by K. J. Dahlen
“What happened?” Barshan asked.
“Frankie Briggs caught up with me,” she explained still holding his gaze. “The Briggs brothers have been looking for me for four years now but I always managed to stay under their radar until last night.”
“Frankie was chasing me,” Benny supplied. “And like a dumb sock, I led him straight to Stevie. All I knew was that I had to get to my sister. I had to protect her and I knew she would protect me too.” He hung his head. “But Frankie found her first.”
“Did he beat her?” Yuri asked.
Benny nodded.
“Why was he chasing you?” Mikial asked.
Benny didn’t say anything for the longest time.
Stevie squeezed his hand and whispered, “Tell them what you heard and saw.”
Benny looked at her and tears rolled down his cheeks. “I can’t,” he whispered. “Caulder will kill me.”
Stevie raised her hand and cupped his chin. “Caulder isn’t here and he needs to be stopped. These guys might be strong enough to do that. We have to trust in someone. We have to try and keep the city safe.”
“What does this man have to do with keeping Baton Rouge safe?” Yuri frowned.
Benny turned to look at the men. “Caulder wants to bring a drug cartel in. He’s got big plans to run their guns and drugs through Baton Rouge. He wants to use the river to bring the drugs and guns up from the gulf and run them out by highway. He’s in the King’s Crew and last night, he murdered Banger the leader of that crew to do that. He plans to blame the local MC for the murder. Banger was killed as a distraction, so no one would know what was really going on.”
Yuri glanced at his brothers a moment before he turned back to Benny. “This local MC? What is their connection to the gang?”
Benny swallowed hard. “The Advocates are trying to keep the city clean. They’ve rousted out one of the street gangs already and Banger was trying to work with them to keep the streets clean but that was something Caulder didn’t want. He wanted to get some big business back and make the kind of money to live the good life. Banger didn’t want that, not for his city or his MC and he tried to tell Caulder that but Caulder wouldn’t listen.”
“Why?” Mikial asked.
“Caulder is greedy.” Benny shrugged. “He liked the extra money he had coming in.”
“What money was that?” Barshan asked.
“Money from people like Mrs. Harris.” Stevie growled.
“Who is this Mrs. Harris?” Yuri demanded.
Stevie rolled her eyes in disgust. “Mrs. Harris is a bitch who runs a house of sin. She’s a foster parent along with her husband and neither one should be in charge of young kids.”
“Why?” Barshan asked.
Stevie caught Benny’s eye and stared at him while she responded, “They like to have siblings, one girl and one boy. When the girl reaches a certain age, usually fourteen or so, they put them to work. They keep the younger brother at the house while the girls work the streets. If the girls object, they show her just how much they control her actions.”
“How do they do that?” Yuri looked enraged.
Stevie squeezed Benny’s hand. “Show them,” she whispered.
Benny shook his head.
“They need to know,” Stevie urged.
Benny hung his head. Tears rolled down his cheeks and fell on their clasped hands. Slowly, he raised his hand and pulled his t shirt up to his shoulders.
Everyone saw the bruises, both old and new.
Roman also saw the faded scars and his heart began to beat a little faster.
“Why didn’t anyone ever turn her in to the authorities?” Sazon queried.
“Her husband is the authorities.” Stevie continued to stare at them. “Everything has to go through him to go further up the food chain.”
“That’s why her house is never raided and no one bothers the girls.” Benny scowled. “Or the kids in her home. She’s allowed to do whatever she wants because no one has the balls to stop her.”
“And what happens to the younger siblings in her charge?” Mikial asked this time.
“The girls spend two years working for her then they are allowed to start working off the price of her younger siblings,” Stevie explained.
“And what is that cost?” Yuri demanded.
“I don’t know.” Stevie stared at him.
“Benny said you never went to work for Mrs. Harris,” Roman stated.
“I had nothing she could hold against me,” Stevie informed them.
“What about Benny?” Yuri queried.
Stevie looked at Benny then grabbing his hand and squeezing it she said, “Benny and I aren’t related by blood, but by something much stronger. He’s my brother in every way that counts except for that.”
“Then why did you leave four years ago?” Roman asked.
Stevie scoffed. “When I wouldn’t work for the old bitch she sold me to Caulder. She told me he would sort me out. I was forced to leave. I didn’t choose to leave Benny behind.”
Yuri turned to his brothers. “I’m sending over a security team. I’m going back to the penthouse to begin working on this. Roman…” He looked at the other man. “You stay here and watch over them. I’ll keep you informed as I find out what we need to know.”
Roman nodded then noticed Benny and Stevie whispering. Again, he noticed Stevie was watching her brother while he spoke. He frowned, not quite knowing what this meant. Then something Benny did registered and Roman stared at the pair of them for the longest time. Then he turned and went into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Sazon and Barshan joined him.
“What’s going on?” Sazon asked.
Roman glanced up at his brothers and shrugged. “I’m not quite sure yet.”
“What does that mean?” Barshan frowned.
“I think there is more to their story,” Roman informed them.
“Such as?” Yuri joined them.
“I think the girl might be deaf,” Roman broke the news.
“Damnation,” Yuri swore.
CHAPTER FOUR
Later that same morning, Roman came to the door of the bedroom and stared at the pair of them again. They were both sleeping now. Stevie was on her side with Benny in front of her. He walked quietly to the closet and grabbed an extra blanket. Unfolding it, he laid it over them both and went back out to the living room where he checked his phone for what seemed like the millionth time since Yuri and the others left.
Roman recognized the signs of abuse. He had those same signs in his behavior, although no one abused him anymore and hadn’t since he joined up with the others. Maybe that was why he felt connected to Benny so quickly. Usually, he never got that close to anyone else so fast but Benny reminded him of himself.
He folded his hands into a steeple and pressed it against his lips. He tried to close his mind off from the past but found he couldn’t. Unwanted memories clouded his mind and he could barely stand the pain.
So lost was he in the past that he missed Benny when he came out and joined him.
Benny could see his torment and he just sat there and watched Roman as he struggled with unwelcome memories.
Finally, Roman looked up and was stunned to see the boy sitting there. He shifted in his seat and barked, “What are you doing here?”
Benny shrugged. “I woke up and wanted something to drink.” He paused as if to say something else but didn’t. Instead, he looked away.
Roman got to his feet and went into the kitchen. Opening the refrigerator, he spoke, “I have juice, water, sweet tea, or milk.”
Benny came in and sat down at the counter. “Do you have any unsweetened tea?”
Roman raised his eye brow. “No but I can probably make some.”
“Naw, that’s ok. I can just have water,” Benny assured him. He looked expectantly at Roman but didn’t say anything.
“What?” Roman asked. “If you have something to say just say it.”
“Stevie likes un
sweetened tea too,” Benny told him softly.
Roman clapped his hands together. “Well then, I guess I’ll have to make some for the two of you.”
Benny smiled shyly.
Roman leaned over the counter top and looked him right in the eye. “So when did your sister lose her hearing?” he asked the boy softly.
Benny paled and slipped off his stool, taking a step or two back. He tried to look away but found he couldn’t. Then he hung his head. Turning around, he walked back into the living room and sat down in the corner. Wrapping his arms around his legs, he just sat there for a long time.
Roman followed him and sat down on the sofa facing the young boy. He waited for the longest time before the boy began to speak.
“It was the first time they dragged me back to Mrs. Harris’s house. They dragged Stevie back too. She refused to leave my side. Caulder ripped us apart and she swung at him. He swung back and smacked her upside the head. She hit her head on the floor hard when she went down. Then Caulder kicked her in the head too. It was hard enough to rupture her ear drum. She probably would have been ok if it hadn’t taken her days to get medical attention. Caulder locked her up for the next five days with no food and very little water. Her ear wound got infected and without antibiotics the infection got bad.” He shrugged. “By the time they took her to the hospital, it was too late. She lost her hearing in her left ear and some in her right ear. Caulder told her to get ready to move to his place almost before she even got rid of her fever. The dumb ass didn’t think she would run as sick as she was but she did. That was four years ago and he’s been looking for her ever since.”
“So what happened last night that made you guys run?” Roman asked.
Benny lifted a pale face to his. “To get Frankie away from Stevie, I shot him,” he whispered. “I had t-to—he was going to kill her.”
Roman knelt on the floor beside the trembling boy. Laying his hands on Benny’s shoulders, he told him, “I would have done the same thing to protect someone I loved too.”
Benny had tears rolling down his face. “You would? Really?”
Roman grinned. “I really would.” He paused then asked, “Did you kill him?”
Benny shook his head. “I don’t think so. He was down but I think he was still alive. I didn’t check. I just grabbed Stevie and we ran.” Forlorn, he wiped his nose with the edge of his hand. “Stevie had some friends and they said they would get him some help as soon as we got away.”
“So you don’t know if he’s still alive or not?”
Benny glared as rage showed in his eyes. “I hope he’s dead. It’s nothing less than he deserves and more than I can hope for.”
Yuri sat back in his chair and picked up his pen. Several hours earlier, he’d put several calls in place and set his IT guy, Adrik trolling the internet for news of the Kings Crew, Mrs. Harris and the Briggs brothers. He also called Pappy with the Hell’s Fire Riders MC to give him a heads up about the Advocates and Caulder’s plans for the city.
Pappy thanked him for the heads up and said he would check with Trudy about verifying the rest of it.
Yuri only hoped they could come up with something to help. He hated the fact that these two kids were up against animals like this. No kid deserved a childhood like that. When his phone rang a few minutes later, Yuri reached over and grabbed the receiver without thinking.
“You need to check on Frankie Briggs,” his brother, Roman told him.
“What?” Yuri frowned. “Why, what do you know that I don’t?”
“Benny shot him last night.”
“What the fuck?” Yuri sat up in his chair. “Why would he do something as stupid as that?”
“Because the bastard was beating his sister and wouldn’t have stopped.”
When Yuri didn’t say anything more Roman asked, “What else did you find out?”
“Not much yet. I’m waiting on return phone calls.” Yuri rubbed his eyes in frustration. “I put a call into to Pappy. I thought he could contact the MC in Baton Rouge and see how things were standing.”
“That’s a good idea,” Roman agreed.
“I also put a call in to Nikoli.” Yuri dropped the bombshell.
“Why Nikoli?”
“We may not have a presence in Baton Rouge but if trouble spills over to New Orleans, Nikoli needs to know it’s coming,” Yuri reasoned. “I’m waiting to hear back before I notify the other factions. They too, have a right to know.”
Roman sighed heavily over the phone. “I agree.” He hesitated then added, “I got a call just before I called you. My patrol boats found a houseboat abandoned on the river this afternoon. They boarded it and found a body. Whoever this guy was in life, he didn’t end well. He was beaten to death. When they searched the boat they found an empty hold but they did find traces of something else.”
“And what is that something else? Do I even want to know?” Yuri asked.
“Probably not, but I’ll tell you anyway. It was black tar heroin.”
“Shit,” Yuri swore. “Do we know where the boat came from?”
“I have a feeling it came down from Baton Rouge.”
“How do you figure that?”
Roman exhaled heavily. “I was talking to Benny today. He said they got to the river and one of Stevie’s friends gave them a ride this far. When he woke up this morning, the sun wasn’t quite up yet but Stevie had been knocked out. They were in a row boat tied up to the bank and he didn’t know if she was alive or dead. He said when he woke up he’d never been so scared in his life. When she came to a few minutes later, they made their way into my shop.”
“Did you ask them who this guy was?”
“No he never said the guy’s name but I can always ask Stevie.”
Yuri looked up as the door to his office opened and Nikoli walked in. “I’ll get back to you. Nikoli just walked in.”
Yuri hung up the call and viewed his boss for a moment.
Nikoli leaned against the door and stared at him for a moment before he asked, “Do you have any more information for me?”
Yuri shrugged. “I called Pappy and he’s going to check out the story and check with the MC over in Baton Rouge.” He nodded at the phone. “Roman just called. His patrol found an abandoned house boat this afternoon. The runner was dead but his guys found traces of black tar heroin in the hold. The shipment had already been delivered.”
“Do they know who this guy was or where the boat came from?” Nikoli frowned.
“Roman thinks it came down from Baton Rouge. Benny and Stevie came down by river. They arrived just before dawn.”
“Is that their names?” Nikoli asked. “I thought there was a boy and a girl?”
“Stevie is a young woman. Benny is a twelve year old kid.”
“And where are they now?”
Yuri got to his feet. “They are at Roman’s under guard.”
Nikoli sat down and watched as Yuri poured them both a drink. Handing Nikoli a glass, the older man continued to observe and waited for Yuri to say whatever was on his mind.
“I got a phone call very early this morning from a woman I didn’t know. That woman we found out later was Stevie and she called to tell me Roman was hurt and needed some help. We had no idea what we were walking into or how bad Roman was injured but when we got here, we found him knocked out on the floor. We found them a few minutes later.” He paused to take a sip of his drink. “Stevie was passed out by then. Before we could get to her, little Benny pulled a gun on us. He made sure we knew he would shoot us if we hurt her.”
“What happened to her?” Nikoli asked quietly.
“Some bastard in Baton Rouge pulled her arm out of joint and bruised a couple of ribs and her jaw. Sazon said she will recover.”
“What is this bastard’s name?”
Yuri could see the white of Nikoli’s knuckles. “Don’t worry, Benny got him back with a bullet. I’m waiting to hear whether he’s alive or not.”
“How did you get the information yo
u did? Was it from these two kids?”
Yuri nodded. “Da and I’ve been doing some checking around and so far, everything they said is true. I’ve got Adrik double checking the information we have.”
Nikoli ran his fingers through his hair and sighed deeply. “Bylat,” he swore in Russian. “Well, this is a mess isn’t it?”
“Da, you could say that,” Yuri agreed.
“I’ve spoken to Demi and Travern in New York. They agree with us, we do not want the Mexican cartel running guns and dope through our city for places north. And I think you know Sergi’s stand on the matter.”
Yuri nodded. “He doesn’t want any part of the drug trade. That’s why the Ukraines have control of it. I can’t say I disagree with this. I don’t like the drug trade, never did, never will.”
“That’s one reason I had to bring them in on this matter. I wanted no misunderstandings about our role. Demi and Travern understood.”
“Nyet. Good, drugs are a dirty business. Guns are even worse.”
“Soglasen…I agree.” Nikoli shrugged. “But there is a viable market for those things.”
“True enough and most people don’t mind the pay that comes with it but I’m glad Sergi has other interests.”
“I hate the fact that people are selling that poison to children.” Nikoli glared.
“Speaking of deti… um children, there is another problem in Baton Rouge.” Yuri sat down in his chair and viewed Nikoli for a moment. “Seems the foster system has been broken there.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is a foster woman there using the young girls and I say that with gritted teeth, she’s using girls as young as fourteen as prostitutes. Her old man covers for her and together, they make a great deal of money on the side. If the girls don’t cooperate, they use younger siblings against them. It’s a no win situation and the girls are caught in the middle.”
“Bylat,” Nikoli swore. After a moment he asked, “Was it proven that the leader of the Kings was murdered last night?”
Yuri nodded. “Right now, he’s only missing. His body hasn’t been discovered yet. Pappy told the MC to look for him on their land but they haven’t discovered him yet. Caulder Briggs needs the gun he murdered him with in order to place the blame on the MC and start his street war.”