by K. J. Dahlen
“Come on, let’s not waste any time out here. You don’t know who’s watching this place,” he muttered.
Cassie fought him the closer they got to the house. “I don’t want to go in there!” She cried out.
“Tough luck, you’re going anyway.”
Cassie struggled. “No!”
Victor hauled her close to him. “I don’t have time for this shit, bitch. Now get your ass in gear and get up to the house.” He roared then slammed her into the handrail.
The blow was to her side and she cried out in pain. Cassie winced, then swore and still held back. “No! I’m not going back into that hellhole.”
Victor snarled and grabbed her shoulders then dragged her kicking and screaming up to the front door. He tried the handle of the house but found it locked. His only saving grace was the fact the house didn’t have any close neighbors. He kicked the door in and hauled her into the darkened kitchen.
Cassie breathed in the house’s stale air and froze in her tracks. The house smelled the same as it had all those years ago. The faint scent of hot frying grease and cigarette smoke filled her lungs. Her heart began pounding as old feelings pushed their way forward in her mind. She felt her babies moving inside her and she knew for their sakes, she needed to calm down. Her belly was sore from where it had hit the railing and she didn’t want her babies to suffer.
“Where did Janelle hide her money?” Victor sneered.
“How the fuck would I know that?” Cassie asked. “I left here eleven years ago.”
Victor narrowed his eyes. “Where did she hide it eleven years ago?” he snapped.
Cassie shrugged her shoulders. “She had a couple of places actually.”
“And they would be where?”
“Untie my hands and I’ll show you.”
He shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
Cassie walked over to the table and sat down on a chair. Her arms ached with her hands still tied behind her back. “Then I can’t help you. I need my hands free to show you how to find her secret rooms.”
“You can just tell me.”
Cassie shrugged. “Okay, the first secret room is inside the pantry. Have fun finding it.”
She watched as Victor opened the pantry door and was shown several shelves of canned and packaged goods. He turned his head and glared at her. “I don’t see it.”
“Told you, you wouldn’t find it without my help.”
Victor stomped over to her and produced a knife. Leaning toward her, he whispered, “You’d better not be fucking with me bitch, or I’ll make you sorry you were ever born.”
Cassie waited until he cut the tape holding her hand before she said anything, “I’m already sorry you were born.” Then she went over to the pantry and knelt down on the floor. She lifted out a ten pound sack of oatmeal and lifted up the shelf below. Then she pulled a ring and popped open a hidden door. Then she got to her feet and backed up.
Victor moved in closer and found a small black backpack. Pulling it out, he ripped open the zipper and peeked inside. His eyes widened at the sight of the stacks of hundred dollar bills inside. He turned and glanced at Cassie. “Is there any more?”
Cassie shrugged. “She had several places where she hid money and other important paperwork, but like I said, this was all eleven years ago. She might have changed where she put her shit.”
Victor got to his feet and grasped the backpack. “You’d better hope not. This is a start but I need more than this to get away.”
Cassie scorned the greed of the man in front of her. She turned and began walking away. She was jerked back when Victor grabbed her by the hair. She almost lost her balance but Victor’s hand tightened his grip and tears leaked from her eyes at the pain.
“Don’t you sneer at me bitch,” he growled in her ear. “You aren’t better than me. At least I haven’t whored myself off to some low life biker.”
Cassie growled. “Deke is a better man than you could ever be.”
Victor brought her closer to him and snarled. “He’s a punk who runs a strip club. He’s probably fucking everyone who walks in the door.” He threw her away from him and she fell to the floor.
She laid there panting and holding her side.
Victor paced back and forth for a moment before he reached out and kicked her leg hard with his foot. “Get up. Your man is most likely dead anyway and I need more money than this to get the fuck out of town. Get up!”
Cassie heaved her heavy body off the floor to a crawling position. Then she used a chair to slowly get to her feet. Her right leg hurt where he had kicked her but she wouldn’t let him see her pain. She moved further into the house. When they reached the door to Janelle’s study, she paused and took a deep breath. Reaching for the knob, she twisted it and pushed the door open. Back as a child, this room had been off limits to all the children living here but that never stopped Cassie. She would come in here late at night after everyone was sleeping to dig around and see what Janelle was hiding. It had been one of her favorite games to be so close to Janelle without her knowing it. She often dreamed of smothering her with her own pillow but Cassie knew that was a sin, so all she could do was dream about it. It was here she’d found the secret room behind the hutch and it was here she’d found the hidey hole Janelle kept full of cash. The scent of cigarettes and bourbon was stronger here and when it reached her, she almost gagged from it.
Victor pushed her inside the room. “Get on with it, I don’t have all night!”
Cassie rubbed her huge belly and limped over to the fireplace. If she remembered correctly, the latch was on the left side of the fireplace. Her fingers ran over the stonework and found the indent that hid the latch. Pressing it, she stepped back as the stones slid back revealing the hole in the lower side of the fireplace.
Victor pushed her out of the way, as he went down on his knees and reached inside. When he pulled out another small backpack, he quickly unzipped it. He growled when the pack was empty and turned to her. “Where is the money, bitch?”
Cassie shrugged. “I told you it’s been eleven years since I’ve been here. Things change, Janelle probably used the money a long time ago.”
“Is there any more places she hid her shit?” Victor snarled.
“There might be one more,” Cassie admitted.
Victor got to his feet and grabbed her arm. “Let’s go, we’re running out of time.”
Cassie tried to pull away from him but Victor wouldn’t let her go. His grasp tightened on her arm and she hissed from the pain. She led the way into Janelle’s bedroom. She opened the door on the far side of the study and her eyes studied the room without really seeing it. All she could remember about this room was the fact while everyone else in the house had very little comfort Janelle spent her money on living grand. Her bedroom and Robbie’s were decked out with everything nice.
When she paused just inside the door, Victor pushed her through it. “Get on with it, whore. You’re wasting my time here.”
Cassie went over to the huge king size bed and knelt beside it. Throwing back the comforter, she reached underneath the framework and released a latch.
When a drawer opened along the side, Victor pushed her out of the way again. Inside the drawer, he found the money he was looking for.
The drawer took up the entire side of the bed. It was several inches deep and almost two feet in length, and it was filled with cash. All hundred dollar bills. Also in there was a small wooden box. Victor began loading the stacks of money in the backpack he found in the kitchen. When it was full, he zipped it closed and got to his feet. Turning around he glared at her. “Now what do I do with you?”
“You got what you need, why don’t you just leave? Save your own skin while you can.”
Victor grinned. “I know what I’ll do.” He grabbed her arm again and headed for the stairs leading back to the first floor. He pushed her in front of him and forced her to go toward the door she had learned to hate.
When Cassie realized
where he was taking her, she fought back. “No…I won’t go down there!” She tried to twist away from him but his fingers tightened on her arm and he shoved her hard against the wall. Reaching for the doorknob, he opened the door and forced her down the steps.
The air down there was stale and musty. All of Cassie’s fears slammed into her and for a moment, she felt like she was going to faint. Her legs were weak and she half fell when Victor shoved her hard. Her hands burned when they scraped against the cement floor. She tried to cry out but her throat was swollen with fear.
“Yeah, I think this is a good place for you.” Victor smirked. “But don’t worry, you won’t be down here for long. I won’t let you suffer. Death will come for you this time like it should have before.” He turned and stomped back up the steps. The door slammed shut behind him.
The cold darkness swallowed Cassie up.
CHAPTER TEN
Victor opened the back door and made his way down the back steps. He wasn’t paying attention to anything as he tightened his grip on the backpack and made his way to the car parked just outside the driveway.
He was looking the other way when he was suddenly hit from behind. Someone landed on top of him and knocked the breath out of him. Then a fist slammed into his head and he heard someone growl, “Where is she, dirtbag?” Another fist hit him in the mouth then another hit his cheek.
Victor could feel pain and something warm slid down the side of his head. “What the fuck?” he grumbled.
Then hands were lifting him upright and he twirled around to see three men standing there.
~* * * *~
Sam stood above him with his fists clenched. “Where is Cassie?” he demanded again.
Victor didn’t say anything and Sam’s fist hit his face, busting his lip open. Fresh blood poured down his chin. “She’s inside but it’s too late.”
Sabbath and Raine turned to search the house and that’s when they saw the smoke curling around the windows and back door.
“Son of a bitch!” Raine exclaimed. “He started the house on fire and she’s trapped in there.”
Sam slammed his fist into Victor’s belly and when he doubled over Sam demanded, “Where the fuck is she?”
Victor couldn’t breathe as he doubled over in pain. He tried to speak but the words wouldn’t come out. Finally, after a full minute, he could take a breath. “B-basement, she’s in t-the basement,” he wheezed.
Sam tossed him to the ground and turned to Sabbath. “Watch him.” Then he ran toward the house. Raine was close on his heels and when they breached the back door, they saw the flames burning the kitchen. It hadn’t reached the hall or the rest of the house yet, but in the kitchen the fire was getting out of hand.
Sam and Raine went to open doors. They didn’t know where the basement was but one by one they began eliminating the doors. Smoke and heat were getting bad as they came to the last door. Sam reached for the knob and tried to pull it open but the door wouldn’t budge. He looked at Raine. “The fucker locked the damn door!”
Raine lifted his foot and began kicking the door. After several hits, the door finally gave way. Sam rushed down the steps with Raine close behind. The smoke was heavy down there and for a moment, they couldn’t see anything.
“Cassie, where are you girl?” Sam called out as he searched the basement for her.
Raine cocked his head and thought he heard something. Turning toward the sound, he narrowed his eyes and took a step toward the far corner of the room. “Sam, over here,” he called out as he rushed to where he’d seen something moving.
Sam and Raine reached her at the same time. Her face was pale and she was trembling with fear. When they got to her, Sam reached for her and pulled her into his arms. She tried to fight him off but Raine called out, “Easy girl, we got you.”
Cassie turned to him. “Please get me out of here,” she whispered and began coughing.
Sam turned and headed for the stairway. Raine went up the steps first leading the way. The smoke and flames are thicker once they reach the kitchen and Raine grabbed Sam’s arm leading them both to the back door.
Once outside, the air is cleaner and Cassie started to cough. Sam tried to put her down but Cassie couldn’t stand on her feet. She fell to her knees and doubled over in pain. Sam looked at Raine and Sabbath. “We need to get her out of here.”
Cassie raised her head and tears rolled down her face. “Please take me home. Take me back to Deke.”
Sam stared at her then knelt beside her. Reaching over, he cupped her face between his hands. “I’ll take you to him sweetheart. Don’t you worry about that.”
Cassie raised her hand and covered his. ‘Is he still alive?”
Sam nodded. “Yeah, he’s still alive.”
Just then, the silence was broken by the sound of motorcycles roaring into the backyard. Sam got to his feet and watched as fifteen cycles came to stop in front of him. The men on the bikes stared back for a moment then looked at the house behind him. The smoke and flames were visible now lighting up the night sky. From somewhere in the distance, sirens could be heard.
One man stepped off his bike and moved closer. Reaching out his hand he said, “Name’s Jimmy Dean but most people call me Hawk. Vice President of the Sinners.”
Sam held out his hand. “Sam Tory, most people call me Bones, except for my kid, he calls me a bastard, but that’s how life is sometimes.”
“Iceman said there might be trouble coming.” Hawk nodded at Victor laying there on the ground behind Sam. “Is this the piece of shit he was talking about?”
“That would be him.” Sam nodded.
“He the one who started the fire?”
“Yeah.” Sam reached out and kicked him.
Victor groaned and hunched over to protect his side.
“He got what he wanted then left the woman in the house.”
Hawk raised his eyebrow and turned to glare at Victor. “Is that true? You left a pregnant woman in a burning house?”
Victor glared at them. “Fuck you!”
Sam reached down to grab the backpack Victor had dropped. When he unzipped it, he whistled. He showed Hawk the contents and they both turned to glare at Victor. “You left three people in that house to die for money?” Sam growled.
“Three?” Hawk questioned.
“Yeah she is having twins, my grandkids,” Sam told him.
Hawk smiled. “Congrats man.” He turned back to Victor. “So what do you want to do with this piece of shit?”
“Burn him,” Sam told them without hesitation. “He shot my son and would have killed his woman and kids. He deserves to burn in hell.”
The sirens of the fire department could be hear louder now. They could see the reflection of the red and blue lights bouncing off the buildings a couple of blocks away now.
“We need to get out of here before the cops show up,” Raine warned them.
Sam grabbed the backpack and helped Cassie to her feet. Turning to Hawk he said, “We’re taking his car but I’ll have to leave my bike behind. I want to get her back to Troy as fast as I can.”
Hawk signaled to one of his men. “I’ll have Grit travel with you and bring your bike home. Get her home where she’ll be safe.”
Sam reached out and grabbed his hand, “Thanks man.” He turned and helped Cassie over to the car.
Hawk waited until Sam was about to get in the driver’s seat before he called out, “We’ll take care of this piece of shit for you.”
Sam nodded and started the car just as three fire trucks rolled in the yard. He, Raine, Sabbath and a man named Grit took off. When they left town and started back to Troy, Sam asked, “So what was his story? Why did he bring you back here?”
~* * * *~
“He’s Elliot Handlin’s nephew.” Cassie shrugged. “According to Janelle, some people knew him as Seymour Dent, whoever the hell he is he was mixed up in Janelle’s kiddy ring. He’d been using Victor to stay one step ahead of the police and FBI.”
�
�Seymour Dent huh?” Sam growled. “I know that piece of shit.”
Cassie tried to find a more comfortable position. The babies were rolling around harder now. She tried rubbing her belly to get them to settle but she hit the sore spot she’d gotten when she hit the railing. Hissing in pain, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath.
“Are you okay?” Sam asked. He was driving as fast as he could to get her back to Deke but they had a ways to go.
“Yeah, I’m okay,” she whispered then had to catch her breath as her stomach hardened and pain tightened her lower abdomen. “Fuck a duck.” Her hand gripped the door handle. A moment later her hand relaxed as the pain melted away.
“What’s going on over there?’
“The babies don’t like all the excitement we’ve had. I’ll be okay.”
Sam pressed the gas pedal all the wall to the floor as he sped through the night. An hour and a half later, they approached the outskirts of Troy. As the lights of the city could be seen, Cassie gasped again, as yet another pain gripped her belly. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she thought of her babies and Deke. She had a feeling she was in labor and if they were to be born now, her babies might not survive. She wanted Deke with her. She cried out when she felt a sudden flood of water flow between her legs. “Oh, my God…”
“What’s going on?” Sam yelled.
“My water just broke.” Cassie whispered.
Sam whipped the car around the corner and turned down the street. The guys following him turned and continued to follow. A few minutes later, Sam turned again and finally came to a stop in the parking lot of the hospital’s Emergency entrance. He got out of the vehicle and stood there on the pavement hitting the horn. A few minutes later, emergency personnel came rushing out. Sam reached for his cell phone as they loaded Cassie up and took her inside.
“Yeah?” Gator answered the phone back at the clubhouse.