by K. J. Dahlen
Nick stood back and watched impartially for a moment. He would have just left but he needed to know Eugene was dead before he could walk away from this. When the guard walked over to question him, Nick just shook his head. “What happened?”
The guard shrugged. “We don’t know yet. From what the interns are saying it seems similar to a heart attack.”
“Really?” Nick seemed stunned. “Maybe the stress of the trial brought it on. He hasn’t really been feeling all that good lately.”
The guard snorted. “I can understand why. I don’t think I’d want the whole world to know I was a rapist or a deviant either.” Shaking his head. “What these guys did, they should all be shot.”
Nick shook his head. “That’s not for you to judge. Only a jury can say that.”
“Yeah, I know but the evidence is pretty strong against them and with the new judge and prosecutor ready to go to trial in three days they would have been toast anyway.”
They listened carefully as one of the interns called time of death. The guard shook his head. “He knows he can’t do that. We need a medical examiner for that.” He reached for the mic again. “I’d better get one down here. This might delay the trial even more. I suggest you stick around until everything is over.”
Nick nodded. “I’ll be at my hotel.”
“Leave the number with the front desk.”
Nick paused. “Do you really think this will delay the trial?”
The guard shrugged. “I know the DA is waiting for new evidence to come in. It should be here by tonight.”
“Tonight huh?” Nick commented. “Maybe as an attorney I should stick around and see what it is.”
“I’d wait around at least until tomorrow and see what the evidence turns up.”
Nick nodded. “I think I will.”
They both watched as the medical examiner took Eugene’s body away.
Nick waited until the hubbub was over and then he walked toward the bathroom down the hall. Once there, he took the vial out of his pocket and flushed the contents down the toilet. Then he smashed the vial, swept up the tiny shards of glass, and flushed them down the toilet. Walking over to the sink, he washed his hands several times to get the residue of the bee venom off. He wanted no trace found on his person at all. When he was finished, he walked out the door and down the street to his hotel.
A knock on his door brought Pappy awake immediately. Reaching for his weapon under his pillow, he slipped off the bed and aimed his gun at the door before called out the word enter. The doorknob turned slowly and he heard Jackal call out, “It’s me, don’t shoot.”
Pappy lowered his weapon and his head to the mattress. “Jesus Christ man, are you looking to get shot or what?”
Jackal chuckled as he stood in the doorway making no attempt to enter the room. “No not really. I’m getting too old for that shit anyway.”
Pappy got to his feet and flipped the safety switch on his gun. “What was so damn important you had to risk a bullet?”
“I just got word of something that happened at the courthouse earlier today.”
Pappy frowned. “What was that?”
“Eugene Harris died of a heart attack when he was with his attorney in one of the conference rooms this afternoon.”
“What the hell?” Pappy swore.
Jackal nodded. “Yup, only I didn’t know old Eugene had a heart condition. It doesn’t appear anyone else did either.”
Pappy sat down on the edge of his bed. “Isn’t Nick Bennett his attorney?”
Jackal nodded. “Silas and his bunch paid old Nick a visit. They peppered his hotel room with old newspaper clippings of a scandal Nick put down fifteen years ago when his father died of a heart attack. Something about Seth Bennett might have a bastard child out there somewhere. That little tidbit would have screwed over the old man’s wife and family if it had been broadcast. Seth Bennett was preaching morality and using his family as an example of good people while he was running for office in Oklahoma. He liked to show off his old money wife and two children like everyone’s perfect American family. You could hear the lies he spoke every time he opened his fuckin mouth. Oh course, he was all bullshit and no stink or that’s what he was shoveling at the time but someone thought he was a scandal waiting to happen.”
Pappy chuckled. “Eugene Harris was a Bennett? You all can prove that beyond a shadow of a doubt? That would have turned the old man in his grave with what he was on trial for. Apparently, he wasn’t any better than dear ole dad. His mistake was that he got caught and not in a good way. Then to die of a heart attack just before he could go on trial for crimes against young girls? Talk about a bitch slap from karma.”
“Yeah, it’s a little too neat for me to even think about believing it,” Jackal commented dryly.
Pappy nodded. “Yeah, me too. Do you have someone that could look into it? Maybe make sure everything is documented correctly?”
“Oh, yeah. We’ll make sure all the T’s are crossed and all the I’s are dotted. Maybe even get a copy of his medical records so the people can see for themselves how he died, you know just in case they have questions as to how he managed to sidestep justice.”
Pappy agreed. “Too bad we can’t compare them to dear ole daddy. I wonder what else they might have had in common?”
Jackal thought for a moment then asked, “You don’t suppose Seth Bennett’s medical records are still out there somewhere do you? I mean if they were on the web at one point…”
Pappy reached for his phone. “I happen to know the one person who might be able to find out.” He paced the small bedroom while he spoke to Dewey and then to Trudy. When he hung up the, he glanced at Jackal and grinned. “She’ll do her best and when Trudy says that, she won’t stop until she has what she needs. She might not get the information in time but she will find it, if it’s out there to find.”
“Let’s hope it’s worth the trouble then.” Jackal narrowed his eyes. “I’d really hate to think the Bennett family will profit from a man’s death even if that man is Eugene Harris. There’s nothing worse than people thinking they’re above the laws everyone else has to live with. I put my life on the line too many times for that bullshit.”
Pappy slapped the other man on the back. “As did I and every man I trained to stay alive in that fucking war zone.”
Silas, Old George and Matthias were waiting in the shadows, watching the streets. They were still chuckling when they thought about the surprise Nick had found in his hotel room when he’d gotten back. Then they did it again when he went out the second time. A lot of work, but well worth it.
Trudy had dug up the evidence and passed it along to them. It didn’t matter if it was true or not, it would flip Nick Bennett out and they were looking to shake him up. Shaken men made mistakes and they didn’t want him clear headed in the next few days. They needed him desperate.
They were part of a roving patrol set up to keep track of the players in this ugly game. It was still in the predawn hours of another day. Only two days now until the trial began. Tensions in the Baton Rouge were running high. They had noticed more people moving in as the trial neared the starting line. Some of the new people moving in were just looking for a thrill of being on the ground level of a major headline. But there were some players that they were keeping their eyes on. These players didn’t play fair or were hoping to gain something from the trial and Silas wanted to know what that something was. He could guess but that wasn’t how he worked.
“Now that dude is not a good man.” Matthias motioned at a lone man walking down the empty street. “He looks as though he’s going somewhere he shouldn’t be going. What do you guys think?”
Old George nodded. “You could be right about that one.” He spit on the sidewalk. “He got here two days ago and he’s been watching Eugene’s attorney real careful like.”
Silas sneered. “Yeah, too bad about Eugene, ain’t it? Had a heart attack yesterday afternoon. Died in a pool of his own piss. Not a great wa
y to check out of this world.”
Old George snorted. “Maybe not a nice way to die but it’s fitting. He was nothing but a stain on humanity anyway.”
They all watched as the man stopped and ducked into the shadows. They saw him lean back against the building and turn his eyes to a room on the fourth floor. A room with a shadow moving across the shaded window.
“We need to figure out who he is and what he’s doing here.” Matthias acknowledged.
“Yup, we do,” Old George agreed.
Silas nodded. “We can have Ricky follow him.”
Old George turned and disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned he grinned. “All set. Ricky is waiting for him at the end of the next block.”
“Good enough for me.” Silas nodded. He took out his cell phone and snapped a picture of the man. “I have to meet up with Jackal and Pappy. I can pass this along to them as well.”
“Yeah, you do that.” Old George sneered. “I’ll bet we find out before they do. You know how this works. Our guys always come through quicker and cleaner than anyone else can.”
“I know but we have to let them in. Maybe this will help them feel like part of our team,” Silas suggested. “We all do want the same thing. Miss Stevie protected and safe streets again.”
“So when are you going to turn over her evidence?” Matthias asked.
“As soon as I know she’s safe,” Silas told him. “She’s got a hitman after her right now.”
“Are you still trusting those Russian bastards?” Old George asked.
“We have to for now but if anything happens to her under their watch we might just have to go down there and show them our way of keeping someone safe,” Silas vowed.
“I’m just glad she’s not here right now.” Matthias nodded. “This town wasn’t very good for her.”
“True enough but we’ve cleaned it up some already. Now we wait and let the law do the rest and if they can’t finish the job we’ll have to take out the trash again.”
“Amen to that brother.” Old George swore.
Chapter Eleven
New Orleans
It seemed like Yuri had just closed his eyes when his phone rang. Groaning, he reached for the offending piece of technology. He tried to keep his voice down, as he didn’t want to wake Raven.
“We have a problem, boss,” Kosta’s voice came across the line loud and clear. “I need you in security.”
Yuri gently separated himself from Raven and slipped out of bed. Grabbing his clothes, he closed the door behind him as he questioned Kosta, “What is it and can it wait until dawn?”
“I don’t think so,” Kosta told him. “We got a late check-in from Kazakhstan a few minutes ago.”
“Fuck.” Yuri swore softly. “Sergi is not going to be happy about this.” Sighing deeply, he said, “I’ll be right down.”
Kosta nodded. “Ok. He went directly to his son’s room.”
A few minutes later Yuri joined Kosta in security and upon his arrival, Kosta cued up the tapes from the front desk. Timor Maxim was an older man but well dressed. His close cut hair was still black despite his age and it was his eyes that reminded Yuri of Roman. He was tall like his two sons and both had his blue eyes. But Roman was better built than this man. This man had eaten well all his life while Roman’s build was slimmer but Roman was stronger than this man would ever be.
Yuri watched as the man made his way to the room Yuri had arranged for Iosif Maxim. He watched as Iosif opened the door. His face betrayed his surprise as Maxim joined him inside. When the door closed, Yuri looked over at Kosta, “Put someone on both of them. I don’t want them going just anywhere. I’ll have to let Sergi know first thing in the morning.” Rubbing his forehead he continued, “Let’s me know if anything else comes up. I’m going to bed and get at least a few hours of sleep. I have a feeling tomorrow will be a very long day.”
Kosta chuckled softly. “That man has no idea how much trouble he is in. Sergi will chew him up and spit him out just for coming here.”
Yuri agreed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t get too bloody.” He began walking away then turned back to Kosta. “Inform me if when they leave their room. And keep eyes on them at all times.”
When Yuri got back to his suite, he pulled off his clothes and crawled into bed. Raven stirred and he pulled her into his arms. “Go back to sleep,” he whispered in her ear.
“What’s going on?” she snuggled into his chest.
“Roman’s father and brother are here now and I have a feeling they will try to see him tomorrow.”
“Oh dear, grandfather isn’t going to like that,” she commented.
“No he isn’t,” Yuri admitted. “He’s already told the bastard to wait for him to make contact with Roman first. The man did not listen and now he’s stirring up a shit storm.”
“Does Roman know? I mean that he’s got real family out there?”
“Yeah, he knows. I couldn’t not tell him.”
Raven was quiet for a moment then asked, “And how did he take the news?”
“He took it better than I would have. He also said that while they might share the same blood as him, we are in fact his family and he wasn’t going anywhere. His family was right here and always would be, or something to that effect.”
Raven smiled and snuggled closer to her husband. “Then everything else will work out.”
“I hope so. Your father, grandfather and Nikoli arrived later tonight and I don’t think I’ve ever seen your grandfather this angry before. He said he needed time to cool off before seeing you and the twins tomorrow. He didn’t want this anger to spill over to you.”
“Roman is a grown man, not a little kid anymore. Now, he has a future here with Stevie, the baby and Benny. He’s not going to let them go, not even for a father he doesn’t know or a brother he lost well over thirty years ago.”
“And if Maxim doesn’t give him a choice in the matter?” Yuri asked.
“He always has a choice. Roman will chose the life he wants not the one someone wants for him and if his father really loves him, he’ll accept it. If he doesn’t then Roman is no worse off. He’ll always have a place here with us and that won’t ever change. He will always be your brother and stand beside you guys. Of that, I have no doubt. The five of you have been through too much together. You’ve had to fight for everything you ever had and Roman isn’t going to forget that.”
Yuri nodded. “You know something.”
“What?”
“I think Roman had to fight the hardest of us all.”
“Then he isn’t going to simply give up now. If I don’t know anything else about him, I know he’ll be true to himself first and you all. He isn’t going to allow anyone to come between that. Not for any reason.”
A few minutes later Yuri whispered, “I hope you’re right sweet lady of mine. I can’t lose him now.”
Roman laid there staring at the ceiling of the room he and Stevie were sharing. He held her close to him yet still felt alone in the dark. The news his brother was alive and well and had been all these years, was stunning. That along with the news he had a father and that his father wanted to meet him simply blew his mind. He wasn’t sure what he wanted to do.
Stevie opened her eyes and when they adjusted to the darkness, she watched Roman for a moment. She could feel his fretting and her heart hurt for him. She slipped her hand up his chest and Roman jerked at the movement.
Clamping his hand down on hers, he turned his head toward her. “I thought you were sleeping,” he whispered as his arm pulled her closer to him.
Stevie pressed her lips on his shoulder and made a track to his chest. “I’m awake,” she whispered back. “And I really want to…be with you.”
“I need you as well but,” he paused but didn’t say anything else for a moment.
“But? But what?” she finally asked.
“I’m not sure I can be gentle tonight. There’s too much turmoil going on right now.”
“I’m not
asking for gentle. I just need you anyway I can get you.” Moving she crawled across him and straddled his hips.
Pulling her t shirt off she watched as he noted her naked glory before she leaned over him and pressed her lips to his.
Roman answered her by crushing her mouth with his own. Lust flooded his entire body and he grew so hard so fast he thought he was going to lose it before he used it. His hands gripped her hips as he felt her warm wetness on his cock.
Stevie ground her core down on his and moaned in delight at his touch. His fingers were gripping her so hard and she loved it. Anytime they came together was always worth it and this time was no different.
Roman lifted her slightly and drew her nipple into his mouth. Sucking it in deep, he reached for her wet core. Biting her skin, he heard her gasp and pushed two fingers deep inside her.
Stevie groaned a little louder then bit her lip as her body quickened. She was so close to the breaking point and he wasn’t even inside her yet. “Please… give me more.”
“I hope you’re ready for this because I can’t wait,” he whispered as he pushed his cock inside her. He hissed as her body surrounded his. His balls tightened and he felt nothing but joy when they came together. He pulled her up and brought her down hard, pinning her against him. Over and over again and again.
He felt her pussy quiver and then it was too late to stop it. His cock burst inside her and his seed flooded inside her. He heard her muffled scream as her body joined his in climax. He held her close to him while his heart rate came back down to normal. He felt so bad that he used for his own pleasure and didn’t really think about hers. He would have moved away in disgust but Stevie wouldn’t let him.
She leaned over his mouth and kissed him gently. “That was wonderful. Thank you.”
Roman snorted. “You’re thanking me for what? Using you? Did I hurt you?”
Stevie chuckled. “Not you didn’t hurt me, nor did you use me. If anyone used anyone, I used you. I needed that kind of release and I think you did too. With everything that’s happened in the past few days, we haven’t had a moment alone, but this made up for it.” She shrugged as she moved to his side. “We usually don’t get that wild but it sure was nice.”