by KJ Dahlen
“The longer you keep me from them the madder they will be. You know that right?” she reminded him gently.
He nodded, then shrugged. “This is turning into more than it ever should have been in the first place. Racer was holding a lot of money for me while I was away, but I’m back now and I needed a fresh start. The way Racer told me was that, a year ago, Bandit took every cent Racer had and framed him for murder. He told me Bandit and Snake approached him and his partner James with a drug deal that would double their club money and they could earn enough money to buy out their other two partners. They took the deal and it worked so well, they got enough money together to do the buyout. Then Bandit showed up with one final deal for them and the next morning Racer woke up to a hell storm. James was dead, the money was gone and he was left holding the bag for James’s murder. He didn’t even know where to start looking for the little fuckwad. When he finally found the dirty bastard, he finds out Bandit is in jail and he ain’t ever going to get out. I found out that it was Snake that actually did the stealing though. Like you said, he did the shit work for bandit, but seems he may have taken most of it for himself this time. Racer wants that money back and to get his name cleared.” He shrugged. “I just want what’s mine. I didn’t know he was willing to kill you to get it.”
Nita sat still listening as she swiped at her tears.
“I may be a lot of things but I’m not a killer. When I realized Racer did intend to kill you, I decided to try and right the wrong. When you do get back home, you tell your family that.”
Nita nodded. She watched as he opened his door and got out of the truck. He walked around the front and came to stand beside her door. When he opened it, he held out his hand for her. As soon as she got her feet on the ground, she was hit by a blast of heat. There was a slight breeze but inside the warehouse, the heat was oppressive and sweat formed on her skin almost immediately.
He motioned for her to move to an interior room. She went with him and when he closed the door behind them, the light dimmed significantly. He pulled her over to the back wall and then he tied her hands behind her back again. Then he took off his belt and stringed the rope with the belt and put it back around his waist. “I’m sorry but I need a couple hours of sleep and I can’t afford to let you run away. Something might happen to you. A woman alone. We’ll figure something out how to get you back to your family when I wake up. I promise.” Then he laid down on the dusty floor and when she was settled down beside him, he closed his eyes.
Nita opened her eyes and looked around the room. Doubletap was still sleeping but she made no attempt to get away. She didn’t know why but she felt like she could trust him not to hurt her. He had taken her away from danger at least.
She looked around the warehouse but couldn’t find anything that would tell her where she was.
Looking down at the man sleeping next to her she noticed he was only a few years older that Creed. She saw a bit of his arms and saw the edges of some serious ink. She then wondered about why he was trying to hide it. Sighing as she sat there, she laid her head on her drawn up knees.
“I’m sorry,” he spoke quietly.
“About what?” she asked without moving.
“I’m sorry now I ever got involved in Racer’s scheme. When I got out of prison a few weeks ago, I just wanted to get away. I had no family ties, very few friends I could call on and then I made a mistake of going to Racer to get the money he owed me.” Doubletap said as he raised his arm and shielded his eyes. “When he brought you to the stockyard early this morning and told me what he’d done I couldn’t believe it.”
“So you weren’t part of his master plan?”
“No I wasn’t. I can’t say I’m surprised to find Bandit in jail awaiting trial, he’s a real bastard that way.” He shook his head. “But I think Racer is just as bad. You had nothing to do with this mess.”
“You spoke earlier like you were in it with him. Why would you do that?” she finally asked.
He shook his head. “I’m sorry about that. I never would have let him hurt you, I hope I’m a better man than that but I wanted what was mine. I was playing the part to see how far he would go and I think he would have gone the whole way if he hadn’t been caught. I think he would have snapped your neck whether your husband paid him or not.” He shrugged. “I should have known better I suppose, knowing what those two are like but I just wanted to collect my money and get the hell out of Dodge.” He sighed hard. “Now, he’s got me stuck right in the fucking middle of situation and there is no way out of for me.” He turned to look at her. “Either way I turn, I’m a dead man. Convicted of a crime I didn’t commit, stuck in a prison for ten years while the man who put me there was on the outside doing business, raking in the dough. I had two more years to go then I was gonna look the bastard up and get my due.”
“What are you doing here then if you still had time to serve?” Nita asked.
“When Bandit was arrested, they looked into my case and they found the evidence that they never found at trial. They released me early with their sincere apologies. Huh? Imagine that, but apologies don’t pay the rent and I just wanted to get away from all the bad memories for a while. I was going to come back for Bandits trial and sit right behind him, make him sweat, you know?”
Nita nodded. Bandit had a lot to answer for.
“But you can’t go anywhere or do anything unless you got the green. Racer was tapped out, Bandit hit him up a year ago and left him hanging when he killed Racer’s partner and allowed the cops to think Racer had done it. This was all he had left. He knew Bandit hadn’t spent the money, that money was Bandit’s bank for when things went south with the MC.”
Nita frowned. “How did he know that?”
“Racer got a phone call from Bandit right after he killed James. Bandit bragged how easy it had been to kill James and how easy it would have been to kill him too, but he had to let him live to take the fall. That’s when he told Racer about the money. He said it was hidden where no one would ever find it but him.”
“Is that why Racer kidnapped me?”
Doubletap nodded.
“Tate never would have given him the money anyway.” Nita was certain of that. “Now, he’ll kill the man. Tate isn’t one to forget what he did.”
Doubletap nodded.” I wouldn’t either. Racer took his woman. Fuck what a retard.” He sighed again. “Guess I am too, as I’d gone with it for a little while.”
Nita reached out and laid her hand on his arm. “You haven’t done anything wrong here. You kept me safe and you protected me. That has to count for something.”
Doubletap raised a brow at this. “Between your husband and your son, I doubt it. My life is forfeit any way you fucking slice it. Either Bandit or Racer had taken everything I had and now I’ve pissed away the only friend I ever had.” He snorted. “My mom made bad decisions all her life and I guess she passed that trait to me.”
“Please take me home, I’ll speak to Tate and my family. They won’t touch you, I promise,” Nita begged him.
Doubletap looked up at her and smiled. “Thank you, pretty lady, but no. I need to get the hell out of Dodge while I still can. I can and will tell you how to get home but I can’t stay here.”
“Where will you go?” Nita asked.
“I can get as far as Waco then after that I’ll see.” He unbuckled his belt and freed her. Then he took his knife and cut her bindings. He helped her to her feet and with his hands on her shoulders, he told her, “Your husband in a lucky man. I’m glad I got to meet you. I wish it had been under better circumstances.”
Nita laid her hands on his and nodded.
Taking her hand, he led her back the way they came. He showed her to the door and pointed west. “It’s daylight now, so you should be safe. The compound is just over there. It will take you maybe twenty minutes to get there but that will give me time to get away. I’m sorry for my part in all this.” He leaned forward and gently kissed her forehead.
“P
lease come with me. After you explain everything, I’m sure they won’t hurt you.” Nita pleaded with him.
“Sweet mama, I just spent the last eight years behind bars for a crime I didn’t commit.” He shook his head. “I don’t want to die because of another crime I helped out in. They’re going to think I’m as guilty as Racer. And in their eyes, I probably am.”
Nita shook her head. “Let me call Tate. If I explain things to him, I’m sure he’ll understand. I can make him understand.”
Doubletap hesitated. He had his doubts but he didn’t want to run and have to look over his shoulder every day for the rest of his life.
“Please? Please let me help you?” Nita begged softly. “You helped me, now it’s my turn to help you.”
He simply stared at her. “Could be another mistake.” He gave her a smile. “But...”
Nita reached around him and grabbed the phone from his back pocket. With shaky hands, she dialed a number and waited while the call went through. When Tate answered the call, she called out his name, “Tate....”
Chapter Eight
Doubletap pulled into the compound in the truck and Nita was next to him on the seat.
When he stopped the truck, he held up his hands in surrender.
Tate was there to rip the passenger door open and he hauled her out of the truck. Taking her up in his arms, he held her tightly. Squeezing her and kissing her face desperately.
Creed went over to the driver’s door. He held a gun in his hand and he looked pissed. He grabbed Doubletap out of the truck and threw him to the ground, then he kicked the man in the belly but stopped when Nita called out his name.
“Creed stop, you all promised me!” She came running around the back of the truck and leaned down to help Doubletap to his feet.
Tate growled and pulled her out of the way.
She turned to him and said, “You promised me.” She reminded them both.
“Woman, he kidnapped you and threatened to kill you if he didn’t get what he wanted.” Tate growled.
“No he didn’t!” Nita assured them. “Racer did that. This man kept me safe. He helped me get away from the danger Racer put me in. If you go the stockyard you’ll find Racer tied up in one of the rooms. This man was the one to tie him up.”
Tate turned to and glare at her. “We already got that bastard. He’s waiting for judgement day down in a cell in the basement.” He sneered at Doubletap. “And you my friend are going to join him.”
“No he’s not.” Nita straightened her back. She glared at her husband and oldest son. “You both promised not to hurt him if he brought me back home and I’m going to see that you keep your word. He’s got information you can use to bring down this Racer character and maybe even Bandit. Both men have a lot to answer for and he might be the key to winning the case against them.”
“Racer will never make it to a trial and there’s already enough on Bandit to send him to prison for the rest of his miserable life,” Tate countered her argument.
“What if I told you there was a good possibility Bandit might be let go?” Doubletap announced to the group gathering around him.
Creed stared at him and seemed to see him for the first time. “Luke?” He stepped back in shock. “What the fuck?”
Doubletap shook his head. “Man, I didn’t know it was your mom. I also didn’t know he was gonna—”
Creed backed him up against the truck and he looked furious as he grabbed him by the front of his shirt. “Just what the hell do you mean, Bandit might be let go, asshole?”
Doubletap stared at him. “Bandit is in jail under the name of Dale Westerly right?”
Creed nodded.
“That man is not and has never been Dale Westerly. His real name is Wayne Corderly. Wayne killed Dale years back and took over his life. His old man had just left my mother and she was too caught up in her own life to care or notice. The only one who did care was me and Wayne looked enough like Dale, so no one else knew.” He shrugged. “Wayne was a bully and he didn’t stop until he got what he wanted. He enjoyed causing other people pain and if he could get others to dish it out he liked that even better. He sent me to prison for beating an old man to death. I got manslaughter charge instead of first degree because I could prove the old man came after me first. That just seemed to piss Bandit off, he started trouble inside the joint and when I defended myself, I got an extra two years.”
“The question is can you prove what you’re saying?” Creed asked. “Cause you sure as hell never told me any of this shit when we were in there.”
Doubletap nodded. “Just what good would that have done? You needed to get your family back man. It’s like this, after it happened, I found where he buried Dale’s body. I dug it up and put it somewhere he would never find it. Even after all this time, I’m sure DNA is possible. He buried his own identity with the body so I got that too.”
“Fucking hell!” Tate swore as he ran his fingers over his head. He looked at his men and asked, “Why hasn’t he used this before now to get out of jail?”
Doubletap snorted. “Because the bastard is waiting for the calm after the storm. He’s letting you guys calm down and the police to build their case, so when he does reveal himself as Wayne they can’t charge him without double jeopardy attaching. That way all, he has to do is reveal his true name and suggest Dale got away and is still out there. That would send the police chasing their own shadow while he sets up somewhere else with Racer’s money.”
“Fuck a duck,” Cobra swore. He looked around at his own men. “That means as much as you don’t want to, you really need to find that fucking money.” He turned to Tate. “We have to make sure he can’t get his dirty hands on that money.”
“There’s more in case you’re wondering,” Doubletap interjected.
“What would that be?” Tate grumbled violently.
“The man you called Snake?”
“What about him?” Creed curled his hands into fists.
“He’s Wyatt Westerly’s bastard kid. No one knew because Westerly didn’t want another kid but he is. He also knew Wayne wasn’t Dale but those two have always been close. Snake likes to do Bandit’s dirty work and Bandit rewards him big time.”
“How do you know all this?” Cobra asked as all of this coming from the only friend he had in prison was almost too much to take in.
“The old man I was supposed to have killed? I never touched him. I did have words with him but it was Snake that killed him. They nabbed me for the crime but I looked back before I turned the corner and I saw Snake twist the old man’s neck. Of course, I couldn’t prove it and it was my prints the cops found, so I took the fall. Snake came to visit me in the prison. He admitted it all to me then laughed in my face. He told me flat out that Bandit set up the hit on the old man and he was just there to make sure the old man died that day. You see the old man was his real grandfather and he wanted nothing to do with Wayne from before he was born. He kicked Wayne’s mom out when she found out she was pregnant with him. He didn’t see her or the baby again. Wayne’s mom ended up whoring herself out and when he was fifteen, she died of an overdose. That was about the time Dale died and Wayne took his place.”
“Does Wyatt know any of this shit?” Cobra finally asked.
Doubletap shrugged. “Do you think after all this time he’d really care? About anyone but himself? He didn’t want kids in the first place.”
“He’s got a point boss.” Thor nodded at Cobra. “When did Westerly ever do anything for anyone else? He never gave a shit about anyone but himself and every fucking mistake he ever made was always someone else’s fault.”
Tate suddenly looked around the compound. He was getting that funny feeling again, almost like someone was watching them. “Let’s take this inside.”
After everyone was inside, Cobra came up to Tate. “What did you feel?”
Tate stared at the man for a moment then told him, “Someone was watching us. I could feel hostile eyes.”
Cobra n
odded. “Yeah I did too, but I wasn’t going to say anything until we confirm it.”
Tate shuddered. “Any idea who might be out there?”
Cobra shook his head. “No I don’t, but I have a guy who can find out for us.”
Tate raised an eyebrow.
Cobra shrugged. “Jett is my tracker. He can find anything or anyone he wants, once he sets his mind to it.”
Tate nodded. “Ok, let’s give him his freedom and find who’s out there and why.”
Cobra hesitated briefly then asked, “Who is this guy Doubletap? It seems Creed knows him.”
Tate nodded. “I’m not sure but I aim to find out.” He walked over to his oldest son who was sitting at the table with the man in question. Crossing his arms over his chest, he glared at this Luke person. “Gotta question for you, just who the hell are you and how do you know Creed?”
Doubletap just stared at the other man.
It was Creed who introduced him, “Dad, Cobra, guys, I’d like you to meet Luke Montgomery. He was my cell mate for seven years while I was in prison.”
There was a moment of silence then Cobra swore. “Holy fucking shit. You’re Wyatt’s stepson?”
Doubletap transferred his glare to Cobra. “I am nothing to that man and that’s just fine with me. I hated that bastard from the moment he first came around my mother. And for your information, she never married that puke in the first place.” His glare intensified. “She may not have had the best taste in who she slept with but at least she didn’t marry him. He’d stay a few days and leave again, leaving Dale behind with her when he couldn’t be bothered to be his parent. He’d come back every few months and it would be bad for me and her until he left again. Finally, when I was fourteen she’d had enough and her and I snuck out after he and Wayne fell asleep. What happened to them after that neither of us cared. Wayne found us a couple years later but by then he was over eighteen and on his own. Wyatt was gone by then and that man has been a pain in my ass ever since. I didn’t want him in my life after that but he always managed to be right there. Then he set me up for murder.”