Redd

by Leah Holt

  “Diablo—”

  “Fuck Diablo!” Scanning the room, I saw a door to my left and stumbled over to it, holding my ribs. Trying the knob, it was locked. That didn't surprise me, I knew it would be, but I had to check anyway.

  “Redd, don't do anything stupid.” Holding out both hands, Pierre walked towards me. “If we want to get out of here, we need to do what he wants.”

  Thinning my lids, I cocked my head over my shoulder. “You have no clue, do you? We aren't getting out of here, he's going to kill us. But he can't until he has your daughter back.”

  “No, he won't do that. I know this man.”

  “You don't know shit. You thought he was going to treat your daughter with respect, and did he?” I didn't give him time to answer. “No, he didn't. He's a fucking piece of shit. And you're a weak prick who can't find his balls and stand up for himself.”

  “But I'm supposed to trust you?” The lines on his face arched high as he crossed his arms. “I heard what he said, about what you've done. Why should I believe you over him?”

  “Because I saved your daughter from that asshole. And if I have to die to keep her safe, I'm ready for that.” My back snapped straight, each vertebrae clicking into place with a pop. Staring him down, I kicked my chin up. “What are you going to do for her?”

  Did I just challenge him?

  You bet your fucking ass I did.

  He wanted to think of himself as a father, he wanted to have that title. . .

  Then he better be willing to do what was right to own it.

  I made my choice, and if he couldn't see that Bijou was worth this fight, then he didn't deserve to call himself her father.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Bijou

  Something's wrong. . .

  Throwing my body up, I sat on the couch, ears piercing the air trying to listen. My chest was heavy, heart thumping hard and fast, sweat spilling down over my forehead.

  It was a feeling that hit me. I wasn't sure where it came from, but I couldn't shake it off. The anxiety spilled around my body, and I kept looking at the front door. I was waiting for a knock or the red and blue lights of a cop car in the driveway, signaling that my gut feeling was correct.

  Redd's in trouble.

  “You alright?” Vicki trotted into the living room, holding a glass of milk and a small saucer of cookies. “You don't look so good.”

  “I. . . I don't know. Something doesn't feel right.” Jumping to my feet, I stepped to the window and pulled back the curtain. “Your brother isn't back yet?”

  “So?” Dropping onto the couch, she dunked a cookie into the milk and took a bite. “He does this sometimes, leaves for awhile, he'll be back.”

  Raking my fingers through my hair, I started to pace around the room. “No, this is different. He should be back by now.”

  “Bijou, you don't know my brother like I do. He does this all the time, sometimes he's gone for hours.” Her mouth was full as she spoke, doing its best to keep the food inside. Wiping her lips, she took a small sip of milk and let out a sigh. “It sucks, I know. He said he wasn't going to rob—” Big eyes flashed in my direction as she bit her lip. “I shouldn't have said that.”

  “It's okay, I know about what he did.” Waving my hand, I stopped in front of her. “Don't worry, he already told me.”

  Her head bobbed on her shoulders as she placed the plate down on her thigh. Dragging her fingers back and forth over each other, she dusted them clean of cookie crumbs. “Did he tell you that it was fourth time he had promised he was done?” Letting out a disgruntled laugh, she rolled her eyes. “He can't stop himself, it's like a disease now. I think he needs help.”

  I felt bad for her. She had been exposed to more than any child should be at her age. Vicki shouldn't see this life as normal, but she did. She shouldn't look so nonchalant about how he got their money, but she was. All of this was a regular part of her day, and it never should have been to begin with.

  Taking the seat next to Vicki, I braided my fingers together. “He didn't go out to do what you think.” I couldn't look at her, I was too nervous. “He's keeping his promise to you.”

  “Then where did he go?” Her glass clanked against the ceramic saucer, face soft and curious. But there was doubt in her eyes. A condescending glare that tried to break through the lie she thought I was feeding her.

  “He went to—” Cutting myself off, I saw headlights flash against the window. “He's back, oh thank god.” My head drooped as a wave of relief swept over me.

  Standing, I walked to the door and opened it up. The night sky had devoured the sun, leaving nothing but blackness. Flicking on the outside light, I could make out a figure in the driveway as it crossed the front of the car and started for the door.

  Smiling, I rested my shoulder against the door frame and crossed my arms. “It's about time.”

  “It sure is, it's been much too long.”

  No. . . Fuck, no!

  My legs grew weak, muscles trembling as the nightmare that consumed my world manifested before my eyes.

  “Bijou, who is it?”

  Turning on my heels, I screamed, “Run, Vicki! Run!”

  I tried to close the door and lock it, but it was no use. Hands shoved it open, fingers snagged my hair.

  There was nothing I could do.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Redd

  Slouched against the wall, I kept my head down and my fists tightly clenched. It had been hours since I had woken up in that room, and no one had come in to see us.

  I had tried kicking down the door, using my shoulder to ram it, and slamming my fists repeatedly over and over again. But Pierre and I were trapped in this fucking box.

  “How long is he going to keep us in here like this?” I asked out loud, not really looking for answer, but Pierre didn't register the solo question as a voiced thought.

  Waving a lone hand through the air, he answered. “Until he's ready to talk to us. He's probably trying to wear us down.”

  Shaking my head, I didn't look at him. “Yes, thank you for clarifying that, Pierre.”

  “Look,” he said, calmly holding out his arms and walking over to me. “I screwed up, I know that. And what you said before, you're right. I'm weak, I haven't done anything to protect my family or protect Bijou. I only made it worse.”

  Lifting my face, my lips drew back, eyes narrowing. I didn't have anything to say to him. He screwed up. . . He was just realizing that now?

  Swallowing hard, his brows knitted. “I just want you to understand that I really didn't know what I was doing. I thought I could handle him, I honestly thought that he was a man of his word.”

  You can't trust men like him. They'll eat you up and spit you out over and over again.

  Diablo was a shark, he'd nibble his prey, injure them, force them to become weak and frail, and that's when he'd strike. It was a slow painful death, but the end would come, when he was ready.

  “What happened? What did you do?”

  Backing against the wall next to me, Pierre slid down onto his ass. “Years ago, this place was a mecca for businesses. Almost every major corporation had an office downtown, and this small city was the center of what every American family wanted, opportunity.”

  “Okay, your point?”

  I didn't want some sob fucking story about how he left poverty for the riches of this country. If he knew what I came from and how I lived before turning my back on the law—he'd know that opportunity was what drove me to begin with.

  Opportunity had been the fucking catalyst that brought Bijou into my hands. Well, that and greed. I was a greedy motherfucker, I can admit that now. I wasn't proud of it, but it was the truth.

  “My bar was booming, we had a full house almost every night. Things were great. I bought our home, I had luxury cars, the girls were born. But then things changed, the economy tanked. Those big businesses up and left, and most of the city left with them. It became a struggle to stay open. I had to use all of Bijou
and her sister's college funds, we were in default on our home and the mortgage for the bar. I was about to lose everything.” Pierre's head fell into his chest as he reached for a small pebble on the floor and started rolling it between his fingers.

  “That's a tough spot to be in. Did your family know?”

  Cocking his head up, his lids turned to slits. “No, I couldn't tell them that.” Flicking the rock across the room, he speared his fingers into his hair. “But then Diablo came in, he offered me money, he gave me the solution to all my problems. It was going to be simple, he'd front me the money, and I'd let him work out of my bar. He'd use it, when and how he wanted, no questions asked. I looked the other way, pretending I didn't see him and his men, or anything that they did. And I of course, as part of our agreement, I was going to pay back the money with interest.”

  “That didn't happen, did it?”

  Shaking his head no, his mouth bent into a deep frown. “I didn't even come close. The bar never got better, it only got worse. With his men coming in and out, no one wanted to be there anymore. But the damage was already done, I still owed him.”

  “And that's why he had Bijou?”

  “Not exactly.” Scratching at his jaw, his lids closed as he laid his head back. “I had a deadline that I couldn't meet. I tried to explain it to him, I even threatened to call the cops. But that man showed up at my house, he held a gun to my head and said he would kill my whole family and make me watch if I didn't give him what I owed.”

  Falling deeper into his knees, Pierre tipped his head up, eyes full of so much hurt and despair. “He came to my house, Redd, he stood in my living room while my children and wife slept. That's when it happened, he spotted Bijou's picture on our mantle, and he gave me one last option to walk away clean. Give her to him and he'd call our debt even. What was I supposed to do?”

  “I don't know.” When he told me what had happened, all I felt was pity for him. He was put on the spot with a gun to his head. There was no time for him to think about another solution, he was trapped.

  All the blame I had put on him vanished. He wasn't sinister and evil, he was just plain stupid. He was blind to the danger, listening to the voice of a mad man as he protested a solution to his problem that went far beyond money.

  Desperate. . . Pierre was nothing but desperate.

  “I swear to you, that man gave me his word. He promised me that he would be kind to her, he said he would give her everything she could ever ask for.” Sucking in a big gulp of air, Pierre's eyes started to tear up. “I did that to her, I caused her pain. And I didn't even get the chance to explain what was going on, or tell her I was sorry for it. He just took her.” Snapping his fingers, the noise popped in my ear. “She was gone, just like that.”

  “What did you tell your family? What did you say to your wife about where she was?”

  Shrugging his shoulders, he spoke low, filled with nothing but guilt. “I told her that she ran away. I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth. I'm fucking pathetic.”

  “You're not pathetic, you're just misguided and afraid. You did what you thought you had to, and you tried to save your wife from the pain of something far worse.”

  Pierre nodded, sitting silent. Staring aimlessly at the ground, he took in deep breaths. “The question I keep asking myself now is. . . What's next? Where does it go from here?”

  “I can tell you that.” Pushing up onto my feet, my arms hung at my sides. “We get the fuck out of here and kill that motherfucker.”

  Stalking to the door, I lifted my foot up and kicked it as hard as I could. With a loud grunt, I kicked it again and again. No door was going to come between me and revenge. I was going to kill Diablo, and anyone else who got in my way.

  This ended here, it ended now. I was done waiting for him to make a move.

  “Hey! Calm the fuck down in there!” Val yelled through the door, his voice annoyed and irritated. “Or I'll come in there and make you!”

  “Fuck you!” I barked back, kicking the door again.

  I didn't stop. Grunts and loud growls spilled from the back of my throat as I used all the muscles in my body to drive my foot like an ax through the wood. The door would rattle and creak, each time a little louder.

  It couldn't stay whole forever, it wasn't made of metal. I wasn't being held in a cell with steel bars. This was just a room in a house.

  Bang! I kicked. Bang! I slammed my heel in the center. Bang, bang, bang! Over and over, I brutalized the door.

  Crack!

  The center split, creating long veins through the wood grain. So I hit again right in the soft spot, cracking it more, allowing light from outside to spill in.

  “You fucking prick!” Val yelled. “I said to stop! Do you want me to come in there and put a bullet between your eyes?”

  “Go on and do it! Come in and stop me, Asshole!”

  Keys jingled from the outside, so I stepped to the side behind the door. The handle began to turn, and the hinges started to swing open. I watched his shadow as it grew over the paneling, patiently waiting for the perfect moment.

  Now!

  Snatching the handle, I threw the door inward and hit Val in the face. “Ah! Fuck!” Cupping his nose, he mumbled more words into his hands as he wobbled unsteadily on his feet.

  Charging forward, I slammed my body into his. And this time, I wasn't going to let him walk out. Catching him in a daze, I sent him toppling over, landing on his back with a heavy thud.

  Lashing out with his hand, he clocked me in the face. But I was too fucking pissed to feel it. Dropping my elbow into his throat, I heard him cough and gag, unable to speak.

  Balling my fists, I let punch after punch fly into the soft flesh of his face until he stopped moving and his bones were mangled into small broken shards.

  “Fuck you.” Clearing my throat, I spit on his chest. “I should have killed you that night too.”

  Standing up, I checked his pockets and found his gun tucked in the back of his belt, and a flip blade stashed in his boot

  The first time I was in that house, I was all about being quiet and getting in and out without being noticed. This time, I didn't give a shit. I wanted Diablo to hear me, I wanted him to know that I was coming for him.

  Clicking back the hammer, I pulled the trigger, putting a bullet between Val's eyes. He was a part of this, it didn't matter how big or small his role was. He knew Bijou was being held here against her will, and he was willing to help Diablo keep her. That was all I needed to not have one ounce of mercy for that man.

  Glancing over my shoulder, I snapped, “You coming or what?”

  Pierre stood in shock, his feet and arms locked in place. “I. . . I. . .”

  “Let's go!” Snapping my head for him to follow me, he finally registered his own presence and quickly ran up beside me. “I don't know how many people are here. Keep your eyes open and be on your toes. We can't risk missing one of them.” Passing him the knife, I let my eyes connect with his. “It's time to make this right, Pierre.”

  “What are you going to do?” he asked, panting as he breathed heavily to keep up with me.

  “I'm not going to do anything.” Glancing into the few rooms we passed, I checked to make sure they were empty. “These assholes decided they wanted to die the second they took your daughter. Whatever happens is on them.”

  Walking through the house, it didn't take me long to realize we were back at Diablo's. Rounding a corner, I saw the same hallway I had stumbled upon that night I had broken in.

  “What the hell is that?” Pierre asked, stopping short.

  Looking over my shoulder, my blood began to boil. “That's where your daughter was held when she was here.”

  His face flashed with a bitterness that rocked him to the core. “That motherfucker.” His voice was low, highlighted in layers of anger and regret. “Son of a bitch, he's a fucking liar.”

  “Did you think I was filling your head with bull-shit?” Tilting my head, I crossed my arms over my c
hest. “She didn't have an easy ride here, I'm sorry you have to find it out like this.”

  Pierre stared into the small room, holding the door in his hands. Bending to his knees, he ran his fingers over thick lines that were scratched into the wood. “She counted the days, Bijou counted her time in this place.”

  “Can you blame her? He kept her in the darkness, he used her to get his frills and treated her like a piece of garbage.” Walking up behind him, I laid my hand on his back. “Do you see what we need to do now? Do you understand why this man can't live?”

  His eyes quietly wept for his child. He looked truly sorry for his role in what happened, bleeding tears of regret for choices he had made.

  “You can't change what happened, Pierre, but you can change how it ends. Help me, help her. Let's make this go away for ever.”

  Nodding, he wiped his face and stood up. Meeting me eye to eye, his mouth twitched, hands visibly shaking by his sides. “We need to find him, let's go find him, Redd.”

  The two of us stalked shoulder to shoulder by the kitchen, listening to the silence of the house. It was dead quiet, no laughing or talking radiated through the walls.

  In the quiet we were loud, in the silence we were the storm. Pierre and I threw open doors and kicked down any barrier we came across. But there was nothing.

  A huge archway greeted us as we came to the end of another hall. Passing through the threshold, we were met by floor to ceiling windows and a fireplace that stood eye level with me.

  The fingers of searing hot flames danced and whipped around inside, filling the room with a bright orange glow. A thick bear rug was placed in the center of the room, the mouth wide open with sharp teeth that were ready to eat us alive.

  “You escaped your cage, how cute.” Diablo's heels clicked into the room, and I turned to face him. “What now? Are you going to kill me?”

  “That's the plan.” I didn't wait for him to give me some sly response or grand speech about right and wrong, or how we weren't that different. Raising the gun, I pulled back the hammer.

  “Redd, I suggest you take a moment to think about what you're going to do.” Placing his hand on his chest, he adjusted his tie. “I don't think killing me is a good option.”