In Plain Sight (WeHo Book 11)

by Sherryl Hancock

  Jericho blew out her breath, looking at Zoey. “Your doctorate can support us, right?” she said with a grin.

  “Always,” Zoey said, smiling.

  “Then I’m in,” Jericho said.

  “Count me in too,” said a voice from the doorway.

  Everyone turned to see Midnight Chevalier standing there, her gold-green eyes surveying all of them. Remington, Jericho, Rayden, Cat, Kashena, and Sebastian all stood.

  “At ease, ladies and gentleman,” Midnight said, winking at Sebastian. “I’m hearing a rebellion in the planning.” Her lips curled in a grin. “I brought some backup with me too.”

  Midnight stepped aside, and out walked eleven more men and women, including Rick. Catalina jumped up and ran to hug a few of the men, and all of the women as well.

  “You’ve all met Rick, and most of you have met Kana, but this is Tiny, the other half of the Samoan Express,” Midnight said, grinning. “This is Dave, Christian, Stevie, Spider, Donovan, Jeanie, Mace, and Kyle. Most of them work for Kyle now, but they used to work for me.”

  “So more cops…” Quinn muttered.

  Christian, an extremely handsome man with jet black hair that curled around his collar and a strong build, looked over at Quinn, sweeping back the sides of his leather jacket.

  “You see a badge?” he said, his English accent clear, his light blue eyes sparkling.

  Quinn looked at him, narrowing her eyes. All the newcomers did as he had, showing that none of them wore their badges.

  She nodded, with a grin on her lips. “Not bad, English, not bad,” she said, her Irish accent clear.

  Christian tilted his head. “Belfast?”

  Quinn inclined her head. Christian nodded. He knew who she was; he’d seen the news like everyone else. He respected her talent, but he also didn’t take shit from anyone, including an Irish bodyguard.

  “Blue’s part of my old unit,” Cat said, reaching up to hug him last.

  “Blue?” Quinn said.

  Christian inclined his head as he lit a cigarette.

  “Okay, so what do we know?” Midnight asked. “Wait, where’s Joe?”

  “Sorry we’re late,” Joe Sinclair as he and Mackie walked out to the patio with BJ Sparks behind them. He grinned. “Had an extra passenger.”

  “BJ…” Midnight said, narrowing her eyes slightly.

  “Not here to tote a gun, love,” he said, moving to hug her. “Just here to be the financial backing.” He nodded to Remington and Quinn.

  They both nodded back, happy to have his help.

  “So,” Midnight said, shaking her head as BJ pulled up a chair and turned it around to sit on it backwards, then lit a cigarette of his own. “Again, what do we know? Do we know that Memphis is really headed for them?”

  “Oh yeah,” Remington said, nodding. She pulled out Memphis’ phone and handed it to Midnight. “She got this yesterday.”

  Midnight read the email from The Family and then scrolled through the pictures they’d sent.

  “Sierra,” Midnight said, handing her the phone. “Send yourself a copy of this. It looks a lot like evidence to me…” she said, her voice trailing off, her grin wry.

  “Threatening a government official and any number of law enforcement officers… Yes. Yes, it does,” Sierra said, her smile wintery.

  “Okay, what else do we know?” Midnight said.

  “We know that this Lebon is in a remote area in very west Texas, near a place called Smugglers Pass,” Harley said, looking over at Devin, who nodded.

  “Is it passable?” Joe asked.

  “It’s a dirt road,” Harley said. “At least from what I’m seeing. Dev, you got anything different?”

  “Nope, dirt and rock.”

  “Okay, so we’re gonna need some all-terrain vehicles.”

  “Devin, you find ’em. I’ll pay for ’em,” BJ said.

  Devin nodded and started to search.

  “We’ll need a plane to get there,” Midnight said, starting to pace as her mind worked.

  “Got it,” BJ said, nodding.

  Midnight grinned at him. “Definitely going to need some air support,” she said, looking over at Shenin.

  Shenin nodded. “I’m sure I can get a couple. Pavehawk for you, Sky?” Skyler nodded. “And a Raptor, Gray?”

  “Thinkin’ a Harrier would scare the shit out of ’em,” Kashena said, glancing over at Remington, who grinned.

  “I can get my hands on one,” Remington said. “I’ll call in a few favors.”

  “Can you fly a Harrier, Gray?” Kashena asked.

  “I can fly anything with wings,” Grayson said, smiling.

  Kashena nodded. “Nice.”

  The group continued to discuss their options, and slowly but surely they decided on a plan.

  “Anyone know how long she’s been gone?” Midnight asked, looking at her watch.

  “Since about 2:30 a.m,” Kieran said softly.

  Midnight looked over at the girl, just noticing her for the first time. She walked over to Kieran and hugged her. She pulled back and looked at her.

  “We’re gonna go get your girl,” she said confidently.

  Kieran burst into tears, nodding. Quinn was up and hugging Kieran even as others moved to console the girl.

  Memphis had Linkin Park’s “When They Come for Me” blasting on the stereo as she accelerated through the gates of the compound. She heard yelling and continued to drive, jamming her foot down on the gas to get ahead of whoever was jumping into cars to follow her.

  She yelled the line from the song—“Try to catch up, motherfucker!”

  She laid on the horn as she pointed the Porsche at the house, hoping she wouldn’t hit anyone other than the people she wanted dead. She’d already seen many of the women and children out in the field, and usually it was just the lazy men who were in the house at this time. She didn’t have a problem killing any of them, their faces flashing through her mind as she braced herself for impact. The Porsche hit the porch at the low point, veering into the office area of the house.

  As soon as it settled, Memphis jumped out, the music still pumping from the speakers, damaged as the car was. Men came running at her, and she dodged the first couple of punches, slamming her fist into a face, a stomach. She kicked out at men who grabbed at her, punching another in the face. One grabbed her arm; she brought hers up and through, snapping her elbow down on his wrist and hearing the satisfying sounds of his bone cracking and his corresponding howl.

  She fought with everything she had, but eventually there were just too many. She sank into unconsciousness when someone brought the butt of a rifle down on her head. She was taken to one of the bedrooms undamaged by the car and dumped unceremoniously on the bed.

  Waking slowly, Memphis felt the pain in her head immediately.

  “Fuck…” she moaned as she reached up to touch the spot at the back of her head, bringing back bloody fingers. Moving slowly, she sat up, groaning.

  She wore black jeans, a black pullover hoodie that said “Sinful” on the front in old English lettering and had angel wings down the back, and her black leather Harley Davidson boots. With silver rings on her fingers and a thick leather-banded studded watch, she was dressed for the occasion as far as she was concerned.

  David observed the girl as she sat up, sneering at the word printed on her shirt. His dark eyes narrowed at the use of profanity, and he stepped over to the bed. The girl he knew as Cassidy lifted her chin as she saw him, her blue eyes wary instantly.

  “Look at you,” he said, disgusted. “Where did my angel go?”

  “I fuckin’ killed the bitch and threw her in the river,” Memphis said, with as much derision as she could manage.

  His hand whipped out, slapping her hard. Memphis sprang up off the bed with incredible speed, ramming him in the ribs with her head and driving him back. He was twice her size, so he was easily able to grab her and throw her off, sending her tumbling, but it took him a minute to get his breath back. She was back
on her feet instantly, and both her hands were clenched in fists.

  “Apparently you need to learn respect again,” he growled.

  “Apparently you need to go fuck yourself,” Memphis snapped.

  He charged her then, and there was nowhere to go. Memphis backed up into the wall and he hit her with a force that took her breath away. His fist lashed out again and again. Memphis did her best to block the blows, but eventually one landed hard on the side of her head and she sank back into unconsciousness.

  She woke with a start when someone touched her shoulder, her fist immediately coming up to defend herself. She was stunned to see her mother standing by the bed. She pulled her legs back, spitting out blood as she sat up.

  “Don’t fucking touch me,” she growled.

  “Cassidy,” her mother chided. “Don’t use that kind of profanity here.”

  “Fuck you. Don’t fucking tell me what to do, just get away from me.”

  “Cassidy, you know you shouldn’t have run. You know you shouldn’t have done that,” her mother said, her tone instructional.

  “And you know, I don’t give a fuck what you have to say, so leave!” Memphis yelled.

  Her mother had the temerity to try and reach for her again. Memphis’ fist came up immediately. “Don’t think for a second that I won’t beat the living shit out of you, bitch,” she said, low and threatening.

  Her mother all but skittered out of the room then. Memphis closed her eyes, now feeling all the pain of the bruises and cuts. She spit out more blood.

  “Getting damned tired of the taste of my own blood,” she muttered, reaching up to touch the cut on her lip.

  She heard the door open again, raised her head and saw men filing into the room. She recognized most of them. David walked in last, his look pointed.

  Memphis moved to stand, resigned.

  “Hey, if you guys need the room for a meeting, I can go,” she said lightly, but her look said she didn’t believe for a second she was going anywhere.

  “You need to be taught a lesson,” David said. “About why God put men above women.”

  “Your God didn’t do dick,” Memphis said, full of derision. “You put yourself above women, because you prey on weak women like my mother, and kids, like me. And these fuckers follow you because they’re fucking child molesters who get their rocks off hurting women and children. So take your lesson and shove it straight up your bullshit fake prophet ass!”

  With that she launched herself at David. She never even got close to him before hands grabbed her, dragging her back to the bed, and started yanking off her clothes. She fought and yelled and cussed and fought some more, all to no avail. This time she wasn’t lucky enough for them to beat her into unconsciousness first…

  Three military-style Army-green Maurader SUVs pulled up to what was left of the gates to the compound. The vehicles were driven by Remington, Sebastian, and Rayden.

  “Looks like they already saw some action,” said Midnight, who sat behind Remington.

  Quinn, who sat opposite Remington in the other crew seat, grinned. “Betting that was Memphis.”

  “Oh wi,” Remington said, grinning.

  “Don’t go too far in—I don’t want them to be able to get the drop on us from behind,” Joe said to Sebastian, then picked up the radio. “Remi, pull in on the left there. Ray, take the right. We’ll block the gate.”

  “Ten-four,” came Rayden’s response.

  “Te resevwa li,” Remington said.

  “What?” Joe said.

  “Sorry—got it!”

  “She do that a lot?” Joe asked Sebastian.

  Sebastian chuckled, nodding. “We’re all learning Creole, one choice phrase at a time.”

  Joe laughed, shaking his head.

  Men came flooding out of buildings. A few trucks filled with men carrying rifles drove toward the gates. They slowed to a stop as Remington, Sebastian, and Rayden climbed out and got up to the fifty-caliber guns, pointing them in the direction of the trucks.

  Midnight got out of her vehicle, and Kana and Tiny took up flanking positions. Joe and Rick joined them as they walked toward the man who was obviously David Ronning.

  “You have no jurisdiction here, Attorney General Chevalier,” David said.

  “Well, then it’s a damned good thing I’m not here as the Attorney General.”

  David looked surprised by her statement. “I don’t understand.”

  “You have one of my people,” Midnight said. “And I want her back. Now.”

  “You can’t come here and do this—” one of the men started, taking a menacing step toward Midnight.

  Kana’s weapon was drawn and trained on him immediately. “Take one more step, I dare you.”

  The man’s eyes widened as he stepped back immediately.

  “Go. Get. My. Girl. Now,” Midnight said, drawing her own nasty-looking HK forty-five-caliber and putting it right to David’s head.

  There were a number of rifles and weapons cocked within David’s group, and the men surged forward. Tiny and Kana immediately put themselves between Midnight and the men, both with their weapons drawn. Rick’s and Joe’s weapons were out as well, the four of them protecting Midnight.

  “You’re outgunned, face it,” David said. “So just turn around and leave.”

  “I don’t think so,” Midnight said, and put her hand up as a signal to Tyler, still in one of the Maurauders.

  Moments later a Pave Hawk helicopter swooped in to hover just to the left of the Maurauders, and then a Harrier jet lowered behind David’s group.

  “Now,” Midnight said as she moved past Tiny and Kana to walk up to David. “Ask me if they’re authorized to fire on your ass,” she said, her tone low, looking up at him with her gold-green eyes.

  At that point everyone climbed out of the vehicles, some carrying rifles, others drawing pistols, moving to surround Midnight and her smaller group.

  There was also the distinctive sound of fifty-caliber guns being cocked back.

  “Wanna test me?” Midnight said, her stare unflinching.

  David looked back at her, obviously debating his options. “You won’t get away with this,” he said.

  “Bet me.” Midnight’s eyes glittered with barely leashed malice.

  “Where’s Memphis?” Quinn asked threateningly, moving toward David.

  Midnight looked over at Quinn, and then at David. “You might want to tell her,” she said. “Or I might have to let her take you apart.”

  Remington, who’d changed places with Jericho on the fifty-caliber, walked up as well.

  “Tell me where she is, you piece of shit.” She reached out and grabbed him by the throat, lifting him off his feet as Midnight’s group shifted forward to back her up.

  “Back there! Back there!” David croaked, struggling against Remington’s hold.

  Remington looked at Kana, who grinned, nodding as Remington shifted her weight and dragged David around to put him in Kana’s hands. The large Samoan held him easily; for all his height, he didn’t weigh much. Remington looked at the guy who’d stepped toward Midnight as Quinn walked up to flank her.

  “Take me to her now,” Remington said. “And pray to your God I don’t kill you when I see what condition she’s in.”

  Memphis woke up, feeling stabbing pain all over her body. Slowly, she climbed off the bed and carefully picked up her discarded clothing. She put it back on, piece by piece. She was bleeding profusely, smearing blood on her pants and her hoodie as she pulled them on. The last thing she wanted was to be naked when they came back again, and she knew they’d be back. Suddenly everything overwhelmed her, and she slid down the dresser she’d been leaning against, bowing her head and squatting there, gritting her teeth to force back tears. She was not about to let them see her cry. That was not going to happen, not here, not now, not ever!

  She remembered the remarks about her tattoos, how shameful they were, how abhorrent. She also remembered the searing, burning pain as they endeavor
ed to destroy each one of them. The door opened, and she didn’t even have the strength to lift her head. She closed her eyes, waiting for whatever was next.

  “Memphis?”

  Despite the weakness she was starting to feel, Memphis lifted her head, because she’d thought for a second that the voice belonged to Remington.

  “Bondye!” Remington yelled, seeing the cuts and bruises on Memphis’ face.

  Her hand was around the man’s throat immediately, and she slammed him up against the door jamb. Raising her fist, she punched him in the face, feeling his jaw break. Then she let him go, and he dropped to the floor in a crumpled heap. She turned and went to Memphis, going down to one knee next to her.

  “Memphis,” she said. “Come on, we’re getting you out of here. Can you stand?”

  Memphis nodded, forcing herself to move. Remington helped her up and supported her slight weight out the door and through the house. Remington finally just picked her up to expedite getting her out, not wanting any surprises. One came anyway.

  Memphis’ mother, Claire, came running at Remington with a knife. While still holding Memphis in her arms, Remington leveled a kick at the woman’s wrist, knocking the knife free.

  “That’s my mother,” Memphis said as the woman stared at Remington with wide eyes.

  “Wont sou ou,” Remington spat, then realized she’d spoken in Creole. “Shame on you,” she said, and continued out the front door.

  Halfway down the path, Memphis had Remington put her down. She refused to be carried away from this place like a child. Memphis walked the rest of the way, doing her best to keep her winces minimal.

  When they got to the group, Quinn saw her face full of cuts and bruises. “Son of a fucking…” she growled as she started forward.

  Jet’s hand on her shoulder stopped her as Memphis walked up to David.

  “You are a fucking coward,” Memphis said, her blue eyes narrow points of fire. “And I hope you get what’s coming to you.”

  With that she turned away from him.

  “Abomination,” he muttered under his breath.

  She executed the most perfect spinning roundhouse kick Remington had ever seen, catching David in the face with her boot. He dropped to the ground, unconscious instantly. A cheer went up from the group, even as Remington had to catch Memphis to keep her from hitting the ground. Memphis was unconscious, having used her last bit of energy to pay David back her way.