Return To Paradise (Paradise Park Book 2)

by Carolina Mac

  Anson came rushing towards the front door from the back of the filthy trailer. The annoyance on his face vanished when he realized it was Grace. “What is it, Grace?”

  She showed him the map and explained what she had found on the internet.

  Anson took the map to the window and had a closer look. “Yep, I see where the farm connects behind the building in the woods. Excellent work, Grace. I’m going to get a team together and we’ll raid the place. I think I can get a warrant based on finding Deputy Steele’s boot on the adjoining property.”

  “Can I ask what you found in here?” asked Grace.

  He screwed up his face. “Can’t tell you details of an open case, but traces of blood, guns, and two different stashes of drugs—so far—there could be much more.”

  “I’m glad somebody is finally checking Sid out. He’s a murderer and who knows what else. After my experience with him, I’m sure he’s the one who took Darlene.”

  Anson shook his head. “It never should have taken this long, Grace, after what you went through, but we were being stonewalled by the locals. I’ve got people higher up the chain of command looking into the internal workings of the whole Dry Springs’ precinct.”

  ROB LEANED ON his crutches, and Tommy leaned on the tree trunk outside Sid’s trailer waiting for Grace to come out. As she walked down the steps, Tommy took a step towards her and asked, “What have they found in there? Any clues on where my sister is?”

  “I don’t know that, Tommy. They’re ripping the place apart looking for evidence of any kind, that’s about all I saw. I’m sure, Agent Prescott will bring you up to date as soon as he can.”

  Rob reached for her and she kept walking. “Sorry about before, Gracie. I’ve been a shit lately.”

  Grace brushed past without looking at him, hurried across the grass and went into her own trailer.

  Tommy chuckled. “That went well.”

  “Shut up, fucker.”

  Rob sat down on the step again and lit up another smoke.

  “I can barely sit still,” said Tommy. “I think we should be out there searching, beating the bushes looking for Darlene.”

  “It ain’t like she got lost,” said Rob, “The fuckers took her. There’s a difference. You won’t just walk through the bush and find her, if they’ve got her stashed somewhere with a guard or two on her.”

  “You seem sure the bikers took her.”

  Rob stuck his hand in the pocket of his jeans, and after considerable moaning, discomfort and shifting of his bandaged leg, he pulled out Darlene’s shield. “Ted found this buried at the back of the shack in the woods.”

  Tommy cleaned it off with his thumb and turned it over in his hand. “You didn’t give this to the DEA guys?”

  Rob shook his head. “They know she’s missing, and what good would it do? I can’t seem to give it up.”

  Tommy gave it back to Rob. “I’m not telling Daddy.”

  “Yeah, I don’t think you should.”

  THREE BLACK SUV’S pulled up in front of Sid’s trailer, shut off their engines and no one got out.

  “Reinforcements,” said Tommy. “They must know something if they sent for more men. Get in my truck and we’ll follow them. See where they go.”

  “I better tell Grace,” said Rob. “I can’t just take off. She’s mad as hell at me already.”

  “Good thing you’re married. She can’t kick you out.”

  Rob chuckled. “Think that would stop her?” He struggled with the crutches and the step, and Tom pointed to the truck.

  “Go get in. I’ll tell her and Daddy.” He opened the screen door and hollered. “Rob and I are going out for ten minutes.”

  “Okay,” called Grace from the kitchen. “I’ll make you lunch when you get back.”

  Tom jumped behind the wheel. “Your sweet wife is going to make us lunch when we get back.”

  “She’s a good cook,” said Rob. “Only one of her talents.”

  “Don’t know how in hell you got such a gorgeous, talented wife, you being such a miserable prink n’all.” Tommy snorted.

  “Funny,” growled Rob. “You’re hilarious.”

  They sat and waited until Agents Prescott and Valdez came out of Sid’s trailer and piled into one of the SUV’s with the tinted windows.

  Rob squinted and stared at the trucks. “Can’t see how many men they’ve got in each truck.”

  “Depends how many they think they’re up against,” said Tommy. “The Feds hate being outnumbered.”

  “How do you know that? See it on TV?”

  “Shut up.”

  Rob grinned. The first time he’d smiled in days. “I’m not that fond of it myself. Darlene helped me out the first time it happened, and I won’t forget it.” He pulled his Marlboroughs’ out of his pocket. “Slow down and wait until they get off this street. Prescott will notice us. He’s not as dumb as he looks.”

  “You think he would actually try something with Grace?”

  “Fuckin right, I do. Any man would.”

  “Think I’ll marry somebody butt-ugly,” said Tommy. “I won’t have any of these fuckin worries.”

  “You do that,” said Rob. “Make sure the lights are out when you take the ugly bitch to bed.”

  Tommy blended in with local traffic as he followed the convoy of SUV’s down the highway for a couple of miles. The G-rides signaled, then turned right on the county line. He dropped back, gave them lots of time to turn, then drove slowly to the corner.

  Rob pointed. “There they are. Halfway down the sideline, turning into a laneway.”

  “Let’s go watch from the road. They can’t object to that,” said Tommy. He parked at the end of the laneway and they were half hidden by a row of oaks along the edge of the field. Tommy reached over the seat, grabbed his rifle and chambered a round.

  “We gonna need that?” asked Rob.

  “If any slip through their fingers, never know. We might.”

  With the window down, Rob could hear Prescott hollering through a bullhorn.

  “You are surrounded. Come out with your hands in the air, and you will not be harmed.”

  “What if Darlene’s in there and she gets caught in the cross-fire?” Tommy thumped a clenched fist on the steering wheel. “I want to go in there.”

  “Exactly why they won’t let you in. You’re a loose cannon.”

  “No fuckin looser than you,” hollered Tommy. “I ain’t no ex-con loser with a short fuse.”

  “Gimme a gun with a scope,” said Rob. “I can shoot from here.”

  “I’ve seen you shoot. Don’t forget that.”

  “Maybe I’ll have one lucky shot and save your sorry ass.”

  Tommy turned and grinned. “Yeah, like maybe that will happen.”

  He reached in the back of the cab and picked a leather rifle case up off the floor. He unzipped it, took the gun out and handed it to Rob. “Ammo is in the glove box. Don’t shoot your fuckin dick off.” He jumped out of the truck, climbed the fence and lurked under the oak trees.

  Rob sat with his window down and the rifle barrel pointed at the farmhouse. He could still hear Anson yelling, but didn’t see any bikers coming out with their hands in the air.

  “They won’t fuckin surrender,” Rob mumbled to himself, “the DEA assholes will have to go in and drag them out.”

  “They’re throwing canisters through the windows,” hollered Tommy from his vantage point. “Won’t be long now.”

  And it wasn’t long. Out they came—in a swarm. Their hands weren’t over their heads as instructed—their hands clutched Blackouts and they were firing sprays at the cops. Cops were dropping like flies and Rob wondered if they were all wearing body armor. Should be if they had any brains at all, but he didn’t put much stock in the brainpower of cops.

  Two bikers got past the line of cops and were running towards them through the field. “See them, Tommy?” Rob hollered out the window. “Take them.”

  Tommy dropped to his belly in the long
grass, waited until the bikers got closer, then squeezed the trigger. The first one went down. The second one fired at the flashpoint and Tommy rolled to his right. He took aim, fired again and took the second guy in the groin. He screamed, dropped and rolled and rolled.

  “Put another one in him,” hollered Rob out the truck window. “Jesus Christ, if I could walk, I would have slit his goddam throat by now.”

  Three cops ran towards them through the field, but the party was over. The two run-away bikers were dead.

  “Is my sister in that house?” Tommy was hollering to the cops. He ran back to the truck, jumped in and headed up the laneway.

  “We going in?” asked Rob.

  “Damn right. They took the house and I’m gonna see if Darlene is in there.” Tommy parked behind the long line of cop vehicles and jumped out. Not waiting for Rob to fart around with his crutches, Tommy ran across the porch and blazed through the front door.

  Rob struggled, getting down from the side-step, got the crutches situated and made his way into the house.

  “You can’t come in here,” hollered a guy wearing a DEA jacket. “Get out.”

  “Fuck you,” hollered Rob. “I gotta see something.”

  “Yeah, you’ll be seeing the inside of a cell in half a minute.”

  “Fuck off. Where’s Prescott?”

  “You with Prescott?”

  “Fuckin right. Where is he?”

  “Back room.” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder, “Where the girls are.”

  Darlene is here.

  Rob made his way past numerous cops on his way to the back room. Tommy was already there kneeling on the floor beside Darlene. Rob turned his head at the sight of her and thought he might hurl.

  Two guys with a stretcher pushed their way into the room. “Give these guys room to work,” hollered Prescott, “Clear the room.”

  Rob and Tommy waited near the front door for the paramedics to emerge with Darlene. Rob had seen another girl in there too, but she wasn’t beat up as bad. They both needed to go to the hospital... yesterday.

  “Let’s go, Rob.” Tommy was pale as a ghost. “I have to pick up Daddy and take him to the hospital.”

  “We’ll all go,” said Rob.

  Tommy waited patiently beside his truck while Rob navigated the gravel drive with his crutches. He opened the passenger door and gave Rob a hand in to speed things up. Tommy started the engine, threw the truck into reverse and let out a holler. “Holy hell. Look at that.” He pointed at the big fire ball in sky behind the farmhouse the same second a deafening explosion rocked the ground beneath the truck.

  “Jesus,” said Rob, “they blew up the fuckin lab.”

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  ROB SAT IN the ICU staring at Darlene’s unrecognizable face. Black, blue and purple swelling covered her entire face. Her lips were cracked and he guessed that she might have lost a couple of teeth. She’d been cleaned up and all the crusty dried blood he’d seen at the farmhouse had been removed. A blanket was pulled up to her chin, so the what the rest of her body looked like remained anybody’s guess.

  Sid and the bikers had done a number on her, that was for sure. They’d all been arrested and charged—all except for one—how in hell it had happened, Rob didn’t know, but the Feds had let Sid Cowan slip through their fingers. The other bikers in the club, along with Kuchma had been charged with everything Anson Prescott could think of, but it wasn’t enough to make up for Darlene.

  She was in a coma and she might never wake up.

  Tommy and Mr. Steele Senior waited outside the double doors for their turn to visit. Grace was with them, waiting to take Rob home. And that was the next problem he had to face.

  Where was home going to be? Grace wanted him to decide if he wanted to stay in Texas or go back home to Canada. Jerry wanted Grace to move home and Rob wasn’t liking the fucking heat in Texas too much. Grace’s editor—that asshole Derrick wanted her to stay in Texas—that was another good reason to leave—that guy had the hots for Grace.

  He took one last look at Darlene, stood up and shoved the crutches under his arms. He’d made a decision.

  I’m moving my family back to Paradise.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  A WEEK LATER, Darlene Steele woke up and a couple days after that, she was released from the hospital. Her recovery was far from complete, but she was able to return home to Mineral Wells with her father and her brother. Rob promised Tommy he’d bring Grace and Joey for a visit before they moved back to Canada.

  The Dry Springs Police Department received a thorough investigation from higher authorities and myriads of charges were laid. Sheriff John Wyatt, and Deputy Kuchma were in jail awaiting their respective trials and an interim Sheriff had been appointed.

  All of the bikers involved in the meth operation were

  arrested and charged by the DEA. Agent Prescott expressed his gratitude to Rob for all his help bringing down the gang.

  Sky Brady died in the raid and Kiley decided to stay on in Sky’s trailer and raise her daughter, Merrilee, alone.

  Sid Cowan had rabbited—most likely out the back of the farmhouse when he heard Anson on the blowhorn. He was on a most-wanted list, but that didn’t mean they would ever catch him. Rob wanted to get even with Cowan for what he did to Grace so bad he could taste it. Maybe he’d get his chance and maybe he never would.

  Grace gave her notice and began packing for the move back to Paradise Park in Ontario.

  Rob sat on the sofa with his injured leg on the coffee table and watched Sesame Street with his son. “Things are quiet here now that all the bikers are gone,” said Rob.

  “I’m glad they’re gone,” said Grace, as she wrapped another stack of plates in packing paper, “but I still don’t want to stay here after everything that happened. I’m looking forward to going home to Canada.”

  “Me too,” said Rob. “Never been so f’n hot in my life.”

  “Texas does have nice warm weather,” said Grace.

  “Warm weather?” Rob raised an eyebrow.

  Ted growled and charged towards the door. He scratched to get out and Joey jumped off the sofa and ran to open the door for the dog.

  “Wait until I look,” said Rob. “I don’t want him running out there and taking a chunk out of somebody. Ted ain’t the friendliest dog on the f’n planet.” He was trying hard not to swear around Joey.

  He limped over to the front window and pulled back the curtain. A pickup was parked in Sid’s driveway.

  Would he risk coming back here? For what? There was nothing but crap in that trailer.

  “Grace, I think Sid’s next door. Get my gun from the dresser.”

  Grace gave out a little squeal and dropped a cup on the floor. It smashed to pieces and Joey ran to her. “Stay back, honey. I’ll sweep that up in a minute.”

  She ran to the bedroom and came back with Rob’s gun. “You can’t even walk, Robbie. I don’t want you to do this. Call the new Sheriff.”

  “All Sid’s guns have been taken for evidence, Grace. Unless he has a new one, I should be okay.” His hand slid down his good leg to the hilt of his Seal knife.

  “I better come with you.”

  Rob held up a hand. “No way. You and Joey lock yourselves in here. I’ll take Ted.” Rob headed down the hall. “I’m going the back way.”

  Grace ran after him. “Robbie, please don’t. He’s not worth it and I don’t want to lose you.”

  Rob turned and held her tightly. “I love you Grace, more than anything on this earth, and I’m not leaving you. I have to do this for my own peace of mind.”

  Crossing behind the two trailers, Rob used one crutch on the uneven ground, then dropped it on the grass when he reached Sid’s back step. “Ready, boy.”

  Ted jumped to the top step and growled. “You run in and take him out and I’ll finish him. Got it?” Rob turned the knob and the door opened. Ted took off at top speed.

  “What the hell is that dog doing in here?”

  Was
that Sid’s voice?

  The fact that he talked to Grace was enough to make Rob want to kill him. Knowing Sid put moves on Grace, meant Rob would kill him. And what Sid did to Darlene? That was enough to kill him twice over.

  Rob winced as he hobbled on his half-healed leg, down the narrow hallway through Sid’s dirty, stinking trailer. When he reached the so-called living room, Ted had one biker on the floor and had torn a huge chunk out of his jeans.

  “Get this fuckin dog off me, or so help me I’ll shoot him.” The downed biker grappled for the gun in his waistband.

  Sid looked up and saw Rob in the doorway. He tried to grin, but Rob could tell his jaw was giving him trouble. “Well, if it isn’t the asshole who claims to be my gorgeous neighbor’s husband. Let’s finish this right now, punk.”

  He’s talking funny too.

  “Yeah, lets,” mumbled Rob. “Keep your buddy out of it. This is between you and me.”

  “You don’t tell me what to do, punk. I could take you one-handed.”

  Rob lunged forward and smashed Sid in the jaw that he broke the last time they tangled. Sid went down with a thud. Lights out. Rob knelt on his good knee, grabbed his knife from his boot and slit Sid’s throat.

  The other guy struggled away from Ted and freed his gun from his holster. He raised it to take aim and Rob threw his knife. It hit home in the second biker’s left eye.

  He screamed and fell to the floor grabbing at the knife. Rob scrabbled close enough to pick up the gun he dropped and pointed it at him.

  “Don’t kill him,” Grace screamed from somewhere behind Rob. “I already called the cops. Let them take him.”

  “Yeah, let them,” said Rob.

  Ten minutes later, the cops showed up. Rob gave his statement and told the new Sheriff that Sid Cowan was on a federal most wanted list—wanted for murder.

  Rob limped back home with Grace’s help and laid on the sofa nursing his aching leg for the rest of the day while Grace continued packing.

  Later in the evening, Agent Anson Prescott phoned and took Rob’s statement over the phone. He seemed pleased that Rob had finished Sid Cowan. Prescott needed to close out his case file.