by Jamie Begley
“What’d you want?” Rider walked next to him, moving toward the chopper.
“Allerton, I want his nuts in a vice,” Reaper yelled over the sound of the blades.
“The Last Riders are comfortable, but we don’t have the kind of money to break that fucker. He has billions, and his friends have even more.”
“We might not have billions, but we have something he doesn’t have. We have Crux.” Giving Rider a fist bump on his shoulder, Reaper then got in the chopper, giving Train a thumbs-up as he buckled in. A key to any successful mission was to know when to divide-and-conquer. Crux’s and Shade’s skill sets couldn’t be beaten. Crux would devise a way to get Ginny and him out, while Shade could dispatch anyone who stood in their way going into hell.
Train immediately went airborne.
Looking downward, Reaper saw The Last Riders lift their fists in unison. Seeing the number of men sprawled out on the tarmac below and more motorcycles still arriving, their support for him hit him harder than any punch to the face could have.
Despite everything he had put them through, they were just as willing to support him now as they had been when they had become friends in the service. He deserved the dick award for being the biggest jerk alive, not deserving the loyalty they were showing him.
He had been so locked in his hatred-fueled rage that it seemed insurmountable to get back on an even keel with them, but as Train flew higher, gaining clearance to avoid the looming mountains, Reaper realized he no longer needed to climb out of the depths he had been swallowed in. He was now able to fly because of one person. Ginny.
He had to get her back, and not only for T.A., Sex Piston, and all her friends and family, but for himself. She was his, had always been and would always be until the end of time. He now accepted her term: soul mates. Allerton might be the richest man in the world, making him believe himself invincible living on his fucking island. What the fucker didn’t know was, no matter how rich he might be, he could never cheat death, and death was unquestionably coming for the motherfucker.
Chapter Five
Viper watched the chopper fly away, and every part of his being wanted to be on board with his brother.
Lowering his fist when the chopper was out of sight, he turned to the brothers lined up behind him. “I want every Last Rider in Kentucky at the club in one hour,” Viper ordered of Cash. “If they can’t be there, tell them I want their fucking cuts and bikes. Call Stud and Calder; they’ve got an iron in this fire.”
Going to his bike, Viper was the first to leave the airport, the brothers riding behind him in formation. Reaching the clubhouse, Viper then directed the brothers to wait outside in the backyard as he directed Nickel to organize a Zoom call so the club in Ohio could listen in on the meeting.
He waited for a moment before joining the brothers outside, forcing himself to appear calm while his thoughts were with Reaper. Self-doubt assailed him. He should have gone with him.
Viper needed to think analytically and started making plans to support Reaper and to organize what he could do from here. It was going to be a fucking miracle if Reaper managed to get on the plane with Ginny, and he would need an even bigger miracle to be allowed to accompany her to the island.
During any military operation, it was intrinsic to the plan to have someone on the ground coordinating the attack, and as much as Viper wanted to have Reaper’s six, he was equally useful accomplishing their goals here, to ensure his brother returned safely with Ginny.
Most of the brothers were already here, waiting for their orders. One by one, the women began arriving, as well. Lucky had escorted T.A., Dalton, Sex Piston, and the Coleman brothers, except for Silas and Fynn, to the side yard where they could distance themselves and still be able to hear what was being said.
King and Evie were the last to arrive. Evie went to stand with the women while King positioned himself with the brothers, next to Shade.
Taking a final calming breath, Viper walked out to the backyard and recapped what had happened in the courthouse that morning. Then he went on retell the story T.A. had provided about Allerton and Ginny.
Stud and Calder stood in stunned disbelief as they learned that Sex Piston, Crazy Bitch, Killyama, and Fat Louise had known the closely guarded secret about Ginny’s identify. Despite Stud’s dismay at his wife’s secret, he stepped forward. “The Destructors will stand with The Last Riders to provide assistance.”
Calder stepped forward when his brother finished speaking. “The Blue Horsemen also stand with The Last Riders. Reaper has our jacket, as well as the Destructor’s. We will all stand with our brother.”
“Allerton has made it impossible for us to be there to have Reaper’s back. What we need is information about him and what the fuck Ginny stole from him or has on him that would make him want her dead. Nickel will take point; funnel any information you can to him. I want to find out everything about him, from how many shits he takes a day, to the last time he ate and with who. Reach out to your contacts and find out what you can. What you might think isn’t important could save Reaper and Ginny.
“She was under our protection, yet she has taken on protecting us. She’s not a little nobody, and Allerton can’t just sweep this under the rug. Reaper went to bring her back safely, and we’re going to make fucking sure he succeeds. We let him down before, I’ll be damned if we do it again.”
Viper shifted his body toward T.A. “You have no idea what Ginny took?”
T.A. shook her head. “No, and she doesn’t either.”
Viper nodded, turning back to the whole group. “All we know is that she took something from a boat that must have been moored at Sherguevil Island before Christmas when Ginny was three. Somewhere, there are records of who was traveling in the area. Knox, see if you and Jonas can get access to old port records and customs’ check points near the islands. Let’s find out who’s been visiting Allerton in the past and present.”
He looked at T.A. again. “Did Ginny ever describe the boat to you?”
T.A. bit her lip as if she was thinking hard. “Maybe ….” She brought her hand to her belly as if her heightened emotions were affecting the baby.
“I’m taking her home,” Dalton announced, gently grabbing T.A.’s arm. “This is too much for her and the baby.”
T.A. pulled her arm away. “We’re okay. I can do this. I have to.” Giving her husband a look of regret, her expression then turned pensive.
“She was fascinated with the larger ones, so it had to be a good size, but not so big that it wouldn’t be docked at the island. There was one I vaguely remember. We were sitting at the beach and she kept telling me to look at how pretty it was, but that’s all I remember.” She gave a frustrated sigh.
“Do you think if I show you different types of boats, you would recognize the type?”
“Maybe. I can try.”
“Something is better than nothing. That’s a start, then. We can mix and match that type of boat with the old records to discover who Ginny stole from and why in the fuck Allerton wants it so badly. Anyone else have any questions?”
“What was Ginny taught to steal?” Razer spoke up.
“Paper currency, money clips, watches …,” T.A. answered.
“Was there anything else that Ginny was fascinated with besides boats?” Razer, being the father of two rambunctious twin boys, clearly understood the inner working of a child’s mind better than most of them.
“Anything shiny,” Shade’s father answered. “She kept stealing my badge,” he added gruffly. “And I had to let her pick out a cell—” Will broke off then continued. “Wait—Hammer had her keep a secret cell phone that only he and I had the number to.” Will took out his cell phone, but Viper stopped him from making the call.
“Let me have the number. We know she’s with the FBI right now, and I don’t want to alert them to the fact that she has the phone if they haven’t already taken it from her. I’ll have Knox see if he can find the location of the signal from it before we
make a call.”
Viper looked down at his cell phone to make sure he received Will’s text with the number before continuing. “Going back to what we were discussing before”—Viper put his phone away—“we have to take in account considering how long it has been, that whatever Ginny took is going to be irretrievable or has been destroyed. Allerton’s a smart man. He’ll have come to this same conclusion. What it comes down to is why he wants her so bad, even if the item has been lost forever? I think he’s wanting to make sure she didn’t see him kill her friends. He’s never let out a fart in public, so I can see him doing whatever it takes to keep his image intact. The tricky part for him is to decide just how much Ginny knows. He’s going to study Ginny. If she’s fooled us for all these years, as to her identity, she might be able to convince him that she doesn’t remember or know anything and he’ll let her go.”
“And if he doesn’t?” Willa asked.
“Then Ginny and Reaper are on borrowed time,” Viper stated the cold hard truth.
“I have money.” Willa moved away from Lucky to stand beside T.A., laying a hand on her shoulder. “Tell Dustin what you need, and I’ll have it transferred to your account. I want to help Ginny, whatever the cost.”
“Same goes for me,” Dalton agreed. “I’ll also get on the phone to some of my contacts. Several of them have yachts; I’ll see what insights I can get from them about Allerton and his island.”
“We have to prepare to fight fire with fire, so I won’t be saying no to either of your offers. I, as well the Last Riders, will be getting our hands on what cash we can on short notice, but we’re going to have to have large sums at our disposal. Anyone else?” Viper asked, wanting to end the meeting so he could coordinate with Rider and Shade.
Looking at the group circled around him, he was met with silence.
“Then everyone get busy.”
Turning toward T.A. again, Viper said, “I’ll make sure to keep you informed. Go home and get some rest. I’ll be sending some brothers to guard your place. If Allerton now knows Ginny is alive and he gets nothing out of her, he might want to use you as a bargaining chip. I want to make sure that isn’t going to happen.”
Dalton shook his head. “Save your men. I’ll make sure she’s protected.” The movie star, who was famous for his good looks, exuded a dangerous aura that couldn’t be mistaken. Dalton could and would take care of his own. “Besides, Ice and Jackal are on my plane now, so they should be here in the next hour.”
Viper nodded. “That’s one worry off my mind, then.”
Viper started walking to where Shade and Rider were standing but stopped when T.A. called out to him. “Viper? If you are able to get a message to Evangeline, could you tell her something else for me?”
“Yes.”
“Tell her I’m going to—” T.A. broke off, unable to go on.
Sex Piston didn’t have the same problem. “Tell her we’re waiting to welcome her ass home.”
Chapter Six
Once they were in the air, Reaper tore Ginny’s present open to uncover a small, black velvet box. Flipping the box open, he saw a pair of black pearls. He swallowed hard before opening the envelope.
To replace the one I stole. This will suit you much better. You can use the other as a spare if you lose one. I found these when I lived in Clindale. T.A. saved them for me. I meant to make charms out of them, but I decided I wanted to give you a piece of me so you wouldn’t forget about me and how much I love you. They are found in the deepest part of the ocean, yet they could never reach the depths of the love I have for you.
Love,
Evangeline
Opening the box again, Reaper took out one of the earrings, putting it through the empty hole she’d left after taking his earring. He took the other black pearl and replaced it with another earring. Setting the empty box and card aside, he started reading the information that Knox had put together for him in the short timespan he’d given him.
Sorting through the paperwork inside the thick envelope, he found the marriage certificate, his passport, and his inoculation records. Knox had made sure to include any paperwork that could possibly keep him out of the country he was headed toward. He silently thanked Shade for suggesting he keep his medical records updated in case they had discovered Slate hiding in another country.
Sorting through the remaining papers, he saw that Knox had listed several of Allerton’s assets, as well as his known associates. Reaper read through the list before moving on to read the charities associated with his foundation. Giving an internal whistle at the names on the list, Reaper moved on to the overview of Allerton’s personal life. He was single and had been linked with a variety, high-profile women. The woman he was currently dating was a high-powered lawyer from D.C.
Taking out the marriage certificate, passport, and his health records, he placed them in the side pocket of the duffel bag Viper had given him. Replacing the rest of the papers in the envelope, he placed it in the storage box next to Train, as well as the empty jewelry box and letter Ginny had written him.
Queuing his mic, Reaper asked Train, “How much longer?”
“Twenty minutes.”
Reaper stared out the bubble of the windshield, his gut clenching at the thought of Ginny being gone before he arrived, and the FBI preventing him from seeing her, much less allowing him to go with her. So many scenarios were in play; each with their own measure of him not achieving his goal.
He grit his teeth when Train hit an air pocket, sending Train expertly fighting for control of the helicopter.
“Hang on.” Reaper heard Train’s voice come in and out of the headset.
Reaper tightened his harness. They were risking their lives to fly through the turbulent winds that Silas and Fynn created. Just a few weeks ago, death would have been a welcome relief from the mental anguish he had been suffering through. Ironically, he had never wanted to live more than he did now. He had fences to repair—the first and one of the most important was Ginny.
The image of her standing on the front porch consumed his thoughts. The hopeful expression on her face that turned sad when he had walked back up the porch steps was now more understandable. He thought she was too embarrassed to tell Silas she would be sharing his bed. In hindsight, she had been waiting for him to tell her about Taylor. She’d been testing his feelings for her, and he had failed. Miserably.
Static sounded in his ear. “Five minutes away.”
The helicopter bounced again. Reaper heard Train’s litany of curses, then suddenly felt the jarring movements stop, and the chopper flew smoothly. Five minutes later they were landing on a helipad.
Unfastening his harness, Reaper grabbed his bag and was already taking off at a run toward the small airport while the blades overhead still whirled.
Reaper felt a rush of wind pass him, crazily thinking it was Silas somehow urging him on. He had to blink twice before he realized it was Train running past him in order to hold open the door with his foot; it reminded Reaper of the friendship they had once shared.
“Getting slow, old man.” Train laughed, running next to him after they ran through the door.
Reaper stopped, and not because of the joke, but because he didn’t know where in the fuck to go. A hard hit to his shoulder had Reaper looking to where Train was pointing to the side of the concourse, five feet away.
Reaper saw three men in suits and Hammer waiting for Ginny as she came out of the women’s restroom.
Reaper took a deep of breath of oxygen, then released it in an explosion of air that had everyone staring at him.
“Ginny!”
Ginny jumped in shock hearing her name called out. Turning toward the voice she recognized, she saw Gavin and Train walking toward her.
Feeling a tug on each of her arms by two of the FBI agents, who were leading her toward the double glass doors that led outside, Ginny was tempted to give in to their silent demands. God help her, though, because she couldn’t move a muscle; she’d become frozen in
place at Gavin’s menacing approach.
“Uh … I think … w-we should wait,” Ginny stuttered out in fear.
Oh God ….
She had gotten a glimpse of Reaper on the way back to Treepoint after they had stopped to help that couple on the side of the road, but it was nothing like the man who was coming in hot after her.
Ginny began to doubt her sanity for remaining in place and allowing Gavin to catch up with them. “Hammer?”
Hammer shrugged at her plea. “You’re on your own, kid.” Her childhood protector folded his arms across his chest.
Her hair swung to the side as she quickly whipped her head to face the agent holding her arm. “I’m ready.”
None of the agents moved.
“Ginny, come here.”
“Just a minute,” Agent Flores finally spoke up. “Miss Bellamy is in our custody.”
“Come. Here. Ginny.”
Frightened by his tone, Ginny tried to shake off the restraining hands and step toward Gavin, but they tightened their grips, refusing to relinquish control.
“Let go of my wife!” Gavin’s loud voice drew several curious eyes in the airport, then dropped into a lethal growl. “Now.”
Two pairs of hands dropped.
Ginny took a faltering step forward, as Gavin tugged her into his side. Staring up at him with her mouth gaping open, she managed to stutter out, “Uh … what are you doing here?”
With furious eyes, he stared down at her, silently communicating to be quiet.
Ginny was wise enough to know when to keep her mouth shut. She felt as if she was knocking on death’s door, and if she wasn’t extremely careful, it would be answered.
Satisfied his message had been received, Gavin raised his head to face to the FBI agents. “Who’s in charge?” he asked authoritatively.
