by K. J. Dahlen
When she answered the call, she heard Izzy on the other end. “Hey girl!”
“Are you okay?”
“I am now.” She chuckled. “Thank you for getting me free of this creep, although it took you long enough.”
“I’m so sorry. I didn’t put it together until now,” Melora replied quietly. “I guess I didn’t listen very well did I?”
“No, but you listened when it counted and that’s all that matters,” Izzy reminded her. “You got me out of there. Jonesy had just gotten a call from Whiskey and he wasn’t happy about it.”
“What did they do to you?”
“That’s a story for another day,” Izzy said. “Can I come where you are? I really need to see for myself that you’re still alive.”
“Yeah, I’m in Troy, New York. Staying with some friends.”
“Okay baby girl, I’m on my way.” Izzy laughed.
“Yeah, yeah. It ought to be interesting anyway. I’m staying with the Sin’s Bastards MC, I found my father and he’s one of the Sons of Satan MC and Raven from the Ghosts of Dixie is here and everyone is hunting Whiskey.”
“Wow, you guys are going after Whiskey?” Izzy’s voice held fear. “You be careful girl, he wants you dead. Hopefully before anyone knows the truth.”
“Yeah, the man is crazy. He put the blame for Baily on my head. But it’s too late, people know the truth now, Raven, Walker and everyone here knows what really happened. At least I don’t have to run anymore. And I got one more card to play that he don’t know about.”
“What did you do? What are you talking about, one more card?”
“Hey, we’ll talk about that when you get here. I want to see for myself that you’re all right.”
“I’ll be there sometime tomorrow. Love you baby girl. Please be careful. Whiskey is a mean sonofabitch.”
“Love you too. I’ll be careful. He isn’t gonna get me, not now.” Melora hung up the call and turned back to the table. Everyone was staring at her. “What?”
“What are you planning?” Mountain asked. “You said you had one more card to play?”
“Yeah, what might that be?” Raven asked.
Melora frowned. “If I told you it wouldn’t be a surprise now would it?”
“I think you’d better tell us anyway,” Deke demanded. “I, for one don’t like surprises.”
“I plan to turn the tables on Whiskey. He thinks he’s got me just where he wants me, on the run and afraid of him. Well, I’m tired of living in fear. Now it’s his turn to be afraid. All I ever needed was for one person to believe in me, just one.” She turned to look at Sam. “And now I have that.”
Sam gazed steadily back at her.
“So what are you going to do?” Raven asked.
“I need to find a way to get the underground looking for him. Every city has them and they’re the people you see every day and tend to overlook. He thinks he’s free and clear to move around the city looking for me. But I know him better than he knows himself. Right now, he’s so strung out on dope he doesn’t know shit. If we play on his fears and paranoia, we can send him over the edge. We need to split Micah and Lightning away from him. There’s one thing I’ve noticed about Whiskey, he doesn’t do so well by himself. He has to have somebody to order around. Alone, he’s a damn coward, that’s why he always has someone with him.”
“What underground are you going to get to look for him?” Deke asked.
“How about the guys at Redemption House?” Cassie asked from behind them. She and Peaches had joined the group a while ago but hadn’t wanted to get involved in the conversation.
“Who and what is Redemption House?” Raven asked.
Melora smiled. “That would be perfect. Do you know them well enough to ask?”
“Redemption House is my dream,” Cassie replied. “I know it well and I know the guys would be happy to help.”
Sam nodded. “Your idea might just work.”
“What is Redemption House?” Raven repeated his question.
“It’s a half-way house for people that need a second chance. The guys who work there are homeless vets. They lived on the streets and know everyone,” Cassie explained. “If anyone can do this, they can. They can be your underground team. In fact, I’ll bet they would think this great fun.”
“This isn’t supposed to be fun, Spitfire.” Deke growled. “This guy is crazy and could hurt somebody.”
Cassie walked over to her husband and cupped his face between her hands. “Honey, these men know what they’re doing. They’ve been to places you and I will never even know about. They have put their lives on the line for their country and been spit and stomped on for their efforts. They can do this, all we have to do is ask. I’m willing to ask.”
“I’ve been to Redemption House and I watched these men,” Melora interjected. “I’ve even spoken to some of them. When you’ve lived on the streets you know how to hide, how to watch what’s going on around you and how to disappear when you need to. In fact, it was one of those men who told me about the warehouse behind the shop. He said it would be warm and dry and safe.”
Cassie smiled. “Frankie or Gus?”
“Gus.”
Cassie looked around at everyone assembled. “These men know this city, every nook and cranny. They know every side street and every dead end. They can watch this city and no one will ever know they are even there.
Melora grinned. “It was Frankie in fact, who gave me the idea. He was talking about how they play this game. They follow someone they don’t know just to find out what they do. It doesn’t hurt anyone and he claims it keeps their skills sharp.” She turned to Gator. “They followed you one day just for shits and giggles.”
Gator held up his hands. “I don’t want to know and neither does anyone else.”
“Are you sure about that?” She teased. “They were impressed.”
“Drop it woman.” He growled.
“Okay, okay, your secrets are safe with me,” Melora assured him. “If we’re going to do this, we have to get these guys in place before Whiskey gets here.”
“He’s about an hour out boss,” Zipper announced. Looking up from his computer he told them, “He was coming from Boston area. Not the city itself but the same area.”
Deke stared at the others then looked over at Cassie. “Can you get them moving? Set up a perimeter and tell them to watch for anyone wearing a Ghosts vest. They all three should be together at this point. Tell them to just watch but not to engage. We just want eyes on them.”
“Yeah, I can do that.” Cassie nodded.
“Please tell them thank you from me.” Melora looked at Cassie. “They don’t really know me but I appreciate their help.”
Cassie paused and stared at her, like she knew just about all there was to Melora…She had lived a life similar to hers. Then she nodded.
CHAPTER EIGHT
A little more than an hour later, Cassie answered her phone. When she hung up, she grinned. “That was Amos. He’s out on the highway 90 and just saw three riders come into town wearing Ghost colors.”
“Okay, it should take them some time to find a place to stay and get settled,” Raven concluded.
Melora smiled. “Let’s shake things up a bit.”
“What are you going to do?” Mountain asked with a frown.
“Desperate men make mistakes and we need Whiskey to start making mistakes.” She reached for her phone and called him. “Hey Whiskey, are you here yet? I’m getting bored waiting for you.”
“Fuck you bitch!” Whiskey growled. “Where the hell are you?”
“I’m in the shadows all around you. I’ll see you but you’ll never see me,” Melora taunted him and hung up.
“It’s dangerous to push a man like that,” Raven warned.
Melora shrugged. “I want him to come unhinged. I want him paranoid, scared of his own shadow. He’s made me crazy the last two years.”
“You might just piss him off,” Sam added his warning.
> “I want him to feel at least a small bit of the fear I’ve felt these last two years,” Melora admitted.
“Be careful what you wish for girl, it might be more than you can handle,” Mountain muttered.
Melora stared out the window. She didn’t see the front yard, instead she saw the many towns and places she’d been in over the last two years. From Raleigh, to Charlotte, Newport News to Dover, Trenton, to Boston and finally to Troy. She thought she would be safe in the bigger cities but that hadn’t been the case. He found her nearly everywhere she went. She’d been cold and wet while living in fear every day for over eight hundred days. She’d given him that kind of power over her and now she was taking it back. “Okay, I’ll back off but I’m not giving up. As long as he’s under surveillance, I can let him alone for now.”
“Let the guys watch him for a while,” Cassie suggested. “They’ll keep him under surveillance. He won’t be able to move without someone seeing him.”
Melora shook her head. “I don’t want anyone getting in his way, or getting hurt. He’d go through anyone standing in his way.”
“Honey, these men are vets,” Cassie explained. “They know how to watch someone without getting caught. He won’t even know they’re there.”
Sam got up and went over to her. Wrapping his arms around her, he pulled her close and Melora let him. He simply held her.
Deke noticed Mountain didn’t like the fact his dad was so close. He didn’t say anything but his lips tightened and he glared at Sam.
“As long as Whiskey is under watch, does anyone mind if I take a nap?” Raven asked. “That was one long ass trip.”
Deke got to his feet. “Sure, I’ll show you where you can bunk. We’re on lockdown so my men have the place guarded.”
Raven and his men followed Deke down the hall.
~* * * *~
Mountain sat there glaring at Sam.
Melora finally went to the kitchen to get something to eat.
Sam went back over to the table and sat down. The silence between them was stifled and heavy. Finally, Sam lifted his head and glared at Mountain. “Look man, I know you want to punch me right now, but can we get past it? We have a woman to protect and she means something different to both of us.”
“Do you love her?” Mountain asked.
Sam shrugged. “How the hell would I know that? We only met the other day.”
“And yet you slept with her already?” Mountain sneered.
Sam shook his head. “You don’t know anything about how we met or what happened after that, so don’t judge me or her. You don’t have that right.”
“Let’s both agree to disagree until this Whiskey character is taken out of the equation.” Mountain shrugged. “Then you and me are going to dance but not until my girl is safe.”
They both turned when they heard laughter coming from the kitchen. Melora stood there with little Sammy in her arms while Cassie held Jemmia in hers. Both women were laughing at the antics of the children.
“Who is she holding?” Mountain asked. “She looks good with a baby in her arms.”
Sam grinned. “That’s my grandson Sam. Cassie has his sister.”
“Twins?” the other man asked. “That’s cool. How old are they?”
“About six months or so.” Sam shrugged. “They are a bit small because Cassie had them early, but they’re growing like weeds.”
“Babies have a way of doing that,” Mountain agreed.
“So what’s the story with you and Melora?” Sam asked. “Why weren’t you there when she was born?”
Mountain shrugged. “I’d just gotten out of the service a few months before I met her mother. Bought a bike and took off looking to find myself. Met Carla in Chicago. Left after about a week and never looked back. Found my place in Texas. Guess I shouldn’t have left but I was still hurting and I needed to find a purpose. Then with the MC there wasn’t a place for her in my life at the time. Wouldn’t have been good for her.”
Sam nodded. “Been there done that. I never knew I had a kid either until he was twelve. Brought him home with me and made a mess of things for the next six years. He got the hell out as soon as he could. Came looking for him about eight months ago and almost messed it all up again. I got a second chance and I’m hoping you do too.” He paused and leaned forward, “But know something here. Whether we stay together or not, isn’t up to you. It’s up to me and her.”
“And you think she’ll chose you once this is all over?”
“Maybe, maybe not? Who knows?” Sam shrugged. “I’m hoping that we can come to an agreement, so she doesn’t have to make a choice. If that happens we all lose.”
“And you would just let her walk away?”
“If that’s what she really wants.” Sam again, shrugged. “I don’t have to force women to stay with me.”
“I just want a chance to know my daughter,” Mountain stated quietly. “This situation is just wrong. I finally find her and there is a possibility I could lose her to a psycho like fucken Whiskey? I can’t lose her.” He ran his fingers through his hair. “I never thought I’d get this chance before. I mean me having a kid? I was always careful not to let that happen. I didn’t know I could take care of a kid, then four years ago this dude contacts me, telling me I not only had a kid but she was already full grown. But as soon as he told me, I thought of Carla. She was the only woman who would’ve had my child. She was the only woman who loved me longer than the moment we were together. I never should have left her like I did.”
“Hindsight is wonderful ain’t it?” Sam chuckled. “Had a bit of it myself a few years back.”
Mountain searched and found his daughter in the kitchen. His eyes softened when he looked at her. “Wish I could have watched her grow up. I missed out on all of that.”
“So find a woman and have another child.” Sam shrugged.
“It wouldn’t be the same.”
“Fate is sometimes a cruel bitch.”
Deke joined them and shortly after he did, Cassie came out from the kitchen. “Gus just called. Whiskey and two of his men just found an abandoned warehouse over by the shop. They seem to be settling in for the moment.”
“At least we know where they are,” Deke commented as he took his daughter from his wife. He glanced over at Mountain. “Tell us what you know about this guy they call Whiskey. Have you met him before?”
Mountain nodded. “Yeah, I’ve met him. Never really cared for him though. When I first started doing business with Raven’s club, ten years ago, he was one of those guys that sat at the back of the room and watched everyone else. The last few years, he’s been working his way up. He likes the limelight and pushing other guys around. Likes to make himself out to be more important than he really is. He always had at least two or three men around him.” Mountain shook his head. “When we heard earlier that he had plans to take over the club from Raven I wasn’t really surprised. He’s plain crazy if he thinks he can do it. The men under Raven won’t allow that to happen. And his idea for running guns and dope on the East coast is just his own dream. Even with Walker in his pocket, he’d never be able to do it. That’s just plain dumb.”
“Not to mention very illegal.” Sam snorted. “How the hell did he think he was gonna do that? Walker would never allow it. His political career means everything to him. He wouldn’t risk it for that.”
“How do you know Walker?” Deke asked his dad.
Sam snorted. “Everyone knows Walker. He’s big in the political world and lately, he’s been sprouting some nonsense about turning back the illegals from his state. Says if they want to come here they should do it legally, instead of just walking across the border.”
“Well, he’s right about that,” Mountain agreed. “But that’s not what we should be worried about right now.”
“Now that he knows what really happened, Whiskey should be the one who’s worried,” Deke noted.
Mountain shook his head. “I don’t think it’ll make a difference. Whiske
y is to the point where he thinks he’s untouchable.”
“No one is untouchable,” Melora told her father. “What Whiskey doesn’t know is that I know where Baily’s body is.”
“How is that possible?” Sam asked.
She shrugged. “Before I left town I collected his body and took it to a safe place. When this is over, I’ll tell Senator Walker where it is. He can see for himself what really happened.”
“Won’t the evidence be destroyed by now?” Mountain asked.
Melora shook her head. “I made sure it was preserved well enough. He’ll be able to see for himself what happened.”
“Does anyone else know about this?” Mountain frowned.
“No I made sure of that,” Melora replied with confidence. “A secret is only kept when one person knows it. My momma didn’t raise no fool.”
Mountain chuckled. “She sure didn’t.”
Deke got to his feet and handed Jemmia back to Cassie. “And on that note, I’m going to tell the men outside to be alert. Now that Whiskey is here, everyone needs to be more on watch. I don’t want him anywhere near my family.”
Melora sat down and reached for the coffee. Something finally caught her eye and as she looked up, she gasped. She found herself staring at the painting of a white tiger on the wall. All she could do was stare at the animal. “What the hell?” she whispered. “How did I miss that?”
Sam chuckled when he noticed her gaze. “Well, things have been a little crazy since you got here.”
Mountain turned to see what she was looking at. “Wow, he’s beautiful. Who painted him?”
“I did,” Cassie admitted. “When the three clubs came together, they needed a new mascot.”