by K. J. Dahlen
~* * * *~
An hour after Zipper placed his call, a white van pulled up to the gate. Zipper who had just returned with Deke and Wiley, punched the code needed to open it.
A few minutes later, it pulled up to the door and a young black woman got out. She smiled at Zipper. “I got here as fast as I could.”
“I’m glad you could make it Glory. Deke is worried sick about his Spitfire being safe and so are the rest of us.”
Glory paused at the name, then she smiled. “Spitfire, eh? Well, Demon will protect her from whoever is after her.”
When she opened the side door, Zipper had to back up a step or two. The dog Demon was huge and pure black. It was hard to tell exactly what kind of dog he was.
Glory reached inside the van and attached a leash then he jumped down.
Zipper could see he stood waist high. He had long dark hair and huge feet. “What kind of dog is he exactly?”
Glory laughed. “I swear he’s three fourths coon hound but I know for a fact he isn’t. Best we can figure is he’s part wolf on his daddy’s side and Great Pyrenees on his mother’s. He’s big but he’s gentle and he loves kids.”
“You said he would protect her?” Zipper frowned.
“Oh, he will,” Glory assured him. “Demon gets very protective once he gets a scent. I’m just saying he can be gentle and he adores children.”
“Let’s go inside then. Deke wants to meet the dog before he introduces him to Cassie.” Leading the way, he let Glory lead Demon inside.
Everyone got quiet and turned when they came in.
Deke turned and walked up to Glory. “Zipper tells me your dog will protect my woman.”
“Yes sir, he will,” Glory assured him.
“Good.” Deke nodded. “Let’s get them together. I don’t want her alone for any amount of time. There’s a very sick bastard after her and I don’t want him to get close enough to hurt her.” He turned and started to walk down the hall to his bedroom.
Then the dog, Demon stopped. He wouldn’t go forward, instead he turned and walked over to the three children. He sat down and just looked at them.
“Demon, what’s wrong boy?’ Glory called out softly.
Demon sniffed the children individually but went back to the middle child Jack.
Jack plopped his thumb in his mouth and began to cry.
Alaina wrapped her arm around his shoulder but didn’t take her eyes off the dog in front of them.
Deke and Gator went over to the kids and knelt down to their level. “What’s going on here?”
“I’m sorry,” Jack whispered.
“Sorry for what?” Gator asked.
“Please don’t hit me? I didn’t know what to do!” He cried.
“Buddy, no one here is gonna hit you, but we need to know what you’re talking about,” Deke said quietly.
Alaina squatted down beside her brother and turned him to face her. “You have to tell him Jackie. They might be mad at us and we might have to leave here but you have to tell them.” Alaina had tears running down her face as well.
Reva knelt beside them and held Alaina and Jack in her arms. “No one is sending you guys away from here. I don’t care what you saw.”
Jackie wrapped his arms around Reva’s neck. “I saw a bad man dragging Miss Cassie into the woods. I didn’t know what to do. I’m so sorry I didn’t tell anyone what I seen. I’m so sorry!”
Deke and Gator froze at his words. Deke turned to stare at Gator then got to his feet and ran for the bedroom. Gator was right behind him and when Deke tried to open the door but couldn’t. He backed up and kicked the door open.
The bed was empty but the window was closed. Deke walked to the bed slowly. His footsteps dragged as his mind wrapped around the idea she wasn’t there. When he got to the empty bed, he noticed the hospital gown.
When Glory and Zipper entered the room with Demon, the dog went directly to the closet and growled. He followed a scent all the way to the bed. Then he jumped up on the bed and began sniffing the sheets.
“Dammit! I told you to have the window nailed shut!” Deked glared at Gator.
Gator went over to the window and tugged. The window wouldn’t give. “It is man. It is.”
Demon got down and walked over to the door. He finally turned and looked at Deke.
Deke turned to Glory.
“He’s got her scent,” Glory explained. “He also picked up another scent. He’s indicating they went out into the hall.”
The dog went out the door and stood by the door across from Deke’s room.
Deke opened the door and the big black dog went over to the open window.
They all know what happened now.
“Can he follow the scents through the woods?” Gator asked.
Glory nodded. “Yes, he can do that.”
Gator looked over at Deke. “Let’s go. We need to find Cassie before that bastard hurts her.”
“Let’s get some guns first. Then we’ll hunt his ass down.” Deke growled. “I feel the need to kill today and I won’t be denied.” He turned and went back to the main room. He walked over to Jack and Reva.
Reva was holding the boy trying to reassure him he wasn’t in trouble.
“Hey, big guy.” Deke placed his hand on the boy’s back. “I need to know everything you saw. Did you see the bad man’s face?”
Jack shook his head. “No he was turned away from me. But I seen Miss Cassie. She had her hands tied behind her back and a something tied around her mouth. I seen he was dragging her by her hair.”
“Did you see which way they went?” Deke asked.
Jackie nodded. Hanging his head, he whispered, “I’m sorry. I was so scared.”
Deke tipped his chin up and smiled. “You didn’t do anything wrong. No one here is mad at you and you’re not in any trouble. If I had seen that, I might have been afraid too.”
“Mr. Deke?” Alaina called out from beside him.
Deke turned and looked at her.
“Are you gonna find Miss Cassie and bring her back?”
Deke smiled but no one could see any humor in his eyes. “Yes, I am and that bad man is never gonna touch her again. I promise.”
Glory and Zipper brought Demon out.
Then Deke, Gator, Deacon, Wiley and Iceman grabbed weapons.
Deke held out his hand to Iceman and Wiley. “I need you two to stay here.”
“Why?” Iceman frowned.
“Because I need someone to stay here and protect the women and kids. If that bastard comes back thinking we’re all looking for him, he might think he has a clear shot at taking Peaches. If we miss him, you stand a good chance of getting him.”
“I can live with that.” Iceman nodded.
Deke turned back to Jack. “Okay little man, where did they go and which way did they turn once they got beyond the fence?”
Jack got down and ran to the door. He pointed at the fence surrounding the compound then called out, “They didn’t go through the gate but they did walk along the fence for a ways and turned that way.” He pointed to the left.
Deke looked down at the young boy. He hated to ask but he had to know. “Was she hurt?”
Jack stared up at him with tears in his eyes. “I don’t think so but the bad man was pulling her hair.”
Deke knelt beside him. “Thank you for being brave enough to tell me about this. I know you and your sister and brother have no reason to trust us yet but I hope one day, you will.” Deke got to his feet and walked over to the table where Gator and Deacon stood. Each was checking a weapon and Deke grabbed a gun off the table. He checked the slide on the pistol and put it in his belt. He grabbed a rifle and spotted the scope. He checked the bolt action and looked at the other two. “Let’s find this fucker and end his life.” He looked over at Glory. “Let’s find out what your dog can do.”
“He’ll find her.” Glory nodded confidently. She went out the door and walked
Demon to the fence. Then she undid the leash and let him go with one order. “Find her Demon.”
The dog sniffed the ground for a moment then began walking left of the gate. He woofed at one point then began walking into the trees. Soon, he was running.
Deke, Gator and Deacon kept up but it wasn’t easy. They dodged trees, slipped and slid on the wet leaves on the wood’s grounds and tried to keep one eye on the dog as he ran ahead of them.
Demon stopped and began to growl. He barked a warning.
When Deke caught up, he saw a pair of wolves standing opposite Demon. They were growling back at the dog and trying to circle him. Deke pulled the rifle to firing position and let off a shot. He hit the first wolf but the second one kept coming. Deke worked the slide on the rifle and pulled it into position again. He got off a shot but it went wide.
The wolf turned and ran off but Demon was still growling.
Deacon took aim and made a third shot.
They heard a yelp and when Deke turned his head, he saw a wolf take off running. He stepped closer and that’s when he saw her.
She was tied to a tree covered in blood. Her head was hanging at an odd angle.
His large frame trembled all over and his breath was stuck in his throat. He walked closer to her and knelt on the ground beside her.
Gator was there cutting the ropes that bound her to the tree.
When the ropes let go, she fell forward into Deke’s arms. He sat there for a moment and rocked her back and forth. Tears rolled down his cheeks.
Gator tried to loosen his hold. “Boss, we need to check and see how bad she’s hurt.”
Deke laid her on the ground and stepped back. He didn’t know why but he was shaking badly. He’d never felt fear in his life and it took him a moment to realize that was what it was.
Deacon knelt down beside her and his fingers reached out to find the pulse on her neck.
Deke saw his head fall forward and he knew his heart had just stopped. He couldn’t lose her. NO! His bloodied hands were fisted at his sides. “Is she still alive?” His voice was a mere whisper.
Deacon nodded. “Yeah, but she’s lost a lot of blood. We have to get her to the hospital.”
Gator took out his cell and called 9-1-1.
Deke gathered her into his arms and began walking back to the compound. It bothered him that she never made a sound. He looked down and saw Demon walking by his side.
Glancing down at Cassie, he saw the bruises on her face. He tightened the grip he had on her and she groaned.
She shook her head from side to side and tried to open her eyes.
Deke stopped and called out to her, “Cassie, baby, I’ve got you. You’re gonna be okay.”
Cassie tried to open her eyes and this time it worked. Her eyes tried to focus but she was having some trouble doing so.
Deke frowned as he watched her. He looked over at Deacon with worry. “Baby, are you all right?”
Cassie shook her head. “I think I’m gonna be sick.” She groaned.
“Do you need me to stop for a minute?” Deke frowned.
Cassie shook her head. “I need to know the baby is okay.” She looked at him with tears in her eyes. “Robbie is crazy. He was going to leave me to the wolves then go after Leon. He thinks Leon is his father. God…” Cassie closed her eyes in pain. “…We need to warn him. He’s gonna kill Leon.”
“Hush,” Deke whispered, holding her close. “We’ll get back to the clubhouse and have Peaches call her grandfather to warn him. But I’m not worried about Leon, I’m worried about you. You have to calm down.”
Cassie shivered. “I’m so cold.” She tried to bury herself in his warmth but she still shivered badly.
Deacon came up behind them and whispered, “I think she’s going into shock. We need to hurry.”
Deke nodded and began to walk faster. Within minutes, they came to the fence line. Then they were inside. Everyone gathered around while Deke called out, “She’s lost a lot of blood and she’s going into shock. Somebody get me a blanket!”
Deacon nudged Deke to one side and began looking over Cassie’s wounds. He glanced at Reva and called out for some towels.
Reva brought towels and a basin of warm water.
Marnie brought them a blanket but didn’t want to get in the way, so she stood back holding it.
Deacon began bathing the blood away dropping the blood soaked towels on the floor as she used them up, then wrapped towels around the wounds Robbie left behind.
Peaches came to stand beside her friend and reached for her hand. Tears ran down her cheeks as she watched everyone work on her.
Iceman came over to her and tried to pull her away. “Come on honey, you need to let them get her ready. The ambulance will be here soon.”
Peaches turned to leave her when Cassie gripped her hand tighter. “You need to call Leon.”
“What? Why?” Peaches frowned.
“Robbie is going after him. Janelle told him Leon is his father. Robbie is gonna kill him, then come after you. He told me that before he left.”
“That’s insane!” Peaches exclaimed.
Cassie opened her mouth to say something but her eyes rolled back in her head and her hand dropped to the side of the table.
“Deke!” Peaches screamed.
Deke rushed over and grabbed Cassie’s hand.
Deacon pushed his fingers onto her throat. He had a hard time finding her pulse but finally he found it. It was weak. He caught Deke’s eyes and shook his head. “We have to get her to the hospital now.”
Just then, the ambulance pulled in and Gator went out to hurry the EMT’s inside. Everyone stood back as two men in green uniforms worked to stabilize Cassie.
“You need to know that she pregnant,” Deacon informed them.
When they loaded her on a gurney and pushed her out to the ambulance Deke, Deacon, Peaches and Iceman got into Glory’s van and followed the flashing red and blue lights all the way to the hospital. Demon jumped in just before the doors closed.
Ten minutes later, Deke watched helplessly as they pushed the gurney into the ER.
When the double doors closed, Peaches turned to Deke. “Tell me the bastard that did that to her didn’t get away.”
Deke silently stared back at her, then he turned and punched a hole in the waiting room wall.
CHAPTER NINE
A couple of hours later, the doors to the waiting room opened as Leon and Calderone Vincinti walked in. They were followed by four men in black suits.
Calderone went to his daughter and pulled her into his arms. “Thank God, you’re all right. I couldn’t understand a word you said earlier. I thought you were hurt.”
Peaches shook her head. “Cassie is the one who is hurt.” She sobbed as she leaned into her father’s chest. “That fucker Robbie Pierce got to her and he hurt her bad.”
“Janelle’s son?” Leon asked.
“That’s the one.” Iceman swore. “Cassie said something about a threat to your life before she passed out. We’re still waiting for the doctor to let us know how she’s doing.”
Just then, the doors opened up and a man in scrubs came up to them. “Cassie Ryan?”
Deke and the others crowded around the man. “How is she doing?”
“She’s resting right now,” the doctor answered as he looked all around at the many people surrounding him. “We had to replace two pints of blood and it took sixty eight stitches to close her wounds. We also had to give her something to get her to rest. She kept saying crazy stuff about a man named Leon.”
“What did she say about me?” Leon frowned.
The doctor shook his head. “I wasn’t listening to her ramblings. I was more interested in saving her life and the life of her child.”
“Cassie’s having a baby?” Calderone looked stunned.
The doctor looked over at Deke. “I can’t really get her to calm down, she’s fighting the medication and she sho
uldn’t be. Maybe if you could see her for a few minutes, and she can tell you what she wants you to know, she’ll let the meds work. Her body has been used and abused badly in recent times. She needs the healing of sleep.”
Deke nodded. He looked over at the group of people standing there. Each and every one of them loved her and they all needed to hear what she had to say. “Come on guys. Let get this over with.”
They all filed into the room Cassie was in. She opened her eyes to see Deke and the others. Her eyes went first to Deke then to Peaches and finally to Leon. She held out her hand to Leon. When he took it she whispered, “Please be careful, Janelle’s son Robbie is coming after you.”
Leon frowned. “Why me? He doesn’t even know me.”
“Janelle told him you were his father.”
Leon took a step back. “Are you kidding me?”
Cassie shook her head. “She told him the reason she ran away was that you were bothering her. She said she left when she found she was carrying your child.”
Leon scowled. “I may be a lot of things not suitable for society but I have never molested a young child.” He began to pace. “Besides all that, I was married to the girl’s mother at the time.”
Calderone stepped up to the bed and took her hand. “Can you tell us what happened?”
Deke stepped forward. “Lance Sullivan and his partner came by this morning. The girls told him that Robbie might still be alive. He brought Robbie’s autopsy file and they knew it wasn’t Robbie. He also brought a number of other files, unsolved murders on Boston over the last few years.”
“Are they related to the person called the Butcher of Boston?” Leon asked. “Just before we left this morning, my source in the police department called to let me know they found his eighth victim.”
“Yes, we know,” Peaches spoke up. “He told us the same thing this morning.”
“Why would he do that?” Leon wanted to know.
“He knows who the killer is now,” Deke replied.
Leon turned and stared at the other man. “Not Robbie?”
Deke nodded. “Yeah, it’s Robbie.”
“Cassie has carried his mark since we ran away from that house eleven years ago,” Peaches explained to her grandfather.