by Sam Crescent
“Do you think you’re the only one who breaks a little when you come back home empty-handed?” Bear asked. His voice was so soft, calm, it was almost impossible to hear, but he did.
“What?”
“The first twenty-four hours. That’s what they say, isn’t it? If you’re going to find anyone taken, it has to be within those first few hours.”
Preacher didn’t have a clue what the saying was and he really didn’t care. In his book, the only time to stop looking was when he had a body, alive or dead. “It’s been two years. Each time we come back with the lead being dead, I die a little more inside because I’ve failed her again. You think each time is easy for me? I love my daughter and I failed her. I let her down by keeping her slut of a mother around and I should’ve seen what a toxic cunt she was. If I’d seen the truth, Robin would still be here.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“But it is. I was so busy getting my own dick wet I didn’t see the truth. I should’ve known Rebecca was up to something, but I couldn’t stop her because I wasn’t there. This is all my fault. You think I don’t imagine my little girl begging for help? Wanting her daddy to come find her? Fuck. I messed up, Preach.”
“This is what that bastard wants,” Preacher said. “This is what all of this is about. To tear my club apart looking for her.”
“You’re playing right into his hands,” Bear said.
“Not just me. All of us. I will find Robin. She’s alive. Get that to the club. I’m heading in to see Billy. I’ve got some new leads.”
“And what are you going to do if all of this is bullshit? She’s dead and has been resting at the bottom of a lake somewhere. What are you going to do then?” Bear asked.
He knew she wasn’t dead.
Right now, Bear’s weakness was starting to piss him off, to the point he wished he actually had a drinking problem.
“Then I’m going to find Reaper and for however long it takes for me to find the truth of Robin’s death, that’s how long I will keep him alive to hurt him. You need to understand me, Bear. The moment Reaper took Robin, he signed his death sentence. Even if I find her alive, he’s dead. I won’t stop hunting him. I will find him. I’ll fucking kill him and when I do, I’ll make sure you’re there to celebrate right along with me.”
He got on his bike and left the warehouse. Once again, it was dark, but he didn’t mind. The darkness helped him to blend in and to not be so consumed by the burdens chasing after him.
There weren’t many people milling around on the streets. No chance of him mistaking any of them for Robin. It had happened a couple of times driving through the city. A couple of women he’d scared because he was sure he’d seen her. Again, the mind playing tricks on him, which was why he preferred to hunt for her at night.
His hopes and dreams were never squashed if he hunted for her at night. Bear would take the money back to the clubhouse and church would be called when he returned. He would hand out the money, take some from the safe as well to give them all their weekly cut, and update them on their businesses.
In a few weeks’ time, he would have to cease all searches for Robin as he had a drug run which would take him from the docks and across state lines to delivery. This was another deal he’d struck in his search. The cartels monitored the docks and he’d organized a delivery deal with a reasonable cut in order to make sure that if Reaper tried to leave by boat, he’d be alerted. Unlike Reaper, he had the funds to keep the bastard on the ground. At least while he kept the cartels happy.
He also had men working for him at the airports. Actually, it was two computer geeks who had some outstanding warrants. He’d called in a few favors and they were no longer worried about getting their asses thrown into jail. They monitored the security footage for him, and any time an image showed Reaper or Robin, they called him.
So far, Reaper had been able to travel under the radar. There was no way for a computer to detect all facial features hidden behind a baseball cap and Reaper knew how to stay off the grid.
He arrived at Billy’s house. After parking his bike, he walked up the steps and banged his fist on the door. The moment he did, regret filled him.
Billy’s family would be there and he’d knocked like a fucking crazy person.
Billy opened the door. He wasn’t dressed in his uniform. “Preacher, what are you doing here?”
“I need you to make some calls for me. Check your database and find any clues—”
“Who is this man, Daddy?” a young blonde girl asked. She stood behind her father’s legs.
Preacher recognized her from some of the pictures. This was the young girl who’d been battling leukemia.
“I’m a friend of Daddy’s,” Preacher said, crouching down so he was at her level. He didn’t want to scare her. “I’m Caleb.” He held his hand out. He never gave his name away. To everyone else, he was Preacher, but this was a little girl.
“I’m Tillie and my sister’s name is Catherine.”
“Both of you have nice names.”
“Are you the person my mommy hates?” Tillie asked.
Preacher laughed. “No, sweetheart. She hates my job. Not this man. Go and finish watching the movie.”
“Billy, what’s going on?” Billy’s wife, Debbie, walked down the stairs, tying her robe.
This wasn’t exactly what he wanted today. He just wanted to get his information and get out.
Debbie stopped on the stairs. “Oh,” she said. “Hello, Preacher.”
“I just want to borrow your husband for a few minutes.”
“Taking him back to his work. I should’ve known I wouldn’t get two minutes to have a bath and relax.”
“If he’s got a computer in his office, we don’t need to leave,” Preacher said. The last thing he wanted was a pissed-off woman who hated her husband being away and ran her mouth off.
He liked Billy and his kids needed a mother. He didn’t want to have to take out his wife because she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.
At his suggestion, Debbie smiled. “I can handle that kind of business setup. Come in, Preacher. Would you like a drink?”
“Nothing, thank you. I don’t want to stay long.”
“I’ll deal with this and handle the kids,” Billy said.
“Good.” Debbie walked off.
“You notice how I didn’t get offered a hot beverage?” Billy asked.
“Are you in the doghouse?”
“I’m in one kind of fucking house. I used to have time to let her have her mom time, but lately, I’ve been staying late at work.”
“Should I be worried you’re building a case against me?” Preacher asked, joking.
“I’m trying to find Reaper. There’s nothing else going on in town and I’ve been trying to locate where he could be.”
Preacher entered Billy’s office. “I get you following up leads for me, but it shouldn’t be taking you away from your family.” Especially as he hadn’t been paying the man for the extra work.
“I know. I’m … I have to do it. Not just for the money either.”
“Then why?”
“You’ve seen Tillie and Catherine.”
“So, they’re safe at home.”
“And one day, they’re going to be out there in the big, wide world. I know you haven’t had a daughter yet, but … I can’t stand the thought of a man like Reaper being out there. I don’t want to think of him ever getting near my daughters.” Billy sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean anything bad about it. I just, I know to some I’m a fucking shit cop, but I’ve got to try my best, you know. I’ve got to at least do something.”
“It’s fine. Believe me. You don’t want him anywhere near people you love.” It’s why he tried with all his might to keep him away from the fucking town. That day two years ago, maybe even longer now, at the diner, he should’ve told Robin to go somewhere else. To be nowhere near him.
“What exactly am I looking for?” Billy asked.
“You have so
me kind of database that allows you to look for possible clues or tracks of murder or homicide.”
“You do realize how many of them happen per day, right? Some of them are cold cases. Some of them are suspected and are not always homicide cases.”
“You’re only looking for a small collection of women. One or two every so many miles.”
“What are you thinking?” Billy asked.
“Reaper will take women, use them for a couple of days. They may show signs of rape, beatings, stuff like that.”
“May?”
“Some women are agreeable to being used for the right money. The only thing is, Reaper won’t pay them.”
“Okay, can you be clear on what kind of search you want?” Billy started to type into his computer.
“Anything about one or two women. On the rare chance, there will be a guy thrown in, but I mean rarely.”
“Do you want me to look specifically for prostitutes?”
“No. Reaper won’t care if they’re a working girl or not. He’ll see a woman he likes and take her.”
Billy began his search. “How are you holding up?”
“I’m in your house, chasing rumors and gossip. How do you think I feel?” he asked.
“Wow, honesty. I didn’t think you had it in you.”
“Oh, believe me, I do. People just don’t like my idea of honesty.”
Billy laughed but it sounded forced. “Okay, what do we have here? This could take a couple of hours, but we do have a hit about thirty miles out of town and that was only a couple of weeks ago. Oh, wait, it was a drowning.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t him? Some of them could look like suicides and deaths.”
“No, she was drunk and walked into a lake. At least that’s what it’s saying as a reason. They’ve got security footage that shows her doing this. The lake is near some kind of protected real estate. Sorry.”
“Keep looking.” He leaned over Billy’s shoulder, but the database didn’t look familiar or in any way make sense. “How did you become a cop in Knight’s Bridge?”
“You mean because I’ve got the ability to be a city cop?”
“Pretty much. You’d have been promoted a long time ago.”
“Yeah, because they’d overlook me helping you,” Billy said.
“You’re a good cop.”
“I do what I can to protect people and the town. It doesn’t make me a good cop. It makes me a really good person. That’s all.” Billy kept on clicking away. “We all have our faults and I don’t want to be a city cop. Never did. I wanted to make a difference in a small town and that’s what I do. I make a difference where it counts and to me, here, this is where it counts. Nowhere else.”
“Fair enough.”
“What’s the deal between you and Reaper, anyway? You’ve got some kind of shared past?”
“Something like that. Believe me, you don’t want to know.”
“One day, I expect it will be a story you can share with me. Wait, I think I have something.”
Preacher’s phone began to ring. He glanced down at the screen to see an incoming call from Randall. “What the fuck does he want?” He ended the call and looked over Billy’s shoulder only for the screen to make no sense. There were a bunch of names, numbers, and what looked like reference points. His cell phone rang again and he saw it was once again Randall calling.
“Clearly, whoever that is wants to speak to you. Answer it. I don’t mind.”
Preacher cursed and answered. “I’m a little busy right now—”
“We have her,” Randall said.
“Excuse me?”
“Robin, she’s in the hospital.”
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not. It’s her. She looks different but it’s her. I’d recognize her anywhere, even with the hair. You need to come to the hospital, Preacher. It doesn’t look good.”
“What do you mean it doesn’t look good?”
“You’ll understand when you get here, but you need to come. Quickly.” Randall hung up the phone.
Billy had stopped typing. “What is it?”
“That was Randall. He says Robin’s in the hospital but it doesn’t look good. Wouldn’t you have gotten a call?”
Just then, Billy’s cell phone rang and both men looked at it.
Billy picked it up. “Hello.” He didn’t say anything, just listened. “I’m on my way.” Billy clicked on the computer and within seconds, it was dead. “We’ve got to go. That was the hospital. Robin Keats is in the hospital. She’s in a coma and the doctors don’t know if she’s going to wake up. She’s been beaten and they need me to go down to take a look.”
Preacher wasn’t sticking around to hear the rest. He was out of Billy’s house without a look back. Was it a trap? How could he have not found her for the last two years only for her to suddenly end up at the hospital just as he’d gotten another lead?
Chapter Three
“I swear to you. I wasn’t even going that fast. Like maybe thirty. I had to get home to the wife and she wasn’t in the best of moods since I took her only non-fat yogurt and she loves those things. She swears by them and believes she’s losing weight because of it.”
“Get back to the girl stumbling in front of your car, please,” Billy said.
“Right, so I was driving down the stretch of a dark path. There’s no lights and there really needs to be. You don’t know what kind of things that will jump in front of you, and the next second, she was there. She went up over the top of my car, her head hitting the window. There’s a crack, I think. I don’t know. She slumped back to the ground. I didn’t think. I stopped the car, got out, went to her, and she was out cold, but there were so many bruises. I don’t even think she could see. I didn’t think. I picked her up and brought her straight here.”
Preacher stood out in the hallway, staring into Robin’s room.
It didn’t look like her, but it was. The hair, the length was gone. It was short, blonde, and it didn’t suit her. Her face was a bruised, angry mess. She was small, thinner than she’d ever been.
Her eyes were swollen shut and there was a machine helping her to breathe. One of her ribs that had been cracked punctured her lungs. His hands clenched into fists. Randall had already told him if she hadn’t been brought in when she was, she would’ve been dead.
One of her feet was also smashed. According to Randall, it looked like a hammer had been brought down on it. He didn’t even want to think about it. It creeped him the fuck out.
“Thank you, sir.”
“I’ve already had blood tests to confirm I wasn’t drinking and I know I wasn’t.”
“It’s fine. You’ve done everything that has been required of you.”
“Thank you.”
Preacher didn’t look to see Billy leading the man away. He had no intention of harming him. Even though his car did hit Robin, the man didn’t leave. He’d picked her up and brought her to safety. One day soon, the man would find his reward for bringing her home. Preacher always kept his promises and Billy had the man’s address.
“How are you holding up?” Randall asked, joining him.
He’d yet to go inside and see her.
He’d called Bear but the man was too drunk to make it to the hospital. He hadn’t even bothered with Bishop. Right now, he didn’t want to see his son or make him aware she was here. It would all happen soon, anyway. There was no way this would stay a secret. At least he’d have tonight with her. He couldn’t fucking believe it. She was right here. After two years, she was at the hospital, within arm’s reach.
“I’m going to have a guard on her door at all times. You need to be aware of this.”
“The staff have already been alerted to this.”
“Good.” He didn’t want to think right now, only look at her. “How did you know it was her?”
“Look at her, Preacher. I’ve been seeing this girl all my life. I would know her. She’s a good girl.”
“This coma, how bad is
it?”
“It’s … it’s not going to be easy. You can go in there. Talk to her. Offer her some company. There’s brain activity, so you could bring her out of this.”
“She’s sleeping.”
“There’s been research that shows some patients can hear their visitors and relatives. Obviously, I don’t know how it completely works, but you can have faith.”
“I lost my faith long ago.”
“As a doctor, I don’t. I like to believe in miracles. I know to some that is deluded and unfounded, but I believe we all have a higher purpose, one reason we’re sent down to this earth to seek out.”
“Don’t start spouting the Bible at me, Doc. I don’t want to hear it. Me and the big guy lost our faith long ago and I’m not going to get it back.” He was tired of this conversation and he really didn’t want to have a religious talk with anyone.
Sitting in the room with Robin was the lesser of two evils. It was still high up on the scale of problems he didn’t want to face.
After stepping into the room, he closed the door. At first, he just stood there. The sterile room sickened him, but the woman who lay unmoving, looking like she was dead in the bed, she was still Robin.
It had been two years since he’d been in this position with her. He didn’t want to think about the last time he saw her. Her worries about Bishop as he brushed them aside and still went and did what he wanted to, without a care in the world. He’d been dealing with a lot of guilt over his decision. If he’d stayed, he might have been able to stop all of this from happening.
Running fingers through his hair, he heard the machines. Their persistent beeps, which should have been a comfort, only they pissed him off. Angered him, even. He didn’t want to think about their constant sounds. They at least gave him hope, didn’t they?
From the look of her, he didn’t think it would be possible for her to return to him.
He had to be close to her, so he took another step into the room.
Her face was completely bruised and her foot had a cast on, as well as her wrist. There was also a bandage around her middle, but he didn’t see that, just knew it was there.