Bane

by KJ Dahlen

  Every man standing there helpless listened as a moment later they all heard Reva scream. But then they all heard her scream get cut off and the silence that followed was overwhelming.

  Deke turned to his men and shouted, “Fucking hell!” Then he remembered there were children present and he glanced at them. All three were huddled together. They looked scared to death. All three were sobbing as Benny had blood and dirt running down his face from when the man had thrown him to the ground.

  Mountain, Sam and Wiley each grabbed one of the kids and hauled them inside the clubhouse. Once there, Cassie took over and had them sit down at one of the tables when she cleaned Benny’s face with a wet cloth. Peaches and Sarah were there as well.

  When the men entered the room, Deke looked over at Theo and growled. “Can you fucking track that bastard? Can you find him and find us a way to get Reva back before they kill her?”

  Theo nodded. “I’ll make him wish he’d never been born.”

  “Do it.” Deke growled harshly. “Do it quick and I don’t care how clean. I can’t have Gator waking up to find out his woman got taken and killed while he was sleeping. He’d kill me if I had to tell him that.”

  “Uncle Deke,” Benny called out.

  Deke rushed over to the children and bent down on one knee in front of the boy.

  “I’m sorry Uncle Deke,” Benny choked out.

  “Sorry? What are you sorry for?” Deke asked.

  “I’m sorry mom got taken. If I hadn’t been so slow getting off the bus we would have been behind the gate before he could grab me.” Benny sobbed. “Now, he’s got Mom and he’s gonna hurt her.”

  Deke’s heart broke as he listened to their sobs. He gathered Benny into his hug and told him, “Now don’t you fuss. I’ll get your mom back for you. Theo is going out to look for her and he’ll find out where they have her and we’ll rescue her, don’t you worry about that.” He looked at all three kids. “We’ll get her back. I promise.”

  Alaina shook her head. “Please don’t make promises you might not be able to keep. That man wants you dead. He might hurt our mom to get that wish. All our lives, people had made us promises they never intended to keep. Reva and Gator have been the only ones who have kept their promises.” She looked over at Gator laying so still on the cot next to the wall. “Gator might die and now Reva’s gone too. We may not have a family anymore, so don’t you make a promise you can get her back without making that true.”

  “Oh sweet girl...” Cassie bent down to hug her. “You have a family here with us. We’re all your family, don’t you know that? Reva and Gator adopted you but all three of you belong to all of us.”

  Alaina burst into tears and hugged Cassie tight. “You swear? You really swear?”

  “You bet your booties I swear,” Cassie whispered. “You guys belong to us.”

  ~*~

  Theo turned and walked down the hall to his bedroom.

  James followed stopping off at his own room briefly but he and Priest joined Theo.

  As he closed the door behind himself, Priest looked over at Theo. “Can you track them?”

  Theo glared at them. “Yeah, I can track the fucker.”

  “Then what’s the problem?” Priest asked.

  “I’m not prepared!” Theo yelled at the other man. “A year ago I had the equipment I knew and was familiar with. And now I don’t have that edge.”

  Priest glanced over at James and nodded.

  James stepped forward and laid what looked like a bag on the bed.

  Opening the bag, Theo pushed him out of the way. He searched the bag like an old friend. He should, this was his bag, his to go kit.

  Reverently, he spread the roll out and there in front of him were the tools of his former trade. Each tool had its own place and was neatly tucked into said place His scopes were present, his blades were tucked into their own slots and his three handguns ordered and built just for his hand by a master gunsmith were present.

  This was by no means all his tools of the trade but it was a beginning. With this stuff, he was comfortable and it felt like he was welcoming an old friend to have them back in his hands. Then he searched his equipment in the roll but didn’t see what he needed. His mini cross bow wasn’t there.

  Looking over at Priest he asked, “You didn’t happen to grab my rifle or mini cross bow did you?”

  Priest nodded and glanced over at James. The other man disappeared and retuned a few minutes later with both pieces.

  Theo grabbed the cross bow and looked it over in detail. His hand slid down the trigger and fitted the butt into his shoulder. It fit perfectly.

  While James had been gone, Theo had changed his attire and now dressed in black he attached the small cross bow to the heavy leather belt he wore. Fitting a handgun to the cross-back holster he wore, he also fitted a pair of blades to his belt. The last thing he did was slip a dark cap over his head. Completely hiding the grey in his hair.

  Walking over the window, he opened it and slipped outside. Before he turned to close the window, he told Priest, “You tell Deke to be ready for anything tonight. I’ll find Reva and keep her with me but that means men are going to die by my hand. I guess there really are no do overs in life are there?”

  “That depends on what you do when this is over, my friend,” Priest replied. “We’ll talk when you get back. Be safe and watch your back.”

  Theo looked over at James. “Are you going to be out there in the shadows?”

  James nodded.

  “Be careful, we’re hunting a mad man tonight. One that had absolutely no fear of death.”

  “Agreed. He’s out for revenge, but revenge over what act? He doesn’t even know yet.” James nodded. “He isn’t going to like the fact his oldest son betrayed the trust he gave him. He isn’t going to believe until he sees the evidence with his own eyes and even then, he won’t let it go.”

  Theo shrugged. “Then we show him the way to hell and push him into the gates ourselves don’t we?” He looked over at Priest. “If I don’t make it back, you watch over Sarah for me. Don’t let those bastard Connor brothers get near her. Don’t you let them touch her with their filth.”

  Priest’s eyes grew cold. “They won’t touch a hair on her head.”

  He nodded then turned and disappeared in the growing shadows of the late afternoon.

  ~*~

  Priest and James turned and went back to the main room.

  Deke, Sam, Iceman, Mountain and everyone there watched as two men joined them, even Pappy’s men were watching them.

  Finally, Deke asked, “Where is your friend?”

  “He went hunting,” Priest told them.

  Pappy moved to stand in front of Priest. “He went alone?” he asked softly.

  Priest looked over at the other man. They knew each other now and without saying too much, Priest nodded. “He went alone.”

  Pappy knew Priest would never put anyone here in danger but he didn’t know Theo that well. He’d heard Priest speak of him and he knew Priest had been gone a while making contact with the other man but he’d never met him until he’d seen Sadie with him. He seemed so much older than his sister and while he wasn’t used to playing big brother he wanted his sister to be happy. He couldn’t say a word about her being with an older man. His own McKenna was so much younger than he was. And their relationship was working.

  “So now what?” Deke growled.

  Pappy turned to him and said simply, “Now we wait.”

  “I can’t just fucking sit here and wait.” Deke grumbled and he ran his fingers through his hair.

  Pappy grabbed him by the bicep and hauled him closer. “If Priest said we wait, then we wait. He trusts his man Theo and that means we have to trust him as well. Or we could go out there on our own and risk everything.”

  Deke gazed into Pappy’s eyes and saw nothing but conviction in them. He nodded and pulled his arm out of Pappy’s grasp. He turned to his men and saw the expression on their faces. Then he looked
over at Cassie and asked her, “Can you get the kids out of here? If they come in here shooting, I don’t want the kids getting caught in the crossfire.”

  Cassie and the other women began gathering the children together and moving them down the hall. They had built an underground shelter beyond the basement walls for storms in the past year or so and that’s where they took the children.

  Cricket broke away from the group and approached Priest. Looking into his eyes she had to ask, “Is Theo going to be ok out there on his own?”

  Priest hesitated then nodded. ‘He’ll be ok.”

  Shaking her head she said, “I don’t know why but he reminds me of a man I once knew. But that’s impossible, Bane died a year ago. He died while saving not only my life but the lives of everyone who calls this place home.”

  “Maybe he had something to prove to you. Maybe he wanted to know if he had the same kind of honor you did. Maybe he found what he was finally looking for.” Priest watched her face.

  Cricket gasped softly. She reached out and gripped his arm. “You tell him that I care about what happens to him, despite what my mother did to him. He deserves a good life and a good woman. He didn’t have that with her but he could with his Sarah. Tell him I wish him well.”

  Priest waited for a moment then nodded. “I’ll tell him.”

  He watched her walk away and he knew that she knew who Theo was. He only hoped she would protect his secret. That with her silence, she would give him a second chance to have his do over in spite of this lapse.

  After about two hours of waiting, James grabbed his phone and searched his text messages. He grinned slightly then moved over to where Priest was standing with Deke and Pappy. He showed then the text without saying a word. The text read, “One down four to go. Reva still alive.”

  They all turned as they heard Gator’s weakened voice call out, “Deke, what the fuck is going on?” His voice was barely more than a whisper.

  Deke turned toward his friend and saw the other man’s eyes were open. His skin still looked pale and a little on the grey side. His face was drawn in pain and he eyes were narrowed as he stared at Deke and the others.

  Deke rushed over to him and knelt down on one knee.

  “What the everlovin hell hit me?” Gator asked. “A fucking Mac truck?”

  Deke snorted. “Try a high powered bullet.”

  Gator’s eyes widened. “Reva and the kids? Are they all right?” He tried to sit up but didn’t make it. He groaned and flopped back down on the cot. He grabbed Deke’s shirt and garbled, “Is my family alright?”

  “The kids are safe man, I swear,” Deke told him.

  Gator focused his eyes and narrowed them as Deke’s words sank in. “And Reva?”

  “Reva is in a little trouble right now but we’re working on it.”

  Gator thought about his word then snarled, “You’re working on it? What the fuck does that mean, you’re working on it?” He tried to sit up again, but he couldn’t pull himself up. “You’d better tell me what’s going on here man or I’m going to beat the shit out of you.”

  Deke pressed Gator’s shoulder back to the mattress and held him down. “I need you to listen to me. Listen carefully and relax. Oscar Buckley is outside the gates somewhere. He got one of his men to grab Reva and he’s holding her hostage. He wants the man who killed Bear and he wants me. We got him down to three or four men and he’s a desperate man.”

  “Then why are we sitting on our hands here?” Gator looked around and saw the number of men. “Why is everyone still here? Why aren’t you out there looking for her?”

  “We are looking for her,” Deke assured his friend and VP.

  “Fucking hell!” Gator swore with draining strength. “I can’t lose her man. She’s my whole world and has been for longer than I can remember.”

  Deke grabbed the other man’s shoulder. “We’ll get her back. We have the best out there searching for her. He just texted us that she is still alive. He’ll bring her back to you.”

  “He?” Gator snarled. “You got one man out there looking for her. One man against five fuckin murderers?”

  “He’s the best there is man,” Deke assured his friend. “You have to trust me on this one.”

  “I do trust you man,” Gator admitted. “You haven’t let me down in almost twenty years. I do trust you. Just bring her back to me. I can’t live without that woman. I wouldn’t even want to try.”

  James phone pinged again and the sound rang loudly in the silent room. James read the message and held up two fingers. Then he smiled tightly and hand pumped his fist.

  ~*~

  Theo stepped carefully through the wooded area behind the compound. He found the first man leaning against a tree. In his hand was a shotgun and he was staring at the buildings not too far away. He was smoking a cigarette and had no idea Theo was standing behind him.

  Theo reached down at his belt and silently took one of his knifes out. Taking careful aim, he slid the steel into the back of the man’s neck slicing through his brainstem.

  The man never got the chance to say a word as he slid first to his knees then to face plant in the dirt. No sound was heard by anyone nearby as death took him. He most likely never even knew he was about to die.

  Theo left him where he dropped and moved on. Deeper in the woods, he thought he heard a sound. He moved in that direction and found himself outside a small camp. They had no fire but there was a camp light sitting on a stump.

  There was one man sitting there staring at the woman he’d kidnapped.

  Reva sat there with her hands bound behind her back. She wasn’t crying or scared but Theo noticed she wore fresh bruises on her face and she shirt was torn. There was a cloth around her mouth tied tightly behind her head.

  There was another body there, laying against the tree. Theo could see he was wounded. His shirt was stained with dry blood and he had a feeling this was Matty Buckley. The men who raided the camp in Palmer reported Matty had been badly wounded.

  That meant there would be two other men, maybe three counting Oscar Buckley himself. Theo grabbed his crossbow and loaded the small bolt. Taking aim, he could only hope Reva wouldn’t scream when he killed the man sitting next to her.

  Letting loose the bolt it hit dead on.

  The man flopped over backward without saying a word or letting any sound loose.

  Reva didn’t scream, in fact she didn’t even look surprised at what happened. Instead, she slowly turned her head and stared out into the woods searching for the assailant.

  Theo walked into the camp area and instead of walking to free her, he went over to where Matty was laying.

  Matty didn’t even roust when Theo knelt beside him. His eyes were closed and Theo could see the artery in his next was barely beating. Theo pushed open his shirt and saw the knife wound was barely stitched. The stitches were uneven and poorly put in. Matty’s skin was cooling and grey. Theo knew with one look that Matty wouldn’t be long for this world. To end his suffering Theo raised his knife and cut the vein barely beating. He watched as the vein pumped fresh blood out and finally the blood slowed to a trickle and then stopped altogether.

  He got to his feet and turned to Reva. “Are you all right?” he whispered.

  Reva never said a word but nodded slowly instead. She watched him closely. Seeing every move he made carefully and precise. The gag had stopped her from making any sound but even when the man next to her died a violent death, she hadn’t called out in any way.

  Theo raised his blade again and cut through the gag in her mouth.

  Reva didn’t move until she felt the tightness let go. She spit out the cloth and waited.

  Theo cut through the binding one her wrist.

  Reva hissed as the pain rushed through her body but she didn’t make any other sound.

  Theo reached down and helped her to her feet. Then he motioned her to follow him. Putting his finger to his mouth, he motioned for her to be quiet.

  She nodded and followed
him back into the woods.

  He looked over his shoulder and mouthed the words, “How many left?”

  Reva held up two fingers.

  Theo nodded and searched the woods for the next man. It took him twenty minutes moving slowly and carefully through the woods to find him. He motioned for Reva to stay where she was and not to make a sound.

  Reva did as she was told.

  Theo moved closer. He grabbed both knives in his hands and stepped up behind the other man. Moving swiftly, he crossed the blades and brought them around the man’s head. Quickly efficiently, deadly he sliced through the other man’s neck and pulled back.

  The man barely had time to know he was in danger before he was dead. His head separated from the rest of his body before it thumped to the ground. Blood poured from the severing and spread out in front of him.

  Theo steeped back and saw the look of horror on Reva’s face.

  She had raised her hands to cover her mouth but she didn’t say anything.

  Theo stepped closer and brought her head to the crook of her neck. “Hang on girl. Don’t lose your shit yet. We still got one more man to find and he may be the worst.”

  Reva shuddered in his arms but she kept her quiet. She stepped away and nodded. She moved away completely and couldn’t look him in the face.

  Theo sighed deeply and stepped away. He hated this part of his job. Usually, he got satisfaction from witnessing the fear of people’s faces but this fear was different. Although he would never harm her, she no longer trusted him and that bothered him. Odd, never had this feeling before either.

  He moved closer to the compound and when they got as close as they could without reaching the fence line then he suddenly without warning dragged Reva to her knees. His hand covered her mouth before she could utter a sound. She didn’t see anything out of order but she trusted him just enough to follow his lead.

  They sat there and waited. Each second they waited seemed like an eternity. Finally, Reva saw what Theo had seen a few minutes earlier. Oscar Buckley stepped out of the shadows. He’d been moving closer to the compound all this time. In his hand was a bottle of what smelled like gasoline. Reva’s nose wrinkled when the scent finally hit her. Theo turned to frown at her and when he shook his head, she got the message he was trying to get through to her.