by KJ Dahlen
The screens all went black for a minute, then sound came on.
They all listened.
“I don’t know where the hell she went,” Oden spoke.
“Well, who gives two fucks, Dad?”
“I do, Clayton,” he replied. “She was the file clerk here and I always thought her fat ass was too damn nosey.”
“So what are you thinking?”
Oden replied, “I’m thinking she may have been a plant or a spy maybe?”
“Sent by who?” another voice asked.
“Dammit, Noah. Who knows? I’ve pissed off my fair share of people. I got secrets on top of secrets on lots of suckers.”
“So, what do you wanna do about this?” Clayton asked.
“Track her down and kill her,” Oden answered.
“Murder isn’t a rap I want,” Noah stated.
“Well, that’s too god dammed bad, ain’t it?” Oden barked at him. “You are in that and more, up to your scrawny neck. We are a family, we stand together, and if we go down, we fight it together. Your hands are in no way clean, Noah.”
“Damnit Dad,” Noah snapped. “The shit you pull.... The blood on our hands. Now you wanna track down this clerk and kill her too?”
“We do what we gotta do kid,” Clayton piped up “Once this all started, you knew the risks.”
“And you have taken the rewards too, boyo,” Oden went on. “Don’t forget that. Living large like you do. The women, the cars, the cruises and shit.” His dad snorted. “Why damn, those shoes you’re wearing are worth what that bitch file clerk made in a whole fucking month!”
Silence fell for a minute or so.
Then Oden continued, “So Clayton, use all your police resources to track that fat ass clerk down. Then you and Noah here will take her out. Make it look like suicide or some shit. She was a fucking spinster anyway with no known relatives. So who the fuck will care?”
“So until then?” Clayton asked. “What do we do?”
“Until then, I’d better protect what I got,” Oden muttered.
“What the hell does that mean?” Noah asked.
“Nothing son,” Oden replied. “Nothing.”
James looked over at Sydney.
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
He took her up in his arms. “They’re fucking pigs, Baby. They don’t know what’s beautiful in life. And you are.” He grasped her face and kissed her deep and long.
The room went silent.
Then someone cleared their throat.
James broke the kiss and whispered to her lips, “Never forget that you aren’t alone and that you mean something to someone...me.” He let her go.
Sydney looked dazed as she licked her lips and gave him a shaky smile.
James then looked over Bastian. “He’s going to change the code on the safe, dammit.”
Sydney’s eyes rounded as she swiped tears from her cheeks. “Yeah. That would be what he’d do.”
“So, we can’t wait till tomorrow night,” Bastian stated the obvious.
“Nope,” Theo said. “We gotta hit that safe tonight.”
“We split into teams to get it done,” Bastian explained. “I’ll take her apartment to get the print.” He stared at James. “You and Theo get to the safe.”
“I hate going in rushed, man,” James muttered.
“Seems like you got no choice,” Deke added.
Theo gave a short silent nod.
James stared at Theo and Bastian.
Then all of them met Deke’s steely gaze.
So, now it was on.
James took Sydney’s hand and went out to the main room. He needed to get his gear and get on the road to Saratoga. They all agreed to go over the plan on the way. Time just got short on this payback. But first he led Sydney over to the group of women who were standing there talking. He wanted to introduce Sydney to them officially to get her settled in. She would be here until this was all over.
He smiled at Sawyer as they approached the group. “This is Bastian’s wife, Sawyer.” He nodded at Sawyer. “Sydney Dell. My woman.”
Sawyer’s eyes rounded. “Really?” She chuckled. “I was wondering when James would smarten up. It is so good to meet you.”
Sydney nodded and glanced at the women standing there.
“Oh, yeah...”Sawyer turned and introduced them, “This is Sarah, Theo’s woman.”
Sydney shook her hand. “I know a little of what happened to you.”
Sarah looked saddened. “It has been years of hell and hiding.”
“I know how you feel.”
“She isn’t just saying this either,” James explained. “Her father and brothers have been hunting her for ten years.”
Sarah and her stared at each other then they embraced.
When they parted, James smiled.
At the tearful poignant embrace by two women who had both suffered at the hands of mad men, Sawyer swiped a tear away then turned to another woman. “Then this is Cricket. She’s married to Raine Moore, one of Deke’s umm, Lieutenants.”
Cricket smiled then took her hand. “I just brought the kids in to see Reva. She’s like the house mother here or maybe the house grandmother?” She chuckled. Then she looked over at James. “We will get her settled in a room past the Rufus hall. It’s the 3rd door on the left, says three on the door in fact. Then we will give you both the door code.”
James smiled. “Great, I wanted her to be able to rest and shower if she wants.” He looked over at Sydney. “Whatever she wants.” He gazed into her eyes. Damn, he wanted her right this minute. He pulled his gaze away from Sydney reluctantly to refocus on Cricket again.
Cricket nodded at Sydney as she took her hands in hers. “I just wanted to say that you will be safe here, ok? It’s the best place to...” Her voice faded away then her smile disappeared as she stared over Sydney’s shoulder.
They all turned to see what she was staring at.
The men had walked in from the Ops room.
Cricket dropped her hand and then seemed to forget everyone that stood there.
Theo, Bastian, Sam and Deke were heading over to the group.
Cricket made her way toward them.
Theo turned and started to walk the other way.
“Wait!” Cricket called out.
He stopped and slowly turned around.
Cricket bit at her lip, as she looked a bit nervous. “Um... How are you?”
He blinked at her and looked confused. “I’m as well as can be expected. How are you?”
The people in the room wore various looks of puzzlement or unease at this odd meeting.
Bastian made his way over to Sawyer who was holding onto Sarah’s hand. They both looked anxious as they watched this scene closely. He stood next to the women and let out a sigh.
Sarah looked nervous, as her eyes remained glued on the young woman and Theo.
James knew a little of the history here, but not all of it. Just that Cricket hated Theo for what he was before they all joined up. That was all that Bastian would tell him, really.
Cricket then did something no one expected. She took three steps and wrapped her arms around Theo.
His eyes got round as he held his arms out like he didn’t know what to do with them then he slowly hugged her back.
Sarah jumped a little as she clasped her hands over her mouth and tears filled her eyes. “Oh, thank god.”
James looked over at Bastian.
Their eyes met and Bastian nodded as he whispered, “Sometimes do overs bring miracles.”
Chapter Nine
They were in two different vehicles as they drove to Saratoga Springs.
Bastian had Sam with him as lookout and basically as an extra gun in case Sydney’s apartment was staked out. It was highly possible since the Connor family was looking to kill her.
In the other vehicle were James and Theo.
James drove while Theo looked down at the City Building’s blueprints on James’ laptop. “So this safe
is in the basement?” Theo asked.
“Yeah and it is hidden behind a false wall. Then no one seems to know about the tunnels, as they are old. If we need to, we can navigate our way through those.”
“Mm-hmm...” Theo murmured.
James wanted to know what all that back there at the clubhouse was about. But Theo was never one to share anything about himself really. Finally, curiosity got the best of him. “Can I ask about Cricket?”
Theo did not look up from the laptop screen. “What about her?”
“You seemed to think that she would not welcome you there at the club.”
“She shouldn’t have.”
James’s eyebrows rose. “But you saved her and the—”
“It will never be enough!” Theo seethed.
James looked straight ahead. In all the meetings he’d had with this man, he had never once raised his voice. Never seemed to lose his cool. James thought it best to leave it alone.
After a long moment, Theo spoke, “I was a different man back then. I didn’t feel anything. I only cared about things that were material maybe. Then again, maybe not even that. It was all for the game.”
“What game?’
“To win. To be in control.” Theo looked out the window as if he was lost in some memory. “I never met anyone that...Did not immediately think of themselves. I only ever thought of myself, but Cricket...” He then started to tell James of how he met her and what he did to her.
Banes’ lips curled. His fingers dug into Cricket’s skin for a moment, then he released her. “You look just like your mother. My name is Bane Jessin and I want information about a man named Orrin.”
“My father is dead,” Cricket told him.
Bane turned his head and stared at her. “How long?”
“Seven years.”
“How did he die?”
“He got caught in a back blast. Someone sabotaged his bomb.”
Bane didn’t say anything for the longest time, then he asked, “Which daughter are you?”
Cricket swallowed hard. “I’m Cricket, his youngest.”
A muscle flexed on Bane’s jaw. “And your mother? Is she still alive?”
“No, she died a long time ago.”
Bane closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, he pinned Cricket with the cold glare. “How did she die?”
“She had breast cancer. I was six when she died,” Cricket whispered. After a long moment, she dared to ask, “Did you know my mother?”
Bane nodded shortly. “Yes I knew her. She was my wife.”
Cricket scrambled back on her chair. The look on her face was one of pure horror. “That’s a lie,” she whispered.
Bane hesitated then said, “Grace and I have been married for almost thirty years. I can show you the marriage license if you like.”
Cricket shook her head. “She was married to Orrin.”
Bane got to his feet and snarled, “She was never married to Orrin. She belonged to me and only me.”
“I don’t believe you!” Cricket seethed as she backed away from the table. “You would say anything to tear my father apart right now. You’re the liar!”
“I may be a lot of things but I never lie.” Bane straightened his posture. “Orrin on the other hand, lied and cheated every chance he got.”
“May I ask how you knew Orrin?” Deke asked.
Bane turned and lifted his lip in a sneer. “Orrin was my brother and he stole my Grace away from me a long time ago.”
Cricket backed away from him another step or two. She turned to run but Bane caught her wrist and he refused to let her go. He jerked her closer to him and Cricket cried out in pain. “You and I need to talk about some things,” he told her quietly. “Let’s find some place we can talk.”
Raine stepped close.
Deke’s hand shot out and pressed him back as he shook his head at him.
Raine clenched his fists as his face went red.
Gator took his other arm and they held him still.
With tears of pain, Cricket shook her head. “I have nothing to say to you.” She tried to pull her wrist free of his grip.
Bane wasn’t letting her go. His grip tightened harshly and she cried out.
Raine growled and fought to get free of the other men’s grip. “God dammit, let me go!”
They pulled him over and behind the table.
“I have things to say to you. Let’s find a place to talk,” Bane spoke in a low tone.
“No.” Cricket shook her head. “We can talk here.”
Bane looked around the room. “Are you sure you want to involve them?”
Cricket nodded.
Bane glared at the room and everyone in it. “This is between you and I. If you involve them, they are in it until the end and it may not end the way you want it to. Think about that before you stay here. Now, do we stay here or find somewhere private we can talk?”
Cricket shook her head. “I want them to hear what you have to say. They knew Orrin and I have nothing to hide.”
Bane’s lips tightened in his rage. The only sign he gave was to narrow his eyes.
Cricket stared at him and shuddered at the coldness she saw there in his gaze.
He dragged her back to the table and sat her down. Sitting down near her, he leaned close and whispered, “When your parents left my home and began their life together as lovers, they stole something from me. It had no value to them, only to me. Orrin took it only because he knew I would miss it.”
“What did they take?” Cricket asked.
“An heirloom from our grandfather. Something he passed down to me alone. Orrin had no right to take it.” Bane squeezed his fingers tight on her skin. “I want it back.”
“But I don’t know where it is!” Cricket cried out. Tears welled in her eyes but she didn’t struggle against his hold.
“I have been looking for them for damn near thirty years. I found them once, but they escaped before I could get the item back. They took you and Cordelia and disappeared again.”
Cricket shuddered. “It was you that day. The man that came to our door in Maine.”
“Yes, it was me,” he ground out. “Orrin told me Grace wasn’t home yet and like a fool, I told him I would be back. I would have allowed them both to live, if they had returned what they took from me but instead, they ran like thieves in the night.” He glared at her for a moment. “Now, I have only you. The revenge I planned all these years will never happen. They both escaped my wrath by dying too soon.” Then he sat back and stared at her for a moment. “But all may not be lost yet,” he murmured. Leaning toward her again, he fixed his cold stare on her. “Why are you still here? I would have thought you’d have been long gone by now.”
Cricket didn’t want to answer. Closing her eyes against the new pain he presented her, she bit her lip. Glancing over at Raine, she saw his worried gaze but shook her head when he tried to step forward. “Cordy kidnapped Deke’s children a couple of days ago,” she explained quietly. “I helped return them after we were caught. We faced a tribunal and Cordy and I pled guilty. I have to serve the club for a year as my penance.”
“And Cordelia?” Bane asked as he cocked his head to one side.
“Her sentence was death,” Cricket told him quietly.
“Did she fear death coming for her?” he asked after a moment’s pause.
Cricket shook her head. “No, she welcomed it. She was like you and had no soul.”
Bane’s lips tightened and his fingers bit into her already tender wrist. “That may be true, but it doesn’t mean you can say it to my face,” he warned her. He turned his head and searched the faces of the men around him. Then he turned back to her. “As Orrin’s daughter you are family and Jessin’s are no one’s slaves.” He growled.
“My last name is Tannis,” Cricket insisted.
“Your last name is Jessin,” Bane corrected her grimly. “You may not want the name but it means something to me and at one point, it meant something to your
father too. He may have changed what they called him but he couldn’t change what or who he truly was.” He glanced around the room again, then pulled her closer to him and whispered, “Look around you. Do you see their faces? They look to be good men, all of them.” Leaning even closer, his lips touched her ear. “Do you know what I am? What I’ve made a fortune doing?”
Cricket nodded.
“Then you know I am very good at killing people. I kill without remorse and I can kill anyone I chose. Look at them closely my dear. I’m sure in the short amount of time you’ve been here, you have become friends with some of them, have you not?”
Cricket nodded again.
Bane hissed. “Then even if you don’t know anything else, remember this one thing.” He backed up a bit and stared her in the eye. “I will give you seven days to find what your parents stole from me and return it to me. Seven days from right now, and not a moment longer. If you fail, I will come back here and kill every one of these men and their families. They will all die. This ground will run red from their blood.”
Cricket gasped. “But how the hell am I supposed to find something and return it to you if I don’t know what it is?”
Bane shrugged. “That’s not my problem. It’s yours.”
“You’re insane,” she whispered while shaking her head in disbelief.
“And they will all be dead in one week if you fail.” He leaned closer again and warned her, “If you tell them and they run, I will find them and take them out no matter where they go. If you tell them my plan, I will have no mercy.” Leaning back a bit, he motioned between them. “This is to stay between the two of us, only you and I will know what this is about.”
James listened to his story and fell quiet for a few miles more... then he had to ask, “So did she get it back for you?”
Theo nodded. “She did it to save them. Not herself.”
“So then what? You just went away?”
“I did, but I returned again a few months later or so and I tortured her again for another missing heirloom.” He looked over at James. “The girl was willing to give her life to keep that MC safe. She showed me yet again, that there was some purity in the world. She did it even after they made her stay and do labor for the MC as a punishment. She had no bitterness about it. Said it was a just thing, when she never did a damn thing to deserve it.”