The man in the chair laughed. “You dumbass. This dude is known for his talents and you’re trying to choke him with pop?” He snorted at that. “Guy has better reflexes than Jims and my brother spent most of his life on his knees.”
“You’re related to Longs?”
“Jims.” He balked at the nickname. “My other foolish siblings nicknamed him Longs for….” He snarled. “Reasons you probably understand.”
“I didn’t know he had another brother.”
“What you really mean is you thought all the fellas from Vance Holler were either dead and buried or serving out the rest of their lives behind prison bars.” The burly man slowly rose to his feet and stalked Markie like a predator might. After he circled Markie a few times, he grabbed hold of his lower jaw with a rough grip. Sneering, he quickly added, “That’s what you and those idiots you call out as friends were supposed to think.”
Markie stretched his neck as far as it could go. He was certain his assailant meant to snap it then. When he finally released him, Markie drew in a ragged breath and said, “They’ll kill ya….Draegan, Allister, all of ‘em. They’ll be comin’ for ya.”
“And that’s what I’m countin’ on, twink.” He leaned down so they were face to face, nose to nose. “See, I’m countin’ on you to bring ‘em to me. And then, I plan to put every last one of ‘em in their early graves.”
Chapter Eleven
The sun was peeking over the tips of Bays Mountain by the time Serena and Bane entered Trouble’s administrative offices. Draegan took one look at them and just knew—the two shared a new intimacy.
Rather than show his ass, he nodded at Bane and shot Serena a smile. “Not the way I’d imagined starting off this particular morning.”
“Me either,” Serena muttered.
That’s about how he’d figured things. His perfect morning with Serena had been enjoyed by another. Serena had probably slept in Bane’s arms. Lord only knew what kind of good time they might have enjoyed before Mac knocked on their door.
“Those thoughts you’re having? Put ‘em out of your mind. They didn’t fuck.” Mac’s voice was low as he peered over Draegan’s shoulder.
“Well how the hell would you know?”
“I heard some after-foreplay chitchat.”
Draegan’s lips twitched. So the hotshot detective wasn’t a quick draw after all. “Humph. Well, how about that?”
Seated across from Draegan, Allister twirled his phone in slow motion, most likely willing the damn thing to ring. He glanced up at Bane and Serena as they passed him and made their way to the coffee pot.
Allister said, “Take it from someone who knows. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Women are a lot like men where basic needs are concerned but let a good woman make a commitment and there’s no way you’ll win her back.”
“Ellie found her way back to you,” Draegan pointed out.
“She first married Denny for better or worse. She would’ve honored her vows if he’d honored his.” Allister frowned. “I lucked out.”
“Where love is concerned, luck doesn’t have a damn thing to do with it,” Draegan said, believing Serena cared for him as much as he cared for her. Unfortunately, she also had some feelings to sort out for Bane Brice, too.
Bane’s phone rang and he stepped outside to take the call. Serena made her way over to Draegan. Gripping her white Styrofoam coffee cup, she said, “Draegan, I’m so sorry about Markie.”
“Nothing to be sorry about.” Allister stood. “We’ll have him back here before the sun sets this evening.”
Allister and Mac made themselves scarce. Draegan and Serena were left to stare at one another. If Markie had been on the property, now would’ve been the time when he would’ve traipsed inside the office with his box of donuts.
Draegan smiled at the thought.
“I’m sorry we parted on bad terms last night,” Serena said.
“We didn’t,” Draegan barked, wishing he’d used a little more tact. “I mean, as far as I’m concerned, we’re okay. Nothing has changed.”
She looked guilty then. Those thick lips twisted and twitched something awful. “I wanted to sleep with Bane.”
“I see.” Draegan processed. “Well, did ya?”
“No.”
“Then there’s nothing to talk about.”
“I didn’t screw him, but—”
“There’s nothing to talk about,” he said, placing his fingers over her lips. “Serena, I haven’t been fair to you. From the moment I first saw you, I wanted you. Thing is, you sort of disrupted my plans.”
He could tell by looking at her blank expression, he wasn’t telling her anything she didn’t already know.
“As you might have guessed, I didn’t want to settle down. And I made up my mind from the moment you moved here, I wasn’t going to settle down with anyone—you or anyone else—until I had my fill of other women.”
“That’s good to know.” Her voice held a dash of resentment. “You aren’t telling me anything I didn’t already suspect.”
He jerked at the sound of her bitter tone. “For the record, I didn’t have as much fun sowing my wild oats as I’d first intended.”
“Sorry I messed things up for you.”
“It would seem I messed them up for myself.” He waved his finger at the bay window. Outside, Bane paced back and forth while barking a bunch of orders.
“You didn’t mess up anything,” Serena said. “My feelings for you are as strong today as they were yesterday but you and Bane need to work it out.”
“Work it out?” Draegan couldn’t wait to hear this.
“I’m not letting either one of you go,” she said in a matter of fact tone. “Like I said, you need to work it out and when you do, let me know what you decide. Until then, we need to focus on Markie.”
“I agree.” Draegan hadn’t stopped thinking about Markie since the first photos had been sent. The images showcased the abuse he’d endured. He’d undoubtedly suffered torture, but to what degree was the real question.
Unfortunately, a number of pictures had been sent but the demands had yet to arrive. Given the blank looks on Markie’s face? Draegan was afraid those ransom demands wouldn’t come in anytime soon. They might not arrive at all.
Whoever was holding Markie apparently wanted to make a statement and prove a point. When the assailant was done torturing Markie and tormenting those who loved him, perhaps he’d send a list of demands.
“Let’s just hope Markie can hold on until we find out what his abductor wants.”
“I think you mean who,” Bane said, entering the office then with Mac and Allister on his heels. “Where’s Harley?”
Draegan swung his gaze to Mac. “Is he around?”
“Should be down at the barn by now. We have a couple of trucks coming in around seven.”
“Why do you need Harley?” Allister asked.
“We’ll need all of you,” Bane replied. “Vin Vance is in town. We pulled Markie’s cell phone records. Apparently he’s been talking to Vin for nearly a week. Other than Draegan’s number, Vin’s number was the last number dialed prior to his disappearance.”
“Markie tried to call me and I sent him to voicemail,” Draegan said, wondering if it might have made a difference if he’d picked up when Markie last called.
“Wait a minute, did you say Vin Vance?” Allister stalked Bane. “As in, another Vance weirdo from Vance Holler?”
“None other,” Bane replied, regret strewn through his voice.
“I thought all those Vance bastards tacked on an ‘s’ to their names because they all believed they’re living several simultaneous lives or some weird shit like that?” Mac’s gaze hopped between Bane and Allister before he directed his attention to Draegan. “Did you know they had another brother?”
“No.” Draegan turned to Bane. “Someone should’ve thought to tell us about a long lost sibling on the chance he surfaced looking for revenge.”
“It might have been nice
to have a head’s up,” Allister said, accusation in his tone. He pointed at Draegan. “You were right. When we went after Heather, you said if we didn’t take them all out, they’d follow us home. These boys just keep coming.”
Draegan remembered the comment well. When Bradley’s sister had been held at the Vance brother’s home against her will, he’d dished a few warnings. He’d feared the worst and it was undoubtedly a wise concern. “As much as I’d like to revel in being right, it wouldn’t help matters now. I’ve never met Vin. In fact, I’ve never heard his name before now.”
“We had no reason to believe Vin would be a problem. He didn’t show up for any of his brothers’ trials.”
“You had no reason to believe Vin would be a problem?” Allister looked mad enough to bite a board in two. His nostrils flared. He clenched his fists. Snarling, he asked, “Why would you believe anything else? Weren’t you the lead detective on the Heather Powers case?”
“We all know I worked on the Vance Holler investigation. I took a special interest in Heather’s case and that’s the only reason I knew about Vin Vance.”
“And you didn’t think to mention him?” Allister bellowed.
“Drudging up the past won’t help Markie.” Mac fired off a quick text and looked up. “What do you know about this guy? Where do we find him?”
“Vin wasn’t raised by Wills and Belles Vance.” Bane looked deeply troubled and Draegan suspected Bane knew plenty about Vin Vance. “He was Wills Vance’s eldest son by a previous marriage. When we first started following the Vance boys, we had every reason to believe Vin was on the up and up. His infrequent short visits to Tennessee suggested he wasn’t close to his father or brothers. As far as we knew, he had very little contact with his siblings.”
“So what happened?” Draegan wanted answers.
Bane frowned. “Turns out, he had very little contact with anyone. He didn’t make any special exceptions for his brothers.”
“Explain that,” Mac said.
“I’m with Mac.” Allister’s nostrils flared. “Just who are we up against here?”
“Best guess?” Bane took a deep breath. “A very dangerous man.”
“What’s your worst?” Mac asked.
“A cold-blooded killer.” Bane’s eyes set and he slowly added, “One who has gotten away with murder for more than a decade.”
Chapter Twelve
The next seventy-two hours were grueling. Bane worked with locals in surrounding counties as they tried to pinpoint a possible location for Vin Vance. Text messages were sent to Draegan’s phone every five or six hours, each attached with Markie’s photo, each arriving with a promise—one which suggested Markie would endure more violence, a lot more abuse.
“We should be getting some pings off cell phone towers or something,” Allister said, pacing.
“We’re on it, but I don’t think we’ll catch a break by tracing calls or messages,” Bane said. “They’re using TracFones and they’re moving around. No two messages have been sent from the same location.”
“We should be out there.” Draegan shook his finger at the door. “Instead of in here doing absolutely nothing.” He jabbed that same finger at the floor.
Serena understood his frustration. Other than sending out for food and being there for moral support, she hadn’t been necessarily helpful. To make matters worse, tensions were high between the McCalls and Bane. They undoubtedly believed Bane had withheld important information.
“A few days ago, I received urgent texts telling me to get down here. I’ve been here ever since.” Harley turned to Bane. “You said your sources believed Vin would hit us up with negotiations. Well here we sit. All of us are willing to swap places with Markie and yet the call isn’t coming in and we’re waiting like we’re incapable of doing much else. I’m willing to trade myself for Markie—we all are—but there are better ways to spend our time if you ask me.”
Bane scowled. “I’ve passed along reliable information from trusted sources. If you think you should be doing something more, I can’t stop you.”
“We know we could do something more. We waited on your advisement,” Allister reminded him.
“Yes and you’ve waited this long, so another day won’t kill you.” Bane dragged his hand through his hair. He seemingly hesitated before adding, “If Vin is as predictable as we think he is, you’ll hear from him late tomorrow afternoon. He’ll send his demands then.”
“Late tomorrow afternoon?” Mac balked at that. “Any particular reason tomorrow stands out?”
“Or why you’re just now bringing this up?” Allister asked.
Bane sipped his coffee thoughtfully. As soon as he set the cup on the desk, Draegan charged him. He grabbed him by the collar and shook him twice before resting his fists right under Bane’s chin. “You know something. What is it?” He shook him again. “Damn it to hell! What is it?”
“Let him go, Draegan!” Harley hollered.
Mac somehow managed to worm his way between the two men before they started throwing punches and exchanging threats.
Bane seemed unmoved until he looked at Serena but as soon as he looked at her, she just knew. Draegan was right. Bane was holding out on them.
“Please tell them whatever it is you know.” It was difficult to stay neutral when someone’s life was on the line. “Markie is…well he’s….”
“He’s just Markie,” Mac said, seemingly explaining it best. “He matters to everyone here, Bane.”
“In other words, he’s irreplaceable,” Draegan said, clarifying.
“We’re all irreplaceable,” Bane pointed out. “I know he’s important to you.”
“To all of us,” Serena whispered, thinking it might make a difference if Bane understood he was a staple in her life, too.
“I get that he’s important to you.” He leveled a stare at Serena. “To all of you.” He turned to the McCalls. “I’ve worked with Markie. He’s a standup guy. Believe me when I tell you, I’m doing everything I can to help.”
“Then help,” Allister bit out.
“What are the Feds doing now?” Harley asked.
Bane frowned. “As much as they can do.”
“Bullshit,” Allister grumbled. “They’re waiting like we are.”
The room fell eerily quiet. Serena hated to play the card she held but she didn’t have a lot of options. If Bane had shown his hand from the start, perhaps Markie would’ve already been returned to Trouble. “Think about your sister. If you’ve said it once, you’ve said it twenty times. If Trouble had been around when your sister needed a safe haven, perhaps she would’ve been alive today.
“And maybe she would’ve been. Maybe all she needed was someone to stand up for her. Someone who was willing to go to bat for her, no matter what.”
“What are you saying?” Bane looked offended.
Serena was on sacred ground now. She and Bane had spent hours talking about his sister. She hated to bring up his dead sibling’s past but at the moment, she wanted him to remember how it felt to have a loved one in danger. “Put yourself in their shoes. Put yourself in mine. We all love Markie. We’re concerned for his well-being. We know he’s being abused. The pictures tell the horrifying story as it unfolds and that’s apparently part of what gets this guy off—terrorizing us with the fear of what will come next.”
“So what are you saying, Serena?” Bane’s tone held a tight edge.
“I think we’re doing exactly what this guy wants us to do. We’re waiting. We’re playing by his rules.”
“She has a point,” Allister said.
Serena gave Bane a loving smile. She hadn’t meant to step on his toes but emotions and tensions were high. Bane didn’t want to screw this up—she believed that—but at the same time, he hadn’t been particularly helpful. He’d called in favors, provided some information, and advised the McCalls to wait for further instructions. They weren’t the kind of men who stood back and waited.
“This isn’t the end for Markie,” Ban
e assured her.
Draegan’s gaze shifted between them before he barked, “So what? Now you can read his mind?”
“About like she can read yours,” Bane grated out.
Serena removed her sweater from the back of a chair and draped it around her shoulders. “That’s my cue. There’s too much attitude and testosterone in the room.”
“Not to mention secrets,” Draegan bit out, backing away from Bane then.
“You want to talk about secrets?” Bane grunted. “Let’s talk about why Markie was targeted, why he was lured away from Trouble instead of one of the women. Better still, let’s ask the more difficult questions here—why Markie instead of you or maybe one of your brothers?”
Harley and Allister looked puzzled. Mac seemed unmoved.
“What’s he talking about?” Allister’s gaze bounced between Draegan and Mac.
Harley cocked his head and narrowed his gaze. “Draegan? Do you know something?”
“Tell them,” Bane said. “Tell them why Markie stuck close to you for years, why he’s really been ‘part of your family’ and as ‘close as’ any brother.”
“I don’t know what you’re suggesting,” Draegan said, seemingly sincere.
“Bullshit. You know exactly what I’m talking about and so does Mac.” Bane grabbed his jacket from the coat tree and took hold of Serena’s elbow, steering her to the door. “I’ll walk Serena home. Maybe by the time I get back, everyone will know what’s really going on here. After the air is cleared, we can go from there.”
“We don’t need the air cleared,” Allister said, crossing his arms. “Like you said, ‘we’re brothers’ and as sure as I’m standing here, I can tell you this. None of us keep anything from the other one.”
“That’s a fact,” Harley said, seemingly certain.
“Seems you’re the one with secrets,” Draegan said, staring at Bane’s hand on Serena’s arm. “Why will we hear from Vin Vance tomorrow afternoon?”
Serena had been wondering the same thing.
Trouble Travels in Threes [Trouble, Tennessee 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 7