by KJ Dahlen
James kept his eyes on the road as he listened and did feel amazed by Theo’s story.
“I had to combat disbelief. I had to compare her to myself. To... her mother. Who had always been that way and I never saw it. An actual person that existed, who wouldn’t jump at saving themselves if they cared about someone else.”
“So what did you do?”
“Some months went by. I don’t remember exactly now, as I’ve left a lot of that behind me. I got word that someone was after her for what my daughter, Cordelia did some time back when she was alive. She was always scamming someone and she would leave her name as Cricket, so she wouldn’t get the blame or the payback. An MC president put a hit out on Cricket.”
“Oh, man,” James said. “And you picked up the job?”
“I did, but I wouldn’t have done it. I ended up tracking down that MC and I took them all out.”
“So, that is when The Priest found you? He said you had to be hospitalized for a long time.”
“I did and while I lay there in that hospital bed, I got a real long undisturbed look at the life of Bane and I didn’t like what I saw.”
James understood now. “So you never expected her to ever forgive you?”
“No, I honestly don’t deserve it.”
“Maybe...” James hesitated. “...She now see’s something in you that furthered her forgiveness?”
Theo looked from the road up to his face. “Like what?”
“You’re human now, dude.” James smiled as he shook his head. “You still hide your expressions but when you saw her...I caught something there in your face, in your eyes...”
Theo was now glaring at him. “Like what?”
“Humanity. A little warmth for god’s sake. You looked momentarily happy to see her, actually.”
Theo shook his head.
“So how do you feel now, since well, she forgave you?”
Theo returned his gaze to the passing scenery outside. “If and when I can forgive myself, then maybe I’ll be able tell you.”
Chapter Ten
The city building looked mostly dark by the time they were ready.
They’d met Sam and Bastian. The print of Oden’s thumb had been where Sydney had said it would be. They didn’t see anyone watching her place but they weren’t 100% sure about that either.
They were going to be lookouts for James and Theo in case anyone did show up at the building while they were inside. Sam and Bastian would take them down or divert them if they were innocents.
Darkness fell and they waited until midnight. They figured it was late enough and they still saw no cars in the city lot.
Heading around to that same bathroom window, James noted that it was now locked. “Fuck...” he gritted.
“What?” Theo asked.
“The janitor or security must have caught it open.”
“So? There’s the tunnels,” Theo offered.
“Yeah, inside but—”
“Don’t you read the whole story, James?”
He looked over at Theo “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“There’s an old entrance. Didn’t you see that on the blueprints?”
“Yeah, but that is probably compromised by asphalt or some shit since it was built. It’s been what, a hundred years?”
“We shall see,” Theo replied and turned into the darkness.
James hesitated as the man simply disappeared into the pitch. How in the hell did he do that? I can’t see a damn thing.
“Are you coming?” Theo whispered from the dark.
“Just a second, let my eyes adjust. I swear you are a god dammed cat or something.” He paused as he could have sworn he heard a chuckle. Theo chuckling? Nah, has to be my imagination.
“Come on, man,” again, Theo called for him.
James stepped further into the black and he could see a little bit but not much. Finally, he could make out Theo’s outline. “Is that you?” he asked.
“No, it’s the god dammed boogey man,” Theo replied in a low voice.
“Funny, very funny,” James quipped as he followed the man’s shadow.
“I was serious James. If ever there was one. I am he.”
James blinked. From what he knew... that could be true.
“Ok, here it is,” Theo spoke again.
James could see from a street light’s sparse illumination what he pointed at. An actual hatch with an old rusted lock on it. “Damn, how could they not know this was here? Some criminal could get inside the fucking courthouse with a weapon if they wanted revenge or to steal something.”
Theo did chuckle now. “That is exactly what we will be doing.”
“Not exactly....Hey, what are you doing?” he asked as he saw the glint from Theo’s gun.
“Step back, kid.”
James did so. He cannot meant to—
PING!
He did. Theo shot the lock off with a silenced gun. He bent down and raised the rusty door up with a loud creaking of metal against metal. Then he slipped down into a pit of darkness.
James shook his head. Spiders and all kinds of shit are probably down that hole and how can he see without a flashlight?
Just then, a small light beam came up out of the hole. “Dammit, Captain Branken, how could you be ex-military and be so dammed slow?” Theo asked from the depths.
James rolled his eyes. “It’s called being cautious Mr. Boogeyman.” He climbed down a bit and grabbed his light from his belt then shone it downward. He didn’t want any surprises at the bottom.
Theo stood there looking up at him. “I swear I’m partnered with a dammed girl,” he muttered.
“Oh, shut up.” James grunted as he tried to shut the heavy lid... then he finally got it. “I’m smart and cautious as I like my skin just the way it is, not marked up, thank you very much.”
“Well okay, pretty boy. It’s all clear, so you can hitch up your skirt and come on down now.”
James had to laugh as he climbed slowly down. “Who knew that the boogeyman had a sense of humor?”
“It’s fading fast though...” Theo growled at him from below.
James dropped down and shone his light around, as he wasn’t sure which way it was from here. “Hmm... ok.”
“We go east,” Theo ordered.
James paused. “Wait a damn second, how can you be so sure?”
Theo turned and headed out. “I’ve been a man of the dark ever since you were wearing diapers, kid.”
James tilted his head at this statement then followed him.
They came to a turn and Theo paused.
James halted. He tried to remember the map...blueprints.
Theo then swiftly made the turn and went on.
James shook his head, but followed again.
Finally, they came to a metal door. It was rusted almost to disintegration as holes shone through it.
Theo nodded at him.
James stared at it then at him. “That door won’t hold up if we—”
Bane kicked a hole in it with his large boot. Then kicked again and it gave way. It crumbled to pieces as if the metal was rust colored flower petals.
Dust flew up.
James grabbed a kerchief from his pocket then held it to his nose and mouth.
Theo stepped a few feet back and waited for the rusted dust to settle.
After a minute or two, they both went through.
They were now in the tunnel that James recognized. He nodded at Theo and led the way.
Finally, they stepped into the basement doorway.
Theo grabbed his arm. “It’s lit,” he whispered.
James nodded. “It was lit when I was here before. I think he keeps it lit?”
Theo listened and gazed all around before he let James’ arm go.
James stepped into the room. He stood for a long moment and listened. He heard nothing. He then headed straight for the false wall.
Just like Sydney had done, he hit the release tile and the wall disappeared,
revealing a wall to ceiling safe.
“Almost as big as mine was,” Theo mumbled.
James waited for him to move forward.
Theo snapped out of it and took out the print stamp. He stepped up close to the panel.
James stepped to the pad on his side of the door.
They both nodded.
Just as Sydney instructed, Theo passed a hand over the small scanner on the metal wall of the safe.
Then a beep sounded.
Next, James punched in the code she gave them, hoping it still worked. He waited for the beep. For any sound or movement.
Nothing happened.
“Fuck, it’s been...” He turned to look at Theo.
The man wasn’t there anymore.
Where the hell did he—
A loud click sounded...a gun cocking type of click.
James slowly turned around.
Oden Connors stood there by a filing cabinet. “I knew after that fat bitch disappeared if I waited it out, someone would come.”
James shook his head as he raised his arms in the air.
“So who the fuck are you?” Oden asked as he walked over.
“Nobody, really,” James answered.
“Nobody?” Oden growled. “You are fucking here to steal from me?”
“No,” came a whisper as a silencer tapped Oden’s temple from behind. “He’s not. I am.”
Oden gasped and he trembled.
“Drop the gun or you will get to see your actual brains on the floor before you die,” Theo warned.
The gun dropped to the cement with a clatter.
James slid over and scooped it up.
“Who are you?” Oden asked.
“Us?” Theo replied. “We are VIM.”
Oden looked confused. “And what is that?”
“It stands for Vengeance Is Mine. You know the psalm, right? I mean you go to church I’ll bet. To look good to the citizens anyways. Vengeance is mine and I shall repay.”
Oden had a bead of sweat drop down from his forehead to roll over his nose. “So I did something to you?”
“No, not to me. To someone I care about.”
“Oh, well...I can make it better. I got millions.”
“Money won’t fix it, fucker,” Theo replied.
James paused as he saw the cold hard look in Theo’s eyes. He felt some unease suddenly.
“So, what do you want?”
“We want you to open this safe,” Theo replied simply.
“I refuse,” Oden answered nervously.
“Ok then, say hello to your brains,” Theo snapped.
“Wait! Wait. So if I don’t open it, you kill me?”
“Yeah, that’s about it,” Theo quipped.
“B-but then you’ll n-never get what’s in the safe?”
“Don’t care,” came Theo’s short reply.
Oden now looked entirely lost.
Theo then explained, “See, VIM is supposed to operate by taking scumbags like you down. Sending you upriver and all that shit. Me on the other hand, I just believe that if you can’t do that. Just kill em off.”
James a stared at Theo. Is he bluffing? Fuck, did they partner with a cold killer that hadn’t changed? Or is it his lust for revenge for his woman?
“So really, it is up to you,” Theo went on smoothly, his voice deadly. “I just want you dead and I want your sons dead. No need for your day in court and all that shit.”
James blinked his eyes.
Oden was full out sweating now. “But what—who did I hurt?”
Bane sighed. “Around here...Who haven’t you hurt? But just so justice is done, I will tell you... Sarah.”
Oden looked startled. “You... she...” he spluttered.
“Yeah, she’s my woman and so you know damn well why I’m here. So open the fucking safe or I will just kill your family and walk away.”
James went with it. He had to let this play out. He had no choice really. He waited.
“You’re bluffing,” Oden accused.
“Man, you are so stupid!” James exclaimed as he shook his head at Oden.
Oden stared at him, as he hadn’t yet seen Theo at all. He looked into James’s eyes.
James kept that little doubt he felt about Theo’s motives in his gaze. That Theo was still Bane and always would be.
Oden gulped and nodded. “Okay, okay!”
“Go ahead, step to it,” Theo growled.
Oden made his measured way over, as Theo never took the gun from his temple and moved with him.
Oden then placed his thumbprint on the pad.
Theo moved him to the other side
The man with the quaking hands then tapped in the code with trembling fingers.
James noted the numbers.
The door opened with a huge hydraulic hissing. The men stepped back.
James stepped inside as Theo kept Oden Connors sweating.
“So, are you going to k-kill me now?” Oden asked in a whisper.
“Nah,” Theo replied. “I already have three men on my conscious because of you.”
Oden blinked hard as he looked entirely lost at this answer. “What?”
James listened as he dug through the stacks of cash, bonds and literally bags of money looking for two books. One was red and one was blue.
“Yeah. You even know my name already.”
James paused at this. What the hell is he talking about?
“I-I do? Do I know you?”
“No, you’ve never seen me.”
Oden went to turn his head.
“UH-uh.” Theo tapped his temple with the gun tip. “No peeking.”
“So how do I know you the—?”
“My name is Bane.”
Oden gasped and he looked 3 shades paler than even before.
“Oh yes, I see you do remember me. I took several jobs from you over the years.”
“Oh, god—Oh, god...” Oden shook badly now and looked like he might pass out.
James grabbed both books and another 2 ledgers along with a stack of files then he heard an odd sound. He turned to see a wet spot appear on Oden’s 300 dollar dress slacks as it spread out and liquid trickled to the floor.
The man then pitched forward and landed on the cement.
James stared down at Oden face first on the cement as his nose started bleeding from the impact. Then he slowly gazed up at Theo.
Theo shook his head as he raised his hands in the air, a gun still in one of them. “Never touched him.”
James huffed. “You damn well gave him a heart attack maybe!” He tucked all his collected items into his sling bag off his shoulder. He then rushed over, knelt down and checked for the man’s pulse.
“He’s alive. He just fainted is all.” Theo tucked his gun away then knelt down and grabbed the older man’s arms.
James stepped aside as he watched Theo drag him inside the safe.
Theo stood up and looked over at him. “You got the code right?”
James nodded.
“Good, then the Feds can come let him out.” Theo stepped out and tapped the key pad.
James shook his head at him.
Theo looked up at him as the door hydraulics set in and shut the heavy door. “What?”
“I thought you were going to kill him.”
Theo smiled for the first time in a while. “Woulda been nice. But no... Scaring him within an inch of his fucking life felt so much better. I’m reformed you know?”
James just blinked at him.
“See, we all bring a skill to this team.” He shrugged. “That was one of mine I used here tonight.” Theo then looked around. “So it’s all done. Let’s go, Girly.” He stalked over to the tunnel door.
James turned to push the tile back that shut the safe away behind the false wall, so even if his sons came down here, they wouldn’t find anything. He let out a heavy breath then followed him. “Damn.”
Chapter Eleven
They arrived back at the compound in the early m
orning hours.
James was beat but happy. He didn’t know how to feel about what Theo had done, but it got them what they’d needed. So, maybe he was bluffing. After all, he could have just as easily shot the man.
They were waved in through the gates of the Sin’s Bastards MC Club and he parked the car.
Theo looked over at him. “Good job, Captain.”
James stared over at him. “And that’s another thing. I hid that from the world. I wiped it out myself. Not many know of it. Bastian wouldn’t have told you either.”
Theo cracked a rare smile. “See, I didn’t have a ghoster like you, working for me like The Priest had. I learned all my own shit. I looked you up with my resources as soon as I met you, Captain James Quinlan Branken. Two Medals of Honor and a dammed Purple Heart, of all things. In my world, I had to be careful and stepping into new one, made it all even more precarious. You do know I never meant the girly stuff right?”
James snorted. “I’ve been called many things in my line of work. You gotta use better lines than that to make me cry over it.”
Theo raised a brow and nodded. “Ok, I look for some new material then.”
James looked back over at him.
The big man actually chuckled as he got out of the car.
Dammit, that was him chuckling earlier tonight. I might even have to state that he could possibly be human. James got out of the car.
They went inside and waved to each other like men who’d just got off a shift. Well, their work wasn’t an everyday thing like having a beer at the bar after you clocked out. But what they did was satisfying as fuck.
They headed down opposite halls. Theo was heading to his woman while probably feeling pretty good. They had gotten the men who had been gunning for Sarah for a very long time.
Well, they were close to doing it. They had already made emergency calls. He called his contact at the FBI. Bastian pulled in the State and Federal Marshals. They had an hour long meeting about this by dispatch earlier at the cabin where they had that set up already.
But that all would be for another day. Right now, he was headed for door number three. And behind that door was a woman that stirred him like no other before. He’d never believed in love at first sight. He’d seen many women all over the world and had his fair a share but never one that he felt had been made for him. As tired as he felt, his exhaustion fell away as he punched in the code on the door...he quietly went in as he knew she must be sleeping at 5 a.m.