by K. J. Dahlen
“So, you think he’s holding back?”
“He might be afraid of breaking you,” Reva admitted. “Deke has never been an easy man but with you, I see something I’ve never seen before. He actually cares about you. Believe me when I tell you, I don’t think the man has ever cared for a woman before. They were here for his pleasure but he never thought about their feelings before.”
“So you know him better than I do,” Cassie said. “How do I get him to show me real loving? I’ve never known that before and before something happens, I want to feel everything I can. I might have to live on those memories for a long time when I leave here.”
Reva patted her hands. “All you have to do is ask him. Let him know what you want, then you hold on and let yourself be unafraid. He isn’t going to hurt you.”
Cassie nodded. Then she had to ask, “What’s going on out there? Why have men been coming and going at all hours?”
“It’s club business and you should ask Deke about that.”
“Do you know?”
Reva hesitated then nodded.
“Can you tell me?”
“I really shouldn’t stick my neck out. It’s Deke’s business.”
“Can you tell me if it has to do with me and Peaches?” Cassie begged.
“Yeah, honey, it does,” Reva finally told her.
“Are we putting these men in danger?”
Reva sighed heavy. “Honey, they are protecting you from some very bad men looking for you. That’s all I know.” She turned away.
“Reva, “Cassie called out. When the other woman turned back she asked, “Has anyone else come looking for us?”
Reva nodded. “Some cop came yesterday.
Cassie turned to Peaches and sweat formed on her brow. She reached her hand out and Peaches grabbed it.
~* * * *~
Deke was staring at the new painting when Wiley came in. “Hey boss.”
Deke turned and glanced at him. “What’s up?”
“We have a visitor.”
“Oh, who might that be?” Deke asked.
“The Boston badge. You want we should let him parlay?”
Deke thought for a moment, then looked toward the kitchen. “Hang on a minute and I’ll let you know.” He headed to the room he knew Cassie and Peaches were in.
When he came through the door, Cassie and Peaches turned to stare at him. They had a slightly panicked look in their eyes.
“Lance Sullivan is here. He’s a Boston badge and he’s been looking for you two for a long time now.” He paused a moment. “Do you want to see him?”
Cassie turned to Peaches. “Are you ready for this?”
“Not really…” Peaches whispered.
“It has to happen at some point,” Cassie reminded her friend.
Deke took a few steps closer. “You and Peaches aren’t alone in this. I’m here to protect you as well as every other man here. You belong to us now and we don’t give up or let go what belongs to us.”
Cassie took a deep breath and exhaled. Her fingers tightened on Peaches’ grip. “You won’t let him take us back to Boston?”
Deke wrapped his hand around the back of Cassie’s neck and pulled her closer. When their lips were almost touching he whispered, “You aren’t going anywhere, but I do think you should tell this badge your story. I think you guys have run long enough, now it’s time to turn and make your stand.”
“Do you think he’ll listen to what we have to say?” Peaches asked.
Deke turned his head to view her. “I think he wants to.”
Cassie touched her forehead to his briefly. “Let’s do this before I lose my nerve.”
Deke reached down and twined his fingers with hers. He slowly tugged both girls to the door and into the main room.
Wiley watched him carefully. At Deke’s nod, he walked out the door.
Moments later, Wiley ushered another man into the room.
Deke had taken a seat at one of the tables along with Cassie and Peaches. Five of the other bikers, including Gator stood behind Deke and the girls.
Lance paused when he saw all of them, then continued to the table. He met Deke’s eyes then his curious gaze moved on to Cassie and Peaches. “I had to come back today.” He raised his eyes view to the painting on the wall. His eyes widened as he saw the new painting next to the tiger. His mouth opened slightly as he took in the bold lines and swirl of colors. He turned to stare at Cassie. Then, he transferred his gaze to Deke.
Deke invited him to sit with a wave of his hand.
When Lance sat down, he searched the girl’s faces. “I came here to find Josette Rearden and Callie Blake. I wanted to ask them about their story. I’m not here to hurt you and if I don’t like what I hear, I’ll do whatever I have to do to see that you girls are safe. You have my word on that.”
“You’ll forgive me Detective if I don’t trust you altogether.” Cassie sneered. “The people who should have protected us, were either were blind to what was going on right under their noses or they were too busy stuffing their pockets with payoff money to give a shit about the welfare of the unwanted kids in your foster system.”
“Can you tell me?” Lance asked.
“Are you sure you want to hear the details?”
Lance sighed and nodded. “When this case hit my desk eleven years ago, the file read assault with pending charges of attempted murder. Robbie Pierce’s medical records were part of that file and what happened to him was bad, really bad.’ He paused and stared at Cassie. “When I first read the age of the perpetrator I had to stop and read it several times. It listed your age as being ten years old. Is that right?”
Cassie nodded slowly. “I was only ten at the time, yes.”
“Then I asked myself why or what would make a ten year old little girl do such a thing? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it, so I began asking questions. Nobody had any answers, at least none that I could live with, so I began digging deeper. The deeper I dug, the less I could come up with. My Captain told me to leave it alone. He told me no good could come of it. He said Mrs. Pierce had a lot of high profile friends and he asked me if I thought this inquiry was worth my job.”
“In other words, he was on her payroll.” Deke sneered.
Lance shook his head. “I can’t believe that. Captain Rainer is a good man.” He turned back to Cassie, “Tell me what happened.”
Reva came in and set a cup of coffee in front of her.
Cassie wrapped her cold fingers around the cup and began her story. She told them about the years of torture and pain within the Pierce household.
As she told her story, one by one most of the members of the club came in and stood quietly behind the table.
She told about her father bringing his three year old daughter to Eleonore’s home. She told them how much money Eleonore gave him and how he walked away without looking back to even say goodbye. Everyone listened to the heartbreak she had gone through.
Peaches had tears running down her face as Cassie searched her memories and told them about the first few years she had. When Cassie got to the part where Peaches came there, she turned and smiled through her tears. “When Peaches came, I finally had a friend. I couldn’t let anyone hurt her, so I became her protector.”
Peaches reached out and took her hand. “No one has ever given me more than you have.” She looked around at everyone standing there listening. “When things got really bad, Cassie would always be there for me and the other kids. She would sing us to sleep and hide us when she needed to. She would stand up for us and go out of her way to piss off Mrs. Pierce in order to take her attention away from the little things other kids would get in trouble for. For some reason, Mrs. Pierce enjoyed beating Cassie but her favorite punishment was tying Cassie’s hands together and pushing her down into the basement. It was dark and damp and she’d be alone in the dark for days sometimes….” She paused as she sniffled through her tears. “She would take Robbi
e down there with her and they would hurt Cassie together. The last time she beat Cassie and threw her down there, she sent Robbie down by himself. Then we heard Cassie screaming. When she stopped, Robbie came upstairs and told his mother he taught her a good lesson.”
Lance turned his head and studied Cassie’s face. It was closed off. He could see a tick in her jaw as she clenched her teeth. “What happened in the basement Cassie? What did he do to you?”
Cassie wouldn’t answer him. No one had ever known what happened that day except for Peaches and she didn’t want to tell them.
Lance waited for her answer and when it didn’t come, he turned to Peaches. “When did this happen?”
“Two days before we left,” Peaches whispered.
“Do you know what he did to her?” Lance asked.
Peaches nodded but didn’t say anything. Fresh tears ran down her cheeks.
Finally, Deke growled, “Tell this man what the little bastard did to her.”
“No!” Cassie shouted as she jumped to her feet. Her face was pale and she was crying. “It’s my secret to tell or keep and I will not share it with anyone.”
Peaches got up and went to stand in front of Cassie. Putting her hands around Cassie’s face she whispered, “Please tell them. They want to understand why you hurt Robbie. It’s time to let go of your secret.” She leaned forward until her forehead touched Cassie’s. “You’ve protected that little bastard for too long. It’s time the truth was finally told. Please…”
Cassie wrapped her arms around Peaches. Turning her head, she stared at Lance. “After Mrs. Pierce beat the living hell out of me, she tied my hands together and dragged me downstairs again. When she tied the rope to the wall, I thought she’d leave me alone in the dark again. I was in so much pain from the beating I didn’t care. I thought about giving up and letting the darkness take me but I knew Peaches still needed me. Then Robbie came downstairs. He had a nasty look on his face. I could see it because the lights were still on. He came closer to me and began taking his clothes off. My mind went blank and I don’t really know what happened. When I came back from wherever I’d gone he was cutting me. The little bastard liked to cut people. The pain was unbearable and I couldn’t contain it. I screamed and didn’t finish until he was done. When he finally wiped the knife clean he told me everyone would know who and what I was from then on.”
“What did he mean by that?” Lance asked.
“He left scars on my body, just like his mother did that day,” Cassie said. Her words where whispered but everyone in the room heard them.
Deke frowned. He hadn’t noticed the scar she spoke about.
Peaches leaned forward and spoke softly, “You have to show them.”
Cassie backed away and began shaking her head but Peaches stopped her. “If you want the truth to come out, you have to show them what he did to you, what he planned to do to me the night we left.”
Cassie closed her eyes and knew she didn’t have a choice. She turned around and ripped the buttons of her shirt open. As she lowered the shirt from her shoulders, everyone in the room could see her skin. Exposed there on her back was her worst shame. She wasn’t wearing a bra and her whole back was exposed to their gazes.
She heard gasps and could imagine what these people were thinking. Most of her back was scarred by the belt she’d been beaten with. The worst of the scars had faded but were still there and would be until she died. The evidence of what Robbie had done to her was on her upper back along her shoulder blades. The letters were carved deep and had taken a long time to heal.
WHORE was the word Robbie Pierce had carved into her back.
Cassie broke down and ran down the back hall. She tried to pull her shirt back up to cover her shame. The door to Deke’s bedroom slammed and they all heard her sobs.
~* * * *~
Deke’s fingers crushed the shot glass in his hand until it shattered. The glass cut deep and his blood mixed with the liquor in the glass. In all the time he’d been with her, he had never taken the time to really see her. He never knew about the scars she carried. He hadn’t cared enough to look. No wonder she would curl up in a blanket.
Peaches sat down at the table but couldn’t look at anyone. “Robbie cornered me that day,” she continued the story Cassie had started. “There was no one else home. He thought Cassie was still tied up in the basement and he dragged me to the playroom. He ripped my clothes off and tied me up. Then he was getting his knife ready. He kept bragging that I would have the same brand as Cassie.” She swallowed hard. “I began to scream and Robbie was laughing at me. He told me I could make as much noise as I wanted. There was no one who cared, and no one who would stop him.” She shook her head. “He was wrong. Cassie was there. When I started screaming, she had broken through the ropes and came looking for me. I could see the blood on her wrists and at first, she couldn’t even hold the knife. Her fingers couldn’t wrap around the handle and she kept trying to grip it. Then she saw the look of terror on my face and she came after Robbie. I’ve never seen her s-so angry…” Peaches halted as she looked away and seemed to be reliving it.
The people in the room were silent and some looked pale while others looked enraged.
“When Robbie saw her, he backed away from me but she was having a hard time holding on to the knife. He thought she couldn’t hurt him but he was wrong. She cut him good. Rage had given her the strength to do what she thought had to be done. By the time she was finished, he was the one screaming. After she dropped the knife, she untied my hands and got both of us the hell out of there. She made a stop to get some food and bottled water, then she went to get the evidence she’d been collecting the past few months and went into the den. All of us kids knew we weren’t allowed in the den. Mrs. Pierce ordered us never to go into that room, but Cassie went in there and when she came back out, she had the book and some money.”
“What book?’ Lance asked.
“Part of her evidence was a small notebook that listed Mrs. Pierce’s activities,” Deke explained. “Money from sales and money paid out to the people in her network.”
“Sales? What was she selling?” Lance looked perplexed.
Deke stared at the man. “She was selling the babies in her care.”
Lance paled. “Does she still have the book?” he whispered.
Zipper broke away from his spot and grabbed everything he’d been searching through earlier. He dumped it on the table in front of Lance. With a disgusted grunt, he went back to where he’d been standing earlier.
“You can look at that shit but you ain’t taking it out of here unless Cassie gives you her permission,” Deke told him. “She’s trusting you with her life. Hers and Peaches and if you fuck her over, we will return the favor. Each man jack of us will hunt you down and take of piece of you.”
Lance brought his head up and stared at Deke. “Don’t worry, I won’t let them down. This Pierce woman may have friends but she doesn’t have you guys on her side. I think hell is coming for Mrs. Pierce.”
Deke nodded. “Do you remember those men you told us might be coming here after the girls?”
Lance continued to stare at him.
“One of them showed up last night. He shot one of my men and they shot back. We don’t know if he was hit or not, but those bastards are not getting to Cassie or Peaches. They belong to us now, and we will keep them safe.”
Lance shrugged. “Then you do whatever you have to do. I’ll let the local LEOS know what’s going on, so if they end up dead they won’t come after you guys.”
Deke let out a cold laugh. “Yeah, you do that. If those guys show up and we kill them, their bodies will never be found. On that you have my word.”
Lance glanced back at Peaches. “How did the two of you escape?”
Peaches shrugged. “There was no one else home that night, but Cassie wouldn’t take the chance anyone would stop us, so we went through the woods behind the house. The kids were afraid of thos
e woods, so we never went there. Mrs. Pierce always told us there were dangerous people living in the woods and if we went there, they would get us. She said they would hurt us and finally kill us. But the truth was, she was the evil that would kill us.”
“Where did you go after you got away?” Lance asked.
“Cassie was in pretty bad shape. She hadn’t had the time she needed to completely heal from the beating and what Robbie did to her. She knew we needed to get away and she went as far as she could. We found a cave near the water and I made her stop. I cleaned her up the best I could and we stayed there for three days. I wanted her to stay longer but we ran out of food and water. We traveled at night because she didn’t want to be seen.”
“Where did you go after that?” Lance asked.
“We stayed in Boston for a couple of years. Living in the shadows, we learned to survive. Then one night Cassie was attacked. They hurt her bad before she got away from them. Two days after that, the bastards that hurt her came looking to finish the job, so she knew we couldn’t stay there anymore. We left Boston and followed the ocean south. We were in Rhode Island for a while, then went to Connecticut then we went back to Massachusetts for a while then we came here to New York.”
“How did you live?”
“We had some money in the beginning, but that only lasted a couple of years. Cassie got very good at stealing what she needed until we looked old enough to work. She would get jobs at fast food places. One thing she insisted on was for both of us to finish school. We both took online classes. We knew we couldn’t go to school, so we would visit the library every day and use their computers and we both passed the GED test when we were sixteen.”
Before anyone could say a word, they all heard a scream.
Deke and the others ran toward the bedroom where Cassie was.
Lance stood up as well but Wiley prevented him from following the others. “Why don’ you just sit here and wait?” Wiley suggested to the other man.
CHAPTER EIGHT