Rod

by Nella Tyler

  “Well, we all appreciate every one of your efforts,” I tell him.

  “No problem at all. I’ll talk to you later,” he says.

  “Talk to you later,” I respond, ending the call.

  I gather my thoughts before addressing my father. I dial up Rodney’s number once again to let him know about the information I got from Jason.

  “Hey babe, what did you find?” he asks.

  “Just that Boris got a deposit of thirty thousand yesterday and Lester got fifty grand today.”

  “Wow,” he says in astonishment. “And where did the money trace back to? Or shall I guess?”

  “It all traces back to your father. I’m sorry, Rodney, but he’s so deep in this mess that it’s not even funny. He knows where Sasha is; they all do.”

  “I’m coming over,” he says.

  “I’m going downstairs to tell my father everything we’ve found out,” I tell him.

  “See you soon.”

  “Bye.”

  I close my laptop and walk out of my room and to the staircase. I walk downstairs, eyeballing my mother sitting on the couch, zoned out with a glass of wine in hand.

  “Is dad home?” I ask her.

  Instead of a verbal response, she points a finger in the direction of my father’s office. I walk in the direction of his office and overhear him yelling at someone on the phone.

  “Don’t call back until you find something!” he shouts angrily. I steel my nerves and knock on the door once I hear him slam the phone down.

  “Yeah?” He says through the door. I open it up and walk inside, shutting it behind myself.

  “I’ve got some news,” I tell him. His cheeks are red and he looks angry. “This really can’t wait.”

  “Well, at least someone has some news, so let’s hear it.”

  “Lester Samson, Boris Cardov, and Ken Clayton are all involved in this, dad.”

  He looks intrigued and raises his hand. “Go on,” he tells me.

  “They have all received large sums in their bank accounts within the past three days. Lester got fifty thousand, Boris got thirty, and Ken got twenty.”

  “Yeah, but what does that tell us?”

  “Considering that all of these deposits lead back to Seth Vinton, it tells us a lot, actually.”

  His face is immediately red and angrier than before. The sound of the name Seth Vinton sends fire and ice through his veins and he’s instantly pissed off.

  “Seth Vinton?” he reiterates my statement.

  “Yeah, Seth Vinton.”

  “Did you find out anything else?” he asks.

  “Yeah, that Boris has a white van that was probably used to transport Sasha to wherever they’re hiding her. As of earlier, they weren’t hiding her at Lester’s place. Rodney and I checked it out and found nothing.”

  “They are all going to pay for this,” he says matter-of-factly.

  “Rodney was looking into Boris’ van so that we can have it followed,” I tell him.

  “Good idea. Someone knows where Sasha is being held and now it’s just a matter of time until we squeeze it out of one of ‘em.”

  “Lester used to be Seth’s right hand man back in the day. And I found this old photo of Boris together with Seth on the internet. It’s all too much to just be a coincidence.”

  “You are absolutely right,” he says, looking me in the eyes. “You really are valuable to the club, Trish. I can’t even tell you how stupid I feel for all the things I said before.”

  “No worries, dad, we’re all on the same team here. With the exception of those two idiots,” I say.

  “When I get my hands on either of those two assholes, I’m going to send them to the hospital.”

  “We need to get them put in jail so they don’t do this to anyone else, dad,” I plead.

  “Yeah, but why do it to us in the first place?” he asks.

  “Rodney said that it was apparently all part of his father’s sinister plan to take over our club.”

  “Well, fuck Seth Vinton and his sinister plan. He’s going to rot. You knew Lester Samson had something to do with this right from the start,” he says.

  “I just got this really strange vibe from him, that’s all.”

  “You’re really coming into your own,” he says.

  “Thanks,” I say shyly, looking down.

  “No, really, Trish. When this is all said and done, I’m going to appoint you the club’s official Investigator. If I would’ve listened to you from the start, we would have Sasha back home by now.”

  “Is that really an officer’s position?” I ask.

  “No, but it will be,” he says. “You’ve earned it.”

  “Thanks, that really means a lot to me. Oh yeah, and don’t forget Rodney’s contribution. He really was helpful in putting all of the pieces together.”

  My father scribbles a note to himself that I assume is a reminder to reward Rodney for helping.

  “Sounds good. Let’s get down to business; there is a lot for us to do.”

  “Don’t forget Jason Maple, he helped with the bank accounts.”

  “Duly noted,” he says, scribbling down another note on his paper.

  “Here’s what I think happened,” I tell him as he looks at me intensely.

  “I think that Lester approached her out of Boris’ white van on her way to school that day. He probably told her he was a relative or offered her candy or video games or something. He could’ve said he was a friend of the family and she didn’t know any better, so she went with him.”

  “Go on,” he says.

  “I think he probably told her that something happened and he was asked to keep an eye on her until one of us got there. When nothing happened with that, Lester had to have called in Boris or Ken – or both – to come help him. Lester is pretty frail; I busted his nose when Rodney and I went there. I’m pretty sure that Sasha could probably get away from him if she didn’t feel safe.”

  “Makes sense,” he says.

  “He probably sniffed me out when I got close that one night so he figured that they had no choice but to move her to a different spot.”

  “For their sake, she better be okay,” he says fearfully but with force.

  “My guess is that she’s probably tied up somewhere in Boris or Ken’s house and that Seth Vinton and his goons are going to strike soon while we’re all caught up in the investigation.”

  “That makes so much sense, it’s scary. I know what I need to do know,” he says calmly.

  “What’s that?” I ask.

  “I need to call an emergency meeting of the Dragons where I’ll announce that you’ve been kidnapped.”

  “What will that do?” I press him.

  “That’ll give you and Rodney time to search both Ken and Boris’ houses. Even search that asshole’s van, just to be sure.”

  “Perfect!” I tell him with a gleam of hope in my eyes.

  “Let me know what you find. I’m going to call Mickey and get a meeting organized for tonight. Get your bike out of sight and I’ll tell everyone that I have Rod out looking for you. That’ll be your cover.”

  “Good, good,” I say, rubbing my hands together.

  “I bet Boris and Ken both are going to be panicking when they hear you’ve turned up missing. They will probably fret because it wasn’t part of their original plans.”

  “We’ll let you know what we find when we get to both of their places,” I tell him.

  “Good, now call Rodney and tell him the plan of attack before he gets here.”

  “Got it. I’ll talk to you soon, dad.”

  “Be careful, Trish and just know that I love you and your sister more than life itself and I would die to protect both of you.”

  A tear escapes from his eye, but I don’t mention it.

  “I love you too, dad,” I tell him.

  I yank my phone from my pocket and dial Rodney’s number.

  “I’m almost to your house,” he says on the other end.

&nb
sp; “Yeah, well stop wherever you are and meet me at the gas station three blocks down from the Corkscrew. My father has a plan.”

  “Alright, I’ll see you there,” he says as we hang up.

  I stuff my phone back into my pocket and run out of the door and to my bike. I rev it up and take off like a speeding train. Fifteen minutes later, I pull up quietly to the gas station around the Corkscrew. I see a figure walking toward me, but upon closer inspection, I see that it’s Rodney.

  “I’m gonna park this thing out back, out of sight,” I tell him quietly.

  “Good, then you can let me in on the plan,” he says.

  I quietly ride my motorcycle to the back of the gas station where I park it and hop off.

  “Alright. What’s the plan?” He asks.

  “My father is calling a meeting right now for everyone to meet him at the Lair. He’s going to tell them that I’ve come up missing so that he can question them all for information. He says that will give us time to explore Boris and Ken’s houses to see if we can find Sasha.”

  “How will he explain my absence from this meeting?” He asks.

  “He’s going to tell them that he has already sent you out to look for me.”

  “That is brilliant,” he says.

  “Let’s hope it works.”

  “I just hope we find some clue to lead us to Sasha. We have to find her; the longer it takes, the worse the outcome becomes if we don’t find her soon.”

  “I know, we have to move quickly. I’m going to call my dad and see if they’re all there yet.”

  He paces, watching me make the phone call.

  “Hey dad, I’m out here with Rodney almost outside of town. Is everyone there yet?”

  “No, I’m waiting on Alex Maple and Boris Cardov. Ken’s here, though.”

  “Alright. Why don’t you send me a text when Boris gets there and then we can get started on the search?”

  “Sounds good. Later, kid.”

  “Bye,” I say as I hit ‘end’ to hang up. I shove the phone back in my pocket as I look up to see Rodney’s curious face.

  “Boris isn’t there yet, but Ken is, so dad’s just waiting on him,” I tell him.

  “We can go ahead and search Ken’s place if you want,” he suggests.

  “Let’s wait for the all clear, just in case Boris is at Ken’s house for some odd reason,” I say.

  “Good idea,” he says.

  While we stand around waiting, I tense up, but Rodney closes in on me to offer some comfort.

  “This could all be over and done with tonight,” he says with a hand caressing my chin. He kisses me and I feel guilty when we are so close to finding Sasha.

  “I hope you’re right.”

  He pulls me in closer to him and his scent intoxicates me. I think back to our intimate times together and I get wet all over again. I convince myself that I will have to wait to enjoy his touch and only after we find my sister. I push the sensual thoughts to the back of my mind and embrace the moment.

  Fifteen minutes pass before my father texts me.

  “They’re all here. Go and be careful!” He says in the message.

  I put the phone back in my pocket and tell Rodney, “Alright, let’s hit Ken’s house first. I’ll ride with you.”

  “Let’s do this,” he says as he gets on his motorcycle to steady it so that I can hop on the back. I hold myself close to his back, taking in all of the warmth and security he provides me.

  He revs up the motor and we tear through the dirt roads and to the paved areas of the city. Winding our way throughout Hinton Township, we find ourselves at Ken’s door. He parks the bike, but waits for me to get down first. Then he hops off and we walk quietly to the back of Ken’s house.

  It’s a secluded looking area without a neighbor to speak of.

  “I don’t think Ken lives with anyone,” I offer.

  “Okay, but we’ll scope out the place before we go in just to be sure.”

  We walk around the house and look through a lit window. After a few minutes pass, he convinces me that the place is empty. He pulls a metal bar from his inside jacket pocket and pries the window open.

  It makes a creaking noise and I gather if anyone is going to hear it and be afraid, it would be at this moment. He looks inside as he slowly lifts the window open. He sticks his head inside and listens quietly for any movement.

  “Alright, there’s nobody home,” he tells me. “I’ll give you a boost in the window since you’re tiny and then you can unlock the door.”

  “Okay.”

  He holds his hands down so I can place my foot inside and get a leg up to the window. I tumble to the floor once inside, but quickly get up and listen for myself to see if anyone’s home. The kitchen light is on and the place is empty.

  I walk to the front door and let Rodney inside. Together, we move through each of the rooms, making sure to check for hidden passages or anywhere someone could hide a twelve-year-old.

  “I just don’t think she’s here,” he tells me after we get done with the search of the house.

  “You’re right, she’s not here,” I say in return.

  “Let’s leave from the front door and I’ll put the window back the way I found it,” he tells me.

  We walk outside, locking the door behind ourselves. Once back to the window, he shuts it tightly.

  “There. Now let’s get to Boris’ house. She has to be there,” he says.

  “That’s the only other place I can think of, unless they have already moved her to Lester’s place,” I say.

  “Well, there’s only one way to know for sure,” he says as he climbs on his bike and puts the key in the ignition. I get on the back of his bike and we’re off speeding out into the night looking for clues.

  A short while passes and we are on a similar street with a dark blue house in our sights. The mailbox reads, “Cardov,” and we look to each other in satisfaction.

  He takes us to the side of the place where he parks the bike and I hop off to get a good look inside. I can’t hear anything coming from the house, but there are no lights on, so it’s merely a guess.

  “Everything here is dark,” I tell Rodney.

  “That is just fine,” he says. “We’ll still do the same thing we did before, only this time listen for animals as well as people.”

  “Got it.”

  He grabs his metal bar and pries a back window open. He kneels down with his hands together and I place my foot inside to get my body high enough to climb in the window.

  “Stop and listen,” he commands from down below. “You can’t go inside if he’s got a dog or something.”

  I listen to the sound of silence and realize that there is absolutely nothing coming from inside of the house. I give him the okay signal and pull my body the rest of the way in. Once inside, I look down to Rodney and point to the front door.

  I walk over to the door and unlock it, allowing his entrance. With no nearby neighbors, I flick the light switch on without fear of someone finding us. I light up the house as I walk into each room, yelling “Sasha” to the emptiness.

  Rodney and I walk through the upstairs, to the attic and all of the way downstairs to the basement. I feel the sinking of my heart when we come up short.

  A tear leaves my eye and I feel an overwhelming sense of defeat.

  “Hey, we will find her,” he tells me adamantly.

  “I know, I just thought she would be here,” I say.

  “We can still go back to Lester’s and search there again,” he says hopefully. We leave the place out of the front door after securing the window.

  “Is this just hopeless?” I ask rhetorically. We walk to the side of the house where Rodney’s motorcycle is parked and I see a garage in the back of the yard. “Wait, we can look in there.”

  I point in the direction of the garage and Rodney smiles.

  “Let’s do this,” he says, leading the way to the back yard.

  Once in the back, we make our way to the garage
and I look on as he tries to force the door open.

  “It won’t budge,” he tells me.

  I walk around to the side of the garage where I see a door. I walk over to him and say, “There’s a door; can I have that metal bar?”

  He reaches into his inside jacket pocket and extends the bar my way. I force the door open, damaging it in the process.

  “Oops,” I joke as the door swings open. The inside is covered in cobwebs and dust, but we both see Boris’ dirty white van parked neatly inside.

  “Eureka,” he says as he walks toward the van. “This is the van they used to pick her up and take her places.”

  “My dad told me we should search it just to be sure,” I say. When I draw closer to the van, I hear a muffled sound coming from the van.

  I take the metal bar and bash in the lock on the rear of the van. I hear the noise grow louder and convince myself that we are onto something.

  I pry the van’s door open and we both stand there in awe of what we see. My sweet baby sister is sitting in the front part of the van tied up and gagged. She squirms, but can’t really speak. I climb inside of the van and crawl my way to her. Her body is thinner and dirty and I wonder how long it has been since she’s eaten or taken a bath.

  I put my hands on the back of the blindfold and carefully remove it from her little face. Her blonde hair is muddy looking and her eyes suddenly full of hope.

  The smell inside the van overwhelms me, but I turn Sasha around to untie her hands from behind her back. Once free, she rubs her hands where the rope bound her and she places her arms around me. Hugging me tightly, I see a smile creep across Rodney’s face.

  “Alright, let’s get you both out of here,” he says.

  Sasha and I crawl our way to the back of the van and I jump out. I extend my arms to help her exit the van and she jumps to me, holding on for dear life. She clings to me and smiles. The smell dissipates as we close the van’s back door.

  “What was that smell?” I ask her.

  “The big guy gave me a bucket and told me to use it as a toilet,” she tells me as her eyes well up in shame.

  “There is nothing to be ashamed of, Sasha. You did nothing wrong here,” I tell her.

  “I know, but it’s kind of gross,” she says looking up at me.