Her Father's Sins (Hell's Fire Riders Book 5)

by K. J. Dahlen

  “You should meet my wife.” Dewey grinned. “The two of you have a lot in common.”

  Jim smiled back. “I would be honored to meet your wife. She must have the patience of Job to put up with your ugly ass, Sarge.” With a grin on his face, he got up, went over to where the printer was, and grabbed the pages from the stand. He walked over to Bastian and handed them over.

  Bastian took them and studied the photos of Maximillian and Juaquin Barrone. Both men led the El Diablo cartel in the mountains of Mexico. Maximillian was older by twenty years but Juaquin looked more like his brothers. Juaquin was nicknamed Paco. All the men from the Barrone family shared the same rough face. These two looked as if they had smoked too many cigars and drunk too much whiskey over the years.

  Calico left the women and joined the group.

  Bastian passed alone the photos of the Barrone men left alive.

  “Sonofabitch,” he swore.

  Bastian leaned in close. “Let’s not scare Sawyer or her mother,” he told the other man quietly. “They will both be safe surrounded by the men here until we know what they are going to do. If they come looking for trouble, we can hunt them down but remember, no one knows anything about what happened last night. No one knows Enrique and Tomas along with their crew are dead. Let’s just keep it that way for now.”

  “He’s right Calico,” Reaper told his brother. “All we can do for now, is watch over the women.”

  Calico nodded. “I won’t start anything but if either of these men stick their noses around here, they are dead. This has to be over.”

  Pappy grabbed Calico. “Just don’t start a war with a Mexican cartel. Those bastards are ugly and mean and they have long memories. They can’t prove a thing, let’s leave it at that.”

  “They won’t find any trace of the boat either,” Bastian informed them. “I made sure of that.”

  “Maybe you and Sawyer should stick around the compound until we know for certain this is over,” Dewey spoke up. “Barrone found your daughter because she shares your hair color.”

  “We can set up some men to watch our perimeter as well,” Pappy suggested. “We sure as hell don’t need any more surprises right now.” He handed the photos of the Barrone men off to Reaper. “Make sure the men on guard know what these men look like. The best way we can protect this compound and everyone in it is to be prepared. As soon as Michael and Gage get back here, we’ll lock it down.”

  Reaper nodded and went over to the copier to make sure everyone knew about the Barrones.

  “There’s something else,” Bastian announced to the group. “The Barrones were waiting on a shipment due in tomorrow. They were supposed to take it up river to meet one of their contacts and pass the shipment off, so he could take it further up river. That’s how they move this shit. They were supposed to take part of the shipment while someone else took the rest of it. It’s to a different contact every step of the way. That way, not one person knows the entire route or the contacts the others make along the way.”

  “The Asp doesn’t trust any of his men,” Pappy pointed out.

  “Not only that but if one team is caught most of his shipments still get through,” Bastian noted.

  Dewey whistled. “Clever.”

  Bastian shook his head. “The Asp did make one mistake though.”

  “Oh, what was that?” Pappy asked.

  “Enrique.” He shook his head. “That man really doesn’t like being number two. He hated taking orders from an unknown person. He only answered to his brothers before Tomas went to jail. Even then, the three of them ran the gang they were with. He had a say in what went down. When he hooked up with this group, he no longer had any say in what happened. He told me he kept track of the things he saw and did. The Asp never met with him or any of the men he had working under him. Enrique thought he had a god complex but from what I’ve read from his notes, I think this goes deeper than that.”

  “What do you mean?” Pappy looked confused.

  Bastian pulled out the small bag from his back pocket and handed it over to him. “This guy is just plain crazy. He’s paranoid of everything and yet, Enrique seems to think that there might be something this guy is looking for. He didn’t know what it was but there was something he spent a lot of time searching for.”

  Pappy took the book and began thumbing through it. It was just a small notebook but he noted page after page of handwritten notes. He glanced up at Bastian. “Did he have any idea where we could find this guy?”

  Bastian shook his head then tapped the notebook. “No he really didn’t but he had his own ideas. He was sure his place was along one of the major rivers. Enrique said the man really knew boats, claimed he bragged about being able to outrun any coast guard or patrol boats around. Now, the Coast Guard wouldn’t be on the river system unless the place was near a bigger body of water and when he made his notes, the dates show this was several years ago. But his notes also show a large shipment of generators going up the Mississippi river. He doesn’t know where they ended up but he kept track of what else went up there. Seems the guy was setting up a complete house. One with solar panels as well as wind turbines. Mass amounts of computer components and everything a person would need not to have to depend on the outside world. Wherever this guy is, he’s setting himself up to be self-sufficient for a long time.”

  “Almost like he’s expecting something bad to happen,” Dewey suggested.

  “We already think we know he may try to trigger the Yellowstone volcano.” Trudy joined them. “That by itself would cause a catastrophic event, but by itself it would only take out half the country. It wouldn’t precipitate the use of alternate electric powers.”

  “No but a failure to our communication infrastructure would,” Bastian commented. “With that he could take down the entire country and set us back hundreds of years.”

  “People would panic without their internet or cell phones,” Trudy whispered. “Our government would be in jeopardy without the ability to communicate.”

  “We need to find this guy and stop whatever he has in mind.” Dewey shook his head.

  “We need to figure out who he is before we can find him,” Pappy pointed out.

  “Then we’d better get that book copied so more than one person can read through it. We might be able to pick up more of who he is or where he is from the notes.” Trudy proposed. “It never hurts to have more than one pair of eyes on things. One person might pick up something another person would overlook.”

  “Get on it then,” Pappy ordered. “Make the copies big enough to read though. Who can make out this hen scratching?”

  Trudy giggled. “That, my dear Pappy is a man’s handwriting. Most men write worse than a doctor, and only they can read it. And that’s only because they wrote it.”

  Pappy snickered then shrugged. “What can I say?”

  “I’ll get on this right away.” Trudy picked up the notebook.

  “I did some checking after I dropped Bastian off this morning.” Jim handed Pappy some papers. “Wherever this guy is it would have be accessible by water. He would also have to have his escape route all planned out, probably more than one. While there are several available, you also have to figure in somewhere he could hide in plain sight.” Jim sighed. “There are just too many variables we don’t know right now to pinpoint where we might find him.”

  “Maybe after we have time to study Enrique’s notes we’ll have more info to add to the profile.” Pappy shrugged.

  “I have a program running to search the internet for key words and phrases,” Jim replied. “I’m hoping to catch something more on this guy but I’ve only started.”

  “I’ve never heard of such a program.” Dewey scoffed. “Unless Trudy created it.”

  “I created it,” Jim told him.

  Trudy went over to her husband and wrapped her arm around his waist. “Darlin’, I love you but as I’ve told you on more than one occasion, I am not the only good programmer out there.”

 
“Yeah, but you’re the best,” Dewey countered as he glared at Jim.

  “Oh, baby…” She chuckled. “I may be advanced in some areas but there’s so much I have to learn yet. Cyber space is so vast and ever changing due to new programs coming out every day. No one person can possibly do it all. I just shine in certain areas, for all we know Jim may shine in other areas.”

  Jim chuckled. “Oh, I’m good but Bastian is even better. I think between the three of us we should do alright against anybody else.”

  Trudy turned to stare at Bastian. “It was you the other day?”

  Bastian nodded. “You managed to do something no one else has ever done before.”

  “What exactly did she do?” Pappy asked.

  “She tried hacking my network.”

  “I got in but he booted me out within minutes,” Trudy admitted. “I’ve never had that done before. I usually sneak in and out before they even know I’m there.”

  Bastian smiled faintly. “I found you almost as soon as you got there.”

  Trudy nodded. “Yeah, you did and what really surprised me was the fact that you booted me out and then locked the door on me. Again, that has never been done before.” She chuckled. “You froze me out of my computer for over an hour. And that has never happened before either.”

  Bastian shrugged. “That’s part of my own security programing. I can’t afford to have anyone breach my network.”

  Trudy grinned. “I get it.” Then she glanced over at Pappy. “You know if they were working with us, we might just be able to get this info easier and quicker than we would working alone.”

  Pappy nodded. “Ok if that what you think make it happen.” He glanced to Jim and Bastian. “If that’s okay with you gentlemen, then I have no objection.”

  Bastian shrugged. “I have no objection.”

  “Me either,” Jim stated.

  “Then let’s get you guys into the system and get online. We all have work to do,” Trudy said while rubbing her hands together.

  Jim reached into his case and brought out Bastian’s laptop.

  Pappy came over to where Bastian was standing and nudged his shoulder. When Bastian turned to him, he nodded over at Sawyer and Calico. “I think before you get started here you have something else to attend to, don’t you?”

  Bastian glanced at Sawyer and her father standing there, then he turned to Pappy. “I never hurt her. Not days ago when we met in town and not months ago when I took her from the bikers in New York. I could have, that would have been within my purview as the Priest, but I didn’t. All I did was ask her questions.”

  Pappy stared at him for a long moment then nodded. “I believe you but it isn’t me you need to convince. Men have protected their children since time began. Calico hasn’t had that choice until now, so he’s sensitive about her. She’s his little girl, no matter how old she is.”

  “I’m not here to hurt either one of them but I’m not giving her up either.” Bastian tightened his jaw. “She’s carrying my baby and I’m not leaving either one of them behind ever again.” He paused and looked back at her. He straightened his posture and looking straight at Pappy he stated, “I think I can help your group. Both Jim and I want to settle down here. With your permission, I’d like to stay. I understand if you and your men need to think about that for a while and if you refuse, I’ll understand. Sawyer doesn’t want to give up her family and I can understand that, so we’ll stay in the area.”

  “So the Priest is going to retire?” Pappy chuckled. “I can understand that but is it going to be as easy as you make it seem? Aren’t there going to be people after you to continue your type of work?”

  Bastian shrugged. “I’m not the only one like me out there. I’m sure the others can pick up the slack. Since I’ve met her, the taste for that kind of work has lost its edge.”

  “What about the bad people looking for revenge? Won’t they be looking for you?”

  Again, he shrugged. “No one ever knew what I looked like, they never knew my name. They only knew me as the Priest. All I ever got was a phone call telling me who to find and question. A money transfer then I called in the results. There was never a trail to follow. The money left one account and was transferred so often, no one could trace it. The phones were untraceable and destroyed after each case. My security was tight for a reason. I moved from place to place, never stayed in one area too long, I always used a different name on the paperwork for the places I bought. The only other human being that knew the real me, is sitting at your table.” He nodded toward Jim. “Him, I trust with my life and he’s never let me down.” Bastian inhaled deeply and when he exhaled, he told Pappy, “A man can live that life only so long before it destroys him and he has to step back and reevaluate. It’s my time to reevaluate.”

  Pappy nodded. “Been there, done that. I got out of the military for the same reason. When I got the call to do this…” He motioned around the compound. “I found my purpose again. I’m still protecting my country but I’m doing it my way and on my home soil. I don’t answer to anyo9neanymore and that suits me just fine. Then I found men looking for the same purpose and we came together to do our job.” He cocked his head and stared at Bastian. “This works because we all bring something to the table. We may not need your particular skill but we can always use a good man. You’re welcome to stay.”

  Bastian held out his hand and Pappy didn’t hesitate to shake it. “Thank you.” He turned and glanced at Calico. “Now, I have to convince her father.”

  Pappy chuckled. “Yeah, good luck with that.”

  When Bastian walked away, Dewey joined Pappy. “What do you think?”

  “I think we can always use another good man.” Pappy told him.

  “I’m not so sure he’s a good man,” Dewey countered. “He’s a killer and he’s worked for the mob. He’s gone wherever the money takes him. His skills alone are highly questionable.”

  Pappy turned his head and stared at his friend. “The government taught us to kill. How many men died at our hands? We did that for a living, and it was sanctioned by our government. We have been taught skills too. We know how to shoot a gun and take a man down in hand to hand combat. We know how to plan an invasion of an entire city. His skills are more refined than our but no less deadly. Besides, for a long time now our government has been worse than the mob. At least with the mob there is some kind of loyalty, with the government everyone is waiting for the next person to stab him in the back.” Shaking his head he said, “There’s nothing there, no loyalty no nothing.”

  “Okay.” Dewey swallowed his argument.

  “Besides, I don’t think he’s going anywhere anytime soon.” Pappy motioned toward the group made up of Sawyer, her mother, brother, father and Bastian. “And love can change a man and his priorities will quick. You know it as well as I do.”

  “Yes, old man, I do know. Would you leave your woman behind?” Dewey scoffed.

  “Nope.” Pappy popped the last part of his one word statement. “And neither would you, you bastard.”

  Dewey broke out into a huge grin. “You’re right I wouldn’t. But I don’t think I’d get very far before she caught up either. Either one of them or both would catch up before we got as far as the gate and you know it.”

  “That’s because they love us just like we love them,” Pappy admitted. “The same as he loves her and I think she loves him back. Calico needs to get his head wrapped around that fact. As much as he doesn’t want to admit it, his little girl is all grown up, and she’s found someone else to love.”

  Dewey laughed a little bit. “Yeah, one day old man, you’ll be feeling those same things when your little girl falls in love.”

  Pappy cringed at the thought. His little girl was a baby at the moment but he knew someday, she would be grown up and fall in love with another man. For some reason, that made his heart sore.

  Dewey slapped him on the back. “At least, you’ll get to see her grow up. Calico didn’t get that. Some asshat wouldn’t let
that happen.”

  “True enough.” Pappy nodded. “But she gave him a second chance to be her dad. I hope he realizes how fortunate a man he is even getting that. She let him back into her life when she had every reason not to.”

  Chapter Nine

  Bastian joined Sawyer and her family. Slipping his arm around her waist, he pulled her close to him. He took note of the anger on Calico’s face and decided to face it head on. He stared at the other man and said, “I know you don’t trust me and I admit you have reason to feel the way you do. I kidnapped your daughter three months ago. I came into a place you thought was safe and I snatched her right under your nose. I took her and held her for three very long days. Days you had no idea what was happening to her. Given my reputation, you had reason to worry about her safety. But when I called Leon that day I told him I wouldn’t hurt her, all I wanted was to talk to her, so you knew she was going to be all right.”

  Calico narrowed his eyes at the man called The Priest.

  “Granted, you didn’t know anything about me at the time but Leon did. He knew my work and he knew what I was capable of doing. All you knew me by was rumor and innuendo.” Bastian paused then looked down at the woman in his arms. “You didn’t know I had fallen in love with your daughter. That I would have never brought her pain. I did something with her that I have never done before in my line of work, I let her go. My services had been bought and paid for by a man I detested. Max wanted me to find an object he lost and I did find it. I returned it to a man I knew wanted it.” He stared at Calico meting his gaze directly with his own. “If you hadn’t killed Max, I would have. I didn’t like him. He had absolutely no honor. ”

  “And you do?” Calico asked.

  Bastian nodded. “I do. I don’t hurt innocent women and children. I don’t force myself on anyone. And I don’t kill for no reason.” He looked over at Jolene. “Your woman protected not only your life all those years ago when she asked you to leave but she protected Sawyer too.”

  “What the hell are you taking about?” Calico asked.