatch my shoulder from Red’s grip. “Easy for you to say. It’s not your wife being held captive by a lunatic!” I hiss.
“Wynter,” My heart starts to race at the sou
nd of Wynter’s name. “Tell your uncle that you’re okay, and I haven’t hurt you.”
“I’m okay, uncle Jack. Dad hasn’t hurt me.”
I let go of the breath I was holding. Wynter might be just fine, but she could also just be saying what John wants her to say. However, I don’t hear pain in her voice, and I thank the Lord for that.
“Spring?” John urges.
“I’m okay, uncle Jack. Dad didn’t hurt me.”
“See?” The smirk in John’s voice is enough to make any man sick.
“What about Riff, John? He took the girls, so where is he now?”
“Dead,” Comes John instant answer. “Stupid little cunt killed my kids and grandkids. Then he thinks, after everything I did to hide my girls from him, that he can torture and kill them? I couldn’t let that happen. Riff is dead, and that’s the end of that. I just want to see you for a few minutes, Jack, and then all of this will be over. I promise. The girls will be able to go home with you, and none of you will ever have to see me again.”
I widen my eyes and nod my head. I don’t give a shit if BlackJack wants to see John or not, this isn’t about him, it’s about Wynter and Spring. We have to bring them home safely.
BlackJack rolls his eyes. “Fine. Where are you?”
“Leave your little friends at home, Jacky.”
The man is stupid if he believes BlackJack will meet with him alone. John Anderson won’t think twice about killing his brother. He thought nothing of attempting to kill Spring and Julianne.
“Anything else?” BlackJack snaps between his teeth.
“Yeah, bring the husbands. I wanna meet the men my little girls love.” BlackJack look at me, and I nod. I’ll meet the bastard. I’ll get Wynter away from him, and then I’ll blow his fucking brains out!
BlackJack turns his head to James, and he nods once. I can see from the look in James’s eyes that he’s thinking what I am right now. We’ll do whatever it takes to bring our wives home.
There’s no point analyzing why John Anderson wants James and I to tag along, we’ll find out why soon enough.
Havoc: Snakes Henchmen MC Page 22
