Heart Lies & Alibis

by Chase, Pepper

  We walked back downstairs with me a few steps ahead of him on the stairs. At the bottom of the staircase Linc grabbed for arm when he realized what I was about to do but I slipped away before he could grab me. I ran to Declan and dropped to my knees at his feet. He was still tied to the chair and when he lifted his head to look at me, I gasped in shock. One of his eyes was swollen and purple and the large gash which marked the side of his head from where Rose hit him the night before was caked in dry blood. My eyes filled with tears and I fought hard to keep them from falling while I clung to his knees.

  Declan's face brightened at seeing me. "Reagan. You're okay. I'm so glad." He looked so relieved it made my heart lurch.

  I smiled up at him through the tears. "I am my love. Oh I am so sorry Declan. For all of this. Are you okay?" Knowing without his answer he was no more okay than I was.

  He gave me a crooked grin. "Definitely been better but doing alright now that I got to see your beautiful face."

  I smiled again just before Rose pulled me up roughly from the floor by the handful of my hair he grabbed. The pain was immediate and intense, shooting through my scalp and making me squeak. He slammed me into the chair he had just brought back in the room from the kitchen. The air rushed from my lungs while my head throbbed from the sudden release of my hair.

  "Hey!" Declan yelled, new anger bringing him alive in spite of his wounds. He lunged against his restraints as hard as he could and I knew if he could get his hands on Rose in that moment, he would kill him on the spot.

  Rose didn't even give him a glance. I could see Rose enjoyed the pain he had inflicted on me by the glint in his eyes. He was a sick bastard. "Lover's reunion is over." He pulled the piece of rope from his back pocket and began securing me to the chair like he had the day before. He was all business this morning, efficient and cool in his movements, and I knew things were going to get a lot worse before they got better.

  Linc came out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee, reading something on his phone that caused his face to furrow in concern. I was glad to see they were making themselves so at home in my house. He didn't bother to offer us any coffee or anything. Fucking assholes.

  "Rose, I gotta see you in the kitchen. Now." Rose nodded finishing the last knot at my feet before getting up and following his brother out of the room.

  The moment they were gone, Declan turned to look at me, his face lined with worry. "Reagan, I need to tell you something and because we don't have much time, no questions until I'm done. Okay?"

  I nodded, watching him. I hoped he had come up with a plan that would get us the hell out of this nightmare.

  He glanced back to the kitchen before whispering. "Okay, time to catch up before these assholes return. I have a new WITSEC handler. When we met he let me know that the Marshal Service believes Hayes was killed by some of O'Bannion's crew trying to find me."

  My eyes shot up in fear and I felt my back and arms go cold. This was just more bad news on top of everything else.

  "Yeah," Declan nodded, "it's that bad. They know I'm in Houston, and who knows what they could have gotten out of Hayes. They're closing in fast no matter what they did or did not get out of Sam. The way they said he was tortured him makes me think they got everything they needed before they killed him." His eyes grew darker as he spoke, the toll of the pain he knew Sam had been caused because of him was pulling Declan into a dark place. My heart broke looking at his sadness.

  Before he could tell me anymore about his meeting the brothers came back in the room and this time they were both smiling like idiots. I knew this wasn't a good sign. Standing between our chairs Lincoln clapped his hands together before he started to speak. "So my friends, it looks like our time together might be coming to an end very soon. The Cartel has agreed to a meeting today at 5pm at a bar east of town just off the I-10." He started to pace between us, his words still not fully registering with me and his excitement nauseating. "Now, it took some negotiation on my part, many phone calls, some promises to do some other work for them down the road, but they finally agreed. It seems they really want to speak to you Bobbi Jo and were willing to do just about anything in the end to get the chance."

  He paused beside my chair, leaning over with his hands on his knees so he could look me in the face while he spoke. "Yeah, funny thing. Turns out you weren't actually working with them like the news reported." He shrugged lifting his hands in the air. "Who knew? I mean if you can't trust the news to be truthful who can you trust? Anyway, they do have some questions for you about your dead husband. He had some unfinished business with them, so it looks like you might live a little longer than any of us thought so they can have some time with you. How about that?! Basically, they were willing to make a similar offer to the original one we asked about just for the opportunity for a little chat with you, Baby. So, in the end it really was a win for everyone. Except you of course." He grinned at me, his smile making my blood run cold.

  "Now, don't go lookin' all distraught darlin'. Lover boy here will be with you during the trade so you two can spend your last moments together. For a small price of course, they agreed to take him too. He's gonna act like an insurance policy for them, they said, to make sure they have no problem getting you to talk. They also wanted me to tell you they will do whatever it takes to find out what they know. Just so you are prepared when you see them. Good thing Rose already got them started by messing up pretty boy a little bit." Straightening, he clapped his hands together again in satisfaction.

  Turning to his equally ecstatic brother he clapped him on the shoulder. "Damn, this is going to be a good day Rose. Okay, so sit tight kids, we have a few hours and then this little soirée will be all over." He winked at me and then turned and headed back to the kitchen. Rose was chuckling as he followed right behind him. It was a sound I had come to loathe in the short time he had been back in my life and I couldn't wait to never hear it again.

  Once they were gone I turned to Declan. I swallowed back the sob that threatened to break free from my throat. I knew tears wouldn't help now no matter how desperate the situation seemed to be. I whispered, my voice cracking with emotion. "I can never tell you how sorry I am for all of this hell Declan. I don't know how it got so bad so fast." I clamped my mouth closed while squeezing my eyes shut, one tear sliding down my cheek. I had to hold it together dammit. I pushed the emotions as far down as I could.

  "Reagan, look at me. Please, love, open your eyes." I did as he asked turning so my eyes met his. I had never seen so much love from another person before as I found with one look in Declan's eyes at that moment. "We will get out of this thing. I promise you. Somehow." He added with a shake of his head. "I have plans for a future that only work if we are together so I need you to trust that we will get out of here alive. I won't let anything happen to you. Do you understand?"

  I nodded. I set my face and when I spoke my voice was strong and determined. "Okay Declan. I trust you. And I know we can do this." I just didn't know if trust and love would be enough to save us from a cold-blooded drug cartel and some stupid hillbilly shitkickers.

  He smiled. "Good girl. Now like I was saying before the Boston crew is here in town but the new handler couldn't tell me if they knew about my new identity or how to find me for sure. He wanted me to think strongly about relocating, just in case. I was coming over yesterday to tell you before all this shit with Dumb and Dumber in there showed up." He shook his head in annoyance again.

  I stared at him. "You were going to leave Houston?" That was not what I expected to hear.

  His eyes widened. "Oh no, babe, that's not what I meant. I was coming to tell you I wasn't leaving. At least not without you, if that's what we decided to do. But never alone. WITSEC can't force me to leave or even stay in the program. I love you Reagan and I plan on spending the rest of my life showing you just how much I mean that."

  For a moment, the terrible reality of our situation faded away, and all I could focus on was what Declan had said. I knew I felt exactly the
same and told him as much. "I love you too Declan. With all of my heart, for the first time in my life, I truly love someone. And you're right. We aren't going to let these hillbilly assholes take that away from us."

  He winked his non-swollen eye at me and smiled. I felt a new resolve start to grow inside me. I knew I wasn't going to give him and our life together up without a fight. Bring it on you bastards. I was ready.

  It would turn out that our wish to escape would be answered but in a way neither one of us could have ever planned or predicted.

  After Rose returned with another case of beer around noon, the Dixon boys spent the afternoon flopped on my sofa having a good time talking about how they would spend the money from the Lazcanos. Declan and I remained tied to the chairs, forced to listen to their ridiculous conversation.

  "I'm gonna get me a new trailer," Rose stated. "A doublewide I think." He nodded sagely as if he had really put a great deal of thought into it. "With a satellite dish and a bar-b-que."

  Linc just shook his head laughing. "Always the practical one aren't ya, Rose? Me? I'm gonna get a cherry red Dodge Charger. Fully loaded with a killer sound system so I can blast some good Lynard Skynyrd. And a sun roof." He nodded in appreciation, his love of the southern 70s rock band still as rabid as when I had known him nearly a quarter century before.

  I stared at them in shock. The moment was truly turning surreal in a situation already fraught with stranger than fiction elements. They sounded like a couple of 14-year-old kids discussing how to spend their paper route money instead of the bounty they received in exchange for two people's lives.

  Rose snorted. "Man that would be nice too." He was the worst of the two – mean and stupid.

  I could hold my tongue no longer and I didn't really care what the consequences were by letting it go either.

  "Are you fucking assholes for real right now?" I looked from one to the other.

  They turned and looked at me, complete confusion on their faces as to what the hell I was talking about.

  Declan spun his head at me, his eyes pleading with me to shut my mouth. But I couldn't. These two imbeciles might be the ones deciding my fate but I wasn't go to let them make the last few hours of my life any worse by being subjected to their inane conversation. What did I have to lose?

  Rose shrugged his shoulders before he asked "What the fuck are you yammering on about now, Bobbi Jo?" The depths of his stupidity was mind-boggling.

  I could do nothing but shake my head in disbelief while he spoke. This was just such a fitting conversation to compliment the hellish moments of the last two days. "You two idiots are talking like a pair of juvenile delinquents with their first haul from a smash and grab. You do realize you are talking about how to spend the money you hope to get for trading two human beings to a drug cartel, right? And how idiotic and inhumane that makes you sound?" I was almost screaming I was so mad.

  Rose snorted again. "Whatever, Bobbi Jo. Why don't you just shut the fuck up? Me and Linc can talk about whatever the hell we want." But I could see my comment had affected Linc in a small way. His face darkened for a moment, and I saw a distant shadow of the man I had once loved who had a heart and knew right from wrong to a small degree. Now the shadow faded quickly and the hard-ass con returned.

  "Yeah Bobbi Jo, we don't need you passing judgment on our life or how we live it. Let's talk about you for a minute, huh?" Linc asked, his asshole behavior resurfacing with the aid of another beer. "You talk like you're some kind of innocent waif, living an upstanding life or something. Look at pretty boy over there. He can't be a much more than 25? Damn girl, you're banging a baby. Don't that make you feel bad at all knowing you are one of them cougars now?" He sniggered.

  I glared at him, my face flaming. He had a hit a sore nerve and he knew it. I hated him so much in that moment. "Fuck you Lincoln."

  Linc smiled, his lip lifting in a noxious sneer before he blew me a kiss. "Sorry but I already been there, done that baby. Of course, if you're offering an encore performance now that we are all grown up, I'm more than willing to give it a go." He waggled his eyebrows at me while I turned away in disgust. The brothers hooted with laughter.

  Declan looked relieved when the conversation finally changed course. I really needed to learn to shut my mouth.

  Around three the brothers started to get a bit more anxious about the upcoming meeting. Though the appointment was two hours away, Linc insisted they lay off the beer to help clear their heads. This suggestion was met with grumbling from Rose but he complied. I had learned in the past few days that sometime over the years I was out of their lives, the power structure had most definitely changed. Where Rose used to call the shots and Linc would follow without complaint or question, now Linc held the reigns of control. Rose seemed to do little that wasn't suggested, dictated or somehow manipulated by Linc. In some ways, the change made them more dangerous because I knew how cunning Linc could be.

  I wasn't as surprised by the new Linc as I was sad. When we had been together back in the day, he had been really different when he was away from Rose. At night in his bed in the dark, he would talk to me about his dreams and fears, or about what he thought about different things or about what he wanted to do when he grew up. I had hung on every word, lost in the mistaken belief everything was more romantic at the time than it actually was and that at his heart, Linc was a good guy. Now I could see he was just a smarter, more conniving version of his brother. They were both mean to their core, with a violent streak that knew no limits and an insatiable need to hurt others. Damn, could this day get any worse?

  Chapter 17

  Sometime later, I was nearing the point where I would either scream from the fear and anxiety building inside me as my hour of execution approached or from the inane conversation between the Dixons when we there came a knock at the door. Declan and I exchanged hopeful looks at the possibility of rescue before the brothers reacted to the sound. Rose jumped up, his gun pressed hard against the back of my head, his eyes locked on Declan with the silent threat being keep quiet or I will kill her. Declan understood and though his eyes narrowing in fury but his mouth firmly closed.

  Linc looked through the peephole, his gun drawn and at the ready.

  "Looks like a utility repairman." He whispered, "Were you expecting anyone?" He asked looking in my general direction. I shook my head slightly, the gun at the back of my head preventing any movement.

  He held his gun behind his back with one hand and slid the locks free with the other. He had just started to turn the door handle when the door exploded open into his body. Stumbling backwards, he was trying desperately to re-steady the gun at the opened door as four men rushed into the foyer.

  Linc got his feet back underneath him quickly and was able to keep his weapon trained on the man in the utility worker's uniform the entire time though he looked ready to bolt at any moment.. Three other men swarmed in behind the large bodied man who was clearly in charge of this crew, with their guns drawn. Their entrance was explosive but their demeanors remained calm and unaffected. These men were professional killers, of that I was sure.

  Rose, never knowing when to shut up, barked from the living room. "What the fuck is going on in there Linc? What happened?" His gun moved back and forth from my head to pointing at the circle of men in the foyer. He didn't seem sure of where the weapon would be most useful in the moment.

  Utility Man spoke first. He was about Declan's age, with dirty blonde hair close cropped, and piercing ice blue eyes. He stood about 6'1" with a solid build that belied a simmering danger. "Who the fuck are you shit heads?" I saw Declan's face drain of color at hearing the man's pronounced Boston accent. We shared looks of fresh concern. The O'Bannion crew had found him. A new wave of 'what the hell were we going to do now' screams echoed through my head.

  Linc spoke next, trying to reestablish his position of power in the room in the face of a more seasoned thug but was failing miserably. "Who the fuck are we? Who the fuck are you?" His usual cockiness had
returned. Like his brother, Linc's temper often overrode any common sense he might have and find useful in a situation like this. He thought he could hold his own with these guys and I knew from the little Declan had shared with me about the O'Bannion thugs, he was very wrong.

  Mr. Pretend Utility Man spoke again, his voice even and without much excitement or concern, clearly not phased the least bit by Linc's aggressive demands for information. His calm demeanor was unnerving to me, as if he had been in this crazy situation before, and saw nothing wrong with being in another one. "Don't fucking matter who we are jack off because we weren't looking for you assholes. We came here for a friend of ours." Utility man offered by way of explanation as his eyes moved around the room before settling on where Declan and I sat tied up.

  The man's face broke into a cold smile when his eyes came to rest on Declan. He had found his 'friend'. I saw Declan working his jaw, his body tense under the fixed stare of the man, and almost vibrating with the fear of the moment. I held my breath. The man wasn't the least concerned nor questioning of the fact that we were tied to chairs. What the hell kind of sadistic bastard was he not to find this situation noteworthy? I could only hope I wouldn't have to find out.

  He nodded. "And it looks like we found him, too. Hello Mikey, long time no see man." The man smiled again and I saw Declan's face tense even more.

  Declan responded, in his Boston accent but with his voice controlled "Hello Malachy. Not long enough for my taste I would have to say. Nice uniform." He never wavered his glare from the man.

  Malachy only laughed and shrugged in understanding.

  Linc looked from Declan to Malachy and back to Declan again. "What the hell? Where did your asshole accent go? Why the hell is he calling you Mikey? What the fuck is going on?" He was bellowing the questions as fast as he could and with each one his face grew more red with rage.