by KJ Dahlen
Jackal looked over at his VP. “Do you know the man?”
Beast nodded. “Yeah, I know that bastard. And she’s right on about his actions. He would be the one to do something like this.”
“Question is why?” Wolf spoke up. “Why would he still come after her, even though it’s been twenty-three years?” know.
Beast looked grim as he explained, “Vailda Bennett is the illegitimate son of a member of the Russian mob. His dad has never been able to claim him as his wife is not the boy’s mother and she also has ties to the Mob. Ties that would kill both of them if any such claims were made. Vailda grew up being considered a bastard and that ruffled his feathers, so he set out to build his own empire, one that would be bigger than his father’s and bring in more money, so he could thumb his nose at the institution his father runs.” Shrugging he went on, “He’s made no secret of the facts and he’s slowly making his own name but still, his dad won’t claim him and that burns his ass.” He turned to Kitty. “Your land wouldn’t be in the suburbs of Savanah would it?”
She nodded. “The land in question is about two hundred acres along the river. My father’s land is now mine as well.”
“I think I know why he still wants the land even after this long.” Beast nodded.
The room went quiet as the men all stared at him.
Kitty stared at him too. She already knew why. She just felt so afraid of these men getting involved. How the hell could she turn this around and get the hell off this compound?
Chapter Six
“Why?” Jackal asked his VP.
Beast sighed as he explained, “He’s got a gig going on in Savanah and he needs land to expand it. The cops, DEA and ATF not to mention the FBI, are looking to bust his dumb ass over everything from Ricco to drugs, to prostitution.”
“What’s he got going on in Savannah that he needs to expand on?” Wolf wanted to know.
“He’s got an underground fight club for one. He needs a place for training his fighters and keeping the fight club underground. He’s been busted a dozen times already.”
“What’s wrong with that?” Jackal frowned.
“His fighters are nothing more than killers. Two men may go into the ring but most of the time, only one man comes out.” Beast growled. “Then of course, there’s his other houses. Massage parlors and sex clubs. Only certain people are allowed in those. But again, the city officials don’t want him in their city. With river access, he can set up floating palaces and they can cruise down the river to open water. That alone would bring more money his way and right now, he’s feeling the heat to expand his base. There’s rumors he’s selling the women he forces to work for him all over the world but no one can prove it.”
“Why hasn’t this pile of shit been busted yet?” Wolf growled.
“Because the police can’t find his base of operation yet,” Beast told them. “They shut him down in one place and he’s back the next week at another place.”
“Do you know why they can’t find him?” Kitty asked.
Beast glanced over at her and shook his head.
“Because he’s using my parent’s land,” Kitty explained. “He’s actually living in the house he murdered my parents in.”
Jackal and the others turned their heads to stare at her.
“And how do you know that?” Jackal asked.
Kitty tucked a stand of hair behind her ear. She looked up into Jackal’s eyes but then turned to Apollo and told him, “Every year on the anniversary of their deaths, I visit the house I was born in. It’s sort of an homage to them. They should have come away with me but they didn’t, they stayed behind to try and stop Mr. Bennett from getting what he wanted. They knew the risks but that was their home. The whole property is about a hundred and fifty acres and about a hundred and forty of it belongs to me, it was a gift from my dad, the day I was born. But this year, he almost caught me. His goons almost caught me three times and all three times someone innocent died. That’s why I can’t stay here. I don’t want anyone else to get in between them and me.”
“Do you know who these goons are?” Jackal asked.
Kitty shrugged. “I don’t know their names but I know what they look like.” She reached for her phone and she flipped through the photos to find the ones she wanted. She laid her phone down and showed them the two men who had become her personal nightmare.
“The club needs names to go with the faces.” Tank took her cell and forwarded their photos to his phone so he could run face recognition on them.
“I noticed something different this year as well.” She dared to bring this up.
“Oh yeah, what’s that?” Beast wanted to know.
“He’s not waiting any longer to build his empire. He’s got several buildings in different stages of development and he’s already got a dock in place. He even has a boat harbored at the dock. They were loading crates and boxes on board.”
“You mean on the property you still own?” Beast asked. “The balls, man. Wow.”
Nodding, Kitty shivered. “He’s that sure that he will get me. Make me sign it over.”
Apollo tightened his hold on her and just held her. He could tell from the heartbreak in her voice that she’d about reached the end of her tether. She was almost to the point of waiting for the bullet that would take her life. He had to make her change her mind about that. He had to give her something substantial to hang onto to. He couldn’t lose her now. He just found her and he had a feeling she was going to be vital in his life.
He leaned in and whispered in her ear, “You have to stay strong, Boo. Reach deep down inside your soul and take that last little bit of courage your daddy left for you and make it grow. Let it fill you inside and get ready to take your stand. You got me now and you got my club. You aren’t alone anymore.”
She looked into his eyes and raised her hand to cup his cheek. “I can see that you just don’t you understand, big man, I just found you. I don’t want to lose you and these men have taken everything I ever love before. They could get to you and these men too. I can’t do that. Not another drop of blood will be spilled for me. They took my parents and years later, they took my grandparents. Then a friend took me in and they got her too. They almost got me several times now and they killed five innocent people to try to get to me. I think it’s become a game to them after all this time. They know the game isn’t over until they see me bloody and broken.”
“Well if that’s the case, this is one game they won’t win.” Apollo growled.
She closed her eyes and laid her head on his chest. “I’m exhausted. It’s been so long since I’ve felt safe I haven’t been resting very long at one time. I’m not safe anywhere.”
“You will always be safe in my arms,” he vowed to her.
She looked up at him without moving her head off his chest. “I believe you. I am beginning to believe you.”
They all looked up as they heard the gate opening.
Beast went to the window. He looked back at Apollo and grinned. “They just brought your bike home. It doesn’t look too bad but it’s gonna need some work.”
They parked the tow truck with the flat bed next to the clubhouse and one of the men that jumped down walked into the club. He made his way over to the table where Jackal and the others were sitting and tossed something on the table. “Found that at the site of the crash Boss.”
Jackal picked it up and frowned at the small piece of plastic and metal. “What is it?”
“I may be wrong but it looks to me like it’s part of a tracker unit,” Shade told him. Holding his hands up against the protest, he could see was coming, he said, “We only found part of the unit, we don’t have the whole unit but what we’ve got appeared to be a tracker.”
Kitty sat up and snarled, “Those dirty bastards. Those fucking dirty....” She turned to look at Apollo. “You need to check the front of my car. Maybe the rest of the tracker is still there.”
Apollo looked into her eyes and read the truth in th
em. He knew there was also more to her story that she needed to tell them but first, they needed to find out if she was being tracked. He and several others got to their feet and went out to the front of her vehicle.
Apollo and Wolf knelt by the crash dent in her front bumper and began feeling around the inside of her fender and bumper.
Wolf frowned when he felt wires and then he dropped to the ground and slid under the vehicle. After a moment, he swore and slid back out from under the car. He got to his feet and dusted his ass off.
Glaring at where Kitty was standing he turned his glare at Jackal and the men around him. “We need to get this fucking car as far away from the club as we can get it.” Then he reached his hand out and showed him the piece of the tracker he found.
“Because of this?” Jackal reached out and took the piece from him.
“No,” beast replied. “Because of the bomb under the hood of her car.”
Jackal snapped his head up to stare at his man. “What the fuck? A fucking bomb? Are you sure?”
Wolf nodded. “Her car is wired to blow. It looks like a short range remote detonated bomb but yeah it’s serious. Serious as a fucking hit on her. I haven’t seen what it’s attached to yet, but I’ve seen the type of bomb before. The remote needs to be within range to be used but then they did have a tracker on her vehicle didn’t they?”
Chapter Seven
Kitty heard every word the man said but it didn’t seem real to her. This was so unreal to her. A bomb now? Dayum, this man really wanted her dead and she’d never even met him. She stumbled over to the building and slid down the outside of it. Sitting on her butt, her eyes glazed over and she thought about what happened in her life. She zoned out the noise and the voices around her and began sinking into her own mind.
Jackal yelled for a brother named Boom, their demolitions expert. Boom approached the car, dropped to the ground, and slid underneath it.
They all heard him swear and tear something away from the car.
Then he slid out from underneath and opened the hood. Looking around the engine, he snarled and tore a small package of explosives away from where the bombers had hidden it. Turning toward Jackal, he handed the bomb to his president. “This is one sloppy attempt boss. They didn’t even try to hide it.”
“But man, how often does a woman look under the hood?” Jackal replied. “Most of them barely know where to add the oil, let alone check the engine. Could this have blown up her car? Could it have done any real damage to the driver?”
Boom nodded. “Oh yeah, it would have killed her if they’d gotten close enough to set it off.” Shrugging he added, “It probably would have taken the cars out around her too.”
Apollo looked around and frowned when he didn’t see her at first. Scanning the area again, he noticed her in a small ball against the corner of the building. He walked over and slowly scanned her body. She was shaking and he saw a look in her eyes that gave him pause. Wherever she was, it wasn’t a good place for her to be right now.
Kneeling down, he reached out and touched her cheek. Her skin felt cold and clammy. His frowned deepened and he looked at her again. This time, he noted her eyes were glazed and she didn’t seem to hear him calling her name.
“Kitty, are you okay? You there, Boo?” He reached out to gather her in his arms and she didn’t fight with him. Apollo was getting worried now. She seemed so out of it, he didn’t know if she would come back to him. “Kitty, come on girl, I need your eyes on me. Are you there?” he growled.
Nothing, she was so far into her own mind she acted like she didn’t even hear him.
He tried shaking her but nothing. Then he struck her. Slapping her hard she blinked but didn’t quite come back all the way. He slapped her again and that’s when Wolf growled, “What the fuck man? Why are you slapping her?”
Apollo wouldn’t even look at his friend, instead he watched Kitty.
She blinked again and turned to look at him. Her eyes were coming back now.
Apollo breathed a little easier.
Kitty gazed at him shook her head. Then she threw herself into his arms and just held on tight.
Apollo held her close. “Where did you go little Kitty? You scared me.”
“Hold me big man, just hold me for a minute.” She begged him. “I need to feel you surrounding me. Please just hold me.”
Apollo held her tight but looked over the top of her head to Wolf and the others.
Understanding showed in their eyes but also questions remained there too.
Jackal looked over at Beast and Wolf. “Unload her stuff and move the car to one of the out buildings. If the assholes who planted that bomb come looking for it, we need to set a watch in case we got trouble coming our way.”
“What happened to her boss?” Beast finally asked. “I’ve never seen anyone check out that far before.”
Jackal shook his head. “She’s got some serious baggage I think my friend. Apollo might be in over his head with this one. We don’t even know what all she’s been through.”
“Boss, we all got our own baggage. We’re all damaged to some extent,” Wolf reminded him. “How many nights have you been afraid to close your eyes in case the nightmares come back for you?” He turned his head toward Apollo and Kitty. “I think that girl has been through hell and she just doesn’t know how to handle it.”
“You think he’s any better?” Jackal asked softly. “He’s barely making it from day to day himself. Hell...” He ran his hands over his head. “Most of us are in a not so good place half the time.” He looked around the dooryard and shook his head. “This situation isn’t going to be good until we bring these cowards out in the open.”
“But we have to know who we’re dealing with first,” Beast reminded him. “Hopefully, we’ll have names to go with the faces before long.”
Jackal nodded. “Yeah, let’s start connecting the dots on Vailda Bennet first off. We need to find his story, so we have an idea who we’re dealing with.”
“Maybe you should give our friends to the south a call and see what they know about this bastard,” Wolf suggested.
Jackal shrugged his shoulders. “I will bring them into it, if we can find a connection but I need to know more about the man than I do at the moment. I have a feeling those Bratva guys take their job seriously and if I can find that Bennett stepped over the line, then I’ll call.”
“You don’t think he’s stepped over the line already?” Beast asked. “I mean he’s been looking for her, for a reason all these years.”
“Let’s figure out that reason first,” Jackal stated. He looked over at Wolf. “Move the vehicle.”
Wolf nodded.
Then they turned and watched as Apollo carried her inside.
Apollo sat back down at one of the tables while Jackal and Beast sat down as well. They were wall waiting for Kitty to speak.
Noelle, Cin, and Eija came over and stood behind their men, as did some of the other wives.
When Wolf returned, he grabbed Eija and settled her on his lap.
“Kitty,” Jackal caught her attention. “We need to know more about this bastard Vailda Bennett.”
She shook her head. “That’s just it isn’t it? I was only six weeks old when he first made contact. I don’t know anything more about him, more than what happened between him and my parents. I only know what my grandparents told me and even that might not be the complete truth. Hell, I’m not even sure I know my real name. I’ve had so many names over the years, but from what I do know, my real name is Kathrine Newton. My grandparents changed addressees and names quite often when I was young. About the only thing that didn’t change was my grandpa calling me his Kitty. My last name might have changed but he always called me Kitty, no matter where we went.” Shuddering she went on with her story, “I was three months old when my parents died. They left me with my mom’s parents and they went underground with me. They changed their names and stayed away from the property. They raised me without telling me anything
until my tenth birthday. Even then, they wouldn’t tell me who I really was. But there was one thing that never changed no matter where we lived, my grandpa always had somewhere for me to hide. Always. The one thing they stressed was when they told me to hide, I hid. And I wasn’t to come out until they came to get me.”
Apollo smoothed her back and tried to soothe her.
She laid her head on Apollo’s shoulder. “The last time I saw them alive, I was sixteen. They homeschooled me because I wasn’t safe even in a public school. We had just finished lessons for the day when grandpa noticed two men walking up the driveway. He told me to hide and I hid. But I could hear and see everything. My grandparents were older. They raised my mom and then had to start over with me. The two men that broke into our house were younger, stronger, more vicious than I’ve ever seen before. They spoke with accents that at the time I didn’t recognize but later learned, it was Russian. They demanded my grandparents tell them where I was. But my grandparents wouldn’t tell them. My grandpa had to watch as the bastards put a bullet in my grandmother’s head. Then they demanded he tell them where I was. I wanted to scream but my grandpa said no. He wasn’t going to tell them anything and they could go to hell. I remember one of them laughed and said, ‘after you,’ then he shot my grandpa too.” Tears ran down her cheeks.
“That’s okay, Kitty...You don’t have ta go on,” Apollo whispered.
The room went quiet but the women there who had heard her story swiped the tears form their cheeks.
Chapter Eight
Kitty paused to shudder at the memory then her voice dropped to a whisper, “But I do. I’ve never talked about this to a single soul before, not for my whole life. She sat up a bit straighter in his lap. “Then they broke into my grandpa’s liquor cabinet and each of them took out a bottle, they took a drink and then they poured out the rest around the room. One of them lit a match. then walked leisurely to the front door and walked out of the house. The fire spread quickly and I had to watch as my grandparents were set on fire. I almost didn’t get out of the house. I grabbed my grandpa’s to go bag and ran out the back door.”