The Devil's Own

by Angela Stevens

  She turned to face him, her eyes like fire. “Did you let him do this to Ryker?”

  “I didn’t let him do anything. Kane does what he likes. Ryker knew what was going to happen when he organized your escape. He’s gonna be totally pissed that he went through all of this for you to just walk back in through that door.”

  “Here you go, Cassidy. Are you happy now?” Kane lifted Ryker’s head, and her brother groaned. His eyes opened at the mention of her name, and she felt sick when she saw the bruising around his face.

  “Cassidy?” Ryker’s look of confusion almost made her burst into tears.

  Rage filled her, and she made another lunge, this time towards Kane, but Falcon still held her tight, so she turned and lashed out at him instead.

  “Let me go, let me go.” She beat her fists against his chest and arms, but Falcon only clung to her tighter.

  “Cool it, Cass, just calm the fuck down.”

  Finally, she relented. She looked up to find Kane grinning down at her. He put out his hand, palm up, and wriggled his fingers. “The book. Hand it over.”

  “I told you, I don’t have it with me.”

  “Then tell me where it is, and I’ll send someone to fetch it.”

  She shook her head and looked around the courtyard. There had to be almost fifty of the Devils crowded into the space. Kane was not going to be very responsive to any bargain she might try to make, with an audience. “Um, could we talk? Somewhere private?”

  “Don’t be an idiot, Cass.” Falcon hissed in her ear.

  Kane’s demeanor seemed to soften, perhaps he was amused by her request. He walked over to her and placed his finger under her chin. He lifted her face up, and she watched his bemused grin turn to a sneer. “You’re a lot of fucking trouble, Cassidy. You know how much you cost me down at the docks? How many men I had to divert to try to find you when you ran away? Not to mention you fucked up everything with the Creed brothers, and nearly caused a fucking war.”

  Cassidy tried to jerk her head out of his grip, but he caught her chin with his thumb and forefinger and squeezed hard until she kept still. “And now you want a private talk?”

  “Boss, she’s not worth it…”

  “Shut up, Falcon. I haven’t forgotten it was you who lost this little slut in the first place.”

  Falcon still had hold of her, and she could feel the rage trembling through his body and thumping against hers.

  “I think you and I can talk this over in a civil manner.” She tried to keep her voice even, tried to hide the terror she was feeling.

  Kane’s eyes widened. “Is that right?” He looked up at Falcon. “Take her to my room. I need to teach her a lesson.”

  “Boss, please, she didn’t…” But Falcon didn’t get to finish, because Kane sent him sprawling on his ass, clutching a bloody nose.

  Kane grabbed Cassidy by the arm before she could scuttle away and dragged her over to his room. Ryker called out from somewhere behind her, but Kane prevented her from turning around. When they reached the door, he threw her inside and slammed it shut behind them, closing out the rest of the gang.

  He folded his arms across his chest. “You’re either incredibly stupid, or you have a death wish. Now, where’s my fucking book?”

  Chapter 25

  Liam arrived at the park entrance in time to see Slade frog marching Cassidy across the grass. He reached for his gun and had partially drawn it when a gaggle of mothers pushing carriages came around the corner of a second entrance, putting themselves between him and his target. He hesitated and shoved his weapon back inside his holster.

  The women stopped just inside the park and unstrapped their toddlers, releasing them on to the grass. Shit, the place was suddenly filled with scampering kids, a huddle of strollers, and young women darting this way and that as they tried to corral their offspring. He peered through them, just in time to see Slade and Cassidy disappear out the other exit and onto the street.

  Fuck. He pulled out his phone. “Rand, shit’s going down. Cassidy was picked up, and she’s heading back to Bowker Street. We do this now.”

  He barked out his location and ended the call before Rand even confirmed it. What the hell was Cassidy doing? Surely, she couldn’t have been this frightened of me that she’d jump back into the lion’s den.

  He scoured the area, looking for anything that might help him make sense of what was going on while he waited for Rand to pick him up. He sat down on a bench near the group of bushes he’d watched Cassidy come out of. Liam tried to remember the expression on her face. Had she looked scared? Not exactly. He stood up and stared at the bushes. When he’d been chasing her, she’d had that book in her hand. Presumably she was going to use it to make some sort of bargain with Kane. Hmm, but when she approached Slade, she no longer had it. So, where did she put it?

  He looked over his shoulder and when he was assured no one was watching him, he ducked under the hydrangeas and overgrown rhododendrons. In the center of the border, there was a sparse area where Cassidy had probably been hiding, but apart from some litter on the ground, he couldn’t see anything. He crouched and pushed around a plastic bag and flicked away a dirty diaper with his boot. Gross! Honestly had people never heard of trash cans!

  Liam got to his feet and circled the area. Maybe she had it with her after all, or perhaps she dropped it before she got to the park. He’d chased her halfway across Chicago, so the damn thing could be anywhere. But no, that didn’t make sense. If she knew what that thing was, then she’d have taken great care to keep hold of it… unless, she wanted to make sure it didn’t fall into The Bowker Street Devils’ hands until she wanted it to.

  Liam raked his hair with his fingers. I should have taken it from her when I had the chance. There was enough evidence in that thing to put Kane and his goons away forever. It could have ended the Devils reign of terror once and for all. But he hadn’t, and for the life of him he couldn’t fathom why. Damn it, perhaps it was because he thought she could trust him enough to hand it over.

  But Liam should have known better. How long had it taken for him to trust someone after he left the Devils? Some might argue he still didn’t trust anyone but himself. Did he really think their little tryst would make her forget to watch her own back? Liam kicked out at a fast food box and it flipped in the air. As it crashed down to the floor, something was ejected from it.

  He stooped and picked it up, turning the book over in his hand. “I’ve fucking got you, Kane Munch.” Shoving it in his pocket, he climbed back out through the shrubs and jogged over to the entrance of the park.

  Rand pulled up with Joe and the woman from last night and Liam squeezed in the back with Joe.

  “Liam, this is Lydia.”

  He nodded at the woman and pulled the book out of his jacket pocket. He tossed it to Rand. “That’s everything we need. Let’s go and get them out.”

  As they approached the Bowker Street Motel, the side streets were filled with dozens of meat wagons and police cruisers. Lights were off, and armed police stood in riot gear ready to seal off the streets just as soon as Rand gave them the word.

  “Do we know how many are in there?” Liam asked as he checked his weapon and then struggled into a bullet proof vest.

  “More than forty, maybe sixty. We have units positioned near the Devils’ warehouse at the docks and a meth factory that we are pretty sure is theirs.” Rand parked the car and spoke into a police radio. “Close the streets, and keep silent.”

  “I don’t want this to turn into a massacre. Give me a head start.” Liam said.

  Joe slipped a tiny microphone onto Liam’s shirt behind his jacket. “He’s ready.”

  “You all have descriptions of Ryker, Falcon, and Cassidy. I do not want them harmed.”

  Liam’s colleagues nodded, but Liam knew there was little chance of that happening. His organization knew what was what, but they had local police crews out there, not to mention how many of the Devils were armed. It would be a miracle if any of L
iam’s friends got out of there alive.

  “When I say go, you’ll need to move fast. I don’t want any evidence destroyed.” By evidence, Liam was solely thinking of the book. On no account could that vanish again.

  Liam slipped out of the unmarked car and ran across the street. He disappeared up an alley, and then climbed a fire escape onto a roof. He might not have been back to Bowker Street for four years, but he hadn’t forgotten how to navigate the place unseen. He jumped a three-foot gap between buildings and hopped up a second fire escape. From there he had a pretty good view of the streets and was relieved to see no one around.

  He crossed the roof using the shadows to hide in, and stood on the edge of the roof. To his left was the old theater that had long since closed down. Some joker from the Devils once stole a flat screen and set it up in there, the enterprising little jerk charged them all a dollar to go in while he ran flicks streamed from Netflix and red box DVDs.

  Liam grinned at the memory. His childhood hadn’t all been doom and gloom. The theater had been a genius idea by one of the older boys and he’d spent many nights ensconced on dusty seats, wrestling tongues with the local ladies. Of course, like everything else at Bowker Street, nothing fun lasted long.

  He crossed what remained of the theater roof and looked down into the gaping hole. He’d lost a friend in the fire, courtesy of a rival gang that shored up the doors and set the damn place alight one July Fourth. The idiots had thrown in firecrackers, probably a joke, but it wasn’t funny when they pulled three bodies out the next morning.

  From the theater roof, he was able to make another leap onto the motel. The place was only two stories, so he had to drop down onto it from above. Silently, he crept to the edge of the motel roof and looked over the lip. Rand had been right; there were at least forty Devils crowded into the courtyard. He heard a yell, and looked through the glowing lights. Ryker was struggling against two goons holding him. Liam searched the faces and found Falcon a few feet away, and then he saw her.

  Cassidy had her arm twisted up and Kane was shoving her towards his room. Fuck, no. Over my dead body!

  Liam took the closest ladder down and dropped silently onto the second-floor verandah that ran along the street side of the courtyard. Most of the end of the second floor was in darkness, and had been since he lived there. He took the nearest staircase and slipped around the courtyard, counting the windows as he went. Kane’s room was bang smack in the middle. Twelve windows from the right and twelve from the left. As he progressed he looked from the street side in through the windows to the courtyard side.

  When he was a few steps away, he flattened himself against the wall and crept up to Kane’s window. An excuse for drapes hung closed, but there were so many moth holes he could squint through them. He pulled out his phone and quickly sent a text to Falcon. God, he hoped the guy had his phone on him.

  A pebble landed at his feet and looked up to see Joe above him. Liam gave him thumbs up, and the guy followed the route Liam had taken, then headed for another staircase. Liam squinted through the gloom, and found Rand and Lydia already in position at the other two staircases. Liam leaned in to take another look in Kane’s room. It was still empty, and he quickly popped the lock on the window, slid up the sash, and climbed inside.

  It was really too easy for the leader of the Bowker Street’s room, but Kane spent little time there. This place was only used when he wanted to keep a close eye on the gang members. Kane had a private apartment a few blocks away. Plush and clean, somewhere he liked to entertain his friends, and it was safe and secure.

  Liam was thankful Kane hadn’t taken Cassidy over there, or Liam’s life would have been way more complicated. He dropped to the floor and crawled along to the edge of the second bed. He was only just in position when the lock clicked and the motel room door flew open. He held his breath as the light flicked on.

  “You’re either incredibly stupid, or you have a death wish. Now, where’s my fucking book?”

  There was a loud thud, and Liam guessed it was Cassidy hitting the wall. He looked under the bed and sure enough saw her rump on the floor. A second later, she vanished, and he heard her gasp.

  “We can play this one of two ways. You can be sensible and tell me where my fucking book is, or I can make you.”

  Liam thought he heard the sound of something heavy drop to the floor, and he checked under the bed one more time. A belt buckle glistened at him next to Kane’s size thirteens.

  Cassidy cleared her throat. “I told you, it’s safe, for now. But you won’t get it back, unless I walk out of here with Ryker and Falcon.”

  “Falcon? I knew it. He fucking helped you get away, didn’t he?”

  Her voice didn’t waver. “I need him to help me with Ryker, I’ll free him after, and if he wants to return, he can.”

  Kane laughed, and Liam imagined him standing there, his head back, hands on his burgeoning belly.

  Cassidy’s voice cracked a little. “I-I’ve made a copy of the book and I’m going to keep it to ensure our safety. When we leave, I want you to guarantee you won’t come after me… after any of us. We call it quits. You have my word the copy won’t be seen by anyone, as long as you leave us to live our lives.”

  Kane’s booming laugh stopped. “You’re shitting me?”

  There was a sudden scuffle and Cassidy screamed. Liam sprang to his feet just as Kane grabbed her by the throat and flung her back into the wall. There was murder in the man’s eyes, and he held Cassidy against the peeling wallpaper like a rag doll. Her toes barely brushed the filthy carpet, and she clung to his muscular forearms in an attempt to prevent herself from being strangled.

  “Back the fuck away.” Liam’s gun was pointed at Kane’s head, but if Kane was surprised by the ambush, you wouldn’t have known it. Instead of dropping Cassidy, he pulled her against him, using her as a shield. “Murray? I was told you were dead.”

  Liam inched around the room, and as he did, Kane turned with him. “Let her go, Dad.”

  Kane laughed and when he did, his head tilted backwards a fraction of an inch. “You’re no bastard of mine, I don’t breed traitors.”

  Liam didn’t even blink. “Yeah, you’re right, but perhaps you might be interested in what I have to say if you knew what I had here.“

  He reached into his pocket, and pulled out Kane’s book. His father stared at it in disbelief and moved a fraction of an inch to see around Cassidy.

  “You know, I think you’re right about us not being related…”

  Kane held his hand out for the book and yanked Cassidy another quarter of an inch to the side.

  “Because no father of mine would be so fucking sloppy.” Liam’s finger squeezed the trigger, and a bullet slammed into Kane’s forehead, missing Cassidy by less than an inch. She screamed as blood and brain exploded around her.

  As Kane’s head kicked back, Cassidy toppled forward, but before she hit the floor, Liam caught her.

  Holding her upright with one arm, he fired two more slugs into Kane’s body and watched the man’s chest rip open.

  Outside, screams ricocheted around the courtyard and a volley of shots added to the chaos. The door to the motel room caved in, the wood splintering and spraying across the room.

  Liam flung Cassidy to the floor and yelled, “Get between the beds!” Then he dropped to one knee and fired off four more shots.

  Chapter 26

  Cassidy threw her hands over her ears and scrunched her eyes shut. She had no clue where Liam had appeared from or how the hell he had been inside the room when they entered. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she smelled blood and gun smoke all around her.

  Screaming filled her ears, and it took her a few seconds before she realized the sound was coming from her. But she couldn’t stop. Now that she had released all her fear and panic, it couldn’t be put back into the box.

  Through her cries, she heard the sound of pounding feet, and a moment later she was hauled to her feet.

  “Cassidy,
Cassidy.” The screaming continued, and she found herself pressed against someone’s chest. Strong arms enveloped her, and as her lungs began to ache, the wailing turned to soft sobs. A familiar scent drifted through the smell of gunpowder and blood, and she buried her head deeper into the man’s chest and inhaled it. She recognized the smell and took comfort from the arms that held her so tight. This was Liam, and she’d never been so grateful to be holding onto someone all her life.

  The gunshots outside died down but the air was immediately filled by the sound of sirens. Bright emergency lights bounced around the motel room but Liam still held her against him. Their breathing synchronized, and for a few moments, she was unsure where she ended, and he began.

  Eventually, Cassidy found the strength to look up at him, and Liam’s hands wrapped around her face. His angry expression surprised her, but then it quickly changed to fear.

  “Fuck, I don’t know whether to bend you over my knee and spank you or kiss you.”

  She gasped, and the anger and fear vanished from his face altogether. In its place was the kind man that had protected her at the safe house. He lowered his mouth to within a fraction of an inch of hers. “I think I’m gonna kiss you, if that’s okay.”

  She nodded, and he swiped his thumb over her cheek and then across her lips. She glanced down at his fingers and saw the smear of red. There must have been blood on her face. A moment later, his mouth was on hers, and she was kissing him back.

  All around them, she could hear people running, and orders being barked through loud tinny speakers. Some people invaded the room from both doors and the next second they were jostled by dozens of people. There was hardly any space to stand, but Cassidy and Liam remained rooted to the spot, their kiss unbroken.

  “Cassidy.” It was Ryker’s call that finally made her pull away, and she turned just in time to see him hobble through the doorway on the courtyard side of the room. He struggled to get around Kane’s body and stopped in front of her and Liam.