“Say goodbye to Momma!” Vince says cheerfully to Jack.
“Bye, Momma!”
I reach over and touch Jack’s face. “Bye, little man.”
As I’m about to get out of the car Vince grabs my arm. “Don’t hurry. Don’t make a scene. Get in, get what we need and leave.”
“Gummi Bears!” yells Jack.
“And get Jack Gummi Bears.”
“Yay!”
I smile at Jack. “Gummi Bears it is.”
Opening the car door and walking away from Jack is one of the hardest things I have ever done. It’s always been him and me. I’ve protected him from his asshole father and then the next loser I hooked up with. That was it for me with men, no more. My boy deserves better and now look what I’ve gone and done. I went to work in that shitty bar and trouble has found me. Found us.
“Ma’am are you okay?” asks a lady in the same aisle as me.
“Y-yes, my son cut his hand is all and, I need to get some bandages. Boys will be boys, you know?”
“Oh my yes! They bleed like stuck pigs and it terrifies and makes us angry all at once! I’ve got four boys and one girl, she’s never been an once of trouble but the boys? Wait till he breaks his first bone.” The woman nods at me sympathetically and goes on her way.
I buy everything Vince told me to buy, plus Gummi Bears, some protein bars and a small can of deodorant that hopefully, I can use as a weapon. I put this in my pocket after I’ve paid for everything. When I get back to the car, Jack is all smiles.
“Momma! Did you get me some Gummi Bears?”
“Yes, baby, I did.”
Vince takes the bag off me and goes through it, he holds up the Gummi Bears.
“Look what I found!”
Jack laughs and claps his hands. I look at Vince and he’s scanning the parking lot.
“I did what you said. In and out, no one knows anything.”
Without looking at me or acknowledging me, he says, “Let’s go. There’s a Super Eight not ten minutes from here.”
Vince points in the direction he wants me to drive and I do as he says.
Chapter 9
Wraith
Suzannah is so stressed out about her kid that she doesn’t realize she’d told me his name. All I had on her was her name. Calling him ‘little man’ was just sheer God-dammed luck. I can’t figure her out. In the bar, she looked like any other club whore but looking at her now, worried about her son and all covered up, she could be a soccer mom.
We pull into the hotel and she doesn’t ask any questions, Suzannah glares at me, smiles at her kid and goes into the office. When she comes back she moves the car so it’s nearer the room. And she’s picked one on the end, smart.
As we get out of the car, I say, “You’ve been in trouble before.”
Suzannah has her son clutched to her chest. “What do you mean?”
“Are we in trouble Momma?”
“No baby. Vince is being silly! Let’s get inside,” Suzannah says giving me a hard look.
I ruffle his hair and she side-steps me into the room. Once inside, I shut the door and check the bathroom. No one is in here but it pays to be careful.
“Now little man, Momma needs you to eat this before you have any Gummi Bears, okay?”
“Do I have to?”
“Yes, Jack, you do and I want you to drink a glass of water as well.”
Suzannah pushes past me and fills up a plastic cup for the kid then turns on the TV and looks at me.
“Now what?” Suzannah asks with her hands on her hips.
“Jack your momma and I are just going to be in the bathroom. You stay out here and watch TV okay?”
“Okay.”
Jack’s eyes are already fastened to the TV, so he largely ignores me. I point at the plastic bag full of supplies and go into the bathroom. Suzannah follows moments later.
I peel off my shirt but the t-shirt underneath is stuck to me so it’s going to hurt like a bitch. I sit on the toilet seat and psych myself up for the pain that’s coming.
“Let me help you.”
Suzannah reaches down and pulls it over my head. I suck in a breath and grit my teeth at the searing pain.
“I’m sorry.”
I shake my head and look down. The blood that was staunched with my t-shirt is now flowing again.
“Need you to apply disinfectant to the wound with clean bandages, then I need you to stitch me up.”
Suzannah pales and I think she's going to decline but she nods.
***
I’m laying on the bed. Suzannah is beside me, Jack is asleep on the other side of her. My side aches but she did a good job of repairing me.
“Tell me about Darius and Hammer.”
Suzannah looks at me. “They are mean, they are connected and they are deadly.”
“So am I.”
Suzannah scoffs. “Yeah, that’s why you were bleeding all over the bathroom floor and they weren’t.”
“One of their men took me by surprise, it won’t happen again.”
“Rat. He was sent to follow you, if he hasn’t already reported back, you’re as good as dead.”
“He hasn’t reported back.” Suzannah quirks an eyebrow at me. “Why do you think I torched the car?”
“Why would you tell me that? I didn’t know a fucking thing, now I know that!”
“I’m not after you.” I state calmly. “You know anything about their business dealings?”
“Only the bar. I know they’re into some shady shit, but I’ve got nothing to do with that.”
“So you just serve the animals and turn a blind eye?”
Pointing to her son she says, “You see this right here? He’s my reason. I’d do anything to keep him fed and safe.”
“How come you’ve got your car all packed up then? You leaving?”
“Hammer fucking happened. I’m not a whore. He told me that I could run the bar and I’ve been doing a dammed fine job for the last three months. Turning a profit.”
“You skimming?”
“Not too much so they’d notice. Just enough for a nest egg for Jack and me.”
“You think he noticed?”
Suzannah shakes her head. “No fucking way.”
“Tell me what happened.”
“Hammer just wanted to dip his dick and I don’t roll that way.”
“Lesbian?”
“Do I look like a lesbian?” Suzannah asks rolling her eyes.
I shrug. “No, but I’ve been wrong before.”
“Then you have lousy taste in women.”
“Now, that I can agree with you. So why’d you refuse?”
“Are you kidding me?” Suzannah loud whispers. “I am a proud female and if I choose to take you into my bed, you better treat me right and show me respect! Not push me down on a table and just go at it!”
She’s got balls, I nod at her. “Fair enough. Can you tell me anything about either of them or the MC?”
“Darius has an ole lady. For a biker, he’s loyal to her. Hammer is only loyal to the greenback and his MC.” Suzannah strokes her son’s hair and asks, “Why do you want them so bad?”
“I had a daughter. They took her from me.”
“How?”
“I worked overseas, a lot. My wife started banging the guy next door. Ann started skipping school. I should have come home but I didn’t want to deal. My wife sent me a message, telling me Ann had run away. I came home as soon as I could but it took a month. By then all the leads were cold.”
“What makes you think the Harbingers have her?”
“I went through her life. It’s what I do. Their fingerprints were everywhere, they used her and threw her away.”
Suzannah’s face softens. “Is she dead?”
“I think so. Her trail went stone cold, a sign that they got rid of her. All I want now is revenge and to find out where they left her body.” I sit up on the side of the bed, feet firmly on the floor. “Closure, I need closure and a good old d
ose of revenge.”
“You don’t need us for that.”
I look down at Jack’s sleeping form. Guilt washes over me.
“No, I don’t. Tell me where Darius’ woman is and you’re free to go.”
“That’s it?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
“I was going to mace your ass.”
“What?” I ask stunned.
“Well, not really mace,” Suzannah reaches into her pocket and pulls out a small can of deodorant. “But it would have stung like a mofo.”
I take it off her. “Pine scent? Yep, this would have crippled me,” I say with a wink.
“I knew it,” Suzannah says with a smirk.
“Why’d you change your mind?” I ask.
“I would do anything for Jack and I have. So I get it. We want a better world for our kids. How old is Ann?”
“She’s just turned sixteen.”
Suzannah slides off the bed, trying hard to keep Jack from waking. “That’s a rough age. You have to watch them.”
“I wasn’t there for Ann or her mother, I let them both down but she had one job and that was to keep our girl safe. Not sure I could ever forgive her.”
Suzannah nods and stretches. I look from her to her kid.
“Where’s the father?”
“Jack’s dad isn’t in the picture. Never really was. A two-time loser.” Suzannah frowns and looks down at her son. “It’s just him and me. It’s all we need.”
“How much money you got?”
“What?”
“Moving requires cash. You’ll need more than what you’ve got, I bet. And that car,” I gesture to it. “It needs replacing.”
“What are you saying?”
“Help me and I’ll help you.”
“With money?”
“Ten K.”
“Twenty,” Suzannah counters.
I grin at her. “Deal.”
“I’d have done it for fifteen.”
“I would’ve gone higher.”
“Shoot!” Suzannah throws her hands up in the air in mock frustration.
“Write down everything you know about Darius and his woman.”
Suzannah sits down at the desk and puts pen to paper.
“You know it won’t bring Ann back.”
“I know but it’ll stop someone else's little girl from falling in with them. I might save someone else’s daughter.”
Suzannah nods and begins to write.
Chapter 10
Wraith
Suzannah’s intel is good. I left her at the motel and I think she’ll wait for me but the lure of money might not be enough. Her love for her son is strong so much stronger than my wife’s for our Ann.
I’m sitting inside Darius’ woman’s home. It’s very clean and tidy. Everything in its place. There’s a note on the fridge telling him she had to go to her sister’s place and won’t be home till after ten. I've been through all the bedrooms and all the beds are made. Her name is Darlene and she keeps a clean household or is this how Darius likes it?
The sound of a Harley pulling into the garage breaks through my thoughts, I go into the kitchen and sit at the table. If he has someone with him, this could get tricky but I’m hoping luck will be on my side. Darius needs to pay for what he did and I need him to confess his sins before I let the life seep slowly and painfully out of him.
The only lights on in the house are in the main bedroom. Darius turns off his bike and I listen for conversation but there isn’t any. The door to the garage opens and he walks into the kitchen without turning on any lights. He has no reason to worry.
“Darlene! You home?” Darius yells as he flips on a light switch and heads for the fridge.
He hasn’t noticed me. Darius rips the note from the fridge and mumbles to himself then he opens the door, I presume to look for food. Darlene has a plate made up for him, with a cute little note on top telling him how to heat it up. Darius pulls out the plate and turns. Finally, he sees me.
“What the fuck?” he whispers.
“Hey Darius, take a seat.”
Predictably he goes for his gun, I stand and pistol whip him with mine and he goes down, the plate shatters across the floor sending Darlene’s hard work everywhere.
I kneel down to him. “Look what you’ve done. It looked good too.”
Darius says nothing. I flip him over, use zip ties on him and drag his ass out the back door. Seeing as no one was home, I took the liberty of parking the car I stole in their backyard. Seems the stars are lining up for me tonight. I’ll be taking him to an abandoned warehouse on the outskirts of town. It’s private and I’ve got soundproof insulation up in one room so he can scream as much as he likes.
***
It takes over an hour for Darius to wake up, by then I have him tied to a table, naked. He begins to thrash about, looking around the room wildly when his eyes land on me, he quietens.
“Who the fuck are you!” snarls Darius.
“That’s not important. You are the negotiator. Tell me about your business deals.”
“Negotiator? I don’t know what the fuck your on about.”
I stand, smile and pick up a knife. I place it on his chest and press.
“No! Wait!” yells Darius as I drag its razor edge down his chest.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk. Darius you are going to die tonight. The how depends on you. Quick or slow, I don’t care but you will tell me what I want to know.”
“What the fuck do you want to know?”
I pull out the blade and look at the crimson that covers it; it glistens in the light.
“You’re a sick fucker aren’t you?”
I raise my eyebrows and grin at him. “You have no idea.” Darius’ eyes go wide and he sucks in an unsteady breath. “You are the negotiator. Tell me about your business deals.”
“We have our fingers in a lot of pies, you’ll need to be specific.”
I plunge the knife into his upper thigh, Darius screams and arches upward.
“The hardest part of interrogation is not hitting any major arteries. You are the negotiator. Tell me about your business deals.’
“Let’s make a deal!” screams Darius as I twist the knife.
“Deal?”
“I’ll tell you what you need to know and you’ll let me go!”
I toss another knife over and over in my hand while I stare at him with no expression. His eyes are wide and he’s got his teeth clenched together. Darius knows he’s fucked.
Like the five stages of grief, those being tortured go through a process. Darius here has skipped a couple of steps and gone straight to bargaining. It’s not unusual. Men like him know what it’s like in the seedy underbelly of life, he is under no illusions. If he can save his own skin, he will and Darius here would sell his own mother to stop me from what I’m going to do. I nod and stop tossing the knife, Darius relaxes.
“Hammer is the seller. I’m assuming it was you that took out Karen and Declan?”
“And the others.”
“Fuck!” Darius cusses. “Cut me loose!”
“You’ve told me shit. Shit, I already know.”
I stand over him and plunge a finger into the slice in his chest and drag it down through the wound. Darius’ eyes roll back in his head and he passes out. Dammit. I thought he had more stamina than that. The blood between my fingers is slick and slightly tacky. Blood has a coppery smell to it, some can’t handle it but me, I like it. It’s like an aroma, the deeper you dig, the better it gets. Only I can’t dig too deep…yet.
I have a bucket of water under the table, I wash off my hand and then throw it over Darius who splutters and coughs his way back to consciousness.
I slap him on the chest. “You with me Darius?” He’s still coughing, arching up as he tries to clear his airways. He nods furiously at me and I smile. “Who do you give the girls to? Give me a name.”
“Mainly Russian mob, Alec Petrov, he’s the son of Roman Petrov.”
I’ve crossed
paths with the Russian mob before and the Petrov family are small right now but they are trying very hard to play with the big boys.
“How do you pick the girls?”
“The girls come to us! Broken homes, abusive fathers.” I glare at him and he smiles. “Do we have your daughter? I could get her back!”
“My girl is dead.”
Darius shakes his head. “No! We don’t kill them, we rough them up but we don’t kill them! They’re too valuable.”
I sneer at him. “Her trail went cold. I know how to find people Darius, it’s how I found you.”
Sobs tear through his throat as he shakes his head from side to side. “You don’t know that! You don’t know! She could be alive. What’s her name?”
The thought of Darius saying her name, breaks something in me and I scowl down at him, the urge to carve into him becomes overwhelming and I pick up another knife.
“Please no! Please!” screams Darius.
“Tell me about Hammer. Where does he sleep?”
“Mainly at the clubhouse!”
I nod.
“Is he like you? Does he have a woman he sees?”
“M-many,” stammers Darius.
“Give me something I can use Darius. Is he ever alone?”
Darius’ eyes dart around the room, and eventually, he looks at me. “If you kill me, he’ll never be on his own. The club won’t allow him to be without his Sergeant at Arms. You won’t even get close.”
I snarl at him and stalk out of the room. He’s right, if he goes missing, they will tighten their ranks. By now, they have to know that the guy who was following me isn’t coming back and now their VP is missing, it won’t take a genius to figure out that someone is hunting them.
It’s nothing I haven’t had to deal with overseas when I’ve been hunting a target, except I’ve had backup and I’ve been more careful. Getting so close to the end I’ve screwed up. I should never have stayed in the clubhouse bar for as long as I did. It was a stupid move.
I walk back into the room. Darius turns his head to stare at me.
“You’re of no use to me Darius.” I pick up my sharpest blade and approach the table.
Twisted Tales of Mayhem: 2019 MMM Special Edition Anthology Page 35