The Devil's Work

by Linda Ladd

  “From what I’ve heard, these guys are brutal and deadly but not particularly the brightest bulbs in the pack,” Lori said. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they took him to their clubhouse or somewhere else they frequent. They come off as dumb as stumps and probably think Eldon will heed their warning and back off so aren’t worrying.”

  “Eldon’s hands are tied. Ours aren’t.” Novak watched Lori’s face. “You’re saying you want to bust up their clubhouse. I get that right?”

  “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Give them something to think about, too. Once we get in, we make them talk. That’ll be easier than getting the sheriff to let us question his prisoners, who, by the way, are already cooperating with him. It’ll have to be quick and hard, no cops involved. No red tape or warrants or waiting for the right moment. We hit them hard and get what we want and get the hell out.”

  “I agree.” Black didn’t hesitate, all in. “I’ll get what we need out of them.”

  Everything about this case seemed risky to Novak. He had been overcautious about everything, but that was because it was Claire. Lori’s idea was straightforward but could go wrong in a million different ways. The Skulls were dangerous here on their own turf. “There’s bound to be dozen or more inside that clubhouse. They’ve got chapters all over the South that they could call in as reinforcements. There’s one in Miami. Eldon says they buy off local law enforcement.”

  “Not Walsh, apparently. Still, I doubt if they’d take them to their home base,” Lori ventured. “That chapter in Miami you mentioned? It’s the closest to here. Maybe that’s where they took Jake. Maybe Claire’s there, too. Who knows? Black, maybe your friend, the one that Novak told us about, the bad guy named Rango? Maybe he could help us find out if they’ve got Claire and Eldon’s kid over there.”

  Black nodded. “Jose thinks the world of Claire. If he finds out who’s grabbed her, he’ll not stop until he gets them. He’ll destroy them to a man, and he’s got the means.”

  “Why haven’t you already contacted him?” Lori asked.

  “I did. His guys have been out on the streets trying to get a lead on Claire since I got here. I mentioned the Skulls were involved, so he’ll be all over them. I haven’t heard back yet, but if Kellen has Claire anywhere around Miami, Jose will find her.”

  “Okay, then let them check that out while we find Jake. They’ve got no reason to go easy on him, no ransom, and no skin off their nose if they beat him up or kill him, especially if they want to give payback to Eldon.”

  Black said, “Tell you one thing, the Miami chapter’s going to run scared if they find out Jose Rango’s got his men out looking for them.”

  “Nothing wrong with that,” Novak said. Jose Rango was bad news, all right, especially if you got on his wrong side. The Skulls were no match for his organization.

  A half hour later, Eldon was back, and Black had Jose Rango on the phone. Novak filled in Eldon as Black talked privately to the mob boss for about ten minutes and then walked back into the room. “He says they grabbed one of the gang members and got information out of him. The Skulls have a safe house outside Hialeah where they’re known to hold prisoners.”

  “You believe the guy they were sweating told them the truth?” Lori asked.

  “Jose is thorough when he questions somebody.”

  They all understood the implication. “Then it’s a reasonable bet that Claire and Jake might be there.”

  Eldon stood up. “Let’s go get them.”

  “It’ll be faster if I can get a chopper out here. I’ll take the controls and one of your boys can give the pilot a ride back to Naples,” Black said.

  “Good, do it,” Eldon said. “I’m coming with you. Don’t give me any shit about it, Novak.”

  “Not a good idea.”

  “I’m going.”

  Lori gave an exaggerated sigh that made no bones about the fact that she was tired of dealing with stubborn men. “Okay, fine, Eldon. We’re going to need all the help we can get, I guess.” Surprised, all three men turned to look at her. “Well, we don’t have time to sit here and argue. What’s wrong with you guys, anyway? That boy is his son. Claire is your wife, Black. They’re both in terrible danger. Eldon gets to say if he comes with us. Get real, man. He’s Jake’s father.”

  After that, no more was said because they all knew Lori was right. The chopper made good time and landed out on the graveled parking lot. They were aboard and on their way within minutes. As the helicopter leveled and climbed into the darkness, Black picked up another phone call from Miami. The conversation was short and to the point, and Black gestured for them to put on their headsets and listen to what Rango had told him.

  “His men are watching the house in Hialeah,” Black told them. “Apparently, it’s fairly isolated, but he’s got his guys out there making sure nobody leaves until we show up. They’ll go in first and take down anybody who gets in their way, then they’ll leave it to us to get the info we need. No cops. That’s the deal.”

  Novak wasn’t always thrilled to work hand in hand with underworld types, but he’d done it a few times. Rango had been instrumental in getting Novak out of dangerous situations before. He was a good guy, relatively speaking. “How long till we touch down?” he asked Black.

  “Not long, and the airfield is private and rural. Jose’s gonna have a driver out there to pick us up. He’s sending along weapons and ammunition with the guy that can’t be traced back to them or to us. I know the driver. He used to work for my brother, but he can be bad news. Don’t mess with him. He’s got a hair-trigger temper.”

  “Don’t worry,” Lori said. “I do say this Jose fella is a peach of a friend. I bet those guns have the serial numbers filed off and everything.” Her tone implied anything but happiness at signing on with the mob.

  “I’ll take anybody’s help I can get when it comes to finding Jake,” Eldon said.

  “Maybe you should stay at the airport and keep a dim memory of what goes down tonight,” Black told Eldon. “Pleading ignorance is the best way for you to go.”

  Eldon was not into taking his advice. “To tell you the truth, my memory does fail me from time to time, so it will this time too, whether I’m in on this takedown or not. Did Rango’s men say how many Skulls are out there? Are we getting ourselves into an all-out war?”

  “He said they counted twenty motorcycles parked outside the safe house. Apparently, they own some kind of small ranch outside town. They’re known for taking people who cross them, torturing them in a barn, and dumping their bodies later. Jose’s got some kind of informant in their organization.”

  “Does Jose work with these guys?” Novak asked Black. He did not want a double cross to screw things up.

  “No, he said the Skulls are small potatoes in Miami. He offered to take all of them out for us, if we wanted. He’s got the ability.”

  Novak knew that. “Okay but they’re just watching and waiting right now? Are they going to go in without us?”

  “He said if they get wind that they’re ready to execute their prisoner or move him somewhere before we get there, his guys will take care of it. The Skulls are no match for Jose’s soldiers, you can trust me on that. We’re going to need their help to get to Jake.”

  After that exchange, silence dropped as they wrapped their minds around the coming altercation, because it was definitely going to happen. Novak sat back, relaxed because he had spent countless nights in swift copter flights toward enemy strongholds. He knew the danger and the terrible result they might find inside that clubhouse. On SEAL missions, he had spent transit time assiduously checking and rechecking his gear. Knowing he was prepared for a coming battle worked to soothe his nerves. Tonight was not the same. Tonight an innocent young kid and a pregnant woman both could be tortured and killed. That made it personal.

  Chapter 20

  The airstrip turned out to be a grassy a
rea about the size of a football field. A narrow, overgrown dirt runway could only accommodate small planes. One building sat off to the side. Novak figured this clearing in the woods had catered to Miami cocaine dealers in the 1980s and opioid traffickers today. It looked deserted except for an older model and nondescript white Volkswagen van. Black put the chopper down as gently and easily as a wafting feather. They climbed out and walked across to the waiting vehicle. The driver was standing outside the car. With a short greeting to Black, he took their backpacks and weapons and stowed them in back.

  Novak had not met the guy. If Black vouched for him, that was enough reassurance. The driver was small. He looked slender, but that was deceptive. He had the hard-packed, wiry musculature of quick athletes, probably had some ninja skills, if Novak guessed right. Sharp features gave him the look of a fox. He had black hair pulled up in a man’s bun but was clean shaven and neatly dressed. His creased pants and white dress shirt were immaculate. He smelled of spicy aftershave, a lot of it. If they’d been sitting close inside a bar, Novak would have gotten up and moved. The guy looked like an assassin Novak once knew.

  The driver did not ask questions or even look directly into their faces. He was a pro at whatever he did, all right. Novak was distinctly glad he was on their side. He drove fast and with complete control and had them out on the gravel road leading to the ranch in less than twenty minutes. They were met in a small grove of orange trees by a contingent of armed guys decked out in camo and carrying AR-15s. The driver stopped the van, unloaded the back, nodded at Black, got back in, and took off the way he’d come.

  “Looks to me like the Mafia’s changed a bit since The Godfather came out,” Lori told Novak under her breath. “These guys look more like a legit LAPD SWAT team.”

  “Black says that’s how Rango trains them. Jose never does anything halfway.”

  “Good to hear, considering our lives are in his hands, so to speak.”

  The man in command took Black aside and spoke to him softly in rapid-fire Spanish. After that private conversation, Black turned and filled the rest of them in on what had gone down. Apparently, Rango’s men had already surrounded the ranch. According to them, nobody could get through their perimeter. He indicated the impending takedown would be done by them and would be like shooting fish in a barrel. Novak hoped that wasn’t to be taken literally. As it turned out, he was wrong.

  When they proceeded through the trees to the ranch house, they hunkered down where they could see the 1940s-era brown stucco bungalow. They hadn’t been in place two minutes when a shot went off behind the house followed by what sounded like a full-out firefight. Novak and the others ducked down while the short bursts of automatic gunfire crackled somewhere in the trees. They were not to take part but to go in after the place was secured. Apparently, the Skulls were running. Novak didn’t blame them. Two of them burst out the front door, opening fire as they ran for their Harleys, but were shot down before they reached mid-driveway. Pandemonium ensued for a couple of minutes, and then the night became quiet. No insect songs, no birds; they’d had the sense to get the hell out of Dodge. Novak had not been expecting this kind of fight or this many casualties. He didn’t like it, but he didn’t like Jake being kidnapped by brutal murderers, either. Considering the number of dead bodies lying around, Novak determined the good guys had won; good guys being a relative term, of course.

  Eldon was already up and running in, and almost to the barn doors. Lori was right behind him, trying to stop him from going inside. Novak didn’t want him to enter either; no telling what they’d find inside. Lori had no luck holding him back. He burst through the doors and found a couple of Jose’s guys already inside. Jake was hanging by his arms from the loft railing, and Rango’s guys were cutting him down. He had been brutally beaten. His face was nearly unrecognizable, his bare chest and arms slashed and dripping blood, but he was still breathing, thank God. No sign of Claire. When they cut him down, his father caught him in his arms. The kid was only half-conscious but did not have life-threatening injuries, only because his captors had not had time to kill him before they were overrun.

  Eldon picked up his son in his arms and carried him to the white van, which was now waiting out front. They headed out to the nearest ER while the rest of them went inside the house that was now secured. Rango didn’t mess around when he wanted a job done. Novak was glad it was over. His relief was short lived when they got inside. When they’d found that baby house out in the swamp, that was god-awful, but this was even worse. Upstairs, they found three more pregnant women, all close to term. They were drugged and chained to beds, just like Allison DiFlorio and Claire. Two of them were completely out of it, but one was conscious and terrified when they came into the room.

  Black’s frantic search of the house was futile. Claire was not there. Fear hit Novak hard, because this was where she should have ended up. This had been their last hope. He felt sick because now he thought she was dead. Despite the ransom money, she and Black were well known enough for her abduction to explode in the tabloids. She was a dangerous person for Kellen to take; he just hadn’t considered all the ramifications. This raid by the mob was going to scare him even more. The anguished look suffusing Black’s face told Novak he was thinking the worst, too. The girl who was still conscious didn’t trust them. She looked like a doe in headlights. Black and Novak stepped back away from the bed, and Lori sat down and took the woman’s hand.

  “Don’t be afraid. We’re here to help you. We’re going to get you back home to your family. We aren’t going to hurt you, I swear.”

  “Are you the police?” The young woman’s gaze kept going back to Novak and Black. They were big and armed with big guns, and she was afraid of them.

  “Not exactly police, but we’re here to help you. We can’t tell you more than that, but please trust us. We are not going to harm you. We’re getting you out of here, but we need you to tell us some things first. Okay?”

  The woman nodded. She looked to be in her late twenties. She appeared healthy but tired and pale and frightened. Her long brown hair was caught at her nape with a rubber band. Her brown eyes were big and haunted. This whole case was an absolute nightmare. How could something like this go on on the outskirts of Miami and God only knew how many other places?

  “What’s your name?” Lori asked.

  “Jessie. Jessie Weston.” Her voice was low and hesitant. Novak could tell she wanted desperately to believe they were there to help her. She didn’t know what to think and probably still had residual sleeping pills in her system. She looked ready to give birth at any minute.

  “How long have you been here? Do you know?” Lori asked her.

  “No.” She glanced at Novak again. “Maybe two months? I stopped counting, and the pills make me forget things. Where are we? I just woke up here.”

  “Outside Miami. Are you from around here?”

  “Ocala.”

  “How did they get you?”

  Jessie licked dry lips. “I was out for a walk, you know, exercising for the baby. The pediatrician said that would make it easier when the time came.” She stopped a moment. “I was only a block from my house when these three guys just drove up in a van and pulled me inside. After that, they made me take pills, and I don’t remember much until they brought me out here.” Suddenly, fear overwhelmed her again. Her voice dropped lower. “They were going to kill us the minute we had our babies. They told us. They said they had to because we knew who they were. They said we shouldn’t worry because the babies would go to good homes.” That did it. Jessie gave into the horror and wept as if she would never stop. Lori took her in her arms and held her until the storm of tears passed. It took a while, and then Jessie wiped her face and told them the rest of her story.

  “They come on motorcycles, big loud ones. We can hear them. They say if we get away, they’ll find us and kill us. They’ll kill you, too, for doing this.” She was shaking. Nov
ak wondered if this poor girl would ever be the same.

  “No, they’re not coming back here, and they’re not going to kill anybody else,” Black said, squatting down on the other side of the bed. Lori stood and backed away. Black kept his voice low and gentle, the practiced tone of a trained psychiatrist. His face did not match that voice because his features were set in rock, his eyes intent on Jessie’s face. Novak knew that beneath that calm, Black was terrified that Claire was waiting to die in some horrific baby factory like this one.

  “Do you know where they take these babies after they’re born?”

  “No, I just know they kill us. Two other girls were here, and they went into labor. They took them away and they never came back.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “They shoot people out back somewhere. We’ve heard the shots. They’ve threatened to take us out there if we cause trouble.”

  “How many women have given birth since you’ve been here?”

  “Four.”

  “Was there ever a woman here named Claire? She has blond hair and blue eyes. She’s not as far along as you are.”

  She shook her head.

  “Do they deliver the babies out here or take the moms somewhere else?”

  “There’s a doctor they call in, I think. I don’t know what happens, but the doctor is a woman. Maybe she’s a midwife, or RN, or something, I don’t know. She takes them away in her car. Then we never see the babies again.” She looked from one of their faces to the next. She stopped on Black’s face. “I’m due anytime now. They’ve told her to be on call to come take my little boy away from me.”

  “Do you know this doctor’s name? I really need to know her name.” Lori smiled, but Novak knew her better than that. She was so angry. She wanted to take down everybody involved in this terrible business, just as much as he and Black did.