Bloody Ties (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 8)

by Karen Ann Hopkins

  Knowing how CJ and Joshua couldn’t keep their hands off each other, it was a good guess. I brushed the hair out of my face. The shooting had stopped for a moment. Ryan pushed a gingham curtain aside, peeking outside.

  “Then they’re in trouble,” I muttered.

  Daniel looked up at me. His brown-eyed gaze was full of remorse and worry.

  “They’re coming”—Bobby stepped carefully into the room—“but there was an explosion in Emerson County at the gas company a few minutes ago. Most EMT’s and law enforcement from a three-county radius were called in. Jeremy and Jerome are scrambling to get more responders together.” He swallowed hard and his face was pale. “It might take a little while.”

  “Then we will pray together for the Lord to deliver us from this nightmare,” the bishop said.

  Ryan scoffed. “You do the praying, Bishop. I’ll do the shooting.”

  Bobby pulled out the chair next to the bishop and sat down with him. They looked at each other, and Bobby nodded. When the bishop closed his eyes, I wasn’t surprised to see Bobby follow suit. He went to church every Sunday—he was a man of faith. Praying certainly wouldn’t hurt.

  I joined Ryan at the window. A glance out the glass and you’d think everything was fine. Clouds were thickening up and the sun had disappeared, but it wasn’t raining and birds still chirped beyond the glass pane.

  I lowered my voice. “What the hell is going on, Ryan? I got a call from Toby right before the shooting started. He said that Rivas was in Blood Rock to kill you, and that it was probably the same for the three others.”

  Ryan drew in a deep breath. He wouldn’t look at me. “I fucked up, Serenity. It’s caught up to me.” He glanced down at Elayne. “My actions might have caused all of our deaths.” His gaze finally landed on me. “I unleashed hell in Blood Rock—I’m so sorry.”

  My face heated and I bent closer to him. “Who exactly are shooting at us?” I hissed.

  Without hesitating, he said, “The Indy mafia or a Mexican Cartel—or both.”

  Several thoughts occurred to me at once. “Dammit, Ryan. Why didn’t you tell me? You came to Blood Rock to hide from them, didn’t you?”

  “Something like that. Honestly, I wasn’t planning to stay long. I just needed things to quiet down a little before I took off.”

  His honesty was jarring, but then again, we were under attack and his new girlfriend might be dying on the floor at our backs. My gut pinched with fear for CJ. She’d finally married the man of her dreams, and they were beginning a brand-new life together. This was supposed to be a perfect day—was as close to perfection as it could be until Ryan’s past had caught up with him, and ruined everything. I was angry at Ryan, and I could have punched him in the face. But at the moment, we needed him if we had any chance of survival. We’d work out punishment for his many sins later.

  “Why do you think they stopped shooting?” I asked no one in particular.

  “Maybe to reload?” Lester offered. The Amish man looked strange holding the gun on his hip like he was a gunslinger.

  Todd stood up and lifted the strap around his shoulder. He touched Heather’s head as he passed by her. She didn’t look up. She was so intent on saving Elayne’s life.

  Todd joined me and Ryan at the window. “I think they have a plan. Why else come here guns blazing? What are they after, Serenity?”

  “They want him.” I nodded and lifted my chin at Ryan, who didn’t look back at us.

  Todd didn’t need elaboration. He’d been a cop long enough to know that some of us fell in with the criminals, causing all kinds of terrible fallout. He rubbed his buzzed head, staring at Ryan’s back.

  “Someone’s coming up the hill!” Lester exclaimed. He peered out the window at the far side of the room.

  I sidled up against Ryan and searched out the window he stood at. Sure enough, Lester was right.

  “Todd, Ryan, cover me.” I glanced over my shoulder at John. “I need you to go into the basement with the judge. It’s your job to protect your sisters. Do you understand?”

  John looked like he was about to argue with me, but then snapped his mouth shut and sprinted into the hallway.

  “You’re not going out there, Serenity.” Daniel took a step toward me.

  I drew in a breath, willing the butterflies to quiet in my stomach. My heart pounded in my chest, but instead of letting the feeling make me sick, I embraced it with everything I had. The rush of adrenaline was a good thing. It might just keep me alive.

  “He has his hands up—he wants to negotiate. I’m the sheriff. You know it’s my responsibility.”

  Except for Ryan, everyone’s gazes fell on my husband. Even the bishop stopped praying to watch Daniel’s reaction to my words.

  I saw the pleading look in his eyes and it made my heart ache. Without saying anything, he nodded once, blinking.

  When I turned around, I hung the rifle onto my back the same way Todd had done.

  “Dear Lord, it’s Zeke Bachman,” Lester said in a shrill voice.

  Daniel rushed forward to look out the same window as Lester. The bishop muttered behind me, “Now we know, Serenity.”

  I really hated being wrong—especially when the bishop was involved.

  “What is he doing here?” Daniel asked.

  “Your cousin is a money launderer for the Moretti family,” Ryan said simply.

  Daniel looked more confused than ever, but I ignored the disbelief on his face. Zeke was almost to the porch. His hands were still raised high above his head. I inhaled deeply and nodded for Todd to open the door.

  “Be careful—no heroics,” Todd urged.

  I forced a smile and went through the small opening, holding my hands up the same way Zeke was.

  “Elayne Weaver has been shot. Paramedics are on their way.” I spoke slowly and calmly as I walked down the steps. “She’ll die if she doesn’t get to the hospital soon. More officers are coming too. You can’t win, Zeke.”

  Zeke was finally close enough that I could see the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes. He nervously chuckled. He wasn’t carrying a weapon that I could see. It would have been hard to hide a gun under the tight-fitting t-shirt he wore.

  “Nice try, Sheriff. I give you an A for effort, but it’s over. Give us Ryan Donavan and we’ll leave. No one else has to get hurt. Your officer is corrupt. He doesn’t deserve your protection.”

  “What if I say no?”

  “Then we’ll have to kill your bride and groom.” Zeke’s smirk disappeared and his eyes narrowed. “We have them right down there.” He paused to point at the big red barn. “At the moment, they’re alive, but that can change in a heartbeat.” He lowered his voice. “These are bad men, Sheriff. They commit murder for the fun of it. If I go back down that hill without Mr. Donavan, they will immediately slit your friends’ throats.” He shrugged, making a thinking face. “Well, the Mexicans would rather cut them, the Italians like shooting better.”

  “The entire gang is present—how did that happen?” I dared to ask, partly to stall and giving the cavalry more time to arrive, but also from sheer curiosity.

  “Oh yes. Everyone made the trip this time. If the rednecks hadn’t interfered, our friend, Rivas, would have gotten the job done. He had a perfect shot on your officer when he walked into Charlie’s Pub with Elayne that one night. Ryan didn’t realize that the Moretti’s, with my help, guessed he’d come to hide in Blood Rock.”

  I licked my dry lips. I knew Ryan and Todd had their guns aimed at Zeke. They were both sharp shooters. If I so much as fidgeted, Zeke Bachman was dead.

  “Why would the Ogdens save Ryan—they don’t even know him?”

  Zeke snorted loudly. “This isn’t an easy job, Sheriff. I work with some real psychos. My job is bookkeeping—you know, cleaning all the money that comes in illegally. It puts me in the rare position of knowing everyth
ing about the business, and everyone the family deals with.” He sighed, sounding irritated. “We’ve been buying straight opium from the Ogdens for nearly two decades. The family tried to manufacture the heroin themselves, but failed miserably. It takes a little more finesse and structure than those hillbillies possess. Anyway, I communicated with Ethan Ogden, asking that he provide backup to our hitman.” Zeke clenched his fists and his voice became more animated. “All he had to do was make sure that Rivas got the job done, and then leave. That’s it.” He shook his head. “But nooo. Some bizarre honor thing came into play. You see, Ethan didn’t like having a foreigner show up on his turf to take out someone working in Blood Rock. He didn’t even care that Ryan Donavan was a crooked cop. It was all about a strange hillbilly code of ethics that I still don’t understand. It got me into a hell of a lot of trouble with my boss. That’s why Tony Regio came to town—to finish off what Rivas had failed to do. By then, your officer was aware that we were on his trail. He turned the tables and stalked Regio, putting him down purposely in the same way Ogden had killed Rivas. He wanted to throw you off.”

  When he finished talking, I pressed further. “Why didn’t the Moretti’s send more of their men? I still don’t understand why the two cartel soldiers came after Ryan.”

  Zeke took another step closer and I held my ground, praying that no one behind me began shooting. When I looked past Zeke, I couldn’t see anyone around the big red barn, but there were a lot of dark window openings and I knew that guns could be pointed out of any of them.

  “A couple of months ago, Moretti’s guys picked up a huge load of heroin for the cartel in Indy. They were in the process of paying four and a half million dollars for the product when Ryan Donavan appeared out of nowhere and killed everyone involved in the transaction—two of Moretti’s men and one of the Mexican’s. A Mexican who was keeping lookout got away without being seen, and he was the one that helped us figure out that it was Donavan. Your man got away with millions of dollars that belong to the cartel. When the rest of the cops showed up, they seized the drugs, so the Moretti’s had just paid millions for absolutely nothing.” Zeke’s smile twisted. “You can say that there’s a handful of really bad dudes who want your officer dead. This time we came in force. I talked to a few people in the community—including my Uncle Moses—to find out about the wedding. I took a gamble Ryan would be here, and I was right. It takes a good twenty minutes to get to the settlement from town, so I took that into account. Add on a gas explosion at a power plant, and I figured we’d have at least forty-five minutes here before anyone else would arrive.”

  “You caused the explosion?” Bile rose in my throat.

  “Not me personally, but like I said earlier, we’re serious about getting your boy, Ryan, and our money back. I’m a numbers guy, and in this economy, four point five million is way too much to just forget about.”

  “Why are you telling me all this?” My mind swam with possibilities, but I had to keep him talking.

  The smirk that erupted on his face sent a chill through me. At certain times, I could see his resemblance to Daniel. They were cousins after all. It was still hard to believe that this man standing before me, with his diabolical and evil mind, had once been Amish.

  “Can you keep a secret, Sheriff?”

  I nodded without hesitation.

  “I’m ready to retire. When Ryan tells us where the money is, I’m gone. And unlike him, I know how to hide away and never be found.”

  “Then it’s a third world country with no extradition laws with the US for you, huh?”

  “Something like that.” He made a smacking sound with his lips. “Enough talk. Time is running out. Send Ryan down to us, unarmed, and make no attempt to interfere. Like I said, we have your newly married couple. If you want to see them again alive, send Ryan out.” He wagged his finger. “No funny business, Sheriff. I like you. You’re savvier than most law officers I’ve encountered, so I want to give you fair warning. If you don’t hand him over, the group of men at my back will not only kill the bride and groom, but they won’t stop until everyone in this house is dead—including the children and your husband.”

  It was difficult to breathe. “You’d watch your cousin get gunned down?”

  “Sure. The only thing I care about is getting out of here alive. That kind of thinking is why I’ve lived so long.” He began to turn away and stopped. “Oh, and if I’m shot on my way down the hill, my friends have orders to start killing everyone.”

  He left without a backwards glance. As I watched him walk away, I made myself a promise that he’d be the first one of the bastards I shot.

  31

  Serenity

  There wasn’t enough time to tell Daniel what his cousin had said. I could see the intense curiosity and fear written all over his face, but I was too livid to explain everything to him or anyone else. There wasn’t time. We gathered around the table and I told them my plan. Todd didn’t like it and neither did Daniel. Ryan, who had the most to lose was all for it. He nodded here and there, and interrupted occasionally to clarify something. When I finished talking, Lester’s face was pale as a ghost’s.

  Heather looked up. The front of her green dress was spotted red with blood. “There’s no time to lose. Elayne will die if she doesn’t get full medical help soon.”

  Ryan handed over his gun without me asking.

  “How far out are they?” I asked Bobby.

  “Fifteen minutes—and that’s only Jeremy and Jerome. An ambulance has been rerouted from the gas explosion, but I’m hearing that dozens are dead there.” Bobby pushed up his spectacles and continued to hold his cell phone out in front of him.

  “All right. Game time.” I turned to Ryan. “Keep your hands up. They aren’t going to kill you until you tell them where the money is. You should be safe for at least a few minutes. Don’t worry, we won’t let them take you out of here.”

  Ryan smiled a little and then glanced at Elayne. “I hope she survives,” he muttered right before he went out the door.

  Todd and I watched from the window as he walked slowly down the hill. My emotions were all over the place. I didn’t think I could ever forgive Ryan for what he’d done—but I was still afraid for his life. He’d not only been my partner for years, he was also a friend. I didn’t have time to figure out why he’d done the things he had. Hopefully we’d get the chance to have that discussion when this was all over, if we both came out of it alive.

  I was so focused silently counting Ryan’s steps as he moved further away, I didn’t notice that the bishop had walked up beside me. The touch on my shoulder made me jump.

  “This is a bad idea. You should let them have your officer. He caused his own demise and will face judgment for his actions. The innocent shouldn’t be put at risk to save someone like him.” He spoke with quiet conviction.

  In a way, the holy man was right. It was a difficult call to make, but it was my call. “Funny, I’d think someone like yourself would believe that everyone’s worth saving.”

  The bishop made a scoffing noise and then cleared his throat. “Take care, Sheriff. You mustn’t push fate too far. Some things are worth dying for—others are not.”

  He returned to his seat and Todd said, “He’s almost there.”

  Lester was poised at the other window and Daniel came forward. I had the urge to give him a quick hug, but I didn’t. He respected my need for space at this stressful moment.

  32

  Daniel

  I watched my wife go out the back door with Todd and then I ran to the front window that Lester stood at. Sounds of Heather and Mary Ester quietly talking on the floor as they took care of Elayne mixed with Aaron’s conversation with Bobby. I still could hardly believe that one of my childhood friends might be dying, and that what should have been the happiest day of Joshua and CJ’s lives was now their worst nightmare. And then there was Serenity—putting herself into dang
er once again to save someone else. In this instance, I had to agree with Aaron. Ryan Donavan had gotten himself into this mess. No one else should die to keep him safe. The smug officer didn’t deserve that kind of loyalty.

  Lester placed his hand on my back. “We’re all praying for their lives, Daniel. Don’t lose hope.”

  I couldn’t speak—didn’t even want to try. I nodded and sucked in a sharp breath as I heard the engine start up behind the house. We’d decided to use my Jeep. The roll bars and built in safety design would give Serenity and Todd a chance. Lester knew Joshua’s barn well. He’d told them where the best place to aim for was.

  Lester was right. The only thing to do now was pray.

  33

  Serenity

  Our eyes met and I gave a nod. Todd put the Jeep into drive and hit the gas pedal. The vehicle accelerated quickly and as we rounded the corner of the house, gravel sprayed everywhere. The distance to the barn wasn’t far giving the high rate of speed we were going. Lester knew Joshua’s barn well and pointed out the exact place he thought was our best bet, and that’s where Todd steered the Jeep toward.

  Clutching the rifle to my side, I stayed low in the passenger seat and braced for impact. When the Jeep struck the side of the barn, the seatbelt tightened, and just as I thought, the airbag deployed into my face. Plastic fumes filled my nose and my cheeks burned, but I was able to unlatch the belt and shove the door open. A board fell on my arm, but I ignored the stabbing pain. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Todd leaving through the driver’s side door.

  Smoke rose from the engine that was covered in broken barn boards. Lester was right, from what I could immediately see, we’d driven into an empty space, with only a few square bales of hay stacked to the side. I said a silent thank you to the universe that we hadn’t struck CJ and Joshua or a horse. But I didn’t have time to feel grateful. Gunshots rang out and I dove behind the wreckage, returning fire. It was dusty and dark, and I couldn’t make out much. Without being able to keep close tabs on Todd, I fired twice, and then sprinted to the nearest stall partition. The boards didn’t provide great protection—some of the ammunition flying around was high powered enough to go straight through it.