Destroying the Biker

by Cassie Alexandra

“But, I was wrong,” she replied.

  “You didn’t know. I just hope that when all of this is over, we have answers for you. About Andrew.”

  “I hope so, too,” she said sadly. “I need closure.”

  “Whatever it takes, I’m going to help you find it.”

  She smiled.

  AFTER WE FINISHED eating, we drove back over to the townhome in the rental car, leaving her SUV at the diner. When we arrived, there was a woman sitting on the front steps watching a little boy blow and chase bubbles. When she saw us approach, her eyebrows knotted together.

  “Can I help you?” she asked in a guarded tone

  “We’re looking for Andrew Bordellini,” Ava replied.

  “You and me both,” the woman said sadly. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes from her shirt pocket.

  “We heard that he lives here,” I said, wondering who she was. The woman looked to be in her thirties, had long, dark hair and glasses.

  “He was. I haven’t seen him in over three years, though. Joey, don’t get too close to the road,” she said to the little boy.

  “So, he disappeared?” Ava asked.

  She lit the cigarette, still staring at us with uncertainty. “Who are you and why are you looking for him?”

  “I’m his sister,” Ava answered.

  The woman’s mouth dropped open. “You’re Ava?”

  “Yes,” she replied and smiled. “He told you about me?”

  “Yes. My God, I can’t believe you’re here. He always talked about reuniting with you,” she replied, her entire demeanor changing.

  Ava’s face lit up. “Really?”

  “Yes. My name is Penny, by the way. That’s Joey. Our son,” she replied.

  This time it was Ava who looked shell-shocked. “What?”

  “Joey is Andrew’s son,” she replied. “I guess that makes you his aunt.”

  Chapter 58

  Ava

  “WHAT?” I REPEATED, still trying to digest what she’d told me. I looked at Joey again and a knot formed in my throat as a flurry of emotions rushed through me. “Joey is my nephew?”

  “It looks that way. I think it’s why Andrew took off,” Penny said dully. “It happened right after I told him I was pregnant.”

  “He wouldn’t skip out on his unborn child,” I said, trying to reassure her. “I don’t know what kind of relationship you had, but Andrew wouldn’t do that. We think that…” I looked at Joey and lowered my voice. “We think that a man named Blade might have made him disappear. Do you know who he is?”

  “That’s Felix. Everyone called him Blade because of his extensive knife collection,” she replied.

  “Yeah, we knew he was big on knives,” Jayce said sarcastically.

  She went on. “We’ve been renting from him. Of course, I haven’t heard anything from the man in over a year. Seriously, though? You think Felix did something to Andrew?”

  I looked at Jayce. “Could you tell her what we know? I’ll keep Joey occupied.”

  “Sure,” he replied.

  I walked over to the little boy and asked if I could blow some bubbles.

  “Okay,” he said, handing me the small bottle. Looking down into his face, I could definitely see some kind of resemblance to my brother. Especially in the eyes and eyebrows.

  I blew some of the bubbles out and watched as he went after them, laughing and giggling. He seemed like such a happy kid, which I hoped meant that Penny was a good mother.

  “So, Felix died last year?” I heard Penny say. “I guess that explains why he stopped cashing the rent checks.”

  “Who pays the utility bills?” Jayce asked.

  “I’m responsible for that. It’s fine, though, because rent was reasonably low. Only five-hundred dollars a month, to be exact. Andrew and Blade were friends, though. Why would he kill him?”

  “Who got killed, Mommy?” Joey asked.

  “Nobody, baby,” she replied and pointed to a large, yellow dump truck in the grass. “Why don’t you play with that for a while?”

  “No. I’m hungry,” Joey said. “I want some ice cream.”

  “Lunch first… and then we’ll talk about it.” She turned back to us. “Look, why don’t you two come in? I’ll make him a sandwich and then we can talk some more,” Penny said.

  Jayce nodded. “Sounds good.”

  WHEN JOEY WAS seated in the kitchen with his peanut-butter and jelly sandwich, we went into the living room, for privacy.

  “You know, we were going to get married,” Penny said sadly. “We talked about it a few times.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?” I asked.

  She sighed. “When he left with Felix. They went to Vegas for some kind of convention.”

  “Convention? For what?” I asked.

  “Old cars. That’s what they told me, at least. Andrew was into classic vehicles and had been talking about buying a GTO and restoring it,” she replied.

  “So, he never came back from Vegas?” Jayce asked.

  “Nope.”

  “But Felix did? Was he alone?” Jayce asked.

  “Yes. He told me Andrew had met some woman. Apparently, she was some showgirl. A real knockout, I guess. Anyway…” her eyes filled with tears, “they supposedly ran off together.”

  “And you believed him?” I said, the hair standing up on the back of my neck. I wasn’t psychic, but I suddenly had a vision of Blade killing my brother and dropping his body off in the desert.

  She shrugged. “I had no reason not to. Felix had always been really nice to me. I used to think that he wanted to be more than friends, if given the chance.”

  Jayce and I looked at each, an unspoken message passing between us.

  If Blade wanted Penny, he probably wouldn’t have thought twice about killing Andrew.

  “Did Blade and Andrew look alike?” Ava asked.

  “Yes. Especially after Andrew stayed away,” she said, a troubled look appearing on her face. “Felix dyed his hair and started wearing it the same way as Andrew. I thought it was kind of weird, honestly. I guess deep down, I wondered if he did it because of me.”

  “To make you like him more?” I asked.

  She nodded.

  “Did you ever try calling Andrew when he didn’t come home from Vegas?” I asked.

  “Yes. Of course. He never answered my calls or texts,” she replied. “Felix told me he’d spoken to Andrew a few times afterward, though. Apparently, he told Blade that he wanted ‘space’.”

  “But, Andrew knew about the baby, right?” I said.

  She nodded. “You probably think I’m a naïve idiot,” she said, sniffling and wiping the tears under her eyes with the back of her hand. “Maybe I was. It’s just that I trusted Felix. He didn’t seem like the kind of guy who’d kill anyone.”

  “When was the last time you spoke to him?”

  “Felix? Last year. During the spring. He’d told me that he had some business to attend to in Minnesota and would be gone for a while. I guess that’s why I didn’t realize he’d actually ‘disappeared’.”

  “Where did Felix live?” Jayce asked.

  “Right next to us,” she said. “He owns the entire building.”

  Jayce and I looked at each other again and then back to her.

  “Do you have a key to his place?” he asked.

  “No,” she replied. “We weren’t that good of friends.”

  “It’s fine. I’ll get us in there,” Jayce said, looking at me.

  SURE ENOUGH, JAYCE’S skills weren’t just limited to the bedroom. He managed to pick the lock and we soon found ourselves in the living room, which consisted only of an oversized brown sofa, a matching chair, and a large, flat-screen television on the wall. Other than that, the place was void of pictures, plants, and anything else that might have made it homey.

  “Oh, my God, what’s that smell?” I gasped, my stomach heaving. The rancid smell was worse than a hot garbage dumpster that hadn’t been emptied in months.

  “Fuc
k. I think I know. Stay here while I search the place,” Jayce said, covering his mouth and nose.

  I opened the door to let some fresh air in, thankful that it was still daylight, since the power had been shut off.

  Jayce appeared in the living room again, a grim expression on his face.

  “Did you find anything?” I asked.

  He nodded and from the look in his eyes, I knew it was bad.

  “What is it?” I asked, my heart leaping into my throat.

  “I think I found him. Andrew,” he said in a shaky voice.

  “What?” I whispered in horror. “Where?”

  “I don’t think you should see ‘where’. We need to call the police.”

  Tears filled my eyes. “You’re saying that you actually found my brother’s body?”

  “I think so. It was…” He paused.

  “Tell me,” I said, openly sobbing now.

  He walked over and put his arms around me. “I found someone stuffed in the freezer,” he said in a regrettable voice.

  My stomach heaved again as I realized what the horrible, horrible smell was in the apartment. I pushed him away right before I turned my head and threw up breakfast.

  Chapter 59

  Jayce

  I COULDN’T GET the image out of my head of the dead body in the downstairs freezer. I knew, even before I raised the lid, that I’d find something out of a horror movie. I only looked for a split second, too, but it had been long enough to provide me with plenty of future nightmares.

  After Ava threw up, she demanded to see the body, but I talked her out of it. I wasn’t a forensic specialist, but something told me that freezer had been working for quite a while before the electricity was shut off. Which was why it smelled so fucking bad and the corpse looked so ripe.

  We called the police and told Penny about the body. She started crying and soon, both women were holding and comforting each other.

  Two squad cars appeared a short time later, along with an ambulance. We were questioned by the police and then later, met with a couple of homicide detectives. Of course, they saw my cut and started giving me the third degree. Fortunately, Penny set them straight and told them everything she knew.

  “These two had nothing to do with it,” she said to them angrily.

  They backed off, fortunately.

  When everything was said and done, the police were able to identify the body as Andrew Bordellini. Obviously, this would re-open the other case, and we were pretty confident that Felix Doberly would finally be identified. We still didn’t know why he’d taken Andrew’s identity, but it was obvious, after looking at pictures, the resemblance between them was pretty similar.

  “He’d changed his look again in Minnesota,” I said, remembering the night I’d confronted him at Peyton’s. He’d had the same hairstyle as Tarot and they were of similar build. But, up close, I had to agree that our V.P. was a much better looking guy.

  “I’m sorry,” I said to Ava. “I know you wanted closure, but this was fucked up. Your brother didn’t deserve the hand he was dealt.”

  “The cards dealt to the people in my family seem to never be in our favor.”

  “Maybe not before, but… now that I’m here, things are definitely going to change.”

  She smiled sadly and I knew from her expression that she didn’t believe me. I was determined to prove her wrong, however. If she’d let me.

  Chapter 60

  Ava

  AFTER THE HARROWING ordeal, Jayce and I drove back to Miami and he stayed overnight at my place. After making love, he held me in his arms and we talked about Andrew, Penny, and Joey.

  “One thing good that came out of this is that you found out about your nephew,” he said, stroking my arm.

  I smiled. “Yes. Penny and I are going to keep in touch. I was thinking about driving back to Tampa next week, actually.”

  “That’s good. He seems like a sweet kid. You should really make a point to get to know him.”

  “I definitely will. Speaking of which, when are you going to visit your sister?”

  “Hopefully sometime this month. You should fly back with me to Minnesota.”

  “I don’t think I’ll be going anywhere soon. I’m picking up Millie from the hospital tomorrow and driving her home. She had a mild heart attack. That’s why I had to leave Minnesota so quickly.”

  His eyes widened in surprise. “Really? That’s why you left? I thought it was to avoid me.”

  I slapped his forearm playfully. “Not everything is about you, you know.”

  “I’m a guy. We always want everything to be about us. Especially when it comes to our women.”

  “Sadly, that’s not going to happen in this relationship,” I said with a smirk.

  His face turned serious. “I’m sorry to hear about Millie. How is she doing?”

  “Okay, I guess. Tired and weak. She seemed in pretty good spirits, though.”

  “Is she going to need twenty-four-hour care?”

  “It doesn’t sound like it.”

  “That’s good.”

  I asked him how long he was able to stay and he told me that he was leaving in a couple of days. It made my heart heavy.

  “You’ve wrecked me,” I told him.

  “What?”

  “I’m already missing you and you haven’t even left yet,” I pouted.

  “I know the feeling,” he said softly. “We’ll just have to make the most of our time together then.”

  “Yes, we will.”

  His hand moved between my legs. “And I know just how to do it.”

  I started laughing and then it quickly changed to mewling noises as he made good on his orgasm promises.

  Chapter 61

  Jayce

  THE NEXT DAY, I met Millie, who was surprised to see me, but also happy. She was a short, heavy-set woman with blonde hair, glasses, and a warm smile for everyone. From the way she interacted with the hospital staff and other patients, it was easy to see why Ava adored her. The woman didn’t seem to have a mean bone in her body.

  As we drove her home from the hospital she asked how we’d met.

  “When I was in Minnesota,” Ava said quickly. “I stopped off at a tattoo parlor and he inked me.”

  “Inked you?” she repeated, looking amused. “Goodness… that sounds messy...”

  We both laughed.

  “I gave her a tattoo,” I explained.

  “Really? I can’t wait to see it,” she replied. “What is the tattoo of?”

  Ava told her about the dragon. “It’s not finished yet. I’ll have to go back out to there, one of these days, so he can work on it again.”

  “Minnesota seems like such a nice place, especially with all of those lakes and trees. I hear that in the autumn it’s just beautiful.”

  “It is. You should come up and visit, too,” I said, grinning over at Ava. “Who knows, you might even decide to make Minnesota your home when you experience the beauty of all four seasons.”

  “Thank you, but unfortunately these old bones can’t handle your ‘blizzard’ season. I’d love to visit sometime, though, but it won’t for some time, I’m afraid,” she said. “The doctor said I need to take it easy for a while.”

  “Yes, you do,” Ava said. “But, don’t worry. I’ll be around to help out, too.”

  “You don’t have to go fussing over me,” she said, waving her hand. “I’m not going to break that easily. Besides, you need to get that tattoo finished, right?”

  “She’s right,” I said. “But, I have to agree with Ava. You need your family around while you’re recovering. Just in case. She has plenty of time for us to finish the dragon.”

  Ava smiled at me lovingly. “Yeah. What he said.”

  “You know, I’ve always thought about getting a tattoo. I’m too old now, though,” Millie said.

  “Bull. You’re never too old,” I said, looking back at her. “Don’t let anyone else tell you otherwise.”

  “I’m sixty-two,” she sa
id. “You don’t think that’s too old?”

  “Hell no. When you’re feeling up to it, I’ll come back down here and do the honors. If you’ll let me,” I said.

  “That sounds like a plan.” Millie reached forward and patted Ava’s shoulder. “Dear, don’t lose contact with Jayce. I’ve never been inked by a man before. I don’t care how messy it is, I’m putting it on my bucket list.”

  We laughed.

  Chapter 62

  Ava

  WHEN JAYCE RETURNED to Minnesota, I felt lost. Our last few days together had been incredible, and when he got on that plane, I knew that my heart already belonged to him. I wasn’t naïve enough to believe that he felt the same way, though. Guys who looked like Jayce, and lived the kind of lifestyle, where women were always throwing themselves at them, didn’t fall in love at the drop of a hat. Besides all of that, I was pretty certain that a long-distance relationship with a biker would never last. Not when they weren’t willing to abandon their club for a woman on the other side of the country. Of course, I couldn’t abandon Millie either. Especially now.

  Days turned into weeks, but we stayed in touch, either talking or texting each other whenever we had the chance. Eight weeks after he went back home, Jayce surprised me by making plans to come back out to Miami to stay for a week.

  “When?” I asked, thrilled with the news.

  “I’m hoping to come out next Friday. If I can take the time off of work,” he replied. “By the way, did you get my text last night?”

  “No,” I replied. “I was wondering what happened to you.”

  He normally sent me messages every night, before turning in. I’d been so tired that I’d fallen asleep early, not noticing any missed texts.

  He swore. “Sorry. We were at an underground club. It probably didn’t go through. I’ve been having problems with my cell phone service anyway.”

  “So, you were at a club last night?”